, 1880-02-08
THE BIRTH OF MASONRy

Does 1t Date from the Old Age or O.
Christopher Wren - The Obel,.,,,11
; Foundations AsaIn-Are the fr1nhsss
Degrees Essential, or Are They 3Ta.s1
ly Ornamenta17
Ntw Fork Heratd
The drift Of opinion, as ascertained hv+,,
H6Tutd III its inquiries among ATasons. sao,1.
to be on the side Of those who. hold thas
Lieutenant-Commander Gorringe's discosa@' sss'
ies-whatever they may be-do not estahlish
the existence of speculative Masonry ~
Egypt at the time when the obelisk wa ~ -
up in Alexandria. Indeed, nearly all thos.
Masons who have read Masonic literatn5ss turs
closely, especially II they have smshe
the origin Of the mystic craft az.
that Masonry, as we know il, dates
back only to the revival, so called. Tho
find the real birth Of the Order as it exista
the ornamental degrees, as Mr.. Hugh Gs,a.
ner terms them, excepted-to have been aftar
Sir Christopher Wren'sage and infirm;t;ss
drew his attention from the duties of his of.
fee, and after the numbers of the brethroa
had become so far reduced that there ,r.s
danger Of the total extinction of Operative
Masonry. Then it was voted that the .nrivL
leges Of Masonry. should no longer Be- IA
| Stl1ClEA " OQC4AeAfC 4ndaIllSs uQE L1at fhor,
should be extended to men Of various mr. nra.
fessions, provided they were reg1iariv r ap-
| proved and Initiated into the Order. Thera
after the Masons became a brotherhood NJ
| symbolic builders,-men who builded in tn
| brains OF men, and not in fnanimate :sfnna 1as
Such is the conclusion reached, after oer. eT.
haustive research, by Mr. Godfrey ", Stein.
! brenner, whose "Origin and Early Historynf
| Freemasonry" has been sent to the HeroMi
! with the compliments Of a Freemason Who
| has read with no little profit the discussionu
that has been evoked by the recent discoEs
Many readers will recall an interview
published in the Herald, wherein MI. Stein.
brenner tossed anything but posies at the
more modern and higher d1egrees-regalia Dc.
ured the brethren Of the ornamental degrees
as the most genial OF good fellows, who eef
together once week and enjoy feast with
wine, and initiate one or two gulls to par the
bills, and whose high degrees had their Oh
gin in the brains Of some men who desiredto
make trade for regalia-makers. Naturally
the reader looks into Mr. Steinbrenner's book
for an elaboration Of the grotesque interview
that he gave in the Herald, but nothing Of
the kind is found tn the book. Instead, I Is
upon the real history Of Masonry, and does
not even mention the higher,-welI, fks
fancy degrees. The author sayEwhat
is said by most Masons who haye
SpENl Lille QftI LuEll UOUkS. " 4fllHU In
mystery, interviewer with idle fables and
fantastic traditions. not infrequentiy pur-
pOsely distorted by deception aud falsehood.
# is only ct late years that the history Of
7Iosonry has gained a sure foundation and q
scientific and historical basis, through lbs
and unprejudiced brethren. Yet, even at
this day, the most confused, absurd, and dis
cordant opinions prevail regarding the origin
OF the fraternity: In many instances Ma
By desire to prove the vast antiquity I of ti ths
institution, have strenuousIy combated the
avetment that the fraternity was derived
themselves to be deceived ind led into % error
by the peculiar symbolic representations and
ceremonies Of our present rituals and their
often striking resemblance to those of the
ancient mysteries, Let Freemasons.
then, give up their vain boastings which L.
norance has foisted into the Order, and T.
sacrifice common sense!"
Having thus crammed his views into nut
she'll AIr. Steinbrenner goes on to prove their
correctness, lettering BY the way, however,
to say that "the idea Of direct connection
Of Masonry with heather antiquity in gen
eral is in reality nothing but an idie fancy
and that t'al1 efforts to trace back the history
Of Masonry to the early ages have most sig
nally failed" He finds in the darkest and
most troubled period Of the Middle Ages
poses of either offense or defense. not only
against enemies from without, but also
against those within, and that these efforts
were directed mainly against the great
landed proprietors and among these secretso-
cieties be includes the German stone masons.
whose government and forms seem to haya
been largely copied BY the modern speculative
Aasons. The German operative Masons, the
author says, ashad a personal knowledge ot
the nature Of the Church, and Yell knew the
degeneracy of the clergy. -. They had
learned to practice federation. and their lodges
became a sure place of refuge for those who
were persecuted for the sake OF. opinion bya
fanaticis1n. :. But the til
unlph Of the Refor1nation dealt severe blow
to 10 Fraternity Of German Sfeinmehen.
No more churches were now erected, and "a
builders were thrown ont of employment"
Following the oneratiye Sfasons down to
1889, the author Quotes English ordinances
that hint at the fac: that one of the principal
objects of the Masons in England, at their
chapters and considerations. WIS m opposi.
ton to the laws of fhe realm and for the pur-
pose @ Of extortine q hi hieher % rate % Of wares: va and
@ lie nds o ave been Of one and s
same fraternity. Their main differences BE-
ing only in The tern, f,f anDrentjceship,-the
English statutes rpnniring seven and Tie Ger.
man five years Of service 49,.
In the great Legislative reforms that marked
fhe ,airn ~ fyhnwin, n ~ Erriona Mr.