The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1861-07-11
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
ADDRESS

De6re-er befJIe fFe -WGIIWW TTuIFTWTE ~ I-'7---
IN N. Han of Hqrafiaa Lodge No 81, on ~. John
The BGDtlsf's Day. June "a, 1861, by Brother The
Rev. C. " ANTHONY.
To the philosopher aud philanthropist Masonry Is
worthy Of q careful consideration The number OF rs
members, their diffusion around the world. their re-
spsctabiiry and moral worth, all declare II 10 be- Tor
q od or III. a power in the earth. He Is destitute OF
the first principles Of an enlightened manhood who can
wholly igr ore or despise IL. He Is more worthy Of cur
considerarion who opposes it. If Masonry be an evil.
4 sneer will not suppress II IL 1t be a blessing. the
lover Of his race is bound to bid it God speed. though
he may decline being numbered among its active ad
herents.
Should We devote a little time 70 the consideration of
the moral, social, and intellectual principles Of mason
~. as il exists among US. We have a right TO claim the
attention Of all In doing SO, let u he candid and hon.
est. for Masonry may be Overestimated as well as IN
dereStimatei- IL u hard 10 decide which IL the most
fatal error. II We underestimate It's character, We shall
fail to secure the benefits it proposes in our behalf; our
use of an instrument depends upon our C nfdence in it,
adaptation 20 the end proposed. II We overestlmate its
fail to secure 10 Ourselves benefits which were probably
IN our reach, If We had used the right measures for OBJ
tanning them Slen often vacilate from one extreme to
another with them an institution must be everything,
OF II is nothing / trust n more sober judgment has
been youchsafed Us by the Great Architect Of the Uni
verse
IL something interesting and valuable in Free Masonry.
/ need. in This connection, only name ITS antiquity. II
is unnecessary to claim for it an origin as early as the
days OF lsraeIs sweet singer, or his wise son, IN order
10 establish its claims to antiquity. History tells Us Of
its active existence in no small degree Of reSpectabIhty
two hundred years ago. But If history were silent. It
carries with IL the proof of it, early origin. / allude
not 20 ITS traditions, but it, organism, its forms and
ceremonies. Symbolism is the distinguishing charac-
teristic Of n people not yet fully acquainted with the
niceties OF language and the profundities Of thought.
IL - the first effort Of mind TO grasp at something be-
yond the limits Of physical sense True. symbolism IS
Interesting to certain classes of mind when raise1 to u
high degree of culture. But in such cases II Is n choice,
not % necessity. Thought may be conveyed without IL,
but more pleasantly OF forcibIy with il. But what
marks the symbolism Of m .sOnry MS of great antiquity
- its unlikeness 10 modern forms of thought. 1t indi-
C ties n rude and blrbarOus age. Who can be present
NJ the initiation Of q mason without feeling thai he is
permitted - go back into the distant misty past, and
witness the efforts Of good men-men ahead Of their
times in moral wOrth-seesing to impart the moral in
str ction which they have gainei by their persevering
IIgence: Does any one think this detracts from the
inst tutinus To me. IL J. its browning glory. Let II
b 10 innocent, AMI | care not how much Of ruden.ss
/. 20 empuy confirms. | shall love il if IL gives me a clue
TO the minis and morals Of a generation. long since
n mbered with the pale nations of the dead. We love
the fossil WHICH gItes u m rlel of the animals which
lived before the present order Of animated nature hegIn.
I may be no ming 50 refined and perfect as some now
! -itg DOT We would not give 1t for a hundred of these,
oh md NUT laiei though IL be. We low the old manu-
a~ IL nav have leen hardly used 10y time, the
letters be 30 rude as scarcely to be legible-no
-it tell " how people thought, and how they
@r~e - bought in ol1en times. and we look with
- .a - the oil book Modern Publishing houses
can ' - perfect 5etnties in their way, large speaking
'~-s- intel on polished white paper. bound in pur-
-H .E. ? -, Dii we WOu II n Z give u OH muSty,
---rt > o for a house full Of them. You may con-
f. -eremony fgreIter refinement, more in keeping
- f'he eye, than 'itsonry Possesses, hut
as-nunv possesses . charm which nothing
81 my heart, l an glUl that the founders
Htie provision that II should ever be per-
20 f.; 4 - they started il.
Thu l. 90 erply contrasting Masonry with institutions
- . = character. but Of modern origin. All the argu-
81 j. lost upon the man who sees no need of a cere-
uony Of any kind. in order To teach men their duty.
There i a class Of matter-of-flct men in the world.
- 81 "a hmm uashfnO Euf ftcfs mil 6gurp- upiBha uyflIuV
They are properly represented by a celebrated mathe-
m ticisn. who, when he had read that greatest Of Eng
iii epir~. Paradise Lost, threw the brok upon the table,
and folding his hands with an air Of supreme contempt
eycrimed. wall. after all what has II proved = Per-
.+us who have no love for allegOries, no fOndness for
? nance, no pleasure IN ceremonial instruction, will
b rdly discover or appreciate the beauties Of Masonry.
They should never become Nelson's They may be good
men without IL, they viii be no better with it. Masonry
itself ul ga provision that persons shall satisfy them
selves o, their budness for it before they become par
takers Of is mysteries. He who makes application Tor
masonic knOwledge mus do il Of his own free will and
accord rs well expect that n Yorkshire miner would
become cuamored with the beauties of botany. rs that
n m n whose tastes are rot in keeping with it, should
Re pleased with Free Masonry.
But 10 j. not merely as a source Of intellectual pleasure
AMI profit that Masonry lays claim to our attention and
interest. IL claims utility in some Of the great moral
and social concerns of life. Indeed, upon any other
suppo-itiOn 10 would be hard to account for its antiquity.
Men may preserve oil fossils and books for curiozity's
sake. but no one thinks OF waging an exterminating
warfare against such things or their keepers Men will
sllne MUCH g interest IN LOT uutu, u SehlOW
will they sacrifice personal ease for mere curiosity.
There must be ~sorething in Masonry which touches
human interests or IL had never provoked so violent an
opposition. There must BE- something in il that meets n
felt want Of humanity, OF IL had never maintained a
mold upon the world. IN the midst Of such opposition as
IL has been obliged 20 meet. IL has battled with civil
and ecclesiastical power Yea. it has contended with a
more fearful enemy. good men, FROM mistaken judg-
ments. have opposed Masonry. When bal men rage
ag inst any cause. it SPEAKS in its favor they can do
little beyond brute force to injure it. II Is indeed an
ExVlr g. aFu-I $1,000 -aI -r-aTv.l- RuF = Q
good men speak az inst 4 cause. IL ut once exciteS suspi-
ciou- IL IL TO be feared that NasOns have not always
been careful rs they should be in the manner of their
treating this opposition. To return ii Is only TO increase
the evil. When Masonry shall bring its influence to
hear to inJure good men, even though they hare erred
IN some things. it shall become divided against itself.
and destruction Is very nigh. Masonry can be brought
int no natural conflict with goodness. either in its men,
bcrs or enemies Then, too. there l. just ground for
Ma rs TO exercise toward good men who oppose them
the brOaIest charity Our secrecy becomes the ground
of suspicion. and We cannot remove il. 1t IS indeed
unreasonable for them 90 ask Of u a knowledge Of thOes
things which concern only ourselves; but right there is the
dIfhculty-they fear that our secrets concern others as
weII-they fear that under the veil of silence we hide
what IS an evil TO mankind. There is one vindication.
the WORKS which we dO-happy shall we be if these
always speak IN our favor. But I have wandered l
should have said, that IN spite of what good or bad men
have done, VI sonry has held on the even tenor of its
way. and | argue from it that il must meet a real good
in the world. and meet that good according to the prin-
ciples of truth. Truth aud goodness alone triumph in
this world. however much error and evil may postpone
the victory.
l, IS n proper subject Of inquiry upon this occasion
to ask. what Is that want of humanity which Masonry
IL designed, or at least calculated 10 meet. In answer,
let Us loo, at some Of mans characteristics. and chiefly
thar of his utter dependence. We can we'll say in the
labgu Ige of inspiration, No man liveth TO himself"
Ttse from YOU all you know only by anOthers help,
ami hos 0urrtcied becomes the sphere of your knOwl-
edge, Tt<e from You the daily food, and clothing, \
household comforts. which others have furnished TO
your hand. and how limited become the elements Of
your earthly happiness But mutual assistance always
goes upon the principle Of mutual confidence; II may
indeed come short ofIr, for some will not do what they
know IL wouli be 3 fe~t and best 20 do. but 1t can never
70 beyond No man will implrt knowledge 20 another
while believing that that knowledge viii be employed