The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-07-13
W. W. LEES AnbpEss.
Given at Masonic Lodge Anniversary Mt
Slmsbury.

Simsbury.
Meriden, July 10,-Past Grand Master
w. w. Lee, of this city, delivered the
principal address at the centennial cell
ebration of st, Marks lodge of Free
Masons in Simsbuly Yesterday
Among other things he-said:
THE history of ar'country lodge of
Free Masons is part and parcel of the
history of the town where it is located
We find the men who are prominent in
TIE lodge prominent in town matters"
The speaker then traced the history Of
the lodge down to the times of the civil
war; He said:
''Those of you whose steps like mine
are toward the setting sun can recall
the dark and dreary days of 1862. De-
feat and disaster to the Union cause
had followed in quick succession; its
armies were being decimated by dis.
ease as well as by rebel bullets. The
south was defiant, their sympathizers
grew more jubilant and the hiss of the
copperhead could be heard in every
corner. I remember that there APP
peared in a Hartford paper an adver-
tiSement to this effect: That the sub
scriber was of Revolutionary blood.
His sires helped to establish the nation.
He was too old to serve as soldier.
He had. no son to represent him He
wanted some one to represent his fami-
iy and would pay any able-bodied man
a handsome price in addition to all
bounties he might be entitled to that
would so represent his family. This
old man was Guy r.. Phelps of Sims
bury"
The speaker then discussed the anti
Mason movement at some length. In
the course of his remarks he said: "To
the large majority OF our younger
brethren the story of the anti Masonic
crusade is largely mystical"
He denounced Thurlow Weed, one of
the head movers in the anti Masonic
movement, as "as inscriptions poll
tician as the state of New York had
then furnished. Every man of mature
years knows that she has produced
more of that breed than any other state
in the Union. This crusade and ex-
,citement over Morgan's disappearance
was all gotten up for political capital.
The Masons Of New York acted very
unwisely. Had they paid no attention
to Morgan he would have lived and
died probably unhonored and unre-
membered There is proverb, "A lie
well stuck to is as good as the truth /
do not believe it, but there are many
who do to Judge from their actions
ut must be admitted by any one who
means to be fair that the persistent re-
iteration of the story of Morgan's alb
duction and murder by Thurlow Weed
and his associates was disastrous to
Free Masonry The lie was well stuck
to- and reused an intense feeling of
hostility 70 our great brotherhood.
The storm ragged in New York and
New England. AT the south and west
it had very little influence. The storm
center was in New York and the feel
ing took shape in organizing a party to
oppose Masonry; whichlraged furiously
for a short time, but it was as destitute
of vital principle as it would be now
to organize party to oppose measles
or potato bugs.
1.-THE Anti Masonic party preferred
to be reformers, and like the reformers
of our day seemed to think that blis-
tering tongue and the version of CAD
fly were necessary to success. Re-
formers generally, as far as l know
them, seem to be animated by spirit
of ill-will and hate,
Masonry is said by some to be a
system of philosophy yelled IN sym
bols' II you understand what that IS.
you will know all about it. ] confess
freely 7 do not. To me Masonry is
brotherhood Its object Is to lead men
to higher and better living, to be more
tolerant, generous, humane. Without
these virtues these forms and ceremo-
MES are, not worth the time we spend in
them. With this spirit we can serve in
any cause that has for its object hui
man advancement, to make the world
better place to live in for those who
shall succeed us"