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RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION, j Ane copy of Hie paper one year $ 2 Ofi Three copies of the paper one year,.... 5 ()0 S'ive copies of the paper one year, SOU Ten copies of the paper one year, 15 00 Invariably in Advance. Communications solicited from all scc tione, but in no instance will they be inserted »i hout the name of the writer accompany them. Address all communications to CANTRELL & ANDREWS. MASONIC ADD HESS, Delivered Before Canipbellton Dodge, t\o. 76, F. A, M. Fairborn, Ga., June 24, 1872. Rev. G. R. Moor, Atlanta, Ga., Dear Sir: Wo most respectfully ask you to furnish us with a copy of the ad dress delivered to-day, at the masonic festival at Campbell ton, G a.,for publica tion in the Fairborn Waif. Respectfully &c. Ur. W. 11. 11. Peek. T. J. Landrum. W. 11. Andrews. Jcsemi Brantley. Atlanta, Ga., July 8, 1872. Dr. W. 11. H. Peek, et at., Fairburn, Gentlemen : Your request is before uie and duly considered. I have, by to day’s mail, forwarded a copy of the address to you for publication, which I have prepared as well as time and op portunity would admit. Fraternally yours, G. 11. Moor. ADDRESS. Ladies, gentlemen, and members of the fraternity cf ancient free and ac cepted masonry. St. John’s day is one of no ordinary importance to the craft. When we recognize a point within a circle, and the margins of that circle ornamented with two per pendicular lines, we have in view two of the brightest lights of our ancient, worthy and revered institution, St. John the evangelist, and St. John the Baptist; the anniversary of the latter of whom we have met to commemors ate. St. John the Baptist was the fore runner of Jesus, the son of the Jewish Priest, Zacharias and his pious wife, Elizabeth; he was a zealous preacher of repentance, and had the honor of baptising the Savior of man, and point ing to him said, behold the Lamb of God. On the 29th day of August,.in thirty-second or thirty-third year of his life, King Herod caused him to be be headed by which one of the great pat rons of Masonry and a fervent ad vocate of faith, hope, and charity, was called by the great Divine Architect of the universe from bis labor on earth to refreshment in Heaven. The 24thday of June is bis birth day, and is, through out all Christendom, dedicated to bis memory by all true masons. We find in first Corinthians 13th chap, and 13th verse, these words: “And now abidetli faith, hope, and charity, but the greatest of these is charity. Every intelligent mason knows that this language embraced the true principles of practical free masonry in all ages of the world. And now abidetb, etc. When we retrospect the past, and behold the kingdoms that have arisen, fallen and crumbled to the dust, and the empires that have flourished, and for a time passed away like vapor before the scorching sun, and the cities of fame, that are now mouldering in ashes, and the blood shed and carriage of anarchy, and wars that have produced so much suffering, misery, wretchedness and dissatisfaction, we of the mystic order, find at least a melancholy con solation in the fact that masonry has suivived the storm and still stands un impaled, an impregnable monument of usefulness and a glorious benefactor of the human family and from whose towering summets is ever unfurled the waving banner of love and faith upon whose delicate folds are inscribed in golden character, a common brother hood and universal philanthropy to all; these emblems are ever the same and as uncbatigable as the great principles they represent. Masonry presents her blessings the same to all; she cowers not at the insults of foes nor boasts cf the laudits of friends; the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlearned, the peasant and the prince are upon a level in the shrines of ancient mason ry; virtue, honor and integrity being the only passports she demands for ad mission to her temples, and these, she demands from thrones principalities and powers as well as from the hum blest walks of private life. Some men being unable to compre hend the mysterious workings of ma sonry or bewildered at its wouderful achievements oftcu ask us for its ori gin. We respond for very far back in the eternal and distant past, tho great Controlling Spirit first brought positive magnetic force or sublimated spiritual activity to operate upon the cold, dead, negative, electric matter, out of which f worlds and system of VOL.l.} worlds that were a vast and unlimited infinitude filled with embryotic death, were built, and slowly, silently 7, and successfully entered upon tho stupend ous duty of world building, following all the successive growths, devclopc ments and unfoldings, such as the un folding of light, heat and magnetism, the clevelopement of planets, worlds and suns, and the growths of tho miner als, vegetables, and animals of these planets, until immensity is found teem ing with revolving worlds circling orbes brilliant suns and sparkling stars playing to the sweetest music, and most delightful harmony, that the iuhabitance of tho different planets shouted aloud for joy. One nation of people succeeded another, the fleeting pinions of time have sweetly glided over many circles of successive ages, thousands of years have rolled away and been lost amid the dying echoes of tl.o eternal past, and suns, moons, planets and stars still retain their re spective orbits in gentle obedience to the mandates of universal law in force from all eternity. Silently descending from the sublime consideration of the collossal whose architraves and archway seems to be the ghostly pillars of immensity to the small plan et on which we live, and we still see the same system of conformity to law. The mountains, hills, plains, and val leys of the earth as well as the mys terious workings of her interior strata, all certain masonry in its original ma tural state. Here we find geometry, poetry, music, symetry and harmony. Order reigns supreme. Not a jar, not a jottle occurs in all the universe. The great spiritual force guides the millions of shining luminaries in their rapid motion around the celestial port als of vast infinitude and whirls tho countless constellations of unnumber ed worlds around the central Throne of Onnicience. If you can trace all these towering productions of Father God and Mother Nature to ther origin al fountain, you will have reached the origin of the principles of true mason ry. But this does not satisfy the anxious enquirer. lie wishes to know when men began to practice the rites and ceremonies of masonry. We do not know the precise time. Ancient his tory reveals the fact, that there exist ed centuries before the birth of Christ, people well versed in architecture, ma terial evidence of their superior skill are still extant. We have assurances that the people thus informed organiz ed societies to which none but the wor thy were admitted. At a later period about thirteen hundred and fifty years before Christ were established, eleusini an mysteries, the mysteries Geres, the dyonysian mysteries, and others. It was deemed a grave offensa to divulge the secrets of these mysteries, and the penalty therefor was death. It is quite probable that the institution of ancient masonry was the out growth of some or all of these societies or mysteries. We believe that the building of King Solomon’s Temple, one of the most elaborate and magnificent edifices of the world, was the legitimate pro duct of distinguished masons. We arc fully satisfied that masonry undergo ing many essential modifications as the world advanced in learning and civilization, has been transmitted to us from this antique date. It is a certain historical fact that the institution does and has existed for many centuries.— She is hoary with age and full of blush ing honors. She has never deviated from the ancient land marks. Her aims are high, her objects hallowed, her put poses pure and holy. Her ul timate debire is to improve the mental and moral condition of man and pro mote the best interests of society.— She fosters improvements in every con dition of life and disseminates learning everywhere. Her gentle approach puts to flight stupid ignorance and old su perstition, as tho glorious light of the sun scatters darkness from the face of the earth. Her tribunes of justice are held in the halls of learning, and the wise and tho good suppliantly bow at her shrine in search of more light.— The brightest literary gems of earth are found in her kaskets, her most beautiful diadems of glittering jewels of the liberal arts and sciences. But while she derives much pleasure in con fering the benefits we have mentioned upon the minds of men, her bright pe culiar mission is charity. In the lan guage we have quoted from Saint Paul, lie the most highly eminent and FAIR BURN, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, JULY 19. 1872. gifted apostle pronounced charity the greatest of tho cardinal principals of Christianity. Again he said though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity. lam bo come as “sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” Charity sufforeth long and is kind. Charity is the benevolent spirit of true masonry. Relieve masonry of this animating and invigorating principle and she would he a cold pulseless and lifeless organization, prepared for the shroud and tomb of oblivion. But she cannot perish, the world is yet a heritage of woe. The direful effects ofevil are yet devastating mankind. The disasters of war are yet felt by man; a voice of lamentation is heard everywhere; dis tress comes upon the children of men, poverty and misery visit the unfortun ate. Widowhood and orphanage have not forsaken humanity. So long as these evils are prevalent masonry will flourish. She is the very essence of sympathy, and breathes universal philanthropy. Her distinguishing characteristics are brotherly love to man and devotion to God. The world is her field of opera tion and mankind her benefactors.— Neither her precepts, practices nor benefits can be converted into a mo nopoly by individual corporation or na tion. She bestows kind counsel and charitable relief alike upon tho peas ant and the king, the poet and the phi losopher. Where gloom gathers and grief displays her sable ensign, wheth er they be in the lowly hut or lordly mansion, she silently enters and whis pers cheering words into the ear of the disconsolate and offers relief to the af flicted and distiessed. She visits the home of the widow and orphan and with peculiar care and affection admin isters to their wants by supplying them with the comforts of life. She re gards their claims as binding upon the craft,and consoles the widow and coun sels tho orphan. She speaks kindly and judges liber ally towards the human family on all wfasinns. She does not cloak crime and protect criminals, as has been un justly charged against her by some; hut she does throw the mantle of char ity over the faults of an erring broth er, and administers a kird rebuke more pnngent, powerful and effective than the severe penalty of any munici pal code of public justice; she like John the Baptist, points him to the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. She encourages him to abandon the paths of wickedness and the road to ruin and return to the walks of re spectability,useful happiness. Many a man laboring under the heavy weight of accumulated errors, shuddering and trembling under the willful and malign censure of society, and at the same time, the deriding finger of scorn is constantly pointed at him wherever he goes driving him down deeper and deeper into the fatal abyss of degra dation, hut by these gentle ministra tions of love,has been reclaimed from a dark dismal destiny, and made a hap py man and a useful member of socie ty and his country. If a brother should become so ob durate and callous, so wreckless and abandoned to tho principles of right, and so seared and steeped in crime, that no re-proof can reach, and no ad monitions influence, and no appliances of love reclaim, he is then reported to the masonic world, as unworthy of public or private confidence, and as an incumbrance to the craft, that every member everywhere may know him and confer upon him such respect as he justly merits, but the family of such poor unworthy brothers are not forsaken by the true masonic spirit.— Masonry does not visit the sins of the father on his innocent offspring. This is the charity that endureth all things “ hopeth all things, and believeth all thiegs,” while the persistantly guilty arc punished, the mantle of charity is thrown around their innocent children. Shall masonry be reproached for these missions of love, God forbid 1 rather let it regarded as the most pre cious jewel of her glorious achieve ments. Let it he engraved in golden characters upon her ancient tablets as among the purest deeds of mortal life, and let it be inscribed in living light, athwart the cerulean bluo that all may read and learn. Let all be as sured that masonry is an enemy to lerimo and a terror to evildoers.— That her motto is “Hope fuilli and charity. ” Again some object to her secret councils. Can there he no more plans able objections urged than this ? Let everybody hear and realize tho fact that secrecy is the mother of all great designs. In secrecy’s power, divinity moves in secrecy to the accomplish ment of great purposes. Thousands of years ago in secret council the workmanship of this stupenduous uni verse was inaugurated, and silently arid noiselessly was the workmanship thereof accomplished, and have been silently rolling in the regions of illim itable space for thousauds of centu ries. In a’' nature there are silence and mystery this earth cf ours is roll ing and whirling at the alarming rates of seventeen miles per minute, yet so silently that we cannot perceive or re alize it. In winter the polar regions of tho North are covered vith snow, the ocean congealed with ice. Willi us the fields are bleak and bare, and all nature looks cold and dead. A little while and that mysterious net-work or part that spreads itself so silently in tho dead hours of night upon the face of the earth will cease to come. The hills and mountains that have been hidden beneath huge collections of snow, gently make their appearance. Here and there in the bleak, naked forests will appear a swelling bud,and here and there a lender leaflet until all is robed in living green,variously tint ed. The fields that in winter are brown and bare, in a twinkling, will be cov ered with a soft, velvety, emerald car peting. Flowers of every hue and tint, and of every size from the tiny delicate snow-drop to the magnificent magnolia, will deck the earth in beau - ty and fill the air with sweetness.— The little birds, too, that have so mys teriously disappeared, will, all unseen, silently and mysterionly return, and in tho beautiful meadows, and among the sweet flowers, will make glad music. It is spring time,and universal nature, buoyant with hope and life, and wild with joy, .111'! proud ot tier magirorcnUt prospects, like a bride for the altar,has arrayed-herself iu her most gorgeous attire. A little while and the scene changes again. Summer lias come. The leaves of the forest have assumed a different hue. The beautiful fields of waving green have now the golden tint, and are ready for the cycle. The beautiful bloom of fruit trees is now the ripened fruit. Anon and it is Au tumn. Nature is subdued, sober, dig nified. The fields grow bare, and the forests duff their robes of sombre brown.— Thus the year has rolled away. She came to us naked. In the spring na ture spun and wove her rich carpet and her magnificent dress, but did you hear the whiz and hum of the wheel! Did you see or hear the flying shuttle! Did you hear the rattle or clatter of her machinery! Or the heavy clanking of her loom! Ah, n<>! The truth is all great agencies woik silently. Verily, “God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.” His dews des cend silently in the still of night to re fresh liis drooping plants. Masonry goes in silence to revive the drooping spirits of her children. The electric telegraph, the fleetest, most powerful and most wonderful agent under the dominion of man, does its work in si lence, abusing no confidence, develop ing no designs, betraying no trusts,re vealing no secrets The coral reefs, those wonders of the deep, arc the pro duction cf an insect so diminutive that it can scarcely be seen with the naked eye. The silent workings and silent wonders of the world are mani fold. But all this does not fully satis fy the enemies of our ancient order.— They still demand that masonry should throw open her doors and reveal her secrets. She is very obliging, and never “passes by on the other side,” but she cannot, will not gratify her en emies with her wonderful and sublime secrets. A thousand years experience, her own good sense and history with a thousand tongues and a thousand lessons, all admonish her to keep her own councils. “Let not your left hand know what your right hand docth,”is the language of the Nazarene. He often charged the beneficiaries of his power and kindness that they should tell no man. Fearful calamities have often resulted to individual families and nations from the injudicious revelation of some se cret council. Wo will mention only o nc; while Sampson the Jewish cham- {NO. 11. pion, held tho great secret of his strength within his own bosom he was a tower of strength, and rn impregria bio wall of defense to his people; r experienced warrior nor combined hosts could withstand the unmeasured strength of liis mighty arm. But his strength failed when Induced by the flattery and delusion of the designing sorceress to unveil tho fount of liis gi gautis power. liis long curly locks were clipped and he was bound with cords and carried to Gaza, where his eyes were mutilated and iiii vision de stroyed. Those who Inid feared him gathered around him and insulted him with obloquy'and derision. We are not surprised to meet oppo sition. All beneficient organizations have been bitterly opposed and severely | criticised from time immemorial. An edict went iortii throughout the land of Judea, that all tho infants under two years of age should be beheaded, when it was known that the redeemer of fallen man was horn. When Jesus began to preach the gospel of salvation, conspiracies were instituted for liis destruction. The Christian church plants its stand ard upon the hilltops, opens wide her doors, and iuvites all to participate in free salvation and faith. And tho her alds of tho cross proclaims its doctrine from the hilltops and highways, but infidelity, instead of being silenced, marshals a miserable crew to assault the harmless lambs of God. The church if God sits with open doors; masonry has her doors well tylod, each has its enemies, “Yet abidetli faith, hope and charity, and the greatest of these is charity.” We will now consider some of the benefits of this time-honored institu tion. “ Tliricc blessed volume, bosk Oiviae, By Inspiration given,” would have been lost to man had it not been preserved in the secret councils of masonry, when the minds and spirits of men were enshrouded with inpenetrable darkness axd inflamed with mad destiny. The earth was en veloped with a gloom more frightful than volcanic eruptions, more terrible than the doom of the imaginary sufferer and more horrible than the burning sulphur of hell; teligious despots would rear their despotic thrones, and enforce their bloody rights and cruel laws throughout their entire dominions, blinded ; blood - thirsty supostlion stalked the earth at midday and dc nniiiycu nor ucuuimiua ei niS,ii»i. . thus; the fearful carnage of universal agony afflicted the human family; an archy ruled without a rival; but through the instrumentality of mason ry, led by John the Baptist and Juhn the Evangelist, this fearful doom lias averted. In what history has prosperly de nominated the dark ages, at the time when vain idolatry and bigolted super stition prevailed, when vengful perse cution laid violent hands upon tho al tars of piety, waged inveterate and destructive wars upon the votaries of religion and swore by the power of the wicked one, that the last volume of Holy Writ and the last vestage of Christianity should be consigned to the scorching flames or swept from the face of the earth. Masonry snatched tho Bible as a brand from (ho burning flames, covering it with torn lamb skin and pressing it close to her bosom, retired to the hidden soli tude of the mountains where she re solved to preserve it or perish with it. She was successful in the effort. For years and perhaps centuries, her home was in tho sylvan gloom of the unfrequented wilderness, or amid the rocky cliffs of the rugged mountains, far from the habitations, seen and known only by Him whose protecting care ever shields tho worthy; the world for tire time being lost sight of her; secretly, silently and quietly, she practiced her mystic rights and faith fully guarded her precious charge with an ultimate view to the salvation of man. The bloodhounds of persecution, drunk with the grave slaughtered thousands, and thinking their work complete sluggishly fell asleep at the base of their idols. Masonry in the meantime holds her councils in her quiet retreats, gathers strength for an other struggle, and waits patiently for a summons from tho Great Grand Master. The propetions day arrives. The summons comes. The Bible is brought forth from its hiding place, and tho saints of God make tho wel kin ring as they raise their shouts of Alleluiah 1 Alleluiah ! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Idolatry catch ing the reverberations of the mighty shout, trembles on her throne, for her days arc numbered. Her sword and spear arc broken, and her chariot is burned. Her prestige is gone. The Bible is saved forever. Could not some other instrumentali ty have been employed for this grand work 1 Perhaps so. The Great lam knows. What lie docs is well done. He com mitted it to the craft 7 They proved themselves worthy of trust, and to-day Christendom is indebted to tile craft as the instrument of God for the replend ent glories that crowd upon her. Ma sonry does not profess to make Christ ians of men, and yet by saving the Bible she has Christianized the world. It \ Ti; S O I At> iEuxlS IX(1 . Oue-Fqna:' <*, first in-ertion ft Lfi To eaoh subsequent in.-ti .-inn 50 Oi.o Square, six in. ntlis. 0 00 Ono Squiir tivclve months 12 00 Liberal deduction will be made for con tract advertisements. j Euougli to pay for eompcnithui will tic I charged for change of advertisements, flsii' All articles published for the benefit of parties or individuals, at their own solicitation | will be charged for as advertise incuts. I Slut tl< ' s claim however, th >t her stand ard of morality and discipline are un exceptionable. But we are told that bad men have been admitted into our lodges. We admit it. We regret it. We suppose it is unavoidable. There are bad men c.inging to the very horns of the altars in tho sanctuaries of the living God. There tiro bad men among the commissioned embassadors of Jehovah. There was a traitor among tho chosen twelve of Christ. A wor thy mason must certainly he a good j man. lie who practices by example and precept the teachings of masonry will find hilt little repauuch when 1 fe’s fleeting In urs are over, and the Grand Master culls him from labor to refresh ment. Her delicate fingers support the scrupulous scales of uncompromis ing justice; her hallowed feet treads upon the vices, prejudices and .passions of man; from her criming lips ever flows iii loving streams, words of love and wisdom to ameliorate the condi tions of the week, sad and dish-arton cd; her tongue ever interposes in deli cate accounts of sublime eloquence, a touching appeal i:i behalf of suffering humanity and ever advocates the cause of him who wept that humanity might rejoice, and who died that hu manity might live, her gentle sparkling eyes never sleep, lest some gh.-stly spcctor of extreme want or some hor rid misery might pass unobserved, and the favored opportunity 7 of mitigating suffering; her ear is ever open to the wail of distress come from whence it may, borne upon any breeze may not pass unheeded; her heart is a beautiful recepticle moral excellence and Christ ian virtue interwoven with tho tender cords of brotherly love; her spirit is a living fountain of love to man and devotion to God; her brow is radiant with the genial glow of universal phi lanthropy upon her person, she carries the lamb skin,and tho badge of a mason more ancient than tho yellow fleece or Roman eagle,and more honorable than tho star or garter, or any other minia ture-conferred by King, I’iinco or Pot entate; in her countenance is a modest expression more resplendant with deeds of conscientious purity than the jewels or diadems of n sceptered monarch, — Around her clusters the brightest earthly hopes of man, under her kind protection tho wearied, the widow and the orphan, take shelter. Education, learning, the liberal arts and sciences, kneeling devotedly at Her feet, and looking affectionately into her benignant face, tenderly lisp’s Mother. w iittc vmr lsu.u/it j gperncry cttkatw net the hand and whispers, Twin Sister.- Woman, that “last best gilt of God to man,” elevated through “mystic” in strumentality from her low estate of “hewer of wood and. drawer of water” to her proper place, hard by the lords of creation, recognizing her deliverer, crowds into the courts, of Masonry and lays upon her burnished alter the beau tiful homage of a grateful heart. Com merce, white winged and wide spread ing, looks to the craft as her founder and benefactor as she goes freighted with masons and missionaries to tho utnv-st ends of the earth. Who can comprehend the wonders of masonry ! The gift of God to the human race, it is her province to traverse the earth, without regard to country or clime, the pioneer of Christianity, making rough places smooth, and crooked»ways straight. Beneath the rays of her generous light, and under th j genial warmth if her glowing spirit, the pas sions of men are subdued and many of their prejudices eradicated. Masonry is old and full of honors.— From the beginning she had her ene mies, and has them yet. She has surs vived the storms of the past-, and feats no evil in the future. She is built upon a broad, firm base, with the Bible for hot" corner stone, she rears her symetri cal form heavenward till her summit is lost in tho spangled canopy above, and guarded by the arm of Omnipotence, and guided by His power, she will sur vive the wreck of matter and (be crush of worlds. Brethren of the craft: “ I am that I am,’’spake the master of assemblies. Let every member of tho mystic faith be “I arc that I am.” Bo what you profess co bo. Do not do like Peter, deny your high calling; forsake not your ancient landmarks; standfast by the principles of the order. The fields are white unto harvest. The widow and the orphan are among you; do not forget them; be true to them and you will be true to masonry. To tho officers present, allow me to say to you, Attend faithfully to every thing that demands your attention; do not neglect the interest of the lodge, or of a worthy brother; live without wilful sin and without reproach in the world; find delight iu instructing young masons in the duties and mys teries of the order; be prudent in coun sels and gentle in your admonitions, but never withhold a rebuke when the good of a brother or of the institution demands it; live up to the principles of the order and make yourselves bright, • shining examples of consistency and honor; revere the Holy Bible and faith fully serve the Great I Am. I now tender you my sincere thanks for the patience with which you have hoard me,asking you to ever remember the beautiful language of St Paul,"and now abidetli faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest yf these is char ity. ”