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THE MASONIC JOURNAL
THE MA.S0HIC JOURNAL
GREENSBORO, N. C.
Friday, July 28, I876.
E, A, WILSON, Editor & Proprietor
TERMS :
1 copy One Year - - - $ 3 00
1. copy Six Months - . . ] 00
8@“ No dub ratcs.“©a
Any person sending us 5 or more year
ly subscriptions, with the CASU, will re
ceive the paper one year free of charge.
Unless renewed, all papers will be
promptly stopped at the expiration of the
term of subscription, of which due notice
will be yiven by a cross X marie.
Canvassing Agents:
W. E. Edwards, Elmnwood Lodge, 346
•f. B. Davis, Greensboro Lodge, 76.
Our Commissioned Canvassing Agents are
authorized to receive and receipt for sub-
* Bcriptions and ad/ertising.
Local Agents tvill luive their subscriptions
receipted from this office.
Corro.spondcialH desiriug a rei)ly ciu-st enclose a
btamp for return Postage, and a 11 matter desired to be
aoeu only by the Editor sliould be marked “Private’’
on tbo lower left-hand corner of the envelope.
r flow Corrupting are these degener
ate times ! And we fear that the, Presa
of the country is not a whit better than
the people it seeks to instruct and lead.
Particularly does this appear from the
loose, vulgar manner in which some of
the secular papers attempt to play upon
Scripture quotations. We have no lan
guage too severe any oneor who will be
so thoughtless as to use the sacred Ian "
guage of God’s word for the purpose of
playing smart and pleasing his silly read
ers.
Thk Masonic Jocrn.al iviiich is published
,at Greensboro is worth}-of our support It
is ably edited, possesses a liigh degree of mer
it and contains, besides Masonic Literature,
well selected matter whicii is calculated to
make its visits desirable ard instructive.
Tho,s. S Kenan,
Grand High Priest.
The. enterprise ought to succeed. 4Ve need
means whereby a more general Masonic com-
municatio'. may be liatl: a means for the more
,general diffii.sion of .Masonic intelligence.
I liope every Mason will take the Journ.al
—eiery Lodge endorse it, and at once make
it the Organ of Masonry in North Carolina.
iVith siicli encouragement and support I am
satisfied you can make it of incalculable worth
to the FruterniUj. Gko. \V. Bluunt,
Grand Master.
All of which is endorsed by “®a
ly the Grand Lodge and Grand“®a
Chapter,
Wanted.—We want active, reliable
Agents in every county in the South to
canvass for the Journal, to whom a
liberal commission will be paid. An en
dorsement as to reliability, under seal of
the Lodge, is desired. An immediate
application will secure choice of territory.
Send stamp for reply.
Plain Duty.
An exchange informs us that the
‘Grand Orient of Fr.rnee nas given formal
recognition to the Grand Lodges of col
ored Masons, so called, in Ohio and Mis
souri.”
In point of duty this “formal recog
nition” makes it plain sailing for us in
the United States, especially in the
South. From henceforth all owing al-
legienoe to the Grand Orient of France
must share the fate of non-recognition by
ail regular Masons in Ame.'-ioa, and in
examining French Masons it must be
ascertained if they belong to the Grand
Orient, which formally recognizing
American clandestine Lodges debars all
under its jurisdiction from recognition by
all regular Amer can Lodge.s,
Of course, in North Caiolina we have
no trouble on this score, our Grand Lodge
having long since refused to recognize
the Grand Orient, for gro.ss ii regularities,
and we hope every American Grand
Lodge will so act, not only to the Grand
Orient of France but every other Grand
Body that chooses to affiliate with cian-
de.stine Masons. We will not recognize
any man who hails from any Grand ju
risdiction so acting.
A RECENT VISIT to the Cape Fear oouns |
try and along the line of the Carolina I
Central, Western, and Raleigh & Augusta !
Roads showed splendid crops of corn and |
cotton, though, unfortunately there is
vastly more cotton than corn and less
small grain than either. We were not
very favorably impressed with the coun
try, though it has many redeeming qual
ities and the people showed themselves
uniformly kind. As a rule the hotels are
poor but they never forget how to charge.
We received many special kindnesses
from the Brethren for which, thanks.
Fayetteville, a beautiful old town, has
many fine buildings but does not show
many signs of improvement. Here is
the best arranged and located market
house in the State. We might say much
of this country but space forbids.
A Legal Summons.
DIED,—We regret to learn from the
Louisburg Courier of the death of Bro.
Jos. J. Harper, of Franklinton Lodge,
No. 123, Franklinton, in the V8th year
of his age. He was one of the charter
members of Franklinton Lodge, and
though a resident of Louisburg for 45
years, his Lodge held him in such high
esteem that they would not consent for
him to change his membership. The
UoMne?'says “he was a good and pious
man, and has gone to reap bis reward in
tlmt bright and better land beyond the
River.”
The Orphans.
The Masonic Eclectic is the title of a
new Masonic Monthly Magazine started
in Washington City, No, 1, for May hav
ing just reached us. As its name indi
cates it is a wi.se gleaner of valuable Ma-
oonio Matter which is presented in attract
iveform. Bro. G. H. Ramey is the edi
tor and publisher, and its price $2 per
year. We welcome it to our exchange
list.
We received a letter, too late for last
w-eeba issue, from a Charlotte Brother in
forming us that a scoundrel has been
fleecing the craft in that city. The let
ter says he represents himself a member
of De Molay Comd. No. 4, Key West Fla.
and has a Diploma to that effect, gotten
up in good style and regularly filled up
and signed and sealed by the proper offi
cers—when there is no such Comd, in
existence. He also claims to be a mem
ber of Pentalpha Jjodge, No, 23, of the
same town. He no doubt is a first-class
beat and we ask our exchanges to aid us
in handing him around “lightly.” He
paid his re.spec{s to Greensboro, but found
llie Craft here hadn’t much respect for a
fraud.
Friends, don t forget the orphans.
Notwithstanding the press of hard ‘times,
the lag of business and gloomy outlook
don t forget the imperative claims of
these liitle ones to our support. Their
necessities are never failing, and are de
pendent upon the public contributions
fdi their daily bread ; to meet which, if
the contributions aie regular and punc
tual, and from alludw can give, it will be
sufficient to keep the Institution moving
and the orphans from want.
Already our Asylum has become a
j subject of comment all over the country,
I and other States are following our exam-
i pie by establishing similar Institutions
j for their own orphaned poor. In many
I of the States they have Legislative aid,
I while here we are dependent upon vol-
untary donations for carrying on our
j work. But let ns not fear or grow wea
ry,—“large streams from little fountains
: flow,” and by afZ joining their mites, reg-
I ularly, a sufficiency can be secured for
carrying on the work. In the absence
: of money make up boxes of provisions,
clothing and other household neoeissaries
and send them on. Let every section of
I the State do its whole duty for this great '
i work.
A few weeks since we discussed this
subject, referring particularly to the
great indifference that is attached to this
important document by many who pro
claim themselves Masons. But there are
always two sides to every question, and
this comes under the rule.
We are strong advocates of obedience
to law, and when a Brother wilfully vi
olates it let him pay the penalty. A le
gal summons is one of the most solemn
and important documents that issues by
Masonic authority and is not to be light
ly esteemed or disregarded by any, and
hence every good and prudent Master
will be exceedingly careful not to abuse
this important power delegated to him by
virtue of his office. But that it is abused,
and grossly so, \v-i are convinced, and we
pen this with the hope that we may
induce greater prudence in the future.
A legal summons is a very important
and necessary document in certain cases,
and when issued, under the great seal of
the Lodge no good Maso-i will dare to
disregard it. But the continual abuse
of this power often leads to disgust ami
contempt of authority, .and causes more
harm to the Lodge than it can be possible
for it to cure. To show the force of this
it is only necessary to .state that we have
known more than one Master whose
weekly habit was to summon all mem
bers of his Lodge to every regular meet
ing, and only for the purpose of having a
full attendance. This of course brought
perpetual trouble to the Lodge and great
dissatisfaction to the members, causing
many to choose the less evil of dimitting
as a means of riddance from such perpet
ual annoyance and inconvenience.
We deprecate all this, and suggest the
better course of making the meetings
more interesting, and consequently at
tractive. As a rule, the brethien ab
sent themselves because of a lack of in
terest and attract)vene.ss to draw them to
the meetings. Ofttimes they go there
with an earnest purpose to promote Ma
sonry, but only to hear the same old song
of complaints that have so long obtained,
and they are disheaVtened and di,scour.-
aged until a summons is barely sufficient
to bring them out.
Let all such death-dealing abuse of
power cease ; lei the Masters learn more
prudence and the Brethren more ready
obedience, and let all strive to create a
more lively interest in Ma.sonry and in
the Lodge meetings and a punctual and
full attendance will never be lacking.
When there is no work to do in the de
grees let the Master, or some competent
Brother, have some subject for discus.
Sion pertaining to Masonry and its mani-
fo d pnncj^ple., and works and an interest
will ,=oon bui d up and the Master will I
soon enjoy the satisfaction of seeing all i
hismembers pvomptly in their places at i
every hour lor meeting. Try it, Breth- I
Again we ask our exchanges in copy
ing from this paper, or referring to it ed
itorialiy or otherwise, to please do u.,the
kindness to write it Qreenshoro, A. C
Masonic Journa.l. We request 'thi'
more particularly because there is annth.
er Masonic Journal ]nst started at Louis
vi-Ile, Ky., and unless the discrimination
is made as we request confusion and in.
justice to both is sure to be the result
We regret the possibility of the confu-
sion but as there is another paper, and a
good one, too, sailing under our bMutifu!
nomenclature all mishaps may be avoid."
edby writing the location when referring
to either paper. °
Renew!—The time of many of those
who subscribed for the Journal for six
month.s has expired, and others are fall
ing due each week. We have notified
quite a number and are doing so each
week as they fall due, (see blue X) and
we earnestly urge all to renexo promptly
so that the Journal may not only retain
all its old friends but be the better ableto
please the constantly increasing number
of new ones. Stick to us. Brethren, and
keep your subscriptions promptly jiaid
and we’ll try to give you a paper in
return.
We recently sentout circulars to o\ir
older subscribers urging their aid and eo-
operatioD iu behalf of the Journal, to
which a few Lave nobly responded wbilp
the others as yet have not done so. The
few who have r esponded have alsosent
us words of cheer assuring us that they
will do all they can to increase our circu
lation and extend the usefulness of the
paper. Will not each one try at least to
send ua miemm^e subscriler and at once
put the Journal on a basis of success.^
We ask this of you Brethren, with the as
surance that you can, and the hope that
you will promptly respond. Please let
us hear from vou.
The youth of every generation bewail
, the evil of their times, and think the'-
have fallen upon the wor.st period of the
world’s history. Their fathers c\nmt
recall a period that was better than the
present, and envy the good lot of their
sons whose lots have been cast in more
auspicious times than theirs. To youth,
the present seems to present more evi
dences of rnen’s dishonesty, greater dis-.
regard of human life, more corruption in
politics and religion, more selfishness, and
less of everything admirable in man and
woman; to the man of three score and
ten, the present is but a repetition of
scenes that have passed a many titues
before bis eyes ; he sees iniquity stalk
through the world, but not more hideous
in aspect than some two score years
agone ; if the men and women of this day
are not virtuous and honorable, neither
were they of fifty years ago; some then
were chaste and honest; so are they now ;
and to his exper.enced mind the advan
tages in all things pertaining to comfort
and happiness are decidedly in favor of
the present as against the former timefi.
And so we go on from generation to gen^
eration, and the youth of to-day, who be
wails the times as worse than his graiid*
sire 3, will in the future years offer the
same consolation to his children and their
children that is now given to him.—
Tjoulsville J\fcisonic Jouriicil.
ren.
Gen Albert Pike, the Sovereign Grand
Commander of A. & A, Scottish Rite for
the Southern jurisdiction, having been
invited to visit the Pacific coast, left for
f^an Francisco on Thursday, June the
29th, He will probably remain wdthi'i
the State.s bordering on the Pacific for
two or three months visitng the various
bodies of which he is officially the grand
head.