The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-06
TEACHINGS OF FREEMAS0NRY
AND AIMS OF THE BROTHERHOOD
HEARTILY COMMENDED.
How Some Industrial Problems Might
he soIved-President and Family
I'm the White House.


sonic fraternity. The President was also
the orator of the occasion. He arrived in
this city over the Pennsylvania Railroad
shortly after IL o'clock and was met at
the station by Grand Master Z. ~ Tennis
and the reception committee of the Grand
Lodge. Carriages were in waiting, and the
President was escorted to Masonic Temple,
where the exercises began at noon.
The celebration was exclusive, being linn
tied to one representative from each sub
ordinate lodge in this State. together with
the members of the Grand Lodge and its
committees. Grand Master Tennis delivered
the address of welcome, Charles A. Gala
CHER, NJ. w. grand master of Massachu-
| setts, responding. President Roosevelt was
then introduced. He said:
mo man can be insensible of the honor
| of addressing body like this on an occa-
| sion like this. l should think that every
| man would be a better man for having
| been here to-day. L thank you indeed for
| having given me the chance of being pres
ent. L can speak with freedom here that
| is impossible anywhere else and with a
| certainty of not being misunderstood. IL
| seems to me that that which this country
| needs more than everything else, not only
| to preach, but to practice the virtues we
try to realize through Masonry and to
show to the memory of the greatest Mason
that ever lived Washington the homage
| of deeds, not merely words.
WHERE ALL ARE ON A LEVEL.
zone of the things that attracted me so
| greatly to Masonry that 1 hailed the
chance of becoming Mason was that it
really DID live up to what We, as a govern
ment, are pledged to-of treating each man
| on his merits and as man. When Brother
| George went into a lodge of a fraternity
he went into the one place in the United
States where he stood below or above his
| fellows according to the official position
in the lodge. He went into the one place
in the United States where the idea of Our
| government was realized as far as it is
humanity possible for mankind to realize
| a lofty ideal. And L know that you will
not only understand me- but sympathze
| with me when A say that great though
my pleasure is in meeting you here, as
| your guest, in this beautiful temple, and
| in meeting such body of men this is
that l am now addressing, l think my
| pleasure would be even greater in going
into some little lodge where L meet the
| plain, hard-working men-men who work
| with their hands, and meet them on a
| footing OF genuine equality, not false
equality, but depending on each man to be
| decent man and fair-dealing Mason.
| Each one of us naturally is interested
| especially in life as he sees from his own
| standpoint. Each one of US that is worth
his salt is trying to do his share in working
| out the problems that are before all of us
now at the beginning Of the twentieth GEN.
fury. And so does any man in public life,
| whatever his position be- If he is inter-
ested at heart he has the desire to do some
kind of substantial service for his country.
He mus realize that the indispensable pre-
| requisite of success under our institutions
is genuineness in the spirit of brotherhood
| Masonry should make and must make each
| man who conScentiously and understand
ingly take up his obligations the best type
of American citizenship, because Masonry
teaches him his obligations to his fellows
in a practical fashion.
LESSONS OF BROTHERHOOD.
at is a good thing to read the Declare
ton Of Independence every Fourth of July;
it is a good thing to talk of what Washing
ton and his fellows did for u.s. But what
counts most is how We live up to the
lessons that we read or that we speak Of
Lesson of brotherhood first and foremost
is to learn that lesson with full heart on
| the one hand and without a weak head or
the other. The lesson of brotherhood-th
is, the lesson that has got to be taught
and got to be learned and applied to us as
people j. we are to solve the great indus
trial and social problems of to-day. If we
could get wage workers and employers in
any given occupation or In any given dis
trict in a lodge together, L guarantee the
result. L guarantee what will happen. l.
not that true? Do you think so? LCries OF
tee 1t. If that thing could happen We would
come always into the lodge, each respect.
ing his brother and each wanting to d,
what was good for his brother; each recog-
nizing that in our government every mar
of us has to be his brothers keeper. Ma
sonry not only bids us and teaches us ir
this direction, but makes us care for the
brethren that stumble and fall and for the
wives and little ones of those who are
beaten down in the harsh battle of life
OF all things, it does not teach us to make
h0l n n INV nHNCtu lac
does not teach us to make bell we that life
can somehow be made soft and easy fol
everyone; it cannot be. For many of u:
life is nothing but very hard Each one OF
us who does anything is going to have hare
stretches in it; otherwise men would not dc
anythng. If a man does not meet with diff
| fculties, If he does not put himself in a way
where be has to overcome them, he would
not do anything that is worthy of beins
DONE
WHAT MASONRY TEACHES.
Masonry teaches and fosters more thar
the qualities of self-respect and self-help
the qualities that make man a man fit Il
stand by himself, and yet it must forestaI
every one who appreciates as it SHOULD
be appreciated the beautiful and solemn
ritual; t must foster in him a genuin,
feeling for the rights of others and TO
the feelings of others. Masons help on,
another in a way that is free from tina
curse of accommodation. Help given il
a spirit of arrogance does not benefit an,
one. Help must be given nationally will
a feeling of cordial good will. Now, in ou
life of to-day-in our great complex in
dustrial centers, what do we need most
We need most each to understand tn
others viewpoint; 10 understand that tn
other man is at bottom like himself Eacl
of us should understand that and try [,
approach the subject at issue or any prob
lem that arises with a firm determination
not to be weak or foolish. That is helpfu
TO your neighbor.
Weakness and folly and timidity ar
not helpful to your neighbor Timid en-
durance of wrongdoing may often be L
commit one of the greatest evils that on
possibly can commit against ones fellows
but we will acknowledge that while insist
ing upon that, that there must be no Yield
ing 10 wrong and yet ii is ever necessar,
to remember that you cannot appreciat
the rights of the case until you are abb
10 see and understand how your neighbo
looks at il: how he is affected by It, Yo,
take any lodge where. is the case Il
our own little lodge, you see the capitals
and wage worker. men of all classes me-
OF every kind of social position and wealth
and see them meeting together as Mason
i'm the fullest sense of the word. with
, feeling for one another, that goes wit
/, | Masonry. When one sees lodge such a
that: a meeting such that, one see
how certain small fragment OF our indus
| trial problem is to be solved II is no
In IL fhaf \