What Is Freemasonry?

argument is needed , I will quote the opinion of a great philosopher , whose name is enshrined in the hearts of thousands , although he has long since passed away , I mean the untitled but illustrious Benjamin Franklin . In his plain but forcible language he saA s : —

"Freemasonry , I admit , has its secrets . It has secrets peculiar to itself ; but of what do they principally consist ? They consist of signs and tokens , which serve as testimonials of character and qualification , which are only conferred after a due course of instruction and examination . These are of no

small value . They speak an universal language , and act as a passport to the attention and support of the initiated in all parts of the world . They cannot be lost so long as memory retains its power . Let the possessor of them be expatriated , shipwrecked , or

imprisoned ; let him be stripped of everything he has got in the world , these credentials remain . They have stayed the uplifted hand of the destroyer : they have softened the asperities of tho tyrant ; they have mitigated the horrors of captivity ; they have sub

dued the rancour of malevolence , and broken down the barrier of political animosity . On the field of battle ; in the solitudes of the uncultivated forest , or in the busy haunts of the crowded city , they have made friends men of the most hostile feelings . The most

distant regions , and the most diversified conditions rush to the aid of each other , and feel special joy and satisfaction that they have been able to afford relief to a brother Mason . "

I feel that I have wearied you . by going so far into a justification of the secrecy which we observe ; but I have done so lest some might be tempted to say that this was a subject I dare not approach , and to which I had no answer to give in

reply to taunts sometimes thrown out that , if our society is so good and its benefits so great , that we should not require the veil of secrecy to be thrown over it .

Pursuing the ritual of our Order , all tending to the elucidation of the question , " What is Freemasonry ? " I may say that it is divided into three distinct periods , or stages , by which the full knowledge of the science is obtained , and all of

which have a deep and significant meaning . The first of these stages is eminently symbolical of the early state of the darkness and chaos which preceded the foundation of man , when darkness covered the earth ; but even then , when all was

confusion and disorder , when the shapeless mass had assumed no form or distinction , the guardian spirit of the Lord moved on the face of the

waters . It was then that the power of the Omnipotent Being became manifest ; the clouds that' obscured our mortal vision were dispelled , and man was glorified by standing in the broad sunlight of reason in the hallowed presence of his

Divine Creator . The first degree in Freemasonry symbolises this state of man , by admitting him to a participation in the enjojnnent of that which is the predominant wish of his heart , by emerging from a temporary darkness into the light of truth ,

and encouraging him to a fervent hope of becoming a partaker of the blessings of life eternal . Many , no doubt , before entering upon this stage have cultivated those qualities which render them fit members lor this probationary stag-e , by

practising the principles of moral truth and virtue ; but an entrance on this degree cannot fail , if properly estimated by the newly-initiated brother , to improve those principles upon which we ought topursue the business of life , and on which we may

safely rest our hopes for the enjoyment of the future .. The second degree admits us to the great intellectual field of science which is now unfolded

to our view , and enables us to appreciate the wisdom , power , and goodness of the Great . Creator , and read them in the sacred pages of the celestial hemisphere , although the feebleness of our nature -does not permit us at once to grasp

the magnitude of his works ; and we feel humbled at our own insignificance when we contemplate the wonders of His Almighty hand . In the third . degree the inquirer is brought into the sublimity of the science , and the full blaze of '

revelation . We have thus traversed many and tortuous steps , until we have at length arrived at the end of our journey , and this deg-ree is symbolical of cur passage through this life , after a series of years well spent in acts of piety and

virtue , and we hope to receive as our reward an admission to the Throne of Grace , trusting to he finally received into a mansion , not built with hands , but one eternal in the Heavens . Having done our duty in our earthly career , we trust to

see shining in the east that bright morning star , whose rising brings peace and salvation to the faithful and obedient of the human race , and for ever to live in the presence of our Almighty Creator , to be for ever in the regions of Him who

has been so eloquently described as the—Father of all , in every age , In every clime adored By saint , by savage , and by sage , Jehovah , Joye , and Lord .