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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 21 of 26 →
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Provincial.
tion for that which , fortuitously and happily , has been the county of my adoption ; and , secondly , an anxious determination to do everything in my power to extend as much as possible tho benefits which I believe to be connected with a consistent practice of the obligations of Masonry . Animated , I repeat , by such feelings , you will readily understand that at the period of my taking office , under our late R . W . Prov . G . M . ( whose death wc so deeply deplored , but whose place , h .-vppily for the good of Masonry , has been so admirably well supplied by his friend and relative , our present excellent P . G . M ., and of
whom our deceased master would have been well pleased had he been permitted to have known that his gavel would have fallen into such hands)—it ' was a matter of deep regret to learn that in this Province Masonry had fallen from its high estate , and was far from being in that flourishing condition in which we could have hoped . For , like the sun , its emblem , it had become obscured . Clouds , if not darkness , had overshadowed its lustre . To raise it to the pinnacle of its ancient glory was the desire and first aim of our late lamented P . G . M ., and of his excellent friend and Deputy , Bro . Thomas . In the relative official position in which I stood , I was necessarily called upon to
aid them in their endeavours—and which my love for the Craft , no less than my sense of duty , led me eagerly to do—well knowing , if the principles of Masonry were rightly brought into operation , they must succeed ; for in all countries , and in all ages , "the true and accepted" have been found to conduct themselves as peaceable citizens , and acknowledged to be the firm and decided supporters of good order , government , and religion . And in eonjunction , therefore , with other Brethren , whose labours and zeal were far more valuable than my own , the Prov . G . Lodge was restored to the state in which it now remains . Little did I dream that my humble services in the good
work would have met with such a reward . Nor can I think that which I was able to do would have been so honoured in any other Fraternity than one , guided by Masonic ldndness and principles . You have judged the little which I was able to perform , by the sentiments which at all times animate the Craft ; and I look upon your splendid gift , as not so much a gift of the value of what you are pleased to consider my services , as it is of the warm and generous feelings by which true Masons are ever imbued , and which never fail to conciliate affection—the better feeling of the heart—a token and a testimony of the liberal construction which Masons ever put upon the smallest services . But
, R . W . Sir and Brethren , this gift is a proof of something more — it is a proof that our principles are not unheeded ; and if indeed it be not actually a proof , it is manifest to you that Masonry has revived , and is progressing ; and as learning , after the flood , had its rise in the east , so Masonry , in the eastern corner of the Province—to use the glowing and metaphorical words of our immortal poet— " Has rear'd her drooping head
And trick d her beams , and with new spangled ore Flamed in the forehead of the morning sky . " —And whilst I say it has shed its influence upon this surrounding district and is flourishing luxuriantly in this our metropolis , let us hope it will spread itself over the whole Province , and set in glory in the west , and so create those feelings of brotherhood and harmony which ever accompany its firm establishment . It is in this respect that this most honourable present is most valuable to me . With these feelings 1 accept your valuable present , with the warmest and most grateful thanks . The Craft has surrounded me with land and faithful
friends , and this has been a source of the greatest gratification to me ; to find that my own feelings towards all my Brethren are so warmly returned , and that my slight exertions have been so magnified , overwhelms me with thankfulness and gratitude . As long as I live , and in whatever situation I may bo placed , I shall never cease to foel the warmest interest in the welfare of tho Lodge ; and bo most anxious to testify my sense of your great and unmerited ldndness ; and I shall hand down to those who come after me this most handsome gift with a pride and satisfaction which it is impossible for me to express . The special relation in which I have stood to you has ceased but the brotherly
; love connected with it , and the gratitude arising from it , will ever remain . My particular thanks are due to the D . Prov . G . M ., and the other officers and members of the P . G . Lodge , for their manifold acts of courtesy which they at all times have shown to me , and I entreat them ,:. with my Brethren all to accept my warmest acknowledgments for their assistance and kindness . Their
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
tion for that which , fortuitously and happily , has been the county of my adoption ; and , secondly , an anxious determination to do everything in my power to extend as much as possible tho benefits which I believe to be connected with a consistent practice of the obligations of Masonry . Animated , I repeat , by such feelings , you will readily understand that at the period of my taking office , under our late R . W . Prov . G . M . ( whose death wc so deeply deplored , but whose place , h .-vppily for the good of Masonry , has been so admirably well supplied by his friend and relative , our present excellent P . G . M ., and of
whom our deceased master would have been well pleased had he been permitted to have known that his gavel would have fallen into such hands)—it ' was a matter of deep regret to learn that in this Province Masonry had fallen from its high estate , and was far from being in that flourishing condition in which we could have hoped . For , like the sun , its emblem , it had become obscured . Clouds , if not darkness , had overshadowed its lustre . To raise it to the pinnacle of its ancient glory was the desire and first aim of our late lamented P . G . M ., and of his excellent friend and Deputy , Bro . Thomas . In the relative official position in which I stood , I was necessarily called upon to
aid them in their endeavours—and which my love for the Craft , no less than my sense of duty , led me eagerly to do—well knowing , if the principles of Masonry were rightly brought into operation , they must succeed ; for in all countries , and in all ages , "the true and accepted" have been found to conduct themselves as peaceable citizens , and acknowledged to be the firm and decided supporters of good order , government , and religion . And in eonjunction , therefore , with other Brethren , whose labours and zeal were far more valuable than my own , the Prov . G . Lodge was restored to the state in which it now remains . Little did I dream that my humble services in the good
work would have met with such a reward . Nor can I think that which I was able to do would have been so honoured in any other Fraternity than one , guided by Masonic ldndness and principles . You have judged the little which I was able to perform , by the sentiments which at all times animate the Craft ; and I look upon your splendid gift , as not so much a gift of the value of what you are pleased to consider my services , as it is of the warm and generous feelings by which true Masons are ever imbued , and which never fail to conciliate affection—the better feeling of the heart—a token and a testimony of the liberal construction which Masons ever put upon the smallest services . But
, R . W . Sir and Brethren , this gift is a proof of something more — it is a proof that our principles are not unheeded ; and if indeed it be not actually a proof , it is manifest to you that Masonry has revived , and is progressing ; and as learning , after the flood , had its rise in the east , so Masonry , in the eastern corner of the Province—to use the glowing and metaphorical words of our immortal poet— " Has rear'd her drooping head
And trick d her beams , and with new spangled ore Flamed in the forehead of the morning sky . " —And whilst I say it has shed its influence upon this surrounding district and is flourishing luxuriantly in this our metropolis , let us hope it will spread itself over the whole Province , and set in glory in the west , and so create those feelings of brotherhood and harmony which ever accompany its firm establishment . It is in this respect that this most honourable present is most valuable to me . With these feelings 1 accept your valuable present , with the warmest and most grateful thanks . The Craft has surrounded me with land and faithful
friends , and this has been a source of the greatest gratification to me ; to find that my own feelings towards all my Brethren are so warmly returned , and that my slight exertions have been so magnified , overwhelms me with thankfulness and gratitude . As long as I live , and in whatever situation I may bo placed , I shall never cease to foel the warmest interest in the welfare of tho Lodge ; and bo most anxious to testify my sense of your great and unmerited ldndness ; and I shall hand down to those who come after me this most handsome gift with a pride and satisfaction which it is impossible for me to express . The special relation in which I have stood to you has ceased but the brotherly
; love connected with it , and the gratitude arising from it , will ever remain . My particular thanks are due to the D . Prov . G . M ., and the other officers and members of the P . G . Lodge , for their manifold acts of courtesy which they at all times have shown to me , and I entreat them ,:. with my Brethren all to accept my warmest acknowledgments for their assistance and kindness . Their