Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-04-06
Ye Ancient Lodges.
BY R. K. Nus.

was and 1t being overf1oweo win
water, persisted; so that it would be
but idle surmise to describe or tell Of
the variety or number that existed
during that period. But as mar has
been called a ''gregarious animal,' it
may be supposed that they were as
plentiful as Lodges now in Versailles,
and possibly as hard to secure a
quorum to enact even the routine
business necessary to their existence.
(Mr. Editor, if l am revealing any
secret, you may scratch out last
clause.)
The first Lodge in the ''present
evil world" was unearthed. a few
years ago, by a Society which had its
origin, I believe, in the State that al
ways has a variety of presidential tim
Der to bring forward for that honor
every four years, and which has pro-
duced many eminent men. (Your
scribe halls from the same.)"
This Society claims to be "The
Original Masonic Lodge'-dating its
origin from Japhet, Ham and Shem.
Japhet, the elder, was the w. M;
Ham, the strong, the S. w., and
Shem, the builder, the ]. w. Shem
got welted over the head for knowing
too much and was mourned as dead.
1t being the custom, in those days,
to not bury their. dead during the
''mourning season." which was
neon, before the time expired, be-
hold! Shem arose from the dead and
had a wondrous tale to relate of where
The had been, what he had see and
what he had learned, especially up
on the subject of Geometery in its APP
plication to Architecture. He then
introduced Operative Masonry into the
Order and began to instruct builders,
and not to lose sight of the esoteric
teachings, he introduced the use of
implements as symbols to teach wise
and serious truths. The result was
that as the members graduated they
became masters of the work and trav-
eled in foreign lands, building tenn
pies and other magnificent and endur-
ing structures. The proof of this lies
in the great number of these found in
every land. Who can give a better
account of them?
The A6arada6ra was taught only
to "Select Masters" so that when a
Grand Master. died, for this was a
life Office, the Select Masters chose a
new n from among theiE+own num-
Der, thus they have never been with
out a Grand Master throughout all
these ages, and the mysteries have
thus come down to the present un-
changed and perfect. This beats the
Jews in, their highpriesthood,. the
Catholics in their succession of St.
Peter, and all churches who claim a
regular succession in the ministry.
And there is just as much truth in it,.
Before. leaving this "Clandestine
LODGE ! wish to refer to n more
thing which has the semblance Of
Truth. Man haYing an. intellectual,
physical and moral nature, it was be-
lieved by the ancients that if one
could be found possessing these quail
i%fcations, perfectly that such q one
could hold direct converse with the
GREAT I AM, and thus secure ever
lasting life; .Eor communion .sUitA
GOd is everlasting life. 1t was
thought by Pharaoh that Joseph had
attained to this, perfect state ana,
hence the title, Jos<ph Abyeehf, or, as
we would say, 7tndfr Father .Httph,
or the Syric or Chaldaic, Jostfh
Abba.
Again, it was held by some that
man being imperfect in some n re-
spect, that it might be attained if