Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

on the same day as Midsummer Day , is one of the great festivals of Freemasonry in Scotland . In Wade ' s History of Melrose an account is given of the proceedings of the brethren . At six in the evening the members turn out , arid

walking two-and-two , each bearing a lighted torch , they march three times round the old cross , and then proceed to the Abbey . Here they form in grand procession ; the torches are lit , the Grand Master takes the lead , and the

other brethren follow according to their Masonic rahk . The old Abbey is lighted up with the flames from the torches , and the procession , after passing slowly three limes up and down the entire building , assembles in the chancel ,

where the members form m a grand semi-circle round the tomb of King Robert Bruce . Then the band strikes up " Scots wha ha ' e wi' Wallace bled , " and the procession returns to the town amidst a blaze of rockets and the glare of the blue lights . —Globe .

PRUSSIA IN ITS INFANCY . Prussia is first mentioned in history early in the eleventh century , when it was visited by St . Adelbert in a missionary capacity , and who , like many of his fraternity , was murdered by the

natives , for which barbarity they were chastised by Bolesiaus , King of Poland . In the early part of the thirteenth century , an order , entitled the " Knights of the Cross and Sword , " was instituted by Albert , Bishop of Riga , for the special

purpose of conquering the district , but failed in so doing until reinforced by the Teutonic knights , or German Hospitallers , upon their return from the Holy Land . Still the natives were not subdued till 1283 , and then it was onlv

by their almost complete extermination . Prussia was afterwards under the sway of the Kni ghts Hospitallers , who , in time , became so tyrannical in their rule , that , early in the fifteenth century , the people rebelled against them , and sought the

protection of the Polish king , while the Hospitallers obtained aid from Germany . The result was a terrible war , which terminated in 1466 , when the Grand Master of the Hospitallers ceded the entire western portion of Prussia to Poland ,

and consented to hold the eastern part as a vassal of the Polish sovereign . In a subsequent war the Margrave of Brandenburgh obtained undivided possession of the whole country , and laid the foundation of the Prussian monarch }' .

TETRAGRAMMATION . The Jews are quite sure the true pronunciation of the Word is lost , and regard it as one of the mysteries to be revealed in the days of the Messiah . They hold , however , that the

knowledge of the name of God does exist on earth , and he by whom the secret is acquired has , by virtue of it , the powers of the world at his command ; and they account for the miracles of Jesus , by telling us that he had got possession of

the Ineffable Name . Rightly understood , they seem to mean that he who calls upon God rightly , by this His true name , cannot fail to be heard by Him . In short , this word forms the famous tetragrammation , or quadrilateral name , of which every one has heard . —Kitto .

WASHINGTON ' S MASONIC APRON . In 1776 there was sitting at the table of the Commandant in Metz , in Germany , a distinguished scion of an ancient noble French famil y . During the conversation at the table , the Duke

of Gloucester , brother to the King of England , spoke of the Declaration of Independence , just put forth by the Anglo-American colonies , and of the strong measures adopted by the British ministry to crush the rising rebellion . The

young nobleman listened in silence . He was a boy in form and personal appearance , just past eighteen ; but the heart of patriot and hero was beating beneath his closely-buttoned coat , and his imagination and zeal were fired at the recital

of a people fighting for liberty . He rose from the table , hurriedly made his arrangements to return to Paris , and revealed his high resolve to his equally enthusiastic young wife . He came to America , sought the acquaintance of the Commander-in-Chief of the American army , and

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

volunteered to fight in the cause of American liberty . Life , youth , fortune , and the endearments of home were all freely devoted to colonial emancipation . Just the method to awaken the

nobler sentiments of the heart , self-sacrificing devotion to the interests of others . Washington felt the electric shock from this benevolent heart , and took Lafayette to his bosom ; nor was the bond severed till death gave the stroke

of mortal separation . After the close of the war , the young nobleman , with more of manly maturity , returned to Paris , and over and over again , in glowing eloquence , rehearsed the noble virtues of the great

American leader to his young and charming wife . She , like every true woman , was always deeply interested in everything that engaged the attention of her husband . She soon came to reverence Washington with a feeling closely

allied to that of devotion . She corresponded with him , and received from him cordial invitations to the simple delights of rural life at Mount Vernon . In 1784 , Lafayette determined to visit

Washington in his retirement . Madame Lafayette earnestly desired to present some visible testimony of her regard to the great patriot . Besides the bond of personal friendship , there was a bond of union between

Washington and Lafayette of a different character . They were members of the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons , and both loved the " mystic brotherhood . " Madame Lafayette took advantage of this charm to add interest to

her testimonial of esteem . She prepared with her own hands an apron of white satin , upon which she wrought in needlework all the various emblems of the Masonic Order . This she sent with her husband to be presented to her ideal of

true greatness at Mount Vernon . It was kept by Washington as a cherished memorial of a noble woman during his life . It now occupies a conspicuous place on the walls of the Grand Master ' s room in Masonic Hall , Philadelphia . — Benson jf . Zossing ' s ( forthcoming ) Washington .

SAINT PAUL . " Paul had a sickly appearance , which did not , as it appears , correspond with the greatness of his soul . He was ugly , short , thick-set , and stooping , and his broad shoulders awkwardl y

sustained a little bald head . His sallow countenance was half hidden in a thick beard , his nose was aquiline , his eyes piercing , and his black and heavy eyebrows met across his forehead . Nor was there anything imposing in his speech

his timid and embarrased air , and his incorrect language , gave at first hut a poor idea of his eloquence . He shrewdly , however , gloried in

his exterior defects , and even drew advantage therefrom . It appears that he was never married . ' The thorn in the flesh , ' which he hints at , was apparently some bodily infirmity . "

" Many of the antidiluvian arts were lost at the deluge ; and amongst the rest the use of fire , which was not regained for a long period afterwards . " Goguet makes this observation , and affirms " that it is a truth attested by the

most ancient and most unanimous tradition . The Egyptians , Persians , Phoenicians , Greeks , and several other nations , acknowledged that their ancestors were once without the use of fire . The Chinese confess the same of their progenitors .

However incredible these facts may appear , yet they are confirmed b y what several writess , both ancient and modern , have declared of nations who were their cotemporaries , and in this state of ignorance and barbarity when they knew them .

Pomponius , Mela , Pliny , Plutarch , and other ancient authors , speak of nations who , at the time they wrote , knew not the use of fire , or had but just learned it . Pacts of the same kind are attested by several modern relators . The

inhabitants of the Marian Islands , which were discovered in 1521 , had no idea of fire . Never was astonishment greater than theirs , when they saw it on the descent of Magellan on one of their islands . At first they believed it to be a kind of animal that fixed itself to and fed upon

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

wood . Some of them , who approached too near , being burnt , the rest were terrified , and durst only look upon it at a distance . They were afraid , they said , of being bit , or lest that dreadful animal should wound them with his violent respiration ; for these were the first notions they formed of heat and flame . Such , too , probably

were the notions originally of the Greeks . And there is no doubt , for this reason , that there were some nations anciently who eat the flesh of animals quite raw . These facts may enable us to form a judgment of the savage and barbarous state of mankind after the confusion of tongues and dispersion of families . "—Dr . Oliver .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

—»» The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed bj Correspondents . COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I cordially endorse your opinions as set forth so lucidly in your article of last week , and cannot help thinking it would be much better for us to endeavour to prevent ( so far as it is possible ) the continuance of the great and

palpable evil there dilated upon , than merely to read THE FREEMASON and lay it aside without any more concern ; and for that purpose I should like to be informed , through your columns , what lodges have adopted the system , of a Committee of Inquiry on all candidates proposed for initiation , the by-law they work under , and the practical result of the

enquiry . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , W . M .

THE MARK DEGREE . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . )

DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I am sorry to have to observe that the evidence brought forward by Bro . Kerr upon this subject , as recorded at pages 79 and So of your contemporary for July 22 nd , is , in my opinion , full of mistakes . The Lodge of

Glasgow St . John does not "hold a charter from Malcolm Can more , " while the document purporting to be such held by , or in possession of , the Glasgow Incorporation of Masons has not only been denounced by the best authority in the kingdom as a recent forgery , but it has also been twice

repudiated , pro forma , by the G . L . of Scotland—viz ., in 1 S 50 and in 1 S 70—as is proved by a perusal of the back numbers of THE FREEMASON . Neither is it true that " they have another of William the Lion , which is indisputably dated 1174 , " for the William the Lion document referred to is not dated " 1174 , "

but was granted about A . D . 1190 , not to the masons , but to the Bishop ( Joceline ) of Glasgow cathedral . Said document is lost . There is , however , a copy of it extant in the Register of the Bishopric , written in a hand of the thirteenth century , which Register is in the hands of the Catholic clergy .

The Lodge of Glasgow St . John , it must be stated , has never as yet been able to prove its title to this document , while , in the opinion of Professor Cosmo Inncs , the word fraternitatcm , which occurs in it , does not refer to a company of operative masons , but to " a body of zealous churchmen , zealous

Glasgow men—not operatives . " And as to their ( St . John ' s ) "books , which were brought forward , " these , as I may state who have examined them , only go back to 1824 , not half a century ! And in the Incorporation books , which go back to 1600 , there is nothing to show that any Mark degree ever

existed before the latter half of last century , while , then , as now , apprentices used marks upon their tools , work , & c , as well as fellow-crafts or journeymen . Marks were in common use among all classes from their handiness , while people who could not write could manage to affix their mark . In the

162 S Roslin " charter" we find the masons confessingth . it they could not write . When an apprentice adopted . 1 mark , he had to register it , which of course was made the excuse for a . fee . This mark being cut upon his tools , enabled him to pick them out from a thousand others when a barrow-load

came back from being sharpened by the smith . fo return to the William the Lion charterfor a moment , allow mc to observe that , supposing operatives , masons , carpenters , & c , are either included or alluded to in it , it docs not follow that said operatives were cither the recipients or custodiers of the

charter ; and , in fact , such was not the case , as the document was given to Bishop Jocelyne and his confreres . There was no " Grand Lodge " held in Holyrood Palace in 1598 . The idea or assertion is , in iny opinion , a piece of childish Scottish pretension , founded upon misapprehension and misrepresentation , and it is anything but creditable to Scots-