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

her. Could you but know the thousand
safeguards thrown around you in nll your
capacities as sister and daughter, mother
and wife, on bended knees, night after
night, your prayers would ascend rs in
cense from III, altar, calling down bless
iDgs on our noble order. In the Language
of one Of our gifted brothers, " 1t casts
over you its roteciing @gis, shielding you
from u thousand ills. Dangers and evils
ambush woman at every tread in life, but
around her honor and her good name, her
virtue and her happiness, Masonry fingers
encamped like the angels Of God around
the Prophet on the mountain, protecting
and defending her from danger and from
ruin. Like the Shekinah above the Mer-
cy seat, Masonry spreads around woman
the shield Of strength and faith, and be-
comes to her at once, the symbol and pres
ence Of safety and defence"
1t is u fact patent in every day life, and
deduoed from the pages OF history that
the brave and the intellectual have ever
deemed it an honor to cast their tribute At
the shrine Of beauty and virtue.
"Chaste woman thou art zen brighter gem
To him who wears thee Than e'er show displayed
More sweet to lul all sorrow than the tint
OF Springs young verdure in the dewy morn,
Or musie,s mellow tones, which 1oating como
Over The water like u fairy dream
Thou hapgest as wreath upon his neck,
More sacred than tho rose in thy pure garb
OF blushing gentleness. Thou art joy
More sprighily than the lark, in yernal suns,
Pouring his throat TO heaven, or forest call
by blithesome Dryads blown"
These are the sentiments of every true,
warm-hearted Mason. Even when he
stands as an Entered Apprentice, upon
the very Threshold of the order, there
rings from his lips with mingled feelings
of Joy and pride the beautiful words in
song of this degree
"wers truo and sincere,
And inst to the fair,
They'll trust US on any occasion
No mort sl can more,
The ladies adore
Than free and accepted Mason"
And now, brethren, l come as one OF
the weakest, and most erring of all and
adjure you by the love you bear our noble
fra ternity, by the recollections Of glori-
GUS past, and by the hope of still moro
glorious future, l adjure you to gird up
the loins of your strength, and apply your
selves more diligently to the work which
lies out before you. Let no empty Lodge
room, during this Masonic year, reVerber-
ate with the echoes Of the Masters gavel,
but remember that three of our leading
tsnets are Freedom, Fsruency, and Zeal.
And there is homework to which l
wish to draw your special attention; 10
our humility be it said that we, the officers,
and members of honored old Tannehill
Lodge, have no permanent place wherein
to hold our meetings. This should not be;
it must not be; and, II we will but bestir
ourselves as men, worthy of the high vo-
cation whereunto we are called it WiH not
be. As Masonry was instituted in the
grandest and most magnificent temple
that ever reared its lofty spires and cupo-
las, and glittering minarets to the bright
sunlight of heaven, let us build for our
selves q temple which will be IN honor to
our Craft, and an ornament to our city.
In this respect let us follow the good e1-
amrle given us by our worthy brethren,
the votaries of F" Friendship, Love and
Truth"
Officers and brethren, it is not meet that
| should enumerate oil the duties which
devolve upon us. But this much Will
say: let us live as men who are but trav-
elers here, seek ing a brighter home be-
yond the grave. Let brother support his
brother; let hand clasp hand, and heart
respond to heart, on the broad principles
Of universal love.
Let US SO deport ourselves that when at
length d" the silver cord is loosed, and the
golden bowl is broken, when tho pitcher
is broken at the fountain, and the wheel
is broken at the cistcrn " when we are
stricken dowH by the Mnul in the ruffian
hands of death, We will, when the last
great trump is sounded, be raised by the
Strong grip Of the Lion of the tribe OF
Judah, from the low level Of death and cor
ruption, to the bright perpendicular OF
life, and light and Immortality beyond the
grave.