Can Antiquity Of Speculative Masonry Be Proved.

wero Masons' working tools symbolised . In a ritual of 1762 , and another of 1705 , which I havo reason to believe was worked by the Ancients , tho working tools of the first degree were explained as wo do now . But , even then in the second and third degree working tools were

not mentioned . Now if tho pre-1717 Masons had symbolised their working tools , why did tho snb-1717 Masons discontinue to symbolise them until 1762 , or so ? Unless , therefore , Bro . Gould is prepared to adopt Bro . Pike ' s high

filling notion about tho existence of high degreers before 1717 ho must agree with Bro . Pike , and wifch me alao , thafc the Operative Lodges before 1717 , including tho Lodge of Antiquity , symbolised their working tools no more than the tailors and carpenters did .

" Masons' marks , " according to somo Masonic luminaries , provo the antiquity of Speculative Masonry . Now , girls sewing in fur shops have also got marls . Yes , sixty-two years ago , when I began to learn my trade , every girl in fche shop marked with needlo and thread each article she sewed .

Bro . Samuel Mason , a hat malcer , who is well known m tho Boston Masonic Temple , told me that fifty years ago , when he began to work at his trade , he had to put a mark on every hat he made . Ho still uses the same mark , aud every hat maker in the country has his mark . Bnt ,

nevertheless , the fur sewers are not Speculative fur sewers , nor are the hatters Speculative hatters . I asked two operative Masons why thoy put marks on the stones of their workmanship , and both answered that if thero was any fault tho

foreman mig ht know whoso handiwork it was . Why our Mason-marh theorists believe that a thousand or moro years aco Masons had a mystical motive for marking stones , I have repeatedly asked , bufc as yefc no one has answered . There are a number of other items in Brother Gould ' s

lecture I would like to call attention to , bub for obvious reasons I shall mention only one . On page 8 , Bro . Gould

says : — "By the aid of these MS . Constitutions Anderson compiled the first Book of Constitutions , No . XIII . of which runs as follows : — ' Apprentices must be admitted Masters and Fellow Craffc only here [ i . e . in the

Grand Lodge ] unless by a dispensation . " This usage , however , was again varied by the Grand Lodge , on 25 th November 1725 , when it was ordained that tho Master of oaoh Lodge , wifch tho consent of his Wardens and tho rtifijority of the brethren , being Masters , may make Masters at their diacrotion . "

Bro . Gould then continues : •—"From the foregoing it will appear that only two degrees ( or distinct ceremonies ) wero recognised by tho Grand Lodgo of

England in 1723 . Apprentice nnd Fellow Craffc or Master , the two latter being convertible terms ; also that iu 1725 , tho restriction was removed , and that ' Masters' could be made by private Lodges afc discretion . "

Iho italicising in fche above paragraph is not mine . Brother " Gould ' s theory is , thafc Masona worked two degrees before 1717 , and had only two degrees in 1723 , and that "Master" and "Fellow Craft ' " meant the same thing , all which ho mighfc havo proved if

Anderson had anywhere stated "Master or Fellow Craft , " bufc as Anderson invariably wrote " Master and Fellow Craft , " he mnst certainly havo meant to convey the idea thafc Master aud Fellow Craft were two distinct Masonic degrees . Thus in his 1723 Constitutions I find : —

"Apprentices must be admitted Masters and Fellow Craffc only here [ in the Grand Lodge ] unless by a Dispensation . " In his 1738 Constitutions , under tho . heading of " Old Regulations , " I find : — " Apprentices mnsfc bo admitted Follow Crafts and Masters only nore , unless by a Dispensation from the Grand Master . "

And nnder " New Regulations " bo says : — "On 22 Nov . 1725 . —Tho Mnster of a Lodge with his Wardens nil « a comp 9 tent i > furnber of tho Lodgo assembled in dno Form , oan mk 0 Masters and Fellows at Discretion . " Wo seo now in every ono of tho abovo quotations , it roads «

Masters and Fellow Crafts , " bufc nofc " or Fellow Uafts . " Ifc ig therefore evident that in 1723 fchey had three JJasomo degrees , viz ., Apprentice , Fellow Ornfb , and lasher . Aud as until November 1725 Lodges were not ^ owe , | to confor fcho ] fisfc t ^ degreegj it ig there r * ' <•ont thafc tho said last two decrees made i -v low U"co » niu JiJOui rtuuu

wero soon ^ P .. . JI * ., . * ... uvvu uv ^ ; . ; ' Cv . tno Grand Lodge was formed . Indeed , I havo nil 1 fi " ™ t 0 bciievo thc prohibitory law ex- ' sfcerf in 1722 , « « i tho said law was doubtless nnssetl when the said two . ] --- " " ¦¦»¦» uuuuiican ( j . ift .-suu iiuiiu iuu ail in iivvu

17 oo T ° firsfe concoctcd , that is , between 1717 and sorT" , f ! snmin g tbf * fc fho Grand Lodgo in 1717 , or a ° . * later > manufactured the said two degrees , it had Effect right to retain tho power of conferring the

Can Antiquity Of Speculative Masonry Be Proved.

said two degrees to itself , otherwise it would nofc havo had such a right . Assuming , however , that tho two first degrees existed before 1717 , I want Bro . Gould to explain whv the Grand Lodge prohibited tho old Masous from

conferring their old Fellow Craft degree in thoir own Lodges ? and why tho old Masons submitted to the said law ? and until that is satisfactorily explained , I shall maintain the opinion thafc the said lasfc two degrees wero made after 1717 , and thafc Masons had bufc one degree before 1717 . "

Nay , I believe that even our firsfc degree was made after 1717 ; old words , signs , grips , & c , were doubtless retained , bufc in other respects the sub-1717 first degree differed as much from tho pre-1717 ono as tho Constitutions of 1723 differed from tho Masons' code of 171 G . A few lines

from the pre-1717 Masons' code w- re retained in whafc may bo called tho preamble to tho 17 I'd Constitutions , bat nevertheless the 1723 Constitutions was new , aud in a liko manner the few old words , phrases , signs , and grips

retained in the sub-1717 ritual did not make the said ritual old . Looking , therefore , afc these questions from every standpoint , I must como to the conclusion thafc before 1717 Masons had neither " Specidalive Masonry" nor Masonic < : degrees . " BOSTON , U . S ., 23 rd May 1890 .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . EDWARD HARRIS .

ON the morning of the 29 th ult . the remains of Bro . E . Harris , of Elmina villa , Sydenham Hill , Gotham , wore interred in Arno ' s Vale Cemetery . The deceased was a highly esteemed member of the Masonic body , and at tho time of his death was filling the position of Worshipful

Master of the Moira Lodge , No . 326 , of the Bristol Provincec The decease of a Master during his term of office is almost unprecedented in the annals of the Bristol Lodges , and the event caused a painful sensation amongst tho members of the Craft , and this feeling was shown by

the largo number of the brethren who assembled afc the ceremony to follow the corpse to its last resting place in the bosom of mother carfch . Amongst those present woro Bros . T . H . Jennings , R . Gough , E . J . Grubb , W . T . Abbott , W . Jarretfc , H . Wilkinson , Southwell , W . Church

Holder , J . Lambert , A . Fetter , T . W . Stone , F . J . Stone , W . C . Bamfield , W . H . Cowlin , H . J . Gough , J . T . Hallam , S . Edwards , C . J . Hill , T . Bamfield , W . H . Brown , G . Peokett , It . Broek , E . J . Sellick , J . S . Burgoss , H . M . Williams , Escombe Baber , H . Fielding , S . S . Hobbs ,

Brimble , T . h . Wills , b \ Parker , H . Parsley , Goo . A . Bond , A . G . Biitfc , Burnett , Richard Cockio , J . Stoato , and Webber . Tho brethren from a distance included the following members of thc Albert Victor Lodge , No . 90 G , Bath , of which the deceased was a member : —Bros . A . Wadoux ,

T . It . Gill , T . Cross , L . Howes , J . Knight , J . Hayward , E . J . Mills , B . J . B . Mercer , A . J . Gay . The coffin , which was of polished oak , with massive brass furniture , was conveyed * in an open hearse , and the lid wan covered with beautiful wreaths , one of which was sent by

the brethren of the Moira Lodge , and another was brought by the members of the lloyal Albert Edward Lodge , Bath . The officiating minister was the Rov . Joseph Rhodes ( King-street circuit ) , and iu the chapel he delivered a pathetic address , in the course of which he bore testimony to the hieh Christian character of Bro . Harris . After the

body had been lowered into the grave and tne service concluded , tho Freemasons tiled pasfc , each casting a sprig of acacia upon tho coffin , and tho mournful ceremony terminated ,

Bro . Edward Pinder Dnvifl was , on Wednesday , tho 21 st ultimo , installed Worshipful Master of tho Grosvenor Mark Lodgo , No . 14 k Tlio ceremony of installation was performed by Bro . Henry Faija .

Ad00503

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