The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-21

the man who discovers and works upon
this plan and adopts this purpose and
makes It the end of his being, works
with God and has the divine approval.
There is no intention to claim for
Masonry q supernatural origin, but if
man, who differs from God in degree,
rather than inmOSt essence, who is like
God as starlight is like universal sun
shine, discovers the divine plan and
makes it his own and builds his life by
it, or if men, separated by generations
and centuries, build an institution by
this plan, and make it one of the
mightiest factors in the best deeds and
largest ideals in national and world
wide life, may they not claim for it
that divine origin which belongs to
all truth and fact. In this respect, and
this only, is Masonry supernatural. 1t
has, however, the marks of antiquity
upon it. It is of no recent date, yet the
beauty of eternal youth is upon it. Its
symbolism can only come from an age
when symbols We're the characters OF
language, known and read of men. and
when thought created new images and
yoked itself into new relationships that
it might express itself. OF this much we
are sure Masonry is profoundly human
in its works and its purpose is to aug
ment life, and therefore fit man for the
realization of all the possibilities of his
nature How far it has succeeded in
its sublime purpose let the past answer.
for the purpose of living in it, to do that
would be to turn to their shroud, their
coffin and their grave. but if by turn
ing to the past they are inspired to new
courage, and hope and to the cultiva-
ton of all their best powers for future
conflicts they are under obligation to
turn to it. The race to which many
of us belong has a right to turn to its
early home in Assyria, and watch its
own advance along the shores of the
Mediterranean leaving in its wake the
great empires of Carthage and Rome,
founding the nations of western Eur
ope, and sending out it's bold marines
across the unknown seas to plant in the
inhospitable wilds Of America the most
splendid civilization known to the
world. This race turns with pride to
Waterloo. From all outward
appearances the world was about
to be plunged into an eternal night of
despotism. 1t was then that the torch
of liberty was lighted in these ends of
the earth by the American Republic
presided over by George Washington,
the peer of any man who has lived since
Jesus Christ. And please God, this loren
shall never go out, for the splendid pat
riOtiSm of Washington has been be-
queathed to millions of Americans, low
ers of the flag. Morally, the influence
of WaShingtOn'S Republic has been felt
in the establishment Of the first french
Republic, in the British franchise re-
form, in the awaking of Japan to mod
ern state and in the creation of the fed
eral Republic of Australia. Thus You
see how he changed the destiny of men
and nations.
Masonry had something to do in the
formation of his character. He, build
ed upon faith in God, remembering how
poor, helpless and blind he was without
this Divine aid. He learned at a Ma
sonic altar that God is interested in the
affairs of men and hears their appeals.
He here learned the value of moral
+ courage also until he shrank from no
obligation but put his shoulder beneath
it and bore it as a pleasure. am
American enough to believe that the
country in which he was born, broad,
grand, majestic with mountains reach
ing to the sky and with rivers sweeping
across it and with two great oceans
beating out their music upon its blasted
rocks and golden sands, made Wash
ingtOn in a large measure what he was.
But 1 beIi6~e 1 am student enough to
see the influence of Masonry in every
great act of his life. A grateful coun-
try worships at his sacred shrine and
builds a stately shaft TO gather the
| lightningS upon it's head. out Washing
| ton lives among the attitudes and re-
! ceiveS the acclaim of liberty lovers for
ali time MasOns revere him more than
all others, for to them he is not only
patriot and hero but brother, bound to
them by ties stronger than steel All
hail mighty chieftainl
There never was period in the
worlds history when there was greater
room for charity than now. This is an
age of thought and we have unbounded
confidence in brain. But men differ.
Freedom to think makes them differ
and We have opinions by the thousand
and no end to controversy. We need
charity. All men do not believe alike
for they have Travelled over different
/ paths of faith and have come up
through different experiences. Let
charity characterize US. Some men
stumble and fall where it seems they
could walk with conscious might. But
who knows how many times they are
tempted without falling, who knows
how many tears they shed, who knows
what pain and heart-ache they endure,
/ who knows what ancestral fires burn in
/ their blood and what ancestral passion
! dominates their whole life2 If we knew
/ we would drop the tear that pities hu-
/ man weakness upon all their failures
/ and shortcomings and throw the Vel
! that covers human frailty over their
ruined and blasted lives. Here is where
/ Masonry has a great work to do. 1t
will put its hands, jeweled with eternal
! kindness beneath these unfortunate
ones and surround them with those in
fiuences which viii cultivate all that it
best in them. 1t will make some allow
ances for human weaknesses, it viii
remember that man is dust while its
! leaven of rightneSs and brOtherly love
/ permeates the whole of society
Masonry recognizes the fact that
man is not perfect, that at best he is