Obscurantism And Nihilism.

contortion of the latter a starting point for his pretended argument . * " Popish zealots " does not mean papistes in French , but may be properly translated by zelotes de I'lUglise romaine , or fanatiques ultramontains , which is vastly different .

Supposing , however , Bro . Favre ' s translation to be correct ( Avhereas , in fact , it implies the very reverse of our meaning ) , it would MIOAV from those pf his words which we have printed in Italics , that the adherents of all Protestant denominations , besides

those ofthe Greek Church , as well as Mahometans , JeAvs , Parsees , Fetichists , & c , are comprised within the " Anglican sect , " as none of them can be classed under any one of the four categories whose doctrines we stated to be opposed to those

of Freemasonry . No doubt , our good Bro . Favre will see that he has far overshot the mark , and " put his foot in it . " We hope he will be more careful and circumspect another time , ancl , moreover , use with us that fair play Avhich he seems to deny to those who differ from his opinions .

In a future number Ave may have occasion to further expatiate on this question of Positivism . Suffice it to say , for the present , that Ave hope the forthcoming General Assembly of Delegates of the Masonic Lodges of France Avill be worthy of its

predecessors , ancl not countenance the schemes of those who construe the Masonic liberty of conscience into a liberty to disbelieve and defence to believe . We trust our French brethren will never degrade their branch of the Masonic family , by allowing the name of the Great Architect of the Universe to be expunged from their Constitution .

The Origin Of The Names Of The Masonic Fraternity.

THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF THE MASONIC FRATERNITY .

By Bro . W . S . ROCKWELL , 33 ° . Continued from page 386 . The word FEEE MASON , or , as it might be spelt more correctly , FREEKASOHT , has a perfectly distinct

origin and a meaning so particularly parabolic and applicable to the Institution , that , although it cannot be proved that it is the primitive symbolical name by which our fraternity or any other similar one was designated , still it so fully agrees ' with its real character that it may be doubted that this should be the result of a mere accident . It

has been stated that the word FEEE that precedes MASON , denotes that the Avhole Order consists of free men . The notion that this rjrefix is derived , from a connection with , the various guilds or artizans' companies , has prevailed very much '

among the Fraternity , ancl this assumption might appear Avell founded if the Order had existed only in Europe ; but the student who has been made acquainted Avith its universality , will obviously doubt of the propriety of applying the same term

to the Order in other parts of the world . That free men only should be admissible to the privileges of the Fraternity , is the natural result of the character of the Institution ancl its organisa tion , but it is by no means apparent , that an artizanj

having served the regular time necessary to become possessed of a full knowledge of this trade , should have been required to make signs derived from the Mason's art , for no other purpose than being free of his apprenticeship . An artizan ' s

apprenticeship has no more direct connection withr the Institution of Freemasonry than the use of the apron . This idea has , indeed , become quite ridiculous by Avay of it being repeated over and over again , and its application has first been limited to stonemasons , and then to architects . *'

These notions may doubtless appear sufficient to the superficial observer Avho assumes that the name itself has grown out of our own language , but not to those who are aware that there are Freemasons in countries in AA'hich the English tongue is entirely

unknown . Layard , in the account of his visit to Amadigah , a Christian Ohaldee hamlet of Kurdistan , relates that the Albanese chieftain Ismail Aga exclaimed : " We are all brethren , English or Barbarians , Ave are all Freemasons . " In his ' annotation to this passage he says that a Hramasoom means a Freemason . It is evident that Ismail