Masonic Notes And Queries.

If Freemasonry can only he known to Christians , and arose out of Christianity , what comes over the Ark , the Tower of Babel , the Temple , and the seeond Temple . I am strongly of opinion that Bro . White ' s ecstacy is more his guide thau reason—vide his communication entitled "Freemasonry in the

17 th Century , " of May 23 , which he not inappropriately entitles " a visionary dialogue . " Visionary it is , aud so are all such ideas ; but he must rein his fancy , and curb his visions of the night . Freemasous of this day are not inclined to have the majesty of their ceremonial and doctrines interfered with and

marred by so-called Christians , who want not only liberality but common sense . Well would it be for the writer of this , for Bro . White , and all Christian brethren , to take a pattern both in liberality and charity from our Hebrew brethren , who do good deeds in secret , and blush to find them fame . Would Bro . White , then , kindly answer the following questions : —

1 . How did Freemasonry originate ? 2 . At what period ? _ 3 . Show that it is Christian , or allied to Christianity . 4 . Point out a passage in the Grand Lodge of England Constitution that mentions Christianity ?

5 . What lodge or Grand Lodge proclaims itself to he Christian ? 6 . Point out in the three degrees anything peculiar to Christianit y , and which was not represented in the mysteries ages before the coming of Christ ? 7 . Explain why a lew is a Master of a Lodge , and a Musselman a District Graud Master ?

Bro . White proclaims himself to belong to the ISth degree ; can he point out anything Clu-istiau between tbe 4 th and the 17 th inclusive ? When he answers the above , I have a few more nuts for him to crack-. —AXTIIOKT OITEAL HAYE . P . S . —Add to the statistics of creeds the Greek Church , which numbers 74 , 024 , 300 , the members of which also , if I remember ri ght , are forbidden Freemasonry .

TUB BOOK OF JOB ( pp . 407—429—44 S ) . The question of the age of the Book of Job is chiefly a question of language and style , and whatever " A Scottish Freemason" may choose to think , he can neither judge from translations nor by weighing the opinions of critics , and of this he has already

given sufficient proof . A pretty judgment he caii give on the question , whether a particular word or phrase is Armenian , for instance . A man may be a very distinguished Hebrew scholar , as many ' Jews are , and totally deficient in the comparative philology of the language , and ou many points an Arabic

scholar is a better authority thau a Hebrew scholar . Under these circumstances , " A Scottish Freemason " need not be astonished that there are persons who object to Ins bringing the Bible , religion , and Freemasonry into ridicule and disrepute by setting up a discussion on the subject in the Freemasons' Magazine

. If he wants to exercise bis powers on a like subject , which does not involve all the same dangers , there may be recommended to him these question : Was Homer the author of the Iliad ? Did Homer ever exist ? Where was he born ? Whereabouts iu the Troad was the Seat of Troy ? Are the texts of the

Iliad the text of oue rhapsodist , of several , or chiefly the work of the alleged restorer , Pisistratus ? Here is quite scope enough . He can lay down the law on Greek grammar without asserting that any one scholar , ancient or modern , is not a Christian and not entitled to be believed .

—CIIHONONATJTOXTIIOLOGOS . ATHEISM AJIOXG MASONS . The note of It . T . touches a very important point . In a society like ours , which maintains the principles of true and pure religionwe shall better devote our

, time to the abatement of such an evil as the presence of Atheists among us thau to discussions about the members of Deistical sects , whether Jews or Christians . If the truth be assailed on the continent , let it be persistently maintained here . —W . S .

" SCOTCH" ( pp . 44 S—406 ) . If two wrongs would make a right , Bro . D . Murray Lyon would certainly be right ; but it so happens they wont . The correct word for the name of the people is "Scots , " for their country "Scotland , " and the nativeswhen correctly styledare called "

Scots-, , men " or " Scots , " not " Scotchmen " or " Scotch . " I fearlessly say so , even although " Scotchmen " may be found in a hundred dictionaries . "Scotchman " has somehow got into the dictionary , but it ought to be weeded out .

I need not go over Bro . Lyon ' s extracts , for upon his reasoniug we mi ght say good may be spelt " guid , " or blood as correctly spelt " bluid , " as uuder certain circumstances they are found . "O sing to me the auld Scotch sangs" is not an " auld Scotch sang " itself ; besides , can Bro . Lyon

prove that the author , in the line quoted * did not write " Scots ' . " He may have done so , although the printer makes it " Scotch . " The word iu the song follows shortly after "Scotland , " and it gives a very ¦ fine effect to take a good mouthful of the "tch "try it .

The use of " Scotch " as an adjective has this in its favour , that it has only one syllable , while " Scottish " has two ; hut no such excuse can be made for using "Scotch" as a noun iu place of "Scots . " If it is not a printer ' s error , aud Gladstone really said " the Scotch , " I think he was wrong . It would be more

correct and complimentary to say " the Scots . " And if "the Marquis of Bute calls his fellow-countrymen Scotchmen , " £ do not think much of his lordship's taste , but I hope that , if ho really did use the word , he would , if his attention was fairly called to the matter , hereafter repudiate the use of it , and in future sav " Scotsmen . "—W . P . B .

DERIVATION OF " FREEMASON " . " Brother Buchan seems dissatisfied with the conclusion 1 have arrived at on this subject , and to wish for a fuller explanation and a more definite result . But the derivation I ventured to suggest and to uphold is the only one that I am able to commend to

the critical judgment of your readers . All the evidences I have collected point to this as the true origin and use and meaning of the word . 1 am myself quite satisfied that Free Mason is not