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Article LOOKING FORWARD. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article OUR ALTAR. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Looking Forward.
In recognition of his ' services daring the past 15 years as Secretary Bro . W . H . Lee has been presented by the members of the Dnke of Connaught Lodge with a
testimonial , consisting of a marble clock , and a gold bracelet for his wife . The presentation waa made at Anderton ' s Hotel on the occasion of the last meeting of the Lodge .
his widow , and simply hears his contribution announced as part of so many thousands of pounds received from London , or so many hundreds from one or other of the Provinces . True , he may know that
his name , and the particulars of his contribution will he recorded in the annual list printed by the particular Institution , but that means such a trifling matter of publicity as to be almost unworthy of notice . It would surprise many Masons to know how few copies
of those lists of subscribers are actually distributed , and it would not be far wrong to say that less than fifty copies are secured year by year for purposes other than organisation , either of Provincial Associations , or
for election canvassing . We must , then , dismiss all idea of personal vanity actuating the subscribers to the Charities , and look elsewhere for a more worthy motive . This we find in the knowledge which
follows from a contribution , —that of having done one s ' best to secure ease and comfort for others in distress ; and this it is which really provides the needful funds for the great work of charity carried on around us . Would this continue if the chance element in
connection with the Institutions was removed ? We think not ; and therefore anything like the adoption of the suggestion we have just referred to would lead to misfortune . Happily the flow from those who spring
up ready to assist in the continuance of the good work has not yet slackened , while the amounts they are able to contribute to the cause show equal signs of elasticity , and thus it is comparatively safe to » ¦ « Mi 1 All * I ' 11 11 _ 1 __ win tnen
leave tne mture in cnarge oi tnose wno oe in power , but in this connection we speak of the future aa some considerable time hence ; the future of a few months only must be provided for now , as bv the custom of the Institutions one great annual
appeal has to suffice for the whole twelvemonth , therefore any sympathy for the Benevolent Institution for 1891 should be shown during the few weeks which must elapse ere the Anniversary Festival is celebrated . We do not wish to imply that contributions
during other parts of the year will be out of place , but the Charities of the Craft are of such a nature as to virtually depend for the whole year on the sums raised at their respective Festivals , besides which , as soon as one Festival is disposed of another is looked forward , to and its claims are urged far and wide .
In the Benevolent Institution the Craft possesses a grand means of proving the truth of the sentiments expressed by Masons generally as to their desire to help their less fortunate fellows . Here is the method of dispensing assistance , every one of us has the desire
to give it , and let us hope there are sufficient among us with the means at hand to follow their desires so far as to enable the executive of the Charity to continue its operations in the future without let or hindrance . Our readers are aware of the large
number of annuities annually paid from this Fund , and a very little calculation shows us the enormous amount needed to keep the payments going . That they have been kept going in the past is a subject for great rejoicing , and that they may so continue in the future
is our most earnest wish . We nirtner nope it vnu not only be the wish of our readers that the payments may continue , but that several from among them will prove their sincerity by accepting Stewardships on behalf of the approaching Festival , or by assisting to support the Stewardships of their friends .
Ar00201
Tho TOWBB FcBmsHnro COMPAHI L IMUBD supply goods on Hire direct from Manufacturers ; one , two or three years' credit without security . Purchasers have the ohoice of 100 Wholesale Houses . Call or write for Prospectus . AddteB 8—Secretary , 43 Graat Tower Street , E . C .
Our Altar.
OUR ALTAR .
An Oration by Bro . Horace T . De Long , Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of Colorado .
PERHAPS in the whole history of the human famil y , checkered though that history has been , full of good md fnll of evil , full of noble deeds to counteract the influences of evil , there is no scene more beautiful , more replete with honest , earnest , innocent devotion—more suggestive of a life consecrated to the service of God—than
that of Noah , -who , after the vast waters of the Flood had dried up and the face of the earth had once more become habitable , came forth from the Ark , bringing with him his family , his sons and their families , all the beasts of the fiold , and all the birds of the air , together with every creep .
ing thing , and , as a token of his faith and love , immediatel y builded an altar npon which to offer sacrifices to the great I Am . It was the first altar ever erected , and from that day to this it has been considered a sacred place , a plaoe for the offering of sacrifices and the burning of incense
before God . It has come down to ns with all the bri ght halos of the past . We read that when the tabernacle in the wilderness was completed , the Lord spake unto Moses saying : " And thou sbalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering , and all his vessels , and sanctify the altar : and it
shall he an altar most holy . " When the temple waa completed , Solomon stood before the altar and stretched forth his bands in fervent prayer , and behold the glory of the Lord came and filled the whole house . Among the ancient heathen it was a place of ref age , and any criminal ,
without regard to the crime he had committed , was safe so long as he clung to its sacred horns . It is for the present to profit by the past ; Christian truth has overcome heathen superstition and tho vilest criminal may now receive pardon and absolution from bis crime at the holy altar of our risen Saviour .
Masonically it has many important uses . As around it we conduct the candidate , so around it we cluster the divine teachings of our Order ; as upon it we place the great lights , so npon it we offer the incense of pure and contrite heaTta ; as by its side we teach the novice to pray
for himself , so by its side we pray that our Heavenly Father will keep us firm and true to the solemn obligations we have taken . Surely the altar is one of tho most holy places within the tiled recesses of the Lodge ; remove it from the room with all its hallowed associations , and tho
gavel will have no power , the warrant of constitution will be empty and meaningless , while the order and harmony of the Craft will be turned into chaos and discord . It was Daniel Webster who , contemplating the conquests and vast extent of the British Empire , exclaimed : "She
has dotted the surface ot the whole globe with her possessions aud military posts , whose morning drum-beat , following the sun nud keeping company with the hours , circles the earth daily with one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England . " This i . s a beautiful
conception , and tersely expresses the truth that the government which has conquered by arms must hold ber millions in allegiance to her authority by the force of arms . But had Webster's master mind been contemplating the conquests of Masonry , and the vast extent of her empire ,
he could as truthfully have exclaimed : " She has taken the whole surface of the globe with her possessions , and her Bacred altar , at which all good Masons bow to offer up their adorations to Deity , following the sun at his meridian height , circles the earth daily with one continuous and
unbroken strain of praise and thanksgiving to the great " i Am . " This is a more beautiful conception , and expresses the truth that the Fraternity which has conquered by love can hold her millions upon millious in allegiance to ber authority by the magical force of that wonderful chain , brotherlv lovereliefand truth .
, , Second only to the first and fundamental principle of Freemasonry—a belief in God—is brotherly love . It heads the list of the three great tenets of a Mason ' s profession ; it is large enough to girdle the earth , broad enoug h to cover humanity , and grand enough to cause all our hearts
to beat as one . Brotherly love is not limited by tne n * " 111 / circle , nor by the social circle , nor by the fraternity circle ; but , reaching from pole to pole , it gathers in the whole human family ; the great and small , the high and low , the strong and weak ; it gathers in all races : yellow , red , black , and white ; it embraces every religion : the Hindoo
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Looking Forward.
In recognition of his ' services daring the past 15 years as Secretary Bro . W . H . Lee has been presented by the members of the Dnke of Connaught Lodge with a
testimonial , consisting of a marble clock , and a gold bracelet for his wife . The presentation waa made at Anderton ' s Hotel on the occasion of the last meeting of the Lodge .
his widow , and simply hears his contribution announced as part of so many thousands of pounds received from London , or so many hundreds from one or other of the Provinces . True , he may know that
his name , and the particulars of his contribution will he recorded in the annual list printed by the particular Institution , but that means such a trifling matter of publicity as to be almost unworthy of notice . It would surprise many Masons to know how few copies
of those lists of subscribers are actually distributed , and it would not be far wrong to say that less than fifty copies are secured year by year for purposes other than organisation , either of Provincial Associations , or
for election canvassing . We must , then , dismiss all idea of personal vanity actuating the subscribers to the Charities , and look elsewhere for a more worthy motive . This we find in the knowledge which
follows from a contribution , —that of having done one s ' best to secure ease and comfort for others in distress ; and this it is which really provides the needful funds for the great work of charity carried on around us . Would this continue if the chance element in
connection with the Institutions was removed ? We think not ; and therefore anything like the adoption of the suggestion we have just referred to would lead to misfortune . Happily the flow from those who spring
up ready to assist in the continuance of the good work has not yet slackened , while the amounts they are able to contribute to the cause show equal signs of elasticity , and thus it is comparatively safe to » ¦ « Mi 1 All * I ' 11 11 _ 1 __ win tnen
leave tne mture in cnarge oi tnose wno oe in power , but in this connection we speak of the future aa some considerable time hence ; the future of a few months only must be provided for now , as bv the custom of the Institutions one great annual
appeal has to suffice for the whole twelvemonth , therefore any sympathy for the Benevolent Institution for 1891 should be shown during the few weeks which must elapse ere the Anniversary Festival is celebrated . We do not wish to imply that contributions
during other parts of the year will be out of place , but the Charities of the Craft are of such a nature as to virtually depend for the whole year on the sums raised at their respective Festivals , besides which , as soon as one Festival is disposed of another is looked forward , to and its claims are urged far and wide .
In the Benevolent Institution the Craft possesses a grand means of proving the truth of the sentiments expressed by Masons generally as to their desire to help their less fortunate fellows . Here is the method of dispensing assistance , every one of us has the desire
to give it , and let us hope there are sufficient among us with the means at hand to follow their desires so far as to enable the executive of the Charity to continue its operations in the future without let or hindrance . Our readers are aware of the large
number of annuities annually paid from this Fund , and a very little calculation shows us the enormous amount needed to keep the payments going . That they have been kept going in the past is a subject for great rejoicing , and that they may so continue in the future
is our most earnest wish . We nirtner nope it vnu not only be the wish of our readers that the payments may continue , but that several from among them will prove their sincerity by accepting Stewardships on behalf of the approaching Festival , or by assisting to support the Stewardships of their friends .
Ar00201
Tho TOWBB FcBmsHnro COMPAHI L IMUBD supply goods on Hire direct from Manufacturers ; one , two or three years' credit without security . Purchasers have the ohoice of 100 Wholesale Houses . Call or write for Prospectus . AddteB 8—Secretary , 43 Graat Tower Street , E . C .
Our Altar.
OUR ALTAR .
An Oration by Bro . Horace T . De Long , Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of Colorado .
PERHAPS in the whole history of the human famil y , checkered though that history has been , full of good md fnll of evil , full of noble deeds to counteract the influences of evil , there is no scene more beautiful , more replete with honest , earnest , innocent devotion—more suggestive of a life consecrated to the service of God—than
that of Noah , -who , after the vast waters of the Flood had dried up and the face of the earth had once more become habitable , came forth from the Ark , bringing with him his family , his sons and their families , all the beasts of the fiold , and all the birds of the air , together with every creep .
ing thing , and , as a token of his faith and love , immediatel y builded an altar npon which to offer sacrifices to the great I Am . It was the first altar ever erected , and from that day to this it has been considered a sacred place , a plaoe for the offering of sacrifices and the burning of incense
before God . It has come down to ns with all the bri ght halos of the past . We read that when the tabernacle in the wilderness was completed , the Lord spake unto Moses saying : " And thou sbalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering , and all his vessels , and sanctify the altar : and it
shall he an altar most holy . " When the temple waa completed , Solomon stood before the altar and stretched forth his bands in fervent prayer , and behold the glory of the Lord came and filled the whole house . Among the ancient heathen it was a place of ref age , and any criminal ,
without regard to the crime he had committed , was safe so long as he clung to its sacred horns . It is for the present to profit by the past ; Christian truth has overcome heathen superstition and tho vilest criminal may now receive pardon and absolution from bis crime at the holy altar of our risen Saviour .
Masonically it has many important uses . As around it we conduct the candidate , so around it we cluster the divine teachings of our Order ; as upon it we place the great lights , so npon it we offer the incense of pure and contrite heaTta ; as by its side we teach the novice to pray
for himself , so by its side we pray that our Heavenly Father will keep us firm and true to the solemn obligations we have taken . Surely the altar is one of tho most holy places within the tiled recesses of the Lodge ; remove it from the room with all its hallowed associations , and tho
gavel will have no power , the warrant of constitution will be empty and meaningless , while the order and harmony of the Craft will be turned into chaos and discord . It was Daniel Webster who , contemplating the conquests and vast extent of the British Empire , exclaimed : "She
has dotted the surface ot the whole globe with her possessions aud military posts , whose morning drum-beat , following the sun nud keeping company with the hours , circles the earth daily with one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England . " This i . s a beautiful
conception , and tersely expresses the truth that the government which has conquered by arms must hold ber millions in allegiance to her authority by the force of arms . But had Webster's master mind been contemplating the conquests of Masonry , and the vast extent of her empire ,
he could as truthfully have exclaimed : " She has taken the whole surface of the globe with her possessions , and her Bacred altar , at which all good Masons bow to offer up their adorations to Deity , following the sun at his meridian height , circles the earth daily with one continuous and
unbroken strain of praise and thanksgiving to the great " i Am . " This is a more beautiful conception , and expresses the truth that the Fraternity which has conquered by love can hold her millions upon millious in allegiance to ber authority by the magical force of that wonderful chain , brotherlv lovereliefand truth .
, , Second only to the first and fundamental principle of Freemasonry—a belief in God—is brotherly love . It heads the list of the three great tenets of a Mason ' s profession ; it is large enough to girdle the earth , broad enoug h to cover humanity , and grand enough to cause all our hearts
to beat as one . Brotherly love is not limited by tne n * " 111 / circle , nor by the social circle , nor by the fraternity circle ; but , reaching from pole to pole , it gathers in the whole human family ; the great and small , the high and low , the strong and weak ; it gathers in all races : yellow , red , black , and white ; it embraces every religion : the Hindoo