passion be suffered to induce you to envy or supplant a companion, who may be considered as better qualified for promotion than yourselves; but rather let a laudable emulation induce you to strive to excel each other in improvement and discipline; ever remembering that he, who faithfully performs his duty, even in a subordinate or private station, is as justly entitled to esteem and respect, as he, who is invested with supreme authority."

"COMPANIONS,

Address to the Chapter at large.

"The exercise and management of the sublime degrees of masonry in your chapter hitherto, are so highly appreciated, and the good reputation of the chapter so well established, that I must presume these considerations alone, were there not others of greater magnitude, would be sufficient to induce you to preserve and perpetuate this valuable and honourable character. But when to these is added the pleasure which every philanthropic heart must feel in doing good, in promoting good order, in diffusing light and knowledge, in cultivating masonic and christian charity, which are the great objects of this sublime institution, I cannot doubt that your future conduct, and that of your successors, will be calculated still to increase the lustre of your justly esteemed reputation.

"May your chapter become beautiful as the temple, peaceful as the ark, and sacred as its most holy place. May your oblations of piety and praise be grateful as the incense; your love warm as its flame, and your charity diffusive as its fragrance. May your hearts be

pure as the altar, and your conduct acceptable as the offering.

.

"May the exercises of your charity be as constant as the returning wants of the distressed widow and the helpless orphan. May the approbation of heaven be your encouragement, and the testimony of a good conscience your support; may you be endowed with every good and perfect gift, while travelling the thorny path of life, and finally admitted within the veil of heaven to the full enjoyment of life eternal."

"So mote it be."

31. The officers and members of the chapter will then pass in review in front of the grand officers, and pay them the customary salutations as they pass.

32. The grand marshal will then make proclamation as follows, viz. "In the name of the most excellent grand high priest, I do proclaim this chapter, by the name of ........... ...................... `to be regularly constituted, and

its officers duly installed."

33. The officers of the chapter will then take their stations upon the left of the grand officers respectively. 34. The ceremonies conclude with an ode or appropriate piece of music.

35. When the grand officers retire, the chapter will form an avenue for them to pass through, and salute them with the grand honours. They will be attended as far as the door of their apartment by the committee who introduce them.

36. The two bodies then separately close their res pective chapters.

FREEMASON'S MONITOR.

PART FIRST.

BOOK III.

CHAPTER I.

Observations on the Orders of Knighthood.

As several orders of knighthood are conferred, both in Europe and America, reputedly under the sanction of, or in connection with, masonic assemblies, it may be expected that some notice will be taken of them in this work.

It may be necessary to premise, that the orders of knighthood compose no part of the system of freemasonry they are, in comparison to it, societies of but yesterday; and all of them fall short of the universality and utility of that noble institution.

The design of this part of the work will be to collect together such observations from scripture and history, as are deemed applicable to the several orders; and as in America they are only conferred as honorary degrees, it is possible that this may be the means of producing a uniformity in their application and use.

CHAPTER II.

Of the Order of Knights of the Red Cross.

The incidents upon which this order is founded occurred in the reign of Darius, king of Persia. It is more immediately connected with symbolic masonry than any other order of knighthood. Their meetings are called councils; their sashes are decorated with a sword and trowel, and trimmed with red and green.

The following passages of scripture are considered by knights of this order as applicable to their institution, and are occasionally rehearsed in their councils.

LESSON 1.

Ezra iii. 8, 11.-"Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord. Then stood Jeshua, with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God; the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course, in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because

he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid."

Ezra iv. Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel, then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God as ye do; and we do sacrifice to him, since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building; and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus,* in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxest wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue: Rehum the Chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artax

** Or Cambyses, son of Cyrus, who reigned seven years and five months.

t Or Orohostes, the magician, who reigned five months.