SECTION I.

Masonry was originally an operative society, and in thai form those who worked as Entered Apprentices were styled the^rrf class; but in Speculative or Freemasonry, the degree of which we are now treating is regarded as the first of the Order. Its reception places the novitiate in possession of
EKTEEED APPRENTICE. 53
the Masonie alphabet, and discloses to him the fnndamontal principles of this time-honored institution. This section is Eub-dii ided under three heads, viz:
1st. The Ceremony; 2d. Its Moral; and 3d. Its Necessity and Consisienct.
A fnll and perfect knowledge of this section is indispensa- bly necessary to every Mason who would be serviceable to tlic institution, and would avail himself of its privileges and its enjoyments.
The Enteance. — The preparations to which the candidate must Bubmit, before entering the Lodge, serve allegorically to tench him, as well as to remind the brethren who are present, that it is the man alone, divested of all the outward recommendations of rank, state, or of riches, which Masonry accepts, and that it is his spirit- ual, or moral worth alone, which can open for him the door of the temple.
As Masons, we are taught never to commence any great or important undertaking, without first invoking the blessing of Deity.
The trust ot a Mason is in God, as a basis which can never tail, and a rock which can never be shaken. Nor is it a mere empty profession; for it is borne out and illustrated by our practice. We open and close our Lodges viith prayer; the same formula is used at the initiation of candidates; and no business of any importance is conducted without invoking the Divine assistance on our labors; and the blessing of God cannot be expected to follow any man's profession, unless it be verified by a godd and virtuous life.
THE RITE OF INDUCTION.
Wb are convinced by long and extensive observation that Masons need a tiuer and deeper insight into the nature of our esoteric work. We do not tliink our beautiful and truth-glowing ritual and oui Bublime symbolism aie quite understood by the mass of the Brother- hood. It is true all are affected, in a certain degree, by tlieu; it
54. GENERAL .iniMAN EEZON.
eotild not be otherwise: but many fail to discover the grand tmth» which are inculcated therein. Symbols are of no practical import- ance, if we have lost the sense they were intended to convey ; and rites aie puerile, if they do not immediately lead the mind to the consideration of tangible ideas and immortal verities. Our cere- monies are moral and philosophical lessons; and, earnestly studied and rightly imderstood, wOI be seen to be pregnant with mighty meanings.
Thus expressive and full of significance is the Eitk oe Induction.
The induction of the Neophyte into the Order of Freeoaaoniy, his first entrance into the sanctuary of the illuminated, is for him a step of momentous importemce and solemnity. There are few candidates, we believe, who can approach the portals of the mys- tery-shrouded Lodge without much trepidation of heart, and a feeling of mingled awe and fear. Consequently, the induction is effected by the performance of certain appropriate symbolical cere- monies, all of which are remarkably and eloquently suggestive of the new life, duties, and obligations he is about to assume, and to which he is on the point of binding himself voluntai'ily, absolutely and without reservation, for ever.
In ancient Egypt, the Neophyte was presented with a cup of water, and addressed in these words: — "Aspirant to the honor of a divine companionship ! seeker after celestial truth ! this is the water of forgetfulness. Drink! — drink to the oblivion of all your vices— the forgetfulness of all your imperfections; and thus be prepared for the reception of the new revelations of Truth, with which you are soon to be honored." Although modern Freemasonry does not retain this particular ceremony, it preserves the spirit of it, by othei forms, not less expressive and instructive. The candidate is directed to close his eyes on the Past — to lay aside the trappings and vestures of the outward world — the symbols of traffic and war — ail that re- minds one of the selfishness and discords of life — and turn his face towards the dread unknown — the mysterious Future.
The EiTE ov Induction, therefore, signifies the end of a profane and vicious life — the palingenesia (new birth) of corrupted human nature— the death of vice and aU bad passions, and the introduction to a new hfe of pmity and virtue. It also prepares the candidate, by prayer and meditation, for that mystic pilgrimage, where he must wander through night and darkness, before he can behold tha golden splendors of the Obient, and stand in unfettered &eedoiu r.mong the Sons of Light
ENTERED ATPRENTICE. 55
ITie Bite is Intended, still further, to represent man in his primi tlTe condition of helplessness, ignorance, and moral blindness, seeking after that mentiil iiiid moral enlightenment which alone can deliver his mind from all thralldoms, and make him master of the material world. The Neophyte, in darkness and with tremblings, knocks at the portals of the Lodge, and demands admission, in- struction, and light. So man, bom ignorant, and helpless, and blind, yet feeling stirring within him unappeasable longings for knowledge, knocks at the doors of the temple of science. He inter- rogates Nature, demands her secrets, and at length becomes the proud possessor of her mysteries.
Finally, the Eite of Induction refers to the supreme hour of man's worldly life, when, lajiug aside all earthly wealth, and pomp, and rank, and gloiy, and divested of his mortal vesture, he passes alone through the gi-im darltuess of the tomb, to stand before the Qband Orient of the immortal Land.
TbroiiRh dpath to lifo I and tbrou^b tblH vale of t«arf,
Aud thldtle-world of luortal life, aHcend To the great Banquet, In that world wlioHe yours
Of bllsa imcloudod, fadolesB, know no end."
m
PRATER,
AT THE INITIATION OF A CANDIUATE.
VoucnSAFE thine aid, Almighty Father of the [Jniversc, to this our present convention ; and grant tliat this candidate for ilasonry may dedi- cate and devote his hfe to thy service, and become a true and faithful brother among us. Endue him with a competency of thy divine Wisdom, that by the influence of the pure prhi- ciples of our art he may be better enabled to
56 GENEEAL AHIMAN KEZON.
display the beauties of holiness, to the honor ol thy holy name. — Amen.
Response. — So mote it be.
THE SYMBOLIC PILGKIMAGE.
The institution of Freemasonry — reaching backward until il loses itself among the mythological shadows of the past, its grand ritual and eloquent language of signs and symbols, originating in those distant ages — offers a field for exploration which can never be thoroughly traversed. Transmitted to us by remote generations, it is plain that, before we can, in any degree, appreciate Freema- sonry, or understand the significance of its mysteries, we must go back to the Past, and question the foimders of the Order. We must learn in what necessities of human nature, and for what pur- pose it was created. We must discover the trae genesis of our rites, and become familiar vrith the ideas which the Fathers intended to shadow forth through them, and impress upon the mind. It is not enough for us to accept the letter of the ceremonial, and perform it blindly, interpreting its meaning in whatever way fancy or imagin- ation or convenience may dictate. We should know what the Ancients meant to say through it: what truth each rite and each Byinbol represented to their minds.
From age to age, thi-ough countless generations, these Kites have read their sublime lessons of wisdom and hope, and peace and warning, to the "Sons of Light." These same lessons, in the same language, they read to us to-day. But do we see in them what they did? Do they impress us as they impressed them? Or do they pass before our eyes like a panorama of some unknown land, which has no delineator to tell us what or where it is, or give us any intelli- gible notion regarding it ? Accepting the symbol, have we lost ita sense ? Our Kites will be of little value to us if this be the case. It is our duty, tlien, to make Freemasonry the object of a profound study. We must consult the Past. We must stand by the sar- cophagus of the murdered, but restored Osiris, in Egypt; enter the oavems of Phrygia, and hold communion with the Cabiri; pene- trate the "Collegia Fabrorum" of ancient Rome, and work in the mystic circles of Sidon. In a word, we must pursue our researehea until we find the thought that lay in the minds of those who cre- eled ilie institution and founded our mysteries. Then we shall
ENTEKED APPEENTICE. 5ll
tmow precisely what they mean. We shall see in them a grand series of moral and philosophical dramas, most eloqxient and in- structive, gleaming with sublime ideas, as the heavens glow with stars. And, finally, we shall discover that our Kites embrace all tho possible circumstances of man — moral, spirituiil, and social — Mid have a meaning high at the heavens, broad as the universe, and profound as etert ity.
The Rite of the Wanderer, or the Symbolic Pilgiimage, is entirely puerile and unmeaning, unless we have learned in what ideas it originated, and what its authors intended to represent by it Hap- pily, this is not a difficult task. In Egj^it, Greece, and among other ancient nations, Freemasonry was one of the earliest agencies employed to effect the improvement and enlightenment of man. CiCEBO tells us that "the establishment of these Rites among the Athenians, conferred upon them a supreme benefit. 7heir effect was to civilize men, reform their wild and ferocicfosi manners, and make them comprehend the true principles of mxjrality, which initiale man into a new order of life, more worthy of a being destined to imorialily." — Consequently, the mystic journey primarily represented the toil- some progress of Humanity, fi-om its primitive condition of igno- rance and barbarism to a state of civilization and mental enlight- enment. The Neophyte, therefore, wandering in darkness over his winding way, meeting with various obstructions and delays, was a type of tlie human race, struggling onward and upward by devious stages, from the gloom and doi'kness of the savage state to the Ught, intelligence, and comforts of civilized life.
This symbolic journey is also emblematical of the pilfximage of life, which, man soon enough discovers, is often dark and gloomy, surrounded by son-ow, and fear, and doxibt. It teaches him that over this dark, perplexed, and fearful course lays the way to a glo- rious destiny, that through night to liijhi must the eai-th-pilgrim work his way; that by struggle, and toU, and earnest endeavor, he must advance with cojirage and hope until, free of every fetter, and in the full light of ™-tue and knowledge, he stands face to face with tho mighty secrets of the universe, and attains that lofty height, whence he can look backwai-d over the night-shrouded and tortuous path in which he had been wandei-ing, and forward to subUmer elevation — to more gloriou.^ ideals, which seem to say to him, " Ou, an for ever ! "
Such, then, is the grand and inspiring lesson which this Symbolic Pilgrimage is perpetually repeating to the brethren. Let tliem stndj 3*
58 GENERAL AHIMAN EEZON.
It well, aud labor with faitb.; for it announces a progress in science and vii-tue, which will reach through eternity.
The Lodge, when revealed to an entering Vason, discovers to liim a representation of the world; in which, from the wonders of Nature, w e are led to contemplate the great Original, aud worship him for his mighty works; and we are, thereby, also moved to ez- srciso those moral and social virtues, which become mankind to obsei-ve, as the servants of the Great Architect of the world, in whose image we were formed from the begimiing.
The following passage of Scripture is rehearsed during the ceremony:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ; that went down to the skirts of his garment.
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion ; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even hfe for evermore.
" The great teaching of this Psalm is Brotherly Love, that virtue which forms the most prominent tenet of the Masonic Order. And it teaches the lesson, too, precisely as we do, by a symbol, comparing it to the precious ointment used in the consecration of the High-Priest, whose delightful perfume filled the whole place with its odor. The ointment was poured upon the head in such quau tity, that, being directed bj' the anointer in different ways in the form of a cross, it flowed at length down tV.e beard, and fiuallj jropped from the flowing skirts of the priestlv garment
ENTERED APPRENTICE.
59
"The fiftenn Psalms, from the 120th to the 134th, inclusive, ot which this, of course, is one, are called by the Hebrews ' songs of degrees,' because they were sung on the fifteen steps ttscending ttom the court of Israel to the court of the women in the Temple. "
Or the following Ode may be sung: Music — Avid Lang Syne.
Be - hold! how pleas-ant and how good, For
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broth - er - hood To dwell in u - ui - ty!
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'Tis like the oil on
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50
GENERAL AHIMAN BEZON.
Bt.
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to his feet dis - tills ; Like Ilermon's dew so
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vich - ly shed On Zi - on's sa - cred hills !
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For there the Lord of light and love
A blessing sent with power; Oh, may we all tliis blessing prove,
E'en life for evermore ! On Friendship's altar, rising here,
Onr hands now plighted be, To live in love, with hearts sincere,
In peace and unity.
It is the duty of the Master of the Lodge, as one of the precautionary measures of initiation, to explain to the can- didate the natnre and design of the institution; and while he informs him tliat it is founded on the purest principles of virtue; that it possesses great and invaluable privileges; and that, in order to secure those privileges to worthy men, and worthy men alone, voluntary pledge? of fidelity are required; he will at the same time assure him that nothing will be expected of liim incompatible with his civil, moral, or reli- giouB duties.
ENTEEED APPllENTICE.
61
THE OBLIGATION OF SECRECT.
Che of the moat notable features of Freemasonry — one, certainly which attracts, more than any thing else, the attention of tlie pro fcme world — is that vail of mystery — that awful secrecy— behind which it moves and acts. From the earliest periods, this has inva- riably been a distinctive characteristic of the institution; and to-day, as of old, the first obligation of a Mason- -his supreme duty — is that of silence and secrecy. "Why is this ? Why did Freemasonry, in the beginning, adopt the principle of secrecy, as a vital one 1 and why has it so persistently adhered to it, through all the changes that have swept over the earth, and transformed all things else ?
The enemies of Freemasonry, like Thomas Paine and others, pretend that they have found the origin of Masonic secrecy in ths fact that the esoteric doctrines of the Order were antagonistic to the prevailing opinions, and therefore could not safely be professed before the world. Hence, according to them, the retiring into silence and secrecy was simply an act of cowardice, to escape the danger that might foUow the open and honest promulgation of an unpopular dooti'ine! Some distinguished Masonic writers have also— strange as it may appear — professed the same theory. We must nevertheless pronounce it an exceedingly shallow and unphi- losophical one. The obligation of secrecy does not owe its origin to anj such cause. That origin must be found, and can only be found, in the intrinsic uilue and divine excellence of the principle of secrecy itself. Among the ancients, silence and secrecy were considered virtues of the highest order The Egyptians worshiped Harpocratea, th«
62 GENEBAL AHIMAN REZON.
god of secrpny, raised altars in Hs name, and wreathed them ■wf Jj garliinds of flowers. Among the ancient Romans, too, these vir lues were not less esteemed; and a distinguished Latin poet tells tis, " Est el fiddi tuta sUeniio merces:" - "for faithful silence, also, Ihere is a sure reward."
Mystery has charms for all men, and is closely allied to the spir- itual part of man's nature. The entire fabric of the universe in founded on secrecy; and the great Life -force which vivifies, movea, and beautifies the whole, is the profoundest of all mysteries. We cannot, indeed, fix our eyes on a single point in creation which does not shade ofl' into mystery, and touch the realms of Eternal Silence. As the fathers of Freemasonry discovered that all life and beauty were elaborated in Night and Mystery, they made the Insti- tution, in this respect, conform to the divine order of Nature. In the Pythagorean Freemasonry, silence and secrecy were religious duties, and held to be the most fruitful sources of intellectual and moral improvement. A distinguished modem WTiter* repeats the same idea in quaint but forcible language: — " Thoughts will not work, except in silence; neither will virtue work, except in secrecy. Like other plants, virtue will not grow, unless its roots be hidden, buried fi-om the light of the SJin. Let the sun shine on it — nay, do but look at it privily thyself— the root withers, and no flowers will glad thee.''
In the grand mythology of ancient Scandinavia, there is a re- markable myth, called the Yggdrasil-Tree, or Ever-blooming Ash. whose top rose to the highest heavens, and whose roots struck down through the regions of everlasting gloom and night. From age to age, its branches, loaded with benedictions, spread out over all worlds, the delight of gods and men, diffusing life and beauty and firagrunce through the universe. And all this gloiy, and these capa- bilities to bless, were the fruit of the mysterious and secret labors of the sacred Nomas, who perpetually watered its roots from the deep-hidden welb, and thus preserved its vigor and vitality.
The Yggdrasil Ti-ee is a beautiful symbolical representation of Freemasonry, and illustrates well the character of Masonic secrecy. Like that tree, in the youth of Humanity, the Mystic Order arose iimong the nations of the earth, and its ever-green branches spread over the world; and, by the vital power of its secret ministry, it dif. fnsed order, and beauty, and viitue, and civilization over all land.*
• THOiut Cabi.tlx— Sartor Raarlui,
ENTEKED APPEENTICE. 63
An(jtber reasoD why Freemasonrj regards secrecy sis a fiinda- Dwutal principle is, bocauso a unity, harmony, and strength can bo secured thereby, which cannot be obtained in any other way. Secrecy has a mystic, binding, almost snpematural force, and onites men more closely together than all other means combined. The common possession of a secret by a considerable number of people, produces a family-feeling. There is something profoundly mystical in this, no doubt; but it is, nevertheless, a fact Suppose two men, strangers, traveling in a distant country, should by some accident be brought together for a few brief moments, during which they happen to be the involuntary witnesses of some terrible deed, a deed which circumstances demand shall remain a secret between them for ever. In all the mde world, only these two men, and they strangers to each other, know the secret. They separate; conti- nents and oceans, and many eventful years, divide them ; but they cannot forget each other, nor the dread mystei-y which binds them together as with an iron chain. Neither time nor distance can weaken that mighty bond. In that, they are for ever one.
It is not, then, for any vain or frivolous purpose that Masoni^ appeals to the principle of secrecy, but, rather, because it creates a family-feeling, insures unity, and throws the charm of mystery and poetry around the Order, making its labors easy and its obligations pleasant.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth wa^ without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep And the Spirit of God moved upon the face oi the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. In humble commcmora tion of that august event, * * * *
Light is ore of tie requirements of a candidate at his initiation »nd the material light which is afforded him is succeeded by as IntolkHJtual illumination, which serves to enlighten his path on th. journey from this v. orld to the next
64 GENEltAL AHIMAN EEZON.
THE BITE OE ILLUMIKATION.
The Eite of Illumination is a very anciont ceremonj, aud con- etihitetl au important feature iu all the mysteries of the early ages. In the Egyptian, Cabiriau, Sidonian, Eleusinian, Scandinavian, and Dniidical Kituals, it held a prominent place, and in them all repre- Bented the same ideas. It marked the termination of the mystic pilgrimage through gloom and night, and was emblematical of that moral and inteUertual light which pours its di^-ine radiance on the mind after it has nouquered prejudice, and passion, and ignorance, with which it has so long been struggling.
The prevailing notion of all those Kites was, that man, society, humanity could arrive at the Perfect only by the ministiy of gloom and suffering; that the soul's exaltation and highest enlightenment could be approached only by the dark way of tears and sacrifice. The Kite of Illuminatiou indicates the triumphant conclusion of . man's conflicts, sacrifices, and trials; announces that he has found that Light for which he has so persistently sought — that Truth which alone can give dignity to his life, freedom to his spirit, and repose to his soul, aud which is the grand recompense for all his joumeyings, labors, and combats.
The particular act which now distingiushes this illumination is, comparatively, modern, but is, nevertheless, deeply si^ifioant aud instructive. It refers to that point of time when "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was Mght." The loftiest imagination is utterly powerless to paint a picture of the unspeakable glory of th€i scene, when the sun, for the first time, poured down his light in a golden deluge on the earth, hitherto a chaotic mass, plunged in eternal night! — ^when ocean, lake, and river, hill and valley, snuled and sparkled in the new-born splendor ! Yet this Kite does not commemorate that event simply as an historical, material fact, but rather because it symbolizes the release of the soul from darkness, and ignorance, and sin — from the chaos and confusion of a sensual and selfist life — and its establishment in the light and glory of vir- tue and knowledge.
The emblems peculiar to this Rite are the Bible, Square, and Compasses, the Bm-ning Triangle, or the three hghted Tapers illu- minating the altar. These all have exclusive reference to the load- ing idea of the ceremony, viz : the release from moral, spiritual, ani inielleduid darkness. Hence the first three of these emblems arc called the Great Lights of Masomy, and the latter the Lesser Lights
ENTEEED APPRENTICE. 63
Through Night to Light I and though, to moital eyes.
Creation's face a pall of horror wear, Good cheer : good cheer I the gioom of midnight Jlia,
And then a sunrise foUowB, mild and fair."
Tteso lines of the great German beautifully and forcibly illustrat* the sublime thought which underlies and shines through this Rite. We civunot, of course, enter into any pai-tioular descriptions of it, or give any special details thereof, but the above suggestions are all that the intelligent brother will need to assist him to a thorough com- prehension of the whole.
"isasin ci memuenUnol" -" The iniiiaied Icnow what is meant."
The three great Lights iu Masoury are the Holy Bible, Square, and Compasses, and are thus explained :
The Holy Bible is given us as the rule and guide of our faith and practice; the Square, to square our actions; and the Compasses, to cir- cumscribe our desires, and keep our passions in due bounds with all mankind, especially with the brethren.
The Holy Writings, that great light in Masonry, will guide us to all truth ; it will direct our paths to the temple of happiness, »nd point out to us the whole duty of man.
The SqiMre teaches us to regulate our actions by rule and line, and to harmonize cur conduct by the principles of morality aiij virtue.
The Vompasses teaoL us to limit our desires in every station, that, rising to eminence by meritj we may live respected and die togiottod.
66 GENERAL AHIMAN EEZOIT.
The three lesser Lights are the Sun, Moon and Master of the Lodge, and are thus ex- plained: As the Sun rules the day and the Moon governs the night, so should the Wor- shipful Master, with equal regularity, rule and govern the Lodge.
Tbe Master represents the snn at its risin jf, that lie may open his Lodge, and employ and instruct the brethren in the prin- ciples of Freemasonry; to whom it is his duty to communicate light, impressing upon their minds the dignity and importance of the institution, and admonishing them never to disgrace it.
The Senior Warden represents the sun at its setting, and his duty is to assist tlie Master, to look after certain properties of tbe Lodge, to see that harmony prevails, and that the brethren have their just dues before being dismissed from their labors.
The JuMOR Waudkn represents the sun at meridian, which is the most beautilul part of the day, and his duty is to call the brethren from labor to refreshment, and see that the means thereof are not perverted by intempirance or excess, but so regulated that pleasure and profit may be shared by all.
I now present you with this Lambskin, or white leather Apron. It is an emblem of in- nocence, and the badge of a Mason — more ancient than the Golden F'eece or Roman Eagle; more honorable than the Star and Garter, or any other Order that can be con- ferred upon you at this or at any future pe- riod by king, prince, potentate, or any other person, except he be a Mason, and in the body of a Lodge, and which, I trust, you will wear with pleasure to yourself and honor to the fraternity. *****
ENTEEED APPEENTICE. 67
Or the following may be given :
Mj brother, I now present you -vrith this lambsltin, or white eather apron. It ia an emblem of innocence and the distin- guished badge of a Mason.
It may be that in the coming years upon your head shall rest the laurel le ives of victory ; from your breast may hang jewels fit to grace the dradem jf an Eastern potentate; nay, more than these, with light added to the coming light, your ambitious feet may tread round after rouud of the lad'ler ihat leads to fame in our mystic circle, and even the purple of our fraternity rest upon your honored shoulders; but never again from mortal hands, never a^ain until your enfranchised spirit shall have passed upward and inward through the pearly gates, shall any honor so distinguished, so emblematiciil of purity and of all perfections, be bestowed upon you a which I confer to-night. It is yours to wear throughout an honorable life, and at your death, to be deposited upon the cofBn which shall enclose your lifeless lemains, and with them laid beneath the clods of the valley.
Let its pure and spotless surface be to you an ever-present reminder of an unblemished purity of life and rectitude of conduct; a never-ending argument for nobler deeds; for higher thoughts ; for purer actions. And when at last your weary feet shall have come to the end of their toilsome jour- ney, and from your nerveless grasp shall drop forever the working tools of life, may the record of your life and conduct be as pure and spotless as the fair emblem which I place in your hands to-night. And when your trembling soul stands free and alone before the Great White Throne, may it be yout portion, oh, my brother, to hear from llim, who >ittoth as the Judge Supreme, the welcome words : \Ve\\ done, good and faithful seivant; enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
You will now carry your apron to the S. AV. in the west, who will teach you how to wear it as an E. A., and, I hope, my brother, that you will wear it with pleasure to yourself and with honor to the fraternity of which you are now to be^ come a member.
68 GENEEAL AHIMAN EEZON.
In the course of this section is exhibited a beautiful and impressive illustration of Chaeitt — one of the grand prin ciples i>f the institution, an J conclades with a moral appli- cation.
Dbmakd. Not even a penny?
Charity is the chief of every social virtue, and the distinguish, ing characteristic of Masons. This virtue includes a supreme degree of love to the great Creator and Governor of the Universe,
The bounds of the greatest nation or the most extensive empiie cannot circumscribe the generosity of a liberal mind. Men, in vrhatever situation they are placed, are still in a great measure the same. They are exposed to similar dangers and misfortunes: they have not wisdom to foresee, or power to prevent the evils incident to human nature : they hang, as it were, m a perpetual suspense between hope and fear, sickness and health, plenty and want. A mutual chain of dependence subsists throughout the animal crea- tion. The whole human species are, therefore, proper objects foi the exercise of charity.
Beings who partake of one common nature ought to be actuated by the same motives and interests. Hence, to soothe the unhappy, by sympathizing with their misfortunes, and to restore peace and tranquillity to agitated spirits, constitute the general and great ends of the Masonic institution. This humane, this generous dis- position, fires the breast with manly feelings, and enlivens that spirit of compassion which is the glory of the human frame, and which not only rivals, but outshines, every other pleasm-e the mind is capable of enjoying.
AU human passions, when directed by the superior principle of reason, promote some useful purpose; but compassion towards proper objects is the most beneficial of all the affections, and exsites the most lasting degrees of happiness, as it extends to greater ntimbers, and tends to alleviate the infirmities and evils which are incident to human existence.
Possessed of this amiable, this god-like disposition, Masons are shocked at misery, under every form and appearance. When wo behold an object pining under the miseries of a distressed body ol mind, the healing accents which flow from the tongue mitigate the pain of the unhappy sufferer, and make even adversity, in it« dismal state, look gay. When our pity is excited, we assuage grief,
ENTEEED APPRENTICE. 69
and cheerfully relieve distress. If a brother be in want, every beart is moved; when he is hungry, we feed him; when he is naied, we clothe him; when he is in trouble, we fly to his relleC Thus we confirm the propriety of the title we bear, and convince the world at Isige that beothee, among Masons, is something more than a name.
The newly-initiated brotlier is tlien conducted to Iiia proper station, *****•••♦_ where he receives liig first lesson in moral architecture, teaching him ever to walk uprightly before God and man.
THE NOKTH-EAST COENEK.
In the important ceremony which refers to the north-east comer of the Lodge, the candidate becomes as one who is to all outward appearance a perfect and upright man and Mason, the representative of a spiritual corner-stone on which he is to erect his future moral and Masonic edifice.
This symbolic reference of the corner-stone of a material edifice to a Mason when, at his first initiation, he commences the moral and intellectual task of erecting a spiritual temple in his heart, is beautifully sustained when we look at aU the qualities that are required to constitute a "well-tried, ti'ue, and trusty" corner-stone. The squareness of its surface, embkmatic of morality— its cubical form, emblematic of firmness and stability of character — and the peculiar finish and fineness of the material, emblematic of virtue and holiness — show that the ceremony of the north-east comer of the Lodge was undoubtedly intended to portray, in the consecrated language of symbolism, the necessity of integrity and stability of conduct, of truthfulness and uprightness of chai'acter, aud of purity and holiness of life, which just at that time and in that place tlie sandidate is most impressively charged to maintain.
THE TWENTT-FOUE-INCH GUAGE
Is an instrument used by operative masons to measure and lay out thoir work; but we, as
70 GliNEEAL AHIMAN REZOK.
Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time. It being divided into twenty -four equal parts, is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day, which we are taught to divide into three equal parts; whereby are found eight hours for the service of God and a distressed worthy brother; eight for our usual vocations; and eight for refreshment and sleep.
The Twenty-fovtr-inch Guage is to measure and ascertain the extent of an edifice. Hence we derive a lesson of instruction. B recalls to our mind the division of the day into twenty-four hours, and directs us to apportion them to prayer, labor, refreshment, and repose. It may be further considered as the scale which com- prehends the numerical apportionment of the different degrees, according to the several Lodges.
THE COMMON GAVEL
Is an instrument made use of by operative masons to break off the corners of rough stones, the better to fit them for the builder's use; but we, as Tree and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of Ufe; thereby fitting our minds, as hving stones, for that spir- itual building — that house not made with hands — eternal in the heavens.
ENTERED APPRENTICE. 71
Tho Common Gavel is an important instrument of labor, witliout which no work of manual skill can be completed; from which we learn that skill without industry will be of no avail, and labor la the lot of man ; for the heart may conceive, and the head devise in vain, if the hand be not prompt to execute the design.
Masons are called moral builders. In their rituals they declare, emphatically, that a more noble and glorious purpose than squaring stones and hewing timbers is theirs— fitting immortal nature for that spiritual building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. It is said that the construction of the pyramids of Egypt employed the labor of one hundred thousand men for many years, but it was only to build monumental piles, beneath whose shadows kings might rest. These pyianiids are only temples for the dead; Masnna are building one for the living. The pyramids were only mauso- leums in which the bones of the mighty i^ead might repose in imperial magnificence; Masons are erecting u ptructme in which the God of Israel shall dwell for ever. The pjTamid shall crumble away, till not one stone shall be left upon another; but who shall count the years of immortality, the life-time of the soul, which is fitted for its place in the heavens ? Who can define its outlines, or fathom its depths, or measure its journey ! It is a sUeimi which grows broader and deeper as it flows onward. An angel's eye cannot measure its length, nor an angel's wing travel to its fartliest boundary. When earth's proudest momunental piles have crumbled away, and that sand been scattered by the desert winds, and the glory and gi'eatness of earth shall be forgotten, then will the im- mortal be pluming its 'n'ings for loftier flights. It is a foimtjun whose sources are in the Infinite, and whose placid waters flow on for ever — a spring-time that shall bloom, educating immortal mind for the present, the future, for all ages — is acknowledgad to be one of the essentiiJ objects 6f Masonic labors. The builder builds foi n century; Masons, for eternity. The painter paints for a generar l.ion ; tiisy for everlasting years.
'/^ GENERAL AHIMAN BEZON.