The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-11-20
MasOnry-What IL Is-Its Teachings
and lis Antiquity.

MASDnfl-WMab III ~ ~ AVs%NAAS"
and It's Antiquity.
Rev. DIR. Nicholson recently dellv-
cred in Chicago an interesting lecture
on Masonry The subject Of the adj
dress was 1.-THE Craft in the Olden
Time"
The first question, the speaker re-
marked, which it behooves one to ask
was: What In Masonry, and what is
the intent and purpose of the Order?"
In his opinion it comprised all that
was good and noble in the world, and
its teachings were those which our
Lord Jesus Christ had inculcated into
the hearts of his disciples 1t was be-
nevolence, virtue, charity, brother
hood, and the reaching out Of the
hand to the poor and suffering. 1t
softens the couch Of the dying, and
puts bread into the mouths Of starv-
ing children. He did not deny that
bad men had become and were mem
bers of the Order, but. they were as
much out of place as Satan in Heaven.
Masonry put the whole world. upon
one platform-that was its mission.
IT, Men of every nation were brothers,
and the children of the one were the
children of the other. Masonic SYM
pathy makes men one. Ii breaks down
the barrier Of fends existing between
men. and gives them courage to grasp
each Others hand, and call themselves
brothers. and act as brothers towards
one another. Masonry had common
nnrnose and a common language all
over the world. No matter in what
cline Mason may find himself the
symbols were the same as he
was taught in his own land, and an
understanding was Immediately ef-
feoted. The chief glory of Masonry,
however, consists, not so much in the
beauty Of its ritual, the pageantry OF
dress, or the aptness Of their symbols,
but in their acts and teachings Ma
sonry recognized the God, our Father,
as being q protector of all men. He
was not the God of the Jews, or the
Gentiles, or the Mohammedans, but
belonged equally to all men, and
loved all men alike. The God of
Masonry was a God of mercy, the
Father Of the bad as well as of the
good, and all would receive equal
mercy and forgiveness at His hands.
The arch of Masonry was based on
faith; the keystone was hope, but the
inner altar was symbolic, Of charity
Masonry lifts men above earth, and
places them while on earth, in close
communion with the Father of all
men. The lecturer did not want to be
understood as meaning that Masonry
and Christianity were one, on the
contrary, they differed widely. While
" one set forth the great truths of God
In underlined terms, and left men In
doubt, the other set forth the creed in
beautiful symbols and allegories, that
went straight to the heart, and opened
all men TO recognize the one God-He
that il the Father of all. The check
cred pavement of Masonry il symbolic
of the life of man; that we are here
to-day and there to-morrow; that
some people in the world are
rich and others poor that
to-day we may be happy, but
tomorrow miserable, and that,
therefore, we should exercise charity
toward those who were not in the
same condition of life or prosperity
with us. Voltaire, the speaker con
tinued, tells us that when the body is
in pain, it is relief to open the veins
and let out the red hot current, and
thus get rid of trouble But Voltaire
was not Mason. This Order taught
that the man who would stay himself
was as guilty of murder as he who
would slay his neighbor, and both
were towards unworthy the name Of
man. This is modern Masonry.
Now, a few words on ancient Ma
sonry Masonry is not of to-day, but
laughs at the pyramids. 1t originated
8 at Paradise, and was the forerunner
OF man. Masonry existed when Solo
mon was born, and was full-grown
when Noah built the ak. IL was in
1 its pride and strength when Moses
pitched the Tabernacle in the wilder
ness. and was present when the Com
-mandments were given unto the ma
tons Of the world. AT the time of
Noah the craft was in perfect bloom;
he impaired the secrett to his sons, but
the word became confused at Babel.
and there was lost. only, however, to
be revived again and bring forth ten
fold fruit. Such is Masonry. ancient
and modern. Its works are round
about you; read them as you pass.
from the Scientific American .I8ua