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  • The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine
  • Feb. 11, 1865
  • Page 3
  • BRO. FRANZ ANTON MESMER.
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, Feb. 11, 1865: Page 3

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    Article THE THREE GRAND LODGES. ← Page 3 of 3
    Article BRO. FRANZ ANTON MESMER. Page 1 of 3 →
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Three Grand Lodges.

the list of M . P . 's for England and Wales are rather dejected , and at page 20 , near the top , the word " dominical" is misspelled . I have been informed that , as very many of the loda-es of Scotland have not their annual elections

till the 27 th December , and consequently cannot give correct " returns" for the ensuing year until after that day , it is impossible to get out the " Calendar" by the first day of the year . Could it not be issued and in the hands of all the subscribers

by the second Aveek in January . The publisher ( Bro . John Davidson , of 16 , St . Enoch-square , GlasgoAv ) should make a strenuous effort in this direction ; and perhaps he may be able to have the useful and portable work distributed throughout JL . D the United Kingdom a fortnight earlier than it has been this year .

Bro. Franz Anton Mesmer.

BRO . FRANZ ANTON MESMER .

BY BRO . THE REV . J . KINGSTON , SOMETIME ACTING DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN TO BRO . H . M . THE KING OF HANOVER-, & C . ( Continued from page 54 . ) In his second chapter , Dr . Kerner gives a detailed account of his discovery of Mesmer ' s relics .

As the passage is an interesting one , I 'translate it entire : — When I learned from Herr von Laasbero- that

the heirs and distant relatives of Mesmer still resided at Meersbnrg , I sought amongst them rei kis MSS . j aud anything else memorable as to his life . What I obtained for them—alas ! only a few things , for money and good Avords—may perhaps interest the admirers of this remarkable man to learn .

1 . Some of Mesmer's original letters . 2 . Several fragments in Mesmer ' s handwriting , in the French language , of his OAVU work , Avhich Avas translated by Wolfart into German , viz ., " Mesmerism , a System of Mutual Operation , & c , "

Berlin , 1814 . 3 . A fragment in his OAVII handwriting , in German , on his discovery and theory . 4 . Some fragments in French on the same , of the date 1780 .

5 . A MS . treatise , containing the history of a blind girl , named Paradis , in Vienna , who most unjustly occasioned so many calumnies against Mesmer . This treatise appears to have been composed by the father of Paradis himself . 6 . A series of letters from Professor Wolfart to Mesmer , and a carte blanche , drawn up by

Hufeland , for Wolfart , on' the occasion of his sending him to Mesmer . I shall communicate in the course of this work from these papers Avhatever is remarkableas regards Mesmer ' s life .

What caused me much rejoicing was that , in addition to these papers , I Avas enabled to get possession , in a similar manner , of a life-size oil painting of Mesmer . It represents this remarkable man as he looked Avhen in his seventy-sixth

year , A . D . 1810 . It is very well preserved , and gives the impression of a man possessed of bodily and mental power , of strength of will aud benevolence coupled with firmness . At the bottom of the picture are the words , " Franz Anton Mesmer ,

docteur en medicine , age 76 ans , auteur du rnagnetisme animal , 1810 . " The name of the painter is also inscribed , but is no longer legible . It appears to be the work of a Frenchman . On a residence-card Avhich Mesmer received in

Paris , in the year 1798 , and Avhich is also among these papers , stands his description , subscribed with , his OAVU hand , thus : —Age , 64 years ; weight , 1 metre 76 centimetres ; hair and eyebrows , brown ; eyes , ditto , chin , double ; face , full ;

forehead , high ; nose and mouth , middle size . Herr von Lassberg kneAv Mesmer in life , and found the picture , of the existence of Avhich ho Avas previously unaware , to be very well executed . This portrait Avas destined , after Mesmer's death ,

for his dearest friend , Dr . Hirzel , of Zurich , and had been even forwarded ; but in the meantime Dr . Hirzel having also died , it Avas sent back to Mesmer's relations , in whose possession it then Avas It is quite different from two little copper-plate

engravings which . I also obtained from these heirs , one of Avhich Avas prefixed to Mesmer's Avorks published by Wolfart . These , according to a declaration of such as were acquainted Avith Mesmer during his life , are not at all like him , and are , Avhen compared with his picture , from Avhich they were evideutly not engraved , mere caricatures .

Several days before Herr von Lassberg saAV the picture , the communicative old man had kindly exhibited to me his lai'ge collection of cameos ; and amongst several which Avere shoAvn was one containing Plato ' s likeness . " This cameo Avith

Plato's likeness take , " said he , " as a memento of me . A JeAV brought it to me about twenty years ago ; he had broken it out of a ring he obtained , I know not where . The ring he sold as gold to

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1865-02-11, Page 3” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 11 July 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_11021865/page/3/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
THE THREE GRAND LODGES. Article 1
BRO. FRANZ ANTON MESMER. Article 3
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 5
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 7
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 7
PROVINCIAL. Article 9
ROYAL ARCH. Article 12
MARK MASONRY. Article 12
KNIGHTS OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Article 12
IRELAND. Article 12
TURKEY. Article 12
CEYLON. Article 14
INDIA. Article 15
BAHAMAS. Article 16
Obituary. Article 17
REVIEWS. Article 17
LITERARY EXTRACTS. Article 17
THE WEEK. Article 18
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Three Grand Lodges.

the list of M . P . 's for England and Wales are rather dejected , and at page 20 , near the top , the word " dominical" is misspelled . I have been informed that , as very many of the loda-es of Scotland have not their annual elections

till the 27 th December , and consequently cannot give correct " returns" for the ensuing year until after that day , it is impossible to get out the " Calendar" by the first day of the year . Could it not be issued and in the hands of all the subscribers

by the second Aveek in January . The publisher ( Bro . John Davidson , of 16 , St . Enoch-square , GlasgoAv ) should make a strenuous effort in this direction ; and perhaps he may be able to have the useful and portable work distributed throughout JL . D the United Kingdom a fortnight earlier than it has been this year .

Bro. Franz Anton Mesmer.

BRO . FRANZ ANTON MESMER .

BY BRO . THE REV . J . KINGSTON , SOMETIME ACTING DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN TO BRO . H . M . THE KING OF HANOVER-, & C . ( Continued from page 54 . ) In his second chapter , Dr . Kerner gives a detailed account of his discovery of Mesmer ' s relics .

As the passage is an interesting one , I 'translate it entire : — When I learned from Herr von Laasbero- that

the heirs and distant relatives of Mesmer still resided at Meersbnrg , I sought amongst them rei kis MSS . j aud anything else memorable as to his life . What I obtained for them—alas ! only a few things , for money and good Avords—may perhaps interest the admirers of this remarkable man to learn .

1 . Some of Mesmer's original letters . 2 . Several fragments in Mesmer ' s handwriting , in the French language , of his OAVU work , Avhich Avas translated by Wolfart into German , viz ., " Mesmerism , a System of Mutual Operation , & c , "

Berlin , 1814 . 3 . A fragment in his OAVII handwriting , in German , on his discovery and theory . 4 . Some fragments in French on the same , of the date 1780 .

5 . A MS . treatise , containing the history of a blind girl , named Paradis , in Vienna , who most unjustly occasioned so many calumnies against Mesmer . This treatise appears to have been composed by the father of Paradis himself . 6 . A series of letters from Professor Wolfart to Mesmer , and a carte blanche , drawn up by

Hufeland , for Wolfart , on' the occasion of his sending him to Mesmer . I shall communicate in the course of this work from these papers Avhatever is remarkableas regards Mesmer ' s life .

What caused me much rejoicing was that , in addition to these papers , I Avas enabled to get possession , in a similar manner , of a life-size oil painting of Mesmer . It represents this remarkable man as he looked Avhen in his seventy-sixth

year , A . D . 1810 . It is very well preserved , and gives the impression of a man possessed of bodily and mental power , of strength of will aud benevolence coupled with firmness . At the bottom of the picture are the words , " Franz Anton Mesmer ,

docteur en medicine , age 76 ans , auteur du rnagnetisme animal , 1810 . " The name of the painter is also inscribed , but is no longer legible . It appears to be the work of a Frenchman . On a residence-card Avhich Mesmer received in

Paris , in the year 1798 , and Avhich is also among these papers , stands his description , subscribed with , his OAVU hand , thus : —Age , 64 years ; weight , 1 metre 76 centimetres ; hair and eyebrows , brown ; eyes , ditto , chin , double ; face , full ;

forehead , high ; nose and mouth , middle size . Herr von Lassberg kneAv Mesmer in life , and found the picture , of the existence of Avhich ho Avas previously unaware , to be very well executed . This portrait Avas destined , after Mesmer's death ,

for his dearest friend , Dr . Hirzel , of Zurich , and had been even forwarded ; but in the meantime Dr . Hirzel having also died , it Avas sent back to Mesmer's relations , in whose possession it then Avas It is quite different from two little copper-plate

engravings which . I also obtained from these heirs , one of Avhich Avas prefixed to Mesmer's Avorks published by Wolfart . These , according to a declaration of such as were acquainted Avith Mesmer during his life , are not at all like him , and are , Avhen compared with his picture , from Avhich they were evideutly not engraved , mere caricatures .

Several days before Herr von Lassberg saAV the picture , the communicative old man had kindly exhibited to me his lai'ge collection of cameos ; and amongst several which Avere shoAvn was one containing Plato ' s likeness . " This cameo Avith

Plato's likeness take , " said he , " as a memento of me . A JeAV brought it to me about twenty years ago ; he had broken it out of a ring he obtained , I know not where . The ring he sold as gold to

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