Secrecy.

a man or woman he does not know , or who pours tho vials of his vindictive wrath upon a house or an institution that he has never been in . And yet , they will tell you , " Oh ! it ' s a secret society ami cannot be good . " Not good , forsooth , because it has secrets . Not good , because it keeps its affairs to itself , and never prys into those of its

neighbours ? It is secret , and secrecy is a crime . Then is government criminal , society criminal , people criminal , the world a crime , yea , even the boundless universe itself one vast crime , since its limitless depths hold an infinity of secrets , that the mind of man can no more penetrate nor comprehend than it can control .

But , to return to more familar things , does not every man of sense know that all artists , mechanics and tradesmen have their secrets of trade and business , which they keep to themselves ? What artist or photographer will initiate you into the mysteries of his studio ? What merchant or man of business will publish his

ledger and correspondence , and what writer will tell yon the sources of inspiration on which he draws ? Every trade , every business and every profession has its secrets , and is not this their unquestioned right ? Who will forfeit his reputation for common sense by asserting that there is aught wrong in maintain .

ing such secrets ? How often daily do we see the legend " No admittance here except on business , " and what but that is written on tho portals of the Masonic temple ? If such policy were made universal would not the whole world have greater quiet and happiness ? How often in life does the soft tongue of hypocrisy tell tho secrets which ,

though true , lead to envy , hatred , misery , broils and death ? Indeed it is tho publication of the secrets of human littlenesses and hnman weaknesses that destroys confidence , makes disturbances , creates enemies , and breaks many of the thousand ties which should bind men together .

There are men , who , in their ignorance of life ' s true philosophy , appear to think that all evil should be exposed aud all misery be made public . Were such men wise , were they discreet , in a word , were they Masons , they would know that the grace of Charity , when properly excercised , would enable them to

save a sonl from death and hide indeed a multitude of evils . But no , they must go ont and publish in the highways and from tho housetops every fault of their neighbours , making every imaginable addition in order to demonstrate how zealous they are in the causes of truth and morality , as voluntary policemen to protect society . Why .

the very world is filled with slanderers and traducers of this sort , who actually make their living of tho innocent and unsuspecting , whom they tear to tatters and destroy in order to get their places . Such men are never Masons , and are always to be found foremost in

the ranks of those who incessantly condemn and belie onr Order and its principles . Against us , however , they are harmless , but against society they are moral cut-throats—tho meanest banditti with which the world is cursed .

Secrecy—why it is our safeguard , our bulwark against such , and indeed , " a pillar and tower of strength . " Were the secrets of tho Masonic Order paraded before the eyes of tho world to-morrow , they would make Freemasons , as such , not one bit better , nor the world at large not one jot happier . And under such circumstances , what

guarantee could we take from those who , not knowing ns , persist in abuse and vilification , that , when they knew as mnch as wo know , they would even then acknowledge that something good come out of Israel after all . Tho Mason works in secrecy and silence , but nob in darkness ; for , whether on tho floor of tho Lodge in the midst of his brethren , or

doing his duty in the busy haunts of tho work-a-day world , the Light of an All-seeing Eye is over present , and tho sublime assurance that " who so walketh in this Light shall not walk in darkness " emu fcinually before him . His labour may indeed be secret , but the fruits of that labour can be no secret to the eye of reason and justice .

Since the primal fall of man from the perfection in which tho Great Architect of the Universe created him , men have been good and bad , false and true ; and since the building of Solomon ' s Temple , Masons have been good and bad , false and true—but take a true Mason , and if you find not God ' s noblest work , an honest man , an upright ,

generous , liberal , sincere and truthful man , then , indeed , is secrecy a crime , onr mighty edifice bnilt on a foundation of sand , and its ancient existence a fabled dream . Judge us by our fruits . Boasting is anti-Masonic , and if wo were

not Masons , we could afford , like our enemies , to be uncharitableyes , indignant , and point to the widow relieved , housed and protected , the orphan fed , clothed and educated , saying : Gentlemen , this is the work of a Secret Society .

Hor . towAY ' s OIN - TMEXT AND PIUS are , of nil known remedies , aeknowledgedly placed" ! the front rank , on account of their soothing and calmative effects in nervous irritability , restlessness and depression ; locally also in irritable find painful ulcerations , abscesses , fistulars , hemorrhoids , carbuncles , and phlegmoaim nimenus sKin

nous pimpies on cue . 'inese wiotinng and calmative properties nre exactly those which are necessary , not only temporarily to alleviate pain and suffering , but also to bring about , in the blood vessels , and irritated tissues of the affected parts , that equable action , without which no permanent or effectual cure can be perfected . Throughout the univ 2 r . se these remedies have now established and maintain their reputation , for by their use thousands have been restored to health > yhea all else hail failed .

Reviews.

REVIEWS .

AU Books intended for Heview should "be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 67 Barbican , E . C . — : o : — Forty Years of American Life . Second Edition . By T . L . Nichols , M . D . London : Longmans , Green and Co . 1874 .

SOME of our readers may perhaps have had the good fortune to read this pleasantly written work when it made its first appearance some ten years since . Bnt even to sneh this re-issne in an altered , and , as the author suggests , in an improved and more compact form , will be very welcome . An old and gonial friend , who reappears after a lone

absence , with something additionally genial about him , is sure of a hearty reception . But if tho renewal of an old acquaintance is a source of pleasure , still more proud are we when we contract a new friendship with one so calculated to interest and entertain us as tho author of this admirable volume , or rather with the volume itself . With

all our insular prejadices , as strongly engrained in us as ever , we English grow daily more and more proud of our American cousins , as wo love to call them . National jealousies still animate the two governments , but no one is more sure of a cordial reception in American society then an Englishman , for they are proud of the old

country . Nor is an American long a stranger among Englishmen . Once the ice broken , and the mauvais quart d'h & ure of meeting has past , the two get on capitally together . Again , American humour , through it sounds somewhat strange at first , grows upon us by degrees . We soon get accustomed to it , and like it , and probably the works of such

humourists as tho late Artemus Ward , Bret Hart , and others are as much read , and as often quoted in England as they are in the United States . The first edition of Fcrrty Years of American Life , met with an excellent reception , at the hands both of English reviewers and English readers , and wo havo no doubt whatever , that the

present issue will obtain an even greater amount of popularity . We cculd offer several reasons for our statement , but one will suffice . The book is so capitally written , and ao impartially , so conscientiously . Ho describes the life and habits of the American people , so far aa wo know , faithfully and temporafce , neither exaggerating their faults ,

nor unduly exalting their virtues . Nor is his narrative truthful only . It has tho merit of being written in an eminently pleasing style , so that he must be a very dull reader who cannot extract amusement or instruction from well nigh every chapter . The plan of the book is simple . In tho earlier chapters are described tho habits of the

Americans . Then follow sketches of their most important cities and towns ; then of amusements , of tho press , of literature , the arts and sciences , politics , and politicians . Then is given a brief summary of the late war , tho causes and its results , with a chapter on " The Future of America . " There is , too , a Supplement , under the title of

" Additamenta , and the volume closes with a carefully compiled index of names of persons and places . So much for the manner in which tho work is arranged . As to the matter , we are at some loss how best to convey to onr readers a full idea of its merits . Dr . Nicholls is a most genial writer . He gives plenty of statistics , plenty

of dry matter of fact information , about the wonderful growth of . largo cities , of the amazing development of American resources , of the material wealth of the country , and the industrial energies of its people . But what in tho hands of many writers would bo a dull

matter of fact narrative , is , in the instance before us , enlivened by abundant anecdote , quaint description , and dry humour . In the chapter on " The Spirit of Seventy-six , " the reason why military titles prevail to such an extent in the States is thus accounted for : —

" If my father rose rapidly to the post of colonel , he did not hold it long . There was no pay , and no perquisites , but the glory and the expense increased with the elevation ; so he prudently declined to be made a general , and resigned to make way for others . Many resign on being made captains ; others , with a shade more of ambition , attain

tho title of major , while those who can afford the expense become generals , and those titles thoy always retain . This is the reason why every American of any account has a military title . They pass through somo of tho grades , and then resign , and are clear of military duty . It is a mode of exemption . In a year or two a man gets tho

title of captain , and is for ever free from service . Then hundreds of young men are appointed on the military staffs of governors or generals , and all these , after a nominal service of one or two years , retain their titles . In America it is safe to call any decent man—a stage driver or ostler—captain ; and any gentlemanly person—a railway conductor or tavern keeper—major or colonel . "

The following anecdote , in connection with a Fourth of July meeting , is worth quoting . It occurred during the Harrison Hard Cider campaign at Saratoga : — " The meeting was very large ; several counties assembled . Con . spicnous on the platform was a group of white-headed revolutionary

soldiers , whom the orators duly celebrated , and who were giving their support to the hero of sundry Indian battle fields . One of the orators , not content with the customary allusions , determined to have something more effective , and addressing one of the venerable patriots said : —

" Yon fought m the glorious war of Independence ? " " Yaas , " said the old man , with a German accent ; " Yaas , I vas in te var . " " This white-headed veteran was in that glorious contest for our liberties , fellow-citizens , and here he is , ready to fight or to vote for

them once more . And now , my venerable friend , who was your commander ? What general did yon serve under in that great struggle for freedom and independence ?" " General Burgoyne ! " was the honest answer ; which , after a moment of consternation , was greeted with a shout of laughter . " As illustrating the love of Americans for any thing new , and the eagerness with which any new idea or sensation is worked np , we