THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

express their allegiance to the Queen. Third, that Freemasonry was
founded by Oliver Cromwell--he of all men!--to defeat the royalists.
Fourth, that Free-masons were derived from the order of the Knights
Templars. Even Lessing once held this theory, but seems later to have
given it up. Which one of these theories surpasses the others in
absurdity, it would be hard to say. De Quincey explodes them one by one
with some detail in his "Inquiry into the Origin of the Free-masons,"
to which he might also have added his own pet notion of the Rosicrucian
origin of the order--it being only a little less fantastic than the
rest (_De Quincey's Works_, vol. xvi).
[117] Of the Masonic feasts of St. John the Baptist and St. John the
Evangelist much has been written, and to little account. In
pre-Christian times, as we have seen, the Roman Collegia were wont to
adopt pagan deities as patrons. When Christianity came, the names of
its saints--some of them martyrs of the order of builders--were
substituted for the old pagan gods. Why the two Saints John were chosen
by Masons--rather than St. Thomas, who was the patron saint of
architecture--has never been made clear. At any rate, these two feasts,
coming at the time of the summer and winter solstices, are in reality
older than Christianity, being reminiscences of the old Light Religion
in which Masonry had its origin.
[118] The badge of office was a huge white apron, such as we see in
Hogarth's picture of the _Night_. The collar was of much the same shape
as that at present in use, only shorter. When the color was changed to
blue, and why, is uncertain, but probably not until 1813, when we begin
to see both apron and collar edged with blue. (See chapter on "Clothing
and Regalia," in _Things a Freemason Ought to Know_, by J.W. Crowe.) In
1727 the officers of all private--or as we would say,
subordinate--Lodges were ordered to wear "the jewels of Masonry hanging
to a white apron." In 1731 we find the Grand Master wearing gold or
gilt jewels pendant to blue ribbons about the neck, and a white leather
apron _lined_ with blue silk.
[119] This is clear from the book of _Constitutions_ of 1723, which is
said to be "for the use of Lodges in London." Then follow the names of
the Masters and Wardens of twenty Lodges, all in London. There was no
thought at the time of imposing the authority of the Grand Lodge upon
the country in general, much less upon the world. Its growth we shall
sketch later. For an excellent article on "The Foundation of Modern
Masonry," by G.W. Speth, giving details of the organization of the
Grand Lodge and its changes, see _A. Q. C._, ii, 86. If an elaborate
account is wanted, it may be found in Gould's _History of Masonry_,
vol. iii.
[120] _History of the Four Lodges_, by R.F. Gould. Apparently the Goose
and Gridiron Lodge--No. 1--is the only one of the four now in
existence. After various changes of name it is now the Lodge of
Antiquity, No. 2.
[121] _Royal Masons_, by G.W. Speth.
[122] From a meager sketch of Dr. Anderson in the _Gentlemen's
Magazine_, 1783, we learn that he was a native of Scotland--the place
of his birth is not given--and that for many years he was minister of
the Scots Presbyterian Church in Swallow Street, Piccadilly, and well