The Orders Of Chivalry In Canada.

" Eesolved , Thafc hereafter all Councils working under warrant from the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of New Brunswick , Dominion of Canada , shall have power and authority to confer the Degree of ' Red Cross or ' Babylonish

Pass' provided always , however , that applicants shall first have received the degree of ' Selecfc ' 'Royal' and ' Super-Excellent ; Master , ' andfui-ther

Resolved , That the Constitution and Bye-Laws shall be and are hereby altered and amended to meet this provision , any rule to the contrary being hereby declared null and void , and further " Resolved ,. That the work of the degree of 'Red

Cross' or ' Babylonish Pass' practiced in Canada , and now in the possession of the officers of the Grand Council , be hereby adopted , and that officers of the respective Councils of Select Masters , under this jurisdiction , shall severally hold by

virtue thereof the corresponding office in the said Council of ' Red Cross' or ' Babylonish Pass , ' and further .

Resolved , That nothing in the foregoing shall be considered as tending to prevent Encampments of Knights Templar working within the Dominion of Canada , communicating the said degree , under any special authority , for the

purpose of enabling Fratres of said Encampments , visiting Encampments where the possession of this degree is made a pre-requisite . "

The above being duly seconded and discussed by Past Deputy Grand Master , John D . Short , Illustrious Brother Henry Duffell , and other members of Grand Council , were upon vote unanimously adopted .

The Defective Stone.

THE DEFECTIVE STONE .

" Don fc put in thafc stone , " said one Mason to another , as they were working together on the rear wall of a church . " Can't you see it ' s a poor quality , all flakey , and will scale away to pieces ?"

" Ifc isn ' t a very good grade I see , bufc it fits in here , and I don't want to wait for another . Besides you can ' t see ifc from the ground , and

nobody will take the trouble fco climb up here to look afc ifc . " " You'd better send for another block . Thafc isn't fifc for fche wall ; ifc won't stand the weather , and if it should go into pieces , ifc would damage

the whole building . " " Ifc won'fc damage me nor you neither , so here it goes . " And he lifted the block of the loose-grained , flakey freestone into its bed , though the outer

shell cracked , and the scale sloughed off . He dashed over ifc a trowelful of mortar , and went on with the next tier .

Nobody could see the defective stone , for it was covered by a projective buttress , and only the two masons were present when the ifc was laid . Bufc though unseen ifc was unsafe , and time broughfc about its own results . Every sunbeam loosened

its texture a little , every storm helped to crumble off a minute fragment , and little by little , after many years the stone crumbled away . This was bad enough , bufc that was not all . Ifc chanced thafc the great beams of the church rested

a few tiers directly over the defective block , and as the stone decayed the beam sank a little . Presently a crack opened in the ceiling , disfiguring the fresco painting , and the crack led to a leak , letting in the rain . Ancl then at last the

worthless block fell out , the beam dropped down , the roof sank in , and the church was no longer fifc for use , until , after the loss of much time , and the expense of ranch money , a new roof was built and a new block inserted in

the wall . It was only a small defect , bufc ifc caused much damage in the end . There is a structure which everybody is building , young and old , each for himself . It is called character , and in every act of life is like a stone .

If day by day we are careful to build our lives with pure , noble , upright deeds , afc the end will stand a fair temple , honoured by God and man . But as one leak will sink a ship , and one Haw break a chain , so one mean , dishonoured , untruthful act or work will for ever leave its

influence on our characters . Then let the several deeds unite to form a perfect day , and one by one the days grow into noble 3 ears , and the years , as they pass , will raise at lasfc into a beautiful edifice , enduring forever fco our praise .