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Article MASONIC PORTRAITS (No. 13.) FROM UNDER THE CROWN. ← Page 3 of 3 Article SPECULATIONS ON THE PYRAMIDS. Page 1 of 1 Article EAST, WEST AND SOUTH. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Portraits (No. 13.) From Under The Crown.
may devote himself , he will always prove himself to bo a man of great ability , of vast capacity for business , and an Englishman of a type which we would not willingly see die out .
Speculations On The Pyramids.
SPECULATIONS ON THE PYRAMIDS .
( Continued from our last . ) THE Moslem invaders of the Great Pyramid found nothing to reward their labours but an empty , lidless coffer . So at least it would appear from the accounts given by the more sober chroniclers of the time . The romance writers , however , were not altogether silenced , and the
descriptions given by these , after the event , were almost as remarkable as the speculations they had indulged in previously . According to one of them a dead body , with a breast-plate of gold , was discovered in the coffer , together with an emerald vase , a foot in length , a carbuncle , which
shone with a light like the light of day , a sword of inestimable value , seven spans in length , and a coat of mail , twelve spans in length . Another declared that the coffer was crammed to the brim with gold pieces . Whilst a third launched forth into a multitude of oriental extravagances
about columns of gold coins , magical images , and such like . It may , however , fairly be assumed that had anything been discovered of a nature to encourage investigation , the search would not have been so speedily abandoned as it was . The treasures of ancient wisdom which Al Mamoun and
his followers looked for in vain , some modern writers claim to have in part discovered . And it may be questioned whether the imaginative descriptions of the Arabian romances were one whit more astounding than are tho theories which have been gravely propounded by Professor
Piazzi Smyth and others in the present century . According to these writers , the architect of the Great Pyramid must have possessed an acquaintance with astronomy such as the ablest scientific men of the present day can hardly claim to have attained . They assert that the standard of
measurement employed in its construction was a cubit of 25 * 025 British inches in length , which was obtained by dividing the earth ' s axis of rotation by 20 , 000 , 000 ; that the base line of the Pyramid was got by multiplying this cubit by the precise number of days in the solar
year , viz ., 365 * 242 ; and that the height bears to the base line the exact proportion which the diameter of the circle bears to one-half its circumference . And they adduce no less an authority than Sir Isaac Newton for the fact that such a cubit was actually in use amongst the Hebrews , and other
oriental nations , at the early period in which the Pyramid is supposed to have been erected . If even thus much of their theories could be substantiated , it would serve to show that the architect at least was in possession of astronomical truths which the utmost precision of modern
scientific observation can barely ascertain to demonstration . One of the most recent computations as to the length of the earth ' s polar axis , that , namely , published by the Ordnance Survey in 1 ' 866 , gave two results , one of which was
about 720 cubits less than the Pyramid estimate , and the other , about 880 cubits more , the mean being almost precisely the length which Professor Smyth affirms to have been in the mind of the designer of the great Pyramid .
But the Professor pushes his contention still further . He asserts that this sacred cubit , the ten-millionth part of the earth ' s polar radius , has been more or less the origin and foundation of the hereditary standards of measurement in all the countries of Europe . The Italian Braccio , the
Prussian and Polish Ell , the French Aune , the Portugese Covado , besides the modern Egyptian Pic and the Persian Ouerze , are all close copies of the ancient sacred cubit ;
whilst in England , although no exact equivalent can he found , the British inch , as near as possible the twenty-fifth part of the sacred cubit , affords a sufficient proof of connection with the old Egyptian standard .
The distance of the sun from the earth is also , according to the Professor , symbolically indicated in the Great Pyramid . This is the more remarkable , as the Ancients generally appear to have gone very much astray in their calculations
on this head . In the age of the Greeks , the distance was estimated at only a few miles ; later on it was computed at about 10 , 000 miles ; even under tjje comparatively modern Kepler , the distance was thought to be only 36 , 000 , 000 miles ; LaCaille , in the time of Louis Xiy ., fixed it at
78 , 000 , 000 ; and towards the commencement of the present century it was asserted to be 95 , 000 , 000 . The computations of the last few years have , however , somewhat diminished this last estimate , and it is now said to be something between ninety-one ancl a half million and
ninetytwo and a half million miles . The mean of these last computations corresponds exactly with Mr . Smyth ' s reading of the Pyramid—viz ., 91 , 840 , 000 miles . The mean density of the earth is also , according to Mr . Smyth , logically deducible from the design of the Pyramid ; whilst the date of its erection can be fixed with an almost certain
exactness at the year 2170 B . C . With regard to the coffer , Mr . Smyth believes that it was intended for , and has actually served the purpose of a general standard measure of capacity . Our English quarter ( of wheat ) is neither more nor less than a quarter
of the content of the coffer , and the Italian Bubbio and the Maltese Salma are simply variations of the same . The bushel again , the eighth part of a quarter , equivalent to the German Seheffel ancl the Italian Tomolo , is traceable to the same source .
We have even now not touched upon many of the speculations and suggestions that have in ancient and modern times been associated with these monuments . Certain rites of Serapis , for instance , were atone time said to have been performed in the interior of the Great Pyramid , and
some Masonic writers have given the traditions concerning them at considerable length . We have probably , however , said enough to show how great a stimulus to human thought and imagination these massive works have afforded . As a specimen of Masonry , formed to endure through
countless years , the Great Pyramid stands unrivalled on the face of the globe , and fairly justifies the inscription said by an Arab tradition to have been written upon its
outer casing by the architect , " I have built them , and whover considers himself powerful , may try to destroy them . Let him , however , reflect that to destroy is easier than to build . "
East, West And South.
EAST , WEST AND SOUTH .
BY A WANDERING FREEMASON . VI .
THE Galatea had come from China and Japan , and before that , I think , from Honolulu . At some of these places , especially Japan , the Duke must have had what Yankees call " a good time . " I asked how he managed to pass the tedium of long trips between distant ports ,
whereupon Mr . Yorke ( whose abilities in that line I conceived to be of no mean order ) enlightened me regarding the Saturday nights' entertainments which they were accustomed to hold , wherein the suite , with selected officers
sailors , and marines ( not excepting the Duke , with his violin ) , enacted concerts , recitations , and plays of all sorts ; prizes being competed for on these occasions by the crew , and the greatest possible fun and merriment extracted from grotesque competitions of the honest tars .
If the Duke really supposed he would be taken at his word , and be received simply as the captain of a ship , he was undeceived upon discerning a gunboat steaming out of the river , upon whose deck moved a glittering mass , resolvable under our binoculars into a posse of officials , headed
by the Lieutenant Governor ( Segundo Cabo ) of the Colony . They were coming to bid H . R . H . welcome , in the name of the Governor General ; and it was thereupon decided that courtesy demanded a special message from H . R . H . to His Excellency , stating the exact time convenient for landing
and officially conveying compliments . This commission was entrusted to me , and , ere the gunboat neared the Galatea , I was well on my way to shore . After reporting my instructions at the Palace , I drove to the Consular office , with a view to dispose of any current
work which might be found pressing . There was the usual contingent of shipmasters , to deposit or receive back their papers ; the usual batch of attestations waiting for signature , and the usual British seamen ( drunk and
disorderly ) in charge of police . An unusual number of Spanish officers in full uniform happened to call , and prisoner Jack—with the wit which getting three sheets in the wind engenders—amused me much , by apostrophising one who had not the usual sword at his sitls , with " Wiji
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Portraits (No. 13.) From Under The Crown.
may devote himself , he will always prove himself to bo a man of great ability , of vast capacity for business , and an Englishman of a type which we would not willingly see die out .
Speculations On The Pyramids.
SPECULATIONS ON THE PYRAMIDS .
( Continued from our last . ) THE Moslem invaders of the Great Pyramid found nothing to reward their labours but an empty , lidless coffer . So at least it would appear from the accounts given by the more sober chroniclers of the time . The romance writers , however , were not altogether silenced , and the
descriptions given by these , after the event , were almost as remarkable as the speculations they had indulged in previously . According to one of them a dead body , with a breast-plate of gold , was discovered in the coffer , together with an emerald vase , a foot in length , a carbuncle , which
shone with a light like the light of day , a sword of inestimable value , seven spans in length , and a coat of mail , twelve spans in length . Another declared that the coffer was crammed to the brim with gold pieces . Whilst a third launched forth into a multitude of oriental extravagances
about columns of gold coins , magical images , and such like . It may , however , fairly be assumed that had anything been discovered of a nature to encourage investigation , the search would not have been so speedily abandoned as it was . The treasures of ancient wisdom which Al Mamoun and
his followers looked for in vain , some modern writers claim to have in part discovered . And it may be questioned whether the imaginative descriptions of the Arabian romances were one whit more astounding than are tho theories which have been gravely propounded by Professor
Piazzi Smyth and others in the present century . According to these writers , the architect of the Great Pyramid must have possessed an acquaintance with astronomy such as the ablest scientific men of the present day can hardly claim to have attained . They assert that the standard of
measurement employed in its construction was a cubit of 25 * 025 British inches in length , which was obtained by dividing the earth ' s axis of rotation by 20 , 000 , 000 ; that the base line of the Pyramid was got by multiplying this cubit by the precise number of days in the solar
year , viz ., 365 * 242 ; and that the height bears to the base line the exact proportion which the diameter of the circle bears to one-half its circumference . And they adduce no less an authority than Sir Isaac Newton for the fact that such a cubit was actually in use amongst the Hebrews , and other
oriental nations , at the early period in which the Pyramid is supposed to have been erected . If even thus much of their theories could be substantiated , it would serve to show that the architect at least was in possession of astronomical truths which the utmost precision of modern
scientific observation can barely ascertain to demonstration . One of the most recent computations as to the length of the earth ' s polar axis , that , namely , published by the Ordnance Survey in 1 ' 866 , gave two results , one of which was
about 720 cubits less than the Pyramid estimate , and the other , about 880 cubits more , the mean being almost precisely the length which Professor Smyth affirms to have been in the mind of the designer of the great Pyramid .
But the Professor pushes his contention still further . He asserts that this sacred cubit , the ten-millionth part of the earth ' s polar radius , has been more or less the origin and foundation of the hereditary standards of measurement in all the countries of Europe . The Italian Braccio , the
Prussian and Polish Ell , the French Aune , the Portugese Covado , besides the modern Egyptian Pic and the Persian Ouerze , are all close copies of the ancient sacred cubit ;
whilst in England , although no exact equivalent can he found , the British inch , as near as possible the twenty-fifth part of the sacred cubit , affords a sufficient proof of connection with the old Egyptian standard .
The distance of the sun from the earth is also , according to the Professor , symbolically indicated in the Great Pyramid . This is the more remarkable , as the Ancients generally appear to have gone very much astray in their calculations
on this head . In the age of the Greeks , the distance was estimated at only a few miles ; later on it was computed at about 10 , 000 miles ; even under tjje comparatively modern Kepler , the distance was thought to be only 36 , 000 , 000 miles ; LaCaille , in the time of Louis Xiy ., fixed it at
78 , 000 , 000 ; and towards the commencement of the present century it was asserted to be 95 , 000 , 000 . The computations of the last few years have , however , somewhat diminished this last estimate , and it is now said to be something between ninety-one ancl a half million and
ninetytwo and a half million miles . The mean of these last computations corresponds exactly with Mr . Smyth ' s reading of the Pyramid—viz ., 91 , 840 , 000 miles . The mean density of the earth is also , according to Mr . Smyth , logically deducible from the design of the Pyramid ; whilst the date of its erection can be fixed with an almost certain
exactness at the year 2170 B . C . With regard to the coffer , Mr . Smyth believes that it was intended for , and has actually served the purpose of a general standard measure of capacity . Our English quarter ( of wheat ) is neither more nor less than a quarter
of the content of the coffer , and the Italian Bubbio and the Maltese Salma are simply variations of the same . The bushel again , the eighth part of a quarter , equivalent to the German Seheffel ancl the Italian Tomolo , is traceable to the same source .
We have even now not touched upon many of the speculations and suggestions that have in ancient and modern times been associated with these monuments . Certain rites of Serapis , for instance , were atone time said to have been performed in the interior of the Great Pyramid , and
some Masonic writers have given the traditions concerning them at considerable length . We have probably , however , said enough to show how great a stimulus to human thought and imagination these massive works have afforded . As a specimen of Masonry , formed to endure through
countless years , the Great Pyramid stands unrivalled on the face of the globe , and fairly justifies the inscription said by an Arab tradition to have been written upon its
outer casing by the architect , " I have built them , and whover considers himself powerful , may try to destroy them . Let him , however , reflect that to destroy is easier than to build . "
East, West And South.
EAST , WEST AND SOUTH .
BY A WANDERING FREEMASON . VI .
THE Galatea had come from China and Japan , and before that , I think , from Honolulu . At some of these places , especially Japan , the Duke must have had what Yankees call " a good time . " I asked how he managed to pass the tedium of long trips between distant ports ,
whereupon Mr . Yorke ( whose abilities in that line I conceived to be of no mean order ) enlightened me regarding the Saturday nights' entertainments which they were accustomed to hold , wherein the suite , with selected officers
sailors , and marines ( not excepting the Duke , with his violin ) , enacted concerts , recitations , and plays of all sorts ; prizes being competed for on these occasions by the crew , and the greatest possible fun and merriment extracted from grotesque competitions of the honest tars .
If the Duke really supposed he would be taken at his word , and be received simply as the captain of a ship , he was undeceived upon discerning a gunboat steaming out of the river , upon whose deck moved a glittering mass , resolvable under our binoculars into a posse of officials , headed
by the Lieutenant Governor ( Segundo Cabo ) of the Colony . They were coming to bid H . R . H . welcome , in the name of the Governor General ; and it was thereupon decided that courtesy demanded a special message from H . R . H . to His Excellency , stating the exact time convenient for landing
and officially conveying compliments . This commission was entrusted to me , and , ere the gunboat neared the Galatea , I was well on my way to shore . After reporting my instructions at the Palace , I drove to the Consular office , with a view to dispose of any current
work which might be found pressing . There was the usual contingent of shipmasters , to deposit or receive back their papers ; the usual batch of attestations waiting for signature , and the usual British seamen ( drunk and
disorderly ) in charge of police . An unusual number of Spanish officers in full uniform happened to call , and prisoner Jack—with the wit which getting three sheets in the wind engenders—amused me much , by apostrophising one who had not the usual sword at his sitls , with " Wiji