Victory-Crowned.

VICTORY-CROWNED .

Haifa Century ' s Aspirations and Hopes Realized . An Address by Bro . James Ten Eyck , Grand Master , at the Dedication of the Masonic Home at Utica , New York , Sth October 1892 .

( Continued from page 854 . ) BUT the anti-Masonic outbreak and craze , of which I have briefly spoken , by way of illustration , did not really belong to the nineteenth century . Its proper place was away back in the middle ages , when superstition

was general , when men were governed mainly by bigotry and prejudice , and when toleration and forbearance among those who ruled were rarely practised , and were indeed virtues scarcely known . Certain it was that no such

delusion could take permanent root and flourish in thia land of liberty and enlightenment . Our air was too pure and free for its continued existence ; our soil too rich and precious to be given over to the nurture of so noxions a plant .

And now behold , brethren , how that whioh is essentially evil may be transformed into proclamation the merit of the work of His servants . In a little time after the

episode to which I have referred , Freemasonry was stronger and in a more flourishing condition in this country than ever before . Lodges increased and multiplied , and membership grew apace . Those who had been our bitter

enemies , convinced that they had been deceived and misled , became our friends , and denounced themselves for having been led astray through ignorance and by passions tbat ought to have been kept under control .

And what a world of good the Order has accomplished in this State alone during the last half century ! The sick have been tenderly nursed , the hungry fed , the naked clad , the dead buried . A magnificent temple for the Grand Lodge has been erected in New York city—a structure which is a credit to the Order and an ornament to the

metropolis . Throughout the State other temples of great beauty and great utility have been erected or projected , and the good work is constantly going on . And here let me remind you , brethren , that the charity of our grand organization never ceases—that its good work

is never done . To-day we dedicate to its pure and unselfish purposes this building , the dream of years ; tomorrow we must , in a certain sense , forget what we have done , look about us and determine what next demands our aid and assistance , and then bring all our energies to bear

in furtherance of the new project . We have no years to waste in complacently reflecting upon how much good wo have accomplished . Rather in the other direction shonld our thoughts lie , and we be planning and devising the next great undertaking .

So , brethren , gird up your loins for advancement , remembering that there are yet other battles to be fought and victories to he won in the cause of pure morality and sweet charity . He is not a good husbandman who , having put his hand to the plough , turns to look backward ; and

neither is he the highest type of a Freemason who , satisfied with what the Order has accomplished so far , would call a halt and take a rest . There should be no halting nor faltering in the pursuit of good works ; we must keep on stedfastly to the end .

There is a peculiar blending of conservatism and progressiveness in Freemasonry which it is extremely difficult for those who are not members of the Order tn

comprehend . To the brethren , however , the matter i . plain and simple . The ancient landmarks , established centuries ago , and carefully pointed out by the elder to the younger brethren , must be strictly observed . They were placed where they are for the guidance of successive

generations , and woe be unto him who shall attempt to remove or misplace them . Reverence for the ancient landmarks is the conservatism of Freemasonry . As they stood centuries ago and stand now , so shall they stand centuries hence , pointing out the path of right and duty to the faithful .

The progressiveness of Freemasonry is none the less distinguished than its-conservatism . It allies itself with the arts and sciences , drawing inspiration from them and g iving much that is good and valuable in return . In

times past it marched away ahead of the slowly-developing civilization and blazed away for civilisation to follow . At the present time it keeps step with law , order and every thing that is beneficent . In charity it takes a prominent

Victory-Crowned.

and leading part , while in loyalty to God and country it stands second to no other organisation . It is this happy combination of wise and enlightened conservatism and judicious yet uncraraped progressiveness that constitutes one of the towers of strength of the Order . Just as the

fusing of certain metals gives increased strength and durability , so the commingling of conservatism and progressiveness has given increased strength and vitality to the Order . The plan is so happily balanced and adjusted that friction at no time results . Everything works smoothly and in the most orderly manner .

Brethren , I fear I have overtaxed your patience with the length of my remarks . There is an old saying that " Short visits make long friends , " and the aphorism may be applied to addresses as well . The theme . upon which I have spoken is an inspiring one , and , once started upon

it , one knows scarcely when or where to stop . But , in closing , permit me to return thanks for the patience and attention with which you have listened to me . This day will be one that will live long in my memory , and , I need not assure you , most pleasurably .

At the risk of repetition , however , let me once more remind you that there must be no permanent halt in the onward march of our great column of progress and charity . Freemasonry has asserted itself before the entire

civili-c . l vniOd , and we who are its representatives and to a certain extent its exponent . " , must see to it that those assertions are not meaningless . What the next great undertaking of the Order may be I do not know , but I do

believe that it will be inaugurated without great loss of time , that it will be broadly philanthropic , be grandly conceived and gloriously carried out . In the Masonic vocabulary , as in " the bright lexicon of youth , " " There is no such word as fail . "

Ever remembering : Not to the paat , bufc to the fnture , Looks true nobility , And finds its blazon In posterity . " —Voice of Masonry .

Installation.

INSTALLATION .

LODGE members have elected the Officers of their Lodges . Now they are to be installed . On or before St . John ' s Day the law requires that these elected officers shall be properly prepared for their

respective stations . It is the ceremony of installation that completes the requisites for taking the stations and exercising the duty attached to each .

Installation is a Masonic ceremony . It is part of tho esoteric work of a Lodge . As a ceremony , it is the clothing of the symbol of a perlected election to the chairs , by tbe members of Lodges . Without it the Officer of a Lodge cannot take the station to which he was elected .

The philosophy of the Masonic ritual is to make perfect the inchoate action described by " Masonic law , that the members elect the Lodge Officers . But the election is not in itself the completed requisite for taking the chairs . Therefore the ceremony of

installation is prescribed . This being so important a proceeding , it should be conducted with the propriety and fullness belonging to its character . Of course no public recital of

the proceedings is permitted . . .. To explain ifc here is forbidden . But the P . M . of every Lodge knows exactly what the ceremony is , and they can understand the importance of properly performing ifc .

It must be as elaborate as the Ahiman Rezon prescribes . As it is the completion of the election , the ceremony must be completely and solemnly performed . Ifc cannot be done in part , or indeed , any part be omitted ; if so , it is nofc complete . If nofc exhaustive of the ordained requirements ,

ifc is nofc a lawful installation . Ib destroys the very significance of the proceeding . The part is not the whole , and the whole work of installation must be performed , or why make it necessary ? The " charge " to the Master on

his installation should be read to him . This ought never to be omitted . If a Lodge has not the time to do the work , or such an excuse is made for the omission of any of the ordained ceremonies , it is a serious error . The proceedings in a tyled Lodge on tho installation of its Master and Officers are of great importance . To inst . il