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Our Architectural Chapter
OTJK ARCHITECTURAL CHAPTER
Ir may be worth noticing , as an instance of the antiquity of having distinct temples for the sacred rites of Masonry , instead of meeting in unconsecrated buildings or places of entertainment , that in 1744 , the Grand Master of England granted a warrant for the erection of a Masonic Hall in Antigua , though as is well known , the Grand Lodge itself did not obtain a temple till long after . It is however worthy of notice , that before the erection of the structure in Great Queen Street , Grand Lodge showed a preference for meeting in the halls of the great city companies , as the Merchant Taylors , & c .
It would be interesting for some of our antiquarian readers to give some account of the halls of the city companies , in connexion witb the meetings of Grand Lodge . Preference should be had to their then condition . Did the Grand Master Wren ever contemplate the erection of a Masonic temple i How noble would have been his ideas ! Bro . James Elmes , the father of the architect of St . George ' s Hall
has , in his life of Wren , given some reference to his Masonic labours , but we do not remember anything of this kind . The foreign Lodges were among the first to have temples consecrated for Masonic rites , and many of the continental temples are old ,
but we are not aware of any description of them . This is a department of Masonic antiquities yet to be cultivated . It was during the flourishing period of Masonry in the last century that the funds were obtained for these structures ; but , on the other hand , many
disappeared during the revulsion of feeling consequent on the Prench revolution . Many Lodges , even in Paris , still meet in cafes where there are large suites of rooms , but the general object is to keep aloof from the appearance of convivial indulgence . The banquets , however , are made large festivals , with the artistic treatment for which our foreign Brethren are famous , and with economy to the Lodge and individuals . The celebration of the higher degrees universally
practised on the continent , where Masonry holds an intellectual position and flourishes , '' renders it ~ desirable to have capacious apartments for the performance of the rites . We have started one subject for Masonic notes and queries , and as
much has yet to be done in collecting the materials for Masonic history , and in the formation of collectanea , we shall make some further remarks , trusting to set our antiquarian Brethren at work .
. Che collection of monumental inscriptions js one minor branch of antiquarian labour , but nothing has been done for Masonic monumental inscriptions , though there arc many such in these islands , the United States and elsewhere . It is very desirable that these should be recorded , as many in the general destruction of tombs now taking
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Our Architectural Chapter
OTJK ARCHITECTURAL CHAPTER
Ir may be worth noticing , as an instance of the antiquity of having distinct temples for the sacred rites of Masonry , instead of meeting in unconsecrated buildings or places of entertainment , that in 1744 , the Grand Master of England granted a warrant for the erection of a Masonic Hall in Antigua , though as is well known , the Grand Lodge itself did not obtain a temple till long after . It is however worthy of notice , that before the erection of the structure in Great Queen Street , Grand Lodge showed a preference for meeting in the halls of the great city companies , as the Merchant Taylors , & c .
It would be interesting for some of our antiquarian readers to give some account of the halls of the city companies , in connexion witb the meetings of Grand Lodge . Preference should be had to their then condition . Did the Grand Master Wren ever contemplate the erection of a Masonic temple i How noble would have been his ideas ! Bro . James Elmes , the father of the architect of St . George ' s Hall
has , in his life of Wren , given some reference to his Masonic labours , but we do not remember anything of this kind . The foreign Lodges were among the first to have temples consecrated for Masonic rites , and many of the continental temples are old ,
but we are not aware of any description of them . This is a department of Masonic antiquities yet to be cultivated . It was during the flourishing period of Masonry in the last century that the funds were obtained for these structures ; but , on the other hand , many
disappeared during the revulsion of feeling consequent on the Prench revolution . Many Lodges , even in Paris , still meet in cafes where there are large suites of rooms , but the general object is to keep aloof from the appearance of convivial indulgence . The banquets , however , are made large festivals , with the artistic treatment for which our foreign Brethren are famous , and with economy to the Lodge and individuals . The celebration of the higher degrees universally
practised on the continent , where Masonry holds an intellectual position and flourishes , '' renders it ~ desirable to have capacious apartments for the performance of the rites . We have started one subject for Masonic notes and queries , and as
much has yet to be done in collecting the materials for Masonic history , and in the formation of collectanea , we shall make some further remarks , trusting to set our antiquarian Brethren at work .
. Che collection of monumental inscriptions js one minor branch of antiquarian labour , but nothing has been done for Masonic monumental inscriptions , though there arc many such in these islands , the United States and elsewhere . It is very desirable that these should be recorded , as many in the general destruction of tombs now taking