Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-07-08

D.
VILE.
Honored, hy the kind invitation
MI. Pleasant Lodge, No. 2l6, of Free an
Accepted AasoIs, to deliver al addrrs
/ before ats membeis anu its irienGs, o.
/ this our great celebration day, / mus
confess the great embarrassment / fell
! in the short time since An acceptance {
/ the invitation was signified, to prepar
au address worthy OF the important oe
casion. make this statement in justic
] to myself. However, meeting often tll
members of The mystic brotherhood il
our cloistered retreats, and TO some eX
tent, acquainted with their spirit ant
taste, / experience little difficulty in tn
selection of theme in which they ar
specially concerned. It seems useless t,
me, in hese latter days, that our orator
should defend the institution of Masonry
its exclusiveness and its secrecy fo
these are the main objectien urged
againstit. Itneeds nosuch defense. In
deed, in the very first chdrgein Mason ~
on its very Threshold We are INSTRUCT eC
=. not to suffer our zeal for the institution
to lead us into argument with those whit
through ignorance may ridicule it. y
We know our motives are misuDder
stood, and traduced; our acts are moi
known, yet assailed that sometimes We
are annoyed by the folly andignorance O
a few, and again by their slander and
malice. At every step in life, we are
environed with difficulties, and at times
it seems to the sickened soul, that ouI
whole existence is one eOfcontention and
strife, of opposition and war. It should
be sufficient for US to know that Mason
ry is founded on the purest principles ol
lxa% nd inn
culable privileges, and to secure these,
and that they may be appreciated, few
are chosen, and voluntary pledges OF
fidelity and secrecy are required.
Tn ere can be nothing wrong in this.
There is nothing wrong in this erel,asiue
ness. Those urging this objection adopt
the principles of the notorious infidel,
Fom Paine, the first Anti-Mason in
America, who wrote against Masonry on
this account; forgetting the pure and
holy principles of her teaching, and that
the glorious Redeemer of our race insti-
tuted the holy eucharist, or last supper,
not by assembling all, or even all who
believed in his name, but "when the
even was come he sat down with the
twelve,n i'm an upper room :" in Jeru-
salem, in private, the whole world shut
out, and thus established the new cove
nant by which man is to be reconciled to
an offended God. Nor is there anything
wrong in our secrecy. All have their
secrets. The State, the Cabinet, the
army, the church, the family, all branch
es of busines sand trade must have them.
And even He, who was human and di-
vine, bearing to the world the message
of divine love and mercy, and being the
glorious foundation of the christian
church, our great examplar, at one time
expressly charged "his disciples that
they should tell no man that he was
Jesus the Christi Deeming these OBJ
jections set at rest, l will address you
THE CEREMONIES OF THE BLUE LODGE,
p IFS SYMBOLS, AND THEIR sIGNIFI-
cANCY.
In doing SO / may impose upon the
good nature OF our friends present, to
whom these mysteries are sealed. Cere-
monies when simply considered appear
mere formalities, but their effects are
often important. They are impressive
when inspiring awe and reverence
Such are the solemn rites of Masonry
Every character, and figure depicted ia
the Lodge, every step taken, every en-
blen, every lecture and charge. all its
sublime ceremonies have moral appli-
cation, teaching the practice of the no.
best virtues, and proving Freemason-
~ is beautiful system OF morality, vail
Ell in allegory and illustrated by
symbols" From the earliest ages
religious truth has been hidden
under symbols. and often under a sue
cession of aliegories where vail after vail
had to be penetrated before the truth
was revealed. Symbols were almost the
only language of ancient theology, for
like nature, they address the understand
ing through the eye. Hence, Masonry
in the remOteness of the
past, has selected ools and implements
Of architecture and agriculture, and
symbolic emblems most expressive, to
imprint on the mind wise and serious
truths. For instance, we have the three
great lights in Masonry, the Holy Bible,
Square and Compasses. The Holy Bible,
Gods gift to man, imbued with the doc
rine of love and charity, and signifying
iiUi,ae truth, is laid before the candidate
or our mysteries that he may not err
through ignorance. 1t is never closed
n any Lodge. 1t is the rule and guide
If our faith and practice. 1t is the Book
# the LoaD Of Masonry, perfect in all its
,arts, perfect in morals, perfect in hap
,iness, perfect in wisdom. We admire |
is beauties, and are taught its precepts. |
It's mysteries we revere. We tremble be- |
ore its awful denunciatiens of wicked |
less, and rejoice III its cheering promises |
# happy, eternal life. Take it away |
md every Lodge is enshrouded in dark |
less, for its great tight is gone. Take it
way and Masonry perishes, for no I
dfrnf nan nA ana !
gain pass the portals of our temple
The Square represents morality enjoin- I
ng upon us the observance of the Golden |
Rule. 1t sometimes represents perfec-
ion and justice. One side signifies the |
law of Moses, the other the Gospel of
'hrist, meeting in tie angle at the point
# brotherly love, and teaching us there
" to square our actions. 1t was an en-
lem of justice because the ancient Egyp-
ians made use of it to ascertain the
boundaries of the land after the inunda-
ions of the Nile. The Compass repre-
ents the human reason which teaches
i to cireumscribe our passions and de-
Tres The all-seeing eye indicates the
care of God. The twenty-four
ours of the day are symbolized by tie
wenty-four inch guage; the gavel sig
ifies power, the level equality, the
lumb rectitude of life and the trewel
he extension of the borders of wisdom
nd brotherly love. The Deacon's rods
re emblens of authority from Moses
od. The Apron is a symbol of truth
nd duty its whiteness, purity. King
olomon said " Ler thy garments be al
rays white" The Mosaic pavement rep
esents the varegated face of the earth,
nd is emblematic of human life
fdsonry itself symbolizes primitive re-
gion. In the Entered Apprentice de-
rec there are tsOetue original points, and
eferred to the twelve signs of the Zodi-
C, and, also, to the twelve tribes of
srael. ....,...
lst. The opening of the Lodge was
ymbolized by the tribe of Reuben, who
eing the first born of his father, Jacob,
,as called 1.-THE beginning of his