ribbon on the breast. The jewel is a compass, its points resting on the segment of a circle; at the bottom, on one side, is an eagle, with its wings extended and head slightly

depressed; and on the other a pelican piercing its breast to feed its young, which are in a nest beneath it; between the legs of the compass is a red cross, and above a red rose in full bloom; on the summit of the compass is an antique crown. On the segment of the circle are the letters I. N. R. I. The jewel is of gold, with the pelican and eagle of silver. In this jewel are included the most important symbols of the degree. The cross, the rose, the pelican, and the eagle, are all important symbols, the explanation of which will go far to a comprehension of what is the true design of the RoseCroix degree.

PRINCE OF THE TABERNACLE. The 24th degree of the Ancient and Accepted rite. It is intended to illustrate the directions for constructing the tabernacle, which God ordered Moses to build, the particulars of which may be found in the 25th chapter of Exodus. This was a movable chapel, and so contrived as to be taken to pieces and put together at pleasure, for the convenience of carrying it from place to place, during the wandering of the Israelites in the

The

wilderness for forty years. The body is styled a Court. The presiding officer represents Moses, and is called Most Puissant Leader. The second officer represents Eleazar, the High-Priest, the son of Aaron. The candidate represents Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the High-Priest. Two apartments are required when conferring the degree. hangings are red and black. The jewel is the letter suspended from a violet colored watered ribbon. This degree is most intimately connected with, and should be considered a continuation of, that of the Chief of the Tabernacle. The especial duties of a Prince of the Tabernacle are to labor incessantly for the glory of God, the honor of his country, and the happiness of his brethren; to offer up thanks and prayers to the Deity in lieu of sacrifices of flesh and blood.

PRINCIPAL OFFICERS. A term applied to the Worshipful Master and the Senior and Junior Wardens. They are called the three principal officers of the Lodge.

PRINCIPAL SOJOURNER. An officer in a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. He represents the leader of a party of Jews, who sojourned in Babylon for a time after the departure of Zerubbabel with the main body, and who subsequently came up to Jerusalem to assist in rebuilding the temple. His duties in the Chapter are similar to those of the Senior Deacon in the symbolic Lodge. He wears a black robe, with a rose-colored border, and a

slouched hat and pilgrim's staff. His station is on the left, in front of the Council. His jewel is a triangular plate, on which a pilgrim is engraved.

PRINCIPALS. The first three officers in an English Royal Arch Chapter are the First Principal, who represents Zerubbabel, the prince of the people; the Second Principal, who represents Haggai, the prophet; and the Third Principal, who represents Joshua, the High-Priest.

PROVOST AND JUDGE. The 7th degree of the Ancient and Accepted rite. The legend of this degree is founded upon the principles of Impartiality and Justice. After the death of the Grand Master Workman of the temple, King Solomon, for the purpose of strengthening his means of preserving order among the vast number of craftsmen engaged in the construction of the temple, appointed seven Provosts and Judges, in order that all complaints among the workmen might be heard, disputes settled, and justice administered. The apartment represents the middle chamber of King Solomon's Temple; the hangings are red, with a sky-blue canopy in the East. The room is lighted with 5 lights, 1 in each corner, and 1 in the middle. The presiding officer is styled Venerable Chief Provost and Judge. The apron is white, edged with red; in the middle is a pocket, with a red and white rosette. On the flap is painted, or embroidered in gold, a key. The sash is crimson, worn from right to left; from it hangs the jewel, which is a key of gold.

PROXY (contracted from Procuracy). The agency of one person who acts as a substitute for another, or as his principal; authority to act for another, or for a body, especially in a legislative body. Every Lodge is entitled to be represented in its Grand Lodge, by its Master and Wardens. Should these, or either of them, be unable to attend the Grand Lodge at any communication, a brother or brothers may be appointed. Such substituted representatives, in the absence of their principal, succeed to all his powers and privileges, but in his presence they cannot act. Persons appointed proxies must be Master Masons, and members of some subordinate Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge, and must be furnished with a written certificate of their appointment, under the seal of the Lodge or party appointing them. A proxy cannot appoint a proxy. officer of the Grand Lodge cannot, as such officer, appoint a proxy, unless the constitution specifically give him such power. The Grand Master is the only officer who has the power or right of appointing his proxy, for any purpose, unless such power be granted by the particular constitution. In the selection of an agent for the proper discharge of a Masonic duty, preference should always be given to able and experienced Masons; it is, therefore, suggested that as a general rule a Master or Past Master should have the preference.

An

PRUDENCE. One of the four cardinal virtues, the practice of which is beautifully explained in the Entered Apprentice degree.

PYTHAGORAS, SYMBOLS OF. The esoteric or secret instructions of Pythagoras were explained with the aid of symbols, as the readiest and most efficient method of impressing upon the mind of the candidate for the mysteries the sublime truths and moral lessons for which the school of that justly celebrated philosopher was distinguished. A few of the most important symbols are here explained. The Equilateral Triangle, a perfect figure, was adopted among the ancient nations as a symbol of Deity, the principle and author of all sublunary things; the essence of Light and Truth, who was, and is, and shall be. The Square comprehends the union of the celestial and terrestrial elements of power; and was the emblem of Morality and Justice. The Tetractys was a sacred emblem, which was expressed by ten jods disposed in the form of a triangle, each side containing four. This was the most expressive symbol of Pythagoras.

On it the obligation to the aspirant was propounded; and it was denominated the Trigonon mysticum, because it was the conservator of many awful and important truths, which are explained as follows: The one point represented the Monad, or active principle; the two points the Duad, or passive principle; the three points the Triad, or the world proceeding from their union; the four, the Quarternary, or the liberal sciences. The Cube was the symbol of the mind of man, after a well-spent life in acts of piety and devotion, and thus prepared by virtue for translation into the society of the

POINT WITHIN A CIRCLE.

DODECADRON.

TRIPLE TRIANGLE.

47TH PROBLEM.

celestial gods. The Point within a Circle was the symbol of the universe. The use of this emblem is coeval with the first created man-the creation was the circle and himself the center. The Dodecadron, or figure of twelve sides, was also a symbol of the universe. The Triple Triangle-a unity of perfectness-was a symbol of health, and was called Hygeia. The Forty-seventh proposition of Euclid was inented and explained by Pythagoras, and is so extensively

useful that it has been adopted in all Lodges as a significant symbol of Freemasonry. The letter Y was a symbolical representation of the course of human life. Youth, arriving at manhood, sees two roads before him, and deliberates which he shall pursue. If he meet with a guide that directs him to pursue philosophy, and he procures initiation, his life shall be honorable and his death happy. But if he omits to do this, and takes the left hand path, which appears broader and better, it will lead to sloth and luxury; will waste his estate, impair his health, and bring on an old age of infamy and misery.*

PYTHIAN FESTIVAL. One of the four great national festivals of Greece, celebrated every fifth year in honor of Apollo, near Delphi. Their institution is variously referred to Amphictyon, son of Deucalion, founder of the council of Amphictyons, and Diomed, son of Tydeus; but the most common legend is, that they were founded by Apollo himself, after he had overcome the dragon Python. The festivities were similar to those at Olympia, and the victors were rewarded with costly gifts, fruits of various kinds, medals prepared for the purpose, and garlands of laurel, etc.

PYTHAGORAS, the celebrated philosopher, was born at Samos, about 540 B. C. His father, Mnesarchus, was a person of distinction, and therefore the son received that education which was best calculated to enlighten his mind and invigorate his body. Like his contemporaries, he was made acquainted with poetry and music; eloquence and astronomy became his private studies, and in gymnastic exercises he often bore the palm for strength and dexterity. At an early age he left his native country and began his travels in pursuit of knowledge; he visited Egypt, Chaldæa and India, where he gained the confidence of the priests, and availed himself of an understanding of the mysteries and symbolic writings by which they governed the princes as well as the people of those countries; and after he had spent many years in gathering all the information which could be collected from antique traditions concerning the nature of the religions and the immortality of the soul, he revisited his native island. The tyranny of Polycrates, at Samos, disgusted the philosopher, who was a great advocate of national independence; and, though he was a great favorite of the tyrant, he retired from the island and settled in the town of Crotona, in Southern Italy, where he founded a sect which received the name of The Italian, or Pythagorean Fraternity; and he soon saw himself surrounded by a great number of pupils, which the recommendations of his mental, as well as his personal accomplishments, had procured. Pythagoras was, perhaps, the most virtuous, and taught the purest doctrines of all the heathen philoso phers. He distinguished himself particularly by his discoveries in geometry, astronomy and mathematics; and it is to him that the world is indebted for the demonstrations of the 47th proposition of the first book of Euclid's elements, about the square of the hypothenuse. The time and the place of the death of this great philosopher are unknown; yet many suppose that he died at Metapontum, about 487 B. C.; and so great was the veneration of the people of Magna Græcia for him that he received the same honors as were paid to the immortal gods, and his house became a sacred temple.