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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 15 of 34 →
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Provincial.
arose and said : — " Worshipful sir , Officers , and Brethren . The toast I have the honour to propose is one which I feel certain will be received and drank with mingled feelings of pain and pleasure—pleasure in having such a worthy Brother belonging to us , and pain that his unavoidable absence this evening is caused by sudden illness . It is the health of Bro . J . S . Hunter , Prov . G . M . of Bermuda , under the Grand Lodge of Scotland . This toast Brethrenhas fallen into
unfortu-, my , nate hands , inasmuch as I have not had the opportunity of making myself acquainted with the different traits of character of our worthy Brother , hut which , I have been informed , have been both numerous and noble ; and were I in possession of the full particulars thereof , I feel satisfied I should be able to wind off from the reel of memory a line of his conduct , the silky brightness and varied colouring of which would be both pleasing and interesting to you ; but it would reach very
far beyond the limit of time prescribed for this meeting . His exalted position shows at once the high opinion entertained and confidence placed in him by those over whom he so ably presides . And my Brethren , it must be highly gratifying to us all to belong to an institution that binds men in every part of the known world in one bond of brotherhood ; in our absent Brother we have one connecting America with Englandand there ( pointing to Sir Charles Napier ) another
, , uniting Asia with Europe , while thousands are in existence forming connecting links in that grand Masonic chain which binds together the inhabitants of the four quarters of the globe . And I would here ask what other institution can compare with Freemasonry ?—the oldest institution in existence—professing to be based on the pure principles of
love to God , brotherly love between mankind , charity and consolation to the distressed and afflicted , and the promulgation of the principles of Heavenly science and virtue throughout the world ; and not only professing all this , but one that has practically carried them out in countless generations , and through thousands of years of the world ' s history . Yes , my Brethren , and Masonry has done all this without territorial possessions to support it ; it has simply depended on the living , active
charity and virtuous exertions of its members , not on the legacies of the dead , or the wealth obtained by importuning the dying . No ! no ! it has simply depended on those who opened their hearts and purses together , and then lent a helping hand to carry out the object which a charitable heart and a willing mite had begun . Masonic charity , my Brethren , has been like the manna from heaven , it has been used up in its day and not allowed to accumulate and become putridand then send
, off a miasma that would affect all within its influence with that dire disease known by the name of narrow-minded selfishness ; in short , Masonry has practically shown that He who said , " sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" spoke practical truth . But , my Brethren , Masonry has had to pass through many a fiery oideal of persecution ; the hand of tyranny , and the venom of bigoted superstition have been directed against it—still it exists , still it prospers under the protection of the
Great Architect of the Universe . His pillar of cloud by day and fire by night has guided and protected it through the wilderness of capricious discord and sectarian confusion and superstition , and now it is safe from the thunderbolts of the enemies of the Lord of Hosts , and of His people . It stands foremost among the institutions of heaven , and though venerable from age , it is still active , vigorous , and youthful ; its constitution has not been impaired by the stimulating , intoxicating spirits of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
arose and said : — " Worshipful sir , Officers , and Brethren . The toast I have the honour to propose is one which I feel certain will be received and drank with mingled feelings of pain and pleasure—pleasure in having such a worthy Brother belonging to us , and pain that his unavoidable absence this evening is caused by sudden illness . It is the health of Bro . J . S . Hunter , Prov . G . M . of Bermuda , under the Grand Lodge of Scotland . This toast Brethrenhas fallen into
unfortu-, my , nate hands , inasmuch as I have not had the opportunity of making myself acquainted with the different traits of character of our worthy Brother , hut which , I have been informed , have been both numerous and noble ; and were I in possession of the full particulars thereof , I feel satisfied I should be able to wind off from the reel of memory a line of his conduct , the silky brightness and varied colouring of which would be both pleasing and interesting to you ; but it would reach very
far beyond the limit of time prescribed for this meeting . His exalted position shows at once the high opinion entertained and confidence placed in him by those over whom he so ably presides . And my Brethren , it must be highly gratifying to us all to belong to an institution that binds men in every part of the known world in one bond of brotherhood ; in our absent Brother we have one connecting America with Englandand there ( pointing to Sir Charles Napier ) another
, , uniting Asia with Europe , while thousands are in existence forming connecting links in that grand Masonic chain which binds together the inhabitants of the four quarters of the globe . And I would here ask what other institution can compare with Freemasonry ?—the oldest institution in existence—professing to be based on the pure principles of
love to God , brotherly love between mankind , charity and consolation to the distressed and afflicted , and the promulgation of the principles of Heavenly science and virtue throughout the world ; and not only professing all this , but one that has practically carried them out in countless generations , and through thousands of years of the world ' s history . Yes , my Brethren , and Masonry has done all this without territorial possessions to support it ; it has simply depended on the living , active
charity and virtuous exertions of its members , not on the legacies of the dead , or the wealth obtained by importuning the dying . No ! no ! it has simply depended on those who opened their hearts and purses together , and then lent a helping hand to carry out the object which a charitable heart and a willing mite had begun . Masonic charity , my Brethren , has been like the manna from heaven , it has been used up in its day and not allowed to accumulate and become putridand then send
, off a miasma that would affect all within its influence with that dire disease known by the name of narrow-minded selfishness ; in short , Masonry has practically shown that He who said , " sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" spoke practical truth . But , my Brethren , Masonry has had to pass through many a fiery oideal of persecution ; the hand of tyranny , and the venom of bigoted superstition have been directed against it—still it exists , still it prospers under the protection of the
Great Architect of the Universe . His pillar of cloud by day and fire by night has guided and protected it through the wilderness of capricious discord and sectarian confusion and superstition , and now it is safe from the thunderbolts of the enemies of the Lord of Hosts , and of His people . It stands foremost among the institutions of heaven , and though venerable from age , it is still active , vigorous , and youthful ; its constitution has not been impaired by the stimulating , intoxicating spirits of