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Article THE NATUEE AND OBJECTS OF EREEMASONRY. ← Page 4 of 5 →
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The Natuee And Objects Of Ereemasonry.
¦¦¦' . ' " t ' ¦ ' . ' . ¦ ¦;¦ ¦ ' v .. bound to practise the virtue of sobriety . Yet , it cannot be doubted that the charge is again ^ d again brought against the Mason ^ is no better than a vast organization to teach and encourage men to be intemperate , and that Masonic meetings are just an apology for intemper » ance . Moreover , isolated instances do really , I feary occur now and then , in which festivity is protracted to too great an extent . N ^ as a Mason , ¦
I sincerely regret this ¦ ¦;' and ! ^ must regret it too . To be sure , it is very unreasonable for the world to visit the sober and temperate many with this discredit which iattaehes solel y to the inteinperate few . But the world is very fond of showing this tmcharitableness . I would , therefore , press upon the Brethren % e duty of sobriety at all their meetings . I am far from wishing to lay an arrest upon your enjoyments . I have already said thatybu have the fullest
right to enjoy , and that to the very uttermost , all the creatures of God , provided yon keep yourselves within the ^ M ^ written Word . Let me remind you that the open prominent symbols . It appears in all our processions ; it occupies the ; most distinguished place in our meetings ;^ true Masonic rituals i ^ eqiures a portion of its co ^ occasions of our assembling together . Let us accordingly resolve to act in
habitual conformity with the sacred Word , remembering that if we find it written there , Eat thy meat with gladness , and drink thy wine with a merry heart , ' it is also commanded to use the world without abusing it . ' " But I cannot , at this time , carry my exposition of Masonic principles any farther . I speak well of Masonry , for , so far as I have studied or observed the institution , I am bound to say that I think well of it . It is an easy thing to heap terms of abuse upon any man , or society of men
whatsoever ; but language of this sort is much more illustrative of the malignity of the slanderer than of the demerit of the party slandered . Our enemies ought to know that it is a piece of the purest folly to dream that they can extinguish ns by their abusive epithets . Masonry is too widely spread , too deeply rooted in society , too ancient in its origin , and too much entwined with the enthusiastic affection of its adherents , to be so easily overturned . I have paid some attention to the history of the world , and have read and
studied a good deal regarding the outward customs and secret beliefs of ancient nations . In them all , I can trace very plain and palpable manifestations of the working of the mystic or Masonic spirit . I see it among the massive temples and pyramids of ancient Egypt—I see it in the mysteries of ancient Greece , and even in the recorded observances of our own rude ancestors in Druidical times . A spirit so ancient and universal must have its roots deep in human nature , and it will not be so easy to
drive it from the world . Nay , that mystic or Masonic spirit has been the parent of many of the noblest and most wonderful works of man . What else was it that raised those wondrous structures whose very ruin , s , after three thousand years , astonish the traveller on the banks of the Nile ? What was it that filled the cities of ancient Greece , and crowned almost every eminence in that classic land with graceful temples , structures of perfect symmetry and wondrous beauty , every pillar and cornice a study for the modern architect ? What was it that guided our Masonic ancestors
to their astonishing conception of the Gothic cathedral , with its majestic arches , its fretted roofs , its towers and spires and glorious tracery—simple in the general idea , but beyond measure complicated in the details—and every detail the embodiment of a meaning ? What but the mystic or Masonic spirit ? The moment that a nation emerges out of the savage state , man becomes a builder , and he builds according to mystic or Masoni ( J
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Natuee And Objects Of Ereemasonry.
¦¦¦' . ' " t ' ¦ ' . ' . ¦ ¦;¦ ¦ ' v .. bound to practise the virtue of sobriety . Yet , it cannot be doubted that the charge is again ^ d again brought against the Mason ^ is no better than a vast organization to teach and encourage men to be intemperate , and that Masonic meetings are just an apology for intemper » ance . Moreover , isolated instances do really , I feary occur now and then , in which festivity is protracted to too great an extent . N ^ as a Mason , ¦
I sincerely regret this ¦ ¦;' and ! ^ must regret it too . To be sure , it is very unreasonable for the world to visit the sober and temperate many with this discredit which iattaehes solel y to the inteinperate few . But the world is very fond of showing this tmcharitableness . I would , therefore , press upon the Brethren % e duty of sobriety at all their meetings . I am far from wishing to lay an arrest upon your enjoyments . I have already said thatybu have the fullest
right to enjoy , and that to the very uttermost , all the creatures of God , provided yon keep yourselves within the ^ M ^ written Word . Let me remind you that the open prominent symbols . It appears in all our processions ; it occupies the ; most distinguished place in our meetings ;^ true Masonic rituals i ^ eqiures a portion of its co ^ occasions of our assembling together . Let us accordingly resolve to act in
habitual conformity with the sacred Word , remembering that if we find it written there , Eat thy meat with gladness , and drink thy wine with a merry heart , ' it is also commanded to use the world without abusing it . ' " But I cannot , at this time , carry my exposition of Masonic principles any farther . I speak well of Masonry , for , so far as I have studied or observed the institution , I am bound to say that I think well of it . It is an easy thing to heap terms of abuse upon any man , or society of men
whatsoever ; but language of this sort is much more illustrative of the malignity of the slanderer than of the demerit of the party slandered . Our enemies ought to know that it is a piece of the purest folly to dream that they can extinguish ns by their abusive epithets . Masonry is too widely spread , too deeply rooted in society , too ancient in its origin , and too much entwined with the enthusiastic affection of its adherents , to be so easily overturned . I have paid some attention to the history of the world , and have read and
studied a good deal regarding the outward customs and secret beliefs of ancient nations . In them all , I can trace very plain and palpable manifestations of the working of the mystic or Masonic spirit . I see it among the massive temples and pyramids of ancient Egypt—I see it in the mysteries of ancient Greece , and even in the recorded observances of our own rude ancestors in Druidical times . A spirit so ancient and universal must have its roots deep in human nature , and it will not be so easy to
drive it from the world . Nay , that mystic or Masonic spirit has been the parent of many of the noblest and most wonderful works of man . What else was it that raised those wondrous structures whose very ruin , s , after three thousand years , astonish the traveller on the banks of the Nile ? What was it that filled the cities of ancient Greece , and crowned almost every eminence in that classic land with graceful temples , structures of perfect symmetry and wondrous beauty , every pillar and cornice a study for the modern architect ? What was it that guided our Masonic ancestors
to their astonishing conception of the Gothic cathedral , with its majestic arches , its fretted roofs , its towers and spires and glorious tracery—simple in the general idea , but beyond measure complicated in the details—and every detail the embodiment of a meaning ? What but the mystic or Masonic spirit ? The moment that a nation emerges out of the savage state , man becomes a builder , and he builds according to mystic or Masoni ( J