The Alaska daily empire., 1919-08-14
EXERCISES IN
 MEMORY OF LATE.
 c. E. DAVIDSON
Impressive Services Were Held Last Night by the Friends of Late Well
 Known Alaskan

The impressive memorial ceremony
 of eulogy song and music. held last
 evening in Odd Fellows Hall, to pay
 tribute to the memory of Charles E.
 Davidson, Surveyor-General and ex
 offcio Secretary of the Territory Of
 Alaska, who was accidentally drowned
 several days ago when he fell over | board from launch on which he
 was taking an outing, near Annex Creek, Alaska, brought out a large gathering of Masonic brethren and friends of the deceased to pay their last tribute of respect to his mem ory
 The solemn services opened with prayer by Chaplain E. J. Dyer Of Mount Juneau Lodge of Masons; fol lowing which was a brief announce ment by Past Master Charles E. Naghel, also of said lodge, stating the object of the ceremony; the Masonic quartette composed of w. NJ Fry, k. G. Smith, George Oswell and E. J. Dyer sang Nearer My God to Thee" and Rock of Ages; Willis E
 Nowell rendered that divine compost tion "A Religious Meditation" by Fichbaugh, on the violin in a most | inspiring and artistic manner, and Past Master John Rutsgard, of Mount
 Juneau Lodge of Masons. delivered the oration. Miss Ethel Forbes ac
 companied Mr Nowell on the piano MT Rustgard, declaring his abso | lute conviction that life does not end with the grave, said: q cannot con sider that Charles K. Davidson is | dead and gone, but is here with us
 living, conscious and intelligent as ever. With perceptible feelings of emotion" MT. Rustgard reviewed the life and characteristics of the dc ceased, laying great stress on his genuine qualities of true manhood individuality, sincerity, frankness and broad sympathies, decision of char acter, his unostentatious charity and love of home and children
 Continuing, the speaker said: Charles E. Davidson was a person who would make himself felt in any community, and he would make him self felt without any effort to do so on his part He was a man of indi viduality and true manhood. Charles Davidson was a man tofwhom no one could be indifferent after they once met him. Charles E. Davidson was man of highest ideals and rare judgment of men as yell as of af fairs. He was frank. open and above board. I do not know of any body who ever told me they were dis appointed with Davidson; every one who met him found him to be up to all that they expected-if they were looking for genuine manhood. The qualities which made friends for him were undoubtedly his sincerity, frank ness and his general broad sym pathies. He did not like to put his name on subscription lists; as rule he would do it under the name of cash friend or some other name always wanting to hide his iden tity; he was always trying to helI somebody without having people find out that he was actually doing 1t; publicity and notoriety never ap pealed to him; of this. the public knew very little. I doubt if there was ever a man in this community who was more assiduous in his at tention to the wants of others than r1a only who have been very close to him have any knowledge of that phase of his character whatsoever; that characteristic of Mr. Davidson.
 Charles Davidson was born at Fort Jones, California, March '. 1873: he came to Juneau in 1S96-23 years old since that time he has spent his life in Alaska and given to this Territory the best there was in him. He was not blessed with wealthy parents nor was he brought up un- der conditions where he could equip himself with a college education without his own personal efforts in fact. he had no college education. but he had. nevertheless, very broad education. which he had ac- nuired mainly in the university of hard knocks'-the lessons of which he never forgot and always profitted bv. When he came to Juneau he went into the service of one of the popular surveyors at the time. Thom- as George, and worked with him lenrning the surveying business. some two years: after which he went back