The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-01-10
ADDRESS or JUDGE WALTER ctAkk
BEFORE ThE MASONIC GRAND
LODGE or NORTH CAROLINA.



Eighth ANIMAL eommnnira ion Of Cur
Grand Ledge in North Carolina The
capital city of your state again gladly
w-iet mes you beneath IT. Roofs Gnes
again We lock in each ofis.-r's fare-.
Ne mark with sadness the absence al
ho-. who have been wont Ia assemble
with III. but who have been called ~
liz Great Grand Master L" tn. higher
iodg. above. W. greet with cordial
greetings the rethren aho roine Ia Ill
their places.
By our custom. one Of ih.. brother
hood /. selected 10 MAKE he annual
address al these reunions. To-day hat
honor has fallen Ia my lot ! might
discourse af the ancient orlgin and
great dignity al our order. But that
has been done heretofore by mere d.ii
gent scholars aud far mors. eloquent
.p-aker~. BEYOND controversy and
without denial. our order--esen al the
most modern date assigned Tor ii,
orIgin--l- superior in years Ia an.
government now existing Ths re-
public of France and empire Of Ger
many count not Yet twenty live years
az age. The empire or ,iapan aud the
-indoms of spain and Italy date back
ics, than forty years. The empire al
Austria. the scandinavian aud Greek
iynaSties. the Mexican amt south
American republics are each younger
than the century. This great rcpub u
II .imbers little more than a hundred
vars. The British government. a. Il
G institutional monarchy. and since the
change of dynasty. can count :lareiy
two centuries. The remaining govern
ment>, the Russian, Turkish and
Chinese. under their present dynastie>.
are admittedly our JUNIORS. While
change has thus been busy with all
political institutions and governments.
il has furrowed no line of destruction
ar decay upon the proud front Of Ma
~onry. Intact il stands. its principle
unchanged. its liturgy uualtered. its
tenets mistaken. Neither rebellions
within nor wars without have Scared
It's visage or shaken the solid ground
on which il has planted its feet, With
out the tread 0f an armed force behind
i, it has outiiyed many a vanished nj
forgotten century. Without any polit-
zeal, Theological or financial system to
maintain. ii has seen empires and
Kingdoms pass away and the world
forget them with d just decay.
1t Is well then To consider Wha, il
VIZ 'ft"' ~ iii' pa WIN - Hds IIiiti-
tanned Masonry in lis pristine yigor
and purity when III all other purely
human institutions. change, inceSsant.
never ending change. is the law which
raises. sustains awhile, and then sub
mergeS all.
The cause is not far to seak 1t il be-
cause Masonry is hased upon one of the
three fundaHicntal principles upon
which all human development must
rest. The great English race gave us
.""rty 1.-THE fairest goddess of the morn.
Ano, her branch of that race prorla i'm
ed equality of rights to all the F-.,rlt
and made it good from Bunker Hill to
Yorktown. The progress of the world
Is by upheaVaiS. Ii Is not like the
smooth ripping of the Silvery stream
broadening out and out till il reaches
I lac ocean OF mans last aspirations. but
it is often by the sudden and swift
plunge Of Niagara, and amid the hell
OF -eethfng waters that abuses are
submerged and swept away. Soft was
amid the confia grafton. tears and Hood
of great political earthquake, hen
temple and palace Went 10 the ground
in that saddest amt sfneereSt epoch OF
all the ages, that latest and severeSt
struggle of men for the rights of
for man-the great French Rev
olution-that there rose by the
side of English Liberty and Amer
icanEquality. the fair figure OF Fra
ternity. Liberty. EGt atty. Fraternity
these are the immortal three. In
them rest the hopes of man. BY them,
| If it shall please God. shall be worked
| out the elevation of the race of man to
! heights Yet und~amed of. 1t is be-
canse we be Brethren: it is because Ma
.onry recognizes the grand and immor-
tai truth of the Brotherhood of man
that it lies near to the hearts of men.
1t has laid hold of an undyins princi-
pie and hence it has moi died and can
not die. If men are brethren. then
| liberty ana equality follow, becau..
among brothers all should be e1aa! in
rights and free.
These principles are seed truths
>own by the "pale Galilean.' He frs,
taught that men are brethren. He
was The first who taught equality. be-
cause between the humbleSt Of human
creatures and the great G,1created one
there was to be no human interme
diary. IL That great presence. befor.
that great throne. all men are equal
He taught liberty. for where love wa
there was liberty, These principles
sown like mustard seed by the lake o
Gennesaret have terminated and be
come great trees. and all nations W;sl
10 rest beneath their branches.
Whatever in human society is in ac
cord with those principles lives. cannO
cease to live. Masonry clssped to it
, bosom the cardinal principle OF III
brotherhood of man and m,ny othe
3 orders are now following in its stem,
t The deyel0pment of the race and il
I ultimate triumph lies in that direction
! Whatevcr denies the brotht rhoOd {
: man negatives the equality of right
:, and privileges among all men. or re
presses liberty of thought and speacl
tends to postpone the triumph Of h,
I manity. In the lays of Ancient Rome
e we are told that
Then the great man helped the poo
. And the poor man loved the great.
Then lands We're fairly portioned
U And hOnOrS We're fairly earned.
e The Romans We're like brothers
n In the brave days of DID,"
eI As it was in the best and bri q
t. days of old Rome. so Masonry won
have it now. 1t would now have II
h rich relieve the needy: it would ha'
/
D have a hand open As day to meltir
charity: it would help the widow al
the orphan and him that hath
:. helper: it would have men meet
the level and act on the square and
again like brothers. as in the bra
days of old. When. As in this day a.
ID generation. grasping uIonopolies sci
oi upon all the avenues of trade. VIII,
4 the earnings Of the toiling masses a
e laSSened that the superfluities af t
II rich may be Increased: when gigaat
combinations lab their heavy han
at upon the necessities Of life. and bold
r than the robber BaroDs nf old. do
y without fear of the law: when diStrt
II aboundf>ameng the many all over IL
H. broats. land of ours that few IN
III heas up piles of gold exceeding I
"a WAith of "OrmuS or of Ind" OF IL
Il -hich Cortez found in the halls Of t
MonteZumaS or PiZarro in the palas