A Lecture On The Antiquity Of Laying Corner Stones With Religious And Mystical Ceremonies.

In Ramses II . time , Am , the king ' s son of Knsh , was the directing architect . In Ramses Miammun ' s time ( 1133 B . C . ) an inscription on the Temple of Soti ( vol . ii ., p . 35 ) , the king speaks to the chamberlain at his side , " Speak , that there may be assembled the princes , the favourites of the king , the commanders of the body-guards as tbey are , the architects according to their numbers , ancl

the superintendent of the house of the rolls of the books . " This Pharaoh laid the foundation-stone himself . The inscription says : "When this speech from the lips of the princes before their lord was ended , then tbe king commanded , and gave commission to tbe architects , and separated the people of the masons , ancl the stone-cutters Avith the help of the graver , ancl the draughtsmen , and all kinds of artists to build tbe most holy p lace for his father , and to raise up what had fallen to decay in the Necropolis , and in the Temple of bis father , who sojourns among the deceased ones . "

Here there appears to have been very practically a Master s Lodge , or a Grand Lodge of that era , assembled . Further on , we read that this worth y mason and royal master had painted on the entrance of this Temple portraits of sixty of bis sons and fifty-nine of bis daughters . Trul y be intended bis works should live after him . I have finished my citations . The reign of caste in Egypt worked no harm to this royal craftfor it belonged to the priestly ancl governing casteand the

, , road to civil preferment and priestly rank was free to its votaries . It found them on the throne , in the palace , and in tbe workshop , and in tbe Temple of the Great God , Fatah , Chief Architect of the Universe ancl God of Truth . The publication by Mr . Brugsch of the " History of the Pharaoh ' s" from the inscriptions yet extant is the mine Avhence these Egyptian inscriptions are exchisiA'eldrawn .

y To the great value of his labours let me bear a faithful testimony . The light be has incidentally thrown on the organization of Masonry as a Craft , -will , I hope , induce him , out of his intimate acquaintance with the extant inscriptions , painting , papyri , and his mastership of their language , to favour ns with a little more light on the obscure subject from over which he has raised a corner of tbe veil .

My task is performed . The dignity of the organization of Masonry is exposed to you , and tbe broad scope with which it gathered into its fold tbe art of working and building in stone in all its adjunct branches . The li ght of education illumined the ancient craft beyond any other body of men of their age . Geometry , mathematics , its own technology and physics grew up within lodges , AA'here knowledge ancl skill brought promotion and power . The speculative mysteries and metaphysics of a theology which taught the immortalit

y of the soul ancl its responsibility for our good and bad actions was familiar to tbem . Of the Holy Architect of the Universe whom they worshipped they said , " all things came into existence after he existed . " They styled him " the Lord of Truth , " " the Father of beginnings . " Their art , formed into grandeur and perfection by their efforts , was the lamp from which Greek , Assyrian , Roman , ancl Semitic architecture caught

the holy flame . Their instruction formed the artists of civilization who succeeded them on the stage . Over the illustrations I have drawn from the incriptions of these giants of an elder day , I ask the Blue Mason and the Red , and the Grand Master Architect of the symbolic degrees , to stretch the line for themselves . I ask them with square and level to test these relics of the corner stones Freemasons laid thousands of years ago , —the Avork of a craft which was then a royal art both practical ancl speculative , enlightening the infancy of civilization , and say , in the light we follow to-day , AA'betber such work is not still true and trusty .