Morris Memorial Monument.

MORRIS MEMORIAL MONUMENT .

Address by Hon . Elisha S . Fitch , Past Grand Master , on the Occasion of the Dedication and Unveiling of the Monument erected by the Craft of the United States to the Memory of Bro . Bob Morris , LL . D ., Past Grand Master of Masons in Kentucky and I oet Laureate of Freemasonry , at La Grange , Kentucky , 29 th May 1 S 91 . ( Continued from p 373 . )

lyTO writor , perhaps , of any age or country , has been _ Ll more successful in stamping his own image , the Una . ments of his own character , upon the productions of his pen , and of them all it may be justly said :

" The words which thou hast ottered , Are of thy sonl a part ; « And the good seed thou bast scattered la springing from the heart . "

As a poet , while it is true that our laureated brother never attempted , and , therefore has never contributed to our literature any elaborate or pretentious epic , it is nevertheless true that his poetic writings , embracing a wide

range of topics , are all of acknowledged merit , and have secured for their author an enviable distinction among his contemporaries in the world of letters . Distinguished throughout by a devotional spirit of the highest type , there are found underlying his easy versification an indefinable

magnetism , a fervour of feeling , and an outflow of soul , which at once and for ever enshrine him in our hearts and hold ; us in charmed captivity tp his power . His impromptu

poems , descriptive of localities , scenes and incidents , which embellish his " Travels in Holy Land , " are replete with a beautiful oriental imagery , rich with all the jewelry of

thought , and suggest to us that , our Poet Laureate might

liave sat for that picture which Bailey has drawn : " The Bard mnst have a kind , courageous heart , And natural chivalry to aid the weak ; He must believe the best of everything ; Love all below , and worship all above . "

We hesitate not to express the conviction that the fame of our brother as a poet will rest chiefly on his Masonic Odes and Sentimental Lyrios . These inspirations seemed" Native to his mind ,

Like preoious pearls , within a olasping shell ; And winning grace , his every line refined , Like sunshine shedding beanty whero it fell . "

These Odes and Lyrics not only exceed in number , but also excel in pathos , all that have ever been inspired by our mysteries , or dedicated to our Craft during the many centuries of its existence , notwithstanding the well known fact that many of the most eminents poets of every age and country havo been enrolled among her votaries . Viewed

from this standpoint , therefore , the triumphant laureation of Bob Morris , in the oity of New York , 17 th December 1885 , as par excellence " The Poet of Feemasonry , " was simply an aot of justice on the part of the Fraternity at large , an extraordinary distinction as well deserved as it

was honourably conferred and universally approved . ' As a Masonic ' lecturer Bro . Morris was well nigh ubiquitous , and stands without a peer in the realm of Masonry . Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Masonic philanthropy , he at once became its champion missionary —not indeed to solicit the " profane" to enter the sacred

precinots of the temple , but to relume the desecrated altars of this temple with the true Promethean fire , to restore and dignify its ancient ritualism , to elevate its practical morality , to arouse the general Craft to a sense of duty and achievement toward their fellow men , and to impress , by

precept and example , an unfaltering "trust in God . " Accepting this as his high and holy mission , " No pent up Utica contracts his powers . " The Masonic world at large becomes the theatre of his labours , and the prosperity of

the universal brotherhood the guerdon and goal of his ambition . In the prosecution of this mission his zeal and unflagging energy were simply phenomenal . With courage undaunted by any obstacle , with hope ever buoyant , whether in the sunshine or under tho shadow , he passed

like a meteor from Lodge to Lodge , from district to district , from state to state , from continent to continent , directing and enlightening the brotherhood in the pathway and purposes , the ritual and the ethics of Freemasonry . And

Morris Memorial Monument.

wherever he went , whether among his own countrymen , or meeting upon the level in their tyled retreats with the crowned heads of Europe , or the princes and potentates of the eastern empire , or sounding the symbolic gavel in

the subterranean chambers of some ancient ruin of the Holy Land , his presence was over greeted with fraternal joy , his person honoured with the highest badge of Masonic distinction , and his welcomo sigualized by a spontaneous ovation of Masonio hearts . Whether in the " old Ken .

tuckyhome , " or on the western plains , amid the savannas of the South , or the metropolitan cities of tha North , traversiug " Free America , " or visiting " Merry England , " exploring tho Asiatic coast , or standing with chisel and mallet upon the Pyramids of Egypt , he wi : s everywhere

hailed by tho " good and true" as tho avant conreur of Masonio light , the accredited and heroic herald of the mystic Craft , a moving " pillar of fire" to direct tho " Sons of Light" in their wilderness march , and a " pillar of cloud" to baffle and defeat the Pharaohan hosts of infidelity

and anti Masonry . The harshest criticism , perhaps , which has fallen within our notice , as emanating from his brethren , has been that he was an overzealmts craftsman , subordinating all other purposes of life to the -weal and advancement of

Freemasonry . This criticism may be just , but to one possessed of his ardent temperament and earnest convictions it was a " manifest destiny " to become the devotee to

any cause which his judgment endorsed , his conscience approved , and his heart espoused . In harmony with the theological bond of his early education and training , it was but natural that he should become fascinated with an

institution which accepted the revelation of heaven as its " great light , " and which based its mystic superstructure upon the divine philosophy of faith , hope and charity . With the innate ambition of a born antiquarian and relio hunter , he determined to push his researches to the utmost ,

with a view to solve the esoteric mysteries of this champion friend of the Bible , which , throughout all the ages , and despite the malice and persecutions of its enemies , had ao heroically and persistently proclaimed in every land and clime the " Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of

Man . " He found much in the beautiful and symbolic ritual of the Order to inflame and intensify such an ambition , and perhaps no Mason ever became more thoroughly committed to the search for " more light , " and but

few , if any , ever attained to clearer and hig her conceptions of its noble mission into our world , as " a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols ;" and certainly none have ever pushed their inquiries with

such a persistent ambition , snoh an all-absorbing enthusiasm . His Masonic career , as we have seen , began

in earnest ; it was continued in earnest , and he was never willing to relinquish the pursuit of his fondly cherished ideal until he had personally visited the Orient again and again , and literally stood upon the enchanted spot where his beloved Freemasonry first flashed its dazzling splendours around the brow of Mount Moriah !

In view of the extended circuit of his travels , and the incessant and herculean labours connected with these travels , at home and abroad ; in view of the magnetic influence of the man in his social relations and the permeating influence of the Mason in his esoteric teachings

embracing the latter half of the nineteenth century as the period of its development , it is no marvel that the name of Bob Morris has become a household word in every Masonic home , however humble or exalted , throughout the land , and that in every organized association of the

Fraternity , whether Blue Lodge or Chapter , Council or Commandery , the mere mention of that name is at once suggestive of all that is bright in her ritual , authentic in her traditions , pure in her morality , profound in her philosophy , praiseworthy in her philanthropy , or noble and

grand in her personal development . In our Masonic circles it 19 an accepted trnism , that those who knew him best loved him the most . Though battling through life with disease , and ever and anon buffeted by the rude billows of adversity , he was uniformly cheerful and hopeful , and over

kept our " cardinal virtues " on duty as alternat pilots to take the helm of the stately Craft . Few of us have been more fortunate in posting ajjvigilant sentinel at the door of

our lips , none , perhaps , more successful in warding off from the heart the malign influence of rancuorand revenge . While in matters of grave concern he was dignified and conservative , wise in counsel and discreet in action , he was

nevertheless possessed of an irresistible bonhommie which