THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY;
FROM THE BUILDING OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, AND ITS PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE CIVILIZED WORLD, DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.
THE ONLY HISTORY OF ANCIENT CRAFT MASONRY EVER PUBLISHED, EXCEPT A SKETCH OF FORTY-EIGHT PAGES BY DOCTOR ANDERSON IN 1723. TO WHICH IS ADDED THE HISTORY OF THE CRAFT IN THE UNITED STATES AND A WELL AUTHENTICATED ACCOUNT OF THE INITIATION AND PASSING OF THE HON. MRS. ALDWORTH, THE DISTINGUISHED AND ONLY LADY FREEMASON.
BY
J. W. S. MITCHELL, M. D.,
P. GRAND MASTER, P. G. HIGH PRIEST, AND P. E. COMMANDER OF MISSOURI.
VOLUME I.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.:
AMERICAN PUBLISHING HOUSE.
1858
PREFACE
TO
THE ELECTRONIC VERSION
The “Mitchell” history precedes both Robert Gould’s 6-volume History (1885) and Albert Mackey’s 7-volume history (1898). Prior to 1858, there was nearly a void of Masonic history, save for such as “Anderson’s Constitutions” (1723) and the “Monitorial” work of those such as Preston and Webb.
Dr. James W.S. Mitchell (PGM of Missouri) was the first to venture a major history, with a distinct bias toward the Antients. In the end, between the quality of the actual books (two volumes, bearing few graphics and published with small print), they are little known, today. It is perhaps validly said that Mitchell’s chief contribution was intellectual stimulation and contrast.
In 1858 Mitchell published “The History of Freemasonry and Masonic Digest.” By 1869 it was in its seventh edition, ranking second only to the works of Preston and Oliver; it was the most widely-read Masonic book in America. Vol. I of that edition contains 720 pages; Vol. II contains another 719 pages. Together, they covered the histories of Operative Masonry, Speculative Masonry, the High Grades, the Egyptian Mysteries, and included much material about Solomon; given that Mitchell followed Oliver in believing that Solomon was the first Grand Master.
Mitchell began his composition of Masonic history in 1855; ten years after Mackey published his “Lexicon;” containing a collection of brief articles and certain of Mackey's early Masonic theories. Both Mitchell and Mackey suffered from the void of reliable Masonic literature; there were no Masonic libraries. The authority up until that time was Oliver. Thus, Mitchell is entitled to credit for a massive undertaking, regardless of modern agreement with his views. Certainly, it took the best efforts of men such as Mitchell, Gould and Mackey to provide the foundation for modern Masonic history.
It should be noted that Mackey’s history was only half completed at the time of his death (1881); his work was completed and amended posthumously.
Mitchell’s work illustrates what was known, believed and practiced in Masonry in the United States, in the 1860s time frame – also the period of the American Civil War. Lacking a better foundation, Mitchell was obligated to reason and speculate, based on what little material was available; augmented by his best judgment and intuition. Certainly, Mitchell’s presented facts are both sincere and valuable, as are the facts presented in Oliver's books. Mitchell’s chapters on jurisprudence present an interesting set of positions on what was believed and practiced in the 1850's; that work being invaluable for comparison with modern jurisprudence.
Mitchell’s work was preceded by the "Baltimore Convention of 1843", held May 8th through the 17th, in an attempt to agree upon a standardized "mode of work" to be recommend to the various Grand Lodges. The intent being to create a Masonic ritual which could become the uniform standard in America.
The background to this convention came from the catechism form of the lectures of the day, which came to this country with Freemasonry. That system evolved from Anderson and Desaguliers; revised and "improved" by those such as Martin Clare, Thomas Dunkerly, William Hutchinson and William Preston.
The spread of the Prestonian work was largely credited to Thomas Smith Webb, who published his "Freemason's Monitor" in 1797. Webb supposedly received the Prestonian work from a pupil of Preston's, one John Hanmer. Webbs work was popularly received in almost every jurisdiction (Pennsylvania excepted). In general, the radical majority of the U.S. jurisdictions adopted some or all of Webb's modifications of Preston’s work. In turn, Webb's labors were greatly enhanced by Jeremy Cross, in his "True Masonic Chart," illustrated by the Connecticut engraver, Amos Doolittle. That work was the foundation of the art seen today on the various Masonic charts and lecture slides.
In the early days of Masonry in America, there was no standardized work. As described by Rob Morris: "The catechism being committed to memory the learner was supposed to possess the method of work, that is, the drill and drama, or ceremony of Masonry, which was made literally to conform to the lectures."
In the end, the Baltimore Convention adopted the lectures as taught by Thomas Smith Webb, making only three major changes of importance; recommending their adoption by the Grand Lodges, then in existence.
The matter of ‘ritual’ having been decided, the assembly of a viable history was mandated.
It is undisputable that Dr. Albert Mackey’s later illustrated encyclopedia and history prevailed in terms of both content and quality. While out of print by nearly a hundred years, the Mackey Encyclopedia (three volumes in its final format) and seven-volume History is also available in CD format.
Know James W.S. Mitchell:
PREFACE
IT has been said that the business of a historian is to detail facts unaccompanied by his opinions in favor of, or against particular theories. Others go further, and say that a theory in history is preposterous." Now all this sounds very well; as all men would be likely to agree in saying that the collation and proper arrangement of facts does indeed constitute history. But it is a question of grave importance, whether, under certain circumstances, it does not become the duty of the historian to do something more than this. How should we, at the present day, be able to arrive at a knowledge of some of the most important events of the middle ages, had not historians, after having detailed the known facts, reasoned tom cause to effect, in order to prove the existence of other facts, not self-evident ? One class of historians give us a very interesting and somewhat detailed account of the reign of Queen Semiramis, while another class, equally honest and intelligent, tell us that no such Queen ever lived, though both agree in stating the important facts of the supposed reign. Here is a palpable contradiction; and yet is it possible, by the use of other facts and reasonable deductions, drawn from thence, to determine which is right. Even at the present day, witnesses are being exhumed from the bowels of the earth, which, of themselves, speak no language now understood, but, when submitted to the antiquarian tests and compared with other and known developments, are made to testify of important truths which have been buried from the knowledge of men for ages past. It is a historical fact, that Cortes found a stone at the city of Mexico, so large that no man of his, or the present age, has been able to say by what power it had been elevated to its then situation. And must this mystery forever remain necessarily unsolved, because nothing can be found on record to explain it? On the contrary, should the means be discovered for raising similar bodies, would it not be the business of the historian, after detailing this fact, to reason upon the probability of the use of a similar power by the aborigines of Mexico? It is a historical fact, that the said stone contained a great number of devices and hieroglyphics, which could not be explained, even by the natives. And should this, or any future age, discover a key capable of clearly unraveling a part of these mystic symbols, may not the historian, after detailing this fact and its developments, proceed to explain the relative position of the remainder, and deduce from thence the probable reading of the whole?
In, like manner, where truth has been covered up, or mystified by fiction, it would seem to be the writer's duty to hunt up and bring to bear all accredited testimony within his reach. in order to lift the veil and expose the deception.
We have reason to believe that Masonry was, originally, a secret Society, and was, governed by laws known only to the members. We read of old manuscripts being in the hands of private members, at an early day, but we have evidence tending to show that those manuscripts bad reference alone to the fundamental laws, so far as they could be written, together with, such usages, as, at an early day, were not considered to belong exclusively to the Lodge room; and yet, even these were held to be exclusively the property of the initiated, and with which the world had no right to become acquainted.
Such, it is thought, was the condition of things until the seventeenth century, when some publications were made, but so meagre and unsatisfactory to the world, as to serve only to whet the curiosity of the lovers of ancient lore. Soon after the reorganization of Masonry in London; and the establishment of the present Grand Lodge system, a spirit of inquiry was set on foot by Grand Master Payne, for all reliable evidences of the true laws, usages, and, if possible, evidences of the history of the Society. As early as 1719, the Grand Lodge made a request to all private Masons, to bring, or send forward all manuscripts in their hands; which request was generally complied with, though a few, who still adhered to the old teaching, that no publications were allowable, committed to the flames some Masonic papers, rather than risk them in the bands of their descendants. It is believed, however, that no, material loss was sustained by the burning of said manuscripts, as those that were preserved contained all the important facts which had ever been written. And yet, after they were all carefully examined, it was found that they furnished but little more than an index, pointing to the rituals and traditions of the Order. Doctor Anderson was appointed a committee to collate the old laws, and, as far as practicable, write a history of English Masonry; and, while we have reason to believe that he faithfully collated and digested the laws, we are at a loss to account for the position he assumed in fixing the origin of Masonry. The Doctor did not claim that the manuscripts collected furnished his data; on the contrary, it was then generally believed that no such manuscripts had ever existed. We further know that he did not rely upon the legends or traditions of Masonry, for these all go to disprove his theory, viz.; that the Institution was as old as the world. It is hardly fair to suppose the Doctor did not know that, down to that period, the Fraternity believed that the origin of Masonry was known only from the teachings of the Lodge room; and yet be seemed to attach more importance to the supposed examination of a brother by Henry VI., in which the witness is made to say that "Masonry was known to the man in the West, before the man in the East," and, in assuming the hypothesis that Masonry was about as old as the world, very properly avoided any reference to those traditions which point to the man who was the instrument in bringing it into being, and perfecting its teachings.
When Doctor Anderson wrote, Masonry was but just emerging from the dark gloom of threatened annihilation, and it is not unfair to suppose that its first historian was more or less influenced by a desire to win for it, popularity: and if the great body of men were then, as now, more readily won by marvelous tales, than by simple and plain truths, we may conclude it was a master-stroke of the pen to deal in fiction; and this the more readily, because, admitting that he knew the Lodge room alone could furnish reliable testimony; be knew that Masons would not then have tolerated a publication of the facts. Certain it is, that the position be assumed carried with it the privilege of entering the broad field of conjecture, and afforded him an opportunity to feed the fancy of his readers with both facts and fiction: and the latter is equally as safe from criticism, for nowhere upon record could be found anything which would disprove either his hypothesis or his conclusions; in short, as the facts had never been published, the world was not prepared to gainsay his (the most extravagant) claims of its antiquity, nor to pronounce his theory “the baseless fabric of a dream!"
Since the publication of Anderson's Constitutions, containing a very faithful account of English Masonry, and a fancy sketch of its origin,
Page VIII PREFACE.
many sketches have been written, claiming to be historical, no two of which, it is believed, agree as to the time when the Order was inst> toted. These writers may be classed under four heads, and may be designated as follows: First, those who, in the main, agree with Anderson as to the origin of Masonry, but who undertake to fix the precise date‑some at the Garden of Eden, some in the days of Enoch, some in the days of Noah, and last, though not least, a celebrated divine of the present day fixes its existence in "the great empyrean of space, before this world was created." The second class, conceiving that something very like Freemasonry was absolutely necessary to relieve the descendants of Noah from the curse which God entailed upon them, by confounding their language, assume the hypothesis that Masonry was instituted at the Tower of Babel, before the dispersion, thus affording the tribes a universal language. The third class charge that the preceding classes are dependent upon mere theory, unsupported by any known facts for their conclusions, and, therefore, resolved to have, themselves, authentic testimony of the existence of the very oldest secret society, and, in their success in proving, from authentic records, the early existence of the Egyptian Mysteries, very wisely conclude that it is worse than useless to go further in their antiquarian researches, and jump to the conclusion that either Freemasonry is the mother of the Egyptian Mysteries, or vice versa. Thus, by some of this class, Masonry is the mother, and by others she is the daughter. The fourth class take exceptions to all the doctrines of the foregoing ‑deny the antiquity claimed for the Society, and undertake to show, from recorded testimony, that Masonry originated with the Orders of Knighthood, during the Crusades to the Holy Land. And now another adventurer enters the field, and, though " solitary and alone," he has the temerity to venture the opinion, that his predecessors were all wrong‑that the origin of, Masonry is not a matter of doubt, or should not be, to any well informed Mason. whose special attention has been called to a few well known facts; on the contrary, that its origin is so clearly and minutely detailed in the Lodge room, that all Masons must be brought to see that there alone can the whole truth be learned. This being the hypothesis of the Author of this work, it will
Page IX PREFACE.
be seen, from the facts before stated, that it would be impossible for him to write what he believes to be a true history of the Order, and throughout confine himself to a detail of recorded facts. And, aside from the consideration of the origin of Masonry, by what means may he proceed to detail its rise and progress throughout the civilized world, relying alone on recorded testimony, while only detached parcels of the whole truth have ever been published? Doctor Anderson has given us more historical detail than any other writer, and yet his investigations were confined mainly to England, Scotland, and Ireland; and, indeed, strictly speaking, his history is only complete, so far as it relates to the South of England, or, more properly, the city of London. Preston copied from Anderson, and brought down the history of the Grand Lodge of England, and its dependencies, to his own time. Doctor Oliver extended Preston's history through a period of ten years, but confined himself almost exclusively to his own Grand Lodge. Laurie's history is almost a literal copy of Anderson's, except of the Order in Scotland, which is much more minutely given. There are many volumes in the German and French languages, written with great ability, but, as far as the Author can judge, they all have reference to the various modern degrees, called Masonry. From what has been said, it will be seen that the Author relies upon the traditions for much, very much of the material upon which to found his history, and, therefore, he must reeds do all in his power to clear away the rubbish, and bring to light those sacred truths which have been thrown over by careless and unskillful workmen, and which, for more than a century, have been covered up, deeper and deeper, by fancy sketches of imaginary theory. If the traditions of Masonry are not reliable as authority for the foundation of a historical detail, then are they the merest phantoms of a distempered imagination, and we should blush to use them in the Lodge room, as the foundation of all our instructions. On the contrary, if they merit the high place they now occupy, as teachers of those great truths which, for ages past, have served to unite the discordant materials incident to man's nature, and link together a mighty Brother. hood, then are they entitled to all credit, and, by their aid, may the origin of Masonry be clearly pointed out, and a true history of the Order may be written and published to the world, with outlines sufficiently broad, and details sufficiently clear, to answer the just demands of the
Page X PREFACE.
uninitiated, and with still more precision to the understanding of the Craft; and all this, without doing violence to the laws of secrecy. With these convictions, the Author has undertaken to prove that Masonry took Its origin just where, and in the precise manner pointed out by our rituals and traditions; and whenever and wherever authenticated fact were to be found, he has endeavored to detail them impartially, without pausing to inquire whether they tended to prove or disprove his peculiar opinions. And where facts were not available, he has endeavored to glean the truth by analogy and sound deductions. In his history and review of the great batch of modern degrees, called, by their inventors, Masonic degrees, the Author has endeavored to have but one great end in view, viz., to show what is, and what is not Free masonry, and to warn the true Fraternity against amalgamations or entangling alliances with all outside institutions, however praiseworthy their objects and ends may be.
Page XIII
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Death of Solomon....................... 1
Freemasonry a Secret Society.............. 17
Division of Solomon's Kingdom........... To the Traditions are we indebted for the Influence of Solomon's Masons............ 96
Early History.......................... 17
Death of Josiah, King of Judah......... 97
The origin of Masonry Investigated......., 18
Destruction of Jerusalem.................. 98
Preston's Views...................... 18
The Early History of the World............ 20
CHAPTER VI.
Dr. Oliver's Opinions Reviewed............ 23
Liberation of the Jews from Captivity...... 101
The Cabiri........................ 38
Reign of Cyrus......................... 102
Dr. Oliver's Initiation of Moses by Jehovah.. 39
Artaxerxes, Reign of................. 103
Laws by Moses to Lodges and Chapters,‑ Darius, Reign of...................... 103 Oliver................................ 40
Zerubbabel.......................... 104
Masonry the True Religion................. 46
Second Temple.................... 104
Masonry Aids to Spread the Gospel to Heathens............................... 47
Pythagoras.......................... 106
CHAPTER I. CHAPTER VII
The Author's Opinion of the Origin of Masonry........................... 60
Death of Alexander the Great......... 113
Masonry is of Divine Origin.............. 53
Euclid.......................... 113
Solomon the instrument in establishing Masonry............................... 54
Alexandrian Libry.............. The Three Degrees of Masonry, History of... 61
Tower of Pharaoh........................ 11
Entered Prentice.................... 63
CHAPTER VIII.
Asdrubal's Wife Curses Her Husband....... 121
The Fellow Craft, History of.............. 66
City of Rhodes.......................... 7
Lodges allowed to confer only the Apprentice Degree............................ 68
Colossal Statue........................... 118
Wall of China........................... 12
Second Section of the Fellow Craft's Degree.. 71
Lord Amherst's Visit to China.... 123
Distinction between Fellow and Fellow Craft. 74
The City of David................. 76
CHAPTER IX
King Solomon to King Hiram.............. 77
Fall of Carthage.................. 12
Hiram Abiff...................... 78
The Tuscan Order of Architecture......... 127
Classification of the Workmen on the Temple 80
Pompey the Great........................128
CHAPTER IV.
Masonry in Rome............ 128
Masonry in Judea................12
Solomon's Temple..............83
Reign of Herod 3 ............. 1
Celebration of the Cape‑Stone.............. 86
Dr. Oliver's Traditions of the Curious Stones. 88
CHAPTER X
Solomon the First Master.................. 89
ThBuildings Erected oy Solomon......... 90
Before Christ Forty Years................. 13)
Flight of Herod....................... 136
CHAPTER V. Judea in the Hands of a Stranger.......... 13
Lodges Established‑Grand Lodge at Jeru‑ Masonry Neglected........................ a.esm................................ 92 Charlemagne, Reign of............... 141
Page XIV
ziv CONTENTS. PAGE. AOIL The First Treatise on Architecture......... 143 CHAPTER XVI. Architecture of the Sixteenth Century Cor‑ Union of Scotland and England....... 204 pared......................... 145 Reign of James I................... 204 Inigo Jones,.............~............... 206 CHAPTER XI. Nicholas Stone........................... 207 Masonry in England, Introduction of..... 146 The Massacre of Four Thousand Protestants Introduction of the Saxons into England.... 151 in Ireland............................. 208 london Inclosed with a Stone Wall....... 151 Charles I. and Cromwell.................. 209 Origin of the Name England.............. 153 Cromwell, Washington, and Bonaparte..... 209 Masonic Records Lost in the Wars with the Restoration of Charles II.......... 210 Druids............................ 154 The'Kings call for a Masonic Assembly.....210 Prince Edwin................,.,... 154 General Assembly of Masons, 1663.......210 Grand Lodge at York.................... 155 Regulations of 1663.................... 213 King Athelstan.......................... CHAPTR I. First Prince of Wales.................... 161 Oxford College Built..................... 161 Operative Masonry Abandoned.... 2.... 214 The Templars Erect their Dormus De....... 161 Sir Christopher Wren................. 21 Celebration of the Cape‑Stone of Westminster Great Fire in London, 1666.............. 216 Abbey............... 161 Roofing for Houses in the Seventeenth CenOld Records of Masonry in the Reign of Ed‑ tury............................. 218 ward III.................... 162 Rebuilding St. Paul's Church........... 219 Sir Christopher Wren's Deputy............ 223 CHAPTER XII. Walbrook Church....................... 223 Edict of Henry VI. against Masons......... 164 Death of Charles II........................ 224 Tne Bat Parliament....................... 166 Reign of William and Mary............ 225 Winchester's Hostility to Masonry........ 166 Masonry Neglected................. 225 A Regular Lodge at Canterbury in 1400.... 171 CHAPrYf XVm. C~HAtI'i xAli. Masons Should Again Take Charge of Archi‑'The White and Red Rose.................. 173 tecture............................... 227 JLtter from John Locke.................. 173 Grand Master Wren's Letter of Instructions The Old Bodleian Manuscript.............. 174 to Builders........................... 229 Abrac............................. 181 G. Master Wren's great Age compels him to CHAPTER XIV Neglect Masonry....................... 234 The Churches of St. Paul and St. Peter..... 234 Reign of Henry VII................. 183 Apprentices Members of G. Lodge......... 235 A Lodge of Masions in 1502.it....... 184 Re‑organization of Masonry m the South of ons of Masons Initiated at Eighteen Years of England............................... 236 Age................................. 185 Grand Ma ter Payne's Administration...... 239 Henry VIII. and his Parliament deny the Occasional Lodge for the Duke of Lorraine.. 249 Right Divine of the Pope.............. 186 The Old Gothic Constitutions ordered to be Reign of Elizabeth..................... 187 Revised by Dr. Anderson, 1721.........241 Districting England‑Provincial G. Masters. 190 Committee cf Fourteen............. 241 The Character of Queen Elizabeth,........ 191 Masonry Popular in England....... 243 CHAPTER XV. CHAPTER XIX. Masonry in Scotland................... 194 Masonry at York.................... 260 Origin of the Scots.................... 195 Masonry Neglected in London............. 250 Macbeth's Descendants................ 197 Grand Lodge of England sends a Charter to Robert Bruce........................ 199 York............................. 251 Masons Lived in Camps or Huts............ 200 Committee of Charity..................... 253 Kilwinning and York the Nurseries of Ma‑ Stewards Admitted to Seats in G. Lodge... 255 sonry.................................. 200 Novelties in Grand Lodge.................. 255 Ordered by the King that the Masons Pay Frederick, Prince of Wales, Initiated... 256 the G. Master.......................... 201 Attempt to remove a Landmark....... 257 William Sinclair, G. Master............... 202 Second Edi:ion of the Book of Constitutons.. 257 diary Queen of Scots................ 202'
Clandestine Makings................ 261
Page XV
CONTENTS. XT PAGE. rAC6. Only Members of Lodges Ertitled to Charity. 259 Anti‑Masonry ir Holland and France....... 8. Rupture between G. Lodge of England and Bull of Pope Engenius against Masonry...... 81A that of York...................... 260 Imprisonment of Masons by the Inquisition. 329 Seceders and Ahiman Rezon.............. 260 Masonry in Switzerland................ The First Form for a Procession............ 262 The Council of Berne against Masonry.....30 Action Against the Ancient Masons........ 265 Synod of Scotland against Masonry....... 831 CHA'PTER XX. CHAPTER XXV. Reign of Georgem.................. 268 Masonry in Ireland...l.............. 332 Initiation of the Dukes of Gloucester and Address of the Grand Lodge of Ireland to the umbtlation of the Duk.es of G.loucester and. Cumberland.......................... 269 Duke of Sussex........................ 339 Taxing Grand Officers to Build a Hall....... 279 The Duke's Reply................. 3 Past G. Officers May Wear Gold JewelsCelebration in Dublin in 1838............. 341 Past G. Officers May'Wear Gold Jewels..... 270 Difficulty between G. Lodge and the Lodge of France, Germany, and America made the Antiquity............................. 274 CHAPTER XM. CHAPTER XXVI. History of Lodge of Antiquity‑Continued... 276 Masonry in Scotland.....................34 Initiation of Omdit‑ul‑Omran Bauhader.... 279 Monument to Bro. Robert Burns...... 349 Grand Officers with Robes................. 280 The Throne of a Grand Lodge..... 362 Regulations against Non‑affiliated Masons... 281 Monument to the Memory of Sir Walter Scott 366 New Regulations Adopted.............. 281 Laying a Corner‑Stone in Scotland..... 367 Fines for Non‑attendance................ 282 CHAPTER XXVII. CHAPTER XXII. Masonry in England.............. 361 Foundation Laid for the Female Orphan Charges against Brethren for Visiting Ancient School..~ S ‑Lodges. 361 i~,ules fSchoolo................................. 361 Rules for the School........... 287 Portraits of Grand Masters......... 862 Address of the G. Lodge to the King....... 290 Resolutions of Grand Lodge....... 363 Address of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Revoking Innovations........ 364 to Brother George Washington........... 293 Great Dinner, January, 183.......... 366 Washington's Reply..................... 294 CHAPTER XXVIII. Washington as a Mason.............. 294 fWashino as on.g294 The Dukes of Sussex and Kent Grand Masters Death of Washington‑Funeral...........295 of the two Grand Lodges.. 373 of the two Grand Lodges................ 378 CHAPTER XXIII. Union of the two Grand Lodges........ 373 Articles of Union.................... 374 The Jesuits and Masonry.................. 298 Consequences of the Unio. 382 Consequences oftheUnto.,............ 382 Expulsion of the Jesuits from all Countries W o o What is Spurious Freemasonry............ 384 except the United States............... 299 eete id t.29...... A Clandestine Mason Contending at law for Expose of the Articles of Union of the Jesuits 300. 301‑a Fee for Making a Mason............... 386 Weishaupt's Society....................... 301.................. Insubordination of Masons at Liverpool..... 386 Baruel and Robinson's Opposition to Masonry 302 Prince of ales Lo Prince of Wales Lodge.................. S8 Revolution in France..................... 305 Influence of Masonry on a Pirate........... 389 Inhuman Treatment of American Prisoners. 307 Beautiful Ceremony of Laying a Corner‑Stone 390 Robinson's Proofs of Conspiracy........u... 308 Extract from Dewitt Clinton's Address...... 315 CHAPTER XXIX. Expulsion of the Jesuits in 1847............ 3'8 Initiation of King William IV.‑The Offices Masonry Meddles not with Politics or Re‑ He Filled.............................. 393 ligion............................. 319 An Asylum for Decayed Freemasons........ 393 Address to the Duke of Sussex............. 396 CHAPTER XXIV. Masonry in the Nineteenth Century........ 401 Masonry in France....................... 320 The Duke of Wellington's Initiation......... 408 New Degrees..................... 324 Badges of Mourning.................... 410 Masonry n the East Indies................ 325 Belgian Proscription of Masonry..... 4.... 410 Organization of the G. Lodge of Ireland..... 325 Anti‑Masons Differ in Different Countries... 413 The Order of Knights Templar instituted.... 335 Lodges in the Army Opposed.......... 417 Warrants sent into Russia and Spain....... 326 Hindoo Opinions of Masonry............,. 421
Page XVI
Xvi CONTENTS. PAGE. Pi CHAPTER XX. The Compact of 1827................, 12 Masonry in the United States.............. 423 Rupture and New Grand Lodge............ 4 Was Masonry Among the Indians Before the CHAPTER XXxV. Times of Columbus..................... 427 The Greek Language among the Indians.... 427 Rupture of Union of St. John's Grand Lodge with the Indian Medicine Lodge.................... 431 Indian Medicine Lodge................ Grand Lodge of New York............... 530 No Evidence of Masonry among the Indians. 434 Lodges Established by a Council of Thirty Welsh Language among the Indians........ 435 third Degree....................... 553 third Degree.......................: CHAPTER XXXI. Union of 1858...................... 554 Was Freemasonry Known to the Aborigines Masonry in Pennsylvania.............. 555 of the South?.......................... 441 Smiths Aliman Re........... 55 he Ancient Mysteries of Mexico.......... 442 General Grand Lodge Recommended........ 6 The Great Temple of Mexico............. 444 Establishment of an Independent Grand Initiation Ceremony..................... 445 Lodge CHAPTER XXII. CHAPTER XXXVI. the Early Setflers in the United States..... 453 Masonry in Georgia....... 56 Discovery of this Country by Icelanders iever was any Athol Masnny in Mas 1003 of ta chusetts.................................. 53 6 1003..sachusetts............................ 56 Voyage ofColumbus.................. 454 Masonry in South Carolina............. 571 Voyage of John Cabot.................. 455 Masonry in North Carolina......... 576 Voyage of Sebastian Cabot................ 456 Masonry in Virginia..................... 578 Voyage from France................... 456 GGrand and Deputy Grand Masters of Virg;‑ia 586 Ponce de Leon's Vovage.............. 467 Grand Lodge of New Jersey............... 587 De Soto's Voyag...................... 458 GrandodgeofMaryland.587 Indians Carried into Slavery..... 458 MasonryinConnecticut............. 58 French Colony..462 Hiram Lodge, No....................... 589 Colony of Hugenots....................... 463 Grand Lodge of Rhode Island.............. 597 Malendez, the Spanish Assassin.......... 464 Grand Lodge of Vermont................. 5 Sir Walter Raleigh's Colony 4........... 466 History of Masonry in Kentucky........... 59 Manteo, an Indian Chief................... 467 Masory in Delaware......... 603 What Became of Raleigh's Colony......... 469 Masonry in Ohio........................ 60 Settlement at Jamestown............. 470 MasonryinteDistrictofColumbia. 09 Pocahontas and Smith................... 472 Masonry in Tennessee................... 610 The First Warrant sent to America......... 477 Masonry in Missiippi................. 60 Masonry in Louisiana.................... 611 CHAPTER XXXIII. Old Records of G. Lodge of Louisiana....... 612 Masonry in Massachusetts................ Masonry in Missouri................... 622 St. John's Provincial Grand Lodge Estab‑ Masonry in Alabama...................... 629 lished................................ 482 Masonry in Illinois........................ 638 St. Andrew's Grand Lodge Established..... 484 Masony in Florida....................... 638 Joseph Warren appointed Provincial Grand Organization of the G. L. and G. Chap. of Fla. 640 Master............................... 486 Masonry in ioi,........................ 642 Both Grand Lodges Suspended in 1775..... 487 Masonry in Texas........................ 645 Battle of Bunker Hill.................... 487 Grand Lodge formed................. 649 Re‑organization of St. Andrew's G. Lodge... 487 Grand Chapter........................ 653 St. John's Grand Lodge Resumes Labor..... 488 Masonry in California.................... 656 Union of the Two Grand Lodges............ 489 Masonry in Kansas Territory............... 661 CHAPTER XXXIV. Masonry in Nebraska Territory........... 662 History of Masonry in New York........... 498 Masonry in Oregon Territory..........6.... St. John's Lodge, No. 1................... 00 Masonry in Minnesota Territory.......... 664 A Thrilling Story of an Escaped Prisoner.... 501 CHAPTER XXXVII. The Athol Warrant for a Grand Lodge in New Royal Arch Masonry.............6.... 660 York........................... 503 Doctor Folger's Letter.................... 1 Establishment of the Present Grand Lodge.. 505 Council of Royal and Select Masters..... 700 Origin of Difficulties in New York......... 508 History of the Council Degrees in Alabama.. 710
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CHAPTER 1.
FREEMASONRY was strictly a secret Society for more than two thousand, years; its members were forbidden to publish any thing, either in relation to its origin or teaching; and yet, throughout all that period, its history was transmitted from generation to generation, unspotted by time, and unadulterated by the sacrilegious hand of the innovator. Nor is this difficult to be accounted for, when it is remembered that the legends ‑ the traditions of the Order, have ever constituted a portion of the teaching, intimately connected with, and inseparable from, the ritual of the Lodge room. And these instructions have not only been communicated to all initiates, but they have been required so to impress them on their minds as to be able to teach in turn. Thus, while the middle or dark ages enveloped in oblivion the very footprints of the world's history, leaving us but the merest fables of Heathen Mythology to tell of Time's onward course, our Order, having been transmitted from society to society, from man to man, in the same unmistakable and unalterable symbolism, preserved its identity, and perpetuated its existence in the upward and onward mission it was instituted and sent forth to accomplish. We believe it is susceptible of the clearest proof that to the universal language of Masonry, and its unerring method of transmission, is the world indebted for a knowledge of the most remarkable events of seven hundred years of the world's history; and, to well informed Masons, it satisfactorily appears that by divine permission, it was made the instrument, not only for the preservation, but the discovery of the five books of Moses, after a lapse of four hundred and seventy years of lawless disorder. And, if there were no other interesting features in the general aspect of Masonry, these, it would seem, are abundantly sufficient to rivet the attention and excite the
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careful investigation of every inquiring mind, in relation to its true history and principles. But before we attempt to fix the point of time at which our Society was instituted, it becomes our unpleasant task to clear away the rubbish which has been thrown over it by unskillful and unfaithful workmen. The distinguished Preston says: "From the commencement of the world we may trace the foundation of Masonry; ever since symmetry began and harmony displayed her charms, our Order has had a being." If the author had stopped with the first part of the paragraph here quoted, we could readily have reconciled it with the facts, as we believe they exist, that the foundation was then laid. That some one or more of the great principles taught by Freemasonry were known from the foundation of the world, no well informed Mason is likely to question; but the existence of that principle, or even a knowledge of all the principles at that period, which are inculcated now by the Craft, does not prove that the system or art of teaching those principles was then known or practiced; and hence the objectionable part of the paragraph is that which declares "the existence of our Order ever since harmony displayed her charms." Now, this is a declaration that Masonry, as a Society, has existed ever since the creation of the world, for we must regard it as something more than the knowledge of certain principles, separate and distinct, or in chaotic confusion. Masonry is an Order, a Society of individuals, having a systematic art of teaching certain principles, and linking its recipients together by certain indissoluble ties which enable them to distinguish each other, and place them under obligations to befriend and relieve each other from the withering blight of misfortune; and it is as impossible to conceive of the existence of the Order without a community of individuals to constitute that Order, as to suppose the existence of a government without subjects to be governed. We desire the reader to satisfy himself in relation to the correctness of this position, for upon it depends the fitness of much about to be said; and we desire to use no terms which do not convey our meaning, nor assume grounds which are not sustained by facts. Preston, we believe, was a good man, and a devoted
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Mason; loved its principles and practiced them; but it is matter of extreme regret that he has done little more than to copy Anderson, and enlarge upon his wild theory. Had he traced Masonry to that period to which the written records point, or where Masonic tradition places it, his labors would have been rewarded by the plaudits of those who are seeking after true Masonic light. But his work would, in this particular, have possessed none of those charms of miraculous mystery after which the world is running with almost frantic rage. That this declaration is true, we have only to refer to the light literature of France, the very trash of which is read with more avidity and eager delight at the present day, than the ablest productions in the investigation of the means which conduce to man's true and lasting happiness; nor is this the only example of man's love of the wonderful. Science is being perverted and thrown into ridicule to suit the vitiated taste of the age. A gentleman, whose character for ability and learning in the literary world places him high as an instructor, may propose to deliver a lecture in any of the departments of science, and he can not, in any town in the United States, obtain half the number of hearers as can be had by the most illiterate vagabond who professes to close his eyes by an impenetrable hoodwink, and look with the eye of the mind through his own skull and distinctly see any object placed before him. Alas! how true it is, that while posterity will accord to this generation a rapid march in the onward course of improvements, they will also set us down as a race of men taking pleasure in being deceived; a people who are best pleased when most deceived, and the more ridiculous the manner used, the more fascinating the deception; and thus it is with Masonry, we delight to call our Institution" ancient and honorable;" ancient as having existed from time immemorial' and to confirm the belief of this oft repeated sentence, the historian is encouraged to date its origin back to a period anterior to that which affords any proofs for or against it; which leaves the writer at liberty to manufacture a tale of its origin and rise, as senseless and miraculous as the tuste of the age demands. Ia order that we may the better exhibit the ground we
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occupy, it will be necessary to inquire into the early history of man; this we shall do only so far as is absolutely necessary to the elucidation of the subject before us. If we were in possession of a clear and well defined history of the world, from its creation to the present day, we might arrive at correct conclusions with much less difficulty; but, unfortunately, the first eighteen hundred years are almost buried in impenetrable oblivion; for down to the time of the Flood, we know very little more than the genealogy of the Patriarchs, together with their vices and ultimate destruction by the Deluge. If we take civil history, we find its first dawn is to be traced only as far back as the foundation of the ancient kingdom of Babylon, or the Assyrian Empire; and even there its light is shrouded by many mists, penetrated by dubious rays. This period is about a century and a half after the Flood. Nimrod, the founder of Babel, was the great grandson of Noah, and even of his reign and government we know nothing, save from the writings of Moses, which are confined to a few particulars. That Ham and his sons rebelled against the authority of Noah seems probable, if we rely on the opinion of most chronologers; whereupon, Noah and his followers crossed into Persia, or India and China, and as Shem, whom he considered in the line of the Messiah, was doubtless a favorite with his sire, it follows as probable that they settled in the same country. That, while Elam, the eldest son of Shem, settled in Persia, Noah went still further East; and, though we are not well informed of the history of the Chinese Empire, its antiquity, the language of the people, their numerous traditions of the flood, render it probable that Noah was the first to give it being as a nation; it was certainly founded by the wisest men. To which may be added the somewhat singular fact, that Moses is silent in relation to Noah's history after the Flood; which is accounted for by writers on the ground that Noah had left Western Asia before the time to which Moses alludes, and his history is mainly confined to that scene. If Masonry existed and was operative in those days, then might we expect to find it in a higher state of perfection than at any subsequent period; for of all the cities, ancient or modern, of
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which we have an account, none, perhaps, will be found to surpass ancient Babylon, either in extent or grandeur. It was built on a fertile plain, watered by the river Euphrates, which ran through it, and was encompassed by a wall three hundred and sixty feet high, eighty‑seven feet thick, and inclosed a square of ground, each side of which was fifteen miles in length, so that a circuit of sixty miles was made in passing around the wall. There were fifty great streets, one hundred and fifty feet wide, crossing at right angles, and terminating in four other streets of two hundred feet in width at each side of the wall. The entire space within was improved with splendid edifices and beautiful gardens; the buildings were three and four stories high, and of superior workmanship; there was also, around, a square building of four hundred feet on each side, carried up to the height of the wall, and a platform of immense stone laid thereon, upon which earth was placed, which not only served to produce splendid hanging gardens, but supported large trees; these gardens were watered by an engine from the river. These people also erected the Tower of Babel, the height of which is variously estimated. We are inclined to fix it at something over six hundred feet; its base was forty rods square. Whether this was built by Nimrod, Ninus, or Semiramis, is not clearly shown. Ninus was much occupied in building and beautifying the city of Nineveh. Semiramis has also the reputation of giving to the world a reign of more splendor for her great works in architecture, as well as achievements in arms, than any other sovereign for many generations; but it is difficult to form any well grounded opinion of those who succeeded her; for although we are told she abdicated the throne in favor of her son Ninyas, it is not stated in what year of the world, nor do we know any more of the history of the Assyrian Empire for more than one thousand years. Tradition has scarcely given us the names of the monarchs; it is probable, however, that a knowledge of the arts and sciences was lost, and that the people became corrupt, dissolute, and idle; that the monarchy was totally destroyed. One thing is certain, we can not rely upon any of the details of civil history, until the reign of Nabonassar, which was about seven hundred and
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fifty years B.C. Nabonassar was cotemporary with Jotham, King of Judah, and his reign was within five or six years of the founding of Rome: to this period only, can we trace civil history with any certainty. About six hundred years B.C.. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, invaded the Assyrian Empire, and destroyed the city of Nineveh; two years after he laid siege to Jerusalem, and after two years of untiring efforts he took and destroyed it, burnt Solomon's Temple, and carried the Jews captive to Babylon. This brings us down to a period after the introduction of Masonry, as we believe; and although the sketch is imperfect, it is sufficient to enable the reader fairly and clearly to estimate our own views, as also those from whose writings we shall make extracts. We say the reader must be prepared to judge with what accuracy the history of Masonry could be traced back to the anti-deluvian world, even if it then existed, by any thing which we find in profane history, when we remember that the link is more than once broken, and for a period of time which renders it impossible ever to be united by any power of the human mind. This being true, we are left only two other sources of information:‑1. The Bible; 2. Tradition; and we give full credit to each; but we are not to be understood as saying If such a revelation can be found in a Mormon Bible, we are prepared to admit its truth; nor are we willing to admit the bare declaration of any man that a tradition exists establishing the fact that Adam was a Mason. But if the Holy Bible, or that only true and holy tradition which has been regularly transmitted from age to age, through the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry, places the Society in the antideluvian world, we will admit that we have learned Masonry in vain, and promise to commence de novo. If we could conscientiously believe that Freemasonry is Lux; that Lux is the true religion; that the true religion was revealed to Adam, then would we admit that Adam, Shem, Ham, Japheth, Enoch, and Noah were Masons ùthat Masonry dates its birth at the creation of the world‑and we could bring to our aid the testimony of nearly all the able writers who have figured as Masonic historians for the last one hundred years. Yea, we could reap the advantage of the testimony of
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one of the most learned writers of the present day, were we to take the ground that Masonry was instituted by a man who lived in the East, before Adam was created. Should we assume that Masonry is the uncontaminated worship of the only living and true God, we should be sustained by the same celebrated divine; and it would follow that, inasmuch as God had direct communications with Adam, and Noah having been pronounced a just man, these, at least, were "Ancient Free and Accepted Masons;" and as there is no evidence that Noah or his descendants departed from the true principles of religion, for at least one hundred years after the Flood, it would seem all were Masons until they rebelled against the authority of Noah, and assembled themselves together in the plains of Shinar, and attempted to build a tower, whose top should reach the starry heavens. If Masonry is Geometry, then were all the Antediluvians members of the Order; for Adam and Eve, especially the latter, gave evidence of a knowledge of this science. But we will more methodically accomplish the object in view, by taking up the works of Dr. Oliver, an eminent divine of England, who has written more on the subject of Masonry, in the form of books, we believe, than any other man. To say we are anxious for the result of an effort on our part to point out some of the inconsistencies and false positions assumed by so distinguished a historian, but poorly expresses our feelings; for the high position he justly occupies would deter us from the attempt, did we not believe his works are likely to do much mischief. As a Mason, we should not, in any case, tolerate a misrepresentation, but especially are we under obligation to expose spurious theories, when they tend to excite the ridicule and contempt of those who are not Masons, thereby bringing reproach upon the Craft. The first extract we shall make, is that to which we have already alluded, namely: "But Ancient Masonic traditions say, and I think justly, that our science existed before the creation of this world, and was diffused amidst the numerous systems with which the grand empyrean of universal space is furnished." * To this singular * Oliver's Antiquities of Freemasonri, page 26.
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if not Quixotic declaration, we deem it scarcely necessary to say more than simply deny its truth. We here assert that there is no such tradition; and in making this declaration, we feel called upon to state that we have taken all the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry, together with the Christian and appendant degrees; in short, all the degrees recognized in the United States as Masonic. With the traditions of Ancient Craft Masonry we profess to be familiar, and we assert here that there is no such tradition; but we do not regard the traditions of any degrees of so called Masonry, above or aside from those of Ancient Craft Masonry, as entitled to implicit confidence these we hold in such veneration, that we feel bound to speak plainly when an effort is made to misrepresent them. Had Dr. Oliver given it as his opinion that Masonry, in all its simple beauty, existed in millions of worlds, and from all eternity, we should not have complained; for, although it might have produced the impression on our mind that it displayed the recklessness of a fanatic, or hired advocate of a bad cause, still, as we could neither show that the position is incorrect, nor satisfy any one else that he did not honestly entertain the opinion, we would be justified in remaining silent. But we regard Masonic tradition as the very highest order of testimony which can be found, to establish any event which happened anterior to that period to which clearly defined written history leads us, and, therefore, can not permit spurious traditions to be substituted to establish every chimera of the brain, emanating from those who may cater to the public taste. We will not say that the principles of the science were not diffused throughout the empyrean of space from all eternity, for the simple reason that we do not know it to be untrue; we only say, there is no such Masonic tradition. The Doctor says that "Masonry is Lux ‑ that Lux is the true religion." Then it follows that none can be saved but Masons, for we do not suppose false religion will save any one. If he had said that true religion and true Masonry consist simply in the belief of the existence of one Supreme Being‑the enlightenment of the soul, showing a self‑existent and eternal first cause, then all men are, and ever have been, Masons; for every
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nation, kindred, and tongue, from the Anglo‑Saxon down to the wild savage of our own forests, have a law written on their hearts, pointing to the Father of Spirits. But Dr. Oliver tells us what Masonry is, and, therefore, we know what he conceives true religion to be:' Speculative Masonry is nothing else but a system of ethics, founded on the belief of a God, the Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer; which inculcates a strict, obedience of the duties we owe to each other; inspires in the soul a veneration for the author of its being, and incites to a pure worship of the Creator." * That this is true to the letter, all well informed Masons will testify. Freemasonry is a system of ethics; it cultivates and enforces the most sublime truths in relation to man's present and eternal being, and it incites and encourages its votaries to look to God, and ask His blessings and instructions; it points to the Bible as the great book of God's revelations; but it does no more. It seeks not to renovate the soul and make sacrifice for sin, by pointing to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. It points neither to circumcision nor baptism for the remission of sins. It is a system of morals only. It is not religion; it is not in reality any part of religion. It is, as the Doctor here declares it to be, a system of ethics; and yet, next to the Christian religion, it is the most perfect system ever known to man; but does it follow that God gave to man, at his creation, a system by which an association of men were to be formed into a secret society, for the cultivation and preservation of our sacred rites? The fact that Masons, in all ages, since the introduction of our Order, have taught one or more of the principles of the true worship and knowledge of God, is no more evidence of its coexistence with the creation, than is the fact that every religious society in Christendom, teaching, at this day, one or more of the same principles, proves their respective existence, as such, in the garden of Eden, or even in the days of our Saviour's sojourn on earth. Oliver's Antiquies, p. 28
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We fraternally ask the reader to remember the extract above, made with a view to compare it with others which we shall make in the course of this investigation; for, notwithstanding the Doctor takes the ground that Masonry is the true religion, it seems to us that the next, to which attention is here called, tends to prove that Masonry is no part of religion: "Placed in the Garden of Eden, Adam was made acquainted with the nature of his tenure, and taught, with the worship of his Maker, that science which is now termed Masonry., This constituted his chief happiness in Paradise, and was his only consolation after, his unhappy fall."* Now, if this science was communicated to Adam with a knowledge of the true worship, then it could not have been more than an appendage to, and not even a constituent part of, the true worship; but as this constituted Adam's chief happiness in Paradise, then are we left to infer that God revealed to Adam the plan of salvation for fallen men, viz., repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, before he fell, because, the Doctor says, this transpired in the Garden of Eden; but we must suppose that Adam did not repent until after his disobedience, for this would be to suppose an impossibility; on the contrary, if we take the ground that Adam was a Mason before his fall, then must we believe that Masonry is something more than religion, as we understand it; for we suppose the true religion embraces an acknowledgment of guilt on the part of the creature, and an outpouring of sorrow for sin to the Creator; but man's primeval purity in Paradise, before the worm of corruption polluted his soul, needed no repentance, as without sin there could be no sorrow, or pain, or guilt. In short, Adam was created holy, upright, and pure, and needed not a knowledge of the true religion to add to his felicity. Again, if it constituted his chief happiness before his fall‑when he could not have felt the want of a plan of salvation‑and was his only consolation after his fall, it could not have been mere religion. The Doctor is not content with showing that Adam was a Mason, but evidently endeavors to produce the impression that his partner was also a Mason: * Antiquities, p. 41.
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"Seduced by these specious declarations, the mother of all Masons violated the sacred injunctions of God, and, through her entreaties, Adam followed the pernicious example, and both miserably fell from a state of innocence and purity, to experience all the bitter fruits of sin, toil and labor, misery and death." * If the author had said that Eve was the mother of all men, then would we have understood him as not differing from other historians; but to assert that Eve was the mother of all Mormons, or all Odd Fellows, or all Masons, presupposes her acquaintance with, and practice of, all the peculiarities of the particular sect of which she was the mother. Abraham was the father of the faithful, because he practiced that faith so perfectly, that God was pleased to declare that through him should all the nations of the earth be blessed; and if Eve was the mother of all Masons, a question of somewhat serious import might arise. There is an opinion among the vulgar that Masons have dealings with the devil, and it is sustained by quite as well authenticated a tradition as some of those mentioned by the Doctor. Now, if Eve was a Mason before she partook of the forbidden fruit, may it not be said that the devil communicated to her the secrets of Masonry,in order that she should fall, and thereby become the mother of all Masons? This opinion is quite as tenable as that Masonry is the true worship; that the true worship was understood and practiced by her, and yet failed to arrest her disobedience, and thereby save the world from sin and death. The Doctor says that when Cain slew his brother, he fell from the true principles of Masonry; that the earth was cursed; that a mark was placed upon the fratricide, and evil pronounced against his posterity: "His race forsook every good and laudable pursuit, along with Masonry, and degenerated into every species of impurity and wickedness." t Yet to these people he traces the origin of operative Masonry ‑another evidence that Masonry was the work of the wicked * Antiquities, p. 47. t Ibid p. 46.
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one. Jabal invented the use of tents; Jubal, his brother, invented music; and Tubal‑Cain, his half‑brother, invented the art of forging metals: who, together with their great grand sire and his descendants, erected the first city, which they named lanoch, after Cain's eldest son. Now, that the descendants of Cain were the inventors of the arts above named is asserted by Moses; but, when we remember that they were under the curse of God, were wicked and rebellious, how are we justified in attributing to them the practice of Masonry, if it is the true religion, and especially when the Doctor tells us that they had lost all their Masonry? But, anon, the Doctor turns with holy horror from this wicked and rebellious people to the family of Seth, the son of Adam: "Who was educated by his father in the strictest principles of piety and devotion, and, when he arrived at years of maturity, was admitted to a participation in the mysteries of Masonry, to which study he applied himself with the most diligent assiduity. The progress he made in this study is fully demonstrated by the purity of his life. Associating with himself the most virtuous men of his age, they formed Lodges, and discussed the first principles of Masonry with freedom, fervency, and zeal." * Reader, strange as it may seem, the above extract comes from the pen of one of the most learned divines of the age‑one to whom it would seem we had a right to look for light and instruction; to whose moral guidance the novitiate, at least, might safely confide the direction of his footsteps in the pathway of moral purity and true piety, which alone lead to unfading glory. Were it an extract from that quarter where the marvelous is known to predominate, where the pens of the ablest writers are prostituted to the corrupted morals of an infidel people, and true piety is driven into exile, we might hope its effect would be as evanescent and harmless as the dreams of infidelity; but the works of Dr. Oliver are intended for preservation, to be placed in the archives of the Lodges, and handed down as a rich legacy to future ages, and we are responsible to Antdque, p. 48.
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HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY.
2' posterity, should the humblest among us permit the coinage of fiction, the mere invention of a tale, though emanating from the highest source, and that, too, in the enlightened nineteenth century, to go down to future ages as the first and only true history of Masonic events happening more than five thousand years ago, and not raise our warning voice. We will not deny the fascination which this new theory throws around the study of Masonry. With what pride would we reecho the glad tidings to the zealous and devoted Mason, that the long sleep of oblivion which has shrouded our history has passed away; that the mist of ages has been dispersed by the brilliant rays of Lux; that the vail has been rent by this celebrated divine, and we permitted to behold the standard of our Order, planted by Seth, the son of Adam, who, together with his brethren, actually" met in Lodges, and discussed Masonry with freedom, fervency, and zeal." We repeat, this would be news worthy to be chronicled abroad, were it only sustained by well authenticated history, either written or traditional; but, alas, so far from this being the case, we are constrained to regard even the theory of our author as leading the mind to disbelieve his own declaration; for if Masonry is the true religion and worship of God, and if Seth was educated by his father in the strictest principles of piety and devotion, what are we to understand the Doctor as teaching, when he uses the following language: "When Seth was arrived at the age of maturity, he was admitted into the mysteries of Masonry?" Could Adam have taught Seth, anterior to his maturity, the principles of true piety and devotion to God, without a knowledge of the true religion? Could he have been taught the principles of religion, without a knowledge of Masonry? In short, if the true religion and Masonry are one and the same thing, was not Seth, by the Doctor's own showing, taught the secrets of Masonry before he arrived to years of maturity? But, above all, we might ask What proof is there that Seth was a Mason? Give us the proof, and then, and not till then, are we prepared to‑believe that Seth and his brethren actually met in Lodges, and discussed the' great principles of Masonry with freedom, fervency, and zeal.
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"The seven liberal sciences, originally invented by Masona, were transmitted almost solely through their indefatigable zeal before the invention of printing." Here we are in the same lamentable dilemma as before. How much we regret that some known facts are not produced in support of this declaration. If a sufficient reason could be found to satisfy the inquirer after truth that Masonry existed in any form at this period, and that then, as now, it recommended the study of the sciences, the declaration of the author might be received as probable; but, can we flatter ourselves that well informed men will be prepared to admit, that because Masonry has been known for several past centuries to teach the arts and sciences, together with all the moral and social virtues, and points to the necessity of a knowledge of the one only living and true God, and a strict obedience to the divine law, that therefore Masonry was instituted in the Garden of Eden, or at any time during the antediluvian age? If history, sacred or profane, recorded the fact, or if the traditions of Ancient Craft Masonry could be brought to its support, then would we gladly give our adhesion; but it can not be thus traced. We will not deny that there are degrees called Masonic, and a great number of them, from which we may glean a tradition, leading back to the remotest period, and pretending to elucidate almost all the religions ever known or professed in the world; but where is the well informed Mason who does not spurn them as the production of modern times ùthe invention of men whose Masonic peddling propensities make them a scoff and a by‑word to the good and true everywhere? We boldly assert, and hold ourselves prepared to vindicate its truth, that there is no Masonic tradition emanating from Ancient Craft Masonryand we acknowledge no other as being true Masonry‑proving the existence of such an order of men anterior to the building of the Temple at Jerusalem; and even to that period, we shall have some difficulty to trace it,to the satisfaction of those who are not Masons, for the reason, that the most reliable traditions are hid from the world by the established usages of the * Oliver's Antiquities, p. 54.
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Institution, still we do believe that the candid reader, who will summon the moral courage to wade through our somewhat tedious investigation, will be constrained to admit that our conclusions are drawn from a reasonable supposition of their truth. Dr. Oliver seems to be aware that there might be some who would not be willing to regard his simple declaration as sufficient proof that Masons invented the sciences, and, therefore, uses the following most singular argument: "To trace these sciences back to their original, may be counted an adventurous task; but if, amidst the doubtful evidence which remains of these times, we find strong presumptive proof that they were in the exclusive possession of Masons in the most early ages of the world, it will show that Masonry is not a negative Institution, but that it is of some actual benefit to mankind."* Now, his conclusions would be, in the main, correct, if his premises were not false. He might find presumptive proof, perhaps, that the sciences were in the exclusive possession of Masons at the time to which he alludes, provided he could find presumptive proof that Masonry then existed; but the total absence of any proof, save the naked declaration of modern writers, leaves the author's deductions worthless. The science of numbers is said to have its origin with God, because Hecomputed time at the creation. Enoch invented an alphabet, to perpetuate sounds, which is called the first rudiments of grammar. Some are of opinion that Enoch communicated this knowledge to Methuselah; by the latter it was given to Noah, and by Noah to his sons, and thence to the world, after the Flood. The descendants of Shem have the honor of so improving on the original, as to produce the Hebrew tongue, while Ham and his sons conveyed the same alphabet to Egypt, whose priests, some hundred years after, dispensed with its use by introducing hieroglyphical characters, in order that their superior attainments might be kept secret from the masses. That astronomy and geometry were cultivated by the Antediluvians * Oliver's Antiquities, p. 81.
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is equally true. Josephus says that God found it necessary to give man long life, so that he might cultivate virtue and a knowledge of the sciences. That, as all heavenly bodies returned to their original places every six hundred years, a life of at least six centuries was required to obtain a knowledge of their relative motion, etc. The Pythagorean Society taught the sciences; but it does not follow, a priori, that the Pythagorean Society existed in the days of Adam, when it is known that the founder of that Society was born more than two thousand years after Adam's death? We think not; and yet there is quite as much reason for this belief as that, because Masonry has been known to exist several centuries, and inculcated a virtue or recommended the study of a science, a knowledge of which was possessed by Adam and his immediate descendants, therefore, Adam and his immediate descendants were Masons. The laws of Great Britain are founded upon, and inculcate many of the moral precepts of the laws of God; which principles were known to the Antediluvians, and yet it will not be contended that the British Government existed in the days of Adam; in like manner, Masonry teaches and enforces many of the injunctions giving to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, but it does not follow that Masonry was practiced by all these men. "Enoch practiced Masonry, of which he was now elected Grand Master, with such effect, that God vouchsafed, by immediate revelation, to communicate to him some peculiar mysteries in token of His approbation." Here again the Doctor fails to produce any proof that Masonry existed in the days of Enoch, nor does he say by whom, or for what purpose, Enoch was elected Grand Master. Had the Antediluvans a Grand Lodge? Where did it hold its Grand communications, and who were its other officers? But, if the Doctor was at our elbow, he would doubtless readily answer al1 these questions, for it is not more difficult to have all the stations and places occupied, in this case, than it would seem to be in the days of Moses, and there he points out the very individuals who were in all the principal offices, even that of Deputy Grand
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Master, an officer not heard of, we think, before the eighteenth century, and certainly not before nine hundred and twenty‑six. To make the Doctor consistent, we must ask to draw some deductions which naturally follow. Masonry is Lux‑Lux is the true religion. God pronounced Enoch a just man, therefore, Enoch was a Mason, hence all good men having the knowledge and fear of God before their eyes, and living in obedience to His known commands, are also Masons, and either the Society of Christians or Masons is wholly unnecessary at this day; and we contend that there are especial reasons for the total abolition of Masonry, for we must not be so illiberal as to claim that we, as Masons, are in the possession of the only true mystic light of God's unsearchable riches and goodness, which can lead the world to worship at the footstool of His sovereign mercy, where alone the signet of truth is to be found, by the use of which we may enter the Grand Lodge of saints and angels, and be crowned with the royal crown of never fading glory, and yet withhold acknowledge of these ineffable gifts and graces from one‑half of the world. Surely our mothers, wives, and sisters should be permitted to enter within the veil of our holy sanctuary, and become partakers with us in our righteousness and redemption from sin. The following extract will astonish the enlightened American Mason, who has occupied a certain station and become well acquainted with the means which qualify him for it, as it exhibits one of two things equally remarkable, either that the same history of the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry is not given alike in England and the United States, or that the author is seeking to engraft Scotch Rite Masonry, so called, upon the ancient stock, as this pretended history is taken from the thirteenth degree of said rite. In speaking of Enoch, he says "Being inspired by his Maker, and in commemoration of a wonderful vision on the holy mountain, in which these sublime secrets were revealed to him, he built a temple in the bowels of the earth, the entrance of which was through nine several porches, each supported by a pair of pillars and curiously concealed from human observation. The perpendicular depth 3
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of this temple was eighty‑one feet from the surface, ieoch, Jared, and Methuselah were the three architects who constructed this subterranean edifice; but the two latter were not acquainted with the sacred motives which influenced Enoch in causing this cavern to be dug. The arches were formed in the bowels of the mountain which was afterward denominated Calvary, in the land of Canaan; and the temple was dedicated to the living God. He then made a plate of gold in the form of an equilateral triangle, each of whose sides was eighteen inches, which he enriched with precious stones, and incrusted it on a triangular agate of the same dimensions. On this plate he engraved the ineffable characters he had seen in his vision, and alone, in silence and solitude he descended through the nine portals into the temple, and placed this invaluable treasure upon a cubical pedestal of white marble. When the temple was completed, Enoch made nine secret doors of stone, and placed them at the entrance of the portals, with an iron ring inserted in each, for the facility of raising, in case any wise and good man of future ages should be led to explore the secret recesses of this sepulchral vault. He then closed up the whole, that the secrets there deposited might remain in perfect security amid the anticipated destruction of mankind, for the contents of this temple were not intrusted to any human being. Enoch paid occasional visits to the temple, for the purpose of offering up his prayers and thanksgiving, in a peculiar manner, to God, who vouchsafed to him alone such distinguished favors." * If the Doctor is correct in supposing that God communicated to Enoch,in his visions on the mountain, the secrets of Freemasonry, then we must believe that Adam was not a Mason. If the author had said, that God communicated new secrets in Masonry, then might we still grant that Adam was a Mason, made so by God, in the Garden of Eden, but he only received instructions in the lower degrees; perhaps he was only an Entered Apprentice: true, we should find some difficulty in believing that God ever communicated as freely of holy things to any man after the fall, as he did to Adam while he was *Oliver's Antiquities, p. 83
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HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY.
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permitted to converse with God face to face; but, be this as it may, if Masonry is the true religion which God communicated to Enoch, is it reasonable to suppose that he would have buried the secret in the bowels of the earth, without even making those who assisted him in the erection of his work acquainted with the only means by which they could escape eternal banishment from the presence of God? Would he have straightway buried the true religion from the eyes of men, until some good and wise men of future ages should discover and bring it to light? We hope never to call in question the mandates of Jehovah, though our finite mind may not be able to comprehend the reason which dictated them, and if it were recorded in the Bible, that God communicated to Enoch the secrets of Freemasonry, and directed him to bury them in the bowels of the earth, we would be the last to call in question its truth, but the same high veneration for His holy law, impels us to protest against that doctrine which tends to pervert His known will, in order to establish, as true, that which in reality, can be nothing more than mere conjecture, founded on premises originating only in the imagination. But in addition to the fact that there is no tradition in Masonry, as we understand it, which points to Enoch as the builder of a secret vault, there is a little defect in the manner of finishing this noble temple, which seems to place this ingeniously invented story at the door of some writer not quite so, learned as we know Dr. Oliver to be; had he devised the plan of the work, the rings which were placed in the several portals would have been made of gold or some other metal not liable to decompose, for as the design was evidently to conceal the secret for the use of future generations, after the flood, the Doctor never would have used iron rings, with the expectation that they would continue to exist as such, so long a time. The authorship of this invented tale is probably due to Debonville, Chevalier Ramsey's successor. Before we leave the subject, so often referred to, viz.:‑that Masonry is true religion, we feel called upon to notice one other fact, which seems to be inconsistent with this theory. In all the works of Dr. Oliver, he attributes to Masonry the discovery of the arts and sciences, and the practice of piety,
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36 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY.
while the fact,is staring him in the face that the very people known to be destitute of the true religion discovered and brought to light nearly all the sciences; for, in addition to what we have said in relation to the posterity of Cain, and much as we may boast of the influence of Masonry and the true worship of God, we marvel that our philosophers so little excel a Socrates, a Plato, or an Aristotle; we wonder that our mathematicians are so little superior to Euclid or Archimedes; would think it strange that our better writers are but a step ahead of a Demosthenes and a Cicero, or that in history so few stand above Herodotus. We say it is wonderful that, after the lapse of ages, each claiming to be
