Sentimentality.

SENTIMENTALITY .

npHERE is a great deal of idle nonsense and very _ L much maudlin sentimentality found among somo of our members , and many " glittering generalities " are need which are often harmful and without practical effect , For instance , thafc very nice and much-abused phrase ,

" Once a Mason always a Mason , on tho strength of which many think if they pass through the three degree * * , and become Master Masons , that this is all that is required of them . They never pay any dues , and when the Lodge finally unaffiliates them for non-payment of just dues , why ,

it does not matter , once a Mason always a Mason . We came across a " brother " very recently who talked Masonry constantly , and when we inquired into his standing , lo ! we found that he was raised in 1857 , stricken from the roll for N . P . D . in 1859 , and has been

talking Masonry ever since , aud he considered himself agood Mason , too , yet bad not contributed one sou toward the maintenance of the Craft , and has never taken a step for its good , simply was a Mason on the strength of " Once a Mason , " & c .

Another delusion very prevalent , especially in Great Britain , is the idea thafc a Mason can travel through the world free of charge on the strength of the Brotherhood . A case of this kind came to our knowledge only last week , where a brother was made a Mason in Glasgow just before

leaving there , and came to this city , and immediately applied to his brethren here for help ; and when asked why he had joined the fraternity so shortly before leaving ? frankly admitted that he thought it was £ 2 well invested prior to starting for foreign lands .

Here was a man who knew absolutely nothing of Masonry except that it was a brotherhood where every brother is called upon to help him because he had expended the sum of £ 2 to enter the fraternity . Then where are those workers in our vineyard who toil

and pay , who spend their time , their energy and their money for the benefit of the Craffc ? Are these to bo classed on a level with the mercenary traders who become Masons for revenue only , who buy Masonry as they buy an overcoat to keep them warm , and invest their £ 2 to make the most of it ?

There are several other sweet aud sentimental phrases used to cover up the delinquent , tho mercenary , and the neglectful , but the above will do to show that in these

hard and practical days some discrimination should be observed to protect tbe hard-working , earnest and honest Mason from the inroads too often made by the mercenary Mason for revenue only . —Eehrew Standard ,

Pius Ix. And Freemasonry.

PIUS IX . AND FREEMASONRY .

CUKIOUS DOCUMENTS IN RELATION * TO A QUEER D ISCUSSION . r PHE weight of evidence in the famou ** - inquiry in regard to tlio - * - membershi p of Pope Pius IX . in tillo Masonic Order g-iea to show that tho late Pops waa not a Mason after all . Alter a ear-ifiil search through Masonio Archives , the Secretary of the Graud Orient

of Prance soma time ago declared tbat tbo Pope was not a member of tho Fraternity . The belief that he waa admitted to the society was first founded upon a document unearthed in a German Lodge which records tho initiation of Mastai Ferretti iu tho Lodge of Palermo , called the " Endless Chain , " or Chaine Etemelle , in the year 1839 . The names and addresses of tho Oflicers and members who

were present at tha initiation were also given , bat on further inquiry it was discovered that in the year mentioned in thafc document there was no Masonic Lodge in Palermo called the " Chaine Eternelle . "

ihftfc queer little ferret among journals , the Intiirmediaire des Ohercheurg efc des Curieux , next took up tho affair , and after a vigorous hunt captured the biggest mare's nest . Sig . Mastai JJerretti , it said , afterward Piux IX ., was received as a Freemason in a Lod ge in Philadel phia , Pa ., iu 1339 . Under Pope Gregory XVI . th WR u 8 ent ° U an ecol' > * ' * iast , icaJ mission to South America . Prom there he came north , and was made a Mason in the Quaker City . & ome Masonic papers upon whicih tho name of Mastai Ferretti figured 7 qKH I " 110 b ° " the possession of some Lodges in that town . In i » b 8 , however , the editor of the Monde Maeooniqne pnblished alettei

signed by the Grand Master of "the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and tne - secretary Hon . " Richard V " j . ux , and John Thomson , in which it was declared that the namo of Jean-Marie Mastai Ferretti conld not DO round m the registers of any Lodge under the jurisdiction of tbe uiana Lodge of Pennsy lvania . ' Tho nearest name to that of Pius IX .

^ in T la fche papers of aL ° age ia Havana ( No . 157 ) , that existed in 1819 . It was "Martin Ferrety " nrt-f / VD CC . 0 rdil * g t 0 the ^™ 'B-MaBonis , the Grand Lodge of the orient ot Palermo expelled the Pone from the Order for oxcommunii " n . & £ ir ? ™ ° 8 s broths rs . ' The document of expulsion WE . *' Ori « 2 ? TT' ? ^ mmanael > Ki „ g of Italy , and Grand Master ot the "H-5 01 Italy . But hero agaj u we lywo tho testimony of a writer

Pius Ix. And Freemasonry.

in the Figaro , who , as a Mason , states that Victor Emmanuel was never tbe Grand Marter of the Grand Orient of Italy or Graud Master of any Italian group of Masons . Furthermore , he claims that , the Nows-lfasonis is completely unknown to Masons , and that tho form of tho alleged Masonic document which it published is proof in itself th-it it could not have como from a Masonio source .

So fur no -j-enuiuo and undixpnted record has shown that Piux IX . was ever a Mason . In tho opinion of the learned in tho Order the story came out in this way : Pius IX . was a soldier in his youth , ami it is said that ho belonged to a verite in the Ciirboiinn ' . Tho word vente was translated Lodge , and there is where all tho fuss comes from .

Jusfc why the statement that Pins IX . was a Mason should create snch a terrible state of excitement in the French Chamber of Deputies seems strange when we consider tho company that he wonld be placed among , as shown by tho following liar , of eminent members of the Order : Lo Comto PArtois ( Charles . X . ) , Augoreao , Berrver , Marechal , Canrobert , lea Carnot , Condorcot , Princo de Conde ,

Cremieux , Danton , Franklin , Le grand Frederic , Garibaldi , Henri Heine , Helvetius , Hoche , Lafayette , Due de la Rochefoucauld , Leopold Ier , Rio des Beiges , Louis XVI ., Louis Philippe , Meyerbeer , Mozart , Mnrat , Napoleon I ., Napoleon III ., Prince Jerome , Due d'Orleans , Louis XVIII ., Baron de Rothschild , Duo d'Uzas , Voltaire , & o .

Evolution Of The Bible.

EVOLUTION OF THE BIBLE .

REV . DR . LYMAN ABBOTT , of Plymouth Chnrch , Brooklyn , spoke recently in the church of the Covenant , Thirty-fifth .

street and Madison-avenue , on tho " Evolution of the Bible . " The church was well filled with an interested congregation * . " I believe in the Bible , " said Dr . Abbott , " as the inspired word of God ; as containing a revelation from God to man . I believe that God has made man his offspring ; that God and man are kin , and that there is a real and veritable spiritual communication between theui .

God has spoken , and He still speaks . " In the past this Bible has been regarded as withont error . Every sentence , and every word in every sentence , and every syllable in every word were regarded as the product of inspiration . We have thought it an authority on the ology , and on almost every snbject of human knowledge , so that there was no error or mistake in it . But

there are very few who hold this opinion now . They think they do , but if they will consider a little where this opinion will lead them , they will quickly see that they do not . "In the first chapter of Genesis we find that the world was made in six days . All geology is mistaken . The day ia limited by the rising and the setting of tho sun , and we shall have a theological

opinion of tho creation for Sunday and a geological opinion for week days . We go against the Biblical Institutions of slavery and bigamy and circumcision . We have abolished slavery and bigamy , and we say that baptism has taken tho place of circumcision by a Divine decree . The whole system of sacrifices we have abandoned . The man who thinks he believes in the infalibility of the Bible tnrns to

moral law . He takes the Ten Commandments ; they stand as moral standards . He knows they are not . Ho knows a man may keep every ono of tho Ten Commandments and yet not bo admitted to decent society in New York , and the civilised standards of the 19 th century in New York are not too high for Christian living . Ho opens the Bible at a psalm whioh asks God not to forgive , and then to the

sermon on the mount , which prays God to forgive all sinners , and he cannot reconcile them . Lot ns bo true to ourselves in this matter . Such things as these confront us if we think . " A minister ought to be sincere . I do not believe the Bible is infallible . I do nofc think it can be an infallible book . I do not believe anybody * believes it to bo an infallible book . For a book to

bo int ' allihlo Tr . ' . 'niw that the author fhoald be infallible , his means of knowledge ini ' . iliiolc , aud what lie writes inf . illible ; tho person who copies ifc ir . fiiiiiblo , . jirni llint copy infallible ; tho translator infallible , and tho translation infallible , nnd wo who read it infallible . Now ' wo do not bclie . vo theso thing- ? . Wo may believe Moses was infallible , but wc do not believe his copyist and translators were infallible and ourselves infallible .

" We have an infallible book . It was written soma centuries before Christ—Enclid . That book has bepn found to bo absolutely infallible , but it lias never takeu a place alongside tho Bible . " But the Bible is tho book that brings God to tho human heait . Ifc is the divinity , not'the infallibility of the book that makes it sacred . If it is bringing to us tho trnth of God , then it is to be accepted . "—Boston Daily Advertiser .

Whatever else fcho Freemasons of England may or may nofc be , they certainly aro not stingy . No donbt tho transaction of business is sometimes accompanied by a little refreshment of the inner mail ( wo havo known church conferences and chapel conferences a ( Hided in the same way ) , but like tho grand old English gentleman mentioned iu tho sour . ; , they " ne ' er forget the poor . " At all events , dnring tho

pasfc year they have raised a sum of money amounting to nearly ¦ 673 , 000 on behalf of the Masouic Charities . The Boys' School received £ 27 , ' ! 33 ; the Br-nevolcnt Institntion £ 22 , 230 ; and tbe Girls' School £ 13 , 11 * 1 . This amount has been exceeded only once before , viz ., in 1888 , when tho Girls' School celebrated its Centenary , and got a revenue of £ -10 , 259 . The Boys' School has in it 264 boys , arid the Girls' School tho name nnmber of girls ; fcho btys being

kept till 15 and the girls till 16 years of age . The Benevolent Institution gives 180 poor brethrou £ 10 a year each , and 229 widows £ 32 each ; besides these , there aro 27 v * idows receiving £ 20 each ¦ u nnally . Besides tho nmoauta mentioned above , it should be pointed out that tha Mark Masons havo a charity of their own , and that almost every Craft Lodgo has a Benevolent Fund for the relief of distrea-. People who innocently ask what good Freemasonry ia may refloat with profit on tho figures given . Derby Mercury .