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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 2 of 7 →
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Provincial.
_ The cloth being removed , the usual loyal and Masonic toasts AA'ere given and responded to with every demonstration of respect and good feeling . A party of ladies were admitted , at their particular request . The W . P . G . M ., in proposing then- health , made allusions to the various circumstances connected Avith tlie subject ; and the toast Avas responded to on their behalf b y Bro . SteAvard Kempthorne '
in a pleasant and appropriate strain . The P . G . L . was honoured with the attendance of several P . G . Officers and Brethren ofthe Sister ProA'ince of Devon ; and the D . P . G . M . took occasion to propose the health of their P . G . M . the Rt . Hon . the Earl Fortescue , in connection with the Officers and Lodges of that Province , with thanks to those present for their fraternal visit , which elicited an appropriate reply . In the course of the day the D . P . G . M . gave the folloAving address , which was , as usual , well received -.
—" To men sincerely interested in the welfare of society , and of their country , it must be particularl y agreeable to reflect on the rapid progress and general diffusion of the Poyal Art through almost every part of the habitable Avorld ; wherever learning and civilisation are found , there Freemasonry also flourishes ; and in particular -within the present age has it taken sure footiu g in Great Britain . Whatever may be the case in other kingdomsAvein this boast of
, , , may our superiorit y to those illiberal prejudices , Avhich not only cramp the genius , but , as it were , sour the temper of man and disturb the agreeable intercourse of society . Among us , Ereemasonry is no longer confined within the schools of the philosophers or the courts of princes , but , like all the greatest advantages which Heaven has bestowed on mankind , it has become as universal as it is useful .
This general diffusion of Masonic knowledge is one effect of that happy constitution of government which constitutes the peculiar glory of the nation . To their improvement in the Masonic art , therefore , men of letters have lately directed their studies ; as the great body of Masons , no less than the dignified , the learned , or the wealthy , few have an acknowledged title to be amused and instructed .
Books are of little use in the scientific part of Masonry , but they are the grand outlines of Masonic morality , and the superstructure of the Royal Art . ^ Hence , to promote and advance this improvement , intermingled with our social Lodge meetings and annual associations , like the present , Avill always , I trust , be the chief object of our fraternal assemblings . " In looking at the present state of tbe Order , Great Britain , of
course , claims our first thoughts ; and though she cannot boast of a more luxuriant soil or happier climate than many other countries , she has advantages of another and superior kind , which make her the delight , the envy , and the mistress of tbe world . AVith regard to Ereemasonry in the British empire , as I have already said , it has been singularly successful , particularly of late years . Throughout Furope an important system of practical Masonic knoAvledge is inculcated . In Asia , though in some respects the most famous quarter of the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
_ The cloth being removed , the usual loyal and Masonic toasts AA'ere given and responded to with every demonstration of respect and good feeling . A party of ladies were admitted , at their particular request . The W . P . G . M ., in proposing then- health , made allusions to the various circumstances connected Avith tlie subject ; and the toast Avas responded to on their behalf b y Bro . SteAvard Kempthorne '
in a pleasant and appropriate strain . The P . G . L . was honoured with the attendance of several P . G . Officers and Brethren ofthe Sister ProA'ince of Devon ; and the D . P . G . M . took occasion to propose the health of their P . G . M . the Rt . Hon . the Earl Fortescue , in connection with the Officers and Lodges of that Province , with thanks to those present for their fraternal visit , which elicited an appropriate reply . In the course of the day the D . P . G . M . gave the folloAving address , which was , as usual , well received -.
—" To men sincerely interested in the welfare of society , and of their country , it must be particularl y agreeable to reflect on the rapid progress and general diffusion of the Poyal Art through almost every part of the habitable Avorld ; wherever learning and civilisation are found , there Freemasonry also flourishes ; and in particular -within the present age has it taken sure footiu g in Great Britain . Whatever may be the case in other kingdomsAvein this boast of
, , , may our superiorit y to those illiberal prejudices , Avhich not only cramp the genius , but , as it were , sour the temper of man and disturb the agreeable intercourse of society . Among us , Ereemasonry is no longer confined within the schools of the philosophers or the courts of princes , but , like all the greatest advantages which Heaven has bestowed on mankind , it has become as universal as it is useful .
This general diffusion of Masonic knowledge is one effect of that happy constitution of government which constitutes the peculiar glory of the nation . To their improvement in the Masonic art , therefore , men of letters have lately directed their studies ; as the great body of Masons , no less than the dignified , the learned , or the wealthy , few have an acknowledged title to be amused and instructed .
Books are of little use in the scientific part of Masonry , but they are the grand outlines of Masonic morality , and the superstructure of the Royal Art . ^ Hence , to promote and advance this improvement , intermingled with our social Lodge meetings and annual associations , like the present , Avill always , I trust , be the chief object of our fraternal assemblings . " In looking at the present state of tbe Order , Great Britain , of
course , claims our first thoughts ; and though she cannot boast of a more luxuriant soil or happier climate than many other countries , she has advantages of another and superior kind , which make her the delight , the envy , and the mistress of tbe world . AVith regard to Ereemasonry in the British empire , as I have already said , it has been singularly successful , particularly of late years . Throughout Furope an important system of practical Masonic knoAvledge is inculcated . In Asia , though in some respects the most famous quarter of the