The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-06
HARDING REDEEMS
 CAMPAIGN PROMISE
 10 BLIND FRIEND
Next Executive Delivers Nota- bIe Elks Memorial Grafton at National Home In Virginia.
 Love Is Keynote
By Associated Press

Bedford. Va, December 5.-President- elect Harding today redeemed promise
 to his friend Henry M. Stow, now a practiced his own precepts of memory s
 revealments in fellowships and friend ships" which formed the basis of his ora ton when he delivered the address
 this afternoon at the annual memorial exercises at the national home of the Be- nevoleat and Protective Order of I1iks. It was at the invitation of Mir. Stowe, formerly a business man of Marion, Ohio, that Senator Harding, then can- didate for the republican nomination for the presidency, agreed to deliver the memorial services oration at the Elks' National home, and when he was nolni- mated he repeated his promise to be ca'- ried out irrespective of the result of his
 campaign.
 So today he delivered the address, de-
 claring in the presence of the friend of his youth that it is not given to all
 men to inspire great shafts of granite or tablets of bronze, but it is the privilege
 of every living being to plant an ever blooming friendship in some felio"
 breast and gather all the fruit it bears.
 OUTDOOR MEETING
 | The oration was delivered in the open
 beneath the mild sun of an Indian summer
 day from the portico of the home, while
 2.oOO Elks and friends from all parts of
 Virginia gathered on the lawn to take
 part in the exercises of the order n
 memory of If brothers who had died I during the year Senator Harding was
 introduced by Grind Exalted Ruler ]. William M. Abbott of San Francisco /, Present and past grand exalted rulers l and other prominent officials or the order of Elks from all Larts ot the | country were present. Ll ! Senator Harding reached Bedford City
 this morning at o'clocl, and left this | afternoon at o'clock for Washington, 1 where he will remain for two days ln | conference with senators and others De- | fore going to his home in Marion Iues- day. After a late breakfast the party was taken on an automobile ride and
 thence to the national home for lunch leon. The President-elect missed church l Mir Stowe responding to his query as te
 the location of a Baptist church with the
 regretfuI answer that there was none il Bedford City.
 l "The greatest gift in Gods master be- stowal upon man is memory said Sena- | tor Harding in opening his menoflal oration. Tt is the storehouse of every thing in life worth while. It fashions
 character and inspires all hope. It takes all the impressions of human existence l. and by some alchemy of love removes
 the dross and makes the golden cross oi | faith. which is the rosary to every hu-
 man prayer. "One cannot fancy a life fit to live 1 without the memory's revealments in fei- l lowships and friendships; without love and attachments without encourage 1 ments and endearments; without lhspira' tions and the consciousness Of achieVe- ments." ,,, l The influence of example was illus trated by the senator with two experi, | ences of his own, in which by words ol cheer to men who had become the VIC tims of strong drink he had had the sat I isfaction of turning them away from the paths they were following into success ful life. Of the disappointments of pup l lie, he said: ..,,,x How often do we crittcise narsn,s ] when we ought to bestow gariaho' sse