THE MASONIC JOURNAL
[From the New York Square '
WHY? '
BY BABB.UIA VAUGHN.
liaby, darling baby,
Car.st thou toll me why,
Angelic smiltjs flit o’er thy face
And beauty lights thine eye?
While close beside a little waif
With crippled form for ayn
Is asking alms from door to door,
Hunger to satisfy?
Maiden, gentle maiden,
C'aiist thou tell me why
Gold ami laud at tliy command
Eacli wish should giaitify?
While there in yonder liovel,
A mother pale and gaunt.
Is broideriug flowers through weary liours,
Tliat loved ones may not want?
Lady, stately lady,
lu bridal robes so gay,
Ganst tell me wliy siieli bappiness
Should be for thee this day?
While one so grave and .sorrowing
■\Vith fearful eyes doth kneel,
Imploring Him who kuoweth why
Her anguished heart to hetJ?
Xo, mortal can not answer,
Not child, nor maiden proud:
But, by and by, a home on high
Will lift tile darkest eloml:
And, then in sptoless raiment white
Each form arrayed shall he.
Then all will know tl;e cross wtis borne
Eor imiiiertality.
Masonic Narrow-Mindedness.
We all of us sadly -neraember, and as
sadly experience lay by day, amid the
care.s which liarrass, or the treacheries
which betray, how mast imperfect and
disappointiug everything is of earth.
For some reason or ether it is a truth,
hoivever which we hardly like to realize.
And yet too surely and too plainly it is
•so. Often like children with their lairy
tales, w'e surround our ‘'Chateeux en As
jiagne,'’ and all the adjacent country with
glowing shadows, with a roseate hue.
All is fair .and pleasant Co the sight; we
listen to the voices of songsters which fill
the fairy groves we inhale the perfume
of odorous flowers which lift up their
heads in many a gay pcorteire. All is
full to us of life aad light, and brightness
and bloom, tlieie seems to he for us no
possible change, there loom for us no
dark clouds in the distant horizon.
Alas, in the earlj'dawn the shadows have
been swept away -while the dew is on the
grass, and the gray tints around us warn
us of the approach of day. The fairy
fabric has ortimWed into nothingness,
gone from us forever, and no trace of it
remains. We see nothing but the misty
and dingy moorland before our very
eye.s. Life has indeed come to us with,
its trials in the family, its worries abroad,
its public annoyances, and it,s private
griels, and we most of us have a ghost in
the cupboard which we lock up, as wa
think, safely at home. Such is the
world for us and ours in which we live
to-day, and such will it, such must it, be
always here. Neither time, nor chance,
nor civilization, nor education, nor pub
lic opinion, nor anything else, can eliect
noi alter this way of the world. Such as
it has been, such it is, a nd such it will be
until this earth of ours ha.s fulfilled its
weird, and its pomp and pleasures, and
show and sorrows, all are forgotten
among the things which were, in a ’Tong
ago,” never to return.. Now’, amid some
of the imperfections of this earthly lot of
ours, some of the ^'peiites '/nis&i’es delavie
humaine^’ narrow mindedness is, though,
very prevalent, most annoying. We see
it in many ways and things, and it al
ways appears to-us the veriest parody
alike on our professions of humanity, our
claims for sympathy, and our ‘'outcome
of civilization. As a general ruie, nai-
row minded people—and we know a
‘‘bonny lot ’ of them—are the greatest of
bores. To use a familiar expression, they
never‘‘look beyond their noses,” and
most ungenial companions andunsympa-
tkizing associates they are. They tiy
and judge everything here by the one un
failing standard of their own narrow
mindedness, which is simply the subli
mation of the personal ergo, the embodi
ment of contracted selfishness, in opinion,
in policy and in practice. Nothing here
now seems to go down with them which
does not accord with their canon of su
preme and overpowering narrow mind
edness. Their rule of life, their expres
sion of opinion, is alway.s consistent in
this respect. They will not look beyond
the narrow “limits” of their own subjec
tive sympathies, and consequence is, that
on all occasions, put lie or private, they
betray a narrow' mindeduess which is
most conspicuous, which almost al
ways leads to pettiness .of aim, and
seems to sanction grovelling motives of
actioi.; and is fashioned into exclusive
ness and pharasaim, and ends in callous
ness and intolerance. We have met
many narrow minded persons in our life,
and hopeless and impractical they are in
every relation of earth. They stop all
improvements, they resist all reforms,
they are obstructions, A. 1. copper bot
tomed at Lloyd’s, (see the log of the
Water Lilly), and everything has to be
meted out and regulated on secondary
principles according to their narrow
minded view of things, persons and
events. Most bard, intolerent, and un-’
sympathetic they ever are. They al
ways prove themselves narrow minded
by their narrow miudedness, whether in
the “Forum” or in matters of business,
surrounded by a family circle, or taking
part in the affairs of men. Now’ narrow
mindedness in Freemasonry would seem
impossible, and yet, even in Freemasonry
and among Freemasori.s, it can be found.
It is straiif’s that it should be so, but so
it is, though most inconsistent with the
enlarged principle of thought and prac
tice we Freemasons profess before men.
There are many Freemasons who look on
Freemasonry, not as a means to a great
end, high aims, and noble effects, but as
a means to itself, a means for themselves.
Thev boldly avow a narrow minded opin
ion in all such matters. Freemasonry
was intended for Freemasons; Freema
sonry was not intended for the many,
but for the few ; Freemasonry ought to
keep its good things for its own members;
FreemasQiiry is not meant to be too
elevated, either in teaching or practice.
For them, all appeals, either to first prin
ciples or more sympathetic aspirations,
is looked upon as moonshine and hum
bug.
Freemasonry is only to be valued for
what it is to them. It has pleasant gath
erings, good bajiquets, agreable reunions,
a certain amount of charitable activity,
but not too much, all is aS well as can
be, what more does anyone w'ant? Well
we certainly always prefer “optimists”
to “pessimists” in this life, but we object
very much to that far too common view
of matters, which, in its own narrow’-
mindedness, condemns the effort* a’ld
i longings of those who believing in Free-
ma.sonry, seek to raise it to the proper
I sense and discharge of its goodly mission.
Of course if Freemasons do not believe in
j .Freemasonry ‘‘cadit qzicesiio,” you can do
\ nothing with them. They are too narrow'
i to bear the light, they will never admit
that they are in the wrong, or never move
I out of their “jog trot.' For them Freema-
' sonry means something quite different
i from w’hat it means to the ardent and the
Aarnest, but so it is, and nothing anyone
I can say will mend matters, or change the
I situation. We always deplore nairow
mindedness in things Masonic, because
Freemasonry is lo us the epitome of all
th-at is liberal, tolerant, large hearted and
generous. It condemns with no uncer
tain voice the hateful differences and the
petty disputes which often warp the
minds and conscience of living men until
they become narrow minded, bigoted, in
tolerant, persecuting, unbelieving in their
time and generation, Freemasonry
would inculcate a higher morality and
unfold a nobler lore. It would lead us
all, be w’ho we may, to uphold the right
and maintain the true, not in narrow’
minded persecutors, but because they are
to us simply the right and the true. Free
masonry would tell us all “be just and
fear not,” never alloy the tumult of pas
sion, or the violence of party, to blind
your eyes to what is good and true
in others, to the nobler and more exalt
ing sentiments of oar warring humanity.
Above all, do not be narrow minded.
Freemasonry would urge you to take a
large liberal, enlightened view of men
and things, and never by word or action,
as Freemasons proclaim to anyone that
your governing rule of life is narrow
mindedness which nothing can enlarge, a
groveling idea of Freemasonry itself
which is fatal to your every profession as
a Freemason, and is destructive of the
great and glorious principles of our tol
erant and enlightened Brotherhood.
of his village w’as from its weakness, for
many years without a settled pastor, he
made a point of inviting all the ministers
wh-j preached for them from week to
week, and all who visited the neighbor
hood, to make his house their home, that
his growing up sons might be interested
and instructed by their intelligent con
versation, And to the influence thus
exerted and felt, and to the influence
also of a good religious paper which
every week came to that family, one of
those sons were more indebted than to
all other causes, for the love of intelli-
gence and improvement, W’hich made
them what they have been—leaders in
the councils of their State and of the na
tion.
For more than a quarter of a century
the writer has seen in his ow’n family,
and in the families of many of his friends,
the high value and con.stant influence for
good of a weekly religious paper. And
both from exiierienoe and observation, as
well as from facts like those above men
tioned, he would earnestly say to every
parent and every head of a household,
see to it that your family is blessed with
the weekly visits of a good religious
paper.— Yorkvilk AJnquirer.
A ¥/ord for Parents.
Some thirty years ago, a youg couple,
just married, were about leaving their
parental homes to begin housekeeping,
for themselves. As they were departing,
many a kind word was spoken, and not
a little advice was given them by friends,
one of whom, Deacon B , sai-t;
“Two things let me say to you ; Always
be found in the house of God on the Sab
bath ; and, next to the Bible, always
have in your house a good religious pa-
per.”
Good council, as we all know, too of
ten goes in at one ear and out at the oth
er. But both these items of advice I am
glad to say, were remembered and heeded.
The new family prospered. After a
time the young husband and wife both
became members of the church, and were
active and useful in it. And as the years
rolled on they were blessed with four
lovely and healthy children, who as they
up, were the joy of their parents, and
respected and loved by all who knew
them, and all four were consistent fol
lowers of the Saviour.
To a friend who but lately . spoke to
him of his family, the intelligent father
and head of it said : “Fora large part
of onr blessings as a family we are in
debted to that parting council of Deacon
B ; not only for his saying, ‘Be
always at church,’ but for bis advice,
‘that we should take a good religious pa
per.’ For,” he added, “I have constant.
]y felt the good of that paper on myself,
and have seen its steady and growing in
fluence for good on mv children, every
week, giving them inform.atioii on so
many important subjects, leading them
to thoughtfulness, intelligence and fond
ness for substantial reading, and above
all, pressing on them the lessons of sound
morality and true religion. For fifty
times its cost I would not lose the weekly
visits of that paper in my family”
These facts, and his remarks, are oomn
mended to the oonsiderati.on of every
parent and head of a household. And as
' further impressing them, another fact
I may he added. Of three of the distin
I guished men of our land, who grew up in
j New England, but whose names are
everywhere known, it is said that their
father was only able to give them a com
mon school education, But as the church
A Sensible Dog.
Here is an anecdote with a sharp mor
al that comes to us all the way from
Australia: Sixty years ago, w’hen I was
a teacher, in Kilancum parish, says John
Fraser, I was using whiskey bitters for
my stomach’s sake. One day I dipped a
piece of cake in if, and gave it to the dog.
he grudgingly a,te it curling up his lips
to avoid the taste. Ere long he became
tipsy—he howled most piteously, and
unnaturally looked up into my face as if
for hel)). He began to stagger and fall
like a drunken man. The appearance of
his face and eyes were extraordinary !
he lay on the floor and howled until the
effects of the drink wore off. This was
supreme folly—it was wicked. The dog
never forgot the trick. Whenever
afterward when I went to the press for
the bottle, he hastened to the outside of
the house. One day the door being shut,
he sprang at one bolt through a pane of
glass, to get outside. So much for the
wisdom of the dog—infinitely surpassing
foolish drinking men.
Beautiful Tboughts.
Have not thy cloak to make when it
begins to rain.
There is a long and wearisome step be
tween admiration and imitation.
The touchstone by which men try us is
most often their own vanity.
Little drops of rain brigthen the mead-'
ows, and little acts of kindness brighten
the world.
To make the most of the good and the
least of the evil of life is the best philoso
phy of life.
He that cannot forgive others breaks
the briilge over which he must certainly
pass.
The very hope of heaven under trouble
is like the wind ar.il sails to the ship.
The afflictions of this life are neither
too numerous nor too sharp. Much rust
requireth a rough file.
Faith evermore overlooks the difficul
ties of the way, aud bends her eyes only
to the certainty of the end.
Every flower in the heavenly garden
will be turned Godward, bathing its
tints of loveliness in the glory that ex-
celleth.
God breaks the cistern to bring us the
j fountain. He withers our gourds, that
j he himself may be our shade.
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