Original Correspondence.

the answers thus desiderated I take it Masonic judgment must be based . i . Assuming that Bro . Bigg was personally unknown to every brother present did he volunteer to undergo examination at the hands of the W . M . or any delegate he might find , and so prove his knowledge of the noble science ?

2 . Did the W . M . of the Middlesex evince any intention of his wish that the formula usual in such cases should not be departed from , viz ., that the Junior Warden should retire with the visiting brother to the ante-room , and there prove his proficiency .

3 . Did Bro . Bigg , relying on his rank and experience in the Craft , resent [ the doubts implied by a proposal that he should undergo the usual examination . The duties of the W . M . and J . W . are so explicitly enforced , and expressly explained , and specified upon these points that until the Masonic

public obtains further information respecting the exact facts of the course pursued on the occasion when Bro . Bigg took offence , it is impossible to say whether Bro . Salmon ' s conduct deserves censure as boorish and inhospitable , or praise for caution and fidelity . P . M .

READING THE SCRIPTURES . To the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I think the repeating " from memory Ecclesiastes xii ., verses 1 to 7 inclusive , " by the Chaplain , is very appropriate , as noticed by " A P . M ., and worked in the Hertford Lodge , No .

403 . But according to the working of all the lodges I have seen , the senior P , M ., or any one else , could not possibly " read" that passage , or any other ; so that there must be quite a different working in the 403 . I enclose my card , and shall he obliged by

your forwarding it to " A P . M . ; and I shall be obliged by your correspondent explaining how anyone may " read" the appropriate passage referred to . I am , yours fraternally , W . M . 402 .

NOT GENERALLY KNOWN . To the Editor oj the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — The notice in the November number of the " Masonic Magazine" of Bro . Paton ' s book on Symbolism reminds me that I have something to communicate in that line which is not generally known .

Credulous Masons are not quite so numerous as they used to be , but , nevertheless , we have still quite a number who believe that our ceremonies , symbols , & c , have descended to us , unaltered , from the days of King Solomon . These brethren argue thus .- Did not the R . W . Bro .

Smith exhort me at my initiation , " as you received it , so you must impart it . " Well , and was not Bro . Smith exhorted in the same manner by the R . W . Bro . Jones ; and was not Bro . Jones exhorted in like manner by Bro . Robinson . And so on , and so on , each W . M . was

exhorted by his predecessor to impart only what ¦ w ascommunicated to him . Such being the case , how then was it possible for any Worshipful Master ever to have dared to add , or to substract a solitary word from the Ritual or Tracing Board marked out by King Solomon himself ?

Dr . Winslow Lewis , P . G . M . of Massachusetts , once humourously remarked , when alluding to that class of credulous brethren , "These men , " said he , " not only believe that our Ritual was composed by King Solomon , but they are even persuaded that King Solomon

composed the Ritual in the English language . ' Tell one of these men that the Massachussetts Ritual differs , not only from the English Ritual , but also from those in vogue in New York , Philadelphia , & c , and he will answer with a ' Bah ! " and with a " suppose they do differ a

lttle r" And if you point to a number of syni-Icls on the American tracing board , not found 01 any other tracing beard , and ask who manufactured those symbols , they are either apt to manifest vexation , or th _ y may civilly Acknowledge their inability to answer . Now , if any of my Loudon readerswouldcall at

Original Correspondence.

Bro . Kenning ' s office , and examine an American Masonic Monitor , Manual , or trestle board , decorated with woodcuts , they will see among the woodcuts a group , consisting of a winged angel , a female , and a broken column . I have repeatedly enquired for the origin of that group ,

and how it came into the American ritual , & c , but with no satisfactory result . Recently , however , I obtained the desired information from P . G . M ., John W . Simons , who is also editor of the Masonic department of the New York Dispatch .

But before communicating the information , I may premise that American Masonry is mainl y indebted to the genius of Thomas Smith Webb for the rituals of most of our Masonic degrees , and in some instances we are even indebted to the said Bro . Webb for the degrees also , Bro .

Webb manufactured the American Royal Arch degrees , which differ from every other R . A . under the sun , he also manufactured the American Knight Templar degrees , and was the author of the first Masonic Monitor ever printed in America . In short , he was looked up to as the

most luminous shining light in the United States , and many still believe , that Webb ' s Monitor approaches nearer to the ori ginal manual composed by King Solomon himself , that any other Monitor that has since then been printed . Bro . Webb was the great instructor of a

school of " bright and well-informed Masons , " ( so-called by one of his scholars ) . About thirty years ago I remember spending an hour with Bro . Gleeson , at Bro . Charles W . Moore ' s house , who was introduced to me as one of Webb ' s disciples , and whose exclusive business was , to

travel all over the land and lecture on Masonry . He told me that he had visited England , where he illumed some lodge with an American lecture , and that he was well remunerated by his delighted audience . Bro Gleeson was really the only one of Webb ' s pupils who received a college education , but he was either incapable ,

or too indolent to write an article for a magazine . Bro . Gleeson probably never added , and never omitted a word , from the lectures , & c , he received from Webb ; his vocation was that of a lecturer and instructor in all the works appertaining to all the degrees he received from his master , and probably reading Monitors at the same time .

But Bro . Jeremy L . Cross , though he received but an ordinary school education , was the most successful of the whole Masonic arena , including the S . and A . Rite , but was also the ori ginator of that part of the ( so-called ) " York Rite , " known as the " Council degrees . " This

Bro . Cross , first conceived the fortunate idea of improving his Monitor with pictorial illustrations . I dc not know how many editions of his Monitor Bro . Cross disposed of , but I see in one of Bro . W . S . Gardner ' s orations a quotation from the 16 th edition of Cross ' s Monitor .

Well , it was while Bro . Cross was pondering in his mind as to what kind of engravings would be most suitable to adorn his forthcoming work ; he happened to stray into the Trinity Churchyard , located in Broadway , New York , and there he noticed placed over one of the

graves , a broken column , and I know not what else besides ; aad it struck him , that some such a picture would make a useful addition to help the sale of his book , and so he had a drawing taken from it , and after making some alterations , had it placed in his book as a

Masonic symbol , and Masters m all American Lodges now address the neophytes when conferring the third degree , thus , — " And Masonic tradition informs us that there was erected to his memory a marble monument on which was delineated a broken column , a virgin weeping

before her Jay a book open ; in her right hand she held a sprig of acacia , her left encircled an urn , and Time behind her , with his hands enfolded in the ringlets of her hair . " And I have no doubt , that we may now find , between Maine and Florida , and between the Atlantic and Pacific

seaboard , thousands and tens of thousands of credulous brethren , ready to swear that the group as tlescribed above , and as delineated on the American tracing boards , was designed by King Solomon , and made b y his order . The fact of Bro , Cross having been the

Original Correspondence.

originator of that symbol , as above stated , was obtained by Bro . J . W . Simons from Dr . Pvobert B . Folger , well known as the author of the history of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , and Bro . Folger has received the information direct from Bro . Jeremy L . Cross himself . On

referring to Bro . Folger ' s history , page 248 , and so forth , we find that in 1850 Bros . Folger and Cross conjointly took an active part in ono of the Scotch Rite factions which was then battling with other Scotch Rite factions for the mastery of what they called " the Northern

jurisdiction of the U . S ., " so that there can be no doubt that a clear intimacy subsisted between Bros . Folger and Cross . Besides which , Bro : Folger stands deservedl y high as a candid writer and a man of integrity , and I strongly suspect that he is even now combating weekly in Bro .

Simon ' s paper , a ridiculous law passed by the G . L . of New York at its last session . And furthermore , I believe , that Bro . Folgar is the author of the interesting article headed "Ancient Accepted Rite , " reprinted from the " New York Dispatch , " in the November number of your

"Masonic Magazine ; there can therefore remain no doubt of the correctness of the information . We have many other strange symbols on the American tracing board , such as for instance , as the hourglass , scythe , anchor and ark , a beehive , a smoking pot , etc . ; whether Cross was also the author of all these pictures , I have not as yet

taken the trouble to find out , sufficient , however , has been made known to undermine the belief in the Solonioniac authorship of our symbology . and also to show the worthlessness of the socalled Masonic traditions . Fraternally and respectfully yours , J ACOB NORTON , '

Consecration Of A New Masonic Hall In Glasgow.

CONSECRATION OF A NEW MASONIC HALL IN GLASGOW .

The new Masonic Hall in Trongate , belonging to Lodge Star , ( No . 219 ) , was consecrated on the Sth inst ., by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow . There was a very large attendance of brethren . Bro . F . A . Barrow , Deputy Prov . G . M ., occupied the chair , in the unavoidable

absence of Bro . W . W . Neilson , Prov . G . M ., and was assisted by the following members of the Provincial Grand Lodge , viz : —Bros . William Phillips , acting P . G . S . W . ; John Fraser , acting P . G . f . W . ; George Thallon , P . G . J . D . ; A . McTaggart , M . A .. P . G ., Sec . ; James Walker ,

P . G . lreas . ; Bain , P . G . Bible-bearer ; George Sinclair , Treas . to the Benevolent Fund of the P . G . Lodge ; Balfour , P . G . Master of Ceremonies ; Miller , P . G . Director of Music , & c : Bro . McDonald acted as V . W . P . G . Chaplain . The Provincial Grand Lod ge having been opened

in due form , the solemn and impressive ceremony of consecration was proceeded with , during which Bro . Barrow delivered an eloquent oration on Masonry . The anthems , psalms , hymns , See , appropriate to the occasion were ably led by a very efficient choir , under the

leadership of Bro . Miller , P . G . Dir . of Music ; Bro . A . W . Banks , presiding at the harmonium . The consecration over , the R . W . M ., Bro . Wilson , tooK . occasion to thank the D . P . G . M and members of the P . G . Lodge for their attendance and

kindness in officiating in such a masterly style ; after which the P . G . Lodge was closed . Immediately thereafter the Lodge " Star " was opened in due form , when the following officebearers were elected and installed for the

ensuing year , viz : —Joseph Wilson , R . W . M . ; C . S . Alston , D . M . ; William Anderson , S . M . ; James A . Logan , S . W . ; John Garth , J . W . ; P . M'Donald , Treasurer ; George ^ Miller , Secretary ; John White , Chaplain ; John Lawrence , B . B . j Ross Rennie , S . D . ; Sydney Smith , J . D . ; John Gardner , S . S . ; James Park , J . S . ; John Morgan ,

P . G . S . ; Colin Campbell , Dir . of Mus . ; David Mearns , Arch . ; A . M'Nicol , Jeweller ; J . Harper , Standard-bearer ; J . Wight , Dir . of Cer . ; William Elliot , I . G . ; James Pearson , J . and T . The Sec . read an elaborate report , ironi which it appeared that notwithstanding the expense of fitting up this new hall the lod ge was out of debt . Since the opening of the hall they had received no less than fifty-one candidates which proved