Multum In Parvo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parvo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—?—EXPLANATIONS BY BRO . W . JAMES HUGHAN . ( a ) In answer to the second communication from " A Country W . M . " , I am really pleased to hear that the breach of the law complained of

has been " laid before the Prov . G . Sec . of West Yorkshire ; " and if that fact had only been stated at first , our brother would have been saved the trouble of replying to my remarks . I only wrote in order to express my surprise at the

violation of the by-law in question in so excellent a province as West Yorkshire , and as Bro . John R . Riley , the worthy Secretary of No . 3 87 , Shipley ( in one of several letters I have received on the subject thanking me for my letter ) , fully

explains the motives which actuated me , I feel sure that " A Country W . M . " will excuse my anxiety to see the matter thoroughly sifted . ( b ) In my article on " Scottish Freemasonry " I had no intention of throwing any doubt on the

veracity of the statement made by a member of No . 251 ( S . C . ) , and merely wished a copy of the by-laws of that lodge to add to my collection as a curiosity , as all the others charge such low fees for initiations ; neither is any confirmation of

our brother ' s declaration requisite , so far as the writer of this is concerned . We all hope that good may result from attention being drawn to the laxity prevailing in many lodges as to initiations and the election of joining members , and ,

in the mam , the injurious effects may be prevented by the adoption by Prov . Grand Lodges of theby-latv referred to and now in force in West Yorkshire , & c , or it may be well to move that the same clause be made a regulation by the

Grand Lodges as in Ireland . ( c ) Bro . " S . P . R . + " and myself would not disagree , on the whole , were we to compare notes , as his opinion of Freemasonry , generally , is certainly mine . The latter part of his

communication has certainly no reference to my previous one , when he asks , " Any person can buy and read THE FREEMASON ; do you think he will have a favourable opinion preconceived of the Institution when he sees the bickerings of

Masons ? " We have a right to calmly consider matters affecting the interests of the Craft ; but whilst doing so , we should carefully avoid any exhibition of feeling unworthy of our ancient Institution and solemn vows . W . J AMES HUGHAN .

THE SCHISM . I have read the article by " The Son of Salathiel" with pleasure and profit . I would , however , inquire , and should be thankful if he would obligingly inform me , on

whathegroundshisstatementthatthe Malcontents were Operative Masons , as all my own researches tend in an opposite direction . Secondly , how are we to understand the expression " that the Royal Arch was first worked as a separate section of Freemasonry

in 173 8 ? " If it means that the higher degrees were invented now or after , I must beg to caution Masonic students against accepting the statement , as I have proof in my hands that they were well known at a much earlier period .

I state this only as a matter of history , believing that , as Masonry is at present composed and constituted , everything beyond Master Mason is valueless and the cause of much

confusion . In fact , the present management of the high grades in England will drive the best men away from the Masonic Institution altogether . J YARKER .

OFFICE OR DEGREE OF MASTER . Some time ago a little fraternal skirmish took place between Bro . Hughan and myself as to the meaning of the word "Masters" in the 13 th article of the General Regulations of the 1723

Constitutions . At that time I took up the view that it was the degree of Master—i . e ., the Master d egree—that was here meant . It appears to me that the editorial remarks at page 450 favour

this view , viz ., " The change was effected by the Grand Lodge of England on the 27 th November , 1725 , when the motion being made that such part of the 1 3 th article of the General

Multum In Parvo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Regulations , relating to the making of Masters only at a Quarterly Communication , might he repealed , and that the Master of each lodge ,

with the consent of his Wardens and the majority of the brethren , being Masters , may make Masters at their discretion—the same was agreed to without a dissentient voice . " W . B . BUCHAN .

STRASBURG CATHEDRAL . Englishmen do not require to go to Strasburg , or any part of Germany , to view fine specimens of Gothic architecture , for they have them at home . In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries

England was far ahead of Germany m this matter , and what Germany got in the thirteenth century was borrowed from France ; and as Mr . Ferguson , the celebrated author upon architecture , says : " In all the higher elements of beauty the

German-pointed Gothic cathedrals are immeasureably inferior to the French . They are no longer the expressions of the devotional feelings of the clergy and people : they are totally devoid of the highest order of architectural beauty . "

Such being the case , the manifest absurdity of German architects coming to England in the thirteenth century to teach the English is surely most transparent ; the idea only shows the

ignorance of its supporters and propagators . I can excuse the Abbe Grandidier for saying that " The cathedral of Strasburg , and above all its tower , is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture j " hut there is no excuse for an officer of the Grand

Lodge of England , without any true foundation , perpetually praising German architecture at the expense of English . To be continually giving little bitsof quotations from authors unacquainted with the subject , and always the same thing over

and over again—as is done by a rather prominent contributor to your contemporary — is mere child ' s play . As to the " masterpiece " spire of Strasburg , which appears to me to be rather of the mongrel type , Mr . Ferguson says : " The

octagonal part is tall and weak in outline , the spire ungraceful in form , and covered with an unmeaning and constructively useless system of tracery . " When treating upon our Freemasonry , I have

gladly recommended Bro . FindelFs work ; hut when treating upon architecture , I feel bound to say that one copy of such a work as Mr . Ferguson ' s " Illustrated Handbook of Architecture " is worth a shipload of the former . English

Pointed Gothic architecture is unequalled by German ; far less , then , can it be surpassed Curious specimens of stone-cutting may please the vulgar : but it requires something more to

the production of a " masterpiece specimen of architecture . I respectfully trust that the foregoing remarks will be taken in the spirit they are given . W . P . BUCHAN .

HAMMER . With this small working-tool the Master of a lodges governs the most numerous meetings . The blow of the Master ' s hammer commands industry , silence , or the close of labour , and every

brother respects or honours its sound . In so far the hammer is a symbol of the power of the Master . The hammer must never be lost sight of at the meeting of the lodge ; and should the Master he unavoidably compelled to leave the

lodge-room , he must deliver it to his Deputy or Past Master , or some other skilful brother . The Wardens do notgovern the lodge with their hammers , they only direct attention by them to the commands of the W . M . —Gadicke .

HARPOCRATES . This Egyptian god was unknown to the Greeks till the time of Alexander . They worshipped him under the name of Sigalion , and loaded him with many attributes unknown to the ancient

Egyptians . He appears as a young man 111 an Egyptian mitre , holding a cornucopia , lotus , and quiver , accompanied with the poppy and owl , draped in a long robe , head raiment , branch of persea , the finger on the mouth , persea ,

cornucopia , lotus , basket on the head . In Stosch , the bust swaddled in a net , persea on the head , globe and serpents on the breast , but the finger on the mouth , and lock of hair distinguish nearly all his figures . —Fosbroke .

Multum In Parvo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

The following extracts from the Rev . Dr . Dalcho ' s orations will be found interesting . VIATOR . Masonry is the most perfect and sublime institution ever formed for promoting the happiness of individuals , or for increasing the general good of

the community . Its fundamental principles are those grand bulwarks of society , Universal Benevolence and Brotherly Love . It holds out in its precepts those captivating pictures of virtue which stimulate the brotherhood to deeds of greatness , and offers to its professors dignity and respect . It

expands the ideas , enlarges the benevolent feelings of the heart , and renders man the friend of his species . It teaches us those great and awful truths on which futurity is founded , and points to those h « ppy means by which we may obtain the reward of virtue . It also instructs us in the duty we owe

to our neighbour , and teaches us not to injure him in any of his connections , and in all our dealings with him to act with justice and impartiality . It discourages defamation ; it bids us not to circulate any whisper of infamy , improve any hint of suspicion , or publish any failure of conduct . It orders

us ^ to be faithful to our trusts—not to deceive him wh " o relieth upon us ; to be above the meanness of dissimulation—to let the words of our mouths express the thoughts of our hearts , and whatsoever we promise religiously to perform . When the rude blast of war assails an unhappy

country with its ravages , and embattled legions of kindred men are opposed in direful conflict—when all around perish by the victor ' s sword , and humanity stands appalled at the sight—the Mason ' s extended arms preserve him from destruction . He meets with friendship and protection from his enemy , and

instead of receiving the fatal weapon in his bosom , his heart is gladdened by hearing the endearing appellation of Brother . When the corsair of Algiers , with unprincipled fury , attacks the defenceless vessels of unoffending nations , and load their

unhappy crews with the bond of servitude to drag a miserable existence under the lash of tyranny—the Mason ' s well-known sign preserves him from chains , and the kindly offices of a brother are extended to him .

The origin of Masonry may be dated from the creation of the world . The symmetry and baimbhy displayed by the Divine Architect in the formation of the planetary system gave rise to many of our mysteries : — " Let there be light ! " proclaimed the Almighty Lord :

Astonished chaos heard the potent word , Through all His realms the kindling ether runs , And the mass starts into a million suns ; Earths , round each sun with quick explosions burst , And second planets issue from the first . In bright ellipses their reluctant course ,

Orbs wheel in orbs , round centres centres roll , And form , self-balanced , one revolving whole ; Onward they move amid their bright abode—Space without bounds—the bosom of their God ! In the earliest age of man , when the human mind was untainted by the vices and prejudices of later

times—unshackled by the terrors and anathemas of contending schisms , and the machinations of bigoted priests—the God of Nature received the homage of the world , and the worship of His adorable name constituted the principal employment of him to whom the mysteries of nature were first revealed .

After the Deluge , the worship of the Most High was obscured by clouds of imagery and defiled by idolatry . Mankind were conscious of some great and incomprehensible cause of the uniformity and wonderful progression of the works of nature , and bewildered in conjecture , they represented the great

unknown cause by such objects as appeared to produce the most powerful effects on the face of the world , from whence the sun and moon became symbols of the Deity . As the manners of the people became more depraved , their knowledge of the truth was lost in their apostacy , and their ignorance

and superstition increased with their debasement , until they at length forgot the emblematical allusion , and adored the symbols instead of the Divinity . In many of the ancient nations of the East their religious rites were enveloped by the priests in allegories , emblems , hieroglyphics , and mystic

devices which none could understand but those of their own Order . From these ancient examples the mysteries of the Craft have been wisely concealed from the vulgar ; and under cover of various well adapted symbols is conveyed to the enlightened Mason an uniform and well connected system of

morality . The situation of the lodge and its sacred parts are copied after the tabernacle and temple , and represent the universe as the temple in which the Deity is everywhere present . Our manner of

teaching the principles of our mystic profession is derived from the Druids , who worshipped one supreme God , immense and infinite j our maxims of morality from Pythagoras , who taught the duties we owe to God as our Creator , and to man as our fellowcreature , Many of our emblems are originally from