When I was King and a Mason -
A master proved and skilled,
I cleared me ground for a palace
Such as a King should build.
I decreed and cut down to my levels,
Presently, under the silt,
I came on the wreck of a place
Such as a King had built.
-- Kipling
M.S.A NATIONAL MASONIC LIBRARY
THE M. S. A. NATIONAL MASONIC LIBRARY presents
in a series of volumes of uniforms binding and competent craftsmanship,
the best results of Masonic research by masters of the Craft in
America and abroad. The LIBRARY will cover every aspect of Freemasonry,
its ritual, its symbolism, its philosophy, its past history and
present activities and development. Representing all recognized
schools of Masonic thought, it will bring the best literature
of the Craft within reach of lodges and members.
Symbolical Masonry
by H. L. HAYWOOD
The Great Teachings of Masonry
by H. L. HAYWOOD
The Beginnings of Freemasonry in
America
by MELVIN M. JOHNSON
Speculative Masonry
by A. S. MACBRIDE
The Builders
by JOSEPH FORT NEWTON
The Men's House
by JOSEPH FORT NEWTON
The Philosophy of Masonry
by ROSCOE POUND
Symbolism of the Three Degrees
by OLIVER DAY STREET
WASHINGTON, D.C.:
THE MASONIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES
To The Memory of
THEODORE SUTTON PARVIN
Founder of the Library of the Grand
Lodge Iowa,
With Reverence and Gratitude; to
LOUIS BLOCK
Grand Master of Masons in Iowa,
dear Friend
Fellow-worker, who initiated and inspired
study, with Love and Goodwill;
and to the
YOUNG MASONS
Our Hope and Pride, for whom
this book was written
With Fraternal Greeting
Almost ten years have come and gone since
this little book began its labors as a Workman on the Temple,
and it is still busy, telling its story in different lands and
languages. An edition is soon to appear in the Syrian tongue in
Damascus, the oldest city in the world. It is here placed in the
M. S. A. National Library, in order to have its part and do its
work in the greatest co-operative undertaking in the history of
American Masonry.
Oddly enough, The Builders has made its
own way, unhelped by advertising or review, by virtue of its own
spirit and purpose. Aside from a kindly greeting by Arthur Edward
Waite in London, and another in the Masonic News of Detroit, it
has had no special notice. None the less, by using the old Masonic
method, "from mouth to ear," it has passed through more
than forty editions. Brethren read it, liked it, and passed the
word along; and so it has journeyed from land to land, weaving
a web of goodwill.
THE BUILDERS
Such a ministry makes the author hoth humble
and happy, the more because he has been able to do somewhat in
the service of our ancient and noble Craft, whose mission it is
to do good, only good, always, and everywhere - Love its spirit,
Truth its power, Fellowship its genius, since no one can learn
the highest truth for another, and no one can learn it alone.
"We must all hope much from the gradual progress of Brotherly
Love;" and let him that hath that hope in him purify his
heart.
From the silence of Time
Time's silence borrow;
In the heart of today
Lies the world of to-morrow;
And the builders of joy
Are the children of sorrow.
-J. F. N.
CHURCH OF THE DEVINE PATERNITY
New York City, January 1, 1924
ENGLISH FOREWORD
The request for an English edition of this
little book is most gratifying, for many reasons, not least of
which is the opportunity which it offers the author of expressing
the joy he has found in the fellowship of his British Brethren,
whose sincere courtesy and brotherly thoughtfulness have added
so much to his life in London. Next to this personal fortune is
the daylight, not unmixed with surprise, that this story and study
of Freemasonry should have found such favor with Brethren both
in England and Scotland; not only because it is a token of appreciation
of labor done in behalf of our gentle Craft, but the more so because
it reveals the unity of the Order, its identity of interest, aims,
and ideals, in every land where it has been true to its great
tradition.
Surely, in a world torn by strife and divided
by so many feuds of race, religion, and nationality, we have a
right to rejoice in a fellowship, at once free, gentle, and refining,
which spans all distances of space and all differences of speech,
and brings men together by a common impulse and inspiration in
mutual respect and brotherly regard. Truly it needs no philosopher
to discern that such a fraternity, the very existence of which
is a fact eloquent beyond words, is and influence for good no
one can measure in the present, and a prophecy for the future
the meaning of which no one can reckon; and doubly so because,
by its very genius, Freemasonry is international, and therefore
ought to be responsive to the ideal of world-fellowship which
will surely emerge from the tragedy of world-war.
For that reason, in the reunion of English-speaking
peoples upon which the future freedom and peace of the world so
much depend, among the many ties of language, literature, love
of liberty, respect for law, historical inheritance, and a common
conception of civilization that unite us, must be counted a common
and great Freemasonry. By the same token, upon us rests an obligation,
only equaled by the opportunity, to have an influential part in
promoting fellowship, interpretation, and intelligent sympathy
between two peoples in whose histories our Craft is so deeply
interwoven, and of whose unity it is itself a tie, a token, and
a prophecy. Our differences are superficial; our unities fundamental.
Such variation as exist between Freemasonry in Britain and in
America—like the differences between the two peoples are interesting,
albeit insignificant, like the variations of accent and inflection,
of dialect and brogue; its basic truths and principles are alike,
and its spirit is the same in its breadth, beauty, and benignity.
Any study of Freemasonry must inevitably
have to do with many questions about which there are, and probably
always will be, differences of opinion among Masonic students
both as to the facts and their interpretation; so that the author
cannot hope to win the assent of all his fellow-students. Indeed,
such an agreement with respect to debated issues would not give
him half as much joy as to know that his brief and rapid survey
of the origin and development of the Craft, written from an American
point of view, and seeking not only to tell its story but to interpret
and make vivid its exalted purpose, its high intellectual quality,
its noble morality, and its wise spirituality, had served to reveal,
in any measure, that which is the real bond of our race both in
ideal and in destiny.
For, to say no more, our English-speaking race, by its historic
genius no less than by its Freemasonry, is committed to the principle
of the Commonwealth, the application to the field of government
and social policy of the law of human brotherhood, of the duty
of man to his neighbor, near and far, wherein lies our only hope
of a world fit for free men to live in, where fraternity can flourish
and the spirit of goodwill grow and be glorified.
The City Temple, London
J. F. N.
APRIL 23, 1918
THE ANTEROOM
Fourteen years ago the writer of this volume
entered the temple of Freemasonry, and that date stands out in
memory as one of the most significant days in his life. There
was a little spread on the night of his raising, and, as is the
custom, the candidate was asked to give his impressions of the
Order. Among other things, he made request to know if there was
any little book which would tell a young man the things he would
most like to know about Masonry—what it was, whence it came,
what it teaches, and what it is trying to do in the world? No
one knew of such a book at that time, nor has any been found to
meet a need which many must have felt before and since. By an
odd coincidence, it has fallen to the lot of the author to write
the little book for which he made request fourteen years ago.
This bit of reminiscence explains the purpose
of the present volume, and every book must be judged by it and
purpose, not less than by its style and contents. Written as a
commission from the Grand Lodge of Iowa, and approved by that
Grand body, a copy of this book is to be presented to every man
upon whom the degree of Master Mason is conferred within this
Grand Jurisdiction. Naturally this intention has determined the
method and arrangement of the book, as well as the matter it contains;
its aim being to tell a young man entering the order the antecedents
of Masonry, its development, its philosophy, its mission, and
its ideal. Keeping this purpose always in mind, the effort has
been to prepare a brief, simple, and vivid account of the origin,
growth, and teaching of the Order, so written as to provoke a
deeper interest in and a more earnest study of its story and its
service to mankind.
No work of this kind has been undertaken,
so far as is known, by any Grand Lodge in this country or abroad
B at least, not since the old Pocket Companion, and other such
works in the earlier times; and this is the more strange from
the fact that the need of it is so obvious, and its possibilities
so fruitful and important. Every one who has looked into the vast
literature of Masonry must often have felt the need of a concise,
compact, yet comprehensive survey to clear the path and light
the way. Especially must those feel such a need who are not accustomed
to traverse long and involved periods of history, and more especially
those who have neither the time nor the opportunity to sift ponderous
volumes to find out the facts. Much of our literature - indeed,
by far the larger part of it—was written before the methods
of scientific study had arrived, and while it fascinates, it does
not convince those who are used to the more critical habits of
research. Consequently, without knowing it, some of our most earnest
Masonic writers have made the Order a target for ridicule by their
extravagant claims as to its antiquity. They did not make it clear
in what sense it is ancient, and not a little satire has been
aimed at Masons for their gullibility in accepting as true the
wildest and most absurd legends. Besides, no history of Masonry
has been written in recent years, and some important material
has come to light in the world of historical and archaeological
scholarship, making not a little that has hitherto been obscure
more clear; and there is need that this new knowledge be related
to what was already known. While modern research aims at accuracy,
too often its results are dry pages of fact, devoid of literary
beauty and spiritual appeal—a skeleton without the warm robe
of flesh and blood. Striving for accuracy, the writer has sought
to avoid making a dusty chronicle of facts and figures, which
few would have the heart to follow, with what success the reader
must decide.
Such a book is not easy to write, and for
two reasons: it is the history of a secret Order, much of whose
lore is not to be written, and it covers a be wildering stretch
of time, asking that the contents of innumerable volumes—many
of them huge, disjointed, and difficult to digest—be compact
within a small space. Nevertheless, if it has required a prodigious
labor, it is assuredly worth while in behalf of the young men
who throng our temple gates, as well as for those who are to come
after us. Every line of this book has been written in the conviction
that the real history of Masonry is great enough, and its simple
teaching grand enough, without the embellishment of legend, much
less of occultism. It proceeds from first to last upon the assurance
that all that we need to do is to remove the scaffolding from
the historic temple of Masonry and let it stand out in the sunlight,
where all men can see its beauty and symmetry, and that it will
command the respect of the most critical and searching intellects,
as well as the homage of all who love mankind. By this faith the
long study has been guided; in this confidence it has been completed.
To this end the sources of Masonic scholarship,
stored in the library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, have been explored,
and the highest authorities have been cited wherever there is
uncertainty—copious references serving not only to substantiate
the statements made, but also, it is hoped, to guide the reader
into further and more detailed research. Also, in respect of issues
still open to debate and about which differences of opinion obtain,
both sides have been given a hearing, so far as space would allow,
that the student may weigh and decide the question for himself.
Like all Masonic students of recent times, the writer is richly
indebted to the great Research Lodges of England—especially
to the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No.2076—without whose proceedings
this study would have been much harder to write, if indeed it
could have been written at all. Such men as Gould, Hughan, Speth,
Crawley, Thorp, to name but a few—not forgetting Pike, Parvin,
Mackey, Fort, and others in this country—deserve the perpetual
gratitude of the fraternity. If, at times, in seeking to escape
from mere legend, some of them seemed to go too far toward another
extreme - forgetting that there is much in Masonry that cannot
be traced by name and date—it was but natural in their effort
in behalf of authentic history and accurate scholarship. Alas,
most of those named belong now to a time that is gone and to the
people who are no longer with us here, but the are recalled by
an humble student who would pay them the honor belonging to great
men and great Masons.
This book is divided into three parts, as
every thing Masonic should be: Prophecy, History, and Interpretation,
The first part has to do with the hints and foregleams of Masonry
in the early history, tradition mythology, and symbolism of the
race—finding its foundations in the nature and need of man,
and showing how the stones wrought out by time and struggle were
brought from afar to the making of Masonry as we know it. The
second part is a story of the order of builders through the centuries,
from the building of the Temple of Solomon to the organization
of the mother Grand Lodge of England and the spread of the Order
all over the civilized world. The third part is a statement and
exposition of the faith of Masonry, its philosophy its religious
meaning, its genius, and its ministry to the individual, and through
the individual to society and the state. Such is a bare outline
of the purpose, method, plan, and spirit of the work, and if these
be kept in mind it is believed that it will tell its story and
confide its message.
When a man thinks of our mortal lot—its greatness and its pathos,
how much has been wrought out in the past, and how binding is—our obligation to preserve and enrich the inheritance of humanity
there comes over him a strange warming of the heart toward all
his fellow workers; and especially toward the young, to whom we
must soon entrust all that we hold sacred. All through these pages
the wish has been to make the young Mason feel in what benign
tradition he stands, that he may earnestly strive to be a Mason
not merely in form, but in faith, in spirit, and still more, in
character; and so help to realize somewhat of the beauty we all
have dreamed—lifting into the light the latent powers and unguessed
possibilities of this the greatest order of men upon the earth.
Everyone can do a little, and if each does his part faithfully
the sum of our labors will be very great, and we shall leave the
world fairer than we found it, richer in faith, gentler in justice,
wiser in pity—for we pass this way but once, pilgrims seeking
a country, even a City that hath foundations.
J. F. N.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, September 7, 1914
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