The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-04
THE M-1SONIC VETER ms,
"hiiam Wallace Lees Address at
NnlliM e ford HONG.

cred Thursday at the twenty ninth an
nual reunion OF the Connecticut Mason
nc veteran association at the Masonic
home in Wallingford by Venerable Mas
Ter William Wallace Lee, Of Meriden:
Brethren Of the Veterans:
IN pursuance of the vote passed at
our meeting in Stamford one year ago,
we Tonight assemble again at the Ma
sonic Home The Masonic Home of
connecticut, in which every Mason i'm
connecticut has personal share and to
winch ne owes a personal duty; for in
masonry as well as in all other relations
IN lie, rights and duties are reciprocal.
AND again, as | have SO often DONE I
slVe TO each and all brotherly greet
Ing and bid you all welcome to our
tWenty-ninth annual gathering.
AS in all preceding years, during this
quite number have gone out from
mortal life and will be seen Of men no
more. OF these whom we deem present.
nent our veterans (the Masons of the
dark days of 1S27 to 1S40) General Wood
ruff died at his home in Rochester, Pa,
in January last, aged ninety-fve years.
Born in Colebrook, Conn, in 1903, made
-'AN'tS'A
S. Of Barkhamsted, 1928, signed the dec
laration in 1882 Cthe name is incorrectly
John Woodruff in Storrs history soon
after removed to Rochester and had
long been prominent as citizen and
Mason.
Edwin Sturges, now Of East Lee,
Mass, made a Mason at the same
time and place with Woodruff and
signed the declaration with him was liv
ing in March, but quite feeble and it is
evident the end of life for him is not far
away. George Brakeman, of Derby, is in
fairly good health considering his great
age. If he lives until october 10 next,
he will round out one hundred years of
life, and if he lives until November 13
next Will complete seventy-nine years of
life as a Mason; is to-day the only sur
vivor of the more than twelve hundred
Masons who signed the declaration liv-
Ing in Connecticut l have never known
this record to be equaled in this state,
but it is fact that there Is or was liv-
ing short time since in Newport, r. L.,
William Cook who is one hundred and
two years old and dates as a Mason
from 1919. From about 1880 until about
1S4S, when Masonry was becoming more
prosperous, comparatively few Masons
were made in Connecticut. Hence the
number of those that might naturally
be expected to follow the signers of 1882
as veteran Masons was very limited.
When Masonry again became prosper
Gus quite a number of the additions
were from men who had nearly or quite
reached middle life and those are large-
L. ~
But along with them was large num-
Der of young men from twenty-one to
thirty years Of age, and they have now
nearly or quite reached the three score
and ten, as scriptural limit Of age. AS
we admit none to membership who has
not been twenty-five years a Mason, it
follows that the youngest of our number
has reached middle life and that hence
forth This journey is down the HILL"
and this serves to account for the SEEM
ingly large number of deaths among the
veterans each succeeding year.
I endeavor to keep a record of such so
far as I am able to obtain information, |
but my list is necessarily very incom- |
plete for two reasons. First, l do not |
see all the state papers, nor have I tho
means of examining them Second, |
while few are very courteous and take |
some pains to inform the officers when a |
member has died, the large majority |
either forget it or are Indifferent, and so
my list must be very incomplete. I
the names of those of whom I
have been informed Chauncey N, Lat
timer, of Broomfield; Washington l..
Morgan, New Britain John Ruff, New
Haven: James NJ Perkins Meriden
Samuel Shelton, George White. Win
sted; Reuben Rockwell, Colebrook; War
rem B. Loveland, New Hartford; James
r. Thomas, Woodbury. Lester Good
James Merriam. Bristol; Reu-
ben L. Hubbard, New Britain; Augustus
Jones, Stamford; George Hall, Ansonia;
William Carter, New Britain; Goodrich
Of Portland Ithese last three inmates of
the "home,") E. b. Goodyear Nauga-
tuck; Joseph Robinson, Derby; he will
be remembered as our Scotch brother
who had always kept his membership in
his mother lodge in Scotland; James S.
Tibbals of Milford, whose sweet tenor
voice has often been heard at our annu-
ais; John P. Hawley of Lodge No. ST;
the brethren who were at New Hartford
will remember him as chaplain that day.
His was a. sad case. Bright witty,
cheerful, warm hearted and friendly, his
mental powers failed and I am informed
hat he became hopelessy demented.
He was a member Of the legislature
rom Norfolk. 1862. Coventry, 1874, Stat
ford, 1885. It is the only instance that
recall where the same man was elect
,d from three different towns, and this
shows that he had the confidence of
hose that knew him in a high degree.
I presume quite number might be
added to the long list if we had full re-
urns 1 think all these I have men
Toned have attended our meetings on
me or more occasions. Nearly all OF |
hem l personally knew Of as high
ype of men and MasOns.
There seems to be some misunder ]
;tanding as to what the vote was that ;
vas taken last year in regard to our fiji
ure place of holding our meetings. I
understood it to be that we should meet {
4 the home unless ordered otherwise By | {
he vote of the association. 7 under {
tsnd the matter will come up again to- ]
ay: if go. let it be discussed in spirit {
# fairness and with regard to the in {
crests Of the veterans all over the state, | {
md with that fraternal feeling which
) the strength and support of the broth {
rhood OF which we are all proud to be t
r. am berg