Masonic Notes And Queries.

4 . The Freemasonry of which the religion is Mahommedanism . Five Universal Freemasonries . 1 . The Freemasonry of which the relig ion is Natural Keligion . 2 . The Freemasonry of which the religion is

Christianity , with toleration of all other Freemasonries whose religion comprises a Theism , the term "Theism " being philosophically understood . 3 . The Freemasonries of which the religion is Judaism , with like toleration . 4 . The Freemasonry of which the religion is Parseeism with like toleration . 5 . The Freemasonry of which the religion is Mahommedanism with like toleration .

The Five Theisms . The five theisms , the term " Theism" being under stood in its philosophical sense , are , — 1 . The Theism of Natural Eeligion , 2 . The Theism of Christianity , 3 . The Theism of Judaism , 4 . The Theism of Parseeism , and 5 . The Theism of Mohammedanism . —CHARLES PURTON COOPER .

MASONRY IN MIDDLESBROUGH . The Masonic press does well to notice everything bearing on the Craft—good , bad , and indifferent . The following paragraph appears in Dominie's weekly letter in the Middlesbrough Exchange of July 15 th , 1870 . As there are several good Masons in Middlesbrough ,

for the honour of the institution , I trust Dominie has been misinformed : — " Equality and fraternity , however beautiful they may be in the abstract , are things difficult to establish anywhere . They are supposed to thrive in connection with Freemasonry , but even its mystic ties are insufficient to erase the

characteristics of human nature . A lodge of Masons , not one hundred miles from Middlesbrough , so rumour goeth , had a short time ago the honour and privilege of being called upon to assist a foreign Mason in adversity . The ' man' made good his credentials , but the lodge , somehow or other , did not consider him to be a '

brother' for a' that . He was bidden to wait in the entry whilst the hat was sent round , and when he received the poor dole that was gathered for him , he was not permitted to come up higher . I notice the matter because it has given rise to some talk , and also because I gather there is just a little— ' a very wee drap ' I trust—of snobbery in connection with local Freemasonry which were as well dispensed with . —A MASTER MASON .

OtfR SPECULATIVE FREEMASONRY . From an Oration delivered by command of Lord Zetland . Bro . J . C . H ., some words of an oration delivered by command of Lord Zetland on the occasion of levelling the first stone of a Masonic hall at Whitby , 1860 to

, ought put an end to your doubts : — " The Speculative Masonry of the present day has been justly denominated a peculiar morality , not that cold morality of the schools , but the genuine morality which springs from religious feeling , instilled into our hearts by the perusal of the volume of the Sacred Law , which holy book is ever in our lodges , the one Great Li ght , to rule and govern our Faith . " — CHARLES PURTON COOPER .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

JACOB BOHME . Bro . John Yarker ' s recommendation of Jacob Bohme ( ante page 28 ) a correspondent will relish more when he finds in biographical notices of that famous theosophist that " Sir Isaac Newton studied him and made extracts from his vvovka , '' and that '' in modern times , and in connection with speculative

philosophy in Germany , his views , which had come to be regarded as empty mysticism , have acquired fresh interest and importance . " It is added , "This arises from the kindred character of his fundamental principle with the spirit pervading the svstems of Spinoza , Schelling , and Hegel . In the " Dictionnaire des Sciences Philoaophiques , " Jacob Bohme fills eight and a half pages . —A PAST PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER .

THE END OE ANCIENT MASONRY ( page 48 ) . The quotation given from Bro . Findel ' s History of Freemasonry appears to me to he one of his mistakes . The idea seems to me to have a good deal of the imaginary in it , —more , it is highly calculated to mislead . I think very highly of Bro . Findel's work , but I would try to discriminate between fact and fiction , were I giving quotations from it . —W . P . B .

GERMAN ELEMENT AMONG THE ENGLISH MASONS ( page 70 ) . As expounded at page 70 , this is a mistake . I am not surprised at a German saying so , but I am astonished to find an Englishman promulgating it . We might about as well say that our coal and iron , steamers and railwayscome from Germany , as say

, that English Gothic architecture was derived from Germany . England may have got something from France an ! Normandy ; but as for Germany , it was behind both France and England . More , German Gothic of the thirteenth century came from France . I would respectfully ask my brethren to turn their

attention a little more to the Operative Masonry of France during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries , and try what they can find there . I expect that we have yet to get much and very valuable and interesting information from France about the building fraternities of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries . —W . P . BUCHAN .

ARGUMENT—RHAPSODY . Literary Controversy . —To this the instructed brings argument—the uninstructed brings rhapsody . —A PAST PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is notregpowible for the opinion * expressed by Correspondents IS FEEEMASONEY SECTAEIAN ?

TO TUB EDITOR OP THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND 3 IASONIC MIEROH . " Dear Sir and Brother , —As a Freemason , I beg most respectfully to take exception to certain assumptions and remarks of our Ii . W . Bro . Charles John Martyn , G . C .: e . g ., he says , ' And all of whom he may fairly presumeby their presence in that sacred

build-, ing , to be members of the Church of England , or , at all events , not strongly opposed to her doctrines . ' Now , I can by no means take this view of this case , for the brethren present J would presume went there as Masons , and expecting to hear a Masonic sermon ,