Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman Before the 180th Anniversary Dinner of the Zion Lodge at Detroit, Michigan

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SPEECH OF SENATOR HARRY S. TRUMAN BEFORE THE 180TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER OF ZION LODGE NO. 1, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1944, AT 8:00 O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING. RELEASE ON DELIVERY Brethren and Friends: It is a great privilege to be the guest this evening at this celebration of the One Hundred and Eightieth Anniversary of Zion Lodge No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons. The history and traditions of this Lodge should be a source of pride to every brother. Its foundation was the brotherly love and friendship of a few hardy frontiersmen dedicated to the service of their God and their fellowmen. The history of America, its fight for freedom, its growth to the country we know, and the history of Masonry in America are one and the same. Again, today, when American freedom is in peril, when America is being attacked on every side - when American lives are being lost and American ships are being sunk - Masons and their sons are fighting as they have always fought in the past, with honor and with glory. The application of the principles of the founders of this great Lodge - sound morality, honesty to God and country, in the strength of charity, friend- ship and brotherly love - has brought forth a new civilization, changes in our way of life, and progress then undreamed of. By their example, we know that all progress, all material success, must be based on the solid foundations of faith in God and charity toward one's fellowmen. Their contributions, and the contri- butions of their brothers and sons who followed them, in the formation and growth of this nation, have become a keystone of our democracy. Throughout the succeeding years, their principles have been carried on by each generation of the members of Zion Lodge, many of whom have made the supreme sacrifice for those principles on the battlefields of the world. si NARA THENTH GRADED