The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-07-20

Il
| carefully attended by Masons land he
| eventually recovered from his wounds,
which at first were considered mortal.
AS General Grant, commanding, sent
| in no flag of truce, but continued to
| fire upon the ambulance corps OF the
Confederate army, his wounded lay
| where they fell and nearly all died
| without help in sight of both armies.
| But the Masonic signal, feebly raised,
| found response in hostile breasts,
| and added one more to the many vic
! tories of love over death.
| would detract nothing from other
social and benevolent agencies-es-
pecially as they, for large part, are
| the progeny, legitimate or illegitimate,
| of our age-crowned order. 1t would
| be a misfortune if the least of the
| worlds promotives of good were with
! drawn But the withdrawal of Free
| Masonry would be more than an ordi-
| nary ill fortune to society. If the
| Holy Writings, the Square and the
| CompaSses were removed from the
Affairs where, sin hieroglyphic bright,
| which none but Craftsmen ever saw, >
| they have illumined for long ages ; and
| if the vast social Circle that labor i'll
that light were finally dispersed, it
| would prove nothing less than a wide
| spread disaster
Society at large is interested in the
perpetuation of our Institution. Els
pecially is woman deeply concerned in
| its continuance. Masonry, indeed,
permits not woman to go to the quar-
ries where rough ashlers are converted
into polished stones for the temple,
| but bids her be relieved from such
tolls, while the husband, the father,
| the son, and the brother go forth to
bear the heat and the burden of the
day. Woman, however, is not forgotten.
! In the secluded retreat where she EN-
ters not, the Mason's wife, mother,
sister and daughter are honored
names-only mentioned amid solemn
| and binding vows of protection, or
upon occasions of needed help and
| Succor
Behold, | will set plumbline in
the midst of my people Israel. -
The Plumb is symbolic OF moral up
rightness, as the Square of eXactness,
and the Level of equality.
These symbols are associated with
illustrious names in the annals of
Free Masonry. mention an incident
| in this connection.
The time is 1924, the place is Ma
sonic Lodge in the East is NJ. w. G..
NJ John Marshall, the enlighten-
ed and upright Chief Justice of
of the United States. A visitor APP
pears at the portal. His form is COM
handing, his hair silvery, his step
military, his bearing courtly. He has
had an ovation through all our land.
| And he, now withdrawing from adj
miring and welcoming multitudes,
stands at the door of Masonic Lodge.
How is he received On the Level. A
member takes the visitor by the hand,
saying, Brother Lafayette, l am glad
| to see you, and, in the name of the
| Fraternity here assembled do offer
you a cordial welcome to cur hospitali-
ties and the Masonic festivities in
honor of your presence ~
This same distinguished man when
visiting the Lodge-room of Alexandria,
| Washington's Lodge, was escorted to d
glass case containing a Masonic apron,
| wrought in needle work. General,
| do you know that p he was asked.
After close survey, he replied with
deep feeling, Yes, | know it well my
wife, with her own fingers, did that
work. and | presented it to my broth
er and companion in arms, George
Washington.
Marshall Lafayette, Washing
| ton What a trinity of respondent
stars in the Masonic armament.
On certain arrival of the Federal
Flag of Truce boat at a neutral
landing place on the James river, dur
ing our dreadful strife, the Commits
sioper of Exchange appeared and ask
| cd If thnpa Eran MnSnnS
among the Confederate Ambulance
Corps then present? Being answered
in the affirmative, he said he wished
an interview with them, and made
substantially, the following state
ment:
Among the prisoners received on
my boat this trip was a man weak
and wasted by disease. Growing
worse on the passage, he expressed a
desire to see me in private. Going to
him, he said, Colonel, | am informed
YOU are Free Mason" | said yes
He then said, that being IA stranger
to all about him, and expecting to die
it would be some comfort to have a
Masonic brother near him in his last
hours. Having expressed my sym
pathy, l detailed from my force a
Mason to attend him. He died on the
passage None but the hands of Ma
sons touched him while he lived, and
none but Masons have come near him
since his death; and | now wish to
surrender his corpse to Masons." 1t
is scarcely necessary to add in this
tender little war-episode that, under
the influence of the same humaniZine
fraternal and beautiful sentiment, the
the brothers thus addressed received
the trust, and laid the body of the
poor stranger decently away where
the Sprig of Acacia tells of resurrec
ton and immortality.
This touching incident leads up to
the closing member of my text:
"Or ever the silver cord be loosed,
or the golden bowl be broken, or the
pitcher be broken at the fountain, Oh
the wheel be broken at the cistern.-
Then shall the dust return to HE earth
as it was, and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it,"
This has eloquent reminder in the
Masonic emblem. The Hour Glass
and Scythe: telling of steadily passing
time and memorable destiny in the
life of man.
But stand at the grave, uncover the
Wondering remains. TO the eye o.
unassisted reason, there is before you
only dust returning to the earth al
it was But bring the Great Light
which Masonry reveres, and let its "a
diance.reveal Religions browning joy
Then near the grave may be found 1
living sprig of verdure, readily sugges
ting that even the corruptible ma!
become incorruptible and live for ever
Moreover there may be a jewel upo1
the Wondering corpse, by which i
can be identified and reclaimed. Ii
all the universe is there no Hant
strong enough to restore from deatl
and raise from the grave? There is
AS in the visions of st. John thu
Divine, of the seven-times Sealed