Approaching Festival Of The Benevolent Institution.

With a hope that each will do his best for our " old people , " we leave the subject until next week , with the earnest wish that as grand a total awaits us as has ever been announced by tho indefatigable Secretary , Bro . Terry .

The Masonic Ritual.

THE MASONIC RITUAL .

Bx BUOTHEK JACOB NOUTON . Now , tell us what 'twas all about . ' Young Feterkin he cried ; And little Wihclmino looks up , With wonder waiting eyes . Now , tell us all about the war ! And what they killed each other for ?

Ifc was tho English , Caspar cried , Thafc put the French to rout ; But what they killed each other for , I cqfild not well make out . But everybody said , quoth he , Thafc 'twas a famous victory !

LIKK Caspar , I know thafc a famous victory was gained , I know that Bro . Stevens fought for the " uniformity of tho ritual , " and Bro . Woodford opposed him . But as I havo not read tho Freemason , I could not olearly mako out what " it was all about . " But as the Grand Lodge consented to appoint a committee upon the question at issue , I deem ifc proper to lay before the committee a

history of tho English Masonic Ritual I shall , however , premise by stating , that there aro sectarian allusions in the ritual , which gavo rise to a notion that Masonry was designed to inculcate Christian dogmas . For instance , tho significant allusion to the " morning star , " tho dogma of resurrection . The declaration of tho inspiration of the Bible , & c . These topics in the ritual encourage tho Cantwells to make ignorant

zealots believe that Freemasonry is a fifth wheel to Christianity . These notions have again and again been asserted in the press , as well as in tho Lodges . This question ought long since to have been settled by authority of the Grand Lodge . I am sick and tired of hearing from one and the same man that Masonry is a religion , and that it is not a religion . If the Masonio aim is to inculcate Christian dogmas , let the Grand Lodge say so . And if not , sectarian allusions should be

expunged from the ritual . Some clerical brethren may oppose this , and if so , I would ask them whether they were acting in conformity with justice , truth , and according to rule , Bo as you would be done by . The question is , on which side is Bro . Stevens ? Is he in favour for making such change , or docs he merely advocate conformity to the Hemming ritual as promulgated by Peter Gilkes ? If the lasfc supposition is correct , tho brother may havo gained a victory ; but with little Feterkin I ask ,

" What good came of it afc last ? " Brothers Woodford and Stevens may know as much about the history of the ritual as I do , aud may be more . But I have no doubt that a majority of English Masons , like majorities in onr American Grand Lodges , imagine that either Grand Master Noah , Nimrod , or Solomon was the author of the ritnal . Its imagined antiquity gives

to their minds an idea of sacredness , and henco they look upon any one who desires to mako any change in it as committing a sacrilege . This almost universally accepted error I propose to remove , by showing the origin and growth of the Masonic ritual . About 1430 , A . D ., a few years sooner or later , a Catholic priest wrote a Masonic poem , now known as the " Ilalliwell Constitution , "

which gives a significant outline of tho then ritnal . The writer ascribed the origin of Masonry , not to Solomon , but to Euclid in Egypt . And the origin of Masonry in England not to St . Alban , but to King Athelstan and his son Edwin . These , ho says , gave tho Masons a code of laws , consisting of fifteen articles and fifteen points , all which laws he gave in full in the poem . I havo no doubt that the Rev .

Brother invented both of these legends , and ib is also evident that from thafc time , and for about a century after , tho Masonic ceremony of initiation began with tho reading of the said legends , followed by tho laws , such as the Masons made from time to time . After the laws were read a prayer was made to " God Almighty and his modcr Mary bright . " Tho legend of the then patron saints ( both iu Germany and

in England ) , viz . " the Four Crowned Martyrs" was next given . Noah ' s ark : the tower of Babel seven miles high , built by Nabocodonzor : the seven liberal sciences wero all expatiated on , and a long Roman Catholic sermon , about going to church , sprinkling with holy water , shriving , & c , finished tho ceremony . The next ritual is known as " Matthew Cooke ' s MS . " This begins

with a prayer to tho Godhead , aud as no mention is made therein of " Moder Mary , " nor of tho martyrs , 1 presume that tho said MS . was written by a Protestant in tho 16 th century . Thia author claims to have read the Bible , St . Isador , tho Folycronocon , and other books , both in manuscript aud in print . From tho Biblo ho inferred that Lamaeh , his two wives , and his sons wero tho founders of Masonry ,

that Jutnrod composed Masonic charges , that Abraham taught Euclid Masonry , that King David gave charges to Masons . lie also Mason - ized King Solomon and King Hiram , hut ho was not cute cnongh to guess that the widow ' s son was a Tnasou . ' Tho legends of Euclid and Athelstan were reproduced , but ho ascribed the origin of Masonry in England to St . Alban . In theso two rituals thero is no indication of

any Masonic OB . according to our sense ot tho phrase . In the 17 th century the Matthew Cooke ritual was abridged . There are still in existence about twenty-five MS . of the 17 th centnry . Bro . Hnghan published a number of them , viz ., " The Old Charges . " In all these rituals but one the opening prayer is to the Trinity . The same legends are given ( with some variation , of course )

The Masonic Ritual.

as iu tho Matthew Cooke ritual . Before reading the charges and laws tho Elder requested tho candidate to lay his hand on a book , and theso Charges wound up with " So help you God , " & o . Lato in the 17 th or beginning of tho ISth century , a now brief oath was introduced , beginning with "I A . B ., " but no saints were alluded to , and no penalties wero mentioned iu tho said OB .

Whilo treating of tho brevity of tho then OR , I cannot refrain mentioning that iu 18 GDI saw two initiations in Lodges at Leipsic in Germany , and tho whole OB . consisted of tho following words : — " I promise , on tho word of an honest man , not to divnlgo what will be hero commuuicated to mo . " I must hero add thafc the Mason of the 17 th century , and all the preceding Masons , never entertained the

idea thafc Masonry was designed to unite men of every creed , bnt , on the contrary , in every constitution , both English and German , the candidate was enjoined to be true to the church , and to entertain no heresy ; and iu Germany , if a Mason abstained from attending regularly to confession , ho was expelled from the Craft . The founders of tho Grand Lodgo of England changed the nature

and aim of tho Masonic institution . The widow s son was now for the first timo Masonized , now degrees wore added ; in fact , the ceremonies wero all new , and into the charges was introduced the declaration that Masonry unites men of all creeds into a brotherhood , & c . But notwithstanding thia declaration , true universality waa ignored in tho new ritual as well as laws . St . John ' s days were made

into Masonio festivals . Lodges began to bo dedicated first to one saint , and afterwards to the two saints John . In the new ritual Christ was referred to as being higher than a Mason , and the first Lodgo was said to havo been held in the holy Chapel of St . John Prayers were however entirely abolished , and as late as 176 ( 3 prayer in Lodges under the Grand Lodgo of England was an exception , but not

a rule . Tho truth is , the Ancients ( as they wero called ) reintroduced Lodgo prayers , and the Moderns gradually followed tho example of the Ancients . The OB . in the new ritnal was still without saints and without penalties , and very brief , and so was the ritual . A just and perfect Lodge consisted of two entered apprentices , two Fellow Crafts , and

two Masters . Five , however , waa the limit . The jewels were the square pavement , the blazing star , and tho Banly tassele . The sun , the Master , and square were tho three lights . They had also two lights , " ono to see to go in , and another to work . " The Key was symbolically explained , but the Biblo was not then symbolized as the " great light , " and I may here state that as late as 1730 , when

tho Duko of Norfolk was installed Grand Master , the Grand Lodgo of England was opened in due form , nofc with a Biblo on the Grand Master ' s pedestal , but tho Book of Constitutions , with a sword , laid there . This cnstom is in vogue iu French Lodges , for which our French brethren are repeatedly abused by our American Masonic luminaries as infidels . Ifc seoms , however , the G . O . of France ia

following an old English Masonic usage . The next ritual had still but one OB ., and the penalties of the three degrees wero embraced in it . The Lodge was said to have been dedicated to St . John . The Biblo , compass and square were the furniture of the Lodge . Tho key and ivory box were symbolised . The point , centre , and letter G were there ; seven or more made a just

Lodge , but it was minus of ornaments and working tools . The next ritnal was in vogue during Lord Aberdouv'a Grand Master , ship ( about 1760 ) . Here wo havo an OB . for every degree ; in the first ' . degree only working tools woro explained . Ifc was , however , still minus of ornaments as well as parallel lines . According to Dr . Mackey , that symbol appeared first in a ritual of 177 ( 5 . Ib ia ascribed

to Dunckerley , who introduced tho saints John as Masonic parallels . In 1814 Dr . Samuel Hemming substituted Moses and Solomon for the saints . It would , however , havo been wiser had the Rev . Doctor thrown the symbol out altogether . In Pennsylvania ,-whero the Masons pride themselves on preserving the Dermott ritual in its purity , the parallel lines are unknown , so they are in Scotland and on the

Continent of Europe . The theological feature of thafc symbol clashes with the idea of universality . It is therefore wn-Jfasom ' c . This outline of the origin and development of the Masonic ritual must convince the most obdurate Masonic conservative that ancient landmarks cannot be pleaded in favour of perpetuating the accu - mulated rubbish in the ritual . If , therefore , Bro . Stevens is ambitions

of gaining a " famous victory , he must exerfc his influence to make tho ritnal consistent with Masonic pretensions or professions . If Masonry cannot stand without promulgating sectarian dogmas , candidates should not be deceived by W . M . 's with solemn promises that Masonic duties would not interfere with their religious opinions ,

and all boasting of Masonic universality should be expunged from the constitution and Ritual . But if Bro . S . favours Masonic universality , ho should advocate the removal of all sectarianism from the ritual Sooner or later one or the other will have to bo done , and why not do it now ? Boston , U . S ., 17 th January 18 S 0 .

The Fifteen Sections Club.

THE FIFTEEN SECTIONS CLUB .

THE adjourned meeting of tho Fifteen Sections Club was held afc the Metropolitan Hotel , South-place , Finsbury , E . G ., on Tuesday even * ing , 2 nd Fcbuary , a numerous attendance of brethren being present . Bro . James Stevens was elected to the chair . Tho minutes of lasfc meeting were read and confirmed . Bro . Stevens proposed , and Bro . Job seconded , —Thafc arrangements be made for a special Masonio

night for the opening of the Fifteen Sections Club . Proposed by Bio . Latrielle , seconded by Bro . Hall , —Thafc those arrangements bo carried out by Bros . Stevens and King ( Hon . Sec . ) , and thafc the Secretary call a meeting of members as soon as convenient , to

report progress . Votes of thanks were accorded to Bros . Stevens and Latrielle ( Vice ) , and King Hon . Sec , and tho meeting adjourned . Tho date of the special night will be duly announced in tho several Masonic journals .