The True Meaning Of Good Wishes.

THE TRUE MEANING OF GOOD WISHES .

THIS is an opportune moment for considering the little " amicablenesses " which brethren of the mystic tie are in the habit of exhibiting towards each other at divers times and nnder divers circumstances . In theory , Freemasonry is a beautiful art f in practice , it is often perverted into something which will not quite bear the application of

such an epithet . This , of course , is not the fault of Freemasonry , but of a large number of its professors , who seem to think that according to a novel reading , all things are endurable in a society , one of whose guiding principles is

to be in charity with all men . It is astonishing to witness the calm and unsophisticated manner in which a brother will suggest some unrVaternal motive for the couduct of his bosom friend and brother . The former is under the

impression that it is impossible to disassociate the simplest and most natural action from the baneful influence of selfinterest . Accordingly , his brother relieves a friend , it is for the sake of patronage ; or if he puts his name on a subscription list for a round sum , it is mere ostentation—he

wants his name whispered about as a man of Charity . Perchance he is a little late at nights in reaching home" what dreadful dissipation ! " ejaculates our unsophisticated friend ; " Going to the bad , " says he , when he hears that his brother has been for once in his life away from home

for two or three days . These and similar amenities , on eveiy possible occasion , does our pleasant brother indulge in . He is , from one point of view , perhaps , an amusing study . It must need a considerable ingenuity on his part to invent the reasons he does for a friend ' s

eccentricities of manner and conduct , not , indeed , in the cases we have cited , for they are of a very ordinary character , but in others where it is more difficult to establish a connection between apparent cause and effect . He must be something of an actor likewise ,

for at times his maimer of relating a simple incident is moro expressive than any words could be . That shrug of the shoulders , that smile or sneer full of intense meaning , yet meaningless to all but the closest observers , the tone in which he speaks , the displaced accent from one

word to another , all these things need a master of the art of meaning more than your words convey , and this art , we need hardly remind our readers , is not acquired hurriedly . Now , 0 fraternal friend of ours , will you please to bear in mind that this is the season of Christmas , and among a

very numerous section of this and most other countries , the season of Christmas is necessarily a period not only of festivity—that is the vulgar character with which it is endowed in the eyes of common people—but likewise of " peace and goodwill " towards men . Not to mince matters

too finely , it is the season of all others when you and we , and indeed all men , should do our best to think and speak of others , and act towards them in a spirit of the purest kindness . We may or may not believe in Christianity , which has been rightly described as the religion of love , but we must remember there were Christians in heart if

not in mind long before Christ came into the world . There is nothing paradoxical , nothing in the nature of an equivoque , in saying that there are as many Christians outside the pale of Christianity as there aro inside it . So that we

may wish a Jew or a Mohammedan A Merry Christmas , and yet have nothing sinister in our wish . When , as Christians , we address a Christian , and salute him thus , there is a depth of meaning in our lan-

The True Meaning Of Good Wishes.

guage which can never be apparent to thoso of another religious faith . Yet tho same kind wish expressed in behalf of those others has a reality about its meaning which cannot be questioned . It means that on whomsoever it may he addressed to , we invoke the blessing

of Almighty God , so that , if hitherto he has been prosperous , that season of prosperity may continue in the new year which is approaching ; or if he has unfortunately been unprosperous , that the season of his adversity may come to an end now , and give place to a long and uninterrupted

course of prosperity . It means that we wish him a share in the present seasonable enjoyment , that he may havo enough and to spare of the good things which make life so happy , and likewise that he may have a mind not only to enjoy himself , but also to promote the enjoyment of

his neighbours , especially if they happen to be in a condition of poverty , or sick , or mourning tbe loss of some bosom friend or relative . The words " A Merry Christmas " have a magic ring about them , which no other words in the English language can boast , and this meaning is

pure and unadulterated with equivocation or mental reservation , whether they be addressed to Jew or Gentile , Christian or Pagan . But there is an old saying , " The wish is father to the thought "—though why a wish should have been paternal rather than maternal we have never

been able to discover . Well , we are aware that Ave aro severely straining the true sense of the adage , yet do we see no just cause or impediment why it may not betaken in the sense that the words we utter with our lips are the true and genuine representative head , or father , of the

thoughts by which we aro inspired . The Thought is born unto the Wish , and the Wish like a true father is proud of his offspring . Be this as it may , " A Merry Christmas , " like " Hearty Good Wishes , " " We greet you well , " " The Compliments of the

Season , " and ahost of other similar expressions all have , or ought to have , the same force and meaning . They are intended to convey , by him who utters it , a prayer for the welfare of him it is addressed to . We have said it " ought to have " and is " intended to convey " a certain meaning ,

because in the minds of many people it is a conventional expression , a mere manner of speech , and oftentimes is used towards those whom the speaker looks down upon with an evil eye—as though the smile , the manner , and the words were a cloak to hide the malevolence of the speaker ' s heart .

But it is time we pointed our moral to this quasi-aermon of ours . Do you not think , brother reader , that the next time you think , or speak of , or act towards your neighbour charitably , it would be as well if you threw a little sincerity into the thought , speech , or act ^? If you

sit in judgment upon him , would it not be as well to infuse a little justice into your decision ; and if justice requires you should condemn his acts , may we not hope that you will temper justice with just a modicum of that Mercy , which the greatest of onr poets has told us , " is not

strained , " but " droppeth , as the gentle ram from heaven npon the place beneath ; " that Mercy , which "is twice blessed . " seeing that " it blesseth him that gives , and . him that takes ? " Yes , brother , the next time it occurs to you to assign reasons or impute motives to your neighbours ,

just think of thnt justice which demands of all men—be they Jew , Christian , Mahommedan—that they should do to others as they would be done by , nnd of that merciful consideration which will bless you and your neighbour alike , and make you both happy . Wherefore say we to all our readers , — " A M ERRY CHKISTALAS I"