bute succor against infidels, kings and princes. I will not turn my back on these foes, and even if I be alone, I will fight them if they be infidels."

These Knights thus scattered all through the distant East, mingled freely with numbers of the various Masonic orders in Syria, Greece and parts of Arabia and Palestine, who were at that time the repositories of the literature, and what there was of art and science and worthy traditions in those countries. On their return to the European nations from which they had gone they brought with them the treasures of wisdom they had gained in the East. One of the first exhibitions of their possession of the eastern culture and art was manifest in their use of the architecture of the East, the secrets of which the Masons alone possessed. The special forms of this architecture, which at once became prominent, and has since remained so, were the castellated, used in building castles and forts for defense. The palatial, used in constructing the palaces of the kings and members of royalty. The ecclesiastical, used for the construction of churches, monasteries, temples and cathedrals.

In less than a century after the first crusade over 600 of these elegant and massive structures had been built all over Southern and Western Europe by those orders, who were then probably for the first time called Free or Independent Masons. To this day the pride of Europe is in these beautiful, grand, solid and imposing structures, which still defy the ravages of time and the inventions of more modern science; for in the main those models are still followed and perpetuated in the public structures of our day.

Too much honor can hardly be given to the spirit of these ennobling manifestations of the fraternity, foremost in the introduction, presentation and preservation of all the branches of learning and science of the latter part of the middle ages, they laid the foundations of what is called the Golden Era of English and European history, and gave birth to that movement which culminated in the works of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Spencer, Bacon and Lock, Raleigh and Smith, and their brilliant compeers, who rendered ever memorable the Elizabethian period of English history. Their moral characteristics are well evidenced by their oaths, which they had to assume in entering the order. In the sixth century the oath in England was, when the applicant was found

upon examination of sound constitution and morals: "Sir: You that desire to receive the honor of knighthood, swear before God and His Holy Book that you will not fight against his majesty, that now bestoweth the order of knighthood upon you. You do also swear to maintain and defend all ladies, gentlemen, widows and orphans; and you shall shun no adventure of your person in any war wherein you shall happen to be." After the oath two lords of the king drew their swords, and laying them upon his head, said: "God and St. George make thee a good Knight." After this seven ladies dressed in white came and girt his sword to his side, and four knights put on his spurs, then he was led by the queen to an elevated seat, with the king seated upon his right and the queen upon his left, where the receiving of a delicate and rich collation completed the public ceremony.

St. Bernard speaks of them in the eleventh century as "being full of self-denial, frugality, modesty, piety and bravery; their arms their only finery, they use with courage, without dreading either the numbers or the strength of the barbarians. All their confidence is in the Lord of hosts, and in fighting for His cause they seek a sure victory or a Christian and an honorable death." Their banner was white and black, indicative of peace to friends and destruction to foes.

In the fourteenth century the first Christian king at the giving of the belt kissed the new knight on the left cheek, saying: "In the Honor of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I make you a knight." This kiss was called the kiss of brotherhood, or of peace.

During all this period of over 1,000 years, when this order had such an immense power, and almost universal sway in Europe, there was no letting down of their principles. Power did not seem to enervate or corrupt them, or luxury tempt them to rapid destruction. But their purity and virtue was of a much higher order than that which surrounded them. Their banner was ever conspicuous as the embodiment of justice and purity, and as the protector of the widows and orphans and all of either sex who were powerless, unhappy or suffering under the injustice and oppression of others. And to shrink from the performance of these duties, when appealed to for aid, was to be subject to dishonor for life. No repentance could insure forgiveness for such a sin and crime, Their prominent virtues were courage, heroism,

fidelity, truthfulness, honor, politeness and courtesy. An uncourteous knight was an anomaly and an anachronism. They gave dignity and character to their military exploits; they gave grace and culture to the royal splendors of courtly life and inspired a purer faith and a nobler life in the common people.

Adherence to their word was a very honorable part of their character, and to give the lie was considered the most mortal and irreparable affront, only to be expiated by the blood of the offender. So great was this confidence, and exercised to such an extent, that prisoners of war, taken in battle, promising to come to prison when required by their captors, were always allowed their liberty, and no one ever doubted that they would fulfill their engagement.

No human law in any age has ever insisted with such fidelity upon the necessity and sacredness of truth. A few good brethren do not think the knights a party of the Masonic Fraternity, but we prefer to consider them a branch of the order, having sprung from the same distant sources in the East, and being based on exactly the same principles and actuated by the same motives.

The Masonic order is cosmopolitan in its nature and ex

Its symbolisms and legends are derived from Solomon's temple and from the Egyptians and Persians, and the Magi of the more distant East. It is closely allied, even if not clearly traceable, to "the learned wisdom of the Egyptians"-which Moses was taught when the priests of Egypt instructed him in the philosophy of their mysterious symbols and hieroglyphics.

And Solomon seems to have gathered up and concentrated into our order "the wisdom to plan, the strength to execute and the beauty to adorn," that appeared in all those early nations of history and experience in the former ages. Its language is universal, it touched alike the heart of the Egyptian on the banks of the Nile, the Mohammedan on his journey to Mecca, the learned Brahmin in the temples of India, and the brotherly loving Buddhist of Asia, while the more cultured nations of Europe, China and America readily responded to its universal principles fresh and strong as in the days of yore. Men of all nations and classes kneel at its altars, and pour increasing incense upon its perpetual fires, and to its creed disciples of all ages and nations readily subscribe,

From the East to the West, and from the North to the South, over the whole inhabitable globe, our altars have been reared, ever burning the incense of devotion to and selfsacrifice for the poor, the suffering and the destitute, and filling the world with the noble spirit of the order.

It is not a life-giving fountain of health and beauty for the few dwellers who happen to live nearest its healing waters; but it is a mighty river flowing from every hill and mountain, and filling with spring-time verdure and gladness every field and valley of the earth, bearing upon its broad, and ever-widening current, the water of life and of love and charity, for the children of want, the poor, the oppressed, the widow and orphan of every land.

Its crown and glory in all the past has been its purity, innocence and devotion to truth, and the development of the spiritual life that brings happiness to its possessor, that these worthy and most ennobling characteristics shall ever mark its future as they have its past history, is the "so mote it be❞ of every lover of the order.

XIV.

THE SLAVONIC PEOPLE, OR THE RUSSIANS.

History is to the race or nation what memory and biography are to the individual. Memory lingers and dwells only upon the prominent, most interesting and conspicuous experiences of individual life; while history records only those great events that distinguish aggregate or national life, that characterize the different eras, and that pride and patriotism deem worthy of imitation and remembrance.

Extraordinary events in the individual or national life are but the outer formal expression of the inner workings of great principles and strong emotions, or of greatly aroused energies, at other times inactive and comparatively dormant.

National or race experiences are but those of the individuals of which the nation or race are composed, and history thus becomes only the combined recorded memories of the most important events of the race or national life. If the individual is the unit, it follows that the accumulated experiences of the individuals in the tribal or race life will always be the same save here and there a slight variation—the result of local environments, difference of climate, soil, food and drink, and perhaps some hereditary influences of long standing.

The history of one nation is therefore practically the history of all nations, in as much as the individual life of the human race is the same in all of its controlling forces and essential characteristics.

Adam, Moses, Elijah, Bacon, Confucius, Budda, Napoleon and Lincoln are essentially one in powers and capacities, and differ chiefly in their particular development, and if so the various nations to which they belonged are one in their chief characteristics and controlling principles. Any other view of individual or national life would be exceedingly limited, and would compel us to abandon belief in great and universal principles, controlling the race, and to