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Article Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article THE MONTEFIORE CENTENARY CELEBRATION. Page 1 of 3 Article THE MONTEFIORE CENTENARY CELEBRATION. Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ar00902
j ? I ^ V-lWZ ^ W ^^^ - * .-I ^ TOS-raSHffiS ^
The Montefiore Centenary Celebration.
THE MONTEFIORE CENTENARY CELEBRATION .
* THE Masonio gathering , on Monday , to celebrate the completion by Sir Moses Montefiore , Bart ., of his hundredth year , was one of the most enthusiastic over hold in tho metropolis . Tlie first part of the proceedings—fche holding of a Lodge of Emergency by the Montefiore Lodge ,
No . 1017—took place at tho Cafe Royal , Regent-street , where , after tho usual formalities of opening the Lodge , the W . M . ( Bro . N . Hyman Benjamin ) remarked that the object of tho interesting occasion was to move a vote of
congratulation to Sir Moses Montefiore upon his having completed his one hundredth year . The vote was to be proposed by the Rev . R . J . Simpson , Past Grand Chaplain of England , and , as they would see from the agenda , it was to have been seconded bv their esteemed Past Master
S . V . Abraham . As they were aware , however , Bro . Abraham , through a severe domestic affliction , was unable to be present . He was sure that there was no one in the Lodge with whom tho members would more heartily commiserate . Bro . Abraham was desirous that no formal vote of sympathy shonld be forwarded , but in his position
as Master he ( Bro . Benjamin ) could not let the occasion pass without stating publicl y before them his sympathy with him . It was Bro . Abraham ' s desire that tho only other founder of the Lodge remaining amongst , them—Bro . Lewis Jacobs , their Treasurer—should second tbe resolution .
The Rev . R . J . Simpson P . G . C . then rose and said : — WOKSHIFFUI , MASTER , BROTHER WARDENS AND BRETHREN , —The resolution Unit I have Ihe honour to proposo is as follows : — "That the brethren now assembled in open Lodgo tender to their revered Brother S r Moses Montefiore , Bart ., tleir most sincere svul hearty
congratulations on his having this rl .-iy completer ! the hundredth year of his nseful aud honourable lifo . Thoy pray that the Great Architect of the Universe , in His infinite goodness , may still-preserve him to continue tho good work of his life ; make him still acceptor ! of his brethren ; loyal and trne to his sovereign ami adopted
country ; interested in the welfare of nil mankind , and crowned with the blessing of a good name . " Worshipfnl Master , I deem myself peculiarly happy in having the groat privilege of proposing this resolution , move particularly when I bear in mind that my brother Masons assembled in this room aro tho representatives of five
Masonic Lodges in the metropolis , and that we are also representatives of various creeds and political opinions . In Masonry , as yon and I know , neither difference of creed or of political opinion can have any weight with ns . Assembled beneath the canopy of a Masonic temple , these differences for the time being cease
to exist . In presence , therefore , of such a body , I think it ia not an inapt snbjecfc to which I call yonr attention , because if there be a man who has , more than any other , perhnns , of his time done his best , to assuage differences of opinion , to cause happiness to be spreading among all men it is
the brother whose distinguished name is upon the face of this r , > solution , and in whose hononr we are especially met to-night . Under such circumstances , therefore , brethren , I feel that this is an historical occasion ; and when one considers the fact that a linn 'red years have been allotted to our worthy and revered brother , one
should bear in mind that this is no small portion ont of tho history of time . A' man who has lived a hundred years—even an ordinary charactct—is a person npon whom we lo > k naturally with deep interest . A hundred years is only the thirty-third part of tho interval of time which carries ns back to tho first yreat Passover .
in which the first geat act of emancipation of tho Jewish race from the tyranny of man to the glorious liberty of the children of God was enacted . Eighteen of these periods carry ns bank to the great era in the history of the Hebrew race to which I need not further allnde . It is but a span in the history of time , but it is n vary
remarkable one , but when we find that , as in this cas * , the object of onr meeting to-night is to do honour to a man who is not onl y full o years but full of honours , the matter becomes of deener interest still . But when we consider that non only the year .- ) , but the honours of our brother aro to be taken into consideration , a question perhaps
mi g ht arise in some minds—npon what aro these honours founded — npon hen ditary tenure ? are they founded upon military gln-y ? are they founded upon commercial snecess , three of the great bas > 8 op > n -which we often find honours depend ? I wonld venture to suv , Sir
that they do not in this case depend npon any of the three , thong ' to some extent these three may form part of thoso honours . I venture to think that tho honours of Sir Moses Montefi ire stand upon truer bases ; npon faithfulness to his G > d , npon love to Ins brethren of the s uno race and religion ; on his devotion to hie sovereign in
The Montefiore Centenary Celebration.
hi * adopted hind , and finally on his charity to all men . T * is n <* t for m Si-, to speak-if rhe du > y incumbent on u roan M be faithful to ai ~ Go I , hn ! in ihi ' j day an I under ihe ciivomstam- ¦; in which wo iiv . , even in td is higVy favoured connM-v , ir is well {' or us as Mas ms ¦ s -veil a- ! .. n- 'M thar veueri ' e those who have proved faithful to tho ( " ' rent Architect , ot the Uiiiver »> : and hence io the ease of our
brother , we may fairly and truly say tha ho has proved himself not merely a go . nl man but a good Mas > n , in showing , as he has done , the devont faithfulness of a true follower of his God . The longer I live the more do [ feel that peace and order and happiness depend most materially upon keeping ( tod always before us , and . however much wo may be subjected to the ribaldry of
a v . iin world , or the scorn of t . ' io . s- who bring down their principles to their practice , his * - > ad of raising their pr .-vtioe to thoir principles—[ say the longer I live the more thoroughl y do I feel that peace and happiness , truth and justice , religion and piety m-isi . find thoir basis in onr faithfulness to God . But in this eise , Sir . . vo find , as a second basis , tho love of oar hi other to his brethren . A great and a noble
Jew eighteen hundred years a _ 'o said . " Let us do good unto all men , but , especially to thoso who are of the household of fait . li . " No ono acted more up-- that principle than Sir Moses Moutofiirn . Seven times did he v > the city of his soul . Many ; v pilgrimage did ho make to raise ! d ¦ fallen , to cheer tho faint , to relievo tho oppressed , to sot tho captive free ; from the boy who was kidnapped by
ecclesiastical tyranny to the men who , by hundreds , were persecute . ! on account of their faith , was this our brother roady to traverse through diffimitios nnd dangers to unite in forming a column for mutual defence and support . And doubtless in tbe timo to come when history shall deal with theso cases , the name of Sir Moses Montefiore will come out in
bolder relief than it can in the present time whilo he lives as the man who in Germany and Russia and Italy , in Spain , iu A ' sane , Albania , Turkey , Morocco , and in England vvas the first who , to a great extent , mado his brethren the objects of his lovo and of his labours—love that vvas not unrequited—labonrs that woro not in vain ; and if I am not mistaken iu speaking of work , I think I may
say in presence of my brethren who know much more of history , especially this history , than I do , that during the century Sir Moses Montefiore has lived in , moro has been done to free from persecution and to raise in the social and political scale tho Hebrew race than for seventeen hundred years before . It is tho dawn of a happier day ; there is another spirit abroad T may and do think . I do feel iu
my heart what was stated , and I echo it from ths Jerusalem chamber whore oue of your own brethren , ray excellent friend Serjeant Simon , when after an admirable address by Mrs . Finn upon the customs and manners of tho Jewish people , he proposed a vote of thanks , and said that if over a time shonld como when those who wore now divided should become ono it would be brought about not
by persecution , nay , not even by active proselytism , however desirable that may appear to some benevolent persons , but by the brotherly lovo that can hold out the hand of true faith and love to a persecuted brother , and who is ready with his means and his words t > relievo them from the state of distress into which persecution has caused them to fall . Aud , sir , I
feel that the-a words wore indeed true . I feel the longer I live that wo have to make it clearly shown that we have the good aud the welfare of our brethren at heart before we seek to bring them to out * own views . It is true that the subject of our meeting to-night differed from the views of his own brotherhood up in more than one
question ; but we know that that is the case among other religions bodies ; and all we can say in such a case as this , that we must admire the sincerity of heart and independence of character whioh can assert its own , without either finding a prejudice or prepossession , if others are dealing uncharitably by their opinions . I hold that a man is to be moro admired than condemned who holds his own under
such circumstances . But Sir Moses , not only performed these acts for his brethren ; he made these p Igriraages , nofc of superstition , but of charity . Ho made these for the lovo of his brethren ; but he also forgot not his native laud—rather , I should siy , his adopted lau I . Sir Moses Montefi ire , though born oat of Bigl i id , was sincerely a Briton , from the day he carried the despatches from Navarino — he
was then a captain in the Surrey Militia—down to tho time when ho welcomed the statesman returning from Germany on au important mission to this country . Apart from political objects , Sir Moses Montefiore has shown himself a true Englishman ; he has alvvays been most loyal . He took an interest , in promoting banking , and in another matter which mast
be interesting to Masons , namely , the diffusion of light in trie shape of gas ; for I beli * ve ho vvas one of the earliest of thos * who devoted themselves to this subj ; ct . One of the benevolent objects he supported , among many others , was to promote work for tho poor prisoners discharged from Newgate , to give them a chance in life again . This , to inv mind , is a very remarkable feitnro in tho oxer .
eise of thab kindly affection which ho has over . shown for all the race . But we should , I think , be forgetful of his cosm > p > iir , in ch iracter if -. ve were not to bear iu mind that his benevolence was never bounded by any distinction of country , race , creed , or political opinion ; but that every child of Adam who needed the helping hand , ho vvai ready
either to lift him from tho dust upon which he might be prostrate , or into a pisition iu which he might be ablo to supp u-S himself . And I have hoard from many a private . source long before this celebration was spoken of—I hive heard the name of Sir Moses Montefi arc mentioned with deep affection by those whom he has substantiall y befri juried .
Iain sure that , our honoured broth ; ,- , in toorcaig on him Iron tinsj four points of view , has realise I tho precept ontaine I iu that great and memorable and epigrammatic precept of the , author to who n I before alluded , for he has realis vl exietly these fo tr p > ints , " H motir all ri ' . on , love the brotherlm > J , i ' e ir G id , honour the King . " An I I Cliia' - ; in c inclusion , we may feel that slu who gave birth to s ioh a man , if she could h u-o sp > k"i In th > eloq a-ant words whiuii I hold here in ray hand —written upon a memorable occasion , and with
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ar00902
j ? I ^ V-lWZ ^ W ^^^ - * .-I ^ TOS-raSHffiS ^
The Montefiore Centenary Celebration.
THE MONTEFIORE CENTENARY CELEBRATION .
* THE Masonio gathering , on Monday , to celebrate the completion by Sir Moses Montefiore , Bart ., of his hundredth year , was one of the most enthusiastic over hold in tho metropolis . Tlie first part of the proceedings—fche holding of a Lodge of Emergency by the Montefiore Lodge ,
No . 1017—took place at tho Cafe Royal , Regent-street , where , after tho usual formalities of opening the Lodge , the W . M . ( Bro . N . Hyman Benjamin ) remarked that the object of tho interesting occasion was to move a vote of
congratulation to Sir Moses Montefiore upon his having completed his one hundredth year . The vote was to be proposed by the Rev . R . J . Simpson , Past Grand Chaplain of England , and , as they would see from the agenda , it was to have been seconded bv their esteemed Past Master
S . V . Abraham . As they were aware , however , Bro . Abraham , through a severe domestic affliction , was unable to be present . He was sure that there was no one in the Lodge with whom tho members would more heartily commiserate . Bro . Abraham was desirous that no formal vote of sympathy shonld be forwarded , but in his position
as Master he ( Bro . Benjamin ) could not let the occasion pass without stating publicl y before them his sympathy with him . It was Bro . Abraham ' s desire that tho only other founder of the Lodge remaining amongst , them—Bro . Lewis Jacobs , their Treasurer—should second tbe resolution .
The Rev . R . J . Simpson P . G . C . then rose and said : — WOKSHIFFUI , MASTER , BROTHER WARDENS AND BRETHREN , —The resolution Unit I have Ihe honour to proposo is as follows : — "That the brethren now assembled in open Lodgo tender to their revered Brother S r Moses Montefiore , Bart ., tleir most sincere svul hearty
congratulations on his having this rl .-iy completer ! the hundredth year of his nseful aud honourable lifo . Thoy pray that the Great Architect of the Universe , in His infinite goodness , may still-preserve him to continue tho good work of his life ; make him still acceptor ! of his brethren ; loyal and trne to his sovereign ami adopted
country ; interested in the welfare of nil mankind , and crowned with the blessing of a good name . " Worshipfnl Master , I deem myself peculiarly happy in having the groat privilege of proposing this resolution , move particularly when I bear in mind that my brother Masons assembled in this room aro tho representatives of five
Masonic Lodges in the metropolis , and that we are also representatives of various creeds and political opinions . In Masonry , as yon and I know , neither difference of creed or of political opinion can have any weight with ns . Assembled beneath the canopy of a Masonic temple , these differences for the time being cease
to exist . In presence , therefore , of such a body , I think it ia not an inapt snbjecfc to which I call yonr attention , because if there be a man who has , more than any other , perhnns , of his time done his best , to assuage differences of opinion , to cause happiness to be spreading among all men it is
the brother whose distinguished name is upon the face of this r , > solution , and in whose hononr we are especially met to-night . Under such circumstances , therefore , brethren , I feel that this is an historical occasion ; and when one considers the fact that a linn 'red years have been allotted to our worthy and revered brother , one
should bear in mind that this is no small portion ont of tho history of time . A' man who has lived a hundred years—even an ordinary charactct—is a person npon whom we lo > k naturally with deep interest . A hundred years is only the thirty-third part of tho interval of time which carries ns back to tho first yreat Passover .
in which the first geat act of emancipation of tho Jewish race from the tyranny of man to the glorious liberty of the children of God was enacted . Eighteen of these periods carry ns bank to the great era in the history of the Hebrew race to which I need not further allnde . It is but a span in the history of time , but it is n vary
remarkable one , but when we find that , as in this cas * , the object of onr meeting to-night is to do honour to a man who is not onl y full o years but full of honours , the matter becomes of deener interest still . But when we consider that non only the year .- ) , but the honours of our brother aro to be taken into consideration , a question perhaps
mi g ht arise in some minds—npon what aro these honours founded — npon hen ditary tenure ? are they founded upon military gln-y ? are they founded upon commercial snecess , three of the great bas > 8 op > n -which we often find honours depend ? I wonld venture to suv , Sir
that they do not in this case depend npon any of the three , thong ' to some extent these three may form part of thoso honours . I venture to think that tho honours of Sir Moses Montefi ire stand upon truer bases ; npon faithfulness to his G > d , npon love to Ins brethren of the s uno race and religion ; on his devotion to hie sovereign in
The Montefiore Centenary Celebration.
hi * adopted hind , and finally on his charity to all men . T * is n <* t for m Si-, to speak-if rhe du > y incumbent on u roan M be faithful to ai ~ Go I , hn ! in ihi ' j day an I under ihe ciivomstam- ¦; in which wo iiv . , even in td is higVy favoured connM-v , ir is well {' or us as Mas ms ¦ s -veil a- ! .. n- 'M thar veueri ' e those who have proved faithful to tho ( " ' rent Architect , ot the Uiiiver »> : and hence io the ease of our
brother , we may fairly and truly say tha ho has proved himself not merely a go . nl man but a good Mas > n , in showing , as he has done , the devont faithfulness of a true follower of his God . The longer I live the more do [ feel that peace and order and happiness depend most materially upon keeping ( tod always before us , and . however much wo may be subjected to the ribaldry of
a v . iin world , or the scorn of t . ' io . s- who bring down their principles to their practice , his * - > ad of raising their pr .-vtioe to thoir principles—[ say the longer I live the more thoroughl y do I feel that peace and happiness , truth and justice , religion and piety m-isi . find thoir basis in onr faithfulness to God . But in this eise , Sir . . vo find , as a second basis , tho love of oar hi other to his brethren . A great and a noble
Jew eighteen hundred years a _ 'o said . " Let us do good unto all men , but , especially to thoso who are of the household of fait . li . " No ono acted more up-- that principle than Sir Moses Moutofiirn . Seven times did he v > the city of his soul . Many ; v pilgrimage did ho make to raise ! d ¦ fallen , to cheer tho faint , to relievo tho oppressed , to sot tho captive free ; from the boy who was kidnapped by
ecclesiastical tyranny to the men who , by hundreds , were persecute . ! on account of their faith , was this our brother roady to traverse through diffimitios nnd dangers to unite in forming a column for mutual defence and support . And doubtless in tbe timo to come when history shall deal with theso cases , the name of Sir Moses Montefiore will come out in
bolder relief than it can in the present time whilo he lives as the man who in Germany and Russia and Italy , in Spain , iu A ' sane , Albania , Turkey , Morocco , and in England vvas the first who , to a great extent , mado his brethren the objects of his lovo and of his labours—love that vvas not unrequited—labonrs that woro not in vain ; and if I am not mistaken iu speaking of work , I think I may
say in presence of my brethren who know much more of history , especially this history , than I do , that during the century Sir Moses Montefiore has lived in , moro has been done to free from persecution and to raise in the social and political scale tho Hebrew race than for seventeen hundred years before . It is tho dawn of a happier day ; there is another spirit abroad T may and do think . I do feel iu
my heart what was stated , and I echo it from ths Jerusalem chamber whore oue of your own brethren , ray excellent friend Serjeant Simon , when after an admirable address by Mrs . Finn upon the customs and manners of tho Jewish people , he proposed a vote of thanks , and said that if over a time shonld como when those who wore now divided should become ono it would be brought about not
by persecution , nay , not even by active proselytism , however desirable that may appear to some benevolent persons , but by the brotherly lovo that can hold out the hand of true faith and love to a persecuted brother , and who is ready with his means and his words t > relievo them from the state of distress into which persecution has caused them to fall . Aud , sir , I
feel that the-a words wore indeed true . I feel the longer I live that wo have to make it clearly shown that we have the good aud the welfare of our brethren at heart before we seek to bring them to out * own views . It is true that the subject of our meeting to-night differed from the views of his own brotherhood up in more than one
question ; but we know that that is the case among other religions bodies ; and all we can say in such a case as this , that we must admire the sincerity of heart and independence of character whioh can assert its own , without either finding a prejudice or prepossession , if others are dealing uncharitably by their opinions . I hold that a man is to be moro admired than condemned who holds his own under
such circumstances . But Sir Moses , not only performed these acts for his brethren ; he made these p Igriraages , nofc of superstition , but of charity . Ho made these for the lovo of his brethren ; but he also forgot not his native laud—rather , I should siy , his adopted lau I . Sir Moses Montefi ire , though born oat of Bigl i id , was sincerely a Briton , from the day he carried the despatches from Navarino — he
was then a captain in the Surrey Militia—down to tho time when ho welcomed the statesman returning from Germany on au important mission to this country . Apart from political objects , Sir Moses Montefiore has shown himself a true Englishman ; he has alvvays been most loyal . He took an interest , in promoting banking , and in another matter which mast
be interesting to Masons , namely , the diffusion of light in trie shape of gas ; for I beli * ve ho vvas one of the earliest of thos * who devoted themselves to this subj ; ct . One of the benevolent objects he supported , among many others , was to promote work for tho poor prisoners discharged from Newgate , to give them a chance in life again . This , to inv mind , is a very remarkable feitnro in tho oxer .
eise of thab kindly affection which ho has over . shown for all the race . But we should , I think , be forgetful of his cosm > p > iir , in ch iracter if -. ve were not to bear iu mind that his benevolence was never bounded by any distinction of country , race , creed , or political opinion ; but that every child of Adam who needed the helping hand , ho vvai ready
either to lift him from tho dust upon which he might be prostrate , or into a pisition iu which he might be ablo to supp u-S himself . And I have hoard from many a private . source long before this celebration was spoken of—I hive heard the name of Sir Moses Montefi arc mentioned with deep affection by those whom he has substantiall y befri juried .
Iain sure that , our honoured broth ; ,- , in toorcaig on him Iron tinsj four points of view , has realise I tho precept ontaine I iu that great and memorable and epigrammatic precept of the , author to who n I before alluded , for he has realis vl exietly these fo tr p > ints , " H motir all ri ' . on , love the brotherlm > J , i ' e ir G id , honour the King . " An I I Cliia' - ; in c inclusion , we may feel that slu who gave birth to s ioh a man , if she could h u-o sp > k"i In th > eloq a-ant words whiuii I hold here in ray hand —written upon a memorable occasion , and with