New Masonic Hall At Frome.

NEW MASONIC HALL AT FROME .

On Thursday last week , the Masonic Hall , which the progressive lodge , the Royal Somerset , No . 973 , have provided for themselves , was dedicated in accordance with Masonic usage . The ceremonial was performed by the V . W . the

D . P . G . M . of Somerset , Captain Bridges , who was accompanied by the P . G . S . W . General Munbee , the Grand Secretary , and other officers . All the ancient usages were observed , and the hall declared duly dedicated to the cause of Masonry . AVe may state that Masonrv has progressed very steadily in Frcmc ,

so that it became imperative to obtain a special habitation for the lodge . Tbo Literary and Scientific Institution having vacated their premises , those were secured for the purpose of a Masonic Hall . The arrangements comprise a spacious ante-room , a robingroom , and the hall . The latter lias been solidly ,

tastefully , and artistically furnished , and our correspondent understands that , for its dimensions , it is one of the completest in the district , the more especially as to artistic designs in accordance with Masonic rule . The dedication ceremony having been solemnly made , the W . M . ( re-elected ) was installed by P . M .

Lawson , P . M . and P . G . J . W . ( Wick ) . The W . M ., Bro . W . Mason , jun , thus stands the first of the re-elected of his lodge , and , furthermore , ho has been reappointed by the P . G . M . to provincial office . The S . W . was appointed , Bro . D . Jones was appointed

J . W ., Bro . John Baily , Treasurer , Bro . W . B . Wood , Secretary , Bro . W . H . Perret , S . D ., Bro . Parsons . J . D ., Bro . Clark , I . G ., Bro . A . R . Baily , P . G . I ., and Bro . Callaghan , O . G . At the annual dinner there was an unusually large attendance .

Masonry In Italy.

MASONRY IN ITALY .

The Grand Orient of Italy was created and elected in 1861 , by a re-union of the delegates of the several lodges dispersed throughout the country , which began to declare themselves after the country had recovered its independence . And it received new strength , in the following years , from the several general meetings

of the dignitaries of the lodges of the Peninsula . These assemblies , of which the most important is the Florentine one . of 1801 , were held at Turin , Genes , Tuscany , ^ Naples , and they numbered amongst them the most respectable of the Masonic fraternity of Italy . The Grand Orient resides in the provisional

capital of Italy , rlorcnee . Bro . . 1 . Garibaldi is its Honorary Grand Master during his life . Tho official bulletin published by the Grand Orient of Italy contains , besides its correspondence with foreign Grand Orients , and the movements of lodges , several articles on purely scientific matters , besides

those on social progress . Running over the pages of this bulletin and the general constitutions which the Grand Orient of Italy has adopted and published during the past year , one can easily judge of the motives which actuate this Grand Orient . In philosophy ( that is in the dominion of thought ) it is not

atheistic , deistic , nor pantheistic ; it is rationalist . In religion ( in the dominion of sentiment ) it professes tolerance ; in politics , it desires liberty for all , and it execrates violence , from whatever quarter it may come . It enjoins on its members to be good citizens , and to fulfil their duties actively . It has accepted a

high endeavour for itself and for generations—the struggle to death against intolerance and civil and sacerdotal tyranny , to proclaim always for the progress of humanity and of the universe . Italian Masonry abstains , as a corporation , in all intermeddling in the administrative affairs of a country , and seeking to diffuse instruction , it exercises beneficence . It protects

and gives good counsel to its brethren , while it . gives them free liberty to defend their rights as citizens , outside the Lodges , on their own responsibility . The Grand Orient allows the liberty of the Bites ; they can he elected members of the Grand Orient when thev aro Master Masons of the 3 rd degree . The Mopses are not recognised by the Grand Orient of Italv .

The number of tho lodges grouped around the Grand Orient of Italy is about a hundred and fifty , distributed through the peninsula and among the isles and colonics . A certain lodge had been opened for some time at Naples , called Roma Itedenta . It admitted to its

meetings females as well as males . The Grand Orient has suppressed it , but not till after it had issued a pamphlet on the measure . This is the case nearly with all demolished lodges , or individuals suspended or expelled the Order . —Translated from the Bulletin du , Grand Orient de France .

The New Vado Mccum ( invented and manufactured by Charles II . Vincent , optician , of 23 , Windsor-street Liverpool ) consists of a telescope well adapted for tourists , & c , to which is added . in excellent microscope of ^ reat power and first-class definition , quite equal to others sold nt ton times the price . Wonderful as it may seem , the price of this ingenious combination is only 3 s . Gil ., and . Mr . Vincent sends It ( carriage free ) anywhere , with printed directions , upon receipt of post-office order or stamps to the amount of 3 * . lOd . —ADVT .

Ancient And Modern Mysteries

ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES

BY BRO . ROBERT WEXTWORTH LITTLK , President of Ike London Literar ;/ Union , Editor of " The Sosicrucian , " < bc . ( Continued from page 193 . ) In the Egyptian mysteries we find , as in all other pagan mythologies , a recognition of the triune

character of the Deity ; and the remembrance of this important fact will materially assist us in deciphering their hieratic and hieroglyphic symbols . The principal mysteries of Egypt were those instituted iu honor of Osiris , Serapis , and Isis ; and in support of the trinitarian theory , the following curious anecdote of a

response from the Oracle ot Serapis maybe quoted : — " Thnlis , a king of Egypt , who is supposed to have given the name of Thule to the island now called leeland , having largely extended his dominions , and being inflated with pride , went to the Oracle ot Serapis , and thus addressed it : —Thou that art the god of fire ,

and who governest the course of the heavens , tell me tho truth ; was there ever , or will there ever be , ono so puissant as myself ? The Oracle answered him thus : —Yes ! first God , then the Word and Spirit all united in one , whose power can never end . Go hence immediately , O mortal ! whose life is always uncertain . '

And Thnlis , at his going thence , was assassinated . " The same doctrine may be found iu Plato , who alludes to the triple nature of the Divinity , which ho calls Agathos , or the sovereign good—Logos , the Word , or Intelligence , and Psyche , the all-sustaining and pervading spirit of beauty and love . An ancient

inscription at Rome speaks of " The Mighty God ; Begotten of God ; ard the all-resplendent Apollo , the Spirit . " But I must i ot pursue the consideration of this interesting subject at present , although it is intimately connected with the esoteric worship of the mysteries .

The Egyptian rites , we shall find , are more susceptible of an astronomical interpretation than any of the religious ceremonies of the ancients . Tho Sun is personified by Osiris , the leader , the king , the moderator of the stars , the soul of the world , the governor of Nature ( Plutarch delsid , and Isirid and Macrobius ) .

Isis is the Moon , or the consort of Osiris . She is endued with the faculty of receiving all kind of impressions , aud of being converted into all manner of forms which the Supreme Reason shall impress upon her . ( Ind . Ant . ) The course of the heavenly bodies , and the changes of tho seasons , are represented

allegorically throughout the whole of those mysterious ceremonies . Philae , a small island on the borders of Ethiopia , and near the cataracts , was esteemed the most sacred seat of tho Egyptian initiations , inasmuch as it was said to contain the relics of Osiris ; and in the Thebaid there could not be a more solemn oath

taken than that administered upon the ashes of the god . The island was perforated throughout the whole of its circumference , by secret labyrinths or subterranean passages , wherein tho preliminary rites of Isis were celebrated . In these gloomy avenues the aspirant submitted to tho awful trials of his fortitude

and constancy prescribed by the laws of tho priesthood , before the grand arcana of lig ht was revealed to his adoring spirit . It was there that superstition waved high her blazing torch , as the image of Isis was borne aloft by the chosen priests , who chanted in eestacy their sweetest . symphonies . The whole

initiationthough not without a deep moral and theological meaning , independent of the physical allegory—bore immediate allusion to the progressive stages of agriculture , and the passage of the sun , or Osiris , from one tropic to another . The secret process by which nature matures the embryo seed was symbolized h y

grains of wheat or barley , deposited in covered baskets and consecrated vases , to which access was had hy the priests alone . The departure of tho sim for tin ; cold northern signs was announced by bitter wailings and lamentations for the supposed decease of the god ; during which the aspirant was introduced , and , having

undergone all tho preparatory proofs , was at length permitted to join the solemn procession of the initiated . First came a priest , carrying a lamp which burned with uncommon splendour in the midst of a boat ot gold , as the emblem of the sacred journey of Osiris . A second priest bore two golden altars in honor of the

god and his consort . A third held in one hand a palm-branch , curiously wrought in foliated gold , and in the other the magic wand , or Caducous of Hermes . Tho fourth priest carried a small palm-tree , which , as the plant budded every month , was an appropriate emblem of the moon . He also bore a golden vase

containing the sacred milk of the ' Dea Multimauuna , the many-breasted goddess , by whom all nature is nourished . The fifth priest carried the golden van , or ' inystica vanims Iacchi , ' for winnowing the ripened corn ; and the sixth and last celebrant poured out of the two-handled amphora , copious libations of

generous wine in honor of the celestial deities . This solemn festival lasted four days , by which were foreshadowed the four wintry months , when Osiris was buried in darkness and silence , until re-discovered by Isis or Nature in tho vernal equinox , when his return or resurrection was hailed with shouts of joy and songs of triumph . The procession then emerged ,

Ancient And Modern Mysteries

like the rising beams of Osiris , from the gloom of the nether hemisphere , exchanging tho unwholesome atmosphere of subterranean caverns for the vivifying warmth of the resplendent sun . Rich unguents and costly perfumes were diffused around tho altars—some of the devotees woke the strains of the melodious

pipe—others played upon the golden and silver sistra , or the Thebaic harp , and all indulged in festive dances and hymns of praise . I cannot better conclude this portion of my subject than by quoting the following extract from the Rev . G . Oliver ' s *• ' Signs and Symbols . " " In their initiations , the Egyptians

informed the candidate , as an melliible secret , that tho mysteries were received from Father Adam , Seth , and Enoch ; and in the chief degree , the perfectly initiated aspirant was termed , from the name of the Deity , ALOM-JAII . After the initiation was fully completed , figs and honey were presented to the candidate , accompanied by this maxim , ' TRUTH is sweet . ' " ( To be continued . )

The Excavations At Jerusalem.

THE EXCAVATIONS AT JERUSALEM .

l'rom the third quarterly statement of the Palestine Exploration Fund , recently published , we find that having thoroughly examined the old Haram wall at the south-west and south-east angle , Lieutenant Warren has been exploring the north-east angle . Here he discovered the ohl wall—that portion of it below the

ground—continued beyond the apparent line of division above ground . The Pool of Bethesda , which he had already ascertained to be a real reservoir , concreted and plastered at bottom , has an overflow through a very remarkable chamber made of wrought stones inside the wall . The stones are cut similarl y to

those at the south-cast angle , but not , apparently , so carefully ; characters were found on them , copied , sent home , and examined . They aro pronounced to be similar to those previously read by Mr . Deutsch , and Phoenician . But the shaft has yielded other and , perhaps , more important results . On reaching the

rock , which was 110 ft below the surface of the ground , it was found to bo sloping downwards at an angle of 3 in 10 . A valley , therefore , previously suspected by some , the lowest point of which has not yet been reached , runs across this corner of the Ilaram area . And the platform of tho dome of the rock is at least 165 ft . above one part of the valley in tho

northern part of the Ilaram area . Among other results which might be mentioned we may name , therefore , this . The Ilaram area , on one part of which once stood the Temple , may now be compared to the lid of a box , of which the walls are the sides . Its corners are respective ! v the S . W ., about 120 ft . ; the S . E ., about 100 ft . ; thoN . E ., about 130 ft . above the rock . At the south-east corner are

substructures , long since known , called " Solomon ' s stables . " Are there none at the other angles , and , if so , of what kind are they ? All questions relating to tho inside of tho Ilaram area must , however , be postponed till permission can bo obtained to dig there . Lieutenant Warren and all his party have been obliged

to retire to the Lebanon to recruit their health . They return , it is expected , at the end of this month , when it is to be hoped that the requisite funds will be in the hands of the committee , at their office , 0 , Pall-mall East , to carry out the work of excavation , which now approaches completion .

GOLDEN FLEECE . — the masonic apron is said to bo more ancient than the badge of any other honouraide institution . It was used before the Greeks or Humans had a name . The Argonaut ie expedition is generally believed to be only a figurative account of tho deluge ; and the apron is unquestionably older than that event : it was therefore worn before tho

establishment of the spurious Freemasonry . Wo are certain from undeniable authority that tho apron was the first species of clothing with which mankind were acquainted , and was adopted before the expulsion of our progenitors from the garden of Kden . When they had violated the original compact , their ( yes wero opened to a sense of guilt and shame , and they saw that they

were naked . Decency suggested the necessary expedient of covering themselves with aprons . It is therefore said with great propriety that " the apron is more ancient than the golden fleece or Homan eagle . " THE BLOOD Pimii'iun . —Old Dr . Jacob Townseml's Sarsaparilla . Other Medical Testimony . — In speaking of the " Illuoil Purifier , " old Dr . Jacob To'vnsend ' s Sarsaparilla , G . C . Kcruott , 11 . D ., L . S . A . I . ond ., says : —• ' I stronglv

recommend it iu cutaneous d se ises aud all impurities of tha lilood . " March 21 , 1809 . —In a letter to the proprietors , June ( i , lSli'J , Dr . Irvine , of Irvinc ' s-tuwn , says : — "I havo bi'eu in tho habit of ordering your Sarsaparilla for my patients wilh the best results . Send me six quarts and six mammoth bottles . " l ' or all skin diseases , for purifying the system of mercurial poisons , and building' up the biokon constitution it

is the only safe ani certain remedy . —In Hollies 2 s . £ < 1 ., 4 s ., Is ( id ., 7 s . Oil ., Us . Sold by all DnuKista Pills and Ointment each in lloxcs . Is . l . Jd ., 2 s , ' . 111 ., Is . ( id . Testimonial * also from the Hon . the Dean of I . ismorej General William Gilbert , of the Indian Army j ordered also by Apothecaries Ilall , I . omloii . Caution—Get the red and bluo wrapper * , with the Old Doctor ' s head iu the centre . No other genuine . —ADVT .