New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-07
,sAcONIC DEPARTMENT
opr,y OF CEREMONIES AND SYMBOLS


r. ,,otorv Of Masonry nay. Masonry Itself,
".,,v backward until 1t loses itself among the
, .h.6ovs 81 the past, among the myth
I,.n,. y, the ancients. in its grand ritual. Its
49, ,u, eloquent language of signs and sym
-. or,rinatjnC in those distant ages offers
49, Gov study which can never be thoroughly
...yorsad This has been transmitted to US by
..r,o,a seneratons and it is rlain that before
90 oar thoroughly understand II al or fully
.nnrec,ote all Of its meaning. or he significance
:, ,,s ,,vsteries we must go back 10 the last.
. tho o~icinetors and founders or he institu-
.,or. NO must search for the true genesis oe cur
,,.e. We must look for the of its founda-
zion. we must find in what necessities Of hun'an
no,pre were the roots Of the craft Of then and
n,,o-dav II is not enough for us to accept the
.rA,ter' Of the ritual or blindly perform tUr
ceremony; we should know what the an,i,nts.
our fathers the founders. meant 20 say through
these symbols and ceremonies.
From age TO age. through countless genera
tions these rites, these ceremonies have read
their sublime lessons Of wisdom. Of hope. Of
peace and warning to the Sons If Ltsht"
These same lessons. and in the same language,
they read 10 US to-day. But do We see In them
what the fathers did? Do they impress
they impressed them? or do they pass before
our ewes Ike panorama Of some unknown
land which has no delineator 70 tell us what or
where II is or give us any ineligible notion re-
gardng it? Accepting the symbols have we lost
the sense Our rites and ceremonies would he
Of little value TO us If this were the case. II is
our duty to make the fraternity the object Of
profound study We must consult the past We
must stand by the sarcoohagus of the murdered
but restored Osiris in Egypt. enter the caverns
Of Phrigia and hold communion with abiri.
penetrate the "Collegia Faborum Of ancient
Rome. and work in the mystic circle Of Sidon.
In word. We must pursue our researches until
We find the Thoughts that we're in the minds
Of those who created the institution and founded
and cultivated our mysteries Then we shall
know precisely what they all mean. we shall sec
In them grand series Of moral and philosoph-
cal dramas most eloquent and instructive
cleaning with sublime ideas. the heavens
glow with stars And finally we shall discover
that our rites embrace all the possible circun-
stances of man-moral, spiritual and scotland
have a meaning. high the heay en-. broad as
the universe. deep the sea and profound
eternity
Our rites and ceremonies would be entirely
ruerile and meaningless If we did not learn and
search TO find the underlying thoughts Of its
origin In Egypt. Greece and other ancient
nations Freemasonry was one OF the earliest
agencies employed to effect the improvement
and enlightenment Of man. Cicero tells us that
the establishment Of these rites among the
Athenians conferred upon them supreme bene-
fit Their effect was to civilize men. reform
their wild and ferociouS manners. and make
them comprehend the true principles Of morality
which initiate man into new order of life, more
worthy of being destined to Immortality" The
mystic Journey through those ceremonies repre-
sented the toilsome progress OF humanity from
It's primitive condition OF ignorance and barbar-
ism 10 a state Of civilization and ner tai enlight-
eminent. The neophyte wandering in darkness
over his winding way. meeting with various OBJ
man race. struggling onward and upward by
devious stages from the gloom and darkness Of
the savage stage 10 the light, Intelligence and
comforts Of civilized life.
The ceremony and symbols are also emblematc
Of the journey through life. which man discovers
is often dark and gloomy, surrounded by sor-
this dark perplexed and fearful course lies the
way to glorious destiny. that through night
10 light" must he mans journey. that by
struggle and toll. and earnest endeavor we must
advance with courage and hope, until free from
every earthly fetter and in the full light Of vir-
tue and knowledge We stand face 10 face with
the mighty secrets OF the universe, reaching TO
that height whence can look backward over
the tortuous path in which we had waEdered
and forward 10 a submer elevation. TO higher
and more glorious ideals, which point ever on.
on, on forever.
Such are the grand and Inspiring lessons per
petually taught us by our ceremonies and our
symbols Let the brethren study them well and
labor with faith, for BY these lessons we ad-
vance in science and virtue which lead through
morality and charity and VIII finally reach q
blessed eternity The brother who enters Ma
sonry discovers in the lodge representation or
the world in which from the wonders OF Nature
we are led TO contemplate the Great Original
and worship Him for His mighty works. and we
are thereby also moved 10 exercise those moral
and social virtues which become mankind 10
observe as the servants Of the Great Architect
Of the universe In whose image we were formed
from the beginning