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Article ON FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 10 →
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On Freemasonry.
ON FREEMASONRY .
ON THE SKILL OP ANCIENT MASONS IN THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE . BY THE REV . G . OLIVER , D . D . No one can rise from the contemplation of Freemasonry , without being struck with the extraordinary factthat
, almost all the Sciences which have conveyed benefits to mankind , owe their origin to the secret power which operated with such genial efficacy in the Lodges or Assemblies of . that remarkable class of men , who were engaged in planning and executing the noble public structures which constituted the pride of each particular people ; while they
tended to excite a spirit of emulation that produced the most beneficial results . In the dim vista of forgotten ages , discoveries and inventions , whether arising from the effect of accident , or emanating from the brilliant efforts of genius , stand out in bold relief , amidst records that are fabulous , or facts that are founded in conjectm-e . Amongst the rest , Geometry , with its application to Architecture , offers a series of practical illustrations on which the Free and
Accepted Mason may dilate with equal pleasure and pride , because they constitute an unerring testimony to the merits and scientific excellence of our ancient Brethren . The eai'liest nations of which we possess any authentic account , before the introduction of Temples for the celebration of divine worship , performed their devotions on
high mountains ; for the highest of hills and the lowest ofvallies were ever accounted sacred ; and it was an ancient belief , that , as the summit of a mountain made a nearer approach to the firmament where Heaven was supposed to be locally situated , so it was concluded that from thence the prayers of the worshipper were more likely to be heard . Devotion
was also offered at tombs and funereal cavities of the earth ; because it was thought the departed soul hovered near the place where its former companion the body had been deposited ; and it was addressed in the character of a mediator between the devotee and his god . " Who it was that erected the first temples , " says Archbishop Potter , " is not agreed by VOL . VI . =
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
ON FREEMASONRY .
ON THE SKILL OP ANCIENT MASONS IN THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE . BY THE REV . G . OLIVER , D . D . No one can rise from the contemplation of Freemasonry , without being struck with the extraordinary factthat
, almost all the Sciences which have conveyed benefits to mankind , owe their origin to the secret power which operated with such genial efficacy in the Lodges or Assemblies of . that remarkable class of men , who were engaged in planning and executing the noble public structures which constituted the pride of each particular people ; while they
tended to excite a spirit of emulation that produced the most beneficial results . In the dim vista of forgotten ages , discoveries and inventions , whether arising from the effect of accident , or emanating from the brilliant efforts of genius , stand out in bold relief , amidst records that are fabulous , or facts that are founded in conjectm-e . Amongst the rest , Geometry , with its application to Architecture , offers a series of practical illustrations on which the Free and
Accepted Mason may dilate with equal pleasure and pride , because they constitute an unerring testimony to the merits and scientific excellence of our ancient Brethren . The eai'liest nations of which we possess any authentic account , before the introduction of Temples for the celebration of divine worship , performed their devotions on
high mountains ; for the highest of hills and the lowest ofvallies were ever accounted sacred ; and it was an ancient belief , that , as the summit of a mountain made a nearer approach to the firmament where Heaven was supposed to be locally situated , so it was concluded that from thence the prayers of the worshipper were more likely to be heard . Devotion
was also offered at tombs and funereal cavities of the earth ; because it was thought the departed soul hovered near the place where its former companion the body had been deposited ; and it was addressed in the character of a mediator between the devotee and his god . " Who it was that erected the first temples , " says Archbishop Potter , " is not agreed by VOL . VI . =