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  • Sept. 30, 1848
  • Page 37
  • HISTORICAL VIEWS OF PROGRESS.
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The Freemasons' Quarterly Review, Sept. 30, 1848: Page 37

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    Article HISTORICAL VIEWS OF PROGRESS. ← Page 3 of 4 →
Page 37

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Historical Views Of Progress.

needed , destroying , slaying , plundering—was the natural germ of that vast empire clothed in imperial purple , cased in steel , which never recognised a broader national right than could be written on the edge of a sharpened sword . Romulus and Remus , sucking the she-wolf , grew into that people , which , wolf-like , revelled in the blood of all men , ami , with worse than wolf-like ferocity , gave its captives as a prey to the beastsor set fettered life against life" to make a Roman holiday . "

, , The acorn grows into the oak . Nature could not so violate her own laws as to make mercy , gentleness , and peace , spring from such a source as old Rome . To forms of government we must not endeavour to trace the characteristics of Rome . Her only settled principle was force . Now rejoicing in the most ample liberty—now the prey of licentious patricians —now the spoil of a military dictator—now the serf of a despotic tyrant , Rome was still the same—still the representative of physical courage

and brute force . Neither must we seek to discover in her arts or her philosophy the secret of her being . Beside the productions of Greece they would not win a glance . She did not bear a harvest of philosophic fancies or abstract theories . Her public buildings , her forum , her amphitheatre , her pillars and triumphal arches , would not bear comparison with the temples and monuments of old Greece . They were vastgorgeous

, , grand , and dignified . They wanted grace ; but they had that which was impressed upon the people from whom and among whom they sprung—the idea of strength and power . The public monuments of a nation tell its character . Those of artistic Greece speak of beauty ; of warlike Rome , of force ; those of commercial and comfort-loving England

of convenience . Rome was more practical than Greece—we are more practical than cither . Rome had no poet to compare with Homer . Poets , and great ones too she had—no great nation was ever without them ; but like her arts , her poetry grew out of her rather as an excrescence than as a natural and harmonious part of the great body . We must not divert our attention by looking to the national religion of Rome . She was not original . Her faith was not part of herself . It had not the elements of stability . It was too gross , too directly based

upon mere superstition , too utterly without a firm foundation of principle , to outlive , as a faith , ( whatever might be the case as a form ) the lowest mental ignorance . It was not a faith , but a priestcraft . No , Rome cannot be said to represent art or science , faith , poetry , civilization , elegance , or refinement . Material luxury she bad—the spoils of conquered nations made her rich—but luxury , although produced by her power , produced her ruin . The measure of her gain was the

measure of her loss . Her reward was the cause of her punishment . '' Our pleasant vices are made the lash wherewith to scourge us "—the indulgences she won enervated her grasp , till her softened hand could no longer hold the chain of steel wherewith she bound the world , the links loosened , and the empire dissolved . But throughout the history of old Rome , amid all her injustice , fierceness , and oppressions , there runs a redeeming strain of ruggedsternunyielding honour , a contempt of

, , craft , an untiring energy , a noble self-reliance , which even now often distinguish those who are strong of hand ; and the devotion of her old citizens to their country , while it lasted , bound them together as strongly as ever the . twelve tribes were united by the band of faith . The power by which Rome rose , was the power by which she fell . Her civilization availed her nothing . It was not her weapon ; she had thrown it aside ,

“The Freemasons' Quarterly Review: 1848-09-30, Page 37” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 30 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fqr/issues/fqr_30091848/page/37/.
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Title Category Page
THE FREEMASONS ' QUARTERLY REVIEW, Article 1
THE RECENT GRAND LODGE. Article 3
ON FREEMASONRY, Article 9
CHAPTER III. Article 14
THE FREEMASONS' LEXICON. Article 18
SOLAR SPOTS. Article 26
MASONIC MEMOIR OF THE LATE BRO. GEO. AARONS, Article 29
CHRONOLOGICAL EPOCHS OF THE BIBLE. Article 33
KNIGHTS OF CHRIST. Article 34
HISTORICAL VIEWS OF PROGRESS. Article 35
TO THE EDITOR. Article 38
COLLECTANEA. Article 39
POETRY. Article 43
THE RED-CROSS FLAG. Article 43
MASONIC INTELLIGENCE. Article 44
SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER OF ROYAL ARCH MASONS OF ENGLAND. Article 45
UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND. Article 46
MASONIC ABILITY. Article 57
THE MASONIC LAWYER. Article 58
GRAND CONCLAVE OF ENGLAND AND WALES. Article 58
SUPREME GRAND COUNCIL 33d. Article 59
n—ETPZ^—M^rrm^—.-.,m^muwmmm*JM^m-*i*^m±i... Article 59
CONSECRATION OF THE YARBOROUGH LODGE, No. 812, Article 60
ASYLUM FOR WORTHY AGED, AND DECAYED FREEMASONS. Article 61
CHIT CHAT . Article 62
Obituary. Article 65
PROVINCIAL Article 66
SCOTLAND. Article 96
IRELAND. Article 97
FOREIGN. Article 98
A MERICA.—UNITED STATES. Article 101
INDIA. Article 102
THE GENERAL ASSUEANCE ADVOCATE. Article 109
THE INSTITUTE OF ACTUARIES. Article 115
LITERARY NOTICES. Article 122
Bro. HARRIS'S New Tracing Boards. R. Spencer. London. Article 125
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 127
CONTENTS. Article 129
A MASONIC GEM (!) Article 130
THE HREEMASONS' QUARTERLY REVIEW,SECOND SERIES. Article 131
/~* ALL'S ANTIBILIOTJS PILLS—The most us... Article 132
FREEMASONS' QUARTERLY ADVERTISER. SECOND... Article 133
ENGINEERS', MASONIC, AND UNIVERSAL MUTUA... Article 134
CLERICAL, MEDICAL, AND GENERAL Article 136
BONUSES. The two.first Divisions average... Article 136
MENTOR LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY, 2, OLD BR... Article 137
BRITARSftSIA LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY, 1, ... Article 138
CITY OF LONDON LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY, 2... Article 139
LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY, IScottamic 6, NE... Article 140
^HIS BAWDON ASSWB,A^CI^ ooaa?oaAsiofflr,... Article 141
FREEMASONRY. nnHE NEW CRAFT TRACING BOAR... Article 141
BRO. T. VESPER, SSASttMSCi osfSSWEMjEiS,... Article 141
THE CANTERBURY CONGREGATION "PEG respect... Article 141
FREEMASONRY. Just published, price Is. A... Article 142
FREEMASONS' HOTEL, GREAT QUEEN STREET, L... Article 142
ADVANTAGE OF CHLOROFORM IN MIDWIFERY. Ju... Article 142
FREEMASONRY. ROBINSON, LATE ACKLAM, ]D R... Article 143
FREEMASONRY. W. EVANS, MASONIC JEWELLER ... Article 143
FREEMASONRY. A. D. LOEWENSTARK; MANUFACT... Article 143
HAND BOOK OV FREE MASONRY. In the press,... Article 144
NEW MASONIC HYMN AND GLEE. Just publishe... Article 144
jU EW BOOK OF THE LAWS OF THE GRAND LODG... Article 144
EaGISQBTF I ECOHOMIT « STEPHENS' DYES fo... Article 145
COMFORT FOR TBKDER FEET, &e. HALL and Co... Article 145
TO THE CRAFT. Article 146
THE LONDON GENERAL TAILORING ESHABLISHMENT. Article 147
BIBBII ^^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^ i^^^^^^^^^^^... Article 147
i;;^-Vij#Fj?p£^ ^sJbreSji^Gavjb^^^ ! f i... Article 147
FOUR-FIFTHS, 01 EIGHTY PER CENT, of the ... Article 148
z :li%o%^& T 6 FP f N JK | D E CKA^V^VE ... Article 148
^ ;r^M^^ B^o - TH¥RViv.^pbTitY; ~ ;! : .... Article 148
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Page 37

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Historical Views Of Progress.

needed , destroying , slaying , plundering—was the natural germ of that vast empire clothed in imperial purple , cased in steel , which never recognised a broader national right than could be written on the edge of a sharpened sword . Romulus and Remus , sucking the she-wolf , grew into that people , which , wolf-like , revelled in the blood of all men , ami , with worse than wolf-like ferocity , gave its captives as a prey to the beastsor set fettered life against life" to make a Roman holiday . "

, , The acorn grows into the oak . Nature could not so violate her own laws as to make mercy , gentleness , and peace , spring from such a source as old Rome . To forms of government we must not endeavour to trace the characteristics of Rome . Her only settled principle was force . Now rejoicing in the most ample liberty—now the prey of licentious patricians —now the spoil of a military dictator—now the serf of a despotic tyrant , Rome was still the same—still the representative of physical courage

and brute force . Neither must we seek to discover in her arts or her philosophy the secret of her being . Beside the productions of Greece they would not win a glance . She did not bear a harvest of philosophic fancies or abstract theories . Her public buildings , her forum , her amphitheatre , her pillars and triumphal arches , would not bear comparison with the temples and monuments of old Greece . They were vastgorgeous

, , grand , and dignified . They wanted grace ; but they had that which was impressed upon the people from whom and among whom they sprung—the idea of strength and power . The public monuments of a nation tell its character . Those of artistic Greece speak of beauty ; of warlike Rome , of force ; those of commercial and comfort-loving England

of convenience . Rome was more practical than Greece—we are more practical than cither . Rome had no poet to compare with Homer . Poets , and great ones too she had—no great nation was ever without them ; but like her arts , her poetry grew out of her rather as an excrescence than as a natural and harmonious part of the great body . We must not divert our attention by looking to the national religion of Rome . She was not original . Her faith was not part of herself . It had not the elements of stability . It was too gross , too directly based

upon mere superstition , too utterly without a firm foundation of principle , to outlive , as a faith , ( whatever might be the case as a form ) the lowest mental ignorance . It was not a faith , but a priestcraft . No , Rome cannot be said to represent art or science , faith , poetry , civilization , elegance , or refinement . Material luxury she bad—the spoils of conquered nations made her rich—but luxury , although produced by her power , produced her ruin . The measure of her gain was the

measure of her loss . Her reward was the cause of her punishment . '' Our pleasant vices are made the lash wherewith to scourge us "—the indulgences she won enervated her grasp , till her softened hand could no longer hold the chain of steel wherewith she bound the world , the links loosened , and the empire dissolved . But throughout the history of old Rome , amid all her injustice , fierceness , and oppressions , there runs a redeeming strain of ruggedsternunyielding honour , a contempt of

, , craft , an untiring energy , a noble self-reliance , which even now often distinguish those who are strong of hand ; and the devotion of her old citizens to their country , while it lasted , bound them together as strongly as ever the . twelve tribes were united by the band of faith . The power by which Rome rose , was the power by which she fell . Her civilization availed her nothing . It was not her weapon ; she had thrown it aside ,

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