El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-10-22
The Masonic Order and Corner
Stones.
Philadelphia Times.

Philadelphia Times,
Why should Masons lay the corner
stones of pu bic buildings? Because the
! fraternity is the Oldest republic In The
world. When the nations lay bound
| hand and foot, soul and body in the uui
versal prison house of self-assumed
authority, the Free Mason, as his very
name implie=, WAS member of re-
preventative and respOnsib G govern
ment. He aided in electing the chief
or master of his immediate lodge, and
| for a limited time so that the 1elegat-
ed authority restricted 10 its exercise
| by Law and usage, returned back to the
nand that gave IL, to be conveyed un-
der like restrict on to another worthy
| of the little community.
These tiny republics were further
| restreined by higher power which
thy themselves composed by selecting
delegates to q general Assem- bly,, de-
nominated a grand lodge. That grand
lodge, composed of the selected WIS
% of all the lesser bodies within
country or state, made general laws
for general use, framed a constitu lion
with respectful reference TO the I'M
written usages and customs of the fra
ternity, while under like restraint
the inalienAble rights OF all MesOus
aud the constitution of their grand
lodge, the suboT nate or local lodges
framed their own laws or regulations.
This double representative republic,
so ike 10 that OF the great nation and
great state within whose territory aud
under whose protection and paternal
laws we now live, Is the oldest repre-
sentative government in the world: il
mas always enjoys d the freedom VII ca
is still its boast; it has always elected
It's chiefs and rulers, and it has always
made its own laws by means of repre-
seutatives demOcralically elected.
History points to the year A. M. 1892,
more than ten centuries before the
Christian era, as the period when Sol
Dmon began to build temple TO be
dedicated to the God OF Israel. This
20 srvelOus work Was the creation of
men specially instructed add skill d in
wisdom, science aud arts which to all
others were unknown. Selected from
tribes aud nations after they had &C
uired this esoteric knowledge, these
men of Tyre. SidOuis and ne ghboring
naliousligies undertook the work which
solomon required for the accomplish
menS OF his purpose.
The site chosen was at Jerusalem
aud Mount Moriah. TIE associations,
sacred aud profsne. which cluster
around that hallowed eminence are
but the outer covering OF facts, mys-
teries and events which have made i'm
oressions on the human mind and pro-
duced consequences on the soul of mau
lasting through time and outreac ching
into eternity. Nowhere in Christen-
dom can there be found an educated
Intellect which has not been wrought
up TO is highest capacities by the re-
cord of the mighty works, stupepdous
mysteries and miraculous events
which consecrate Jerusalem. The des-
PENDANTS of the chosen people
who saw Moses and heard
look yet with faith to the time
when the holy city shall be the rest
Jog place of the ark OF their covenant.
The Christian bows his head in devout
tdoration as he coutemplstes the men,
Dries of OIivet. Even e heather feels
an ineXpreS>ibls awe at the recital of
the histories of the Ca esars and cen
turiOus who then ruled and reigned
over Palestine. Phi losophers aud
-cholars have exhausted centuries Ia
failure to explain, by human reason,
the unfaithfdlness of the re ords and
revelations which give sanction and
5acredness to the scenes OF Gethsemane
and the holy sepulcher.
AS we review the past, remote as
wei sc recent, we are struck by the
stability of Free Masonry. No other
manenb. Men die, KINGDOMS pass
away, even nations are lost, but Free
Masonry, like the everlsitlng bills, re-
mains. Why is this? 1t is because
the cornerstone of our fraternity is the
first great light In Masonry the
Word of God, Without it there would
be no Free Masonry, and it is this
which insures its perpetuity.
Free Masonry Is founded upon
l. = FIJI Of
atty, derived from the Holy Bible. We
quote its very words, and perform the
very deeds enjoined by IL. THE is why
our mystic craft, which traces its orr
gin by history ard tradition TO the
remotest past, promises to continue TO
the remotest future. Its cornerstone
is Gods Word. Its spiritual temple is
"a house not made with hands, the
ashlers of which are the everything
souls of everything men, and it's cap
stone is charity or broJherly love.
Free Masonry in its very essence is
system of light; but if the source of tn st
light, the grand architect of the uni
verse, should be stricken from Free
Masonry the craft would lose its sun,
about which all of its symbolism clus-
tiers, and enthropes darkness in place
OF light.
1t is not amiss here to state that
George Washington, past master of
Alexandria lodge No. %, while serving
Il second term as president of the Unit
ed S .ates, on Septem Der lS 1893, and
acting grand master, clothed in the in
sig mia ana jewel of that Office perform
ed the ceremony of laying the corner
stone of the capitol at Washington, in
the presence of one of the gra-dest
Masonic gatherings that had ever, per-
haps, been assembled in this country
III n 4 at a
world his appreciation of Masonry, his
faith in its teachings, and the import
ance of having the cornerstone OF the
capitol of this nation Tested - tried"
aud laid by the proper officers of the
grand lodge OF Masons, in accordance
with ancient ussges and solemn rites.