STB-MA78
Music on this page is: piano sonata no. 3. in bb Movement #2 andante by Brother Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
A NEW DELIGHT
For many years prior to serving as Grand
Master of Masons in Georgia in 1938,
Brother John L. Travis was a serious and
dedicated Masonic student and lecturer. In
1914, a series of his lectures, "First Three
Steps," was published for the benefit of the
new Mason. These scholarly lectures contain timeless challenges that are as applicable today as they were then. "A New Delight" has been adapted from one of those
lectures.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Care has been taken not
to change this script into more contemporary
language. Rather, the language of the early
1900's has been preserved for "flavor."
There could be no better advice to men who
are taking, as you are, their first step in Masonry, than that they should take due heed of
all that upon which they enter. You have
entered this evening as apprentices into the
greatest school of morality and spiritual knowledge to be found in the world by men who are
as unprepared as you are. Masonry is the
school in which you are taught how scientifically to live your life in accordance with the
will of God and how to regulate your conduct
so that every act, word and thought shall be in
harmony with the divine laws. By a cheerful
and conscientious compliance with those laws
and with the precepts of Masonry you will
reach that point where death will have no terrors; where, when the call comes, you can,
without fear and without improper regret,
"draw the drapery of your couch about you
and lie down to pleasant dreams;" where your
ears will be attuned to the harmony of the
spheres and your eyes will see the light which
"never was on land or sea." By a cheerful
compliance with the laws and precepts of Masonry you will reach such a point of development as you cannot believe even to exist in
your present condition and with your present
knowledge.
Masonry teaches by signs, symbols and ceremonies. Every word, motion, and even your
very foot-prints since you first appeared at the
door of this lodge room have been full of a
profound meaning; and these very words, motions and steps, together with the symbols which
you see displayed about you, have hidden in
them that mighty wisdom which was revealed
by the Great Creator to the men who lived
before the flood--the primitive revelation
which guided the footsteps of the ancestors of
the patriarchs. When you come to see and to
understand the beautiful and yet simple system
of Masonic philosophy you will find a new
happiness and every leaf and stone will contain for you a new delight.
It is impossible for me this evening to give
you any explanation of many of these most
important symbols. Therefore, we are com-
pelled to leave for future study the plumb, the
level, the square, the compasses, the Holy
Bib!e, the pillars, the altar and many other of
the symbols of Masonry, and we will confine
ourselves to the Apron, which is perhaps the
oldest of all symbols. After the Fall, as it is
called, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve
made for themselves aprons of leaves, and the
girdle and apron have been ever used as symbols of profound truth. The deepest of these
meanings you are not perhaps capable of understanding, as to know all the meanings of
the apron would require a most extended
knowledge of ancient religions, ancient philosophies, astronomy, geometry, history and ethnology, and as you are just come to us from
the outer darkness, to throw upon you too
much light would have the effect that too much
light ever has--it would blind you and would
be worse than the darkness from whence you
came. However, some of the external meanings of the Apron can be given to you and may
be the means of inducing you to seek for the
further and deeper significations of this wonderful symbol. Pulling up the bib and pulling
down the skirt you see a triangle with the point
upward and a square. The square in this aspect of the Apron symbolizes matter, physical
matter, the earth and the appetites and pas-
sions which belong to the physical body. The
square in its various aspects and forms has
many other meanings which you will learn
when you are entitled to know them. The
equilateral triangle with the point uppermost,
symbolizes God in existence, while the right
angle triangle, such as this is, with the point
uppermost, signifies God in action and also
the works of God and as man is considered to
be among His greatest works it signifies the
soul of man which is the spark from God. This
is sometimes represented by a flame, the flame
representing the triple nature of man, the fire,
the light and the heat, representing the soul,
the spirit and the body--three in one--and the
point being upward as a flame, indicates aspi-
ration. To quote from the old hymn:
"Rivers to the ocean run,
Nor stay in all their course;
Fire, ascending, seeks the Sun,
Both speed them to their source.
"So the soul that's born of God
Longs to see His heavenly face;
Upward tends to His abode,
To rest in His embrace."
In the Apron you thus see the representation
of the soul and spirit in the triangle reaching
upward to the highest things and the body,
represented by the square, which hold!i it down
to earth.
It is the purpose and object of Masonry to
teach you how to conform your life by the
practice of the virtues of morality--honesty,
charity, brotherly love, relief, truth, purity in
heart and thought, so that the body may be
raised to a higher rate of vibration, a higher
condition, and be made a fit dwelling place for
the Mighty Spirit, the spark from the divine
fire which the Great Creator placed there at
your birth. In order that this body may be a
fit temple for God, you must cleanse and
purify, removing from it every trace of intentional wrong-doing and making it clean and
sweet and pure and holy, so that the glory of
God may descend upon it and illuminate it,
and that you may become a beacon for the
guidance of all those who are seeking light.
You may think that this is an ideal and not
capable of practical demonstration. You may
be surprised to learn that the half has not been
told you of the capabilities of the human soul
for development, growth and understanding,
and that in the course of one short human
life you can reach to heights which in your
present condition you are incapable of conceiving.
Masonry is a scientific school. It does not
depend upon theory, but every single point of
its instruction has been tested by the experience
of millions of men in all ages of the world.
Not a single man ever lived in accordance with
the Masonic tenets that did not get accurately,
scientifically and impartially the absolute compensation for every single good act of his life.
And there can be no safe, sane or permanent
spiritual growth except on the lines laid down
by Masonry. Because the teachings of Masonry are founded on the eternal truth.
Masonry has known for hundreds of years
that the thoughts of the heart make us what
we are, and that it is possible for man to control those thoughts, to keep out the bad and
call in the good and by controlling those
thoughts we can control every act of our lives
and be no longer mere derelicts tossed about
and blown hither and yon by every passing
wind, but we can move forward grandly, steadily and irresistibly toward that goal of happiness which can be reached only as the result
and reward of honest effort.
There is another meaning of the Apron.
The square is used to symbolize the receiving
faculties, and the triangle the giving powers.
ln this Apron you can see your life history in
that heretofore you have received far more
than you have given. Masonry has long ago
discovered that happiness consists in giving
not less than we receive. Heretofore you have
received more benefits than you have conferred, but by this symbol you are told that you
cannot keep this up. You must confer at least
as much as you receive. Emerson says in his
wonderful essay on Compensation: "Benefit i~
the end of nature. But for every benefit which
you receive, a tax is levied. He is great who
confers the most benefits--to receive favors
and render none. In the order of nature we
cannot render benefits to those from whom
we receive them, or only seldom. But the
benefit we receive must be rendered again,
line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to
somebody."
Heretofore Masonry has had no concern with
your conduct. It has had no obligation to you,
and you have had none to it. You are now accepted into membership in the oldest society
or association in the world, and from the moment of your reception here, every member of
that society throughout the world owes you
obligations of vast importance. Your reception
here may be truly said to be the greatest benefit which has ever been conferred upon you
in your whole life. Do not forget that from
this moment you owe Masonry a most sacred
duty. This Apron, which is presented to you
freely by the lodge to be your own property,
and which we trust you will preserve and
cherish until it shall be laid at last about you
when your body shall be placed in the grave--
this Apron, for the first time tied about your
waist tonight, is the emblem of purity and
innocence. Not the innocence of the infant
who cannot think evil, nor, if he could, can
he carry it into effect, but the innocence of the
strong man, that innocence which is better expressed by the word "harmlessness;" the innocence of him who knows wrong and can do it,
yet chooses the right because it is right.
This Apron you may remove when you
leave the lodge room, but symbolically it will
ever be tied about you, and to your dying day
you can never remove the obligation which this
garment symbolizes. If you disgrace it by dishonesty, stain it by impurity or by any of
those things which are immoral, you will be
inexpressibly base, for you will violate your
own most sacred promise and also--and now
since you know it, it will be a deliberate violation--one of the fundamental laws of nature
of God.
You are thinking that some Masons do not
live as they should, and that if they do not
live right, you, too, can be excused for failure
to perform your duties and discharge your
obligations. Yes, my Brother, some men do
fail to do right, and this is found not only
among Masons, but among other classes as
well. But do you think it any excuse for the
murderer that other men have committed murder, or to the thief that other men steal, or to
the deserter that others have basely left their
duty in the face of danger? No, my friend,
you are now to try to live by higher rules; not
to be as good or better than others, but to be
better than yourself.
Purify your heart, therefore, my Brother.
And remember that purity of heart is a condition to happiness and spiritual growth. For
when the great day of judgment shall come,
if you have to offer to the Most High for a
temple a dwelling place, only a mind full
of lust and filthy imaginings and a body debased by impurity and evil practices, what will
be your condition? If, instead of a fit dwelling
place, you can offer to the King of all the earth
and sky but a pig wallow, will you not in that
day call upon the mountains and the rocks to
fall upon you and hide you from the face of
Him that sitteth on the throne?
But if you can truly say on that day, "Dear
Lord, here is myself, as a living temple, swept
and garnished by labors for others, purified
both within and without by love, charity, and
truth, plumbed by the plumb of justice and
right, level with the level of brotherly love and
humility, and square with the square of virtue,"
then indeed will the Divine Spirit enter into
your heart and dwell there and give you peace.
Therefore, guard thy heart with all diligence,
for out of it are the issues of life and death.
HOW TO USE THIS
SHORT TALK
There are several ways in which this
Short Talk can be used effectively in
Lodge .
It can be read! However, this is the
least preferable way.
It can be memorized and recited as a
lecture. If this is done, it would be wise
to preface it with an explanation that it is
in the phraseology of the early 1900's.
It can be used as a tool in providing
Entered Apprentices with added instruction for them to "study at your leisure."
Possibly it could be used to stimulate
their interest and provide them with added material for discussion.
Probably the greatest use will be for
this Short Talk Bulletin to be used as the
basis for other talks by Masonic Speakers.
It contains a variety of thoughts which
can be elaborated and built upon.
Masonic Study Groups will find it a
useful tool in generating discussions and
exchanging thoughts.
However it is used, it will serve the
Craft in providing "more light" and more
insight into the application of Masonic
teachings into our daily lives.
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