Grand Orient Masonry In Juxtaposition To English Masonry.

i . —Ambassadors of K . S . bring money to Hiram of Tyre asking for his assistance . 2 . —Hiram presents plan of Temple to K . S . 3 . —Transport of material . 4 . —Laying the foundation stone . 5 . —K . S . visits the work . 6 . —Inauguration of Temple .

( Opposite Side ) . 1 . —Rebellion against H . A . 2 . —Rebels striking H . for the third time 3 . — Death of H . A . 4 . —Searching for the body .

5 . —Dicovering the same . 6 . —Raising ! At each side of the chair two gigantic figures representing Practical Philosophy and Arts and Theoretical Philosophy of Science , in the background the Pyramids .

" Cabinets of Reflection "—where the candidate for initiation is made acquainted with the of M y prior to the ordealare in the form of several grottos in a subterranean passage . Pray , my Brethren , prepare for a great surprise . Three questions are put bv the W . M . to a candidate for initiation . He

is brought in b d and the W . M . then submits the questions to him , when he is conducted back to the grotto . The questions are , for instance ( they are not always the same ) : 1 . — "Why do you wish to become a Mason ? '' 2 . —'' How do you explain religion , what is it ? and religion from a philosophical point of view" ? 3 . — " How do you explain divinity " ?

After a lapse of about half-an-hour he is brought back—of course b d . Should his answers not prove satisfactory to both Lodge and Master , he is sent back again to reflect . If a third time his answers are unsatisfactory , Lodge is simply asked "Yes" or "No , " and he may be rejected . He can , however , come up after six months , and if again unsuccessful , he is rejected for PVPT .

The Deacon—although he conducts the candidate—never prompts him by a single word or sign during the whole ot the three degrees . " We want intelligent and educated men only '' say the Belgian Lodges . Were these rules to be applied in this country , and even—although in a -lesser degree—in America , Freemasonry would receive a deathblow , our ranks would thin marvellouslv ; and the sprig of acacia might 'then safely be planted in the Grand Secretary ' s office at Grand Lodge .

A gigantic gong , worked , I believe , by hydraulic pressure , is used during the ceremony and funeral solemnities . Tesselatcd pavements are in neither Lodges . At the "Philanthrope , " however , I perceived a piece of oil cloth , in three colours , which might well grace a kitchen . To me , it was an eyesore , after feasting my eyes upon the very many other beauties .

Two bags make the round at each Lodge meeting , one for widows and the other for schools ( not Masonic ) . " Socially" ! I asked a high official at Grand Lodge who had the kindness to coach me up with certain information ( to one gentleman a P . G . M . Count Goblet d'Alviella , especially , I nm deeply indebted both for his courtesy and readiness to assist me ) ,

"from what class is the Craft recruited here ? his answer was , "Professors , Statesmen , Legislators , high officials , legal men , physicians , and industrials ( manufacturers in an extensive way , and engineers ) . " " Do you ever have recourse to publicans , barbers , waiters , milkmen and petty shopkeepers" ? was my next query . A look of intense astonishment , and a gentle smile of pity , was his sole answer .

As regards Benevolence—Each Mason , besides his ordinary contributions , subscribes Ss per annum to a fund for widows . When a Mason dies , his widow must accept , £ 16 . She may , however , if she so chooses , return the money to Lodge . For orphans there is no fund . Boys and Girls Schools or other Masonic Institutions do not exist . Neither is there anything for old men . Should a Brother ever be in distress , assistance in various sums is rendered him up to £ A * that being the maximum .

Surprised and pained I looked at my interlocutor . A fine smile played around his lips when he remarked to my mute question . " Our members rarely—if ever—require our bounty . We are generally lucky in those we accept as Brethren . " The strange anomaly of the Germans , who so reluctantly receive Hebrews into the Order , being liberal Protestants ; whereas

the French and Belgian Masons , all Roman Catholics , receive the Jew with open arms , whilst they exclude their own co-religionists who adhere to their faith . . . . Then again , the G . O . of both France and Belgium who deny Christianity in toto , and carefully exclude all reference to that religion , strive to become

Rosiorucians . which they designate the "Glorification of Christ" and spend from one to two months in decorating the temple for the reception of a new member . Aeain 1 say . what a strange anomaly ! I have taken several of those so-called higher degrees in this country and was anything but edified !

Our dear Order , the three degrees and the Royal Arch which is the crowning and climax of the nrevious degrees , are in my opinion , ample . A galaxy of constellations may obscure the grand orb itself .

Let me now tell you something concerning the architecture and decorations of the two 'Vrais Amies . " A fine vestibule and porch , ornamented with statues and portraits of Past Grand Masters and Past Masters , lead into the Temple , where you find two columns with " J " and " B on each side of the portal ; a sun and moon on each side of th » Master ' s chair ; and a " G " in a double

triangle over the chair , all illuminated by electricity . The orchestra is in the gallery , facing the W . M . During the third degree extra music , both vocal and instrumental , is provided behind a screen immediately in the rear of the Master's chair . The mural decorations and architecture of the Temples is pure Assyrian , There are ten pillars , five on each side ; and

Grand Orient Masonry In Juxtaposition To English Masonry.

twelve tableaux , six on each side . These are allegorical repre sentations of : 1 . —Man abandoned ! Misery , moral and physical . 2 . —He meets a wise man who advises him to abandon inert ness and misery . ¦ z . —Searches for means to benefit mankind .

4 . —Rising of the Sun ! His spirit enlargens and he finds himself no longer in obscurity . Mental development . Veil before his eyes drops . A column represents the Spirit which is on the point of spreadine . 5 . —Works and creates a family for himself . Does not , however , desire to rest tranquil , but seeks to benefit others . His children give him the staff to depart , and to instruct his ignorant fellow human beings .

6 . —Returns to his family , the whole world as it were resorts to his abode to see him . The sun reflects and shines upon nature and man , and his family separate in order to distribute knowledge . The six tableaux on the other side are :

1 . —Solomon sends for Hiram and commands the building of the Temple . 2 . —Hkam designs plan of Temple . 3 . —Cutters of stones and hewers of wood . 4 . —Construction of the buiidinp .

5 . —Artists , sculptors , and others give the finishing touch . 0 . —Allegory—Mount Moriah . Solomon accompanied by his court contemplate the structure . I must once again , my Brethren , hold up a mirror before your eyes , not to wound or offend , but in the hope that good may spring from it . I reiterate , our recruiting system is bad . Let

but a man scrape together , even borrow , sufficient money , absolutely urged bv some Masonic friend he plunges into a sort of speculation from which he is distinctly given to understand that his investment is sure to prove profitable . Are you , my Brethren , ignorant of such instances ? I am not . How often , will you find that Brethren of the Hebrew persuasion , prior to undertaking a journey to that promised land—the modern Ophir—are strongly

urged by friends to make the Masonic venture . On the voyage out , should a such newly-baked Brother perchance discover that the commander of the vessel is a Mason , then he will almost commandeer the commander . '' He is my Brother and I his , and almost as much of a captain as he , "—he will argue with himself . I have witnessed something of the nature on crossing the Atlantic ; the excellent Brother was simply irrepressible . Many of the class

to whom I refer never will , they have no desire , to understand what Masonry is ; much less is there the tittle of a chance of their becoming imbued with the true spirit of Masonry . At the K . and F . degree they are , on the contrary , superb . Does not the same thing hold good with many of our Gentile Brethren ? " No solicitation " ! Hundreds , thousands are solicited , and you , my

Brethren , are all aware of it . Brethren are timid at blackballing an unworthy candidate ; this is decidedly wrong . Out of selfish motives , personal dislike , or animosity , they will without hesitation grasp the blackball . Why not follow the example of our continental Brethren ? Our ranks here would then not be so overflowing with men unfit in the sublimest sense of the word to be members of our Order .

Likewise in the matter of an occasional discourse in our Lodges , we would be wise in following their example . " Innovation" ! I hear numerous mute voices cry ; to spread light and knowledge into Freemasonry is no innovation ! Was Galilei an innovator ? Was the invention of gas an innovation ? Ask the tallow-chandlers of the time , and with one voice you would have heard them cry yes ! Electric light , is that an innovation ? The

gas people are loth to answer in tne negative . Steam as a locomotive ? Owners of horses used to curse it as an innovation . The ritual is excellent in its way—at times ; but there can be such a thing as too much of it . Whenever I witness the ceremony of passing I am always struck with certain portions , such as " To mark the progress you have made . " Then again , " It is your duty to study the liberal arts and sciences' "—to " extend your researches

in the hidden mysteries of nature and science . " What ! How ? I wonder does it refer to the Brother publican ? His research in blending whiskies and sometimes diluting beer ! The Brother tobacconist in mixing his tobaccos ! The eating-house Brother in his concoction of an Irish stew ! The greengrocer in sorting old and new potatoes ! The barber in discovering a new lather ! The Brother-Uncle who dives into the hidden mysteries of the number

of carats the pledge before him contains ! The Brother grocer , in propounding the problem of manufacturing artificial pepper ! The Brother tailor in discovering a new cut for pants ! or the Brother dairyman ( that excellent body is applying for a Charter ) in metamorphosing margarine into butter : and in search of the translucent mvsteries of a good and bad egg ! No ! that part of our ritual might in all conscience be expunged . Only last week I heard of

a sad pitiable case where the Treasurer of a Lodge of __ Instruction of which I am a member defrauded the Lodge of from £ 60 to £ 70 and th ° n committed suicide . AVe should speak mercifully of the departed , but I cannot refrain from mentioning this shameful case . A Masonic Officer rob the widow and orphan ? Commit suicide , I have no objection : for such a Brother is far better

in those " Mansions above , " but ha might have undertaken his journey prior to squandering that money in drink and immorality , instead of after . Such a thing is absolutely impossible among continental Mnsons . There , not only is no Office entrusted to one who' has the slightest tarnish to his name , but he is not accepted into the Order .

Precaution ! On the continent a Brother will not give the slightest token or sign to another Brother when there is the remotest chance of its being witnessed by the profane ; here , I have seen a barmaid give the penal sign j evidently fished up