CHAPTER X.

CONCLUSION.
The foregoing pages can justly be called frag- ments only of the Secret Doctrine and of the Sym- bols of Freemasonry. A systematic treatise on either of these subjects would necessarily include the other. The Secret Doctrine is the oomplete Philosophy of Masonic Symbolism. So long as this philosophy is unknown to the Mason, his symbols are, to a great extent, dead letters, the work of the lodge a dumb show beyond its moral precepts, and the Genius of Masonry for the members of the Craft is largely the spirit of self-interest, mutual support, and physical enjoyment or revelry, the latest embodiment of which is the "Mystic Shrine." But there are some among the members of the Craft — and how many time alone can determine — who believe that Masonry means far more than this, and who have already discerned in its symbols and traditions something of their real meaning. Many of these have found partial clues which served to keep interest alive while searching for plainer mean-
Conclusion. 257
ings and deeper revelations. In retracing the steps by which these ancient symbols and their profound philosophy have come down to our own time, more and more obscured with every passing century, stu- dents have gathered a large number of facts, a great mass of traditions and general information, all of which have been variously interpreted by different writers on Masonry. All writers, however, agree in the conclusion that the symbols and traditions of Freemasonry come from the far East, and go back to the remotest antiquity.
So that the saying that the Mason journeys from West to East in search of light is literally true. This search is not one incited by curious interest only. If Masonry possesses merely a mass of curious myths and meaningless symbols, of what real value is it to any one to trace them down? What real benefit can it be to any one to demonstrate that five or ten thousand years ago the same curious myths) and meaningless symbols existed in the Mysteries of Egypt, or were taught by Pythagoras and the followers of Zoroaster? Such, however, is not the genius of Freemasonry.
The real secrets of Masonry lie concealed in its Symbols, and these, constituting as they do a Pic- ture Language, or Art Speech, are made to carry a
258 Mystic Masonry.
complete philosophy of the existence and relations of Deity, Nature, and Man. The average Mason, taking the symbols for the things symbolized, and knowing nothing of the profound philosophy upon which they rest, is incredulous that it ever existed, and so he treads the "burning sands" in search of a novel sensation or a new joke. As mere pastimes these jovial entertainments are neither better nor worse than many others. They represent one ex- treme into which the Ancient Wisdom has degener- ated. Let every intelligent Mason reflect on the sublimity and sanctity of the ceremonies in some of the degrees, where the name of Deity is invoked, where the highest moral precepts are inculcated, and where the purest and most exalted ethics are taught, and then let him ask himself the question, whether it is consistent and devoid of hypocrisy to round all this with a roaring farce? Does not such a course tend to make all sacred things also a mere matter of form, a jest and a byword?
Every Mason is familiar with this extreme and with the extent to which these recent innovations and associations have been carried, and the present writer is by no means the first to protest against it, however ungraciously his protest may be received or unpopular this work may be. Let every intelligent
Conclusion. 259
Mason admit, merely for the sake of the argument, that there is another extreme. Suppose it to be true and easily demonstrable, that the Symbols of Ma- sonry embody and were originally designed to con- vey the most profound Wisdom, and that these sym- bols stand unchanged through all the ages, and are the means by which that wisdom may at any time be recovered by him who can find their true mean- ing. Masonry is, in a special sense, the custodian of these symbols, and it is its most common tradition that these and the Ancient Landmarks are to be preserved unaltered. This is the plainest and most logical deduction from the whole spirit of Masonry. These custodians are, in the highest degrees, called Princes of the Royal Secret — Nay, Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret ! What a farce, what pretense, if there is no Royal Secret. Reflect a moment, good reader, and; especially good Brother Mason. What is the most sacred treasure, the most lasting pos- session of man? Is it not knowledge? Suppose a tidal wave should sweep all our seaports on the Eastern and Western coasts, and that this should be followed by cyclone and earthquake, so that the whole country should be completely devastated in a month. A few millions of our people remaining, with all our resources of knowledge, it might take
260 Mystic Masonry.
half a century to recover a greater part of our prosperity. But suppose our people were all swept away, like many an ancient Civilization or Lost Em- pire; or suppose that all else remained, and we lost our store of knowledge, all Arts, all Sciences, and that our whole people were reduced to the condition of our North American Indians; half a century, then, would destroy all we have so laboriously wrought out, and we might pitch our wigwams in weed-grown streets, or amid crumbling ruins. What we have imagined of our own is but the history of other civilizations. The howling wastes of Gobi conceal, we are told, the remains of a civilization for outranking our own, and beneath the ocean's bed lie entombed the records and the monuments of man. Our most lasting possession is knowledge; and when this is swept away, desolation only re- mains. Bro. Pike says that the real secrets of Ma- sonry, the philosophy concealed in its Symbols, are far older than the Vedas, and are at least ten thou- sand years old, and that the Art-Speech, which Symbolism is, was designed by real Princes of the Royal Secret, by Prince Adepts, or Perfect Mas- ters, to conceal, preserve, and convey this Ancient Wisdom to the latest generations of men: That when Civilizations decayed, when Empires ceased
Conclusion. 261
to be, and when desolation brooded in silence over a whole continent, a "Rock beside the Water," or a symbol transplanted to another land might serve to convey the lost secret to another people and time. Knowing the course of Empire and the inevitable destiny of Races of man, these Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, by wise forethought, determined that nothing should be lost. Such is the heritage of Masonry, and Bro. Pike proves this beyond all controversy by excerpts from the sacred books of all Religions, and by the most learned and painstaking investigation. The value of such investigations does not consist in proving the great antiquity of the Symbols of Freemasonry, for this is an easy task, and no one with the slightest knowledge of the sub- ject dare dispute it, for the symbols are found on the oldest monuments, and described in the oldest records known to man. A far more difficult under- taking, the results of which are beyond all else valu- able, is the effort to determine exactly what these symbols mean. If they were the precipitated re- sults of profound knowledge, the very fruitage of all past civilizations, some of which transcended all we have yet achieved in the West, then to correctly interpret them, means the recovery of all past knowledge, in substance, if not in detail. This is
262 Mystic Masonry.
precisely the interpretation and the value that should be put upon such results. This result is the recovery of the Lost Word of the Master, and the Symbol of that Word is the A. U. M. of the Persian Magi and the most Ancient Brahman, because, back of that tri-literal glyph lies the Philosophy of the Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of all Knowledge. Let any Prince of the Royal Secret examine the evidence and judge for himself. If, instead of doing this, he prefers to sneer at these statements, and to ridicule the whole subject, while he still boasts the title of Prince Adept, he stands as three men once stood near the coast of Joppa, self-convicted by the imprecations of his own mouth. The present re- vival of Philosophy in the West ought to bring about the restoration of this old wisdom. While it cannot interfere with the Masonic organization in the least, or seek to reveal any of its ceremonies, grips, or passwords, by which the secrets of Masonry may be obtained unlawfully, it must give the largest credit to the fidelity with which the Symbols and Ancient Landmarks have been preserved by the or- ganization of Freemasons, and seek the co-operation of all earnest and true Masons in the recovery of the Lost Word, and in promulgating this sublime philosophy for the benefit of the whole human race.
Conclusion. 263
There is an old occult maxim which declares that "Nothing is concealed from him who knows." No Mason is bound to conceal that which he has never learned in the Lodge. All else he receives as he learns anything, places his own estimate upon its value, and becomes individually responsible for its use. It must be a matter of conscience, and be weighed in the balance of duty, and everyone must abide by the result. If Masonry has lost the Royal Secret, or if it never possessed it, or if it was wrenched away in the very name of Religion little more than a century ago, all the same, it belongs to the Craft as the Heir-apparent of the Old Wisdom. But the time has come when no cable-tow can bind it. It now belongs to Humanity equally with the Mason. To this end has it been preserved through- out the centuries.
What a future lies before Masonry should it de- termine to enter into its birthright to possess it. Thoroughly organized as it is, and counting its membership by tens of thousands, rehabilitated in its ancient wisdom, it may become an irresistible force in shaping the present civilization, and in influencing the future destiny of Man. All else has perished from the civilizations of the past. Wisdom alone is immortal of all the possessions of
264 Mystic Masonry.
man. Of all the achievements of Classic Greece nothing is so well remembered today as the school of Pythagoras, and the Philosophy of Plato, and these but embody and were founded upon the Royal Secret of every Prince Adept Mason. To restore the Royal Secret would be a work, which, when completed, would be to our present humanity what the supporting Columns are to the Lodge : Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. (Knowledge, Power and Harmony.) It would introduce new methods, and motives, and new ideals into modern education, and give us in a few generations other Platos. If we create the conditions the results are sure to follow. Here lies the reward for all the trials and persecutions to which Masons have been subjected in the past. Here we may build the monument of all its Heroes and Martyrs. We may so build that seeing it they would rejoice that they suffered to the end. Bacon dreamed of a great "Instauration," a recovery of knowledge, and possession of wisdom from Inductive Philosophy alone; but on such lines it must be forever a dream. The old Philosophy is both inductive and deductive, through the perfect equilibrium of Reason and Intuition, or Experience and Aspiration, and is scientific to the last degree. It will give us as a result Knowledge and Power
Conclusion. 265
without oppression; Religion without superstition; Universal Liberty, Toleration and Fraternity ; Uni- versal Compassion; Peace on Earth, and Good-will to Man.
Of course it is in the province of Masonry to elect, if it chooses, that its symbols shall have only a superficial meaning in the Lodge. It may admit that it has adopted from the ancient mysteries the glyphs and parables that once served to embody and convey the most complete and profound philos- ophy, and, while adopting these symbols and the ancient art-speech, confine their use and interpreta- tion to such lessons of equity, morality, and frater- nity, as are to be found in all exoteric religions.
The author of this book would be the last to ignore or to belittle the value of ethical or moral precepts. But these are the basis of conduct, not the crown of existence; the beginning, not the end if wisdom.
Man's "general infancy," as Browning puts it, only begins when his code of ethics is complete, and when he is perfected as man. To spend the greater part of his days in transgression and repentance is not Man's "object served, his end Attained, his genuine strength put fairly forth."
Masonry not only nowhere denies this deeper
266 Mystic Masonry.
meaning to its symbolism, but many writers have ad- mitted it and expatiated upon it, but very few seem to have been able to discern the real meaning. They have generally failed because of sectarian bias, which dwarfed their vision and narrowed the ancient Wisdom Religion to the bounds of a modern creed, while the genius of the ancient wisdom is universal and all-inclusive. To deny or to ignore any but the most superficial view is to adopt such conclusions as those arrived at by the Astronomer Royal of Scot- land, who makes of the Coffer in the King's chamber of the great pyramid of Ghezeh, only "a corn-bin !" It is to profane the holy vessels, and at last to ma- terialize all spiritual things. It may justly be doubted whether any man for the past century and a half has done so much toward restoring Masonry to its birthright as Grand Master Albert Pike. His writings are a mine of wealth too little known to the great majority of Masons. The recent Jesuit- ical attack on his memory is not only a palpable and sensational lie, but it should serve to arouse every Prince of the Royal Secret to a deeper knowledge of the value of Bro. Pike's work. That work not only abounds in the clearest exposition of all the Masonic virtues, and reveals a mind incapable of baseness, but, passing beyond these to the full stat-
Conclusion. 267
lire of Manhood, grasps those eternal principles which underlie the building of Cosmos and the evo- lution and regeneration of man. The charge that such a man, breathing reverence to truth, love to man, and aspiration toward light in every sentence of his voluminous writings, could descend to bes- tiality and grovel in convulsions at the feet of a con- fessed devil-worshiper, is worthy of his real ac- cusers; and yet such is the voluminous attack re- cently made in the pages of a leading New York daily. The attack but thinly veils the old-time as- sassins of the heroes and martyrs of Masonry, and is designed to frighten the ignorant and supersti- tious into fresh hatred of Masonry. This hysterical "Granddaughter of Astarte" is herself a victim, if she has any real existence at all, of the same nefast body, and is only a fit subject for a madhouse. History repeats itself; and this fresh attack upon Masonry, while it can not tarnish the fame of the honored dead, should warn Masons that even in this enlightened age the minions of the Prince of Dark- ness and the Father of Lies have not renounced their allegiance or forgotten their cunning. Perse- cution is to the Truth what the winds and the rains are to the sprouting oak. These but sink deeper the roots of conviction, and spread wider the leaves
268 Mystic Masonry.
that are for the healing of the Nations. If Masons will but pass from refreshment to labor and unite in rebuilding the City and Temple of the Lord of Truth, recover the Lost Word, and rehabilitate the ancient Wisdom, she may paraphrase the saying of Macaulay in his essay on Barere, and apply it to all her enemies : "We therefore like his invectives against us much better than anything else he has written. ... It was but little that he could do to promote the honor of our country; but that little he did strenuously and constantly. Renegade, traitor, slave, coward, liar, slanderer, murderer, hack-writer, police-spy — the one small service which he could render to England was to hate her; and such as he was may all who hate her be." Masonry need not fear the hatred of such, and only such will hate her if she enters into her priceless inheritance, bears aloft her banners and emblazons with light her time-honored Landmarks.
SO MOTE IT BE.
Postscript to the Fifth Edition. 269
POSTSCRIPT TO THE FIFTH EDITION
The original thesis of "Mystic Masonry" may be de- fined as follows:
To show and illustrate the profound wisdom embodied in the philosophy that underlies and runs like a golden thread throughout the whole Institution of Freemasonry: To demonstrate through this philosophy and its use, illustrations, dramatic representations and symbolism, that the "Work of the Lodge" constitutes a Great School of Instruction for its candidates and Fraters, in the real meaning of life, and the basic principles of human con- duct, so as to secure the highest and most noble results ever revealed to man: To render absurd and illogical any other inference from the references to, and all that we know of, the real Masters of the past, and the Schools, and the "Greater Mysteries" of antiquity.
Masonry seems to have embodied, crystallized, pre- served and adapted to the present age, these Jewels of all the past, divested of all extraneous or irrelevant matters.
270 Mystic Masonry.
This is the meaning of the Perfect Ashlar. The author was well aware that but few Masons realized what a treasure-house of Jewels they possessed, and that some, perhaps, would regard such a claim as absurd, and al- together fanciful.
He was also aware that there are thousands of Brother Masons who believe that there must be far deeper truths, and more valuable treasures, concealed, than are revealed, or generally apprehended, if they only knew where to search, and how to discover them; for he has heard this statement oft repeated by Brothers, young and old.
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine how any intelligent and thoughtful man can go through the dramatic and monitorial Initiation of the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, and come to any other conclusion.
To justify this logical inference, encourage the in- telligent search for the Royal ' Secret, and assist in the Recovery of the Lost Word was the original and only motive of "Mystic Masonry.
The author has been a Mason nearly half a century and aside from the study of Masonry, its sources, symbol- ism and essential meaning, has been able to check and verify these great truths from another source, viz., the study of man, and especially from the study of Psychology. Here the opportunities to test theories of life, and the motives of conduct and elements of character really transcend all others.
The physician sees like none other, both the begin-
Postscript to the Fifth Edition. 271
ning and the end of embodied human life. From the "first breath", often so anxiously looked for and evoked, of the little one, that
"Out from the shore of the Great Unknown, Comes weeping and wailing, and all alone" —
to the last breath of the aged just crossing the Great Divide, the physician is present, often nearer than any other, and vigilant, observing, solicitous, and full of deep reflection. It is his office to try to understand, in order that he may apply and utilize then, and there- after.
It may seem to some a startling and unwarranted statement, that the most profound truths of Psychology, [the building of Character, and self-control which more than all else safeguards against disease, paresis, premature senility and insanity,] are all embodied in the very foun- dations of Freemasonry. But this is the simple truth. To illustrate and verify here would be out of place, but it is a thesis easily demonstrated. Masonry embodies a Science of Ethics, of human conduct and character, found scarcely anywhere else; and more than half of all our diseases come from lack of self-control and from selfish indulgence.
Every Mason knows, and I am writing principally for Brother Masons, that this government, of which, in spite of all its faults, we are so justly proud, was in- spired and founded mostly by men who were Masons.
272 \Mystic Masonry.
The "truths" that were "self-evident", and the "rights" that were "inalienable", were perceived in and by those founders as derived from Masonry. They were trans- planted directly from Masonry to the "Declaration", and the "Constitution", though we have not yet alto- gether realized them. This is why Albert Pike and others have called Masonry the "Great Republic".
They tried to define the Eminent Domain, the "Re- served Right" of every Individual, every Citizen, to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. These In- alienable Rights were founded on "Self-evident Truths".
Before a candidate takes the slightest obligation in Masonry, and as the premise of every obligation taken, he is given the unqualified assurance that no obligation required of him shall interfere with any duty he owes to God, to his Country, to his neighbor, or himself; and he alone is to be the Judge of these duties. These are his "Inalienable Rights"; his "recognized Duties; his Eminent Domain. Enlarged and elaborated, defined and codified, here is our "Declaration of Independence", our "Constitution of a Free People", and it is the Genius of Freemasonry pure and simple. It is impossible to enslave either the body, mind or soul of man while these principles and declarations are strictly and logically ad- hered to. Nor were the founders of this Government "Of the People, by the People, for the People" either in ignorance or in doubt as to the danger point, for they proceeded to forever separate Church and State, as far as
Postscript to the Fifth Edition. 273
possible. The Government was to be a State affair, with which the Church had, officially, nothing to do what- soever.
Rome declares in America today, that Church and State shall be united as one; and that one shall be the Church. I hereby challenge every Freemason in America today to Take Notice of this Sign and Summons.
To the profound Philosophy of Life, and the stores of Ancient Wisdom to which it was the original design of this little book to call attention, there is now added an imminent duty of Citizenship, for which the Freemason ought to be better prepared and more strongly obligated than any other, for the simple reason that these duties and obligations are taught, ingrained, and illustrated in the School of Masonry, specifically and concisely as no where else in the world today.
This is why Rome hates, vilifies and anathematizes Masonry continually, relentlessly and eternally. There can be no compromise. Shall it be Church, or State, to rule in this "Free Country"? It cannot possibly be both. Rome today is the most powerful and ambi- tious Political Autocracy on earth, and she already holds the Balance of Power in America!
I have said nothing here of the Religious department of the Roman Hierarchy. That is "another story".
The Mason who is untrue to the basic principles of Masonry, can be nothing less than a Traitor to his Country. There can be no middle ground, no compromise.
274 Mystic Masonry.
If the more than two million Masons in the United States today, would do their duty, as did that handful of men and Masons who signed our Declaration of In- dependence, we should have a bloodless revolution, and the Italian Cardinals who run the Politics of the Roman Church would "get out of politics", so far as America is concerned; while the Catholic religion would have the same rights and benefits here as any other; no more, no less.
Of what value or use is the Wisdom of the Ages if we fail to put its principles in practice, or to utilize its pro- found lessons running through the whole history of man?
Every just and Upright Mason ought to know and to realize what he stands for, why he is a Mason, and that while his freedom is reserved, his "inalienable rights" were secured by sacrifice, and can only be preserved by conscientious regard and discharge of duty.
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty". The greatest enemy of the Republic today is the man who stupidly or indifferently says, "There is no danger". This is the strongest asset of the enemy of all our Liber- ties. Get a word of this danger into any influential newspaper if you can. They are all "censored".
"Mother Church" and "The Party" are political slogans, pure and simple; built for "graft", and founded on greed, equally unscrupulous and menacing.
I have not a particle of fear that any intelligent, just and upright Mason will deny, or be able to disprove a
Postscript to the Fifth Edition. 275
single statement herein made. The facts are scarcely outlined. The fear and the danger are that Masons will continue to ignore, belittle or evade them.
The present point of attack is our Free Public Schools, the very foundation of all our Free Institutions; and the Parochial Schools are fast gaining ground.
The most hopeful sign is the Resolution recently passed by the National Teachers Association, unanimously pro- testing against any division of the School fund, for any Sectarian body whatsoever.
Nothing is easier than to demonstrate that the Prin- ciples which Masonry so clearly defines and upon which the Lodge is built, constitute the Magna Charta of this Government, and were thence derived. These prin- ciples are the pure gold of ethics and the conduct of life, both individual and associate, from the melting pot of all human history, and the wisdom of all ages.
This is why "Mother Church", that is, the sixty-odd Italian Cardinals, arrogant, ambitious, relentless, vin- dictive, hate Masonry, misrepresent it, and continually anathematize it, and would destroy it if they could, as they have murdered its votaries in the past.
Masonry stands squarely across their path; stands for the exact opposite of all their political ambition covets and would gain at any cost to mankind; for with them, "the end justifies the means".
Not one citizen in a thousand realizes what immense progress this Political Autocracy has made in America
276 Mystic Masonry.
in the fourteen years since this little book was written.
In Canada today the citizens are trying to undo the work of Popery and Jesuitism in the Public Schools, shake off the blight of Priestcraft and regain their Liber- ties. Read the Canadian papers and see, for they are not all censored.
Of what value is a knowledge of history if we are never to profit by its bitter lessons and admonitions? Of what value is a knowledge of the basic principles that underlie all individual and social life, if we are not ready to utilize them, live by them, and, if need be, fight for them and die for them, as did the Fathers of this Republic?
I can only speak and act as one man, already entered on his "fourth score" of years, and a Mason for nearly fifty years. In many countries today, I would pay the forfeit of life, for these utterances; and in this country six deliberate attempts within the year have been made to assassinate one of my Masonic Comrades engaged in the same cause.
So far as publicity and our open "Declaration" are concerned in this country, we have not yet made a beginning. But so far as the enemy of all our Free Institutions is concerned, scarcely a department of our Government, or one of our Safeguards of Freedom exists that is not by them already undermined. Free School, Free Press, Free Religion — all undermined by Jesuitry, and paying tribute to Rome!
During the past fourteen years I have advanced from
Postscript to the Fifth Edition. 277
the reflections of philosophy, to the "Church Militant", as every just and upright Mason will, ere long, be com- pelled to pass from "refreshment to labor", or become a traitor to every Masonic principle, and implicated in the destruction of every design on his trestleboard.
In "Mystic Masonry" I have tried to give a glimpse of the Jewels of Wisdom, the Crown Jewels of every high civilization that has ever existed, inspired by their sages and wisest Masters.
Year by year my convictions have deepened, the glory and beauty become more and more transcendent, and the outlook more uplifting on the Journey of Life.
Scarcely a proposition herein contained, drawn from Philosophy and Symbolism, and justified by analogy and rational sequence, that has not since been confirmed by Natural Science, and reaffirmed by the author of "The Great Work".
I undertook consistently to portray the qualifications that should constitute a "Master", such as I had not seen or known. A score of times I said to the Beloved Comrade, "I am waiting for the Man", and one day I found him.
I find no incongruity between the logical inference I had drawn and the actuality I had discovered. It was like pointing a telescope at the nidus of perturbations in space, and locating a new planet.
The whole of Masonry, the sequence of symbolism, pointed in this one direction, led to no other inference,
278 Mystic Masonry.
would have added q.e.d. to no other solution of the problem. For seven years I have been making careful observations of the orbit and movements of the new star on my horizon, and been rewarded by assurance, con- firmation, satisfaction and higher aspiration.
Good men and women seem so often discouraged and bewildered over the experiences of life. To the ever- lasting question, "What does it all mean?" often comes the discouraged, and discouraging answer, "Nobody knows".
How to adjust the vicissitudes of life, and to utilize its varying experiences, so as to become Master of the results upon ourselves, that is the Royal Secret, the Great Work.
Facing, as we must, Principalities and Powers, things present, and things to come, and Life and Death, and yet to remain serene, steadfast, and full of good cheer, is the Great Secret. Does this not imply a mental atti- tude— a way of -looking at things — a method of living — an assurance that we are on the right path — and a con- viction that all is well, and the goal secure?
Masonry is a Great School, designed and qualified to educate every initiate in just this Science of Life. What else is the meaning of the "Instructive Tongue, the Listening Ear and the Faithful Breast"? What else can it be to be "made a Mason in the heart"? Is not that an expression of reality and sincerity} What else can the expression — "By being a Man", mean? Certainly not
Postscript to the Fifth Edition. 279
a coward, a slave, a fanatic, or an imbecile. Test the noblest characters of all time by these principles and these standards and see if they are not revealed.
This is the Great School of Masonry coming down through the ages, whether one student in a thousand Graduates, and "makes good", or not.
The "Infallible" Pope says we are "Atheists", and do not believe in God. He knows better. No man can pass to the Altar of Masonry who does not believe in God, as two million American Masons will testify.
Freemasonry is aligned with Eternal Truth, Liberty, Charity and Fraternity, and it lies squarely across the pathway of all who would enslave the human soul, and there it will stand so long as God is in the Heavens, and till Time shall be no more.
Murder, as Rome has often tried to do, every Free- mason on earth today, and not one of its principles, its Priceless Jewels would be changed or lost. You might as well try to destroy the principles of Light, Electricity or Gravitation.
One of the relics preserved for pious Catholics in the East, we are told, is a bottle containing "the darkness that fell upon Egypt". If his "Infallible Holiness" should look upon this bottle he would undoubtedly be- hold his own image reflected there, with his swarm of Italian Cardinals hovering like locusts in the background and his "bottle of darkness" would indeed prove a boom- erang.
280 Mystic Masonry.
What Egypt was in its glory, when the Great Masters instituted its Paternal Government, and built the "Rock beside the Waters", America may yet become if every Mason is true to his Landmarks and his traditions, and to the Fathers who instituted them here.
What Egypt is today, America will become, a waste of sand and howling jackals, if the same Priestcraft and Paganism that triumphed there, are allowed here to destroy our Free Schools, and reunite Church and State.
The issues are exceedingly plain, and as old as the human race on this earth.
Since the "Lost Word" may be "discovered" in the "Great Work", the designs upon the trestleboard are restored for the first time in many a weary century. Only the Listening Ear, and the Faithful Breast are required. I, for one, have listened, examined the Jewel, and found the Mark.
Fraternally,
J. D. Buck. Cincinnati, June 1911.
"Unveil— O thou that giveth sustenance to the universe, from whom all things proceed, to whom all must return, — that face of the true Sun now hidden by a vase of Golden Light, that we may know the truth, and do our whole duty on our journey to thy sacred seat."
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Plate I.
Descent of Spirit into Matter.
"All Things From One."
Plats XL
Plate HI. The First Differentiation.
Plate IV. The Second Differentiation.
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4
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Plate V. Tetragrammaton of Pythagoras.
Plate VI.
The Relation of Spirit to Matter.
Plate VII. Matter and Spirit in Equilibrium.
Plate VIII. The Greater Tetraktys.
M I praise Thee with my Lips, I know not the numbers*"
Plate IX. 'The Stone that the Builders rejected. "
Plate X. Trinity of Trinities.
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Qo/lTERNARY OF MATTER,
Plate XI. The "Forty Seventh Problem" — Diversity in Unity.
Plate XII. The Lamb-skin, or White Apron.
Plate XHI. The Cube Unfolded.
Plate XIV. The Sequence of Symbolis&c.
jf or ^rogre^tbe people
The Great School or The School of Natural Science is the modern name for that venerable school of Wisdom whose records are the most ancient at this time known to man. For many thousands of years this School has influenced the civilization and work of every great nation of earth and with unceasing labors its members have toiled for the advancement of the human race from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light.
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ZEfje harmonic Series
Harmonics of Evolution. By Florence Huntley. The main theme is the Natural Law of Marriage. It is the Philosophy of Individual Life based upon Natural Science as taught by the Modern Masters of the Law. A book for men and women who are studying the great personal problems of Love, Marriage and Personal Re- sponsibility. A logical and scientific treatise of the three propositions: 1. There is no death. 2. Life after physical death is a fact scientifically demonstrable. 3. Life here and hereafter has a common development and a common purpose. Cloth bound, price $2.00 net.
The Great Psychological Crime. By TK. A book for all students of Psychic Phenomena, but more especially for those who are investigating Hypnotism and Spiritual- ism. It covers the most mysterious and fascinating phenomena of human life. Cloth bound, $2.00 net.
The Great Work. By TK. A book for every man and woman who is trying to find a real, satisfactory working Philosophy of Life. Explains the origin and. purpose of the Great School and outlines the character of Work done by its students. Answers the question, How may one prove that death does not end all?
Written by an American Representative and Master of the Ancient School, who is not, nor has he ever been, a Hypnotist, a Medium or a Professional Mystic.
"The Great Work" is written in beautiful, clear and entertaining style. It is filled with information which no man can afford to ignore in his endeavors to make the most of his life, here as well as hereafter.
"The Great Work" is a logical presentation of the Philosophy, the Science and the Religion of the Great School, in popular form. It will interest you if you have the slightest desire to solve the great problems of life.
Cloth bound, price $2.00 net. Half leather Library Edition, $2.75 net. Full limp morocco, Oxford style, in dark blue, green, wine or black, $3.50 net.
Supplemental harmonic Series
Offered as corroborative evidence in the lines of supplementary research and not as official expositions of the work of the School.
The Genius of Freemasonry. By J. D. Buck, M.D. A book which every wide-awake Mason should read. Equally as interesting to any American citizen who be- lieves that politics and religion should be forever separated. Price in cloth binding, $1.00 net.
The Crucifixion, by an Eyewitness. The story of the Crucifixion of Jesus as told by an actual eye-witness of that event. From an old manuscript found in
Alexandria. Bound in cloth, price $1.00 net.
Constructive Psychology. By J. D. Buck, M. D.
Undertakes to make exceedingly plain those few simple principles by which the individual may adjust himself by personal effort and establish harmonious relations to God, to Nature and to his fellow men. Bound in blue cloth, $1.00 net.
The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ. By Nicholas Notovitch. Compiled from a manuscript found by the Russian Traveler in a monastery in Thibet. Corroborates the claims of the Great School that Jesus was in India during the years unaccounted for in the New Testament. Bound in cloth, price $1.00 net
Mystic Masonry. By J. D. Buck, M. D. This is the most popular work ever written on the subject of Masonic Symbolism. Outlines the Philosophy of Masonry and explains many of the ancient symbols. Of equal interest to the non-Masonic reader. Bound in cloth, price $1.50 net.
The Reality of Matter. To be published soon.
tKfje Complemental Series
The Bible in India. By Louis Jacolliot. This book traces back to India all the Religions, Philosophies and Sciences of the world and shows that in Ancient India we have the source of civilization. A very valuable cor- roborative work. Price, cloth bound, $2.00.
A Study of Man. By J. D. Buck, M. D. A study of the physical constitution of man and the philosophy of health. Nature's finer forces in human life and action. Cloth bound, price $1.00 net.
harmonic Jftctton Series;
The Dream Child. By Florence Huntley. A new edition of this beautiful occult romance of two worlds. Contains much philosophy and should be read by every student of the occult.- A new chapter and some illus- trations have been added. Also a handsome cover design. Cloth bound, gold stamp, illustrated, $1.00 net.
The Gay Gnani of Gingalee. By Florence Huntley. A laugh producing extravaganza and occult "take-off" which carries with it a lesson for every thoughtful student of the occult. Cloth bound, $1.00 net.
3|armomc poofelet Series
Who Answers Prayer. A brochure on Prayer. Answers the questions: What is prayer? For what should we pray? To whom should we pray? Who answers prayer? A text book of the Great School on this subject. Cloth bound, blue and gold, 50 cents net.
The Lost Word Found. By J. D. Buck, M. D. Who has found the "lost word" and wants every true Mason to know how and where to do the same thing. Bound in purple and gold, illustrated, 50 cents net.
Any of these books will be shipped, charges prepaid, to your address, upon receipt of price. Remit in any con- venient way; bank draft, postoffice or express money order preferred.
Indo-American Book Company
218 North Kedzie Avenue CHICAGO
Htfe anli Jetton
Widespread and ever extending interest in the Great School and its work made necessary the publication of a magazine devoted to its interests; and thus we established LIFE AND ACTION — the off icial organ of the Great Work in America, as an aid and inspiration to the Students and Friends in their endeavors to apply the Science and the Philosophy of the School in their daily lives and conduct.
No more fitting title could be found than LIFE AND ACTION for such a magazine, and if you have the slightest interest in the Great Work you will want to be on the subscription list.
Since September, 1909, LIFE AND ACTION has been published bi-monthly with 56 or more pages of reading matter each issue. Twelve numbers will be sent to any address for $1.00
All back numbers may be had in bound volumes at $1.00 per volume. Volume I is now on sale and volume II will be ready in April, 1911.
THE INDO-AMERICAN MAGAZINE COMPANY 222 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago.
SEP 5 I9H
One copy del. to Cat.4J.iv. S£P « 19.11