Masonic Recognition By Grand Lodges.

tho very right and authority to exist and to act is both denied and disputed . Thero must bo both tho right of possession and the absolute possession of the inherit character of Masonic

powers and authority in everybody that claims to bo Masonic . Grand and subordinate Lodges of Ancient Free and Accepted Freemasons , to be respected and recognised ,

must be tho supreme and sovereign Masonic authority m tho jurisdiction they claim ; else all sorts of associations would spring up and ask recognition on the assertion that they are lawfully entitled to be so recognised . —Keystone .

Masonry's Mission.

MASONRY'S MISSION .

WHAT is the mission of Masonry—of what benefit has it been to thc world ? has it not outgrown its usefulness , aud ought it not to be relegated with the things of the past ? are queries which sometimes arise in the minds of thc uninitiated , tho mere casual observers who look only upon tho surface and from such observations base their

deductions . Thoughts liko these aro not confined to the uninitiated . There are some , no doubt , among those who have passed through our ceremonies and are enrolled with us whose views aro equally superficial . From the careless and unworkmanlike manner in which the degrees are

conferred at the time of their admission , or it may be from the fact tbat tbey were incapable of looking beyond tbe mere ceremonial , thoy failed to appreciate their true spirit and intent ; tho lessons each was intended to convey wore lost upon them . To such the steady growth and prosperity

of the institution is a source of surprise , nor can they account for the facfc thafc in all ages it has numbered among its most devoted member ? , and is still daily adding toits ranks , those who stand foremost in all the relations of life . To the true Mason he that has looked beyond the mere

material and grasps the spirit and interior moaning of our symbols , that is but a natural sequence . To such it is no surprise or source of wonderment . Masonry appeals not alone to tho moral sentiments and faculties of mankind , but equally to the intellectual . The mind pictures ,

presented in the form of symbols , aro a constant source of study aud reflection , developing new beauties and adding to tho lessons of life new and cleaver ideas of duty thc more they aro investigated . To tbe student of Masonry no such

queries as wo have alluded to aro ever suggested . Its mission aud tho good that has heretofore resulted therefrom , is to him no mystery , nor is ho faithless as to its future . Tho same causes which gave it boing still to a great extent exist .

Althongh humanity has been in a constant state of progression and cultivation still tho instincts and depositions yet remain inherent within them . Selfishness , with its train of attendant evils , though modified in form and

manifestation , still exists . And so long as it does , Masonry has a work and a mission . Human brotherhood being its starting point , its every precept tends to cultivate within us a spirit of equality and good will , the very reverse of selfishness . It would unite all in relations the most

fraternal . It breaks down the barriers of caste and extends this brotherhood sentiment among men of divergent views , pursuits and races ; it enlarges human sympathy and strives to mitigate the wants and the woes of suffering humanity ; ifc would pour tho balm of consolation lbto the heart of the

sorrowful , dry the tear of the orphan , and hush the widow ' s wail . By following the teachings of Masonry character is ennobled . Ifc introduces man into a wider society that his native selfishness would prompt bim to seek , associating him with the good and true of all sects and

rraccs m tho most fraternal relations ; those whose every 'effort is to upbuild character in this life , and whose every aim is to promote a spirit of benevolence , kindness and toleration among its votaries . Masonry will never be numbered among the institutions of the past . It still has

its work to do . Its mission , though daily being more and better understood ancl appreciated , has not been accomplished . Nor will it be until mankind shall have

arrived afc that state of perfection which we may vainly hope for in this earthly existence aud can only anticipate in fche long vistas of hereafter . Of Masonry tbe poet truly says : — " It is like the ladder of Jacob ' s dream , Its foot on earth , its height aboro the skies .

Masonry's Mission.

Diffused in its viitnes , boundless in its power j 'Tis public health and universal care , Of heavenly manna , 'tis a second feast , A nation ' s food , and all to every taste .

It is the sweet sympathy , The silver link , tho silken tie That heart to heart , and mind to mind In body and in soul can bind . "

Such views of Masonry show the estimation iu which ifc is held by the more learned and intellectual of mankind , and should bo an incentive to us all to more and more study tbe true spirit of our symbols , and serve to enlarge our own conceptions of their beauties . Give us broader views of its

mission , and of its capabilities for good , and thereby stimulate to look beyond the mere social in its character , and to so live that when called to leave tho earthly Lodgo there can in truth bo inscribed upon our tomb tho words of ono

wbo said : " Bo this alone my epitaph When life has closed its span , Beneath this stone a Brother sleeps , Who loved his fellow man . " —Masonic Advocate .

Grand Lodge Appointments.

GRAND LODGE APPOINTMENTS .

HHHE Annual Meeting of the Grand Lodge of England JL has been held , and the various Officers of Grand Lodge have been appointed for the current year . No doubt there are always a considerable number of disappointed ones , who consider that their just claims to

fche purple have been overlooked , bufc of course this cannofc be helped . There can be only a certain nnmber of collars available , and many distinguished brethren must wait tbeir turn for perhaps a considerable time . We publish in another column the complaint of a Democratic brother ,

who objects to seeing a juvenile Mason of somo 2 or '& years standing only , placed in tho high office of Sonnr Grand AVarden , while moro distinguished bruiluvu wiiu aro not nobio lords havo to be content with vary subordinate offices , and perhaps fail to obtain the coveted purple after a long life of Masonic industry .

This is no doubt an anomaly win h will appear especially strange to our Transatlantic brcbhicn , but ns Freemasonry is at present practised in England , AVC fail to see how it can be avoided . It seems to bo a rule that tho Wardens' collars in Grand Lodge shall only ba granted to

Peers , Membets of Parliament , or other brethren of tho higho .-t social status . And under theso circumstances au English Mason can never hope for the highest places . He can never bo Grand Master , as every American brother

can aspirp to be , any more than he can become a prince of the Royal Family . Nor can ho hope ( if a Commoner ) for a very high p lace in Grand Lodge . But though these exalted offices arc closed , there is plenty of scope for tho ambitious Mason . Thero is a higher honour than even tho

purple collar of a Grand Warden . A brother who distinguishes himself iu the field of Masonic Literature attains a higher position , in the opinion of all thinking Masons , than that of a brother whoso rank and position have caused his elevation fco the Grand Lodge . A brother

liko our esteemed and worthy Brother Gould ( for example ) , whose Masonic works are read all ronnd the globe , is upon an infinitely higher level than a titled Grand Mai er or Warden . He may be only a Past Grand Deacon , but his name will be remembered among Masons as long as

Masonry exists . Lot our Democratic brother then aspire fco higher things than collars aud jewels . Let him devote his attention to Masonic literature and work for the Order at large . And if he attain to the blue ribbon of tbe Craft ,

tho membership of fche Lodge Quatuor Coronati , ho will have more cause for self-congratulation than if he were hung from head to foot with tho medals of all the degrees iu existence . —Indian Masonic Review .

Why Lodge Ye Without The Walls ?

WHY LODGE YE WITHOUT THE WALLS ?

WHEN Zernbbabel and his confreres were engaged iu building tho second temple , as explained in tho Holy Royal Arch , fche Samaritans were filled with envy afc