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Acceptance speach by newly installed Master, January 20, 2001
Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests and Brethren.
Welcome to the 92nd Annual Installation of Officers for Burbank Lodge #406 and the New Millennium, the next 1000
years. It is a privilege and honor to be standing before you this evening.
There is a saying that the greater the gratitude the shorter the speech. Let me
assure you that I am extremely grateful. And so with the promise of a short speech, I would like to share a story with
you.
It took place in the 1770's during the Revolutionary War. A soldier, part of a
patrol from Virginia, was captured by Hessians or German mercenaries, led by a Scottish Captain. He was sentenced to
death by hanging. In desperation he signaled he was a Mason. The Scottish Captain, recognizing the signal, immediately
stopped the execution, for he himself, although an enemy, was also a Brother. This is not a particulary unique story in the
pages of Masonic History, as I'm sure there are many more like it, for such is the bond of the Brotherhood of
Freemasonry. What IS unique about it for me is that the soldier was my Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather William
Cunningham, and I share with you tonight his Masonic Apron which he brought with him from Scotland around
1755.
The Masonic Apron is an Emblem of Innocence and the Badge of a Mason; More
Ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle more Honorable than the Star or Garter, or any distinction that can be
conferred by King, Prince, Potentate, or any other person. And this Apron is a most precious Family Heirloom. You
could say that I would not be before you speaking tonight if it were not for the Bonds of Freemasonry. Those same bonds
that bind us together, even today are true of my Brothers at Burbank Lodge, My Brothers across the United States and
around the world. Masonry unites men of every country, sect, and opinion, from the bricklayer to the doctor, from the
lawyer to the politician, from Our First President George Washington to our current
and new President, George Bush.
Our Brotherhood is as alive today as it was back in the 1700's, alive yes, but our
numbers are diminishing. As I learned on my visit to Grand Lodge in October, our membership here in the State of
California is decreasing by 10 per-cent each year. This is an alarming statistic, and one that must receive our attention if
we are to endure into the 21st Century. I am not sure of the solution since we cannot openly campaign for membership.
But as I look to our place in the annals of this New Millennium I feel a certain optimism that we will prevail.
As you know, tonight is the last Installation to be held in this Building for
Burbank Lodge Number 406. This Lodge has been in the downtown section for the past 92 years and now is moving to a
new site on the outskirts of the city. I must confess that I was a little disappointed that I was not to be the first Master to
be Installed at our New Lodge. But I have come to realize what a distinct privilege it is to be the very last master to be
installed here this evening.
As I look ahead to the move to our new location in June, it is with great
anticipation that I look forward to opening Lodge for the very first time in our new home. For some the change of
location will be difficult, bittersweet. Because in this Building, we have held many ceremonies, shared many memories,
the good and not so good, cultivated many friendships, shared much conversation and many meals, some good and some
not so good! But as we look to the New Millennium, it is perhaps a most fitting time to move on.
This year, I am privileged to be serving with an exceptionally fine group of
Officers. My own personal success as Master will only come about with group success. What is truly exceptional about
our new Officers is their YOUTH, 3 just in their 20s'. At a time when Membership is declining we are proud of our
youthful Brethren. They will carry the Torch of Freemasonry into the New Century. We will stand with them for awhile
at the threshold, but it is they who will walk through the door and beyond.
I will conclude with a story that applies to all of us here at Burbank Lodge. In
Ancient times there was a Philosopher who had many Disciples. One day a cynical young man decided to humiliate him
by asking him a question he couldn't possibly answer correctly.
The cynic put a recently hatched chick in the palm of his hand and asked the
Philosopher, in front of a large audience, whether what he had in his hand was dead or alive. His intention, if the
Philosopher said 'Alive' was to crush the chick to death and show the Master to be wrong. If the Philosopher said 'Dead',
then he planned to let the chick live to prove the great man wrong. In Response to the question, the Philosopher looked
the cynic in the eye, smiled, and calmly replied; "The answer, my son, lies in your hands".
The future is what we choose to make of it, and so My Brothers, it lies in
our hands. We can keep Burbank Lodge alive through our actions or we can let it perish because we choose no
action. The next few years will determine whether we will be alive and thrive or be only a memory.
In the words of Brother Winston Churchill, "If We Are to Last for a Thousand
Years, Men Will Still Say, 'This Was Their Finest Hour.'"
Williamm A. Cunningham, Newly Installed Master
January 20, 2001
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