Masonic Jottings.—No. 19

CIRCUMSTANCES . In certain circumstances a nation will cultivate Masonry . In like circumstances another nation will do the same ; and yet it cannot be said that the Masonry of the latter nation comes from the

Masonry of the former nation . OLD ENGLISH LODGE . —OLD SCOTCH LODGE . Besides the necessary Operative Masonry—Science the German Architects and Builders brought with them into the old English Lodge

and the old Scotch Lodge the germ of what has acquired the name of Speculative Masonry . Sometimes there was , and sometimes there was not , a developement of this germ .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

MASONS . GEOLOGISTS . A learned brother likens Masons who would get rid of our myths and legends , sufficient historical evidence 'lacking , to geologists who would get rid of the Bible , the first chapter of Genesis not according with their scratchings of the earth ' s crust . —CHARLES PURTON COOPER .

MASONRY IN CUBA . The police at the Havannah entered a Masonic lodge at the Savannah , when the members were celebrating a funeral ceremony for deceased brethren ( insurgents ) . The police arrested the natives , thirty or forty in number , but did not molest the foreigners . —W . B . BE .

LORD BALMERINO ' S LAST DEGREE . At page 387 of vol v . of " Tales of a Grandfather , '' by Sir Walter Scott , it says : — " His lordship ( Lord Balrnerino ) , then taking a glass of wine , desired the bystanders to drink ' ain degrae ta haiven , ' that is , an ascent to heaven . " Now , if Lord Balmerino was a

Freemason at this time ( 1746 ) , I should consider that he was a Master Mason , and referred to taking his "last degree . " Perhaps some of the readers of the Magazine can say if " the intrepid old peer , " as Dr . Taylor in his " Pictorial History of Scotland" calls him , was a Mason or not ? We cannot help admiring the noble and chivalrous bearing ofthe man , whatever we may think of his views . —W . P . B .

THE GREEK MASSACRES . It has often been supposed that brigands generally respected Masons , but as we perceive from the " Obituary , " at page 378 , his being a Mason did not prevent the murder of Bro . Edward Herbert in the late disgraceful massacre . It is to be hoped that not only will the miscreants be brought to justicebut

, that the ultimate result of this sad affair will be that the classic grounds of Marathon will become as safe for the traveller as Hyde Park in noon-day . Where there ' s a will there ' s a way . —PIOTTJS .

! 0 SE 3 ? UL MASONRY . 'Countries where Masonry is specially useful—such as India , Turkey , Austria , & c , where the people are of various races and religions , haying restricted social intercourse . —LECTOR .

HAUPT HUTTE 01 ? STBASBURG . A correspondent mentions a matter in relation to this lodge which has surprised him . He will probably be still more surprised when informed that the Haupt Hiitte of Strasburg , which he knows was a Grand Lodge in the middle of the 15 th century , has not at this day altogether ceased to be the same Grand Lodge . —CHARLES PURTON COOTER .

LODGE ORGANS . A new and powerful cheap American organ has just been introduced suitable for lodges . —M . S . THE REVIVAL OB A . D . 1717 . Freemasons talk of the " revival" of A . D . 1717 . Now if there really was a revival at that time , then

our Freemasonry must have existed before then ; but if no proof of any such existence can be produced , we are at perfect liberty , under the circumstances , to doubt the existence of the said Freemasonry previous to 1717 . It follows , also , that if our Freemasonry did not exist before AD . 1717 then the proceedings

. , that took place then , instead of being a " revival , " were in reality the institution of the said Freemasonry ; and it is that latter yiew I uphold . —W . P . BUCHAN .

BRO . HUGHAN AND A MASONIC STUDENT ( page 368 ) . In giving an advice to " An Entered Apprentice , " at page 368 , Bro . 0 . P . Cooper observes : — " "When the remarks of ' An Entered Apprentice' agree with that letter ( the letter of 'A Masonic Student , ' at page 292 of the Magazine for April 11 th , 1868 ) , he may

safely consider himself right . " Now , I consider this a most unfortunate advice , for it implies that the statements in this letter of " A Masonic Student" are authentic and reliable , whereas I consider the said letter contains several mistakes . Further , " A Masonic Student" has always been promising , over and

over again , to bring forward proof in support of his ideas ; but he has never as yet done it , and , I greatly fear , never will . Therefore I would respectfully say to "An Entered Apprentice , " stand by the 1717 theory until it is proved to le wrong . It asserts that there was no system of three degrees before the beginning of last century , and that our Freemasonry is considerably less than two centuries old . —W . P . B .

A TRANSCENDENTAL MASON . A young correspondent calling himself " A Transcendental Mason , " in answer to my inquiry what a Transcendental Mason is , has sent me the ensuing passages , and has intimated that there is nothing in them from which he dissents . The passages are , I

find , all taken from Bro . Oneal Haye ' s communication to the Freemason ' s Magazine , entitled " Freemasonry Considered . " ( See the note , page 250 of the present volume . ) : — " That the principles of Masonry are as old as the creation of man cannot be denied without denying all received history , sacred and

profane , . . . That secret societies for promoting the welfare of the human race by separating the good from the evil are of very early origin is undeniable . . . . We cannot be far wrong in stating that among the Egyptians in the time of Moses there did exist a secret society . This secret society was formed among the priests , and its teachings constituted the esoteric mysteries or worship . . . . The greater mysteries which required , on the part of the neophyte ,