The Arcana of Freemasonry (1915) - The Masonic Trowel

THE ARCANA OF FREEMASONRY 111
opposite side of the water, wishing
see, but, having no boats and being
to cross and
unable to
swim, would be brought to a standstill ; others
would say that there was nothing across the water,
while yet again some few, having caught sight
of the white cliffs of France, would feel certain
that there must be a great land there, but lack
the key which would transport them thither. It
is the same with Freemasonry, the Recent History
being separated from the mysteries of the past
by a gulf. How, then,
is one to unlock these
mysteries?
By one way only, and that is to learn to read the
old Hieroglyphic writings of Egypt, and the Glyphs
of the old Stellar Mythos people (or a translation),
who worked out the whole of the Eschatology and
left records of the same written in stone and on
Papyri — in Signs and Symbols and in Sign
Language, and if you do not read these you can
never obtain that which many of you are striving
to understand. From the downfall of the old
Egyptian Empire, five thousand years ago, or more,
up to the last few hundred years, we have passed
through a dark and degenerate age. Then our
altars were thrown down, our Brotherhood scattered
over the face of the earth, and some of our
secrets were lost to many. But there were
remnants of the Brotherhood who went forth from
Egypt into various parts of the world, carrying