The Growth Of Masonry.

because of his manhood , as the equal in the Fraternity , of all others . And we Masons of New Jersey may well congratulate ourselves upon having risen to the full conception of this fundamental princip le of Masonry , so

that no man , possessed of the attributes of manhood and worthy to be included in the Brotherhood , can be refused admittance . Is it then surprising that a Fraternity , founded npon principles so universal , should survive all opposition and extend wherever humanity exists ?

And now , my brethren , like the Masons of old , we are assembled to take our part in the erection of an important building , one which will exemplify the taste and energy of its founders for many years to come . Unlike our ancient brethren , we may not fashion the stone and timber that are

to compose it , nor join them together in accordance with the designs drawn upon the trestle-board , but we can be their true descendants in preserving , intact , the great principles that united them as one great Fraternity , and made possible the transmission of that' Brotherhood to us .

This structure , when completed , will be dedicated to Freemasonry—may its occupants never forget the fundamental principles of the Fraternity , may your zeal for the Institntion be kept ever green by tho knowledge that its foundations are the purest and the best . May your charity

not only lead yon to do to others as you would that others should do to you , but may it temper your judgments of each other , ever remembering that all are equally liable to err , and as this structure is destined to be an ornament to the city in which it stands , and a joy to the citizens for years yet to come , do you so carry yourselves that it will

be a still greater satisfaction that the city has within its borders a society of men who not only preach , but who practise these excellent principles of Freemasonry—who not

only teach but who exemplify in their lives the omnipotence of God and the true equality of man . This address was listened to with marked attention , and was delivered in a very effective and eloquent manner .

The Doxology was then sung by all the brethren , and after the benediction was pronounced by the Grand Chaplain the exercises came to a close . The line was again formed , and the parade was continued up West State-street to the State Capitol , and then countermarched , passing up

Warren-street , where it was reviewed by the Grand Master and Officers of the Grand Lodge . After this the Grand Lodge repaired to the parlour of the American House , where Past Grand Master Johnson , of Kentucky , delivered an address , complimenting the Masons of Trenton and the Grand Lodge of New Jersey .

The Sun, At Rising, Meridian, And Setting.

THE SUN , AT RISING , MERIDIAN , AND SETTING .

rTHHE beauty , brilliancy and power of the sun in the J . heavens are so apparent , that we are not surprised the ancient Egyptians worshipped this orb at its rising , meridian and setting , as a form of Deity , or rather , as personifying , in each instance , an attribute of Deity .

Afterwards , it is true , this worship popularly degenerated into idolatry ; but originally , the best scholars assert , tbe educated Egyptian priest believed , and taught , the unity of the Godhead—the supremacy of " the ONE maker of existence ; " and when worship was offered to the different

gods , so-called , these were regarded as but forms or aspects of the One living and true God . There were nine deities of a solar character , but among these three were chief , viz .: Horns , the rising sun , sometimes styled Harmachis , or Horus in the horizon , whose hieroglyphic representation was

a hawk ; Ea , tbe meridian or mid-day sun , whose emblem was the solar disc , or a beetle ; and Osiris , the setting sun , whose appropriate hieroglyphic was the human eye . All of these forms of deity were captivating to the mind , personifying , as they did , almost equally , leading attributes

of divine power and glory . How wonderful , for example , is the rising sun ! The triumph of light over darkness is complete . The shades of night are dispersed , and in their

place we behold a fnll-rounded orb springing from tho horizon , that fills the earth with light , health and growth , to man , beast and plant , jewels the earth with flowers , and fills the air with aroma . The new heavens disclose a

new earth ; a prison house becomes a gorgeous palace . Death-like sleep gives place to vigorous life . All nature is alive . We do not wonder that Horus was styled , in the

The Sun, At Rising, Meridian, And Setting.

" Ritual of the Dead , " "King of the World , " " Lord of Heaven , " " Supreme ruler of God and men , " " beauteous , " " blessed " and " self-existing . " His anti-type in Freemasonry is the Grand Master of Masons , and subordinate

to him , the Master of a Lodge . The stations of the sun and the Grand Master , their duties and their authorit y , aiu in many respects analogous . Rightly , then , may Freemasons honour the rising sun , the emblem of their most honoured officer , the symbol of glory , authority and

power . To the Egyptian priest and his disciples the meridian sun was representative of Ea , who , in the " Litany of Ra , " was called " the Supreme Power , " " the only one , " " the master of light , " " the revealer of hidden things . " Ra

was worshipped especially at On , or Heliopolis--the cit y of the Sun ; and at Thebes , where ho was identified with Amnn , and worshipped as Amun-Ra . Who can wonder that the mid-day sun was regarded by the ancients as a symbol of God ? So mighty in power , so pervasive in

influence , so dazzling in glory is the monarch of the skies when he stands highest in the heavens , that he compels obedience to his commands , so that the noon-tide hour has , in all nations , and among all peoples , been regarded as a period of rest . When the sun is most active he would

have man to acknowledge his sovereignty by sitting quietly and contemplatively , as it were at his feet , on his foot , stool . The Officer in Masonry who most nearly represents the meridian sun is the Junior Warden , who watches over

the Craft during the hour of refreshment , and calls them to duty again when the time arrives for labour . Proud may he well be of the analogy which classes him with the solar orb when it is at meridian splendour .

There was another god of infinite perfections whom the Egyptians worshipped—Osiris , the setting sun , who descended at the close of the day into tbe under-world , there to preside as the great deity of Amenti , or Hades , and judge the souls of men . He was the president of the dead .

He was also the type , embodiment , and exponent of one of the seed-truths of Freemasonry . Slain by Set , or darkness , he was buried , yet not for ever , but only to rise again , the next day , rejuvenated , as " Horus of the horizon . " Osiris was the dead sun , to rise again , and hence the god of

life eternal . He prefigured the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul—twin truths of momentous importance , often denied , denied to-day , but true yesterday , to-day and for ever . Osiris , the setting sun , prefigured the Senior Warden of the Lodge , who closes its labour , and

rewards its Craftsmen , as he who was styled " the beneficent spirit , " " mild of heart , " and " fair and beloved of all who see him , " was said to have done in the underworld , at the close of earth's labours , to all of the children of men .

Who is there that does not respect and admire the nobility of thought embodied in these beliefs of the ancient Egyptians , and more especially in the doctrines connected with them taught in the Ancient Mysteries , with which , in not a few respects , the Freemasonry of to-day is affiliated ?

The Egyptians carried their worship of the sun into the noblest nomenclature of their language . The title " Pharoah " is a true Egyptian word , signifying " the sun . " More than this , the living king , or Pharaoh , was regarded as the manifestation on earth of Horns , or Ra , tbe

rising or meridian sun . Hence , no one hesitated to worship the king , in his official capacity , as actually God . Indeed , on the monuments , the king himself stands as a worshipper before his own image , and offers incense to his divine nature . Thus the adoring king was entirely distinct from

the being worshipped . He was the chosen of God , a ruler of divine right , and none might rightfully oppose his sway . Much as we admire the sotting sun in nature , sinking in a sea of glory , dyeing tbe clouds with Vermillion and saffron and ruby , it is largely a sentimental admiration ,

one that is regarded as more appropriate to romantic creatures of tender years , than to the matured and thoug htful being in the meridian of his power . Opposites attract each other—the rising sun of youth most admires the setting sun in nature . But not so those who are

matured . They know that the setting sun , all-g lorious as it is in its panopy of regal clouds , is dying , and soon will be buried in night . No , give them the rising sun . It , too , rides in a gorgeous chariot through the

heavens , with prancing coursers . It , too , passes between the vales of purple and blue and crimson . But its course is onward and upward , to glory and power , aiming at the supreme sovereignty that comes at " High