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Article ADDRESS OF SIR CHARLES LEMON, BART., ← Page 2 of 4 →
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Address Of Sir Charles Lemon, Bart.,
example ; closer and more intimate ties are thus formed , for which the simple desire to associate is often the only assignable motive . Our motives are more complex ; but undoubtedly our association does represent this amongst other principles which govern men ' s actions . The next principle which I think we represent , is the love of antiquity , and the desire which is natural to man to connect himself with that venerable name . How powerful this princile may becomewe may
p , judge by the struggles which so many nations of the earth have made to devise fables to account for their origin , and sum up their history far beyond the limits of authentic record . Perhaps we , too , may have our fabulous history . I do not by any means intend to deny the justice of the claim to our almost primeval existence , which our excellent Chaplain has this day made for us in that sermon , the piety and eloquence of whicli has so much delighted us .
Possibly it may be true that we had a hand in the construction of King Solomon ' s Temple , but it would be very difficult to prove the fact by the ordinary means of historical criticism , as difficult as to prove that Cadmus sowed dragons teeth in the plains of Thebes , or that Brute the Trojan , founded the English Monarchy . Possibly Hiram , king of Tyre , was a Mason true and accepted , possibly also he knew no more of our rites and mysteriesthan he did of railways and steam enginesand of that
, , difficult problem which now occupies us , the comparative merits of the broad and narrow gauge . But we may let that pass—it is a bone for the learned to pick ; and we plain men may be content to dwell within the region of real history , and mark with pleasure the traces which are there found of our continuous existence , more ancient than that of any
institution now to be found in Europe , the institutions of Religion alone excepted . This claim to antiquity is our own , and we have reason to be proud of it . Now for the proof : —From the commencement of Gothic architecture , down to the period when it ceased to be original and became imitative , that is down to the latest characterised style , belonging to any particular period ( that of the Tudors , ) the most indisputable evidence exists that Freemasonry accompanied it throughout its whole course .
This evidence is first documentary , then from facts of a kind to which I will presently allude , and both these branches of proof are amply supported by tradition . The documentary evidence is to be found in the archives of many of our Cathedrals . In those of Salisbury for example , the actual contract made with a company of Freemasons , ex nomine , is still preserved ; and innumerable instances might be quoted where companies of Masons , who could be no other than Freemasons , were brought from abroad to apply their art in the construction of our Churches . But supposing that every fragment of this paper or
parchment were destroyed , we have still remaining a set of imperishable records attesting the fact , that all the sacred architecture of Europe ( at least ) was in the hands of an associated body of architects who acted together in the closest concert , and imposed their own rules on all who practised their craft . Tradition tells us that a body of this kind existed under the name of Freemasons , and I never yet heard it surmised that there was any other society capable of producing its effects , and sharing in its honour and reputation . Had there been any , history must have noticed it . The concert of whicli I speak , is proved by the marvellous uniformity of style which prevailed in different places , but at the same time .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Address Of Sir Charles Lemon, Bart.,
example ; closer and more intimate ties are thus formed , for which the simple desire to associate is often the only assignable motive . Our motives are more complex ; but undoubtedly our association does represent this amongst other principles which govern men ' s actions . The next principle which I think we represent , is the love of antiquity , and the desire which is natural to man to connect himself with that venerable name . How powerful this princile may becomewe may
p , judge by the struggles which so many nations of the earth have made to devise fables to account for their origin , and sum up their history far beyond the limits of authentic record . Perhaps we , too , may have our fabulous history . I do not by any means intend to deny the justice of the claim to our almost primeval existence , which our excellent Chaplain has this day made for us in that sermon , the piety and eloquence of whicli has so much delighted us .
Possibly it may be true that we had a hand in the construction of King Solomon ' s Temple , but it would be very difficult to prove the fact by the ordinary means of historical criticism , as difficult as to prove that Cadmus sowed dragons teeth in the plains of Thebes , or that Brute the Trojan , founded the English Monarchy . Possibly Hiram , king of Tyre , was a Mason true and accepted , possibly also he knew no more of our rites and mysteriesthan he did of railways and steam enginesand of that
, , difficult problem which now occupies us , the comparative merits of the broad and narrow gauge . But we may let that pass—it is a bone for the learned to pick ; and we plain men may be content to dwell within the region of real history , and mark with pleasure the traces which are there found of our continuous existence , more ancient than that of any
institution now to be found in Europe , the institutions of Religion alone excepted . This claim to antiquity is our own , and we have reason to be proud of it . Now for the proof : —From the commencement of Gothic architecture , down to the period when it ceased to be original and became imitative , that is down to the latest characterised style , belonging to any particular period ( that of the Tudors , ) the most indisputable evidence exists that Freemasonry accompanied it throughout its whole course .
This evidence is first documentary , then from facts of a kind to which I will presently allude , and both these branches of proof are amply supported by tradition . The documentary evidence is to be found in the archives of many of our Cathedrals . In those of Salisbury for example , the actual contract made with a company of Freemasons , ex nomine , is still preserved ; and innumerable instances might be quoted where companies of Masons , who could be no other than Freemasons , were brought from abroad to apply their art in the construction of our Churches . But supposing that every fragment of this paper or
parchment were destroyed , we have still remaining a set of imperishable records attesting the fact , that all the sacred architecture of Europe ( at least ) was in the hands of an associated body of architects who acted together in the closest concert , and imposed their own rules on all who practised their craft . Tradition tells us that a body of this kind existed under the name of Freemasons , and I never yet heard it surmised that there was any other society capable of producing its effects , and sharing in its honour and reputation . Had there been any , history must have noticed it . The concert of whicli I speak , is proved by the marvellous uniformity of style which prevailed in different places , but at the same time .