Masonry And Business.

There many things connected with this subject that we cannot at this timo touch upon . We leave these thoughts for the consideration of those who think on such things . A man's Masonry must not interfere with his regular business , nor must he in any wise neglect to perform his

duties honestly and fearlessly . Thoso who aro called to serve the Craft ( and some must serve ) , should do so in a business way and be paid for it . Grand Lodges , Grand Chapters , Grand Commanderies , or tho bodies composing them , will not take care of themselves ; somebody must

look after them . That the burden may not bo too great , new Grand Masters and Masters aro elected from year to year to direct affairp , but tho real workers of the bod y are retained , and deserve to be treated as business men . —New York Dhpalch ,

A Visit To King Solomon's Quarries.

A VISIT TO KING SOLOMON'S QUARRIES .

A lecture delivered before the Bulwer Lodge of Cairo , No . 106 S , English Constitution , by Bro . A . Tfananer , on the oth of July 1890 .

WOBSHIPFUL Sir and Brethren : —As you have called on me to say a few words on my recent visit to the Holy Land , I purpose this evening to lay before you a description of the quarries from which King

Solomon took his materials for building the famous Temple at Jerusalem , as being a subject likely to arrest the attention of , and prove interesting to , every brother of our Fiaternity .

There are two cities in Palestine which for ages pist have been obiects of veneration above all others in those

parts , and , I may say , on the face of the globe , and thoso two cities are Hebron and Jerusalem . It is at Hebron , we know , in the natural cave of Machpelah , that the great

Patriarch Abraham , and his family lie at rest ; and bis tomb of all others in Palestine has remained until now inviolate , venerated and jealously guarded by Jews , Turks , and Christians alike .

But this evening we will try and picture ourselves in the other holy city , viz ., Jerusalem . The sacred Law alludes repeatedly , and in strong terms of lovo and admiration , to that placo ; indeed , there is no

other city mentioned so frequently in that volume as the city of Jerusalem . We know that it was in this city that King Solomon built the glorious Temple to the honour and for the worship of I he Most High .

On going round the walls of tho city as it is at present , wo find at the south-east corner some of the stones which then formed part of the Temple are still visible , while at the south-west part of the Temple wall other great stones are seen whither the Jews oven now repair to wail and

lament over the fall of their city . The natural question which at once arises is : Where were these stones brought from , as there is no trace of a quarry for miles around Jerusalem , and it is an obvious fact that these stones must Lave been quarried near the town , otherwise it would have

taken King Solomon over seven years to build the Temple ? This query puzzled many a learned man for years , till about thirty years ago a sportsman , out with bis dog , on the north of the city , fired at a bird , which flew into a small hole at the foot of the city wall , into which the dog

followed and disappeared . As the dog did not return , the owner hastened back to the city , reported the case and obtained leave to enlarge the aperture , when it was discovered that the hole led into a vast quarry , from its position and appearance the most likel y place whence the stones were taken for the building of the Temple .

Here , then , it was that stones wore cut and shaped before being taken to the Temple to be put in their places , as we read : " The house when it was in building was

built of stone made ready before it was brought thither , so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building , "—1 Kings vi . 7 .

I will ask you to follow me for a few moments and draw your own lessons , as Masons , while I try to describe this wonderful place I last visited in the company of our Past Master ( in the chair to-ni ght ) , my brother and others . We all met at the little entrance iu the rock below the north wall of the city , armed with candles , matches , and

A Visit To King Solomon's Quarries.

magnesium wire . On entering the low doorway we lit our caudles , and , under the guidance of my brother , the Bev . J . E . Hananer , slowly and cautiously descended into tho darkness , following the contour of a hill to the right . B y the feeble light of our candles we were just barely able at

first to see about a foot in front of us , and for some five minutes we continued blindly blundering after our leader , until he suddenly stopped us , while he struck off to tho right to placo a candle in an offbranch of the quarry , for

the double purpose of making it servo as a landmark to guide us in retracing our footsteps , and also enable us when wo had reached the lowest point of the cavern to perceive how it stood as a beacon on the summit of a very steep cliff .

On his return we continued our downward road till we halted before a large projecting stone , that seemed to have been intended to become a rough ashlar , but for some reason had never been detached from the mother rock . We

continued to descend , and ere long found ourselves m what appears to bo a vast hall , decorated with a huge column suspended like a chandelier from the centre of the roof , aud by the aid of a magnesium light we could see that many a good ashlar had been cut away from round it . In

the wall of this great chamber are seen grooves about four inches wide , cut out about three feet apart , and joined at the bottom by other grooves , the ashlar being thus left free on three sides . Now arises the question : How was this ashlar intended to be detached !

Blasting by gunpowder was , of course , unknown in the days when our ancient brethren toiled in these quarrios ; blasting was effected by wood in the following manner Blocks of dry wood were driven into the grooves above described , aud then thoroughly wetted . This treatment

caused the wood to Bwell , and in expanding it cracked away the stone from its attachments to the mother rock , and the half-shaped ashlar , with its knobs and excrescences

still disfiguring it , fell into the hands of the Entered Apprentices , who , with the aid of the common gavel and the chisel , modelled it into due shape and prepared it for the finer work of the more skilled Craftsman . Further

exploring the same hall we f ouud two ready-squared ashlars , ready for the builders' hands ; but evidently , for some reason or another , they were not wanted ; perhaps left to be a lesson to us . We now left the hall , and descended a winding road to

tho right , till we stood ou the brink of an open pit , well strewn with stones and chippings broken off by our ancient brethren , when preparing the ashlars for the building above . We jumped down and picked our way abont this place for a few minutes before we began to retrace our

steps up the rough path that led us into the hall again , From tho hall we again followed our leader up the steep and stony road winding gradually upwards toward the left . And now our guide Jed us into another passage to tho left , where we noticed that the stones were well worn and

slippery . Presently we stood on a somewhat raised platform , at the back of which there is a niche in the wall about three feet wide , and falling back about the same distance . Iu this is a roughly cut basin filled with water .

This is doubtless the place where our ancient brethren used to quench their thirst when called off from " labour to refreshment . " The water is now rather brackish , not having been freely used in all probability for over 2 , 897 years .

After visiting this interesting spot we made our last start and regained the main road once more . And now as we began gradually to ascend , looking upwards as we went , we could see the few rays of light slanting down into the quarry , and by this light , which comes from above ,

we could perceive how on one side part of the quarry was in ruins , probably from an earthquake , and boulders and half-hewn blocks lie scattered around in rough confusion ; while on the other side , by the same light , we could see , and seeing admire , the work of our ancient brethren .

Their even work , their well-squared points and corners , the nicely-finished surface of the rock will account for the peculiar manner in which we are told they were in the habit of receiving their wages " without scruple or diffidence , well knowing they were justly entitled to them . "

We may , brethren , be proud to be descended from such a Fraternity , who worked so well and truly , with the aid only of the feeble light of tiny lamps placed in little niches in the wall , that are still visible in this vast and wonderfal quarry , and may onr work as Masons bear , equally with theirs , the test of the searching rays of that li ght which