Masonic Legend And Tradition.

" A fact connected with this theory is worthy of thoughtful consideration ; the ' canning workman' who drew the designs of chat wonderful Temple was of both Tyrian and Jewish extraction , and combined in himself the artistic skill of one nation with the religious tenets of the other . Jews could not build that Temple , for they had not the artistic skill ; Tyrians could not do it , for they were ignorant of the rites and ceremonies of that reli gious system to be taught within . Jew and Gentile therefore combined to accomplish the work ; and to this day , Jew and Gentile'kneel side by side around the altars of Freemasonry , harmonizing antagonistic opinions , subduing discordant national prejudices , and thus are gathering the

world into a universal harmony . " And here the old brother paused , while , pencil in hand , I looked up from my notes in admiration of the careful thought he had evidently bestowed upon his theory . He may be correct in his reasoning and deductions , and yet there may be latent errors in his views not disoernable at first sight because of their plausibility . But what theory can be advanced on such a subject that is absolutely certain and incontrovertible ? What are the facts ? Here is an association or fraternity of almost a million of members scattered over the world . In nearly everything they are a unittheir objectsand aimsand

, , , purposes the same . The organization is not political , nor ecclesiastical , nor mechanical ; and yet it includes men of all religious creeds , of every party in politics , of all professions and callings . As I said at the beginning of this article , " Whence came they ? " They did not grow out of the tribal dispersion of the children of Abraham ; they are not the fragments of persecuted and scattered crusaders ; they are not the outgrowth of a political idea nor a

dogmatic creed— " whence came they f " The Masonic writers of a century and a half ago thought they could answer the question , but the answer has not stood the test of criticism . The clearest and most cultured minds of Europe and America have given the subject very careful consideration . With a deep anxiety about the question , and an earnest desire to solve the problem , oceans have been . crossed , libraries , public and private , have been examined ; money , and time , and thought have been devoted to this investigation , and yet we are still in the dark . Science has discovered wonders in nature and art ; ancient history has become familiar to the school-boyastronomy

; has almost become the plaything of amateurs ; while nature in air and sea and land has been tortured until its secrets have been revealed ; but no man—no nation—no writer—no devotee of library or lodge , no student , ancient or modern , has been able to give us a satisfactory answer to the query— " Whence came they ? " Now is not this fact remarkable , and does it not reflect , in some manner , upon the intelligence of Freemasons ? We know when creeds and churches took form and organization ; we know even when the Eoman Church became crystallized into a power that has sometimes ruled the world . We can point out

the period when the Eoman Empire was established—and when it fell . We can repeat the story of the Patriarchs , and become familiar with the dynasties of Egypt or India , —but when and where was Freemasonry born p Even its own members—the oldest and wisest of them—do not know ! After all that has been said and written on the subject , it is still theory—guess-work tradition ! Is not this astounding ? There are still extant lodges that have been organized for some three hundred years , yet an examination of their recorded transactions gives us no reliable information on the origin and history of the Order !

As we are still , partially at least , at sea on this question , may not the theory suggested in this article by our venerable brother be as nearly correct as any other ? Yet we want certainty , or as near to it as can be attained . We want it for the satisfaction of the Craft at large , for the instruction of the neophyte , for the honour of the Order . We want it to refute the errors and reply to the sarcasms and insults of our enemies ; we want it to satisfy honest inquirers , and give the world assurance of our interest in an association of which we are pi-oud to be members . Now , how shall we obtain this knowledge—who will unravel the mystery , or point out the foot-prints of the Order along the track of the centuries from the first impression to the present ? Can it not be done ?

We agree with Bro . Moore that Masonic history has yet to be written , but confess that we think the time has hardly yet come for it . We propose in our next number to consider the present position of Masonic history and criticism !