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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The International Masonic Fete At Liege.
As Human Progress . From the frigid zone Of ignorance and vice the pilgrims haste To one with knowledge , light , and wisdom graced ; From time to time , o ' ercome with solemn fear , They falter in the race , but soon appear
Agaiu iu motion . By their mutual cries And mutual help they win the victories . Onward they go—scene following after scene , And Alps succeeding Alps , with vales between , While new horizons rise before the view
They st . i . 1 pursue their march in order due ; But at the summit , or the wished-for goal , When shall arrive the restless Human Soul 1 * It is this tendency towards perfection in one ' s-self , the interest which we take in all real progress , . vid the struggle undertaken for the conquest of
intellectual liberty which constitute the wisdom of which we Masons call ourselves the disciples . Far from placing itself iu the same narrow point of view with religious and political parties , on the contrary , Masonry advances to the conquest and maintenance of intellectual liberty , systematically setting aside those points of view . Humanity , at first sight ,
appears only a prey to the contentions of a hundred different parties . But if flic picture be examined more closely , it will be discovered that humanity up longer presents itself as the reunion of pieces ot a broken mirror , but much rather as an organization iu which the parties are in agitation , hut perfect themselves reciprocally iu order to form a harmonious whole . It is the consciousness of this
ideal unity of humanity which is the true basis of Freemasonry . and it is this idea which she should always seek to preserve . The lodges of all Orients include aristocrats and democrats , pietists and freethinkers , monarchists and republicans , Protestants , Catholics , Jews . Mahometans , and Hindoos ; Liberals
and Conservatives -in short , the represeutives of all religious and political shades . Whence , then , in spite of tnis apparent disunion , comes tlie intellience of the Lodge ? From the intellectual liberty of each of the Brethren ! Freemasons raise themselves above tlie narrow platform of the profane world ;
they set aside tlie domestic struggles of nation with nation , faith with faith , and party with party ; they study alf the great questions of morals , philosophy , politics , and religion from a superior point of view , and with the light of reason ; they seek truth with an ey <; to geuuval interest without preconceived
opinion and without partiality . Thus , by elevating themselves iu a vigorous manner above profane spheres , all the brethren cau shake hands . It then follows that they no longer acknowledge more than one religion —that of the heart ; aud have but one divine service-that of truth and love , which they
owe to their fellows . They form but one political party which demands everywhere and always , the rights of man , ai . d intellectual liberty , by which alone we can In . pa to draw near the truth . The convictions which we do not share—and here I would be understood to say , honest convictions ,
acquired b y a sincere search after truth—have not only a ri ght to our tolerance but also to our respect , and we ought properl y to admit them to the same title as our own . Intellectual liberty understood in this manner is the most precious jewel of lodges ; it constitutes iu its . If the whole secret of Freemasonry .
Let it then lie tlie device inscribed ou the banner around which all tho friends of the true light have just fraternally assembled ; let them be nevertheless in politics and reli gion , what their individual conscience directs them to be . It is the universal nature of Masonry , viewed iu the light that I am about to
demonstrate it , which renders our association eternal , and which has male it accomplish so many great things in history . It is this nature which since the constitution ( if York in 92 G , has made it in Germany mid Engl and , first a sanctuary where the artistic ideal was cultivate :, and which afterwards
caused all thi . se lino Uothie cathedrals to rise which cover Europe ; anil also at a later period developed a sjliool of mm al philosophy , unique and sublime . It is this which lias made it in the United States a feature of the union amongst a thousand Diodes of worshi i nppos . d to each other . It is this
which under diff-ivnt aspects lias exalted Italy above the yoke of all other powers . It is this which for forty years hassaved Belgium from clerical domination , the spectre of the middle ages , which utters cries of rae from the gulf into which it has been precipitated ; it is . in line , this influence , which bv an
almost marvellous c incurrence of ciicmuslauces produced that great and adiuir . ible French revolution , which has been the most splendid practical consecration of Masonic ideas thu world has ever beheld . If it were perinitte I forme to frame a wish as to tho w , tv in which I should wish to see modern
Frceimvnury engaged . I would say , let us occupy ourselves ab . ivu all things with education and peace . Instruction , me brethren , ii the knot of all the pending questions of the day ; it is the binge especially of that terrible soei d question , which rises up anew oil the horizon if mtioiis . Let us then educate tho
The International Masonic Fete At Liege.
masses , both men and women , especially the latter ; let us enlighten them again now and for ever , let this be the care of every moment . We have seen with pleasure , France stirred at the voice of Bro . T . Mace , aud actively engage herself with this popular question of instruction still so neglected . Seven years
ago we founded in Belgium , that line of teaching , which Bro . Mace has succeeded in introducing into France , and the model of which we ourselves had taken from the Dutch society , ' •¦ Tot '__! ' nut vant aUgeinecn . '" Italy has just entered , likewise , into this path . Here at Liege , in our limited circle , we hold conferences
every winter , forming complete instruction . These conferences create a ueuttal ground , my brethren , a ground which shall be Masonic in every country , for where is the Mason who would ever dare to deny the necessity aud utility of instruction . Education is that light of which I spoke jast now , by
which we can overcome aud disperse the darkness which surrounds us . The second poiutto which Idesire to call your attention is peace ! Let us employ our thousands of lodges and millions of brethren to one mighty effort to render the sanguinary butcheries of war henceforth impossible ; the recurrence of which
we still dread , even in the middle of the nineteenth century , and which are a shameful anachronism at our epoch of civilization . Let us tight against national prejudices , and eradicate those secular antipathies amongst peoples which nothing can justify . Let us teach a lesson to men who injure all , especially the
conqueror , and let us proclaim that there is only one just and holy war—that which a people undertakes to defend their liberty against oppression . Here again , we shall all be able to tender the hand to each other and act iu concert , lor war is a most antimasonic practice , it is the reverse of that law inscribed iu all morals aud iu every religion ,
" Love each other as brothers and sisters . The most precious result of the cosmopolitan nature of Freemasonry , is the solidity which unites all tlie brethren , the fraternity which makes them all as the members of ono and the same family ; the fraternity which knows how to redress gently the
wrongs of the brother , without feebleness , but also without asperity . Masonry knows no such word as "stranger" a Mason is everywhere at home ; in every clime where a Masonic hand meets his , when travelling , he repairs to the Lodgo of the East , where \\< s finds himself as much at home as in the house of
his parents . Does he want information , aid , help ? he knows where to find it , and have we not seen in the thickest of the battle , when two hostile armies precipitate themselves on one another to exterminate and destroy ; have wo not seen , I say , the sign of distress appear , and tlie soldier just before ready to
slaughter his adversary , oiler a friendly hand aud save him ? The reason is that the Masonic fraternity is not one of co nniaud or interest , as in certain religious orders ; it is a real fraternity , based on the esteem that the brethren have for each another . An Indian proverb says ,
" The greatest enemy of mankind is man . " The Redskin who utters this exclamation , without discussing tlie matter further , can perhaps be excused up to a cei tain point . He knows no other humanity than that in the far West , where man is obliged to dispute his dinner with his fellow with the
tomahawk or the carbine . Unfortunately , this deplorable philosophy lias found its way into Europe . How many wealthy men are there not who affirm , without knitting their brows , that fraternity does not exist , and that the most generous men are moved only by ideas like these . "Goaway from there , that
I may take thy place ; each for himself , and God for all . " Now it isineuinbent on us masons , whohave sworn to aid and succour each other iu every circumstance of life , to oppose a barrier to this demoralizing tendency which is spreading more and more . It is incumbent on us to show bv > ur acts that wo believe
in fraternity , and that we repel egotism . Humanity is bound up iu common inteiests , my brethren ; and evil can but result to her when she forgets that devotodncss , charity ami mutual assistance are necessary to her existence and her development 1 And you , very dear aud illustrious brethren , who
have coma to us as visitors from the lodges that circle the earth , do you not feel happier than tho profane friends who have accompanied you in your excursion . You not only have come to rejoice in your skill as marksmen , but also to fraternize with the Liege branch of our great Masonic family , and
when you return you will carry back to your hearths ( at least such is our fervent hope ) , the remembrance which a brother bears who lias pressed the band of a well-beloved brother . Let us concentrate for a moment all our attention ou this point . What is perhaps to day the highest and best justified ambition of a well-thinking man , is
to be able to live happy and freo in a free state , not only in a political view , but especially above all in a moral view of the philosophical family . No where has this ide d been better realized than in Freemasonry ; it is a free state in the midst of human struggles , and all its citizens arc happy and free . It will be still a long time before tho profane world
The International Masonic Fete At Liege.
attains the Masonic ideal , even if it ever does ; let us therefore congratulate ourselves on possessing * safe retreat , where we can live in the plenitude of our liberty andcherish this Masonic lustitution , venerable in its age and human principles . Let us love it with all our strength , lot us ameliorate and develop it
unceasingly , for only that which improves and transforms itself can exist in perpetuity . As for those who excommunicate , scoff at and calumniate us , and as for all the emanations of the evils pertaining to our persecution , while we march , let us content
ourselves with answering them by our ancient rallying cry Semper vivat ! The Worshipful Master interrupting the applauses which had been several times repeated , ordered a Masonic fire of thanks to the Orator .
Then , on a sign from the Worshi p ful Master , the door at the end of the room opened and one could see beyondaseconddoublcfolding-dooropen , the banqueting hall brilliantly illuminated , and where wero p laced four long series of tables covered with shrubs and flowers .
The Orator preceded b y stars , led the way to the banqueting hall , and his colleagues formed in procession behind him . During the whole of the time that the ceremony of drinking toasts in honor of the foreign brethren lasted , the greatest fraternity and the most perfect order prevailed .
The following are the toasts which were given on this occasion : — 1 st . Tlie toast of the
Worshi p ful Master to the foreign brethren , a toast of thanks , hope and fraternity . This toast was answered by au English Brother and a French one . The English Brother , Capt . IRWIN , Prov . J . G . W . Somersetshire , congratulated himself on
having his ideas m perfect accordance with his brother orator , and should be happy if he were able to communicate this impression to the brethren iu England ; he thanked tlie Lodge of Liege for the fraternal reception which it had given to the English riflemen , and as a proof of
gratitude he would propose to the lodge ot which he was a member to name the Worshi p ful Bro . Lafontaine an honorary member of the lodge . Brother KOY-GUIBERT , on behalf on the French Masons thanked , iu his turn , the Lodge of Liege . Ho expressed a wish that the fete mi ght soon bo
returned at Paris , and added that the lu-ench intend not oniy to imitate the Bel gians with respect to an International Shooting . Match , but also to follow them in the path of liberty . ( Enthusiastic and long-continued applause ) . Ho too , would propose to the lodge of which he waa
a member to receive Brother Lafontaine as an honorary member , out of gratitude for tho brilliant reception made to tho French brethren by the Lodge of Liege . Brother VAN DAMME , from the Lodge of Ghent , returned thanks on behalf of the Bel g ian
visitors . Brother DE LEAN D'A NDREMONT , from tho Orient of Brussels , proposed a hearty toast in honor of Brother Oscar Masset , a member of the Lodge of Liege , and to whom the town owed the shooting fete . It was he who had been
the promoter and mainspring of this great event . Brother LAFONTAINE drank to the health of Bro . Henry M ' chet , of the Orient of Paris , tho promoter of the movement which had brought the National Guards to the Liege Shooting ground . Brother MJCIIET expressed his thanks
by a few cordial words . Finally , the WORSHIPFUL MASTER gave tho usual toast to all Masons spread over tho surface of the two hemispheres ; he then circulated the Almoner ' s box lor the poor , and closed the lodge .
All the English speeches were translated into French b y Brother Forgenr , of tho Lodge of Liege . This fraternal International F < 5 te will remain
engraven iu the remembrances of all thoso who took part iu it , as much ou account of its humanitarian objects , as by tho complete success and unexceptional beauty which attended the entire proceedings .
THE FREEMASON ' CALENDAR for 1870 is now ready , and may be had at the Grand Secretary ' s Office , Freemasons' Hall , and of all Booksellers .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The International Masonic Fete At Liege.
As Human Progress . From the frigid zone Of ignorance and vice the pilgrims haste To one with knowledge , light , and wisdom graced ; From time to time , o ' ercome with solemn fear , They falter in the race , but soon appear
Agaiu iu motion . By their mutual cries And mutual help they win the victories . Onward they go—scene following after scene , And Alps succeeding Alps , with vales between , While new horizons rise before the view
They st . i . 1 pursue their march in order due ; But at the summit , or the wished-for goal , When shall arrive the restless Human Soul 1 * It is this tendency towards perfection in one ' s-self , the interest which we take in all real progress , . vid the struggle undertaken for the conquest of
intellectual liberty which constitute the wisdom of which we Masons call ourselves the disciples . Far from placing itself iu the same narrow point of view with religious and political parties , on the contrary , Masonry advances to the conquest and maintenance of intellectual liberty , systematically setting aside those points of view . Humanity , at first sight ,
appears only a prey to the contentions of a hundred different parties . But if flic picture be examined more closely , it will be discovered that humanity up longer presents itself as the reunion of pieces ot a broken mirror , but much rather as an organization iu which the parties are in agitation , hut perfect themselves reciprocally iu order to form a harmonious whole . It is the consciousness of this
ideal unity of humanity which is the true basis of Freemasonry . and it is this idea which she should always seek to preserve . The lodges of all Orients include aristocrats and democrats , pietists and freethinkers , monarchists and republicans , Protestants , Catholics , Jews . Mahometans , and Hindoos ; Liberals
and Conservatives -in short , the represeutives of all religious and political shades . Whence , then , in spite of tnis apparent disunion , comes tlie intellience of the Lodge ? From the intellectual liberty of each of the Brethren ! Freemasons raise themselves above tlie narrow platform of the profane world ;
they set aside tlie domestic struggles of nation with nation , faith with faith , and party with party ; they study alf the great questions of morals , philosophy , politics , and religion from a superior point of view , and with the light of reason ; they seek truth with an ey <; to geuuval interest without preconceived
opinion and without partiality . Thus , by elevating themselves iu a vigorous manner above profane spheres , all the brethren cau shake hands . It then follows that they no longer acknowledge more than one religion —that of the heart ; aud have but one divine service-that of truth and love , which they
owe to their fellows . They form but one political party which demands everywhere and always , the rights of man , ai . d intellectual liberty , by which alone we can In . pa to draw near the truth . The convictions which we do not share—and here I would be understood to say , honest convictions ,
acquired b y a sincere search after truth—have not only a ri ght to our tolerance but also to our respect , and we ought properl y to admit them to the same title as our own . Intellectual liberty understood in this manner is the most precious jewel of lodges ; it constitutes iu its . If the whole secret of Freemasonry .
Let it then lie tlie device inscribed ou the banner around which all tho friends of the true light have just fraternally assembled ; let them be nevertheless in politics and reli gion , what their individual conscience directs them to be . It is the universal nature of Masonry , viewed iu the light that I am about to
demonstrate it , which renders our association eternal , and which has male it accomplish so many great things in history . It is this nature which since the constitution ( if York in 92 G , has made it in Germany mid Engl and , first a sanctuary where the artistic ideal was cultivate :, and which afterwards
caused all thi . se lino Uothie cathedrals to rise which cover Europe ; anil also at a later period developed a sjliool of mm al philosophy , unique and sublime . It is this which lias made it in the United States a feature of the union amongst a thousand Diodes of worshi i nppos . d to each other . It is this
which under diff-ivnt aspects lias exalted Italy above the yoke of all other powers . It is this which for forty years hassaved Belgium from clerical domination , the spectre of the middle ages , which utters cries of rae from the gulf into which it has been precipitated ; it is . in line , this influence , which bv an
almost marvellous c incurrence of ciicmuslauces produced that great and adiuir . ible French revolution , which has been the most splendid practical consecration of Masonic ideas thu world has ever beheld . If it were perinitte I forme to frame a wish as to tho w , tv in which I should wish to see modern
Frceimvnury engaged . I would say , let us occupy ourselves ab . ivu all things with education and peace . Instruction , me brethren , ii the knot of all the pending questions of the day ; it is the binge especially of that terrible soei d question , which rises up anew oil the horizon if mtioiis . Let us then educate tho
The International Masonic Fete At Liege.
masses , both men and women , especially the latter ; let us enlighten them again now and for ever , let this be the care of every moment . We have seen with pleasure , France stirred at the voice of Bro . T . Mace , aud actively engage herself with this popular question of instruction still so neglected . Seven years
ago we founded in Belgium , that line of teaching , which Bro . Mace has succeeded in introducing into France , and the model of which we ourselves had taken from the Dutch society , ' •¦ Tot '__! ' nut vant aUgeinecn . '" Italy has just entered , likewise , into this path . Here at Liege , in our limited circle , we hold conferences
every winter , forming complete instruction . These conferences create a ueuttal ground , my brethren , a ground which shall be Masonic in every country , for where is the Mason who would ever dare to deny the necessity aud utility of instruction . Education is that light of which I spoke jast now , by
which we can overcome aud disperse the darkness which surrounds us . The second poiutto which Idesire to call your attention is peace ! Let us employ our thousands of lodges and millions of brethren to one mighty effort to render the sanguinary butcheries of war henceforth impossible ; the recurrence of which
we still dread , even in the middle of the nineteenth century , and which are a shameful anachronism at our epoch of civilization . Let us tight against national prejudices , and eradicate those secular antipathies amongst peoples which nothing can justify . Let us teach a lesson to men who injure all , especially the
conqueror , and let us proclaim that there is only one just and holy war—that which a people undertakes to defend their liberty against oppression . Here again , we shall all be able to tender the hand to each other and act iu concert , lor war is a most antimasonic practice , it is the reverse of that law inscribed iu all morals aud iu every religion ,
" Love each other as brothers and sisters . The most precious result of the cosmopolitan nature of Freemasonry , is the solidity which unites all tlie brethren , the fraternity which makes them all as the members of ono and the same family ; the fraternity which knows how to redress gently the
wrongs of the brother , without feebleness , but also without asperity . Masonry knows no such word as "stranger" a Mason is everywhere at home ; in every clime where a Masonic hand meets his , when travelling , he repairs to the Lodgo of the East , where \\< s finds himself as much at home as in the house of
his parents . Does he want information , aid , help ? he knows where to find it , and have we not seen in the thickest of the battle , when two hostile armies precipitate themselves on one another to exterminate and destroy ; have wo not seen , I say , the sign of distress appear , and tlie soldier just before ready to
slaughter his adversary , oiler a friendly hand aud save him ? The reason is that the Masonic fraternity is not one of co nniaud or interest , as in certain religious orders ; it is a real fraternity , based on the esteem that the brethren have for each another . An Indian proverb says ,
" The greatest enemy of mankind is man . " The Redskin who utters this exclamation , without discussing tlie matter further , can perhaps be excused up to a cei tain point . He knows no other humanity than that in the far West , where man is obliged to dispute his dinner with his fellow with the
tomahawk or the carbine . Unfortunately , this deplorable philosophy lias found its way into Europe . How many wealthy men are there not who affirm , without knitting their brows , that fraternity does not exist , and that the most generous men are moved only by ideas like these . "Goaway from there , that
I may take thy place ; each for himself , and God for all . " Now it isineuinbent on us masons , whohave sworn to aid and succour each other iu every circumstance of life , to oppose a barrier to this demoralizing tendency which is spreading more and more . It is incumbent on us to show bv > ur acts that wo believe
in fraternity , and that we repel egotism . Humanity is bound up iu common inteiests , my brethren ; and evil can but result to her when she forgets that devotodncss , charity ami mutual assistance are necessary to her existence and her development 1 And you , very dear aud illustrious brethren , who
have coma to us as visitors from the lodges that circle the earth , do you not feel happier than tho profane friends who have accompanied you in your excursion . You not only have come to rejoice in your skill as marksmen , but also to fraternize with the Liege branch of our great Masonic family , and
when you return you will carry back to your hearths ( at least such is our fervent hope ) , the remembrance which a brother bears who lias pressed the band of a well-beloved brother . Let us concentrate for a moment all our attention ou this point . What is perhaps to day the highest and best justified ambition of a well-thinking man , is
to be able to live happy and freo in a free state , not only in a political view , but especially above all in a moral view of the philosophical family . No where has this ide d been better realized than in Freemasonry ; it is a free state in the midst of human struggles , and all its citizens arc happy and free . It will be still a long time before tho profane world
The International Masonic Fete At Liege.
attains the Masonic ideal , even if it ever does ; let us therefore congratulate ourselves on possessing * safe retreat , where we can live in the plenitude of our liberty andcherish this Masonic lustitution , venerable in its age and human principles . Let us love it with all our strength , lot us ameliorate and develop it
unceasingly , for only that which improves and transforms itself can exist in perpetuity . As for those who excommunicate , scoff at and calumniate us , and as for all the emanations of the evils pertaining to our persecution , while we march , let us content
ourselves with answering them by our ancient rallying cry Semper vivat ! The Worshipful Master interrupting the applauses which had been several times repeated , ordered a Masonic fire of thanks to the Orator .
Then , on a sign from the Worshi p ful Master , the door at the end of the room opened and one could see beyondaseconddoublcfolding-dooropen , the banqueting hall brilliantly illuminated , and where wero p laced four long series of tables covered with shrubs and flowers .
The Orator preceded b y stars , led the way to the banqueting hall , and his colleagues formed in procession behind him . During the whole of the time that the ceremony of drinking toasts in honor of the foreign brethren lasted , the greatest fraternity and the most perfect order prevailed .
The following are the toasts which were given on this occasion : — 1 st . Tlie toast of the
Worshi p ful Master to the foreign brethren , a toast of thanks , hope and fraternity . This toast was answered by au English Brother and a French one . The English Brother , Capt . IRWIN , Prov . J . G . W . Somersetshire , congratulated himself on
having his ideas m perfect accordance with his brother orator , and should be happy if he were able to communicate this impression to the brethren iu England ; he thanked tlie Lodge of Liege for the fraternal reception which it had given to the English riflemen , and as a proof of
gratitude he would propose to the lodge ot which he was a member to name the Worshi p ful Bro . Lafontaine an honorary member of the lodge . Brother KOY-GUIBERT , on behalf on the French Masons thanked , iu his turn , the Lodge of Liege . Ho expressed a wish that the fete mi ght soon bo
returned at Paris , and added that the lu-ench intend not oniy to imitate the Bel gians with respect to an International Shooting . Match , but also to follow them in the path of liberty . ( Enthusiastic and long-continued applause ) . Ho too , would propose to the lodge of which he waa
a member to receive Brother Lafontaine as an honorary member , out of gratitude for tho brilliant reception made to tho French brethren by the Lodge of Liege . Brother VAN DAMME , from the Lodge of Ghent , returned thanks on behalf of the Bel g ian
visitors . Brother DE LEAN D'A NDREMONT , from tho Orient of Brussels , proposed a hearty toast in honor of Brother Oscar Masset , a member of the Lodge of Liege , and to whom the town owed the shooting fete . It was he who had been
the promoter and mainspring of this great event . Brother LAFONTAINE drank to the health of Bro . Henry M ' chet , of the Orient of Paris , tho promoter of the movement which had brought the National Guards to the Liege Shooting ground . Brother MJCIIET expressed his thanks
by a few cordial words . Finally , the WORSHIPFUL MASTER gave tho usual toast to all Masons spread over tho surface of the two hemispheres ; he then circulated the Almoner ' s box lor the poor , and closed the lodge .
All the English speeches were translated into French b y Brother Forgenr , of tho Lodge of Liege . This fraternal International F < 5 te will remain
engraven iu the remembrances of all thoso who took part iu it , as much ou account of its humanitarian objects , as by tho complete success and unexceptional beauty which attended the entire proceedings .
THE FREEMASON ' CALENDAR for 1870 is now ready , and may be had at the Grand Secretary ' s Office , Freemasons' Hall , and of all Booksellers .