To This You Are Called.

TO THIS YOU ARE CALLED .

Extract from an Oration by Brother A . W . Frater Grand Orator before the Grand Lodge of Washington . I CONSIDER the duty of the hour to be the honest reflection of this body upon the principles underlying our noble Order , the objects for which we maintain its institutions , and a glance at the hopes we entertain for its future . The duty of Masons and Masonry :

First . To be a Mason a man must have a desire to hear , to see and to know the truth ; some truth hidden from the view of other men ; to find a mystery of value to the heart and mind unknown before .

Second . That desire must be intelligently directed , and should emanate from a pure heart , clothed with a clear conscience . The surroundings of a Mason must tend to enlighten and develop the manly qualities of the man .

Third . To be a Mason a man must stand as the representative of a grand edifice . All the higher mental and moral qualities must live in him as active agencies . He must be firm , resolute , generous and truthful ; able to forgive , love and obey . These are eternal principles . Time and the grave cannot touch them .

Fourth . We must accept the great doctrine of Masonic evolution and advancement , and move along the lines of usefulness that the Great Architect of the Universe has ordained

m all his laws ; each individual with his elbow touching a Brother , and with his thoughts fixed upon the sublime work of self conquest , the subjection of our passions . Fifth . As Masons we should be ambitious and progressive . Some say the mission of Masonry is ended . Believe it not .

The fields of higher usefulness and destiny are still open before us . All along the centuries of time , since the legendary institution of the Order , as well as since our actual history began , Masonry has been the friend of progress , and has gathered about its altars the most intelligent , public spirited ,

cultured , and honourable men of this and every land ; men who have fought the battles against intolerance and who have ever been the friends of learning , and for the advancement of the arts , science and literature , and the champions of the cause of the poor , the ignorant and the oppressed ; fighting the battles of human liberty against the votaries of superstition and tyranny .

All this is Masonry . But my text is : " Morality , taught by allegory , and illustrated by symbols . " The principle of Masonry is that comprehensive liberty which knows no part in religious or political life . From the Lodge all such distinction is forbidden . We frequently hear a

Brother say our teachings and precepts are his religion ; it is good enough for him . That may be , my Brother , but if it is , rise to its highest standard , and obey its every precept . Subdue your passions ; contribute to the relief of those in distress according to your ability ; visit the sick and perform those other

duties that devolve upon all good men . Then can any of the followers of the Perfect Man gainsay you ? Are you not travelling on that same road leading to the same destination , for is it not written in the Book which is the rule and guide of our faith , that when the Son of man shall come in His glory ,

and when the sheep shall be separated on his right hand from the goats on his left , that the King shall say unto them on His right hand , Come , ye blessed of my Father , inherit the kingdom prepared for you ; for I was an hungred , I was thirsty , I was a stranger , I was

naked , I was sick , and 1 Avas imprisoned , and ye fed me , gave me drink , clothed me , visited me , and came unto me in prison . Then shall they answer him saying : Lord , when did we all these things unto Thee ? And the King shall answer and say unto them : " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren , ye have done it unto me . "

Brethren , do not misunderstand me ; I do not pretend , nor would I for a moment intimate , that this takes the place of your religion , but I would recommend the highest standard of our precepts and principles , and if we live up to the same we will be better men from every conceivable standpoint .

However , as before stated , from the Lodge all such distinctions are forbidden . It is the home of harmony , not of division . The altar before which all Masons must kneel is the symbol of faith of God , the Father of All . Its members meet to

llustrate great principles ; to set forth our moral responsibilities ; to enforce truths which disallow all separating and dividing opinions , and which recognize no classes among men but those which mark the moral and immoral , the useful and the useless .

Again , Masonry is the shrine of grand thoughts , of beautiful sentiments , the seminary for the improvement of the moral and the mental of its members . As a storehouse of morality , it rains benign influence on the mind and heart . It is the receptacle of truths from all their nature ; and that nature is enriched every day by those of us who penetrate and partake of the sweetness

To This You Are Called.

that is stored there ; who knowing the great things which belong to mankind , evoke the mysteries and secrets , unknown to those who see not with clear vision , " Like the wandering hordes of the east , who tread with wide step on the remains of ancient greatness , and trample with indifference the histories of a people

under their feet . It seeks to impress on man all that contributes to his manhood ; to set in the clearness of equity and justice the relation which man should bear to man : to give vigour to those restraints which he should place in the forces of his nature until in the dignity of power he stands master .

The emblems of Masonry are of two kinds—the one referring to principles , the other to duties . The first indicates the essentials—the foundation on which all the entire mystical structure stands and by which it is supported . The second class refers to those duties to be performed , and to those personal virtues to be acquired , which constitute the great central object of Masonic instruction .

Those of you who have been engaged in Masonic research know that the original symbols of the Institution were few , but the list has been added to in the effort to illustrate what was

supposed to be obscure . The working tools of the three degrees constituted most of the original emblems of Masonry , all of which were essential instruments for the use of the Operative Craft of the earlier day . To these have been added the letter " G , " the marble column , the beehive , the scythe , and several others , which are of more modern origin , and considered to be necessary to a proper development of our system and teachings .

I recur again- to that Masonic definition , " Morality taught by allegory , and illustrated by symbols . " The allegory belongs to the Lodge room , and is familiar only to the Craft , and therefore I shall not dwell upon it here ; but the symbolism is not under these restrictions , and all may know both what they are and what they teach .

Before touching on our adopted symbols , let me refer to some of the symbols of nature . Nature , everywhere and in all its phases , is full of symbols , uttering in whispers or in thunders their words of wisdom and instruction . The spring morning with its opening foliage and expanding flowers , from which arise the sweet perfumes coming to us on the gentle breeze , its songs

of birds and busy humanity , is not only an emblem of life , youth and vigour , but is an inspiration of peace and joy . Autumn , with its brown and falling leaves , its air burdened with the aroma of decay , when the songs of the birds have ceased , and the low cadence of dying winds reminds us of the close of life—of the last sleep and the repose of the grave .

The flash of lightning and its attendant thunder is an emblem of mighty power , startling and terrible in its sudden revealments , but gone ere you can measure or comprehend its magnitude .

The calm , unclouded sunrise or sunset , with its glow , beauty and tints penciled by the hand of Heaven , is a symbol of magnificence which curtains and crowns the temple of our hopes —glowing in the light of omnipotent love , where there is no

night . Is is not an infinite condescension that has given us these brilliant sky scenes of morning and evening , as symbols of His own perfections , and as the emblems of the beauty of that house to which He invites us .

Would you have a symbol of power ? Look upon yonder mountain in the tempest or calm , an imagined throne of omnipotence ; for surely nothing but His strength could hit up that mighty giant , piling rock upon rock , until its summit is crowned and concealed by the sheltering clouds . But grander

still , look out upon yonder ocean ! Stand on the ship ' s deck in its midst , where the tempest is on the wing , and the storm is in its wildest mood ; where the great heaving waves are rolled up into miniature mountains , while the boundless waters open into yawning gulfs before you , and the rushing winds roar like the

breakers on the rocky shore , and your little ship seems but a toy for the sport of the tempest and you but an atom clinging to it ; then you have an emblem of Almightiness . It is an emblem of infinite power and activity , as yonder mountain scene is an emblem of the same power in repose . The tiny atom and the

ray of light are as pregnant of thought as are the heaving sea and the giant mountain ; and the great orbs of light , the stars and the sun , and systems , the frame work of the universe , form one grand symbol of infinite power , wisdom and goodness . The Lodge itself is an emblem representing the world in which we live . Its length and breadth , its height and depth ,

symbolizing not only the extent and universality of Masonry , but teaching also that Masonic charity aud goodwill should be coextensive with our race ; that man ' s love and benevolence should embrace , not his Brother only and none else , but his Brother first , and then all the rest . In this it reflects the injunction of the apostle : " To do good to all , especially to the household of faith . "

Let a thoughtful and considerate man go into one of the many theatres or churches that grace and adorn the great cities of our land ; note its peculiar and wondrous beauty , its elegantly