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ANNUAL ADDRESS
To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Maine.
Brethren:
While the language of our constitution requires us, and the unbroken record of an annual meeting every year since our institution as a Grand Lodge may make us proud, yet the spiritual force that attracts us to this place on this day is the deep desire to join the brethren with whom we have worked in the past, to feel the hearty handshake, to see the pleasing eye, to hear the friendly and cordial words of greeting and to become acquainted with the new associates who have come here to work with us in furthering the great mission of Masonry—the building of character in men. This spiritual force or power more than all else brings us to this 136th Annual Communication.
One year ago this month, you elected me as your 67th Grand Master to direct the activities of this Grand Lodge for this year. My every act has been carried out with a deep sense of humility, a realization of the responsibilities of the office and an awareness of the confidence you have reposed in me.
In 1846 it was suggested for the first time that the practice of having the Grand Master give a report of his activities and of the condition of the Fraternity, be adopted in the Grand Lodge of Maine, and in 1867 the Grand Master stated that the custom had been so long practiced and followed it was nearly equivalent to Masonic Law.
It is in accordance with this time-honored custom and usage that I make this report of my stewardship and of the condition of the Fraternity in Maine, in brief compass and without the adornment of rhetoric.
WELCOME.
It is with sincere pleasure that I cordially welcome each member and each guest of this Grand Lodge, and I know that I speak for every officer to every member in expressing these words. Our aim and purpose is one; namely, to consider the
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activities and record of the year now closing and to plan and build as wisely as possible for the year ahead. Please feel free to express very frankly your thoughts and ideas to the Grand Lodge and to me at all times. We are here to serve you to the best of our abilities.
We are especially happy to greet and welcome our distinguished guests from our sister jurisdictions. It is our sincere hope that you will feel at home with us, and that we may in some small measure attempt to return the delightful hospitality and the many courtesies you have shown us while we have visited your truly grand jurisdictions. Come often; we want you to like Maine as we love it.
NECROLOGY.
While we are happy to meet at this reunion and to shake the hands of old friends and exchange fraternal greetings, we do not forget those of our brethren who have passed to that Celestial Lodge above from whose bourne no traveler returns and who will never again assemble with us around the altar of our earthly temple. Our minds and hearts turned instinctively to them as our Grand Chaplain led us in prayer, and we pause in the business of this meeting and lift up our hearts in gratitude to the Great Giver of all Light, for the manifold blessings and comforts of their lives and in sincere tribute to their memory.
During the Masonic year just ended eight hundred seventy-five of our brethren have passed to that Undiscovered Country above, a striking lesson of the uncertainty of human life.
Our sister jurisdictions, too, have suffered in the passing of many of their members who have distinguished themselves in Masonry, and to them we extend our fraternal sympathy. The Grand Secretary will include a list of these members in his report.
While our line of Grand Officers remains unbroken, yet three of our permanent members have passed to that Undiscovered Country.
Right Worshipful Brother Adin L. Hopkins, Past Junior Grand Warden, deceased on December 26, 1954, and funeral services were held in the Baptist Church in Camden, Maine,
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on December 28. No member of this Grand Lodge was held in more esteem and affection by the Craft over the entire State of Maine, in our time, then Adin Hopkins. No man has contributed more to the welfare and betterment of his community. An affectionate and considerate husband and father, a great Mason, a real man and a trustworthy friend has gone from us. We shall grieve from this loss for a long time.
Right Worshipful Brother Clarence J. Perham, Past Senior Grand Warden, passed on November 13, 1954, at his home in Bryant Pond. His funeral services were held at the Baptist Church in Bryant Pond on November 16. Right Worshipful Brother Perham was a strong man in Masonry in his section of the State and gave freely of his time and ability in furthering the objectives of the Fraternity. He will be missed greatly by all of us who have held him in such high esteem for these many years.
Right Worshipful Brother John L. Tewksbury, Past Senior Grand Warden, passed on August 30, 1954, at his home in Camden, Maine. Funeral services were held in the St. Thomas Episcopal Church on September 2. This grand brother was greatly respected by the Craft as a whole, and his work on our Grand Lodge Committee on Lodge Histories will long be remembered.
Appropriate memorials will be presented at a later time in these proceedings.
Let us stand in reverent prayer for our departed brethren, led by our Grand Chaplain.
CONDITION OF THE FRATERNITY
It is with pleasure that I am able to report that Masonry in Maine is in a good, safe, and healthy condition. The records show a continued increase in membership. The net gain was 336. This total again represents the highest number on our membership rolls ever reported in this Grand Jurisdiction, a grand total of 47,290. While this is gratifying, yet I place more importance on the work our lodges are doing and the attitude and the interest of the officers and members in the
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ritualistic and in the non-ritualistic parts of our Masonic work.
A concerted program of non-ritualistic Masonic education is in operation, and the results, even at this early stage of the program, are indeed gratifying.
Our program of ritualistic instruction is in excellent condition under the able, efficient and pleasing direction of our Grand Lecturer.
No case of invasion of jurisdiction by any lodge or by any other Grand Lodge has been reported to me during the year.
There is an increase in some lodges this year in the amount of uncollected lodge dues, and I strongly urge the officers of our lodges to use their best efforts to meet this problem tactfully but effectively, and as early as possible.
Fraternal relations between and among the Grand Jurisdictions in this country are in a most harmonious and peaceful state.
There are several problems existing involving the recognition of certain foreign jurisdictions, all of which are fully set forth in the excellent report of our committee on foreign correspondence, the chairman of which committee is our most able and well-informed Brother M. W. Ralph J. Pollard. I urge every member to read this report. Our long standing record of a conservative approach to this matter of foreign recognition has indeed proved to be correct, and I urge a continuation of it.
MASONIC CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.
At the annual meeting of the trustees of the Foundation, held at the constitutional hour in May, of 1954, the trustees voted to adjourn the meeting to a time and place to be selected by the President of the Board.
Pursuant to this vote of adjournment, the next meeting was called and held on June 11, 1954, at the Wooster House, in Hallowell. Ten of the trustees were present together with the Grand Treasurer. At this meeting, it developed that the unanimous opinion of the trustees was to consider a change from the procedure followed during the last two years in the
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method of processing applications for relief. It was the unanimous opinion of the trustees that the procedure was too slow and too cumbersome. It was pointed out that Part Second, Article I, Section 57, Paragraph Second of the Grand Lodge Constitution authorized the appointment of a committee on distribution appointed by the trustees from their own members, and it was voted that all grants for relief should be made to the lodges and not to the individual members, this vote being within the language of the above-mentioned constitutional provisions. Past Grand Master Brother Charles E. Crossland was unanimously elected by secret ballot as chairman of the committee on distribution, the other members being the Grand Secretary and the Grand Master. It was further voted that the Secretary of the lodge shall be the almoner in each case.
At this same meeting, it was voted to appoint a subcommittee to consider amending and reclassifying trustees' regulations, the votes of the trustees of May 4, 1871, Article III of May 6, 1885, and to consider possible amendment of Section 59 of the Constitution as to the place of meeting. Senior Grand Warden Philip D. Tingley, and Junior Grand Warden Merrill R. Kittredge were appointed as this subcommittee. The meeting adjourned to the call of the President.
Pursuant to vote of adjournment, a further meeting was called and held at the Wooster House in Hallowell, December 30, 1954. Ten of the trustees were present, together with the Grand Treasurer.
At this meeting, the report of the subcommittee on investments was considered and accepted together with the report of the Grand Treasurer. The report of the chairman of the committee on distribution given in detail was considered at length and accepted. Necessary appropriations were voted. A new form of application for relief and new forms for the distribution of funds were presented, all of which were approved and adopted.
The Trustees voted to propose an amendment to Section 59 of the Grand Lodge Constitution concerning the time and
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and place of meetings of the trustees. This amendment will be presented at this communication.
The Trustees adopted new rules and regulations, a copy of which will be submitted by the Grand Secretary at this communication.
A final meeting of the trustees was held at the Wooster House in Hallowell, on April 27, 1955, when final reports for the year were acted upon.
A total of $23,365.72 was paid to 65 lodges to assist 98 persons or families. The grand total, including grants to all recipients, of $24,638.22 was distributed.
The reports of the Grand Treasurer and the Grand Secretary will present these matters in detail, and I urge a careful reading of them.
GRAND REPRESENTATIVES.
I have recommended the appointment of Grand Representatives of other Grand Jurisdictions near the Grand Lodge of Maine as follows:
Nevada Philip D. Tingley Houlton
New South Wales Merrill R. Kittredge Bangor
Queensland Walter W. Matson Bolsters Mills
Victoria Alfred L. Holbrook N. Anson
On recommendation of other Grand Jurisdictions, I have made the following appointments of Representatives of the Grand Lodge of Maine near other Grand Lodges:
Massachusetts Earl W. Taylor Belmont, Mass.
DISTRICT DEPUTIES' SCHOOLS.
Schools of Instruction for District Deputy Grand Masters were conducted at Portland on August 11, and at Bangor on August 12, 1954. Every District Deputy attended at least one of these schools, and we were honored by the presence of several of our Past Grand Masters, other Permanent Members and Grand Lodge Officers.
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At these schools, we outlined the program of work for the year and explained the objectives of this year's administration.
We continued the procedure as set up and followed by our immediate Past Grand Master and supplemented it with this year's program. The value of these schools and their assistance to the District Deputy Grand Masters cannot be overstated.
GRAND LECTURER'S WORK.
The appointment of Right Worshipful Brother Raymond W. Rideout, of Augusta, for the most important office of Grand Lecturer proved to be an excellent choice. Brother Rideout's knowledge of the ritual, his ability as a leader and instructor, and his exceptional qualifications as a specialist in public relations are matched only by his tact, diplomacy and his genial personality.
Schools of ritualistic instruction were conducted in each of the twenty-four masonic districts, and the report of the Grand Lecturer will show that the attendance at these schools was the second highest in the history of our Grand Lodge.
I attended four of these schools of instruction, only as a guest and not as a director. Since I had designated one of the most important parts of our work to a man in whose ability I had the utmost confidence, I concluded there was no need that I attend more of these schools.
DISTRICT MEETINGS.
Due to the nature of my vocation, I could not hope to equal the outstanding record of lodge visitations established by my distinguished predecessor, M. W. Benjamin W. Ela. I determined, however, to create an opportunity to meet with the officers of every lodge in the State and proceeded to arrange for a district meeting in each of the twenty-four-masonic districts. A record of these district meetings is attached hereto and entitled "Appendix C."
At these district meetings, it has been my pleasure and opportunity to meet with the officers of every lodge in our
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Grand Jurisdiction, with but two or three exceptions. The attendance at all district meetings was very good.
In accordance with prearranged plans, these meetings were devoted first to the major portions of our masonic program for the year; namely: masonic education, lodge histories, and the Grand Lodge Masonic Blood Bank; secondly: to the non-ritualistic work of Masonry; and lastly to an open forum for the purpose of asking any question concerning Masonry, with the promise of as definite an answer as possible for all questions. This program proved very successful and interesting to all present.
In addition to this series of meetings, the District Deputies in most of the districts have held other district meetings, and the value of and benefit from these meetings has been invaluable to the members present and to me. I sincerely hope that the practice of holding one district meeting in each lodge of the district can become established at an early date.
LODGE HISTORIES.
In accordance with the statement contained in my acceptance remarks, following my installation last May, I inauguarated a program designed to bring about the compliance by all lodges with Standing Regulation No. 2 which provides in substance that each lodge shall furnish its history each ten years for the preceding decade.
At the beginning of the Masonic year, less than twenty of our lodges were in compliance with this section of our Masonic law.
After conferences with our Grand Lodge Committee on lodge histories, headed by its very efficient chairman R. W. Brother George R. Caswell, we concluded there were two major reasons why so many lodges were in breach of this regulation. First, there seemed to be a general apprehension that most lodges did not have a member who felt he had the time and ability to prepare the history, and, secondly, most lodges felt they could not afford to have their histories printed and published. To meet these obstacles, the Committee, under my direction, prepared and delivered to each lodge in September,
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1954, an outline that could be followed by any lodge and which would result in the compilation of all data necessary for historical purposes. To meet the second objection, we advised each lodge that the history need not be printed, that typewritten copies with a simple stapled binding would be acceptable as a minimum requirement, and the lodges were encouraged to have their histories prepared in as much better form as they might determine.
The history program was stressed in the schools for District Deputies, in every district meeting, at the schools of instruction, and at each official inspection by the District Deputies.
In September, a questionnaire requesting necessary information was mailed to each lodge.
Periodical follow-up and check-up has been made by the Committee and by the District Deputies, and each lodge has been instructed that it was my request that their history be brought up to date and furnished to Grand Lodge before May, 1955. I advised each lodge that I would agree to extend this time only if they could assure the Committee that the project was well under way and that the history would be furnished to Grand Lodge before January, 1956.
I am happy to report that a great many of the histories have been furnished and that every lodge has definitely promised to be in compliance with this regulation within the above time. In the event any lodge fails to comply with this regulation, a report to Grand Lodge will be made next May with the recommendation that action be taken by this Grand Lodge.
I am indeed very grateful to the many lodges and to their faithful members who have complied with the requirement, and I extend to them my sincere appreciation.
The Committee on Histories will present the details of this program in their report.
MASONIC BLOOD BANK.
Following the recommendation of our immediate Past Grand Master Benjamin W. Ela, this Grand Lodge voted last May " that the matter of Masonic Blood Bank in Maine be
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referred to the incoming Grand Master with request that he investigate and with authority to take such steps as he shall deem expedient or appoint such committee as he shall feel fit to implement the program and to expend such unappropriated funds of the Grand Lodge as he in his discretion shall deem proper." Following this vote, I investigated the matter and decided to appoint a statewide committee consisting of one member from each Masonic District, headed by a state chairman. With the assistance of the District Deputy Grand Masters, the statewide committee was appointed with Brother Elmer S. Doe, of Portland, as chairman. The Master of each lodge was directed to appoint a chairman for his lodge.
On August 25, 1954, at Masonic Temple in Waterville, a statewide meeting of the Masonic Blood Program Committee, together with many of the lodge chairmen, District Deputies and other Grand Lodge officers, was held, the purpose of the meeting being to explain the organization and working of the program.
We were very fortunate in procuring the services of Worshipful Brother Chester D. Shepherd, service director and chairman of the Grand Lodge Masonic Blood Bank for the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Brother Shepherd explained the method of operating the program in Massachusetts and delivered a very inspiring talk upon the subject.
All the District Deputies have been of great help in assisting this program. Right Worshipful Brother Lester D. Bragdon, District Deputy Grand Master in the Nineteenth District, has donated twenty-seven pints of his blood to the Blood Bank, which is certainly an outstanding contribution to one of our most modern and realistic expressions of Masonic charity and brotherhood.
A report by the chairman of this committee will show that much progress has been made and, I believe, will also show that much work remains to be done to weld the program into an efficient project.
The total expenditure for the blood program to date is $192.12.
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Many of our brethren and their families have benefited from this great expression of Masonic charity and brotherhood The report of the chairman of the committee will present the details. The personnel of the committee as originally appointed is shown by Appendix B attached hereto.
MASONIC EDUCATION.
You may recall that I stated in my inaugural remarks last May it was my hope to institute an effective plan of Masonic education so that this Grand Lodge at this time could evaluate and act upon it.
Pursuant to the provisions of our Constitution and Regulations, early in the Masonic year I appointed a special committee on Masonic Education, headed by Most Worshipful Brother Ralph J. Pollard, whom I consider to be the most able Masonic scholar of our time, assisted by Past Grand Master Ervin E. J. Lander, and Past Grand Wardens Lewis T. Brown and William A. Levensalor whom I chose on the basis of their knowledge of and love for Masonry.
For some two years previous, I had been studying various plans used in our sister Grand Jurisdictions, and I became convinced that we were in real need of an effective program. That need has been recognized and stressed by many of our Past Grand Masters.
Grand Lodge appropriated the sum of $1,500.00 for this project.
Following conferences and meetings with the Committee and its members, we prepared and put into effect the Pollard Plan. This name was unanimously chosen by the rest of the Committee and without the knowledge of M. W. Brother Pollard until after the action was taken.
The able chairman of the Committee did the literary work, and after a few changes and additions suggested by the Committee, bids for printing were obtained from seven concerns. Our Brother Harold Kelley, of Belfast, submitted the best proposition, and the Pollard Plan, consisting of the four booklets, a guide to the instructor, the circular entitled " How the Plan Will Work " and a short list of selected
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readings to be recommended to the candidate, came into form early in the Fall of 1954.
Each lodge has appointed its instructors, and each District Deputy Grand Master is responsible for the operation of the Plan in his District.
The unanimous report of the District Deputies shows that the Plan is very well received over the entire State, that it is very effective in the instruction of the candidate in the matters of Masonic history, symbolism, philosophy and jurisprudence, and is the most effective means we have adopted thus far in this Grand Lodge along this line.
The Committee has kept within the appropriation, having expended $1,126.34.
A copy of the entire Plan has been presented to each Grand Lodge Officer and to each Permanent Member. I would be happy if every member of this Grand Jurisdiction requested a copy of this Plan for his personal use. This request would be granted.
It is my sincere hope that this Grand Lodge will approve the Plan and accept the report of the Committee and it is my belief that we can improve upon it and make it even more effective with years of use. The report of this Committee will cover this matter more fully.
GRAND LODGE LIBRARY.
While we have always understood the Grand Lodge of Maine had one of the best Masonic libraries in the country, yet it was discovered that there was no written record or catalogue of the contents of the library.
My District Deputies and I have been urging the brethren, and especially the newly-raised members, to do more reading and to consult our literary works on Masonry.
The Committee on Education decided that a listing or catalogue of the books in the Grand Lodge library was a necessary part of this program, and as a result I authorized the Grand Librarian to engage the necessary assistants and prepare a catalogue of our library. R. W. Brother Earle Webster, our Grand Librarian, succeeded in procuring the
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services of a very efficient lady with library training and experience, and on December 15, 1954, the catalogue was completed, mimeographed and delivered to every lodge and to each Grand Lodge Officer and Permanent Member.
If and when funds are available, this catalogue should be further classified and indexed, especially to cover the periodical section which has thousands of interesting topics contained therein.
MASONIC FILMS.
With a view to furthering and diversifying the program of Masonic education, we have had prepared and circulated among all the lodges on December 15, 1954, instructions on how to obtain moving pictures on Masonic and other interesting subjects.
We urge each lodge to take advantage of this service.
SPEAKERS' BUREAU.
In conjunction with, and as a part of the Masonic education program, we have organized and developed a Masonic Speakers' Bureau. In this Bureau, we have presented approximately one hundred different topics.
A preliminary circular was prepared and sent to each Permanent Member, each Grand Lodge Officer, and many of the Past District Deputies and other brethren known to be interested in the subject. The Bureau starts out with approximately forty-five speakers. The completed circular has been delivered to each lodge, each Grand Lodge Officer and each Permanent Member. New speakers are being added, and we hope to make this a very effective part of our Masonic Educational program. Every lodge is strongly urged to take advantage of this Speakers' Bureau.
MAINE MASONIC TEXTBOOK.
Continuing the program stressed by Most Worshipful Brother Ela, my District Deputies and I have taken advantage of every opportunity to place the Maine Masonic Textbook in the hands of as many of our brethren as possible.
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I am convinced that this great work should be made a necessary part of every member's Masonic instruction. A great many of the books have been sold, and Right Worshipful Brother Roland Cornish, D. D. G. M. from the 14th Masonic District, holds the record of having disposed of approximately seventy-five of these books this year.
GRAND LODGE INVENTORY.
Upon taking my office, I discovered that we did not have an inventory or record of Grand Lodge property. Believing that an inventory and appraisal showing the fair value of our property was a vital part of the business of the Grand Lodge of Maine, I directed that such an inventory and appraisal be prepared, and on December 31, 1954, the inventory was completed, mimeographed and delivered to each Grand Lodge Officer and to each Permanent Member.
A study of this inventory reveals the need of modernizing and re-equipping the office of our Grand Secretary and our Grand Treasurer. This office serves 47,000 members. It is the business nerve center of our entire organization, and we cannot hope to properly serve our membership or to furnish our Grand Treasurer, Grand Secretary and their assistants with the proper tools and equipment without such a program.
LODGE CHARTERS.
One of the most constructive programs in our recent history was conducted by our immediate Past Grand Master, dealing with the matter of Lodge Charters. That program resulted in a return to the constitutional requirements dealing with the presence and whereabouts of the Charters of our lodges. As a result, many Charters were found that had been misplaced for years, and the requirements of having the Charter present at installation and inspection ceremonies were stressed.
I have continued that program this year and as a result the following action has taken place:
a. A duplicate Charter for Baskehegan, No. 175 was issued at my direction, since I was convinced that their Charter was lost. The constitutional fee was paid.
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b. The misplaced Charters of Harwood, No. 191, and Anchor, No. 158, have been found after being misplaced for many years.
c. A Certificate of Charter was issued to Eastern Frontier, No. 112.
It is believed that every lodge now has its Charter.
PAST MASTERS' DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
These associations have been functioning in several of the districts for some years and have been a decided asset and aid to Masonry in their respective districts.
The association in the Seventeenth District furnished me with a copy of its by-laws. These have been mimeographed and delivered to each of the District Deputy Grand Masters to be kept as part of the equipment in their kit, and with instructions to encourage the creation of these associations in every district. It is expected that every district will have such an association completed within the next two or three months.
MASTER AND WARDENS' ASSOCIATIONS.
Several years ago in the Seventeenth Masonic District, an informal organization known as the Master and Wardens' Association was organized and created by Right Worshipful Norman W. Lindquist, who was then District Deputy Grand Master for the Seventeenth Masonic District. Under this organization, the Master and Wardens of all the lodges in the district held an informal meeting once each month rotating around the lodges in the district.
The Association proved to be of great value in promoting the interests and work in Masonry in the district. Realizing the value of this implement, I have requested each of the District Deputy Grand Masters to organize such an association in each district, and an outline showing the procedure of creating the association and the method of its operation was prepared by Brother Lindquist, now our Grand Marshal, and has been mimeographed and delivered to all the District Deputies. These associations have been created in most of
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the districts, and every district will have such an association within the next couple of months.
MAINE COUNCIL OP DELIBERATION.
It was my pleasure to be invited to attend the annual meeting of the Maine Council of Deliberation at the Masonic Temple in Auburn on July 15, 1954. Every courtesy and genuine hospitality was accorded me, and for this gesture I am indeed grateful to Illustrious Commander in Chief Frank Colman Allen and the members of the Council. I delivered an address entitled " Justice—A Cardinal Virtue." With the thought that this address might be of some interest, it is attached to this report and entitled " Appendix A."
VISITATIONS IN MAINE.
At the time of my installation, I stated it would be impossible for me to come anywhere near equaling the record of visitations made by our immediate Past Grand Master, who established the highest number of such visitations in any one year in the history of our Grand Lodge. The nature of my vocation prevented me from accepting a great many invitations to attend Masonic functions. However, I have been able, during the year, to attend 117 Masonic meetings, functions and assemblies of appendant bodies within the State, in the course of which I have traveled approximately 11,600 miles. Our Deputy Grand Master has attended many meetings and functions as my personal representative, and to him I am very grateful for his very able and efficient assistance.
A record of all Masonic visitations and functions and of all assemblies of appendant bodies attended is attached hereto and entitled " Appendix F." <<LINK HERE to Appendix PLEASE>>
VISITATIONS OUTSIDE THE STATE.
Invitations to attend Grand Lodge sessions of many of our sister Grand Jurisdictions have been received, and it has resulted in my Masonic education and enlightenment, in addition to my personal pleasure, to accept and attend these Grand Lodge sessions in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New
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Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Cuba.
Several other invitations were extended that I was unable to accept. Our Deputy Grand Master has personally represented me at the Grand Lodge session in Pennsylvania and at the Grand Lodge of Canada in Ontario.
These interjurisdictional visitations serve to improve the relations among all the Grand Jurisdictions and result in the mutual advantage of all our Grand Jurisdictions. I have traveled some 9,200 miles in attending these functions.
OUTSTANDING MASONIC EVENTS ATTENDED.
To attempt to state which of the Masonic events attended were the most outstanding would be difficult and require too much time at this point in these proceedings. However, to mention three such events, I would include the 150th Anniversary of the creation of Solar Lodge, No. 14, at Bath, which was attended by more than 700 Master Masons and where the ritualistic work of the Master Mason degree was exemplified by a colorful and outstanding degree team from Massachusetts.
In the company of several brethren from Maine, together with our ladies, we were the guests of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, in March, 1955, where we attended the dedication of the new Temple Building of the National Grand Lodge of Cuba. The color and pageantry of the Masonic parade, including ten or twelve thousand people, which preceded the dedication ceremony was a spectacle not soon to be forgotten. The building itself is a beautiful, modern structure of some twelve stories comprising almost an entire city block. On the top of the building is a huge globe surmounted by a golden square and compasses which revolve, are lighted at night, and can be seen over a great part of the City of Havana. The interior of the building is modern and beautiful to the last detail. This Temple marks a milestone in the progress of Masonry in the country of Cuba.
Representatives from forty-one nations witnessed the impressive dedication ceremony.
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