FREEMASONRY 



3332 



FREEMASONRY: ITS ORIGIN & HISTORY 



Dudley "Wright, Assistant Editor of The Freemason 



This article gives some idea of the extent to which freemasonry has 



spread throughout the United Kingdom and over the civilized world. 



See also Guild 



The origin of freemasonry cannot 

 be traced with certainty. Many of 

 its ceremonies and practices have 

 a striking affinity with the cere- 

 monies and ritual of the Eleusinian. 

 Samothracian, Dionysian, and 

 other ancient mysteries, as well as 

 with the most ancient religious 

 ceremonies known, particularly the 

 initiatory rites and ceremonial 

 proved to have prevailed among 

 Indian races, the Druids, etc. 

 Even the origin of the word free- 

 mason cannot be stated with 

 precision. Legend ascribes it to an 

 incident connected with the erec- 

 tion of Solomon's Temple, but 

 O'Brien, in his Bound Towers of 

 Ireland, says that the word must 

 be traced to Goban-Saer, the sup- 

 posed architect of those towers, 

 that the word Saer means Free- 

 mason, and that those towers were 

 masonic edifices, exclusively ap- 

 propriated to the worship of the 

 Great Architect of the universe. 

 The existing masonic constitution 

 is also akin to that prevailing in 

 the ancient trade guilds of England 

 and other countries. 



Early British Lodges 



The oldest masonic records in 

 the British Isles are in Scotland. 

 Edinburgh Lodge, No. 1, the oldest 

 Scottish lodge, possesses record 

 books from 1599, but these do not 

 record the beginnings of that 

 ancient organization. The famous 

 Kilwinning Lodge is also claimed 

 to have been in existence at that 

 date as a governing body, but its 

 minute books date only from 1642. 

 There is a traditional list of grand 

 masters in England, dating from 

 A.D. 290, beginning with Albanus, 

 and ending, before the historical 

 period, with the names of Charles 

 Lennox, the first duke of Rich- 

 mond, and Sir Christopher Wren. 

 But the historical foundation 

 even for these names, it must be 

 admitted, is slender. 



The first freemason to be initi- 

 ated on English soil, so far as the 

 records show, was Sir Robert 

 Moray, who was also one of the 

 founders and first president of the 

 Royal Society. He was initiated 

 at Newcastle-on-Tyne, May 20, 

 1641, the entry being ratified by 

 the signatures and masonic marks 

 of four brethren, including General 

 Hamilton. Elias Ashmole, also one 

 of the original members of the 

 Royal Society, was initiated at 

 Warrington five years Ifeter. Some 

 founders of the Royal So'ciety and 

 its principal officers and members 



for several years were leading 

 members of the masonic order. 



The organization of the grand 

 lodge of England was effected 

 June 24, 1717, by the union of 

 four lodges then meeting in London 

 three of which are still in existence, 

 and since that date 140 other grand 

 jurisdictions in various parts of 

 the world have been formed, all of 

 which owe their parentage, directly 

 or indirectly, to the grand lodge 

 of England. Of these 49 are in the 

 U.S. A". ; 34 in Europe ; 21 in 

 Central America ; 15 in South 

 America ; nine in Canada ; eight 

 in Australasia ; three in Africa : 

 and one in Oceania. The grand 

 lodge of Ireland was formed in 

 1729 and the grand lodge of 

 Scotland in 1736. 



Grand Lodge of England 



In the grand lodge of England 

 two offices only are elective, viz. 

 grand master and grand treasurer, 

 the remaining offices being in the 

 appointment of the grand master, 

 a similar custom pertaining to the 

 grand lodges of Ireland and Scot- 

 land. The practice varies in the 

 U.S.A. and other countries, but 

 most, and in some jurisdictions all, 

 officers are elected by the members 

 of the grand lodges. 



In England when a prince of the 

 blood royal is elected grand 

 master, a pro grand master may 

 be appointed. The head of the craft 

 in Scotland is known as the grand 

 master mason. In private or sub- 

 ordinate lodges, the master, treas- 

 urer, and tyler are elected by the 

 members, but it is essential that 

 the master should first have served 

 one complete year as warden. 



In 1813 the designation united 

 grand lodge of England was 

 adopted as the official title, on 

 the occasion of the union with 

 some rivals of the original body, 

 who, in 1751, had formed an inde- 

 pendent grand lodge, known as the 

 " Ancients," and who eventually 

 secured as grand master the duke 

 of Kent, father of Queen Victoria. 

 He, however, reigned over that 

 body for one month only with the 

 object of bringing about the union. 

 The duke of Sussex then became 

 grr.nd master of the united body, 

 holding the office until 1843, since 

 which date there have been but 

 four grand masters, viz. the 2nd 

 earl of Zetland, the marquess of 

 Ripon, the prince of Wales (King 

 Edward VII), and the duke of 

 Connaught. In 1908 Lord Ampthill 

 became pro grand master, and in 



FREEMASONRY 



1903 Sir Frederick Halsey, Bart., 

 was appointed deputy . grand 

 master. 



The grand lodge of England 

 has within its jurisdiction 46 

 provincial grand lodges in England 

 and Wales and 35 district grand 

 lodges overseas. There is not, 

 however, inter-visitation between 

 all the major grand jurisdictions, 

 owing to the fact that a few 

 have ceased to regard it as 

 obligatory on the part of candi- 

 dates for initiation to declare a 

 belief in the existence of a Supreme 

 Being and the doctrine of immor- 

 tality, two of the most ancient 

 landmarks of the craft, set forth 

 in the earliest Book of Constitu- 

 tions, published in England in 

 Jan., 1723. This, by the way, 

 speaks of Inigo Jones, one of the 

 names mentioned in the traditional 

 list, as " our great master mason." 

 The discussion of religious and 

 political subjects also is strictly 

 forbidden in British, American, and 

 Asiatic lodges, although it enters 

 largely into Continental masonry. 



The growth of freemasonry in all 

 countries, with one solitary excep- 

 tion that of Germany, which has 

 nine grand lodges has been extra- 

 ordinary, particularly since 1914. 

 To-day the grand lodge of England 

 has at least 3,600 lodges within its 

 control, while the lodges through- 

 out the world number between 

 27.000 and 28,000, with an aggre- 

 gate membership of approximately 

 four millions. 



Benevolent Activities 



Freemasonry the world over is 

 noted for its benevolent activities. 

 In England there are three well- 

 known institutions, viz. the Royal 

 Masonic Institution for Girls, 

 founded in 1788, which has a 

 senior school at Clapham Junction, 

 with a junior school and convales- 

 cent home at Weybridge, opened 

 in Aug., 1918, with nearly 800 

 girls receiving benefits ; the Royal 

 Masonic Institution for Boys at 

 Bushey, Herts, founded in 1798, 

 with nearly 900 boys receiving 

 benefits ; and the Royal Masonic 

 Benevolent Institution for Aged 

 Freemasons and the Widows of 

 Freemasons at Croydon, founded 

 in 1836, which has nearly 15,500 

 annuitants on its register. 



The war brought into existence 

 the Freemasons' War Hospital in 

 Fulham Road, the outcome of the 

 original scheme for the establish- 

 ment of a masonic nursing home 

 and hospital, to which it has 

 reverted, the institution being 

 founded on an endowment fund 

 provided by subscription. The 

 income of the three first-named 

 institutions, collected at the annual 

 festivals, amounts approximately 



