The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-27

See. upon the charts, which hang upon
ita walls, those characters which teaen'
in puTest thought. life's earnest lessons.
| For instance: That ladder which Ja-
cob IN his vision saw ascending from
earth to Heaven, with It's three rounds
Of Faith, Hope and Charity or love.
Faith in GOd-the unseen G0u-the
great Architect OF the universe, unseen
but not unknown to Masons.
One summer afternoon stood upon
one OF the highest peaks OF the Rockies
fourteen thousand feet above the. sea
level. In that high, pure atmosphere
the eye takes In the grandeur OF the
scene for, perhaps, two hundred miles
away. stood and looked with admlra-
ton and with awe. There gaEed Into
the abyss Of that rock-riven canon
thousands Of feet down below me.
There over some vast desert Of sand.
miles in width. pierced and furrowed
alone by the dark winding OF its stream
Of alkali water, unfit for man or beast.
There. and there and there anon. vast,
towering mountains. with their barren
tops too high for earthly vegetation
around me the lights and shadows cast
by the setting sun over canon and vail
ley and mountain, in shadings indie
| gcribable. And anon, away on there,
and there, and there, the greater peaks
lifting their heads far above the clouds
and shadows. even, It seemed, unto the
very heaven-snow-capped peaks,
crowned with cleaning glory, Just as Il
the very angles rested their white
wings there. An, yesl stood and look
ed in admiration and awe, as my soul
said unto itself. who, oh, who, was the
Architect who builded thus In grandeur
and beauty? And the answer came
back to the soul, silent, but as II echoed
from the very throne Of Majesty: II
am that Rm-JehOvRn-GOd
We are told by some men that science
tells US that there Is no God. Did you
ever think what a mere sounding
phrase science itself would be did 1t
not acknowledge the power Of the un-
seen-that great unseen power we call
mind? Yes! It Is that unseen power
pick to dig the stone from yonder quar-
ry, and # is mind that holds the hand
to guide the chisel as It cuts the stone
into beautiful statuary.
Charity, love for the brotherhood Of
man.
Hope in Immortality. that immortal
ity in the great beyond. when ''ln a
moment In the twinkling Of an eye"
we shall stand with the great enemy Of
our mortality. death Itself, under our
feet, and exclaim with the conquerors
cry:
"oh. Death, where is now thy sting
oh, Grave. where is now thy victory"
Thanks be unto our God who hath
given US the victory!
But, cannot look into the bright
eyes Of the ladies Sparkling for u.s.
to-day, without a passing word for
them. You wonder, ladies', why a wo-
man cannot be a Mason. I'll tell you
why. You are not man. It IL be-
cause you are a woman, and Masons
would have you preserve your woman
hood. and keep the gentleness. purely
and modesty which so we'll becomes
your sex.
Why. Masons are said to ride goats.
You may ride bicycle, but you don't
want to ride goat. Picture yourself,
in your imagination, in Masonic lodge
room with the craft at work, There
Masons use implements OF labor,
squares, levels, plumbs, with which to
build house and temples. Do you want
to be "plumbed up" or squared up" or
'leveled off?" II so. Join the Graft.
Masons sometimes work In their bare
feet. II you desire your Bhapely feet
exposed to summer heat and winter
cold why, join the Masons.
Masons use mauls, to NOV men
down, II necessary. and dig graves In
which to bury them. II ladies want to
go into that kind Of work and busi-
ness, why, then, let them become Ma
sons.
But, jokes aside, Masonry loves and
hOnOrs and protects pure womanhood,
One Of its noblest teachings ls to shield
the purely and life Of true women. Ma.
sons wife! Mason's daughter! Go
where you may, in all this wide world,
and, II need be, you will find protec-
tor and friend among this craft Of ours.
Masonry believes in the Bible. and the
Bibles God. It has carried that Holy
Book with 1t down through the centur-
les. It has laid 1t upon its altar amid
every people and in every cline The
light of its pure teachings has beAmed
forth from every lodge room
Masonry has comforted the sorrowlng
and mourning one. It has gone down
into ''Poverty's Vale" and helped the
frIendless one. 1t has stretched forth
its hand to thl widow and the orphan,
and opened It's ears to hear their cries.
1t has stood by the bedside Of the dying
one. and breathed Its prayer to Heaven
for him, and beside the open grave It
has fingered to plant its "Sprlg Of Ac-
casIa" there.
Masonry Is the oldest human instItu-
ton in the world. 1t lived when the
prophets lived. 1t lived when the exiled
Jews hung their harps upon the will
lows, and refused to sing the Lords
song in a strange land. That John. who
lived in the wilderness. and whose meat
was locusts and wild honey. was its pa
tron, as well as was that John. the be-
loved, who saw those wonderful; visions
In the lonely Isle OF Patmos
1t has seen empires decay, Kingdoms
fall and nations crumble, II passed
westward with the Bible, and aided in
the onward march of civilization.
Yes, Il still lives, and II will live, on
and on, and on, down the coming ages.
Yes. even unto that day when "the
keepers Of the house shall tremble. and
the strong men shall bow down them
selves, and the grinders shall cease be-
cause they are few, and those who look
out Of windows shall be darkened."
Yes, on and on, It will live, even until