Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-07-26


The Holy Of the HOLES
IoroM JehOvoh
The Law Of God
Melek Erets.
Of the King Of the Earth
| DeUar Jehoyah
/ Is the Word Of the Lord.
/ Mr.. Cunningham conceiving the stone
to be probably Masonic emblem, sent
drawings to his Masonic brother Enoch
/ /. Carson, Esq. Of our city, whose skill
in Masonic heraldry, and familiarity with
Masonic history, it was supposed would
enable him to throw some light upon the
subject. Mr.. Carson agreed at once with
Mr.. Cunningham supposition that the
stone was Masonic, and that the inscrip-
tons confirmed that theory. He also
procured the following translation from
DIR. Rothenheim, of Cincinnati, who rem
ders each inscription thus:
RedOSh Xeddshem-Sanctuary
IoroM Jehovah-The Doctrine Of G. -,
or the Bible.
Netek E,ets--King of the world.
DeUor Jehovoh-The word of God.
All the translators, it will be observed,
agree substantially.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Such discovery must of course give
rise to speculation. If its genuineness
could be established beyond all possibility
of deception, it would open the most Gu
rious speculative controversy that has ev-
er excited the Archaeological world. Ar
cheologists and Theologians would renew
their interest in the question concerning
the Lost Tribes" of the children of Is.
rael, and perhaps some of them would
discover in the American forests the
evidences of Sin" A great variety
OF suggestions arise ust now, bat | feel
constrained to restrict myself to moderate
space. But the current speculations of
the day upon the Holy stone will prove
interesting.
THE MASONIC THEORY.
Mr.. Cunningham, without having in
vestigated the subject critically, entertains
an ingenious theory upon the relationship
of the sacred symbolic stone to Masonry
He thinks this Keystone was the Mason
ic emblem in the secondary period of that
order, beginning with the building of the
first temple of Solomon. The first was
the reign of solomon. 1t is not directly
asserted in Masonic books that there was
such an emblem during the first period,
but there is such tradition, and the tra-
ditional form of that emblem differs from
the keystone found in Cherry Valley,
and both are different from the modern
Keystone, which Represents the third per-
iod of Masonry, though having the same
general outlines in most respects. The
difference in angles constitutes the chief
difference. Now, proceeding upon the
suppositon that this is genuine discov-
cry, Mr.. G. elaborates this theory, to.wit
When the Masonic order was dispersed,
they wandered all over Europe and some
parts of Asia, in bands of fifty or more
craftsmen, perhaps, under the direction
ola Master, and were engaged in building
To this day some ofthe most remarkable
architectural structures in Europe indicate
those bands as their builders. Now is it
not possible that some of these may have
found their way into this continent in the
same way that Archeologists account for
the primitive inhabitants of the continent
by immigration from and through
Asia, across Behring's Straits Being in
the ocean of speculation, Mr.. Cunning
ham traced out other analoges, which,
he suggested were appropriate. if the in
tegrity of the discovery should not be
destroyed. Among others, he proceeded
upon the fact that Hebrew letters represent
numerals, and endeavored by the letters
in the stone to find the date represented,
and he found the result to be $50 A. NJ,
being within the secondary period of Ma
sonry. Mr. G. however, did not pretend
that this calculation was correct. He is
not Hebrewist, and I reproduce his
calculstions merely as a matter of specu-
lative curiosity.
The conclusion Of this species Of spec
ulation is earl y reached by readers. All
Masons will follow it easily at all events
! venture, somewhat rashly however, to
submit that if added to Mr.. Cunning
hams indigestcd theory, we regard the
singular geometcal perfection, and the,
to MS, inscrutable system of circular, cres
centric, square, octagonal and elliptic en-
closures and Notifications which are spread
all over the Scioto Valley in beautiful
connection and harmonious arrangement
whether there is not in it all q Masonic
mystery. Wyrick and others, contend
that the whole plan is phonetic, but there
their speculation ends.
The "Ancicnt Monument of the Mis-
sissippi Valley" have been the subject of
Mr.. Squier's research, and the results are
to be found in the first and second vel
umes of the Smithsonian Contributions
to knowledge" They are treated also
in the May, June and July numbers of
Harper's Monthly, But before him Ca
leb Atwater, DR.. Drake and others bad
presented many important facts upon
these curious relics of an obliterated race.
The late Jas. Mcbride, of Hamilton,
made more through research than any of
them, but his observations are still in
manuscript. Yet, examination of the re-
suits of Mr.. Wyrick's researches satisfies
me that his researches about Newark are,
practically, worth all the rest. At anoth-
er time | will devote sketch to this sub
ject.
None Of the Archaeologists, however,
had broached the Masonic theory until
lately, and this keystone discovery may
/ thoraCora ba a Eay to unloclx the whole