The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-20
INSPIRATION IN
THE SOUTH
BY w. j. BARRETTE.

rore DearS, IN tndt they dld eat or the
forbidden tree of knowledge, sentence
was pronounced upon them, and
through them upon us: I'm the sweat
of thy brow shall thou eat bread" This
was the first announcement of the doc
trine of work. ] am no theologian, and
the why's and wherefores of that ale
CORY | do confess are beyond me. But
this I do know, that in honest toll is
the greatest safeguard to physical
mental and moral health.
'Older than all preached gospels is
this unpreached, inarticulate, but in
eradicable. forever enduring gospel:
Work and therein have well being" So
said Thomas Carlyle.
And then I read further from the
same high authority, that after ages of
toll. and with that toll much of bitter
strife among men, there came one
whose message was peace on earth and
good will toward men.
And in this symbol / see an inspirs
ton to lay close to our hearts the vital
meaning OF these two. great concep-
lions, the first as decreed by the grand
architect of the universe, and the other
as taught by the NaZarene, the first
great advocate of peace among men.
X X
Masonry recognizes no caste; there is
only one aristocracy tolerated by us.
and that aristocracy is not one of
wealth. nor of family, nor yet the for
givable one of intellect, pure and sim
ple-nay, none of these; but rather the
arlstocracy of excellence In toll, excel
lence in service, excellence in those ac-
tivities which make for the peace and
happiness of mankind. 81 serve was
the crested motto of the first Teutonic
prince in England, and had mis- success
| sors abided by the spirit as they have
by the mere letter OF that motto, then
had many unhappy pages in English
history never been written.
In such service. and in the friendly
rivalry for that sort of excellence no
human individuality is sacrificed. 1t is
rather intensified and developed. we
do not mean when we symbolic the
merit of toll and the blessings Of har-
mOny and peace. that the individual
shall forfeit his individuality OF bow
his head to prince or give his soul into
the keeping of any priest. God gave
to each man his own life TO live, and
whether he gave him hundred talents
or one, they are his. and his only.
Not a single tone is lost when a har-
mony of sounds is produced. Each note
of the several is as individual and as
distinctly itself as If made alone, yet
the waves of sound from the different
notes vibrating together. each note
contributing its share, without loss of
| its own character or individuality. pro-
duce the most pleasing of sounds, the
| harmony. To q similar harmony
among men do we aspire.
Nor does it symbolic any sacrifice of
virility. nor any iasipidness OF charac
ter, nor any finching at melting out
righteous judgment when wrong is
done. Did not the great peacemaker
in wrath scourse the money changers
from the temple: did he not defy the
bowling mob, hold them at bay. and
taunt them that lie who was without
sin might cast the first stone?
We live by our ideals: these make or
unmake the man. Whatsoever tends
TO raise and strengthen the ideals. in
even the weakest of us, makes for
manhood. Whatsoever tends TO lower
or weaken the IDEALS IN even the best
Of men, tends 70 Grag MANHOOD AMI
with il womanhood, TO the abyss.
We are diverse in our natures, and
that il is so adds to the zest % life:
creeds vary; tastes differ: il is trite
saying that one mans meat is another
mans poison. But we can all agree
upon fundamentals. Truth should
never be any mans poison. Honor. in
tegrity, cleanliness of character, de-
cency. loyalty, manhood, a true rever-
ence for the Most High; these be they
upon which the souls of all of us may
feast in unison.
Even the individual man is com
pick and variant creature. Would d
man know himself, lec him look into
the recesses of his own soul and see
there a curious gathering together Of
the forces of good and evil, courage
and cowardice, love aud hate. hope and
fear. reverence and diabolical ribald-
ry. loyalty and the face of Judas him.
self. None of us attain perfection: we
all fall far short Of the full stature of
manhood, for We are but human. Bur
i'm effort there Is strength, in struggle
there is development, ana in harmon
izing ourselves not only with our
brother man. but With ourselves, is the
greatest attainment.
X X X
Worshipful sir. theres are gathered
here within the sound of your voice
mayhap some several hundred Masons,
gathered here from ] know not how
many states, who each of us believe
that our ideals are raised, our lives
harmonized TO a degree at least, our
courage strengthened, our knowledge
of and our belief in our felloWmen
manifoldly increased by the instruction
and inspiration given US by this sim
toll. AS used by US ii Is only SYM
bol-but a symbol of lofty things. 1t
suggests that this gathering is not one
for pastime or amusement, but for a
vital. human living purpose. Our sym
boism and our drama are not idle
forms: they exemplify the great issues
of this mortal life. They teach not less
praying. but more doing: not less
preac aching. but more practicing. |
7 read lengthy and learned discus |
sions upon the antiquity of Masonry. |
What difference whether historically IL |
began with the artisans OF -hs middle |
ages. or whether In some form or an |
other with the builders of King Solo |
mons temple. or whether indeed. as
claimed by not few, II had it's origin |
in nysticisms of India 1t Is now what |
We make 1t. and as it is exemplified in
us, so will il be interpreted by those |
who are not of us: so WIFI II be known |
and taught by those who shall come |
after us. Shall we forget that we to-
day are making history? /Si.au We be |
of those who forget that today is the |
most crucial, vital day Of them all. |
and that "manyana-" tomorrow" is |
the will o. the wisp that no man can
ever overtake.
Any man with fair amount of for |
titude can go 5ravely into the dark |
valley of the shadow. and ,an submit |
to the folding of his hands in his last |