Supreme Council of Sov.. Gr.·. Inspectors-General

In accordance with action had at the last Session, in the City of Boston, and in pursuance of Summons issued, the Supreme Council assembled at the rooms of Kilbourn Lodge No. 3, in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the 19th day of the Hebrew month A.. M.. 5638, corresponding to Tuesday, the 17th day of September, 1878, V... E..

The Supreme Council was opened in full form at 10 o'clock A. M., by the M.. P.. Sov.. Gr.. Commander, ILL.. JOSIAH Н. DRUMMOND, 33°.

The Divine blessing was invoked by the Rev. and ILL.". LUCIUS R. PAIGE, 33°, acting Gr.. Prior.

The roll of Officers, Active and Emeriti Members was called, and there were present as follows:

OFFICERS.

ILL.. JOSIAH H. DRUMMOND, M... P.. Sov.. Gr... Commander.

"

HENRY L. PALMER, P.'. Gr.. Lieut.. Commander.

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WALTER A. STEVENS, Gr... Master Gen.. of Ceremonies.

H. STANLEY GOODWIN, Gr.. Marshall General.

WILLIAM R. HIGBY, Gr.. Standard Bearer.

GEORGE O. TYLER, as Gr.. Captain of the Guard.

REV. AND ILL.. LUCIUS R. PAIGE, as Gr.. Prior.

ILL.. CHARLES BECHTEL,

EMERITI MEMBERS.

ILL.. FRANCIS A. BLADES.

ILL.. JOHN W. SIMONS,

Also Representatives of other Supreme Councils near this Grand East, as follows:

ILL.. R. M. C. GRAHAM, Representative of the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction of the U. S.

ILL.. CHARLES L. WOODBURY, Representative of the Supreme Council for Scotland.

ILL.. LUCIUS R. PAIGE, Representative of the Supreme Council for Belgium.

ILL.. JOSEPH D. EVANS, Representative of the Supreme Council for Mexico.

ILL.. JOHN W. SIMONS, Representative of the Supreme Council for Italy. ILL.. DANIEL SICKELS, Representative of the Supreme Council for Central America.

ILL.. GEORGE W. DEERING, Representative of the Supreme Council for Greece.

ILL.. D. BURNHAM TRACY, Representative of the Supreme Council for Canada.

ILL.. ALBERT G. GOODALL, Representative of the Supreme Councils for France, England, Argentine Republic, Uruguay, Portugal and Peru.

ILL.. HOSMER A. JOHNSON, Representative of the Supreme Council for Switzerland.

ILL.. ALBERT P. MORIARTY, Representative of the Supreme Council for Colon, Cuba, and the West India Islands.

There were also present the following Honorary Members:

The M.. P.. Sov.. Gr.. Commander appointed Ill. MELVIN L. YOUNGS, as Gr.. Seneschal for the Session.

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Ill.. R. M. C. GRAHAM, introduced Ill.. ALBERT PIKE, 33°. M.. P.. Sov.. Gr.. Com.. of the Supreme Council for the SouthJurisdiction of the U. S.-Ill... MARTIN COLLINS and ERASMUS T. CARR, Active Members, and WM. M. IRELAND, Honorary Member of said Supreme Council, who were received with the customary Gr.. Honors, and invited to seats in the Orient.

The Proceedings of last Annual Session having been printed and distributed to the members, the reading thereof was, on motion of Ill.. CLINTON F. PAIGE, dispensed with.

The Grand Treasurer General and the Grand Secretary General read their Annual Reports to date, which were received and referred to the Committee on Finance.

On motion of Ill.. JOHN L. LEWIS, it was ordered that the Supreme Council be now opened upon the Degree of Perfection, and that all Masons who have attained that degree be invited to be present during the delivery of the Address of the M.. P... Sov.. Gr.. Commander: thereupon the Supreme Council was opened accordingly, and numerous visiting Brethren admitted.

Ill.. A. V. H. CARPENTER, 33°, Commander in Chief of Wisconsin Consistory, was admitted to the Council, and on behalf of the said Consistory tendered thanks for the invitation of its members to be present during the delivery of the Sov.. Grand Commander's Address, and expressed regrets that the arrangements previously made for receiving and escorting Oriental Consistory of Chicago, prevent their members from availing themselves of the kind invitation.

The M.. P.. Sov.. Grand Commander then delivered the following

ANNUAL ADDRESS.

ILLUSTRIOUS BRETHREN :

It was long ago said, that as a man grows older, each succeeding year seems shorter than its predecessor. But probably every one is slow to admit, even to himself, that such is the fact in his own case; and yet, sooner or later this truth comes home to him, and he realizes that his life is shortening, not only in its years, but in the rapidity with which those years are passing away. At each recurrence of our Annual Sessions, the interval between seems shorter; the thrill of the parting clasp, as we separated last year, has scarcely faded away ere it is renewed by the mutual fraternal greeting to day.

THE FRATERNAL DEAD.

But we do not meet with full ranks. That parting clasp was the last one accorded to many of us with a beloved associate and brother. The genial chivalrous, generous-hearted ORRIN WELCH has met with us, in this Su preme Council, for the last time.

Ill.. Brother WELCH died on the twenty-first day of March of the current year. For some weeks it had been painfully apparent to his family and intimate friends that his sickness was a fatal one; but others, less informed, were so hopeful of his recovery that the news of his death came with a sudden and severe shock. I shall not anticipate your action in giving a sketch of his history, or in pronouncing his well-deserved eulogy. I issued a Balustre announcing his death, a copy of which is hereunto submitted, [A].

I have received tributes to his memory from various masonic bodies and brethren; an official letter of condolence addressed to the Supreme Council, from the Bodies of the Rite at Boston, is herewith submitted, [B].

By the death of Bro.. WELCH, there became a vacancy in the office of Deputy for New York, which it became my duty to fill until this Session of the Council; upon the recommendation of very many Brethren of the Rite in that State I tendered the appointment to Ill.. Bro. CLINTON F. PAIGE, who kindly accepted. I submit herewith a copy of his commission, [C]. We have also lost, during the year, the following named Honorary Members:

WILLIAM B. GREENE, of Massachusetts,

JOHN D. DENNIS, of Rhode Island,

GEORGE W. ALDRIDGE,

ROYAL G. MILLARD, and

HENRY CLAY PRESTON, of New York.

The Active Members from these States are charged with the duty of presenting appropriate tributes to the memory of these Brethren.

On the twenty-ninth of December last, ALBERT CASE, for many years an Active Member of this Supreme Council, was suddenly killed by a railroad train at a street crossing. Although his resignation from all connection with the Rite was accepted by the Supreme Council at its Session in 1871, I deem it not improper to put on record a mention of his tragic fate.

Our sister Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction has recently met with a great loss and severe affliction in the death of Ill.. Bro.. JOHN ROBIN MCDANIEL, 33°, its Lieut.. Grand Commander. He died on the fourteenth of May last. On the Monday evening before his death, I had the pleasure of attending a special meeting of his Supreme Council and at his courteous request, I occupied his official station and acted in his stead. I