Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-12-04
what ID Freemasonry?

= W hat is 1reemas0nry " was Quohtlou dskt
| by good Queen Elizabeth, who wished to be ad
mtted to the craft and finding no one Of the softe
sex could be made Mason, conceived that score
that could NOT bo revealed TO the Queen must be in
furious to the throne, and sent an armed force {,
dispense the Grand Lodge at York, where she wa
holding her Court. There has been ons woman
Freemsson, but this act was made compulsory unor
her under peculiar circumstances. She became az
ardent hason and rose high in the Graft. Whai
IS freemasonryP was demanded bv Parliament
during the minority Of Henry VI, and not being
able TO extract the secret they passed law Sec Sd
aenry VI, chap. j making it felony to meet in
Lodges. What is Freemasonrv y was asked by
the Princes during the reign of George III. The
answer was, "Come and see-l' They went were
initiated, and became eminent in their devotedness
70 the craft. Henry VI. on attaining his majority
became Freemason, and took great interest in the
welfare of the brotherhood. He sought out by eve
ry means the mystic knowledge It contains and
wrote history of Freemasonry.
Among the Lansdowne MSS. in the British Mu-
| scum is curious paper on the H0rgin Of Freema-
sonry," collected by Lord Burlegh No. 90, article
4e) in which Freemasonry is traced back TO the an
tedeluvians; who erected two pillars and placed
thereon certain characters and these pillars existed
after the food stated by Josephus, who says enc
Of them was existing in his day. Freemasonry ex-
listed in England in the time Of the Druids; their
temples were Lodges; their supposed affairs have q
Masonic meaning which, being placed east, south
anu WeSL correspond VIII the arrangement OF GER
tain portions of the Lodge to this day. King Ed
win granted charter to Freemasons, presided as
6. NJ. at York, and ordered the Masonic archives
to be registered. King Alfred was G. NJ, and up
on his defeating the Danes at Ravensworth, in
Northumberland, at Rsvenswing, (Avening) in
Worcestershire and Rayenstone in Lecestershire
held Lodge the remains Of which are existing at
these places to this day, and are identified by all
Masons who see them. The Raven was emblazon-
ed on the royal flag or standard of Denmark, and
the above places took their names from the defeats
the Danes sustained there. In A. d. S7s Hubba
a Danish chief, and nearly thousand followers
were slain in an attempt to land in Devonshire and
their magical banner, raven embroidered in one
noontde by the hands of the three daughters of the
great Lodbroke, was taken by the British followers
of King Alfred the -Great.-Dtsn5arton Herald
The antiquity Of the craft can be traced in the
vestges OF all countries from the earliest date and
in the ruins of our own country. We never behold
any of those noble wrecks of the past, but upon
lose examination VIC perceive they have been
erected by Freemasons, who 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 mys-
tic lore. The same symbols are preserved in the
Pyramids, and among the ruins in Palestine, Baby
lon, and Nineyeh; through India and China; in
deed, in no country where man has been civilized
and sunk into decay are there wanting traces Of the
existence of the ancient mystic craft. 1t COM
displayed her charms. Ii 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 and the ruins in the valley of
the Nile, the glories of ancient Egypt all rich
in Masonic emblems. On its principle was the
Tabernacle in the Wilderness formed, with its fur
niture and vessels, and the designs given by the
Deity was purely Freemasonic building beauti-
full in proportion and scientific in detail; and upon
the same principles were the Pyramids and the
e II.
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 "Square shall it be-" or double
square shall il be-" On this principle in architect
have most of our finest buildings been erected
Whitehall, Blenhem, Castle Howard, Wilton Cas-
tic, all designed by Sir Christopher Wren, G. NJ, are
perfect specimens of Freemasonic architecture and
typical of the great principles enshrined in the
mysteries of the craft. In the Dark Ages, Freema-
sonry was the living ember that preserved the wis
dom of the past. It broke forth at the time of the
Crusaders. The knights Templars, who sled their
vassals from Europe to Pslestines plain was a
distinct Masonic order. Freemasons in their differ
ent orders at that time encouraged by the su-
preme Pontifs, who issued numerous Bulls in their
behalf. They built the splendid abbeys and eathe-
drels of the Continent and in Great Britain under
properly constituted Lodges; and continued to
flourish, under the auspices of Popes and crowned
heads till Popery changed its character the con-
fessonal became mystery in Romanism, and the
secret of FrsemasOnry could not be distracted
Then, and not till then, the craft denounced,
and the brethren mathematical. The Pope seized
their treasures, and Issued Bulls of excommunica-
ton against them; moved the various kings to OPP
press them they were prosecuted, killed. expelled;
but amidst all the craft survived and though driven
from one country they fourished in another and
are now spread over the world, and number among
science in every land.