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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Antiquity Of Masonry.
of the early Masonic Craft . Let us consider the traces of a succession in the Craft of Masonry . In the old Masonic MSS . of Constitutions , printed in fac-simile from manuscri pt No . 23 , 198 , edited by Matthew Cook , and written probably in the 15 th century , Nimrod charges ( fol . 380 ) the Masons , whom he sends to his Cousin Assur , to build a city , that they serve
Assur faithfully , but that" ye govern you against your lord " ( Assur ) " and among yourselves . " This Masonic tradition of the Eastern life of their Craft is curious when we reflect that to this day strangers in the East are governed by the laws and council of their own country , rather than of the nation they sojourn among . Such a system applied to sojourning
Masons of one country , protected by their own country , working together in another , would naturally produce tho organization of Freemasonry . In this light we find the Latin vulgate carefully distinguishes Hiram ' s Masons from Solomon ' s Masons ( Kings v . " caomentarii Huram . " ) Early as this MS . bears date , it must be admitted that some of the organisation of speculative Masonry is
shown in this extract . The free spirit of self-government sheds a ray of light here of great significance . The brother who believes there is something in Freemasonry deeper than its admirable morality and generosity , something that underlies and gives expression to its universality , something behind its symbols that has brought from antique times a flavour like the
odour of Shittim wood of the tabernacle , may boldly enter on the investigation ; and if his industry never slackens , his faith never tires , and he has access to the means of investigation , light from the East will break on the mysteries of that strange gem bearing the seals of the royal Solomon , and hia right royal Phoenician brother which is before him . Andrea , in A . D . 1610 , in his confession of R . & C , wrote , " He
who oan see the great letters and characters that God wrote on the edifice of heaven and earth , and can use them to his profit , is already prepared for UB , though himself unaware of it . " It is my purpose here not to enter the hidden wisdom of this royal and reverential art , nor to discourse of those mysteries of that Craft of which the same author says , " God has surrounded us with his cloud , that to us , his servants , no force can be applied or directed , so that , had he the eye of an eagle , no one could see or recognise us . "
ARCHITECTURAL LINKS . By the aid of antiquaries and archaeologists , facts may be established , from which the inductions of transmission of the Masonic art necessarily follow . Reading the stone records from the vantage ground of antiquarian investigators , you will find yet extant many bonds uniting the past with the present .
Masons' Marks are the marks the various craftsmen put upon their work to indicate to the overseer who has done the job , in order that , the quality being inspected , it may be measured and paid for . The industry which unlocked the Egyptian hieroglyphics , and the cuneiform of the Chaldees , which has given access to the Vedas and the Zend Avesta , will aid the Masonic student in this undertaking also .
They are still in use in operative Masonry and were particularly and memorably known in speculative Masonry long before attention was directed to the subject in connection with Oriental antiquities . These marks , many of them identical , have been traced on the stones in great religious works , in all ages of which remains exist . The Gothic Cathedral and the Roman Basilica show thorn . Sir Gore
Ousely , sixty years ago , thought he had found the relics oE an extinct and novel language on the stones at the ruined city of Persepolis ; what he copied turned out , on subsequent investigation , to be Masons' marks . The investigations of Col . Warren , under the auspices of the Topographical Engineers of England , lately made on the site of the
Temple of King Solomon , at Jerusalem , have been fruitful in this particular . In the lower courses of the wall which sustains the platform whereon the Temple stood , the courses now covered fifty to ninety feet deep with broken work and other debris , he found abundance of these Masons' marks on the stones lying in the courses , and also in the vaults and tunnels under the platform . There for
near three thousand years they have remained hidden from human sight . Scholars recoguize many of these mark 3 as Phoenician characters , thereby giving another confirmation to the declaration of Kings and Chronicles that the craftsmen and Art of Masonry were imported into Jerusalem from Phoenicia . Still other researches in Palestine , since attention has been drawn
to these witnesses on the state of the art , have discovered them , at the ruii ' . s of Palmyra in the desert , upon some mosques of early date , also in Hebron and many other places in Syria ; and one authority tfij .: that on Egyptian temples , far earlier in date than the Temple or Solomon , the like marks are found still fresh , after thirty - five centuries . Some of these marks of Masons have another
purpose , viz ., to connect the stone with the plan of the building , and indicate the course in which it is to bb laid and its position . Simple as this link in the chain of evidence may appear , it not only connects the antique with the modern Masonic art , but is a source of other important deductions . In India , also , these Mason marks are found in the stones of
ancient temples , and , what is remarkable , often in conjunction with several symbols of Masonic Lodges of to-day . The scholars and philologists who hare gone so far in collecting evidence of Aryan c . i <; in and iniyrutioH have considered all these marks with that purpose in their minds : and many are struck with tho number of them which resemble or are identical with the ancient caste marks of India .
I regret I cannot reproduce here the drawings of those marks ; some are to be found in Lyon ' s History of Masonry in Scotland , others in King ' s Remains of Gnostic Art ; and others in Jennings ' recondite work on a branch of our Craft ; others are found in the Orient , unveiled , and in the recovery of Jerusalem j others donbtlcsp exist Lu works to which my attention IKIS not beem cuMod . Some
The Antiquity Of Masonry.
I have seen in the Nabethian alphabet . In due time archaeological students will collect and discourse on the teachings of tho whole ; forming , as they do , a chain of evidence of the progress and succession , of the Masonic art , through many peoples and many ages , we must regard the further prosecution of their labours on these simple
relics with the deepest interest . It is argued by learned architects , and I believe now conceded , that the arch can be traced from the era of the Pyramid to the present time ; aud Wilkinson says even the pointed Gothic aud Saracenic arches are deducible from the
earliest Egyptian . Various columns and styles of architecture of ancient ages retaining their conventional proportions and capitals , sometimes with a few modifications , but oftener in purity , are accepted and in use to-day . ( To le continued . )
HOIIOWAT ' Puis : WINTER SPKCIMCS . —All can estimate tho disadvantages to the human system from breathing foul a r , such as must necessarily be inhaled during our winters . The safest corroctives and best purifiers of the blood are Holloway' 8 Balsamic Pills , which are too well known and too highly esteemed to require commendation here , besides cleansing the system , they improve the appetite , render digestion perfect , admirably regulate the liver , increase the secretion of the kidneys ; they midly yet effectually act upon the bowels , without griping or causing any inconvenience . So long as human nature remains what it is , every person will now and again require regulation of organs , disordered by irregular or too generous living , and too liberal potations .
The Drama.
THE DRAMA .
" Broken Hearts , " at the Court Theatre . MR . GILBERT'S dramatic works have been wanting , hitherto , in one quality essential to their success , that of sympathy : whilst pointing out , with exquisite accuracy of touch , tho weaknesses of mankind , and depicting , with admirable satire , its follies and petty vices , they have usually failed to rouse in the breast any feeling o £ tenderness or pity . His pen has been dipped in gall with no admix .
ture of the sweet milk of human kindness : his writings have been polished as gems ; they have afforded a treat to the intellect , and food for the brain , but they have failed to awaken the heart . From this reproach he has at length freed himself by the production of one of the most delicate dramatic poems to be found in our literature ; a poem worthy of a place'beside "TJne Nuit d'Octobre , " of
Alfred de Musset , possessing all its dreamy passion , all its twilight tenderness , all its quiet , deep undercurrent of feeling . There is no satire here , no contemptuous mocking of the frailties of common humankind ; but , in its place , a love story , exquisitely delicate in construction , and told in language worthy of its theme . To a mysterious island , unknown to mortals , have retired several maidens , with hearts
broken by the deaths of their loves ; amongst these are two sisters , Lady Hilda , who had secretly loved Princo Florian , and retired from the world on hearing of his drowning at sea ; and Vivir , who , though heartwhole , accompanied her sister out of sympathy with her grief . Tho boundless capacity of loving which women possess require still some object on which to find its exercise , and
Lady Hilda chooses a fountain as her substitute for Prince Florian , whilst Vavir pours out her pure adoration to a sun-dial . On this same island chance throws Prince Florian , shipwrecked , but not drowned ; he possesses a veil , conferring invisibility on its wearer , and , over , healing the addresses of the maidens , responds in place of the respective objects of their love . Done out of a spirit of boyish frolic
this has the saddest effect . Hilda s love for him is returned , but Vavir is left to cherish a hopeless passion . On being told by Florian , with great tenderness , tho real state of affairs , she murmurs with sad foreboding , — " No need ; I know the rest . The maiden dies—she pardons him , aud dies . "
Hilda ' s attempt to save her sister , by giving up her lover , only leads us to the inevitable end . A death scene of true pathos closes the sufferings of tho gentle Vavir . We have omitted the story of the dwarf monster , as it seems to us rather an episode than necessary to the framework of tho plot . Mr . Gilbert was right , wo think , in committing the gossamer web of his play to the tender caro of
supernaturals rather than to tho rough handling of mortals . The emotions played on are too sensitive , the feeliugs too fine to bear the rude con . tact of a workaday world . The dialogue is admirably written , the many speeches replete with poetry of thought , and elegance of diction The acting is worthy of the piece ; Miss Bessie Hollingshead , as Vavir , gained complete hold of the sympathy of her audience ; in appearance ,
in gesture , and in expression , she realised completely the fine and charmiug but luckless maiden . A performance so natural , and so full of artless beauty , has not been seen on our stage for years . Mrs . Kendal gave f nil effect to the greater dramatic power and more intense passion of Hilda , the two parts contrasted well ; one all gentle unstudied grace , the other varied by bursts of rage , despair , and passionate love . The part of Florian is not one which makes any severe call on
the resources of an actor ; Mr . Kendal is all that is required , frank and free , with a certain nobility of bearing . Mr . Anson plays the part of the Dwarf Monster , hopelessly in love with Hilda , aud when tie has acquired sufficient boldness to give his passion full play , his rendering will bo a very striking one . The play is admirably placed on the stage . On account of its literary worth , its skilful workmanship , and admirable acting , this play deserves to be more successful than any produced of late years .
" The Royal Institution of Great Britain has now for its opnosite neighbours the welt-known firm of Messrs . Feltoe and Sons , proprietors of the popular ' Speciality' Sherry , whose unbounded success in the sale of this wholesome wine has compelled them to removo from Conduit-street to their present rnndsome , extensive and convonionfc pjroiMjdQs iu Albeinarle-street , " — ' £ \\ Q Morning l ' o 4 , I 2 ? h July 1870 ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Antiquity Of Masonry.
of the early Masonic Craft . Let us consider the traces of a succession in the Craft of Masonry . In the old Masonic MSS . of Constitutions , printed in fac-simile from manuscri pt No . 23 , 198 , edited by Matthew Cook , and written probably in the 15 th century , Nimrod charges ( fol . 380 ) the Masons , whom he sends to his Cousin Assur , to build a city , that they serve
Assur faithfully , but that" ye govern you against your lord " ( Assur ) " and among yourselves . " This Masonic tradition of the Eastern life of their Craft is curious when we reflect that to this day strangers in the East are governed by the laws and council of their own country , rather than of the nation they sojourn among . Such a system applied to sojourning
Masons of one country , protected by their own country , working together in another , would naturally produce tho organization of Freemasonry . In this light we find the Latin vulgate carefully distinguishes Hiram ' s Masons from Solomon ' s Masons ( Kings v . " caomentarii Huram . " ) Early as this MS . bears date , it must be admitted that some of the organisation of speculative Masonry is
shown in this extract . The free spirit of self-government sheds a ray of light here of great significance . The brother who believes there is something in Freemasonry deeper than its admirable morality and generosity , something that underlies and gives expression to its universality , something behind its symbols that has brought from antique times a flavour like the
odour of Shittim wood of the tabernacle , may boldly enter on the investigation ; and if his industry never slackens , his faith never tires , and he has access to the means of investigation , light from the East will break on the mysteries of that strange gem bearing the seals of the royal Solomon , and hia right royal Phoenician brother which is before him . Andrea , in A . D . 1610 , in his confession of R . & C , wrote , " He
who oan see the great letters and characters that God wrote on the edifice of heaven and earth , and can use them to his profit , is already prepared for UB , though himself unaware of it . " It is my purpose here not to enter the hidden wisdom of this royal and reverential art , nor to discourse of those mysteries of that Craft of which the same author says , " God has surrounded us with his cloud , that to us , his servants , no force can be applied or directed , so that , had he the eye of an eagle , no one could see or recognise us . "
ARCHITECTURAL LINKS . By the aid of antiquaries and archaeologists , facts may be established , from which the inductions of transmission of the Masonic art necessarily follow . Reading the stone records from the vantage ground of antiquarian investigators , you will find yet extant many bonds uniting the past with the present .
Masons' Marks are the marks the various craftsmen put upon their work to indicate to the overseer who has done the job , in order that , the quality being inspected , it may be measured and paid for . The industry which unlocked the Egyptian hieroglyphics , and the cuneiform of the Chaldees , which has given access to the Vedas and the Zend Avesta , will aid the Masonic student in this undertaking also .
They are still in use in operative Masonry and were particularly and memorably known in speculative Masonry long before attention was directed to the subject in connection with Oriental antiquities . These marks , many of them identical , have been traced on the stones in great religious works , in all ages of which remains exist . The Gothic Cathedral and the Roman Basilica show thorn . Sir Gore
Ousely , sixty years ago , thought he had found the relics oE an extinct and novel language on the stones at the ruined city of Persepolis ; what he copied turned out , on subsequent investigation , to be Masons' marks . The investigations of Col . Warren , under the auspices of the Topographical Engineers of England , lately made on the site of the
Temple of King Solomon , at Jerusalem , have been fruitful in this particular . In the lower courses of the wall which sustains the platform whereon the Temple stood , the courses now covered fifty to ninety feet deep with broken work and other debris , he found abundance of these Masons' marks on the stones lying in the courses , and also in the vaults and tunnels under the platform . There for
near three thousand years they have remained hidden from human sight . Scholars recoguize many of these mark 3 as Phoenician characters , thereby giving another confirmation to the declaration of Kings and Chronicles that the craftsmen and Art of Masonry were imported into Jerusalem from Phoenicia . Still other researches in Palestine , since attention has been drawn
to these witnesses on the state of the art , have discovered them , at the ruii ' . s of Palmyra in the desert , upon some mosques of early date , also in Hebron and many other places in Syria ; and one authority tfij .: that on Egyptian temples , far earlier in date than the Temple or Solomon , the like marks are found still fresh , after thirty - five centuries . Some of these marks of Masons have another
purpose , viz ., to connect the stone with the plan of the building , and indicate the course in which it is to bb laid and its position . Simple as this link in the chain of evidence may appear , it not only connects the antique with the modern Masonic art , but is a source of other important deductions . In India , also , these Mason marks are found in the stones of
ancient temples , and , what is remarkable , often in conjunction with several symbols of Masonic Lodges of to-day . The scholars and philologists who hare gone so far in collecting evidence of Aryan c . i <; in and iniyrutioH have considered all these marks with that purpose in their minds : and many are struck with tho number of them which resemble or are identical with the ancient caste marks of India .
I regret I cannot reproduce here the drawings of those marks ; some are to be found in Lyon ' s History of Masonry in Scotland , others in King ' s Remains of Gnostic Art ; and others in Jennings ' recondite work on a branch of our Craft ; others are found in the Orient , unveiled , and in the recovery of Jerusalem j others donbtlcsp exist Lu works to which my attention IKIS not beem cuMod . Some
The Antiquity Of Masonry.
I have seen in the Nabethian alphabet . In due time archaeological students will collect and discourse on the teachings of tho whole ; forming , as they do , a chain of evidence of the progress and succession , of the Masonic art , through many peoples and many ages , we must regard the further prosecution of their labours on these simple
relics with the deepest interest . It is argued by learned architects , and I believe now conceded , that the arch can be traced from the era of the Pyramid to the present time ; aud Wilkinson says even the pointed Gothic aud Saracenic arches are deducible from the
earliest Egyptian . Various columns and styles of architecture of ancient ages retaining their conventional proportions and capitals , sometimes with a few modifications , but oftener in purity , are accepted and in use to-day . ( To le continued . )
HOIIOWAT ' Puis : WINTER SPKCIMCS . —All can estimate tho disadvantages to the human system from breathing foul a r , such as must necessarily be inhaled during our winters . The safest corroctives and best purifiers of the blood are Holloway' 8 Balsamic Pills , which are too well known and too highly esteemed to require commendation here , besides cleansing the system , they improve the appetite , render digestion perfect , admirably regulate the liver , increase the secretion of the kidneys ; they midly yet effectually act upon the bowels , without griping or causing any inconvenience . So long as human nature remains what it is , every person will now and again require regulation of organs , disordered by irregular or too generous living , and too liberal potations .
The Drama.
THE DRAMA .
" Broken Hearts , " at the Court Theatre . MR . GILBERT'S dramatic works have been wanting , hitherto , in one quality essential to their success , that of sympathy : whilst pointing out , with exquisite accuracy of touch , tho weaknesses of mankind , and depicting , with admirable satire , its follies and petty vices , they have usually failed to rouse in the breast any feeling o £ tenderness or pity . His pen has been dipped in gall with no admix .
ture of the sweet milk of human kindness : his writings have been polished as gems ; they have afforded a treat to the intellect , and food for the brain , but they have failed to awaken the heart . From this reproach he has at length freed himself by the production of one of the most delicate dramatic poems to be found in our literature ; a poem worthy of a place'beside "TJne Nuit d'Octobre , " of
Alfred de Musset , possessing all its dreamy passion , all its twilight tenderness , all its quiet , deep undercurrent of feeling . There is no satire here , no contemptuous mocking of the frailties of common humankind ; but , in its place , a love story , exquisitely delicate in construction , and told in language worthy of its theme . To a mysterious island , unknown to mortals , have retired several maidens , with hearts
broken by the deaths of their loves ; amongst these are two sisters , Lady Hilda , who had secretly loved Princo Florian , and retired from the world on hearing of his drowning at sea ; and Vivir , who , though heartwhole , accompanied her sister out of sympathy with her grief . Tho boundless capacity of loving which women possess require still some object on which to find its exercise , and
Lady Hilda chooses a fountain as her substitute for Prince Florian , whilst Vavir pours out her pure adoration to a sun-dial . On this same island chance throws Prince Florian , shipwrecked , but not drowned ; he possesses a veil , conferring invisibility on its wearer , and , over , healing the addresses of the maidens , responds in place of the respective objects of their love . Done out of a spirit of boyish frolic
this has the saddest effect . Hilda s love for him is returned , but Vavir is left to cherish a hopeless passion . On being told by Florian , with great tenderness , tho real state of affairs , she murmurs with sad foreboding , — " No need ; I know the rest . The maiden dies—she pardons him , aud dies . "
Hilda ' s attempt to save her sister , by giving up her lover , only leads us to the inevitable end . A death scene of true pathos closes the sufferings of tho gentle Vavir . We have omitted the story of the dwarf monster , as it seems to us rather an episode than necessary to the framework of tho plot . Mr . Gilbert was right , wo think , in committing the gossamer web of his play to the tender caro of
supernaturals rather than to tho rough handling of mortals . The emotions played on are too sensitive , the feeliugs too fine to bear the rude con . tact of a workaday world . The dialogue is admirably written , the many speeches replete with poetry of thought , and elegance of diction The acting is worthy of the piece ; Miss Bessie Hollingshead , as Vavir , gained complete hold of the sympathy of her audience ; in appearance ,
in gesture , and in expression , she realised completely the fine and charmiug but luckless maiden . A performance so natural , and so full of artless beauty , has not been seen on our stage for years . Mrs . Kendal gave f nil effect to the greater dramatic power and more intense passion of Hilda , the two parts contrasted well ; one all gentle unstudied grace , the other varied by bursts of rage , despair , and passionate love . The part of Florian is not one which makes any severe call on
the resources of an actor ; Mr . Kendal is all that is required , frank and free , with a certain nobility of bearing . Mr . Anson plays the part of the Dwarf Monster , hopelessly in love with Hilda , aud when tie has acquired sufficient boldness to give his passion full play , his rendering will bo a very striking one . The play is admirably placed on the stage . On account of its literary worth , its skilful workmanship , and admirable acting , this play deserves to be more successful than any produced of late years .
" The Royal Institution of Great Britain has now for its opnosite neighbours the welt-known firm of Messrs . Feltoe and Sons , proprietors of the popular ' Speciality' Sherry , whose unbounded success in the sale of this wholesome wine has compelled them to removo from Conduit-street to their present rnndsome , extensive and convonionfc pjroiMjdQs iu Albeinarle-street , " — ' £ \\ Q Morning l ' o 4 , I 2 ? h July 1870 ,