Our Defending Circle is broken. It is a Circle of Brotherhood. We have built a great Fraternal society upon the precepts of Purity, Aid and Progress, and have seen in it the Realization of our goal. We placed each member in this Defending Circle so it would shield thos within. Only yesterday we let our thoughts dwell on that Circle, and our hearts felt pride and exaltation, but today the Circle is broken and we stand helpless in the presence of death. We realize how temporary is the life of man. Now we can only pray that You who watch over us will forgive our mistakes and faults, and that You will, because of the dedication that built it, find our Circle worthy.