Origin Of Masonry.

improving upon their masters . In the thirteenth century the Germans forsook their own Roundarched style before they had had time to perfect it , and began a slavish copying of the new style of their French neighbours . Besides , before they had got a proper hold of it , they lost the

grand moving spirit of the French and English Pointed Gothic . When the German Masons got hold of the work indepenent of the clergy , then farewell to real progress , and then followed fancy nick-nacks , Chinese pagodas for spires , & c , & c . The following quotation is a fair specimen of

the effect produced when our author himself allows his imagination to run away with his judgment—a wished-for fiction taking the place of fact—viz ., " Unfettered by the shackles of arbitrary foreign laws and forms , and supported by a brilliant and matured science of technics ,

the national fancy gave utterance to its deepest thoughts ( vagaries ?) for the first time , in its own language ; and the German Gothic style of architecture made its appearance . " Yea , verily , the German Alasons might be good builders and hardy steinmetzen , but they were hardly the best of architects .

At page 61 the author leads us to infer that the only , or at least the chief skilled artisans of the 13 th century were the " Steinmetzen or stone-cutters of Germany , " , and that they were the fathers of all the others ; but if we examine the very buildings he points to in support of his

ideas we soon perceive his mistake . He speaks of the church of St . Gereon began about 1201 and vaulted about 1227 ; but it is nearly century behind in the employment of all those expedients which give character and meaning to the true Pointed Style . The St . Elizabeth ,

dedicated m 128 3 , has all its details of good early French style . And has for Cologne , began about A . D . 1270 ( not " 1248 " ) , what is it but a grand copy , and that a late one , too , at least after many of the great French cathedrals were finished in all essentials . And certainly the

design of it is anything but perfect ; and not equal to what we would have expected , under similar circumstances , from either a good French or English architect of the period . As I have stated , the French were considerably before the Germans , as the dates and style of the following

French cathedrals will show—viz ., Paris , began 1163 , and west front finished 1214 ; Chartres , going on about 1200 ; Rheims , began in 1211 , and completed in all essentiels in 1241 ; Amiens , began in 1220 , and completed in 1257 . So here we have all these glorious French works

executed years before Cologne was even begun And yet Bro . Steinbrenner would have us believe that it was the Cologne Masons who were the grand teachers par excellence of Pointed Gothic No , no , Bro . Steinbrenner , that stone won't pass , you must get posted up in your chronology a

little better , or else you will be telling us next that it was that imaginary prodigy , Erwin von Steinbach , who designed Salisbury Cathedral and the unequalled crypt of Glasgow , while Albertus Magnus superintended the restoration of Canterbury and drew the designs for Lincoln . We hear a great deal of foolish and misplaced

praise lavished upon the spire of Strasburg ; but although its height seems to make people stare , it is not , therefore , either beautiful or artistic . There is ten times more beauty in the smaller spire of St . Pierre , Caen , and to raise Strasburg to a level with Chartres would be a mistake . ( To be continued . )

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"The Relation Of St. John The Evangelist To Freemasonry."

"The RELATION of St . JOHN the EVANGELIST to FREEMASONRY . "

[ A CRITICISM . ] BY BRO . SAMUEL EVANS , BOSTON , U . S . An article appeared under the above caption in THE FREEMASON for October 29 th from the pen of "Bro . Chalmers I .

Paton , Member of the Masonic Archffiological Institute of England , etc ., etc . " The title under which the paper was put forth , and the naming of its author ' s literary relationships , led me to look for something

substantial , as well as interesting , upon the subjecttowhich attention was thus directed . During years I have been interested in the question ofthe relationships of St . John the Evangelist , and various other St . Johns , to

Freemasonry , and have never been able to discover that any such relationship existed , or could , with any respectable degree of plausibility , be shown ever to have existed .

It can , therefore , be well imagined that I perused with much interest Bro . Paton ' s paper for the purpose of finding out what more could be said that was either new or

true on so threadbare a theme by a member of an Archajological Institute . Yet I must say that I find myself unable to discover anything in the whole four columns that is new or true on the relationship of

the Evangelist to Freemasonry . I expected to find , and the heading ofthe article would entitle any and every reader of it to expect , that an attempt would be made at something like a scientific investigation and statement of facts calculated to establish

the relationship asserted to exist between the Apostle St . John and the Masonic Institution . But do we find in the article the slightest possible proof that the author has made any sucli investigation ? Or , if he

has , where , within the long four columns of THE FREEMASON , does he state the result of any such scientific investigation ? He tells us of the relationship of the John in question to the Great Teacher whose

disciple and follower he was ; but what has the relationship of John to Jesus to do with the relationship of John to Freemasonry ? All that Bro . Paton has written with respect to the intimacy , and the nature of the

intimacy , subsisting between the Founder of Christianity and his beloved pupil and follower may be correct and in accordance with the facts ; but it is no part of my province now to inquire as to that . Still

the bearing which that has , or can possibly have , by any show of reasoning whatever , upon the relationship of the Apostle John to Freemasonry remains to be seen , and I opine will remain in that invisible condition for the remainder of time .

A principal tenet of Freemasonry is Truth . Now , there is a certain degree of relationship between all truth — truth of morality and sentiment , truth of science and history . Each and every particular

truth is related more or less intimately with each and every other particular truth , and with all truth in the aggregate and in the absolute ; and one of the highest and deepest studies in which the human mind

can interest itself is that which would seek out and reveal those relationships . But the fact that John taught the love doctrine , and inculcated Fraternity nearly two thousand years ago , and in a country which , if it

knows anything of Freemasonry to-day , received it from England , or from some organisation that did receive it from England , is no evidence of his relationship to Freemasonry , which also entertains and is based upon the principle of Fraternity .

"The Relation Of St. John The Evangelist To Freemasonry."

The relationship of Confucius to Freemasonry is of the same order as that of St . John the Evangelist , for that Chinese sage taught truths which Freemasons accept , and which may be found exemplified in

Masonic rituals and lectures ; and yet what intelligent man or Mason will pretend that Confucius had any actual relationship , as a person , with Freemasonry ? Such kind of relationship is purely speculative , and in no sense whatever historical .

The idea of saints' patronage is universally discarded by intelligent men , and the Masonic Institution should consist of none other than intelligent men . Now , I do not think that any reader of THE FREEMASON ,

or any writer to it , would admit that he believed that any relationship , or connexion of any kind whatever , subsists to-day between St . John , in heaven , and Freemasonry , on earth . This harping on St .

John the Evangelist , Baptist , or Almoner , is evil , and only evil ; as our expression of that sectarianizing tendency so rife now in

England and America—which every believer in cosmopolitan Freemasonry must deeply mourn the presence of—with increasing activity within the borders of our Institution .

When in the concluding paragraph of Bro . Paton ' s paper he commences to say , " It is also related by ancient and eminent Masonic authority , " etc ., etc ., and then proceeds with the story of St . John the

Evangelist accepting the Grand Mastership in Freemasonry when he was ninety years old or thereabouts—when Bro . Paton writes thus , he confers upon me the right to challenge him , in the interests of archaeology

itself , and of the readers of THE FREEMASON also , to give us in the columns of THE FREEMASON the name of that " ancient and eminent Masonic authority " who puts forth that long-ago exploded

fable and baseless legend as sober and veracious history . It should not be permitted that a statement so bold as that which Bro , Paton claims to have support in making

from " ancient and eminent Masonic authority " should appear in THE FREEMASON , and let that " authority " remain nameles , and the authority on which that " authority " is based . I now surrender the floor to Bro . Paton , and patiently await his reply .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

The usual monthly meeting of the General Committee of the Boys' School was held in the boardroom ofthe Freemasons'Hall , on Saturday , the 3 rd inst ., Bro . Browse , chairman ; and there were present : Bros . Binckes , Farnfield , Head , Symonds ,

R . Steward , Shields , Sheen , Walters , Weaver , Meggy , Chancellor , Turner , Rosenthal , Spencer , and several others . The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed , and the minutes ofthe House Committee were also read .

Eight candidates were accepted ; one from London to enter by purchase , after the necessary forms are gone through . The Senior Vice-President present , Bro . Symonds , proposed in eloquent and forcible terms , and Bro . B . Head , V . P ., seconded , " That a

minute be placed on the books expressing the deep regret all felt for the loss of Bro . John Udall , P . G . D . and V . P . of all the charities" ( who had died since the last meeting of the committee ) . Carried unanimously . A vote of thanks to the chairman brought the meeting to a close .

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