The Mason's Voyage After Truth.

THE MASON'S VOYAGE AFTER TRUTH .

FROM THE "CANADIAN MASONIC NEWS . " THERE is in every mind a tendency toward knowledge . The reasoning powers of a man are ever active and fruitful , and fitted for generous and enlarged ideas ; and it should . therefore be our great duty , especially as Masons , to find out our peculiar natural bias , and having discovered it , give it proper culture and polish . It is undoubtedly the fact that arts and sciences are not , and

cannot , in tho nature of things , be instantaneously attained ; and it is therefore by study , contemplation , diversity of conversation , and an investigation of a variety of objects , that our judgments are correctly informed , so as to enlarge our knowledge of things . These are tho great channels by which knowledge is most surely and certainly conveyed , and by which the inward perception of our souls ,

though variously exercised , forms not only the hero and philosopher , but also tho husbandman and the mechanician ; and thus arise wisdom , strength and beauty , in magnificent proportions in all our designs . It has been well said , that knowledge and application , or industry , are like two parallel lines , inasmuch as they are always progressive and eqni-distant : and though they aro both generated

by points , may and can be continued without end . When Cadmus brought out of Phoenicia into Greece the Alphabet , it contained but sixteen letters , aud some centuries elapsed before it was perfected to twenty-four ; and wo find , in the time of David , and part of Solomon ' s reign most of the Jews were so ignorant of the libera ] sciences , that tho building of the Temple was mainly owing

to tho skill and learning of Tynan workmen , and especially to tho superior knowledge and skill of one whose untimely fate wo ever commemorate iu our Lodges ; whose mother was a woman of the daughters of Dan , and whose father was a man of Tyre , skilful to work in gold , in silver , in brass , in iron , in stone and in timber ; in purple , in blue , in fine linen and in crimson ; also to engrave any

matter of graving , and to find out every device which might be put to him . This man , Solomon made overseer of all the artists ; and that wisest of kings was not ashamed to secure his assistance , or to seek for knowledge wherever it might be found , and to make a proper use and application of it . This action of Solomon conveys a lesson which ought not to

be lost to the observing and reflective mind , that no one should ever presume to think himself perfect in wisdom , but always endeavour to attain higher degrees by every lawful aud laudable method ; to go step by step in a regular manner as Masons are ever taught , and readily to avail ourselves of all those advantages which the labours and studies of others so liberally afford us .

From considerations such as these , it is apparent that man has a natural right to indulge in speculation , and make researches after truth ; but ho must bear in mind , the more especially if he be a Mason , that he does so under a restriction , that he does not exercise himself in any enquiries that surpass his faculties , but only in those adapted to his capacity , with an intent to improve to the best

advantage whatever he is capable of knowing ; by joining in the language both of heaven and earth , and of the whole universe , which , with one common voice , proclaims the glory of our Grand Master on High , who has created nothing in vain , but has established the most exact agreement between every faculty and its object . He has granted somewhat to all our passions ; but as the

eye is not satisfied with seeing , nor the ear filled with hearing ; as hunger and thirst , though they are daily gratified , ' daily return ; so this passion—this desire of knowledge—though it is delighted with the discovery of every new truth , yet still it seems to yearn after somewhat further—after a higher perfection—after a happy hereafter—that we may be then perfect in knowledge—that we may

then be fully enlightened . Should we at once attempt to trangress this salutary law , we would soon find that in much wisdom is much sorrow , and that he who imprudently endeavours to increase such knowledge increases sorrow . In nature there is evidently a regular gradation . The brute part of the creation comes nearest the human , and somewhat

borders upon it , and though it is not endowed with reason , yet it possesses something approaching it called instinct , the powers of which are variously regulated ; but there aro certain bounds which it was never known to pass . But man is superior to all , and being endowed by our Grand Master with reasoning powers , and He having afforded us objects enough suited to the power of our

faculties , whereby we may exercise all the industry and skill , and parts of the most learned and wise , they ought so to bo employed as to make us more happy and contented , using the compass to mark out our ways ; the square to direct us in our actions , and the plumb line to teach us uprightness : whilst with the level we moderate our desires , and make them regular and even .

It is on principles such as these the Masonic society is established ; upon regulations based upon these principles it is supported . Founded upon this strong and lasting basis , onr speculations become more than a pleasing amusement , by being also a mental improvement , and a practical benefit to ourselves and others . Offices of humanity , benevolence and unanimity are not only hereby deduced ,

and every social pursuit , not only the justifiable , but likewise the laudable , appears among those who are good men and true ; but they continually endeavour also to convince that the works of the Grand Architect of the Universe arc great , aud that we should know as with a full belief , that not to earth is to be confined our aspirations . In their beauties we luxuriate ; with their grandeur we

are overwhelmed , and the eye wanders over mountain , hill and dale to a distance still beyond , where , like Jacob in his vision , we hope to arrive by the aid of that theological ladder , extending from earth to heaven , the three principal rounds of which are Faith Hope and Charity—that faith which admonishes us to have a belief in God—the hope in the existence of an immortality ; and that charity which embraces alp the human family , and of -which we are

The Mason's Voyage After Truth.

Masonically taught that tho last is the greatest of the three ; for though our faith may bo lost in sight , and our hope bo terminated in fruition ; yet our charity will extend beyond the grave—through the boundless realms of eternity . This is the Mason ' s voyage after truth .

Provincial Grand Chapter Of Lanarkshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTER OF LANARKSHIRE .

THIS Chapter held its annual meeting on Friday , 26 th November , in St . Mark ' s Hall , Glasgow . The Provincial Grand Superintendent , Comp . F . A . Barrow 32 ° , presiding as P . G . Z ., assisted by the following Comps .: W . W . Smith P . G . J , as P . G . H ., G . W . Wheeler Z . 73 as P . G . J ., J . Halket Z . 113 P . G . T , J . Balfour P . Z . 73 , 1 st P . G . S ., H . J . Shields Z . 143 as 2 nd P . G . S ., and G . McDonald P . Z . 73 as 3 rd P . G . S . A letter of apology was read from the P . G . S . E .,

stating that , along with tho P . G . S . N ., he had an engagement out of town . The P . G . Superintendent expressed his hope that a greater interest might be manifested in the proceedings of that P . G . C . by the members in the Province ; it looked bad when some of the principal officers were absent , but he was fully determined himself to do all that lay in his power during tho coming year to push

forward Royal Arch Masonry , and to enable him to devote more of his time to it , ho had resigned his office of D . P . G . M . in the P . G . L . of Glasgow . According to the constitution of Scotland , tho appointment of the first four officers rested with him , the others were elected by the Chapter , and he trusted only those would be elected who , by their past labours , had proved

that they where able aud willing to work for the good ot the Order iu the province , for he conceived provincial honours should not be granted as favours , but as the reward of merit . He had , since he came to the meeting , had some doubt as to the propriety of the choice he had himself made , but trusting this was an exceptional case , he would make the appointments now , reserving to

himself the right of revoking them should the duties not be efficiently preformed , and he could not do better than place Comp . Smith in tho office of P . G . H ., the office of J . he would defer for a few days , and in the meantime re-appoint Comps . McTaggart and Eraser as the two P . G . Scribes . The representatives of the 12 Chapters present would now proceed to elect the other office bearers . The following were afterwards declared duly elected , and with the exception of two , who

were unable to bo present , were dulv installed into their places : — Comps . T . Halket P . G . T ., Jas . BalfourP . G . 1 st S ., G . W . Wheeler P . G . 2 nd S ., G . McDonald P . G . 3 rd S ., G . Thallon P . G . C , J . Miller P . G . S . B ., J . Duthie P . G . S . of Marks , J . B . Hardie P . G . Janitor . Arrangements having been made for holding tho Annual Festival in the month of February , the Provincial Grand Chapter was then closed .

New Zealand.

NEW ZEALAND .

AT the annual convocation of the Kilwinning Otago Royal Arch Chapter , No . 11 ( 5 , S . C ., the following office-bearers were duly installed in their various chairs : —Comps . Saunders M . Ex . Z ., Court Ex . H ., R . Greenfield Ex . J ., Fergnsson Scribe E ., Moodie Scribe N ., Mills Treasurer , Singer Conductor and 1 st Sojourner , Seideberg 2 nd Sojourner , Kidd 3 rd Sojourner , Taite R . W . Mark Master , Smith

Janitor . The ceremony was ably conducted by M . Ex . Comp . Caldwell , P . G-, Superintendent of Royal Arch Chapters in New Zealand , holding under the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland , assisted 'by M . Ex . Comp . Saunders . Amongst the visitors present

were Ex . Comps . Eldndge Z ., Ex . Joyce H ., and Ex . Fordyce J ., all of Chapter 844 , E . G . After the installation , the Comps . adjourned to the Criterion Hotel , where a pleasant evening was passed , Host Barker catering in his usual excellent style . —Otago Guardian , 29 th September .

THE LAST Iitisn HARPERS . —The preservation of many of the finest old Irish melodies is due to the late Mr . William Bunting , and origi . natod in this way . Tho rapid decrease of performers on the Irish hnrp suggested tho idea of assembling the remaining harpers dispersed over the different provinces of Ireland . A meeting was accordingly held at Belfast in 1792 , when no more than ten could bo

collected , to whom liberal premiums were distributed according to their merits . Mr . Bunting was appointed to note down the airs played on tho occasion , and cautioned against adding a single note to old melodies which would seem to have passed , in their present state , through a long succession of ages . Though collected from parts dis . tant from each other , and taught from different masters , the harpers

always played them in the same keys , and without variation in any essential passage or note . This circumstance seemed the more extraordinary when it was discovered that the most ancient tunes were , in this respect , tho most perfect , admitting of the addition of a bass with more facility than snch as were less ancient . It was remarked that the instruments used by the harpers were tuned ot one uniform system , though tho performers on them were ignorant o >

the principle . A chief motive in convening this feeble remnant of the bards , was to procure purer copies of tunes already known , and to perpetuate a number of other extremely ancient ones , of which no copies existed , and which were , therefore , the more likely to bo lost . The ends proposed by this meeting , were highly successful , and given to the world in the various collections put forth by Mr , Banting . —Leisure Hour .

READING . —The two Lodges in this ancient Town hare arranged for a Masonic Ball , to take place on he 5 th o January next . We hope to give further pfiv . icnl . irs in n ir next publication .