Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1841-11-02

Physical Masonry IS the Moses who
smote the waves of the oceans, and they
have opened pathway from one realm
and continent 10 another. 1t hath the
same rod with which the leader of Israel
struck the rock; and under its descend
ing energy the streams of cOmfortsand
civilization have spouted To the very hta-
vens a slvery jet Of pure white waters,
leaping from the heart of the earth, bath.
ing the thirsty clouds, then falling back
again in translucent cataractS Of honey
dew and cooling spray, with ten thou.
sand jewels of sunlight cmbOSomed in
each peary drop. Under such a guSh of
cooling wayers, such Sun-hurst Of gol.
den spray blown into the shining face Of
Nalure-how green will be her fields,
how brilliant her roses, how blue her Vio-
let's, how fragrant her lilachS, her pride Of
India, and her magnolias!
Physical Masonry has done more than
this: listen 10 its history. will tell OF
its youth, when creation was young. |
will tell OF its deuge baptism. | will
tell of its illustrious deeds through all
time.
The ancient Masonic writer's had pc.
culiar delight in tracing Masonry to the
Great Father of Wisdom, the Eternal Je-
hovah. Thers is a conclusive evidence
that the Almighty is builder, aud the
. Creation is his edlfce, constructed on
those perfect rules Of Art which Science
atudies, and which Geometry claims as
her own. The Grand Master Of the Uni
verse had power through his infinite Wis
dom, to accomplish at a word, what man,
his creature, can never hope to equal;
vet Welcomes man himself, a subord-
nate creator, to initiate his grand Master
At the most remote distance, too happy to
be regarded as felow-laboreT with his
Maker in some great work of moral tt-
ness, Of benevolent effort.
Josephus is one Of the earliest writers
extant ON the Masonic craft. He claims
the fellowship Of the antediluvians and
inventions of Tubal Cain in metals, ol
Tubal in musical instruments, and of Tu'
bal the frst builder OF tents He also
declares that brass and marble columns
were erected before the food, one Of the
marble having survived the fury of the de,
luge, and was standing lnthe time OF that
historian, containing on IFS sides an abrldg
ment of the Arts and Sciences; particu
Iarly those Of Geometry and Astronomy
said TO have been done by Enoch, who
foretold the deIuge with the design that
these arts OF ancient Masonry should moi
be lost amidst the destruction Of the Hood
There need be, however no dispute
about the antiquity Of the Masonic Or
der. The wsest men Of the old world
we're builders; (in other words, MGsOHs
and whether, for their further improve
ment or greater security, they establish
ed symbolic signs and took the oathS o
faithfulness and secresy TO each other
they we're. to all physical and moral pur
poses lodges OF Free and Accepted Ma
sons.
There can be but little doubt that tn
Magii of Egypt were Masonic fraternl
ty accumulating and preserving the wis
dom and science Of the successive age
through which they lived, beneath tn
symbolic language or the key Of the hieT
oglyphics. Taales and PythagOras, VIII
travelled to Egypt to transplant 10 anotE
sF land, yet barbarous and unknown, III
wisdom of this mother country, were OF
liged to pass through series Of initlar
ceremonies before they could be admitte
TO the mysteries and learning of the Egy
tian scholars. Slowly, and 0nder Il
most piercing scrutiny, they were ADM
ted step by step, into the temples Ofa
cient wisdom. And how practical al
Masonic that wisdom was, we can lea
from the great canal of Sesostris, the fir
ever made in the wOtld-from the aqu
ducts that carried the waters of the Nj
over wide plains into the desert--fro
the vast temples, labyrinths, column
tombs, pyramids, that cucumber tho sit