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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry, A Rock.
attempted fco ride into power upon the wave of fanatical frenzy their cunning had fomented , appealing to the lowest passions of mankind in their efforts fco fasten upon the institution a stigma thafc should destroy ifc .
Against all attacks it has stood like a rock in the ocean , upon which the waves dash in impotent fury . " Constant dropping of water , " ifc is said , " will wear away stone , " bufc the continued attacks upon Freemasonry only serve to strengthen its defences and settle it more firmly upon its foundation .
, Its teachings are imperishable truths , and the system of morality which constitutes its foundation embraces everything that is calculated to attract the superior mind , which investigates and absorbs those qualities that lead ' to liberty of conscience and intellectual and moral light . It presents to the student mind a source of study that may be profitably followed for years without
exhausting its riches . It furnishes innumerable themes upon which may be constructed the most beautiful and . delightful expressions of which the English language is capable . Its archives 1 contain the accumulated intellectual treasures of centuries , upon which the author and orator may unreservedly draw without' fear of diminishing their substance .
It has never had a follower whose mentality was great enough to improve upon the system that has for centuries Served to enlighten mankind and inculcate a love of freedom and ! equality .
Its membership embraces men brilliant in the world of letters , of divinity , of poetry , fiction , law and the liberal sciences ; and after drinking at the fount of its knowledge , their intellectuality has been improved by the purity of its teachings , their
ideas of mankind broadened by association with the Craft , and their conception of justice and charity enlarged by the true ' democratic principles which unite the Freemasons of the whole world into one common Brotherhood .
Every thought of which the mind is capable—embodying goodness , purity , love of fellow-being , charity , truth , equality ,, morality , temperance , fortitude and prudence , seem tohave been exhausted in furnishing lessons * from which the Freemason draws inspiration ; and , when practiced as taught , he feels when life
draws to a close that it has indeed been a blessing to him , teaching him to regard with reverence the works of his Creator , aiding him in his efforts to guide his children ' s footsteps into the paths of rectitude and honour , and giving him the hope of aglorious resurrection and immortality beyond fche grave .
It takes man , blinded by the darkness of ignorance and superstition , and leads him to intellectual , moral and religious independence , unfolding to him successively fche truths upon which it is founded , explaining the symbols which illustrate the great system of morality that has made it the foremost institution on earth , and which has attracted fche best men of every age in every clime .
It inspires man to the attainment of wisdom , teaches him the highest regard for truth , imposes the necessity of guarding a good name with jealous care , and requires an appeal to the Supreme Being before entering upon any great or important undertaking . He who lives according to fche teachings of
Freemasonry , studying its precepts , exploring the storehouse of its intellectual treasures , analyzing its symbols , following the guiding line of its requirements and practising the charity it inculcates , wins the love and reverence of his fellow Craftsmen and the respect of his associates .
The mere conferring of the degrees does not make a man a Mason , any more than the conferring of holy orders upon him would make him a Christian . He must be first prepared to be made a Mason in his heart . If this preliminary step be lacking in his preparation , Masonry cannot supply fche deficiency , and , if admitted , he becomes a Mason in name only .
The mission of this Institution is nofc to reform mankind , bufc to lead good men by paths that brighten their lives and show them the consequences of a well-spent life . Ifc opons to their vision the happiness and contentment which is the reward of a moral and upright existence , urging them to the attainment of
that wisdom which recognizes the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man . For centuries it has taught mankind love of liberty and equalily , and for this it was proscribed , and its followers made to feel the iron hand of a power that believed not in the expansion of those God given qualities , intelligence and
. As " Truth is mighty and musfc prevail , " so Masonry has prevailed against its enemies , for it is Truth personified . Underlying all its teachings is the grand principle , Truth , which has ever been , is now , and ever shall be , while the world stands . It
is so interwoven with Masonry that every precept and principle of the grand old institution is proven to be unassailable . This is fche secret charm that leads men to the Lodge room to hear it expounded and the repetition of which reveals new beauties of thought and expression to the understanding . Among no body of men in the world does the friendly handclasp excite such a thrill of satisfaction as that experienced when
Freemasonry, A Rock.
Masons meet and clasp hands . Within fche tiled recesses of the Lodge all men are equal , there wealth and social position or exalted station are forgotten . True manhood and sterling individuality are the only recognised factors im advancement .
All this being true , it is not strange that Freemasonry should have advanced to the proud position it occupies to-day . •Having reached this eminence its future is assured , for the time will never again come when humanity will allow conscience to be enslaved . The watchword is " Forward , " and , as this great body has exerted itself in the past for fche enlightenment of mankind ,
it will continue to show the pafchs by which further advances may be made toward the accomplishment of its aims . Eecall the unselfish devotion of those who stemmed the tide of oppression from 1826 to 1840 , and learn from their unswerving integrity the lessons that musfc be part of a Mason ' s education . Suffer
none : to enter the outer portals of the Temple but those who are capable of appreciating the greac honour bestowed upon them , of reading aright the symbolical meaning of what they see , and of understanding the grand and sublime mysteries that unfold themselves as they advance toward Masonic light .
Let the Craft read , study and be regular in attendance at Lodge , and life will be made happier , the mind will be improved , feelings of charity will be engendered , renewed faith in mankind will fill the heart , and each lesson taught will reveal the need of constant study in order to thoroughly understand them properly .
Freemasonry can never die . It is as imperishable as the earth itself , because it is founded upon faith in God , freedom of conscience and equality of mankind , three insuperable obstacles to its destruction . —" Tyler . "
What Is Higher?
WHAT IS HIGHER ?
THEEE has been a good deal of talk of " higher " degrees , of " exalted " Masonry , of " advanced " grades and all such supposed elevated stations in the Fraternity , but the question has often suggested itself to us , what is the highest degree , the mosfc exalfced position , or fche most elevated station in all fche departments of Masonry ? and we have been forced to the
conclusion that fche Master Mason ' s degree is the very pinnacle of the whole system . There is no fcruth brought out in any of the degrees above the Master Mason that is not embodied in either that degree or the two that precede ic . Every phase of morality , every lesson of morality , every doctrine of immortality , every teaching of virtue and uprightness are contained in the dogmas of the Lodge .
The Entered Apprentice is borne into the light ; fche Fellow Graft is advanced toward its noontide effulgence ; the Master Mason beholds the declining sun , till it is lost in the twilight and night ; of eternity . Thus in the first three degrees is contained the whole of human life ; and human life embodies all
that we actually know anything about . The future is an unwritten book , an unknowable condition . We may theorize as we will , conjecture as we please , but all of our theories and conjectures are worthless in the light of revelation . We may hope and we may anticipate , but hope and anticipation end in
fruition , and fruition is often unsatisfactory and disappointing . The lessons of fche Lodge room , if they mean anything , mean thafc we are to thoughtfully study our being . We are alive and in the world—what for ? Is there a future ? Each dawning morn with its glorious sunrise , shedding beauty upon all nature
and flooding the world with life , is a demonstrated fact ; that there is a future . Will the time ever come when there will be no sunrise ? when the universe will be shrouded in gloom and darkness ? when order and symmetry will be destroyed ? when the hand of God will not direct the wheels of fche circling worlds ? Will fche time ever come when God will be dead ? Ah .
no . The mind revolts at the thought , and the heart fails when even fche suggestion of such a terrible catastrophe is made . No * There is in the world no deafch , except to the material creation . The heart and soul of man , the mind with its lofty aspirations and immortal conceptions is never destroyed . Somewhere in fche world the influence of a man ' s soul remains a factor for
good or ill . Its wavelets circle oufc and oufc upon a limitless sea , and never cease their circling because there is no shore upon which to spend their force . We are controlled to-day by the mind ' s thoughts and acts of those who long since have passed away . These things are true whether we believe them or nob . These imperishable doctrines are the lessons of the Lodge .
The higher degrees contain nothing that is new . Their ceremonies , beautiful , grand , impressive , are only illustrative gatherings thafc emphasize the Truth already presented . They fail in their purpose if they do not make a man a more earnest ; Master Mason , and lead him to regard the foundation of the fabric as of greater importance than the ornamental cornice at
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry, A Rock.
attempted fco ride into power upon the wave of fanatical frenzy their cunning had fomented , appealing to the lowest passions of mankind in their efforts fco fasten upon the institution a stigma thafc should destroy ifc .
Against all attacks it has stood like a rock in the ocean , upon which the waves dash in impotent fury . " Constant dropping of water , " ifc is said , " will wear away stone , " bufc the continued attacks upon Freemasonry only serve to strengthen its defences and settle it more firmly upon its foundation .
, Its teachings are imperishable truths , and the system of morality which constitutes its foundation embraces everything that is calculated to attract the superior mind , which investigates and absorbs those qualities that lead ' to liberty of conscience and intellectual and moral light . It presents to the student mind a source of study that may be profitably followed for years without
exhausting its riches . It furnishes innumerable themes upon which may be constructed the most beautiful and . delightful expressions of which the English language is capable . Its archives 1 contain the accumulated intellectual treasures of centuries , upon which the author and orator may unreservedly draw without' fear of diminishing their substance .
It has never had a follower whose mentality was great enough to improve upon the system that has for centuries Served to enlighten mankind and inculcate a love of freedom and ! equality .
Its membership embraces men brilliant in the world of letters , of divinity , of poetry , fiction , law and the liberal sciences ; and after drinking at the fount of its knowledge , their intellectuality has been improved by the purity of its teachings , their
ideas of mankind broadened by association with the Craft , and their conception of justice and charity enlarged by the true ' democratic principles which unite the Freemasons of the whole world into one common Brotherhood .
Every thought of which the mind is capable—embodying goodness , purity , love of fellow-being , charity , truth , equality ,, morality , temperance , fortitude and prudence , seem tohave been exhausted in furnishing lessons * from which the Freemason draws inspiration ; and , when practiced as taught , he feels when life
draws to a close that it has indeed been a blessing to him , teaching him to regard with reverence the works of his Creator , aiding him in his efforts to guide his children ' s footsteps into the paths of rectitude and honour , and giving him the hope of aglorious resurrection and immortality beyond fche grave .
It takes man , blinded by the darkness of ignorance and superstition , and leads him to intellectual , moral and religious independence , unfolding to him successively fche truths upon which it is founded , explaining the symbols which illustrate the great system of morality that has made it the foremost institution on earth , and which has attracted fche best men of every age in every clime .
It inspires man to the attainment of wisdom , teaches him the highest regard for truth , imposes the necessity of guarding a good name with jealous care , and requires an appeal to the Supreme Being before entering upon any great or important undertaking . He who lives according to fche teachings of
Freemasonry , studying its precepts , exploring the storehouse of its intellectual treasures , analyzing its symbols , following the guiding line of its requirements and practising the charity it inculcates , wins the love and reverence of his fellow Craftsmen and the respect of his associates .
The mere conferring of the degrees does not make a man a Mason , any more than the conferring of holy orders upon him would make him a Christian . He must be first prepared to be made a Mason in his heart . If this preliminary step be lacking in his preparation , Masonry cannot supply fche deficiency , and , if admitted , he becomes a Mason in name only .
The mission of this Institution is nofc to reform mankind , bufc to lead good men by paths that brighten their lives and show them the consequences of a well-spent life . Ifc opons to their vision the happiness and contentment which is the reward of a moral and upright existence , urging them to the attainment of
that wisdom which recognizes the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man . For centuries it has taught mankind love of liberty and equalily , and for this it was proscribed , and its followers made to feel the iron hand of a power that believed not in the expansion of those God given qualities , intelligence and
. As " Truth is mighty and musfc prevail , " so Masonry has prevailed against its enemies , for it is Truth personified . Underlying all its teachings is the grand principle , Truth , which has ever been , is now , and ever shall be , while the world stands . It
is so interwoven with Masonry that every precept and principle of the grand old institution is proven to be unassailable . This is fche secret charm that leads men to the Lodge room to hear it expounded and the repetition of which reveals new beauties of thought and expression to the understanding . Among no body of men in the world does the friendly handclasp excite such a thrill of satisfaction as that experienced when
Freemasonry, A Rock.
Masons meet and clasp hands . Within fche tiled recesses of the Lodge all men are equal , there wealth and social position or exalted station are forgotten . True manhood and sterling individuality are the only recognised factors im advancement .
All this being true , it is not strange that Freemasonry should have advanced to the proud position it occupies to-day . •Having reached this eminence its future is assured , for the time will never again come when humanity will allow conscience to be enslaved . The watchword is " Forward , " and , as this great body has exerted itself in the past for fche enlightenment of mankind ,
it will continue to show the pafchs by which further advances may be made toward the accomplishment of its aims . Eecall the unselfish devotion of those who stemmed the tide of oppression from 1826 to 1840 , and learn from their unswerving integrity the lessons that musfc be part of a Mason ' s education . Suffer
none : to enter the outer portals of the Temple but those who are capable of appreciating the greac honour bestowed upon them , of reading aright the symbolical meaning of what they see , and of understanding the grand and sublime mysteries that unfold themselves as they advance toward Masonic light .
Let the Craft read , study and be regular in attendance at Lodge , and life will be made happier , the mind will be improved , feelings of charity will be engendered , renewed faith in mankind will fill the heart , and each lesson taught will reveal the need of constant study in order to thoroughly understand them properly .
Freemasonry can never die . It is as imperishable as the earth itself , because it is founded upon faith in God , freedom of conscience and equality of mankind , three insuperable obstacles to its destruction . —" Tyler . "
What Is Higher?
WHAT IS HIGHER ?
THEEE has been a good deal of talk of " higher " degrees , of " exalted " Masonry , of " advanced " grades and all such supposed elevated stations in the Fraternity , but the question has often suggested itself to us , what is the highest degree , the mosfc exalfced position , or fche most elevated station in all fche departments of Masonry ? and we have been forced to the
conclusion that fche Master Mason ' s degree is the very pinnacle of the whole system . There is no fcruth brought out in any of the degrees above the Master Mason that is not embodied in either that degree or the two that precede ic . Every phase of morality , every lesson of morality , every doctrine of immortality , every teaching of virtue and uprightness are contained in the dogmas of the Lodge .
The Entered Apprentice is borne into the light ; fche Fellow Graft is advanced toward its noontide effulgence ; the Master Mason beholds the declining sun , till it is lost in the twilight and night ; of eternity . Thus in the first three degrees is contained the whole of human life ; and human life embodies all
that we actually know anything about . The future is an unwritten book , an unknowable condition . We may theorize as we will , conjecture as we please , but all of our theories and conjectures are worthless in the light of revelation . We may hope and we may anticipate , but hope and anticipation end in
fruition , and fruition is often unsatisfactory and disappointing . The lessons of fche Lodge room , if they mean anything , mean thafc we are to thoughtfully study our being . We are alive and in the world—what for ? Is there a future ? Each dawning morn with its glorious sunrise , shedding beauty upon all nature
and flooding the world with life , is a demonstrated fact ; that there is a future . Will the time ever come when there will be no sunrise ? when the universe will be shrouded in gloom and darkness ? when order and symmetry will be destroyed ? when the hand of God will not direct the wheels of fche circling worlds ? Will fche time ever come when God will be dead ? Ah .
no . The mind revolts at the thought , and the heart fails when even fche suggestion of such a terrible catastrophe is made . No * There is in the world no deafch , except to the material creation . The heart and soul of man , the mind with its lofty aspirations and immortal conceptions is never destroyed . Somewhere in fche world the influence of a man ' s soul remains a factor for
good or ill . Its wavelets circle oufc and oufc upon a limitless sea , and never cease their circling because there is no shore upon which to spend their force . We are controlled to-day by the mind ' s thoughts and acts of those who long since have passed away . These things are true whether we believe them or nob . These imperishable doctrines are the lessons of the Lodge .
The higher degrees contain nothing that is new . Their ceremonies , beautiful , grand , impressive , are only illustrative gatherings thafc emphasize the Truth already presented . They fail in their purpose if they do not make a man a more earnest ; Master Mason , and lead him to regard the foundation of the fabric as of greater importance than the ornamental cornice at