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Article M. MICHELET ON FREEMASONRY. ← Page 4 of 4
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M. Michelet On Freemasonry.
But the existence of a peculiar class of men , possessed ofthe secrets of that art AA'hich has alone rendered a tangible ancl lastinghomage to the Creator , is splendidly set forth in the folloxxing thoroughly Masonic passage , a jiassage xvhich no worthy Brother ofthe Craft cau read xvithout being impressed xvith a deep sense of the grand principles on AX'hich our present symbolical system has
been founded , —a passage Avbieb SIIOAVS the veil of holy mystery in Avhich the ori gin of the Craft is involved , and xvhich , although spoken by this author chiefly with reference to German art , derives corroboration from the study of emblems throughout the world : —•
" Here tho middle age brought forth golden souls , who have passed away unknown and unnoticed , fair souls at once puerile and profound , who have hardly entertained the idea that they belonged to time , who have never quitted the bosom of eternity , and have suffered the world to floxv on before them without seeing in its stormy waves any other colour than heaven ' s own azure . AVhat were their names ? Who ean tell them ! All that is known is , that they were of that obscure
and vast association which has spread in every direction . They had their Lodges at Cologne and at Strasbourg . Their sign , as ancient as Germany herself , was the hammer of Thor . AVith the Pagan hammer , sanctified iu their Christian hands , they continued through the world the great work of the new temple , a renewal of the temple of Solomon . With what care they worked , obscure as they were , and lost in the general body , can only be learned by examining the most out-of-the-way ancl inaccessible
points ofthe cathedrals which they built . Ascend to those aerial deserts , to the last points of the spires , where the slater only mounts in fear and trembling , yoxx ' will often find , left to God ' s eye alone , and visited but by theever-blowing wind , some delicately executed piece of workmanship , some masterpiece of art and of sculpture , in carving which the pious workman has consumed his life . Not a name is on it , not a mark , not a letter ; he would have thought it so much taken from the glory of God . He has worked for God only , for the health of his soul . "
After a passing allusion to St . Catherine , the patron saint of the Masons , "xvho is seen with her geometric wheel , her mysterious rose , on the ground-floor of Cologne cathedral , " M . Michelet proceeds to lament over the degradation of the pure Gothic , at the same time pointing out , xvith marvellous acuteness , the psychological reasons xvMch rendered such changes
necessary . As variety of matter is an object of importance in a periodical , I shall defer my notice of M . Michelet ' s valuable remarks on the " Templars" till the next number , meanxA'hile recommending his work heartil y to the study of all xvho xvould satisfy themselves of the deep import of their Masonic obligations , and of the connection of the symbolism of the present day with the practice of the past .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
M. Michelet On Freemasonry.
But the existence of a peculiar class of men , possessed ofthe secrets of that art AA'hich has alone rendered a tangible ancl lastinghomage to the Creator , is splendidly set forth in the folloxxing thoroughly Masonic passage , a jiassage xvhich no worthy Brother ofthe Craft cau read xvithout being impressed xvith a deep sense of the grand principles on AX'hich our present symbolical system has
been founded , —a passage Avbieb SIIOAVS the veil of holy mystery in Avhich the ori gin of the Craft is involved , and xvhich , although spoken by this author chiefly with reference to German art , derives corroboration from the study of emblems throughout the world : —•
" Here tho middle age brought forth golden souls , who have passed away unknown and unnoticed , fair souls at once puerile and profound , who have hardly entertained the idea that they belonged to time , who have never quitted the bosom of eternity , and have suffered the world to floxv on before them without seeing in its stormy waves any other colour than heaven ' s own azure . AVhat were their names ? Who ean tell them ! All that is known is , that they were of that obscure
and vast association which has spread in every direction . They had their Lodges at Cologne and at Strasbourg . Their sign , as ancient as Germany herself , was the hammer of Thor . AVith the Pagan hammer , sanctified iu their Christian hands , they continued through the world the great work of the new temple , a renewal of the temple of Solomon . With what care they worked , obscure as they were , and lost in the general body , can only be learned by examining the most out-of-the-way ancl inaccessible
points ofthe cathedrals which they built . Ascend to those aerial deserts , to the last points of the spires , where the slater only mounts in fear and trembling , yoxx ' will often find , left to God ' s eye alone , and visited but by theever-blowing wind , some delicately executed piece of workmanship , some masterpiece of art and of sculpture , in carving which the pious workman has consumed his life . Not a name is on it , not a mark , not a letter ; he would have thought it so much taken from the glory of God . He has worked for God only , for the health of his soul . "
After a passing allusion to St . Catherine , the patron saint of the Masons , "xvho is seen with her geometric wheel , her mysterious rose , on the ground-floor of Cologne cathedral , " M . Michelet proceeds to lament over the degradation of the pure Gothic , at the same time pointing out , xvith marvellous acuteness , the psychological reasons xvMch rendered such changes
necessary . As variety of matter is an object of importance in a periodical , I shall defer my notice of M . Michelet ' s valuable remarks on the " Templars" till the next number , meanxA'hile recommending his work heartil y to the study of all xvho xvould satisfy themselves of the deep import of their Masonic obligations , and of the connection of the symbolism of the present day with the practice of the past .