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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 11 of 21 →
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Provincial.
meet as friends and Brothers;—we combine to cultivate our mental faculties by the study of morality and science ; and fear no collision but that of genius employed in the investigation of truth . ( Cheers . ) Toast . —The W . M . Officers and Brethren of the Newstead Lodge . Thanks were returned by the W . M . of that Lodge , who was present as a visitor .
loast . —Lord Rancliffe , and the P . G . Lodge of Leicestershire , which was handsomely acknowledged by Brother Hughes , one of P . G . Deacons of that province . Brother Neuberg , the Senior Warden , was then called on by the W . M . to propose a toast ; and he complied in the following words . Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master , Worshipful Master , and Brethren , you will probably have observed with me , that , since we were delihted
g , and , if I may judge from my own sensation , I may say edified , with that mind-stirring address of our Rev . Brother , the D . P . G . M , for Lincolnshire , and which just now , Brother Norton so truly described as " learned , eloquent , and beautiful , " an address which seems to have been peculiarly illuminated by the three Masonic Lights of Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty : —you will have observed , that every Brother who has risen since , has again and again reverted to it ; it seemed as if they
were all spell-bound , and could speak of nothing else . ( Cheers . ) You will therefore not wonder , Brethren , if I follow their example . It is but natural that the effect of genuine eloquence which , springing from the heart—reaches the heart , should have operated upon me as upon you all . I hope , therefore , that you will bear with me for a few minutes , before I give you the toast with which I shall have to conclude , % vhile I shall attempt to give expression to some thoughts which the magic touch of the words of Brother Oliver has raised in my mind . That reverend Brother has taught us how to answer the frequent question , ' what is Masonry ? ' when asked by the uninitiated . Now
there is not a question but an observation sometimes made , not by the uninitiated only , but even by Masons , and sometimes by intelligent Masons too , which is not unworthy of some consideration . Brethren , there may be , and I believe there are , those amongst us , who , after having completed the cyclus of initiating degrees confess themselves disappointed . They may consider Masonry as something that had outlived itself , as something dead and gone , and that what we
kept guarded with bolted doors and drawn swords was but a spectre , without life and reality . They may say , that in those remote ages , when darkness covered the face of the earth , when but few had glimpses of intellectual Light , and when it was dangerous for those few openly to avow their inmost persuasions ; they may say that in those times , and in those times only , the economy of our Order was needed and useful . But that now , when the sun of enlightening had long since dawned and
risen—when individual opinion was everywhere respected—when science and morals and religion walked the broad daylight , and needed no longer hide themselves with the owl and the bat—that in our times , when ancient Mysteries had became modern common places : that now there was no longer any occasion for such an institution as the Masonic Order . And , Brethren , we cannot deny it , that , to a certain degree , they are right . Masonry can no longer be regarded , what during darker ages it probably had been , the sole repository of true science , of pure morals , of enlightened religion . And Brethren , far from regretting this , far from indulging in any narrow , euvious spirit of exclusiveness—it
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
meet as friends and Brothers;—we combine to cultivate our mental faculties by the study of morality and science ; and fear no collision but that of genius employed in the investigation of truth . ( Cheers . ) Toast . —The W . M . Officers and Brethren of the Newstead Lodge . Thanks were returned by the W . M . of that Lodge , who was present as a visitor .
loast . —Lord Rancliffe , and the P . G . Lodge of Leicestershire , which was handsomely acknowledged by Brother Hughes , one of P . G . Deacons of that province . Brother Neuberg , the Senior Warden , was then called on by the W . M . to propose a toast ; and he complied in the following words . Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master , Worshipful Master , and Brethren , you will probably have observed with me , that , since we were delihted
g , and , if I may judge from my own sensation , I may say edified , with that mind-stirring address of our Rev . Brother , the D . P . G . M , for Lincolnshire , and which just now , Brother Norton so truly described as " learned , eloquent , and beautiful , " an address which seems to have been peculiarly illuminated by the three Masonic Lights of Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty : —you will have observed , that every Brother who has risen since , has again and again reverted to it ; it seemed as if they
were all spell-bound , and could speak of nothing else . ( Cheers . ) You will therefore not wonder , Brethren , if I follow their example . It is but natural that the effect of genuine eloquence which , springing from the heart—reaches the heart , should have operated upon me as upon you all . I hope , therefore , that you will bear with me for a few minutes , before I give you the toast with which I shall have to conclude , % vhile I shall attempt to give expression to some thoughts which the magic touch of the words of Brother Oliver has raised in my mind . That reverend Brother has taught us how to answer the frequent question , ' what is Masonry ? ' when asked by the uninitiated . Now
there is not a question but an observation sometimes made , not by the uninitiated only , but even by Masons , and sometimes by intelligent Masons too , which is not unworthy of some consideration . Brethren , there may be , and I believe there are , those amongst us , who , after having completed the cyclus of initiating degrees confess themselves disappointed . They may consider Masonry as something that had outlived itself , as something dead and gone , and that what we
kept guarded with bolted doors and drawn swords was but a spectre , without life and reality . They may say , that in those remote ages , when darkness covered the face of the earth , when but few had glimpses of intellectual Light , and when it was dangerous for those few openly to avow their inmost persuasions ; they may say that in those times , and in those times only , the economy of our Order was needed and useful . But that now , when the sun of enlightening had long since dawned and
risen—when individual opinion was everywhere respected—when science and morals and religion walked the broad daylight , and needed no longer hide themselves with the owl and the bat—that in our times , when ancient Mysteries had became modern common places : that now there was no longer any occasion for such an institution as the Masonic Order . And , Brethren , we cannot deny it , that , to a certain degree , they are right . Masonry can no longer be regarded , what during darker ages it probably had been , the sole repository of true science , of pure morals , of enlightened religion . And Brethren , far from regretting this , far from indulging in any narrow , euvious spirit of exclusiveness—it