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        CROCKETT.TXT       p8

THE  EVOLUTION OF MASONIC THOUGHT

by David Crockett, MPS

The purpose of this paper is to examine some
of the Masonic writings and addresses from the
past 270 years and formulate a theory of the
euolution of Masonic Thought.

Part 1: Eighteenth Century

Let us begin with a hypothesis: The
Philosophy of Freemasonry during the
early eighteenth century underwent tre-
mendous growth. This inertia of growth
was created by the fellowship between
educated Masons and various social lev-
els of the Craft during an age of class
isolation .

I site the following support for this hy-
pothesis: In 1717, with four isolated
Lodges left in London, Masonry was
approaching extinction. In contrast, six
years later the membership of the Grand
Lodge of England consisted of: Nobility,
scholars, ministers, and thirty per-cent
tradesmen 1

Desaguliers was the curator and fellow
of the Royal Society. He also lectured to
the King of England (George I) in 1717,
and later to George II and other mem-
bers of the Royal family.  During this
time Desaguliers prepared experiments
with the scientific genius of the age, the
non-Mason, Sir Isaac Newton. Newton 3
was the President of the Royal Society.

Freemasonry also enjoyed the endorse-
ment of nobility: We know that on June
24, 1721, the Duke of Montagu was the
first man of nobility to lead the fellowship
of Freemasons. At that time the Grand
Lodge of England was four years old.

But like all new organizations, there
were complications: The Duke of Whar-
ton, (GM 1723-1724) would be indited
for high treason by the English Crown on
April 5, 1729.4 He would die in exile
after joining the Catholic Church in
1728, a so-called Jacobite, or supporter
of the House of Stuart. (Stuart Masonry
is an alleged connection between Masons
and House of Stuart, i.e. an effort to
regain control of England by the House
of Stuart). The House of Stuart ruled
England 1603-1714. The Hanover Reg-
ime began with (George I (King of Eng-
land 1714-1727).

On a more positive note: The 1723
Constitution was the culmination of a
new idea that had been developing for six
years. Because the Constitution of Ma-
sonry was now boldly established in
print, along with the current signatures
of respected men of England, the credi-
bility of Masonry was strengthened.

Having started with the premise that
class-free fellowship revitalized Mason-
ry, let us examine some of the evidence
of Masonic addresses and writings in the
past 270 years.

First of all, consider the author of the
first two Masonic Constitutions, James
Anderson. It is generally agreed that
Anderson's account of Masonic history
is unreliable and largely consists of
error.6 With respect to Masonic thought,
and philosophy, the obvious question is:
so what?

In fact the accuracy of history in Ander-
son's Constitution in not the point. The
point is that the Constitution broke new
ground. The Constitution formally
clarified that a Mason's role in society
included respect for God, the local
government and his fellow man. Errors
or not, Masons accepted this new system
of morality, and Anderson drove the new
truck down the road. Beyond that,
Anderson's philosophy continued to roll
along until historians like Hughan and
Gould, began the school of realism 150
years later.

Another interesting observation, re-
garding illogical Masonic history, is
based on the numerous moral laws that
were written in England as well as Amer-
ica. Consider, for example, that nearly a
score of innocent people were executed
for witchcraft in Massachusetts. Indeed,
one might argue that the life-style in the
British Empire was often more focused
on fear and rigid morality than scholarly
logic.

The masses of the population in Eng-
land were illiterate and often living un-
der horrible conditions. Consider the in-
terest in the written word: the Grand
Lodge of England did not even have a
Secretary before June 24, 1723 . Thus I
offer the following regarding Anderson:
l.Anderson made an important contribu-
tion in unifying a philosophy of Ma-
sonry.

2.That unity, also improved the strength
of the Craft.

3.It is theorized that the Constitution
along with the prestige of the leaders,
generated an explosive growth in
Freemasonry.

Anderson was not alone in writing the
Constitution, Past Grand Master
George Payne is believed to be the author
of the thirty-nine General Regulations,
and Desaguliers more than likely con-
tributed more than the "Dedication."
The heart of the Constitution is the fol-
lowing six Charges, along with my brief
summary of their 8 pages of meaning: 7

l.God and Religion. belief in God leaving
each Mason' s particular opinions to
themselves .

2. The Civil Magtstrate: be a peaceable sub-
ject to the civil powers.

3. The Lodge. be subject to the by-laws and
General Regulations.

4.Members of the Lodge: merit rather than
seniority. Rules and responsibilities of
each Mason.

5.Management of the Craft: respect for work
and holy days. Morality, instruction,
and respect for others.

6.Behavior: At home, in Lodge, and
towards others.

After the Constitution and contribu-
tions from men like Desaguliers, The
Duke of Montagu, and Anderson; the
next stimulus in Masonic thought came
from the pen of Martin Clare. Clare (?-
1751), began his famous 1730 unau-
thored pamphlet, "Defense of Mason-
ry," as follows:

"Among the extraordinary discover-
ies of the present age, nothing has
been received with more delight and
exultation, than a few sheets written,
it seems, without partiality, called
Masonry Dissected."8

Clare is writing his famous Masonic
defense to the tenth unauthorized print-
ing of Masonic ritual in the past seven
years. He identifies some of the sub-
stance of Masonry at that time:

"I observe that the end, the moral
and purport of Masonry, as described
in the Dissection, is to subdue our
passions, not to do our own will, to
make a daily progress in a laudable
Art, to promote morality, charity,
good fellowship, good nature, and
humanity. This appears to be the sub-
stance, let the form or vehicle be ever
so unaccountable.9

Notice, that Clare does not confirm
these points in the expose, he merely
identifies what the expose states. Clare
now asks a question:

Now where is the impiety, where the
Immorality, or folly, for a number of
men to form themselves into a society,
whose main end is to improve in com-
mendable skill and knowledge, and to
promote universal beneficence and
the social virtues of human life, under
the solemn obligation of an oath? "10

Clare goes on to defend the integrity of
the oath, the legality of the oath, and the
voluntary nature of the oath. Then
Clare, the subtle English school teacher,
concedes that:
"...the system, as taught in the regu-
lar Lodges, may have some redun-
dancies or defects,...And indeed
considering through what obscurity
and darkness the mystery has been
delivered down, the many centuries it
has survived . . . and. . . instead of ap-
pearing ridiculous, ought to be re-
ceived with some candor and esteem
from a veneration to its antiquity. " 11
We may say the following about Clare:

I .Clare identified, in the expose: That the
purpose of Masonry was to "subdue
our passions," "promote morality,
charity, good fellowship, good nature
and humanity." Also to make daily
progress in a laudable art.

2.He defended Masonry for the first time
in existing written documents. This oc-
curred 13 years after the modern revival
began.
3.Clare defends the solemn obligation of
an oath.
4 . He defends the integrity of improvement
in a commendable skill and knowledge.
5.He defends universal beneficence and
the social virtues of Human life.
6.Clare admits that the "system" may
have defects.
7.He points out that Masonry has existed
for many centuries, and should be re-
spected for its lasting philosophy.
8.Clare's 1730 defense was endorsed by
Freemasonry. This is demonstrated to
some degree by being published in the
1738 Constitution.

My next reference, Calcott's famous
book 12 published originally in London in
1769) published in Boston in 1772 has
the names of the American subscribers,
13 pages of subscribers. This book is
considered the first philosophical book
on Masonry ever published . Three of the
names, in the list of subscribers, are as
follows:

 John Rowe--Grand Master for
North America

 Paul Revere--Past Master St. An-
drews Lodge:GD
 Joseph Warren--Grand Master

(killed at Bunker Hill as a General
in 3 years).

Among the addresses published in that
book is an address presented to Masons
of the Castle-Inn, Marlborough, Eng-
land at a meeting for the distribution of
charity to twenty-four poor people, at
which most of the ladies in Marlborough
were present. This is an extract from the
philosophy of Thomas Dunckerly on
Soptember 11, 1769:
"Lodges are now held on every part
of this globe, and charities are col-
lected and sent to the respective
Grand Lodge of each kingdom or
state: There the distressed Brethren
apply and find relief; nor is any excep-
tion made to differences of country or
religion. . .13

"I have told you in the Lodge, and I
repeat it now, that Brotherly Love
Relief and Truth are the grand prin-
ciples of Masonry. . .14

"High and low, rich and poor, one
with another; to adore God, and ob-
serve his law. . .All worthy members of
this society are free to visit every
Lodge in the world...he will gain ad-
mittance, and find that true friend-
ship, which flows from the Brotherly
love I am now describing...ls

"To subdue our passions, and to im-
prove in useful scientific knowledge;
to instruct the younger Brethren, and
initiate the unenlightened, are the
principal duties of the Lodge. . .16
" Truth is a divine attribute. . . 17
The man who spoke those words was
the illegitimate son of George II. George
II became king of England three years
after Dunckerly was born. Dunckerly
served as a gunner in the British Navy
for twenty-six years. After the death of
George II, Dunckerly was recognized as
the son of the former King and he re-
ceived a pension, lived in an apartment
at Hampton Court Palace, became an
attorney, and among his numerous Ma-
sonic achievements, he becomes the first
Grand Master of the Grand Conclave of
Knights Templar of England. 18

In later years it was said by Horace
Chase, prominent New Hampshire At-
torney and Grand Master:

"Thomas Dunckerly, who was con-
sidered the most intelligent Mason of
his day, extended and improved the
lectures, and, among other things,
first gave to the theological ladder its
then most important rounds (f. h. c. ).l9
Most modern scholars doubt that Clare
and Dunckerly revised the ritual of
Freemasonry, asserting that it is at-
tributed to Oliver's romanticism. Mod-
ern scholars may be absolutely correct.
Particularly if they base their thinking on
the clinical theory of Gould. The great
historian, Gould, wrote factual history,
not reasons for Masonic history. Gould
who lived in the heart of the Victorian
Era, suppressed his feelings, and
believed that irrefutable evidence must
exist in order to write history. But if we
are going to play by those rules, in writ-
ing philosophy, where is the contra-
dictory evidence to the expose's as to the
uniformity of Masonic Ritual between
1730 and Preston's revision of the ritual
in 1772?

On a more productive note, directed to
the thesis of this paper, Calcott also offers
an interesting insight into the evolution
of Masonic thought regarding the re-
spectability of Freemasons meeting in
taverns. In a letter from one James Gal-
loway, Oct. 1, 1768 (addressed to Calcott
and published in his book) comes the
following extract:
I understand we shall soon be favored
with your Masonic treatise, and shall
esteem myself obliged, if you will af-
ford me that opportunity to recall the
attention of our worthy Brethren to an
object which well deserves their seri-
ous consideration: I mean the erec-
tion of a commodious building, for the
particular, as well as general assem-
blies of the society. . .

. . .Is it not greatly to be lamented, that
a society so numerous, and so highly
honored in its members should as oft
as they have occasion for general
meetings, be obliged to resort to
taverns, or to hire halls of inferior
communities, and those at the best,
very ill adopted for such meetings.. 20
From Calcott we may summarize the
following with respect to the intellectual
growth that was created by the educated
members of the society 220 years ago:

1. Masonry had spread all over the globe
and numerous men in the American
Colonies were curious about Masonic
philosophy.

2.Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth were
the grand principles of Masonry.

3 . Freemasonry was opposed to elitism .
(Friendship will be found by free access
to any Lodge, by rich and poor etc.)
4.The principal duties are to subdue our
passions to improve in knowledge, to
instruct, and to initiate the "un-
enlightened. "
5.Calcott established in 1769 (Englsh edi-
tion) the earliest approved book on the
philosophy of Freemasonry.
6.Freemasons were thinking about build-
ing Lodges in England that were exclu-
sively for Masons.

Regarding Hutchinson ( 1732 - 1814)
writing in his 1774 " Spirit of Masonry, "
that subject is a paper in itself, obviously
he formed the foundation for much of the
nineteenth century " Romantic Age "
theories, especially by Masons like
George Oliver. But the Gothic Constitu-
tions had been recording Masons of old
for longer than any of us will ever know.
It is certainly not helpful to Hutchinson's
romantic notions, but it is productive to
the thesis of this paper to point out that:
Hutchinson shared philosophy with all
classes of Masons, and Hutchinson was
a scholar of archeological studies, as well
as a prominent member of the Royal
Society of Antiquaries.
With respect to the aggressive William
Preston (1742-1818), and his 1772 (7-8
hour) lectures. Those lectures are ex-
tremely complicated and lengthy. The
copy I have, has been verified by the
Iowa Masonic Library, and is 79 pages
in length, about 250 words per page.
Preston was obviously devoted to organ-
izing ritual and keeping everyone satis-
fied in the process. Preston likely used
this approach because of the numerous
rituals then in use by the tremendously
growing Craft. Perhaps as well, because
of the separation between the modern
and the ancients in England (1751-
1813). Unfortunately Preston's collec-
tion of ancient ritual, and his revision of
the various lectures that were in use in
England just before the Revolutionary
War period, created a marathon system.
But Preston could easily be classified as
a ritualist more than a philosopher of
Masonry. . .particularly in view of the fact
that "Modern Masonry" had been in
existence for 45 years before Preston be-
came a Mason (1762). He collected and
refined ritual in his "Order of the
Harodim Society. " What Preston ended
up with in 1772, was revised in England
by Hemmings in 1813 . However, Pres-
ton's work became the basis for Ameri-
can ritual today. In any case, Preston,
editor of the London Chronicle was
closely associated with the distinguished
writers of that time. Gibbon, Hume, Ro-
bertson, and Blair.21 Once again when
new ideas occurred a distinguished Eng-
lish Mason of the eighteenth century
bridged the gap between the various clas-
ses of England.

Yet in America, Preston's efforts were
only of practical use after the 26 year-old,
Thomas Smith Webb (1771-1819), com-
pleted his "Readers Digest" version in
1797. In any case, on a philosophical
note, Preston is the man who was re-
sponsible for American, more than Eng-
land's, ritual as it is practiced today.

With this brief glance at the eighteenth
century writings, I submit that the think-
ing which went into the modern revival
of Masonry, much like the thought that
went into the American Constitution
was superior to much of the philosophy
that occurred in the next two centuries.
The Michelangelo's of eighteenth cen-
tury Masonic Philosophy remain:
Desaguliers, James Anderson, Clare,
Dunckerly, Calcott, (Preston & Webb in
ritual) and Hutchinson...along with the
nobility of men like the Duke of Mon-
tagu and the Duke of Wharton.

I agree, it is unfortunate that Anderson
did not record more accurate and exten-
sive information in his 1723 and the 1738
Constitution. But more important, I
think it is fair to state that we as a frater-
nity will not flourish because of precise
analysis of the past, we will indeed flour-
ish, "accurate records: or not, because
of the structure that was formed in the
eighteenth century."

In summary, I am unable to offer a
more vivid summary of Masonic thought
in the eighteenth century than the words
of Dunckerly. These words were spoken
220 years ago, when the Grand Lodge of
England was half a century old:

"I have told you in the Lodge and I
repeat it now, that Brotherly Love,
Relief, and Truth are the grand prin-
ciples of Masonry."  22

Part II Nlneteenth Century:

Freemasonry had been established in
the American Colonies for three genera-
tions by 1800. During that time, Ma-
sonry emerged with the struggle for the
Continent. There were dozens of Ma-
sonic Journals in the nineteenth century,
the first being established in America in
1811 23 In the previous century of Amer-
ica, Henry Price in 1733 became Grand
Master of North America...Five years
before an English sea Captain, Robert
Jenkins, started a skirmish by cutting an
ear from the head of a Spanish Captain
in the Caribbean Sea... The French and
Indian War was the news for a while
(1755-1760). It took 36 hours to run the
mail between New York and Philadel-
phia. There was also more than a skir-
mish called the Revolutionary War
(1775-1783). Thus by 1800, the prob-
lems of the new world presented ample
reasons for fellowship.

American Freemasons during this cen-
tury of taming the wilderness, would
modify the English ritual. They would
also spread it throughout the Country
with traveling lecturers like Gleason,
Cross, Barney and Snow. By the year
1800 General Washington was dead .
The War of 1812 would be won, entering
an Era of growth under the battle cry of
"Manifest Destiny." But we need not
romanticize the times. There was good-
ness and greed, honor and hatred, wis-
dom and stupidity.

The most important author of Freema-
sonry in the first half of the nineteenth
century was George Oliver ( 1782-1867) .
This clergyman from England would
later be rightly accused of believing
everything he read. That may be an ex-
aggeration, but Oliver was a classic ro-
mantic. Here is only a minor example:
"The life of our Grand Master,
David, is often referred to in the sys-
tem of Freemasonry- because he was
a man after God's own heart, al-
though human imperfection caused
him, in some instances to record and
illustrate an event which forms a
Landmark of great importance in
Freemasonry, insomuch as, without
it...After David had succeeded to the
throne of Israel, on the death of Saul-
...some circumstances...were pecu-
liarly offensive to God...To some of
these, Freemasonry directs our atten-
tion. 24

Oliver, in contrast to modern students
of Masonry, focused on morality in the
ancient history of the Bible to illustrate
Masonry. His writings illustrate the
work of a clergyman and there is nothing
wrong with that. The problem with
Oliver is that his philosophy of the Bible
was often woven into his unwavering
belief in the eighteenth century Masonic
history of Hutchinson. In other words
Masonry was taught by Soth and Noah
down to the present day. Indeed, one
might make the point that Oliver used
his clergyman knowledge to write Ma-
sonic books. His credibility as a refer-
ence is infamous, but Oliver's wisdom
regarding the universality and fellowship
of Masonry remains a powerful force.
We will learn in the next century that
one of the most brilliant Masonic philos-
ophers and clear legal minds of the twen-
tieth century will declare that Oliver
taught us one of the most important les-
sons of the Craft.
Next is Albert G. Mackey ( 1807-1881 ) .
Mackey made the transition from
Oliver's romanticism to realism. Here
are some excerpts from Mackey:
"The fact is that the beginning of the
of the eighteenth century, was in Eng-
land, and more especially in London,
the age of clubs. We shall soon see how
associations of men for all sorts of
purposes, but principally for convi-
vial ones, were established in that
city.  25

"I have heretofore attempted to show
that the decline in the spirit of Opera-
tive Freemasonry was to be attributed
to the decadence of Gothic Architec-
ture.

...But whatever may have been the
cause, the fact is indisputable that at
the beginning of the 18th century the
Freemasons had lost much of their
high standing as practical architects
and had greatly diminished their
numbers. "25

" In London there were four operative
Lodges. These were the Lodges which
in 1717 united...All the Lodges men-
tioned consisted of two classes of
members, those who were operative-
...and those who were non-operative-
.. .initiation was at this time of a very
simple and unpretentious character.
There was but one form common to
the three ranks of Apprentices, Fel-
lows, and Masters, and the division
into degrees, as that word is now un-
derstood, was utterly unknown."25

You may not agree with Mackey, but
one must concede, Dr. Mackey wrote his
philosophy very clearly. His contribution
was to shift the thinking of the Masons
of the mid-nineteenth century romantic
school of thought to the more realistic
knowledge of the Industrial Revolution
period. In my personal opinion, when it
comes to creative, interesting, and often
penetrating, writing: Gould's cable-tow
to "just the facts Madam," has its limi-
tations. William James Hughan, (1841-
1911) who is unquestionably one of the
giants of research into Masonic docu-
ments, remarked on that subject as fol-
lows:

"Some parts of Dr. Mackey's massive
work are indications as much of his
valued opinions as of matters of fact,
and these, of course, are left
alone...now that their author is no
more. They are, howeuer, of considerable
worth, and whilst the opinions of some
other students may not always coin-
cide, so long as they are accepted as
inferences, and can not fail to throw
light on points needing elucidation,
because of their suggestlveness.26

Rob Morris (1818-1888) made a trip to
the Holy Land in 1868 and published a
unique Masonic book on the subject. He
said the following about his factual meas-
urements and observations of The foun-
dation, or platform on which King Solo-
mon's Temple was built:

"Go out upon a level plain; measure
off an oblong square 1,600 feet by
1,000, equal to thirty-six and a half
acres; build a wall around it of great
stones, eight, ten, twenty, and even
forty feet long, and of proportionate
breadth and thickness; bind the foun-
dation stones of this wall firmly to-
gether with clamps of iron and lead,
and in the same manner fasten them
into the native rock that lies below;
raise that wall to an average height of
one-hundred and fifty feet of solid
mason work; fill up solid the whole
area of thirty-six and a half acres to
that great height of one hundred and
fifty feet. This being done, you will
have such a platform as was erected
by Solomon's craftsmen, upon which
to build the temple."27

Thus, 60 years after Fulton's steam
boat, Morris brought to life the age of
manual labor that was only written about
in the "ancient" Constitution's of
Freemasonry.

My references to Charles W. Moore
(1801-1873) consist of 50 issues of his
Masonic Monthly Magazine from 1855-
1860 (he published that magazine for 33
years), and his biography in the New
England Freemason, 1874. Moore was
the god-father of nineteenth century
journals. His personal views were con-
sidered as one of an umpire. That is not
to say that everyone agreed with him.
His less successful competitors openly
criticized him in print. In the 1850's
American Freemasonry was growing so
fast that the common complaint was to
slow down the initiation of new Masons.
Letters were published that were bigoted
with regards to religion and race. Broth-
er Moore spoke of history, obituaries,
world-wide Masonry, candidates, rules
of Masonry, imposters, biographies of
famous Masons, Masonry among the
Indians, and his famous last page: "Ma-
sonic Chit Chat. " Moore made a trip to
England in 1856, he listened to the ritual
as it was practiced in 1814. He was rath-
er upset with how our fellow Brothers in
England were practicing ritual!
"If the Grand Lodge of England is
now right, she was wrong for at least
an entire century preceding the year
1814, when her present system of
work was matured and adopted. If
she is right now, then the Grand
Lodges of this country, in common
with the Grand Lodge of Ireland and
Scotland, (we say nothing of the
mixed systems of the continent) are
just so far in the wrong."28

Now that Brother Moore is dead, let us
simply say, as far as I know, the Grand
Lodge of England is doing fine thank
you.

Robert Gould (1836-1915) is known as
the historian of historians in Ma-
sonry. His objective mind and his ability
to organize fragments of eighteenth cen-
tury Masonry was a labor of incredible
dedication and persistence. He brought
to life the facts of Masonic history. Bey-
ond that, in 1885, four years after
Mackey died (Mackey finished 1302
pages of his 2013 page history) Gould
published his three volume history. The
only serious criticism of Gould' s work is:
Gould wrote the facts as he saw them
with no effort to discuss the reasons
behind them.29

It is beyond the limits of this paper to
discuss the facts of Gould any further,
however, it is interesting to compare a
modern write-up of Gould as compared
with Mackey. Coil offered Gould 18 lines
of print,30 all factual; on the other hand,
Mackey received 275 lines of print,3l-
much of it emotional. If there is a cor-
relation between Brother Coil's effort; to
that of Mackey and Gould's effect on
Masonic thought, I submit: Gould loca-
ted facts for scholars to elucidate, while
Mackey elucidated his own material,
four years before the history of Gould.
(Mackey completed fifty chapters of the
73 chapter history, before he died in
1881).

Some call Albert Pike ( 1809-1891 ) a
genius and others call him names. I call
Pike a Renaissance man during an age of
wood to iron. During this time, Abe Lin-
coln spoke about one motive for progress
in his experience in the Black Hawk Wal
(1832). He slyly replied that he did not
catch up with:

"any live, fighting Indians...but I had
a good many bloody struggles with the
mosquitoes" 32

Pike creatively prepared and perfected
new rituals for all of the Scottish
Rite. Like most all Masonic authors in
this paper, Pike possessed hurricane
energy for the Craft. He was sometimes
wise and sometimes affected by his ro-
mantic theories. Pike was a poet as well,
one stanza of his famous poem, "Every
Year," describes the eighteenth century
thought of Freemasonry:

But the truer life draws nigher,
Every year.

And its Morning-star climbs higher,
Every year

Earth's hold on us grows slighter,
And the heavy burden lighter,

And the Dawn immortal brighter,
Every year.33

Albert Pike might be called by some the
most controversial Mason since the days
of Hutchinson and Oliver. To under-
stand Pike is to reflect on: the change of
America in the lifetime of Abraham Lin-
coln; the change in thinking because of
Gould's factual history replacing roman-
ticism; and to consider a man who had
vast and deep interests with the energy
of two men: a soldier and a scholar.

After Pike wrote the 4th to the 32nd
degree of the Scottish Rite, (Pike began
the work after the 1855 meeting and
finished in 1868) he said in 1887:

"I have said that the Rituals of the
degrees of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite and those of the Rite of
Perfection, when I received them,
were worthless. I repeat it, excepting
the Rose Croix only. They taught a
Mason nothing that he did not know
before. They were not impressive in
any way. No man of intellect and
knowledge could regard them, as lit-
erary productlons, with any re-
spect. "34

Pike was justifying his writing of the
Scottish Rite ritual because he was
selected by the Supreme Council in
1855 . Now consider another side of Pike,
the power of new ideas:

"Yet man, though ignorant ofthe con-
stitution of the dust on which he
treads, has ventured, and still ven-
tures, to speculate on the nature of
God, and to define dogmatically in
creeds the subject least within the
compass of his facilities, and even to
hate and persecute those who will not
accept his views as true:35

Pike's book, Morals and Dogma, is liter-
ally stuffed with a vast range of fasci-
nating ideas. The book often appears
contradictory, but not if it is perceived as
a whole. Many do not agree with him
and others hate him, but Pike was bey-
ond the nineteenth century. In spite of
his love affair with the romantic age, he
practiced the Grand Principles that
Dunckerly spoke about a century before,
and the universality that Oliver
believed. Pike was a genius who made
outrageous mistakes, but a genius non-
the-less. "Pike mastered Sanskrit, He-
brew, Old Samarian, and Persian; he left
in the library of the House of the Temple
fifteen large manuscript volumes, trans-
lations of the sacred books of the East, all
written with an old fashioned quill, in a
tiny flowing hand, without blot or era-
sure. " (above quote from Short Talk Bul-
letin,July 1923).

Thus Masonic thought in the nine-
teenth century was a time of ignorance
and awakening, realism and renewal.
From Oliver, to Mackey, to Gould, to
Pike. It was an entrance of romanticism,
a shift to realism, and an exit to an
awareness of the challenges of exis-
tence. Nineteenth century American
history is one much like the evolution of
thought in Freemasonry, during that
time. It began with an unrealistic dream
knowledge of the environment formed
reality, and finally the environment
yielded to make the dream work. In the
end learning and history are the same,
the process repeats itself.

Part III Twentleth Century

Before the First World War began,
August Wolfstieg listed 43,347 Masonic
books and pamphlets in his famous Bibli-
ography of Freemasonic Literature. I do not
have any idea how much has been pub-
lished since that time, but I do know the
population of the United States has
grown over 300 percent since 1900, and
the public debt has grown by 1860 per-
cent in the same period. To quote Mark
Twain:

"I'll risk forty dollars that the twen-
tieth century. . .can out jump any frog
in Calaveras county."

My approach to the twentieth century
is to focus on authors whose work is
finished. For a start I have chosen The
Dean and Professor of the Harvard Law
School for thirty-seven years, Roscoe
Pound (1870-1964). Pound is recognized
as one of the clearest thinking Masonic
scholars in the history ofthe Craft. In my
opinion the greatest statement that he
made about twentieth century Masonry
was the following:

"Wherever in the world there is a
Lodge of Masons there should be a
focus of civilization, a center of the
idea of universality, radiating reason
to put down prejudice and advance
justice in the disputes of peoples, and
in the disputes of classes, and making
for the peace and harmony and civili-
zation that should prevail in this great
Lodge of the world. "36

Pound also reflected on several famous
Freemasons and pointed out some very
different ideas than are frequently heard
today. For example, on the subject of
George Oliver (1782-1867):

"Oliver's Masonic philosophy is an
obvious product of a clergyman in the
age of the romantic philosophy who
read and reflected upon Hutchin-
son. And yet it is not true that there
is no new life in Oliver. Except for
Krause nothing so well worth while
has been pointed out for Masonry as
the end which Oliver found for us. I
cannot but feel that it is a great mis-
fortune that his philosophy is being
peddled out to a new generation of
grandiloquent fragments through
Grand Lodge orations and articles in
the Masonic press instead of being
apprehended as a whole. "37
Pound was speaking about Oliver's ref-
erence to the universality of Masonry. It
is called "love of your neighbor" in re-
ligion. In short, Masonry is a means of
knowing God. Not as a religion, but be-
cause of the tools it provides to under-
stand our fellow man.
In 1914, after writing a paper on Pres-
ton, Oliver, Pike, and Krause; Pound
offered his insight into the research by
speculating how each of those Masons in
the past (Pound was 21 years old when
the most recent, Albert Pike died in
1891 ) would respond to three philosophi-
cal questions regarding Masonry:

1 .What is the purpose of Masonry?

2 . What is the relationship of Masonry with
other organizations?
3.How does Masonry achieve its end?

As a very brief and inadequate summa-
ry of Pound's analysis, he related Oliver
with a means of knowing God, Preston
with a means of gaining knowledge, Pike
with a harmony of existence, and Krause
(1781-1832) with an approach to human
perfection with a sound philosophy of
law and government.33

Then Pound wrote a paper on his own
philosophy, and answered the same three
questions. Again, I summarize Pound's
ideas because of space limitations:

The purpose of Masonry is to preserve,
develop, and transmit to our children the
civilization created by our fathers, and
passed on to us.39

Its relationship is one with agreement
to the human effort of preserving and
promoting civilization. We seek this ef-
fort without hereditary, religious, or po-
litical limits. Our method is by organiz-
ing the universal elements in man that
make for culture and civilization.40

Our end is achieved by insistence on
humanity and universality. The human-
ity and universality of man must be pre-
served and transmitted.4l

Pound used words like humanist and
universality, because that is what gifted
Professors are: A humanist believes we
are unique and in a gradual state of
change. Thus humanism is accepting of
others based on the premise that we all
are unique and changing in the various
areas of behavior.

Universal relates to all men that meet
the qualifications of a Freemason. Uni-
versal is a generic term that includes
various races, religions, creeds, and
political beliefs.

The most complimentary summary of
Pound was given by Melvin M. John-
son, in his introduction to Masonic Ad-
dresses and Writings of Roscoe Pound, which
was published by the Supreme Council,
Northern Jurisdiction, in 1953:

"His addresses concerning Freema-
sonry interpreted its message in a
manner never excelled or even
equaled '   42

Next is Carl Claudy (1879-1957). Take
a pile of Short Talk Bulletins, ten inches
high, between 1923 and 1957, and it is a
good bet that the high school drop out
Claudy, wrote anyone that you pick
out. Indeed, unless otherwise inscribed,
it is believed by the present staff at the
Masonic Service Association that Claudy
wrote the vast majority of Bulletins. We
are talking about roughly 4000 pages of
Bulletins. Here is a random selection of
topics from several years: The Altar is
Born: 1955 biblical research on Altars;
The Oblong Square. 1953 paper on sym-
bolism of the form of a Lodge; Balloting:
1948 work on laws and practices of Bal-
loting; Reporton Welfare Work for the Armed
Forces: 1944 statistical report; The Small
Grand Lodges 1940: GL of less than
10,000 members. Clandestine: 1935 pa-
per on Clandestine Masons; The Powers
of the Worshipful Master: 1929; The Sound
of the Gavel: The opening of the Lodge
after summer; Paul Revere, January 1923:
the first Short Talk Bulletin.43

If Brother Pound was the philosopher
of Masonry, Claudy was the producer of
Masonry for two generations. Claudy
obviously had high regard for Mackey
(as did Pound, although to a lesser
degree) as he frequently refers to him.
He also wrote several novels. Chapter 12
in The Lion's Paw illustrates Claudy's
spark with words in 1944:

" March days in 1917 were marked by
suppressed excitement, anxious
wonder, fiery speeches, inflammatory
articles in the press, superimposed on
a rising tide of patriotism which
counts no sacrifice too great for honor
and for country."44

That book was published for free distri-
bution to service men by the Temple
Publishers during the second World
War. I submit Claudy could write with
power, grace, and imagination. He also
knew how to separate fact from fiction.
Claudy's Introduction to Freemasonry
was reprinted 27 times between Septem-
ber 1931 to May, 1945.

Some of the truly great Journals that
have been published in the twentieth
century include A.Q.C. (1887-Present);
American Lodge of Research (1931-
Present); The Philalethes (1946-Pre-
sent); and The Builder ( 1915 -
1930). Obviously numerous other jour-
nals and Research Lodge publications
have had a significant impact on the
Craft. Some of the distinguished twen-
tieth century Masonic authors that I am
familiar with include J. Hugo Tastch,
Lionel Vilbert, Gerald D. Foss, James
R. Case, Harold V.B. Voorhis, Ronald
Heaton, Henry Wilson Coil, and
Dwight Smith. Obviously Allen
E. Roberts is one of the most prolific
authors of recent times.

My last choice of the twentieth century
is Henry W. Coil's encyclopedia. As the
publisher points out in the Forward,
Brother Coil did have his personal preju-
dices, in his massive work, Coil'sMasonic
Encyclopedia, 1961. One of my favorite
complete sentences from Coil which il-
lustrates his sometimes unhumanistic
nature is the following:

"Mackey never admitted an error or
or corrected a mistake" 45

Anyone who has read William James
Hughan's supplement to Mackey's 1898
History of Freemasonry,46 might re-
mark: "I say Brother Coil, I find that
rather dry comment suitable to be mixed
with a blt of Brandy." Interestingly, it
does not take much effort to find sections
of Coil's work that quote from Mackey' s
1874 edition. On the other hand,
Brother Coil is remarkably controlled in
defense of Anderson's blatant blunders
in eighteenth century history. In any
case, not to worry, Coil published an
otherwise massive and fascinating refer-
ence which will undoubtedly be used for
many years.

Part IV - Summary

We began this paper with a theory that
the growth of Freemasonry, in the 1717
period, was initiated by class-free fellow-
ship between educated Masons and
various members of the Craft. Six years
later we learn from Anderson's six
Charges the direction of that initial
thought. They were refining morality of
a Freemason as it related to God, the
government, the Lodge, members of the
Lodge, management of the Craft, and
general behavior.

By the time the Grand Lodge was thir-
teen years old Clare identifies an expose
that defines the purpose of Masonry as
"subdueing our passions," "promoting
morality, charity, good fellowship, good
nature, humanity, and to make daily
progress in a laudable art. " He then
proceeds to defend such a system by
using different terms.

In another thirty-nine years Dunckerly
talks of a global Masonry. He speaks of
Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, in a
meeting of poor people for charity. He
also mentions "To subdue our pas-
sions, " "Improve in useful scientific
knowledge, " " Instruct the un-
enlightened" are the principal duties of
the Lodge.

We learn that Ritual is collected by
Preston and written in a burdensome
length, that Webb revised the ritual to
what is much of that used in the United
States today.

We know that Hutchinson and Oliver
exaggerated Masonic history, but that
Oliver contributed the valuable aware-
ness that Masonry is a means of knowing
God. We learn that Mackey wrote his
reasons for Masonic history and that
Gould was the factual historian par ex-
cellence. With the beginning of Journals
and Transactions, the nineteenth cen-
tury began to analyze facts with increas-
ing accuracy. Finally by the time of the
first World War, Roscoe Pound theorized
the Universality of Freemasonry should
be without prejudice in order to ex-
emplify peace and harmony and civiliza-
tion.

The twentieth century Journals have
hammered away at the facts of history.
Dedicated Masonic editors and staff
have carried on the wonderful tradition
of spreading the word among the Craft.
Coil has had his peace. Many other ded-
icated and clear thinking Masons have
contributed with sincerity. Yet our prob-
lem remains.

My question was answered instantly, in
the flash of an eye, by one of the most
popular Masons in this State!

"The problem," replied Past Grand
Master Stanley Johnson of New Hamp-
shire, "is that we need more young
men. " Such is the evolution of Masonic
Thought as we enter the twenty-first cen-
tury. .

Footnotes
l.Coil's Encyclopcdia, Henry Wilson Coil, 1961,
Pg. 141.

2.Gould's History of Freernasonry, Dudley Wright
1936, Vol. 2, Pg. 59.
3.A.Q.C., Vol. 100, 1987, Pg. 193.

4.American Lodge of Research, 1936-1938
Vol. 2, No. 3, Pg.

S.Coil's Encyclopcdia, Henry Wilson Coil, 1961,

6.Anderson's Constitutions of 1738, Masonic Book
Club, 1978, Pg. 357-430.
7 . Constitution of 1723, James Anderson .
8.1738Constitutions, James Anderson, "A Defence
of Masonry," 1730, Pg. 216. (Martin Clare; not
proven author but generally conceede~
Ref. Coil's Encyclopedia, Pg. 129).
9.1738 Constitution, James Anderson, "A Defene
of Masonry," 1730, Pg. 216. (MartinClare; not
proven author but generally conceeded,
Ref. Coil's Encyclopedia, Pg. 129).
10.Ibid, Pg. 217.

II.A Defence of Masonry, Martin Clare ~730
(Ref. 1738 Constitution, Pg. 219).
12 .A Candid Disquisition of thc Principlcs and Pracices
of the Most Ancicnt and Honorable Socicty of Free and
Acccpted Masons, etc. Wellins Calcott, 1769, Lon-
don (1772 Boston edition).
13.1bid, Pg. 137-138.

14 .A Candid Disquisition of thc Principlcs and Practiccs
of thc Most Ancicnt and Honorable Socicty of Free and
Acccptcd Masons etc., Wellins Calcott, 1769 Lon-
don. (1772 Boston edition) Pg. 139.

IS.lbid, Pg. 139.

16.1bid, Pg. 140.

17.1bid, Pg. 142.

18.Coil's Encyclopcdia, Henry W. Coil, 1961,
Pg. 213.

19. Thc Amcrican Frccr
1858, Pg. 476.

20.A CandidDisquisition etc., Wellins Calcott, 1769,
Pg. 117.

21.Coil'sEncyclopcdia, 1961, Pg. 482.

2 2 .A Candid Disquisition etc ., Wellins Calcott, 1769,
Pg. 139.

23.The Freemason's Monthly Magazine and General
Miscellany, George Richards, Philadelphia, 1811 .

24.Landmarks of Freemasonry, George Oliver, 1849
(Cincinnati edition, by C . Moore; Vol. I,
Pg. 164).

25. History of Freemasonry, Albert G . Mackey,
Wm. R. Singleton, 1898, Vol. 3, Pg. 850
Vol. 4, Pg. 879 Vol. 4, Pg. 881.

26.History of Freemasonry, Albert Mackey,
Wm. Singleton, 1898 (Refer to Supplement by
WilliamJ. Hughan 2001-2013).

27.Freemasonry in thc Holy Land, Robert Morris
1879, Pg. 444.

28.Freemasons Monthly Magazine, Charles W.
Moore,January, 1856, Pg. 68.

29.American Lodge of Research, Vol. 2, No. 1,
Pg. 367.

30 . Coil 's Encyclopcdia, Henry Wilson Coil, 1961,
Pg. 290.

31. Ibid, Pg. 389 to 391.

32. Thc Amcrican Hcritagc Pictorial Atlas of thc Unitcd
Statcs History Editors of American Heritage
1966, Pg. 14i.

33.Pocm Entitlcd Evcry Ycar, Albert Pike. (Refer to
Mackey's Encyclopedia, 1929, Glegg, Pg. 775).

35.Morals And Dogma, Albert Pike, 1871, Pg. 651.

36.Masonic Addrcsscs and Writings of Roscoc Pound
Supreme Council 1953, Pg. 101-102.

37.1bid, Pg. 65.

38.Masonic Addrcsscs and Writings of Roscoc Pound
Supreme Council, 1953, Pg. (64-65 Oliver), (20-
23 Preston) (46-47 Krause), (82-84 Pike).

39.1bid, Pg. ioo.

40.Masonic Addresses and Writings, Roscoe Pound,
1953, Pg. 100.

41.1bid Pg. IOO-IGI.

42.1bid Pg. xii

43.Short Talk Bullctins, Masonic Service Associa-
tion (January 1923 to present).

44.Lion'sPaw, Carl H. ClaudY, 1944, Pg. 101.

45.Coil's Encyclopcdia, Henry Wilson Coil, 1961
Pg. 390.

46.History of Freemasonry, Albert G. Mackey and
William R. Singleton with Supplement by Wil-
liam James Hughan 1898, Vol. 7, Pg. 2001-

The Philalethes, April, 1991
