The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-02-26


stantly the impression Of a character
creates itself, springs into shape be-
hind q deed. A man cannot sell you
goods across a counter, or drive you
mile in his carriage on the road,
or take your ticket in the cars, or
hold the door open to let you pass,
without your getting, if you are sen
sitive. some idea of what sort OF man
he is, and seeing his deed cOlOred
with the complexion Of his character.
Here is the value of reality, OF sim
cerity. Reality, sincerity is nothing
but the true relation between action
and character. Expressed artistical-
" it is the harmony between the fore
ground and the background OF a life.
We have all seen pictures where the
background and the foreground
were not in harmony with one an
other; each might be good i'll itself,
but the two did not belong together;
nature never would have Joined them
to each other, and SO they did not
hold to one another, but seemed to
spring apart. The hills did not en-
brace the plain, but flung it away
from them; the plain did not rest
upon the hills but recOiled from their
embrace They were violence to
one another Who does not know
human lives of which precisely the
same thing is true? The deeds are
we'll enough and the character is well
enough, but they do not belong to-
gether. The one does not express
the other The man is by nature
quiet. earnest, sedate Ii he simply
expressed his calm and faithful life in
calm and faithful deeds, all would be
well. but, behold he tries to be rest
less, radical, impatient, vehement,
and how his meaningless cOmmOtlOn
tries us. The man S nature is prOsa-
ic and direct, but he makes his ac-
tions complicated and romantic. 1t
| is man ) nature to believe, and only
listen to the skepticism which he
| chatter5. 1t is the diScOrd of back
ground and foreground OF character
and action. On the other hand,
VIXEN the two are not in discord but
| in harmony everyone feels the beauty
OF the picture which they make. The
act which simply utters the thought
| which is the man, what satisfaction
| it gives YOU. The satisfaction is SO
natural and instructive that men are
ready enough to think, at least. that
| hey prefer Il bad man who without
reserve, without disguise, expresses
| his badness in bad deeds, to another
| bad man who with Il futile sham
tries to pretend IL his activities that
| Ia, al of, h.II it,
at least they say They are not
always right. The good deed which
the bad man tries to do may be Il
poor, blind clutching at Il principle
which he does not understand but
dimly fepls-the principle OF the re-
action OF he deed upon the charac-
ter; that principal and its working
we must not lose sight Of The
heart gives life to the arm The arm
declares the life of the heart, that
| the heart also gets life from the arm.
Its vi gOrOus cXertion makes the cell
trail furnace OF the body to burn more
brightly. SO the good action may
have some sort OF power over the
character OF which at first it express
es not the actual condition, but only
the SllameS, the standards and the
hopes. What will be the rule of life
which such Il description OF life as
this must necessarily involve? Will
it not include both the Watchfulness
over character and the Watchfulness
ever action, either of which alone is
WOefully imperfect?
The materials used in the cOnstruc-
ton OF King Solomon temple were
furnished by the Great Architect
from the bounties OF Nature but the
hewing and carving. the fittings and
constructing, the asserting and the
beautifying was developed from the
care and the skill of his wOrkmen;
just so, with the temple which we are
building. Our minds are given us
Our mental powers must be cu1ti
waited. The full measure OF all the
parts necessary to make Il Mason
are no more Il Mason than Il hand
full of seed is Il orchard OF fruits.
Plant the seeds and tend them well,
and they will make an orchard Gull
tivate the powers and harmonic
them we'll, and they will make noble
character. 1.-The germ is not the
tree, the acorn is not the oak, Meth
err is the mind IL character" God
gives the mind. man makes the
character.
| SO great characters are made by
many little acts and efforts. A dol
laris composed of thousand mills;
so is a character of Il thousand
thoughts and acts and the secret
expressed, the inward indulgences of
imaginary wrong, the lie never told
for the want of courage, the licen-
tiOusnesS never INDUCED in for fear
OF public rebuke, the irreverence of
the heart, are Just as effectual in
strainin~ the character as though
the world knew all about them. 4
subtle thing is Il character. and con-
slant Is its formation. and whether
it be good or bad. it has been long
i'll its growth and is the aggregate
of millions of little mental acts.
Every Mason is bound to aim at the
possession OF Il good character as
the highest object OF his life. The
very effort to secure it by worthy
means will furnish him with a motive
for eNertion; and his idea of Masonry.
i'll proportion as it is elevated, will
steady and animate his motives. 1t
is we'll to have Il high standard of
life. even though We may not be able
to altogether realize it. Sum it I'D
then as We will, character is the
great desideratum of Masonry This
truth, sublime i'll its simplicity and
powerful in its beauty, is the highest
lesson OF Masonry. from which we
learn that the paramount aim OF our
Order is not to prepare for another
world, nor the fear OF consequences.
| hut to M ~ la tLa Lot L.f ...-..,l l.