The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1870-06-27


and solid basis II was there the sun of
Masonry arose, and with bright beams
dlspelled the waves of dark idolatI.v and
sin. And from thence, upon the highest
bills and in the lowest valleys its nrin-
clples have been tang ht, and its banners
sun hoat upon the breeze proclaiming
peace on earth, good will to man, the un9
chained liberty of thought and the wor
ship of the living God.
But say many, what is it to MS abont
the antiquity of the Order whether Solo
mon was its founder, or its origin was in
Egypt, on the plains of Chadea, Arabia.
or IN the Isles of Greece, where Burn
ing Sappho loved and sung; where grew
the arts of war and peace, SO that its
moral and virtuons principles can be
shown to exist at the present day? Our
answer is, that while we love it for its
morality, and cherish it for its virtue. we
at the same time revere il for its antiaui-
ty. Antiquity Is the same to Masonry
that long experience and venerable
aspect are to the statesman and the
Jnrlst. Ii makes their words heard and
gives additional weight to their argu-
ments. II our institution has withstood
the shocks of time, the commissions of
hostile contending armies, and while
mighty empires have risen. hourished.
fallen. and been forgotten, and the mon
uments of human wisdom, greatness and
/ power, have been crumbled INTO dust
under the Wondering hand of time, and
thai our Order still towers above all that
Is rulnable in Natures realm, and stands
| unmoyed as the mountain rock, although
at one time threatened by the imperial
edict OF an Alexander; at another. openly
assaulted by cruel and bloody Ferdi-
nand; besieged by ignorance and super
/ stlon, then IT proves that it was planned,
reared and finished for durability. aud
/ that its principles are those which will
/ last for ages. Then why not roll back
/ the tide of time, to that remote antiquity
| where long. long centuries have buried
mouldering cities in the dust; gnze
through the hallowed memories of the
/ past; on Egypt and Arabia's plains. and
amidst the ruins of Babylon and Tyre; !;
/ or. with that Christian and that Saint,
whose natal day we honor, survey the
| plains of Palestine and mingle with that
mighty host in arms against the infdel;
or cross proud Ganges' flood to Indies
/ spicy groves and fowery plains, where
/ gloomy superstition reigned in blood
and mercy wept at her dark catalogue of
crime? For there is not spot on which
the sunlight fingers or morning dew
drops glitter on the leaf, or birds that
wait their melody on the perfumed air,
or ice-bound pillows fall in grandeur to
their food, but marks ssne ancient
record of our mystic craft.
Masonry travels along the course OF
time, marching hand in hand with civili-
zation. Its spread through the world
has rendered atheism less popular, and
has induced belief in the existence of a
/ Supreme Being it has rendered the
conscience more sensitive by causing
mankind to become better acquainted
| with each other, and has induced a more
/ favorable opinion in the jealous breast OF
man. As Masons. having walked around
| the tessellated ground floor and been
regularly brought 20 light; having as
/ cended the winding stair case, passed
/ into the middle chamber and received
wages and jewels; entered into the un-
( finished sanctum sanctorum and there
| convinced the brethren of our fortitude
| and fidelity; having wrought in the quar-
| ries and exhibited specimens of our skill,
which were approved by the workmen
/ presided in the Oriental Chair. and
| learned with bitter experience the impos-
| sibility of one man governing the many
unless the many were at the same time
willing to be governed; witnessed the
/ completion and dedication of the Tenn
pie in the most solemn and impressive
manner: having ascended the Arch and
U 1po,,r,ht io hgbf
valuable treasures of great advantage to
| the craft; having eat of the hidden man
ma. and yet found something wanting;
with feryency and zeal appro lched the
vault, and with boldness and courage
passed the sentinel while on duty; hav-
/ ing traversed the enemy's dominions,
aud there convinced foreign foe, that
truth was mighty above all things, and
would prevail; hayi at times appeared
/ in rough habit, lived upon coarse diet
and passed through severe duty, we well
| know that our order, in its several de-
grees from entered apprentice to the
/ noble and magnanlmous order OF Chris
tian Knighthood, possesses no principle
| but whh, would still add ornament to
/ the purest mind; nor is there any ap-
pendage thereto but what might give ad-
| ditional luster to the brightest character.
Masonry discards all political and seeta-
rian views and abolishes all distinctions
of rank and fortune, embracing only the
cardinal principles of all ereeds and
countries. and mites together in com
mon band; affords common faith to
men of all political factions and religious
creeds.
The history of the world shows that
men have been more or less, prosecuted
for the sectarian doctrines which they
have from time TO time inculcated, ever
since the formation of society. Nations
have been convulsed, kingdoms have
been destroyed. and the very Church
itself-the temple of holiness-has heeh
torn asunder and divided into an hnn-
dred fragments; society has been as
tracted aud the domestic circle invaded
ON account of some abstract tenet OF re-
ligions faith, emanating not from hlgh
Heaven, bnt from Confucious Zoroaster,
Buddha, Westminster or Rome.
The gibbet and the sword have been
used rs tests and applied to the body to
convince the conscience. The earliest in
habitants of enlightened America were
compelled to leave their native land TOR
not believing in religion with whlch
thew were totally unacquainted. and the
brightest and fairest fields of Asia were
crimsoned with the blood of its most
naoceable citizens to make them believe
that Allah was God, and that Mahomet
was his prophet. Europe at one time
poured forth her countless thousands to
murder on the plains of India all whose
belief did not come up to the standard
of a wild fanatic and bigoted mark, and
in tracing the spirit of opposing seetarians
for generations passed. we find that 1t
has too often been: He that beileveih
as do. shall be saved; but he that be-
lieyeth not as do, shall be damned
At an anti-secret society convention re-
Gently assembled at Clncinna,l, resolu- Tu
tions were adopted declaring that Free
masonry and kindred societies were op-
posed in spirit to the Christian religion.
Stronoa In relate. from this tenor of its