Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Conflicting Views As To The Character And Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
that freedom of thought which there is no doubt whatever has been more firmly establishing itself in different countries , its most enthusiastic friends are inclined to regard and describe it as a , kind of religion , while there are others who stoutly maintain that it is nothing more than a society
for promoting good dinners . Some say it had its origin in the Garden of Eden , or on the plains of Shinar , and that all or nearly all the great Biblical personages under both the Old and New Covenants , presided over its destinies . Others say the idea of its having existed anterior to the
earlier years of the eighteenth century is mere moonshine , or in other words , that Freemasonry , as we now understand it , is of modern origin , and its connection with the sodalities , the philosophies , and the mysteries of the old world exists only in the imagination of the extreme Masonic enthusiast .
To evolve out of this chaos of ideas anything like a connected and reasonable theory as to the character and age of Freemasonry is no light task to enter upon , but it has no place among impossibilities . It is , we think , quite possible to explain , though not to reconcile , these conflicting theories .
It is possible , for instance , to allow that Freemasonry , while as to its present organisation is undoubtedly is an Institution of modern times , is not , as regards its doctrines , the parvenu Society its enemies—and some , too , among its friends—consider it . Without going the length of asserting
that it is lineally descended from the old schools of philosophy , and through them from the priestly castes of Egypt and India , there seems small reason to doubt that many of the tenets it professes , and the mode of teaching it adopts , are in harmony with those professed and adopted by the
the philosophers and castes we have referred to . It is too much to ask us to believe that a Society of Freemasons , such as ours is , has existed from the Creation , and that among its rulers , or Grand Masters , have been Adam , Noah , Abraham , Solomon , the two Saints John , and a multitude
of other great historic celebrities . Equally objectionable is it to invite us to believe that the Society of Freemasons came into being at once—just as Minerva is mythically said to have come into the world full grown , and wearing a complete panoply—at that meeting of the four old Lodges
at the Apple Tree Tavern , Charles-street , Covent Garden , which resulted in " Mr . Antony Sayer Gentleman " being made Grand Master . Even before the Creation , there was a chaos out of which the Universe was created , and before our Grand Lodge was instituted there were , as we know ,
Lodges ; and traditions , Old Charges , & c , & c , as we also know , or may be excused for assuming . Therefore , while we are inclined to accept neither of the extreme theories as to the origin of Freemasonry—namely , that which assigns
it an existence coeval with the Creation or thereabouts , or that which dates it back to 1717 and no further , we see our way to assigning to Freemasonry , as did the Earl of Carnarvon in his address at the installation of H . R . H . the
Prmce of Wales , an origin dating back to very remote ages . Among the schools of Masonry there are two which stand out prominently from the rest . One of these maybe described as that of the late Dr . Oliver , who , it will be admitted by
readers of Masonic journals , has many enthusiastic followers . The other has among its disciples no abler or more earnest representative than Bro . Jacob Norton . Out of respect , therefore , to this worthy partisan of the modernity of Freemasonry we will name this second
school the Jacob Norton School . The late Dr . Oliver , as a mere glance at any one of his numerous writings will show , held that our Masonic symbolism could be traced back as far as the time when Adam and Eve lived immaculate in Eden , and that Freemasonrv amounted to
little else than Religion as revealed by the Creator to His Creatures . He somehow manages to see a connection between Freemasonry on the one hand , and all the religions that have been promulgated , all the mysteries which have existed , and all the philosophies which have been
propounded since the world began . We do not mean to say the late worthy doctor attempted , much less succeeded in his attempt , to connect the teachings of Freemasonry with those of all religions , mysteries , and philosophies , but with the bases of religion , mystery , and philosophy , albeit those
bases were differentl y formulated by different masters , in different ages , and in different epochs . On the other hand , Bro . Norton insists that Freemasonry , as an institution , is
only what Desagnliers and his compeers defined it . He must even go further than they , and deprive it of that religions basis on which they erected their superstructure of Freemasonry . He does not think it right to allow that
Conflicting Views As To The Character And Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
the formulators of our modern system of Masonry had any just and proper idea of their own meaning . Their language points unmistakably to an intention on their part to retain the religious element , but with nothing whatever of a
sectarian character about that element . Bro . Norton argues , with the French Masons of to-day , that Freemasonry is not what it should be unless all idea of or reference to religion is expunged from its formularies .
Wo have recently been favoured with a copy of " an address delivered in tho Church of St . Mary , Staindrop , before the brethren of tho Restoration Lodge , No . Ill , and the Marquis of Ripon Lodge , No . 1379 , Darlington , at their celebration of the Festival of St . John the Baotist , on
Wednesday the 7 th July 1880 , by Bro . the Rev . J . Milner , M . A ., F . R . G . S ., Rector of Middleton-in-Teesdale , and Chaplain in Ordinary to H . R . H . the Duke of Edinburgh . " In this address our Rev . Brother in answer to a question , " What is Freemasonry ? " takes us back to the " remotest
antiquity , " and proclaims it to be " not a political , but a religious society . " He speaks of the use of symbols and signs as the only means before letters were invented , " of teaching divine truths and handing down divine traditions , " and it was through them that "before the Deluge the
people of the old World had the whole history of the creation , the fall of our first parents , & c , handed down by tradition in the primitive Lodges , " while after the Deluge the Ark became the commonest of symbols . Then , he goes on to say , that " a Lodge must have been in full working
order on tho plains of Shinar during the life-time of Noah , " and the reason he assigns for this statement is , that " when the Dispersion took place , Lodges of a similar nature were established in every part of the world , though probably not for many years after the settlement of the emigrants in
the new countries . " In the next sentence he speaks of the " old mysteries " as "those spurious Masonic Lodges , " and as having " misinterpreted many of the symbols which had been correctly explained in the mother Lodge . All , however , had the same symbols and had a common origin ,
namely , Freemasonry . Later on , in the same page , our Rev . Brother gravely tells us that " according to the traditions of our venerable society Enoch was a very eminent Mason . " Now , with all due respect to our Rev . Brother ' s enthusiasm in the cause of Freemasonry , we must
take upon ourselves to point out that , to put it in the mildest of terms , it is an absurdity to state that a Masonic Lodge was in full working order in the plains of Shinar , and that daughter Lodges were established in other countries subsequent to the Dispersion of the people . With
as much justification might it be said that the English and French languages , as now spoken , were the immediate outcome of this Dispersion and the confusion of tongues that followed . Enthusiasm is to be commended only when it is found possible to prevent it from transgressing the limits of
reason . Passing over the remark that the mysteries or spurious Masonic rites were introduced into different countries b y different persons , and granting with but little hesitation that it is probable they all had one common parentage ,
though in some cases they " degenerated most frightfully , " while in others they retained or recovered much of their pristine purity , we should like to hear something of the authority on which Rev . Bro . Milner bases his statement that Pythagoras and Plato " were initiated into a Jewish
Lodge . " This is about on a par with Dr . Oliver ' s statement that among others the Saints John were Grand Masters of Freemasonry , nor is there a particle of evidence , indirect or direct , of the truth of the statement so distinctl y set forth by our Rev . Brother . We fear we must condemn him
for so unhesitatingly asserting what it is impossible for him or any one else to substantiate . We have less objection to his remarks about the Essenes , for , so far as it it is possible to judge of them , they seem to have been actuated by certain well-known principles , such as are set forth in our
modern exposition of Freemasonry . But what can be said of the following passage : " Freemasons , of course , know perfectly well that the great Pyramid was merely a spurious Masonic Lodge , in which aspirants were initiated into the mysteries . " This is a bold statement , equally incapable
of proof with that about Pythagoras and Plato having been " initiated into a Jewish Lodge . " Our Rev . Bro . Milner should fulfil his duties as a preacher with something
approaching to caution and common sense . No sane man could for one moment seriously entertain snch propositions as these , and it is this class of proposition which has involved Freemasonry in so much ridicule . It is one thing
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Conflicting Views As To The Character And Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
that freedom of thought which there is no doubt whatever has been more firmly establishing itself in different countries , its most enthusiastic friends are inclined to regard and describe it as a , kind of religion , while there are others who stoutly maintain that it is nothing more than a society
for promoting good dinners . Some say it had its origin in the Garden of Eden , or on the plains of Shinar , and that all or nearly all the great Biblical personages under both the Old and New Covenants , presided over its destinies . Others say the idea of its having existed anterior to the
earlier years of the eighteenth century is mere moonshine , or in other words , that Freemasonry , as we now understand it , is of modern origin , and its connection with the sodalities , the philosophies , and the mysteries of the old world exists only in the imagination of the extreme Masonic enthusiast .
To evolve out of this chaos of ideas anything like a connected and reasonable theory as to the character and age of Freemasonry is no light task to enter upon , but it has no place among impossibilities . It is , we think , quite possible to explain , though not to reconcile , these conflicting theories .
It is possible , for instance , to allow that Freemasonry , while as to its present organisation is undoubtedly is an Institution of modern times , is not , as regards its doctrines , the parvenu Society its enemies—and some , too , among its friends—consider it . Without going the length of asserting
that it is lineally descended from the old schools of philosophy , and through them from the priestly castes of Egypt and India , there seems small reason to doubt that many of the tenets it professes , and the mode of teaching it adopts , are in harmony with those professed and adopted by the
the philosophers and castes we have referred to . It is too much to ask us to believe that a Society of Freemasons , such as ours is , has existed from the Creation , and that among its rulers , or Grand Masters , have been Adam , Noah , Abraham , Solomon , the two Saints John , and a multitude
of other great historic celebrities . Equally objectionable is it to invite us to believe that the Society of Freemasons came into being at once—just as Minerva is mythically said to have come into the world full grown , and wearing a complete panoply—at that meeting of the four old Lodges
at the Apple Tree Tavern , Charles-street , Covent Garden , which resulted in " Mr . Antony Sayer Gentleman " being made Grand Master . Even before the Creation , there was a chaos out of which the Universe was created , and before our Grand Lodge was instituted there were , as we know ,
Lodges ; and traditions , Old Charges , & c , & c , as we also know , or may be excused for assuming . Therefore , while we are inclined to accept neither of the extreme theories as to the origin of Freemasonry—namely , that which assigns
it an existence coeval with the Creation or thereabouts , or that which dates it back to 1717 and no further , we see our way to assigning to Freemasonry , as did the Earl of Carnarvon in his address at the installation of H . R . H . the
Prmce of Wales , an origin dating back to very remote ages . Among the schools of Masonry there are two which stand out prominently from the rest . One of these maybe described as that of the late Dr . Oliver , who , it will be admitted by
readers of Masonic journals , has many enthusiastic followers . The other has among its disciples no abler or more earnest representative than Bro . Jacob Norton . Out of respect , therefore , to this worthy partisan of the modernity of Freemasonry we will name this second
school the Jacob Norton School . The late Dr . Oliver , as a mere glance at any one of his numerous writings will show , held that our Masonic symbolism could be traced back as far as the time when Adam and Eve lived immaculate in Eden , and that Freemasonrv amounted to
little else than Religion as revealed by the Creator to His Creatures . He somehow manages to see a connection between Freemasonry on the one hand , and all the religions that have been promulgated , all the mysteries which have existed , and all the philosophies which have been
propounded since the world began . We do not mean to say the late worthy doctor attempted , much less succeeded in his attempt , to connect the teachings of Freemasonry with those of all religions , mysteries , and philosophies , but with the bases of religion , mystery , and philosophy , albeit those
bases were differentl y formulated by different masters , in different ages , and in different epochs . On the other hand , Bro . Norton insists that Freemasonry , as an institution , is
only what Desagnliers and his compeers defined it . He must even go further than they , and deprive it of that religions basis on which they erected their superstructure of Freemasonry . He does not think it right to allow that
Conflicting Views As To The Character And Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
the formulators of our modern system of Masonry had any just and proper idea of their own meaning . Their language points unmistakably to an intention on their part to retain the religious element , but with nothing whatever of a
sectarian character about that element . Bro . Norton argues , with the French Masons of to-day , that Freemasonry is not what it should be unless all idea of or reference to religion is expunged from its formularies .
Wo have recently been favoured with a copy of " an address delivered in tho Church of St . Mary , Staindrop , before the brethren of tho Restoration Lodge , No . Ill , and the Marquis of Ripon Lodge , No . 1379 , Darlington , at their celebration of the Festival of St . John the Baotist , on
Wednesday the 7 th July 1880 , by Bro . the Rev . J . Milner , M . A ., F . R . G . S ., Rector of Middleton-in-Teesdale , and Chaplain in Ordinary to H . R . H . the Duke of Edinburgh . " In this address our Rev . Brother in answer to a question , " What is Freemasonry ? " takes us back to the " remotest
antiquity , " and proclaims it to be " not a political , but a religious society . " He speaks of the use of symbols and signs as the only means before letters were invented , " of teaching divine truths and handing down divine traditions , " and it was through them that "before the Deluge the
people of the old World had the whole history of the creation , the fall of our first parents , & c , handed down by tradition in the primitive Lodges , " while after the Deluge the Ark became the commonest of symbols . Then , he goes on to say , that " a Lodge must have been in full working
order on tho plains of Shinar during the life-time of Noah , " and the reason he assigns for this statement is , that " when the Dispersion took place , Lodges of a similar nature were established in every part of the world , though probably not for many years after the settlement of the emigrants in
the new countries . " In the next sentence he speaks of the " old mysteries " as "those spurious Masonic Lodges , " and as having " misinterpreted many of the symbols which had been correctly explained in the mother Lodge . All , however , had the same symbols and had a common origin ,
namely , Freemasonry . Later on , in the same page , our Rev . Brother gravely tells us that " according to the traditions of our venerable society Enoch was a very eminent Mason . " Now , with all due respect to our Rev . Brother ' s enthusiasm in the cause of Freemasonry , we must
take upon ourselves to point out that , to put it in the mildest of terms , it is an absurdity to state that a Masonic Lodge was in full working order in the plains of Shinar , and that daughter Lodges were established in other countries subsequent to the Dispersion of the people . With
as much justification might it be said that the English and French languages , as now spoken , were the immediate outcome of this Dispersion and the confusion of tongues that followed . Enthusiasm is to be commended only when it is found possible to prevent it from transgressing the limits of
reason . Passing over the remark that the mysteries or spurious Masonic rites were introduced into different countries b y different persons , and granting with but little hesitation that it is probable they all had one common parentage ,
though in some cases they " degenerated most frightfully , " while in others they retained or recovered much of their pristine purity , we should like to hear something of the authority on which Rev . Bro . Milner bases his statement that Pythagoras and Plato " were initiated into a Jewish
Lodge . " This is about on a par with Dr . Oliver ' s statement that among others the Saints John were Grand Masters of Freemasonry , nor is there a particle of evidence , indirect or direct , of the truth of the statement so distinctl y set forth by our Rev . Brother . We fear we must condemn him
for so unhesitatingly asserting what it is impossible for him or any one else to substantiate . We have less objection to his remarks about the Essenes , for , so far as it it is possible to judge of them , they seem to have been actuated by certain well-known principles , such as are set forth in our
modern exposition of Freemasonry . But what can be said of the following passage : " Freemasons , of course , know perfectly well that the great Pyramid was merely a spurious Masonic Lodge , in which aspirants were initiated into the mysteries . " This is a bold statement , equally incapable
of proof with that about Pythagoras and Plato having been " initiated into a Jewish Lodge . " Our Rev . Bro . Milner should fulfil his duties as a preacher with something
approaching to caution and common sense . No sane man could for one moment seriously entertain snch propositions as these , and it is this class of proposition which has involved Freemasonry in so much ridicule . It is one thing