Masonic Jottings, No. 62.

English Freemasonry , if not under the Charges of 1723 , yet under those of 1738 . LATITTJD 1 NARIAN CHRISTIAN MASONRY . A learned brother calls our Masonry after 1722 " Latitudinarian Christian Masonry , " inasmuch

as the Charges of that year opened the Lodge to Christians of all Sects , however divergent , to Trinitarians and Socinians alike .

DISSENTERS . Is there anything to show that Dissenters were admitted into Freemasonry before the year 1723 . THE RELIGION OP ENGLISH FREEMASONRY . Brother . —These jottings tell you what is the Religion of English Freemasonry ; but they say little , possibly nothing , concerning its fitness and policy .

THE LODGE OP ANTIQUITY . A correspondent is mistaken . Preston examined the old Books of the Lodge of Antiquity . He mentions them in his Illustrations as confirming in many points the particulars of the Revival

there set forth . MEETINGS OP THE POUR OLD LONDON LODGES Brother L . C . D ., the meetings of the four old London Lodges were held in taverns , and the question is whether they were Lodges of

Operative Masonry only , or of Operative Masonry and of Speculative Masonry also . Consider Preston , Consider Findel .

SOULS OP THOSE AVIIO DIE . A Mason , who is a Natural Theist , writes that the souls of those who die have their dwellings in the temple of the Glorious Architect of the Universe . His temple is all space .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

DOES MASONRY CONTAIN A RELIGIOUS SYSTEM ? A Correspondent asks this question . My ansiver is that there are several kinds of Masonry . In general each kind has its religion . There is sometimes an extended Toleration ; sometimes a confined Toleration ; and sometimes there is no Toleration , it being

a sine qittt , non that the religion of a candidate should he that of the Masonry into ivhich he desires initiation . * * * There exists , however , in Germany , a Society , the object of which is the establishment of a Masonry not containing a Religious System . A few years

ago accounts of the Proceedings of this Society were occasionally inserted in our good Periodica ] , and were read by myself and many others with very great interest . —CHAB _ . PUB-TOST COOPEE ,

Masonic Notes And Queries.

THE MEDIiEVAL SYSTEM OP PREEMASONRY . Much secrecy and mystery attended the Medieval System of Preemasonry , which partly accounts for the obscurity in which history leaves us as to architects and their operations . We knowhoweverthat from a very early date

, , there was an organized fraternity of Masons , whofrom travelling and observation , as well as from practice , gained intelligence , and by well-devised , plans , communicated the benefit to their ivh de body , as far as practicable , the members constituting anorderpartly religious in some sortand partly

pro-, , fessional , with one interest and object in common . The importance ivhich architecture then possessed as an art can scarcely be overrated , for which reasonthe organisation was fostered by the clergy ; the rearing of religious structures was allowed to be monopolised by the Preemasons ; and it is a fact

that ecclesiastics were frequently associated ; which circumstances render more intelligible the zeal of the Masons , both in accumulating , and confining to themselves , the knowledge of their art . It is also evident from the curious correspondence in the details of work that the organization was very

complete ; and as it is to be inferred from the remainsof structures of the later period of the Eoman empire , from a universal similarity of arrangement ,, that there was a central control , the same principle may have been transferred from Roman usage . "From a bundle of Masonic Fxcerpts . —CHAELES PUHTOTS COOTEB .

THE TRUE , THE GOOD , TIIE BEAUTIFUL . My words must be enigmatical , although meant to he an ansiver to a question upon a matter ivhich concerns all instructed Headers of a Masonic Periodical . It is with great reluctance that the painter of the true , the goodand the beautifulsends his works to

, , tho gallery known to admit productions of a kind altogether different from his own production representing the opposites of what is true , what is good , and what is beautiful . —A PAST PEOVINCIAI . G-BAJTO MASTER .

ORIGIN OP THE GRAND LODGE OP MARK MASTER MASONS OP ENGLAND . At page 201 it says " There is probably no degree in Preemasonry that can lay claim to greater antiquity than those of Mark Man or Mark Mason , and Mark Master Mason . " Now it appears to me that

that is all a mistake ; our first three degrees existed towards the end of the first quarter of last century , but I never heard of the least substantial proof of the existence of any mark degree until some time after that . Before last century operative Masonsused marksin order to mark their workjust as

mer-, , chants did , in order to mark their goods ; but neither had anything to do ivith our Preeinasonic degrees of Mark Man , Mark Mason , or Mark Master Mason . — - W . P . BUCHAM " .

PREEMASONRY AND RELIGION . I agree with the principal positions of the remarkson this subject , given at pages 181-6 , from the ¦ 'Landmark . " To talk about "Christian Preemasonry , " and such like ideas , is simply a contradiction in terms . The Freemason ' s Confession of Faith