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is jocularly called " the fourth degree . " This condition is in some instances only temporary , and the exuberance of youth and the carelessness of inexperience having passed , there is found beneath a substratum of earnestness which is worth winning , and which , if properly worked , results favourably . If , however , the condition , as too often happens , becomes chronic , then Masonically the case is hopeless .

Of the second class , the Masonic Charity brethren , let us speak with all respect . They mean well , they have clone well ; they are persevering , energetic , hopeful , but they can be neither lifted nor lugged out of the groove in which with smiling self-satisfaction they pursue their way . If asked " AVhat is Freemasonry r " with a glance perhaps ' of pity , possibly of something stronger , they 7 will

say , " Freemasonry r Why , the Masonic Charities , of course . It is their steadfast belief that the Craft was founded expressly for these charities , exists only for them , and is worthy of preservation alone in order that Masonic Institutions , Masonic Stewardships , Masonic jewels may be continued and perpetuated till time shall be no more .

This class of brethren , worthy and excellent as they are , cannot be reached by argument , and are past praying for . Let us give them credit for sincerity of motive . Moreover , they 7 have the courage of their opinions , for they do not hesitate openly to avow that donations , if ample , ought not to be unconnected with the bestowal of Masonic honours .

As to the student class , once get them out of the beaten track and they are jolly fellows enongh . To them the Craft owes much . Many a thoughtful brother to whom even the ritual has failed to appeal , to whom the " social board " has been a vexation of spirit , to whom the Charities have been administered ad nauseam , has been retained within the fold through the fascinations of Masonic history and the charms

of Masonic tradition . Of the three ty pcs described perhaps the Masonic scholar is the most contented . It is true ho is striving for the unattainable , and be knows it , yet is the pursuit thereof none the less interesting . And then look at his delights . Fancy the pleasure of hunting out and running to earth an unheard of manuscript or a

hitherto unknown copy 7 of Dassiguy 7 ; imagine with what guile the wary biblophile lays his plans , awaits his time , and gloats at last over his hardly-won possession . Honours ? What greater can he wish for than that of seeing his works quoted , his authority appealed to or his opinion sought upon tho numerous vexed questions which are continually arising .

Such are- some of the aspects presented to the view of the Masonic philosopher ; in turn interesting , pathetic , amusing , and perhaps he asks himself cuibonoT Why should he and others in their own different ways give up time , labour , and substance to maintain a system which is founded on tradition and has at the best but a scanty authentic history 7 ? " Absurd on the face of it"

saybis non-Masonic [ friends ; " Unsatisfying because incomplete " pronounce his religious teachers ; " " All eating and drinking" chaffs his genial acquaintance , and so'on . And yet is the heart of this same philosopher undisturbed : ( aunts , gibes , sneers pass him by unheeded ; jokes at his expense have no sting , he still remains unshaken—and why ? Because he realises the beaut y of conception ,

the glorions design , the illimitable capabilities of the society of which he is a member . A brother ' s view of Freemasonry ma } 7 not coincide precisel y with his own : that is a detail , and does not interfere with his grasp of the magnificence of the grand scheme and purpose of the Order . In what condition of society , he asks himself , do the same privileges obtain ? In what other earthly institution can he

sec religious differences , political animosities , professional jealousies , commercial rivalries and social inequalities all laid aside in order that man may meet his fellownian on the common ground of common brotherhood ? Content he may not absolutely be : complete satisfaction may not be his : yet the anathemas of popes and the denunciations of cardinals cannot move him from his position ; whilst tho

onslaughts of anonymous and irresponsible writers stir onl y his philosophical mind to pity or contempt . His view of Freemasonry may be idealistic , far beyond the attainment of frail mortality ; yet , let the scoffer say what he will , Freemasonry , he feels , though silent , is a most powerful agency , a moral force which has done more to leaven society than the world generally has any idea of . And there he is willing to leave it .

. 10 SEP 11 MATTHEWMAN .

The Mason's Church.

The Mason ' s Church .

Bv J . RAMSDEN RILEY .

c ^ Sp ^ ggg ) HE attacks of Roman Catholic priesthood on T ^/^ o ^ 3 f Freemasonry in England have always , during this / (((^ wj ) ll century at least , been somewhat vague in character . : \^ W ^/ | rj We have found also ( hat whenever Ihese have been lti ^ fer <^^ . M rebutted , ( he line of defence against plain facts has been at once changed . Sometimes ( he original

sfatemcn ( s have been qualified by admissions that ( hey were nol intended to appl y to Freemasonry as practised in this country ; but in nearly every instance other statements have followed , equally vague and untenable which we arc left to accept as arguments against the existence of the Craft . Argument is , of course , useless where one side will not be convinced b y reason and facts . Wc have been so much accustomed to this shifting of position whenever priests have been taken to

The Mason's Church.

task for their public utterances against Freemasonry , that it is but rarel y they arc noticed , and when they are , nothing comes of them . Not only is there no withdrawal of accusations , but tho same language is used within a week and not a word said of the qualifications previously admitted .

It will have been apparent , however , to an observer , that while the virulence of individual priests has never very much decreased , that within recent years the line of attack has been changed , and it is as well to recognise in what manner the directors of Catholic thought in hi gh quarters expect to influence the faithful .

If we asserted that the root of all objection has always been based on the ri ght of priests to direct—if not entirely controlthe consciences of the people , wc should probably not be very far wrong . It is recognised that the Churchman , the Wesleyan , the Baptist , the Jew , Catholics , and , in short , all who believe in God , maybe and are Freemasons . In the Craft this is not toleration , but principle , inasmuch as the question of religious belief is never raised ; to the Catholic mind it is hateful .

For a . long time the Encyclicals of Popes had no effect whatever upon English Masons . They 7 did not deign ( o notice them . Then came as a surprise to us all the unexpected repudiation in France of he fundamental Masonic belief in the Great Architect of the Universe . The prompt action of the Grand Lodge of England at

that time opened the eyes of the Vatican , and "the infidel character of Masons " could no longer be charged against us . But even then wc were told that the charges of infidelity made against Masons by the different Popes ( whatever we could claim to be in England ) had been substantiated and their unerring wisdom proved .

The new charge against Freemasonry is , like its predecessors , a very poor invention to excite the pious horror of the faithful , which it may be able to do but only for a time . " Freemasonry , " say the priests , " is a religion ; the Lodge is his Church . " We arc certainly not disposed to resent this insinuation , although , after long experience , wc never heard of a Mason viewing his Lodge

in thf . t light . Nevertheless , it is possible that the lessons of Masonry may do more to point the way to Heaven than bigotry and intolerance in a church or chapel . We believe that , as a body , Masons arc above the average as regards regular attendance at a place of worship , and therefore should rather say a Lodge binds a Mason still closer to his church .

The Light Of The Sun To Rule The Lodge.

The Light of the Sun to Rule the Lodge .

By Bro . the Rev . T . SELBY HENREY , Vicar of St . George , Brentford , J . D . 192 , Antliur of" The Xubilitij of Man , " " The Kingdom of Christ among Men , " " Modern Anglican Preacher . - ' , " and "St . Botolph , Aldersgate . "

j ^' j | | = ^ ~' ff-= Pji | ^ * - n 0 ms ^ scientific paper which Sir John Hershcl ever i ' jSsji l & a t ] wrote he said that the oldest word in any language is i ^ vl b ^ -1 ^' l"IL'hrew word which we translate li ght . The ! - ;) 2 l IES-I earliest word , he adds , spoken to the world b y any 1 t ! y £ J 7 Ss | T 3 §« a . lips , human or Divine , is ( he command , " Let there be light . " Science is daily detecting the many uses and

properties of light . The first outlook of an infant ' s eye is tho li ght ; and the last words that trembled on the tongue of Goethe ere that great philosopher and poet passed into the unseen were , "more light , more light , more light . " Light has always been a favourite symbol of the seats of learning , as it has been of Masonry .

" Doniinus illiiniinatio mea" is blazoned on the arms of Oxford University , while Cambridge writes " llnne lnceni cf pocnla sacra . " In the Song of Solomon the lover names the beloved , "Fair as the moon , clear as the sun . " As the weary traveller leaves the dust y

high , road and penetrates some by-path , and there finds himself surrounded by meadows , flowers , and birds too timid for the open , so let us leave for a moment the high road of argument for a phase of light which may be considered to be of the nature of a side issue .

Not a few of the admirers of nature say , just previous ( o the ingathering of the harvest , aud being enamoured with the rich yellow waving corn , the red poppy peeping from between the stalks , and the hedges ablaze with colour , and the foliage of the trees turning into the gorgeous artistic tints of autumn , have thought that

these colours were inherent . However natural this view mi ght ' appear , recent investigations have taught scientists differentl y . That ( he ' emitted colour is not innate in the object itself , but to be found in the sun , whose rays contain a seven-fold ray , and these rays striking the object , the non-visible rays being absorbed in the

object , and the object reflecting the visible ray , or rays , to ( he eve . What a lofty and snggesfive thought this presents to man , that all 'the beauteous colours are not inwrought in the things of earth , but are the colours of ( he sun thrown back on ( he retina of the human

ken . This leads man to a still more amazing thought when . surveying the characters of fellow-men ; many who have fallen asleep , and many who are his brother companions , that these noble qualities and lofty virtues that have adorned character , and caused character to