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Article AMERICAN AND BRITISH MASONRY. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 2 Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 2 Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
American And British Masonry.
brotherly love takes the place of orthodoxy , and where systems of interpretation yield to the allpervading influences of charity . There , the Christian—in every phase of that comprehensive titlethe Jew , the Mussulman , the Hindu , and the
Parsee may all kneel around that altar of tolerance , and forgetful , for a time at least , of that difference of opinion on points in which that difference is sometimes deemed of vital importance , may unite in the friendly grasp that recognises their union in
the one brotherhood of man . I thank God that one spot , consecrated to the blessed spirit of toleration , is to be found on this earth , so full elsewhere of angry strife ; and I thank God that that spot is a Masonic lodge . "
Bear witness also Bro . B . P . Poore s graceful allusions to Webster ' s famous description of England : — " 'A Power which has dotted over the surface of the whole globe with her possessions and military
posts , whose morning drum-beat , following the sun , and keeping company with the hours , circles the earth in one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs ofEngland . ' Let each of us , who boast that ' Chatham ' s language is his mother tongue ,
also remember that while sending to these colonies civil liberty , constitutional law , and liberal education , Great Britain has also established here Masonic lodges , where the Craftsmen were taught to labour , and none went away dissatisfied . It was
in these Colonial lodges that Washington and Warren , and the other great lights of our order on this Continent , were brought from darkness into Masonic light , and , through them , we proudly claim descent from our Alma Mater , the Grand
Lodge of Great Britain . May that Grand Lodge ever remember thc lodges of the United States , when , like the Roman matron , she counts her jewels with
maternal pride ; and may we , whether of the York Rite or the Scottish Rite , transpose the words of Horace , and exclaim , 0 filias pnlchra , mater pnlchrior . ' "
But our space will not permit us to extend our observations upon this interesting subject . We feel satisfied , however , that the English Craft will treasure within its heart of hearts the many kind and
beautiful expressions of fraternity and fellowship on the part of our American brethren which we have now placed on record . May the union of the two nations be perpetual ;
may their march be ever in the van of progress and civilization , their victories those of peace , their rivalry but a friendly emulation in the arts that tend to increase the
comfort and happiness of the human race . That our ancient science of Freemasonry can contribute to so blissful a result none but the veriest sceptic can doubt , and that it will may bc fairly predicted from the cordial relations which are now established between British and American Craftsmen .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
COWAN . In his note on " cowan , " Bro . William James Hughan has , in reply to the query of Bro . William Carpenter , adduced from my published notes on ihe subject , evidence of the early use of the word coioan or cattail . He might also
from the same source have given a further quotation in regard to its Masonic import . In reiterating in 1707 its ordinance against the employment of cowans , the Lodge of Kilwinning describes a cowan to be a mason " without the word "—an uninitiated person , an outsider . And
in this sense the term was retained by the same lodge on relinquishing its connection with operative Masonry . In thc ritual which has been in use in Scotch lodges of speculative Masons beyond thc
memory of any now living , we have the term " cowans ami eavesdroppers . " Cowans here means uninitiated persons , who might attempt to gain admission " without the word ; " eavesdroppers signifies listeners outside the lodge .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Cowan is a purely Scotch phrase , and was peculiar to operative masons in the olden time as indicating irregular craftsman who executed certain branches of mason and bright work . Such persons were , under restrictions , admitted
to membership in some masonic incorporations , but their reception in lodges was strictly prohibited . Besides , as is shown by the records of the Lodge of Haddington ( 1697 ) , now before me , apprentices indentured to lodges were taken
bound " not to work with , nor in company , nor fellowship of any cowan at any maner of building nor mason work . " The earliest minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mary ' s Chapel ) , July , 1599 , records its deliverance on a breach of the statute prohibiting the employment of
cowans . Nothing can , we fear , be said with certainty as to the etymology of cowan . Some Masonic students assign to it a Greek origin—from KVIOV , a dog . It is worthy of notice that cu is also the
Gaelic word for dog . May the term , as one of contempt towards craftsmen " without the word , " not have been derived from the Celtic word ^« . And may it not be in this sense that we find it employed in " Rob Roy " by the great novelist ,
who , in the dispute between the Bailie and Major Galbraith in the public-house in the clachan of Aberfoyle , makes the Highlander , whose broad-sword had in a previous brawl the same night been opposed by the Bailie's "
redhet culter , " speak thus superciliously of the Duke of Argyle : " She'll speak her mind and fear naebody ; she doesna value a Cawmil mair as a cowan , and ye may tell MacCallum More that Allan Inverach said sae . " " Rob Roy" was
written in 1817 . Sir Walter Scott was made in 1801 , and to his acquaintance with Masonic technicalities his use of cowan as a term of contempt may be ascribed . D . MURRAY LYON .
I , to a certain extent , agree with our worthy brother who asks for information respecting the word " Cowan . " It is a corruption ( doubtless ) of the Greek , and if so may be very ancient . aKovio I listen , past participle aKovwv , would
signify a " listening person , " in a good sense , a " disciple ; " in a bad sense , an " eavesdropper . " Kvojf , a dog , is also doubtless from the same root , in the sense of one who listens—as dogs do . The two ideas combined would probably
give the true meaning . Now , stray dogs were not in better odour in ancient times than the present , when every policeman is bound to apprehend them ; and formerly , in Greece , they were not allowed to
enter the interior of the temples , although kept outside to guard them . Amongst the Jews " cowans , " or dogs , were no doubt scavengers , as now at Constantinople . As we see by the passage in Kings , " In the
place where the dogs licked the blood of———shall the dogs lick thy blood—even thine . " Of course they were looked on as unclean ghouls . At Rome , on a certain day each year , it was usual to hunt out and kill them , in memory of
the time when the geese by cackling saved the Capitol from the Gauls whilst the dogs were silent . St . Paul also uses the words in a bad or Masonic sense , " Beware of dogs , " " cowans , " beware of sorcerers—beware of the concision .
The philosophical sect , the " Cynics , " were so-called from the Greek word dog ( cowan ) , and gives the idea of one carping , sneering , snarling at their secrets , manner , and arts . It is in this sense Lucian , in the 7 th " Dialogue of the Dead , " applies the word when he makes
the Cynic philosopher , Menippus , claim kindred with Cerberus— KVWI * KO . 1 avrojj * tav , " Being myself also a clog ( cowan ) , tell me , Cerberus , how Socrates looked when , on coming down here , he first set eyes upon you ? " His other dialogues give full proof how much a cynic was dreaded .
Taking , therefore , its comprehensive meaning in the bad sense , " cowan" would signify a sneaking , shameless , mocking , or railing eavesdropper , and such signification the Masonic context bears . For one may imagine that even a philosopher , if he claimed kindred with his infernal dogship , would not be a welcome visitor
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
peeping through the crannies of a Masonic lodge . In the Welch , ami signifies dyg ; in the Armoricon , or Brittany dialect of Welsh , it is cuen , pronounced " chouan , " hence the
" chouans of General De la Charette ; so that " cowan "is evidently a word well known and well used both in ancient and modern times . We must be careful , however , in applying theory to Freemasonry , as much of what seems
ancient may possibly be modern , and the philological student may at any moment be encountered by an elderly " Edie Ochiltree " with an exclamation of "I mind the bigging of it . "
My son ( not a Mason ) suggests to me that it is very likely of Saxon origin—thus , " cowing , " present participle of the verb " cow , " to frighten , to depress with fear ; hence
cowingones ( by the slurred pronunciation of which Dr . Angus gives examples ) would become " cowans , " that is , " frighteners . " W . VINER BEDOLFE , M . D ..
TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR ( p . 425 ) . On the first column of page 425 , and 13 th line from bottom , the word "recently" should have been left out . ST . DAVID ' , NO . 36 .
SIR WALTER SCOTT AND FREEMASONRY . On the occasion ofthe approaching centenary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott , many Freemasons , both in this country and America , have been led to inquire if he was connected with the
Masonic Order ? It is pleasant to be able to inform these brethren that he was a Free and Accepted Mason . Sir Walter Scott was born at Edinburgh on the 15 th August , 1771 . The house in which he
was born stood in North College-street , opposite to the north side of the College or University of Edinburgh , and the room in which his birth took place was in the back of the house , not many yards—the writer of this notice may be excused
from mentioning—from the spot of his own birth . That part of Edinburgh was then the habitation of many of the aristocracy , although now entirely deserted by them . The house in which the great poet and novelist was born has
recently been demolished , in order to the widening of the street , which is now to receive the name of Chambers-street , in honour of William Chambers , Esq ., of Glenormiston , late Lord Provost of Edinburgh , and the senior partner of
the eminent firm of W . and R . Chambers , publishers . Sir Walter Scott—then Mr . Scott—was made a Mason in the Lodge St . David , Edinburgh , No . 3 6 , holding of thc Grand Lodge of Scotland .
This lodge held its meetings in Hyndford ' s Close , a narrow lane on the south side of the High-street , in a hall which then belonged to it . This hall is on the first landing of a turnpike stair , the entrance to which is the first door on
tlie right hand from the entrance of the close . It is now used for meetings of various kinds , the lodge having provided for itself a better place of meeting elsewhere . Sir Walter Scott does not seem to have at any
time taken much interest in Freemasonry ; but it is known that he visited the ancient Lodge of St . John , Melrose ( residing many years only a few miles from it ) , a lodge which asserts its claims to be regarded as the most ancient in
Scotland—even more ancient than the Kilwinning Lodge , from which many Scottish lodges are proud to have "derived their original charters , and the name of which they have incorporated in their own . The Lodge St . John , Melrose ,
has never submitted to the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland ; but has always maintained its independence , although working the same system of Freemasonry . CHALMERS I . PATON .
THE VESICA PISCIS . At page 249 we read : — " Another form of the feminine principle is the Vesica so
prevalent in church architecture , alluded to in Solomon ' s song , where he says , " O , my dove , thou art m the cleft of the rock" Now , it appears to me that the above is a mistake , for thc allusion
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
American And British Masonry.
brotherly love takes the place of orthodoxy , and where systems of interpretation yield to the allpervading influences of charity . There , the Christian—in every phase of that comprehensive titlethe Jew , the Mussulman , the Hindu , and the
Parsee may all kneel around that altar of tolerance , and forgetful , for a time at least , of that difference of opinion on points in which that difference is sometimes deemed of vital importance , may unite in the friendly grasp that recognises their union in
the one brotherhood of man . I thank God that one spot , consecrated to the blessed spirit of toleration , is to be found on this earth , so full elsewhere of angry strife ; and I thank God that that spot is a Masonic lodge . "
Bear witness also Bro . B . P . Poore s graceful allusions to Webster ' s famous description of England : — " 'A Power which has dotted over the surface of the whole globe with her possessions and military
posts , whose morning drum-beat , following the sun , and keeping company with the hours , circles the earth in one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs ofEngland . ' Let each of us , who boast that ' Chatham ' s language is his mother tongue ,
also remember that while sending to these colonies civil liberty , constitutional law , and liberal education , Great Britain has also established here Masonic lodges , where the Craftsmen were taught to labour , and none went away dissatisfied . It was
in these Colonial lodges that Washington and Warren , and the other great lights of our order on this Continent , were brought from darkness into Masonic light , and , through them , we proudly claim descent from our Alma Mater , the Grand
Lodge of Great Britain . May that Grand Lodge ever remember thc lodges of the United States , when , like the Roman matron , she counts her jewels with
maternal pride ; and may we , whether of the York Rite or the Scottish Rite , transpose the words of Horace , and exclaim , 0 filias pnlchra , mater pnlchrior . ' "
But our space will not permit us to extend our observations upon this interesting subject . We feel satisfied , however , that the English Craft will treasure within its heart of hearts the many kind and
beautiful expressions of fraternity and fellowship on the part of our American brethren which we have now placed on record . May the union of the two nations be perpetual ;
may their march be ever in the van of progress and civilization , their victories those of peace , their rivalry but a friendly emulation in the arts that tend to increase the
comfort and happiness of the human race . That our ancient science of Freemasonry can contribute to so blissful a result none but the veriest sceptic can doubt , and that it will may bc fairly predicted from the cordial relations which are now established between British and American Craftsmen .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
COWAN . In his note on " cowan , " Bro . William James Hughan has , in reply to the query of Bro . William Carpenter , adduced from my published notes on ihe subject , evidence of the early use of the word coioan or cattail . He might also
from the same source have given a further quotation in regard to its Masonic import . In reiterating in 1707 its ordinance against the employment of cowans , the Lodge of Kilwinning describes a cowan to be a mason " without the word "—an uninitiated person , an outsider . And
in this sense the term was retained by the same lodge on relinquishing its connection with operative Masonry . In thc ritual which has been in use in Scotch lodges of speculative Masons beyond thc
memory of any now living , we have the term " cowans ami eavesdroppers . " Cowans here means uninitiated persons , who might attempt to gain admission " without the word ; " eavesdroppers signifies listeners outside the lodge .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Cowan is a purely Scotch phrase , and was peculiar to operative masons in the olden time as indicating irregular craftsman who executed certain branches of mason and bright work . Such persons were , under restrictions , admitted
to membership in some masonic incorporations , but their reception in lodges was strictly prohibited . Besides , as is shown by the records of the Lodge of Haddington ( 1697 ) , now before me , apprentices indentured to lodges were taken
bound " not to work with , nor in company , nor fellowship of any cowan at any maner of building nor mason work . " The earliest minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mary ' s Chapel ) , July , 1599 , records its deliverance on a breach of the statute prohibiting the employment of
cowans . Nothing can , we fear , be said with certainty as to the etymology of cowan . Some Masonic students assign to it a Greek origin—from KVIOV , a dog . It is worthy of notice that cu is also the
Gaelic word for dog . May the term , as one of contempt towards craftsmen " without the word , " not have been derived from the Celtic word ^« . And may it not be in this sense that we find it employed in " Rob Roy " by the great novelist ,
who , in the dispute between the Bailie and Major Galbraith in the public-house in the clachan of Aberfoyle , makes the Highlander , whose broad-sword had in a previous brawl the same night been opposed by the Bailie's "
redhet culter , " speak thus superciliously of the Duke of Argyle : " She'll speak her mind and fear naebody ; she doesna value a Cawmil mair as a cowan , and ye may tell MacCallum More that Allan Inverach said sae . " " Rob Roy" was
written in 1817 . Sir Walter Scott was made in 1801 , and to his acquaintance with Masonic technicalities his use of cowan as a term of contempt may be ascribed . D . MURRAY LYON .
I , to a certain extent , agree with our worthy brother who asks for information respecting the word " Cowan . " It is a corruption ( doubtless ) of the Greek , and if so may be very ancient . aKovio I listen , past participle aKovwv , would
signify a " listening person , " in a good sense , a " disciple ; " in a bad sense , an " eavesdropper . " Kvojf , a dog , is also doubtless from the same root , in the sense of one who listens—as dogs do . The two ideas combined would probably
give the true meaning . Now , stray dogs were not in better odour in ancient times than the present , when every policeman is bound to apprehend them ; and formerly , in Greece , they were not allowed to
enter the interior of the temples , although kept outside to guard them . Amongst the Jews " cowans , " or dogs , were no doubt scavengers , as now at Constantinople . As we see by the passage in Kings , " In the
place where the dogs licked the blood of———shall the dogs lick thy blood—even thine . " Of course they were looked on as unclean ghouls . At Rome , on a certain day each year , it was usual to hunt out and kill them , in memory of
the time when the geese by cackling saved the Capitol from the Gauls whilst the dogs were silent . St . Paul also uses the words in a bad or Masonic sense , " Beware of dogs , " " cowans , " beware of sorcerers—beware of the concision .
The philosophical sect , the " Cynics , " were so-called from the Greek word dog ( cowan ) , and gives the idea of one carping , sneering , snarling at their secrets , manner , and arts . It is in this sense Lucian , in the 7 th " Dialogue of the Dead , " applies the word when he makes
the Cynic philosopher , Menippus , claim kindred with Cerberus— KVWI * KO . 1 avrojj * tav , " Being myself also a clog ( cowan ) , tell me , Cerberus , how Socrates looked when , on coming down here , he first set eyes upon you ? " His other dialogues give full proof how much a cynic was dreaded .
Taking , therefore , its comprehensive meaning in the bad sense , " cowan" would signify a sneaking , shameless , mocking , or railing eavesdropper , and such signification the Masonic context bears . For one may imagine that even a philosopher , if he claimed kindred with his infernal dogship , would not be a welcome visitor
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
peeping through the crannies of a Masonic lodge . In the Welch , ami signifies dyg ; in the Armoricon , or Brittany dialect of Welsh , it is cuen , pronounced " chouan , " hence the
" chouans of General De la Charette ; so that " cowan "is evidently a word well known and well used both in ancient and modern times . We must be careful , however , in applying theory to Freemasonry , as much of what seems
ancient may possibly be modern , and the philological student may at any moment be encountered by an elderly " Edie Ochiltree " with an exclamation of "I mind the bigging of it . "
My son ( not a Mason ) suggests to me that it is very likely of Saxon origin—thus , " cowing , " present participle of the verb " cow , " to frighten , to depress with fear ; hence
cowingones ( by the slurred pronunciation of which Dr . Angus gives examples ) would become " cowans , " that is , " frighteners . " W . VINER BEDOLFE , M . D ..
TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR ( p . 425 ) . On the first column of page 425 , and 13 th line from bottom , the word "recently" should have been left out . ST . DAVID ' , NO . 36 .
SIR WALTER SCOTT AND FREEMASONRY . On the occasion ofthe approaching centenary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott , many Freemasons , both in this country and America , have been led to inquire if he was connected with the
Masonic Order ? It is pleasant to be able to inform these brethren that he was a Free and Accepted Mason . Sir Walter Scott was born at Edinburgh on the 15 th August , 1771 . The house in which he
was born stood in North College-street , opposite to the north side of the College or University of Edinburgh , and the room in which his birth took place was in the back of the house , not many yards—the writer of this notice may be excused
from mentioning—from the spot of his own birth . That part of Edinburgh was then the habitation of many of the aristocracy , although now entirely deserted by them . The house in which the great poet and novelist was born has
recently been demolished , in order to the widening of the street , which is now to receive the name of Chambers-street , in honour of William Chambers , Esq ., of Glenormiston , late Lord Provost of Edinburgh , and the senior partner of
the eminent firm of W . and R . Chambers , publishers . Sir Walter Scott—then Mr . Scott—was made a Mason in the Lodge St . David , Edinburgh , No . 3 6 , holding of thc Grand Lodge of Scotland .
This lodge held its meetings in Hyndford ' s Close , a narrow lane on the south side of the High-street , in a hall which then belonged to it . This hall is on the first landing of a turnpike stair , the entrance to which is the first door on
tlie right hand from the entrance of the close . It is now used for meetings of various kinds , the lodge having provided for itself a better place of meeting elsewhere . Sir Walter Scott does not seem to have at any
time taken much interest in Freemasonry ; but it is known that he visited the ancient Lodge of St . John , Melrose ( residing many years only a few miles from it ) , a lodge which asserts its claims to be regarded as the most ancient in
Scotland—even more ancient than the Kilwinning Lodge , from which many Scottish lodges are proud to have "derived their original charters , and the name of which they have incorporated in their own . The Lodge St . John , Melrose ,
has never submitted to the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland ; but has always maintained its independence , although working the same system of Freemasonry . CHALMERS I . PATON .
THE VESICA PISCIS . At page 249 we read : — " Another form of the feminine principle is the Vesica so
prevalent in church architecture , alluded to in Solomon ' s song , where he says , " O , my dove , thou art m the cleft of the rock" Now , it appears to me that the above is a mistake , for thc allusion