The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-06-29
A Masonic Bond of Union.

Whatever means tends to unite brother
to brother more closely in the fraternity
OF FreemasOnS, is in cOnsOnance with
the true Masonic spirit, and should be
cultivated by every member of the craft.
BrOtherly love is our first great tenet
the cement so to speak, Of our order,
without which the brotherhood would
long since have been but rope of sand,
and indeed could never had existed at
all. 1t is patent to all, FreemasOnry was
never as popular as it is to-day. We
number our membership in all lands by
hundreds of thousands. But, numbers
by themselves are nothing. The sand on
the sea-sh0re cannot be counted for null
ttude; but what are they except unre-
lated units? SO with the brethren of
the Mystic Tie, when their bOastshall be
in their numbers alone, the day of their
glory will have departed. The greater
the number of lodges that are c0nsti-
tuted, and the larger the accession of
brethren to these lodges, the larger is
the spirit OF segregation. To cOunteract
this, every device of the craft for unit
ing the brotherhood in genuine fellow
ship and brOtherly love, must he kept in
full action. There must not only be a
union in name, but the spirit of union
to permeate every breast. The brethren
OF each lodge must see to it that they do
not sacrifice any of their regard for the
craft as a whole, to their regard for their
own lodge as constituent, individual
member of the craft. Let there be no
rlValrles or anlmOslties, except that
noble rivalry as to who best can work
and best agree. w hen one member pros
pers, all the members prosper with it :;
the growth of one lodge is the growth of
all we cannot and should not cOnfne
our sympathies to our own little circle in
which I'VE and a few others revOlve. The
universe OF God is a noble example Of
supreme harmony and ineffable glory.
System upon system revO1ves through
the teamlng realms OF space without lar
or discOrd, and yet their individual mem
bers, and their constituent systems, no
man can pretend to estimate. The Grand
Architect of the Universe has thus placed
before our eyes the highest possible ex-
ample of harmony. In the present ar
ticle we will say few words upon the
subject of one instrumentality, which,
as craftsmen, we possess, and by the
judiciOus use of which the best of union
and fraternal feeling may be fostered.
The right of visit is one of the Land
marks Of the Order; but the majority of
themselves of it altogether, OF else use
it to so great an extent that it's use be-
comes, it may be, practical abuse.
Now, as a matter of course, the brethren
i'll each lodge have q firm affection for
each other, and each communication in
which they participate tends to strength
en- this feeling, But how can they love.
except in bare theory, those whom they
do not see? In other words, if the
brethren persist in confining their visits
to their own lodges, how shall they
know, much less love, those who are
strangers to them? To our minds, moth
ing so genuinely fosters the spirit of
union and brotherly love in the frater-
nifty as occasional and well-regulated
visits of the brethren to other lodges
We learn to look outside of ourselves
we widen. the circle of our acquaintance
we are, or should be, met with that cor
diality which comes from the heart, and
goes to the heart; and thus we practi-
cally learn that the brotherhood is one
and that it's lines of separation by lodges
and jurisdiction are In one sense only
should be rife throughout the craft-s
universal appropriation of our fellow,
MasOns, and not merely of the fellow
members of our individual lodges
Brethren, do not shut yourselves up il
the shell of your own lodges; it may b.
avery nice shell, but it is only one shell
OF a thousand, or 1t may be, a million
others. Every Freemason, the worlt
over, is as truly your brother as is HI
whom you meet at each regular monthly
communication.
But, you ask, is there not danger O.
excess in this direction of frequent visit
to other lodges? Only as there is DANCE
in all excess. All virtues become vice
when pushed to extremes. So with al
over mdulgent use of the right of visit
No brother has a right to habitualIy alb
sent himself from his wife and fanliE
for any purpose. No one duty should b
performed to the neglect of another
Each brother owes a paramount Obliga
tioh to care for his home, to preside il
his family circle, to amuse and instruc
!; his children, to be the companion of hi
wife. Masonry does not pretend to in
terfere with these sacred duties, Bot
may be adequately attended to withou
the neglect of either, and to do 9
should be the earnest care of ever
brother.-[Keystone.