The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1914-02-20

tOll, ne may be poorly claQ, out III ne
possesses true manhood he is just as
welcome in our order as those who
have been more fortunate. Bear in
mind that no man should be judged
entirely by his personal appearance.
AS an illustration, you have beheld at
a distance the gigantic mountain, with
it's huge, rough, cold rocks, its crest
covered with snow; almost repulsive
nothing about it that especially at
tracts your notwithstanding to be
seen, but as you draw nearer you dis
cover beauties that were not discern
able at distance. AS the snow Is
melting on it's crest, the water comes
dashing down the mountain, sparkling
in the sunlight, beautiful to behold,
and here and there springing out from
between those huge, rough, cold
rocks, beautiful flowers. lending fra
GRANGE to the atmosphere below. while
down deep in that mountain you dis
cover valuable metals, silver and gold.
And so it is with humanity. A man
may have a rough and unsightly eX-
terror, he may be poorly clad. he may
not represent a finished appearance,
but as you learn to know him as he
is, you discover a noble character, a
pure heart and a gentle disposition
Such men as these are always vel
come to our order. In fact, it is this
class of membership who contribute
most to the advancement of the or
der. They are always faithful and
always willing to perform any duties
assigned to them, and in fact, the
great success we have achieved in the
past has been due to their devotion
to the principles of our order.
Have Ties That Bind.
I'VE who belong to this order are
bound together in little closer rela-
ton than men are bound in the ordi-
nary ties of life. Not only is this
true inside of our lodge rooms, but
outside as we'll. We have d greater
interest in all men because the teach
| ings Of our order make us more char
liable, more tolerant and more con-
siderate of the welfare of others. In
my judgment, one of the highest and
noblest ambitions any human being
may possess, is the desire to have and
to hold the respect, the good will and
| the good opinion of others. Such an
ambition will lift men above and away
from SelfishnesS. snobbishness and
mean actions of every sort and in,
spire him with new zeal in an effort
to better the condition of mankind
through right living and right doing
The order of Knights of Pythias slim
! ulates such an ambition. No man can
become a member unless he possesses
good character, and to hold that
membership he must maintain his rep
utation among his fellOwmen. This
tends to develop and call forth his
manly qualities. 1t makes him bet
ter husband. better father, d bette,
{ ,air ait rh,,
our order prompts these fraternal re
! lations no one will deny. Therefore
We claim the work We are doing is il
! the interest OF humanity and the cor
rect conduct of human life.
What Order Must Do.
LIN order that We may be faithful
and successful in carrying into effect
the teachings of our ordeE we must
have a full comprehension of its aims
and purposes. We must cultivate a
spirit of self-sacri6ce and be willing at
all times to come to the aid of those
who need our help, and if necessary
bear their burdens. To member who
is a knight in spirit and in truth
membership is a continual joy. 1t has
been said by another, that no man
has ever really lived who has not
blessed others. He may have existed
He may have passed his allotted time
from the cradle to the grave. but he
has known nothing of the exquisite
enjoyment of life. He may have had
all that wealth will buy. His
every want may have been supplied
He may have inhaled the sweet odors
of fiattery that float around those in
high places. but his soul will at last
be as barren as the desert if he has
never wiped a tear from the face OF
the weeping or planted a new JOY in
4 the heart of the desponding
| The chief purpose of our order is
! to bring men together that We may
help each other through closer anc
better relations. 1t is in no sense q
reformatory for those who have faller