We have also a class of sincere and enthusiastic Masons, who are not ignorant in one sense, yet they are in another. They have committed to memory the ritual, so they can confer almost any degree, and yet they know so little of the history, literature, and jurisprudence of Masonry, that any profane would make them blush for shame if he asked them very common questions. Their senseless gabble over the ritual makes the Craft call them "Parrot Masons," because they learn Masonry as the parrot learns a language. Darwin would say that their origin could be traced back to a parrot. With contracted and narrow ideas about Masonry, they oppose the publication of anything on Masonry in newspapers or periodicals, and have a cold chill whenever they see a word in print about Masonry. They have an idea that Masonry is something like a black coal-hole, in which no light should enter. They foster ignorance, by opposing everybody in the Order whose ideas are not as narrow as their own. They oppose Masonic books and papers, because they educate Masons to know more than they ever hope to possess. All their long lives they have been "Dropping buckets into empty wells, And growing old in drawing nothing up." Some of the most ignorant even go so far as to oppose the calling of Masonic meetings through the daily newspapers, or the simple announcements what degrees would be worked. They can give no reason for such foolish and ridiculous assurances, and only refer to the fact, that King Solomon did not publish such notices, as no newspapers then existed! If they followed King Solomon in other things as closely as in this, they would each possess more wives than Brigham Young. Would that be Masonic also? "Where ignorance is bliss All the above-named classes need "more light," in accordance with the strict meaning of that term in Masonry. This light is simply more knowledge. The great question to meet now, face to face, is how this Masonic information can be imparted. It is, perhaps, the most important question now discussed by learned Masons all over the world. A diagnosis of this disease in Masonry has been made, the prognosis given, and now the remedy must be applied. There is a specific that stands ready to cure ignorance in any form, no matter how virulent. It is reading, study and thinking. If masons will only do their own thinking, and not hire it, done by the job, there will be a radical change. If they will study Masonry as a science, they will glean rich gems from her precious mines. If they will read the history and literature of Masonry, they will be astonished to find so rich a harvest. Well-informed Masons often say that Masonry has no literature. The proceedings of Grand Lodges, Chapters, Councils, and Commanderies all over the world, the different Masonic events that are celebrated by addresses, orations, poems, etc., all furnish a rich current literature of Freemasonry. The reports on foreign correspondence, in all the Grand Bodies in the United States, compare favorably with our best magazine literature. Here is a rich field, in which to gather information, and to obtain all the Masonic news in every State. And yet how few Masons carefully peruse them! The writer reads annually over three thousand pages of proceedings of Grand Bodies, and two thousand pages of Masonic addresses, poems, and newly-published books on Masonry, and yet feels ashamed that he only has time to read these five thousand pages. The other sources of Masonic information are all good, but cannot compare with a monthly magazine. This is unquestionably the best. Such varied information is obtained, that any Mason who takes a monthly or weekly Masonic publication, and reads it carefully, is generally the best educated on all Masonic subjects, and knows also what is being done by his fraters abroad. He finds answers to all the questions that naturally occur to an inquiring mind, and finds it his best Masonic companion. Such a magazine as "MACKEY'S NATIONAL FREEMASON" will do more to educate the ignorant than the Craft can at first realize. It will dispense light to the needy, and refresh every thirsty Mason who is seeking truth. It is a fountain of knowledge, where all can slack their thirst. As it breaks the dark clouds of ignorance, it also dries up the corrupting influences that make crime in Masonry. Ignorance and crime are synonymous terms. It lays them both in one grave, side by side. Requiescant in pace. There are three thousand Masons in the city of Washington, who ought to hail the appearance of this new light in Masonry as the traveler hails the first purple tints of dawn that gild the eastern horizon. As it unfolds monthly such a storehouse of knowledge, they will all finally exclaim, that "ignorance is a crime in Masonry."-Mackey's National Freemason. Ar a banquet, when solving enigmas was one of the diversions, Alexander the Great said to his courtiers, "What is that which did not come last year, has not come this year, and will not come next year?” A distressed officer, starting up, said, "It certainly must be our arrears of pay." The king was so diverted, that he commanded him to be paid, and increased his salary. THE WAY TO DO WORK. BY BRO. ROUNSEVILLE. NO OFFICER can do his work well who does not thoroughly understand it; hence the necessity of "studying" it. It is not enough that he can repeat it, parrot-like. We do not agree with those who think that an uneducated man makes the best officer, because he is more likely to get it exact. It may readily be conceded that an ignorant man will be more likely to use the exact language of the work than one who is educated. It is undoubtedly the fact, and for this reason: The man who does not think has no words but those he finds in the work to express the idea which that work contains. He gets the idea from the work, and expresses it in its own language, because he has no other. With the educated, thinking man, the case is different. He has half a dozen terms that express the same, or similar idea, and he will frequently have one at hand, when the term that is orthodox escapes his memory. Now it is doubtless desirable that there should be uniformity in the work, but we submit that there are other things more desirable. One of these is a forcible and impressive manner of delivering the lectures. The change of a single word for one of the same, or a similar signification, mars the work less than the false pronunciation or accentuation of the word laid down in the ritual. Suppose the candidate is told in the true work that he has "exemplified" an event in history, would it detract from the impression of the work should he use the word "illustrated" instead? We give this as a specimen of the principle for which we contend, that there are worse errors than the substitution of a strange word of similar meaning. The sentence in which the word "exemplified" occurs, badly delivered, would be less forcible and impressive, and subserve the interest of Masonry less than the interpolation of "illustrated" in a well and forcibly spoken sentence. If this be true it is better to make the manner of delivering a study, as well as the text of the work. This brings us back to our starting point, that a good officer will endeavor to understand-thoroughly understand the work. And by this we do not mean that we should go through it without missing a word or misplacing a syllable. Some do that and yet know very little about the words. The ritual of Masonry, will bear study. It is terse, simple and expressive, and in nine cases out of ten when an officer is at a loss to construe a passage in it, if he will express the idea in the most forcible, direct and simple language that he can command, he will get it correctly. There is no verbiage, no rhetorical periods, no high-sounding epithets, no rounded sentences in Masonry. It is like the three pillars; it combines wisdom, strength, and beauty, without a display of tawdry finery. Then it follows that the officer who shall attempt to deliver his charges and lecture in grandiloquent, or what is generally called an eloquent manner, will most surely fail. But this is not all. The officer must strive to accommodate his manner to the particular subject on which he is engaged. It would be simply and only ridiculous, to assume the same bearing and manner in delivering the historical lectures that would be proper and desirable in the most thrilling portions of the second section of the third degree. Should a man design to commit an outrage on a public highway, at mid-day, where persons would be constantly passing, he would not likely be long or very noisy about it. If he said anything it would not be in a loud tone of voice that might bring the neighborhood upon him. But nature would be his indicator and he would speak in a low, earnest key, that would not attract attention from passers by, but which would be audible to those to whom it was addressed. We give this illustration as a specimen which may be applied to a great number of points in the work of Masonry. The work should always be performed in a manner that would be appropriate to the subject were the transactions delineated real. Hence, anything incongruous introduced in the ceremony, detracts from its influence and impression. Masonry is essentially dramatic. Thus we must not only observe the "unities" of the play, but the "proprieties" also. What would we think of a murderer, who after he had throttled his victim, should carry his body to the hastily-scooped grave by torchlight? And yet we have witnessed scenes in the Lodge-room quite as incongruous, not to say ridiculous, as this. Such Lodges are wise above the traditions of Masonry. They sacrifice sense to effect, and then spoil the effect, by the perfect absurdity of the proprieties. "A jewel in a swine's snout " is a scriptural figure to illustrate a lack of discretion. There are many beautiful things and pretty ceremonies intrinsically, that are wholly out of place in the work of a Lodge of Masons. To prevent falling into these follies we must study the work. The accomplished actor does something more than commit his lines to memory. He studies the meaning of the author; he strives to ascertain and enter into the train of thought that led to the expression of the beautiful ideas which it is his duty and pleasure to render in the best possible manner. The good Lodge officer is, in a degree, an accom LAYING CORNER-STONES OF MASONIC AND PUBLIC EDIFICES. 20y plished actor. He must strive to comprehend the thoughts which passed through the brain of those ancient worthies when the present work of Fremasonry was embodied into a perfect system. And he who most thoroughly studies these old forms and expressions, these old symbols and emblems, these ancient ceremonies and rites, will be the best qualified to administer them. He who applies himself the closest to the study will discover the most beauties and the most good in the Institution, and will be the best able to perform the duties of his station. In choosing men to do the work of the Lodge, we must never forget that there are countless numbers of good Masons who can by no means make good officers. We must look beyond the mere tenets of a Mason's profession-brotherly love, relief, and truth. These the good officer must have, but he must have more. One of the great obstacles in the way of Masonic progress is to be found right here. We elect those to office that we love without regard to capability. The result is that we often have good Masons who are very bad officers in the chairs of the Lodge. The work is ill-done, the interest in Masonry flags, the attendance becomes small, the Lodge dwindles down to a determined few, and well for it, if that few do not become weary. We close this paper with a remark that ought to be an axiom: No Lodge was ever prosperous when the work was ill-done; no Lodge long declines when the work is well performed. From this fact the importance to Masonry of good work may be inferred.-Masonic Trowel. LAYING CORNER-STONES OF MASONIC AND PUBLIC EDIFICES. It seems to be not well settled as to what kind of buildings it is proper for Masons to honor by laying the corner-stones with the impressive ceremonies of our Order. Having been invited to perform these ceremonies in a case in which we deemed them inappropriate, and were consequently compelled to decline the invitation, we have been requested to specify where we draw the dividing line between public and private edifices. In investigating what has been written upon this subject, together with the Ancient Charges, History, and Landmarks of Masonry, we have been able to gain but little information. It seems to be conceded that it is proper for Grand Lodges to lay the corner-stones of Masonic and public buildings. In the former we would class all buildings erected by Lodges, or other Masonic bodies, where the whole, or a part of it, is to be used exclusively for Masonic purposes. The question : "What are public buildings?" is not so easily VOL. III. -NO. V.-14. |