Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-07-29

WV 'N'h"AN h'8 ERh 5ts
, the fact TINT men are naturally prone
: revere and love institutions, which, surf
! wing the shot Of accident, the bolt
chance, and the cofroding tooth of tim
have come down with the frosts of inn
merable winters whitening their ~venerat
front. / assume what none will deny.)
truth. The Chinese sHge compelling ,
science Of astronomy into a conspiracy
perpettate the patriotic fraud of ~caloula
ing. and history into that Of recerdii
eClipses TINT must have dnfkened natu
long before its birth, (whe.hnr we consid
the pantateuch or the science Of geoloe
as the criterion Of TRUTH turns from h
exploit with oerdplacency, satisfied that |
hHs rested his country's claim TO superl,
dignity and estimation 81 q basis not tot
shaken. But even in this misappIicatio
and abuse Of the principle, we may disco
yer its truth. Of course, | do not stippos
| am addressing persens Of that caption
md sophistical dispositian. that require
long detail of all Tho exceptions whic
good sense will presums to be included i
all general propositions, when ! affirm the
whatever is old IL therefore Venerable an
amiable.
Now were | to affirm that the origin q
masontv was coeval with creations dawI
when The morning stars sang togethe
for low, tie smile Of derision might cur
The iips Of tho frivolous and presumptuous
whilst my brethren, and more especial,
my companions of the Royal Arch, wotl,
pity my own ignorancs and my own tint
dity. For what is physical creation bo
the sensible expression OF prototypes pre-
existing In the liind of the Creator from
all eternity I When our Grand I,Haster. th'
great Architect Of the universe, planting
his compass at the foot Of his throne
swept it around farther than thought car
travel, and laying the foundation of hea
ven and Of earth, gave expression 10 the
grand, the stupendons design Of worlds
piled upon worlds-what were these. but
the visible and tangible forms assumed by
principles pre-. existing in the mind of The
architect from eternity 7 DO the ellipse,
the parabcle, and the hypetbola harmonic
In the mathematical feature Of the oone I
Then they have harmonised from eternity
ID tho mind Of him who enrolled the con
in the catalogue Of mathematical possibi.
litics. Every civil architect Is acquainted
with tho truth practically, whether lie be &C.
quainted with II scientifically or NOT, that
the square described upo, the hypotltenise
Of every right angled triangle, is equal to
the sum of the squares described upon the
other sides; but this could not have bren d
truth, sncidentto every right angle triangle,
had II not pre.esisted from eternity in the
mind of God as nm abstract truth indepen.
Dent of matter and all its notifications.
Is benevolence evinrod in the adaptation
Of physical contrivantcs to promote the
happiness Of mankind 7 l. harmony mani.
|est in the n.interfefenco with eacl,
,ther by the elementary forces by the
centrifugal with the eentripetaI, by the
Of attraction with thtt Of repulslun I
L. order manifest In tho invaflable success.
sion Of nigh, and day, In the regularity
with which the seasons return 10 disenthral
nature from the icy slavery in which
held her, to deck her in spfing with
obes of green, to adorn her brow with the
oses of summer and heap on her should.
,rs the wealth OF autumn Has beauty
,een lavished on nature In splendid profit.
ion 7 Is there sublimity in tho roar Of
Niagara~-4waters which from the eiddiest
leap laundering into the abyss be.
ow1 The mind of the Almighty must
rom eternity have brooded over these qua.
tiles before they quickened into colors and
Of such lovely and sublime vitality.
But masonry is the sum of all these eternal
therefore masonry is from etsr.
From this conclusion there IL no
escape. Having established this
fundamental truth, | next proceed to trace
he institution Of masonry through the va.
ious periods Of time to the present day.
Wv companions of the vault will please ad.
me, if at any time | shall averstep
he rounds oil masonic caution. and break
he seal of silence set upon my lips. II |
ind the substance of masonry, | shall not
about names, for names are bu,
words and words are mere breath. THAT
which we call II rose by any other name
would smell as sweet"
There is preserved in tho Herculercum
t Rome all ancient painting representing
wo way.faring men, as exchanging ma.
onic grips with their right hands, and COM
,aring their halves OF "A tessara hosplta lis,
With their left. Now the schoisast of Eu.
ipides, a Greek tragic poet, describes tho
In this manner They take n white
toIre and engrave thereon u name, they
hen divide the stone in the midst. and
me. half was kept by "A brother, the re-
half by the other. And Herodo.
says, that the same custom prevailed
Turing the earliest periods in Persia. Now
urn to the 18th verse, 2nd chapter of Re-.
. ''To him that overcofnethI will
sive to eat of the hidden mama, and |
will give to him a white stone and a new
written which no man knoweth saw.
ny he that receiveth it," Now no one can
loubt the reference of this passage to the
lsage commemorated in this painting
the one is explanatory Of the other.
The first alIusion | find to this masonic
:uston is recorded in the 18th verse, 18th
Of the LIST Samuel : "And carry
here ten cheeses 10 the captain Of their
thousands, and look how thy brethren fare,
md take this pIedge." To carry food to
by Starving brethren is y of tie func.
Of masonry, to inquire Of their vel
are, ano:her-and to guard against the
estowai Of your charity unworthily, ap-
Nv the infallibie test Of masonry to Disco
er their real character, take their pledge.
again in the 29th verse l1th chapter of
Oh: Have We not asked them that 60
the wayside, and do We know their to-