Speculative Masonry And Bros. Findel And Hughan.

insignificance . There is nothing in these phenomena to alarm us . They have , in all probability , happened constantly for ages past . That we have now means of investigating their nature and measuring their height and velocity , furnishes no cause for anxiety . Rumours of these discoveries have crept into the

papers , ancl , exaggerated by repeated copying and sensational additions , have given rise to these mysterious and uncalled-for predictions . " The sun being such an important Masonic emblem , the above remarks will not be out of place in a Masonic paper . —PICTUS .

ABEOAD ANB AT HOME ( page 47 ) . I am not aware of the Freemasons' Magazine being so far behind other papers in the elucidation of truthful Masonic history . The Germans have done well —more shame if Englishmen are behind them—but as for many others , they are still a long wav off—W . P . B . J

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents FREEMASONRY IN GLASGOW .

10 THE BDITOE OF Tnz FEEESTASONS MAGAZINE AMD MASOKIC MIBEOE . Dear Sir and Brother , —Your correspondent " Bos Albus , " at page 48 , asks Bro . Buehan "to devote his energies to reforming the abuses in the province of Glasgow . " Very good ; only the question rises wh y can't "Bos Albus" devote his own energies to that

object ? lie says there are abuses ; let him give a list of them and attach them himself , and not show the white feather by asking me to do it . I do what I can in my own way—yea , even to "bearding the lion in his den , " if I may so express it , by attacking untruthful remarks or evil customs in the

seat of their promulgation or perpetuation , but I find it to be impossible to please everybody . So long as I am taking long shots at distant triflers it is all ri ght at home— " go it" is the word ; but if I happen to plant my foot upon the corn of some home defect , then the yell gets up I " That was too had "— " We did not expect that , " and so on . " Claw me an' I'll claw you" ( the man ' s heaven ) is a principle that

may be carried too far b y Glasgow Masons as well as ly others . Had we a little less of that , and a little more Masonic truth , high Masonic principle , and courageous , Masonic , outspoken independence amongst us , the Order would be a great gainer , and it would command more respect than it in many cases does . There is far too much paltry time-serving abroad .

Gilding over our faults is not the way to get rid of them : show them up and cast them out is my idea . I would like to see the word " Freemason" and the word " gentleman" to be equivalent . "Bos Albus " asserts that Bro . Buehan " has done very much injury to the cause he professes to support" by writing in the

North British Dail y Mail , but I deny that—more , I fearlessl y assert that it is the Masons themselves who , by their own conduct , do "much injury to the cause they profess to support . " Do they imagine the public are blind , or that men of education cannot see through a stone wall as far as a Mason ? If so , they are greatly mistaken—their sayings and doings

Correspondence.

are commented upon by all and sundry . "By thei deeds ye shall know them" will serve just as well fo Masons as for others . As to the letters in the Mail several well known brethren have signified their approval of them ; even the Mail itself has been thanked for opening its columns for the purpose , and that , too , by Masons ; and as to my last letter which

appeared there , and which was probably the cause of " Bos Albus" writing , and which has probably raised the ire of some Glasgow brethren , I beg leave to append it , so that your readers may judge for themselves . It may also help to show whether or not the Freemasons' Magazine is behind its American contemporaries . Yours fraternally , W . P . BUOHAN .

" EEEEMASONRX IN SCOTLAND . " To the Editor of the NoMHt BRITISH DAIM MAII ,. " Sir , —In the Mail of the 4 th instant I perceive a paragraph , copied from the New York Tribune , giving a description of a lecture delivered on December 22 to the New York Caledonian Club by a Mr . Peter L .

Buchanan , on the ' History of the Scottish Freemasons . " As the description would show , Mr . Buchanan appears to know very little indeed about the real history of the subject of his lecture . I perceive he has got the length of throwing overboard the Adamite theory of the origin of Freemasonry—morehe even

, casts aside the Solomonic ; but the last only by a mere hand-breadth , as we find him observing that he ( the speaker ) ' was content with the theory that it had its ori gin among the Romans ! ' "Wh y did he not go farther , and hail from the Egyptians ? The one had about as much . to do with Freemasonry as the

other . However , there is a tit-bit for the Kilwinningites . He says : — ' In 743 (!) the first lodge of Masons was formed in Scotland at Kilwinning . ' What nonsense ! Even supposing a lodge of operative masons existed at the building of Kilwinning Abbey , that would he within the last seven centuries , i . e ., since the 12 th century , not in the 8 th . However ,

Glasgow Cathedral , Holyrood , Kelso , Melrose , & c , w ere all founded ( whatever the first structures were made of ) before Kilwinning . Then he says , 'In the time of James II . Masonry began to assume some of the forms it has to-day . That monarch appointed William St . Clair and his heirs and successors to he Grand Masters of Scotland" & c . Now that is all a

, mistake ; yet how shall I be too hard upon Mr . Buchanan , when only a few days ago the senior lodge of the Glasgow province had a long notice of its pretended ' 812 th anniversary , ' a pretension utterly at variance with the history of the city , and the foundation of which was a document forgedas I believein

, , 1806 , perhaps as a practical joke , but which was then and since held forth to further the pretensions of the lod ge ; and there are many such documents in existence fabricated since the year 1717 . As I observed at the beginning of last year , so do I find Mr . Pinkertonin 'Notes and Queries' for November 27 th 1869

, , , observing to a similar effect , as follows : — 'I have conducted many antiquarian researches , but I candidly must say that I never have met with such disgusting frauds as have been practised by the Freemasons . ' I most sincerel y hope that , for the credit of the Craft , we have seen the last of this ' S 12 th Anniversary'