Shines For All.

SHINES FOR ALL .

An Oration by James Albert Znbrhkie , Grand Orator , before the Grand Lodge of Arizona , 10 th

November 1887 . A NOTHER year lias come and gone , with its vicissitude . * , its joys and its sorrows . Again wo are assembled to review oar work , and to present ouv annual

record . It is fitting : and proper , on these recurving periods of investigation and consultation , that wc should carefully scan with miscroscopic vision the causes aud effects which operate to advance or retard the cause of Masonry . In this

brilliant and progressive epoch in tho world ' s history the Masonic spirit is controlled by tho materialistic and utilitarian idea , rather than impelled to aggressive action by the dangers which environ it . In this age of free

thought and liberal views men forget thafc danger ever threatened , or that despotism ever wielded its bloody sceptre . Poor , weak humanity , released from the thraldom of oppression , trips lightly and gaily along without a thought

of the morrow , or a latent dread of future woe . Tlie struggles of one generation are forgotten bv tho next , and On o o •/ ' ^ the miseries of our ancestors seem to leave no durable impression upon the minds aud hearts of their descendants .

As the stirring events which have signalized the various epochs in history become more and more remote , so the recollection of their blig hting effects graduall y become dim until the lessons of'history are lost upon posterity , and the

fearful realities of the past are seen through a filmy and shadowy retrospect , which engages aud diverts the mind , without instructing thejuclgment . Ages roll by , aud the cycles of time pass in review in accordance with the eternal

decrees of immutable law , and yet this indelible record 0-stupendous events , while pregnant with meaning to the judicious few , is virtually unheeded by the multitude . Ignorance and apathy go hand in hand , and revel in the

enjoyment of that liberty which intellectual vigour and physical prowess have established through years of trial , suffering , indomitable perseverance and self abnegation . The lessons of the past are forgotten , or not deemed worthy

of remembrance . The absence of immediate danger dispels the anxious fears of the earnest inquirer , and an injudicious self-confidence , as false and groundless as the " baseless fabric of a vision , " is substituted for thafc " eternal vi gilance which , is the price of liberty . "

What are we to understand by these remarkable exhibitions of human credulity ? Is ifc true that mankind are incapable of self government ; that wisdom can only be acquired through the merciless lashings of oppression ; that the human heart is so constituted that man cannot

reason calmly and dispassionately upon questions affectinp ' his temporal and eternal welfare , and thafc he cannot realize threatened clangers until , completely surrounded b y the demons of fury , he is compelled to recognize the terrors

of the situation , and to strike in his owu defence ? Have we reached a point in human affairs where , after a careful analysis of historical facts , we are forced to acknowled ge that , man is powerless to protect himself against the snares

which beset his path , and that he can never reach that exalted plane of intellectual and moral grandeur , as to be steeled against the blandishments of selfishness on the one hand , and the degrading influence of temptation on the

other . Are we prepared to make this humiliating confession ? If so , our labours have been in vain . If we have reached the " ultima Unite" of human hopes , then indeed have we fallen into the arms of despair .

The lesson ., of history , properly interpreted , do nofc permit a presumption so violent . Such conclusions necessarily obtain from a superficial review of immediate results , without peering into the hidden depths of original cause .

The shallow investigator grasps at conclusions which arc commensurate with Ms judgment . Such men are unable to reason from cause to effect . They seize a single idea , which may be a simple scintillation from tho friction of

thought , and imagining themselves possessed of some grand conception , cry out , in the ignorance of their souls " Eureka . " Such men , gifted with an indomitable spirit ,

and possessed of great personal magnetism , produce impressions which are far-reaching and deleterious in then effects .

Thus error , starting from an ignorant conception , innocently entertained , goes forward , armour-clad b y a f . ciiK . pd zeal , hurling if :, poisoned shaft ft on every side , pro-

Shines For All.

ducing disorder and chaos , and resulting in p hysical and more upheavals , which reverberate throughout the universe . Masonry , in its pristine purity , seized the standard of Truth , and devoted its existence to the defence of its

sublime teachings . Recognizing the fallibility of human judgment when based upon ignorance , Masonry early established and carefully nurtured the spirit of progress ind individual culture . It encouraged a spirit of inquiry .

It orig inated investigation , and stimulated tho desire for more lig ht on all subjects which are inseparably connected with man ' s advancement in moral and mental vigour . Itkept the sacred fire of liberty burning upon the altar of

truth , and during the darkest hours of superstition , and the bitterest persecutions of ecclesiastical hate , this spark of freedom was fanned and kept alive b y the pure and holy

spirit of sincere devotion . Thus the germ of liberty wag preserved to us by Masonic fidelity , and thus Masonry has come to represent moral , physical and intellectual advancement .

No wonder , then , in subsequent years , when ecclesiastical and regal power became cemented in bonds of selfish unity for the destruction of every vestige of human freedom , that Masonry should have been the special mark for the shafts of hatred and condemnation . It is not

surprising thafc an Institution which preserved this priceless boon of freedom and knowledge should be vindictively pursued and contemned by a power whose permanency and future security depended exclusively upon the perpetuity

of ignorance , and' the control of all knowledge . This eternal warfare is not ended , although we breathe the pure and enlightened atmosphere of the nineteenth century . The bloody host of error , ignorance , and ecclesiastical

power , are ready again to lead on to gory fields the credulous hordes of fanatical fiiry , whenever an opportunity presents itself . Is Masonry alive to the situation ? Do we fully appreciate the blessings which we have gained through

so many years of terror and tribulation ? Has peace and prosperity blinded our eyes to increasing danger , and caused us to revel in the delusive charms of fancied security ? Are we to await until the tocsiu sounds from

the alarm tower before wo gird on onr armour and face threatened danger ? Are we to fold our arms in passive submission and apathetic indifference until resistance will be useless ? Have we become so engrossed with material

advancement and selfish interests that we have forgotten the citadel of safety ? Have we become so absorbed in sensuous delights and grovelling desires that the spirit which gave us pre-eminence has been prostituted upon the altar of Mammon ? We sincerely trust nofc .

When a nation or a people become so blinded by prosperity and brutalized by avarice as to forget the gratitude they owe to their progenitors , their end is near . They are then ready for the knife of the executioner , and

will coon become the prey of any monster who can charm their fancy or gratify their cupidity . The evils which have crept into the Masonic organization , while they cannot

affect the true principles of Masonry , nevertheless retard tbe growth of the genuine feeling , and weaken the strength of its influence .

( To be continued . )

Ar00602

As soon as the "Masonic Week" is over , some of the friends of Bro . Berther propose to invite him to a luncheon , to be held at the Cannon-street Hotel , to celebrate his appointment as Manager there . We think Mrs . Spencer

is to be congratulated on having secured Bro . Berther s services ; as Deputy for many years to Bro . Made ! , at the i- ' reema . ons' Tavern , his knowledge of the business should ensure him a successful career , while his uniform kindness and courtesy has secured him many friends .

How many a wife wonld like to havo just one peep into tho Lodgo which her husband goes to , and see what he i _ really " up to" there . How many a woman woudera why she cannot bo lot into all the socrota of the Craft . Her husband promised her to bo a comrade for life , nnd ho has kept hia word in every other

particular bnt tVs . When he lias been worried , ho haa let her share his ear : s . -.- . hen he has lost money , he haa allowed her to go without niw hats aud sealskin jackets ; when ho hag been incky he hrv _ made himself hapny for her sake ; when he has felt

t ' . iiit no Tvoa-. '; worry hor by stopping at Lome , he has gone to hia club ; . he has opi _ n _ d his ' et . _ r . rs , and he has only complained formerly ; he has confided to her all his plans , when he has folfc sho ought to kaovv thorn , bub this secret of rrociuaury ho keeps to himself . Why?—F . ¦ ¦ rluivar .