Freemasonry—Its Persistence And Work.

Again and again the tempest of restless mind has sivept the fields of opinion , and bloivn away doctrine and creed , and church , and state , and law , like chaff . But , from this chaos , Masonry has always arisen , holding in its lion ' s grip the

guarantees of a better life for all , to come from the adoption of and adherence to its immortal principles , full of aspiration , trust , hope , and the relentless purposes of good . These it has for ever persistently maintained , sanctioned , and made venerable to all men . Ancl these it renews and

re-creates perpetually , and by these its principles , impartial as the sunshine and the sweetly falling rain , and its untiring devotees , is , ancl has been , itself always maintained , high above ignominious fall , eternal amid its true arts ancl worshippers , Avithout other cliauge than that of exalted

progress . The spirit of tragedy , strong in men , delights in the floAv of blood . The mind tires of the invisible combats betAveen time ancl principle , between permanence and the powers of change , between persistency and the demons of decay , and

clamours for the sounding strife ancl the crimson blood , ivilh Avhich all the old faiths are baptized . Be it so ? From Masonry ' s riven breast has floived the rich red tides that bear her ancient peaceful glories onunto the

many-voicedun-, , fiithomed time . So long as this Craft was content to toil , smoothing Avith incessant labour the rugged brow of primaeval time , its history runs on in calm and ever strengthened tides ; but no sooner does

it lift its bowed head , than at once against it are aimed the bulls of popes ancl the edicts of kings . For nearly a hundred years the mad skies of Europe shook Avith the thundering maledictions of the Romish church , launched against our Order ; and the inquisitionand the rackfattened

, , the soil of Spain , Portugal , Italy , Austria , ancl the other nations of Europe , Avith Masonic blood ; and throughout the Avhole world , save only modern England , grandest of all the seeptered States , on every side , rose against this knightly Order of the

square and cross , the dark Avails of superstition . But from that epic age of this society ,, as from that of all others , the spirit of a sublime resistance sprang from out the horrors of persecutions as mi ght

a bright and purple flower from the midst of a pool of blood . The cumulative and persistent force of principles embodied in this Fraternity , gave it , even in those times of violence , a force that broke upon the hollow edicts of kings and priests with resistless power . In the ebb and flow of

the vast forces of civilization then at work , the narrowness of those times ivas broken up and destroyed , even as pleasure boats upon a summer sea , overtaken by the tempests , are rent in pieces , and their painted fragments given to clothe the

nakedness of the rocks . The blow that ivas to have struck Freemasonry dead , and left it a lifeless relic upon the shores of history , but served to start the great Craft from its inertia , and open for it an era equal to that of the Avhole earth , Avhere

to-day it walks amid the desolation of its enemies , ancl from their ancient- thrones proclaims no more ignorant judgments of madness , but the high and mighty council affirmed by our ancient brethren and reaffirmed by the immortal God : " As you Avould that men should do unto you , do you even so unto them , "

The triumphant endurance and extension of Freemasonry demonstrates that intelligence is not opposed to bigotry as bodies to bodies ; ten little bigotries are not stronger than one great intelligence ; intelligence and bigotry is a thing of the mindand minds are opposed to minds in a

, highly different manner ; one man that has a higher Avisdom , a hitherto unknown truth , is stronger , not then ten men that have it not , or ten thousand , but than all men that have it not , and such an one , or such an institutionstands among men

, and nations armed with an ethereal power , as with a sword out of heaven ' s own armoury , sky-tempered , and ivhich no buckler and no tower of brass can withstand .

AVe are talking of persistency as a quality . All truth is Masonic . Let history speak : The Barons persisted , and the great charter was proclaimed ; Luther persisted , and the Reformation arose ; Washington persisted , ancl America ivas free ; our Masonic brethren of old

persisted , and wo stand to-night in the conscious train of their great days and victories behind . The majesty ot unnamed 2 s