Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-03-21

| IF it is confrmatory to the Koran IL Is
| superfluous: if not it is pernicious. Let II
| be burned" Thus the writing or Eucld
and the records of discoveries in the var
: ious societies during preceding centuries
! were lost, and mankind was left TO DO
again the work, which others had so noDly
| done What would we not give for
knowledge of the philosophical and scien-
tifc records they destroyed! During the
reign of the Caesars, the center Of power
and political influence was transferred
from Alexandria to Rome Through all
the profiigacy Of those times, we have rec
ord of the presence of the eminent defend
ers of the Mosaic law. Though forced IN
to secrecy and silence they continued TO
stand in defence Of the scriptural falth'
that an innocent life and an unfalterng
trust in the Supreme Ruler Of the Uni
verse are the first and highest duties oil
mankind to their Creator. Thus have we
entered upon a period in the worlds LIS
tory wherein we stand amazed at the
apparent brilliance and glory of its poiit-
ca conceptions and executions. only TO
realize that we have entered the moral
and intellectual light Of a thousand years
duration, in which the spirit OF true love
towards God and fraternal fellowship
with man was forced into oblivion and Sc
crecy and silence to await the dawning of
| u morning when the reign of a dogmauc
and tyranizing theology over the domain
of thought might be dispelled AID Truth,
Liberty and Fraternity become re-estab-
lished, as the noblest heritage of man.
Long and fierce was the conflict between
the political rulers. striving to make the
ology handmaiden to politics, while
every Bishop was secretly plotting to make
politics subservient to the Church. The
priesthood gained such power and Influence
I that it assumed exclusive rights as the
| custodians and dispensers of knowledge
among the people. Societies for the pro-
motion of the moral and mechanical arts
! were broken up and dispersed wherever
they were discovered. and through all the
realm every manuscript that could be
seized was either condscated or destroyed.
Private libraries and collections were
burned by their possessors for fear Of los
ing life if any were found with them.
These facts stand in the worlds history
as a beacon light of warning to succeeding
generations, as the time and place where
government having no regard for stand
ards of universal law went down. let US
hope. utterly and forever
That Masonry has existed during all
these years no longer admits Of doubt.
| There were societies maintaining a stead
fast adherence to the first enunciated
principles Of fraternity and devotion to
law in their government. from the society
of artihcer. that furnished Unparalleled
for the first great Masonic temple, TO
those Offering protection and hospitality
TO the Crusaders Such facts would seem
sufficient justification for such a concu-
sion. Not even our religion, whatever
form we may have chosen, has any great
or claim TO being an emanation from the
expressed will Of God concerning man,
which is found either under the old dis
pensation or the new for there is no sys-
tenn or form of religion in this world, eX-
cept, perhaps. it be Buddhism, that had
an existence in the times Of Christ, that IS
recognized in any of its present form and
ceremonies. The preservation Of the grand
and noble principles of our fraternity,
but few only. it may be, enables us to
place it among those influences that pre-
served the Bible from destruction, and
brought it unscathed through the awful
period of human depravity TO which we
have referred. This thought finds corrob-
Grafton in the fact that the Bible has been
made the chief corner stone of every
branch of the fraternity. without which
no legal gathering of Masons can be held.
It's adherents were true to those prn-
ciples under the prosecutions to which our
ancient brethren were subjected true,
when nations were torn asundcr by tur-
1f
darkest historical night. when bigotry. in
tolerance and autocratic insolence filed
the thrones of the world.
These are conditions which Masonry has
met by steady adherence to the trash
which is mighty above all things; and.
though thrones may have crumbled into
dust and nations have wthered and van
ished because they disregarded the inn
perishable nature of the truth, Masonry
survives to bless mankind 1t has always
been the purpose Of Masonry to lead man
kind in the way of being brothers. In its
character and influence it became a sup
porter OF the reformation, contending for
liberty of faith. against an established
priesthood who cared to assume the right
and dictation over civil and ecclesiastical
authority and. wherever greatest liberty
consistent with moral and civil duty is
found. Masonry was a pioneer. 1t is also
true that whatever intolerance, bigotry
or anarchy reigns, Masonry has its most
ir1placable enemies. But the fraternity
has no contention with these. The shafts
Of malice they may hurl, will fall harm
less at our feet, and our noble order will
move steadily onward. extending its be-
nign influence over the moral and fra
ternal REIN of thought. and performing
deeds of beneficence and mercy for the
distressed of it's own household. and
those found without the golden chain Of
Masonic brotherhood throughout the
world.
The operative society of Masons. or
which we have searched their earliest rec
ords. show that they adopt the moral
features. characteristic Of the present IN
sttution. in which quality has always
been regarded of much greater in i'm
portance than quantity. in the choice Of
material for its social structure. Being
composed of frail. erring humanity. we
may sometimes he required TO interpose
the law for the correction of individual
acts or circumstances. whose only inhu-
ence would lead toward disintegration and
decay: but these are many times over
come by steady additions of new material.
that in its character adds strength, digni-
" and beauty to its social structure, that
has been and shall continue to he more
enduring than the monuments and tenn
pies erected by our ancient brethren.
Ii may be that the doors of our lodge
ffrv ar1 frrnl