MAGLENichols
Contents
EUGENE B. NICHOLS, JR.
Deputy Grand Master, 2001
BIOGRAPHY
SPEECHES
CONSTELLATION LODGE ANNIVERSARY, 1996
Remarks at the 125th Anniversary of Constellation Lodge, 10/19/1996, Page 1996-217:
Most Worshipful Grand Master, distinguished guests, my brethren; it is a delight to be able to serve constellation Lodge during its Quasquicentennial Year. We can only hope to be endowed with the same enthusiasm and the same sense of anticipation for the future as our Masonic forefathers had when they formed this Lodge. Although Constellation Lodge is still in its infancy, when compared to the age of our Grand Lodge and the many "Paul Revere" Lodges which have celebrated anniversaries of their own recently, we do have a rich and extensive history as you have heard. How swiftly the sands run, however, the tiny particles contained within the hourglass remain virtually the same, even though, hour after hour, the sands pass away almost imperceptibly - they do not change. The environment surrounding it may change, but the sands within the glass are unaffected by these changes.
Similarly, one hundred twenty-five years have passed since Constellation Lodge was instituted. The world has changed greatly in that period of time, but Freemasonry remains essentially unaffected by the mutations in society. The Masonic teachings, which shaped the lives of the charter members of this lodge, continue to hold the same meaning and serve as the same examples today as in 1871. It is interesting to note that Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man in 1871 . He concluded that man evolved from ape-like or monkey-like ancestors 26-54 million years ago. Although this evolution occurred, it happened over such a long period of time that the changes that must have taken place were so gradual.
Just as in the hourglass, the particles erode each other every time a new hour is begun, but these changes are so minute that they are not visible to us. Society has evolved outside the hourglass, but Freemasonry has evolved within it. Time forces us to change, but if we cling to the ideals that we hold most dear, we will be better able to adapt and coexist with the broader changes that occur in society around us. Brother Richard Wagner employed a whole new concept of opera composition. In 1871, he began to attach equal importance to music, libretto, and drama in his "music dramas." Evolution occurs. The same endpoint is achieved by means of a different route. P.T. Barnum's Circus evolved. "The Greatest Show on Earth" which opened in Brooklyn, New York, became the first circus to travel the country by rail in 1871. Also, in 1871, the artist who unpretentiously titled his work Arrangement in Gray and Black remarked that no one would have an interest in the identity of the subject. Actually, millions since have identified Whistler's Mother with the feelings of their own mother. The thought process of the artist evolved over time.
Even in the town of Dedham in 1871 things were evolving. By that year, forty streets were lighted by gas lamps. The Dedham Public Library although it had been growing and evolving for some time, was formally established. Also, the Dedham Selectmen reported "it is with great pleasure that we can say that no one had laid waste the property of any citizen during the past year in this town" as the town fire department had evolved and purchased a steam fire engine.
Even in our Grand Lodge evolution occurred in 1871. The Most Worshipful William Sewall Gardner began the process of keeping membership records. During his administration the office of Recording Grand Secretary became a full time occupation. Additionally, one of his most notable contributions to the Grand Lodge was his story of the life of Henry Price, which brought out facts not before known and is the most authoritative source known of the life of the founder of duly constituted Freemasonry in the western world.
Most Worshipful Stanley Fielding Maxwell is quoted as having said: "The importance of improvement, setting an example, and shouldering responsibility for the future, are our Masonic goals. And where will it all end? In brotherhood. What we build today will endure. That is our hope and our faith." Therefore, as we race toward the 21st century in this troubled world, let us remain in the light of Freemasonry for all the world to see. And maybe, by our examples, the evolution of the world will synchronize with the evolution of Freemasonry ever bearing in remembrance the words of Abraham Lincoln, which were still fresh in the minds of our brethren in 1871 and should be heeded even today: "with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
Thank you for your kind attention, brethren, and God Bless you. The Best Is Yet To Bel
