South Australian Foundation-Stone Laying.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION-STONE LAYING .

A GREAT deal of interest has been centered for some time in the preparations for the laying of the foundation-stone of the new building which is to be erected for the use of the parishioners of St . Paul's Church , Port Pirie . The ceremony had been fixed for a date to coincide with the annual installation of Officers of the Pirie Lodge .

The Bishop of Adelaide , Eight Bev . Dr . Harmer , acted for the Most Worshipful the Grand Master of Freemasons of South Australia , and was assisted by a number of Grand Officers . A luncheon was provided by the ladies of St . Paul ' s , in the International Hall , invitations having been extended to the Wardens and other Officers of the Church , and the visiting clergy and Masons , numbering in all about eighty .

The Eev . A . G . King , Incumbent of St . Paul ' s , eloquently proposed the toast of the Visitors . The Bishop , in a very happy speech , gave " Our Host and Hostesses . " He said there was nothing more stimulating than a visit to Port Pirie if anyone wished to see an object lesson .

They were reminded , by the leaps and bounds which Port Pirie was taking , of the marsupial emblem of the colony . He referred to Port Pirie as a place of increasing progress , independent of the rainfall , and thanked them for the fraternal spirit and hospitality displayed by the residents . He also thanked them on behalf of the many visitors , some of whom had come great distances .

The ceremony of laying the stone took place at half past three , and at that time there must have been quite 700 persons present . After the chanting of versicles by the Bishop and choir , Archdeacon French offered prayers , and then , while the stone was being prepared , the choir , under the direction of Mr . Harry Clark ,

sang hymn 394 . The Bishop , as Acting Grand Master , gave an address usual to the occasion . The Grand Chaplain the Eev . W . A . Swan recited the Masonic prayer applicable to the event , after which the Bishop said— " I now declare it to be my will and

pleasure that the corner-stone of this Church be now laid . " Dr . Harmer was presented which a silver-mounted mallet , the gift of the contractors , Messrs . G . Beer and Sons , and a beautifully chased silver trowel , the gift of Messrs . Whitthard , Lawton , and Wishart , the builders .

The Bishop , in acknowledging the presentation , said he would always value the mallet and trowel as mementoes of that interesting day . He felt that the work begun in such an auspicious manner would be carried to a complete and successful issue , and not only be an ornament to the town , but the place of God , and worthy of dedication and consecration to His service .

A jar placed in a cavity of the stone contained copies of the " Eegister" and " Advertiser" and tbe local papers , and parchment documents of the Church outlining the history of Port Pirie . The stone having been lowered into position the emblems

of consecration—corn , wine , and oil—were poured upon it by the Acting Deputy G . M . Brother J . H . Cunningham , the Grand Senior Warden Brother R . McMichen , and the Grand Junior Warden Brother J . Evans .

The Acting Grand Master said : —Brethren , — We are an Ancient Fraternity , which from its earliest days has been identified with all that is beautiful and grand in architecture , and you will therefore be proud to have aided me , as I have been proud to work with you , in laying the corner-stone of the nave of this

building , which by the beauty of its design and the solidity of its construction , will , we trust , be an ornament to this town and province for centuries to come . But , Brethren , it is something far more than this . It is a Temple erected to the glory and worship of our Heavenly Father , the Great Architect and Creator

of all things . And whatever minor differences there may be amongst us , I feel sure that the same spirit must be in your minds this day which animated the Jews of old when , as Ezra tells us , " the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord , and they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets , to

praise the Lord , after the ordinance of David king of Israel , And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord : because He is good , for His mercy endureth for ever And all the people shouted with a great shout , when they praised the Lord , because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid . "

The Hon . Architect , Mr . W . K . Mallyon , was presented by the W . M . of the Pirie Lodge Brother D . 0 . Scott to the Acting Grand Master . Archdeacon French offered up prayer , and the Dean of Adelaide pronounced the dedication prayer . The Eev . A . G . King also offered prayer .

The ceremony , which will long be remembered in Port Pirie , was a most imposing one , and the weather was perfect . After the conclusion of the ceremony a subscription was made for the purpose of erecting a memorial window in the new Church , and the response was so hearty that a sufficient sum . was raised . — " Adelaide Observer . "

The Universality Of Masonry.

THE UNIVERSALITY OF MASONRY .

NO nobler epitaph can be written of a man after his labours are over than to place over him the statement that he was an upright man and a Mason . To be a Mason is to be a member of a Fraternity which has no superior in the civilised world . A Brotherhood as exalted as the Star or Garter , and yet which has its followers in every clime , land and zone , and in every creed , sect or party .

An American statesman , speaking of the glory of the military strength of the British Empire , said that " it had dotted over the surface of the whole world with her possessions and military posts , whose morning drum beat , following the sun and keeping company with the hours , circles the globe with one continuous strain of

the martial airs of England . " Masonry has no martial airs to sound . No bugle call of battle or morning gun ; but sends instead a message of peace with the morning dawn , and when the labours of the day are ended calls the Craftsmen to refreshment by a labour of love in the sacred precincts of the Lodge .

From east to west , from the frigid wave to the ends of the earth , wherever man has a habitation , Lodges are opened , and the three great mystical lights displayed to our vision . The lessons of MasoDic philosophy have penetrated the wilderness and the desert . Like the sun , it cannot be hidden , and has by its own force spread its genial rays everywhere . Whoever has

saluted its mystical symbols has felt its benign influence , and the desolate , the despondent , the weary everywhere have been benefitted and delighted . In its advance oppression has given way to tolerance , which has in turn made way to civil and religious liberty . And where these are found , there you will find happiness , contentment and social order .

It matters not where Masonry may have had its conception or birth . Its true origin is lost in remotest antiquity . It has , however , always been in the advance for the betterment of humanity . It has never shed blood . It is to-day the magnificent structure of which the temple on Mount Moriah was the pure

symbol . Within its walls and kneeling around its altar are men of every thought , of every mould . The great temple is gone . The rubbish of its ruins obscures its site ; but its influence will remain as long as Masonry is taught , and will be more lasting than tbe pyramids of Egypt .

Masonry has few enemies and many friends . Its strength lies in the breadth of its freedom from dogma . Demanding of no one more than a belief in the sovereignty of one God , no matter by what name our Brother may call him , and that its votaries shall be

" Of body perfect , honest heart , And mind mature in moral art , " its only enemies are those who make creed and dogma weapons of oppression . When the great Master gave his religion to the world it was refused by the then governing classes . Because of its simplicity they could not understand it . A philosophy that has as its text

the golden rule of humanity was an enigma to them . The few enemies that Masonry has to-day may understand this pure philosophy ; though finding also that Masonry is the bulwark of that freedom of conscience which , unfettered by creed , makes the world better , encouraged by the powers of oppression , superstition and ignorance visits its anathemas upon us , which from having had frequent experience of their want of virtue are now treated with indifference .

The pure lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is the germ which , adopted in Masonry , and kept clear of dogma , has caused it to spread throughout the world . The worship of one God , and the exercise of the new commandment which the great teacher gave , has brought all men into common fellowship . Its symbols , teaching great and sublime truths applied in our daily actions , have begotten a kindliness to our Brother that makes it possible for men of all creeds to worship at one altar .

Masonry is everywhere . You may travel the shores of both oceans , across desert , through wilderness , over populous plain or high mountain , the wide world over , and every where you will find Brethren to offer you rest and refreshment . You may not understand the tongue in which you may be greeted , but when

you make the mystical sign , aid will rush to your assistance from unexpected quarters . Men have trained the guns on each other in response to devotion to country , and battle has waged fierce and cruel , yet when the mystical call was made how quick was anger forgotten and you went with succour .

You may visit the Lodge of any tribe or people . Their speech may be a jargon to your ear . You give the word as you and they received it and the doors are opened . The altar may have upon it the writings of Mo 3 es , Confucius , Zoroaster or

Mahomet . If you see there also the mystical symbols to add their illumination you know you are among Brethren who are but cai-rying out the great principles given by the angels on the plains of Judea—" Good will to men . " Men of widely diverse religious and political views , for the maintenance of which they