Ar00600

NOTICE . The Subscription lo THE FREEMASON is now ios . per annum , post free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . Cd . Vol . IL , ditto 7 s . fid . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Vol . IV ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . ( id . United States of America . THE FREEMASON is delivered free in any part of tlie United States for 12 s . per annum , payable in advance .

Ar00604

NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS . The Office of Tun F REEMASON" is now transferred lo 19 8 , FLEET-STREET , R . C . All communications for the Editor or Publisher should therefore be forwarded lo that address .

Ar00605

Dirtljs , IttiUTtiigcs anb Dcatljs . MARRIAGE Mc KUNZIF . —AVHEN . —On the 17 th June inst ., at Syon . Pa 1 k Cott . ' . ge , Islnworth , by special licence , Bio Kenneth U . 11 . Mackenzie Esq ., ( Cryptonyinus ) , M . D ., I . L . D ., I ' . S . A ., P . Cos . S ., & C , to Miss Ale . xandrina May Alice Maud Ayden .

Ar00606

Insfoors to Corrcspon fronts . All communications for The I- ' rccm . ison should IK * written leiirhly nn one siik- of the paper only , ami , if intended I ' or insertion in I ! Kcurrent number , must he received not later than 10 o'clock a . m . on Thursdays , unless in very special cases . Thc name and address of every writer must he sent to us incoululencc .

P . M . —A Past Master is entitled to thc prefix oi "Worshipful , " and is always so described injlists of P . G . Officers to distinguish him from those who have not passed the chair , and who aie consequently styled "Brothers" only . It however seems unexpedient not to say , pedantic , to use the word "Woshipful" on every occasion when addressing , or alluding to , a Past Master . Thc following articles and communication :-, li . iu- lxen received , and will appear neNt week : — " Lesson and his Masonic Conversations "; Presentation to Bro . Woof , F . S . A . " -, Presentation to Bro . K . J . Oow , Mus . Bac . " Obituary : —Bro . Jesse Taylor . Ilepoit of Mark Lodge , Gtbralter . Letters from J . A . C ., 1013 ; and Sp * ns * r .

Ar00607

TlieFreemason, SATURDAY , J UNE II } JS / 2 .

The Freemason is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of the Freemason is Twopence per week ; annual Subscription , ios . fpayable in advance . ) AU communications , letters & £ . Io be addressed to tbe Editor , 19 8 , Fleet-street , K . C . The Fditorwill pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted tohim , hut cannot undertake to return them unlessaccmnpanied by postage -stamp- ; .

Masons' Marks.

MASONS' MARKS .

1 .-un induced to call the attention of yotii readers to the interesting subject of Alasons Alarks , which , though it has hitherto so far . to some extent , been overlooked , both by

Archreuiogi . ' -is arid L ' reeniaso ' . is , deserver * in truln the most careful study , and the musiaLlentiveconsideration . Not indeed that tlie matter is entirely new , or has altogether escaped tlie notice , nf architectural

i-tiidciils . Snell is not the case . Didron and Yiollet ie Due , Air . Ramee and Geo . Godwin , the Chevalier de Silva , and our lamented brother , E . W . Shaw , have all , at

different limes , attempted to elucidate this confessedly obscure anti difficult tjtiestion . But yet there has been so far , no regular or systematic treatment of the subject by any writer whatever , only , if I may so say , casual efforts anil

Masons' Marks.

partial attempts to illustrate what is so patent to all Archaeologists , and which yet hitherto has receiveel no complete or satisfactory explana tion .

I'or Alasons Alarks , be it remembered , are found at this very hour , on the most ancient ecclesiastical and other buildings , in all countries

of the known world , and no one , who is conversant with ecclesiastic architecture , or has patiently studied the buildings of antiquity , is , or can be ignorant of their existence .

In truth , whether it be in Egypt or the Holy Land , in Asia Minor or in India , in Mexico or Peru , in Germany or France , in Spain or Portugal , in England or Scotland , on Grecian temples ,

or on Roman walls , there are these Alarks still to be found , as clear ancl deep as when first engraved on the smooth ashlar by the cunning hand of the Craftsmen of other ages , having

outlived alike the effects of weather and the lapse of time . What then do these marks represent r They have surely bcen cut into that " speaking

stone " for some specific purpose ! Yet what is that purpose ? ls it for trade organization , or secret symbolism ?

To answer these questions rightly , constitutes the chief difficulty of the case , but as I believe that they in truth represent the continuation and preservation of the building solidalities of earlier

and later ages , and demonstrate unmistakeably tlie existence of the Alasonic Guilds , I have thought it well to call attention to our present state of information on the subject , which , though

it be , to some extent , limited and imperfect , may yet be naturally increased and advanced by fresh collection of the marks themselves , and additional contributions of facts and data .

1 would just add here , that I trust the clay is not far distant , when the collections and drawings of our lamented brother , E . W . Shaw , who for years , carefully and scientifically studied the

whole question of Alasons Alarks from a Alasonic point of view , and has made the largest collection of them in this or any other country , may be properly edited and submitted to the cognizance of the Craft .

It has frequentl y been asked of late years , how Alasons' Alarks arose , and what was their real meaning , what in truth they are intended to represent ? whether they are only arbitrary signs ,

simply chosen for the convenience of the workmen , or whether they are to be traced in any way to . some special form of alphabetical or symbolical arranwment , which was intended tc

represent both late outward tokens and tlie inner teaching of the Alasonic Guilds . Air . A fa ¦ ¦" ens said , some years ago , that he believed liie earliest form of . Masons' Alarks was

alp habetic : ; ! , and that some of the earliest marks he had : ¦'*;* :, represented the " earliest forms of the Cree :. alphabet . " It lias since been pointed out that the letters of

the Etruscan and the Coptic alpabets , and what are called " Runes , " or Runic letters , give ns marks which are still even used by operative

Aia . sons , and which were very largely used in other days . 1 believe it moreover to be perfectly true , that other ancient alphabets have furnished their contingent of Alasons' Alarks . If

Masons' Marks.

has however been said by a Portuguese writer , the Chevalier de Silva , that these marks are not Alasonic , had no Masonic meaning , and were made simply on account of the special customs

and convenience of the Operative Masons . He puts it in this way , " To enable the payments to be made to so large a number of workmen without mistake , to know exactly those

who had the various duties assigned to them , the workmen shaped their blocks one after another , and to avoid confusion in their -work ,

were in the habit of marking each block with a * given sign , as representing their signature , so as to show how much was due to them . The use

of these signs passed from father to son , and as it was usual for sons to follow the same profession as their fathers , hence the similarity of marks seen on buildings in the Provinces of

Portugal . We may learn that the stone cutters of a certain locality * took part in thc construction of other buildings in the same style in different places , and by the date of the construction we

may even find out where the workman was first employed . Our supposition of this point carries us still further , for it shows us how many workmen of

the same family have worked together on the same building at the same time . To finel out this , it is sufficient to observe the second mark added to the special sign used by

them , which will always be the same for the whole family . These marks were usually a zero ( Fig . 1 ) , a triangle ( Fig . _) , a disc ( Fig . 2 ) , or a small cross ( Fig . 4 ) .

lig . 8 . Fig . 9 . Fig . 10 . Fig . 11 . Fig . 12 . Fig . 13 . Whether the Chevalier ' s theory be correct or not , these statement of his are very interesting and important in themselves . Mr . Geo . Godwin .

in his able paper , seems to doubt the reality of the Chevalier ' s conclusions , as he says , " my own opinion , expressed long ago , is , that the

second mark probabl y belonged to the Overseer , ancl I see no reason to change it , although this , like other points in connection with the marks , is by no means certain .

I have met with four stones in one wall , nearly close together , each bearing two marks , and the whole eight marks different . In the south

transept of York Cathedral there is a stone with three marks on it , and so there is in Strasburg Cathedral . "

Without then attempting to decide where two such learned " doctors differ , " I think , that the right deduction from what litis been stated is simply this , that these marks have been employed

from the earliest ages b y members of the Operative Alasons' Craft , and for whatever purpose they really were used and perpet uated , they

servo at any rate to evidence the existence of a world-wide fraternity of Alasons . Whether there was in addition , a ? ay symbolical meaning or teaching attached to the marks , *