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Article MASONIC KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. Page 1 of 2 →
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Masonic Knights Templar.
MASONIC KNIGHTS TEMPLAR .
Mn . EDITOR , —Allow me to offer a few remarks on the present srate of the Order of the Temple and Sepulchre of St . John of Jerusalem . * A great movement is now seemingly taking place in that body in this kingdom , those of Scotland having thrown off their allegiance to Freemasonry , while in England , there seems to be much difference of opinion as to whether it is advisable to follow our Scottish brethren . - * - The original connexion between the Masons and Templars seems to me to have
taken place in Scotland , in the troublous times which immediatel y followed the murder of Jacques de Molay , in Paris . The Templars , who were then hunted with every species of persecution , fled to the Masons ' Lodges for protection ; joined in their assemblies ancl ceremonies ; and , more , adopted the Masonic dress . In return for this protection , the Templars admitted some few of the Masons into their Order , and thus the Knight Templar , for the time became a species of superior degree of
Freemasonry ; wearing the Masonic garb , with this onl y difference , that it was trimmed somewhat differently , by way of distinction . The great point of dispute in England now is , shall this absurd dress of an apron , ( for absurd it is in regard to Templars in the present day , however necessary it may have been when first adopted ) , be continued ? and the universal voice of ail those who have studied the matter says , no ; but let us return to our proper and legitimate dress ; "f our Scotch brethren have done so , ancl let us do the same ; while those , on the other hand ,
who have become Templars ( merely as a high degree of Masonry ) , neither knowing , or at all caring for its origin ancl history , say , why shall we put off our aprons , and with it the PROTECTION OF Masonry ? Then comes the point , and I think I can show that , as we are now constituted , we have NO PROTECTION from Masonry , but ARE an illegal society , liable to be prosecuted for every meeting , whereas were we , as our Scotch brethren have done , to throw off the apron , and with it
Masonry , we should not only become a lawful but a more honourable society , and be more worthy of a succession from those noble knights of old , with whose names history is embellished . But to the point , by the 39 Geo . III . c . 79 , s . v ., a protection is extended to all regular Lodges of Freemasons , held before , the passing of the act , upon the condition that they , in compliance with s . vi ., register their Lodge with the clerk of the peace of their county every year , and at the same time deposit a
list of the members of the Lodge with him . The constitutions of Masonry say— " Pure ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more , including the Royal Arch . " By this ' are all encampments of Knight Templars at once put out of tlie protection , of the law . The law protects all regular Lodges of Freemasons . ' The constitutions of Masonry say , none but E . A .-P ; , F . C . and M . M .. including R . A . are Masons-. Now , then , are Templars protected ? No , they are not ; they are another . and a separate society ; a society that has got intermixed with Masonry in troublous and dark times , and it is now necessary , for the united good of each body , that a separation should take place . An en-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Knights Templar.
MASONIC KNIGHTS TEMPLAR .
Mn . EDITOR , —Allow me to offer a few remarks on the present srate of the Order of the Temple and Sepulchre of St . John of Jerusalem . * A great movement is now seemingly taking place in that body in this kingdom , those of Scotland having thrown off their allegiance to Freemasonry , while in England , there seems to be much difference of opinion as to whether it is advisable to follow our Scottish brethren . - * - The original connexion between the Masons and Templars seems to me to have
taken place in Scotland , in the troublous times which immediatel y followed the murder of Jacques de Molay , in Paris . The Templars , who were then hunted with every species of persecution , fled to the Masons ' Lodges for protection ; joined in their assemblies ancl ceremonies ; and , more , adopted the Masonic dress . In return for this protection , the Templars admitted some few of the Masons into their Order , and thus the Knight Templar , for the time became a species of superior degree of
Freemasonry ; wearing the Masonic garb , with this onl y difference , that it was trimmed somewhat differently , by way of distinction . The great point of dispute in England now is , shall this absurd dress of an apron , ( for absurd it is in regard to Templars in the present day , however necessary it may have been when first adopted ) , be continued ? and the universal voice of ail those who have studied the matter says , no ; but let us return to our proper and legitimate dress ; "f our Scotch brethren have done so , ancl let us do the same ; while those , on the other hand ,
who have become Templars ( merely as a high degree of Masonry ) , neither knowing , or at all caring for its origin ancl history , say , why shall we put off our aprons , and with it the PROTECTION OF Masonry ? Then comes the point , and I think I can show that , as we are now constituted , we have NO PROTECTION from Masonry , but ARE an illegal society , liable to be prosecuted for every meeting , whereas were we , as our Scotch brethren have done , to throw off the apron , and with it
Masonry , we should not only become a lawful but a more honourable society , and be more worthy of a succession from those noble knights of old , with whose names history is embellished . But to the point , by the 39 Geo . III . c . 79 , s . v ., a protection is extended to all regular Lodges of Freemasons , held before , the passing of the act , upon the condition that they , in compliance with s . vi ., register their Lodge with the clerk of the peace of their county every year , and at the same time deposit a
list of the members of the Lodge with him . The constitutions of Masonry say— " Pure ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more , including the Royal Arch . " By this ' are all encampments of Knight Templars at once put out of tlie protection , of the law . The law protects all regular Lodges of Freemasons . ' The constitutions of Masonry say , none but E . A .-P ; , F . C . and M . M .. including R . A . are Masons-. Now , then , are Templars protected ? No , they are not ; they are another . and a separate society ; a society that has got intermixed with Masonry in troublous and dark times , and it is now necessary , for the united good of each body , that a separation should take place . An en-