Ar00100

Contents . PAGE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE : — Gothic Constitutions— -What are they ? 281 Necessity of Study to a Mason 283 held 284

Masonry , why it has been up ...... Secret Societies of Ancient Scandinavia 285 Masonic Jottings , No . 89 208 Masonic Notes and Queries 287 Masonic Sayings and Doings Abroad 288 MASONIC MIEEOE : — Masonic Mems 290

CEATT LODGE M EETINGS-. — Metropolitan 291 Provincial 292 Scotland 294 Eoyal Arch 295 Mark Masonry 297 Notes on American Freemasonry 297 Obituary 208 Notes ou Music and the Drama 599 List of Lodge , & c , Meetings for ensuing week 300 Notices to Correspondents SCO

Gothic Constitutions—What Are They?

GOTHIC CONSTITUTIONS—WHAT ARE THEY ?

LONDON , SATZTXDAT , 00 T 0 BHS 1 , 1871

Of tbe numberless institutions created for tlae amelioration of humanity , tliose claiming a divine origin were and are most liable to abuse . The reason is obvious . Being of divine origin , the

laws , ceremonies , and usages are supposed to be perfect , and suitable for all ages , climates , and -civilization . Hence every effort at change , in order to adopt them to the present civilisation , is ¦ obstructed , and , as the inconsistencies become

more apparent , the conservatives become more and more unprincipled in their mode of defence . Laws and ceremonies which are described in the

sacred books , we can all judge for ourselves , and ¦ understand for ourselves . There are , however , umvritten laws called "usages "—these do the most mischief . As the cause and origin of usages are generally unknown , oracles come into existence ,

as expounders of those usages , and find it to their profit to magnify every absurdity into a divine command , and the majority generally suffer themselves to the guidance of a priesthood . Freemasonry is not an exception to the general

rule . Its original aim was "to unite men of every sect and opinion , be they what they may , " always provided a man believed in the Creator of the Universe , and of honest and moral principles . The very first charge of Anderson clearly expressed those ideas , and yet our present Masonry is

crammed full with Christian saints and Christian doctrines—indeed , some of our luminous writers can see nothing else in Masonry but the prediction of the fall of man , of redemption , of the Trinity , etc ., —and , in short , they declare Masonry

to be a Christian institution ; nay , more , an institution of divine origin , and every fabulous absurdity is magnified by them into an ancient landmark . Who , for instance , has not heard a Worshipful Master declare that the " parallel lines"

representing the St . John's is and was a landmark as ancient , at least , as the Christian era . The truth , however , is , the symbol"itself was not manufactured until about 177-5 . It was never introduced by the Grand Lodges on the European continent , and was not heard until Thomas Smith Webb

was recognised as an oracle . The sticking to every absurdity , under the pretence of its being an ancient landmark , often places the would-be advocate of Christian Masomy in a most ludicrous light . When questioned , " Why , if it is Christian , do you not acertain beforehand that the candidate is a Christain ? " or

" Why do you admit Jews ? " the answer is , "It is an ancient landmark ; we have so received it , and must , therefore , so impart it . " And similar answers are retured to our remonstrances against every absurdity and every falsehood that we hear

nightly in our lodges . Besides '' Landmarks , " our oracles have invented other imposing phrases , such as " Masonic Jurisprudence , " " York Masons , " " Gothic Constitutions '' I venture to assert that nine-tenths

of our orators and oracles haA r e never taken pains to inform themselves of the meaning of Gothic Constitutions . Some of them still talk about the constitutions of 926 , called the Athelstan constitutions .

This , they say , is still in existence in York . Bro . Eindel , however , exploded that nonsense . He proved that nothing of the kind exists in York , or ever did exist there . HaUiwell ' s poem is undoubtedly the oldest book Avherein mention

is made of Athelstan ' s Constitution , but the writer of that poem only gave the [ information from hearsay . Thus , after giving tha legend of the Egyptian children having- been organised into a fraternity of Masons by Euclid , he goes on to

say ( which we shall give in modern English ) ;—" Many erys ( eras or years , ) I understand , Ere that the craft came into this laud , This craft came into England , as you say , In time of good King Athelstan ' s day . "