Gossip About Freemasonry; Itshistory And Traditions.

that they should receive from man the same veneration as the servants of a great prince justly claim from the subject multitude . " In expressing the belief that Enoch and Enos were cotemporaries , I am brought in front of tho strange discrepaney between chapters iv . and v . of Genesis as

regards the generations . Iu chapter iv . we are presented with a direct succession from Cain to Noah ; in chapter v . all references to Cain and Abel nre omitted , and Enoch is placed midway in the gem nil ion , there given as from Seth to Noah . Eliminate chapter iv . and we have not the

slig htest evidence that either Cain or Abel ever existed ; indeed , without this chapter ifc would appear rather that they were not , than that they wero ; we do not find mention of them either in Genesis v ., nor in the 1 st of the 1 st Book of Chronicles ; nor in St . Luke iii . can these discrepancies )

be accounted for ; perhaps I am presumptuous in the belief that they can . Few of us , when we take up the volume of the Sacred Law , give one thought of the strange vicissitudes through which it has passed , even since the days of Solomon . Violated by that king ' s idolatry in his later

days , neglected during the unhappy disputes between Israel and Judah , persecuted and then forbidden the very Temp le in which it had been uplifted to the pious gaze of multitudes , defiled by tho wickedness of Manassah and then lost , for that none dared study it until Josiah , though

but a youth , put down idolatry and resolved on restoring the Temple , which by that time had become ruins . During these repairs a copy of the Law was found by Hilkiah the priest , as we read in 2 Kings xxii . 8 , in relation to which the statement of Dr . Prideaux is valuable . He

writes , " in tho time of Josiah , through the impiety of the two preceding reigns of Manassah and Ammon , the book of the Law was so destroyed and lost , that besides that copy of it which Hilkiah found in the Temple there was then none other to be had : for tho surprise which Hilkiah was

said to be in at finding of it , and the grief which Josiah expressed at hearing of it read , do plainly show that neither of them had ever seen it ; and if the king and the high priest , who were both men of eminent piety , were without this part of Holy Scripture , it can scarcely be thought that any ono else then had it . "

( To be continued . )

Masonic Hospitality.

MASONIC HOSPITALITY .

WE havo heard some severe criticisms lately in the neglect sometimes found in Lodges to welcome in a proper manner those who may be present as visitors . The Lodgo room is the family room , and from it should be banished all stiffness and formality . Every brother admitted to its sacred precincts should feel that he is " at

home , " or visiting in a family where he is a welcome guest . If he has been " properly vouched for , " and has been deemed worthy to sit in the Lodge , he is Masonically equal to every one present . It matters not what his position in the " world of classes " may be ; in this society , devoid of

rank or caste , he is the peer of every one present , and is entitled to as much consideration as the wealthiest brother . It sometimes happens that a brother visits a Lodge and is a stranger to every one present ; but he should not be allowed to leave the Lodge room a stranger . The

brethren , and certainly the Master and Officers , should see to it thafc he is made to know that the mystic kinship is not a myth , but a reality . If a brother is announced as a "Worshipful , " he is usually received with proper recognition , and invited to participate in the meeting ,

which is right and proper . If , however , he chooses to let his position remain unknown to the Lodge , he is seated with the brethren , and this is right . But whether a brother honoured by the Craft , or an humble quarryman , he should feel equally afc ease in a Masonic Lodge .

The lack of Masonic hospitality was particularly noticed in a recent Lodge meeting . Three brethren , " vouched for , " were announced . One of them was Master of a flourishing Lodge , meeting not far from the one ho visited . Modestly led him to conceal his official position , in order to

avoid any ceremonious reception . The brethren were recognised by the Master and took their seats . It happened that all three of them were strangers in the Lodge room . They listened with interest to what was presented , and when the time for refreshment came they naturally expected to become acquainted with some one in so old

Masonic Hospitality.

and well-known a Lodgo , but they were mistaken . They remained in the room during the meeting ( about two hours ) , in which time several occasions of freedom were allowed , but although the Master and Officers passed and repassed them several times , even brushed against them ,

there was not a sign or word of greeting offered , and the brethren left as totally strangers to their " brothers" as before they entered the room . Is it any wonder they said they would never visit that Lodge again ? Had they not

a right to feel indignant at snch treatment ? Hospitality is a good thing everywhere . The lack of it stamps a man as a churl . To have friends , one must show himself friendly .

Hope not to find A friend , but what has found a friend in thee . " A slight may be overlooked , may ba buried in the mind , but it hurts all the same . There is a sting in indifference that poisons it to hatred . A very light cause may move

dissensions between hearts that love . Although the discourtesy may not be intended , yet unexplained it rankles in the heart until it breeds its own venomous disgust , which leads to even greater bitterness and dotermined resentment . There can be no excuse for

slighting a stranger in a Lodge room . The guest of tho family should be made welcome , and his visit so pleasant that he carries away only pleasant recollections . Friends and friendships are scarce enough in this world at best , and every effort should be made to keep them .

" The friends thon hast , and their adoption tried Grapple to thy soul with hooka of steel . " This friendliness and hospitality are the secrets of success , and those bodies that are careful to receive and entertain visiting brethren properly , will gain reputation and

never lack for helpers when they are in need . There is a warmth in the very atmosphere of some Lodge rooms , that makes it delightful to be present . All should be so . Make all strangers welcome . Abraham , in exercising this

noble trait , entertained angelic beings without knowing their celestial character . So it may be among us . Some of the brightest jewels of the Craft may come in unawares , aud if properly treated , the intercourse will doubly repay any effort on our part to entertain them . —The Dispatch .

An Appeal To R.W. Bro. D. M. Lyon.

AN APPEAL TO R . W . BRO . D . M . LYON .

BY BRO . JACOB NOBTON .

IN the last issue of the Quatuor Coronatorum Proceedings , on page 168 , Brother Gould called attention to the following paragraph in Bro . Lyon ' s History of the Edinburgh Lodge , pp 22 and 23 , viz .: — " If the communication by Masonic Lodges of secret words or signs

constituted a degree—s . term of modern application to the esoteric observances of the Masonio Body—then there was , under the purely operative rigime , only one [ degree ] known to Scottish Lodges , viz ., that , in which nnder an oath , apprentices obtained a knowledge of the Mason Word , and all that was implied in the expression . " '

To which Bro . Gould added , " Now the point is , what are we to understand by the phrase ' the purely operative regime ? ' " and added that " Each student must supply his own answer , for no two are likely to agree in a definition of it . "

Now , with all due respect to Brother Gould , I think the question is of too much importance to leave it undecided ; and as Brother Lyon is still , thank God , in the land of tho living , and as he never refused to answer my questions , and as I am not aware that I have forfeited his former

friendship , I appeal therefore to himself direct for the solution of that puzzle , which I am sure he will not refuse to do , for the following reasons . 1 st . Because it will save disputes among Masonic students for all time coming ; 2 nd . Because it will enlighten tbe Craft at large over the

whole globe ; and 3 rd . For vindicating his own character from a misunderstood idea , that he was an ambiguous writer . I could , indeed , have solved Brother Gould ' s puzzle myself , but I think it will be more satisfactory to all parties concerned to have Brother Lyon himself explain his own meaning of the phrase in question .

This being now understood , I respectfully appeal to Brother Lyon to explain his meaning of the phrase , viz .: " The purely operative regime . "

Boston , U . S ., 14 th January 1890