Untitled Article

shall meet with those who will give him the right hand of fellowship , and be to him as a brother . How many hearts that would otherwise feel their own loneliness has this thought cherished and supported ? How many that have left these shoresjwithin the last year have felt the bond of their union strengthened and sanctified 1 How many has the mystic tie that links us to each other , drawn

still closer in the bonds of affection , in the camp , in the field , in the trenches , and in the lonely night-watch ? And if amid the daily peril of shot and of shell , he looked manfully forward to dying a hero ' s death , the pang has been lessened by the reflection that he has found one faithful heart that would pay the last sad tribute to his memory ; and , like the weeping followers at the burial of the old prophet of Bethel , would mourn over him , saying , Alas ! my Brother . " The rev . gentleman thus eloquently

concluded" Rely upon it , it is not from any of the externals of Masonry that our Royal Order can derive lustre , credit , or renown . It is not from the imposing solemnity of our rites- —nor yet from our orderly processions—nor even from our assembling together in God ' s temple this day ; but the blameless life of any Brother gives additional strength to , and calls on all Masons to unite in the exercise of those high qualities which dignify our nature , and add lustre to the highest and beauty to the humblest station of life . I say it advisedly , that any Brother , no matter

how low or obscure his station in the Lodge , if his profession be adorned by the active exercise of Masonic virtues , can add as much dignity , and confer as much to the good reputation of the Order as the highest' officer , although his own rank may not ascend higher than that of Tyler , or even the untried apprentice . Let us only remember that the Christian ' s duty is the Masonic duty , that Freemasonryhas done little for us , if it have not gone beyond obtaining possession of the secret and the privilege of claiming Brotherhood . Your having become members of our

Order imposes upon you the discharge of higher duties , and the obligation to do good whenever occasion offers—the world looks to you for this , and where a Mason forgets his duty , then the Order suffers , and they that trouble us will rejoice at it . And , finally , let me impress this truth upon the minds of every one here present , whether Mason or no , that the life of a Christian must not be a life of inactivity . To stand still in our course—to teach none by our example , is a failing most emphatically denounced in Scripture . Let us all remember , and the Mason most

of all , what our Divine Redeemer says upon this head— ' Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit . ' Strive to follow out the Apostle ' s teaching , that he may be blameless and harmless , the sons of God without rebuke , that in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation ye may shine as lights in the world In your intercourse with the world and with each other , let your profit appear unto all men , show what Freemasonry has done for you in increased meekness , gentleness , and brotherly kindness one towards another . And whenever the evil promptings of your own heart would lead you to act in any spirit contrary to

that which you were taught on the floor of your Lodge , pause and reflect , that the Mason who errs wilfully is a traitor to his Order , and disgraces the badge he wears . Ever bear this in mind , that the best and bravest champion of Freemasonry is not the Brother who can boast and talk the loudest of its privileges , but that the most able and eloquent advocate is to be found in him who acts up to his profession , and shows to the world that the duties of a Mason are identical with those of a Christian , and uses all diligence to show forth by his fruits that he is the better man for being a Mason . "

At the conclusion of the service the Brethren again formed in procession , and returned to the Town Hall , where they remained in Lodge for a short time , and then adjourned to the Lansdowne Arms , where Bro . Pinniger had provided a splendid banquet , which was presided over by the Dep . Prov . G . M . Bro . D . Gooch . After the usual loyal and Masonic toasts , Bro . Sheppard proposed the health of their Dep . Prov . G . M ., who had done so much for Masonry in the Province .

The Dep . Prov . G . M . returned thanks , expressing to the Brethren his grateful sense of all the kindness he had ever received from them ; and if his exertions in the cause of Masonry in the Province had met with so much success , it must be ascribed to the support he had received , rather than to his own exertions ; he