Freemasonry—Operative And Speculative.

FREEMASONRY—OPERATIVE AND SPECULATIVE .

riTrTE following addrres w-as delivered hy Bro . H . Sadler , X at the Clarence Lodge of Ins ! ruction , at the

Midland Grand Hotel , on tho 15 th ult : — Brethren , in the explanation of the Tracing Board which has just been so ably delivered bv tlio Worshipful Master , you have heard something of the doings of our ancient brethren at the building of King Solomon ' s Temp ' e . I

will not , therefore , detain you by any attempt to enlarge upon that interesting subject , bufc in order to render the remarks I am about to make perfectly clear , as well as logical , it is necessary that I should say a few words , by way of introduction , with reference to the usages and

customs of our Masonic ancestors of a period somewhat less remote . You are doubtless aware thafc wifchiu outranks , as well as outside of them , there are some who aro inclined to dispute our having the slightest connection , either with the Masons who were employed at tho erection

of the Temple of Jerusalem , or with their successors in the building art , of a period much nearer our own time , and looking at the subject from one standpoint only , without knowledge either of the ancient customs of tho operative fraternity , or of the origin and history of Speculative

Masonry , it would appear that there are some grounds for their objections . For my own part , however , I have not the shadow of a doubt upon the question . I am perfectly satisfied that , this grand Brotherhood of ours , which embraces within its fold such an immense proportion of

tbe human race , is directly descended from that enlightened band of skilful ; architects and builders whoso works have been the admiration of every succeeding generation , ancl which , even in this ago of invention and rapid progress , cannot fail to excite in our minds feelings of veneration for

their historic associations , as well as wonder at the skill and perseverance displayed in their construction , and their exquisite beauty of workmanship . Do not misunderstand me , Brethren—I have nofc the remotest intention of taxing your good nature to tbe extent of asking you to believe

that tho three Degrees were worked in the days of King Solomon , or even afc a much later period , precisely as they are now . There were certainly threo grades or divisions in the operative Fraternity , namely Apprentices , Fellows or Craftsmen , and Masters or Overseers , and there can be no

doubt but that that was the origin of our three Degrees , although I am inclined to think the ceremony observed b y the operatives in conferring these distinctions was of a very brief and simple character . The term Fellow , I should imagine , was only applied to the ordinary workmen , those

who had duly served their apprenticeship ; while the Masters were , of course , those who employed them or superintended the work . My own impression is that tho operatives only had two distinct Degrees—those of Apprentice and Fellow , and that the Masters were

selected from the latter body for tbe superiority of fcheir professional attainments , much in the samo way as tbe Masters of our Lodges were selected in thc earl y days of Speculative Masonry . I will now endeavour to point out to you a few of whafc I consider to be unmistakable links

connecting our present system of Speculative or Symbolic Masonry with the Operative Masonry of past ages . Firsfc as to the name by which our assemblages are known—Lodges . We all know that in a non-Masonic sense the term Lodge has , from time immemorial , been applied to a

small bnilding either attached to or adjacent to a larger one , as in the case of most old country mansions or castles , very few of which but have one or more Lodges in their vicinity . Ifc seems to me quite feasible that while engaged

in the erection of those splendid cathedrals , abbeys , castles , and other noble edifices , some of which are still in existence , while others , I regret to say , are either in ruins or have passed away , thafc fche Masons should have found it

necessary to erect , somewhere adjacent to their work , a building in which they could assemble without fear of interruption , to give and receive instruction in their several duties , to perform their ceremonies , and probably also to execute those beautiful examples of the sculptor ' s art for

which many of these old fabrics are remarkable . The same building may have also served as a lod ging or dwelling-place for some of the workmen , and thafc this was the case 1 have no doubt whatever . Well , we will suppose that the Masons or builders have finished their portion in the erection or formation of their Lodge , then would come

Freemasonry—Operative And Speculative.

the carpenter to fix the rafters , and , lastly , the tiler to cover in the roof and make all secure against the prying eyes of the curious or the idly inquisitive . In my opinion it would be only natural that a person of this description , whose work was of a different character to that of the

Masons themselves , and whose presence wonld not be required inside , should havo been emp ' oyed outside of tlio building after its completion to continue his vocation of keeping off all intruders or cowans and eavesdroppers . I say that under the circumstances this would be quito

feasible and only natural , but , in tho absence of real evidence , you might justly consider it to be more speculation on my part . Fortunately , however , I am ablo to addneo certain reliable evidence which I make no doubt will go far towards convincing you that a portion nt least of my

theory is based on something more substantial than my own imagination . You have heard to-night that the two great pillars at tho porchway or entrance of King Solomon ' s Temple wero formed hollow ; the better to serve as archives to Masonry , for therein wero deposited the

Constitutional Rolls . Now , I do nofc know what may be the ideas of the younger brethren of the present day with regard to tho nature of " Constitutional Rolls , " but I very well remember that when I first became acquainted with the expression I was rather afc a loss to know what

particular kind of a roll a " Constitutional Roll " might be . Ifc was a roll I had never heard of before , and I could nofc find the name in the dictionary . In order , therefore , fchat you may clearly understand what this article is like which is so often mentioned , but now very seldom seen in our

Lodges , I have brought one wifch mo for your inspection , and also to support my own arguments ; bufc as it was written about 250 years ago I do nofc suppose yon will all be able to read it without a little previous training , so , to save timo , I will give you a very brief description of its

contents , and when I have done you can examine ifc for yourselves . I may , however , remark that MSS . of this character were not only the forerunner of our present Book of Constitutions , bnt tho ancestors , if I may so term them , of onr charges and lectures , They are known as the

manuscript Charges , or Constitutions , of the British Freemasons , and were used for a long period in tho operative Lodges at tho reception of candidates , ancl probably on certain other occasions . To my thinking they form the strongest and most important links in tho chain of evidence

connecting operative with speculative Masonry , although ifc was not until a comparatively recent period thafc their real historic value had been generally acknowledged , probably because they were practically unknown fco the Craft of tho present day , nothing having been done to

bring them under its notice . Thirty years ago only about a dozen of them were known to be in existence , now there are at least GO , classified and located ( four of which are the property of the Grand Lodgo of England ) , and fresh versions of them are continually being brought to light

from the most out of thc way places and in the most unexpected manner . There is a strong family resemblance in them all , bnt many of them vary in matters of details according to their age or the locality in which they were written . In order to distinguish one from another , for fche purpose of

reference , our learned brethren of antiquarian tastes have adopted the practice of naming them after the person who has been so fortunate as to discover them or bring them under the notice of the Fraternity . The one I havo here is considered by experts to be rather an important

document , for reasons which I need not enter upon now , although they are all deemed important , more or less . Some years ago I had the good fortune to identt ' y it in the hands of a person who knew nothing of its nature or value , and , ultimately , to acquire it for the Grand Lodge Library .

It was , therefore , suggested that 1 should allow ifc to bear my name . I could not think of it for a moment , and for two reasons . In fcho first place , I need hardly tell yon , who know me well , that my natural modesty was a seiious obstacle to be overcome ; and , secondly , it seemed to me

thafc the words— " Brother Sadler ' s Constitutional Roll "had rather a queer sound , and might , possibly , in after years , be liable to misconstruction . I therefore , g . nfcly , but firmly , declined the honour . However , as I was ajpposed to occupy the important position of sponsor for this

rather ancient infant , I suggested that as we already had a Grand Lodge MS . No . 1 , and as this was next in our collection in point of age ifc ought to be called the Grand Lodge MS . No . 2 , and that is the name by which ifc is known . Many hours might be spent in discussing the