Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-07

refuge from the taunts and rldicule or so-called leaders of morality. It has grown into an organization of nearly Q. half a million earnest men who are seeking to exemplify in their daily lives the grand principles of Charity Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity.
 During all these years 1t has held steadfast to the belief that there is no man, whatever his standing among his fellows, who is not better for being an Elk; that he who has stood before the altar and taken the solemn and binding oath and obligation of the order is a that he has an ideal which, though he may never attain it, he holds high as mans hope of immortality.
 An Elk believes in these principles of the order. He is not content merely to preach Brotheriy Love, he practices ple. He trusts the great throbbing heart of humanity. He knows that in the last analysis there is little differ ence in the heart of prince and peasr ant. He realizes that when the final chapter is written, "scepter and. crown must tumble down and in the cold ground be equal laid with the poor crooked shovel and the spade"
 And so we meet today for a purpose that has the dignity and tenderness of funeral rites without their sadness. It is not new bereavement, but one which time has softened, that brings us here. We meet not around a newly opened grave but here in this lodge of sorrow to do honor to the. memory of our departed brothers.
 Another year has passed so quickly that to- us it seems time flies, and death, the grim yisaged reaper, has reached forth and piucked from our midst four of our brothers. They have been transferred to that grand lodge on high, yet to live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.
 Our departed brothers await us be- yond the ShadJwy portal; for them the Great Mystery is solved. Paraphrasing the words of the poet, James Whit l are just away. They have wandered into an unknown land and left us dreaming how very fair it needs must be since they fingered there.'
 We know not when our call will come. There may be but little time left, and we know not what Destiny has in store for us; therefore. let us join together while there is yet a little i time, that we may renew our vows of friendship and strengthen the ties of
 brotherhood before it is too late. That l is the spirit of Elkdom. And does this spirit cease with death? Never, An Elk Is never for gotten, never forsaken. When he takes his obligation he is assured that )hie l memory will live forever. Long after ne IS gone, ana ms every Ir1end mas | joined him in the Grand Home-wher none remains on earth who ever knew l him-his memory, graven on the me-
 morial tablets of his lodge. will live on
 and each succeeding year as the broth CTS pause in their festivities to dc | honor unto those who have departed
 never to return, he will hear his name
 called and some brother whom he has never known will say: There was a
 mana big hearted, whole-souled
 man. He was true to his obligation, to
 his brother, to his fellow man. He was an Elk
 Closing Exercises.
 Two other musical selections ad-
 miraibly rendered followed the address These were the solo, My Shepherd is the Lord. My God (Greely), sung by 1 Brother Kinder, and the orchestral se- 1 lection Nocturne, from MidSummel Nights Dream (Mendelssohn).
 The exercises closed with the ritua.
 conducted by the officers, the closing
 ode, Nearer. My God, to Thee, and ths benediction by Rev. MT. Cobb.
 The arrangements for the memoria. day exercises were in the hands of the
 committee comprising Laurence E
 Millea, Judge Nelson J. Ayling, Ste- phen J. Kehoe, William H. Nicholson l and Hugh Kinder.