Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1920-12-11
IMPRESSIVE SERVICES
 FOR ABSENT BROTHERS

468, last Sunday, that beautiful poem recalling many of the striking feat ures of the annual call of Elkdom in commemoration of their Absent Brothers, Bro. Walter Jones acting the part:
 "So live that when thy summons : comes to join -
 The innumerable caravan, which
 moves
 To that mysterious realm, when
 each shall take .|
 His chamber in the silent halls of
 death, ...r.
 Thou go not, like the quarry slave 5 at night, , #.,.
 Scourged to his dungeon, but, sus-
 tained and soothed
 By an unfaltering trust, approach
 thy grave
 Like one who wraps the drapery of
 his couch
 About him and lies down to
 pleasant dreams"
 As he recited the poem the curtain rolled back, disclosing a coffin and the cavenous opening to the "Cham- Der of Death" ;. l
 More than 100 Elks and fully 200 people from all parts of the county took part in the services at Elks Hall last Sunday afternoon. The hall was beautifully decorated with bunting, the lodge colors and pro- fusion of flowers and greenery. The stage was background in somber black and hanging down from the flies was a glistening white cross, fitted with electric bulbs. As the secretary called the names of the ab- sent brothers the lights went on and died away. Three purple lights rep resented the three brothers who pass ed away during the year, Judge Will liam G. Blakely, Thomas M. Clark and lSilas A. Lumsden.
 Exalted Ruler Ray B. Robinson ex- plained the purposes of these yearly gatherings by quotations from the ritual of the order, "That we are born to live, not die. that we believe that when we pass to the beyond we en. ter upon a more beautiful and eter- nal future. "**"***Memorial Day with us is a day of intercession.
 Chaplain w. o. Ruggles delivered the invocation. /
 Mrs. R. c. Jacobson sang the solo, "Open the Gates of the Temple", be- ing accompanied by Mrs. Barefoot on the violin and Ora Gruninger at the piano.
 The ritual service was carried out by the officers of the lodge and A.. Harrison Stockton, of Phoenix Lodge 33O, delivered the memorial address. MT. Stockton took for his theme one of the four cardinal principles of Elkdom, "Fidelity." Fidelity to yourself, to your God and to govern ment was the basis of good fellow ship, said the speaker. If you are true to yourself, you must necessar- ily be true to your neighbor and your country The best that is in life comes to the man who believes that others have rights that must be relig- iously observed in every day walks of life. A man who treats his fel- low man as he would have his fel- low man treat him, is a true Elk; No man is perfect, but the teachings of Elkdom are worthy of the obser- vance of every man. He pointed out the fact that Elkdom is truely an American institution, having been organized to further American in stitutions and to build up American citizenship. It was incorporated in the United States and it holds it's charter by reason of grant of Con- gress. The speaker spoke feelingly of the fundamentals that entered into the upbuilding of the order, brother ly love, justice, charity and fidelity and defined the theory of their ador- tion. ~..
 MT. Stockton's address was a beautiful tribute to the custom of the bringing together of all Elks to pay their respects to the dead. "Living ol dead, an Elk is never forgotten, never forsaken"; and no matter where he may be, no matter how far he may roam, he is always held in memory by his fellow Elks.
 Miss Pat Mccarthy sang Ave Maria, accompanied by her sister Mrs. Ellsworth Egli, on the violin.
 The musical program was excel lent, Mrs. H. M. Barefoot playing beautiful violin selections, being ac- companied by Ora Gruninger on the piano.
 Owing to an error of the Memorial Committee the name of Mrs. R. c Jacobson was omitted from the pro- gram, although her singing was one of the features of the service.