Uniformity Of Ritual.

' It will be seen from the history of our Ritual set ¦ out in the following remarks , that tbe United Grand Lodge has done very little , beyond enacting the above , towards preserving the ancient ceremonies , or securing an uniformity of working in our Craft Lodges whilst in strong contrast maybe cited the p u-t the

Graud Lodgesof America take , not only in enjoming , but in enforcing so desirable a state of things throughcut their districts , by appointing lecturers , whose duty it is to visit the several lodges , enquire into , aud if necessary correct their several workings , and report thereon to the Grand Lodge to which they belong .

" Prior to 1717 , when the first Grand Lodge of England was established , the form of Ritual in existence was of a very simple character indeed , and would no doubt be adopted by the new Grand Lodge . So simple , it is believed , was it , that it is questionable whether there was more than one ceremony , viz . — that of initiation ,

"The degree of Fellow Craft had at this time , I am inclined to think , no separate Ceremony , but was conferred on a Brother as a matter of course after a certain period of probation . "The degree of Master Mason as we now practice it , seems to have been of later creation , for although

we find it stated in the General Regulations of 172 L that Entered Apprentices had to be admitted Masters and Fellow Crafts in Grand Lodge and there only , except by dispensation—yet , at this time , so far . as I can discover , theMaster's degree appears to have "been a creation of the new Grand Lodge , and an

honorary degree only . "This view is borne out by references to the Old ¦ Charges ( published two years later ) where it is stated , in reference to a Candidate , that he shall be made a Brother and then a Fellow Craft in due time , that so when otherwise qualified he may arrive to the honour of "Warden , and then Master of the Lodge ; aud that

no Brother can be Warden until he has passed the part of a Fellow Craft , nor a Master until he has acted as a Warden ; aud again , that the most expert Fellow Craft shall be chosen the Master or Overseer . No mention , it will be observed , is here made of the Master Mason ' s Degree , audit is fair to infer that it was unknown to the ancient Masons , the

term Master evidently referring to the Master of the Lodge . "When the present Master Mason ' s degree was first instituted , I am unable to say ; Pritchard however in 1730 mentions the three Craft degrees , but in Scotland it does not appear to have been known

till much later , for Bro . D . Murray Lyon , ( the author of the history of th & Mother Kilwinning Lodge ) in writing to the " Freemasons' Magazine" in 1868 , says there is no mention of any Fellow of the Lod ge ( the Kilwinning ) having before 1741 been dignified with the title of Master Mason .

"It was soon found that the ancient operative working was not sufficient for the wants of Speculative Masonry , and accordingly in 1720 Drs . Anderson and Desaguliers , the founders of that system , formed the first regular Lectures from the ancient Charters and Documents then extant . " The questions and answers in use prior to this

were , according to Dr . Oliver—' something like the conundrum of the present day , difficult of comprehension , admitting of on-s answer which appeared to have no direct oor res o m fence with the question , aud applicable only in con sonanee Avith the Jlvsterias aud symbols of the Craft . ' Instances of these must be

familar to every Brother , and it is unnecessary for me here to further alluie to them , than to say , that they were in no way entitled to bi called Lectures , as they hacl nothing to do with the explanation of our system , or the particulars of its ceremonies .

'' The first Lectures are stated to have been imperfect , and in 1732 , Bro . the Rev . M . Clare , ( afterwards a Deputy Grand Masker ) under commission from &' ' : ind Lodge , prepared a new system of Lectures ad-ioted , we are told , to the then existing state of the Or lor and without departing from the Ancient Landmarks . Clare ' s system consisted but of

additions to the old one , in the shape of moral aud scriptural admonitions , and it retained a christian character , reeogrntz ' mg ; the Trinity aud our Sunday . "In June 1737 , we find , by the Constitutions then published , that certain of the ancient Charges were altered , passages offensive to the Roman Catholics were left out , and others altered so as to meet all faiths where the existence of a Supreme Being was admitted .

"Some years after this , a fresh system was pre- ' pared , and into this were incorporated certain portions of Dermotfc ' s R . A . degree . Bro . Dtinckerley , the author of this system , changed the Master Mason ' s word , and I find on a copy of an Ancient Lodge Board in that degree , which came under my notice

sometime since , the original Blaster Mason ' s word shewn , and it is identical with one form of that of the Royal Arch degree of the present day . The same wo <" d is also given as the Master Mison ' s word in " Las secrets de Vordre des Francs Maoons , " pubished at Amsterdam , in 1745 . One of Bro . Dunekerley ' s additions should be mentioned , viz . —that of the three most important rounds of the theological ladder .

" About 1763 , another system was compiled by Bro . Hutchinson , author of the " Spirit of Masonry . ' ' This system retained in its Ritual something ; of a christian character , for the author iu his work above referred to , published in 1775 , says the Master Mason represents a man under the christian doctrine , saved

from the grave of iniquity , and raised to the faith of salvation . Hutchinson ' s system had great success in the north of England , aud it seems to have been confined almost exclusivel y to that part of the country . " Nine years laterBro . Wm . Prestonauthor of

, , the " Illustrations , " produced a system of Lectures described as the best produced . It has been stated that Preston merged the greater portion of Hutchinson ' s system into his ; but as Hutchinson ' s system is believed not to be in existence , this can only be a surmise . Preston ' s Lectureshoweverare

, , yet extant , although not accessible to the Craft at large . A Prestonian Lecturer is annually appointed by the Grand Master to g ive instruction in them , but . his office is almost a sinecure , as the Craft , whether from ignorance of their existence , or apathy ,