The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-12-21

~ ~ NE y" . IL ~ ~ ~ - IL ~
have ever grappled. How valn'y, let the sad re-
| cord OF history, the mourDful chronicler Ut the
present attest. Lib-rty degenerates, becomes
! iifplesS. Reckless, brutal m0bs mock AT ali
! d ilhority, human ana divine; tram l. all r. =
! srainr, and in the name Of Ii cry, Equality
/ and Frat .rniiy, inGururaie III insatiaie leve-
~ of carnage and last. The mailed hand
then seizes the reign Of terror, and rules the
people with q caprclcus tyranny scarcely
more toierIble than The anarchy which II sue
ccsGs, Wher, BIZ, too. it shall be crashed be-
ne ,ll the returning tide of the peoples wrath.
| So reads The annals Of our race. 81 ii shall
read until the kingdoms of this world shsll
have become The kirg!om Of The King OF
K'ugs and III Lord L 'r'is.
Mall's spiriL liSlinctive,y Seeks tie grattica-
,ion OF It's de.irts, the accomplishment If
purposes deemed essential to It's happiness.
TIE inability Of government and society, in
| its larger Sense, to provide for special tastes
or peculiar necessities, or adequately to pro-
tect The right, or secure the interest OF all
classes; the existence of sphere Of human
life, embracing subj jtcts not IN The range oil
| municipal laws, yet involving more OF human
happiness or misery than all others; The
social, the moral and spirit life, these furnish
| urge SC Ipe fur the exercise Of indiridlal or
assOci ited>eff ,lt-tO mitigate existing evils,
| 10 minister 10 wants and necesSl'i,s. and to
! soothe the sorrows oil the afflicted. H-ncA, In
| all ages We have Instances of org iuiZ-d effort
more or less commendabe, seeking the good
OF society or III. welfare IF iudvi Iuas thus
associated. Happily these ale not con-
fined 10 the sphere of material CT lem
pora interest. There Is that in mani
SPARK Of divinity Infused with the brea'h
which made him living soul, tia.
ever reaches 10 the infinle. and Will lot be
| satisfied wilhlhe ntr oW re lin OF human lie
| or worldly affair.". There is tlal in man which
teaches him, by repeated failures. a sense o.
| dependence ol Him who often overrules his
| best effort. In q more advanced stage Of ca
| liyht-nmeut the lit lencs3 AMI vanity OF earth
| IL interests awaken in his btslm consc ols-
n.ss Of Immortality and the life to come. With
these suoj. Cts human liws arc inri, qu tie 10
del. The soul elevated into The l. gioIIs OF re-
| liuiJus lie, scars above the reach oil those who
| have the power to bind and shackle the body.
and deals alone with the Divine Author
| oil his being. Hence we have elig0us assoc-
atIons based upon harmony OF doclrin. or
worship largely coo ing and shaping ull other
| forms Of social orIan!z tion. Originating il
The necessii - and a.pil atoms matt rial, moral
and religious, we have 70 uninspired society
| so remarkable as that which has coavoked This
| enlightened assembly.
Unquestionably, Masonry, as an operative
arr, was amorg tie earliest acquired by ma:-
kind. Food, clio hing and shefter were the
primary necessities OF Adam after The eXpul.
sion from Eden. Certainly The art oil a9rlcul.
ture must have bcea taught by Col himself
when He gave TO Adam the seed bearing heri 8
| and fruit for his Mat, aud placed ii II there
TO dress 1t and keep II. Hs was taught by
| Almighty God 10 respect The tlii iins Ot
modesty, lhlt vir;u. born of SIN, even 10 cothe
his tody against the Vi i'slndes of the
veal her-the cold and heat Are We II t 10
| conclude tnat the same benrfcent Instructor
taught lin the art whereby 10 fud shelter
| from the w;n.er winds and summer sun
| safety and repose? II 80 instructed. 1t must
| te assumed that he was made acquainted not
merely with the mechanical prorc cf con-
strucliln, but with those principles rp)n
which they depend. In other wtrds, that he
was inslricle / In The principles Of geometry,
lh. synonym of MasonrT. 60, toe, We assume
That such q teacher would have thrown
inlo The rigi! and formal details of
| the art ali OF moral and religious
| significance Of which they were properly slls-
crtible. Assuredly there Is something oil The
Divinity in the conception that Invests the
| inarimate objects with which the mechanic
linds in the lam3skia apron an emblem OF In
nocencc, makes 1t the badge of the Mason, q
| constant reminder OF that purify of iie and
conduct without which no man snail see Gud.
| That applies The common gauge or re 10 the
me lsurtment Oft M4son's lime and its orler.
| Iy distrbulionto re igiou5 and practical pur-
| d 8 of daily | f.. That sees In the rude, un-
shaDeu sloae type of mans Imperfect state
of nature. In tile common gave, lhal breaks
off the rough corners Oft the stone 10 nj it To-.
| the builders USE, that insIrlmsnlality where
| by our bodies are fitted us living stones fJr
! shat house not mad, with han ls, It r
nal in lhs heavens" Thai invests every
thing IL touches with halo Of y
beautiful morality, consistent with the
reveals d Word OF God. This does the
sublime art of Masonry, and We claim for it,
ulon such evidence, divine origin. We
| claim III It Adam was the trst Mason-opera-
| live anu speculative-:hat he Was instructed
in the highest principles OF The ait and It's pro-
| ioun lest mysteries: and that GJd, who taught
| MIN to cullivut. The fruits OF the earth for his
| subsistence, who cond-scended to make the
nabiliments with which 10 c!othc his naked
ness, taught him,ra tri3 sublime arr. II any
sceplic doubts, let him more IallonaHy ac'
count for q system whose origin, pro'aneiy
sought. Is lost In remote, ant qlty, and yet
rmUuui-s II phi osophy in peri CT h,rmony
with all we knJw o. divine truth, vei!td Ia
I symbols and ul!esorics "a method Of in5rc
lion so peculiar 10 the sacred Scripture, that
| il may we'll be termed the divine syste IN.
| Whatever may be ihe conclusion of onr
minds upon this subject, 1t Is very certain tha,
the history If operative Masonry must be
s,nchronical with lhlt CT The human race
| after the fall. Agriculture Dang the prime
| necessity must also have been the earliest and
chief pursuit. This involved The necessity of
! local habitation-a sheler from the wind and
a garner ior the fruits of his husbandry. The
| first rude structure. OF reeds an branches OF
| trees must soon have given way to more C l.
paclous an substantial habita'i0ns. That
| these were Of stone or brick may be de-
iermlned by the conslderat on hit the Use al
wood for building, except In lis rndeSt stte,
depends upon the knowledge of many ur,s,
and belongs to an advanced stage. 1t l. only
| in countries which have attained high de-
gree of skill in the arts that wooden structures
| prevail at this day. Earth. water and bituIni-
nous slime furnished the frs. builders with
ample material capable OF adaptation to use
| by simple processes. As cary as Adams day
| we have the record Of tar existence OF some
| knowledge Of Masonry. Cain and Abel offered
sacrifices 10 the Lord. Sacrifice involves the
idea of altars, which We're unqrf slionable ma.
sonic structures, more or less prominent and
imposing. 1t must not be supposed that at
| lhit early are The arts were In 100 rude Il
safe 10 Justify the idea that masonry thentX-
listed Us such.
Juba', the grandson OF Cain. was musician.
who eXcelled on I'll. hap and organ; his half
| brother Tubal Calm Was muster workman,
| an instructor Of ar Ulcers In brass and iron.
| These instances prove The existence OF hiSn
art even in that primitive age. Man must
| have m ldc -r, at achievements In The dcmain
| of phys cal comfort before lie found leisure to
| construct and Skilfnilv use ill. harp anu the
| O-gin. They. therrt'rr are not 10 be actr1d-
lied who attributed 10 Jubal, the other grand
CON ff Gain Ih,, construct IN Of The first OuS,,