Western Sun & General Advertiser, Volume 16, Number 44, Vincennes, Knox County, 17 December 1825 — Page 1

WESTERN SUN & 2NERAI; ADVERTISER

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BY KL1IIU STOUT.

WESTERLY SOW, IS published at Two Dollars and ?IFTT cents, for Fifty-Fwo Numbers, Trhich may be discharged by the payment of TWO DOLLARS at the time of Subscription. Payment in advance being the mutual Interest of both parties, that mode is solicited. A failure to notify a wish to discontinue at the expiration of the time subscribed for, will be considered a new engagement. No subscriber at liberty to discontinue until all arrearages arc paid. Subscribers must pay the postage of their papers sent by mail. Letters by mail to the Editor on business mast be paid, or they will not be attended to. Advertisements inserted on the customary terms. &3 Persons sending Advertisements, must specify the number of times they wish them inserted, or they will be continued until ordered out, and must be paid for accordingly. M.iSOA'IC. The following U an extract from an address pronounced be fore the Brethren of Union Lodge, m Connecticut, by llrothcr William F. Jirainard. We recommend I lie piece lo such of our readers as arc capable of appreciating the truths which it contains ; it does not afford any fulsome adulation of the order, a style ever un welcome to Masons, whose duly it is to acf, and not to talk. It is commen ded to the perusal ot the uninitiated, us an aflcctintr appeal of the craft to his respect & we must confess, that tho conversant with this species of address, we have rarely met one of the kind so replete with pure sentiments, and plain good sense. U. S. Gaz. Some tell us of the antiquity of masonry ; and on occasions like this, they insist upon it with a zeal that implies the point to be essential thus they pay that Enoch was a mason, and Noah was a mason, Jy Moses was a mason ; and that Solomon was a mason, some insist on as a matter of faith absolutely indispcnsiblc. Whether these things are so, is of no importance whatever. A mere historical fact, unconnected with the evidences of the christian religion, is seldom of much consequcnec, and the dale of such fact is commonly of still less. Who cares for instance, whether Alexander the great was a real or fictitious character : what cares the in habitant of this country, whether it was discovered by Columbus or Vespucius, whether that discovery was in 1 IPO, or 1102 lie knows that there is such a place as America, and that he lives in it AY hat cares the s-V;!oi on his stormy travels, who first found out the magnetism of the needle? it neither lulls the wind, nor shortens the vovage. So whether Moses was a mason, or Pvthagoras even, is now of as little moment to determine, as whether they were made in the same Egyptian lodge ; or whether the magicians of Egypt used the same forms when thev made them, that we do now. These idle enquiries have been so often mistaken for the cs sentials of masonrv, that many sensible men without the lodge, have taken a prejudice against it. ? from their incredulity on this sub ject ; forgetting that they talked about a trifle. For if the institution be bad. it cannot be eannoni.ed by Solomon in all his glory. What is Masonry now? It is extensive It is disseminated generally through Europe, through North and South America, in the "West and East Indies, and in A sia elsewhere, and in some parts ot Atriea. It comprises christians, Jo we. Mietks, Arabians and oth-

VINCENNES, (IND.) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 825.

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ers. You (ind the mason on the 1 tie J, by the proof that it is strong, j charity would be destroyed, and deep, and in the desert, on the lasting and extensive. I that without necessity, for there is deck of the ship, and on the hack You expect me, of course, to say ' no limit to good works. The onof the camel, and making himself : something in favor of it; instead ly religious test is this, that men

known notwithstanding every diversity of tongue : you find him of every opposite and contending

faith; of religions endeavoring to j object, and then leave you to demake converts ol one another; 1 termine from your own inlerenowing allegiance to every differ. ' ces, whether this moderate propoent form of government under sition he true. viz. that Masonry is heaven, and scattered thro1 these founded in wisdom. governments, from him 'afeit- j Wisdom consists in selecting a teth on the throne, to bin t flat 1 g0od object, and in adopting up grindcth behind the mill " Yet pr0priate means to accomplish it ; such is the nature of Masonry, j ancj tlc proof of both consists in that all these differences of govern- ! this, that such end is actually acment. language, religion, form no complished. The object in the impediment to its progress, and it first place must he practicable.

may Become universal noiwitn ; standing them all; lor an lodges are OlIC; tllC omcci 01 tlicm IS not. only the same; but it is one; &!

masons may timer, aim uniortu- (j0 wjt!l any nlric princjpiCi t nately do differ, on all subjects has nothing to do it h mere benbut one. evolcnee. or mere good will ; What is Masonry now? It is with any exercise ol mind, or epowerfu'l. It comprises men of ' motion of the heart : because, it

rank, wealth, office and talent, in ! power and out of power, and that ' in almost every place where pow- I er is of importance ; and it com ,

: - i r large numocrs, acuve menrm ; inorpmpr at r rananie m n'inr.t ( k toiretner, and cananie ol uemir in rected by the efforts of othei so as to have the force of concei t thro' the civilized world. They are distributed too with the means of knowing one another, and the means of keeping secret, and the means of co-operating; in the desk, in the legislative ball, the bench, in every galhefmg of men of business, in every party oi pleasure, in every enterprise of gov - ernment. in every domestic circle, in peace and rc war, among enemies and friends, in one place as well as in another. So powerful is it at this time, that it fears nothing from violence, either public or private, for it has every means to learn it in season, to counteract, defeat and punish it. The power of the Pope lias been sometimes friendly & some times hostile; the government of Spain, with its inquisition, has been hostile ; suppose nowy that the oppression of either should rouse aim unue masonry to jej dress its grievances. Spain wojiUj. j hear the note of preparation from every quaiter: at home, from all her neighbors, and in her colonies and the deepest dungeon ol the inquisition would thrust out its victim with haste. The Jesuits, with their cunning, might call on the Holy Brotherhood, and the Holy Brotherhood on the Holy Alliance, and they all might come too. and in vain ; for it is too late to talk of the propriety of continuing or suppressing Masonry, alter the time to do so has tjonc bv so.uood or bad. the world must take it as it is. Think of it. laugh at it, wonder at ir, hate or despise it, as occasionally presenting little meetings, a number of irave. aUl otherwise sensible men, with a prons on still, it is not only all that I have told you, but it will continue to be; and the world in arms cannot stop it a poweiful institution. Whether Masonry be good or had. is still a question of interest, which is not touched, far less set-

pubib, among me oinei - em oi vxienaing (Vta mutnpiymg oj christian, the Indian, and the misthe .community, to the lowest, in ! good works. Some say they have sionaty, where the sword, the

of which, permit me to state to

you its object, and the means ; which it uses to accomplish that Masonry, therefore, has nothing to do with vci y many gWiiW J rnr tlm,,. : nr.. in..nv t.nnd tWtnn In-- ! sides Masonry, "it has nothing to attempts only what it can do. and promises only what it can perform ; and therefore confines itself to a single object, the i i i. i . kind lit arts, lender hearts, good i;nfc hut hmr ran ..v i,. io , lfv.i.., uiv. wn iw it. much more to make it so .?. The heart is deceitful abodes, all, things, who can know it i Of the intelligences with which the umverse is filled, there may be mi Hi ons that know your conduct there is hut one that searches the heart ; a correct flfi is indispen sable, hut masonry has nothing do with thai. Some sail they ; do 1 have it, some think they have it ! and some actually have it. It is the evidence of things not seen ; we cannot ascei tain it, much less enforce it ; and we limit our eertions to our mean-. Nor is ma 1 sonry at all connected with the display of intellect Men may ! have k the gift of tongues, and all knowledge.' they may invent, con trive, and benefit mankind in a thousand ways, hut we have no

moie control over me unaersian on ot thanks, not by an equivading, than over the faith. As ma- lent in value that cancels the debt,

ny ioius win tell us tnal they arc great men, as that they aie good men. ami wun equal sincerity inquiry. Theretore it wrthat Masonry hates professions which rest there slippery promises of wnatyou will do, and uoaings of what you hac done, and your ov n word for what you are E en among ooasiers many arc so weak as to mistake what they should boast of, they tell of cast ing out devils, and doing many conderful works, but no good ones. As I may be understood. I m(an:

cxplicitly'to state, that masonrv Rency for proselytes that we can has only one object. It leaves out do without, nor any other exhorall others, however good ; be- Nation than that you should cocause if it tried to accomplish operate with us in the woik that them it would fail in the attempt, wc ate about, for the want of means ; & would That the single object of the destroy the universality of the in. lodge is to extend multiply acts stitution besides. If any system of beneficence, in the strict sense ot belief was insisted on. we of the word i plain from this, that should he confined, fust, to chris- it has never been know n to intertian nations, then to protestant fere in any other. The instrunations, and then to some one de- mcnts that it uses arc food and nomination of protestants, & this clothing, the life boat, the apparagrcat institution of a universal tus of the humane society, & the

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should have a sense of their immortal accountability, so that their obligation can be confided in Hence it is that among masons there is neiihey inquiry nor discussion about religion or politics ; for the word of a mason is not, I will believe this, & disbelieve that but it is. 1 will do this, and I will not do that. At the door of the lodge his claim for admittance cannot be refused, whether he come from across the street, or across the ocean in robes, or in rags. He may wear the turban or the crown, the tiara, the mitre, or the black can r r - . .i :i: lace and leathers, or the broad brim of drab color; if a mason, he is admitted ; and when he has entered the door, it is too late for him to find fault with his eompany. As he shall not be molested himself so he shall not disturb nfluis There the Greek and the Turk must lay aside their quarrel. and sit together with the Jew. the . sceptre and the crosier submit to j i oc iiim ie niuueiK e oi me irowei. i n r . i Iikc the great fabiie of humaa society, this too must contain the poor, the weak, and the wicked ; for to do good, it is as necessary there should be those to whom it is lo be done, as that there should be others able to do it ; 4 therefore we have the poor always u it li us.' Among individual masons, one mav cdnlpr ohlitum nnrl nn. other may receive ?t, the beneficenee of the one, & the gratitude of the other, are aci both of them graceful, and equally contribute io ornament the lodge but the collected lodge is always a giver, and never a receiver. On Hie admission of a member of tie high, est rank, an honor is bestowed & a favor conferred on him, and he feels it. The monarch1 himself accepts the secret with a professibut by an act of unequivocal hu. mility ; for one great land marlc ol Masonry is, that it is free. It no coner that the inexperienced and thoughtless who may be actuated by curiosity. or operated on by sympathy. or outward show should be well advised, that there are some whom we cannot take, many that we will not have, and none that we can urge ; for the design is not to benefit those who join us, in any other way than by enabling them to benefit others, and they may do this without being ma ons- 1 nere ls- theretore, no ur-