THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

present writer does not wish to impose upon Masonry any dogma of
technical Idealism, subjective, objective, or otherwise. No more than
others does he hold to a static universe which unrolls in time a plan
made out before, but to a world of wonders where life has the risk and
zest of adventure. He rejoices in the New Idealism of Rudolf Eucken,
with its gospel of "an independent spiritual life"--independent, that
is, of vicissitude--and its insistence upon the fact that the meaning
of life depends upon our "building up within ourselves a life that is
not of time" (_Life's Basis and Life's Ideal_). But the intent of these
pages is, rather, to emphasize the spiritual view of life and the world
as the philosophy underlying Masonry, and upon which it builds--the
reality of the ideal, its sovereignty over our fragile human life, and
the immutable necessity of loyalty to it, if we are to build for
eternity. After all, as Plotinus said, philosophy "serves to point the
way and guide the traveller; the vision is for him who will see it."
But the direction means much to those who are seeking the truth to know
it.
THE SPIRIT OF MASONRY
/P
_The crest and crowning of all good,
Life's final star, is Brotherhood;
For it will bring again to Earth
Her long-lost Poesy and Mirth;
Will send new light on every face,
A kingly power upon the race.
And till it comes we men are slaves,
And travel downward to the dust of graves._
P/
_Come, clear the way, then, clear the way:
Blind creeds and kings have had their day.
Break the dead branches from the path:
Our hope is in the aftermath--
Our hope is in heroic men,
Star-led to build the world again.
To this event the ages ran:
Make way for Brotherhood--make way for Man._
--EDWIN MARKHAM, _Poems_
CHAPTER III
_The Spirit of Masonry_
I