The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-11
TIE RABBITS LECrUEE.

Rev. Alexander Rosenpetz. the Jewish
rabbi and traveller, lectured last night at
Masonic hall to an appreciative audience.
He was introduced by c. N. Jones In
neat little speech.
Rev. Rosenpetz said: "Your presence
here remind me of European audience.
This room might be filed and yet not
comprehend what l wish TO say. have
studied physiognomy aud physiology. and
think / understand my audience tonight.
/ hope those who expect me TO make
stump speech will be disappointed. !
propose to give model and intellectual
dissertation. partly on Masonry and partly
of reason and conscience. Holier than
anything in creation is the human body.
Ii is the sanctum sanctorum of the human
soul This fatherhood of God aud the
brotherhood of man is the great object OF
Free Masonry There are, however,
several kinds of Masonry. Square
Masonry. Round Masonry, Blue Masonry,
Green Masonry, Symbolic Masonry,
etc. The symbolic degrees are
the preliminaries in Masonry. There are
also the socalled traditional degrees which
are the great foundations of their truta.
The three great pillars Of Masonry are
wisdom, strength aud beauty" WIS
dom is manifest in the construction OF the
temple, strength in its walls and pillars.
beauty in its polished stone, brick and Its
ornamentatioD.
have travelled from the Arctic to the
Antarctic, the Black sea, the Red sea, the
Mediterranean sea aud throughout the
land and the seas of the earth aud In all
countries have found Masonry to stand
FOR civil and religious liberty. Reason is
such grand problem for the human mind
| to define. The finite tries to define the
infinite and fails. Anything that cannot
be compromised is said to be contrary 30
| reason. There are many things that 1t is
| impossible to comprehend. Sometimes
| reason represents the argument that the
moral virtue of the law of justice is a law
made for all alike. We come to our
knowledge and so it comes by slow de-
grees. We have the power Of comparing
objects, OF exercising our reason,
| This makes man wiser than the beasts.
Aud in lack of faith their reason fails
| them. This way of discovering the
! truths of man we call revelation. Con-
science comes from the words ICON" aud
science" This represents the duali-m
of our moral being. Conscience is capable
of accusing and excusing. A good con-
! science, TO the soul is what good health Is
! to the body. A bad conscience Is like a
whirlpool drawing in all impurities.
Conscience is a clock. In some men it
strikes. In others its hands silently point
to the figure. The lawyers conscience,
the minister's conscience. the doctors, the
| Jewish, the Mohamedan, the Greek and
an ingenious conscience were referred to
by Lord Byron as follows:
Whatever Of faith creed be taught,
| Whatever road may be trod
/ Conscience exec ties the will of man
AS lightning tie will OF God"
| Iu this, man, conscience Will approve
or condemn him. 1t is the principle of re-
| Election in man in which it approves or
condemns his action. All that we feel to
be right Is right, aud all that we feel to be
wrong is wrong.
Prejudice is the enemy Of all truth. Iu-
Vulnerable are tie prejudices we imbibe in
youth. Prejudice Is found on the extreme
side. 1t results in fanaticism, and intoler-
ance in both religion and politics. Bnt all
true progress is gradual. 1t is the out
|
the law of the little. Men are vain. They
think no society equal to their own. We
step by step surprise ourselves that we are
superior to all of our acquaintances.
| The universe is only known to US by in
vestigation. 1t is the result OF the fermen-
ton of contrary opinions.
One set OF companions are OF the most in
| telligent: another is the companion OF
| ignorance.
1t is the opinion that decides. The arab
laughs at the credulity of the Moham-
medan, the Mongolian laughs at the
scarcity OF gods among white people.
If Moses the law-giver of the Jews or
Elijah the prophet, or even the Lowry
| Nazarene could come back TO Jerusalem,
or to city in this country, or even 10
J Wichita, they would all pass for "cranks "
Such are the prejudices of man against
man. The object of Masonry is to elevate.
church people above all creeds, to expand
the reason Of all mankind.
Two years ago was in the lodge in
Bombay where 800 men were assembled to
pay homage to the duke of Connaught
There were Arabs, Hindoos, Jews.
Bramins money worshippers, Hottentots
and worshippers of the sacred cows, but
all were united. The one great object OF
| Masonry is to unite all. They are not
divided as the churches are. There is
neither Jew nor Gentle divided In
sects, but all are brethren. There
are no petty denominations and creeds
to divide Free Masonry. They recognize
men AS the great haudiwork of the uni
verse. Let these facts be treasured up fog
the benefit of your children. l understand
twenty languages, but no word in the 3,OoC
languages is so enchanting, so elevating
SO consoling us the word mother.
The promotion Of patriotism is also the
duty of Masonry. We may speak o.
Washington. Lincoln, Jefferson, but lhere
never WAS great man that was not great
because of his mother. Tkey are child
bearers or they are not mothers. No Para
disc is complete without angels ant
cherubims; so no home is complete without
children, and no children can he borr