Candidate
Beautiful beyond
description is
this ancient word.
It began, probably
four thousand
years ago, with a
Sanskrit root word
which we should
spell as cand, and
which meant to
shine, as when
light shines.
Through thick and
through thin, it
has continued to
centre in that
same early use
ever since. The
ancient Greeks
called a golden
coal kindaros. The
Latins used
candidus to denote
something white
and glowing.
From it we have
such words as
candelabrum,
candescent,
candle, candid,
candidate, etc.
Among the Romans a
seeker for public
office wore a
bright white toga
to signify that he
had pure
intentions and
nothing to
conceal. A Masonic
candidate starts
in the same case,
because he comes
well recommended,
and under the
tongue of good
report, It is for
him to see that
his record, which
is to become
represented by the
white lambskin, Is
never stained or
polluted.
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