The Masonic "Old Charges."

drafted direct from the existing rules of the Masons ' Company , concerning the Master , Wardens , and Assistants , and this is most remarkable . " Twelve out of the seventy MSS . contain the " Apprentice Charge , " which is practically continued in modern Apprentice Indenturesand was recited to the youngsters , and their

, entry duly noted , soon after their reception . These rules , however , are more interesting than valuable in relation to the history of the Craft , as they would be more or less common to all trades . Some of the Scrolls contain curious additions , and others

are faulty in their text , evidently due to the errors of transcribers ; but all of them represent more or less faithfully the Manuscript Constitutions of the operative regime , and in part also that of the speculative brethren who belonged to the fraternity prior to the advent of modern Grand Lodges .

Valuable as the " Old Charges " are , and of great interest to all students of the mainly operative period of the Craft , especially during the seventeenth century to the establishment of the premier Grand Lodge in 1716-7 , the practical question after all is , how do and how should they effect the modern speculative lodges in regard to their Laws and

Customs ? Are these old Rolls , from the 14 th century to the j 8 th century , as used by the operative Masons , binding on their speculative successors , and should their regulations , or such of them as manifestly had respect to the actual requirements for labour purposes , be still imposed on the Brotherhood ?

These questions should be faced and dealt with by the American Fraternity in particular ; a correct decision concerning not only the million of subscribing members now on the Registers of their Lodges , but most intimately affecting all the regulations which are now in force in respect to the admission of new apprentices into the Societv .

The " General Regulations compiled first by Mi" . George Payne , Anno 1 7 , when he was Grand Master , and approved by the Grand Lodge on St . John the Baptist ' s Day , Anno 1 7 , at Stationer ' s Hall , London , " were printed and circulated in 1723 " for the use of ( he Lodges in and about Loudon and Westminster . "

It was not until the second edition was issued in 1738 that" The General Regulations " were described as for the " Free and Accepted Masons" generally . From 1 723 , however , to the present time these Laws termed " General Regulations , " have been kept quite distinct from " The

Charges of a Freemason , " which were to be " read at the making of new Brethren , or when the Master shall order it . " At least so it was declared in 1723 , but in 1738 Dr . Anderson merely stated that they were " Approved by the Grand Lodge , and ordered to be printed in the fust edition of the Book of

Coiistiliilions on the 25 th of March , 1722 . " The " Old Charges , " however , that follow the latter declaration , are very different to those of 1722-3 , and evidently did not please the Fraternity , for in subsequent editions—1756 , 1767 , and 1784—of that century the actual text of the 1723 issue was preserved , and the "hash " of 1738 was entirely ignored , as it has been ever since by the

premier Grand Lodge . Following the lead , possibly of the Constitutions Grand Lodge of Ireland 1750-1 , Lawrence Dermott ( or Edward Sprnll ) adopted the 1738 version of these mangled " Charges . " The point , however , to be noted is that they form no part of the regular Regulations adopted by the first Grand Lodge

in 1723 , and altered by its successors from time to time , these so called " Charges " being simply an introduction to the bona fide Laws , and were not looked upon at any time subsequent to 1 723 as of any legislative value , though suggestive to some extent of the old operative regime . The

fad is indisputable that the Grand Lodge of England has never used , quoted , or employed such " Charges " as of any value , or binding in respect to any of its Laws or Regulations , or of the slightest importance in providing the Rules for the government of the Craft , save as indicative of their true spirit . At the union of ( lie two Grand Lodges in 1813 a revision of the Book of Constitutions took place , the first for

the United Grand Lodge being published in 1815 . In this work , as in all the editions since , an altered set of these "Charges" has been printed , and continued lo 1905 , the clauses being for " the use of Lodges , to be read at the making of new Brethren " as heretofore , but so far as I know are not now so communicated to the neophytes .

In the actual " Old Charges " one of the rules reads , with slight verbal differences , that Apprentices to be eligible must " Be free borne and of good kindred and noe bondmen and yt he have his right limbs as a man ought to have . " ( William Watson MS ., The Xew Age , Nov . 1904 ) .

It was doubtless in consequence of this and other enactments in the Operative Laws that Dr . Anderson , in 1723 , in paragraph 12 "Of Masters , Wardens , Fellows , and Apprentices" inserted the following : —

" No Master should take an Apprentice , unless he has sufficient employment for him , and unless he be a perfect youth , having no maim or defect in his body , that may render him incapable of learning the Art or serving his Master ' s Lord , and of being made a Brother . " I presume it is on the strength of this enactment , based

upon operative needs ( and for thai purpose only ) , that so many Grand Lodges in the United States of America continue to object to gentlemen as candidates who are minus a limb , or short of the usual number of fingers and toes . Now , I submit , with all respect to my beloved American Brethren , that there

is really no justification for such a course , so far as the practice of the Grand Lodge of England is concerned , by whose authority such a " Charge " was first printed in 1723 , and has been continued in subsequent editions .

Of course , it is granted that the clause is a portion of the " Book of Constitutions" new , as it has long been , with others on a similar traditional and fanciful basis , but the absolute fact is that never in the experience of the Grand Lodge of England from 1723 has such been acted upon . Physically imperfect candidates have never been objected to because of

such a rule , and are never likely to be , and , therefore , it is evident that in America the " Charge " is being used for a purpose wholly foreign to its original promoters and successive preservers in England from 1723 to 1905 . In proof that the Grand Lodge of England never intended

such "Ancient Charges " for practical use , the fact may be cited that its Regulations or Laws , in the " Book of Constitutions , " from their origin to now , have never once utilised them for legislative purposes , and the transactions of our lodges show that the Brethren have never once followed such

operative requirements . They really are indicative of the true Masonic aims that should guide all Masonic legislation , with due regard to our changed conditions . Now , supposing these " Ancient Charges" should be accepted as necessary guides for present day legislation , and

that the clauses arranged by Dr . Anderson , based upon the early " Old Charges of the operative Freemasons" ( but quite as much , or even more , of his own fancy ) , must be respected and included as portions of the existing Regulations , I submit that in such an event they should be adopted in their complete stale , and / . <>/ //; pari as they are now , by authorities on Masonic Jurisprudence in America .

For example , in the same " Book of Constitutions , " Grand Lodge of England ( 1905 ) , containing the "Ancient Charges " ( so called ) it is provided that : — " Candidates may nevertheless know that no Mnster should take an apprentice unless he has sufficient employment for him . "

" No brother can be a warden until he has passed the part of a fellow-craft , nor a master until he has acted as a warden * * * m , | - ir rand master unless he has been a fellow-craft before his election . " As lo a strange brother " You must employ him some

days , or else recommend him to be employed . " " All Masons employed shall meekly receive thenwages without murmuring or mutiny , and not desert the M _ . s _ er till the work be finished . "