The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-12

life with God.
 Perhaps the reason that masonic fellowship is imperfect is because our moral character Is imperfect; but the moral character Is imperfect because we do not build upon the masonic foundation of the Being of God, to Whose will we must bow, and to Whom we must account for our work manship, in the life to which we shall rise.
 '.That IS the foundation of mason ry. As we'll try to make Christianity exist without Christ as masonry with out God. It is for that reason that communication has been pro- nounced upon the organization in Latin countries. We are taught that from Him we must seek strength for the tasks of life, and for it we must ever pray; we must trust in Him to care for us when we are beset by trials dren, to whom He gives imm ortality, that His mighty hand will stretch out to us when the sands of mortal life are run, and lift us from the corrup ton of death and speak the word which shall make us live.
 Mason in Deed.
 ''It is power of this truth, this life. with God made a reality, which only can make masonry that vital force which it ought to be. It is this only individual character in its moral and fraternal expression. Tn a lodgeroom in the west I heard testimony which l have never forgotten It was an Before became a mason was very Puch given to profanity would seldom speak without an oath. When I joined the order I was taught to reverence His name. He became real to me-so real that I could be pro- fane no longer. And from that time no word of profanity has escaped my lips Simple and humble as he was, he in deed well word. and the power of his moral and fraternaI life lay in the fact that he had builded upon life with God.
 Men and brethren, it is upon this, the spiritual life in masonry that you and must build. We must recognize that here is the source of masonic life and power, and there is no more fit ting occasion for this, for us to pledge ourselves anew to a life with God. life of prayer, that we may have the strength to square our life by the ideals of masonic morality. A life of worship, in which our aspiration from God and the God-life will be quick ened, then the fruitage of our Iabors will be the love and sympathy, the ternal life masonry would enshrine in the world.
 " You wear the square, but do you
 have
 That thing the square denotes? Is there within your inmost soul The principle which should control
 All deeds, and words, and thoughts: The square of virtue, is it there, you that wear the mason's square7 " You wear the compass. Do you keer
 Within that circle due,
 That's circumscribed by law divine, Excluding hatred, envy, sin,
 Including all that's true? The compass, does it trace that curve Inside of which no passions swerve? '' You wear the type of deity;
 An, brother, have a care! He Whose all-seeing eye surveys Your inmost thoughts with open gaze,
 He knows what thoughts are there; or send no light, irreVerent word From sinful man to sinIess God. [" You wear the trowel; Do you have
 That mortar. old and pure, Made on the recipe of God, Recorded in his ancient word,
 Indissoluble, sure.
 And do you spread with masters care The precious mixture here and there? " You wear the cross; it signifies
 The burden Jesus bore,
 Who staggering, fell, and bleeding,
 rose,
 And bore up Calvary the woes
 Of all who'd gone before. The cross, oh, let it say forgive, Father, forgive to all that live. ." My brother, if you will display
 These emblems of our\ art, Let the great moral that they teach Be engraven, each for each,
 Upon your honest heart,
 So will they tell to God and man Our ancient, holy, perfect play.
 At the conclusion of the service af- ter the congregation had filed out, the members of the Masonic fraternity followed and the same order of pro