The True History Of Freemasonry In England.

the laws which have controlled its progress—and to submit to you the evidence by which I have myself arrived at the conclusion It would be impossible , rather , in the short space necessarily allotted to such a lecture as this , to give you a minute account of all the probable and possible explanations of our Masonic origin which have suggested themselves to the minds of the inquiring , or the fancies of the imaginative . Time woidd altogether fail me , and your patience would be sorely taxed , were I in detail to go

through the various theories to which the obscurity of our Masonic annals has given rise . I can only allude to a few , as I pass on . Neither do I propose to notice to-ni ght the attacks made either on our system or -our antiquity by profane writers , many of which are beneath notice , and contain their own refutation . But I venture to ask your attention to the somewhat dry and perhaps uninviting topic—the simple history of our Order , looked at as a matter of evidence and of authority . You will also observe , as I proceed , that I confine my answer almost entirely to the history and evidences of

English Freemasonry , though giving a short account of the system generally ; and I do it for this reason , that . Freemasonry is most widely diffused , and its real principles best acknowledged and worked out , in my humble ojiinion , under our own English Grand Lodge , and the loved and Eoyal and venerated Chief of our Order . In other countries , unhappily , Freemasonry has" been allied and alloyed with the mischievous combinations and injurious jirinciples of secret political societies like the Carbonari and the Illuminati

, and has suffered infinitely , if not irrecoverably , in consequence . In Great Britain , anel America , and Canada , anel Germany , it has pursued the even tenour of its way , free from all such hurtful associations , and enabled to advocate its own loyal and unchanging principles of order , toleration , and good will . The True History of Freemasonry , then , is to be found , I sincerely believe , mainly in the writings of Anderson and William Preston , our earliest and best Masonic

historians . As a speculative body , making allowance for all those modifications and all those supplemental statements which fresh evidence , to which they had not access , enables us to offer and to supply to-day , we find there the best sketch of our true history . For k is the distinguishing feature of the histories of Anderson and of Preston that they both carry up our speculative Order to an operative origin , and connect it with au operative brotherhood ; and all who have read their works know well that this predominant feature gives its colouring to their whole account .

l do not mean to say that I am bound to defend or you to join your faith on the somewhat exuberant argument with which Anderson especially explains the organisation and traces the course of Freemasonry through the Patriarchal Ages , for example ; nor need we contend for one moment that all the traditional history which is preserved and expanded by Preston , and all the dates in our commonly accepted Masonic Chronology are so absolutely correct as to require no revision . It is mainlthis operative connectionthis operative oriinto which Masonic

_ y , g , some writers to-day , and latterly especially , seem seriously to object . It is for this reason , "lien the current of our modern Masonic literature seems to be setting in strongly "gainst the older hypothesis , that I remind you , at the outset , of those earlier histories of Anderson and Preston—and which , as but histories , so distinctly advocate this first broad view of Masonic Origin and History . There are many Brethren who apparently dislike l ° claim as their Masonic forefathers those who actually wielded the heavy maul and Personall

y used the 24-inch guage ! Hence for some time they have been seeking to nd out for themselves either a kni ghtly or what they consider a more interesting origin . ^> nie writers , following the idea of an anonymous French author in 1774 , wish to link freemasonry on to the Crusaders , or Knightly Order , ' ! , especially the Templars , and find j s origin there ; while others , adopting the very words of a German Illuming of the ast century , would derive their origin from the Confraternity of the Eosy Cross . Now , these theories

, though very ingenious and very amusing , and however interesting in ^ etuselves , yet break down when you come to ajiply to them the sifting process of S 01 co ai ) d criticism . As regards the simple objection to our operative origin , which „ vn T t 0 have ' * confess * nevel' coultl sympathise with such a feeling . All our "• l 3 , all our teaching , all our ornaments , all our jewels , all the customs and techniz