Canadian High Degrees.

Eranee early in the present century , and will he assertthat these degrees are not of Erench origin exclusively—the Rose Croix a manufacture of the Chevalier Ramsay and other Jesuits in 1743 , and the Kadosh "the principle degree of the Strict Observance , or Knight Templar issuearranged in the interest of

, the Pretender by Jesuits iu the College of Clermont , and which was exploded in Germany , where it principally then existed , by the Congress of Williehnsbad in 17 S 2 ?

Such total ignorance of the history of Masonic high degrees as is exhibited by the Grand Prior of Canada in the first of these paragraphs is only . equalled by that shown by him in the last , and Avhereiu he states that a Mason travelling on the continent of Europe , unless iu possession of tha Rose

Croix degree , " is held of but little account . " If by "the continent" he means Eranee only , then I will admit his statement in this case correct ; and for the simple reason that under the Erench or Modern Rite , in use in every country since 17 SG , every Ereemason is expected to have taken the degrees of this the

prevalent rite , and of which the Rose Croix is the -apex , or highest of seven ; but elsewhere on the continent—that is , out of Eranee , and in such places as this rite is not practised—the degree of Rose Croix , except as the ISth of the A . & A . Rite , is unknown . In Germany , more particularly the degree of M . M ., is regarded as the completion of legitimate Masonry , and its possessor can claim all that can be claimed by anv Freemason .

It is to be regretted that men in authority , and who are looked up to by many of the fraternity as lights in the Masonic family , should broadly make , as does the Grand Prior Moore , totally erroneous statements , and the which are at war with facts and dates in the history of Ereemasonry in Europe , as by the

works of Rebold and Eindel are now fully and clearly established to the satisfaction of whoever desires to know the truth , or who does not prefer to be ignorant , as a condition affording more scope for the exercise of fancy . Eor the Grand Prior of Canadian Templars to organize ex officio a Consistory of

S . P . R . S . of the A . A . S . Rite is simply assumption , -and such consistory an illegitimate creation , and as such it must be regarded by all the Supreme Councils of that Rite wherever situated . After the Erench Revolution of 1 S 30 the A . A . S . Rite was perfected in Eranee , and its Kadosh , or 30 th degree , made identical

in legend with the degree of Knight Templar as known in England since the organization of the Grand Conclave of England and Wales . But the possession of that Degree by -an English Grand Prior confers on him no ri ght to organize governing bodies or even Avorking bodies of the A . A . S . Rite , nor

can it necessarily do so . While many Masonic writers in the United States are deprecating the extension of high degrees in that country , as subversive of the original purity and princi ples of the Masonic institution , it is to be regretted that our brethren of the Dominion of Canada

are likely to be imposed upon by a bastard organization of them , under the leadership of Grand Prior Moore . Yours fraternally , AN AMERICAN FREEMASON .

Who Wrote The Book Of Job?

WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF JOB ?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRRORDear Sir and Brother , — " Rosa Crucis , " at p . 251 ( No . 4 S 2 ) of Magazine , asserts in his note on the "Immortality of the Soul , " that in the year 1520 B . C . Moses wrote the Book of Job , and therefore he would imply that , inasmuch as Job is made , by a prominent

passage therein , to believe in the immortalit } - of the soul , Moses must necessarily have believed iu it . Will you be good enough to inform your readers whether , in your opinion , " Rosa Crucis " is serious in any of his fnumerous blunders with which he has been recently favouring themor is " making fun ? "

, This assertion of his reminds me of the opening sentence of a discourse delivered by a backwoods preacher whose knowledge of Scripture was quite extensive but a little mixed . " After , " began the preacher , "Moses had been three days and three nihts in the whale ' s bellyhe was cast forth ; and

g , , with one foot ou the sea and the other on dry land , he said : ' Verily , thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian . " Bro . Haye ' s advice to "Rosa Crucis" is good , and

should be endorsed . So far from Moses writing the Book of Job , all critics agree that it was a Jew who wrote it during the captivity in Babyiou , as the ideas contained in it concerning the devil , & c , were peculiar to the Persians , and uuknown to the Hebrews , Israelites , or even Jews , until after their captivity in that country . Tbe book of Genesisit is believed by

, critics , first came into the hands of the Jews about the same time , and this belief is supported by the same reason . Both Genesis and Job are evidently produced under similar . conditions of education , and these conditions did not obtain in either Egypt or Canaan at any time prior to the return from captivity

of the people of the latter country . This is proven by the doctrine of the Pharisees , the true descendants of the captive Jews , being denied by the Samaritans and other inhabitants of the country even in the time of Christ . If " Rosa Crucis " wants to learn something reliable about the Book of Joblet him read

, Renan's translation of it from the original Hebrew , published by Michel Levy , Freres , in Paris . Tours fraternally , AN AMERICAN FREEMASON .

Can A P.M, Be A Simpleton?

CAN A P . M , BE A SIMPLETON ?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir and Brother , —This question has been suggested by the letter of "M . M . " in No . 481 of the Magazine . From that letter it would appear that " M . M . " is playing the part of whipper-in for Bro . W . HarrisP . M ., of many orders of Knihthood

, g fame ; aud in it he also Avants to know if it does not require great learning and profound science to be a P . M . Well , I believe not ; and certainly , as a P . M ., Bro . Harris , I further believe , does not exhibit much of either learning or science , but instead a disposition to impose his worthless degrees on his credulous

brethren . To paraphrase , or improvise , an it please Bro . Harris better , a dozen or so orders of Knighthood for the purpose of making merchandize of them to his dupes , among the younger members of the fraternity , exhibits no more science nor learning than that possessed by the thimble-rigger . His reasons