A Masonic Address Of The Last Century.

to the Bassets of Tebidy no longer back than tho time of Henry VII ., it went so nearly in sound as Red-drew . It has now become a custom to dedicate or nominate our respective Lodges pursuant to some circumstance or name . I hope it will not bo thought amiss in me if I presume to recommend an appropriate appellation for us in imitation—Maternal Lodge of Love and Hononr .

In this proposal I hope to bo seconded and supported by the unani . mous approbation of my brethren present , and that we may be dis . tingnished by onr proper appellation in every list of constituted Lodges for the time to come . It is an easy matter to guess at the meaning of my recommendation from a retrospect of the former part of this discourse .

May we then be denominated The Drnids Lodge of Love and Liberality , in reference to onr institution ; and may we , in token of out following the respectable examples of those wise and virtuous people , both in and out of our Lodge , behave liko creatures designed for the glory of onr Grand Architect , and not render ourselves , by foolishness , the sport and derision of thoso who are inadmissible to our confidence and esteem .

Notwithstanding all the injuries that Freemasonry has received from false brethren , and the malicious slanders of mankind , yet the present and frequent revivals of it are additional proofs of its great beauty and excellence . The world at large must acknowledge that the true and faithful part of our Order are men of the strictest

hononr and probity , that they aro loyal , virtuous , and humane , and they are adorned with every qualification to administer and receive happiness . If wo look around ns , where shall we find any man of moral excellence that ever deserted the society , after he had put into practice its harmonic and eccentric principles ? It is not compatiblo with our idea of the matter to admit of such a possibility .

The fountain and foundation of our moral system aro not to be contaminated by vice and folly , and whenever there is a secession of any unworthy member from our Society , I always consider that circumstance as an increase to our strength and reputation . Nay , I wish from the profound of my heart that every rotten branch of onr fellowship was lopped off and exterminated from amongst ns ;

bnt as bad men will mix themselves by ways and means with the best regulated societies , so must we endure these hardships and disgraces in common with other communities . My Honourable and Worthy Brethren , let each of us now in this right worshipful Lodge of Saint John contribute all in our power to advance and maintain the honour and welfare of our laudable Craft .

May we be trne and sincere in our morals , may wo bo wise and resolutely good , and may we ornament the human edifice with every virtue and fine accomplishment . For the attainment of these qualifications I recommend a frequent and mutual intercourse between tho Lodges of Falmouth and Redruth , to keep up tho life and spirit of Masonry by a constant attend . ance of every member of each Lodge respectively , and never to leave

the Lodge till the work ho came there to do is well done and performed . One great cause of decay in Masonry is owing to idleness in not doing the Master ' s work with submission to discipline and order . Let the spirit of emulation in tho working part excito each member of our community to excel his brethren , for if you will ask , you may have ; if you will seek , you may find ; if you knock at tho chest where the jewels aro , the key which is made of no manner of metal will open it unto you .

May yon be free iu Faith , fervent in Hope , and zealous in Love , as that mother who receives you into her hospitable bosom when all your other friends have left and forsaken you . With humility receive the milk of instruction from the breast of Him who sitteth in the east to unlock with ivory keys the bone , bone box which contains the mysteries of our art , and suffer the impression of moral principles to

sink deep into the trestle board of yonr mind . Thus grounded in tho fundamentals , you may , with time , patience , and industry , be as blazing stars in the centre of the Lodge , or like tho indented tessel or beautifnl skirting round about it . I have , my Brethren , bnt one more remark to employ your forbearance at this time , which is this : —however unworthy a person I

am in my own deportment , yet it can no way invalidate or lessen the truth and merit of what I have taken npon me to enforce aud inculcate . You are not to look at the man , but apply the benefit to yourselves ; and if you have a proper degree of brotherly affection for one who has been a laborious working Mason the last twenty years , yon will pity my infirmities , and cover my intellectual

nakedness with the api on of candonr . For which and every other mark of principled Masonry may you and yours , your families , friends and connections , be fitted and prepared to receive and administer every good and perfect gift from the boundless ocean of eternal love , whose glorious majesty the Heaven

of Hiavens cannot contain , even from that Omniscient , Omnipotent , and Omnipresent Lord Jehovah who is God over us all , blessed for evermore . And may we , my honourable worshipful and dear brethren , while we aro in the mortal clay temples of onr fleeting bodies be ready to meet , unwilling to part , and joyful to meet again .

[ We have acceded to tbe request of Bro . Coombe "with a very great deal of pleasure . Not only is the address interesting , but , in parts , the writer is most earnest in his attempts to inculcate the grand truths of Freemasonry . It is evident he "was both a zealous student and an earnest

expositor of onr mysteries . We believe there are many among us who are as able to expound our doctrine as the late Bro . Pryce , and we trust they will not shrink from the duty of following his example , by always—that is , at all convenient seasons—endeavouring to impress on their younger , and less well informed brethren , the true aims and objects of . the Royal Art . —ED , FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . ]

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected- communications . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

—; o : — WHICH IS CORRECT ?

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I feel much satisfaction in receiving a reply from Bro . Gottheil , and much regret to differ even in appearance from one I hold in high esteem and respect . His paper is written with undoubted talent . He eludes each point with wonderful tact ; but , when distinct charges are made , tho

opponent is expected to reply categorically to those charges , and not to mislead , as in this case , by indulging in a kind of paraphrase on Masonry , the principles of which are neither alluded to , contested , or impugned . Our subject is the Lectures , and the Lectures only . Formerly I have treated more at large on the principles of Masonry , and my good

faith has never been impugned . On this occasion my humble endeavour has been to aid in introducing modifications of which Bro . Gottheil , in his letter , states " Lodges , east , west , north and south are earnestly desiring to effect . " Is it presumption to ask to be a fellowlabourer ? Let ns , then , define our objects , and , in earnest en . deavours after truth , the Great Architect of the Universe will not

withhold His aid . In my last article , after tracing the literary history of onr Lectures , I endeavoured to claim for Masonio teaching a higher standard than is compatible with those of them -which , to use Bro . Gotthail's own words , " may be contemptible . " I endeavoured , also , to inculcate that Masonry should havo loftv aims , but that lofty aims can never bo

realised by the present imperfect teachings of our Lodges of Instruction ; and Bro . Gottheil himself will not deny that a teaching which claims to have the glory of God and the good of man for its aim should at least be founded upon truth . Now if a Preceptor tells tbe brethren that a "Lodge of Freemasons "

existed " ot Alexandria in Egypt , over which Euclid presided as Grand Master , " he would tell his pupils what he ought to know is entirely without foundation , and hence imply that Masonic teachings and truth are not identical . There is no allegory here ; it is simple fact . It is the principle here involved , that truth may bo sacrificed to effect , that calls not for correction , but for entire chauge in any future

REVISION . I must again call attention to the symbol which is pretended to be illustrated by tho tale of Jephtha . They have , and can have , no connection whatever , and as to any tradition npon the subject , it is simply absurd . Talk of allegory indeed ! I know the pain and mortification it has often subjected me to , in feeling compelled to listen to

such an outrage upon common sense . Take , again , the origin of " Freeborn , " illustrated , in like manner , by a reference to Ishmael , Hagar , and Isaac . If they have any relation to this event , it is incumbent upon Bro . Gottheil to prove it ; if not , tho reference to this subject is merely as an idle tale . Neither is it fair criticism on the part of my friend to impute to

me that I consider Scripture narrative as " an idle tale . " I have hnmble faith in the sacred volume , not less , I trust , than Bro . Gottheil himself . I bow to its authority in all things , yet believe that by unwisely adopting certain examples which it affordsexamples which the Most High , in His inscrutable wisdom , permitted for special ends , have often caused , when adopted or inculcated as

isolated facts , unspeakable sin , misery and crime . I bow before the mystery of Hagar and Ishmael , before the sacking by a freebooter of twenty Ammonitish cities , and before the slaughter of forty-two thousand Ephraimites at the Ford . But , whilst the Sacred Volume abounds with examples of love and mercy , and of chivalry of holy living and saintly dying , I object strongly to painful

illustrations altogether beyond onr finite comprehension being needlessly thrust npon us—illustrations which , taken alone and without explanation ( as is the case in our Lodges of Instruction ) , would go far to confer the sanction of religion on slavery , pillage and murder . I further add that , if certain Masons in their erratic researches have lighted npon examples which , taken by themselves , give the lie

to the higher teachings of the Bible , they are as idle tales , and travesty tho sacred page . Let this be the second principle in REVISION . I am not conscious of deserving the hard things my friend imputes to me . I claim to have had some slight influence , at least , in the modified views which now prevail as to Masonic history and tradition ,

and I appeal against the odium theologicum which he endeavours to cast upon me to all who value the claims of reason , earnestness and truth . My friend speaks of the Lectures as " What is admitted to be simply tradition . " I think the force of imagination can go no farther , the Lectures have no claim whatever to the rank of tradition . " Tra

ditional" means " oral from age to age , " and in this sense Gibbon uses it . What evidence does our friend give for their being traditional ? I can only find that those now in use are compilations made a few years , more or less , ago . And if it is true that they are really foisted upon us as Masonic traditions , they can only critically be described as plagiarisms of which the origin has been concealed to hide the fraud ,

and frauds , pious or otherwise , have never accomplished anything but the debasement of those adopting them . If anything has come down to us traditionally , it is simply the form . The word , however , meets ns at every turn , and in any future revision it will be most important to define clearly what is for the future to be understood by the word " TRADITION . " Ono more subject , suggested by the fertile ideas of our friend , I