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Article ESSAY ON MODERN PSEUDO-MASONIC RITES.* ← Page 3 of 9 →
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Essay On Modern Pseudo-Masonic Rites.*
called into action . Of course pure Ancient Masonry alone was practised , as those who had revived the Order knew nothing beyond the first three degrees . In or about the year 172 S , a Scotch Mason , Dr . Ramsay , a man of great genius and imagination , invented three chivalric degrees , which he called— -the Scotch Master , the Novice , and the Knight of the Temple ; affirming , however , that they had their origin in the times of the Crusadesand that G odfrey of Bouillon had been the first G . Master .
, The Grand Lodge of England spurned from it the innovation , but many Masons , whose vanity was pleased by the sounding names of Ramsay s system , were admitted into this Order , and became its supporters . In spite of this , the Order gained no ground in England , and Ramsay repaired to Paris . Up to this time the French were perfectly satisfied with the mysteries they possessed , and well they might , for there were then no different Rites , no chaos of degrees ; there was no English ,
Scotch , or French Masonry , but Free and Universal Masonry . Dr . Ramsay made a vast number of proselytes in France , especially while he was an officer of the G . O . When in 1 T 3 G Lord Harnwester was elected G . M . of France , Ramsay was G . Orator . At his death , which happened in 1743 , he left his Orders in a flourishing condition . It should have been observed before , that when Ramsay saw that his invention succeeded so well , he added 20 more degrees . As one innovation
invariably produces many more , so no sooner had the Ecossisme of Ramsay gained ground , than more Rites were invented in every part of Europe . Masonry now became divided into several Rites and Orders . There were the Symbolical or Blue degrees , the Capitular or Red
degrees , and the Philosophical degrees Then there were the French , Scotch , and English Rites , differing materially after the Symbolical Order . The French and Scotch Masons recognised and acknowledged one another as far as the 18 th degree , after which they were entirely distinct . The Scotch gave 7 further degrees to members of their own Rite only , and then hy way of finish , superadded 8 to make up the Mystic Number 33 . At this time a violent schism arose between those Brethren who
persisted in adhering to Ancient Masonry , and those who having received the higher Grades , claimed for themselves a pre-eminent rank in the Order . The Grand Lodge , in which the adherents of ancient Masonry were the most numerous , solemnly decided in favour of the Symbolical Order , and declared that it did not acknowledge any rank above that of a Master Mason . But a self-established " Supreme Tribunal" of the High Grades loudly asserted its own majesty and without
power , pro ducing any effect . Somewhat before this decision of the Grand Lodge , there had been a schism among the members of the Higher Degrees , and the two Councils which governed the contending parties , virulently opposed one another under the names of Council of Knights of the East and of the West . For a very long time this contest continued . At this period the degrees of Masonry were divided into 7 Classes or Orders , which constituted as it was called Le Rite Ancien , and two more Orders
were added , it was said by Frederic II . King of Prussia ; but this monarch , though generally asserted to have heen the inventor of the Superior Classes , had , in the opinion of many eminent authors , no connexion with them .
There is a class of Societies or Orders which are by some authors mentioned as forming part of Masonry ; these Societies have been ranged under four heads , and must be here touched upon . These Sects are
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Essay On Modern Pseudo-Masonic Rites.*
called into action . Of course pure Ancient Masonry alone was practised , as those who had revived the Order knew nothing beyond the first three degrees . In or about the year 172 S , a Scotch Mason , Dr . Ramsay , a man of great genius and imagination , invented three chivalric degrees , which he called— -the Scotch Master , the Novice , and the Knight of the Temple ; affirming , however , that they had their origin in the times of the Crusadesand that G odfrey of Bouillon had been the first G . Master .
, The Grand Lodge of England spurned from it the innovation , but many Masons , whose vanity was pleased by the sounding names of Ramsay s system , were admitted into this Order , and became its supporters . In spite of this , the Order gained no ground in England , and Ramsay repaired to Paris . Up to this time the French were perfectly satisfied with the mysteries they possessed , and well they might , for there were then no different Rites , no chaos of degrees ; there was no English ,
Scotch , or French Masonry , but Free and Universal Masonry . Dr . Ramsay made a vast number of proselytes in France , especially while he was an officer of the G . O . When in 1 T 3 G Lord Harnwester was elected G . M . of France , Ramsay was G . Orator . At his death , which happened in 1743 , he left his Orders in a flourishing condition . It should have been observed before , that when Ramsay saw that his invention succeeded so well , he added 20 more degrees . As one innovation
invariably produces many more , so no sooner had the Ecossisme of Ramsay gained ground , than more Rites were invented in every part of Europe . Masonry now became divided into several Rites and Orders . There were the Symbolical or Blue degrees , the Capitular or Red
degrees , and the Philosophical degrees Then there were the French , Scotch , and English Rites , differing materially after the Symbolical Order . The French and Scotch Masons recognised and acknowledged one another as far as the 18 th degree , after which they were entirely distinct . The Scotch gave 7 further degrees to members of their own Rite only , and then hy way of finish , superadded 8 to make up the Mystic Number 33 . At this time a violent schism arose between those Brethren who
persisted in adhering to Ancient Masonry , and those who having received the higher Grades , claimed for themselves a pre-eminent rank in the Order . The Grand Lodge , in which the adherents of ancient Masonry were the most numerous , solemnly decided in favour of the Symbolical Order , and declared that it did not acknowledge any rank above that of a Master Mason . But a self-established " Supreme Tribunal" of the High Grades loudly asserted its own majesty and without
power , pro ducing any effect . Somewhat before this decision of the Grand Lodge , there had been a schism among the members of the Higher Degrees , and the two Councils which governed the contending parties , virulently opposed one another under the names of Council of Knights of the East and of the West . For a very long time this contest continued . At this period the degrees of Masonry were divided into 7 Classes or Orders , which constituted as it was called Le Rite Ancien , and two more Orders
were added , it was said by Frederic II . King of Prussia ; but this monarch , though generally asserted to have heen the inventor of the Superior Classes , had , in the opinion of many eminent authors , no connexion with them .
There is a class of Societies or Orders which are by some authors mentioned as forming part of Masonry ; these Societies have been ranged under four heads , and must be here touched upon . These Sects are