On The Probable Origin Of Freemasonry.

ON THE PROBABLE ORIGIN OF FREEMASONRY .

By Bro . the EEV . SALEM : TOTVN , of New York . In the following lines we purpose giving a sketch of ancient Freemasonry so far as it can be correctly collated from the annals of ancient , profane , sacred , and ecclesiastical history ; and Ave shall endeavour especially to make known to the reader the names of those men who have been

protectors and benefactors of our Institution in olden times . The opinions of historiographers , ancl of Freemasons themselves , as to the age of Freemasonry are vastly different , and this very circumstance

constitutes an incontrovertible proof of its great antiquity . No difficulties could exist on that score if Freemasonry were of modern creation , as its origin would evidently have been recorded in the annals of the epoch . An excess of enthusiasm

in favour of its antiquity has induced many to endorse the hypothesis , that Freemasonry owes its origin to the very beginning of all times . They have accepted as an axiom that " So long as there

has been symmetry , and harmony has displayed its charms , our Order has been in existence . " No doubt the principles of " universal moz'als " have always been co-existent with true religion , but it by no means follows that the same should be the

case with Masonry in its systematical form . In inquiring into the origin of Freemasonry and the stage to which its organisation had advanced at any time , it would be out of place to speak of it merely in the abstract , and take into account

only its fundamental principles . All the materials of which a building- is made up may exist in a more or less advanced state of preparation ; but this would not involve the existence of the

building itself , unless these materials had been previously picked , arranged , and united to a tout ensemble . The same with Freemasonry . Though its principles have been in existence from the very commencement of time , and the very creation of

all things , and though there may be many highly instructive symbolical configurations suggestive of those eminent truths that tend to illustrate its excellence , and substantiate its claims to great antiquity , these are not proofs sufficient to

demonstrate that Freemasonry itself has always been co-existent with the same . Were we to proceed to argue in this maimer , we should prove more than what every brother can admit , considering that in the course of time many of our symbols

On The Probable Origin Of Freemasonry.

have been originated at epochs very far distant from each other ; in fact , by proving too much , Ave should prove nothing at all . It is evident that if once we start from premises , according to which the origin of moral principles coincides with that

of Freemasonry , the latter must be , to all intents ancl purposes , coeval with that of the Almi ghty ! In assuming that it dated from the existence of symmetry and proportion , we date it from the creation of the world , that is , from a time in which

no human being was in existence , and , if we date it from the first introduction of our symbols , Ave openly contradict ourselves . It would therefore be absurd to derive from any one of these epochs the origin of Freemasonry as a regularly organised

institution . Could we indeed affirm that the earth has an . absolute existence merely because a Divine will had decided it , so long as the creating power of the All-powerful has not decreed its

formation ? The same with Freemasonry . We are entirely in the dark as to its origin up to the time when its principles were formed and constituted into a system , and it became an institution organised with a view to social gatherings . It i'esults

from this that there are ample reasons militating in favour of the assumption that the organisation of the so-called Masonic body owes its origin to the age when social gatherings increased in importance , when greater mutuality arose amongst

men , and a lively desire of promoting the welfare of the human species at large became manifest in certain classes . Those men Avho considered as sacred the character of Divinity , thought that they could not do greater honour to its name than by

discharging their duties to the utmost , and thenspirit of benevolence must have prompted them to coalesce and jointly combine their efforts and endeavours in favour of the cause of humanity . ( To he continued . )

Masonic Poets Of Scotland—No. I.

MASONIC POETS OF SCOTLAND—No . I .

ROBERT BTJEHS . By the EEV . AXDES - E . BOXAK , Minister of First Charge of Gmiongate , Edinburgh . ( Continued from page 6 . ) Such was Burns , who has bequeathed in his

poetry and songs so many specimens of accurate description , of unaffected pathos , and of humourprovocative , in even the less susceptible , of " laughter holding both its sides . " Some of his conversational retorts and repartees were as pointed and