Mother Kilwinning.—No. I.

MOTHER KILWINNING . —No . I .

LONDON , SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 20 , 1 SG 2 .

¦ Qx BB 0 - ^ - M TJERAX L " , P . J . W . OP MOTIIEE KriwisTrnrG-, AUTO PEOV . Gr . J . W . or ATESHIBB . The Lodge of Kilwinning' has of late in these pages formed the subject of frequent mention in connection not only with the past of Graft Masonry , but with

that of Knight Templary aud other high degrees . As the cradle of Scottish Masonry , it has a strong "hold upon the heart-strings of every Craftsman north of the Tweed , ancl the presence iu any of the sister lodges of a visitor bearing on his breast the badge of

the Ancient Mother Lodge , has quite a talismanic effect upon the brethren , and secures for the stranger the most cordial welcome . ' Nor is the fame of Mother Kilwinning confined to this country—it extends to the " ends of the earth , " ancl , as we have heard from the lips of those who have experienced it in 3 ? ranee ,

America , Australia , ancl India , the respect paid to the sous of that venerable lodge is greater than we at home have any conception of . We have ¦ witnessed with what enthusiasm foreigners ' of distinction have accomplished their pilgrimage to the shrine of St . "Winning to don the lamb skin of the Mother Lodge ,

and to exchange mystic greetings with , its representatives ; and but the other day were the hearts of its sons cheered by the fraternal congratulations of brethren whose alters grace the coral cliffs of Polynesia . Notwithstanding the world-wide reputation and great antiquity of Mother Kilwinning , will it be

believed that in a recent edition of Maekey ' s Lexicon of Freemasonry , " printed in . Glasgow , and revised by a mason , himself a Scotchman ancl an affiliated member of the Mother Lodge , not only is there a doubt expressed as to whether that lodge be still in existence , but a direct statement is made to the effect that

every vestige of the good old Abbey , the monument ° f the architectural skill and operative talent , of the first members of the Lodge Kilwinning , has been entirely swept away . But , however inexplicable , that such a statement has been madethe following extract from the work

, referred to will abundantly show . In his succinct sketch of "Kilwinning " Dr . Mackev thus writes : — it a t ; Here terminates the connection of Kil-^ miuig as a place of any importance with Scottish ¦ Masonry . A lodge long continued to exist thereand

, ma y probabl y still remain ; but- it honours and dignities consist onl y in the recollections of its venerable ri gm , and in the union of its name with many of the ^ opulent and respectable lodges of Scotland . As

for the Abbey , the stupendous fabric winch was erected by the Freemasons who first migrated into Scotland , its history , like that of the lodge which they founded is one of decline ancl deer . }' . In 1580 it was , in a great measure , demolished by Alexander , Earl of Giencaim , in obedience to an order from the

States of Scotland , in the exercise of their usurped authority during the imprisonment of Mary Stuart . -A few years afterwards a part of the Abbey Chapel was repaired and converted into tho parish church , and was used as such until about the year 1775 , when , in consequence of its ruinous and dangerous

state , it was p ulled clown , and an elegant church erected in the modern style . In 17 S 9 so much of the ancient abbey remained as to enable G rose , the antiquary , to take a sketch of the ruins ; but now not a vestige of the building is to be found , nor can its

exact site he ascertained ' with any precision . It is a matter of surprise to many that there should have been allowed to pass through the press , unpnrged of its imperfections , a revised edition of a work of such importance to the Craft as Maekey ' s Lexicon xrndotihtedly is , and bearing as a guarantee to English readers of its general correctness and value as a book of reference . The name of n . member of

the thirty-second degree , who ought surely to be more deeply versed in Masonic lore than those of us who have never attained to any greater altitude in things Masonic , than that to be reached under the charter and certificate of a Craft lodge . We , in common with every reading Mason , value very highly Bro .

Maekey ' s labours ancl influence as a teacher of the Craft , ancl because of this we regret . that that influence should be impaired by the appearance of anything inconsistent with truth in a work the most useful , if not the most popular , that has flowed from

his talented pen . The errors into which our learned American brother has fallen , are in a great measure excusable- in a foreigner , who must necessarily have derived much of his information from , and depended

for the accuracy of his statements , on the good faith of others , are hi ghly reprehensible , and when committed by a native living within two hours' ride of the place so incorrectly treated of . "Without imputing unworthy motives to Bro . Donald Campbell , or charging him with the deliberate slight of the

Mother Lodge , we may , as a member of that lodge be excused for saying that the carelessness displayed by him in the discharge of a duty which , as editor of the "firstEnglish edition , " of the Lexicon , he owed alike to the original compiler of the work , to Mother

Kilwinning , and to the brethren at large , is not by any means calculated to raise him in the estimation of the Craft as an authority in things pertaining to Scottish Masonry ; and it is to be hoped that should a second English edition of the Lexicon be undertaken by the