Speculative Freemasonry .

to describe a class of men who joined the Freemasons ages ago , who were not operative Masons , and never intended to be , i . e ., those who were theoretical Freemasons , or adopted as *

sw * h , jnst ns we meet with tho titles " Geomatic " and " Domatic , " descriptive of tho two classes of S ]) eeulatives aud Operatives .

We meet with this term Speculative in reference to Masonry , or Freemasonry , ns far back as the fifteenth century , so that four centuries of such a custom is a fair reason for its uso now .

When Ashmole was initiated as a Speculative Freemason in 1646 , it is not likely " there was a single operative Mason present , " as Bro . Kylands has well-nigh demonstrated ; so that this particular Lodge must have long existed to account

for the elimination of the operative element . At Aberdeen , in 1670 , the great majority of members consisted of noblemen , gentlemen , and men of other trades than the Masonic , even though the Lodge was used for operative purposes then , and so long since that year .

Bro . Eandle Holme , in his " Academie of Armory , " Chester , 1688 , says , " I cannot but honor the Fellowship of the Masons because of its antiquity ; and the more as being

a member of that Society called Free-Masons . This is another instance out of many of Speculative Freemasonry in the 17 th Century , and I fail to see what fair objection can be raised to my using such a term .

Far too much has been made of Dr . Plot ' s assumed ridicide of the Freemasons in 1686 . Personally , I feci much obliged to the departed Historian for his numerous

references and suggestive descriptions of the Society , which I believe to be , precisely the same as Ashmole joined . Indeed , it is inconceivable to me how any one can think otherwise .

How Bro . Norton can declare that the "London Lodge , " to which Ashmole was summoned in 1682 , " vvas no other than the London Masonic Guild , which , as already

shown [?] , had neither any sign , word , grip , or ceremony , save that of a dinner , " passes my comprehension , for a more unfounded declaration could not be made .

How does our brother know that in order to gain admission to St . Paul ' s Lodge [ " Antiquity " ] in or about 1717 , it was necessary "to show a sign , to give a grip , and to whisper a word ? " We are quite ignorant of the

esoteric character of this old Lodge in 1717 , at least no evidence has transpired on this side of the Atlantic , so Bro . Norton will oblige us by forwarding the needful particular . , which are new to us .

I am sorry that Bro . Norton , after all my trouble to give the exact words of Ashmole ' s Diary , relative to his initiation , & c , quotes from a printed account which is erroneous , notwithstanding he had my reproduction before

him . He might surely be a little more careful under the circumstances , as the sense of the extract is seriously afi ' ected by the interpolation , to which reference has more than once been made by Bro . Gould and myself .

As to my attempting to show that the Freemasonry of Ashmole ' s time was " Masonic , in accordance with onr ideas " about the Craft , it is not likely Bro . Norton will induce me to try anything so Quixotic . He does nothing

very extraordinary , or worth writing about , to set me an impossible task , and then go on to assume ifc will not be done . And yet , why erase Ashmole ' s name from the list of " Old Masonic Worthies ?"

Supposing , from this date to 1950 , changes were gradually introduced into our Lodges , on a par with those from 1646 to 1740 , would the brethren Toe inclined to remove the name of friend Norton from its Eoll of

Worthies , simply because the degrees or ceremonies worked in 1889 , known to him , differed so from those of 1950 ? I trow not . Whatever it was in 1646-1682 , it xuas Freemasonry , and ifc is but that now . Nofc exactly the same as

we have it , but none of us now know exactly what is the old , or what is the new in the Three Degrees , but we do know that Lodges have continued on the Scottish Eoll throngh all the changes from then to now . Of course , three separate Degrees were unknown in Ashmole ' s time . W . J . HUGHAN .

The Earl of Jersey has resigned the office of Provincial Grand Master of Mark Masons for the Province of Berks and Oxon , a position which he has held for some years . Weghear also that Lord Valentia will probably succeed Lord Jersey as Grand Master of the Province ,

Thoughts For The Thinking Mason.

THOUGHTS FOR THE THINKING MASON .

HOW many Brethren who spend evening after evening iu tho Lodge-room ever ask themselves to what end all the curious rites and ceremonies , whL'h aro the property of our mystic Brotherhood , are so frequently

repeated ? Who pauses in the midst of the ritual to ask himself its meaning , or fctops to inquire in what way it relates to the every-day affairs of life ? Too many look upon tho work of the Craft as a mere meaningless repetition of

words , which by infinite toil must be learned by heart by any ono who wishes to become an officer in his Lodge , but to them it is a matter of no concern , demanding no

thought or attention , and attracting them only as the words when uttered by a speaker of good delivery may have a sonorous roll , pleasing to the ear .

How seldom , indeed , we find that the pure radiance ofthe First Great Light is allowed to shine with its divine effulgence upon the Mysteries of our Craft . If our Brethren would but take the trouble to commit to memory ,

carefully and thoughtfully ( not mere parrot learning ) the entire ritual of the Fraternity , and then in the patient spirit of investigation look up , by means of reference Bible and Concordance , all those passages which seem

obscure and meaningless to them , they will find themselves well rewarded for their trouble . Unfortunately for tho good of the Craft , the Bible seems to be as much of a

sealed book to not a few Masons , as if they were under tho administration of the Eomish Church , which forbids the laity to read the word of God for themselves .

If tho Craft as a whole knew the work better , we would hear fewer complaints of bad grammar in the authorised work . Too many Americans get their only ideas of grammar from the dogmatic and empiric books on tho

subject which form the text books in most of our schools , both public and private , and which by arbitrary rules , that seem all important to the self-appointed authority , endeavour to straighten out the English language as if

with a rod of iron , thereby seeking to remove from it all the force of character and wonderful strength and elasticity of expression that have kept the English of King James ' s version of the Bible , and of William Shakespeare ,

unchanged in all essentials , even down to tho present day , while other languages , such as French and German , havo suffered far more variation in the same length of time .. If any well-read Mason will carefully examine the work as

taught by the Temple School of Instruction , he cannot help being struck by tho singular force and beauty of the language used . There is not one word too much , nor is there anything left out which should be there . The

language is such as Goldsmith or Addison might have used , from the elegance and purity of its diction , though , perhaps , if tested hy the petty standard of Hart ' s English Grammar , or some other such self-constituted authority , it might be found somewhat lacking .

So much for mere questions of diction , the outward clothing in which the beautiful symbolism of our mystic ceremonies is veiled . But there are far higher beauties to be perceived hy every thinking Mason . Who can fail to

be struck with the quaint spirit of medievalism which seems to pervade the whole of Ancient York Masonry . One can almost fancy himself among those ancient builders who , protected by Papal bull , gathered together in

companies wherever there was a cathedral or monastery to he erected , a close corporation protecting both their trade secrets and the mystic legends in their possession from the knowledge of the profane world , by the solemn

obligations imposed upon any one who desired to unite with them and aid in glorifying God , by assisting in the erection of a Temple to His honour . For , the Freemasons of media 3 val Europe were really the architects , sculptors

and Mason builders of the religious edifices . The ordinary buildings , dwellings , castles , and the like , were built by common mechanics , who had never learned the secret Mysteries of our Craffc , and who were but local artificers

following out the rude , every-day practices of their immediate neighbours . The Freemasons , however , were not local workmen , in many cases were not even residents of fche countries where they worked , bufc bound together

by a common purpose , they travelled about from place to place , spreading abroad the knowledge of every new discovery in construction or design , so that it might become the common property of the Fraternity at large ,