Masonic Order Of Mizraim.

p leted the documents belonging to the four series of our antique and sublime Order . I have worked in each degree , and , above all , have given , in the name of the Order , light to a great number of neophytes . I have constituted lodges of all the degrees in many valleys ; have had

the happiness of being preserved by the Almighty in many perils during the campaigns of the French army . After having the sweet satisfaction of returning again to our beautiful landafter having reunited the children of Mizraim -which were found in the great valley of

Parisinitiated in our Order the most renowned Masons , possessed the highest degrees of other rites , and occupied a distinguished rank in the Government of all , founded and constitued the governing body of our Order for France , and raised in the French provinces new Mizraimite

temples to work for the glory of God , the prosperity of our Order , and the general good of humanity . After having struggled during fifteen years against the antagonists of Mizraim ; having driven back from the entrance to our temples all innovations and innovators , coming out

victorious from the badly founded attacks directed in an underhand manner against us , and seen with joy that all the enlightened Masons of other rites have , in every case that they have known the truth , fully appreciated our conduct . But after long meditation , we have compiled matter connected with the Order of Mizraim

which will confound our enemies , and confute the fables they have invented about our Order . We are now about to produce an history of our Order , which for many years we intended to publish , but were prevented by the numerous tribulations to which we have been exposed .

Thanks to the Eternal , who , from the height of His Throne , has deigned to cast a benevolent eye upon us , and to remove the obstacles which opposed our design , after four years of persevering efforts we have finished this scientific history—a history that proves at once the

antiquity of our Order , and confounds those who , in the falsehoods they have written , have given us the honour of being its inventor ; indeed , this would be a great glory to us if they told truly , for the fact would immortalise our name . But enlightened Masons know that this

sublime institution is not the work of men ; that our sublime mysteries have been venerated in all ages and in all countries ; and do not our detractors proclaim most highly our antiquity , seeing that they could not pronounce a discourse in their lodges without admitting that Masonry is derived from Isis and Osesis , nor

without praising our ancient patriarchs , such as Minis , Moses , Orphus , Homer , Solon , Thalis , Pythagoras , and many other sages . These they cite as very enlightened Masons . They carefully refrain from teaching to their disciples that all these philosophers were Mizraimites , and that the great Minis , Osesis , Seraphis , or Adonis are no other than the Great Mizraim . This silence

on their part , and their false and sharp criticism against our Order , have been a double motive to cause us to give our time to this work , for which we can say , without vanity , that all the Masonic writings which have appeared down to this time are not able to compare with its

patnarchial language , the purity of its style , and the noble thoughts which they contain , developed with as much care as clearness , recommend it to thc initiated of all degrees , and of every rite , but more especially to tlie lecturer , who can draw from each page subjects to

improve and enlighten tire young workman—yes , to enlighten for Masonry , which some say is derived from Solomon ' s Temple , others irom thc time of the Crusaders , and others from tbe English .

Unhappily , this beautiful and sublime institution has found in every age enemies who wished to stifle the light of truth , and have sought , but , happily , ever in vain , to fetter her march , as will be seen in the course of this work . On the

announcement that we were about to publish what we had seen and learned , our patriarchs in every country grew alarmed and set up the following cry ... " God Almighty ! are our Masonic secrets about to be revealed—the secrets of an

Masonic Order Of Mizraim.

institution which Thou has created , and which has been worked for untold ages under the sublime name of Mizraim ; has been hidden for all that time from - the eyes of the profane , although her sacred mysteries were professed by different denominations . Ah ! why , tell us ,

Great God , is it that the Order of Mizraim which joins antiquity to science , and science to antiquity , prove in this age subject to the same fate as other institutions , and be exposed to the profane ?" Have no such fear wise and provident

patriarchs > Be not alarmed , dignified brethren , be not alarmed ! None of our mysteries will be divulged . As you have made us swear so will we be bound by our oath ; and you will never have to reproach us with the least indiscretion as regards the secrets of our Order .

The work which we publish is not of a nature to inspire the initiated with fear , or to bring a blush on the cheek of a Mason ; on tbe contrary , it gives to it a new lustre by the beautiful things which are there reported and the holy morals which flow from them .

This work is divided into forty stations , forming two volumes . AVe there learn the time and date of the creation of our Order ; the name of the region where it was established by our ancient patriarchs ; an abridgment of their history , as well as the beautiful Masonic acts of

the Sovereign Princes , Great Captains , Philosophers , and other notable personages who have appeared from generation to generation ; the persecution to which many of those patriarchs have been exposed ; and the manner in which

they have fed the sacred fire ; for it is to their zeal , firmness and perseverance that we owe the happiness of possessing in its primitive purity this Order , which has existed 5848 years . —Communicated .

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Hit Editor Is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents .

THE ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE TESTIMONIAL .

( To thc Editor of Thc Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It gave me very great pleasure when I saw announced in last week ' s FREEMASON that it is intended to present Bro . Robert Wentworth Little , P . M ., P . Z ., etc ., with a testimonial . Our worthy Bro . Little has endeared

himself to hundreds of Freemasons through his kind and courteous behaviour to all with whom he may come in contact . His knowledge of the ceremonies of the Craft , Arch , Mark , and the higher degrees is marvellous ; he never appears lost for a word , and die most charming trait in his character

is , that he communicates his knowledge freely to any brother who may ask him for it , in an unpretentious manner , without allowing him to feel for a moment by any remark or gesture that he is inferior in Masonic knowledge—a line of conduct which thoroughly distinguishes the educated man

and gentleman . I am sure that there arc hundreds of Freemasons who esteem Bro . R . AV . Little quite as much as I do , and that they will come forward with their subscriptions freely , so as to make this testimonial a substantial one . I hope that the W . Master of every lodge who knowr Bro . Little wil ]

bring it before his lodge , and get a list of subscriptions to assist in thc presentation . In conclusion , allow mc to state what the brethren of thc Whitt ' mgton Lodge did last night towards thc testimonial . I proposed that five guineas should be voted from thc lodge funds , which was carried unanimously

and by acclamation ; and although we had only about twenty-two or twenty-four brethren present ( the Whittington not being a large lodge ) about £ 12 or £ . were collected , making a total of about £ iS . 1 cannot give thc exact amount at thc present

moment , as I have not the list by me ; but it will be duly handed over to thc Treasurer , Bro . John Hervey , G . S . Trusting that my brethren in Freemasonry will heartily support this testimonial , Believe me , yours fraternally ,

JAMES WEAVER , P . M . 862 , S . D . 1319 , etc , etc . January 17 th , 1871 .

A COWAN . ( To the Editor of the Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Will you permit me toask Bro . Hughan or any other learned Mason for the origin and meaning of the word COWAN ? Dr .

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Mackey and Dr . Oliver alike find its origin in the Greek word cuon , a dog . The former says this word was , in the early church , applied to infidels and unbaptised , or those not initiated into the Christian mysteries ; ancl the word being borrowed by the Freemasons , was , in time , corrupted into

co-wan . To support this derivation of the word , Dr . Oliver quotes from the Apocalypse : " Without are dogs , " cuncs ; and from S . Paul , who exhorts his fellow-Christians to "beware of dogs . " I confess that neither of these derivations of the word satisfy me ; firstly , because I have no evidence that

the primitive Christians call all unbaptised persons " dogs " ; and , secondly , because I think the passages referred to by Dr . Oliver will not bear the interpretation he puts upon them . "Dogs , " in these passages , mean , as I think , not unbaptised persons , but something more than that . In S . Paul ,

our translator omits the article . S . Paul speaks not of" dogs , " but ofthe dogs , " whom he classes with the " evil-workers " ; they , therefore , were men who were emphatically " dogs "—animals which were held in abomination by the Jews , as they are by the Mahometans ; as lascivious , impure , greedy ,

and filthy . They were men who pretended to be teachers of religion , but who were profane and sensual in their lives , and were classed , therefore , with the " evil-workers . " So also in the Apocalypse , they are classed with the worst conceivable characters— " the sorcerers , the whoremongers ,

the murderers , and they who love and make lies . " Thirdly , I think the classing together of" cowans " and "intruders , " by the compilers of our ritual , show that they had an eye to those description of persons . Now , corrupt and depraved persons would not certainly be known as such upon sight , and the

obligation of keeping them off could not , therefore , be laid as an obligation on the Tyler . Besides , if they sought to make their way into the lodge , they would be " intruders , " no less than other uninitiated persons ; so that the Tyler would be charged to keep off all intruders . I look , therefore , for some

other derivation or meaning ofthe word "cowan " than that generally accepted . Can it be found in the Anglo-Saxon word cort / eu , which signifies a herd , as of kine , but which we use metaphorically to denote as a company of thoughtless people , or a rabble ? In this sense , it would be the duty of the Tyler to keep off all idle or thoughtless men who

might accidently , or without any special object , be inconveniently near ; and also intruders , who sought to make their way into the lodge out of mere curiosity or for purposes of mischief . This is a crude idea , merely thrown out to elicit information from those who are our teachers in the arena of Masonry . Yours fraternally , WILLIAM CARPENTER .

A Masonic Tour.

A MASONIC TOUR .

[ FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT . ] Washington , U . S ., Dec 20 , 1870 . Having a little spare time I write you , as promised , a short outline of my tour in America , my visits to Masonic lodges and temples , and Masonic experience in general having , of course , the first

place throughout . Starting from London 19 th Oct ., 1870 , I reached Waterford and Limerick , Ireland , next day . Experienced very heavy weather crossing thc Irish Sea , the sad news of the wreck of the Cambria and the loss of 170 lives off thc coast a few days before

being the topic everywhere . Commencing my Masonic tour in Limerick , I visited the Masonic Halla large but plain building , thc property of thc Masons of thc city—wherein Lodges 13 , 73 and 333 , also a R . A . Chapter and a K . T . Encampment meet ; but unfortunately there was no meeting during my stay .

The Tyler , Bro . D . Dunlop , very kindly showed mc through thc building . The several lodge-rooms are well and tastefully furnished , No . 1 and K . T . room particularly so . Thc Hall stands on ground belonging to the W . Bro . the Earl of Limerick . Limerick is poor in trade and money —( I hope his

Grace will let the brethren off thc ground-rent o ; . seeing this)—but rich in old associations , and has some splendid ruins of castles , churches , & c . St . Mary ' s Cathedral ( A . D . 11 S 0 ) , the Castle , thc bridge over thc Shannon , and thc famous Treaty-Stone particularly merit passing notice .

At Cork we have Lodges 1 , 3 , 8 , ( 57 , 71 , and 95 , R . A . and K . T . Chapters , & c , & c . Cork boasts of the oldest ( first ) lodge in Ireland ; under one of whose warrants thc celebrated " lady Freemason , " thc Hon . Miss St . Ledger , was initiated . At Qtieenstown are Lodges 190 and 557 . Here ,

as at Limerick and Cork , there was no meeting , so I was contented in visiting the hall occupied by thc brethren of 190 . It is a quaint old house , but the room is well furnished . A naked arm with trowel in hand , over thc W . M . ' s chair , attracted my attention . Thc trowel is here , as in all places where the