NO 26.
proving of the plan by whioh he so rap- j of their theological speculations—^but
We have read, that “in the lo’vest
deep there is a deeper still.” This may
appe-^r paradoxical, but whether it is or
i.s not so, :f there bo any word more
mean than msanesl, then wc wisli to ap
ply that epithet to the man claiming to
be a Mason and a member of a lodge
who deliberately, wilfullv, and with
ma ice prepense, determines to destroy
the be.st interests of his lodge, by, on
every occasion thnt offers, depositing
bla'ik ball, *nd for no other or better
reason than that a majority of h.is lodge
would not elect him to office. Every
Mason shoiii'l have a landabie ambition,
but that ambition, so far aS the gratifica
tioii of tbe same, should be governed,
not by bis owt, desires, but by those ol
his fellow-members, who, ajipreciating
his worthine.ss and qualifications, seek
to elevate him. To seek office is nnina
sonic ; to vent your spleen becau-e yonr
ano dinate vanity is not gratified, b\
stabbing the character of worthy and
unotfen ling gentlemen who form a favor
able opinion of the Masonic institiition.
desire to aid in the extending of its be
nevolence. is not only more than numa
sonic, it is cowardly, dastardly, fiendish,
and hellish.
The man calling hinjself a Freema.son,
who deposits a black-ball from other
'than purely Masonic motives, is a Thug
and though by the Masonic law his ba.se
and iniquitious motives cannot be inquir
ed into, yet, if he is possessed of the
least fractional part of what is known as
conscience, then must he feel that he
has a hell within his own b.'^east. He
must know and feel that he is a murderer
of an innocent md unoffending man's
character, a character which for manli
ness, uprightness, and common honesty,
is as far superior to his own as light is to
darkness.
Indeed, we do rot hesitate to say that
the man who would be guilty of violating
his covenants as a Ma.son in the manner
we have indicated (and we fear there
are more than one in this metropolitan
city), would not hesitate to commit a
murder were it not for the fear cf tbe
gallows. Ill committing the latter, the
greatest of all crimes, though he confess
ed it not, suspicions, or suspicious cir
cumstances, would place him under at
least confinement until it was cleared
away, and be would therefore hesitate
before rendering himself amenable to the
hands o.f justice; but in comm.ttiiig the
former, he, in his coward's heart, knows
that neither suspicion or suspicious cir-
icnins ances can reach him, and though
suspected, and he knows that he is sus
pected, he continues in bis infamous ca
reer, and shelters himself, coward like,
behind the sanctity of the Masonic bal
lot-box, to the injury of his lodge and
ibe stigmatising of the character of men
as far above himself as heaven is above
earth.
idly attained the high rank, which was
made the stepping stone for reaciiing n
Grand Mastership,—iV. Y. Courier.
We learn from oiir English exchange.-;
that Prince Leopold, the brother of the
Prince of Wales, was installed Gran
Master of Oxford.shire, England, on Feh
■■nary 22d. It is somewhat strange that
this ceremony should take place on the
lunivers-iry of the birth of one of the
most note-1 Mason.s of America—the im-
nortal George Washington. But the
[irincipal point t lat we have to consider
is, the “royal road" on which Roya
Princes travel to the highest honors in
■Masonry. In thi.s country, it requires
vears of service in Masonrv to reach the
honorable position of Gram! Master. In
his Lodge, the aspirant has to serve as
Warden and Master, an-1 in the Gran-1
Loiige he his to serve as Di trut De.uity
Grand Master, or in some other office,
(lerhaps for years, before he can ever
hope for the exalted pos.tion. But a Rov
al Prince can pass ail the sunordinate
grades, and rise “from the floor” of a
Subjr-linate Lodge to the position o
a Gran-1 Master with very little trouble
The Prince of Wales became a Past Grand
Master of Eiiglaml without ever servina
as a Master of a Lo-lge, or even beco uirig
a member of a Snbor-liiiate Lodge in th-
English Jurisdiction. He was then elect
e-l Grand Master of Englatnl, and wa
Inly installe-1 as such with very impos
ing ceremonies. As Grand Master he
had the power of conferring Masonic
rank on whosoever he ple-ases, and it is
not at all surprising that he should have
oiiferred on his bro'her, who was only
made a Master Mason a verv .short time,
the rank of Provincial Grand Master,
such offices being in the gift of the Grand
Master, and not of the Brethren who are
0 be governed. It may be that the
Prince of Wales has in view his probable
succession to tbe throne in England,
when he would have, of necessity, to re
ign his po.sition of Grand Master of Ma
sons. By making his brother Leopohl a
Provincial Grand Master, he opens the
door for his suoces.sion to the office of
Grand Master of England ; and thus the
office, which is an honor to him who is
elected by the will of those who ire to
be governed, becomes a hereditary heir
loom of the Royal J'amily, and lo:es that
character which applies to the office here.
Tbe Prince of Wales will don tless hold
the office of Gland Master until he be
comes King—as did George IV ; then it
will go to his brother, as was tbe case
with the Duke of Sus-sex. If Prince Leo
pold is as good a representative of the
Masonic principle as was the Duke of
Sussex, we shall hail the dav when he
reaches the highest ofiice in English Ma
sonry, although, at the same time, disap-
Masonic Divinity.
The science of divine things—that un-
foM.s the character of the government of
God in relation to man, in his morals -lu-
ties and relationshipis, is a prominent por
tion of Masonic study.
In the ancient charges of the Grift we
are taught that “a Maso.u is obliged by
his tenure to obey the moral law. and if
he rightly un-lerstand the art, he will
never be a stupid atheist, nor an irreli
ions libertine. In ancient, times, Ma
sons were charged in every country to be
of the religion of that country or nation,
whatever it was Yet it. is now thought
to be more expedient*only to oblige them
I hat re.igion in which all men agree, leav
ing their particular opinion.s to the them
selves that is to bd good men. and true
or men ot honor or honesty, by whatever
denominations or persuasions th. y may be
ii.stingiiished—wliereby Masonry be
come.s the centeo- of union, and tiie means
ot conciliating true friendship among per
sons that must have remained at a per
petual distance,”
rtiis mucu Ma,sonry prol'esses as a fra
ternal society, liol-iing to the faith that
all men are known by their spir t .md by
their deeds, no matter what they believe.
In this respect it differs from all other
societies ot a moral order, and maintains
its ancient prestigi an-i unity, with a
mystic success which cuiniuHn'ls the rev
erence and respect of all goo I men.
In its devotions to Gud, it guar-is with
solemnity the n.iiue as well as the laws ol
ttie great supreme ruler, aii-1 as He i.- in
finitely above them in life .md powe- a i -
tiappiiiess, tliey worsiiip Him in seiving
iheir fellow men. Hence .Masonry is em
■ iiently humanitariau in lU practical faith
instead of being section il or -logmaiie in
-loubtful an-1 spjcnlative theologies.
It is too simple in its org.mism to yeild
to the talse pfiilo.sophy, thif tielief in any
dogma.s is essential to go-edness It be
lieves that Go-1 is goo.l because His na
ture is good—that He, as the father cf
c- eatioH, is neither selfish nor arrogant—
that He lives for the benefit ami bl ssing
of all bis creature.s, and that bis example
should be the guide of our practice in all
iove and in all charity.
With Masonry ti ere are iieverany eon
troversies with the chut dies, or with an.
other societies. What they teach or bo
lieva il concedes to be tlieir right, ami ii
they are bigoted or intolerant the con
servative spirit of Masonry wilt not quar
rel with them, for this .would only dis
honor the Craft, and sOoner or later bring
Masonry into contempt.
The charge is often made by ignorant
and fanatical people, that Masonry is an
anti-christian society, because it does not
embrace the faith of Christ as the chnrch
es do. True, it does not, in the theories
the practical philosophy of a broad hu
manity it teaches truth and charity, as the
governing attributes of tbe divine will
among all men.
In these respects it Las made a record
along d'own the line of ages, which any
church might be proud of, and which any^
society may well imitate.
Masonry has never planted infidelity
in the face of the Supreme Deity—nor
has it ever endeavored to pluck a single
■«tar from the diadem of Christ the great
teacher, for the truth ol the one and the
charity of the other have long been de
monstrated as cardinal among Masonic
landmarks. Masonry has never made a
dissevering creed of theologies for its
members, as it embraces the whole broth
erhood of man in the circle of its human
ities. It could not stultify itself in its
eminent catholicity by adopting any spec-
ulative doctrines which would exclude
from its fraternity good men of any faith
or of any rc^'gion. Antagonistic to no
'•reed of religion, and conservative to
ward all the different biases of religious
connections, it rejects no man from its
traternal bodies who is of good report and
comes well recommended, no matter what
may be bis creed, his church, his politics,
or his lawful bu.siriess,
“Well, but, says one, “Masonry is not
a Christian institution. It does nut teach
the Christian divinity. It does not hold
to the necessity of a change of heart—the
new birth.” To all such casuists we re
spond—that Masonry dre.s not urofess to
be a church at all. .It is no theological
.seminary, nor is it a dogmatic school of
.speculative or prospeoxive fanaticism. It
is simply an ancient fraternity of good
men. ol faoiioraole men, of honest men,
•vho have taken for their motto “Broth-
•n-ly love Relief and Truth.” Their aim
IS to fear God and keep his command
uents.. Is this not enough ? Is their re-
ationship *o .society inconsistent because
they have no dogmas, and deal in no pre
scriptions ? They make no Controv.ersv
how, or where, or when, a man puts off
the old man and becomes a new creature
which he is at t to do if he Studies and
imbibes the phiLcsofihy iihd Spirit of Ma
sonry At least they know that th s i.s
the legitimate tendency of the organiza-
lion, amt there i.s no man who is a.-quaint-
ed with the bod t,.,t will adiu t that the
standard of moia * and .f reSpedabil ty
Iinuiig iliem WII. couii are well with the
best citizens of tlie country in every par
ticular.—Masonic Advocate.
One of the reate.st buiwilt-ks for the
preservation and perpetuation of Mason
ry is harmony. Unitv of sentiment
among tbe Irat’ernity is esseuti^Jly neces
?^ary to social and intellectual pleasure
Without it, our institution would not
long stand hut with it, the edifice rests
upon an en-luring basis. How important
then, ,s it, that the several members who
constitute a Lodge, should dwell together
irt peace, harmony and. brotherly love
which would diliiise itself through the
order like the precious ointment upon
t;ie head, that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron s beard, that went down to
the skirts of his garment.' Enter^.risc.
■o4