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to do , fostered ou / Order ; nor how , during those ages , our Brethren conceived and carried into execution those vast and magnificent cathedrals and churches , which are still the monuments , and attest the practical utility of Masonry in the exterior world , and the
comprehensive genius that must have existed , which could thus , from rude matter as it were , call into being those temples , which , even in the present day , strike the beholder with astonishment , and lead him involuntarily to exclaim , " Truly there must have been giants in
those days ; " and which temples , though we are so constantly in the habit of boasting of our progress and advancement in the liberal arts and sciences , are still the types and models of the architects of our own day . My present business is with Speculative Masonry .
That Preemasonry has existed in remote ages , and nourished most where civilization has most largely conferred upon mankind its precious boons , are facts that , I think , few will fail to admit ; neither , I think , can it be denied , that during the dark ages , when the world has been overshadowed with the canopy of ignorance and superstition , though occasionally dimmed and shorn of its effulgence , has Preemasonry failed to shed its benign influences upon mankind ,
conferring inestimable blessings ( limited though at times they mayhave been ) not only upon those who were included within its mystic portals , but also , by the doctrines which it inculcates , upon the human race in general . Age has succeeded age in the ceaseless roll of time ; thrones and kingdoms have tottered to their foundations ; ancient dynasties have ceased to exist ; wars and commotions have from time to time scattered the mightiest fabrics that human greatness has been able to rear , whose existence ( if such it may be termed ) ,
can only be traced in the pages of history , or the researches of the antiquary . Even the glorious temple of King Solomon , the most spacious and magnificent , and constructei by so many celebrated artists , hath not escaped the ravages of barbarous force ; and , in their course , nigh all terrestrial things have undergone an essential change . Yet , amidst all the shocks , which , as it were , have caused the world to vibrate to its foundations , annihilated the stupendous
works which man ' s ingenuity hath been able to rear , and changed the face of society itself—amidst all this ruin , desolation , and change , one bright star remains unaltered , and Preemasonry , by its beautiful symmetry and benevolent adornments , has been able to withstand those storms which have levelled all beside even with the dust , and never has it ceased to exercise its sway , silently , but surely , holding its onward course , ever forward in the work of Charity , and linking
together , in the bonds of Brotherly love , the most distant nations ot the earth , regardless alike of language , of clime , or of kindred . It is , therefore , that abandoning for the present the interesting subject of the antiquities of Masonry , I propose , in the present paper , to examine the causes and reasons why , when other things have changed and passed away , this science still remains , ever exercising its beneficial influences upon mankind , and ever foremost in the great work of doing good , gathering renewed strength in its nevervon . i . n
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
to do , fostered ou / Order ; nor how , during those ages , our Brethren conceived and carried into execution those vast and magnificent cathedrals and churches , which are still the monuments , and attest the practical utility of Masonry in the exterior world , and the
comprehensive genius that must have existed , which could thus , from rude matter as it were , call into being those temples , which , even in the present day , strike the beholder with astonishment , and lead him involuntarily to exclaim , " Truly there must have been giants in
those days ; " and which temples , though we are so constantly in the habit of boasting of our progress and advancement in the liberal arts and sciences , are still the types and models of the architects of our own day . My present business is with Speculative Masonry .
That Preemasonry has existed in remote ages , and nourished most where civilization has most largely conferred upon mankind its precious boons , are facts that , I think , few will fail to admit ; neither , I think , can it be denied , that during the dark ages , when the world has been overshadowed with the canopy of ignorance and superstition , though occasionally dimmed and shorn of its effulgence , has Preemasonry failed to shed its benign influences upon mankind ,
conferring inestimable blessings ( limited though at times they mayhave been ) not only upon those who were included within its mystic portals , but also , by the doctrines which it inculcates , upon the human race in general . Age has succeeded age in the ceaseless roll of time ; thrones and kingdoms have tottered to their foundations ; ancient dynasties have ceased to exist ; wars and commotions have from time to time scattered the mightiest fabrics that human greatness has been able to rear , whose existence ( if such it may be termed ) ,
can only be traced in the pages of history , or the researches of the antiquary . Even the glorious temple of King Solomon , the most spacious and magnificent , and constructei by so many celebrated artists , hath not escaped the ravages of barbarous force ; and , in their course , nigh all terrestrial things have undergone an essential change . Yet , amidst all the shocks , which , as it were , have caused the world to vibrate to its foundations , annihilated the stupendous
works which man ' s ingenuity hath been able to rear , and changed the face of society itself—amidst all this ruin , desolation , and change , one bright star remains unaltered , and Preemasonry , by its beautiful symmetry and benevolent adornments , has been able to withstand those storms which have levelled all beside even with the dust , and never has it ceased to exercise its sway , silently , but surely , holding its onward course , ever forward in the work of Charity , and linking
together , in the bonds of Brotherly love , the most distant nations ot the earth , regardless alike of language , of clime , or of kindred . It is , therefore , that abandoning for the present the interesting subject of the antiquities of Masonry , I propose , in the present paper , to examine the causes and reasons why , when other things have changed and passed away , this science still remains , ever exercising its beneficial influences upon mankind , and ever foremost in the great work of doing good , gathering renewed strength in its nevervon . i . n