Jews and German Freemasonry. the Degrees

JEWS AND GERMAN FREEMASONRY . THE DEGREES OF MASONRY. AT last an cud has been put to the complete Br Buo. BOUGHT FUEKE G OULD . exclusion of Jews from membership of Lodges the New Zealand Craftsman of 16th June 1891 thero in Prussia. This exclusion has always been regarded IN is a cutting from the South African Freemason —a as anomalous, by English Masons especially. Somo publication of singular merit—wherein is discussed the iiftv years ago the late Brother Henry Faudel " Power and Influence of the Masonio Press "—a subject brought the subject under the attention of the English which tho Editor of the former journal takes np in turn, Grand Lodge and embodied his protest in the and expatiates upon with much ability. practical form of objecting to the presence at the The far-reaching power of a Masonic newspaper has still Grand Lodge of the Representative of the German more recently been impressed on my mind, by some articles Lodges. Much excitement m Masonic circles and reports in the South Australian Freemason —a literary Grand venture to term a hi hl created by the incident and the discussion which organ of what I shall g y intellectual was jurisdict ion. My reasons for so describing it will bo fonnd ensued ; but although general sympathy was in a recent number of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, where expressed with the views of Brother Faudel, the a review will bo found , from my pen, of an excellent matter was not carried further. address, delivered by Bro. W. Barlow, before Lodge About ten years ago the subject was again raised St. Alban , No. 38, Adelaide, S.A. The address in question at Grand Lodge—mainly owing to the active interest having been printed by tho Lodge, can be readily referred shown in the -question and tho influence brought to to, and I therefore pass at once to a fow remarks of my bear on the matter by Bro. the Bev. Dr. Joseph own in the capacity of reviewer, which will serve as tho Strauss, M.A., then Chaplain of the Harmony Lodge, prelude to somo further observations of a liko character, Bradford , and chief Rabbi of West Riding, Yorkshire having for their object the legitimate increase of tho —on a definite resolution regretting the exclusion of " Power and Influence of tho Masonic Press." Jews from the German Lodges. The Earl of Tho " remarks " to be quoted from my review are the following :— Carnarvon pleaded special circumstances in the of which an outline has " " Tho excellent address, been " Christian view entertained of Freemasonry in given, affords a convincing proof—if such, indeed , were Germany, the feelings on the subject of the late needed—of tho extent to which the example of the Quatuor Emperor "William I., and the " comity of nations," Coronati Lodge, has served to refine and elevate the which should prevent English Masons from practice of Freemasonry. On this point, and for a further interfering in tho internal regulations of forei gn reason to which I shall presently refer, let us again listen Lodges. On this appeal, the resolution was to Bro. Barlow :—' Papers, too, read before this Lodgo reluctantly withdrawn. Tardy justice has now been need not always be original. Why shal l we be too con- done, and a reproach has been removed from German ceited to read and discuss in Lodge papers which , when Freemasonry which has tarnished its fair fame for a perused in solitude by the fireside, charm us ineffably ? century past. It should , however, be remembered The papers recorded in the A.Q.G. were read before that the three Mother Lodges in Germany, the distinguished Brethren. Are we so superior that these Three Globes, the United Countries, and York of essays merit no attention from ns collectively in Lodge, although , individuall y, we admire and delight in them ?¦** Friendshi will still have the ri ht of excluding p, g " Now, from timo to time, papers of more than a passing Jews from membership, but independent Lodges, to interest are read in 2076, and it is with regard to these which Jews will have the right of admission as that I shall venture to take up and pursue the line of members, may now bc formed in Prussia (as they inquiry indicated in tho remarks of Bro. Barlow. What is exist at Hamburg and elsewhere in Germany) most wanted in the true interests of Masonic study, or wherein a most fraternal genuinely Masonic spirit perhaps it would bc better to say, in the diffusion of will prevail. genuine Masonic knowledge—is a tabulation of results. The Masonic Fraternity will for ever be grateful to Year by year, the early history of our ancient Craft is Dr. Strauss for the true fraternal spirit with which being gradually unfolded to us. But no Masonic book he dealt with the subject in the Masonic and profane ever seems to grow out of date. The visionary writings of press ten years ago, and by which this desideratam past times, and the more scholarly productions of our own, was brought about. The Bev. Doctor has are perused with au equal faith. Old texts are found to the true yield new readings Masonic heart brimful of Brotherl Friendshi , but the old readings are not thereby y p, and displaced. Popular fallacies are exploded , i.e., within a the following verse from a German poet does not limited circle,—but within a larger circle, their vitality inaccurately describe him :— remains unimpaired. He is a man who bears a bit; load lightly, " Let me give an example—the degrees of Freemasonry. And looks on grave things with a blithe face brightly ; The first three degrees, as wo now have them, though And when he flings a stinging jest on others, com- Laughs at himself , and says,— We all are Brothers I municated in two steps instead of three, were in existence before the era of Grand Lodges. But a popular delusion sprang up, owing to undue weight being attached to the A Quarterly Communication of tlio Grand Lodge of evidence of Scottish Masonic documents, that a plurality of Scotland -was held at the Ereernasons' Hall, Edinburgh, degrees was unknown before tbe existence of Grand On Thursday, the 4th instant, at fonr o'clock p.m. Lodges, This delusion, it shonld be added, was deemed to bo strengthened or corroborated by tho authentic history proceeding with . To come, therefore, without further of Kng lish Masonry during the first decade of its existence preamble, to the subject of degrees in Masonry, or. t > uso after the formation of a Grand Lod ge. an expression I prefer, the symbolism of our ancient " Recent research , however, lias made it quite evident societ y. The great majority of Freemasons, as we -iiv all that the early Masonry of Scotland was one thing, and flic aware, know little and care less nboufc the orig in and early Masonry of England another and very different thin* .' anti quit y of the Graft* . A few Brethren, iii*lo * il , —while nothing is clearer than that what passed current comparativel y speakunr , do study the traditions of Fivt - until a few years ago, as tho ' authentic history of Eng lish mfisonry, after a certain fashion , in rituals of tho present Masonry '—1717-2 7 —more especially with respect to diy ; and au anecdote here occurs to my znind by tho degrees, was an entire misreading of the evidence. relation of which thoir somewhat mis-directed love for our " Thus it has now been reduced to actual demonstration , symbolism may become capable of explanation :— " I had that two degrees and not three, wero recognised in the fi rst taken , when a child ," says Henry Crabb Robinson , " a Book of Constitutions (1723), and that two ceremonies great fancy to the Book of Revelations , and I have heard corresponding therewith , severally termed the Apprentice that I asked our minister to preach from that book, and the Master's Parts—were known and practised before becanse it was my favourite. ' And why is it your the era of Grand Lodges. favourite, Henry ? ' ' Because it is so pretty, and easy to " Hence, as it appears to me, the cogitations of Masonic understand."' writers, with regard to degrees, which wero expressed The written traditions, or, in other word-**, the old when English and Scottish Masonry were supposed to he Manuscript Constitutions of Freemasons, are of great age, identical, when tho present third degree was put down as nnd a point of tho utmost importance would be solved an invention of about, 1717-23 and the First Book of Con- wero wo able to determine whether onr symbolical stitutions was understood to refer to three degrees, have traditions are entitled to take rank by their side. This, become obsolete and misleading. however, we cannot do, and all wo can be quite sure of is " Some day, perhaps, the books and essays on Masonry, that the .symbolism of Masonry is at all events of very like those on all other subjects , will be found to grow out respectable, if not extravagant, antiquity, and at. least of date by the operation of new discoveries, but that period antedates the era of Grand Lodges (1717). has not yet arrived , and before it does, doubtless much Three years ago I read a paper on this subject before the ink will be shed in bolstering up and supporting a quantity Quatuor Coronati Lodge, which will be found in the third of delusions—which , if the results of Masonic research volume of our Transactions , and the Brethren present were tabulated at intervals, would otherwise sink at once agreed with me, that tho symbolism (or ceremonial of into tho oblivion that would be the proper place for Masonry) being older than the year 1717, there is them." practically no limit whatever of age that can be assigned It will be seen that what I recommend in the Transac- to it.

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