Cyrus(ruse) the Great the Founder of the Persian Empire

The founder of the Persian empire, is first known to us from the record, on the cuneiform clay tablet and cylinder, which recounts his reign, his conquest and capture of Astyages, king of Media, in 549 B.C. At this time Cyrus was called king of Elam. Year after year was idly spent by Nobonidas, king of Babylonia, at Terma, a suburb of the capital, Babylon, while his son - doubtless Belshazzar - was with his army at Akkad (Northern Babylon). In 538 Cyrus, favored by a revolt of the tribes on the Persian gulf, advanced on Babylon from the southeast, and after giving battle to the army of Akkad, took Sippona, and lastly Babylon, "without fighting." Cyrus at once began a friendly policy of religion. The nations who had been carried captive to Babylon, along with the Jews, were restored by their countries and allowed to take their gods with them. The empire of Croesus in Lydia had been taken two years before, and Cyrus was now master of all Asia from the Mediterranean to the Hindu-Kush. The conqueror's hold over Asia Minor and Syria was much strengthened by his friendly relations with the Phoenicians and the Jews, who received the news of his triumphs with joy. After the great king had widened his dominions from the Arabian desert and the Persian gulf on the south to the Black sea, Caucasus and the Caspian, he died in 529 B.C. Cyrus ranks high among Asiatic conquerors. He was a wise ruler, whose aim was to soften by kindness the harsh rule which his sword was constantly extending.



Persia. called by the natives Iran, the most extensive and powerful native kingdom of western Asia, is bounded on the north by the Caspian sea and Asiatic provinces of Russia; on the east by Afghanistan and Beluchistan; on the south by the Indian ocean, the Strait of Ormuz and the Persan Gulf; on the west by Asiatic Turkey. It extends about 900 miles from the east to west, and 700 miles from north to south, and has an area of 600,000 square miles. It consist for the most part of an elevated plateau, which in the center and on the east side is almost a dead level, but on the northwest and south is covered with mountain chains.

The climate is exceedingly varied. The younger Cyrus is reported to have said to Xenophon that "people perish with cold at one extremity of the country, while they are suffocated with heat at the other." Persia, in fact, may be said to possess three climates - that of the gulf coast, that of the elevated plateau, and that of the Caspian Provinces. Along the southern coast the heat of summer and autumn is very severe, while in winter and spring thew climate is delightful. On the plateau there is considerable difference of climate, , and considerable variation from heat to cold. About Ispahan the winters and summers are equally mild; but to the north and northwest of this the winters are very severe, and the desert region of the center and east of the country of its border endure most oppressive heat in summer and piercing cold in winter. The Caspian provinces in the north, on account of their general depression below the sea level, are exposed to a degree of heat in summer almost equal to that of the West Indies, and their winters are mild. Rains, however, are frequent, and many tracts of low country are very unhealthy. Except in the Caspian provinces, the atmosphere of Persia is remarkable for its dryness and beauty.

The cultivated portions of Persia, when supplied with moisture, either by rainfall or irrigation, are very fertile - in some places two crops can be raised in a year. The principle products are wheat(the best in the world), barley, corn, sugar and rice. The vine flourishes in several provinces, and the wines of Shiraz are celebrated in eastern poetry. Mulberries are largely cultivated, and silk is one of the most important productions of the country. The silk cultivation has greatly diminished of the late years, however, on account of the silkworm disease.

Among the domestic animals the horse, the ass and the camel hold the first place. The horses of Persia are larger and handsomer than those of Arabia, but less fleet. Salt is the principal mineral product, although copper, lead, antimony and some other minerals abound in certain localities. Considerable coal has been mined in the mountains near Teheran. The settled portion of the population are chiefly descendants of the ancient Persian race with an inter-mixture of foreign blood. They are all Mohammedans of the Shiite sect, except the few Parsees who still retain the ancient faith of Zoroaster. The nomads or pastoral tribes are for distinct races - Turks, Kurds, Lirurs and Arabs. Of these nomad races the Turkish is the most numerous, the present Kajar dynasty belonging to it. The nomad races are distinguished from courage, manliness and independence of character; but they are inveterate robbers, and have been the cause of many revolutions and civil wars. There is a small population of native Christians - the Nestorians of Urumiah and Telmais, and Armenians, whose principle settlement is at Ispahan. Including those who have joined the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches the whole number of Christians can hardly exceed 50,000. Christian missions are, however making steady progress in Persia. The population of Persia is variously estimated at from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000. The government is a pure despotism, the "shah," or "padishah," possessing absolute authority over the lives and property of his subjects. His deputies, the governors of provinces and districts, possess a like authority over those under them although they are accountable to the shah, and may be punished by him for any acts that he doesn't approve. The revenue is derived almost exclusively from tax on the land and its products, and as a natural result the peasantry are seriously oppressed by the provincial governors. It is believed that great as the legal taxes are, the illegal exactions amount to nearly an equal sum. For the history of ancient Persia see Rawlinson's The Seventh Great Oriental Monarchy


Related Articles:

Persian Means Red Asian

Mysteries of Mithras

Zoroaster

Mongola (The Go Man)

An Asiatic race, constituting one of the large division of mankind, including the Mongols proper, known as East Mongols and West Mongols and Bariats, and the Tartars, who form a distinct branch. The Kalmucks belong to the West Mongols. Mongolia inhabited by the east Mongols, is a part of the Chinese empire lying south of Siberia, and shut in by mountain ranges. The people lead a wandering life, dwelling in tents, and having flocks of sheep and herds of horses, cattle, camels and goats. They are mostly Buddhists in religion, and fond of making long pilgrimages. There are about 2,000,000 of them under Chinese rule. The Western Mongols have mingled with their Turkish neighbors so that it is difficult to number them. They are found in Russia, Astrakhan, Turkestan, Bokhara, Samarcand and the Crimea. The history of the Mongols begins with Genghis Kahn, born about 1160, who united the different tribes into one nation and led them out to the conquest. They overran Tartary, a large part of China, Persia, Russia and Afghanistan. Under his sons and their successors, other portions of China were conquered, the caliphs of Baghdad overthrown and Europe invaded as far as the Danube, making the Mongol empire at its height, the greatest the world has known. Kubla Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, established the first Mongol dynasty in China, which was finally overthrown by the Chinese in the 14th century. The Mongol kingdom, divided in the 13th century, was united again in the 14th century under Tamerlane, but after his death lost its power, until in the 17th century it became a part of the Chinese empire. The Mongolian language belongs to what is called the Turanian family. there is very little literature, what they posses being mostly translation from Chinese religious works; the original works being mainly accounts of the deeds of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. See History of the Mongols, by Howorth; Among the Mongols, by Gilmour.

G.yps.ies~ Roma ~C.roma.gnon

Gypsies are a wandering race of people found all over the world, peculiar alike in their looks, language and manner of living. How they got the name "gypsy," or where they originally came from, is not known. That they are from the east is generally admitted, but as to the probable antiquity of the Romani, as they call themselves, the ablest scholars are divided . As a race they are good looking, with a tawny, olive skin; a dark, lustrous eye; very white teeth; black or dark brown hair, rather coarse and frizzled; a graceful from, with remarkable finely made hands and feet. These peculiarities in their person are as marked as are those of the Jewish people. In character, also, they seem to stand apart, or alone. The better kind are quick witted, courteous and trustworthy - when trusted; lavishly generous with one hand, while they grasp a bargain with other. Having no ambition and leading a kind of cuckoo like life, their aims seems to make the best of this life, as they find it, thinking little and caring less for the future. Their piety, when they assume any, is largely cant, and the faults of these "spoilt children of nature" are very similar to those of our native American Indian - boastful, crafty, superstitious, thriftless and indolent - with a passionate streak added. They break most of the ten commandments - but lightly - great crimes being rare among them. Their specialties of horse-dealing and fortune telling favor easy ideas of right and wrong , and their views on what is mine or thine are decidedly loose. They excel as tinkers and blacksmiths. Their language is a bond of universal brotherhood - for gypsies everywhere speak in the same Romani, or "gypsy tongue." In the Romani vocabulary - of some 5,00 words - the Indian or Hindustani elements prevails, though there is a large portion of borrowed words - Persian, Armenian, Slavonic, Roumanian, Magyar, etc. These words make a kind of record of the route by which the English gypsies arrived in England, and as there are fifty Greek words and thirty Slavonic words, which together outnumber all the other borrowed words put together, it would seem to follow that they carried longest in Greek and Slavonic speaking countries. In Turkey, as also in England, Finland and Italy, the gypsy calls himself "rom" (man or husband), from which comes "romni" (female gypsy woman, or wife) and the adjective "romano" (gypsy). This may account for the supposed Egyptian origin of the race - the ancient Egyptian "rome" being man. They were traced late in 1417 from the east through Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France; while in 1447 they reached Spain; Polan and Russia about 1501, Sweden in 1512 and England in 1514. They have been protected by kings and popes, and nobles; Emperor Sigismund, Pope Martin V., Earl of Surrey James IV., and the Arch-duke Joseph of Austria being among the number of their friends. They have also been persecuted in many countries, charged with kidnapping children and acting as spies. They number in Europe about 700,000. Asia has thousands of them, and they are constantly emigrating to the United States ad Australia.

Encyclopedia

ROMANY CRO~MAGNON

PRE ICE AGE (24,000 to 8000 BC)
Cro-Magnon : The earliest form of TAN 'genetically modified' modern humans. The Cro-Magnons were developed about 35,000 years ago by the Neanderthals, and physically resembled modern Europeans. Cro-Magnon people painted the walls of their caves, producing the first known human art. See LionMan (28000 BC)

Romany : Of or relating to the Gypsies or their language or culture. [Romany romani, feminine of romano, gypsy, from rom, man, from Prakrit íoma, man of a low caste, slave, of Dravidian origin.]
Prophets don't exist; business planners do.

Lets Play Baal

Baal Hammon
(above picture)

he was the chief divinity among the Phoenicians, the Canaanites, and the Babylonians. The word signifies in Hebrew lord or master. It was among the orientalist a comprehensive term of denoting divinity of any kind without reference to class or sex. The Sabaists understood Baal as the sun, and Baalim,(I'm Baal) in the plural were the sun, moon, and stars, "the host of heaven." Whenever the Israelites made one of their almost periodical deflections to idolatry, Bail seems to have been the favorite idol to worship they addicted themselves . Hence he became the especial object of denunciation with the prophets. Thus, in 1 Kings (xviii.,) we see Elijah showing, by practical demonstration, the difference between Baal and Jehovah(there is no difference). The idolaters, at his instigation called on Baal, as their sun god, to light the sacrificial fire, from morning until noon, because at noon he had acquired his greatest intensity. And after noon, no fire having been kindled on the altar, they began to cry aloud, and to cut themselves in token of mortification, because as the sun descended there was no hope of his help. But Elijah, depending on Jehovah, made his sacrifice towards sunset, to show the greatest contrast between Baal and the true God. And when the people saw the fire come down and consume the offering, they acknowledged the weakness of their idol, and falling on their faces cried out, Jehovah hu hahelohim - "Jehovah, he is the God." And Hosea afterwords promises the people that they shall abandon their idolatry, and and that he would take away from them the Shemoth hahbaalim, the names of Baalim, so that they should be no more remembered by their names and the people should in that day "know Jehovah."

Hence we see that there was an evident antagonism in the orthodox Hebrew mind between Jehovah and Baal. The latter was, however, worshiped by the Jews, whenever they became heterodox, and by the Oriental or Semitic nations as a supreme divinity, representing the sun in some of his modifications as the ruler of the day. In Tyre, Baal was the sun, and Ashtaroth, the moon. Baal-peor, the lord of priapism, was the sun represented as the generative principle of nature, and identical with the phllus of other religions. Baal-gad was the lord of the multitude, (of stars,) that is, the sun as the chief of the heavenly host. In brief, Baal wherever his cults was established, a development or form of the old sun worship.


As this personage is so often mentioned in Scripture, and the name as apart of compound names, is so repeatedly used, we must give some some account of him as one of the principle gods in the western part of Asia, accompanied by representations of himcopied from ancient metals.

The word Baal or Bel, in Hebrew, means he that rules and subdues; master, lord, or husband (governor, ruler).

As before stated, Baal and Ashtaroth being commonly mentioned together, and as it is believed Ashtaroth denoted the moon, it is concluded that Baal represents the sun. The name Baal is generically used for the superior of the Phoenicians, Chaldeans, Moabites, and other parts of Western Asia. No doubt, under different names peculiar to their different languages, as for instance, Chamosh or She.mesh(Heb.), for the sun in the immediate neighborhood of Jerusalem and elsewhere in Palestine, Baal is certainly the most ancient god of the Canaanites, and perhaps of the East.

It has been asserted by some learned men that Baal was the Saturn of Greece and Rome; and there was a great conformity between the rites and sacrifices offered to Saturn and what the Scriptures relate of the sacrifices offered to Baal.

Others are of the opinion that he corresponded with Hercules, who was an original god of Phoenicia. Now, when at this day we fully comprehend why certain names were given to certain gods, - and in changing the countries where they were worshiped they were considered different individualites, - just so many more gods were added as so many countries adopted the worship. Also the name was compounded with other names and constituted therby other gods, but evidently the one only, in fact: as Baal-Peor, Baal-Zebub, Baal-Gad, Baal-Zephon, Ball-Berith; and the Hebrews called the sun Baal-Shemesh (Baal the Sun). The Persian Mithra was the same as Baal. The Scripture call the temples of of the sun Chamanim. They were places enclosed with walls, wherein a perpetual fire was maintained. They were frequent all over the East, particularly in that region afterwords called Persia: the Greeks called them pyreia, or pyratheia, from pyr, fire, or pyra, a funeral pile. Strabo mentions them as having in them an altar, abundance of ashes, and a perpetual fire. From this, no doubt, arises the fire worship of the Parsees, which continues to the present day.

Take me out to the baal game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old baal game.

The Tort(oi)se & the Turtles are linked to Neanderthalers

a class of shell animals. The turtles belong to the same family, turtles being sea animals, while the tortoise lives mostly on land, in marshy places, but sometimes in rivers and ponds. They are known by their external skeleton or shell, which grows in some species like the finger nails the new part pushing the old part before it, and in others like the rings of a tree. This shell is really an expansion of the backbone in the shape of a shield, and is covered with a dry skin or thin scales. The shells are marked and spotted, as is seen in the tortoise shell, which is used for ornamental work. The heads, legs and arms can be drawn inside this bony case, which is formed of several plates. The tortoise can swim, but not for great distances and are usually found in the mud in shallow water, stretching their long necks out occasionally for air, though many of them are land animals. They live on frogs, small birds, and fish. The snapping turtle, really a tortoise, is sometimes for feet long. The mud tortoise or turtle, the spotted tortoise, the painted tortoise, and the terrapin, so highly valued for food, are kinds found in the United States. The terrapin is a fresh water tortoise, of which there are several varieties, the Florida terrapin being the largest, and the chicken terrapin the finest. The turtles are all sea animals, and good swimmers, feeding on seaweed, though some kinds eat water animals. The flesh of those that live on animals is disagreeable, while that of the others is considered a great delicacy. They lay their eggs, about a 100 at a time on a sandy beach, covering them with sand. When on land they are easily caught and if turned on their backs cannot escape. They are often kept in pens, filled with water by the tide, and fed on purslane. The green turtle, found in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico, is the variety most used for food.
The logger head turtle, the hawks-bill, and the leathery turtle are species which are taken for the shell and for an oil which they furnish. The shell was much used by the Romans for ornamental purposes, and when whole was made into a cradle or bath tube, drinking troughs and even small boats.

Avatars of Vishnu. - First Matsaya - which is fabled to have assumed the form of a fish, to restore the lost Veda which had been stolen from Brahma in his sleep By the demon Hayagriva. This, and the second and third Avatars, seem to refer to the universal deluge; and the present would appear as the announcement of it to a pious king, Satyarata, who is considered by some to have been Noah. He appeared first in the shape of a minute fish to the devout monarch to try his piety and benevolence, then gradually expanding himself and finally announced the flood. "In in seven days from the present time the three worlds will be plunged in an ocean of death; but in the midst of the destroying waves, a large vessel sent by me for the use shall stand before thee. Then shall thou take all medicinal herbs and variety of seeds, and accompanied by seven saints, encircled by pairs of all brute animals, thou shall enter the spacious ark, and continue in it, secure from the flood, on an immense ocean, without light, except the radiance of thy holy companions. When the ship shall be agitated by an impetuous wind thou shal fasten it with a large sea serpent to my horn, for I will be near thee, drawing the vessel with thee and they attendants. I will remain on the ocean until the day of Brahma[a year] shall be completely ended." (Maurice).

When the deluge was abated and mankind destroyed, except Satyarata and his companions, Vishnu slew the demon Hayagriva and recovered the lost Veda, or in other words, when the wicked were destroyed by the deluge, sin no longer prevailed, and virtue was restored to the world.

Second. Vishnu assumed the form of an immense tortoise, to support the earth while the gods and genii churned with it the ocean. He is represented as a tortoise, sustaining a circular pillar which is crowned by the lotus throne, on which sits the semblance of Vishnu in all his attributes. A huge serpent encircles the pillar, one end is held by the gods and the other by the daityas or demons. By this churning the sea was converted into milk, and then into butter, from which, among other things, produced the Amrita or water of life drank by the Immortals.

An extraordinary belief prevailed among the Iroquois Indians, in which the tortoise is imagined to have acted an equally important part in the formation of the globe. They believed that before the period there were six male beings who existed in the regions of the air, but were nevertheless subjected to mortality. Among them there was no female to perpetuate their race , but they learned that there was one in heaven, and it was agreed that one of them should undertake the dangerous task of endeavoring to bring her away. The difficulty was how he should get there; for although he floated on aether, it appears he could not soar to the celestial realms. A bird therefore (but whether the eagle of Jove, or the Garuda of Vishnu, or what other kind we are not told), became his vehicle, and conveyed him thither on his back. He saw the female and seduced her by (what too many ladies at the present day are led astray by), flattery and presents, but of what kind we are also unfortunately left in ignorance. The Supreme Deity knowing what had taken place immediately turned her, like another Eve, out of Paradise, and she was received by a tortoise on its back, when the otter(a most important party in North American legends), and the fishes disturbed the mud at the bottom of the ocean, and drawing it up around the tortoise, formed a small island, which gradually increasing became the earth. The female had at first, two sons (one of whom slew the other), and afterwords, several children from whom sprung the rest of mankind.

Ph(oe)nician (Ph)(o[ne)t]ics

the name of a certain territory lying on the east coast of the Mediterranean, north Judea. The boundary lines of Phoenicia differed at different times, but its length was generally about 200 miles and its average width about 20 miles. It is impossible to say when the first Phoenician settlers entered the country; but it is generally conceded that they did not come from one region, but from several different directions, and they grew into one nationality very slowly. The history of Phoenicia covers nearly 2,000 years; and although our sources of information are very meager,(controlled history) it may be divided into four distinct periods. The first of these comprise the immigration and gradual development of the various tribes until the historical time when Sidon began take the lead, about 1,500 B.C. The second period dates from the conquest of Palestine by the Hebrews, when Sidon had already become the "first born of Canaan," as recorded in Genesis. The flourishing state of its commerce and manufactures is also seen from many passages in Homer. The gradual ascendancy of the rival city of Tyre marks the beginning of the third period, in which Phoenicia attained her greatest power and glory, her ships covering every sea, and her commerce extending far and wide among other nations. During the reigns of David and Solomon(980 - 917 B.C.) very friendly relations existed between the Israelites and the Phoenicians under Hiram, king of Tyre. As each country needed what the other could supply, a very close alliance was formed, between Hiram and Solomon, especially, Hiram furnishing a portion of the material for Solomon's temple at Jerusalem. By this time, too, the Phoenicians had not only planted colonies on the coast and islands of the AEgean and Mediterranean seas, but had passed through all the Strait of Gibraltar, and established themselves on the western coast of Spain and of Africa, while at the same time their alliance with the Hebrews permitted them to find their way to the Indies by the Red Sea. Although at first they traded in the wares of Egypt and Assyria, they soon became manufactures on a very extensive scale, and drew the whole world into the circle of their commerce. The two chief articles of their manufacture were glass and the purple dye, obtained from a shellfish of the Mediterranean. Purple was one of the most noted luxuries of ancient times - especially in Asia. In temples and palaces for gods and men purple garments, hangings, curtains, and veils were used very extensively; and Alexander the Great found in Susa alone a store of purple worth 5,000 talents. Sidon's principal production was glass - invented there by accident, it was said; but most probably the invention came from Egypt. The mining operations of the Phoenicians were very extensive at this time; and they well understood how to work the minerals thus obtained. The description of the mning process in Job xxviii, 1-11, must have been derived from a sight of the Phoenician mining works. The art of pounding brass had certainly reached a high degree of perfection to enable Hiram to execute such works for Solomon's temple as are described in the Bible. Hiram's reign seems to have been the beginning of the end of Phoenicia's prosperity and glory. He was succeeded by his son Baleastartus, who died after a reign of seven years, and long series of political calamities and civil wars then ensued. The fourth and last period of Phoenician history may be dated from the middle of the 8th century B.C., when Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, besieged Tyre for five years without being able to take it. Peace was concluded on terms that were very favorable to Tyre; but two centuries later Phoenicia was conquered by Assyria. She was afterwords conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, and remained subject to Babylon until the capture of that city by Cyrus the Great, when she became part of the Medo-Persian empire; and when Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great, the last shadow of Phoenicia's independence passed away. Since 65 B.C. the Phoenician territory has been a part of Syria. The religion of the Phoenicians was like that of all ancient Semitc religions - except that of the Hebrews - a kind of Pantheistic worship of nature, their two principal being Baal Astarte. See History of Phoenicia, by Rawlinson.

Phonetics. the SCIENCE of the sounds of the human voice. Sound is produced by the expulsion of air from the lungs through the windpipe, and when this air in its passage through the throat sets the vocal cords in vibration, what we call "voice" is produced. After passing through the throat the voice enters the mouth, or nose, or both of these. As a practical science phonetics comprehends not only a knowledge of the various sounds uttered in human speech, but also the invention or discovery of an alphabetical symbol to represent each of them. The sounds of the voice are of two kinds - "fixed sounds," where the cavities of the mouth remain unchanged during the passage of the air, and "glides," where these cavities are constantly changing, or, in other words, where the utterance is variously modified by the tongue, palate, lips and teeth. The former of these are called vowels, and in the English language are represented by the letters, a, e, i, o, u, y; that latter are called consonants-with-sounders, as they are sounded with the vowels, but not alone. The great variations in spelling and pronunciation in the English tongue have been a source of perplexity to foreigners learning our language, and have caused many "phonetic reformers" to arise, with plans for producing uniformity; but of these have ever been adopted, except in the case of a few words. Perhaps the reason of this is that however "irregular" may be the spelling of so many words, yet the forms in which they written have become as firmly fixed in our mental habit as are the sounds they represent and the ideas conveyed by these sounds; hence we can never consent to any changes, except those that gradual, and proceed as by a process of evolution. Another difficulty in reference to the phonetic reform would be, that even if it were possible to devise a fixed alphabetical symbol for every sound or combination of sounds, to which all good writers would conform, the pronunciation of words would at once begin to vary, and in the course of time, our spelling and pronunciation might be as "irregular" as they now are.

Threshing Floor

Among the Hebrews, circular spots of hard ground were used, as now, for the purpose of threshing corn. After they were properly prepared for the purpose , they became permanent possessions. One of these, the property of Ornan the Jebusite, was on Mount Moriah. It was purchased by David, for a place of sacrifice, for six hundred shekels of gold, and on it the Temple was afterwords built. Hence it is sometimes used as a symbolic name for the Temple of Solomon or for a Master's Lodge. Thus it is said in the ritual that the Mason comes "from the lofty tower of Babel, where language was confounded and Masonry lost," and that he is traveling "to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, where language was restored and Masonry found." The interpretation of this rather abstruse symbolic expression is that on his initiation the Mason comes out of the profane world, where there is ignorance and darkness, and confusion as there was at Babel, and that he is approaching the Masonic world, where, as at the Temple built on Ornan's threshing floor, there is and knowledge and light and order.



The Secret Society of empty pumpkin bobble heads searching for the light to put in their heads.

Hiram Abif the Builder (Cain) (Western Freemasonry) (The West)

"Freemasonry is a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols."

There is no character in the annuals of Freemasonry whose life is so dependent on tradition as the celebrated architect of King Solomon’s Temple. Profane history is entirely silent in respect to his career, and the sacred records supply us with only very unimportant items. To fill up the space between his life and his death, we are necessarily compelled to resort to those oral legends which have been handed down from the ancient Masons to their successors. Yet looking to their character, I should be unwilling to vouch for the authenticity of all; most of them were probably at first symbolical in their character; the symbol in the lapse of time having been converted into myth, and the myth, by constant repetition, having assumed the formal appearance of a truthful narrative. Such has been the case in the history of all nations. But whatever may have been their true character, to the Mason, at least, they are interesting, and cannot be altogether void of instruction.

When King Solomon was about to build a temple to Jehovah, the difficulty of obtaining skillful workmen to superintend and to execute the architectural part of the undertaking was such, that he found it necessary to request of his friend and ally, Hiram, King of Tyre, the use of some his most able builders; for the Tyrians and Sidonians were celebrated artists, and at that time were admitted to be the best mechanics in the world. Hiram willingly complied with his conquest, and dispatched to his assistance an abundance of men and materials, to be employed in the construction of the Temple, and among the former, a distinguished artist, to whom was given the superintendence of all the workmen, both Jews and Tyrians, and who was in possession of all the skill and learning that were required to carry out, in the most efficient manner, all the plans and designs of the king of Israel.

Of this artist whom Freemasons recognize sometimes as Hiram the Builder, sometimes as the Widow's Son, but more commonly as Hiram Abif, the earliest account is found in the first Book of Kings (vii. 13, 14,) where the passage reads as follows:

"And King Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass, and he was filled with wisdom and understanding, cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to King Solomon and wrought all his work."

He is next mentioned in the second Book of Chronicles, (ch. ii. 13, 14,) in the following letter fro Hiram of Tyre to King Solomon.

And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding , of Huram my father's. The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skillful to work in gold and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone and in timber, in purple, in blue and in fine linen and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with the cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David, thy father."

In reading these two descriptions, every one will be at once struck with an apparent contradiction in them in relation to the parentage of their subject. there is no doubt - for in this both passages agree - that his father was man of Tyre; but the discrepancy is in reference to the birthplace of his mother, who in one passage is said to have been "of the tribe of Naphtali, and in the other, "of the daughters of Dam." Commentators have, however, met with no difficulty in reconciling the contradiction, and the suggestion of Bishop Patrick is now generally adopted on this subject. He supposes that she herself was of the tribe of Dan, but that her first husband was of the tribe of Naphtali, by whom she had this son ; and that when she was a widow, she married a man of Tyre, who is called Hiram's father because he bred him up and was the husband of his mother.

Hiram Abif undoubtedly deprived much of his knowledge in mechanical arts from that man of Tyre who had married his mother, and we may justly conclude that he increased that knowledge by assiduous study and constant intercourse with the artisans of Tyre, who were greatly distinguished for their attainments in architecture. Tyre was one of the principal seats of the Dionysiac fraternity of artificers, a society engaged exclusively in the construction of edifices, and living under a secret organization, which was subsequently imitated by the Operative Freemasons. Of this association, it is not unreasonable to suppose that Hiram Abif was a member, and that arriving at Jerusalem he introduced among the Jewish workmen the same exact system of discipline which he had found of so much advantage in the Dionysiac associations at home, and thus gave, under the sanction of King Solomon, a peculiar organization to the Masons who were engage in building of the Temple.

Upon the arrival of this celebrated artist at Jerusalem. which was the year B.C. 1012, he at once received into the intimate confidence of Solomon, and entrusted with the superintendence of all the workmen, both Tyrians and Jews, who engaged in the construction of the building. He received the title of "Principal Conductor of the Works," an office which, previous to his arrival, had been filled by Adoniram, and, according to Masonic tradition, formed with Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre, his ancient patron the Supreme Council of Grand Masters, in which everything was determined in relation to the construction of the edifice and the government of the workmen.

The Book of Constitutions, as it was edited by Entick, (p.19,) speaks of him in the following language: "This inspired master was, without question, the most cunning, skillful, and curious workman that ever lived; whose abilities was not confined to building only, but extended to all kinds of work, whether in gold, silver, brass or iron; whether in linen tapestry or embroidery; whether considered as architect, statuary, founder or designer, separately or together, he equally excelled. From his designs and under his direction, all the rich and splendid furniture of the Temple and its several appendages were begun, carried on, and finished. Solomon appointed him, in his absence, to fill the Chair as Deputy Grand Master, and in his presence, Senior Grand Warden, Master of Work, and general overseer of all artist, as well those whom David had formerly procured from Tyre and Sidon, as those Hiram should now send."

This statement requires some correction. According to the most consistent systems and the general course of the traditions, there three Grand Masters at the building of the Temple of whom Hiram Abif was one, and hence in our Lodges he always receives the title of Grand Master. We may, however, reconcile the assertion of Anderson, that he was sometimes a Deputy Grand Master, and sometimes a Senior Grand Warden, by supposing that the three Grand Masters were, among the Craft, possessed of equal authority, and held in equal reverence, while among themselves there was an acknowledged subordination of station and power. But in no way can the assertion be explained that he was at ant time a Senior Grand Warden, which would be wholly irreconcilable with the symbolism of the Temple. In the mythical Master's Lodge, supposed to have been held in the Temple, and the only one ever held before its completion, at which the three Grand master alone were present, the office of Junior Warden is assigned to Hiram Abif.

According to the Masonic tradition, which is in part supported by scriptural authority, Hiram was charged with all the architectural decorations and interior embellishments of the building. He cast the various vessels and implements that are to be used in the religious service of the temple, as well as the pillars that adorned the porch, selecting as the most convenient and appropriate place for the scene of his operations, the clay grounds which extend between Succoth and Zaredatha; and the old lectures state that the hole interior of the house, its posts and doors, its very floors and ceilings, which were made of the most expensive timber, and overlaid with plates of burnished gold, were, by his exquisite taste, encased with magnificent designs and adorned with the most precious gems. Even the abundance of these precious jewels, in the decorations of the Temple, is attributed to the foresight and pridnece of Hiram Abif; since a Masonic tradition quoted by Dr. Oliver, informs us, that about four years before the Temple was begun, he, as the agent of the Tyrian king, purchased some curious stones from an Arabian merchant, who told him, upon inquiry, that they had been found by accident on an island in the Red Sea. By the permission of King Hiram, he investigated the truth of this report, and had the good fortune to discover many precious gems, and among the rest an abundance of the topaz. They were subsequently imported by the ships of Tyre for the service of King Solomon.

In allusion to these labors of taste and skill displayed by the widow's son, our lectures say, that while the wisdom of Solomon contrived the fabric, and the strength of King Hiram's wealth and power supported the undertaking, it was adorned by the beauty of Hiram Abif's curious and cunning workmanship.

In the character of the chief architect of the Temple, one of the peculiarities which most strongly attract attention, was the systematic manner in which he conducted all the extensive operation which were placed under his charge. In the classification of the workmen, such arrangements were made, by his advice, as to avoid any discord or confusion; although about two hundred thousand craftsmen and laborers were employed, so complete were his arguments, that the general harmony was never disturbed. In the payment of wages, such means were at his suggestion, adopted, that every ones labor was readily distinguished, and his defects ascertained, every attempt at imposition detected, and the particular amount of money due to each workman accurately determined easily paid, so that as Webb remarks, "the disorder and confusion that might otherwise have attended so immense an undertaking was completely prevented." It was his custom never to put off until tomorrow the work that might have accomplished today, for he was as remarkable for his punctuality in the discharge of the most trifling duties, as h was for his skill in performing the most important. It was his constant habit to furnish to the craftsmen every morning with a copy of the plans which he had, on the previous afternoon, designed for their labor in the course of the ensuing day. As new designs were thus furnished by him from day to day, any neglect to provide the workmen with them on each successive morning would necessarily have stopped the labors of the whole body of the workmen for that day; a circumstance that in large a number must have produced the greatest disorder and confusion. hence the practice of punctuality was in him a duty of the highest obligation, and one which could never for a moment have been neglected without leading to immediate observation. Such is the character of this distinguished personage, whether mythical or not, that has been transmitted by the uninterrupted stream of Masonic tradition. The trestle board used by him in drawing his designs is said to have been made, as the ancient tablets were, of wood, and covered with a coating of wax. On this coating he inscribed his plans with a pen or stylus of steel, which an old tradition, preserved by Oliver, says was found upon him when he was raised, and ordered by King Solomon to be deposited in the center of his monument. The same tradition informs us that the first time he used this stylus for any of the purposes of the Temple was on the morning that the foundation stone of the building was laid, when he dew the celebrated diagram known as the forty-seventh problem of Euclid, and which gained a prize that Solomon had offered on that occasion. But this is so evidently a mere myth, invented by some myth-maker of the last century, without even an excuse of a symbolic meaning, that it has been rejected or, at least, forgotten by the Craft.

Another and more interesting legend has been preserved by Oliver, which may be received as a mythical symbol of the faithful performance of duty. It runs thus:

"It is the duty of Hiram Abif to superintend the workmen, and the reports of his officers were always examined with the most scrupulous exactness. At the opening of the day, when the sun was rising in the east, it was his constant custom, before the commencement of labor, to go into the Temple, and offer up his prayers to Jehovah for blessing on the work; and in like manner when the sun was setting in the west. And after the labors of the day were closed, and the workmen had left the Temple, he returned his thanks to the Grand Architect of the Universe for the harmonious protection of the day. Not content with devout expression of his feelings, he always went into the Temple at the hour of high twelve, when the men were called off from labor to refreshment, to inspect the work, to draw fresh designs upon the trestle board, if such were necessary, and to perform other scientific labors, - never forgetting to consecrate the duties by solemn prayer. these religious customs were faithfully performed for the first six years in the secret recesses of the Lodge, and for the last year in the precincts of the most holy place."

While assiduously engaged in the discharge of these arduous duties, seven years passed rapidly, and the magnificent Temple at Jerusalem was nearly completed. The Fraternity was about to celebrate the cope-stone with the greatest demonstrations of joy; but in the language of the venerable Book of Constitutions, "their joy was soon interrupted by the sudden death of their dear and worthy master Hiram Abif." On the very day appointed for celebrating the cope-stone of the building says one tradition, he repaired for his usual place of retirement at the meridian hour and did not return alive. On this subject we can say no more. This is neither the time nor place to detail the particulars of his death. It is enough to say that the circumstance filled the Craft with most profound grief, which was deeply shared by his friend and patron, King Solomon, who, according to the Book of Constitutions, "after some time allowed to the Craft to vent their sorrow, ordered his obsequies to be performed with great solemnity and decency, and buried him in the Lodge near the Temple, - according to the ancient usages among Masons, - and long mourned his loss."

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Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus (Neanderthal)

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Here's a thought in this world if you give the people the truth you will get punished for it, either by your superiors or the ones your trying to help. Its funny when you think about, though God and the Devil are the same that's another reason they use the term Y he's a two in one playing both sides causing confusion and chaos to bring just to bring in his order. Y is also the source of a everything the double helix hence the term "WHY?" at the beginning of almost every question, that's the beginning of understanding the world around you and also yourself.


Prometheus stole fire and gave it to the human race. For this, he was bound to a mountain and punished for centuries. Prometheus was one of the Titans, the original race of gods sprung from earth and sky(evolution). He sided with Zeus and the other major gods of classical Greece when they overthrew the other Titans. "Prometheus" probably means (intellect) "forethought", as his brother Epimetheus's name means "afterthought"


Now in the story of Satan(adversary), as with Prometheus, Satan once was illustrious. He was a glorious angel, said to be the most beloved of God. The All Seeing Father. And just like with Prometheus dispute came on account of the mortals, though in this case the roles would be changed slightly. While Prometheus had pity and compassion for the mortals, and Zeus looked down to them, in the case of Lucifer, God seemed to cherish the mortals above the angels and gave them free will which was denied the angels, Lucifer grew jealous of God’s affections for these mortal men and rebelled against God as he thought Gods treatment of the angels was unfair, and this can be paralleled to the way Prometheus viewed Zeus’s treatment of the Titans.

Satan - To be adverse, the grand adversary of man; the devil. Sa=ASS= mess.age of Tan=color of the new slave i.e Pakistan Afghanistan Uzbekistan Stan-Natsi-Anti-Saint

Devil- 1. the evil one, Satan. 2. An evil spirit. 3. A machine for tearing or cutting raw materials as cotton, wool, etc. 4. A wicked person. 5. An errand boy or youngest apprentice in a printing office. The liver is the key to red blood. The name Lucifer is a name for hot, dysfunctional, blood. To have a liver is to live. "Live" spelt backwards is Evil and the word Lived becomes Devil. Red (Roth) is the colour for war. Yellow (Gold) is a vitalizer, while Blue is the colour given to controllers. Green (Yellow with Blue) is the colour given to Masonic initiates (Greenland). White means armour, while Black stands for Black Magic.

Lucifer - Light bringing, the morning star. 1. The planet Venus, when morning star. 2. Satan. 3. A match tipped with a combustible substance, and ignited by friction.

Lucy Fer=Iron [Iron Lady] The first woman is genetically (DNA) dated at approx. 190,000 BC.



Cunning. Used by old English writers in the sense of skillful. Thus, in 1 Kings viii. 14, it is said of the architect who was sent by the king of Tyre to assist King Solomon in the construction of his Temple, that he was "cunning to work in all works in brass."

Curious. Latin, curiosus, from cura, care. An archaic expression for careful. Thus in Masonic language, which abounds in archaisms, an evidence, indeed, of its antiquity, Hiram Abiff is described as a "curious and cunning workman," that is to say, "careful and skillful."

Seven Veils in our language

1: 6,ooo languages (English - the Master's peace)

2: Meaning of the wo rds and spelling (to cast a spell)

3: Allegory (female/male gory[rego]) and symbols

4: Mirror imaging (backward writing - ie: Enola Gay)
5: Sounds or phonetics (taught by the Phoenicians)

6: Hieroglyphics of each character (as in a play)

7: Alpha-numeric conversion (Kabalarian)

Grasp the premise and it all makes sense!

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Royal Art (Rat leading the Way )(Lord of Arts and Cratfs)

The earliest writers peak of Freemasonry as a "Royal Art." Anderson used this expression in 1723, and in such a way as to show that it was even then no new epithet. The term has become common in all languages as an appellative of the Institution, and yet but few perhaps have taken occasion to examine into its real signification or have asked what would seem to be questions readily suggested, "Why is Freemasonry called an art?" and next, "Why is it said to be a Royal Art?"

The answer which is generally supposed to be a sufficient one for the latter one for the latter inquiry, is that it is so called because many monarchs have been its disciples and its patrons, and some writers have gone so far as to particularize and to say that Freemasonry was first called a "Royal Art" in 1693, when William III., of England, was initiated into its rites; Gasdicke, in his Freimaurer Lexicon, states that some have derived the title from the fact that in the times of the English Commonwealth, the members of the English Lodges had joined the party of the exiled Stuarts, and labored for the restoration of Charles II. to the throne. He himself, however, seems to think that Freemasonry is called a Royal Art because its object is to erect stately edifices, and especially palaces, the residences of kings.

Such an answer may serve for the profane, who can have no appreciation of a better reason, but it will hardly meet the demands of the intelligent initiate, who wants some more philosophic explanation - something more consistent with the moral and intellectual character of the Institution.

Let us endeavor to solve the problem, and to determine why Freemasonry is called an art at all; and why, above all others, it is dignified with the appellation of a Royal Art. Our first business will be to find a reply to the former question.

An art is distinguished from a handicraft in this, that the former consists of and supplies the principles which govern and direct the latter. The stonemason for instance, is guided in his construction of the building on which he is engaged by the principles which are furnished to him by the architect. Hence stonemasonry is a trade, a handicraft, or, as the German significantly expresses it, handwerk, something which only requires the skill and labor of the hands to accomplish. But architecture is an art, because it is engaged in the establishment of principles and scientific tenets which the "handiwork" of the Mason is to carry into practical effect.

The handicrafts-man, the hand-worker, of course is employed in manual labor. It is the work of his hands that accomplishes the purpose of his trade. But the artist uses no such means. He deals only in principles, and his works is of the head. He prepares his design according to the principles of his art, and the workmen obeys and executes them,(Luke 10:7) often without understanding their ulterior object.

Now let us apply this distinction to Freemasonry. Eighteen hundred hundred years ago many thousand men were engaged in the construction of a Temple in the city of Jerusalem. They felled and prepared the timbers in the forests of Lebanon, and they hewed and cut and squared the stones in the quarries of Judea, and then they put them together under the direction of a skillful architect, and formed a goodly edifice, worthy to be called, as the Rabbins named it, "the chosen house of the Lord." For there, according to the Jewish ritual, in preference to all other places, was the God of Hosts to be worshiped in oriental splendor. Something like this has been done thousands of times since. But the men who wrought with the stone-hammer and trowel at the Temple of Solomon, and the men who afterwords wrought at the temples and cathedrals of Europe and Asia, were no artists. They were simply handicrafts-men, men raising an edifice by the labor of their hands, - men who, in doing their work, were instructed by others skillful in art, but which art looked only to totality, and hand nothing to do with operative details. The Giblemites, or stone-squarers, gave form to the stones and laid them in their proper places. But in what form they should be cut, and in what spots they should be laid so that the building might assume a proposed appearance, were matters left entirely to the superintending architect, the artist, who in giving his instructions, was guided by the principles of his art.

Hence Operative Masonry is not an art. But after these handicrafts-men came other men, who, simulating, or, rather, symbolizing, their labors, converted the operative pursuit into a speculative system, and thus made of a handicraft an art. And it was in this wise that the change was accomplished.

The building of a temple is the result of a religious sentiment. Now, the Freemasons intended to organize a religious institution. I am not going into any discussion, at this time of its history. When Freemasonry was founded is immaterial to the theory, provided that the foundation is made posterior to the time of the building of King Solomon's Temple. It is sufficient that it be admitted that in its foundation as an esoteric institution the religious idea prevailed, and that the development of this idea was the predominating object of its first organizers.

Burrowing, then, the name of their Institution from the operative masons who constructed the temple of Jerusalem, by a very natural process they burrowed also the technical language and implements of the same handicrafts-men. But these they did not use for any manual purpose. They did not erect with them temples of stone, but were occupied solely in developing the religious idea which the construction of the material temple had first suggested; they symbolized this language and these implements, and thus established an art whose province and object it was to elicit religious thought, and to teach religious truth by a system of symbolism. And this symbolism - just as peculiar to Freemasonry as the doctrine of lines and surfaces is to geometry, or of numbers is to arithmetic - constitutes the art of Freemasonry.

If I were define Freemasonry as an art, I should say that it was an art which taught the construction of a spiritual temple, just as the art of architecture teaches the construction of a material temple. And I should illustrate the train of ideas by which the Freemasons were led to symbolize the Temple of Solomon as a spiritual temple of man's nature, by borrowing the language of St. Peter, who says to his Christian initiates: "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house ." And with greater emphasis, and as still more illustrative, would I cite the language of the Apostle of the Gentiles, - the Apostle, who, of all others, most delighted in symbolism, and who says: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the spirit of God (medulla)dwelleth in you?"

And this the reason why Freemasonry is called an art.

Having thus determined the conditions under which Freemasonry becomes an art, the next inquiry will be why it has been distinguished from all other arts in being designated, .par excellence, the Royal Art. And here we must abandon all thought that this title comes in any way from the connection of Freemasonry with earthly monarchs - from the patronage of the membership of kings. Freemasonry obtains no addition to its intrinsic value from a connection with the political heads of states. Kings, when they enter the sacred portals, are no longer kings, but brethren. In the Lodge all men are on equality, and there can be no distinction or preference except that which is derived from virtue and intelligence. Although a great king once said that Freemasons made the best and truest subjects, yet in the Lodge is there no subjection save to the law of love, - that the law which, for its excellence above all other laws, has been called by an Apostle the "royal law, just as Freemasonry, for its excellence above all other arts, has been called the "Royal Art."

St. James says, in his general Epistle: "If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shall love thy neighbor (brotherhood)as thyself, ye do well." Dr. Adam Clarke on his commentary on this passage, - which is so appropriate to the subject we are investigating, and so thoroughly explanatory of this expression in its application to Freemasonry, that it well worth a citation, - uses the following language:

Speaking of the expression of St. James, noman basilicon, "the royal law," he says: "This epithet, of all the New Testament writers, is peculiar to James; but it is frequent among the Greek writers in the sense in which it appears St. James uses it. Basilikos, royal, is used to signify anything that is of general concern, is suitable to all, and necessary for all, as brotherly love is. This commandment, Thou shall love they neighbor as thyself, is a royal law; not only because it is ordained of God, proceeds from his kingly authority over men, because it is so useful, suitable, and necessary to the present state of man; and as it was given us particularly by Christ himself, who is our king, as well as prophet and priest, it should ever put us in mind of his authority over us, and our subjection to him. As the regal state is the most excellent for secular dignity and civil utility that exists among men, hence we give the epithet royal to whatever is excellent, noble, grand, or useful."

How beautifully and appropriately does all this definition apply to Freemasonry consisted in a symbolization of the technical language and implements and labors of a operative society to a moral and spiritual purpose. the Temple which was constructed by the builders at Jerusalem was taken as the groundwork. Out of this the Freemasons have developed an admirable science of symbolism, which on account of its design, and on account of the means by which that design is accomplished, is well entitled, for its "excellence, nobility, grandeur, and utility," to be called the "Royal Art."

The stonemasons at Jerusalem were engaged in the construction of a material temple. But the Freemasons who succeeded them are occupied in the construction of a moral and spiritual temple, man being considered, through the process of the act of symbolism, that holy house. And in this symbolism the Freemasons have only developed the same idea that was present to St. Paul when he said to the Corinthians that they were "God's Building," of which building he, "as a wise master-builder, had laid the foundation;" and when, still further extending the metaphor, he told the Ephesians that they were "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord; in whom also ye are builded together for habituation of God through the spirit."

This, then, is the true art of Freemasonry. It is an art which teaches the right method of symbolizing the technical language and the material labors of a handicraft, so as to build up in man a holy house for the habituation of God's spirit; to give perfection to man's nature; to give purity to humanity, and to unite mankind in one common bond.

It is singular and well worthy of notice, how this symbolism of building up man's body into a holy temple, so common with the New Testament writers, and even with Christ himself, - for he speaks of man as a temple which, being destroyed, he could raise up in three days; in which, as St. John says, "he spake of the temple of his body," - gave rise to a new word(new world order) or to a word with a new meaning in all the languages over which Christianity exercised any influence. The old Greeks had from the two words, oikos, "a house," and domein, "to build," constructed the word oikodomein, which of course signified "to build a house," In this plain and exclusive sense it is used by the Attic writers. In like manner, the Romans, out of the two words oedes, "a house," and facere, "to make," constructed their word oedificare, which always meant simply "to build a house," and in this plain sense it is used by Horace, Cicero, and all the old writers. But when the New Testament writers began to symbolize man as a temple or holy house for the habituation of the Lord, and when they spoke of building this symbolic house, although it was a moral and spiritual growth to which they alluded, they used the Greek word oikodomein, and their first translators, the Latin word oedificare in a new sense, meaning "to build up morally," that is, to educate, to instruct. And as modern nations learned the faith of Christianity, they imbibed this symbolic idea of a moral building, and adapted for its expression a new word or gave to an old word a new meaning, so that it has come to pass that in French edifier, (edi in french is He says, fier<->fire) in Italian edificare, in Spanish edificar, in German erbauen, and in English edify, each of which literally and etymologically means "to build a house," has also the other signification, "to instruct, to improve, to educate."(building your mind) And magnificent edifice, and of a wholesome doctrine as something that will edify its hearers. But there are but few who, when using the word in this latter sense, think of that grand science of symbolism which gave birth to this new meaning, and which constitutes the very essence of the Royal Art of Freemasonry.

For when this temple is built up, it is to be held together only by the cement of love(love is lava recombined a.k.a. Gomorrah,nova,Fire and Brimstone) . Brotherly love, the love of our neighbor as ourself - that love which suffereth long and is kind, which is not easily provoked, and thinketh no evil - that pervades the whole system of Freemasonry, not only binding all the moral parts of man's nature into one harmonious whole, the building being thus, in the language of St. Paul, "fitly framed together," but binding man to man, and man to God.

And hence Freemasonry is called a "Royal Art," because it is of all arts the most noble; the art which teaches man how t perfect his temple of virtue by pursuing the "royal law" of universal love, and not because kings have been its patrons and encouragers.

A similar idea is advanced in a Catechism published by the celebrated Lodge "Wahreit und Einigkeit," at Prague, in the year 1800, where the following questions and answers occur:

Q. "What do Freemasons build?
A. "An invisible temple, of which King Solomon's Temple is the symbol.

Q. "By what name is the instruction how to erect this mystic building called?
A. "The Royal Art; because it teaches man how to govern himself."

"Every king will be a Freemason, even though he wears no Mason's apron, if he shall be God-fearing, sincere, good, and kind; if shall be true and fearless, obedient to the law, his heart, abounding in reverence for religion and full of love for mankind; if he shall be a ruler of himself, and if his kingdom be founded on justice. And every Freemason is a king, in whatsoever condition God may have placed him here, with rank equal to that of a king, for his kingdom is LOVE, the love of his fellow man, a love which is long-suffering and kind, which beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

And this is why Freemasonry is an art and of all arts, being the most noble, is called the Royal Art."

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