Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
Masonio research , will peruse its pages with undiminished pleasure from the preface to the end . The volume is dedicated to Bro . Thomas Penn , Past Grand Deacon of England , President of the Board of General Purposes , & c . " as a small acknowledgment of many acts of brotherly kindness received
at his hands , in humble admiration of his numerous and important Masonio services , and his indefatigable zeal for the benefit of the Fraternity in general , and the Emulation Lodge in particular . " Bro . Fenn , in a brief introductory chapter , alludes to the credulity of the readers of some of the old " authorities " as to the antiquity of the
Science , and which he considers may be fairly classed amongst the " fictions" of Masonry . He adds that iu many of the Masonic Histories where allusion is made to the " Antient" or "Atholl " Masons , they are stigmatised as " Seceders " and " Schismatics , " —a stigma whioh Bro . Sadler endeavours to show is unmerited .
" Any Brother" ( says Brother Fenn ) " who labours to remove opprobrium which , in his opinion , has been unwarrantably cast upon a large and influential body of our Brother Masons is entitled to respect and attention . " That is a sentiment with which very few will be found to disagree . There is this advantage , whioh Bro . Sadler
possesses over many of those writers who have hitherto discussed the origin of the " Antient" Grand Lodge , and that is , he has access to all the books and documents of the " Antients " now in possession of Grand Lodge , by which means he has had exceptionable opportunities of discovering "facta" hitherto concealed , and of detecting as
" fictions " many statements hitherto received as " facts . The author , in his preface , leads off by referring to the oft-repeated assertion that "Masons don't read , " but if the support accorded to this work as soon as it was announced be any criterion , then Bro . Sadler is justified in his assertion that " a rapidly growing desire has
been evinced by a large number of brethren in different parts of the world to make themselves acquainted with the antecedents of the various bodies to which they owe allegiance . " To this desire he has endeavoured to minister by offering to the English-speaking Fraternity what he ventures to hope will be a readable book , at a price which
p laces it within the reach of the humblest member . He makes no claim to its heing considered a general History of Masonry , but there is little doubt it will throw considerable lig ht on the character and early proceedings of the two branches of the Order which eventually formed the United Grand Lodge of England . Bro . Sadler hits out
straight from the shoulder when , in his opening chapter , he points out how readily statements that have appeared in print were accepted ; how that by increased inquiry our belief in the most cherished traditions have been shaken , leaving doubt and indecision whore before was simple child-like faith . With due regard for
wellfounded traditions and old established customs , he urges that " where a wrong could be righted and justice ensured to the memory of an individual , or a stigma removed from a community , "— " down with tbe obstacle , and let the truth prevail , even though the error may have beeu handed down from generation to generation . " Having
enumerated in chronological order the four Grand Lodges existing in England at the same period , the author narrates the dissolution of two of them—one at York which assumed the high-sounding title of " Grand Lodge of all England , " aud which died out about tho year 1792 , and the other which was prematurely brought into
existence in London by a few members of the Lodge of Antiquity in 1779 , under the somewhat egostical title of " The Grand Lodgo of England , South of the River Trent . " The other two wero of course the mother of all Grand Lodges established iu London in 1717 ^ and which has had an unbroken existence from the timo of its formation
down to the present day , and the Grand Lodge of the " Antients , " established in London in 1753 , to the character and proceedings of which Bro . Sadler ' s book is mainly devoted . On ono important point the writer totally disagrees with all other labourers in the held of Masonic research , and that is tho circumstances which led to the
formation and establishing of the " Antient " " Grand Lodge iu 1753 , which he regards as the most remarkable event of the last century . He contends strongly against the " fiction " that the founders of this body were seceders from the Mother Grand Lodge of 1717 , aud objects to their being referred to as " schismatics . " Those who have
applied such terms to this section of our Order have done so under a wrong impression ; for after having most carefully considered the subject , Bro . Sadler avers : " I am of opinion that there is no evidence yet brought to light which would justify me in believing that any considerable number of them ever owned allegiance to tho regnlar
Grand Lodge of England ; and I venture to express a hope that future historians will , after having read these pages , find a name more in accordance with the principles of justice and equity for a portion of our community to which we of the present day are deeply indebted . " There is no mistaking Bro . Sadler ' s meaning in this
assertion , which he certainly would uot have mado so emphatically had he not beeu fortified with the most reliable evidence on which to base his conclusions . In an interesting strain our anthor next proceeds to describe tho difficulties under which historians of the present day labour in consequence of tho objections held by former
rulers of tho Order to anything appearing in print concerning the affairs of the Craft , the Quarterly Reports of both tho " Antionts " and "Moderns" containing scarcely anything besides figures , showing tho amount of money received from the different Lodge ? . Having demonstrated that official histories aro not always reliable ,
and shown that reckless assertions ancl palpable mis-statements were the outcome of tho imaginative powers of our brethren of tho last century , he proceeds to give an interesting account of the manner in which Lodges wero then formed and managed . Prior to 1717 there was no recognised head of symbolical Masonry ; the
Lodges therefore acted qnito independently of each other , and acknowledged no higher Masonic authority thau the Master for the time being . When a Lodge grew too large for tho comfort of its
members , or a difference of opinion arose ; between them , they would remove to another house , aud set up a Lodge on their own account , without troubling themselves about Warrants of Constitution , Consecrating Officer , or , indeed , any of the grand ccrcmouialy considered
Reviews.
so essential at the opening of a new Lodge in the present day . There was no regnlar subscription , each member contributing a small sum towards the expenses of the evening , with something in addition for the benefit of the sick and distressed . This , with the entrance fee ( generally about a guinea ) , and the fines inflicted on brethren
for omitting to bring their aprons , or for using profane language , constituted the only source of income . These primitive ideas fall strangely upon the ears of Masons of the present day , and the author proceeds to tell ns that the clothing consisted merely of a plain white lambskin apron , with gloves to correspond , with no ornaments ;
collars were unknown , and when jewels came into use they were afc first suspended from the neck by a plain white riband . In a footnote Bro . Sadler informs us that jewels are first mentioned in the Grand Lodge Minutes of the 24 th June 1727 , when it was resolved , " that iu all private Lodges and Quarterly Communications and Generall
Meetings the Mar . and Wardens do wear the Jewells of Mnsonry hanging to a White Ribbon ( vizt . ) , That the Mar . wear the Square , the Senr . Warden the Levell , aud the Junr . Warden the Plumb rule . " There is no record of what actually occurred in connection with the newly-formed Grand Lodge during the first six years of its existence ,
other thau tho very meagre account given by Anderson in the Constitntions of 1738 . Bro . Sadler is not convinced by the bare statement of that chronicler that there were only four Lodges in London at the time that Grand Lodge was established , and it is not , in his opinion , a matter of vital importance whether there were four or six
that took part in that event . Mnch more of this chatty matter is supplied in the opening chapters , and a considerable portion of the work is then devoted to the written records of the , First Grand Lodge , from whioh copious extracts are g iven . Some curious records are cited of old Masons appealing to the newly-formed Grand Lodge
for pecuniary aid , amongst which is a petition of Henry Pritchard , dated 24 th June 1731 , in which it was stated he had been a " regular Mason upwards of fforty years . " Some amusing instances are given on the want of unanimity which prevailed on what were considered matters of vital importance ; incidents are recounted of the "
irregularities " which crept into Lodges—and no wonder—with the penalties attached thereto ; but , as the writer observes , " we must take these early minutes for what they were undoubtedl y intended to be , simply a register of results , and in order to be able to arrive at anything like an accurate knowledge of the real proceedings wo must read
between the lines . " Space does not permit of our accompanying Brother Sadler in his detailed account of the admission of Lodges into tho Grand Lodge , the Deputations received for tho constitution of Lodges in India and the Colonies , and the various vicissitudes throngh which Masonry passed in those
early times . lo do so would but spoil the interest of tho reader in this part of Bro . Sadler ' s work . A little contretemps is noted at tho Quarterly Communication of llth December 1735 , when a petition aud appeal was presented , signed by several Masters of Lodges against the Privileges granted to the Stewards' Lodge , at a previous
Quarterly Communication . On the question being put whether that determination shonld be confirmed or not , there appears to have been a fiasco , for " In the course of the collecting the votes on this occasion thero appeared so much confusion that it was not possible for the Grand Officers to determine with any certainty what the
numbers on cither side of the Question were ; they were therefore obliged to dismiss the Debate and close tho Lodgo . " Amongst the curious laws passed for Grand Lodge in 1754 was tho following : — " That , if any Mason shall without tho especial Licence of the Grand Master or his Deputy for the time being attend as
a Mason cloathed in any of the jewels or cloathing of the Craft at any Funeral or Funeral Procession , he shall not only be for ever incapable of being an Officer of a Lodge , but oven of fcyliug or attending ou a Lodge or partaking of tho General Charity if ho shall come to want it . " Somo quaint records are mado of the Lodges
which held meetings at the various City Taverns , until' !/ 5 o , when the "Ancients" had about forty Lodges on their roll , " arid , " adds Bro . Sadler , "it may be that the knowledge of this fact prompted the "Moderns" to take some decided steps for tho purpose of consolidating their forces , with a view to countaract the rapidly
increasing power of the opposite party , which was not deemed necessary during their former disorganised condition . " Having brought his examination of tho minutes of the " Modern" Grand Lodge up to a period when the rival Institution might bo considered to be in a fairly prosperous condition , Bro . Sadler considers it
unnecessary to continue his researches in that direction . He mentions , howevei - , that every item of intelligence to bo found in thoso records that could possibly be construed as having the least bearing ou the question of tho origin of tho " Ancients " has been placed before his readers , and he adds " it will not be thoght very
presumptuous on my part if I venture to express an opinion that tho most powerful imagination would bo required bi detect any trustworthy evidence or oven indication of a secession from the regular body having occurred previous to the year 1752 . " Our anthor then goes into an exhaustive examination of tho records
of the " Ancients , aud without going deeply into this part of tho work , wo m-y quote one or two rather funny incidents that are ! , herein related . At a meeting of tho Grand Committee , hold at the Temple Eating House , near Temple Bar , the only business recorded on 1 st July 1752 consisted of a complaint by John Robinson , of No . 9 ,
against Moses Willonghby , of tho samo Lodge , for defrauding him of tho sum or nine shillings "in a bargain in tho exchnnging of a loomb . " The matter had been referred to a Committee of Weavers , who decided against the defendant , and he was ordered to refund the money on pain of expulsion ; bub Moses
. vas evidently a hardened sinner . " Ifc declared they might expel him , for ho would not conform to tho rules of any Society upon Eu . ' . h by which ho should loso nine shillings . " Whereupon ho was
¦' unanimously oxpclld , and deem'd unworthy of this or any other good Society . " Wo have gone aa far wifch this preliminary sketch as space at our disposal aduiifcd , bufc hope to return to the very interest-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
Masonio research , will peruse its pages with undiminished pleasure from the preface to the end . The volume is dedicated to Bro . Thomas Penn , Past Grand Deacon of England , President of the Board of General Purposes , & c . " as a small acknowledgment of many acts of brotherly kindness received
at his hands , in humble admiration of his numerous and important Masonio services , and his indefatigable zeal for the benefit of the Fraternity in general , and the Emulation Lodge in particular . " Bro . Fenn , in a brief introductory chapter , alludes to the credulity of the readers of some of the old " authorities " as to the antiquity of the
Science , and which he considers may be fairly classed amongst the " fictions" of Masonry . He adds that iu many of the Masonic Histories where allusion is made to the " Antient" or "Atholl " Masons , they are stigmatised as " Seceders " and " Schismatics , " —a stigma whioh Bro . Sadler endeavours to show is unmerited .
" Any Brother" ( says Brother Fenn ) " who labours to remove opprobrium which , in his opinion , has been unwarrantably cast upon a large and influential body of our Brother Masons is entitled to respect and attention . " That is a sentiment with which very few will be found to disagree . There is this advantage , whioh Bro . Sadler
possesses over many of those writers who have hitherto discussed the origin of the " Antient" Grand Lodge , and that is , he has access to all the books and documents of the " Antients " now in possession of Grand Lodge , by which means he has had exceptionable opportunities of discovering "facta" hitherto concealed , and of detecting as
" fictions " many statements hitherto received as " facts . The author , in his preface , leads off by referring to the oft-repeated assertion that "Masons don't read , " but if the support accorded to this work as soon as it was announced be any criterion , then Bro . Sadler is justified in his assertion that " a rapidly growing desire has
been evinced by a large number of brethren in different parts of the world to make themselves acquainted with the antecedents of the various bodies to which they owe allegiance . " To this desire he has endeavoured to minister by offering to the English-speaking Fraternity what he ventures to hope will be a readable book , at a price which
p laces it within the reach of the humblest member . He makes no claim to its heing considered a general History of Masonry , but there is little doubt it will throw considerable lig ht on the character and early proceedings of the two branches of the Order which eventually formed the United Grand Lodge of England . Bro . Sadler hits out
straight from the shoulder when , in his opening chapter , he points out how readily statements that have appeared in print were accepted ; how that by increased inquiry our belief in the most cherished traditions have been shaken , leaving doubt and indecision whore before was simple child-like faith . With due regard for
wellfounded traditions and old established customs , he urges that " where a wrong could be righted and justice ensured to the memory of an individual , or a stigma removed from a community , "— " down with tbe obstacle , and let the truth prevail , even though the error may have beeu handed down from generation to generation . " Having
enumerated in chronological order the four Grand Lodges existing in England at the same period , the author narrates the dissolution of two of them—one at York which assumed the high-sounding title of " Grand Lodge of all England , " aud which died out about tho year 1792 , and the other which was prematurely brought into
existence in London by a few members of the Lodge of Antiquity in 1779 , under the somewhat egostical title of " The Grand Lodgo of England , South of the River Trent . " The other two wero of course the mother of all Grand Lodges established iu London in 1717 ^ and which has had an unbroken existence from the timo of its formation
down to the present day , and the Grand Lodge of the " Antients , " established in London in 1753 , to the character and proceedings of which Bro . Sadler ' s book is mainly devoted . On ono important point the writer totally disagrees with all other labourers in the held of Masonic research , and that is tho circumstances which led to the
formation and establishing of the " Antient " " Grand Lodge iu 1753 , which he regards as the most remarkable event of the last century . He contends strongly against the " fiction " that the founders of this body were seceders from the Mother Grand Lodge of 1717 , aud objects to their being referred to as " schismatics . " Those who have
applied such terms to this section of our Order have done so under a wrong impression ; for after having most carefully considered the subject , Bro . Sadler avers : " I am of opinion that there is no evidence yet brought to light which would justify me in believing that any considerable number of them ever owned allegiance to tho regnlar
Grand Lodge of England ; and I venture to express a hope that future historians will , after having read these pages , find a name more in accordance with the principles of justice and equity for a portion of our community to which we of the present day are deeply indebted . " There is no mistaking Bro . Sadler ' s meaning in this
assertion , which he certainly would uot have mado so emphatically had he not beeu fortified with the most reliable evidence on which to base his conclusions . In an interesting strain our anthor next proceeds to describe tho difficulties under which historians of the present day labour in consequence of tho objections held by former
rulers of tho Order to anything appearing in print concerning the affairs of the Craft , the Quarterly Reports of both tho " Antionts " and "Moderns" containing scarcely anything besides figures , showing tho amount of money received from the different Lodge ? . Having demonstrated that official histories aro not always reliable ,
and shown that reckless assertions ancl palpable mis-statements were the outcome of tho imaginative powers of our brethren of tho last century , he proceeds to give an interesting account of the manner in which Lodges wero then formed and managed . Prior to 1717 there was no recognised head of symbolical Masonry ; the
Lodges therefore acted qnito independently of each other , and acknowledged no higher Masonic authority thau the Master for the time being . When a Lodge grew too large for tho comfort of its
members , or a difference of opinion arose ; between them , they would remove to another house , aud set up a Lodge on their own account , without troubling themselves about Warrants of Constitution , Consecrating Officer , or , indeed , any of the grand ccrcmouialy considered
Reviews.
so essential at the opening of a new Lodge in the present day . There was no regnlar subscription , each member contributing a small sum towards the expenses of the evening , with something in addition for the benefit of the sick and distressed . This , with the entrance fee ( generally about a guinea ) , and the fines inflicted on brethren
for omitting to bring their aprons , or for using profane language , constituted the only source of income . These primitive ideas fall strangely upon the ears of Masons of the present day , and the author proceeds to tell ns that the clothing consisted merely of a plain white lambskin apron , with gloves to correspond , with no ornaments ;
collars were unknown , and when jewels came into use they were afc first suspended from the neck by a plain white riband . In a footnote Bro . Sadler informs us that jewels are first mentioned in the Grand Lodge Minutes of the 24 th June 1727 , when it was resolved , " that iu all private Lodges and Quarterly Communications and Generall
Meetings the Mar . and Wardens do wear the Jewells of Mnsonry hanging to a White Ribbon ( vizt . ) , That the Mar . wear the Square , the Senr . Warden the Levell , aud the Junr . Warden the Plumb rule . " There is no record of what actually occurred in connection with the newly-formed Grand Lodge during the first six years of its existence ,
other thau tho very meagre account given by Anderson in the Constitntions of 1738 . Bro . Sadler is not convinced by the bare statement of that chronicler that there were only four Lodges in London at the time that Grand Lodge was established , and it is not , in his opinion , a matter of vital importance whether there were four or six
that took part in that event . Mnch more of this chatty matter is supplied in the opening chapters , and a considerable portion of the work is then devoted to the written records of the , First Grand Lodge , from whioh copious extracts are g iven . Some curious records are cited of old Masons appealing to the newly-formed Grand Lodge
for pecuniary aid , amongst which is a petition of Henry Pritchard , dated 24 th June 1731 , in which it was stated he had been a " regular Mason upwards of fforty years . " Some amusing instances are given on the want of unanimity which prevailed on what were considered matters of vital importance ; incidents are recounted of the "
irregularities " which crept into Lodges—and no wonder—with the penalties attached thereto ; but , as the writer observes , " we must take these early minutes for what they were undoubtedl y intended to be , simply a register of results , and in order to be able to arrive at anything like an accurate knowledge of the real proceedings wo must read
between the lines . " Space does not permit of our accompanying Brother Sadler in his detailed account of the admission of Lodges into tho Grand Lodge , the Deputations received for tho constitution of Lodges in India and the Colonies , and the various vicissitudes throngh which Masonry passed in those
early times . lo do so would but spoil the interest of tho reader in this part of Bro . Sadler ' s work . A little contretemps is noted at tho Quarterly Communication of llth December 1735 , when a petition aud appeal was presented , signed by several Masters of Lodges against the Privileges granted to the Stewards' Lodge , at a previous
Quarterly Communication . On the question being put whether that determination shonld be confirmed or not , there appears to have been a fiasco , for " In the course of the collecting the votes on this occasion thero appeared so much confusion that it was not possible for the Grand Officers to determine with any certainty what the
numbers on cither side of the Question were ; they were therefore obliged to dismiss the Debate and close tho Lodgo . " Amongst the curious laws passed for Grand Lodge in 1754 was tho following : — " That , if any Mason shall without tho especial Licence of the Grand Master or his Deputy for the time being attend as
a Mason cloathed in any of the jewels or cloathing of the Craft at any Funeral or Funeral Procession , he shall not only be for ever incapable of being an Officer of a Lodge , but oven of fcyliug or attending ou a Lodge or partaking of tho General Charity if ho shall come to want it . " Somo quaint records are mado of the Lodges
which held meetings at the various City Taverns , until' !/ 5 o , when the "Ancients" had about forty Lodges on their roll , " arid , " adds Bro . Sadler , "it may be that the knowledge of this fact prompted the "Moderns" to take some decided steps for tho purpose of consolidating their forces , with a view to countaract the rapidly
increasing power of the opposite party , which was not deemed necessary during their former disorganised condition . " Having brought his examination of tho minutes of the " Modern" Grand Lodge up to a period when the rival Institution might bo considered to be in a fairly prosperous condition , Bro . Sadler considers it
unnecessary to continue his researches in that direction . He mentions , howevei - , that every item of intelligence to bo found in thoso records that could possibly be construed as having the least bearing ou the question of tho origin of tho " Ancients " has been placed before his readers , and he adds " it will not be thoght very
presumptuous on my part if I venture to express an opinion that tho most powerful imagination would bo required bi detect any trustworthy evidence or oven indication of a secession from the regular body having occurred previous to the year 1752 . " Our anthor then goes into an exhaustive examination of tho records
of the " Ancients , aud without going deeply into this part of tho work , wo m-y quote one or two rather funny incidents that are ! , herein related . At a meeting of tho Grand Committee , hold at the Temple Eating House , near Temple Bar , the only business recorded on 1 st July 1752 consisted of a complaint by John Robinson , of No . 9 ,
against Moses Willonghby , of tho samo Lodge , for defrauding him of tho sum or nine shillings "in a bargain in tho exchnnging of a loomb . " The matter had been referred to a Committee of Weavers , who decided against the defendant , and he was ordered to refund the money on pain of expulsion ; bub Moses
. vas evidently a hardened sinner . " Ifc declared they might expel him , for ho would not conform to tho rules of any Society upon Eu . ' . h by which ho should loso nine shillings . " Whereupon ho was
¦' unanimously oxpclld , and deem'd unworthy of this or any other good Society . " Wo have gone aa far wifch this preliminary sketch as space at our disposal aduiifcd , bufc hope to return to the very interest-