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Article ON FREEMASONRY. ← Page 11 of 13 →
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On Freemasonry.
sublime performances in various parte of the world , and originated projects which mark the genius by which the ancient Fraternity were animated . " Regarding these , " says an elegant writer , " we must confess them to have been the master builders of the world ; and that their structures are as astonishing as if the dreams of oriental romance had
been realized , and the genii of the elements had been taxed to superhuman exertion by the seal of Solomon , or the talisman of the pre-Adamite kings . " How can we sufficiently admire the magnificent conceptions of Dinocrates , who conceived the vast scheme of converting Mount Athos , which was of such amazing altitude that its shadow was said to
adumbrate the island of Lemnos , though situated at a distance of eighty-seven miles , into a piece of statuary ? And with a view of immortalizing the Macedonian hero , as well as of transmitting to posterity a stupendous specimen of his own genius , he proposed to model the entire mountain into a colossal statue , which should represent Alexander in a sitting posture , holding in his right hand a city , with walls and fortifications ; and in his left , a reservoir of water to
supply the inhabitants . This design was never completed ; but the same artist , from a like motive , built the city of Alexandria , and projected the erection of a dome to the temple of Arsinoe , containing a powerful loadstone , which should support , in a graceful attitude , hovering in the air , a metal image of the
Queen of Ptolemy Philadelphus ; but the death of both the artist and monarch prevented this scheme from being carried into execution . In the construction of this city the Master Masons first used the papyrus , or inner films of a sort of bulrush growing in the Nile , for tracing boards to draw their lans and designs on . The original material appropriated
p to this purpose was stone , sawn into light and portable slabs ; then succeeded the leaves of the palm tree , and plates of lead or other metal , The skins of animals , prepared for the purpose , were used by the Jews ; and the shoulder blades of cattle by the Arabians . Tablets of brass were prevalent in the time of Judas Maecabajus ; and frequentlyon account
, of their more comprehensive utility , slabs of timber varnished over with wax . All these , however , were from this time superseded by the papyrus , which was a noble invention of our ancient Brethren . In constructing the walls of Balbec , such vast stones were used that Maundvell is almost afraid to describe them , lest
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
sublime performances in various parte of the world , and originated projects which mark the genius by which the ancient Fraternity were animated . " Regarding these , " says an elegant writer , " we must confess them to have been the master builders of the world ; and that their structures are as astonishing as if the dreams of oriental romance had
been realized , and the genii of the elements had been taxed to superhuman exertion by the seal of Solomon , or the talisman of the pre-Adamite kings . " How can we sufficiently admire the magnificent conceptions of Dinocrates , who conceived the vast scheme of converting Mount Athos , which was of such amazing altitude that its shadow was said to
adumbrate the island of Lemnos , though situated at a distance of eighty-seven miles , into a piece of statuary ? And with a view of immortalizing the Macedonian hero , as well as of transmitting to posterity a stupendous specimen of his own genius , he proposed to model the entire mountain into a colossal statue , which should represent Alexander in a sitting posture , holding in his right hand a city , with walls and fortifications ; and in his left , a reservoir of water to
supply the inhabitants . This design was never completed ; but the same artist , from a like motive , built the city of Alexandria , and projected the erection of a dome to the temple of Arsinoe , containing a powerful loadstone , which should support , in a graceful attitude , hovering in the air , a metal image of the
Queen of Ptolemy Philadelphus ; but the death of both the artist and monarch prevented this scheme from being carried into execution . In the construction of this city the Master Masons first used the papyrus , or inner films of a sort of bulrush growing in the Nile , for tracing boards to draw their lans and designs on . The original material appropriated
p to this purpose was stone , sawn into light and portable slabs ; then succeeded the leaves of the palm tree , and plates of lead or other metal , The skins of animals , prepared for the purpose , were used by the Jews ; and the shoulder blades of cattle by the Arabians . Tablets of brass were prevalent in the time of Judas Maecabajus ; and frequentlyon account
, of their more comprehensive utility , slabs of timber varnished over with wax . All these , however , were from this time superseded by the papyrus , which was a noble invention of our ancient Brethren . In constructing the walls of Balbec , such vast stones were used that Maundvell is almost afraid to describe them , lest