MAGLOWhite
Contents
OTIS C. WHITE 1874-1957
Deputy Grand Master, 1928
SPEECHES
HALL DEDICATION, DEDHAM, JANUARY 1928
From Proceedings, Page 1928-6:
My Brethren:
This evening marks the successful culmination of the hopes and ambitions of the Masonic Fraternity in this community, the Dedication of this beautiful new Temple in accordance with ancient form and usage, and its approval and acceptance for the purposes of Masonry by the supreme governing body, the Grand Lodge. It is eminently fitting and proper that these ceremonies should take this ancient form of expression, for the purposes to which we have so solemnly consecrated this edifice are as old as the records of civilized man. You have erected a building symbolizing the fundamental morals and precepts upon which civilization itself is based and endures. Throughout the ages mankind has experienced an all-impelling impulse to seek expression, through inanimate objects, of the spiritual essentials of his being — of his reverence for Supreme Intelligence, the Author of his existence, the Ruler of his destiny. To such spiritual urge mankind, so far back as history records, has responded by the building of temples, tabernacles, cathedrals, and churches, hallowed by Divine inspiration and consecrated to the teaching and promulgation of godly morals and tenets.
For such reasons and for such purposes has Masonry built its Temples, differing from other consecrated structures only in the very broadness of the ideals in which they are conceived, for in their building there is no fundamental consideration of sect, religious dogmas, or creed; the precepts of our "Ancient Landmarks," universally acceptable to god-fearing men, are the actuating motives. Masonry illustrates its teachings by symbols and "The Temple" is the all-embracing symbol of our faith. "There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple; if the ill spirit have so fair a house, good things will dwell within it."
In the building of this edifice, so well appointed and of such dignified proportions, you Brethren of Constellation Lodge have been actuated primarily by the spirit «>f our Masonic forefathers. Von have been impelled by the laudable desire for a sanctuary, a home of your very own. You have accomplished your desires in a manner highly creditable to yourselves and to the Craft at large. To a higher degree, therefore, are you now equipped to foster the teachings of Masonry and to spread ils beneficences throughout the community which yon serve. The degree of success which will be attained by your enterprise will be measured by your future conduct.
You have built this Temple of Masonry conspicuously on a public thoroughfare in this busy community, In so doing, my Brethren, you must have appreciated the responsibility you have assumed. You have erected a monument plainly in evidence to all the public — to the tenets and principles of your profession as Masons. The attention of your fellow-citizens will he the more sharply focussed upon you as a constant reminder that you must assiduously practice what you preach. Believing that you are fully cognizant of the new responsibility you have thus acquired, the Fraternity at large has full confidence of your future success.
Experience — that great teacher — has shown that there are many Brethren well-grounded in Masonic principles and skilled in their profession as Masons. With equal regard for the truth, she has also disclosed that there are others within our membership who, most unfortunately, are not so well acquainted with our aims and purposes. Men do not react alike to moral teachings. To some is given, as a birthright, a quick perception and ready aptitude for the spiritual side of life; to others, truth unfolds more gradually. Upon the well-informed, upon the Brethren who endeavor to practice out of the Lodge the great moral duties which are inculcated in it, the Fraternity relies for its guidance and for its strict adherence to a true and unchangeable course as laid down by our age-old precepts. As it is beyond the power of any man to change the laws of Nature, so is it beyond the power of any man to change Masonry Itself, for Masonry rests upon Divine law. But it is possible, yes, too frequently the actuality for Brethren to misinterpret and misapply Masonic teachings, oven to fail to understand them. A wider conception of the true aims and purposes of Masonry is the urgent need of the Fraternity today, in plain words, a better understanding of what it is all about and what it endeavors to do and does accomplish. The necessity for a more liberal Masonic education throughout our membership, and particularly for our candidates, is clearly indicated. With the conveniences and appointments which this beautiful new edifice of yours affords, you have an exceptional opportunity for the promotion of educational programs, of giving extra-ritualistic instruction in Masonry to your members and to your candidates, ever bear ing in remembrance thai Masonry is not practiced in the Lodge-room — it is taught there. Truly, indeed, has the dedication of this Temple consecrated it to the education and enlightenment of the Craft, and such, we know, must be your understanding of the purport of this important occasion.
In closing, let me stress one attribute of the truly Masonic character which the building of a Temple seems particularly to emphasize — the virtue of "Toleration." There is no room for bigotry in Masonry. Although, al times, we may not and cannot agree with the opinions and beliefs of certain of our fellow-men, yet, if those opinions and beliefs are founded on sincerity, if convictions, even antagonistic, are due to misunderstanding, the contingency of birth, or the fortunes of environment, then, clearly it is our duty as Masons to exercise a spirit of toleration which, after all. is but a manifestation of charity to all mankind. To quote the wise philosophers, — "There is only one religion, though a hundred versions of it." "The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhere of one religion; and when death has taken off the mask they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wore here made them strangers." In what you do or say, then, he at least tolerant of the honest opinions of you? fellow-men, even though they differ materially from yours — for of such fibre are patriots made.
In the absence of the Grand Master, I extend the congratulations of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts lo the Master, Wardens, Officers, and Members of Constellation Lodge. We commend your zeal and sincerely hope it will meet with the most ample recompense. May this Temple always be the happy resort of reverence, virtue, and benevolence, and may it long endure as a monument of your fidelity to Masonry.
CORNERSTONE LAYING, NEWBURYPORT, JUNE 1928
From Proceedings, Page 1928-170:
My Brethren and Friends:
You have assembled here to take part in and to witness a ceremony of venerable origin; a ceremony banded down from the fathers of many generations of men. That ceremony has now been completed, with due and careful regard for ancient traditions. The corner-stone of the edifice, soon to be reared upon these premises, has been "truly laid," the foundation is in place, and the sponsors of this new enterprise look eagerly forward to its completion, to the day on which they shall experience the realization of their aspirations.
The occasion is truly one of deep significance and gives rise to serious thoughts in those who will but pause for reflection. Just how remote in the mists of antiquity rests the origin of the custom of laying corner-stones with attendant ceremonies, no man knows. There is evidence from which we may conjecture that it is almost, if not quite, as old as recorded history itself. We have reason to surmise that the custom may have originated when man first began to erect his shelters and edifices on firm and enduring foundations. There is an existing record of such a ceremony participated in by King Thotmes III. about 1600 years before Christ. An excavation in 1853 disclosed a corner-stone, enclosing a box and contents, with an inscription showing it to have been laid by King Sargon of Assyria, some Slid years before Christ. We thus have actual proof of the great antiquity of the custom of laying corner-stones.
As to the form of the ceremonials attending the laying of ancient corner-stones, we can be guided only by tradition. The ceremonies which you have just witnessed are substantially the same as those recorded as performed by the Grand Master of Masons of Scotland on September 13, 1753, and precedent for the ceremonials then used goes back to the time of King Henry the Seventh, who presided as Grand Master, on June 24, 1502, in the laying of the foundation stone of the Chapel bearing his name at the east end of Westminster Abbey.
Thus, my Brethren and Friends, in the brief space of an hour this summer's afternoon, we are led to some conception of the thoughts, the ambitious, the hopes of the material builders of centuries ago. Just as the sponsors of the edifice here to be erected have been actuated by thoughts of building for the future, so too, did the builders of long ago have like visions. The essentials of the worthy conceptions of mankind experience no change as the ages roll by. Though man may be a creature of circumstances, though his habits of life and thought may and, of necessity, must change with his surroundings, though his inquisitive and inventive mind may continue to draw from the storehouse of Nature revelations by which the scope of his physical activities is increased many fold, yet the spiritual essence of his inmost consciousness, his closest point of contact with his Divine Creator, forever remains unchanged. To "ring in the new" is ever our restless ambition, but to "ring out the old" is beyond the power of any man, no matter how loudly he may shout the slogan to his neighbors from the house top.
We meet here in this fair New England City old. as we Americans are wont to reckon time, and rich in patriotic traditions. I know. then, that references to the past, that reminders of the ideals of the forefathers, must strike responsive chords in your hearts. I know the attitude of mind we have a right to expect to be found in men of such a community, and I know, therefore, that I cannot be mistaken in my convictions of your high regard and respect for old traditions.
To those present who are Masons, the trend of thought in these remarks is, perforce front their Masonic training, quite apparent. To the friends here who are not members of the Fraternity, let it be made dear that Masonic ideals are being brought to their attention. There is no secrecy in regard to the aims and purposes of Masonry. Its tenets and principles are so broad in their conception, so liberal in I heir application, as to be readily acceptable to any decent man, regardless of his race, religion, or politics. Teaching the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. it can tolerate within its body no theological or political discussions, because of keen appreciation of the fad that such discussions would lead only to dissensions, frustrating the very ends it seeks to accomplish. It teaches patriotism, love of liberty, obedience to law and respect for duly constituted authority, protect inn of the home and family, loyalty to friends and ideals, relief of distress, love for truth, temperance in thought and action, fortitude in overcoming vicissitudes, prudence as opposed to rashness, and tolerance for the conscientious convictions of others. Masonry has no room for the bigot. So high. indeed, arc its ideals, that their full attainment is beyond the hope of any man. Yet, what, manner of man is he who has no ideals, no concept of righteousness towards which he can. at least, endeavor to shape his course through life? Even though the man with ideals, through the frailty of human kind, does frequently err and stray, the urge towards better things still remains. God help the man who has no ideals!
Masonry traces its ancestry back to the times when it was practised purely as an operative art — when Craftsmen banded themselves together and were graded according to their skill. An appreciation of what could be accomplished through the means of the tools and implements devised for their work inculcated a deep respect for those tools and implements and gave rise to speculative thoughts of their moral application. Thus we have, as a natural sequence, the development of what is known as "Speculative Masonry," the Fraternity of to-day. Every tool and implement of architecture adopted by the Speculative Mason, yes, and furthermore, each of his rites and ceremonials, has its distinctive symbolic meaning, tending to impress upon the memory wise and serious truths. Through its symbols Masonry strives to teach its followers. and they profit just to the extent to which they heed and follow those teachings. That Masonry has continued to thrive through the centuries, is conclusive evidence of its worth and value to mankind, for no institution can long endure whose edifice is built on a foundation of unworthy motives.
And so, to-day, we have witnessed a ceremony of truly symbolic significance. Just as the character and enduring qualities of a building are determined by the integrity of its physical foundation, so is the moral character of man determined by the character and soundness of his spiritual foundation.
To the Brethren through whose efforts the foundations have been laid for this Temple to be devoted to the purposes of Masonry, the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts extends its encouragement and felicitations. In the accomplishment of your project, however, you must constantly bear in mind that you are thereby erecting a monument to moral principles and are thus assuming added responsibilities among your fellow citizens. You are building upon a public thoroughfare, in the heart of a busy community, an edifice to be dedicated to instruction in Masonic ideals, and you are proclaiming thereby your devotion to those ideals. Be you, therefore, diligent in your thoughts, words, and actions, that you may reflect only credit upon the great Fraternity of which you are a part. By your conduct shall you be known and your worth be judged.
To this community, of which so many Masonic Brethren are citizens, the Masonic Fraternity at large offers its best wishes for success and prosperity. We extend to you citizens of Newburyport our congratulations that you are soon to have a new building which cannot fail to add to the attractiveness of your city and of which, with all that it implies, you may well be proud.
MEMORIAL
From Proceedings, Page 1957-113:
Right Worshipful Otis Converse White was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on January 21, 1874, and died in Worcester on April 22, 1957. Into those eighty-three years of life was crowded all of the varied activity thar could come to a brilliant student, a successful business man, an active Mason, and a distinguished citizen.
He was the son of Dr. Otis C. White and Henrietta Walker, and came from New England Colonial stock on both paternal and maternal sides, dating back to pre-revolutionary days. Otis White was educated in the Worcester public schools, matriculating from English High School into Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard, magna cum laude, in 1896, with a degree in science.
He chose for his business activity the field of manufacturing of electric lighting appliances, and was President of the Otis C. White Company from 1907 until his death.
That our Brother was a man of very wide interests is indicated by the fifteen clubs of which he was a member. These included the Harvard Engineering Club, the Lakeside Boat Club, the Worcester Pistol and Rifle Club, the Foreign Policy Association, and the Worcester Economic Club. He was a member of the Massachusetts State Guard, and was appointed an officer in it by Governor McCall in 1917. He gave outstanding service to the American Red Cross. He was Chairman of the Disaster and Relief Committee of the Worcester Chapter, and Chairman of the Worcester Chapter for three years. He was appointed a National Director during the period of the hurricane and floods in 1938.
Otis White had a distinguished Masonic career. He was raised in Quinsigamond Lodge, Worcester, in 1900. He did not wait long to get in line, for we find that he was Master of the Lodge in 1909, and continued in office for two years. He received the Royal Arch degree in Eureka Chapter in Worcester in 1910, and the Order of the Temple in Worcester County Commandery in 1922. FIe was a member of the three Scottish Rite Bodies in Worcester, and of the Massachusetts Consistory in Boston. ln 1925, R.W. Brother White was appointed District Deputy Grand Master of the twenty-first Masonic District, which office he held for two years. At the close of his second year he had the unusual distinction of being appointed by M.W. Frank L. Simpson as Deputy Grand Master. He had an unusually busy year. He officiated as Acting Grand Master at the laying of the corner-stone of the Masonic Temple in Newburyport and the Masonic Temple in Hingham. He was Acting Grand Master in the dedication of the Masonic Temples at Dedham and Plymouth. His addresses on those occasions were in the best tradition of Masonic teaching.
Our Brother's abilities were further used, as he was a member of the Funding Committee of Juniper Hall, our Masonic Hospital at Shrewsbury, and was appointed Chairman of that Committee in 1929. He was representative of the Grand Lodge of Indiana near the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts from 1929 until his death. The Henry Price Medal was conferred upon him in Grand Lodge by Most Worshipful Frank L. Simpson in 1928. He received the Veteran's Medal in 1950.
R.W. Brother White worked on a narrow margin of health during his later years, and his Masonic activities were correspondingly abridged. But during the years of his health, he gave himself unsparingly, and exemplified the best in Masonic character and service.
He was affable and urbane, courteous and warm-hearted. He was every inch the gentleman. He was gifted in speech, and had a rare facility in bringing the appropriate word to each occasion he graced with his presence. As witness his address at the Masonic Temple dedication in Plymouth, when he said among other things:
The structure of the material builder, be it ever so strongly built of the most enduring substances which this earth affords, is foreordained to destruction the lapse of time, but the edifice of the spiritual builder, founded on immortal virtues and reared in faith, shall last till time shall be no more.
We can say with the biblical writer: "Give him of the fruit of his hands, and let his own works praise him in the gates." Freemasonry is fortunate in having had such a life to serve its ideals, and in having such a memory to enrich its history.
Fraternally submitted,
Thomas S. Roy
George A. Russell
Rupert H. Robinson
Committee
