Why Masonry Prospers.

brotherly love was the bond of union between them ! tell them that Masonry knew no difference between Jew and Gentile , Greek and Hindoo ; thnt around the Masonic altar all men met as equals , di-cmling the differences of

nations and tongues , of religions aud politics ? This would not do ; tLo world was not reidy for this ; and they visited fie teacher of such unheard of doctrines with the horrible death of the crass ! Even in more recent times ,

wherein the records of tho institution aro more legibly written , and therefore less frequently questioned , tho case is but little different . Tho law of love spreads bat slowly in tho world ; political equality is even now not generally

admitted ont of America , and religious toleration is not fully practiced in any other land than this ; priestcraft dies reluctantly aad tyranny scarcely yields without tho life of the tyrant . Without the saving principle of secrecy ,

Masonry must long since have fallen beneath the combined forces of priestcraft and kingcraft . But there are other reasons , brides the opposing power of prie 3 ts and potentates , why the princip le of Fecrejsy is

essential to the very existence of Masonry . The necessity of guarding her doors against the introduction of evil men . who might bring discord into her halls and pollute her altars with immorality and atheism ; the impossibility of

whol ' y excluding improper persons from the institution , even with the greatest care to prevent their admission ; and the necessity of avoiding all external influences which might mir the best directed efforts to heal the evils which

this must sometimes occasion;—those are insuperable reasons for Masonic secrecy . Shall we lift the veil which hides from the world our decision upon the case of some improper applicant for the privileges of Masonry ? Is he

immoral , intemperate , or atheistic ? aud shall we tell the world without that we levy these charges at his door , and refuse to admit him into our body ? This would bo to array him , and those who sympathise with him , against us .

Or shall we point the approving world to the widow wc have succoured or the orphan we have saved ? This would but wound the sensibilities of the subjects of our charities , and be in itself an unworthy vanity .

But there is a stronger reason than these for Masonic secrecy . It is the universality of the Order , and the necessity , therefore , for an universal languago which shall be known to Masonry alone . Be'bro an individual can

pass the solemn portals of our Order , and become a Free and Accepted Mason , he must have been rcsommended by two or more of the brethren who personally knew him

well ; he must then have delayed au entire month , while passing the ordeal of a special committee appointed to inquire into his fitness ; he must have received the

unanimous approbation of the Lodge through the ballotbox ; he must have declared upon his honour that , " unbiased by friends , and uninfluenced by merceuary motives , ho is prompted to solicit the privileges of Masonry by a

iavourable opinion conceived of the institution , a desire of knowledge , and , a sincere wish to be sei . iceable to his fellow men ; " and finally , in the presence of the assembled Lodge , while kneeling before the altar on which lies open

the book of eternal life , he must proclaim his trust in God , the Supreme Grand Master of the Universe . Having thus passed the ordeal , he is initiated into a brotherhood whose members are found throughout the habitable globe ; and ,

provided with that symbolic language which is equally universal , he is enabled to prove , beyond the shadow of doubt , even in a strange land and among strange brethren , that he has passed this ri gid trial , and entered fairly ?* id honestl y into the brotherhood .

• Next to its secrecy , it is probable that Masoury has suffered most from its tolerance of religious liberty . The history of its votaries who have died martvrs to religious

intolerance is written in blood upon the records of the unhol y Inquisition . The prisons of priestcraft in various parts of the world have hidden them from tho light of < % ; and the rack , the wheel , a * jd all the horrid tortures devised b y the cruel ministers of a cruel faith , havo been

applied in vain to wrest from the d ying breath of men an exposition of those secrets which they had refused to give B P at the cnnfpRsinnnl

One more source of opposition to Masoniy will be considered , and we pass from this branch of tbe subject . J * w objected , that if there be truth and virtue in the institution , they aro hidden in hollow forms and ceremonies . And can it indeed be that there is in the universe a substan ; o without form ; or is there a mind can g : asp at , and hold , the mere abstractions of Love , Philanthropy

Why Masonry Prospers.

and Trutht' Aro tho : o men who cm conceive and communicate thought without signs and without language ? No , there is none of these . Without the > ign of thought , thought itself is void . We think in words and signs and symbols ; and without these there is no memory . In all

ages , and by the wisest of every ago , advantage has bjen taken of this principle to impress importaut truths upon the mind and fix them in the memory . Even God Himself " who knoweth all things from tho beginning , " has condescended , in His intercourse with mon , to make iiso

of symbols and cereno lies . In letters of purple and gold He wrote His promiso upon tho cloud that He wonld no more send a flood of waters upon tho earth : "And the bow shall 1 ) 3 in tho cloud , " saith God ; " and I will look upon it , that I may remember tho everlasting covonant

between God and evory living creature . " Even that event who ? e influence upon the eternal welfare of our race is deep and boundless as the love of God , was symbolised to the Israelites in the wilderness . They looked upon tho brazen serpent , and they lived ! Jesus Himself paints

Nicodemus to the symbol , telling him that " as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness , even so must the Son of Man be lifted up , that whosoever belioveth on Him should not perish . " Without tho ceremonies of tho church , even of " tho meek and lowly Jesus , " religion would bo slript

of its most impressive solemnity . There would be no ordiuation , no consecration , no baptism , no marriago rite , no burial service , no sacramental supper . Who would defend your country , and how wonld you fill your ranks with soldiers , " without the pomp and circumstance of

glorious war ? " Mon do not fight for blood alone ; and there would bo no nodding plumes , no waving banners , no flauuting scarfs , no glittering helmets . Tbe rolling

drum would not bi beaten ; the brazen trumpet and the rousing bnglo would b ? heard no move . Over tho soldiir ' s grave no volley would be fired , mil mon would give no more in battle , even for tlie boon of Liberty ! ( To be continued . )

The usual weekly meeting of tho Walthamstow lolge of Instruction , No . 2192 , will be resumed ou Mon lay , ; Jrd October , at 8 o ' clock p . m .

Spiers and Pond , Limited , notify that the share transfer bosks will bo closed from the 19 ch to the 30 th instant , both inclusive , for fcttj purpose of preparing dividend warrants for the first instalmont of 'Is per share ( less income tax ) on account of tho dividond for tho year ending 31 st March 1893 , which will ha posted to tho shareholders on the 1 st October next .

WHEHK THE " SIGN " WOUD FAILED . —In a oity not a thousand miles from Detroit , court was ia session . The prisoner at tho bar was indicted for stealing a team of valuable horses . Five out of tho twelve men in the jury b > x were Masons ; the prosecuting attorney wis a Past Grand Master of Michigan , and the judge on the bench was ono of tho most bitter and uncompromising anti-Masons in the

country . To conclude all , the prisoner was a man of some wealth and inQoencp , and had , at some tim ° , been a Master Mason . Tbe trial proceeded and after a bitter and lengthly contast the jury returned a verdiot of guilty . The prisoner was ordered to stmd up for sentence , and on so doing gave the sign and word of a Mason in distress . The judge " caught on" to some of the words and

imuiediatsly called the prosecuting attorney to him . "Mr . D , is that man a Freemason ? " "I—I—don't know , judge , " was the hesitating reply . " Well , sir , I am no lover of Freemasonry , but if I really thought he was one , I'd make his sentence heavier . I wish you could t ;\\ ine . " " Jadge , I am the prosecuting attorney fur this county , and not here as a Mason . You must act your own will

in the matter . I have done my best to convict the prisoner , and certainly believe him guilty ; and , further , judge , please to under , stand Masonry recognizes the law of the land . " " Well , Mr . D , I think you are right , ns in my long experience on iho bench , I never yet knew a Mason to be on trial for crims . " 'I he prisoner got five years . —American Tyler .

The origin of Freemasonry gave rise to fabulous narratives and idle speculation years ago . How it was instituted I shonM nnr . hazard an opinion , because writers differ . In spite of many efl ' ir s t > suppress it , by Church and Stat" , it is firmly implanted in every p > rr , of the Continent , and has penetrated into Asia , Africa , and Anui'ul ' a .

The deep symbolical meaning said to be couched nnder tho pecii ' mr language of the fra ' ernity is probably as apocryphal as tho ancient history of tlie Institution . A set of passwords and a peculiar grip of the hand , enable tho initiated to recognise each other , and givo z .-at to their convivial meetings . —Derbyshire Tim ? s .