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Address Of Brother James Burnes, Lld. Km.
ADDRESS OF BROTHER JAMES BURNES , LLD . KM .
PHOVINCIAL GRAND MASTEIl FOB WESTERN INDIA Delivered by him at the Fort Lodge , Calcutta , on the Sth of September , 1840 , * ON THE DUTIES OF THE MASONIC SOLDIER . "At the last assemblage which I attended at Bombay , I had occasion , on taking leave of excellent Brother
an , Conductor William Willis , who was quitting India , to comment , in presence of about fifty Brethren , ou 1 ns honourable career of nearly twenty-five years as a Mason and a soldier , as known to myself ; and certified b y his superior officers then « S £ C feelln S s of the Brethren went with me ; those of the worthy Brother were overcome ; and a scene ensued which would have touched the hearts of most men . Amongst those chiefly interested , was an accomplished scholar and Mason , lately arrived from Europe , Brother George Buist , the editor of the Bombay Times , who entering intensely into the emotions of the old soldier , expressed his conviction of tbP hl
estimable benefits of Masonry , particularly in India , where the high and the . humble of the public services might thus meet together for reciprocal gratification without the fear of assumption on the one side , or loss of dignity on the other . ' v - JVa ^ V } ea r i t 0 flnd my ° P inions confirmed by so observant an mdividual , fori have ever fancied Masonry as a sort of rosy wreath that might be entwined round the iron pillar of military discipline , imparting a and beauty to its form
grace , without impairing its integrity or strength ; since it is a system utterly abhorrent of oppression and insubordination , encouraging attachment to the officer , and even devotion , should he be a Brother , at the same time that it enhances the selfrespect ofthe soldier , by making him feel that in consequence of his moral worth , there is a point at which he and his military superior may be on the levelwhere the good qualities of both
, may become prominently known to each , and where neither would obtain a place , unless under the tongue of good report , well vouched for , and true . J . he misapprehension under which even some intelligent men labour that any person may enter Masonry , is as remarkable as that which induces
the uninitiated to believe that the workings of our Order consist only of festive entertainments ; the conviviality which follows our labours being , m fact , peculiar to , and one of the customs of , our nation for I have attended numerous Masonic meetings on the continent of Eurone and never saw any refreshment introduced . I need not say here that tnere is invariabl y a most rigid scrutiny into the character of candidates which is particularlstrict in the case of soldiers first
y . My experience of this I acquired in a manner which I shall not forget . I had been desired to solicit of the present Earl of Rossl yn to allow his regimental band to attend at the celebration of the centenary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , , n 1836 . His lordship , the representative of a long line of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Address Of Brother James Burnes, Lld. Km.
ADDRESS OF BROTHER JAMES BURNES , LLD . KM .
PHOVINCIAL GRAND MASTEIl FOB WESTERN INDIA Delivered by him at the Fort Lodge , Calcutta , on the Sth of September , 1840 , * ON THE DUTIES OF THE MASONIC SOLDIER . "At the last assemblage which I attended at Bombay , I had occasion , on taking leave of excellent Brother
an , Conductor William Willis , who was quitting India , to comment , in presence of about fifty Brethren , ou 1 ns honourable career of nearly twenty-five years as a Mason and a soldier , as known to myself ; and certified b y his superior officers then « S £ C feelln S s of the Brethren went with me ; those of the worthy Brother were overcome ; and a scene ensued which would have touched the hearts of most men . Amongst those chiefly interested , was an accomplished scholar and Mason , lately arrived from Europe , Brother George Buist , the editor of the Bombay Times , who entering intensely into the emotions of the old soldier , expressed his conviction of tbP hl
estimable benefits of Masonry , particularly in India , where the high and the . humble of the public services might thus meet together for reciprocal gratification without the fear of assumption on the one side , or loss of dignity on the other . ' v - JVa ^ V } ea r i t 0 flnd my ° P inions confirmed by so observant an mdividual , fori have ever fancied Masonry as a sort of rosy wreath that might be entwined round the iron pillar of military discipline , imparting a and beauty to its form
grace , without impairing its integrity or strength ; since it is a system utterly abhorrent of oppression and insubordination , encouraging attachment to the officer , and even devotion , should he be a Brother , at the same time that it enhances the selfrespect ofthe soldier , by making him feel that in consequence of his moral worth , there is a point at which he and his military superior may be on the levelwhere the good qualities of both
, may become prominently known to each , and where neither would obtain a place , unless under the tongue of good report , well vouched for , and true . J . he misapprehension under which even some intelligent men labour that any person may enter Masonry , is as remarkable as that which induces
the uninitiated to believe that the workings of our Order consist only of festive entertainments ; the conviviality which follows our labours being , m fact , peculiar to , and one of the customs of , our nation for I have attended numerous Masonic meetings on the continent of Eurone and never saw any refreshment introduced . I need not say here that tnere is invariabl y a most rigid scrutiny into the character of candidates which is particularlstrict in the case of soldiers first
y . My experience of this I acquired in a manner which I shall not forget . I had been desired to solicit of the present Earl of Rossl yn to allow his regimental band to attend at the celebration of the centenary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , , n 1836 . His lordship , the representative of a long line of