Masonry's Worthy Object.

onr opponents and ask them , Are these the teachings of an irrelig ious society , or a society making war on religion in any shape ? If any one joins our Order in the hope he can use the Craft for political or selfish purposes , he will find

himself doomed to grave disappointments ; or if any one imag ines that we are going to sanction public or private hostility to religion , or to any particular form of religion , he will do well to keep outside of our portals , or if he should

accidentally happen to bo within them , he will act the part of an honest man by getting out with all convenient speed . Brethren , we have been taught that as we advance in Masonry onr duties and obligations to ourselves and to our

brethren correspondingly increase , hence as Master Masons we should be particularly careful , both by precept and example , to maintain before the outside world as well as before the brethren a character above reproach . I do not

gay that perfection—never yet attained by mortals—should be looked for in a Master Mason , but I do say that we should abandon and eschew every vice which can in the remotest degree bring onr Order into disrepute , and I

repeat what is set forth so fully in our rituals and ceremonies , that the blasphemer , the drunkard , the dishonest , the immoral , and the unbeliever , are very much out of place in any Masonic Lodge . —Voice of Masonry .

The Use Of Masonic Tradition.

THE USE OF MASONIC TRADITION .

THE current of Masonry moves along like the mighty Nile , thafc weird mystery of Egypt , its source buried in the everlasting snows of unknown mountains , or within the placid deeps of some lotus-covered lake , moving swiftly ,

hurrying with stately dignity by ruins of old civilisations , past lofty obelisks , telling strange tales of dynasties long dead , smiling upon crumbling temples , monuments and cities with their bygone reminiscences , laughing at the

door of the degenerate descendant of tbe proud Pharoahs , or gently murmuring upon the marble steps of a palace , sunshine momentarily silvering its bosom and playful butterflies in gaudy hues flitting on its surface , these at times

obscured by the shadows of rolling clouds surcharged with the thunders of Heaven ' s artillery , until finally , after many sinuous turns , pours its wealth of life-giving waters into the broad sea of our nineteenth century civilisation . But

it matters little to us where the source of Masonry may be placed . It is of small moment in contemplating the practical duties of our Order , whether we give to it an origin of yesterday or a cycle of eternal years . Are the valleys of

Egypt any less fertile , its climate less genial , because no man has accurately traced to its beginning the yellow waters of its strange river ? Why should not the lower

Mississippian not embrace the wealth poured upon him by that grand old father of the waters , because , perchance , he may never look npon the tiny streamlet which murmurs out of Itasca's pearly deeps to form its swelling current ?

" 'Tis not antiquity nor anthor That makes truth—truth . " But , notwithstanding this maxim of the poet , a right use of Masonic tradition and history aids the understanding of

the present , and makes " all futures fruits of all the past . " Venerable age and a hoary antiquity should be looked back upon , and its lessons learned in order that the practical duties of to-day may be thoroughly comprehended .

Masonry , therefore , comes to tho heart of those who seek light in the "inner sanctuary " with a deep sense of peace and quiet , born of an intimate acquaintance with its traditions and legends . Who , in the presence of the life of

the to-day" can look upon this glorious Institution without feeling its subtle power come stealing in upon his soul like tho music we crave when we lie in the twili ght , all the sorrow , vexation and trouble of the clay

existing only in memory , ancl the hallowed influences of hol y inspirations tranquilising the jarring elements of discord with the magic of its charm ? Bursting forth from the inner chambers of nature come all these nobler , manlier

feelings" Which are the great live seeds That will be striving to take shape in deeds . "

As tbe beautiful magnolia lives with her feet in the green scum ancl among the water snakes , ancl perfumes the tainted swamps with her sweet breath , so has Masonry hved through persecutions , treachery , and tbe diabolical

The Use Of Masonic Tradition.

misrepresentations of her enemies , lifting her lofty countenance to the stormy hosts of the ever-living God , until she stands proudly erect , the grandest , noblest factor which time has produced for the moulding and formation of man ' s

character . To all who sit beneath tho perfume of her many beautiful flowers , she has been an unfailing source of hope , joy , peace and comfort . No Upas' blasts will destroy

the bright hues of health—no apples of Sodom turn to asheSj but all may sleep beneath its protecting influence , safc from the enamoured shafts of evil .

Thafc poet of mystery and beauty—Ossaire—has said " There comes a voice that awakes my soul . It is the voice of years that are gone ; thoy roll before mo with thoii

deeds . " Ancl so it is our dnty as Masons , members of that time-linked brotherhood to read and study the history of our Order—those writen and legendary histories which contain the fundamental tenets of onr Order . Thoso

immutable , nnchangable ancl eternal landmarks of our Fraternity , have como down to us in all their pristine beauty through the long vistas of time clothed in the same robes placed upon them by the Supreme Grand Master .

They have outlived the porch and academy—the philosophic visions of Plato and the dreamy ethics of Confucius . They have witnessed tho rise ancl fall of nations , the grandeur and decay of earth's mightiest empires , the

gorgeous baldrick of wealth and power , ancl the gloom and terror of superstition ancl paganism . But warmly sheltered in the bosom of Masonry , they have come clown to us in the brilliant light of to-day , as holy relics of the past to be sacredly guarded and cherished . And what is the result oi it all ? The answer comes with

direct certaintv that it is our divine mission to teach the common brotherhood of our race th ^ se tenets ancl principles which embody the powerful force of our Order , and shapes its ends for the advancement of mankind—to illustrate in

our lives ancl conduct all those holy virtues aud -moral excellencies which spring from such a noble bond of fellowship . To do this we must be like the weary pilgrim to Mahomet's shrine , at each lengthening mile

drop a stono to mark our pathway , thafc they may prove monuments to remind us how we have lived ancl acted as Masons . A brother does not become a true Mason by merely thinking good deeds , but by practically digesting

those thoughts and executing them in the wide holds spread out before his generosity . Then will his reflections springforth and bud and bloom into the full fruition of good deeds , into kind offices and tender ministratives to the sick

ancl afflicted . In a thousand ways will his Masonic charity brighten the pathway of the weary brother , and render aid ancl assistance to the widow ancl orphan when the ragged clouds of bitter trial and disappointment hang thick over

them , shedding the light of comfort to the dying and hope for the living . Thus will be gradually formed and shaped , a life which will pen a chapter in the unwritten annals of Masonry—a life which will be used in making up the final

history of that grand old Institution whose banners havo been planted in every soil , and beneath whose folds havo been gathered the best of earth ' s philanthropists . T-hcy have all contributed to thafc volume which will be

emblazoned in letters of gold and npon a firmament of silver and registered in God ' s eternal record books , and from these will their merits and demerits be judged , ancl not from the feeble receiving of mankind . —Texas Masonic Journal .

Friendship.

FRIENDSHIP .

THE man that reads the literature of Masonry , especially such books as relate to tho ceremonies , must be impressed with the fact that among Masons there is a strong tie of friendship . Is this correct ? and are these ties strong and lasting ?

We have only to look around us for evidence thafc such is the case . The vast multitude that worship afc its shrine , the unity and harmony that prevails , are proofs that

Masons axe bound together by the tics of friendship . If history is correct , our Ancient brethren far excelled us in this characteristic . Cicero informs us thafc this mnxim

was constantly in the mouth of Pythagoras : " Tho design of friendship is to make two or more OP .- J . " From tho system of training thafc Pythagoras introduced , his

disciples became so celebrated for their fraternal affection towards each other , thafc when any remarkable instance of friendship was displayed , it became a common proverb —