The Origin of Freemasonry and Knights Templar ... - Lodge Prudentia

FREEMASONRY AND KNIGHTS TEMPLARtions of the earth, show by their resemblance to livingspecimens the graduated connection of the pastwith the present.Every human institution is subject to great andnumerous variations; the different aspects underwhich they appear, and the principles by which theyare governed, depend on the advance of civilization,the nature of the protecting government, and thepeculiar habits and opinions of the members themselves.Before learning was advanced, and whenthe art of printing was unknown, the discoveriesin the arts and sciences must of necessity have beenknown to but few individuals. The pursuit ofscience was a secondary matter, and questions ofphilosophy were solely the prerogative of priestcraft.of life.Agriculture was the grand pursuitI Jut architecture soon, in the natural order ofthings, arose as a science, and human skill wascalled into play. The triumph of mind over matterwas the great feat of the first architects, who werealso the first natural philosophers. There is nospeculation in the statement that these formedthemselves into an association for improvementat an early date; their architectural monumentspreceding the authentic records of history, are withus to this day; and tradition informs us that thisunion of scientific men differed from the Freemasonsof to-day in little more than in name. Thearts and sciences were cultivated in Egypt and theadjacent countries in Asia, while all other nationswere involved in ignorance. Of these sciences,astronomy, geometry and architecture took thefirst rank.Freemasonry not only presents the appearance