IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I |5o •^^ M^K •UUU 1.25 IIU ||||i/s .< 6" ► •^''J^" ^ V Photographic Sciences Corporation V <^ <^ ^ :\ \ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 (/. '/. ^ \ "^o U ':-"'ys.--.l :^I;a^«.-, ,~i..yi«'» J ■' ■/ ■ /-«,■■ ---'^i ■ -■-s,y^^:Si... . -;.^ /''.>,;f:. :- 't^a-*;'v" -;»" ^3- ;;-«■■ ■;; :i;*?/.^*v iffe^^ ■;>■- 1^^ '■'',.. -,.:y,-;Vi^^^;i- '•*'•-■ !•:. .-V- "'fiiUM/'-' ;.'■'! /n'-' DEGEEE BOOK OP THB BRITi$N AMERICAN ORDEB OF ffir ®iii|kif«. BEVISED KDCOOLIZ. LONDON, 0. W.: PRINTED AT THE " CITY PRESS" OFEIGE, DUMDAS-SIBEET EAST, I860. ■v-.i;:' ^ri-i'-^ ';?».*. VTaJvX » ■m CONFEMING THE DEGBEES. i' These Degrees are designed to be conferred by the Officers designated by the initials ap- pended to the several Degrees. Or if the Worthy Grand Chief Templar or the Worthy Grand Counsellor, the Worthy Vice Grand Templar, or a District Deputy Grand Templar, or one appointed as special Deputy, or in case the Lodge has a Degree Master, such highest officer should take charge of the Lodge, and direct in conferring Degrees. The design is that the degrees should be conferred by the one holding the highest Office in the Order, who may be present ; but such Officers can take charge of the Lodge only by request of the C. T., except in conferring the Degrees, and should the highest Officer decline, then the duty will devolve on the next highest. Presiding Officers should bear in mind that the Lodge should always be called up when an obligation is to be administered^ whether it is so laid down in the work or not. '). ri- ! .-j^-- .•*?-'.;';"'.>-Tf _'"n»*~~f^ t'P-..' -' 't30- FIRST, OB © OP im iiaif. DEGREE OF THE HEART. t l^The Marshal meets the candidate in the ante-room, taJeet Kim hy the arm, and annotmces his presence by two distinct raps at the inner gate.^ I, G. [With a voice hud and distinct] Who gives the alarm ? M, The Marshal, attended by a friend, who wishes to- be inducted into the solemn Degree of the Heart. /. G. [^Repeats the words of the M.] W. V. T, Admit them. [Inside Quard opens the gate, when they enter, and proceed to the chair of the W, C. T.] M. W. Chief, our friend has been duly elected, and now wishes to receive the instruc- tion and honors of the Degree of the Heart. W. C, T. My friend^ you have lived long enough in this world to learn that man often deceives, and that man is often deceived. — 8 DEGREE OF THE HEART. Those we trusted yesterday, disappoint us to- day. It is through such instability of purposes and changes of plan, that valuable interests, and truly noble enterprises, suffer. Did mankind feel the solemnity of a promise — did all feel that, after a promise, the obliga- tion to execute was imperative, and that these obligations could not be laid on and off at plea- sure, but must run parallel with the circum- stances which called for their being made, things would be different. Promises should claim the whole heart ; and especially this should be so, when great and good ends are to be attained. This is the object of this Degree. By it we wish to reach your heart, and fix upon you a sense of your obligation to the cause of humanity, which shall attend you while you live. Are you prepared to take an obligation, and enter into covenant with us on this subject, with your wJiole heart? Caiididate answers — ^I am. FT. C. T. You will then proceed with the ' .■^^. .^Si- y.-ni^'. r^Ai'jk^s^'^iii^u DBOBEB OF 1HB BBIRT. 9 Marshml to the chair of the Worthy Chaplain, and receive the obligation. M, Worthy Chaplain, by the direction of the W. C. T., I present our friend for the obli- gation of the Degree of the Heart. Chaplain. You will place yourself in the attitude in which you were initiated into this Order, and repeat after me the OBLIGATION. I, (name^) in the presence of these members of the Degree of the Heart, and in view of my obligations to this Order, and the love I bear my race, do most solemnly promise that I will never divulge anything pertaining to this De- gree to any one, except in a lawful manner. And I further promise that I will discharge ^1 the duties enjoined in this Degree, to the utmost of my ability, they containing nothing inconsistent with the allegiance which I owe 10 DEOREE OF THE HEART. my country, or the duties which my religion may claim ; to the true and faithful performance of which I pledge my sacred honor. W. a You will with the Mar- now repair shal to the chair of the W. Y. T., whers you will listen to the lecture which recounts the duties pertaining to the Degree of the Heart. M, Worthy Yice Templar, by direction of our Worthy Chaplain, I present our friend for the lecture and farther obligation pertaining to the Degree of the Heart. W. V, T, Persons can advance in this Order only as they advance in knowledge and virtue. Accordingly, this Degree relates to yourself— to your own ?i€art — from which, as from a fountain, all your actions rise. Hence its name, the Degree of the Heart. The heart should be cultivated. That which does not do this is valueless. This is the object of all Ee- ligion — ^this is the object of Revelation — and this is the object of divine government in our DEGREE OF THE HEART. 11 world. Should we fail in this here, we should prove ourselves unworthy of your respect or confidence. Fidelity is a great virtue. Where the heart is right, this is easy ; and where this is possessed, we can trust confidently and are happy, because we are secure. One great, I may say, the principal, object of this Order is, to promote the cause of Temperance in our world. To do this, we must be temperate ourselves — constantly and devotedly temperate. Many have lost sight of this ; they have felt that they might put on, or lay off, their allegiance to this cause at pleasure. Hence its great instability in times past. The object of this degree is, to secure your unwavering allegiance to this work. I have now explained the objects we have in view in conferring this Degree. Before we proceed further it will be necessary for you to take another obligation, in which you will be re- quired to bind yourself in the most solemn man- ner to adhere to this cause, and to abstain from the use of intoxicating liquors as a beve- 12 DEGREE OF THE HEART. rage. Are yon prepared to take sucli aa obli* gation ? Candidate, I am. [But, skotdd the Candidate refitse thus to answer, he or she may be returned to the ante-room; such cannot proceed, not being sufficiently imbued with the spirit of ov/r cause. But the Oandidaie answering acUisfactorUy, the F. T. wiU pr(h ceed with the Obliffation,'\ OBLIGATION. I, (name^) in the presence of the members of the Degree of the Heart, and in memory of all the evils which have fallen upon my race thro' the use of intoxicating liquors, do now, of my own free will and accord, and with a deliber- ate purpose to perform, most solemnly promise that I will not use or sell as a beverage any- thing that can intoxicate — ^under the penalty of being held as one unworthy of confidence — and that I will steadily observe this my pro- DEGREE OF THE HEART. 18 mise, according to its true intent and meaning. To all of which I pledge my sacred honor. _ Remember Ananias and Sapphira. They thought they were only promising to men, but the result proved that the Infinite and Holy One heard their pledge, and He punished their falsehood. He has heard your solemn cove- nant, and he will hold you responsible for its fulfilment to the end of your mortal career. Be faithful —he not forgetful; be diligent-^ be persevering; and so a good conscience and large success shall attend you. M. Worthy Chief Templar, our friend, having complied with all our laws demand, now comes to you for the closing services of the Degree of the Heart. B • 14 DEQREE OF THE HEABT. k W, C, T. This Degree has a Sign, Pass- word and a Grip. The Sign is made thus and answered thus The Password is * * * * The Marshal will now instruct you in the Grip. C. T. You will now listen to what is said in Revelation of the oflFence against which we wish to guard you. This will show the strength of your obligation in a still more impressive manner. Listen to the words which came to Jeremiah, from the Lord, in the days of Josiah, King of Judah. Go unto the house of the Re- chabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the House of the Lord, into one of the chambers of the sons of Hanan. ^ nd I set be- fore the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them. Drink ye wine. But they said, We will drink no wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us saying. Ye shall DRINK NO WESTB, neither you nor your sons, :m BEQBEE OF THE HEART. 15 FOREVER ! Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab^ the son of Rechab our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we,^ our wives, our sons, nor our daugh- ters ; but we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jeru- salem, that the sons of Jonadab, the sons of Rechab, have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them, but this people hath not hearkened unto me. But unto the Rechabites, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done ac- cording unto all that he hath commanded you ; therefore, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel ; Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me for- ever. You will see in this an example of fidelity 7 -f •■■•■; ,'fi: t.' 16 DEGREE OF THE HEART. which is worthy of your imitation ; and you will also learn that heaven visits integrity to this cause with peculiar honors. We close this Degree by urging upon your attention the example of these wandering sons of the desert. Where they have been faithful thousands of ages, be ye faithful until death. The emblematic color of this Degree is Blue. Its language is the same as that of the azure heavens, which throw their broad arch above and around us. As the eye neirer wearies in looking upon their mild and beautiful expanse, so the heart never tires in contemplating the results of true virtue. As, wherever we are, this beautiful arch is ever above us, the fa^pest emblem of strength, so we should be taught by it the firmness which should characterize true principle in whatever situation, or what- ever country or society we may be placed. Wherever and in whatever you may see this color, be reminded of the obligations imposed upon you by this Degree. ^< DEGREE OF THE HEART. 17 Those present will form the circlei while the Chaplain offers a PRATER. Almighty King and Euler, smile npon and bless oxa friend and our mutual covenant. — Grant that each — that aM^ may be faithM and diligent, and that we and this cause may enjoy ^thy blessmg forever. Amen. * w^ifk - % M SECOND, OB B OP i^aiif? ^' DEGREE OF CHARITY. [ TTie Candidate being in the ante-roonif the Marshal meets him, and announces his readiness to proceed, by tiirss lo/ud and distinct raps upon the gate. The Quard opens the wicket."] V, T, — with a loud, distinct voice, Come! [The gate is thrown open, and, as the Marshal and Candidate enter, the Vice and Chief Templars repeat the following, tlie Marshal meanwhile conducting the Candidate flowly around the room* V. T. Thus are obstructions removed, and the way opened to all who are. intent on bene- volent designs — those who look for the good of our race. C, T. **Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." V. T, Who is my neighbor ? ;' 22 DEOREB OF GHARITT. C, T, A certain man went down from Je- rusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And, by chance, there came down a certain priest that way : and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was ; and when he saw him he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said to him, take care of him ; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee. Which, now, of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor to him that fell among thieves ? ■"^.Ji'-i'.Sj- DEGREE OF CHARlTT. 2S V. T. He that showed mercy on him. C T. Then let us go and do likewise. V, T. May we receive goods or service of our neighbor without a fair equivalent ? C. T. Wo unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chamber by wrong ; that useth his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work. V, T, May we give our neighbor that which is an injury to him, either as food or drink ? C T. Wo unto him that giveth his neighbor drink ; that putteth the bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on his shame. V, T. May we speak evil of our neighbor ? lOU, s? C,T. " Whoso privily slandereth his neigh- bor, him will I cut off," saith the Lord. 34 DEGREE OF CHABITY. V, T. Ought we to respect our neighbor ? C. T, Yes, always, for a " hypocrite, with his mouth, destroyeth his neighbor," and **he that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor." V, T. Is it proper to reveal the private matters of our Order ? and have these any thing to do with our neighbor ? C, T. Most certainly, they have very much to do with our neighbor, and may not be re- vealed : for secrecy is the cement which binds together. The wise man says that "a tale- bearer revealeth secrets ; but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." F. T. Are there any further directions to be given to Good Templars respecting their duties to their neighbor ? C. T, Yes, " Thou shalt not raise a false report ; put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness." DEGBEE OF GHARITT. 25 "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil ; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment. Nei- ther shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause unjustly. Nor * shalt thou wrest the judgment of the poor.' " **If thou meet thine enemy's ox, or his ass, going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.'' And ''if thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldst forbear to help him j thou shalt surely help him." ^During this dialogue between the (7. T. and F. T.^ the Mat' shed and Candidate are moving around the room slowly, and listening to the conversation, JSut here they will stand be/ore the Vice Templar."] • V. T. Such is a general view of the duties of this Degree. Are you willing to bind yotir- T" 26 DEGREE OF GHABITT. sdfhj a solemn obligation to observe and prac- tice them, so far as it may be in your power to do so, and to aid others in the same ? Candidate, I am. [Should the Candidate refuse to consent to these duties, he may be permitted to retire; but in case he wishes to advance^ the V, T. wUl administer the obligaiion,^ V, T. You will then assume the Good Tem- plar^s attitude for taking the OBLIGATION I, [name,'] most solemnly promise, declare and say, — that I will not reveal any of the mat- ter pertaining to this Degree, — I will not write, indite, — or cause to be written or indited, — any DEGREE OF CHARITY. 27 part of its lectures, signs, passwords, tokens or grips, — so that any part may be unlawfully or improperly obtained. I will only use and com- municate what pertains to this degree — as di- rected by the work of this Order — and in no other way, nor for any other purpose. I fur- ther promise that I will remain faithful to my pledge, and that I will, by all lawful means, — try to lead all with whom I may associate — to be temperate and the friends of temperance. — And I solemnly promise to observe all the du- ties enjoined by this Degree, to the extent of z^'' my ability. To the true and faithful perform- ^'^ ance of all which I, in the most solemn manner, pledge my honor. AH present J in unison, — ^We witness your cov- enant. I* 28 DEGREE OF CHARITY. V. T. You are now entitled to all the ad- vantages which this Degree can confer. This is a privilege which you will esteem highly ; but what you should prize beyond this is the privilege which it gives you of doing good to others. We cannot live to ourselves ; we are des- tined to influence others j we attract them in- voluntarily to the good or to the bad which we may choose. How much more powerful, then, will be our influence when we exert ourselves, and with the effort use the appliances for pro- ducing a beneficial influence which the Creator has furnished to our hand. The Good Templar is to do good everywhere, and to all men. You are to have no enemies. Men may wrong you, they may traduce you, but you must not be DEGREE OF CHARITY. i9 their enemy. You must treat them, not confix dently^ but kindly. Do them favors, as enjoined in the lecture. '' If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink.'^ You are to minister to affliction, to want, and wretched- ness, wherever you find it, and can, whether in purple or in rags ; in a cottage or in a palace. Your heart should ever be like the rock at Horeb, when touched by the magic rod of Moses — it should ever gush out with streams of refreshment to the weary, the thirsty, and the dying. Mothers, daughters, sons, and fathers, have an interest here that is of incalculable im- portance, and each should employ all their influence to secure those interests. r 80 DEGREE OP CHARITY. The world is now before you. It is your field. Every intelligent being you meet has a claim upon you ; each has an interest equal to your own. You are a steward. You must soon give an account. There is a time when the maker, the vender, the victim of intoxi- cating drinks, the widow, the orphan, the mur- derer and the murdered, the hosts of the ruined, with those who have wrought the ruin, by this means, and those who have influence, and they who wield the elective franchise, officers and constituents, will all stand before the Judge of men ! You and I shall be there ! and by these solemn truths — ^by the responsibilities growing out of our moral relations, and by the inter- minable destiny that there awaits us, I charge you to be faithful to your obligation and these great principles. DEQREE OF CHARITT. 81 The Marshal will now conduct you to oup Chief Templar, who will instruct you in the Password, Sign and Grip peculiar to this De- gree. C. T. This Degree has a Password, Sign, and Grip, by which you may know a Good Templar when you are appealed to for aid or sympathy, as a member of this Order. The Password is*******. The Sign is given in this form , and is an- swered . The Marshal will now instruct you in the Grip. mBmmmm 82 DEGREE OP CHARITY, The emblematic color of this Degree, which you are now entitled to wear, is red, or scar- let. As, in light, the red rays are most intense and ardent, so the selection of this color for this Degree is designed to teach, that our char- ities should never degenerate to mere formal acts, but that they ought ever to be free and earnest, that the spirit which prompts them should be ever equally intense and ardent, that their object may feel, from our happiness in ministering to his wants, that we are rather re- ceiving than conferring a favor. As red is con- spicuous among all other colors, and is, _also, primary among the original colors given by the prism, so, the virtue of trice charity will ever form a conspicuous element in our character — ^an element, which, when possessed by us, will be seen and admired, but its abuse will surely be detected and lamented. When, therefore, you put it on, ^r see this color, remember your duty and your obligation. DEGREE OF CHARITY. 33 [The whole Lodge rise, and aU exclaim in concert — 1 Welcome ! — ^Thrice "Welcome ! [The Marshal conducts the Candidate to a seat. THIRD, OB © OF THE ilMI ^iiliS. DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. [The Candidate being admitted to the ante-room, is there joinr ed by the Marshal, who will examine him in the initiatory Word and the former Degrees, and announce his presence to the V. Templar by four heavy raps upon the inner gate of the Temple,"] I. G, — [In a hud voice] — ^There is an alarm at the inner gate of our Temple. V. T, — You will attend to it with caution. /, 0, — L^'fts the wicket, and with aftdlvoice inquires] — Who comes there ? M. — ^The Marshal, attended by £i friend, who, having passed the outer and inner wards of our HBS!^ 38 DEGREE OP THE ROYAL VIRTUE. Temple, now wishes to advance to a knowledge of our highest principles. I. G, — Has he the words and signs which will secure him safety and protection on the journey ? M, — He haSy and has entrusted them to me that he may advance. [/. G» throws open the gate suddenly — ] Then let him come. I'i f The Lodge rise and exclaim together — Welcome, Stranger! C. T. Yes, "Welcome ; and remember that the door of truth always opens thus to those who knock in faith. DEGREE OP THE ROYAL VIRTUE. 39 C, T. Have you passed the initiatory cere- mony, and taken the lower Degrees ? Candidate, I have. C T. Do you wish to advance ? Candidate, I do. C, T, Can you give the initiatory word ? [ Candidate gives it as directed at initiation.'\ C, T, Give me the word of the first De- gree. [ Candidate gives that^l C. T, Give me the word and sign in the second Degree. [Candidate gives them.'] C, T, Do you believe in the one Supreme and Almighty Kuler of the Universe ; and do you fear him ? Ca?ididate, I do. C, T, Do you believe that all our acts are 40 DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. done in his presence, and that he holds us re- sponsible for all we do ? Candidate, I so believe. C. T, Do you believe that the Almighty is displeased with the awful crime of drunkenness and of drunkard-making, and that he would be pleased if they were banished from the earth ? Candidate. I thus believe. C, T, Do you believe that it is a duty which you owe to your Heavenly Father, as well as to men, to labor to drive this scourge away? Candidate. I so believe. C. T. Will you enter into solemn covenant with us, to do all you lawfully can in this en- terprize, as a duty which you owe to your Creator ? Candidate. I will. C. T. Then place yourself in the attitude DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. 41 in which you were initiated iiito this Order, and repeat after me our solemn COVENANT. s o • • • I [name^'] most solemnly and sincerely cov- enant with these Good Templars, and before Him who has pronounced a solemn and awful curse upon the drunkard and the drunkard maker — that, as a solemn duty to Him, to my race and myself, I will not use as a beverage anything which can intoxicate, be it what it may, and I will use all lawful and moral means to banish the evil from the world, as a duty which I owe to my Maker. I also promise that the words, signs, grips, and all pertaining to this Degree, or either of the Degrees con- nected with this Order, or any part of its work, shall be by me kept as a sacred trust, and shall 42 DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. never be revealed or divulged by me, only in a lawful manner, and as prescribed by the works of the Order. To all of which I pledge my sacred honor. C. T. In the first Degree you were instructed in your duty to yourself ; in the second you were informed of what was due from you to your neighbor ; and it now becomes my duty to impress upon your mind your solemn obli- gation to your Creator. This I am satisfied cannot be done more appropriately than in his own language. "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the wa- ter under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them j for I am a a 3 DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. 43 jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the Sab- bath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy Godj in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and^with all thy strength." Such are the duties which are taught and en- joined by this Degree. Respect and love to 44 DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. that Infinite Being, the evidence of whose pow- er and glory and goodness we see everywhere. The seasons, the flowers, the fruits and colors of the world around and above us, all tell his praise from their countless tongues, and urge us to ri- val them with our superior powers. From his greatness and goodness arises our obligation to him and to each other ; for if we have no res- pect or love for our brother whom we have seen, how can we respect our Creator whom we have not seen ? I will now instruct you in the words and signs peculiar to this Degree, which has a Work- ing sign and word ; also a Distress sign and word. The Working sign is made thus, — and is answered thus, . The word is * * *. . The The Distress Sign is given thus, word isJJJ XX JtJJJ. The answer T T *T* T •»•* These signs are not to be used common ; you are to employ them only in proving a member, md in case of real distress or necessity. The DEGREE OP THE ROYAL VIRTUE. 45 words of the Distress sign are only to be used in the dark. You have now passed through all the grades of our Order. The object in all these ceremo- nies has been to impress you with a due sense of the three great relations in this life, and the duties which are incident to them. I wish briefly to remind you of these. First, they respect yourself. If we are not faithful to ourselves, how can we be expected to be faithful to others ? A corrupt fountain cannot send forth pure streams. Unless we have the principle existing within, unless the duties we owe to others have in some form an existence in ourselves, they will never appear. Such is the relation of a correct moral charac- ter to a right moral influence. Our own minds must bear fruit before it can be imparted to others. Secondly, we owe a duty to our neighbor. No one lives without some influence. A man may enclose himself in strong walls ; he may 46 DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. shut himself away from the light of heaven ; and if it is known that he exists, he will have an influence ; he cannot avoid it ; it is some- thing as inseparable from existence as breath is from life. The mere child, the tender babe, has its influence even upon the heart that has been moulded and set, and hardened by the tread of many years ; why, then, should not our more active powers be influential ? They are — it is unavoidable ; and that influence will be broad and good almost in proportion as we will to make it. Hence the connection of the two Degrees arises from the natural relation which they bear to each other. You cannot fail to see their fitness, and we hope that they may form a rich theme for your meditation and thought during all your life. The emblematic color of this Degree is pur- ple. Its language is that of royalty. The se- lection of this color as appropriate to this De- gree, was to indicate to you, that the virtue of which it was to designed to remind you is the chief of all virtues. Love is the fulfilling of DEGREE OF THE ROYAL VIRTUE. 47 the law, and that love must first reach towards, and centre in, the Creator j then it will extend to the creature. Purple has always been regarded as the appropriate color for those who were chief in place and in power ; but how much more ap- propriate for those who keep the "Royal Law." This color will remind you of the high place which has been given you by this Order, — of the confidence of those around you in your in- tegrity and virtue, — and above all, of the so- lemn obligation you are under to cultivate and maintain the high moral character which it teaches and enjoins. May it ever be your high- est ambition to illustrate in your life the royal virtue — Love to God. You are now fully entitled to all the privi- leges of our nob^o Order, and while we wel- come you to its highest seat, may we be al- lowed to express the wish that your virtues may ever be a bright illustration of our princi- ples, and the best commendation of our institu- tion.