-
Articles/Ads
Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article To Correspondents. Page 1 of 1 Article Untitled Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ad00703
L ONDON & NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY . NORTH WALES AND LAKE DISTRICT . The Summer Service of Trains in the Lake District , and on' the North Wales Coast , is now in operation . The Express leaving Euston at 10 . 30 a . m-. will be found the most convenient for Llandudno , Rhyl , Penmaenmawr , Aberystwith , Barmouth , Dolgelly , & c , as well as for the English Lake District . ist , 2 nd , and 3 rd Class TOURIST TICKETS , AVAILABLE FOR TWO MONTHS , Are issued at all the PRINCIPAL STATIONS ON THE London and North Western Railway . For full particulars , see TOURIST GUIDE ( 134 pages with Maps , price One Penny ) , which can be obtained at the Stations , or on application to Mr . G . P . NEELE , Superintendent of the Line . G . FINDLAY , General Manager . ' Euston Station , August , 1 SS 5 .
Ad00704
DUER , / <&* 146- NEW BOND ST ., W ., ' j / i . y ( Established 1 I 49 ) , < V BREAD Mb BISCUIT BAKERS , >•/ Vans to all parts Daily . Hampers packed £ \ / and sent to all parts of the Country with >/ ' TRENCH AND -VIENNA FANCY ROLLS AND BREAD .
Ad00705
CARRIAGES . F" and R . SHANKS particularly call o attention to their light ONE-HORSE LANDAUS , of the very best materials , and fitted with their patent Self-acting Head . Several building to order to be seen in all stages at their manufactory , 70 & 71 , Great Queen-st ., Lincoln's Inn-Fields . Drags and new and second-hand Carriages of all descriptions . Estimates given for repairs .
Ad00706
Ji p By Special Appointment to H . R . H . sS- The Prince of Wales . &&JohnUnderwood&Sons, # J ^ -V SCULPTORS & MASONS , * % * < 3 ^ , r 6 ? io , Duke . st ., Grosvenor . sq ., W ., X > •<£ » BTCKHURST H 111 ., N . E ., AN » CmxGinnn * C > •<&?' s- MOUNT CEMETERY . , & y Reredoses , Pulpits , Screens , Fonts , < j Sj Mosaic in Glass or Marble , Inlaid and <§ y Incised Work . Designs , Estimates and References free on application .
Ad00707
OUR EYES . Just Published , Third Edition . HOW to USE OUR EYES , and HOW to PRESERVE THEM , from INFANCY to OLD AGE , with Special Information about Spectacles . By JOHN BROWNING , F . R . A . S ., F . R . M . S ., & c . With 54 Illustrations . Price is ., * cloth , is . Gd , " How to Use our Eyes , " by John Browning , F . R . A . S ., is a thoroughly practical little manual . "—Graphic . " Gives many a useful hint to those who enjoy good eyesight and w sh to preserve it , and gives the advice of an occulist to those obliged to wear spectacles . "—Pall Mall Gazette . Chatto and Windus , Piccadilly , London , W ., and all Booksellers . Sent free for is . 2 d . by the Author , John Browning , 63 , Strand , London , W . C .
Ad00708
Naval , Military , and Tropical ^^ cT ^ BOOT MAKER ^^ o ^ i ^ ^'" ^^03^^21 , ^ . ^^ ^ PICCADILLY , LONDON , W .
Ad00709
DENT'S i NEW ILLUSTRATED X X * - * ' CATALOGUE of HIGH-CLASS WATfiTTTilS WATCHES and CLOCKS at l » aiUHJ ! lD , REDUCED PRICES , sent post Aj ^^ JL free on application to E . DENT A & jr N ^ fci and ^ ° *> Ma ' cers t 0 'he Oueen , >^ DENT X 6 l > STRAND , LONDON , W . C , ^ " ¦*•"» \ or 4 , ROYAL EXCHANGE .
To Correspondents.
To Correspondents .
The following communications stand over : CRAFT LODGE . —Harmonic , 252 . . ™ ETRY . —Farewell to Earth , lhe Six-pointed Star and the Five-pointed Star . Annual Picnic of the Huddersfield Lodge of Truth , 521 . provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Buckinghamshire , ihe so-called Grand Lodge of Victoria and New S . Wales
Q- —We have done our best to give the answers in the manner suggested , but a slight extension has been found necessary m the case of one them . 1 . —No . 2 . —He must fnrr ™ n a - A P ost untU a successor has . been elected and tormall y inducted into office . 3 . —No .
„ BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . WccW ^ -r- lrcu , ? » " " P » l'l'c Ledger , " " Keystone , " " The Gook curV' -i . r " , V ' Preemasons' Journal , " " Leicester Daily Merof OiifW .. . *? l . nL' chronicl * V " I ' roceerlings of thc Grand Lodge Worehinfni r Fr ' ; , , * * ' , ' ( Toronto ) , " Proceedings of the Most the Com- ? d . l- ''!? ? Ancient Free nnd Accepted Masons of " U ffio ^ " n , r •Massachusetts , " " Jewish Chronicle , " Rico " . M 4 „ n n ° P " ^ ¦* ** la Gran I-ogia Provincial de Puerto-TimeV ' fLondon ^ . ' < r - i , ize "' '' ^' Broad Arr ° «** " ' . 'Sunday ' « tuonaon ) , ana <« Freimanrer Zeitung . *'
Ar00710
^pregmasow m ^^^^^^^^ sx ks ^^^ tsssts ^ SATURDAY , AUG . 22 , 1885 .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
CWe do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving oE the opinions expressed by ourcorrespondents . but wewish in aspirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion , ]
A CORRECTION . To tlie Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In a report of a meeting at Bermuda published in your last number I notice that Bro . Sir Major Campbell stated that the St . John Ambulance Association and the
British Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem are the offspring of Freemasonry . I beg you will allow me to correct this assertion , and to inform your readers that both these institutions were established by the Chapter of the Order ot St . John of Jerusalem . This body , although not Masonic , contains , I am glad to say , several good Masons in its ranks . —Your obedient servant ,
A FREEMASON . August 17 th . 1 MASONIC BENEFIT SOCIETY .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Can you , or any of your readers , afford any information in respect of a "Masonic Benefit Society" which was in operation in 1 S 02 , " under the patronage of H . R . H . George Prince of Wales , G . M ., " and of which the Earl of Moira was " ^ Chairman of Committee , " and W . Harmany , "Actuary ? " Until an engraved Certificate of
Registration , Ihomas Malton , fecit" came into my hands a day or two since I had never heard of any association of Freemasonry with a benefit society , but there can be no doubt that such had existence in the early part of this century . The certificate names a brother whose certificate of M . M . is made out on an eng-raved parchment , headed "Masonry Universal , sanctioned by Parliament 1700 . " It bears date
5 th December , 1 S 00 , and is issued by the W . M . and Wardens and Secretary of " J acob's Lodge , 570 , held at the Royal Oak Inn , Ramsgate , in Kent . " Probably our esteemed Bro . Hughan may be able to tell something about both the above-named documents which , to my mind , must have some amount of interest attached to them . —Yours fraternally , JAMES STEVENS , P . M ., P . Z .
ST . JOHN'S FESTIVAL . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In reply to Bro . C . Kupferschmidt ' s ( I . P . M . 23 S ) letter , I beg to tender the following information , which , although to some brethren it may offer nothing afresh , to others may be of interest . But I must first call Bro . Kupferschmidt ' s attention to this fact , that , though the
greatest number of German and French lodges hold their anniversary festival on the 24 th of June—St . John the Baptist ' s Festival—there are some German and French lodges that hold their anniversary on St . John the Evangelist ' s Festival Day , the 27 th of December . How the change came about , and when the strict observance of the St . John ' s Day ceased , Bro . Kupferschmidt , and those of your readers who are interested in the subject , will glean from the
following paragraphs , for whicli I crave your indulgence : — That system of Masonry , practised generally on the Continent , particularly in Germany and in the United States , is called johannite Masonry , and contains the dedication of all symbolic lodges to St . John the Baptist and St . John the Evangelist , and therefore would naturally in its calendar pointout St . John ' s Day , 24 th June or 27 th December .
as its chief festival . Bro . Kupferschmidt will be aware that lodges , however , in different countries are differently dedicated . Anciently they were dedicated to King Solomon , as the founder of ancient Craft Masonry , and the first Most Excellent Grand Master . Christian lodges , as a rule , are dedicated to the above-named saints , and in every well regulated lodge there is exhibited a certain point within a circle , embordered by two perpendicular lines , called the " lines
parallel , " which represent these two saints . Therefore , the two anniversaries of Symbolic Masonry really are the festivals of St . John the Baptist and St . ) ohn the Evangelist , 24 th of June and 27 th of December . In England the 24 thof June ( St . John ' s the Baptist festival ) is still in many lodges observed as the day in the calendar . In those English lodges which have adopted the Union system of work the dedication is to " God and his
service , " and the lines parallel represent Moses and Solomon . This change was adopted by the Grand Lodge of England in 1 S 13 , to obviate the charge of sectarianism . From that time St . John the Baptist ' s Day has ceased to be strictly observed amongst English Masons . I have , however , to remark that by this change we by no means render ourselves amenable by the dedication to the above saints , since it is made to them , not as Christians , but as
eminent Masons ; not as saints , but as pious and good men ; not as teachers of a religious sect , but as bright exemplars of all those virtues which Masons are taught to reverence and practise . With respect to the original cause of this dedication , the English lodges have preserved a tradition , which , as a matter of curiosity , may find here a place . From the building of the first temple at Jerusalem to the
Babylonish captivity , Freemasons' lodges were dedicated to King Solomon ; from thence to the coming of the Messiah they were dedicated to Zerubbabcl , the builder of the second temple ; and from that time to the final destruction of the temple by Titus , in the reign of Vespasian , they were dedicated to St . John the Baptist ; but , owing to the many massacres and disorders which attended that memorable event , Freemasonry sunk very much into decay ; many
lodges were entirely broken up , and few could meet in sufficient numbers to constitute their legality ; and at a general meeting of the Craft held in the city of Benjamin it was observed that the principal reason for the decline of Masonry was the want of a Grand Master to patronise it ; they therefore deputed seven of their most eminent members to wait upon St . John the Evangelist , who was at that time Bishop of Ephesus , requesting him to take the office
Original Correspondence.
of Grand Master . He returned for answer that , though well-stricken in years ( being upwards of 90 ) , yet having been in the early part of his life initiated into Masonry , he would take upon himself that olfice . He thereby completed by his learning what the other St . John ( Baptist ) had completed by his zeal , and thus drew what Freemasons term a line parallel , ever since which Freemasons'lodges in all Christian countries have been dedicated both to St . John ^ i
the Baptist and St . " John the Evangelist , and hold their anniversary on , or near , the festival days of either one or the other of these saints . But the task is not difficult to trace more philosophically , and , 1 believe , more correctly , the real origin of this custom . In the spurious Masonry , so well known as the mysteries of the Pagan nations , we may find the most plausible reasons for the celebration of our festivals in
June and December , and for the dedication of our lodges to St . John the Baptist and St . John the Evangelist . The post-diluvians , according to the testimony of the Jewish writer , Maimonides , the Magians of Persia , until their ritual was improved and purified by Zoroaster , and most probably the ancient Druids , introduced into their rites a great respect for , and even an adoration of , the sun , as the source of light , and life , and fruition , and the visible representative of the invisible creative and preservative
principle of nature . To such sects the period when the sun reached his greatest northern and southern declination , by entering the zodiacal signs , Cancer and Capricorn , marked , as it would be , by the most evident effects on the seasons , and on the length of the days and nights , could not have passed unobserved ; but , on the contrary , must have occupied a distinguished place in their ritual . Now , these important days fall respectively on the 2 istof June and the 22 nd of December .
In the spurious Masonry of the Ancients these days were , doubtless , celebrated as returning eras in the existence of the great source of light , and object of their worship . Our ancient brethren adopted the custom , abandoning , however , in deference to their own purer doctrines , the idolatrous principles which were connected with these dates , and confining their celebration exclusively to their astronomical importance . But time passed on . Christianity came to
mingle its rays with the light of Masonry , and our Christian ancestors , finding that the Church had appropriated tivo days near these solstitial periods to the memory of two eminent saints , it was easy to incorporate these festivals , by the lapse of a few days , into the Masonic calendar , and to adopt these worthies as patrons of our Order . To this change the earlier Christian Masons were doubtless the more persuaded by the peculiar character of these saints .
St . John the Baptist , bj * announcing the approach of Christ , and by the mystification to which he subjected his proselytes , and which was afterwards adopted in the ceremony of initiation into Christianity , might well be considered as the Grand Hietophant of the Church , while the mysterious and emblematic nature of the Apocalypse assimilated the mode of teaching adopted by St . John the Evangelist to that practised by the Fraternity .
It is thus that I trace the present system of dedication through these saints , to the heliacal worship of the Ancients . To return to the question . I have the bye-laws of the lodges of Jersey , Guernsey , Alderney , and of other districts before me , and in all of them the following rule or law is to be found , either that the annual banquet take place on or near St . John the Baptist ' s Day , or on the night previous to the 27 th December , being the anniversary of St .
John the Evangelist . 1 do not think that the union of the Grand Lodges of "Moderns" and "Ancients , " in the year 1 S 13 , when the change taok place , and the annual festival of the Grand Lodge of England , vvas fixed to fall on the Wednesday following St . George ' s Day , April 23 , that saint being the Patron of England , or the change of the parallel lines , has materially affected the keeping of the festival ot cither St . Johns in our
lodges . In Germany and elsewhere lodges are more distant the one from the other , and generally only one in a town , than what they are in England . In St . Helier's , Jersey , for instance , there are seven Craft lodges , and if they were all to have their anniversary , or only four of them , on either St . John ' s day , neither festival would be carried with the same success as now that some meet near or on St . John the Baptist ' s Day , and others on or near St .
John the Evangelist ' s Day , and so with the rest of English towns whose lodges are numerous , or where there are more than one or two . The following may be useful , instructive , and interesting to most readers of the Freemason . The Wednesday following April 23 , St . George ' s Day , however , is , correctly speaking , the annual Festival day of English Freemasons , because that saint being the Patron of England , and the
said day being the annual festival of the Grand Lodge , has been so kept ever since the day of the Union , in 1 S 13 . Fora similar reason , St . Andrew ' s Day , November 30 , is kept by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and most lodges under its jurisdiction . The change took place in the year 151 S , on the 21 st September , at Lodge O , Antient or Mother Lodgeof Kilwinning , Edinburgh . The priories , acting under the Chapter General of the Religious and
Military Orderof the Temple of Scotland , have their anniversary on the nth March , the immolation of Jacques de Molay ' s anniversary day . The anniversary of the Princes of Rose Croix is Shrove Tuesday . In the Scotch Rite the anniversary is on the 17 th of September , that being the date of dedicating King Solomon ' s Temple to Jehovah . The anniversary of the Druids is the 1 st of May , the sun
entering into Taurus . The anniversary of Eclectic Masonry ( Frankfort ) is the 3 rd August ; whether a Sunday or other day it matters not , the day is strictly observed . The Elect of Perpignan's anniversary falls on 10 th Tammouz—gth July . The Elected Knights of Nine , Ninth Degree in the Ancient Scottish Rite , and the Illustrious Elected of Fifteen celebrate their anniversary on the 19 th
J y * . , . . 1 he lodges of Canada , over 400 in number , hold their anniversary either on the 24 th June or on the 27 th December . The lodges of Ireland , the lodges under the Grand Lodge of Hamburg , the lodges of Sweden and Norway , Denmark , Belgium , most lodges in France , Spain , and Portugal ,
celebrate the St . John ' s festival on 24 th June . The Greek lodges celebrate the Festival of the Order on the 22 nd July , in commemoration of the election of H . l . H . the Prince Rhodocanakis , as the ( irst Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Greece . —I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , LOUIS HESPIRADOUX , P . M . 244 . t St . Anton ' s , Jersey , 17 th August .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ad00703
L ONDON & NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY . NORTH WALES AND LAKE DISTRICT . The Summer Service of Trains in the Lake District , and on' the North Wales Coast , is now in operation . The Express leaving Euston at 10 . 30 a . m-. will be found the most convenient for Llandudno , Rhyl , Penmaenmawr , Aberystwith , Barmouth , Dolgelly , & c , as well as for the English Lake District . ist , 2 nd , and 3 rd Class TOURIST TICKETS , AVAILABLE FOR TWO MONTHS , Are issued at all the PRINCIPAL STATIONS ON THE London and North Western Railway . For full particulars , see TOURIST GUIDE ( 134 pages with Maps , price One Penny ) , which can be obtained at the Stations , or on application to Mr . G . P . NEELE , Superintendent of the Line . G . FINDLAY , General Manager . ' Euston Station , August , 1 SS 5 .
Ad00704
DUER , / <&* 146- NEW BOND ST ., W ., ' j / i . y ( Established 1 I 49 ) , < V BREAD Mb BISCUIT BAKERS , >•/ Vans to all parts Daily . Hampers packed £ \ / and sent to all parts of the Country with >/ ' TRENCH AND -VIENNA FANCY ROLLS AND BREAD .
Ad00705
CARRIAGES . F" and R . SHANKS particularly call o attention to their light ONE-HORSE LANDAUS , of the very best materials , and fitted with their patent Self-acting Head . Several building to order to be seen in all stages at their manufactory , 70 & 71 , Great Queen-st ., Lincoln's Inn-Fields . Drags and new and second-hand Carriages of all descriptions . Estimates given for repairs .
Ad00706
Ji p By Special Appointment to H . R . H . sS- The Prince of Wales . &&JohnUnderwood&Sons, # J ^ -V SCULPTORS & MASONS , * % * < 3 ^ , r 6 ? io , Duke . st ., Grosvenor . sq ., W ., X > •<£ » BTCKHURST H 111 ., N . E ., AN » CmxGinnn * C > •<&?' s- MOUNT CEMETERY . , & y Reredoses , Pulpits , Screens , Fonts , < j Sj Mosaic in Glass or Marble , Inlaid and <§ y Incised Work . Designs , Estimates and References free on application .
Ad00707
OUR EYES . Just Published , Third Edition . HOW to USE OUR EYES , and HOW to PRESERVE THEM , from INFANCY to OLD AGE , with Special Information about Spectacles . By JOHN BROWNING , F . R . A . S ., F . R . M . S ., & c . With 54 Illustrations . Price is ., * cloth , is . Gd , " How to Use our Eyes , " by John Browning , F . R . A . S ., is a thoroughly practical little manual . "—Graphic . " Gives many a useful hint to those who enjoy good eyesight and w sh to preserve it , and gives the advice of an occulist to those obliged to wear spectacles . "—Pall Mall Gazette . Chatto and Windus , Piccadilly , London , W ., and all Booksellers . Sent free for is . 2 d . by the Author , John Browning , 63 , Strand , London , W . C .
Ad00708
Naval , Military , and Tropical ^^ cT ^ BOOT MAKER ^^ o ^ i ^ ^'" ^^03^^21 , ^ . ^^ ^ PICCADILLY , LONDON , W .
Ad00709
DENT'S i NEW ILLUSTRATED X X * - * ' CATALOGUE of HIGH-CLASS WATfiTTTilS WATCHES and CLOCKS at l » aiUHJ ! lD , REDUCED PRICES , sent post Aj ^^ JL free on application to E . DENT A & jr N ^ fci and ^ ° *> Ma ' cers t 0 'he Oueen , >^ DENT X 6 l > STRAND , LONDON , W . C , ^ " ¦*•"» \ or 4 , ROYAL EXCHANGE .
To Correspondents.
To Correspondents .
The following communications stand over : CRAFT LODGE . —Harmonic , 252 . . ™ ETRY . —Farewell to Earth , lhe Six-pointed Star and the Five-pointed Star . Annual Picnic of the Huddersfield Lodge of Truth , 521 . provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Buckinghamshire , ihe so-called Grand Lodge of Victoria and New S . Wales
Q- —We have done our best to give the answers in the manner suggested , but a slight extension has been found necessary m the case of one them . 1 . —No . 2 . —He must fnrr ™ n a - A P ost untU a successor has . been elected and tormall y inducted into office . 3 . —No .
„ BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . WccW ^ -r- lrcu , ? » " " P » l'l'c Ledger , " " Keystone , " " The Gook curV' -i . r " , V ' Preemasons' Journal , " " Leicester Daily Merof OiifW .. . *? l . nL' chronicl * V " I ' roceerlings of thc Grand Lodge Worehinfni r Fr ' ; , , * * ' , ' ( Toronto ) , " Proceedings of the Most the Com- ? d . l- ''!? ? Ancient Free nnd Accepted Masons of " U ffio ^ " n , r •Massachusetts , " " Jewish Chronicle , " Rico " . M 4 „ n n ° P " ^ ¦* ** la Gran I-ogia Provincial de Puerto-TimeV ' fLondon ^ . ' < r - i , ize "' '' ^' Broad Arr ° «** " ' . 'Sunday ' « tuonaon ) , ana <« Freimanrer Zeitung . *'
Ar00710
^pregmasow m ^^^^^^^^ sx ks ^^^ tsssts ^ SATURDAY , AUG . 22 , 1885 .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
CWe do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving oE the opinions expressed by ourcorrespondents . but wewish in aspirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion , ]
A CORRECTION . To tlie Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In a report of a meeting at Bermuda published in your last number I notice that Bro . Sir Major Campbell stated that the St . John Ambulance Association and the
British Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem are the offspring of Freemasonry . I beg you will allow me to correct this assertion , and to inform your readers that both these institutions were established by the Chapter of the Order ot St . John of Jerusalem . This body , although not Masonic , contains , I am glad to say , several good Masons in its ranks . —Your obedient servant ,
A FREEMASON . August 17 th . 1 MASONIC BENEFIT SOCIETY .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Can you , or any of your readers , afford any information in respect of a "Masonic Benefit Society" which was in operation in 1 S 02 , " under the patronage of H . R . H . George Prince of Wales , G . M ., " and of which the Earl of Moira was " ^ Chairman of Committee , " and W . Harmany , "Actuary ? " Until an engraved Certificate of
Registration , Ihomas Malton , fecit" came into my hands a day or two since I had never heard of any association of Freemasonry with a benefit society , but there can be no doubt that such had existence in the early part of this century . The certificate names a brother whose certificate of M . M . is made out on an eng-raved parchment , headed "Masonry Universal , sanctioned by Parliament 1700 . " It bears date
5 th December , 1 S 00 , and is issued by the W . M . and Wardens and Secretary of " J acob's Lodge , 570 , held at the Royal Oak Inn , Ramsgate , in Kent . " Probably our esteemed Bro . Hughan may be able to tell something about both the above-named documents which , to my mind , must have some amount of interest attached to them . —Yours fraternally , JAMES STEVENS , P . M ., P . Z .
ST . JOHN'S FESTIVAL . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In reply to Bro . C . Kupferschmidt ' s ( I . P . M . 23 S ) letter , I beg to tender the following information , which , although to some brethren it may offer nothing afresh , to others may be of interest . But I must first call Bro . Kupferschmidt ' s attention to this fact , that , though the
greatest number of German and French lodges hold their anniversary festival on the 24 th of June—St . John the Baptist ' s Festival—there are some German and French lodges that hold their anniversary on St . John the Evangelist ' s Festival Day , the 27 th of December . How the change came about , and when the strict observance of the St . John ' s Day ceased , Bro . Kupferschmidt , and those of your readers who are interested in the subject , will glean from the
following paragraphs , for whicli I crave your indulgence : — That system of Masonry , practised generally on the Continent , particularly in Germany and in the United States , is called johannite Masonry , and contains the dedication of all symbolic lodges to St . John the Baptist and St . John the Evangelist , and therefore would naturally in its calendar pointout St . John ' s Day , 24 th June or 27 th December .
as its chief festival . Bro . Kupferschmidt will be aware that lodges , however , in different countries are differently dedicated . Anciently they were dedicated to King Solomon , as the founder of ancient Craft Masonry , and the first Most Excellent Grand Master . Christian lodges , as a rule , are dedicated to the above-named saints , and in every well regulated lodge there is exhibited a certain point within a circle , embordered by two perpendicular lines , called the " lines
parallel , " which represent these two saints . Therefore , the two anniversaries of Symbolic Masonry really are the festivals of St . John the Baptist and St . ) ohn the Evangelist , 24 th of June and 27 th of December . In England the 24 thof June ( St . John ' s the Baptist festival ) is still in many lodges observed as the day in the calendar . In those English lodges which have adopted the Union system of work the dedication is to " God and his
service , " and the lines parallel represent Moses and Solomon . This change was adopted by the Grand Lodge of England in 1 S 13 , to obviate the charge of sectarianism . From that time St . John the Baptist ' s Day has ceased to be strictly observed amongst English Masons . I have , however , to remark that by this change we by no means render ourselves amenable by the dedication to the above saints , since it is made to them , not as Christians , but as
eminent Masons ; not as saints , but as pious and good men ; not as teachers of a religious sect , but as bright exemplars of all those virtues which Masons are taught to reverence and practise . With respect to the original cause of this dedication , the English lodges have preserved a tradition , which , as a matter of curiosity , may find here a place . From the building of the first temple at Jerusalem to the
Babylonish captivity , Freemasons' lodges were dedicated to King Solomon ; from thence to the coming of the Messiah they were dedicated to Zerubbabcl , the builder of the second temple ; and from that time to the final destruction of the temple by Titus , in the reign of Vespasian , they were dedicated to St . John the Baptist ; but , owing to the many massacres and disorders which attended that memorable event , Freemasonry sunk very much into decay ; many
lodges were entirely broken up , and few could meet in sufficient numbers to constitute their legality ; and at a general meeting of the Craft held in the city of Benjamin it was observed that the principal reason for the decline of Masonry was the want of a Grand Master to patronise it ; they therefore deputed seven of their most eminent members to wait upon St . John the Evangelist , who was at that time Bishop of Ephesus , requesting him to take the office
Original Correspondence.
of Grand Master . He returned for answer that , though well-stricken in years ( being upwards of 90 ) , yet having been in the early part of his life initiated into Masonry , he would take upon himself that olfice . He thereby completed by his learning what the other St . John ( Baptist ) had completed by his zeal , and thus drew what Freemasons term a line parallel , ever since which Freemasons'lodges in all Christian countries have been dedicated both to St . John ^ i
the Baptist and St . " John the Evangelist , and hold their anniversary on , or near , the festival days of either one or the other of these saints . But the task is not difficult to trace more philosophically , and , 1 believe , more correctly , the real origin of this custom . In the spurious Masonry , so well known as the mysteries of the Pagan nations , we may find the most plausible reasons for the celebration of our festivals in
June and December , and for the dedication of our lodges to St . John the Baptist and St . John the Evangelist . The post-diluvians , according to the testimony of the Jewish writer , Maimonides , the Magians of Persia , until their ritual was improved and purified by Zoroaster , and most probably the ancient Druids , introduced into their rites a great respect for , and even an adoration of , the sun , as the source of light , and life , and fruition , and the visible representative of the invisible creative and preservative
principle of nature . To such sects the period when the sun reached his greatest northern and southern declination , by entering the zodiacal signs , Cancer and Capricorn , marked , as it would be , by the most evident effects on the seasons , and on the length of the days and nights , could not have passed unobserved ; but , on the contrary , must have occupied a distinguished place in their ritual . Now , these important days fall respectively on the 2 istof June and the 22 nd of December .
In the spurious Masonry of the Ancients these days were , doubtless , celebrated as returning eras in the existence of the great source of light , and object of their worship . Our ancient brethren adopted the custom , abandoning , however , in deference to their own purer doctrines , the idolatrous principles which were connected with these dates , and confining their celebration exclusively to their astronomical importance . But time passed on . Christianity came to
mingle its rays with the light of Masonry , and our Christian ancestors , finding that the Church had appropriated tivo days near these solstitial periods to the memory of two eminent saints , it was easy to incorporate these festivals , by the lapse of a few days , into the Masonic calendar , and to adopt these worthies as patrons of our Order . To this change the earlier Christian Masons were doubtless the more persuaded by the peculiar character of these saints .
St . John the Baptist , bj * announcing the approach of Christ , and by the mystification to which he subjected his proselytes , and which was afterwards adopted in the ceremony of initiation into Christianity , might well be considered as the Grand Hietophant of the Church , while the mysterious and emblematic nature of the Apocalypse assimilated the mode of teaching adopted by St . John the Evangelist to that practised by the Fraternity .
It is thus that I trace the present system of dedication through these saints , to the heliacal worship of the Ancients . To return to the question . I have the bye-laws of the lodges of Jersey , Guernsey , Alderney , and of other districts before me , and in all of them the following rule or law is to be found , either that the annual banquet take place on or near St . John the Baptist ' s Day , or on the night previous to the 27 th December , being the anniversary of St .
John the Evangelist . 1 do not think that the union of the Grand Lodges of "Moderns" and "Ancients , " in the year 1 S 13 , when the change taok place , and the annual festival of the Grand Lodge of England , vvas fixed to fall on the Wednesday following St . George ' s Day , April 23 , that saint being the Patron of England , or the change of the parallel lines , has materially affected the keeping of the festival ot cither St . Johns in our
lodges . In Germany and elsewhere lodges are more distant the one from the other , and generally only one in a town , than what they are in England . In St . Helier's , Jersey , for instance , there are seven Craft lodges , and if they were all to have their anniversary , or only four of them , on either St . John ' s day , neither festival would be carried with the same success as now that some meet near or on St . John the Baptist ' s Day , and others on or near St .
John the Evangelist ' s Day , and so with the rest of English towns whose lodges are numerous , or where there are more than one or two . The following may be useful , instructive , and interesting to most readers of the Freemason . The Wednesday following April 23 , St . George ' s Day , however , is , correctly speaking , the annual Festival day of English Freemasons , because that saint being the Patron of England , and the
said day being the annual festival of the Grand Lodge , has been so kept ever since the day of the Union , in 1 S 13 . Fora similar reason , St . Andrew ' s Day , November 30 , is kept by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and most lodges under its jurisdiction . The change took place in the year 151 S , on the 21 st September , at Lodge O , Antient or Mother Lodgeof Kilwinning , Edinburgh . The priories , acting under the Chapter General of the Religious and
Military Orderof the Temple of Scotland , have their anniversary on the nth March , the immolation of Jacques de Molay ' s anniversary day . The anniversary of the Princes of Rose Croix is Shrove Tuesday . In the Scotch Rite the anniversary is on the 17 th of September , that being the date of dedicating King Solomon ' s Temple to Jehovah . The anniversary of the Druids is the 1 st of May , the sun
entering into Taurus . The anniversary of Eclectic Masonry ( Frankfort ) is the 3 rd August ; whether a Sunday or other day it matters not , the day is strictly observed . The Elect of Perpignan's anniversary falls on 10 th Tammouz—gth July . The Elected Knights of Nine , Ninth Degree in the Ancient Scottish Rite , and the Illustrious Elected of Fifteen celebrate their anniversary on the 19 th
J y * . , . . 1 he lodges of Canada , over 400 in number , hold their anniversary either on the 24 th June or on the 27 th December . The lodges of Ireland , the lodges under the Grand Lodge of Hamburg , the lodges of Sweden and Norway , Denmark , Belgium , most lodges in France , Spain , and Portugal ,
celebrate the St . John ' s festival on 24 th June . The Greek lodges celebrate the Festival of the Order on the 22 nd July , in commemoration of the election of H . l . H . the Prince Rhodocanakis , as the ( irst Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Greece . —I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , LOUIS HESPIRADOUX , P . M . 244 . t St . Anton ' s , Jersey , 17 th August .