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Article MEETINGS NEXT WEEK. ← Page 2 of 2 Article MEETINGS NEXT WEEK. Page 2 of 2 Article THE LOST WORD. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Meetings Next Week.
have the declaration made by the candidate in the presence of a few Brethren , and not embodied in the ceremony as at present . The practice has so much to commend it that it might well be universally adopted . It tended to fit the candidate ' s mind for the reception of the precepts that
followed , and convince him that the first steps to Freemasonry required serious reflection and could not be taken thoughtlessly or rashly as , it may be feared , they too often are . Much , therefore depends upon the Brother who is passed out to perform this important function . With a little tact he
can , m a measure , prepare the mind of the candidate for the ordeal . A word or two in season during the brief delay , which is associated in many of our experiences with a feeling
bordering on anxiety , will make the subsequent development of the system all the more intelligible and interesting , provided , and herein lies the rub , the ceremony is given with due forcibility , intelligence and eloquence .
If the delivery of the beautiful words and sentiments of our ritual lack the above qualities , in even an ordinary degree , the first impression of the candidate cannot be a favourable one . If they are gabbled over , or mouthed , without any regard to emphasis or expression , as we have heard
them , times out of number , we pity the intelligence of the candidate that could allow him to be impressed , or even interested in the ceremony in the slightest degree . To get off a degree pat , and gabble it over with the air of a man
racing against time , is labour and energy thrown away . Such a feat of memory in no wise constitutes a capacity for giving a degree ; indeed , to use the well-known quotation , " it shows a pitiful lack of ambition in the man who uses it . "
A Master may be a good executive officer , popular and a credit to his position , yet a signal failure in giving degrees . It is a difficult matter to suggest a remedy . The inability to confer a degree should not in our opinion be quoted as a point in his disfavour , provided he possesses the more
important qualities requisite in a Master . " True and trusty , of good report , held in high estimation among his Brethren , courteous in demeanour , easy of address , of exemplary character , steady and firm in principle . " These are the qualifications necessary . If added to these he possesses the
gift of eloquence and a good memory , there is little else wanting . Failing these latter qualities some provision should be made for conferring degrees , as it is expedient our candidates have the teachings of the Fraternity brought before them , in the first instance especially , in an impressive and forcible manner .
It would be , of course , too delicate a matter to suggest to a Worshipful Master , who could just manage to struggle through a degree , that it would be better if he allowed some other Worshipful Brother to undertake the work . It would probably give him offence or at least hurt his feelings .
The only way out of the difficulty , as it seems to us , is to appoint a Preceptor from the Past Masters , one who has been more than ordinarily successful in conferring degrees and look to him to perform this duty and arrange ceremonies .
Such an office would be no sinecure . Its holder would have to make himself conversant with the tracing boards and lectures , and be ready to deliver them whenever opportunity afforded .
It might be here mentioned that a great number of Brethren have never heard either . In our Presidency towns , where there are regular Lodges of Instruction , the facility may be often afforded , but except on rare occasions , members of Mofussil Lodges do not hear any explanation of the
tracing boards from one year ' s end to the other and get no opportunity of participating in the lectures in a lifetime . This question mi . g-ht be dwelt upon at length , but to do so here would digress from our present subject , to which we
must now revert . The junior Officers of a Lodge should be perfect in their respective parts , or the first impressions of a candidate are as likely to be perverted as from any of the other causes we have mentioned .
Though we may not have experienced the feeling ourselves , we can realise without much difficulty what the reflections of a candidate of ordinary intelligence must be , when he hears the incessant prompting from the far end of
the room directed to his guide , whose faltering words must plainly reveal the fact to the candidate that he is himself at the mercy of an instructor , who personally needs instruction . How can it be possible for a candidate , under such
circumstances , to De impressed by the ceremony of his first degree ? As it is but a very short step from the sublime to the ridiculous , equally easily can our ceremonies be trans-
Meetings Next Week.
formed from the height of beauty of thought , word and action , to almost meaningless gestures and senseless jargon . It is very easy to make a man a Freemason to all external appearance , but a more difficult matter to make him one " in
his heart , " nay , well nigh impossible ,, unless his initiation has been conducted from first to last with earnestness , accuracy and order , and an entire absence of all undue haste and flurry . — " Indian Freemason . "
The Lost Word.
THE LOST WORD .
THE following instructive address was delivered by Companion Francis W . Hemporly H . P . of Temple R . A . Chapter , No . 248 , Philadelphia . " In all the oriental mysteries , as well as in Masonic tradition and in the Hebrew Scriptures , much space and
deep interest are given to an ineffable name which was once known , afterwards lost and again restored to men . It would be very interesting to trace the relations of these various teachinp-s , and to show that in all probability they have had a common origin . But to-night we do not intend to make a
scholarly disquisition upon the subject . It is our aim to call the attention of the Companions to one or two points which may serve to awaken an interest in the subject and possibly at some future time call forth an investigation which will result in a richer reward to the patient student .
" We are told that our three Grand Masters , Solomon , King of Israel , Hiram , King of Tyre , and Hiram , the architect , had agreed upon a word which was to be the secret word as a Master Mason , and that it was to be conferred upon the more meritorious of the Fellow Craft at
the completion of the temple , but that it was to be conferred only in the presence of the three . For a well Known reason this word , which they had deposited in a secret vault for safe keeping , was lost . It could not be conferred upon the Fellow Craft . It remained hidden away in the depths of
the earth beneath the temple which was destroyed above it , and there lay concealed until after tire Kingdom of Judah , which had been carried away into captivity , had served the King of Babylon for several years and finally , after a period of 470 years , the word was found and restored to the knowledge of the children of Israel .
" This word was the mysterious name of the Divine Being—the name which God himself gave to Moses out of the ourning bush . It was that name which means in the Hebrew language , ' I am He who is , ' the only uncreated and the self-existent creator of all . This is my name forever , and this is my memorial to all generations .
" It would be exceedingly interesting to take up the signification of this name ; to show how it is composed of peculiar consonants and vowels ; to notice that , in the ancient Flebrew language the word was never written with the vowel points attached , but that the true pronunciation
was a matter of oral tradition , and mat even to this day there are grave doubts as to the true pronunciation of the word . What we wish especially to bring before you is the practical lessons which are contained in the bosom of the magnificent teachings of Freemasonry . We have always felt that the ? doctrines of our ancient teachers have been builded for all
time and for all men . In their simple letters they attract and interest those who , as Entered Apprentices , have just passed over the threshold . And as they advance in know ledge and skill , the lessons of wisdom become more aud more open , until finally , when they are regarded as proper
to be made Masters , when the genuine spiritual temple symbolised by the temple of Solomon has been erected within them , then it is , and not before , that the ancient , true , and secret word of a Master Mason can be given and understood by them .
" In a certain sense every man travels over this road from infancy to manhood . The loving lessons of the innocent days of childhood are taught by the affectionate counsels of mother and of father , and the angels which hover around the cradle of the sleeping infant fill the fair pages of
its tender mind with the bright pictures of an inner paradise . The representatives of the three ancient Grand Masters are concerned in the structure of this spiritual temple in every human soul . They are the wisdom of Solomon , the Tyrian
king with his store of rational knowledge , which are the cedars of Lebanon and the practical application of these things in the uses of the daily life b y the cunning mind of the widow ' s son who was skilled in all manner of work , £ ut
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Meetings Next Week.
have the declaration made by the candidate in the presence of a few Brethren , and not embodied in the ceremony as at present . The practice has so much to commend it that it might well be universally adopted . It tended to fit the candidate ' s mind for the reception of the precepts that
followed , and convince him that the first steps to Freemasonry required serious reflection and could not be taken thoughtlessly or rashly as , it may be feared , they too often are . Much , therefore depends upon the Brother who is passed out to perform this important function . With a little tact he
can , m a measure , prepare the mind of the candidate for the ordeal . A word or two in season during the brief delay , which is associated in many of our experiences with a feeling
bordering on anxiety , will make the subsequent development of the system all the more intelligible and interesting , provided , and herein lies the rub , the ceremony is given with due forcibility , intelligence and eloquence .
If the delivery of the beautiful words and sentiments of our ritual lack the above qualities , in even an ordinary degree , the first impression of the candidate cannot be a favourable one . If they are gabbled over , or mouthed , without any regard to emphasis or expression , as we have heard
them , times out of number , we pity the intelligence of the candidate that could allow him to be impressed , or even interested in the ceremony in the slightest degree . To get off a degree pat , and gabble it over with the air of a man
racing against time , is labour and energy thrown away . Such a feat of memory in no wise constitutes a capacity for giving a degree ; indeed , to use the well-known quotation , " it shows a pitiful lack of ambition in the man who uses it . "
A Master may be a good executive officer , popular and a credit to his position , yet a signal failure in giving degrees . It is a difficult matter to suggest a remedy . The inability to confer a degree should not in our opinion be quoted as a point in his disfavour , provided he possesses the more
important qualities requisite in a Master . " True and trusty , of good report , held in high estimation among his Brethren , courteous in demeanour , easy of address , of exemplary character , steady and firm in principle . " These are the qualifications necessary . If added to these he possesses the
gift of eloquence and a good memory , there is little else wanting . Failing these latter qualities some provision should be made for conferring degrees , as it is expedient our candidates have the teachings of the Fraternity brought before them , in the first instance especially , in an impressive and forcible manner .
It would be , of course , too delicate a matter to suggest to a Worshipful Master , who could just manage to struggle through a degree , that it would be better if he allowed some other Worshipful Brother to undertake the work . It would probably give him offence or at least hurt his feelings .
The only way out of the difficulty , as it seems to us , is to appoint a Preceptor from the Past Masters , one who has been more than ordinarily successful in conferring degrees and look to him to perform this duty and arrange ceremonies .
Such an office would be no sinecure . Its holder would have to make himself conversant with the tracing boards and lectures , and be ready to deliver them whenever opportunity afforded .
It might be here mentioned that a great number of Brethren have never heard either . In our Presidency towns , where there are regular Lodges of Instruction , the facility may be often afforded , but except on rare occasions , members of Mofussil Lodges do not hear any explanation of the
tracing boards from one year ' s end to the other and get no opportunity of participating in the lectures in a lifetime . This question mi . g-ht be dwelt upon at length , but to do so here would digress from our present subject , to which we
must now revert . The junior Officers of a Lodge should be perfect in their respective parts , or the first impressions of a candidate are as likely to be perverted as from any of the other causes we have mentioned .
Though we may not have experienced the feeling ourselves , we can realise without much difficulty what the reflections of a candidate of ordinary intelligence must be , when he hears the incessant prompting from the far end of
the room directed to his guide , whose faltering words must plainly reveal the fact to the candidate that he is himself at the mercy of an instructor , who personally needs instruction . How can it be possible for a candidate , under such
circumstances , to De impressed by the ceremony of his first degree ? As it is but a very short step from the sublime to the ridiculous , equally easily can our ceremonies be trans-
Meetings Next Week.
formed from the height of beauty of thought , word and action , to almost meaningless gestures and senseless jargon . It is very easy to make a man a Freemason to all external appearance , but a more difficult matter to make him one " in
his heart , " nay , well nigh impossible ,, unless his initiation has been conducted from first to last with earnestness , accuracy and order , and an entire absence of all undue haste and flurry . — " Indian Freemason . "
The Lost Word.
THE LOST WORD .
THE following instructive address was delivered by Companion Francis W . Hemporly H . P . of Temple R . A . Chapter , No . 248 , Philadelphia . " In all the oriental mysteries , as well as in Masonic tradition and in the Hebrew Scriptures , much space and
deep interest are given to an ineffable name which was once known , afterwards lost and again restored to men . It would be very interesting to trace the relations of these various teachinp-s , and to show that in all probability they have had a common origin . But to-night we do not intend to make a
scholarly disquisition upon the subject . It is our aim to call the attention of the Companions to one or two points which may serve to awaken an interest in the subject and possibly at some future time call forth an investigation which will result in a richer reward to the patient student .
" We are told that our three Grand Masters , Solomon , King of Israel , Hiram , King of Tyre , and Hiram , the architect , had agreed upon a word which was to be the secret word as a Master Mason , and that it was to be conferred upon the more meritorious of the Fellow Craft at
the completion of the temple , but that it was to be conferred only in the presence of the three . For a well Known reason this word , which they had deposited in a secret vault for safe keeping , was lost . It could not be conferred upon the Fellow Craft . It remained hidden away in the depths of
the earth beneath the temple which was destroyed above it , and there lay concealed until after tire Kingdom of Judah , which had been carried away into captivity , had served the King of Babylon for several years and finally , after a period of 470 years , the word was found and restored to the knowledge of the children of Israel .
" This word was the mysterious name of the Divine Being—the name which God himself gave to Moses out of the ourning bush . It was that name which means in the Hebrew language , ' I am He who is , ' the only uncreated and the self-existent creator of all . This is my name forever , and this is my memorial to all generations .
" It would be exceedingly interesting to take up the signification of this name ; to show how it is composed of peculiar consonants and vowels ; to notice that , in the ancient Flebrew language the word was never written with the vowel points attached , but that the true pronunciation
was a matter of oral tradition , and mat even to this day there are grave doubts as to the true pronunciation of the word . What we wish especially to bring before you is the practical lessons which are contained in the bosom of the magnificent teachings of Freemasonry . We have always felt that the ? doctrines of our ancient teachers have been builded for all
time and for all men . In their simple letters they attract and interest those who , as Entered Apprentices , have just passed over the threshold . And as they advance in know ledge and skill , the lessons of wisdom become more aud more open , until finally , when they are regarded as proper
to be made Masters , when the genuine spiritual temple symbolised by the temple of Solomon has been erected within them , then it is , and not before , that the ancient , true , and secret word of a Master Mason can be given and understood by them .
" In a certain sense every man travels over this road from infancy to manhood . The loving lessons of the innocent days of childhood are taught by the affectionate counsels of mother and of father , and the angels which hover around the cradle of the sleeping infant fill the fair pages of
its tender mind with the bright pictures of an inner paradise . The representatives of the three ancient Grand Masters are concerned in the structure of this spiritual temple in every human soul . They are the wisdom of Solomon , the Tyrian
king with his store of rational knowledge , which are the cedars of Lebanon and the practical application of these things in the uses of the daily life b y the cunning mind of the widow ' s son who was skilled in all manner of work , £ ut