membered by a grateful brotherhood for bringing to Masonic light that most wonderful memorial, which prayed for the building of a hall and "the founding of an asylum for worthy decayed Masons, their widows and orphans."

The historic fact should be recorded that this memorial was conceived and written by James Herring, Grand Secretary, and the first subscription of one dollar was made and paid at that time by Greenfield Pote, Grand Tiler. Therefore, we properly claim that the "Hall and Asylum Fund" had its origin in the year 1842, although the interesting document did not officially reach the Grand Lodge until the 8th day of June, 1843.

At that Communication, representatives were present from forty-nine Lodges, which included a membership of a few thousand.

The first subscription was followed by others from time to time, until the memorial was presented to the Grand Lodge, signed, as we are told, "by one hundred brethren, and the amount subscribed upwards of three hundred dollars."

The glorious inspiration of James Herring, and the first contribution by Greenfield Pote, on that bright day for Freemasonry, in 1842, made possible, aye, certain, the ceremonies of this day.

Forty-nine years have passed since that memorable event; years full of marvellous growth and improvement.

The small beginnings of 1808 and 1842 have developed into the broad and grand field of May 21, 1891.

The seed sown by that original charity fund of three hundred dollars was scattered broadcast throughout this grand jurisdiction, and none of it has ever fallen on unfruitful ground. It has brought forth an hundred, aye, many hundred-fold. Among other good things, it has brought forth in money, $3.514.359.50, which has builded and furnished a Masonic Hall; paid a debt; purchased these broad and beautiful acres; placed in bank on the first of the present month $226,464.16, a sum more than sufficient to erect and equip this asylum, the corner-stone of which we have just placed with loving hands and grateful hearts.

Although we officially designate this building by the name "Asylum," let us vie with each other to make it a "Home," with all the endearments surrounding that sacred retreat.

Freemasonry thus plainly presents to its friends and supporters the character of its life-work. In it the brethren all labor as equals, but they teach the equality that elevates. Thank God, there is no aristocracy in our institution, unless it be that of faithful service, of honest merit; and so long as we remain true to our standard, Freemasonry will never need a defender..

But, my brethren, be not forgetful that the high character of an institution does not necessarily form the good conduct of its members; neither is an institution great or useful by reason of its boasted antiquity, but rather on account of its love and labor for the human family. Proudly can we boast that the Masonic institution is both great and useful, because its every thought is pure; its every teaching ennobling; its every effort dedicated to ne service of God and a distressed brother. Measured by such standards, consecrated by such motives, do you wonder that we prosper? Do you wonder that we are united? Do you wonder that we are permanent? Do you wonder that the benediction of God rests upon us?

My beloved brethren, let not prosperity lessen our labor. Rather let it quicken us to greater love and broader charity, until no almshouse or other public institution shall record the name of a single unfortunate brother, widow, or orphan of the fraternity. Then, with one mighty acclaim, may we unite to celebrate the year of Masonic jubilee, not only in dedication of this magnificent structure, but in proclaiming liberty to every captive brother bound by the chains of intemperance, misfortune, or poverty.

The other exercises of the evening were mainly musical and the entire proceedings were such as to be fittingly in keeping with the dignity and importance of the occasion.

B

ROTHER VROOMAN was suc. ceeded in the Grand East by William Sherer, who had served under him as Deputy Grand Master and had previously done good service in the Grand Lodge as Commissioner of Appeals for eight years. Brother Sherer was born in Mead County, Kentucky, in 1837. In 1850 he took up his residence in Brooklyn and five years later entered the services of the Metropolitan Bank. In 1863 he was appointed to an office in the United States Sub-Treasury at New York and remained there for about twenty-five years, when he received a position in the New York Clearing House, of which he is now manager. In the fraternity his advancement was rapid. In 1868 he was made a Mason in Anglo-Saxon Lodge, No. 137, and was several times its Master. In 1878 he was Deputy Grand Master for the Third District. In Royal Arch Masonry he reached the most prominent State office, that of Grand High Priest, and his affiliations extended both to cryptic and chivalric Masonry. He also received the honorary 33d, and last, degree in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

Brother Sherer's one year of office was simply one of waiting. He grasped the reins which had been gathered up by Frank R. Lawrence and held by Vrooman. It was the usual period of rest, which, according to the law of nature, a law that is equally applicable to man as to the elements, comes after each period of commotion. The eyes of the fraternity were directed to the building rising near Utica, to the troubles which the Trus

tees were having with belligerent or unworthy or thick-headed contractors and to various legal complications which confronted them. All these things were overcome, but they really formed the main topics of interest during Brother Sherer's term, and they were safely overcome, thanks to the prudence and cautious determination of the Trustees and to the excellent legal advice placed at their service by Frederick A. Burnham, as well as by other brethren belonging to the bar. In fact, nothing new, nothing startling in the way of legislation or initiative could that year have been undertaken by any Grand Master, and Brother Sherer, by pursuing a policy of masterly inactivity probably gave evidence of that shrewd common sense which has been his main characteristic.

At the meeting of June, 1892, Brother Sherer was re-elected, but declined further service, and James Ten Eyck, of Albany, was elected in his stead. This popular member of the fraternity was born in Albany, Feb. 16, 1840, and educated for a business career. His father was a banker and, possessing ample means, gave his son the best education possible. Ten Eyck developed considerable business tact, and for many years was regarded as one of the most substantial merchants in the old Dutch city. Soon after entering on his business career he sought for relaxation that would be pleasant and at the same time intellectual and, believing he would find what he wanted in the Mystic Circle, was initiated, passed and raised, in 1863, in Masters' Lodge, No. 5, Albany. The light he then received

and the instruction given in the philosophy, aims and principles of the grand old institution fully met the ideals he had formed and he at once became noted for his enthusiasm. He showed the possession of all the material necessary to make a good officer, and, passing through the subordinate stations and chairs, became Master in 1873, serving for five terms in succession. This brought him into membership in the Grand Lodge and there, in 1883, and again in 1884, he was

JAMES TEN EYCK.

elected Junior Grand Warden. While passing upward in Masters' Lodge he was also busily engaged in seeking Masonic light in all available and lawful methods. He was exalted in Temple Chapter in 1866, received the cryptic degrees the same year and completed the "York Rite" by passing through the chivalric degrees before the end of 1867. He also sought still more light by seeking admission into the venerable Ineffable Lodge at Albany, of which he afterward became Master, serving in that capacity for five years,

and he was crowned an honorary member of the Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, in 1877.

Brother Ten Eyck was active in the arrangements for the dedication of the Hall in New York. As Grand Senior Warden for six years he was one of Lawrence's most active lieutenants in the debt-raising campaign and took part in laying the cornerstone of the Home under Grand Master Vrooman. In the course of the jubilee meeting, held in Albany, April 24, when all the Lodges in that city joined to celebrate the removal of the debt, Brother Ten Eyck delivered a notable address, from which we make a few extracts to show how fully he had become possessed of "the Masonic idea," as W. E. Henley, the London litterateur in a recent work so flippantly refers to Masonry, conveying his meaning in a silly, sarcastic strain-a strain which shows that he does not believe in the existence of any "Masonic idea" at all:

Our period of forty years' wandering in the wilderness, exposed to famine and temptations, pursued by enemies, and on every hand beset by powerful foes, is of the past; and at last we have entered that Promised Land of prosperity and peace which our elders foresaw with such a clear vision, even though they themselves were not, in any considerable number, to enter it. The bonds are broken; the debt is discharged; and the great Masonic fraternity of the State of New York has entered upon a new era, which, under God's good providence, we fondly trust and sincerely believe will be one of continued charity and good-will, undiminished loyalty to country and to God, the Supreme Architect, and of increased and constantly increasing usefulness to our fellow-men, be they members of the craft or not; for, Freemasonry, while it binds together more closely and by stronger ties those who have been admitted to its light and walk thereby, reaches out beyond its own mystic circle, and aims to improve and ennoble humanity in general, to ameliorate the sufferings of those in distress, and to elevate, so far as lies in its power, the entire human race.

Let us, first of all, with due reverence and with humble, but grateful hearts, return thanks to Almighty God for His graciousness towards us and for the favors He has so conspicuously showered

upon us. Our numbers have been wonderfully increased; our enemies have been either discomfited or changed into friends; persecution of our order has ceased in all enlightened lands; religion has become our ally, and the law has become our protector and defender, instead of our persecutor. Princes and potentates are proud to be reckoned as members of the great fraternity, and if they are found to be worthy and well qualified the fraternity welcomes them-not, indeed, as princes and potentates, but as fellow-men and brothers. For, while as Freemasons we recognize different degrees of excellence and exaltation in the craft, we also hold that all men and Masons are equal in the eye of the Supreme Architect; that all alike are His servants; and that, consequently, all are brethren in the largest sense of the word.

Divine aid is not vouchsafed to any great or good cause, except through human agencies. It was through such agencies that the seeds of liberty were early sown broadcast throughout our fair land. Our sturdy and phelgmatic, but still libertyloving Dutch ancestors in this State of New York; the chivalrous and honorable, if, perhaps, sorely pecuniarily-pressed, settlers of Virginia and the Carolinas; the Pilgrim fathers who founded the colonies of Plymouth Rock and Massachusetts Bay; the Quakers, who aided William Penn to establish the great commonwealth which now bears his name; the devout Roman Catholics who followed the fortunes of Calvert and Lord Baltimore in Maryland, and the devoted adherents of Oglethorpe in Georgia-all these, as well as the earlier colonists of Rhode Island and Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware, are entitled to and daily receive tributes of respect and veneration from the American people of the present generation. Just so we revere the memory of our ancestors of the Revolutionary period, who, through years of toil and sacrifice and deprivation, fought the good fight for principle which eventually guaranteed us the rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," as well as our absolute independence as a nation. And while we make obeisance before and strive to do honor to the memory of that noble band of patriots collectively, we yet single out the name of the illustrious Washington as one worthy of marked and especial attention. We fondly call him "the father of his country," and with enduring and affectionate remembrance celebrate, with unflagging interest and fervor, the anniversary of his birth. This we do as citizens of this great republic for which Washington labored so unselfishly and so unremittingly and, as events proved, so happily and successfully.

In that same spirit, brethren, while we render homage and return thanks to the Supreme Architect for His wondrous goodness and beneficence to us as an order, let us also be mindful of the human agencies that have been so largely instrumental in bringing us to our present substantial and enviable standing in the eyes of the world. Our magnificent temple in the city of New York was constructed and furnished at an expense of more than $1,500,000, nearly all of which vast sum has been contributed by subordinate Lodges in this State. It is not assuming too much to say that there is no more imposing Masonic structure in the world, nor that its intrinsic value is far greater to-day than it was when first completed and dedicated. Four years ago, the amount still remaining due and unpaid upon it, including interest, approximated half a million dollars, and the annual interest charges upon this vast sum constituted a heavy burden upon the order.

Heroic efforts were made to reduce if not to entirely cancel the indebtedness, but it was not until those efforts were taken in charge of and directed by our present Most Worshipful Grand Master, Frank R. Lawrence, that we saw "the beginning of the end." Incessantly and untiringly he devoted himself to the herculean task of freeing the order from indebtedness, and his efforts were worthily seconded by those associated with him in the management of the affairs of the Grand Lodge, and also by the officers and brethren of subordinate Lodges. With a zeal and earnestness and enthusiasm that was never permitted to flag, his noble work was continued until success crowned his efforts, and the order of this State placed upon a foundation at once secure, independent and immovable.

The event of Ten Eyck's term of office, the incident which afforded his big, generous heart the most room for rejoicing and has since in the way of reminiscences given him the most intense satisfaction, was the dedication and formal opening of the Home at Utica the placing of the keystone into the arch of Masonic charity, as some one expressed it. This was done on October 5, 1892, and was made the occasion of another Masonic demonstration in Utica. Grand Secretary Ehlers was Marshal of the day and the parade from Genesee Street to the grounds was taken part in by 8.524 Master Masons, besides Royal

Arch bodies, Knights Templars and others. It was a gala day in every sense of the word and in the addresses delivered on the occasion by the Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master Burnham and others there was a pardonable note of triumph. The dedication was performed with all the ceremonial prescribed for such occasions, and although the building was then incomplete so far as its internal appliances were concerned, enough was in evidence to show the craft that the Trustees had done their work well and that the idea of Masonic charity had received an embodiment in brick and mortar which was in every way worthy of the aims, dignity and teaching of the institution.

The building-buildings, rather-stand on high ground just outside the city of Utica,

MASONIC HOME, UTICA, N. Y.

although the city is rapidly reaching out toward the property. The view from any part of the grounds is remarkable for its beauty, and it is hard to imagine a more lovely scene than that which lies before the visitor as he stands in front of the entrance to the main building. A long stretch of fertile fields, backed by blue hills, on one side of the city, on the other, as far as the eye can reach, a succession of urban landscapes, each one seemingly framed by some development of nature. The whole scene is one which might be lingered over for weeks, it rests the eye, it

delights the senses and stirs the imagination. The main building is more like a huge chateau, rising in the midst of a well-kept demesne than anything else. There is nothing of the institution-look about it, nothing to indicate that it is an asylum-indeed, the name asylum has long been dropped in connection with it and the truer designation of "home" applied in its stead. The building is of brick and Lake Superior sandstone, relieved with terra cotta trimmings. The central portion rises to a height of four stories, with flanking towers, while the side wings, less in height, have been treated with the same architectural features, and form one harmonious whole. The sky line is irregular, giving the structure, with its towers and high-pitched roof, à most picturesque and striking appearance, and it

forms a most imposing-looking establishment when seen from the railway or from the road. The children's building beside it is similar in design. In the interior everything is arranged for comfort. The corridors are large and roomy, the sleeping rooms are light and cheerful and fitted up comfortably, while the rooms for work, for recreation, for lounging are each arranged and furnished so as to yield as much convenience as possible. Nearly all the dwellers in this mansion

have with them in their rooms some little tokens of auld lang syne,-photographs, bits of bric-a-brac, or memento of one sort or other. The discipline maintained is no greater than is essential for the proper government of such an establishment. The children's building is admirably fitted up all through and thoroughly supplied with educational appliances. This department will repay the closest inspection, while of all the features of the Home the same may be said. The inmates are expected to "work around” if they are able, and, naturally, they are generally only too glad to be of any service. The