WAIMATE. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2083, 6 January 1879, Page 2

WAIMATE. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

At the installation meeting of the St. Augustine Lodge of Freemasons, held at Waimate on the 27th December, the following officers were apoointed :— Bro. J. M'Nettl, R.W.M. ; Bro. Richd. Coming, D.M. ; Bro. Joseph Martin, S.W. ; Bro. Fredk. Gaitt, J. W. ; Bro. Gaitt, Treat, ; Bro. Gibbon, Sec ; Bro. G. Dikison S.D. ; Bro. J. Black, J.D. ; Bro. H. P. Fraser, 1.G. ; Bro. J. W. Gaitt, Tyler. At the close of the installation cere* mony, Bro. Gibbon, Senior M. Mason, presented the Right Worshipful Master, Bro. J. M. M'Neill, with a Past Master's jewel, and paid htm a high compliment for the service* he had rendered the Lodge, and for his knowledge of masonic science. The Right Worshipful Muter replied in suitable terms, and the Lodge hating been duly closed, the brethren proceeded to Bro. Sherwin s Royal Hotel, where a sumptuous banquet had been prepared. The elegant manner in which the tablet were set out, and the quality of the cheer, elicited high praise from all. Bro. Franks, of the Temuka Lodge, proposed '' The Health of the St. Augustine Lodge," coupled with the name of Bro. M'Neill, remarking on the Lodge's efficient state. Bro. M'Neill, R.W.M., in responding, thanked those present for the manner in which the toast had been leceived, and also those visiting, who had come from a distance for their presence there. After referring to the rise and progress of the St. Augustine Lodge, and to its present measure of prosperity, he said ; In tracing the history of Masonry we find that it has always advanced hand in hand with civilisation. In this colony for some years past the communities have become considerably larger, the population of the cities and towns has rapidly increased, and the people are more orderly, more settled, and more thoughtful than of yore. Altogether, morality has assumed a higher tone, hence the cause of Masonry taking so strong a root on these shores. The science of Masonry being founded in a great measure on the natural laws, is eminently calculated to find a warm reception in the hearts of men - who live as much with nature as many of ourselves and our fellow-colonists. For, when under the guidance of our Masonic pret cepts we survey nature's wondrous handiwork, the intelligent mind is struck with the wisdom, strength, and beauty of her plans. Wisdom in her immutable laws, which furnish us with an excellent example of the benefits arising from the practice of order, regularity, and precision. Strength in her gigantic works, in her stupendous mountain ranges, whose lofty pinnacles and snow-clad peaks tower upwards to the sky, and in the giant monarchs of her vast and trackless forests. And Beauty everywhere, and in each returning season of theyear. In spring nature dresses herself in simple beauty, in the modest wild flowers that deck her banks,{in the opening buds of trees, and in blossoms giving promise of future abundance. In summer she appears in da*zling beauty, in the foliage of her woods and forests, glancing in the radiance of the sun, and in the rich and clustering flowers that have opened since the spring. In autumn jjshe displays the (beauty of benevolence in the rich harvest of grt *^i and fruits she yields to man with an uiJr sparing hand. In winter her beauty is seen in sparkling glaciers, and in the fantastic frostwork created, as if by magio, in a single night From the study of nature we are taught the Masonic attributes of Faith, Hope, and Charity. From past experience in nature's universal goodness if we cast a seed into the ground, or set the germ of a tree, we have faith that each will yield after its kind ; and this creates in us a hope of becoming partakers in the benefits accruing from the fruits of our labor. When, as Masons, we have studied with patient earnestness the almost inexhaustible volume nature unfolds for our research, the mind instinctively turns from things created intuitively to acknowledge the supremacy of the Divine Oreatqn, whose power changed man from inanimate dust to animate life, implanting within him a spiritual intellect, which enables him to distinguish between right and wrong, to choose or refuse, to reason and conclude, to judge and appreve or condemn, to admire and appreciate j and the thoughts being thus led upward frqm nature to nature's God, prompted by reverence and admiration, we bow before the Eternal Being, whose wisdom devised nature's unerring laws, whose strength supports the universe, of which He was and is the Great Architect, Grand Geometrician, and Most High Lord, and which His perfect and immortal skill has adorned with matchless beauty. Elevated and strengthened by the. enn"qblipg prinj ciples the study of nature inspires, let it be our constant pride to support the high and honorable name we bear with a dignity worthy of the noble character of our Institution, and to preserve uninf ringed the ancient landmarks and customs of our Order. Let us earnestly strive so to act that when a man is said to be a Freemason, the world may indeed know that he is one to whom the burdened heart may pour forth its sorrows, to whqm the distressed may prefer their suit, whose heart is guided by justice, and whose hand in extended by benevolence. Hence shall the lustre of Masonry, illumined by the glowing warmth of Charity, phine with undim Unshed splendor till time shall be no mqre. and the advent of eternity shall confirm the faith maintained in things nnseen by the sight of a glorious reality, and Hope shall end in the eternal enjoyment of immortality. The "Sister Lodges," ''Visiting Brethren," and usual toasts were duly proposed and replied to, interspersed with some good songs, concluding with the National Anthem and "AuldLang Syne."