Masonry In America.

MASONRY IN AMERICA .

SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF OLIVE BRANCH LODGE , LEROY , N . Y . . ( Continued front page 374 . } "It is natural in an age like the present , when invention and discovery are constantly opening new sources of enterprise and revolutionising almost everything connected with the modes of labour , of learning , and of pleasure , that we should become intoxicated by the splendid pageant and heed but slightly the conserving influences of

old principles . Whatever , therefore , in the social order of things may tend to modify the extravagant excesses of such a tendency in the public mind must ever he a healthful element in the constitution of society . It is this quality of Freemasonry which makes its secret power a public blessing . It embraces within its mystic pale men of all religions , of all politics , of every class of

professional , commercial , and mercantile pursuits . It can , therefore , neither hold nor teach what will undermine religion , corrupt morals , or overthrow government , while it maintains principles which every man ought to know , every good citizen ought to believe , and every good Christian ought to practice . The presence of such a Society , for such a purpose—venerable for its antiquity , renowned

for the names of the great in almost every land , who have sonoured it , and been honoured by it—is surely a sight •; orth seeing , even in this sight-seeing age . " But it is not for the purpose of display that we are aere assembled to-day ; for we would rather avoid than court the public gaze . We have met for a very different and better purpose . We have come up from our homes to

celebrate the fiftieth birth-day of Olive Branch Lodge ; to keep with our brethren their semi-centennial feast ; to extend mutual congratulations ; to intermingle the clasping of hands , and the cordial interchange of greetings from the young and blessings from the old . " Festivals have always had their places in Church and State , and so they have in Masonry . The demand for

them has its origin in the necessities of human nature . " I congratulate you , my brethren , on the completion of the one half of a century in the history of our lodge ; on the brightness of that record of fifty years , to the summary of which we have just listened ; on our present unity and prosperity ; on our future promising prospects ; on an occasion which brings with it so much of positive

pleasure , gathered from the reminiscences of the past and the anticipations of the future . "I congratulate you on the completion of this great era in our history , as a period of such prosperity of the Institution throughout the land . Never has Freemasonry had a nobler work to perform than will be imposed upon it for the next half century . Never were its moral

teachings , its temperate restraints , its conserving influences more timely than now . Never was its great lesson of charity more needed than in this age and in this land , when Mammon is becoming so mighty among men . "But on this occasion it is not our chief duty to boast of our pedigree , nor of our prosperity . Our ancient ancestry will surely be of no great credit to us , and of no special benefit to the community , if an old family name

is our only recommendation . Our present success will prove but a snare for our overthrow , if we become so far elated by its delights as to forget the dangers and distress , which are such stem realities that cannot be disregarded without perpetual peril . "I do not know that I can better perform the duty with which you have honoured me than by directing your attention to a few thoughts on the conservatism of

Freemasonry . " By conservatism I mean its power to preserve itself , and its healthful influence upon the community in which it exists , which may be considered in its moral , social , and political aspects : " Morally , this Society has secrets . They arc a necessity growing out of its universality and its obligations to

minister mutual relief . It must have a common language which all its members may speak anywhere and under . ill circumstances—a language readily understood , and which carries with it , not only a meaning , but an obligation to be heard and heeded . This Society could not exist a single day as a brotherhood of the race without some such mode of communication , protected by the veil of secrecy ,

and secured b y the sacredncss of a solemn obligation . " The philosophy of Masonic secrets is simply resolved in their absolute necessity to the existence and activity of a Society whose benefits are broad enough to embrace all nations , whose power is capable of succouring its own wherever found on the face of the earth . These secrets have no essential value .

"But what is the source of the vitality or our Order ? its power of endurance ; its tenacity of life ; the fountain of the sources by which it has so long lived , in spite of its enemies , in lands civilised and uncivilised , surviving fortunes which have wrecked others ? Is il to be found in the fact that it has a language of its own which its members may everywhereuse , and which they are bound everywhere to ?

recognise "Surely not . To something higher than all this is it indebted for its vitality , when persecuted bv the intolerant bigotry of corrupt priests , lhe unscrupulous power of ignorant kings , the insane violence of popular prejudice , which in turn have tried upon it their exterminating power . Vet it has survived all these successive persecutions , and from age lo age has gone forth to its work with

all the buoyant energy of young life . * ' A Society which has lived long enough to sec nations rise and fall , to sec dynasties come and go—that has survived the great political changes which make and unmake men and nations ; that has stood unshaken by shocks violent enough to level in one complete and utter ruin splendid empires—such a Society must have somewhere inherent in its constitution a vital element capable of producing effects equal to such a measure of self-preservation ,

Masonry In America.

and that element is found in its moral power . But what is its moral power ? I answer , it is that which is identified with every stone in its foundation , and that is the distinct recognition of the existence of God . ' No Atheist can be made a Mason' is one of the unalterable landmarks of the Institution . This profession of belief must be made at

the outset by all who seek to enter its pale . AVbat is thus enjoined in the beginning is recognised at every progressive step . This single feature in its constitution , this one fact in its history , is the seal of that lease of life which it has held , and by which it has survived so many contemporary associations for moral , social , and benevolent

purposes , "The open eye of Omniscience is painted upon the canvas of its carpet , a distinct and perpetual recognition of the Omnipresence of I lim who beholds the evil and the good . This is the well-chosen corner stone in that

foundation which has proved strong enough to resist the rushing of that tremendous tide of time , and the surges of those violent revolutions among men which have overturned the strongest structures that human wisdom has ever reared .

Another element of moral power is , that the inspired Word of God is the great light of Masonry . In this light Masonry was born , in it this Order has walked and worked from the beginning ; and so long as it continues to walk and work , so long will all human violence be powerless for its overthrow . " The relation of the Bible to this Institution is such as

obtains in no other society among men . While lhe Bible is recognised by all other associations for moral and benevolent purposes as the Word of God , read in their meetings for instruction and improvement , yet those societies could and would go on if this volume should be withdrawn . Not so with this Fraternity . The Bible is a part of this Institution itself ; so lhat , if it be removed ,

you put out its light , its great light , by its own confession . An assembly of Masons without it is not , and in no sense can be , a Masonic lodge . No man can be made a Mason without il . This Society has thus honoured God ' s Holy Word above all things on earth , and the God of Heaven has honoured il by long life . The influence of this single element upon the initiate is abiding . He remembers to

his dying day where he beheld this light . In all the instructions of the lodge-room there is a distinct recognition of its supreme authority as an inspired Book , full of the life , the love , ar . d the learning of Heaven . The purity and the perpetuity of its precepts are set forth as the great law of human conduct . "Thus , in the retreats of this Society is this great

honour placed upon the Word of God as the Divine source of its principles , the great chart of life . Never does it hold a meeting in secret , never does it appear in public , without it . It is alike borne in the procession at the celebration of festivities , and when Masons go forth to commit lhe body of a dead brother to the grave . " The spirit of infidelity is abroad in the land . There

is a growing tendency in the popular mind to think lightly of the Holy Writings , and I am sorry to say that even religious teachers have contributed not a little to this pernicious tendency . Against its prevalence must we guard , if wc intend to preserve our Masonic heritage , thai it may he to our posterity what it has been lo ourselves and our fathers . On the preservation of this element of moral

power depends , not simply the greatness and the glory of this Institution , but ils very existence . Let no shadow of the outside world be suffered lo eclipse , or even for a moment to dim the celestial brightness of this Great Li ght . "Every act which diminishes the reverence due the Bible , as lhe infallible Word of lhe Living God , diminishes the vital power of litis Fraternity , and will smite its

organism with a paralysis that will send it to that doom which has become the common sepulchre of socielies whose name is legion . "Conservatism , in its subjective form , as it relates to the preservation of this Institution in ils integrity , and also in its objective form , whereby it influences others who arc outside of it , demands that this religious regard

for the Bible , as the revelation of the will of Heaven , shall not be impaired by any influence cither within or without ils pale . " Freemasonry differs from all other Societies in this , that it has come down to our times , lulding fasl the usages of olden limes . Its chief charm and much of its power ' for

good is found essentially 111 that wherein il differs from all other associations . Modernise it and you destroy it ; change its primitive character , remove its ancient landmarks , and you will speedily number its days . There are oilier organisations for essentially the same end , ami will continue to be . Almost all of them are but

temporary efforts , ingenious expedients , and destined in their end to follow those thai have gone before into the vale of oblivion . I need not remind you of the tendencies of the times , the reacting and revolutionary drift oi popular opinion which rushes to extremes , which is enamoured of the new , ignores the past , and at limes seems to know no law but its own insane impulses , and calls this

progress . Let every fuend of Masonry and morals beware of the subtle poison which pervades the atmosphere aid s ' . eals into every inclosine , however sacred , and which will manifest itself in the lodge-rooms , as elsewhere , by seeking lo lessen the godly regard of lhe brethren for this volume as a Divine Book , and end in removing it from oil the altar , or by allowing it to remain there only

as an appendage without meaning—tolerated , but not revered . Depend upon it , when that hour comes , if it ever does , the mission of Masonry will have come to an end , leaving to the world the humiliating record inscribed upon its broken column , that after centuries of successful life—marked by monuments of skill and labour

111 the Old \\ orld—after having outlived all its contemporaries , and triumphed over all its enemies , it found at last one foe , and only one , strong enough to destroy it , and that foe was its own hand , which extinguished the Great Light upon ils altar . f To be continued , )

The Grand Lodge Of Quebec.

THE GRAND LODGE OF QUEBEC .

We have great pleasure in publishing the following extracts referring to the recognition of the Grand Lodge of Ouebecby several American Grand Lodges , and we rejoice to find that a movement , sc just in its origin , and temperate in its progress , is rapidly approaching the goal of a merited success .

The brethren of Quebec may rest assured that the ill-advised action of the Grand Lodge of Ireland , in attempting to ignore the legality of the Quebec Grand Lodge , meets with neither the sympathy nor the support of the English Craft , although a formal expression of opinion to that effect has not been pronounced by the Grand Lodge of England .

The Grand Lodge of Quebec has been fraternally recognised by the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia , and by seven ( 7 ) other Grand Lodges in the United States , as a rightfully and regularly constituted Grand Body , and most of these have exchanged Grand Representatives with the G . L . of the Province of Quebec , ( which it will be remembered is one of the four Provinces now constituting

the "Dominion of Canada . " ) "The Most Worshipful the Grand Lodge of Ancient , Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia , met in Annual Communication in the Masonic Hall in St . John , N . B ., on Friday , the 24 th ult . ( St . John ' s Day ) , at 12 o ' clock in the forenoon . The Most Worshipful Grand Master , the Hon . Alex . Keith . M . L . C ., in the Grand East , who

opened the Grand Lodge in ample form . About fifty lodges were represented . The business of the Session was principally of a local nature . The Committee on Foreign Correspondence submitted an elaborate report , and in doing so , recommended the unqualified recognition of the Grand Lodge of Quebec , which was received and adopted . We congratulate our Quebec brethren upon this favourable recognition . "—Montreal Paper .

"Resolved . —That the Grand Lodge of Iowa recognizes in the fullest sense as regularly formed the Grand Lodge of Quebec , and fraternally welcomes it to the circle of Grand Lodges . " "Resolved . —That the Grand Lodge of Texas recognises the just and regular organization of the Grand Lodge of Quebec , and that it is entitled to admission into the Masonic Circle of Grand Lodges . "

Precedents . I . Passing by the erection of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia , and several other instances in the earlier history of Freemasonry in the United States , of the formation of Grand Lodges in Provinces , then lately severed from the territorial jurisdiction of existing Grand Lodges , such as resulted upon the dismemberment of the

N . W . territory of Virginia , the old Louisiana territory , & c , it is deemed amply sufficient , in proof , to submit the following precedents , which are quile familiar to every well-read and intelligent Mason . II . The territory of the now State of Maine , after a union of one hundred and sixty-seven years , was severed front Massachusetts in 1 S 19 , and admitted into the Union

early in the year 1820 . Shortly after the severance , the Grand Lodge of Maine was duly formed—incorporated by lhe Slate , June 16 , 1820 , and consecrated on the Festival of St . John the liaptist , Jnne 24 . Most , if not all , of the Lodges which united in forming it , retained and are to this day , working under their original Warrants received from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts .

III . In 18 49-50 , the Grand Lodge of the " territory of Oregon " was regularly formed . In 1857-5 S the "territory of Oregon " was severed by the " Federal Government , " and the northern portion erected into the "territory of Washington , " and in the same year ( 1 S 58 ) the "Grand Lodge of tlie territory of Washington" was duly formed by four of the lodges situated therein , and the

G . M . installed by P . M . W . Bro . T . M . Reed . IV . In the year 1862 , the State of West Virginia was duly recognized as a separate Stale , by the Federal authority , erected out of the western portion of the State of Virginia , in which severed territory the Grand Lodge of the State of West Virginia , in 1 S 65 ( three years after the severance ) , was regularly formed by a minority of the

lodges situated therein , and has been recognised by nearly all the Grand Lodges of the world as a sister Grand Lodge . V . In 1 S 67 , the same year in which the territory of the "G . L . of Canada" was severed by the British Government , the " territory of Washington , " —which had

previously been severed from Oregon , —was itself severed by the Federal Government of the U . S ., and its eastern portion erected inlo the "territory of Idaho ; " and in December of the same year , lie lodges situated in lhe dissevered territory formed the "Grand Lodge of the territory of Idaho , which was duly recognised by the G . L . of Washington territory at its first subsequent Communication .

These precedents alone are deemed amply sufficient to show the general practice of the Fraternity in regard to the formation of new Grand Lodges in " Territories " and "Slates" dis-severed by the supreme political authority of the land , from the territorial jurisdiction of existent Grand Lodges ; and iu all of these cases , with one or two unwise exceptions , the parent Grand Lodges peacefully and fraternally coincided , and bade their offspring God speed .

Testimony of the Grand Lodge of Canada . In regard to the constitutional regularity of other lodges so formed in politically dis-severed territories , the "G . L . of Canada , " from its formation to 1855 , till the severance of its own territory iu 1 SG 7 , was a uniform and a consistent witness , and a not incompetent authority ; for by reference to the list of Grand Lodges , whom she recognised by holding fraternal communication and correspondence