The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-08
even in the breast Of the Tnrk,

our own land, the savage has bee
tanned of his natural feroeity, and by tn,
mystic sign or word, the Ratchet of til,
warrior has been rendered harmless, tn,
scalping-knife has fallen from his san
culinary grasp, and the holy dictates o
mercy and benevolence calmed as will
q breath the headlong fury of passion
No blood-stained trophies have her
aided its victories ; no martial array hat
marked it's progress. "Peace and good
will have been it's watchword, benevo
lence its motive OF action. 1t has car
rled the cup of joy to lips feverish will
with tears, a solace to the heart broker
children of helpless poverty. Wherever
it's empire has been established, ia
reign has been marked by that everh hal.
lowed charity, (which droppetil as the
dew, and blesses him that gives anG
him that takes"
1t is from it's peculiar adaptation tC
the wants and necessities of man, that i
has thus been generally ditfused. And
SO long as the Three Great Lights OF
Masonry sway our hearts, so long will
men crowd aronnd our Affairs, so long
will our temples stand.
The object Of Free Masonry is to elevate
and Improve mGn's moral nature.
1t seeks to call out and improve all
that is lovely and pure in the character
OF man, and to inculcate, the same ele-
waited sentiments, the same single
hearted love, and the same expanded
benevolenee.
1t opposes all that is low, mean, and
sOrdid in our.natures all that is vicious
and immoral, and drives from out it's
gates with a sword of fire, call envy,
malice, and uncharitableness.n
Starting upon the principle that, the
great family of man is one universal
brotherhood, it embraces in it's grand
design all that a ameliorate, and inn
prove the condition OF man. 1t seeks to
tear him away from evil passions and
the deleterious influence Of all vicious
example.
Tt desires to teach him "virtue, to add
to that virtue knowledge, to that knowl-
edge temperance, to that temperance
brotherly kindness, to that brotherly
kindness charity"
In a word, we believe that it may go
forth like John the Baptist, proclaim
ing its mission to prepare the way for a
mightier than it. 1t may point to Cal
vary, it may tell of the wonderful works
OF him, who spake as never mans pake,n
it may lead tile weary and fainting in
valid to the afountain opened in the
House of David. for the washing of sin
and un~eleanness," but its mission stops
here. 1T cannot wash the polluted soul
from the disease of sin, itcannot change
mans heart; because a Higher Power
alone can do this work.
My brethren, II paths through life
are crowded with strange and unf0re-
told yicissitudes; now we tread on
flowers, now on thr0ns; now the heaV-
nj are bright above us, and brooded
ole with the wings of ~serenest love,
now the storm gathers around us, and
despair O'ershadOws us with her dark
pinions. "We know not what a day
may bring FORTH and yet, we pursue
course, unconscious of danger-re-
CARELESS of the future, mindful only of
the present.
Do you not remember the classic
story of Ses0stris, who harnessed his
captive kings to his chariot and COM
PEELED them to draw him in his triumph.
One of his unfortunate enemies turned
his head and gazed upon the wheel, as
he was urging onward. Upon being
questioned as to the reason by his Egyp-
tian c%OnqueTOr, he replied "that, the
turning of that wheel reminded him of
fortune, for, said he, the part which is
now uppermost will soon be in the dust.
and the part which is lowest will in one
turn be the highest
How applicable this story to eyery
one of the great family of man. No
man controls his own destiny; no man
is master of his own fortunes, no man
holds in his own hands his life.
He, who like king Lear, gave laws to
a kingdom, may become a driveller and
a fool. He, whose wealth enables him
to live in luxury and splendor and defy
every want, may go down to his last
resting place Wearied with poverty and
wretcliedness.
The man of strength may have his
muscles paralyzed. The eye, thatdrinks
in all the beauties of nature, MAJ be-
come darkened; and the ear, that is
rayisIled by the sweet sounds of earth,
may have it's chambers eternally closed.
No, there are none of us superior to
misfortune there are none of us who
can defy the ills of life. And, yet, little
do we think that every step We take in
life, bouyant as we may be in hope and
and elated with joy, is over the mangled
remains of the happiness, or on the
graves of the hopes of some less favored
being. Happy ourselves, we Whirl
through the dance of life, unmindfulI
of the sorrow and misery which is al
ways around us. We revel in pleasure,
regardless of suffering unrelieved, of
ignorance uneducated. We rejoice i'm
the fitness of our own health and
strength, unmindful that disease un-
nursed is destroying our kind, and death
and unmoArned is filling
the grave.
Wrapt up in self, mindful only of our
own wants, e1grossed in orr own pur-
cf falnnoaIfsa vya 0rn 81 L-l
who is our neighbnr,
This is not love. This is net beneyo-
lence. This is not charity. This is not
the mandates of heaven. orfulI-
filling orr duty to our ~felloW-men. II
is sitting the noblerimpulses of our ma
ture. Tt is permitting the weeds to
qn those flowers which, IL nrop-
erly cultured, would make the heart
an Eden. Hence, n of the great OBJ
jects of Free Masonry is-tO strengthen
the heart in love and charity for man.
so as to free it from the dominion of
this s~elfishness.
lit seeks to make us ever mindful IF
the cares and sorrows of others. If
teaches us always to remember that
while we rejoice, others mourn, and It
upon us to divide with them
our joys, and to share with them. their
sorrows. And it is in the discharge of
these our bounded duties, that NC alone
manifest ourselves to- the Worli.
The uninitiated only know MS, and
their opinion of us, whenthev see
hose bowed down by Sorrow and dis
ease, sent on their way rejoicing by our
kind ministratinns. When fley see
he sick surrounded with every comfort.
ind his sHfferings relieved by men who
all him brother. When they see the
lead, who have died Tar, Far away from
yindred, and home followed to his
asst resting place BY. crowds of sor-