Decorah public opinion., 1922-12-06
MAYOR CONOVER
IN fine ADDRESS
CONTINUED from first page)

find so much of sin and blot, I hest
tate to draw the line, between the
two, when God has not"
| am not here to boast for Elkdom,
neither am | here to offer any apo
logy. The Benevolent and Protec-
| tive Order of Elks is distinctly an
American order, having for its ban
ner that matchlsss emblem of red,
| white and blue and stars and stripes.
The American flag! Upon our altar
il is surmounted by the Holy Bible,
our book of law and guide, upon this
the spreading antlers of an Elk,
forming the basic principle or mot
to of our faith, that of "doing unto
others as we would have others do
unto u.s. The four cardinal virtues
of charity, justice, brotherly love and
| fidelity, forming the four corner
stones upon which is erected our
super structure. Charity, which feeds
the hungry, clothes the naked, binds
| UP the wounds of the afflicted and
warns the hearts of the disconsolate.
Fidelity, that virtue which executes
its promises and pretenses and
accepts naught but the truth.
Do we extend charity and is our
| fidelity questioned. Hark back to
the great worlds war, when
all humanity was mad and savager,
dethroned reason; when the ola
countries ran red with human blood,
till our own America was drawn
into the great maelstron which
threatened TO engulf all the achieve
ments of modern civilization. When
two million of our best and braves1
boys crossed the briney deep upon
whose bottom lurked the agents OF
hell and misery. The Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks with
prophetic eye and vision sur1nising
the awful suffering which must
follow Immediately raised one mil.
lion dollars, not one cent Of which
was asked from anyone not an Elk,
and over in France established two
mighty base hospitals, with outfiSs
complete, into which the torn and
shattered bodies of our boys, were
carried and cared for, while back
here, i'm Boston, they erected greas
| hospital the likes of which was
never known before and into which
| the first tom and shattered Ameri-
can soldier was placed to begin re-
habilitation. This hospital is still used
| by the United States governments
who pay S1.00 per year rental to
the Elks order.
Is this charity, or is it only pre-
tense? Now explain the work done
after the war, by loanins money 70
$1,000 boys who had not dollar to
I N -aIt 60
al training, loans aggregating $780,
600, sTd ri'ssaout aL-.@y-e
Recognizing the wonderful good
and matchless business acumen of
the Elks commission the United
| States government appointed a COM
| mission to meet the Elks commission
and congratulate and commend their
great work, stating their system was
the greatest organization that they
had ever heard of, and wanted 10
adopt t, and did.
And Evangeline Booth, that peer
less leader, that goddess OF woman
hood, whose immortal name Win
that of Florence Nightengale, will
go singing down the ages so long
as suffering humanity can raise I.
cry, stood before that Elks COM
mission and with her noble Taoc
turned toward heaven, entreated her
God to shower his blessing upon this
body of men and their wonderful
order, for the noble work and as
sistance, without which the Saliva
zion Army would have been corr
paratively a failure. Charity, not
Of pretense or high sounding pro-
misses, but practical execution OF
service in need, the mighu-s; prayer
10 start from earth with certainty
of reaching heaven. These facts are
not offered II boast, but / hope they
may answer some of the criticism
and darts hurled at our order.
Brotherly love. | wish 40 car your
attention to what is known as The
| Elks National Home at Bedford,
Virginia. This Home built and sup
ported by the Elks, has SO acres of
land, gardens, dairy and large COM
modious home, with accommodations
for $50 men. Its great living room
has books, music, art, cards ana
checker boards and a g--at nle
place from which the warmth of
brotherly love reaches every occup-
ant. This home was built for those
upon whom the fates have frowneo,
where from every walk of life,
many of whom at one time were
brilliant stars in their fI1manent.
Men who found their lives broken in
health and the infirmities of OLD
age without relatives and without
money (but not without friends }
men from thirty-eight states, far
away Hawaii and cold Alaska. 1876
of these old fellows, whose average
age is IA years, are now at the
home, some in wheels chairs, some
bedridden and others going as they
please. These old fellows are float
ing down the stream or life, the
world forgetting, by the world for
got, but sustained and soothed by
an unfaltering trust in the father
hood of God and the brotherhood of
man. sr
These men whose memory we
revere today helped to make possible
these acts of charity and brotherly
love. ~
Full many a gem of purest ray
serene, the dark unfathomed
caves of ocean bear"
Full many a flower was born to
blush unseen and waste its sweet
ness on the desert air"
H.. Mapu of ithaca rna,, lilo. the mann