The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.

masters opened the ago of the highest development of art under the kings of the twelfth Dynasty . I ' . ck , an architect at the Red Mountain iu the time of Amcuholej IV ., described as sou of " the overseers of tho sculptors from life men

and of the lady Ili-ii-aii , " described himself , " overseer of tho work ; at the Red Mountain , and artist and t ^ arh- 'r <>/ the king himsrlf , at overseer of tho sculptors from life at the grand monuments of th ( king for tho Temple of tho Sun ' s disc in the town of Kuateu . ' Brngsch , I . 411 .

Ilrlc s tombstone was sold at auction a few years since in Cairc to Mr . Vassal ! . In another context I shall refer to its inscriptions Semnut was architect in Queen Hashop ' s reign . He was " chiel steward of tho house" and "clerk of all tho works , " "first of the first . " He was of skilful hand , but as his monument says , " with , out the fame of proud ancestors , " or , aa we wonld say , a self-made man .

Amen . men-liaut in tho forty-seventh year of the reign of Thutmes III , was tho master builder of tho Templo of the Sun at Heliopolis Ho is styled " Hereditary lord and first governor of Memphis , the architect in the town of tho sun , tho chief superintendent of all tho offices in Upper and Lower Egypt , tho head architect of tho king , tho steward of tho king ' s palace , "

Belcenkhonsu was chief in the time of Rameses Miamnn . He also was "the hereditary lord and first prophet of A mon . " Ho says : "I was a great architect in tho town of Amon , my heart being filled with good works for my lord . " Again , " the skilled in art , tho first

prophet of Amon , Bekenkhonsu , ho speaks thus : I performed the best I could for tho Templo of Amon as Architect of my lord , " & e ., & c . He put obelisks at the gate of tho Temple . Ho was the president of the prophets , and his priesthood has lasted over fifty years of his life .

Levi or but , was chief architect to Mineptah II ., High Priest oi Amon , and also treasurer , and his son Roma succeeded him . After the Persian conquest of Egypt , the samo consideration was paid to the Architects , and in tho time of Darius I . ( 190 v ,. c ) , an Egyptian , Krnm-al-ra , waa " Architect of Upper and Lower Egypt . " He furnishes , in an inscription published by Brngsch , p 299 , a pedigree

of twenty-four generations of his ancestors , who had been architects , and many of whom also had filled other offices of importance . These brief references show the distinction accorded to tho Craft through many thousands of years in the old time , and provoke the reflection that tho further wo go back into the records of the Craft the more brilliant its social position appears .

I havo already shown tho Kings of Egypt assisting at laying corner stones with mystic and religions rites , tho inscriptions collated by Brugsch show that Architecture was a valued branch of tho truly Royal Education , and could truly , iu the earliest times , be called "tho Royal Art . " Belt inscribed on his tomb that he was teacher of tbo King himself .

King Amenhotop III ., in an inscription ( Brugsch , I . p 428 ) , Pharaoh himself " gave instructions and tho directions , for ho understood how to direct and guide tho Architect . " Tho visitor of to-day , at Karnak , sees tho work of this King yet standing , aud cau judge for himself whether this Royal Master of Art had tho skill of his craft . The gigantic statues of this King and his wife , known usually as the

Memnon Statues , are on the opposite side of the river , marking the site of another templo erected by the same monarch . Those statuos were planned and erected by Amenhotep , Chief Architect , Governor and Secretary . Thutmes III . built , about r ,. c . 1000 , the Temple of Osiris . An

inscription says , " And each ono of the Temple Artists knew the plan , and was well instructed in the mode of carrying it ont ; no one betook himself away from that which it was given him to do ( viz ., to build ) a monument to his father Osiris , and to erect in good work the inlaid mystery which none can see and none can declare , for none kuow his form . "

In Ramses ll . 's time , Am , tho King ' s son , of Knsb , was the directing architect . In Ramses Miamun ' s time ( 1133 B . C . ) in an inscription on the Temple of Soli ( Vol . II . p 35 ) , the King speaks to the Chamberlain at his

side , " Speak , that thero may be assembled the Princes , tho favourites of the King , the Commanders of tlie body-guards as they are , the architects , according to their numbers , and tho Superintendent of the house of the rolls of the books . " This Pharaoh laid tho fonndationstono himself .

The inscription says : " When this speech from the lips of the Princes before their Lord was ended , then the king commanded , and gave commission to the architects , aud separated the people of tho masons , ancl the stone-cutters with the help of the graver , and the draughtsmen , and all kinds of artists to build the most holy place for his father , and to raise up what had fallen into decay in tho Necropolis , and in the Templo of his father , who sojourns among the deceased ones . "

Hore there appears to have been very practically a Master ' s lodge , or a Grand Lodge , of that era assembled . Further on wc read that this worthy mason and royal master had painted on tho entrance of this Temple portraits of sixty of his sons , and lifty-niuo of his daughters . Truly ho intended his works should live after him . I have finished my citations . Tho reign of Caste in Egypt worked

no harm to this royal craft , for it belonged to the priestly and governing caste , and the road to civil preferment and priestly rank waa free to its votaries . It found them on the throne , in tho palace , aud in the workshop , and in the Temple of tho Great God-l'atnh , Chief Architect of tho Universe and God of Truth . The publication by Mr . Brugsch of the " History of the Pharaohs , " from the inscriptions yet extant , is the mine whence those Egyptian

inscriptions aro exclusively drawn . ? ° , 'bo great value of his labors let mo bear a faithful testimony . lhe li ght lie has incidentally thrown on the organization of Masonry as a Craft will , I hope , induce him , out of his intimate acquaintance with tho extant inscriptions , painting , papyri , and his mastership of

The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.

their language , to favour us with a little moro light on tho obscure subject from over which he has raised a corner of tho veil . My task is p . formed . The dignity of the organization of Masonry is exposed to yuti , and tho broad scope with which it gathered into its fold the art of working and building in stone , in all its adjunct branches . The light of education illumined tho ancient , craft bovond

any other body of men ol * their age . Geometry , mathematics , its own technology and physics grew up within lodg ? s , whore knowledge and skill brought promotion and power . Tho speculative mysteries and metaphysics of a theology which taught tho immortality of tho soul and its responsibility for our good and bad actions was familiar to them . Of the Holy Architect of tho

Universe whom they worshipped they said , " all things camo into existence after ho existed . " They styled him " tho Lord of Truth , " " tho Father of beginnings . " Thoir art , formed into grandeur and perfection by their efforts , was the lamp from which Greek , Assyrian , Roman , and Semitic architecture caught tho holy Ilamo . Their instruction formed tho

artists of civilisation who succeeded them on tho stage . Over tho illustrations I havo drawn from tho inscriptions of theso giants of an elder day , I ask the Blue Mason and the Red , aud tho Grand Master Architect of tho symbolic degrees , to stretch tho line for themselves . I ask them , with square and level to tost these

rolics of the corner stones Freemasons laid thousands of years agotho work of a craft which was then a Royal art , both practical and speculative , enlightening the infancy of civilisation—and say , in tho light wo follow to-ilay , ¦ whether such work is not still trno and trusty .

Tho annual visit of tlie Stewards to tho Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution took place on Wednesday . Wo havo a full report of tho proceedings , ancl trust wo shall be ablo to find space for it in our columns next week . For the present , let it suffice to say that , in spite of the very

inauspicious weather , there was a good muster of brethren , and many ladies graced the Asylum by their presence . Bros . Raynham Stewart and Cubitt occupied the chair and vice chair respectively . The indefatigable Secretary , Bro . James Terry was , as usual , unremitting in his attention to the

guests and inmates , while the venerable Warden , Bro . Norris , and Miss Norris played their part admirably . Bo it added that a subscription was entered into by some of the brethren present for the purchase of a pianoforte , so

that those of the residents who may possess musical ability ancl taste may Itavo tho opportunity of now and . again relieving tho monotony of Avhat , after all said and done , must be a somewhat dreamy life .

It appears from the Prov . Grand Secretary ' s statement at the meeting of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Berks and Bucks , which was held on Monday , and of which a report will be found elsewhere , that there are at present 720

subscribing members in the Province , of whom 169 are Past Masters . Forty one of these had been initiated during the past year , and fourteen were joining members . The sums disbursed by the various Lodges in charity amounted to £ 242 4 s 6 d , tho aggregate of the balances in hand being £ 684 4 s lid .

We have great pleasure in announcing that Bro . Terry has been fortunate enough thus early to secure a chairman for the Festival next year of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Our R . W . Bro . Sir Henry Edwards , Bart ., Prov . G . Master and Prov . G . Superintendent of West

Yorkshire , has kindly expressed his intention of taking upon himself the duties of President on that occasion " . Wo congratulate Bro . Terry on having enlisted the

sympathies on behalf of this Institution of so distinguished a brother , whoso advocacy , backed up , as it will be , by one of our strongest , best organised , and most liberal Provinces , cannot fail to be otherwise than most powerful for good .

On Monday afternoon a deputation , which included the Earl of Mount Edgcumbc P . G . M . and Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall , the Earl of St . Germans P . G . W . England , the Earl of Devon , the Bishop of Truro , and . other gentlemen , waited on the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House , with a

view to requesting the assistance of his Lordship , who is a native of Truro , in raising the balance of the large fund required for tho erection of Truro Cathedral . His lordship was pleased to express his readiness to start a fund iu the City for the purpose , and he trusted his expectations of a successful result would be realised .