Masonry Twenty-Five Years Ago.

river , where it water was so impregnated with alkali , that it had the colour of lye . The night previous they had eaten the last morsel of food in their possession . Four or five days' journey was ahead of them before they could rejch the supplies sent

out by the liberal-hearted Californians to meet the incoming immigration , which was very large . This party had been living on short rations of "jerked beef" for thirty days , without tasting bread in that time . Each one of them that morning , with stick

in hand , went frog-hunting , to obtain a breakfast before starting out . They succeeded in getting a pair of legs for each ( one poor fellow could not eat them ) . They were cooked without grease or salt , and eaten with delight ; the only fault

found with them was , that there were not enough . One of the party brought his frog to the camp before amputating his legs , where he performed the operation so nicely that it was uninjured in its vitals , and while eating the legs of which the frog had been bereft , it sat there , propped up upon its' fore legs , looking as natural and unconcerned as if it had not lost its

jumpers . Ours was a " pack train "—no waggons . "With this extra short allowance , we started , hopeful that as there were hundreds of waggons on the route , certainly we could buy enough to keep suul aud body together four or five days . Each

person was appointed a committee of one , with gold in his pocket , and instructed to pay any exorbitant price they chose to ask . Some one hundred waggons , more or less were overhauled by noon , without obtaining a mouthful . One party , sitting

around a large tray of biscuits , were offered a dollar each for eighteen of them , but humanity nor gold could not move them at any price . We stopped , as usual , at noon to graze our wearied animals . Although feeling

hunger sharply , we were undaunted , and laid ourselves down to rest in the sun , which we were accustomed to , there being no shade . The writer was sick , and had been for several days . The doctor had just made a shade over me with a blanket

, when up came the bright smiling face of one of the party , and he said he had gotten three pounds of flour , without money and without price , to feed eighteen hungry men 1 The doctor quickly v > th his own

hands , made up some " flap-jacks , " and brought a portion to me , which I ate with more delight than any morsel ever eaten by me before or since . Remember , it was the first bread in thirty days . They acted like a charm . From that moment I speedil y recovered .

The sequel to the three pounds of flour was Freemasonry , aud that unasked in that name ; and therein lies the greatest beauty of it . The brother accosted a waggon to buy food , and was refused . The owner of the waggon was from Illinois , and was a minister . The brother who

belonged to my party , finding he could not get anything of him ( he sayiug he was nearly out ) , passed on . A thought occurred to the man from Illinois , and he hailed our companion to stop and return . On his going back , the owner of the waggon asked him if he was a Freemason

, and an affirmative reply being given , he stopped his team , stepped behind the waggon , and cautiously proved him to be such . He then said : " You can have half of what I have left , and when you have used that , I will divide as long as I have

any , " refusing the proferred gold—five dollars per pound . The narration of this to me filled my heart with the deepest gratitude to the silent power of the mystic tie , over-riding human nature and Christian sympathy .

This is one of the many instances of true Blasonic principle I . have witnessed . The favour was not asked as Blasonic , and refused . This true Mason , fearing that he might perchance , be turning awaya brother , called him back and asked the question , " Are you a Mason ?" May I not say to my brothers , Go thou aud do likewise . Do not wait to be asked

when you know that a brother or his family need assistance . Many need your assistance who never ask for it ; they and their families are frequentl y in want because they have not employment , and very often they have to suffer great privation before obtaining it . Yet many of our

brethren—good brethren , I can say—go along , never thinking or looking about to see where they can carry out the princi ples of the institution . Blay all Blasons thus act , and only such be admitted ; for ten true Blasons in a lodge are more desirable than a thousand that are indifferent . — Cor . Masonic Jewel .