MassachusettsLodge

THE MASSACHUSETTS LODGE

Location: Boston

Chartered By: Joseph Warren

Charter Date: 05/11/1770 I-228

Precedence Date: 05/11/1770

Current Status: Active

NOTES

MEMBER LIST, 1902

From Vocal Companion and Masonic Register, Boston, 1802, Part II, Page 9:

R. W. Allen Crocker, M.
W. Job Drew, S. W.
W. Jonathan Whitney, J. W.
Joseph Laughton, Tr.
William Palfrey, Sec.
Ebenezer Adams, S. D.
Thomas Redman, J. D.
John Taylor, Steward.
Asa Page, Steward.
John Greene, Tiler.

No. of Members, 30.

Bryant P. Tilden
Gideon Snow
C. P. Sumner
John A. Parkman
Pliney Hartshorn
Michael Roulstone

PAST MASTERS

Need living PMs and complete list

Joseph Tyler, 1770, 1772, 1773
William Palfrey, 1771, 1779
John Jeffries, 1774-1778
James Jackson, 1780
Perez Morton, 1781
Stephen Bruce, 1782
Moses Michael Hays, 1783-1787
William Scollay, 1788-1791
Samuel Bradford, 1792
Jonathan Freeman, 1793, 1794
Joseph Laughton, 1795
Simon Eliot, 1796, 1797
Allen Crocker, 1798-1802
John Boyle, 1803
Job Drew, 1804-1806, 1810, 1815
Thomas Redman, 1807, 1808
John Chadwick, 1809
Matthew S. Parker, 1811, 1812
Jonathan Whitney, 1813, 1814
Eleazer G. House, 1816
Daniel Lewis Gibbons, 1817, 1818, 1826
Zachariah G. Whitman, 1819, 1820
M. Roulstone, 1821
Enoch Hobart, 1822, 1839-1841, 1846
Jedediah Tuttle, 1823
Abraham A. Dame, 1824, 1825, 1844, 1845
William Emerson, 1826
Henry H. Barton, 1827-1829; SN'
Nathaniel Cotton, 1830
Martin Wilder, 1831-1833, 1842, 1843
Francis R. Bigelow, 1834-1837
Henry Bowen, 1838
George G. Smith, 1847-1849
B. Franklin Baker, 1850, 1851
Peter S. Wheelock, 1852
Francis McDonald, 1853, 1854
Thomas G. Whytal, 1855, 1856, 1861
John K. Fellows, 1857, 1858
William Read, 1859, 1860
Martin Long, 1862
Alfred F. Chapman, 1863, 1864
Charles W. Slack, 1865, 1866
Charles O. Fox, 1867, 1868
George R. Emerson, 1869, 1870
Henry J. Parker, 1871, 1872
Samuel A. B. Bragg, 1873, 1874
Charles D. Annable, 1875, 1876
Samuel W. Creech, Jr., 1877, 1878
Edwin Wright, 1879, 1880, 1890
George P. Eustis, 1881, 1882
Cassius C. Powers, 1883, 1884
Herbert L. Burrell, 1885; Mem
W. G. Whitney, 1886, 1887
Charles D. Wright, 1888, 1889
John F. Neill, 1891, 1892
Henry H. Kendall, 1893, 1894
George E. Henry, 1895, 1896; SN
William H. Lott, 1897, 1898
Charles A. Neill, 1899, 1900
Charles Lewis, 1901, 1902
Charles A. Heney, 1903, 1904
Edward E. Reynolds, 1905, 1906
Edward N. West, 1907, 1908
John R. Griffin, 1909
William W. Chute, 1910, 1911
Ervin A. Eastman, 1912, 1913
James G. Brown, 1914, 1915
Arthur N. Dodge, 1916
Frank A. Rice, 1917
William A. Syer, 1918
Guy W. Jones, 1919, 1920
Henry F. Silsby, 1921
Orin E. Spooner, 1922
Wallace G. Page, 1923, 1924
Frederick O. Harrington, 1925, 1926
John Wentworth, 1927, 1928; N
Everett M. Studley, 1929, 1930
W. Alden Burrell, 1931, 1932
Percy E. Yeates, 1933, 1934
Asa F. Clark, 1935, 1936
Athole H. Edwards, 1937, 1938
Frank A. Moore, 1939, 1940
George E. O. Anderson, 1941, 1942
Henry L. Cross, 1943, 1944
Charles M. Merritt, 1945, 1946
Joseph Shilliday, 1947, 1948
Arthur D. Hamilton, 1949, 1950
Eugene H. Clapp, II, 1951, 1952, 1980
Walter H. Farello, 1953
Hale E. Roberts, 1954
Charles M. Hoyt, Jr., 1955, 1956
Thomas Bruce, Jr., 1957, 1958
S. Arthur Verenis, 1959, 1982-1984
Henry L. Rice, 1960, 1961
David G. Power, 1962, 1963
Charles H. Winchester, 1964, 1965
Robert Trajan, 1966, 1967
Richard A. Karibian, 1968, 1969
George J. Avis, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1986; PDDGM
John Walter Krey, 1972, 1973
Menelaos C. Dalaklis, 1974, 1975, 1978
John G. Cosmas, 1976, 1977
Steve John Gogolos, 1987, 1988; N
Nicholas Darris, 1989-1991
Argyrios A. Karalis, 1992, 1993
David F. Howard, 1994-1997; PDDGM
Gary P. Ahearn, 1998, 1999
Leon Halperin, 2000
William Antonopoulos, 2001
Joseph J. Touchette, 2002
Arthur M. Papas, 2003
Douglas C. Morgan, 2004
Paul S. Williams, 2005
Frank P. Fotis, 2006
Constantine P. Callintzis, 2007
Donald A. Haska, 2008
Stephen W. Foy, 2009
William H. Shaw, III, 2010
Charles E. Gould, 2011
Samir C. Bichara, 2012

NOTES

From New England Freemason, Vol. I, No. 4, April 1875, Page 185:

[At the Regular Meeting of Massachusetts Lodge, of Boston, held on the 19th inst., W. Brother Henry J. Parker, Past Master, read the following paper, embodying historical and biographical information of much interest:]

As one of the three lodges in this District whose Charters were issued previous to the Revolution, it has seemed proper that some formal notice should be taken of the fact that to-day completes the first centennial of an event which resulted in the ultimate independence of the United States; and the fact that the charter of the Massachusetts Lodge was signed by General Joseph Warren is a sufficient excuse, if any is necessary, to warrant us in recalling so important an event in our history.

One hundred years ago to-day the Massachusetts Lodge had been in existence nearly five years. It numbered among its members some of the most active and noted men of the town of Boston. The Lodge was small, comprising at that time thirty members, the membership Being limited by the By-Laws to fifty. From its formation until 1775, the Lodge had held seventy meetings, the regular place of meeting being at Concert Hall, on the corner of Court and Hanover streets. On the evening of December 5, 1774, it was "voted that the removal of this Lodge to the Bunch of Grapes Tavern be notified in the public prints." The meetings of January 2d and February 6th were all that were held there for three years.

At the meeting of February 6th, two candidates were crafted; it does not appear by the records that they were ever raised.

Concert Hall is said to have been the most elegant hall in the town; the architecture of the inside was imposing, and the walls were covered with mirrors. Within its walls our predecessors gathered for several years; the meetings were well attended, and the "symposia" were as regular as the meetings; "sherry" and "punch" were the standard liquids, and the frequent appropriations for "mason glasses," to be imported from London, prove their con. stant use. The records contain a list of the visiting Brethren, among whom appears the name of Paul Revere. The Most Worshipful Joseph Warren constituted the Lodge August 10, 1770, and visited the Lodge in ample form, as the record states, on the 1st of April, 1771, July 6, September 7, and December 7, 1772. "December 28th," the record reads, "being ye Festival of St. John the Evangelist, the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Joseph Warren, Esq., Deputy Grand Master Joseph Webb, and Grand Wardens Samuel Danforth and Samuel Barrett, visited the Lodge in due form." This proved to be the last visitation the Lodge was to receive from their illustrious Grand Master. The important events transpiring in their midst, soon to culminate in war, prevented the usual meetings; the gun fired at Concord was not only to usher in a revolution, but was destined to make discord through all strata of society; the time had come when friends and neighbors were to part, and among the Brethren of the Massachusetts Lodge there was to be a lifelong separation. The last meeting of the Lodge previous to the Revolution was held on the 6th of February, 1775. John Jeffries, then a noted surgeon, was Worshipful Master; Hawes Hatch, Junior Warden; William Codner, Treasurer; John Fenno, Secretary.

The names of Brethren of the Massachusetts Lodge appear prominently on both sides of the conflict—some fighting for the liberty of the colonies, others, equally conscientious, for the Mother country. William Palfrey (whose descendants for three generations have been honored members of our Lodge), Secretary of the Grand Lodge in 1769-70-71, the first Senior Warden of the Massachusetts Lodge, and W. M. in 1771 and 1779, was, during the war, Paymaster-General of the American forces. He was sent on special business to France by order of the Continental Congress; he sailed from Philadelphia in a public-armed vessel, which is supposed to have foundered at sea in the autumn of 1780.

Nathaniel Cudworth was the first Treasurer of the Lodge, serving in that capacity in 1770-1; was elected Secretary in 1772; at the meeting May 4, 1772, he resigned. As he was about to take up his residence in the country, the Lodge tendered him a vote of thanks and the hospitalities of the Lodge whenever he should be in town. He commanded the Sudbury company in the battle at Concord, and "near Hardy's Hill attacked the British troops, where there was a severe skirmish." At the battle of Bunker Hill, he was a Major in Jonathan Brewer's regiment, composed of Worcester and Middlesex troops, "and did excellent duty in the battle."

Joshua Loring was a loyalist, and held the office of Town Major under General Gage. At the evacuation of Boston in March, 1776, he left Boston, and is not known to have returned.

Dr. John Jeffries, Worshipful Master in 1775, was a surgeon of a ship-of-the-line lying in Boston harbor in 1771 to 1774. At the battle of Bunker Hill, he attended the wounded by order of the British Commander. He accompanied the British garrison to Halifax in 1776, where he was appointed Surgeon-General of the forces in Nova Scotia. He afterwards went to London, where he practised in 1790 ; he returned to his native city, where he died in 1819.

Hawes Hatch was a loyalist, and at the evacuation went to St. John, New Brunswick, where he settled, receiving a grant from the British government. He was elected Senior Deacon of the Lodge in 1774.

YEARS

1793 1803 1806 1844 1846 1847 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1877 1878 1880 1881 1882 1883 1885 1891 1892 1895 1896 1898 1899 1900 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1916 1917 1920 1923 1926 1927 1935 1937 1938 1942 1945 1949 1954 1963 1966 1970 1987 1988 1995 1997 2004 2006 2007 2008

BY-LAW CHANGES

2012

HISTORY

150TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, MAY 1920

From Proceedings, Page 1920-141:

By Edward Abbot Chase.

Many years ago a young law student of our country opened a correspondence with Thomas Carlyle, the vigorous English writer. In one of his letters Carlyle said to him: "In your reading you will have to choose by what of manfulness and faithfulness is in your own mind, the better and the good, from out of the boundless imbroglio of the trivial: and with your whole soul, to appropriate these, and elaborate them as you have faculty and opportunity. Read history and prophecy; whatsoever of truly interesting has been, is, and is about to be.

This same advice has been constantly in my mind as I have read the pages of these one hundred and fifty years of Massachusetts Lodge. Deeply realizing the significance of this hour, the constant effort has been to choose the better and the good from out of the trivial, because of its intrinsic value as history, yet more for its prophecy of the good to come as fruit from seed sown in faith. In so far as the limits of the hour permit, I offer you the results of this study.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were an epoch of political revolutions in the Anglo-Saxon world. The Pilgrim and Puritan movements reached their climax in the early years of the seventeenth century, and out of them came the beginnings of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, from which this Lodge derives its name. In the year of which this is the three hundredth in anniversary, the ship Mayflower sailed into the harbor of Provincetown after a taxing voyage of more than two months on the stormy Atlantic. Before its passengers came ashore, and occasioned partly by discontented and mutinous speeches that some of the strangers amongst them had let fall, namely "That when they came ashore they would use their own libertie; for none had power to command them, a compact was drawn up in the cabin of the Mayflower. It said: "In ye name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, having undertaken for ye glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith a voyage to plant ye first colony doe covenant-and-combine-ourselves-together, into a civil-body-politic, and by virtue hereof enact, constitute and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices from time to time, as shall be thought must mete for ye general good of ye Colonie; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience." This historic document we now recognize as the beginning of government in Massachusetts, the basis of our civic progress through these succeeding centuries.

One hundred and fifty years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth this Lodge, named after the State, was constituted. Its founders placed in the East a letter symbolizing the name of God; they lighted it up that it might be typical of the glory of the Great Artificer of the Universe; they placed upon the altar the text book of the Christian faith, the great light in Masonry; they framed just laws and constitutions, and created offices for the general good of the Craft; and they pledged themselves by the most binding of obligations to submission and obedience unto those laws and constitutions. The parallelism between the elements of the civic compact of the Mayflower and the foundations upon which the Lodge was built are marked with great significance, and the history of the Lodge is interwoven with that of the Commonwealth as warp with woof.

This Lodge came into existence at a critical hour in the life of the Massachusetts Colony. George the Third was king of England, and America was a British Colony. The king's ideas of policy were those of a parental government administered with a stern face, a heavy hand, and an un-spared rod. Acts of trade, laws oppressive and repressive had roused the colonists to the utmost of resentment. In consequence, a provisional government looking towards independence had been formed in Massachusetts, under a so-called "Committee of Safety." Its objective was to assert and maintain opposition to the oppressive measures of the crown. The head of this committee was Dr. Joseph Warren. He was also the Grand Master of the Masons in Massachusetts.

On the eleventh day of May, 1770, thirty-six days after the Boston Massacre, a petition was offered to the Grand Lodge, meeting at the Green Dragon Tavern — the trysting-place alike of the Masons and patriots of the day — praying that the eight men whose names were appended might be erected into a new Lodge under the name The Massachusetts Lodge." The next day, Saturday the twelfth, a Charter was made out by William Palfrey, who was one of the petitioners and also Secretary of the Grand Lodge. It was signed by Joseph Warren, Grand Master, and the Lodge was Constituted on Friday, August tenth, 1770, with Joseph Tyler as Master. Its Senior Warden was William Palfrey. This William Palfrey was Paymaster General of the American forces in the Revolution which was in the making when the Lodge was formed. This fact is typical of the life-story of Massachusetts Lodge. Its men have been makers in the commonwealth and in the city which is its capital. Not more so, perhaps, than those of some other Lodges; for it is our joy and pride that Masons have been the valiant leaders in our whole nation. Only for us today the significance of our celebration lies in the achievements of those who have been and are members of this particular body.

When later the union of states was in peril, and those liberties which the Revolution had dearly won were in jeopardy, our state was again in the vanguard of leadership; and when the Civil War actually came a Massachusetts Lodge man stepped early into prominence. One Robert Cowdin had come to Boston from Vermont as a merchant. He became deeply interested in the Volunteer Militia of this state, and was one of the first to offer his services to Governor Andrew. The Second Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, of which he was Colonel, was accepted by the Governor and became the first regiment of volunteers taken into the United States service for the Rebellion. During this war, an Army Lodge was established in the Forty-third Massachusetts Regiment, known as the Tigers. It was called McClellan Lodge. Its first Master was one Thomas G. Whytol who was Master of our Lodge in 1854, 1855, and 1860. There we see again how Masonry and public service were walking hand in hand.

In our last war, when the liberties of all the world were in the balance, Massachusetts men added themselves to the radiant host of defenders and victors. The Honor Roll records the names of many war officers and privates, not to mention the great number kept from military service by the limits of age who in civil life gave freely of their service and their money to the great cause.

"The soul of history," Carlyle said, "is the history of great men. The really great man is the living light-fountain. The light which has enlightened the darkness of the world; a flowing light fountain of native insight, of manhood, and heroic nobleness, in whose radiance all Souls feel that it is well with them." Recognizing the limitations of bringing within a half hour the story of one hundred and fifty years, and yet wishing to make bright some thread in the life fabric of the Lodge, I ask you to walk with certain of our great men as they have woven the continuing life both of Lodge, city, and commonwealth, ever bearing in mind the principles, already enunciated, which underly Massachusetts the State and Massachusetts the Lodge.

Izaak Walton in the Compleat Angler quotes from a certain Boteler about strawberries. He says, "Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless he never did." Doubtless too he might have made a better man than a good Scotchman, but one doubts if he ever did. So here is William Scollay, who received his degrees in 1779. He was out of Scotch stock. The father, one John by name, was in Boston as early as 1692, for he appears in Drake's History as the man who for seven years leased the Winnisimmet Ferry. To one born as was the writer in Old Chelsea and nourished in the traditions of Rumney Marsh, Winnisimmet, and Powder Horn Hill, that leasing is really an interesting fact. At any rate the son, William, was important man enough to have his portrait painted by the great Copley and his merit lies largely in the vision he had of the possible development of Boston. He lived in a house on or near where the old Boston Museum stood, that orthodox theatre where the inheritor of the blue laws made his first conscientious venture into modern amusements under the joyous guidance of William Warren and Mrs. Vincent of blessed memory. With Charles Bulfinch and other prominent men Mr. Scollay undertook the improvement of Franklin Place, now Franklin Street. From this he passed to the development of South Boston, strenuously advocating the building of the Federal Street Bridge, and later he purchased for improvement the Dorchester Heights. We look to him also as the father of a young woman who married Col. Thomas Melville, one of the Boston Tea Party, an enterprise, by the way, wholly Masonic, brewed in the Green Dragon Tavern. When the Colonel returned home from this merry venture he emptied his shoes of some of the historic tea, which now rests in a sacred bottle in the Antiquarian Society at Worcester.

In this connection one is happy to mention Moses Michael Hays as a type of those who have done so much for the financial prosperity of the city and the state. He is worthy of notable Masonic mention as Master of our Lodge, also as Junior Grand Warden, and later Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, and as a constant benefactor of this Lodge in its varied sufferings by fire. One does not forget either the later relations of Massachusetts to the present Shawmut Lodge, composed so largely of men kindred in race with Moses Michael Hays; a new and brilliant star in the canopy of Masonry, named, rather significantly, after the Boston peninsular of colonial days.

Boston has long been famous as a pioneer city in the furtherance of musical culture and education. One interesting element in it is that some of its significant patronage has been that of business men. We recall the Boston Opera House fostered by Mr. Jordan, and the Symphony Orchestra made possible by the generosity of Mr. Higginson. As early as 1779 one Matthew Stanley Parker opened his eyes at Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. He was the grandson of the Honorable William Parker of Portsmouth who, previous to 1765, for some years was the only Notary Public in the Province. Matthew held various offices in our Lodge during the Anti-Masonic assaults of 1826 to 1836, and was in his own personal character an able defense against this misunderstanding. He was the Cashier of the Suffolk Bank, and devoted something of his leisure and means to the origination and formation, in company with a few choice spirits, of the now historic Handel and Haydn Society, to whose fidelity we owe the yearly production of the great oratorios and which has been the progenitor of many choral organizations throughout the state.

Will you turn now to that which has made Massachusetts as a State the foremost in the Union; namely, popular education. From its elementary branches through the most advanced university training we have been leaders. The school and college owe their early fostering to the church. Harvard, Amherst, Williams, Smith, Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, found their origin and support in men and women trained to value the great light of Masonry, the Holy Scriptures. To them knowledge was light indispensable to morality and the formation of true character. Massachusetts Lodge recalls two notable men of the earlier day. There is the Rev. John Prince, LL. D. Born in the north part of our city, he was educated at the Boston Latin School and at Harvard College and was the strong minister of a Salem church for nearly fifty-eight years. This church overshadowed a house in which soma of the hours . of my childhood were passed, the home of my great-grandfather, also a Revolutionary general, and later this ho\ise was one of the underground stations of Civil War days, where refugee slaves were secreted by day and driven at night to the next station on their way to freedom. In addition to the study of theology Mr. Prince found time for scientific investigation and gave to the commonwealth and to the world some notable inventions.

Then there is one of traditionally famous name in the American educational world, the Rev. John Eliot, D. D., also a graduate of Harvard and for thirty-four years minister of the New North Church here in Boston. He stands with the Rev. J. Belknap, D. D., as founder of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and he assisted largely in forming its collection of valuable documents. In this connection one must not forget the Hon. John Lowell, educated at the Latin School, Phillips Academy, Andover, and Harvard College, who stands forth as one of the founders of the Boston Athenaeum, and also the Massachusetts General Hospital. With these men one associates the Hon. John Prescott Bigelow, also a graduate of Harvard, Mayor of Boston in 1849, 1850, and 1851. During the cholera epidemic in the city and as a reward for efficiency in its suppression the citizens proposed to present him with a silver vase of the value of one thousand dollars. In declining the gift, he suggested that the money be used as a nucleus for a subscription to found a free library. This was the origin of our present Public Library which stands in Copley Square with its literary and artistic treasures, memorial through Mr. Bigelow to Massachusetts Lodge.

Suggested by the founding of the Massachusetts General Hospital, we are reminded of the members of the Lodge who have made notable contribution to the medical life of our city and commonwealth. Joseph Warren, who signed our charter as the Grand Master, was a physician of great promise. John Warren, his brother, was a student under Joseph. John also became Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts June 24, 1783, and was present on the 5th of March, 1792, when the union between the Massachusetts and Saint John's Grand Lodge took place. During the Siege of Boston he was appointed surgeon by General Washington. Later he filled the chair of Surgery and Anatomy in Harvard College for thirty and more years; and was the distinguished president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Then there are Aaron Dexter and Isaac Rand, the former Erving Professor of Materia Medica at Harvard, also Grand Treasurer and Junior Grand Warden respectively of the Grand Lodge; the latter a physician of eminence in Boston and for six years president of the Massachusetts Medical Society and a member of the American Academy of Sciences.

Turning now to the development of our public life through the legislative and administrative branches of government we are in a field of significant service rendered by the members of Massachusetts Lodge. William Palfrey who signed the Charter as Secretary of the Grand Lodge, and who was also a charter member of this Lodge, served during the formative days of our Republic as Paymaster General of the American Revolutionary Forces. Later he was sent by the Continental Congress in an armed vessel on special government business to Prance. Unfortunately the ship, foundering at sea, cut short a usefulness of rare promise. He left, in succession, a noble helper in the person of Hon. Perez Morton. Morton was a graduate of the Latin School and of Harvard and a classmate of Dr. John Warren. He added to membership with us the office of Deputy Grand Master in the Grand Lodge, and also that of Senior Grand Warden for two years. A fellow member with Warren of the Committee of Safety, he became Speaker of the Massachusetts House, holding for five years. He was also a delegate to the convention for revising the State Constitution, and was Attorney General in Massachusetts for twenty-two years.

The Hon. Thomas Dawes held in succession office in the Supreme Judicial Court of the state, the Municipal Court of Boston, and the Probate Court for Suffolk County. He was also one of those who revised the State Constitution in 1820. William King finds distinction Masonically as the first Master of Solar Lodge of Bath, Maine, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and by his election as the first Grand Master of Masons in Maine, when that body became independent. A member of the Massachusetts Legislature for three years, and a Senator for an equal period, he was chosen President of the convention to form the constitution of Maine, and was elected the first Governor of that state, which office he resigned to become United States Commissioner under the Treaty with Spain.

Among these worthies of the older day stands out the Hon. Christopher Gore, lie was appointed by President Washington the first United States District Attorney for Massachusetts. This was followed by his election as one of the Commissioners to settle the claims of the United States upon Great Britain for "spoliation." Later he was made Governor of Massachusetts and subsequently served as United States Senator for three years. One other name deserves honorable mention, twice elected as Master of Massachusetts Lodge and Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, the Hon. Edwin Wright. Valedictorian of his class at Yale College, he became Master of the Eliot School of Boston. He then studied law, and after admission to the Suffolk Bar rose to the first rank in the department of Testamentary and Realty Law. He was twice a member of the State Legislature and in 1861 was appointed by Governor Andrew one of three Justices of the Municipal and Civil Court of Boston.

And what shall I say more ? For the time would fail me to tell of Dame and Dexter, of Oliver and Boyle, of Laughton and Jackson, all officers of distinction in the Grand Lodge. Of Captain Williams, Colonel Gardner, Major Henry, and Captain DeBaury, famous in battle. Of Calef, founder of our charity fund; of Haskel, the princely merchant, and Bowen, historian of old Boston; of Slack, the Masonic orator; of Rowsen, trumpeter in the Kings Guards, who changed his piping from "God Save the King" to "Merry Yankee-Doodle"; of the family of the Clapps, treasurers of the Lodge for decades. Surely it would be unbecoming to discriminate among the living, great as are their merits, and though the profit of such speaking would be deserved and very delightful. Something, however, must be left to the imagination and to memory. All along the line of the years the men are many who have contributed their money, their time, their loveful service to further the interests of this Lodge. Some have attained to high distinction in office not alone in the Massachusetts and the Grand Lodges but in other Masonic bodies. Some have given their lives in battle for the nation and the world; some have served in major and minor places the causes of state and nation. Many others, uncounted in the rank and file, have kept and interpreted the Masonic faith in the varied walks of civic, commercial, and religions life. Some have passed to the Celestial Lodge, many, greater and lesser, still abide, to carry forward the work, the beautiful Masonic work, and to translate its noble truths into the life of city and state and nation. If it shall please the Lodge so to do, a volume will be prepared supplementing those already in our archives, giving due place and honor to the whole membership, a thing manifestly impossible in the limits of this hour and this occasion.

A gifted writer, to whom with the increasing years I have owed more and more, says in one of his books:

Take the least of all mankind, as I,
Look at his head and heart, find how and why
He differs from his fellows,
And there is something to tell with a meaning."

"The unseen mysterious, ruling passion weaving the stuff of human nature into patterns wherein the soul is imaged and revealed." This is true of an institution as well as of a single life. Masonry has a soul, and the story of the years of an individual Lodge which has been true to historic Masonry as a whole, cannot have failed to image and reveal that soul. I hope you have felt this as you have walked with these men of the past. If you have, then surely you have realized that however much the outward forms of our existence change the vital soul goes steadily on its God-appointed way, transfusing the new conditions with its spirit, and not less but more as it gathers up all the wisdom of experience, and as it realizes the value of the tasks set before it by the enlarging opportunities of the new day. And it is a new day in the world. Life has gained tremendously in its extensive and intensive visions. The little Boston of 1770 has become a great city; the intellectual culture of Massachusetts has been a seed out of which a vast deal of our American education has grown, adding to classic learning the many branches incident to technical and scientific progress. The democracy hidden within the colonial government has been a leaven working world-wide; first upsetting and then reconstructing agelong dynasties. The light of religious and moral obligations set in its candlestick at Plymouth three hundred years ago has shined into the darkest places of the whole round world. Meanwhile the fellowships of Masonry have tied together men of every nation, race, and creed not alone through the American continent but eastward also among the forbidding peoples of the Orient. One wishes that Governor Bradford and Joseph Warren and other valiant men of the early days could stand again upon our earthly soil and see how their labors have been fulfilled. They would indeed rejoice and give praise to the God whose servants they were in Lodge and state.

Yet one must not forget that with the good there has come much, too much, of evil. The principles which underfound the state and the nation and the Lodge have been and are bitterly assailed by deluded and determined enemies. Yet if this study of Massachusetts Lodge means something definite, if the vision and vigor informing Masonry in our state means the light of knowledge and the force of good morals, then to every man must come the glorying vision of personal responsibility; an obligation conceived through the study of the "Word of God; given informing light through all Masonic teachings; and endued with adequate power through the bonds of brotherhood cumulative in the ninety thousand Masons in our commonwealth. If only the same spirit of adventure and the same high confidence in God can possess each man that characterized the founders of state and Lodge, if equal feelings of fidelity can make us steady, and if adequate determination in action shall master each separate Mason, then the days which lie before us must accomplish the glorious plans of God, drawn on a trestle board world-wide in its scope. For

"Instant to fore-shadowed need
The eternal balance swings:
That winged men the Fates may breed,
As soon as Fate hath wings.
These shall possess
Our littleness,
And in the imperial task, as worthy, lay
Up our lives, all to piece one giant day."

In the preface to a book of short stories, named The Ruling Passion, Henry Van Dyke says, under the heading A Writer's Request of His Master:

"Lord, give me an ideal that will stand the strain of weaving into human stuff on the loom of the real. Steady me to do my full stint of work as well as I can, and when that is done, stop me, pay what wages thou wilt, and help me to say, from a quiet heart a grateful Amen."

In this spirit I close this all too inadequate story of our Lodge and the one hundred and fifty years of its labors. The ideal in my own mind has been clearer perhaps than appears in the woven fabric. None the less the human stuff has been very real, and as I have lived with it now these many years, foreseeing this gracious day and hour, I have felt the glory of that composite life which has been making an historic sequence through the changing periods: a history both of men and of ideas, and of ideals, with a god's mind forming the pattern, and informing the worker, and the hand of the supreme Maker of the whole universe directing its outweaving. So too, for the privileges of this study and its message to you today I would fain say, "A grateful Amen.

EVENTS

INSTALLATION, JANUARY 1861

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XX, No. 4, February 1861, Page 115:

This is one of the three Lodges in this Commonwealth whose Charters bear the name of Gen. Joseph Warren as G. Master, it having been organized in 1770, and during the administration of that lamented Brother as the presiding officer of the "Massachusetts Grand Lodge," so called, in contradistinction to the "St. John's Grand Lodge." It has always maintained a highly respectable position among the Lodges in the Commonwealth, and its roll, past and present, bears the names of many of the most honored and substantial of our Brethren. Relying perhaps too much on its well-earned laurels, it has not always kept even-pace with the rapid progress of its more youthful associates. A new spirit, however, has within a few years past been infused into it, and now, with a membership numbering more than one hundred, including a fair proportion of young, talented and ambitious Brethren, it may be classed among the most active and promising of our Lodges, as it has always been among the most respected.

Having recently elected a new set of officers, and with a view of allowing the families and female friends of the members an opportunity to examine the elegant apartments now occupied by the Fraternity in the city, a public installation was decided on, and came off on the evening of the 21st January, ultimo. The large hall was literally crowded with spectators, there being at least six hundred present, many of whom were obliged to stand during the entire ceremonies. It was a jam, — which ought not to have been the case, — and the effect was to detract from the pleasure and enjoyment of many.

The ceremonies commenced with a voluntary on the Organ and prayer. Then followed the installation services, which were performed by R. W. Brother Wyzeman Marshall, D. D. G. Master for the 12th District, in an eloquent and impressive manner, and to the gratification of all present. The following, writ ten for the occasion, is worthy of a place in our pages, and will be acceptable to our readers:—

ODE, By Bro. Edward S. Rand, Jr.
Air—Fair Harvard.

Peal forth a loud chorus to honor this hour;
Let us give the warm grasp of the hand;
As opens in morning's bright sunbeams the flowers,
In love let our bosoms expand.
And all praise to the Giver who kindly has blessed
Our efforts in days that are past,
Who has borne with our follies whene'er we transgressed,
Who will still be our friend to the last.

Hail, Masonry hail! here as Brothers we meet,
In Faith at God's footstool we fall,
With an Hope an existence immortal to greet,
In Charity free towards all.
Thy influence blest o'er each Brother be shed,
In each act let thy teachings appear,
From our conduct of life, by the world be it said,
A blessing descends on us here.

As the minutes flee on and the years roll away,
Still may the blessings descend from above,
And our hearts beat as warmly in life's closing day,
'Neath the bright rays of friendship and love.
And when the last change o'er the mortal shall come,
When the death film is glazing the eye,
May Death be but the angel to summon us home,
To the Lodge of oar Master on high.

Glen Ridge, Jan., 1861.

The address of the evening was delivered by Rev. Bro. Wm. R. Alger, of this city, and like all the productions of that eloquent Brother, was a chaste and beautiful performance. It was delivered without notes, and we judge was chiefly extemporary. But however this may be, it was a finished and eloquent production, and very rarely indeed have we witnessed the attention of any public audience more intensely fixed on the words of the speaker.

At the conclusion of the address, the W. Master, Brother Thos. G. Wytal, extended an invitation to the ladies and all others present to examine the various apartments of the building. And thus ended one of the many pleasant reunions of the season.

95TH ANNIVERSARY, MAY 1864

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXIII, No. 8, June, 1864, Page 245:

Ninety-four years ago, May 12th, 1770, and of Masonry 5770, Joseph Warren, Esq., Grand Master in Boston, and within one hundred miles circumjacent to the same, by Patent from George, Earl of Dalhousie, Grand Master of Masons in Scotland, duly authorized and appointed, did, on that date, sign the Charter whereby the precedence of Massachusetts Lodge was declared to date from these Presents, in the Grand Lodge, and elsewhere; and since that time this Lodge has been in possession of its Charter.

It has had periods of reverses, when no initiates have entered its portals for years, but has always had members attached to its ancient Charter, who, in preserving lhat, have preserved an unbroken history. It was therefore with no ordinary feelings of pleasure, that the members determined to celebrate the 95th anniversary in a manner to admit the ladies, as participants in the festivities of the occasion, and to witness the present prosperity of the Lodge.

The Exercises were as follows:— Music. Prayer. Ode. Address, by the W. M., Br. Alfred F. Chapman. Music. Reading of Charter of Lodge, by W. Br. A. A. Dame. Ode. Historical Address, by Br. C. W. Slack. Original Poem, by Rev. Br. W. S. Studley. Banquet.

Of the literary portion, it is enough to say, that the Hisiorical Address, by Br. Slack, was highly interesting and instructive. The Poem— Like the star that athwart gilds the sky, Its course to the latest was bright.

Among the guests were William Parkman, Esq., Grand Master, and lady; C. C. Dame, D. G. Master; J. McClellan, G. Treasurer, and lady; Solon Thornton, Grand High Priest, and lady, together with others, and a full attendance of the members of the Lodge, and their ladies.

Prominent among the members was Matthew S. Parker, Esq., admitted to membership in 1803; Enoch Hobart, in 1817; A. A. Dame, in 1818, and Wm. Palfrey, in 1819, whose son, recently admitted to membership, makes the fourth generation of this name to become members of the Lodge; and Henry Bowen, admitted in 1820.

At twenty minutes past ten o'clock, the W. Master, accompanied by the G. Master and members above named, preceded the procession to the large Hall, where was spread a sumptuous and bountiful table by the Superintendent, Br, L. L. Tarbell.

The exclamation of the Grand Master on entering the banqueting hall—"this is beautiful," will give the best impression of the same. It was a table of beautiful wares, laden with delicacies, and perfumed with the breath of flowers, gathered into twelve fragrant bouquets, which, later in the evening, were disposed of to as many ladies, who happened to hold a talisman given by chance on entering the hall.

Speeches were made by Grand Master Parkman, Rev. J. W. Dadmun, Rev. Dr. Walker, and Rev. Br. Studley, eloquent and humorous, and highly appropriate, if we may judge from the open and frequent expressions of pleasure too great to be repressed, for every now and then one and another would persist in declaring it ; so that in closing, the sociability and good wishes provoked by the occasion, had prepared all who could, to join in singing " Auld Lang Syne," with spirit and feeling, and inspired the "good night," that came from every lip, with, the spirit of peace on earth and good will to men, and God's blessing on Massachusetts Lodge and its members.

CENTENARY, MAY 1870

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXIX, No. 8, June 1870, Page 228:

The occurrence of the Centennial Anniversary of a Masonic Lodge, wherever located, or under whatever circumstances, is an event eminently worthy of commemoration. The full rounding off of one one hundred years of continued existence, is a favor which few voluntary secular associations are permitted to realize. Bound together by no special ties of interest, such societies spring into life, play their allotted part, pass away, and are forgotten. To this general law of mutation, Masonic Lodges, though by no means wholly or even largely exempted, undoubtedly present more exceptions than are to be found in any other class of the community. This may, and probably is, in some measure, attributable to the fact that the Masonic Fraternity, as a secular institution, is more numerous, both in its membership and in its auxiliary aids, than any of the other social divisions. But the true reason is to be found in its peculiar conformation, and adaptation to the social needs and necessities of life. In this respect it is without an equal. Its members, whatever may have been their motive in joining it, soon learn to love it, not from selfish or eleemosynary considerations, but from the harmonizing and softening influences which it exercises over their lives, the sympathetic emotions it awakens in the heart, and the confidence it inspires in each other. And this is the secret of its success and endurance, that which has brought it down along the ages of the past, and will carry it forward in defiance of the prejudices, the opposition, and the persecutions of bigotry and intolerance, for ages to come.

The occurrence of a Centennial Anniversary forms an important epoch in the history of the Lodge. It presents a standpoint — an occasion suggestive of the past — of its pleasant memories, its lessons of wisdom, its guarantees for the future. If it be true that history is philosophy teaching by example, this is the time to read its lessons, and to profit by its instructions. We are, therefore, always rejoiced when we learn that such celebrations, in whatever branch of our Institution they may occur, are to be celebrated in a manner commensurate with their importance. Five such observances have, in our day, taken place in our own city, two of them by Grand Lodges — the first in 1833, the second in 1869 — and three of them by subordinate Lodges. The last was the celebration named at the head of this article, and took place at the New Masonic Temple, on the 12th of May, the particulars of which are given in the following concise report from one of the city papers of the following morning : —

Sutton or Corinthian Hall, where the afternoon exercises were held, was well filled by the members of the Lodge with their ladies and friends. A voluntary on the organ was the opening, after which the M.W. Grand Master and suite were received in Due Form. Music by the choir followed this ceremony, after which, W.M. George Emerson made an address, extending a cordial welcome to the company present, saying that the occasion was one from whicli they could look back with pride and satisfaction. "While the zeal of our ancestors is brought before our minds, a fresh impulse and a new zeal is obtained in the endeavor to discharge every duty which devolves upon us as members of this honorable Lodge."

Prayer was then offered by the Chaplain, Rev. Br. John P. Robinson; reading of the Charter by Rev. Br, John P. Robinson. The choir sang an original ode written for the occasion by W. Br. W. S. Adams. The W. Br. Charles W. Slack then made the Historical Address, of which the following is an abstract: —

In 1770, Boston was a town of 20,000 inhabitants; 4000 houses, mainly of wood. Hancock's house, finished in 1737, was the most elegant structure in town. Mr. Slack now recited various historical events that took place during the period prior to the Revolutionary War, in the midst of which the Lodge was chartered. May 12, 1770, Joseph Warren placed his name to the Charter for the institution of the Lodge; Joseph Tyler, James Jackson, Isaac Rand, William Palfrey, John Hill, Nathaniel Cudworth, Joshua Loring, and John Jeffries, with Joseph Warren as Grand Master, he being then twenty-nine years of age, constituted Massachusetts Lodge, May 12, 1770. In December, of the same year, he was installed Grand Master of Masonry in Boston, and within one hundred miles circumjacent of the same. Masonry was regularly introduced into Boston about one century after the settlement of the country. In 1764, the Masons' Hall was in the Green Dragon Tavern, on Union Street. In 1768, the Royal Arch Lodge of Masons was organized.

The first meeting of the Lodge was held in the old hostelry. The second meeting was held in the same place, when it was voted to hold future meetings at Concord Hall, on Queen, now Court Street. On the 3d of January, 1774, the M.W.G.M Joseph Warren visited the Lodge in Due Form, receiving the full honors of Masonry — his last official and personal visit. From October, 1774, to February, 1775, the Lodge met in the Bunch of Grapes Tavern. A suspension then occurred, the Lodge holding its next meeting on December 9, 1778. On the 7th of March, 1780, k made a movement for the union of all the Lodges in the country, and it culminated in the union of the Massachusetts and St. John's Lodges. During the years 1783-5, Moses M. Hays was the Grand Master. The announcement, on the evening of the 2d of November, that the Charter was missing, created great excitement; no trace of it could be found; but, on the 2d of December, it again hung in its accustomed place. On the 30th of April, 1810, the propriety and utility of instituting a fund for charity was suggested. A committee was appointed to consider and report a plan, which was adopted July 30. On the 16th of June, 1817, an act of incorporation was obtained from the Legislature of Massachusetts for the Grand Lodge. In 1817, the several Lodges procured a lease of apartments in the Exchange Coffee House. The premises were destroyed by fire, November 3, 1818, the Lodge losing much of its regalia. The present arrangements, respecting charity to strangers, were established in 1819. In the spring of 1821, the Lodge took apartments in the upper story of the Old State House, the hall possessing ample accommodations.

On the 29th of March, 1822, a portrait of Most Worshipful Joseph Warren was obtained. June 17, 1825, the Lodge participated in the ceremonies of laying the corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monument. February 23, 1827, the Lodge took action on the subject of erecting a Masonic Temple. On the 30th of December, 1831, the Lodge met for the first time in the new Temple on Tremont Street. On the 24th of June, 1845, upon invitation of King Solomon's Lodge, of Charlestown, the Lodge joined in publicly dedicating the model of the old monument erected by them, in 1794, to the memory of General Joseph Warren. On the 11th of November, the Lodge participated in the dedication of the new Masonic Hall in the old Temple. On the 15th of November, 1858, the Lodge met in Nassau Hall, on Washington Street, and on the 10th oi January, 1860, in the Winthrop House. On the 5th of April, 1864, this was destroyed by fire, and the Lodge again lost its property, and took temporary quarters in Thorndike Hall. On the 14th of October, 1864, the corner-stone of the present Temple was laid, and the dedication took place on St. John's Day, June 24, 1867. The first meeting of the Lodge was held the 24th of September following, making the seventeenth place of communication it has known. On this its one hundredth anniversary, it stands the third oldest Lodge in the State, but second to none for its strict observance of those masonic virtues — Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love.

At the close of Br. Slack's address, an address was made by the M.W. Grand Master, William Sewall Gardner, and this closed the exercises of the afternoon. At half-past six a reception was held, when the Committee received their many prominent guests; at half-past seven the company passed up stairs to the banquet, which was served in the banquet-hall of the Temple. Floral decorations were abundant, giving the hall a beautiful appearance. Opposite the entrance and against the wall were suspended "G" and the square and compass, formed of red and white pinks, set in roses relieved by smilax. On one side of the hall was " 1870," and opposite, "1770." Large baskets of flowers hung from the arches of the Gothic windows and over the various arches which divide the hall. The tables were spread by William Tufts, caterer, and presented a tempting appearance, all that was necessary for such an occasion being provided in abundance. The Germania Band occupied the entry adjoining the hall, and discoursed those selections which have made the band so famous for receptions. When the banquet had been partaken of, the W. M. George B,. Emerson called the company to order, and introduced M.W. Grand Master William Sewall Gardner, who excused himself from making a speech, and called upon Charles Levi Woodbury, who interested the audience, in his humorous manner, by anticipating that Masonry in the future might be composed of women. Mayor Shurtleff was the next speaker, congratulating the Lodge on the success of their first centennial. Br. Slack closed with an address.

The company now passed to the Gothic Hall, where the Boston Commandery choir gave a musical entertainment. In the mean time the banquet-hall was cleared of its tables, and soon the feet were busy keeping time to the music of the Germania Band in a well-selected order of dances. This was continued until 12 o'clock, when the festivities of the day were ended.

The affair was a complete success in the full sense of the word. The Committee of Arrangements, Messrs. Henry J. Parker, Alexander K. Bryer, Edwin Wright, Charles W. Slack, Samuel W. Creech, jr., George R. Emerson, Samuel A. B. Bragg, have been indefatigable in their efforts to make it so, and were last night rewarded by feeling satisfied that the Centennial Anniversary had been observed in a manner which reflects credit upon the Lodge and the Fraternity.

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

George J. Avis, DDGM, District 1 (Boston), 1989, 1990
Henry H. Barton, DDGM, District 1, 1837-1838; SN
John Boyle, Junior Grand Warden 1799; Senior Grand Warden 1800-1802, DDGM, District 1 (Boston), 1803, 1804, 1805; Deputy Grand Master 1809, 1810
Samuel Bradford, Grand Marshal 1790-1791, 1792-1794; Deputy Grand Master 1811
Herbert L. Burrell, DDGM, District 1 (Boston), 1886; Memorial
Abraham A. Dame, DDGM, District 1, 1826, 1827, 1828
Simon Eliot, Grand Marshal 1789, Deputy Grand Master 1803-1808
Steven J. Gogolos, DDGM, District 6 (Arlington), 1999, 2000; N
Moses Michael Hays, Junior Grand Warden (Mass. Indep.) 1785; Grand Master 1788-1792
George E. Henry, DDGM, District 1 (Boston), 1897, 1898; SN
David F. Howard, DDGM, District 1 , 2003, 2004
James Jackson, Junior Grand Warden 1781
Joseph Laughton, Grand Secretary (Mass. Indep.), 1790-1792; Junior Grand Warden 1796-1797; Senior Grand Warden 1798-1799; Acting Grand Master 1799; Deputy Grand Master 1800-1802
Abraham T. Lowe, Senior Grand Deacon 1849-1851, Deputy Grand Master 1855, 1856
Perez Morton, Senior Grand Warden (Mass. Indep.) 1784-1785; Deputy Grand Master (Mass. Indep.), 1789-1790
William Palfrey, Grand Secretary, (Mass. Indep.) 1769-1777
William Scollay, Grand Treasurer (Mass. Indep.), 1785-1787; Deputy Grand Master 1795-1796
George G. Smith, Deputy Grand Master 1838-1840
Joseph Tyler, Grand Treasurer (Mass. Indep.) 1769-1777
John Wentworth, DDGM, District 1 (Boston), 1941, 1942; N
Edward N. West, DDGM, District 1 (Boston), 1910; Grand Marshal 1917-1919; Senior Grand Warden, 1920
Edwin Wright, Deputy Grand Master 1881-1883