ought Masonry from the beginning with the
sharpest weapons, while those who hold the second view regard it with
contempt, as a thing useless and not worth fighting.[168]

Neither adversary understands Masonry and its cult of the creative
love for humanity, and of each man for his fellow, without which no
dogma is of any worth; lacking which, the best laid plans of social
seers "gang aft aglee." Let us look at things as they are. That we
must press forward towards righteousness--that we must hunger and
thirst after a social life that is true and pure, just and
merciful--all will agree; but they are blind who do not see that the
way is long and the process slow. What is it that so tragically delays
the march of man toward the better and wiser social order whereof our
prophets dream? Our age, like the ages gone before, is full of schemes
of every kind for the reform and betterment of mankind. Why do they
not succeed? Some fail, perhaps, because they are imprudent and
ill-considered, in that they expect too much of human nature and do
not take into account the stubborn facts of life. But why does not the
wisest and noblest plan do more than half what its advocates hope and
pray and labor so heroically to bring about? Because there are not
enough men fine enough of soul, large enough of sympathy, sweet enough
of spirit, and noble enough of nature to make the dream come true!

There are no valid arguments against a great-spirited social justice
but this--that men will not. Indolence, impurity, greed, injustice,
meanness of spirit, the aggressiveness of authority, and above all
jealousy--these are the real obstacles that thwart the nobler social
aspiration of humanity. There are too many men like _The
Master-Builder_ who tried to build higher than any one else, without
regard to others, all for his own selfish glory. Ibsen has shown us
how _The Pillars of Society_, resting on rotten foundations, came
crashing down, wounding the innocent in their wreck. Long ago it was
said that "through wisdom is an house builded, and by understanding it
is established; and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with
pleasant and precious riches."[169] Time has shown that the House of
Wisdom must be founded upon righteousness, justice, purity, character,
faith in God and love of man, else it will fall when the floods
descend and the winds beat upon it. What we need to make our social
dreams come true is not more laws, not more dogmas, not