Masonic Notes And Queries.

and death of Christ . The position formed east to west and north to south had represented the lines of the equator aud the ecliptic intersecting each other . The A as celestial north pole , and the n as celestial south pole , and the division of the sacred body of Christ into twelve parts , corresponding to the twelve signs of the Zodiacwere expressive of the higher and

, lower faculties of the universe . The lily , which had heen an attribute of Juno , became sacred to the Virgin Mary . It was the emblem of innocence and purity . The rose and myrtle had heen with the Greeks emblems of love and joy . The rose , by the Christians , was used to express pure and heavenly

love , and the myrtle served to adorn brides at the altar . The tendency to speak , through symbols had heen inherited by Christianity from olden times . Symbolism , like the first imperfect sounds which fell from the lips of children , was abrupt and unintelligible , and endeavoured to express joy or grief by signs . The artists of this period having lost the ground upon which the ancients had produced their works of art ,

and having been without forms in which to express the new order of things , had naturally had recourse to symbols to typify the spirit of their religion . For this purpose they had used the legends of India , E gypt and Greece . All the attributes of Dionysius , Dewanichi , Rama , Hercules , Krishna , Osiris , and Horus had served to glorify Christ . The triangles of

S'iva , Vishnu , aud Brahma had been employed by the early Christian artists to express the Trinity , and the plans of Egyptian , Greek , and Roman temples had served both Jews and Christians as models for the construction of their own . We should , however , see that by degrees the symbols would vanish , as

mankind at large became able to appreciate the beauties of Christianity . In conclusion , the lecturer drew attention to the great importance of the studies of comparative philology and comparative religion , which seemed to give a clear idea of that gradual and progressive development which bad embraced art , language , religion , and civilisation in general . "—Building News , April 28 th , 1871 .

PERSONAL RELIGION AND TOLERATION . What cause has the Protestant of to-day to boast of his Protestantism , the Catholic of his Faith , or the Jew of his Judaism ? Is it not the fact that , in ninety nine cases out of every hundred , each and all are what they are , simply because their fathers were so before them ?—few thinking for themselves . The

remembrance therefore of such a thought as this ought above all things to teach us the lessons of humility , charity , and extended toleration . —W . P . B . THE BLACKSMITH AND THE HIGHLAND CHIEF . " Among the highlanders , the blacksmith used to rank next the Chief . —W . P . B .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . BENHAM . Bro . Benlam , Past Provincial Grand "Warden , Wilts , died at his residence , Syon Lodge , Isleworth , after a few days' illness , aged 48 . BRO . 0 . E . LUCAS . We also regret to record the death of Bro . C . E . [ Lucas , Provincial Grand Secretary , Lincolnshire , who recently died at his residence at Louth .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible far ihe opinions expressed by Correspondents THE BIBLE IN OUR LODGES . TO THB EDITOl ! OB TES FBISESIASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIUKOn . Dear Sir and Brother , —This is a subject which goes to the very essence of our Speculative Masonry .

When our system was instituted it was the grand idea of its founders so to constitute ifc that the true , the noble , and the good of every land , language , and creed should meet upon the level within the bounds of its sodality . I greatly fear , however , that in our practice we are a long way behind the spirit of such noble

idealism . Instead of every lodge under the sun being able to appeal to the same three great lights , we find that as to one of these there is great divergency . Go into a lodge composed of Protestants and you find a " light " exposed there which the Mohammedan , e . g ., rejects , or if you go into a lodge composed of

Mohammedans you will , in all probability , perceive a " light " exposed there Avhich Protestant , Catholic , and Jew alike reject . Surely , this ought not so to be ? Is this not an innovation upon the plans of the founders of Speculative Freemasonry ? We read how Michael Angelo and Sir Christopher Wren were often thwarted

in their plans of a material edifice , so , as it seems to me , were , and have been , Drs . Desaguliers and Anderson in their plans of a spiritual edifice . The great Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty of Speculative-Masonry was to be the utter absence of sectarianism , however , it seems that even the Masonic world in general is not as yet afc all prepared for this .. Bigotry , Superstition , and Ignorance being still too rampant among the the multitude for such

largeheartedness to have its proper sway . In order , however , that Freemasonry may not be overtopped in its Universality by the growing Catholicity of certain " sectarianisms " of the day it will require to walk more closely by its " landmarks " than it has been for long doing . As an example of the growing Christian Universality of the day permit me to quote the

following from the sermon delivered hy the Eev . Dr . Caird , one of her Majesty ' s Chaplains , I believe , at the opening service in the chapel of the new University of Glasgow , viz .: — "The spirit of Christianity is something more Catholic than uniformity of creed ; for could we doubt that in the reliions of Thomas

g a'Kempis , Savonarola , Pascal , Cranmer , Latimer ; Hooker , and Jeremy Taylor , there is an essenthl harmony ? In modern times , too , could theological divergencies be wider than betAveen ] S eAvman atd Renan , the editor of the ' Christian Tear , ' and Frederick Robertson , Chalmers and McCheyne ? and yet

who would hesitate to say that beneath their ecclesiastical and theological differences there is a principle which makes these good men one ? " Alter such noble and manly words as these , delivered under such circumstances , surely we , -as Freemasons , must see that in order to be consistent , and up to our proper marktve must be " Catholic " or universal not only

, in spirit , but also in letter . Our practice being more in accordance than it has been with our theory . AVe have lately seen how not only Unitarians but even Christians of all denominations vied with each other in extending the right hand of fellowship to Baboo