, 1862-12-17

|
m III cl'igent and apprcciatiye audience Of :
over ,:1o persons, assembled to hear the Sec
"hd OF The course Of lectures now ls4iNg d.
ilvered by tho Rev. DR.. O. II Tiffany, on :
froslems of Dcstiny.'' The subject Of. this ;
particular lecture was Civilization-The
frobicm Of Frec-MasonrY.n The topic is IN
one to the public, as are all mat
tiers connected with the ancient and honored
order. -
Many Of the prominent Masons Of the city
were present, and their enthusiastic applause
as the speaker, with his sonorous voice, and
eloquent words, brought ont in bold relief the
beauties ofthc mystic tie, satisfactorily proved :
the correctness of the word-picturcs. We
cannot say too much in commendation Of this
lecture. The thrilling tones, as they came
from the heart Of the orator, seemed to stir
the entire assembly, and. spontaneous evi-
denccs Of delight were frequently manifested
during the delivery.
Tie lectu1ercommsnccd withan allusion to
the origin, the antiquity, and the coslnopo1i-7
tan character Of Free Masonry.
No land, where Society has emerged from
barbarisru, is without Masonry. Even in In
dia, where the chains Of q rank and hoary
idolatEy are juet breaking, along the shores OF
the Cross hold 3 divided empire, there the or
der has erected its altars aud practised its
mystic rites. all over Europe and Throughout
ovr Own land, from tAs spcW drifts Of the
North to the lsnd Of the orange and the pine,
its lodges are planted.
Scarce 8 man or woman in the community
hut that directly or Indirectly feels its intlu-
| cncce. There is no political party but NUM-
bcrs within its ranks members Of the order |
| At every church altar there Kneel those who |
Fave taken the obligations Of Free Masonry.
| There is no calling. or profession in which its
| craftsmen are not fonnd.
| The question that arises then is, What is |
the influence Of this ubiquitous Organization
discuss il all its bearings This and various col
| lateral questions arising from it.
His first authority Was The Bible, though
this, he said, presents us with flcts rather
than opinions. He spoke Of the first aggre-
CATIONS Of men as constituting society. These
were not the result Of untoward pressure, SO
| much as the development Of internal Laws, and
the response to the heart Jearnings Of hn-
| Man who was not intended for solitude,
found no eonlpanionship until God found
him companion, bone Of his bons, 1esh Of
his flesh
! society. The subsequent development Of tiis
| society produces civilization. To form
Judgment IN regard to any nation, you ask
what have they done to forward the progress
Of ci1iization? What part have they acted in
this great drama? Civilization is, as it were,
the grand emporium Of people, in which ali
its intelligence and all its wealth is stored up
How then may they be estimated? The
answer invariably is uniform The strong
suldue the weak, and rise abovethem to some
He then dilated largely upon the various
phases which society presented, its insti-
/ tntions and the component parts which 20 to
make it up. But civilization lie said, deyel-
, ops itself under three new forms, which may
be called intellectual, physical and moral
growth All nations have their epochs Of
t either individual or social improyem In
! | searching history through NE everywhere ind
:, The same result. Every important event
l which has 1lad q direct influence in the all
also either upon the external progress Of
: society or the restoration Of the soclal sys-
# ten. or the expansion Of the mind and func-
q tions Of the individual.
Among the best and most successful Of
= these results ID the Society Of Free Masonry
# best because Of its incorporation Of those e1e-
T. ments Of strength which characterize the only
q great cause that operates on the individual,
= and thus affects society; successful because
4 social Organization, whose defects it proposes
p 10 remedy
It is a wheel within wheel, comforting ad-
rsn1sges and giving privileges to those WHO
: enter Although conferred on the individual,
e these advantages are enjoyed by the whole
! ! Order in common. Free Masonry, though ex-
tended over many lands and made up Of thou-
sands Of individuals, is still not all aa,grega-
. tion Of Individuals, but . unit.
The first form Of eocial growth develops the
| physical forces Of the race. Masonry, accord
: my 10 tradition and from internal evidences,
had its origin in carly times, when social
, wants were inadequately met BY the ordinary
e lcges were at the disposal Of arbitrary author
: itY; when the rights Of person and property
: | were butpoorly protected by existing law, and
: the purity of the domestic hearth and the
peace Of the family circle were easily invaded
f and ruthlcsE]y destroyed by the bold and m:
e. scrupulous adyenturers.' In times Of peril
: eacli ont knew that in adding to his own walls
IF defense he Vas aiding a brother, and
: strengthening his own safeguards,
0 Surrounded as we are By the glorious insti-
y ! tutions Of a free country, we adequately and
, fully realize the consciousness Of safety which
e others ip former times must have experienced
Il in the protection Of the craft and the strong
N ;lrms Of the brethren. But had this been th1
would long since have persisted with the oc
+; casion Of It's institution. Why, then, doe
;, Masonry most prosper? Why is her lnilnenc
:, most widely ditused wherever the peopie ar
Ill | most cultivated. most secure, most free? !
ch it moi because that in I'LL times, under all cir
-. cu1ustances and in oil lands, Masonry has uni
~ forn,1y tanght the absolute equality Of al
lis | 1nsu? Riches cannot buy her treasure. Pow
"a er cannot wrest it. Authority cannot dictat
Of to it.
8 We meet upon the level, tho from every static
Is, The King ftcm ont his palace, and the poor ma
r. For The % one G must lsavs bis dlaacm outside til
- And " the other finds his true respect upon tt
chcckered floor
Masonry has been charged with being n
rs enemy to freedom, but the charge has alwaJ
d. rested on gronnd1ese suspicious. Polltic;
conspiracies have been conceived under tt
name Of Frsemasonsy, as they have bee
os matured within the pale ef the church: La
~ plause.l But they hare no more been tolerate
1s fy authorized masonic lodges, than ChEist
Eor anity has been found to be l. fomcntor Of di
no cord. IApplause} Allegiance to the COVER
- mcnt and obedience to the laws is the poli1
ut - Tie he retirement ct Of Southern lodges befo
the seveling Of political relations was an /
cjr stance in proof. Tley were forced to dlsaSc
their Masonic allegiance before they sundcr
~ their political rclatIons.
ner Tue adaptation Of Free Masonry to the Sc
ost ond stage pf civilization was inferred from
.t. insisting on the stDdy Of the truth and t
e' direction il gave to liberal Investigation
PC He did not cIainl that Masonry bad beent
lich mother Of the sciences, put he hu claim u
,.-. it was the cr.dlt in which the sciences
[es9 been rocked {Applause.) Historical all
sions were made 10 the influence Of Mason
ncr in architecture, mechanics and astrono1ny,a a
;1p | lie EpcskGT cko4utullf Nuu4Cl4EN ll1hl
though not or5ginatiye Of these sciences, $
Ion had fostered their growth.
He spoke of the qualification exrclienc
in attending the laying Of the corner stone
yes the extension Of the National Capitol, VII
'nrt The GRIND Master vas clothed in the same
inn, | gala that Washington wore when he laid I
49,, Foundation of the original structure, ma
iva and presented to him by the wife Of Laflyet
ngs and now preserved with the greatest e.
ices among Tie archives Of the Lodge. [A
,ces p1a71se-
He then passed to the relation Of Fl
ong Masonry to the third phase of civilization
Lriy the Moral. And here his statements III
clc- carefully and guardedly made. He claim
, nc that Masonry fnstcred virtue but did not c
ate it; only refiecting in the lives Of its me
the bcrs what it received from Revelation.
lred | was careful to insist that Masonry operat
.a1v uron society from without, Christianity FRI
within. The one human in its origin,
- other Divine.
for, Masonry incorporates into its system
hat | pure and lawful Christian charity that ne7
;t1,. fai1cth. prolonged applause-) By their :
tucs The world has been elevated. Their c
pre- ture lastcns the reign Of perpetual peace a
universal Brotherhood. The speakersaid Il
great and responsible duties deyo1ved up
Of I'LL Masons. They meet now in peace q
tho | quiet. but older Masons remember the
80 when lodges were disbandcd and Masons ?
OH scented Everything has now changed
Serc Masonry, and those who had in times P
usu- been its bitterest prosecutors. had long sil