[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E661]]



             TRIBUTE TO THE ORRSTOWN LODGE NO. 262 F & A.M.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 30, 2002

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Orrstown 
Lodge No. 262 F & A.M. for their one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. 
On March 1st, 1852, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania granted a charter 
for the establishment of a masonic lodge in Orrstown. The charter 
members were: Henry Ruby, John Orr, James B. Orr, William Orr, William 
F. Breckenridge, Joseph Johnston, John Wunderlich, and Jacob Heck, who 
all lived in Orrstown and the vicinity. James B. Orr, the first 
Worshipful Master, and the seven other charter members, desired a lodge 
in their own town, not just for more accessibility, but because they 
knew that the community of Orrstown would uphold the values, 
traditions, and beliefs of Freemasonry. On May 6th, the first meeting 
of the masonic lodge of Orrstown came to order and opened in Ancient 
form. They would meet on the first and third Thursday of the month 
until November 20, 1879, when they became a moon lodge. Since that time 
they have met on the Thursday night on or before a full moon.
  I would like to impress upon my colleagues that although their 
longevity is impressive, the traditions and values that have been 
passed on through these years are their most notable achievements. 
Freemasons began as a society that was based on the principles of 
morality and brotherhood. A society in which education and charity are 
bricks in the foundation of their existence and altruism is central in 
the character of its members. A mason is a man of integrity and honor. 
Attributes that are not only beneficial to the man who possesses them 
but to the community where the man resides. The Orrstown Lodge has been 
instrumental in helping to develop such qualities.
  In the popular Masonic book ``The Builders,'' author Joseph Fort 
Newton answers the question: ``When is a man a Mason?'' He writes, 
``When he can look out over the rivers, the hills and the far horizon 
with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of 
things, and yet have faith, hope and courage, which is the root of 
every virtue * * *. When he knows how to sympathize with men in their 
sorrows, yea even in their sins--knowing that each man fights a hard 
fight against many odds. When he has learned how to make friends and to 
keep them and above all, how to keep friends with himself * * *. When 
he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope. When he has kept faith 
with himself, with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart 
a bit of a song; glad to live, but not afraid to die. Such a man has 
found the only secret of Freemasonry, and the one which it is trying to 
give to all the world.'' The world would be a better place if only we 
had more of such men.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you to join me In congratulating the Orrstown 
Lodge on their one hundred and fifty year anniversary. I wish the 
members of this extraordinary organization the very best in the years 
to come.

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