The Ideals Of Freemasonry.

eternal world . Philosophy itself was religion ; hence the dramas , represented in the mysteries and the rites of initiation , ancl all the symbols there displayed , have reference to that awful beauty which smiles npon man from every sublime and majestic form in nature . And because these dramas and rites shadowed forth some of the phenomena of nature

and the motions of the heavenl y bodies , we are not to infer , as some infidels have done , that they hacl no spiritual reference at all , but rather that those old Grecians ancl E gyptians were men of profound faith , who saw in all the wonders of nature , all the motions of the starry sjiheres , and in all the miracles of the world , the dread shadow of that mysterious

One , who , although infinite ancl indivisible , yet in some manner incomprehensible to human intelligence , individualizes him to every human thought , and localizes himself in every place . Such was the ancient ideal of religion ancl education , and such is the Masonic idetil to-day . Freemasonry teaches b

y symbols , and all symbols shadow forth the infinite and everlasting . It recognizes Gocl as imminent iu all created things , working in each blade of grass , swelling bud , and opening flower , and looks upon all the sciences as so many divine methods through which the Infinite Artist reveals his mysteries to man .

Should any one think that wo are claiming too much for Freemasonry in this respect , we have only to ask him to turn to tho charges and lectures to find abundant proofs of what we assert There we are told , " The universe is the temple of the Deity whom we serve ; wisdom , strength , and beauty are around his throne , as pillars of his work ; for his wisdom is

infinite , his strength is omnipotence , and his beauty shines forth through all his creation . " Ancient Freemasonry invariably united all the sciences to the religious sentiment . Of arithmetic , it says , " All the works of the Almighty arc made in number , weight , and measure ; ancl therefore , to understand' them rihtl we ought to understand

arithgy , metical calculations , .... and be thereb y led to a more comprehensive knowledge of our great Creator . " " Astro - nomy , " it says , "is that sublime science which inspires the contemplative mind to soar aloft and read the wisdom and beauty of the Creator in the heavens . How nobly eloquent of Gocl is the celestial hemisjihere . spangled with

the most magnificent symbols of his infinite glory 1 " And , discoursing of geometry , it says , " By it we discover the power , wisdom , and goodness of the Grand Artificer , and view with deli ght the order ancl beauty of his works , and the proportions which connect all parts of his immense universe . " Freemasonry , therefore , in the spirit of true reverence , consecrates all to Gocl ; the worlds with the sublime mysteries , ancl the human mind with its mi ghty powers , and the sciences it has discovered and explained .

IV . —THE MASONIC IDEAL OP HUMAN DESTINY AND THE IMMORTAL LIFE . This is revealed in the ritual as well as the charges of the Order . All the initiatory dramas are jirogressive , ancl indicate that humanity and man are created for continual advancement .

It is on this account that Masonry insists on a liberal culture of the soul . It teaches that the treasures of the intellect and heart arc the only jiossessions inaccessible to change and decay . These alone will last . All else will pass away . Riches , glory—the pomp ancl splendour of time—the world's vanity—all will vanish like a wreath of smoke . But the soul will live , and will be ever and ever ascending , as by a

sublime initiation , through the degrees of perfection which will never end . Its jirogress in this world is the prophecy of a progress that is everlasting . Every step taken in tho i-oacl of science ancl virtue is an upward progress in that star paved path where angels " walk . These are the grand thoughts that underlie our ritual ; and they are surely worthy of the most serious consideration on the part of every Mason . Imbued with these ideas , the

The Ideals Of Freemasonry.

earnest and intelligent brother will labour constantly to discharge every duty with fidelity , " divesting his heart and conscience of all the vices and superfluities of life , thereby fitting his mind as a living stone for that sjiiritual building —that house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . "American freemctsons' Quarterly .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

GARIBALDI , tfPvEEMASONRY , AND THE SECRET COMMITTEE AT PALERMO . IN one of the letters of the Times correspondent there occurs the following passage in describing tho movements of Garibaldi jirevious to his entering Palermo : — " On the 26 th , the insurgents , instead of flying to Ccirloone , wore snugly quartered at Misihncri , preparing to spring upon Palermo . A

secret committee within the city wero in . constant communication with Garibaldi , in spite of the vigilance of the police aud military authorities } and circulated printed bulletins almost daily , but it was so organized , that the police , although aware of its existence , never discovered its members . It was a kind of Freemasonry , with different degrees of initiation . No one , not a member knew more than one member . The houses where the meetings were held were continually changed , and all obeyed blindly . " Can any one throw light on the above ?—E E . E . — -

[ One thing is certain , that whatever " kind of Freemasonry " is above alluded to , it coulcl have nothing in common with English Freemasonry , which jirofesscs loyalty to , and always respects , an existing Government . The merits of that Government it eloes not discuss . But it is said that the Illumines arc numerous on the continent , and it is possible that the secret committee , under the guise of Masonry , were members of that society . Wc would also inquire if Garibaldi is known to be a brother Mason ?]

NAME Oli A PERSIAN 13 ROTH Ell WANTED . On the 2 nd of September , 1851 , being a visitor at the Globe Lodge , ( No . 23 ) at the Freemasons' Tavern , London , I saw an East Indian Nawab take bis second degree , together with a eomjiauion , cither his physician or interpreter , and I was told he was an " Ex king of Oudc . " Could it be the man we had in keeping during the late rebellion ?—T W . . . —Newcastle ,

Staffordshire .- —[ The name of the Indian Nawab in question was His lloyal Highness Ekbalooddowla , of Bagdad , in Persia , residing iu Maddox Street , Bond Street . Ho was initiated in No . 23 , on August 5 th , 1851 , passed September 2 nd , and took the third degree on September 30 th . No record appears of any foreign physician or interpreter having shared cither of the ceremonies with him , nor does any British subject seem to have appeared on those occasions , claiming to be iu the service of the distinguished brother in either of the above capacities . Perhaps some of our readers can solve the latter portion of our correspondent's query . ]

NUMAO AND THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR . I send you the following , which I extracted from last week's number of Notes and Queries , thinking it might interest sonic of the Fratres if they coulcl not reply to it . —EXPERT . " While travelling in Portugal last year I happened to stumble upon tho remains of a large fortified town that excited my curiosity , and as I have vainlendeavoured to discover anything about it 1 now try

y , , through your columns , if any of your readers can help me . The present name of this fortification is Kamao . Itis situated about twenty miles E . S . E . of S . Joao do Pcsqueira , and consists of a high wall built of large rectangular ashlars , surrounding an uneven space of ground covered with ruins of about three quarters of a mile square , and must have been a place of no small importance . The natives , as is usual in such cases , knew nothing about it , and I could get no information concerning it and it most unceremoniouslwhile he

anywhere , Murray passes over y , suggests it may be the ancient Nmnantiv . m ! I have heard it said somewhere that this Ifainao ivas tho last stronghold held by the Templars in Europe , and 1 . should be very glad of any information , especially on this last point . —TEMTIAH . " The editorial note runs as follows : — "In 51 of the of the Useful KnowledSocietyNumiio

Map Maps ge , appears as Nomiio Muxagala , in the province of Beiva , ancl a little to the S . of the Douro . In Bluteau's Vocabulario , also , it is ' Xomiio . ' Bluteau calls it a ' Villa do Portugal , ' as if , when he wrote ( 1716 ) , it was still a place of human habitation . Ho states that , iu a ' foral ' granted to Nbinilo by King Diniz , it is called Monforte . J . B . De Castro , in his Mcqipa de . Portugal , 17 C 2 , vol . i . p . 21 , calls it ' Nemtlo . ' According to our own impression , the much contested site of the fatuous the of the Castrohowever

N"umantia was nearer sources Douro . Do , ( id supra ) , states that the identity of 'Nemao' with ' jSfuniaucia' has been strenuously maintained by Brito , Braudao , Cardosa , and J . Salgado de Araujo , though ably contested by the P . Argote . Bluteau , also , says