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Article REVIEWS OF NEW BOOKS. ← Page 4 of 6 →
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Reviews Of New Books.
and preserved within their Lodges a large amount of scientific skill greatly disproportioned to the general attainments of the time . As I have elsewhere said , when a band departed on an undertaking , a charge provided that the most expert craftsman should be appointed master of the works , under whom , when they reached their destination , every tenth man was appointed warden over his nine
fellows ; a camp was erected and a lodge built in which to hold their meetings and regulate their prices . Here , also , the apprentices resorted at certain periods to hear discourses upon the sciences , and lectures on morality : for at this period , it is supposed , none could become a free alidaecepted Mason without serving under a master for seven years ; during which time he was gradually initiated into the mysteries , and was ultimately accepted as a Brother .
" There is not , in the whole history of architecture , a more curious point than this , although it is in many respects obscure . In studying tbe works of the Freemasons , they become additionally interesting if we have a knowledge of the men ; and the men , in like manner , are invested with greater importance when we reflect upon their wonderful productions . " Several years ago my attention was led to the fact that many of our ancient buildings exhibited , on the face of the walls , both inside and outside , marks of a
peculiar character on the face of the stones , which were evidently the work of the original builders ; and it occurred to me that if examined and compared they might serve to throw light upon these bands of operatives . I made a large collection of them in England , France , Belgium , and Germany , some of which were published in the c Arch 8 eologia . These are simply the marks made by the
masons to identify their work ; but it is curious to find them exactly the same m different countries , and descending from early times to the present day ; for in parts of Germany and Scotland tables of marks are still preserved in the Lodges , and one is given to the ( practical ) mason on taking up his freedom . He cuts it , however , on the bed of the stone now , instead of on the face . The marks are usually two or three inches long .
" Many of them have a religious character , symbolizing the Trinity , eternity , & c ,, and the fish-form is not uncommon , " The constant occurrence in ancient buildings of this fish-form , or vesica piscis , as it is called , has led to much discussion . The early Christians'symbolized our Saviour by the form of a fish , perhaps because the initial letters of Christ ' s name and titles form the Greek word for fish : moreover , they called themselves pisciculi , considering that the Christian life commenced in the waters of baptism . The fish itself was accordingly sculptured for decoration , but seems to have been
superseded by the fish-shaped compartment formed by the intersection of two equal circles . In England it is to be seen over many doorways , inclosing the figure of Christ ; as at Malmsbury Abbey Church , Barfre . ston , and Rochester Cathedral . Windows are sometimes found of this shape . The seals of most religious bodies were of this form ; and some antiquaries have even attributed the origin of the pointed style of architecture to the use of it I At Poitiers and Angoufeme , where t found many masons' marks , it occupies a very prominent position on the west front of the churches . "
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews Of New Books.
and preserved within their Lodges a large amount of scientific skill greatly disproportioned to the general attainments of the time . As I have elsewhere said , when a band departed on an undertaking , a charge provided that the most expert craftsman should be appointed master of the works , under whom , when they reached their destination , every tenth man was appointed warden over his nine
fellows ; a camp was erected and a lodge built in which to hold their meetings and regulate their prices . Here , also , the apprentices resorted at certain periods to hear discourses upon the sciences , and lectures on morality : for at this period , it is supposed , none could become a free alidaecepted Mason without serving under a master for seven years ; during which time he was gradually initiated into the mysteries , and was ultimately accepted as a Brother .
" There is not , in the whole history of architecture , a more curious point than this , although it is in many respects obscure . In studying tbe works of the Freemasons , they become additionally interesting if we have a knowledge of the men ; and the men , in like manner , are invested with greater importance when we reflect upon their wonderful productions . " Several years ago my attention was led to the fact that many of our ancient buildings exhibited , on the face of the walls , both inside and outside , marks of a
peculiar character on the face of the stones , which were evidently the work of the original builders ; and it occurred to me that if examined and compared they might serve to throw light upon these bands of operatives . I made a large collection of them in England , France , Belgium , and Germany , some of which were published in the c Arch 8 eologia . These are simply the marks made by the
masons to identify their work ; but it is curious to find them exactly the same m different countries , and descending from early times to the present day ; for in parts of Germany and Scotland tables of marks are still preserved in the Lodges , and one is given to the ( practical ) mason on taking up his freedom . He cuts it , however , on the bed of the stone now , instead of on the face . The marks are usually two or three inches long .
" Many of them have a religious character , symbolizing the Trinity , eternity , & c ,, and the fish-form is not uncommon , " The constant occurrence in ancient buildings of this fish-form , or vesica piscis , as it is called , has led to much discussion . The early Christians'symbolized our Saviour by the form of a fish , perhaps because the initial letters of Christ ' s name and titles form the Greek word for fish : moreover , they called themselves pisciculi , considering that the Christian life commenced in the waters of baptism . The fish itself was accordingly sculptured for decoration , but seems to have been
superseded by the fish-shaped compartment formed by the intersection of two equal circles . In England it is to be seen over many doorways , inclosing the figure of Christ ; as at Malmsbury Abbey Church , Barfre . ston , and Rochester Cathedral . Windows are sometimes found of this shape . The seals of most religious bodies were of this form ; and some antiquaries have even attributed the origin of the pointed style of architecture to the use of it I At Poitiers and Angoufeme , where t found many masons' marks , it occupies a very prominent position on the west front of the churches . "
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