The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-02-22
M ON &c.
Symbolism.

The venerable CORNELIUS MOORE, for
twenty-six years of the Masonic Repie,c
al Cincinnati, delivered lecture before
kilwinning Chapter, in that city on last
Monday night in aid of the Orphan :
Home, which the Masons Of Ohio are
about to build. From report Of the
lecture which we find in the Cincinnati
Eng,drer, we condense the following:
The lecturer was introduced by Hon.
Alexander Long, Past High Priest, and
announced that the subject Of his lee
ture was Symbolism. He said:
As the sun is the system OF the soler
sistem, so is the name Of the Deity
the center of Masonry. While each
degree in Masonry is a step toward
deeper knowledge Of Him and the sym
bols are the glimmering lights showing
the way to that knowledge, the pursuit
of knowledge has been the occupation
of man for all time, and the ways have
been as often mythical and occult as
open and direct. Christianity first lit
the true way. Still, despite the great
minds that have helped us, we know
! little or nothing of immaterial things.
We look upon the rose, and admire lis
| beauty; upon the mountain, and appre,
ciate It's grandeur but of its real nature
we know but little. And such being the
case of material things, still more is it
true OF the immaterial; of the mind
the soul. The accepted definition OF
Masonry is, Morality, vailed in ALE
CORY and illustrated by Symbolism. "
! The word symbol is of Greek origin, and
signifies moral Symbols are far more
expressive than the most eloquent yer,
biase. The Eucharist is the symbol OF
the BODY and blood of Christ; the Stars
and Stripes the symbol of our country.
The redemption of nan was prefgured
bv symbols, and the lessons OF Scripture
TEEN with them. The grandest poetry
is hut succession of symbols. Many
| languages, aud especially the Chinese,
obtain much of their strength and
beauty from the fact that every letter Is
a symbol. Architecture would lose halt
its strength and beauty without symbol
ism. The truths OF the past are often
told by symbols upon fragments OF ruins
in the Old World, where the historian
might have falsifed or failed TO relate il.
Mr.. Moore illustrated this power OF
architecture by an elaborate description
Of a church in Ohio, which he did not
name. We have not SPACE for this. nor
for ANYTHING but an imperfect outline OF
the lecture. which was heavy with i'm
acerv as befitted the subject. He then
went on to show that nature was every
whose teeming with symbolism, and in
stanced Spring with its budding flowers,
and Autumn with its falling leaves, with
! their evident and oft-sung significance.
The storm at sea to him who sees it from
the helpless vessels deck; the clouds,
the heavens are symbols Of Almlghtl-
ness About the close Of the Sixteenth
Century, among the Guilds Of mechanics
most prominent and very peculiar were
! the Masons. Enforcing strict morality
chiefly by symbolism, with the impulse
which the opening of the Seventeenth
Century gave to all progress, these men
ceased to be operative and became spec
ulative Masons. They dug down through
the rubbish accumulated during the
dark ages, and built house upon the
rock Of ages" Its foundation was the
! Bible; its cornerstone, belief 10 the
! Divine Being; the superstructure, pure
and moral life; the ornaments, social
! craces and cultivation. The progress
was slow, but finally it rose in perfect
condition, and the cope-stone was put IN
place with exultation, and so II stood
perfect in all its parts to-day.
The allegory Of Masonry was for the
craft alone. The symbols were under
no such restrictions. The more ancient,
coming chiefly from the old operative
Masons. were the square, the level, the
plumb, the trowel and the gauge. TO
these have been added the letter III.
the blsziug star, &c, deemed necessary
for the development Of the system.
The Lodge itself is symbol, repre-
senting the world in which we live.
Masonic charity and good will should be
coextensive with the race. The Bible
lies open upon the central alter Of every
Lodge, and before il every Mason kneeIs
in reverence.
To the neophite the principles of NOR
atty are taught in blazing words, but
they are further taught and held in his
memory by the symbols.
So was the mystic Masonic Temple
bui]t 10 last forever. Its corner was
truth.
After an able and eloquent defense Of
SYMBOLISM, from the argument that ii
had been sometimes used for base pur'
poses, he closed with an eloquent Sym
bolic appeal for the Widow and Or
phan's Home in Ohio, for the endow
ment of which the Order are everywhere
making efforts, and in belief of which
las the Chairman stated in the lntroduc
ton of the lecture) the present lecture