The guardian., 1951-06-30

have sown so shall their
blessings yield abundantly.
I also wish to pay tribute to
the citizens of this great Muni-
cipality, where abounds the rhy-
thmic, pulsating beat Of indus
trialand cultural activities. Who
have not heard of Springfield,
Massachusetts,, nested in a pic
turesque environment of towering
hills, kissed by the flushings
clouds; and verdant valleys, so
pregnant with bouDteous storcsl
And crystal streams and swishr
ingbrooks, replenishing the nigh
ty Falls! Who are they who
would be void of a sense of
thrill while experiencing such
charm and hospitable associa-
ton We appreciate the warm
welcome extended to us by this
cross-section Of the citizens of
Springfield. 1t shall not b e
quickly forgottenl
On occasions, such as this -
the Feast day of .our Patron
Saint, st. John Baptist, it is
customary for a Grand Master
to delivery an Grafton which
embodies some of the virtues of
Freemasonry which so attracted
the eminent st. John that ne
became a member of the Order.
Just what are these virtues
which so convinced st. John?
Many indeed are the defini-
tions of Freemasonry. Inspir-
ing and convincing is the logic
involved! But none surpasses
the superb, concise statement of
fact on this subject as proclaim
ed by De Witt Clinton, eminent
Freemason and late Governor
of the State of New York. IT
is safe to conclude that those
time honored virtues - those
basic principles upon which are
anchored the humanities - SO
ably set forth in Clintons mas
terful thesis on Freemasonry -
must have stirred the imagina-
tion of the great st. John and
left an indelible impression upon
his physical and spiritual being.
Clinton maintained that Free
masonry is the most ancient so
ciety in the world; its principles
are based on pure morality; its
ethics, the ethics of Christianity:
its doctrines, the doctrines of
patriotism and brotherly love -
and its sentiments, the senti-
ments of exalted Denevolence.
Upon these points there can be
no doubt. All that is good and
kind and charitable it encour-
ages - all that is vicious. and
cruel, and oppressive it repro
bates" England has its Magma
Charta; the citizens Of our be
loved country thrill at the sound
Of the immortal words of Thomas
Jefferson and his colleagues. as
stated in the Declaration of
Independence: "We hold that all
men are created equal etc. The
martial strains of the French
Republics national anthem st;rs
the imagination of the French
Nationals - their hearts leap for
JOY. All people = reactine to
the characteristics of their re-
spective individuality - have
striven to enrich the scope of
their activities with an ideologlc-
al statement, designed to engen-
der the quality of inspiration
adaptable to their respective
need And Freemasonry.
with its unlimited opportunity
and influence for good, through
the medium of its "exalted be-
heVolence m a y yet consider
Clinton's immortal definition of
Freemasonry, regarding it as
gem - statement of fact -
upon which anchors the destiny
OF our beloved Fraternity. For
what man is he would not en-
brace the affilation of an organ
ization which has for its scope
of activities boundary with
such lofty idealsl
Clinton says: "Freemasonry is
the oldest society in the world"
Is it not fact that 'In the be-
ginning God created the heavens
and the earth, and the earth