is a certain number of brethren duly assembled, with a Holy Bible, a Square and Compass, and a Charter or Dispensation authorizing them to meet.

A Charter is an instrument emanating from a Grand Lodge, and, in this Jurisdiction, signed by the Grand Master and Grand Secretary, authorizing certain brethren therein named, when duly assembled, to Initiate, Pass, and Raise all good men and true who may apply for the purpose and whom they may find worthy. A Dispensation is a like instrument, issued by the Grand Master during the recess of the Grand Lodge, which for a limited period, confers similar powers.

Our ancient brethren assembled on the highest hills and in the lowest vales, the better to observe the approach of cowans and eavesdroppers.

The Form of a Lodge is oblong. It extends from East to West and from North to South, and it is said to be thus extensive to denote the universality of Masonry and to teach us that a Mason's charity should be equally extensive; for in every country and in every clime are Masons to be found.

A Lodge is metaphorically said to be supported by three great pillars, denominated Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty; it being necessary that there should be wisdom to contrive, strength to support, and beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings. These pillars are represented in the Lodge by the Worshipful Master, the Senior and Junior Wardens.

The covering of a Lodge is no less than the clouded canopy or star-decked heaven where all good Masons hope at last to arrive by aid of that theological ladder which Jacob, in his vision, saw, reaching from earth to heaven, the three principal rounds of which are denominated Faith, Hope, and Charity, which admonish us to have faith in God, hope of immortality, and charity for all mankind. The greatest of these is Charity; for our Faith may be lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends beyond the grave, through the boundless realm of eternity.

Every regular Lodge is furnished with a Holy Bible, Square, and Compass.

The Holy Bible is dedicated to God, it being His inestimable gift to man as the rule and guide of his faith; the Square to the Master, because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office; and the Compass to the craft, for, by due attention to its use, we are taught to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds toward all mankind.

The ornaments of a Lodge are the Mosaic Pavement, the Indented Tessel, and the Blazing Star. The Mosiac Pavement is a representation of the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple, and is emblematic of human life, checkered with good and evil. The Indented Tessel is a representation of the beautiful tessellated border or skirting which surrounded the pavement, and is emblematic of the manifold blessings and comforts which surround us, and which we hope to enjoy by a faithful reliance upon Divine Providence, hieroglyphically represented by the Blazing Star in the center.

The lights of a Lodge are three, situated in the East, West, and South. As you may observe, there is none in the North, because King Solomon's Temple, of which every Lodge is a representation, was situated so far north of the ecliptic that neither the sun nor moon, at meridian height, could dart its rays into the north part of the building. The North, therefore, among Masons, has always been termed a place of darkness.

The Jewels of a Lodge are six: three immovable, and three movable. The Immovable Jewels are the Square, Level, and the Plumb; and they are termed immovable because they are the jewels of the three principal officers of the Lodge, the Worshipful Master, the Senior and Junior Wardens, who are always stationed in the East, West, and South. The Square denotes morality, the Level equality, and the Plumb rectitude of life.

The Movable Jewels are the Rough Ashlar, the Perfect Ashlar, and the Trestle Board. The Rough Ashlar is a stone as taken from the quarry in its rude and natural state. The Perfect Ashlar is a stone made ready by the hands of the workman, to be adjusted by the working-tools of the Fellow Craft. The Trestle Board is for the Master Workman to draw his designs upon.

By the Rough Ashlar we are reminded of our rude and imperfect state by nature; by the Perfect Ashlar, of that state of perfection at which we hope to arrive by a virtuous education, our own endeavors, and the blessing of God; and by the Trestle Board we are reminded that, as the operative workman erects his temporal building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the Master on his Trestle Board, so should we, both operative and speculative, endeavor to erect our spiritual building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe in the great book of nature and revelation, which is our spiritual, moral, and Masonic Trestle Board.

Lodges are situated due East and West because Moses, after having been instrumental in conducting the children of Israel through the Red Sea when pursued by Pharoah and his hosts, by divine command erected a tabernacle which he placed due East and West, to commemorate the mighty east wind by which their miraculous deliverance was wrought. This tabernacle was an exact model for King Solomon's Temple, for which reason all Masonic Lodges are, or should be, situated due East and West.

Lodges were anciently dedicated to King Solomon, as it is said that he was our first Most Excellent Grand Master. Lodges at the present time are dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evengelist, who were two eminent patrons of Masonry; and since their time there is, or should be, represented in every regular Lodge a certain point within a circle, the point representing an individual brother, and the circle the boundary line of his conduct, beyond which he should never suffer his passions, his prejudices or his interests to betray him. This circle is supported by two perpendicular parallel lines, representing Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist, and on its top rest the Holy Writings. In tracing its circumference we necessarily touch upon the parallel lines and also upon the Holy Bible; and while a Mason keeps himself thus circumscribed, it is impossible that he materially err.