Symbols.

so , under the cover of these plain , ordinary things , thero are grand , glorious truths . A chestnut burr is an uncomfortable thing to handle , but if yon would get at the sweet kernel within it you must break the rude covering .

So , if one would enjoy and profit by these lessons , of which our Masonic symbolism is so full , he must penetrate the external form by thought , aided by imagination . The man whose soul is full of poetry and music will lay hold of these

hidden things at once , for his mind revels in the field to which our symbols belong , and yet this same gifted one may make no proper use of the lessons so readily acquired . Something further is demanded , and that something is an

inherent manliness , a love of truth and right for its own sake . A thirst for gold inspires men to delve in the mine , to blast down huge mountains of quartz , turn rivers from their long-worn beds , and ransack the very bowels of creation in their eager search . So a thirst for truth will urge

men to pierce the walls wherewith it is hemmed in , and cut their way through every obstacle till they reach the inner sanctum of the God of truth . The external form of the casket may be rough and uncouth , but within are treasures worth all the labour of unlocking them . The

outside of our symbols , the mere form or the arch and pillars , with their chapiters and globes , their lily and pommegranate work , though comely , are but unmeaning shapes . But bring to your aid the ** open sesame " of persistent thought and eager desire after truth , and these same arches and pillars are rich with helpful suggestion

towards a higher and better life . Our symbols are stepping-stones towards that which is mosfc excellent , and we , who are free to climb the inviting way , are surely to be blamed if we fail of reaching the upper plane of that moral ladder whose lowest round stands on a level with

every apprentice , and over whose cloud-veiled top the Supreme Architect stoops down to the humblest of us all , and whispers , " Come np higher . " The motive that induced most of us to knock at the doors of the Lodge was either curiosity or the feeling

that Masonry was an institution to which it was an honour to belong . Curiosity has been satisfied—Masonry has honoured us , and yielded us advantage . Have we also honoured it P We are really an

advantage to Masonry in so far as we are worthy members of the Craft , only in so far as the virtues symbolized on the Master's carpet find place in our lives .

A man may be " well posted , " as the phrase goes , ana yet not be a good Mason , through lack of moral integrity . He may know all that the symbols teach , and have the unwritten work at his tongue ' s end , and yet be a drunkard

and a libertine , a dishonest trickster in bnsiness , or a bold blasphemer of that God to whom at this altar he prayed for help and light , and in whom he professed to put his trust . To use the exhortation of the word of God which graces our altar , "My brethren , these things ought not so

to be . " To say that a man is a Mason ought to be equivalent to an assurance that he is a man to be trusted anywhere and everywhere . It ought to be a voucher for purity and uprightness in all the relations of life . Is it so ?

Is there no stain upon the lambskin , my brother r I am not speaking professionally , nor do I violate the rules of our Order by any attempt to press upon your attention in this place a religious creed . I have used the words , morals and morality , with studied care , for Masonry is not , and does

not claim to be religion , but only an excellent code of morals . I speak as a man and a Mason , as one who deems himself honoured by this badge , and laments that he has not always honoured it . I simply ask your candid , thoughtful attention to the symbols of which I have spoken , and those of the higher degrees of which I have no time to speak , and I ask you , What do these tell us we

as Masons ought to be , and how far do our lives correspond with their teaching ? What King Solomon was , or what was the character of Hiram of Tyre is of comparatively little importance to us of to-day . We are responsible

for our own deeds , and not those of our long-ago buried , royal brothers . The question for us to answer is not , What was Washington ? but What are we ? If we revere the memory of Washington , let our lives be such that we

may dare to claim kinship to him , the good and great , whose ashes sleep at Mount Vernon . Brothers , the sand in the hour-glass is swiftly running

—the spade stands ready to do its last work for us . The coffin is open , and the grave waits . The sprig of acacia , already grown for some of us , hangs green upon the bough , ready for the baud of those who over us shall

Symbols.

whisper , " Alas , my brother ! " Has our trowel done its work ? Do our lives tally with the plumb-line , the compass and the square ? Has the gavel been duly used , and well ? Has the rough ashlar been polished and made ready , and is it , to-night , a perfect ashlar , waiting for some

noble place in the goodly temple of our God ? Will the stone fifc the niche ?—the exact and perfect niche arranged for it by the Divine Architect . To aid in securing fitness for that niche is the grand end and aim of all the teaching of onr glorious symbolism .

As in that temple of the holy land , Whose mighty pillars , as by magic wand , Rose toward the heavens , each beam and stone were found , From loftiest pinnacle to solid ground , Hewn oat on Lebanon , with wondrous skill ,

Matched each to each , one only place to fill j So in that higher temple is a niche For every being : for the poor and rich , The high , the low , the freeman and the slave :

Some , deep foundation stones , or gilded nave , Some lofty spire , or heaven-daring tower , And each owes all its beauty , all its power , Its wondrous symmetry , and matchless grace , To this one fact , ' twas fitted for its place .

X, Y, And Z.

X , Y , AND Z .

SOME of the old Masonic books tell us that once upon a time Geometry and Masonry were synonymous . We can believe it . There is much in common between the two . Geometry can only be worked out by means of Algebra , and in Algebra there are certain unknown quantities ,

represented by X , Y , and Z . In Algebra and Geometry not a few students become familiar with the forms of these X ' s , Y ' s , and Z ' s , without finding out what they mean . Freemasonry also has its X ' s , Y ' s , and Z ' s , and although every

initiate has them on his tongue , some never find out their values , or , in other words , what they mean . Brethren learn the symbols—intimately learn them , without ever discovering what they stand for . Strange , do you say ? Nofc at all .

Many students graduate in Algebra and Geometry without being able to discover for themselves the values of X , Y , and Z . They slip through without learning anything . We once knew a Professor of Mathematics ( now deceased ) , who ,

though he was expert at figures and letters himself , never manifested the least ability to teach Geometry to others . So some Masters of Lodges are more ornamental than useful . They may be able to set down the example on the board ( so

to speak ) , write down X , Y , and Z , but as for establishing their values , that is more than they dream of doing . And yet every Freemason is entitled to learn and know all there is in Masonry . Every Freemason is privileged to become

intimately acquainted with every one of its secrets . Every Freemason ought to know what Masonry is , and why it isin other words to be acquainted with ifc through and through . It is a common saying of the profane that there are no

secrets in Masonry . No secrets ! The Craft is full of them . These secrets naturally fall into two great classes , the avowed and the unavowed . Ostensibly , all of the former are made apparent to the initiate ; really , almost all of the

latter , forming the larger and really more important class , are hidden from his eyes . Yet the examination of a proposed visitor to a Lodge often proves how little he knows

of even the A , B , Cs , of Masonry , to say nothing of the X , Y , Z ' s . But we shall not now refer , except in passing , to the A , B , Cs , reserving oar remarks for the more

recondite X , Y , Z ' s . Freemasonry professes to give each of its initiates an

explanation of all of its forms and ceremonies . This is apparent at every initiation , and it not only strives to accomplish , but does accomplish much in this direction . There is however , so much iu Masonry , thafc the usual formal

explanations fail to bring all of the kernel of meaning out of the nut of ceremony . To get at this , supplementary teaching is necessary , and this it is especially the prerogative of fche W . M . to give . He is the Master of the Lodge , the teacher

of its Geometry or Algebra , the authorized explainer of its X , Y , and Z . Hence the importance of elevating , in succession , the ablest Brethren in the Lodge to the station of

W . M . This Masonic officer should be a Brother who can work well , and explain well his work—ono who knows familiarly both the X , Y , and Z , and the A , B , and C , of Masonry . But what about these X ' s , Y ' s , and Z ' s ? What are their exact values ? We can only call attention to the subject