The Age Of Ereemasonry And Masonic Historiography.

history of Freemasonry than Germany ; for though the German Stonemasons ' fraternity laid the foundation and is the real germ ' of the Masonic Craft , yet its transformation from an operative into a speculative society was effected ,

in England , partly by the admission of the accepted Masons , partly by her availing herself of the intellectual acquisitions of the time , especially of Deism . Again , to England is due the never

disputed merit of the decisive act of 1717 , which first called the Craft into life . Since , asisproved and particularly attested by the recent labours of the brethren Hughan and Lyon , the institutions , customs and doctrines of the

operative guilds were very deficient and yielded for the new creation in 1717 very few materials , aye , properly speaking only the basis and some rough outlines ; the history of the Craft does not even fully coincide with that of the

fraternity of the Stonemasons , but belongs to this domain only so far as those scanty elements and foundations extend and as it is necessary for the understanding of the development of Masonry towards the end of the 17 th

century down to 1717 . Whoever attempts to trace thehistoryofFreemasonry back ceases to stand on the ground of authenticated facts and documents , and is removed into the region of fiction and

legend . The legends of our ancestors , who mixed up the history of architecture with that of the whole intellectual development of humanity , dressed up his mixture with other fables and gave it out as the history of the guilds , are

touching and poetical so long as these historical relics are looked upon merely as legends ; but to pass them off at the present moment as real history is relapsing into childhood . It is high time to consider that the Freemasons' Craft

has no need for its existence of a borrowed lustre or an imaginary age , and that at , this time of clay , it has to manifest its dignity and importance solely by its principles ,-an active life and a sound development of strength .

Now as to my work ( History of Freemasonry ) it has , I believe , its value irrespective of the question of the origin and age of our ; brotherhood for there is not a second book which likemine , faithfully narrates , after the best sources and the

latest researches , the development , since 1717 , of Freemasonry in all countries . What is the good of the designation of a " Worshipful" Master , if he who is to enlighten the lodge is not even informed on that which lies nearest and is now necessary—on the history of the Craft

whose representative he is to be , and it the master is only a worshipper of habit , ignorance and empty form ? It has long since been universally acknowledged that an accurate acquaintance with the origindevelopment and

, changes of our Craft is indispensable to every Freemason who wishes to act with success . It is only in surveying its history that the present position of the Craft can be judged correctly

according to the idea underlying it , and that its future can be realised with wisdom and concious art . Considering the momentous Masonic questions now in agitation , it seems doubly incumbent upon us then to

enlighten and correct the views of our brethren at the hand of history . The value and importance of that work of mine has long since been recognised by criticism ; audit has been repeatedly said by various competent authorities , that "the book not only deserves a place

on the shelf ot every freemasons library , but should be frequently and with pleasure resorted to for information . " The spread of my work is , therefore , a matter of interest to our holy cause itself , and every Worshipful

Master ought to recommend it to every newly-initiatedmember on his reception . It may be justly asserted that the work is not my own , but that of the entire brotherhood , on whose labours it is based and whose acquisitions it embodies .

THEKE is one industry which is flourishing in these bad times , which does not fill us with an infinite gratitude . An exchange informs us that the hurdygurdy organ manufactories are all running on full time , and that the supply is not equal to the demand .