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Article MASONRY IN AMERICA. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Reports of Masonic Meetings. Page 1 of 1 Article MARK MASONRY. Page 1 of 1 Article ANTIQUITY OF FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 1 Article ANTIQUITY OF FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry In America.
cloud obscuring your Mental vision of a blissful immortality as you near the golden shore beyond the pilgrimage of life ' s changing scene . We have listened with interest to the able outline of the history of this lodge for the last fifty years , read by Worshipful Wm . S . Brown , our worthily esteemed Master . That history is an honourable record of which
we may well be proud . The fact , that during the years of the anti-Masonic crusade the doors of this lodge were never closed , is a fact which testifies of true Masonic fortitude , sterling integrity , and moral courage , with a voice that will never cease to speak your praise . Let us endeavour to make the record of Olive Branch Lodge as bright and honourable for the next fifty years as
has been its history for the past fifty years , and make it worthy of the age in which we live . We must not think of measuring the duties which the future shall demand of us by the standard of the past , We live in an age when the wants of the world , the means of supplying them , and our consequent duties are all on a much broader scale than the world has ever before seen . The world makes
marvellous strides in a single decade , equal to centuries in olden time . " A great work devolves upon us as a lodge , and upon the Fraternity of this country , and that is , to make ourselves and our Institution a blessing on the earth . There will ever be an increasing demand for the full exercise of our highest powers and amplest means . It is our solemn
and imperative duty to know something of esoteric principles of Freemasonry , or , in other words , to become masters of moral or speculative Masonry . That our lives may be known and distinguished by the fadeless lustre such a life would disclose , our work should be -well done in the lodge-room ; but it is more important that we exemplify the highest style of it before the world ! Brethren , honour your principles everywhere , and guard well
the door of entrance . Do these , and every other duty , and Freemasonry will become a blessing and a power in the land for good . " Another piece of music followed , when Bro . Col . W . H . C . Hosmer was introduced , and read a poem full of beauty and pathetic fire . The brethren of the choir then sang the Doxology , and the audience was dismissed with the
Benediction . Dinner at Central Hall followed , and was served in excellent style . A brilliant reception in the evening closed the day's doings . A noticeable feature was the presence of a number of old veterans , among whom were Dr . Wm . Sheldon , Azo Curtis , Lucius Parkes , Consider
Warner , O . H . Kendall , A . B . Murphy , Thomas C . Ladd and Bro . Wiley . It was happy day for these old brethren , who may very appropriately exclaim witli thc patriarch of old , " Lord , let now Thy servant depart in peace . " Certainly their aged eyes have beheld the fruition of their most ardent youthful hopes .
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
Reports of Masonic Meetings .
THE CRAFT . Acacia Lodge , No . 1309 . —An emergency meeting of this young lodge , making thc eighth meeting since its consecration last May , was held on Tuesday , August 30 th , at the Sebright Arms Tavern , Alston-road , West Barnet , Middlesex . Bro . Frederick Walters , W . M ., punctually at half-past five opened the lodge . Ballots were unanimous in favour of the six candidates for initiation . Five
sent apologies excusing and regretting their absence , also the candidates for passing sent apologies for their absence . The work was raising Bro . Gustavc Pach and initiating Mr . John Earnest West ( nephew of Sir Charles Wheatstone , F . R . S . ) . The ceremonies were rendered in an impressive , correct , and painstaking manner . The lodge
was afterwards closed . There were present , besides those named , Bros . G . J . Loe , S . Wand , W . M .-elect : E . Sillifant , P . M . Treas , ; C . F . Hall , I . G . ; Dr . S . II . J . Hilliard , R . Sinclair , and others . Visitors * . Bros . J . Hawker ( P . M . 871 ) , F . A . Ncathcrway ( 920 ) , and others .
Mark Masonry.
MARK MASONRY .
MANCHESTER . —Union Lodge , A o . 46 . —This once prosperous and successful lodge—especially when assisted by the zeal and energy of Bro . Lyon Wright , whose loss , so far as Mark Masonry in Manclicster is concerned , has been severely felt—having been for a considerable time in abeyance , has at length shown signs of vitality , sufficient to encourage a hope that it will regain its former prestige .
By thc authority ofthe M . W . G . M ., a meeting was summoned at Freemasons' Hall , Cooper-street , Manchester , on Friday , the 12 th ult ., when the old members of the lodge assembled in sufficient numbers , under the presidency of Bro . F . Binckes , G . Sec , to elect a W . Master , and to discuss the most admirable course to pursue to effect a thorough resuscitation of the lodge . Bro . T . M . Wike ,
( P . P . G . S . W . in the East Lancashire Craft Grand Lodge ) , was elected W , M ., and earnest promises of support and co-operation were received from many influential brethren , some—unabletobe present—giving in thciradhesion in writing . Before the installation of Bro . W . Romaine
Callender , jun ., as Prov . Mark G . Master , it is hoped thc "Union" will be in full working order , and that on that occasion—looked forward to with considerable interest—its representatives will prove that in numbers and influence , the Union Lodge will worthily compare with the recently established lodges in thc provinces .
Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
ANTIQUITY OF FREEMASONRY .
BY BRO . W . P . BUCHAN . ( Continued from page 417 . ^ In order to save space , I pass over the next three point —merely remarking that nothing has been produced to support them—and come to the loth , which alludes to the document pretending to have been " wryttene by the
hande of Kyngc Henrye the Sixthe of the name . ( Fifteenth century . ) This document was first printed at Frankfort in 1748 , and as yet I am not aware of any evidence of its existence before that time—that being , I would suppose , the period of its manufacture . We are told about this document existing in the Bodleian Library , but I have never as yet heard of its discovery there .
Referring to it , Mr . J . O . Halliwell , the well-known antiquary says , " A few years since I was at the pains of making a long search in the Bodleian Library , in the hope of finding the original , but without success ; and I think there is little doubt but that this celebrated and wellknown document is a forgery . " The Rev . James Dallaway , Bros . Findel , Hughan , & c , all doubt it , or call it a
forgery ; I consider it to be either a practical joke or an imposition of the second quarter of last century . It has been published again and again , and as Freemasons , generally speaking , have hitherto been blessed with an extra share of the bump of credulity , it managed to pass muster quite freely . As we perceive by a contemporary lately , which gives a copy of the production , it was
included in a long article in the Obse > i > er—which I take to be one of the London newspapers—but said "article , " I am sorry to say , suggests to me the idea of being one of the most transparent sops to catch unthinking and unwary Freemasons I have ever seen ; unless , indeed , it has been written in pure ignorance . It seems to me to even border upon blasphemy , let alone speaking of absurdity , ! as
witness the following allusion to its ( Freemasonry s ) " mysteries , " which we are told are " the oldest and the holiest which have ever excited the curiosity of man * , or contributed to the enlightenment and refinement of the world . " Now , as these " mysteries" are not as yet nearly two centuries old , I should like to know how they canbethe " oldest" ? And as to their being the "holiest , "
I shall leave your readers to judge for themselves . The same writer also tells us that the antiquity of Freemasonry is " anterior to the priestcraft of Egypt , " and that those who are without its pale " stand dazzled by its brilliancy and glory " ! We wonder how many " cinders " it took to produce that last spark ? We are also told that the Phoenicians got it from the Jews ( who , I
may mention by the way , had to borrow masons and carpenters to build their temple ) , the ancient Britons from the Phoenicians—only the Druids , as we are told , abused it , until St . Alban restored it in all its purity After that , as this exceedingly clever writer and highly veritable historian tells us , St . Augustine got to be "Grand Master : " and here we have what most
unfortunately suggests to me the idea of another sop being thrown out , this time to Cardinal Cullenand the Catholics . The words are , "it ( our Freemasonry ) was then eminently patronised by the Church and by Churchmen scarcely less rencnaned than his Eminence Cardinal Cullen . " O worthy author ! prince of courtiers , how I do admire yourmagnanimity and '' soft sawder . " Not a word does he tell us about
the well-known bull issued by Pope Clement XII . in 173 S , when Freemasonry had just attained its majority , being then exactly twenty-one years of age . He recapitulates the usual nonsense about the " Grand Lodge of York , " of A . n . 926 ! And that Westminster Abbey " abounds with those symbols , a knowledge of thc true interpretation of which is confined to Freemasons . "
What humbug ! Freemasons , generally speaking , know about as much of '' those symbols " as they do of Hebrew . I am sorry to have to admit it , yet , although I am a Freemason myself , when I desired reliable information upon " those symbols , " or upon Gothic architecture generally , I have had to consult non-Masons . So much for that last sop . We are also told some further nonsense
about thc Knights Templar ; then that King Edward III . was a "Grand Master , and so on to Henry VI ., who , we are told , "joined the Order P but before doing so , like a cautious king , he asked a number of questions at the Masons , which are all , therefore , faithfully recorded in the pretended Henry VI . MS , above referred to ' . Thc foregoing article , and far too many like it , appeared to
me to be nothing else than mere baits thrown out to catch ignorant and simple Freemasons . However , I , as a Freemason , throw back their paltry sops with contempt , and beg to tell them that the circle is gradually enlarging which will not only treat their pseudo-Masonic histories with the scorn they deserve , but will also show up their authors in their true colours as a laughing-stock to the
whole world . It may , perhaps , be a profitable thing for self-interested writers—unless , indeed , it proceeds from pure ignorance—to inakealool of Freemasonry by passing off all sorts of high-flown and incredible Masonic Arabian Nights' Tales as genuine Masonic histories ; but it says very little for either the authors or the readers when such monstrous absurdities are allowed to pass off quietly .
1 heir continued production and support throws a terrible slur upon our Order . On the nth point , I observe that , while I admit that Elias Ashmole , during the space of about forty years , attended two meetings of the Masons' Society of the period , and took dinner with the " fellows " present—just as he might also have done with the fellows of the Carpenters' Society of the time—that does not show that the
"fellows of cither of these societies either knew aught of , or practised , our system of Freemasonry , but rather the opposite . The plain fact is , that Ashmole , happening to be well known as an antiquary , it was supposed he had a hand in the pic at the concocting of the System ; but that that is a mistake I need notonly point to thefewoccasions on which he seems to have been present , but also to the fact that wc can find nothing to support this notion and
Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
a great deal against it . It falls upon those who bring forward or support this idea to prove two things : First , that our modern system of Freemasonry existed in the 17 th century in the time of Elias Ashmole , and second that , supposing it did , to prove that it was Elias Ashmole who manufactured it . However , as neither of these have been proved as yet , I hold by my own idea , viz ., that
our system of Speculative Masonry , or what is now known as "Freemasonry , " was manufactured and established in London by Drs . Anderson , Desaguliers , and their friends , about A . D . 1717 . On the lath point , as the foregoing remarks show , there are several mistakes , in my opinion , in " Chambers ' Encyclopaedia" upon this subject . However , there is
also a great deal of good sense in it—e . g ., "It is now certain that during the purest ages of Gothic architecture , both in France and in England , the architects were not members of the Masonic fraternity at all , but either laymen of skill and taste , uninitiated in the mysteries of the Masonic craft , or oftener bishops and abbots . " This coincides with what I formerly said , viz ., that it is not to
any Freemasons (?) , real or supposed , of the period , but to the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church that we are indebted for thc rise and progress of Gothic architecture during the 12 th and 13 th centuries . " Chambers's " also goes on to say : " The history of Freemasonry has been overlaid with fiction and absurdity , partly from an exaggerated estimate of its importance in the development
of architecture , and partly from a wish to connect mediaeval Masonry with the Institution that passes under the same name in the present day . Modern—or so-called Speculative — Freemasonry is an innocent mystification unconnected either with the building craft or with architecture . It is of British origin , and dates from iythcentury . " As to the 13 th point , I observe that it has so spread
since 1717 ; and 153 years gives plenty of time for it to do so—e . g ., look at the rapid spread of Good Templarism , also of railway , steamboat , and telegraph traffic , & c , & c . If a thing happens to suit the public taste it does not require much time for it to spread . From England it passed into France about A . D . 1725 , and about the
same time , or shortly after , into some other parts of the Continent and to Ireland . It passed into America about 1 733 > a"d into Prussia about 1739 , and so on . In short , the system of Freemasonry introduced into London in 1717 is that system which all the world has adopted since . Prove the 14 th ? The 15 th notion may pass as a practical joke . The 16 th is a dream .
lhe 17 th is a piece of mystification viewed through a magnifying glass . When Bro . Paton manages the 18 th , we may expect a bull ' s run somewhere . In conclusion , permit me to observe that a number of small things are coming to light bearing upon the 1717 theory , all in my opinion tending to support it . We have
probably now even got the name of the individual who was first initiated pro forma into our mysteries , viz ., Dr . William Stuckley , I . R . X , who was in London in 1717-8 . They ( the manufacturers ) made him believe that it was an old Society , which had fallen into decay , and that they were " reviving " it . Whereas , the fact was , they were instituting a new Society , and he was the first to be put
through the ceremonies which they had manipulated . Like the Highlandman ' s gun , Freemasonry then got a new stock , lock , and barrel ; and just as the wood and iron , out of which the gun was made , existed long before they were adapted to that purpose , so with the '' raw materials" out of which our Freemasonry was made . The existence of the raw material , and the existence of
the manufactured article , are two distinct things . Few Freemasons , however , have as yet received sufficient light to understand this , while those who have tried to explain it have had to undergo much persecution and suffer many petty annoyances brought to bear upon them in a variety of ways . Thc sad case of Dr . Krausc , of Germany , as related by Bro . Findel , not to speak of others , is a great
blot upon our Order . Truth , however , can overleap the obstacles which self-interest , ignorance , and imposition place in its path . The printed works published shortly after 1717 prove what I have been saying ancnt the 1717 theory , and none more so than Dr . Anderson's "Defence of Masonry . " We have lots of printed evidence of the existence of our Freemasonry after 1717 , bv \ t how comes
it that we have none before that date ? Had it existed long before then , as is said , no doubt we would—after a search of a century and a half—be in possession of sufficient proof lo show the assertion was a fact ; but such is not the case . We have had shiploads of fictions and distorted facts , but not a thimblefull of the real thing . The great excuse given for this is , that " various old
documents were destroyed in 1720 by scrupulous brethren . " Now , supposing this was true , and that these documents contained the necessary evidence , it would show that the Masons before then had committed a number of things to writing . However , the thing iJ little better than a bit of a hoax , or a sly little dodgo , perfectly transparent to a
discriminating eye ; for , as I observed before , there arc large numbers of lodge minutes still in existence long before 1717 ( and if they cannot give the wanted evidence , where else can it be got ?) , and many other documents besides—lying in the British Museum and elsewhere . That an immense
amount of nonsense has been written , and passed off as veritable Histories of Freemasonry is undoubted ; even thc Editor of THE FREEMASON , who differs with me on several points , and who holds by the " Guild Theory , " which , after careful examination , I have thrown aside , observes ( June nth , 1 S 70 ) ; " There can be little doubt
tliatjthc ' mcredible legends and Munchausen myths , gravely put forth as Masonic narratives by certain writers , have done more to arouse scepticism as to the real history of the Craft , than all the nllacks of its wittiest enemies would have been able to achieve . " ( To be continued . )
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry In America.
cloud obscuring your Mental vision of a blissful immortality as you near the golden shore beyond the pilgrimage of life ' s changing scene . We have listened with interest to the able outline of the history of this lodge for the last fifty years , read by Worshipful Wm . S . Brown , our worthily esteemed Master . That history is an honourable record of which
we may well be proud . The fact , that during the years of the anti-Masonic crusade the doors of this lodge were never closed , is a fact which testifies of true Masonic fortitude , sterling integrity , and moral courage , with a voice that will never cease to speak your praise . Let us endeavour to make the record of Olive Branch Lodge as bright and honourable for the next fifty years as
has been its history for the past fifty years , and make it worthy of the age in which we live . We must not think of measuring the duties which the future shall demand of us by the standard of the past , We live in an age when the wants of the world , the means of supplying them , and our consequent duties are all on a much broader scale than the world has ever before seen . The world makes
marvellous strides in a single decade , equal to centuries in olden time . " A great work devolves upon us as a lodge , and upon the Fraternity of this country , and that is , to make ourselves and our Institution a blessing on the earth . There will ever be an increasing demand for the full exercise of our highest powers and amplest means . It is our solemn
and imperative duty to know something of esoteric principles of Freemasonry , or , in other words , to become masters of moral or speculative Masonry . That our lives may be known and distinguished by the fadeless lustre such a life would disclose , our work should be -well done in the lodge-room ; but it is more important that we exemplify the highest style of it before the world ! Brethren , honour your principles everywhere , and guard well
the door of entrance . Do these , and every other duty , and Freemasonry will become a blessing and a power in the land for good . " Another piece of music followed , when Bro . Col . W . H . C . Hosmer was introduced , and read a poem full of beauty and pathetic fire . The brethren of the choir then sang the Doxology , and the audience was dismissed with the
Benediction . Dinner at Central Hall followed , and was served in excellent style . A brilliant reception in the evening closed the day's doings . A noticeable feature was the presence of a number of old veterans , among whom were Dr . Wm . Sheldon , Azo Curtis , Lucius Parkes , Consider
Warner , O . H . Kendall , A . B . Murphy , Thomas C . Ladd and Bro . Wiley . It was happy day for these old brethren , who may very appropriately exclaim witli thc patriarch of old , " Lord , let now Thy servant depart in peace . " Certainly their aged eyes have beheld the fruition of their most ardent youthful hopes .
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
Reports of Masonic Meetings .
THE CRAFT . Acacia Lodge , No . 1309 . —An emergency meeting of this young lodge , making thc eighth meeting since its consecration last May , was held on Tuesday , August 30 th , at the Sebright Arms Tavern , Alston-road , West Barnet , Middlesex . Bro . Frederick Walters , W . M ., punctually at half-past five opened the lodge . Ballots were unanimous in favour of the six candidates for initiation . Five
sent apologies excusing and regretting their absence , also the candidates for passing sent apologies for their absence . The work was raising Bro . Gustavc Pach and initiating Mr . John Earnest West ( nephew of Sir Charles Wheatstone , F . R . S . ) . The ceremonies were rendered in an impressive , correct , and painstaking manner . The lodge
was afterwards closed . There were present , besides those named , Bros . G . J . Loe , S . Wand , W . M .-elect : E . Sillifant , P . M . Treas , ; C . F . Hall , I . G . ; Dr . S . II . J . Hilliard , R . Sinclair , and others . Visitors * . Bros . J . Hawker ( P . M . 871 ) , F . A . Ncathcrway ( 920 ) , and others .
Mark Masonry.
MARK MASONRY .
MANCHESTER . —Union Lodge , A o . 46 . —This once prosperous and successful lodge—especially when assisted by the zeal and energy of Bro . Lyon Wright , whose loss , so far as Mark Masonry in Manclicster is concerned , has been severely felt—having been for a considerable time in abeyance , has at length shown signs of vitality , sufficient to encourage a hope that it will regain its former prestige .
By thc authority ofthe M . W . G . M ., a meeting was summoned at Freemasons' Hall , Cooper-street , Manchester , on Friday , the 12 th ult ., when the old members of the lodge assembled in sufficient numbers , under the presidency of Bro . F . Binckes , G . Sec , to elect a W . Master , and to discuss the most admirable course to pursue to effect a thorough resuscitation of the lodge . Bro . T . M . Wike ,
( P . P . G . S . W . in the East Lancashire Craft Grand Lodge ) , was elected W , M ., and earnest promises of support and co-operation were received from many influential brethren , some—unabletobe present—giving in thciradhesion in writing . Before the installation of Bro . W . Romaine
Callender , jun ., as Prov . Mark G . Master , it is hoped thc "Union" will be in full working order , and that on that occasion—looked forward to with considerable interest—its representatives will prove that in numbers and influence , the Union Lodge will worthily compare with the recently established lodges in thc provinces .
Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
ANTIQUITY OF FREEMASONRY .
BY BRO . W . P . BUCHAN . ( Continued from page 417 . ^ In order to save space , I pass over the next three point —merely remarking that nothing has been produced to support them—and come to the loth , which alludes to the document pretending to have been " wryttene by the
hande of Kyngc Henrye the Sixthe of the name . ( Fifteenth century . ) This document was first printed at Frankfort in 1748 , and as yet I am not aware of any evidence of its existence before that time—that being , I would suppose , the period of its manufacture . We are told about this document existing in the Bodleian Library , but I have never as yet heard of its discovery there .
Referring to it , Mr . J . O . Halliwell , the well-known antiquary says , " A few years since I was at the pains of making a long search in the Bodleian Library , in the hope of finding the original , but without success ; and I think there is little doubt but that this celebrated and wellknown document is a forgery . " The Rev . James Dallaway , Bros . Findel , Hughan , & c , all doubt it , or call it a
forgery ; I consider it to be either a practical joke or an imposition of the second quarter of last century . It has been published again and again , and as Freemasons , generally speaking , have hitherto been blessed with an extra share of the bump of credulity , it managed to pass muster quite freely . As we perceive by a contemporary lately , which gives a copy of the production , it was
included in a long article in the Obse > i > er—which I take to be one of the London newspapers—but said "article , " I am sorry to say , suggests to me the idea of being one of the most transparent sops to catch unthinking and unwary Freemasons I have ever seen ; unless , indeed , it has been written in pure ignorance . It seems to me to even border upon blasphemy , let alone speaking of absurdity , ! as
witness the following allusion to its ( Freemasonry s ) " mysteries , " which we are told are " the oldest and the holiest which have ever excited the curiosity of man * , or contributed to the enlightenment and refinement of the world . " Now , as these " mysteries" are not as yet nearly two centuries old , I should like to know how they canbethe " oldest" ? And as to their being the "holiest , "
I shall leave your readers to judge for themselves . The same writer also tells us that the antiquity of Freemasonry is " anterior to the priestcraft of Egypt , " and that those who are without its pale " stand dazzled by its brilliancy and glory " ! We wonder how many " cinders " it took to produce that last spark ? We are also told that the Phoenicians got it from the Jews ( who , I
may mention by the way , had to borrow masons and carpenters to build their temple ) , the ancient Britons from the Phoenicians—only the Druids , as we are told , abused it , until St . Alban restored it in all its purity After that , as this exceedingly clever writer and highly veritable historian tells us , St . Augustine got to be "Grand Master : " and here we have what most
unfortunately suggests to me the idea of another sop being thrown out , this time to Cardinal Cullenand the Catholics . The words are , "it ( our Freemasonry ) was then eminently patronised by the Church and by Churchmen scarcely less rencnaned than his Eminence Cardinal Cullen . " O worthy author ! prince of courtiers , how I do admire yourmagnanimity and '' soft sawder . " Not a word does he tell us about
the well-known bull issued by Pope Clement XII . in 173 S , when Freemasonry had just attained its majority , being then exactly twenty-one years of age . He recapitulates the usual nonsense about the " Grand Lodge of York , " of A . n . 926 ! And that Westminster Abbey " abounds with those symbols , a knowledge of thc true interpretation of which is confined to Freemasons . "
What humbug ! Freemasons , generally speaking , know about as much of '' those symbols " as they do of Hebrew . I am sorry to have to admit it , yet , although I am a Freemason myself , when I desired reliable information upon " those symbols , " or upon Gothic architecture generally , I have had to consult non-Masons . So much for that last sop . We are also told some further nonsense
about thc Knights Templar ; then that King Edward III . was a "Grand Master , and so on to Henry VI ., who , we are told , "joined the Order P but before doing so , like a cautious king , he asked a number of questions at the Masons , which are all , therefore , faithfully recorded in the pretended Henry VI . MS , above referred to ' . Thc foregoing article , and far too many like it , appeared to
me to be nothing else than mere baits thrown out to catch ignorant and simple Freemasons . However , I , as a Freemason , throw back their paltry sops with contempt , and beg to tell them that the circle is gradually enlarging which will not only treat their pseudo-Masonic histories with the scorn they deserve , but will also show up their authors in their true colours as a laughing-stock to the
whole world . It may , perhaps , be a profitable thing for self-interested writers—unless , indeed , it proceeds from pure ignorance—to inakealool of Freemasonry by passing off all sorts of high-flown and incredible Masonic Arabian Nights' Tales as genuine Masonic histories ; but it says very little for either the authors or the readers when such monstrous absurdities are allowed to pass off quietly .
1 heir continued production and support throws a terrible slur upon our Order . On the nth point , I observe that , while I admit that Elias Ashmole , during the space of about forty years , attended two meetings of the Masons' Society of the period , and took dinner with the " fellows " present—just as he might also have done with the fellows of the Carpenters' Society of the time—that does not show that the
"fellows of cither of these societies either knew aught of , or practised , our system of Freemasonry , but rather the opposite . The plain fact is , that Ashmole , happening to be well known as an antiquary , it was supposed he had a hand in the pic at the concocting of the System ; but that that is a mistake I need notonly point to thefewoccasions on which he seems to have been present , but also to the fact that wc can find nothing to support this notion and
Antiquity Of Freemasonry.
a great deal against it . It falls upon those who bring forward or support this idea to prove two things : First , that our modern system of Freemasonry existed in the 17 th century in the time of Elias Ashmole , and second that , supposing it did , to prove that it was Elias Ashmole who manufactured it . However , as neither of these have been proved as yet , I hold by my own idea , viz ., that
our system of Speculative Masonry , or what is now known as "Freemasonry , " was manufactured and established in London by Drs . Anderson , Desaguliers , and their friends , about A . D . 1717 . On the lath point , as the foregoing remarks show , there are several mistakes , in my opinion , in " Chambers ' Encyclopaedia" upon this subject . However , there is
also a great deal of good sense in it—e . g ., "It is now certain that during the purest ages of Gothic architecture , both in France and in England , the architects were not members of the Masonic fraternity at all , but either laymen of skill and taste , uninitiated in the mysteries of the Masonic craft , or oftener bishops and abbots . " This coincides with what I formerly said , viz ., that it is not to
any Freemasons (?) , real or supposed , of the period , but to the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church that we are indebted for thc rise and progress of Gothic architecture during the 12 th and 13 th centuries . " Chambers's " also goes on to say : " The history of Freemasonry has been overlaid with fiction and absurdity , partly from an exaggerated estimate of its importance in the development
of architecture , and partly from a wish to connect mediaeval Masonry with the Institution that passes under the same name in the present day . Modern—or so-called Speculative — Freemasonry is an innocent mystification unconnected either with the building craft or with architecture . It is of British origin , and dates from iythcentury . " As to the 13 th point , I observe that it has so spread
since 1717 ; and 153 years gives plenty of time for it to do so—e . g ., look at the rapid spread of Good Templarism , also of railway , steamboat , and telegraph traffic , & c , & c . If a thing happens to suit the public taste it does not require much time for it to spread . From England it passed into France about A . D . 1725 , and about the
same time , or shortly after , into some other parts of the Continent and to Ireland . It passed into America about 1 733 > a"d into Prussia about 1739 , and so on . In short , the system of Freemasonry introduced into London in 1717 is that system which all the world has adopted since . Prove the 14 th ? The 15 th notion may pass as a practical joke . The 16 th is a dream .
lhe 17 th is a piece of mystification viewed through a magnifying glass . When Bro . Paton manages the 18 th , we may expect a bull ' s run somewhere . In conclusion , permit me to observe that a number of small things are coming to light bearing upon the 1717 theory , all in my opinion tending to support it . We have
probably now even got the name of the individual who was first initiated pro forma into our mysteries , viz ., Dr . William Stuckley , I . R . X , who was in London in 1717-8 . They ( the manufacturers ) made him believe that it was an old Society , which had fallen into decay , and that they were " reviving " it . Whereas , the fact was , they were instituting a new Society , and he was the first to be put
through the ceremonies which they had manipulated . Like the Highlandman ' s gun , Freemasonry then got a new stock , lock , and barrel ; and just as the wood and iron , out of which the gun was made , existed long before they were adapted to that purpose , so with the '' raw materials" out of which our Freemasonry was made . The existence of the raw material , and the existence of
the manufactured article , are two distinct things . Few Freemasons , however , have as yet received sufficient light to understand this , while those who have tried to explain it have had to undergo much persecution and suffer many petty annoyances brought to bear upon them in a variety of ways . Thc sad case of Dr . Krausc , of Germany , as related by Bro . Findel , not to speak of others , is a great
blot upon our Order . Truth , however , can overleap the obstacles which self-interest , ignorance , and imposition place in its path . The printed works published shortly after 1717 prove what I have been saying ancnt the 1717 theory , and none more so than Dr . Anderson's "Defence of Masonry . " We have lots of printed evidence of the existence of our Freemasonry after 1717 , bv \ t how comes
it that we have none before that date ? Had it existed long before then , as is said , no doubt we would—after a search of a century and a half—be in possession of sufficient proof lo show the assertion was a fact ; but such is not the case . We have had shiploads of fictions and distorted facts , but not a thimblefull of the real thing . The great excuse given for this is , that " various old
documents were destroyed in 1720 by scrupulous brethren . " Now , supposing this was true , and that these documents contained the necessary evidence , it would show that the Masons before then had committed a number of things to writing . However , the thing iJ little better than a bit of a hoax , or a sly little dodgo , perfectly transparent to a
discriminating eye ; for , as I observed before , there arc large numbers of lodge minutes still in existence long before 1717 ( and if they cannot give the wanted evidence , where else can it be got ?) , and many other documents besides—lying in the British Museum and elsewhere . That an immense
amount of nonsense has been written , and passed off as veritable Histories of Freemasonry is undoubted ; even thc Editor of THE FREEMASON , who differs with me on several points , and who holds by the " Guild Theory , " which , after careful examination , I have thrown aside , observes ( June nth , 1 S 70 ) ; " There can be little doubt
tliatjthc ' mcredible legends and Munchausen myths , gravely put forth as Masonic narratives by certain writers , have done more to arouse scepticism as to the real history of the Craft , than all the nllacks of its wittiest enemies would have been able to achieve . " ( To be continued . )