An Ideal Knight.

e'e *! ted an honorary member thereof . In the same year the Master , Wardens , and Brethren of the John Hervey Lodge , being desirous of shewing him some mark of respect and

of their appreciation of his services to the Lodge , requested

him to sit for his portrait , which was painted in oil and presented a striking likeness of our esteemed brother . At the first meeting of the Lodge for the season of 1884-5 the testimonial was presented , the Worshipfnl Master of

the year referring to the good and valuable services their Treasurer had rendered to the Lodge , and to what he had done to advance its welfare . Each of the brethren , he said , had experienced great kindness from him , and in

recognition of those services and the esteem in which he was held they had had his portrait painted . This portrait he then presented , feeling it a privilege on behalf of the

Lodge to express the gratification of the brethren with everything their Treasurer had done for them . The portrait was subsequently hung in the Board Room of Freemasons' Hall , and will doubtless long remain there , a memento of one who has won for himself the right of being

considered one of Masonry ' s noblest sons . We have already referred to some portion of the services our brother has rendered to our Institutions—and is at the present time rendering , —but may add that he has also supported them by qualifying as Life Governor of each , while he has on

several occasions acted as Steward on their behalf . In closing our remarks , which we feel are far short of what the subject is worthy of , we tender him our heartiest good wishes , and fervently express a hope—which will be

endorsed on all sides—that he may , for many long years , continue to work with us , occupying that position in our hearts he has won by his long career " upon the troubled ocean of life . "

Enthusiastic Masons.

ENTHUSIASTIC MASONS .

THERE can be no doubt , whatever that enthusiasm in Freemasonry , as well as in all other laudable

pursuits of life , has a healthy and wholesome tendency , provided that it is well directed and does not overstep the bounds of prudence . The trite old saw , anent the " vaulting ambition that o ' erleaps itself , " does not apply to the careful

and diligent study of an art , though even in our own ranks there are not wanting , unfortunately , instances in which an excess of zeal and ardour has to be pitted against the exercise of judicious forethought and discretion . In all ranks and conditions of life men are to be found who

will ride their hobby to its proverbial " death , " and it is not uncommon to see the steed who makes the boldest start and the fiercest running for a distance along the course , pull up exhausted long ere the goal is reached . Applying the simile to our own immediate subject , who that has

studied the progress aud the intricate windings of Freemasonry but has lamented the untoward collapse of many a man who " did run well " at the outset , and the

discomfiture attending an effort which , although well intended , has been kept at too high a pressure to enable it to stay ? The fable of the hare and the tortoise is enacted daily in our experiences of life , and we have learnt long ago to acknowledge the veracity of the adage that the race is not always to the swift , nor

the battle to the strong . Yet , withal , a discreet enthu

siasm in all our undertakings is a commendable trait of character , for it lends a stimulus of a most wholesome character to the plodding exertions of the honest and conscientious worker . When the first rays of Masonic

light have dawned upon the novitiate how eagerly are the senses strained after a deeper knowledge of those

hidden mysteries so sublimely foreshadowed by the grancl ritual of our Order . The darkness of ignorance is dispelled by the first glimpse of that effulgence which bursts npon the vision of the initiate , and from that moment

there is an ardent longing for a deeper draught from the fountain of knowledge , the unfathomable source of so many high and lofty aspirations . The key-note has been struck on a chord which will deepen with the intensity of

its own vibration , increasing in volume as tbe years roll ° n , provided that the ear of the student is attuned to the melod y which rings through the whole of his Masonic career . Under the touch of the skilful and ardent

musician the disjointed threads of harmony are blended into a peal of euphony , and the artiste is moved by a soulstirring enthusiasm into an effort which even surpasses

Enthusiastic Masons.

his original conception . In like manner the student of our mystic art , impelled by an innate love of research and admiration of the sublime , is fashioned by the judicious Preceptor into that Perfect Ashlar which it should be the study of every true Mason to become , and he is then rendered a fit and respected member of well-organized society . He is taught to temper his ambition with moderation , and

to proceed with cautious , yet confident , steps along the chequered floor , and to ascend with careful boldness tbe rounds of the ladder whose summit is lost in the canopy of the infinite . The early steps of the young aspirant to

Masonic knowledge are watched and tended with judicious and patient care , and the bridle ia not kept at such a tension as to dishearten or discourage the perhaps naturally impetuous mind . Still , although there may be a curb

placed upon the eager industry to attain distinction in the ranks , enthusiasm forms the motive power which keeps the face to the front , and impels to hearty exercise in the paths of knowledge and progress . In after years ,

when the student ripens into the scholar , and the once seemingly unsurmountable obtascles have been left behind , enthusiasm still holds on and incites to that mutual aid which ia one of the bright

characteristics of our Order , to the helping forward of the dawning intellects , and lending the strength of experience to the less matured and perhaps hesitating spirit . This enthusiasm is one great and important factor in the development of sound morals and strict integrity which are essential to the well-being of the community , and without

which a man can scarcely be considered capable of well ruling and governing that section of it over which he might be called upon to preside . If it be the aspiration of the brother on his initiation to reach the proud position to which every Mason should endeavour to attain , enthusiasm does not

expire with realisation , it only takes a somewhat different turn . Grateful for the aids by which he haa

attained the summit of his earlier desires , he now in exchange seeks to impart to others the advantages whi"ni > t . Vina on iVnniy wooiroj , i « a , noan / niiy-constituted mind this impulse is ever active and at work , and from ifc radiates a

stream of unseen influences which cannot fail to make its presence consciously felt to the utmost limits of its sphere of operation . Cast a stono into a pool and the vibration ceases not until the last tiny ripple breaks upon the

margin . And so by the example and precept of men of

balanced thought and guarded enthusiasm flows a current of influence which must , perforce , have a leavening tendency upon every mind which comes within its radius . Happy are the hearts and minds whose doors are open to

the reception of such an influence , for here is the mainspring of all kindly action , Brotherly Love , Relief and Truth . True , Brotherly Love is not the gushing passion which cools down after the first glow of enthusiasm has subsided ; it is the constant , continuous bond of genuine

affection as lasting as life itself . That is Love towards

our kin who may be less fortunately situated than ourselves , whose lives have not been cast in such pleasant places , which prompts the practice of thafc Charity which is the distinguishing characteristic on a Freemason ' s heart ,

and which renders him more extensively useful to his fellow-creatures . That is the Truth which guides the feet in every step that is taken along the pathway of life , which stirs the soul to worthy deeds and acts of heroic benevolence , destroying the fibres of selfishness and conceit , and setting up in their place a pedestal of true and permanent brotherhood . In this way whilst the

brother so fleet of foot at the outset has grown famfc and weary by the wayside , and ultimately falls into a lethargic vein respecting the things in which he once saw

such a realm of grandeur , the steady , plodding , and albeit enthusiastic worker keeps steadily working for his own and others' welfare , and constitutes himself , intuitively aa

it were , a monument of usefulness and contagious blessing . Ifc is well , therefore , that the quickened ardour of the youth should be tempered and modulated by the experienced enthusiasm of those who have borne the heat and

burden of the day , for these a healthy equipoise is maintained , aud the chariot wheels of our beneficent Craft roll smoothly on , never jolting againsfc any of the knobs and excrescences formed by the apathetic or unskilled

workmen . Whilst , therefore , we are taught to obey the golden maxim , " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do , do it with all thy might , " nevertheless it must be with wisdom blended with our enthusiasm , and prudence with our zeal . In such a case success and happiness are the sure result ,