Lodge Decorum.

bour . The presentation of the apron is a very pretty and impressive ceremony , but there is so much absolute rot thrown about it , ' that one is glad to shut his ears against it . But even the nausea may be overcome by the proper delivery of the address . A good brother , a well-known elocutionist , once remarked to me , " It

makes all the difference in the world who delivers a speech . " So it . does . Shakespeare wrote grand things , but they would hardly be appreciated if mouthed by a Bowery boy . . And the common-place utterances of an indifferent mind may be made attractive if expressed by a competent and

refined artist . I heard the great Nilsson once sing " Way down upon the Swanee River . " I have not wanted to hear it rendered by anyone else . It was charming , and the audience hung breathless on the silvery tones as they swept out upon the air until the end , when vociferous applause compelled a repetition . It does make a difference who delivers a speech .

I have thought that one reason why brethren congregate in the " Amen Corner , " as far far from the Master as possible , and enter into conversation during the work , is because of their sympathetic natures . They sympathis e with the Master in his weakness , with the lodge in the infliction of poor work , with themselves in being bored by the " old , old story , " told in such

miserable , and uninteresting manner . Note this—the next time you go to a lodge where they do not pretend to do the finest work , or where they do , as for that , watch the effect on the ' * audience , " the " Amen Corner " brethren , the conversationalists and all , when a brother known to do a thing well opens his mouth . The first word commands and receives silence . It is said that

Napoleon could control an audience with his eye . There vvas a magnetic force in the very presence of the little giant , and so there is in the presence of a good worker in the lodge . Earnestness and a manifest familiarity with the subject talked about help to rivet the attention as much as anything else . A free , easy

manner and proper regard for words and emphasis in delivery will be sure to obtain a recognition . If the man who attempts to perform Masonic work will do it right , he will not have to stop the work in order to stop the talk and noise ; he will receive proper and respectful attention . The fault is largely with the worker . —LOUNGER in the Dispatch .

Masonic Secrecy.

MASONIC SECRECY .

What a bug-bear the secrets of Freemasonry used to be ! The } ' do not now interest the world outside the Fraternity to any great extent . But the secrets must not be revealed . Should one who has enjoyed membership in the Craft pretend to disclose the inner-workings of the lodge hc would at once become an outcast from all respectable society . Even the bitterest opponents of the institution would ostracise him , and his very revelation be regarded as false .

" To have revealed The secrets of men , the secrets of a friend , How heinous had the fact been , how deserving Contempt and scorn of all , to be excluded All friendship and avoided as a blab , The mark of fool set on his front 1 "

It is the outward manifestation of the inner Lodge life—that which is proper to be revealed—that is at all of interest or importance to the world , or that they care anything about . The seed sown in secret that finds rich soil in a pure heart , buds and blossoms into virtuous actions , attracting the notice and admiration of all good people . Brotherly love , inculcated in the secret vault of the Masonic Lodge , blooms into rich fruitage of Relief

and Truth . A Mason who is properly taught in secret , is openlyatrue man , a charitable man , a loving man , an upright man . These are the revelations of the lodge room that are of interest to the world at large , and they are the deepest , most profound secrets . The tiny seed buried in the earth is for the

time within the secret chamber of God's mysterious creation , and in silence and darkness it works until it comes forth in strength and beauty to gladden the face of nature . If the earth above it is hard and baked by a hot and parching sun , the seed will never appear in " the blade , the stalk , and the full grain in the ear . " The seed of Masonic truth sown in the mysteries of

its rites , will die in an uncultivated heart unprepared for its reception , or seared over by immorality , indifference , or unbelief . Profanity , intemperance , vicious habits , are thorny weeds that grow so rapidly , that the seed truths of the cardinal virtues are choked before they produce fruit . Let the secrets of Freemasonry be revealed , in all that tends to make a man better , wiser , and happier . —New Fork Dispatch .

Masonic Philosophy.

MASONIC PHILOSOPHY .

It is often said Masonry is a philosophy . But is it ? Do we dwell upon its remarkably perfect symbolism as we should ? De we stop to consider that it is a privilege to be allowed to study its deep significance and separate its multifarious phases ? Not so often as we should . We knock and it is opened unto us ; we ascend the stair of knowledge and listen with attentive

ear as the instructive tongue tells us that vvhich has been treasured by the faithful breast ; we reach the pinnacle of Ancient Craft Masonry and enter into full communion . That is all . We arc Masons and are justly proud of the fact ; vve wear the mystic emblems of the Craft and fraternise with him who can give a token . But the time comes , sooner or later , when we have

to be vouched for in our own lodges and fear to go elsewhere for fear of being rejected . This sounds blunt and radical , but it is true . Ours is a progressive science and a speculative philosophy , but wc regard it as a convenient formula which brings certain advantages . Is there nothing beyond ? Does Masonry offer nothing further ? " Seek and ye shall find !"

Masonic Philosophy.

The man who pauses to seek , to inquire , to look , discovers rare treasures . The Frst Degree is a poem ; the Second Degree is a liberal education ; the Sublime Degree partakes of - the nature of an epic . Youth , Manhood , and Age , the philosophy of existence ; Entered Apprentice , Fellow Craft , and Master Mason , the

philosophy of education and development ; First , Second , and Third , the philosophy of religion ; Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty , the philosophy of application . Too much stress is laid upon the esoteric character of the work , to the exclusion of a proper study of the beauty and substance to be found in the esoteric work . We wink knowingly and nod sagely , but so few of us

know or appreciate . Every man who wears that badge which is more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle , should be a student of the ethics and tenets of thc Order of which he is so proud . Nothing else contains so many jewels of thought , so much underlying beauty and interest ; its ritual is a mass of revelations to him who turns the key of inquiry in the

lock of thought ; and , as the student progresses , he is delighted at every step by the wealth of symbolism and metaphor . Every point has its application , its superior teaching . Every word is the epitome of volumes . Every movement inspires the highest thoughts . And yet , in spite of this , we wear the emblem and have to be vouched for ! Surely we are neglecting the

opportunities which Masonry affords . It is not alone a Fraternity , although we are prone to think , erroneously , that it is a bulwark reared for our benefit against adversity . Let us delve into the quarries and forget the mere superfluities of life as we build a temple of perfect understanding . —Masonic Record .

Freemasonry In Germany.

FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY .

A pamphlet of 49 pages , recently published , has caused a great stir and commotion in Germany , especially in the three Prussian Grand Lodges . Its sale has been so rapid that five editions were required within the space of

three months to satisfy the demand , something unprecedented in the annals of Masonic publications . It is written in a polemic and aggressive manner , and throws much light on the present condition of Freemasonry in that country .

Bro . F . Settegast , its author , has been a Mason for 38 years . He vvas a member of several lodges working respectively under the three different systems represented in the Prussian Grand Lodges established in Berlin , viz ., the G . National Mother Lodge of the Three Globes ; thc G . National Lodge of Germany ( so called ) ; and the G . Lodge Royal York of Friend .

ship . In the last G . Lodge he held the office of Deputy Grand Master from 18 S 4-89 , when on thc death of Grand Master Herrig , he was unanimously chosen as his successor . In 1890 he voluntarily resigned his high office , because his proposals for a change of its system , that is , the

discarding ot the High Degrees , respectively the Inner and the Innermost Orients , and in relation to the unjustifiable rejection of applicants of anon-Christian persuasion , were not agreed to . In 1891 he joined the Lodge Femandine Caroline , a subordinate of the G . Lodge of Hamburg , its system and principles being in full accord with his own views .

He was also known in the field of Masonic literature . Several of his orations have becn published , as , for instance , " What can Freemasonry do for the Progress of Culture and the Welfare of the State ? " and "Darwinism in its Relation to Natural Philosophy , Religion , and Freemasonry . " The pamphlet is not only intended to be read by Freemasons , but by thc

public at large , especially by those intellectually qualified to comprehend and esteem the noble idea of Freemasonry . Nothing in the opinion of the author impedes so much the progress of our Society as the secrecy in which the brethren think it necessary to hide their work , and their boasting of being possessed of a knowledge that the profane are not able to penetrate . It is

important that everybody should know that the idea of Freemasonry is no longer a secret , and that it should be communicated to all those who arc willing to inquire into the depth of questions having for an object the solution of weighty problems . The Grand Lodge of the Three Globes in thc Union Journal (

Bttndesblatt ) makes a bitter attack on the author concerning the alleged state of misery in Prussia , and contends that it is a mistake to speak of such a state in the Prussian dominions , for 30 , 783 Prussian Masons rejoice at this unassailable privilege and governmental protection against the invasion of Masonic systems and ideas prevailing in the non-Prussian parts of Germany .

Of what weight , so argues the Union sheet , is the small number of 13 , 9 + 3 non-Prussian Masons in comparison with the former ? This conception , Bro . Stettegast replies , is a worthy counterpart to the manner of reasoning by Bishop Hofner in the General Catholic Assembly at Mayence : " If the German Freemasons outside Prussia complain that

their systems are excluded from that country , let them reflect , whether it would not be best for them to adopt the conservative principles and the well-tried doctrines of the Berliner Triple Alliance ( Drcibund ) . Then all strife and contention would at once come to an end . Hopes of this kind—¦ so continues the author—will never be realised . The Masonic conscience

of the non-1 russian Masons rejects all mystic by-work of the Royal Art and the Antisemitism engendered thereby . As to the rejoicing of thc 30 , 7 8 7 brethren at the secure protection afforded to the systems and doctrines of their respective G . Lodges it is an illusion to boast that they are faithful adherents to them and opposed to

the more liberal principles of the non-Prussian G . Lodges of Germany . If the latter had free access to-day to the Prussian States , to-morrow the Temples of the Triple Alliance would stand forsaken , unless they speedily resolved to reform their dead , antiquated , and confusing doctrines in favour of the non-Prussian teachings of German Freemasonry . —Freemason ' s Journal .