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Article MASONIC DIDACTICS; ← Page 2 of 2
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Masonic Didactics;
In walking " through this valley of the shadow of death , " men ' s footsteps are guided as if they trod along some plain , on which a deep snow had fallen , rendering it trackless , and hiding every pitfall . They tread unmindful of danger because it is not seen . So through life we walk , inattentive to the end , or , to the deadly poison , which lurks beneath the fascinations of the world . Still death is certain , and the common lot of ail mankind ; and therefore , if we would live happy , and die respected , the advice of Horace , though a heathen , is worth following : — " Vive mentor , quam sis hrevis revi . " Live mindful how short life ii I—Author .
No . IV . —THE COQUETRY OF FORTUNE .
" Maud est virile terga , fortun . T dare . ' — Seneca . 'Tis hard to combat Fortune ' s fickleness . —Author . THAT man , who staunchly opposes the buckler of perseverance to the frowns of fortune , most certainly signalises himself by his heroic fortitude . Nothing is more deleterious to our future advancement in life than despondency and despair ; but most especially so , when we have to rely chiefly , sub gratia , on our own talents ancl energy to raise ourselves
out of obscurity ancl indigence . Industry , ancl that aspiring stimulus which is implanted in the nature of man by a divine afflatus , are quite sufficient to reinforce every beaten power of the mind , and to steady every vacillating principle . It is the head which ought to be the arsenal whence may be drawn every resource that is necessary to be used in our contests with the fickle goddess . She is an arrant coquetand is only to be won by tlie most ingeniouspatient
, , , and assiduous suitor . Men , like those shrubs whose germs become more strengthened and luxuriant the more frequently they are lopped , should let their flagging resolutions be renovated by fortune ' s rebuffs , and with undaunted hopes meet her repulses by redoubling their labour and diligence .
A learned moralist remarks— " it cannot be denied but outward accidents conduce much to fortune ; favour , opportunity , death of others , occasion fitting , virtue ; but chiefly the mould of a man ' s fortune is in his own hands . " Horace says , man is "faber fortune , sua ? . " "Therefore , if he look sharply and attentively , he shall see fortune , for though she be blind , yet she is not invisible . " If a man will not use that application and firmness which is necessary to attain rank and riches , he
most assuredly cannot expect to acquire them ; nor ought he to repine at what he terms the neglect of fortune , when his loss of her favours is the consequence of his own indolence ancl folly . Fortune then , or , in other words , wealth , is to be respected and desired so far as it is gained by an honourable and honest course . For confidence and reputation never fail to obtain their just reward in every vocation . Yet withalmen to be happy must endeavour to be contented
, with the fruit of their exertions . For , says the satirical epigrammatist , Martial" Fortuna mttltis tiat nimis , satis nulli !" To many Fortune gives too much—Enough—to no one!— Author . ( To be continued ) .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Didactics;
In walking " through this valley of the shadow of death , " men ' s footsteps are guided as if they trod along some plain , on which a deep snow had fallen , rendering it trackless , and hiding every pitfall . They tread unmindful of danger because it is not seen . So through life we walk , inattentive to the end , or , to the deadly poison , which lurks beneath the fascinations of the world . Still death is certain , and the common lot of ail mankind ; and therefore , if we would live happy , and die respected , the advice of Horace , though a heathen , is worth following : — " Vive mentor , quam sis hrevis revi . " Live mindful how short life ii I—Author .
No . IV . —THE COQUETRY OF FORTUNE .
" Maud est virile terga , fortun . T dare . ' — Seneca . 'Tis hard to combat Fortune ' s fickleness . —Author . THAT man , who staunchly opposes the buckler of perseverance to the frowns of fortune , most certainly signalises himself by his heroic fortitude . Nothing is more deleterious to our future advancement in life than despondency and despair ; but most especially so , when we have to rely chiefly , sub gratia , on our own talents ancl energy to raise ourselves
out of obscurity ancl indigence . Industry , ancl that aspiring stimulus which is implanted in the nature of man by a divine afflatus , are quite sufficient to reinforce every beaten power of the mind , and to steady every vacillating principle . It is the head which ought to be the arsenal whence may be drawn every resource that is necessary to be used in our contests with the fickle goddess . She is an arrant coquetand is only to be won by tlie most ingeniouspatient
, , , and assiduous suitor . Men , like those shrubs whose germs become more strengthened and luxuriant the more frequently they are lopped , should let their flagging resolutions be renovated by fortune ' s rebuffs , and with undaunted hopes meet her repulses by redoubling their labour and diligence .
A learned moralist remarks— " it cannot be denied but outward accidents conduce much to fortune ; favour , opportunity , death of others , occasion fitting , virtue ; but chiefly the mould of a man ' s fortune is in his own hands . " Horace says , man is "faber fortune , sua ? . " "Therefore , if he look sharply and attentively , he shall see fortune , for though she be blind , yet she is not invisible . " If a man will not use that application and firmness which is necessary to attain rank and riches , he
most assuredly cannot expect to acquire them ; nor ought he to repine at what he terms the neglect of fortune , when his loss of her favours is the consequence of his own indolence ancl folly . Fortune then , or , in other words , wealth , is to be respected and desired so far as it is gained by an honourable and honest course . For confidence and reputation never fail to obtain their just reward in every vocation . Yet withalmen to be happy must endeavour to be contented
, with the fruit of their exertions . For , says the satirical epigrammatist , Martial" Fortuna mttltis tiat nimis , satis nulli !" To many Fortune gives too much—Enough—to no one!— Author . ( To be continued ) .