The Masonic Mirror.

THE MASONIC MIRROR .

* ** All communications to be addressed to 19 , Salisbury-street , Strand , London , AV . C .

MASONIC MEMS . BRETHREN' are reminded that the Lodge Music published a few weeks ago , in several issues of tlie MAGAZINE , has been republished in a convenient form for Lodge use , price 2 s . 6 d . "UNIVERSAL MASONIC CALENDAR FOB 1 SG 9 . —A few remaining copies of tlie second edition are for sale at a reduction of 20 per

cent . PORTRAITS of the Rt . Hon . the Earl of Dalhousie , K . T ., G . C . B ., M . W . G . M . Mason of Scotland , can now be obtained at this office , price 3 s . Gd . each . A few copies , with ornamental border anil Masonic emblems printed in gold , on large size paper , can be had , price 10 s . 6 d .

Masonic Archæological Institute.

MASONIC ARCH ? OLOGICAL INSTITUTE .

The fourth meeting of the members of this institute was held on Friday , the 30 th ult ., at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queenstreet , when the following paper was read : — A DESCRIPTION OF A CHURCH IN" THE CITY OF HANNOVER , By Bro . GNOSPELIUS . Amongst old churches on the contienut , ascribed to the

Freemasons , the principal church in the city of Hannover deserves the place of honor . Towering above the heads of the inhabitants of that ancient city , reaching up to the skies , Colossal Masonic Hieroglyplics are to be seen , beckoning the wandering brother from afar , anil inviting him into the friendly old town , where the Royal Art is still highly valued , and brotherly hospitality awaits the stranger , now as in the olden time . The church of St . James and St . John was , according to an old chronicle of this year 1 G 95 , in the course of building in

i- » i . llio town was commenced in 13 o 0 , tlie town part of it is a square of solid masonry , of which each side runs up into a triangular gable ; above them rises a copper-covered spire . On three of the gables there is a colossal circle ; on the western one the triangular surface is quite plain , having only the face of a clock , evidently a modern oue , in the centre . On the southern and northern gables the circles are white , and enclose a gigantic double triangleor cabalistic ( the symbol of the

, sexngon elements ); in the centre of this is the face of a clock . On the east side , not profaned by a clock , there is , within the white circle ^ a red , colossal Pythagorean Pentagon —( the symbol of Divinity , the flaming star of the Freemasons)—built " into the gable . Furthermore we find on each gable , just under the upper point of it , but over the large white circle , a large cross , built into the wallanil -under the large circle two smaller ones

, , one surrounding a cross , the other a kind of -y . On the south-wall of the church itself is a sun-dial with the year 1555 on it , and the letters IIBAS ., between which are seen the 7 and the square with a masons level across . Of this dial the old chronicle , mentioned above , savs-.

—" On the outside of the church is to be seen a sun-compass , put up , towards the south , by the late Hansen Biintingeii , who was a very industrious goldsmith , one who loved bis art , and was well acquainted with the compasses and the square , and the great secret there is therein . " At the foot of the tower , on the west side , there is a small , narrow door , on which another triangular gable rises . On each side of this gable is a pillar , bearing a statue : on the right that of St the

. George , killing dragon , and having on his arm a peculiarly shaped shield , with a Templar-cross on it;—on the left St . James , in the dress of a pilgrim , the left baud pressed tu the heart , the fore-finger extended , and pointing to an anchor resting on his breast . The door opens into a narrow passage , leading into the church , and at the end of it , just under tiie organ-loft , there is a tablet with the following inscription : — "Turns priucipium tria CCC nunieraut L et covum . "

" Gratia Romana fuit et pestis triduanna Fuuera flens polls hcec tria millia munsibus in sex . Tunc stimulus Stoicos fuit U . R . torquens et Hebrooos . " The commencement of the Tower dates from 1350 . Then there was Roman absolution and a three years' pest ; this town wept in six months over three thousand corpses , and at that time the fire was a sore thorn unto Stoics and Hebrews .

Lastly we find , hanging on the wall to the left in the chancel , near the high altar , a very large , extremely old , carefully carved wooden dish , with the bleeding head of St . John-upon it . It is highly ornamented and painted in bright colours , in good preservation , and has on the broad rim around the dish , the following inscription hi quill monk-letters . Baptista Sauctus Johannes .

AAliat Freemasons , knowing the history of Masonry and whac many learned , thoughtful brethren believe they find in it , can look at this remarkable building and pass by , without being struck by it ?—That the church was built under the supervision of Freemasons is evident from the hieroglyphics on the gables of the town , and the dish with the head of St . John ; further that the building was under the care of Freemasons in later times

, is probable from the dial by Bunting , and tho account of it in the old chronicle . \ A ben I beheld this venerable old pile many things crossed my mind , which I do not like to keep from my brethren , begging them , however , not to misinterpret what I say . The tablet with the latin inscription must , I think , refer to the Templars as being the stoics destroyed by fire ; their

persecutions did indeed commence in France , between 1309 and 131 < 1 , but were continued in other coutries almost up to the middle of the century . This is what the old chronicle says . But a Freemason must be struck by the use of the word " UR . " instead of " ignis . " In Anderson ' s Book of Constitutions it is

"Abram was instructed by Sem and Heber , who in UR . in Chaldea occupied themselves with mathematics . " And in the first volume of the " Signal shown , " page 61 , we read : " AAI 10 was Hiram ? An able artificer from Tyre . His father ' s name was Ur ; his mother was a widow of the tribe ot Naphthali . " Now as wo also find a Templar-cross , not an ordinary

Christian cross , on the shield of the statue of St . George , and as we know , from Anton's History of the Templars , that the Church of St . George , at Hildesheim was a Templar-Church , it is by no means improbable that this Church of St . George at Hannover , was likewise a Templar Church . But how does it happen that in a church of the Knight-Templars there should be so many parts of Freemasonry ?

Especially how comes the old dish with the head of St . John ( which unfortunately has no date 011 it ) there ? I was irresistibly reminded of the celebrated Head of the Templars , which played such a prominent part in the history of their persecution , and about which learned historians have given themselves so much trouble , some calling it the head of Mohammod , others that of Solomon , nay of Satan himself . AAliat if the head , which the

Acolytes were made to kiss , had been a St . John's head on a dish , which in the awful stillness of tho . night , in a dimly lighted church , might easily appear to young , timid knights to be the devil's head , or the image of some idol , especially if the explanation of the mysterious ceremonies they were passing through was , as it is not improbable , reserved for some future time ? AVbat if the four feet of the Devil ' s-headso often

, mentioned in their confessions , were portions , say the feet of the gigantic , curiously wrought dish ? The Templars were accused of blaspheming the Redeemer and bis cross in their ceremonies . Al'hat if they looked on St . John the Baptist as the man who first brought uew light into the world of spirits and thus was their first redeemer ? I have tried in the plainest terms to express the thoughts

that suggested themselves to me ; but perhaps some more learned brother , who may have other sources of information at command , can give historic value to my suppositions ; I have therefore lilt bound to state them .

From Blumenbagen's "Maumischer Nachlass , " Hannover , 1840 . In the course of my studies and inquiries on the subject of Freemasonry , nothing has struck me more than the indifference of most brethren , with regard to the origin and extinction of the present lodge system in Europe and America . Many and frequent are the questions asked as to the antiquity of the Order ; the annals of Turks , Egyptians , Hebrews , are searched , and