Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ad01000
LONDON , N . W . Hotel , Grand Midland Venetia for Masonic n Rooms Dinners now available , etc . Other Midland Railway Hotels at Liverpool , Leeds , Bradford , Derby , Morecombe , and Heysham . Chief Office : W . TOWLE , Midland Grand Hotel , Manager . London , N . W . M . R . Hotels , etc .
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PERRIER-JOUET & Cos . CHAMPAGNES . FINEST VINTAGE RESERVE-CUVEES . THE FAVOURITE MASONIC BRAND . Agent—A . BOURSOT , 9 , Hart Street , Hark Lane , London .
Ad01003
ifirpKsiicInvsimnL
The Festival Of St. John.
The Festival of St . John .
IN all probability , before another number of this journal appears , many of our readers will have celebrated the Festival of St . John in winter- —more familiar to our provincial brethren than to the metropolitan Mason—and there may be some who wonder what St . John has to do with Freemasonry .
Possibly the approximate coincidence of the summer and winter solstices with the festivals of the two Saints may have something to do with the general acceptance of the connection , the one synchronizing with the summer outing and the other with the installation But there is a good
deal more in it than that . In the first place why two St . John ' s ? In fact there are three , the Knights Templars ranging themselves under the banner of St . John the Almoner , son of the King of Cyprus , who nourished in the sixth century . Of him , however , we shall speak later .
It is not known that either of the St . John's had any connection with building or architecture . If it were desirable to range ourselves under the patronage of any one on this ground , it would have to be St . Thomas . The architectural pursuits of this saint are set forth in
a hymn found in the Mozarabic Breviary , edited by Cardinal Lorenzana in 1775 . Most of the old trade guilds had their patron saints , thus we have the connection of Crispin with the shoemaking fraternity , Cecilia with music , Boniface with innkeepers ,
Blasius with woolcombers , Valentine with letter writing , Dunstan with blacksmiths , and so on . In Moore ' s Masonic Magazine ( 1842 ) , page 263 , what is described as an old Masonic legend finds a place , which receives countenance from the fact that Oliver has
incorporated it , word for word , in his Dictionary of Symbolic Masonry ( 18 53 ) . In substance it recites how that the first
lodges were dedicated to Solomon , then to Zerrubabel , and , after the coming of the Messiah , to the Baptist . After the destruction of Jerusalem , the Craft fell into great disorder , every one of sufficient qualification to be Grand Master having perished , until it was recollected that St . John still survived , being Bishop of Ephesus , and in his 90 th year .
He consented to be nominated , and " thus completed by his knowledge what his namesake had begun by his zeal . " The two St . John ' s thus formed the two " parallel lines " familiar to those who know the lectures .
There can be little doubt , however , that it is as the apostle of light that St . John is revered by our Order as its patron saint . The three great lights , the three lesser lights , the light of science , the glimmering ray that makes darkness visible , all these are but emblems of that great Light '' which lighteth every man that cometh into the world . " An old
legend says that our lodges are placed east and west , because the gospel was first preached in the east by St . John the Baptist , and afterwards spread its divine influence to the west by the preaching of St . John the Evangelist . Mackey has a theory of his own , which deserves to be noted . He
goes back to a very ancient period , when our Masonic ancestors , in their adoration of the light , worshipped the sun , which appeared to them to be the source of life and li ght and fruition . The periods , therefore , when the sun reached his greatest altitude in either hemisphere , that is when he
entered the zodiacal signs of Cancer and of Capricorn , seemed to call for some special recognition , and these periods were , for the northern hemisphere , June 21 st , and for the southern , December 21 st . When Christianity came to mingle its rays with those of Freemasonry , it was found that
the Church had appropriated two clays near to these two solstitial periods as the festivals of two eminent saints , each of whom had much in common with the other , and thus the present dedication of the Craft is traced to the heliacal worship of the ancients .
Yet another suggestion has been made , by Bazot , who published a manual of Freemasonry in Paris in 1811 , who thinks that the St . John referred to is the St John of Jerusalem , the almoner , already alluded to as the patron of Knights Templars . According to Roman use , the festival of this saint falls on January 23 rd , and if St . John the Evangelist
has claims founded on his being the apostle of light , the other St . John may certainly be credited with being the apostle of Brotherly Love , Relief and Truth . It would seem as if the Order could hardly find a worthier patron , if one were needed at all , than the founder of the
order of Knights Hospitallers . Of course , in this case , St . John the Baptist becomes but a mere convenience . For further interesting information on this subject we might refer our readers to a series of articles by Dr . Oliver on " Johannite Masonry . " To this day , " St . John's Masonry" is held to refer
to the three Craft Degrees , excluding the Holy Royal Arch . The annual installation or " St . John " is regarded , very rightly , as the principal event in the yearly round of the lodge , and , as a rule , the lodge is on parade on that occasion . Not only does the new Master date his official existence as
such from the " St . John , " but the same may be said of every other officer of the lodge . The attendance of visitors is encouraged , and the Provincial Grand Master and his officers are usually asked to grace the function with their presence . Ceremonial work which , at less important times may occasionally halt , is now faultlessly performed .
1-1 nis coronal opus , and no Master can desire a more satisfactory crown to a year ' s good work in the chair than a dignified and impressive installation of his successor . We said just now that St . John's Masonry was held to include but the three Degrees , but this statement requires modification , inasmuch the fourth Degree isas a rulemore
, , impressively rendered on this occasion than any other . And it is not unworthy of notice that whereas Grand Lodge at the close of even the most important festivals , repairs to " an excellent entertainment , " similar proceedings in private lodgesare concluded by a " sumptuous banquet . " Our good wishes
go with all those brethren who will , this month , be entering upon new and higher responsibilities .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ad01000
LONDON , N . W . Hotel , Grand Midland Venetia for Masonic n Rooms Dinners now available , etc . Other Midland Railway Hotels at Liverpool , Leeds , Bradford , Derby , Morecombe , and Heysham . Chief Office : W . TOWLE , Midland Grand Hotel , Manager . London , N . W . M . R . Hotels , etc .
Ad01001
PERRIER-JOUET & Cos . CHAMPAGNES . FINEST VINTAGE RESERVE-CUVEES . THE FAVOURITE MASONIC BRAND . Agent—A . BOURSOT , 9 , Hart Street , Hark Lane , London .
Ad01003
ifirpKsiicInvsimnL
The Festival Of St. John.
The Festival of St . John .
IN all probability , before another number of this journal appears , many of our readers will have celebrated the Festival of St . John in winter- —more familiar to our provincial brethren than to the metropolitan Mason—and there may be some who wonder what St . John has to do with Freemasonry .
Possibly the approximate coincidence of the summer and winter solstices with the festivals of the two Saints may have something to do with the general acceptance of the connection , the one synchronizing with the summer outing and the other with the installation But there is a good
deal more in it than that . In the first place why two St . John ' s ? In fact there are three , the Knights Templars ranging themselves under the banner of St . John the Almoner , son of the King of Cyprus , who nourished in the sixth century . Of him , however , we shall speak later .
It is not known that either of the St . John's had any connection with building or architecture . If it were desirable to range ourselves under the patronage of any one on this ground , it would have to be St . Thomas . The architectural pursuits of this saint are set forth in
a hymn found in the Mozarabic Breviary , edited by Cardinal Lorenzana in 1775 . Most of the old trade guilds had their patron saints , thus we have the connection of Crispin with the shoemaking fraternity , Cecilia with music , Boniface with innkeepers ,
Blasius with woolcombers , Valentine with letter writing , Dunstan with blacksmiths , and so on . In Moore ' s Masonic Magazine ( 1842 ) , page 263 , what is described as an old Masonic legend finds a place , which receives countenance from the fact that Oliver has
incorporated it , word for word , in his Dictionary of Symbolic Masonry ( 18 53 ) . In substance it recites how that the first
lodges were dedicated to Solomon , then to Zerrubabel , and , after the coming of the Messiah , to the Baptist . After the destruction of Jerusalem , the Craft fell into great disorder , every one of sufficient qualification to be Grand Master having perished , until it was recollected that St . John still survived , being Bishop of Ephesus , and in his 90 th year .
He consented to be nominated , and " thus completed by his knowledge what his namesake had begun by his zeal . " The two St . John ' s thus formed the two " parallel lines " familiar to those who know the lectures .
There can be little doubt , however , that it is as the apostle of light that St . John is revered by our Order as its patron saint . The three great lights , the three lesser lights , the light of science , the glimmering ray that makes darkness visible , all these are but emblems of that great Light '' which lighteth every man that cometh into the world . " An old
legend says that our lodges are placed east and west , because the gospel was first preached in the east by St . John the Baptist , and afterwards spread its divine influence to the west by the preaching of St . John the Evangelist . Mackey has a theory of his own , which deserves to be noted . He
goes back to a very ancient period , when our Masonic ancestors , in their adoration of the light , worshipped the sun , which appeared to them to be the source of life and li ght and fruition . The periods , therefore , when the sun reached his greatest altitude in either hemisphere , that is when he
entered the zodiacal signs of Cancer and of Capricorn , seemed to call for some special recognition , and these periods were , for the northern hemisphere , June 21 st , and for the southern , December 21 st . When Christianity came to mingle its rays with those of Freemasonry , it was found that
the Church had appropriated two clays near to these two solstitial periods as the festivals of two eminent saints , each of whom had much in common with the other , and thus the present dedication of the Craft is traced to the heliacal worship of the ancients .
Yet another suggestion has been made , by Bazot , who published a manual of Freemasonry in Paris in 1811 , who thinks that the St . John referred to is the St John of Jerusalem , the almoner , already alluded to as the patron of Knights Templars . According to Roman use , the festival of this saint falls on January 23 rd , and if St . John the Evangelist
has claims founded on his being the apostle of light , the other St . John may certainly be credited with being the apostle of Brotherly Love , Relief and Truth . It would seem as if the Order could hardly find a worthier patron , if one were needed at all , than the founder of the
order of Knights Hospitallers . Of course , in this case , St . John the Baptist becomes but a mere convenience . For further interesting information on this subject we might refer our readers to a series of articles by Dr . Oliver on " Johannite Masonry . " To this day , " St . John's Masonry" is held to refer
to the three Craft Degrees , excluding the Holy Royal Arch . The annual installation or " St . John " is regarded , very rightly , as the principal event in the yearly round of the lodge , and , as a rule , the lodge is on parade on that occasion . Not only does the new Master date his official existence as
such from the " St . John , " but the same may be said of every other officer of the lodge . The attendance of visitors is encouraged , and the Provincial Grand Master and his officers are usually asked to grace the function with their presence . Ceremonial work which , at less important times may occasionally halt , is now faultlessly performed .
1-1 nis coronal opus , and no Master can desire a more satisfactory crown to a year ' s good work in the chair than a dignified and impressive installation of his successor . We said just now that St . John's Masonry was held to include but the three Degrees , but this statement requires modification , inasmuch the fourth Degree isas a rulemore
, , impressively rendered on this occasion than any other . And it is not unworthy of notice that whereas Grand Lodge at the close of even the most important festivals , repairs to " an excellent entertainment , " similar proceedings in private lodgesare concluded by a " sumptuous banquet . " Our good wishes
go with all those brethren who will , this month , be entering upon new and higher responsibilities .