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Article THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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The Freemasons' Repository.
than into France . The first German lodge that we have any account of is that at Cologne , erefted in 1716 , but very soon suppressed . Before the year 1725 there were many , both in Protestant , and Catholic Germany . Those of Wetziar , Frankfort on the Mayne , Brunswick , and " Hamburg , are the oldest , and their priority is doubtful . All of them received their institution from England , and had patents from a mother lodin London . All seem to have got
ge the mystery through the same channel , the banished friends of the Stuart family . Many of these were catholics , and entered into the service of Austria and the catholic princes . ' The true hospitality , that is no where more conspicuous than in the character of the Germans , made this institution a most agreeable and useful passport to these gentlemen ; and as many of them
were in military stations , and in garrison , they found ita very easy matter to set up lodges in all parts of Germany . These afforded a very agreeable pastime to the officers , who had little to occupy them , and were already accustomed to a subordination which did not affect their vanity on account of family distinctions . As the ensign and the general were equally gentlemen , the allegory of universal brotherhood was neither novel nor disgusting . Freemasonry was then of the
simplest form , consisting of the three degrees of Apprentice , Fellowcraft , and Master . It is remarkable , that the Germans had been long accustomed to the word , the sign , and the gripe of the Masons , and some other handicraft trades . In many parts of Germany there was a distinction of operative Masons into Wort-Maurcrs and Schrift-Maurers . The Wort-Maurers had no other proof to give of their having been regularlbrought up to the trade of buildersbut the
y , word and signs ; the Schrif ' t Maurers had written indentures to shew . There are-extant , and in force , borough-laws , enjoining the Masters of Masons to give employment to journeymen who had the proper words and sign . In particular it appears , that some cities had more extensive privileges in this respect than others . The word g iven at "Wetziar , the seat of the great council of revision for the empire ,
entitled the possessor to work over the whole empire . We may infer from the processes and decisions in some of those municipal courts , that a master gave a word and token for each year's progress of his apprentice . He gave the word of the incorporated imperial city or borough on which he depended , and also a word peculiar to himself , by which all his own pupils could recognize each other . This mode of recognizance was probably the only document of education in old times , while writing ; was confined to a very small
part of the community . ' When English Freemasonry was carried into Germany , it was hospitably received . The German character . is the very opposite of frivolity . It tends to seriousness , and requires serious occupation . The Germans are eminent for their turn for investigation ; and perhaps they indulge this to excess . We call them plodding and dtrll , because we have little relish for enquiry for its own sake . But this is surely the occupation of a rational nature , and deserves any name but stupidity . At the same time it must be acknowledged , that the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Repository.
than into France . The first German lodge that we have any account of is that at Cologne , erefted in 1716 , but very soon suppressed . Before the year 1725 there were many , both in Protestant , and Catholic Germany . Those of Wetziar , Frankfort on the Mayne , Brunswick , and " Hamburg , are the oldest , and their priority is doubtful . All of them received their institution from England , and had patents from a mother lodin London . All seem to have got
ge the mystery through the same channel , the banished friends of the Stuart family . Many of these were catholics , and entered into the service of Austria and the catholic princes . ' The true hospitality , that is no where more conspicuous than in the character of the Germans , made this institution a most agreeable and useful passport to these gentlemen ; and as many of them
were in military stations , and in garrison , they found ita very easy matter to set up lodges in all parts of Germany . These afforded a very agreeable pastime to the officers , who had little to occupy them , and were already accustomed to a subordination which did not affect their vanity on account of family distinctions . As the ensign and the general were equally gentlemen , the allegory of universal brotherhood was neither novel nor disgusting . Freemasonry was then of the
simplest form , consisting of the three degrees of Apprentice , Fellowcraft , and Master . It is remarkable , that the Germans had been long accustomed to the word , the sign , and the gripe of the Masons , and some other handicraft trades . In many parts of Germany there was a distinction of operative Masons into Wort-Maurcrs and Schrift-Maurers . The Wort-Maurers had no other proof to give of their having been regularlbrought up to the trade of buildersbut the
y , word and signs ; the Schrif ' t Maurers had written indentures to shew . There are-extant , and in force , borough-laws , enjoining the Masters of Masons to give employment to journeymen who had the proper words and sign . In particular it appears , that some cities had more extensive privileges in this respect than others . The word g iven at "Wetziar , the seat of the great council of revision for the empire ,
entitled the possessor to work over the whole empire . We may infer from the processes and decisions in some of those municipal courts , that a master gave a word and token for each year's progress of his apprentice . He gave the word of the incorporated imperial city or borough on which he depended , and also a word peculiar to himself , by which all his own pupils could recognize each other . This mode of recognizance was probably the only document of education in old times , while writing ; was confined to a very small
part of the community . ' When English Freemasonry was carried into Germany , it was hospitably received . The German character . is the very opposite of frivolity . It tends to seriousness , and requires serious occupation . The Germans are eminent for their turn for investigation ; and perhaps they indulge this to excess . We call them plodding and dtrll , because we have little relish for enquiry for its own sake . But this is surely the occupation of a rational nature , and deserves any name but stupidity . At the same time it must be acknowledged , that the