Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Mystery.
mysterious and unknown sea , till a continent arose with a majestic sweep across his bow , and millions of men , who enjoy freedom , divested of king-craft and
bigotryfreedom , from which the chaff of persecution and abrid gment of personalities has been winnowed by tho zephyrs of lih ^ rty—will speak his namo with grateful lips through all the coming ages .
Had this lovo for the mysterious been left out of our nature , this land of freedom had beeu unknown ; the inspiration of liberty had never been felt ; the patriotism which renders this country invincible in war , and noblo and just in peace , respected abroad and revered at home , had been an unknown quantity .
The roar of the mighty cataract of tho Great Falls of tho Missouri river , whose reverberations almost reach our ears from this place , the ponderous force soon to bo harnessed for tho use of man , would only reach the ears of wild men and savage beasts . This little city , bright and
beautiful as an artists dream , soon to bo the seat of industry where happy homes will multiply , where free schools , free churches and a free press shall join hand in hand with an elbow touch that makes tho whole "jjrorld akin , in the grand march towards tho very pinnacle of
earthly happiness , had not been a possibility . Great is mystery ? Most Worshipful sir , no words of mine can add to the glory or detract from the fame of the mystery of Ancient
Craft Masonry . Earth ' s most celebrated orators and most grave and reverend philosophers have sounded its praises , enriched its literature and widened the circle of its influence , since Apollo first turned his lyre .
My brethren , the cement of my weak philosophy can add nothing to tho Temple whose foundations were laid upon the bed-rock of Eternal Truth , before Miriam , the exalted , " sounded the loud timbrel o ' er Egypt ' s dark sea , " the ark of whose covenant was guarded by tho angels of the Most
High ; ages before Nebuchadnezzar swung the gardens of Semiramis in tho air , or herded with the beasts on Chaldean plains ; whoso brazen pillars held the deposits of the Craft before the wolf-suckled twins laid the foundations of the Roman empire , or mediated the Sabine rape to
gratify tho lusts of their thick-necked followers ; whose glittering minarets pointed to the Pleiades centuries before the egotistical Xerxes wedded the ocean waves in his pride or scourged thorn in his disappointment and fury ; whoso
" Holy of Holies" was filled with the glory of Divine presence , while the material for tho Sphynx still slumbered in the mountains which guarded the valley of the historic Nile , and before Thebes opened her hundred gates to tho armed hosts of Rameses . Great indeed is the
antiquity of tho mystery of Freemasonry . It seems to gratify the inmost nature of the pessimist to note tho failings of humanity . He scornfully points the
skeleton finger of his criticism at the professed Christian wbo in a moment of weakness succumbs to the wiles of the ungodly , and inwardly thanks the gods that he is not as other men . He remarks with evident satisfaction that
" Masons are not always patterns of morality and virtue , " as they should be , and condemns the mystery of religion and Masonry as unworthy of esteem ; he fails to see " sermons in stones , " and good in every thing , but sets
himself up as a judge of the frailties of his brother man , forgetting the charitible instincts of the human heart , which admit that man never yet attained perfection , and fails to remember with reverential awe that Divinity has said " Judge not . "
I acknowledge with sorrow that Masons and Christians alike , being human , aro liable to err—neither the one nor tho other will deny the fact . Lucifer was an angel of light , but he fell . Men have led good and pure lives , walking uprightly
before God and man , till age bleached their locks and bent their forms , and then ended their days in a felon ' s cell . Women have attained motherhood , led prattling cbildren to the feet of the Saviour , guided their tender feet through tho intricate paths of the world , till their years and
experience fitted them for the cares and duties of life , and then weak humanity gave way to the temper , and the erstwhile Christian wife and mother departed from the path of virtue . But why should the frailties of the few be
noted , when the world is full of noble men who exemplif y in their daily lives the moral teachings of Freemasonry and Christianity ? Why shonld we observe tbe fall of one unfortunate woman , unless to pity and reclaim , when the influence of Christian wives and mothers , daughters and
Mystery.
sisters , have made so many Uvea sublime ; have been the pillar of strength , the column of beauty and the capstone of virtue to every great moral reform since the days of civilisation ? I deny the right of any person to stand outside tho
mystery of religion or" Freemasonry and criticise thoir power for good . Such a criticism is manifestly mistaken and unfair . As light sprang from the tomb of impenetrable darkness , glorifying the heavens , warming and vivifying the earth , and filling with life and beauty that which
was without form and void , " so the science of the mystery of Freemasonry , springing from the dark avenues of the remote past , throws its refulgent beams over tho pathway of man ; breaks through the dark clouds of superstition , draws aside tho veil of ignorance and falls like a heavenly benediction upon his wayward heart .
As the tent of tbe Indian recedes before the tread ol tho
pioneer ; as night gives away to approaching dawn , so bigotry and intoleronce givo away before the moral teachings of Freemasonry . These facts aro indisputable and undeniable , and while Masonry has the Bible for her compass and sails not a
point away from the north star of her teachings , it can sail over all the foaming seas of bigotry ever invented by man or inspired by the devil , as safely as tho albatross sleeps upon the tossing wave , and as truly as the dovo wings her way to her cot .
When Ulysses , the mythological hero , was married to the beautiful Penelope , and the happy pair were about to sail for the groom ' s home in Ithaca , the bride ' s father attempted to dissuade her from leaving the ancestral home .
He pictured his lonely life and childless old ago in such pathetic language that even the stern heart of his warrior son-in-law was moved to pity , and he gave his consent for her to go with him or remain with her father .
Penelope dropped her veil and turned away ; her father urged her no longer , but on the spot where they parted was erected a statue to modesty . Penelope owed a daughter ' s duty to her father , but the duties of the wife were paramount to those of the daughter . Masons owo certain duties to the world which are in nowise to bo
neglected , but they owo paramount duties to themselves . By living moral and upright lives before the world and by dropping the veil of mystery before their temple , and by allowing none to pass through the door of the preparation room , who by nature or habit are unfitted to become
"living stones in that spiritual building eternal in the heavens " before whose awful portals all mankind must pass in judgment , they may reasonably hope to set an example before the profane , worthy of imitation , and leave a monument to virtue " more enduring than brass , moro splendid than gems of the Orient . "—Voice of Masonry .
At the January meeting of the St . Michael ' s Lodge , No . 211 , Bro . Harry Nasb , tbe S . W . of the pasfc year , was unanimously elected W . M . for the ensuing twelve months ,
Bro . Alfred Green P . M . was re-elected Treasurer . Bro . Spawforth was raised , and Bro . Hall passed . The installation meeting will take place on Tuesday , tbe llth instant .
The Masons of Otley have for several years past held a ball at Otley , in aid of the Masonic Charities , and on Friday , the 24 th ult ., another enjoyable gathering took
place in the Mechanics' Hall , which was luxuriously furnished and decorated for the occasion . There was a large and fashionable attendance . Mr . H . Fall ' s band ocenpiod the orchestra .
On and after Monday , the 3 rd instanfc , the St . James ' s Union Lodge of Instruction , No . 180 , will meet at the St . James ' s Restaurant ( Piccadilly entrance ) . Bro . Ernest Farwig P . M . is the Preceptor . The Lodge will be opened every Monday evening , at 8 o ' clock precisely .
Ad00302
/ 'lOLEMAN'S LJEBIG'S EXTEACT OF MEAT and MALT V . ' WINE . —A 2 s 9 d bottle of this celebrated wine sent free by Parcels Pest for 33 stamps . Over 2 > 000 testimonials received from medical men . COLEMAN & CO ., LIMIT : * - ]* - , NORWICH . Sold everywhere .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Mystery.
mysterious and unknown sea , till a continent arose with a majestic sweep across his bow , and millions of men , who enjoy freedom , divested of king-craft and
bigotryfreedom , from which the chaff of persecution and abrid gment of personalities has been winnowed by tho zephyrs of lih ^ rty—will speak his namo with grateful lips through all the coming ages .
Had this lovo for the mysterious been left out of our nature , this land of freedom had beeu unknown ; the inspiration of liberty had never been felt ; the patriotism which renders this country invincible in war , and noblo and just in peace , respected abroad and revered at home , had been an unknown quantity .
The roar of the mighty cataract of tho Great Falls of tho Missouri river , whose reverberations almost reach our ears from this place , the ponderous force soon to bo harnessed for tho use of man , would only reach the ears of wild men and savage beasts . This little city , bright and
beautiful as an artists dream , soon to bo the seat of industry where happy homes will multiply , where free schools , free churches and a free press shall join hand in hand with an elbow touch that makes tho whole "jjrorld akin , in the grand march towards tho very pinnacle of
earthly happiness , had not been a possibility . Great is mystery ? Most Worshipful sir , no words of mine can add to the glory or detract from the fame of the mystery of Ancient
Craft Masonry . Earth ' s most celebrated orators and most grave and reverend philosophers have sounded its praises , enriched its literature and widened the circle of its influence , since Apollo first turned his lyre .
My brethren , the cement of my weak philosophy can add nothing to tho Temple whose foundations were laid upon the bed-rock of Eternal Truth , before Miriam , the exalted , " sounded the loud timbrel o ' er Egypt ' s dark sea , " the ark of whose covenant was guarded by tho angels of the Most
High ; ages before Nebuchadnezzar swung the gardens of Semiramis in tho air , or herded with the beasts on Chaldean plains ; whoso brazen pillars held the deposits of the Craft before the wolf-suckled twins laid the foundations of the Roman empire , or mediated the Sabine rape to
gratify tho lusts of their thick-necked followers ; whose glittering minarets pointed to the Pleiades centuries before the egotistical Xerxes wedded the ocean waves in his pride or scourged thorn in his disappointment and fury ; whoso
" Holy of Holies" was filled with the glory of Divine presence , while the material for tho Sphynx still slumbered in the mountains which guarded the valley of the historic Nile , and before Thebes opened her hundred gates to tho armed hosts of Rameses . Great indeed is the
antiquity of tho mystery of Freemasonry . It seems to gratify the inmost nature of the pessimist to note tho failings of humanity . He scornfully points the
skeleton finger of his criticism at the professed Christian wbo in a moment of weakness succumbs to the wiles of the ungodly , and inwardly thanks the gods that he is not as other men . He remarks with evident satisfaction that
" Masons are not always patterns of morality and virtue , " as they should be , and condemns the mystery of religion and Masonry as unworthy of esteem ; he fails to see " sermons in stones , " and good in every thing , but sets
himself up as a judge of the frailties of his brother man , forgetting the charitible instincts of the human heart , which admit that man never yet attained perfection , and fails to remember with reverential awe that Divinity has said " Judge not . "
I acknowledge with sorrow that Masons and Christians alike , being human , aro liable to err—neither the one nor tho other will deny the fact . Lucifer was an angel of light , but he fell . Men have led good and pure lives , walking uprightly
before God and man , till age bleached their locks and bent their forms , and then ended their days in a felon ' s cell . Women have attained motherhood , led prattling cbildren to the feet of the Saviour , guided their tender feet through tho intricate paths of the world , till their years and
experience fitted them for the cares and duties of life , and then weak humanity gave way to the temper , and the erstwhile Christian wife and mother departed from the path of virtue . But why should the frailties of the few be
noted , when the world is full of noble men who exemplif y in their daily lives the moral teachings of Freemasonry and Christianity ? Why shonld we observe tbe fall of one unfortunate woman , unless to pity and reclaim , when the influence of Christian wives and mothers , daughters and
Mystery.
sisters , have made so many Uvea sublime ; have been the pillar of strength , the column of beauty and the capstone of virtue to every great moral reform since the days of civilisation ? I deny the right of any person to stand outside tho
mystery of religion or" Freemasonry and criticise thoir power for good . Such a criticism is manifestly mistaken and unfair . As light sprang from the tomb of impenetrable darkness , glorifying the heavens , warming and vivifying the earth , and filling with life and beauty that which
was without form and void , " so the science of the mystery of Freemasonry , springing from the dark avenues of the remote past , throws its refulgent beams over tho pathway of man ; breaks through the dark clouds of superstition , draws aside tho veil of ignorance and falls like a heavenly benediction upon his wayward heart .
As the tent of tbe Indian recedes before the tread ol tho
pioneer ; as night gives away to approaching dawn , so bigotry and intoleronce givo away before the moral teachings of Freemasonry . These facts aro indisputable and undeniable , and while Masonry has the Bible for her compass and sails not a
point away from the north star of her teachings , it can sail over all the foaming seas of bigotry ever invented by man or inspired by the devil , as safely as tho albatross sleeps upon the tossing wave , and as truly as the dovo wings her way to her cot .
When Ulysses , the mythological hero , was married to the beautiful Penelope , and the happy pair were about to sail for the groom ' s home in Ithaca , the bride ' s father attempted to dissuade her from leaving the ancestral home .
He pictured his lonely life and childless old ago in such pathetic language that even the stern heart of his warrior son-in-law was moved to pity , and he gave his consent for her to go with him or remain with her father .
Penelope dropped her veil and turned away ; her father urged her no longer , but on the spot where they parted was erected a statue to modesty . Penelope owed a daughter ' s duty to her father , but the duties of the wife were paramount to those of the daughter . Masons owo certain duties to the world which are in nowise to bo
neglected , but they owo paramount duties to themselves . By living moral and upright lives before the world and by dropping the veil of mystery before their temple , and by allowing none to pass through the door of the preparation room , who by nature or habit are unfitted to become
"living stones in that spiritual building eternal in the heavens " before whose awful portals all mankind must pass in judgment , they may reasonably hope to set an example before the profane , worthy of imitation , and leave a monument to virtue " more enduring than brass , moro splendid than gems of the Orient . "—Voice of Masonry .
At the January meeting of the St . Michael ' s Lodge , No . 211 , Bro . Harry Nasb , tbe S . W . of the pasfc year , was unanimously elected W . M . for the ensuing twelve months ,
Bro . Alfred Green P . M . was re-elected Treasurer . Bro . Spawforth was raised , and Bro . Hall passed . The installation meeting will take place on Tuesday , tbe llth instant .
The Masons of Otley have for several years past held a ball at Otley , in aid of the Masonic Charities , and on Friday , the 24 th ult ., another enjoyable gathering took
place in the Mechanics' Hall , which was luxuriously furnished and decorated for the occasion . There was a large and fashionable attendance . Mr . H . Fall ' s band ocenpiod the orchestra .
On and after Monday , the 3 rd instanfc , the St . James ' s Union Lodge of Instruction , No . 180 , will meet at the St . James ' s Restaurant ( Piccadilly entrance ) . Bro . Ernest Farwig P . M . is the Preceptor . The Lodge will be opened every Monday evening , at 8 o ' clock precisely .
Ad00302
/ 'lOLEMAN'S LJEBIG'S EXTEACT OF MEAT and MALT V . ' WINE . —A 2 s 9 d bottle of this celebrated wine sent free by Parcels Pest for 33 stamps . Over 2 > 000 testimonials received from medical men . COLEMAN & CO ., LIMIT : * - ]* - , NORWICH . Sold everywhere .