An Ennobling
Science
The Masonic Craftsman 1938
Freemasonry has its bitter
enemies and its doubting
despisers. There are some
who have formed the opinion
that it was created as a
substitute for religion, whereas it
is only the handmaid to her
fair graces. Others presume
the labours of Masons are
trifling, absurd mysteries, or
profane mummeries; whereas
there is no subject existing
within the range and grasp
of the human intellect into
which the science of
Freemasonry does not enter in the
pursuit of wisdom and
knowledge. Some ridicule the
secrets of Freemasons,
declaring them to be either
hurtful to society or wrong
in themselves, whereas those
secrets are bonds of their
mutual fidelity by which they
pledge themselves to “trace
wisdom and follow virtue.”
Time was when the members
of the Craft were
denounced as dangerous, and
every man of eminence
known to be a Mason was
called upon to renounce his
connection with other
social activities. But in the face of
all opposition the
fraternity remained calm, and the sun of
Masonry has dispersed the
clouds which darkened her
sky so long.
Without territorial
possessions, without any other coercing
power titan that of
morality and virtue, Freemasonry has
survived the wreck of
mighty empires, and resisted the
destroying hand of time.
No other institution can be
compared with it. Every
other society sinks into
insignificance when placed
by the side of Masonry.
Christianity alone
excepted. Like Gray’s virtuous peasant,
Freemasonry keeps the
noiseless tenor of its way, and
rejoices in the unsullied
happiness of doing good.
When did Freemasonry first
begin to exist, and why has
the institution been thus
preserved? Masons’ work began
with the creation. To
understand the measures of weight
and light and sound - to
unravel, seize upon, and
comprehend those unchanging
laws by which the earth,
the sun, the moon, the
planets, are sustained in space to
follow up the changes of
seasons, and in every step of
the investigation, as the
intellect climbed from lofty truths
to truths still more lofty,
to pause in profound admiration,
to feel the Creator close
to the creature, and to adore -
this was the first aim of
Masonry, this its task, ever fresh,
never ended - a science
teeming with new results and
adding incentive after
incentive to praise and glorify
T.G.A.O.T.U. Freemasonry
has been preserved because
it instructs its members to
worship their Almighty Maker,
to honour and obey the
sovereign of the country, to be
peaceful in their stations,
diligent in their callings, honest
in their dealings,
respectful towards their superiors, gentle
and condescending to their
inferiors, merciful towards
their enemies, kind and
obliging in all the duties of their
common life. Such is the
institution which has been
preserved to the world,
unlimited in its numbers, and
scattered over every land
and kingdom.
The work of the fraternity
today is to be true to the original
character of the order; to
continue to follow the God of
nature through all the
wonderful variety of His works: and
to keep the silence and
observe the sacred rules imposed
upon the Craft. It might be
said by some scoffer if
Masonry be such a pure and
ennobling science, should
not all Masons be wise, and
good, and temperate, and
self-denying, full of piety
and good words? The answer is
that the fitness of any
system is not to be tried and
condemned because of
unworthiness in some. If any man
has been led by an
impatient curiosity, without higher
motive, to place unhallowed
feet on the tessellated
pavement, if any has turned
the hallowed purposes of
Masonry into mere convivial
meetings, if any has been
content with merely,
acquiring superficial acquaintance
with the Craft, let not the
system itself be charged with
their perversions, their
sins, or their folly: an unworthy
brother would perhaps have
been a worse man if he had
not been a Mason.
