Classical Theology.—Lxxxi.

prudent wife . The dread decree of Jupiter she confessed she knew too well , and therefore she replied -. — " Else should you not behold me hero alone , Envolved in empty clouds , my friend bemoan Bufc girt with vengeful flames , in open sight ,

Engaged against my foes in . mortal light . " But thus , after a few more words , she continues"Yet now resign'd to your superior might , And tired wifch fruitless toils I loathe tho fight . This let inc beg ( and this no fntes withstand ) Both for myself and for your father land ;

That when the nuptial bed shall bind the peace ( Which I , since you ordain , consent fco bless ) , The laws of either nation be the same ; Bufc let the Lafcians still retain their name ; Speak the same language which they spoke before ; Wear the same habits which their father yvore .

Call them not Trojans ; perish the renown And name of Troy , wifch that detested town . Latium be Latium still , lot Alba reign ; And Rome's immortal majesty remain . " To this , as we have said , Jupiter agrees , Turnus challenges / Eneas , and in single combat is killed ,

of course , by the assistance of Venus . Thus we are informed the beautiful young . / Eneas wins the lovely young Lavinia , and the Trojans gain and commence their reign in Italy .

Advancement Of Candidates.

ADVANCEMENT OF CANDIDATES .

Nothing can be more certain than that the proper qualifications of a candidate for admission into the mysteries of Freemasonry and the necessary proficiency of a Mason who seeks advancement to a higher degree , are the two great bulwarks which are to protect the purity and integrity

of our institution . Indeed , we know not which is the most hurtful , to admit a candidate who is unworthy , or to promote a candidate who is ignorani of his first lessons . The one affects the external , the other the internal character of the institution . The one brings discredit upon the Order among

the profane , who already regard us , too often , with suspicion and dislike the other introduces ignorance and incapacity into our ranks , and dishonours the science of Masomy in our own eyes . The one covers our walls with imperfect and worthless stoneswhich mar the outward beauty and impair

, the strength of our temple ; the other fills our interior apartments with confusion and disorder , and leaves the edifice , though externally strong , both inefficient , and inappropriate for its destined nse . But to the candidate himself , a too rapid advancement is often attended with the most

disastrous effects . As in geometry , so in Masonry , there is no " royal road" to perfection , A knowledge of its principles and its science , and consequently an acquaintance with its beauties , can only be acquired by long and diligent study . To the careless observer it seldom offers , at a hasty glance ,

much to attract his attention or to secure his interest . The gold must be deprived , by careful manipulation , of the dark and worthless ore which surrounds and envelopes it before its metallic lustre can be seen and appreciated . Hence the candidate who passes rapidly through

his degrees , without a clue examination of the moral and intellectual purposes of each , arrives afc the summit of our edifice , without a due and necessary appreciation of the general symmetry and connection that pervades the whole system . The candidate , thus hurried through the elements of

our science , and unprepared , by a knowledge of its fundamental principles , for the reception and comprehension of the corollaries which are to be deduced from them , is apt to view the whole system , as " a rude and indigested mass" of frivolous ceremonies and puerile conceits , whose intrinsic

value will not pay him for the time , the trouble , and expense that he has incurred in his forced initiation . To him , Masonry is as incomprehensible as was the veiled statue of Isis to its blind worshippers , and he becomes , in consequence , either a useless drone in our hive , or speedily retires in disgust from all participation in oui labours .

But the candidate who , by slow and painful steps , has proceeded through each apartment of our mystic temple , from its porch to its sanctuary , pausing in his progress to admire the beauties and to study the uses of each , learning , as he advances , "line upon line and precept upon precept , " is

gradually and almost imperceptibly imbued with so much admiration of the institution , so much love for its principles , so much just appreciation of its design as a conservation of Divine Truth , and an agent of human civilisation , that he is inclined on beholding at last the whole beauty of the building , to exclaim , as did the wondering Queen of Sheba , " a Most Excellent Master must have done all this !"

On the other hand , there are many old Masons who know nothing * about the morality of Masonry , or what their duties are , for the reason that they never see or hear anything talked about in their lodges except the ritual . The ritual is undoubtedly not to be neglected , inasmuch as it is the medium

through which we convey our lessons of symbolism , and by means of which we separate ourselves from the rest of the world , and obtain the means of mutual recognition . But it is , after all , " the weakest part of Masonry . " The ritual alone will no more make a true Mason than the manual

exercise will make a true soldier . The moral and intellectual teachings of the Order—its intention as a great religious institution , occupied in the search after Divine Truth . We unfortunately know too many Masons , who arrogantly assume a high position among the teachers of the Order ,

simply because they can open and close a lodge , or confer a degree , with a strict adherence to , and a ready renunciation of , the exact phraseology of