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ONIC JOURNAL
Where is the rain ?
Jr pattering came ;
Dancing along with a mcirj^ sound,
A grassy'bed in the tields it found ;
Tlacli drop came on the roof with a bound.
Where is the rain? It hatii left the ground.
Wlnit g 'od hath it done,
•Going away so soon?
Ever, ever
Our best endeavor
Seenieth to fall like the melted snow 1
AVe worked out our tlionglits wisely and slow’;
i'he seed \ve sow—but tl will not grow';
'Our hopes, our resolves—where do they go?
' WLat dotli remain—
Memory and pain?
Nothing is lost—
No -snow nor frost
“Ihiat come Jo'enrich tlie earth again;
’'Ve tliaiik them w’hen the ripening grain
Is Waving over the liill and plain,
‘ And the pleasant rain springs from earth
amain',
All endeth in good—
Water and f(*od.
Never despair;
Disappoincnient be:ir.
'rhrongh hope seemeth vain. l)e patient still;
Thy good intents God wall fulfill,
i’hy hand is weak ; Ilis powerful will
‘Is completing thy life work still.
The good endeavor
Is lost!—ah! never.
The Secret Ballot.
The founder? of the institution of the
Fraternity of Freemasons wisely provi
ded that a unanimous consent must be
first obtained before a man could become
a member thereof—that as long as one
member demanded that he should not be
received, no profane .should be made a
Mason. They also prudently ordained
that the ballot for reception of candidates
^should be had in such a manner as that
none oouid know how others voted, so
that, with the theory honestly carried
out in practice, it would be impos.sible
that one should be able to say, “you re
jected my friend.”
The Grand Lodge of Illinoi.s has, in our
opinion, done wisely in going a step fur
ther, and prohibiting from the records of
the subordinate Lodges the reports of the
Committees to which are entrusted the
duties of examining the characters of can
didates proposed for membership, and
passing upon their fitness to be aliowed
to enter the circle of the Fraternity. By
these means no record is left of a proce
dure, or of the persons engaged in it,
which, however conscientiously the task
may have been performed, may possibly
give offense, and acting upon liuman sen
sibilities, may create a coolness between
Brethren.
It seems to us that this rule of the
Grand Lodge is strictly in line with, and
auxiliary to the principle upon which tlie
secret ballot is founded, and that it is a
sort of necessary addendum to that pro
vision of Ancient Freemasonry, which is
not fully sustained without it. But it
seems to us that many members do not
fully understand, or at least do not ap
predate their duties under the law of the
secret ballot, and regarding this we wish
to say a few words. How frequently it
,s the case that .a member, being interest
'd in the introduction of a candidate,
ihe report of the Committee being favor-
ible. rises in Ids place and endorses the
favorable report, or, perhaps, proceeds
further and gives the members present
the benefit of his knowledge and convic
tions relative to the qualifications of the
propo.sed initiate. And many do this
witiioiit even thinking for an instant
that they are violating the secresy of the
ballot.
Surely, if one member has the right to
“explain his vole,” in this manner, then
all the rest have the same right, and can
not be debarred from exercising it,—
Where would be the secresy of the bal
lot, should such a right be conceded and
Suppose a candidate i.s to
be balloted for, and liberty is given for
any or all w'ho desire to express their
opinion as to whetlier he is fit to become
a member. We will say there is a quo-
rum of seven members present, and six
of them profess their willingness for the
candidate's reception. The ballot is
spread and returned not clear. Of course
every one knows where the unfavorable
ballot came from, and the Brother who
cast it has no shield between him and
the certain knowledge of his Brethren.
The ballot is no more secret than it would
have been had it beer, tasen viva voce, or
by the uplifted hand. The whole intent
of the secret ballot is neutralized and de
feated by such a course of conduct.
But such pi ocedure, destructive as it is
of the secresy of the ballot, is not merely
suppositious. Wm have heard of cases
where this supposition has been carried
out to the letter, and have seen some in
stances where a limited number of mem
bers were allowed to define theii posi
tion on an approaching ballot, and it was
highly probable that all might have done
so, had they desired. We presume that
the matter need only be stated, to have
its general wrongfulness understood and
appreciated by those whom it most con
cerns.
There is another method of partially
revealing the secrets of the ballot tint
obtains in .some Lodges. In this case
the Master announces the result of the
ballot, stating the number of black balls
cast. The impolicy of this course may
be seen by noticing that members, as soon
as the result is given, at once set them
selves to guessing, perhaps not'in words,
but mentally, as to who oast the reject
ing ballots, and they must be very poor
specimens of the smart ones of the guess
ing nation, if they do not frequently
guess right.
It is enough tliat the Master declares
the candidate rejected, and the least
number that knows farther than this, is
the best. In the language of an old
Master who was inquired of after the
Lodge closed, how a ballot stood on a
particular application—“the Junior War
den knows, the Senior Warden knows,
and the Master knows, and they are
enough fo know,” No good and much
evil can result from this metliod of par
tially revealing the result of a ballot
that was intended to be, and should be
kept sacred.
But we think the secresy of the ballot
should be sacredly observed still further.
Has a member the right under the rules
requiring secresy, to reveal to a Brother
the manner in which he voted ? We say
most decidedly not. If one Brother has
this right, so have they all, and under
all circumstances favoring such a plan, it
might be established beyond a question,
by this system cf confessien, by whose
vote a candidate has keen rejected and
the whole secret of the ballot revealed
Hence, we say that no member has the
right to say to another that he oast a
white 01' a black ball in a.oy known in
stance. And yet, many well meaning
Brethren are, iintiiinkingly, let us hope,
giiiltv of this practice.
It mav be thought unnecessary to say
that it would be a grievous fault and
wrong for a brother to reveal what kind
of a ballot another brother cast, the first
having accidental!}' become known to the
fact, and it would seem that one's sense
of propriety rjould always prevent a
transgression of the rules in this direc
tion. But experience convinces us that
facts do not justify this conclusion. We
have known several, if not many iiustan-
ces, where a brother became, by acci
dent, cognizant of the casting of a black
ball, and revealed it to others. W'e have
known many case.s where the fact that a
Whitehall had been cast by a brother
become known to the Lodge by a broth
er too wise to keep such a secret. Though
the injury may not be as great as where
a black ball has been cast, yet in both
cases to reveal the fact is contrary to
the design of the secret ballot, and there
fore wrong.
If the above principles are sound, it
follows that a member cannot be dealt
with for any ballot he may see fit to cast,
because neither the Lodge nor its office.s
and members have any i-ight or business
to know how he ballots. In plain terms,
it is none of their business how or what
kind of a ballot he casts, and they can-
riot legally or justly inquire into that
matter at all. That is a question be
tween the individual and his conscience,
and no powei in Masonry—not even the
Graiul Master nor the Grand Lodge—
has the prerogative to interfere with its
solution. Though it may appear to his
Brethren that his ballot i.s cast from
wrong or even from base motives, yet
he cannot be asked : “ Why do ye do
so ?”
And yet, right here is where man.y in
experienced Masons wish to commence
proceedings against a Brother. Having
assumed or learned that a Brother has
cast a ballot against a candidate they de
sired to have accepted, and, being satis
fied in some way that he did it from un
worthy motives, they propose to call up.-
on him to give his reasons for such con
duct, forgetting that they ask an expla
nation of an act which they have no right
to know has taken place. But this course
is taken only by the inexperienced Ma
son, and even he can see the utter inap-
propriatene.ss, if he will think a mo
ment.
Te ballot is secret in all that term im
plies, and if these lines shall have the
effect on the Fraternity to make its mem
bers more generally observant of the
fact, the purpose for which they were
written will have been accomplished.—
Wm. Eouncev'ille, in Voice of Masonry.
Profanity.
The extent to which the
vile practice of cursing and
'"''gar and
swearing is
carried is truly appalling, and I am pai„.
ed to say that the practice prevails to
fearful and alarming extent even amoM
the members of the Masonic Fraternit-
Tbi.» i.s a practice alike shameful and dis'
graceful. As Masons, we are tangh[
never to mention the name of Deity fcm
with that reverential awe which is due
from the cre-rture to the Creator, and at
the mention of whose name we should
with reverence most humbly bow. Tl,j
Holy Bible, that great light of Masonry,
proclaims in tone.s of thunder, and says'
“Thou .ihalt not take the name of the
Lord thy god in vain, for the Lord will
not hold him guiltless that taketh His
name in vain.” That great light, wegre
ta-oght will guide us into all truth ; if so
then its mandates mu.st be obeyed.
Swearing, or the use of profane lar,.
guage in any manner, is-not gentel-jt
IS not manly, it is not Masonic, Swear
ing is low ; it is vile ; it Is degrading, ff,
ha? never been received as a recommend
ation from any one; it is harsh to the
ear of the refined ; it i.s repugnant and
shocking to the ear of ihe pious and god
ly. Cursing and swearing never made a
man wiser ; it never made a man richer;
it never made a man happier; it never
made a man better, or brought him any
honors. Cursing and swearing is a high
offense against the institution of Freema
sonry, and no Mason can indulge in its
practice with impunity ; whenever he
does so, he lays himself liable to Masonic
discipline, and should be dealt with ac
cordingly. The Freemason who curses
and swears isablightandcur.se to the
institution ; and as the dignity and honor
of the institution depends upon the mor
ality and good reputation of its members,
I entrSat and exhoit you as a friend and
Brother, one who has your interest and
the interest and good reputation of the
institution at heart, to refrain from the
vulgar and horrid practice of cursing and
swearing. Live and act according to the
sublime teachings of our ancient and
honorable institution, then yon will be
pure and upright, as God has desi.gned
yon should be. Finally, my Brethren,
be ever guarded, and “swear not at all.”
—C. W. Hamisfak, in Mascmic Rmae.
Wait and Hope.
The forests of Europe are estimated as
being 600,000,000 acres in extent. In
North America 1,460,000,000 acres are
covered with trees, of which area 9O0,000-
000 are in British North America. In
This is a world full of trouble, full of
disappointment, as we all know; but
there is, after all, no folly so great as that
of ceasing to invite the smile? of Hope,
not only because her smiles are so sweet,
but also because while we live, there must
always be some good as well as some sor
row, awaiting us.
We can no more stand still in life than
we Can turn back. When -we have no
desire to go on, invisible forces are at
work to conipel us to do ?o. There are
things we must Jo - people we must meet;
events that will aecrue to ns. We can
not believe that the deeds will all he such
South America foi-ests occupy 700,000,-
000 acres. The proportion of forest laud | regret, the events all sorrow-
to the whole area of Europe is computed i acquaintances all ene-
at 20 per cent. ; In America, 21. Sup
posing, therefore, 20 per cent, to be the
proportion in Asia, Africa and Aus
tralia, the grand total of the forests of the
world cover a space of 7,734,000 geo
graphical miles.
There are a number of Masonic lodges
now at work in Valparaiso, Ofiili—two
of them working under the Grand Lodge
of Massachusetts, one under the Grand
Lodge of England, and one under that of
Scotland. All meet in the same building
and the most fraternal relations exist be
tween them.
mies.
And eirice we may do good and have
good done to us—since true liearls may
meet ours, though we to-da.y do not so
much as know that they beat what may
we not hopie ?
Your home may be cold and dark, hiit
it is not because the sun does not shine.
It only needs a hand to open the dooi’,
and put aside the enrtam, to let in warmth
and light. So, any moment the shut
doors of your fife may open, and earth s
sunshine fall across your heart. Wait
and hope; it is not only that the angel
whose mission it is to do this deed lames
for a little ou the road.
I ,li.