Newspapers / Masonic Journal (Greensboro, N.C.) / July 7, 1876, edition 1 / Page 2
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.s ,. ... 4' tel !fl ■ K nil p ■% Wt'i ’ ,-*Ej ill li'l! -.fc:. .- THE M A S 0 N I J 0 E K N A L Sing no Sad Songs. hen I am (lend my denresl'. Sing IK) snd songs for me; Plain thou no roses at my head. Xor shady cypress tree ; He the green grass above me n itli showers ;ui.d dewdrops wet; ^Vnd it tiioii wilt nmiemembej", And if tiu.ii wilt, forget I si.all rot see tin' shadows, I slmll not feel tlie, rain; I shad not hear the nightingale Sing on, as if in pain; ,\iid dreaming through the trviliglit 'I’liat doth not rise iiorset, Haply 1 in«y remembor » And imply may forger, ABSTOACT 1’1'om Masonic address, delivered by Chas. K Jones, \V. M. Excelsior Lodge, No. 2G1, Charlotte, N. 0., be fore Mt. Moiirne Lodge. No. 347. on 24lh day of June, 1876, at the public celebration ot the anniversary of St. John the Baptist. it more weight and influence than irof/icr, I 'We cannot perpetuate our ^ as taught by speculative Masonry. It ! les.s we ignore all fll,,, ... I " ““ 'Ainsy matenali.-nis I preserved by our institution, in every j country where Masonry existed, while, as taught by speculative Masonry. It i les.s we ignore aU fl' j at least through the dark ages, the rest | mocks the cold and selfish world in its f cut of! all exorescen i :0f the world has been sunk into the | obduracy, and sheds upon the sensitive ! divine .spirituality ,n tbr’d'r"""' " 1 ep iso heathenism. It is no secret j fibres of onr natures, the refreshing dews ^ us as Masons \Vp I .i,.t „ .t. i “ J; ™"‘ '■!«„ ,1. I na red, protec, t,ie widow and orphan, as . mirrors of the soul, the typified purity of , the measure of our oblio f I we a,e are now doing at Oxford, and at the Infinite. “Love tby brothei- as thy-^ mankind but part c„ ■ r® As.ieville ; and in all things, according self,” is a divine comm.rnd, and in its : brethren’in Masonry ‘ ^ 0"c .0 our a 1 ity, do good to the whole hu- true sense known to, and appreciated i world that we c ui i man family. And above all. it is not, only by Mason.s, who have at W been | preach neither can it be a secret, that a good raised from a level to a perpendicular, j to be played with, and fon.JleT the strong grip of the lion's nawnflJio IHa v,.,. ®''ery -... Ol’, L-lldl- Ct gUUU Mason is of necessity, truly and emphat ically, a good man. This, then, is what we call speculative Tree Masonry. How rightly, and .solemn, and interesting is our profession ; and how far does each niemoer of onr order fulfill these respon sibilities? We are led to exclaim that tent than mere words rtw’lv pleasure responds, and often tlie'un- N-ken greeting reverberates tiirough It is said that the good or evil that men do while living, exists after they are dead and buried. The seeds of infidelity sown by Torn Paine in his “Age of Rea son, tboiigh lie bo long since dead, and I had almost said forgotten, will spring tip and germinate, until time shall be no more; while the everlasting good inaug urated by Luther, during the Reforma tion in the 16th Century, is a vital reali ty to-day, and is bearing abundant fruit, in tlieharve.st of souls which are annually gathered in from the Protestant denomi nations of our era, whose tenets have revolutionized the civilized world. The wisdom of Solomon, who has been pro nounced "the wisest, and among the best of men," though he has slumbered in the sepulchre of the Kings of Israel, for three thousand yeans, exhibits a speoime.'i of its fruits in this assemblage today, Following np this train of thought, we are told that what is written, or .spoken, stands; and passes not away. The spo ken words roll thiough the ambient air. to the utmost verge of space. As the stone sends rippling rings to the farthest edge of the wafer into which it is cast, so roils the smallest wave of sound, to the confines of the subtle ether whicn sur rounds this grosser atmosphere ; and the awful thought has come to speculative philosophens, that cn some later day, and 1-1 perhaps other worlds than ours, of this great universe, every one shall see efore him, as on a scroll, every syllable which he has ever uttered, shining in the unsearchable riches of thi.s system. Man in a state of nature, is wild and barbarous. His purposes, liis objects, his aims, an.l his end.s fall far short of his destinj’ as intended by the Creator. , y the associations traints thrown around bis being, bv the ties of society and civilization, that he rises to the measure of hi.s true greatness, and his proper duties. The association of individuals to promote the arts and sciences, to encourage ngriouiture and manufactures, to civilize the savage, to I'cipcuuicuiar, I tone played with, and fondled in p,. by the .Hrong gnp of the lion's paw of the ■ idle hour, but it is a .sometl,in„ . , ' tribe of Judah ; who has been received ; something that a higher power i into the upper chamber and welcomed as | signed, for worthier'pu, pose.s tlij" ii a Master Mason. These a’-e portrayed | gratification of a mere .sordid se’fi I ^ in the beaming smile, or the clasp of the | We need men-Ma.»ons-not 'idl ''' band, that be.((peaks a welcome more po- | the .shore of time, who while the'''’ tent than mere words, to which recipro- ' working out a destiny for Iheiiilelve'^ can pause, and if need be laboi for' Ihei'^ Brethren. Yes. we must go out into ihp highway.s and by-wavs, and tell the world by our actions, that the niarriace feast is.,«pread and all good men are v'e"’' the vaults of a faitlilul breast, echoing the silvery cadences of requited alfec tioii, brotherly-love, relief and truth. rpi , , ' a-jaeau ami ai, good men are wpI Ihus we see that the mighty stream of | come to the table, and in lanpu-mp tTciints thrown around bis bein.a j worthy are not only not invited, but will to ed,—delighted at the grand stnictnre ITir h,;r .r-T"'''";, ^ "■ before ns Allfhpsm- ” '"^Banize the woi Id. I and perplexed when digiligently essaying All these Hssociatjons, so fiir ns the mem m r i ” hers ar-actuated P “«ke the voyage from the source to that ers ai. actuated by proper motives, part of the channel, where all difficuities have one ultimate end in view : to mpli p. . flowing down through almost countless j not be^ permitVed'io gatIrer 'Tromr m" ages, through every nation and clime, i festive board still rolls on in its outward course to the Our passions, our aspirations, and our 1 res ofeteirnty. As we attempt to I desires; our hopes, our fears and our follow Its windings, over both continents, j longings, mn.st necessarilv be their recei we are alternately delighted and perplex | tacle ol a thousand pule sfreams ed,—delighted at the grand structure ! whose channels should drift'the untainted .1 relief before o= breeze.s and beneficence. Laboi E d,e rightful King, to whom homage is to be have one ultimate end in view ; to meli orate the condition of man, and render his whole existence a blessing. The great ’'^gS’ogate O', nappiiness produced in the moral .system by the instrumentality of the various humane, benevolent, moral and religions societies of the world, is far beyond all human conception. Eter nity alone, can fully manifest how much misery has been prevented, and how will be surmounted, and the gorgeoips beauties of a splendid landscape, a.s de- paid on earth by man. Inactivity is notbing, but the sightless skeleton of sm, •stalking over blood stained graves. To one man is ;iven five talents, to lineated on the Masonic trestle-board i another two, and to another one IK- may be seen on the surrounding shore, j he that received five talents made other As oui mighty rivers are found to have Hive talents ? and has he that received lei) source in some tiny spn.-.g, rippling | two talents gained other two talents? or f.omKie green hills among some moun- have they both hid their talents in the r_, '"'rj tain fastness, so we find the origin of the river of Freemasonry, through Masonic traditfon, to have been among a clu.ster V 1 ■ ami now traditron, to have been amone . •• Ers..- In point of antiquity—and Mason.s al ways love this feature of their institu tion—intrinsic worth, and universal prev alenoe, the Masonic institution ranks first. The great antiquity and universal h..d.:; t:;,j ?.riT:? “i- ~ •' diaped has come down to ms, and the oral tra ditions which have been transmitted, unimpaired, to the present day. The intrinsic excellency, and great utility of our institution, in the thori^iigh and ac tive organization of the fr-aternitv Heavens, where each word, as^t wall‘‘"'OFShout the globe,‘is a“monurenTof breathed, sets its eternal seal and stands | B-self, which, judging the future bv the or in meridian brightness, in char- j is a monument which will exist nn- oeiso iving light. Should not such i ^'’-®t syllable of recorded time only a. t.jought in.spire us with a realization t° be gathered tin ami nlc.o-,i ,-J IJUU SUCH a. t-iought in,spire us with a realization ot our accountability to the Great I Am and make our lives in our transitory ex istence here, happier, better and purer? •And JvliHier crowned, or crownl.-ss wllen It matt(-r,.( not so Gods’ ivoi-K be done ” W e come to talk of Masonry, to Ma sons, — - 7 by a divine hand, and to have been per petuated for a good purpose, and that purpose we do not hesitate to say, is tlie search after light and truth. pamse, and echo answers truth—divine truth,’ and the answer comes back to us litre an inspiration, that this grand acme of hu man existence is only reached by that theological ladder which Jacob, in his vision saw extending from earth to heav en ; the three principle rounds of which are denominated, Faith, Hope and Char Ity; which admonishes ns to have faith in God, hope in immortality, and charity I to all mankind. Deeply impres-sed with these thoughts we pause to consider the fiitn-e. We see opening before as, broad fields ol labor to be cultivated by our bauds, and paths of usefulnes.s to be trod by the busy feet of the worker in the Masonic hive. There should be no drones among us- Masonic to be gathered up and clasped in the bosom of the great eternity. Be ouiT the task, in a bHef manner, to enumerate some of the reasons wh-this i-s so. Masonry is a voluntary organiza^ tion. Its members are brought together, ui iviasonry, to Ma- I ''®P^ together by the silken cords "f «nd we should prove recreant to I b''ot!i®''ly love. She admits none know- every trust, did we not say that by a full I into her folds, but such as come of ■111 fair exposition of our great leading ' unbiased free will and accord TH.ncipies, we betray no Masonic secrets. I ber votaries she requires none but these are safely locked in the repository * obligations which must be cheer- ot tauhful breasts, and can never be im- tendered. She extends her arms jarted^except in a constitutional man- | knowingly, except such as will tier. Kut It IS no secret that our tenets | ''ot *he erection of the are open to the criticisms of the world ' '®“P'®. which contrived in-Wis It IS no secret that we claim Masonrv to I ®®PP°tted by Strength, and adorn be ot divine origin. It is no secret that , Beautv. will be an honor to the the system embraces, and inculcates i "’tows around all such the evangelical truth. It is no secret that i'’®t loving protection. She uue hmmrt- o : watches over their interests, aids them I desire ®t®ty in.sam ;m their distresses, and symnathizps wJih L , '’®''’"died into an un ' wiicijio JM earth, because they believed that the lord of the household was a hard maste.y leaping -vhere he had not sown, and gathering where he had not strewn? ^ He that labors in Ike Masonic vine yard will receive his reward if he is faithful unto the end, but he must not be disappointed if the reward is not what he expects. The laborer.? in the vine yard who were employed at the eleventh hour, were j.aid a penny, as were those who had borne the heat and burden of the day. These last were permitted to enjoy the rew-ard for their labors, equal ly with those who had labored through out the day, as the blessed dews come without cost, and we might go still fur ther and say that in many cases, tlio.se who go not into the vineyard at all, are paid as much as those who labor from the dawn of day until the setting of the sun. Knowing this should we halt or hesitate in the discharge of the duties incumbent upon us? No! a thousand times 110 1 \Ye must he satisfied th.-.t we have done our duty to the letter, as well , . - XXX., ocoieu inaL I piuiec L-tiere is not a duty enjoined, nor a virtue ; over their interests, f sympathizes with! quenohablefla^rJh^i ere tl "b I ,".•-',7o, more en- will perceive them to be, deities neolelr n 1 H”'" >f the law. Having under- of 1 rid ' o “iT c X? i "'® obseoZuanr and ; plow, look nor, back until he shall have ^e Sle of . 'g-'® -“'-d the end of the furrow.” justly proud—a“n l’ f-,"’ remarks have been extended far the bn.Ael—Broth M ’'"®""o” "‘® outset, but I i'leal existence 'f"'H T”’ "®‘’''®'odea Masonic address to lltflies s\ r of our order. Masonry is a croses y’onr" n P Progressive science, and ncludes within desires and k r * “"'®"“®®ribe your 1 its circle almost every branch of polite due bounds, or the’spI,-l-^oT'°"' desire will soon be kindled int,o'’^s’"T ^ d'^'trations may appear . ■ J—wnn ' qiienohable flamo i- i , ‘”"‘”P°rtant; but the man of more en- tbem in their .sorrows | ^ P®^®®'^® ".eni to be, philosopher, or the mathematician, may
Masonic Journal (Greensboro, N.C.)
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July 7, 1876, edition 1
2
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