Albert G. Mackey is recognized internationally as one of Masonrys most devoted and knowledgeable writers. In 1850 as representative of our Grand Lodge he installed the first officers of Strict Observance Lodge, #73

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Picture of Mackey's PM Jewel

"Truth is one of the three principal tenets of our order, Brotherly Love and Relief being the other two. To be "true and trusty" is one of the first lessons in which the aspirant is instructed. All other things are mortal and transitory, but truth alone is immutable and eternal; it is the attribute of Him in whom there is no variableness nor shadow of changing."

"The number seven, among all nations, has been considered as a sacred number, and in every system of antiquity we find a frequent reference to it. The Pythagoreans called it a venerable number, because it referred to the creation, and because it was made up of the two perfect figures, the triangle and the square. Among the Hebrews, the etymology of the word shows its sacred import for, from the word seven (shebang) is derived the verb to swear (shabang), because oaths were confirmed either by seven witnesses, or by seven victims offered in sacrifice, as we read in the covenant of Abraham and Abimelech, (Gen. xxi, 28). Hence, there is a frequent recurrence to this number in the Scriptural history. The Sabbath was the seventh day; Noah received seven days notice of the commencement of the deluge, and was commanded to select clean beasts and fowls by sevens; seven persons accompanied him into the ark; the ark rested on Mount Arararat in the seventh month; the intervals between despatching the dove, were, each time, seven days; the walls of Jericho were encompassed seven days, by seven priests, bearing seven rams' horns; Solomon was seven years building the temple, which was dedicated in the seventh month, and the festival lasted seven days; the candlestick in the tabernacle consisted of seven branches, and finally, the tower of Babel was said to have been elevated seven stories before the dispersion.

Among the heathens, this number was equally sacred. A few instances of their reference to it, may be interesting. There were seven ancient planets, seven Pleiades, and seven Hyades; seven altars burnt continually before the god Mithras; the Arabians had seven holy temples; the Hindoos supposed the world to be enclosed within the compress of seven peninsulas; the Goths had seven deities, viz.: the Sun, the Moon, Tuisco, Woden, Thor, Friga, and Seatur, from whose names are derived our days of the week; in the Persian mysteries were seven spacious caverns, through which the aspirant had to pass; in the Gothic mysteries, the candidate met with seven, obstructions, which were called the "road of the seven stages"; and finally sacrifices were always considered as most efficacious when the victims were seven in number."

"One of the seven liberal arts and sciences, whose beauties are inculcated in the Fellow Craft's degree. Music is recommended to the attention of Masons, because as the "concord of sweet sounds" elevates the generous sentiments of the soul, so should the concord of good feeling reign among the brethren, that by the union of friendship and brotherly love, the boisterous passions may be lulled, and harmony exist throughout the craft."

"The masonic festivals most generally celebrated, are those of St. John the Baptist; June 24, and St. John the Evangelist, December27. These are the days kept in this country. Such, too, was formerly the case in England, but the annual festival of the Grand Lodge of England now falls on the Wednesday followinig St. George's day, April 23, that Saint being the patron of England. For a similar reason, St. Andrew's day, November 30, is kept by the Grand Lodge of Scotland."

These words constitue the motto of our order, and the characteristics of our profession. They need no explanation, but they prove that a society which could adopt them, can be founded only on the principles of virtue. One of the ancient charges calls brotherly love "the foundation and cape stone, the cement and the glory of this ancient fraternity."

Next to the Doric the oldest order among the Greeks. It is more delicate and gracefulthan the Doric, and more majestic than the Corinthian. Its column is fluted with twenty-fourchannels, the abacus is scooped on the side, and the principal ornaments of its capitalare its two spiral volutes. The architectural judment and skill displayed in its compositionas an intermediate order, between the rude massiveness of the Doric and the extraneousbeauty of the Corinthian, has occasioned it to be adopted as the column of Wisdomthat supports the lodge. Its appropriate situation and symbolic officer are in theE.

The term which Freemasons apply to each other, Freemasons are brethren, not only by common participation of the human nature, but as professing the same faith, as being joinly engaged in the same labours, and as being united by a mutual covenantor tie; whence they are also emphatically called "Brethren of the Mystic Tie."

"Light". Freemasonry anciently received, among other names, that of "Lux," because it is to be regarded as the doctrine of Turth, and in this sense may be said to be coeval with creation, as an emanation from the Divine Intelligence. Among the Rosicrucians, light was the knowledge of the philosopher's stone, and Mosheim says that in chemical language the cross + was an emblem of light, because it contains within its figure the forms of the three letters, of which LVX or light is composed.

This is supposed to have been either a pentangle, or, as the archaeologists moregenerally think, a double triangle. Richardson, in his Persian and Arabic Dictionary, says, that the "muchra Salimani", or Seal of Solomon was two triangles interlaced.The Orientalists attributed many virtues to this seal, and the Talmudists say that it was inscribed on the foundation stone of the Temple.

One of the three principal supports of masonry.  It is represented bythe Ionic column, and the W.M.;  because, the Ionic column wisely combines the strength without the massiveness of the Doric; with the grace, without the exuberance of orament of the Corinthian; and because it is the duty of the W. M. to superintend, instruct,and enlighten the craft by his superior wisdom. Solomon, King of Israel, is also considered as the colum of wisdom that supported the temple.

The establishment of certain degrees, called by this title, such as the Irish Master, Perfect Irish Master, Puissant Irish Master, amd many others of a similar nature, was an attempt on the part of the adherents of the exiled house of Stuart, to give to Freemasonry a political bias, and to enlist the members of the fraternity on the side of King James, and his son the pretender.

An American Statesman, a natural philosopher and noted Mason, was born in Boston,in 1706. He was elected June 24,1734, first Provincial Grand Master of Pennsylvania.  It is claimed that he was secretary of Saint John's Lodge Number 1, Philadelphia, as early as 1731.

That sacred and inviolable bond which unites men of the most discordant opinions into one band of brothers, which gives but one language to men of all nations, and one altar to men of all religions, is properly, from the mysterious influence it exerts, denominated the mystic tie, and Freemasons, because they alone are under its influence,or enjoy its benefits, are called "Brethren of the mystic tie."

The appropriate color of the first three degress of ancient craft masonry, and has been explained as emblematic of universal friendship and benevolence, instructing us, that in the mind of a Mason those virtues should be as extensive as the blue arch of heaven itself.

The Temple of the Lord, at Jerusalem, was commenced by Solomon, King of Israel, in the year of the world 2992*, and being finished in seven years and six months, was dedicated to the service of the Most High, in the year 3000*.It stood on Mount Moriah, one of the eminences of the ridge, called in Scripture Mount Zion, and was originally the property of Ornan the Jebusite, who used it as a threshing-floor, and from whom it was purchased by King David, for the purpose of erecting an altar.  It retained its' original splendour only thirty-four yeares, when Shishak, King of Egypt, took away its richest treasures; it was afterwards, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, plundered and burnt by the Chaldeans, under Nebuchadnezzar.  After the captivity, the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, with greater extent, but inferior glory. The temple was originally built on a very hard rock, encompassed with frightful precipices. The foundations were laid very deep, with immense labour and expense. It was surrounded with a wall of great height, exceeding in the lowest part four hundred and fifty feet, constructed entirely of white marble. . . .

Lexicon & History of Freemasony; 1911, McClure PublishingCo., PA

[To be continued on a regular basis.]