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by thought , by word , by action , he fails to show forth this , he is no Mason . In vain would the door of every lodge and temple throughout the world fly open at his knock ; in vain would all our learning , and tradition , and mysteries flow from

his tongue glibly as oil , if , in his heart of hearts , he is not thoroughly imbued with this principle ; if he lacks in this , he hath not part or lot with

us . " This , ladies and gentlemen , as I understand it , is the religion of Freemasonry . Holding such a broad creed , is it any wonder that upon it so many men of such varied feelings and principles ,

races and nationalities , can and do gather . We are not a church , in the ordinary acceptation of that term . Masonry bows to no idols , worships no graven images , deifies no mortals ; the consciences of her votaries lay themselves bare to no

human eye ; no human mediator stands between them and their God . Resting upon the Word of God as the source of all light , they look upon their faith as well founded . Taught by it that there is an immortality beyond the grave , and guided by

its teachings , with love for all and charity towards every man , they hope to reach the Celestial Lodge on High . Is it any sacrifice of faith , of principle , any lowering of the true Christian character so to think ?

Paul , the great expounder , travelling to Athens , found an altar , with the inscription , " to the Unknown God . " At that altar had probably knelt Plato , Socrates , and all the great minds who illuminated Grecian art , philosophy and literature .

From it hacl ascended incense , offered by Jews and Greeks , by the Latin and Barbarian . The stones around it had been pressed by the knees of strangers from every laud , and searchers after the Unknown God from every clime . And now knelt

there the great Apostle and expounder of the new religion . As his feet pressed the steps of that altar , and as his voice went forth to that vast throng , think you that no thought of the others who had worshiped there crossed his mind ? Do

you imagine that he thereby lost his Christian character ? that he was lowered in his Christian faith ? Did it not rather elevate his thoughts : did it not lessen his feeling of isolation , that thought , that back of him stood an altar around

which all heathendom might kneel ? That at that altar had probably been offered prayers and sacrifices by the greatest and best and purest in the earth ! Did it not add power to his voice , new

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light to his words with his hearers , that he , a stranger preaching a new-fangled doctrine , could yet kneel at their altar and reach his God from it ? Such an altar Masonry erects ; not inscribed to an Unknown God , but to the God of Abraham , of

Isaac and of Jacob—an altar at which all who recognise his existence and strive to do his works may kneel , and together lift their voices to his throne of grace . " Masonry represents no particular sect or

denomination . We unite in our brotherhood men who agree upon the great doctrines and fundamental principles that underlie morality , godliness , charity . We say to our initiates , believe in these , beyond that we do not go ; on all other and

nonessential matters , follow the dictates of your own reason , obey your own conscience . It matters not to us whether one brother believes in the infallibility of the Pope , and another regards him as anti-Christ ; whether one clings to Christian

perfection and another to total damnation ; whether one holds to infant baptism and another condemns it ; whether one talks of an apostolic succession and another of a universal ministry . We say to all , have faith in God , hope in immortality , practice charity to all men ; this is our Alpha and . Omep-a . "

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

INTEKMIXTnEE 01 ? RACES . If true , the following is curious and also most important to such as desire to keep up the existence of their race it would be also useful anent the man-adeveloped-monkey idea , viz .: —I have been told that should a white man marry a black woman , or

viceversa , and have children , their descendants will die out in a few generations ; a number iu the meantime getting feeble and imbecile ; nature revenging herself . ( Climate may have an influence . ) If the above be wrong , perhaps a number of instances could be given of half-breeds being able to

trace up their lineage say to about 1750 A . D . ; or there will he well-known examples of the birth of said half-breeds in the first half of last century . Are their descendants living now ?—W . P . BIJCHAN' . MASONIC ARCHiEOLOGY . I think it is the duty of the Grand Lodge of

England and of its members to appoint some competent and honest man to examine into and elucidate its history ; in this age of light and progress it is a crying shame that the Masons of England—the fountain of speculative Freemasonry- —should be in almost total ignorance of their real position and history about thebeginning of last century . Pay a man in a businesslike manner to turn on the gas and give us " mora light . "—PICTUS .