, 1875-06-06

n frefsoa. u ". r. Al. lhorud is Of }ittlt Abo1
medium stature. light compilation, and only mod
nely suggesting in figure soI,e knowledge Of the a.
and Joy Of good living. In all the nlu)t1rous duti
Of LIS highly responsible position he is ,ndetaigab
and capable. In speech he is d:tu:. Etseu to cles
| AID precise statement, but Occasionally manIfestn
t*so orstori.a! power. Both - Ard Mason Ii
uFano h3ster las Won the Affection Aud esteem
hosts of friends.
/ MASONIC HISTORY.
| Albert G. Mackey, Secretary General suprem
! Council, has recently contributed An iuterettip
HISTORY Of the origin aud. purposes Of Free
masonry. He says:
| The question Of the origin Of FreemasonrJ as
mystical association has for more than century IN
: ha1 attracted the attention OF Ennny scholars o
Er1tain, Germany, France, and America, and bod
Of hea:ises and tie subject haye becn ru
shcd, the extent Of which would surprise aux
faii1Ar with Masonic literature At the present a..
the historians Of Frcemasoury who are engaged Ii
the discussion 81 this question may he divided int
two schools which may b appropriately distinguishes
~ the mythical and the lutheu;ic The former q
these I. the older, Tor the latter has ptonnen
only within tho last three or four decades. Aason
opinion it, however very steadily and indeed, rapid
y, morfug IN thu direction OK 'aolght that ~
adopted By tits latter school.
The difference between these tv- F-soaA v-E.
strongly defined, aud are, in eola re1He s, &atAsl
antagoDlslc.
The mythical school Of N+rcufo hts.cr, was H.
augated about the begnnlrb OF the t.si cert i
James Anderson AID Thco!'-iius Det-Ia!:rrt, tlut
Doctors o. Divinity, sai WHO had t,ay iustru-
mental in celebrating whas been called the revival
Of Masonry By the estah In ILL., Of tho Grand
Lodge Of England. Dr.. Anderson was nlan Of &C
knowicdged LEARNING, the minister Of Scotch con-
grcGatluo IN London, and Writ Of sonf reputation.
Dr. D isasuliers uas recognized Is distinguished
Fc:eatfst aud popular Lecturer experimental
philosophy. But il is Anderson who Is really te
considered - tie founder Of tie school, 8ince he rSt
promulgated its theories in tbs Book Of Cousitu-
tons which he published in Ills, by orde1 Of the
Grand Lodge
Unfortunately for the interests Of truth Anderson
Of very imaginative turn Of mind, and instead
Of writing ~ authentic history OF Frean,asonry he
accepted and incorporated into his narrative all the
myths and legends which be found the manuscript
records ot the operative Aasocs. According TO him
Masonry begsn With Adam, aud extending through
the Line Of snteduylan patr:a:cha to Noah, was by
him communicated 10 his des -eudanta in tho New
World Being transmitted successfully through Abra
ham, Moses, Joshua, and David it at length reached
Solomon, who, By thn Aid Of the Frcernasons built
the Temple at Jerusalem. After tle death Of Solomon
the institution vas pat1oplzed BY his successors and
by the EirGs OF Babylon, Assvria aud Egypt until it
Wa8 finally transmitted into Europe.
The theory II the origin Of treernasonry that IL
nov besinnlng to be most generally accepted By H.
school Of Masonic history This school might 1atber
10 called thu tconotiast1c and indeed, it, disciples
have not unfrequentiy been denonlinAted the ieono-
cssss Of The Order because Of the sturdy aud e1ectual
blows they have inflicted the e1traYagans images Of
the legendary Or mythical school.
The leaders Of the authentic school in England
Hughan md Woodlo1i; in Scotland, Lyon; and In
Germany, FindeL
Bg most OF the leaders Of this school tie complex
question Of the origin OF Freemasoa-y Is being solved
in the following way:
There existed in Rom. from t1e first days Of the
Kingdom. and al through thu times Of the Republic
Or corporations OF wosxmen which a1s veil known IN
history as
THE ROMAN COLLEGES oF ART1F1cEks.
Suma who is raid to hare founded theSs guilds e.
y greatly increased. From the Roman writer's who
have treated Of the form and organization Of these col
EeRea we learn enough to show rs that there WAS
great analogy IN their government to that Of the mod
ern Masonic lodges sod this especially In their ear
acter secret society aud the limitations aud
ssoteric Instructions to which candidates for Adns
bion and the younger members were subjected. OF
these gids tbs one to which Masous particularly refer
is ths which consisted Of ascA2tecs builders The
most probably would have done, that tbs Ro
man colleges OF architects lodges Of Freemasona
They simply contend that ths facts OF history
nibit regular and uninterrupted derivation Of
he FreeEasonr1 Of this day from those Roman guilds,
although the coutse Of the succession Affected By
farious important changes. But thess changes have
lot been sufficient To altogether ob;erate the evidence
II The relationship This relationship il thus indi-
2ted: From very early period The Roman people
30 sooner had their victorious legions conquered the
tribes Of Spin, Of Gaul OF lierVany,
nd Of Brisain, than they b:gan to establish c6oni.
nd to build cities. To every legion which went forth
conquer and to oolo,ze 4tached guild or col
rge Ct architects, whoae members, taken from the
reAt body It Rome marched and encaxnped With tha
cultivate tho principles Of Rona1n art AID to aract
.npes for Worship aud houses for the accomnloda-
lon OF the lnh habitants.
When in time tho corrupted Empire Threatened
18th extinction by the invasion Of iss Northern ene
lies the leSiona recalled to sustain and defend
i. central power, but the guilds Of architects aud
uilderr most frequently remained in the towns aud !
tea which they had assisted erect and where they
ad acquired Gdzsnship that they hal probably lost
ho1ns.
In tia course Of time the proud mistress Of ths
orld became extinct power of the earth, and the
,lon1es which 1he had tc4ttezed orer the Continent
ecame independent Kingdoms and Principalities- The
~ fhh nj Afn4
shed schools u7 architecture aad taught and prac-
Sod tho art Of building among the newly en{ran-
.ised peopls principal 5est Of this body Of arch,
- founded which acquired 80 much reputation that
e nasona aud hricklaye1s Of that city received the
'pellat,on Of Masters Of Como, aud architects Of all
ons hocked to the place acquire the correct prn-
pies Of their profession. From this school Of Lom-
I'd builders proceeded that
SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTS
10 vere known At that sime by the sppe1laeioa of
eenuasons, and who fro1u the tenth to te sixteenth
ntury, travessed the Continent Ct Europe engaged
nost exclusively in the construction Of religious Cd
ces such cathedrais, churches, aud 11onasteries
nonasic ore.e-a formed aui.nce with them, 80
1t thr converts frequently becazne their domi9e,
they instructed the uoGts in the seeret principles
their 1T. The POpts took them under THAR p1p-
-tiDn, and granted them charters Of monopoly rs
:eataatcal architects, and invested them With many
poFt1nt and exclusive pr4Fiegcs. Discovering the
s which bound them to the monks, tdeso Free |
sons leo called to distin gutsh them from tbs rough
son. who were Of IN inferior grada and not MEM
y Of tho corperatjon} subsequently established the
Ids ct ttoncIasors which existed uuttI tEe end Of
seventeenth century il Germany, France, En-
nd aud Scotland. .
.hese s:on-ma.ons, or, II they continue to cau J
1nselres Freen1sons, hid Peculiarly In their :
anization which Is necessary to be considered II
nd comprehend thu relation that exists between !
IN and tbs Freemasons Of the present day. The 30
> was necessarily operative one, whose members
a actually engaged in the manual labor OF building,
veil III the Intellectual occupation Of 2rch
urA designing. This, with tia fact Of their pro-
Is connection With the uloaks, who probably pro- O
ed the plans which the Aksous carried into e1ecu~ n
. led 70 tho adussion Among them Of pezsons Who
{ not operative 4asous. These we're high eccle- =,
tics, wealthy mobiles, and OF science, who .
ouIagers and patrons OF ths Art Theee, not co1n-
mt 10 engage in the abo1 Of building. were sup
ID to confnc themselves to phllosopt:e epecuIA~ S
the principles Of tbs art, and to symboiizing
It's labors and lfs imp enaens- Hence
- resulted division OF the membership Of the ~
herhood into two c!asses-the practical and the | -
'retic, or, they more commonly called. @
THE OPERATIVE AND THE SPECULATIVE -
operative N2Aons awsya held tbs aecendanev in | o.
lbera but the speculative Nasons s1fr,ed greater n
lence BY their higher culture, their wealth. and oi
+ social position.
time there came total snd permanent Hssev-
ce Of thu two elerneGt4. At what precise period
eveat occurred We cannot say, but It WaA so1ne-
re between the middle aud the close Of the seyen-
th century. II the beginning Of the eighteenth n.
afy there we're several lodges in England, but for
g tine there had oeea 10 meeting Of general a. II
olF. In Tho ye4r 1il' Fteem1sourJ wxs revived in
the Grand Lodge Of England established by tho +,
lodges which then existed in London. This re- oe
took plaee through the inhuenre .nl by the e1- Ct
ns OF non-operatlve or speculative sons, and Il,
Institution has ever slnco pEeer7ed that ~.
= 1eseE IL ra1 LodGes ;Hs uor;n Tsre sreedr esab ~
4sf -tt Tx,f3r a4%3 !