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Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.
continued to exist , side by side with the latter , andfthat it did not , is a matter of so much importance , that I shall need no excuse for having dilated upon it . " Bro . Vernon quotes from the records of the Lodge of Kelso , No . 58 , under " 27 th December 1701 "— " That when
ane Entered Apprentice is received as master and fellow oj the craft—he shall pay five sh ster . \ and neu gloves to the members . " Also from those of Lodge St . John , Jedburgh , No . 104 , under the year 1736 , as follows : — " Alex ' Madder and Ro * Finley are taken in as Maisters or felhivcrafts . "
From the above , it will be clear , as remarked by the compiler that Master and Fellow-Craft were interchangeable terms ; and the entries may be profitably consulted by any student who has a lingering doubt with respect to the real meaning of Old Regulation XIII ., printed by Dr . Anderson in hia Book of Constitutions ( 1723 ) .
""he literature of the Craft has been very greatly enriched by the publication of Bro . Vernon ' s ' History , ' and it may be truthfully affirmed , that within its two covers will be found a mass of interesting facts , that must be reckoned with by all future students of Freemasonry . "
' It has been too much the habit —especially in America —to assume that Masonry wai Scottish before 1717 , and English afterwards . Thus , it is contended , ( with regard to tho former period ) , that as there was only one degree in Scotland , a plurality of degrees was unknown in
Universal Masonry—the English evidence being coolly and quietly ignored . But the tables are turned , wifch a vengeance , in 1723 , when the Old Manuscript Constitutions « digested' by Anderson for the Grand Lodge of England , are assumed from thenceforth to govern every Mason under the sun .
" Before 1723 , Masons at their entry , were charged to be true to God , and the Holy Church , but from and after that year , Christianity is supposed to have been abolished as the religion of Masonry—which , however , it certainly
was not , either in the Independent English Lodges , or among the brethren of Scotland , to say nothing of the Grand Lodge of Ireland , by whose authority the English Constitutions , '—though not the * Old Charges' of Dr . Anderson—were adopted in 1741 .
> "The exact period , therefore , at which Scotland fell into linewith England as regards the Masons Creed , would be an important addition to our knowledge , and a further question arises which is closely connected with the previous
one . What is the position of the two greatest Grand Lodges in Germany , the ' Three Globes , ' and tho ' National Graud Lodge , ' who still demand of candidates the profession of Christianity ?
" Other examples of this adherence to the ancient usage of the Craft might be freely cited ( Hist , of F . iii . 19 ) , but these will suffice , as the short point I am raising for consideration , in connection with the facts so well grouped by
Bro . Vernon , is the extent to which the Masonry of the whole world , was arbitrarily divested of its purely Christian character by the legislation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1723 ?
"At the period in question there were some English Lodges existing , working as the expression goes , ' by inherent right , ' that is , withont in any way recognising or
acknowledging the supremacy of any central authority . " Within , however , the first half of the last century , all these Lodges were permanently absorbed by the Grand Lodge , or had ceased to exist .
" In Scotland it was different . The Lodge of Kilwinning accepted a Grand Lodge charter , but subsequently resumed her independency , and also her former practice of granting charters to subordinates . The Lodge of Kelso , as we have seen , only ceased to be a non-tributary body in
1754 , and the Lodge of Melrose so recently as 1891 . Down to this latter date it might have constituted daughter Lodges , with just as much ( or little ) regularity as attached to a similar proceeding on the part of' Mother' Kilwinning in the last century , nor would it have been at variance with
ancient Masonic usage ( in Scotland ) , had a roving commission been issued ( within the same period ) to a brother or brethren , empowering him or them to " enter to the Lodge , " that is to initiate freely , any person at any place , that he or they could get hold of . ( A . Q . C . i . 14 ) .
" Customs of this nature we may not admire , but whether we like or dislike them , the usages of the Scottish Craft in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries , are factors that cannot be overlooked when considering the complicated problems of Masonic History and Jurisprudence . " An equally suggestive book it has never been my fortune
Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.
to review , and I shall state , without any fear of contradiction , that more Masonic facts of primary importance to all true students of Freemasonry have never been presented to their notice in a volume of the same size .
Tho next book noticed , also by myself , is Dassigny ' s Serious and Impartial Enquiry , containing the earliest printed reference to the Royal Arch ( 1744 ) , which has been reprinted , with an introduction by Brother W . J . Hughan .
"The reprint will be found useful in many ways as a work of reference , and particularly in respect of the Irish Constitutions , which are ten years older than Spratt ' s edition of 1751—the earliest in the possession of the Grand
Lodge of Ireland . But , to use a figure of speech , the stono is outshone by the brilliancy of the setting . Nothing has been written on the subject of Royal Arch Masonry to compare with the exhaustive ' Introduction' of our Brother Hughan . "
Tho last work reviewed , The Masonic Genius of Eobert Bums , by Dr . B . W . Richardson , F . R . S ., " conveys a more comprehensive sketch of the man , the bard , and the brother , than will be found in any other publication . It
forms a charming little monograph , whioh at the low price of a crown , will no doubt be eagerly sought after by all thoso who appreciate at their true worth , the genius—Masonic and otherwise—of one of the most gifted members of our Ancient and Honourable Society . "
Obituary notices of deceased members , of the Correspondence Circle , and a chronicle of passing events brinj * the volume to a close . It may be stated that there is no entrance fee to thc
Correspondence Circle , ancl that the subscription is half a guinea ( 10 s 6 d ) per annum , which should be sent , with particulars of Masonic rank in the Craft , to Brother G . W . Speth , Margate , Kent .
Thc Lodge was consecrated in January 1887 , and a year later the Correspondence Circle , consisting of subscribers to its Transactions , was inaugurated . This outer Circle numbers at present about 1549 members , distributed as fol . lows : —England , 760 ; Scotland , 53 ; Ireland , 16 ; Con .
tiuental Europe , 38 ; Mediterranean , 23 ; Africa , 198 ; Ceylon , !; India , 44 ; Straits Settlements , 17 ; China , 8 ; Australasia , 151 ; South America , 14 ; West Indies , 5 ; U . S . A ., 210 ; and Canada , 11 . Among the 1549 are— 'Grand Lodges , 10 ; Prov . and District G . Lodges , 11 ; Grand Orient 1 ; Supreme
Councils , 4 ; other Governing Bodies , 1 ; Lodges and Chapters ( English ) , 129 ; Lodges , & c . ( not English ) , 44 ; Societies , 7 ; Grand and Provincial ( or District ) Grand Officers , 413 ; Grand ( and Past Grand ) Masters , 32 ; the
President , of the five Independent Lodges of Germany ; Deputy Grand Masters , 11 ; Grand Secretaries , 15 ; Provincial and District Grand Masters , 13 ; Clergymen ( including one Bishop and two Deans ) , 47 ; and Medical practitioners , about 130 .
It is curious and noteworthy , that of the thirty-two Grand Masters ( Present and Past ) above cited , one-fourth of the whole nnmber—an actual , and seven late Grand Masters—belong to the Masonic Jurisdiction of Tennessee . Precepts may lead , but examples draw .
Hence it may be hoped that other P . G . M . ' s in the United States will , like Bro . G . C . Connor , of Chattanooga , not only visit No . 2076 , but also join our Circle , and become instrumental in persuading other brethren of equal Masonic rank to do the same .
The towns ( out of England ) where the membership is largest , are Johannesburg ( South African Republic ) , 48 ; Kimberley ( Griqualand ) , 33 ; and Toowoomba ( Queensland ) , 28 .
Of the 50 Masonic jurisdictions in the U . S . A . only 28 are represented in the Circle . The cities with the largest number of Associates ( Quat . Cor . Lodge ) are—Providence ( R . I . ) , 19 ; Albany ( N . Y . ) , 12 ; Philadelphia ( Pa . ) , and Richmond ( Va . ) , 11 ; New Orleans ( La . ) , 9 ; Boston
( Mass . ) , New Tork , and St . Paul ( Minn . ) , 8 ; Chattanooga ( Tenn . ) , 7 ; Nashville ( Tenn . ) , 6 ; and Denver ( Colo . ) , 5 . The seven Graud Lodges of the " Dominion " contribute
exactly eleven members . New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward ' s Island , aud Quebec , each one ; Canada ( Ontario ) , and Manitoba , each two ; and British Columbia , three . The apathy of the Grand Lodge of Canada ( Ontario ) , is somewhat remarkable , having regard to the lecturing tours of Bvo . J . Ross Robertson , while Grand Master ; and
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.
continued to exist , side by side with the latter , andfthat it did not , is a matter of so much importance , that I shall need no excuse for having dilated upon it . " Bro . Vernon quotes from the records of the Lodge of Kelso , No . 58 , under " 27 th December 1701 "— " That when
ane Entered Apprentice is received as master and fellow oj the craft—he shall pay five sh ster . \ and neu gloves to the members . " Also from those of Lodge St . John , Jedburgh , No . 104 , under the year 1736 , as follows : — " Alex ' Madder and Ro * Finley are taken in as Maisters or felhivcrafts . "
From the above , it will be clear , as remarked by the compiler that Master and Fellow-Craft were interchangeable terms ; and the entries may be profitably consulted by any student who has a lingering doubt with respect to the real meaning of Old Regulation XIII ., printed by Dr . Anderson in hia Book of Constitutions ( 1723 ) .
""he literature of the Craft has been very greatly enriched by the publication of Bro . Vernon ' s ' History , ' and it may be truthfully affirmed , that within its two covers will be found a mass of interesting facts , that must be reckoned with by all future students of Freemasonry . "
' It has been too much the habit —especially in America —to assume that Masonry wai Scottish before 1717 , and English afterwards . Thus , it is contended , ( with regard to tho former period ) , that as there was only one degree in Scotland , a plurality of degrees was unknown in
Universal Masonry—the English evidence being coolly and quietly ignored . But the tables are turned , wifch a vengeance , in 1723 , when the Old Manuscript Constitutions « digested' by Anderson for the Grand Lodge of England , are assumed from thenceforth to govern every Mason under the sun .
" Before 1723 , Masons at their entry , were charged to be true to God , and the Holy Church , but from and after that year , Christianity is supposed to have been abolished as the religion of Masonry—which , however , it certainly
was not , either in the Independent English Lodges , or among the brethren of Scotland , to say nothing of the Grand Lodge of Ireland , by whose authority the English Constitutions , '—though not the * Old Charges' of Dr . Anderson—were adopted in 1741 .
> "The exact period , therefore , at which Scotland fell into linewith England as regards the Masons Creed , would be an important addition to our knowledge , and a further question arises which is closely connected with the previous
one . What is the position of the two greatest Grand Lodges in Germany , the ' Three Globes , ' and tho ' National Graud Lodge , ' who still demand of candidates the profession of Christianity ?
" Other examples of this adherence to the ancient usage of the Craft might be freely cited ( Hist , of F . iii . 19 ) , but these will suffice , as the short point I am raising for consideration , in connection with the facts so well grouped by
Bro . Vernon , is the extent to which the Masonry of the whole world , was arbitrarily divested of its purely Christian character by the legislation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1723 ?
"At the period in question there were some English Lodges existing , working as the expression goes , ' by inherent right , ' that is , withont in any way recognising or
acknowledging the supremacy of any central authority . " Within , however , the first half of the last century , all these Lodges were permanently absorbed by the Grand Lodge , or had ceased to exist .
" In Scotland it was different . The Lodge of Kilwinning accepted a Grand Lodge charter , but subsequently resumed her independency , and also her former practice of granting charters to subordinates . The Lodge of Kelso , as we have seen , only ceased to be a non-tributary body in
1754 , and the Lodge of Melrose so recently as 1891 . Down to this latter date it might have constituted daughter Lodges , with just as much ( or little ) regularity as attached to a similar proceeding on the part of' Mother' Kilwinning in the last century , nor would it have been at variance with
ancient Masonic usage ( in Scotland ) , had a roving commission been issued ( within the same period ) to a brother or brethren , empowering him or them to " enter to the Lodge , " that is to initiate freely , any person at any place , that he or they could get hold of . ( A . Q . C . i . 14 ) .
" Customs of this nature we may not admire , but whether we like or dislike them , the usages of the Scottish Craft in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries , are factors that cannot be overlooked when considering the complicated problems of Masonic History and Jurisprudence . " An equally suggestive book it has never been my fortune
Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.
to review , and I shall state , without any fear of contradiction , that more Masonic facts of primary importance to all true students of Freemasonry have never been presented to their notice in a volume of the same size .
Tho next book noticed , also by myself , is Dassigny ' s Serious and Impartial Enquiry , containing the earliest printed reference to the Royal Arch ( 1744 ) , which has been reprinted , with an introduction by Brother W . J . Hughan .
"The reprint will be found useful in many ways as a work of reference , and particularly in respect of the Irish Constitutions , which are ten years older than Spratt ' s edition of 1751—the earliest in the possession of the Grand
Lodge of Ireland . But , to use a figure of speech , the stono is outshone by the brilliancy of the setting . Nothing has been written on the subject of Royal Arch Masonry to compare with the exhaustive ' Introduction' of our Brother Hughan . "
Tho last work reviewed , The Masonic Genius of Eobert Bums , by Dr . B . W . Richardson , F . R . S ., " conveys a more comprehensive sketch of the man , the bard , and the brother , than will be found in any other publication . It
forms a charming little monograph , whioh at the low price of a crown , will no doubt be eagerly sought after by all thoso who appreciate at their true worth , the genius—Masonic and otherwise—of one of the most gifted members of our Ancient and Honourable Society . "
Obituary notices of deceased members , of the Correspondence Circle , and a chronicle of passing events brinj * the volume to a close . It may be stated that there is no entrance fee to thc
Correspondence Circle , ancl that the subscription is half a guinea ( 10 s 6 d ) per annum , which should be sent , with particulars of Masonic rank in the Craft , to Brother G . W . Speth , Margate , Kent .
Thc Lodge was consecrated in January 1887 , and a year later the Correspondence Circle , consisting of subscribers to its Transactions , was inaugurated . This outer Circle numbers at present about 1549 members , distributed as fol . lows : —England , 760 ; Scotland , 53 ; Ireland , 16 ; Con .
tiuental Europe , 38 ; Mediterranean , 23 ; Africa , 198 ; Ceylon , !; India , 44 ; Straits Settlements , 17 ; China , 8 ; Australasia , 151 ; South America , 14 ; West Indies , 5 ; U . S . A ., 210 ; and Canada , 11 . Among the 1549 are— 'Grand Lodges , 10 ; Prov . and District G . Lodges , 11 ; Grand Orient 1 ; Supreme
Councils , 4 ; other Governing Bodies , 1 ; Lodges and Chapters ( English ) , 129 ; Lodges , & c . ( not English ) , 44 ; Societies , 7 ; Grand and Provincial ( or District ) Grand Officers , 413 ; Grand ( and Past Grand ) Masters , 32 ; the
President , of the five Independent Lodges of Germany ; Deputy Grand Masters , 11 ; Grand Secretaries , 15 ; Provincial and District Grand Masters , 13 ; Clergymen ( including one Bishop and two Deans ) , 47 ; and Medical practitioners , about 130 .
It is curious and noteworthy , that of the thirty-two Grand Masters ( Present and Past ) above cited , one-fourth of the whole nnmber—an actual , and seven late Grand Masters—belong to the Masonic Jurisdiction of Tennessee . Precepts may lead , but examples draw .
Hence it may be hoped that other P . G . M . ' s in the United States will , like Bro . G . C . Connor , of Chattanooga , not only visit No . 2076 , but also join our Circle , and become instrumental in persuading other brethren of equal Masonic rank to do the same .
The towns ( out of England ) where the membership is largest , are Johannesburg ( South African Republic ) , 48 ; Kimberley ( Griqualand ) , 33 ; and Toowoomba ( Queensland ) , 28 .
Of the 50 Masonic jurisdictions in the U . S . A . only 28 are represented in the Circle . The cities with the largest number of Associates ( Quat . Cor . Lodge ) are—Providence ( R . I . ) , 19 ; Albany ( N . Y . ) , 12 ; Philadelphia ( Pa . ) , and Richmond ( Va . ) , 11 ; New Orleans ( La . ) , 9 ; Boston
( Mass . ) , New Tork , and St . Paul ( Minn . ) , 8 ; Chattanooga ( Tenn . ) , 7 ; Nashville ( Tenn . ) , 6 ; and Denver ( Colo . ) , 5 . The seven Graud Lodges of the " Dominion " contribute
exactly eleven members . New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward ' s Island , aud Quebec , each one ; Canada ( Ontario ) , and Manitoba , each two ; and British Columbia , three . The apathy of the Grand Lodge of Canada ( Ontario ) , is somewhat remarkable , having regard to the lecturing tours of Bvo . J . Ross Robertson , while Grand Master ; and