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Article FREEMASONRY—ITS MEANING AND INFLUENCE. Page 1 of 2 Article FREEMASONRY—ITS MEANING AND INFLUENCE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Freemasonry—Its Meaning And Influence.
FREEMASONRY—ITS MEANING AND INFLUENCE .
rjHHE moet important step in tho advancement of a JL candidato for the mysteries of Freemasonry is what is known as tho shock of enlightenment , when there lings in upon his ears that grand announcement , " And God said ,
let there bo light , and there was light . " This shock of enlightenment ia intended to symbolise the change which is now taking placo in the intellectual condition of tho candidate . He now beholds the form of tho Lodgo room ,
and sees the brethren standing around him , a solid pho ' anx of friendship to assist him in every glorious undei taking . Ho boholds the greater and the three lesser lights of Masonry . The Holy Biblo is given him as the rule and
guide of his faith ; tho square to squaro his actions ; and tho compasses to circumscribe his passions and desires in duo bounds with all mankind , especially with brother Masons . The Holy Bible is to teach him his duty to God ;
the square , his duty to his fellow men ; the compasses , his duty to Masons . He is reminded that tho serious work of lifo has now begun . He is provided with working tools . He is taught that on his own efforts depends his future
success . A holy ambition is inspired withm his soul to excel in all laudable undertakings . The Entered Apprentice degree represents and provides for the period of youth . The follies of idleness , intemperance and
sensuality aro pictured before him , and ho is exhorted to honour tho name of God , to act on the squaro with all men and to avoid all intemperance and irregularity , which may impair
his faculties or debase the dignity of his profession . The second degree of Masonry symbolises the stage of manhood . Tho lessons of wisdom and virtue which he received in his
youth , as an Entered Apprentice , aro now to produce thoir activo fruits . The working and thinking period of life has now arrived . The rewards of industry are set forth in most impressive emblematic forms , and the
candidate is taught that by faithful work , in due time , he will be entitled to receive wages . The second degree illustrates the power of the human mind . The duty of study ancl investigation is inculcated . The reasoning faculty is called
forth . But the true beauty and resplendent glories of Masonry arc seen in the sublime degree of a Master Mason , which symbolizes the stage of old age after the peinod of active lifo has been passed . Those virtues aro tauerht
nnd hopes inspired which are calculated to comfort one ' , * ' declining days , and prepare us for tho exalted joys of tho future glorious existence . As an Entered Apprentice the Mason is taught those elementary principles
which are to fit him to confront the temptations and grapple with the ambitions of opening manhood ; as a Fellow Craft , he is taught to coniinue his investigations , and patiently to climb the mountain of knowledge and to
economize tho forces of lifo by concentration , instead of expending them by diffusion ; as a Master Mason ho is taught that truth so hard to learn , which the seasons and passing years and the tolling bell and tho open grave are constantly preaching to us , that he must die and
present his work for inspection to the Supreme Builder . The Master Mason represents man after all the labours of life are over ; it is the time of fleeting shadows and farewells
spoken hopefully , and yearnings for a sight of the heavenly temple . Tho Master Mason is a pilgrim watching for the dawn of the morning , to which so many of
the eniblems about him give direction . In his advancement the working tools are laid aside , and tho sprig of acacia is cherished as the eloquent expression of his belief in the immortality of the soul . To him" Solemn strikes the faueral chime , Notes of his departing time . " And
as" Calmly the good man meets his fate , Guards celestial ronud him wait , When he bursts the mortal chains , And over death the victory gains . "
Thus we have indicated tho meaning of Masonry—may we not estimate its influence beyond all human computation ? Who can measure manhood and character and good deeds ? Who can follow the results of heart-Masonry in
the world r Masonry is an attempt to carry over and concentrate the results and victories of the past into the present and future . It is the vehicle in which the experience of one age is transported into the succeeding age .
Freemasonry—Its Meaning And Influence.
Nearly all tho institutions of man are cooval only with tho age iu which they are founded . Politics and political parties are constantly changing . They are only tho
scaffolding with which to construct now apartments in the temple of state , ancl when these aro completed they are torn down . Social customs aro born and die with an age . Methods of business—tho forms of social and domestic
life—tho usages and forms of governments—are never uniform . Ono of tho glories of Masonry is that it is uniform cleararound the globe . An age may come and an age may go , but Masonry still remains the same institution
of fraternal greetings , of mutual assistance , and social concord . Tho old man departs , and tho young man is initiated , and a now membership occupies the seats of the Lodgo , but thero has been no change in the institution .
We of tho present ago will load tho vessel with tho rich cargo of our noblest resolutions , our holiest aspirations , our most heroic sacrifices , and tho storm of death may romovo us from tho management of tho Royal Craft , but she still
sails on down the stream of time , touching at tho harbour of every year till time shall be no more . Masonry , therefore , is an attempt to establish a permanent good in society . It is an effort to realise in the
social sphere what tho builders of tho Pyramids sought to realise in the sphere of the material . It is said that tho shadows of tho Pyramids fell upon Abraham and his flock as he journeyed toward tho Land of Promise , and wo know
that scarcely any change will bo wrought in them during tho next thousand years ; but when tho mutations of time have levelled even these Pyramids to tho ground , Masons
will exchange greetings by the same mystic words and forms as they do now , and the same indissoluble links will hold them together as bind them now—links which are
designed not only to bind human hearts together , but tho years ancl centuries as well . Masonry has emphasized a larger lifo for the race . It announces the liberty of the choice of companions . It insists that the ties of the heart are the only ties that
cannot be broken . It lifts its wings of peace over society and says , " Let the strife of sects cease and let brotherhood prevail . " A true definition of a Mason therefore is one who lives at peace with his neighbours , who is allied
with all constructive forces of society and whose influence ever bears on the true , the beautiful and the good . Wherever a Mason goes he is suro to meet friends . The word stranger is unknown within the sacred portals
of the Lodge . Masonry is built on practical benevolence—not only wishing well but doing well . It means relieve the sick , care for the widow and orphan , and bury tho dead . It means take stones of
offence and stumbling * out of the way of your fellows , aud give every one an equal chance to succeed . It means selfcontrol—tho harmonious development of every faculty and force of yonr nature—inspiration to everything
gooddeferment from everything wrong—charitable judgments and geuorous sympathies . But there is one danger in tho way of all such institution , which I feel it my duty to warn you against , viz : the sinking of your individuality
in the Lodge . You are not necessarily a decent mau because you are a Mason , but a decent mau as a Mason is a very fine recommendation of the institution . Manhood must stand first . People judge tho Lodge by what it does
for you . A Lodge is very much like a church—we judge it by the people that are in it . We are first made Masons in our hearts , not in the Lodge . Masonry is not tho end but the means to the end . It is to make you bettor men ;
it is to give you larger hearts ; it is to make your lives musical . I look upon Masonry as a sailor does upon his ship . It is a noble craft we are sailing on down tho stream of time . The fore-top gallant and the main mizzen
masts are spreading the canvas majestically to tho breeze . The fore royals and main royals and studding sails are pressing against the storms as if the spirit of Neptune possessed them , and the heavy , rolling seas of
our turbulent life swing them across the heavens with regular sweep and irresistible force . There is life on the vessel . There is hope . There is charity that reaches high as heaven aud covers the earth . There is the
championship of royal hearts . There is the fire of unchangeable friendship . There is the angel of down-reaching mercy and tender sympathy , unseen by mortal eyes , but whose ministry goes on unwearied and unbroken , making earth ever so much like we would wish heaven to be . Down the stream of time she glides , sweeping the shores of every land , touching at the harbour of every home , welcomed by
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry—Its Meaning And Influence.
FREEMASONRY—ITS MEANING AND INFLUENCE .
rjHHE moet important step in tho advancement of a JL candidato for the mysteries of Freemasonry is what is known as tho shock of enlightenment , when there lings in upon his ears that grand announcement , " And God said ,
let there bo light , and there was light . " This shock of enlightenment ia intended to symbolise the change which is now taking placo in the intellectual condition of tho candidate . He now beholds the form of tho Lodgo room ,
and sees the brethren standing around him , a solid pho ' anx of friendship to assist him in every glorious undei taking . Ho boholds the greater and the three lesser lights of Masonry . The Holy Biblo is given him as the rule and
guide of his faith ; tho square to squaro his actions ; and tho compasses to circumscribe his passions and desires in duo bounds with all mankind , especially with brother Masons . The Holy Bible is to teach him his duty to God ;
the square , his duty to his fellow men ; the compasses , his duty to Masons . He is reminded that tho serious work of lifo has now begun . He is provided with working tools . He is taught that on his own efforts depends his future
success . A holy ambition is inspired withm his soul to excel in all laudable undertakings . The Entered Apprentice degree represents and provides for the period of youth . The follies of idleness , intemperance and
sensuality aro pictured before him , and ho is exhorted to honour tho name of God , to act on the squaro with all men and to avoid all intemperance and irregularity , which may impair
his faculties or debase the dignity of his profession . The second degree of Masonry symbolises the stage of manhood . Tho lessons of wisdom and virtue which he received in his
youth , as an Entered Apprentice , aro now to produce thoir activo fruits . The working and thinking period of life has now arrived . The rewards of industry are set forth in most impressive emblematic forms , and the
candidate is taught that by faithful work , in due time , he will be entitled to receive wages . The second degree illustrates the power of the human mind . The duty of study ancl investigation is inculcated . The reasoning faculty is called
forth . But the true beauty and resplendent glories of Masonry arc seen in the sublime degree of a Master Mason , which symbolizes the stage of old age after the peinod of active lifo has been passed . Those virtues aro tauerht
nnd hopes inspired which are calculated to comfort one ' , * ' declining days , and prepare us for tho exalted joys of tho future glorious existence . As an Entered Apprentice the Mason is taught those elementary principles
which are to fit him to confront the temptations and grapple with the ambitions of opening manhood ; as a Fellow Craft , he is taught to coniinue his investigations , and patiently to climb the mountain of knowledge and to
economize tho forces of lifo by concentration , instead of expending them by diffusion ; as a Master Mason ho is taught that truth so hard to learn , which the seasons and passing years and the tolling bell and tho open grave are constantly preaching to us , that he must die and
present his work for inspection to the Supreme Builder . The Master Mason represents man after all the labours of life are over ; it is the time of fleeting shadows and farewells
spoken hopefully , and yearnings for a sight of the heavenly temple . Tho Master Mason is a pilgrim watching for the dawn of the morning , to which so many of
the eniblems about him give direction . In his advancement the working tools are laid aside , and tho sprig of acacia is cherished as the eloquent expression of his belief in the immortality of the soul . To him" Solemn strikes the faueral chime , Notes of his departing time . " And
as" Calmly the good man meets his fate , Guards celestial ronud him wait , When he bursts the mortal chains , And over death the victory gains . "
Thus we have indicated tho meaning of Masonry—may we not estimate its influence beyond all human computation ? Who can measure manhood and character and good deeds ? Who can follow the results of heart-Masonry in
the world r Masonry is an attempt to carry over and concentrate the results and victories of the past into the present and future . It is the vehicle in which the experience of one age is transported into the succeeding age .
Freemasonry—Its Meaning And Influence.
Nearly all tho institutions of man are cooval only with tho age iu which they are founded . Politics and political parties are constantly changing . They are only tho
scaffolding with which to construct now apartments in the temple of state , ancl when these aro completed they are torn down . Social customs aro born and die with an age . Methods of business—tho forms of social and domestic
life—tho usages and forms of governments—are never uniform . Ono of tho glories of Masonry is that it is uniform cleararound the globe . An age may come and an age may go , but Masonry still remains the same institution
of fraternal greetings , of mutual assistance , and social concord . Tho old man departs , and tho young man is initiated , and a now membership occupies the seats of the Lodgo , but thero has been no change in the institution .
We of tho present ago will load tho vessel with tho rich cargo of our noblest resolutions , our holiest aspirations , our most heroic sacrifices , and tho storm of death may romovo us from tho management of tho Royal Craft , but she still
sails on down the stream of time , touching at tho harbour of every year till time shall be no more . Masonry , therefore , is an attempt to establish a permanent good in society . It is an effort to realise in the
social sphere what tho builders of tho Pyramids sought to realise in the sphere of the material . It is said that tho shadows of tho Pyramids fell upon Abraham and his flock as he journeyed toward tho Land of Promise , and wo know
that scarcely any change will bo wrought in them during tho next thousand years ; but when tho mutations of time have levelled even these Pyramids to tho ground , Masons
will exchange greetings by the same mystic words and forms as they do now , and the same indissoluble links will hold them together as bind them now—links which are
designed not only to bind human hearts together , but tho years ancl centuries as well . Masonry has emphasized a larger lifo for the race . It announces the liberty of the choice of companions . It insists that the ties of the heart are the only ties that
cannot be broken . It lifts its wings of peace over society and says , " Let the strife of sects cease and let brotherhood prevail . " A true definition of a Mason therefore is one who lives at peace with his neighbours , who is allied
with all constructive forces of society and whose influence ever bears on the true , the beautiful and the good . Wherever a Mason goes he is suro to meet friends . The word stranger is unknown within the sacred portals
of the Lodge . Masonry is built on practical benevolence—not only wishing well but doing well . It means relieve the sick , care for the widow and orphan , and bury tho dead . It means take stones of
offence and stumbling * out of the way of your fellows , aud give every one an equal chance to succeed . It means selfcontrol—tho harmonious development of every faculty and force of yonr nature—inspiration to everything
gooddeferment from everything wrong—charitable judgments and geuorous sympathies . But there is one danger in tho way of all such institution , which I feel it my duty to warn you against , viz : the sinking of your individuality
in the Lodge . You are not necessarily a decent mau because you are a Mason , but a decent mau as a Mason is a very fine recommendation of the institution . Manhood must stand first . People judge tho Lodge by what it does
for you . A Lodge is very much like a church—we judge it by the people that are in it . We are first made Masons in our hearts , not in the Lodge . Masonry is not tho end but the means to the end . It is to make you bettor men ;
it is to give you larger hearts ; it is to make your lives musical . I look upon Masonry as a sailor does upon his ship . It is a noble craft we are sailing on down tho stream of time . The fore-top gallant and the main mizzen
masts are spreading the canvas majestically to tho breeze . The fore royals and main royals and studding sails are pressing against the storms as if the spirit of Neptune possessed them , and the heavy , rolling seas of
our turbulent life swing them across the heavens with regular sweep and irresistible force . There is life on the vessel . There is hope . There is charity that reaches high as heaven aud covers the earth . There is the
championship of royal hearts . There is the fire of unchangeable friendship . There is the angel of down-reaching mercy and tender sympathy , unseen by mortal eyes , but whose ministry goes on unwearied and unbroken , making earth ever so much like we would wish heaven to be . Down the stream of time she glides , sweeping the shores of every land , touching at the harbour of every home , welcomed by