CHAPTER IV.

THE NILE— ORIGIN OF THE NAME FREE MASON- SCOTTISH RITE PHILOSOPHY.
(5 I HE interpretation of the Osirian myth, according to Wilkinson's
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" Ancient Egyptians,'' (chap. 13, page 79), is as follows : " Osiris, the inundation of the Nile ; Isis, the irrigated portion of the land of Egypt ; Horus, their offspring, the vapors and exhalations reproducing rain ; Buto, Latona, the marsh lands of Lower Egypt, where those' vapors were nourished ; Nephthys, the edge of the desert, occasionally overflowed during the high inundations ; Anubis, the son of Osiris and Nephthys, the production of that barren soil, in consequence of its being overflowed by the Nile ; Typhon, the sea, which swallowed up the Nile waters ; the conspirators, the drought overcoming the moisture from which the increase of the Nile proceeds ; the chest in which Osiris' body was confined, the banks of the river, within which it retired after the inundation ; the Tanaitic mouth, the lake and barren lands about it ■which were held in abhorrence from their being overflowed by the river, without producing any benefit to the country ; the twenty-eight years of his life, the twenty-eight cubits to which the Nile rises at Elephantine, its greatest height (Pin larch, de hide, 84^) ; the seventeenth of Athor, the period when the river retires within its banks ; the Queen of Ethiopia, the southern winds preventing the clouds being carried south- wards ; the different members of Osiris' body, the main channels and canals by which the inundations passed into the interior ,of the country, where each was said to be afterwards buried ; that one which could not be recovered was the generative power of the Nile, which still continued in the stream itself, or as Plutarch thinks, it was thrown into the river, because ' water or moisture was the first matter upon which the genera- tive power of the deity operated and that principle by means of which all things capable of being were produced;' the victory of Horus, the powers possessed by the clouds in causing the successive inundations of
74 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
the Nile ; Harpocrates, whom Isis brought forth about the winter solstice, those weak shootings of the corn after the inundations had subsided."
Kenrick states in his "Ancient Egypt," page 346, vol. i: "The order in which the different events of the myth succeed to each other, accords very well with the supposition that they relate to the disappear- ance of the sun from the northern hemisphere and the train of conse- quences which it produces to the earth. His burial and disappearance took place in the autumn ; the voyage of Isis to discover his remains in the month of December ; the search for them in Egypt about midwinter ; and in the end of February, Osiris, entering into the moon, fertilizes the world. The representations of Osiris, as god of the invisible world and his being figured as a mummy naturally produced an explanatory myth. It accounts for an immortal god being subjected to death and for the association of Thoth and Horus, Isis, and Nephthys with him in his capacity of ruler of Ainenti. The erection of the coflBn at B^'blos alludes to the use of Osiride pillars in Egyptian architecture. The story of the discerption of his body explained the circumstance that the honor of his interment was claimed by so many different places in Egypt and the ceremony of the phallcphoria in his honor. The co-operation of a queen of Ethiopia in the plot against his life is significant of the national hostility of that people against the Egyptians and the prevalence of female dominion. The plotting against him in his absence may have been borrowed from the histor}' of Sesostris, as the account of his expeditions to distant countries for the purpose of civilizing them, betrays its origin in times when the Egj'ptians had become acquainted with foreign nations, and were disposed to glorify themselves as the orig- inal source of knowledge and the arts. The story of the dog, who assisted Isis to discover the son of Nephthys and attended her ever afterwards, explained the form of the god Anubis, who belongs to the Osirian circle ; that the animal with whose head this god is represented is not a dog, but a jackal, shows that the myth was accommodated to the general conception, not to the fact. The respect paid by the Egyptians to the words of children, a feature of their excessive superstitions, is explained by the aid which children gave to her in her researches. Another object of the m3'th was to explain the affinity which existed, or
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 75
was believed to exist, between the worship of Isis in Egj'pt and that of the same or a similar divinity in Phoenicia, and especially at Byblos. The identity of these goddesses was believed and was the foundation of the legend of lo's wanderings. There was, at all events, a close resem- blance between the rites which related to the death and revival of Adonis at Byblos and of Osiris in Egypt."
The river Nile has in every age been a source of mystery to those people who dwelt upon its banks and watched its annual inundations through the ever-succeeding centuries. The people who built such won- drous and stupendous fabrics^ to adorn and beautify their fertile valley, were the men who had made extraordinary intellectual advancement and who had arrived at a wonderful knowledge of the arts and sciences. We, to-day, stand in awe and admiration before the records of their prehistoric civilization, manifested in the ruined tombs, temples, and monolith sculp- tures that graced and adorned the banks of this grand old river Nihis, which throbbed and pulsated through the parched and thirsty soil of this remarkable valley, a veritable river of Life. The conquering armies of Egypt's grandest monarchs have been marshalled upon her banks in all the magnificence of barbaric splendor, glittering in all the panoply of war, laden with the spoils, followed by long trains of captives, who with trembling steps shrank from the mighty shouting populace, pouring forth from the various cities to welcome them home. Ah ! what mad revels they must have held ! What grand rejoicings and glorious feastings they may have had, we of to-day will never know, for there, where the earth shook with the tread of Egypt's mighty men of war, naught but silence remains. Where once swarmed the vast population of Egypt, and where shone resplendent the glorious temples of ancient Egyptian splendor, all is ruin, utter ruin ; and yet those ruins are the records of the grandeur of the Golden Age of ancient Egyptian glory, and the pld god Nilus still flows along in silent majesty, just as it did thousands of years before Pharaoh's daughter found the infant Moses sleeping upon its throbbing bosom (Exodus 2:5).
The Nile is without exception, so far as its historical and ethno- graphical features are considered, the river of the world, the Amazon alone surpassing it in length. It is claimed, according to the latest discoveries, that its source is located in the Victoria Nyanza, but I differ
76 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
witli this statement, and believe, like man\' others, that the actual source of this grand old river is in the Shimiju^ luhicJi rises fully j° south of the Equator. The trvie source of the river is positively unknown and " it ranks with the Amazon and Congo as one of the longest rivers of the world in length but not in volume."
This wonderful and m3'Sterious river was worshipped b}^ the ancient Egyptians as a god, for without it the drifting desert sands would soon render this fertile valley as desolate as the Great Sahara itself, thus veri- fying the statement made by Herodotus, that — " Eg3^pt is the gift of the Nile."
Kenrick states, in his "Ancient Eg}"pt," vol. i, page 3: "The geo- graphy and history of ever}^ country are closely connected w ith the origin and course of its rivers. In cold and humid climates, like our own, their neighborhood may have been avoided by the early inhabitants, who found more healthy abodes on the open side of the hills ; but in the East where many months succeed each other without anj- supply of rain, the vicinity of a perennial stream is the first condition of a settled and civilized life.
" The histor}^ of the world begins on the banks of the great rivers of China, Indian, Assyria and Eg^'pt. The Nile, however, holds a far more important relation to the countr}- through which its flo-ws than any other river of the world. The courses of the Rhine, the Daniibe or the Rhone are only lines on the surface of German}- or France. Tlie valleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris were a ver}- small part of the dominions of the Assyrian and Babylonian Kings ; but the banks of the Nile are EgA'pt and Nubia. To live below the Cataracts and to drink of its waters was, according to the Oracle of Anion, to be an Egyptian (Herodotus, Book II, chapter 2S). Upwards or downwards, it is through the valley of the Nile that civilization and conquest have taken their course. We should, therefore, naturalh' begin hy tracing it froni its source to the sea ; but this is still impracticable. The Mesopotamian rivers have been followed to their sources amidst the mountains of Armenia and Kurdistan ; the traveller has even penetrated to the place where the Ganges bursts forth from the everlasting snows of the Him- ala^-a ; but the sacred river of Egypt still conceals its true fountains."
The question that Herodotus (Book II, chapter 2S), asked of the priests of Egypt. Alexander, of the oracle of Ammon, and which learned
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curiosity has so often addressed to geographical science, has been only partially answered. The source of this river has ever been a problem, as well as the cause of its annual overflow. Scientific men for thousands of years have ever endeavored to solve the mysteries surrounding it. The Egj^ptians themselves knew but very little about it, and all that we know respecting it is, that it comes pouring forth from the Victoria Nyanza into the Somerset River, thence to the Albert Nyanza, flowing on over the various rapids that are known as Bahr-el-Gabel. It then goes rushing on through Gondokoro, until it is joined by the great tributaries of the Bahr-cI-Ghasel (gazelle river), on the West and the Sobat on the East, in about 9° North latitude. From here it is known as the Balir- el-Abyad or the White Nile. Its course is now through the Soudan until it reaches KJiartian at which place it receives the waters of the Bahr- el-Azrek.^ or Blue Nile., which name it receives from the dark color of its waters.
The white Nile is so-called on account of its contrast with the blue, or possibl}' from the whitish clay that is held in solution by its waters. The character of the white Nile is entirel}' and completely changed in its union with the turbid waters of the blue Nile, which furnishes about one-third of the volume of water now flowing along under the name of Bahr-cl-Nil. During the spring and summer months the blue Nile becomes very much swollen by rains falling in the mountains of Abys- sinia, and it may be considered the Ti'ue Nile that furnishes the mud and rich fertilizing substances that so enriches the soil and causes the crops to grow in such luxuriant abundance throughout the length and breadth of this most remarkable valley.
This river rises according to Bruce (" Travels," volume 5, page 308,) " in North latitude 10° 59' and East longitude 36° 55', in the Kingdom of Abyssinia, at a height of nearly six thousand feet above the sea." He visited its sources, which had not been seen by any European for seven- teen years, and he professed to have discovered the true sources of the Bahr-el-Azrek or blue Nile. He says, " They are three springs, regarded by the natives with superstitious veneration, not large, but deep. To the sweetness and purity of this stream the Nile is said to owe its reputation, Avhich its waters have in all ages maintained."
78 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
We have traced the white Nile from its so-called source to its junction with the blue Nile at Khartum, a distance of one thousand five hundred miles, from which place it flows along uninterruptedly through a miserable, desolate country, an absolutely barren waste of desert sands, receiving but one single tributary in its long jor.rney to the sea, and farther on to its two principal mouths, Rosetta and Damietta, that are distant from its confluence with the blue Nile, one thousand eight hun- dred miles.
The Atbara becomes an affluent of the river Nile in about iS° North latitude and one hundred and eighty miles to the Northeast of the confluence of the blue and white Niles. After receiving the waters of the Atbara it flows in one continuous stream through Egypt, forcing its way over the hills and down steep rapids or cataracts, until it arrives at and passes Aswan, at the first cataract, five hundred and ninety miles from Cairo. It continues its onward flow until it reaches a point of separation at the apex of the Delta, which remains to-day unchanged.
Murray informs us that at the first cataract the Nile "enters Egypt
proper and continues at an average rate of about three miles an hour,
increased to four and one-half at the height of the inundation, a quiet,
winding course, varying in breadth from three hundred and fifty yards at
Silsilis to one thousand one hundred yards at Minia. So far its course is
the same as in the days of old, but a considerable change now takes
place, for whereas it formerly discharged itself into the sea, by seven
mouths, these are at present reduced to two. Its ancient name appears
to have been Cercasorus, the modern representation of which may be
placed at a point opposite Shubra. Here the river, anciently divided
into three branches, the Pelusiac running East, the Kanopic running
West, and the Sebennytic which flowed between the two, continuing the
general northward direction hitherto taken by the Nile, and piercing the
Delta through the centre. From this Sebynnitic branch two others were
derived. The Tanitic and Mendesian, both of which emptied themselves
between it and the Pelusiac branch. The lower part of the remaining
two branches, the Bolbitine and the Phatmitic, were artificial and were
constructed probabl}^ when the other outlets began to dry up. It is b}^
these two mouths that the river at the present day finds its outlet. At
the point of bifurcation the general direction of the two streams is
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 79
probably that of the old Pelusiac and Kanopic branches, where they gradually quit the extreme East and West course and continue more in the center of the Delta, the one to Damietta, the other to Rosetta, from which places they derive their modem appellation."
The Atbara and the blue Nile are most assuredly the fertilizers of the valley of the Nile, giving to Egypt those wonderful productive forces for which it is so noted. These turbulent rivers are fed by a great number of mountain torrents in Abyssinia, which cut deep channels and gorges into the hillsides and mountains, carrying away with them immense quantities of a dark reddish-brown soil to the Atbara and blue Nile, whose waters are already charged with a black alluvial soil, very rich in fertilizing properties, which gives to the turbid waters of these rivers their peculiar color.
On the entrance of these two affluent streams into the clear flowing waters of the Nile its characteristics become entirely changed, from the beautiful river flowing through the grassy plains of Soudan, bearing within its bosom the pellucid waters of the mountain lakes of interior Africa, to the mud and decayed organic matter which discolors the waters of the Nile. It is this alluvial soil and decayed organic substance that come down annually within the bosom of this grand old river which sustains and forms the land of the Nile, " The gift of the river."
From Khartum this great and glorious stream falls one thousand, two hundred and forty feet in its course to the sea, cutting a deep groove through the rocks and Nubian sandstone, in many places to the depth of one thousand feet, bursting forth from a transverse barrier of beautiful Syenite granite that forms the boundary between Nubia and Egypt proper. In its wonderful passage through this immeuse obstruction, it opens to our view the magnificent red felspar crystals so extremely beautiful. Not far from here are the quarries of Syene, about a mile from Aswan. The site of this ancient city Syene is in latitude 24° 5' 28", and is located on the East bank of the river. It has both post and telegraph offices, and a population of about eleven thousand inhabitants. An immense amount of trade is done here with the Soudanese and Abyssinians, carried on through the medium of the camel. There is a very short railroad running from here, up above the cataract, to the town of Shellal, which was of great service to the British during the trouble
80 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
in the Soudan. I shall give you, my dear Brothers, a more detailed account in a future chapter of this work. From the quarries of S3'ene many of Egypt's basalt and beautiful red granite monoliths have been taken, and this place is well worth a visit from the Masonic student desirous of seeing for himself these celebrated quarries of the ancient Egj'ptians. He will find specimens of work done b}' the craft long centuries before authenticated history, such as a very large obelisk, gigantic columns and peculiar stones that have never been removed, but remain just as the craftsmen left them when '''' called fioni labor?''
In viewing this unfinished work of the ancient craftmen, one can scarcely believe that long drifting centuries have passed and gone since these stones were quarried by hands the most skilled of any which the world has ever heard. One would hardl}' credit his senses if told that thousands of 3rears have elapsed since our ancient brethren wrought in these quarries and exhibited such satisfactory specimens of their skill, the ver}^ chips looking as bright to-day as in the early ages of Pharaonic histor3\ The whole world, to-da}?, stands in awe and admiration before the. ruined tombs, temples and monuments which demonstrate their wonderful knowledge of architecture and sculpture, evidences of which are to be seen in the manj^ ruined cities of ancient Egj'pt. Somewhere about the beginning of the siinnncr solstice the people of the Nile valley began to look auxiouslj^ at the old god Nilus, for signs of the anniial inundation ; but more especiallj- was this so of the peasant, because all his hopes M-ere centered upon the overflow, as he was dependent upon the fruits of the field for the sustenance of himself, famil}- and domestic animals. He longed to be enabled to plow the soil, sow his seed and reap an abundance therefrom, which was assured whenever the waters reached the heighth that insured good crops. When the expectations were 'realized what grand .feastings and rejoicings took place in honor of the ^^ Lclct-cii-A^ukla, or the A'lglit of the Drop?'' which event occurred on the night preceding the eleventh of the Coptic month of Bcuna\ corres- ponding to the seventeenth of June.
One who has never been able to witness this celebrated festival should assuredl}'- visit the village of Etnbaba on the west bank of the river on the A^iglit of the Drop. It was believed b}- the ancient Egyp- tians that a miraculous tear-drop fell from the eve of the goddess Isis,
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upon the bosom of the water of the Nile, which caused the river to swell and overflow its banks and fructify the whole of this fertile valley, therefore on this special night the people of Egypt have, from time immemorial, feasted and rejoiced in honor of the coming of their god Nilus. At his appearance the same things that are done in Egypt to-day were done, no doubt, on a grander scale by the ancient Egyptians, long before the foundations of the Pyramids were laid, or that wonder- ful monolith the Sphinx " looked to the East," and long centuries before Homer sang of " hundred-gated Thebes."
Through every dynasty of Pharaonic history we find that the Egyptians have worshipped their old god Nilus, not as God, but only emblematic of the Divine Essence Itself. Both before and at every inundation, these people would perform certain rites and ceremonies, in order to insure a plentiful overflow. We learn from some Arabian Avriters that these ancient people prayed earnestly and incessantly for a bountiful inundation, and during some of the ceremonies sacrificed a virgin to the god of their river — a custom continued until Egypt passed under the yoke of Moslem rule. The Copts continued to observe certain rites and preserve a relic of the virgin sacrifice in their peculiar cere- monies. Heliodorus gives us an account of the festivals given in honor of the annual inundations, as do many other writers, and to-day the Khedive and state officials at the festival of ^^ Mosim el-Khaleeg''^ (which takes place somewhere about the middle of August), cuts the dam at Cairo, letting the water of the High Nile flow thiough its old bed, when an heifer is slain and distributed to the people for food, who go about rejoicing, assured of a year of plenty, while every one is filled with joy, and happiness reigns supreme.
These ceremonies carry us back to the ancient days of Meneptah, B. c. 1400, when the people chanted their grand " Hymn to the Nile," one verse of which I quote you :
"Hail, all hail, O Nile, to thee! To this land thyself thou showest, Coming tranquilly to give Life, that Egypt so may live : Ammon, hidden is thy source, But it fills our hearts with glee !
82 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY,
Thou the gardens overflowest,
With their flowers beloved of Ra ;
Thou, for all the beasts that are,
Glorious river.
Art life-giver ;
To our fair fields ceaselessly,
Thou thy waters dost supply,
And dost come
Thro' the middle plain descending.
Like the sun thro' middle sky ;
Loving good, and without ending,
Bringing corn for granary ;
Giving light to every home,
O thou mighty Ptah„"
This hymn was no doubt the principal one sung during the festivals of the Niloa. I would have been pleased to have quoted the entire hjmm, btit it is too long, and I simply give the first verse. " Rawnsley " tells us that this " poem is speciall}- interesting, as identifjang the Nile with Ra^ Avion and PtaJi^ as well as other gods. This assures us of the complete identification of the reigning monarch with deity, as well as giving a realization of how entirely unknown the sources of the Nile were at that day, and how the myster}^ of its risings affected the Egyp- tians with the thought of a hand unseen, working the yearly miracle of inundation, and giving its j^early blessing."
Through the drifting centuries the Egyptian people have ever ob- served this festival, and Christian domination has thus far never been able to stamp it out. The pecttliarities and ceremonies still continue, but not on such a grand scale as in the hoary civilization of Egyptian splendor.
From this time forward the voice of the Munadi en-Nil (Nile Crier) will announce to the people the progress of the rising river. One of the first things observed in the swelling waters is its reddish color. As soon as this color makes its appearance the people hasten down to the river and collect a plentiful supply, which they store away in jars for future use. It begins, soon afterward, to assume a greenish color, during which period the water is considered very unhealthy. After this decayed, organic matter is swept away, it once more assumes the reddish color and ■with it the delicious, sweet and healthy drinking water such as the kings
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of Persia always used at their tables. The river increases continually for a period of almost three months, sometimes having a final rise in the early part of October, after which it gradually falls to its natural flow. The prosperity of the country depends, in a very great measure, upon the height of the inundation. Too great an overflow would cause an immense loss of life and property, while an insufiicent rise would occasion a great deal of distress, simply because large portions of laud could not be flooded, in consequence of which no crops would grow in a great many places throughout the land of Egypt.
To-day there are wonderful improvements going on for the purpose of preserving the waters of the river from running to waste. To this end two very large dams are under construction, and nearing completion, in Upper Egypt. One is to be constructed at Asyut, and the other at Aswan, both of which are expected to be completed during the year 1903. The dam at the latter place will form a reservoir fully one hundred and twenty miles in length, having a storage capacity of about one billion three hundred and ninety-three million and twenty thousand cubic yards of water, which will form quite a lake in itself. At the point selected for the building of the dam at Aswan the river is fully two thousand two hundred yards wide at " High Nile.'' The reservoir, when completed, will be one of the most magnificent specimens of engineering, for the purpose of irrigation, known to the world. The cost of construction of this stupendous piece of work has been estimated at $25,000,000.
The inhabitants of this valley were taxed in ancient times, as well as at the present day, according to the rise of the river. In all ages the government had to be supported, just the same as any other nation, " by taxation," and the duty of seeing that taxation was duly administered belonged to the Mudir of every province, who would, of course, have to be assisted by a number of inferior ofi&cers,'such as Vice- Governors, or Wckil^ a chief clerk, a regular tax gatherer, an account- ant, a Kadi or supreme judge, a superintendent of police, a supervisor of canals, and the physician of the province. These were the officers that composed the general council for each province in Eg3^pt, while in small towns the Nazir el-Kism, or sub-governor, was under the general supervision of the Mudir^ as well as the Sheikh el-Belea's of the villages,
84 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
who had to render an account of all monies collected to the general council. Those officials composed all the general officers, as well as a part of the inferior officers, who were legally authorized to collect the taxes of the provinces throughout the whole length and breadth of Egypt. The principal ones were, the land tax, income tax, market tax, and palm tax. These are some of the taxes collected to- day, but C. Ritter says in Baedeker >io/c^ page 319, "Lower Egypt:"
" The rate of taxation was determined in ancient times in accordance with the height of the inundation. All the authorities from Herodotus down to Leo Africanus agree in stating that the Nile must rise sixteen cubits, or Egyptian ells, in order that the land may produce good crops. The famous statue of Father Nile, in 'the Vatican, is accordingly sur- rounded by sixteen figures of genii, representing these sixteen ells. To this day the height of the overfloAv influences taxation and the land which is artificially irrigated paj^s less than that reached by the river itself. The object of the government is always to induce belief that the inundation is favorable, and the sworn Sheikh of the Nilometer, is there- fore, subject to the influence of the police at Cairo. The same political motives from which, in ancient times, the custody of the Nilometers was entrusted to the priests alone, still prevent the Egyptian public from obtaining access to the Mikyas (Nilometers) in the island of Roda. The real height of the water is always concealed and false statements made, as it is the object of the fiscal authorities to levy, if possible, the full rate of taxation every year, whatever the height of the Nile may have been. This traditional dishonest}^ in the use of the Nilometer was first discovered by the French engineers during the occupation of Eg3'pt by Napoleon."
The waters which flood this fertile valle}' during every inundation contain such wonderful powers to stimulate vegetable life into remark- able growth, that no artificial fertilizing agent is needed, but only such as old god Nilus gives. This is sufficient for all purposes, as it contains, according to Kenrick, in every one hundred parts of water, " forty-eight cla}', nine of carbon, eighteen parts of carbonate of lime, four of car- bonate of magnesia, besides portions of silicia, and oxide of iron."
There is no question in my mind but that the river Nile was per- sonified by the ancient Egyptians and received divine honors throughout
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 85
the length and breadth of the Nile valley, as all the information I have gathered during ni}' researches upon this subject among ancient authorities and modern historians only strengthens my belief in this matter. Heliodorus informs us that the river was personified, and from what Herodotus tells us in Book II, chap. 90, this fact is proven, conse- quently we have good ground for believing that Old god Nibis was wor- shipped throughout the whole of Egypt. We have no reason to doubt his statement, when he says that " none may touch the corpse, not even the friends or relatives, but only the priests of the Nile,''"' showing that whenever a person was drowned in its waters it was the special duty of these priests to attend solely to the disposal of the body, hence, temples must have been erected in every Nome and every city throughout the " Land of Egypt." We have evidence of the fact that this god Nilus was worshipped in man}^ cities.
The festival of the Niloa, of which I have already spoken, was for the express purpose of welcoming the rising river and the coming flood. Heliodorus states in iT/// 9: 9, that "it was one of the principal festivals of Egypt and was celebrated at the summer solstice, or at the first appearance of the rising of the waters." The ancient Egyptians believed that if all the peculiar rites and ceremonies were not properly observed and everything done in accordance with custom and usage, the river would not overflow its banks to the height required for an abundant crop, and an assured harvest, when a famine would result. In order to avert such a terrible catastrophe not one single ceremony should be neglected, and the priest would be required to give his offering in money, while the various ofiicials of the different Nomes would have to cast their gifts of gold upon the throbbing bosom of the flowing river, in order to carry out the programme that had been established long cen- turies before the sons of Jacob went down into the " Land of Egypt " to buy corn from their brother Joseph ; aye, long before the foundations of the Pyramids of Gizeh were laid or the Sphinx looked to the East and saw the glory of the Sun God Ra, when its glorious rays lit up this wonderous valley in the radiant beauty of Light.
Now this brings me to a very interesting subject, one that should interest every Masonic student and Free Mason throughoiit the world universal, and that is the meaning and origin of the word Free-Mason,
86 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
because a thorougli understanding of these two words J^ree and Mason will verif}' the statements that are made in our rituals, that " Free Masonry- has been in existence from time immemorial, and that the best men of every epoch of the world's history have been members of our fraternity." It will also prove that our very name /^?ve Mason originated in the Valley of the Nile, and that our glorious Fraternity existed thousands of years before Christ, as well as that the Craftsmen who wrought in the quarries and laid the foundation of the Pyramids were members of our beloved fraternity.
I have often asked Brethren of the " Ro3'al Craft," when in confer- ence assembled : Why are we called Free Masons ? Not one of the man}' to whom this question has been propounded could give a definite or hicid account of its origin, or win* we are called by this name. In the third chapter I make the claim that our glorious fraternity originated in the " Land of the Vedas " and w^as cradled on the banks of the Nile. Therefore in order to prove this fact I will state that the ver}' name Free Mason proves its antiquity, as well as the country in which it was cradled, and consequently verifies my statement that " i/ is a lineal descendant of tJtc Ancient Egyptian Mystej-ies?''
Now, m}^ dear Brothers, the words Free Mason do not belong to the English language, neither do they originate in the Latin or Greek languages, all of which they antedate, by thousands of 3'ears, and come to us from the Egypto-Coptic language, the language that was used by the Ancient Eg3'ptians in the Golden Age of Egypt. The Copts are most certainly the lineal descendants of the people who migrated from India to the valle}^ of the Nile and adorned its banks with stupendous specimens of Cj'clopean architecture, whose written language was expressed in three distinct forms. The first of which was the Hiero- glyphs^ the second the Hieratic and the third tlie Demotic.
Champollin was one of the most indefatigable students of those ancient Egyptian writings and after ver}- careful and painstaking inves- tigation of the various hierogl3'phic inscriptions throughout the tombs, temples and pap3a-us of Eg3'pt, he gave to the world his celebrated Granwiaif'e Egyptienne., wherein he proves that the Hieratic was derived from the hieroglyphs. There is no question but that the Hierophants and priests of Egypt preserved all their sacred writings, secrets, etc., in
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 87
these early hieroglyphs, as the first two of these writings belonged especially to the priesthood, while the Demotic was used principally by the people for commercial purposes. This latter was a degenerate from the other two and it was the most difficult to understand. I do not desire to enter into a long description of the writings of this ancient people, but simply to state that the words Free Mason are derived from the ancient Egypto-Coptic. In that language the word " Phree " meant — Light, Knowledge, Wisdom, or Intelligence, while " MassEN " was the plural of " i]/(P.? " signifying children; hence we were and are known as children of, or Sons of Light, Wisdom, or Intelligence, because Light signified knowledge to the Candidate or Initiate, and it is that which every Brother is in search of, More Light. Thoth signifies the intellect and mes a child, consequently Thothmes means child of Thoth, or a man of intelligence. Ra was the Sun God and Mes the child, therefore the Great Rames-es was considered to be a child of the sun god Ra, or Son of the Sun.
Surely the very name Free Mason ought to convince any person from whence it is derived, prove the antiquity of the Fraternity, and demon- strate beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is far older than the " Golden Fleece, or Roman Eagle," as the Coptic language was, in sub- stance, the same as the spoken language of the Ancient Egyptians. Now, in proving the name Free Mason to have been of Ancient Egyptian origin, it follows, that it must have been connected with the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries, for the teachings of the one are identical with the other, if rightly understood, and I do not stand alone in this opinion. I may possibly claim for it more than some other authorities, who have not thoroughly investigated this subject. Yet I feel positively certain that I shall adduce sufficient evidence to prove and sustain my assertions, that the esoteric teachings of our beloved Scottish Rite of Free Masonry is a lifteal descendant of the Ancient Mysteries, whose esoteric teachings have ever been a guide to higher planes of spiritual unfold- ment, through an understanding of Nature and her wonderful manifes- tations ; whose revelations from the known to the hitherto unknown, from the land of effect to the realm of cause, from man through a pro- found Pantheism to his God, binding us, the human family, together in stronger bonds than were ever imposed by any human law, because
88 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
the Perfect Mason is taught to understand himself and in so doing he understands the true meaning of the Universal Brotherhood of Man, irrespective of race, creed, caste, or color.
I had the pleasure of sitting in the Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of the State of Washington, when the Committee on Jurisprudence (Brothers T. M. Reed, of Olympia, J. E. Edmiston, of Dayton, and Wm. H. Upton, of Seattle) laid before that body the question pertaining to Negro Masonry. Two of this committee, who submitted the report recognizing the negro as a man and Brother, were born and raised in the Southern States. In making their report they declared that honor, justice and right were insurmountable, and that prejudice was a secondar}^ considera- tion with them, as all they wanted was to have justice done to those who, like ourselves, were searching for " More Light " on the esoteric teachings of Masonry, in order to come to a better understanding of themselves and the potential forces latent within them.
Our revered Brother Albert Pike, states in " Morals and Dogmas," page 220, that: — "The whole world is but one Republic, of which each Nation is a family, and every individual a child. Masonry, not in any wise derogating from the differing duties which the diversity of states requires, tends to create a new people, which, composed of Men of many nations and tongues, shall all be bound together by the bonds of Science, Morality and Virtue.
" Essentially philanthropic, philosophical and progressive, but it is neither a political party nor a religious sect. It embraces all parties and all sects, to form from among them all a vast fraternal association. It recognizes the dignity of human nature, and man's right to so much freedom as he is fitted for ; and it knows nothing that should place one man below another^ except ignorance, debasement and crime, and the necessity of subordination to lawful will and authority."
Rebold, in his "History of Masonry," page 62, says: "The real object of Freemasonry maj^ be summed up in these words : To efface from among men the prejudices of caste, the conventional distinctions of color, origin, opinion, nationality ; to annihilate fanaticism and supersti- tion ; to extirpate national discord, and with it extinguish the firebrand of war ; in a word — to arrive, by free and pacific progress, at one formula or model of eternal and universal right, according to which each
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY, 89
individual humau being shall be free to develop every faculty with which he ma}- be endowed, and to concur heartily, and with the fulness of his strength, in the bestowment of happiness upon all, and thus to make of the whole human race one family of brothers, united by affection, wisdom and labor.
J. D. Buck, in his very valuable little work entitled, " Mystic Masonry," states that " The qualiiied Brotherhood of Man is the basis of all ethics, and the Great Republic is the ideal state. If these concepts were accepted and acted upon, there would result time and opportunity, and the power to apprehend the deeper problems of the origin, nature, and destiny of man. ' Man is not man as yet.' What he may be, and what he might do, under favorable conditions, is very seldom even dreamed. We never build bej-ond our ideals. We habitually fall below them."
I do not wish to dwell upon Man or Universal Brotherhood now, but shall speak of the subject in another chapter, when entering into a full interpretation of the building of man under the badge of a Mason. In order to do this, I shall bring forward the profound philosophy of the far East, and the design upon my trestle board will be : the white leather apron with the bib turned up, to demonstrate the Lower Quartemary and the Upper Triad. In my demonstrations I shall trace nature in all its gradations, through elements, crystals, plants and animals to quarternary man, up to the present evolution, thence through body, soul and spirit into the eternal essence of all things.
Our Rite came down to us from the masters and adepts of India, and made its dwelling place upon the banks of that wonderful river Nile, where, as the ancient mysteries, it preserved those sublime and beautiful esoteric teachings of the ancient Wisdom which will eventually enlighten the world and point out the way leading to an understanding of the symbology. Then will the aspirant begin to realize that the cere- monies, at the initiatory services, are simply unwritten aids, more sug- gestive than words and far more pregnant with meaning than knowledge imparted by books. It appeals to his eye, impresses itself upon his brain, and stimulates his memory to action, so that long after the cere- monies have passed, he will be enabled to recall every incident by a simple effort of his will. Thus through memory he can interpret, study
90 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
and develop for himself the true meaning of the symbols and ceremonies of our glorious Scottish Rite.
What the world of to-day, and generations unborn, owe to Free Masonry will never be fully realized. The fraternity has always been, and always will be an incentive to enlightenment, liberality and educa- tion. During the " Dark Ages " it was only in the lodge-room that our scientific and philosophical brethren dared make known any of the inval- uable discoveries, or profound philosophical knowledge, for fear of the inquisition, which was supported by the bigotry, fanaticism and ignor- ance of tyrants, backed b}' a superstitious and uncultured populace. But to-day we find it working, as it has ever done, in the interest of humanity. In fact ii is ilie Advocate and Champion of the Rights of the People by the best men of the world, who have an advantage over our ancient brethren, by being enabled to exemplify openly, the grand truths taught behind the closed doors of our Lodges, Chapters, Councils and Consistories; the glorious heritage of man, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
Brother Albert Pike says in " Morals and Dogmas," page 25, et seq : " The best gift we can bestow on man is Manhood. It is that which Masonry is ordained of God to bestow on its votaries ; not sectarianism and religious dogma ; not a rudimentary morality, that may be found in the writings of Confucius, Zoroaster, Seneca and the Rabbis in the Pro- verbs and Ecclesiastes ; not a little and cheap common-school knowledge ; but Manhood, Science and Philosophy.
" Not that Philosoph}- or Science is in opposition to Religion. For Philosophy is but the knowledge of God and the Soul, which is derived from observation of the manifold action of God and the Soul, and from a wise analogy. It is the intellectual guide which the religious sentiment needs. The true religious philosophy of an imperfect being is not a ■ system of creed ; but as SocRATES thought, an infinite search or approxi- mation. Philosophy is that intellectual and moral progress, which the religious sentiment inspires and ennobles.
"As to Science, it could not walk alone while religion was stationary. It consists of those matured inferences, from experience, which all other experience confirms. It realizes and unites all that was trul}^ valuable, in both the old schemes of mediation, — one heroic, or the sj^stem of action
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY, 91
and efifort ; and the mystical theory of spiritual, contemplative Gom- munion.
" The first Scriptures for the human race were written by God on the Earth and the Heavens. The reading of these Scriptures is Science. Familiarity with the grass and the trees, the insects and the infusoria, teaches us deeper lessons of love and faith than we can glean from the writings of Fbnelon and Augustine. The great Bible of God is ever open before mankind."
]\Iasonr\' is not a Religion, for Religion does not exist without a dogma, a creed and a priesthood ; it is the basic philosophical idea which underlies all religions, and which appears distinctly as soon as the mass of theological allegories and interpretations are removed. This fact can be conclusively demonstrated by any thoughtful Mason, be he Elu^ Knight or Prince, and he will be astonished at the identity of the claims that are made by the various sects into which mankind is divided. Their metaphysical conceptions of the Divine Principle of man's essence and future destiny are almost the same; their ethical conclusions and rules for daily conduct in life are absolutely identical. It is quite plain that the conflict between them is merely a war of words and petty details, showing Religion is but an effort to satisfy the innate religious feeling existing in every human being. Each and every one is a partial revela- tion of the One Truth, adapted to the special capacities of comprehending the epoch in which they appeared, more or less adored by the peculiar mental bias of the people among whom it was evolved. The Masonic student will find connecting links between the ancient teachings of long ago and those of to-day, tending to prove the existence of a very ancient S3fstem, or body of occult knowledge, which can be traced in its influence and esoteric forms, through the middle-ages ; through and beyond the Greek and Roman civilizations, and their contemporary dynasties in the East ; through Egypt, Persia and India, until it is lost in the hoary ages of the past, far back into those ages which saw the birth and childhood of the Aryan race in the valley of Hindustan.
This great fact will be forced upon every student and thinker that ALL Religions of the World have been derived from the one primal source — the Great Wisdom Religion — The Secret Doctrine of the Initiates of old. Manj? names have been given at different periods of
92 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
the world's history, to this body of occult knowledge, the key to which was kept a profound secret by its custodians, those who, through Initia- tion had earned a right to its deepest mysteries. Sages, philosophers, Adepts, and Mystics in all ages have drawn upon this Secret Doctrine for their knowledge and inspiration ; who have hinted as plainly as they dared, at its more recondite secrets, and transcendental knowledge. The nineteenth century has witnessed a very great revival of knowledge and science which has excited widespread and profound attention, and it is not to be wondered that such has been the case, when we take into con- sideration that Initiates have ever warred against Ignorance^ and con- tended against Tyranny and Fanaticism. .
These forces caused the Secret Doctrine to emerge from the obscur- ity into which it had fallen through the superstition, iguorance and fanaticism of the Middle Ages, as well as the influence of ecclesiastical religions, which dominated the world for so many long and weary cen- turies. The element of supernaturalism is fast disappearing under the exertions and influence of the teachings of our Rite and its scientific gen- eralizations. Any doctrine or teaching, presenting itself for acceptance among the readers and thinkers of this twentieth century, must undergo this test first, as whether it can stand in line with the law of conservation, of energy, and the ordered sequence of Caiise and Effect, discoverable in every domain of natural phenomena. This is the fundamental claim of our beloved Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry, w'hich obtained its knowledge and Wisdom from the Secret Doctrine of the Ancient Mysteries, the fountain from which learned men of every age have drawn their high inspirational force and intellectual development. From this source it can be proven, fully and undisputably, that a tran- scendental knowledge of man's nature has always existed in the world — so far at all events as we have any historical records — and that all these great Religions and Philosophies are but the echoes or reflections of these occult doctrines, overlaid and perverted in most instances by ages of superstition and ignorance.
The revival of this knowledge will clear away entirely that element of supernaturalism in religion Avhich is the great cause of the total rejec- tion of all religious doctrines by the intelligent thinkers of the present day. It will do more than this. In freeing religion from its supernatu-
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 93
ral element, its work will be constiictive of a new and surer basis for the practice of religion, as a matter of conduct instead of belief. The present crisis in the religious world is produced, not so much by sheer disbelief, as b^- uncertaint3^ This is above all an age of inquiry, and woe betide an}' teaching, religious or scientific, which cannot make a decent pretense of fulfilling its undertakings, and giving its raison d^etre in no uncertain voice. That religion, to-day, is making little or no head- way toward the regeneration of the world, is manifest to any one who has taken the trouble to make himself acquainted with the social life of the people.
Hideous miser}', and open unblushing vice, have never been more rampant than to-day, and in the presence of this, official religion is dumb and helpless. It knows not the cause and still less the remed}'. It is deaf to the voice of materialism, loudly scoffing at its claims and derides its fancied remedies.
It must not be supposed that Masonry is adverse to Christianity, or to an}' other religion in a pure form. It does, however, assert that the pure gem of Truth, upon which it is founded, is obscured by a mass of useless creed, under which it is lost to sight. Masonry desires to strengthen and not to weaken the hands of the Religionist. It does not proclaim nor teach any new revelation for a chosen people, but a complete philosophy, explaining every problem of human life to the entire satisfac- tion of the most severe logician. There is an array of Truths as old as mankind itself, scattered here and there in the fragments which are found in every religion, ancient or modern, tested to the utmost by strict philosophical and scientific processes, divested of all the fanciful additions of superstition, based not on authority, not on blind faith ; but on reason- able demonstrations by comparisons, analysis and universal applicability; the crucial test of all hypothesis.
j\Iasonic esoteric teachings do not crave acceptance from her initiates, but only asks loyal investigation. " Every one is entirely free to reject and dissent from- whatsoever may seem to him untrue or unsound. It is only required of him that he shall weigh what is taught, and give it fair hearing and unprejudiced judgment." It does not demand belief, but knowledge. It is a science, not a Religion — the science of man's relation to the Universe. It is a well known fact, that in
94 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
ancient times, religion and science were not the irreconcilable adversaries they are to-day, and that the sages of India and Egypt were, at the same time, the spiritual advisors of the people, and the zealous keepers of the scientific knowledge. Did not Plato and Pythagoras, the great Grecian philosophers, go to the Egyptian priests for instruction ? Did not Jesus of Nazareth dispute with the doctors of his time, and astound them by his unaccountable knowledge ? Were not the so-called miracles of all religious reformers or prophets, but a mere manifestation of superior knowledge of the laws of nature, which, to the ignorant, appeared as supernatural ?
Unfortunately both science and religion have long forgotten their palmiest days, when they were twins, walking hand in hand together. But, at the present time, they have degenerated into gross materialism. Science purposely narrowing its field of observation to the domain of matter, leaving metaphysical investigations to people untrained in the accuracy of scientific methods. Religion dwarfs the conception of God into that of a personal being, whom each votary endows with more or less human attributes, while Masonry avoids both errors. It follows Science on its chosen ground, antagonizing it only when it becomes materialistic, negative an'd narrow minded. It respects the religious feelings of all, when sincere, regardless of the form in which thej^ riia}- be clothed ; but refuses to any kind of religion the monopoly of Truth.
Li
Ancient iH^Jstcvics-^cottisj) WXt ilJfiilosopJj).
95
"H babe, new-born, lay on its mother's breast,
It was not new, but old! Hye, older than the stars!
■For 'twas the self-same soul whose essence was
'Che gathered rays from Rierarcbies, higher far
1[^han present man with his small brain can dream!
Che Bierarchies who their essence draw
from the One Hbsolute.
Nay! nor was the body new, except in shape,
But formed of that which is imperishable,
CClhose spirit of all matter essence is;

CClherein this soul had dwelt— this pilgrim of old."
96
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 97