Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-03-30
oFFIoE OF TIE GRAND MASTER

| OF \, ~ a NJ OF THE STATE OF OHlO.f
TOLEDO, o., Jan 9, A. l.. 567l
To the w. NJ, Wardens and Brothers of tn,
| F, n A. NJ;
BRETHREN At the last session
Of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, begun
and held in the city of Springfield
October 18th, A. L. $780,. the Sc
lect committee to whom was refer,
red so much of the M. w. Grand
Masters address as relates to in.
temperance and profanity, submit
ted a report, which was adopted
unanimously as follows; That
those vices have become alarming
and painfully prevalent, even
among the members of our ancient
and honorable fraternity, marIing
the beauty and harmony of our
lodges, producing discord, aliena-
ton and moral declension, at war
with the very elementary princi-
pies on which the whole fabric of
the Masonic Institution is based -
Every Masonic brother, by the ten
ure of his profession, is bound to
obey the moral Jaw, and what said
that law:
"Thou shalt not take the name
Of the Lord thy God in vain, for
the Lord will not hold him guilt
less who taketh his name in vain. p"
In the first step which a man takes,
at the very entrance of the vesti-
bule of the Temple, with what So
lemnity is he charged. among 9th
er duties, that which lie owes to his
God-never to mention his name
but with that reverential awe which
is due from a creature to his Crea-
tor, to implore his aid in all his
laudable undertakings, and to es-
teen Him as the Chief God. Again
as be ascends another step towards
the inner Temple, what brilliant
hieroglyphics arrest his attention,
up towards which all eyes are turn
ed in mute and reverend ave.
And can even an entered Appren-
tice prolane that sacred name by
imprecating its curse upon himself
or upon his fellow man. How
much more a Master Mason, whose
feet have trodden the sanctum sane.
forum, or Holy Of Holes.
Drunkenness is vice of so hide
GUS mein, brutalizing the physi-
cal man and rendering him an OBJ
ject of contempt and detestation,
mingled with pity.
Alas how many, even Of our
brethren--generous, noble and gift
ed--have fallen victims to this in
satiable vice, and are now molder-
ing in dishonored graves, or hast
ening with trembling strides in the
same broad road to destruction
and eternal death, unhonored and
unwept, save by the grief-stricken,
heart broken wife and helpless or
phans, or the doting mother, on
whose maternal breast he in youth
pillowed his boyish head.
Your Committee deem it unnec-
essary to elaborate the evils result
ing from these unmasonic vices,
not only to the fraternity, to which
they we're once honored and be-
loved members, but by their vicious
example in the community where
their vices are pfacticed, yourCom-
mittee recommend for adoption the
following:
Reso7ed, That the M. w. Grand
Master be, and he is hereby au-
and it is made his duty
to issue a circular to be addressed
to the Subordinate Lodge of his
jurisdiction, enjoining the Masters
Of the several Lodges in action in
these premises, by all the powers of
moral suasion and brotherly kind,
ness, to- arrest the evils, and in the
last report, to cut off the persist
emily offending members, as can
cerous -excrescences on the body
of Masonry.
BRETHREN: Freemasonryis based
upon the practice of virtuans priD-
eiples inculcating the highest stand
ard Of moral excellence; morality
is its foundation and chief corner
stone; every Mason should be a
moral man; no member of our fra
-arnitv howaver denravad or de. |