" Origin Of Freemasonry," &C.

time , the great majority of Masonic authors have believed in the " revival" of 1716 or 1717 , and some of these were actual participators in the event itself . Therefore , for us to believe that

" Freemasonry of the 18 th century was a new creation , and not a reconstruction of an ancient society of great antiquity , we are surely entitled to something more positive in the way of proof

than mere negations , comparisons , and declarations . The question cannot be as to the evidence of the three degrees being worked before 1717 to DISPROVE the " revival , " seeing that several who

do not believe in the former actually believe in the " revival of 1717 , " and Bro . Buchan being aware of my objection to the antiquity of degrees , should certainly furnish other proofs of his

position than those resting entirely on facts about the three degrees wherein we agree , while we disagree about the " revival . " What facts has Bro . Buchan to offer which

militate against the operative origin of Free masonry , or which prove the falsity of the socalled "Revival of 1717 " ( solemnly declared to have occured by certain brethren said to be

present , of known intelligence , scientific attainments , and of a reli gious profession ) ? I am able to prove , as time permits ( a ) , that several members who belonged to operative lodges

before 1717 , took part in the " revival" of that period , and organised the first Grand Lodge ; ( b ) that other operative lodges which worked before this date continued to work after , and

subsequently joined the Grand Lodge ; ( c ) that other lodges of similar antiquity refused to be connected with tbe new arrangement of Freemasonry , and kept their members together for

many years , permitted the visitation of lodges under the Grand Lodge by their brethren on a reciprocal basis , gradually ceased to be active , and , as lodges , finally decaying ; ( d ) thaffcome of

the members of the first Grand Lodge visited other countries , formed other Grand Lodges ( by the union of operative and speculative lodges ) , and thus , in process of time , became

such a powerful organization that the old operative lodges either joined and participated in the admirable effects of the " Revival , " or ceased to exist ; ( e ) also , that noth withstand ing the

operative character ofthe early lodges generally , there are records prior to the " revival" of lodges mainly composed of non-operative members , who never met for operative but wholly

speculative purposes , and one lodge of which class actually started their own Grand Lodge , chartered other lodges and another Grand

Lodge , while some ofthe same class succumbed to adverse influences during the latter part of the eighteenth century .

Now , it seems to me that unless some very weighty arguments and facts are adduced to show that it was possible to so deceive the operatve Masons of tbe second decade of the nth

century , that they would accept as a revived , improved , and enlarged organization of Freemasonry that which was neither a revival , reconstruction , nor an improved constitution , but

simply an entire new creation , wc shall be justified in refusing to give up our long-cherished belief in the general integrity , honesty , and truthfulness of our Masonic forefathers .

I most cordially thank Bro . Buchan for the instalment of " Aberdeen Records , " which promise to be a most readable series of articles on

that old lodge , but I fail to see wherein he proves that the Freemasonry of 1717 had not an operative origin . W . J . HUGHAN .

Masonic "Dames."

MASONIC "DAMES . "

BY BRO . D . MURRAY LYON , One ofthe Grand Stewards in the Grand Lodge of Scotland , Pr . M . of Lodge Scarborough , Tobago , West Indies , etc .

Interest in the legendary interest of operative Masonry was a fewyearsago revived by the reproduction , by Bro . AVilliam James Hughan , of the Cole edition of the " Constitutions of the

Freemasons , " with an admirable epitome , chronologically arranged , of the MS . Constitutions . In his recent exhumation of unpublished records of the Craft , * the same eminent Masonic authority

has fallen upon a copy ofthe MS . Constitutions that had been preserved by the York Lodge , bearing date 16 93 , and possessing peculiarities , the chief of which he thus describes and dilates

upon : — " ... Before thc Special Charges are delivered , ' The one ofthe elders taking the Booke , and that he or slice that is to bee made a Mason shall lay their hands thereon , and the charge shall be given . '

This reference is unquestionably to a female being admitted , and has caused no little surprise in some quarters . We do not , however , see anything to excite astonishment , because , 'as we have before stated , this manuscript must not be judged simply

by the date when the copy was written . It is likely enough a transcript of a much older document , and in former times the guilds , from which the crafts evidently sprung , admitted both sexes We are not prepared to advocate the opinion that

the women , as with the men , were admitted into the Mysteries of Masonry There is [ in the MS . in question ] more than one reference to the ' Dame , ' as well as the Master , especially in the ' Apprentice Charge , ' the like of which we have not

read before , and is a strong support of our views that women really did at times employ Masons as the Masters did . We believe , then , under certain conditions , in early times , women were admitted into the Masons' Gilds , as well as into others , and

were generally thc wives or daughters of Gild Brothers , ' who did not , however , take part in its administrations or councils . Bearing this in mind , the clause in the MS . of York , 1693 , is fully

explained , and is at once an evidence of its antiquity , as the custom to admit women into the gilds appears graduallyto have been discontinued as years rolled on . It is the only Masonic MS . we know of that mentions such a clause for women . "

In other than Bro . Hughan s hands , the appearance in the manuscript under consideration ofthe noun " shee" might have been held as evidence that in the olden time it had been a custom of the Masonic Fraternity to initiate

females . But the grounds are here too slender upon which to build such a theory , ancl Bro . Hughan , it will be seen , does not adopt it . The introduction of " shee " into this particular copy

of the Constitutions appears to us to have been either throughan error in the transcription ofthe pronoun " they , " or from a desire to make the directions anent the manner in which the

charges were to be given and the oath administered harmonise with what we conceive aq 01 an interpolation of the word " dame " in conjunction with that of Master . Taken in connection with the context , the substitution of the article

" the " for the adverb " then , " is unquestionably the fault of the copyist . We are of opinion that thc introduction of " shee " proceeded from the same cause , for even had " dame " been in the original , there would have been no necessity for

converting ihey into she in the sentence referred to , seeing that die injunction given to apprentices as to their duty to the " dames " in whose employment thay might be , in no way implies that it was the practice for these dames them-

Masonic "Dames."

salves to be initiated . The variations of expression and orthography tbat are to be found in existing copies of the ancient Constitutions are due in great measure to the mistranscription , ignorance , or whim of copyists .

The reference that is made in certain clauses of the manuscript of 1693 to an entered apprentice ' s obligation to protect the interests of his " master or dame "—i . e ., mistress—clearly indicates that at that time it was lawful for

females in the capacity of employers to execute mason work . A similar custom obtained in Scotland , where widows and , failing sons , daughters of freemen masons were , under restrictions which varied in different localities , allowed

to exercise the privileges of burgesses in the execution of mason-work . In ratifying their ancient statutes in 1660 , the Ayr Squaremen Incorporation , whose deacon had been a party to the St . Clair Charter of 162 S , " Enacted that

every freman ' s doghter shall pay 111 all tyme comeing to the deacone and this trecl for hir fredome the soumc of aught pound scotts with ane sufficient dinner , ancl this ordnance to stand in force in all tyme to come . The stranger quho maries hir to have the benefit off this allenerly . "

In the . case of female members of Scottish Incorporations , the "freedom of craft" carried with it no right to a voice in the administration of their affairs . Neither was their presence required at their enrollment , although their entry money was double that of members' sons .

The records of Mary s Chapel , so far as we are aware , afford tlie only instance of a Scotch lodge acknowledging the lawfulness of a female occu-. pying the position of " dame , " or mistress , in a

Masonic sense , and from the following minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh , it will be observed that it was only to a very limited extent that the widows of master masons could do so : —

"Edr ., 17 of Apryle , 16 S 3 . The whilk day , in presence of Thomas Hamiltone dcakone nnd John Harvywardcn . and rcmanant masters of the m . isone craft , in corroborationc of theformerpractisequhich was ofuse and wont amongst them , it is statute and

ordained that it shall b 2 111 no tyme or in no wayes leithsomc for a widow to undertake workes or to imploy jurneymen in any manor or way , but if such work as ancient customers of thc deceased husbands or any other ouncr who may out of

kvndnesse offer the benefite of their worktollie sdwidoes be ofercd unto them , then nnd that caicc it shall bo leithsomc to them to have the benefite of thc work , providing alwnyes that they bespeakc some freeman by whose advyse and concurrancc thc worke shall

be undertaken ancl thc jurneymen agreed with , quliich freeman is hereby charged to be altogether inhibited to paiticipatc of the benefite airi < ssing from the sd work , under the painc of doubling the soumc reaped and arriessing to them by the sd

work unjuitly and to thc prejudice of the sd widoucs , and contrarc to thc intent ofthe masters mettc for this tyme ; and lykewise to underly the censure of the dcakon and masters in all tvine

coming , if they shall think it expedient to punish them ( or their malvcrsaiionc and circumventione of the said widoucs . Written and subscribed by order and with consent ofthe deakon , warden , and masters by Ar . Smith , Clerk . "

WK have received a copy of 20 th Annual Report and Balance-sheet of the Birkbeck Building Society , which proves that popular institution lo be in a very satisfactory condition . The gross r--.-- - . ipts since the formation of the society have nearly reached eight millions sterling , while those of thc past ye . iramotmt

to 1 ; V million , showing an increase over the previous years of nearly , £ 200 . 000 . The present available profits for thc distribution of bonus in the year 1073 amount to £ 52 . 857 iSs . 8 d . The number of members and depositors at tlic present time exceed 22 , 500 .

SMU . L-POX , Firvi-ras , AND SKIN DISI-ASI-. S . — - The predisposition to is prevented by Lamplough's Vyre ' c Saline . Vitalising and invigorating , Us effects arc remarkable in their cine and prevention . Take it as directed . Sold by chcmisls and the maker , II . Lamplotigh , llj , Uolborn-hill . —[ Advt . ]