Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1873-01-18

Belshazzars gorgeous palaces. Carthage,
| too, has departed from amidst the cities OF
earth. The triumphant shouts which
| greeted Hannibal, and his conquering
| troops have died out forever, and the
songs ami chants of victory will never
| agai, disturb her silent rest "The Isles
of Greece, where burning sappho loved
and sung" leave nothing now to show that
there once dwelt the most gifted sculptors,
painters and orators.
Masonry has seen the end Of oil the
governments and human devices that ex-
listed in the day of her youth, as they have
passed one by one from the worlds great
stage, yet with its principles, its symbol
lens, its formulas, and it's vocabulary 1t
remains unchanged and, as in the days
Of Solomon, Mason still meets Mason upon
the points of fellowship, and recognizes
him by the same warm and friendly
grip.
More than this the altars of Judaism it.
self have been broken down. The chosen
people of God, driven from the land given
40 their forefathers, wander through oil
the earth, an accursed and hated race. No
longer the smoke OF the sacrifcial lamb
ascends to heaven no longer the table OF
shew bread sits by the holy altar. But
Masonry with the Bible forever open upon
her altar still lives. She stood, q connoc.
ting link between the old dispensation,
and the new. One hand she joined in
friendly grasp with the last true prophet
of God, and with the other reached for
ward and took hold of the barbinger OF
the Prince of Peace.
There is sonnet thing divine in the teach
ings of Free Masonry. Although its words
are not the words of God, yet they emana-
ted from his own inspired servant, the
wisest of all the sons men; unto whom He
said Behold, l have done according to
thy word 10, have given tbee wise
and an understanding heart; so that there
was none like thee before thee, neither af-
ter thee shall any rise up like unto
thee"
1t was establ ished in that first great
temple erected to God and dedicated to his
service. That temple caused by him to be
built for special purpose, his unseen
spirit directing the hand Of Hiram Abiff,
the widows son, while tracing all those
exquisite designs upon the trestle board.
Aye, it was established in that house,
whose beauty far excelled the brightest Wis
ions of our Imagination; wherein was
Ike pt the Ark of the Covenant with all its
holy appsndages, and where the Shekinah,
tn visible presence Of the God of Hosts
d welt between the Cherubim. That house
oward which the hands of the people OF
G cd were spread out, even when, as exiles
and slaves in o foreign land, they sat
down by the rivers of Babylon and wept
when they remembered Zion.
A signal mark Of. Divine favor to Ma
sons is the honor onferred upon our pa
tron saint, John the Baptist. Jesus Christ,
himself the "Lion of the tribe of judah
sale to him, "Verily l say unto you, that
among them born of women there hath
not arisen greater than John the
Baptist"
The lost prophet of God, over four hun
dred years before, standing upon the
heights of Inspiration and gazing down
The turbid stream of time, had said OF him,
"Behold, wi II send my messenger, ana he
shall prepare my way before me-"
The time had now come. The conquest
of the world by Roman arms had been
completed; the temple Of Janus at length
,,as closed, and human blood for time
had ceased to flow. The whole world Ie-
posed in security under the protecting
wings of the most august of all the C@'
sars; peace, universal peace with her
health full arms, encircled all the nations
composing that great empire, when wac
itself the consumation Of all the empires
Of tho ancient world. At this time our
patron Saint appeared, with no clanklng
sword. or other metallic substance IN MS
hand but clothed with camels hair with
girdle about his loins, and his voice 'cas
heard "crying in the wilderness, prepare
v. the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight"
what an honor was this conferred upon
a leading Mason Unto him it was given
to baptize the Savior of the world, ana see
the spirit of God descend. Unto him IL
was given TO prepare men to be brought
to light in the kingdom of Christ. unto
him it was given tostand in the an'e-room'
us it were, and prepare candidates for ad-
M ission in that great spiritual Lodge, over
which Christ as the Grand Master pre-
| sided.
Moreover, God manifested his approba-
ito N of our order in the person John the
Evangelist, who became Grand Master,
and served with freedom, Jerpency, and zeal
at the advanced age Of ninety years. on
| the Isle of Patmos, being taken up in the
| spirit into heaven, he was allowed in apo
| caiyptic vision 10 behold, Jesus tho Son OF
| God seated upon the throne as Judge OF
| quick and dead. He was permitted to be-
hold the golden streets and sapphire walls
| of the New Jerusalem and hear the voice
of one the elders saying,-"weep not; be-
| hold the Lion Of the tribe Of Judah, the
Root Of David hath prevailed 10 open
the book, and loose the seals thereof.
See the blessings showered upon these
three leading brethren in the Graft, King
| Solomon, John the Baptist, and John the
Evangelist, to whom every Lodge has been
dedicated from the. building of the temple
down to the present time, and VINO VIII
say that God has not been with us
But here let us be fully understood
We do not claim that Masonry IS chris
tianity, or equal to it. The former is noih-
ing but moral institution, although the
brightest and greatest Of its kind. From
East to West, and between North and
South, Free Masonry extends, and on high,
It's covering is no less than the clouded
cauepy or starry-decked Heaven. The
Young initinte is taught that Masonry Is
not the ultimatum of human hearts, for we
have q theological ladder similar TO that
which Jacob in his vision saw ascending
from earth to heaven, the three principal
rounds of which are Faith, Hope and Char
ity,-the greatest Of these three being
Charity; for Faith may be lost in sight
Hope ends in fruition, but Charity ex'
tends bey ond the grave into the oOundles'
realms Of Eternity.
One Of the greatest beauties Of Free
Masonry is, that virtue is painted in The
most beautiful colors, and the duties o.
morality inculeated by the most appropri'
ate symbols. As the ancient jew, wher
he saw the smoke from the altar ascend
ing on high, knew BY this tangible rlt'
that his prayers went up TO God anC
when be saw the scspe goat bear OF hi
sins, felt more thoroughly that God hac
forgiven them; even so the rites and Ger
emonies, symbols and hieroglyphocal hg
ures Of Masonry, ineulcate more deeply
spon the heart its cardinal virtues Of Ten
perance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice
- u.