Difference between revisions of "GMParkman"

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There are few present who were not more or less familiar with the face and form of him who was lately our Senior Past
 
There are few present who were not more or less familiar with the face and form of him who was lately our Senior Past
−
Grand Master. Until a short time before his death he was able to accompany the Grand Master on his many official visits to the different Lodges throughout the Commonwealth, and he was seldom, if ever, absent from the Quarterly and Annual Communications of this Grand Body. Always cheerful, and, notwithstanding his age, interested in everything pertaining to Masonry; quick to express his kind feelings to each individual Brother, and address, when called upon, the assembled Brethren on public occasions ; he was perhaps better known to the Fraternity in general than any other of our members. He also had the good fortune to retain his health and buoyant spirits till a few weeks before his death, and was present, I believe, at the Communication, immediately preceding, of the ancient Lodge, to which he had belonged for nearly fifty years.
+
Grand Master. Until a short time before his death he was able to accompany the Grand Master on his many official visits to the different Lodges throughout the Commonwealth, and he was seldom, if ever, absent from the Quarterly and Annual Communications of this Grand Body. Always cheerful, and, notwithstanding his age, interested in everything pertaining to Masonry; quick to express his kind feelings to each individual Brother, and address, when called upon, the assembled Brethren on public occasions; he was perhaps better known to the Fraternity in general than any other of our members. He also had the good fortune to retain his health and buoyant spirits till a few weeks before his death, and was present, I believe, at the Communication, immediately preceding, of the ancient Lodge, to which he had belonged for nearly fifty years.
  
−
He was born May 9, 1811, at the "north end" of Boston, then a very different locality, as far as the character and nationality of its inhabitants are concerned, from what it is now. Boston at that time had not more than 34,000 inhabitants, and over the particular part of the city, which is now the fashionable quarter, the tide regularly ebbed and flowed. Many of the inventions, mechanical or otherwise, which are now as familiar to us as the streets in which we live, which render our houses as comfortable in winter as iu summer, which
+
He was born May 9, 1811, at the "north end" of Boston, then a very different locality, as far as the character and nationality of its inhabitants are concerned, from what it is now. Boston at that time had not more than 34,000 inhabitants, and over the particular part of the city, which is now the fashionable quarter, the tide regularly ebbed and flowed. Many of the inventions, mechanical or otherwise, which are now as familiar to us as the streets in which we live, which render our houses as comfortable in winter as iu summer, which have changed the various duties and dangers, occupying the care and foresight of the merchant and trader, were then unknown. When he was a youth there was no water drank in Boston but what was drawn from wells, gradually polluted by neighboring nuisances; the houses were heated only by fires in some of the principal rooms; the postage to New York was 18 3/4 cents; it took months to learn the news from China, and sometimes even from Europe; the wharves, where scarcely a merchant having business in foreign parts is now to be found, were covered with the counting-houses and store-houses of importers. A boy, with the highest and brightest prospects, thought himself fortunate in those days to get a place in the business house of one of those merchants, though his most important duty for a year or two might be to sweep out the store, run of errands, and thus commence his business education. The only things which remain unchanged, at least in external form and perhaps in their most essential characteristics, are the public schools of the city, in which our deceased Brother was educated.
−
have changed the various duties and dangers, occupying the care and foresight of the merchant and trader, were then unknown. When he was a youth there was no water drank in Boston but what was drawn from wells, gradually polluted by neighboring nuisances ; the houses were heated only by fires in some of the principal rooms; the postage to New York was 18 3/4 cents; it took months to learn the news from China, and sometimes even from Europe; the wharves, where scarcely a merchant
+
−
having business in foreign parts is now to be found, were covered with the counting-houses and store-houses of importers. A boy, with the highest and brightest prospects, thought himself fortunate in those days to get a place in the business house of one of those merchants, though his most important duty for a year or two might be to sweep out the store, run of errands, and thus commence his business education. The only things which remain unchanged, at least in external
+
−
form and perhaps in their most essential characteristics, are the public schools of the city, in which our deceased Brother was educated.
+
  
−
R.W. Bro. Parkman was descended from a family that settled in the northern part of Boston in 1668. When a boy he attended the Eliot School, graduating from it at the age of ten years, and receiving one of those medals, the gift of Franklin, which are bestowed upon deserving scholars. Then he went to the English High School, and after finishing his education there, entered into the employment of a gentleman
+
R.W. Bro. Parkman was descended from a family that settled in the northern part of Boston in 1668. When a boy he attended the Eliot School, graduating from it at the age of ten years, and receiving one of those medals, the gift of Franklin, which are bestowed upon deserving scholars. Then he went to the English High School, and after finishing his education there, entered into the employment of a gentleman well-known to some now present, became his clerk, and was admitted as a partner in the business in 1833, when he was twenty-two years of age. This partnership continued, with only a slight change, (the admission of his son in 1878), till 1880, when it was dissolved. At that time our Brother retired from active business.
−
well-known to some now present, became his clerk, and was admitted as a partner in the business in 1833, when he was twenty-two years of age. This partnership continued, with only a slight change, (the admission of his son in 1878), till 1880, when it was dissolved. At that time our Brother retired from active business.
+
  
 
During the administrations of Mr. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Seaver Seaver] and Mr. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_H._Rice Rice], afterwards Governor Rice, as Mayors of Boston, Brother Parkman was a member of the City Council, and served, by the appointment of Mayor Rice, as a trustee on the building of the Public Library. It is unnecessary to mention other positions held by him; but allow me to allude to his being a member of the choir of the Unitarian Church, originally on Hanover street, and afterwards located on Freeman place, because most of you must know that he joined not only with heart, but with voice, in the singing of those hymns, with which we so appropriately commence the Communications of this Grand Lodge. Alas! his voice will no longer join with ours; will no longer assist in those invocations to Deity, which have so favorable an effect in disposing our hearts and thoughts to the harmonious consideration and brotherly discussion of those questions, of ten-times of considerable importance, which on such occasions are to be considered, discussed and finally decided.
 
During the administrations of Mr. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Seaver Seaver] and Mr. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_H._Rice Rice], afterwards Governor Rice, as Mayors of Boston, Brother Parkman was a member of the City Council, and served, by the appointment of Mayor Rice, as a trustee on the building of the Public Library. It is unnecessary to mention other positions held by him; but allow me to allude to his being a member of the choir of the Unitarian Church, originally on Hanover street, and afterwards located on Freeman place, because most of you must know that he joined not only with heart, but with voice, in the singing of those hymns, with which we so appropriately commence the Communications of this Grand Lodge. Alas! his voice will no longer join with ours; will no longer assist in those invocations to Deity, which have so favorable an effect in disposing our hearts and thoughts to the harmonious consideration and brotherly discussion of those questions, of ten-times of considerable importance, which on such occasions are to be considered, discussed and finally decided.
  
−
Our Brother received his Masonic degrees in the [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=StAndrew Lodge of St. Andrew]; was admitted a member December 12, 1844, and was a regular attendant upon its Communications from that date until a few weeks before his death. He was its Worshipful Master from November, 1857, to November, 1860, and quite lately filled for a year or two the position of its Chaplain. April 7, 1847, he was exalted in St. Andrew's Royal Arch
+
Our Brother received his Masonic degrees in the [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=StAndrew Lodge of St. Andrew]; was admitted a member December 12, 1844, and was a regular attendant upon its Communications from that date until a few weeks before his death. He was its Worshipful Master from November, 1857, to November, 1860, and quite lately filled for a year or two the position of its Chaplain. April 7, 1847, he was exalted in St. Andrew's Royal Arch Chapter; and May 5, of that year, became a member of that Chapter. He received the Orders of Knighthood in Boston Commandery, February 9, 1848, and became a member April 19 of that year. He was a charter member of DeMolay Commandery, which was an offshoot from Boston Commandery, chartered October 10, 1848, and was its Eminent Commander two years (1859-1861); acting as such on the visit of that Commandery to Richmond, Va., in 1859. Two Masonic Bodies claim the honor of adopting his name as their own [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=WilliamParkman William Parkman] Lodge, of Winchester, and William Parkman Commandery of Knights Templars, of East Boston.
−
Chapter; and May 5, of that year, became a member of that Chapter. He received the Orders of Knighthood in Boston Commandery, February 9, 1848, and became a member April 19 of that year. He was a charter member of DeMolay Commandery, which was an offshoot from Boston Commandery, chartered October 10, 1848, and was its Eminent Commander two years (1859-1861); acting as such on the visit of that Commandery to Richmond, Va., in 1859. Two Masonic Bodies claim the honor of adopting his name as their own [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=WilliamParkman William Parkman] Lodge, of Winchester, and William Parkman Commandery of Knights Templars, of East Boston.
+
  
−
He was elected Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts December 10, 1862, and was installed on the 30th day of that month. He held that office from the latter date until December 27, 1865, when he was succeeded by R.W. Brother [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=GMDame Dame], who fortunately remains with us, to assist and guide his Brethren with his counsel. .It was during the Grand Mastership of Brother Parkman that the Winthrop House, standing where the Masonic Temple, Boston, now stands, and in the fifth and sixth
+
He was elected Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts December 10, 1862, and was installed on the 30th day of that month. He held that office from the latter date until December 27, 1865, when he was succeeded by R.W. Brother [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=GMDame Dame], who fortunately remains with us, to assist and guide his Brethren with his counsel. .It was during the Grand Mastership of Brother Parkman that the Winthrop House, standing where the Masonic Temple, Boston, now stands, and in the fifth and sixth stories of which were the Masonic apartments, was totally destroyed by fire, with much valuable property, some of which can probably never be replaced. On October 14, 1864, as Grand Master, he laid the cornerstone of our present Temple. Some of those present must remember the manner in which the procession of that day was regarded by our citizens, so different from the reception accorded to that on the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone of our former Temple, on the corner of Tremont street and Temple place.
−
stories of which were the Masonic apartments, was totally destroyed by fire, with much valuable property, some of which can probably never be replaced. On October 14, 1864, as Grand Master, he laid the cornerstone of our present Temple. Some
+
−
of those present must remember the manner in which the procession of that day was regarded by our citizens, so different from the reception accorded to that on the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone of our former Temple, on the corner of
+
−
Tremont street and Temple place.
+
  
 
He was an active member of the Supreme Council of the A.A.S. Rite for the N.M.J., and an honorary member of its various subordinate Bodies in this city. In all these organizations Brother Parkman took an active interest, but his thoughts
 
He was an active member of the Supreme Council of the A.A.S. Rite for the N.M.J., and an honorary member of its various subordinate Bodies in this city. In all these organizations Brother Parkman took an active interest, but his thoughts
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''The hope to meet when life is past<br>
 
''The hope to meet when life is past<br>
 
''Shall soothe the saddened mind at last."''
 
''Shall soothe the saddened mind at last."''
 +
 +
<hr>
 +
 +
=== SPEECHES ===
 +
 +
==== FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1862 ====
 +
 +
''From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXII, No. 4, February 1863, Page 107:''
 +
 +
''M. W. BROTHER PARKMAN'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS, DEC. 30, 1862.''
 +
 +
''Brethren—'' The arduous duties of the day having been accomplished, and the new officers duly installed this evening, upon assuming the head of this Grand Body allow me to express to you my profound thanks for the confidence you have reposed in me, in electing me to this high position. Be assured I come profoundly impressed with my own responsibilities to the Institution and to you. When I cast my eyes over the Portraits around this Hall, I see the pleasant faces of those distinguished men who have preceded me, and when I reflect that they were men of learning, intellect, high social position, and great Masonic skill, a feeling of fear overshadows my joy ! But when I look further, and see the faces of those who live, and are still with us, and look around upon these dear, friendly, Brotherly companions, with whom I am so intimate, and behold the encouraging smiles of all about me, I feel I cannot fail, but that all the duties of my position will be fulfilled. My heart is filled with gratitude while I think of the many blessings of our beloved Institution, for the last fifteen years. Our prosperity has been without check, and unexampled —unwavering success has crowned our every effort. Rapid growth, great influence in popular esteem, and the addition to our numbers, mostly from those in the higher and best social positions — all these things have been so fully laid before you by the retiring Grand Master, that further reference to them is unnecessary, and I will only express the hope that our prosperity may long continue.
 +
 +
From year to year words of caution have been addressed to you from this place, and never, my Brethren, were they more needed than now. Applicants too easily find admission at our portals, merely on negative recommendations. This ought not to be! Every applicant should have a character unspotted; a clean reputation; a respectable position in society, and means to obtain a living. If he has not these qualifications, you should not hesitate to reject him, for negative good men only swell number without increasing strength or usefulness.
 +
 +
Again, my Brethren, I would caution you against an increasing and dangerous evil — a disposition to alter our old and established ritual, and interpolate with new phrases that which we have received in its purity, from our predecessors. I respectfully call attention of the Masters of Lodges to their declaration upon installation, that it is not in the power of any man or body of men to change the platform of our Institution, and I earnestly exhort all to discourage attempts at change, and enjoin the strictest pertinacity to the ancient land-marks of both work and ritual, as taught by, and exhibited in, Grand Lodge, this day.
 +
I would cheerfully commend to the fraternity the cultivation of Music in the Lodges, and the formation of choirs, whenever convenient, that the opening, initiation, and closing ceremonies, may have the aid of good music; its effect is pleasant upon the Lodge, and while it adds much to the impressive dignity of our ceremonial, it is also a great help to promote social harmony among the members.
 +
 +
From various causes, this Grand Lodge has been, for the last four years, many times before the public, in full regalia, and these displays have occasioned much comment among our older Brethren. My own impression is against public parades; and I most respectfully suggest that we should only appear in public upon great and important occasions of general public interest. Frequent public displays tend to provoke comments from the curious and uninformed. We never ask or seek to proselyte. We ask the public to esteem us only as good citizens. A word for our Charities and I have done. For many years I have had intimate knowledge and connection with all the charities of our Institution, and although the different Orders have given with liberal hands and warm and sympathetic hearts, and done great good, this branch of our Institution has hardly given commensurate with our success. For the purpose of meeting promptly this want, I have added two new members to the Charity Committee, and will, from time to time, call their attention to larger and renewed charities; and I doubt not this Grand Body will cheerfully contribute in the liberal spirit provided by our Constitution upon the subject.
 +
 +
With these few cautions and suggestions, allow me, my Brethren, to ask of you, one and all, a renewed confidence in our beloved Institution, and in each other. Let the most patriotic purposes warm your hearts, and Charity, the central idea of Freemasonry, warm and stimulate us to help the poor and distressed, and comfort the widow and the orphan; and may the All-wise Giver of all good, plenteously endow us with the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy. So mote it be. — Amen and Amen.
 +
 +
<hr>
  
 
=== CHARTERS GRANTED ===
 
=== CHARTERS GRANTED ===

Revision as of 15:23, 4 August 2013

WILLIAM PARKMAN 1811-1892

WilliamParkman1892.jpg

Grand Master 1863-1865.

TERM

1863 1864 1865

NOTES

MEMORIAL

From the Proceedings, Page 1892-19ff. Presented by Past Grand Master Charles A. Welch.

Once more it becomes our duty to pay the tribute of respect and affection to the memory of one of our Permanent Members.

There are few present who were not more or less familiar with the face and form of him who was lately our Senior Past Grand Master. Until a short time before his death he was able to accompany the Grand Master on his many official visits to the different Lodges throughout the Commonwealth, and he was seldom, if ever, absent from the Quarterly and Annual Communications of this Grand Body. Always cheerful, and, notwithstanding his age, interested in everything pertaining to Masonry; quick to express his kind feelings to each individual Brother, and address, when called upon, the assembled Brethren on public occasions; he was perhaps better known to the Fraternity in general than any other of our members. He also had the good fortune to retain his health and buoyant spirits till a few weeks before his death, and was present, I believe, at the Communication, immediately preceding, of the ancient Lodge, to which he had belonged for nearly fifty years.

He was born May 9, 1811, at the "north end" of Boston, then a very different locality, as far as the character and nationality of its inhabitants are concerned, from what it is now. Boston at that time had not more than 34,000 inhabitants, and over the particular part of the city, which is now the fashionable quarter, the tide regularly ebbed and flowed. Many of the inventions, mechanical or otherwise, which are now as familiar to us as the streets in which we live, which render our houses as comfortable in winter as iu summer, which have changed the various duties and dangers, occupying the care and foresight of the merchant and trader, were then unknown. When he was a youth there was no water drank in Boston but what was drawn from wells, gradually polluted by neighboring nuisances; the houses were heated only by fires in some of the principal rooms; the postage to New York was 18 3/4 cents; it took months to learn the news from China, and sometimes even from Europe; the wharves, where scarcely a merchant having business in foreign parts is now to be found, were covered with the counting-houses and store-houses of importers. A boy, with the highest and brightest prospects, thought himself fortunate in those days to get a place in the business house of one of those merchants, though his most important duty for a year or two might be to sweep out the store, run of errands, and thus commence his business education. The only things which remain unchanged, at least in external form and perhaps in their most essential characteristics, are the public schools of the city, in which our deceased Brother was educated.

R.W. Bro. Parkman was descended from a family that settled in the northern part of Boston in 1668. When a boy he attended the Eliot School, graduating from it at the age of ten years, and receiving one of those medals, the gift of Franklin, which are bestowed upon deserving scholars. Then he went to the English High School, and after finishing his education there, entered into the employment of a gentleman well-known to some now present, became his clerk, and was admitted as a partner in the business in 1833, when he was twenty-two years of age. This partnership continued, with only a slight change, (the admission of his son in 1878), till 1880, when it was dissolved. At that time our Brother retired from active business.

During the administrations of Mr. Seaver and Mr. Rice, afterwards Governor Rice, as Mayors of Boston, Brother Parkman was a member of the City Council, and served, by the appointment of Mayor Rice, as a trustee on the building of the Public Library. It is unnecessary to mention other positions held by him; but allow me to allude to his being a member of the choir of the Unitarian Church, originally on Hanover street, and afterwards located on Freeman place, because most of you must know that he joined not only with heart, but with voice, in the singing of those hymns, with which we so appropriately commence the Communications of this Grand Lodge. Alas! his voice will no longer join with ours; will no longer assist in those invocations to Deity, which have so favorable an effect in disposing our hearts and thoughts to the harmonious consideration and brotherly discussion of those questions, of ten-times of considerable importance, which on such occasions are to be considered, discussed and finally decided.

Our Brother received his Masonic degrees in the Lodge of St. Andrew; was admitted a member December 12, 1844, and was a regular attendant upon its Communications from that date until a few weeks before his death. He was its Worshipful Master from November, 1857, to November, 1860, and quite lately filled for a year or two the position of its Chaplain. April 7, 1847, he was exalted in St. Andrew's Royal Arch Chapter; and May 5, of that year, became a member of that Chapter. He received the Orders of Knighthood in Boston Commandery, February 9, 1848, and became a member April 19 of that year. He was a charter member of DeMolay Commandery, which was an offshoot from Boston Commandery, chartered October 10, 1848, and was its Eminent Commander two years (1859-1861); acting as such on the visit of that Commandery to Richmond, Va., in 1859. Two Masonic Bodies claim the honor of adopting his name as their own William Parkman Lodge, of Winchester, and William Parkman Commandery of Knights Templars, of East Boston.

He was elected Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts December 10, 1862, and was installed on the 30th day of that month. He held that office from the latter date until December 27, 1865, when he was succeeded by R.W. Brother Dame, who fortunately remains with us, to assist and guide his Brethren with his counsel. .It was during the Grand Mastership of Brother Parkman that the Winthrop House, standing where the Masonic Temple, Boston, now stands, and in the fifth and sixth stories of which were the Masonic apartments, was totally destroyed by fire, with much valuable property, some of which can probably never be replaced. On October 14, 1864, as Grand Master, he laid the cornerstone of our present Temple. Some of those present must remember the manner in which the procession of that day was regarded by our citizens, so different from the reception accorded to that on the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone of our former Temple, on the corner of Tremont street and Temple place.

He was an active member of the Supreme Council of the A.A.S. Rite for the N.M.J., and an honorary member of its various subordinate Bodies in this city. In all these organizations Brother Parkman took an active interest, but his thoughts were chiefly occupied, and his heart chiefly interested, in the Lodge, to which he belonged for so many years, and in this Grand Lodge, of which he was the Senior Past Grand Master.

Brother Parkman was especially remarkable for the readiness with which he would respond when called upon to address the Brethren, so as to raise their spirits and cheer their hearts. Although we regret that we shall no longer enjoy his presence among us, we can hardly complain, since he was spared to us to so ripe au age. Providence has allowed us the satisfaction, during many years, of enjoying his presence, and of catching from him some portion of the enthusiasm, which age did not lessen; which none of the misfortunes, to which every man in a long life is to some extent subjected, could extinguish.

We shall miss him at these Quarterly Communications. We shall miss him still more when we meet together at the Feast of St. John. The Grand Master will miss him as, in the discharge of the duties of his office, he visits the various Lodges of this jurisdiction, accompanied by Brethren, hardly any one of whom will be 60 well known to the members of the various Lodges as he was. The older members of this Grand Lodge will feel that another link has been broken from the chain, which connected them with the past; with Grand Masters Lewis, Heard and Gardner; never to be reunited till they also join the vast assemblage who have preceded them.

"The praise of those who sleep in earth,
The pleasant memory of their worth,
The hope to meet when life is past
 Shall soothe the saddened mind at last."

SPEECHES

FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1862

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXII, No. 4, February 1863, Page 107:

M. W. BROTHER PARKMAN'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS, DEC. 30, 1862.

Brethren— The arduous duties of the day having been accomplished, and the new officers duly installed this evening, upon assuming the head of this Grand Body allow me to express to you my profound thanks for the confidence you have reposed in me, in electing me to this high position. Be assured I come profoundly impressed with my own responsibilities to the Institution and to you. When I cast my eyes over the Portraits around this Hall, I see the pleasant faces of those distinguished men who have preceded me, and when I reflect that they were men of learning, intellect, high social position, and great Masonic skill, a feeling of fear overshadows my joy ! But when I look further, and see the faces of those who live, and are still with us, and look around upon these dear, friendly, Brotherly companions, with whom I am so intimate, and behold the encouraging smiles of all about me, I feel I cannot fail, but that all the duties of my position will be fulfilled. My heart is filled with gratitude while I think of the many blessings of our beloved Institution, for the last fifteen years. Our prosperity has been without check, and unexampled —unwavering success has crowned our every effort. Rapid growth, great influence in popular esteem, and the addition to our numbers, mostly from those in the higher and best social positions — all these things have been so fully laid before you by the retiring Grand Master, that further reference to them is unnecessary, and I will only express the hope that our prosperity may long continue.

From year to year words of caution have been addressed to you from this place, and never, my Brethren, were they more needed than now. Applicants too easily find admission at our portals, merely on negative recommendations. This ought not to be! Every applicant should have a character unspotted; a clean reputation; a respectable position in society, and means to obtain a living. If he has not these qualifications, you should not hesitate to reject him, for negative good men only swell number without increasing strength or usefulness.

Again, my Brethren, I would caution you against an increasing and dangerous evil — a disposition to alter our old and established ritual, and interpolate with new phrases that which we have received in its purity, from our predecessors. I respectfully call attention of the Masters of Lodges to their declaration upon installation, that it is not in the power of any man or body of men to change the platform of our Institution, and I earnestly exhort all to discourage attempts at change, and enjoin the strictest pertinacity to the ancient land-marks of both work and ritual, as taught by, and exhibited in, Grand Lodge, this day. I would cheerfully commend to the fraternity the cultivation of Music in the Lodges, and the formation of choirs, whenever convenient, that the opening, initiation, and closing ceremonies, may have the aid of good music; its effect is pleasant upon the Lodge, and while it adds much to the impressive dignity of our ceremonial, it is also a great help to promote social harmony among the members.

From various causes, this Grand Lodge has been, for the last four years, many times before the public, in full regalia, and these displays have occasioned much comment among our older Brethren. My own impression is against public parades; and I most respectfully suggest that we should only appear in public upon great and important occasions of general public interest. Frequent public displays tend to provoke comments from the curious and uninformed. We never ask or seek to proselyte. We ask the public to esteem us only as good citizens. A word for our Charities and I have done. For many years I have had intimate knowledge and connection with all the charities of our Institution, and although the different Orders have given with liberal hands and warm and sympathetic hearts, and done great good, this branch of our Institution has hardly given commensurate with our success. For the purpose of meeting promptly this want, I have added two new members to the Charity Committee, and will, from time to time, call their attention to larger and renewed charities; and I doubt not this Grand Body will cheerfully contribute in the liberal spirit provided by our Constitution upon the subject.

With these few cautions and suggestions, allow me, my Brethren, to ask of you, one and all, a renewed confidence in our beloved Institution, and in each other. Let the most patriotic purposes warm your hearts, and Charity, the central idea of Freemasonry, warm and stimulate us to help the poor and distressed, and comfort the widow and the orphan; and may the All-wise Giver of all good, plenteously endow us with the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy. So mote it be. — Amen and Amen.

CHARTERS GRANTED

RULINGS


Grand Masters

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