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The Com. are willing to contribute all their attention and care, to effect so desirable an object—a catalogue has been already prepared and every book and pamphlet registered and a column denoting the name of the donor of each gift. They trust to see that column filled with the names of the ardent lovers of the Order, and its interests, and among these interests should be the founding of a storehouse of Masonic Literature.
 
The Com. are willing to contribute all their attention and care, to effect so desirable an object—a catalogue has been already prepared and every book and pamphlet registered and a column denoting the name of the donor of each gift. They trust to see that column filled with the names of the ardent lovers of the Order, and its interests, and among these interests should be the founding of a storehouse of Masonic Literature.
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==== [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=CharlesWMoore#PRESENTATION_BY_BR._LEWIS PRESENTATION AT INSTALLATION OF CHARLES W. MOORE LODGE], OCTOBER 1866 ====
  
 
=== NOTES ===
 
=== NOTES ===

Revision as of 01:19, 15 August 2013

WINSLOW LEWIS, JR. 1799-1875

WinslowLewis2_1871.jpg

Junior Grand Steward, 1834-1835
Grand Sword Bearer, 1836
Corresponding Grand Secretary, 1841-1844
Junior Grand Warden, 1841-1843
Grand Marshal, 1845
Deputy Grand Master, 1846-1847
Grand Master, 1855-1856; 1860.


TERM

1855 1856

1860

MEMORIAL

Note: The Proceedings of 1875 have an extensive memorial section on Grand Master Lewis, running to about 300 pages.

IN ROBERT LASH LODGE, SEPTEMBER 1875

From New England Freemason, Vol. II, No. 10, October 1875, Page 465:

In Memoriam — Winslow Lewis.

Adopted by Robert Lash Lodge, Chelsea, Mass., Sept. 22, A. L. 5875.

(Among the many affectionate tributes to the memory of Dr. Winslow Lewis, we have met with none more appreciative and discriminating than the following from the pen of R. W. Tracy P. Cheever, P. G. W., and a member of Robert Lash Lodge.— Editor.)

The record of a well-spent life is one of the beneficent gifts of Heaven to mortals. Full, rounded years, which, as they have passed, have bestowed their charity and their sweetness upon mankind, cannot lose their force or beauty when he who brightened them has ceased to be. R. W. Winslow Lewis, who has compassed the tides and seas of earthly existence, after all vicissitudes of storm and calm, has reached the shining port of immortality. It is the simple prompting of our warm, though weak human affections, to speak of him as if the earth on which he trod were vacant; as though the wine of life were drawn, and renown and grace were dead. His departure creates, indeed, a void in the hearts of those to whom his presence and companionship were light and inspiration. Death has brought

"To us, the empty room and cot; To him, the heaven's completeness."

We fondly call him whom the "spoiler" has laid low, our father, our companion, the guide of our hearts; for we lived in the atmosphere of his goodness and were warmed by the constant glow of his affections. Should we not almost bemoan him, in the grand breadth of his love, in the outspreading embrace of his humanities, as the brother of mankind? A life like his should hardly be given over to a formal analysis, although its dissection might disclose nothing but the fairest and soundest elements of proportionate beauty and strength. If we glance but for a moment at some of the more apparent and obvious features of the character of our illustrious Brother, our griefs and our praises may be equally justified.

Born at the close of the last century, and in the purer days of the republic, Brother Lewis passed his childhood and youth under the public and social influences which had sprung up from the revolution and the adoption of the federal constitution. The best educational facilities of the period were fortunately at his command. He was graduated at Harvard University in 1819, and, choosing the medical profession as his life-pursuit, entered at once upon its appropriate studies, which he followed, at least approximately, to their exhaustion, under the most famous practitioners of England and France, viz., Abernethy and Dupuytren. To such theoretical science as the books afford he added a studious and careful attention to the practice of the most renowned hospitals and illustrative schools of the profession, and returned to his native land richly armed for his impending conflict with diseases and accidents of the human frame. His rigid and thoroughly conscientious training and preparation for the responsible duties of his profession were but the natural precursors and antecedents of the honors and successes which awaited him during the many years of his active practice. These honors and successes, although it may not be needful to speak of them here in detail, are of a permanent character, inasmuch as they embrace not merely the results of an excellent judgment of cases, of insight and appreciation, and of skill in manipulation, but include a clear perception of all the science and technics of the specialties to which he was devoted, as may be seen in the text books, treatises and translations with which he has enriched the profession.

It was the capital theory of Dr. Lewis, and one which deserves imitation in all the departments of life, that every man should be thoroughly furnished and equipped for any work he might undertake. Inasmuch as the practice of surgery and mediciue was his aiopted profession, his main effort was undoubtedly to illustrate and magnify this profession. But we should be grossly unjust if we did not recognize the fact that his view of the wide expanse of life and duty, and of all human interests outside of the limits of his chosen profession, was so clear and comprehensive that he made almost equal preparation for those high public and social duties which are often more important and vital than the narrower duties enacted by any calling or profession. Life to him, even in his early days, was large and genial; and he intended, so far as was in the power of honest endeavor or the compass of a ready brain and a willing heart, to answer all its ends. If his native city should call him, as it often did, to the exercise of his strong judgment and quick perceptions for the maintenance of its rights or the service of its interests, he made himself ready and was ready at the call If society should need his bracing intellect or the graces of his heart, in the cause of the degraded and the fallen, for the elevation of the ignorant and lowly, or the relief of the poor and the suffering, he had gathered the sunshine in his nature, and freely poured it on the dark places which needed the illumination. Not only by studies, but by work, was his life enriched. He opened his mind to all the sciences, and his heart to all the affections. An accomplished scholar in the ancient and modern languages, he revelled in the contemplation and enjoyment of those interlacing yet mysterious links, those hidden connections which seem to bind all languages together, as if there never had been a confusion of tongues. To him, indeed, there seemed no confusion, for he drew from the secret depths of all the languages which he understood the same virtues of charity, friendship, and hope for mankind. To his deep research, they were all fountains of one and the same love. Thus the accomplishments of his study and his life became the ornaments of his character, and the culture, which is sometimes a burden, sat upon him like a grace He moved among men from his entrance into life and society, rightfully bearing their respect, claiming alike the homage of the peers, who knew no nobler manhood, and the worship of the lowly and the poor, who could scarcely deem him less than divine. When, therefore, he died, there was true mourning in all the ranks of his native city ; and as he was laid to rest in the peaceful shades of Mount Auburn, and in the close companionship of those whom he had loved, and who had preceded him to the upper sphere, it might be truly said of him as was said of a kindred spirit:—

"Ne'er to the chambers where the mighty rest,
Since their foundation, came a nobler guest;
Nor e'er was to the bowers of bliss conveyed
A fairer spirit, or more welcome shade."

R. W. Winslow Lewis was to us, as Masons, far more than he could possibly be to the world of the profane. Although we may more fitly muse in silence upon his life, and leave our veneration without expression in the inner circles of our hearts, it may perhaps not be without advantage to the Brethren who shall come after us, to write upon some lasting scroll even the feeblest tribute of our appreciation of this unexampled Brother. It is safe to say, because it is in the sweet and tearful memory of all Masons, and is, moreover, his own warm and emphatic declaration, that at the shrine of this Fraternity, within these walls and around this altar, he had garnered his heart; that here were his truest life and hope; here his noblest aspirations and his highest charities. To others he gave his knowledge, his culture, his good manners, his kindness and his worldly means. But to us he gave himself, the inexhaustible grace and sweetness of his soul, the incorruptible purity of his life. It is one of the least of his praises that he filled almost the entire round of the offices and stations to which the judgment and appreciation of his Brethren from time to time gratefully summoned him. This was but a circumstance of his Masonic life, and was rather his own benediction to his Brethren than their own coronation of him. He wore his crown in Masonry by virtue of his own transcendent worth, and not by the suffrages which placed him in office. Had he never filled an official chair he would still have been Most Worshipful.

Yet, inasmuch as the studies and discipline of his life had so well fitted him for the responsibilities and work of Masonry, his Brethren, poetically and practically just, could not refrain from bestowing upon him their corresponding houors. So meekly were these honors borne, and with such "unaffected grace," that they seemed to fit him as easily as his garments. His exercise of the powers and prerogatives of office was so gentle and unobtrusive, that the relation of superior and subordinate faded at once from the thoughts of the Brethren. In the more recent years, after he had completed the full round of mere official station, his presence in the Lodge-room, or at any gathering for Masonic communication, was like a revelation of the spirit of Masonry. He never forgot its full measure of dignity and sobriety. He knew and understood our system in all its philosophical and scientific relations as well as in its ritualistic and practical bearings. Masonry, to his apprehension, was not merely a philosophic or symbolic treatment of great truths, but was a spring of action—a rule and guide of life. It was personal, informing the motives, searching the heart and reaching out to all human conduct. If at any time during the present generation the Fraternity of this Commonwealth had been challenged to produce a man who, by the consent of his Brethren, should be presented to the world as an exponent of the principles and teachings of Freemasonry, one tempered to resist all the assaults of adverse criticism, by a voice more nearly unanimous than would have been given to any other, that consent would have fallen upon Winslow Lewis.

His Brethren loved him with a reverent and unfailing love, because he never failed to love them. Whether in the solemn Communication, the Convocation or the Assembly, his wisdom, dignity and urbanity were constant and impressive. In the more social meetings, and amid the festivities of refreshment, his beaming countenance, his radiant features and benignant smile sent rapture into all hearts. His keen and subtle humor and his sometimes extravagant pleasantries of speech were light and life to the table ; the sparkle of his conversation was the brightest wine.

What need to say more of him whom every Mason knows by heart—the very tie by which this grand Brother was bound to all his Brethren?

Robert Lash Lodge, though so young in years, and not the Lodge of his active affiliation, justly and sincerely holds fast to the memory of him who was its earliest Honorary Member. Perhaps the first official action taken by the Lodge after its constitution was the election of Brother Lewis and the other Past Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts as Honorary Members. Our R. W. Brother Lewis was for many years, and especially during the days which tried all true Masonic souls, the warm and intimate friend of our own Robert Lash. They had often met in the closest bonds of social intercourse, and communed and resolved for the welfare and, indeed, for the salvation of our ancient Fraternity. Each of them was regarded, even by the enemies of the Craft, as of spotless character and clear integrity ; and by each other they were well beloved. When, therefore, a Lodge was formed in this city, bearing the cherished name of Robert Lash, and the distinguished subject of our contemplation was elected as one of its Honorary Members, he received his election as a personal honor, and warmly reciprocated the affections of his Chelsea Brethren thus manifested. When his health permitted, he was only too happy to offer his welcome presence at our quarterly meetings. Around our social table he shone with the illumination of his best years; and with wit, wisdom and anecdote, enlivened and instructed the Brethren. He often turned,-as it seemed with sad regret, to the days of his companionship with Robert Lash, whose gentle life and character he held up as a model worthy of all imitation.

So widely extended were the Masonic acquaintance and connections of our departed Brother, that he could hardly concentrate his affection upon a single Lodge.

"No pent-up Utica contracts his powers."

And yet, when present in this small association of Masons, so marked was the manifestation of his regard for these Brethren that it seemed almost as if he knew no others. This circumstance only illustrates the universality of his Masonic kindness ; the all-embracing character of his fraternal love.

At length, in the golden twilight of a serene and placid age, our Brother sinks below the horizon of earth, and rises to the purer heights of the immortal life beyond.

The shadow has fallen upon the old Lodge of St. John, in Boston, the Lodge of his affiliation; upon Columbian Lodge, which made him a Mason; and with darker wing upon the Lodge which bears his own beloved name, and to which he was at once a Father and a Brother! To his long-tried associates in the Grand Lodge, to the whole Fraternity of the Commonwealth, and to numerous Lodges and Masonic .Bodies beyond its limits, and even in distant lands, his departure will bring a profound sorrow. But the sorrow is not without its cheer. Memory, faithful and efficient beyond the resources of art or science, will embalm him in the universal heart. For is not this great life an assured inheritance and joy forever?

" These shall swim after death, with their good deeds shining on their white shoulders."

BIOGRAPHY

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XX, No. 8, June 1861, Page 231; biographies of prominent members of Columbian Lodge:

Brother Winslow Lewis was initiated in this Lodge, and soon after . . . he was admitted to membership in St. John's Lodge. Here we have a Masonic life of the greatest activity and usefulness, extending over more than thirty years, to attract our attention. To treat it deservedly demands limits far exceeding the space of this report. The pages of the "Historical Account of Columbian Lodge" sketch in some degree the manifold Masonic services of this distinguished Brother; but since they were compiled, a half dozen years more of active duty and honorary service are to be added to his fame. His initiation occurred on the 3d of November, 1830. We pass over the recital of his official relations with the Chapter, Encampment and various other organizations, in all of which he has manifested the characteristics of a leading and animating spirit, imbued deeply with those virtues which our institution inculcates, and proceed to point out his connections with the Grand Lodge.

In that body he was G. Steward in 1834 and 1835; G. S. Bearer in 1836; Corresponding G. Secretary in 1841, '42, '43 and '44 ; G. Marshal in 1845; Dep. G. Master in 1846 and 1847; and Grand Master in 1855, 1856 and 1860. He was on the Committee on Finance in 1839, and has served on the Committee on the Library from the date of its establishment in 1853 to the present time. He is the founder of the Library, which, through his unwearied pains and pecuniary liberality, mainly, has become an object of interest and importance to the fraternity. As Trustee of the Charity Fund and Trustee of the Masonic Temple he rendered arduous and valuable services. In one word, it is but just to say, his efforts in Grand Lodge have been untiring to promote its good name and honor.

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XXIII, No. 1, November 1863, p. 20ff:

BRIEF MEMOIR OF R. W. WINSLOW LEWIS, M. D.
BY R. W. JOHN H. SHEPPARD.

Dr. Winslow Lewis was descended more immediately from the Rev. Isaiah Lewis and his wife Abigail, daughter of Kenelm Winslow, a lineal descendant from Edward Winslow of England, in the fifth generation. Gov. Hutchinson, in his remarks on the death of Gov. Edward Winslow, says : "He was a gentleman of the best family of any of the Plymouth planters, his father Edward Winslow, Esq., being a person of some figure at Droughtwich in Worcestershire."

Capt. Winslow Lewis was born in Wellfleet, Cape Cod, May 11, 1770, son of Winslow Lewis of that place, sea captain. He was married to Elizabeth Greenough, daughter of Thomas Greenough, (mathematical instrument maker,) and Ann Hobby. He had great practical knowledge and skill in hydraulic engineering. After he quit going to sea, he was constantly employed in building new lighthouses on our coasts, rivers and lakes, or in altering and repairing old ones. He furnished plans and specifications for beacons, buoys and monuments for the shoals and harbors along our shores, and was very successful in the construction of the Beacon on the Romer shoal in New York bay, the beacon on Bowditch's Ledge in Salem harbor, and other permanent ones, which to this day, stand as monuments of his skill and long and faithful services to his country. He was contractor and builder in his lifetime of 200 lighthouses for the government; he invented the Binnacle illuminator, for which he got a patent, and which is now in such general use; he introduced the cotton duck into his factory at Watertown, and it became a substitute for the more expensive Russian duck ; was the owner of a ropewalk at the foot of the Common ; for several years Port Warden of Boston; and in 1829 and 1836, was one of the Aldermen of the city.

But the reputation and talents of Capt. Lewis will be long held in remembrance for his public services, and "when the history of the lighthouse establishment in this country is written," as a gentleman, well acquainted with him, stated to me in a letter, "it will appear that Mr. Winslow Lewis was the first to introduce the present mode of illumination, and to lay the foundation for the modern improvement in the structures as well as lantern lamps and reflectors."

Dr. Winslow Lewis, was born in Boston, July 8, 1799, in the same house in which his mother was born. He was fitted for college under the tuition of Mr. Daniel Staniford, who kept a private school of high repute in Boston; graduated at Harvard University in 1819, studied medicine under the late eminent Dr. John C. Warren, and took his degree of M. D. in 1822. His favorite pursuit was anatomy, for which he had a peculiar tact, as he had a firm nerve and quick, decisive judgment, qualities so essential in delicate and critical operations of surgery. To perfect his studies he went immediately to Europe, attended the lectures of Depnytren in Paris, and Abernethy in London, both surgeons of great celebrity. This was not, however, his first visit, for he crossed the Atlantic, when only seventeen years of age, and saw many places and persons; and if the old adage would apply, Noscistur e sociis, he stood high, for he kept good company ; coming home with such distinguished men as Dr. Edward Reynolds, the late Hon. Abbott Lawrence, and Franklin Dexter, Esq., who died not long since.

On his return he commenced practice in Boston. In Febuary 22, 1828, he was married by the Rev. Bethel Judd, to Miss Emeline Richards, daughter of Capt. Benjamin Richards, New London, Conn. He has been two years Physician of the Municipal Institutions, three of the House of Correction, and since Dr. Warren's decease, he has been consulting Physician in the Massachusetts General Hospital.

In 1849 he again visited the Continent, leaving his family at home. He was gone only seven months, and visited several places of note. He was in Rome when it was attacked by the French, and quitted that city only the day before the siege commenced, of which he wrote home a glowing description which was published in the Transcript. He journeyed on to Geneva, and was admiring the sublime scenery which surrounds that city —the overhanging Alps and the mirror of the blue lake beneath them — when, not dreaming of evil, he took up a newspaper from Boston and read the death of his only surviving son, Winslow ; this young and promising lad of only ten years, had followed the fate of his two infant brothers, cut off by that ravaging disease, the Scarletina. The blow was sudden and heavy to the afflicted father, and he hurried home.

The next year, 1850, he again embarked for Europe, with his family, consisting of Mrs. Lewis and his three daughters. The Doctor is an observing voyageur and took notes of his travels, extracts from which would be a rich treat to the reader of dry pedigrees, but they are, as yet, a sealed book. The writer of this has never had a glimpse of them, and could only, here and there, get a word or hint of his travel's history in a hurried conversation, but he has followed him from place to place in imagination, when he spoke of clasic grounds he had visited.

Dr. Lewis and his family spent six months in Paris, where he was introduced to Louis Napoleon, then President of the Republic, now the illustrious Emperor of France. The Duke of Tuscany and his lady, became his intimate friends, and their portraits now adorn his library. They also spent some time in England and Scotland, visiting all the remarkable spots and places sought by strung. ers, traveling as far north among the Highlands and lakes as Inverness. They also set out on a journey to Italy, the Classic land — the land of beauty and poesy, of fallen greatness, and august recollections. Rome with its ruins of past grandeur, lying as it were, beneath the magnificent dome and structure of St. Peter's — Milan with its palaces and splendid cathedral — Venice with its numerous islands, canals and Bridge of Sighs — and Naples with its enchanting bay and picturesque scenery, successively became the objects of their admiration. Three times, the Doctor said he had ascended Mount Vesuvius; more fortunate than the elder Pliny, of whose death from a sudden eruption of the volcano, his nephew the younger Pliny has given in his letters a melancholy, but graphic description ; and although written eighteen centuries ngo, the reader feels as though he was present at the scene.

But the principal inducement of his journey to Italy, and where he wished to make a transient home, was Florence, that beautiful city with the vale of Arno on one side, and the Appenines on the other; Florence lies encircled by these mountains from whose submit, it is said, the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas are visible; through the city flows the river Arno on its way some 50 or 60 miles from the coast, and watering Pisa, famous for its leaning tower, and university. Florence is the central city of Italy, remote from the Alpine snows in the north and the sultry Calabrian heat on the south—a truly delicious climate. It has been called the city of churches, palaces and bridges; for every house is a palace, from the richness and elegance of its structures.

Dr Lewis and his family returned home in 1853. He resumed his profession as a matter of choice, for his fortune placed him above dependence on the severe labors and arduous duties of a physician; yet such was his skill and knowledge of surgery, that he could not avoid the frequent calls of sufferers from disease or injury who came to him far and near; more especially since the death of Dr. John C. Warren. But he was much relieved in practice by the growing and well deserved reputation of his son-in-law Dr. George H. Gay, to whom, Nov. 21, 1855, his oldest daughter Elizabeth Greenough was married. One fact in his practice, so well known to his friends, ought not to be suppressed. Often, very often, his charges to the poor and unforlunate have been light or none at all. To feel for the distressed, to administer to the victims of pain and sickness, is the delight of the good physician and the glory of a great one.

Dr Lewis' favorite study has been surgery and anatomy, in which he is acknowledged to have few superiors, if any in the country. To these he united a love of antiquarian researches, and has retained his fondness for the Latin classics, the beauties of which seem to cling to his memory, as the perfume lingers in the sandal wood in every change of condition. Such are the sweet influences of the cultivation of taste and knowledge in early life; they give a tone to character and a charm to conversation, which neither age nor misfortune can take away. But his great object was his profession, and during the last 35 years the number of his private pupils have exceeded 400. He translated from the French, Gall on the Structure and Functions of the Brain, which was published in six volumes, edited Paxiori's Anatomy, and also a work on Practical Anatomy.

He was a representative from Boston to the General Court in 1835, '53; one of the Common Council of the city in 1839; on the School Committee, 1839, '40, '41 '44, '45, '57 and '58; visitor of the U. S. Marine Hospital 1856 to 1862; one of the Overseers of Harvard University from 1856 to 1862, and lately re-elected for six years more; Consulting Physician of the city, 1861; Counsellor of the Massachusetts Medical Society; a member of the American Medical Society of Paris; for three years he was Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, viz: in 1855, '56 and '60, and has been at the head of several Orders in Masonry, a recapitulation of which would sound strange and forthputling to the uninitiated, and give no information to those who are. He has for very many years been a fervent and active friend to that noble Institution. The reason of his becoming a Mason was singular. In the days when the Fraternity were abused without mercy and persecuted to the utmost, he saw an advertisement in a paper of one of the furious antimasons, Avery Allyn—a name now almost forgotten—that on a certain day, in 1829, he would deliver a lecture, showing up the weakness and hypocrisy of Freemasonry, and its dangerous tendency. The Doctor was led by curiosity to go and hear him; and the very sophisms this arch-enemy of the Brotherhood used, and the abuse he heaped upon many of them, who were men without fear and without reproach, made him a convert on the other side, and he became a Mason in Columbian Lodge, then under the government of Joshua B. Flint, M. D., since G. M. of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

The last honor he received was an unanimous choice as President of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society in 1861 ; an office he still retains ; and long may he be spared to preside over us. It would be ungrateful in ourselves and injustice to him not to mention the liberal and valuable donation he has made to the Society—several hundred volumes, and some of them very rare and costly. He has also made to the library of Harvard University several donations of ancient works, many of them the result of his purchase abroad.*

But I must pause and let this brief memoir of Dr. Lewis come to an end ; truly lamenting that the account must necessarily be meagre and imperfect; for he was absent under the call of the U. S. government, devoting his professional skill to an examination of all the hospitals o( New York and vicinity, where many of our sick and wounded soldiers were sent; and of course I have depended on other sources for information, and received not much help from him, touching his travels; yet from a long acquaintance, and the unbroken friendship of many years not only with him, but his excellent father, it gives me unfeigned pleasure to offer this tribute of affection and respect.

Dissolvi me, otiosua operam ut tibi darem.. — Terence.

Bro. Winslow Lewis was initiated in Columbian Lodge, Nov. 3, 1830; passed Jan. 6, 1831, and raised Feb. 3, 1831. He is a member of St. John's Lodge, St. Paul's Chapter, Council of Royal and Select Masters, Boston Encampment, Grand Chapter, Grand Encampment, affiliated member of the "Loge Clement Amitie," at Paris, and honorary member of Pythagoras Lodge, No. 86, at New York. He has been Senior Warden of St. John's Lodge, High Priest of St. Paul's Chapter, Commander of the Boston Encampment, Grand King of the Grand Chapter, Grand Master 'of the Grand Encampment of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Grand Generalissimo of the Grand Encampment of the United States, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, a Trustee of the Grand Charity Fund and a Trustee of the Masonic Temple. This enumeration does not evidence the extent of his official services, as he has also held many subordinate stations.

His unremitting and arduous efforts to advance the welfare of the Brotherhood, have endeared him to them in bonds which cannot be sundered; and the elevated position which he now so ably fills, he justly merits. In speaking recently of his regard for the Masonic institution, he remarked, that "truth and my feelings prompt the declaration, that in Masonry I have found the best friends, the best social ties and comforts; and that the ' whitest' hours of my life (apart from my family) have been when surrounded by ' Brothers,' and around that Altar, where heart beats responsive to heart, and all ' mingle into bliss."

A particular account of his lineage may be found in the N. E. Historic-Genealogical Register, lor January, 1803, in which the foregoing Memoir was originally published.

SPEECHES

INAUGURAL ADDRESS, FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1854

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XIV, No. 4, February 1855, Page 114:

On assuming the functions of presiding over the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, I sensibly feel the dignity of the office and the responsibilities incurred. It is the first Grand Lodge as to the period of its foundation, the Mater Latomia of the United States. Its decisions are respected every where, and its radiance of "light" as widely diffused. Its offices have been sustained by the honored and the good ; bright jewels among Masons, ornaments of society.

Passing over the early history of the Order in our ancient Commonwealth, and starting from the time of the " Union " in 1792, when, as our historian Harris terms it —

"Nunc magis opus movetur,
Felicior rerum noscitur ordo—"

There are found the names of John Cutler, John Warren, Paul Revere, Josiah Bartlett, Isaiah Thomas, Timothy Bigelow, Samuel Dunn, Benjamin Russell, John Dixwell, John Soley, John Abbot, and others, who have shed lustre not only on our Institution, but also on the vocations they adorned. In the storm as in the calm they were faithful. All these have passed on to a more sublime exaltation. Here, their memories are forever green— Virtus port fumera.

Here, we are gathered amid the brightness of prosperity, which often tries mortals more than the dark hour. "Felicity eats up circumspection," and it behoves us to be warily diligent; on our Masonic field to sow that seed which shall enrich and bring forth the best fruits. If too profusely scattered, its shoots at first present the promise of a rich harvest; but it is a promise to the eye only. The very profusion impedes the thrifty action. " Guard well your portals for the safety of your house, is as applicable to us here, as in our domestic abodes. Let not mere numerical force be our desire or support, but seek to strengthen by the power of character and goodness. Let not mere negative qualities secure admission among us. Require the stronger proof, the active excellence; the heart that acts as well as feels, that exercises the good deed as well as the word; that the applicant should stand out in bold relief, not as one who has merely done no harm, but as the more emphatic one who has let his light shine to enlighten, to assist and vivify.

At this particular period, in the tranquility of success, our Institution may be viewed with distrust and scanned with jealousy, by those who view it as a secret power, combined either for purposes selfish, or as exerting influences beyond the ostensible union of the Order. Combinations have recently been formed, and are multiplying, to sway public opinion and effect public measures by secret organizations. It is not our province to applaud or decry them. From political discussion we carefully hold ourselves aloof, and this we should impress upon our fellow-citizens on all proper occasions, and I hold that this Grand Lodge should now re-affirm, as often before, but now especially essential to reiterate, that we are bound as members of a Brotherhood throughout the world, irrespective of language, nation or sect, (religious or political,) to improve the kindly affections, to relieve the unfortunate, the "large wish of benevolence to dilate," the "conscious heart of charity to warm," to make ourselves wiser and better. We go not beyond. We shut out the divided opinions and rancours which beset society, and in our quiet asylum " mingle into bliss." "Our great end is improvement;" "to raise the feelings and to mend the heart"; "to diffuse the principles of an universal benevolence and philanthropy. All our designs, mysteries and emblems are devoted to useful and interesting purposes, and are suggestive of the paths of duty, while they all combine to produce that order,

"Which nothing earthly gives or can destroy,
The soul's calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy."

These are the purposes for which we are thus banded together. And moreover, we are not a secret society, only so far as is necessary to ensure our unity and carry out our professions and practices. Where, when and who assemble, is, or may be, known to all. The names of the officers are widely published, and there is no Mason who will deny his brotherhood. Books are published illustrative of our principles, and all the world can read therein, that if we are true followers of our professions, we are not wanting as citizens or Christians. We exert no influence on public measures or actions, save that still, silent, beneficent influence which our teachings should produce on our lives and deeds. By our acts without, let us develop that which is sowed here, and practically demonstrate what "good can come from our Nazareth." As patriots, philanthropists, and good citizens, let Masonry point to her votaries, and with pride proclaim, "Si requisis monumenta, circumspice."

My predecessor has given a full detail of the present state of the Grand Lodge, and of its flourishing condition, to which he has so much conduced by his judgment and unceasing attention. I have therefore but a few words to add. I would suggest for your consideration, the propriety, nay, the necessity, of providing better and more ample accommodations for your Grand Secretary. All other Grand Lodges of standing are thus provided. Brethren visiting this city, requiring information, seek for the Recording Officer of the parent body, not only to learn the details of Massachusetts Masonry, but from him gather the lore of the whole Masonic world. Arrangements might be made, and at a small expense, to accommodate the Corresponding and Recording Secretaries and Treasurer together.

Deeming the formation of a better Library of essential importance and interest, and, as under, my predecessor, one has been commenced, which already contains rare and valuable works, I would call the attention of the fraternity to the subject. Circulars have been issued requesting the donation of books and pamphlets relating to Masonry, and I trust that the Brethren will respond to the request.

At the last meeting, a dispensation was granted to our German Brethren for a new Lodge, to be entitled the Germania Lodge, in order that those of that nation, not sufficiently conversant with the language of the land of their adoption, might reap the full benefits of that Order, which recognizes no language save that of Masonry, which is universal. The Teutonic stock has ever been welcome to our shores. Their honesty, industry and thrift, are well known and appreciated. We extend to them the hand of friendship here, feeling a firm assurance, that we are adding to that extended basis, on which our great superstructure rests.

Having now concluded the few general remarks which seemed pertinent to the occasion, allow me, my Most Worshipful and Reverend Brother, to felicitate you on the prosperity and success which have attended your administration. Reversing the classic phrase, let me add, "Non equidem miror, invideo magis." I envy that calmness in debate, that executive tact, that eloquence, which have for three years adorned the Chair and shed from the East such grace and efficiency. I thank you for all you have done and so well done, and I am confident that your Brethren assembled here, and throughout our jurisdiction, accord in general approbation, and they have directed me to perform the pleasing duty of presenting to this Grand Lodge, the Portrait of their now Past Grand Master, procured by the subscriptions of the Fraternity ; with their prayers, that the living form may long be spared to them, and that the "presentment" may continue for many, many years, to adorn our Temple, and that a prosperous Brotherhood may be long reminded of one, who in his day and generation, was the " first among his equals."

ADDRESS AT ST. JOHN'S DAY IN MILFORD, JUNE 1855

ADDRESS AT GERMANIA LODGE CONSTITUTION, JANUARY 1856

ADDRESS AT MOUNT HERMON LODGE CONSTITUTION, JANUARY 1856

ADDRESS AT PUTNAM LODGE CONSTITUTION, JANUARY 1856

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XV, No. 9, July 1856, Page 270:

Another link is now added to the strong chain of Freemasonry; one more Lodge banded together to increase that union whose influences are so diffused, whose characteristics so unselfish, as to regard all our race as connected, and all entitled to our common sympathies. This is the best, the highest of human coalitions—the welding of human hearts, the cementing of souls. Its force is mighty, its power irresistible — a world-extended combination, without the power of arms. No political holy-alliance, no tri-partite actions of governmental power, to compel unity of purpose; but a concert of benevolence to harmonize the heart, subdue the passions, and elongate the social ligature; for

'Tis not the forts the builder piles
That chain the earth together:
The wedded crowns, the sister isles
Would laugh at such a tether:
The kindling thought, the throbbing words,
That set the pulses beating,
Are stronger than the myriad sword
Of mighty armies meeting.

As soldiers in the great contest of who shall best work and best agree, you have received your commission from the Head Quarters, and are here authorized to enlist and recruit. Receive from the Commander of the Forces quartered in this State, a few hints as to the manner and caution to be exercised in your selection for the ranks.

Do not by beat of drum entice or entreat any one to join with you. Let all come with free will and accord, deeming the cause a good one and the pay and reward certain. Let them be scanned singly and scrutinized individually; not coming up in whole squads, begetting confusion and error; but marching up war-fashion, with body erect, to his future Captain, there pledging himself (and understandingly so) to the great action for which he is willing to engage. Let him fully understand the implements of his profession. Teach him, these are tools apparently insignificant, which may be wielded with the mightiest effect, acting noiselessly, but penetrating deeply ; and that they should enter even into the heart, ere their full power is effected. That even the uniform they wear is highly symbolical and impressive, and that the Masonic Soldier can assign some efficacy, some intent and meaning in his decorations, which his more warlike Brother, would find it difficult to do, as regards his own. Let him be well drilled as a subaltern, before he aspires to be the officer, and at every roll call, let him be in his place. Caution him to keep and conceal the pass-words and countersign entrusted to him, and be ever on the watch for spies and enemies ; that he should support and maintain that Constitution under which he has enlisted, and the especial regulations of his own Company. In short, that by his loyalty, devotion and upright conduct, he may gain that proud distinction which is awarded to the " accepted" Soldier of our Faith.

As officers, how much are your duties enhanced, and how increased your requirements! Be not too much the mere martinet. Let your orders be given with promptness and decision, tempered by suavity, and as marching at the van, exhibit that readiness and alacrity denoting the perfect soldier, the accomplished leader. How much depends even on the tone, modulation and emphasis of your command and exhortation! A pusillanimous, feeble, infantile manner, will ill avail to stir up the warrior and inspire his valor; and equally impotent is the dull, unimpassioned drawling out of those sentiments and exhortations which are to urge on the Masonic soldier to press forward in the cause of Truth, Justice, Brotherly Love, Relief, Universal Philanthropy; and in all the Fraternal relations to do and to dare all that become men.

In these piping times of our peace and prosperity, no foes to be assailed, no enemies to be overcome, be not the less watchful. Let the outposts be vigilantly guarded; sentinels on every watch tower. Lower not the draw-bridge to your inner works, for too ready admission. Examine all through the loopholes of a well guarded jealousy. Every Masonic soldier should be a Cerberus to his trusts, an Argus to his Order, a Briareus, feeling with an hundred hands the pulsations of the motives of all who approach his sacred retreat. As your official Head, then, I say unto you— "Watch!" You have received your Commissions this evening and your arms, and are now in good marching array and order. Buckle on the whole armour of you Faith, take up the shield of the good old cause, to turn aside the foes who may press upon you; wield the strong sword of Right, advance onward, and may the Almighty, who is a strong tower to those who put their trust in him, be evermore thy defence and salvation.

ADDRESS AT HALL DEDICATION IN GREENFIELD, FEBRUARY 1856

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XV, No. 11, September 1856, Page 342:

This room is now dedicated to Freemasonry. The simple but still solemn ceremonial is now concluded which consecrates this Lodge, where we fondly trust, a united, happy and prosperous Brotherhood may long continue to congregrate.

To those present, not of the Order, who have honored and graced our meeting, the ritual, the symbols, the paraphernalia, may seem not only ineffective, but even, powerless and unattractive ; mere mysticisms without efficiency. What is Freemasonry'? An ancient and respectable institution, embracing individuals of every nation, of every religion, and of every condition in life; where distinctions of worldly rank are laid aside; where all differences in religion and political sentiments are forgotten, and where those petty quarrels which disturb the quiet of private life, cease to agitate the mind ; where every one strives to give happiness to his Brother, and where men seem to remember for once, that they are sprung from the same origin, possessed of the same nature, and are destined for the same end. The value of its principles is in its tendency to fortify friendship, society, mutual assistance, and the observance of what men owe each other. Where liberty is must prized and enjoyed, there our Order has preserved its excellence and consistency. The great and the good from all civilized societies have joined in its promotion. It includes in its fellowship the wise, the brave, the legislator, all professions, all the components of nations. It fetters them not by impious oaths, by unmeaning ceremonies, but by the ties of a world-extended philanthropy, that ligature, those bonds which we alone confess and proudly wear. It is not "a conspiracy against all religions and governments carried on in secret meetings of Freemasons," as urged by the Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; but it is a union to promote the best feelings of humanity, the mild government of peace on earth. What is its code, what are its teachings and injunctions? It uniformly requires of us that which is good. Its simple but inestimable code presents no puzzling question to tear the divided heart by conflicting duties. It speaks of life as a scene of mutability, admonishes us to enjoy its blessings with moderation, to endure its evils with patience. It tells us that man is as variable as the world he inhabits; that imperfections mingle with the virtues of the best, and by beautiful similitudes and symbols, urges us to constant and unwearied attention. From this mixture of good and evil, it directs our pursuit of the former, by teaching us to curb our passions, moderate our desires, expect with diffidence, enjoy with gratitude, resign with submission. It commands us, conscious of our own failings, to be indulgent to the errors of others, and finally, on the broad basis of mutual wants, general imperfection and universal kindred, it builds the fair structure of candor and benevolence. It cultivates the social principle and action, the mutual communion of friendship between man and man. Here we truly know each other, here brothers meet with their hearts opened, all pulses synchronous, beating in harmonious unison. We know each other, and this is one of the great excellencies of our institution, for in spite of all the Rochefaucaults who have libelled humanity; in spite of all the cynics who have snarled at its character, the tendency of the knowledge of our fellow-man, is to make us love mankind. The more extensive our knowledge of human nature is. the better acquainted we make ourselves among ourselves, the greater will be the indulgence towards the errors of our species, and the more will our affections become enlarged.

To the Brethren I need not say, there is an electric charm in our association, which all feel and appreciate. It cannot be conveyed by words; there is a deeper language of the heart, a still small voice within, which tells with tones of might, all that I wish, but cannot convey.

There is a kind of magnetism pervading the Masonic family, but the operation in our practice is very simple and brief. We join our hands, the heart is immediately excited, the soul brought into harmonious action, at once impressible. It should be termed moral magnetism. To be seen by our process, a state of somnambulism is never induced; on the contrary, the more the action is repeated, the more vigilant and watchful we become; and our symbols — Do they improve? Do they teach? Emphatically they do! They are both significant and instructive. How important are these mute teachers to us all! How wondrous is their agency! In a painted device, or simple emblem, how the commonest truth stands out to us proclaimed in quite new emphasis! Here Fancy with her mystic cower, plays into the domain of Sense, and becomes incorporated therewith. In our symbols there is ever, more or less distinctly and directly, some embodiment and revelation of excellence; the invisible blends itself with the visible, so that it makes it as it were attainable. Emblems and symbols teach with more eloquence than words. They speak to all. They possess both an extensive and intrinsic value. There is no intrinsic value in a military banner, but extrinsically, it reminds us of duty, of heroic daring, and in some instances (would it were so in all) of freedom, of right. Nay, the highest ensign that men ever met and embraced under, the Cross itself, had no meaning, save an accidental, extrinsic one, an acquired divineness, which as Christians we venerate.

With such monitors, and such teachings, we are banded together to promote reciprocal happiness, and diffuse the sublime principle of an universal benevolence. To relieve the distressed, is a duty incumbent on all men, but particularly on Masons, who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries, and to restore peace to their troubled minds, is the grand aim we have in view. On this basis we form our friendships and establish our connections,—sorrow, misfortunes, and sad reverses beset this life, and to mitigate their shafts is our noblest duty.

"The most that we can do is but little;
But in those sharp extremities of fortune,
The blessings which e'en the weak and poor can scatter,
Have their own season. 'Tis a little thing
To give a cup of water: yet its draught
Of cool refreshment drain'd by fever'd lips,
May give a shock of pleasure to the frame
More exquisite than when nectarean juice
Renews the life of joy in happier hours.
It is a little thing to speak a phrase
Of common comfort, which by daily use
Has almost lost its sense : yet on the ear
Of him who thought to die unmourn'd 'twill fall
Like choicest music: fill the glazing eye
With gentle tears: relax the knotted band,
To know the bonds of fellowship again;
.And shed on the departing soul, a sense
More precious than the benizon of friends
About the honored death bed of the rich,
To him who else were lonely, that another
Of our great family is near and feels.

Persevere then, my Brothers, in such a cause; in that good old cause, which amid the storm and the calm has been upheld by a kind Providence, and may it still continue to protect, support and defend you.

ADDRESS AT DE WITT CLINTON LODGE, MARCH 1856

ADDRESS AT GATE OF THE TEMPLE LODGE, MARCH 1856

MEMORIAL ADDRESS FOR BRO. JOHN JAMES LORING, OCTOBER 1856

LIBRARY COMMITTEE REPORT, DECEMBER 1859

From Proceedings, Page VI-269; December 14, 1859, report of the Library Committee:

The Committee on the Library Report— That its increase during the past year, has not added much numerically to its importance, still a few additions have been made of great value, and which did not accrue to the G Lodge at its expense.

Your Committee regret to state that the annual Report of the Proceedings of the G. Lodges of the United States are sadly incomplete in your Library and that their is not one perfect set of any Gd Lodge proceedings, no, not even of our own. The very last acquisition to the Library, (and every intelligent Mason would suppose it should have been the very first) was the "Freemasons Magazine — the work of your own Gd Secy: everywhere, known, every where prized, as the very best exponent of Masonic Law — the most conservative, as well as the oldest in the Union — a perfect series of which is with great difficulty obtained for a sum less than $110.

Undoubtedly there are many who may be disposed to decry the formation of a Library, especially those of the cui bono species, who deem it a Bibliomania, involving expenditure, without return. It may releive such who look to the pecuniary outlay, to learn that the now valuable Collection of the G Lodge of Massachusetts, has only cost the Institution the paltry sum of about $150.

Is a Masonic Library profitless? When the future historian of our country shall have occasion to portray these popular excitements which have agitated society, and among them, the wrorst of them all, the Anti-masonic, where could he glean all on the subject, where could he turn for the most extensive details of that nefarious Body, but to the ample pages of the Masonic Mirror — a work of rarement and fidelity, and which has become, even now, a rarity among book-collectors, a book so rare, that your committee, know of no other perfect copy, than the one in your collection.

How often is it necessary to consult authorities, and seek information on the History of the Order and on the various subjects connected with it? How desirable it is, that those who hold official positions should have a "Collectania from whence to derive such opinions or decisions as their stations impose—much perhaps that is generally considered as worthless is sent forth from the press. But every department of literature has its trash mingled with its good, still that work, which has in it no one idea, either curious, quaint or original, must of itself be a curiosity.

The Library of the G. Lodge is therefore like all collections, a collection of the valuable mingled with the almost useless, we say almost, for many of these "turn up" to satisfy the literary researches of some antiquarian minds seekers of the "odds and ends" of the of the teeming press chiffoniers, who raking from the gutters of intellectual sewers, sometimes from the mud itself bring to light that which is valuable and worthy of preservation.

Your Committee would therefore solicit from the Brethren, donations of any books or pamphlets, good, bad, or indifferent, which have any relation, direct or indirect with Freemasonry, for or against it.

Among the very few donors, our excellent Br. Thos. Waterman must again be mentioned as having contributed a very choice collection of bound volumes of pamphlets, interspersed with which are short biographies of the shining lights of our Order by his pen. Your committee in thanking him for his liberality would commend him as an example to others "to go and do likewise".

ADDRESS AT HIRAM LODGE, DECEMBER 1856

ADDRESS AT WILDER LODGE, AUGUST 1860

CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE GRAND LODGE OF VIRGINIA, DECEMBER 1860

From Proceedings, Page VI-345; December 10, 1860, correspondence with the Grand Lodge of Virginia:

M W. [John R. McDaniels] G. Master of the Gd. Lodge of Virginia.

Dear Brother.

The period has arrived (alas! that it should ever be so.) when it behoves every one who has lived and flourished under the benign influence of our glorious Union, to exert his best endeavors to obviate that sad impulse which threatens its dissolution. In the relations of fellow-citizens of a wide spread republic, our efforts have proved ineffectual. Fanaticism is the predominate demon, and the ties which have bound the South and North so long together, which carried them shoulder to shoulder in the days of our fathers, and have continued them in their prosperity as a United Nation, are now in preparation to be severed.

It is too late to avert the calamity. Is there nought remains of conservatism to be tried? Have we not an institution which binds us together not only as fellow citizens but as Brothers, and as Brothers can we lacerate those pledges, the foundation of our Faith & Practice? Therefore may we not look to it as a strong element to allay the bitter anguish of these dark days in our Nation's History?

It was my good fortune to visit Richmond with a band of our Order, and to witness and feel the mighty operation which cemented the hearts of all the participants on that occasion.

The influences of that meeting are ineffaceable the impress indelible, with such feelings of so powerful a fraternization, how disunion must pall the hearts of those whose affections as Brothers are so warmed towards those so dear to them in Virginia, and as one I was resolved to pour out my own, and to express to you what I deem to be, the predominate sentiment in Boston, if not, in the whole jurisdiction over which I have the honor to preside, and I assure my dear Brother, that we cling to you, not only as Brothers, but as Fellow-citizens; and may that evil day be far removed, when Virginia and Massachusetts, the States which gave to our country a Washington and a Franklin and to Freemasonry two of its brightest lights, shall be found opposed as enemies, and severed as components of United States.

May God avert that terrible issue: and may He instills into the hearts of all of our Order, the observance of that precept of his Holy Word, that first before to every neophyte in Free-masonry. "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity," and may all under your fraternal jurisdiction, demonstrate by their acts, that in the "Old Dominion" fellow citizens, and Brotherly Love, as Masons shall now, in this the perilous hour, as heretofore under the days of prosperity, be their aim and Resolve. — "So mote it be."

ADDRESS AT ESSEX LODGE, OCTOBER 1862

LIBRARY COMMITTEE REPORT, DECEMBER 1864

From Proceedings, Page VI-544; December 13, 1864, report of Library Committee:

The Com. on the Library of the G. Lodge are compelled to present a Report on that which is not extant on those things which now "are among the things that were now to be catalogued as res non inventi non existentibus.

All that was, of a really excellent Library, so recently a proud monument of the literature of Freemasonry, belonging to this G. Lodge is burned among the ashes and rubbish of our Temple. That collection of Masonic Works, was a valuable one, collected by the labors of years. Most of it was the gift of two of the Brethren, and towards it this Body paid but a small sum. It was insured for $400. The Com. however have to congratulate the Fraternity (it being accidentally in the hands of the binder) that the most rare work, and of which no other perfect copy can be found, the Masonic Mirror, was preserved. It consists of two folio, and seven quarto volumes. It embodies all the details of that exciting period when Anti-Masonry was rampant and utter downfall, death and everlasting interment.

The Directors of the Corporation have placed the amount received from the insurance, in the hands of the Com. on the Library, and already many works have been purchased, and several donations have been made, and the Com. would express in behalf of this G. Lodge their thanks to the G. Lodge of Maryland, Ohio, Illinois and Louisiana for their donations of copies of their transactions.

A Masonic Library cannot now be readily obtained. It is a well known fact, that works on the subject of Freemasonry, are eagerly sought for, and obtain large prices and that several of the Brethren in this jurisdiction, have at a great expense, their private collections which have been obtained after much research, at the cost of much time and expenditure of money. Moreover, our Library cannot be enlarged by purchase, at this time, of foreign works, on account of the enhanced cost of importation.

The Com. therefore, look to their Masonic Brethren for their voluntary contributions, surely there should be a response from all, who are or should be interested in this matter.

The Com. are willing to contribute all their attention and care, to effect so desirable an object—a catalogue has been already prepared and every book and pamphlet registered and a column denoting the name of the donor of each gift. They trust to see that column filled with the names of the ardent lovers of the Order, and its interests, and among these interests should be the founding of a storehouse of Masonic Literature.

PRESENTATION AT INSTALLATION OF CHARLES W. MOORE LODGE, OCTOBER 1866

NOTES

CHARTERS GRANTED

1855-1856:

1860:

CHARTERS RESTORED

1855-1856:


Grand Masters