In Pursuit of Masonic Knowledge

In Pursuit of

Masonic

Knowledge

"He who desires to understand the harmonies and beautiful proportions

of Freemasonry must read, study, reflect, digest and discriminate.

The true Freemason is an ardent seeker after knowledge."

Edited by

James Green, FSA Scot

includes

Sir Walter Scott as a Freemason

What Freemasonry is Not!

The Crown and the Mason's Craft

The Mark of a Mason

The Letter G

Masonic Geometry

In Pursuit of Masonic Knowledge

James Green (Ed)

Published by Temple-Arch Publishers at Smashwords

ISBN 978-1-902823-46-1

Smashwords License Statement

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Why are we Freemsasons?

If there is any feature in which the literature of Freemasonry may be said to be deficient it is in the department of apologetics. Monarchs have laid on one side the sceptre, warriors have cast away their swords, and men of high esteem in all walks and professions of life have, from time to time, earned the right to wear the Masonic apron and to apply the square and compasses, but none has yet deemed it worth his skill to place before the public life either a short or a lengthy treatise entitled Why I became a Freemason, as an explanation of his action. Occasionally, on the other hand, men have rushed into print with expositions of their inaction in not joining the Craft, which have invariably betrayed their ignorance, not only of its tenets but also of its aims and objects, an ignorance which could easily have been overcome by a cursory survey of its achievements, facts which may be read by him that runneth. It is not until the candidate becomes a neophyte that he can see with clearness of vision the great Masonic scheme. It is like a man emerging from a tunnel or a cave: light in ever-growing intensity displaces the darkness with every forward step, but even when the whole panorama lies open before his eyes he realizes that in order fully to comprehend its magnificence and utility, he must become a plodding and diligent student of the hidden mysteries of nature and of science. The philosophy of Masonry is a deep unfathomable mine. There have been many indefatigable diggers in that mine and they have brought to the surface many gems whose lustre has been perpetual and, indeed, of increasing brilliance. Many students find pleasure in delving into stores of ancient lore and endeavouring to trace the genesis of the Craft. It is not an unprofitable exercise, but it leans to the side of intellectuality rather than to that of spirituality. Freemasonry can never grow old. It is ever young. We relegate antiques to the show case and seldom make use of them, fearing to risk the possibility of damaging or destroying them. We gaze upon them with awe and admiration, but they are for ornament, not for use. We look at the warming-pan, but we make use of the hot water bottle, even preferring the modern India rubber variety to its older stone predecessor. Such is the tendency of life. It is not always the craze for novelty but the desire to have something of greater utility than has previously been known. But Freemasonry responds today to the call of human nature and the needs of the heart just as readily as it did centuries ago. In the ages that have run their course it may have presented itself in forms different from that in which it is known to its disciples at the present day, but its tenets have ever been a response to the world’s needs. And why? Because Freemasonry stands for the things that are eternal.

There are some Masonic rulers who lay stress upon a perfect and accurate knowledge of the ritual of the Craft and who occasionally have been called Ritualists because of such insistence. In some American jurisdictions a certificate of proficiency in the degree already attained is essential before the member can advance to a higher degree. But there is a set purpose in that demand, and it is not that the neophytes may prove that they are diligent disciples of the goddess Mnemosyne.

It is in order that they may translate their intellectual knowledge into practical application that the demand is made: that they may assimilate and exemplify the lessons already taught before advancing to a higher form and essaying more dif-ficult tasks. And this is the aim and object of Freemasonry-practicability. Until the tenets of the Craft are demonstrated in the daily life we are but Ritualists only and not Freemasons; honorary or passive members instead of honourable and active workers in the most noble Craft that has adorned the annals of the world’s history.

- Bro. Dudley Wright

There are three things that have made our country great; the home, the free pub-lic schools, and the right to worship God according to the dictates of one’s own conscience. These are the pride and the glory of our citizens, and to this trinity of forces, Freemasonry has ever been the strength and support, the protector and defender; it has gone into the various departments of our national life and contrib- uted of its silent, yet forceful influence towards upbuilding on a solid basis the moral, intellectual and spiritual forces of the people. These three principles con-stitute the fundamentals of our liberties, our greatness and our Power.

C. Jacobson

There is sanctuary in Freemasonry. In the privacy of the inner fellowship of the fraternity, a brother will often find rest for his heart and protection from the bruises of the world. That man is no true Freemason in whose nature the weary may not find rest and the weak protection. - Cyrus F. Willard

"Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am, or am not, and keep ever

burning before my wandering steps the kindly light of hope. And though age and

infirmity overtake me, and I come not in sight of the castle of my dreams; teach me still to be thankful for life and time’s old memories that are good and sweet; and may the evening twilight find me gentle still." - Masonic Chronicler

An eminent Masonic writer has said: "I would not give much for your Freemasonry unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they shine. A lighthouse sounds no drum, it beats no gong and yet far over the water its friendly spark is seen by the mariner. So let your actions shine out your Freemasonry. Let the main sermon of your life be illustrated by your conduct, and it shall not fail to be illustrious. -Masonic Herald

"All Masonic work should be performed in a dignified manner. As a rule, this is done, but occasionally there is lack of dignity, even levity, on the part of officers and members while some degrees are being conferred that is far from becoming. Such practices detract from the impressiveness and solemnity of the work, and immediately cause the initiate’s high opinion of Freemasonry to decline. First impressions are most lasting, and levity at the beginning of the candidate’s progress serves to impress him with the belief that the forms and ceremonies are not matters of solemnity, but that they are only farcical necessaries in devising a form of initiation. Frequently candidates who have acquired such impressions maintain them in the preparation room and are unable to divest themselves of them even during the solemn ceremonies that are part of the degree work in the lodge room.

Often the reason for this has been the folly of members who represent themselves

as friends of the candidate, but who from a Masonic viewpoint are directly the opposite.

- Masonic Chronicler

To the Builders of a Masonic Lodge

‘An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening, cold and grey,

To a chasm vast and deep and wide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,

The sullen stream had no fear for him

But he turned when safe on the other side,

And built a bridge to span the tide.

‘Old man’, said a fellow pilgrim near,

‘You are wasting your strength when building here

Your journey will end with the ending days;

You never again will pass this way.

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,

Why build you this bridge at eventide?’

The builder lifted his old, grey head;

‘Good friend, in the path I have come,’ he said,

‘There followeth after me to-day,

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been as nought to me,

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall he;

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim

Good friend, I have built this bridge for him.’

Anon.

Some Time

Some time at eve, when the tide is low,

I shall slip my moorings and sail away

With no response to a friendly hail,

In the silent hush of the twilight pale,

When the night stoops down to embrace the day

And the voices call in the water’s flow

Some time at eve, when the water is low,

I shall slip my moorings and sail away

Through purple shadows that darkly trail

O’er the ebbing tide of the unknown sea,

And a ripple of waters to tell the tale

Of a lonely voyager, sailing away

To mystic isles, where at anchor lay

The craft of those who have sailed before,

O’er the unknown sea to the unknown shore.

A few who have watched me sail away

Will miss my craft from the busy bay;

Some friendly barks that were anchored near,

Some loving souls that my heart held dear,

In silent sorrow will drop a tear

But I shall have peacefully furled’ my sail

In mooring sheltered from storm and gale

And greeting the friends who have sailed before

O’er the unknown sea to the unknown shore. - Anon

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given the best he had; whose life was an inspiration, whose memory a benediction. - Rob Morris

When I go down to the grave I can say, like many others: I have finished my day’s work. But I cannot say: I have finished my life. My day’s work will begin again the next morning. The tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes on the twilight; it opens on the dawn. - Victor Hugo

A Dedication

My new-cut ashlar takes the light

Where crimson-blank the windows flare;

By my own work, before the night,

Great Overseer I make my prayer.

If there be good in that I wrought,

Thy hand compell’d it, Master, Thine;

Where I have failed to meet Thy thought

I know, through Thee, the blame is mine.

One instant’s toil to Thee denied

Stands all Eternity’s offence;

Of that I did with Thee to guide

To Thee, through Thee, be excellence.

Who, lest all thought of Eden fade,

Bring’st Eden to the craftsman’s brain,

Godlike to muse o’er his own trade

And manlike stand with God again.

The depth and dream of my desire,

The bitter paths wherein I stray,

Thou knowest who hast made the Fire,

Thou knowest who hast made the Clay.

One stone the more swings to her place

In that dread Temple of Thy worth

It is enough that through

Thy grace I saw naught common on Thy earth.

Take not that vision from my ken;

O’ whatsoer may spoil or speed,

Help me to need no aid from men,

That I may help such men as need!

- Rudyard Kipling

"You find Freemasons all about you pretending to be Masonic lights who never read. Some of them, perhaps, can glibly repeat certain portions of the ritual, but could not give an intelligent interpretation of the same to save their lives. Masonic reading is an essential part of the education of a Freemason and it is never too late to begin, but always better to begin early. It is the duty of the Master to impress this fact upon newly-made Masons, but if they themselves are in the class of non-reading Freemasons, how can we expect from them such wholesome advice?

The National Trestle Board

A Thought from St. Fulgentius

In commenting on The Thebais of Statius, St. Fulgentius, Bishop of Ruspe, writes

a passage in Latin of which the following is the substance : It is not inept to compare a poem with a nut. For a nut consists of two parts-shell and kernel. So a poem has two sides-a palpable form and a mystical meaning. The kernel of a nut lurks within the shell: in a poem the mystical message underlies the phrase. To have the kernel one needs must crack the shell: to grasp the meaning of poetry one must look beyond the letter. The shell is tasteless ; all the savour is in the kernel: and similarly it is not the letter of the poem but its spirit that nourishes the soul. Would it be inept, either, to apply the moral of this ancient instance to the Craft? A shell may have beauty of its own, and so may the mere phrasing of a poem. Yet without something more recondite each is of little worth. Thus, in the Craft; the form, the ceremony, the ritual, the jewels and insignia, splendid though they be, are like outer shell and insignificant sound apart from the Spirit they embody and the truths they symbolize. Speaking Masonically, the Circumference is not the Centre. - Bro. E. R. Garnsay

The argument made by M. W. Brother Sherman, Grand Master of California, that Masters of lodges should be chosen for their outstanding qualities as executives and men of knowledge, and that the ritual should be committed to brothers who delight in such form of work but who would not be responsible for the conduct and wellbeing of the lodge, has much to commend it to thinking craftsmen. In such case both the talkers and the doers would find their appropriate levels and their places of greatest good. - National Trestle Board

The chief need of Freemasonry is not to advance the moral standard of Freema-sonry, but to bring the morals of Freemasons up to the moral standard of Freema-sonry. - Tyler-Keystone

"The future of Freemasonry lies not simply in the increase of number but in the dissemination of Masonic principles throughout the world. The great function of Freemasonry is to raise mankind to a higher realisation of the beauty of truth, of the importance of human freedom, of the dignity of labour, of the glory of service in every religious cause. - Masonic Chronicler

"If you know more than any of us come to the lodge meetings and tell us about it, if you know less, come and learn from us, we need you or else you need us. What’s your alibi now. Rob Morris

The Mother Lodge

Bro. Rudyard Kipling

There was Rundle, Station Master,

An’ Beazeley of the Rail

An’ ‘Ackman, Commissariat,

An’ Donkin’ O’ the Jail;

An’ Blake, Conductor-Sargent,

Our Master twice was ‘e,

With ‘im that kept the Europe-shop,

Old Framjee Eduljee.

Outside’ Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!’

Inside’ Brother,’ an’ it doesn’t do no ‘arm.

We met upon the Level an’ we parted on the Square,