Freemasonry's Stand To-Day.

virtuous life ; the " level " has taught , and is teaching , the equality of man : the " plumb" admonishes us to walk uprightly before God and man ; the " gavel , " or hammer of justice , is divesting our minds and consciences of the

vices and superfluities of lifo ; and the " trowel , in tbe bands of a brother , guided by charity and love , is spreading the cement of brotherly love and affection , uniting and

binding each to tbe other , in one sacred band , labouring alike—heart , hand and brain—for the good of each other and the elevation of humanity .

Why , then , should not the monuments of such labour , such work , be more lasting , more beautiful , than the piles of rock reared by the operative , and which so grandly and convincingly attest the skill and wisdom of our ancient

brethren , whose lives went out in their glorious work ? As a Mason must be a man , so shonld a man be a Mason , and the title , " an upright man and a Mason , " is the proudest one ever bestowed on a human being , ancl only

because that title has been honoured by a vast majority of its recipients , has Freemasonry been enabled to weather the storms of the past , till , unharmed by the breakers , rocks and barriers which envy , malice , superstition and

ignorance have heaped in the path , Freemasonry stands to-daj proudly erect , in the full , perfect and glorious stature of mature manhood , its hands filled with the offerings of peace and goodwill to all . Bigotry , superstition ,

ignorance , hate and oppression cowering before its presence , withering away before the glances of eyes that have pierced the dark shadows of the past , and now gaze calmly and undoubtingly in the rising clouds of the future ,

and with calm but earnest voice clearing from human minds fche dogmas of folly and vice , steadily marching on , for ever on , in the van of civilisation , dispensing light from east to west , linking the chains of universal brotherhood , in

every clime in all the earth , from centre to circumference . This is the picture painted for every Mason , and he who is true to his country , and to his country's cause , in guarding her rights and maintaining her laws ; true to his

country , to his God and all humanity , by walking uprightly before God and man ; trne to his brethren , " thafc he goes out of his way to help a worthy brother ;"

true to himself , " in remembering a brother's welfare as his own in his adorations of Deity ; " true to all " in keeping a brother ' s secret as his own ; " true to Masonry , " when he stretches forth his hand ancl assists and saves

a fallen brother , and vindicates a brother ' s character as well behind his back as to his face ; " true as man can be " when he cautions ancl whispers good counsel in the ears of a fallen brother and aids in his reformation and guards

him from approaching danger . " It seems to me that he who has thus been true , has nofc forgotten his Masonic duty in the least , and has builded to himself such a monument of strength and beauty as no earthquake can

throw down , no inundation can cover and hide , no lightning can shatter ; storms , though they beat upon it in all their fury and bitterness for myriads of ages , cannot deface . A monument which , when the strong fortress has

been dismantled , and the gorgeous palace and all the works of the operative have crumbled and passed away , and their place is no more known , will stand out in bold relief , in its strong and beautiful proportions , witb the

bright sun emanating from the source of light , bathing it in golden rays of light , and the finger of Divinity pointing to the inscription , " The monument of an upright man and a Mason . " Who says the monument is too high , or too

much the labour of erecting it ? A Mason , in the state , is always a good citizen ; in the church , zealous , but never a hypocrite , bigot , or fanatic ; in the home , a just man , a true and loving husband and father .

In the universality of Masonry , how uniform ancl just its system , for no matter where—on earth or sea ; on arid plains ; in the tropics or frozen regions ; in the remotest quarter or corner of the earth , or in the broad expanse and

"waste of waters—Mason meets Mason , and be he prince or peasant , rich or poor—he he but a Mason , true and tried —hand clasps hand , breast to breast , hearts beat in unison , and words of cheer and comfort are spoken , and while

deference is paid to men and stations , Masonry brings all to the level of brotherhood . Titles , place and power are levelled and forgotten in the broad , pure and perfect democracy of Masonry .

The lesson of charity has been taught to all alike , the duties and observance demanded from each , whether clothed in the purple and ermine of riches and loyalty , or m the habiliments of honest toil . The privileges and

Freemasonry's Stand To-Day.

benefits are for all alike—the reward of each commensurate with the toil . Here , my brethren , let me for a moment call back your minds to one of the first lessons taught , and one of the

first assurances given to candidates for the high honours of Masonry , that " it is tho internal and not the external qualifications of a man that recommend him to be a

Mason . " To lose sight of this tenet of our Society would be to sap the very foundations of the grand Masouic edifice , whose corner stone was laid under such circumstances as

to cause the bravest at times to falter , aud the most hopeful to despond . It would , to forget this , be to tear from our hearts and minds the recollection of perhaps the most solemn moment in each of our lives—the utter

helplessness of our condition . When first commencing the Masonic journey we found ourselves so utterly poor and destitute as to unable to give even the value of a pin . As Masons , should tbe recollection of that moment be lost ?

Should the grand lesson then taught be thrown aside as one of the mythical traditions which neither appeal to the head or the heart ? No ; certainly no ; for with that lesson forgotten , the Tyler ' s place would be in the hands

of a sleeping guard . The door of the Lodge would be open , and the beauties ancl glories thereof would be open to all eyes , and the beneficent privileges and benefits of Masonry would be obtainable only by those having wealth

to purchase them , and the poor in purse , however rich in heart or mind , in generous , manly impulses or strength and beauty of intellect , would be turned aside to suffer , forgotten and unknown , never to feel the true warm grasp

of a brother ' s hand ; to falter and fall , with no brother to whisper good counsel , none to save from the downward path ; and strong and beautiful pillars would be thrown mid the refuse and rubbish , and lost to the builders' use . —Voice of Masonry .

Masonic Charity.

MASONIC CHARITY .

CC HARITY in its broadest and Masonic sense is a > personal obligation or responsibility , and means that whatever is bestowed for relief is a gratuitous offeringnever contemplating a benevolence that demands a rruid pro quo for its kind offices . The fundamental ancl

unchangeable law is found in the unwritten statute , and in every grade of the Institution . If the reader will recur to his obligations we shall be readily understood in saying that there is nothing in the law that conveys the thought

that members of a Lodge , or other Masons , have legal pecuniary investments therein , and thafc are afc their disposal upon application for relief . On the contrary , the enactment provides that a Mason shall make his

contributions to the needy in obedience to the dictates of his judgment of the " worthy" character of the applicant , and his " ability " to comply with the necessities of the needy . It is quite true that a Mason has a moral

right to expect , in tbe event of indigency , that his needs will be regarded with favour ; nevertheless nofc in any instance is it contemplated that he can properly approach a brother member , or his Lodge , with a demand

originating in any legal claim upon either . That which is true of personal responsibility in this direction is also true of the Lodge as the almoner of the member . If , therefore , we are correct in onr premises—if it is undeniable that a

Mason is not vested with rights to charitable consideration —if it is a fact that an applicant for charity must rest his claims to attention upon his good name and the ability of tbe brethren to respond to his wants , why the necessitv or

apology for legislation that not only casts a reflection upon our charitable professions , but thafc is sapping the foundations of the Fraternity by drifting us from our landmarks

and associating the organisation wifch mutual insurance ? The fundamental law is ample under all possible con . tiugencies—Exchange .

HOLLOWAY ' S PiLLs . ^ -Day Heats—Night Chills . —The temperature of tioou and the chilly air of evening' generally produce in those exposed to their vicissitudes a dyspeptic state , if nothing wo . so . Indigestion , thus brought on , is visually accompanied by extreme depression of the-spirits , which renders life n , burthen . For the-e distressing symptoms Ho lou-ay ' s Pds are a

safe nnd certain remedy . Ij crowded cities , where miinmater must be present , and must cause insiny cases of favor and s-imllir ailments , these PUN aro invaluable for removing all impurities and regulating disordered functions . HoIIoway ' s Pills are particularly useful in destroying the virulence of all infecting matter which has gained admission into the body , while they rouso the nervous system from all morbid depression ,