"Free Masonry," Operative And Speculative.

ing on the floor . I regret my inability to say definitely whether this was a practice in the operative lodges , but I think it not at all unlikely ; it seems to me just the sort of job that an apprentice svould be set to do after . his admission . I have no doubt that something of the kind was done , which led to its continuation in the speculative lodges . In the course of time this old custom fell into abeyance , probably on account of carpets coming into

general use , or through laxity on the part of the Tyling fraternity , svho neglected the art of drawing . ' A wrilcr in 1806 gives a different reason , and there may be some truth in it . He says : " People had taken notice and made game of them about thc mop and pail , so some of the lo-lges use tape and little nails to form the same thing , and so keep the world more ignorant of the mailer . '' I should say this latter practice is not likely to

have been either extensive or popular , especially with the proprietors of the houses where the lodges met , who svould naturally object to nails being driven all over their floors . A more popular practice , I believe , was the use of a plain black board of the kind used in schools , on which the various emblems of the Craft sserc depicted . This probably gave rise to thc term "Lodge Bo ^ rd , " a name still used instead of "Tracing Board" in the

Stability Lodgeof Instruction , which is , I believe , the oldest lodge of instruction in London , and probably in England . At the annual festivals of the Emulation Lodgeof Improvement it used to be always referred to as the " Sister Lodge of Instruction , " a similar friendly expression being used at the lestivals of the "Stability . " I has'e here the Tyler ' s bill for the " making" of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , aftersvards King

George the Fourth . One of the items is " Drawing a Lodge 5 / -, " and another " Portridge of a Large Drawing Board 3 / - . " On the floor arc some of the materials of another substitute for the old custom of " Drawing the Lodge ; " if there were others , I regret to say they are lost beyond hope of recovery . Some years ago they were found in an old chest with other discarded furniture belonging to one of the oldest and most important lodges in

London . 1 consider them highly interesting as forming a sort of connecting link betsveen the tracing boards of the present day and the old custom of chalking the floor . They may also be cdnsidered unique , for several of niy most learned Masonic friends have seen them , and they all agree that they have never met svith , nor heard of anything of the kind before . You will abserve that the emblems of the First and Second Degrees are combined ,

not : separated as at present ; this is to be accounted for by the fact that in the 1-vst century it was customary in many lodges to confer the two Degrees on a candidate at the same meeting * About the beginning of the present century , permanently painted tracing boards came into use gradually , no doubt . At first they appear lo have been painted in various ways , according to . the taste and fancy of the artist . About 70 years ago a particular design

is said to have been appro \* ed by thc Duke of Sussex , then Grand Master , aqd the ' small . set I have here were probably amongst the first of that kind . The Tracing Boards used in this lodge werc copied , by permission , from thc Original drawings of the large boards , at the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , which were painted in 1 S 45 , under the supervision of the Committee of that lodge , by the same person svho designed these small ones—Bro .

John Harris , a very celebrated Mason , who lost his sight in his old age , and spent the closing years of his life in the Asylum of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , at Croydon , enjoying to the last the bounty of the Craft he had long and faithfully sers-ed . Nosv , brethren , if you are not already tired of listening lo me , I should like to engage your attention for a fesv moments longer , and ask you lo imagine yourselves in

a lodge of operative Masons , held , say live or six hundred years ago , in the neighbourhood of some large and important building either in course of erection or undergoing repair . The labours of the day being oser , the brethren are assembled for the examination and reception of candidates , or for the transaction of other necessary business , which having been disposed ot , probably thc master builder ssould have

something to say to his workmen with regard to their employment for thc next day . Perhaps some difficult piece of work or intricate carving has to be undertaken , which could be better illustrated on a large scale than on the ordinary plans . Paper and linen being scarce , what could be more natural than that he should avail himself of the floor of the lodge , or a large board , in order the better to convey his ideas and desires to his

subordinates ' . ' It is well knosvn that what sse see generally makes a more rapid and lasting * impression on the mind than what wc only hear or read about . For instance , supposing you had never seen a Tracing Board , and I were to endeavour to describe one to you , it would be utterly impossible for me to give you anything like so good an idea of what it is like as you can get by a single glance at the object itself , neither svould the various emblems be so

forcibly impressed on your memory . Before the invention of letters , the common , and indeed the only , method of conveying intelligence , excepting that of verbal communication , was by the use of symbols and hieroglyphic figures . Of course , when a regular system of letters was adopted , this primitive mode of intercourse naturally declined , although the use of signs and symbols svas still adhered to , and their value and importance , as

mediums of instruction , strenuously upheld by some of the ancient teachers and philosophers for a considerable time aftersvards , and nosv , after a long period of comparative neglect , we find the same old system extensively practised in " our modern schools .. I firmly believe , hosvever , that this venerable Institution of ours is the only Society iri existence that can fairly claim to have preserved and practised this valuable and important method of imparting knowledge from a far-distant period dosvn to the present day .

Masonic Books.

MASONIC BOOKS .

From time immemorial every society , sect , or reli gion , has had a literature peculiar to itself . Indeed , the birth of an institution , the rise of a sect is marked by the issuance of some ukase or document , setting forth svhat the new organisation believes , what it expects to accomplish , its objects and aims , and what is expected from its followers . These enunciations come

frequent )} ' as thc edicts of a leader , svhose strong individuality stamps itself upon the minds of men and moulds them to his own peculiar notions . Thus Confucius , Zoroaster , and Moses , stand as figures to mark the rise of certain doctrines or establishment ol a specific faith or morality . The Holy Bible , the Koran , the Zend-Avesta , and other sacred books oi the ancients , are the constitution or foundation of the morality of the svorld .

In the lapse of tune , ssith the increase of the human race , the grosvth of thought and accumulation of knowledge and experience , men have changed

* T'he " materials" here referred to are the principal emblems of the First and Second Degrees , cut out of sheet-iron , and very cleverly painted . When properly arranged on the llojr , they form a sort of large Tracing Hoard , svhich has a very effective appearance .

Masonic Books.

in beliefs and has'e expounded the doctrines of olden times in innumerable books which , if brought together , would make a pyramid that would reach to the heavens , and cast a shadow that would obscuie the sunlight . In this great mass of literature there is a part peculiar to Masons . | i would be interesting to anyone desiring to know how much thought has been given to the many subjects connected with our Fraternity , to glance at any of the many catalogues of libraries that have beeii gathered in various parts of the world .

There is no institution of human origin that has such a history as Freemasonry , none that lias exercised so great an influence , and none with such a multitude of varied subjects combined svithin its literature . Dealing as it does with man in his duties to God and his fellosv , it embodies every truth that would elevate the mind and purify the life . Masonic teachings are based upon the sublimest truths that can be

conceived , and are inspired by the Great Light that lies open on every altar . To be good men and true , to reverence the Deity and to love our fellosvs , form a trinity of truths that make us better , happier , and more useful , if we but practice them . To emphasise our duty to God and to each other is the object of every Masonic book . The more we are brought in contact svith the pages of light the more will we appreciate our own need of study .

With each passing year the literature of Freemasonry grosvs , and "more light " is shed upon history and doctrine . The proceedings of the various Grand Bodies , which form so valuable an annual contribution , are but the records of passing events , supplemented with the thoughts of the best and brightest irtinds the Fraternity possesses . A collection of a single year ' s

proceedings of the yearly assemblages of Masons is a mirror of the institution for that year . We see at a glance the great Fraternity at its labour of love . We behold reflected the mind and action of intellectual , thinking , upright men , svhose banding together is for the uplifting of mankind to . a higher and purer morality .

In every well-selected Masonic library are preserved , not only the books svritten upon the many absorbing topics that form the side-lights of Masonry , but those that tell of its rise and progress , of its peaceful mission , and its triumphant march over the ages , gathering strength with every generation . There , too , are the yearly mirrors , reflecting the good deeds and faithful words of those who delight to display the real beauty of a Mason ' s tenets .

Ignorance may have been excused in those days when only the block of marble or the papyrus preserved the knowledge of the philosopher , or when a book was a curiosity , and could only be owned by the wealthy ; but nosv , when the whirl and hum of millions of presses turn out day after day tons upon tons of reflected brain work , and when for a penny one may know the events of daily occurrence throughout the world , a lack of knowledge and information is well nigh criminal .

And so it is with the literature of Masonry . A few years ago it was considered an offence against the institution to publish anything of its doings , and the " faithful breast" alone was considered the proper deposit for the moral teachings of the lodge . Grand Bodies frowned upon any departure from that " ancient landmark " that commanded that everything be kept secret . In those days there was ignorance , and it may have been

excused for lack of opportunity to shed forth the light ; but now , when there is everywhere held up , a bright and polished mirror reflecting the fundas mental principles of Brotherly Love , Relief , Truth , and Charity , no mail can claim to be excusable for his lack of knowledge . The teachings , the great moral truths of Freemasonry , are not secret . They are an open book .

that may be known and read of all men , and thc more they are known the better the great Brotherhood will be appreciated . And so it is important to the Craft that their libraries should be well stocked with these aids to good Masonic work , to enlightenment , and lo moral and mental improvement . — . New York Dispatch .

The Prejudice Against Hebrews.

THE PREJUDICE AGAINST HEBREWS .

The best answer to the unfounded prejudice manifested against the Hebrew race by the ignorant , and even by many who have had the benefit of enlightened training and education , is the progress which Hebrews have made since the comparatively recent period when they were admitted to an equal chance in public life with their fellow men . In the field of statesmanship , of letters , and of finance Hebrew names are among the most brilliant

of the century , and even the enemies of the race have been compelled to bosv to the splendour of its achievements . To-day in America and in Europe Hebrews are lo be found representing the highest forms of intellectual energy , and engaged in the most extensive and successful business enterprises . The mannerisms and peculiarities which have been unjustly assigned by traditional caricature to the Jewish race are disappearing , and

our Hebrew fellow citizens , as a rule , compare most favourably with those who display narrow prejudice against them . In the national sense of the term there are no Jews or Hebrews . The Hebrew born or naturalised in America is an American , and should be treated as an American . One of the praisesvorthy attributes of the Hebresvs is their anxiety to identify themselves with . the country and its institutions , and , to avoid distinctions that would mark them as an un-American . In this respect they give an excellent example to some of their critics .

There is abundant evidence that much of the prejudice against the Hebrew race springs from jealousy . This is known to be the chief motive for the persecution of thc Hebresvs in Russia . Non-Jewish Russians have viewed svith envy the progress made by their Hebrew fellow-countrymen , a progress due to thrift , to frugality , and to business capacity . Hie Hebrews , by their exercise of inherited abilities and virtues , have managed ,

notwithstanding popular prejudice and mediaeval restrictions , to . achieve not only wealth , but also important distinction in Russia , and even the government , which so harshly persecutes them , is obliged to resort to them for assistance to enable it to fulfil the duties ol Government . Here in America there can be no excuse for anti-Jewish prejudice . 1 , c Tews were here before thc Revolution . Thev shared the aspirations , t "

struggles , and the final triumph of their fellow-Americans . Of those whu have arrived among more recent immigrants a very large proportion have earned not wealth alone , but also well merited honour . They arc a lawabiding and singularly peace loving race . At the same time , they i "' lvC taken their share of thc burdens and dangers of war , and Hebrew names nation

figured among the dead on both sides of the late conflict between the and secession . Here , if anywhere , the mist of prejudice should disapp ea J before the sunshine of liberty , and the descendants of the chosen peop le 0 old be accepted on terms of equality and fellosv humanity by those ol ! races that owe so much to the teachings of Him who , according to Christi tradition , was born a Jew . New York Press ,