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

the most sacred shrine on earth is the soul of man; and that the temple
and its offices are not ends in themselves, but only beautiful means to
the end that every human heart may be a temple of peace, of purity, of
power, of pity, and of hope!
[184] Read the noble words of Arnold on the value of Masonry to the
young as a restraint, a refinement, and a conservator of virtue,
throwing about youth the mantle of a great friendship and the
consecration of a great ideal (_History and Philosophy of Masonry_,
chap. xix).
[185] _Heroes and Hero-worship_, by Thomas Carlyle, lecture i.
[186] If the influence of Masonry upon youth is here emphasized, it is
not to forget that the most dangerous period of life is not youth, with
its turmoil of storm and stress, but between forty and sixty. When the
enthusiasms of youth have cooled, and its rosy glamour has faded into
the light of common day, there is apt to be a letting down of ideals, a
hardening of heart, when cynicism takes the place of idealism. If the
judgments of the young are austere and need to be softened by charity,
the middle years of life need still more the reenforcement of spiritual
influence and the inspiration of a holy atmosphere. Also, Albert Pike
used to urge upon old men the study of Masonry, the better to help them
gather up the scattered thoughts about life and build them into a firm
faith; and because Masonry offers to every man a great hope and
consolation. Indeed, its ministry to every period of life is benign.
Studying Masonry is like looking at a sunset; each man who looks is
filled with the beauty and wonder of it, but the glory is not
diminished.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
* * * * *
(The literature of Masonry is very large, and the following is only a
small selection of such books as the writer has found particularly
helpful in the course of this study. The notes and text of the
foregoing pages mention many books, sometimes with brief
characterizations, and that fact renders a longer list unnecessary
here.)
Anderson, _Book of Constitutions_.
Armitage, _Short Masonic History_, 2 vols.
Arnold, _History and Philosophy of Masonry_.
Ashmole, _Diary_.
Aynsley, _Symbolism East and West_.
Bacon, _New Atlantis_.