Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-06-28

birds descended ana Viaccu IL boi"eh ''""h "i'c
his head Before the throne was column OF
FURNISHED gold, ON the top Of which was placed q
Golden dove. which had in its beak roll bound
In silver In the roll were written the Psalms OF
David and the dove having presented the roll 10
the King he read portion Of 1t to the people OF
Israel, On the approach of wicked person 10
the throne Of Judgment the lions would set up
terrible roaring ana lash thelr taiiS tne pluo W.
pnn 10 erect their feathers and the whole assem-
bly set M such loud cries that for fear OF them,
M ncraon would dare be guilty of tasehood, but
vonId instantly confess their crimes Such was
the throne of Solomon, Of which Scripture says
| there was not the likebnade In any Kingdom, bnt
II was not this that canscd all the earth to seek
| Solomon. It was rather TO see the house 9l
which the God Of Israel, who had manifested nus
mower among the nations of the earth by the
achievements OF his servant David, had said Il
have hallowed this house which thou hast built to
| mt nv name there for ever; and mine eyes ana
mine heart shall be there perpetually.
II Is the opinion of historians that Solomon at
| this time initiated into our order many OF the
learned men, kings and their ENJOYS who visited
Jerusalem. II is certainly true, that from that
| time solomon builders found favor in whatever
foreign land they Travelled, and when other sub.
ects we're taxcit they were allowed to 90 free
| consequently their name Of Free Masons. ~
was natural that they should extend to Egypt Tor
SolomOns wife was Pharaoh daughtcl-Sooinon
and Hiram, King Of Tyre, built navy and trad
ed with all nations even to that distant lahd call
cd Ophr, the exact location of which has never
| been determined. But without attempting to
follow il into other countries, II must be- evident
| to any reader OF the history Of the jews whether
| he study Ii In 1.-THE holy writings or the prOlalle
authors, that mp to the Babylonish captivity
| speculative and operative Masonry were conthn.
ollsly practiCed This first temple retained lts
pristine spendor only thiry.thrce years when 1t
| I,,sti Ia, Kintf .fE a..
lug repaired it was again and again dcSecrated
until ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, King of Babylon took
the city Of Jerusalem and rs Scriptures say, car,
riedsout thence all the treasures of the house OF
the Lord and the treasures Of the Kings house,
and cut in pieces all the vessels Of gold, solomon
King of Israel had matte III the temple el the
Lord ~ the Lord had said
And bn carried away all Jerusalem, and all the
princes and all the mighty men OF vaIour even ten
| thousand captivcs and Of all the craftsmen ana
| smiths none remained save the pitreSt sort OF
people" ,, ,,. ,,,. on,,n,, ,,o.o warn
many Gibcmitcs descendants OF those stone
souarers who had wrrdght at the building OF the
first temple The history of the building Of the
second temple under Cyrus u. G. so to 5l5 il re-
plete with evidences to all Masons of the contin.
| nance of the society among the wOrkmcn engaged
in that work 70 every learned and thoughtful
i Mason the proclamation Of Cyrus wherein he de-
clarrd: THE Lord God Of Heaven has given me
all the Kingdoms Of the earth, and hath charged
me to build him house Mt Jesllsaem which Is III
Judea and the amounts in history IA well ~
the discoveries of late years. of the walls raised
the temples and palaces built the canals and re-
scyors cxcayated in Babylon by these captivcs
from conclusive evidence that both operative and
speculative masonry continued to be practiced
during the seventy years of captivity.
While this second temple was equal TO any
, building Of It's time so AZ to challenge the ADM
| ration OfthoSc who had been born in captivity II
did not and could not satisfy the old people who
had seen the splcndolS OF the first For it Is said
MANY of the priests and Levtcs and chief OF tn,
| fathers who were auCcntmcn, that had seen The
first house when the foundation Of this hous,
was laid before thcireyeS, wept with atlcud voice
and many shouted aloud for joyW
So that the people could not discern the moist
Of the shout Of joy from the noise of the weeping
of the people.
Yet God declared he would fill this house witt
glory and its glory should be greater than that o
the former
This was literally fulfilled not only in the spr
itual aspect but also in its worldly glory in thu
subsequent events.
From 1901 T. G., the time Of the completion %
the first temple to SIS i. G., whcnit was destroy
ell by Ncbuchadnezzar, embraces that epoch il
the history of the Eastern nation, when the Arci
naic mass divided rs AssyIians, BabylOnian+
, Phmncians. Jews and AIabians, were actuatc'
, by that spirit of conquest which caused them
: to dash themselves against one another until tn
Assyrian empire Il. G., 800, was formed. Thi
, lasted to i. c., j3s. This empire obtaining dc
, mnOn over .Jndea learned OfthC glory OF the frs
i temple aud its rGnown was transmitted through
out its domains, although they did not respect
but dCscCratcd and finally destroyed IT, From
5l5 to the final destruction Titus of the tempt
= of Zcrubabcl rebuilt By llerOd. the jews wer
- held under the Persian, which had swallowed It
the last AssyrianS and extended its domains, III
. til II in It's turn was Incorporated into the Roma
/ | Empirc, and this embraced at the time OF litu
! the entire civilized world. Now it Is easy to SO
how the nOtoriety Of the temple should aprca
, throughout the whole extent Of this empire.
y That this idea is true is shown by what we Ar
told Of the motives which aCtuatcd licrOd to re
build the temple just before the birth OF CHRIST
Juhra at this time had become province OF til
d, Roman Empire iIcrod had been placed in powo
| by aid Of Roman arms He was heathcn Il
/. heart a savage in character q brute in passion
q and II tawnng slave to the Imperial Cour
:, | He made use of his position to bUtray his COul
try TO the Romans by fostering immortality, CIT
f tivating ahen customs sarplng religious faith
20 encouraging mutual distrust corrupting til
:, priesthood and masSacrCing the mobiles. He n
built the templc on the moSt gorgeous scale, IL
40 tending il to be the proud monument Of his d.
q, reign when the order in its operative phase a
{ tanned its golden age, II was during this tim
l. that with Nitravius ms Grand Master and undo
n the patronage of Augustus the craft by thc
n works enabled their patrons TO declare 81
found Rome built of brick but ! leave it built
b. MARBLE know that at the rebuilding OF Il
=. tcmple Hcrod acted as Grand Master and
ydcd the Masons into Lodges and appointed tw
i, Wafdcns and while the temple proper was +
=, built ia the short space Ol one year and s
p. months from the laying Of the corner stone AZ
~ the balance as originally drawn or the trust
# bored In eight years more, Stl! great numb,
i. Of Ma5Ons were retained in ndding unto il bui!
@. ings, 50 that the Jews could with truth say
if Christ, forty and six years was this temple
ST building. In fact at late day Gesius tlor
f. who was Governor Of India discharged cightc,
10 thousand MasOns. This temple Josephus say
INF was magnificent marble sdihCe set OH wit
r great pf0lllsiOn Of costly decorations and
g, being the finest building upon the scarth sin
nj the days Of Solomon. II was not possible tn
in the building should attTact 50 much attentit
hc without the builders themselves being broug
H. into notice. Il was not possible for the skill ~
hc knowledge and learning of these Master Maso
SO not to make itself felt throughout the entire
M man Empire. As early "a the time Of CFs
~ when he invaded Great Britain we see MasonI
or following in the wake of his arms But | shI
a not attempt to trace continuously Masonry
a. England further back than from the time
". King hthalsten. From the history Of its eXi
Ia tcnCc among the Romans as received from j
IN dca, it Is easy to believe, what history assert
ch that originally Masonry was introduced in