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Thr following address was delivered before [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=StarEast1 Star in the East] Lodge, New Bedford, December 11, 1873. on the fiftieth anniversary of the date of its charter, by W. Rev. Alonzo II. Quint, D. D., Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts:
 
Thr following address was delivered before [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=StarEast1 Star in the East] Lodge, New Bedford, December 11, 1873. on the fiftieth anniversary of the date of its charter, by W. Rev. Alonzo II. Quint, D. D., Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts:
  
Brethren of the Mystic Tie, I greet you. Met to celebrate the liftieth anniversary of the life of your Lodge, it is fitting that you should rejoice and be glad, should remember the past, recall the foundation principles, and )>e courageous for the future.
+
Brethren of the Mystic Tie, I greet you. Met to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the life of your Lodge, it is fitting that you should rejoice and be glad, should remember the past, recall the foundation principles, and be courageous for the future.
  
On Tuesday evening, June 17. 1823, there w:is a meeting of Masonic brethren in the house of Timothy (J. Coffin. It was called in consequence of an agreement, signed by thirty-live brethren, to :isk for authority to form a Uxlge. The first named on the list was Timothy G. Coffin, the well- reinembered lawyer; the last was Edward T. Taylor, so long known all over the world by his ministry to sailors. These thirty-five Masons had been made such in various Ixxlges. Some of these were from a I�xlge which had previously existed in this place, known as •' Washington Remembered Ixxlge."
+
On Tuesday evening, June 17. 1823, there w:is a meeting of Masonic brethren in the house of Timothy G. Coffin. It was called in consequence of an agreement, signed by thirty-live brethren, to :isk for authority to form a Uxlge. The first named on the list was Timothy G. Coffin, the well- reinembered lawyer; the last was Edward T. Taylor, so long known all over the world by his ministry to sailors. These thirty-five Masons had been made such in various Ixxlges. Some of these were from a I�xlge which had previously existed in this place, known as •' Washington Remembered Ixxlge."
  
 
whose ('barter bad been recalled some five or six years previous. From the steps then taken, a Dispensation was secured, dated on the seventeenth day of the following October. It was signed by the then Grand Master, John Di.wvell. a physician, who graduated at Harvard College in 17(K>, and who lived until 1831. On the tenth of December following, the Grand Lodge issued, to twenty-one Brethren, the formal Charter, establishing StaU in THE East l/idge of Free and Accepted Masons. It bears the signatures of John Dixwell, (!. M., Elijah ('nine. S. (i. W.. Samuel Thaxter, J. G. Y\\. and was
 
whose ('barter bad been recalled some five or six years previous. From the steps then taken, a Dispensation was secured, dated on the seventeenth day of the following October. It was signed by the then Grand Master, John Di.wvell. a physician, who graduated at Harvard College in 17(K>, and who lived until 1831. On the tenth of December following, the Grand Lodge issued, to twenty-one Brethren, the formal Charter, establishing StaU in THE East l/idge of Free and Accepted Masons. It bears the signatures of John Dixwell, (!. M., Elijah ('nine. S. (i. W.. Samuel Thaxter, J. G. Y\\. and was

Revision as of 13:06, 9 November 2012

QUINT, ALONZO HALL 1828-1896

AlonzoHQuint1873.jpg

BIOGRAPHY

From Proceedings, Page 1873-382:

REV. ALONZO HALL QUINT, D.D., son of George and Sally W. (Hall) Quint, born in Barnstead, N. II., March 22, 1828, but was a resident of Dover, N. H., from infancy. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1846, and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1852, and with an additional year of study at the Seminary. He was ordained pastor of the Central (Cong.) Church, Jamaica Plain, Dec. 27, 1853, and remained until he entered the service as Chaplain, in 1861, having leave of absence from his church till his resignation of the pastorate in 1863. In the war of 1861-5 he was more than three years Chaplain of the Second Mass. Infantry, well known as originally Col. (afterwards Major-General) Gordon's. In July, 1864 he was installed pastor of the North Cong. Church, New Bedford, where he still remains. From 1855 to 1861 he was a member of the Board of Education of the State of Massachusetts. He is a member of the Massachusetts, and several other Historical Societies. Since 1856 he has been continuously Secretary of the General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts, being now in his sixth term of office (three years each). In 1870 he was made Chairman of Committee of delegates to frame a constitution, and call the first meeting, of the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States; and, on its organization, in November, 1871, was chosen its Secretary for three years.

He received the Degree of D.D., from Dartmouth College, in 1866, and is one of the Board of twelve Trustees of that institution. He has given several Masonic addresses, one of which was at Frederick, Md., St. John's Day, 1861, and one at the fiftieth anniversary of Star in the East Lodge, New Bedford, December, 1873. He has written much for periodicals, especially for the Congregational Quarterly, of which he has been an editor and proprietor since its commencement, January, 1859. Five or six sermons have been published, —among others, the Massachusetts Election Sermon, in 1866; also two volumes, — one of army letters, and the other a complete history of his regiment.

Bro. Quint was initiated into Masonry in the Lodge of St. Andrew, Boston, Oct. 9, 1856; passed Nov. 13, 1856; and raised, under dispensation, Nov. 13, 1856. He is at present the Senior Chaplain of the Grand Lodge. The engraving of his person, which is hereto appended, shows that he was much "thinner" when he came from the war than he is at present. In it one would not readily recognize the image of the portly gentleman who now occasionally conducts the devotional exercises of the Grand Lodge.

On the 17th of December, 1873, he delivered an address before Star in the East Lodge, of New Bedford, on the fiftieth anniversary of the date of its charter, from which an extract is here given : —

Fifty years! It seems a long period. It is more than the lifetime of some of us. But fifty years is a small fraction in the life of the Institution of whose Brotherhood we form a part. The language which our gifted Brother Walter Scott puts into the mouth of the Douglas, we can transfer, and say that this Institution "is seen in the stream, but not in the fountain." No history is able to limit its exact beginning. I will not refer to the legends possessed within, but only to external history. In 1733 the first Lodge was established in Massachusetts. In 1717 four Lodges in London had formed a Grand Lodge; some have foolishly said that to be the origin of Masonry, while it was simply the union of Lodges already existing. In Edinburgh, records now extant in the Lodge go back to 1599. In 1424 a statute of Henry VI. refers to the General Chapters and assemblies of Masons. Far back of that it is well known that the architects and builders of the great works were organized in bands, with masters and other rulers, and travelled wherever their skill was needed; that they had their own secrets of recognition as well as of science; and that beside their place of work, they built huts, from which we have the name "Lodge;" and that on ancient works there are engraved the signs of the Craft. That there should be written records kept by such particular bodies, and handed down to this day, would of course be absurdly impossible. Their substantial organization, independent of each other, but with masters and officers, and even back into Roman history, is undeniable. The builders of the temple at Jerusalem were thus organized. As knowledge of arts and sciences became in modern years more general, their special necessity as builders diminished. Many Lodges became of course extinct. They were operative builders. It was not until more modern times that persons not practical builders were admitted to such as remained. That this was at last done is clear. Probably the first authentic surviving record of such an admission is in the records at Edinburgh, June 8th, 1600. In England that precedent was not followed until 1646. And cases increased, until, from the change of circumstances in social industry, architecture had ceased to be confined to any Guild, and Freemasonry became purely speculative or theoretical. It retained all the brotherly associations. It contained all the emblems of art. But it gave them their symbolic meaning, and applied the ideas of the solid and permanent Craft to morals and benevolence. That a system of such symbols, so full (to its initiate) of the ancient labor, could have been invented with no foundation, is absurd. It is the growth of ages, out of the builders' art.

This accounts for its symbols. To many the symbols seem unmeaning, and the words puerile. So do symbols of the churches, especially of the ritual churches, seem puerile to many, while to those who know them, every one has its sacred meaning. The robes of bishops and priests seem foolish to those ignorant of them, but they are a visible lesson to the worshippers. The world has not outgrown symbols. Symbols are often needed as the illustration of truth. And the great truths embodied in the symbolism of Masonry are to the real student of their meaning fully clear. Need I refer to the one great and sublime fact embodied in the Master's Degree ? If there are any within who fail to see the meaning of the symbols, it is from want of study. The science of them cannot be learned in a day.

You know that there are certain moral principles also embodied. There are equality, charity, fortitude, not in words only, but in symbols. Faith in God, humility, obedience to truth. I need not remind the initiate where they are set forth. "The grand object of Masonry," said that illustrious Brother, George Washington, " is to promote the happiness of the human race." " It is an Order," said another Brother, Lafayette, "whose leading star is philanthropy." "I need not remind you," said that illustrious missionary, Daniel Poor, "that our Institution is founded upon those broad principles of benevolence and humanity which the Governor of the Universe revealed to men." In the words of another Brother, Robert Burns, it believes, "The rank is but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that! "

It is not religion. It is a human Institution. It cannot be, in my view, substituted for religion. Rightly conceived, it never assumes to be. In the Lodge is an open Bible. By the ancient landmarks it must remain open. "You are to regard the volume of the sacred Law," the initiate is told, " as the great light." "In it you will learn the duties you owe to God, your neighbor and yourself." "The Holy Writings," is said to every Master of a Lodge, "will guide to all truth." In the hands of the Grand Master is placed the Bible, open, and he is told "it is to be the rule and guide of our faith." With such clear refusal to be a religion, it interferes with no sects and denominations; it affords one place where, without denial of beliefs, all can recognize the claims of brotherhood in human nature, and have the asperities of dividing lines softened. Why, then, should men look on this Institution with distrust? I can solemnly say, that, in all the obligations I have ever assumed, there is not one which interferes with the duty I owe to my God, my country, my church, my neighbor, my family, or myself. Yet, since 1738, its members are all excommunicated by the Roman Church; and in our day, not a few Protestants are determined on the useless attempt to destroy it.

MEMORIAL

AlonzoHallQuint.jpg

From Proceedings, Page 1896-313, in Grand Master's Address:

REV. BRO. ALONZO HALL QUINT,. D.D., was born in Barnstead, N.H., March 22, 1828, but was a resident of Dover, N.H., from infancy. He was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1846, and at Andover Theological School in 1852. He was ordained pastor of the Center (Congregational) Church at Jamaica Plain Dec. 27, 1853, and held this relation until his resignation in 1863. During the war he was for three years chaplain of the Second Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. In July, 1864, he was installed as pastor of the North Congregational Church in New Bedford, which he served until 1875. In 1881 he took charge of the Broadway Congregational Church in Somerville, and in 1886 he became pastor of the Allston Congregational Church, which was his last pastorate.

He was a Trustee of Dartmouth College from 1870 until his decease; was a member of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, and. served until he entered the army; was the first person initiated into the Grand Army of the Republic in New England; was Chaplain in Chief of the last named body four years; for twenty-five years Secretary of the Massachusetts General Association of Congregational Churches; was Secretary of the National Council of Congregational Churches from 1871 until his decease. He edited The Congregational Year Book, for many years; and published Potomac and Rapidan and the Record of the Second Massachusetts Infantry. Bro. Quint was a scholar, a patriot and a Christian. He was really one of the great, grand, good men of the last generation.

Bro. Quint was initiated into Freemasonry in the Lodge of St. Andrew, Boston, Oct. 9, 1856, passed Nov. 13, 1856, and raised by dispensation Nov. 13, 1856. Nov. 18, 1858, he became a member of Washington Lodge, Roxbury, and continued a member of this Lodge until his decease. The last Masonic occasion which he attended was probably the Centennial of Washington Lodge held March 17, 1896, when he offered prayer.

Bro. Quint received the Royal Arch degrees in Belknap Chapter, Dover, N.H., May 20, 1857. He was knighted in St. Paul Commandery, Dover, N.H., April 5, 1859, and was admitted a member of De Molay Commandery, K.T., Boston, Sept. 26, 1860. He was installed as Grand Chaplain of this Grand Lodge, Dec. 27, 1870, being appointed to that office by M.W. William Sewall Gardner, Grand Master. He was reappointed by Grand Masters Sereno D. Nickerson, Percival L. Everett, Charles A. Welch and Samuel C. Lawrence, making a continuous service of eleven years as Grand Chaplain.

His services were always freely given to the Brotherhood whenever required. He delivered several Masonic Addresses, one of which was at Frederick, Md., on St. John's Day, 1861, and one at the. Fiftieth Anniversary of Star in the East Lodge, New Bedford, in December. 1873. At the Grand Feast on St. John's Day, Dec. 27, 1871, Bro. Quint referred at length in his Address to the modern crusade of anti-Masonry, whose opposition he had encountered. It shows the loyalty and courage of our now lamented Brother.

Bro. Quint died at the house of a friend, in Boston, on the 4th of November. Funeral services were held in the Congregational Church in Allston and in the First Church in Dover, N.H., to which city his remains were borne for burial. R.W. Brother Nickerson and myself, as representatives of the Grand Lodge, attended the services at Allston.

SPEECHES

STAR IN THE EAST LODGE, DECEMBER 1873

Thr following address was delivered before Star in the East Lodge, New Bedford, December 11, 1873. on the fiftieth anniversary of the date of its charter, by W. Rev. Alonzo II. Quint, D. D., Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts:

Brethren of the Mystic Tie, I greet you. Met to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the life of your Lodge, it is fitting that you should rejoice and be glad, should remember the past, recall the foundation principles, and be courageous for the future.

On Tuesday evening, June 17. 1823, there w:is a meeting of Masonic brethren in the house of Timothy G. Coffin. It was called in consequence of an agreement, signed by thirty-live brethren, to :isk for authority to form a Uxlge. The first named on the list was Timothy G. Coffin, the well- reinembered lawyer; the last was Edward T. Taylor, so long known all over the world by his ministry to sailors. These thirty-five Masons had been made such in various Ixxlges. Some of these were from a I�xlge which had previously existed in this place, known as •' Washington Remembered Ixxlge."

whose ('barter bad been recalled some five or six years previous. From the steps then taken, a Dispensation was secured, dated on the seventeenth day of the following October. It was signed by the then Grand Master, John Di.wvell. a physician, who graduated at Harvard College in 17(K>, and who lived until 1831. On the tenth of December following, the Grand Lodge issued, to twenty-one Brethren, the formal Charter, establishing StaU in THE East l/idge of Free and Accepted Masons. It bears the signatures of John Dixwell, (!. M., Elijah ('nine. S. (i. W.. Samuel Thaxter, J. G. Y\\. and was

countersigned by Thomas Power, G. Sec.

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� AMrezx of Bee. A. H. {jninl, 1). 1). HI

Although the Ixxlge was thus fully empowered to net, and continued to exercise its power, the formal constituting did not take place until May 27th,

1824. But the fiftieth anniversary is that from the date of issue, December

10th. 1823.

Fifty years! It seems a long period. It is more than the lifetime of some of us. But fifty years is a small fraction in the life of the Institution of whose Brotherhood we form a part. The language which our gifted Brother Walter Scott puts into the mouth of the Douglas, we can transfer, and say that this Institution "is seen in the stream, but not in the fountain." No history is able to limit its exact beginning. I will not refer to the legends possessed within, but only to external history. In 1733 the first Lodge was established in Massachusetts. In 1717 four Lodges in London had formed a Grand Lodge; some have foolishly said that to be the origin of Masonry, while it was simply the union of Lodges already existing. In Edinburgh, records now extant in the Lodge go back to 1599. In 1424 a statute of Henry VI. refers to the General Chapters and assemblies of Masons. Far back of that it is well known that the architects and builders of the great works were organized in bands, with masters and other rulers, and travelled wherever their skill was needed; that they had their own secrets of recognition as well as of science; and that beside their place of work, they built huts, from which we have the name "Lodge;" and that on ancient works there are engraved the signs of the Craft. That there should be written records kept by such particular bodies, and handed down to this day, would of course be absurdly impossible. Their substantial organization, independent of each other, but with masters and officers, and even back into Roman history, is undeniable. The builders of the temple at Jerusalem were thus organized. As knowledge of arts and sciences became in modern years more general, their special necessity as builders diminished. Many Lodges became of course extinct. They were operative builders. It was not until more modern times that persons not practical builders were admitted to such as remained. That this was at last done is clear. Probably the first authentic surviving record of such an admission is in the records at Edinburgh, June 8th, 1600. In England that precedent was not followed until 1646. And cases increased, until, from the change of circumstances in social industry, architecture had ceased to be confined to any Guild, and Freemasonry became purely speculative or theoretical. It retained all the brotherly associations. It contained all the emblems of art. But it gave them their symbolic meaning, and applied the ideas of the solid and permanent Craft to morals and benevolence. That a system of such symbols, so full (to its initiate) of the ancient labor, could have been invented with no foundation, is absurd. It is the growth of ages, out of the builders' art.

This accounts for its symbols. To many the symbols seem unmeaning, and the words puerile. So do symbols of the churches, especially of the ritual churches, seem puerile to many, while to those who know them, every one has its sacred meaning. The robes of bishops and priests seem foolish to those ignorant of them, but they are a visible lesson to the worshippers. The world has not outgrown symbols. Symbols are often needed as the illustration of truth. And the great truths embodied in the symbolism of Masonry are to the real student of their meaning fully clear. Need I refer to the one great and sublime fact embodied in the Master's Degree ? If there are any within who fail to see the meaning of the symbols, it is from want of study. The science of them cannot be learned in a day.

You know that there are certain moral principles also embodied. There are equality, charity, fortitude, not in words only, but in symbols. Faith in God, humility, obedience to truth. I need not remind the initiate where they are set forth. "The grand object of Masonry," said that illustrious Brother, George Washington, " is to promote the happiness of the human race." " It is an Order," said another Brother, Lafayette, "whose leading star is philanthropy." "I need not remind you," said that illustrious missionary, Daniel Poor, "that our Institution is founded upon those broad principles of benevolence and humanity which the Governor of the Universe revealed to men." In the words of another Brother, Robert Burns, it believes, "The rank is but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that! "

It is not religion. It is a human Institution. It cannot be, in my view, substituted for religion. Rightly conceived, it never assumes to be. In the Lodge is an open Bible. By the ancient landmarks it must remain open. "You are to regard the volume of the sacred Law," the initiate is told, " as the great light." "In it you will learn the duties you owe to God, your neighbor and yourself." "The Holy Writings," is said to every Master of a Lodge, "will guide to all truth." In the hands of the Grand Master is placed the Bible, open, and he is told "it is to be the rule and guide of our faith." With such clear refusal to be a religion, it interferes with no sects and denominations; it affords one place where, without denial of beliefs, all can recognize the claims of brotherhood in human nature, and have the asperities of dividing lines softened. Why, then, should men look on this Institution with distrust? I can solemnly say, that, in all the obligations I have ever assumed, there is not one which interferes with the duty I owe to my God, my country, my church, my neighbor, my family, or myself. Yet, since 1738, its members are all excommunicated by the Roman Church; and in our day, not a few Protestants are determined on the useless attempt to destroy it.


Before returning to the organizing of this Lodge, let me allude to one event. Yesterday was celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the " Boston Tea Party." Has it occurred to many to consider who were the patriots of tile Revolution? That Joseph Wan-en. who fell at, Bunker Hill. Putnam, the lion-hearted. Gates, Greene, and every other General officer of the army, with Washington at their head, and Lafayette from France, Franklin, and nearly every other civil leader, were Freemasons? That the patriotism of these men could not have been weakened bv this tie? And that notwith-

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� Addrem of Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D. 33

standing this fact, many of the British army were equally loyal to their own

views?

On Wednesday, the twenty-sixth of May, 1824, at least some of the officers of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts were doubtless seen, at a very early hour in the morning, at the inn of the Indian Queen, in Bromfield Lane, Boston, then kept by Adams & Balcb. The New Bedford "stage " left

at five o'clock, a. m. Two Hues then ran to New Bedford, each on the three

alternate days in the week. The Wednesday "stage" came over the turnpike, doubtless the Brush Hill road to Taunton, where it stopped for refreshments at Atwood's Hotel. The travellers ought to have reached New Bedford at an early hour in the afternoon.

On the next day the Brethren assembled at the then Town Hall, on Second street. There were present, Timothy I. Dyre, Master, A. I). Richmond. and George Randall, Wardens, eight other officers, and thirty-eight other members of the Lodge; and forty-five visiting Brethren, all of whose names are preserved. The officers of the Grand Lodge were then properly received. A procession was formed at eleven o'clock a. si., and proceeded to the meeting-house of Rev. Mr. Dewey. The Rev. Mr. Dewey offered prayer. An address, subsequently published, was delivered by Rev. Paul Dean, the Cliap- lain of the Grand Lodge. The Lodge was then formally constituted, and ite officers installed. " The ceremony," says the Mercury of the following week, •' was perhaps one of the most interesting spectacles the citizens of this place have witnessed for many years. The meeting-house was crowded to overflowing, and many were nnable to gain admittance."

Among the minuter facts recorded is this: that Joseph Bourne, Simeon Bailey and William Howe were committee on singing; that a band of ten pieces was had from Taunton; and that after the public service, the Lodge and its guests went " to the hotel of Col. Nathaniel Nelson, to an ample dinner," or, as the Mcrmry called it, " a sumptuous repast."

Dr. Dewey still lives. But John Dixwell, Elijah Crane, Samuel Thax- ter, Thomas Power, Paul Dean, Joseph Bourne, Simeon Bailey, are numbered with the dead. So also are most of the twenty-one whose names appear u|K)ii the Charter.

The names are: Timothy 1. Dyre, Anthony D. Richmond, George Ran-

ilall, Asa Wood, Alden Stoddard, Jonathan Buttrick, Oliver Swain, Charles Coggeshall, Thonnus Cole, Zaccheus Cnshman, Samuel Stall, Eastland Bab- cock, Timothy G. Coffin, Reuben Swift, Joseph C. Melchor, James Maddix, Samuel James, James Moores, Mendall Ellis, Sylvanus Ames, Edward T. Taylor.

Of these, some died on the sea and some on the land. Three, after fifty years, still survive:—Alden Stoddard, Oliver Swain and James Moores. They have kept their faith through all these years; have outlived many who entered the circle later; have seen the storms, which would have wrecked ordinary institutions, rise and die; and now in old age witness the vigorous life of the Lodge they helped to build, in its promise of a future strength

3

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� 34 Address of Rev. A. B. Quint, D. D.

which hsis gathered up the lessons of experience, and in an Institution which

inherits the life of unknown centuries.

Besides most of these twenty-one, it will be seen that there were present other members, who had been added after the Dispensation had been granted. Their names were: Lemuel Kollock, Thomas Itiddell. Charles V. Card, William II. Allen. William It. West, William Beetle, James Tripp. Thomas Barstow, Benjamin S. Sisson, Thomas Parker, Robert Gibbs, William P. Jenney, John E. Voggeshall, John S. Haskell, Samuel Hammond, John Bryant, Josiah 1 lowland. Ivory C. Albert, Caleb Bryant, William L. B. Gibbs, Rev. Benjamin Keith. James Coggeshnll, Benjamin Beetle, Isaac N. Stackhouse, Joseph Tripp, Edwin San ford, Luther T. Wilson, John A. Ilawes, James AV. Dyre, Charles H. Warren, Zaehariah Hillman, Jr., tind James Hathaway. Rev. Frederick I'pham, Dr. Jeremiah Miller, and some other members, do not .appear to have been present.

And among the Masons of that time appear the names of Capt. William Meatier, seventy-seven years old at the time, Dr. Aaron Cornish, Major John Coggeshnll. William It. Hotel), Joseph Rotch, Dr. Ronnseville Spooncr, Dr. Gamaliel Bounseville, and many others.

A glance at the names, though more familiar to you than to me, suggests

the havoc made by lifty years.

You will pardon me if I am a little professional. The objections of some Christian people lead me to mention the names of such ministers in New

Bedford, as I have reason to believe were Masons: and to ask whether the

Instil ut ion could be opposed to religion, or capable of being grossly perverted. Besides five now in charge of churches, there arc Revs. L. B. Bates, George M. Carpenter, Isaac ('base, John O. Chonles. I). D., Simeon Clough. S. S. Horton, Isaac House, Moses How, R. W. Humphries, Henry Jackson, 1). I)., William II. Jones, Benjamin Keith. William Kellen, 1. C. Knowlton, T. R. Lambert. 1). I).. Stephen Lovell, Enoch Mudge. James Mulchahey, I). 1).. Gardner B. Perry, Spencer M. Rice, Thomas G. Salter. A. D. Sargent. Solomon Sias. George W. Skinner, Isaac Smith, T. W. Snow, George W. Stearns, T. E. St. John, W. S. Studley, Edward T. Taylor, Moses G. Thomas. Charles H. Titus, Mark Traftou, Frederick Uphani, D. 1)., S. F. Upham, F. J. Wagner.

It seems a long way back. When the Dispensation was granted, James

Monroe, a soldier of the Revolution, was President of the United States. William Eustis, another veteran of the old war, was Governor of Massachusetts. The census of 1820 gave New Bedford a population of 3,9-17. The town had fixe lawyers. The records of the Lodge say that on the public occasion, it was voted to send tickets to " the clergymen of this town and Fairhaven, viz., Bev. Messrs. Holmes, Dewey, Howe, and Gould;" and to

the four physicians of the two places, viz., "Drs. Reed, Spooner, Whittredge, and Phinncy." But perhaps the greatest change is seen in the fact that the

State tax of New Bedford was $780.00.

The history of the Lodge was thenceforth for many years the history of Freemasonry in this town. It was the central home, about whose hearth

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� Address of Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D. 36

gathered not only its own members, but many visitors. In its history the names of large numbers are entered from other places. From every New England and Middle State, from nearly every one in the West and South, and from the Pacific Coast; from Nova Scotia, from England, from Scotland, from Ireland, from France, from Germany, from Spain, from the Sandwich Islands, from St. Helena, from Australia, from China—names of men unused to our ears, besides a long list whose Lodges were not recorded. It reminds us not only how territorially broad is our Institution, but how many this Lodge, at the gateway of the sea, welcomed within its portals. And it suggests to us the thought bow far the name of Stak in the East has been carried. Composed very largely of hardy sailors, the adventurous sons of this |K»rt have visited the lodges of the world, and everywhere found a Brother's welcome. The universal language has given and received admission, where the known language of the tongue would fail; and has opened the doors where workmen, nobles and princes met on the level of a common manhood, the only platform known in Masonry.

Star in the East was alone here for years. But Adoniram Chapter came, with cryptic rite. Eureka Lodge was a thrifty child anil grew to vigorous manhood. Sutton Commandery well bears the red-cross banner. Fairhaven is no longer in this jurisdiction, since Concordia Ixxlge was formed. When the Dispensation of Star in the East was had, it was recommended by the nearest Lodges, Taunton and Middleborongh. Each has been made more distant by other Charters. Up to 1833. one hundred and eight members had signed the roll; from that time to this, six hundred and eighty-six others. L'p to 1833, one hundred and eight applications for degrees were made: since that time, nine hundred and forty-nine.

I do not care to give tedious figures; a few are needful. In the first year, forty-seven persons received the degrees. In the memorable year 1826-7,

four.

Of that whirlwind which for years swept overmanyStates.it is needless to say much. Time has made it a thing of the past. Perhaps it was needed. But during that period, to be an adhering Mason, in some States—although

Andrew Jackson, firm as ever, came into the office of President, and remained a Mason—required the greatest firmness.

A thousand Masons gave a declaration to the public, December 31. 1831. " It has been frequently asserted, and published to the world," they said, " that in the several degrees of Freemasonry * * • the candidate, on his

initiation* and subsequent advancement, binds himself, by oath, to sustain his Masonic Brethren in acts which are at variance with the fundamental principles of morality, and incompatible with his duty as a good and faithful citizen." "We do," said they, "most solemnly deny the existence of any such obligations." "Every citizen who becomes a Mason is doubly bound to be true to bis God, his country, and to his fellow-men." And after explanations at some length, their language had the ring of manliness * " entertaining such

sentiments, as Masons, as citizens, as Christians, as moral men, we can

neither renounce nor abandon it."

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� 36 Address of Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D.

Among the signers of this paper were forty-four citizens of New Bedford and thirteen of Fairhaven, some of whom continue to this day. Its author, Charles W. Moore, lived until last Friday, and was yesterday buried with fitting and grateful honors.

Stak in the East stood firm during the height of the trial. But on the tenth of October, 1834, eight years after the commencement of the trial, some brethren concluded to withdraw from the Institution. " Believing the Institution to be of no further value to those associated with it," they said. Probably the long cessation of additions seemed to them to be permanent. Twenty-two signed it, besides three who acted under a misapprehension of its tenor and were at once restored; two others were subsequently restored; live others had never been members of this Lodge. But all of them made, as a part of their withdrawal, the following testimony: "They at the same time feel it to be their duty to declare, that so far as their own experience extends, there is nothing in the character of the Institution to justify the fears entertained with regard to it by a portion of the community."

This explicit testimony is the more valuable from the very fact of with

drawal.

During six long years not a person received the degrees. The members met, transacted the business necessary for existence, placed successive Brethren in the Oriental Chair, chose its yearly delegate to the Grand Lodge, guarded faithfully its Charter, and waited. The lx>dge was not called to any public manifestations of life, but its Masonic existence was sacredly maintained. The light of Stak in the East paled, but it was never extinguished. The patience of faithful nten was at last rewarded. Early in 1640, thirty Brethren, members of the Lodge, renewedly expressed their conviction of the purity of its purposes, and determined to renew its strength. In that year,

one man came forward and asked for admission. He was received. Once

more, then, did the Brethren hear: "Behold! how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together!" Once more were the Craftsmen reminded : " Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal!" Once more did the Master say: " Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say, I have no pleasure in them;" and the old conclusion of the solemn charge, " then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it!" The Gauge and the Gavel were again seen. The Trowel was applied to its symbolic purpose. Pavement, and Tessel, and Blazing Star; Ashlars, Ark, Hour Glass, Scythe, and Spade, the open Bible

and the All-Seeing Eye.

The spell was broken. The fury of the storm had exhausted itself. The air was purified. Doubtless the Fraternity everywhere had learned a needed lesson. We can but hope it may never need the lesson again! Haste, carelessness, forgetfulness of principles, are now all that can hurt it.

But the spell was broken. After long years there issued froru the hall a solemn procession. It was clothed in the garb of Masonry. The open Bible

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� Address of Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D. 37

was in its proper place. The Master bore the jewel of his authority. Citi

zens looked strangely at the column. The young had never Keen such, the old recognized it, some perhaps with lingering doubt. But It was not for triumph. Every Brother carried the sprig of evergreen, and they were on their way to the cemetery. It was to bury a Brother, in faith in the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and each cast the evergreen into the open grave. It was right that the first public appearance should be. not for display, but in affoc-

tion for the dead.

Brethren, long may Star in the East be faithful. Suffer the word of reminder. The Brotherhood which Masonry teaches is wider than its limits. You have recognized that in charities which had no public mention, for it makes no boast. Many a widow anil orphan has had your silent aid. Many a Brother has felt the cordial grasp. We are to remember that no divisions of sects or parties, no aim at political preferment, no jealousies or heart> burnings, should ever pass the Tyler. Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, Faith, Hope and Charity, ought to be the practical tenets. Assuming no control of conscience, interfering with no church, remembering that its work should be a work of moral culture, of enlarging our sympathies, and of real lives, it has its place in those instrumentalities for good which are the results of Christian civilization, and which should be so regarded.

Our Institution has numbered on its rolls, throughout the world, wise, good and great men. It is little that, in foreign lands, princes are its head in many a kingdom; it is more, that illustrious statesmen, profound jurists, gallant soldiers, great divines, eminent physicians, sagacious merchants, and the conquerors of the sea, have found tranquility within its gates, and loved its altars. But it is still more, if the who e number of those who meet upon the level shall do the silent work of charity which it is commissioned to do, unite diverse peoples, keep ever open the Book which lies upon its altar, and reverence the Sacred Name. While this is done, no enemies can touch it.

tind it will fill a want in the world's life.

I quote once more from Daniel Poor, one of the brightest of our names. Saying that " nothing is surely due by way of apology to those who affect to despise what they do not understand," he adds, " yet it is desirable that the conscientiously fearful should be able to satisfy themselves, by what they do see of our doings, as to the nature and moral tendency of those effects of the principles of our Fraternity which they do not sec, and which can be known only to the members of the Body."

And as we look back over the fifty years we are reminded, in words familiar to you, that " we must soon be cut down by the all-devouring Scythe of Time, and he gathered into the land where our fathers have gone before us."



Biographical Sketch

Distinguished Brothers