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Article MASONIC CHIT CHAT. ← Page 4 of 5 →
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Masonic Chit Chat.
to sacrifice their own paltry ambition , remind him of the splendid sacrifice of St . Clair of Roslin , who suffered not his own honors to stand for one moment in competition with the interests of the Fraternity ; who for the love he bore the Craft freely laid down his famil y honors , and resign > d those hereditary dignities ivhich were his pride and his boast—the gift of kings , the heritage of ages . Drink with reverence and gratitude , and affection " to the memory of St . Clair of Roslinthe last Hereditary
, , Grand Master of Scotland . " The sentiments expressed by the noble Brother in the following address on the same occasion , are equally characteristic of his instructive zeal , and his enlarged mind .
" PROSPERITY TO FREEMASONRY ALL OVER THE WORLD . "I do not remember , my Brethren , that I ever rose to propose a toast with more entire satisfaction and concurrence on my own part than now ; every true-hearted Mason will enter warmly into these my feelings , when he learns that the pledge which I am about to request you to join me in drinking is " Prosperity to Freemasonry all over the world . " Although
I cannot pretend to any great proficiency in Masonic knowledge , nor would venture to attempt to fathom the depths of its antiquity , 1 do not the less claim to be thought sincere , when I express my admiration and deep respect for the science of Freemasonry . When I call to mind the circumstances of the degrees , through which I have had the honor to pass , I am filled with admiration of the pure mortality ofthe principles inculcatedthe beauty of the ceremonies and the chaste and
, striking language in which instruction is conveyed . I reverence Freemasonry , for that it employs , symbolically , the implements of the art which we profess , to teach us to contemplate the mighty hand of the Creator , and is ever reminding us , by them , of that Almighty Architect of the Universe , who " layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters who hath laid the foundations of the earth , so that they cannot be
removed for ever "—while , by another symbol , it calls to our recollection , that not only our deeds but the thoughts too of our inmost hearts are beneath the inspection of that All-seeing Eye which " never slumbereth nor sleepeth . " I reverence it when I reflect on the many occasions on which its principles have been brought into valuable practice ; when I learn that it has the power to bend the hardest heart to deeds of kindness and benevolence ; that again and again it has availed to stay the
uplifted arm of a deadl y foe , and provide a refuge and a home for the houseless wanderer , to comfort , the widow ' s anxious heart , aud still the orphan ' s cry , I regard it too , for the advantages , ivhich , in another point of view , it bestows on us , by the manner in which it is able to bring together , in festive intercourse , many who from the difference of station in which Providence has seen fit to place them , might otherwise have had no opportunity of sociallmeeting togetherand from the
faciy , lities which it thus affords for enabling them to form each other ' s acquaintance , each to learn the other ' s taste and manners and feelings , and mutually to contribute to each other ' s enjoyment . Especially I regard it , for that amidst the discord and dissensions of this troubled world , Masonry , and Masonry alone , has been able to provide one sacred spot .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Chit Chat.
to sacrifice their own paltry ambition , remind him of the splendid sacrifice of St . Clair of Roslin , who suffered not his own honors to stand for one moment in competition with the interests of the Fraternity ; who for the love he bore the Craft freely laid down his famil y honors , and resign > d those hereditary dignities ivhich were his pride and his boast—the gift of kings , the heritage of ages . Drink with reverence and gratitude , and affection " to the memory of St . Clair of Roslinthe last Hereditary
, , Grand Master of Scotland . " The sentiments expressed by the noble Brother in the following address on the same occasion , are equally characteristic of his instructive zeal , and his enlarged mind .
" PROSPERITY TO FREEMASONRY ALL OVER THE WORLD . "I do not remember , my Brethren , that I ever rose to propose a toast with more entire satisfaction and concurrence on my own part than now ; every true-hearted Mason will enter warmly into these my feelings , when he learns that the pledge which I am about to request you to join me in drinking is " Prosperity to Freemasonry all over the world . " Although
I cannot pretend to any great proficiency in Masonic knowledge , nor would venture to attempt to fathom the depths of its antiquity , 1 do not the less claim to be thought sincere , when I express my admiration and deep respect for the science of Freemasonry . When I call to mind the circumstances of the degrees , through which I have had the honor to pass , I am filled with admiration of the pure mortality ofthe principles inculcatedthe beauty of the ceremonies and the chaste and
, striking language in which instruction is conveyed . I reverence Freemasonry , for that it employs , symbolically , the implements of the art which we profess , to teach us to contemplate the mighty hand of the Creator , and is ever reminding us , by them , of that Almighty Architect of the Universe , who " layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters who hath laid the foundations of the earth , so that they cannot be
removed for ever "—while , by another symbol , it calls to our recollection , that not only our deeds but the thoughts too of our inmost hearts are beneath the inspection of that All-seeing Eye which " never slumbereth nor sleepeth . " I reverence it when I reflect on the many occasions on which its principles have been brought into valuable practice ; when I learn that it has the power to bend the hardest heart to deeds of kindness and benevolence ; that again and again it has availed to stay the
uplifted arm of a deadl y foe , and provide a refuge and a home for the houseless wanderer , to comfort , the widow ' s anxious heart , aud still the orphan ' s cry , I regard it too , for the advantages , ivhich , in another point of view , it bestows on us , by the manner in which it is able to bring together , in festive intercourse , many who from the difference of station in which Providence has seen fit to place them , might otherwise have had no opportunity of sociallmeeting togetherand from the
faciy , lities which it thus affords for enabling them to form each other ' s acquaintance , each to learn the other ' s taste and manners and feelings , and mutually to contribute to each other ' s enjoyment . Especially I regard it , for that amidst the discord and dissensions of this troubled world , Masonry , and Masonry alone , has been able to provide one sacred spot .