GMDame

From MasonicGenealogy
Revision as of 18:48, 12 January 2014 by Hotc1733 (Talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

CHARLES C. DAME 1819-1901

CharlesCDame2.jpg

Junior Grand Deacon, 1862
Deputy Grand Master, 1863-1865
Grand Master 1866-1868.


TERM

1866 1867 1868

NOTES

BIOGRAPHY

Part of the Centennial History of Charles C. Dame Lodge, 04/25/1967, Page 1967-175 of the Proceedings.

"When our lodge applied for a charter it was necessary to have a name. At that time there was no Masonic name more prominent in this state than that of Charles Chase Dame. Not only was he Grand Master, but he was known personally by many of our charter members. It was his name that was chosen.

"Charles C. Dame was born on 5 June 1819 at Kittery Point, District of Maine, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was in Kittery that he spent his boyhood and received what little schooling the town offered. He was able to attend high school in Portsmouth for one winter, then when he was seventeen he started teaching school. Later he completed his formal education at the South Newmarket Academy. In 1839 he was asked to teach in Newbury, Massachusetts. This was the home of his maternal ancestors, the Chase family. In 1849 he took a two year voyage to the Pacific to regain his health. During this journey, he spent some time in South America. Upon his return he became head of the English Department at the Chauncy Hall School, Boston. While he was teaching there he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1859.

"In 1860 he began a successful career as a lawyer, having established his residence in Newburyport. At the close of the Civil War he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue by Brother Andrew Johnson, President of the United States. He served as collector under Presidents Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur.

"His interest in local politics included serving Newburyport as mayor, alderman, school committeeman, and state senator.

"Outside of his political activities, he was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston; and in 1870, he became its commander. His business activities included being a director of the Merchant's National Bank and a trustee of the Institution for Savings, both of Newburyport.

"To list all of his Masonic affiliations would be boring. His Masonic life began in 1857 in Revere Lodge of Boston. His Masonic travels earned him the highest honors in both the York Rite and Scottish Rite bodies. He was made an active 33rd Degree Mason by the Supreme Council, there being only six in Massachusetts in any one time. Our lodge is proud to have his 33rd degree patent. He was Grand Master in 1866-1868. It was while he was Grand Master that the Temple on the corner of Boylston and Tremont Streets was erected. This burned a few years later and the present one stands on the same location. While he was Grand Master, the Temple was dedicated in the presence of President Andrew Johnson.

"During the lifetime of Charles C. Dame, he remained a staunch friend of the lodge that so proudly bears his name. It is no wonder that he was often referred to as the Father of our lodge. He died in Newburyport on 19 January 1901. His funeral was one of the largest in the history of Newburyport. Our lodge was honored by having its Chaplain, Reverend O. S. Butler, give the eulogy."

MEMORIAL

Presented in Grand Lodge by Past Grand Master Hutchinson, March 13, 1901. (Page 1901-16ff)

When a friend or companion reaches the end of life and passes beyond the veil which limits mortal sight, an impulse honorable to humanity causes us to halt, and with sorrowing hearts measure the loss we have sustained.

Charles Chase Dame, son of Joseph and Satira (Chase) Dame, was born at Kittery Point, District of Maine, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, June 5, 1819, and died at Newburyport, Mass., on the 19th of January, 1901. He was a descendant of John Dame, who came from England in 1633, and settled in what is now Dover, N.H. He was educated in the public schools of Portsmouth, N.H., and South New Market Academy. He chose the profession of his father, and taught schools ih Brentwood, N.H., and Newbury, Lynn, Newburyport, Mass., and in 1851 took charge of the English Department of Chauncy Hall School in Boston, where he remained until 1860, when he resigned and opened a law office in Boston, having been admitted to practice in the courts of Massachusetts in 1859. He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States in 1876.

While teaching in Lynn and Boston and also while practising law, he resided in Newburyport. He was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue by President Andrew Johnson and held the position under successive administrations till 1883, when he resigned and resumed the practice of law in Newburyport. He was especially interested in the welfare of his adopted city, and held important public offices; was a member of public school committee; Common Council; Board of Aldermen, and Mayor in 1886. He was a member of the State Senate in 1868. He was a director of the Merchants' National Bank and a trustee of the Institution for Savings in Newburyport.

R.W. Brother Dame was raised to the degree of Master Mason in Revere Lodge, Boston, Dec. 1, 1857. Was Master of the Lodge in 1860 and 1861, and elected Honorary Member Jan. 7, 1862; for thirty-eight years, 1862-1899, he was the installing officer. He was exalted in St. Andrew's R.A. Chapter, Boston, April 19, 1858; was High Priest in 1861 and 1862; elected Honorary Member Nov. 4, 1868; was Grand King of the Grand Chapter in 1862. He received the Cryptic degrees in Boston Council, Dec. 8, 1859. He was created a Knight Templar in Boston Commandery Oct. 8, 1858; was Eminent Commander in 1866, and elected an Honorary Member March 16, 1870. He was also Eminent Commander of Hugh de Payens Commandery in 1864 while working under a Dispensation. He received the degrees of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Raymond Lodge of Perfection, Raymond Council of Princes of Jerusalem, Mount Calvary Chapter Rose Croix and Massachusetts Consistory, all located in the valley of Lowell, Mass., Aug. 1, 1862.- He was Commander-in-Chief of Boston Consistory, 1863 and 1864; was enrolled an Honorary Member of the Supreme Council 33°, May 22, 1863, and crowned an active member Sept. 23, 1897; was elected Deputy of the Supreme Council for the District of Massachusetts, 1898 and 1899.

In the Grand Lodge R.W. Brother Dame was Junior Grand Deacon, 1862; Deputy Grand Master, 1863, 1864, 1865, and Grand Master in 1866, 1867, 1868. In 1867 he dedicated the Masonic Temple which stood on this spot, and was burned in 1895. That occasion was honored by the presence of Bro. Andrew Johnson, President of the United States.

He was a member of the Board of Directors, 1866 to 1868 and from 1882 to the time of his decease. He was also a trustee of the Masonic Education and Charity Trust, and Secretary of the Board from its organization Dec. 19, 1884.

His obsequies were held at the Unitarian Church, Newburyport, on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 1901. Rev. Oliver A. Roberts, of Melrose, read the scripture lessons and a poem, and Rev. O. S. Butler, Chaplain of Charles C. Dame Lodge, of Georgetown, pronounced the eulogy, after which the Grand Master and Grand Officers performed the burial service of the Grand Lodge. Brother Dame's body was buried in Old Town Cemetery, being conveyed there under escort of Newburyport Commandery K.T., St. John's Lodge, St. Mark's Lodge, and Charles C. Dame Lodge. The following Masonic organizations were also represented: Revere Lodge, Boston; St. Andrew's R.A. Chapter, Boston; the Grand Royal Arch Chapter; Boston Commandery; Hugh de Payens Commandery, Melrose; Boston Lodge of Perfection; Sutton Lodge of Perfection, Salem; Massachusetts Consistory, and the Supreme Council, Thirty-third Degree.

As in his life his neighbors were his friends and his fellow citizens his companions, so at his funeral they were represented by delegates from the city government, the school board, the overseers of the poor, the bar, and a large number of prominent citizens of Newburyport and adjoining towns, and the city of Boston.

To those of us who labored with him for many years in Masonry his loss is almost irreparable. From the time when he first received light in Masonry until the end came, he never ceased to devote himself with unflagging interest and zeal to the promotion and prosperity of the Craft. Well may the Grand Lodge pause in its labors to do honor to his memory. The Fraternity trusted him with significant confidence, and he upheld the honor and maintained the dignity of the high official stations to which he was called by the unaffected sincerity of his character, and performed his duties with prompt and fearless zeal. He was entitled to stand with those who represent our Institution at its highest and best.

It can be truly said that R.W. Brother Dame was a self-made man. With limited opportunities in his youth, by persistent and studious effort, he won an honorable place in his profession. In all the relations of life he was diligent, honorable, conscientious, impartial. His sense of justice was his safe and constant guide, and being true to this he was fearless of opposition, calm amid perplexities, generous and kind. His memory will be long and tenderly cherished by the Craft.

SPEECHES

FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1866

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, February 1867, Page xxx:

Brethren of the Grand Lodge, — In the original Charter, or "Commission," as it was then called, granted by Lord Montacute, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, in 1733, authorizing the R.W. Henry Price to open and hold a Provincial Grand Lodge for New England, it being the first establishment of the kind on the American Continent, I find the following words: "And lastly, we will and require that our said Provincial Grand Master of New England, do annually cause the brethren to keep the Feast op St. John the Evangelist, and dine together on that day, or (in case any accident should happen to prevent their dining together on that day) on any other day near that time."

I find also in the first Book of Masonic Constitutions ever printed, and which was originally published by authority of the Grand Lodge of England in 1722, the following regulation, it being the twenty-second of the well known Thirty-nine Articles adopted in 1720, to wit: "The brethren of all the Lodges in and about London and Westminster, shall meet at an Annual Communication and Feast, in some-convenient place, on St. John Baptist's day, or else on St. John Evangelist's day, as the Grand Lodge shall think fit by a now regulation, having of late years met on St. John Baptist's day." The record also shows that the Grand Lodge frequently, subsequent to this, assembled and held the Grand Feast on both the St. Johns' days, in the same year; and if we turn over the pages of the previous history of the Order in England, we shall find that this custom of assembling on one or the other of these days, to celebrate the Feast, is of much older date than that of the origin of our venerable mother Grand Lodge; and indeed, that the circumstance that the custom of holding the "Annual Feast" on St. John's day had fallen into abeyance, was one of the primary causes which led to the establishment of the Grand Lodge in London, in 1717.

I am not able to say at what precise time, or under what circumstances, the custom of holding these annual St. John Feasts originated; but we learn from the history of the Order in England, that on St. John's day, Dec. 27, 1561, the Grand Lodge being assembled at the old city of York, Queen Elizabeth, "jealous of all secret assemblies," "sent an armed force" to break up the meeting. The meeting, however, was not broken up, nor was its business otherwise interfered with than by the initiation of the officers of the "armed force" referred to! The Grand Lodge continued thereafter to hold its Annual Assemblies and Feasts on St. John's day, without interruption, and we find it, one hundred years afterwards, namely, 1063, in session on St. John the Evangelist's day, under the Grand Mastership of the Earl of St. Albans, when the following among other regulations was adopted: "That for the future the said Fraternity of Freemasons shall be regulated and governed by one Grand Master, and as many Wardens as the said society shall think fit to appoint at every Annual General Assembly."

These evidences, that until a very recent period it was the practice of our English brethren to hold their Annual Assembly and Feast, for more than three centuries at least, on one or the other of the St, Johns' days, in honor of the virtues and exemplary characters of those two eminent patrons of our Order, might be easily multiplied ; but it is not necessary to do so. My object is accomplished when I have demonstrated the antiquity of the practice, and indicated our own obligations to follow it, as a duty imposed on the fathers of our beloved Grand Lodge, by the Charter that gave them existence, and which their successors, with a fidelity worthy of the highest commendation, have faithfully observed and performed to the present time. And brethren, we are now and here assembled, in the light of the Past, to continue this good old landmark of our fathers, and by thus honoring it, to make manifest the love and veneration in which we hold their memories and their examples.

UNIVERSALITY OF MASONRY

It is said that our institution is a Universal Fraternity; and this is qualifiedly true, and perhaps never more so than at the present time. It is as wide-spread as the area of human sympathy. Wherever civilization has extended, there is the banner of Masonry seen waving in the breeze. In the farthest India; in the flowery Empire of China; in Japan; at the Sandwich Islands; all along the shores of the Pacific, from Cape Horn to the extreme northern boundary of the United States; and back into the interior, where, but a few years since the voice of the white man was in reality a voice in the wilderness; along the banks of the Nile, and even on the shores of the Barbary States ; and north again, to the borders of the Arctic Ocean, is heard the sound of the gavel calling the craftsmen to labor. And there is scarcely a State in Western or Central Europe, where our brethren are not to-day-assembling in their Lodge Rooms, and practising those mystic rites, and inculcating those great moral and beneficent truths, which, through a long succession of ages, have given stability to our institution, and commanded for it the respect and admiration of the wise and good of all nations and tongues.

Turning to our own country, we find the land dotted all over with Masonic Lodges. In the whole of the thirty-six States, in the District of Columbia, and in two or more of the Territories, Grand Lodges have been established, with thriving Lodges under their respective jurisdictions; and in several of the remaining Territories, including New Mexico, subordinate Lodges have also been erected.

THE ORDER IN MASSACHUSETTS

In our own State the Order never before occupied so high a ground, and was never in a more sound and healthy condition. With one hundred and sixty Lodges under its jurisdiction, and an enrolled membership of more than sixteen thousand brethren, carefully selected from the best classes of the community, this Grand Lodge may justly feel proud of its position and confidence' in its strength.

The past year has been one of unceasing activity, and has devolved upon your Grand Master and his officers, labors and duties of unequalled responsibility, the nature of which may be partially, and but partially, inferred from the details I now proceed to lay before you.

  • Jan. 4. — Dedicated a New Masonic Hall at Cambridgeport, and installed the officers of Amicable Lodge.
  • Jan. 8. — Installed the officers of Mount Lebanon Lodge at Boston.
  • Jan. 12. — Constituted Saggahew Lodge at Haverhill, and installed its officers.
  • Jan. 12. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. John H. Eddy and thirty-two others to form a new Lodge at Taunton, to be called Alfred Baylies Lodge.
  • Jan. 16. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. James F. Frothingham and thirty-four others to form a new Lodge at Fall River, to be called King Philip Lodge.
  • Jan. 23. — Installed the officers of Essex Lodge at Salem.
  • Jan. 30. — Constituted Mount Hollis Lodge at Holliston, and installed its officers; also dedicated their new hall.
  • Feb. 1. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. E. P. Davis and twenty others to form a new Lodge at Hyde Park, to be called Hyde Park Lodge.
  • Feb. 7. — Installed the officers of Mount Hermon Lodge at Medford.
  • Feb. 12. — The Masonic Hall at Melrose having been destroyed by fire, permission was granted to Wyoming Lodge to hold their meetings in the Masonic Hall at Maiden, until other convenient arrangements could be made.
  • Feb. 21. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. John Thomas Lansing, the American Consul, and nineteen others, to form a [new Lodge at Arica in the Republic of Peru, in South America; and appointed Br. Richard Hartley of Lima, as R. W. District Deputy Grand Master for that region.
  • March 10. — Installed the officers of St. John's Lodge at Newburyport.
  • March 15. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. Salmon W. Squire and seven others to form a new Lodge at Franklin, to be called Excelsior Lodge.
  • April 23. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. William F. Salmon and twenty-eight others to form a new Lodge at Lowell, to be called Kilwinning Lodge.
  • May 3. — Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at Randolph.
  • May 14. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. George Frost and thirty-four others to form a new Lodge at Jamaica Plain, to be called Eliot Lodge.
  • May 30. — Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at South Boston.
  • June 1. — Visited Konohassett Lodge, U.D., at Cohasset.
  • June 4. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. George Forbes and twenty-one others to form a new Lodge at Westboro, to be called Siloam Lodge.
  • June 18. — Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at Framingham, after which a public address was delivered in the church by Rev. Br. Greenwood.
  • June 20. — Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at North Adams. In connection with this occasion there was great interest manifested by members of the Order for a considerable distance, and a public procession escorted the Grand Lodge to a church, where Rev. Br. Dadmun, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge, delivered an address to a large and interested audience.
  • June 25. — Laid the corner-stone of a new Masonic Building at Melrose, with masonic ceremonies. Although the day was oppressively hot, the public procession was large, and the occasion one of great interest. .
  • June 27. — Constituted Konohassett Lodge at Cohasset, and installed its officers; also dedicated their new hall.
  • July 2. — Constituted Lafayette Lodge at Roxbury, and installed its officers.
  • July 6. — Constituted Athelstane Lodge at Worcester, and installed its officers.
  • July 9. — Constituted Acacia Lodge at Gloucester, and installed its officers.
  • July 16. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. John Peirce and nineteen others to form a new Lodge at Edgartown, to be called Oriental Lodge.
  • July 24. — Dedicated a Masonic Hall at Mansfield, and installed the officers of St. James Lodge.
  • Sept. 21. — Constituted James Otis Lodge at Barnstable, and installed its officers.
  • Sept. 25. — Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at Taunton.
  • Oct. 1. — Visited St. John's Lodge at Boston.
  • Oct. 4. — Constituted Adelphi Lodge at South Boston, and installed its officers.
  • Oct. 9. — Constituted Charles W. Moore Lodge at Fitchburg, and installed its officers.
  • Oct. 11. — Installed the officers of Warren Lodge at Amesbury.
  • Oct. 19. — Constituted Artisan Lodge at Winchendon, and installed its officers.
  • Oct. 24. — Installed the officers of Henry Price Lodge, at Charlestown.
  • Oct. 25. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. Harman Hall and eleven others to form a new Lodge at Saugus, to be called William Sutton Lodge.
  • Nov. 13. — Granted a Dispensation to Br. William D. Kites and eighteen others to form a new Lodge at Huntington, to be called Huntington Lodge.
  • Nov. 27. — Visited Joseph Warren Lodge at Boston.
  • Dec. 18. — Constituted King Philip Lodge at Fall River, and installed its officers.
  • Dec. 20. — Visited the Lodge of Eleusis at Boston, and installed its officers.
  • Dec. 21. — Constituted Hyde Park Lodge, at Hyde Park, and installed its officers.

In discharging these duties, I have, in most cases, been assisted by the regular Officers of the Grand Lodge, so far as their assistance was necessary in the ceremonies to be performed.

The great interest which is felt by officers of Lodges throughout our jurisdiction, in the proper discharge of their various duties, and the earnest desire on the part of the fraternity at large to remove doubts, and establish in their minds the true principles of our Order, have been manifested during the past year by a very extensive correspondence ; and I have found it difficult, in many cases, on account of the important interests of the Corporation, which have required daily attention, in addition to my other duties, to give as early answers to the brethren as I desired ; but all has been done in this respect that reasonable hours and labor would allow.

THE NEW MASONIC TEMPLE

Work upon the New Masonic Temple was recommenced early last spring, and has been continued with all the energy possible since that time. I have spent a considerable portion of almost every day upon the premises, and in matters relating to the progress of the building. It is now rapidly approaching its completion, and I have no doubt it will be ready to be dedicated by the 24th of June next. It is not surpassed in beauty by any building in this country, and while it attracts the attention, and excites the admiration of all who pass it, the members of our Order have especial pleasure in its peculiar features, and look forward with much interest to its completion, and with satisfaction that the time is near at hand when the Grand Lodge can enter upon the possession and enjoyment of their own apartments.

It was originally contemplated to use the first and second stories for business purposes ; but it appeared to be the general desire of the fraternity that the apartments of the Grand Lodge should be no higher than the second story; arrangements have therefore been made, that all above the first story may be appropriated to masonic purposes, and if it should not be so required, a portion may be assigned to other uses. The lower part of the building has already been leased, and the Masonic Institutions of Boston will occupy the upper portions.

Judging from recent sales of real estate in the immediate vicinity, the land upon which we are building has more than trebled in value since the commencement of the work ; and when the building is completed, the whole estate will be one of the most valuable in the city of Boston; and the income which will be derived from it will be such as to make the investment a very desirable one for the Grand Lodge, as a business operation.

LIQUIDATION OF THE DEBT

For the liquidation of the debt that will be incurred in the erection of the Temple, I would suggest that a sinking fund should be created, to be applied to that purpose. This fund should receive the surplus income of the Grand Lodge from its real estate and other sources, after paying the interest on its debt and meeting its current expenses. In addition to this, I would recommend that each initiate, hereafter, be required to pay directly to the Grand Lodge, through the treasurer of the Lodge where he is initiated, the sum of five dollars, to be applied to the payment of this debt, or added to the sinking fund for that purpose. By this arrangement the Grand Lodge would, in a few years, have their entire property free from all incumbrance, and the subordinate Lodges would be relieved of a large portion of their annual dues to the Grand Body. Abundant means would also thereafter be realized to enable us to dispense our charities with a liberal hand.

GRAND ORIENT OF LUSITANIA

I have recently received from the Count of Paraty, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Lusitania, in Portugal, a friendly communication, proposing "the establishment of fraternal relations" between that Grand Body and our own. Believing that the reciprocity of such relations would be of advantage to both parties, and productive of good to the Order in general, I, on the 1st of December, returned a favorable answer, accepting the proposals thus fraternally tendered. Before laying the correspondence before you, I take occasion to say, that for more than half a century past, our Order, both in Portugal and Spain, as in some other Catholic countries, has had many adverse circumstances to contend against, and that its existence has been precarious and its progress slow. I am happy to believe, however, that the ultra-religious prejudices of these countries are gradually giving way before the reign of a more liberal spirit, and that the prospects of the future are more hopeful and encouraging. Perhaps one of the strongest assurances of this is to be found in the fact that Italy has not only been masonically redeemed, but that in the city of Rome itself, the seat of the Papal power, one or more Lodges are now held within the shadow of the Vatican, and that the music of the mystic gavel is ringing in the ears of the "Head of the Church!"

The correspondence is as follows : —

TO THE GLORY OF THE SUPREME ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE.

To the very Respectable Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Boston, State of Massachusetts, sent by the Grand Master of the Grand Orient Lusitania.

SALUT, FRATERNITE, AND UNITE.

Very Illustrious Frere, — The Grand Orient Lusitania, of Portugal, which owes its existence legitimately to its historical precedents, to the regularity of its work, and to its invariable exercise of the fundamental masonic doctrines within the sphere of the landmarks of the Order, finds itself at present recognized and bound in active and intimate relations with the Grand Masters of Prance, Brazil, Saxony, Italy, Buenos Ayres, Ireland, Uruguay, Luxemburg, Hamburg, Low Countries, Darmstadt, and New Grenada.

The Grand Orient Lusitania does not think the apogee of Masonry will have arrived, until all the family of the Universe shall recognize all its members. To obtain this, it is necessary that fraternal relations shall be formed among all the legitimate masonic powers.

In this conviction, the Lusitanian Grand Orient does not hesitate in its duty of addressing the Grand Orient of Boston, and doing entire justice to the illustrious sentiments which animate them, proposes to them the establishment of fraternal relations, formed upon the basis of a perfect reciprocity.

The Lusitanian Grand Orient feels happy in the hope that the Grand Orient of Boston, in acceding to this request, will frankly accept the evidence of consideration and justice which this Grand Lodge offers to it.

We pray to the Supreme Architect of the Universe to keep under his protection the Grand Orient of Boston.

Done in the Cabinet of the Grand Master, the 4th December, 1865.

THE GRAND MASTER,

Signed, The Count of Paraty, 33°. {seal.}

REPLY.

GLORY to the supreme architect of the universe.

To the very Respectable Grand Master of the Grand Orient Lusitania,

From the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Very Illustrious Brother, — The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, founded on the practice and observance of the precepts of Ancient York Masonry, and whose historical precedents are known to its masonic brethren, has received with emotion the expressions of the good-will and esteem of the Grand Orient Lusitania. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts accepts fraternal relations on the basis offered by the Grand Orient Lusitania, a power doymatique and souvreiyn in that circle of masonic brotherhood, whose enlightened sentiments of justice, fraternity, and union, are inspired by a profound conviction of the truth of the principles of Preemasonry.

The Grand Master of Massachusetts has received the evidence of the friendship and esteem of the Grand Master of the Grand Orient Lusitania, and desires to assure the Grand Master Lusitania, that he reciprocates the same sentiments -with all frankness and consideration; and he congratulates the Grand Orient Lusitania and its illustrious officers, on their success in extending the influence of the sublime principles of virtue, and in promoting the stability and consideration of the institutions of Freemasonry within their jurisdiction.

We pray the Supreme Architect of the Universe to have you always in his holy keeping.

Done at the Grand Orient of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, July 1, 1866.
THE GRAND MASTER,

Signed, Charles C. Dame. 33°. {seal.}

GRAND LODGE OF NOVA SCOTIA

I also received, some time since, a communication signed by three brethren, styling themselves respectively, Grand Master, Grand Registrar, and Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, in which the writers say, that "The Freemasons of Nova Scotia, to the number of ten Lodges, having united in the establishment of a Grand Lodge at Nova Scotia, in order to insure the rights and privileges which the growing interests of the craft imperatively demand, and having duly and regularly installed their officers according to ancient usage, now respectfully and earnestly request from your august Body that recognition so essential to our future prosperity."

It may be proper for me here to say, that the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland constitute, masonically speaking, a joint proprietary over the Province of Nova Scotia, as also over all the other Provinces and dependencies of the British Crown (with one exception recently conceded), with an exclusive right to control and govern the Lodges within their respective jurisdictions; and any interference by a foreign body with this right, would be as irregular and unlawful, as would be the interference of either of the Grand Lodges above named with the government of the masonic jurisdictions of the United States.

The ten Lodges, which now constitute the newly formed "Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia," derived their existence from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, a body with which this Grand Lodge, for nearly a century and a half, has been on terms of amicable relations. These Lodges owe allegiance to that Grand Lodge, from which they have not been released; nor can they, in my judgment, by any act of their own release themselves, except through secession and revolution. This relation they have seen fit to assume, and now occupy, and they ask this Grand Lodge to recognize them as a regularly constituted and lawful "independent Grand Lodge."

I do not feel called upon to inquire into the causes which have led to this result, nor to discuss the sufficiency of them to justify a measure so important in its character and influences. These are questions that properly, if not exclusively, belong to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. When that body shall have decided them, and seen the need to recognize the new organization as a lawful, independent Grand Lodge, this Grand Lodge will, I have no doubt, be most happy to extend the "right-hand of fellowship." I however submit the whole subject, with the accompanying papers, to the consideration of the Grand Lodge.

LOCAL MATTERS - REJECTIONS

I had intended to invite your attention to some more local interest, if not of more importance to our immediate welfare, but my engagements, masonic and otherwise, have been so numerous and pressing of late as not to afford me the necessary time to mature them. I may however say, currente calamo, that the number of initiates the past year has been 2,311, falling short of the number initiated in the previous year {by} 593. The rejections have been 1,051, less by 86 than in the previous year.

It appears from these data that about one third of all who are proposed for admission to our Lodges, are rejected. This out of just proportion; and the logical deduction from it is, that many are rejected from improper motives, or that our Brethren are too careless in bringing forward candidates for admission. That both of these causes are in operation, and have combined to produce this remarkable result, I have reason to believe. Several instances have come to my knowledge where the work of individual Lodges has been greatly retarded, or entirely suspended, through the factious and unmasonic conduct of one or more of their members, who, availing himself of the sacred privilege of the secret ballot, has resorted to the black ball as a cowardly means of gratifying a personal pique or a revengeful spirit, excited perhaps by the previous rejection of his friend, or disappointment in the result of an election, or of carrying some favorite measure. Such a course of proceeding is no less unmasonic than ungenerous and unmanly. It does a personal injustice to the candidate, while it strikes with a reckless hand at the prosperity of the Lodge. A member of a Lodge so conducting himself, incurs, and would be visited with severe masonic discipline, if detected.

PROPOSING CANDIDATES

The second branch of the predicate, namely, that the brethren are too careless in bringing forward candidates, I do not feel at liberty to pass over in silence. It has been said, and the saying is a self-evident proposition, that the strength of our institution docs not consist in the number, but in the character of its members. Brethren labor under a very serious misapprehension of their duty, when they solicit, or hold out inducements of any kind for young men to enter our Lodges. The candidate should come forward of his own free will and accord, uninfluenced by the voice of friendship, or considerations of personal interest, or he should not come forward at all. The Constitutions of the Grand Lodge furnish the form of a petition, which every applicant for admission to the Order is required to sign, and by means of which alone, he can lawfully make his wishes known to the Lodge. A verbal proposition made by a member, is neither regular, proper, nor lawful; and the Master of a Lodge should never entertain a petition coming in such a form. The application should be in writing, under the proper signature of the applicant, and bearing the recommendation of at least one member of the Lodge to which it is submitted; and were this petition so changed as to require the recommendation of at least three members of the Lodge, the requirement would be more nearly in conformity with the former usages of Masonry, and afford greater assurance that the candidate is worthy of acceptance.

RE-PROPOSING CANDIDATES

A loose practice has obtained in this connection, which I desire to have corrected. I refer to the re-proposing of candidates who have been rejected. It has been the custom in many of our Lodges, for some friend of the candidate to rise, immediately on the announcement of the unfavorable result of the ballot, and re-propose the candidate, to be again balloted for at the next meeting of the Lodge; and this has been allowed. But it is a proceeding wholly unauthorized by the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge, or the usages of Masonry. The rejection removes the petition from before the Lodge, and places the candidate in his original status. If he desires to offer his name again, he must do so by a new petition and recommendation, as in the first instance. It is due to the candidate that he should be consulted in a matter of so much importance to his feelings, if not to his reputation, and it is due to the credit of the Lodge that it should not, through inattention or carelessness, disregard the Constitutional requirements of the Grand Lodge. I recommend this matter to the careful consideration of the Lodges.

THE DISTRICTS

I have found it necessary, as a matter of convenience and economy to re-district the jurisdiction, and to increase to some extent the number of the Districts. It is some years since the present Districts were formed; and, owing to the rapid increase of Lodges, and the great changes which have taken place in the means of travelling, the labors and expenses of the Deputies have become both inconvenient to them and burdensome to the treasury of the Grand Lodge. In laying out the new Districts, I have had special reference to the facilities for reaching the Lodges in any given part of the Commonwealth, and have arranged the Districts, as far as practicable, on the lines of the railroads. This will enable the District Deputy Grand Masters to visit their Lodges more frequently, and with less inconvenience to themselves than they have heretofore been able to do ; and I trust that it may also prove a saving of expense in this admirable and efficient department of our organization.

CONCLUSION

Thus, brethren, closes the one hundred and thirty-third, and we are to-night entering upon the one hundred and thirty-fourth year of our existence as a Grand Lodge. The record of the Past is before us. What that of the Future shall be, depends, under God's Providence, upon us and our successors. If we are true to the teachings of the past, and faithful to the landmarks which our fathers have left for our direction and guidance, it will be well. If, on the contrary, we allow ourselves to be shaken by every wind of doctrine, and blown about like the leaves of autumn, it will be otherwise. Let us then, unitedly and heartily resolve to hand down to our successors this good old Grand Lodge, with its teachings, its principles, and its Freemasonry, unshaken in its integrity, and sullied in its purity, just as we received it at the hands of the venerable and honored brethren, who first erected the masonic altar on the soil of America. Let us do this faithfully and conscientiously, and the blessing of God will continue to abide with us as it abode with our fathers.

FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1868

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXVIII, No. 4, February 1869, Page 113:

Brethren of the Grand Lodge, — The Annual Communication, or, as in the present case, the closing of one administration and the beginning of another, must always be an occasion of more than ordinary interest to this Grand Lodge. It is the season when the responsible officers are required to render an account of their stewardship for the past year, and when the Body itself is called upon to inaugurate those measures the result of which is to affect, favorably or otherwise, the future welfare and prosperity of the whole Fraternity of the jurisdiction.

LIMITATION OF THE TERM OF OFFICE

And it was doubtless this consideration that induced our predecessors, soon after the union of the two Grand Lodges of this Commonwealth, in 1792, to indicate and limit what should constitute the ministerial term or administration of its principal elective officers. It was, doubtless, also, with this view that they declared by constitutional enactment, that the Grand Master and the Grand Wardens should neither of them be eligible for election to the same office for more than three successive years. They did not indeed absolutely determine the exact length of time these officers should hold their places — as in the case of the President of the United States — or they would otherwise have so provided. On the contrary, they wisely reserved to themselves the power to terminate their official relations as occasion or the interests of the Body might seem to demand. It is plain, however, that their intention was to indicate three years as the full term of an "administration"; when a change of the Grand Master and his Wardens should take place, or when (the remaining officers, with two exceptions, holding their places by appointment,) an entire change of the organization would follow as a consequence — not absolutely, but legally. And this was the practical working of the system until about the year 1842, when the Representation in the Grand Lodge had been so far reduced by the persecution out of which it was then just emerging, that the attendance was thought to be too small for its requirements; and in order to increase this, and strengthen its working ability, it was deemed to be wise to depart from the ancient usage so far as to terminate the service of the Wardens at the close of the first year of their election: thus giving two additional permanent members annually to the Grand Lodge. This was undoubtedly at the time an advisable and perhaps a necessary change. But whether, now that the necessity in which it originated no longer exists, its continuance is either wise or expedient, may be worthy of consideration.

My own experience teaches me that a too frequent change in these important offices is not, in view of the increased importance and complications of the business of the Grand Lodge, and the safe management of its large property, desirable; and this doubt is materially strengthened by the fact that these officers are ex officio members of the Board of Directors, to whose care and direction the highest interests of the Grand Lodge are intrusted, and which ought not therefore to be exposed to the uncertainties of too frequent changes in its organization. Past experience teaches us a lesson in this respect which we may profit by if we will. And this leads me to suggest whether the present plan of its constitution may not be advantageously improved, so as to secure to it the services of a larger number of members whose past experience and knowledge could be made available in tho transaction of its business.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

There is another suggestion in this connection which presents itself to my mind, that may be worthy of consideration. I referred to it in my last annual address. By the present requirements of the Constitution of the Grand Lodge, the members of the Board of Directors must be annually elected from among the active officers or permanent members of this Body, or from the Representatives of the Lodges. The practical operation of this requirement is to deprive the Grand Lodge of the ability to avail itself of much of its most active and influential business talent, — of the services and the counsel of a class of brethren whose age, experience, and business facilities, would at all times be of the highest value and importance in the management of the financial affairs of the corporation. I am not disregardful of the probability that objections may be raised to the change here suggested. But in a matter of such paramount importance, individual preferences or aspirations are entitled to little consideration. A seat, at the Board may be a desirable one, but it is one which, you will excuse me for saying, every brother who may aspire to occupy it, is not always he who is best adapted to discharge its duties. And this is true, though not to the same extent perhaps, of every office in the gift of the Grand Lodge. Being the representative Body of the Fraternity in the State, it is the standard by which the character, social position, and respectability of the whole Order are estimated by the community. In filling its offices, this important consideration cannot therefore be safely disregarded. But leaving the subject here, for such disposition as you may think it entitled to, I proceed to lay before you a brief synopsis of my official proceedings for the past year.

  • Jan. 10. Visited Winslow Lewis Lodge, Boston.
  • Jan. 14. Installed the officers of Essex Lodge, Salem.
  • Feb. 13. Installed the officers of Social Harmony Lodge, Wareham.
  • March 15. Installed the officers of St. John's Lodge, Newburyport.
  • March 24. Constituted Paul Dean Lodge at North Easton, and installed its officers.
  • March 26. Constituted William North Lodge at Lowell, and installed its officers.
  • March 27. Constituted Isaac Parker Lodge at Waltham, and installed its officers.
  • March 31. Constituted Zetland Lodge at Boston, and installed its officers.
  • April 1. Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at Beverly, and installed the officers of Liberty Lodge.
  • June 6. Granted Dispensation to Br. Edward Avery and thirty-five others, for a new Lodge at Weymouth, to be called Delta Lodge.
  • June 10. Granted Dispensation to Br. William H. Kent and ten others, for a new Lodge at Charlestown, to be called Faith Lodge.
  • July 13. Visited Mizpah Lodge at Cambridge, u.D.
  • Sept. 4. Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at Charlestown.
  • Sept. 25. Constituted Ionic Lodge at East Hampton, and installed its officers.
  • Sept. 28. Constituted St. Bernard's Lodge at Southboro, and installed its officers.
  • Oct. 5. Constituted Mizpah Lodge at Cambridge, and installed its officers.
  • Nov. 4. Visited St. Mark's Lodge at Newburyport.
  • Nov. 20. Visited Grecian Lodge six Lawrence.
  • Dec. 1. Installed the officers of Revere Lodge at Boston.
  • Dec. 2. Dedicated a new Masonic Hall at Pittsfield.
  • Dec. 8. Granted Dispensation to Br. George W. Peirce and thirteen others, for a new Lodge at South Maiden, to be called Palestine Lodge.
  • Dec. 8. Granted Dispensation to Br. Morton B. Menning and twenty-six others, for a new Lodge at West Amesbury, to be called Bethany Lodge.
DEATH OF BROTHERS POWER AND ROBINSON

During the past year two of our oldest permanent members have been summoned to the Grand Lodge above.

R.W. Br. Thomas Power, Past Junior Grand Warden and Past Grand Secretary of this Grand Lodge, died at his residence in Framingham on the ninth day of October last.

R.W. Br. Simon W. Robinson, Past Grand Master of this Grand Lodge, died at his residence in Lexington on the sixteenth day of October last.

I have appointed R.W. Brothers Winslow Lewis, Past Grand Master, Charles W. Moore, Deputy Grand Master, and William S. Gardner, Past Senior Grand Warden, a Committee to prepare suitable resolutions, to be entered upon our records, of respect for the past services and eminent worth of these brethren.

GRAND LODGES OF NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA

I have received communications from brethren, endeavoring to establish an independent Grand Lodge in Nova Scotia, and also in New Brunswick.

I am not aware that these brethren have yet succeeded in accomplishing their wishes in their respective Provinces, and I would caution this Grand Lodge to consider well the rights of all parties, as well as the great principles of our Order, before making themselves a party to the questions in issue between these brethren and their parent Grand Lodges. Sundry documents received by me, relating to this matter, accompany this address.

INITIATES AND MEMBERS

There have been initiated during the past year, in the several Lodges under our jurisdiction, two thousand one hundred and seventy-four. The whole number of members on the first day of September last was eighteen thousand three hundred and sixty-seven. Number of chartered Lodges, 172; under Dispensation, 4. There has been received from subordinate Lodges for the past year, through the R.W. D.D. Grand Masters, about $27,000. Also, for commutation tax, about $13,000.

STATE OF THE DEBT, ETC.

One year ago last July the debt of the Grand Lodge was about $435,312.81. At the present time it is about $375,000, showing a reduction in eighteen months of about $60,000.

The floating debt at the present time is about $116,000, as follows: $10,600 due in 1870-71, $40,000 due in February next, and $65,500 on temporary notes given on four months.

The current expenses of the Grand Lodge for the past year have been reduced to the lowest possible amount, (about $6,000,) being but little more than one half of some former years. The most rigid economy has been exercised on all occasions.

It will be seen from the foregoing statement, that a very large amount of the floating debt of the Grand Lodge still remains unliquidated. It was my confident hope and expectation, when I last addressed you on the subject, that I should at the present Communication be able to announce to you that this most embarrassing part of our debt had been at least so far removed as to leave no cause of uneasiness, and that the only incumbrance upon our finances was the amount secured by mortgage upon the property, which would be amply protected by the income from rents and other sources. In this, I am pained to say, I have been greatly disappointed.

CAPITATION TAX

The receipts from the capitation tax the past year have not been what they should have been. The Lodges, with some honorable exceptions, have not in this respect come up to their engagements with the promptness and fidelity which their own interests and the reputation of the Fraternity in this old jurisdiction imperatively demand. The consequence of this has been that the large balance of this part of our debt has been carried the past year by the temporary loans and on the individual responsibility of three or four of our affluent brethren, whose generous confidence has saved the credit of the Grand Lodge, and that of the Order throughout the jurisdiction, from humiliating mortification. To them we owe a debt of gratitude which mere words can never repay.

But this condition of things ought not, and cannot, be allowed to continue. The debt must be paid, and that without further delay. With little less than twenty thousand members, and one hundred and seventy-six Lodges in the jurisdiction, it is wholly inexcusable that the credit of the Grand Lodge should be held in such jeopardy. To a Body like this, composed as it mostly is, of active business men, the sum required to meet all its immediate demands is insignificant. For the payment of this debt the faith of the Grand Lodge stands solemnly pledged upon its records, by a unanimous vote, and this pledge must be redeemed, or its business character irretrievably dishonored. The prompt payment of the paltry sum required by a commutation of the capitation tax, or the contribution of five dollars by each individual member whose name is borne upon our rolls, would immediately relieve the government of the Grand Lodge from the mortifying embarrassments under which they have been struggling for the last two years. Is it just, is it generous, is it honorable that this struggle should continue? I do not ask for individual contributions, but I do ask, in the name of the Grand Lodge, in vindication of its past honorable history, and in behalf of its endangered reputation for integrity, that the Lodges and the brethren throughout the Commonwealth, loving and honoring it as 1 know they do, will unitedly and of one accord, put their hands to the work, and relieve it of its pressing necessities and pending danger.

DELINQUENT LODGES

In my last annual address, it became my duty to report the delinquency of two of the Lodges in the Ninth District, in refusing to comply with the order of the Grand Lodge imposing a capitation tax on its members. One of these Lodges has since so far discharged its obligations as a Lodge, in that particular, as to account for most of its members, but specially reporting twelve of its members, whose names are herewith submitted points as refusing to comply with the order. This refusal requires the immediate action of the Grand Lodge.

The other, Evening Star Lodge at Lee, has not only persisted in its recusancy, but, though frequently called upon by the Deputy for the District, and written to by your Grand Master, has treated the calls of the former with studied neglect, and the communications of the latter with marked contempt. Such a defiance of the authority of the Grand Lodge, and insult to its official head, I have felt it to be my duty to reprove with all the severity with which I am invested. I accordingly, (as authorized by the first section of the eighth article of the Constitution,) on the 20th day of November, directed a mandamus to the R.W. Br. Henry Chickering, Deputy for the District, commanding him to proceed to Lee, and to demand of the Master and Wardens of said Lodge the payment of the capitation tax on its members for the years 1867 and 1868, and on their further neglect or refusal to meet this demand against them, then and in that case, to suspend the Lodge until otherwise ordered by the Grand Lodge. The exercise of this high power has been one of the most painful of my official duties, but it was one which I was not at liberty, under my official obligations, to decline. The offence was an act of insubordination, and a denial of the authority of the Grand Lodge, which, if passed over in silence, would establish a precedent ruinous to all masonic government. I am happy to be able to add, however, that within a few days the R.W. D.D. Grand Master has reported that this Lodge has paid the capitation tax for 1867, and has made its returns and payment of dues for the current year, and the mandamus was returned without further process.

CONCLUSION

Three years since, you did me the honor to elect me to the office of Grand Master. I have held the place, and, I trust, not altogether unacceptably, performed its duties, for the entire term which, by our Constitutions, I am allowed to occupy, Today I return it to you, with my grateful acknowledgments for the many kindnesses and favors I have received while in the discharge of my official duties, and with assurances of my continued interest in the future welfare and prosperity of the Grand Lodge.

My official labors have been arduous and responsible. They have drawn largely upon my time, and imposed upon me duties such as will not probably be demanded of any of my successors. Whether these duties have been as acceptably performed as they might have been, is a question that can be determined only by those who are best acquainted with the nature and character of them. I only claim that they have received my best consideration and most earnest devotion. And although in dissolving my official connection with the Grand Lodge, I do not leave its fiscal affairs in so favorable a condition as I could have desired, yet it is most gratifying to me, as it should be encouraging to you, that I leave it in the possession of a large and increasingly valuable property, which, with careful management, will in a very few years, place it and every Lodge in the Commonwealth, in a condition to carry out and accomplish more fully than ever before the great beneficent purposes of their existence. That this desirable result may follow, even earlier than the most sanguine among us dares now to anticipate ; that your future may be free from' personal animosity and party strife : that inordinate ambition for place or distinction may be unknown among you ; that neither envy, nor jealousy, nor prejudice, nor false report, may be allowed to influence you ; that subordination to the laws and respect for the constituted authorities of the Grand Lodge, may distinguish you ; and that all your future proceedings may be characterised by unity of purpose, by fraternal kindness, and by that charity which "seeketh not her own," is my most ardent prayer.

CHARTERS GRANTED

RULINGS



Grand Masters