Freemasonry In Rome.

tie . The beautiful work of art , Avhich you have designed for me , I shall treasure to my latest day . I shall exhibit it Avith pride to my brethren in England . It shall have an honoured place in my home . It will rank ahvays amongst my

most deeply valued treasures , and my children shall be taught to regard , with pride , this evidence of the Avarm fraternal feeling displayed to me by Freemasons in a distant land . Never shall I refer to this

meeting Avithout emotion , and Avhen I have passed away , may those of my name preserve this memorial with reverent care . For your great gooduess to me , in the words of Shakespeare , Avhat other ansAver can I make than

" Thanks , and thanks , and ever thanks . " Freemasonry , as is beautifull y depicted in this cherished picture , binds together in a deep and solemn union men of different race , Its pure light rises superior to sects and creedsand nationalities . Its

uni-, versal language reaching the soul , proclaims the true religion , embracing Avhat is good and true in all reli gions , and elevates to one serene platform , Avith common ri ghts and hopes , brethren of every faith , who practice the sacred duties of morality , and

believe in the glorious Architect of heaven and of earth . The volume of the sacred laAv now open before us , crowned by the square and compasses , are together symbols of our profession as Freemasons , and speak to the thoughtful mind Avith even more than ordinary force Avhen they lend their

sanctit y to our mysteries in this ancient capital , where the very stones Ave crumble under foot , and the dust Avhich the wind raises around us , speak of the agonies inflicted in reli gion's name , of the martyrs' cruel sufferings , and of unutterable

anguish undergone for the sake of truth . The great solid facts of the dim past , the cunningly Avrought pillars , and the remains of temples , such as are depicted here , which have triumphed over Time itself , speaking of reli gions Avhich are forgotten , and

Civilizations which are dead , make human opposition seem but amomentary annoyance for they whisper solemnly through the dim centuries "this , too , will pass aAvay . " ¦ They brace the mind for that fight Avith moral evil , and those calm , SAveet lessons of eternal truth , which are in this picture

depicted as liftmg the spirit of Truth far into the empyrean , even to the throne of God Himself . The earthly shells of Church and Temple are left below , but all that is good and pure in their teachings endures and ascends , for Freemasonry embraces all men who prove

themselves worthy , and who take her vows . Once admitted into her ranks , once brought to a knowledge of the sacred light enshrined from vulgar eye in her ceremonies , and the neophyte is taught , step by step , and by means of diligent and patient labour to

earn her rewards—a kuoAvledge of the true light , the practice of true charity , and the AA'orship of the true and living God Most High . As the veil is gradually lifted , the Freemason sees superstition , priestcraft , dogma , spiritual tyranny , cruelty and

oppression fade aAvay before the divine light as fogs and mists are dispersed by the morning sun ; and AA'ith the broad charity which knoAveth no evil , he clasps to his heart the sacred truths vouchsafed to us by heaven , while , rejecting Avithout harshness , but with profound pity , the fables Avith Avhich they have been invested by the selfishness , ignorance , and credulity of

man . It is a profound happiness to me to find my Italian brethren practising our masonic rites in Rome Avithout fear or favour , and I exult in their spiritual and mental freedom . It is a still greater happiness to find the pure light of

Freemasonry to be undimmed by the long years of oppression she has endured inltaly , and that her ceremonies and ritual as practised this evening , are those I recognise as of the craft universal . The enemies of Freemasonry in this country have not

scrupled to spread stories to her disparagement . It has been my care , during my stay in Rome , to investigate , critically and closely , the condition of Freemasonry here , and to draw a strict comparison this evening betAveen what has taken place before my

eyes , and Avhat Avould have occurred in an English Lodge under similar conditions . I shall ahvays have pleasure in testifying that the aspersions sought to be cast upon the Avorking of Freemasonry in Rome are , so far as I have been able to see , baseless

fables , and that the brotherhood hereappears to thrive and flourish on the very principles Avhich give it nourishment aitd enduring strength throughout the Avorld . I rcz 2