Masonic Visitation To Glenesk.

Bro . A NDISKSON said he had great pleasure in reporting that the minutes of the lodge were all kept in proper condition . The reports having been presented , Bro . BERRY said it must be a great pleasure to members coming from a long distance to hear the statements that had just been received . It was a marvellous circumstance that in a remote r-len I odee St . Andrew was able to accomplish such excellent results . 1 heir o " * o _ . ¦ i r LI .. —?< -.. ntn . 4 Wo utoc favourablsituated He

work was a good example to lodges more y . was pleased to state that perfect harmony prevailed amongst the members ol the lodge , the members having the utmost confidence m the ofhee-bearers . Bro the Hon . C . M . RAMSAY , in the course of a short speech , expressed the pleasure it afforded him to hear of the excellent work which was being accomplished by the members of the Lodge St . Andrew . The lodee having been closed , the visitors were entertained to a

sumptuous lunch . Several toasts were proposed . ( j Bro . A NDREW BENNET , proposed "Ihe Provincial Grand Lodge , coupled with the name of Bro . the Hon . C . M . R AMSAY , who replied . The brethren afterwards drove to Brechin , where dinner was served in the Crown Hotel .

The Two Scholars.

THE TWO SCHOLARS .

Two scholars , journeying on the road To Salamanca's town , Eatigucd with heat , and parched with thirst , In baste alighted down Near when ; a . fountain bubbled forth Its waters clear and bright ; Though deep in shade , the sparkling sun Disclosed it to the sight .

O ' erjoyed they tiuaff the crystal wave , And , stooping to repeat Tht : grateful draught , they soon perceive An old stone at their feet ; Of writing there , Time ' s ruthless hand Had hardly left a trace , And what he spared , the browsing Hocks Were hastening to efface .

With careful hands they clean the stone , Most anxious to discern ' The characters thereon engraved , And thus their meaning learn ; At length these words are faintly seen , Inscribed upon a scroll" Beneath this stone there is interred Garcia , the lawyer ' s soul . "

The younger scholar laughing , said " How perfectly absurd To grave these words upon a stone , And say a soul interred . 'Twould please me much if I could learn Whose soul was buried here ; Whoe ' er he was , the simple wight Had not much sense , I fear . "

With hearty laugh , he turned away , And mounting on his horse , He left his friend , and to the town Alone he took his course ; Mcarmhile , the elder pondered o ' er T ! c hidden meaning here , And wi-ely judging , was resolved TI . e mystery to clear .

His purpose fixed , with (" . ager haste , And unremitting toil , With knife in hand , he dug away The all-surrounding soil ; The stone removed , a bag is seen , Half covered with the mould , Which , being opened , brings to light A heap of shining gold .

Much pleased , he counts the ghtl ring store So opportunely found , When , looking , he perceives a card Around the bag is bound ; ' Though damp and soiled , the writing there-Is still distinct and clear , And Latin words , to this effect , Now legibly

appear" Whoe ' er thou art , who hadsl the wit To read my words aright , lie thou my heir , receive the gold , So dazzling to the sight . But , Oh ' . beware and rightly use The gift by Fortune sent , Nor seek to hoard , as I have done . What should be wisely spent . " V . W . DRIVER , M . A ., P . M .

Why?-What?-How?' ------ Why?

WHY ? - WHAT ? - HOW ? ' ------ WHY ?

The duty of the hour is upon us . Each day brings with it its r .-ires and dulie-- and we may well say : " New day , new duty . " Each moment slips by noiselessly , but certainly , to give place to the next one which passes on to take the p lace of that which has served its time and purpose , and drops out

of sight to be entombed among the centuries which have passed away . I he records of these centuries have been written up , and their ponderous volumes laid away among the archives of that eternity which is passed , lo be brought forth , opened , and their pages read in the pure light when the appointed time shall have come . The deeds of men are neither lost nor

Why?-What?-How?' ------ Why?

forgotten ; they are treasured up , remembered , and only await the coming future to make manifest the motives which brought about their

accomplishment . Those who come after us have a right to inquire concerning those who have gone this way before them—why they lived , for ivhal purpose they lived , and ho-ja they lived . These are questions of serious import and force

themselves home upon our consideration , in our most thoughtful moments , whether we are disposed to ponder them or not . They will not " down " at our bidding , however desirous we may be to rid ourselves ol them , but ever and anon thev rise up unbidden and sternly demand an answer at oui hands .

Freemasonry is not an Order , a "Society" having for its government regulations subject to change or amendment to suit the age or lime in which those who claim to be its " students " may live . It has no connection with the so-called schools of reform or endeavour , however useful these may be in their own sphere and the field selected by them in which to carry on their

labours . We would not be understood as standing in the way of , or as throwing hindrances across the pathway of those who have entered upon a course , under the regulations of the society to which they belong , to rescue the fallen , or lend a help ing hand to those who are in need—this be far from us . We simply wish to set forth and indelibly fix in the minds of all true Masons the incontrovertible fact that Freemasonry is an Institution .

Its usages , customs , ancient regulations , symbols , laws , ritual , landmarks , and modes of recognition , are fixed and unalterable . " It is not in the power of any man , or body of men , to make the least innovation in the body of Masonry . " There is no institution like it . The things already mentioned are those which make Freemasonry what it is , and hence nothing that is modern can be engrafted on it . Nothing can be added to , or taken from it . It is a sacred trust handed down to us by the fathers , and we must transmit it unimpaired to those who shall come after us .

It is folly for men claiming to be Masons to talk about determining the modes of recognition . These are well known—or ought to be—among all well-informed Masons . If these are not understood , or if they are not the same among all Masons now that they were at first , then there has been a departure from the ancient teachings , and anything supplied or substituted is an innovation , and thus far Freemasonry has lost one of its landmarks ,

The modes of recognition are a part of the ancient usages . These usages cannot be altered or changed . Heresies will , and sometimes do , gain admission by the introduction of one or more words which to the unsuspecting are of no importance and can do no special harm , but in the end it is found lhat these are simply the entering wedge to radical departures from the faith as handed down to us .

The best time to stop an innovation in any form is to arrest the first step in that direction . The best way to keep clear of those things which tend to modernise Freemasonry is to study Freemasonry as it was , and then put into practice the lessons we have learned from a patient study of its great principles . It is the neglect on the part of the many to inform themselves as to what Freemasonry is and what it teaches , that opens the door to suggestions which are foreign to the very first principle of the institution .

We have schools of instruction to teach the ritual , so that our Masters , Wardens , and Deacons may properly confer the Degrees in Masonry ; and then instruct the initiate by delivering the lectures . This is all ri ght , and we have no opposition to it whatever , but we are in need of another schoolone where Masons shall be taught what Masonry is . We need to be taught how to live Masonry before one another and the world . We need to be

taught anew the first step in Masonry , and that is—Why do we live ? Is there a place for us as Masons to fill , and in what way do we meet the end for which we were brought into the world ? Do we live , or simply profess Masonry ? The man who simply professes , but does not live up to that profession , is a blot on its fair escutcheon . There is a wei ghty responsibility resting upon every Mason to so exemplify in his walk and

conversation , the great tenets of the Institution , that others , seeing the good effects in the man ' s life , shall be constrained to learn for themselves the secret of the power which brings forth good fruit in the lives and actions of those who are governed by such healthful and moral principles as are found in the Institution of Freemasonry . Another step in this scholastic course , and which must not be overlooked is—for what do we live ?

WHAT ? The lowest conception of life is , to live for oneself . Now Masonry teaches us to look to the welfare of our brother as our own . It teaches us to love him as a brother , to aid him by good counsel , and not to supplant him in his lawful and laudable pursuits . This principle must govern us in all our relations one with another , if we be true Masons .

Selfishness is aiot one of the doctrines inculcated in the school ol Masonry . There is no place for it in the course of study prescribed . The very truths taught here tend to eradicate it so fully , that it never again grows and flourishes in a man ' s life . The teachings of Freemasonry are designed to cleanse , purify , and elevate . They remove the vices and superfluities of life , and bring the whole man into sweet obedience to its wholesome laws and benign principles .

Every man who is made a partaker of the mysteries of Freemasonry is under a most solemn and moral obligation to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the great lessons of the Institution . The richest veins and purest gold lie down deep in the mines , and to find . these , and become a possessor of the metal , we must delve down to where the deposits alone can be found .

No man has a right to claim to be a Mason who is satisfied with a bare initiation . The ritualistic teachings , however beautiful and instructive they may be , arc simply the key put into the Mason ' s hand , by which he may unlock the great treasure-house , where are garnered the stores of Masonic

truth . This truth must be studied , and the lessons drawn therefrom put into practice in the every day life of the student of these mysteries . The Mason ' s knowledge is worthless to him unless he puts it into practice . It must be used , and that , too , in such a way as to prove that its teachings have brought forth good fruit in the man ' s heart and life .

' 1 he princi ples of Freemasonry are pure , and the teachings sound , but what inllence do these exert over us 7 And here we are brought to consider the great question—How do we live ?

HOW ? The streams which issue from a fountain are of the same in kind as the fountain from which they How . If the fountain be corrupt , the streams which flow from il will have a corrupting influence , and everything with which they