Masonic Notes And Queries.

1773 . There are lodges now in many parts of that division of the world , at the Island of Mauritius , Madagascar , and St . Helena , appearing like beautiful oases iu the moral and intellectual deserts surroundins- them .

" In the year 1733 a charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of England to a number of the fraternity who resided in Boston , in the State of Massachusetts , giving them authority to form Masonic lodges in whatever part of North America they might think proper ; and from that time , with alternate sunshine and cloudcalm and tempestthe princiles of

, , p the Order have continued to advance , ancl now the mystic tree , deeply and firmly rooted , is flourishing in beauty , in strength , and in grandeur , through the whole continent .

" Thus you have seen that this society arose in the ages of the remote past , that it has continued to flourish to the present period , and that it has received the countenance and support of the good , the wise , and the powerful of the most renowned nations of the the world . You have seen that it has been the depository of the arts and sciences most valuable to man

during the dark days of our history . When ignorance and superstition hung over the earth like a pall , dark and dreary as midnight , typical of mental and moral death—when the pride of barbarism , in the meridian of its power and ruthlessness , trampled upon every vestige of literature and science , and crushed

beneath its iron tread refinement and taste , and all those gems of truth and love which point out man as an emanation of the Divine Mind—the Masonic Temple was as an ark of safety for the seeds of knowledge , which were afterwards sown , extending and spreading over the earth , making the dark places brilliant with light , and the rough places smooth—which

dissipated the mists of ignorance , and are now ameliorating the condition of the world . " In the famous questions proposed by Henry VI . of England to the Masonic body , the commission appointed by that monarch to glean information respecting their principles and practice , reported to him that

the Masons had taught mankind agriculture , architecture , astronomy , geometry , numbers , poetry , chemistry , government , and religion ; and to the question , 4 Do Masons know more than other men ? ' the answer given was , ' Not so ; they only have the right and the opportunity to know more than other men ,

but many fail in capacity , and many more lack industry that is most necessary for its acquirement . But to the true Mason every object in nature is invested -with a new interest . The blade of grass , the delicate leaf , and the beautifully tinted flower—the moss that carpets the woody shade , and the rainbow hues of the butterfly ' s wing , are fraught with a meaning to hiin -which the world knows not of . He it is who

' Pinda tongues in trees , books in the running brooks , Sermons in stones , ancl good in everything . ' While the principles of universal grammar may be understood and used as matters of practice and convenience by the non-initiate , the true Mason makes use of those same princiles in a higher and more

p noble sense . While the beautiful columns which strengthen and adorn the building , distinguishing the different orders of the science of architecture , may excite emotions of wonder and admiration in the beholder , to the true Mason , every line * and angle

and curve , from base to entablature , speaks to his heart and his conscience . While arithmetic may be used by man in his daily avocations as an instrument for amassing wealth and numbering riches , to the true Mason it becomes a means of heightening his gratitude to his Almighty Creator , by calling his attention to the manifold blessings which surround the tesselated

pavement of his life . " The deep triangle , the mysterious circle , the beautiful ellipsis , and all those geometrical forms and figures , the properties of which were so well understood and demonstrated by those learned and noble craftsmen , Euclid and Pythagoras , may indeed enable

the mathematician to weigh the sum as in a balance , to determine the times and seasons of a system of planets , to measure the sublime years of Mizar , to point out a spot in the heavens where no mortal eye has ever penetrated , and say with confidence that a mighty world , in the majesty of silence , is performing his solemn pilgrimage ; yet with all this , the true Mason may use the same figures to determine the

progress of his soul m the beautiful orbits of morality , virtue , benevolence , and truth , until he depart hence to the rest that will be hereafter . The sweet sounds of music may be listened to with rapture , until the soul is intoxicated with harmony ; but the true Mason again accepts it , whether from the deep , rich , and solemn tones of the organthe sweet zephyr

whisper-, ing to the evening landscape , the rippling brook in its course over the pebbles , the deafening thunder in the cloud , or in the voice of pure affection by the expressive symbolism of his science , as a lesson to his heart . " The rough ashlar and the polished stone , the

halferected house , and the completed mansion , the stately tree and apparently useless weed , the perfect animal and the minute infusoria , to the true Mason , furnish lessons for the guidance of his life and the elevation of his soul , to that temple above where all is harmony and perfection . " Masonry is the impersonation of benevolence ) charity , and mercy .

" The Sacred text declares that the wolf shall dwell with the lamb , and the leopard shall lie down with the kid , and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together , ancl the little child shall lead them . " Masonry emphatically fulfils these words of prophecy .

"See you yonder serried hosts onthe battle-field , with the weapons of death poised , ready to do their fell and murderous work ; the gleaming sword flashes in the light , the fatal rifle sends swiftly the pitiless ball , the thundering artillery sweeps down the ranks by hundreds—the crimson fluid of the youngthe

stal-, wart , the aged , and the noble , . gushes from the unnerved arm . Cries of agony fill the air . Watch that fierce soldier about to plunge his death-dealing weapon into the body of his enemy . One moment , and his sword falls harmless to his side . He takes

the refreshing draught and places it to the parched lips of him whom a moment before he designed to destroy ; he lifts him gently and tenderly from the ground , carries him to a place of safety , and yields him henceforth his protection and support . He has recognised a brother , and whispers to him peace and consolation . •* This is the genius and spirit of Masonry !