Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-04-18
OVER rwo HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
The Masonic Order Has Had Its Present
Form since tgtB.

Frcemasonry is principle. which has ex-
| istod IN all stages of civilization, says. the
we know II, Of a vast brotherhood OF anna
teur masons, who are not really builders.
hut who. as everybody is aware, nave
adopted the signs and symbols OF the build
ing craft to express their own secret prin-
ciple, Is, as far as We Know. about two ana
half centuries old. The iirst instance OF
a gentleman or anna teur being accepted into
one of the lodges of the old building crafts
is that of Elias Ashmolc. the antiquary
tafterward Windsor herald to King Charles
10. who. along with Colonel MatnwarinE,
was entered az Warrington in 1916 1t is
believed that there are now more than
1000 lodges and more than 100000 mem
bers. The conception of ,frcemasonry I'M
tan or universal brotherhood, and was I'M
possible to the ancient world, or until the
of Nazareth. But the principle of sacred
moral and religious societies on the ono
hand ana the principle of brotherhood of
the building craft on the other. are as old
as civilization itself: and 1t is of these two
that speculative freemasonry IL the modern
representative. The principle of moral and
religious societies is represented in ancient
times by the fythagoreans and the Eleu-
snians among the Greeks, by the Essences
and Fedavi. who We're the mystic rational
lists Of the hIahomctans. But the true his
hood OF freemasons were the medieval
building corporations. who may themselves
while among the Romans there were col
legia or skilled fraternities for the same
purpose. These Roman collesia had an
ceremonies. an oath. "A benefit and burial
fund ana register. Their officers were
and they instructed their apprentices to
certain extent in secret. There can be no
doubt that such fellowship existed for cen
turies in Gau and Britain, and Ii is prob
able that they deposited in these countries
the tradition of their ideas and habits.
The taste and science of Gothic archi-
lecture WERE to a large extent. the pos
session of the Bauhutten. or wooden
booths, where the stonecutters. during the
progress of their work kept their tools,
worked. held their meetings and probably
also took their meals and slept. Hence
our modern institutions of the lodge. In
the twelfth century there are distinct
traces of a general association of these
lodges throughout Germany, acknowledg-
signs and ceremonies, and to certain
extent, one central authority in the grand
lodge of Strasburg.
The Jewish and Arabian symbols which
We're so popular in these crafts are sup
posed to have been introduced by Albertus
Magnus early in the thirteenth century
The atmosphere of these medieval building
societies seems favorable to liberty of
thought and regious toleration, Hence
Gil of Avignon in the year 1926. The au-
thorty of the grand lodge was recognized
Strasburg in li39, the statutes of which
received imperial confirmation. II was le-
gally destroyed by an imperial edict in
l7il England had imported much of her
lodge organization and learning from Ger
many. The causes which led to the in
production of the new class of members,
the amateurs, those who are ordinarily
known as freemasons, and which grad
Rally y converted oPIsra,fiyss into speculative
struction of London after the fire the
building of St. Paul's cathedral and the
patronage of the immortal Sir Christopher
Wren, kept up the interest in the move
ment and at last n formal resolution was
passed that the Masonic privileges should
no longer be confined TO operative Masons.
The modern phase of English Masonry
may be said to have begun in London on
June p, l7lT. when the four London lodges
having erected themselves into a grand
lodge. named their first grand master.
The leading spirits We're the Huguenot
Desaculiers. the well known popuarizer of
natural science, and James Anderson a
Scotch Presbyterian minister who com
piled the Book of Constitutions" From
this time new lodges could only be formed
by warrant from the grand lodge.