-
Articles/Ads
Article OF NO IMPORTANCE. ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONRY AMONG THE ABORIGINES. Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article WHAT IS MASONIC ? Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Of No Importance.
for which purpose our Craft is only one of the levers . " Masonry expects thafc every Mason will do his duty ; " he who does nofc is not a true Mason . —Sydney Freemason .
Masonry Among The Aborigines.
MASONRY AMONG THE ABORIGINES .
A YERY eloquent lecture was delivered in 1851 at the Tremont Temple , Boston , by the Rev . Kah-ge-gagah-bowh , alias George Copway , on the religion , oratory ,
and poetry of the Indians of this country . He acquitted himself with great ability , and was listened to by the audience with profound attention and frequent bursts of applause .
Among other remarks which attracted attention , was a description of the medicine men among the tribes , and their long preparation ; for they excelled not merely in knowledge of medical herbs and plants , and the virtues of roots ,
but they were tho religious teachers and prophets of the nation . They were supposed to be favourites of the Great Spirit , and directed the worship of the people . He observed thafc they were eight years in pursuing their
educationbelonging to a Fraternity who were under the injunction of secrecy , and passed through four degrees in their advancement . He barely touched on this subject , but verbum sat sapienti—the attentive ear lost not a word .
In a conversation which I have since had with Bro
Copway , I was satisfied that Freemasonry existed among the Indians of America . His explanation of that part of his lecture alluded to above satisfied me of the fact that the elements of our Institution had long been known among
the tribes of the forest . The proficients in the Art wore a small badge of cloth , adorned with wampum , and surrounded by a fringe of feathers . On its face was the device of a finger pointing to a long road , emblematical of their future
life of instruction . This badge was worn nearest the skin on the breast . Was it not the Indian ' s diploma—a talisman ever lying at his heart—the voucher of his character—the mystic credentials of his standing wherever he went ?
Such an emblem was worn among the Menomenee , Potawatomee , Sioux , Knistenava , and Sache and Fox tribes , as well as the Ojibway tribe , to which Bro . Copway belonged —a tribe which dwelt on the north-western shores of Lake
Superior , near the head waters of the Mississippi . Our late illustrious Bro . De Witt Clinton investigated this subject in his lifetime , and found many interesting facts touching Indian Freemasonry . He relates some cases among the Iroquois in one of his Masonic addresses .
Giles F . Yates , Esq ., of Schenectady , made a communication in the Freemasons' Monthly Magazine—I think ifc is in one of the early volumes—wherein it was stated that
Francis Lewis , father of Gen . Morgan Lewis , former Grand Master of New York , was taken captive in the French war , and found some Indians of Welsh descent ; and , in 1660 , Rev . Morgan Lewis was taken by the Tuscarora Indians
and condemned to death . It was at Port Royal , South
Carolina . At his sign of distress , wherein he addressed them in his native Welsh , the Sachem of the Doeg tribes saved his life .
Tecumseh was a Mason—a terrible warrior , but we must remember , he fought for his oppressed country . At the battle of the River Raisin , he rescued several pale faces from destruction , on finding they were brothers .
This subject opens a wide field for antiquarian inquiry . It is worthy the attention of such of our brethren , who are blessed with learning and leisure , and dwell in the far
West , where some of the tribes still exist . If the light of
Masonry ever illumed the brain among the remnants of our Northern and Eastern tribes , it must have been extinct long ago . For in intelligence , appearance , and character , they are almost infinitely inferior to that nation from which
sprang the Indian orator , who charmed us so much the other evening , and whose gentlemanly bearing , cultivated mind , and Christian conduct , gather friends around his path wherever he goes . Nearly six feet in height , and well
proportioned , he is a noble specimen of the red man of the forest , whose ancestors once held all the lakes , mountains , and rivers of this continent , with au imperial sway , as the eagle now rales the dominions of fche air . —Keystone .
Ad00403
FUNERALS properly carried out and personally attended in l _ ondon or Country by Bro . G . A . HUTTOW , 17 Newcastle Street , Strand , W . C , Monuments erected . Valuation . } made ,
What Is Masonic ?
WHAT IS MASONIC ?
ANENT the Gurney and Dadmun discussion as to what is Masonic , Companion Hill says : " In this discussion , as will be seen , there is much food for thought , and the positions taken in the arguments are well worthy of study . The vital question as to the right of the Symbolic Lodge to exercise control over all Masonic
Bodies is not to be lightly passed by . It may be called
the ' burning question ' of the day . Certainly the peace and harmony of several , if not all , jurisdictions are bound up with it . It is essential , in the discussion , to be sure of the definitions which are used . In the use of the term
Masonic , there is evidently a want of agreement as to its meaning on the part of the parties to the discussion . Companion Gurney holds the term ' Masonic' to mean essential to the life of Masonry . Thus , any degree which
can be dispensed with and yet leave Masonry practically uninjured , is not Masonic . Companion Dadmun evidently seems to hold that any degree which was first conferred by Masons in a Masonic Lodge is Masonic . This , then will
give us a key to the solution of the difficulty . If we can answer the question as to whafc was included in Masonry originally , we can readily determine that the claims of all bodies to the use of the word ' Masonic ' must be construed
to mean that which pertains to Masonry . Masonry here will be the point of divergence , for one will say Original and another Modem Masonry . Thus , there is a solid ground for the argument of disputants , based upon the
definition of Masonry . If it can be shown that the Masonry of the Fathers was substantially the Masonry generally regarded as such to day , then the argument of Companion Gurney necessarily falls to the ground ; while ,
if , on the contrary , it is proven that in this stage of Masonry it differs from what it was originally , then the position of Companion Gurney is impregnable . Ifc will be conceded that as it is ' not within the power of any man ,
or body of men , to alter the body of Masonry / additions which have been the work of late years are nofc Masonic in fche proper sense . Ifc does not make a degree Masonic because ifc is conferred only on Masons and only within the
tyled precincts of a Lodge . There must be some vital relation existing between the degree so conferred , and the three degrees which are the acknowledged foundation of the Masonic Temple . It was a common practice years ago ,
and may be in some quarters to-day , to confer what are called ' side degrees' within the body of the Lodge on Masons , and yet no one will for a moment contend for the Masonic character of such degrees .,
" Another point about which there can be no dispute . Masonry has passed through a process of development since ifcs authentic written history has been a guide to its characteristics and proportions . Whatever may be claimed
for the various degrees which are called Masonic to-day , or whatever the process by which they were evolved , if they were part of original Masonry , then it must have been in the nature of principle , and not as full-fledged degrees ,
provided with all the paraphernalia of ritual and kindred accessories . In ascending the stream of reliable Masonic history we lose all testimony , save such as we find in the
' Old Charges' or ' Constitutions , ' as soon as we have passed the year 1646 , from which date we have written testimony on most of the essential points in Masonic inquiry . The' Old Charges ' bear different dates from that
ascribed to the ' Halliwell Book / which is of late in the fourteenth century , down to the Harris Roll , or the Krause Manuscripts of the eighteenth century , all of which have
more or less information concerning Masonry . It is generally admitted that the earliest reliable information as to degrees in Masonry , limits them to not more than three ,
including the Master ' s office as a degree . Many contend that there was but one , and that all the ceremonies connected with fche Master ' s introduction to his office did nofc
take to exceed five minutes . If in 1717 there was but a single ceremonial for all who entered the Temple , it will be hard to prove that later outgrowths are Masonic in the true sense . In any case , to have fche seal Masonic attached ,
a degree must have been recognised as part of the system prior fco the adoption of the article of the Constitution of 1722 , which put ifc out of the power of any person to add to the body of Masonry . The division of Masonry into degrees was hardly accomplished at the time of the
adoption of Anderson ' s Constitutions , but the honorary degrees of the Blue Lodge w ^ e already an established
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Of No Importance.
for which purpose our Craft is only one of the levers . " Masonry expects thafc every Mason will do his duty ; " he who does nofc is not a true Mason . —Sydney Freemason .
Masonry Among The Aborigines.
MASONRY AMONG THE ABORIGINES .
A YERY eloquent lecture was delivered in 1851 at the Tremont Temple , Boston , by the Rev . Kah-ge-gagah-bowh , alias George Copway , on the religion , oratory ,
and poetry of the Indians of this country . He acquitted himself with great ability , and was listened to by the audience with profound attention and frequent bursts of applause .
Among other remarks which attracted attention , was a description of the medicine men among the tribes , and their long preparation ; for they excelled not merely in knowledge of medical herbs and plants , and the virtues of roots ,
but they were tho religious teachers and prophets of the nation . They were supposed to be favourites of the Great Spirit , and directed the worship of the people . He observed thafc they were eight years in pursuing their
educationbelonging to a Fraternity who were under the injunction of secrecy , and passed through four degrees in their advancement . He barely touched on this subject , but verbum sat sapienti—the attentive ear lost not a word .
In a conversation which I have since had with Bro
Copway , I was satisfied that Freemasonry existed among the Indians of America . His explanation of that part of his lecture alluded to above satisfied me of the fact that the elements of our Institution had long been known among
the tribes of the forest . The proficients in the Art wore a small badge of cloth , adorned with wampum , and surrounded by a fringe of feathers . On its face was the device of a finger pointing to a long road , emblematical of their future
life of instruction . This badge was worn nearest the skin on the breast . Was it not the Indian ' s diploma—a talisman ever lying at his heart—the voucher of his character—the mystic credentials of his standing wherever he went ?
Such an emblem was worn among the Menomenee , Potawatomee , Sioux , Knistenava , and Sache and Fox tribes , as well as the Ojibway tribe , to which Bro . Copway belonged —a tribe which dwelt on the north-western shores of Lake
Superior , near the head waters of the Mississippi . Our late illustrious Bro . De Witt Clinton investigated this subject in his lifetime , and found many interesting facts touching Indian Freemasonry . He relates some cases among the Iroquois in one of his Masonic addresses .
Giles F . Yates , Esq ., of Schenectady , made a communication in the Freemasons' Monthly Magazine—I think ifc is in one of the early volumes—wherein it was stated that
Francis Lewis , father of Gen . Morgan Lewis , former Grand Master of New York , was taken captive in the French war , and found some Indians of Welsh descent ; and , in 1660 , Rev . Morgan Lewis was taken by the Tuscarora Indians
and condemned to death . It was at Port Royal , South
Carolina . At his sign of distress , wherein he addressed them in his native Welsh , the Sachem of the Doeg tribes saved his life .
Tecumseh was a Mason—a terrible warrior , but we must remember , he fought for his oppressed country . At the battle of the River Raisin , he rescued several pale faces from destruction , on finding they were brothers .
This subject opens a wide field for antiquarian inquiry . It is worthy the attention of such of our brethren , who are blessed with learning and leisure , and dwell in the far
West , where some of the tribes still exist . If the light of
Masonry ever illumed the brain among the remnants of our Northern and Eastern tribes , it must have been extinct long ago . For in intelligence , appearance , and character , they are almost infinitely inferior to that nation from which
sprang the Indian orator , who charmed us so much the other evening , and whose gentlemanly bearing , cultivated mind , and Christian conduct , gather friends around his path wherever he goes . Nearly six feet in height , and well
proportioned , he is a noble specimen of the red man of the forest , whose ancestors once held all the lakes , mountains , and rivers of this continent , with au imperial sway , as the eagle now rales the dominions of fche air . —Keystone .
Ad00403
FUNERALS properly carried out and personally attended in l _ ondon or Country by Bro . G . A . HUTTOW , 17 Newcastle Street , Strand , W . C , Monuments erected . Valuation . } made ,
What Is Masonic ?
WHAT IS MASONIC ?
ANENT the Gurney and Dadmun discussion as to what is Masonic , Companion Hill says : " In this discussion , as will be seen , there is much food for thought , and the positions taken in the arguments are well worthy of study . The vital question as to the right of the Symbolic Lodge to exercise control over all Masonic
Bodies is not to be lightly passed by . It may be called
the ' burning question ' of the day . Certainly the peace and harmony of several , if not all , jurisdictions are bound up with it . It is essential , in the discussion , to be sure of the definitions which are used . In the use of the term
Masonic , there is evidently a want of agreement as to its meaning on the part of the parties to the discussion . Companion Gurney holds the term ' Masonic' to mean essential to the life of Masonry . Thus , any degree which
can be dispensed with and yet leave Masonry practically uninjured , is not Masonic . Companion Dadmun evidently seems to hold that any degree which was first conferred by Masons in a Masonic Lodge is Masonic . This , then will
give us a key to the solution of the difficulty . If we can answer the question as to whafc was included in Masonry originally , we can readily determine that the claims of all bodies to the use of the word ' Masonic ' must be construed
to mean that which pertains to Masonry . Masonry here will be the point of divergence , for one will say Original and another Modem Masonry . Thus , there is a solid ground for the argument of disputants , based upon the
definition of Masonry . If it can be shown that the Masonry of the Fathers was substantially the Masonry generally regarded as such to day , then the argument of Companion Gurney necessarily falls to the ground ; while ,
if , on the contrary , it is proven that in this stage of Masonry it differs from what it was originally , then the position of Companion Gurney is impregnable . Ifc will be conceded that as it is ' not within the power of any man ,
or body of men , to alter the body of Masonry / additions which have been the work of late years are nofc Masonic in fche proper sense . Ifc does not make a degree Masonic because ifc is conferred only on Masons and only within the
tyled precincts of a Lodge . There must be some vital relation existing between the degree so conferred , and the three degrees which are the acknowledged foundation of the Masonic Temple . It was a common practice years ago ,
and may be in some quarters to-day , to confer what are called ' side degrees' within the body of the Lodge on Masons , and yet no one will for a moment contend for the Masonic character of such degrees .,
" Another point about which there can be no dispute . Masonry has passed through a process of development since ifcs authentic written history has been a guide to its characteristics and proportions . Whatever may be claimed
for the various degrees which are called Masonic to-day , or whatever the process by which they were evolved , if they were part of original Masonry , then it must have been in the nature of principle , and not as full-fledged degrees ,
provided with all the paraphernalia of ritual and kindred accessories . In ascending the stream of reliable Masonic history we lose all testimony , save such as we find in the
' Old Charges' or ' Constitutions , ' as soon as we have passed the year 1646 , from which date we have written testimony on most of the essential points in Masonic inquiry . The' Old Charges ' bear different dates from that
ascribed to the ' Halliwell Book / which is of late in the fourteenth century , down to the Harris Roll , or the Krause Manuscripts of the eighteenth century , all of which have
more or less information concerning Masonry . It is generally admitted that the earliest reliable information as to degrees in Masonry , limits them to not more than three ,
including the Master ' s office as a degree . Many contend that there was but one , and that all the ceremonies connected with fche Master ' s introduction to his office did nofc
take to exceed five minutes . If in 1717 there was but a single ceremonial for all who entered the Temple , it will be hard to prove that later outgrowths are Masonic in the true sense . In any case , to have fche seal Masonic attached ,
a degree must have been recognised as part of the system prior fco the adoption of the article of the Constitution of 1722 , which put ifc out of the power of any person to add to the body of Masonry . The division of Masonry into degrees was hardly accomplished at the time of the
adoption of Anderson ' s Constitutions , but the honorary degrees of the Blue Lodge w ^ e already an established