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Article THE HIGH DEGREES. ← Page 2 of 2 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 ANCIENT, AND MODERN MYSTERIES. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The High Degrees.
not interfere with either the Supreme Grand Chapter or the Royal Arch , or the Grand Conclave of Knights Templar j and although not recognising these degrees as part of the anoient system , it does not forbid any of it 3 members
belonging to them . " The p lanets be praised ! they will not prohibit their members from joining Royal Arch Masonry , Knight Templary , or Knight Errantry—while for tbe symbolic degrees they profess profound reverence . We should
rather think they did , more especially as some of the nine are good and worthy men , who have held , or now hold , high positions in that ancient
Craft from which we all derive our status iu Masonry , and for which , all banter aside , we believe all Masons entertain the deepest respect and veneration .
Englishmen generally have the credit of possessing common sense , and English Masons have their fair average of the national characteristics we have therefore the less hesitation in saying that while we shall jealously guard the glorious
structure of Craft Masonry from insidious advances—no matter from what quarter—we are prepared to eoncede the fullest , the most ample liberty to all brethren who desire to pursue the study of those degrees which are beyond the
scope of cosmopolitan Freemasonry . T / iey liave a perfect right to do so ; but , here let us pause—the latitude which we grant , and we speak in the name of the eighty thousand Masons of England , must not be construed as
a cession of the supreme rights of " pure and ancient Freemasonry , " which consists of the " three degrees and no more , " in which is included , so far as England is concerned , the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch . With
this stipulation , we wish well to all those Orders which rest their foundations on the solid rock of Master Masonry .
While they pursue that course , they cannot harm our ancient Craft—nay , in some instances they tend to beautify and adorn it—but , we must first see them exercise the Masonic virtues of
Unity , Peace , and Concord , before wc shall be thoroughly satisfied of their utility and importance . Ono step in advance has been taken , as we have already indicated—the Ancient and Accepted Rite has shaken hands with tho Mark ,
and it is also said to bo ready to embrace the Red Cross ; this is the true feeling , this is the real ne plus ultra , tbe ultima tkule , of the Ilautes Grades , and we are glad to recognise in it that common sense , and that appreciation of tho situation ,
which might be expected from men , who after all , aro brethren . Truth i 3 great , and must prevail , and we may sum up our opinion by saying that in all of the manifold degrees now worked in England , glimpses of Truth , revelations of Masonry ,
and expositions of Honour and Virtue , may be obtained by all who seek them , in a spirit of Faith . Our candid advice to tho brethren , after an
impartial review of ull tho rites connected with Freemasonry , may , however , be expressed in a paraphrase of certain well-known words , " Be a High Degree Mason if you will , bnt above all things be a Craft Mason . "
Wc may conclude by saying that we shall revert to this subject , if need be , on a future occasion ; and wc take the opportunity of stating that the many kind expressions of praise for our labours that have been received from friends in all parts of the
globe , have placed us so thoroughly en rapport with our readers that wc do not fear enunciating our opinions on any subject , in much the same style that wc should use if conversing with an
individual brother . This is a great point , and one on which we pride ourselves , and while such confidence is manifested in our honesty as a journalist , we shall continue to advocate the best interests of the Craft without fear , favour , or affection .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—?—" AT HOME AND ABROAD . " I would like most fraternally to recommend the article by the title as above , to the serious attention of the Order ( vide THE FREEMASON ,
page 250 ) . The writer grapples with some of the humiliating facts in Masonry most manfully , and without any apology , for none is neededfearlessly alludes to the state of Masonry in some parts of the Continent . Masonry , did I
say!—Anti-Masonry really , although falsely termed Masonry . One thing is certain , that wherever members are admitted into lodges who disbelieve in the existence of God , and future rewards and punishments , their reception is in
opposition to the landmarks of the Craft for centtiries , and is in dii'ecfc contravention of onr most cherished charges and Constitutions from the fourteenth century to the present time . The fact of Atheists being permitted to cross
the threshold of Masonic Lodges is sheer desecration , actually removing both candidates and consenting parties outside the sacred precincts of the Fraternity , and certainly places them at once and for ever under the ban of the
Craft universal . That such has been done cannot , I fear , be doubted , and therefore it is for the Grand Lodges , who resolutely condemn such proceedings , to sever all official connections with any authorities who permit of such a
prostitution of our glorious principles by lodges under their control , and thus by timely legislation to demonstrate to the world—what we know full well—that "Freemasonry is founded upon a
sincere belief in the Great Architect of tlie Universe , " that it is not a political society , and is especially to promote the welfare of our fellow-creatures , not only in this world , but also in that which is to come . W . J . HUGHAN .
" LEO" AND THE TEMPLARS ( pp . 227 and 251 ) . Admitting I am not a Templar , it does not therefore follow either that I am ignorant of its history , its pretensions , or of its workings , for by taking a little trouble T can easily post myself up
upon many points . I am perfectly aware that there were no Masonic Templars in the 12 th or 14 th centuries ; these worthies rose in the 18 th , and whether in Scotland or elsewhere the adoption of the title " Templars " by the " Scottish
Templars , " or by any society calling itself Templars , in the 18 th or 19 th centuries , was simply assuming the name of a long defunct body , with which they neither had any historical connection nor family resemblance . " Cipes " tells us that
the Scottish Templars " are not a Masonic Order , " yet , he adds , " the Order of Knights Templar in Scotland , indeed , consists chiefly of Freemasons !" I perfectly believe that last admission , and I saw a gentleman to-day who is a Scottish Templar ,
and also a recip ient or member of several other similar Masonic degrees or ' orders , " and he asserts that they are all Masonic , and I add they are all less than a century and a half old ; and I defy " Cipes " to prove his " Scottish
Templars " to be even so old . [ f the society calling itself " The Religious anil Military Order of the Templo in Scotland " has admitted as members men who were not Freemasons , I simply look upon that as a dodge ; further , I should like to
know when , where , and who they wero that were so admitted ) Further , I have read the " statutes of the Religious and Military (!) Order of the Temple , as established in Scotland , with an historical notice ; Edinburgh , printed by authority
of the Grand Conclave , A . J > . 1843 , A . O . 725 , " and have simply to say that even taking this pretended " historical notice " par se , it is simply a piece of "grand" humbug , and they would be
considerably nearer the truth to say A . o . " o . However , if I bo wrong "Cipes" has only to bring forward evidence , and when I am proved to be wrong 1 shall admit it . LEO .
BRO . HUGHAN AND THK MAIMED , ETC . ( p . 251 ) . Bro . " Cipes" had better take care and not strain his " ancient landmarks" too far , for we have no "landmarks" in speculative Freemasonry
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
older than 1717 , and what we adopted from operative Masonry then must only be used in so far as they will accord with the spirit and necessities of our new institution . Consequently , while tlie old operative Mason required one hand for the mallet and another for the chisel , a
speculative Mason may be able to do all his needful work with a good head and a good heart . And Mr . Kavanagh , with a good head , good eyes , and tongue , may—even without his other limbs —• make a better Mason and overseer than many men who have arms and legs but no head to look after them . LEO .
Ancient, And Modern Mysteries.
ANCIENT , AND MODERN MYSTERIES .
BY BRO . ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE , President of the London Literary Union , Editor of " The Jlosicrucian , " ic . ( Continued from page 246 . ) The philosophy of the ancient world lias left its impress upon every subsequent era , and the genius
of sccresy and silence has ruled the minds of men throughout tho many changes and chances of time . Whether this is to be attributable to the undoubted utility of reticence in many relations of life , or to the imitative faculty which induces us to follow the example of our predecessors , I will not pretend to
determine ; but few will gainsay tbe statement that to intellectual men there is a world beyond the actual present—a universe of the past , in which shapes forgotten by the mass of mankind . are re-invested with substance and reality , and play their part in moulding the thought and directing the actions of thinkers in
every generation . " The dead , but sceptred sovereigns who still rule our spirits from their urns , " are no shadowy visions to those who retrace the mystical page of history , nor is their influence so unreal as utilitarians profess to believe . No true Freemason can fail to connect
our truly ancient order with those occult associations whose very records are lost , and whose secrets have perished in the darkness with which they were originally surrounded . It cannot be denied that many links in the chain are missing—it cannot be concealed that there is an obvious incongruity between the simple
rules of the operative society of Masons and the profound symbolism of those earlier associations—but it may be fairly maintained that the real tenets of such an institution as Freemasonry would never be revealed on parchment or paper during the mediaeval ages , when ignorance and superstition held sway , and
persecution was tho inevitable reward of knowledge . Great efforts have been made of late to disprove all that ia generally credited as to the antiquity of the Craft . I am content to accept it as it is , and to recognise its grandeur as a mighty power for goodan eternal guarantee of peace and unity amongst all
nations . Nevertheless it is but right to avow that I have been privileged to peruse documents which go fur to prove the peculiar character of our Order , and fortunately those documents are in proper hands , and will never more , I trust , be relegated to the obscurity in
which they were long hidden . One of these is 500 years old , and is neither a charter of Cologne nor a Henry the 6 th manuscript—but at any rate , it proves something more than the mere incorporation of a Masons' company . To resume , among other supposed precursors of Freemasonry , the Collegia artificum , or
College ot Architects at Kome , may be mentioned , lhe American Encyclopdia , indeed , ussigns to this Order tho origin of modern Freemasonry , and recites in regular gradation , the various classes of architects and builders who continued the sodality down to the time of the travelling Freemasons who built the many wonderful
cathedrals , castles , and palaces during tho middle ages . One of these bodies was styled " Brothers of the Bridge , " because they devoted themselves more especially to the task of constructing bridges and other useful structures for the use of travellers . These brethren flourished in France , and among other bridges
they built one called the " Bridge of the Holy Spirit , " over the Rhone , They wore accustomed to wear a small pickaxe on the breast as the jewel or token of the order , and Ramsay , the great philosophic Masonic scholiast , affirmed , so fur back as 17-11 , that these brethren united themselves with the Knights of St . John of Jerusalem , and he also asrertcd that they
could establish a direct connection with the old Iloman artificers . It is instructive , iu any case , to notice the coincidences between the customs of such associations and those of the Masonic order . Another kindred society is that of the Stnisbtirg Craftsmen , who worked under words and signs peculiar to themselves , and were received into the fraternity with certain symbolic ceremonies in which were veiled the secrets of
architecture . The construction of Cologne cathedral was effected under the auspices of a sodality similarly united by well-concerted and thoroughly understood formulas . C To be continued . )
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The High Degrees.
not interfere with either the Supreme Grand Chapter or the Royal Arch , or the Grand Conclave of Knights Templar j and although not recognising these degrees as part of the anoient system , it does not forbid any of it 3 members
belonging to them . " The p lanets be praised ! they will not prohibit their members from joining Royal Arch Masonry , Knight Templary , or Knight Errantry—while for tbe symbolic degrees they profess profound reverence . We should
rather think they did , more especially as some of the nine are good and worthy men , who have held , or now hold , high positions in that ancient
Craft from which we all derive our status iu Masonry , and for which , all banter aside , we believe all Masons entertain the deepest respect and veneration .
Englishmen generally have the credit of possessing common sense , and English Masons have their fair average of the national characteristics we have therefore the less hesitation in saying that while we shall jealously guard the glorious
structure of Craft Masonry from insidious advances—no matter from what quarter—we are prepared to eoncede the fullest , the most ample liberty to all brethren who desire to pursue the study of those degrees which are beyond the
scope of cosmopolitan Freemasonry . T / iey liave a perfect right to do so ; but , here let us pause—the latitude which we grant , and we speak in the name of the eighty thousand Masons of England , must not be construed as
a cession of the supreme rights of " pure and ancient Freemasonry , " which consists of the " three degrees and no more , " in which is included , so far as England is concerned , the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch . With
this stipulation , we wish well to all those Orders which rest their foundations on the solid rock of Master Masonry .
While they pursue that course , they cannot harm our ancient Craft—nay , in some instances they tend to beautify and adorn it—but , we must first see them exercise the Masonic virtues of
Unity , Peace , and Concord , before wc shall be thoroughly satisfied of their utility and importance . Ono step in advance has been taken , as we have already indicated—the Ancient and Accepted Rite has shaken hands with tho Mark ,
and it is also said to bo ready to embrace the Red Cross ; this is the true feeling , this is the real ne plus ultra , tbe ultima tkule , of the Ilautes Grades , and we are glad to recognise in it that common sense , and that appreciation of tho situation ,
which might be expected from men , who after all , aro brethren . Truth i 3 great , and must prevail , and we may sum up our opinion by saying that in all of the manifold degrees now worked in England , glimpses of Truth , revelations of Masonry ,
and expositions of Honour and Virtue , may be obtained by all who seek them , in a spirit of Faith . Our candid advice to tho brethren , after an
impartial review of ull tho rites connected with Freemasonry , may , however , be expressed in a paraphrase of certain well-known words , " Be a High Degree Mason if you will , bnt above all things be a Craft Mason . "
Wc may conclude by saying that we shall revert to this subject , if need be , on a future occasion ; and wc take the opportunity of stating that the many kind expressions of praise for our labours that have been received from friends in all parts of the
globe , have placed us so thoroughly en rapport with our readers that wc do not fear enunciating our opinions on any subject , in much the same style that wc should use if conversing with an
individual brother . This is a great point , and one on which we pride ourselves , and while such confidence is manifested in our honesty as a journalist , we shall continue to advocate the best interests of the Craft without fear , favour , or affection .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—?—" AT HOME AND ABROAD . " I would like most fraternally to recommend the article by the title as above , to the serious attention of the Order ( vide THE FREEMASON ,
page 250 ) . The writer grapples with some of the humiliating facts in Masonry most manfully , and without any apology , for none is neededfearlessly alludes to the state of Masonry in some parts of the Continent . Masonry , did I
say!—Anti-Masonry really , although falsely termed Masonry . One thing is certain , that wherever members are admitted into lodges who disbelieve in the existence of God , and future rewards and punishments , their reception is in
opposition to the landmarks of the Craft for centtiries , and is in dii'ecfc contravention of onr most cherished charges and Constitutions from the fourteenth century to the present time . The fact of Atheists being permitted to cross
the threshold of Masonic Lodges is sheer desecration , actually removing both candidates and consenting parties outside the sacred precincts of the Fraternity , and certainly places them at once and for ever under the ban of the
Craft universal . That such has been done cannot , I fear , be doubted , and therefore it is for the Grand Lodges , who resolutely condemn such proceedings , to sever all official connections with any authorities who permit of such a
prostitution of our glorious principles by lodges under their control , and thus by timely legislation to demonstrate to the world—what we know full well—that "Freemasonry is founded upon a
sincere belief in the Great Architect of tlie Universe , " that it is not a political society , and is especially to promote the welfare of our fellow-creatures , not only in this world , but also in that which is to come . W . J . HUGHAN .
" LEO" AND THE TEMPLARS ( pp . 227 and 251 ) . Admitting I am not a Templar , it does not therefore follow either that I am ignorant of its history , its pretensions , or of its workings , for by taking a little trouble T can easily post myself up
upon many points . I am perfectly aware that there were no Masonic Templars in the 12 th or 14 th centuries ; these worthies rose in the 18 th , and whether in Scotland or elsewhere the adoption of the title " Templars " by the " Scottish
Templars , " or by any society calling itself Templars , in the 18 th or 19 th centuries , was simply assuming the name of a long defunct body , with which they neither had any historical connection nor family resemblance . " Cipes " tells us that
the Scottish Templars " are not a Masonic Order , " yet , he adds , " the Order of Knights Templar in Scotland , indeed , consists chiefly of Freemasons !" I perfectly believe that last admission , and I saw a gentleman to-day who is a Scottish Templar ,
and also a recip ient or member of several other similar Masonic degrees or ' orders , " and he asserts that they are all Masonic , and I add they are all less than a century and a half old ; and I defy " Cipes " to prove his " Scottish
Templars " to be even so old . [ f the society calling itself " The Religious anil Military Order of the Templo in Scotland " has admitted as members men who were not Freemasons , I simply look upon that as a dodge ; further , I should like to
know when , where , and who they wero that were so admitted ) Further , I have read the " statutes of the Religious and Military (!) Order of the Temple , as established in Scotland , with an historical notice ; Edinburgh , printed by authority
of the Grand Conclave , A . J > . 1843 , A . O . 725 , " and have simply to say that even taking this pretended " historical notice " par se , it is simply a piece of "grand" humbug , and they would be
considerably nearer the truth to say A . o . " o . However , if I bo wrong "Cipes" has only to bring forward evidence , and when I am proved to be wrong 1 shall admit it . LEO .
BRO . HUGHAN AND THK MAIMED , ETC . ( p . 251 ) . Bro . " Cipes" had better take care and not strain his " ancient landmarks" too far , for we have no "landmarks" in speculative Freemasonry
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
older than 1717 , and what we adopted from operative Masonry then must only be used in so far as they will accord with the spirit and necessities of our new institution . Consequently , while tlie old operative Mason required one hand for the mallet and another for the chisel , a
speculative Mason may be able to do all his needful work with a good head and a good heart . And Mr . Kavanagh , with a good head , good eyes , and tongue , may—even without his other limbs —• make a better Mason and overseer than many men who have arms and legs but no head to look after them . LEO .
Ancient, And Modern Mysteries.
ANCIENT , AND MODERN MYSTERIES .
BY BRO . ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE , President of the London Literary Union , Editor of " The Jlosicrucian , " ic . ( Continued from page 246 . ) The philosophy of the ancient world lias left its impress upon every subsequent era , and the genius
of sccresy and silence has ruled the minds of men throughout tho many changes and chances of time . Whether this is to be attributable to the undoubted utility of reticence in many relations of life , or to the imitative faculty which induces us to follow the example of our predecessors , I will not pretend to
determine ; but few will gainsay tbe statement that to intellectual men there is a world beyond the actual present—a universe of the past , in which shapes forgotten by the mass of mankind . are re-invested with substance and reality , and play their part in moulding the thought and directing the actions of thinkers in
every generation . " The dead , but sceptred sovereigns who still rule our spirits from their urns , " are no shadowy visions to those who retrace the mystical page of history , nor is their influence so unreal as utilitarians profess to believe . No true Freemason can fail to connect
our truly ancient order with those occult associations whose very records are lost , and whose secrets have perished in the darkness with which they were originally surrounded . It cannot be denied that many links in the chain are missing—it cannot be concealed that there is an obvious incongruity between the simple
rules of the operative society of Masons and the profound symbolism of those earlier associations—but it may be fairly maintained that the real tenets of such an institution as Freemasonry would never be revealed on parchment or paper during the mediaeval ages , when ignorance and superstition held sway , and
persecution was tho inevitable reward of knowledge . Great efforts have been made of late to disprove all that ia generally credited as to the antiquity of the Craft . I am content to accept it as it is , and to recognise its grandeur as a mighty power for goodan eternal guarantee of peace and unity amongst all
nations . Nevertheless it is but right to avow that I have been privileged to peruse documents which go fur to prove the peculiar character of our Order , and fortunately those documents are in proper hands , and will never more , I trust , be relegated to the obscurity in
which they were long hidden . One of these is 500 years old , and is neither a charter of Cologne nor a Henry the 6 th manuscript—but at any rate , it proves something more than the mere incorporation of a Masons' company . To resume , among other supposed precursors of Freemasonry , the Collegia artificum , or
College ot Architects at Kome , may be mentioned , lhe American Encyclopdia , indeed , ussigns to this Order tho origin of modern Freemasonry , and recites in regular gradation , the various classes of architects and builders who continued the sodality down to the time of the travelling Freemasons who built the many wonderful
cathedrals , castles , and palaces during tho middle ages . One of these bodies was styled " Brothers of the Bridge , " because they devoted themselves more especially to the task of constructing bridges and other useful structures for the use of travellers . These brethren flourished in France , and among other bridges
they built one called the " Bridge of the Holy Spirit , " over the Rhone , They wore accustomed to wear a small pickaxe on the breast as the jewel or token of the order , and Ramsay , the great philosophic Masonic scholiast , affirmed , so fur back as 17-11 , that these brethren united themselves with the Knights of St . John of Jerusalem , and he also asrertcd that they
could establish a direct connection with the old Iloman artificers . It is instructive , iu any case , to notice the coincidences between the customs of such associations and those of the Masonic order . Another kindred society is that of the Stnisbtirg Craftsmen , who worked under words and signs peculiar to themselves , and were received into the fraternity with certain symbolic ceremonies in which were veiled the secrets of
architecture . The construction of Cologne cathedral was effected under the auspices of a sodality similarly united by well-concerted and thoroughly understood formulas . C To be continued . )