Ought A Mason To Shield A Brother Who Has Committed A Crime?

of the institution , can claim none of its privileges , nor flee to the horns of its altars for protection . This fact , hoAvever , is not to be construed as extending beyoud the Masonic limit . A gentleman becoming a member of the order is not thereby

shorn of his attributes as a man . lie may , in the" premises , exercise his own pleasure in that direction , as an individual , but he is not required to do so by any obligation under the mystic tie . On the contrary , such a course Avould be vieAved AA'ith disfavor .

It is proper to assist a brother iu distress ; to remember him in prayer ; to admonish him of his errors ; to give him good counsel , and to ivarnhim of approaching danger . But these duties are only expected of a Mason toward a brother in good standing . The institution exacts no duty from its votaries toward a brother which is not

morally right and lawful . There are instances on record , in which the brethren refused to give a brother a Masonic burial , who had been killed in a duel , simply on the ground that , in fighting a duel , he violated the law . These are

strongcases , illustrating very clearly tho position Avhich Masonry occupies ou tin ' s question . While a Mason deports himself Avitli circumsjiection , and keeps himself within the bonds of fraternal propriety , lie justly claims the respect and loi'C ofhis

fellow craftsmen . All that is lawful and right may , and Avill , be done , Avhich can contribute to his happiness and prosperity . No slanderous rei . ort can be indulged or propagated to his prejudice or injury ,

particularly if the effect is to deprive him of a situation , or impair his business . On the contrary , the brethren are to cherish his good name and guard his reputation , and , all things being equal , are to give him the preference over a profane , in appointment to office of honour aud emolument . On this latter point ,

there may be some difficulty in the minds of brethren who are members of a church ivhicli inculcates the principle of preferring one another in secular pursuits . Many hold their membership to the church as more binding upon them , iu this regard , than they do the duties imposed upon them by the fraternal

admonitions of Freemasonry . Every one , more or less concedes the superiority of the Church of God , in all mutters c-nnnected with the eternal interests of

the human race , over all other institutions , it matters not how pure and elevated the moral precepts of such societies may be . The spiritual ties which knit together the hearts of its members , where true religion exists , can ueverbe severed by time , nor weakened in the countless ages of eternity . The love of

Ought A Mason To Shield A Brother Who Has Committed A Crime?

God , which cements the soul to beatified bliss , cannot be circumscribed in eternal comprehensiveness by a limit surrounding the most favourable system of others , however perfect they may be . Masonry , however , in its moral teachings , differing materially in many essential particulars , from other institutions ,

can scarcely he classed as among the ordinary societies of the day . Although Masonry cannot claim a divine origin , it , nevertheless , propagates every principle of the church militant , except that it is not the medium of spiritual life ; but , in every other respect , it is what the church is . Hence , there should he no

surprise felt when its devotees hesitate as to which ^ of these two great engines of benevolence , devoted as they are to the moral advancement of mankind , possesses a preponderating influence in considering the claims of their respectiA'e membership . . Therefore , between these two institutions " let every

one be persuaded in his OAVU mind , " uninfluenced entirely by the conscientious impulses of his own heart ; but between all other institutions , Masonry can justly claim the preference . It is a happy reflection that , in either case , there is no restraint upon benevolent action . The sacred admonitions of one of

our patron saints should stimulate all to loi'e one another , whether in the church , or in Masonry . It is with the greatest veneration we behold the honoured old man , bowed down with age , his snow-white locks floating in the breeze as he stands with his hands stretched in benediction , animated now ivith the

same spirit of love which led him to a life of peril and sacrifice in his youth , with his physical energies fast declining , counselling the brethren from the warmth of his benevolent heart . "My little children , let us not love in word , neither in tongue , but in deed and truth . "—Freemasons' Monthly Magazine , ( U . S . )

Is Masonry A Religious System?

IS MASONRY A RELIGIOUS SYSTEM ?

There is probably no theme in the Avhole arcana of the Masonic Institution , that has furnished so much material for discussion , to clergymen , lecturers , essayists , editors , ancl controversialists , both in and out of the fraternity , both for aud

against Masonry , as the emery which is placed at the head of this article . It is not surprising that persons whose eyes have never beheld . " that light

Which none but craftsmen over saAV , " should come very wide of the mark in attempting to discuss a question enshrouded ( to them of necessity ) in such impenetrable mystery ; nor is it