The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-01-01


| friends regard as the indubitable footprints
| of eur society; some Of them the incidents
herein alluded TO; and though he feels the
difficulty of duly authenticating them ali as
Masonic, yet, at this era all doubts are dis
| DeIIed, and all the clouds dispersed by the
| Masonic Light which shows him that here.
| ar all eyents are the unmistak able rays, not
| the first faint and rosy blush that heralds
| the coming light, but the broad bright ray
of the Masonic Sun shining high above the
horizon
Something more than passing allusIon TO
this ers would prove interesting, trust not
only TO the members of our Order, out 70 the
unfnitiated who have honored US with their
presence.
King David first conceived the design OF
erecting a great Temple TO God. as an eX-
preston OF his gratitude for the dressings
his people had received. And 70 TINS enc
collected a vast amount of costly material;
executed adesign for Temple and selected
Mount Moriah as its site. IL semes, how
ever, it was never intended that David
should erect this Temple, for drawing
! near his end. he named Solomon, his son, as
| the chosen instrument.
| Solomon, assisted by Hiram, King of Tyre,
and Hiram Abiff inaugurated and COM
pleted this work. This master piece OF sci
| enee (as we are informed masonically) being
! achieved by the 1cisdOna OF solomon, the
strength of Hiram OF Tyre, and the betEGty OF
| the ingenious Hiram Abiff.
| full and elaborate Temple was erected with
out the use of either ak, hammer or other
metal tool. The timbers used in its con-
struction were all cut aud hewed In the
| Forests of Lebanon, and brought in floats
| TO Jop9a and from thence carried to j eruSa-
\ lem. The stone was all cut and polished at
the quarries of Zarthan, and thence carried
| ready for the builders use TO the Temple
The whole structure was built of beautl-
full white marble, and such was the acc9ra-
| ent parts that the joints could not De
distinguished, and the whole building
looked as though il had been cut out OF one
''entire stone"
The great splendor of the Temple consis-
| ted not in its dimensions, but IN the costil-
| ness and SURPRISING magnlflcence OF It's
| materials, decorations and ornaments.
| Someidea ofits magnifcence can be gained
| from an estimate of DR.. Oliver, Masonic
writer of distinction, who says that the sum
of money and treasure expended in its con-
struction was sufficiently great TO have built
| the entire Temple of solid silver.
! At the competition of this superb edlhce
the holy fire descended from Heaven and
consumed the burnt offering of King Solo
mon. And the visible presence of the most
| Holy Ore ilNthe form of bright cloud"
or luminous body" descended and dwelt in
| the Sanetum Sanctorum of this beau iful
Temple beneath the extended wings of the
| two golden cherubims. Thus fulfilling, says
Dr. Oliver, lue pTOpnecy Oh NOAH. "OOu
| shall dwell in the tents of Shem."
The building of the Temple is regarded as
the landmark of great era in both a relig-
ious and Masonic point of view. In the lat
ter, il marks the point where operative and
speculative FreemaSonry were united and
| beautifully blended into uniform and con-
sistent system. One which the Grand Mas
| ter of the Lodge above saw fit to use as an
| instrument by which 10 carry out His di-
vine will, and one which has retained its
unity through all the natural, social, and
political commissions of the world to the
| present day.
Before this time the light of Masonry grew
! bright or dim as the light of civilization and
| morality p&led or frightened. Wherever
the true worship of God prevailed, Masonry
| fourished wherever religion was forgotten
| i'm the glittering facinations of the Persian
! fire worship or the Chaldean. Cabiric and
! other idolatrous mysteries, Masonry was
perverted from its true objects.
At this time, however, the purity of our
| science was INDICATED, ana established on a
foundation that will endure to the end of
| time. From this period it gradually extern
ded itself, until it reached every nation on
| earth that recognized the existence of the
Supreme Power. 1t is now, in the fullest
sense of the term, universal.
Wherever Mason wanders he will find
| Masons who will extend to him the hand of
| brothery love. Our means of recognition
| are independent of nation, race or language
/ and this unity, this perfect working of our
| system throughout the globe, stamps Mason
ry with remarkable significance that
| characteriZes no other human institution.
| AS Masonry existed at the building of the
| first Temple, so it exists to-day; as it exists
| in one country, so in all others. 1t is fixed
! and unalterable system.
We cannot conceive how it could be either
/ DESTROYED or even altered in any essential
particular. This may seem an extravagant
| assertion to many who have never partici-
pated in our mysteries, yet it is neverthe-
| less true, and Masonry possesses the inter-
nal evidence of its truth.
My task would be incomplete without
some allusion to the cardinal principles and
objects of our Society.
The antiquity offs origin certainly invests
! it with interest, and its eventful history
| through successive ages of the world pre-
| sents an interesting field for the exploration
of the curious, but that which should enlist
| in its behalf the warmest sympathy. and
| challenge the admiration of the christian
world are the living principles of truth and
morality which'it advocates.
Although Masonry is not religion, yet is
based upon the Divine Law, and is intimate
! ly and essentially connected with it. 1t is.
| and has ever been great cO-worker in the
cause of truth, and has been most approprl-
| ately termed, 1.-The beautiful handmade of
religion"
It inculcates as its cardinal principles, the
true worship of God, and brotherly love-
1t teaches us the great virtues of Faith,
Hope and Charity. Faith in the teachings
of God, 'the Hope of an immortality, and
that Charity which includes within itself
all the virtues that adorn the christian char
acter. 1t teaches us that the greatest of
these virtues is Charity. For Faith is but
a belief in the existence of Divine truth.
and promised reward for christian virtue.
We Hope to receive the reward which our
Faith admonishes us is in store for the good.
But Charity is the perfection of both; it is
indeed, the third and sublime step" by
which we enter that Lodge. mot made with
hands eternal in the Heavens.
The Holy Bible is the great light in Ma
sonry. Withdraw it and all is darkness. 1t
is the great centre of our system, around
which all the lesser lights revolve.
But Masonry is something more than an
institution that contents itself with theoreti-
cal dispositions upon the christian virtues,Or
with the mere enunciation of abstract truths.
It labors patiently. earnestly and silently
the wide world over, in the practical appli-
cation of the principles it asserts. 1t not
only teaches, il practices. Indeed. it can
best be described as a grand and compre-
hensive system composed of many parts
nicely fitting and accurately adjusted. whose
sole object is the performance of good
works.
1t uses every means that could be suggest
ed by human wisdom, for the encourage
ment of all the social qualities; it encour-
ages, in variety of ways, brotherly love,
beAevolence and charity-forbearance, pa
thence and fortitude. To the widow and the
orphan it extends the hand of charity. To
the desolate and afflicted. comfort and SYM
pathy. 1t hovers over the brother Through
life. and warns him of the shoals and quick
sands that beset his frail bark as it floats
down the stream of time to the broad bosom
OF the ocean of eternity; and it is the bea-
con light ever shining through the clouds
and fogs of temptation, that points him TO
the haven of eternal rest.
In fact, through all the relations of life,
in its joys and convivialities, in its sorrows
and adversities, the worthy brother feels
that the spirit of masonry is with him, to
rejoice in his success, and to relieve him in
misfortune. We do not mean to claim that
In can alleviate all snrrnxz- or rernn1a all