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added to thg desire of carrying out its suggestions by the energy and power afforded by association , form the elementary principles of Masonry ; and thus common sense alone suffices in this view to substantiate our claim to a very high antiquity , without having
recourse to corroboration from Masonic marks and positions found upon the Pyramids of Egypt , or to the no less palpable evidence that such a Fraternity must have been assembled prior to any great dispersion of the Jewish nation , in order to account for its presence over the whole world , wherever Israelitish connection is , however remotely , traceable .
But it is not merely upon high antiquity that Masonry would claim her tribute of respect ; rather should the latter emanate towards her on account of the great and glorious , footsteps she has imprinted on every strand whereto she has accompanied civilization .
Like a magician , she has waved her wand , and evoked cities from the wilderness in all their beauty , or , like the vestal of old , has ever kept the lamp of science burning upon the altar of truth . When Palmyra fell , or Babylon sank to ruin , she lit up her great fires in Greece and Home , and the Parthenon and Colosseum became her
stepping-stones into the heritage of Japhet . When the walls of JSTinus were erased , and the eternal Pyramids half ruined in the sand , other changes passed over the vexed earth : the mighty dynasty of the Fourth Empire —partly iron , partly clay—grew too vast for its heterogeneous elements to cohere ; yet Masonry shared , at the division , the fortunes of both Eastern and Western
Monarchies ; and the treasures of her knowledge proved sufficient to render Byzantium the admiration of the traveller , whilst she lavished on Eome every glorious structure that could dignify the Queen of Empires . When the imperial sword proved powerless against Gaul , and the throne of the Cassars tottered beneath the pressure of Germanic hordes , Masonry imparted a love of symmetry
and refinement , and untouched by time , uninfluenced by the waves which tossed or engulfed whole realms , became the medium by which Christian monarchs and holy men adorned their cities , civilized their subjects , or illustrated their religion . Whilst the Moor wrought the symbols of the Craft in the Alhambra , cathedrals , with their pinnacles and towers , were rising under the Pontiffs and Princes ,
Grand Masters of the same Fraternity throughout Christendom ; and Strasburg , Cologne , Winchester , grew beneath the touch of Erwin of Steinbach , the patronage of Conrad of Hochstedten , or the pastoral encouragement of St . Swithun . With the monastic times it expanded its operations , and skilled Craftsmen of the Order worked under their several Masters , upon the territories of any
Prince or penitent who desired to perpetuate his fame , or to propitiate the mercies of Heaven ; whilst the catalogue of those who have illustrated its operation , or substantiated its principle , is synonymous with a list of every scientific teacher , not excluding several of the greatest philosophers , lawgivers , and prelates , from Pythagoras to Alfred the Great—from Herr Gerhard to William of Wykeham .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
added to thg desire of carrying out its suggestions by the energy and power afforded by association , form the elementary principles of Masonry ; and thus common sense alone suffices in this view to substantiate our claim to a very high antiquity , without having
recourse to corroboration from Masonic marks and positions found upon the Pyramids of Egypt , or to the no less palpable evidence that such a Fraternity must have been assembled prior to any great dispersion of the Jewish nation , in order to account for its presence over the whole world , wherever Israelitish connection is , however remotely , traceable .
But it is not merely upon high antiquity that Masonry would claim her tribute of respect ; rather should the latter emanate towards her on account of the great and glorious , footsteps she has imprinted on every strand whereto she has accompanied civilization .
Like a magician , she has waved her wand , and evoked cities from the wilderness in all their beauty , or , like the vestal of old , has ever kept the lamp of science burning upon the altar of truth . When Palmyra fell , or Babylon sank to ruin , she lit up her great fires in Greece and Home , and the Parthenon and Colosseum became her
stepping-stones into the heritage of Japhet . When the walls of JSTinus were erased , and the eternal Pyramids half ruined in the sand , other changes passed over the vexed earth : the mighty dynasty of the Fourth Empire —partly iron , partly clay—grew too vast for its heterogeneous elements to cohere ; yet Masonry shared , at the division , the fortunes of both Eastern and Western
Monarchies ; and the treasures of her knowledge proved sufficient to render Byzantium the admiration of the traveller , whilst she lavished on Eome every glorious structure that could dignify the Queen of Empires . When the imperial sword proved powerless against Gaul , and the throne of the Cassars tottered beneath the pressure of Germanic hordes , Masonry imparted a love of symmetry
and refinement , and untouched by time , uninfluenced by the waves which tossed or engulfed whole realms , became the medium by which Christian monarchs and holy men adorned their cities , civilized their subjects , or illustrated their religion . Whilst the Moor wrought the symbols of the Craft in the Alhambra , cathedrals , with their pinnacles and towers , were rising under the Pontiffs and Princes ,
Grand Masters of the same Fraternity throughout Christendom ; and Strasburg , Cologne , Winchester , grew beneath the touch of Erwin of Steinbach , the patronage of Conrad of Hochstedten , or the pastoral encouragement of St . Swithun . With the monastic times it expanded its operations , and skilled Craftsmen of the Order worked under their several Masters , upon the territories of any
Prince or penitent who desired to perpetuate his fame , or to propitiate the mercies of Heaven ; whilst the catalogue of those who have illustrated its operation , or substantiated its principle , is synonymous with a list of every scientific teacher , not excluding several of the greatest philosophers , lawgivers , and prelates , from Pythagoras to Alfred the Great—from Herr Gerhard to William of Wykeham .