PROCEEDINGS GRAND LODGE - Freemasons of Wisconsin

Masters Wardens and brothers. It is a privilege to stand before you this morning onbehalf of the MW Grand Master of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge F & A M ofWisconsin, the honorable James E Davis. I am certain that many of you have had theopportunity to meet brother Davis at last year’s session. He sends his regrets for notbeing able to be here, but I am glad to have the opportunity of being here to stand inhis stead. Let me say this about your Grand Master, I have known him for a numberof years. As you know, in Prince Hall we are in the line for a long time. When we startwe don’t’ know if we are going to end up in the Grand East at all. It takes four yearsin each station, if everyone were to serve their particular term, and we start way backat the Junior Deacon. Our line actually starts at the RW Junior Grand Warden. Letme say this that what eyes have seen, my ears have heard, and my heart has felt hasgiven me a new face, a new up-lift about Masonry. The speaker who spoke before abouthow to rejuvenate lodges gave me inspiration. When I look around at this greatfraternity, and I have the opportunity of representing this jurisdiction all across theUnited States, I get motivated. I get enthused. When I see the faces around here, manyof you whom I have known for a number of years when I was the Master of a lodgein the 80’s and saw many of your Past Grand Masters come through and visit, I gotmotivated right then. There is something about this peculiar institution calledMasonry, that if you take it seriously, you can’t help but be infected with a positiveattitude. Grand Master, I have watched you work, I have watched your deputy workand I have been inspired by your dedication. I have been absolutely uplifted by seeingthis great fraternity participate in what we call our Fraternal Relations Table Lodge.Rodney and I got a chance to be the co-chairs of the very first table lodge between theWisconsin Grand Lodge and the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge. We watched as thecraft began to talk and meet and greet each other and it was inspirational. We havebeen doing it for three years. For those of you have not had the opportunity to partake,we invite you to that particular affair. We have got to break down the bearers. I knowmy Grand Master came last year and told us in our cabinet meeting that he put achallenge out. I am not here to change the Grand Master’s challenge, I support myGrand Master.”I talked to a Past Master here and he was saying about some of the things that weneed to do in Masonry to bring us together. Do you realize that when this organizationgets together, black men and white men, that we are going to straighten out thisworld. We have the capability within ourselves to change society and that’s what givesme the motivation to keep going. I want to leave you with few words. Teddy Rooseveltsaid, ‘It’s not the critic who counts, it’s not the person who points out how the strongman tumbled, or how the doer of deeds could have done them better. The creditbelongs to the man, to the young person, to the woman who is already in the area, theperson who’s face is marred by the sweat, dust and blood, the individual who strivesvaliantly, who errs and comes out, the person who knows life’s great enthusiasms,life’s great devotions and expend themselves in a worthy cause. the person who fails,but when they fail they only do so while daring greatly, who in the end choose not tolive their lives with timid souls, who neither know victory nor defeat.’ I want to closewith the motto given by the incoming Grand Master and he said, ‘Aim high. Be allyou can be.’ That is exactly what we want to do. Let me just say on behalf of MW PrinceHall Grand, we have got to love each other, we’ve got to understand that in order forMasonry to grow, we have got to be concerned about each other. One of the things thatI see is that when a brother is in the hospital, could be sitting there dying, nobody evenknows. Are we so connected to each other that we are concerned that if we don’t’ seeeach other for a week that we will give a call? If you want this institution to grow wehave got to care about each other. I say this to my lodges all over, do you even know91