V. As much is required of a Mason in the way of

gifts as discretion may limit. Charity begins at home, but, like a fruitful olive-tree planted by the side of a fountain whose boughs overshoot the wall, so is charity. It spreads its arms abroad from the strength and opu- lence of its station, and lendeth its shade for the repose and relief of those who are gathered under its branches. Charity, when given with imprudence, is no longer a vir- tue; but when flowing from abundance, it is glorious as the beama of morning, in whose beauty thousands rejoice. When donations extorted by piety are detrimental to a man's family, they become sacrifices to superstition, and, like incense to idols, are disapproved by Heaven.
THE BUOKEN COLUMN. 83
THE BROKEN COLUMN. — The Broken Column support- ing the volume of Divine inspiration; a virgin, of match- less beauty, weeping, supporting in her left hand a funeral urn, commemorative of the departed, and in her right hand a sprig of evergreen ; Time, the great leveler and restorer, entwining her disheveled locks in his fingers — this is the array of symbols now presented to the admiring eyes of the candidate. They are calculated to awaken every sentiment of respect, veneration, and fraternal tenderness on the one hand, and on the other to remind us, that although time may lay all earthly grandeur in ruins and deface the loveliness of all terres- trial beauty, yet there is imperishable grandeur joined to unfading beauty and eternal happiness in the world beyond the grave.
'T is done — the dark decree is said,
That called our friend away ; Submissive bow the sorrowing head,
And bend the lowly knee. We will not ask why God has broke
Our Pillar from its stone, But humbly yield us to the stroke,
And say " His will be done."
At last the weary head has sought
In earth its long repose; And weeping freres have hither brought
Their chieftain to his close. We held his hand, we filled his heart,
While heart and hand could move, Nor will we from his grave depart
But with the rites of love.
This grave shall be a garner, where We'll heap our golden corn;
84 THE MASTER MASON.
And here, in heart, we '11 oft repair,
To think of him that's gone; To speak of all he did and said,
That's wise, and good, and pure, And covenant o'er the hopeful dead,
In vows that will endure.
0 Brother, bright and loving frere,
0 spirit free and pure, Breathe us one gush of spirit #ir,
From off the Heavenly shore ; And say, when these hard toils are done,
And the Grand Master calls, Is there for every weary one
Place in the heavenly halls!
THE UNFINISHED TEMPLE. — The Temple of Masonry is ever in course of construction, ever unfinished. Into its walls successive generations of the wise and good are built ; and while time lasts, and the end of all things is delayed, the moral structure is incomplete. But we need not fear its walls will crumble, or that the work will ever cease. The other societies of this world, em- pires, kingdoms, and commonwealths, being of less per- fect constitutions, have been of less permanent duration. Although men have busied themselves through all ages in forming and reforming them, in casting down and building up, yet still their labors have been vain. The reason was — hear it and be wise, ye builders of the pres- ent day ! — tliey daubed with uniempered mortar ; they ad- mitted into their structures the base, discordant, hetero- geneous materials of pride, ambition, selfishness, malice, guile, hypocrisies, envious and evil speaking, which Free- masonry rejects. Hence their fabrics, unable to sup- port themselves, tumbled to the foundation through
THE UNFINISHED TEMPLE. 85
inherent weakness, or were shaken to pieces by external violence.
The Egyptian, the Babylonian, the Assyrian, the Per- sian Empires, the commonwealths of Athens, Sparta, and Rome, with many more of later date, where are they now? "Fallen, fallen, fallen," the weeping voice of history replies. The meteors of our age, the gaze of the world, they rose, they blazed awhile on high, they burst and sunk beneath the horizon, to that place of oblivion where the pale ghosts of departed grandeur fly about in sad lamentations for their former glory.
Such have been the changes and revolutions which, as a Fraternity, we have seen. From the bosom of the Lodge, seated upon an eminence, its foundations reach- ing the center and its summits the sky, we have beheld, as upon a turbulent ocean at an immense distance be- neath us, the states of this world alternately mounted up and cast down, as they have regarded or neglected the principles described above, while, supported by them, the sublime fabric of our constitution has remained un- shaken through ages. And thug supported it shall remain while the sun opens the day to gild its cloud-capped towers, or the moon leads in the night to checker its starry canopy. The current of things may roll along its basis, the tide of chance and time may beat against its walls, the stormy gusts of malice may assault its lofty battlements, and the heavy rains of calumny may descend upon its spacious roof, but all in vain. A building thus constructed and supported is impregnable from without, and can then only be dissolved when the pillars of the universe shall be shaken, and " the great globe itself, yea, all which we inherit, shall, like the
86 THE MASTER MASON.
baseless fabric of a vision," pass away at the fiat of the Master Architect.
MONODY OF THE GRAND MASTER.
DEAD! and where now those earnest, loving eyes, Which kindled in so many eyes the light?
Have they departed from our earthly skies, And left no rays to illuminate the night ?
Dead! and where now that hand of sympathy
That welled, and yearned, and with true love o'erflowed?
0 heart of love, is the rich treasure" dry ?
Forever sealed what once such gifts bestowed ?
Dead! and where now that generous, nervous hand, That thrilled each nerve within its generous clasp?
Will it no more enlink the Mystic band,
Hallowing and strengthening all within its grasp ?
Heart, eyes, and hand to dust are all consigned ;
It was his lot, for he was born of earth : But the rich treasures of his Master-mind
Abide in heaven, for there they had their birth.
Abide in heaven ! 0, the enkindling trust!
The record of his deeds remaineth here: The Acacia blooms beside his silent dust,
And points unerringly the brighter sphere.
Then, though the Shattered Column mark his fate, And Weeping Virgin weep the Unfinished Fane.
Not altogether are we desolate :
For 0, beloved Friend, we meet again 1
WISDOM, STRENGTH, AND "BEAUTY, 8
THE THIRD SECTION.
THIS Section is chiefly devoted to the explanation of the hieroglyphical emblems peculiar to this Degree. As usually given, it presents many useful particulars rela- tive to King Solomon's Temple, a portion of which, in the present volume, are, for convenience sake, transferred to other pages. In the richness of its imagery, this Section resembles the Third Section of the Degree of Entered Apprentice.
WISDOM, STRENGTH, AND BEAUTY. — The emblem of the three Pillars in this section alludes to the three im- mortal artists who contrived, strengthened, and adorned the sacred Fane. Solomon, King of Israel, first in wis- dom, in wealth, in favor with God and man, stands as the Pillar of Wisdom. " His wisdom excelled/' says the inspired historian, "the wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and He- man and Chalcor and Darda, the sons of Mahal. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five, and he spoke of trees from the cedar tree, that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall ; he spoke also of beasts and of fowls and of creeping things and of fishes." This is all summed up in this passage: "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and large- ness of heart even as the sand that is upon the sea- shore." This was our Pillar of Wisdom.
Our Pillar of Strength was Hiram, King of Phoenicia, a nation of architects and mariners, whose furnishing of skillful builders and choice materials gave to King Solo- mon all the support necessary for his undertaking.
88 THE MASTER MASON.
Our Pillar of Beauty was Hiram Abiff, whose singular proficiency in all the works of the goldsmith, the brass- founder, the dyer and weaver, the lapidary and the jew- eler, gave the desired impetus to the adorning of the edifice.
THE COLUMNS AND PILASTERS. — Our monitorial in- structor gives the due number of these outward parts of the edifice, by which the visitor from foreign nations, who was not permitted to approach the Temple nearer than the outer courts, could form an idea of the magni- tude and splendor of the interior. Of columns proper there were 1,453; of pilasters, 2,906. Upon other pages of this volume a description of the porch and the courts is given, from which we deduce the necessity of so many columns and pilasters in the building.
In the same connection, the lectures of the Master's Degree compute the numbers of the workmen as follows : Grand Masters, 3; Masters, or overseers of the work, 3,300 ; Fellow Crafts, 80,000 ; Entered Apprentices, or bearers of burdens, 70,000. These were all classed and arranged by the wisdom of Solomon, that neither envy, discord, nor confusion were suffered to interrupt that universal peace and tranquillity which pervaded the world at this important period. The materials that made up this band were the virtuous and laborious ; its master- builders the Enochs, the Noahs, the Abrahams, the Moses, the Joshuas of the age. There was not a signal connected with it which did not point either to man's extremity or to God's opportunity ; not a grip which did not speak of human relations demanding human sympa- thies ; not a word that did not tell of power, permanency, or wisdom as the result of active, thorough devotion;
LODGE COMBINATIONS. 89
fot a ceremony which was not full of instruction upon (ie great divisions of human knowledge.
LODGE COMBINATIONS. — The number of members es- sential to the legal opening and working of a Lodge of Entered Apprentices is seven or more, of whom one at east must be a Master Mason.
Where two or three assemble round
In work the Lord approves, His spirit with the grasp is found,
For 'tis the place he loves: Be now all hearts to friendship given, For we, the Sons of Light, are seven.
The number of members essential to the legal open- ing and working of a Lodge of Fellow Crafts is five or more, of whom, at least, two must be Master Masons, the other three being Fellow Crafts.
This Lodge of Five from Tyre came, Their leader one of matchless fame; All through the toiling seasons seven, Their time upon this work was given.
The number of members essential to the legal opening md working of a Lodge of Master Masons is three or
lore, all of that Degree. A Lodge attempting to op- *rate in violation of these landmarks, breaks the unity if the sacred numbers three, five, and seven; the Mas-
3r who permits it violates in an especial manner his *wn covenants, and the Lodge so offending forfeits the Jharter or Warrant under which it works, and which in -tself embodies an injunction to adhere to the ancient :*mdrnarks.
THE THREE STEPS. — This is an emblem recalling the
90 THE MASTER MASON.
various illustrations of the number Three, and this addi- tional one, that human life has three principal stages — - youth, man-hood, and old age. The first is symbolical of the Entered Apprentice, as suggested under the head of " Theory of the First Degree," on a preceding page. Masons of that grade are therefore exhorted indus- triously to occupy their minds in the attainment of use- ful knowledge. The second step is beautifully emblem- atical of the Fellow Craft, who is exhorted in the lectures of his Degree to apply the knowledge which he acquired as an Entered Apprentice to the discharge of his re- spective duties to God, "his neighbor, and himself. The third step is emblematical of the Master Mason, who, in the enjoyment of those happy reflections consequent upon a well-spent life, prepares his mind for a blissful hereafter.
Corresponding with this emblem the being of man has three periods — time, death, and eternity. Upon one of these steps every member of our widely-spread Order is now standing. He who writes this and he who reads it stands upon the first; but who can anticipate the period of his stay? Upon the second hundreds are standing, gasping, tottering, perhaps dreading the illimitable pro- found that opens before thorn, while in the unknown ex- istence of the third is the great mass of those who, like ourselves, have
"Met upon the Level, to part upon the Square."
THE POT OF INCENSE. — This is an emblem of a pure heart, and as such is peculiarly expressive. There is a state of perfection at which the good man may arrive by the influence of vital religion, and such is typified by
THE BEE-HIVE. 91
this emblem. A pure heart perpetually ascends in per- fumes of gratitude, like the cloud of celestial white that filled the Temple, and like the heaven-descended flame that burned day and night within the sanctum sanctorum. Such is the offering of prayer, the most acceptable in- cense the human heart can raise.
Incense for the service of the Sanctuary was ordered to be made of frankincense and other gums and spices, the materials and manufacture of which are particularly described in the Divine Law. It was the business of the priest to offer it up, morning and evening, upon an altar especially erected for this purpose, and this was called the Altar of Incense. The preparation of it for common use was positively forbidden; neither could any other composition be offered as incense upon this altar, nor could this be offered by any but the priest. The Incense approved by God under the present dispensation is more fragrant, more costly, and more acceptable than the rich- est gums of Arabia. The service and the time of offer- ing is in the option of every man. Whenever a Freema- son looks upon the emblem, he should be reminded to make at least one ejaculation of thanksgiving, praise, or confession to Him who ever heareth.
THE BEE-HIVE.- — This emblem of industry has pecu- liar meaning to the members of a society based upon a working model. The slothful inactivity of the rational drone is severely reproved by it. The industrious bee rises early to the labors of the summer day, gathering from the variegated carpet of nature an aniple supply of food for the winter of his year. Man, in imitation of this example, might enjoy all the necessaries and even the luxuries of life, while he would avoid vice and temptation
92 THE MASTER MASON.
and merit the respect of mankind. On the contrary, idleness is. the parent of poverty and immorality. Such are the lessons taught by all the working tools — the Gauge and Gavel, the Square, Level and Plumb, and the Trowel — of the Craft. Every day of the six properly devoted to labor should be so divided that while a share may be given to works of charity and devotion, and a share to refreshment and sleep, one measured part may be given to the avocations of life, those callings upon which the interests of society depend.
The proverbs of the wise king abound in rebukes upon indolence and admonition to industry: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways and be wise; which provided her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, 0 sluggard? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep : so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man."
THE BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS GUARDED BY THE TYLER'S SWORD. — So much has been said in this volume upon the importance of secrecy as a Masonic virtue, that the ap- plication of this emblem will be easy. The Book of Con- stitutions, as an emblem, represents all the instruction, esoteric and exoteric, connected with the Masonic ritual. The Tyler of the Lodge, whose emblem, badge, and im-, plement are the Sword, is the guardian of those assem- blages held for the purpose of lawfully communicating the secrets of Masonry. Thus the Sword guarding the Book recalls to the memory of the initiate all the instruc- tions communicated to him upon this subject. This em- blem will convince the Mason of the policy of preserving
THE SWORD POINTING TO THE NAKED HEART 93
inviolably the important secrets which are committed to his breast.
Various passages from the Holy Scriptures are ap- pended to enforce these lessons: "Be ye afraid of the sword, for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword that ye may know there is a judgment." "Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise, and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles. As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honor to a fool." "Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee." It will be observed, however, that with us the Sword is but a symbol. There is no punishment in Masonry for the highest crimes, beyond expulsion from the Order.
THE SWORD POINTING TO THE NAKED HEART. — This emblem is the complement of the last. The punishments of Masonry, at the greatest, are but exclusion from the Order. But although Mercy delays the descending stroke of Justice, there is a day appointed in which Justice will be amply avenged, unless Mercy shall secure us in the ark of her retreat. The sword of Almighty vengeance is drawn to reward iniquity, and pointed steadily toward the sinful heart. Were it not for this belief in retributive justice, how painful would be our observations of human life! All history is full of in- stances of the tyranny of the strong over the weak. How much sin against God and humanity is done privily, of which there is no disclosure in this life ! Yet there is a righteous God, and He does not look upon these things without abhorrence. His Law declares : " The
U4 THE MASTER MA SOX.
ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." "If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong; and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead? for he is not a man as I am, that I should consider him. I will say untp God, do not condemn me/'
These are the lessons taught by this emblem. As surely as Masonry encourages us to hope for a reward to the righteous in the world to come, so certainly does it inculcate the doctrine that there is a punishment there for the evil-doer.
THE ALL-SEEING EYE. — This emblem implies that all the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings; that the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good, and especially upon them that fear him and hope in his mercy.
There is an Eye through blackest night
A vigil ever keeps; A vision of unerring light O'er lowly vale and giddy height —
The Eye that never sleeps.
Midst poverty and sickness lain
The lowly sufferer weeps; What marks the face convulsed with pain ? What marks the softened look again?
The Eye that never sleeps.
Above the far meridian sun,
Below profoundest deeps, Where dewy day his course begun, Where scarlet marks his labor done —
The Eye that never sleeps.
THE ANCHOR AND THE ARK. 95
No limit bounds the Eternal sight,
No misty cloud o'ersweeps; The depths of hell confess the light, Eternity itself is bright —
The Eye that never sleeps.
Then rest we calm, though round our head
The life-storm fiercely sweeps ; What fear is in the blast? What dread To us has death? an Eye's o'erhead —
The Eye that never sleeps.
THE ANCHOR AND THE ARK. — Under the emblem of Hope, on a previous page, we explained the manner- in which this first of the three theological virtues is incul- cated to Freemasons. The Ark, an emblem of that which survived the flood, reminds us of that ark of safety which will waft us securely over this sea of troubles; and when arrived in a celestial harbor, the an- chor of a well-grounded hope will moor us forever to that peaceful shore " where the wicked cease from troub- ling and the weary are at rest." This grace is equally important and pleasing in this world of uncertainty and change. The present moment is sure to possess some ingredient to embitter the chalice of mortal enjoyment, and how effectually are we relieved by the soothing hope that the deficiencies of the present day shall be supplied by to-morrow ! The Anchor, which is connected with this emblem, is an emblem of security. When the visions of hope are real and rational, as when we hope in the promises of God, in a future state of happiness to the good, and the like, her anchor is sure and steadfast in the harbor of a celestial country. To this country hope
96 THE MASTER MASON.
points as the future residence of the virtuous and the good; thither all good Masons hope to arrive.
Green, but far greener is the Faith That gives us victory over death ; Fragrant, more fragrant far the Hope That buoys our dying spirits up; Enduring, but the Charity That Masons teach will never die.
THE FORTY-SEVENTH PROBLEM. — The history of this problem is much confused ; some writers attributing its discovery to one person, some to another. Even the period of its discovery is doubtful; but so many of the most practical operations of architecture and surveying depend upon it, that it is difficult to believe its discovery bears date later than the erection of the Egyptian pyr- amids. Its adoption into Freemasonry implies that the members of this Order should be lovers of the arts and sciences.
THE HOUR-GLASS.
LIFE'S sands are dropping, dropping,
Each grain a moment dies, No stay has time, no stopping;
Behold, how swift he flies ! He bears away our rarest,
They smile and disappear, The cold grave wraps our fairest;
Each falling grain 's a tear.
Life's sands are softly falling,
Death's foot is light as snow; 'Tis fearful, 'tis appalling
To see how swift thev flow :
THE SCYTHE. 97
To read the fatal warning
The sands so plainly tell To feel there 's no returning
From death's dark shadowy dale.
*
Life's sands give admonition '
To use its moments well; Each grain bears holy mission,
And this the tale they tell: " Let zeal than time run faster,
Each grain some good afford, Then at the last the Master
Shall double our reward."
THE SCYTHE. — This emblem is trite : as the mower cuts the grass in its season, Death, the grim leveler, sweeps away the human race at the appointed time. Behold, what havoc the Scythe of Time has made in the genera- tions of man ! If by chance we should escape the nu- merous evils incident to childhood and youth, and with health and vigor, to the years of manhood, yet, withal, we must soon be cut down by the all-devouring Scythe of Time, and be gathered into the land where our fathers have* gone before us.
THE EMBLEMS OF MORTALITY. — At first view these emblems, the Setting-Maul, the Spade, the Coffin, the Open Grave, and the Sprig of Evergreen at its head, seem but to add shades of gloom to those that have just been moralized upon, the Hour-glass and the Scythe. Alas! who can look within an Open Grave without a sensation of profoundest melancholy? Is it for us, we mournfully ask, to resign our manhood and court tho companionship of the worm? Must our eyes, trained to enjoy the charms of nature and of art, be blinded with 7
98"; ' THE MASTER MASON.
these clods, our tongues silenced in this narrow recep- tacle? Yes, such will be our doom.
A flowing fiver or a standing lake May their dry banks and naked shores forsake; Their waters may exhale and upward move, Their channel leave, to roll in clouds above: But the returning winter will restore What in the summer they had lost before; But if, 0 man, thy vital streams desert Their purple channels and defraud the heart, With fresh recruits they ne'er can be supplied, Nor feel their leaping life's returning tide. .
And such are all the lessons of human life. We walk from grave to grave, as one may walk over a hard-fought battle-field, and find no place for his foot save upon the image of his kind. The emblems before us demand the tear of fraternal sympathy, and we can not refuse to weep. The frosts of death have palsied his mortal ten- ement. " There is hope of a tree if it be cut down that it may sprout again: but man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?"
As Freemasonry, in its three degrees, is an epitome of human life, so one who passes through its impressive ceremonial remains at the last under deep impressions of thje certainty of death and the loathsomeness of the grave. But here steps in the qualified instructor of the Lodge, the Master, and the sad symbology opens out a brighter lesson. It opens out the brightest, clearest, most hopeful lesson of all; for it tells us what in the olden time was a Masonic secret ; but now, " since light and immortality have been brought to light in the Gos- pel," is preached to every man, that, as this world is to
CHARITY. 09"
the good man but the tiling-room of heaven, so- the grave is the door of the Celestial Lodge where our GRAND MASTER and the multitude of the faithful Avho have en- tered before us are waiting to receive us with tokens of aifection and songs o'f transport. The soul remains un- affected, flourishing in immortality.
Yea, though the body may decay into dust, and the dust be scattered to the four w^nds; though our name and our memory may fade from the minds of men, yet there is One pledged to remember us ; to awaken us when the morning hour shall come; to reach forth His strong hand and to assist us to arise from our long sleep. The Lion of .the Tribe of Judah hath prevailed ! The Omnipotent is the All-merciful. We shall rise again.
Tuba mirum spargens sonura, Per sepulchra regionum Coget omnes ante Thronum.
CHARITY. — The shining virtue of Charity, so honorable to our nature and so frequently enjoined in the Holy Volume upon our altars, will appropriately close this chapter. There are none of the characteristics of the an- cient Craft so much valued as this ; their earliest records and their perpetual practice coincide in this particular. Charity includes a supreme love to God and an ardent aifection for the rational beings of his creation. This humane, generous, heaven-inspired principle is diametri- cally opposed to the prime ingredient of human nature, which looks only to self; not until this letter passion is supplanted by the former, will the soul of man be purified and fitted for the society of heaven. The feelings of the heart, guided by reason, should direct the hand of charity.
100 THE MASTER MASON.
The true objects of relief are merit in distress, virtue in temptation, innocence in tears, industrious men borne down by affliction, acts -of providence, widows left de- pendent and desolate, and orphans thrown in tender years upon the frigid charities of the world.
Thus we close our comments upon the symbolical de- grees. Every step in this part of the Masonic Ladder will lift up the initiate further above the sordid level of humanity, and nearer to the celestial world, whose light, shining upon him through the first great light of the Order, wins him toward itself. Glorious system, which, while it the better fits a man for living in this world, so perfectly fits him for the world to come ; and, dying late and honored, justifies us in pronouncing over his remains such a eulogy as this :
So falls the last of the old forest trees, Within whose shades we wandered with delight; Moss-grown, and hoary, yet the birds of heaven Loved in its boughs to linger and to sing; The summer winds made sweetest music there; The soft, spring showers hung their brightest drops, Glistening and cheerful on the mossy spray, And to the last, that vigorous, ancient oak Teemed with ripe fruitage!
Now the builders mourn
Through Temple-chambers their Grand Master fallen; The clear intelligence, the genial soul, The lips replete with wisdom, gone, all gone; The ruffian Death has met and struck his prey, And from the Quarry to the Mount all mourn.
Bind up with asphodel the mystic tools And Jewels of the Work: bind up, ye Crafla,
CLOSING TUOUGlliS 'ON* THIS DEGREE. 101
The Square; it marked the fullness of his life;
To virtue's angle all his deeds were true;
The Level, lo 1 it leads us to the grave,
Thrice-honored, where our aged Father sleeps ;
The Plumb) it points the home his soul has found;
He ever walked by this unerring line,
Let down, suggestive from the hand of God:
Bind up, in mourning dark and comfortless
The Gauge, he gave one part to God, and God,
In blest exchange, gave him eternity:
The Trowel, in his brotherly hand it spread
Sweet concord, joining long-estranged hearts;
The Hour-glass, whence his vital sands have fled,
And every grain denoting one good deed :
The Gavel, in his master-hand it swayed
For three-score years the moral architects,
Quelling all strife, directing every hand,
And pointing all to the great Builder, God!
Bind these with asphodel; enshroud these Tools And Jewels of the Work ; let bitterest tears Flow for the man who wielded them so well, But, overborne with Death, hath, in ripe age, His labor fully done, passed from our sight !
CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THIS DEGREE. — A Lodge pur- suing its work upon the design, and in the spirit of the foregoing lessons, will realize the virtue expressed by the poet in the following lines :
Where hearts are warm with kindred fire,
And love beams free from answering eyes, Bright spirits hover always there
And that 's the home the Masons prize.
The Mason's Home; ah, peaceful home! The Home of love and light and joy; How gladly does the Mason come To share his tender, sweet employ.
102 CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THIS DEGREE.
*A11 round the world, by land, by sea,
Where summers burn or winters chill, The exiled Mason turns to thee, And yearns to share the joys we feel.
The Mason's Home; ah, happy home I
The home of light and love and joy ;
There's not an hour but I would come
And share this tender, sweet employ.
A weary task, a dreary round,
Is all benighted man may know ; But here a brighter scene is found,
The brightest scene that's found below.
The Mason's Home; ah, blissful home!
Glad center of unmingled joy; Long as I live, I '11 gladly come And share this tender, sweet employ.
And when the hour of death shall come
And darkness seal my closing eye, May hands fraternal bear me home, The home where weary Masons lie. The Mason's Home; ah, heavenly
To faithful hearts eternal joy: How blest to find beyond the tomb The end of all our sweet employ!
THE SECOND ORDER IN FREEMASONRY.
THE CAPITULAR DEGREES:
CONSISTING OF
THE MARK MASTER, THE PAST
MASTER, THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER, AND
THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
THESE four Degrees are conferred, according to the American system, in Lodges and a Chapter of Capitular Masonry. The ballot is taken in the Fourth or Royal Arch Degree, the same rules of balloting being observed as in the Symbolical Lodge. All discipline exercised by a Lodge requiring suspension and expulsion, is indorsed by the Chapter without inquiry. The Chapter has also its own code of discipline for offenses against its laws. Not less than nine members can open, work, or close a Royal Arch Chapter.
THE MARK MASTER.
THE MARK MASTER GLORIFIED.
GOD trusts to each a portion of his plan, And doth for honest labor wages give ;
"Wisdom and time he granteth every man, And will not idleness and sloth forgive.
The week is waning fast — art thou prepared,
0 laborer, for the Overseer's award ?
Hast thou been waiting in the market here,
Because no man hath hired thee? Rise and go:
The sun on the Meridian doth appear — The Master calls thee to his service now;
Rise up, and go wherever duty calls,
And build with fervency the Temple-walls.
1 see, within the heavenly home above,
. One who hath done his life-tasks faithful!^'; In the dark quarries all the week he strove, And bore the heat and burden of the day; So, when life's sun passed downward to the west, Richest refreshment was his lot, and rest t
So shall it be with thee, 0 toiling one !
However hard thine earthly lot may seem; It is not long until the set of sun,
And then the past will be a pleasing dream. The Sabbath to the faithful laborer given, Is blest companionship, and rest, and heaven.
THE MARK MASTEK.
THE THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF MARK MASTER.
IN entering upon a new system of Masonry, the chap- itral or capitular, distinct in almost every particular from the ancient or symbolical system, a different style of eluci- dation must be 'adopted. We can not any longer look to emblems or symbols as our guides, because there are few characters of this sort applicable to these Degrees. Such designs as ingenious ritualists of the present day have introduced are inconvenient for reference, and will bo thoroughly explained within these pages, but they can not, in a Masonic sense, be styled symbols or emblems. The distinction between Symbolical Masonry, or the Masonry of the Ancient Craft Degrees, and this, which forms the subject-matter of the present and subsequent pages, is, that the one is fixed and bounded by ancient devices called symbols, mostly of an architectural charac- ter, so definite in their character that it is impossible to innovate greatly upon them without detection ; the ether is controlled only by traditions, more or less apocryphal, which receive new forms, as the fancy of modern ritu- alists may treat them. Thus it follows that while the Ancient Craft Degrees are essentially uniform through-
108 THE MARK MASTER.
out the world, the Degrees conferred in the Chapters and Councils in the United States are essentially different from those which, under similar names, are worked in foreign countries.
But with all this confusion of working, liability to inno- vation, and want of antiquity, there is something so beau- tiful in the drama of the following Degrees, the covenants are so impressive and humane, and the lessons inculcated in the various Lectures so fragrant with the spirit of the Divine Word, that it need not be wondered at if, in the United States at least, where the reverence for antiquity is less than in older countries, they are prized equally with the ancient and world-wide system. Almost every Master Mason in this country is, or intends to become, a Royal Arch Mason, and a Mason of the ^Cryptic Rite.
What we have said in general terms of the six follow- ing Degrees, (the Mark Master, the Past Master, the Most Excellent Master, the Royal Arch Mason, the Royal Mas- ter, and the Select Master,) we affirm with peculiar empha- sis of the Degree of MARK MASTER. Its drama is exqui- sitely beautiful, exhibiting the work of the scholar, the Christian, the Biblical student, and the genius, who, had he turned his mind to dramatic writings, might even have emulated a Shakspeare. Its covenants are benevolent in an eminent degree, being admirably designed for the fur- therance of that social and charitable intercourse between brethren which this Degree particularly enjoins. Its les- sons, as the following pages will show, are wisely culled from the great treasury of the Divine Word. In brief, so practical is the MARK MASTER'S DEGREE in its char- acter, as conferred in the United States, that its principal device, THE KEY-STONE, is publicly worn, Fearing the same
MARK MASTER'S LODGE AND JEWELS. 109
relation to the so-called " Higher Degrees " which the symbol of the SQUARE AND COMPASS bears to the " Lower Degrees."
In theory, the Degree of MARK MASTER is appendant to that of Fellow Craft, and, could its traditions be his- torically established, might, with propriety, be conferred upon Fellow Crafts as the complement of that grade. Its original members were merely Fellow Crafts ; its lec- tures describe the manner in which Fellow Crafts were classified, governed, and paid; its covenants have direct application to Fellow Crafts alone. But, by general con- sent, the Degree in this country is confined to Master Masons alone, and a new system of Lodges is framed to accommodate it. The title of the organization in which the Degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excel- lent Master, and Royal Arch Mason are conferred, is Royal Arch Chapter. In a Chapter, not less than nine members can open or work. The government of Chap- ters is intrusted to Grand Chapters of Capitular or Chap- Ural Masonry, of which there is one in every State in the Union.
MARK MASTER'S LODGE AND JEWELS.
THE ALTAR. — The central design in this, as in all preceding Lodges, is the Altar, surmounted with God's revealed Law, crowned with the Masonic implements — the Square and Compass. To an observing eye, this constant recurrence of sacred emblems must be highly suggestive. Can an institution be evil in tendency that seeks the blessing of God through every grade of its advancement ? Can the secrecy of which the enemies of
110 THE MARK MASTER.
Freemasonry make a handle, be of an improper charac- ter when, whatever else is shut out of the hall, God is not shut out?
There is a prayer unsaid —
No lips its accents move; 'Tis uttered by the pleading eye,
And registered above.
Each mystic Sign is prayer, By hand of Mason given ; Each gesture pleads or imprecates, And is observed in heaven.
The deeds that mercy prompts Are prayers in sweet disguise; Though unobserved by any here, They're witnessed in the skies.
Then at the Altar kneel — In silence make thy prayer; And He whose very name is love, The plea will surely hear.
The darkest road is light — We shun the dangerous snare, When heavenly hand conducts the way, Responsive to our prayer.
THE KEY-STONE. — The use of the Jcey-stone as a sym- bolical device is peculiar to the MARK MASTER. Origin- ally connected with a pleasing tradition, upon which the Degree is principally founded, it has become the distinct- ive emblem of the grade ; and the members are impress- ively instructed to mark well its figurative explanation. Upon its front are engraven, within two concentric cir- cles, certain cryptographic characters, known only to the
MARK MASTER'S LODGE AND JEWELS. Ill
initiated, but bearing a general allusion to that "hiero- glyphic bright" on the Fellow Crafts' tracing board, which, in the language of the poet-brother, "Burns,
"None but craftsmen ever saw."
Within the inmost circle is a space left for the private "Mark" of the member who displays the badge. This is some device selected by himself, having reference to his avocation in life, his heraldic bearings, or such figure as is dictated by his fancy. According to the general rule of Mark Masters' Lodges, every member is required to choose a "Mark" within a specified time after entrance upon the grade. Such "Mark" must not conflict with one previously chosen by a member of the same Lodge; and, being once recorded in the "Mark Book," can not afterward be changed, save by consent of the Lodge.
The use of this "Mark" in those dispensations of benevolence which form so striking a feature in this sys- tem of Masonry, is exceedingly significant. Its perver- sion is carefully guarded against : no MARK MASTER may pledge his "Mark" the second time until it has been redeemed from its former pledge; and the plea of dis- tress made by a MARK MASTER, when accompanied by his "Mark," can not be refused by a member of this grade without violating the covenant of the Degree.
Fairest and foremost of the train that wait
On man's most dignified and happy state,
Whether we name thee Charity or Love,
Chief grace below, and all in all above — •
O, never seen but in thy blest effects,
Or felt but in the soul that Heaven selects;
Who seeks to praise thee, and to make thee known
To other hearts, must have thee in his own.
112 THE MARK MASTER.
Teach me to feel another's woe— •
To hide the faults I see; That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me.
No works shall find acceptance in that day When all disguises shall be rent away, That square not truly with the Scripture plan, Nor* spring from love to God or love to man.
THE THREE SQUARES. — In the Degree of Fellow Craft, of which this of the MARK MASTER is 'but the comple- ment, the Masonic application of the Square is explained. As applied to the person of a candidate for Masonic light, the Square expresses that he must be physically, men- tally, and morally perfect, to be able to pass the strict ordeal of Ancient Craft Masonry. The three squares used in the Lodge of MARK MASTERS have the same gen- eral reference, but in a more extended and threefold sense. Here the works of each member are considered as applied to the squares of the Divine Law in the three dispensa- tions : the Patriarchal, the Mosaic, and the Christian. The grand trial of humanity to be had at the last day, when God " Shall try the blocks we offer with his own unerring square,"
is forcibly expressed, and an inimitable moral drawn. There is impressed upon every member the duty of being circumspect in all his words and actions, and of discoun- tenancing immorality in others, as well as of keeping his own white apron untarnished by a single stain. It was written by the pen of inspiration, under the dictation of the unerring wisdom of the Most High, that virtue exalteth a nation; and it is equally true that vice or immorality,
THE HAPPY HOUR. 113
unrestrained, is not only a reproach on any institution where it is allowed to exist, but will, sooner or later, destroy the peace and happiness of the members of that institution. MARK MASTERS, therefore, are taught so to conduct themselves, in their intercourse with each other as brethren, as well as in their dealings with the world without, that they may not bring discredit upon them- selves or the institution of Masonry to which they belong.
THE HAPPY HOUR
0, happy hour when Masons meet I 0, rarest joys when Masons greet 1 Each interwoven with the other, And brother truly joined with brother In intercourse that none can daunt — Linked by the ties of covenant.
See, ranged about the Holy Word,
The Craftsmen praise their common Lord!
See in each eye a love well proven,
Around each heart a faith well woven I
Feel in each hand-grip what a tie
Is this that men call Masonry!
Blest bond! when broken, we would fain Unite the severed links again; Would urge the tardy hours along, To spend the wealth of light and song, That makes the Lodge a sacred spot. O, be the season ne'er forgot, That takes us from the world of care To happy halls where Masons are !
114 THE MARK MASTER.
THE CEDARS OF LEBANON.
Palestine, as a territory, is destitute of forests suitable for building material. When, therefore, King David pro- jected a grand edifice which should be the crowning glory of the reign of his son Solomon, and an evidence of the national devotion to God, he made application to Hiram, the Phoenician monarch, whose possessions included the powerful mountain ranges of Lebanon, for a supply of the cedars which grew there in unparalleled abundance. The Tyrian king, between whom and King David there existed a more than royal friendship, readily acceded to his request; and thus the work of preparation for build- ing was expedited. So large was the supply of this mate- rial furnished to King Solomon, that, after the comple- tion of the edifice upon Mount Moriah, which occupied seven years and upward, King Solomon erected, upon the contiguous hill westward, a palace for his own use, in which, so abundantly did the cedar enter, that it was entitled "the House of Lebanon."
On Lebanon's majestic brow The grand and lofty cedars grew That, shipped in floats to Joppa's port, . Up to Jerusalem were brought.
The principal groves of cedar were found about one hundred and fifty miles north-west of Jerusalem, and not far from the sea-coast on which the cities of Sidon, Sarepta, and Tyre stood. This suggests the mode of transhipment, which is described in the Scriptures : The trunks of trees were rudely shaped, made into floats or rafts, and brought down the coast by Phoenician mar-
THE CEDARS OF LEBANON. 115
iners, the^ most skillful sailors of the age, about one hun- dred miles to the port of Joppa, the only seaport oppo- site Jerusalem, from which it was distant but thirty-five miles. Here they were adapted, by the tools of the work- men, to the exact places they were to occupy in the Temple, and then carried by land to the Sacred Hill.
Being incorruptible to atmospheric influences, the cedar beams and planks thus used might have remained to this day, the ornaments of Moriah and Sion, and the tokens of the brotherly covenants that connected the monarchs of Israel and Phoenicia, but for the destructive influences of invasion. The Temple, having stood four hundred and sixteen years, was burned by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, who was the instrument in God's hand to chas- tise a rebellious and idolatrous people.
The number of cedars remaining upon Lebanon is very small — less, it is said, than one hundred; but these are grand specimens of the Creator's power, towering in sub- limity in the valleys, where they are hidden, and suggest- ing what must have been the ancient glory of Lebanon, covered with a growth of such.
JOPPA. — The peculiarly hilly, and even precipitous, character of Joppa is preserved in the traditions of the Degree of MARK MASTER, and a benevolent moral de- duced, in accordance with the entire instructions of the grade.
True charity, a plant divinely nursed,
Fed by the hope from which it rose at first,
Thrives against hope, and in the rudest scene;
Storms but enliven its unfading green ;
Exuberant is the shadow it supplies;
Its fruit on earth, its growth above the skies.
116 THE MARK MASTER,
Thus no opportunity is lost, either in covenants, em- blems, traditions, or dramatic exercises, to impress upon the candidate's mind the Divine lesson that, great as faith and hope are esteemed in their effects upon the human heart, "the greatest of these is charity."
THE WHITE STONE. — Many references are made in this Degree to "the white stone," "the head-stone," "the stone which the builders rejected," "the head of the corner." The whole of this, however, is most impressively con- veyed in the following passage from Revelations: "To him that overcome th will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving him that receiveth it."
THE METHOD OF VIGILANCE. — The vast numbers of workmen who labored upon the Temple — more than one hundred and fifty thousand — will suggest to the mind some of the difficulties encountered in rewarding merit by a fair compensation to the laborers, and punishing the guilty, both those who idly dissipated their time, and those who attempted, through fraud, to secure wages which they had not earned. These difficulties, quite in- superable to an ordinary mind, were thoroughly obviated by the wisdom of Solomon, and it is believed that no instance of impropriety occurred, during the whole labor, which was not summarily detected and punished. From the traditions in which these matters are communicated, speculative Masons derive moral instruction, apt, abound- ing, and important.
THE WORKING TOOLS. — The implements of practical architecture, adopted as appropriate to this Degree, are the chisel and the mallet. The former suggests the
THE CLOSING INJUNCTIONS. 117
effects of discipline and education upon the human heart, in discovering the latent virtues of the mind, drawing them forth to range the large field of matter and space, and displaying the summit of human knowledge, viz., our duty to God and to man.
The latter suggests that, in the school of discipline, a man may learn to be content. What the mallet is to the workman, enlightened reason is to the passions ; it curbs ambition, it depresses envy, it moderates anger, and it encourages good dispositions.
THE DIVINE LAW OF JUSTICE. — In the ceremony of closing the Lodge of MARK MASTERS is introduced the parable of the householder, who employed laborers, as he found them in waiting in the market-place, to do the work of his vineyard. To each he proffers a specified rate of wages upon which the labor was performed. And when, at the close of day, he called together the workmen, and, paying them the covenanted compensa- tion, he found some dissatisfied with the distribution, not because there had been any breach of the contract, but because the laborers of but an hour were receiving as much as those who had borne the burden and heat of the day, the householder silenced their unreasona-ble complaints by reference to the Divine law of justice.
THE CLOSING INJUNCTIONS. — To the candidate who has passed thoughtfully through the dramatic ceremonial of the MARK MASTER'S DEGREE, fortunate in having a well- instructed Master and an expert membership, the closing injunctions appeal with great power. In the honorable character of MARK MASTER, it is more particularly your duty to endeavor to let your conduct in the Lodge and among the brethren be such as may stand the test of the
118 THE MARK MASTER.
Grand Overseer's Square, that you may not, like the un- finished and imperfect work of the negligent and unfaith- ful of former times, be rejected and thrown aside as unfit for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
While such is your conduct, should misfortune assail you, should friends forsake* you, should envy traduce your good name, and malice persecute you, yet may you have confidence, that among MARK MASTERS you will find friends who will administer relief to your distresses and comfort your afflictions ; ever bearing in mind, as a consolation under all the frowns of fortune and as an encouragement to hope for better prospects, that the stone which the builders rejected, possessing merits to them unknown, became the chief stone of the corner.
THE PAST MASTER.
THE PAST MASTEK.
0 ! raised to oriental chair, % With royal honors crowned, The grace and dignity to bear,
As in the days renowned. Let firmness guide the ruling hand,
Nor Gavel fall in vain ; And kindness soften the command,
And law the vice restrain.
The open Word delight to read —
That trestle-board of heaven— And see that every Mason lieevl
The deathless precepts given ; And let the Trowel truly spread
Its cement so divine, That all the Craft be duly paid
Their corn, and oil, and wine.
The Plumb-line, hanging from the skyf
In the GRAND MASTER'S hand, Be this your emblem, ever nigh,
By this to walk and stand ; Thus grateful Craftsmen will conspire
To sing your praises true, And honors grant you, even higher,
Than now they offer you.
THE PAST MASTEK.
THE THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF PAST MASTER.
WHAT we have said of the dramatic beauty of the various degrees elucidated in these pages, does not apply to this of PAST MASTER so much as to the others. Its drama is but slight, but a single lesson being com- municated therein, viz., that of the proper government of Lodges by Masters. What it lacks in dramatic force, however, is supplied in the importance of the subject. Nothing is more vital to the prosperity of Freemasonry than the proper instruction of Lodge-masters.
All Masonic history is uniform in the expression of this fact. Mr. Webb, -in his remarks upon the Degree of PAST MASTER, says :
"It should be carefully studied and well understood by every Master of a Lodge. It treats of the govern- ment of our society and the disposition of our rulers, and illustrates their requisite qualifications. It includes the ceremony of opening and closing Lodges in the sev- eral preceding Degrees, and also the forms of installa- tion and consecration in the tjrand Lodge, as well as private Lodges. It comprehends the ceremonies at lay- ing the foundation-stones of public buildings, and also at
121
122 THE PAST MASTER.
dedications and at funerals, by a variety of particulars explanatory of those ceremonies."
The form of government adopted in Masonry is pecu- liar to itself. While the members of a Lodge are unre- stricted in their prerogative of electing, annually, their Master, such an one as they prefer, yet, from the mo- ment of his installation, they resign the management of their Masonic affairs unreservedly into his hands. He is the custodian of their landmarks. From his authority there is no appeal, save to the Grand Master. There can be no meeting of the Lodge without his approbation, as the visible emblem of authority ; the Charter or War- rant, without which the Lodge can not legally assemble, is in his possession. The Lodge has no representatives in Grand Lodge save himself and the two Wardens, nor can these be ousted from the privilege of representation by any action of the Lodge. This sketch of the Mas- ter's relation to the brethren will show that his station is widely different from that of the chairman or president of an ordinary association.
Such being the ancient powers and prerogatives of the Master, it is important that they should be carefully hedged around and determined beyond cavil ; also that he should be thoroughly instructed in them. That a spirit of dictation and haughtiness is likely to grow out of so large a range of authority, is highly probable ; and some means of communication between the Lodge-master and others who hold, or have heretofore held, similar authority, must be admitted as very desirable. It is for these purposes the Degree of PAST MASTER is de- signed.
'DISPENSING WAGES. 123
DISPENSING WAGES. — One of the prime duties of a Master is that of " paying the Craft their wages," con- veyed in the following verses :
They come from many a pleasant home, To do the ancient work they come,
With cheerful hearts, and light; They leave the outer world a space, And, gathering here in secret place,
They spend the social night They earn the meed of honest toil, . Wages of corn, and wine, and oil.
Upon the sacred altar lies Ah ! many a sacrifice,
Made by these working men; The passions curbed, the lusts restrained, And hands with human gore unstained,
And hearts from envy clean ; They -earn the meed of honest toil, Wages of corn, and wine, and oil.
They do the deeds their MASTER did ; The naked clothe, the hungry feed —
They warm the shivering poor; They wipe from fevered eyes the tear; A brother's joys and griefs they share,
As ONE had done before; They earn the meed of honest toil, Wages of corn, and wine, and oil.
Show them how Masons Masons know, The land of strangers journeying through;
Show them how Masons love ; And let admiring spirits see How reaches Mason's charity
From earth to heaven above; Give them the meed of honest toil, Wages of corn, and wine, and oiL
124 THE PAST MASTER.'
Then will each brother's tongue declare How bounteous his wages are;
And peace will reign within ; Your walls with skillful hands will grow, And coming generations know
Your Temple is Divine; Then give the meed of honest toil, Wages of corn, and wine, and oil.
Yes, pay these men their just desert; Let none dissatisfied depart,
But give them full reward; Give light, that longing eyes may see; Give truth, that doth from error free;
Give them to know the Lord ! This is their meed of honest toil, Wages of corn, and wine, and oil.
TIIE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. — Another of the primary duties of the Lodge-master is that of a decorous burial of the fraternal dead. This is a subject of so much im- portance as to demand the best efforts of those to whom it is intrusted. All the symbolisms of Freemasonry point to the grave and the shining world beyond for their explication. This is the most impressive ceremony of the Order that can be performed in public. It has in it all the elements of dramatic effect — the dead body, the sorrowing mourners, the coffin, the spade, the sprig of evergreen, the open grave. The ritualists, Preston and Webb, whose plans are mainly followed in the United States, give a burial service sufficiently impressive. It only remains for the Lodge-master to lay the subject impressively before the eyes and ears of his congrega- tion. It has been well said that " a Masonic burial, properly performed, is productive of twelve Masonio
THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LODGE. 125
initiations," so deep is the impression made on the minds of the community.
MASONIC CONSECRATIONS. — At the consecration of .foundation-stones, cape-stones, etc., done under Masonic auspices, the Lodge-master likewise takes the lead, either as the representative of his own Lodge or of the Grand Lodge.
THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LODGED— The discipline of .the Lodge being essentially in the Lodge-master's care, he is strictly charged, in his own installation service, in fifteen ancient regulations, hedging him so closely about that he can not materially err. These are, in brief, that he shall be a good and moral man ; that he will be peace- able and law-abiding ; that he will avoid plots and con- spiracies ; that he will respect the civil magistrate, work diligently, live creditably, and act honorably by all men ; that he will honor the Masonic rulers, and submit to their awards ; that he will avoid private quarrels, and cherish temperance; that he will be cautious, courteous, and faithful ; that he will respect the true brethren and dis- countenance the false ; that he will promote the general good of society, cultivate the social virtues, and propa- gate the knowledge of Masonry ; that he will pay homage to the Grand Master, and conform to the lawful edicts of the Grand Lodge ; that he will suffer no innovations in the body of Masonry; that he will attend the sessions of Grand Lodge ; that he will permit no new Lodge to be formed save by consent of Grand Lodge, and give no countenance to clandestine Masonry; that he will admit no man a Mason without cautious scrutiny into charac- ter; and that he will put visitors to due examination before admission.
126 THE PAST MASTER.
THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.
The PAST MASTER has his own traditions relative to King Solomon and his Temple. The following is the scriptural account of this edifice :
"The house which King Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house ; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. And for the house he made windows of narrow lights. And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle : and he made chambers round about. The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad : for without, in the wall of the house, he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house. And in the eleventh year, in the month Bui, (which is the eighth month,) was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in build- ing it." — 1 Kings vi.
The above account, though doubtless in accordance with the architectural nomenclature of the period, is almost inexplicable at the present day. Various plans have been drawn by skillful artists, designed to afford to the eye a view of the shape and proportions of this re-
THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON. 127
markable edifice, but there is so little harmony among the plans as to lead to the suspicion that the key to the architectural designs of Solomon has not yet been dis- covered. The ground on which it stood is a part of Mount Moriah, near the place where the faith .of Abra- ham was tried when he was commanded to offer his. son Isaac upon the altar, and where David appeased the destroying angel by erecting an altar in the threshing- floor of Araunah. It was begun in the year of the world 2992, and before the Christian era 1012; and, as the Biblical narrative positively asserts, was completed in about seven years. In its construction, Solomon engaged the cooperation of Hiram, the King of Tyre, and of the most skillful artist of that, and, perhaps, of any age, called, it is said, in the Phoenician dialect, Abdonemus, but, in the ancient Masonic constitutions, Amom, or Hiram Abiff, as his Assistant Grand Master of the work. Under them were 200 Hadorini, or princes ; 3,300 Menatzchim, or expert Master Masons, as over- seers ; 80,000 Ghiblim (sculptors), Ishchotzeb, (hewers), and Benai (layers), who were ingenious Fellow Crafts, besides a levy out of all Israel of 30,000, under Adon- iram, the Junior Grand Warden, making in all 113,600, exclusive of the two Grand Wardens employed in the noble undertaking. Besides these, there were 70,000 [shsabal, or men of burden.
COLLECTION OF MASONIC IMPLEMENTS. — The general collection of Masonic implements, placed before the eye of the Worshipful Master, reminds him of his power and jurisdiction, while it warns him to avoid the abuse of that poAver, limiting his jurisdiction and prescribing his conduct. These emblems afford him copious topics of
128 THE PAST MASTER.
advice to such as assist him in the government of the Fraternity, as well as to all the brethren over whom he is called to preside. There he can descant upon the ex- cellencies of the Holy Writings as the rule of life ; for those writings teach us, that, being born upon a Level, we should act upon the Square, circumscribing our de- sires within the Compass of nature's gifts, poured upon us from the Horn of Plenty. Here, also, he may exhort them to walk uprightly, suffering neither the pressure of poverty nor the avarice of riches to tempt the heart to swerve for a moment from the Line of rectitude sus- pended before them from the center of heaven. The division of time into equal and regular portions, and the subjection of our passions and desires, will come natu- rally up, while the by-laws of the Lodge regulate the deportment of the Craft assembled for purposes of social improvement and mental recreation. Thus the Master will demand prompt obedience, while he exercises an affectionate moderation. He will mingle the sweetness of mercy with the necessary severity of justice.
THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER,
HUMBLE ADORATION.
PROSTRATE before the Lord, We praise and bless his name,
That he doth condescend to own The temple that we frame.
No winter's piercing blast, No summer's scorching flame
Has daunted us; and prostrate here, We praise and bless his name.
From lofty Lebanon
These sacred cedars came;
We dedicate them to thy cause, And praise and bless thy name.
Ea°,h noble block complete, Each pure and sparkling gem,
We give to build and beautify, And praise and bless thy name.
With millions here below, With heaven's own cherubim,
Prostrate before the fire and cloud, We praise and bless thy name.
THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER
THE THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.
THE glowing eulogiums pronounced in a preceding page upon the Degree of Mark Master are equally appropriate when applied to that of MOST EXCELLENT MASTER. Its drama, covenants, and lectures bear marks of the same skillful hand that framed the other, while the Scriptural fact conveyed in them — that of the com- pletion and dedication of King Solomon's Temple — is even more impressive in its character.
The Degree of MOST EXCELLENT MASTER has always been a favorite in the United States since the period of its introduction, some seventy years ago.
When the work of the building was complete, the tim- bers brought from the distant forests, the stones from the nearer quarries, the jewels from Ethiopian mines, the precious metals from every part of the known earth — when, amidst an assembled multitude enumerated by mill- ions, the Wise King stood up to dedicate a work in which skill and wealth had been exhausted, incidents occurred of a Divine character which gave token of God's accept- ance of the offering. The TIRE and the CLOUD from heaven descended — the one to veil from human eyes the
131
132 THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.
master-piece of human glory, the other to consume the multitude of burnt-offerings which the piety of the chosen people had accumulated upon the altar. Then the mul- titude of Israel fell prostrate in profoundest adoration. Then from every voice there went up the grand So mole it be of the Masonic heart, "For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever ! "
These things are taught in the drama of the MOST EXCELLENT MASTER'S DEGREE. The spirit of the Dedi- cation Prayer is the spirit of this grade, wherein King Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the pres- ence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, and blessed the Lord God of Israel in fitting terms as a covenant-keeping God. Then, in a series of seven petitions, he asked :
1. That the Temple might become a holy place, in which perjury should ever be detected arid punished.
2. That Israel, stricken at any time before the enemy for their sins, if they should turn toward the Temple and confess, pray, and make supplication to God, might bo forgiven and brought again to the land of their fa:
3. That the rains of heaven, restrained on account of Israel's offenses, should be restored to the land whenever the people thereof should turn to the Temple, confess, pray, and make supplication.
4. That famine, pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, and caterpillar, blasting and devastating the land of Israel, should be removed whenever the people thereof should turn to the Temple, confess, pray, and make supplica- tion.
5. That the stranger, coming from a far country for His Name's sake, and praying toward the Temple, should
THEORY OF DE&REE OF MOST EXCELLENT MASTER. 133
be heard iu heaven, and the purpose of his supplications fully granted.
6. That Israel, going forth to battle, first turning to the Temple and praying to him who dwelleth therein, might be heard in heaven and their prayer granted.
7. That Israel, being carried away out of the country, captives, to a country near or far, on account of their sins, but returning to God in heart and soul, and pray- ing to God toward the land of their fathers, and the city of God's choice, and the Temple built for His Name, might receive compassion from their conquerors, be for- given for their offenses, and all their prayers answered and granted.
These seven grand requests being proffered in the hearing of the assembled millions, King Solomon now solemnly blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
"The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers.
"Let him not leave us nor forsake us.
"Let these words of supplication be nigh unto the Lord day and night, that he may maintain the cause of his serv- aut and of his people Israel, at all times, as the matter shall require : that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is (uul, and that there is none else.
"Let your heart, therefore, be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes and to keep his com* mamlments, as at this day/*
THE PARTING COUNSEL. — The parting counsel given by the Koyal Uuilder to those who for more than seven years had patiently served him, is suggested in the fol- lowing lines:
134 THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.
King Solomon sat in his mystic chair — His chair on a platform high —
And his words addressed,
Through the listening West, To a band of brothers nigh —
Through the West and South
These words of truth, To a band of brothers nigh.
Ye builders, go ! ye have done the work—- The cape-stone standeth sure;
From the lowermost rock
To the loftiest block, The fabric is secure—
From the arch's swell
To the pinnacle, ,
The fabric is secure.
Go, crowned with fame : old time will pass, And many changes bring;
But the deed you've done,
The circling sun Through every land will sing;
The moon and stars,
While earth endures, Through every land will sing.
Go, build like this : from the quarries vast The precious stones reveal;
There's many a block
In the matrice-rock, Will honor your fabrics well;
There's many a beam
By the mountain stream, Will honor your fabrics well.
Go, build like this: divest with skill Each superfluity;
80 MOTE IT BE. 135
With critic eye
Each fault espy — Be zealous, fervent, free;
By the perfect Square
Your work prepare — Be zealous, fervent, free.
Go, build like this : to a fitting place Raise up the Ashlars true;
On the trestle-board
Of your Master's Lord, The grand intention view;
In each mystic line
Of the vast design, The grand intention view.
Go, build like this: and when exact The joinings scarce appear,
With the trowel's aid
Such cement spread, As time can never wear;
Lay thickly round
Such wise compound As time can never wear.
Go, brothers; thus enjoined, farewell; Spread o'er the darkened West
Illume each clime
With art sublime — The noblest truths attest;
Be Masters now ;
And, as you go, The noblest truths attest!
So MOTE IT BE. — This expression is the emphatic amen uttered by the assembled craft upon the repeti- tion of any of the ancient landmarks. It is the posi-
136 THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.
tive affirmation of all that has been handed down to the existing generation by the fathers. The following lines express the spirit and intention of the words:
So mote it be with us when life shall end,
.And from the East the Lord of Light shall bend;
And we, our six days' labor fully done,
Shall claim our wages at the MASTER'S throne.
So mote it be with us: that when the Square, That perfect implement, with heavenly care Shall be applied to every block we bring, No fault shall see our MASTER and our King.
So mote it be with us: that, though our days
Have yielded little to the Master's praise,
The little we have builded may be proved
To have the marks our first Grand MASTER loved I
So mote it be with us: we are but weak; Our days are few; our trials who can speak! But sweet is our communion while we live, And rich rewards the MASTER deigns to give.
Let's toil; then, cheerfully; let's die in hope; The wall in wondrous grandeur riseth up; They who come after shall the work complete, And they and we receive the wages meet.
THE KEY-STONE. — In the beautiful and affecting drama of the Mark Master's grade, reference is had to the key- stone, the name of .its designer, its singular history and destination. In the grade of MOST EXCELLENT MASTER this charming device again comes to light, illustrating the completion of the edifice of Solomon. Considered as an arch, the placing of the key-stone represents its perfec- tion. In the deeds of charity to which the principles of
THE LIGHT OF THE TEMPLE. 137
our ancient institution daily and hourly prompt us, who would like to feel that the last act of kindness he has performed should never be succeeded by another? that no further opportunity will ever be afforded him by the Master of life to wipe away a sorrowing tear, to soften an agonizing sigh, to mitigate a weight of woe ? Yet, as human life is in the highest degree uncertain, such may be the case with any one of us. Already the fiat may have gone forth that the arch of our life is finished, and the vacant seat in the world to come waits our entrance to be filled ! Already the sprig of Acacia, hanging greenly upon its native tree, may be marked out and designated, which the Master of our Lodge shall throw upon our coffin ! Solemn reflection ! let us improve it by improv- ing every moment of our time to do good, so that when the key-stone is finally dropped into place, marking the consummation of earthly things, we may expect, both from our GRAND MASTER above, and from his surround- ing angels and spirits, a welcome into the seats of the blest.
THE LIGHT OF THE TEMPLE. — To one whose shadow fills the earth, whose purpose was no less than that of fixing Jehovah, the light and life of heaven, in a tenement of earth ; whose site, so wisely chosen, refreshes our mem- ory with the faith of a patriarch, the repentance of a king, the sacrifice of a Redeemer; whose preparation exhausted the treasures of the wealthiest and the zeal of the might- iest; whose pattern, conceived in the Divine mind, was traced by the finger and communicated in writing by the spirit of God — that spirit which can not err ; whose build- ers, divinely selected, divinely inspired, were divinely strengthened and sustained ; whose completion left noth- 7
138 THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.
ing wanting, introduced nothing superfluous ; whose dedi- cation called down from heaven the fire of approval and the cloud of acceptance ; whose memory is both the pride and the sting of the Hebrew as he walks his homeless, aimless way upon the earth : to such a theme — to one that directs us to the fountain of life for sustenance and enjoyment; to one rich enough to comprehend Revelation, tradition, reference, type, antitype, prophecy and fulfill- ment; to one that challenges us to consider a Temple the most costly, the most beautiful, the most perfect, the most sacred, the most venerable ever contemplated, executed, or beautified by man — this Degree of MOST EXCELLENT MASTER directs our minds. It is good for the young laying up a store of useful knowledge, to be taught con- cerning Messiah's temple and Jehovah's altar. It is good for the Christian searching out the ways of God with man; for the worldling seeking the sublime and the beautiful; for the philosopher craving all knowledge that is high and ennobling — to be enlightened upon a topic like this.
THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
0, WEARY hearts, so worn and desolate !
Torn from their native land, from ruined homes,
From desecrated shrines. 0, hapless fate !
Better the solitude of Judah's tombs
Than all that Judah's foemen can bestow.
In the far land, where tuneless waters flow,
Along the sad Euphrates, as they sigh,
" Jerusalem ! " " Jerusalem ! " they cry,
" When we forget thee, city of our love,
May He forget, whose city is above ;
And when we fail to speak thy matchless fame,
May He consign us to enduring shame!"
0, joyful spirits, now so bright and free,
Amidst the hallowed palm-trees of the west!
No more the exiles' want and misery,
The tuneless waters and the homes unblest;
Remember Sion now, her ruined shrine,
And take each manly form, the work divine;
Plant the foundation-stone; erect the spire
That shall send back in light the eastern fire;
Set up the altar, let the victim bleed,
To expiate each impious word and deed;
And tell the nations, when to Sion come,
" The Lord is God ; He brought His people home I "
.THE EOYAL AECH MASOK
THE THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF ROYAL ARCH MASON.
WHATEVER degree of popularity the preceding De- grees of Mark Master and Most Excellent Master may have acquired, on account of their beauty of drama, their humane covenants, and the wisdom with which their lectures are framed, they must surrender the palm in all these respects to the one now before us, that of ROYAL ARCH MASON. . Mr. Webb, who was mainly instrumental in introducing it, in its present form, into this country, says, in terms almost extravagant :
"It is indescribably more august, sublime, and im- portant than all which precede it. It is the summit and perfection of ancient Masonry. It impresses on our mind a belief of the being and existence of a Supreme Deity, without beginning of days or end of years, and reminds us of the reverence due to His holy name."
To understand properly the theory of this elaborate and beautiful Degree, we must recall to mind the his- torical fact, more minutely described further on, that the temple of King Solomon, whose construction forms the
141
142 THE EOYAL ARCH MASON.
subject-matter of the several Degrees of Entered Ap- prentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason, Mark Master, and Most Excellent Master, was totally destroyed and leveled to its foundation by the Chaldeans, under Nebu- chadnezzar, four hundred and nine years after its com- pletion and dedication. The Jewish nation was carried into captivity to Babylon, where they remained for fifty- two years. Then a portion of them, led by Zerubbabel, returned to Jerusalem, by permission of the reigning king, and rebuilt the temple. This rebuilding, including the national history from the destruction of the first temple, nineteen years before, constitutes the basis of the ROYAL ARCH DEGREE. It can readily be seen, that in this broad field the ritualist had stirring matter to his hand; the destruction of the temple and city; the la- mentable journey of eight hundred miles into captivity; the mournful exile, which even the singing of " the songs of Sion" could not enliven ; the joyful return westward, when the days of captivity were ended; and the devoted, self-sacrificing labors of the reconstruction — all thesej •with subsidiary themes, which the genius of the ritual- ist could so readily intersperse, make up the grandest display of which the science of Freemasonry, ancient or modern, admits.
THE BANNERS OF THE TRIBES.
The grand march of the Israelites through the wilder- ness from Egypt to Canaan was conducted with an order and system truly admirable. Each tribe had a banner, with distinctive devices borrowed from the imagery em- ployed in the death-bed prophecy of Jacob, (Gen. xlix.)
THE BANNERS OF THE TRIBES. 143
As these banners are of practical application in the in- structions of the ROYAL ARCH MASON, we give them here in some detail.
1. REUBEN. — Jacob said of Reuben, "Thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Reuben was that of a young man in the prime of his strength. The place of Reuben in the desert-encampment was on the south side. Simeon and Gad were his supporters. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Reuben was stationed in the south-east, directly east of the Dead Sea.
2. SIMEON. — Jacob said of Simeon, " Instruments of cruelty are in his habitation. Cursed be his anger, for it was fierce ; and his wrath, for it was cruel." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Simeon was an instru- ment of war. The place of Simeon in the desert-encamp- ment was as a supporter of Reuben, on the south side. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Simeon was sta- tioned in the south-west, on. the Mediterranean coast.
3. LEVI. — Jacob coupled Levi with Simeon in his stern rebuke, quoted above. The emblem inscribed on the banner of. Levi was like that of Simeon, an instru- ment of war. This tribe, being made the sacerdotal tribe, its place in the desert-encampment was in the center, with the tabernacle of the congregation. In the division of Canaan, forty-eight towns and cities, with their suburbs, were allotted to Levi.
4. JUDAH. — Jacob said of Judah, "Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise ; thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies : thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp. He couched as
144 THE ROYAL AKCH MASON.
a lion, and as an old lion." The emblem incribed on the banner of Judah was a couching lion under a crown and scepter. The place of Judah in the desert-encamp- ment was on the east side. Issachar and Zebulun were his supporters. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Judah was stationed in the south.
5. ZEBULUN. — Jacob said of Zebulun, " He shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and he shall be for a haven of ships." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Zebu- lun was a 'ship. The place of Zebulun in the desert- encampment was as a supporter of Judah, in the east. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Zebulun was sta- tioned on the west of the Sea of Galilee.
6. ISSACHAR. — Jacob said of Issachar, " He is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Issachar was a strong ass, couching between two burdens. The place of Issachar in the desert-encampment was as a supporter of Judah, in the east. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Issa- char was stationed south of • Zebulun, on the Plain of Esdrelon.
7. DAN. — Jacob said of Dan, "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backward." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Dan was a ser- pent biting the heels of a mounted horse. The place of Dan in the desert-encampment was on the north side, Asher and Naphtali being his supporters. In the divi- sion of Canaan, the tribe of Dan was stationed north of Simeon, on the Mediterranean coast.
8. GAD. — Jacob said of Gad, " A troop shall overcome
THE BANNERS OF THE TRIBES. 145
him, but he shall overcome at the last." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Gad was a troop of horsemen. The place of Gad in the desert-encampment was as a supporter of Reuben, in the south. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Gad was stationed north of Reuben, east of the Jordan.
9. ASHER. — Jacob said of Asher, " Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Asher was a prolific tree. The place of Asher in the desert-encamp- ment was as a supporter of Dan, in the north. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Asher was stationed in the north-west, along the Mediterranean coast.
10. NAPHTALI. — Jacob said of Naphtali, "Naphtali is a hind let loose : he giveth goodly words." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Naphtali was a hind let loose. The place of Naphtali in the desert-encampment was as a supporter of Dan, in the north. Jn the division of Canaan, the tribe of Naphtali was stationed in the north.
11. JOSEPH. — Jacob said of Joseph, " Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a wall, whose branches run over the wall. His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. The blessings of thy father shall be on the head of Joseph." The em- blem inscribed on the banners of the two sons of Joseph, JEphraim and Manasseh, was luxuriant branches overrun- ning a wall. The place of Ephraim in the desert-en- campment was on the west. Manasseh and Benjamin were his supporters. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Ephraim was stationed north of Benjamin, run- ning from the Jordan to the Mediterranean coast. The
10
146 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
tribe of Manasseh had two portions, one occupying tho space between Ephraim and Tssachat; the other north of Gad, and extending along the east of the Sea of Galilee to the base of Mount Herroon.
12. BENJAMIN. — Jacob said of Benjamin, " Benjamin shall raven as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil." The emblem inscribed on the banner of Benjamin was a ravening wolf. The place of Benjamin in the desert- encampment was as a supporter of Ephraim, in the west. In the division of Canaan, the tribe of Benjamin was stationed north of Judah.
In the prophecy of Moses, delivered just before hia death, (Deut. xxxiii,) he reiterates these blessings, elab- orating upon the symbolisms of Jacob, and giving strange* beauty to the definitions of these devices.
The groupings of the twelve standards deserve our attention. It will be seen by the sketch we have given, and by an examination of the 10th chapter of Numbers, that the general order of march was as follows :