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Article THE CRAFT DEGREES AND ROYAL ARCH. ← Page 2 of 7 →
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The Craft Degrees And Royal Arch.
as connected with Freemasonry , bear evident impress of the most remote antiquity . Indeed , they are traceable back to periods when all history and tradition becomes lost iu the impenetrable mists which obscure those bygone ages , when science and civilization first dawned upon the human race . To render the subject more intelliibleit should be
obg , served that the division of Masonry into operative and speculative is a division which existed even at periods when ancient operative Masonry had attained the highest pitch of splendour . These two principles , in fact , could not at those periods be disunited ; for , whenever operative Masonry became disconnected from its iritual guideit lost its
dissp , tinctive features , and ceased to be Freemasonry . The speculative , or symbolical portion , as spiritual , could exist without the mere scientific or mechanical part ; but simple operative Masonry without the spirit lost all its distinguishing , life-giving characteristics , and became pointless and inanimate .
And tvhat is that spirit ? If we _ penetrate the solitude of transatlantic forests , and there , hidden in shades almost impervious , discover cities , towers , and temples of an ancient race now vanished from the earth—temples massive , solemn , and imposing , disclosing undying traces of constructive skill , and
manifestingsymbols whose higher references are still apparent to the initiated—if we trace those mighty ruins which , in their silent majesty , still defy the ravages of time , and amid the fall of dynasties and the desolation of centuries , yet vividly disclose the glories of the pharaonic age—if in solitary deserts we visit symmetrical templesredundant in ornamentyet
, , hewn from the ever living rock , where the persevering chisel of the ancient craftsman has impressed the symbols of his faith in lineaments which Time itself can scarce efface ; or , if we traverse the long-drawn aisles , or scan the fretted canopies and vaulted roofs of those magnificent cathedrals , so light , so gracefully , and skilfully designed , so well adapted to ire devotion
insp —displaying such wonderful geometrical knowledge , and yet constructed by our brethren during the darkness of the middle ages , we feel in all these triumphs of operative skill—we acknowledge the existence of a spirit —a spirit of enthusiasm and of piety , which inspired the mind of the ancient craftsmen , and still breathes throughout the whole design .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Craft Degrees And Royal Arch.
as connected with Freemasonry , bear evident impress of the most remote antiquity . Indeed , they are traceable back to periods when all history and tradition becomes lost iu the impenetrable mists which obscure those bygone ages , when science and civilization first dawned upon the human race . To render the subject more intelliibleit should be
obg , served that the division of Masonry into operative and speculative is a division which existed even at periods when ancient operative Masonry had attained the highest pitch of splendour . These two principles , in fact , could not at those periods be disunited ; for , whenever operative Masonry became disconnected from its iritual guideit lost its
dissp , tinctive features , and ceased to be Freemasonry . The speculative , or symbolical portion , as spiritual , could exist without the mere scientific or mechanical part ; but simple operative Masonry without the spirit lost all its distinguishing , life-giving characteristics , and became pointless and inanimate .
And tvhat is that spirit ? If we _ penetrate the solitude of transatlantic forests , and there , hidden in shades almost impervious , discover cities , towers , and temples of an ancient race now vanished from the earth—temples massive , solemn , and imposing , disclosing undying traces of constructive skill , and
manifestingsymbols whose higher references are still apparent to the initiated—if we trace those mighty ruins which , in their silent majesty , still defy the ravages of time , and amid the fall of dynasties and the desolation of centuries , yet vividly disclose the glories of the pharaonic age—if in solitary deserts we visit symmetrical templesredundant in ornamentyet
, , hewn from the ever living rock , where the persevering chisel of the ancient craftsman has impressed the symbols of his faith in lineaments which Time itself can scarce efface ; or , if we traverse the long-drawn aisles , or scan the fretted canopies and vaulted roofs of those magnificent cathedrals , so light , so gracefully , and skilfully designed , so well adapted to ire devotion
insp —displaying such wonderful geometrical knowledge , and yet constructed by our brethren during the darkness of the middle ages , we feel in all these triumphs of operative skill—we acknowledge the existence of a spirit —a spirit of enthusiasm and of piety , which inspired the mind of the ancient craftsmen , and still breathes throughout the whole design .