Freemasonry From The Outside.

heaven to sing their songs of peace and goodwill over a new born race . Since the days of Peter and Paul surely the true Freemasons of the Avorld have been men like Augustine , John Wickcliffe , Francis Xavier , John Howardand that meek and kind and gentle

, spirit Leigh Richmond . " The Dairyman ' s Daughter , " is it not a manual of Freemasonry ? The grip of Wesley , Avas it not the mystic sign of true brotherhood , binding " man to man the world o'er ? " Weigh "A man ' s a man for a ' that" in the balance with the " FareAvell to a

Masonic Lodge , " Avritten by the same Burns ; and see how , in the balance of countless ages , the scale will go doAvn with the grand brotherhood of man . The heroes of midnight missions , surely they are " brethren of the mystic tie . " But none of the above were men with sublime secrets . The Avorld

sifts out , from its distinguished names , only a very fevr for immortality ; and those few are not the great , the learned , the powerful , but essentially the unselfish—those Avho comprehend the one everlasting bond of brotherhood—of that brotherhood whose grip may be felt wherever there is a man .

Gently , then , we ask , dear Brother Masonwill you—split ? All the ages are looking doAvn on you . These old Westmoreland mountains—Pshaw!—what are they or Pyramids , compared with you?—Ages , older , grander , sublimer than the mountains , look doAvn on you and your destiny —Avill you split ? It will be an honour to your name . Tour children will croAvn themselves with

it , as Avith a crown of glory , Avhen they confront their enemies in the gate . Senate will echo your name to senate , and Anglo-NeAV Zealand historians—a thousand ages in the future—tell of the high moral qualities , the transcendent heroism Avhich led Brother Dash to give to all the poor

. suffering race of Adam the riches and blessings of Freemasonry . We trust the event Avill shoAv that our poor words have not been Avritten in vain . We draw a boAV at a venture ; if it smite a P . G . I . W . between the ribs Ave shall be . Avell repaid .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

THE CHEBAJBIH . [ In reply to the query of " Z . Z . Z . " in our last , -we offer him the following remarks on the Cherubim . Why the Grand Lodge adopted them on its seal is oiot conclusive , seeing that it discarded its own old device and bodily appropriated the arms of Royal Arch Masonryto whom the Cherubim more

par-, ticularly apply . That , hoAvever , being no part of the present inquiry , we at once proceed to give some details of those mysterious figures inquired about : — Cherubim is the name given to the beings placed at the garden of Eden , immediately after the promise

of a Saviour , and the covenant of mercy , had been revealed to fallen man . The same name i 8 applied to the " living creatures" beheld in Ezekiel ' s vision , and to those golden figures which were placed on the mercy seat in the holy of holies , and embroidered on the veil and curtains of the tabernacle . Numerous and conflicting views have been held respecting these

remarkable beings . The first inquiry presenting itself is this : Are the peculiar forms ascribed to these extraordinary beings actual or symbolical ? We know not , with any certainty , the form they presented on their first manifestation at the gate of Paradisenor the entire figure of

, those which were placed upon the mercy seat in the holy place . They are described as having Avings which stretched over the mercy seat , and their faces looked toAvard one another and toward the mercy seat ; but a detailed description of their entire form is not iven . The same named figures were on the ark of

g the covenant when it was placed in Solomon's temple ; but besides these golden cherubim there were , in tho temple , two others made of the wood of the olive tree overlaid with gold . These Avere 10 cubits high , having wings , each 5 cubits in length , and they Avere lacedapparentlwith their wings expanded and

p , y , unitedly stretching from one wall to the other of the holy of holies . But here , again , there is no more minute description of their form , and in the time of Josephus all further knowledge of their shape was lost , for he says— " No one can tell or even conjecture what was the form of these cherubim . "

The prophet Ezekiel , however , in a vision which he had of the Shekinah and of the Cherubim , presents us with a full and minute description of the form under which those creatures were shown to him . He says—¦ " Aud I looked and behold a great whirlwind came out of the north , a great cloud , and a fire infolding itselfand a brihtness Avas about itand out of the

, g , midst thereof as the colour of amber , out of the midst of the fire . Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of 4 living creatures . And this Avas their appearance ; they had the likeness of a man . And every one had 4 faces , and every one had 4 wings . And their feet were straiht feet ; and the sole of their

g feet was like the sole of a calf's foot : and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass . And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their 4 sides ; and they 4 had their faces and their wings . Their Avings were joined one to another ; they turned

not when they went ; they went every one straight forward . As for the likeness of their faces , they 4 had the face of a man , and the face of a lion , on the right side : and they 4 had the face of an ox on the left side ; they 4 also had the face of an eagle . Thus were their faces : and their wings Avere stretched upward ; two wings of every one were joiner ! one to

another , and two covered their bodies . And they went every one straight forward : whither the spirit was to go , they went ; and they turned not Avhen they went . As for the likeness of the living creatures , their appearance was like burning coals of fire , and like the appearance of lamps : it went up and down

among the living creatures ; and the fire was bright , and out of the fire went forth lightning . And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning" ( Ezekiel , i . 4—14 ) . Such is the description the prophet gives of those remarkable