St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-12-09
EASTMAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO
SHERIFF MARION SWORDS
ST LANDRY REPRESENTATIVE SPECIAL ORA
TOR AT ELK MEMORIAL
Exercises Held Last Sunday in the Orders Home.
Hon. Percy T. Ogden of Crowley the Regu-
lar Orator of the Day and the Cere-
monies Were Impressive

Of the Benevolent PROTECTIVE
Order of Elks is to hold memoria
services once each year. Ever,
Elk lodge in the nation meets ol
the same day to pay tribute T.
the memory of every brother whe
has passed to the other shore. |
is a beautiful custom and signl
fies the fraternalism prevalent Il
the order. Moreover, it shows
that men are not always forgot
ten after they have passed from
earthly shores.
In commemoration Of the ELL
custom, the Opelousas lodge O
the order met last Sunday II
memorial session and while Hon
Percy T. Ogden of Crowley was
the orator of the day, Hon. E. <
Eastman, representative IN the
legislature from this parish, paid
a special tribute to the late Ia
mented Marion Il. Swords, fol
sixteen years sheriff Of st. Ian
dry and one of the best known
and most charitable Elks in the
state. Mr.. Eastman, Kentuc-
khan by birth, is naturally quite
an orator. In. chaste and feeling
language he devoted his entire
grafton to the dead sheriff, ex-
tolled his many splendid qualities
and told few truths about the
dead political leader-truths
which we all knew but which,
somehow, we have heretofore
failed to realize.
We published with pleasure the
address of Mr.. Eastman, which
follows:
Zone of the cardinal principles
of the order of Elks is that the
virtues of their brothers be writ
ten4on the tablets of love and
md lory. 1t is to bLrnish these
tablets that this services is held
But for the departed brother,
Marion i. Swords, no memorial
exercise is necessary to burnlsh
or brighten those tablets. Not IN
Elk hearts alone, but IN the
hearts of all Opelousas, of all st.
Landry and a great part of our
state, the memory OF Marion
Swords is enshrined on tablets
more precious than gold, for 7
is on the tablets of the hearts OF
his fellowmen. No eulogy my
poor language could pay, though
it came straight from heart that
loved him. no eulogy that the
most gifted orator could deliver,
would serve half so well as mem
orial to him, as would simple re-
cital of his life, of his deeds OF
kindness, of courage, OF feaity to
his friends and devotion to his
lifelong principles Of honor and
charity and justice. But this
afternoon would be all too short
a space of time to make bare re-
cital of the stirring events OF his
life-events SO linked and inter-
woven with the very woof and
web of the history of st. Landry,
Evangeline, yes and the state at
large. as to have become an IN
tegral part thereof for almost
forty years, and known to every
schoolboy and girl. While his
charities and kindnesses and bub-
bling sense of humor form bright
and vari-coored threads shot
through the entire fabric.
"His career was an epic of an
epochal period of that history
An epic of achievement, Of SER
vice well performed to his people,
his parish and his state; OF
boundless charity and deeds OF
kindness more numerous than the
hairs on his grizzled and beloved
head; an epic ending in dark
and sombre tragedy, but under
circumstances, which believe ne
himself would have chosen--klll-
ed in the performance of duty,
bravely and fearlessly attempt
ed. His death but typified his
life, having given the best part
of that life to the strvice of his
people, of law and order, he gave
in its sunset gov, the ultimate.
complete gift of life itself.
None but a big man, yes and
an inherently good man, could
have lived and achieved as did
Marion Swords, and he was a big
man. in power of mind and will
and body. Under different envi-
ronment he could have become a
so-called great man, but always
he preferred the love of his fell
lowmen and friends to every
thing else. Fittinglv he may have
said, as did Abou Ben Adhem to