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Article THE CRAFTSMAN'S DUTIES. ← Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Craftsman's Duties.
may be beautiful—forms and ceremonies sublime—but unless they can be made practical , and can affect the ordinary duties of life , or can assist in the discovery or elucidation of new facts in art and science , or in the mental or moral elevation of the race , of what benefit arc they ? They may tower up before us as beautiful as the floating iceberg of the northern seas , sparkling in all the grandeur of variegated light as reflected by the sun ' s declining rays ,
and thoy may be as cold as beautiful ; or , what is a still more appropriate illustration , they may be as beautiful as the A'ision of Jacob , when , reclining his weary head upon the cold stone of the desert , he saw , at midnight , heaven opened and a ladder let clown from the sides above , on which the angels of God descended and ascended ; but if the vision ivere all , it ivould only remain a sweet of the nihtto cheer by its remembered beauty ; but
memory g , when of that ladder , whose three principal rounds are "faith , hope , and charity , " wc construct a highway to the skies , on which not angels but redeemed men may ascend , and hold communion ivith the God unseen by natural eye , the vision remains not only a remembered " thing of beauty , " but a practical "joy for ever . " Masonry properly appreciated is an element of power . The design of all its forms and ceremonies is to improve and elevate
, not only its i * otarics , but the ivorld . It appeals to some of the strongest elements of our nature , ancl wherever Masonry fails to make men more thoughtful and better , the fault must lie in those who impart the mysteries or in those who receive them ; generally in . the former . I state two facts I wish you each to bear in mind Whenever thc lectures , oral ancl written , scientific and moral , traditional and historicalany or all of themare omitted in thc
con-, , ferring of a degree , that degree is imperfect to the amount of the omission , and the candidate has not been properly dealt with This is one fact . Whenever a brother Mason fails to square his life according to thc lectures and obligations he has received , to thc full amount of that failure he lacks in being a Mason . This is
fact number tivo . Pardon the plainness of speech ; and recollect that one duty of a Mason is to speak the truth in love . You know as well as I do that while our ceremonies are secret , our duties have been spread before the world from the pulpit , the forum , and the press , and that there are A * cry few who are ignorant of the claims and requirements of our beloved Order . I shall not aim to present you anything new—for I shall feel safest in
pointing you to those designs on our trestle board , traced , indelibly traced , by the pen of inspiration , and embalmed in the lives of the noblest patrons ofthe art that ever knelt at a Masonic altar . Masonry needs nothing new to add to her wisdom , strength , or beaut }*; and the more closely , in this day of change and professed reforms , wc adhere to the antient landmarks in ritual and in duties , the more successful shall we be in accomplishing thc design of our
Order . Masonry needs nothing new—for her ritual is simple , impressive , unique , and sublime , and her inculcations are truths , immortal truths , with an adaptability to our race that must exist until wrong is banished from the world and virtue reinstated on her ancient throne— " until suffering has no want to relieve and sorrow no tear to dry . " Masonry needs nothing new , for that ivhich has endured the mutations of time , the vandalism of war , thc fires of persecution , thc edicts of kings , the bulls of the popes , and the anathemas of the fanatical of all ages , certainly possesses those elements of perpetuity and success that must command the
respect of its opponents and the loi r c of its adherents ; elements that it would be fatally unwise to cast aside for anything novel and untried , no matter how beautiful it may appear . Man , as he is by nature—the rough ashlar—is the material Masonry designs to work upon ; man , as he should be—the perf fact ashlar—is the result she designs to produce . To accomplish this , each individual man—like each particular stone from thc quarry—must pass
through the transition state ere the mass of society can stand the test of thc square of the Grand Master Overseer . The first , middle , and last duty , then , of each Mason , is to know for himself the nature and extent of thc obligations assumed by him in becoming a Mason . This comprises the all of his knowledge as a Mason—the fulfilment of these obligations comprises the all of his duties as a Mason . These propositions are so self
evident that I should feel I was insulting your intelligence to attempt to prove them . These practical duties ( for theoretical and ceremonial Masonry belong to the Lodge room ) embrace man ' s obligations to himself , his fellows , his country , and his God . In the name ofthe Order , I demand of each one the improvement of the talent given him , in the elucidation of the designs on our trestle boardthat our Grand Master above have leasure
, may p and the whole Craft profit thereby . Our . Order forbids all that tends to degrade the body or thc soul , and enjoins whatever will enlighten , improve , and elevate them ; the Masonic obligations demand to thc fullest extent possible , ivith ' ineans and
opportuhis interests our interests ; his pleasures our pleasures . However much we may differ in matters of opinion , it says , " ive are brethren , " and this sentiment is to be exhibited in all our actions and tempers towards each other . We are to cherish the reputation , the property andthe fife of a brother as our own . It forbids all that will injure ; it silences the tongue of slander ; it stays thc hand of injustice ; it destroys strifes and heart-burnings , and
bickerings of . all kinds . Children of the same family , there must be no quarrels . He is my brother I This is the sentiment of Masonry , and 011 I 3 * when wc act up to the requirements of this sentiment are we Masons in deed and in truth . Apply this princip le in all the minutia of life—let it enter all the departments , social , civil , commercial , and we should have a state of society such as clearlpointed out in thc teachings of our Order .
y Take another sentiment—relief . Is it an abstraction ? Does it not necessarily imply an object ; and in the connection in which I now use it , is not that object a brother ? Is a brother in difficulty , or distress , or danger' ? What is its voice ? Stop and inquire how that difficulty , or distress , or danger was produced ? No , this is now a secondary matter . Give thc immediate relief , and then inquire the facts—and if those facts demand
reproofcensuresus-, , pension or expulsion , administer it , and administer it promptly . Ilclieve first , then correct . Truth ; what is it ? " Conformity to reality or fact . ' Admit it . This conformity must be applied to some object . It must be real . Is not this one of the corner stones of our edifice ? Can a
nity , the subjugation of the unholy passions aud appetites of our nature , and the development , according to the same standard , of all those virtues and graces which can adorn the intellect and the life . This is part of the work to which , by solemn rites and ceremonies , you have been consecrated . Sec that you fail not to meet your high dedication . But there are other duties of a still more practical
natureem-, braced in these obligations—they stop not with yourself , You are but one of a race to which you are bound by tics you cannot sever . Masonry coidd not , and does not , ignore these associations : That which is demanded of you individually , is only to qualify you for the relations of life in which you are placed . You cultivate virtues in the heart , only that you may exhibit them in the life . Of what useas sentimentsare truthbrotherly loverelief
, , , , , justice and charity , unless they find expression in words of cheer and deeds of love ? The world is tired of metaphysical disquisitions . In fact , can you separate these A'irtues from some object on which to bestow them ? The very qualities out of which they are formed require these objects . Does Masonry teach them as abstractions ? Nay verily . She acknowledges the ties of brotherhoodand the weakness of the individual bher associations in
, y the Lodge room . It wars against the spirit of intense selfishness by ivhich man is so liable to be governed . It teaches the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of the race , and in an especial manner does it inculcate this sentiment among those who arc united by the same mystic tie . It makes his rights our rights ;
man be a Mason and not be a true man in all his relations ? His actions must accord with the facts ; his ivords must be as good as bonds—something on which you may depend—something to which you ma }* give your oivn personal pledge , as a voucher . In a world where much is outside appearance and sham , where falsehood and chicanery and fraud are frequently installed in high " places—where trickery and keen trading , and sharp practise , and illicit
fhituiciering rule the many , this Masonic virtue is a jewel that will always command the admiration ofthe pure and the worthy . Shall wc hide that jewel ? Shall Masons' words ever be any thing else than bonds ? Shall it ever be said that Masons are no better than other people ? Shall it ever be said that this cord by ivhich we are united is a rope of sand ? The answer lies with us , my brethren ! We and our compeers are the exponents of Masonry
throughout this state . Our halls have been dedicated , our vows have been A'olnntarily assumed , our princip les are known to the world . Can we profess and not practise ? Dare we do it ? Should we not stand condemned as unworthy the name ive bear ? This is a virtue we cannot confine in its operations to ourselvesit is an clement of character that lies at the basis of our whole structure . A Mason I and false to himself , false to his brethren ,
false to his race , false to every true relation I Can such a thingbe ? A Mason and a liar , by word or deed , for emolument or fear or gain—for revenge or love I Were such an abhorrent doctrine or practice ever to obtain among the Craft , ivould not the spirits ofthe departed Hiram , and of those other patrons of our Order , who yielded life at thc hand of violence or expired on the rack or amid the flames rather than be false to themselves or their fellows , haunt our guilty minds , and rise before us in every middle chamber , and before every altar , aud strike more terror to our
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Craftsman's Duties.
may be beautiful—forms and ceremonies sublime—but unless they can be made practical , and can affect the ordinary duties of life , or can assist in the discovery or elucidation of new facts in art and science , or in the mental or moral elevation of the race , of what benefit arc they ? They may tower up before us as beautiful as the floating iceberg of the northern seas , sparkling in all the grandeur of variegated light as reflected by the sun ' s declining rays ,
and thoy may be as cold as beautiful ; or , what is a still more appropriate illustration , they may be as beautiful as the A'ision of Jacob , when , reclining his weary head upon the cold stone of the desert , he saw , at midnight , heaven opened and a ladder let clown from the sides above , on which the angels of God descended and ascended ; but if the vision ivere all , it ivould only remain a sweet of the nihtto cheer by its remembered beauty ; but
memory g , when of that ladder , whose three principal rounds are "faith , hope , and charity , " wc construct a highway to the skies , on which not angels but redeemed men may ascend , and hold communion ivith the God unseen by natural eye , the vision remains not only a remembered " thing of beauty , " but a practical "joy for ever . " Masonry properly appreciated is an element of power . The design of all its forms and ceremonies is to improve and elevate
, not only its i * otarics , but the ivorld . It appeals to some of the strongest elements of our nature , ancl wherever Masonry fails to make men more thoughtful and better , the fault must lie in those who impart the mysteries or in those who receive them ; generally in . the former . I state two facts I wish you each to bear in mind Whenever thc lectures , oral ancl written , scientific and moral , traditional and historicalany or all of themare omitted in thc
con-, , ferring of a degree , that degree is imperfect to the amount of the omission , and the candidate has not been properly dealt with This is one fact . Whenever a brother Mason fails to square his life according to thc lectures and obligations he has received , to thc full amount of that failure he lacks in being a Mason . This is
fact number tivo . Pardon the plainness of speech ; and recollect that one duty of a Mason is to speak the truth in love . You know as well as I do that while our ceremonies are secret , our duties have been spread before the world from the pulpit , the forum , and the press , and that there are A * cry few who are ignorant of the claims and requirements of our beloved Order . I shall not aim to present you anything new—for I shall feel safest in
pointing you to those designs on our trestle board , traced , indelibly traced , by the pen of inspiration , and embalmed in the lives of the noblest patrons ofthe art that ever knelt at a Masonic altar . Masonry needs nothing new to add to her wisdom , strength , or beaut }*; and the more closely , in this day of change and professed reforms , wc adhere to the antient landmarks in ritual and in duties , the more successful shall we be in accomplishing thc design of our
Order . Masonry needs nothing new—for her ritual is simple , impressive , unique , and sublime , and her inculcations are truths , immortal truths , with an adaptability to our race that must exist until wrong is banished from the world and virtue reinstated on her ancient throne— " until suffering has no want to relieve and sorrow no tear to dry . " Masonry needs nothing new , for that ivhich has endured the mutations of time , the vandalism of war , thc fires of persecution , thc edicts of kings , the bulls of the popes , and the anathemas of the fanatical of all ages , certainly possesses those elements of perpetuity and success that must command the
respect of its opponents and the loi r c of its adherents ; elements that it would be fatally unwise to cast aside for anything novel and untried , no matter how beautiful it may appear . Man , as he is by nature—the rough ashlar—is the material Masonry designs to work upon ; man , as he should be—the perf fact ashlar—is the result she designs to produce . To accomplish this , each individual man—like each particular stone from thc quarry—must pass
through the transition state ere the mass of society can stand the test of thc square of the Grand Master Overseer . The first , middle , and last duty , then , of each Mason , is to know for himself the nature and extent of thc obligations assumed by him in becoming a Mason . This comprises the all of his knowledge as a Mason—the fulfilment of these obligations comprises the all of his duties as a Mason . These propositions are so self
evident that I should feel I was insulting your intelligence to attempt to prove them . These practical duties ( for theoretical and ceremonial Masonry belong to the Lodge room ) embrace man ' s obligations to himself , his fellows , his country , and his God . In the name ofthe Order , I demand of each one the improvement of the talent given him , in the elucidation of the designs on our trestle boardthat our Grand Master above have leasure
, may p and the whole Craft profit thereby . Our . Order forbids all that tends to degrade the body or thc soul , and enjoins whatever will enlighten , improve , and elevate them ; the Masonic obligations demand to thc fullest extent possible , ivith ' ineans and
opportuhis interests our interests ; his pleasures our pleasures . However much we may differ in matters of opinion , it says , " ive are brethren , " and this sentiment is to be exhibited in all our actions and tempers towards each other . We are to cherish the reputation , the property andthe fife of a brother as our own . It forbids all that will injure ; it silences the tongue of slander ; it stays thc hand of injustice ; it destroys strifes and heart-burnings , and
bickerings of . all kinds . Children of the same family , there must be no quarrels . He is my brother I This is the sentiment of Masonry , and 011 I 3 * when wc act up to the requirements of this sentiment are we Masons in deed and in truth . Apply this princip le in all the minutia of life—let it enter all the departments , social , civil , commercial , and we should have a state of society such as clearlpointed out in thc teachings of our Order .
y Take another sentiment—relief . Is it an abstraction ? Does it not necessarily imply an object ; and in the connection in which I now use it , is not that object a brother ? Is a brother in difficulty , or distress , or danger' ? What is its voice ? Stop and inquire how that difficulty , or distress , or danger was produced ? No , this is now a secondary matter . Give thc immediate relief , and then inquire the facts—and if those facts demand
reproofcensuresus-, , pension or expulsion , administer it , and administer it promptly . Ilclieve first , then correct . Truth ; what is it ? " Conformity to reality or fact . ' Admit it . This conformity must be applied to some object . It must be real . Is not this one of the corner stones of our edifice ? Can a
nity , the subjugation of the unholy passions aud appetites of our nature , and the development , according to the same standard , of all those virtues and graces which can adorn the intellect and the life . This is part of the work to which , by solemn rites and ceremonies , you have been consecrated . Sec that you fail not to meet your high dedication . But there are other duties of a still more practical
natureem-, braced in these obligations—they stop not with yourself , You are but one of a race to which you are bound by tics you cannot sever . Masonry coidd not , and does not , ignore these associations : That which is demanded of you individually , is only to qualify you for the relations of life in which you are placed . You cultivate virtues in the heart , only that you may exhibit them in the life . Of what useas sentimentsare truthbrotherly loverelief
, , , , , justice and charity , unless they find expression in words of cheer and deeds of love ? The world is tired of metaphysical disquisitions . In fact , can you separate these A'irtues from some object on which to bestow them ? The very qualities out of which they are formed require these objects . Does Masonry teach them as abstractions ? Nay verily . She acknowledges the ties of brotherhoodand the weakness of the individual bher associations in
, y the Lodge room . It wars against the spirit of intense selfishness by ivhich man is so liable to be governed . It teaches the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of the race , and in an especial manner does it inculcate this sentiment among those who arc united by the same mystic tie . It makes his rights our rights ;
man be a Mason and not be a true man in all his relations ? His actions must accord with the facts ; his ivords must be as good as bonds—something on which you may depend—something to which you ma }* give your oivn personal pledge , as a voucher . In a world where much is outside appearance and sham , where falsehood and chicanery and fraud are frequently installed in high " places—where trickery and keen trading , and sharp practise , and illicit
fhituiciering rule the many , this Masonic virtue is a jewel that will always command the admiration ofthe pure and the worthy . Shall wc hide that jewel ? Shall Masons' words ever be any thing else than bonds ? Shall it ever be said that Masons are no better than other people ? Shall it ever be said that this cord by ivhich we are united is a rope of sand ? The answer lies with us , my brethren ! We and our compeers are the exponents of Masonry
throughout this state . Our halls have been dedicated , our vows have been A'olnntarily assumed , our princip les are known to the world . Can we profess and not practise ? Dare we do it ? Should we not stand condemned as unworthy the name ive bear ? This is a virtue we cannot confine in its operations to ourselvesit is an clement of character that lies at the basis of our whole structure . A Mason I and false to himself , false to his brethren ,
false to his race , false to every true relation I Can such a thingbe ? A Mason and a liar , by word or deed , for emolument or fear or gain—for revenge or love I Were such an abhorrent doctrine or practice ever to obtain among the Craft , ivould not the spirits ofthe departed Hiram , and of those other patrons of our Order , who yielded life at thc hand of violence or expired on the rack or amid the flames rather than be false to themselves or their fellows , haunt our guilty minds , and rise before us in every middle chamber , and before every altar , aud strike more terror to our