Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
LEADERS , 39 3 United Grand Lodge , 394 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Berks and Oxon 394 Consecration of the Cholmondeley Lodge , 190 S 395 Masonic History and Historians 395
Early Use of the Word Freemason 396 Canada 397 Death of the Wife of the Grand Master of Canada 397 Grand Lodge of Greece 397 C ORRESPONDENCENew Lodges 39 S
CORRESPONDENCE ( continued)—Newcastlc-on-Tyne Freemasonry ,. 39 S Reviews 39 s Masonic Notes and Queries 39 S Presentation to Bro . J . Delves , P . M ., Preccptor of Corinthian Lodge of Instruction , No . 1383 399
The Auckland Masonic Hall 399 REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 399 New Zealand 400 New South Wales 4 °° Masonic and General Tidings 4 or Lodge . Meetings for Next Week 403
Ar00101
THE Masonic Reception organised at York by the two York lodges during the meeting of the British Association in that ancient and famous city deserves the notice of a Masonic journal , and the recognition ot our readcrs , all Masonic students , and the Craft . It is under high Masonic patronage , and promises to be a success in every respect , and to help on
the cause of Masonic archaeology and investigation , and to advance the p leasant claims of Masonic sympathy and fellowship . This fraternal proposal of the two York lodges we trust will meet with general approval , and the members of our Order who have laboured so zealousfy to bring about such a desirable assembly will , we feel sure , receive the warm thanks of all their
brethren . It is not often that we Freemasons meet together out of our normal line of thought and action , and ail such occasions should be hailed and utilized as means of promoting a more general taste for Masonic researches , and strengthening those links of fraternal amity and comity which ought to bind all Freemasons with one adamantine chain of sympathy and goodwill .
* * AN esteemed brother , in last week's Freemason , suggests some doubts as to the advisability of seeking to form a Masonic Archaeological Association , and argues from the past as to the future . But the truth is , that the whole question is a very difficult one , and requires patient consideration and
serious thought . There are many elder freemasons and some young students who would gladly join some such institution , if merely like other similar societies , for the purpose of publishing some Masonic MSS . and works , and that there is room and place for such a society wc do not think there need really be any doubt . But it will depend on the direction given
to it , and the form it assumes , and the work it takes up . there are Masons and Masons , and what is ever to be feared in such societies is , that spirit of " dilettanteism " ( to coin a word for the occasion ) , which does not care for the work for the work's sake , but uses it as a means for personal
views , or private aims . A society carefully constructed out of good materials , with a'definite aim , and a distinct purpose , and with a real working Committee , would , we feel fully confident , just now especially , render no little service to Masonic history , arch .-cology , and criticism .
* * * Wi ! are pleased lo read that the Freemasons of the various lodges at Val paraiso have formed a society to encourage the saving of lile from ship
wreck . It seems a very praiseworthy idea and Masonic undertaking , and we wish it all possible success in every way . At any rate , as the Monde Maconniqiie truly says , it deserves notice ; and we shall be glad to hear of the progress and prosperity of so useful an association .
* * WE are arrived at a point in our Masonic criticism when the greatest caution is needed , inasmuch as Freemasonry is likely otherwise to suffer from lts latest as its earlier friends . The older school deliberately dogmatised ; 't was , because it was , " was their favourite line of argument , and they
would listen to no doubts , and accept no denials . To-day , we must be very careful lest we fall into the same great error from the " opposite tack , " and having escaped the " Scylla " of hasty and unreliable criticism , run ashore on the " Charybdis" of hasty and unreliable scepticism , t here are many questions on which it seems to us it is
impossible to speak positively at present—they all want more investigation , more study , more thought . The Guild system , Masons' marks , Hermeticism , E gyptian Mysteries , the Ancient Mysteries , early and latter Symbolism , the Rosicrucians , the Operative Guilds , 17 th century English Masonry , the real history of grades and ritual—all these have to be treated and recon-
Ar00102
sidered practically before we can pretend to say that we have exhausted the sources of Masonic study , enquiry , and research . Take Masonic symbolism . From an illustration sent us the other day by a younger student , to whom we wish all good , it is clear that 16 th century Masonic symbolism has yet to
be hunted up . We have a remarkable proof of this in a non-Masonic work published in 1525 , where the square and compasses have distinctly the letter G in the centre . The subject , therefore , as we remarked above , deserves careful thought and study , and hasty decisions are to be deprecated in the best interests of Masonic history .
* * WE note that under the able Chairmanship of Bro . C . E . MEYER , who has many warm friends on this side of the Atlantic , the catalogue of the library of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has been issued , and may be obtained , for one dollar , by writing to our always courteous Bro . C . E . MEYER ,
Masonic Temple , Philadelphia , U . S . The catalogue contains sixty-six pages , and many choice and scarce works . This is as it should be . Wc wish all lodges and Grand Bodies would do the same . A very large amount of interesting Masonic literature would thus be realized as existing , and recovered often from that oblivion where indifference and " Iaissez allcr " have allowed it to remain unnoticed and unknown .
* * * WE think it right to mention an interesting fact for " bibliomaniacs , " and , as the Latin grammar once had it , " et hoc genus omne , " that a large sale has been found in America alike for Masonic and Hermetic works as for scarce " tractates " and valuable MSS . We do not know that we need
grudge our friends and brethren in America such " good things , " as we feel sure they will properly value them , and make a good use of them . We believe we are violating no confidence in mentioning a fact , which will we fancy be confirmed by the distinguished Masonic writer Bro . W . J .
HUGHAN , that the largest Masonic library is now to be found in America , and that more than one of our brethren there are in possession of scarce works and valuable MSS ., which , though we might have wished to retain in the mother country , yet we have no right to complain arc fallen into the possession of zealous and intelligent collectors in the United States .
* * * THE claims and grants at the last meeting of the Lodge of Benevolence were fewer and not so heavy as usual . Eighteen fresh claims were made , of which two were postponed for further consideration , and the remaining sixteen received £ 500 in grants varying from the maximum of /' ioo to the
minimum of £ 5 . There can be no doubt that the care exercised by the brethren present in makingsuch grants is very great and very commendable . We rejoice to notice , that a former tendency to hurry on votes and accept the " dicta " of one or more brethren is now obsolete , and under the able presidency of Bro . CLABON , the claims of the candidates for our beneficent and valuable " Charity" receive full , fair , and ample consideration .
* * WE think it well to call attention to a passage in the allocution of the GREAT PRIOR of CANADA , as we fear it may IeacT to much misconception . Bro . CARSON , taking the old Guild Legends , which are undoubtedl y Christian , endeavours to prove that ANDERSON altered the Constitutions of 1721 , and
went beyond his authority , in which statement the GREAT PRIOR [ concurs . He seems also to intimate that the Masonic Knights Templar then existed , side by side with the Grand Lodge , and conferred the Degree on all who wished , in contradistinction to ANDERSON ' Theistic changes , to uphold Christian dogma . With great respect for the GREAT PRIOR and Bro .
CARSON , there is not the slightest available evidence of such assertions . That ANDERSON altered the Constitutions rashly and unauthorisedly of the old Masons is " not proven , " inasmuch as we have after the Antiquity MS ., 1686 , nothing in evidence before 1721 . The change , such as it is , took place probably in this period , and seems to arise from the devclopement of the
Speculative system . As regards the existence of'Templars" in 1723 , wc know of no evidence whatever that can be adduced in support of such a startling statement . They are , we believe , really late 18 th century . Bro . CARSON and the
GREAT PRIOR seem to forget that Christian prayers were extensively usod in English Freemasonry during the 18 th century until 1813 , and are still used in Scotland and Ireland . It seems a pity that to favour " a hobby" such unhistorical statements should be put forward .
SOME most interesting papers , whether for special student or general reader , are to be found in theSeptember number of the " Masonic Magazine . " We beg to commend this very useful little serial to the notice of our many kind friends in both hemispheres .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
LEADERS , 39 3 United Grand Lodge , 394 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Berks and Oxon 394 Consecration of the Cholmondeley Lodge , 190 S 395 Masonic History and Historians 395
Early Use of the Word Freemason 396 Canada 397 Death of the Wife of the Grand Master of Canada 397 Grand Lodge of Greece 397 C ORRESPONDENCENew Lodges 39 S
CORRESPONDENCE ( continued)—Newcastlc-on-Tyne Freemasonry ,. 39 S Reviews 39 s Masonic Notes and Queries 39 S Presentation to Bro . J . Delves , P . M ., Preccptor of Corinthian Lodge of Instruction , No . 1383 399
The Auckland Masonic Hall 399 REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 399 New Zealand 400 New South Wales 4 °° Masonic and General Tidings 4 or Lodge . Meetings for Next Week 403
Ar00101
THE Masonic Reception organised at York by the two York lodges during the meeting of the British Association in that ancient and famous city deserves the notice of a Masonic journal , and the recognition ot our readcrs , all Masonic students , and the Craft . It is under high Masonic patronage , and promises to be a success in every respect , and to help on
the cause of Masonic archaeology and investigation , and to advance the p leasant claims of Masonic sympathy and fellowship . This fraternal proposal of the two York lodges we trust will meet with general approval , and the members of our Order who have laboured so zealousfy to bring about such a desirable assembly will , we feel sure , receive the warm thanks of all their
brethren . It is not often that we Freemasons meet together out of our normal line of thought and action , and ail such occasions should be hailed and utilized as means of promoting a more general taste for Masonic researches , and strengthening those links of fraternal amity and comity which ought to bind all Freemasons with one adamantine chain of sympathy and goodwill .
* * AN esteemed brother , in last week's Freemason , suggests some doubts as to the advisability of seeking to form a Masonic Archaeological Association , and argues from the past as to the future . But the truth is , that the whole question is a very difficult one , and requires patient consideration and
serious thought . There are many elder freemasons and some young students who would gladly join some such institution , if merely like other similar societies , for the purpose of publishing some Masonic MSS . and works , and that there is room and place for such a society wc do not think there need really be any doubt . But it will depend on the direction given
to it , and the form it assumes , and the work it takes up . there are Masons and Masons , and what is ever to be feared in such societies is , that spirit of " dilettanteism " ( to coin a word for the occasion ) , which does not care for the work for the work's sake , but uses it as a means for personal
views , or private aims . A society carefully constructed out of good materials , with a'definite aim , and a distinct purpose , and with a real working Committee , would , we feel fully confident , just now especially , render no little service to Masonic history , arch .-cology , and criticism .
* * * Wi ! are pleased lo read that the Freemasons of the various lodges at Val paraiso have formed a society to encourage the saving of lile from ship
wreck . It seems a very praiseworthy idea and Masonic undertaking , and we wish it all possible success in every way . At any rate , as the Monde Maconniqiie truly says , it deserves notice ; and we shall be glad to hear of the progress and prosperity of so useful an association .
* * WE are arrived at a point in our Masonic criticism when the greatest caution is needed , inasmuch as Freemasonry is likely otherwise to suffer from lts latest as its earlier friends . The older school deliberately dogmatised ; 't was , because it was , " was their favourite line of argument , and they
would listen to no doubts , and accept no denials . To-day , we must be very careful lest we fall into the same great error from the " opposite tack , " and having escaped the " Scylla " of hasty and unreliable criticism , run ashore on the " Charybdis" of hasty and unreliable scepticism , t here are many questions on which it seems to us it is
impossible to speak positively at present—they all want more investigation , more study , more thought . The Guild system , Masons' marks , Hermeticism , E gyptian Mysteries , the Ancient Mysteries , early and latter Symbolism , the Rosicrucians , the Operative Guilds , 17 th century English Masonry , the real history of grades and ritual—all these have to be treated and recon-
Ar00102
sidered practically before we can pretend to say that we have exhausted the sources of Masonic study , enquiry , and research . Take Masonic symbolism . From an illustration sent us the other day by a younger student , to whom we wish all good , it is clear that 16 th century Masonic symbolism has yet to
be hunted up . We have a remarkable proof of this in a non-Masonic work published in 1525 , where the square and compasses have distinctly the letter G in the centre . The subject , therefore , as we remarked above , deserves careful thought and study , and hasty decisions are to be deprecated in the best interests of Masonic history .
* * WE note that under the able Chairmanship of Bro . C . E . MEYER , who has many warm friends on this side of the Atlantic , the catalogue of the library of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has been issued , and may be obtained , for one dollar , by writing to our always courteous Bro . C . E . MEYER ,
Masonic Temple , Philadelphia , U . S . The catalogue contains sixty-six pages , and many choice and scarce works . This is as it should be . Wc wish all lodges and Grand Bodies would do the same . A very large amount of interesting Masonic literature would thus be realized as existing , and recovered often from that oblivion where indifference and " Iaissez allcr " have allowed it to remain unnoticed and unknown .
* * * WE think it right to mention an interesting fact for " bibliomaniacs , " and , as the Latin grammar once had it , " et hoc genus omne , " that a large sale has been found in America alike for Masonic and Hermetic works as for scarce " tractates " and valuable MSS . We do not know that we need
grudge our friends and brethren in America such " good things , " as we feel sure they will properly value them , and make a good use of them . We believe we are violating no confidence in mentioning a fact , which will we fancy be confirmed by the distinguished Masonic writer Bro . W . J .
HUGHAN , that the largest Masonic library is now to be found in America , and that more than one of our brethren there are in possession of scarce works and valuable MSS ., which , though we might have wished to retain in the mother country , yet we have no right to complain arc fallen into the possession of zealous and intelligent collectors in the United States .
* * * THE claims and grants at the last meeting of the Lodge of Benevolence were fewer and not so heavy as usual . Eighteen fresh claims were made , of which two were postponed for further consideration , and the remaining sixteen received £ 500 in grants varying from the maximum of /' ioo to the
minimum of £ 5 . There can be no doubt that the care exercised by the brethren present in makingsuch grants is very great and very commendable . We rejoice to notice , that a former tendency to hurry on votes and accept the " dicta " of one or more brethren is now obsolete , and under the able presidency of Bro . CLABON , the claims of the candidates for our beneficent and valuable " Charity" receive full , fair , and ample consideration .
* * WE think it well to call attention to a passage in the allocution of the GREAT PRIOR of CANADA , as we fear it may IeacT to much misconception . Bro . CARSON , taking the old Guild Legends , which are undoubtedl y Christian , endeavours to prove that ANDERSON altered the Constitutions of 1721 , and
went beyond his authority , in which statement the GREAT PRIOR [ concurs . He seems also to intimate that the Masonic Knights Templar then existed , side by side with the Grand Lodge , and conferred the Degree on all who wished , in contradistinction to ANDERSON ' Theistic changes , to uphold Christian dogma . With great respect for the GREAT PRIOR and Bro .
CARSON , there is not the slightest available evidence of such assertions . That ANDERSON altered the Constitutions rashly and unauthorisedly of the old Masons is " not proven , " inasmuch as we have after the Antiquity MS ., 1686 , nothing in evidence before 1721 . The change , such as it is , took place probably in this period , and seems to arise from the devclopement of the
Speculative system . As regards the existence of'Templars" in 1723 , wc know of no evidence whatever that can be adduced in support of such a startling statement . They are , we believe , really late 18 th century . Bro . CARSON and the
GREAT PRIOR seem to forget that Christian prayers were extensively usod in English Freemasonry during the 18 th century until 1813 , and are still used in Scotland and Ireland . It seems a pity that to favour " a hobby" such unhistorical statements should be put forward .
SOME most interesting papers , whether for special student or general reader , are to be found in theSeptember number of the " Masonic Magazine . " We beg to commend this very useful little serial to the notice of our many kind friends in both hemispheres .