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Article AMERICAN KNIGHTS TEMPLARS ← Page 4 of 4 Article ZOROASTRIANISM AND FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 3 →
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American Knights Templars
the least , quite as able to take care of themselves as those of England , and the same may , perhaps , be said of the Christian religion . For the eating and drinking , which may be considered , as it were , the subsidiary duties of the Order , the aptitude isin either country , about the same . It
, is possible that in England the growth of the Order is checked by our old world prejudices and institutions , and has not the free air and open space to develope itself which it finds in a new country . It is hardfor instanceto imagine our leaclin "
, , men induced even by the prospect of wearing quasi military uniforms and swords to parade through the streets side by side with our working men , even if they could get the whole population to turn out as they do in Philadel phia , and admire
them . But here the very first men of State and City—such as the Governor of Pennsylvania and the Lieutenant-Governor and the Mayor of Philadel phia—are Knig ht Templars , noless than the humblest mechanics . The grand reception on Thursday evening , to which the Knights brought their wives and families , presented a marvellous variety of costumes . On the
other hand , if in England the Templars have to contend against aristocratic prejudice , one might expect that in America they would find a scarcel y less formidable foe in that Republican simplicity , the essence of which is supposed to consist in a lofty disdain for titles and parade . The
chief officers among the " Sir Kni ghts , " as they are quaintly styled , enjoy appelations high-sounding enough for a German Chapter . It might be thought , too , that another obstacle to so elaborate a holyday would present itself in the American . passion for
business , or , as their detractors put it , for dollar-hunting . The prominent citizens of Philadelphia are with scarcely an exception , engaged in pursuits which would seem to leave very little leisure even for duties so sacred and important as those of
a Knight Templar , or which might , at least , suggest that the best way in these degenerate days to protect maideus and orphans was to draw , not a sword , but a check . However , there must he something in the American character or soil which
has enabled the Order to triumph completely over these and other obstacles , and to conduct their pageant on a scale which , in its way , has no parallel in the Old World .
Zoroastrianism And Freemasonry.
ZOROASTRIANISM AND FREEMASONRY .
( Continued from page 26 . J PART II . IT must be observed , and it cannot be too often repeated , that in Freemasonry the recompense promised is to be , not according to any particular beliefbut
, emphatically according to the actual deeds clone in this world . Just this is the Zoroastrian doctrine of rewards and punishments . These are promised in Zoroastrianism strictly , literally , aud unquestionably according to deeds done
in the flesh , without any extraneous hel p of any kind whatsoever . No intercession will help a Zoroastrian , no amount of sacrifices will carry him on to paradise , no belief in any particular set of dogmas will open to him the gates of heaven . No ; he
must rely on his own ri ghteousness , whatever that may be . He must stand or fall on his own merits . He must have thought well , spoken well , and clone well ; and , carrying with him these passports , no barriers will intercept his passage to the highest of Beheshts . But we are sinful
mortals , and what man born of woman can say that he is all righteous ? Ahura Mazda knows this human weakness , and he has provided remission of sins of commissions and omissions , if one with a contrite heart opens his mouth in a spirit of remorse aud repentance . The strict
Judge is not wanting in mercy , as can be evidenced from the contexts of the different Patels that are recited . But a persistent , deliberate course of sin and pollution has no chance whatever of being ever forgiven . Zoroastrians are rewarded
and punished literally in the measure of their thoughts , words , and deeds . One may practise the virtue of benevolence , and has not the other virtues fructifying benevolence into palpable good . His reward is of the lowest degree ; the lowest
paradise is the residence of his soul , after it has fled from the mortal coil into which it was confined in this life . Another is , in addition to being benevolent , " benevoeent " also—if I may be allowed to coin such a word in the English language—but has not attained to the hi ghest virtue . His
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
American Knights Templars
the least , quite as able to take care of themselves as those of England , and the same may , perhaps , be said of the Christian religion . For the eating and drinking , which may be considered , as it were , the subsidiary duties of the Order , the aptitude isin either country , about the same . It
, is possible that in England the growth of the Order is checked by our old world prejudices and institutions , and has not the free air and open space to develope itself which it finds in a new country . It is hardfor instanceto imagine our leaclin "
, , men induced even by the prospect of wearing quasi military uniforms and swords to parade through the streets side by side with our working men , even if they could get the whole population to turn out as they do in Philadel phia , and admire
them . But here the very first men of State and City—such as the Governor of Pennsylvania and the Lieutenant-Governor and the Mayor of Philadel phia—are Knig ht Templars , noless than the humblest mechanics . The grand reception on Thursday evening , to which the Knights brought their wives and families , presented a marvellous variety of costumes . On the
other hand , if in England the Templars have to contend against aristocratic prejudice , one might expect that in America they would find a scarcel y less formidable foe in that Republican simplicity , the essence of which is supposed to consist in a lofty disdain for titles and parade . The
chief officers among the " Sir Kni ghts , " as they are quaintly styled , enjoy appelations high-sounding enough for a German Chapter . It might be thought , too , that another obstacle to so elaborate a holyday would present itself in the American . passion for
business , or , as their detractors put it , for dollar-hunting . The prominent citizens of Philadelphia are with scarcely an exception , engaged in pursuits which would seem to leave very little leisure even for duties so sacred and important as those of
a Knight Templar , or which might , at least , suggest that the best way in these degenerate days to protect maideus and orphans was to draw , not a sword , but a check . However , there must he something in the American character or soil which
has enabled the Order to triumph completely over these and other obstacles , and to conduct their pageant on a scale which , in its way , has no parallel in the Old World .
Zoroastrianism And Freemasonry.
ZOROASTRIANISM AND FREEMASONRY .
( Continued from page 26 . J PART II . IT must be observed , and it cannot be too often repeated , that in Freemasonry the recompense promised is to be , not according to any particular beliefbut
, emphatically according to the actual deeds clone in this world . Just this is the Zoroastrian doctrine of rewards and punishments . These are promised in Zoroastrianism strictly , literally , aud unquestionably according to deeds done
in the flesh , without any extraneous hel p of any kind whatsoever . No intercession will help a Zoroastrian , no amount of sacrifices will carry him on to paradise , no belief in any particular set of dogmas will open to him the gates of heaven . No ; he
must rely on his own ri ghteousness , whatever that may be . He must stand or fall on his own merits . He must have thought well , spoken well , and clone well ; and , carrying with him these passports , no barriers will intercept his passage to the highest of Beheshts . But we are sinful
mortals , and what man born of woman can say that he is all righteous ? Ahura Mazda knows this human weakness , and he has provided remission of sins of commissions and omissions , if one with a contrite heart opens his mouth in a spirit of remorse aud repentance . The strict
Judge is not wanting in mercy , as can be evidenced from the contexts of the different Patels that are recited . But a persistent , deliberate course of sin and pollution has no chance whatever of being ever forgiven . Zoroastrians are rewarded
and punished literally in the measure of their thoughts , words , and deeds . One may practise the virtue of benevolence , and has not the other virtues fructifying benevolence into palpable good . His reward is of the lowest degree ; the lowest
paradise is the residence of his soul , after it has fled from the mortal coil into which it was confined in this life . Another is , in addition to being benevolent , " benevoeent " also—if I may be allowed to coin such a word in the English language—but has not attained to the hi ghest virtue . His