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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 11 of 25 →
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Provincial.
terests of Masonry are to be promoted and encouraged —( a laugh ) . But if Masonry disdains—if Masonry despises such an exhibition of disinterested benevolence , then it is not the system which I have always believed it to be . If such designs and such practices be inconsistent with its principles , —if the Freemasomy of these times be converted into an engine for the persecution of those who practise the duties which were considered by our ancient Brethren as the sterling virtues of the
Order , then I would say at once , let it be given to the four winds of heaven , and let the Asylum charity be enrolled under some other banner —( loud cheering)—and I need not hesitate to affirm , that there is no other Christian institution in existence but would be proud of it —( cheers ) . I am sure you will agree with me that honours and rewards ought to be liberally showered on the philanthropist who originated such a god-like lan . But what is the fact ? like myselfhe has been proscribed and
p , punished ; he has been subjected to a series of ruinous persecutions ; slanders , the most heartless , have been propagated , to cast a blight on his reputation , and ruin his prospects in life—all false , and all fabricated and circulated by men who profess to be actuated by a regard for the best interests of Masonry . How easy it is for men to profess a virtue which they do not possess . But Bro . Crucefix has nobly sustained a conflict that would have crushed a man of less honestyand less
integ-, rity of character—( cheers)—and he has his reward in the approbation of his own conscience , and the publicly-expressed commendations of the Craft . The Brethren have rallied round him . —a most superb and valuable testimony bas been presented , in sympathy for his virtues and his sufferings , and I am proud to say that the Brethren of this province
have done their duty towards him —( loud cheers)—but still more proud am I—although I am now suffering the effects of it—that my humble services were called into requisition as the president of the day . Do I regret the circumstance ? So far from regretting it , it constituted an era in a long and eventful life —( cheers ) . I shall never forget the affecting scene when the testimonial was presented . Crowds of devoted Brethren hailing Masonic worth , in the presence of the amiable object of their enthusiasmand cheering him forward to lete the
, comp great duty he had imposed on himself—of providing an Asylum for old age and destitution—( loud cheers ) It is a day to be remembered—a day that never will be forgotten by any of that numerous assembly who were congregated together to do honour to as worthy a Mason as ever was girded with the sacred cincture attached to the badge of innocence ^( cheers ) . The gist of the whole matter may be summed up in a few words : —I was the instrument through whom the Craft presented a
testimonial to Dr . Crucefix , because he is a benevolent man , and has succeeded , by great sacrifices , both of time and money , in establishing a noble institution . The P . G . M . proposed , in Grand Lodge , that this man , to whom the Craft is under such weighty obligations , should be expelled . Now , Brethren , which do you think is to be most commended , I , who was an instrument in rewarding virtue , or the P . G . M ., who would have punished it ? The P . G . M . did not the
possess power of expelling Dr . Crucefix , because the members of the Grand Lodge would not consent to a measure of such flagrant injustice ; but he did possess the poiver of dismissing me—( cheers)—because it was not legally necessary to consult the members of the P . G . Lodge ; and he has exercised that power in a most offensive manner , by placing me in an invidious position before the public . Notwithstanding this , I sincerely
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
terests of Masonry are to be promoted and encouraged —( a laugh ) . But if Masonry disdains—if Masonry despises such an exhibition of disinterested benevolence , then it is not the system which I have always believed it to be . If such designs and such practices be inconsistent with its principles , —if the Freemasomy of these times be converted into an engine for the persecution of those who practise the duties which were considered by our ancient Brethren as the sterling virtues of the
Order , then I would say at once , let it be given to the four winds of heaven , and let the Asylum charity be enrolled under some other banner —( loud cheering)—and I need not hesitate to affirm , that there is no other Christian institution in existence but would be proud of it —( cheers ) . I am sure you will agree with me that honours and rewards ought to be liberally showered on the philanthropist who originated such a god-like lan . But what is the fact ? like myselfhe has been proscribed and
p , punished ; he has been subjected to a series of ruinous persecutions ; slanders , the most heartless , have been propagated , to cast a blight on his reputation , and ruin his prospects in life—all false , and all fabricated and circulated by men who profess to be actuated by a regard for the best interests of Masonry . How easy it is for men to profess a virtue which they do not possess . But Bro . Crucefix has nobly sustained a conflict that would have crushed a man of less honestyand less
integ-, rity of character—( cheers)—and he has his reward in the approbation of his own conscience , and the publicly-expressed commendations of the Craft . The Brethren have rallied round him . —a most superb and valuable testimony bas been presented , in sympathy for his virtues and his sufferings , and I am proud to say that the Brethren of this province
have done their duty towards him —( loud cheers)—but still more proud am I—although I am now suffering the effects of it—that my humble services were called into requisition as the president of the day . Do I regret the circumstance ? So far from regretting it , it constituted an era in a long and eventful life —( cheers ) . I shall never forget the affecting scene when the testimonial was presented . Crowds of devoted Brethren hailing Masonic worth , in the presence of the amiable object of their enthusiasmand cheering him forward to lete the
, comp great duty he had imposed on himself—of providing an Asylum for old age and destitution—( loud cheers ) It is a day to be remembered—a day that never will be forgotten by any of that numerous assembly who were congregated together to do honour to as worthy a Mason as ever was girded with the sacred cincture attached to the badge of innocence ^( cheers ) . The gist of the whole matter may be summed up in a few words : —I was the instrument through whom the Craft presented a
testimonial to Dr . Crucefix , because he is a benevolent man , and has succeeded , by great sacrifices , both of time and money , in establishing a noble institution . The P . G . M . proposed , in Grand Lodge , that this man , to whom the Craft is under such weighty obligations , should be expelled . Now , Brethren , which do you think is to be most commended , I , who was an instrument in rewarding virtue , or the P . G . M ., who would have punished it ? The P . G . M . did not the
possess power of expelling Dr . Crucefix , because the members of the Grand Lodge would not consent to a measure of such flagrant injustice ; but he did possess the poiver of dismissing me—( cheers)—because it was not legally necessary to consult the members of the P . G . Lodge ; and he has exercised that power in a most offensive manner , by placing me in an invidious position before the public . Notwithstanding this , I sincerely