The national Republican., 1867-05-24

PRAYER nv nav. J. n. Co0uBs.
o, Thou Supreme Architect Of the Universe,
Thou King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
wise God, dwelling In light which no man can
approach unto Thou who art without beginning
OF days or end Of years-the same yesterday 10.
day, and forever humbly aud reverently do We
now come into Thy holy presence, conscious oi
the infinite distance intervening between our.
selves and Thee In our ignorance we look up 70
Thee for wisdom to guide u.s. In our weakness
We look 70 Thee for strength 10 sustain us 10
our sinfulness We seek the cleansing and purify.
ing influences Of Thy Holy Spirit.
And now, o, Father In Heaven, we inyoks
Thy blessing upon the purposes for which We
have here assembled. Let this Grand Chapter,
We humbly bessech Thee, DO constituted to Thine
honor and glory
May It's oficers now about to be installed be
gifted with spirit TO discern and with fidelity
TO pursue It's true interests. May It's members
have wisdom to guide them and grace 10 sup
port them in the discharge Of all the responsible
duties which they sustain to Thee, TO each other,
and to all mankind.
And do Thou help us all, we pray Thee, 10
square our lives In accordance with those great
principles which underlle the Order whose In
terests We this day celebrate. - -.
We humbly beseeoh Thee To preside over our
present deliberations, and direct all to Thine own
glory. -.h
And when this life Is ended, and We are called
away from It's labors. may We be received into
that Grand Temple not made with hands, where
We will ascribe unto Thee oeaseless praise, o
Lord, our Strength and our Rsdssmsr. Amen
At the close Of tho prayer DR.. Albert @ =.
Maokay, Past High Priest Of the General Grand
Chapter Of the United States, delivered the fol.
lowing most excellent address, which was on.
joysd BY all, and praised BY many Of the ma
tsrnity present. .rlls
y On ALBERT O. MAcKEr's ADDRESS.
k.w I.d r.. r..
formanoe Of . ceremony peculiarly Masonic
which, TO Masons themselves, 10 unusual-to all
others must appear strange and inexpliosbls.
But II 10 the great popularity Of the Masonic
institution that II is founded on ceremonies
monies which, In other tooietier, are but inci.
dental, but In the Masonic are vital. Elsewhere
they are but the clothing which ornaments tho
body-with us they are the body itself. And
this arises from tho very nature Of Freemssonry,
OF which the best definition that has ever been
given Ia that II is q science Of morality yeiled In
allegory aud illustrated by symbols. II Is q
science Of morality science whose object Is to
teach great moral and religious truths, and those
lessons Of truth are incuicated aud developed by
the ancient method Of symbolism. It Is this
symbolic character Of the Institution which
causes II TO differ from every other association
which the wisdom or ingenuity Of man has de-
yised, and gives TO Il that attractive form which
has always secured tho unwayering attachment
Of its disciples and It's own unaltorablo perpe-
tuity.
There is no science so ancient as that Of sym.
bolism, and no mode Of instruction has ever been
so universal as was the symbolic In former times,
The FIRST learning in the world, says an eminent
antiquary, consisted chiefly Of symbols, 90 that
the wisdom Of the Chaldeans, the Egyptians, the
Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, and Of all the
ancient world that has come down TO us, has
been symbolic In Its character.
NTE r.. - LII la L. -
bols. Tho objective character of q symbol is
best calculated to be grsspod by the infant mind,
whether the infancy Of that mind be considered
nationally or Individually. In the FIRST ages Of
the world all propositions were expressed in
symbols. The first religions were emjnontly
symbolic, because when Language was yet in Its
infancy visible symbols were the most lively
means Of acting upon the mind and senses Of the
multitude. And we must bear this fact Of the
primary existence and predominance Of symbol.
ism In tho earliest times constantly 10 mind
when We arc investigating the nature Of the an
cient religions with which tho history Of Free.
masonry Is so intimately connected. The older
the religion the more the symbolism abounds,
Modern religions may convey their dogmas in
abstract propositions, ancient religions always
did 50 In symbols. And this Is 4 good test Of
tho comparative antiquity Of religions caste.
There Is more symbolism In the Egyptian reli.
gion than in the JEWISH more in the Jewish
than in the Christianj more in the Christian than
in the Mohammsdan. The older the religious
faith the greater is Its symbolic form.
The science Of symbolism, Of which Free.
masonry Is at this day the only perfect expo
nent, presents itself to Us, then, not only as
something venerable for It's antiquity, but as
sanctioned BY tho highest authority for We
know that the most divine Of all teachers in.
struoted the multitudes to whom He gave the
bread Of life In parallels, which, II must bo re-
membered, are only spoken symbols.
Such is the system adopted In frsemasonry
for the development and incubation Of the great
religious and philosophical truths Of which II
was for SO many years the sole conserVator.
Thousands Of years ago this science Of symbol.
ism was adopted BY the sagacious priesthood a
Egypt to convey the lessons of religious truth,
which they conveyed to their disciples. Their
science, their history, and their philosophy were
thus concealed beneath an impenstrable veil
from the profans, and none but those who had
passed through tho severe ordeal Of initiation
we're put In possession Of the key which enabled
them to dsoipher and read those mystic lessons
which we still SEQ engraved upon the obelisks
the tombs and the saroophAgi which lie scattered
at this day in endless profusion along the banks
From the Egyptians the same method of sym
bolio instruction was diffused among all the ma
lions Of ancient heathendom, and was used 10 all
their religious Mysteries as the medium Of com.
muntchtlnB TO tno lnltlhteu tno ebOtoflc anu
secret doctrines for whose preservation and pro.
mitigation those singular associations were
formed.
Moses, too who, as Holy Writ informs u.s. was
skilled In all the learning Of the Egyptians,
brought with him, from that cradle Of the
sciences, perfect knowledge Of the science Of
symbolism as 1t was taught by the priests Of Isis
and Osiris, and applied It to the ceremonies with
which he invested tho purer religion Of the
chosen people Of God.
Tho Mysteries, which were the asylums In
which the true religious doctrine Of the ancient
peoples was sscreted and preserved, have left
their form and features to the more modern In
stitution of Freemasonryi and that mystical as
ISOLATION, at this day, teaches In tho same allie
gorical and symbolieal method the same diyina
lessons Of supreme God, an immortal soul. aIte
q resurrection to life eternal. TO
We are here this evening to inaugurato the
truth in this community, and to secure by appro'
pirate legal ceremonies the permanent existence
Of one Of those bodies, to whom will be entrusted
tho sacred deposit Of those truths which l have
said II Is the peculiar province Of Freomasonry TO
inculcate In this ancient method Of instruction
II Is therefore, / think, appropriate that be-
fore proceeding to those mystical ceremonies,
which We are hero TO perform, and to which We
have invited your attendance, We should devote
few moments to such an explanation as We are
permitted to give Of the character OF that asso-
citation, whose organization In this city We are
about to celebrate.
There are, perhaps, few persons SO iguorant Of
| Freemasonry, none indeed who have been within
its sanctuary, as not to know that 1t Is divided
1 = -. H. ataNt nN aNAr