Freemasonry And The Proposed Jubilee Institute.

be worked is that adopted in connection with the various exhibitions held in the Metropolis daring the last few years , but this method would supply equal , even if not stronger , reasons against official support by Grand Lodge , for

although those exhibitions may have proved of advantage to the Metropolis and , comparatively , a few visitors from the country , they certainly have not had any marked benefit on the Empire at large .

We hope it will not be thought that in thus expressing our views against the suggestion of Bro . Raynham W . Stewart , we are disloyal to our Grand Master , or that we desire to throw cold water on his proposal . On the

contrary , we should be among the first to co-operate , as far as our ability permits , in any work likely to benefit our fellow creatures , and wouM advise our brethren to help also if we saw our way clear , but we

cannot overlook the fact mentioned in the earlier part of this article , that there is a fearful amount of distress prevailing iu the country , in view of which exceptionally heavy calls may be expected from brethren in misfortune

on our various Charity funds . Add to this the uncertainty which exists as to the scope and future of the suggested Institute , and we think the Freemasons of England will

agree with us that a postponement of the proposal to be submitted by Bro . Stewart on Wednesday next is the course to be adopted .

Limitations Of Obligations.

LIMITATIONS OF OBLIGATIONS .

An oration hj the Rev . R . W . Hill , Grand Orator , lefore the Grand Lodge of Oregon , June 1886 . ( Continued from p 325 . ) THE MASON'S DUTY TO GOD .

THE close and vital connection between Masonry and religion is manifest , when all that one can do in the Masonic system is made to give place to the performance of the duty which one owes to his Maker . If anything

were necessary to disprove the assertion that Masonry and true religion are not in harmony , this fundamental limitation , imposed by Masonry itself as the interpretation of all its vows , should be sufficient answer , and in the face of this

recognition of the duty which every soul owes to Godas a duty paramount to all others which may appeal to man—it is folly to say that Masonry is not the willing

handmaid of religion . There is no doubt that some forget this recognition of the place of religion , and instead of duty to God elevate selfish interest to the dominant position in life . It has even happened that a so-called Masonic body has decided that recognition of God and the Bible is not essential to Masonry , but this decision met with such a storm of

indignation , and such an immediate withdrawal of fellow ship , that it will not be repeated by any body of men desir ing to retain standing with us .

That Mason is the best and the truest whose private life is spent in consonance with this fundamental principle , and whether one be the Entered Apprentice who stands in the north-east corner , or the Masonic veteran , who has been

crowned with all the honours which Masonry has power to bestow , if there be any departure from this chief duty , then Masonry puts the seal of condemnation upon him . It is a doctrine of Masonry which is thus early impressed upon all

who receive the sublime mysteries , that man ' s chiefest joys are thoae of heaven , rather than of earth , and that , therefore , duty to God is above duty to man . Heaven is the home , and here we are to prepare for the Lodge above . And it is also one of the teachings of Masonry

that" Heaven is not far from those who see With the pnre spirit's sight ; Bntneai , ^ nd in the very hearts Of those who see aright . "

Hence , no man who would worthily walk as a Master Mason can refuse to acknowledge the supreme duty of life , and pay to God the devotion which is His due . The irreligious and the atheistic cannot be true Masons , and though

at an unguarded moment they gain entrance to the Temple , they can have no real place among the " Sons of Light , " who know God and honour His holy name . But let it be

understood that , Masomcally speaking , religion is not a matter of creed or assent to particular dogmas—it is not devotion to sect or party , to special views of theology or of

Limitations Of Obligations.

worship . These , while good in their proper place , do not constitute the supreme duty to which Masonry yields . It is into the spirit and life itself that religion must enter . It must be a permeating element in all the relations and all

the affections of life . It must be the chief moulding influence in the character . In a word , it must be the supreme rule in all the affairs of life , to warrant its place in Masonic

limitations . Masonry , like man , bows in reverence to the Great I Am , " who was , who is , and who shall be , worlds without end , " and makes His law the great light by which all should walk , if they would see life in truth .

This recognition and adoration of God is as old as hu

manity itself . From the border line of light , where history can no more guide us , we feel our way along backward , by the ruins of temples , and the fragments of religious tradition , and this we learn , that whatever has befallen man

throughout the ages , the disposition to worship has always existed , and is implanted in the human soul as the chief end of being . Beliefs as to the nature of God and His attributes may be changed through the ages ; liturgies and

services may be shattered and left far behind , as man moves forward , but always and everywhere the conceptiou of God must hold a chief place in human thought , and man ' s first

duty will ever be acknowledged as due to " Him who sitteth upon the circle of the heavens . " And thus , rightly , duty to God , the highest and most important man can know , is a fundamental limitation to Masonry . Another limitation is the broad one of the Mason ' s duty to his family .

THE MASON'S DUTY TO HIS FAMILY .

Whatever claims society may have upon any man , there is a closer bond between himself and those of his own household , which cannot be passed over . The foundation

of all society is , after all , in the family , and upon the welfare of the family the state must depend . Anything which strikes at the peace or prosperity of the home is destructive of all social interests . No man can be true to himself who is

not true to his family , and to forget the claims of those who are placed within the sacred inner circle of life , for the sake of anything which i ; not to their advantage or interest , is to be false to the first principles of Masonry . We are so

accustomed to regard the family as part of ourselves , that this saying may appear to some a truism , and yet I am sure that some of those who listen to these words are tempted to forget the duty which is thus owing to the family , at times . I have known of a zealous Mason who left his sick

wife to attend at a meeting of his Lodge , and through all the long hours of his nightly absence she waited in pain for his return , that he might minister to her needs . This may be Masonry in the estimation of those who are altogether

wrapt up in the ritual of the Lodge , but to some it will undoubtedly appear as a violation of both the letter and the spirit of Masonic instruction , and unworthy of any one who professes belief in the principles of our Order . Duty of

this character cannot be ignored with safety by any man , for if the family be neglected , whether for the sake of Lodge or personal pleasure , it will result in such unhappiness in the home as must bring calamity to all concerned . Duty

to the family does not consist altogether in making provision for the wants of the body , and any one who is content with this alone , fails to understand the larger and more important duty which has devolved upon him . The

father , the husband , the son and the brother alike are to enhance the happiness of those who are related to them by the family bond in every possible way . Much as food and shelter have to do with the happiness and well being of the

family life , mutual endeavour to satisfy the craving of the heart for love and sympathy will go further to promote it and more fully discharge the duty . And , again , it should not be forgotten that in the little tilings of life much of

happiness or misery is contained . Masonry is in the heart rather than in ceremony or ritual ; performance of family obligations is true obedience to Masonic law , and when there is seeming conflict , the family has the preference over

the Lodge by the law of Masonry itself . In all the blessed relations of life , Masonry enters not to disturb nor to destroy , but to strengthen and establish by the might of its

influence and the force of its teachings . There can be no conflict here ; by every word and in every way Masonry inculcates the sacredness of home and the solemn nature of

the compacts of the family . It is not necessary to cite " old charges , " nor the reiterated instructions of each generation ; all are to this one effect , " that he who careth not for his own , is worse than an infidel and hath denied