Masonic Jottings.—No. 20.

resemble the Masonry of the Lodge of mediaeval times ; and the Masonry of the Lodge of mediaeval times would resemble the Masonry of the Lodge of Antient times . The Masonry of the Lodge of antient times could , however , rarel y be true Freemasoui'i-.

VITRUVIUS . A Brother , before finishing his ingenious sketch of an ancient Masons' Lodge , should look again into his Yiu'uvius . The number of sciences , to which the Greek and Roman Architects extended their studies , was not less than ten .

OUR TEACHINGS . My ill—Legend—Apologue—Symbol—Emblem —Prosopopoeia—All these make part of our Masonic Teachings , and those Masons have scant understanding of history who cannot see here tho the most aniient teachings of progressive civilisation ,

THE 1717 THEORY CONTROVERSY . A Metropolitan Brother asks how the numerous aud interesting questions respecting tho rise of Speculative Masonry could possibl y bo affected by a settlement of the 1717 theory controversy . KING SOLOMON AND SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN .

A learned Brother thinks wo should call King Solomon and Sir Christopher Wren " Presidents , " rather than "Grand Masters . " Nevertheless , my brother thinks that Ervin of Steinbach should be called Grand Master ..

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

THE SCHOOL OF P 1 * THAGOItAS . The k'tfKi' of a Brother at Exeter lias reached mo . 'There may have been Masonry in the school of Pythagoras , hut it could not be true Freemasonry , and therefore it could not be lish See

Eng Freemasonry . my communications ' Pythagorieians , " Freemason s Magazine , vol . xvi ., p . 1-8 G , and " The Essenians , Pythagoras , " ibid ... v < 1 . xvii ., p . 210 . See also the Jotting "Pythagoras , " ibid , vol . xxi ., p . 420 . The religious philosophy of Pythagoras cannot be learnt from the Masonic writers ol France aud England . Mbrother will find

y the information he seeks in Tennemanu ' s "History of Philosophy . " of a resume of which a well-known translation happens to be in my possession . I subjoin the title :-- " Manuel de 1 'Histoire de la Philosophic , traduit tie I'AllemanddeTennemann , par Victor Cousin . " Paris -. Ib 29 . Two volumes . —CIIABLES PUUTON

COOPER . HAUPT HUIXE OF STKASBUISG ( P . 3 S 7 ) . The observation about the " Grand Lodge" of Strasburg existing in the 15 th century , aud that it has not

altogether ceased to exist at thia day , is a pure piece of Masonic mystification , hig hly warranted to mislead unthinking and brethren . There was no " Grand Lodge" then . There were central lodges then , and Strasburg was one of these , but these were simply trades unions—unions of operative masons , who knew nothing of our system of Freemasonry which was instituted last century . —TV . P . B .

THE JEWS IN KENT . A Correspondent is mistaken . I have taken the opportunity of recording- —first , that in my late province of Eent there were , iu my time ( 1853 to 1860 ) , no better Freemasons than the Jews ; next , that in that province , during that time , the charitable

donations of the Jewish brothers were , in proportion to their numbers , fully as large as those of the Christian brethren . —See FEEEMASONS' MAGAZINE , vol . xvi ., p . 203 , and vol . xix ., p . 209 . In the communication "The Jews , " p . 187 of the present volume , for " English Jews with Masonry certificates , " read " Jews with English Masonry certificates . ''—C . P . COOPEE .

ENGLISH AND GEEMAN AECHITECT 3 AND BUILDEES . 387 . The remark of "A Past Provincial Grand Master " that " tlie German architects and builders brought with them into the old English lodge the germ of what has acquired the name of Speculative Masonry "

is a pure piece of imagination . Eugland in the 12 th and 13 th centuries was ahead of Germany , and in England there were Architects , but the Germans , after learning from the French in the thirteenth century , came to be mere builders and stone-cutters—mere handy steinmetzen . —TV . P . BUCHAN .

OB AIT 1 IASONET AND BHO . HUGHAN . Bro . TV " . C . T . —Our opinions are as wide asunder as are the North and South Poles ; and although your opinions may one day draw nearer to mine , yet hope not that mine will ever draw nearer to yours . Howeverthere is consolation for you . One of the most

, frequent contributors to our good periodical thinks as you think . Bro . Hughan has recorded in his Analysis printed in its columns that " he caunot see how a Master Mason , under the Grand Lodge of England , can be complete without taking the lloyal Arch . ' ( See Freemason ' s Magazinevol . xviii . p . 4-15 ) . This

, announcement created considerable surprise . However , it has , I am told , in no way occasioned misgivings respecting the efficieucy of our noble Craft Masonry . —C . P . COOPEE .

USE OE WHISKY IN SCOTLAND . In the " Gentleman ' s Magazine" for this month there is a letter from " J . T ., " giving extracts from an old manuscript book of accounts , written between the years 17-18 aud 1755 ; and commenting upon it "J . T . " observes : — " In the accounts there is mention of beer , but nothing about whisky , which had not then come into common use except among the upper classes . — PICTUS .

A LIFE-SIZE BUST of our eminent Bro . Herr J . J . Lowenthal ( ofthe Grosvenor Lodge ) , by Bro . C . E . Van Dcnihrsch ( of the Lodge of Israel ) is exhibited at the Royal Academy ^ It is considered n work of art , null the likeness is a very striking one of tho celebrated chessplayer .