William Preston And The "Ancient" Masons.

the Society called Modern Masons are in possession of many Books , Papers , & Memorandums bearing Masonical Titles , which Books , & c , admitting them to be as old as the Creation , cannot constitute them the real Grand Lodge of Masons , having forfeited all right to such appellation by swerving from the Original System of Masonry which

has been so solemnly handed down and Received by every Member of the Community . This Truth is confess'd by the Modern Advocate ( Mr . PRESTON ) in his History of Masonry , Page 4 , line 35 , & c , where he says , ' Under the fictitious sanction of thc Ancient York Constitution , which was entirely droptat the revival of the Grand Lodge in 1717 , " & c . How an Ancient

Grand Lodge could be revived by entirely dropping the Old Constitution and substituting * new forms Sec , is a kind of mystery which we do not understand . Of equal sense and veracity is another Paragraph in the same Page , where the Author says ' That the regular Masons were obliged to adopt fresh measures more effectually to detect Impostors , & c . ; to accomplish this

more effectually some variations were made in and additions to the Established forms , the ancient Landmarks were preserved entire and no change admitted but such as the most scrupulous wou'd approve . ' Here an adoption of fresh Measures & Variations is openly Confessed & that at a time & place when &* where no fault was found with

the Old Forms & Ancient Ceremonies of the Craft , nor can human wisdom conceive how such a charge could be Constitutional or even usefull in detecting Impostors or punishing delinquents if there were any suchthough it is plain that such new change might be sufficient to distinguish the members of the new Masonical Hersey from those who adhered to the good

old system . It is as remarkable ( if such alterations were absolutely necessary ) , that no account of them had been transmitted to Scotland or Ireland , altho ' such alterations obliterated the Ancient Landmarks in such manner as to render the Ancient System scarcely distinguishable by either of those nations , tho' ever famous for Masonry . The above remarks with several Papers

( properly authenticated ) whxh our Secretary is order'd to convey with this , will , We think , convince our Brethren of Scotland that we are of the same practice as themselves & sincerely wish that our United Grand Lodges may ever be lamed for handing down the Royal Art according to its Original Institution which is the only means for Masons of every Place & Language to be known to each other . "

The hope expressed in the concluding paragraph of this reply was realised . At the next regular communication of Grand I . odge , a letter was read from Bro . MASON , in which he said that he had laid the reply before the Grand Lodge of Scotland on the 13 th November , and that it would receive due consideration at the quarterly meeting in February , 177 ft- A " '

on the 28 th of lhat month Bro . MASON transmits the following result of such consideration : " Grand Lodgeof Scotland , DAVID DAI . RY . MPLE , Esq . Grand Master , held at St . Giles Lodge , Edinburgh , the _^ th day of February , 177 ( 1 .

To the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of England held under the Sanction of the Right Worshipfull and Most Noble Prince J Duke of ATHOLL , & c , & c , Grand Master . Greeting . " Right Worshipful Brethren

Weare honour d with your obliging Letter of the 1 st November last & have considered it deliberately in our last Quarterly Communication . We assure you we are most sensibly of your Brotherly Kindness in communicating to us the Particulars contained in it , of which we do not entertain the smallest doubt . Weare by no means competent judges of the differences subsisting between

your Grand Lodge and that held under the patronage ofjLord PI ' TKIB . But since we have had the honor of opening a Correspondence with you we have every reason to entertain the most Respectful opinion of your Grand Lodge . We shall always think ourselves happy in . Keeping up the strictest communication with you , & Uniting our Endeavours to yours for promoting the Royal Craft & pre . serving it in its original purity .

Given under our hands & the seal of the Grand Lodge of Scotland held in the City of Edinburgh the 5 th day of February in the year of our Lord 177 6 & tf Light 5776 .

The above is signed by DAVID DA I . RVMIT . I :, G . M . WM . BARCLAY , D . G . M . ; J AMES GKDIJKS , S . G . W . * , and WM . SMITH , J . G . W . ; and countersigned by WM . MASON , G . Sec , and DAVID BOLT , G . Clerk . Thus was PRESTON foiled in his attempt , to cause an estrangement between the " Ancient " Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of

Scotland , and ytt , though he made this attempt , and pretended to know all about the former , he almost entirely ignores their existence in his " Illustrations . " This may have been in acordance with . PRESTON ' idea of the

manner in which history should be written , but it is not with that of the world generally . At all 1 vents , it was not by thus ignoring ihe " Ancient " Grand I . odge that the Union of the rival Societies of English Masons was ultimately accomplished in 1 S 13 011 terms equall y honourable to liith .

Courtesy To Strangers.

COURTESY TO STRANGERS .

Abraham once ent < rtained three strangers and was surprised when they were about to depart lo find out iheir celestial character . They had not revealed themselves as angels , but had b en content to receive the courteous attention the good old Patriarch was willing at all times to extend to sojourners and strangers . Ever since tint incident there has been an admonition

to the people of this world to be cue ul to treat strangers civilly , for " they may entertain angels unawares . " If there is any une who needs kind and courteous treatment it is " a stranger in a strange land , " or in strange lodge . He is away from home and kindred , and must depend upon his fellow-men , those whom hc never saw before or heard of perhaps , to make his stay in the * In the orifinal letter in thc Minute Honk the word is " subsisting , " but " -substituting " is eviih ntly inu nil- d .

Courtesy To Strangers.

place or lodge pleasant . There is nothing that will make a man feel more uncomfortable than to be treated rudel y by strangers . This is especially true of strangers in our lodges . The , * may come from England , Scotland , or Bombay , but , being familiar with that universal language of Masonry , by which " one Mason may know

another in the dark as in the light , " they have a right to expect courteous treatment when they visit a lodge . A kind word , a brotherly grasp of the hand , and a friendly spirit , will make the stranger gratefully remember his visit to a lodge . But a lack of attention will fasten in his memory an unpleasant experience , and when he chances to piss that way again , he will be sure to give that lodge a wide berth , and refuse to visit .

An incident came to our knowledge recently of a brother from Bombay who was staying in Philadelphia for a few days and went to visit the Masonic Temple one evening for the purpose of visiting a lodge . He sent in a card that the Tyler had instructed him to fill out . He gave on it the name of the Iodge in which he was made , and some other Masonic information

requested . His card was returned to him with some short answer that he could not visit . He was not even treated with the courtesy of having a committee or a brother come from the lodge to know who he was or b y what right he claimed the privilege of visiting . With no reasons given for it he was turned away , and carries with him a very poor opinion of the Iodge

that failed in a very simple act of courtesy due to any man claiming to be a Mason . If he had been found unworthy after making his statement , or undergoing a proper examination , there would have been time enough to turn him away . A little care to be courteous to strangers wins friends , while acts of thoughtless unkindness makes foes . —N . Y . Dispatch .

Masonry Among Savage Tribes.

MASONRY AMONG SAVAGE TRIBES .

Is Freemasonry known among the savage tribes of the earth , such as the Arabs of the desert , the red men of North America ? The question has often been debated and apparently strong evidence produced on both sides .

I once had a conversation with Robert Morris , in the course of which he told me that when travelling in the East he had met many Arab Sheiks , and that every one of them was acquainted with some of the modes of recognition in use among Freemasons .

On his inquiring ofj them how they obtained this knowledge , they informed him that it was hereditary in the Sheik families , and that it had been handed down by one generation to another from the earliest ages of the world .

Many circumstances have from time to time been related which would lead us to infer that some knowledge of Masonic signs and symbols also exists among our native Indian tribes .

Onc incident which appears to favour such a belief has recentl y been related lo me by Bro . W . S . Moote , who is at present a resident of our town of Dunville , and a r .-. ember of Amity Lodge , No . 3 ? , G . R . C ., but wha formerly belonged to a lodge at Hastings , Nebraska .

Here is the narrative as told by himself . He says : " I was one of the early settlers of the Territory of Nebraska . In the fall or winter of 18 74 I went on a buffalo hunt , in company with several friends and neighbours . While hunting near the Prairie Dog , a tributary of the Republican River , we were attacked and surrounded by a band of hostile Indians belonging to

the Sioux iribe . Our ammunition was nearly exhausted , and our chances of escape appeared very slim ; but I remembered having heard that the savage tribes knew something of Masonry , so I gave the sign of the E . A , and then of thc F . C . These signs , to all appearance , were recognised by the Indian chief , for hostilities immediately ceased , and we were allowed to depart without being further molested .

" I met some of the Sioux chiefs afterward , and conversed with them on the matter . They told me that the great chiefs were in possession of certain secret signs and tokens by which they were able to recognise one another j that these secrets had been handed down from generation to generation , and that they were known to the chiefs long before the trees grew . "

Now , the general opinion of reliable Masonic historians is that purely Speculative Freemasonry was first established in 1717 , and that all the Masonic lodges in the world owe their origin , directly or indirectly , to the Grand Lodge of England , which was formed at London in that year , although some of them may have existed as operative lodges long before that lime , and may probably have done some speculative work .

But both the Arab Sheiks and the Indian chiefs claim that ( he secrets they possess were known to their forefathers ages before we have any record of a ^ Masonic lodge , either operative or speculative , having been established upon earth . Notwithstanding this . it is quite possible that they may have an acquaintance wilh signs aud tokens similar to those in use among Masons .

It is pretty generally admitted that the gypsies , as well as some Eastern seels , have secret modes of recognition wheieby they are known to each other . These signs are of a symbolic character , and , like those of the Arabs and red men , are supposed to be of East Indian or Egyptian origin , and very ancient .

It is most probable that much of the mystic portion of Freemasonry was derived from the same source , for some of those who took an active part in the revival of 1717 were Oriental scholars and lovers of that occult learning of which the Eastern sages were the great masters and teachers . The

close resemblance which is said to exist between tribes and those made use of by Masons could thus be accounted for without discrediting in the least any of the facts which the researches of Masonic historians have brought to light . —T . L . M . T ., in the AVw Vork Dispatch . .