The Washington herald., 1907-10-20

a very fine building. indeed. but some
what small to accommodate the greatest
Of all Masonic museums and libraries.
Library Is Extensive.
The library Of the Rite, ably presided
over by William L. Boyden thirty-third
degree tHoE), is unique In many re-
spects. The late lie Roy NJ Taylor.
thirty-third degree CHon). left his re-
markable collection Of occult books,
about 1000 in number. to the Supreme
Council These books are segregated
from the others in the library, being
placed in a large alcove which Is labeled
Taylor Collection" A portrait Of DR..
Taylor adorns the place. other Scottish
Rite Masons, following in the footsteps Of
Dr. Taylor, have engaged alcoves and al
ready donated large sums toward special
collections, for example, D. +. Perkins.
thirty-tbird degree (Hon), Of Iowa, philos-
ophy; William Busby. thirty-third de-
gree 0onD, Indian Territory. science;
James D Richardson, thiTty-third degree,
American statesmen: Martin Collins thir-
ty-third degree, Americana, and Simon
Wolf, thirty-third degree (Hon). Hebrew
literature.
lOgued as fast as they are gathered to-
gether. The work of selecting, buying,
and catalOguing is done by Mr.. Boyden.
Each catalogue IS handsomely printed and
Illuminated, and contains a portrait and
sketch of the particular donor Of the
books Mr.. Boyden is an enthusiast on
the subject Of Masonic works. To him
is due the honor Of having evolved the
| first up-tO-date scheme for classifying
books on FreemaSOnTy. There are in the
library upward Of 1890 books-and pam
phlets, some Of them priceless.
MasOns Are IdeHIists.
The great interest and enthusiasm for
/ Scottish Rite Masonry on the part of its
members leads me, at this juncture, to
touch briefly upon the history, philosophy.
and purposes of the orde-. Why do in
itiates come from such distances to par
ticipate in its reunions and ceremonial
sessions? Do any material advantages
! accrue to them by such sacrifices of time
and money? Such questions naturally
arise in an age Of materiaIism, when
Mammon sits upon his golden throne. sur
rounded by his worshipers.
No; there are no material advantages to
be obtained by the disciples Of Albert
Pike They are idealists, who fling down
the gauntlet Of defiance to the negatiOns
Of atheism and the usurpatiOns OF the
money seekers Masonry is idealistic,
hence its strength It's objects are TO
form a great brotherhood among men; to
mculcate the ethical life; to extend char
/ ity; 10 assuage the horrors of war, and
to teach the sublime doctrines Of the ex-
istence of God and the immortality of the
| human soul It possesses the proud dis
! tinction of being the oldest Of modern
secret orders. It has outlived hundreds Of
rivals. The secret of this persistence is
not hard to solve. Masonry is strong be-
! cause il is founded On the eternal verities
} of philosophy and religion.
Orders Ancient Origin.
It is an offshoot of the guilds Of op-
/ eratve uasons of the Middle Ages. who
/ erected the great cathedrals and castles
/ of Europe, and these, in turn, sprang
from the Collegium Artihcium, or Col
! iege of Workmen, of ancient Rome, who
/ followed the Roman legions into North
ern Italy, Gaul, and Britain, imparting
''to the natives their knowledge of the
art Of building and impressing them
! with their spirit OF paternal cooperation
/ in labor" Gradually the guilds of ca
/ thedTal builders became speculative and
charitable institutions. Finally, in the
/ eighteenth century, the Grand Lodge of
! Free and Accepted Masons was formed
The working tools of the old guilds of
! builders became symbols to teach Ger
I N..r--
| liglon. At first Of q Christian nature.