There is alot of symbolism of the following that is true today.

Excerpts from the Eulogy for Bro. Benjamin Franklin, given by Bro. and Rev. William D. Hartman, P.M.,Lodge No. 9, Grand Chaplain, during the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Memorial Service on April 17, 2006, at Christ Church in Philadelphia:

"We are gathered here this day to remember our brother, Benjamin Franklin, who was born 300 years ago. But it was on this day, 216 years ago, that Bro. Franklin entered that Grand Lodge above; that temple, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. As the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Ancient York Masons, we are gathered here now to memorialize our brother and to make restitution for the neglect of that duty back in 1790.

"Benjamin Franklin was an active Mason, and proud of this fraternity. He served as Grand Master and promoted Freemasonry on many occasions, often participating in Masonic meetings while abroad. Freemasonry has always been a fraternity of vision and charity; a force for good in a world that would rob us of our dignity and worth. While the forces around us in our society would denigrate personal integrity, private and public morality, friendship and brotherly love, Freemasonry has always held these to be the cement that bonds any free society together.

"Benjamin Franklin made this clear when he said, 'Freemasonry has tenants peculiar to itself. They serve as testimonials of character and qualifications, which are only conferred after due course of instruction and examination. These are of no small value; they speak a universal language and act as a passport to the attention and support of the initiated in all parts of the world. They cannot be lost as long as memory retains its power. Let the possessor of them be expatriated, shipwrecked or imprisoned; let him be stripped of everything he has in this world; still, those credentials remain and are available for use as circumstances require. The good effects they have produced are established by the most incontestable facts of history. They have stayed the uplifted hand of the destroyer; they have softened the asperities of the tyrant; they have mitigated the horrors of captivity; they have subdued the rancour of malevolence; and have broken down the barriers of political animosity and sectarian alienation. On the field of battle, in the solitudes of the uncultivated forest, or in the busy haunts of the crowded city, they have made men of the most hostile feelings, the most distant regions and diversified conditions, rush to the aid of each other, and feel a special joy and satisfaction that they have been able to afford relief to a brother Mason"....

..."As we memorialize our brother, Benjamin Franklin, this day, remembering his many virtues and skills among us, may we seek to follow him by lives of virtue and benevolence, until that day when we shall rise to greet him in the celestial kingdom above."

Respectfully submitted,
/s/
Terry, PM
Freemason
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