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Article ON SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM, ← Page 5 of 18 →
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On Symbols And Symbolism,
Society , which are charity ancl brotherly love , necessarily imply . An indiscriminate charity is impossible . It is , therefore , wisely determined that every aspirant for the Order should undergo examination of character ancl morals by his neighbours ancl fellowcitizens ; and , if found worthy , on admission have imparted to him certain signs and recognitions by which he may distinguish
any one ivho has submitted , to , and undergone a similar ordeal . We must Avait till the Avhole Avorld be united in one common chain of this charity and brotherly love , before Ave can lay open our badges of stricter union and fellowship . In a Lodge at Hamburg , many years since , on the great anniversary , an ode ivas performed , of which the beautiful Avords Avere written by the Grand Master of the Lodge of Unity at Niiremburg , a visitor , of which one verse was , —
" Wenn alle verbunden was kann uns noch scheiden , Dann wollen wir gern uns des Zeiehens entkleiden . " What can then divide us when all are united , Then willingly will of our signs we be lighted . The charity of the Order may be compared to a stream , which , Avhen dammed ancl confined Avithin its banks and proper
limits , is useful and beneficial compared with the same body of lvater allowed to spread uncontrolledly over the adjoining meadows and plains . In the latter case it runs great risk of becoming a mere stagnant water , perhaps a pernicious swamp . In a publication open to the world , it would be incongruous to explain or descant upon the hidden meanings of the Mason ' s
Signs , Grips , and Passwords ; but as many are taken or have descended from older societies , and been , even in antiquity , the objects of much conjecture and learned disquisition , a review ancl consideration of some of the principal ones , from observations and facts hitherto unknown to British Masons , may not be uninteresting to the readers of the Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine .
THE LADDER . Jacob's vision ( Gen . xxviii . 11—22 ) of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven , and Jehovah speaking ivords of comfort and assurance to the troubled mortal below , would be a sufficient authority for the introduction of this emblem into the rituals and observances of the Orderfrom the imports Avhich the best
, commentators have put upon it . Stackhouse's words on this revelation deserve great attention : — " The promise which God made from the top of the ladder , relates chiefly to his covenant with Abraham . The analogy of the thing may lead us to believe that this ladder Avas designed for a type ancl emblem of the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Symbols And Symbolism,
Society , which are charity ancl brotherly love , necessarily imply . An indiscriminate charity is impossible . It is , therefore , wisely determined that every aspirant for the Order should undergo examination of character ancl morals by his neighbours ancl fellowcitizens ; and , if found worthy , on admission have imparted to him certain signs and recognitions by which he may distinguish
any one ivho has submitted , to , and undergone a similar ordeal . We must Avait till the Avhole Avorld be united in one common chain of this charity and brotherly love , before Ave can lay open our badges of stricter union and fellowship . In a Lodge at Hamburg , many years since , on the great anniversary , an ode ivas performed , of which the beautiful Avords Avere written by the Grand Master of the Lodge of Unity at Niiremburg , a visitor , of which one verse was , —
" Wenn alle verbunden was kann uns noch scheiden , Dann wollen wir gern uns des Zeiehens entkleiden . " What can then divide us when all are united , Then willingly will of our signs we be lighted . The charity of the Order may be compared to a stream , which , Avhen dammed ancl confined Avithin its banks and proper
limits , is useful and beneficial compared with the same body of lvater allowed to spread uncontrolledly over the adjoining meadows and plains . In the latter case it runs great risk of becoming a mere stagnant water , perhaps a pernicious swamp . In a publication open to the world , it would be incongruous to explain or descant upon the hidden meanings of the Mason ' s
Signs , Grips , and Passwords ; but as many are taken or have descended from older societies , and been , even in antiquity , the objects of much conjecture and learned disquisition , a review ancl consideration of some of the principal ones , from observations and facts hitherto unknown to British Masons , may not be uninteresting to the readers of the Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine .
THE LADDER . Jacob's vision ( Gen . xxviii . 11—22 ) of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven , and Jehovah speaking ivords of comfort and assurance to the troubled mortal below , would be a sufficient authority for the introduction of this emblem into the rituals and observances of the Orderfrom the imports Avhich the best
, commentators have put upon it . Stackhouse's words on this revelation deserve great attention : — " The promise which God made from the top of the ladder , relates chiefly to his covenant with Abraham . The analogy of the thing may lead us to believe that this ladder Avas designed for a type ancl emblem of the