The daily gazette., 1878-11-09
"OUR ANCIENT ORDER" :"
ADDRESS BIZ DIR. @. TROUPE MAXWELL
BEFORE LAFAYETTE AND DUPONT
LODGES, A. y. & A. NJ.

lucsuay eVeuluR, uuTlnR tne reception
OF DUPONT Lodge, No. 20, A. F. & A. M,
by Lafayette Lodge. n. ID, DR.. G..
Troupe Maxwell, of New Castle, was
called upon to respond to the toast,
''Our Ancient Order" DR.. Maxwell's
response was as follows
WorshiRful Master, Wardens and Brett-
ren Of Lafayette Lodge:
Gratfied by the compliment of an
invitation to participate In this banquet
proud of the honor conferred by the
selection Of me to respond to the senti-
ment just read, and ambitious to meet
the requirements of this occasion in a
manner creditable to all concerned,
am humilistcd by the necessity l am
under, of besp saking your indulgence
for want OF preparedness for suitable
discharge of my responsibilities. 1t is
due TO you, IL is due TO the interesting
subject Of which | shall speak, and il
is due to myself, that declare that.
owing to entire preoccupation of mind,
and complete absorption and engIoss-
ment of thoughts by subject of pro-
found, though purely personal, interest,
i have not been ahle to give that time
aud attention to the arrangement of my
ideas which circumstances demanded
the want OF which, will, 1 fear, be too
apparent to you. Tins must plead in
eXtenuaton of, if it shall not prove an
ample apology for, the crudity OF the
remarks | shall make.
1t has been said of one of the most dis
tinguished of ancient orators, upon
whose liquid accents listening Senates,
dwelt enchained, that he began cele-
brated Grafton by congratulatng himself
upon the felicity of his subject,in the dis
cussion of which, he thought that an ora
tor, were he ever so feeble or unpractic-
ed could not fail to find more embarrass-
ment in the choice than in the invOca-
tion of his topics and to carry along with
him the entire sympathy OF his audience.
| For the occaSion required him to debate
upon the victories aud achievements of the
great Pompey, a man who, from his
earliest youth had been identified with
his country and under whose auspices,
victory few with his eagles from Lasi-
tavia to Caucasus and the Euphrates.
But what would not the genius OF the
Roman orator, who found so much scope
for the amplification of his matchless elo-
quence in the events of single life,
have made of a subject SO fertile and so
inspiring as that to which ! shall be in
debted for whatever of interest or atten-
ton il may be my good fortune to
awaken? What were the exploits of
any single individual, whose name is to
be found upon the roll of earth's heroes
to the achievements of an order which
numbering among its children the most
enlightened men, the purest patriots, the
most llustrious sages, and the most faith
tul and devout worshlperS at the shrine
of the only living and true Cod claims
an existence which reaches far back into
the dim and distant past, and wlcldS a
way which extends to the utmost limits
of civilization; yet has maintained that
existence and exercised that power, un'
aided by any visible emblem of authority
such as commands the obedience OF the
. subject TO the autocrat; or the allegience
of the citizen to the Government? What,
| ask. are the victories of the most dis
tincuished conqueror of whom history
makes mention To the combined achiev'
ments of our "Grand old Masters \
Whose distant footsteps echo through
the corridors of time"
Never, 1 answer, can the results OF the
most brilliant and successful campaigns
OF earth's greatest soldiers, compare
with the humanizlng and civillizing in
fiuence of our beloved order, whose
motto IL VIRTUE, which constitutes the
happiness of man; PEACE, which is In
dispensable to society, and CHARITY,
which is the hope and relief ofthousands
of uufortunates wherever man walks the
earth; for | assert, without the fear oi
, successful contradiction that Masonry
proffers aid and encouragement to every
worthy endeavor. She Is the patron Of
whatever is true and noble, and Is instinct
with the pulsations of generous Sympa
thy for the stricken child of sorrow and
of want. Yes, in the effulgence of hel
past bright history and the halo of hel
present benign influence, | proudly as
. sert that, whatever gladdens life, what
ever ministers comfort and consolatlor
to the afflicted and the .sorrowlhg-ii
short. whatever glds the gloom of uul
, earthly habitation and scatters beams OF
sunshine and gladness DER the pathway
of man, finds cordial welcome and an
empbnfic expression in this grand an6
venerable institution.
T Since her birth dynasties have becomt
= extinct and are forgotten; nations have
, passed away, and have lett no slge
monuments of art, declarative of mant
f ingenuity and skill have crumbed int
l dust. or have been resolved into thel
original elements, but, amidst all these
Masonry survives-for, like the wis'
mans house, she is founded upon Rock
aud that rock TRUTH, and
: "The eternal years of God are hers"
D And, as the ocean OF oblivion sweep
along and engulfs beneath its inky wave
: mo brightly ON her altar. serenely con
:. teammates this "wreck of matter" ant
. snreading her snowy banners to thu
hreeze. ntters the cheering benediction
Q .,Peace on earth, good will toward men.
Q slightly paraphrased and restricted as tC
: time. Byron's eloquent apostrophe to the
ocean finds application here;
, "Time writes no wrinkle on thy spotles'
s such as creatlon's dawn beheld such is
A she now"
+ Masonry claims an ancient anu honor
able but not divine origin. 1t pro
= fesses TO be the friend and promoter
J. but not the author or source or virtue
l She is the handmade, but not the mother
n of niety. No; she is, and desires 10 De
i regarded as, nothing more than an lnsti
tnfion of Man and concerns herself I'm
mediately and only with the welfare o.
man in this life. To make men wiser
hetter and happier-to enlarge thell
n snheres of usefulness, and to promott
1t fbeir efficiency in all the relations OF lif'
d and stations in society. These are recog
No MED by every intelligent Mason as th'
chief object and purposes OF our order
:, 70 eject these important results, idle
;, ,ess and slothfulness are discouraged
W hoo' arry and activity are enjoined