Albert Pike's "Masonic Origins."

brought it is supposed from France , and worked in England as the first of seven degrees , of which the seventh was the Kadosh . AU these were given in the Blue Lodge . " In Scotland , one Lodge would sell to another , for a

pound or two , the right to confer the Templar degree . Tn England the Lodges conferred it , and afterwards the Dermott Graud Lodge chartered an Encampment at Manchester , composed of artizans , which conferred the Templar

degree for seven and sixpence . Then Dnuckerley took possession of it , assumed to be its Chief , and made ifc an Order , with a now organisation . Who knows anything about the origin of that degree , by whom , ancl when , and where , it was invented and first worked ? No man on

earth ! It is supposed to have originated in France , but no one knows thafc , nor has any one ever seen a French ritual of a Templar degree like ours , or like the English degree , nor is such a degree spoken of as ever having existed in France by any French Masonic writer .

" And those who had possession of the Templar degree in New England made the Red Cross degree out of two degrees of fche Rite of Perfection , and organised ifc and the Templar degree into another Rite , with Encampments ,

Commanderies , he And who knows anything in regard to the origin of the two degrees out of which the Red Cross was made ? No one ! When , how , or by whom they were made , no one knows .

" I shall not criticise Bro . Pike ' s statements about the Templar degree being the first of seven in Dunckerley ' s Rite , he . But I must say that , notwithstanding no one knows as to where and when the Templar degree was

invented , I have not any doubt thafc France was the birth place of Masonic Templarism . In the 5 th volume of Bro Gould ' s history I find as follows :

' In France , however , some [ who pretended to be ] Scots Lodges appear to have very early manufactured new degrees , connecting these very [ so-called ] distinguished

Scots Masons with the Knights Templars , and thus giving rise to a subsequent flood of Templarism . " On page 92 he says :

" At this distance of time ifc would be impossible to define their precise teaching . This impossibility is not caused by the absence of rituals , of which any number exist , but by their diversity . One chief idea , however , runs

through all—the discoveryin a vault , by Scottish Crusaders , of the long lost and ineffable word . Also that in this search they had to work with the sword in one hand and the trowel in fche other . The epoch referred to is , however ,

that of the Crusaders , not of Zerubbabel ( or the second Temple ) . "

" The concluding part of the last paragraph furnishes the germ of Royal Arch Masonry , that is , the hint of " the sword in one hand , he , probably suggested to the English ritual tinker to place the origin of the R . A . to the time of

Zerubbabel . There were not only all kinds of Templar degrees in the last century , but R . A . degrees also , varied . For instance , several years ago I got hold of a French copy of a R . A . ritual , which was brought to New York from

Hayti by Count de Laurent , in 1832 . I had ifc translated into English , and two brothers of the 83 rd degree assured me thafc there was some Scottish rifcicism in it . A very similar French ritual of the R . A . degree was brought from

Hayti about the beginning of this century to New Orleans , which was translated by Bro . Pike . Whether this R . A ritual , formed of the original Rite of Perfection before the Charlestonians swamped those degrees into their A . and A .

Rite , I know not ; but be that as it may , that French ritual placed the origin of the R . A . to the time of the Emperor Titus , or after the destruction of the last Temple , when some zealous Masons discovered a vault , and in ifc

fchey found the lost word . The English ritual tinker changed its origin to the time of Zerubbabel , when not only the lost word was discovered , but the Pentateuch was also then discovered , and he also Christianised ifc , with

Now , the Templar degree was probably changed and altered as many times as the R . A . degree was . We have seen that the French Masons have somehow Masonized the Crusaders , but in a Protestant country like England the whole scheme of the Crusades was regarded as part and parcel of Catholic superstition . In short , the English

the Triple Tau , and quotations from the Gospel of St . John . Here in America we have another kind of the R . A . ritual . But the A . and A , Riters knock the wind

out of all R . A . rituals . According to them , the word has never been lost since tbe days of Solomon , and hence it was not found either since Solomon ' s time .

Albert Pike's "Masonic Origins."

Protestant had no sympathy for the Knights Templars . Hence it was deemed necessary by the degree tinker to turn Do Molay and the Templars into Masons , and thafc means the Protestant flame of hatred was fanned aerainst

a Pope and a Catholic King , and great sympathy was ongendered for our murdered ancient Masonic Knights Templars . Admitting , therefore , that tho Protestant

Templar ritual was not brought from France , yet there can be no doubt that some kinds of French Templar rituals were brought from France , which wero swamped in England , and again in America .

And now for one more paragraph from Bro . Pike ' s pamphlet . " Fortunately ( says Bro . P . ) it is no longer considered necessary to resort to fiction , impudent and ridiculous , to support tho claim to the legitimacy of any degree or Rito of Freemasonry . Nothing in religion , or history , or

mythology has ever equalled the riotous exuberance of fiction in which the earlier Masonic writers in England revelled in regard to Blue Symbolic Masonry , and multitudes religiously believe those impudent fictions yet .

1 hose sufficed at the time when they were invented , bufc they are unnecessary and exploded now . " Into what a jumble of inconsistency has Freemasonry been plunged ? Thus , on one side we are told thafc "Truth is a divine attribute , and the foundation of every Masonic virtue . To be good and true is the firsfc lesson we are taught at our initiation , & c . " While , on the other hand , Ihe most prominent ; and

mosfc widely known American Masonic luminary frankly admits thafc we have all along been humbugged ; he points out no remedy for ridding Masonry of what he calls " impudent fictions , " bufc , on the contrary , he not only

approves of retaining those fictions , bufc makes the existing fictions an excuse for justifying the invention of more and more rites and degrees , which are of course to be based on

new humbugging fictions . In short , after viewing Bro . Pike ' s notions from every side , I must come to fche conclusion that expediency is fche highest point of Bro . Pike ' s

Masonic morality . BOSTON , U . S ., January 1886

Where The Secret Is.

WHERE THE SECRET IS .

IF Masonry were nothing more than seems to be supposed by many Masonic writers and orators , innovations might well be considered of little consequence . Ifc

could not matter to the Fraternity whether or not a particular part of a certain ceremony were performed in precisely the manner to which our grandfathers were accustomed , provided something should be done which would appear well in the eyes of the initiate and comport

with the dignity of an ancient and honourable association . It is true there is a lurking belief in the minds of even the most inattentive and negligent members of the Lodge , that

there is something secret or mystic involved in some particular parts of the work , which would be of importance if any one could ascertain what ifc is , and fche portion in which ifc is fossilized being a part of the secret , all agree

that the work should be kept intact as far as possible , in order fco preserve whatever possibility there may be of its recovery . This belief passes hy tradition , and is insisted on continally as being a necessary article of faith , bufc no

one seems to suppose thafc there is the least chance or hope of ever discovering what those secret , or rather lost , knowledges are , which have been so effectually hidden in the work .

Wbile fche Craffc go on fchus from year to year , without any attempt to find out what , if anything , is concealed in the Lodge , and without using any of the means afc hand for that purpose , the knowledge of whafc is in the

Lodge itself decreases , wbile all other knowledge increases , and consequently indifference and neglect more and more prevail . While this has been going on during the last thirty-five years , more than six hundred thonsaud men in

the United States , belonging to every station in life , have been admitted to all the rites and benefits of Masonry as now practised , and to the knowledge of the " mysteries "

of the Lodge , so far as they may have been able to find oufc whafc fchey are in fche besfc way they could . Having exhausted the little fund of information still existing in the Lodge which serves somewhat to sharpen their curiosity , those who have some inclination to investi-