— The Falls City Tribune. - - Vol. V FALLS CITY, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER II, 1908. Number 47 Address to the B. P. O. E. By Hon. A. J. Weaver at the Memorial Services Last Sunday Evening Brother Elks and ou>\Eriends: After listening to the eloquent eulogy of our Exalted Ruler set ting forth so beautifully the full -significance of this occasion, after listening to the beautiful songs and witnessing the simple , et impressive ceremonies of this order, 1 feel as though there is little which I could add to this memorial service. How ever. in attempting a brief ad dress, I shall feel amply repaid ior any effort of mine if 1 im press you even to a small de gree the real purposes and high ideals of the Benovelent and Protective Order of Elks, which not only subscribes to the beau tiful doctrine of brotherly love and commemorates its dead, but also teaches the living true lessons of benevolence, justice to each other, fidelity to the home and loyalty to our coun try’s flag. As stated by our Exalted Ruler, the tirst Sunday in De cember of each year is designat ed and dedicated as a day on which shall be commemorated, by every lodge of Elks in sa cred session, the memories of departed brothers. In conform ity of this law of our order, for these services are obligatory upon every lodge, we have met today in behall of the Falls City lodge to perform this sacred duty. What a sacred privilege it is to honor our dead. In the mad rush of life, of our modern life, when men sometimes lorget the simplicity and good old fash ioned ways of the fathers, and ail because of the power,or per chance the reputation or dollars ahead, it is meet and proper, that society occasionally stop and ponder other things besides business, think of other things than dollars and trade. So last week this great nation accord ing to ancient custon paused in its busy course and observed a day of thanksgiving, thaksgiv ing to the great God for the in creased strength and power of the American nation; for the continuance of our liberty; lor our material growth in wealth and population, and our pro gress also in moral and spirit rial affairs. )nce n year also the i^reat American people from Arling ton, onr beautiful national cem etery, nestling in the hills of Virginia and looking across the beautiful Potomac River upon our National Capitol, to the other cemeteries ot the nation in city and hamlet and country side listen to patriotic address os. march to the mutfled drum, and mourning their dead, strew flowers over the graves of the known and unknown soldiers of the Republic. Once a year, if not more often, families and societies also, in pursuance of this beautiful custom of Deco ration day, cover with beauti ful flowers the tombs and graves of their dead. And this is the Memorial day of the Elks, an American organ ization with eleven hundred and fll'ty lodges and three hundred thousand members. Today these lodges and this member ship are mourning the brothers who have passed into the great beyond and. ‘•In unison Klks even where turn hack tlu* clock to tiie hour of eleven, That they may think of those on earth and those in heaven, And bow in reverence to sisters, wives and mothers. And kneel in silence for their absent brothers. To our order it is the greatest of all days, for upon this day we turn our thoughts from the busy routine of life with its successes and failures, its sun shine and shadow7,and proclaim ing the pure and noble princi ples of Elkdotn, pay a sincere tribute of love and respect to tiie absent members of our or der, to those who have answer ed the final roll call and who dwell with us only in pleasant memory. And mv friends 1 de sire to emphasize the thought, that if this order and the other great fraternal orders of Amer ica which are likewise promot ing- the cause of fraterniiy and brotherhood throughout the world, served no other purpose than to adequately remember their dead, they would not have been established i n vain. Whether by public ceremonjr, marble shaft, green mound, or silent tear, we speak and think of our loved ones, it matters not, but it matters much that we do think and speak of them in some way, and the great order of Elks will live longer because of these beautiful an nual services commemorating its virtues and characters of de ceased brothers. Some of these brothers suc ceeded better than others. Some of them reached a higher round on fame's ladder and some of them did not ascend at all. Some of them were bigger and stronger in every way than others. Some of them battled against greater odds than others and sums of them handi capped, perchance by heredity, early training or the lack of it, floundered along with the many weaknesses that flesh is heir to, and finally either conquer or capitulate. In short, among the men of our order, who have passed away, we will assume that the average of human life prevailed. But whether distin guished or unknown by worldly honor, whether rich or poor in worldly effects, we loved them all the same because they were our brothers and today we hon or them alike. They were all Elks and as Elks they all stood on the level. They all subscrib ed to the same beautiful teach ings of our order and their hearts were all filled with that loyalty and fraternity an Elk gives to his brother. They all recognized, as every good citi zen should, the existence of a Supreme Being, of a higher power, the great God who moves and rules the world. At the sacred altar of our order they were taught that justice, even handed justice, is the rock of Gibralter and that there can be no permanent greatness in nation or state or civic order without it. And at the sacred altar of our order they also learned the beautiful lessons of brotherly love and charity. These noble principles made our order in a sense, a religious order, not in the holy sense of the great church of (lod, which has been the one great power for good in all times and among all people, and which is today the vanguard in civilizing and christianizing the world; but in t he sense of doing good by striv ing for a higher plane of morals, | for better citizenship and the I universal brotherhood, which I begins in the small circles rep I resented by our fraternal j orders. To be sure ours is a cheerful religion, but it is not a require ment of holy writ or of the best [christian precepts that one 'should always be solemn or straight faced to be good. The 1 Elks believe in the laugh and the,smile, and particularly in the smile that don’t come off. Yes, it is a cheerful religion, but it is a religion that believes in taking care of its own and in | this country tonight there is not an Elk in good standing who is I hungry, or ragged, or forsaken. There are no Elks who are pub lic charges and none of our ab sent brothers sleep in the pot ters' lie Id. It is a religion that gives to the poor. Last year the public charity of the Elks lodges of America was the magnificent sum of four hundred thousand dollars; and this my friends from one of the small fraterni ties of America. This gener osity is public charity for last year alone, if there was none before or yet none to come after, is another justification for the existence of this order. How beautiful it is to live in the present and to live up to the opportunities of the hour and this thought as to the act ive charities of the Elks is no where more beautifully illustra ted than in the little poem, “What Have we Done Today.’’ We shall do ho much in the years to come. Hut what have we done today? We shall give our gold in a princely sum, But what did we give today? We shall lift the heart and dry the tear. We shall plant a hope in the place of fear. We shall speak the words of love ami cheer. But what did we speak today? We shall be so kind in the afterwhile. But what have we been today? We shall bring each lonely life a smile. Hut what have we brought today? We shall give to truth a grander birth. And to steadfast faith a deeper worth. We shall feed the hungering souls of earth, But whom have we fed today? We shall reap such joys in the by and by. Hut what have we sown today? We shall build us mansions in the sk>. Hut what have we built Unlay? ’Tis sweet in idle dreams to bask, Hut here and now do we do onr task. Yes, this is the thing our souls must ask. What have we done today? Charity is one of the great virtues that makes of us all one great family for the common good and in no fraternal order of America is this virtue em phasized more than it is in the Elk's lodge of America. It is an order that teaches Brotherly Love, that spirit which makes us less interested in self and more interested in others. It has been said many times and in many ways that the three greatest words of language are God. Home and Brother hood, and we want these ser vices to emphasize the influence and power of this sacred trin ity. God the Father of us all, and the giver of every good and and perfect gift, it is proper that these simple annual ser vices should be held in this house. Home, that sacred and tender spot where clings strong est of all earthly place, the hu man affections. Brotherhood that great arm which reaches out and includes us all, makes us all akin, and strews with roses the rough and thorny places of this old world. In the great God may we put our trust and our hopes. In our homes may we develop the high ideals of life and citizen ship. In our fraternities, in our fraternal greetings and frater nal intercourse, may we draw closer to each other, understand each other heller and make each other better. It i> an vrder that teaches hospitality. Many a boy away from home has been saved by the hospitality of the Elk's Lodye, by the friendly interest of men who have traveled the same road as the youngstranger. Here the young man linds ex cel lent reading rooms, the papers from his home city, current magazines and a library of good books and in the cheerful club rooms, mingling with the mem bers ol this order who come from all honorable walks of life and who almost without excep tion are virile active American gentlemen he learns the great lesson of brotherhood a n d whether he becomes a member of our order or not the lesson so taught goes with him through life and thereafter lie believes in that scriptual teaching that every man is “11 i> brother's Keeper.” Our order is also hospitable in the sense that its club rooms and houses, and iu some cities these rival the finest public buildings and private residences in elegance and ar rangement, are given over for the use of charitable,church and literary organizations. I recall one instance in Omaha last year where the club rooms were given for the use of the Clark son Memorial Hospital Associa tion and in our own city time and again our club rooms have been used for public purposes. Thus in this way our order ex erts another influence for good. It is an order that teaches equality, the equality of all right thinking and right living men and women, that principle of democracy which must b e kept alive in state and church and lodge if the dream of uni versal brotherhood is ever to be realized. And no where in this great country does the flame of equal ity burn brighter than in the or der of Elks for every Elk takes home with tiim from the initia tory service the best badge of equality the human race has ever known, the American flag. In presenting this beautiful em blem to every member what a lesson in patriotism and love of country our order instills. “Breathes there a man, with soul so dead. Who never to himself hath said. This is my own, my native land." My friends, Tlie “Lay of the Last Minstrel” has quickened the feeling of patriotism among all peoples since the days of Sir Walter Scott, and that American Mag, the emblem of Liberty and Equality and jus tice which tells of heroic deeds and heroic men, has quickened the sense of patriotism, loyalty and good citizenship in the three hundred thousand American Elks. And what do we need in our land today more than spirit of freedom,we who have progress ed so rapidly that many new anti complicated questions con front us as a people. We are in new seas because we have drift ed so fast and we anxiously in quire, “Watchman, what of the night?” Which is the course of National honor, national pros perity, and civic righteousness? What shall our answer be to the faint cry of socialism arising in our midst? How shall we solve the trust question involved in the gigantic combinations of, capital which in recent years have been preplexing us? What also of the rights and duties of, labor? What of the increasing difficulties of municipal govern I merity Mow shall we ourselves our families and the stateliest j settle the liquor question? These and other questions in 'due time must he answered and in the answers is involved in large measure the strength and permanency of the Republic. Therefore, the church the home and the lodge can perform no greater service to humanity than keep the fires ol patriotism lighted in every American heart. These fires of patriotism, which are nothing more than love of country and zeal for good gov ernment. constitute the torch of American Liberty which is en lightening the world. Let us hold this torch higher and higher every year so that it will not only light up the dark recesses of our own country but sheds it beneficent light in the dark places of the whole world. Patriotism such as the Elk or der teaches, means not only patriotic precept but patriotic example, not only patriotic sentiment but patriotic service, It means that same interest and service in the affairs of the state that a man gives to his home and to his business. Sometimes 1 think that the present generation is too indif ferent to governmental affairs, that we are unappreciative of the blessings we enjoy and of the sacrifices that gave us this great heritage. It is said that Confucius the great Chinese statesman once traveled in a distant part of the Empire which was infested by ferocious wild bests. One day he came upon a woman weeping bitterly and stopping to inquire the cause of her grief learned that her husband had recently been killed by a tiger. Why, asked the great Chinaman, do you re main in a province infested with such danger? “We have a good government here,” was the wo man’s reply. Behold! exclaim ed the sage, “A bad government is more to be feared than the rapacious tiger.” Thus, my friends the full du ties and hiyh ideals of citizen ship should be taught in every lodge, at every altar and at ev ery fireside in America. And I am one of those cheerful Ameri cans who believe that these sac red duties are bein^very credit ably performed by our churches homes and lodges;that while we have large responsibilities we have larjLfe capabilities and that our magnificent ship of state, freighted with the legacies of the centuries that are {one, will pass the rocks and shoals and enter the harbor of safety. There is a line in one of the classics which says “The frozen river and the1 leafless trees do not complain. They wait for the sunshine of spring and sum mer.” What a beautiful thought that after death is a new life: that the sun will shine again and dispel even the gloom of the grave: the thought that while we have our sorrows and our trials it is not all sorrow and grevious burden;the thought that if the warmth of the re turning springtime brings new life to the frozen river and the leafless trees, there must be as much for the human soul after life’s winter is ended. Yes, the law of compensation runs through everything. It’s majesty is supreme because it is a divine law, and tonight in our sorrow for our absent brothers, let us not forget that our living brothers are assembled here in strength and health and to them I would say, while dropping a ■ tear at the bier of your dead brother,like the frozen river and leafless tree, do not complain, your brother will live again,and if you are worthy in the light of the teachings of the great ordei to which you belong, worthy in the light of the teaching of the great church, in whose beauti ful edifice we are assembled to night, you will see Him again. Hut while here remember the duties of the present and the duties to the Living and in per forming these sacred duties L ask you to carry with you through all the years the fol lowing beautiful sentiment: *'\Ve live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs, lie most lives, who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.” Report of the Condition THE BANK OF SALEM of Salem, Nebraska. Charter No. 351*. incorporated in the State of Nebraska, at tin* clone of business Nov. *7. 1908. K KHOt’RC I's. bonus and Discount. $93,841.18 (tverd rafts, secured and tin secured 871.91 I Ian kin a house, furniture and fixtures 8,680.86 Current expenses and taxes paid 1.754.0/5 Due from national, state and private banks and bankers 12,496.20 Cash . 4,040.30 Tola I Cash on hand . 16,536.56 Total. $110,690.57 1.1ABILITIPS. Capital stock paid in .$ 80.000.00 Surplus fund. 10,000.00 Undivided profits. 7.1J0.06 Individual deposit* subject to check. 59.484.91 Demand certificates of de posit.$ 10,085.00 09.569.9f Total. fllo.o90.57 STATE OK NEBRASKA. / County of Richardson. 1 I. R. 11. Huston, Cashier of the above named hank, do swear that the above statement is a. correct and true copy of the report made to the state llaukiiiK Board. k B. Huston, attest : S. 1*. (.ist. Director. W. A. Gkkknwalu. Director. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 4th day of Dec. 1008. (it?Y P. (rREENWALl». Notary Public. M \ commission expires December 22. 1911. Report of The Condition of tlie Farmers State Bank Of Preston, Nebraska Charter Number 708. incorporated in the State of Nebraska, at the close of business November 27. 1908. K KSOl'KCES. Loans and discount*. • $ 33,311.46 Overdrafts, secured and unsecured 598.96 Hankititf house furniture and fixtures 650.00 Current expense# and taxes paid. 1.074.44 Due from nat’l, state and private banks and bankers... . 10.358.8f Cash. 3.622.87 Total cash on hand. 13.981.72 Total. $49,616.58 LIABII.ITIKS. Capital stock paid in $13,000.00 Surplus fund 1.500.00 Iludiided profits. 2.123.90 Individual deposits subject to Check $21,940.72 Time certificates of deposit 11,051.% 32,992.68 Total $19,616.58 STATE OF NEBRASKA. I County of Richardson. » I. Clyde Thacker, cashier, of the above named bank, do hereby suear that tin* above statement is a correct and true copy of the re port made to the Slate Dankiiitf Board. Cl. VIM- Til ACKK K. Casbie* ATTK8Tt \\ . i Maki.havi . Director Li-.vi Tiiackkk. Director. Subscribed and sworn to Is*fore me tiiis 5th day of l>ec. l.149.93 201.5o8.05 Total.. 274.Q92.0l State of Nebraska, f - ss. County <*f Richardson. 1 I I, W. A. Greenwald, cashier of the above named bank, do hereby swear that tha | above statement is a correct and true copy of the report nuule to the State Banking Board. W. A. Greknwald, Cashier. attest: T. J. Gist, Director. W. E. Dorrington, Director. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 5th day of December, 1908. John W. Powell, Notary Public. My com mission expires November 25, 1°09.