Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-11-25

High Priestl You, sir, l believe, come
from the extreme northeastern State of the
Union, that hyperborean region whose
streams are now locked up in crystal slum-
Der. As our leaves have hardly fallen from
the trees, in your State they have long since
gone, and are already almost forgotten.
When the leaves and buds shall have again
returned to us here, yours will still be
locked in that icy embrace You have
done us great honor in leaving that distant
region to come here to attend this session of
the General Grand Chapter. II is an es-
pecial qualification to make known through
out all portions Of the country here repre-
scented the character of our State.
Stretching, comparatively, in narrow
belt from the Mississippi to the mountains
of North Carolina, she has great variety
of soil and great capacities, were they but
developed. We have climate not sur
passed by that Of any portion OF
the country. She is SO far North
that the enervating beat of summer does
not Cypress her people,. and so far south
that there is s0fficiency of bracing atmos-
pbere to produce the best variety. We oc-
cupY a central position. We have such
soil and climate as should have given
US long since, higher position in every re-
spect than that we now occupy. Such an
opportunity as this We take advantage of
to impress upon our visitors, at least the
advantages we possess.
/ receive YOU. sir, and through you the
General Grand Chapter, in the name Ofthe
people Of Tennessee. also welcome you,
gentlemen, as Mayor of the city of Nash
vile, and receive you to the Inequalities
and homes of her citizens. They have
always been ready to extend the right hand
of fellowship to strangers You have es-
pecial claim upon them, and they extend
to you the warmeSt welcome they can
give. Finally, as Commander of the
Knights Templar of Tennessee, l extend TO
you a courteous, fraternal and Masonic
greeting TO our city. We are OF your
brethren and kin-descendants of those noble
Giblemites who worked so faithfully in for
mer days ave do worship your God as
We do,n since long before the days of Eser-
haddon, who did not bring US up hilher.
We labor under the same Royal Arch and
will give you all our sympathy and aid in
your efforts for the good of the order.
In conclusion, companions, as citizens we
welcome you; as Knights Templar, we
guard you with our swords, aud as Royal
Arch Masons, we devoutly hope that your
labors here may be of lasting benefit to the
order and to our common country. Zap
plause.l
To tins welcome, General Grand High
Priest Josiah r. Drummoad responded IS
follows:
RESPONSE OF THE GENERAL GRAND HIGH
PRIEST.
Sir: It is with full heart that attempt
to respond to your words Of welcome 70
this General Grand Chapter. In their be-
half, to you as the representative Of the
people of Tennessee and the citizens Of
Nashville, and to the fraternity of this
beautiful city, l return sincere thanks. We,
even in the icy regions of Maine, have
often read of the citizens and Masons OF
Tennessee, but it has not been our good
fortune until now to grasp them by the
hand and receive the fraternal welcome.
Upon an occasion of this kind, it would
not be wonderful that we should expert
eace other feelings than those pertaining
toithe matters Of business we came here to
accomplish.
Representing, sir, as You do, the Chief
Executive of this State, it is rot inapprO-
pirate that he should be here to welcome
US. for, in the Masonic Order, obedience to
the government aud respect for the civil
magistrate is among our first duties. If we
look at the history of our country, we find
that many of our nOblest men and states
men have been Masons Washington him
self was a Mason. We find that most OF
the great men Tennessee has furnished the
country have been Masons. Tennessee
has furnished, if / reeollect Alright, three
Presidents of the United States, every one
Of whom was a Mason. Andrew Jackson
was a Past Grand Mason. Laughter.
and l could point to you, among my
predecessors in this office, Dewitt Gin
ton, an Edward Livingston and Robert
Z. Dunlap.
Sir, the duties of Masonry, if carefully
and conscientiOusly performed, make men
better in all the relations of life, and 1t is
not, as said before, inappropriate that the
Chief Magistrate of your State should bid
the General Grand Chapter Of this Order
welcome to your State.
Sir, YOU alluded to another point which
l consider Of importance 10 us, not only as
Masons, but as citizens. This country EN-
braces such a large variety Of soil, o.
climate, and is of such wide extent that i
prevents such intimate relations between
its people, as the citizens Of smaller
countries are favored with, and, coming
as we do from all portions OF thi:
vast cOuniry-frOm the extreme
Northeastern States, from distant Cal for
MIA, from the Territories, from the State:
bordering upon the great lakes, coming
together and grasping each others hands
and looking into each others eyes, thi'
coming together, l say, must bring about
more intimate relations and stronger feel
ings Of fraternity than could. otherwise be
And It seems to me there must be an inhu
ence growing out of meetings of thi'
character which will result in good. We
only need to know each other. Sir, yoT
speak of my having cJme from the 'icy
hypesorea region of the Northeast" bu
this remark only shows that you have nevel
been there, Oaughter.) However rough
our mountain heights and however cold OUl
wintry air undertake to say you will Their
find hearts which beat as warmly and will
as generous impulses as in any portion o
Tennessee, (applause.) There is certain
sectional pride which we all feel anC
which you have, though unknowingly
touched upon. But, sir, if yOT
will come up to Maine you will be disap
pointed. We are not that cold, rugged
people You seem to imagine, and in thii
connection must confess that l have me
with disappointment in Tennessee:
happily disappointed in your people and
your State as you would be in coming Il
Maine. [Applause.l l speak of Main'
particularly because you yourself made
special reference to that State.
Sir, in regard to your welcome to the cit
of Nashville, we have already been mad
TO feel that we are at home. We cam
| here strangers, but the warmth of our vel
come has almost made us feel that we ar,
| Tennesseeais ourselves; that we have sim
| ply been absent for awhile and that We
have returned to the old hearthstOnes
| Applause
To the Masons of Tennessee, can sa,
only a few words, because l cannot com
mand language to do more. Of their de
votion to dnty, warm hearts and gen
erous hospitality, We all know; but
sir, | cannot allow this occasion Il
pass without general reference to on
duties. There are in these United STATE
more than half million of MasOns, NOR
than one hundred thousand Royal Arc
MasOnS, and more than forty thousan,
knights Templar. These men are al
pledged to the performance of specific du
ties, both in relation to themselves and il
relation to Others. There ought to 90 on
from these representatives of the Masoni
Order mighty influence for good, extend
ing all over the world, and there is as muc
| need for this now as there ever was in tn