4. ADMISSION OF CANDIDATES.— To prevent disappointments of this nature from being of frequent oc currence, another Landmark directs the brethren of a Lodge to proceed with great deliberation in the ad mission of 'candidates, by making a strict perquisition, before the ballot is taken, into the character they sustain among their neighbors and friends. This may be ascer tained with sufficient accuracy by a careful ex, urination of their ante cedents, and the testimony of those with whom they have been con nected in the affairs of business or the pursuits of pleasure. The most aucient Landmarks that we are ac quainted with provide that - the son of a bondman shall not be admitted as an apprentice, lest his introduc tion into the Lodge should cause dissatisfliction among the brethren;' and that the candidate must be of good morals, without blemish, and have the full and proper use of his limbs; for a maimed man,' as the York Constitutions express it, -can do the Craft no good.' By the assist ance of these plain and simple direc tions, added to others which have been subsequently enjoined by Spec ulative Grand Lodges, no difficulty can arias in estimating the qualifi cations of a candidate for initiation "5. THE BALLOT.—Every facility is afforded for making the necessary inquiries. The laws and Landmarks equally provide that, before a can didate can be admitted, he must be proposed in open Lodge, and a notice to that effect served on each individual member in the ensuing summons, with his name, occupa tion, and place of abode, distinctly specified. And to afford ample time for deliberate investigation, the ballot cannot legally be taken, except in cases of emergency, till the next regular lodge-night; when, if approved, the candidate may receive the first degree; because it is presumed that every brother, before he records his vote, has made due inquiry, and is perfectly satisfied that the candidate possesses the necessary qualifications to become a good and worthy Mason.
" 6. PREPARATION.—Every existing institution is distinguished by some preliminary ceremony of admission which is inaccessible to those who are unable to establish an indis putable claim to participate in its privileges. The approved candidate in Freemasonry having sought in his mind and asked of his friend, its tiled door is now about to be opened and its secrets disclosed.
The preparation is accompanied by ceremonies which, to a superficial thinker, may appear trifling and undignified, although they embody a series of references to certain sub lime matters, which constitute the very essence of the institution, and contribute to its stability and per manent usefulness, if, in accordance with the advice of St. Paul, every thing be done decently and in Order. But ceremonies, considered abstractedly, are of little value, except as they contribute their aid to impress upon the mind scientific beauties and moral truths. And this is the peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry, which, although its rites and observances are studiously complicated throughout the whole routine of its consecutive degrees, does not contain a single ceremony that is barren of intellectual im provement; for they all bear a direct reference to certain ancient usages recorded in the Book which is al ways expanded on the pedestal in the East.
" 7. THE BADGE.--In the lodges of the last century, some trifling varie ties existed in the arrangements during the pro,ess of initiation; for a perfect uniformity, however de sirable, had not been attained. To explain them here would be super fluous, and, perhaps, not altogether prudent. Suffice it to say that in some lodges the investiture took place before the candidate was en trusted with the peculiar secrets of the degree, while others practiced a formula similar to that which was enjoined at the Union in 1813. The Senior Warden performed the duty, and recommended the candidate to weer the apron as a badge of inno cence and bond of friendship, in the full assurance that if he never disgraced that badge it would never disgrace him. There are other ele mentary Landmarks embodied in the initiation, but they are so well known and generally understood that it will scarcely be necessary to enumerate them, much less to go into the detail of a particular illustration, which, indeed, would be unauthor ized, and constitute, if not a legal offense against the Constitutions of Masonry, at least a moral infringe ment of the O. B.