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Article A CONTRAST. ← 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 THE FOOTSTEPS OF MASONRY. Page 1 of 2 Article THE FOOTSTEPS OF MASONRY. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Contrast.
utmost zeal and affection . Suspend or expel a Master Mason , and forthwith a similar ostracism is decreed in the other grades to which he may belong . The work
of the several degrees is carried on under the same roof in very many instances , and , in fact , provision is made in all the large Masonic Halls for the accommodation of
the knightly orders . Tnis is as it should be , and the time has surely arrived when , without seeking positive recognition , or sacrificing one jot of the independence
which is their heritage , the heads of the unacknowledged degrees now worked in England might come to some understanding upon the subject with the heads of the
Craft . It must be thoroughly settled that a brother who chooses to join any knightly order , such as the Red Cross or . the Templar , or any rite or degree , like the Mark or
the Rose Croix , is not to be subjected to the periodical paroxyms of rage of any bedlamite who may choose to run amuck , like a hog in armour , against extraneous degrees ,
and to pour the torrent of his foul , though imbecile , anathemas upon the heads of honourable men . With such a Mason as the Earl of Carnarvon in the front , we shall
look for a speedy solution of this problem , and we trust that the solution will be found to be in consonance with the
toleration—not to say the mutual good feeling and amity—which should ever sway the minds of good men and true .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—«—How many Past Master Masons are necessary to form a Past Master ' s Lodge , from
the third degree , to impart the O . B . of Past Master , and instal him Master of it ? W . J . [ Three must be present . —ED . F . ]
THE ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND . The letter by Bro . Hay , at page 614 , is such a capital joke that comment upon it is not only unnecessary , but would be simply
superfluous . I therefore content myself with thanking him for the trouble he has taken in recording the result of his very valuable antiquarian andautlicnticresearches ! X . Y . Z .
The Freemasons , sprung originally from the wandering Masons of Como , in Lombardy , who visited town after town where their services were required , this confederation of Magistri Coniacini did
in time , as work failed in their own country , visit other lands . Houses , or lodges , were established for their reception or aid , much as at the present day exist among the German travelling apprentices ,
only that , in a great measure , monasteries were their head-quarters and homes . As their expertness became known , their assistance was more widely sought , and few buildings of importance arose in the twelfth
century which they had not assisted in constructing . The clergy were wealth )' , the nobles generous , and the people zealous ; so much so , that Hughes , Bishop of Rouen ,
writing in the year 1 145 , informs us that the inhabitants of Chartres were generally employed in casting materials for the construction of the cathedral at their own
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
expense ; but skilled workmen were scarce , and it was from this society of Masons that the principal workmen were obtained . At the close of the thirteenth century , Edwin von Stelnbach , the architect of Strasburg
Cathedral , was elected head of the Freemasons in Germany , and was granted extensive privileges by the Emperor and the Pope . In the fifteenth century , Masonic Lodges existed in Alsace and Germany ,
which appear to have been regular schools for architecture and sculpture . In 1452 , Dotzinger , of Strasburg , formed all the scattered German lodges into a national association ; and in 1459 a general council
was held at Ratisbon , where the rules of the society were definitely arranged , and the architects to Strasburg Cathedral chosen as perpetual Grand Masters . The extent
and power of this German association was very great , but as the power of Freemasons rose with the rise of Gothic architecture , so with its fall they fell , and little now remains of them but a name . —Digby Wyatt .
The Footsteps Of Masonry.
THE FOOTSTEPS OF MASONRY .
OR , Freemasonry in relation to Authentic History . Bv BRO . W . VINER BEDOLFE , M . D ., S . D . 1329 , Lion . Sec . Sf / iinx Lodge of Instruction . Having been appointed S . D . in a Masonic lodge , and accepted the office of Hon . Secretary to a lodge of instruction , it has
happened that brethren who I have conducted through their initiation have asked me for some concise information as to the origin and history of the Fraternity into which they had entered . With the view of
being better enabled to reply to them , and for my own satisfaction , for I confess I knew little about it ) , I set to work to study the subject , and soon found myself possessed
of a small collection of notes , gradually amassed , as the result . Hoping they may serve as a point of origin which others may dcvelopc more fully , I ask the favour of a few pages in THE FREEMASON .
I address them more particularly to my brethren initiated during the past year in the Sphinx Lodge , and to the younger members of the Sphinx Lodge of Instruction , with the hope that , unitedly , we may
better work for the strengthening and supporting of that glorious fabric , founded on Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth , which our predecessors , through long and varied vicissitudes , have handed down to us . For
whatever modifications and additions it may have undergone , I believe it still ( as when our royal founder first issued his edicts from
his Curule chair ) to be instinct , in the words of Shelley , with life , hope truth , and love : " Life may change , but it may fly not ; Hope may vanish , but can die not ;
Truth be veiled , but still it burnetii ; Love repulsed , yet it returnetli ; " and Masonry is still unchanged . The few chapters which I purpose pub
lishing are not penned in any dogmatical spirit , but should be considered only as contributions towards the elucidation of the history of Freemasonry—an endeavour to trace its footsteps along the pathway of time .
In looking through the Masonic journals , and in general conversation witli Freemasons , nothing is more evident than the vague ideas formed of its authenticity and antiquity . In fact , some
persons , only looking at evidence within their own reach , believe it a mere modem invention , dating from the time of its so-called resuscitation in 1817 . Others , again , peep about buried stones , relics of wild Indian tribes , to solve the mystery ,
The Footsteps Of Masonry.
as if technical Freemasonry had its origin before the confusion of tongues , in pre-historic , or even geological eras . But modern science , in inquiring into the history or properties of the subject of its
investigation , does not content itself with external evidence ; it examines the elements and materials which compose it , and logically deduces the conclusion . For as in a " cavern of bones , " even of extinct animals , by taking the fragments and referring
each to that epoch or era to which scientific experience demonstrates it to belong , so must be taken each remaining fragment of Freemasonry , and each remaining fragment be referred to its historic relations .
Let us , then , enquire—Firstly . What eras the fragment to which our researches should be directed belong . Secondly . What is the exact position each holds in relation to authentic history .
The eras to which the fragments belong may be thus arranged ( but in order not to prejudge the question , I will leave the nomenclature in blank ) : — ( A ) The Ancient period , in connection with
( a ) Its municipal institutions . ( b ) Its pagan institutions . ( c ) Its philosophical institutions . ( B ) The latter .... period , when ideas present themselves . ( C ) The ...... period , when
traditions become added . ( D ) Its diffusion in the middle ages in western Europe , and its connection with
modern ideas . The consideration of its literature may also present an interesting subject . The character and era of its kingly founder .
An eminent Mason , ' Bro . J ohn Thomas ; says , " It is my opinion that the present Freemasonry springs from an operative association , " and a settled conviction from one so versed in our traditions , and who has so long meditated upon
the subject , may , for practical purposes , be reasoned upon as a fact . Professor Huxley remarks that , "Art is the elder sister of Science , and reached her maturity whilst Science was still in her leading-strings . "
In Freemasonry , both were evidently included , for it is difficult to determine the exact point where science begins and art ends in its composition . Hence there is no doubt that in its higher
degrees it has a relation to science and philosophy , and that our present Lectures are the analogue of some ancient moral and scientific teaching , whilst the first , or lower , degree was operative .
I think , then , we may take it for granted that it originated ( and such , rdso , is the generally received opinion ) in an architecturo-masonic association , or corporation ; precisely , indeed , as our traditional history indicates .
That this association , or corporation , commenced in 1717 , or even any modern era , as some seem to think , may at once be dismissed from consideration ; for although Professor Owen asserts , in scientific language , that living beings
arise whenever two sheets ( of matter ) come together , yet our common sense tells us that organized societies like ours are not the result of
chance , but must have had an adequate origin and long infancy for their full but gradual development . We must therefore look to antiquity .
We may now enquire—Firstly . At what age Institutions governed like our own , well known and recognised as
existing in ancient tunes , were founded . Secondly . Are there any institutions which were founded at that epoch still in existence ? The answer is : — 1 . That institutions founded at the epoch here
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Contrast.
utmost zeal and affection . Suspend or expel a Master Mason , and forthwith a similar ostracism is decreed in the other grades to which he may belong . The work
of the several degrees is carried on under the same roof in very many instances , and , in fact , provision is made in all the large Masonic Halls for the accommodation of
the knightly orders . Tnis is as it should be , and the time has surely arrived when , without seeking positive recognition , or sacrificing one jot of the independence
which is their heritage , the heads of the unacknowledged degrees now worked in England might come to some understanding upon the subject with the heads of the
Craft . It must be thoroughly settled that a brother who chooses to join any knightly order , such as the Red Cross or . the Templar , or any rite or degree , like the Mark or
the Rose Croix , is not to be subjected to the periodical paroxyms of rage of any bedlamite who may choose to run amuck , like a hog in armour , against extraneous degrees ,
and to pour the torrent of his foul , though imbecile , anathemas upon the heads of honourable men . With such a Mason as the Earl of Carnarvon in the front , we shall
look for a speedy solution of this problem , and we trust that the solution will be found to be in consonance with the
toleration—not to say the mutual good feeling and amity—which should ever sway the minds of good men and true .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—«—How many Past Master Masons are necessary to form a Past Master ' s Lodge , from
the third degree , to impart the O . B . of Past Master , and instal him Master of it ? W . J . [ Three must be present . —ED . F . ]
THE ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND . The letter by Bro . Hay , at page 614 , is such a capital joke that comment upon it is not only unnecessary , but would be simply
superfluous . I therefore content myself with thanking him for the trouble he has taken in recording the result of his very valuable antiquarian andautlicnticresearches ! X . Y . Z .
The Freemasons , sprung originally from the wandering Masons of Como , in Lombardy , who visited town after town where their services were required , this confederation of Magistri Coniacini did
in time , as work failed in their own country , visit other lands . Houses , or lodges , were established for their reception or aid , much as at the present day exist among the German travelling apprentices ,
only that , in a great measure , monasteries were their head-quarters and homes . As their expertness became known , their assistance was more widely sought , and few buildings of importance arose in the twelfth
century which they had not assisted in constructing . The clergy were wealth )' , the nobles generous , and the people zealous ; so much so , that Hughes , Bishop of Rouen ,
writing in the year 1 145 , informs us that the inhabitants of Chartres were generally employed in casting materials for the construction of the cathedral at their own
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
expense ; but skilled workmen were scarce , and it was from this society of Masons that the principal workmen were obtained . At the close of the thirteenth century , Edwin von Stelnbach , the architect of Strasburg
Cathedral , was elected head of the Freemasons in Germany , and was granted extensive privileges by the Emperor and the Pope . In the fifteenth century , Masonic Lodges existed in Alsace and Germany ,
which appear to have been regular schools for architecture and sculpture . In 1452 , Dotzinger , of Strasburg , formed all the scattered German lodges into a national association ; and in 1459 a general council
was held at Ratisbon , where the rules of the society were definitely arranged , and the architects to Strasburg Cathedral chosen as perpetual Grand Masters . The extent
and power of this German association was very great , but as the power of Freemasons rose with the rise of Gothic architecture , so with its fall they fell , and little now remains of them but a name . —Digby Wyatt .
The Footsteps Of Masonry.
THE FOOTSTEPS OF MASONRY .
OR , Freemasonry in relation to Authentic History . Bv BRO . W . VINER BEDOLFE , M . D ., S . D . 1329 , Lion . Sec . Sf / iinx Lodge of Instruction . Having been appointed S . D . in a Masonic lodge , and accepted the office of Hon . Secretary to a lodge of instruction , it has
happened that brethren who I have conducted through their initiation have asked me for some concise information as to the origin and history of the Fraternity into which they had entered . With the view of
being better enabled to reply to them , and for my own satisfaction , for I confess I knew little about it ) , I set to work to study the subject , and soon found myself possessed
of a small collection of notes , gradually amassed , as the result . Hoping they may serve as a point of origin which others may dcvelopc more fully , I ask the favour of a few pages in THE FREEMASON .
I address them more particularly to my brethren initiated during the past year in the Sphinx Lodge , and to the younger members of the Sphinx Lodge of Instruction , with the hope that , unitedly , we may
better work for the strengthening and supporting of that glorious fabric , founded on Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth , which our predecessors , through long and varied vicissitudes , have handed down to us . For
whatever modifications and additions it may have undergone , I believe it still ( as when our royal founder first issued his edicts from
his Curule chair ) to be instinct , in the words of Shelley , with life , hope truth , and love : " Life may change , but it may fly not ; Hope may vanish , but can die not ;
Truth be veiled , but still it burnetii ; Love repulsed , yet it returnetli ; " and Masonry is still unchanged . The few chapters which I purpose pub
lishing are not penned in any dogmatical spirit , but should be considered only as contributions towards the elucidation of the history of Freemasonry—an endeavour to trace its footsteps along the pathway of time .
In looking through the Masonic journals , and in general conversation witli Freemasons , nothing is more evident than the vague ideas formed of its authenticity and antiquity . In fact , some
persons , only looking at evidence within their own reach , believe it a mere modem invention , dating from the time of its so-called resuscitation in 1817 . Others , again , peep about buried stones , relics of wild Indian tribes , to solve the mystery ,
The Footsteps Of Masonry.
as if technical Freemasonry had its origin before the confusion of tongues , in pre-historic , or even geological eras . But modern science , in inquiring into the history or properties of the subject of its
investigation , does not content itself with external evidence ; it examines the elements and materials which compose it , and logically deduces the conclusion . For as in a " cavern of bones , " even of extinct animals , by taking the fragments and referring
each to that epoch or era to which scientific experience demonstrates it to belong , so must be taken each remaining fragment of Freemasonry , and each remaining fragment be referred to its historic relations .
Let us , then , enquire—Firstly . What eras the fragment to which our researches should be directed belong . Secondly . What is the exact position each holds in relation to authentic history .
The eras to which the fragments belong may be thus arranged ( but in order not to prejudge the question , I will leave the nomenclature in blank ) : — ( A ) The Ancient period , in connection with
( a ) Its municipal institutions . ( b ) Its pagan institutions . ( c ) Its philosophical institutions . ( B ) The latter .... period , when ideas present themselves . ( C ) The ...... period , when
traditions become added . ( D ) Its diffusion in the middle ages in western Europe , and its connection with
modern ideas . The consideration of its literature may also present an interesting subject . The character and era of its kingly founder .
An eminent Mason , ' Bro . J ohn Thomas ; says , " It is my opinion that the present Freemasonry springs from an operative association , " and a settled conviction from one so versed in our traditions , and who has so long meditated upon
the subject , may , for practical purposes , be reasoned upon as a fact . Professor Huxley remarks that , "Art is the elder sister of Science , and reached her maturity whilst Science was still in her leading-strings . "
In Freemasonry , both were evidently included , for it is difficult to determine the exact point where science begins and art ends in its composition . Hence there is no doubt that in its higher
degrees it has a relation to science and philosophy , and that our present Lectures are the analogue of some ancient moral and scientific teaching , whilst the first , or lower , degree was operative .
I think , then , we may take it for granted that it originated ( and such , rdso , is the generally received opinion ) in an architecturo-masonic association , or corporation ; precisely , indeed , as our traditional history indicates .
That this association , or corporation , commenced in 1717 , or even any modern era , as some seem to think , may at once be dismissed from consideration ; for although Professor Owen asserts , in scientific language , that living beings
arise whenever two sheets ( of matter ) come together , yet our common sense tells us that organized societies like ours are not the result of
chance , but must have had an adequate origin and long infancy for their full but gradual development . We must therefore look to antiquity .
We may now enquire—Firstly . At what age Institutions governed like our own , well known and recognised as
existing in ancient tunes , were founded . Secondly . Are there any institutions which were founded at that epoch still in existence ? The answer is : — 1 . That institutions founded at the epoch here