The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-02
CHARITY, JUSTICE, BROTHERLY LOVE
AND FIDELITY-MOTTO OF THE ELKs
Ann"" Address at Lodge Richmond


much respect, we continue to practice
its methods, while we no longer give
blind acquiesence to it's conclusions
In the immense desolations of grief
today each person must find his own
answer to the supreme enigma. For
this intellectual initiative the common
man is far better prepared than he
knew. Widespread education, wide
spread communication, have equip
ped the popular mind for mental
achievement which materialism had
decided to grosser distinctions than
it deserved.
We, therefore. approach a new wis
dom of death by enlisting every capa-
city we possess intuitive as we'll as
rational and we seek light along every
avenue of approach, philosophy
poetry, science, theology, old and
! new, even spiritism with all its perils.
We test each step into the unknown
pragmatically, scientifically, for we
must have ease from grief If we are
not to he paralized and we must have
power to remake our own lives and
the life OF the world in saner accord
with eternal purposes, II in any way
these can be ascertained.
Alawys the motiving of the univer-
, sal search is the same--just so much
to go on living through this horror,
instant consolation, instant recon
struCton, we must attain, IL the whole
world is not in moment to be tossed
back into chaos.
For countless centuries the world
has been able to live by evasion; our
energy for living has been based upon
our ability to forget dying. Today. we
/ wake to such havoc as can never be
I nj in, f,,fy, uv,ln dSy-
cover how to make destruction itself
the stimulus OF an indestructable VIZ
gor.
| Apart from earthly immortality,
through heroic endeavor what does
the soldier who may be Jew, a
Cath Ole, a Protestant, or an Agnostic.
see for himself each single lad IN
the ranks, in that misty hand that he
t}ss entering, Sasarnlaing FOR sixsswef, one
| is overwhelmed by the impression
given by all trench records: whatso-
/ ever else the soldier may expect Of
that other side. of one thing he seems
/ absolutely assured, measureless we'll
( being-he is going to a place that is
good, and he is going with every fac
ulty alive for new adventure.
Under the Old Flag
/ IT would seem meet and proper at
this time and on this occasion to state
that wherever an Elks lodge is char
tered it is only done under the juris-
/ diction of the United States and that
! old Glory covers the altar OF every
! lodge, and ii may be fit. to further
state that when we entered the world
/ war in the spring of 1917, soon there
after, July of the same year, the Elks
/ in grand lodge convened in Boston
appropriated one million dollars for
the purpose of war relief to limit
( ed commission. which commission has
I since equipped two base hospitals.
each one OF one thousand bed capa-
! city which have long since been es-
/ tablished in France, performing mag
nificicnt works of mercy and human
ity among our brave soldiers--again
! the commission has built large re-
construction hospital at Boston until
such period after the war as shall
be necessary and a similar one has
been contracted for in New Orleans.
/ Again during the present year at
the grand lodge meeting at Atlantic
City another million dollars was ap-
/ propriated for war relief.
Three million dollars OF Liberty
Bonds have been purchased from sub
ordinate lodge funds.
! Three hundred thousand dollars
have been donated by the Elks to the
Red Cross war fund and one hundred
thousand dollars to the Y. NJ. c. A.
war fund.
I Three hundred Elk club houses
( were turned over for use to the Red
| Cross az well as other patriotic or
ganiztions.
! More than 30. 900 members Of the
order having worn the country's uni
form. at the front, including over
thirty members of this lodge, surely
this record justifies the claim that
the Benevolent and Protective order
of Elks. is a patriotic asset of the
! United States.
| 1t may also be interesting to note
that of our members In service, one
! is a general. John J. Pershing. two
| are major generals, six are brigadier
generals, eighty are colonies, eighty
7 five are lieutenant cOtone1s: four are
hundred are majors, sixteen hundred
are captains; forty seven hundred are
/ lieutenants; two hundred are SER
geants: and Ave hundred are corpor-
! ais. In the navy. one is a rear admir-
al; twelve are captains: four are COM
manders; twenty are lieutenant COM
manders: one hundred are lieuten-
ants. and one hundred and fifty en-
signs The splendid remainder were
the boys in the ranks. the real power
in every great army. No better en-
eomium can be passed on the quick
or the dead.
BE it remembered that wherever an
Elk may roam. whatever his lot In
life may be when the hour OF eleven
falls on the dial OF the night, the
, great heart of Elkdom swells and
! throbs.
1t is the golden hour of recollec-
ton, the home coming OF those who
wander. the mystic roll call of those
who will come no more.
Living or dead an Elk is never for
gotten nor forsaken.