Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-02-08

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with the disciples of philosophy and
virtue, with men who have drank
deep at the fountain of human
knowledge, but who dissolved not
the pearl of their salvation in the
draught. We err with Bacon, the
great confidant OF nature, fraught
with all the learning of the past, and
almost president of the future yet
too wise not to know his weakness,
and too philosophic not to feel his
ignorance. We err with Milton,
rising on the angels wings to heaven,
and like bird of morn, soaring out of
sight amid the music of his grateful
| piety. We err with Locke, whose
pare philosophy only taught him to
adore its source, whose warm love
OF liberty was never chilled into re-
bellion with its author. We err
with Newton, whose starlike spirit
shot athwart the darkness of the
sphere, TOO soon to reascend to the
home OF its nativity" With men
like these we shall ever remain in
error
The next great lesson taught by
Masonry is the universal brotherhood
OF man. "By the exercise of broth
erly love we are taught to regard the
whole human species as one family
the high and low, rich and poor
who as created by one Almighty
parent, and inhabitants of the same
planet are to aid, support and protect
each other. On this principle Ma
sonry unites men of every country,
sect and opinion. and conciliates true
friendship among those who might
otherwise have remained at per-
petuai distance" Long years orr
world was under the yoke Of The
| oppressor. The masses were bowed
In the dirt and none dared to muir
mer. This glorious principle of the
universal brotherhood was known
only to the initiated few, and they
dare not speak it aloud. 1t cost
Socrates his life because he limited il
TO his pupils. Even the Roman citi-
zen had no idea OF his own personal
value. II am Roman citizen" was
his boast and IN that lay his dignity,
Holding the proud rank OF Roman
citizen, he could confront Kings
without being abashed. But in
Rome he was slave. There he
never uttered ~ am a man" 1t was
not until the days of Christ that men
heard proclaimed aloud tie SOUL
thrilling sentiment spoken with az
vine power "All men are brethren. +"
| and followed by that glorious law
wv hatsoever ye would that men
should do unto you do ye even 50
unto them" From that day to this.
the principle has been at war with
all the claims and customs Of tyran-
ny. 1t fired the heart OF Luther at
Worms. 1t burned in the veins Of
Luingle and Arminius. Long before
their day it wrung the Magma Charto
from King John. 1t sustained the
Scottish Covenaters in their bitter
prosecutions which impeied the May
Flower to Plymouth Rock. 1t call
cd George Washington from the
retirement Of Mount Vernon to the
storms of '76. 1t inspired the hearts
OF Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and
Hancock, when they gave to the
world the Declaration Of Independ-
ence, -MagnG ChdrtG fitted for the
whole earth. 1t has been thoroughly
imbedded in our National Constitu-
ton, and filled our land with glory.
at the present day it has given glori-
Gus triumphs to our federal banner
Under its power that flag has been
unfurled, and it's broad, waving folds
thrown upon the breezes of Heaven,
and there written on every broad
stripe and on each blazing star, IN
letters OF living light, is the motto
"The equality Of man."
Amid the vanities of human insti-
tutions it is impossible to over estit-
mate the relative Importance of
Masonry. The cardinal tenents Of
our profession, Brotherly Love, Re-
lief and Truth, dominate over the
angry passions awakened in the tur-
MOL and confusion of the battle Of
life. TO feed tie hungry, clothe the
naked, comfort the mourner, and
bind up the wounds of the afflicted
are dUtios which our order solemnly
incultates. But above and beyond
all this, is the culture OF those quail
tiles of the head and heart, which
makes all these things but the very
accidents of the law of being Of the
Mason. External duties of charity
may be all performed and yet the
doer utterly fail to experience those
! telicitous emotions, which as the
Inspired author said Renders it
more blessed TO give than to receive"
There are some people who seem to
think all moral obligations discharg-
ed when they have complied with
the decalogue; with them the meas
ure and desert is to have abstaIned
from evil. But with such senti-
ment we can have no sympathy
In this life of ours there are other
things worth living for than to escape
temporal AID eternal punishment for
sins committed Christ said to the
thorough decalogue keeper rY ct
one thing thou lackest"-a very COM
mon lack-a lack of active duty
The passive kind is we'll enough so
far as it goes and preferable to abso-
lutte vice, but compared to what it
should be it is marbl, effigy to liv-
ing soul.
Either of you Masons, might this
day, despite your obligations to Sc
crecy, impart the various modes Of
recognition, signs and grips, and
passwords, and the various lectures
in their order, to some anxious out
slider who seeks to climb up some
other way, but you could not thus
impart Masonry to him. You could
as easily make a st. Paul out of a
Judas. All heathendom and chris
tendon combined, (and | believe the
sect of Mormons did attempt it,,
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