The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1889-07-11

fortune and survive unwrecked, unshai;
en- and unframed Time forbids extend
cd remarks, to-day, upon the nations or
igin and history. Eloquent lips hav
told you in listening throngs the stor,
ofits birth, its youth and it's mature1
years, and no words of mine are ade
quate to the exalted theme. The event
has now been celebrated by gratefu
people at each recurrence gifts anniver
Sary with every form OBSERVATIONS joy
with every demonstration of respect anC
/ gratitude for the ancestral wisdom anC
| virtue which gave it its birth and glory
l and with every assurance that growing
time shall neither obscure its luStre, mol
reduce the ardor nor descredit the SINGER
ity of its observance.
| What ceremony could we adopt more
BETTING the day and the occasion, thar
| the having of the corner stone OF Struct
ure dedicated to the use of the civil au
thorities of an integral part of this great
| government? A century ago, the pio,
neers of freedom, with Washington as
| their leader. here-on this virgin contin,
! ent, laid the foundation of q new Re
| public with civil and religious liberty as
| the corner stone. And as if to perpctu,
| ate the symbolic act, the same great
Master Workman, then President OF the
young Republic with impressive masonic
rites, assisted in laying the corner stone
| of our nations first capitol in that city
which bears his name, and where stands
an enduring monument to his tame.
How appropriate that in its early his
| tory, the infant nation was SO intimate
" associated with our mystic order,
which III point Of time has OutliVed all
| natiolts, all societies, social or religious,
| pagan or christian. 1t was the first So
cial organization to challenge despotic
claims, or to teach the great principals
that were uppcrmOst in the struggle toC
independence, that gave earneStncsS to
PRAYER and sent aid from Heaven.
| Away back in the dim ages Of the past,
1000 wears before the christian era, we
| find in all that IS left of the history OF
| ancient Egypt, evidence of the existence
| of this powerful secret association, en-
! bracing the most intelligent men of the
nation. The rulers were unwilling to re
liuquiSh GeSpotic power, ana the ignor-
ant feared to assert their rights; but
those enlightened students concealed by
mystery, by ingenious hieroglyphics, by
| inspiring rites and curious cerimonials,
| taught men not only great skill i'll work
manship, but their equality, their duties
and responsibilities as men. There and
thus originated the philant1ropic idea
| which we now call frcemasonry. The
| mysterious veil of Isis, the Egyptian god
| dess, curtaincd the cradle Of our order.
There and thus were planted the central
idea Of this form of goyernmcnt-the
equality and brotherhood Gilman. When
we reflect that all that is now known OF
that nation, or Gifts 50 cities that once
il0uishcd in The valley of the Nile, each
of which contained over q million ofin
habitants, is what can be deciplcrcd
by the mystic secrets OF our order from
the hieroglypl,cs in the shadows Of the
Pyramids do ne realize the strength Of
the lndyin@ principals our order teaches.
On this branch of my address, l will be
pardoned for making 4 few extracts from
the pen OF Ben. Pcrlcy POOrc.
I'm Greece we see the next work Of the
sacred ritual, evidently carried there by
the Phunccian merchants who transport
ted the grain raised i'll the fertile valley
of the Nile, to its more populous but less
fertile lands on the shores OF the Mcdi
tcrranean. Palestine, the subsequent
birthplace of the Christian religion, next
became the chosen home of the mystic
order. Here it torsook its its mytholo-
ey and cOnsccrat"d itself to the true
God. G,he mysteries of Egypt and Of
Greece were reconstructed and took on
more practical form in operative mason
", and were made SO Serviccable i'll the
building Of King SolCmons temple, that
the great structure WAS reared Ill all its
proportions, without the sound OF ham,
MGR or tx or any other tool of iron.
1T is we'll on such IN occasion as this,
that we should remember that ever glor-
iOus morning when the great temple was
pronounced finished There is not in ma
sonic history a more interesting chapter
than the record of that inspiring scene,
when an hundred and fifty thousand
craftsmen rested from their labors.
Brethren, who for seven long years had
wrought i'll harmony, were congregated
from the quarrics to meet together for
the last time. Their long labOrs were
ended. The glorious structure reared
by Gods own command, was completed.
Amid shoutings OF JOY, the "kcystonc"
was brought forth, and crowned the in
spired work. The grand order which
had done all this was then and there in
vested with the attributes of pcrpetuity
and supplied with passports with which
TO Journey into every land"
"Christianity soon sought and secured
IN alliance with this order, and those
good people who denouuce frecmasonry
little appreciate that the institution in
its mature power sheltered the christian
faith in its infancy. But the fathers of
the chistrian church have lett abundant
proof of this. They have recorded that
by Gods gift they were made partakers
of those mysteries and qualified to judge
of them"
1t is not my purpose 10 follow the his
tory OF masonic progress, The Course
of Empire" has been its course. It has
survived the downfall OF nations; the
municipalities and Oligarchics that lie
buried in the dust of ages, and III times
noblcst ottspring," it here finds nation
attuned to its scarf V teachings.
1t is 4 fact that most of the great gen
erals and patriots of the revolution were
members OF this fraternity; with the life
blood Gifts nOhlest sons, the foundations
| of the ncWrepublic were Cenentcd. Ran
dolph, Grandmaster Of Virginia, who
presided over thc Continental Congress,
Warren, Grandmaster Of Massachusetts,
who fought and fell at Bunker HILL and
scores of Others who knelt at masonic al
tars. including Stcuben from Germany,
Lafayette from France, and greatest OF
all, Washington, who gave prominence iii
| the great act OF commencing, with ma
sonic ceremonies, the erection Of home
| for the future rulers of the then infant
nation, and i'll his subsequent history, re
! peated proofs OF his devotion to the order
as we'll as the country. Unlike the fate OF
an earlier lamented Grandmaster, hecar-
ried not to an untinely grave, the secret
| of a nations master builders, but left up
on his "trcstic board" dcsigns for humaui-
tvs temple, and i'll the doing builded bet
| ter than he knew.
The present year is traught with stir
ring memories. With it century Of
national life under the constitution has
closed. To use the words OF an eloquent
| speaker-"How short the space com
pared with nations that have gone be
fore and yet how fateful to humanity
those years have been"
"In the early history Of Greece, we
mark the first distinct recognition O.
civil and intellectual rights. They -four.
ished tor a thousand years and gave to
art and song and eloquence local habi
tation and name. Rome followed with