Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

Cnc Editor is not responsible for tlie opinions expressed by Correspondents . A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have read Bro .

Norton ' s long letter in your last week's paper founded upon your leader under the above heading of February 19 th , and ask you to insert a few lines thereon . Bro . Norton appears to draw a wrong conclusion when he says the article was meant to justify the introduction of an allusion to Christian

saints and Christian doctrines into the lodge—it spoke only ofthe Masonic Orders of Chivalry ; but I think if Bro . Norton will refer to the Calendar of English Lodges be will find about 150 named after Christain saints , and in thc Irish and Scotch lodges the proportion is much larger . He must know

many allusions to Christian doctrine in the ritual of the Craft and R . A ., and under thc Irish Constitution , the prayers arc all offered up through the meditation of our Saviour , except when a Jew is the candidate , when the name of Christ is left out , and he is obligated on the Old Testament . These ancl

many other proofs could be deduced to show that thc present system of Freemasonry was Christian , and was originated in England ; and if it had remained in its primitive state , without being tampered with to suit the views of certain brethren , we should not hear at the present clay of the 1 , 000

odd different degrees said to exist in Bro . Norton ' s country—which arc inventions of as many cliques , and certainly do not add to the grandeur or promote the practical objects of our institution . May I ask Bro . Norton to read up a few of the works published in his country on the connection between

the Operative Masonry of the Ancients and our present speculative system , and he will not ask what Operative Masons had to do with Christianity ; and if he will reflect what the Operative Masons were , he will not think of his bread and butler theory any more , but will give them credit for their faith in

Christianity , which faith ,. combined with a love of art and extraordinary skill in their craft , prompted them to journey all over Christendom , leaving behind them monuments of their love , which remain to this day the admiration of all succeeding generations ; and as to their being protected and encouraged by Roman Catholic priests , no doubt they

thought it an honour to be associated among such noble men , and to be enrolled as patrons of their Order . As the Roman Catholic Faith was the only form of Christianity al the time Operative Masonry was in . existence , it is evident Masonry could only be fostered by that church . I am dear Sir ancl Brother , Yours fraternally , AN ENGLISH M . M .

HIS HIGHNESS HALIM PACHA , D . G . M . FOR EGYPT . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) SIR , —1 am prompted to address you the present from having seen an important paragraph in Tin-FREEMASOX of the 25 th March , headed '' Turkey , *

and announcing that the Khedive of Egypt lias becomereccuiciiedtoh'sYmcle , Hn"im Vacha , D . G . M . for Egypt . It is not for nie to take the liberty of discussing ibis announcement with any political feelings or in a public view ; tbere may be rights and wrongs on

both sides . 1 wish to speak of it as a brother Mason , and as a broth-. ) ' Mason to the back-bone . When all differences are settled , everybody works with that peace and harmony which is our duty . Thc news which you have published is important . Our D . G . M . being restored to his flock in Egypt ,

thanks to the spirit of justice ofthe sovereign of that country , this noble act must be acknowledged and hailed with joy by e \ cry one of our wide-spread brotherhood . I would beg lo make a modest suggestion to the several high functionaries of our order , and this is it :

That , as Emperors , Kings and Governments recognize and appreciate the services rendered ( otliem and humanity by their neighbouring reigning cousins , and show their appreciation by pinning some decoration to the breast of the benefactor of mankind , and that as our fraternilv cannot and does not follow

exactly the same course , as far as orders and decoralions are concerned , as a mark of approbation , I propose that an address of thanks be handed lo the Khedive of Egypt , on behalf of every English Freemason , either in one geivral address from tlie Grand Lodge of England or from the respective masters of the different English lodges ; for our

esteemed brother the Prince Ilabm Pacha is District Grancl Master for Egypt under the English Constitution , and any suffering as well as any pleasure undergone by him ought to be , and doubtless is , shared by every one of us . " Charity / ' like her sister ' Mercy , " blesscth him who recciveth as m / . ich as him who trivet ' . * ; there-

Original Correspondence.

fore , whilst congratulating our brother Halim Pacha , who receives this mark of favor , let us not forget to show our gratitude and approbation to him who giveth it , viz .: to His Highness the Khedive of Egypt , who is so well and so favourably known in this country . I remain , Sir , yours faithfully and fraternally , A BROTHER ' MASON TO THE BACKBONE .

HIRAM ABIF . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have read with much interest and pleasure the well-conducted controversy in your columns about Hiram Abif . Being curious to learn what was the opinion of

Bensonwho wrote an excellent commentary on thc Bible , but who , I presume , was not a member of out-Order—on thc subject in dispute , I referred to his comments on 2 Chron . chaps , ii . and iv . On chap , ii ., verse 13 , he makes no annotation , but on chap , iv , verse 16 , he writes as follows : —

Huram his father . He is so-called becanse Solomon , it seems , usually called him by that name , out of that great respect which he bore to him for his excellent art , and the service which he did for him ; it being usual to call great artists and inventors of things by this name—Sec Gcncscs iv ., -n .-- "

This opinion of a judicious commentator , I think , fully coincides with the views expressed by your able correspondent , Bro . Wm . Carpenter . Yours faithfully and fraternally , A . McK . M .

PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD AND THE SCOTTISH TEMPLARS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AXD BROTHER , —At page 125 of " Notes ancl Queries , " for January 29 th 1870 , I find reference made to Prince Charlie as having signed

a warrant for a Masonic Lodge at Derby , in 1745 . I consider this » a mere dream , and as to signing said imaginary warrant as " Grancl Master" of the Freemasons , that idea I consider to be prepostrous . However I do not intend lo go into that subject here , I desire to refer more particularly to another

remark made a little further clown by the same writer , viz ., " That Prince Charles Edward was made Grancl Master ofthe Order ofthe Temple , at Holyrood , in 1 745 , is an undoubted fact , testified in a work not written by a Freemason , and from which I took it took it when editing the department of

' Masonic Notes and Queries , ' in The Freemason ' s M ' agasinc for the years 1 S 5 S to 186 7 ; but unfortunately I cannot give thc reference now , not having a file of that publication at band . " Now , I can give the reference alluded to ; it is at page 256 of said magazine for September 27 th 1862 , and it says ,

The passage in thc memoirs alluded to above ( ' Memoirs of Sir Robert Strange , Knt ., ' & c , by James Dennistown , of Dennistown ) , is as follows under the date 1746 : —A word as lo the Shadowy Court which once again brightened the long-neglectcd saloons of the Abbey . On thc 30 th

September , the Duke of Perth wrote to Lord Ogilvie , ' It is truly a proud thing , to see our Pi inee in the palace of bis fathers , with all thc best blood of Scotland around him . lie is much beloved of all sorts , and we cannot fail to make that pestilent England smoke for it . Upon Monday last , there was a great ball at the palace ; and on Tuesday , by appointment ,

there was a solemn Chapter of the Ancient Chivalry of the Temple of JerusaJen , held in the audience room Our noble prince looked most gallantly in the white robe ofthe Order , took his profession like a worthy knight : and after receiving congratulations of all present , did vow that he would restore thc Temple higher than it was in the days of William the Lion . "'

Thc foregoing , of course , although wonderful , is all right , if true . ' Only 1 am rather suspicious about its genuineness , and wonder if it was written uflerthc publication of Sir Walter Scott ' s ' Ivanhoe . " Then again this whole paragraph which I have ( -noted , looks to me somewhat like an after-thought ,

or an nuerperlation ; as printed at page 81 of Mr . Dennisiown ' s work , it seems to mc to break the connection between the foregoing and following passages , as I proceed to slioiv . 1 shall mark the position ofthe paragraph in question by three asterisks , and begin a few lines from the end of foregoing

paragraph : " Smacks of lhat charm which his presence imparted to the gay assemblage in Holyrood , during tbe few evenings when the old palace was lit up by loyal smiles from lovely eyes , and anxious forebodings were for a time suspended by music or the merry strathspey It is generally

supposed that thc drama of royalty thus enacted was not less acceptable to its hero than to the minor performers , at all events that bis gallantry was quite as formidable lo thc Hanoverian dynasty as his king-emit . " We here perceive " the drama of royalty , " alluded to was uot the pretended Knights Tem ;' ar business ,

Original Correspondence.

but the " gay assemblages " where is "gallantry" had scope . Now as this pretended letter of the Duke of Perth is inserted without any explanation , or anything to back it up , I am quite prepared to believe that the Duke of Perth never wrote a word of it , ancl how it comes into this "Memoirs of Sir Robert

Strange" I do not as yet know . I may observe , however , that Mr . Dennistown was , I understand , on his death-bed while " the last sheets ofthe work " were passing through thc press , and I believe he died in 1855 , which is the date on the title-page , so that he had no opportunity to give any explanations

afterwards , so far as I am yet aware . It would require very strong proof"in my opinion to establish this letter as genuine , for I know of no society or " Order " of Templars existing in Scotland in 1 745 for Prince Charles to join , far less do I think he would have demeaned himself to join any pretended

"Templar Order . " More , he is in the "Scots Magazine" of the day , designated as " the Popish Pretender , " consequently hacl it been a Masonic Society of Templars , the 1738 Pope ' s Bull would have prevented him joining it , and as for the " ancient chivalry of the Temple of Jerusalem "

where did any exist after thc fourteenth century ? I know of none . Again , the date of this " Tuesday " is the 24 th September , only three clays after the Battle of Preston-pans , and Prince Charlie who returned to Edinburgh on the 22 nd , had something else to think about than being made a " Knight

Templar , " an Order which was under ban and curse ofthe Catholic Church . And as to the nobles who were with him , they were fighting for their lives and had something else to think about and do than getting up such tom-foolery , more especially as such a thing might have alienated many of their Catholic

supporters . Another remark—1 see no mention of " Grand Master" in the Duke's pretended letter . Altogether , therefore , I consider that Mr . Dennistown has been imposed upon by this pretended letter , just as Drs . Clcland , Strang , and other Glasgow historians to

whom I have spoken , were taken 111 and imposed upon by thc pretended Malcolm Canmorc Charter , and as I have Mr . Dcnnistown's work beside me , I may say , that in my examination of it , as yet I can find nothing to support this pretended connection of Prince Charlie with cither Templarism or

Masonry in 1 745 or thereabouts , but quite the opposite . We have many interesting remarks as to how Mr . Lumisdcn , " private secretary to the Stuart Princes , " spent his time after the disastrous battle of Cullodcn , in April 1 746 , forced them all to retire to thc Continent , but 1 have come across nothing in the Templar or Masonic way as yet .

I am , yours fraternally , W . P . BUCHAN .

AFFILIATION . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER— " Reciprocity " ought not to be surprised at any little difficulty he meets with in getting affiliated to a lodge in town . True , once a Mason , wherever initiated , he is a

brother , but the proper place for every candidate to submit his name to the ballot is in a lodge in the town where he resides , and where he may at any rate reasonably be presumed to be known , and any departure from this custom necessarily throws a doubt on the fitness of the candidate . On a recent

occasion , within my knowledge , when a candidate living in a town nearly forty miles distant was proposed in the lodge I am a member of , several of thc P . M . ' s asked , ancl naturally too , the questions : Why has he come here ? There is a lodge in the town where he resides , why was he not made there ? Do

they know too much of him to admit him ? And in consequence , the candidate never presented himself for initiation . Knowledge of a candidate ' s character and fitness is thc proper lest lo judge by , ancl not as is too often the case , the want of knowledge either for or against him . " Reciprocity " has fairly

laid himself open lo suspicion . If he really wishes to subscribe to an English lodge , let him prove himself a Mason , attend one or more lodges as a visitor frequently , and then , as be becomes known , should his general behaviour warrant it , he will find no difficulty in getting a proposer and seconder ,

and of being affiliated . I rather suspect , from the words he uses in the Sth line of his letter , he knows precious little about Masonry , and probably labours under the difficulty of being unable to work himsell into a lodge . Yours fraternally , Sunderland , May 2 , 1670 . J . II . C .

• LABOUR AND REFRESHMENT . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DI- SIR AND UROTHEK , —I will slightly alter the heading adopted by Bro . " Leo , " as refreshment

is not necessarily antagonistic to labour , but rather a pleasing interlude giving variety lo the proceedings of our lodges . Uro . " Leo" ' makes out such a strong case against refreshment , that I cannot but hope in charity there is much exaggeration in