539 
 N55C39 
 
5 5-1 
 
 047558 
 
 CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 HS539.N55 C39 
 
 History of the twenty-ffth anniversary 
 
 3 1924 030 289 676 
 olin.anx 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this bool< is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030289676 
 
Centennial 
 
 Lodge 765 
 
 J0' F. 8r A.M. jSf^ 
 
 ^ XXVth v» 
 
 Anniversary 
 
Centennial Lodge 
 
 : : ; ; 763, F. & A. M. : : : : 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 TWENTY- FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
 OF ITS INSTITUTION 
 
 AND OF 
 
 EXERCISES 
 
 HELD UNDER 
 ITS AUSPICES 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 
 William McKi n le y 
 
 XXV. PRESIDENT 
 OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 19 01. 
 

 H 
 
 ^ 
 
 THE OPPBNHEIMER PRINTING CO, 
 ^ 22-24 N. WILLIAM ST., 
 NEW TOHK. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 annivctaatB Celebtatfon 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTORY ii 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES. 
 
 Temple Emanu-El, May 26th, 1901 17 
 
 Address. R. •. W.-. Elbert Crandall 18 
 
 Oration. Rev. Bro. Dr. Joseph Silverman 25 
 
 Memorial and Kaddish. — List of Departed Brothers 
 
 read at Temple 35-36 
 
 RECEPTION TO LADIES. 
 
 Commandery Room, Masonic Hall, May 28th, 1901.. 39 
 
 Address. W. •. Henry Lippmann 39 
 
 Address. W.\ Leo Ph. Ulmann 40 
 
 Address. Mrs. M. H. Theobald 42 
 
 History of Centennial Lodge 43 
 
 Address. M. •. W. •. Edward M. L. Ehlers 55 
 
 List of Brothers Receiving Z5-Year Medals 56 
 
 Address. W.\ Louis J. Vorhaus 57 
 
 Address. W.-. M. S. Hyman 58 
 
 Address. Mrs. Pauline S. Kohn 62 
 
 Address. W. • M. B. Abrahams 64 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 (continued) 
 
 PAGE 
 
 BANQUET, May 29th, 1901 69 
 
 Address. W. ". Henry Lippmann 7° 
 
 Address. W. ■. Leo Ph. Ulmann 71 
 
 Prayer. Rev. Bro. Dr. Joseph Silverman 73 
 
 Address. W. •. Joseph Steiner 74 
 
 Address; W. •. Emanuel Marx 75 
 
 Address. Bro. Chas. G. F. Wahle 78 
 
 Address. R. •. W. •. Elbert Crandall 84 
 
 Address. W. ■. Adolph Oppenheimer 88 
 
 Address. R. •. W.-. Wm. C. Popper 92 
 
 Address. R. ■. W. ■. Ferdinand Levy 97 
 
 McKINLEY MEMORIAL EXERCISES loi 
 
 Address. Bro. Charles G. F. Wahle 105 
 
TWENTY- FIFTH 
 ANNIVERSARY 
 
 OF THE INSTITUTION OF 
 
 CENTENNIAL 
 LODGE 
 
 763, F. & A. M. 
 
 UNDER JURISDICTION OF THE 
 GRAND LODGE OF MASONS 
 IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK 
 
 MAY 26, 28, 29, 1901 
 
II n t r b u c 1 r 1? 
 
 ¥ N compliance with resolutions adopted by Centen- 
 nial Lodge, No. 763, F. & A. M., this book is pre- 
 sented as a memorial of two events which prominently 
 marked the year 1901 in the history of the lodge, 
 namely, the series of festivities attending the celebra- 
 tion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the institution 
 of the lodge and the memorial services held in the 
 lodge on the 24th day of September, 1901, in honor of 
 Bro. William McKinley, President of the United 
 States. 
 
 The anniversary celebration was divided into three 
 distinct functions : Memorial exercises at Temple 
 Emanu-El, Fifth Avenue and Forty-third Street, in the 
 Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, on Sun- 
 day evening, May 26, 1901 ; a Reception to the ladies 
 in Commandery Room, Masonic Hall, New York City, 
 on Tuesday evening. May 28, 1901 ; and a Banquet at 
 Harlem Casino, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth 
 Street and Seventh Avenue, in the Borough of Man- 
 hattan, City of New York, on Wednesday evening. 
 May 29, 1 90 1. 
 
The Committee in charge of this celebration was 
 composed of the following members : 
 
 Committee of arrangements. 
 
 WoR. HENRY LIPPMANN, Chairman 
 
 R. WoR. FERDINAND LEVY, 
 
 R. WoR. WM. C. POPPER, 
 
 WoR. MOSES S. HYMAN, 
 
 WoR. ISAAC MUSLINER, 
 
 WoR. ADOLPH OPPENHEIMER, 
 
 WoR. JOSEPH STEINER, 
 
 WoR. AARON STERN, 
 
 WoR. MAX PROOPS. 
 
 WoR. WILLIAM GROSSMAN, 
 
 WoR. LOUIS J. VORHAUS, 
 
 WoR. LEO PH. ULMANN, 
 
 WoR. M. B. ABRAHAMS, 
 
 WoR. MORITZ RHEINAUER 
 
 WoR. JULIUS H. COHN, 
 CHAS. G. F. WAHLE, SAMUEL KAUFMAN, 
 
 NATHAN S. KOHN, ISAAC H. GOLDSMITH, 
 
 BALDWIN SCHLESINGER, HERMAN MAYER, 
 WILLIAM A. GANS, JACOB SPIRO, 
 
 WoR. EMANUEL MARX, Secretary 
 
 who, on the 7th day of January, 1900, organized by the 
 election of then Wor. Bro., now R. W. Bro., Henry 
 Lippmann as Chairman and Wor. Bro. Emanuel Marx 
 as Secretary. 
 
 A very important factor in contributing to the suc- 
 cess of this celebration was an association of ladies of 
 the families of members of the lodge, organized on the 
 
nth day of April, 1901, under the name of "Centen- 
 nial Ladies' Auxiliary." 
 
 Its officers were Mrs. Louis J. Vorhaus, President; 
 Mrs. William H. Theobald, Vice-President; Mrs. 
 Pauline S. Kohn, Treasurer, and Mrs. I. H. Goldsmith, 
 Secretary. 
 
 At the occasion of the reception to the ladies this or- 
 ganization, through its treasurer, Mrs. Pauline S. 
 Kohn, presented to Centennial Lodge a complete set 
 of paraphernalia, all the jewels of which were in silver. 
 
 To fittingly commemorate the fidelity of our brothers 
 who had continued members of the lodge for twenty- 
 five consecutive years, it was resolved that to each of 
 them a gold medal, properly engraved and designed, 
 be presented at this occasion, and that, as each brother 
 of the lodge thereafter completed twenty-five consecu- 
 tive years of membership, he should, on behalf of the 
 lodge, receive a similar medallion. 
 
 Devoutly remembering the goodness of God to the 
 lodge and its brethren, and appreciating that gratitude 
 to Him cannot be better expressed than by service to 
 man. Centennial Lodge^ as a feature of the celebra- 
 tion herein referred to, devoted the sum of $1,000 to 
 charity, of which $500 was voted and presented to the 
 Masonic Home at Utica;$iooto the Hebrew Shel- 
 tering Guardian Orphan Asylum; $100 to the St. 
 John's Guild; $100 to the Hebrew Infant Sanitarium; 
 $100 to the Educational Alliance, and $100 to the Sani- 
 tarium for Hebrew Children. 
 
 The history of the lodge, prepared by a Committee 
 specially appointed for that purpose, was read by Wor. 
 
 13 
 
Bro. Aaron Stern, at the reception held on the 28th day 
 of May, 1901. 
 
 The Memorial Services in honor of William Mc- 
 Kinley, President of the United States, were held in 
 Composite Room, in Masonic Hall, New York City, 
 on the 24th day of September, 1901. They were con- 
 ducted in the presence of a large number of distin- 
 guished craftsmen, prominent among whom were 
 R. W. Elbert Crandall, Deputy Grand Master of 
 Masons in the State of New York; M. W. Edward M. 
 L. Ehlers, Past Grand Master of Masons in the State 
 of New York, and present Grand Secretary of the 
 Grand Lodge; R. W. Henry Lippmann, D. D. G. M. 
 for the Eighth Masonic District, Past Master of the 
 lodge, and who on that evening was making his first 
 official visit as D. D. G. M. and had selected our lodge 
 for that distinction. 
 
 This book, containing the record of each of the oc- 
 casions above mentioned, is presented in the hope that 
 the spirit of fellowship and brotherly love inculcated 
 at all times within the portals of our beloved lodge, 
 and which was so richly evidenced at the several func- 
 tions which constituted the Anniversary Celebration 
 and the Memorial Exercises, will be strengthened as 
 the years go on, and that the perusal of the following 
 pages will ever bring back pleasurable and hallowed 
 memories of the events recorded therein. 
 
 New York, May i, 1902. 
 
 14 
 

 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 CENTENNIAL LODGE, 763 
 
 F. & A. M. 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES 
 
 TEMPLE EMANU-EL 
 
 SUNDAY EVENING, MAY 26, 1901 
 
 
 programme 
 
 Organ preluDe 
 
 THE LODGE ENTERS 
 
 Coronatton ^arcb Svendsen 
 
 ORCHESTRA 
 
 ^ab UOVU Ktiztger 
 
 REV. WM. SPARGER AND CHOIR 
 
 ©penlng pragcr 
 
 REV. DR. JOSEPH SILVERMAN 
 
 a n t b e m ChemUni 
 
 MISS VOIGT, CHORUS, ORCHESTRA AND ORGAN 
 
 Psalm CXVII. 
 
 1. Praise ye the Lord, all ye nations; ye people praise Him. 
 
 2. For His merciful kindness is great towards us, and His 
 
 truth endureth forever. 
 
 Scripture IRcaOing 
 
 REV. DR. MARCUS KRAUSKOPF 
 17 
 
21 n t b C m Spicker 
 
 MRS. JOSEPHINE S. JACOBY AND ORCHESTRA 
 
 Psalm LXXI. 
 
 I. In Thee, O God, do I put my trust; let me never be 
 
 ashamed. 
 9. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not 
 
 when my strength faileth. 
 
 17. O God, be not far from me. Thou hast taught me from 
 
 my youth, and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous 
 works. 
 
 18. Yea, even when I am old and gray-headed forsake me 
 
 not, O God, until I have declared Thy power unto the 
 next generation. Thy might to those coming after me. 
 
 Bd D cess 
 
 R.-. W.v ELBERT CRANDALL 
 
 Ladies, Friends and Brethren: It perhaps at the 
 outset is but proper that I should suggest some reasons 
 for my being here upon this occasion, and assuming 
 to appear before an audience of this character. 
 
 In the first place, as the brethren know, the Grand 
 Master of Masons in this State resides far distant from 
 this city. It was impossible for him to attend, and 
 therefore, I suppose, it is that much of the burden, if 
 such it be, rests upon the Deputy Grand Master, and 
 in fact, it is only upon those occasions when the Grand 
 Master cannot be present that the Deputy is permitted 
 any occasion of this character to display himself. 
 
 One reason therefore is accordingly called to your 
 attention. There is another reason for my being here, 
 and it is because of the pleasure that I experience in 
 being permitted to be with you, to join with the breth- 
 ren of Centennial Lodge of Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sons when they commemorate a quarter of a century of 
 their existence. 
 
 Another reason is personal friendship for very 
 many of the brethren of this lodge extending over a 
 long period of time. Therefore, I appreciate most 
 
 18 
 
highly the compUment which the committee having in 
 charge the arrangement of this occasion has given me 
 to be present before you, and to give expression to some 
 few thoughts and ideas which come to my mind. 
 
 These commemorative services mark an epoch and 
 event in the history of this lodge and its brethren. In 
 these days of progress, when a teeming population is 
 striving for success in all commercial pursuits, when 
 a rivalry born of the desire to excel in professional 
 life is manifest on every hand, so that the deep shadows 
 of forgetfulness may not surround us and envelop us 
 in their growing darkness, it is well for us to pause and 
 for a moment recall some of the associations which are 
 the development and give expression to the sentiment 
 of the highest manhood and of humanity. 
 
 It was my privilege, a few short months ago, acting 
 in accord with the officers of the Grand Lodge of Free 
 and Accepted Masons, to participate in the laying of 
 a corner-stone in a beautiful village in the western part 
 of this State. That occasion brought to my mind one 
 of the most beautiful thoughts, and was the expression 
 of one of the most filial acts of a son to his honored and 
 revered father and mother which it has been my pleas- 
 ure ever to have experienced. The circumstances were 
 that this gentleman had, at one time in his life, been a 
 resident of that beautiful village, and as a boy he had 
 gone forth and had made his fortune, and was then 
 residing elsewhere ; but notwithstanding that, it seemed 
 that his thoughts returned to the place of his boyhood 
 days, and it was his desire there to erect a monument 
 which should stand for all time to come — a monument 
 of his fealty as a son, of his filial love to the memory 
 of his father and his mother. Therefore he donated a 
 beautiful public free library to this village, constitut- 
 ing it their property in perpetuity. That occasion, and 
 those circumstances, are significant only as they mark 
 
 19 
 
an epoch and event in the history of the people of that 
 village and of that locality. 
 
 So, too, as we look back through the ages and 
 through the centuries, do we see that all great events 
 are part of the history of the w^orld. We may contem- 
 plate for a moment the existence of strife between na- 
 tions, one nation against another — the success of the 
 one, the downfall of the other. So, too, we may for a 
 moment recall strifes which arise in nationalities and 
 municipalities — the downfall of one, the conquest of 
 the other — and thereby again is an event written in the 
 history of the world. 
 
 Rome, in all her power, in all her magnificence and 
 in all her wealth, rose and fell, bound down by the very 
 existence of her own sin and shame — the sin and shame 
 of her rulers. So, too, in the ages which have passed, 
 great cities have been reared and have passed away, 
 burdened with the weight of their own infamy. There, 
 too, again, is history made. 
 
 It is recorded in the history of the world, and out 
 of all this comes to me upon this occasion a thought 
 that in Centennial Lodge of Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sons, to-night is history being made. Your lodge has 
 been instituted and has existed for a quarter of a cen- 
 tury — a long period of time. Within that time your 
 brethren have associated themselves together, bound 
 together according to the tenets and principles and 
 teachings of our craft, upon the points of fellowship, 
 with sympathy extended from one to another ; and what 
 means an occasion which shall commemorate such an 
 event ? It is the expression of the brethren and their 
 friends, the expression of joy that they feel and ex- 
 perience in having thus attained their Silver Jubilee. 
 
 Occasions of this sort are fraught with great bene- 
 fit to our fraternity — benefit in so many different direc- 
 
tions that it would be almost impossible for me to call 
 your attention to them; and yet you will pardon me, 
 I am sure, if I suggest certain lines upon which we 
 believe in the commemoration of events so important 
 in the history of a lodge or of the fraternity. 
 
 Free Masonry binds men together by voluntary acts. 
 It is forced upon no man. It can be attained by no 
 man except as his voluntary act. In all the history of 
 civilization we find that strong and lasting associations 
 of all kinds spring up and exist. Let me call to your 
 attention the fact that this craft has been in existence 
 through the ages which have passed, bound together by 
 the principles and teachings which it has inculcated, 
 which are the highest development of our civilization, 
 and transmitted from one age and from one generation 
 to another only by oral tradition. And it is not be- 
 cause of its secret character, it is not because it has 
 the secret ritual which the world may not know of, that 
 it has stood the test of the ages which have passed. 
 No, it is above and beyond that, because it is builded 
 upon a foundation and basis reared according to the 
 tenets and principles of mankind and of humanity. It 
 is builded and it teaches and it inculcates those lessons 
 which, if followed, cannot but be for the welfare and 
 good, not only of those who are within its mystic cir- 
 cle, but of all who come in contact with its beautiful 
 and delightful influence. 
 
 Again, to refer to this idea of association, we find 
 that the grand central figure in Masonic association 
 is one grand governing body, and we find subdivisions 
 of it as in almost every kind of an association, and fin- 
 ally we find the individual lodge, governed by its Mas- 
 ter and by its officers, and therein is to be found the 
 support and the maintenance of the Masonic fraternity. 
 In the individual lodge, and in the breast of the indi- 
 vidual brother, is to be found the love of his fellow 
 
man — love which is extended by one to another, love 
 which extends to the brethren, those who may be in 
 need — not only the charity which consists in helping 
 the needy, but the charity which extends to a brother 
 and to a brother's family and to a brother's friends, 
 the sympathy which he may need in misfortune, and 
 the expression of the good wishes and the sincere re- 
 gard of his brethren. 
 
 It is all this we find as a result of the growth of our 
 lodges, the growth of the craft, until to-day, in this 
 grand jurisdiction of the State of New York, there are 
 more than one hundred thousand Masons, all bound 
 together by the same ties, by the same principles, all 
 having been taught the same lessons of charity and 
 brotherly love. 
 
 ^ly friends, it is perhaps unwise for me to detain 
 you at any great length upon this occasion. I feel that 
 I have spoken to the brethren of New York upon so 
 many occasions, and upon the same subject, because it 
 is necessarily one which touches upon Free Masonry, 
 and standing as I do, to some extent representing the 
 Grand Lodge and the Grand Master for the time being, 
 you would expect that I should say something upon this 
 subject, I am sure ; and very often I feel that it is with 
 reluctance that I assume to say anything, for fear of 
 repetition. I do, however, experience great pleasure 
 personally, and because of my desire to see the craft 
 and Free ^lasonry benefited, I do experience great 
 pleasure in being permitted to participate in occasions 
 of this kind. I feel that it is with just pride that a 
 lodge sees fit to commemorate these anniversaries, so 
 important, in such a manner, and therefore, while it 
 may be with reluctance that I consent to take part in 
 these ceremonies, yet, if I can at any time, and they 
 feel the need of my assistance, I am willing to extend 
 so much of that assistance as is possible. 
 
There are some other thoughts that come to me upon 
 this occasion, and one is the thought of the narrowness 
 and the bigotry which appears to be in the minds of 
 some of those who, I have no doubt, think that they are 
 very good men. Only last week I read of the occur- 
 rences which took place in some convention of a re- 
 ligious character in the State of Iowa. I saw it stated 
 that by resolution they proposed to refuse to receive 
 into the church any member of a secret society, and 
 particularly any Mason. 
 
 Those gentlemen who spoke upon that subject in that 
 way were ignorant of F"ree Masonry, or they would not 
 have thus spoken. It demonstrated one fact, that the 
 creed of those men was so narrow that they could not 
 comprehend the broadness of the principles of our 
 craft. It demonstrated that they spoke from ignorance 
 of the tenets and principles and teachings of Free Ma- 
 sonry, or they would not have given expression to those 
 thoughts. It demonstrated to my mind that they were 
 ignorant, and spoke from ignorance of the subject, and 
 of the fact that in every Masonic lodge, and upon its 
 altar, rests this Holy Bible, the inspiration of light and 
 truth. Therefore it is that we see, sometimes, those 
 who, through ignorance and bigotry and their devotion 
 to creed rather than to religion, speak in a manner 
 which would seek to belittle the fraternity which is of 
 such dimensions, and which has done so much good. 
 
 Again, to-night, I presume that many of our friends, 
 the ladies being present, expect that I will divulge very 
 many of the secrets of Free Masonry. I presume that 
 they anticipate that I might put them in possession of 
 our secret grips, signs, etc., and that they might be, to 
 some exent, permitted to look into the secret ritual 
 which possesses so many charms, and which has so 
 much of fear to those who do not know so much about 
 it ; but I fear the time which is allotted to me is so lim- 
 
 23 
 
ited that I ought not to branch out into that subject, 
 although it be a disappointment to our fair friends. 
 
 And let us, in this connection, bear these thoughts in 
 mind, coming as a result of these commemorative serv- 
 ices, and after twenty-five years of existence of this 
 lodge, let us remember that the past hath its memories, 
 that the present hath its duties, and that the future hath 
 hope which looks up to the stars as the golden stepping 
 stones along the pathway of immortality, and where 
 we shall meet and greet our loved ones on the blissful 
 shores of the deathless eternities. 
 
 Such, my friends, is the desire of every true Masonic 
 lodge; such is the constant prayer of the Masonic fra- 
 ternity ; such is the result which we seek and desire to 
 accomplish. 
 
 21 n t b C m Spkker 
 
 SOLI, CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA 
 
 Jeremiah vi., etc. 
 
 Behold there shall be a day, when the watchman upon the 
 mountain top shall cry aloud: "Arise ye! Get ye up 
 unto Mount Zion, unto the Lord your God! " For 
 thus saith the Lord: 
 
 Fear not now, O Israel, neither be thou dismayed. Refrain 
 thine voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; 
 for I, the Lord, am with thee, and will save thee. I 
 have loved thee with everlasting love, and have re- 
 deemed thee. 
 
 Why cryest thou in thine affliction? Why mournest thou in 
 nightly watches? 
 
 I have redeemed thee. 
 
 Therefore, thus saith the Lord: 
 
 Sing ye aloud with gladness! Thy mourning is turned into 
 joy! I, even I, have redeemed thee. Be glad and re- 
 joice! Thy sorrows now are ended, and great shall be 
 thy peace. 
 
 Rejoice! be glad and rejoice. 
 
 Then fear not, O Israel, neither be thou still dismayed, I 
 have redeemed thee! 
 
 24 
 
©ration 
 
 REV. DR. JOSEPH SILVERMAN 
 
 I regret that Brother Crandall did not allow himself 
 enough time to tell the secrets of the Order, and I sup- 
 pose he thought that I would have plenty of time to do 
 that. I am usually not afraid of a task that is assigned 
 to me, and I would not hesitate to tell all I know about 
 Masonry, but I am such a poor Mason that I do not 
 know all the secrets, and I am not sure whether what I 
 do know is secret or public. Therefore I think it is 
 possible that I shall mix up a great many things in my 
 speech to-night, so that if you are very attentive, and 
 if you interpret all that I say directly and indirectly, 
 you will be able to know fully as much, almost, as I 
 do about Masonry. I am not going to hesitate to 
 tell the full truth about it, and to interpret it in lan- 
 guage such as I can select; but to understand a thing 
 depends not altogether upon the speaker; it depends 
 also upon the hearer. 
 
 A scientist might explain all that he knows about 
 chemistry, and still an audience not initiated would not 
 understand a tenth part of it; while those who know, 
 would understand. So, if you go away and say you 
 know no more now than you knew before, don't blame 
 me, but rather your lack of the power of penetration. 
 
 To this august assemblage there is eminently appli- 
 cable the verse of the Psalmist : "How good and how 
 pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 
 It is like the precious oil that anointeth the head. It is 
 like the dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the 
 mountains of Zion ; for there God has commanded his 
 blessing, even life eternal." 
 
 This is at once the text and a commentary for which 
 life, both individual and cosmic, furnishes many an 
 illustration. Where there is unity there rests the bless- 
 ing of God, even life eternal. All creation attests this 
 
 2S 
 
tnith, for the whole universe consists of but an infinite 
 number of aggregated molecules that eternally act and 
 re-act upon one another. Coral reefs are built up by 
 the accretions of infinitesimally small creatures, and, by 
 an almost perfect adhesion, present an adamantine re- 
 sistance to the ravages of the tempestuous sea. We can- 
 not fail to recognize the harmonious action of the winds 
 and the tides and the currents, and the rotation of the 
 planets upon their axes, which so delicately adjust their 
 movements as not to disturb that cosmic equilibrium 
 upon which the very life of the universe depends. 
 
 Looking upon Nature from this standpoint, we find 
 the revelation of its secret to be, not the law of gravita- 
 tion, not the law of heat, of light or of electricity, but 
 the law of unity. Unity rules the universe, the con- 
 stellations in the heavens, and all the elements and 
 forces that operate upon the earth. In terms of science 
 you call it correlation of forces ; in chemistry you call 
 it affinity; in architecture, symmetry; in painting, the 
 blending of colors; in ethics you call it brotherhood, 
 and in music you designate it harmony. 
 
 Without this unity there would be no perfection; 
 without it music would be merely discord ; architecture 
 would be merely disproportion ; and without it the very 
 mountains would crumble, the earth would disintegrate, 
 and the planets, colliding with one another, would de- 
 stroy one another in universal carnage. 
 
 This same law of unity obtains in the individual life ; 
 for life depends upon the harmonious action and sym- 
 pathetic operation of all the organisms of the human 
 constitution. Human life, moreover, requires a recip- 
 rocal and harmonious action of the body and the soul. 
 Reason, sentiment and will must work together to pro- 
 duce a substantial result. Pitiable is that man in whose 
 being the reason and the sentiment do not find the will 
 to govern it and dissipate all weaknesses. For a blessed 
 
 26 
 
individtial life we need a unification of all the powers, 
 a harmonious working together of all the functions of 
 the human organism. And, in a higher sense, this 
 same law of unity must operate with undisputed au- 
 thority in the family, in order to insure its stability, its 
 peace and its happiness. Let a home be divided against 
 itself, and how, like a house of cards, it falls! The 
 foundation is gone, and the structure cannot stand. The 
 disunited home — how like a ruin of some ancient castle 
 from which the spirit of nobility and of majesty has 
 fled forever! How like some deserted temple, crum- 
 bling in the dust, and subjected to every sacrilege! 
 How like some noble and proud statue, now overturned 
 and disfigured, and used for ignoble purposes by every 
 passerby! But a united home — there rests blessing 
 eternal. A united home — how like a nest of cooing 
 doves, where love resides ; how like the green fields of 
 Nature, where the kine and the fawn graze together; 
 how like the woods, where the vines encircle the sturdy 
 oak; how like the garden, where the roses and lilies 
 dwell together in sweet and enduring harmony ! 
 
 The unity of home is the grandest paradise that God 
 ever created, of which the Garden of Eden was only the 
 prototype. The united home, where love reigns, is the 
 miniature of a united world for which mankind is ever 
 longing and ever working. 
 
 A united world — what a grand, sublime thought! 
 It was first only the casual fancy of an idle star-gazer 
 of ancient times, who, beholding, night after night, the 
 mysterious and harmonious twinkling of the heavenly 
 constellations, gazed vaguely at the unity of God's crea- 
 tion, of its planets, its elements and its forces. A 
 united world — it was first the dream of some hoary 
 philosopher, who somewhat dimly recognized the origin 
 of man. A united world — it was the ideal of an 
 Abraham, of a Moses, of the ancient prophets, of the 
 
 27 
 
great elders and teachers of all the religions of ancient 
 times, who began to understand the Fatherhood of God 
 and the Brotherhood of Man. 
 
 Even to-day a united world is the teaching of most 
 religions. It is even the proclamation of socialistic 
 parties and of nations, and yet we are very far from 
 realizing it; for, notwithstanding all our protestations 
 and all our professions regarding the Fatherhood of 
 God and the Brotherhood of Man, there is no united 
 world. The world is separated and divided into na- 
 tions that are more or less hostile toward one another, 
 that are armed to the very limit of their capacity, that 
 are working and striving constantly for territorial su- 
 premacy and for commercial advantage. 
 
 There is no united world to-day, and the religions of 
 mankind that teach love and unity are practicing just 
 the things that lead to the reverse, for they are still im- 
 bued with the thought that theology is the end and aim 
 of religion. Their theological differences and their 
 missionary propaganda produce disunion in most 
 parts of the world, and we are still waiting for the 
 millennium of which the prophets spoke — the timewhen 
 nations would beat their swords into plowshares and 
 their spears into pruning-hooks, and learn the arts of 
 war no more; the time when the lion and the lamb 
 would lie down together, and a little child would lead 
 them. 
 
 For a realization of this great and sublime truth — a 
 united world, a united home, a perfect maqhood, mean- 
 ing by it the unity of all functions of the human body 
 and soul — this order of Free and Independent Masons 
 has been founded. It is not a school to preach merely 
 theory; it is not a church to preach merely doctrines; 
 because it is rather theory made actual ; it is precept put 
 into practice; it is creed crystallized into deed; it is a 
 
 28 
 
living exponent of the doctrine of unity. And in all of 
 my experience I have never found any other organiza- 
 tion in the world, not even in religion, where the doc- 
 trine of unity is so logically carried out; no circle of 
 society have I found where the essence of the Psalmist's 
 words is so truly applicable — "How good and how 
 pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity!" 
 
 And, friends, there is good reason for all this. There 
 is a reason why the unity of Masonry has become a 
 reality — because it is based upon that one principle 
 without which there can never be any unity anywhere 
 — the principle of equality. 
 
 Inequality divides and separates men. Inequality 
 is that which prevents a universal social life and broth- 
 erhood. Inequality is the curse of mankind. It too 
 often stifles the sweetest promptings of the human 
 heart, chills the spontaneous warmth of affection, en- 
 genders hatred, and embroils the whole world in war- 
 fare. Inequality emphasizes the invidious distinctions 
 of the classification of men into rich and poor, high and 
 low, prince and pauper, employer and employee, capi- 
 talist and laborer. 
 
 Masonry -knows no such classifications and makes no 
 such distinctions, for it is founded upon the broad prin- 
 ciple that all men are equal before God. Masonry 
 points to the birth of man, and holds up to him this 
 thought, that at birth and in early infancy all men are 
 weak, helpless and insignificant; all babes are equals, 
 whether they are born in the palace, in the hut, or upon 
 the barren rocks. And as we were weak, helpless, and 
 insignificant equals in our birth, how became we so un- 
 equal ? Is it because men bedeck themselves with arti- 
 ficial ornaments, because they put on the trappings of an 
 artificial world, because they obtain the insignia of 
 office, or title, or rank, to give them added power and 
 added influence ? 
 
To us, and in the sight of God, all these things are 
 vanity, and no man is more to God than what He has 
 made him. The Lord does not regard the external 
 vanities which society has put upon man, but takes him 
 only for what he is, his own soul, his mind and his 
 heart, and whatever we have added to ourselves does 
 not make us better ; whatever we put on, whatever title 
 or artificial dignity we acquire, does not change our 
 mind or our heart. The man remains always the same. 
 We are all alike — to paraphrase Shakespeare — alike in 
 organs, dimensions, affections and passions ; fed by the 
 same food, hurt by the same weapon, healed by the same 
 means, subject to the same diseases ; we are all subject 
 to the same influences of love, of hate, of joy and sor- 
 row; to the same sensations of hunger and thirst, of 
 heat or of cold. We are all alike in the emer- 
 gency of great trials, of great suffering. We are 
 all alike in times of great joy or of great sor- 
 row. When the nation calls to war, then the 
 spirit of patriotism fires all hearts alike, and the 
 rich man's son and the poor man's son fight side 
 by side upon the battlefield. Both die from the same 
 effects ; and in the hour of triumph all the citizens of 
 the world are thrilled alike by the paeans of rejoicing 
 and gladness; and when the great pall of sorrow falls 
 upon the nation, as we have seen lately in the death 
 of Queen Victoria, then all men again manifest the 
 same tendencies, the same human nature. "One touch 
 of Nature makes the whole world kin ;" and when great 
 danger overwhelms us, whether on board ship or in con- 
 flagration, or flood, or during cyclones, or earthquakes, 
 then all the trappings and artificial insignia of society 
 are cast aside, and all men are equal, and stand only for 
 what they represent by the strength of their minds and 
 their muscle. Then the peasant is the equal of the 
 king. Then the king comes down to the level of the 
 
 30 
 
peasant. Great Caesar had to cry : "Help me, help me, 
 Cassius, or I sink !" 
 
 And then, when death comes, when the grim 
 reaper, who is no respecter of persons, who treats 
 all alike — the king in his palace, the man in his 
 hovel — the grave brings all down to the same plane, to 
 the same narrow house for the rich and for the poor, 
 and no grand mausoleum that is erected over the body 
 of the deceased can add more to that dead man than the 
 humble mound or the humble stone that covers the 
 grave of the pauper. 
 
 So we are all alike from the beginning to the very 
 end, from the cradle to the grave. That Masonry em- 
 phasizes and teaches to all its members, and therefore it 
 brings together true-hearted men into an indissoluble 
 bond of fraternity. 
 
 But Masonry rises higher than all this, for there is 
 one thing above inequality that separates and divides 
 men, and that throws obstacles in the way of universal 
 brotherhood. The whole of mankind is attacked by 
 what I call a disease of the soul, a blindness of the intel- 
 lect, ordinarily known as prejudice. Prejudice is that 
 judge that has taken a bribe, and that adjudicates with- 
 out regard to the testimony of witnesses. Prejudice 
 is the instigator of every persecution ; it is the artificer 
 of every rack and thumb-screw with which mankind 
 has ever been tortured. Prejudice is the great curse 
 of humanity that destroys whatever education, what- 
 ever religion, whatever charity or philanthropy may 
 seek to build up, and whether it is national, racial or 
 religious prejudice, it all comes from human blindness 
 and ignorance. 
 
 Masonry, which brings together men of all national- 
 ities, of all creeds and of all shades of social rank, is 
 the great factor of life that can destroy prejudice, and 
 in the Masonic fraternity I believe more prejudices 
 
 31 
 
have been destroyed than in any other institution in 
 the world; for the very genius, the very spirit of the 
 Masonic fraternity is opposed to bigotry and prejudice. 
 We build up religion ; we are not the enemy of religion. 
 And I concur indeed in the thought to which Brother 
 Crandall gave utterance in this place when he men- 
 tioned the bigotry of some who regard Masonry as the 
 enemy of religion. Masonry is the helpmate of re- 
 ligion. 
 
 I remember once saying to a friend, who asked me 
 when I came from the lodge-room : "Where have you 
 been, and what have you done?" — "I have been at a 
 religious service, and I have prayed to God, and 
 I have received religious instruction from my fel- 
 low men"; and then I uttered the most solemn truth 
 about Masonry. It is as much a religion as the re- 
 ligion to which I give allegiance. For me there is no 
 difference between my religion and Masonry. We ac- 
 knowledge the same God, and pray to the same God, 
 and teach the same Bible. We preach the same text, 
 we practice the same morality, and we dispense charity 
 in the same loving spirit, and we attempt to make true 
 men out of the crude stuff that God has given us, and 
 we do it not through feeble human efforts, but we do it 
 with the spirit of the Almighty. We walk in the great 
 light of truth, of right, and of justice. These are the 
 great lights in Masonry that illumine the whole Order, 
 and from the Order go out to illumine the whole world. 
 
 The possibilities of Masonry are without limit. It 
 is one of the greatest civilizing and humanizing factors 
 of mankind. You may speak of education, of science, 
 of literature, of art, of philosophy, of religion, of char- 
 ity, of benevolence, as humanizing influences ; but I tell 
 you the truth, friends, when I say that Masonry in- 
 cludes them all. There is no art, there is no science, 
 there is no philosophy, there is no development of hu- 
 
 32 
 
man knowledge which is not included in Masonry. It 
 comprises all that we know, and all that we strive to 
 know, between heaven and earth, and seeks to penetrate 
 even beyond the veil of heaven, and to stand in the pres- 
 ence of the Lord God Himself. 
 
 In this great humanizing and civilizing work. Cen- 
 tennial Lodge has been engaged for twenty-five 
 years. It has done its humble share in building up the 
 great temple of humanity, and it seeks no more credit 
 for its work than falls to the merited lot of any earnest 
 lodge of the Order. 
 
 We have met to-night to rejoice at the consciousness 
 not of what we have done, but merely of the power that 
 we have acquired to do great things. In the future, 
 not the past, is our greatest pride. At present we 
 have only built a foundation upon which we intend to 
 erect a great structure, and our hope lies in our future 
 possibilities. 
 
 We owe a debt of gratitude to the founders of Cen- 
 tennial Lodge, and to all the workers and the leaders 
 who have given up their time and their energy and their 
 strength to the success of this branch of the Order, and 
 we also owe a debt of memorial to those who have 
 passed from our ranks, and who, for some years or 
 months, have already stood in the presence of the Great 
 Architect of the Universe. 
 
 We shall to-night fittingly remember them in all 
 honor. 
 
 As a humble Mason and brother of Centennial 
 LoDGE^ I say to my brethren, you have done well. I 
 bring to you my humble congratulations. This is our 
 season of refreshment after twenty-five years of labor. 
 Let us rejoice and be merry with the living, even whilst 
 we are remembering the dead. Let us feel that we owe 
 them much, but also that we owe much to ourselves, and 
 
 33 
 
let us gather great inspiration from the present mo- 
 ment, new zeal and new enthusiasm to continue the 
 work, to labor with might and main for the benefit of 
 the lodge, the glory of the Order, and the welfare of 
 humanity. Let us continue to be faithful to the Grand 
 Lodge, by being loyal to Centennial Lodge^ and let 
 us ever remember that our Order is like the ladder in 
 the patriarch's dream, 
 
 "Its foot on earth, its height above the skies, 
 Diffused in virtue, boundless in its power; 
 'Tis pubhc health and universal cure; 
 Of heavenly manna, 'tis a second feast, 
 A nation's food and all to every taste." 
 
 COngtCSatiOnal IbBinn (being the introduction to the Memorial Service) 
 
 Congregation Rising and Joining in the Singing 
 
 1 It singeth low in every heart. 
 
 We hear it each and all, — 
 A song of those who answer not, 
 
 However we may call. 
 They throng the silence of the breast. 
 
 We see them as of yore, — 
 The kind, the brave, the true, the sweet, 
 
 Though they are here no more. 
 
 2 'Tis hard to take the burden up. 
 
 When these have laid it down; 
 They brightened all the joy of life. 
 
 They softened every frown; 
 But, oh! 'tis good to think of them. 
 
 When we are troubled sore; 
 Thanks be to God that such have been, 
 
 Though they are here no more. 
 
 3 More home-like seems the vast unknown. 
 
 Since they have entered there; 
 To follow them were not so hard. 
 
 Wherever they may fare. 
 They cannot be where God is not. 
 
 On any sea or shore. 
 Whate'er betides. Thy love abides. 
 
 Our God forevermore. 
 
 ® Icnu 
 
 REV. WM. SPARGER AND CHOIR 
 
 34 
 
Memorial and IFtaddisb 
 
 REV. DAVID CAHN 
 
 lln flDemoriam 
 
 JULIUS HILLMAN 
 ISAAC WEIL 
 AARON HERZBERG 
 JACOB ASCH 
 JOSEPH MUHLFELDER 
 MORITZ BULLOWA 
 HERMAN LEBERMAN 
 HUGO POLLITZ 
 ARMAND WORMSER 
 WILLIAM L. WOLFF 
 NATHAN J. NATHAN 
 WILLIAM J. MADDEN 
 SAMUEL SCHWARTZ 
 SAMUEL HERRMAN 
 ISAAC WARNER 
 JACOB GUTMAN 
 JOSEPH S. MICHAEL 
 FERDINAND KATZ 
 NATHANIEL HARRIS 
 
 35 
 
fln fIDemoriam 
 
 NATHAN SANDERS 
 
 HERMAN BLEYER 
 
 BERNARD W. TRAITEL 
 
 DAVID HEILBRON 
 
 MEYER ROSENTHAL 
 
 LEOPOLD TURK 
 
 R.-. W.-. SAMUEL GODCHAUD 
 
 ABRAHAM SCHLESINGER 
 
 W.-. ALBERT KUBIE 
 
 MOSES SEEWALD 
 
 LOUIS KRAGEL 
 
 PHILLIP MARX 
 
 JULIUS E. LEVY 
 
 ISIDOR L. MAAS 
 
 EDWARD C. STONE 
 
 LOUIS S. MEYER 
 
 PEDRO ENRIQUE ARENCIBIA 
 
 WILLIAM L. BLUM 
 
 CHARLES PRESSLER 
 
 SAMUEL SINGER 
 
 IGNATZ PARIAN 
 
 36 
 
ConclU&ing antbcm (Adon Olam) Gounod-Spa.rger 
 
 REV. WM. SPARGER, CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA 
 
 The Lord of all did reign supreme 
 Ere yet this world was made and formed. 
 When all was finished by His will, 
 Then was His name as King proclaimed. 
 
 And should these forms no more exist, 
 He still will rule in majesty. 
 He was. He is. He shall remain: 
 His glory never shall decrease. 
 
 And one is He, and none there is 
 To be compared or joined to Him. 
 He ne'er began, and ne'er will end. 
 To Him belongs dominion's power. 
 
 He is my God, my living God; 
 To Him I flee when tried in grief; 
 My banner high, my refuge strong. 
 Who hears and answers when I call. 
 
 My spirit I commit to Him, 
 My body, too, and all I prize. 
 Both when I sleep and when I wake; 
 He is with me, I shall not fear. 
 
 JBeneOtctfon 
 
 37 
 
RECEPTION TO LADIES 
 
 : : : OF : : : 
 
 CENTENNIAL LODGE, 763 
 F. & A. M. 
 
 TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 28, 1901 
 
 ^ I ^HE second event of the celebration took place in 
 * the Commandery room, Masonic Hall. The 
 brethren, to the number of about 300, filled the galler- 
 ies, reserving the floor of the room for the ladies. 
 After the opening of the lodge and the transacting of 
 necessary business, it was closed, and about 250 ladies 
 were escorted into the room. W. Bro. Henry Lipp- 
 mann presented to the Master Mrs. Theobald, vice- 
 president of the Centennial Ladies' Auxiliary. 
 
 IProgramme 
 
 ^arcb ana IReceptlon 
 
 irntro&uctotTS 
 
 W.-. HENRY LIPPMANN. 
 
 Worshipful Master, in the words of an old writer, 
 "Who entereth herein a conqueror hath been." I have 
 the distinguished honor of introducing to you, and 
 through you to the brethren of CenteiJnial Lodge 
 and its invited guests, Mrs. William H. Theobald, 
 Vice-President; Mrs. Pauline S. Kohn, Treasurer, and 
 Mrs. I. H. Goldsmith, Secretary, accompanied by two 
 
 39 
 
hundred or more conquerors, who have organized 
 themselves into a society called the Ladies' Centennial 
 Auxiliary. 
 
 Worshipful Master, they bring to us the glad tidings 
 of a successful launching of a new organization to be 
 added to ours after an existence of twenty-five years. 
 Nay, more than this, they have banded themselves to- 
 gether to make this celebration a most memorable one, 
 even not counting our birthday party, which is to take 
 place to-morrow night. Worshipful Master, the ladies 
 of this organization share the joys and sorrows of our 
 homes. They bring into our homes the bright sun- 
 shine of their love, after we have spent a cloudy day at 
 our labors, and their purpose of organization is to bring 
 into Centennial Lodge that brilliancy which they 
 bring to our homes. The purpose of their organiza- 
 tion, as I understand. Worshipful Master, will be ex- 
 plained, and this will be a memorable meeting of Cen- 
 tennial Lodge. It will be handed down to posterity, 
 and with joy and contentment we will from time to time 
 read the minutes of this communication, for, as it has 
 oftentimes been said, we are a happy and mutual ad- 
 miration society. After to-night we will be a most 
 joyful and congenial body of men, wherein contention 
 cannot find a place, and this meeting. Worshipful Sir 
 and Brothers, will ever be before our eyes, this inspir- 
 ing, this beautiful picture. 
 
 aoOrcss ot 'CClelcomc 
 
 W.-. LEO. PH. ULMANN. 
 Mrs. Theobald, Officers and Members of Centen- 
 nial Ladies' Auxiliary, as Master of Centennial 
 LoDGE^ No. 763, it becomes my pleasant duty to wel- 
 come you in its behalf to this function of the festivities 
 attendant upon the twenty-fifth anniversary of the insti- 
 tution of our lodge. 
 
 40 
 
Doubtless you would have shared with me the pleas- 
 ure of welcome, had we with us this evening the presi- 
 dent of your organization, who, through illness, is pre- 
 vented from being here ; but I am sure that which I am 
 about to say to you will be received by you as though 
 she were present, and that you will understand that the 
 welcome is extended and is given to Centennial Ladies' 
 Auxiliary. 
 
 It is perhaps not a novel feature in Masonic celebra- 
 tions to note that the ladies of the members of the lodge 
 should have some share in its programme. It was, 
 however, with feelings of great joy that the committee 
 and members of Centennial Lodge learned of the 
 spontaneous desire on the part of those who now com- 
 pose your organization to mark, in some manner pecu- 
 liar to your own ideas, this festivity. Such opportun- 
 ity has been given to you, and we welcome you here in 
 the hope that your stay with us may be fraught with 
 satisfaction to you, as it is to us a high distinction and 
 honor and a pleasure. 
 
 As Master of this lodge, I congratulate you upon the 
 successful culmination of your organization. The fu- 
 tile attempts which heretofore have been made must 
 therefore be regarded as forerunners of the happy ter- 
 mination of these endeavors. It is the earnest wish 
 of Centennial Lodge, and every member thereof, 
 from the Master, Past Masters, to its younger mem- 
 bers, who have become such this day, that your organ- 
 ization may continue and thrive, to be an inspiration 
 and a helpmeet to Centennial in its work, its desires 
 and its ambition. 
 
 I extend to you a cordial welcome. 
 
 If the officers will kindly step to the East, under the 
 escort of Worshipful Brother Lippmann, than whom 
 they can have no better, I will be pleased to greet them. 
 
 41 
 
■Response 
 
 MRS. W. H. THEOBALD. 
 
 Worshipful Master and Brethren of Centennial 
 Lodge, I regret sincerely the absence of our dear presi- 
 dent, Mrs. Vorhaus, who is ill, and we hope she will 
 have a speedy recovery. 
 
 Since the honor, then, falls upon me to respond to 
 the beautiful and appreciative welcome we have re- 
 ceived, I fear that words will fail me to adequately con- 
 vey our sentiments on this auspicious occasion. 
 
 How impressive are the surroundings! One is al- 
 most inspired with the feeling of Godliness when en- 
 tering this sanctuary. We know nothing of your 
 workings, but we do know how exalted an honor it is 
 and how proud you all feel to be members of Centen- 
 nial LoDGE^ and instinct tells us to feel dearly and 
 kindly to each and every one of you. 
 
 I feel, however, that there is a little bit of disap- 
 pointment among our ladies this evening, for we have 
 had a few of your members visit us at our meeting 
 rooms; we have taken you into our secrets; we have 
 shown you the work which we do; we at least ex- 
 pected when being ushered into your presence this even- 
 ing to see those ferocious goats that you ride, and that 
 we hear so much about. We have been deprived of 
 this pleasure, however, and we must feel content, know- 
 ing that whatever you do is done for the best. 
 
 I firmly believe in the old adage that "Wit lies in 
 brevity," and if I cannot be witty, at least I will be 
 brief. So, in the name of the Ladies' Auxiliary of 
 Centennial Lodge, we thank you, one and all, for 
 this hearty welcome. May you all be happy in life; 
 may sorrow and care never trouble your hearts, or find 
 a place there ! 
 
 42 
 
SSiUBiC 
 
 1Rea5ing of tbc tbistorg of tbe 3Lo5gc 
 
 W.-. AARON STERN. 
 
 It was in the early part of the year 1875 that a 
 number of brethren of the Masonic Fraternity thought 
 that the time and circumstances were propitious to add 
 another link to that fraternal chain of lodges which 
 forms so solid a phalanx in the world of philanthropy, 
 and so splendid an example of the spirit of brother- 
 hood and equality the world over. In order to further 
 this object, a meeting was held at the house of Bro. A. 
 Schlesinger, No. 168 East Houston Street, on March 
 2 1st, 1875. There were present : 
 
 Wor. M. B. Abrahams. 
 
 " Samuel Godchaud. 
 Bro. Emanuel Marx. 
 
 " Ferdinand Levy. 
 
 " A. Schlesinger. 
 
 " M. Wasserman. 
 
 " M. S. Hyman. 
 
 " Gerson Krieger. 
 
 " Isaac Musliner. 
 
 " Joseph Muhlfelder. 
 
 " J. M. Cohen. 
 
 It was decided to form a new lodge, and to call it 
 Centennial Lodge, to commemorate the date of its 
 foundation and the patriotic events the nation was 
 then preparing to celebrate. 
 
 The dispensation prayed for, and which was recom- 
 mended by a number of lodges of the Jurisdiction, 
 was issued by M. Wor. Elwood E. Thorne, then Grand 
 Master, on the 17th day of July, 1875, and the first 
 meeting and organization under it was held six days 
 later. 
 
 43 
 
The Charter Members were : 
 
 Samuel Godchaud. 
 Emanuel Marx. 
 Ferdinand Levy. 
 Moses S. Hyman. 
 M. Wasserman. 
 Abraham Schlesinger. 
 M. B. Abrahams. 
 Isaac Musliner. 
 Joseph Muhlfelder. 
 Sol. Hofheimer. 
 Leon S. Keller. 
 I. B. Levyn. 
 Julius Levine. 
 Abraham H. Hummel. 
 John C. Boak. 
 Benjamin Flandreau. 
 Charles S. Arthur. 
 Frank Myers. 
 
 The first communication, under dispensation, was 
 held at the comer of Fourth Avenue and Fourteenth 
 Street, on Friday, July 23d, 1875. There were 
 present : 
 
 Samuel Godchaud, W. M. 
 
 Emanuel Marx, S. W. 
 
 Ferdinand Levy, J. W. 
 
 Abraham Schlesinger, Acting Treasurer. 
 
 Moses S. Hyman, Acting Secretary. 
 
 Won M. B. Abrahams, J. D. 
 
 Isaac Musliner, M. C. 
 
 Joseph Muhlfelder, M. C. 
 
 John Hoole, Tyler. 
 
 44 
 
At this meeting the following gentlemen were pro- 
 posed for membership : 
 
 Simon L. Ehrlich. 
 Meyer Schloss. 
 Samuel Schwartz. 
 Leo Schlesinger. 
 Henry Ehrlich. 
 Jacob L. Kahn. 
 
 And it will be observed that at the very first meeting of 
 the lodge, our late lamented Treasurer, Bro. Abraham 
 Schlesinger, gave evidence of the deep interest he ever 
 manifested by thus early presenting the name of his son. 
 
 The first to receive their First Degree, under dispen- 
 sation, were : 
 
 Leo Schlesinger, 
 
 Samuel Schwartz, 
 
 Simon L. Ehrlich, and 
 
 Meyer L. Schloss, 
 on August lo, 1875. 
 
 At the early meetings of the lodge, the late Won 
 Bro. John Flandreau, of John Hancock Lodge, No. 70, 
 was a regular attendant, and of great assistance to the 
 lodge. 
 
 The aim to maintain proficiency in the work has ever 
 been a feature with Centennial Lodge. As an in- 
 stance, at the Communication held on October 12th, 
 1875, called for the special purpose of conferring the 
 Second Degree upon five candidates, four were not 
 proficient, and rejected, and the Degree conferred only 
 upon one, Bro. Benjamin Blumenthal. 
 
 The Second Degree was conferred for the first time 
 on October 12th, 1875. 
 
 45 
 
The Third Degree was conferred for the first time 
 on the evening of October 26th, 1875, upon 
 
 Bro. Benjamin Blumenthal. 
 " W. A. Gans. 
 " Mark Ziegler. 
 " Samuel Schwartz. 
 " Isaac Weill. 
 
 The Grand Lodge, at its annual session, held on 
 June 6th, 1876, granted a warrant to Centennial 
 Lodge, and the brethren assembled at the lodge- 
 rooms, No. 946 Broadway, on June 27th, 1876, for the 
 purpose of being constituted into a lodge, and for the 
 installation of its ofificers. R. W. Bro. John C. Boak 
 acted as Grand Master, assisted by a large number of 
 distinguished Craftsmen, and the following officers 
 were installed : 
 
 Samuel Godchaud, Master. 
 
 Emanuel Marx, S. W. 
 
 Ferdinand Levy, J. W. 
 
 Abraham Schlesinger, Treasurer. 
 
 Aaron Weinstein, Secretary. 
 
 Wor. M. B. Abrahams, Marshal. 
 
 M. S. Hyman, S. D. 
 
 M. S. Schloss, J. D. 
 
 L Musliner, S. M. C. 
 
 J. Muhlfelder, J. M. C. 
 
 S. Hofheimer, Steward. 
 
 W. A. Gans, Steward. 
 
 John Hoole, Tyler. 
 
 The institution of the lodge and the installation of 
 its first Board of Officers was followed by a banquet 
 and entertainment. Among the distinguished Crafts- 
 men present on that occasion were R. W. Joseph C. 
 Couch, Deputy Grand Master of the State of New 
 York; M. W. Elwood E. Thorne, Past Grand Master 
 
 46 
 
of the State of New York; M. W. John W. Simmons, 
 Past Grand Master of the State of New York; R. W. 
 W. T. Woodruff and R. W. John C. Barker. 
 
 R. Wor. Bro. Samuel Godchaud was re-elected 
 Master at the Annual Meeting in 1876, and, conse- 
 quently, served two full terms as Master of the lodge, 
 in addition to the period of the working of the lodge 
 under dispensation. 
 
 The lodge steadily advanced during the administra- 
 tions of Wor. Bros. Emanuel Marx, who served two 
 terms, during 1878 and 1879; Moses S. Hyman, during 
 1880 and 1881 ; Isaac Musliner, during 1882 and 1883. 
 
 Various entertainments were successfully given; 
 many very enjoyable excursions being under the aus- 
 pices of Centennial Association^ which invariably 
 added to the sociability, as well as the financial standing, 
 of the lodge. Various calls for public charities were 
 entertained and liberally answered — notably, in 1878, 
 the lodge contributed toward the sufferers from the 
 yellow fever scourge in Memphis. Calls for private 
 charity from sister institutions or brethren in distress 
 were, at all times, met and dealt with as liberally as the 
 circumstances deserved. 
 
 On October 9th, 1880, the lodge took part in a 
 parade, on invitation from the Grand Master of Masons 
 in the State of New York, which proceeded to Central 
 Park, and participated in the ceremonies attending the 
 laying of the foundation stone for the Egyptian 
 Obelisk. 
 
 On March 8th, 1 881, we changed our scene of labor 
 by removing from Kane Lodge Room to Composite 
 Room, Masonic Temple. 
 
 Wor. Bro. Isaac Musliner was followed in the ad- 
 ministration of affairs by Wor. Bro. Henry Block, who 
 was Master during 1884. In this year, a decided fall- 
 ing off in interest in the affairs of the lodge was mani- 
 
 47 
 
fested, and at the Annual Communication, in Decem- 
 ber, 1884, Wor. Bro. Emanuel Marx was again called 
 to rule over the destinies of the lodge. Some slight 
 progress was made during this brother's third term in 
 1885, and he was followed in 1886 by Wor. Bro. Fer- 
 dinand Levy, as Master. 
 
 For some years the craft throughout the State had 
 been greatly agitated by the onerous burden of an im- 
 mense debt, which had been fastened upon the Hall and 
 Asylum Fund. This debt was funded by well-meaning 
 but inexperienced brethren in such a manner that 
 its extinguishment by the craft seemed absolutely im- 
 possible. Most Wor. Bro. Frank R. Lawrence had 
 been elected to the Grand Mastership in 1885, and at 
 once proceeded to undertake the herculean task of 
 wiping out the debt in toto. Appeals were made to all 
 the lodges, quota allotted to each, and strenuous efforts 
 were made in our own lodge to meet the demand. 
 
 Now, although financially sound, interest in the 
 lodge proper seemed to flag. Members began to drop 
 out, and hardly any more were added to the roll. 
 Here we had a lodge not lacking in members or capital, 
 but, what is of far more importance, in activity, in life- 
 blood, as it were, to stir in the veins of the almost 
 inanimate body. During the year 1886 the task of 
 keeping the lodge together seemed a greater one than 
 could be performed, owing to the lukewarmness of a 
 majority of its members. A general demoralization 
 seemed to have seized upon the affairs of the lodge. 
 Despairing of any attempt to continue the lodge under 
 the state of affairs that existed at that time, a number of 
 the oldest and best members instituted the movement 
 which looked to the consolidation of this lodge with 
 some other in the Jurisdiction as the only means of 
 keeping the membership intact as a Masonic body. 
 Lists for signatures were circulated, and so universal 
 
was the feeling of failure that all but nine of the mem- 
 bers of the lodge signed the document consenting to 
 the surrender of the Charter to the Grand Lodge. The 
 faith that was in these nine brethren saved our lodge. 
 
 At the Annual Meeting of December, 1886, with 
 the pall of consolidation hanging over us, Wor. 
 Adolph Oppenheimer was chosen as Master of the 
 lodge, and from the evening of his installation as 
 such we now date the regeneration and salvation of an 
 institution which had been almost given up as dead. 
 On the evening of January 11, 1887, he was installed, 
 with A. L. Newburger as Senior Warden; Samuel 
 Kaufman, Junior Warden, and Israel Lindenborn, 
 Senior Deacon. The quota of the lodge to the Hall 
 and Asylum Fund was now paid in full, and with 
 strong faith in the efficacy of enlisting the assistance 
 of a newer and younger element in the upbuilding of 
 the lodge, Wor. Bro. Oppenheimer began that revival 
 which has continued with ever increasing impetus and 
 placed Centennial upon its present pinnacle of suc- 
 cess. 
 
 With the beginning of work, the Master undertook 
 the publication of a semi-monthly leaflet, in the shape 
 of a diminutive journal, called "Centennial," which 
 proved a material factor in the efforts of Wor. Bro. 
 Oppenheimer to rehabilitate the lodge. 
 
 At the meeting of January 25th, 1887, the Third 
 Degree was announced. The meeting was so well at- 
 tended that an immediate feeling of exaltation pervaded 
 all its proceedings. Five candidates were proposed, 
 and hope, springing eternal in the human breast, was 
 once more enkindled in those of the well-wishers of 
 Centennial Lodge. 
 
 In order to economize for a time and husband our 
 resources, it was determined to remove to cheaper quar- 
 
 49 
 
ters than the Temple afforded, and our Trustees re- 
 ported in favor of removing to LogeUng's on Fifty- 
 seventh Street. 
 
 The end of the year 1887 found us going bravely for- 
 ward. The consolidation project had by this time been 
 fully abandoned ; work in the several Degrees was per- 
 formed at every Communication. Visitors responded 
 gladly to our invitations, and a better condition of 
 affairs had made itself manifest. Nine members were 
 raised during the year. With the return of prosperity 
 came the determination to again make our home in 
 Masonic Temple. During this year also the Great 
 Ladies' Fair to help build the Asylum was held, and 
 Wor. Bro. Oppenheimer was selected to publish and 
 edit the Official Journal of the Fair. This proved 
 so successful that our lodge was credited with the 
 $r,200 profit which the paper realized, together with 
 $102.50 contributed through the sale of tickets. 
 
 An era of prosperity and good feeling was now in 
 full sway in the lodge, and at the Annual Meeting of 
 December, 1897, Wor. Bro. Oppenheimer was again 
 called to the East. Again a prosperous year ensued, 
 sixteen members being raised during this year, and 
 again, and for the third successive term, was Bro. 
 Oppenheimer entrusted with the gavel. 
 
 The year 1889 witnessed the extinguishment of the 
 aebt on the Hall and Asylum Fund, and a Jubilee cele- 
 bration was duly observed throughout the entire Juris- 
 diction. Centennial Lodge held its celebration on 
 the evening of April 24th, 1899, with most appropriate 
 exercises. Twenty-three new members were added 
 during this year. The lodge was now on a solid foun- 
 dation ; no thought of disbandment could any more be 
 entertained, and the future was bright with promise. 
 
 On December loth, 1889, Bro. William C. Popper 
 was elected to the East, and with his administration 
 
 so 
 
began a series of brilliant and prosperous administra- 
 tions of the younger element in Centennial Lodge. 
 Thus, the five succeeding Masters to Wor. Bro. Oppen- 
 heimer, Wor. William C. Popper, 1890-1891; Joseph 
 Steiner, 1892-1893; Aaron Stern, 1894-1895; Henry 
 Lippmann, 1896- 1897; Max Proops, in 1898, were all 
 admitted to membership during Bro. Oppenheimer's 
 administi-ation. The lodge meetings were now 
 always well attended, and many young and active can- 
 didates seeking admission. Visitors from sister lodges 
 were ever in attendance, and its meeting room became 
 the scene of animated and entertaining social events. 
 
 On January 3d, 1891, Wor. Bro. Popper was publicly 
 installed for a second term, and our revered Bro. 
 Abraham Schlesinger presented with a silver service, 
 as a token of our esteem and affection, upon the com- 
 pletion of his fifteenth year as Treasurer. 
 
 In June of the year 1891, Wor. Bro. Popper was ap- 
 pointed District Deputy Grand Master of the Eighth 
 Masonic District. He received a jewel and apron from 
 our lodge on October 13th, 1891. During this year 
 a delegation of our members participated in the laying 
 of the cornerstone of the Asylum at Utica. 
 
 Wor. Bro. Joseph Steiner succeeded R. Wor. Bro. 
 Popper as Master in 1892, was re-elected for 1893, 
 and served through two most prosperous years. 
 During Wor. Bro. Steiner's term, M. Wor. Bro. 
 Hodge, the Grand Master, appointed Wor. Bro. Ferdi- 
 nand Levy Grand Sword Bearer, and the lodge pre- 
 sented R. W. Bro. Levy with a suitable jewel and apron 
 indicative of his rank and station. 
 
 During the administration of Wor. Bro. Stern, we 
 had the high honor to entertain Right Rev. Bishop 
 Henry C. Potter, who was addressed by Bro. Rabbi 
 Stephen S. Wise, thus exemplifying the universality of 
 Masonry, upon whose platform Jew and Christian can 
 
 51 
 
unite in deeds of mercy and the worship of one ever 
 Hving and true God. 
 
 Upon the assumption of the duties of the East by 
 Wor. Bro. Henry Lippmann, the lodge obtained as its 
 Master a follower of that school of strict observance 
 of detail in floor work which goes so far to make Cen- 
 tennial Lodge celebrated for the perfection of its work 
 in the Degrees. The nucleus of our well-trained team 
 of Fellow-Crafts was formed under his tutelage, and 
 the success of this picturesque feature of our work is 
 due to this brother's activity. 
 
 On March 25th, 1897, Wor. Bro. Albert Kubie, one 
 of the stalwart nine who held out for the continuation 
 of the lodge, was presented with a handsome locket, 
 with the insignia of his station as Chaplain, which posi- 
 tion he occupied for twelve years, and to the time of 
 his death. 
 
 In January, 1898, Wor. Bro. Max Proops was in- 
 stalled as Master. A year of successful work marked 
 his administration, and when, at its conclusion, another 
 term was unanimously offered to this worthy and effi- 
 cient brother, he declined re-election on the ground that 
 our lodge had now arrived at a stage when two and 
 three year terms were no longer necessary for its wel- 
 fare, and that a better chance would thus be ofifered to 
 the younger men to obtain preferment. This policy 
 has been pursued ever since, and has proven to be most 
 beneficial to the interests of the lodge. 
 
 The brilliant talents of Bro. William Grossman were 
 speedily recognized, and 1899 saw him installed in the 
 East, and, as was anticipated, the year was replete with 
 social and fraternal events of a most gratifying nature. 
 
 Two notable features marked the administration of 
 Wor. Bro. Louis J. Vorhaus, who followed Bro. Gross- 
 man. One was the admission of forty-two new mem- 
 bers and three affiliates, the largest accession of new 
 
 52 
 
material in the history of the lodge during any one 
 year ; and the other, that not one death occurred — cer- 
 tainly a happy epoch in our existence. 
 
 Numerous were the times when Centennial had 
 occasion to recompense its friends with tokens of its 
 appreciation of their efforts in its behalf, and there were 
 added to its list of Honorary Members the names of R. 
 Wor. Isaac Fromme, Wor. Rudolph Holde, R. Wor. 
 Frederick B. House, Wor. Rev. Edward Kartschma- 
 roff, and R. W. George L. Montague. Those brethren 
 were so self-sacrificing in their aid to our lodge in the 
 time of its need that their names deserve to be on per- 
 petual record on its rolls. 
 
 Memorable occasions were those on which Centen- 
 nial proceeded to Temple Emanu-El to hear an Annual 
 Sermon by its Chaplain, Bro. Rev. Dr. Joseph Silver- 
 man, and especially on the occasion of the commemora- 
 tion services of the burial of our . illustrious Bro. 
 George WashingtoNj the first President of this great 
 and glorious Union of States. On that occasion, De- 
 cember 31st, 1900, we were joined by several other 
 lodges, at our invitation. 
 
 In the field of practical charity, we are enrolled as 
 contributors to the Masonic Board of Relief, Patrons 
 of Montefiore Home, Annual Contributors to the Sat- 
 urday and Sunday Hospital Association, and Contrib- 
 utors, by special resolution, to the Masonic Asylum at 
 Utica, St. John's Guild, Hebrew Infants' Asylum, 
 Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society Orphan Asylum, 
 Sanitarium for Hebrew Children, and the Educational 
 Alliance. 
 
 With the accession of Wor. Bro. William Grossman 
 to the East, followed by Wor. Bro. Louis J. Vorhaus 
 and Wor. Leo Philip Ulmann, our present Master, 
 another era in the history of the lodge might properly 
 be said to have begun — that is, the accession of those 
 
 S3 
 
who came later than the ones who joined during the 
 period of storm and stress. Not having ever exper- 
 ienced any of the pangs of strife for existence as a 
 lodge, coming in on the flood tide of prosperity, what 
 wonder that their careers should be as blithe and cheer- 
 ful as that of the singer who proclaimed that life with 
 him was "as one long, sweet song." Still onward and 
 upward the banner of the lodge was planted at every 
 stage of progression, and we stand to-day at the pin- 
 nacle of fame in our career. 
 
 Our membership is now 421. 
 
 Our capital over $9,000. 
 
 Our aim to promote sociability and brotherly love 
 among mankind, to relieve distress, to practice charity 
 in its best form, and now and forever help our brethren 
 and ourselves to live pure lives, that the honor of our 
 institution may be enhanced, and the glory ever be to 
 the Father on high whom we ever reverence and adore. 
 
 WoR. M. Ulmann. — I noticed, during the reading 
 of the history of Centennial Lodge^ that some one 
 has entered our portals unheralded and unannounced. 
 The Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of the State 
 of New York is one of our guests, Most Worshipful 
 Brother E. M. L. Ehlers, and if the Most Worshipful 
 Brother will permit himself to be escorted by Worship- 
 ful Brother Lippmann, I would be pleased to greet him 
 and present him from the East to the entire assemblage 
 of Centennial Lodge. 
 
 Ladies and Brethren : While we are celebrating 
 our twenty-fifth anniversary, and while honors are be- 
 ing showered upon so many, I have the privilege of pre- 
 senting to you Most Worshipful Edward M. L. Ehlers, 
 Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge, who has been so 
 highly honored by the Grand Lodge at its last com- 
 
 54 
 
munication for faithful service in Masonic work for 
 the last twenty years. To me belongs the honor, and 
 no one is more pleased, of receiving him here in Cen- 
 tennial Lodge, with its ladies, friends and brethren. 
 
 aao r ess 
 
 M.-. W.-. EDWARD M. L. EHLERS. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : I am always a modest and 
 a diffident man. I recognize that I stand before you 
 not in a wedding garment. I was surreptitiously 
 brought to this room tmder the absolute promise 
 of one of those pure, noble, honorable gentlemen 
 of whom Brother Stern has just read, with the 
 positive assurance that I should not be permitted 
 to make a fool of myself. Business kept me 
 from this gathering, to which I had an invita- 
 tion — ^business that I could not throw aside. It 
 took place in the building; the meeting of a com- 
 mittee by appointment for a specific purpose de- 
 manded me to be there, else I should have been of the 
 festive company, properly arrayed, provided a suit had 
 been left in some place where I could hire it. 
 But, ladies and gentlemen, standing before you, 
 I cannot resist the temptation to say just a word in 
 commendation of the lodge under whose auspices you 
 are met. Its history to me is reality. I have known 
 it from its inception. I have been acquainted with the 
 sterling, upright men that compose its membership. I 
 have witnessed its various conditions; I have seen the 
 good work in which the brethren have been engaged; 
 I have observed a fraternity as beautiful as any that 
 could take place on earth, in this organization. I have 
 seen the deeds of kindness, the deeds of benevolence, 
 which have come from these brethren. I have heard 
 the kind words with which they have cheered on their 
 
 SS 
 
officers, and their numberless acts of Masonic courtesy 
 are as well known to me as the letters of the alphabet ; 
 and therefore I take exceeding pleasure in saying that 
 you are met under the auspices of a band of brothers 
 as noble and as true as any that grace our fraternity, 
 and under the auspices of a lodge standing in the very 
 forefront of the great craft which they adorn. 
 
 i!lb U0ic 
 
 presentation of tbe 25 lear flSeOals 
 
 W. M. Ulmann. — Ladies and Gentlemen: The 
 very pleasant duty now devolves upon me to call upon 
 the members of Centennial Lodge whom, for their 
 many years of service, Centennial Lodge desires to 
 honor, and as I call their names, if they will kindly, 
 under the escort of Worshipful Brother Lippmann, pre- 
 sent themselves at the altar, I shall be extremely 
 pleased : 
 
 R. Wor. Ferdinand Levy. 
 " Moses S. Hyman. 
 " M. B. Abrahams. 
 " Isaac IMusliner. 
 " Emanuel Marx. 
 " Adolph Oppenheimer. 
 Bro. Sol Hofheimer. 
 " Julius Levine. 
 " Leo Schlesinger. 
 " Mark Ziegler. 
 " Moses Hatch. 
 " Benjamin Blumenthal. 
 " Julius Doernberg. 
 " Nathan Hellman. 
 " Israel Lindenbom. 
 " Jonas R. Goldsmith. 
 " Samuel Metzger. 
 
 S6 
 
Friends, I invite your attention to Worshipful Bro- 
 ther Louis J. Vorhaus. 
 
 PRESENTATION OF MEDALS, BY W.-. LOUIS J. 
 VORHAUS. 
 
 My Brothers, twenty-five years have rolled by since 
 you planted the seed from which has grown our beloved 
 Centennial Lodge, and we meet here to-night for the 
 purpose of celebrating that epoch in the history of our 
 existence. 
 
 What can there be more appropriate upon an occa- 
 sion of this character than to present some testimonial 
 of our gratitude to those men who have not only 
 founded our lodge, but who, through all the years of 
 its life, have kept faithful vigil for its continued ex- 
 istence, and who through rain and sunshine, through 
 calm and storm, have safely brought the ship of Cen- 
 tennial Lodge to the harbor of safety. 
 
 We all know that it was not easy sailing ; we know 
 there was a period during our existence when it looked 
 as though the ship would founder upon the rocks and 
 be abandoned to its fate. Those were the days of rain 
 — heavy, distressing rain; the clouds hung low and 
 heavy, and it seemed as though they would never break. 
 But this period of gloom was not without its value. 
 The best things that are produced in this world cannot 
 grow under one continued white glare of light; the 
 finest things in human life need the rain and the clouds ; 
 they need the shadow. And so the life of Centennial 
 has been rotinded and mellowed by the tinge of sad- 
 ness and the touch of storm. 
 
 The services which you have rendered to. Centen- 
 nial Lodge insure for you not merely the reverence 
 and the gratitude of those who now constitute and 
 
 57 
 
make up its ranks, but of those who are to augment it 
 hereafter. 
 
 It must be to you a source of great pleasure and sat- 
 isfaction to look back upon your years of toil, and to 
 feel that your work has not been in vain ; that you have 
 handed over to the younger and newer generation of 
 Centennial a lodge that is full of life, of hope and 
 of promise. 
 
 And in behalf of this new and younger generation, 
 let me say that we shall carry the burden which has 
 fallen on our shoulders with good will and zeal. We 
 shall be ever mindful of the traditions which you have 
 established, and be ever guided by the light of your 
 example and experience. 
 
 I ask you, in behalf of Centennial Lodge, to ac- 
 cept these medallions as a token and an evidence of our 
 love and gratitude. I cannot think now who it was 
 that said : "Gratitude is the fairest flower that springs 
 from the soul, and the heart of man knoweth none more 
 fragrant.'" May the Ruler of us all grant you many 
 years of happiness and peace, and may these beautiful 
 souvenirs abide with you through all your lives, a last- 
 ing reminder of the days and years you have toiled in 
 Centennial's quarries, doing your part and contribut- 
 ing your share in the erection of a world-wide temple, 
 whose dome is the heavens, whose pillars are the moun- 
 tains, whose curtains the clouds, and whose floor the 
 green grass and the restless sea. 
 
 IResponsc 
 
 W.-. M. S. HYMAN. 
 
 AA^orshipful Brother Vorhaus, Worshipful Master, 
 Ladies and Brethren : I am deeply sensible of the dis- 
 tinction and courtesy extended to me in being selected 
 as the spokesman and representative of what is termed 
 
 58 
 
the "Old Guard of Centennial Lodge/' and my 
 gratification is enhanced by the fact that I have been 
 spared these many years to enable me to participate in 
 this momentous occasion. 
 
 The appellation "Old Guard" is rather ambiguous, 
 but its proper construction will undoubtedly be fully 
 comprehended by all when it is understood that it has 
 especial reference to those brethren who were the 
 organizers of the lodge, who have been members from 
 its inception, and have, at least, been partly instru- 
 mental in elevating the lodge to that pinnacle of fame 
 which has characterized its standing and position in 
 the Masonic fraternity for the past twenty-five years. 
 
 Speaking, therefore, in behalf of the Old Guard of 
 Centennial, who are surrounding me here to-night, 
 and not a few of whom are on our roll, I beg to say 
 that we are fully impressed with the importance and 
 dignity of this occasion, which calls forth this vast as- 
 semblage to-night, and that we fully appreciate the dis- 
 tinction and the honor that this presentation and cere- 
 monial is meant to imply. We are here to-night to 
 bear witness to the loyalty of Centennial — to every- 
 thing that is typical of true Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sonry, which is symbolic of, and synonymous with, char- 
 ity, brotherly affection and the truest type of friend- 
 ship. We are here to-night to rejoice with you and 
 exchange congratulations upon the successful termina- 
 tion of a quarter of a century's existence, during which 
 time our noble band of brethren stood loyally to- 
 gether and weathered the storm which, at one time, 
 threatened the very extinction of our lodge. 
 
 There are few within the hearing of my voice — and 
 I allude to the brethren of Centennial Lodge — who 
 will remember the trials and tribulations which hovered 
 over us and through which we had to pass about fifteen 
 years ago, but through the darkening clouds a ray of 
 
 59 
 
sunshine appeared, and our beloved lodge was saved 
 by a few self-sacrificing brethren to whom all the 
 credit and praise for the phenomenal success of the 
 lodge since that time is entirely due. 
 
 The members of the Old Guard, while unable, 
 through force of circumstances and changed conditions 
 and advancing years, to serve you as faithfully in late 
 years as they have in the past, are and ever have been 
 solicitous for your welfare and prosperity, and to-night 
 we renew our promise of fealty to everything that will 
 conduce to the best interests of our beloved lodge. 
 
 We are not unmindful of the many favors and cour- 
 tesies received from your hands, and express here, in 
 the presence of this ^-ast assemblage, our grateful ac- 
 knowledgment for the renewed evidence and manifes- 
 tation of your esteem and affection. We shall cherish 
 this decoration as long as life shall last, and by 
 it we shall be reminded of the many happy hours 
 and evenings spent within the portals of our lodge- 
 room, and associate with it the warm friendship that we 
 have been enabled to cement and foster during this long 
 period. 
 
 I need scarcely assure every one present here to- 
 night that it will be a source of gratification, of unal- 
 loyed pleasure and happiness if the members of this 
 Old Guard would be permitted to be with you twenty- 
 five years hence at the Golden Anniversary of Centen- 
 nial Lodge. Those of us that are fortunate 
 enough to be with you will, I trust, prove to you 
 that they have merited the honor which you have be- 
 stowed upon them to-night; ever praying for the per- 
 petual welfare of dear Centennial, our blessings go 
 forth to you and yours, coupled with the wish that the 
 full measure of success and prosperity may attend you 
 in the years to come, and expressing the hope that the 
 golden thread of memory may link in firm and lasting 
 
 60 
 
bonds our past, our present and our future fellowship. 
 As a fitting conclusion to this ceremonial, may I be 
 permitted to quote a stanza from the pen of a distin- 
 guished Irish poet, which is applicable to the Old Guard 
 as to their interests in Centennial : 
 
 "Long, long be our hearts with such memories filled, 
 Like the vase in which roses have oft been distilled. 
 You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will. 
 But the scent of the roses will hang round it still." 
 
 I apply this, ladies and gentlemen, in so far as the 
 Old Guard is concerned — our hearts are full with the 
 pleasant recollections and memories of the past ; come 
 what may, joy or sorrow, success or failure, prosperity 
 or misfortune, you may always rely upon the Old 
 Guard of Centennial Lodge, who will ever rally 
 around the standard of the lodge upon which is em- 
 blazoned in letters of fire and gold the motto of our 
 beloved Order, "Friendship, Morality and Brotherly 
 Love." 
 
 WoR. Master Ulmann. — Mrs. Kohn, as Chairman 
 of the Committee of Arrangements of Centennial 
 Ladies' Auxiliary, I do most cordially greet you. 
 Your arduous efforts to assist the Ladies' Auxil- 
 iary in its very great work, the culmination of 
 which we will have here to-night, I can fully appreciate, 
 and nothing gives me greater pleasure than to be en- 
 abled to receive you in the lodge and thank you person- 
 ally for your many endeavors. The work which has 
 devolved upon the ladies, more particularly upon the 
 ofificers of the Ladies' Auxiliary, has been such as to 
 deserve great commendation. 
 
 If you will kindly accept the escort of Worshipful 
 Brother Lippmann so I may greet you here in the East, 
 I will be extremely gratified. 
 
 6i 
 
Ladies, Brethren and Friends, to the ladies of the 
 Ladies' Auxiliary I scarcely need introduce Mrs. 
 Kohn. To those who do not know her, let me present 
 tc you Mrs. Pauline S. Kohn, the mother of our Junior 
 Warden. 
 
 presentation of parapbernalia to tbc XoOfle be tbe XaOfes 
 
 MRS. PAULINE S. KOHN 
 
 So far back as the seventeenth century, when in 
 England even the co-relation of man and woman was 
 comprehended by the large majority only in a most 
 primitive and revolting aspect, Matthew Henry, a 
 writer of that country, penned this beautiful thought : 
 
 "Woman was made out of the rib taken from the side 
 of Man — not out of his head to rule him, but out of 
 his side to be his equal ; under his arm to be protected, 
 and near his heart to be beloved." 
 
 Sirs, there come to you to-day here to give living 
 testimonial of the great truth contained in that quaint 
 paragraph, those who, near your hearts, know them- 
 selves to be beloved, whose shelter and safety is your 
 protecting arm, who at your side, participating in your 
 sadnesses, have thus established themselves your equal, 
 and now, in these precincts hallowed by the sacred ac- 
 tivity of your craft, demand the right, side by side with 
 you, to share your joys. 
 
 We come: Your sweethearts, whose hearts are 
 warmed by the light of your love ; we come, your sisters, 
 proudest in your success; we come, your wives, glad- 
 dened by the fraternity of charity which makes you 
 brothers — yes, and we come, your mothers, to whom 
 your first life's throb was heaven's message of happi- 
 ness; who have watched and prayed over you; who 
 
 62 
 
have prayed with you, and still pray for you; whose 
 neck no jewel more precious ever circled than the 
 plump arms of your boyhood ; who have led you by the 
 pitfalls of youth, wiped away the tears of your early 
 griefs and allowed our tears of joy to flow at your tri- 
 umphs ; who brought you to the gates of man's estate 
 and there saw blossom that other love — and we gave 
 you up to her, and called you blessed, for that is 
 woman's work. 
 
 We all come who hold you dear and say, on this rest- 
 ing day in your labors : Has the ground been hard and 
 the tilling made you sore and weary? Yea, even so 
 wonderful and blessed is the fruition of your persever- 
 ance and energy ! 
 
 It was no flitting fancy that prompted us to demand 
 our place in your celebration. It was no momentary 
 impulse that created in us the desire here to be and here 
 to make merry with you. It was rather the natural 
 outpouring of our pent-up respect and veneration for 
 your Order and your lodge, which sought not only 
 admission here, but the right to perpetuate woman's 
 share on this occasion. 
 
 I have been commissioned, and, sirs, believe me that 
 I esteem it a proud and extraordinary privilege — I say 
 I have been charged by those who surround me to 
 felicitate you upon the splendid record of Centennial 
 Lodge; upon its proud position in the Order — an 
 Order which even we, whose place is beyond its portals, 
 know potentates, both sovereigns of mind and masters 
 of men, from ages past to the present moment have 
 entered, there proud to be called brothers with the 
 humblest toilers in the ranks. Sirs, we wish you con- 
 tinued prosperity. We trust that the future of Cen- 
 tennial Lodge may ever be bright and happy. That 
 there may always be here mementos of this occasion, 
 everlasting souvenirs of the woman's blessing that goes 
 
 63 
 
with you in your labors, and as a token of our great 
 regard for Centennial Lodge^ on behalf of and for 
 the members of the Ladies' Centennial Auxiliary, I 
 present to you these working tools and jewels of your 
 craft. To us their meaning, as you use them, is un- 
 known; but we commit them to the keeping of 
 those whom we love, knowing that they can put 
 them to no unworthy purpose. May their pres- 
 ence in your lodge ever be reminders of the regard 
 and affection of the women who hold you dear ! May 
 the purity of the metal bespeak the chastity of our love ! 
 May their durability betoken our everlasting affection 
 for and faith in you, and as you use them may it be to 
 us the pledge of your reciprocal regard ! 
 
 May the men who will follow in your wake and 
 travel in this lodge find in their use and employment 
 encouragement, faith and strength to keep high the 
 noble work, the lofty ambition, and the splendid results 
 of Centennial Lodge, No. 763, in this the first year 
 of the twentieth century ! 
 
 Gentlemen of Centennial Lodge, the ladies wish 
 you Godspeed as you cross the threshold of the second 
 generation of your existence, and cry with one accord : 
 "Centennial Lodge, vivat, floriat, cresciat; live, 
 flourish, increase." 
 
 acceptance 
 
 W.-. M. B. ABRAHAMS. 
 
 Mrs. Kohn and Ladies of the Auxiliary Society of 
 Centennial Lodge: It was through the courtesy of 
 our beloved Master and the Chairman of the Committee 
 having charge of the arrangements for the celebration 
 of our twenty-fifth anniversary that I have been com- 
 missioned to express to you, madam, and to the ladies 
 of the Society, as best I may, the thanks of this lodge 
 
 64 
 
for this most magnificent present that you have brought 
 to us, and to place upon record the profound grati- 
 titude, the pride and gratification that must be in the 
 hearts of every member of this lodge at your beautiful 
 gift. 
 
 I esteem it as a very high honor and distinguished 
 privilege that I am permitted to stand here, the repre- 
 sentative of over four hundred members of this lodge. 
 Free and Accepted Masons in good standing, to give 
 some expression to their feelings at the work that has 
 been done for their pleasure by the ladies of this Soci- 
 ety. Your presence here to-night, ladies, converting the 
 prosaic walls of our working lodge into a very garden 
 of roses, is sufficient indication to us of the interest 
 which you have felt in the welfare and success of our 
 lodge, but when you come to us bearing so noble a 
 gift, such a beautiful and appropriate testimonial of 
 regard and esteem, coupled with the beautiful senti- 
 ments that have been given utterance to by the lady who 
 was deputed to make the presentation, I feel that my 
 words fail to express the sentiments that are in the 
 hearts of my brethren. 
 
 We realize — we know full well, ladies, that you have 
 made many sacrifices of time and labor in procuring 
 for us this beautiful gift, and while we feel that it has 
 been a labor. of love with you, we want you all to 
 understand that we fully appreciate what you have 
 done for us, and the sacrifices that you have made.. Let 
 us indulge in the hope, however, that the old friend- 
 ships that have been renewed, the new friendships that 
 have been formed during the meetings .of your asso- 
 ciation, may be so enduring and so lasting and so beau- 
 ful to you that they may form, in some degree, a slight 
 recompense for the work that you have done. 
 
 6S 
 
These beautiful implements, jewels and working 
 tools, as we call them, in our craft, have to the 
 initiated very significant and potent meaning. They 
 form a symbolism which, to the craft, is dear and hal- 
 lowed. They come to us through the ages hallowed by 
 the traditions of use of centuries. If it were not so late 
 to-night I would take the most infinite pleasure in 
 explaining to you ladies every one of these working 
 tools, and tell you just what it means. 
 
 The Holy Bible upon our altar is ever spread in our 
 lodges. No lodge can work properly and legally 
 without the Holy Bible there. It is the rule and guide 
 for our faith and practice. It points out to man the 
 whole duty that he owes to his God and to his fellow 
 man. Upon the open pages of the Bible rest the square 
 and compasses, teaching us to act squarely by every- 
 body, do no man wrong, and so circumscribe our desires 
 that we may live in unity and comity with the entire 
 world, the whole of mankind. 
 
 So, you see, ladies, there is no secret about it. It 
 is all an open book. Anybody who wishes may come 
 and read — and that is all there is to Masonry. Of 
 course, we have some secrets which serve to distinguish 
 us from others, but then they do not amount to a great 
 deal, except in the symbolic work of the craft. 
 
 These beautiful jewels and ornaments are very 
 gratifying to us, because they come with the noble sen- 
 timents that you have given such beautiful expression 
 to. By them, ladies, we teach those whom we choose 
 to associate with us the great principles of our profes- 
 sion, friendship, morality and brotherly love. Is there 
 anything more simple and more beautiful ? We teach 
 purity of life and conduct. We teach that every man 
 
should do by his neighbor as he would his neighbor 
 should do by him — the Golden Rule throughout the 
 whole universe. 
 
 We inculcate charity — not that mere charity that 
 gives material aid to a distressed brother, but that 
 greater charity, more beautiful, sweeter charity that 
 tempers justice with mercy, that looks with a pitying 
 eye upon the foibles and failings of a brother, and 
 stretches forth the hand to help him in his weakness 
 and to give him our sympathy, our wise counsel, and 
 care for him under all circumstances. 
 
 So you see, ladies, that is the basis upon which the 
 superstructure of Free Masonry is erected, and as we 
 employ these implements which are dear to us from the 
 very inception of the work which brought them to our 
 altar — as we employ these in teaching the moral lessons 
 to our brethren, we will be constantly reminded of the 
 great interest and affection that have been shown to 
 Centennial Lodge by the mothers, wives, sisters, 
 daughters, and perhaps I may say sweethearts, of the 
 members of our lodge. 
 
 We pledge ourselves here never to use these imple- 
 ments except for the benefit of the craft and the glory 
 and honor of our great institution, and when our labors 
 on earth are over, when we are called to the everlasting 
 Paradise above, when the places that know us now know 
 us no more, we pledge ourselves to transmit them to our 
 successors as pure and untarnished as they are before 
 you to-night. 
 
 And so here, in conclusion, I can only say that, on 
 behalf of Centennial Lodge, on behalf of its members, 
 I thank you from the very bottom of my heart, and I 
 
 67 
 
pray that the hand of Time shall deal so tenderly with 
 you that under the grace of the Grand Architect of the 
 Universe, Whom we are taught to revere, and Whom 
 we try to serve, you may be all spared to be with us 
 when we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Centennial 
 Lodge. 
 
 I wish you all long life and health and happiness. 
 
 Obvisic. 
 
 68 
 
1 
 
 TWENTY-FIFTH 
 
 ANNIVERSARY 
 
 CENTENNIAL 
 
 LODGE, 
 
 763 
 
 F. & 
 
 A. M. 
 
 
 HARLEM 
 
 CASINO 
 
 
 WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 29, 
 
 1901 
 
 1 
 
 potage 
 
 Docs i'Qeavtes 
 poiseen 
 
 no e n u 
 
 Little Neck Clams 
 
 Creme de Volaille a la Reine 
 
 Radis Olives farcis Anchovies 
 
 c4monfiIado 
 
 IReleve 
 
 £ntce 
 
 •Rott 
 
 Deseett 
 
 Liebfraaenmitch 
 
 "Pontei Canef 
 
 Brook Trout a la Meiniere 
 Cucumbers New Potatoes 
 
 Filet of Beef 
 
 Legumes a la Trianon 
 
 Fresh Mushrooms on Toast 
 
 Asperges en branche a la Polonaise 
 
 SORBET A LA ROMAINE 
 
 Squab aux Cressons 
 Salad Compote 
 
 SWoet & Chandon White Seal 
 
 Pudding Nesselrode 
 
 Assorted Cakes Petits Fours 
 
 Fruits Nuts Raisins 
 
 Cafe Noir 
 
 SUIneral Water 
 
 69 
 

 
 flD u s I c 
 
 
 
 
 Under Direction of M. S. Rauch. 
 
 
 I. 
 
 MARCH Metropolitan 
 
 Bial 
 
 2. 
 
 SELECTION - Carmen 
 
 Bizet 
 
 3- 
 
 BALLET MUSIC Naila 
 
 Delibes 
 
 4- 
 
 SONG Answer 
 
 Robin 
 
 5- 
 
 SELECTION - Florodora 
 
 - Stuart 
 
 6. 
 
 INTERMEZZO Salome 
 
 Loraine 
 
 7. 
 
 MEDLEY Coontown's Delight 
 
 Rauch 
 
 8. 
 
 EXCERPTS San Toy 
 
 Jones 
 
 9- 
 
 POTPOURRI The Burgomaster 
 
 Luders 
 
 lO. 
 
 MARCH - Hail to the Spirit of Liberty 
 
 Sousa 
 
 
 
 programme 
 
 
 Tntto&uctotB 
 
 W.- HENRY LIPPMANN, Chairman of Committee 
 
 Ladies, Invited Guests, and Brethren of Centennial 
 Lodge : It is my pleasant duty at this time, as Chair- 
 man of the Committee of Arrangements, to say a few 
 words to you. It is my purpose to review that part of 
 our celebration which has passed. 
 
 Centennial has endeavored to celebrate her twenty- 
 fifth anniversary in a manner appropriate to her stand- 
 ing in the community. Ours is a prominent position. 
 We are numerically the largest lodge in the Eighth 
 Masonic District, and we stand among the first twenty- 
 five lodges in the State of New York. 
 
 The first part of our celebration, held at Temple 
 Emanu-El on Sunday evening last, demonstrated that 
 
 70 
 
which we teach, that before entering upon any great or 
 important undertaking we should first invoke the aid of 
 Deity. The splendor of that part of the ceremony need 
 not be rehearsed by me at this time. 
 
 The second part of our celebration, devoted to the 
 ladies, added another charm to our lodge and another 
 chain to our strength, testifying thereby that a Masonic 
 lodge can and should do more and do other work than 
 that of conferring degrees. 
 
 To-night's celebration is intended to cement us 
 closer, to unite our families, and to bring about that 
 brotherly love which must and should prevail both in 
 and out of the lodge. 
 
 Centennial Lodge must and will be one grand 
 family. Such was the aim of this Committee, and if 
 the brethren will but heed the lessons that were in- 
 tended for them by this Committee, success and pros- 
 perity will be with us always. 
 
 I desire to take this opportunity publicly of thanking 
 the members of the Committee of Arrangements for 
 their loyal, earnest support which they have given to 
 its Chairman, and to express my satisfaction at the 
 unanimity with which they all worked to bring about 
 the success of these three festivals. 
 
 It is with pleasure at this time that I introduce to 
 you one whose time was at the beck and call of this 
 Committee, our Worshipful Brother Leo Ph. Ulmann. 
 
 ac&rees of Melcome 
 
 W.-.LEO PH. ULMANN, Master 
 
 Ladies, Guests and Brethren of Centennial 
 Lodge : It is perhaps unusual for the Master to preside 
 while the lodge is at refreshment, but the Chairman of 
 the Committee of Arrangements in his wisdom has 
 
 71 
 
ordained that I should here preside, and obedient to all 
 mandates that come from above, but with an obedience 
 that is coupled with pleasure and cheerfully given, I 
 accept the gavel here to-night, thankful, however, that 
 the gavel is in the form of a ladle. 
 
 Centennial Lodge has ever been progressive. We 
 started you on Sunday evening at Fifth Avenue. Fol- 
 lowing the move of events, we took you on Tuesday 
 evening to Sixth Avenue, and have landed you this 
 evening at Seventh Avenue. And we trust that not 
 only will this evening's stay prove beneficial at Seventh 
 Avenue, but culminate in the seventh heaven of your 
 enjoyment of the celebrations attending the twenty- 
 fifth anniversary of the lodge's institution. 
 
 We gave you on Sunday the feast of intellect; we 
 ga^'e you on Tuesday evening the feast of pleasant com- 
 panionship and that family unity of which the Chap- 
 lain of our lodge spoke with so much eloquence on 
 Sunday evening ; we give you to-night the feast of com, 
 wine and oil, symbolically represented as nourishment, 
 refreshment and joy. 
 
 We bid you welcome to this, the closing scene of our 
 celebration, one that has been marked by devotion to 
 Deity, by reminder of our fraternal and social ties, and 
 which now culminates around the festive board which, 
 in all phases of human existence, marks satisfaction, 
 peace and harmony. 
 
 To this feast I bid you welcome. I sincerely trust 
 that your appetites are such that you will be able to do 
 justice to that which will be presented to you, as I 
 equally hope that that which will be presented to you 
 this evening will do justice to your appetites. 
 
 I bid you all to unite in one common endeavor to 
 make this banquet a happy climax to the very success- 
 ful celebration of our anniversary. Once more, then, 
 
 72 
 
ladies, guests, and brethren of Centennial Lodge, I 
 bid you to this feast a hearty, hearty welcome. 
 
 IP eager 
 
 REV. DR. JOSEPH SILVERMAN. 
 
 Praised be Thou, O Eternal, our God, Who hath 
 provided food for the service of man and beast. We 
 thank Thee, O Lord, for all Thy blessings, for health 
 and strength and happiness, and we are grateful unto 
 Thee for these viands that Thou hast given unto us. 
 We ask Thy blessing upon all assembled, and Thy grace 
 upon this repast. Amen. 
 
 ITnttoduction of Uoastmaster 
 
 W.-.. LEO PH. ULMANN, Master 
 
 Ladies, Guests and Brethren of Centennial 
 Lodge: It is indeed a pleasure to me, as Master of 
 this lodge, to have been enabled to preside over 
 you at this our concluding function of the twenty- 
 fifth anniversary. I know that you will echo the senti- 
 ments, one and all, that Centennial has really out- 
 done itself in providing for its guests, its members and 
 its ladies all that could be expected of it — more so, 
 inasmuch as we have made many attempts to try and 
 please you within the last few years, but never before 
 have been so successful. 
 
 It now becomes my pleasant duty to introduce to you 
 the gentleman who has been assigned as the Toast 
 Master for the evening, one with whom every member 
 of Centennial Lodge is fully acquainted, one to 
 whom it is the first occasion that he is able to speak to 
 the members and to the ladies, and not only the waiters 
 who have attended all the functions of Centennial 
 Lodge. To-night our good brother will have the only 
 opportunity he has had in his existence as a member of 
 
 73 
 
Centennial Lodge to address you first and foremost, 
 and I am sure you will be pleased with him. It affords 
 me exceeding pleasure to present to you our Worship- 
 ful Brother, Joseph Steiner, as Toast Master. 
 
 IResponee of Uoastmaster 
 
 W.:. JOSEPH STEINER 
 
 Worshipful Master, Brothers and Sisters : I think I 
 have a right to address the ladies by that endearing 
 title after they have become full-fledged members of 
 our craft through the initiation they received last even- 
 ing within the portals of Centennial Lodge. 
 
 You will observe, my friends, that they have placed 
 before the Toast Master's station a bed of roses, yet 
 the life of a Toast Master is not a bed of roses. You 
 undoubtedly have noticed the difficulty I had in getting 
 this audience together, and now that we have got you 
 here where you cannot escape, we propose to compel you 
 to listen to the programme printed upon the third page 
 of the menu, which a great many of you undoubtedly 
 overlooked at the conclusion of the dinner. 
 
 The Chairman of the Committee, when the position 
 of Toast Master was delegated to me, gave me some 
 wise counsel, as he thought. He cautioned me and 
 warned me against responding to every toast upon the 
 list. He also told me that I was the Toast Master, and 
 not the "roast master." I shall not attempt to roast 
 any of the speakers, yet the privilege of toasting them 
 is mine, and I will let them roast the toasts as they see 
 fit. 
 
 In arranging a large affair of this kind, we had a 
 Committee of Arrangements. That was again sub- 
 divided into various other committees : the Committee 
 on History; the Committee on Speakers; the Banquet 
 
 74 
 
Committee ; the Printing Committee ; and last, but not 
 least, the Smoke Committee. The Smoke Committee 
 had selected a brand of cigars which, on being presented 
 to the Banquet Committee, and passing their criticism, 
 was found to be a brand not up to date, and we had 
 slips printed: "Please don't smoke these cigars here." 
 Subsequently we got different cigars and withdrew 
 the slips. 
 
 The first toast upon our list will be responded to by- 
 one of the Old Guard, who has waited twenty-five long 
 years for this opportunity, and undoubtedly will do 
 full justice to the subject. 
 
 "The Day We Celebrate." 
 
 ''We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial." 
 
 The toast will be responded to by our good brother, 
 
 Emanuel Marx. 
 
 "Zbe Das 'CDle Celebrate" 
 
 W.:, EMANUEL MARX 
 
 "We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial." — Bailey. 
 
 Mr. Toast Master, I am indeed grateful for the gen- 
 erous manner in which you have referred to me, but I 
 am willing to ascribe it rather to your usual ebullition 
 of good feeling than to any credit that is due me. 
 
 "The day we celebrate!" How prolific of remi- 
 niscence, how replete with thought, is this theme! I 
 am carried back a quarter of a century, and can truth- 
 fully say: "The old thoughts never die. Immortal 
 dreams outlive their dreamers and are ours for aye." 
 
 I can recall a body of young men full of vigor and 
 energy, who were desirous of affiliating themselves with 
 the Masonic Institution, and being possessed of the 
 belief that, because of the warm friendship existing be^- 
 
 75 
 
tween them, their aims could be best subserved by join- 
 ing a new organization, they sought assistance with 
 that object in view. Although difficult of attainment at 
 first, their efforts were finally successful in consequence 
 of the influential men of the time who lent them their 
 aid and co-operation. 
 
 I recall with gratification the names of M. W. John 
 W. Simons, M. W. Elwood E. Thorn, M. W. Charles 
 Roome, M. W. J. Edward Simmons, R. W. Charles S. 
 Arthur, R. W. John C. Boak, R. W. James M. Morri- 
 son, all of whom, with but one exception, have passed to 
 the great unknown, and who were encouragers and 
 patronizers of our early career. 
 
 And while being reminiscent, I cannot permit the 
 opportunity to pass without referring to two of our 
 own members who have been called to the Grand Lodge 
 on High. I allude to R. W. Samuel Godchaud, who 
 was active and instrumental in our initial success, and to 
 Bro. Abraham vSchlesinger, who, during his life, was 
 our first and only Treasurer, and whose purse was 
 always at our command. 
 
 Twenty-five years is a great period, whether in the 
 life of a man or body of men, and, confronted with 
 Time's turmoil, must needs be freighted with obstacles. 
 Centennial did not escape the common lot, and al- 
 though in the main its record was progressive, there was 
 an epoch when, through misunderstanding and miscon- 
 ception, its horizon was cast with dark clouds, but 
 through the efforts of brave and determined hearts we 
 have happily emerged from it with a splendor as reful- 
 gent as the noonday sun, and bearing this in mind, in 
 casting a retrospect, we have just cause for rejoicing 
 in the attainment of this important day in our lodge's 
 existence. 
 
 Identified as we are with that great fraternity which 
 encircles the globe, and whose only contention is, how 
 
 76 
 
best to work and best agree, we have from our very 
 beginning been thoroughly imbued with the sacred 
 admonitions with which we were called into being. 
 We had a mission to fulfill, and in the accomplishment 
 of the work to which our existence has been consecrated 
 have never faltered. We have learned that friendship 
 has a power to soothe afHiction in her darkest hour, and 
 have acted under its impulse. We know that, 
 
 "In faith and hope the world will disagree, 
 But all mankind's concern is charity. 
 All must be false that thwart this one great end, 
 And all of God that bless mankind or mend." 
 
 We can refer with just pride to our past record, for 
 a brother's sufiferings have always claimed our pity, 
 and the overburdened heart of the widow has ever 
 become lightened by our ministrations. 
 
 Ours is an institution of love; "it is the secret sympa- 
 thy, the silver link, the silken tie, which, heart to heart, 
 and mind to mind, in body and in soul can bind." 
 
 To-day we have the gratifying assurance that at the 
 end of a quarter of a century we are possessed of the 
 consciousness of duty well performed, and I can say 
 with freedom from any charge of egotism that our 
 lodge ranks as one of the shining marks in this Grand 
 Jurisdiction. 
 
 As for the future, many of those who have adhered to 
 and labored with dear old Centennial throughout its 
 years are fast approaching the evening of life, and the 
 time will come when, in response to Nature's inexorable 
 dictates, they must retire from active participation in 
 the work before us. We, are, however, fortified with 
 the positive conviction, and therein lies the chief cause 
 for to-day's rejoicing, that there are always ready and 
 willing hands to fall into the breach, and guide the dear 
 old ship. 
 
Permit me therefore in conclusion to venture the hope 
 that, inspired and inflamed by the recollection of this 
 day, and prompted by an unceasing desire to emulate 
 the record achieved, those who from now on are to 
 have the destinies of our beloved lodge in their holy 
 keeping, may labor with renewed efforts and unrelaxed 
 energy, to the end that our star may shine with even 
 greater brilliancy to the benefit of Masonry and hu- 
 manity. 
 
 WoR. Bro. Steiner. — The next toast, my friends, 
 will be responded to by one of the Young Guard. It 
 was not necessary for him to wait twenty-five years to 
 gain decorations. He has medals to burn. He has 
 medals for bowling, sharp-shooting, pinochle playing, 
 long-distance oratory and rag-time singing. Those 
 who have heard him sing will never forget him — or 
 forgive him. I take extreme pleasure in presenting to 
 this Silver Anniversary audience the silver-plated 
 orator — I mean the silver-tongued orator of Centen- 
 nial Lodge, the picturesque Charles Good Fellow 
 Wahle. I want to tell you what he is going to respond 
 to. Give me a chance. 
 
 "Centennial Lodge." 
 
 "Hands of want, or souls in pain, 
 Have not sought my door in vain." 
 
 "Centennial XoOgc" 
 
 Bro. CHAS. G. F. WAHLE 
 
 "Hands of want or souls in pain, 
 
 Have not sought my door in vain." — Whittier. 
 
 "In every cycle life doth generate new forms, and 
 hid in every shell lie pearls whereon the sun or poet 
 hath not gazed." 
 
 Philosophers tell us that the progress of mankind is 
 traceable only in its larger advancing strides; that as 
 
 78 
 
in Nature the time is unmarked when the bud becomes 
 the flower, the maid becomes woman, or the boy be- 
 comes man, so, in the constant evolution of human- 
 kind, it is only in the height of supremacy attending 
 cycle after cycle that advance is marked. 
 
 In the history of the world feet and yards do not 
 count; only the mile-stones along the road mark the 
 progress of the ages. Some are green with the ful- 
 some verdure of growth ; some are rusty with the bar- 
 renness of misspent energy, according as their labors 
 have been fructuous or defunct. And yet it seems to 
 me that when, in the ages to come, some philosopher, 
 some poet or some historian, will seek to draw a line 
 of demarkation which will define on the one side the 
 ultimate accumulation of stagnation, and on the other 
 the consummate impulse of energy, when that genius 
 shall appear who will grasp from the heavens the light 
 of day and seek therewith to pierce the past, he will find 
 that the highest mountain-peak separating the valley of 
 retrogression from the plateau of progressing energy 
 was reared on that eventful day when, from Phila- 
 delphia's Independence Hall, was tolled the death of 
 intolerance and bigotry and the gladsome message of 
 freedom's birth. 
 
 To me it has always been a remarkable and poetic 
 fact that the last toll of the bell of Independence Hall 
 marked the death of the bell-ringer. Truly it seemed 
 that on that day the old man must die and a new giant 
 take his place in the history of the nations. Then and 
 thus was born a new nation in the family of the world ; 
 then and thus was born a new giant, strident with the 
 energy of youth, and with the perseverance of prog- 
 ress; for one hundred years this giant grew, and a 
 generation ago celebrated the one hundredth anniver- 
 sary of the independence of humankind. 
 
 79 
 
Great had been the progress of the world in that 
 time. It would seem as if, with the proclamation of 
 the independence of our country, there came over the 
 world a new light. All those inventions and dis- 
 coveries which have made the nineteenth century the 
 great, bright star in the constellation of history's cano- 
 py have been made since the 4th of July, 1776. The 
 telegraph, the electric cable, the progress in steam 
 navigation, the telephone, steam railways, the en- 
 slaving of one of Nature's great powers, the uni- 
 versality of education, the spread of civilization, the 
 advancement of mankind, the abolition of slavery, the 
 betterment of public morals, the training of the mind, 
 direct responsibility to the governed by those who gov- 
 ern, the maintenance of the principle that those are 
 best governed who are least governed, the right to 
 worship God as our hearts and our consciences dictate, 
 the education of freemen, the universality of the suf- 
 frage — these are of the teeming vines that grew on 
 that field which was hallowed by the blood of the 
 martyrs; these the luscious fruits which a generation 
 ago were placed on the banquet table of the universe's 
 festival in honor of the Centennial of America's Inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 The sun of the first century of our national inde- 
 pendence sank warm in the royal purple of her majesty, 
 and blending with the prismatic twilight of that even- 
 ing and the silver of night, burst forth as the sun 
 of the second century of our liberty in the great 
 white light of eternal truth, culling from the garden of 
 human desires a new form, generated in the great prin- 
 ciples of Masonry embodied in the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, dedicated to God in the name of liberty, 
 equality and fraternity, tinted in the richness of human 
 faith, perfumed with the sweet incense of human char- 
 
 80 
 
ity-— a rare and fragrant flower — and they called it 
 Centennial Lodge. 
 
 It was a beautiful bud that stood in the Master's vine- 
 yard that morning. Steeped in the gray of the early 
 dew, the chill of morning hardened it ; the moisture on 
 its petals looked for a time gray and sad, like pearls; 
 but as the warmth of the sunlight played upon it, 
 and gentle winds dispelled the mist, the dewdrops upon 
 the opened petals of this new, full-blown rose shone red 
 and beautiful as rubies — rubies in strength, rubies in 
 warmth — rubies in constancy. 
 
 jMy friends, we have been celebrating in a manner 
 which to many of you, perhaps, may seem extravagant, 
 the completion of the first generation of the existence 
 of Cextennial Lodge. We were dedicated in the name 
 of Centexniai.. Whoe'er enters the portals of our 
 lodge and speaks our name, his mind will go back 
 to the first century of our nation's existence, and 
 he will carry with him through life the beautiful teach- 
 ings of our Grand Order, hallowed and sanctified by 
 the recollection of the martyrs who died in defense of 
 those great principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, 
 which we, as Masons, know as charity. It will always 
 be a reminder of that glorious spirit of self-devotion, 
 known to the history of the world as the "Spirit of 
 '76." than which none grander has ever gladdened the 
 heart of man. 
 
 Therefore it is that we of the Centennial Lodge are 
 proud, and justly so, of the honors which have been 
 bestowed upon us by our fellow craftsmen ; proud, and 
 justly so, of the standing which we hold in the Order; 
 proud, and justly so, of our numerical strength and the 
 unity which makes our work the diapason of one grand 
 fraternal harmony; therefore we claim the right in 
 unique and unwonted manner, with all those we love 
 gathered about us in solemn conclave, feast and dance, 
 
 81 
 
to celebrate the fact that not only does he who enters 
 Centennial Lodge become a Mason true and firm, but 
 he has his Masonry upheld and supported by the glo- 
 rious recollections of those deeds which will forever 
 make the figures '76 bright and fixed stars to guide 
 those in want and distress. 
 
 For twenty-five years we have lived, and what a life 
 has been ours! Think you, perhaps, as you see us 
 here in the fulness of manhood's growth to-day, that 
 we have escaped the dark hours and the travail of 
 youth ? Think you, perhaps, that as with the fulsome 
 notes we give thanks to God for all the blessings he 
 has showered upon us we think not also of the dark 
 moments in our history ? But to those great leaders of 
 Centennial Lodge who launched this boat and sent it 
 on its destinies on the ocean of life, to those pioneers the 
 storms might come and the rains might pelt and the 
 winds might blow ; but the winds were to them but the 
 song of the haven of rest which lay beyond the tides ; 
 the rain was to them but the forerunner of the manna 
 which Providence was to send, and the storms 
 were but the encouragement echoing from mountain to 
 mountain, from the heavens to earth and back again, 
 to proclaim that whence came the storms come also the 
 gentle and refreshing zephyrs ; to proclaim that whence 
 ■came the turbulence comes peace — and they stood 
 firmly by the helm until there came that tidal wave 
 which thrust Centennial upon her career of success. 
 
 Some of them we have with us now; some have 
 preceded us to the great beyond; but we were all to- 
 gether the other night for a few moments in the Temple 
 — those who are no more in the craft, as we know 
 it, and those who still belong to the craft — and it 
 seemed while the names of those who have gone were 
 read, that once again the great roll of Centennial 
 Lodge was called and each man answered "Here." But 
 
 82 
 
more than that — ask the orphans who with us prayed 
 that night for those who are gone; ask the widows 
 whose silent tears bespoke their remembrance of the 
 past, and they will tell you that when the great sum- 
 mons came, or when want and distress followed the 
 path of sickness, when gloom pervaded their homes. 
 Centennial Lodge, without emblazonry, but quietly 
 and calmly, extended that charity which has made its 
 history. 
 
 A membership of over four hundred, containing 
 within its ranks the merchant, the man of profession, 
 the man of learning, where science, art, literature and 
 learning all are combined to elevate and inspire our 
 fellows, where all our endeavors have but one object — 
 charity, and the advancement of fellow man — that is 
 Centennial Lodge. 
 
 I know not what there may be in store in the future 
 for Centennial Lodge. Will it thrive? Will it flour- 
 ish ? Will it flower as it bids fair to do, or will its day of 
 crumbling come ? Who will be its guide past the cliffs 
 that will sooner or later appear ? What unifying hand 
 will hold it ? I know not whether in the days to come 
 vast numbers will seek its gates. I know not whether 
 its portals will be looked to only by the few, but this 
 much I know, this much I trust, and this much T 
 prophesy : That, as it was in the beginning, it is now, 
 and ever will be — the mighty Centennial Lodge, 
 
 "Hands of want, or souls in pain. 
 Will never seek its door in vain." 
 
 WoR. Bro. Steiner. — "The Grand Lodge" is the 
 next subject on our programme, and the sentiment 
 "Loyal to truth and the sacred professions of friend- 
 ship." The loyalty and fealty of Centennial Lodge to 
 
 83 
 
the Grand Lodge and to the Grand Master is recognized 
 by the presence here to-night of his immediate repre- 
 sentative, the Deputy Grand Master, the handsomest 
 man in the Grand Lodge, whose Masonic experience 
 and knowledge eminently qualify him to respond to 
 this toast. I have the extreme pleasure and distin- 
 guished honor of presenting to you Right Worshipful 
 Elbert Crandall, Deputy Grand Master. 
 
 "tlbe ©rana 3to&ge" 
 
 R.-. W.-. ELBERT CRANDALL, Deputy Grand Master 
 
 "Loyal to truth and the sacred profes- 
 sions of friendship." — Longfellow. 
 
 Mr. Toast ^Master, Ladies and Gentlemen: The 
 toast which has been ascribed to me is one which, I 
 assure you, is absolutely new. It has appeared on every 
 toast list from the time the Grand Lodge had its first 
 inception in this Grand Jurisdiction ; it has been talked 
 to by every Grand Master, and by every Deputy Grand 
 Master, and by every District Deputy Grand Master in 
 the absence of the other two, from time immemorial, 
 and I am sure that you will expect, under such circum- 
 stances, utterances from me which shall be absolutely 
 new and interesting. 
 
 I am reminded to-night somewhat of the story they 
 tell — and in speaking thus I am sure you will agree with 
 me that I am upholding the dignity of the Grand 
 Master, because in his absence it is delegated to me to 
 represent him and speak for the Grand Lodge— I am 
 reminded of the story of the gentleman who was sitting 
 in his club in an adjacent city in the State of New 
 Jersey, who was giving expression to reminiscences, 
 and among them he recalled that a friend of his had 
 spoken of a gentleman, very successful in commercial 
 pursuits, and who had lived and made his fortune in the 
 
city of Paterson, New Jersey, and in the course of time, 
 as comes to all, had passed away, and this was the spirit 
 of his dream : He had, after passing from this terres- 
 trial sphere, gone to the abode above and had knocked 
 at the gate where he hoped to gain admittance, and the 
 representative holding the keys to those Golden Portals 
 inquired of him his name. He, for the time being, 
 thought perhaps to qualify himself somewhat, and said 
 that his name was Leo Ulmann, and he was asked 
 from what place he came. "Paterson, New Jer- 
 sey." He was reminded that he had got to the 
 wrong place ; that he should go down below, and conse- 
 quently went there and knocked at the portals, was 
 met by the representative of his Satanic Majesty, 
 and thought he would change his name upon that 
 occasion, and when he was asked what his name was 
 responded that he was Henry Lippmann, and he was 
 asked from whence he came. "Paterson, New Jersey." 
 "You have made a mistake; you cannot come in here." 
 He threw up his hands in abhorrence and says : "Great 
 heavens, must I go back to Paterson, New Jersey?" 
 
 To-night, when it came time for me to repair to this 
 festive occasion, I was almost ready to throw up my 
 hands and say : "Great heavens, must I go to Centen- 
 nial again ?" However, the attraction was so great, the 
 pleasure I had experienced was so great that I assure 
 you it was not with difficulty that I found my way 
 here even if it were at a late hour. 
 
 This expression of commemoration which has ex- 
 isted in the three occasions which you have celebrated, 
 bears with it a most important signification. I can 
 recall Sunday evening when you gave expression by 
 a service of song unparalleled, I believe, in my experi- 
 ence, and although I was not permitted to participate 
 in your festivities last evening, I am told they were 
 superb. I am reminded by them of one significant fact 
 
 8s 
 
— the fact that last night you presented to your breth- 
 ren who had been twenty-five years members of Cen- 
 tennial Lodge a badge which they could bear with 
 them throughout the coming years as a testimonial of 
 their fidelity to the principles of our craft. This, breth- 
 ren, is something beyond the pleasures of mere festivity. 
 It is something beyond the mere expressions of frater- 
 nity and brotherly love. It is an expression of fidelity to 
 the principles of Free Masonry, an expression of the 
 fidelity of those brethren to their brethren, an expres- 
 sion of their fidelity to Centennial Lodge, and in the 
 years to come those who shall achieve that distinction 
 will also bear with them that expression of the distinc- 
 tion and regard of their brethren. 
 
 I am wandering from this new and interesting toast 
 which has been ascribed to me, "The Grand Lodge of 
 the State of New York." Scarcely any of you knows 
 what the Grand Lodge is. Scarcely any of you have 
 any conception of its duties and its functions. The 
 brethren of Centennial Lodge scarcely know what 
 the Grand Lodge is, and therefore I ought not to 
 digress, but to confine myself absolutely to telling you 
 about the Grand Lodge, and all that the Grand Lodge 
 does. The exodus which was manifested just prior 
 to the time that the cofifee came reminds me that perhaps 
 I ought to further inflict myself upon you by telling you 
 all about the Grand Lodge. I am sure by so doing I 
 would conserve the very great pleasure of the ladies and 
 gentlemen present, and therefore for about forty min- 
 utes now I propose to tell you all about the Grand 
 Lodge. I propose to tell you that it is the supreme 
 grand organization in this State which controls every- 
 thing concerning Free Masonry. I propose to tell you 
 that it is the Central Organization, and from it has 
 emanated those charters which have been the mode of 
 organizing all the subordinate lodges, numbering 
 
 86 
 
about eight hundred in this Jurisdiction, and after we 
 get through with all that, and after I tell you that the 
 Grand Lodge officers are called upon not only to at- 
 tend at the annual communications of the Grand Lodge 
 and look after its affairs, all of which have been cut and 
 dried beforehand, and by which a rule is carried out 
 at the annual communication in which our Masters, 
 representatives of those lodges, participate, then I have 
 told you very much of what the Grand Lodge consists. 
 But, beyond that, the Grand Lodge has certain other 
 functions which it is called upon to perform. It is 
 called upon to go from New York to Buffalo, and to 
 other intermediate points, for the laying of corner- 
 stones, the dedication of lodge-rooms and such func- 
 tions as that, and it is indeed a very great pleasure, I 
 assure you, to the Grand Lodge officers to participate 
 in those functions, particularly when they occur, as they 
 usually do, in the heat of summer, when the sun is shin- 
 ing down from above with rays that almost make you 
 wish to be in a refrigerator car. Then you think that 
 it is indeed a very great pleasure to be a Grand Lodge 
 officer, when, after you have got through with it 
 all, you must perforce be a recipient of the hos- 
 pitality of the brethren throughout this great State of 
 New York, and after you have got through with that 
 and pack up your belongings, with an interval, 
 perhaps, of sleep, and perhaps not, you take your train 
 and again get yourself back to the city from whence 
 you came, you are quite ready to conclude, amid it all, 
 that the lot of the Grand Lodge officer is replete with 
 pleasure and with happiness. 
 
 Notwithstanding all that — notwithstanding all of the 
 burdens and the duties which rest upon the Grand 
 Lodge and its officers, they have an added responsibil- 
 ity — a responsibility in seeing to it that each individual 
 lodge which composes and is a component part of that 
 
 87 
 
Grand Lodge, shall discharge its individual duties to 
 the Grand Lodge and to the craft. They accept that 
 responsibility, and they rejoice in knowing that the 
 brethren have the interests of Free Masonry so at 
 heart that we truly may say, without detaining you 
 longer, loyalty to truth and the sacred professions of 
 friendship, and beyond all, loyalty and truth to the 
 sacred teachings and lessons of the fraternity, are their 
 constant aim and purpose. 
 
 WoR. Bro. Steiner. — The next toast, "The Past 
 Masters," "Nobles by the right of an earlier creation 
 and priests by the imposition of a mightier hand," will 
 be responded to bythe father and savior of Centennial 
 Lodge. In the darkest moments of Centennial''s his- 
 tory, when destruction threatened Centennial Lodge, 
 he saved it by reducing his bills for printing. His 
 age is a mystery, but when we consider his ge- 
 nial disposition, his kindness and lovable characteris- 
 tics, we know that these have kept him youthful even at 
 three score and ten. He will tell you about the old 
 mossbacks and has-beens of Centennial. He is thor- 
 oughly competent to respond to this toast. He is one 
 of us — I mean one of them. Listen to the voice of the 
 patriarch, Worshipful Brother Adolph Oppenheimer. 
 
 "XEbe past /Blasters" 
 
 W.-. ADOLPH OPPENHEIMER 
 
 "Nobles by the right of an earlier crea- 
 tion and priests by the imposition of a 
 mightier hand." — Macauley. 
 
 My friends, to be a Past Master in any art has grown 
 to be a proverbial expression of proficiency in that art. 
 To be a Past Master of Masons, then, calls for a pro- 
 ficiency so rare that one may seek the title with all hono- 
 
rable striving with which the greatest of Hfe's honors 
 are sought. 
 
 Masonry as an art is the struggle of mankind 
 toward perfection. Masonry teaches, as its funda- 
 mental principles, the Fatherhood of God, the Brother- 
 hood of Man, the Immortality of the Soul. A Past- 
 Mastership in such an art makes a priest of its devotee 
 — a missionary of God to mankind. Past-Mastership 
 in this art means proficiency in the higher living, the 
 living not for one's self alone, but the practice of that 
 philanthropy which recognizes that we are here for 
 some purpose not fully revealed to us, but the spirit of 
 which purpose we can strive to approach by helping 
 those less fortunate than ourselves. 
 
 Masonic lodges are fundamentally different from 
 other fraternal organizations in one particular feature, 
 that of the power of the Master. This power is abso- 
 lute in a very high degree. Very few laws hamper his 
 decisions, and his will is supreme in a very great meas- 
 ure in the lodge. And this attribute is carried along 
 somewhat when the Master is promoted and becomes a 
 Past Master. Then comes a still higher responsibility. 
 He now becomes a power without office, without precise 
 duties and obligations as to routine, but a power withal. 
 His influence now can lead aright in the destinies of 
 his lodge. Many now are the opportunities where the 
 Past Master is called upon to give advice from the rich 
 store of his past experience in matters of detail, in mat- 
 ters of policy, in matters of charity. Strife and discord 
 can be avoided if the Past Masters of a lodge agree. 
 Where is the Charity Committee in a Masonic lodge 
 that does not have recourse to the knowledge of the 
 personnel of the lodge obtained by the Past Masters 
 during their term of office as Masters, to help them 
 to come to correct decisions in the dispensation of their 
 
 89 
 
charity? And where is the lodge that has ever re- 
 sisted the advice of its Past Masters, when they them- 
 selves were united ? 
 
 Come we now to Centennial Lodge's Past Masters, 
 as everything this evening must center in Centennial. 
 In the period of its direst need it was the moral support 
 of two of its Past Masters, Worshipful Brother Albert 
 Kubie, since gone to his reward on high, and Right 
 Worshipful Brother Ferdinand Levy, two of the nine 
 brethren who refused to give up the charter while 
 they thought there was still hope to save our beloved 
 lodge. It was the faithful work of still another Past 
 Master, Worshipful Brother Emanuel Marx, who, in 
 those troublous days, helped by word and deed to reha- 
 bilitate the lodge. With what strength of purpose 
 and all-abiding faith did our Worshipful Brothers 
 Hyman and Musliner at all times encourage the young- 
 er Centennial in its renewed career of prosperity? 
 What function of the lodge's later progress but has the 
 lasting impress of the wise and brilliant administrations 
 of the younger generation of Past Masters — Popper, 
 Steiner, Stern, Lippmann, Proops, Grossman and Vor- 
 haus ? And what Annual Communication is complete 
 without that sturdy veteran, Worshipful Brother M. B. 
 Abrahams, presiding in the East, ever ready to give 
 wise words of counsel and keep our feet in the straight 
 Masonic path? 
 
 As a King has his Council, a President his Cabinet, 
 so the Master of a lodge, with a conscientious desire 
 to exercise his power aright, will always look to the 
 sustaining advice of his private Cabinet — his Past Mas- 
 ters. There is no law that makes them such, but it 
 has grown into a Masonic tradition as binding as the 
 laws of the Medes and Persians, or the unwritten Con- 
 stitution of the British Empire, that in matters of great 
 moment the Master looks for support to his predeces- 
 
 90 
 
sors in office, and as there is presumed to be safety in 
 a multitude of counsellors, he thus divides his respon- 
 sibility, and feels more secure in his inmost heart that 
 his actions in the administration of his trust are for the 
 best interest of those who have placed their faith in him. 
 So, the Past Master in Masonry is the power behind the 
 throne ; the power that helps, aids and assists the Master 
 in the performance of his onerous work ; the power that 
 is called upon in times of trouble to devise means that 
 shall tide over the perilous places, and in times of hap- 
 piness and plenty shall help give expression to the feel- 
 ings of joy and gratitude. 
 
 Then ask we the help of the Supreme Architect of 
 the Universe, that he shall so direct the steps of our 
 brethren who wear this proud title, that they shall be 
 united in their Council. Let not the spirit of discord 
 enter their ranks, for they are the microcosm — the 
 little world — which , directs the larger. May their 
 efforts ever be directed toward harmony, letting not 
 personal ambition blind them to the detriment of the 
 good of the whole body. And thus may they help to lead 
 the hosts of Centennial''s followers ever onward, 
 keeping its banner in the van in our noble endeavors to 
 further the cause of Masonry — Faith in God, Hope in 
 Immortality and Charity toward all Mankind. 
 
 WoR. Bro. Steiner. — The next toast is dedicated 
 to "Our Ladies." I would like everybody to remain 
 here, and hope the ladies will stay here also and listen 
 to the many pleasant things that will be said to them by 
 the respondent to this toast : 
 
 "The all-beholding sun has ne'er beholden, 
 In his wide voyage o'er continents and seas, 
 So fair a i-reature." 
 
 91 
 
This sentiment applies solely to the subject matter 
 of the toast, and not to the respondent. Originally 
 there had been selected a brother to respond to this 
 toast with a head of hair like Paderewski. Then the 
 Chairman of the History Committee, who had made 
 researches into Masonic antiquities and into the his- 
 tories of banquets, reported that nowhere within the 
 annals of post-prandial oratory had a man with hair to 
 bum ever responded to this toast. So the Committee 
 changed the co-respondent, and I now have the pleasure 
 of presenting to you, ladies, your Popper. 
 
 "® u t 5L a & f e s" 
 
 R.-. W.-. WM. C. POPPER 
 
 "The all-beholding Sun has ne'er beholden 
 In his wide voyage o'er continents and seas 
 So fair a creature." — Shelley. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I find that upon examining the toast 
 list that is presented here to-night, that immediately 
 after I get through responding to the toast to the ladies, 
 the Coroner appears. I want to inquire whether I am 
 to be the subject or the ladies, and whether I am ex- 
 pected to die in the effort ? 
 
 Ladies and Brethren, as I rise to my speech to-night 
 there comes to my mind a story. A Sunday-school 
 teacher asked John, "Who made you?" "Don't 
 know." "What! Don't you know who made you? 
 Why, little three-year-old Dicky could answer that 
 question. Dicky, who made you?" "Dod," lisps the 
 three-year-old. "There, John, are you not ashamed of 
 yourself?" "No; he was made so lately he has not 
 had time to forget it yet." 
 
 There has come to you all so lately in the course 
 of this celebration, which is being brought to a close 
 to-night, so much splendid eloquence that you have not 
 
 92 
 
had time to forget, that I hesitate to speak at all, lest 
 my tallow-candle effort may be entirely eclipsed 
 by the lively recollection of the brilliant meteors of ora- 
 tory to which you have all hearkened so recently. Ex- 
 ordium after exordium has come and gone. Argument 
 has followed argument ; peroration after peroration has 
 hurled its glowing periods at your heads in a perfect 
 avalanche of eloquent phrasing, kindly sentiment and 
 good cheer, and were it not for the subject assigned to 
 me I would but rise and sit. But what Mason worthy 
 of the name would not do his best in the cause of 
 woman ? What Mason who has been taught that as his 
 last and best gift to man God created woman. Under 
 his forming hand the creature grew, manlike, but of 
 different sex, so lovely fair that what seemed fair in 
 all the world before seemed now mean — all in her 
 summed up, in her contained, on she came, led by her 
 Heavenly Maker, though unseen, yet guided by His 
 voice, adorned with all that heaven could bestow to 
 make her amiable ; grace was in her step, heaven in her 
 eye, in every gesture dignity and love. 
 
 What Mason who has been taught this lesson would 
 decline to raise up his voice in her behalf, and who, if 
 he has forgotten that lesson and was present last night 
 in our lodge-room and heard that magnificent address 
 which marked the presentation from our ladies, would 
 not be thrilled and strive, on his part, to do his utter- 
 most to make fitting reply ? 
 
 Dear ladies, as I sat and listened to that magnificent 
 address, with each sentiment more beautiful than its 
 predecessor, each thought more precious than its fore- 
 runner, I picked out of all that one sentence, that 
 dearer than any jewels that could encircle the mother's 
 neck were the fat arms of the little boy. From the 
 standpoint of the little boy let me say that though fame 
 
 93 
 
and honor may come, though wealth and prominence 
 may be his, though he be young or old, cultured or 
 ignorant, wedded or single, strong or weak, the 
 mother's breast is the dearest spot on earth to him, and 
 so long as we can have our mothers, lay our heads 
 on her breast, encircle her neck with our arms, though 
 they be no longer the chubby ones of youth, so long 
 at least shall we be inspired to work for the right, to 
 strive for the best, to keep our honor unscathed and our 
 escutcheons unblemished. 
 
 My delightful task is to speak for the ladies. Speak 
 for yourselves, I say, and say it with a mother's tongue. 
 Her experience includes the whole range. She has 
 been the little maiden who was rocked upon the knee, 
 the charming young miss who captured all hearts; she 
 speaks as a sister, and as a wife, and she speaks from 
 the holiest relation on earth, the proud pinnacle of 
 motherhood. She has nursed and tended the babe in 
 its infancy, counseled him in his youth, loved and 
 mothered him still in his prime, and when the second 
 generation has come, she has lived her motherhood 
 over again and repeated the care and counsel and the 
 love for the benefit of the grandchildren. And when at 
 last the time comes when — 
 
 "How loved, how honored once, avails thee not, 
 To whom related or by whom forgot; 
 A heap of dust alone remains of thee ; 
 'Tis all thou art and all the proud shall be" 
 
 — then on the highest pedestal in our memories, in 
 the innermost holy of holies of our hearts, she lives 
 yet and continues to live to all to whom her love has 
 been a cheer, her care a help or her counsel precious. 
 
 If the mother should be the one to speak for you 
 when you speak for yourselves, a bachelor should never 
 
 94 
 
be given a brief to plead for you, and for that mistake 
 to-night I ask your pardon and the indulgence of the 
 Committee who selected me, not for my ability, but for 
 my hirsute adornment. My view may be too limited, 
 my horizon too enclosed, and if I fail to do justice to 
 all phases of womanhood, I pray my laches may be for- 
 given. 
 
 My experience in Centennial goes back through 
 many years. The successes of each administration are 
 familiar to me as household words — the genial Marx, 
 the untiring Oppenheimer, the scholarly Vorhaus — all 
 have had their little triumphs, as also have all those 
 who have served between, but not until to-day, not until 
 our first quarter century has been completed, has the 
 beginning of our possibilities appeared before us. I 
 care not whether the next quarter of a century shall 
 find us four hundred or four thousand, whether our 
 coffers be empty or overflowing, whether our record as 
 ritualists be high or low — I say I care not — I do care, 
 but more than all this, I care that the next generation 
 shall know us for our good deeds. We have enlisted 
 in our aid, our sisters, who shall point out to us the way 
 to minister to the helpless, to heal the sick and nourish 
 the needy. 
 
 It has been said the rock upon which Masonry is 
 founded is Deity; the obligation to obey God is the 
 teaching of our craft. This command is the keystone 
 of our art, which she binds as an oath upon the lips of 
 every one who enters the portals of our Temple, and 
 our sisters typify the angels who shall teach us anew 
 our duty to God and the purest of his creatures, and by 
 their aid our history of the next generation shall glow 
 with a Mason's highest duties, with page after page 
 of good deeds in which they shall join. Therefore, 
 say not, as you did last night, the pinnacle of our fame 
 
 95 
 
is now. No ; its cornerstone is only just laid, and, dear 
 sisters, and with your aid we shall raise its tower even 
 unto the skies. 
 
 WoR. Bro. Steiner. — At the conclusion of the re- 
 sponse to the next toast, everybody present will please 
 join in singing "The Star Spangled Banner," and the 
 belles will please ring the bells that were presented 
 to them this evening. The next toast, "Our Country." 
 "That country is the fairest which is inhabited by the 
 noblest minds." 
 
 When, in 1861, the reverberations of the gun aimed 
 at Fort Sumter — a sound which was heard around the 
 civilized world — had died out, there rushed to the front 
 the brother whom I propose to introduce to you. He 
 shouldered his musket and he "fit" and bled for our 
 country. He gained military honors; he was the 
 captain of one of the companies of a regiment that 
 engaged in that bloody struggle, the battle of Spott- 
 sylvania, and it was at the close of a day of fierce 
 fighting, when the different company commanders were 
 called up to report to the officer of the day as to the 
 records of their companies, and each captain was 
 obliged to give his report as to the number of men 
 wounded, killed and missing. Captain Levy reported as 
 follows : "None wounded ; none killed ; all missing." 
 
 Our country has indeed been kind to the Right Wor- 
 shipful Brother. Upon his return from the bloody 
 field of battle he was first sent to the Board of Alder- 
 men, then he became Coroner, then he became Register, 
 and now he is Tax Commissioner, so that he is fully 
 capable to properly respond to this magnificent toast. 
 I take great pleasure in presenting to you the hero of 
 Gettysburg, Ogdensburg, Harrisburg and Williams- 
 burg, our Worshipful Brother Levy. 
 
 96 
 
"® ur Co u n 1 1 s" 
 
 R.-. W.- FERDINAND LEVY 
 
 "That country is the fairest, which is 
 inhabited by the noblest minds." — Emer- 
 son, i 
 
 Brother Chairman, Ladies and Brethren: Brother 
 Popper started in with a joke at my expense. He 
 stated that after he was through with his toast that the 
 Coroner was to follow. He was right. Any man that 
 will assume the responsibility of responding to a toast 
 to our ladies, and is a confirmed bachelor, deserves a 
 Coroner's investigation. 
 
 Any man who acts as Toast Master and gives you 
 such a correct historic record of the Grand Army de- 
 serves to be commander of one of the posts. Besides 
 that, I am not surprised at the eloquent manner in which 
 Brother Steiner has described the battle of Spottsyl- 
 vania, Harrisburg, Williamsburg and Brownsville, 
 because in looking over the list of toasts I see that "Our 
 Country" has been treated rather shabbily. If we were 
 a German gathering, I would say to-night, "Our 
 country wird mitgeschleppt." It is the last on the 
 programme. Down in Concordia Hall, in Avenue A, 
 where Steiner and I have addressed a good many good 
 Tammany Hall meetings, they would call us in our 
 country, "Ein Stiefkind." 
 
 But, nevertheless, there is perhaps more than one 
 reason why I should respond to "Our Country," because 
 last night I was made a member of the Old Guard. 
 Before, however, I take up the toast, I must express 
 astonishment at another item. I see that our distin- 
 guished representative of the Grand Lodge is still here, 
 I am glad to say, and he spoke about a dream in which 
 he connected Brother Lippmann. I have no objection 
 to Brother Lippmann's dreams, but I do differ with my 
 good friend, Right Worshipful Brother Crandall, when 
 
 97 
 
he says that Brother Lippmann had anything to do with 
 Pater son. Since when is Lippmann an anarchist? 
 
 Now to my toast. Don't get frightened ; as we say 
 in Paris, it is a very short "magilla" that I hold in my 
 hand. This morning, my good friends, while I was 
 seated in the Tax Office — I have a right to be seated 
 there, because you help to pay me for being seated 
 there — a Committee of Taxpayers called while I was 
 very much interested in making an attempt — one of the 
 many attempts I have made the last week — to commit 
 to memory this little speech that I intend to deliver 
 here to-night. It was one of the committees of the 
 well-known Taxpayers' Association of the old Seven- 
 teenth Ward — in poetic German we used to call them 
 Breckbox Verein — and the Chairman said to me : "My 
 dear Coroner" — because there I am still Coroner on 
 Avenue A — "My dear Coroner, I presume you are 
 reading the latest decision of the Appellate Division 
 with regard to the tax laws concerning real estate." 
 Says I : "My good friends from Avenue A, I am doing 
 nothing of the kind. I am trying to study a little 
 speech to be delivered to-night to good old Centen- 
 nial." 
 
 Now to my little speech. Brother Oppenheimer said 
 something about holding his notes close to his eyes. 
 I have not got tq that age of a patriarch yet, as he was 
 described by Brother Steiner, but I am close on to it, 
 and if I behave myself much longer, I will become one 
 of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by the 
 way. 
 
 In the first year of the twentieth century, a century 
 full of promise and of hope, it is most fitting that we 
 cast a glance upon the place our country has made for 
 herself among the nations of the world. We laid the 
 foundations of our national existence deep and broad, 
 in self-reliance upon the ability of the people to manage 
 
 98 
 
their own affairs without the aid of self-styled lords 
 claiming a definite commission as rulers. Have we 
 failed or have we succeeded? Where do we stand 
 to-day ? 
 
 Our country has expanded from ocean to ocean, even 
 reaching out to the Pacific isles. We have prospered 
 beyond the fondest dreams of our forefathers, both in 
 material wealth and the still more precious achieve- 
 ments of science and moral progress. Our fields and 
 mines bear forth in answer to man's industrious efforts 
 the richest harvests of commodities for our use and 
 enjoyment. In fact, we have become the granary of 
 the world. The inventive genius of our people has 
 harnessed the mighty forces of Nature and compelled 
 them to perform all our work and to lighten our bur- 
 dens. Ease and comfort are within the reach even of 
 those classes who in former ages considered it their lot 
 and destiny to suffer poverty and suffer want. In sci- 
 ence and in art we march abreast of the nations who 
 boast of an experience antedating ours by many cen- 
 turies. We have poets, sculptors, painters, architects 
 and inventors — I was going to add, investigators — 
 who are recognized the world over as stars of the first 
 magnitude, including our own political stars. 
 
 We have blended together into one harmonious 
 brotherhood the fragments of many peoples who drift 
 to our shores from all parts of the globe ; the poor and 
 the distressed, the refugees and the exiles, we have 
 received with open arms, and offered them safety and 
 protection under the segis of our flag, and an opportu- 
 nity to live with us as our brothers and our fellow 
 citizens. 
 
 Thus we have built up a nation composed of the most 
 energetic, the most progressive, the most spiritual of 
 all the elements of all the peoples of the world, and with 
 a deep religious sense we recognize the obligations 
 
 90 
 
destiny lays on our shoulders. With great gifts must 
 go great responsibilities. It is for our country to show 
 to all mankind what free and equal rights to all its 
 citizens can and must accomplish in the onward march 
 of humanity. We recognize the sovereignty of man, 
 and we must strive to establish the brotherhood of all 
 human beings. 
 
 This is the great problem of the new century. As 
 its momentous importance is clearly grasped by us we 
 feel the weight of the task we must work at and 
 accomplish. All the progressive elements of the world 
 look for leadership and for action. Their blood flows 
 in our veins ; theirs a sacred claim upon our brotherly 
 interest. 
 
 The sun of the twentieth century has risen over our 
 country ; our nation is full of hope, energy and activity. 
 When the century draws to its close, our country will 
 be found progressing steadily, harmoniously and tri- 
 umphantly, beckoning to the peoples of the world to 
 follow in a grand procession of peace, love and hu- 
 manity. 
 
 And in conclusion, as Craftsmen, let us not forget 
 that the great patriots who laid the foundations of this 
 glorious edifice were nearly all members of our grand 
 fraternity, and may their patriotism ever be an incen- 
 tive to us to follow in their footsteps, and demonstrate, 
 by our actions, that we are true believers in one God, 
 one Brotherhood and in one Country. 
 
IFn fIDemoriam 
 
 mHiUiam /IftclRlnle^ 
 
 25tb presi&ent of tbe 
 ■Clniteb States 
 
 September 24:tb 
 1901... 
 
 Centennial Xo&ge 
 763, ff. & a. m. 
 
 lOI 
 
IRearei, Sb^s <5o^ to Ubee 
 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 
 Nearer to Thee, 
 
 E'en though it be a cross 
 
 That raiseth me; 
 
 Still all my song shall be. 
 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 
 Nearer to Thee! 
 
 There let my way appear 
 Steps unto heaven; 
 All that Thou sendest me 
 In mercy given; 
 Angels to beckon me 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 Nearer to Thee! 
 
 Though like a wanderer, 
 Weary and lone. 
 Darkness comes over me, 
 My rest a stone; 
 Yet in my dreams I'd be 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 Nearer to Thee! 
 
 Then, with my waking thoughts 
 
 Bright with Thy praise, 
 
 Out of my stony griefs 
 
 Altars I'll raise; 
 
 So by my woes to be 
 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 
 Nearer to Thee! 
 
 Or, if on joyful wing. 
 
 Cleaving the sky, 
 
 Sun, moon and stars forgot. 
 
 Upward I fly. 
 
 Still all my song shall be 
 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 
 Nearer to Thee! 
 
(5o&, ®ui ibelp in Sees IPast 
 
 O God, our help in ages past, 
 Our hope for years to come, 
 Our shelter from the stormy blast. 
 And our eternal home: 
 
 Under the shadow of Thy throne 
 Thy saints have dwelt secure; 
 Sufficient is Thine arm alone, 
 And our defence is sure. 
 
 Before the hills in order stood, 
 Or earth received her frame, 
 From everlasting Thou art God, 
 To endless years the same. 
 
 A thousand ages in Thy sight 
 
 Are like an evening gone; 
 
 Short as the watch that ends the night 
 
 Before the rising sun. 
 
 Time, like an ever-rolling stream. 
 Bears all its sons away; 
 They fly forgotten, as a dream 
 Dies at the opening day. 
 
 O God, our help in ages past. 
 Our hope for years to come, 
 Be Thou on guard while life shall last, 
 And our eternal home. 
 
 103 
 
Sb^ Country, 'Xrts of Zbcc 
 
 My country, 'tis of thee, 
 Sweet land of liberty. 
 
 Of thee I sing; 
 Land where my fathers died. 
 Land of the pilgrims' pride, 
 From every mountain side 
 
 Let freedom ring. 
 
 My native country, thee, 
 Land of the noble, free — 
 
 Thy name I love; 
 I love thy rocks and rills. 
 Thy woods and templed hills; 
 My heart with rapture thrills 
 
 Like that above. 
 
 Let music swell the breeze. 
 And ring from all the trees, 
 
 Sweet freedom's song; 
 Let mortal tongues awake. 
 Let all that breathe partake. 
 Let rocks their silence break, 
 
 The sound prolong. 
 
 Our fathers' God to Thee, 
 Author of liberty, 
 
 To thee I sing; 
 Long may our land be bright; 
 With freedom's holy light; 
 Protect us by Thy might. 
 
 Great God, our King. 
 
 104 
 
fIDe mortal Hbbrese 
 
 By CHAS. G. F. WAHLE. 
 
 "Out of the deep have I called unto Thee, oh, Lord ! 
 Lord, hear my voice ! Oh, let Thine ears consider the 
 voice of my complaint ! 
 
 "If Thou, Lord, would be extreme to mark what is 
 done amiss, who may abide it?" 
 
 Out of the deep, yea, the nethermost depths of 
 heart's grief, the world has, in the troubled darkness 
 of the days that just have passed, cried to Heaven for 
 mercy and then for light; and who will say that even 
 now dawn is at hand ? The world has wept ; the world 
 has mourned — not that of a generation ago, jealous of 
 us — not the world of a decade past, suspicious of us. 
 No ! But from the secret palaces of Pekin, from 
 
 "Greenland's icy mountains 
 To India's coral strand, 
 Where Afric's sunny fountains 
 Roll down the golden sand," 
 
 wherever human heart and human impulse urge, there 
 men have stood, bound with us in an indissoluble fra- 
 ternity of grief at the horrible catastrophe that has cast 
 its gloom over mankind. 
 
 It was the deed of blood — it was the death with 
 tears. We know not why this crime was done; but 
 the history of human progress is thus sadly marked. 
 The day that saw the Jew liberated from Egypt was 
 the day of blood and mourning in the homes of the 
 captors left behind; the fires that on the hills about 
 Jerusalem in olden days sent to those in other lands the 
 message that at home they were celebrating Passover 
 
 los 
 
were the messengers also which told of the death that 
 was necessary that Israel might be free. The sacri- 
 fices for ages to come thereafter were in commemora- 
 tion of the great freedom, for which victory the first- 
 born of Egypt died. 
 
 The victories of Rome had set her eagles in the 
 heavens to proclaim the fight for right and early pro- 
 gress. Soon they became the harbingers of a conquest 
 for booty and devastation. Vestal virgins became the 
 playthings of the Roman Senators ; public offices were 
 purchasable commodities ; the brave soldiery of Rome 
 became the rabble around the corn-cribs of the wealthy ; 
 the proud name of Rome was dragged in the mire of 
 indolence and acquiescent pillage, and then Brutus 
 stabbed Caesar. 
 
 Soon thereafter the guttural of the healthy Teuton 
 was heard in the temples where Cicero had held forth 
 and the owls and bats house 1 their broods in the places 
 where strong men had been killed in gladiatorial com- 
 bat to satisfy the whims of Rome's degenerates or be- 
 cause their women were too lazy or otherwise disin- 
 clined to raise their thumbs. 
 
 And still the ages came and went. Civilization 
 spread. Its path is marked by the blood of its mar- 
 tyred apostles. Some burned at the stake because they 
 foresaw the truths of the evolution of man ; others be- 
 cause they believed the earth was round; others slain 
 by the bigotry of nations because they dared to preach 
 the independence of thought ; and others, again, by the 
 savages, to whom they were bringing the blessings of 
 light, turned into everlasting torches to mark the path 
 whence came and must come the light. 
 
 Slavery, wiped from the face of the earth by the 
 blood of millions of brave men who fought when this 
 country's union was threatened, received its chief sac- 
 rifice and penance when the blood of the martyr Lin- 
 
 io6 
 
coin was shed; and as he expired, under that woeful 
 shock, for the first time in four years there was one 
 common thought on both sides of Mason and Dixon's 
 line, a gloomy thought of the horror that this deed 
 should have been committed, that this crime should 
 have taken place after Grant and Lee at Appomattox 
 had uttered the message of peace. 
 
 Again, when party strife was at its height — and we 
 may speak of these facts now philosophically, for they 
 have passed into history — when political combat 
 reached the climax, a struggle not for principles, but 
 for booty; when one section of this country believed 
 the other was its conquered territory, the maniac's arm 
 was raised and Garfield was the offering. Then the 
 people awakened to their danger and North and South 
 approached each other and commenced again the re- 
 forming of that nation which under the administration 
 of McKinley became indeed that country where North, 
 South, East and West exist only in a splendid emula- 
 tion for the welfare of the whole. But we are not now 
 in the midst of strife; bitter political dissension exists 
 not. 
 
 No man ever had the support of his antagonists 
 politically as did McKinley the confidence of his po- 
 litical adversaries. To no man did a Congress ever 
 convey powers so broad or far-reaching as those 
 which a party-divided Congress unanimously gave to 
 him who is gone. The nation was quiet in prosperity ; 
 the harvests of the past year spent and the farmers 
 ready to gather the fruits of their newer labors, our 
 land indeed becoming a country upon whose posses- 
 sions the sun never set, our flag raised and respected 
 throughout the civilized world, our triumphs of war 
 the amazement of civilization, happiness at home, re- 
 spect abroad, a united country, proving to the world 
 that a land may be free and yet hold its place among 
 
 107 
 
the sovereign powers of the world — that was the frui- 
 tion of McKinley's work, when the dread assassin shot. 
 And as we look out upon our country to-day, as we see 
 that which the past four years have brought us, as we 
 view the goodness of the man who is gone, as we re- 
 member the grief that the nations poured out for him, 
 we raise our eyes to Heaven and ask, "Why was this 
 cup held to our lips ?" Wafted by the waving foliage, 
 borne on the brook, carried by the winds of Heaven, 
 whispered by the hearts of men, sent forward 
 through ages, comes from Canton's quiet graveyard 
 the answer of faith: "It is God's way, not ours; His 
 will be done." 
 
 I know not what history may say of William Mc- 
 Kinley. It is the greatest tribute to him and to the 
 progress of his day that none of us can say to each 
 other that which is new about him. From the primary 
 scholar in the street to the philosopher, the busy mer- 
 chant and the man of toil, the preacher and the soldier, 
 all know his life's story, his goodness and his works, 
 his vicissitudes, his wonderful successes in life, his 
 never-ceasing faith in himself and confidence in his 
 duty, of the strength and the power to do it as he saw 
 it, and God gave him the strength to fulfill it. It will 
 speak of the triumph of our flag on ships of war and 
 on ships of peace, of our manufactures, of our com- 
 merce and of all that will go to make his administra- 
 tion co-equal in dignity and importance with that of 
 Washington and that of Lincoln. But the people 
 know all this. But that which, to my mind, is the 
 greatest thing that he ever did, and which places him, 
 in my humble judgment, in the hearts of the people so 
 long as faith and love and joy reside in human breasts, 
 and which will be carried down from generation to 
 generation, from father to son and to sons unborn, and 
 told of him even as now we tell of the great men who 
 
 io8 
 
have passed away, until it shall become the sweetest 
 tradition of our national being, is the simple faith, 
 godly life aiid holy goodness of the man, William 
 McKinley — so calm in his faith in God that when the 
 dread summons came without warning it found him 
 ready for God like a tired child resting in his father's 
 arms, saying, "Now I lay me down to sleep." So he 
 nestled closer to God as his day commenced to sink. 
 
 His simplicity as a man, a wonderful faith abiding 
 with him in darkness and in light, the cleanliness of the 
 man, the purity of his heart, his exalted morality, make 
 him a great example to our people — doubtless becom- 
 ing careless of the truths and beliefs of our fathers. 
 He lived the life of the true man. That is the heritage 
 which he leaves to the people. 
 
 He who has gone was one of us. With us he has 
 faced the East and seen its light. Let us hope that as 
 the shadows of his life were lengthened, and the even- 
 ing and the morning of his life came together, he 
 awoke in that resplendent light which knows no 
 shadow, whose fruit is the peace which passeth all un- 
 derstanding, whose warmth is life eternal. 
 
 log 
 
f^rm^^P^^mmi 
 
 iJwMimaatyW 
 
 r