The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-10-12

'fdraily e e1cnys Is Sfs SisY bon q sis
,baiese1 sby every. principle of man and
BJ evsfy attrib Godss On every
.page,of Holy writ, is found its denial.
w hen tie Grand Architect Of the uni
yeras had, With in6nite wisdom formed
This iSa6b{, aud fst1ishsd If with .Stssy-
thing necessary for lie and epjoyment,
'H1S 6tsiAstersaasd man iA his oMh lmsge,
sndoMing him with every faculty and
poWsfl5sqtislte ~fer che hsppiuess for
which he wss designed, and placed him
In Parsdise, where every thing sboundsa
for hia sustenanos aad delight, and yeA,
Adams happiness was incomplete, amid
al the tesreatriai beauty and abundance
of'Parxdise, and God 10 supply tho wants,
and crafty the wishes Of his nature,
created and gave him "woman, His last,
best gift" No, not his last nor best
.Rift, but q gift which. the nature which
God had formed demanded for its. .ootn-
pletionAa gift which enabled Adadaito
exchange the solitary for the social
life, and an incomplete for more per-
feet bliss. A strong and uuanswera-
BILE proof, that in man, as he came fresh
from the hand Of God, selfish and mar
row. principles had no share, bat with
him to communicate blessings, Was to
increase and enhance them. And how.
ever much sin may leave vitiated that
nature there is nothing truer, nothing
surer than that man, naturally has re-
course to society, as an essential means
to expand his mind-inorease his joys,
humanize his heart aud alleviate. his
sufferings. In this nature, "a nature
given by God, and nature which de.
mands society and association originated
our Order.
Though Masonry is said in this way,
to have originated in the dim
ages Of antiquity, il. never be-
came a regular and uniform insti.
tuition under the denomination of free
and accepted Masous, until the build
ing of the Temple, at Jerusalem, by
King Solomon. When that wisest and
greatest of men, in his government Of
and in the rules and regulations adopt
cd for the welfare and success of tie
different classes of workmcn, employed
in erecting that memorable structure,
is said to have given shape, and direc-
tion and force to the principles upon
which our Order is based, and to have
originated essentially the forms and
ceremonies and gradations which We
now practice and abide by. !;
From this auspicious and almost super
human beginning, with varing success,
through the long ages that intervene,
Masonry gradually mado it's way from
one country to another, until now it has
found place in every land aud among
every people, embracing in its rauks
men Of every class aud grade and com.
plexion. Statesmen, Sages and Conque-
rors arc its advocates. The rich and pow
erful as we'll as the poor and humble are
all bound by its mystic tie. A tie which
has proved stronger than that which
binds the Miser to his gold, the Warrior
to tho phrenzy of battle, the King to
his crown, or the Emperor to his throne,
until it has become an universal Ian
guage which reaches the heart of a
brother Mason with whatever tongue
he speaks, in whatever land he labors,
whatever air he breathes, and finds for
him in every trial friend, and in every
cline home. A tender twig years
ago, it is now the sturdy monarch Of the
forest, which bids defiance to the storm.
1t cannot be torn up. "Its triple roots
have extended far aud wide aud sunk
deep into the inmost recess of tho hu.
man heart"
Would you destroy it? You cannot.
You may as we'll attempt to arrest the
earth in her orbit. Your opposition, if
opposition you have, comes too late.
1t is now an established institution, one
that has stood and will continue to
stand fast, and unmoved amid the
changes which have passed over the
world, and, as has been truly said,
"whethsr good, bad, or Indifferent, you
and the world will haveto take it US you
End it,"
What is it2 What kind of au Order
is this so deep rooted and fixed? What
are its principlcs7 What its teachings 2
What likely to be its fruits? These are
pertinent, practical questions. Ques-
tions which you have a right to ask
and which we shall endeavor. to answer.
Lawris says, 'ft is3 an. institution
whose object is not only to Inform the
minds ofits members by instruoting
them in tho sciences and useful arts, but
to better their dispositions by enforcing
the precepts of religion and morality"
Calcott defines it to be "an establish>
ment founded on tho benevolent inten.
ton of extending and coufering mutual
happiness upon the best and truest
principles of moral and social virtue"
While Jones believes it teaches "a
system Of moral and benovolence more
excellent than that taught by any 9th.
er human institution, because partaking
Of the excellencies Of all others, moro
practicable and moro productive OF
effects on its professors, and, enforcing
some of the best precopts of religion,
But these ara mere ds6nitionsf and
definitions fall short Of defining the
.Ordcr--they fail to give satisfaction,
both to tho untutored and the initiated.
And while it is. clear that we are o
society at once moral and social, we
must look beyond mere definitions If
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