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Article AN ORATION Page 1 of 1 Article AN ORATION Page 1 of 1 Article AN ORATION Page 1 of 1 Article THE CHARGE OF THE BLUE BRIGADE. Page 1 of 1 Article PRESENTATION TO A PRECEPTOR. Page 1 of 1
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An Oration
AN ORATION
DELIVERED BY BRO . THE REV . R . J . SIMPSON , P . G . C , AT THE CONSECRATION OF THE ABBEY LODGE , WESTMINSTER , NO . 20 3 0 , MARCH 4 TH . Worshipful Master , Wardens , and Brethren , —We meet to-day in this City of Westminster under not only very auspicious , but interesting circumstances . The noble and
venerable pile from which this lodge takes its name , and around which crowd so many national and sacred memories ; this hall in which we are met , uniting such skill and beauty in design , adorned with the scenesof other days so exquisitely and panoratnically grouped around us—the honoured and historical name borne by the first Master of this lodge , associated as it is not only with the dignity and prosperity , but with the religious progress and bountiful
Charities of Westminster ; a name munificently and eloquently illustrated by the noble lady who has so gracefully addressed us to-day ; and last , though not least , the ancient as well as the modern landmarks of our Order , which mark the Masonic history of this city , all suppl y us with a chain of auguries , by which , as by so many golden links , the glorious past is bound to the happy present , and point , as I trust in God may prove to be the case , to a
prosperous future for the Abbey Lodge . As our Masonic forefathers worked for us , so let us work for ourselves , as well as for those who shall succeed us when we have fallen asleep , and who shall rejoice in this lodge , so happily situated in every way , as in a model home of English Masonry . A home—a sacred home—where our holy rites may be duly performed in the solemn repose of a holy
place , set apart for such high purposes ; a home which shall be a type for the lodges of England , and which , while in no way preventing the happy social intercourse that I trust may ever mark our festive gatherings in their proper place , shall secure a sacred enclosure for those most solemn and beautiful ceremonies which have regard to that Grand Master on High , whom Jacob adored at Bethel and Solomon worshipped on the hill of Sion .
And as in the material , so in the moral and intellectual world we hope to do our part in our generation . It has been well observed b y an eminent writer that , " subject to certain cycles of partial revolution , every generation of man is a labourer for that which succeeds it , and makes an addition so that great sum total of achieved results which may in commercial phrase be called the capital of the race . Every generation of men as they traverse the vale of life
are bound to accumulate new treasures for the race , and thus leave the world ( as far as they arc concerned at least ) richer than they found it . Of the mental portion of this treasure no small part is stored . _ The Greeks perhaps had the largest ideas upon the training of man , and produced samples of our race with gifts unsurpassed . But the nature of man , such as they knew it , was scarcely at all developed ; nay , it was maimed in its supreme capacity in its relations
to the Great Architect of the Universe and the Father of Spirits . Hence , as in the visions of the Prophet so upon the roll of history , the imposing fabrics of ancient civilisation have never endured . Greece has bequeathed to us her ever-living tongue and the undying labours of her intellect . Rome made ready for a later age the germs of polity and law ; but the bri g ht collection of endowments which goes to form civilisation having no root in itself
could not weather the storms of time and change . But there is a community that has weathered all these storms . Taking its rise in the earliest ages , founded on the purest principles of piety and virtue , it has pursued an onward course from age to age , a 3000 years' tale not yet full told . But there was light along all its course ; a light to those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death , guiding their feet into the way of peace , and pointing the pathway to a
happier land . Yes , brethren , Freemasonry can boast not only a most remote origin , but a most glorious career ; like a golden thread in some texture of beauty , it has run through the varying fabric of human thought , and , like the great river of Egypt , it has wound its devious way through many a land , overflowing and fertilising the nations in its course ; meeting with various forms of religious belief and civil government , it has allied itself to all in proportion as each
system was disciplined by order , practised in virtue , and founded on truth . Breaking through the fetters of mere human systems , it has ever boldly proclaimed those great cardinal truths which chcriih virtue and point to Heaven . Salted with perpetual life , it has passed through the terrors of heathen darkness , medieval corruption , and modern Atheism . It has kindled true freedom of thought . " That freedom of rrind which no vulgar dominion ,
Can turn from the path a pure conscience approves ; Which , with hope in the heart and no chain on the pinion , Holds upward its course to the light that it loves . Hence it is that Freemasonry has had to encounter many formidable foes ; hence especially has our Order been denounced b y superstition and been persecuted by intolerance ; but like the granite promontory it stands unmoved among the wild ravings of fanaticism which surge around
it , only to be hurled back into their native foam . Unhappy is he who in his morose bigoted self-sufficiency can see nothing but evil in the history of humanity , and who overlooks all those conceptions of truth and of good—all those kind and beautiful affections which God has interwoven with our frame , and which throw almost a divine glory over the most clouded features of the history of our kind ; or who beholds only in that varied and wonderful history the
traces of a ruined being , and to pray as its noblest consummation that all its future pages may exhibit the aspiring faculties of human genius , bound down under one narrow system of contracted thought , and the natural flow of human affections creeping on in one dull and artificial channel ! Nor does the blood of the natural man freeze in the veins when the sublime principles of faith are impressed upon the soul , but continues to flow as before through their
multiplied windings ; neither is it meant that these principles of a higher character should impede one rush of genuine affection—one legitimate employment of our intellectual powers—or even one innocent play of fancy ; but that they should guide them all to right ends and guard them with the shield of their own peculiar sanctity .
Freemasonry rejoices in these principles , it addresses itself to every description of men , and hides the poor under the shadow of its wings from the ills and injuries of life . It is equally suited to the north , the south , the east , the westall are interested in its beautiful lessons of brotherly love and all treasure its contemplations of immortal life . Oufs is indeed a glorious fabric ! founded | in strength ,
An Oration
ordered by wisdom , and adorned with beauty ! For , say , brethren , what institution can have a firmer foundation than the volume of God ' s sacred law ? And why is this so , independent of its own claim ? Because it sanctions all that experience teaches us respecting the natural powers of the mind . It leads us up in grateful thoughts to Him who bestowed the principles of life at the first , and who continues to impart them through successive generations . It enhances
its value by asserting and proving its immortality . It renders the man useful to society by cherishing the love of goodness and encouraging hatred to vice , by unveiling the future destination of the spirit to eternal happiness as the reward of piety , or to eternal misery as the just judgment of sin , and thus affords a more powerful guard of virtue and barrier against vice than all the laws society could impose . He then that is an enemy to sacred truth is an
enemy to himself . He is extinguishing so far as he can the light which is sent to guide him home and to absorb the feebler rays of reason and of nature , and he is refusing the only cup of consolation which is a true antidote to the bitterness of sorrow . But he is an enemy to mankind , for he is robbing society of the cement which holds it together , of the source of its intelligence , its happiness , its glory . And he who is the enemy of the Man is the enemy of God ;
for He is the Parent as well asthe Architect of the Universe—He stamped human nature with his image , and He loves it still . Yes , brethren ; this sacred volume is our foundationstone , which , while it records a thousand blessings for the present , points out to every wandering child of Adam " the path of life . " And if truth lies at the foundation , wisdom has raised the superstructure of our house . No one of thoughtful mind and who has studied Freemasonry to any
extent can have failed to " observe the connection of our whole system as well as the relative dependence of its several parts , " the great objects brought out in the various implements of art , the lessons taught by our traditional histories , the significance of everyornament that adornsour lodges , all these are striking emblems of blessed veritiesouter things mutely symbolising the highest duties of social life , and the deepest truths connected with our inner life .
Never can we witness a brother raised to the degree of a Master Mason without feeling a divine call to a higher lifewithout at least being deepl y moved by the solemnities of a ceremony which for impressivensss and instruction is second to none in this lower world . And is notour house not only strongly founded and wisely built , but beautifully adorned ? Are not purity of thought , integrity of life , benignity of manner , and , above all , sweet
charity , the beautiful garments with which a true Mason is invested ? Oh ! how lovely is this charity ! It constitutes the highest dignity of human nature , it elevates and refines our feelings , it calms the storms of passion , it causes men to look with kindness on each other , and to view no one as a stranger whose joys we can heighten , whose wants we can supply , or whose sorrows we can soothe . No distinction of rank will affect its operation ; it will consider no object
as beneath its notice that can be benefited by its exertions , and no task to be mean by which it can promote human happiness . Where would be the boasted dignity of reason if employed only to promote narrow selfish views ? Where the glory of that knowledge which never of itself advised or comforted another ? And where the honour of that power which never promoted indigent merit or wiped a tear from the mourner's eye ? A fiend may possess a higher degree
of reason , more knowledge and more power than the wisest and best of men ; destitute of charity he is the more to be dreaded , not revered . Who would esteem the man of rank whose haughty selfish spirit could never smile on modest worth ? Of what avail is wealth imprisoned in the rusty coffers of the miser , or wantonly squandered away in the dissipation of the prodigal ? Who would value our influence if never employed in promoting the prosperity of
others ? If such gifts are made subservient to personal advantage , they only show that wc want the spirit and inclination to enjoy that greatest of all luxuries—the luxury of doing good . And do not the tenets of our venerable Order ever point in this direction ? Are not our glorious Charities practical illustrations of these truths ? Yes I Brethren , to bind up the broken hearted , to extricate the willing worker from misfortune's grasp , to rescue the helpless and the orphan from the prospect of want or ruin , to
comfort the widow in affliction ' s hour , and to afford a peaceful home to the aged and deserving , in the evening of their days ; these arc objects worthy of the regard of every Mason who values the delight of blessing others , the respect due to himself , the honour of the Craft , and , above all , the approbation of God . And , as the child is father to the man , let us as Masons give special diligence to foster education in its highc . it sense , and while storing the mind
and exercising the intellect , ever remember as men , as Englishmen , or as Masons , that there are weapons and an armour still more necessary for the battle of life , and that it is not so much in what we have as in what we arc , that our true greatness consists . Let us educate the child , that when in future days he feels himself alone among the crowd , when he is for a moment disheartened by that difficulty which is the rude
and rocking craille of all excellence , when he is conscious of the pinch of poverty and self-denial , he should be conscious too that a sleepless eye is watching him from above ; that his honest efforts arc assisted ; that his prayers are heard ; that all things are working together for his good . Is not this the life of faith , of hope , of duty , which light up for us the cheerless world , and transfigures all that we encounter ( whatever be its outer form ) with hues brought
down from heaven and finally leads us throught the valley of dark shadow " to shine as the stars for ever and ever . " If thus , brethren , we hold to the great principles of our Order , " adding to our faith virtue , to virtue knowledge , to knowledge temperance , to temperance brotherly kindness , and to brotherl y kindness charity , " then shall we hand down something in our generation to bless and enrich our Craft , our country , and our kind . Systems may change ,
customs may vary—nay , empires may rise or fall , we shall still , keeping in view the ancient landmarks and " the bright morning star , " go on our way rejoicing ; rejoicing in the spread of truth , of virtue , of charity ; rejoicing in the diffusion of that peace and goodwill which shall really conduce to the brotherhood of nations ; rejoicing in the
mitigation of human suffering , in the alleviation of human sorrow , in the elevation of human thought ; then , having passed through the apprenticeship of human discipline , having had fellowship in the work of restoration , having mastered the lower passions and affections of human nature , having , in fact , finished the work given us to do , we shall exchange these lodges or tents we now inhabit for eternal" mansions "
An Oration
not made with hands , which the Great Architect has prepared ; and we shall enter on the possession of that promised land , where the good and faithful workman shall rejoin the companions of his former toils , shall rest from his labours , and shall receive his " great reward . "
The Charge Of The Blue Brigade.
THE CHARGE OF THE BLUE BRIGADE .
WEDNESDAY , 5 th MARCH , 1 SS 4 . Half a step , half a step , Half a step onward . All through the ante-room . Pressed the Six Hundred . Forward the " Blue " Biigade ! Charge for the keys , they said : Into the vestibule Strode the Six Hundred .
Forward the " Blue " Brigade ! Was there a hot tirade ? Not tbo' the " huge mnb " knew , The " Purple " had blunder'd : Theirs not to deign reply , Theirs not to stultify , Theirs but to reason why : Into Freemasons' Hall
Strode the Six Hundred . Collars to right ot them , Collars to left of them , Collars in front of them . Dazzled unnumber'd ; Seats all fill'd up so well , Boldly they came pell-mell ; Till , with no pause for breath , Eager the ranks to swell , Stood some three hundred .
Flash d all their jewels rare , Flash'd their white gloves in air , Scaring the "big guns" there , Charging a caucus , while All the " churls " wonder'd : " Marshall " the name they spoke , Ground to the right they broke , Faction and Renegades Keeled from the scathing stroke
Scattered and sunder'd . Then they strode back , but not—Not the Six Hundred . Craftsmen to right of them , Craftsmen to left of them , Craftsmen behind them .
Shouted and thunder'd ; Storm'd at with scoff and yell , While hoarse , as all can tell , They that had done so well , Came , after pause for breath , Back from the wrestling spell . All who'd not left of them—Left of Six Hundred .
When can their vict'ry fade ? Oh ! the grand change they made ! All the Craft wondei d . Honour the charge they made ! Honour the principle sav'd , — Loyal Six Hundred . N . B . HHADON .
Presentation To A Preceptor.
PRESENTATION TO A PRECEPTOR .
The members of the Wanderers Lodge of Instruction , No . 1604 , met at the Adam and Eve , York-street , Westminster , last week , for the purpose of presenting the Preceptor ( Bro . F . J . Wray , P . M . 1604 , ) with a testimonial , to mark their appreciation of his services , which have brought the lodge up to its present position of second to
none . A good and substantial repast was served up by the host , Bro . Halchin , at which llro . Boulton , P . M . 1604 , presided , and after the usual loyal toasts , presented Bro . Wray with a watch and chain . Bro . Boulton in making the presentation alluded to the eminent services rendered by Bro . Wray to the Wanderers Lodge of Instruction , to which Bro . VVray responded in a very feeling speech . The
health of the committee was proposed hy the chairman . Bro . 1 . Grccnway , as chairman of the committee , replied . The health of the chairman was then proposed in a very telling speech by Hro . I " . J . Wray . Bro . Boulton replied . The excellent playing and singing of some of the members rendered the meeting very enjoyable , which was not brought to a close until a late hour .
THE LATK BRO . GEORGE BUCKLAND . —Wc arc able to furnish our readers with the following particulars of the career of Bro . Buckland , which had not reached us at the time of going to press with his obituary notice last week . He was 63 years of age at the time of his death , and was upward of 30 year .- ; at the Polytechnic Institution , and previous to this at the . Coloscum giving musical
sketches , & c . He was initiated in the Lodge of Industry , No . iC 8 ; one of the founders of the Asaph Lodge , No . 1319 , which was consecrated Nov . 7 th , 1870 , filled all the offices and installed VV . M . Nov . 4 th , 1 S 78 , and exalted into Royal Arch Masonry Feb . 17 th , 1879 , having filled the minor offices , and being J . at the time of his death . His loss is felt by a great number of his brethren . He
leaves a widow totally unprovided for . Bro . Buckland had been ailing for the last two years , his voice gradually failing him , the result being a loss _ of his professional engagements . A committee of friends were getting ; up a testimonial for him ; but behaving died before itcame off , they have determined to continue it for the widow . The benefit takes place at St . George ' s Hall on the 26 th inst . He was buried at Highgate on the 14 th inst . A large
number of brethren of the Asap h Lodge were present , besides many musical , theatrical , and literary friends . Amongst the carriages following were three containing the W . M ., Past Masters , and Wardens of the Asaph Lodge . The wreaths of flowers not only covered the whole of the coffin , but many were carried by the mourners . The first example of hereditary editorship through three generations , exists in the appointment of Mr . Evelyn Jerrold , son of Blanchard Jerrold , and grandson of Douglas Jerrold , to the editorship of Lloyd ' s News .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
An Oration
AN ORATION
DELIVERED BY BRO . THE REV . R . J . SIMPSON , P . G . C , AT THE CONSECRATION OF THE ABBEY LODGE , WESTMINSTER , NO . 20 3 0 , MARCH 4 TH . Worshipful Master , Wardens , and Brethren , —We meet to-day in this City of Westminster under not only very auspicious , but interesting circumstances . The noble and
venerable pile from which this lodge takes its name , and around which crowd so many national and sacred memories ; this hall in which we are met , uniting such skill and beauty in design , adorned with the scenesof other days so exquisitely and panoratnically grouped around us—the honoured and historical name borne by the first Master of this lodge , associated as it is not only with the dignity and prosperity , but with the religious progress and bountiful
Charities of Westminster ; a name munificently and eloquently illustrated by the noble lady who has so gracefully addressed us to-day ; and last , though not least , the ancient as well as the modern landmarks of our Order , which mark the Masonic history of this city , all suppl y us with a chain of auguries , by which , as by so many golden links , the glorious past is bound to the happy present , and point , as I trust in God may prove to be the case , to a
prosperous future for the Abbey Lodge . As our Masonic forefathers worked for us , so let us work for ourselves , as well as for those who shall succeed us when we have fallen asleep , and who shall rejoice in this lodge , so happily situated in every way , as in a model home of English Masonry . A home—a sacred home—where our holy rites may be duly performed in the solemn repose of a holy
place , set apart for such high purposes ; a home which shall be a type for the lodges of England , and which , while in no way preventing the happy social intercourse that I trust may ever mark our festive gatherings in their proper place , shall secure a sacred enclosure for those most solemn and beautiful ceremonies which have regard to that Grand Master on High , whom Jacob adored at Bethel and Solomon worshipped on the hill of Sion .
And as in the material , so in the moral and intellectual world we hope to do our part in our generation . It has been well observed b y an eminent writer that , " subject to certain cycles of partial revolution , every generation of man is a labourer for that which succeeds it , and makes an addition so that great sum total of achieved results which may in commercial phrase be called the capital of the race . Every generation of men as they traverse the vale of life
are bound to accumulate new treasures for the race , and thus leave the world ( as far as they arc concerned at least ) richer than they found it . Of the mental portion of this treasure no small part is stored . _ The Greeks perhaps had the largest ideas upon the training of man , and produced samples of our race with gifts unsurpassed . But the nature of man , such as they knew it , was scarcely at all developed ; nay , it was maimed in its supreme capacity in its relations
to the Great Architect of the Universe and the Father of Spirits . Hence , as in the visions of the Prophet so upon the roll of history , the imposing fabrics of ancient civilisation have never endured . Greece has bequeathed to us her ever-living tongue and the undying labours of her intellect . Rome made ready for a later age the germs of polity and law ; but the bri g ht collection of endowments which goes to form civilisation having no root in itself
could not weather the storms of time and change . But there is a community that has weathered all these storms . Taking its rise in the earliest ages , founded on the purest principles of piety and virtue , it has pursued an onward course from age to age , a 3000 years' tale not yet full told . But there was light along all its course ; a light to those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death , guiding their feet into the way of peace , and pointing the pathway to a
happier land . Yes , brethren , Freemasonry can boast not only a most remote origin , but a most glorious career ; like a golden thread in some texture of beauty , it has run through the varying fabric of human thought , and , like the great river of Egypt , it has wound its devious way through many a land , overflowing and fertilising the nations in its course ; meeting with various forms of religious belief and civil government , it has allied itself to all in proportion as each
system was disciplined by order , practised in virtue , and founded on truth . Breaking through the fetters of mere human systems , it has ever boldly proclaimed those great cardinal truths which chcriih virtue and point to Heaven . Salted with perpetual life , it has passed through the terrors of heathen darkness , medieval corruption , and modern Atheism . It has kindled true freedom of thought . " That freedom of rrind which no vulgar dominion ,
Can turn from the path a pure conscience approves ; Which , with hope in the heart and no chain on the pinion , Holds upward its course to the light that it loves . Hence it is that Freemasonry has had to encounter many formidable foes ; hence especially has our Order been denounced b y superstition and been persecuted by intolerance ; but like the granite promontory it stands unmoved among the wild ravings of fanaticism which surge around
it , only to be hurled back into their native foam . Unhappy is he who in his morose bigoted self-sufficiency can see nothing but evil in the history of humanity , and who overlooks all those conceptions of truth and of good—all those kind and beautiful affections which God has interwoven with our frame , and which throw almost a divine glory over the most clouded features of the history of our kind ; or who beholds only in that varied and wonderful history the
traces of a ruined being , and to pray as its noblest consummation that all its future pages may exhibit the aspiring faculties of human genius , bound down under one narrow system of contracted thought , and the natural flow of human affections creeping on in one dull and artificial channel ! Nor does the blood of the natural man freeze in the veins when the sublime principles of faith are impressed upon the soul , but continues to flow as before through their
multiplied windings ; neither is it meant that these principles of a higher character should impede one rush of genuine affection—one legitimate employment of our intellectual powers—or even one innocent play of fancy ; but that they should guide them all to right ends and guard them with the shield of their own peculiar sanctity .
Freemasonry rejoices in these principles , it addresses itself to every description of men , and hides the poor under the shadow of its wings from the ills and injuries of life . It is equally suited to the north , the south , the east , the westall are interested in its beautiful lessons of brotherly love and all treasure its contemplations of immortal life . Oufs is indeed a glorious fabric ! founded | in strength ,
An Oration
ordered by wisdom , and adorned with beauty ! For , say , brethren , what institution can have a firmer foundation than the volume of God ' s sacred law ? And why is this so , independent of its own claim ? Because it sanctions all that experience teaches us respecting the natural powers of the mind . It leads us up in grateful thoughts to Him who bestowed the principles of life at the first , and who continues to impart them through successive generations . It enhances
its value by asserting and proving its immortality . It renders the man useful to society by cherishing the love of goodness and encouraging hatred to vice , by unveiling the future destination of the spirit to eternal happiness as the reward of piety , or to eternal misery as the just judgment of sin , and thus affords a more powerful guard of virtue and barrier against vice than all the laws society could impose . He then that is an enemy to sacred truth is an
enemy to himself . He is extinguishing so far as he can the light which is sent to guide him home and to absorb the feebler rays of reason and of nature , and he is refusing the only cup of consolation which is a true antidote to the bitterness of sorrow . But he is an enemy to mankind , for he is robbing society of the cement which holds it together , of the source of its intelligence , its happiness , its glory . And he who is the enemy of the Man is the enemy of God ;
for He is the Parent as well asthe Architect of the Universe—He stamped human nature with his image , and He loves it still . Yes , brethren ; this sacred volume is our foundationstone , which , while it records a thousand blessings for the present , points out to every wandering child of Adam " the path of life . " And if truth lies at the foundation , wisdom has raised the superstructure of our house . No one of thoughtful mind and who has studied Freemasonry to any
extent can have failed to " observe the connection of our whole system as well as the relative dependence of its several parts , " the great objects brought out in the various implements of art , the lessons taught by our traditional histories , the significance of everyornament that adornsour lodges , all these are striking emblems of blessed veritiesouter things mutely symbolising the highest duties of social life , and the deepest truths connected with our inner life .
Never can we witness a brother raised to the degree of a Master Mason without feeling a divine call to a higher lifewithout at least being deepl y moved by the solemnities of a ceremony which for impressivensss and instruction is second to none in this lower world . And is notour house not only strongly founded and wisely built , but beautifully adorned ? Are not purity of thought , integrity of life , benignity of manner , and , above all , sweet
charity , the beautiful garments with which a true Mason is invested ? Oh ! how lovely is this charity ! It constitutes the highest dignity of human nature , it elevates and refines our feelings , it calms the storms of passion , it causes men to look with kindness on each other , and to view no one as a stranger whose joys we can heighten , whose wants we can supply , or whose sorrows we can soothe . No distinction of rank will affect its operation ; it will consider no object
as beneath its notice that can be benefited by its exertions , and no task to be mean by which it can promote human happiness . Where would be the boasted dignity of reason if employed only to promote narrow selfish views ? Where the glory of that knowledge which never of itself advised or comforted another ? And where the honour of that power which never promoted indigent merit or wiped a tear from the mourner's eye ? A fiend may possess a higher degree
of reason , more knowledge and more power than the wisest and best of men ; destitute of charity he is the more to be dreaded , not revered . Who would esteem the man of rank whose haughty selfish spirit could never smile on modest worth ? Of what avail is wealth imprisoned in the rusty coffers of the miser , or wantonly squandered away in the dissipation of the prodigal ? Who would value our influence if never employed in promoting the prosperity of
others ? If such gifts are made subservient to personal advantage , they only show that wc want the spirit and inclination to enjoy that greatest of all luxuries—the luxury of doing good . And do not the tenets of our venerable Order ever point in this direction ? Are not our glorious Charities practical illustrations of these truths ? Yes I Brethren , to bind up the broken hearted , to extricate the willing worker from misfortune's grasp , to rescue the helpless and the orphan from the prospect of want or ruin , to
comfort the widow in affliction ' s hour , and to afford a peaceful home to the aged and deserving , in the evening of their days ; these arc objects worthy of the regard of every Mason who values the delight of blessing others , the respect due to himself , the honour of the Craft , and , above all , the approbation of God . And , as the child is father to the man , let us as Masons give special diligence to foster education in its highc . it sense , and while storing the mind
and exercising the intellect , ever remember as men , as Englishmen , or as Masons , that there are weapons and an armour still more necessary for the battle of life , and that it is not so much in what we have as in what we arc , that our true greatness consists . Let us educate the child , that when in future days he feels himself alone among the crowd , when he is for a moment disheartened by that difficulty which is the rude
and rocking craille of all excellence , when he is conscious of the pinch of poverty and self-denial , he should be conscious too that a sleepless eye is watching him from above ; that his honest efforts arc assisted ; that his prayers are heard ; that all things are working together for his good . Is not this the life of faith , of hope , of duty , which light up for us the cheerless world , and transfigures all that we encounter ( whatever be its outer form ) with hues brought
down from heaven and finally leads us throught the valley of dark shadow " to shine as the stars for ever and ever . " If thus , brethren , we hold to the great principles of our Order , " adding to our faith virtue , to virtue knowledge , to knowledge temperance , to temperance brotherly kindness , and to brotherl y kindness charity , " then shall we hand down something in our generation to bless and enrich our Craft , our country , and our kind . Systems may change ,
customs may vary—nay , empires may rise or fall , we shall still , keeping in view the ancient landmarks and " the bright morning star , " go on our way rejoicing ; rejoicing in the spread of truth , of virtue , of charity ; rejoicing in the diffusion of that peace and goodwill which shall really conduce to the brotherhood of nations ; rejoicing in the
mitigation of human suffering , in the alleviation of human sorrow , in the elevation of human thought ; then , having passed through the apprenticeship of human discipline , having had fellowship in the work of restoration , having mastered the lower passions and affections of human nature , having , in fact , finished the work given us to do , we shall exchange these lodges or tents we now inhabit for eternal" mansions "
An Oration
not made with hands , which the Great Architect has prepared ; and we shall enter on the possession of that promised land , where the good and faithful workman shall rejoin the companions of his former toils , shall rest from his labours , and shall receive his " great reward . "
The Charge Of The Blue Brigade.
THE CHARGE OF THE BLUE BRIGADE .
WEDNESDAY , 5 th MARCH , 1 SS 4 . Half a step , half a step , Half a step onward . All through the ante-room . Pressed the Six Hundred . Forward the " Blue " Biigade ! Charge for the keys , they said : Into the vestibule Strode the Six Hundred .
Forward the " Blue " Brigade ! Was there a hot tirade ? Not tbo' the " huge mnb " knew , The " Purple " had blunder'd : Theirs not to deign reply , Theirs not to stultify , Theirs but to reason why : Into Freemasons' Hall
Strode the Six Hundred . Collars to right ot them , Collars to left of them , Collars in front of them . Dazzled unnumber'd ; Seats all fill'd up so well , Boldly they came pell-mell ; Till , with no pause for breath , Eager the ranks to swell , Stood some three hundred .
Flash d all their jewels rare , Flash'd their white gloves in air , Scaring the "big guns" there , Charging a caucus , while All the " churls " wonder'd : " Marshall " the name they spoke , Ground to the right they broke , Faction and Renegades Keeled from the scathing stroke
Scattered and sunder'd . Then they strode back , but not—Not the Six Hundred . Craftsmen to right of them , Craftsmen to left of them , Craftsmen behind them .
Shouted and thunder'd ; Storm'd at with scoff and yell , While hoarse , as all can tell , They that had done so well , Came , after pause for breath , Back from the wrestling spell . All who'd not left of them—Left of Six Hundred .
When can their vict'ry fade ? Oh ! the grand change they made ! All the Craft wondei d . Honour the charge they made ! Honour the principle sav'd , — Loyal Six Hundred . N . B . HHADON .
Presentation To A Preceptor.
PRESENTATION TO A PRECEPTOR .
The members of the Wanderers Lodge of Instruction , No . 1604 , met at the Adam and Eve , York-street , Westminster , last week , for the purpose of presenting the Preceptor ( Bro . F . J . Wray , P . M . 1604 , ) with a testimonial , to mark their appreciation of his services , which have brought the lodge up to its present position of second to
none . A good and substantial repast was served up by the host , Bro . Halchin , at which llro . Boulton , P . M . 1604 , presided , and after the usual loyal toasts , presented Bro . Wray with a watch and chain . Bro . Boulton in making the presentation alluded to the eminent services rendered by Bro . Wray to the Wanderers Lodge of Instruction , to which Bro . VVray responded in a very feeling speech . The
health of the committee was proposed hy the chairman . Bro . 1 . Grccnway , as chairman of the committee , replied . The health of the chairman was then proposed in a very telling speech by Hro . I " . J . Wray . Bro . Boulton replied . The excellent playing and singing of some of the members rendered the meeting very enjoyable , which was not brought to a close until a late hour .
THE LATK BRO . GEORGE BUCKLAND . —Wc arc able to furnish our readers with the following particulars of the career of Bro . Buckland , which had not reached us at the time of going to press with his obituary notice last week . He was 63 years of age at the time of his death , and was upward of 30 year .- ; at the Polytechnic Institution , and previous to this at the . Coloscum giving musical
sketches , & c . He was initiated in the Lodge of Industry , No . iC 8 ; one of the founders of the Asaph Lodge , No . 1319 , which was consecrated Nov . 7 th , 1870 , filled all the offices and installed VV . M . Nov . 4 th , 1 S 78 , and exalted into Royal Arch Masonry Feb . 17 th , 1879 , having filled the minor offices , and being J . at the time of his death . His loss is felt by a great number of his brethren . He
leaves a widow totally unprovided for . Bro . Buckland had been ailing for the last two years , his voice gradually failing him , the result being a loss _ of his professional engagements . A committee of friends were getting ; up a testimonial for him ; but behaving died before itcame off , they have determined to continue it for the widow . The benefit takes place at St . George ' s Hall on the 26 th inst . He was buried at Highgate on the 14 th inst . A large
number of brethren of the Asap h Lodge were present , besides many musical , theatrical , and literary friends . Amongst the carriages following were three containing the W . M ., Past Masters , and Wardens of the Asaph Lodge . The wreaths of flowers not only covered the whole of the coffin , but many were carried by the mourners . The first example of hereditary editorship through three generations , exists in the appointment of Mr . Evelyn Jerrold , son of Blanchard Jerrold , and grandson of Douglas Jerrold , to the editorship of Lloyd ' s News .