Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Professions And Practices.
We answer , in the first place , that Masonry cannot confer capacity upon those who are not endowed with it by the God of Nature ; we can only improve what we find they possess , we only give form and polish to the "Rough Ashlar " brought to our hands . Hence , all Masons are not great men .
We answer , in the second place , that if all Masons are not good men , it is not the fault of the Order , so far as its laws and principles are concerned . In the nature of things , Masonry has a great work to do , in its labours upon the material brought up , to be fitted to its place in the great social and moral edifice . Some stones will not
take a polish ; some workmen have never , themselves , " been reduced to Order , —not " fair work and square work . " Some are too ready to compromise principle , and the immutable laws of the Order , for ease , luxury , self indulgence and
prejudice . From these and many like causes , the high standards are lowered down to suit the circumstances of the times , and prevailing habits of place . There is too often a woeful departure from the principles of our profession , by which the sacred Order is made to suffer in all its great
interests . It is by far tco common with many who profess to be Masons , when urged to uphold the sublime principles of our beloved Order , to repel the appeal by asking : " Do you want to make Masonry a Church , a temperance society , or a set of bigots ? We are liberal in our views , and
not disposed to restrain ourselves or our brethren when they choose to indulge their appetites and passions ; we are but men , and don ' t profess to be saints ; let us alone ; other Masons can engage in any business , live as they please , anel their lodges endorse their conduct . Wh y can we not do the same ?"
The man who refuses to " subdue his passions and improve himself in Masonry "—a system of morality—should never knock at our doors ; he should never bow at our altars ; he should never make a profession of our doctrines and principles ; he should neve ^ r take upon himself the solemn
vows and obligations by which he bound himself to be a Mason ; to be a good man and true ; and strictly to obey the moral law . The man who voluntarily takes upon himself our high profession , our sacred vows , and then indulges in profane swearing , gambling , frequents liquour
shops , and lends his example and influence to promote drunkennessand debauchery in any form , violates his solemn vows , does violence to his profession , injures the cause of Masonry , and brings disgrace upon himself . "We are not saints . " No we do not , as
Masons , profess to be saints ; but will any intelligent Mason tell us the difference between the morality of Masonry and that of Christianity r Are they not the same ? Our system of morality is derived from the Bible—the " Great Light" of Masonry . No man can be a good Mason , and
not keep the moral law . The thing in itself is right , and every right-minded man will say so , whether he is a Mason or not . Masonry creates no new obligation ; it only holds good men , under their own voluntary obligations , to do that which they ought to do , if there was no such
thing as Masonry in the world . Show us the man who willingly takes upon himself the high profession of a true and undefilcd morality , such as every Mason subscribes to , and acts upon his profession , and we arc prepared not only to take him by the hand , but to take him to our bos am as a brother and
companion . We require nothing else . He may belong to any church or party in politics , or to no church or party ; it matters not , if he is a good man and true , he is our brother . But profession and practice must go hand in hand , or else there is a fraud , a deception , and we pity the man who cannot be a man after the pattern of his Masonic profession . —Masonic Mirror .
Sr . n . lnr . XT . —The only guaranncil cure for Toothache . —This cxtrnnrilinary application , marvellous in its ell ' eris , i ; ives immciliatc relief , without injuring ; the tooth , ami forms a temporary -loppiiy . Js . Jiil ..- po .-t In e is . j * J . The < OIUM it : Tim in l \ t . * TK , for ckvin :--in >; anil improving the teeth , impart- a natural veilness to Ihe ( turns , anil jiiies blillialicy to the enamel . I ' rice Is . ( ,. | . The RuV . vl . Dr . Mlnuci :, prepared from a recipe as n „ cil by her Majc-ty , elves Ihe teeth a pcail-like whilcncss , ami imparts a ilcliciees Iraerauce to the breath . Rlicels . Oil . > . ciUl i . v art chemists ami perfumers , anil by the propiictors , Sli ; . s « ,. ( .. timira ., the olil-c-tabli-heil Dentists , 72 , l . -. tilrjate-liill , a a I ; o , I lailcy-: trcct . l . ' avcmli-h-s . ptarc , Luiiilon .
Laying The Foundation Stone Of A New Masonic Hall In New Zealand.
LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF A NEW MASONIC HALL IN NEW ZEALAND .
By reason of the land upon which the Masonic Hall , on LeCren ' s-terrace , stood being required by the General Government for the Timarti and Temuka railway , the Freemasons were compelled to seek for a suitable site elsewhere , and , after some trouble , succeeded in securing an eli gible
plot of land in Church street , opposite the English church . The old Hall , which was built of stone , was erected in 1866 , and was used by the Freemasons until the year 1872 . At this time , the cutting for the railway was made close to the building and undermined one corner of it ,
rendering it unsafe for use , and causing the Freemasons to forsake it , and conduct the business of their lodge in a room of Mr . White ' s offices . In 1872 the building was pulled clown and the material stacked up until the Government paid the compensation for the removal of the building
and placed the lodge in possession of funds to rebuild it . The amount of compensation to be paid the lodge was assessed in the District Court on January 15 th , 1873 , when the Freemasons were awarded ^ 1 , 300 , and interest on that sum
at the rate of 8 per cent from the beginning of May , 1872 . As soon as this was paid , the new site in Church street was purchased , and tendsrs called for the re-erection of the building , Mr . Parsons beinn the successful tenderer .
The foundations having been completed , it was decided to re-lay the foundation stone on Monday last . The attendance of Freemasons was pretty large , several having come a considerable distance , but the number of visitors was small , probably in consequence of the laying of the stone being
performed without Masonic ceremony , and therefore not so attractive as it otherwise would have been . The outward display was of a limited description , consisting merely of a number of poles ornamented with evergreens erected along three sides of the foundations of the bailding , and from which were suspended a profusion of bunting , giving to the scene rather a lively appearance .
At noon , the time appointed for performing the ceremony , the members of the Masonic body and some others mounted the platform at the eastern side of the building , at the northern corner of which the stone was suspended by a
scaffolding ready for lowering it into position . Among those present were—Messrs . G . H . Wildie , W . M . ; John King , I . P . M . ; J . W . White , S . W . ; G . W . Wade , J . W . ; R . Scott , Treas . ; W . M . Sims , Sec . ; \ V . A . Hobbs ,
S . D . ; J . Mackintosh , J . D . ; G . Cliff " , l . G . ; H . Exiey , Tyler ; Rev . L . L . Brown , Chaplain . In the stone on which the foundation-stone was to rest was cut a square hole , into which was placed and cemented down a bottle taken from the ori ginal lodge building when it was
pulled down , containing newspapers , coins , & c , and another bottle containing a LyHelton Times of Saturday ' s date , a Timaru Herald and South Canterbury Times of Monday ' s dale , and a parchment , on which was inscribed the following : —
" llus is to commemorate the re-laying of the foundation stone which was laid on the , 30 th of August A . L . 866 . The stone was taken up on the 14 th of May , 5872 , in consequence of the land being required for the
iunnmnnd lemvika Railway . This stone is now re-laid without Masonic ceremony this 14 th day of April , , 587 , 3 , by George Hunter Wildie , W . M ., in the presence of the officers and brethren of the Lodge . "
Everything being readiness , the Worshipful Master said that he thought it was almost necessary that some apology should be made for bringing so many there to witness the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone , when probably many had come under the impression that it
would be accompanied with the usual Masonic display and honours , in explanation , he would inform them that the stone was laid originall y by the District Grand Master , Dr . Donald , and this being so , it was considered by the Grand Lodge in Christchnrch unnecessary to re-lay it with Masonic honours , seeing that it had been already
Laying The Foundation Stone Of A New Masonic Hall In New Zealand.
laid with all due ceremony . They had assembled there that day not as a Masonic bod y , but in their capacity as private indivduals , to witness the re-laying of the stone for the honour of the institution to wdiich they belonged . The stone was laid by the District Grand Master in
1866 , and the cause of the removal since was in consequence of the Government requiring the land upon wdiich the old hall stood for the Timaru and Temuka Railway . The removal of the stone was made on the 14 th May , 1872 , by their venerable Bro . Captain Scott , and the
documents and coins which were placed underneath it and sealed up when the building was built were removed and placed inside the stone that day , together with some newspapers of that day ' s date . He trusted that those things would never have to be removed within the memorv of man .
The plans for the new huilding which he had in his hand , had previously been examined by the Committee . They were very fair specimens of skill and ingenuity on the part of the architect , Mr . Wilson , and he trusted the building would be carried out in its entirety according to them .
The stone was then lowered into its place , and after the W . M . had pronounced it perfectly square , level , and upright , he declared it duly laid . The Chaplain then , in a few appropriate words invoked a blessing on the building .
The W . M . again addressing the assemblage remarked that it was barely necessary for him to say anything on behalf of the institution of Masonry , as he suspected many present were more thoroughly acquainted with the advantages to be derived from beintr a member of a Masonic
body than he was himself , he being but a very young member . He might say that the present hall would be erected solely and wholly for the purposes to which it was dedicated—Freemasonry alone . It would be a h . all in which Masons could meet , the reason ot their assembling
together being to bind themselves into one bond of brotherhooel to work unanimously for the world ' s good , to feel they had to assist and improve the position of their fellow creatures , and not to say " Am I accountable for him , he is not my brother , " but to assist his fellowman in all
his undertakings . The great virtue of a Mason should be charity , not onl y in almsgiving—for a man is not expected to give more than he can afford—but he is expected to give at least sympathy to a brother in distress . Ancient writers had stated , and he believed it , that Masonry began with almost the beginning of the world ,
that the very moment sufficient people were created on the earth , and shook hands together with professions of good will to each other , that then Masonry commenced . This friendship naturally caused societies to be created , and in time they became universal . Now he supposed there was not a town in Eurone or in the world
of any importance , but what had in its nnelst one or more Masonic lodges . Anathemas had been hurled against Freemasonry , foul epithets have been used to decry it , but these had failed to weaken it , and it was now as secure as ever . Kings had passed away , and kingdoms and
dynasties had decayed , but Masonry still possessed strength , ; r . d was now more prosperous anel vigorous than ever . The longer they lived the more prosperous their Order would become , lasting until it was not required any longer , and that time would not be until the millenitim arrived ,
when all people would be brothers , and when there would be no necessity for benevolence . Till then Masonry had its work to do . There weie many charities belonging to Masonry which the world never heard of . If a man was a proper Mason , anil
adhered to the teaching given him in the lodge , he walked with benevolence in his hand and charity in his heart . He thought well and tried to do his duty to all mankind . Such was a Mason , according to the teaching of their lodges , and he trusted that that teaching was acted up
to by all brothers . There were erring brothers but they were all human , and therefore cotil " not expect every person to be perfect , but if the' ) 1 followed the teaching they received in Masonry they could not err greatly . No matter to what st < or to what clime a man belonged , so long as n was honest and upright and believed in the Great
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Professions And Practices.
We answer , in the first place , that Masonry cannot confer capacity upon those who are not endowed with it by the God of Nature ; we can only improve what we find they possess , we only give form and polish to the "Rough Ashlar " brought to our hands . Hence , all Masons are not great men .
We answer , in the second place , that if all Masons are not good men , it is not the fault of the Order , so far as its laws and principles are concerned . In the nature of things , Masonry has a great work to do , in its labours upon the material brought up , to be fitted to its place in the great social and moral edifice . Some stones will not
take a polish ; some workmen have never , themselves , " been reduced to Order , —not " fair work and square work . " Some are too ready to compromise principle , and the immutable laws of the Order , for ease , luxury , self indulgence and
prejudice . From these and many like causes , the high standards are lowered down to suit the circumstances of the times , and prevailing habits of place . There is too often a woeful departure from the principles of our profession , by which the sacred Order is made to suffer in all its great
interests . It is by far tco common with many who profess to be Masons , when urged to uphold the sublime principles of our beloved Order , to repel the appeal by asking : " Do you want to make Masonry a Church , a temperance society , or a set of bigots ? We are liberal in our views , and
not disposed to restrain ourselves or our brethren when they choose to indulge their appetites and passions ; we are but men , and don ' t profess to be saints ; let us alone ; other Masons can engage in any business , live as they please , anel their lodges endorse their conduct . Wh y can we not do the same ?"
The man who refuses to " subdue his passions and improve himself in Masonry "—a system of morality—should never knock at our doors ; he should never bow at our altars ; he should never make a profession of our doctrines and principles ; he should neve ^ r take upon himself the solemn
vows and obligations by which he bound himself to be a Mason ; to be a good man and true ; and strictly to obey the moral law . The man who voluntarily takes upon himself our high profession , our sacred vows , and then indulges in profane swearing , gambling , frequents liquour
shops , and lends his example and influence to promote drunkennessand debauchery in any form , violates his solemn vows , does violence to his profession , injures the cause of Masonry , and brings disgrace upon himself . "We are not saints . " No we do not , as
Masons , profess to be saints ; but will any intelligent Mason tell us the difference between the morality of Masonry and that of Christianity r Are they not the same ? Our system of morality is derived from the Bible—the " Great Light" of Masonry . No man can be a good Mason , and
not keep the moral law . The thing in itself is right , and every right-minded man will say so , whether he is a Mason or not . Masonry creates no new obligation ; it only holds good men , under their own voluntary obligations , to do that which they ought to do , if there was no such
thing as Masonry in the world . Show us the man who willingly takes upon himself the high profession of a true and undefilcd morality , such as every Mason subscribes to , and acts upon his profession , and we arc prepared not only to take him by the hand , but to take him to our bos am as a brother and
companion . We require nothing else . He may belong to any church or party in politics , or to no church or party ; it matters not , if he is a good man and true , he is our brother . But profession and practice must go hand in hand , or else there is a fraud , a deception , and we pity the man who cannot be a man after the pattern of his Masonic profession . —Masonic Mirror .
Sr . n . lnr . XT . —The only guaranncil cure for Toothache . —This cxtrnnrilinary application , marvellous in its ell ' eris , i ; ives immciliatc relief , without injuring ; the tooth , ami forms a temporary -loppiiy . Js . Jiil ..- po .-t In e is . j * J . The < OIUM it : Tim in l \ t . * TK , for ckvin :--in >; anil improving the teeth , impart- a natural veilness to Ihe ( turns , anil jiiies blillialicy to the enamel . I ' rice Is . ( ,. | . The RuV . vl . Dr . Mlnuci :, prepared from a recipe as n „ cil by her Majc-ty , elves Ihe teeth a pcail-like whilcncss , ami imparts a ilcliciees Iraerauce to the breath . Rlicels . Oil . > . ciUl i . v art chemists ami perfumers , anil by the propiictors , Sli ; . s « ,. ( .. timira ., the olil-c-tabli-heil Dentists , 72 , l . -. tilrjate-liill , a a I ; o , I lailcy-: trcct . l . ' avcmli-h-s . ptarc , Luiiilon .
Laying The Foundation Stone Of A New Masonic Hall In New Zealand.
LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF A NEW MASONIC HALL IN NEW ZEALAND .
By reason of the land upon which the Masonic Hall , on LeCren ' s-terrace , stood being required by the General Government for the Timarti and Temuka railway , the Freemasons were compelled to seek for a suitable site elsewhere , and , after some trouble , succeeded in securing an eli gible
plot of land in Church street , opposite the English church . The old Hall , which was built of stone , was erected in 1866 , and was used by the Freemasons until the year 1872 . At this time , the cutting for the railway was made close to the building and undermined one corner of it ,
rendering it unsafe for use , and causing the Freemasons to forsake it , and conduct the business of their lodge in a room of Mr . White ' s offices . In 1872 the building was pulled clown and the material stacked up until the Government paid the compensation for the removal of the building
and placed the lodge in possession of funds to rebuild it . The amount of compensation to be paid the lodge was assessed in the District Court on January 15 th , 1873 , when the Freemasons were awarded ^ 1 , 300 , and interest on that sum
at the rate of 8 per cent from the beginning of May , 1872 . As soon as this was paid , the new site in Church street was purchased , and tendsrs called for the re-erection of the building , Mr . Parsons beinn the successful tenderer .
The foundations having been completed , it was decided to re-lay the foundation stone on Monday last . The attendance of Freemasons was pretty large , several having come a considerable distance , but the number of visitors was small , probably in consequence of the laying of the stone being
performed without Masonic ceremony , and therefore not so attractive as it otherwise would have been . The outward display was of a limited description , consisting merely of a number of poles ornamented with evergreens erected along three sides of the foundations of the bailding , and from which were suspended a profusion of bunting , giving to the scene rather a lively appearance .
At noon , the time appointed for performing the ceremony , the members of the Masonic body and some others mounted the platform at the eastern side of the building , at the northern corner of which the stone was suspended by a
scaffolding ready for lowering it into position . Among those present were—Messrs . G . H . Wildie , W . M . ; John King , I . P . M . ; J . W . White , S . W . ; G . W . Wade , J . W . ; R . Scott , Treas . ; W . M . Sims , Sec . ; \ V . A . Hobbs ,
S . D . ; J . Mackintosh , J . D . ; G . Cliff " , l . G . ; H . Exiey , Tyler ; Rev . L . L . Brown , Chaplain . In the stone on which the foundation-stone was to rest was cut a square hole , into which was placed and cemented down a bottle taken from the ori ginal lodge building when it was
pulled down , containing newspapers , coins , & c , and another bottle containing a LyHelton Times of Saturday ' s date , a Timaru Herald and South Canterbury Times of Monday ' s dale , and a parchment , on which was inscribed the following : —
" llus is to commemorate the re-laying of the foundation stone which was laid on the , 30 th of August A . L . 866 . The stone was taken up on the 14 th of May , 5872 , in consequence of the land being required for the
iunnmnnd lemvika Railway . This stone is now re-laid without Masonic ceremony this 14 th day of April , , 587 , 3 , by George Hunter Wildie , W . M ., in the presence of the officers and brethren of the Lodge . "
Everything being readiness , the Worshipful Master said that he thought it was almost necessary that some apology should be made for bringing so many there to witness the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone , when probably many had come under the impression that it
would be accompanied with the usual Masonic display and honours , in explanation , he would inform them that the stone was laid originall y by the District Grand Master , Dr . Donald , and this being so , it was considered by the Grand Lodge in Christchnrch unnecessary to re-lay it with Masonic honours , seeing that it had been already
Laying The Foundation Stone Of A New Masonic Hall In New Zealand.
laid with all due ceremony . They had assembled there that day not as a Masonic bod y , but in their capacity as private indivduals , to witness the re-laying of the stone for the honour of the institution to wdiich they belonged . The stone was laid by the District Grand Master in
1866 , and the cause of the removal since was in consequence of the Government requiring the land upon wdiich the old hall stood for the Timaru and Temuka Railway . The removal of the stone was made on the 14 th May , 1872 , by their venerable Bro . Captain Scott , and the
documents and coins which were placed underneath it and sealed up when the building was built were removed and placed inside the stone that day , together with some newspapers of that day ' s date . He trusted that those things would never have to be removed within the memorv of man .
The plans for the new huilding which he had in his hand , had previously been examined by the Committee . They were very fair specimens of skill and ingenuity on the part of the architect , Mr . Wilson , and he trusted the building would be carried out in its entirety according to them .
The stone was then lowered into its place , and after the W . M . had pronounced it perfectly square , level , and upright , he declared it duly laid . The Chaplain then , in a few appropriate words invoked a blessing on the building .
The W . M . again addressing the assemblage remarked that it was barely necessary for him to say anything on behalf of the institution of Masonry , as he suspected many present were more thoroughly acquainted with the advantages to be derived from beintr a member of a Masonic
body than he was himself , he being but a very young member . He might say that the present hall would be erected solely and wholly for the purposes to which it was dedicated—Freemasonry alone . It would be a h . all in which Masons could meet , the reason ot their assembling
together being to bind themselves into one bond of brotherhooel to work unanimously for the world ' s good , to feel they had to assist and improve the position of their fellow creatures , and not to say " Am I accountable for him , he is not my brother , " but to assist his fellowman in all
his undertakings . The great virtue of a Mason should be charity , not onl y in almsgiving—for a man is not expected to give more than he can afford—but he is expected to give at least sympathy to a brother in distress . Ancient writers had stated , and he believed it , that Masonry began with almost the beginning of the world ,
that the very moment sufficient people were created on the earth , and shook hands together with professions of good will to each other , that then Masonry commenced . This friendship naturally caused societies to be created , and in time they became universal . Now he supposed there was not a town in Eurone or in the world
of any importance , but what had in its nnelst one or more Masonic lodges . Anathemas had been hurled against Freemasonry , foul epithets have been used to decry it , but these had failed to weaken it , and it was now as secure as ever . Kings had passed away , and kingdoms and
dynasties had decayed , but Masonry still possessed strength , ; r . d was now more prosperous anel vigorous than ever . The longer they lived the more prosperous their Order would become , lasting until it was not required any longer , and that time would not be until the millenitim arrived ,
when all people would be brothers , and when there would be no necessity for benevolence . Till then Masonry had its work to do . There weie many charities belonging to Masonry which the world never heard of . If a man was a proper Mason , anil
adhered to the teaching given him in the lodge , he walked with benevolence in his hand and charity in his heart . He thought well and tried to do his duty to all mankind . Such was a Mason , according to the teaching of their lodges , and he trusted that that teaching was acted up
to by all brothers . There were erring brothers but they were all human , and therefore cotil " not expect every person to be perfect , but if the' ) 1 followed the teaching they received in Masonry they could not err greatly . No matter to what st < or to what clime a man belonged , so long as n was honest and upright and believed in the Great