The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-26
The Myths OF Masonry.

Col. Thomas Picton was appointed, in
1868, secretary general of the Celestial
Empire of the Masonic Order of Memphis
for America. Hesaid that the day for Sc
crecy in Masonry in America is past. In
a land in which there was an established
religion secrecy was necessary, but in
America it is dctriment to the Order.
Indeed, l fancy that Masonry does
not exist in America-that is to say, as it
should exist-for here it is benevolent
society, not a philosophic institution.
Instead of stimulating inquiry, Americans
who style themselves Masons throw veil
over the truth. They begin with myths
and legends and add to them with every
successive degree, and the higher they
go the more lies they tell" The Colonel
threw in the parenthesis that probably
there are not in the United States six
Masons who are really educated in the
history of their Order. Then he added
"The origin Of modem Masonry can be
attributed to Lord Bacon. In the new
Atlantis there is description of Solo
mon and his house; and it is there said
that the King set apart different days for
prosecuting the arts and sciences. The
new Atlantis was excessively popular
among the learned men of Bacon's day,
and they tried to establish society,
taking Solomon as an exponent of wis
dom. 1t was encouraged by the Court
of James / and his successor, Charles I,
until the Revolution broke out. Then
the Royalist, after the death of Charles /,
reorganized their society for religious
and political motives-the religious for
the re- establishment of the Church, the
politics for the restoration of the Mon
archy. Next they invented what is call
ed the legend of the third degree. Hiram
Abiff was the murdered monarch. Hiram,
the King ofTyre, was the King of France.
Solomon was the Church. Hiram's
three assassins were the three Kingdoms,
England, Scotland and Ireland. The
Masons of that day, who were the con-
spirators-the Jacobites-wcre necessari-
ly q secret society. They called them
selves, as the Masons of the European
Continent do to the present day, the
Sons of the Widow, inasmuch as the
King had been beheaded and his son
had not been recognized. After tue Res
toration the leading men OF the move
ment formed the Royal Society, which
exists to the present day, and they open.
ly continued the work of the house Of
Solomon. The Jacobites in France con-
tinued their benevolent organization. In
England, Immediately after the Rcstora-
ton, a number Of those who had been
previously affiliated conjoined with a
guild of so.called operative Masons,
body of frcemcn of London, meeting in
Mason's lane. They then became Free
and Accepted Masons. In l7l7 there ap-
pearcd to be four lodges in London. They
met in the Appletree Tavern, placed the
oldest Mason in the chair and proceeded
to organize a grand lodge, electing Sir
Christopher Wren Grand Master. From
that body originate all the Masonic lodges
in this country.
"Of late years on the Continent of
Europe, and France particularly, earnest
endeavors have been made to divest Ma
sonry of all its fabulous legends and his
torical errors" In conclusion Col. Pic
ton said that the square and compass were
rejected by all intelligent Masons long
ago, the All-Seeing Eye within the tri.
angle being the recognized emblem, and
that, whatever the symbols may prove to
be that are on the stones that uphold the
obelisk in Alexandria, they will not prove
that Masonry as we know it existed
among the ancient Egyplians.-New York
Herald.