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Original Correspondence.
Templars and Hospitallers , know that these Orders , composed only of nobilcs , that is , of men entitled by descent to bear coat-armour , Avere completely republican in their organization , in ancient days . It is reserved for Masonic moderns
to adopt their name , but to ignore their object , their practice , their constitution , and to substitute for these a system which places the complete control of the Order in the hands of one irresponsible officer .
When we have heard all that Bro Holmes and " Lupus " have to say , would it not be well to bring forward for reconsideration what already seems to have been an injudiciously hasty decision of Grand Conclave ? If the decisions of this body are as the law of thc Medes and Persians , then I fear that much harm has been
done to the Masonic Order of the Temple . What is now only a suppressed growl may eventually break out into action , which , with the heir to the throne as Grand Master , would be an edifying spectacle for the unmasonic world to contemplate . Apologising for the length of these remarks , I am , faithfully yours , CIVIS .
THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR
To the Editor of Tlie Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I will endeavour to reply to " Cheshire ' s " enquiries on the present occasion .
My opinion is that the words "peace and salvation" arc an older form than " peace and tranquility . " More than one explanation of the words has been suggested .
i . One is that which considers these words ? . s descriptive of tlu . " Bright Star of Hope '' which was to lighten up the Dark Valley with its radiant gleams of salvation and peace .
2 . Another has been that they refer to the Five-Pointed Star or Pentalpha , a Jewish Emblem , which symbolically represented the goodness and mercy of Almighty God , in its rays of brightness , for the faithful and obedient of Adam ' s race !
3 . While a thud view has been that they point to Him who is called the " Bright and Morning Star , " "Alpha and Omega , " " the Beginning and the End , " "the First and the Last ! " Each of these explanations is admissible , and each agrees with the context of the particular passage referred to .
We should never forget , it seems to me , that our Order , wisely tolerant , does not profess to force any dogmas of religious teaching one way or the other on any of our members . The Christian brother may see in these words solemn and touching allusion to
that Bright Star of promise , which shone last , as some one has beautifully said , on the " dark night of this weary and waiting world , " while the Jewish brother may see in , it an evidence still of Hebrew faith , in the great mercy and loving salvation of Jehovah .
And beyond this ihe ' 1 heist may accept them as a mystical reference to the eternal benignly and c <; mpass 'jn ofthe Great Father , ihe Common Parent of the whole human famil y . 1 confess I think it far wiser not to seem ever
to dogmatize on such matters , or lay down a hard and fast line of belief and practice , but simply to accept what our Ritual so happily puts before us , and to hand it on to others , iii juyal adherence and hearty acquiescence . A MASONIC STUDENT .
MR . LOCKE AND FREEMASONRY
To the Editor < f The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I have read with much interest our very able Brother Chalmers I . Paton ' s " Origin of Freemasonry , Ike , " and I heartily endorse all
he says as to the untenableness , historically , of the 1717 theory , but 1 confess that ( think it a great pity that he has introduced in support of his general argument , clear and conclusive as it
otherwise appears to me to be , " Mr . Locke ' s Letter , " and the so-called "Henry the Sixth ' s Manuscript . " Though much search has been made in various quarters for Mr . Locke ' s letter , the ori ginal has
Original Correspondence.
never yet been seen , and no one professes to say where the original may be found . I fear that we cannot accept the letter without better proof as written by Mr . Locke , and that
we must , on the contrary , regard it as in itself " apocryphal . " With respect to the MS . that also has hitherto rjluded all research in the Bodleian , and I equally fear that we must look on it as " fraus pia
Architectomca . Its history however , is not a little singular , and therefore I think well to give it over again , and I would fain hope once for all . In the Gentleman ' s Magazine for the year 1753 , as all may see for themselves , vol . NXIIL , p . 417 , there is to be found a reprint of a
pamphlet said to have been printed at Frankforton-the-Maine , in 1 74 S , " as found on the table of a deceased brother . " Why an English pamphlet on Masonry should be printed in Germany is not , however , said . Ihe original pamphlet has never yet been found—so that we hear nothing more of it but what appears in the Gentleman ' s Alagazine .
It true , it was a most important and interesting document , and was accordingly printed in the Freemasons ' Magazine for August , 1794 , without apparently the slightest doubt of its authenticity and genuineness .
Preston reproduced it , and so did Hutchinson , and it has been repeated in all our Masonic historiesjsince then , I believe , perfectly " bona fide , " and in entire acceptance of its reality and truth . The MS . professes to have been copied by a
Mr . Collins from an old MS . in the Bodleian Library , and to have been forwarded by the famous John Locke to Thomas , Earl of Pembroke , with an explanatory letter , May 6 th , 1696 .
A further statement that Leland , the wellknown antiquary , found it in an old monastic library , copied it , and deposited it in the Bodleian Library , has unfortunately not yet found the slightest historical support or verification .
I carefully studied it many years ago , with my lamented friend , Mr . Wallbran , and the conclusion we both came to was , that it was probably founded on some old Masonic MS ., but that it bore marks in it of compilation , and that if the
" archaisms" were real , they denoted an early orig in , but that in all probability it had been put together by some person , who was not fully acquainted with the full meaning of the words he employed .
'ihe MS . itself , does not exist in the Bodleian Library , or if it does , it is in some volume of MS ., which has hitherto escaped all search . The only possible explanation would be , that it may exist in one of the College Libraries , but even that is not very likely . As Bro . Paton seems to believe both in the
authenticity ol Mr . Locke s letter , and the existence of the manuscript at present in the Bodleian , I think it well to call his attention to the real facts of the case , as it seems to me most undesirable to weaken a sound and effective
arcument , by the admission of doubtful authorities and untenable evidence . A MASONIC STUDENT .
STATUS OF PAST MASTERS
To the Editor oj The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — In answer to " A North Country Mason , " I would say that , a P . M . who joins another lodge under the English Constitution becomes a subscribing member of the same ,
and though he is not a P . M . of the lodge , is n P . M . in the lodge . He is eligible to be balloted for as W . M ., and being a P . M ., could in the absence ofthe W . M ., the Immediate P . M ., and any other P . M . ' s ofthe lodge , take the chair .
A Scotch P . M . who joins an English lodge , though he is recognised as a P . M . in the lod ge , must serve as a Warden twelve months before he can be balloted for as W . M . The same rule applies to an Irish P . M . As both the Scotch P . M . and Irish P . M . have passed the chair , they are seated on the left ofthe W . M .
'The Chaplain as a rule is generally seated on the rightjof Ihe W . M . in the private lodge , though
Original Correspondence.
in P . G . Lodge and in Grand Lodge the Grand Chaplains , present and past , are seated on the left . Tlie general rule of the Craft seems to be , that in Craft Lodges all Chaplains , present and past , arc seated on the right of the W . M . AN OLD P . M
LYON'S HISTORY OF THE LODGE OI EDINBURGH .
To the Editor ofthe Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — Will you allow me to add the following to your appreciative notice of the forthcoming work by my friend Bro . D . Murray Lyon . The publishers are now proceeding with
the printing , and hope soon to announce its completion . The volume will contain more than sixty portraits of the most distinguished Craftsmen of this , and former generations , and about twenty-five fac-similes of valuable Scottish MS . from the sixteenth century .
No expense is being spared to render the work worthy ofthe Craft in every sense , and we believe it will fairly be entitled to challenge , as to its artistic merit , any book , Masonic , or otherwise , yet published . The subscription of one guinea is scarcely
expected to cover the cost of production , so that immediately after its issue , the price for each copy will be raised at least fifty per cent . Knowing your great interest in all that affects thc welfare and history of our Fraternity must be our apology for troubling you thus far . W . J . HUGHAN .
RED CROSS DEGREE
To the Editor nf The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother ,- — I do not wonder " a Member of the Council of the Degree of Rome and Constantine " should take exception to the heading of
the report of a meeting held in Glasgow , on the 30 th ult . ; the notice I think you will find , if the printer refers to the copy , was simply headed " Red Cross Degree ; " I presume , not , knowing any other , added the words "of Constanti ' ne . " I can assure a member of the Council that we
are quite aware of the dillerence in the degrees , and have no wish to shine in borrowed plumes , at the same time I cannot agree with him that it should have been headed " of Babylon , " for the reason he himself assigns , viz ., that the Grand
Chapter under whose authority it is given expressly says that it has been commonly so called . In the Charter under which we work , and also in the law and constitutions of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland it is described as tho
"Red Cross Degree . Our meetings are called Councils of the Order ; of Rome and Constantine , Conclaves ; these distinctions should be sufficient to prevent all Masonic readers from confounding the " Red
Cross Degree , " as given under the sanction of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland , with the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , as worked under its own supreme head . Regretting
that a printer ' s error should have caused this mistake , I am , yours fraternally , G . W . WHEELER . Secretary of the Council No . 7 .,.
IMMEDIATE PAST MASTERS . 2 b the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — Will you allow me to give my own opinion upon the question raised b y " A Young
J . W . ; " it is one that ought to be settled b \ authority , and it seems a pity that the Book ol Constitutions does not lay down rules for numerous matters that occur in lodges , and which doubtless the Grand Secretary has to
answer over and over again , but on which he can only give his own opinion . J was re-elected to the chair , and had I been unavoidably absent , I should certainly have asked
the Immediate Past Master to take my place ; it would not have occurred to me to do otherwise . I may do wrong , but I hardly see how an actual Master can be considered as such and also an
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
Templars and Hospitallers , know that these Orders , composed only of nobilcs , that is , of men entitled by descent to bear coat-armour , Avere completely republican in their organization , in ancient days . It is reserved for Masonic moderns
to adopt their name , but to ignore their object , their practice , their constitution , and to substitute for these a system which places the complete control of the Order in the hands of one irresponsible officer .
When we have heard all that Bro Holmes and " Lupus " have to say , would it not be well to bring forward for reconsideration what already seems to have been an injudiciously hasty decision of Grand Conclave ? If the decisions of this body are as the law of thc Medes and Persians , then I fear that much harm has been
done to the Masonic Order of the Temple . What is now only a suppressed growl may eventually break out into action , which , with the heir to the throne as Grand Master , would be an edifying spectacle for the unmasonic world to contemplate . Apologising for the length of these remarks , I am , faithfully yours , CIVIS .
THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR
To the Editor of Tlie Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I will endeavour to reply to " Cheshire ' s " enquiries on the present occasion .
My opinion is that the words "peace and salvation" arc an older form than " peace and tranquility . " More than one explanation of the words has been suggested .
i . One is that which considers these words ? . s descriptive of tlu . " Bright Star of Hope '' which was to lighten up the Dark Valley with its radiant gleams of salvation and peace .
2 . Another has been that they refer to the Five-Pointed Star or Pentalpha , a Jewish Emblem , which symbolically represented the goodness and mercy of Almighty God , in its rays of brightness , for the faithful and obedient of Adam ' s race !
3 . While a thud view has been that they point to Him who is called the " Bright and Morning Star , " "Alpha and Omega , " " the Beginning and the End , " "the First and the Last ! " Each of these explanations is admissible , and each agrees with the context of the particular passage referred to .
We should never forget , it seems to me , that our Order , wisely tolerant , does not profess to force any dogmas of religious teaching one way or the other on any of our members . The Christian brother may see in these words solemn and touching allusion to
that Bright Star of promise , which shone last , as some one has beautifully said , on the " dark night of this weary and waiting world , " while the Jewish brother may see in , it an evidence still of Hebrew faith , in the great mercy and loving salvation of Jehovah .
And beyond this ihe ' 1 heist may accept them as a mystical reference to the eternal benignly and c <; mpass 'jn ofthe Great Father , ihe Common Parent of the whole human famil y . 1 confess I think it far wiser not to seem ever
to dogmatize on such matters , or lay down a hard and fast line of belief and practice , but simply to accept what our Ritual so happily puts before us , and to hand it on to others , iii juyal adherence and hearty acquiescence . A MASONIC STUDENT .
MR . LOCKE AND FREEMASONRY
To the Editor < f The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I have read with much interest our very able Brother Chalmers I . Paton ' s " Origin of Freemasonry , Ike , " and I heartily endorse all
he says as to the untenableness , historically , of the 1717 theory , but 1 confess that ( think it a great pity that he has introduced in support of his general argument , clear and conclusive as it
otherwise appears to me to be , " Mr . Locke ' s Letter , " and the so-called "Henry the Sixth ' s Manuscript . " Though much search has been made in various quarters for Mr . Locke ' s letter , the ori ginal has
Original Correspondence.
never yet been seen , and no one professes to say where the original may be found . I fear that we cannot accept the letter without better proof as written by Mr . Locke , and that
we must , on the contrary , regard it as in itself " apocryphal . " With respect to the MS . that also has hitherto rjluded all research in the Bodleian , and I equally fear that we must look on it as " fraus pia
Architectomca . Its history however , is not a little singular , and therefore I think well to give it over again , and I would fain hope once for all . In the Gentleman ' s Magazine for the year 1753 , as all may see for themselves , vol . NXIIL , p . 417 , there is to be found a reprint of a
pamphlet said to have been printed at Frankforton-the-Maine , in 1 74 S , " as found on the table of a deceased brother . " Why an English pamphlet on Masonry should be printed in Germany is not , however , said . Ihe original pamphlet has never yet been found—so that we hear nothing more of it but what appears in the Gentleman ' s Alagazine .
It true , it was a most important and interesting document , and was accordingly printed in the Freemasons ' Magazine for August , 1794 , without apparently the slightest doubt of its authenticity and genuineness .
Preston reproduced it , and so did Hutchinson , and it has been repeated in all our Masonic historiesjsince then , I believe , perfectly " bona fide , " and in entire acceptance of its reality and truth . The MS . professes to have been copied by a
Mr . Collins from an old MS . in the Bodleian Library , and to have been forwarded by the famous John Locke to Thomas , Earl of Pembroke , with an explanatory letter , May 6 th , 1696 .
A further statement that Leland , the wellknown antiquary , found it in an old monastic library , copied it , and deposited it in the Bodleian Library , has unfortunately not yet found the slightest historical support or verification .
I carefully studied it many years ago , with my lamented friend , Mr . Wallbran , and the conclusion we both came to was , that it was probably founded on some old Masonic MS ., but that it bore marks in it of compilation , and that if the
" archaisms" were real , they denoted an early orig in , but that in all probability it had been put together by some person , who was not fully acquainted with the full meaning of the words he employed .
'ihe MS . itself , does not exist in the Bodleian Library , or if it does , it is in some volume of MS ., which has hitherto escaped all search . The only possible explanation would be , that it may exist in one of the College Libraries , but even that is not very likely . As Bro . Paton seems to believe both in the
authenticity ol Mr . Locke s letter , and the existence of the manuscript at present in the Bodleian , I think it well to call his attention to the real facts of the case , as it seems to me most undesirable to weaken a sound and effective
arcument , by the admission of doubtful authorities and untenable evidence . A MASONIC STUDENT .
STATUS OF PAST MASTERS
To the Editor oj The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — In answer to " A North Country Mason , " I would say that , a P . M . who joins another lodge under the English Constitution becomes a subscribing member of the same ,
and though he is not a P . M . of the lodge , is n P . M . in the lodge . He is eligible to be balloted for as W . M ., and being a P . M ., could in the absence ofthe W . M ., the Immediate P . M ., and any other P . M . ' s ofthe lodge , take the chair .
A Scotch P . M . who joins an English lodge , though he is recognised as a P . M . in the lod ge , must serve as a Warden twelve months before he can be balloted for as W . M . The same rule applies to an Irish P . M . As both the Scotch P . M . and Irish P . M . have passed the chair , they are seated on the left ofthe W . M .
'The Chaplain as a rule is generally seated on the rightjof Ihe W . M . in the private lodge , though
Original Correspondence.
in P . G . Lodge and in Grand Lodge the Grand Chaplains , present and past , are seated on the left . Tlie general rule of the Craft seems to be , that in Craft Lodges all Chaplains , present and past , arc seated on the right of the W . M . AN OLD P . M
LYON'S HISTORY OF THE LODGE OI EDINBURGH .
To the Editor ofthe Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — Will you allow me to add the following to your appreciative notice of the forthcoming work by my friend Bro . D . Murray Lyon . The publishers are now proceeding with
the printing , and hope soon to announce its completion . The volume will contain more than sixty portraits of the most distinguished Craftsmen of this , and former generations , and about twenty-five fac-similes of valuable Scottish MS . from the sixteenth century .
No expense is being spared to render the work worthy ofthe Craft in every sense , and we believe it will fairly be entitled to challenge , as to its artistic merit , any book , Masonic , or otherwise , yet published . The subscription of one guinea is scarcely
expected to cover the cost of production , so that immediately after its issue , the price for each copy will be raised at least fifty per cent . Knowing your great interest in all that affects thc welfare and history of our Fraternity must be our apology for troubling you thus far . W . J . HUGHAN .
RED CROSS DEGREE
To the Editor nf The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother ,- — I do not wonder " a Member of the Council of the Degree of Rome and Constantine " should take exception to the heading of
the report of a meeting held in Glasgow , on the 30 th ult . ; the notice I think you will find , if the printer refers to the copy , was simply headed " Red Cross Degree ; " I presume , not , knowing any other , added the words "of Constanti ' ne . " I can assure a member of the Council that we
are quite aware of the dillerence in the degrees , and have no wish to shine in borrowed plumes , at the same time I cannot agree with him that it should have been headed " of Babylon , " for the reason he himself assigns , viz ., that the Grand
Chapter under whose authority it is given expressly says that it has been commonly so called . In the Charter under which we work , and also in the law and constitutions of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland it is described as tho
"Red Cross Degree . Our meetings are called Councils of the Order ; of Rome and Constantine , Conclaves ; these distinctions should be sufficient to prevent all Masonic readers from confounding the " Red
Cross Degree , " as given under the sanction of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland , with the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , as worked under its own supreme head . Regretting
that a printer ' s error should have caused this mistake , I am , yours fraternally , G . W . WHEELER . Secretary of the Council No . 7 .,.
IMMEDIATE PAST MASTERS . 2 b the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — Will you allow me to give my own opinion upon the question raised b y " A Young
J . W . ; " it is one that ought to be settled b \ authority , and it seems a pity that the Book ol Constitutions does not lay down rules for numerous matters that occur in lodges , and which doubtless the Grand Secretary has to
answer over and over again , but on which he can only give his own opinion . J was re-elected to the chair , and had I been unavoidably absent , I should certainly have asked
the Immediate Past Master to take my place ; it would not have occurred to me to do otherwise . I may do wrong , but I hardly see how an actual Master can be considered as such and also an