Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1894-01-23
Address OF Col. q. d. Gibson a.
the Dedication of the New
Hall OF Malta Lodge No.
80, on January IL,
1884.
Ny BRETHREN.


Asreea5ly to the favorable resolution Of Nal
ia Lodge, No, 50. t Q committee has cali ed
me TO the special lN6or of an 4 dress ON this
Huspicious occasion; an d it gives me pleasure
to respond with such performance as younr
craftsman can exhibit among the skilled work
men il the services OF our beloved Institution.
| breeudsonTy Is my S,T5eet. In meeting on
| the level. acting by the plumb and parting
upon the square, we reach the true Spirit of
| Frcemlscnry, under the Futhcrhood of God
and the brotherhood of man.
Confidence and charity; hope. help. relief
and truth are ever found where Freem asonry
teaches fricndsh p. morality and brotherly
love.
The Masonic something of its
antiquity and its PURPOSES. How should we
vicW its tendencies and limitations along the
viStas of time?
In the a; mails of history we find that $500
years ago, King solomon, by the aEsista &C
and advice of the Muster Mason, iiram
ADif' finished the first Temple in unsurpassed
architectural beauty and grandeur, the house
of the one only God; and ON Friday, In the
golden month of October, B. G. zoos. there nH-
| scmbed the elders. the heads I the tribes,
| the chiefs of the fathers, and a great congre-
CATION of all Israel to join iu the glad feast OF
the dedication. For seven years the $500
| Master Masons, so. GOO Fellow Crafts and TO-
0O0 Entered Apprentices had labored with
most cunning skill in perfecting the splendid
edifce which expressed by its grand sermons
| in stone. timGers and inspiring imagery, the
sublime harmony of their religious devotion.
| Not in form, but in spirit; not in splendOr,
but III sentiments; not in degree, but in pur-
pose do we hunbly and reverently cUfnmemo-
rate those august and solemn ceremonies, n d
give to the Masonic Fraternity of Charles
Town, new Lodge Room. In faith in Fa-
ther God, and hope in brother man, we this
evening dedicate this new Hall OF Malta
Lodge. No. so, to the teachings and usefulness
of Frcemasonry. To the eyes of the just and
upright Mason the wills will show forth the
mstto, BrorherlJ Love, Relief aud Truth.
Brethren: Although there is variance in
the views of historians, and, even of Masonic
writers, as to the origin, age. aud purposes of
our Institution. yet, when full light is turned
| on from the proper point of view, it is evident
that the Masonic Fraternity ID the oldest
| among mankind. These conflicting views, as
to our Fraternity. seem to arise from the fail
! ure To properly distinguish between its ancient
or operative character uud r the name OF
| Masonry, and its modern or purely s. ecUla-
tive character under the title Free Musoury:
the revival in England nearly two hundred
| Y ars ago being confounaed with its Origiu;nul
| the formation of the First Grand Lodge iu
| England beiug cOnioundcd with tic inGcDend-
cut Lodges. The fact of revival points to u
| previously successful cXistcncc; and the for
nation of Grand Lodge shows that there
W re independent Lodges heretofore eXcrcis-
ing tie rights and privileges of the rdsr.
Masonry is divided into Operative and Spec
ulative. Operative Masonry is occupied
| in the construction Of utUrI0l Cditcrs.
| Speculative Masonry iS engaged in
| forming and fashioning the spiritual tempIe
=
adopts and symbolZcs for its sacred pIrposc
the implements and materials which are used
i'll the former. While the orc is AN ant. with
objects merely temporal the ether is u science
which, undcr the nane of Free Masonry, is
defined by the English Lectures to be IA beau
uful system of morality, Nciied in allegOry,
aud illustrated hy symbols" and lending 10
| the spiritual truths OF the duties we owe to
God. our ncighbsrs and ourselves.
Though the phrase. Free and Accepted
Masons," has been current not quite 400 years,
with the ceremonies adopted 10 II purely spec
ulativc system. yet Masonry has an immcmOrial
origin, the time, place. aud precise manner of
its beginning being lost in the oblivion of re-
mote, by-gonc ages.
tiquity, and especially the Hebrew word
nassau, meaning a stone-qunry, operative
| Masonry has its origin among the workers or
| builders in stone; but we find that the work
under the societies of the Ancient Mysteries.
for the better protection and advancement of
their beliefs and traditions as to the unity of
| God and tic Immortality of the soul.
| Masonry i'll one form or another is the heri-
tage of all human existence. The first
triumphs of mind over matter, the earliest
| grand achievements OF man were in the art of
master-b building, as is attcsted by the Tower
of Babel, the Sphynx, the Pyramids, and
those other architecual wonders of remote an
tiqTity
tive and speculative Masonry to the building
of King Solomon's Temple. Prior to that.
| Operative Masonry had expressed its import
ancc by the many wonderful structures over
| the ruins of which the wisest explorer to-day
| stands amazed.
| But we cannot think such mnster-builders
were simply \ society of practical autlflcers:
for their mighty work. matchless sculptures,
and restless strivings sfteI things divine, indi-
cate that they followed the science of specula-
| tive teachings and imaginations of the rewards
! in '.the Spiritual temple not made with hands,
eternal in the Heavens" And iu the Bible
| are found the images or cmblcms of u Lodge,
| aud the authentic records of traditionary am
| cieut Masonry. which has continued parallel
with religion through the rise and fall of the
| Nations of the Earth, and Gs the handmuid OF
truO worship, it ever assists, Ito quote the
great Masonic student DR.. Mackey.) Tin uu-
! yelling purest truths amid awful cercnonica,
its solemn obserYauces diffusing sacred aim,
| and inculcatiug lessons of the religious treas
ures of faith and salvation"
Coming to modern times. We find that some
| 1909 years ago, about 2S5 a. D., the first
Lodge was established in England, under the
patronage OF Carausius, who appointed st.
Alban the Grand Master; and about the
year PSF, st. Aiban, flowing the MasOns we'll
and cherishiGg them, procurcd for them u
| Charter from the King and his council for to
| hold general council, and gave it the name
of AssenHGLie,' Ut that time meaning Grand
Lodge.
Then the next Charter Of record granted TO
! MaSons TO fOrm q Grand Lodge in England,
was by King Athclstanc in 926, to his brother
| Prince Edwin, tile Grand Master who assem-
bled ull the Musons in England to constitute
the Grand Lodge of York, where they consult
cd ''thc Masonic records, some in Greek, como
i'll French aud other languages"
Aud in Scotland in l05S, st. Johu's Lodge
| No. 5. of Glasgow, received Charter from
King Malcolm. These two lodges have since
hourished with perennial blessings, aud tins
year the Grand Lodge of York will cell
CITRATE its J6Sth anniversary; and st. john.
Lodge No g. of Glasgow, its S35th.
Those facts make clear TO us that Masonry
was not introduced from Palestine and Tho
East, 10y the Templars during the Crusades
for the LIST Crusade was in 1065, and We have
found that there was IAN assemble" of Ma.
sons about the year 2S7 under st. Aib1r, and
also the Grand Lodge of York under Prince
Edwin, in 926; the one rs years aud the Other
iS9 years prior to the return of singl,
lknight from the war md intercourse with IiiC
peoples of the Orient.
While Sir Christopher Wren was Grand
Master, and during the reign of QHccn Anns
from l5O2 to l714, none but Operative Mason:
could join the Lodges and hence Masonry
made very little advance in England and the
number OF its members becoming fewer ard
fewer, it was resolved that the Order should
no longer be restricted to Operative Masons
but that any one uuly proposed, approved and
accepted, should be entitled TO the rites anc
hOnors Then came the great revival OF Ma
sons in London in 1TlI. and the reunion N
1918 of Lodges of all England, since which
time Free Masonry has hourished with re
uewed success; under its principles OF moral
ity mutual relief aud brotherIy love- being
united good men and true. OF every county
4 and s,.Ctarian denomination, who believe II
the Supreme Being and Master Builder aiir