fortythree children were supported. In the year 1798, the King of Saxony openly acknowledged this institution, and gave it the privilege of a benevolent foundation. A Brother, named Von Leipzigu, left it the half of his fortune; and the high court chaplain, Reinhard, founded in it an exhibition for one poor child. Other benefactors have supported this institution, as well as the Lodges; so that thirtyone poor children are regularly maintained in it. From the time of its foundation until 1815, eight hundred pupils had been supported and educated in it. The children of parents who are not so poor as to be entirely unable to educate their own families, are admitted, and they pay sixtysix dollars per annum. They are instructed in religion, reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing, singing, natural history, mechanics, history, mathematics, and latin. A governess teaches the females domestic work.

Druiden oder Celtische Mysterien. Druids or Celtic Mysteries. It is supposed that the Celts possessed peculiar secrets. The Druids were their priests, and formed, as the Brahmins do in India, a peculiar caste among them; and, like the Brahmins, were held in the highest estimation; inasmuch as they were the teachers and philosophers of these people, and had great influence with the government itself. They officiated at all public and private sacrifices; explained the principles of religion; distributed all rewards; and, at certain seasons of the year, officiated as judges, and determined the punishment of particular crimes, and punished those who refused to submit to their decisions with excommunication, whereby they were prohibited from attending public worship; they could even excommunicate a whole nation at one time. They elected the principal officers in every city, who dared not undertake any thing of importance without having first consulted them. They were free from all taxes and imposts. The instruction of the youth, not only in religious matters, but every other kind of knowledge, except the art of war, was exclusively in their hands. Their instructions were all communicated orally, and in verses, which had often a secret meaning. They also believed in the immortality of the soul, and in its transmigration through various bodies. Besides this, they gave instructions in the nature and movements of the planets; in the immensity of the universe; the form and motions of this earth; the origin of created beings, and the might and power of the gods. They also practised astrology, witchcraft, and soothsaying; and were not without experience in natural history and medicine; yet the latter art they disguised by superstition. Their opinion of the value of the misletoe as a medicine, was most singular; for they considered it to be the most holy thing in nature, and a universal medicine. It is probable that this holy misletoe was the parasitical misletoe, which grows so frequently on oaks, and from which bird-lime is now prepared. The oak they considered sacred, and from it they derived their name. With respect to their government, they had one common head, or chief Druid, who was elected by a majority of votes, and who held his office for life.

Eclectiker Eclectisches system oder Maurer nach dem Eclectscher system Eclectical. Eclectical system, or Masons according to the Eclectical system.--The Eclectical was the name which those Freemasons gave their system, who, according to their account, had adopted a ritual, formed out of the best parts, carefully selected from all other rituals. Such a system was adopted at Frankfort-on-the-Main. After the death of John Peter Gogel, (at Frankfort,) Provincial Grand Master of the Frankish and upper and lower Rhine circle, in 1782, and the patent which was granted to him from London, might be considered as extinct; the two Lodges, the Union, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and Joseph, at the Royal Eagle, in Wetzlar, united to form this new system. The union of the Eclectical Masons also called themselves the United Lodges for Re-establishing the Royal Art of Ancient Freemasonry. Each Lodge was to be independent, and only to work in the three ancient degrees; but to be enabled to introduce the higher degrees without making them dependant upon the others. This union was never spread to any extent. The senator and bookseller, Bronner, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, was the first Grand Master.

ADDRESS,

Delivered by Br. WILLIAM F. STEARNS, at the laying of the University, at Oxford, Mississippi, on the 14th of July, 1846. the Oxford Lodge, No. 33.

corner-stone of the State Published by request of

"OUR fathers, where are they; and the prophets, do they live forever?" Can we not, even by the strong cords of affection, bind to this world, but for a little while, the cherished objects of our love? and is the highest excellence, the sublimest virtue, and the most exalted greatness, no protection against the stroke of the unsparing Destroyer? No. Death is the inevitable lot of all humanity. "The children of men are like grass. In the morning it flourishes and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down and withereth ;" and, as if man were condeinned to implant in all his creations the germs of that dissolution and decay which the primeval curse hath fastened upon himself, we see that the works of his hands, the triumphs of his skill, and the wonders of his art, all perish too. When has he reared a fabric, or founded an empire, or established a dynasty, which, after the lapse of a few fleeting centuries, has not been numbered among the things that were? Look back upon the past, and note the changes that have been wrought by the slow and silent influence of passing years. The stately tower, which lifted up its summit unto Heaven, as in defiance of the hand of Time, has long been levelled with the dust, and even the memory of its site has passed into oblivion. Proud cities, once styled the queens of the earth, which were the birth-place of Science, the nurseries of Philosophy, and the abodes of heroes, are untenanted, save by the prowling beast that makes his lair among their ruins. Empires, whose power once overshadowed the whole earth, and whose rulers made a spoil of all the nations, have arisen, flourished and fallen, and now we only know from the page of history that they ever existed. We read of the miracles, as they were once considered, that they were wrought by the pencil of an Appelles and the chisel of Phidias; but Time has destroyed those beautiful creations, which were the wonder and admiration of the world. The works of poets, which were regarded by the cotemporaries as immortal, are lost beyond recall, and the pen whose traces it was once believed would always remain to men, as when the gifted finger of Genius first grasped it, has left no record of its doings. The wearied eye searches in vain among the records of hoary antiquity for something of merely human origin which exhibits no symptoms of decline, but has withstood, age after age, the universal tendency to change and destruction.

An argument often and forcibly used in support of the pretensions of Christianity, is derived from the annals of its triumphs over the attacks of its enemies,triumphs which all must admit, could never have been achieved by human means alone. In its origin, like the small cloud that was seen by the servant of the prophet, it gave but little promise that it was soon to cover the face of the world. The new doctrine proclaimed an open war against all the most cherished superstitions of the ancients: every vice stood rebuked in the presence of its faultless morality; and the hand of Power was everywhere extended with the torch that lit up the fires of a relentless persecution against its humble founders. Its utter and speedy eradication from among men, seemed to be certainly threatened, not less from the apparent insignificance of its adherents, and the determined hostility with which they were continually beset, than from the opposition of its principles to the natural inclinations of the human heart Yet, contrary to all human calculations, it fell not. Its blessed and blessing course was still onward. Each succeeding obstacle, by which its path was obstructed, served but to develop latent energies and capacities which seemed inherent in the system itself, and which always proved sufficient to meet the occasions that called them forth. The devout and rational Christian, as he contemplates the glorious history of his faith, feels more and more assured of its divine origin, and he points to that history as presenting an answer, full of weight and power, to the sneers and cavils of the

sceptic; while all men, who can comprehehend and feel the nature and force of an argument, concede that he is justified in attaching this importance to the lessons of the Past.

To the same Past, also, without subjecting himself to the charge of impiety, or presumption, the intelligent Mason may appeal for the warrant of a belief that the Institution to which he belongs, was not merely a device of man for the furtherance of his own purposes, and that it has ever received the peculiar protection of Heaven. Such a work, had it been of man, would, long ago, have come to naught; for its origin is almost lost in the remoteness of antiquity; it has encountered opposition and persecution in every age and every land; it has met the assaults of its foes with no other weapon than a patient and firm endurance; and its proud motto “semper eadem”—still remains unfalsified. The blind rage of Ignorance and Prejudice; the open opposition of jealous Power; the tortures of a barbarous Inquisition; the anathemas of a bigoted Priesthood; the envenomed tongue of Slander; the malice of baffled Curiosity, and the acrimonious phillipics of political demagogues, who vainly thought to leap from the ruins of our Order into the high places of authority,--all these, and more, have been met and successfully resisted. Our venerable battlements are yet unshaken by the conflicts of so many ages, and scarcely exhibit a trace of the fierce strife that has been directed against them by the countless generations of foes who are now forgotten. Are we not, then, warranted in pointing to the history of our Order in every age; to the adverse influences by which its beneficent career has been opposed ; to the absence of the elements of political power in its organization; to its silent and uniform prosperity; and to its wonderful identity in every clime and every adversity, as a proof that the guardianship of the Supreme Grand Architect has ever been over us? And why should we hesitate to believe this? Is not our Order, my Brethren and Companions, founded upon that Great Light in which we see the revealed will of our Creator? Is not its purpose and tendency to make men better-to cultivate and keep alive every warm and generous sympathy-to repress the engrossing selfishness of our nature, and to inspire sentiments of active and abounding benevolence-to beget mutual confidence among ourselves, and to foster and cherish all "the sweet charities of life”—to enforce, by gentle but powerful means, the discharge of the social and moral duties-to restrain the passions, refine the understanding, and improve the heart? This is not an undeserved eulogy; in proof whereof I appeal to history and observation to declare whether the world has ever seen sublimer models of moral virtue than have been formed by the contemplation and practice of the truths and precepts of Masonry, and whether men who have been eminent for the Bible, have not in all ages been eminent for their attachment to the principles of our Order. True, Masonry is not the equal, or rival, or aught more than the humble handmaid of revealed Religion. She does not aspire to the station, while she cannot discharge the duties of her mistress. Such, indeed, has ever been their mutual relation. Masonry, from the days of Solomon, was proudly cherished by the Jewish Church, as being intimately connected with the highest glory of their tribes. The King and the Priest alike delighted to do her honor. And since the Christian era, devout men of every official grade, Apostles, Fathers, Prelates, have bowed at our altars and acknowledged and manifested, the excellency of our Institution. The array of the great, and the wise, and the good, who have signalized themselves by devotion to our Fraternity, has been too often presented to the world to render it necessary that I should now refer to the illustrious personages who have augmented their honors by their association with us. Primarily, indeed, our Institution is of a benevolent character. It rests upon the foundations of " Brotherly love, relief and truth." It delights to relieve the sufferings of the distressed; to pour the oil of consolation into the wounds of the mourner; to wipe the tear from the cheek of affliction; to guard the purity of female virtue; and to supply, so far as it can, the place of a husband to the bereaved widow, and of a father to the desolate and friendless orphan; and, while

it is engaged in this, its chosen work, it courts not the public gaze nor bloweth the trumpet like those whom our Saviour reproved, but is content with the consciousness of duty discharged. "Silence and secrecy" in regard to our doings are inculcated as virtues. Hence it is that, often, Misery is comforted, Distress relieved, and the tear of Sorrow dried, as by an unseen hand; and never, until the veil which divides this from the other world is withdrawn, can it be truly known how much of unostentatious good has been silently accomplished through the influence of our Order, which, like a hidden stream, causes to spring forth and flourish, in the midst of surrounding sterility and desolation, such verdure and flowers and fruits as would seem to belong only to the gardens of a Paradise. The highest encomium of Masonry, however, is this: that while she has wiped away innumerable human tears, she has never yet caused one to flow.

In the earlier ages, Masonry had a two fold character, being both operative and speculative; and, as a bond of union and defence, as well as for purposes of instruction and improvement, every implement and practical detail of the art was illustrated by, and hallowed by its association with, an allusion to some great moral truth or virtue, which was thus continually inculcated upon the minds of the initiated while they were engaged in their labors. Subsequently, when the lights of knowledge and science had become more generally diffused among all classes of civilized men, we gradually obliterated the operative feature of the original system, preserving, however, all the peculiar and distinctive traits of speculative Masonry. Our first, as well as ultimate object being to improve the character, and, by consequence, to enhance the happiness, of every individual coming within the sphere of our influence, we have continued still to convey the most important moral lessons through the medium of symbols selected from Masonic art; the Bible, which was so long preserved, remains as of yore, continually open upon our altars, as the constant rule and guide in all our actions, and as the arbiter, from whose decision there is no appeal, in all matters of conduct; we recommend and encourage the cultivation of every liberal art and science by which the mind can be expanded and the mental faculties improved; we sedulously endeavor to purify the minds of our Brethren from the malignity of passion, and to prepare them for the reception of truth and virtue; and it is because we have done, and continue to do, all this, that Freemasonry is, and has been, what we declare it to be, a blessing to our race. It is a blessing, because it eventually leads men to fix their eyes on the most sublime and important truths of revealed religion, when, otherwise, they would forever have remained ignorant of those truths; because it makes good citizens of countless numbers, who, unrestrained by the influence of Masonry, would have been miserable outcasts and vagabonds; and, in short, because it aids and cherishes religion wherever it meets her, and adopts her principles and imitates her actions where she is not.

Freemasonry has ever been the strenuous advocate of learning. She has never received the slavish doctrine that "Ignorance is the mother of Devotion," nor does she believe that Ignorance can be the parent of aught else than Superstition, Error, and Vice.

The Constitution of our State has declared the policy of our people in regard to institutions of learning. By that instrument it is declared that "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government, the preservation of liberty and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged in this State." Since the adoption of that Constitution, more than thirteen years have elapsed, during which period nothing whatever has actually been done in furtherance of the declared policy of the State; and, meanwhile, our people have been "perishing for lack of knowledge." At length, however, from a fund long since consecrated to purposes of education, and which has been suffered by the guardians of the public interest, to be shamefully mismanaged and seriously impaired, some provision has been made for "the means of education." This beautiful, healthy, and fertile spot has been selected as the site of a University: abundant means have been appropriated to erect the neces

sary buildings: ample powers have been invested in a body of trustees, who ought, if any men can, to command the confidence and respect, of the people of the State; and the experiment is now about to be tried in earnest, whether or not an institution of learning can be established in the South-West upon a permanent foundation. In the result of this experiment, every individual in the State ought to feel a deep interest, and the members of the Masonic Institution, as a body, are here today for the purpose of declaring, through the peculiar ceremonies with which they have proceeded to lay the corner-stone of the principal edifice, that they heartily co-operate in the enterprise which is here commenced, and that the cause of learning is identified, in their estimation, with the cherished policy and highest interests of their Order.

It is especially fitting and appropriate that the first stone of such a structure as this is designed to be, should be laid under the auspices of a Fraternity, originally composed of operative workmen, and whose constant and undeviating aim has ever been to diffuse the lights of knowledge and science among mankind. Every well instructed Brother present, while he was performing his part in the ceremonies which have just been concluded, must have been led to recollect the spot and position in which he was placed after his initiation; the reason then communicated to him, why he was so disposed of, and the moral lesson by which the proceeding was illustrated and explained. He sees a meaning and a beauty in the ceremonies of laying that corner-stone, which is not disclosed to others. One of the first lessons inculcated upon the minds of our members, relates to the duties which they owe to their country. They are enjoined to promote the good of society, and, generally, to lend their aid to every measure by which the interests, the honor and the welfare of their fellow-citizens may be advanced. We cordially concur, therefore, with those who most ardently desire the permanent success of the Institution that is here to be established, both because we know that the means of education hitherto afforded in this region, have fallen far short of supplying the wants of our people, and because we believe that the blessings of social order and civil liberty, in their highest perfection, will surely follow in the path of mental cultivation."

The establishment of numerous collegiate institutions has been attempted at different periods, in various portions of the South-West, but, from some strange and almost unaccountable fatality, nearly every one of such attempts has resulted in failure and disappointment. Although vast sums of money have been lavished upon these splendid abortions, we find few men, educated within their halls, who can declare, with any just pride, WHERE they were educated. In consequence of these failures in this portion of our country, our youth are sent, for the purpose of being educated, to distant parts of the Union, at the important and critical period of their lives when their opinions, characters and habits are about to be formed; they are removed from the atmosphere of home, and surrounded by new influences and associations, which are insensibly but surely yielded to, and which render them, when they return to the land in which their lot is cast, foreigners in sentiment and feeling. This state of things ought not to continue, and it need not, if we will but improve the means that lie within our grasp. There is no good reason why an institution may not here be founded, which shall rank with the first in any portion of our confederacy. This may be attained by the force of sound public sentiment, aided by judicious legislation, and the men of this generation may yet live to realize the hopes that are now cherished in regard to this infant enterprize.

Our form of government is complicated and peculiar; unlike any other that ever existed. It is based, however, upon the broad and eternal principle that the people are the only legitimate source of all civil authority; and it depends wholly for its efficiency, permanence and success, upon the popular intelligence and virtue. As patriots, then, every one of us is interested in the welfare and prosperity of the State University, for to it we are to look for the finished education of the young-the future hope of our country-in this region. It is not to us a matter of indifference whether those who are to succeed us as inheritors of the legacy of