Where We Find All This.

Just listen to the catechism of the scoffer , of him who cannot even see the glamour of significance in mystery . He is like the dry tree , that gives not fruit , and whose leaves fall to the ground , withered , dead . Ask him , what is life , that great mystery ? He answers , nervous force ! What is death ? Disintegration . What is morality ? A police regulation . What is religion ? A fiction . What

is the soul ? A theological quibble . What is immortality ? A dream . This man , my brethren , will never pass beyond the mystic veil . He holds in his hands the

hourglass and the scythe ; he pillows his head on a coffin and a spade . He never beholds the sprig of acacia . He is translated from the upper crust of the earth to a bed in the lower stratum ; he lies down to sleep , but not to rise

again . How much happier are we , the disciples of Hiram , of the tribe of Naphtali , who , when the sun stood at meridian height , called the Craft from labour to repose , and who , at low twelve , dreaded not the reckless brutality of traitors ,

but trusted in his God , though his life was the forfeit ? What was life to him ? A purely material giftr from nature , a mere temporary being ? Nay , he esteemed it a gift from the Supreme Architect , an opportunity to develop the gifts with which nature has enriched his soul . Was

death to him disintegration ? Nay , the symbols we discover to the candidate prove the strength of that doctrine of the righteous , that thiB distinguished and pions hero of tradition , like all righteous men and Masons , believed that death was a passage to immortality , " not a

grim tyrant , but a kind messenger sent to translate us from this imperfect to that all-perfect , glorious and celestial Lodge above , where the Supreme Architect of the Universe for ever presides . " To him , therefore , and to us morality iB not a police regulation , not a mere consensus

of human opinion as to what constitutes right and wrong , not the dry , determinate effect of centuries of experience , but for ever the harmony between God and men , for ever

the rule suggested by our faith , for ever the line of human action , not because man forced its direction , but because God made it straight ! Therefore , to us immortality is no dream of poets , rather a logical consequence of life .

Where do I find all this , brethren ? On the altar of Masonry , where lies the Writ of ages and the experience of mankind . Where do I find all this ? Between the

points of the extended compasses , wherein are contained tbe most important tenets of our Order . Where do I find all this ? In the mystic letter for ever hovering above the Master ' s head—the letter that flashes a world of

intelligence and wisdom on every well-intentioned Mason . Now , then , what is the principal lesson of the mysteries ? Are the latter so mysterious after all ? Having found the key to unlock the book with many seals , do we not behold every symbol teeming with wisdom , with precious counsel ,

with quiet admonition ? Study your ritual , brethren . It will give you choice pearls of wisdom and you will become wise . It will teach you , to quote the wise Socrates , so to prepare your thoughts and actions that they completely harmonise with the intentions of the Supreme Master .

Then , by the aid of that wisdom , you may verify the traditions , that the workmen may enter the sanctum sanctorum at any time . Then , no priest shall dictate your communion with God . Then , no mysteries shall any more , bar your entrance . Then , the spirit shall be master

over the body and your wisdom shall discover the true happiness of life . For , says that wisest of all ancient philosophers , the Athenian , whose precious teachings were preserved by his disciple , Plato , " The greatest boon of the "wise is wisdom . " We are to seek the truth . Alas ! The

body gives us little leisure for this important task . Today its sustenance requires entire care ; to-morrow it is assailed by sickness ; then follow other affairs of the body , love , fear , desires , wishes , freaks and follies , whioh constantly detract our mind , allure our senses from one vanity

to another , and cause us to crave in vain for the real object of our rational wiahes—wisdom . What causes war , rebellion , strife and dissension among men but the body ? What else but the body and its insatiable wants ? For covetousness is the mother of all unrest and the soul

• would never hanker after its peculiar possessions had it not to care for the hungry desire of the body . Thus we are occupied most of the time and seldom have leisure to

seek for wisdom . Finally , if a leisure hour has been gained , and we prepare oursolves to embrace it , then , this disturber of our happiness , the body , Btands again in our path aud offers us its shadows instead of truth . Thua far

Where We Find All This.

Socrates . The lecturer on the Masonio platform speaks no purer wisdom . The Socratic admonition is the finest application of the Masonic injunction to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds . Thus I have traced before you , my brethren , the meaning of theso great lights of Masonry , and endeavoured to weave a beautiful web of philosophy in them . Let us , then , hold

these lights in great reverence , the Bible , the square , the compasses ; tbe first as a reminder of the Deity , the second as an emblem of mortality , honour and integrity , the third

as the emblem of that surpassing wisdom that will enable us to enter the sanctum sanctorum , there to reflect upon the problems of human thought , life , death , immortality . It was because that the ten commandments contained all

the rules man needs to live justly , uprightly and holy , that they alone were deposited in the inner sanctum . It is because our three great lights are all we need whereby

to live , prosper and find happiness , that the candidate beholds them when the clouds of darkness fall from his eyelids . Without them he is the slave of his passions , with them he is more than a Mason of the third or

thirtythird degree ; he is Master of himself , the conqueror of his evil inclinations . And it may be , brethren , it may be that when all men shall have been led to the sanctum sanctorum , when the spirit of wisdom shall prevail over the spirit of folly , when the soul ' s beauty shall obscure the hideous

passions and appetites of men , —it may be that then the fast mystery shall be cleared and the world will understand immortality . When every Master Mason shall have encompassed his desires , when the teachings of his Order shall have made him a good , wise man , when he shall deserve a monument suoh as described by the poet :

Go build his monument—and let it be Firm as the land , bub open as the sea ; Low in his grave the strong foundations lie , Let be the dome expansive aa the sky , On crystal pillars resting from above ,

Its sole supporters—works of faith . and love i So olear , so pure , that to the keenest eight They oast no shadow ; all within be light ; No walls divide the area , nor inclose ; Charter the whole to every wind that blows .

Then rage the tempest , flash the lightnings bine , And thunders roll—they pass unharmiag through . One Simple altar in the midst be placed , With this , and only this inscription graced—# * * * Glory to God ! good will , and peace on earth !

Then be thy duteous sons a tribe of priests , Not offering incense , nor the blood of beasts , But with their gifts upon that altar spread—Health to the sick , and to the hungry bread ,

Beneficenoe to all . Pain , want , misfortune , thither shall repair . Folly and vice reclaimed shall worship there—The God of him in whose transcendent mind Stood suoh a Temple free to all mankind !'

Worshipfnl Master and Brethren — when the poet's precious burden shall be understood by all men , the Bible , the Square and the Compasses shall yet stand out as instruments that have contributed to the redemption of mankind . We who have partaken of the mysteries , shall we not

strive to live our lives in harmony with their teachings , that in our generation we may speed the day when the sanctum sanctorum shall not be veiled any more ? r-when all men shall have attained that stage of happiness that is the result of a union of a pure body and a pure spirit .

And may the Grand Lodge of California , our noble mother , for ever increase in that power , that is , the power of benevolence , faith and charity , a true mother , a beneficent teacher of generations yet unborn . And to each of you , my brethren , this simple and heartfelt

wish—So may thy wealth and power moreate , So may thy people dwell in peace . On thee th' Almighty ' s glory rest , And all the world in thee be blest . —Voice of Matonry

HOLIOWAT ' Onriuiirr AHD FILM . —Counsel for the Delicate . —Those to whom seasons of changoable temperatures aro protracted periods ol trial should seek the earliest opportunity of removing all obstacles to good health . This cooling Ointment , perseveringly nibbed upon the skin , is the most reliable remedy for overcoming all diseases of the throat and chest . Qaroaey , and bronchitis

relaxed tonsils , sore throat , swollen glands , ordinary catarrh , , usually prevailing at this aeason , may ba arretted as soon as discovered , and every symptom banished by Holloway ' s simple and effective treatment . Tha Ointment , and Pills are highly commended for the facility with which they successfully conquer influenza : they allay in an tueredioly short tuns tho distressing fever and teasing uuugh .