Symbolism.

damental law , the Old Charges , demands of the members of our Order only " that they he good men and true and men of honour and honesty , by whatever denominations or persuasions they otherwise may be distinguished , " still , on the other hand , it is asserted that Freemasonry is , aud

must remain , indissolubly connected with Christianity . This view , which sees in Freemasonry a kind of precise religion , is a thoroughly erroneous one , and such a viow , inconsistent with the fundamental idea of Masoivry , is principally supported by the misunderstood symbol of the

Bible . It has been asserted that Freemasonry could have no other than a Christian foundation , because the Bible was tbe first great light ! It has further been asserted : How can we receive Israelites and Mahometans , as we have to swear them in on the Bible ? And , again , others

who have endeavoured to adjust the conflict have proposed to replace tho Bible by the Talmud or the Koran at the reception of Israelites , or Mahometans ; or at least to p lace the Old Testament uppermost when they take the oath , so that the hand of the candidate only rests on that ;

and of late the opposition against the use of the Bible has gone so far as to place an empty cover on the altar instead , and the candidates were sworn in on this " white book , " bearing the superscription "God . " Finally , owing to the circumstance that many Masonic

words and customs seem to have been taken from the Bible , others again would make the latter itself a source of Masonry , in consequence of which they have explained many Masonic representations directly out of the spirit of the Bible in a purely ecclesiastical and Christian sense .

However , in all these interpretations of the Bible , one has always remembered that the Bible is not , and shall not be , anything else than a symbol through which Masonic wisdom comes to us according to each one ' s own individual

requirements , but not in precise dogmas . The Bible may have a much higher significance for most of us , but this is in no way encroached npon , for , in order to admire the value of the Bible , one need not be either a Christian or a Freemason .

Perhaps none of us , Catholic or Protestant , Israelite or Mahometan , has remained cbid at the moment when his hand lay on the Bible and the blessing of the A . A . was called down upon him . Perhaps none of us have thought of the contents of this book . It was to him no

book of the Christian faith , but only a holy , consecrated something—a symbol of his own belief , hope and trust , to which lamentable degenerations the excessive secretiveness—formerly practised with symbolism—has already led .

This belongs to the history of the sufferings of Freemasonry , and cannot be detailed here ; moreover , we may well consider such strange aberrations as vanquished at the present time .

In like manner , as there have been , and perhaps still are , Masonic visionaries , so men are to bo found who cannot befriend themselves at all with a langua . se through symbols ; but on the other side there are again Masons to whom the empty form is all , and who entertain the false belief that the latter is the real spirit of Masonry .

We must always bear in mind that our knowledge and understanding , our feeling and believing is always worth onl y so much as it shows itself in deeds in the practical sphere of life . Not to talk and dream , but to reflect and act , we are called npon by the sign of our Order .

J . A . N . [ We havo inserted Bro . " J . A . N . ' s" communicated article

without pledging ourselves to complete agreement with the views it contains . It is an interesting contribution to Masonic literature , a kind of essay and sermon from which faith has been eliminated . The writer believes in Symbolism , as it affects action of the highest moral character ; ho holds the middle course between the Christian Free- '

mason and that followed by a number of French Lodges whose members have obliterated the name of God . It is impossible to discuss publicly all that the symbolism of ] Freemason ry teaches ; but it may be boldly asserted that < it includes a faith higher and deeper than can be de- ]

moustrated by any outward act , however noble and unsel- ' nsh . Religion is one thing , and creeds and dogmas ( another . Freemasonry inculcates the one , and leaves the

other to the conscience of every individual brother . It ' tonus no narrow system of religious ethics and yet rccog- f nises the basis upon which all faiths rest . This accounts ' * * or its universality of brotherhood ; this is the rock upon ^ which it is established , and from which it can never be dis- ! ]

Symbolism.

lodged . We are violating no confidences when we state that the language and ceremonies of Freemasonry as fully symbolise the belief in the G . A . O . T . U . and the immortality of the soul as they do the theory of charily and brotherly love . The Bible , as nuderstood by Freemasons ,

expresses something more than " tho idea of God ; " tho ritual of the Lodge invests Him with attributes that cannot be measured by human laws and actions , and while it carefully avoids all offence to individual beliefs , it unites a divine philosophy with all that is good and practicable to

bo found in every creed nnder tho sun . In fact , Freemasonry is religion without creeds or dogmas— " a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols . " How much of allegory and symbolism is due to tho Bible wo cannot here say , but more wo aro inclined to believe than Bro . " J . A . N . " seems to us to imply . —ED . F . C . ]

Thoughts On The New History.

THOUGHTS ON THE NEW HISTORY .

BY BRO . JACOB NORTON .

LIVING American Masons well remember the Masonic orator Bro . Pompons , perched upon a church pulpit on St . John ' s day , looking marvellously wise and learned , who , after greeting the M . W . Grand Master , the M . W . Grand Lodge , the Brethren , the Companions , the Sir Knights , the Princes of Jernsalom , tho Thrice Illustriouses , and tho ladies and gentlemen , proceeded to discourse about our scientific aud philosophic " ancient brethren . "

Moses , Solomon , Pythagoras , Numa , and a host of other distingnished nanios of antiquity , wero dilated upou by the learned lecturer , from every point of view ; but tbe subject most dwelt upon was , the " Roman Collegia . " Here tbe orator ' s enthusiasm roso up to a high pitch , and he etnphasied " GoLh-gi-um , Fab-ro-rum , " with the utmost fervour ; then he made a long pause , coupled with a

dignified enquiring survey of his audience , as much as to say , — " Well , now , what do you think of that ? " And " well , now , " his hearers supposed that the Eoman Masonic Collegium was at least equal , if not superior , to the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge , and in their imagination they saw the Roman stone cutters attired in college caps and togas , and of course they applauded . But when , in winding

up the next sentence , the orator eloquently said , " We see , now , that Roman Masonic Lodgos were so many schools of science and philosophy , " he brought down the honse with a crash , in short . the waving of hats , tho stamping of feet , and tho clipping of hands can be better imagined than described . Nor was that kind of logic confined to tho rostrum , for every Masonic

writer , with any pretension to learning , furnished similar views in books and magazines about Pythagoras , Numa , and tho Fahrorum Qolleijium . Bro . Gould's demolition of the connection of the ancient mysteries with Masonry was a hard blow for our Masonic scholars , bat he now gives them an additional blow . According to his definition collegium meant a guild ; they had in Rome associations of

learned men , of religi ' 0113 men , of mechanics , & c . ; and these associations wero indifferently named collegia , plural ; or collegium , sinsrnlar . So wo see that a man could be a collegiate in Rome , though be could neither read nor write . Tho several topics which the old Saint John ' s Day orators used to indnlge in were , first to prove that tho aim of Freemasonry from tho

lays of Solomon was for the purpose of teaching by allegories and symbols " tho truth of the Christion religion , " and King Solomon was of course a Christian . Next in order was Templarism , proving that Bro . De Molay wore a Mason ' s apron , aud opened a Masonic Lodge in due form . Tho Henry VI . MS ., the Charter of Cologne , mid above all , the ancient mysteries and the Roman Collegium , were

iheir most favourite topics . These grand themes having been one by one exploded , wo may now say to the old St . John ' s Day orator , " Farewell , thy occupation ' s gone . " The chapters devoted to the Masons of Germany aud France 'eminds me of an opinion I formerly ventured to give , which was received with disapprobation and ridicule by the then correspondents

) f the Freemason . In the third volume of that journal , p 224 , I itated that the object of tho operative Masons of the middle ages vas merely to get " bread and butter , " and added , " tho then ' Masonic ] organisation was as much based on selfishness as those of > ur Trade Unions . " These ideas the then writers for the Freemason sould not at all relish , they sneered at Bro . Norton ' s "bread and

gutter theory . " I beg therefore to inform all concerned that Bro . 3 onld in the said chapters vindicates very nnmistakingly the said 'bread and , butter theory ; " he also proves that the then Masons did lot excel the fellows of other crafts , either in religioD , morals , teneral information , or special respectability . Upon one subject 5 ro . Gould leaves tis in the dark . Bro . Fitidol furnishes ns with a

dason ' s short German catechism , namely— " Examination of a 3 erman Steinmetz . " Bro . Spetb , in the Masonic Magazine , furlished us with a long catechism of the German operative Masons , nd Bro . Gonld also gives extracts from Bro . Fallon of similar quesions and answers . But how old these German operatives' catehisms are , neither of the said writers condescends to inform us .

The List tsvo chapters iu tho new History are devoted first to the Craft guilds of France , " and the second to a combination of several uilds in Fnnce called " Companionage . " In these tho author conutes some of Bro . Fort ' s theories . It is my custom , whenever I read ny thing new in a Masonic history , be it trne or doubtful , to make note thereof for future reference ; fortunately , the notes on Bro . ' ort ' s history , taken about seven years since , are still before me ,