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

a.. ...-E. 49, .
Col. Thomas Picton was appointed. in'
1868, secretary general OF tho Oeiestih;
Empire of the Masonic 0Hder Of Mefuohis
for America. . Hesaii that tho tiay for ga.
crecy in Masonry in America ia past. If,
O lard In which there was an established
religion seceecy waH necessary. but Ia
Americas it Is detrimentto the Order.
Indeed, ] faucy that Masonry tdoaa
not exist in America--that is to cay. as IL
should exist-for here it is .beneyolent
society, not q philosophid Institution.
Iustead of stimulating inquiry
who style themselves hfasons throw d veil
over the truth. They begin with myths
and legends and add to them with every
successive degree, and che higher tlieyy
go the moro lies they tell. ~ The Colonel
threw In the parenthesis that probably
there are not in the United States sig
Mason5 who are really educated In the
litory Of their Order. Then fie added !.
'The origin of modem Masonry can be
attributed to Lord Bacon. Iflsfhe new
Atlantis there Ia o description of Solo
mon and his house (; and Il. Is there gaid
that the King set apart different days for
prosecuting the arts snd sciences. The
new Atlantis was excessively popular
among the learned men Of Bscon,s; day,
and they tried 10 establish society,
taking Solomon 10 an exponent OF Wis
dom. It was encouraged by the Court
OF james and HE successor, Charles T.,
until the Revolution broke QUIZ Then
the R0yalist, after the death of Chariea i,
recognized their society FOR religious
and political mot ives-th religions sor
the re-establishment of the Church. the
politics for the restoration OF tho Mons
archy. Next they invented what Is cali
ed the legend OF the third degree. Hiram
AbiR was the murdered lii h3nafcli. Hiram.
the King off yrs; was the King Of Etfanae.
Solomon was tho Church. Hiran,s
three assassins were the threa Kingdoms.
England, Scotland and Ireland. The
Masons of that day, who wefe tfia con.
spirators1-the Jacobites -@Wefa aacesshri.
ly q .aecret society. TheY called them.
selves, rs the Masons of; thu Europesn
ContinGnt do TO the present day. The
Sons Bf9 tho Widow, inasn,teh as, (fie
King had been beheaded and his sou
had not been recognized. Afier:tlie Res-
toration the leading men OF the move.
meng Iormeu the Royal Society, Wnicn
exists to the present day, snd they open
y continued the work of ihe house OF
Solomon. The Jaecbites in. France con-
tinued their beue70ient organization. In
ENGLAND Immediately after the, Restora.
tion, number of these who had been
previously affiliated eorjoined with. a
guild of sc-calied operative Masons. q
body Of freeEneR of London, meeting ii
Mgson,s lane They then became Free
and Accepted MasSfis. Tn l7l7. there 40.
peaFed 70 be four iodgea'' Ia E0ndon. Thes,
met IN the Apr pletree Tavern, placed The
oldest Mascn In tho chairesnd pruceeied
to organi4e q grand lodge electinr Sir
| ChrietOph pher Wren Grand hiast5r. gsHi
that body originals oil tbs Hasphic lodges
in this country. = ssss's ,.ei sis 3.i
sOf late years on the Continent ol
europe, and France particularly, earnest
endeayors have heen naade to disest Ma.
sonry OF all its fabulous legenia ana his.
torical errorsp IN coriclnsipn Col. Pie
ton ssid that the square and dom psss wefs
rejected by all intelI lIikent M sssons lone
ego, the a Seeing Ego within the tri,
angle being the recognized emblem snd
that, whatever tho symbols rfay provo 4
DO thai, are on the stonbs that uphold tlls
obellsk In a lexsn dFia, they viii not rroy.
| that Masonry % we know it existed
among the ancient Egs Sans. Nos Pofl
| Herald. q q lal ..ss