What Makes A Mason

WHAT MAKES A MASON .

IF a Brother should be asked by a qualified member of the Craft " What makes you a Mason ? " he might be able to give such answer as would satisfy the inquiry , and yet not" tell the actual fact as to what makes a Mason .

Some think that after going through certain forms and ceremonies they are full-fledged Masons . ; nay , they believe that such is the case when their names are affixed to the Lodge roll . But it requires a great deal more than this to make a Mason . He may become a member of a Lodge ; he may

attend the meetings and even take part in the work , and yet be no more of a Mason than if he had never joined the Fraternity . It is not membership that makes a man a Mason any more that the mere attendance at a church will make a person religious .

What , then , makes a Mason ? It is the following out of the principles taught by Masonry . It is the throwing off of those selfish instincts which actuate the " man of the world , " and becoming one of the society of friends and Brothers . It is to set aside self-interest and to devote the heart and soul to the true teachings of Masonry . It is to be charitable to all , not only in action , but in word and thought . It is to do unto others as would

be wished for from them . It is to pay a proper reverence to the Creator , and never to mention His Holy Name except in a reverential manner . It is to avoid all intemperance and excesses , so as to keep the mind and body unimpaired , and fit to perform the necessary duties of life . It is to deal justly with all and to walk uprightly before God and man . It is to preserve a spotless reputation , and so to demean oneself as to be beyond censure and reproach .

But some will say , " I cannot spare the time from my business to do all that Masonry requires . " There is no reason for a man to neglect his business in order to be a Mason ; in fact , Masonry teaches that the ordinary avocations of life must not be neglected . Yet it should be to act as a Mason even in the transaction of business . To be a good Mason there should be honesty of dealing , rendering to every man his just due without distinction .

The employer should act justly and fairly with those he employs , and the workman , to be a good mason , should have the interest of those who pay him his wages as much at heart as if he were working for himself . He should be upright in all dealings , and be worthy to be taken by the hand by

everyone and everywhere . He should be a man in every sense of the word , and render unto others those kind offices which ho would , under similar circumstances , wish to be rendered unto him . Such action makes a man a Mason , " not membership — " Noah's Times . "

Masonic Law.

MASONIC LAW .

THE Masonic Fraternity is governed only by Masonic law . It cannot regard any other system of jurisprudence . Profane laws , the policy or expedients or compromises that profane societies can adopt are utterly impossible of application in Freemasonry . What is the declared law , the usages , customs , and landmarks and regulations of Masonry , are imperative

and commanding in their operation in Freemasonry individually or collectively as a Lodge . Every intelligent and thoughtful Mason will fully comprehend , that in this wise , our ancient and honourable Craft is perpetuated .

The landmarks of Masonry are indestructible . They operate with a power unknown to profane societies . Examples from the rules regulating these societies have no more influence on the administration of Masonic law than the caprices of strangers .

To seek to engraft these examples on the procedure of Masonic law is impossible . The attempt is always a failure . Our Craft is too well instructed ever seriously to listen to such seductive efforts to destroy the very life and spirit of Masonry .

It so may be tbat very specious suggestions are made on pretexts that profane associations might hear , but in Masonry they are without avail . Our Craft well knows that to tolerate such propositions would be in

direct and open hostility to our laws of Freemasonry . Loyal to the Craft and its principles , the true , tried Mason would never consent to permit these suggestions to have a place in the mind or morals of Masonry .

In these days of unrest , novelties , experiments , disorganising plans , and violent assaults on " the established , " which mark the history of very many associations of the profane , are emphatic warnings to Freemasons to reject any such inimical notions from entering our Temples . Masonry is built on unalterable foundations . " The Father " laid these

foundations in the aforetime , so tbat they should never be overthrown . To try to impair , weaken , change , ride or mutilate them by interpretation , or examples oi societies that have been exposed and are lost to human memory , cannot ever be permitted among Ancient Free and Accepted Masons . Our

Lodges are to be the stations at which the watchmen of Masonry are assembled to give warning of approaching danger , to listen to the sound of the approaching enemy , and bar the way to these attempted assaults on our Craft .

Solemn , never-ceasing duty . Obedience to it lies in the holy relations that exist between every Mason and the Brethren . These relations are consecrated by the most solemn of all human ceremonies . Brethren , think on these things . — " Kevstone . "

Out Of Place.

OUT OF PLACE .

THE majority of those who pass the lines of Freemasonry , thus obtaining an experimental knowledge of its ceremonies and characteristics , find themselves agreeably placed and in harmonious relations with Brethren , according to what were their anticipations . New members , for the most part , quickly accommodate themselves to the rules and limitations of the Craft , and soon become partakers of the home feeling whioh forms so

delightful a characteristic of our Fraternity . Occasionally , however , a man enters the Masonio organisation with undue haste , and under mistaken apprehensions as to the character of the institution . He does not find what he sought . He is out of place . He is greatly dissappointed , and he is somewhat to be pitied though he has only himself to blame .

It is these " out of place" Masons who retard the progress of the institution and stand in the way of its greatest usefulness . They are obstructionists , consciously or unconsciously , never becoming thoroughly identified with the interests of the organisation , but standing aloof as it were to criticise the rules and prevaling methods of procedure in Masonic

administration , which have the sanctions of long continued use . Brethren of this stamp constitute a class of iconoclasts who would strike down much that is ancient in the expression of Freemasonry , as they seek to bring the Order into tha shape and similitude of some modern society which seems to them to present less burdensome requirements , or to offer more benefits of a

financial and social nature . Not long ago a Brother said to the present writer , " I find too much that is precise and formal in the lessons and ceremonies of Masonio practice ; there is not swing enough in the Society to suit me . I had no idea when I joined the Lodge that its obligations were so many or its rules so rigid . " Here and there are Brethren of such a stamp .

They would like Freemasonry better if it were more like some other sooiety with which they are connected , if it were less rigid and orderly in the way it presents itself , both in the conferring of degrees and the transaction of business . These would like to transform a Masonio Lodge into a free and

easy club ; they would like to abbreviate its forms and ceremonies ; they would eliminate the moral and religious elements , substituting , perhaps , something more of a fanciful philosophy or of political aims , at any rate making some new and radical departure for the Ancient Craft .

Failing to succeed as iconoclasts and reformers , they quickly lose interest , and though their names are still borne on Lodge rolls ,, they add nothing of strength to the Masonic organisation . On the contrary , they

constitute an element of weakness to the institution . The best thing they can do for themselves and for the Fraternity is to step down and out . This they do , practically , in numerous instances , for so it is that recruits are added almost every day to the army of non-affiliates .

In the nature of things it may be expected thafc a few Brethren will be dissatisfied with the Masonic Fraternity , finding it somewhat different from what they had anticipated . The effort should be to reduce this number to the smallest possible limit . To this end every man proposing to apply for admission into Freemasonry should be informed of its essential features

including the moral lessons it teaches and the moral duties it requires of members . The great characteristic elements which distinguish the Ancient Craft Institution should be pointed out , so that there will be less liability to disappointment than when a candidate rushes headlong into the Lodge , having no distinct ideas of the Order to which he proposes to ally himself .

Not every reputable citizen is fitted for Masonic intercourse and service . It would be a kindness in some cases to hold back applicants , and perhaps to point them to the open doors of other Fraternities which may supply that for which they are looking , and thus save them from finding themselves sadly out of place in such a society as that of Free and Accepted Masons . — " Freemasons Repository . "

The Refreshment Question.

THE REFRESHMENT QUESTION .

XTTE have consistently urged the necessity which exists for curtailing * * expenditure of Lodge funds for this purpose , and that to such an extent that the charitable work of our Order may not be stinted . . We believe that we have been instrumental in checking extravagance and impressing upon many a Freemason the importance of limiting expenditure in this direction . We joined issue a little more than two years since with

the most eloquent of all Masonic lecturers , Bro . Batten , on some views expressed upon this question , and whilst still strenuously upholding our former opinions as to the first claims of charity in all expenditure , we are fain to admit that we have experienced not a few instances recently in which legitimate expenditure for refreshments is not wisely made , and where opportunity for social intercourse is lost . It was for the sake of this most

important feature of Masonic gatherings that Bro . Batten contended so ably and so eloquently , and we cannot do better than remind those specially concerned in these remarks , of the importance which his teachings possess as a guide to their management . Within a month or two we have been privileged to visit more than one Provincial Lodge . In one case , at the closing of the Lodge , sandwiches and beer in abundance were provided for

those who chose to remain standing in the vestibule of the Lodge Room to partake of them , nor was there wanting anything in the way of cordiality or warmth of welcome or hospitality . It seems to us that it should be apparent to members of these Lodges that the necessary expenditure thus entailed should induce a little care and trouble to lay out the provisions on promptly improvised tables , so that members and their guests can be seated around