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Article CORN, WINE AND OIL. ← Page 3 of 3 Article CORN, WINE AND OIL. Page 3 of 3 Article SO-CALLED WEBB'S WORK. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Corn, Wine And Oil.
of tho Corinthian , wo may nono tho less bo tho masterp iece of our kind . Let us , theD , receive tho rough ashlar of our nature , as furnished us from nature ' s quarry , uncut and unpolished , and form it into the perfect ashlar , which when tried by
the square will show no moral defect , will present no inequalities under the level , and which when tested by the plumb will bo found possessed of that uprightness and
rectitndo of conduct without which we are unfitted for " that spiritual building , that houso not made with hands , etornal in tho heavens . "
Tho ancients had a custom of pouring out liquors upon tho earth , or upon a sacrificial offering , in honour of or as a- propitiation to some of their deities , or as a libation to tho earth to invoke its fruitfulness . This custom , like
many other customs of ; our heathen ancestors , has been retained so far as the mere outward form is concerned , and is sometimes used by us , not for any supposed virtue in the means employed , not as an invocation , but simply as an emblem , to symbolize an idea .
You havo witnessed in tho ceremonials of laying the stone , tho act of pouring corn , wine and oil upon it . These emblems aro used in our Masonic rituals , to reprosent the idea of plenty , joy and gladness and peace .
Emblematically , they are not merely confined to the enterprise in hand , but havo a much broader and farther reaching significance . Tho act of scattering the corn is emblematic of the plonty which to-day abounds in our state
and nation . If we raiso our eyes and gaze abroad upon the fertile fields of Iowa , with their bountiful harvests , already assuming that golden hue which proclaims that the seed-timo has passed and that the harvest is here , upon
the immense fields of dark rich green corn , proclaiming alike the fertility of the soil and the favourableness of the weather , and upon tho vast herds of cattle converting the succulent grasses into the choicest beef and dairy products
in [ the world , wo feel that wo are indeed surrounded by plenty . When we reflect upon the fact that Iowa , young as she is , is rich in public buildings , with her elegant Capitol , her universities for those who seek for knowledge , her
asylums for tho unfortunate , and her penitentiaries for the evil disposed , and without a single dollar of indebtedness , we feel that tho material blessings of our State havo been rich and bounteous . When wo consider the wonderful
growth in tho material wealth of our nation , its inexhaustible recources and immense mercantile and manufacturing interests , we are convinced that our lot has been cast in a land where prosperity abounds . The libation of wine is emblematic of joy and gladness , and where is happiness to
be found if not in this our favoured land ? Here liberty has sought and found a home , here the oppressed of all nations come to bask in her smiles , and here no Czar rules to crush his people with the iron heel of tyranny . Freedom of thought and action , social equality , laws which give redress for the wrongs of all , and which all
must obey ; free educational institutions where the rich and poor alike may acquire knowledge ; freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience ; these are the agencies which advance and enlighten
mankind and consequently render him happier . The pouring out of the oil is symbolical of peace , and at no time in the world ' s history could the act have a greater or truer
significance . Not only are we at peace with all nations , but the angel of peace is spreading its wings over all lands . How long this condition may continue no human foresi ght can discern : but certain it is that there is a constant
growing tendency among all civilized nations to settle international difficulties by peaceable and intellectual agencies . The misunderstandings and difficulties between the
German and British Empires and the United States in their relations with the island of Samoa , now happily settled by a conference of the powers , would formerly have been deemed a sufficient reason for involving three great
nations in a long and bloody war . This growing tendency to settle all disputed questions of international policy and to adjust all matters of dispute between the nations by conferences and arbitrations is in keeping with our advancement in civilization .
War at best is brutal and barbarous , and tho tendency of our civilisation is to draw man away from those things which are brutal and barbarous . The savages look to
brute force as the only means to which they can resort to obtain redress for any grievances which they may have suffered at tho hands of a follow man . Tho civilised man
Corn, Wine And Oil.
usually , though not always , resorts to somo moro rational means to get his wrongs righted . It is , however , only in moments when the savage , in his nature which he has inherited from a remote ancestry , and
which centuries of training has not wholly eradicated , has for the time being control of his nature , that he resorts to brutal methods . Hence nations which are not wholly autocratic , partaking as they necessarily must of tho
nature of those who constitute its people , aro showing tho same tendency to adopt the more peaceable and rational method in the settlement of disputes which is to bo found among individuals . If our Christian civilisation continues
to advance , the day is not far distant when nations shall war no more , and when all conflicts shall be intellectual . When the day comes , what a burden of woe will be lifted from humanity ! It is appalling to think of ; the tears of
sympathy , pity and despair that have been made to fall from human eyes , the groans of bodily pain and physical suffering which have been forced from human lips , and the
sighs of more than moital anguish which have been wrung from human hearts by red-handed war . What a blessed day for humanity will be that whose rising sun shall smile down upon a universal and abiding peace !
Our nation has not yet fully recovered from the ravages of that awful storm of civil war which a few years ago swept over the land , leaving death and ruin in its path . The seams and scars to be found all over the land , tho
maimed and crippled remnants of a once perfect manhood which everywhere greet our gaze , and the desolate hearts all about us sighing out a clouded existence , remain as evidence of the woe and suffering brought upon tho
people of the nation by that dire calamity . But , thank God , we have many substantial reasons upon which to found the hope that the white-winged spirit of peace which now broods over our land will never again bo compelled to flee in terror from the fierce and bloody dragon of civil
war . With a land upon which the horn of plenty has boon so lavishly poured out , with a social structuro of tho highest order , with a government whoso Institutions worn
formed by tho sages who founded it , from the accumulated wisdom of all preceding ages , and with tho or . o design of contributing to the happiness of the people which it was to govern , with the sweet spirit of peace and Brotherly Love
pervading all the people of the nation , and all tho nations of the earth , how fraught with meaning has been the act of pouring out the corn , wine and oil , emblems of plenty ,
happiness and peace—a triple blessing—which , let . ns trust will ever remain to gladden tho hearts of the sons and daughters of America . —Voice of Masonry .
So-Called Webb's Work.
SO-CALLED WEBB'S WORK .
BRO . A . T . PIERSON . of Minnesota , says :- " The American system of lectures was gotten up and arranged by Snow , Hammer , Fowle , Webb , Nyo , &<\ At
the time Webb had been a Mason but three or four years , but as he published a Monitor , and was most active in disseminating the new lectures , the system received the name ' Webb Work . ' " Preston arranged the lectures into six sections in the first degree , four in the second , and twelve in the third . Whoever heard of the term Preston-Webb until
it was used to push the fortunes of some lithographic sheets , and afterwards of mnemonics ? With equal propriety the term ' Hutchinson-Webb , ' or ' Dunckerly-Webb , ' or ' Martin Clare-Webb' might be used , as each of them arranged a system of lectures before Preston did .
" Webb taught the system to Gleason , Oushman , Wadsworth , Enos , Cross , & c , who went about tho country on lecturing tours . Each had certificates from Webb , but each differed in language , as Webb did
himself ; but the work was the same , and that was the object of Webb's Monitor , to introduce a uniformity in ceremonial or work , which was happily accomplished , and for which the memory of Thomas Smith Webb deserves more credit than that of either of his coadjutors .
" Masonic lessons are to-day taught all over the country by symbols that Webb knew nothing about , no ' aMy . ilir weeping virgin , introduced by Nye through Cross , lin-t published in Cross ' s Hioroglyphical Chart , in 1810 .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Corn, Wine And Oil.
of tho Corinthian , wo may nono tho less bo tho masterp iece of our kind . Let us , theD , receive tho rough ashlar of our nature , as furnished us from nature ' s quarry , uncut and unpolished , and form it into the perfect ashlar , which when tried by
the square will show no moral defect , will present no inequalities under the level , and which when tested by the plumb will bo found possessed of that uprightness and
rectitndo of conduct without which we are unfitted for " that spiritual building , that houso not made with hands , etornal in tho heavens . "
Tho ancients had a custom of pouring out liquors upon tho earth , or upon a sacrificial offering , in honour of or as a- propitiation to some of their deities , or as a libation to tho earth to invoke its fruitfulness . This custom , like
many other customs of ; our heathen ancestors , has been retained so far as the mere outward form is concerned , and is sometimes used by us , not for any supposed virtue in the means employed , not as an invocation , but simply as an emblem , to symbolize an idea .
You havo witnessed in tho ceremonials of laying the stone , tho act of pouring corn , wine and oil upon it . These emblems aro used in our Masonic rituals , to reprosent the idea of plenty , joy and gladness and peace .
Emblematically , they are not merely confined to the enterprise in hand , but havo a much broader and farther reaching significance . Tho act of scattering the corn is emblematic of the plonty which to-day abounds in our state
and nation . If we raiso our eyes and gaze abroad upon the fertile fields of Iowa , with their bountiful harvests , already assuming that golden hue which proclaims that the seed-timo has passed and that the harvest is here , upon
the immense fields of dark rich green corn , proclaiming alike the fertility of the soil and the favourableness of the weather , and upon tho vast herds of cattle converting the succulent grasses into the choicest beef and dairy products
in [ the world , wo feel that wo are indeed surrounded by plenty . When we reflect upon the fact that Iowa , young as she is , is rich in public buildings , with her elegant Capitol , her universities for those who seek for knowledge , her
asylums for tho unfortunate , and her penitentiaries for the evil disposed , and without a single dollar of indebtedness , we feel that tho material blessings of our State havo been rich and bounteous . When wo consider the wonderful
growth in tho material wealth of our nation , its inexhaustible recources and immense mercantile and manufacturing interests , we are convinced that our lot has been cast in a land where prosperity abounds . The libation of wine is emblematic of joy and gladness , and where is happiness to
be found if not in this our favoured land ? Here liberty has sought and found a home , here the oppressed of all nations come to bask in her smiles , and here no Czar rules to crush his people with the iron heel of tyranny . Freedom of thought and action , social equality , laws which give redress for the wrongs of all , and which all
must obey ; free educational institutions where the rich and poor alike may acquire knowledge ; freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience ; these are the agencies which advance and enlighten
mankind and consequently render him happier . The pouring out of the oil is symbolical of peace , and at no time in the world ' s history could the act have a greater or truer
significance . Not only are we at peace with all nations , but the angel of peace is spreading its wings over all lands . How long this condition may continue no human foresi ght can discern : but certain it is that there is a constant
growing tendency among all civilized nations to settle international difficulties by peaceable and intellectual agencies . The misunderstandings and difficulties between the
German and British Empires and the United States in their relations with the island of Samoa , now happily settled by a conference of the powers , would formerly have been deemed a sufficient reason for involving three great
nations in a long and bloody war . This growing tendency to settle all disputed questions of international policy and to adjust all matters of dispute between the nations by conferences and arbitrations is in keeping with our advancement in civilization .
War at best is brutal and barbarous , and tho tendency of our civilisation is to draw man away from those things which are brutal and barbarous . The savages look to
brute force as the only means to which they can resort to obtain redress for any grievances which they may have suffered at tho hands of a follow man . Tho civilised man
Corn, Wine And Oil.
usually , though not always , resorts to somo moro rational means to get his wrongs righted . It is , however , only in moments when the savage , in his nature which he has inherited from a remote ancestry , and
which centuries of training has not wholly eradicated , has for the time being control of his nature , that he resorts to brutal methods . Hence nations which are not wholly autocratic , partaking as they necessarily must of tho
nature of those who constitute its people , aro showing tho same tendency to adopt the more peaceable and rational method in the settlement of disputes which is to bo found among individuals . If our Christian civilisation continues
to advance , the day is not far distant when nations shall war no more , and when all conflicts shall be intellectual . When the day comes , what a burden of woe will be lifted from humanity ! It is appalling to think of ; the tears of
sympathy , pity and despair that have been made to fall from human eyes , the groans of bodily pain and physical suffering which have been forced from human lips , and the
sighs of more than moital anguish which have been wrung from human hearts by red-handed war . What a blessed day for humanity will be that whose rising sun shall smile down upon a universal and abiding peace !
Our nation has not yet fully recovered from the ravages of that awful storm of civil war which a few years ago swept over the land , leaving death and ruin in its path . The seams and scars to be found all over the land , tho
maimed and crippled remnants of a once perfect manhood which everywhere greet our gaze , and the desolate hearts all about us sighing out a clouded existence , remain as evidence of the woe and suffering brought upon tho
people of the nation by that dire calamity . But , thank God , we have many substantial reasons upon which to found the hope that the white-winged spirit of peace which now broods over our land will never again bo compelled to flee in terror from the fierce and bloody dragon of civil
war . With a land upon which the horn of plenty has boon so lavishly poured out , with a social structuro of tho highest order , with a government whoso Institutions worn
formed by tho sages who founded it , from the accumulated wisdom of all preceding ages , and with tho or . o design of contributing to the happiness of the people which it was to govern , with the sweet spirit of peace and Brotherly Love
pervading all the people of the nation , and all tho nations of the earth , how fraught with meaning has been the act of pouring out the corn , wine and oil , emblems of plenty ,
happiness and peace—a triple blessing—which , let . ns trust will ever remain to gladden tho hearts of the sons and daughters of America . —Voice of Masonry .
So-Called Webb's Work.
SO-CALLED WEBB'S WORK .
BRO . A . T . PIERSON . of Minnesota , says :- " The American system of lectures was gotten up and arranged by Snow , Hammer , Fowle , Webb , Nyo , &<\ At
the time Webb had been a Mason but three or four years , but as he published a Monitor , and was most active in disseminating the new lectures , the system received the name ' Webb Work . ' " Preston arranged the lectures into six sections in the first degree , four in the second , and twelve in the third . Whoever heard of the term Preston-Webb until
it was used to push the fortunes of some lithographic sheets , and afterwards of mnemonics ? With equal propriety the term ' Hutchinson-Webb , ' or ' Dunckerly-Webb , ' or ' Martin Clare-Webb' might be used , as each of them arranged a system of lectures before Preston did .
" Webb taught the system to Gleason , Oushman , Wadsworth , Enos , Cross , & c , who went about tho country on lecturing tours . Each had certificates from Webb , but each differed in language , as Webb did
himself ; but the work was the same , and that was the object of Webb's Monitor , to introduce a uniformity in ceremonial or work , which was happily accomplished , and for which the memory of Thomas Smith Webb deserves more credit than that of either of his coadjutors .
" Masonic lessons are to-day taught all over the country by symbols that Webb knew nothing about , no ' aMy . ilir weeping virgin , introduced by Nye through Cross , lin-t published in Cross ' s Hioroglyphical Chart , in 1810 .