UNITED STATES DEGREE COUNCIL, No. 3, O. U. A. M. At a stated meeting of the above Degree Council, held this Friday Evening, April 28, 1865, the following Preamble and Resolutions were read and unanimously adopted: WHEREAS, It has pleased Almighty God, in his all-wise Providence, to summon hence, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States, and while we bow with reverence and humility to this manifestation of the will of Almighty God, we deem it our duty to join in the general expression of the sorrow all feel in the loss the nation sustains at the hands of the dastard assassin; and, whereas, the deplorable manner of his death, occurring as it did at a juncture, when victory had everywhere crowned our arms, and the fruition of his hopes so near at hand, adds to the poignancy of our grief, more especially when we remember how much of all that was accomplished was due to him alone, whom earth will see no more. During four long years, through good and evil report, he was the pilot whose steady hand controlled the helm of State; by his sterling honesty of purpose, and genuine kindness of nature, all soon learned to respect him, and many to love him, as one whose whole soul was aglow with the one pervading object, namely, the union of these States; Therefore, be it Resolved, That in ABRAHAM LINCOLN, as displayed in his public as well as his private life, we recognize a noble exemplar of the principles of our affiliations. As an apostle to freedom, he sealed his devotion with his blood, and weeping millions bless his name; to friendship he was firm and true, and held out mercy to his enemies. Resolved, That we promise our cordial and hearty support to the new incumbent of the Presidential Chair, and uncompromising loyalty to the Government which still exists. Resolved, That the widow and orphan children of our lamented President have our warmest sympathy, and we would commend them to the tender care of Him, who doeth all things well, and whose ways are inscrutable. Resolved, That the charter frame of this Degree Council be draped in mourning for the space of ninety days, in memory of the honored dead. JOHN MARSH, SAM. G. MACTAGUE, Committee. JONATHAN W. MEARS, JR., D. C. Attest, EDW. A. PHILLIPS, R. S. INDEPENDENCE DEGREE COUNCIL, No. 7, O. U. A. M. At a stated meeting of the above Degree Council, the following Preamble and Resolutions were adopted: WHEREAS, By the inscrutable decree of an all-wise Providence, our beloved Chief Magistrate was removed in the midst of the nation's triumph, by the dastardly hand of an hired assassin; and, whereas, he was stricken down by the same power which had ineffectually attempted the life of the nation; Therefore, be it― Resolved, That we will ever hold in abhorrence and detestation, that principle which seeks to degrade labor, by making merchandize of human beings. Resolved, That as he was sacrificed for his devotion and efforts to promote the dignity, liberty, and equality of labor, we will ever revere his memory as the world's apostle of freedom. Resolved, That we will emulate the virtues he displayed as an American Mechanic, that we will strive to practice his honesty of purpose, his iudustrious habits, and his zeal, and earnestness in promoting the welfare of his race. Attest, FRANCIS MELLEN, R. S. F. S. MELLEN, Committee. LEXINGTON DEGREE COUNCIL, At a stated meeting of the above Degree Council, held May 8, 1865, the following Preamble and Resolutions were unanimously adopted: WHEREAS, Almighty God in his wise Providence has permitted ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States, to be slain by the hand of an assassin, at a time when the nation was rejoicing in the success that had been granted to the armies of the United States over the forces of rebellion; Therefore, be it Resolved, That this Council has heard with feelings of unutterable horror and grief of the assassination of our beloved Chief Magistrate, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who was stricken down in the midst of a career of usefulness and honor, a sacrifice to the malignant passions of a wicked rebellion; we have recognized in him a chosen leader, by Divine Providence, to lead the nation safely through the storms and tumult of civil war and bitter strife, and now, when we are about to reach the long wished-for haven of peace, union, and freedom, it is with anguish no words can describe that we hear that our good and noble President has been taken away by the hand of brutal violence, the martyred patriot of the Republic. Resolved, That whilst the hero, the patriot, has thus been taken away, we will cherish his name as the emblem of all that is pure and honest in human character, of all that is godilke in man: and as the ages roll by, the name of ABRAHAM LINCOLN will stand side by side with WASHINGTON, the representative man of American institutions. Resolved, That we feel profoundly thankful to an all-wise Providence that has overruled the murderous designs of the assassin in his attempts on the life of the Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, and that this government and people will continue as heretofore to receive the benefit of his wise, prudent, and patriotic counsels. Resolved, That in the hour of national calamity and grief, we rely with confidence on the integrity, ability, and patriotism of ANDREW JOHNSON, of Tennessee, and hope and believe that he will prove a worthy successor of the immortal ABRAHAM LINCOLN. WM. STYERS, D. C. H. E. HEIN. R. S. ENGELBERT Geiger, Committee. RISING SPRING DEGREE COUNCIL No. 19, O. U. A. M. At a regular stated meeting of the above Degree Council, the following Preamble and Resolutions were adopted: WHEREAS, God in his wise but mysterious Providence has permitted a traitor and assassin to take the life of ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States, when in the height of his glory, when the hearts of his people were turned towards him in love, gratitude, and confidence, when to all appearance the continuance of his existence to the nation was most necessary, as he seemed to be on the eve of accomplishing his glorious work of reuniting the states for ever. WHEREAS, It is becoming and right that Rising Spring Degree Council, No. 19, O. of U. A. M.. should in a public manner express their sentiments in regard to this great national calamity and to manifest, in such a manner as may be deemed proper, their sense of the loss which the whole country has suffered; Therefore, be it Resolved, That great and apparently irreparable as has been the loss of the people of the United States by the death of our late Chief Magistrate, we bow in submission to the will of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and desire that we may be enabled ever to bear in mind that God is all-wise as well as all-merciful; that if He has now grievously afflicted this nation, He has also greatly blessed it in the times of our fathers as well as in these latter days; that it was He who raised the great and wise and good LINCOLN to be our President, and that it was He also who removed him from his high and responsible position; that it was the Lord who gave and the Lord who has taken away. GEORGE N. PEIFER, HENRY M. HEFFNER, Committee. |