File:LFirestone-1878-Speech(29).pdf

Text

were wielded solely in behalf of the oppressed. In the bloody crusades fought against the infidel Saracens, an Arab tribe, and the terror of those terrible times, they were the first to don tho red cross mantle, and give battle in the cause of religion, and good order. Under the title of "Knights Templar" "Knights of St. John of Jerusalem," they stood upon the shores of Asia Minor, the impregnable bulwark of Europe against the Saracens. Had it not been for this breastwork of devoted and courageous spirits which the Masonic order put forward at a critical time, the Saracenic career would have penetrated far into Europe, and what the consequences to the Christian world might have been, no one could tell. Again, Masonry has ever been the champion of Liberty. In the blackest hour of despotism, the big mountain, the deep valley, or a sacred cave, served as places of Lodge

Summary

Template:Information

Licensing

Template:PD-US