The Admission Of Visitors.

unfortunate few , any degree of laxity should prevail in the admission of strangers . And the necessity in this matter grows more apparent the more numerous we become as a body . It may seem illiberal , perhaps , but for ourselves

we advise any officer who may entertain the slightest doubt about the propriety of admitting a visitor—to refuse admission , but taking care the grounds of such refusal are carefully recorded in the Minute Book of the Lodge .

The Genius Of Freemasonry.

THE GENIUS OF FREEMASONRY .

IT has often occurred to us that the spirit of Freemasonry is not as genuinely understood and appreciated as it deserves to be . We are often in doubt whether , in practice , full effect is given to the principles we profess . We know there is a vast amount of beneficence among

Craftsmen , but we are not quite sure our good works are always done as retiringly and unostentatiously as they might be . Benevolence , too , is not a quality to which the heart of the Freemason is by any means a stranger , but here , again , we are sometimes disposed to question if the

benevolence is invariably pure and simple . It is , we fear , quite as often mere lip-service we render as heart-service . The utterances we breathe are the passing compliments of the moment . It is en regie to say pretty things to each other , and we say them . We observe , strictly , the forms

and ceremonies of polite society , but it is merely an observance , and nothing more . We are , indeed , professors of Freemasonry , but we are not adepts at illustrating the sterling value of its principles . To a certain extent , it is our duty not to feel any surprise at this . Masons are merely

men , and share , in common with all mankind , the weaknesses of human nature , but at our reception into the Craft we bind ourselves to rise superior to the weaknesses of ordinary beings , and we are not always diligent in the observance of this obligation . We deviate frequently from

the hard and fast lines laid down for our guidance . We ought to be perfect exemplars of every human virtue . Wo are not ; we often , indeed too often , deliberately illustrate the strength of human weakness , and through passion cultivate error when it were as easy to cultivate truth .

In short , and we say it with a strong sense of humiliation , there is a vast amount of humbug about Freemasonry , and we are tolerably certain that now , when Masons are the observed of all observers , is the time to utter a few home tru'hs .

The principles of Freemasonry are coeval with time itself . They are older than the oldest form of religion of which we read in any history . They rest on the firm basis of love—love of God tho Creator and man the created . In common parlance this basis is generally known as

religion and virtue . The former is the observance of that duty we all owe to the Supreme Being . There is no uniformity in the observance of this duty . It is enough for a man to observe it becomingly . Masonry , in fact , prescribes no form of religious worship , but simply that men shall

worship religiously . The limits of virtue , the twin sister of religion , are defined , as accurately as the imperfections of our nature will permit , but no matter how we regard it , and different peoples form a different estimate of virtueno matter , we say , how men regard it , virtue is neither

more nor less than the love of our fellow-man . This love of God , that is , religion , and love of man , that is , virtue , together form the basis of Freemasonry . One difference between these principles is , that the religious element in Freemasonry obeys no particular law . We must all of us

worship the Supreme Being , without prescription , however , as to the form of worship . The virtuous element , equally to be observed of all , may find different forms of expression under different circumstances , but the end in view is always the same , to promote the well-being of our fellows .

All this may seem , perhaps , mere grandiloquence , mere meaningless talk . Our purpose , however , is to compare the practice of Craftsmen with the professions they make . Love of God and love of man are the principles we profess , and confining ourselves , for the moment , to a consideration

of the latter , we ask , in all sincerity , —Do we practice what we preach ? We have said beneficence is one of tbe virtues on which we pride ourselves . We are , as a body , beneficent , but will our motives always bear analysis ? Benevolence , again , is a quality we strive to exhibit both in season and ont of season , aa the phrase runs , but are we

The Genius Of Freemasonry.

benevolent in very truth or merely as regards mere outward form ? Are there not those who say they wish a man well , yet secretly do all they can to thwart him . Aro there among us none who steal behind and deal treacherous blows ? Are we always free and open towards

each other privately as well as in the Lodge room ? Aro there no quarrels and dissensions among us . No exhibitions of bitter party feeling ? Are there not those who think far more of those outward and visible signs of Freemasonry , with which they are bedizened , than of the principles laid

down in our book of Constitutions ? The question , whether a man shall wear a particular kind of jewel is , in the eyes of many , of far greater importance than the question whether the govern ment of our Lodges may , or may not , be improved in this or that detail . It is , in one sense ,

perhaps , a matter for thankfulness that our archieves are so few and have been kept so carelessly , or we imagine the history of no Lodge but would show the frequent prevalence of bickerings , squabbles constantly breaking out , a narrow spirit of clicquism , or some similar

shortcoming , the very reverse of edifying , and worse still , in . direct antagonism to the spirit of our Craft . Some of this is to be expected , for we are men , and humanum est errare ; but should this difference between our practice and precept prevail to the extent it does ? Would it prevail so largely

if more heed were given to instructing the young Craftsmen as to the nature of the obligation he has formed ? The end of Freemasonry is not the decoration of the person with jewels and ribbons . Were this the case , we should be on a level with the poor , ignorant aborigines of Africa

and the Pacific islands , who will make any sacrifice in order to acquire possession of a few beads or a strip of coloured cloth . We are told to believe the badge of a Freemason is more honourable than the badge of any order of knighthood . Yet not a few

think of little else than how and when they may wear a mass of tinsel . We do not mean , of course , that decorations conferred for honourable service are despicable . We are pointing now to the silly ambition of those who care little how a decoration is won , so long as it may be worn . Again ,

as to our fraternal greetings , we could often wish they had a deeper significance . It is true there is an old saying in vogue among us that charity covers a multitude of sins ; but it is certainly not an act of charity—that is , an act which illustrates our love for others—when under cover

of a polite fraternal address to Bro . A . B . C ., we do all in our power , —it may be merely to weaken his influence , or it may be worse still , —to lower him in tho just estimation of his fellows . Herein lies the humbug of Freemasonry—that we allow so much of this sham , this

make-believe of a fraternal feeling to exist among us . Simplicity is at the root , is of the very essence of Freemasonry . Principles that cannot be folded up so as to present a different aspect under different conditions , a purpose that is directed to the attainment of one object—these

are the principles and the purpose of true Masonry . We believe these prevail among us largely , but they are not as operative as they might be for the shams that crowd them in on every side . Let us rub off these , and the glories of Freemasonry will stand some chance of being loved for its own sake .

Biblical Ethiopia, &C.

BIBLICAL ETHIOPIA , & c .

OUE late Bro . Godfrey Higgins cited Sir W . Jones in support of his opinion that a great nation of Blacks ( probably straight-haired as distinguished from the African curly haired ) possessed , in pre-historic times , the dominion of Asia , their seat of Empire being Babylon . These , he

says , must have been the people called Cushites described in Genesis ; aud the opinion that they were Blacks is corroborated by the Septuagint translation where the word Cush is constantly rendered " Ethiopia . "

On close examination we find two Ethiopias mentioned in Holy Writ—one to the southward of Egypt , the other somewhere to the eastward . The people of the latter were called b y the Hebrews Cushim : according

to 2 Chronicles xiv . 9 , where they are said to have invaded Jndah , ^ they cannot have been Ethiopians of Africa . King Asa pursued them unto Gerar : and

they were overthrown , and Asa smote all the cities round about Gerar . Consequentl y it must be inferred that these Cushim inhabited some region of or near