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Article HOW MASONIC HISTORY IS TAUGHT. ← Page 2 of 2 Article HOW MASONIC HISTORY IS TAUGHT. Page 2 of 2
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
How Masonic History Is Taught.
Passing on a little further we light upon the following passage : "But the great middle-age builders were the Society of Knights Templar ; another High Grade secret system of the middle or warrior caste , preserved in the degrees of onr Senate . It is not very improbable , on the
face of what I shall advance to you , that these , in-or about the 12 fch century , gave off the Craft organisation of the Operative Masonry claiming from Solomon ' s Temple . This supposition is strengthened by the fact that the Templars , in A . D . 1118 , acquired the site of Solomon ' s Temple , and
that adjacent thereto existed a High Grade rite of Mohammedan warriors who sought occult knowledge , with an organised system of seven secret degrees , afterwards increased to nine , under the prestige of King Solomon , of whose magical powers they have astonishing legends .
I allude to the secret doctrine of the House of Wisdom , which ^ originated the somewhat unenviable society of Assassins , corresponding in its doctrines to the 'Elu ' degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , which we have rejected as immoral and unworthy of our own . " This
passage contains sundry assertions , as for instance that "the" great middle-age builders were the Society of Knights Templar , " which was " anpther High Grade secret system of the middle or warrior caste "; that "the Templars , in A . D . 1118 , acquired the site of Solomon ' s
Temple "; that adjacent thereto existed " a High Grade Rite of Mahommedan Warriors , " but nothing whatever is advanced from which we may judge of their value . However , this matters but little , as one at least of them is , to the best of knowledge and belief , capable of disproof . It
is not a fact—so at least , we have always understood—that " the Templars , in A . D . 1118 , acquired the site of Solomon ' s Temple . " The year in question , or the next to it , is held to be the year in which the Order of the Temple was founded , and Baldwin II ., King of Jerusalem , assigned
the Knights a part of his palace for their quarters , to which the Abbot and Canons of the Church and Convent of the Temple , which stood adjoining , added another building for keeping their arms , and hence their name of Templars . Shall we venture so far as to say , quoting Latin by way of
variety , " ex uno disce omnes . " At all events , even Brother Yarker , with all his audacity of assumption , does not seem quite at his ease in respect of his statements . He begins his next paragraph with the highly significant words , " At any rate , " which we take to imply , whether the
middleage builders were or were not Knights Templar ; whether they did or did nofc " give off the Craft organisation of the Operative Masonry claiming from Solomon ' s Temple "; whether they did or did not in A . D . 1118 " acquire the site of Solomon ' s Temple "; and whether there did or did
not exist adjacent thereto—that is the site of the Temple" a High Grade Rite of Mahommedan Warriors , " " at any rate , " that is , whether these are or are not facts , "from this period there came down the stream of centuries such a Society as Operative Freemasonry was before the year
1700 ; bufc its ceremonies , even in the same country , were not uniform , " a statement he illustrates by the Companionage in France , while as regards Britain , he snggests the probability of our Craft Masonry having had " the legend of the Hiram system in a much more meagre and
unpolished form than now exists " before the year 1723 . And he sums up the case of Operative Masonry thus curtly : " In other words , the British Operative or Craft Masons have left no record that they had an esoteric Mystery before the formation of the Grand Lodge at
London . So much , for better or worse , is all that can be said for Craft Masonry . " It is , in one sense , to be regretted that Bro . Yarker exhausted his powers of exposition
as regards this branch of his subject in the course of a few paragraphs , but our regret is the less distressing , because , owing no doubt to the limited time at his disposal , he has been able to do little else than advance statements
wholly unsupported by evidence of any kind whatsoever , much less by evidence possessing anything like trustworthiness . In dealing with the second portion of his lectnre , Bro . Yarker displays tbe same qualities . He boldly tells his
audience that " in all the most ancient nations—Chinese , Babylonian , Egyptian , Indian , Persian—there existed , and still exists , a certain secret School of Wisdom , which in all lands had certain degrees , with obligations of secresy , and
ceremonial rites with tokens and words ; they were either of seven or nine degrees , and the members , then and still , affiliate with distant Rites ; " the latter point he illustrates l n his own case as having , like " many modern Craffc
How Masonic History Is Taught.
Freemasons , " become " connected with the Oriental Societies . " But will Bro . Yarker condescend to tell us something more than that there " existed , and still exists , a certain secret School of Wisdom " in the most ancient nations—China , Egypt , India , Persia—we will excuse him
in respect of Babylon , which no longer exists : and something more than that " they "—whatever " they " may bewe reeither of " seven or nine degrees P" We never miss , if we can help it , an opportunity of gaining even the slightest insight into knowledge of so mysterious a character . We
shall be only too glad to learn , if Bro . Yarker will graciously undertake the role of instructor , and shall be only too thankful for the minutest crumbs of information , provided , of course , there is any chance of their being supported by something like evidence . Then , as to the Oriental Societies with which Bro . Yarker has become
connected , he tells us—and he ought to speak with some authority— " that they have many points in common with the secret Cabala of the Jews , which probably derives from the Schools of the Prophets , of which we find mention in the Jewish writings . They sought 10 , 000 years ago by
arduous toil—and found it—the basis of religion , philosophy , and art ; their faith was that of the proved religion , iu which all the learned men of antiquity agreed . " Further on we learn that " primitively , the first adepts were men profoundly versed in arts , science , and spiritual knowledge ,
who proceeded to enlarge their numbers by the admission of neophytes from neighbouring tribes . As their numbers increased they emigrated far and wide , and established Colleges amongst all nations , which , on the model of the first , went on increasing their numbers . Originally
celibates , some of them married and returned to the world , and had progeny , who founded the left-handed system , or sorcery . They were the ' Sons of God who took to themselves wives of the daughters of men . '" And again , " there is a record at Rome which states that the Bleu- *
sinian Mysteries of Ceres and Dionysos had been established in Britain . Various communities of monks and fraternities of knights continued the practice of the Mysteries , and even at this day the Madonna of Rome is an exact copy of the much more ancient Isis of
Egypt . " Bro . Yarker says also , " That our present ceremonies are those of the ancients is proved by the paintings in Egyptian temples and tombs . That the ancient Mysteries had our Rose Croix ceremonies is proved by the language of the Sybils of the Temple ,
preserved in the Sybilline Oracles . " Here again we have a series of assertions , and without being so bold as to contradict Bro . Yarker , we venture to ask him in all simplicity for something like proofs of the verity of his statements . We shall be content to believe in the antiquity of the
socalled High Grade Mysteries when it is demonstrated to us beyond the possibility of doubt that they have not been fashioned so as to resemble the Mysteries which were practised in bygone ages . It is one thing to say that the High Grade ceremonies are the same with those of fche
Egyptian or any other ancient cult ; it is another to affirm that they have been regularly carried down " the stream of centuries " from those who originated them to those who now possess and practise them . As belonging to the old school , we have the utmost veneration and respect for
whatever can justly lay claim to an immemorial antiquity of origin , but we have a right to expect that the claim shall rest on justice . We do not ? want to be told that a Rite , which is , as it were , of yesterday ' s creation , is the direct lineal representative of those rites which were practised in
the earliest ages and of which the world has some degree of knowledge . What we are desirous of learning is , how the lineal descent is traceable , so that we may be in a position to appraise the value of the claim which Bro . Yarker so energetically advances . ( To be continued . )
The ceremonies of Consecration and Installation will be rehearsed at the Royal Alfred Lodge of Instruction , No . 780 , Star and Garter Hotel , Kew Bridge , by Bro . James Terry P . P . S . G . Warden Norths and Hunts , P . P . G . J . W . Herts ,
P . M . 228 1278 13 G 6 , Secretary of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , on Friday , 23 rd instant , at 7 * 30 p , m . The musical arrangements will he under the direction of Bro . E . H . Sugg ' P . P . G . O . Surrey Secretary 1996 . Craffc Clothing to be worn . Brethren are invited to attend .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
How Masonic History Is Taught.
Passing on a little further we light upon the following passage : "But the great middle-age builders were the Society of Knights Templar ; another High Grade secret system of the middle or warrior caste , preserved in the degrees of onr Senate . It is not very improbable , on the
face of what I shall advance to you , that these , in-or about the 12 fch century , gave off the Craft organisation of the Operative Masonry claiming from Solomon ' s Temple . This supposition is strengthened by the fact that the Templars , in A . D . 1118 , acquired the site of Solomon ' s Temple , and
that adjacent thereto existed a High Grade rite of Mohammedan warriors who sought occult knowledge , with an organised system of seven secret degrees , afterwards increased to nine , under the prestige of King Solomon , of whose magical powers they have astonishing legends .
I allude to the secret doctrine of the House of Wisdom , which ^ originated the somewhat unenviable society of Assassins , corresponding in its doctrines to the 'Elu ' degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , which we have rejected as immoral and unworthy of our own . " This
passage contains sundry assertions , as for instance that "the" great middle-age builders were the Society of Knights Templar , " which was " anpther High Grade secret system of the middle or warrior caste "; that "the Templars , in A . D . 1118 , acquired the site of Solomon ' s
Temple "; that adjacent thereto existed " a High Grade Rite of Mahommedan Warriors , " but nothing whatever is advanced from which we may judge of their value . However , this matters but little , as one at least of them is , to the best of knowledge and belief , capable of disproof . It
is not a fact—so at least , we have always understood—that " the Templars , in A . D . 1118 , acquired the site of Solomon ' s Temple . " The year in question , or the next to it , is held to be the year in which the Order of the Temple was founded , and Baldwin II ., King of Jerusalem , assigned
the Knights a part of his palace for their quarters , to which the Abbot and Canons of the Church and Convent of the Temple , which stood adjoining , added another building for keeping their arms , and hence their name of Templars . Shall we venture so far as to say , quoting Latin by way of
variety , " ex uno disce omnes . " At all events , even Brother Yarker , with all his audacity of assumption , does not seem quite at his ease in respect of his statements . He begins his next paragraph with the highly significant words , " At any rate , " which we take to imply , whether the
middleage builders were or were not Knights Templar ; whether they did or did nofc " give off the Craft organisation of the Operative Masonry claiming from Solomon ' s Temple "; whether they did or did not in A . D . 1118 " acquire the site of Solomon ' s Temple "; and whether there did or did
not exist adjacent thereto—that is the site of the Temple" a High Grade Rite of Mahommedan Warriors , " " at any rate , " that is , whether these are or are not facts , "from this period there came down the stream of centuries such a Society as Operative Freemasonry was before the year
1700 ; bufc its ceremonies , even in the same country , were not uniform , " a statement he illustrates by the Companionage in France , while as regards Britain , he snggests the probability of our Craft Masonry having had " the legend of the Hiram system in a much more meagre and
unpolished form than now exists " before the year 1723 . And he sums up the case of Operative Masonry thus curtly : " In other words , the British Operative or Craft Masons have left no record that they had an esoteric Mystery before the formation of the Grand Lodge at
London . So much , for better or worse , is all that can be said for Craft Masonry . " It is , in one sense , to be regretted that Bro . Yarker exhausted his powers of exposition
as regards this branch of his subject in the course of a few paragraphs , but our regret is the less distressing , because , owing no doubt to the limited time at his disposal , he has been able to do little else than advance statements
wholly unsupported by evidence of any kind whatsoever , much less by evidence possessing anything like trustworthiness . In dealing with the second portion of his lectnre , Bro . Yarker displays tbe same qualities . He boldly tells his
audience that " in all the most ancient nations—Chinese , Babylonian , Egyptian , Indian , Persian—there existed , and still exists , a certain secret School of Wisdom , which in all lands had certain degrees , with obligations of secresy , and
ceremonial rites with tokens and words ; they were either of seven or nine degrees , and the members , then and still , affiliate with distant Rites ; " the latter point he illustrates l n his own case as having , like " many modern Craffc
How Masonic History Is Taught.
Freemasons , " become " connected with the Oriental Societies . " But will Bro . Yarker condescend to tell us something more than that there " existed , and still exists , a certain secret School of Wisdom " in the most ancient nations—China , Egypt , India , Persia—we will excuse him
in respect of Babylon , which no longer exists : and something more than that " they "—whatever " they " may bewe reeither of " seven or nine degrees P" We never miss , if we can help it , an opportunity of gaining even the slightest insight into knowledge of so mysterious a character . We
shall be only too glad to learn , if Bro . Yarker will graciously undertake the role of instructor , and shall be only too thankful for the minutest crumbs of information , provided , of course , there is any chance of their being supported by something like evidence . Then , as to the Oriental Societies with which Bro . Yarker has become
connected , he tells us—and he ought to speak with some authority— " that they have many points in common with the secret Cabala of the Jews , which probably derives from the Schools of the Prophets , of which we find mention in the Jewish writings . They sought 10 , 000 years ago by
arduous toil—and found it—the basis of religion , philosophy , and art ; their faith was that of the proved religion , iu which all the learned men of antiquity agreed . " Further on we learn that " primitively , the first adepts were men profoundly versed in arts , science , and spiritual knowledge ,
who proceeded to enlarge their numbers by the admission of neophytes from neighbouring tribes . As their numbers increased they emigrated far and wide , and established Colleges amongst all nations , which , on the model of the first , went on increasing their numbers . Originally
celibates , some of them married and returned to the world , and had progeny , who founded the left-handed system , or sorcery . They were the ' Sons of God who took to themselves wives of the daughters of men . '" And again , " there is a record at Rome which states that the Bleu- *
sinian Mysteries of Ceres and Dionysos had been established in Britain . Various communities of monks and fraternities of knights continued the practice of the Mysteries , and even at this day the Madonna of Rome is an exact copy of the much more ancient Isis of
Egypt . " Bro . Yarker says also , " That our present ceremonies are those of the ancients is proved by the paintings in Egyptian temples and tombs . That the ancient Mysteries had our Rose Croix ceremonies is proved by the language of the Sybils of the Temple ,
preserved in the Sybilline Oracles . " Here again we have a series of assertions , and without being so bold as to contradict Bro . Yarker , we venture to ask him in all simplicity for something like proofs of the verity of his statements . We shall be content to believe in the antiquity of the
socalled High Grade Mysteries when it is demonstrated to us beyond the possibility of doubt that they have not been fashioned so as to resemble the Mysteries which were practised in bygone ages . It is one thing to say that the High Grade ceremonies are the same with those of fche
Egyptian or any other ancient cult ; it is another to affirm that they have been regularly carried down " the stream of centuries " from those who originated them to those who now possess and practise them . As belonging to the old school , we have the utmost veneration and respect for
whatever can justly lay claim to an immemorial antiquity of origin , but we have a right to expect that the claim shall rest on justice . We do not ? want to be told that a Rite , which is , as it were , of yesterday ' s creation , is the direct lineal representative of those rites which were practised in
the earliest ages and of which the world has some degree of knowledge . What we are desirous of learning is , how the lineal descent is traceable , so that we may be in a position to appraise the value of the claim which Bro . Yarker so energetically advances . ( To be continued . )
The ceremonies of Consecration and Installation will be rehearsed at the Royal Alfred Lodge of Instruction , No . 780 , Star and Garter Hotel , Kew Bridge , by Bro . James Terry P . P . S . G . Warden Norths and Hunts , P . P . G . J . W . Herts ,
P . M . 228 1278 13 G 6 , Secretary of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , on Friday , 23 rd instant , at 7 * 30 p , m . The musical arrangements will he under the direction of Bro . E . H . Sugg ' P . P . G . O . Surrey Secretary 1996 . Craffc Clothing to be worn . Brethren are invited to attend .