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Masonry And The Chicago Exhibition.
MASONRY AND THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION .
We fail to see what possible connection there can be between Freemasonry and the International Exhibition which will be held next year in Chicago . The former , if we may be permitted to use the expression , is an abstract entity , being neither more nor less than a system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , and is therefore incapable of being
exhibited in a concrete form . The latter is a huge trading concern , to which the nations of the world are invited to send specimens of the commodities they grow and manufacture , and at which prizes in the shape of gold , silver , and bronze medals and certificates of commendation will be awarded to the most notable specimens in the different classes of exhibits . The result
will be a huge advertisement which will be made the most of by the producers and manufacturers who receive premiums until another World ' s Fair is held in London , Paris , or elsewhere . But though there is nothing in common between the science of Freemasonry and the latest novelty in butter tubs or washing-machines , there are not a few sober-minded American
brethren , who , if the reports we read from time to time in our American Masonic exchanges are to be relied upon , are seriously suggesting that the fraternity of Masons should be represented at the Chicago Show . The form of exhibit which finds the greatest amount of favour is an International Masonic Congress vvhich shall meet during the time the Fair is
open and propound theories about landmarks , discuss , and if possible , assimilate the codes of law in force in the different Masonic jurisdictions , and generally do all such things as are best calculated to make our Society the laughing-stock of the world . Or it may be the scheme will take the form of an exhibition of Masonic curios , and as some of our American
friends are endowed with considerable inventive powers in the way of practical joking , we may look to find a rare collection of early Masonic relics . Such , for instance , as a Tyler's sword , said to have been made by the first artificer in metals , * the marble pillar-box in which the ancient archives of the Craft were preserved during the Deluge ; the original
MS . of the 47 th Proposition of the first book of Euclid , vvith annotations by Pythagoras ; part of the floor of the first lodge founded in Britain , A . D ., 287 , by St . Alban ; the case that contained the Athelstane Charter , A D ., 926 , together with the original Vexillum Belli of the Knights Templar . Coming down to more recent times we might find the wig donned by
DANIEL COXE when he visited the Grand Lodge of England ; the inexpressibles worn by HENRY PRICE when he was installed Provincial Grand Master of New England ; the stump of an old quill pen , said to have been used by the Dukes of Kent and Sussex when they signed the articles of Union ; and last , but not least , the mummified corpse of old
MORGAN , who was done to death by the Masons for betraying their secrets , and of which the late THURLOW WEED is alleged to have said that" it was a good enough MORGAN for the purposes of the election . " Such a collection wight prove attractive , but whether or not it would tend to promote the interests of the Craft is open to question . Or the proposed International
Congress might content itself with giving a series of lectures on the princi ples of Freemasonry , and occasionally illustrate in public thc ceremony ° ' installation . But the question which is naturally uppermost in every one ' s mind is—Cui bono , and what has all this to do vvith the Chicago Fair ? Visitors will be more inclined to inspect the lions of Porkopolis—if the Capital
° > American pigdom can be said to have any lions to inspect—in which case ¦ heexhibits of Ancient Free and Accepted Masonry from the Creation to date * 'H stand a very fair chance of being passed by unheeded . But , even assumln g that the Masonic part of the Show , whatever form it may ultimately a ssume , proves more attractive than its most sanguine friends could desire ,
Ve must still repeat , and keep on repeating , of what benefit will it be to yasonry ? According to some of our Kentuckian brethren , it will result in ne interchange of fraternal sentiments , conserving the general interests Masonry throughout tbe world , and especially looking to a greater unirrnity in the modes of recognitionand the fundamental features which
, « L . ° ' ar acterise our system the world over . " The sentence is a most imposing e i and we admit the terms " fraternal sentiments , " " general crests , " " greater uniformity , " " fundamental features , " sound well ; but c convention of a few score of delegatrs from all "the world over" to PH " " " vi a . ILW ^ . uiu ui uwitgni ' . a num « . » niw >> u .. v * w » w . \ j
and * W '' at 's so near ' y impossible , suggests a reversal of the modern saying , lu h " . ^ ° ^ employing a NASMYTH ' S hammer to crack a nut , our Kenthe ^ nc * s ' ° k 'f they meant to use a pair of nut-crackers to squeeze 'lie rv t 0 a Je " y * W * y '' wou'd nced that every one of the members of di " go Masonic Congress should live for a few centuries in order to in t , ' v " fundamental principles " of Freemasonry as they are set forth e Afferen t Books of Constitution in force in the different jurisdictions
Masonry And The Chicago Exhibition.
throughout the United States alone , and as they have been differently interpreted by successive generations of Grand Masters . However , Bro . SCHULTZ , of Maryland , though he does not accept the Kentucky view , is of opinion " that a convention of one or two earnest , zealous , and well - informed brethren from each jurisdiction might accomplish
much good by formulating a uniform code of laws for the fraternity , for this in the opinion of your Committee is the great and crying need of the hour in our fraternity . " But this , though a less ambitious proposal than the Kentucky scheme , is well nigh as impracticable . A convention thus limited in numbers would , doubtless , be manageable while in session : but even if we assume that the representatives of each jurisdiction were given p lenary powers to arrange for a uniform code of laws for the whole fraternity in tbe United States , what possibility is there of the whole body of delegates being able to formulate a code within anything like a reasonable time ? We all know what happened a short time after the Union , when tbe States were 13 in number , and it was proposed there should be a General Grand Lodge for the whole of the United States vvith Bro . GEORGE WASHINGTON as General Grand Master . The establishment of such a Supreme body meant uniformity of laws if it meant anything , but the scheme fell through , and if it fell through when the Grand Lodges to be
consulted were so few in number , what likelihood is there that it would succeed , when there are some 48 or 49 lodges , with such widely divergent opinions as are known to exist among several of them , to be consulted ? Curiously enough , Bro . SCHULTZ assigns as a reason for holding this convention that so many differences exist among the Masonic jurisdictions
in the United States . " Certain Masonic offences , " he says , " in one jurisdiction are not held to be Masonic offences in an adjoining jurisdiction . Qualifications for entrance into Freemasonry are required by one Grand Lodge which are totally unknown in another . The Grand Master of the Craft in one State has and exercises
rights and powers that are denied to a Grand Master of the Craft of another jurisdiction separated simply by an imaginary line . " And yet he thinks a mere convention " of one or two earnest , zealous , and well-informed brethren from each jurisdiction" will be able to dissipate these numerous divergencies of opinion , and establish in their stead one uniform
code of laws which every one of the Grand Lodges in the United States shall bind itself to accept without hesitation , equivocation , or mental reservation of any kind . O happy , simple-minded SCHULTZ , to be thus credulous ! And , then , as if the achievements of this one particular impossible task vvere not labour enough for the convention he proposes , he has the
hardihood to suggest that it should take upon itself the further , and still more impossible , task of determining " the landmarks of Freemasonry . " With that ample knowledge of the history of Freemasonry which so distinguished a brother is certain to possess , and , at the same time , with that innocence of heart which only such a simple-minded believer in mundane
virtue as Bro . SCHULTZ could exhibit , he goes on to tell us , apropos of this further suggestion , that " all Masons agree that there are landmarks , but scarcely any two agree as to what they are . Some contend that there are twenty-five , others eighteen , others seven , and we believe there are some who say that there are only three . " Yet he thinks a
convention would have only to meet at Chicago during the World ' s Fair , and presto / all these differences about landmarks would disappear . But assuming that such a result were possible or even probable , why must it meet at Chicago and during the time the Exhibition is on view ? We are not a Society that goes out of its way to court publicity , nor do we think
it likely the delegates would derive inspiration in the matter of landmarks from the latest inventions in agricultural or warlike implements , in sewing machines or laundry apparatus , or the thousand and one domestic appliances which are regarded as landmarks in our modern system of civilisation . No , we have little faith in International Congresses and Conventions , and
least of all in a congress which is nominally summoned for the purpose of settling what cannot be settled and determining the indeterminable , but which in reality vvill be nothing else than an excuse for the perpetration of all kinds of Masonic absurdities . Why , if our American friends vvere so anxious for an Exhibition of Masonry at Chicago next year , did they not arrange
for a quadrennial instead of a triennial meeting of the Grand Encampment of the Knights Templar of thc United States to be held concurrently with the show ? Then the Sir Knights and their ladies could have flocked thither in their thousands , and the citizens of Porkopolis might have divided their
admiration between the sights inside the Exhibition and the si ghts without it . But seriously , we trust there vvill be no such thing as a Masonic Congress or Show at Chicago next summer . Freemasonry is too reputable an Institution to be made into a kind of plaything .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry And The Chicago Exhibition.
MASONRY AND THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION .
We fail to see what possible connection there can be between Freemasonry and the International Exhibition which will be held next year in Chicago . The former , if we may be permitted to use the expression , is an abstract entity , being neither more nor less than a system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , and is therefore incapable of being
exhibited in a concrete form . The latter is a huge trading concern , to which the nations of the world are invited to send specimens of the commodities they grow and manufacture , and at which prizes in the shape of gold , silver , and bronze medals and certificates of commendation will be awarded to the most notable specimens in the different classes of exhibits . The result
will be a huge advertisement which will be made the most of by the producers and manufacturers who receive premiums until another World ' s Fair is held in London , Paris , or elsewhere . But though there is nothing in common between the science of Freemasonry and the latest novelty in butter tubs or washing-machines , there are not a few sober-minded American
brethren , who , if the reports we read from time to time in our American Masonic exchanges are to be relied upon , are seriously suggesting that the fraternity of Masons should be represented at the Chicago Show . The form of exhibit which finds the greatest amount of favour is an International Masonic Congress vvhich shall meet during the time the Fair is
open and propound theories about landmarks , discuss , and if possible , assimilate the codes of law in force in the different Masonic jurisdictions , and generally do all such things as are best calculated to make our Society the laughing-stock of the world . Or it may be the scheme will take the form of an exhibition of Masonic curios , and as some of our American
friends are endowed with considerable inventive powers in the way of practical joking , we may look to find a rare collection of early Masonic relics . Such , for instance , as a Tyler's sword , said to have been made by the first artificer in metals , * the marble pillar-box in which the ancient archives of the Craft were preserved during the Deluge ; the original
MS . of the 47 th Proposition of the first book of Euclid , vvith annotations by Pythagoras ; part of the floor of the first lodge founded in Britain , A . D ., 287 , by St . Alban ; the case that contained the Athelstane Charter , A D ., 926 , together with the original Vexillum Belli of the Knights Templar . Coming down to more recent times we might find the wig donned by
DANIEL COXE when he visited the Grand Lodge of England ; the inexpressibles worn by HENRY PRICE when he was installed Provincial Grand Master of New England ; the stump of an old quill pen , said to have been used by the Dukes of Kent and Sussex when they signed the articles of Union ; and last , but not least , the mummified corpse of old
MORGAN , who was done to death by the Masons for betraying their secrets , and of which the late THURLOW WEED is alleged to have said that" it was a good enough MORGAN for the purposes of the election . " Such a collection wight prove attractive , but whether or not it would tend to promote the interests of the Craft is open to question . Or the proposed International
Congress might content itself with giving a series of lectures on the princi ples of Freemasonry , and occasionally illustrate in public thc ceremony ° ' installation . But the question which is naturally uppermost in every one ' s mind is—Cui bono , and what has all this to do vvith the Chicago Fair ? Visitors will be more inclined to inspect the lions of Porkopolis—if the Capital
° > American pigdom can be said to have any lions to inspect—in which case ¦ heexhibits of Ancient Free and Accepted Masonry from the Creation to date * 'H stand a very fair chance of being passed by unheeded . But , even assumln g that the Masonic part of the Show , whatever form it may ultimately a ssume , proves more attractive than its most sanguine friends could desire ,
Ve must still repeat , and keep on repeating , of what benefit will it be to yasonry ? According to some of our Kentuckian brethren , it will result in ne interchange of fraternal sentiments , conserving the general interests Masonry throughout tbe world , and especially looking to a greater unirrnity in the modes of recognitionand the fundamental features which
, « L . ° ' ar acterise our system the world over . " The sentence is a most imposing e i and we admit the terms " fraternal sentiments , " " general crests , " " greater uniformity , " " fundamental features , " sound well ; but c convention of a few score of delegatrs from all "the world over" to PH " " " vi a . ILW ^ . uiu ui uwitgni ' . a num « . » niw >> u .. v * w » w . \ j
and * W '' at 's so near ' y impossible , suggests a reversal of the modern saying , lu h " . ^ ° ^ employing a NASMYTH ' S hammer to crack a nut , our Kenthe ^ nc * s ' ° k 'f they meant to use a pair of nut-crackers to squeeze 'lie rv t 0 a Je " y * W * y '' wou'd nced that every one of the members of di " go Masonic Congress should live for a few centuries in order to in t , ' v " fundamental principles " of Freemasonry as they are set forth e Afferen t Books of Constitution in force in the different jurisdictions
Masonry And The Chicago Exhibition.
throughout the United States alone , and as they have been differently interpreted by successive generations of Grand Masters . However , Bro . SCHULTZ , of Maryland , though he does not accept the Kentucky view , is of opinion " that a convention of one or two earnest , zealous , and well - informed brethren from each jurisdiction might accomplish
much good by formulating a uniform code of laws for the fraternity , for this in the opinion of your Committee is the great and crying need of the hour in our fraternity . " But this , though a less ambitious proposal than the Kentucky scheme , is well nigh as impracticable . A convention thus limited in numbers would , doubtless , be manageable while in session : but even if we assume that the representatives of each jurisdiction were given p lenary powers to arrange for a uniform code of laws for the whole fraternity in tbe United States , what possibility is there of the whole body of delegates being able to formulate a code within anything like a reasonable time ? We all know what happened a short time after the Union , when tbe States were 13 in number , and it was proposed there should be a General Grand Lodge for the whole of the United States vvith Bro . GEORGE WASHINGTON as General Grand Master . The establishment of such a Supreme body meant uniformity of laws if it meant anything , but the scheme fell through , and if it fell through when the Grand Lodges to be
consulted were so few in number , what likelihood is there that it would succeed , when there are some 48 or 49 lodges , with such widely divergent opinions as are known to exist among several of them , to be consulted ? Curiously enough , Bro . SCHULTZ assigns as a reason for holding this convention that so many differences exist among the Masonic jurisdictions
in the United States . " Certain Masonic offences , " he says , " in one jurisdiction are not held to be Masonic offences in an adjoining jurisdiction . Qualifications for entrance into Freemasonry are required by one Grand Lodge which are totally unknown in another . The Grand Master of the Craft in one State has and exercises
rights and powers that are denied to a Grand Master of the Craft of another jurisdiction separated simply by an imaginary line . " And yet he thinks a mere convention " of one or two earnest , zealous , and well-informed brethren from each jurisdiction" will be able to dissipate these numerous divergencies of opinion , and establish in their stead one uniform
code of laws which every one of the Grand Lodges in the United States shall bind itself to accept without hesitation , equivocation , or mental reservation of any kind . O happy , simple-minded SCHULTZ , to be thus credulous ! And , then , as if the achievements of this one particular impossible task vvere not labour enough for the convention he proposes , he has the
hardihood to suggest that it should take upon itself the further , and still more impossible , task of determining " the landmarks of Freemasonry . " With that ample knowledge of the history of Freemasonry which so distinguished a brother is certain to possess , and , at the same time , with that innocence of heart which only such a simple-minded believer in mundane
virtue as Bro . SCHULTZ could exhibit , he goes on to tell us , apropos of this further suggestion , that " all Masons agree that there are landmarks , but scarcely any two agree as to what they are . Some contend that there are twenty-five , others eighteen , others seven , and we believe there are some who say that there are only three . " Yet he thinks a
convention would have only to meet at Chicago during the World ' s Fair , and presto / all these differences about landmarks would disappear . But assuming that such a result were possible or even probable , why must it meet at Chicago and during the time the Exhibition is on view ? We are not a Society that goes out of its way to court publicity , nor do we think
it likely the delegates would derive inspiration in the matter of landmarks from the latest inventions in agricultural or warlike implements , in sewing machines or laundry apparatus , or the thousand and one domestic appliances which are regarded as landmarks in our modern system of civilisation . No , we have little faith in International Congresses and Conventions , and
least of all in a congress which is nominally summoned for the purpose of settling what cannot be settled and determining the indeterminable , but which in reality vvill be nothing else than an excuse for the perpetration of all kinds of Masonic absurdities . Why , if our American friends vvere so anxious for an Exhibition of Masonry at Chicago next year , did they not arrange
for a quadrennial instead of a triennial meeting of the Grand Encampment of the Knights Templar of thc United States to be held concurrently with the show ? Then the Sir Knights and their ladies could have flocked thither in their thousands , and the citizens of Porkopolis might have divided their
admiration between the sights inside the Exhibition and the si ghts without it . But seriously , we trust there vvill be no such thing as a Masonic Congress or Show at Chicago next summer . Freemasonry is too reputable an Institution to be made into a kind of plaything .