Southern shield., 1851-03-08


 and whchs open in the Lodge. Speculative Masonry far inerwoyen with religion lay under the strong obligation pay that rational homage Creator which constitutes duty and happiness. IL leads the cOntempIave mind to view with and admiration the wonderful works of creaon and inspires the lofty feelings of adoraon towards the great Creator, Tools and implements oi architecture, symbols Dressive have been selected by the Fraternity to impress upon the mind serious and important truths and thus the excellent tenes of the institution have been transmitted impaired under circumstances precarlous and sometimes adverse, through constant succession oi ages Thus tor
 illustration, the gavel is instrument made use ot by operative Mason break of the of rough sones thereby better fitting them for the builders But in speculative Masonry is used for the noble and glorious purpose of amonsing of the necessity of dvestng minds and conscences of all the vices and superuites of
 life, thereby the better fitting bodies living stones for that spiritual building that house not made with hands, eter nal in the Heavens. The alseeing eye, which the and stars obey under whose wacu care even the comets perform their stupendous and eccentric courses also of the eloquent and impressive symbols o specua tive Masonry. This is to admonsh of the omnpoence and omnpesence of Deity and that secret thoughts and exposed the gaze and scrutiny of the judge of all the earth It is in ausion to this beautiful and striking emblem of Masonry that the inspired Psamist breaks forth in that sublime aposrophe "Whher shall go from thy spr whither shall flee from thy presence! If ascend into heaven, thou there: make bed in he behold, thou there. Ii take the wings of the morning. and dwell in the uttemos parts of the sea- even there shall thy nand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold Ii say, surely the darkness shall night shall be light about yea, the darkness deth not from hee but the night shneth the day the darkness and the light both alike to thee'
 Free Masonary was at first principally, perhaps entirely, operative. The Lodges only nurseries o virtue but they schools where the and sciences siduously cultivated and lberaly patronzed But in the lapse of ages when knowledge became generally dltused throughout all civilized countries and the mechanical arts we'll known require any extraordinary pat ronage the mechanical branch of the institution gradually yielded the moral that modern Free Masonry presents itself this day, invested with all the beauty and dignity of moral science. The meetings ot the Lodges are now
 Charlty' whose grcut object and aim 1t s o in culcae and practically enforce the doctrines of pety and benevolence Piey towards God and benevoIence to our fellow man. being the great cardinal principles. Ii IS upon this rock that Free Masonry is built and the gates Hell shall prevail against 1t. The principles, my fellow citizens since they first propogated among men, have had the opposition ot mgher oe than the human grapped They have been rocked by the and tempes of centuries They have been wa tered by richer blood than poured out upon field gory Ifhevh had been destructbe they would long this have pershed But partakhg of the nature of their Divine original, they still have vitality amongst men, and home in the Lodge. They still endure and they shall endure ever, for the mouth of the High hath spoken it.
 On this festive occasion it would be useless, evenif possible, penetrate the veil of oscuriy that hangs the origin ot our Older Perpetuated, as has been by tradition, from age age, it not wonderful that at the presenday shadows clouds and darkness should it. Coeva with civizaon and anterior 10 history, its origin mocks the researches of the wse and baes the nvestga
 ons of the curious But great of rejoicing and of pride, when its duration with that of the feeble fabrics of man. Those supendous works that the wonder of the ancient world and formed epochs in history have ages since moudered into dust The hanging gardens of Nneyah the of Babel the Monuments of the Ete nal city, and the splendid palaces of Pamyra have been swept from the earth by the bosom o destruction. While this moral ed6ce uniting the vgor of youh the maturity of age has outlved their glory and their fal Few the works of art, and still fewer of genius that have escaped the ravage of me and the ruthless attacks of bar baans So pershable, indeed, have been the of human industry that scarcely shattered coumn broken plaster remains to direct the eager eye of the enqung raveer to the most celebrated ot ancient The memorials of liberty, oo have been muabe the vestiges of slavery And not single stone
 mains of those splendid monuments that erected Mar athon and Ihermopye to record the history o those horoc achievements which secured freedom and independence Greece, and deathess glory to her history But far different
 the rock ages, arch has panned ceaon and encced the whole family of From weak and feeble begin hing, it has arisen gigantic stature unprecedented in the annals of the world. 's sound has gone into all the earth, and its words the end of the wod. That ray which shown feebly and any in the porch of the pie Jerusale has become brilliant and shining uminary cheering by its beams and dazzling by its lustre.
 To this respected audience will now disclose the great secret of Masonry will unfold you the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the endng the first and the last of Order It is to feed the hungry to cothe the naked, visit the orSaken, cherish the distressed and the dsconso- lae And Masonic Charity extends further For acknowledging the ay of human nature teaches us to extend helping hand to fellow being who may have greatly erred, and lifting him from the mire of guilt, and from the slough of despond" to whisper soongy in his ear we do not condemn thee "go and sin more." To ghen the burthen of e and refresh the weary pilgrim in his journey duties and highest pleasures They form the keystone arch of virtue We hope by these means propagate in the world spirit of charity, humanity, and benevoence-a spirit that shall day strike the bloody standard of and give the oppressed of every country and cline competence for poverty and