Disappointment.

DISAPPOINTMENT .

TJTREEMASONS have long been accustomed to hear J- arguments used in favonr of promotion by merit , also on behalf of advancement by seniority , and although there is much to be said on both sides we have long felt that strict regularity should be observed in putting forward brethren for office , or at least giving them the option of serving . Our argument

has always been that if a brother does his best he is equally , or even more deserving than the member who , relying on natural gifts , does not specially exert himself in the discharge of his official dnties , and we think it must be generally recognised that the man who is genuinely sincere in his endeavours to please

is far more successful as an Officer than the Mason who does not consider there is any particular need for extra personal endeavour on his part in order to give satisfaction . Confidence in one ' s own ability is at all times desirable , but over-confidence is a serious blemish in any one , and particularly so among those who find themselves in an official position above their fellows .

Even if it were not possible to strongly argue on these lines in favour of promotion by seniority there is another factor to be considered , in the disappointment which must be felt by every brother passed over in his Lodge , simply because he is not quite so brilliant or self assertive as some of his fellows . We are now assuming that the brother is passed over in the lowest office of the Lodge , but it is not there alone

that we find such practices . It occasionally happens that . a member -serves year after year as an officer in his Lodge , rising step by step with the full anticipation of reaching the chair in due course , only to be disappointed in the end by seeing some more attractive or enterprising brother promoted over his head , either to serve personal ends , or to give extra satisfaction to a section of the members . Is it to be

wondered at that keen disappointment is felt under such circumstances ? or that the disappointment engenders actual dissatisfaction and ultimate withdrawal from membership ? and yet how can such practices be nrevented ?

So long as Freemasonry remains as popular as it is at the present time , when only a small minority of the members of our Lodges can hold office , there must always be a considerable amount of disappointment . Some members will be disappointed because they

do not get promotion as a matter of routine , and other members will be equally dissatisfied because the special favours they anticipated do not fall to their lot as rapidly as they hoped , and were perhaps led ^ to expect when they associated themselves with their Lodge . In the one ease we can sympathise witn

the Bunerers , m the other it is safe to say that some mistake has been made , and that the sooner the brother comes to fully recognise the absolute equality of Freemasonry the better it will be for his

Disappointment.

own comfort and for that of the brethren by whom he is surrounded . Disappointment in Freemasonry , however , must be borne without murmur or complaint , and no matter how much aggrieved a Mason may feel when he is passed over he is expected to present as cheerful an

appearance as if he had reached the summit of his ambition . On the principle that the Master of a Lodge cannot err , we are accustomed to hear that this or that proceeding is quite right , and that those who feel disappointment at the turn of event are not fully acting up to the tenets of Freemasonry , which should enable them to bow to the ruling of their superiors

in the Craft without any sentiment of dissatisfaction . All this sounds very well in theory , but so long as Freemasons are human it will not prove satisfactory in practice , and those who have no hesitation in acting in such a way as to cause disappointment have only themselves to thank if their schemes end

in misfortune . If they desire to succeed in their enterprises they will find it easier to advance on amicable terms with their fellows than to attempt to ride blindly on the goal they have in view , unmindful of the claims or the feelings of those they push aside . The introduction of the spirit of disappointment such as we are referring to cannot possibly prove an advantage in any Lodge , and those who act in such a way as to cause it are no true friends to the Order .

The Three Rabbonis.

THE THREE RABBONIS .

ADDRESS ON CAPITULAR MASONRY . By Alexander II . Morgan , M . E . Grand High Priest M . E . Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of

Pennsyl-. PART SECOND . WE claim for Freemasonry the foremost place among existing fraternity associations , and we base that clnira upon a sure foundation , because its principles are taken from tbe Holy Bible . One of the great advantagea

derived from onr connection with Freemasonry is the necessary study of tbe sacred writings . Let us pause a moment and consider this great work , in which human faith and energy , prompted by divine inspiration , havo

brought to perfection those sublime ideas . The sincere votary of Freemasonry does not enter into a controversial discussion as to the truth of Biblical history , nor of the soundness of its doctrines . To do so would be a concession

to the doubter and an admission of weakness on the part of the Masonic student of his Masonic belief . Once concede that certain portions of the sacred history are unreliable , and the Masonic fabric falls , because yon take away its chief

support , Holy Writ . Freemasonry could not exist without it . There is a popular delusion that the Bible is only for tbe preacher , the monk , the bigot or the student of

ecclesiastical bistoiy . Nothing could be further from the truth . It addresses itself to humanity in every form , to all classes and conditions ; alike to the lawyer and the divine , the learned and the ignorant , to the lovers of the