-
Articles/Ads
Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 2 of 2 Article CORRESPONDENCE. Page 2 of 2
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
»> — > 1 have contended that the present system of speculative Freemasonry , consisting of a Grand Master , Grand Officers , and Provincial and Grand Lodges , had its origin in the second decade of the last century , that it arose out of the mediseval and early operative
guilds or fraternities when tbe latter were languishing after a long existence of many centuries ; that these in turn were but a copy of still earlier secret organizations ; and thus I have maintained the belief clearly expressed by " A Masonic Student , " that no one can really and carefully study the history of our
Order without being forcibly struck with its entire operative basis , and without recognizing its perpetual dependence upon and connexion with the " guilds " and " assemblies of earlier generations . " ( Freemasons' Magazine , April 3 , 1869 . ) I have certainly endeavoured to draw attention
to several differences between Masonry lefore and since the Revival , as witnessed in the alterations of the " Constitutions " anterior and posterior to A . D . 1723 . One has only to examine the rare constitutions of A . D . 1722 , possessed by the well-known Masonic publisher , Bro . Spencerwhich are operativewith
, , the speculative of one year later date , to be aware of the changes then made . Long before the Grand Lodge of England was established ( the first Grand Lodge in the world ) Masonry was practised as a secret society , and on a different basis to any other trade incorporations or guilds .
The "Constitutions" from the loth century to the 17 th abundantly confirm this fact , and allude to the non-operative element being accepted by the Fraternity .
Even after the Revival many lodges did not cease their operative character for years , while others changed at once , and sank their operative in the predominant speculative tendencies of the Revivalists . The Grand Lodge of England was , as we all know , the offspring of four old lodges , which bad been worked previously on a similar basis to that of the old lodges at York , Kilwinning , Edinburgh , and elsewhere . A marked difference is noticed in the records
of these lodges soon after the Revival , and the " President " of York becomes the " Grand Master , " the " meeting" is called the "Grand Lodge , " and the other modern titles are gradually observed to the consequent eliminators of the operative terms . I most cordially agree with "A Masonic Student" that recent attempts to sever the " operative lodges from
the revival of 1717 are most unwise , and entirely opposed to a mass of evidence , direct and indirect , which we are gradually accumulating on the Subject . " From Bro . J . A . H . ' s remarks one would naturally think I had been doing so ; but , as he does not quote
any remarks of mine that justify his linking my name with such an error , and I distinctly deny having said so , I hope not to have my cognomen associated with such a mistaken notion . What is more , I clo not remember anyone who has done so of late in the Magazine . Bro . L and myself have advocated
_ yon the connexion of speculative with operative Masonry for a long time , and , what is more , have produced facts to confirm our opinions on Freemasonry . I reserve my opinions on holding offices in operative and speculative lodges before and since the Revival , until Bro . L yon has made known the character of the
Correspondence.
St . Mary ' s Chapel Records , of Edinburgh , on which he is now engaged , and until the History of Mother Kilwinning , Ayrshire , is published . With these two forthcoming works to guide us , and with such extracts from old lodges as Bros . Sanderson and Buchan are now so kindly affording us weeklin the Free '
y masons' Magazine , we shall surely have a good foundation to build upon . In my " Analysis of Ancient and Modern Freemasonry " will be found my general views on the history of the Craft , which is contained in the ' Freemasons' Magazine of October 12 th , 1867 and many subsequent numbers .
, Yours fraternally , WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN . P . S . —I have used the terms " operative" and " speculative" to describe the ancient and modern systems of Masonry respectively , and sometimes call the former Masonry and the latter Freemasonry .
BED . "J . A . H . " ON BELGIUM . TO THE EDITOR OE TEE EREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIBBOB . Dear Sir and Brother , —The following remarks may perhaps be useful in connexion with Bro . J . A . H . ' s Belgian " Chips , " at page 267 . Up to 1830 Belgium formed one kingdom with Holland ;
the Dutch , however , not content with ruling Belgium , attempted to Hollandize it , and the result was revolt . When the spirit of revolution was abroad , at any rate ia France , it was easy to kindle a fire in Brussels . But the way in which the change was actually effected was singular and significant . It was by an alliance between the Jesuits and the Free-thinkers . Neither of these could
have done the work alone . So they coalesced , and the marks of the coalition appeared subsequently in the constitution . A free press and freedom of worship were decreed on the one side ; and to the Church , on the other , was committed tho education of the people . No doubt the Church expected to be the gainer by this , bub she may possiblhave been disappointed .
y There are two tides running with great force through Belgium—Eomanism and Infidelity . In the rural districts , and among the Flemish-speaking people , Popery is supreme , and at the elections there the priests are accustomed to drive the householders like a flock of sheep to the poll . But in the towns , and where French is spokenFree-thinking prevails ; aiad from the fact that
, the ministry is liberal , it is presumed that for the present Popery has not the best of it . It is not , therefore , because Belgium is a " Catholic country" that she is "thoroughly free , " as J . A . H . says ; but ( if she be so ) in spite of it , and because of other influences . Yours fraternally , Moan LIGHT .
THE Atliencsum says : —There is being privately circulated the prospectus of another forthcoming weekly periodical for Freemasons . Among ; the matter promised is " The true History of Freemasonry , tracing its Foundation to tlie Shepherd Kings . " Considering that other Masonic inquirers can barely grope their way among the guilds of the Middle Ages—and that , as to the Shepherd Kings , Dr . Beke ami other correspondents are seeking through columns to find out who they were—tho
our attempt is ambitious . It is only lately a worthy brother connected Freemasonry with the Cuneiform inscriptions ; hut as the said inscriptions obstinately refused to be read by him , and nobody who could read them would give the interpretation wished , this discovery has collapsed . In tho last century , Joseph Balsamo , as Count Cagliostro , found no difficulty in persuading the ignorant the Freemasons in France that he possessed Etian
among gyp records of Freemasonry : and this before the hieroglyphics had been interpreted ! It is an instructive comment on the vitality of impostors and dupes among the semi-educated that another Egyptian Freemasonry was started in France in this century , and is not yet extinct .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
»> — > 1 have contended that the present system of speculative Freemasonry , consisting of a Grand Master , Grand Officers , and Provincial and Grand Lodges , had its origin in the second decade of the last century , that it arose out of the mediseval and early operative
guilds or fraternities when tbe latter were languishing after a long existence of many centuries ; that these in turn were but a copy of still earlier secret organizations ; and thus I have maintained the belief clearly expressed by " A Masonic Student , " that no one can really and carefully study the history of our
Order without being forcibly struck with its entire operative basis , and without recognizing its perpetual dependence upon and connexion with the " guilds " and " assemblies of earlier generations . " ( Freemasons' Magazine , April 3 , 1869 . ) I have certainly endeavoured to draw attention
to several differences between Masonry lefore and since the Revival , as witnessed in the alterations of the " Constitutions " anterior and posterior to A . D . 1723 . One has only to examine the rare constitutions of A . D . 1722 , possessed by the well-known Masonic publisher , Bro . Spencerwhich are operativewith
, , the speculative of one year later date , to be aware of the changes then made . Long before the Grand Lodge of England was established ( the first Grand Lodge in the world ) Masonry was practised as a secret society , and on a different basis to any other trade incorporations or guilds .
The "Constitutions" from the loth century to the 17 th abundantly confirm this fact , and allude to the non-operative element being accepted by the Fraternity .
Even after the Revival many lodges did not cease their operative character for years , while others changed at once , and sank their operative in the predominant speculative tendencies of the Revivalists . The Grand Lodge of England was , as we all know , the offspring of four old lodges , which bad been worked previously on a similar basis to that of the old lodges at York , Kilwinning , Edinburgh , and elsewhere . A marked difference is noticed in the records
of these lodges soon after the Revival , and the " President " of York becomes the " Grand Master , " the " meeting" is called the "Grand Lodge , " and the other modern titles are gradually observed to the consequent eliminators of the operative terms . I most cordially agree with "A Masonic Student" that recent attempts to sever the " operative lodges from
the revival of 1717 are most unwise , and entirely opposed to a mass of evidence , direct and indirect , which we are gradually accumulating on the Subject . " From Bro . J . A . H . ' s remarks one would naturally think I had been doing so ; but , as he does not quote
any remarks of mine that justify his linking my name with such an error , and I distinctly deny having said so , I hope not to have my cognomen associated with such a mistaken notion . What is more , I clo not remember anyone who has done so of late in the Magazine . Bro . L and myself have advocated
_ yon the connexion of speculative with operative Masonry for a long time , and , what is more , have produced facts to confirm our opinions on Freemasonry . I reserve my opinions on holding offices in operative and speculative lodges before and since the Revival , until Bro . L yon has made known the character of the
Correspondence.
St . Mary ' s Chapel Records , of Edinburgh , on which he is now engaged , and until the History of Mother Kilwinning , Ayrshire , is published . With these two forthcoming works to guide us , and with such extracts from old lodges as Bros . Sanderson and Buchan are now so kindly affording us weeklin the Free '
y masons' Magazine , we shall surely have a good foundation to build upon . In my " Analysis of Ancient and Modern Freemasonry " will be found my general views on the history of the Craft , which is contained in the ' Freemasons' Magazine of October 12 th , 1867 and many subsequent numbers .
, Yours fraternally , WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN . P . S . —I have used the terms " operative" and " speculative" to describe the ancient and modern systems of Masonry respectively , and sometimes call the former Masonry and the latter Freemasonry .
BED . "J . A . H . " ON BELGIUM . TO THE EDITOR OE TEE EREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIBBOB . Dear Sir and Brother , —The following remarks may perhaps be useful in connexion with Bro . J . A . H . ' s Belgian " Chips , " at page 267 . Up to 1830 Belgium formed one kingdom with Holland ;
the Dutch , however , not content with ruling Belgium , attempted to Hollandize it , and the result was revolt . When the spirit of revolution was abroad , at any rate ia France , it was easy to kindle a fire in Brussels . But the way in which the change was actually effected was singular and significant . It was by an alliance between the Jesuits and the Free-thinkers . Neither of these could
have done the work alone . So they coalesced , and the marks of the coalition appeared subsequently in the constitution . A free press and freedom of worship were decreed on the one side ; and to the Church , on the other , was committed tho education of the people . No doubt the Church expected to be the gainer by this , bub she may possiblhave been disappointed .
y There are two tides running with great force through Belgium—Eomanism and Infidelity . In the rural districts , and among the Flemish-speaking people , Popery is supreme , and at the elections there the priests are accustomed to drive the householders like a flock of sheep to the poll . But in the towns , and where French is spokenFree-thinking prevails ; aiad from the fact that
, the ministry is liberal , it is presumed that for the present Popery has not the best of it . It is not , therefore , because Belgium is a " Catholic country" that she is "thoroughly free , " as J . A . H . says ; but ( if she be so ) in spite of it , and because of other influences . Yours fraternally , Moan LIGHT .
THE Atliencsum says : —There is being privately circulated the prospectus of another forthcoming weekly periodical for Freemasons . Among ; the matter promised is " The true History of Freemasonry , tracing its Foundation to tlie Shepherd Kings . " Considering that other Masonic inquirers can barely grope their way among the guilds of the Middle Ages—and that , as to the Shepherd Kings , Dr . Beke ami other correspondents are seeking through columns to find out who they were—tho
our attempt is ambitious . It is only lately a worthy brother connected Freemasonry with the Cuneiform inscriptions ; hut as the said inscriptions obstinately refused to be read by him , and nobody who could read them would give the interpretation wished , this discovery has collapsed . In tho last century , Joseph Balsamo , as Count Cagliostro , found no difficulty in persuading the ignorant the Freemasons in France that he possessed Etian
among gyp records of Freemasonry : and this before the hieroglyphics had been interpreted ! It is an instructive comment on the vitality of impostors and dupes among the semi-educated that another Egyptian Freemasonry was started in France in this century , and is not yet extinct .