How Masonry Is Eternal.

condemnation ? Then speak not ill of your brother . There is no more insidious pest , gnawing at the very vital of Masonry , than envy . Stamp it out . Let no pabulum for its growth be found in your thoughts . A wrong , once done , not e ' en eternity can efface .

When Jacob , in his vision , saw earth and heaven joined , there , emblazoned in tho bright radiance of tbe firmament , stood Faith , Hope and Chirity , by whoso aid alone could he ascend to tho reward he sought . " Faith iu God , hope in immortality , and charity to all mankind . " This is no

highsounding platitude ; it , is the mainspring of true Masonic action . There can he no faith iu God without faith in mankind ; there can bo no hope in immortality without faith in God ; and there can bo no charity without faith in mankind . Charity is love , and love is the strongest

impulse of tho spiritual nature . So , true charity comes in proportion to the development of the spiritual nature . That which may bo called charity is not charity when it springs from a selfish motive . If , out of the bounty of

worldly success , we contribute that we may be better imown by our associates , we do not act for charity . Such actions on the books of life , are charged to " advertising , " and , when those books arc closed , appear not as a resource but as a loss .

Wo sit in our comfortable Lodge rooms and vote " aye " to a resolution authorising the proper officers to convey , of our funds , a portion to a distressed brother , and then in pharisaical exuberance extol ourselves . Men have been known to believe that this constituted tho fulness of

charity ! Does Masonry regard a man for his worldly possessions or position ? The very first step we took in Masonry taught us " no . " Then , as Masons , can we , in harmony with our Institution , measure deeds of charity by tho

dollars and cents involved r Money has no value in itself : it is merely a medium of exchange , whose purchasingpower makes it valuable . Does the troubled spirit find solace in a dollar bill ? Does the badge of fraternity bear tbe device of a double eagle ? Let the God-ingrafted spirit

speak out , and through the balls of time will thunder the answer , whose tones , in never-ceasing reverberations , shall ring in our ears till we hide" our heads in shame . Yet how

often , oh , how often , do we fail to pay those tender tributes , till the heart our kindness might have gladdened has ceased to beat . Dear brethren , show not your love of your brother in pomp and pageantry of funeral obsequies .

Some years ago tho fell destroyer invaded a humble homo , and a little girl was left without the means of support . She wrote to a prominent Mason , asking if the Masons did not take care of the orphans of their brethren , and , if so , whether she could be given an education ? It

was a noble , truo Mason who received the letter , and faithful to his duty , ho invoked the assistance of the Craft , and tho means were provided for the education of the child . Within the past few months that orphan , now grown to a beautiful and accomplished woman , stood

within the walls of the Grand Lodge whoso adopted child she was , to express her gratitude . Do you wonder , when that beautiful girl prayed unto God to bless the Fraternity through whose protective care she had come into the perfection of pure womanhood , that eyes were dimmed

with tears of joy ? Think you that prayer went not straight to the throne of grace ? It is in such acts that the true principlo of Masonry is displayed , and it is of such deeds —exemplifications of love of our fellows—that wo may rear a monument to our Fraternity that , lika a dome of

many-coloured glass , shall illumine the white radiance of eternity . Masonry , coeval with thought , goes on in tho work of the Great Master . We , the Craftsmen , toiling for our wages , must see that true and square work is brought up for this

great Temple . Sprung from the Great Masler , we are a part of him . Onr lives should be attuned to His . To worshi p and reverence God for His humanity , and to enlarge man ' s estate to a degree befitting his divinity , these are the purposes of Masonry , and by the practice of truo

iraternity—charit y or love—will these purposes bo fulfilled , thus will we become faithful Craftsmen , whoso work — true and perfect—shall be fitted for the eternal and everlasting Temple of God , within whose Holy of Holies reful

, gent in the splendour of divine presence , shall we receive the true word of a Master Mason , " Well done thou good and faithful servant , " and in heavenly peace and nappines . - i adore the Supremo Grand Master throughout the never ending cycles of eternity . —Voiec of Masonry .

Masonry And Business.

MASONRY AND BUSINESS .

IT is said that water and oil will not mix without some other element to bring the two together . It has also been remarked that Masonry was one thing and business another , and tho two will not mix . While it is

undoubtedly truo that Masonry and business are not synonymous terms , yet it is equally certain that the is no antagonism between the two , and the one ought to help the other .

A man joins the Masonic Fraternity , if he has the right conception of it , not from any pecuniary benefit he expects to receive , but for the good it will do him in his daily life , and his business is a part of his daily life . He looks upon

the institution , if he gives tho matter any consideration at all , as one that extends over the whole world . A brotherhood where all are bound by some mysterious principle or

impulse , and each is friend to the other . An institution regarded as ancient aud honourable . A society of sociability . An association banded together to work acts of charity and help those who are needy .

Looking at it from these points he regards it as the company in which he may be able to fulfil to some extent his duty to his fellow men . He petitions for admission , and is met at the very beginning with a declaration which

ho is required to make , that he seeks to join this ancient and honourable society of his own free will , and that he is not actuated by any selfish or mercenary motives . This declaration is not in every case true , as may be seen in

instances of men who seek by nn-Masonic means to use the Fraternity to further their own selfish ends . But the institution is made up of men of pure motives , for those who try to use it for mercenary purposes are an exception and are few .

Masonry , as boforo stated , is intended to help a man in his every-day life , and business is a part of that life . We have a rig ht to expect that those who wear the square and compass wilt deal on the square and circumscribe their

actions by tho compass of justice . We have a right to expect from a Mason honest and upright dealing in all his transactions . There will be full measure and full weight . We have no right to expect that because we can make

ourselves known to him in the dark as well as in the light , he is to favour us above all other men . He sells his goods at a certain price , a fair price , and as right between man and man , or Mason and Mason , we have no right to expect him

to " come down to favour us . In business impartial justice is demanded . Masonry ought to be a stron g recommendation to a man , and is when the man practises the principles laid down for every-day life .

It is said that " men live off of Masonry . This is not true . It is a slander upon the Fraternity and the men who are charged with the offence—for it is an offence . The society is so organised as to make it next to impossible

for a man to " live off of it . " An impostor may rnn a course for a time , but he will be found out and his career cut short . If a brother is in need the Fraternity will take care of him . There are many members all over the world

who are supported wholly by the Lodges . They are destitute , and the principles of the institution—and it is a pleasure to the Craft to do so—require that their necessities

be relieved . In health , they gave of their substance to help some other brother , and now that affliction has overtaken them they are cared for . Such is the beautiful charity of Freemasonry .

" The labonrer is worthy of his hire , " and the man who devotes his time to the interests of the institution deserves

the same remuneration that he could receive in any other business . Masonry is a business , and its affairs need the careful attention of business men with business methods , and the very best business men , with the very best methods

should be employed . There are hundreds of self-sacrificing men who are doing themselves injustice b y serving Lodge , Chapter and Commandery without just compensation . The worst paid men , as a rule , are the Secretaries , whose duties and responsibilities are of a business nature .

All the details of the Lodge work must be cared fur by him , and he deserves to be paid for his work . It cannot be said that he " lives off of Masonry . " In the conduct of the affairs of a great corporation men are selected who are

capable of understanding the magnitude of the business , and the compensation for their services is commensurate with the demands upon their ability . This is a business .

Masonry is a great institution and teaches justice to all men , and has no right to expect those who work for it to do so and " find themselves . "