Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Supreme Grand Council Of The Thirty-Third Degree,
our R . W . D . G . AI . Bro . Phillips , yet there are acts ancl efforts of his which , from a long personal acquaintance and official intercourse I feel proud to speak of , and one or two of which I shall briefly allude to . I had the pleasure of first witnessing his efforts for the preservation of our Order in this State , at the time when political anti-Masonry was threatening destruction to our beloved institution , by standing prominently forth with a few kindred spiritsand nobly sustaining the principles of
, our Order . 1 dare not trust myself to go fully into detail , lest I might detain you too long ; suffice it to say , the storm at last spent itself , though not without , in a great measure , impairing the usefulness of our Order in this State ; for , from about five hundred Lodges then under this jurisdiction , we were reduced to seventy-two working Lodges—our permanent fund seriously reduced , ancl the Grand Loclge largely in debt ; but , thanks to his untiring efforts , through the success of the
different projects brought forward by him , the Grand Lodge is once more , as I have been officially informed , noiv entirely free from debt . But , my Brethren , while attending to the repairing of our financial condition , he lost not sight of our working and social state , but by the introduction of a model Loclge , which all would do well to imitate , and by the representative system , he has contributed to our information , our comfortand our leasure . I will mention but one moreand one which
, p , I deem the crowning excellence of all—the Alasonie hall and asylum fund ( which , when completed , will be a home for the distressed Mason , the poor widows of Masons , and their orphan children , of this , our great State of New York ) , which , in the beginning , had his unaided efforts alone , and , from the comparative mite that crowned his first efforts
about three years since , the fund now consists of about three thousand dollars—a noble example that I trust will not be lost sight of by the fraternity of this State . Brethren , I will not longer detain you than to ask you to assist me at the sound of the well-known Masonic signal in the toast prepared for the occasion : — " Our guest , the R . W . James Herring , P . G . S . of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York . Honour to whom honour is clue . " After the applause had subsidedBro . HERRING responded as
fol-, lows : —R . W . and Brethren , —According to usage on occasions of this kind , something will be expected from me in acknowledgment of the honour done me , by this testimony of your approbation of my conduct during a period of seventeen years , that I have occupied the office of Grand Secretary . After the addresses of the Deputy and Past Deputy Grand Master , there would appear to be really very little necessary to be said by me , beyond an expression of my thanks to the Brethren who ,
whether , present or absent , have united in this testimonial . I feel that it would be unbecoming of me to speak of myself , and I cannot well speak of my past labours without doing so . Neither do I wish to allude to those who have conferred upon me the honour of bearing the title of Past Grand Secretary . I recognize the perfect right of the Grand Lodge to elect whomsoever they please as their officers , and I have not the least objection to the result of the late election in that body . As I said at the timeso I continue to believeit relieves me from great care
, , , labour , and responsibility , of which they know but little , ancl it will be undoubtedly greatly to the advantage of myself and those dependent upon me . But , while I feel all this , I cannot but feel a very great objection to the manner in which that result was brought about . Midnight canvasses with locked doors , and a seal upon the lips , are not
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Supreme Grand Council Of The Thirty-Third Degree,
our R . W . D . G . AI . Bro . Phillips , yet there are acts ancl efforts of his which , from a long personal acquaintance and official intercourse I feel proud to speak of , and one or two of which I shall briefly allude to . I had the pleasure of first witnessing his efforts for the preservation of our Order in this State , at the time when political anti-Masonry was threatening destruction to our beloved institution , by standing prominently forth with a few kindred spiritsand nobly sustaining the principles of
, our Order . 1 dare not trust myself to go fully into detail , lest I might detain you too long ; suffice it to say , the storm at last spent itself , though not without , in a great measure , impairing the usefulness of our Order in this State ; for , from about five hundred Lodges then under this jurisdiction , we were reduced to seventy-two working Lodges—our permanent fund seriously reduced , ancl the Grand Loclge largely in debt ; but , thanks to his untiring efforts , through the success of the
different projects brought forward by him , the Grand Lodge is once more , as I have been officially informed , noiv entirely free from debt . But , my Brethren , while attending to the repairing of our financial condition , he lost not sight of our working and social state , but by the introduction of a model Loclge , which all would do well to imitate , and by the representative system , he has contributed to our information , our comfortand our leasure . I will mention but one moreand one which
, p , I deem the crowning excellence of all—the Alasonie hall and asylum fund ( which , when completed , will be a home for the distressed Mason , the poor widows of Masons , and their orphan children , of this , our great State of New York ) , which , in the beginning , had his unaided efforts alone , and , from the comparative mite that crowned his first efforts
about three years since , the fund now consists of about three thousand dollars—a noble example that I trust will not be lost sight of by the fraternity of this State . Brethren , I will not longer detain you than to ask you to assist me at the sound of the well-known Masonic signal in the toast prepared for the occasion : — " Our guest , the R . W . James Herring , P . G . S . of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York . Honour to whom honour is clue . " After the applause had subsidedBro . HERRING responded as
fol-, lows : —R . W . and Brethren , —According to usage on occasions of this kind , something will be expected from me in acknowledgment of the honour done me , by this testimony of your approbation of my conduct during a period of seventeen years , that I have occupied the office of Grand Secretary . After the addresses of the Deputy and Past Deputy Grand Master , there would appear to be really very little necessary to be said by me , beyond an expression of my thanks to the Brethren who ,
whether , present or absent , have united in this testimonial . I feel that it would be unbecoming of me to speak of myself , and I cannot well speak of my past labours without doing so . Neither do I wish to allude to those who have conferred upon me the honour of bearing the title of Past Grand Secretary . I recognize the perfect right of the Grand Lodge to elect whomsoever they please as their officers , and I have not the least objection to the result of the late election in that body . As I said at the timeso I continue to believeit relieves me from great care
, , , labour , and responsibility , of which they know but little , ancl it will be undoubtedly greatly to the advantage of myself and those dependent upon me . But , while I feel all this , I cannot but feel a very great objection to the manner in which that result was brought about . Midnight canvasses with locked doors , and a seal upon the lips , are not