Through the Key Hole - RoseCroix.org.au

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Anderson states in his Constitutions, that the landmarks are to be
preserved, but nowhere does he give a description or explanation.
What is perhaps very important is that the very last landmark that
appears on many subsequent lists is that “The last and crowning
landmark of all is that these landmarks can never be changed.”
Despite this statement, many of the jurisdictions that adopted the
landmarks listed by Mackey, did in fact change them! Ouch!
Oliver held that the landmarks belonged to oral tradition, but 30
years later he admitted that they had never been clearly defined and
later he said “ we are groveling in darkness on the subject.”
The above, however, did not stop him from enumerating 40 landmarks
in his “ Landmarks in the Freemason’s Treasury,” together
with 12 others that were either spurious or obsolete. In the year
1858 Mackey enumerated 25 landmarks which were approved by
many jurisdictions, including the USA ( which country has always
had a minimum of 50% of world membership).
Under all the circumstances I have researched I am in agreement
that Old Landmarks did exist, but as there appears to be no original
authority describing what they are, it would seem difficult to justify
the rule that they cannot be changed.
Anyway, what are they?
Although reference to Mackey’s encyclopedia, a copy of which can
be found in most Masonic libraries, will give you his original ;list of
25, however, I have extracted those that I consider to be the most
significant and list them as follows:
1. The modes of recognition. ( N.B. These actually differ from
country to country)
2. The division into 3 degrees
3. The legend of the 3rd degree.
7
WHITE GLOVES
By V.Wor. Bro. E Cohen
There is a time-immemorial tradition requiring the wearing and giving
of white gloves.
Masonic emblems, aprons and gloves, are closely associated with
and have the same import, as emblems of innocence and purity of
heart.
In the old, and now mainly unused, Netherlandic tradition, the initiated
is vested not only with an appropriate apron, but also a pair of white
gloves, the gloves being an emblem of “clean hands” and “deeds”.
The actual ritual states “ Let their (gloves) colour remind you that in
our fraternity, our deeds must be as pure and as immaculate as our
hands.”.
In Psalm XXIV, verses 3 and 4, we read the words “Who shall ascend
unto the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that
hath clean hands and a pure heart.”
Priests in the Middle Ages wore white gloves to denote chastity and
symbolically to indicate that their hands were clean and not open to a
bribe. Hands are symbols of human actions—pure hands– pure actions.
“Dirty” hands suggest deeds of injustice and dishonesty.
There is an ancient custom by which a seller gave the purchaser a
glove as evidence of good faith and to seal a contract. In this connection
reference can be made to Ruth IV verse 7, “Now this was the
manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning
changing, for to confirm all things, a man plucked off his shoe and
gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.” In this
passage some scholars render the word for “shoe” as meaning
“glove” suggesting that there is a connection in that a glove was often
considered as a hand shoe.
In medieval times, employers provided masons with gloves in addition
To their wages.
4. The government of each jurisdiction by a Grand Master.