A New History Of Freemasonry.

from the society gave to Masonry the title of Masonic Art , because it was mainly by its instrumentality that he was raised to the throne and made King of England . ' " Which the editor denounces as apochryphal , and asks : " ' Can Bro . Grant produce a reliable authority for the above statement ? We believe it to be entirely without basis in factand we regret to see such a

, statement made , in any except a Pickwickian sense ; and even pleasantry should rarely assume the guise of history . ' " Bro . Grant answers that Freemasonry , after its transformation at London in 1717 from a partly mechanical and partly philosophical institution to one purely moral and philosophic , retained the three traditional degrees of ApprenticeFellow Graftand Master Masonand all the lodges organized since that

, , , time , as well b y the Grand Lodge of London as by the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland , have been so constituted , and have never conferred any other than the three symbolic degrees above named , and which constitute the Rite of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England—the onl y true , traditional Masonry . Now , Bro . Keystone , it was not until the partizans of the Stuarts had come to France in the suite of the Pretender that English Masonry

was denaturalized by them , and used as a cloak to cover their revolutionary projects . " The desire to restore the family of the Stuarts to the throne of England , and thus to favour the interests of Roman Catholicism , suggested to the partisans of that family and those interested the idea of forming secret associations , by which their plans might be carried out , and it was with this object that they obtained entrance into the Masonic lodges on the Continent .

" They commenced in France , through the agency of one of their most eminent emissaries , the Doctor , Baron of Ramsay . Baron Ramsay was converted to the Roman Catholic religion by Fenelon , and afterward became preceptor at Rome to the son of the dethroned king , James II . He came to France in 1728 , and after having failed in London in his attempt to organize in the interest of the Stuarts a new Masonry , calculated to annihilate the influence of the Grand Lodge of Londonhe devoted himself to a like work in

, France , and presented himself in Paris , furnished with powers from a Masonic authorit y represented to be sitting in Edinburgh ; but it does not seem that until about 1736 he had succeeded in establishing in some Lodges his political system . " This Dr . Ramsay , between the years 1736 and 1738 , augmented this rite by the addition of two degreesand then called it ' Scottish' becauseas he

, , , maintained , it proceeded from a powerful Masonic authority in Scotland . He delivered to his proselytes whom he had made in France patents emanating from a self-st yled Chapter of Masons sitting in Edinburgh . This Chapter was composed of the partisans of the Stuarts , who had constituted themselves into a Masonic authority before the Grand Lodge of Scotland existed , with the sole object of forwarding the projects of the uncrowned princes . There cannot be

a shadow of doubt but that during the Pretender ' s time every effort was made on the part of some prominent Masons and adherents of his to use the Masonic Fraternity as a political machine for his personal advancement . True , there were many Masons who would not be polluted by decorations or wealth ; but nevertheless , the Jacobites used all their power to induce the Masons to uphold the cause of the Pretender .

" In these few remarks we have endeavoured to show our brother that the Fraternity at one time were used for political purposes . We most kindly suggest to The Keystone that the Disp > atch publishes nothing apochryphal , and we exceedingly regret that our learned brother believes them to be without basis , and desires us to give our authority . We do not need to do anything of the kind , but simply remark that all history confirms the statement ; that the writer has resided for some years in Europe , and has seen documents which