The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-10-22
THE CREED FOR THE FUTURE.


A LH& @@. ---- -
A religious congress is TO be held a
the Worlds Fair in Paris in 1900, say;
the New York Tribune, and the obieets
of this parliment or congress are stated
to be these: I'D To affirm the educa
tional value and social power of religion
for the realization Of the human ideal
t2) to proclaim religious liberty, that
the conscience of every man is entitled
to tolerance and respect, and to protest
against all fanaticism of race or relig.
ion. (3l to seek in default Of doctrinal
unity the fraternal union of all men on
" as being religious, and to raise above
the differences of sects the principles in
which they are all united"
Let this congress advocate Masonry,
Masonic tenents and Masonic thoughts
and teachings, for Masonry has for cen
turtles taught just this: First, to affirm
the educational value and social power
Of religion. While Masonry is in. no
sense a religion, it is emphntically and
most decidedly religious. No man is
permitted to enter its portals without
first announcing and declaring his be-
lief in a Supreme Being, and no man is
permitted to take a step within the
lodge-room without first invoking the aid
of the Deity. And, second, 'to proclaim
religious liberty, that the con science of
every man is entitled to tolerance and
respect, etc.
Foremost of all agencies in the world,
Masonry has maintained this principle
for many centuries; it allows It's mems
bers to worship their God in their own
fashion, whether in synagogue, cathe
dral, church or meeting house, or
whether uuder heavens blue dome or in
the silent depths of the forest. Mason
ny respects the conscience of all men,
and its members may call upon God,
Jehovah or Allah for aid or comfort, SO
long as they bow to the directing power
of an Almighty, of a Supreme and
Guiding Being. And finally, ito seek,
in default of doctrinal unity, the fra
ternal union of all men" Here is Ma
sonry pure and simple:
To unite all men in fratcrnal union
is the main, the great object of Mason
ry. Around the sacred altar in our
lodges all good men may gather, but
the king leaves his scepter, the beggar
his staff outside the lodge, room; the
banker and the machanic, the scholar,
the learned and the illiterate-all are
alike when gathered around the sacred
altar of Masonry, known to each other
only as brothers, respecting each other
as Masons, not for their wealth Or sta
ton, but for their worth as men and
Masons. The internal, not the exter-
nal, qualifications make the Mason.
This congress foreshadows the creed
and religion of the future as it pro
claims the principles prevalent now in
the past among the fraternity of Ma
sons. The underlying idea of Masonry
then is the religion of the future, to
unite all men in fraternal union, to in.
still tolerance and to respect the opin-
ion of others. In the outer world, in
the world Of commerce and in the af-
fairs of life, men are thrown together
without regard to their affinities and
preferences. The old and the young,
the gay and the sober, the frugal and
the thriftless, the selfish and the gener-
Gus, the poor and the rich, the high and
the low, all dispositions, all persuits,
oil sides Of beliefs Of all sorts, secular
and religious; knowledge and ignorance,
all are constantly thrown together into
that vast compound called human So
ciety, and of necessity, Or as a result of
human.nature, there is q constant fire
ton which disappears within the lodge
iooHl, because mere we meet upon the
level and act upon the square. The
lodge is a haven of rest, the quieting
spot for the turbulent spirits of the out
or world; here the mind is at rest while
mingling with Jul fellowman, with our
brothers. By all means let this religious
parliament join the Masonic fraternity
and its aims and objects will be fully
accomplished. The millennium may
not yet be at baud, bit the teachings oil
our craft point toward a better, higher,
state of social conditions, and MASONRY
mas done much toward inspiring and
disseminating the liberal ideas Of the
present century,