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Article AN ENTIRE NEW DISCOVERY BY COL. THOMAS PICTON. ← Page 2 of 2 Article AN ENTIRE NEW DISCOVERY BY COL. THOMAS PICTON. Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC HELPS TO INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. Page 1 of 2 →
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An Entire New Discovery By Col. Thomas Picton.
tlsod it' Valley of Peace of Froderiek' ( Frederick ' s Vreedendalle ) , and assumed for its colonra blue and orange . Thon tho S . ' . Mas . . F . lect , in the prcsficco of all the B . C ., broke three 3 oala found intact on tho package * contained in the copper . bound walnut box , and , having read i . i-ivntelv the documents enclosed , declared that thoy contained
instructions as to the duties and preiogativesof the Sup . ' . Mas . -. Elect-, that contents , known only to him as Gr . * . Master , and B . B . de Beverweede , Van Neck , Bakker , and De Vlaming , ought to remain secret from the others as well aa the Mas . - ., Comp . \ , and App . \ ; that , deposited by Ili .-f Highness in a holy arch , as a palladium of the Confraternity , they
should be guarded and preserved by tho B . B . aforesaid , and considering tho box aforesaid as an arch , he therein deposited the wholn , keeping for himself ono of the three keys , and giving to B . B . de Beverweede and Van Neck eaohono of the other two . Then the Lodge being arranged for tho Grand Mastor , and having proceeded to tho ekctiou
of Von . . Mas . ' ., he installed in that dignity Bro . de Boverweede , who took his place in the East , before the altar , at His Highness ' * right . Bros . Van Neck and Bakker assumed their places at the West , as first and second Wardens . Tho Masters Q . Lesaigne , N . Vandirduytr , J . Vander Goes , J . Van Lorese , and J . Van Nispen , being found outside
the room , were invited to enter by Brother Be Vlamnick , as Master cf Ceremonies . When the five B . B . had taken seats His Highness inscribed them aa members . " The Grado of Master being closed , the Venerable opened the Grade of Companion , and gave entrauco to I . Bontinck and
A . Wassonaer , found on the without . After an examination , as before , His nighness insoribod them as mombers , and the work of Com . panion being closed , tho Ven . v opened that of App . \ C . 1 § lot and W . Van Broeckhuyssen , who were outside , and , aa before , His Highness inscribed them as mombers .
" Brothers Be Charnasse , Blondel des Solenes , Tun Hammerstein , and De Sayn de Witgenstein , beiDg announced as visitors , were introduced by the M . \ d'Hotel , and after they had been seated at the left of the nltai ' , there were initiated , in the presence , as B . B . ' .
App . ' ., tbe persons of Charles de Hautain and Hans Fan Raldsweld , who , heing proposed to His Highness received from his hands tho apron and glovos . The Lab . -, terminated by a suppor , or fraternal banquet , givon by His Highness . ( Signed ) D . Voldhussen . "
Bro . Barker goes on to say that the story of this volume of minr . tes is told in a report of a committee , charged with their inspection and verification , made 15 th March 1813 , to the combined Lodges of La Haye and Delft , as follows : —
" This registor appears to havo been voluminous , the sole sheets in our possession proving that they formed part of a bound volume , as seen by tho part uniting thorn ; they appear likewise to have been damaged by fire , traces of which can be detected . Antiquarians of the University of Loyden have examined and verified the leaves
as of paper in use in Holland at the commencement of the 17 th century ; thoy have also recognised , in a certain manner , that the writing of the fragments belong to the same period . The manuscript remained for a long time among the papers of the Walkenaer family . We know that Monsieur De Walkenaer , of
Opdam , made a present of them , between 1780 and 1790 , as well as the oharter of 1535 , to Mons . De Botzelaer , then Nat . ' . Gr . ' . M . \ It is more than apparent that Mons . D'Opdam , ancestor of the gentleman named , was the same who , under Frederick Henry , was a member of the Lodge of La Haye , spoken of in the register ; that he
preserved the papers without any definite purpose , when , towards tho time of Frederick Henry ' s death , occurring in 1647 , this Lodge , Valley of Peace Frederick , foil iDto oblivion , or decadence , and this accounts for tho documents remaining with the Walkenaer family . This idea is confirmed , becauso when Mons . De Botzelaer received
tho papers , he found them in the same copper-bound walnut box alluded to in the register . This box Mons . De Botzelaer deposited in the hands of a brother when leaving La Haye during the
revolution , but reclaimed it a short time prior to his death , and placed it at the disposal of a person , who , faithfnl to his obligations , finally deposited it in the hands of our Sov . Gr . ' . M . \ to whom wo are in . dobted for our knowledge . "
The above extract , printed by Bro . Barker between quotation marks , was evidently copied from Bro . Picton ' s writings , to which Bro . Barker adds : — " With regard to Bro . Picton ' s researches , invaluable as demon .
Btrating the existence of not only a Lodge of Symbolic Masonry , but of a Chapter of the Royal Arch , called the holy in tho minates , eighty years prior to the date nsually assigned as that of tho existence of Freemasonry as we have it in our day . "
Well , there is no doubt now that Bro . Picton is a Masonic writer in New York ; there is no reason to doubt that the quotations givon by Bro . Barker from Bro . Picton ' s writings are verbatim . And there is also no reason to doubt that Bro . Barker sincerely believes all that Bro . Picton
wrote . But , on the other hand , I do not know Bro . Picton , no ono in the Masonic Temple in Boston knows anything about tl . o said Bro . Picton , and we are not informed how ho got hold of his wonderful information , nor are oilier things connected therewith clearly explained . In shoit , I
have some doubts about it . M y friend , Bro , llughan , may remember when a New York Masonic writer asserted that in Quebec there is a Lodge that was chartered in England
in 1 / 21 or 1724 , I forget which , that story was also copied into several . American papers , and was believed hy well-informed sellers of Masonic books in New York . I however proved that there was no truth in it , because the
An Entire New Discovery By Col. Thomas Picton.
Quebec Lodgo was chartered by tho Ancients , which did not begin to charter Lodges until after 1751 . On the other hand , if Bro . Picton ' s narrativo should ho O . K . it would save a va 3 t amount of labour to tho combatants on the question of the antiquity of Masonic degrees ,
and of symbolic Masonry . Such being tho case , I think that Brothers Gould , Speth , Lewis , Yarker , and all other brethren who are anxious to prove tho antiquity of Masonic degrees , & c , should lose no time in endeavouring to learn from the Lodges at La Haye and Delft , from tho
University of Leyden , from " Onr Sov . Nat . G . M ., " and from other sources indicated by Bro . Picton ; first , as to whether the MSS . described by Bro . Col . Thomas Picton are in existence ? and second , aro the said MSS . authentic
and reliable ? In short , the question ought to bo investigated at once by an impartial expert , and who knows whether , after all my fighting our " Masonic antiquity hankerors , " I may not at last become a zealous convert to Bro . Gould ' s New Departure ?" BOSTON , U . S ., 7 th February 1890 .
Masonic Helps To Intellectual Culture.
MASONIC HELPS TO INTELLECTUAL CULTURE .
THERE can be no doubt that it was in tho minds of tho framors of the Masonic systom to exorcise thereby an influence of mental stimulus and do some considerable work of intellectual culture . What significance has tho
degree of Fellow Craft if we ignore its suggestions as to the value of scientific and philosophical acquisitions , and eliminate therefrom the peculiar features which load up to intellectual decision and determination ? In the Master ' s
degree , enjoining morality and virtue with so much of force and by such vivid illustration , and emphasizing tho grandest thoughts relating to God and the life immortal , there is yet a constant appeal to mental attributes—a more
or less direct recognition of this fact that man is a being of thought and vast capacity , who is responsible , therefore , according to his endowment and the use which ho makes of his immortal powers .
All along the way of Masonic teaching and nnfolding the candidate is dealt with as an inquirer , a student , to whom knowledge is to bo imparted—not only the technical information furnished by ritual and ceremony , but the more abundant wisdom to be gained by investigations and
pursuits outside the precise linos that are indicated by forms , ceremonies , and required lessons . Tho endeavour is to awaken the mind to the real meaning of life , to stimulate thought , and movo the intellectual nature into activity , that there may be a rich fruitage of individual character
and being , together with a large accomplishment of service in tho ways of related life . Freomasonry seeks to dignify manhood , to bring one to respect himself , and to dispose him to those engagements , thoughts , pursuits , that tend to intellectual enlargement . There can be no question as to
the theory and purport of the Masonic system ; it is only when we come to the application of the same in the organic life of tho institution that we are made to doubt whether actually it does very much to stimulate activity of thought and to provide the helps which broaden and quicken the minds of men .
In applied Freemasonry , as witnessed in the average Lodge , there is often a sad want of intellectual nutriment . There is not much disposition to inquire about the scientific or philosophical features of the system . The symbolism made use of is not understood , any more than are many of
the references in . the ritual to persous and events , Even tho Officers in a Lodge do not always consider it necessary to be well informed in these respects . They think it quite sufficient if they can repeat a form of words and enact a
ceremony which has but an obscure meaning in their own minds . They do the work which comes to their hands in a dull and uninstructed manner , and naturally fail to greatly impress tho candidates who receive from them their first ideas of the character of the institution .
In the average Lodge how little disposition is shown to study the Masonic system and acquire knowledge of its truths and principles—its legends and traditions—and get
at the heart of things signified by its ceremonial practice and varied symbols ! What indifference is shown to any attempted explanation of the paths of Masonic history , and how little of interest can be awakened by lectures
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
An Entire New Discovery By Col. Thomas Picton.
tlsod it' Valley of Peace of Froderiek' ( Frederick ' s Vreedendalle ) , and assumed for its colonra blue and orange . Thon tho S . ' . Mas . . F . lect , in the prcsficco of all the B . C ., broke three 3 oala found intact on tho package * contained in the copper . bound walnut box , and , having read i . i-ivntelv the documents enclosed , declared that thoy contained
instructions as to the duties and preiogativesof the Sup . ' . Mas . -. Elect-, that contents , known only to him as Gr . * . Master , and B . B . de Beverweede , Van Neck , Bakker , and De Vlaming , ought to remain secret from the others as well aa the Mas . - ., Comp . \ , and App . \ ; that , deposited by Ili .-f Highness in a holy arch , as a palladium of the Confraternity , they
should be guarded and preserved by tho B . B . aforesaid , and considering tho box aforesaid as an arch , he therein deposited the wholn , keeping for himself ono of the three keys , and giving to B . B . de Beverweede and Van Neck eaohono of the other two . Then the Lodge being arranged for tho Grand Mastor , and having proceeded to tho ekctiou
of Von . . Mas . ' ., he installed in that dignity Bro . de Boverweede , who took his place in the East , before the altar , at His Highness ' * right . Bros . Van Neck and Bakker assumed their places at the West , as first and second Wardens . Tho Masters Q . Lesaigne , N . Vandirduytr , J . Vander Goes , J . Van Lorese , and J . Van Nispen , being found outside
the room , were invited to enter by Brother Be Vlamnick , as Master cf Ceremonies . When the five B . B . had taken seats His Highness inscribed them aa members . " The Grado of Master being closed , the Venerable opened the Grade of Companion , and gave entrauco to I . Bontinck and
A . Wassonaer , found on the without . After an examination , as before , His nighness insoribod them as mombers , and the work of Com . panion being closed , tho Ven . v opened that of App . \ C . 1 § lot and W . Van Broeckhuyssen , who were outside , and , aa before , His Highness inscribed them as mombers .
" Brothers Be Charnasse , Blondel des Solenes , Tun Hammerstein , and De Sayn de Witgenstein , beiDg announced as visitors , were introduced by the M . \ d'Hotel , and after they had been seated at the left of the nltai ' , there were initiated , in the presence , as B . B . ' .
App . ' ., tbe persons of Charles de Hautain and Hans Fan Raldsweld , who , heing proposed to His Highness received from his hands tho apron and glovos . The Lab . -, terminated by a suppor , or fraternal banquet , givon by His Highness . ( Signed ) D . Voldhussen . "
Bro . Barker goes on to say that the story of this volume of minr . tes is told in a report of a committee , charged with their inspection and verification , made 15 th March 1813 , to the combined Lodges of La Haye and Delft , as follows : —
" This registor appears to havo been voluminous , the sole sheets in our possession proving that they formed part of a bound volume , as seen by tho part uniting thorn ; they appear likewise to have been damaged by fire , traces of which can be detected . Antiquarians of the University of Loyden have examined and verified the leaves
as of paper in use in Holland at the commencement of the 17 th century ; thoy have also recognised , in a certain manner , that the writing of the fragments belong to the same period . The manuscript remained for a long time among the papers of the Walkenaer family . We know that Monsieur De Walkenaer , of
Opdam , made a present of them , between 1780 and 1790 , as well as the oharter of 1535 , to Mons . De Botzelaer , then Nat . ' . Gr . ' . M . \ It is more than apparent that Mons . D'Opdam , ancestor of the gentleman named , was the same who , under Frederick Henry , was a member of the Lodge of La Haye , spoken of in the register ; that he
preserved the papers without any definite purpose , when , towards tho time of Frederick Henry ' s death , occurring in 1647 , this Lodge , Valley of Peace Frederick , foil iDto oblivion , or decadence , and this accounts for tho documents remaining with the Walkenaer family . This idea is confirmed , becauso when Mons . De Botzelaer received
tho papers , he found them in the same copper-bound walnut box alluded to in the register . This box Mons . De Botzelaer deposited in the hands of a brother when leaving La Haye during the
revolution , but reclaimed it a short time prior to his death , and placed it at the disposal of a person , who , faithfnl to his obligations , finally deposited it in the hands of our Sov . Gr . ' . M . \ to whom wo are in . dobted for our knowledge . "
The above extract , printed by Bro . Barker between quotation marks , was evidently copied from Bro . Picton ' s writings , to which Bro . Barker adds : — " With regard to Bro . Picton ' s researches , invaluable as demon .
Btrating the existence of not only a Lodge of Symbolic Masonry , but of a Chapter of the Royal Arch , called the holy in tho minates , eighty years prior to the date nsually assigned as that of tho existence of Freemasonry as we have it in our day . "
Well , there is no doubt now that Bro . Picton is a Masonic writer in New York ; there is no reason to doubt that the quotations givon by Bro . Barker from Bro . Picton ' s writings are verbatim . And there is also no reason to doubt that Bro . Barker sincerely believes all that Bro . Picton
wrote . But , on the other hand , I do not know Bro . Picton , no ono in the Masonic Temple in Boston knows anything about tl . o said Bro . Picton , and we are not informed how ho got hold of his wonderful information , nor are oilier things connected therewith clearly explained . In shoit , I
have some doubts about it . M y friend , Bro , llughan , may remember when a New York Masonic writer asserted that in Quebec there is a Lodge that was chartered in England
in 1 / 21 or 1724 , I forget which , that story was also copied into several . American papers , and was believed hy well-informed sellers of Masonic books in New York . I however proved that there was no truth in it , because the
An Entire New Discovery By Col. Thomas Picton.
Quebec Lodgo was chartered by tho Ancients , which did not begin to charter Lodges until after 1751 . On the other hand , if Bro . Picton ' s narrativo should ho O . K . it would save a va 3 t amount of labour to tho combatants on the question of the antiquity of Masonic degrees ,
and of symbolic Masonry . Such being tho case , I think that Brothers Gould , Speth , Lewis , Yarker , and all other brethren who are anxious to prove tho antiquity of Masonic degrees , & c , should lose no time in endeavouring to learn from the Lodges at La Haye and Delft , from tho
University of Leyden , from " Onr Sov . Nat . G . M ., " and from other sources indicated by Bro . Picton ; first , as to whether the MSS . described by Bro . Col . Thomas Picton are in existence ? and second , aro the said MSS . authentic
and reliable ? In short , the question ought to bo investigated at once by an impartial expert , and who knows whether , after all my fighting our " Masonic antiquity hankerors , " I may not at last become a zealous convert to Bro . Gould ' s New Departure ?" BOSTON , U . S ., 7 th February 1890 .
Masonic Helps To Intellectual Culture.
MASONIC HELPS TO INTELLECTUAL CULTURE .
THERE can be no doubt that it was in tho minds of tho framors of the Masonic systom to exorcise thereby an influence of mental stimulus and do some considerable work of intellectual culture . What significance has tho
degree of Fellow Craft if we ignore its suggestions as to the value of scientific and philosophical acquisitions , and eliminate therefrom the peculiar features which load up to intellectual decision and determination ? In the Master ' s
degree , enjoining morality and virtue with so much of force and by such vivid illustration , and emphasizing tho grandest thoughts relating to God and the life immortal , there is yet a constant appeal to mental attributes—a more
or less direct recognition of this fact that man is a being of thought and vast capacity , who is responsible , therefore , according to his endowment and the use which ho makes of his immortal powers .
All along the way of Masonic teaching and nnfolding the candidate is dealt with as an inquirer , a student , to whom knowledge is to bo imparted—not only the technical information furnished by ritual and ceremony , but the more abundant wisdom to be gained by investigations and
pursuits outside the precise linos that are indicated by forms , ceremonies , and required lessons . Tho endeavour is to awaken the mind to the real meaning of life , to stimulate thought , and movo the intellectual nature into activity , that there may be a rich fruitage of individual character
and being , together with a large accomplishment of service in tho ways of related life . Freomasonry seeks to dignify manhood , to bring one to respect himself , and to dispose him to those engagements , thoughts , pursuits , that tend to intellectual enlargement . There can be no question as to
the theory and purport of the Masonic system ; it is only when we come to the application of the same in the organic life of tho institution that we are made to doubt whether actually it does very much to stimulate activity of thought and to provide the helps which broaden and quicken the minds of men .
In applied Freemasonry , as witnessed in the average Lodge , there is often a sad want of intellectual nutriment . There is not much disposition to inquire about the scientific or philosophical features of the system . The symbolism made use of is not understood , any more than are many of
the references in . the ritual to persous and events , Even tho Officers in a Lodge do not always consider it necessary to be well informed in these respects . They think it quite sufficient if they can repeat a form of words and enact a
ceremony which has but an obscure meaning in their own minds . They do the work which comes to their hands in a dull and uninstructed manner , and naturally fail to greatly impress tho candidates who receive from them their first ideas of the character of the institution .
In the average Lodge how little disposition is shown to study the Masonic system and acquire knowledge of its truths and principles—its legends and traditions—and get
at the heart of things signified by its ceremonial practice and varied symbols ! What indifference is shown to any attempted explanation of the paths of Masonic history , and how little of interest can be awakened by lectures