Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated - The Masonic Trowel

3?R GRAND INSPECTOR INQUISITOR COM~A ANDER.
President that you be allowed to enter. (The candidate
enlers, conducted by the Master of Ceremonies ~ho lead~
him toward the East, and halts in front of the President.
The door is then closed
Most Perfect President—My brother, you desire to
take upon yourself an arduous and most responsibk
office. There is but one infallible, unerring judge. All
human judgment is at best uncertain. The errors of the
judge have consequences as serious as those of the
crimes of other men, and they must often, however innocent
and unintentional, produce when they are made
lnown by that unrelenting censor, Time, regret and
sorrow and sometimes remorse. It is not wise to seek
to judge our fellow men. It is a stern duty and an unwelcome
task, to be performed when it cannot in any
wise be honorably avoided, and never a privilege to be
desired and coveted.
Woe unto that man who assumes the power or judgment,
and so to some extent usurps the prerogative of
C,od, if he be not himself dispassionate, upright, impartial,
just. Does your heart tell you that only proper
motives lead you to se~k that power and that you may
with safet.y to you.yself, take it into your hands?
Candidate—It does.
Most Perfect President—It is well my brother, if indeed
you be not deceived. Go with your guide; heed
well the lessons and the warnings you will receive and
return again to me. (The Master of Ceremonies conducts
him six times around the room halting in turn before
each of the six columns in the North and South.
and addressed by a brother at each as follows:
AT THE COLUMN OP ALFRED :—I was the just King
Alfred, of Saxon England. I framed wise laws, made
upright judges, independent of my will and that of the
INITIATION. 329
people; and caused just and speedy judgment to be
given.
In all my realm, justice and right were sold to none,
denied to none, delayed to none.
I slept ljttle, I wrote much, I studied more, I reigned
only to bless those over whom I had dominion. I have
vanished into the past and many ages have marched in
solemn procession by my grave. Yet I still live in the
memory of men. They call me “Great King,” “wise law
giver,” “just judge.” Follow then my example, or fear
to sit in judgment on thy fellows.
AT THE COLUMN OF SOCRATES :—I was Socrates the
Athenian. I knew the holy mysteries and rcvcrenced
God in nature. In the sacred groves of Athens, 1
taught that God was one and the soul of man immortal.
I taught obedience to the laws and decrees of the peoplt~
of Athens and the Council of five hundred.
When I sat in the Court of the Areopagus, I swore
by the paternal Apollo, by Ceres and by Jupiter the
King, that I would give sentence uprightly and according
to law, or when the law was silent, to the best of
my judgment, and that I would not receive gifts, nor
should any other for me, nor receive bribes from my
own passion, prejudice or affection, nor allow ani’ other
person to do the like by any means, whether direct or
indirect, to prevent justice in the court.
And when by an unjust judgment the same court
condemned, I refused to flee away and escape, lest I
should bring the laws into disrepute, holding the gord
citizen bound to submit to even the nnjuvt judoineut
of the State. If thou wouldst fain become a judge of
others, first prepare thyself by learnir~~ to obey the laws.
AT THE COLUMN OF CONFUCIUS :—I was Confucius,
who read and interpreted to the people of Ancient
China, the great laws engraved by the finger of God, in