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TWO DOLL A US PER ANNUM. } GOD A.JSTX) OTTTl COTJ ISTTllY. ALWAYS IN ADVANCE VOLUME 10. SATURDAY MORNING. FEBRU ARY IT, 1877. NUMBER 52 MASONIC ADDRESS. ? Delivered bclorc tho Lodges of Sumter by E. XV. Moisc on 27th Dec., 187G. Brethren,?We have assembled at a peiiod of great public anxiety. The alarming condition of our Stale and national government, the grave issues presented to the public mind und the unsettled if not anarchic posture ol ?flairs around us, all tend to concen trate" popular sentiment ami thought Upon political matters to lb : utter exclusion ol other considerations. At such a time it would seem to be difficult to rivet attention upon a subject so purely adhelie as specula tive or symbolic Masonry. Yet a mere caieful review of the situation of the people, most near'y ti fleeted by both gbvernincnial misrule and Alnsoiuc association, will evolve and exhibit the conclusion, Iba- the a > plication of trn.s .Vasonic principles i faction, would be potential, in rcmc xlinl influer.ee, upon the d.hitgers which so seriously threaten the State. To ?demonstrate this theory will require, first, a brief review of the present jiosi tion of the people with :i s\nopsis of the causes which have produced such ?results, and second, n retro pect of the history of Masonry, a summary of the precepts she inculcates and the prac tice8. which she enjoins, to the end that a just application of these, doc ?triues may be made to the disturbed *uid angry feelings of the people, in the hope that Masonic; pea; e vuiy ^eventuate ami Masonic harmony prof vuil throughout the length and hrrudth ot the land. Thai the pojut lay heart, is stirred to its inmost depths, and that anarchy sind?? ?:.briiid i osatte man will dm v. '1hut this sad condition has been ?caused by the want of F'>ith, I l??pi -and Charity in the rulers of tlie* people, is also plain to the si in pi esi ?understanding. All Masons know that our society i.? *iut in any sense political ? men of ali parties unite around our sacred alter . \Ye are therefore a link .between pat ties as we have ever been a bond of 'union between all discordant or con flicting human bodies or associations ?civic or religious. Our sac i cd Society lias ever joined in harmonious '?accord tho fid lowers of the Old and Kt'W Testaments or dispensations, and ?our links have been welded into that ?chain which connects the modern per iiul ol r? corded history, with that an ?< i< nl <? \?? 1 e of legendary lore and irii flitioli, when man was simple in hi -nature, and untaught in either the ?letters or s'ns of later ages. Let "us look fur u moment to the origin of Masonry itself. Of ?.'ill suis. Masonry* in its praeii '?al phase, must of necessity bo the oldest and first. Ibis proposition has 'been disputed, audit has been claim ?<d come superficial thinkers thai ngri culturff^or'tliecultivation of the earth Avas t1f(V->fiisl occupation ol man: let its look.fur a moment to this question. Ajgiiciil(tire requires the passage di ii considerable pt Hod o tinic, in its proccsfiWf^tlie seed must, pulsate into life must pass through various Stages of vegetation before fruit ion can lake place; meantime the seasons are ehang ing and the vicissitudes of wi athor Supervene; man the tiller of the soil must have refuge from the changes ol climate ami protection from the damp iicss of night dews and more terrible effects of storms; ho cniinof endure the Iransifirih* of heat and cold without ?oine shelter. Now what sort o' pro tcction must he have first found ''. Lei US sec. In the absence of positive proof, wc are to presume that some hollow cavern in the natural forma tion of the rocks made his first house sis it has, since been found to be the iiatuinl place of resort for self-exiled man. such as the hermit, and of the br?te creation, even to the present day, as well as that of the eagle and the condor. These natural caverns must however very soon have proven inadequate to the increasing lam ly of man, and the very first, step which must have been taken by his offspring would of necessity be, the construe tion of additional places of rest and safety, which won hi logically follow the design and structnro of those, which .had been used. Hence wo sec that in the primitive age of mankind, the very first exercise of the human ingenuity must have been exhibited in the production of artificial caverns ?or houses, made of the loinc frag men Is of rocks, with which the lace of nature abounded ?and which could he cemented together, into the requir I'd shapes, by the simple admixture o! the two natural ch incuts, of earth hiid water, or mortar. To c ustruel such edifices, the. common ynciti, by means of which 'he inequalities of surface upon the rocks could be re iiiuved?the f>/iimb, by wli^sc aid the correct perpendicular was found, and which co ibl lie easily const motu I by the. simple Misjiensioh ? f a fraghieiit of'ro( k ai the end of some pliant twig, and the common rul> a measure, made of liny wand, notched at equal dis lances, fOeiii to so tgesi thehisclvo.j to the mind, as man's earliest tools Hero we have I lie origin of prnc licitl .Masonry?an art. w use prog re ?s nmy be indicated by the records of llii'y Writ and the. subsisting cvi ih noes of its early triumphs. The .sons of Adam had altars on which to make sacrifices. The tower of Habel, the Pyramids, of Kgy pi-, the exhumed ruins of Sodom and (Juror rah attest her progress. That Mason ry exceeded all ails in the earlier days of innn'.s existence cannot be doubted. The enormous structures ?f Egypt and of Assyria, the splonded edifices of Sidoii ami of Tyre, and the exquisite finish of the'Tern pic of Solo mon at Jerusalem. il'ustrnte the fact, thai practical Masonry, had occupied the highest position amongst primeval b-duslries, and embraced tue greatest nun her of individuals in the earlier mechanic efforts,of mankind. Speculative Masonry, which \yo now prolcss, and which imparts its teach ings by symbolic forms, had origin in some remote period of lime, which cannot now with certainty ha ascer tained. It is likely, that, some sort of societies must have existed amongst the very largo number of workmen, who were engaged dn the structure of the Tower of Babel,''on the plains of Sliiuar, or the Pyramids of Egypt in the Valley of the Nile. 'Order is Heaven's first. Law,' and the practical Mason's prime necessity. t would, therefore, sei in to be reasonable that the Very grca' number ol workmen required to execute these immense tusks; must, have been divided into various classes, each under their re spect ivo task-master-or i'nth/eii*, ami in various degrees of e.\i ( Hence a.- to workmanship, s ill and knowledge. That writing or printing as those words are in \\ Uinb-r.-lood by u-.did not exist amongst these arti.-uns, is *nrc. Hence the work of each class or quality must necessarily have been known by some 1 Muster Mumm1* //io/7.-,' and it is lively, that be before whom such woik was ipspcetod, and who siguiiiiid bis approval thereof, may have been known as a 'Mar/: Mu*t-r.' Such marks I aye bet li found on the pheiisks ol Egypt, structures whose uuliquity is such that they are pre siiiiied to have beeil the first no coinplifdiinonis ol' the dispersed Ma sons, who left the plains of Sliinur, before the frown of an angry Creator. These however aro speculations, and arc worth only so much as their reasoning avails. When, however we come to the building of the Temple, that grand work, whic.i j Solomon, the. wisest of kings in the 1 fourth year < f his reign commenced, I then speculation ceases, and wo sec, 'the genius of Masonry arise' ''One side divine A siren, was placed, Ami soft-eyed Charity; the other graced; II ti inanity the genial friend was there, And I'ity, dropping the pathetic tear; There loo was Order; there with rofoy mien, Jilithe Temperance shone, und white-robed Truth was seen." This grand edifice was constructed under the sup' r vis ion and control of King Solomon, the wisest of the wise, with the assistance of Hiram, King of Tvre, and Hiram A biff, the great builder, the true 'Mutter Mason.' A recent exhumation of the ruins ofthia splendid work, lias shown that every stone, in the superb structure was marked with the iror/c of a Munter M"<"?. One hundred and fiity thous and workmen were employed in tho construction ol t!io noble edifice. These wt-ie divided into three classes ?those who merely worked in tlni quarries, preparing the rough stones for use; wer.- the entered uppreiitiref. ; Those who squared and fitted the vnr ! ions materials for the parts to which they belong- ?I. voro/<//?"?'? '?<??//>???a? whilst the actual builders, whoplaped the work and finished it up when j phi'cd, were the M'/s/cr Mo.was. The j designs were shown each day by the Mtitter: all work which was brought from 'he quarries, had to pass the inspecti( n ol the learilens and finally lhat. <>!' the Mo-//.- y\'i:<(ir. who pl.-.eed his m in'.- on that which was found to bo ijtiud irorU, true tvhrl: ami ready to he p'ueed in the temple. ll will ap ear I<? the general mind, that some inducement was lieeessary to maintain a proper system of gra ii tion in so vast a multitude of work men, and to secure to each, he due ret (ignition of his skilI and patiente. The rulcred itppreiitiW, might by as siduiiy and care became lilted for an advancement into the second class or fn'lmr eraj'tmen, ami even lifter a new period of probation and trial, might be entitled to a further promotion to the higher stage of the M'iw/cT Mrisowi To secure to each the due and pro per recognition of his attention and improvement, it was necessary that some system should be inaugurated, which would not only secure such merited advancement and promotion, but also provide the workmen with moans of proving to others, there or cl cwhcre, Hint he had been duly a"d legally advanced, that he was 'ior tlty unit ice/I quulifieW?ami this had also to be vouched for by ?;ome Masler Mason, whose power would be known and rcc iguizcd in any land where the '-asoti might afterwards seek employment* or wish to pass from * refreshment tu labor,' To meet these necessities?the wisdom of King Solomon inaugurated Lodges of .Ma sons; in the privacy of which the can didates might be examined and where they might receive those inslructions which would allow them to travel in other lands, when seeking work ami yet be enabled, to prove their ability and experience. As ti further inducement to good conduct, certain tenets were imparted to the work men by the guidance of which they were to shape their con duct, so that by frugality, lemnTanoo and vir.tie, the craft should he ele vated in tin- Opinion of in n and im proved in the quality oftheir work, ? since vice and dissipation must soon render the hau I tin l: i ly .in I ;!i ? eye iuiperlect, its a guide. fiie immense advantage wliidi re. suited trout thcsij \j i lg.'s, caaaoi b j estimated; they are the prototype and Origin of all trade-?unions and in i I h? I i enelils co-operative a sbciiifinus id tin' present, day; j When the Trnijde was !i tishe I, th winkineii traveed in all directions and dispersed themselves i ve: the whole habitable lace of the globe, car ryiiig evorywliurij witti thetii.tlijir j splendid imputation, as build ?rs o the faui ins and world-renowned Temple) they were s mji for every where ami employed by princes and potentates to erect noble edifices and grand structures, and they did build the most splendid (cmpies, pal ices, aqueduct* and museums of the earth. Hcing enabled io rocbgiii/.o each nth ir anywhere, by virtue of (her initiatio i, passing and raising, in tue Lodges lit the Temple, lliey were at once able to delect impostors and to prove to each other the. genuineness of their claims, by the various passwords, grips and signs, which they had learned; These workmen, Masons and Build ers, had also power and authority, when a certain number should he as senibled, to induct new members into their class whenever they caino of their own accord, and were worthy and qualified, and recommended by a Master Mason. In every country of the known world, such lodges of prac ticnl Masons were formed, and their skill, experience and art, thus trans fused, cmucllishod the earth with grand structures and splendid edifices. Thuir mis-ion was?'to be true and faithful to tin: laws of their country, wherever that country \vn*'?to erejt magnificent huildiugs?to he servi ceablto the brethren of'bccrift, mid to fear God; the great Architect of the Universe. Under their three leaders Zorobbahel, Joshua and Hag gai, for.}' liivo thousand of these Ma sons commenced the reb dbli ig of ths Temple, after its destruction. Hny received 7/t? aluif tidings of great /".?/.' that Cyrus, King'of Persia, had per r.iitled their r. turn to Jerusalem, and the reconstruction of their Temple; ihev traveled iitti Grecco, Kmc, Spain and other countries, and wlier ever they went noble structures >*oso and adorned the land. A largo nu nb jr of the craftsme n visited lliimi. then the patroness of -.ill high nil. They received protection from Julius Ctesar, and were allowed to establish their lodges. ]l!nri?us P'/li'o, the eelebtated architect, hien ti ?ns their splendid wr k, and sp">ak of their rules being veiled, ?>\ s/ni'ii's iiittl allegory whereby they everywhere knew each other. Twelve thousand of these Masons worked upon the Coliseum, that master piece of ski II. They built the Circus of Trajan, which held 200,000 persons, at one time, seated. After the Christian era, many of tin Colleges <\f Ihiilders. as the Masons were then called, embraced Christianity and suffered persecution at the hands of ilia Emporor, Marchs Aurclius. Thc-e Christian Masons :it Bomo. font d in the Catac'.-nhbs, iv^aarot usy iuiu from the edicts of the Empire, vvh tri! during ten years ot severe dis cipiiuc, they transformed the Catu combs into Churches, orn minted with sarcophagi, en caustic paintings, and Masaics. In the year 2X1, Alb-inn*, a gravi I Master of Masons, lo-rni the fir.st Christian martyr i;i Britain; ho win I decapitated by order ol' Carnnsiiis; King of Britain. The Church of the Lateran, at limine, erected by Masons, a*, the order j of Constantino, was built in form of the Greek Cross; which was the ground plan of the Temple of Solo mon, always regarded by them. a.< a model, a master piece of architecture ' and beauty. | In the. year OD-3, they laid the ! foundation of St Paul's Church, Lohdon. I Every town in Britain, had its Lodge (d Free Masons, when Athel staiie ruled over England. His son Kdwiu was made (Iran i Muster. Ho cbuveuod at York, ? general a-s mihiy df Mason*, who jjiiii foul:id thb forth ti las, ot what is iioy known as the an Cdent York right, Gillard, Archbishop of York, as Grand Master of Masons, completed Westminster Abbey, in the year 127'J. The Lodge of Kilwinhing, in Scot land, was presided (?vor by Robert j Bruce, in 1314. Elizabeth ol Eng j land, sent a b dy of troops to break j up the assembly of Masons at York. Tbc officers, however, reported so favorably of their work, that the maiden Qu ceil became their protec tress, in lien ol their foe, ever after. Inigo .Jones, the great architect of the reign of James I, became Grand Master of Masons, and obtained re t.own by the usu of their ancient knowledge of building and Geometry. In the year 1?63, a general asscnib ly took place at York, Charles II. presiding, Hmry Jonnyer, Count of Saint Albans, Master. Degrees hero j assumed a humanitarian aspect; culti vat ion of arts and sciences, together with sociability, under noble und elevated forms, became the feature of their meetings, ami has .so existed, ever since. Frederick 11, F ing of Prussia, was initiated on 15th August, 17?fl, and was a faithful blaster. From this period to the present time, symbolic or.speculative Mason ry, has spread over the whole face of the earth. We have among us con 1 coaled from the eyes of all in .mi, scj ret.-* which rann -t bo divulged, hud which hiive never been found out. These secrets sire lawful smd honor ahlu, and arc not repugnant to the laws of God or man. They were in trusted, in peace sind honor, to Ma s?.us in ancient times, have boon du ly transmitted to us, and by us will be handed down to our latest.posterity. Our cause is good, and bur princip les will be productive of benefit to any ami to all people, whjw.il I respect ami obey them. We seek to apply tlio Mn.-on's rule to cur time, so that we may he enabled to divide it equal ly, to the several duties cd'life?to .shape our course amongst men, by the tools of the Master, so that after death, we may he as stones, fitted sind polished for that 'ff<>n<e not'made icitfi hands r trntil iii (In- l/carens,] Such also is Masonry--si practice of Moral ity sind Love : Mail Masonrv divine ! I:lory of aged shine! Long maye.?t thou reign. Where'er thy Lodges s and, May they have great command, And always grace the land, Thoil Arl divine ! Great fabric;* still arise, And grace the azure slcics, (??real are thy schemes, Thy noble orders arc. Matchless beyond compare, No art with thee can share, Thou, Ait divine ! IT yearn, the Architect, Did* all the craft direct. How they should build, .Solomon, .1 mica's King, l'iil mighty blessings bring, And left us room to sing, Hail! Royal Art !! There is one charge brought against Masonry, which we can rot deny. It is true that our women are excluded from the Lodges?yet arc we not to blame for this'.' The proceeding re sumc has shown, that the present.sys tern of symbolic or speculative Mason rv h: s com" to u-, by imperceptible degrees, I tout the practical or opera live Masonry, of our fathers, No wo man was educate I to tho duties of practical Masonry, her physical lo?*m was not constructed for such duties, j hence there was no occasion fir her to be disciplined* by the s ystcin in uugurated for the government of tho craft. Mice is also another reason. I ho Grand Master, being nis i High Priest, was allowed only once in catdi year, on the day of atonement, to enter the Holy of Holies, and there alone could he us3 or repeat the omni fie name of the great Creator. Around his body was wrapt a triple cord, that j should he die in the sanctuary of the Holy of Holies, his body might be re moved by those outside, without hav ing to profane the sacred spot This I oinnific word could not be mentioned to a woman, hence it was not in the p over of any Lodge of Musou<, to (hange the tradition 1 constitutions, in this respect. '1 he ladies however, arc not without their levenge, they too have their secrets. If single, they have their idoals, which they generally keep to themselves. If married, they have au opinion of their husbands, which is their own, and which they do not often divulge. If they did, it might have the died of reducing tome of the lords of creation, to a position more normal to their nature, than that, to which now they aspire. We can't make ladies, Masons : first, because no Rule applies to a woman?second, because the Plumb and Square, would never suit a figure composed a.together of curves : third, because Geometry, the Mason's study, is abomination to her, and lastly, bo cause she could not and would not keep a seer"' li . t we can make ourselves accep table to her, as good and true Mmons ohou'd, sind wo can build ourselves homes in her heart, and erect noble structures (of wearing iipparaf) on her /mi /.:, und gorgeous towers of honoris, (on her head.) lastly, when sho scat I tors us by a confusion of tongues, we can travel into other lands, as our ancestors did, from tho tower of Babel, Rut one thing we cannot, do 1 with her, which is?that wo cannot da j icitltoHt her. In infancy we arc dppren lives to her, in curly manhood wo are JeUoW'C raft men, with her in the arts of courtship?in marriage we claim to ake the Master*s Degree. Our great* ost triumph in life, is to ho nportcd by her, sis a M?sl Excellent Muster; wo hang our richest je.vcls round tlto Royal Aich of her noble neck. In ago, we enter into counsel with her, and at last, our final hope is, with her, to enter into the L'i<f'j>' of perfec tion above--our work baing over here. M n'sonry is a teacher of morals, hut not of religion; any and all believers in revealed religion' can become Ma sons, but no infidel can. The Biblo is tlic centre, jewel ot' every Lodge, and Masonic teachings sind lessons and the parables of the Holy Scrip tures, The moral aspect, of Masonry, is intended to r. present the ladder which Jacob saw in his vision, con necting Heaven with earth. t!i3 prin cipal rounds of w hich wore Faith, TI >pc uinf Chitrit 1/?faith in the revealed Word of God?hope for a future.and better existence, and charity towards all human beings. True Mansonic acts, should be as the Angels,whicli hsecnticd and descended, bringing the joys of Heaven to the afflicted of . of earth. The charily of tlie Mason is catholic in its nature; it embraces, alike Hie worthy and the unworthy, is exhibited in word, in thought and in deed; like the quality of mercy, it is not strained : ''It droppeth, as the gentle rain from Heav en t'pcti the place beneath; it is twice blessed; It blcsseth liim that gives and hiia "that takes; ' ? 'Ti- mightiest in the mightiest; it bi'comos v The throned monarch better than Ids crown; Iiis sceptre shows the force of temporal power, 'flu- attribute to awe and majesty, W herein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; Hut mercy is above this sceptred sway. It is enthroned in the heartajof kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power dull, then shew like^t Clod's, * When mercy season? jtts\icc".'' The charity of the Mason embraced bcnevoler.ee and brotherly love, bear ing ever in view the All-seeing Eye; be docs not forget that the sprig of cacia must grow for him, or that his conduct must be squared by i\\a great rule of the book of boohs; with thb giirel of his charity he smooths the edges of his human nature, until the rough ashler becomes perfect and filled for "tha house not made In/hands eternal in the Heavens.*' The Alason's faith, inculcates the present morality; though its. lessons be veiled in allegory and clothed in symbol.?", it loaches hint to have faith in his fellow-man, to sec (he good that bis nature may con tain ami t'j close his eyes to that which may appear to bint t> hi evil; it recognizes all men as being crea tions of that Master, whose trestle boned, is the universe, to whom tho earth is but an atom, at'.d time but an instant; it accepts whatever is, as right, and presumes not to judge either of man or of created things; its manifestations of prayer, is to be found in those beautiful linos of Mr. Pope : " Teach me to feel another's woe, To hide the limit I see, That mercy, 1 to others show That mercy shew to me, This day he bread and peace my lot, All else beneath the sun ? Thou k no west) if best bestowed or not And let thy will !> ? done." The hope of the Mason, lcd'ld him to believe that good will come.out of evil, that from the "nettle danger, \ve pluck lite flower, sa'ety," .that the i storm of to day, whether created by the wiatli of Heaven or the ungovern cd passions of man, will pass away, that "there is a divinity that shapes our cuds rough, hew tham as wo/may*' ?that the duty of the monttuit is humility, and patience' the ginius of the day, his hope in tha dark hour is as the pillar of fire in front, and tbat through it lead him into tho deep waters of the mcj, yet will he fol low to that hind of promise where "the nicked cease front troubling ami the weary aro at rest.'' Judge by these standards, it is our firm belief, that true Masonic, action, will remedy the evils under which our country groans, suffering as she does from a want of confidence implanted in the breast, of one class of her citizens against another and more influential class. It. is the want of true Masonic teaching, and the ubsenco of real Ma sonic practice, whicli would subject [t'ontjnuei) on skcosj) taok.J