THE BUILDER MAGAZINE
august 1917
volume 3 - number 8
THE FAITH THAT IS IN THEM---A FRATERNAL FORUM
Edited by BRO. GEO. E. FRAZER, President, The Board of
Stewards
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Henry R. Evans, District of Columbia.
Harold A. Kingsbury, Connecticut.
Dr. Wm. F. Kuhn, Missouri.
Geo. W. Baird, District of Columbia
H.D. Funk, Minnesota
Frederick W. Hamilton, Massachusetts
Dr. John Lewin McLeish, Ohio.
Joseph W. Norwood, Kentucky.
Silas H. Sheperd, Wisconsin.
Jos. W. Eggleston, Virginia
M.M. Johnson, Massachusetts
John Pickard, Missouri
Silas H. Shepherd, Wisconsin.
Oliver D. Street, Alabama.
S. W. Williams, Tennessee.
Joe L. Carson, Virginia
T.W. Hugo, Minnesota
F.B. Gault, Washington
C.M. Schenck, Colorado
Contributions to this Monthly Department of Personal
Opinion are invited from each writer who has contributed one or more articles to
THE BUILDER. Subjects for discussion are selected as being alive in the
administration of Masonry today. Discussions of politics, religious creeds or
personal prejudices are avoided, the purpose of the Department being to afford a
vehicle for comparing the personal opinions of leading Masonic students. The
contributing editors assume responsibility only for what each writes over his
own signature. Comment from our Members on the subjects discussed here will be
welcomed in the Correspondence column.
QUESTION NO. 4--
"Shall the several Grand Lodges issue charters to Military
Lodges during the period of the great war? If so, shall each jurisdiction issue
such charters as it pleases, or shall all the jurisdictions informally agree
that not more than one charter shall be issued for each regiment in active
service? If not, shall American Grand Lodges permit their members to attend
French and Belgian lodges during the period of the war?"
A Father and His Mason Son.
The formation of Military Lodges should be encouraged in
every possible way. My son, a Mason, now in the Officers' Training School
qualifying himself for active military service, I feel as a father and a
lifelong Mason, should have the privileges and benefits of the Order while in
the army of his country. There should be an agreement of some sort, formal or
informal, among the Grand Lodges standardizing as far as practical the issuance
of these charters, and the requirements or conditions under which such charters
may be granted and other exigencies that usually arise under Military
conditions. The whole matter ought to receive the immediate and earnest
attention of all Grand Lodges and provisions made for such organizations and the
attendance upon any and all true Masonic Lodges wherever the soldiers and
sailors of our country may be called to follow our flag. As to whether a charter
shall be issued each regiment it seems to me that is a matter that depends upon
the membership in the regiment and the active interest in the Order and in the
Military provision for Masons. In some regiments there might easily be more
members than one Lodge would serve to advantage while in other regiments there
might be an insufficient number. But that is a part of the detail that can
easily be met as occasions arise. F. B. Gault, Washington.
Grant Charters Where Requested.
In my judgment it is expedient that Grand Lodges found
Military Lodges for each regiment in active service provided there be a request
from the members of the regiment for a charter. I think permission to attend
French and Belgian Lodges will develop the international spirit. H. D. Funk,
Minnesota.
* * *
Avoid Narrow Technicalities.
A Grand Lodge should issue Charters to Regiments or Men of
War as they see fit. Any agreed on restriction would be all right, but in case a
Regiment is raised by some particular state, the Grand Lodge of that State
should have jurisdiction. I would permit Masons to visit wherever they could,
and avoid any narrow technicalities. It'll do them good and do good to the Lodge
visited. T. W. Hugo, Minnesota. * * *
French Masons Not Our Brothers.
The various Masonic Jurisdictions should informally agree
that not more than one charter shall be issued for each Regiment in active
service. American Freemasons can not attend Belgian and French Lodges, because
such Lodges are not recognized as legitimate. The Grand Orients of France and
Belgium have abolished belief in God as a prerequisite to membership and cut out
the Great Landmark altogether. They are not strictly speaking Masonic bodies.
H. R. Evans, Washington, D. C.
* * * Favors Visiting.
My opinion is opposed to the granting of charters to
Military Lodges during the period of the present war. The reasons which appeal
to me are the probabilities of the frequent shifting of troops which would
prevent continuity of officers or membership and the difficulty of securing
quarters where the requisite safeguards might surround the work. I believe that
most of the advantages presumably sought might be obtained through fraternal
associations without the privileges and responsibilities of Lodge organization.
The idea of permitting the members of American Lodges to attend Belgian and
French Lodges during the period of the war appeals to me strongly. Francis W.
Shepardson, Illinois.
* * *
Three Positive "No" Votes. 1st. Shall the several Grand
Lodges issue charters to Military Lodges during the period of the great war ?
No.
2nd. If not, shall American Lodges permit their members to
attend French and Belgian Lodges during the period of the war ? No.
Military Lodges may have been, and doubtless were,
justifiable in the English, Irish and Scottish regiments prior to and during the
Revolutionary war in this country and also during the war of 1812. Such Lodges
may also have been justifiable in the United States Army during the
Revolutionary war, the war of 1812, and, in a few instances, during the Civil
War, but conditions have changed. In the periods mentioned Masonic Lodges were
few, but today a Masonic Lodge can be found in every hamlet and town in the
United States. The Masonic soldier, wherever stationed in this country, has the
privilege of Masonic visitation and fellowship; nothing of Masonic privilege or
interest can be added by having a Lodge of his own connected with the Regiment.
It is very questionable if the best interests of Freemasonry can be conserved by
organizing Military Lodges.
The Grand Lodge of Missouri does not recognize the Grand
Orient of France, the Grand Lodge of France or the Grand Orient of Belgium;
hence a Freemason whose membership is in a Lodge under the jurisdiction of the
Grand Lodge of Missouri can not visit a Lodge under the jurisdiction of the
Grand Bodies above mentioned. Special permits can not be given. Wm. F. Kuhn,
Missouri.
* * *
Favors Clubs. Military Lodges should not be chartered
without providing that they should initiate, pass or raise none but members of
their own commands, and that they should not hold meetings in foreign territory
of a recognized Grand Lodge without official permission. Virginia permits dual
or even multiple membership, so that the members of a Military Lodge would not
have to leave their home Lodges.
Each Grand Lodge should act for itself as it sees fit. Any
attempt at concert of action would tend toward a surrender of that independent
sovereignty which can not be too jealously guarded.
As to permitting Masons to visit French or Belgian Lodges,
that is a matter for each Grand Lodge to settle for itself. There is a
difference between visiting foreign Lodges and permitting foreign Masons to
visit our Lodges.
My own idea is that instead of chartering Military Lodges
it would be better to permit Masonic clubs, not authorized to make Masons at
all. They would answer for all Masonic intercourse and raise no questions. The
plan seems to work well at many universities already.
To sum up, I prefer clubs, along the lines of the Acacia
Fraternity, but would not object to Lodges, provided their activities were
restricted as above, and provided members were not required to withdraw from
their home Lodges. Jos. W. Eggleston, Virginia.
* * *
A Military Lodge of 1898. I am heartily in favor of the
charter of Military Lodges during the period of the war. This was done in
American army of the Revolution, and is today being done by all of the
belligerent countries, with much success, and certainly each jurisdiction should
issue such charters as it pleases. Soldiers of each regiment might not find it
convenient to have the Grand Lodge back home hold pow-wows when they do not know
conditions, and unless we had a National Grand Lodge or an Emergent Masonic
Congress, I do not see how the fifty Grand Lodges could decide upon one course
of action.
I do not believe American Grand Lodges will give specific
permit to members to attend French or Belgian Grand Lodges, but I see no reason
why this should not be done, even though the majority of our jurisdictions do
not recognize these foreign Masons. Only two jurisdictions recognize the
independent Grand Lodge of France, and none of them recognize the regular French
Grand Orient or French Grand Lodge. Several do recognize Belgium though the
great majority do not, and neither does England. But by leaving it to the
members of Military Lodges to be chartered to decide for themselves what is true
Freemasonry according to the ancient landmarks, America will have a chance to do
a great deal in bringing about world solidarity and better understanding between
Masons.
I may mention that during the Spanish-American war my own
state chartered a Military Lodge which went to Cuba, and I think it is largely
in consequence that we recognize Cuba, Costa Rica, Porto Rico and Peru.
Whenever Masons go into another country and really get into
social and business relations with the Masons of the country, experience has
shown that they are not so ready to believe all of the wild tales told about
foreign Masons coming from unreliable sources.
Louisiana has done good work and is still doing good work
in bringing about real relations with Masons scattered through South America and
not recognized by a great many jurisdictions in the United States.
I would like to suggest that if we literally obey the
landmarks without regard to red tape imposed by the Grand Lodges and acted upon
on the spur of the moment without due investigation, there seems to be no good
reason why American Masons might not visit a lodge not in fraternal relations
with one of the American Grand Lodges. This would seem reasonable, because the
American Grand Lodges are in relation with each other. Thus, if the Philippines,
Louisiana and New York have given fraternal recognition to San Salvador, why
should the rest of the country prohibit fraternal visits? My own state for
example (Kentucky), recognizes only English speaking Masons, with the Latin
jurisdictions mentioned above, yet I do not conceive that I would violate my
obligations despite that fact, were I a member of a Military Lodge, or even
merely a traveler, should I visit a Belgian Lodge, because at least eight other
American lodges recognize Belgium. The same way with Hungary, which is
recognized by Alabama; Egypt, recognized by Arizona; Portugal, recognized by
Arkansas; Denmark, recognized by Missouri and New York; Germany, recognized by a
dozen states; Greece, recognized by Arkansas and North Dakota; Holland,
recognized by eight jurisdictions; Italy, recognized by four jurisdictions. I
recently was introduced to a French Freemason by one of our regular Masons and I
had quite a pleasant chat, and the Frenchman convinced me that Americans
generally have been believing a great many things about France that are not so.
If we are brothers in War, why not brothers in Masonry? J. W. Norwood,
Kentucky.
Glorious History. Military Lodges are almost as old as the
institution of Masonry. In America, following the example of the British, Lodges
were to be found in the Colonial troops and there is still to be found a certain
cave in Virginia where Washington met with his Lodge during the period of the
old French and Indian Wars. Robert Freke Gould in his scholarly work on Military
Lodges mentions ten as working in the Army of the Revolution. The pioneer of
these was St. John's Regimental Lodge deriving its warrant from the Provincial
Grand Lodge of New York under date of July, 1775. Among the others was "American
Union" which "moved as a pillar of Light in New York, Connecticut and New
Jersey." Then there was Army Lodge No. 27 of the Maryland line. This was
warranted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, in 1780. Washington
Lodge numbered two hundred and fifty brethren. All of these ten Lodges were
actively at work during the whole period of the protracted struggle for American
Independence and upon the rosters were such names as George Washington, Major
Generals Knox, Green, Moultrie, Putnam, Stirling, Sullivan, Lincoln, St. Clair,
Montgomery, Worcester, Wayne, Lee and Pinckney. All of the Brigadier Generals
were Masons except two. Lafayette was raised in one of these Military Lodges by
Washington at Morristown, New Jersey. The gallant French Marquis stated
afterwards that he never fully enjoyed General Washington's implicit confidence
until after he became a Mason.
When the American Army went into Mexico two Military Lodges
accompanied the expedition. Of the Generals, Wm. J. Worth was a Mason, as also
John A. Quitman who after the occupation of Mexico City became Military
Governor. General Quitman was also Grand Master of Mississippi.
The prominent Masons participating in our Civil War were as
distinguished as those of Revolutionary days. On the Masonic Roster were George
B. McClellan, Winfleld Scott Hancock, N. P. Banks, John A. McClernand, John A.
Logan, George E. Pickett, Robert E. Patterson. Benjamin F. Butler, Robert
Anderson, Thomas H. Benton, and others. There were Field Lodges in both Union
and Confederate Armies. Says Gould: "The experience of that great conflict was
decidedly unfavorable to their utility. The practice was to issue dispensations.
When regiments in which they were held were mustered out, or their individual
membership retired to civil life, the lodges ceased to exist." More than one
hundred dispensations for Military Lodges were granted during the Civil War. The
Grand Lodge of Indiana granted as many as thirty-three of these.
During our War with Spain in 1898 formal dispensations for
Military Lodges were granted by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky and the Grand Lodge
of North Dakota. Some of our most prominent Masons of that day were President
William McKinley, General Nelson A. Miles, General Russell A. Alger, General
William R. Schafter, and Admiral Schley.
In the light of our past experience, there is every reason
for American Grand Lodges to charter Military Lodges during the present war. Of
course the number should be limited.
At the present writing, all indications strongly point to
long participation by the United States in the Strife of the Nations. France
sustained the greater part of the initial fighting while her ally Great Britain
was "getting ready" for the fray. The French Army has suffered so severely, been
so depleted, that her Reserves of 1918, mere lads of seventeen, have been called
to the tricolor. Not for many months may France hope to sustain her hard-won
front unaided. All that gallant men could do to drive the barbarian from her
terrain, Soldiers of France have done, and the best blood of the Nation as many
times before in history has been sacrificed to the Prussian steel.
To the youth of America, our first Conscripts of 1917, has
fallen the great privilege of filling the breach and holding the battle line won
foot by foot by the Old Guard of France. To our own Boys in Khaki falls the
honor of sustaining the American Flag first planted on foreign soil at Vimy
Ridge. And not until the united American and British Armies have forced the
barbarous, Huns back upon their own accursed terrain, meted out to them in full
portion the utter ruin, the havoc and the desolation they carried into Belgium
and France--not until the flags of the Allies are borne in triumph Unter den
Linden to float from the Kaiser's Kennel--can Peace come to the world, unless
the unexpected should happen and that is quite improbable.
With several years' sojourn upon foreign soil tolerably
sure, there will be many dreary weeks and months in the trenches. What more or
better calculated to sustain our soldier's souls through the ennui and monotony
of camp life, than the Light of Masonry, the meeting of brethren in a regimental
lodge? To many sorely tried heart the Five Points of Fellowship will prove an
open sesame. There will be an outlet to many inner confidences only to be
imparted "upon the Square."
As to issuance of charters it would be unwise for Grand
Lodges to issue such indiscriminately. Rather an agreement between the several
jurisdictions limiting their dispensations to one for each regiment, and in some
cases one for each division as circumstances indicate.
It would be a distinct step ahead for our Grand
Jurisdictions to permit the brethren under their control to visit French and
Belgian Lodges. After the dark days of stress the craftsmen of these two
countries have had to endure, it would be perfectly Good Masonry to accord these
foreign brethren full and free recognition. International relations are now
permanently changed. There is now less need for a fraternal line of demarcation.
Masonry like other Constructive World Forces, must soon meet many demands for
Charity Best results will follow the extending of the Universality of our
Institution. Our overseas brethren look wistfully to America for fraternal help
and recognition. Upon our answer depends the whole future of Continental
Masonry. Let American Masons offer the same fraternal and moral support to the
craftsmen of France and Belgium as our Administration has accorded these
respective Nations. Masonry must align its forces, gather in its own the world
over, if it would meet the new problems presented and exert the full measure of
its illimitable wealth and resources. Let us in fact as well as in numbers
become the most powerful constructive force in all the world. Attainment of this
ideal will make ours a Power to be reckoned with, render quite impossible any
such bete noir through which the world is passing at this moment. Could Masonry
today align the craftsmen in a thunderous protestation against War, not even
William and his myriad myrmidons would dare say them NAY.
Our only complaint against French Masonry has been the
removal of the Great Light from its altars. For this there were reasons as every
Masonic scholar knows. Many times the kaleidoscopic changes in French Politics
placed Masonry under the ban. There were haphazard meetings of the craft in
lodge rooms previously prepared for police raids and their sequelae,
uncompromising persecution. Many of the regular fittings of the lodge were
absent in these hastily improvised quarters, where personal safety was a
prerequisite. Continental Masonry, especially among the Latins, more
particularly among the French, has ofttimes been face to face with serious
situations. On such occasions our Institution has had to fight for its very
life. By the same token, Latin and French Masonry has been driven to play
politics if it would live, and due allowance must be made for a quondam
departure from certain old landmarks, under such circumstances.
Because nowadays we Masons do not as prior to 1717 openly
specify Christianity "or the religion of the country in which we live" as a
primary requirement of membership, makes most of us none the less good
Christians. By the same argument, because France does not necessarily require a
declaration of faith in the G.A.O.T.U. from a petitioner for degrees, does not
necessarily make all French Masons Atheists.
The time will never be more fitting for American and
English Masons to heal their continental brethren, Masonically. If needs must,
to facilitate matters we can close our eyes to a technical departure from the
landmarks. If we would extend our power for good, we must draw to us our own
throughout the world. Let us draw upon our Masonic Charity and accord full and
free recognition to the Masons of France and Masons of Belgium who have won the
right of recognition ;n the long fight for Liberty. Ours to remember We are
Masons All--All for One, One for All.
Every energy of a world-united Masonry will soon be needed
to repair damages done, succor our halt and maimed brethren, and cast our bread
upon the waters for the widows and the orphans. Once united under the Great
Lights of Liberty and Masonry which are synonymous, any recurrence of a
cataclysm like that through which we are passing will be impossible. John Lewin
McLeish, Ohio.
******
Three "Yes" Votes.
Shall the several Grand Lodges issue charters to Military
Lodges during the period of the great war? Yes.
If so, shall each jurisdiction issue such charters as it
pleases? Yes.
If not, shall American Grand Lodges permit their members to
attend French and Belgian lodges during the period of the war? Yes. C. M.
Schenck, Colorado.
***
Grand Lodge Action Necessary. I favor the granting of
charters to Military Lodges for the duration of the war. I would not say
restrict the number allowed each regiment to a single Lodge, but only one Grand
Lodge should grant charters for the same regiment.
If regiments are organized by States, then the Grand Lodge
of that particular State should have exclusive jurisdiction of that regiment,
unless it or its Grand Master declines to charter Military Lodges. In that case,
any adjoining Grand Lodge should be at liberty to act. These details could be
easily arranged by correspondence of the Grand Masters or by a Grand Masters'
Conference.
Your last question whether American Grand Lodges should
permit their members to visit French and Belgian lodges during the war is a
large one. It opens up the whole vexed question of "recognition." I can not say
that, with the present Lights before me, I favor it, though I should be
delighted to see a complete understanding among American, French and Belgian
Masons.
It will doubtless be found that Grand Masters are powerless
to act in most jurisdictions in the matter of chartering Military Lodges or in
authorizing fraternal visitation of French and Belgian Lodges, and that Grand
Lodge action will be necessary. O. D. Street, Alabama.
******
Let Masonry Bind the Allies. This is an exceedingly
interesting question! If our Military brethren demand the "Comforts" of Masonry
in their Regiments why should they be denied? The matter of territorial
jurisdiction need not stand in the way; to my mind this is the one and only
objection.
Each Grand Lodge should grant charters to Regiments hailing
from their Jurisdiction, making a ruling that only men of that Regiment should
be initiated.
In this way a Regiment on foreign service becomes its own
territorial jurisdiction, and if the needs of the service call for more than one
Lodge, let the charter be applied for with the knowledge and consent of the
others. The courtesy of visiting and receiving visitors should be extended and
encouraged between Grand Jurisdictions which are in fraternal recognition, of
which each Lodge could be kept advised. If this Great War is going to bind
America and her Allies closer together, why should not Masonry be one of the
bonds ? Freemasonry owes its existence largely to the Military Lodges of the
Revolutionary period; the trowel and the sword are old companions, and future
generations may again bless their union. J. L. Carson, Virginia.
* * * Closer Relations Needed. I see no reason why the
several Grand Lodges should not issue charters to Military Lodges during the
period of the great war. Such action has been common in past wars and seems to
have been productive of excellent results.
It seems to me that it would not be possible, with our lack
of general organization, to arrange for anything like a parceling out of the
regiments among the several Grand Lodges. In my judgment each Grand Lodge, or
Grand Master, would have to use its own judgment in action upon petitions for
dispensations or warrants.
I do not see how our American Grand Lodges can consistently
permit their members to visit the French Lodges, as unfortunately the English,
and I believe most of the American Lodges, are not in relation with French
Masonry. I sincerely hope that out of this war will come a closer relation
between the American and English Masons and their Brothers on the Continent.
Frederick W. Hamilton, Massachusetts.
History Justifies It. It is my opinion that should the need
of Military Lodges arise it should be met by the several Grand Lodges. The need
of more than one Lodge in a regiment would hardly occur, and caution should be
used not to exceed the actual need.
History affords ample justification for the granting of
charters to Military Lodges, and where granted with due consideration of the
need and carefulness in the choice of its Master and Wardens and with the
understanding that it must use the utmost care in not interfering with the
Masonic jurisdiction where it may be stationed, would promote the practice of
Masonic principles when they were most needed and at a time when Masons are
removed from the refining influences of home with watchful mother, affectionate
sister or loving wife and daughters. Even though the several Grand Lodges
permitted their members to visit the French and Belgian Lodges, (which, until a
broader conception of Freemasonry is more generally diffused, is of doubtful
accomplishment), the failure of Americans to understand the language spoken
would make it a real symbolic Masonry; very fine for the Masonic student but
hardly filling the requirement of the soldier.
There may have been cases which made it questionable as to
the advisability of chartering Military Lodges, but there have also been cases
where there was an abuse of Masonic principles in regular lodges. A Military
Lodge composed of just and upright Masons, zealous to uphold the principles and
practice the virtues of Freemasonry, and fulfilling their duty to their country
by offering their lives, can reflect nothing but credit on our time-honored
Craft; while denying them the privilege would be an unnecessary hardship, and
many a brother would feel that should he die in a distant land, even the last
rites of Masonry would not be given him.
The Masonry of the heart as well as the head tells us to
grant the worthy soldier brethren charters when the need is sufficient. Silas
H. Shepherd, Wisconsin. * *
Let This War Free Masonry. It is very trite to say that
this great war is changing the face of the world, but it is a deeply true
saying. No age has seen such a religious revival as has swept France since 1914;
no age has seen such industrial progress as England has accomplished in her
factories since 1914; no age has seen such patriotism as Belgium has evidenced
since 1914; no age has seen one hundred millions of human beings grasp liberty
as has Russia since 1914. The cost has been, and for months will yet be, most
terrible. The cost demands results. This is the time for Masons to live Masonry
or else Masonry becomes an outworn ritualism. Our petty territorial jealousies
must not prevent our brothers in the trenches from a full enjoyment of the
solaces of the Craft. Blind misunderstandings must not separate us from our
heroic brother Masons of France. This is the hour for American Masonry ! Rising
in the beauty of vital truth she must free Masonry from outworn barriers. Let us
give full recognition to Masonry in Belgium, in France, yes, and in Germany. The
Square and Compass should know no restrictions that will divide the allies of
democracy. The Grand Masters of American Masonry have the responsibility and the
opportunity; American Freemasons look to them for epoch making leadership. We do
not dare to fail this hour.
- George E. Frazer, Illinois.
----o----
THE SYMBOLISM OF NUMBERS
BY BRO. H.A. KINGSBURY, CONNECTICUT
THAT metaphorical road along which the Mason travels in his
progress through the degrees of the Blue Lodge is flanked upon each side by
many, many road signs directing his attention to various by-paths leading to
interesting fields of investigation and study. A large number of these signs
have been at least partially obliterated by the destroying hands of the Prestons
and the Webbs but, however it may be with those directing the student's
attention to Sun Worship, Persian Mysteries, Egyptian Mysteries, Symbolism of
Geometrical Figures, Symbolism of the Bible, and so forth, there is one series
of signs the units of which have not had their legends even partially
obliterated, and which all still plainly bear the same direction to the
traveler--"To the Study of the Symbolism of Numbers." Yet, in spite of the
frequent repetitions of this direction, many Masons hurry along, not even
realizing that there are any such signs and totally neglecting a field of study
that, as even the below-given short excursion along one of these paths ought to
show, is well worthy of cultivation.
Only the numbers one to ten inclusive will be here
considered and, of those, only the most important-- Three and Seven--will be at
all expanded upon, as to treat each of the ten at all fully would convert what
is intended as little more than a brief synopsis into a lengthy treatise.
That all of the numbers from one to ten are respectively
referred to in Masonry, and presented for contemplation, can be shown by many
examples, and the discovery of them furnishes an interesting and instructive
occupation for the student. To take one set of references only--one of the sets
brought forward by the Lodge itself--the briefest consideration calls to mind
that:--
There is one Master; there are two Wardens; three
supporting Pillars; four sides to the Lodge, marking the Four Cardinal Points;
five elected primary officers; six Jewels; seven operative working tools
necessary to the symbolic building of a proper Lodge, i. e., the six usual
Working Tools plus the Compasses; when the Lodge is in the form of the Double
Square (as it should be) the two Squares present eight right-angles; there are
nine primary officers, excluding the Tyler, and ten primary officers in all.
First, to review most briefly certain phases of the
significances of these various numbers except Three and Seven, and, then, to
take up Three and Seven for somewhat detailed consideration:--
One, the Monad, is the symbol of the Male Principle in
Nature.
Two, the Duad, is the symbol of the Female Principle in
Nature. It is also the symbol of Antagonism, of Good and Evil, Light and
Darkness, Osiris and Typhoon.
Four is the number of the Tetragrammaton or Four-Lettered
Name which, in the original Hebrew, consists of four letters. Scriptural
references to this number are very frequent. Out of the Garden of Eden flowed
four rivers. Zechariah saw four chariots coming from between the mountains of
brass. Ezekiel saw four living creatures each with four faces and four wings.
And St. John saw four beasts.
Five, made up, as it is, of the first odd number, rejecting
unity, and the first even number, is the symbol of that mixed condition of order
and disorder existing in the world.
Six is the number of the angles of the Six-Pointed Star
formed by the two interlaced Equilateral Triangles and, so, calls attention to
that ancient talisman, the Seal of Solomon or Shield of David.
Eight, the cube of the first even number, was held by the
Pythagoreans to signify Friendship, Prudence, Counsel, and Justice. Christian
symboligists consider it the symbol of Resurrection because Christ rose on the
eighth day, that is to say, the day (Sunday) after the seventh day (Saturday).
Nine is the number of the angles in that Triple Triangle
formed by placing three equal Equilateral Triangles with their apices meeting in
a common point and the Triangles radiating from that point with the angle
separating each Triangle from the next equal to sixty degrees--the jewel of the
Prelate of the Templars. As the Equilateral Triangle is the symbol of Deity so
the Triple Triangle composed of three Equilateral Triangles is the symbol of the
Triple Essence of Deity or, to the Christian, the Mystery of the Trinity.
Ten, being the number of the dots in the Tetractys, calls
the attention of the student to that great Pythagorean symbol. This number is
the symbol of Perfection, and for this reason--it is the sum of the numbers
Three and Seven.
THE NUMBER THREE
To cite more than a few of the very large number of
references in Masonry to the number Three could serve no useful purpose, as it
is far better that the student investigate the matter for himself. But, for a
few of the more obvious examples, it will be noted that there are three
occurrences of each of the following: degrees in Craft Masonry; Great Lights;
Lesser Lights; Fellowcraft's Working Tools; Movable Jewels; Immovable Jewels;
Supporting Pillars, and lighted Cardinal Points. Also there are all the various
incidents of Three that follow directly from the fact that there are three
degrees, as three positions of the Square and Compasses, and so forth.
Three, among practically all the ancient peoples, was
considered the most significant of all the numbers and was, in many of the
ancient religions, the number of certain of the attributes of many of the gods.
For example, Jove's thunder bolt was three-forked, and Cerebus, the dog of
Hades, had three heads. The Druids' ceremonies contained many references to it.
And in the rites of Mithras and in those of Hindustan are many important
references to it.
Three, as the sum of the Monad and the Duad, is,
symbolically, the result of the addition of the Male Principle, symbolized by
the Monad, and the Female Principle, symbolized by the Duad, and, thus, plainly
becomes the symbol of the Creative Power. It is also the symbol of the
three-fold nature of Deity--He who comprises the Generative Power, the
Productive Capacity, and the Result, and who is the Creator, the Preserver, and
the Destroyer.
THE: NUMBER SEVEN
As stated by Mackey, "the symbolic Seven is to be found in
a hundred ways over the whole Masonic system." This statement is so true and the
discovery of those many references is so interesting and profitable to the
student that no attempt is made here to gather them together. But no student who
neglects to make an effort to discover them can get out of Masonry all that it
has to offer him.
Seven is referred to in practically all of the ancient
religions. There were seven altars before the god Mithras. In the Persian
Mysteries there were seven caverns. The Goths had seven Deities and in the
Gothic Mysteries the candidate met with seven obstructions. References in the
Scriptures to Seven are almost innumerable. To cite but a very few:--
Noah had seven days notice of the commencement of the
Deluge. The clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens. The ark came to rest
on Mt. Ararat in the seventh month. The intervals between the dispatching of the
doves from the ark were seven days each. Solomon was seven years building the
Temple. And the Temple was dedicated in the seventh month, the feast lasting
seven days.
The few examples given above of the occurrences of
references to the number Seven indicate the peculiar veneration in which that
number has been held from the most ancient times. Its different symbolical
meanings are nearly as numerous as the different systems of religious philosophy
in which it occurs. But, to the Mason, following the teachings of "our ancient
friend and brother, the great Pythagoras," it may well be the symbol of
Perfection, this significance being plainly derivable from the fact that Seven
is the sum of the numbers Three and Four, the numbers of the two perfect
figures--the Triangle and the Square.
In concluding it is emphasized that the above statements of
the significances of the various numbers are but a very small proportion of the
many that might be made. There are many symbolic meanings assigned to each of
the numbers and, by investigation, each student can find, among that large
number of interpretations, at least one meaning for each number that will appeal
to him and which will imbue Masonry with new life and new interest and will help
to convert what has, perhaps, become (through no fault of Masonry) a "dry as
dust" series of actions and words into a living system of instruction in morals,
philosophy, ancient history, and symbolism.
----o----
LIVE OUT THY LIFE
A creed is a rod
And a crown is of the night;
But this thing is of God:--
To be a man with all thy might;
To grow straight in the strength of thy spirit,
And live out thy life in the light.
--Swinburne.
----o----
RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
BY BRO. J. GEORGE GIBSON, ENGLAND
Recently there have appeared certain, and I may say almost
numerous papers, which have dealt in a kind of way with this subject, although
not invariably as clearly as might have been expected from a consideration of
the names of the writers. And it has appeared that there must be something to
allow for in the fact that the very approach was not quite so definitely an
attempt to deal with the matter on its own merits as an attempt to treat the
subject comparatively. In order that Masons may seat once just what is the
relation of the Craft to both these experiences or studies may we not try first
of all to know exactly what Religion is, and what Philosophy? And a description
or definition should be such that it will not only agree with the totality of
the functions of each, but will also exclude all else. May I then at once
venture to define Religion as "That course of life which is lived in reference
to the authority of the Supreme Creator and Ordainer of the Universe." The usual
Masonic description of the LORD as the Great Author of the Universe is not
enough for Masons, and does not take in much that is essential and
indispensable. If we substitute Architect for Author we do not improve things
very much. A Religion cannot continue in reference to something which has been
and IS NOT. We cannot refer all our lives to antiquity. There must be something,
or some being now existent and life-giving whom we may worship and serve. The
death of the King sets free the subject. Only the continuance of that King in
his successors maintains the authority. If the Supreme Being created and then
left the active work of the world in other hands having no reference to Himself
then we cannot serve. Consequently we cannot serve tables, nor books, nor
traditions, nor antiquities of any kind whatsoever. You cannot found a religion
upon the VSL unless that Book is venerated as the Word of a living Author and
King. Religion is a vitality and needs a vital Spirit, or it soon becomes a mere
ritualism. If once upon a time there was a real Triune, but now that has been
left out of all account, the 3, 4, 5 triangle means nothing vital to Masons. If,
however, there now is to be identified the same triune, the matter is altogether
different. Religion is the life of the present that is lived in reference to the
Supreme living Spirit of the Present. Grant the fact of a presently living
triune of the Divine and we have at once the reason for the present religion
that is built upon the Faith that accepts the fact of the authority for the Life
that is true religion. The WORD that once lived but is now dead has no authority
over the life of the modern mind. But if that WORD did not die but lives ever,
then religion is vital in reference to that WORD. Traditional accretions may
have beclouded our view of the Ancient Fact of the Divine Life, and the
superstitions that are born of these accretions may bewilder us at times. But so
long as the inner light of our Conscience and spiritual experience is pure and
prevailing we may leave the superstitions to take care o themselves or give
place to the light of TRUTH. The words of the VSL may seem to lend themselves to
meanings that are out of accord with the Truth at times, but only to those in
whose heart and life there is not the approach of a RELIGION. We may read what
we like into the Sacred Volume, but to the pure all things are pure; and if we
approach the Word we find the WORD whatever the words may seem to mean. We
cannot make a greater mistake than by supposing that because the words may
appear to be archaic the WORD is inapplicable to the life of a religious
experience. We may even have differing opinions as to the Scriptures; but there
are in all the varieties of our view and vision outlines that are common in
every human experience. This is the experience of the Mason; and this is the
reason why all Masons have regard and veneration toward the VSL.
It seems strange, but really the old view of a hostile
Science is disproved by human experience, since the very Religion which so many
are willing to trace to superstition is derived from Philosophy. Is this heresy?
That philosophy as well as Religion may be called progressive we do not deny.
And we further are prepared to assert that the very first religious desire
proceeded from the revelation that followed philosophical study. Even the fear
which some are so ready to describe as the origin of religion could not exist
without the study of things as they appeared to the first inquirer. Philosophy
is the love of and the search for WISDOM rather than that for mere knowledge.
Its birth as a study we may find pictured in the Eden Story. The mother of the
Religionist then is Philosophy, and as Philosophy has not yet concluded her work
so the nature of Religion must be capable of further light. This implies no
disrespect to the wording of the VSL, for since the modern criticism proceeded
there has been a light shed upon the very wording of the Sacred Law which has
many times over increased the glory of the ancient writings of all ages. Nay,
the very authority of philosophy is not doubt, but Faith. Philosophy is not only
iconoclastic, but is reverent and filled with the desire to find only the Truth.
In the realm of Religion the services of Philosophy are beyond value.
It may be said, though without truth, that Revelation is
here slighted. It is nothing of the kind. Revelation is a function of the
Divine, and philosophy but makes the natural and wise use of its transcendent
approach. The Authority for Revelation speaks in dreams, which one man
understands and another treats as a symptom of a disordered mind. It speaks of
mysteries that philosophic study can elucidate but credulity obscures all with.
He who is seeking Wisdom finds it in all obscurity: he who seeks anything else
is often apt to get lost himself. The ignorant religionist observes phenomena,
but cannot classify and relate them. The student from that which is seen feels
his way to that which shall appear. The superstitious find the ancient scroll
and press it to their bosom as something sacred though not understanded of the
people. The scientist gathers other similars together and arranges all so that
from the totality of the product of research there comes a fine truth and a new
light upon the old way of pilgrimage.
Even outside the relations of Masons to the VSL we find
Philosophy enlightening the path of the simple. In the field of practical
theology of late years there has been going on a strongly marked conflict
between the old and the new schools of thought. This has been little more than
the war that must take place between the obscurantist and the credulous in every
school when the eyes of philosophy are turned upon the newer manifestations of
the revealed religion. It is the old order changing and giving place to the new.
It implies no conquest of the orthodox by the heretical. The upshot is the
enlightenment of the old orthodoxy by the light that superstition had covered
with a bushel of prejudice. A consequence is that what older forms of thought
permitted are now seen to be out of question in the life of one of the
illumined. And the things which once were regarded as the whole law and
everything, are made to stand revealed as but a very small part of it. What once
was an act of benevolence is now but the merest duty of a Mason. How wonderfully
has the incidence of life changed during the last twenty years. We can remember
that the area of the religious life was very circumscribed. Today there is the
greatest difficulty in finding space for a merely secular act. The altars which
once were barely tolerated in church are to be met with in the forum and in the
home. Standards are revised in regard to all the functions of Man's life.
Even Religion itself is not respected in the same
superstitious way as formerly. Its authority is no longer the custom of the
Fathers, for we have examined its demands by scientific methods and are
convinced that its authority is in the NOW as much as it ever was in the will of
the ancients. There is less perhaps of the sounding of the charge against SIN in
the method of the enlightened; but the grip Man is taking of the neck of shame
and iniquity is none the less tenaceous. In every department of life, in all the
walks of Man, in each of the experiences of the Human mind it is more and more
evident that an enlightened Religion is a stronger power than all superstition
could boast. Never was the VSL held in such veneration as it is now, for never
as now did men learn to read by the Spirit and break away from the tutelage of
the mere letter. Religion depends today as never before upon true and reverent
Science; and the greater and more truly we find philosophy opening out the
vistas of Religion the better will that religion be. For religion at its best is
the corolla of Philosophy.
----o----
TO BUILD A MAN
To build a house or build a man is very much the same:
You have to think, you have to plan, you cannot build by
guess.
The same foundation you began before you built the frame
A man must have before he can arise to a success.
Build then upon the solid earth with fundamental things -
Courageous faith and solid worth that do not change or fail
A lot of work, a little mirth, and fellowship that brings
The brotherhood of man to birth whatever ills assail
And on that good foundation rear the man you mean to be,
On life's hard road a pioneer for other men who toil,
A temple of both love and cheer in your community,
A house to others very near upon the comman soil.
With faith in men that does not tire, keep blazing in your
heart
A constant beacon to inspire the hearts of others, too.
When hopes of other men expire, when all their dreams
depart,
Give them a brand from your own fire to kindle them anew.
And you shall stand a shelter then to ev'ry passer-by
A hospice unto other men who journey down the way
To set them on their feet again the road again to try -
A house of help and comfort when the pilgrim goes astray.
What were a house, admittance to its fellowship denied?
What pleasure such a house to you, whose roof you do not
share ?
What were a man who never threw his own heart open wide
That men their courage might renew, rebuild their visions
there ?
Build such a house by such a plan in such a life as this
No single creed or single clan forbidden to your breast,
Your house a waiting wanigan when men the highway miss,
Your heart a hearth where any man shall be a welcome guest.
- Douglas Mallock.
----o----
THEY WAIT FOR YOU
Look not, O friend, with unavailing tears
Into the Past - look to the brave young years !
Look to the Future: all is there in wait,
All that you fought for by the broken gate -
The faith that faltered and the hope that fell,
The song that died into a lonely knell.
It is all there - the love that went astray
With bitter cries on that remembered day;
The joys that were so needed by the heart,
And all the tender dreams you saw depart.
Nothing is lost forever that the soul
Cried out for: all is waiting at the goal.
- Edwin Markham.
----o----
Be useful where thou livest, that they may
Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still.
Kindness, good parts, great places are the way
To compass this. Find out men's wants and will,
And meet them there. All worldly joys go less
To the one joy of doing kindnesses.
- George Herbert
----o----
To live or to die apart is beyond the scope of the
individual destiny, for in the eye of God each man that lives is the keeper not
of his own but of his brother's soul. - Ellen Glasgow.
----o----
THE PILLARS OF THE PORCH
BY BRO. JOHN W. BARRY, GRAND MASTER, IOWA
PART III.
In cut No. 34 is shown the rock beneath the dome. It is the
sacred rock, the threshing floor of Ornan--the spot upon which Abraham was about
to sacrifice Isaac. Under the rock is a large cavern, believed to be the
sepulchre of the Kings of Israel from David to Hezekiah.
When the very foundations of buildings are no more, the
contemporaneous coins used as money often remain and afford valuable
information. While the Jews coined but little, especially in the earlier times,
yet there are some of value to the matter under consideration. In 65 A. D. the
Jews revolted against their Roman governors, and A. Eleazer, a Jewish high
priest, issued coins upon which is a representation of the Temple. See cut No.
35, from Madden's Jewish Coinage. Its value to the question in hand is found in
the fact that it was the work of a Jewish high priest for the Jews, at a time
when the inspiration of the Temple was needed, and that the temple so shown is
in harmony with the buildings heretofore described. It will be noticed that this
Jewish high priest in preparing a coin that might help inspire his countrymen to
heroic deeds for their liberty, did not show a temple with pillars projecting
above it like twentieth century smokestacks.
There are two other views of the Temple, which on account
of their growing use in lodge work will be given here. In cut No. 36 is shown
Solomon's Temple by Rev. T. O. Paine, of Boston, who has written and published a
most superbly illustrated book on the subject, showing the Temple in radically
different light from any previous conception of it. You will note that it is
wider and wider toward the top. He claims that, as above shown, it corresponds
with "Holy writ" to the very minutest detail. He makes Jachin and Boaz eighteen
cubits high, and gives even the weight of the metal in the shafts as thirty tons
each. Cut No. 37 shows the Jachin or Boaz as, he says, they are described in the
Bible.
James Ferguson, an eminent architect of London, has issued
an exhaustive work entitled "The Temples of The Jews." He submits scale drawings
of Jachin and Boaz, showing them to have been eighteen cubits high. To Herod's
Temple he gives particular attention and submits three elaborate drawings of it.
One of these drawings is used in slides showing "The Holy City," and is given
now to make it clear that it is not intended to represent the Temple of Solomon.
though the pillars in its porch are eighteen cubits high, as in Solomon's. It is
seen in cut No. 38. Ferguson is responsible for the central building only, and
for nothing else shown.
Heretofore attention has been directed to such buildings as
were in point. However, there is another line of evidence entitled to our
highest respect. It is the opinions of Masonic investigators, Bible students,
and architects, each of which classes having considered Jachin and Boaz worthy
of very careful research and painstaking investigation. Naturally that which
appeals to us most strongly is the ---
OPINIONS OF MASONIC INVESTIGATORS
Eighteen cubits is the height assigned to Jachin and Boaz
in "The Symbols of Masonry," by Jacob Earnst, a Mason of high degree, and on
pages 266 and 267 he continues as follows: "In our rituals we have heard them
referred to as thirty and five cubits in height, with chapiters o f five cubits,
which conveys the idea that they were forty cubits in height--a very
inconsiderable degree of altitude in proportion to their circumference, and not
consistent with the rules of architecture, and which certainly gives a very
erroneous impression."
Albert G. Mackey, in his "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry,"
says that the pillars of Jachin and Boaz are very important symbols. He devotes
seven columns to their discussion; shows that they were eighteen cubits high,
that they were within the porch and supported the entablature, and adds: "It is
evident, from their description in Kings, that the pillars of the porch of King
Solomon's Temple were copied from the pillars of Egyptian temples." See pages
583 to 587, inclusive. In corroboration of Earnst and Mackey, might be cited a
few other Masonic authorities, thus: Jeremiah Howe, page 416; Reynold's
Mysteries of Masonry, page 348; Mackenzie's Royal Masonic Encyclopedia, page
565; George Kennig, page 561, and, in short, as I verily believe, all others
that ever wrote on the subject.
BIBLE STUDENTS
Because of the important symbolism and because of the
peculiar and possibly somewhat obscure statement in Chronicles III-15, Jachin
and Boaz have been most attractive subjects to Hebrew students and commentators
on the Bible. While they differ in many particulars regarding the Temple, yet
they all, so far as I could examine, are agreed that the true height of Jachin
and Boaz was eighteen cubits. Smith's Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1), page 688, puts
it as follows: "The front of the porch was supported, after the manner of some
Egyptian temples, by two great brazen pillars, Jachin and Boaz, eighteen cubits
high, with capitals of five cubits more." In like manner might be cited,
confirming eighteen cubits as the true height, the following: Philip Schaff
(Vol. IV), page 2314; J.T. Bannister's Temples of the Jews, page 107; James
Hasting's Bible Dictionary, page 308; McClintock & Strong's work on the Bible,
pages 725 and 841; William Whiston, Joseph B. Lightfoot, T. O. Paine, and others
beyond the limits of my time or your patience.
ARCHITECTS
No ancient building has been so fruitful a source of
discussion among architects as Solomon's Temple, and though their opinions vary
widely in many particulars, yet as to the true height of Jachin and Boaz, their
views coincide. Eighteen cubits is the height agreed upon, and James Ferguson,
before referred to, who has given exhaustive study to the Temple of Solomon,
submits a scale drawing showing the height to have been eighteen cubits, and
says: "This height, with the other members, makes the whole design reasonable
and proper." See his "Temples of the Jews," page 157. E. C. Hakewill, page 55 of
his work on the Temple, confirms this view. Also F. H. Lewis, G. E. Street, R.
S. Poole, and in fact all without exception, so far as I could learn, who have
investigated the subject.
JOSEPHUS
What may be called the direct evidence regarding Solomon's
Temple is confined to Josephus and the Bible. But on the point under
consideration both sources are full, complete, and conclusive. In "The
Antiquities of the Jews," by Josephus, page 251, Book VIII, Chapter III, the
most renowned work of Hiram Abiff is thus described: "Moreover this Hiram made
two hollow pillars, whose outsides were of brass; and the thickness of the brass
was four fingers breadth, and the height of the pillars was eighteen cubits, and
their circumference twelve cubits; but there was cast with each of their
chapiters lily-work, that stood upon the pillar, and it was elevated five
cubits; round about there was net-work interwoven with small palms, made of
brass and covered the lily-work. To this was also hung two hundred pomegranates
in two rows. The one of these pillars he set at the entrance of the porch on the
right hand and called it "Jachin," and the other at the left hand and called it
"Boaz."
THE BIBLE
The Bible, the one all-sufficient witness, has been
reserved until the last. The Bible record is in four separate books, and three
of them are so clear as not to admit of a doubt. The fourth, when but the single
verse is read, is not so clear, but in connection with the other verses of the
chapter is equally specific, therefore, for the better understanding, the verses
in connection will be given:
II. CHRONICLES, III-10 TO 15, INCLUSIVE.
"10. And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of
image work, and overlaid them with gold.
"11. And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits
long, one wing of one cherubim was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the
house, and the other was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other
cherubim.
"12. And one wing of the other cherubim was five cubits,
reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing was five cubits also,
joining the wing of the other cherubim.
"13. The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth
twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet and their faces were inward.
"14. And he made a vail of blue and purple, and crimson I
fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
15. And he made before the house two pillars of thirty five
cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of EACH of them was five
cubits."
In verse 11, the wings of the cherubim are said to be
twenty cubits long, meaning the united length of the four wings. Again, in verse
13, the wings are given as twenty cubits, but as before, the meaning is the
united length of the four wings. In the same way the two pillars are given as
thirty and five cubits high, meaning, as in the case of the wings, the united
length of the two pillars as they stood in the porch. The language is very
precise. Notice: "Two pillars of thirty and five cubits high"--not each, but the
two together. And then following immediately this: "And the chapiter that was on
the top of each of them was five cubits high." Where is the warrant here for the
statement so familiar to us all, namely: "They were each thirty and five cubits
in height, adorned with chapiters of five cubits, or forty cubits in all ?"
At the first blush, there is a slight discrepancy, for if
the pillars were each eighteen cubits high, then would their united length or
height have been thirty six cubits instead of thirty-five? Hebrew scholars and
other investigators have almost uniformly accounted for this apparent
discrepancy as follows: At the joint of the chapiter and pillar, the chapiter
overlaps the pillar a one-half cubit, making the united length of the pillars,
as measured standing in the porch, appear to be thirty-five cubits. A few others
contend that the pillars were sunk into the base or foundation, so that when
measured standing in the porch their united height appeared to be thirty-five
cubits. It would seem that a one-half cubit lap at the top would be too much,
and it is, therefore, probable that both contentions are right, except that the
lap at the top was only four or five inches, and the sinking into a socket at
the base about the same, making nine inches or a one-half cubit. Recent
explorations in the Troad carry this compromise view almost to a demonstration.
The Troad, made immortal by Homer's Iliad, contains the city of Assos, lying a
short distance north of Smyrna, Asia Minor. Here in 1881-2 J.T. Clarke, in
behalf of the Archaeological Institute of America, excavated a large tomb,
corresponding in every detail to the tombs of the kings at Jerusalem, and dating
from the seventh century B.C., and also a temple contemporaneous with that of
Solomon. There is still standing there a doric pillar, sunk into the foundation
and held in place by lead poured round the base, much as water mains are now
joined. (See reports of the Archaeological Institute of America.) Assuming that
Jachin and Boaz were set this like this Assos pillar, then is the apparent
discrepancy in the Bible fully accounted for by a column contemporaneous with
the Temple of Solomon, and still standing, at Assos.
However, the height of Jachin and Boaz is given in three
other books of the Bible, and is not mentioned in any other place than as here
indicated. The statement is so clear that no explanation or outside reference is
needed. Hear and weigh this testimony:
FIRST KINGS, VII-15. "For he cast two pillars of brass of
eighteen cubits high apiece, and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of
them about."
SECOND KINGS, XXV-17. "The height of one pillar was
eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass."
JEREMIAH, LII-21 AND 22. "And concerning the pillars, the
height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a fillet of twelve cubits did
compass it, and the thickness thereof was four fingers; it was hollow and a
chapiter of brass was upon it; the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with
network of pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass. The second
pillar, also, and the pomegranates, were like unto these."
CONCLUSION
The foregoing Bible records are so precise, each witness so
confirming the others, that together they must carry conviction to every one
that can believe the evidence of recorded history. But even were there no Bible
records, the circumstantial evidence adduced is so strong that the main facts
would be apparent. For to the men who could construct such a building as
Solomon's Temple must be accorded full and accurate knowledge not alone of the
best buildings of their time, but of the best building methods as well. Think of
it, here is a building thirty feet wide, ninety feet long, and forty-five feet
high, and from the drawings alone its several parts are made to size and shape
in the mountains and quarries, and, when assembled, they fit with such perfect
accuracy and all is so well done that the building stands four hundred and
nineteen years, and no doubt would be standing today had it not been wantonly
destroyed in war time. At least contemporaneous buildings are still standing,
and the Dome of Rock, on the site of Solomon's Temple, has already stood nearly
two thousand years. It would, therefore, be reasonable to conclude that the
builders of Solomon's Temple had full knowledge of the temples on the Nile, and
no building has ever been found there or elsewhere in which the pillars of the
porch were higher than the building. Why then charge the builders of Solomon's
Temple with such a blunder ?
Again, so well was Solomon's Temple constructed, so
excellent architecturally that it was for centuries the type of Grecian
architecture, and was many times duplicated in its main architectural features.
A few contemporaneous buildings remain to us to this day, as have been shown, at
Paestum and other points, and in no case are the pillars of the porch higher
than the main building, but in every case are in strict accord with the Bible
records of Solomon's Temple, confirming and demonstrating the proposition that
Jachin and Boaz were as given, "eighteen cubits high apiece."
----o----
A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to atheism, but
depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion. --Bacon.
----o----
ST. JOHN'S DAY IN HARVEST: 1717
BY BRO. SILAS H. SHEPHERD, WISCONSIN
It is a custom to celebrate the anniversary of certain
events which have, to a great extent, produced results of lasting good. If we
were to celebrate the anniversary of all the great events in the history of the
world we would have occasion to celebrate early every day of the year; but we
limit these celebrations to those nearest our interests.
In Freemasonry, St. John's days are, by our customs and
usages, set apart as days on which "festival communications" may be held. St.
John the Baptist's Day, 1917, is the 200th anniversary of the formation of the
Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge from which every regular Grand Lodge
either directly or indirectly derives its authority, and we may well celebrate
the 200th anniversary with appropriate allusion to the events which then
transpired and the conditions which then prevailed.
It would be most welcome knowledge to every Masonic student
to know just what transpired at the so-called "revival" 200 years ago. We are,
however, seriously handicapped in our studies of that important event by having
no contemporaneous record of it. The record we depend upon is contained in the
second edition of Anderson's "Book of Constitutions" (1738) and reads as
follows:
"King George I. enter'd London most magnificently on 20
Sept. 1714. And after the Rebellion was over A. D. 1716, the few Lodges at
London finding themselves neglected by Sir Christopher Wren, thought fit to
cement under a Grand Master as the Centre of Union and Harmony, viz., the Lodges
that met,
"1. At the Goose and Gridiron Ale house in St. Paul's
Church-Yard.
"2. At the Crown Ale-house in Parker's-Lane near
Drury-Lane.
"3. At the Apple-Tree Tavern in Charles-street,
Covent-Garden.
"4. At the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Channel-Row,
Westminster.
"They and some old Brothers met at the said Apple-Tree
Tavern, and having put into the Chair the oldest Master Mason (now the Master of
a lodge) they constituted themselves a Grand Lodge pro Tempore in Due Form, and
forthwith revived the Quarterly Communication of the Officers of Lodges (call'd
the Grand Lodge) resolv'd to hold the Annual Assembly and Feast, and then to
chuse a Grand Master from among themselves, till they should have the Honor of a
Noble Brother at their Head.
"Accordingly, on St. John's Baptist's Day, in the 3rd year
of King George I., A.D. 1717, the Assembly and Feast of the Free and accepted
Masons was held at the foresaid Goose and Gridiron Ale-house.
"Before Dinner, the oldest Master Mason (now the Master of
a Lodge) in the Chair, proposed a List of proper Candidates; and the Brethren by
a Majority of Hands elected Mr. Anthony Sayer, Gentleman, Grand Master of Masons
(Mr. Jacob Lamball, Carpenter, Capt. Joseph Elliot, Grand Wardens) who being
forthwith invested with the Badges of Office and Power by the said oldest
Master, and install'd, was duly congratulated by the Assembly who pay'd him the
Homage.
"Sayer, Grand Master, commanded the Masters and Wardens of
Lodges to meet the Grand Officers every Quarter in Communication, at the Place
that he should appoint in his Summons sent by the Tyler."
Among the regulations which were adopted at this meeting
the most important was, "That the privilege of assembling as Masons, which had
been hitherto unlimited, should be vested in certain Lodges or Assemblies of
Masons convened in certain places; and that every Lodge to be hereafter
convened, except the four old Lodges at that time existing, should be legally
authorized to act by a warrant from the Grand Master for the time being, granted
to certain individuals by petition, with the consent and approbation of the
Grand Lodge in communication; and that without such warrant no Lodge should be
hereafter deemed regular or constitutional." This regulation may be considered
as the most far-reaching in its effects of any rule that has ever been made by
Masons for their government; it is the foundation of OUI present jurisprudence
in regard to regularity. It is also of historical importance, as it states that
the privilege of assembling had been "hitherto unlimited."
Three years after the formation of the Grand Lodge, in
1720, Grand Master Payne compiled the "General Regulations," the 39th of which
contained the following: "Every Grand Lodge has an inherent Power and Authority
to make new Regulations or to alter these, for the real Benefit of this ancient
Fraternity: Provided always that the old Land Marks be carefully preserv'd."
This regulation clearly shows a spirit of conformity to a basic law of an
ancient Fraternity.
The organization of the Grand Lodge in 1717 was called a
"revival" by the writers of the 18th and some of the writers of the 19th
century, and implicit faith was placed on the statement that Sir Christopher
Wren was Grand Master of a Grand Lodge that existed prior to 1717 and that he
had neglected the fraternity; but there is no evidence that Wren was even a
Mason and therefore none that he was Grand Master and there is great probability
that he was not. The "formation" or "organization" of the Grand Lodge of England
seems to be a more definite and appropriate expression of what actually
happened; for we are told by Anderson that they "constituted themselves a Grand
Lodge pro Tempore in due form" as their first act.
This formation or organization of the premier Grand Lodge
has been termed a "gigantic blunder" by a deep thinker and learned student of
Masonic fundamentals. He believes that the principle of co-operation was
subordinate to an "organization." We are sometimes in doubt as to where the
happy medium lies, and are inclined to believe we have it in the Freemasonry of
today. We know its weakness and its limitations, but they are the weakness and
the limitations of the individual and not the Fraternity. Its principles are
basically sound and if perverted it is mainly due to two causes, viz: the
Masonic politician and the careless investigating committee. Organization is a
necessity and where men are associated with each other it is necessary that they
give up a certain amount of personal freedom for the greater and more glorious
liberty of all. We do not wish to infringe on freedom of thought. The Freemason
is, first of all, an intelligent, free moral agent, and, so far as his
Freemasonry applies to the building of his own "Temple of Character," he is free
to interpret its laws, rules and regulations for himself; but when he associates
with others in the work of teaching the neophyte and in the general labors of
the Lodge he is subject to self imposed restrictions which he voluntarily
assumes.
From an historical standpoint the year 1717 is the most
important in Masonry. It is the date which divides the laws of Masonry into the
ancient customs and usages and the modern regulations, laws and edicts; it also
in a great measure divides the known from the unknown, for previous to the
formation of the Grand Lodge in 1717 we had but few authentic facts on which we
can rely. Brother G. W. Speth, in his splendid "Masonic Curriculum" describes
the need of a chart for the use of the Masonic navigator on the sea of Masonic
history, and, after giving his opinion of the value of Gould's "History of
Freemasonry" as such a chart, says:
"We rise from the perusal of this book with one fact
tolerably well impressed upon our minds, viz., that in the middle of our ocean
lies an island, A. D. 1717, the period at which our Craft underwent a
reorganization of some sort; and we are conscious that between this island and
our own shores lies a tract which is fairly well mapped out, but that beyond it
extends a waste with scarcely a sounding more than approximately indicated,
stretching away into the distant past. Our first effort must be to gain a clear
insight into this past: we shall not altogether succeed, and we shall possibly
never even approach the shore at the other side, although we may be able to fill
up many blanks, to discover solid ground here and there, mark the probable flow
of the current and take some additional soundings."
Brother R.F. Gould in his masterly essay on "Masonic
Symbolism" says: "I conceive that there is ground for reasonable conjecture,
whether the Symbolism of Masonry, to a considerable portion of which, even at
this day, no meaning can be assigned which is entirely satisfactory to an
intelligent mind, must not have culminated before the very earliest dawn of its
recorded history.' Also that it underwent a gradual process of decay, which was
arrested but only at the point we now have it, by passing into the control of
the Grand Lodge of England in 1717." Symbolic and traditional knowledge was of
great importance to the ancient world and it has been handed down through the
centuries, a priceless gift of the past to the present. Many of the most
important truths of philosophy survived the dark ages through hermetic,
Rosicrucian and Masonic sources; but with the invention of printing and later
the popular thought which came with the Reformation, men no longer relied to
such an extent on symbols and allegory; printed history replaced oral traditions
and the methods of the ancient form of instruction were replaced by ones more
adaptable to the conditions of the progressive age which was born with the
invention of printing and gradually developed a spirit of moral, political and
spiritual freedom which found its most pronounced expression in the English
Revolution of 1688. Taine says,* "With the constitution of 1688 a new spirit
appears in England. Slowly, gradually, the moral revolution accompanies the
social: man changes with the state, in the same sense and for the same causes;
character moulds itself to the situation; and little by little, in manners and
in literature, we see spring up a serious, reflective, moral spirit, capable of
discipline and independence which can alone maintain and give effect to a
constitution." Although the reaction of the rule of the sober, long-faced,
never-laughing puritan was carried to the opposite extreme and vices seemed to
be the most prominent trait of the Englishman of the Revolution and the decades
that followed it, there was an inner consciousness of moral responsibility which
was so well expressed in the writings of Addison, DeFoe, Pope, Berkeley and
others and which eventually found express | 
