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Mreema ^ w wciini ^^^ :: v ^ Sn ^^^^ ''r ^^^ l ^^ ' ^ ¥ ^^ S ^ 1 SATURDAY , APRIL 15 , 1882 .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ Wc do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , the opinions expressed hy ourcorrespondents , hut we wish in a spirit of fairrslay to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

EXCHANGE OF VOTES . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The anxiety and turmoil of the Boys' School Elections are too recently ended to enable me , or I think any one else , to enter dispassionately on a subject which has

interested us all so greatly ; and therefore , with your kind permissicn , as I think 1 can make my remarks better worth perusal by a little calm reflection , I postpone for the present my letter to you on this very important topic . It is one which demands a most severe and exhaustive treatment , absolutely . free from partizan zeal or favourite

prepossessions . Yours fraternally , ALIOUIS

EARLY TEMPLARISM . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I have read the editorial in the Freemason of February 4 H 1 , briefly reviewing that portion of my report on foreign correspondence made to the Grand Commandery

of Ohio in 1 SS 0 , which refers to my "theory " of the origin of the connection between Craft Masonry and the Order of Masonic Knights Templar . The article quotes from Bro . McLeod Moore ' s address an extract from my report . To be fairly understood the whole of the portion of my report devoted to this particular subject should be read ; and if you

had referred to the original , as printed and published by the Grand Commandery of Ohio in the proceedings of 1 SS 0 , a copy of which I mailed you at the time , you would have found that I only claimed to advance a " theory " —my own —as to thc origin of Ihe Orderof Masonic Knights Templar , and its connection with Symbolic or Craft Masonry .

I still maintain that I did advance some " curious historical facts and coincidences in support of my ' theory . ' " Thc historical statements I stand ready to verify . The editorial says , " There is not the slightest available evidence of Anderson having exceeded his powers , or of any dissatisfaction whatever among the brethren , ' * ' & c .

Let us see . In my report I give extracts from twenty-one of the old Masonic Constitutions , all of them anterior in date to Anderson . This list includese very manusciipt or printed copy of these Masonic Constitutions that has been discovered to the present time , except only one—the " Wilson Manuscript , " edited by Bro . the Rev . A . F . A . Wood

food—and which I had not seen at the time my report was written , or it would have been included ; it is substantially the same as the others . All of these Constitutions , save one ( Krause ' s ) , and that of more than doubtful authority , give an unequivocal and strictly Christian character to Freemasonry , including the dogma of the Holy Trinity ,

not by implication but in plain English . The dates of these Constitutions extends over a period of two hundrcdand thirty years ( 1490-1720 ) . Thanks to those indefatigable and intelligent Masonic arch . cologists , Bros . Hughan , Lyon , Woodford , and that prince of English

arch . cologists , though not a Mason , James Orchard Halliwell ( Phillips ) , the contents of these rare and precious Masonic documents are brought within the reach of all Masonic students . Anderson ' s Constitutions differs as wide as day from night in a most material article—that

Original Correspondence.

" concerning God and religion' —from any of these old Masonic Constitutions , except Krause ' s , which , as 1 have already said , is of doubtful authority . Now , where did Anderson lind any " old Masonic Constitution , history , charge , or regulation , " either from "Italy , Scotland , England , or beyond the seas , " that

authorised him to say , " But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the relig ion of that country or nation , whatever it was , yet ' tis now thought more expedient only to obligate them to that religion in which all men agree , leaving their particular opinions to themselves ; that is , to be good men and true , or men of

honour and honesty , by whatever denominations or persuasions they may be distinguished ? " Anderson ' s Constitutions were just what they are called in the " Approbation " appended to the book , " New Constitutions , with Charges and General Regulations . " There were none before like them , "neither on the earth , in the

earth beneath , or in the water under the earth . " In proof of my allegation that the New Constitutions gave much dissatisfaction to some of the members of the Fraternity , I quote thc following passage from one of the best authorities we have on English Masonic history—Bro . Hughan , of Truro . In his " Memoirs of th ' e Masonic

Union , " page 4 , he says : " The precise origin of the secession of 1730-52 has not yet been exactly ascertained , but we may safely assume that the disagreement which arose was mainly fostered by the Operatives , in whose practical minds the institution of the Society of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons on a Cosmopolitan basis was

evidently regarded as directly opposed to their ancient customs and privileges . 1 he struggle for supremacy commenced in earnest on thc festival of St . John the Baptist , 1723 , when the election of the learned natutal philosopher , Dr . Desaguliers , as Deputy Grand Master , met with opposition , forty-two adverse votes being registered out of a total

of eighty-five . In 1730 ( 15 th Sept . ) Anthony Sayer , the Premier Grand Master , was publicly admonished , and well nigh expelled , for taking part in illegal assemblies of dissatisfied Masons , who were seeking to undermine the authority of the Society they and others had so recently constituted . "

" In 1739 ( June 30 ) complaint was exhibited against certain brethren suspected of being concerned in an irregular making of Masons " ( Northouck's Constitutions , ~ p . 239 ) . "At the next meeting of thc Grand Lodge ( Dec . 12 ) these transgressors were pardoned , upon submission , and promise of future good behaviour , & c . " ( Northoucl * , p . 235 )) .

" Some disagreeable altercations arose in the Society about this period" ( 1739 ) ( Preston's Illustrations , 1 S 12 , P- * " 4 >) - In further evidence of my assertion that " dissatisfaction existed among some of the brethren , " soon after the publication of Anderson's Constitutions , and that it grew and

became formidable , finally culminating in the organisation of a rival Grand Lodge in 1753 , see Gould ' s " Four Old Lodges , " pp . 33-35-On the 29 th of September , 1 7 , ' * " The members of the Grand Lodge finding fault with all the copies of the Old Gothic Constitutions , Bro . lames Anderson , A . M ., v . 'as

ordered to digest them in a new and better method . Ihe resultof his labour did not appear in print until 1723 . Now mark ! Within four months after this action by-Grand Lodge , thc following important Masonic pamphlet appeared in print : " The Old Constitutions belonging to the Ancient and

Honourable Society of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons . Taken from a manuscript wrote above five hundred years since . London : printr-d and sold by J . Roberts , in Wanvicltlane , 1722 , Svo ., pp . 26 . " This was the first exclusively Masonic book ever printed . 1 assume , as a part of my " theory , " that the printing

of this book was instigated by the "dissatisfied brethren , " and its publication was precipitated in order to anticipate Anderson's projected " digested edition , " which it did by at least one year . Certainly there were some Masons who still adhered to these Old Constitutions , as several editions of them

appeared within a few years . One , London , 1729 , an exact fac-simile of an original old manuscript , engraved and printed from copperplates throughout . A second edition of this , London , 1731 . Another edition appeared under the following title : "Thc Beginning and First Foundation of the most worthy Craft of Masonry , with

thc Charges thereunto belonging . London , 1739 , 4 ( 0 pp . 20 . " Another , London , Benjamin Cole , 1751 , 81 / 0 , pp . 78 . It is said that these Constitutions only related to the Operative Masons . Still they were the only ones known in any Masonry prior to Anderson ' s . And it is no longer a mooted question that there were Speculative or

Philosophic Masons long anterior to his time . Take from Anderton ' s "History of Constitutions and Charges " the part that relates to Operative Masonry , and we should have little more than the cover of it left . I claim that thc whole system of Freemasonry was changed in both doctrine and government about the time "Anderson's Constitutions" were compiled . It may be

that Anderson only did lus work to order . lhat , however , does not affect my position at all . A change , very radical in its character , was made ; it matters not by whom this was done , whether by Anderson or the Grand Lodge ; undoubtedly they acted in harmony . Now , Mr . Editor , will you , or some of the " English Masonic Students , " whom you think " will not endorse in any

Original Correspondence.

measure my statements , please inform me where I can find in print or manuscript any Masonic Charges or Constitutions of a date prior to 1721 , in which the article " Concerning God and Religion" is like that in Anderson's book ?

We have said eve do not believe that the Knglish Order of Masonic Knights Templar had its origin in France , or that the Chevalier Ramsay had anything to do with the formulating of the Templar ceremonial . Does any English Templar , with a knowledge of the lemplar ceremonial of initiation in vogue eighty years

ago , and long before , believe that any one but an English Mason , and most likely an Operative one at that , would ever have thought of introducing any part of " Bunyan's Pilgrim ' s Progress" into a Masonic degree ? Yet it is a fact thai the journcyings , trials , and vicissitudes of Bunyan ' s Pilgrim , weighed down with a great mountain of sin on his weary back , was the principal dramatic feature of

the grade in early Masonic Templary . That ceremonial is enough of itself to fix the English origin of the grade in my mind . That pious Pilgrim , freed from his great load of sin at the foot ofthe cross , was no Frenchman ; beyond a doubt he never crossed thc English Channel . I am not advocating , nor am I in favour of any change in the present cosmopolitan character of our Alasonic institution . 1 would not have this even if I mold .

I am also opposed to any change in the purely Christian character of our present Masonic Templar system . I am somewhat of a student of the histoty and philosophy of Freemasonry in all its branches , both Ancient and Modern . This has led me to investigate as to when , where , and why it was that the English Templar svstem , with its most

unequivocal Christian teachings and ceremonials , became so closely connected with Symbolic Freemasonry ; an institution equally renowned for its latitudinarianism in religious creed . I have long had my own " theory " in explanation of this obscure chapter in 'Templar anel Alasonic history . I gave it to the world in mv report . Only this :

Of this effort my distinguished and well-informed Bro . McLeod Moore was pleased to say , " This view of Bro Carson ' s ' of its introduction into Masonry appears to be the most reasonable theory yet advanced , showing why the Templar Order was added to Universal Freemssonry ( which otherwise appears an ananioly ) , and has much to

recommend it to the candid Masonic student , unless he is one of those iconoclastic spirits who would snatch away the head of imagination and not even substitute a stone . " Will some English Masonic student favour us with a more reasonable one , fortified with as many corroborative historic facts?—Respectfully and fraternally yours , 1 Cincinnati , March 13 , 1 SS 2 . E . T . CARSON .

Reviews.

REVIEWS .

ADDRESS by CORNI * LILS WAI . IOKD , First President of the Shorthand Society . Delivered November 1 st , 1 SS 1 . Privately printed . Will it surprise our readers to be told that shorthand or in its scientific and learned name " stenography , " is a very ancient system ? Air . Walford , in his interesting address , says it may be that the claims of the Tironian notes carry the discovery back to the time of Cicero , eleventh century ,

B . C ., an epoch of great intellectual advancement . It is just possible , we venture to . think , that its career is of earlier existence , and may be traced to Oriental sources . Be this as it may , Timothy Bright , in 15 SS , published a system , and termed it " Characterie ; an art of short , swift , and secret writing by character , " and dedicated his work to Queen Elizabeth . It contained a table of 500 characteristical words , to be got by heart . This work , the

earliest so ( ar discovered , is not , as Mr . Walford takes care to point out , recorded with certainty as the firit English system known . In 1 O 02 , it seems , Willis published "Stenographic , " fith edition 1620 ; ioth , 1 O 2 S ; and in 1 S 1 S , Folkingbam published "Bracbiograpliy , " post writ . In 1651 appeared the first French book on stenography , Mr . Walford tells us , by Jacques Cossand , and the earliest German work is supposed to be "Trilhemis ' s Stenographia , " Darmstadt .

1 O 21 . Jeremiah Kichs system , published in 1654 , was said by ' the famous Locke to be the best contrived he had ever seen ; and Mr . Bailey informs Mr . Walford that his collection consists of over 700 volumes relating to shorthand , of which 3 ( 10 are by English authors , 70 by French , 50 by German , and 30 miscellaneous , —in all , 710 . Of the value of shorthand we all have daily experience in those wonderful reports which attest so markedly the

skill , fidelity , and carefulness of the reporters , to whom public men owe a great debt of gratitude for the good sense with . which they endow their remarks , and the nonsense they often as happily suppress or ingeniously trim . Mr . Walford , in a concluding and characteristic passage , remarks , " It may be expected that I shall not conclude without saying one wore ! about the growing rumour concerning reporting by machinery . We now constantly read of delicately constructed machines , embodying ail

the latest improvements of the telephone , the audiphone , or some " other ' phone , ' which is to be set going by the voice of" flic orator , and which is to place on faithful record all that he says on any given occasion . I do not believe that such a contrivance will ever be perfected , and if it were , a deadly feud would soon be established between its patentee or employer , anel all who become its victims .

There would be one real advantage in the invention , —a negative one , —all public speakers would thereby know the full measure of their indebtedness to Parliamentary and other public reporters . After its performances every reporter would become a hero ; the true nature of his labours and services being for the first time fully recognized . " Pitman ' s skilful system seems to be the foundation of modern stenography .