What Is Freemasonry?

is welcomed by the brotherhood with feelings of kindness known to no other class of men . The antiquity of the Craft can be traced in the vestiges of all countries from the earliest date , ancl in the ruins of our OAVU country . We never

behold any of those noble wrecks of the past , but upon close examination Ave perceive they - have been erected by Freemasons , Avho have left their ancient symbols upon the stone work . Melrose , Gainsbro ' , Fountains Abbey , and other majestic

ruins scattered over England and Scotland , are rich in their mystic lore . The same symbols are preserved in the Pyramids , and among the ruins in Palestine , Babylon , and Nineveh ; through India and China ; indeed , in no country where

man has been civilised and sunk into decay , are there wanting traces ofthe existence of the ancient mystic Craft . It commenced when symmetry first began and harmony displayed her charms . It existed long before the time of Moses in the East ,

and his writings in the Pentateuch are full of Freemasonry . The ruins of the Palace of Carnac , ancl the ruins in the valley of the Nile , the glories of ancient Egypt , are all rich in Masonic emblems . On its principle was the Tabernacle in the

Wilderness , formed , with its furniture and vessels , and the design given by the Deity was a purely Freemasonic building , beautiful in proportion and scientific in detail ; and upon the same principles Avere the Pyramids and the Tower of Babel erected .

The best architects who have ever lived—Hiram , the builder of the Temple ; Angelo , the architect of the Vatican ; Wren , the architect of St . Paul ' s , were Freemasons , and have embodied the mystic science in their magnificent temples .

The exterior and the interior of the Temple of Solomon were formed on the square , as were the Pyramids before it . The command of the Divine Architect was " Square shall it be , " or " double square shall it be . " On this principle in architecture have most of our finest buildino-s been erected .

Whitehall , Blenheim , Castle Howard , Wilton Castle , all designed by Sir Christopher Wren , G . M ., are perfect specimens of Freemasonic architecture , ancl typical of the great principles enshrined in the mysteries of the Craft . In the

Dark Ages , Freemasonry was the living ember that preserved the wisdom of the past . It broke forth at the time of the Crusaders . The Knights Templars , Avho " Led their vassals from Europe to Palestine ' s plain , " were a distinct Masonic Order . Freemasons in their different Orders were at that

time encouraged by the supreme Pontiffs , who issued numerous Bulls in their behalf . They built the splendid abbeys and cathedrals of the Continent and in Great Britain under properly constituted lodges ; ancl continued to flourish , under

the auspices of Popes ancl crowned heads , till Popery changed its character ; the confessional became a mystery in Romanism , and the secret of Freemasonry could not be abstracted . Then , and not till then , was the Craft denounced , and the

brethren anathematised . The Pope seized their treasures , and issued Bulls of excommunication against them ; moved the various Kings to oppress them ; they were persecuted , killed , expelled ; but , amidst all , the Craft survived , and though driven

from one country they flourished in another , and are now spread over the world , and number among them kings , nobles , clergy , and men of learning and science in every land .

During the . year 1865 the Pope in his senility anathematised Freemasonry , and denounced the brethren of the Craft as conspirators . It is true they do conspire against everything that divides minds or disunites hearts , but a Freemason was

never yet found who Avas not a loyal subject . Freemasonry is above all religious sectarianism , as it unites into one universal brotherhood all classes and conditions of men . " What is Freemasonry ?" Avas asked of Lamartine . His reply was— " I see

only in the secrets of the lodges a veil of modesty thrown upon truth and charity to heighten their beauty in the eyes of God and man . But for this modesty you would not conceal from men the secrets which our actions reveal . You are , in my

opinion , the great eclectics of the modern world . You cull from all time , all countries , all systems , all philosophies , the evident , eternal , and immutable principles of universal morality , ancl you blend them into an infallible and

unanimouslyaccepted dogma of fraternity . You reject everything that divides minds , ancl profess everything that unites hearts . You are the manufacturers of concord . With your trowels you spread the cement of virtue about the foundations of society ,

Your symbols are but figures . If I am not mistaken in this interpretation of your dogmas , the curtain of your mysteries might be drawn without the fear of revealing anything but services rendered to humanity . " What is Freemasonry ? To the

uninitiated Ave say—Come and see 1 [ Whilst reproducing this article wo do not endorse the concluding passage . —ED . F . M . ]