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Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1 Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1 Article ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITION. Page 1 of 1 Article ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—*— - HELE , CONCEAL , ETC . I am quite sure that Bro . Hughan would not esteem it any compliment , that a brother should accept his opinion as
absolutely correct , however highly lie may esteem his learning and judgment . I need not , therefore , apologise to him for expressing my dissent from what he wrote in the last FREEMASON on the words hele ,
conceal , & c In what I wrote upon these words I gave my reasons for rejecting the idea that they are synonymous—so used for the purpose of giving mo'e solemnity and importance to the O . B . ; and I further
ventured to suggest what I conceived to be the distinction in the meaning of the several words , each being the appropriate word for the purpose . Without noticing the reasons I have given against regarding
the words as synonymous , or the definition I have suggested of their several meanings , Bro . Hughan writes : " The use of three apparent synonymes seems to be for the purpose of drawing more than ordinary
attention to the solemnity and importance of the O . B . " He may be correct in the view he takes of the words ; but I submit that in reaffirming what I controverted , with reasons given , he was bound in
cour' tcsy to have shown the insufficiency of those reasons . I should not have noticed this , however , had not Bro . Hughan adduced as an illustration of the view he takes of the words , and as confirmatory of its
accuracy , what , as it seems to me , he as much and in the same way misinterprets as he does the words " hele , conceal / ' & c . He regards these words as " apparent [ why apparent ?\ synonymes , as are
' evasion , equivocation , & c . ' " Why " as are " ? Where is the proof of these words being synonymous , and of their being used only to draw " more than ordinary attention to the solemnity , " & c . ? Lacking the proof , I venture to submit that these words are no
more synonymes than the other words arc ; but that , as each of the words " hele , conceal , and never reveal , " has its appropriate and important meaning , so also have the words " evasion , equivocation , or mental
reservation . " The framers of our ritual appear to me to have been most careful to so guard our secrets that it should not be possible for any one to divulge them without a deliberately-formed and wicked—I
mean consciously wicked — purpose to violate his solemn obligation ; and that , as in the use of the words "hele , conceal , " & c , they guarded against every mode of making known that which should be concealed , so ,
in the use of the words " without evasion , equivocation , or mental reservation of any kind , " & c ., thcy aimed to ensure the full and honest assent of the initiate to the words of the O . B ., taken in their ecu nine nicaiiine . I
will not now enlarge on the importance of so construing the words in question , but simply suggest what I take to be their proper intent and meaning : — Evasion . —Any attempt to set . aside or get rid of
the force of the O . B . Equivocation . —Any using of the words in a sense different from that obviously intended by them .
Mental Reservation . —Any limiting in one ' s own mind the obvious comprehensiveness and perpetual validity of the 0 . 15 . WILLIAM CARPENTER .
DR . ZERI'l'I ON ORNAMENTAL ART . This celebrated professor says—Building News , February 17 th— "Savages use gene-
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
rally only geometrical figures in the ornamentation of their vessels , weapons , oars , clubs , crossbeams or doorposts . The triangle , the square , and the circle are applied in a
thousand different forms , windings , and combinations . As soon as man frees himself from the savage state , he takes his motives for ornamentation from the vegetable kingdom . " W . P . B .
Whence arose the word ' patronised " in reference to Masonry ? Many of our members object to it , and say it ought to be
" participated in . " Can you give us any information on the subject ? Is not Masonry far above all patronage ? A SUBSCRIBER .
¦ Is it necessary to go through the whole ! ceremony of installation in the case of a brother who is already a P . M . of another lodge ? Any hints as to the mode of proceeding will oblige . I fear my former letter asking the same query did not come to hand . W . M .
Royal Masonic Benevolent Instition.
ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITION .
The regular committee meeting of this Institution was held at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the 8 th inst . Bro . R . Herve Giraud , P . CD .,, in the chair . There
were present Bros . W . Farnfield , E . J , Fraser , J . Smith , J . Brett . Hemsworth , E Cox , F . Walters , L . Stein , R ' aynham W
Stewart , W . Young , and Major Creaton . The minutes of the February meeting were read and confirmed .
It was announced that the death of two male annuitants had occurred since the last committee meeting ; also that Mrs . Geils ( an approved candidate ) had died on 31 st
January . Her name will appear on the balloting papers , but to prevent mistakes , her death is inserted after her name . Her death had been communicated to the
Secretary since the last meeting of the committee , and after the balloting paper had received the approval of this
committee . The usual formal business having been disposed of , the meeting was closed .
Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.
ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .
The General Committee meeting was held on Saturday , the 4 th inst ., at Freemasons' Hall , Bro . 13 . Head , V . P ., in the chair . Present : Bros . J . Hervey , V . P . ; P .
F . Grosjcan ; F . Walters , V . P . ; G . Cox , V . P . ; R . Spencer , V . P . ; W . Roebuck , T . J . Sabine , J . Turner , J . IT . Button , F . Adlard , & c .
Bro . K Binckes , Secretary , read the minutes of previous meeting , which were confirmed .
All the applicants were placed on the list of candidates for the October election whose petitions were brought before this meeting .
Two boys who had been educated in the school had each £ 5 voted to supply them with clothing , after which the meeting was closed .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
—9- — The Editor is not responsible for the opinions ex-pressed by CorresDondents .
A RENOWNED MASONIC AUTHOR .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —On p . 44 of THE FREEMASON , in the communication from New York signed " F . J ., " there occurs the designation above as applied to Bro . Rob . Macoy , of this city . How your correspondent got the notion into his head that
our Bro . Macoy was " a renowned Masonic author " it would be difficult to determine , unless he got the name " Macoy " instead of the name of " Mackey " ( Albert G . Mackey , M . D ., of Charleston , S . C ., at present of Washington city ) , the latter a Masonic author of some repute in the production of small
useful books for the different departments of Masonry . The only books Robert Macoy ever published with his name on the title-page as author were two , neither of which he is very proud of , as he probably never wrote a page of either himselffor the same reason that the Indian did not read his Bible every day—though one of them carries a
portrait of his kindly features as its author . This mixing of names , and consequently men , is a fault with hasty and fulsome travelling writers of letters from this side of the Atlantic , and leads to much misunderstanding , which , to a slight extent , it is the object of this letter to correct .
Fraternally VERITAS . New York City , Feb . 5 , 1 S 71 .
IN RE "BALD STATEMENTS . " ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — I crave the space which I believe you will not deny me , to respond to Bro . C . G . Forsyth , in response to his remarks , in No . 97 of your paper , under the quoted words of the
above heading : first , to apologize to him for misquoting the name of the work from which he copied the extract that lea to my notice of it ; and , secondly , to in turn correct him in view of his statement that I indulged in ill-bred remarks on you as an editor . My belief is that 1 . did nothing of the kind . The
reference was—and I fail to see that it was ill-bredplainly to the editor of the Freemasons' Magazine and Masonic Mirror , as it was that paper , and not yours , that contained the extract from the apocryphal Chatter of Cologne . By way of supporting his extract in No . 90 of your paper , Bro . Forsyth states
that such extract is also to be found in Dr . Oliver ' s Landmarks . This I grant him ; but take leave to add that as Dr . O . copied it in all probability from the same work as did Bro . F ., and as there is no evidence yet adduced that the writer of the article in the Enc . Met . was a Freemason , or any better
informed than his readings permitted him to be , it appears to me that even yet the extract remains a very " bald statement . " I regret that Bro . Forsyth should exhibit so much feeling in replying to my short contribution to your columns , and which for his information I here kindly
assure him was certainly as profitless ( pecuniarily ) to me as lie states his are to himself . If I might be permitted to judge , and express that judgment here , 1 would say that in the pleasure derived from seeing their contributions so handsomely-printed , your contributors should consider themselves amply paid . In reply to Bro . Forsyth ' s last remark , 1 would
say that the real name of any writer of extracts , scraps , or memorabilia for a weekly journal is , I conceive , of little consequence to the public , and to give or retain it a matter of taste . The apology for misquoting a given authority is , however , an important matter , and it is to him here very fraternally tendered by an
ENQUIRING BROTHER . Hull , Jan . 16 , 1871 .
ANCIENT MSS . ONCE MORE . ( To the Editor of 7 he Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —When I penned the letter which appeared on page 26 of the present volume of THE FREEMASON , I little expected to have Bro . " Lupus " take offence as he seems to
have done , judging from his lucubration in the subsequent number at page 41 . I had supposed that we were both on the same side of the discussion , and that he , in a fit of playfulness , having kicked out , I merely desired to show him that the occurrence of the in that place meaningless word " speculative , " or which , if it had any meaning , certainly
meant knowledge of geometry , was not sufficient to justify him in the use he made of it ; but , in seeming accord with the disposition of the animal whose name he has adopted as a nam de . flume , he turns aside and rends me with a fierceness that by its very force exhausts himself , and induces him to announce that he has incontinently withdrawn from the discussion . This is to be regretted the more as in it
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—*— - HELE , CONCEAL , ETC . I am quite sure that Bro . Hughan would not esteem it any compliment , that a brother should accept his opinion as
absolutely correct , however highly lie may esteem his learning and judgment . I need not , therefore , apologise to him for expressing my dissent from what he wrote in the last FREEMASON on the words hele ,
conceal , & c In what I wrote upon these words I gave my reasons for rejecting the idea that they are synonymous—so used for the purpose of giving mo'e solemnity and importance to the O . B . ; and I further
ventured to suggest what I conceived to be the distinction in the meaning of the several words , each being the appropriate word for the purpose . Without noticing the reasons I have given against regarding
the words as synonymous , or the definition I have suggested of their several meanings , Bro . Hughan writes : " The use of three apparent synonymes seems to be for the purpose of drawing more than ordinary
attention to the solemnity and importance of the O . B . " He may be correct in the view he takes of the words ; but I submit that in reaffirming what I controverted , with reasons given , he was bound in
cour' tcsy to have shown the insufficiency of those reasons . I should not have noticed this , however , had not Bro . Hughan adduced as an illustration of the view he takes of the words , and as confirmatory of its
accuracy , what , as it seems to me , he as much and in the same way misinterprets as he does the words " hele , conceal / ' & c . He regards these words as " apparent [ why apparent ?\ synonymes , as are
' evasion , equivocation , & c . ' " Why " as are " ? Where is the proof of these words being synonymous , and of their being used only to draw " more than ordinary attention to the solemnity , " & c . ? Lacking the proof , I venture to submit that these words are no
more synonymes than the other words arc ; but that , as each of the words " hele , conceal , and never reveal , " has its appropriate and important meaning , so also have the words " evasion , equivocation , or mental
reservation . " The framers of our ritual appear to me to have been most careful to so guard our secrets that it should not be possible for any one to divulge them without a deliberately-formed and wicked—I
mean consciously wicked — purpose to violate his solemn obligation ; and that , as in the use of the words "hele , conceal , " & c , they guarded against every mode of making known that which should be concealed , so ,
in the use of the words " without evasion , equivocation , or mental reservation of any kind , " & c ., thcy aimed to ensure the full and honest assent of the initiate to the words of the O . B ., taken in their ecu nine nicaiiine . I
will not now enlarge on the importance of so construing the words in question , but simply suggest what I take to be their proper intent and meaning : — Evasion . —Any attempt to set . aside or get rid of
the force of the O . B . Equivocation . —Any using of the words in a sense different from that obviously intended by them .
Mental Reservation . —Any limiting in one ' s own mind the obvious comprehensiveness and perpetual validity of the 0 . 15 . WILLIAM CARPENTER .
DR . ZERI'l'I ON ORNAMENTAL ART . This celebrated professor says—Building News , February 17 th— "Savages use gene-
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
rally only geometrical figures in the ornamentation of their vessels , weapons , oars , clubs , crossbeams or doorposts . The triangle , the square , and the circle are applied in a
thousand different forms , windings , and combinations . As soon as man frees himself from the savage state , he takes his motives for ornamentation from the vegetable kingdom . " W . P . B .
Whence arose the word ' patronised " in reference to Masonry ? Many of our members object to it , and say it ought to be
" participated in . " Can you give us any information on the subject ? Is not Masonry far above all patronage ? A SUBSCRIBER .
¦ Is it necessary to go through the whole ! ceremony of installation in the case of a brother who is already a P . M . of another lodge ? Any hints as to the mode of proceeding will oblige . I fear my former letter asking the same query did not come to hand . W . M .
Royal Masonic Benevolent Instition.
ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITION .
The regular committee meeting of this Institution was held at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the 8 th inst . Bro . R . Herve Giraud , P . CD .,, in the chair . There
were present Bros . W . Farnfield , E . J , Fraser , J . Smith , J . Brett . Hemsworth , E Cox , F . Walters , L . Stein , R ' aynham W
Stewart , W . Young , and Major Creaton . The minutes of the February meeting were read and confirmed .
It was announced that the death of two male annuitants had occurred since the last committee meeting ; also that Mrs . Geils ( an approved candidate ) had died on 31 st
January . Her name will appear on the balloting papers , but to prevent mistakes , her death is inserted after her name . Her death had been communicated to the
Secretary since the last meeting of the committee , and after the balloting paper had received the approval of this
committee . The usual formal business having been disposed of , the meeting was closed .
Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.
ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .
The General Committee meeting was held on Saturday , the 4 th inst ., at Freemasons' Hall , Bro . 13 . Head , V . P ., in the chair . Present : Bros . J . Hervey , V . P . ; P .
F . Grosjcan ; F . Walters , V . P . ; G . Cox , V . P . ; R . Spencer , V . P . ; W . Roebuck , T . J . Sabine , J . Turner , J . IT . Button , F . Adlard , & c .
Bro . K Binckes , Secretary , read the minutes of previous meeting , which were confirmed .
All the applicants were placed on the list of candidates for the October election whose petitions were brought before this meeting .
Two boys who had been educated in the school had each £ 5 voted to supply them with clothing , after which the meeting was closed .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
—9- — The Editor is not responsible for the opinions ex-pressed by CorresDondents .
A RENOWNED MASONIC AUTHOR .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —On p . 44 of THE FREEMASON , in the communication from New York signed " F . J ., " there occurs the designation above as applied to Bro . Rob . Macoy , of this city . How your correspondent got the notion into his head that
our Bro . Macoy was " a renowned Masonic author " it would be difficult to determine , unless he got the name " Macoy " instead of the name of " Mackey " ( Albert G . Mackey , M . D ., of Charleston , S . C ., at present of Washington city ) , the latter a Masonic author of some repute in the production of small
useful books for the different departments of Masonry . The only books Robert Macoy ever published with his name on the title-page as author were two , neither of which he is very proud of , as he probably never wrote a page of either himselffor the same reason that the Indian did not read his Bible every day—though one of them carries a
portrait of his kindly features as its author . This mixing of names , and consequently men , is a fault with hasty and fulsome travelling writers of letters from this side of the Atlantic , and leads to much misunderstanding , which , to a slight extent , it is the object of this letter to correct .
Fraternally VERITAS . New York City , Feb . 5 , 1 S 71 .
IN RE "BALD STATEMENTS . " ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — I crave the space which I believe you will not deny me , to respond to Bro . C . G . Forsyth , in response to his remarks , in No . 97 of your paper , under the quoted words of the
above heading : first , to apologize to him for misquoting the name of the work from which he copied the extract that lea to my notice of it ; and , secondly , to in turn correct him in view of his statement that I indulged in ill-bred remarks on you as an editor . My belief is that 1 . did nothing of the kind . The
reference was—and I fail to see that it was ill-bredplainly to the editor of the Freemasons' Magazine and Masonic Mirror , as it was that paper , and not yours , that contained the extract from the apocryphal Chatter of Cologne . By way of supporting his extract in No . 90 of your paper , Bro . Forsyth states
that such extract is also to be found in Dr . Oliver ' s Landmarks . This I grant him ; but take leave to add that as Dr . O . copied it in all probability from the same work as did Bro . F ., and as there is no evidence yet adduced that the writer of the article in the Enc . Met . was a Freemason , or any better
informed than his readings permitted him to be , it appears to me that even yet the extract remains a very " bald statement . " I regret that Bro . Forsyth should exhibit so much feeling in replying to my short contribution to your columns , and which for his information I here kindly
assure him was certainly as profitless ( pecuniarily ) to me as lie states his are to himself . If I might be permitted to judge , and express that judgment here , 1 would say that in the pleasure derived from seeing their contributions so handsomely-printed , your contributors should consider themselves amply paid . In reply to Bro . Forsyth ' s last remark , 1 would
say that the real name of any writer of extracts , scraps , or memorabilia for a weekly journal is , I conceive , of little consequence to the public , and to give or retain it a matter of taste . The apology for misquoting a given authority is , however , an important matter , and it is to him here very fraternally tendered by an
ENQUIRING BROTHER . Hull , Jan . 16 , 1871 .
ANCIENT MSS . ONCE MORE . ( To the Editor of 7 he Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —When I penned the letter which appeared on page 26 of the present volume of THE FREEMASON , I little expected to have Bro . " Lupus " take offence as he seems to
have done , judging from his lucubration in the subsequent number at page 41 . I had supposed that we were both on the same side of the discussion , and that he , in a fit of playfulness , having kicked out , I merely desired to show him that the occurrence of the in that place meaningless word " speculative , " or which , if it had any meaning , certainly
meant knowledge of geometry , was not sufficient to justify him in the use he made of it ; but , in seeming accord with the disposition of the animal whose name he has adopted as a nam de . flume , he turns aside and rends me with a fierceness that by its very force exhausts himself , and induces him to announce that he has incontinently withdrawn from the discussion . This is to be regretted the more as in it