ON THE VALUE OF MASONIC PUBLICATIONS, BY THE REV. JOHN OSMOND DAKEYNE, M.A. The following Extract is copied from the Freemasons' Quarterly Review, for June, 1844, from the Speech of the Rev. J. Osmond Dakeyne, delivered on the occasion of his presiding at the Masonic Festival of the Oliver Testimonial at Lincoln, on the 9th of May, 1844. "I need not tell you, Brethren, what Freemasonry is: before I was initiated, now some twenty years ago, I had read a good deal about what it is not. I allude to a book published by Professor Robison, of Edinburgh, towards the close of the last century, entitled, 'Proofs of a Conspiracy,' &c., in which he, with great ingenuity and considerable ability, endeavoured to connect Freemasonry with the worst features of the illuminati, &c., of the Continent. He was kind enough to say that he thought Masonry in England was, in some degree, free from the charges he had brought against it. And what were those charges? That we were disloyal, irreligious, and conspiring to overturn all sacred and settled institutions! This book made a great impression; but that impression is removed. And how? By these books which lie before me !(Great cheering as the Rev. Brother then held up splendidly bound copies of Dr. Oliver's Masonic Works.) These have dissipated for ever the accusations brought against our Craft. Disloyal! Why, at the very moment when Professor Robison published his book, who were the heads of our Order? The chivalrous Earl of Moira, George Prince of Wales, and Edward Duke of Kent! Disloyal! Was not George the Fourth our Grand Master? Was not William the Fourth our Brother and Patron? Our last Grand Master was a Royal Duke. The Duke of York was one of the Brotherhood! The King of Hanover is a Freemason! Would all these princes have belonged to a disloyal society? Are we conspirators to overthrow settled institutions? Who is the present head of the army? The Duke of Wellington! Aye, the Duke of Wellington is a Freemason! Are we irreligious? The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of all England, is a Freemason, and was once Master of a Bristol Lodge! But I need not pursue these points; but sure I am that neither I nor my Rev. Brothers near me would be present were it possible to bring any such charges to bear against us. These facts, and above all these books, have set our Order in its true light. And who wrote these books? Our friend and Brother and guest, whom we are now assembled to honour! They are the witnesses to his exertionsthey are the vouchers for his services. Our Brother Goodacre has aptly alluded to the spreading of Masonry in the East, and, indeed, over the world. Wherever our principles have gone, thither also has passed the name of Dr. Oliver, the historian and the sage of Masonry ; and contributions to this offering from the distant climes prove in some measure that his labours are not unrecognized." *** See the end of this volume for a list of Dr. Oliver's Works on Freemasonry. THE REVELATIONS OF A SQUARE; EXHIBITING A Graphic Display of the Sayings and Doings OF EMINENT FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, FROM THE REVIVAL IN 1717 BY DR. DESAGULIERS, TO THE RE-UNION IN 1813 BY THE REV. G. OLIVER, D.D. AUTHOR OF "THE HISTORICAL LANDMARKS OF FREEMASONRY," ETC. ETC. PREFACE. FREEMASONRY, like all other sciences, is a system of progression. Something more is required to constitute a bright Mason than a knowledge of the elements of the Craft. A carpenter may know the names of his tools, and have acquired some dexterity in their practical use; but this will not enable him to build a house, or to construct a common dressing case. If any one is desirous of being a Mason, in the strict sense of the word, he must make himself acquainted with something more than words, signs, and tokens. The three stages of initiation can no more convert a man into a Mason, than the indenture of an apprentice can make him a mechanic. He must read and meditate, study with care and attention the history and doctrines of the Order, and attend his Lodge with the utmost regularity, that he may become familiar with its discipline by actual personal observation. There is no Royal road to Freemasonry. The Gordian knot can be untied by diligence and application alone, and he who is ambitious to share in the honours of Masonry, must work his way up |