Oration

ORATION

LONDON , SATVRDAY , AZTGVST 31 , 1867 .

Delivered at the Consecration of the Lewis Lodge ( No 1 , 1851 , at Wood Green , on Saturday , the 17 th inst . by W . Pro . the Eev . J . J . FAHXII , UI , ' 201 , P . ILf . 7-57 1 , 062 , and P . B . S . G . W . of Bombay . Worshipful Master and Brethren , —We are met to-day to perform one of the most solemn , and one of tbe most interesting- of all the ceremonies

of our noble Craft . We are met to consecrate a new lodge , to give to the brethren who shall form the same another opportunity of diffusing the light of Masonry , which will , I trust , be found henceforth shining out in this neighbourhood in its full lustre .

In order that your lodge may do any real good , it must rest on sure foundations , it must be firmly and properly supported , and it must be appropriately furnished . The true foundation of every lodge must be

identical with the foundation on which Masonry itself rests , viz ., brotherly love , relief , and truth . When these great principles do not exist there is no such thing as Masonry . To speak of Masons who do not love each other as brethren , is to

speak of that which cannot be ; for those who are not united in brotherly affection , though they may be Masons in name , cannot be Masons at heart . Neither can there be true Masonry where the heart does not go forth towards our distressed fellow

creatures , and prompt the hand to relieve their wants . And surely where truth does not become a guiding principle , Masonry is but a sham and a pretence . I trust that those who are forming this lodge are united together by the bonds of fraternal

affection ; that their main object in doing so is relief , I know ; and I cannot doubt that they will ever be found true to themselves , true to the lodge , and true to those great principles flint should be the guide of every true Mason .

The foundations of the lodge being firmly laid , we must see that the supports are what they should be . Every lodge , as you , brethren , are aware , is supported by three great pillars—the pillars of wisdom , strength , and beauty . These

three great pillars , as you know , were at one period represented by Solomon , king of Israel ; Hiram , king of Tyre ; and Hiram Abiff . Now they are represented by the W . M . of each lodge , and two Wardens . The W . M . must be gifted with wisdom , to enable him firmly and prudently to rule the brethren committed to him . No matter

what other qualities he may have ; unless he be a > wise master builder , all his other excellences will be lost . He must , with the harmlessness of the dove combine the wisdom of the serpent . He must know when to give way gracefully , and when

firmly to make a stand . If he be truly a pillar of wisdom , he will be pliable as the willow in matters indifferent , but firm as the rock when any principle is involved . But , if he be a pillar of wisdom , his S . W . must

be a pillar of strength . Primarily , tho welfare of a lodge must , of course , depend on the W . M ., but he will find it hard to carry on his work unless ably supported by the other pillars ; aud , when enforcing discipline , he should ever find his S . W .

not only a pillar , but a tower of strength—ever ready to enforce and maintain the commands which the W . M . ' s wisdom may dictate , with all the power with which he was invested , when the level was suspended from his collar and his gavel

placed in his hand . No less important is the office of the Pillar of Beauty , personified by 'the J . W . The brethren are placed especially under his charge during the hours of refreshment—a time when one rough ,

ashlar , by displaying the inequalities of his unhewn surface , may mar the beauty of the whole edifice . Let him , then , see that order and symmetry are preserved , and that no unseeemly knobs and excrescences appear , but that the lodge

present an harmonious whole , and be , both to the brethren and to the outer world , " a , thing of beauty and of joy for ever . ' But I must pass on to speak briefly of the furniture of tho lodge . Time forbids that I should particularise here . I

cannot pause to speak of the lights in the east , west , and south of the chequered pavement , of the rough and perfect ashlars , or of the tracing-boards . With the symbolic meaning- of all these every well-instructed Mason is familiar . I will , confine

myself to a few remarks on that which is of nioro importance than all else—I mean the volume of the Sacred Law , unfolded as it is , and must be , in every lodge , and that glorious ladder which , resting thereon , reaches to the realms of glory . The

Holy Volume is the foundation of all Masonic morality , and it is from it that we must begin if we would reach the summit of our wishes . Faith rests her foot upon this book , and holds the key of the first of the three gates , through which wo must pass . Without faith it is impossible to please God , and faith in Him rests upon , and is