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Article MASONIC DIDACTICS; ← Page 2 of 2
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Masonic Didactics;
be more corrosive in its operation , either upon our moral character or temporal prosperity . The old adage says" Early to bed and early to rise , Makes a man healthy , wealthy , and wise " three blessings , which are by no means to be despised , if personal comfort , public estimation , and honorable fame , are desired . Wherefore , all who wish to be eminent—all who wish to be rich—all who wish to be happy—ought sedulously to follow that golden rule . For , says the heathen
moralist" Diliculo surgere saluberrimum est . " " To rise betimes in the morning is most wholesome . " No . II . —THE FOLLY OF INDULGING PASSIONATE GRIEF . Proprium hoc miseros sequitur vitium . Nunquam rebus credere laitis . —SENECA . The ear of grief is deaf to sounds of joy . —AUTHOR . DESPAIR seems to be the kind of grief which the ancient moralist
declares will not be removed by sounds of merriment . It is sceptical in believing that such an emotion as joy exists . To the jaundiced eye of the unhappy the gloom of the misanthrope is most pleasing . This morbid feeling of the mind is one of those evil passions whicli too generally affect the temperament of certain constitutions , and , like all other bad passions , if not early controlled , will slowly poison the heart , and eventually plunge its possessor into real and irreparable misery .
Men , when wallowing in full-grown prosperity , and basking in the sunshine of fortune ' s favors , seize , for sensual gratifications , the " present moment as it flies , " and perceive not the darkening clouds of adversity , which are hovering over their heads , till it is too late to escape the tempest . Then succeeds the consequence of their giddy , thoughtless indulgencies;—the future is regarded with despondency ; and , enjoying no-celestial treasures to confide in , or supply the loss of this world ' s
goods , they yield themselves up , the morose votaries of despair , whereas , had they adopted the mild maxims of the true religion , and studied the morality which it enjoins , " their anger , " as Hannah More admirably observes , " would have been changed , against the persons they dislike , into a hatred for their sins . " This dire passion of the human mind , " like a canker-worm in the bud , " gnaws away the vital powers of existence , turns acid the milk of
human kindness , and more frequentl y impels its victim to seek relief in suicide . Such , then , being oftentimes the melancholy effects of a reverse of fortune , it is incumbent on all , as a moral duty , to use , with moderation , the gifts of Providence , and not to put so much confidence in affluence and temporal happiness . For , as the wise Seneca somewhere again remarks , " bona rerum optabilia adversarum mirabilia . " In conclusion , by our practice , let us manifest , that the virtue of prosperity is—temperance , of adversity— -fortitude , which , in ethics , is the most heroical .
Then" Oh , daughter of heav ' n , relentless power ' Oil ! gently on thy suppliant ' s head Lay thy chastising hand . Teach me to love and to forgive , Exact my own defects to scan , Wlial others arc to feel , and know myself a num . " ' ( Tu jc continue , !} .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Didactics;
be more corrosive in its operation , either upon our moral character or temporal prosperity . The old adage says" Early to bed and early to rise , Makes a man healthy , wealthy , and wise " three blessings , which are by no means to be despised , if personal comfort , public estimation , and honorable fame , are desired . Wherefore , all who wish to be eminent—all who wish to be rich—all who wish to be happy—ought sedulously to follow that golden rule . For , says the heathen
moralist" Diliculo surgere saluberrimum est . " " To rise betimes in the morning is most wholesome . " No . II . —THE FOLLY OF INDULGING PASSIONATE GRIEF . Proprium hoc miseros sequitur vitium . Nunquam rebus credere laitis . —SENECA . The ear of grief is deaf to sounds of joy . —AUTHOR . DESPAIR seems to be the kind of grief which the ancient moralist
declares will not be removed by sounds of merriment . It is sceptical in believing that such an emotion as joy exists . To the jaundiced eye of the unhappy the gloom of the misanthrope is most pleasing . This morbid feeling of the mind is one of those evil passions whicli too generally affect the temperament of certain constitutions , and , like all other bad passions , if not early controlled , will slowly poison the heart , and eventually plunge its possessor into real and irreparable misery .
Men , when wallowing in full-grown prosperity , and basking in the sunshine of fortune ' s favors , seize , for sensual gratifications , the " present moment as it flies , " and perceive not the darkening clouds of adversity , which are hovering over their heads , till it is too late to escape the tempest . Then succeeds the consequence of their giddy , thoughtless indulgencies;—the future is regarded with despondency ; and , enjoying no-celestial treasures to confide in , or supply the loss of this world ' s
goods , they yield themselves up , the morose votaries of despair , whereas , had they adopted the mild maxims of the true religion , and studied the morality which it enjoins , " their anger , " as Hannah More admirably observes , " would have been changed , against the persons they dislike , into a hatred for their sins . " This dire passion of the human mind , " like a canker-worm in the bud , " gnaws away the vital powers of existence , turns acid the milk of
human kindness , and more frequentl y impels its victim to seek relief in suicide . Such , then , being oftentimes the melancholy effects of a reverse of fortune , it is incumbent on all , as a moral duty , to use , with moderation , the gifts of Providence , and not to put so much confidence in affluence and temporal happiness . For , as the wise Seneca somewhere again remarks , " bona rerum optabilia adversarum mirabilia . " In conclusion , by our practice , let us manifest , that the virtue of prosperity is—temperance , of adversity— -fortitude , which , in ethics , is the most heroical .
Then" Oh , daughter of heav ' n , relentless power ' Oil ! gently on thy suppliant ' s head Lay thy chastising hand . Teach me to love and to forgive , Exact my own defects to scan , Wlial others arc to feel , and know myself a num . " ' ( Tu jc continue , !} .