The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1920-03-21

couldn't climb, a goat of enormous
butting capacity-these things should
not deter the brave and the good.
But orders are exclusive! In the
same sense our churches are exelu-
sive. If you join this church you
take upon yourself the VOWS peculiar
to this institution. If you go to the
Baptist Church or the Presbyterian
Church it is the same. We all dele
gate to ourselves certain conditions
which determine the fitness or
unfitness.
Bad men in the orders. I am sor-
nv to have to give assent to that.
am much more distressed to say that
the same thing is true of the
churches. ! wouldn't kill the whole
litter of pigs because of a runt or
two. But they serve only their own
members. The member Of a brother
hood that looks after their own will
be the more likely to help others, "if |
in the reach Of his cabletow." The
grips, pass words, signs and the like
are but protection from imposters.
No secret order of which have /
knowledge has one item that de-
fleets us from our duty to our fam
lily, our country, our church, or our
God. On the contrary, YOU MUST
BELIEVE IN GOD BEFORE YOU
CAN BECOME A MEMBER. No
atheist can find a place there. They
simply propose to take the broken
fragments of humanity and stick
them together with the cement of
brotherly kindness-though some
haven't cement enough to stick well.
Beauty in Nature.
The dewdrop reflects the face Of
Almighty God The most beautiful
sight, in a small way, ever looked
upon was in Bolivar, Tenn. roomed
in the church building. Water was
flung out from rear window. De-
spite the long dry spell, great tuft
of grass grew in this moist spot
One morning the rays Of the sun
caught this uplifted bunch of green
ness, all tipped and covered with
dew, and a tiara of diamonds, more
beautiful than ever adorned my
!ady's throat or breast, glimmered
and sparkled and mirrored the face
of the Creator. So | think of human
kindness in world of sorrow. The
Woodmen Of the World won my heart
when my own brother fought long
fight against death, only to lose.
They watched by his bedside, stood
on duty at his door, reverently UNI
covered and with bowed heads at
tended his funeral service, erected a
beautiful monument at his grave,
and showed a thousand kindnesses to
my dear old father. God bless them!
No Conflict.
But the churches ought to do these
things. Thank God they do. Neither
lodge nor church is doing enough of
lit. Both get their best things from
the teachings of the Son of Man.
The one stops with human kindness,
the fraternal spirit, not even claim
ing to treat the soul of man. The
church, on the other hand, does all
its work looking to mans salvation.
There is no conflict, save as that
conflict is made by the individual
Wherever gambling and drinking is
done in a lodge, it is at the risk of
, FORGETTING the charter. Not even the
Elks have any moral or legal right
to gamble or drink in theinr lodge
/ rooms. They have a most beautiful
ceremony for the burial of their dead.
/ have no personal knowledge of their
"internal affairs but ! do know that
: in "hot scrap" | had with them at
, A., a year or two since, two
members of the order came to me,
/ personally, and said | was right; de-
, elared that the structures had
i, passed were more than justified No
well-founded secret order or broth
\ erhood stands for anything less than
|, high morality. They can't do it and
i've in this country.
e The Highest Degree.
Now look carefully at few
t things with me. / never hesitate tC
y approach a secret order man about
+ his soul if occasion is given. | al.
= ways count him as on the moral side
= of questionst he proves himself t.
TO- the contrary. ! always know that hi
n will respond to the call of charity
a unless as an individual he proves
Ie himself a selfish tightwad. If he il
1t a Mason, or Pythian, know h,
le has some Christian principles in
n stilled into him. All Of them, so IA
st as know, teach the Immortality o
m the soul Some of the best ehurcl
n men know are faithful lodge mer