<Mf87 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 BENJAMIN B. FRENCH, 
 
 GRAND MASTER OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, 
 
 DELIVKRKD BKFORB 
 
 I. 1. ^endt Sodfle, go. 15, 4 &. %. 
 
 MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 19, 1868. 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book 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/cu31924030287720 
 
ADDEE8S 
 
 BENJAMIN B. FRENCH 
 
 GRAND MASTER OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, 
 
 DELIVERED BEFORE 
 
 1. I. Jfiptft f 0%, go. 15, 4 %. %, ft., 
 
 DU1UNG THE 
 
 Gi\iND Vis i tat io 
 
 N 
 
 MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 19, 1868. 
 
 WASHINGTON : 
 
 CimiriKSHAM 4 MoIntose, Pkibtebs. 
 
 1868. 
 
 .r,y 
 
his 
 tT'3 7 
 
 Secretary's ©£fi« 33. 33. jftnttf) %<&%*, No. 15, #. E. a. SSL., ' " 
 Washington, D. C, October 20, 1868. 
 Bro. B. B. FRENCH, J/. If. Gmwi J/aste-, Ac. .- 
 
 Dear- Sir : — It gives rae pleasure to inform you that at the regular communi- 
 cation of " Benjamin B. French" Lodge, No. IS, held on Monday, October 19, 1868, 
 it was unanimously 
 
 " Resolved, That the thanks of the Lodge be extended to M. W. Grand Master 
 B. B. French for his very entertaining address delivered during the Grand Visi- 
 tation this evening, and that he be requested to furnish a copy of the same to be 
 spread upon the minutes, and that Bro. \V. H. Orcutt, Worshipful Master, be 
 authorized to have a suitable number of copies printed for the use of the Lodge." 
 
 Very respectfully and fraternally, 
 
 E. A. MclNTIRE, 
 [Seal .J j J '. Secretary of B. B. French Lodge. 
 
 ^iS 
 
 ©ffiwof (CSranlJ <&asUz of jFrct attb S\c«pteb jfltoons of jBurtrut of Columbia, 
 
 Washington, October 24, 1868. 
 Dear Sir and Brother :— lam honored l>ythc receipt of yours of the 20th inst., 
 communicating to mt' a resolution of your Lodge, unanimously adopted, on Mon- 
 day evening last, thanking me for the address delivered before it on the occasion 
 of the Grand Visitation on that evening, and requesting me to furnish a copy of 
 the same to he spread upon the minutes of the Lodge, and to ho printed for its use. 
 The address was hurriedly written, in a few brief hours which happened to be 
 at my command, and no one can be more fully aware of its imperfections than I 
 am. Still, I can truly say, ft came fresh from, my very heart, and is sincere and 
 true. 
 
 Such as it is, I enclose it, with my warm thanks to the members of the lodge for 
 the uniform kindness, good will, and brotherly affection which I have invariably 
 received from them one and all, and for this last mark of their partiality towards 
 me. 
 
 Faithfully, fraternally, and most truly yours, 
 
 B. B. FRENCH, 
 Grand Master of F, and A. Masons of the District of Columbia, 
 Bro. E. A. MclNTIRE, 
 
 Secretary of B. B. French Lodge, JYo. 15, 
 
ADDRESS. 
 
 The Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer having niade most favor- 
 able reports of the condition and affairs of the Lodge t andr'of-its -working 
 for the past year, the M. W. Grand Master, in,, a few, fix tempore .re- 
 marks, congratulated the Lodge on its prosperous condition; on the. full 
 and most respectable attendance of its members, and on the energy, pro- 
 priety, and' faithfulness to every Masonic duty that had ma'rkecVits pro- 
 gress from the day of its institution as a Lodge, to this. ' ! 
 
 He then proceeded as follows : 
 
 For the first time, my brethren of Benjamin B. French Lodge, 
 I stand, in my official capacity of Grand 1 Master, within the' hod}' 
 of your lodge; a lodge which has honored me' 1 by bearing my 
 own name, and which, since it was constituted 1 in 1853, has held 
 its ownward course in prosperity and respectabilitj'-, exhibiting 
 to the world all those traits of high morality and exalted generosity 
 that so well become a lodge of Free and Accepted Mason's. ' ' 
 
 I have always deeply felt and appreciated those sentiments of 
 friendship and brotherly love which induced thfe highly respect- 
 able founders of this lodge to give it the name it bears, aiid 
 you may all be sure that I have watched its JI progress dnWard 
 as I would that of one of my own' children, 1 and I have felt 
 proud as I have witnessed the lofty position ; it has ' 'assumed 
 among its sister lodges. 
 
 The account of the formation and constitution' Of' this lodge, 
 which appears on the printed records of the Grand Lodge, c is 
 somewhat meagre. Its name first appears among the proceedings 
 of the installation communication of December, 18S3, 'where it 
 is briefly stated that "Benjamin B. French Lodge) U.D,, made 
 report of its proceedings, and petitioned for a charter.'. And 
 that "the petition was granted without a dissenting vote." 
 
 In the appendix to those proceedings there is a note stating that 
 " a dispensation was granted by M. W. Grand' Master French' to 
 a new lodge, on the 20th December, 1853," and that a' charter had 
 
been granted to said lodge; and following that note the name 
 and number of the lodge is given, with a list of its officers and 
 members. 
 
 And M. W. Grand Master Magruder, in his address at the next 
 annual installation communication, 1854, remarks — '" Benjamin 
 B: French Lodge, No. 15, chartered at your last annual commu- 
 nication, has been instituted, and is, I am happy to say, firmly 
 established, and following the example of successful usefulness so 
 well set by those lodges from which it emanated." 
 
 This is the entire record, from which you will see that the dis- 
 pensation to this lodge was issued by me, as one of the last official 
 acts of my former Grand Mastership ; and I have often thought 
 that it was due to myself to explain how my own name happened 
 to be inserted in that dispensation. No proper opportunity has 
 ever presented itself until now. 
 
 Brothers H. H. Heath, George C. Whiting, and John L. Clubb, 
 were recommended by the petitioners as the Master and Wardens 
 to be named in the dispensation. 
 
 Brother Heath, I think accompanied by Brother Whiting, but 
 of that I am not sure, presented to me the petition in person, a 
 'blank being left for the name of the lodge. I remarked the omis- 
 sion, and asked if it was intended that I should furnish the name 
 by which the lodge was to be known. The reply was in the nega- 
 tive ; and a statement followed that the petitioners had not fully 
 concluded by what name they desired their lodge to be designated, 
 and requested me to permit them to have a short time for con- 
 sideration, and issue the dispensation, leaving a blank to be after- 
 wards fillei. I either complied with their request, or held the 
 petition until a name should be given ; I do not now know which ; 
 but I know that I had not the least suspicion or thought that m) r 
 own name was to be inserted ; and when 1 ascertained that it was, 
 I remonstrated, and brought forward the argument that the names 
 of living men, however eminent, should not be given to societies 
 of any kind which were to have permanency, as it was hoped and 
 believed, forever. I also adduced other reasons which will readily 
 suggest themselves to any mind why my own name should not be 
 used ; but they all had no effect, and your lodge was duly christened 
 by the name it now bears ; and when the name was fully deter- 
 mined on I very well remember of saying, that inasmuch as my 
 
own name was to be so highly honored, it would behoove me, 
 through all the remainder of my life, to take especial care that no 
 act of mine should bring dishonor or disrepute upon it. And I 
 hope that I have lived thus far in accordance with that idea. 
 
 I trust you will pardon me for saying thus much, as gentlemen 
 sometimes remark in a deliberative body we all know of, " personal 
 to myself." 
 
 This lodge, not only bearing nry name, but being the one with 
 which I hold my affiliation, it is hardly possible that I can stand 
 here, in my present capacity, without somewhat of the feelings 
 of a patriarch standing among his children ; and feeling thus, it 
 becomes my dutjr to use the language he would probably use. He 
 would naturally say : 
 
 You, my children, form a single family of a large communitj r ; 
 there are about you other families, all striving to hold enviable 
 p )sitions before the world. They are good and true, and upright. 
 They, practice morality, kindness, benevolence, virtue, brotherly 
 affection toward each other, and charity to all mankind. Be ye 
 not behind them in any of these good works ; strive with all your 
 power to emulate them, and, if possible, to surpass them in all the 
 virtues that adorn human nature. 
 
 Remember, always, that prosperity can never mark the progress 
 of any family unless brotherly affection and complete unity of 
 feeling dwell within its bosom. Therefore, be ye ever kind to one 
 another ; and should any one of the brotherhood unfortunately 
 be led astray, seek to reclaim him bj' kindness, and not by 
 reproach and fault-finding. 
 
 Let the words of our blessed Savior be recorded on each of 
 your hearts, for thej r are worthy of the place : " Then came Peter 
 to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me 
 and I forgive him ? till seven times ? 
 
 " Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times : 
 but until seventy times seven." 
 
 Oh, my children, if the world would only live in accordance 
 with the charity, kindness, brotherly love, and true spirit of 
 humanity taught and practiced by our Divine Master while on 
 earth, how different, how very different a world it would be ! We 
 should then have what he so sedulously preached, " Peace on 
 earth and good will among men." 
 
6 
 
 -,i Within this family of Qnrs,;wjthin tho lodge-room more than in 
 almost aiiViplaee o.n earth, are we, Abound to reflect, constantly a-nd' 
 deeply on ,0ur God, pur fellow T beings, our brethren, -and ouijselves ; 
 and. tp bear with, us into, the world the fruits of these reflections, 
 and, let, them appear in all our daily a vocations, and. our inter- 
 course with our fellow-beings. 
 
 Oh, with a heart full of kindness towards you all, I charge you, 
 as if. these, were the last words that I should ever utter, Jet not 
 .these things drop out, of, your memories ; hold them: in ypur 
 minds and practice them in your lives. 
 
 Looking back over the list of your members you find names of 
 which you may well be proud. Some of those who bear them 
 have gone to other places where they have done good service, 
 and now live honored and respected. Others are still amongst 
 us» and form , a portion of this most respectable assemblage ; 
 others have passed away, leaving a good record on earth, as an 
 assurance that their names are recorded in the Heavenly book 
 of life. 
 
 You have been honored by the selection of three Grand Mas- 
 ters from your ranks, two of whom have been called away, and, 
 left behind them names which are honored and respected by all 
 the Craft. 
 
 Past Grand Master Frailey, a bright and shining light on the 
 
 Candlestick of this lodge, was the first to pass away in the midst 
 
 of his years and his usefulness. He was a true, good man, and 
 
 a worthy, conscientious, and loving brother. His' last words to 
 
 the Grand Lodge were : 
 
 " I beg to extend to every brother, present or absent, the assurances 
 of my kindest fraternal regard; and, although not conscious of having 
 given any just cause of .offence to any one,, yet, if by any act of mine, I 
 have ever inadvertently justified the indulgence of any unkind feeling, I 
 ask in fraternal charity that such brother will blot from his memory the 
 .occasion and the act, and remember me onfy as one who acted from con- 
 scientious motives, and with a view to the attainment of the ends of right 
 and justice, and who having none of that pride of opinion which admits 
 of no discovered error, always had the moral courage to acknowledge a 
 fault, and make, atonement for its effects. May the pure spirit of Masonry 
 guide and direct you in all your works, so that harmony and brotherly 
 love.toay flourish and abide withyou." " 
 
 Thus our brother affiliate) and our Past Grand Master, with 
 evidently the premonition " of that winter of death" of which 
 he speaks in the same address, closed the last address he ever 
 
uttered to the Grand Lodge, and then he passed away to be no 
 
 more with us, until we meet him in the Grand Lodge above! 
 
 Grand Master Whiting, also one of our own affiliates, and one 
 
 whom we all loved, was the next to be called away, while his sun 
 
 was in the very meridian of its glory. He too, has honored our 
 
 Grand Lodge records with his words of wisdom, of kindness, and 
 
 instruction. He closes one of his admirable reports on Foreign 
 
 Correspondence in the following words, almost prophetic : 
 
 " In our rapid retrospect of the past Masonic year we have seen scattered 
 along our path the broken monuments of many zealous and distinguished 
 brothers who have fallen by the way-side, and whose next greeting will 
 be in "that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns. " 
 We, too, are traveling upon that same Grand Level of Time, and e'er an- 
 other year rolls around, our humble grave may be marked by some sprig 
 of acacia, planted by the hand of some affectionate brother, in like manner 
 as we now plant this ; for — 
 
 " Our hearts, though stout and brave, 
 Still, like muffled drums are beating, 
 Funeral marches to the grave." 
 
 One is still left among you " to play his little hour upon the 
 stage, and then be seen no more." 
 
 While life lasts he will try to do his duty. He will, at least, 
 take care so to live out the remnant of his earthly existence as 
 that Benjamin B. French Lodge shall never have occasion to feel 
 ashamed of the name it bears on his account. 
 
 And when he, too, has passed away, joining his name with those 
 
 of the two eminent brethen who have preceded him, may you all 
 
 unite in the sentiment of the distinguished poetess — 
 
 " Oh call it holy ground, 
 The place where once they trod ; 
 They have left unstained 
 
 What there they found — 
 Freedom to worship God !" 
 
Cornell University Library 
 HS537.D61 F87 
 
 Address of Benjamin B. French Grand Mas 
 
 3 1924 030 287 720 
 olin.anx