Uniformity Of Masonic Work.

accommodation of tho building was utilised for a concert to advance the welfare of a local Masonic charity fund , and yet further off we hear of an Australian Lodge proposing to start an Institution similar to tho London Girls' School , to mark the jubilee of tho Lodgo and tho introduction of

Freemasonry into Victoria , and promising a donation of £ 100 to start with . These are points which prove the uniformity which exists in Freemasonry , and we are of opinion that much more good is likely to arise

from a judicious publication of details of these proceedings than the repetition of such ideas as those referred to above , and which , we must repeat , are very much out of place in the pages where they appear .

The Personal Impressions Of An Entered Apprentice.

THE PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS OF AN ENTERED APPRENTICE .

I AM now a Master Mason , but would place on record my first impressions of Freemasonry ; for these , I know now , must be somewhat different from those of other Brethren . The sun ' s rays have not tbe same effect on every part of the inorganic world ; they will work variously on the organic and diversified kingdom of men .

Thoy will work wonders on prepared soil , and still greater wonders on a prepared mind . There aro complaints that there is no instruction by way of preparation for initiation into tho " Ancient Order " but I will make no secret of my beliof that I was inwardly and providentially prepared for

tho step . Among tho generations of mon of my family , I havo heard of none who were Masons , or who left the country of their birth ; and yet , after my rapid course through tho three degrees in the East , I saw the significance of my family motto , " Omne Bolum patria . " This is

only half of tho Masonic proverb , but it points to Freemasonry in tho earlier annals of my race . My people were strongly puritan in the last few generations , but out of them I made a new departure into the revived ritual of Anglo-Catholicism . Thus , at a mature age , and without

promptings from my family , I was led to a wider vision of the world in the East , and of the practices of the primitive and Catholic Christians . Such was tho mind which the light of Masonry first found in me on which to work . 1 humbly trust it was the prepared

soil of the Husbandman . But what was the motive power of my candidature , and what object had I in view ? Perhaps few Masons will care to answer such questions for themselves . ( 1 ) . A great motive power of religion is association , and I find it a great power in Freemasonry .

Yet the secrecy of the Craft impedes proselytism , Beforo my initiation I was struck with the reticence of two friends who were Masons . I am more struck now with the answer of one of them to my question , as to whether it would bo a good thing to join . The

answer was that of a Master , indeed * . " It would be worth your while to consider it . " The almost silent example of two good men drew me into Freemasonry . Without association with them I could not have taken the Craft on trust , as to the nature of the obligations to be imposed on

me . So are good and true Masons a power among men ; but the motive power with me was none the less providential . ( 2 ) Some men , perhaps , join from motives of mere curiosity . My object will have been gathered from what has been written ; or , if not , it seems to me sufficient

to have " considered " ( in the language of the Master ) the questions before me in the alternative—that of joining or not joining ; and to have answered , that rejection of a course laid open , when it is apparently free . from all injection , may involve danger or amount to sin . So much for impressions before joining .

It will have been seen that my mind was prepared for ritual , though I forgot to mention that one of my friends before mentioned was fond of it . I am told that some Masons rather deprecate it . Some , I see , are amused at it . I was much impressed by it , and

should , I think , have been recommended to make my intended initiation a matter of prayerful preparation for entrance into a most solemn Order . Some of the ritual carried me back centuries in thought , and most of it confirmed my preconceived ideas of its value . Who that

The Personal Impressions Of An Entered Apprentice.

really reads it cannot see , without reading Craft lore , that , joined with its universal symbolism , it cannot lie , in its significance of eternal verities , in relation to God and man ? The near presentation of those verities , in ritual and symbol , has not ceased to make on my fmind , as it did on my

initiation , a deep and most helpful impression , which amounts to conviction most absolute , of tbe nearness and truth of tho things unseen . Divinely instituted , with full knowledgo of the hearts and minds and needs fof men , ritual and symbol bad their power among the gjows , in

preparation for Christianity . The Divine mind " and the heart ' s minds and needs of men are still the same , and tho power remains . The Fraternity knows this : the Catholic churches know it , and will not throw away such strong aids to faith . They are strong aids also to reverence ,

obedience and order ; or , at least , such wore the impressions of an Entered Apprentice , whose other reflection is , that his motto before mentioned reads providentially in intercourse with Christian , Parsee and Hindu Brethren in a Lodge in the East . —Madras Masonic Review .

A Power Of Good.

A POWER OF GOOD .

^ ^ H & RE aro three implements placed vn tbe bands an operative Mason , whioh aro to bo used by him to tho host advantage . These aro tho square , the plumb and the level , and members of the Masonic fraternity should always remember tho great moral truths which they inculcate , for each emblem illustrates principles of their great

brotherhood , preserved during ages , and not only promoting tho best interest of the members , but of manhood at large . What hallowed reminiscences are connocted with Masonry ! Able scholars have written many chapters on the origin and development of the Craft , but the subject ia by no means exhausted .

Wo aro referred to that glorious period of history , when King Solomon erected tho grand temple at Jerusalem , arid when a large number of Entorod Approntices , Fellow Crafts , Master Masons and Overseers were assigned their respectivo work , which they accomplished so successfully

that the great edifice , wheu completed , " had tho appearance more of tbe handiwork of God than that of human hands . " It is asserted that without the mystic tie , the temple , that magnificent work of architecture , could not have been so successfully completed . Other writers

claim for Masonry still greater antiquity . Suffice it , however , in saying , that among all tho nations of the earth , and in almost every language , our brotherhood has been ,

and is to-day , a power of good , lending us onward aud upward to a higher plane . There aro no retrogressive steps perceptible in its long career , for it has over proclaimed principles upon which the true progress of mankind is based .

The equality of the human race , as so beautifully expressed in Sacred Writ , tho Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man , is illustrated by the level . We should be united into one great brotherhood . Masonry recognises no rank or distinction , no creed or nationality . History

records the strife and contention , ending very often in bloody wars , in consequence of a wrong conception as to what constituted true humanity , or what privileges man shall possess . Masonry always proclaimed tolerance and liberty , thus rendering valuable services in the progress of the human family .

Masonry honours every con & ciencious belief ; provided , however , that the candidate who seeks admission must recognise the great I Am , the Creator and Preserver of this universe . Through our impressive ceremonies tho candidates are encouraged and strengthened in every just

duty . While we carefully inquire into the standing of all applicants , we must bear in mind that it ia not what a man believes , but what he practices , which is the true test-point how he should be judged . We assert , however , that tbe candidate for Masonry requires peculiar qualifications .

This is often not understood as it should be , as many Lodges , too eager of enlarging their membership , bear not in mind that it is not the quantity , but the quality which should actuate us . Those not possessed of a charitable disposition and kindness of heart should always be rejected , no matter what otherwise their qualifications may bo . One of the principal aims of Freemasonry is to olovato its members to a higher plane , in the same manner as the