-
Articles/Ads
Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 1 Article ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES. Page 1 of 2 Article ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . " ] FREEMASONRY AND THE PAPACY .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR StR , ~ It is a well known that the Papacy as a general rule has ever been adverse to any princip le which will not succumb to its dicta , hence Freemasonry has repeatedly had manifest marks of St . Peter ' s disapprobation , and in some cases his strongest
anathemas . The OEcumenical Council includes it amongst thc greatest impediments to the progress of the Papacy , and though frequently cursed , it appears , like the Phoenix , to rise from its own ashes , refreshed and clothed with additional strength and vitality . Wherever it has a footing it saps the foundations of slavery ,
stands foremost to liberate the captive , aims .-it the overthrow of despotism , ia a friend to civil and religious liberty , a sworn opponent to persecution on account of relig ious or political differences of opinion , encourages p hilanthropy and brolherly love ; it practises heavenborn charity , which , like its sister mercy , blesses him
that gives as well as he who receives . The brethren of France , true to their dignified character , repel the censures of the Papacy , and very properly so ; the sentiment of the brethren lias been elicited in the answers to a circular letter from the Grand Orient of France , the whole of which will he
collected and printed in one volume for circulation amongst the Fraternity . The Convention Extraordinary , intended to be held on the 8 th inst ., at Paris , has not taken place ; for various reasons it was not thought advisable , but the lubject will be one for the Grand Orient to discuss at
its next regular meeting . The Orient will not bo true to the honourable character for which wc give it credit , if it does not make a bold and unmistakoablo stand against any innovation , nor will Napoleon be true to those who do him and the Empire honour if he falls short of giving
them his gracious countenance and support . The opinions of 201 Lodges , 24 Chapters , and 7 Councils , have been sent in response to the circular . Some not attaching sufficient importance to tho Popish manifesto to induce them to meet , others would wait thc issue of the Council at Rome , and not a few of the brethren now sittinc * in that council , who know and admire the
principles of thc Order , will exert an influence to check a fruitless attempt to tread under foot an institution that Pcpe Pius dares to assail , without violating a sacred obligation binding on hiin as long as he shall live . From a communication received from flic Secretary ofthe Grand Orient—this side of thc Channel—there is little doubt but , that tbo honour of the Grand Orient
will neither be sullicil by cowardice , nor will they be insensible of their rights , and how to maintain them . Napoleon will add lustre to his name by giving it his utmost countenance , nnd tho eagle wing of France will encourage the inarch of progress by assisting it in every way , whilst every true Mason throughout the g lobo with additional inspiration will wish well to our glorious Craft . WM . DAVLEN , P . M . 158 , Sheerness . 1 , Ivica Cottages , Luton-road , Chatham .
BRO . FINCH , P . M . ( 217 ) . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) SIR AND BROTHER , —When a student has attained the summit of his ambition in acquiring a certain amount of Masonic knowledge , I am at a loss to discover why it should be ' ¦ ' ¦ presumption and egotism " on his part to announce his own capabilities of teaching and willingness to share with his brethren the fruits of his labours . Because there arc said to be
uneasy minds whose possessors never heard such and such remarks drop from A , B , or C , is that a reason why D should not " let his light so shine before men that they may see his good works , " &* c . 1 I have known Bro . Finch , P . M . ( 217 ) , many years as a painstaking , persevering , and successful teacher , and a
true Mason would never envy him the possession of hia honourable presents , namtly , gold watch , purse of sovereigns , and diamond ring . A pupil in any art or science , when in doubt as to the correct mode of working , instinctively applies to his preceptor for guidance . Bro . Finch kindly
invites his Masonic pupils to do the very same , but there he plops . lie did not say at the Temperance Festival on the 1 st inst , neither did your reporter represent him to have said , ' ha would give them the correct working" as mis-quoted by P . M ., 217 , in your last week ' s number . It would be absurd to
attempt it , because impossible to achieve , in our present diversified tutelage . Each and every eminent teacher , both in and out of Masonry , uses his own particular dogma , and , until the forthcoming Grand Council places its veto upon antiquated and useless
systems , and legalises modern and appropriate sub ititutes , Doctors in Masonry will continue to differ I remain , Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , P . M . NEPTUNE , 22 .
Ancient And Modern Mysteries.
ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES .
BY BRO . ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE , President of the London Literary Union , Editor of " The Itosicrucian , " & c . ( Continued from page 273 . ) " Numa , on ascending the throne , found the citizens divided into vaiious nationalities , derived from the
Romans , the Sabmcs and the inhabitants of nei g hbouring smaller and weaker towns , who by choice or by compulsion , had removed their residence to the banks ofthe Tiber . Hence resulted a disseverance of sentiment and feeling , and a constant tendency to disunion . Now , the object of Numa was to obliterate
these contending elements and to establish a perfect identity of national feeling so that , to use the language " of Plutarch , ' the distribution of the people might become a harmonious mingling of all with all . ' " For this purpose he established one common
religion , and divided the citizens into curias and tribes , each curia and tribe being composed of an admixture indifferently of Romans , Sabines and the other denizens of Rome . " Directed by the same political sagacity , he distributed the artisans into various guilds or corporations ,
under the name of Collegia , or ' Colleges . ' Io each collegium was assigned the artisans of a particular profession , and each had its own regulations , both secular and religious . These colleges grew with the growth of the republic , and although Numa had originally established but nine , namely , the College of
Musicians , of Goldsmiths , of Carpenters , of Dyers , of Shoemakers , of Tanners , of Smiths , of Potters , and a ninth composed of all artisans not embraced under either of the preceding heads , they were subsequently greatly increased in number . Eighty years before the Christian era they were , it is true , abolished or sought to be abolished , by a decree of
the Senate , who looked with jealousy on their political influence , but twenty years afterwards they were revived and new ones established b y a law of the tribune Clodius , which repealed the Scnatus Consultum . They continued to exist under the empire , were extended into the provinces , and even outlasted the decline and fall of the Roman
power . " And now let us inquire into the form and organization of these Colleges , and iu so doing , trace the analogy between them and the Masonic Lodges , if any such analogy exists . "The firstregidation , which was an indispensable one , was that no College could consist of less than three
members . So mdispcnsiblo was this rule that the expression trcs faciunt collegium , ' three make a college , ' became a maxim of the civil law . So ri gid too was the application of this rule , that the body of Consuls , although calling each other ' colleagues , ' and possessing and exercising all collegiate rights ,
were , because they consisted only of two member . ' * , never legally recognised as a college . The reader will very readily be struck with thc identity of this regulation of the Colleges and that of Freemasonry , which with equal rigor require ? three Masons to constitute a lodge . The college and tho lodge each
demanded three members to make it legal . A greater number might give it more efficiency , but it could not render it more legitimate . This , then , is the first analogy between the lodges of Freemasons and the Roman Colleges .
" These colleges had their appropriate officers , who very singularly were assimilated in stations and duties to the officers of a Masonic lodge . Each college was presided over by a chief or president , whose title of Magistcr is exactly translated by tlio English word ' Master . ' Tho next officers were the Dccuriones .
J hey were analogous to the Masonic ' Wardens , for each Dccurio presided over a section or division of the college , just as iu the most ancient English and in the present Continental ritual we find the lodge divided into two sections or ' columns , ' over each of which one of the Wardens presided , through whom
the commands of the Master were extended to ' the brethren of his column . ' There was also in the Colleges a Scriba or ' Secretary , ' who recorded its proceedings ; a thesaurarius or 'Treasurer , ' who had charge of the common chest , a tahnlarius , or keeper of the archives , equivalent to the modern * * Arcbivinl ;'
and lastly , as these Colleges combined a peculiar reli gious worship with their operative labors , there was in each of tlicm a succrdos , or priest , who conducted the religious ceremonies , and was thus exactly equivalent to the . Chaplain * of a Masonic lodge . In all this we find another analogy between these ancient
institutions and our Masomc bodies . " Another analogy will lie found in the distribution or division of classes in the Roman Col ' eges . As the Masonic lodges have their Master Masons , their Fellow Crafts , and their Apprentices , so the
Colleges had their Seniores , ' Elders or chief men of the trade , and their journeymen and apprentices . The members did not , it is true , like the freemasons call themselves ' brothers , ' because this term , first adopted in the guilds or corporations of thc Middle Ages , is
Ancient And Modern Mysteries.
the offspring of a Christian sentiment , but as Krauso remarks , these colleges were in general conducted after the pattern or model of a famil y , anil hence the appellation of brother would now and then be found among the family appellations . "The partly religions character of the Roman
Colleges of Artificers constitute a very peculiar analogy between them and thc Mnsonic lodges . The history of these colleges shows that an ecclesiastical character was bestowed upon them at the very time of their organization by Numa . Many of the workshops of these artificers were erected in the
vicinity of temples , and their curia or place of meeting , was generally in some way connected with a temple . The deity to whom such temple was consecrated , was peculiarly worshipped by the members of the _ adjacent college , and became the patron god of their trade or art . In time when the pujian religion
was abolished and the religious character of these colleges was changed , the pagan gods gave way , through the influences of the new reli gion , to Christian saints , one of whom was always adopted as the patron of the modern guilds , which iu the middle ages took the place of the Human Colleges , and hence
the Freemasons derive the dedication of their lodges to Saint John , from a similar custom among the corporation of Builders . " These colleges hold secret meetings , in which the business transacted consisted of tlie initiations of neophytes into their fraternity , and of mystical and
esoteric instructions to their apprentices and journeymen . They were , in this respect , secret societies like the Masonic lodges . " There were monthly or other periodical contributions by the members for the support of the college , by which means a common fund was accumulated lor
the maintenance of indigent members or the relief of destitute strangers belonging to the same society . " They were permitted by tho government to frame a constitution and to enact laws and regulations for their own government . These privileges were gradually enlarged and their provisions extended , so that
in tho latter davs of the empire the Colleges of Architects especially , were invested with extraordinary powers in reference to the control of builders . Kven the distinction so well known in Masonic jurisprudence between 'legally constituted' and ' clandestine lodges' seems to find a similitude or analogy
hero . 1 ' or ( he Colleges which had been established by lawful authority and were therefore entitled to the enjoyment of the privileges accorded to those institutions , were said to bo collegia licita , or 'lawful colleges , ' while those which were voluntary
associations , not authorized by thc cxpic-s decree of the Senate or the Kmperor , were called collegia illicita , or ' unlawful colleges . ' The terms licita , and illicita were exactly equivalent in their import to the legall y constituted and the clandestine Lodges of
Freemasonry . " In tho Colleges the candidates for admission were elected , as in the "Masonic Lodges , by the voice of thc members . In ccnneclion with this subject , the Latin word which was used to express the art of admission or reception is worthy of consideration .
When a person was admitted into the fraternity of a College , he was said to be cooptatus in , collegium . Now , the verb cooptare , almost exclusively employed by the Romans to . signify an election into a College , comes from the Greek optmnai , ' to see , to behold . ' This same word gives origin in Greek to cpoptes , a
spectator or beholder , one who has attained lo the last degree in the Eleusiniun mysteries , in other words , an initiate . So that without much stretch of etymological ingenuity wc might say that cooptatus t » collegium meant 'to bo initiated into a College . " This is at least . singular . But tho more general
interpretation of co'iptatus is , ' admitted or accepted in a fraternity , ' and so ' made free of all the privileges of the guild or corporation . ' And hence tho idea is the same as that conveyed among the Masons by the title ' free and nceipted . ' " Finally , it is said bv Krause that these colleges of
work men made a symbolic use ot * the implement *! of their art . or profession , in other words , that they cultivated the science of symbolism ; and in this respect , therefore , more than in any other , is there a striking analogy between the Collegiate anil the Masonic institutions . The statement cannot be doubted , for as the
organization of the Colleges partook , as has already been shown , of a relig ious character , and as it is admitted , then all the religi ' -n of paganism was eminently and almost entirely symbolic , it must follow that any association which was based upon or cultivated the religious or mythological sentiment , must cultivate also
the princi p le of symbolism . "I have thus bru-lly but succinctly shown that in the form , tho organization , the mode of government , and the usages of the Roman Colleges , there is an analogy between them and the modern Masonic lodges , whicb is evidently more than accidental It may be that
long after thcdissolution ofthe Colleges , Freemasonry in the establishment of its lodges , designedly adopted the collegiate organization as a model after which to frame its own system , or it may be that the resemblance has been the result of a slow but inevitable growth of a succession of associations arising out of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
[ The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . " ] FREEMASONRY AND THE PAPACY .
( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR StR , ~ It is a well known that the Papacy as a general rule has ever been adverse to any princip le which will not succumb to its dicta , hence Freemasonry has repeatedly had manifest marks of St . Peter ' s disapprobation , and in some cases his strongest
anathemas . The OEcumenical Council includes it amongst thc greatest impediments to the progress of the Papacy , and though frequently cursed , it appears , like the Phoenix , to rise from its own ashes , refreshed and clothed with additional strength and vitality . Wherever it has a footing it saps the foundations of slavery ,
stands foremost to liberate the captive , aims .-it the overthrow of despotism , ia a friend to civil and religious liberty , a sworn opponent to persecution on account of relig ious or political differences of opinion , encourages p hilanthropy and brolherly love ; it practises heavenborn charity , which , like its sister mercy , blesses him
that gives as well as he who receives . The brethren of France , true to their dignified character , repel the censures of the Papacy , and very properly so ; the sentiment of the brethren lias been elicited in the answers to a circular letter from the Grand Orient of France , the whole of which will he
collected and printed in one volume for circulation amongst the Fraternity . The Convention Extraordinary , intended to be held on the 8 th inst ., at Paris , has not taken place ; for various reasons it was not thought advisable , but the lubject will be one for the Grand Orient to discuss at
its next regular meeting . The Orient will not bo true to the honourable character for which wc give it credit , if it does not make a bold and unmistakoablo stand against any innovation , nor will Napoleon be true to those who do him and the Empire honour if he falls short of giving
them his gracious countenance and support . The opinions of 201 Lodges , 24 Chapters , and 7 Councils , have been sent in response to the circular . Some not attaching sufficient importance to tho Popish manifesto to induce them to meet , others would wait thc issue of the Council at Rome , and not a few of the brethren now sittinc * in that council , who know and admire the
principles of thc Order , will exert an influence to check a fruitless attempt to tread under foot an institution that Pcpe Pius dares to assail , without violating a sacred obligation binding on hiin as long as he shall live . From a communication received from flic Secretary ofthe Grand Orient—this side of thc Channel—there is little doubt but , that tbo honour of the Grand Orient
will neither be sullicil by cowardice , nor will they be insensible of their rights , and how to maintain them . Napoleon will add lustre to his name by giving it his utmost countenance , nnd tho eagle wing of France will encourage the inarch of progress by assisting it in every way , whilst every true Mason throughout the g lobo with additional inspiration will wish well to our glorious Craft . WM . DAVLEN , P . M . 158 , Sheerness . 1 , Ivica Cottages , Luton-road , Chatham .
BRO . FINCH , P . M . ( 217 ) . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) SIR AND BROTHER , —When a student has attained the summit of his ambition in acquiring a certain amount of Masonic knowledge , I am at a loss to discover why it should be ' ¦ ' ¦ presumption and egotism " on his part to announce his own capabilities of teaching and willingness to share with his brethren the fruits of his labours . Because there arc said to be
uneasy minds whose possessors never heard such and such remarks drop from A , B , or C , is that a reason why D should not " let his light so shine before men that they may see his good works , " &* c . 1 I have known Bro . Finch , P . M . ( 217 ) , many years as a painstaking , persevering , and successful teacher , and a
true Mason would never envy him the possession of hia honourable presents , namtly , gold watch , purse of sovereigns , and diamond ring . A pupil in any art or science , when in doubt as to the correct mode of working , instinctively applies to his preceptor for guidance . Bro . Finch kindly
invites his Masonic pupils to do the very same , but there he plops . lie did not say at the Temperance Festival on the 1 st inst , neither did your reporter represent him to have said , ' ha would give them the correct working" as mis-quoted by P . M ., 217 , in your last week ' s number . It would be absurd to
attempt it , because impossible to achieve , in our present diversified tutelage . Each and every eminent teacher , both in and out of Masonry , uses his own particular dogma , and , until the forthcoming Grand Council places its veto upon antiquated and useless
systems , and legalises modern and appropriate sub ititutes , Doctors in Masonry will continue to differ I remain , Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , P . M . NEPTUNE , 22 .
Ancient And Modern Mysteries.
ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES .
BY BRO . ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE , President of the London Literary Union , Editor of " The Itosicrucian , " & c . ( Continued from page 273 . ) " Numa , on ascending the throne , found the citizens divided into vaiious nationalities , derived from the
Romans , the Sabmcs and the inhabitants of nei g hbouring smaller and weaker towns , who by choice or by compulsion , had removed their residence to the banks ofthe Tiber . Hence resulted a disseverance of sentiment and feeling , and a constant tendency to disunion . Now , the object of Numa was to obliterate
these contending elements and to establish a perfect identity of national feeling so that , to use the language " of Plutarch , ' the distribution of the people might become a harmonious mingling of all with all . ' " For this purpose he established one common
religion , and divided the citizens into curias and tribes , each curia and tribe being composed of an admixture indifferently of Romans , Sabines and the other denizens of Rome . " Directed by the same political sagacity , he distributed the artisans into various guilds or corporations ,
under the name of Collegia , or ' Colleges . ' Io each collegium was assigned the artisans of a particular profession , and each had its own regulations , both secular and religious . These colleges grew with the growth of the republic , and although Numa had originally established but nine , namely , the College of
Musicians , of Goldsmiths , of Carpenters , of Dyers , of Shoemakers , of Tanners , of Smiths , of Potters , and a ninth composed of all artisans not embraced under either of the preceding heads , they were subsequently greatly increased in number . Eighty years before the Christian era they were , it is true , abolished or sought to be abolished , by a decree of
the Senate , who looked with jealousy on their political influence , but twenty years afterwards they were revived and new ones established b y a law of the tribune Clodius , which repealed the Scnatus Consultum . They continued to exist under the empire , were extended into the provinces , and even outlasted the decline and fall of the Roman
power . " And now let us inquire into the form and organization of these Colleges , and iu so doing , trace the analogy between them and the Masonic Lodges , if any such analogy exists . "The firstregidation , which was an indispensable one , was that no College could consist of less than three
members . So mdispcnsiblo was this rule that the expression trcs faciunt collegium , ' three make a college , ' became a maxim of the civil law . So ri gid too was the application of this rule , that the body of Consuls , although calling each other ' colleagues , ' and possessing and exercising all collegiate rights ,
were , because they consisted only of two member . ' * , never legally recognised as a college . The reader will very readily be struck with thc identity of this regulation of the Colleges and that of Freemasonry , which with equal rigor require ? three Masons to constitute a lodge . The college and tho lodge each
demanded three members to make it legal . A greater number might give it more efficiency , but it could not render it more legitimate . This , then , is the first analogy between the lodges of Freemasons and the Roman Colleges .
" These colleges had their appropriate officers , who very singularly were assimilated in stations and duties to the officers of a Masonic lodge . Each college was presided over by a chief or president , whose title of Magistcr is exactly translated by tlio English word ' Master . ' Tho next officers were the Dccuriones .
J hey were analogous to the Masonic ' Wardens , for each Dccurio presided over a section or division of the college , just as iu the most ancient English and in the present Continental ritual we find the lodge divided into two sections or ' columns , ' over each of which one of the Wardens presided , through whom
the commands of the Master were extended to ' the brethren of his column . ' There was also in the Colleges a Scriba or ' Secretary , ' who recorded its proceedings ; a thesaurarius or 'Treasurer , ' who had charge of the common chest , a tahnlarius , or keeper of the archives , equivalent to the modern * * Arcbivinl ;'
and lastly , as these Colleges combined a peculiar reli gious worship with their operative labors , there was in each of tlicm a succrdos , or priest , who conducted the religious ceremonies , and was thus exactly equivalent to the . Chaplain * of a Masonic lodge . In all this we find another analogy between these ancient
institutions and our Masomc bodies . " Another analogy will lie found in the distribution or division of classes in the Roman Col ' eges . As the Masonic lodges have their Master Masons , their Fellow Crafts , and their Apprentices , so the
Colleges had their Seniores , ' Elders or chief men of the trade , and their journeymen and apprentices . The members did not , it is true , like the freemasons call themselves ' brothers , ' because this term , first adopted in the guilds or corporations of thc Middle Ages , is
Ancient And Modern Mysteries.
the offspring of a Christian sentiment , but as Krauso remarks , these colleges were in general conducted after the pattern or model of a famil y , anil hence the appellation of brother would now and then be found among the family appellations . "The partly religions character of the Roman
Colleges of Artificers constitute a very peculiar analogy between them and thc Mnsonic lodges . The history of these colleges shows that an ecclesiastical character was bestowed upon them at the very time of their organization by Numa . Many of the workshops of these artificers were erected in the
vicinity of temples , and their curia or place of meeting , was generally in some way connected with a temple . The deity to whom such temple was consecrated , was peculiarly worshipped by the members of the _ adjacent college , and became the patron god of their trade or art . In time when the pujian religion
was abolished and the religious character of these colleges was changed , the pagan gods gave way , through the influences of the new reli gion , to Christian saints , one of whom was always adopted as the patron of the modern guilds , which iu the middle ages took the place of the Human Colleges , and hence
the Freemasons derive the dedication of their lodges to Saint John , from a similar custom among the corporation of Builders . " These colleges hold secret meetings , in which the business transacted consisted of tlie initiations of neophytes into their fraternity , and of mystical and
esoteric instructions to their apprentices and journeymen . They were , in this respect , secret societies like the Masonic lodges . " There were monthly or other periodical contributions by the members for the support of the college , by which means a common fund was accumulated lor
the maintenance of indigent members or the relief of destitute strangers belonging to the same society . " They were permitted by tho government to frame a constitution and to enact laws and regulations for their own government . These privileges were gradually enlarged and their provisions extended , so that
in tho latter davs of the empire the Colleges of Architects especially , were invested with extraordinary powers in reference to the control of builders . Kven the distinction so well known in Masonic jurisprudence between 'legally constituted' and ' clandestine lodges' seems to find a similitude or analogy
hero . 1 ' or ( he Colleges which had been established by lawful authority and were therefore entitled to the enjoyment of the privileges accorded to those institutions , were said to bo collegia licita , or 'lawful colleges , ' while those which were voluntary
associations , not authorized by thc cxpic-s decree of the Senate or the Kmperor , were called collegia illicita , or ' unlawful colleges . ' The terms licita , and illicita were exactly equivalent in their import to the legall y constituted and the clandestine Lodges of
Freemasonry . " In tho Colleges the candidates for admission were elected , as in the "Masonic Lodges , by the voice of thc members . In ccnneclion with this subject , the Latin word which was used to express the art of admission or reception is worthy of consideration .
When a person was admitted into the fraternity of a College , he was said to be cooptatus in , collegium . Now , the verb cooptare , almost exclusively employed by the Romans to . signify an election into a College , comes from the Greek optmnai , ' to see , to behold . ' This same word gives origin in Greek to cpoptes , a
spectator or beholder , one who has attained lo the last degree in the Eleusiniun mysteries , in other words , an initiate . So that without much stretch of etymological ingenuity wc might say that cooptatus t » collegium meant 'to bo initiated into a College . " This is at least . singular . But tho more general
interpretation of co'iptatus is , ' admitted or accepted in a fraternity , ' and so ' made free of all the privileges of the guild or corporation . ' And hence tho idea is the same as that conveyed among the Masons by the title ' free and nceipted . ' " Finally , it is said bv Krause that these colleges of
work men made a symbolic use ot * the implement *! of their art . or profession , in other words , that they cultivated the science of symbolism ; and in this respect , therefore , more than in any other , is there a striking analogy between the Collegiate anil the Masonic institutions . The statement cannot be doubted , for as the
organization of the Colleges partook , as has already been shown , of a relig ious character , and as it is admitted , then all the religi ' -n of paganism was eminently and almost entirely symbolic , it must follow that any association which was based upon or cultivated the religious or mythological sentiment , must cultivate also
the princi p le of symbolism . "I have thus bru-lly but succinctly shown that in the form , tho organization , the mode of government , and the usages of the Roman Colleges , there is an analogy between them and the modern Masonic lodges , whicb is evidently more than accidental It may be that
long after thcdissolution ofthe Colleges , Freemasonry in the establishment of its lodges , designedly adopted the collegiate organization as a model after which to frame its own system , or it may be that the resemblance has been the result of a slow but inevitable growth of a succession of associations arising out of