I. Thou shalt not kill. 2. Thou shalt not steal. 3. Thou shalt not

commit adultery or any impurity. 4. Thou shalt not lie. 5. Thou shalt not intoxicate thyself. To establish the above cited doctrines and precepts, Buddha sent forth his disciples into the world to preach his gospel to every creature. And if an}' convert had committed a sin in word, thought, or deed, he was to confess and repent. One of the tracts which they distributed declares, ' There is undoubtedly a life after this in which the virtuous expect the rewards of their good deeds. Judgment takes place immediately after death.
" Buddha and his followers set an example to the world of enduring opposition and persecution with great patience and non-resistance. And some of them suffered martyrdom rather than abandon their principles, and gloried in thus sealing their doctrines with their lives. A story is told of a rich merchant, by the name of Purna, forsaking all to follow his lord and Master ; and also of his encountering and talking with a woman of low caste at a well, which reminds' us of a similar incident in the history of Christ. Biit his enemies, becoming jealous and fearful of his growing power, finally crucified him near the foot of the Nepaul Mountains about B. c. 600. But after his death, burial and resurrection, we are told he ascended back to heaven, where millions of his followers believed he had existed with Brahma from all eternity.
"III. Thammuz of Syria Crucified b. c. 1160. The fullest history extant of this God-Saviour is probably that of Ctesias (B. c. 400),
326 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
autbor of ' Persika.' The poet has perpetuated his memory in rhyme :
' Trust, j'e saints, your Lord restored ;
Trust ye in your risen Lord ; For the pains which Thanimnz endured Our salvation have procured.'
" Mr. Higgins informs us (Anac. Vol. I, page 246) that this God was crucified at the period above named, as a sin atoning offering. The stanza just quoted is predicated upon the following Greek text, translated by Godwin : ' Trust 3'e in God, for out of his loins salvation is come unto us.' Julius Firmicus speaks of this God ' rising from the dead for the salvation of the world.' The Christian writer Parkhurst alludes to this Saviour as preceding the advent of Christ, and as filling to some extent the same chapter in sacred history.
" IV. WiTTOBA OF THE TeLINGONESE CRUCIFIED B. C. 552. We have a very conclusive historical proof of the crucifixion of this heathen God. Mr. Higgins tells us : ' He is represented in bis history with nail holes in his hands and the soles of bis feet.' Nails, hammers and pinchers are constantly seen represented on bis crucifixion, and are objects of adoration among his followers. The iron crown of Lombardy has within it a nail that is claimed as a true original, and is much admired and venerated on that account. The worship of this crucified God, according to our author prevails chiefly in the Travancore and other southern countries in the region of Madura.
" V. Iao of Nepaul Crucified b. c. 622. With respect to the cruci- fixion of this ancient Saviour we have this very definite and specific testi- mony, that ' he was crucified on a tree in Nepaul ' (see Gregorius, page 202). The name of this incarnate God and Oriental Saviour occurs fre- quently in the Holy Bibles and sacred books of other countries. Some sup- pose Iao (often spelt Jao) is the root of the name of the Jewish God Jehovah.
" VI. Hesus of the Celtic Druids Crucified b. c. S34. Mr. Higgins tell us that the Celtic Druids represent their God Hesus as hav- ing been crucified with a lamb one side and an elephant on the other, and that this occurred long before the Christian era. Also that a representa- tion of it may now be seen upon the ' fire tower of Brechin.' In this symbolical representation of the crucifixion, the elephant being the largest
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 327
animal known, was chosen to represent the sins of the world while the Lamb, from its proverbial innocent nature was chosen to represent the innocency of the victim (the God offered as a propitiatory sacrifice). And thus we have ' the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world — symbolical language used with respect to the offering of Jesus Christ. And here is indicated very clearly the origin of the figure. It is evidently borrowed from the Druids. We have the statement of the above writer that the legend was found among the Canutes of Gaul long before Jesus Christ was known to history.
" VIL QuEXALCOTE OF MEXICO CRUCIFIED B. c. 587. Historic au- thority, relative to the crucifixion of this Mexican God, and to his exe- cution upon the cross as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of mankind, is explicit, unequivocal and ineffaceable. The evidence is tangible, and indelibly engraved upon steel and metal plates. One of these plates represents him as having been crucified on a mountain, another repre- sents him as having been crucified in the heavens, as St. Justin tells us Christ was. According to another writer he is sometimes represented as having been nailed to a cross, and by other accounts as hanging with a cross in his hand.
" The ' Mexican Antiquities ' (Vol. VI, page 166) says ' Quexalcote is represented in the Codex Borgianus as nailed to the cross ' sometimes two thieves are represented as having been crucified with him. That the advent of the crucified Saviour and Mexican God was long anterior to the era of Christ is admitted by Christian writers. In the work above named (Codex Borgianus), may be found the account, not only of his crucifixion but his death and burial, descent into hell, and resurrection on the third day. And another work, entitled 'Codex Vaticanus' contains the story of his immaculate birth of a virgin mother b}^ the name of Chimalman. Many other incidents are found related of him in his sacred biography, in which we found the most striking counterparts to the more modern gospel story of Jesus Christ, such as his forty days temptation and fasting, his riding on an ass, his purification in the tem- ple, his baptism and regeneration by water, forgiving of sins, being anointed with oil, etc. ' All these things, and many more, found related of this Mexican God in their sacred books ' says Lord Kingsborough, a Christian writer, ' are curious and mysterious.'
328 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
"VIII OuiRiNus OF Rome Crucified b. c. 500. — The crucifixion of this Roman Saviour is briefly noticed by Mr. Higgins, and is remarkable for presenting, like other crucified Gods, several parallel features to that of the Judean Saviour, not only in the circumstances related as attending his crucifixion, but also in a considerable portion of his antecedent life. He is represented, like Christ ; i, as having been conceived and brought forth by a virgin ; 2, his life was sought by the reigning king, Amulius ; 3, he was of royal blood, his mother being of kingly descent ; 4, he was ' put to death by wicked hands,' /. e. crucified ; 5, at his mortal exit the whole earth is said to have been enveloped in darkness, as in the case of Christ, Chrishna and Prometheus. And finally, he is resurrected and ascends back to heaven.
" IX (^SCHYLUS) Prometheus, b. c. 547. — In the account of the crucifixion of Prometheus of Caucasus, as furnished by Seneca, Hesiod and other writers, it is stated that he was nailed to an upright beam of timber, to which were afiixed extended arms of wood, and that this cross was situated near the Caspian Straits. The modern story of this cruci- fied God, which represents him as having been bound to a rock for thirty years, while vultures preyed upon his vitals, Mr. Higgins pronounces an impious fraud. ' For,' says the learned historical writer, ' I have seen the account which declares he was nailed to a cross with hammer and nails.' Confirmator}^ of this statement is the declaration of Mr. Southwell, that ' he exposed himself to the wrath of God in his zeal to save mankind.' The poet, in portraying his propitiatory offering, says :
" ' Lo streaming from the fatal tree, His all-atoning blood, Is this the Infinite ? — yes, 'tis he — Prometheus and a God. Well might the sun in darkness hide, And veil his'^glories in. When God, the great Prometheus died. For man, the creature's sin.'
"The 'New American Cyclopedia' (Vol. I, page 157), contains the following significant declaration relative to this sin-atoning Saviour : ' It is doubtful whether there is to be found in the whole range of Greek letters, deeper pathos than that of the divine woe of the beneficient demi-
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god Prometheus, crucified on his Scythian crags for his love to mortals.' Here we have first-class authority for the truth of the crucifixion of this Oriental God.
" In ' Lempriere's Classical Dictionary,' ' Higgins' Anacalypsis,' and other works, may be found the following particulars relative to the final exit of the God above named, viz : i. That the whole frame of nature became convulsed; 2, the earth shook, the rocks were rent, the graves were opened, and in a storm, which seemed to threaten the dissolution of the universe, the solemn scene forever closed, and ' Our Lord and Saviour ' Prometheus, gave up the ghost. ' The cause for which he suffered,' says Mr. Southwell, ' was his love for the human race.' Mr. Taylor makes the statement in his Syntagma, that the whole story of Prometheus's crucifixion, burial and resurrection was acted in pantomime in Athens five hundred j^ears before Christ, which proves its great antiquity. Minutius Felix, one of the most popular Christian writers of the second century (in his ' Octavius,' see 291), thus addresses the people of Rome : ' Your victorious trophies not only represent a simple cross, but a cross with man on it ; ' and this iiiaii St. Jerome calls God. These coincidences furnish still further proof that the crucifixion of Gods has been very long prevalent among the heathen.
" X. Crucifixion of Thulis of Egypt, b. c. 1700. — Thulis of Egypt, whence comes ' Ultima Thule,' died the death of the cross about thirtv- five hundred years ago. Ultima Thule was the island which marked the ultimate bounds of the extensive realms of the legitimate descendant of the Gods. This Egyptian Saviour appears also to have been known as Zulis, and with this name, Mr. Wilkinson tells us, ' his history is curiously illustrated in the sculptures made seventeen hundred years B. C. of a small retired chamber 13'ing nearly over the western adytum of the temple.' We are told twent3'-eight lotus plants, near his grave indicate the number of years he lived on earth. After suffering a violent death, he was buried, but rose again, ascended into heaven, and there became 'the judge of the dead,' or souls in a future state. Wilkinson says he came down from heaven to benefit mankind, and that he was said to be ' full of grace and truth.'
" XI. Crucifixion of Indra of Thibet, b. c. 725. — The account of the God and Saviour Indra, may be found in Georgius, Thibetinuni Alpha-
330 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
betum, page 230. In the work referred to may be found plates repre- senting the Thibetan Saviour as having been nailed to the cross. There are five wounds, representing the five nail-holes, and the piercing of the side. The antiquity of the story is beyond dispute. Marvellous stories were told of the birth of the Divine Redeemer. The mother was a \irgin of black complexion, and hence his complexion was of the ebony hue, as in the case of Christ and some other sin-atoning Saviours. He descended from heaven on a mission of benevolence, and ascended back to the heavenly mansion after his crucifixion. He led a life of strict celibacy, which he taught was essential to true holiness. He inculcated great tenderness toward all living beings. He could walk upon the waters or upon the air ; could foretell future events with great accuracy. He practiced the most devout contemplation, severe discipline of the body and mind, and acquired the most complete subjection of his passions. He was worshipped as a God who had existed as a spirit from all eternity, and his followers were called ' Heavenly Teachers.'
"Xn. Alcestos of Euripedes, crucified b. c. 600. — The 'English Classical Journal' (Vol. XXXVH) furnishes us with the story of another crucified God known as Alcestos — a female God or Goddess ; and in this respect it is a novelty in sacred history, being the first, if not the only, example of a feminine God atoning for the sins of the world upon the cross. The doctrine of the trinity and atoning offering for sin was inculcated as a part of her religion.
"XIII. Atys of Phrygia, crucified b. c. 1170. — Speaking of this crucified Messiah, the Anacalypsis informs us that several histories are given of him, but all concur in representing him as having been an aton- ing offering for sin. And the Latin phrase, ' suspenses hngo^'' found in his history indicates the manner of his death. He was suspended on a tree, crucified, buried and rose again.
" XIV. Crite of Chaldea, crucified b. c. 1200. — The Chaldeans, as Mr. Higgins informs us, have noted in their sacred books the acpount of the crucifixion of a God with the above name. He was also known as ' the Redeemer,' and was styled ' the ever blessed son of God,' ' the Saviour of the Race,' ' the Atoning Offering for an angry God,' etc. And when he was offered up both heaven and earth were shaken to their foundation.
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 331
" XV. Bali of Orissa, crucified b.c. 752. — We learn by the Oriental books that in the district of country known as Orissa, in Asia, they have a story of a crucified God, known by several names, including the above, all of which we are told signify ' Lord Second,' having reference to him as the second person or second member of the trinity, as most of the crucified Gods occupied that position in the triad of deities constituting the trinity, as indicated in the language ' Father, So7i and Holy Ghost.' The son in all cases being the atoning offering, ' the Crucified Redeemer and the second person of the trinity.' This God Bali was also called Baliu, and sometimes Bel.
"The Anacalypsis informs us (Vol. I, 257) that monuments of this crucified Saviour, bearing great age, may be found amid the ruins of the magnificent city of Mahabalipore, partially buried amongst the figures in the temple.
" XVI. MiTHRA OF Persia, crucified b. c. 600. — This Persian God, according to Mr. Higgins, was ' slain upon the cross to make atonement for mankind and to take away the sins of the world.' He was reputedly born on the 25th day of December, and crucified on a tree. It is a remark- able circumstance that two Christian writers (Mr. Faber and Mr. Bryant) both speak of his ' being slain,' and yet both omit to speak of the manner in which he was put to death. And the same with respect to other cruci- fied Gods of the Pagans. We might note other cases of crucifixion. Devatat of Siam, Ixion of Rome, Apollonius of Tyana in Capp.\- DOCI.^, are all reported in history as having ' died the death of the cross.'
" IxiON, B. c. 400, according to Nimrod, was crucified on a wheel, the rim representing the world, and the spokes constituting the cross. It is declared ' He bore the burden of the world ' (that is, ' the sins of the world ') on his back while suspended on the cross. Hence he was some- times called ' the crucified spirit of the world.' With respect to Appol- lonius, it is a remarkable, if not suspicious, circumstance which should not be passed unnoticed, that several writers, while they recount a long list of miracles and remarkable incidents in this Cappadocian Saviour, extending through his whole life, and forming a parallel to similar inci- dents of the Christian Saviour, say not a word regarding his crucifixion. And a similar course has been pvirsued with respect to Mithra and other sin-atoning Gods, including Chrishna and Prometheus, as before noticed."
332 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
By reference to Mackey's ' Lexicon of Freemasonry,' page 35, we learn that " Freemasons secretl}'- taught the doctrine of the crucifixion, atone- ment and resurrection long anterior to the Christian era, and that similar doctrines were taught in ' all the ancient mysteries,' thus proving that the conception of these tenets of faith existed at a very early period of time." And it may be noted here that the doctrine of salvation by crucifixion had likewise, with most of the ancient forms of religious faith, an astronomical representation, /. to the emblematic figures comprised in their altar-worship, people were saved by the sun's crucifixion or crossification, realized by crossing over the equinoctial line into the season of spring, and thereby gave out a saving heat and light to the world, and stimulated the generative organs of animal and vegetable life. It was from this conception that the ancients were in the habit of carving or painting the organs of generation upon the walls of their holy temples. The blood of the grape, which was ripened by the heat of the sun, as he crossed over by resurrection into spring (i. e.^ was crucified), was S3'mbolically " the blood of the cross," or " the blood of the Lamb." That the world moves in cycles, and that histor}^ continually repeats itself, admits of no question, and so from the ruins of one Empire rises another, equally as grand, and the teachings of one age are as sure to come to the surface again as the motions of the earth upon its axis will apparently make the sun rise in the East and set in the West.
While it makes no difference from whom, whence, or where, origi- nated the Truths of the so-called Christian teachings, one thing is certain in relation to the account of the "Sixteen Saviours," from Thulis down, and that is their teachings belong to the oldest metaphysical philosophies known to mankind and have been known to every epoch of the world's history. These Truths must have emanated from some reliable source, since they were embodied in all religious and metaphysical philosophies.
If we go back to the first days of Christianity we shall find the early fathers of the church turning the old pagan philosophies into new Christian teachings and that, too, in the very temples wherein had been practiced the ancient pagan rites. During the reign of Constantine these were readily transformed into sacred edifices for the growing sect of Christians. With slight alterations these temples were soon adapted to
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 333
Christian worship, while magnificent statues of Jupiter, with a few sweeping strokes of the chisel and a little plaster were transformed into God, the Son, or some Saint, and a priceless Venus into the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Where sounds of old pagan rites and Greek schools of Philosophy had vibrated for so many long centuries, were now to be heard the chanting of Psalms by monkish priests. The incense which had so long burned upon the altars, in honor of the pagan gods, may still be found swinging in the censers of the Romish Church of to-day.
Again Baptism does not belong exclusively to the Christian Church, nor did it originate with its teachings, for long ages before John the Baptist lived these rites were universally observed, being a mere relic of the early da3's of the world's history. Its use by the Christians is iden- tical with that of the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian Mysteries, a symbol of regeneration and expiation of sin and a purification of the body. In nearly all the Mysteries baptism was considered to be indispensable. Purification of the body, by immersion in some of the sacred rivers, was an actual necessity before the candidate could be received and initiated into the sacred Mysteries of India. Christ himself was baptized by John the Baptist in the flowing waters of the river Jordan.
The Vedic Hymns praise the purifying powers of the sacred rivers of India and one of the most noted places is at the confluence of the three sacred rivers Jumna, Ganges and Sarasvati, at Allahabad. The natives claim three rivers to represent Matter, Spirit and Life. During my stay at this city I carefully examined the confluence of the two rivers, Jumna and Ganges, but could not find the third. I spoke to a Babu about it, when he took me down into an underground chamber of the old ruined palace of Akbar Khan and showed me a little water trickling down the wall and said, there is the evidence of the Sarasvati. The Zendavesta ascribe extraordinary virtues to the sacred waters of the holy river Ardvisura. The Hindu was purified by immersion in the sacred waters of the Ganges long centuries before Christ, and to-day the same cere- monies are performed by their descendants in nearly all of the rivers of India as well as the Ganges.
The Zarathustrians used pure filtered water for their purifications, in addition to prayers and certain other ceremonies which are preserved and practiced by the Parsees, after the same manner as by their great
334 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
ancestors, long before Krishna descended upon the plains of India and gave to the people the sublime and beautiful teachings now as old as the world itself This ceremony of immersion is still practiced as one of the most sacred and inexpressibly beautiful symbols of the purification of the heart by water as a pledge of thai only which is Just, Right and True.
Christianity most assuredly extinguished the sacrificial fires of the pagans and she yet built far greater ones in endeavoring to bring the people into the fold of Holy Mother Church. I do not desire to speak against any religion or any philosophy. I onl}' want to show that the teachings of Jesus and all those other Saviours had been taught long centuries before Abraham went down into the Land of Egypt and conse- quently they must have originated from some source. Therefore, if we search very carefully for the source, or fountain-head, of these pure Theosophical and Philosophical Truths we will find they originated in the " Land of the Vedas " and in the ancient Wisdom of India.
Many facts impress themselves upon our minds, in taking a survey of all the religions dominating the world in different ages. Their funda- mental principles have been the same, though covered in many instances, with a mass of rubbish, while the eternal verities remain intact in each, only clothed in different vestments, making them dijEcult of recognition, excepting to the initiated. The very identity of these great and glorious Truths establishes the fact that each one of the sixteen Saviours must certainly have been Leaders and Martyrs of their race, who suffered and died for their love of humanity. That they were members of a Brother- hood of great spiritual Teachers, who endeavored to restore what a corrupt Priesthood had degraded, is to me a positive verity. These Teachers were most assuredly helped in their missions by the Adepts and members of the inferior degrees, who worked earnestl}^ and faithfully to restore the Secret Doctrine of the Ancient Wisdom Religion. In like manner were the teachings of Christ, the Master, assisted, b}'^ the Auditors, Catechumens and Faithful, during the struggles of the Chris- tian Church against the old pagan philosophies, who was successful in restoring the glorious precepts of the Ancient Wisdom in Judea, Rome, Egypt and other placps for a few centuries until it finally degenerated into Priestcraft and Sacerdotalism, when all those profound ethical teach-
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ings of our Master were struck down and replaced by the " Holy Inquisition."
Masonr}', a lineal descendant of the ancient Mystei'ies, conceals within her bosom symbols that will reveal to the student a profound knowledge of the ancient philosophies, older, by far, than the Vedas or the Zend-avesta. We have proof positive that these very symbols were designed by the Perfect Masters and Adepts, as a safe and sacred reposi- tory for the sublime teachings of the Secret Doctrine, as well as for the preservation of the Royal Secret, in order to convey to those generations yet unborn a knowledge of the Ancient Wisdom and the power of the "Lost Word." People may scoff and laugh at the claims of profound knowledge being contained in our symbols, though they cannot dispute their antiquity and dare not say they were fabricated by the builders of Rome, Greece or any other special nation, such as Egypt, Chaldea or Assyria. They are found in all of these countries, being inscribed upon the oldest monuments and statues known to exist in all parts of the world, and have come down to us through the drifting ages from the interior of India, possibly the plains of Gobi, where are to be found to-day records of a far higher civilization than is apparent in the dawn of this great twentieth century.
Go back to the distant ages of antiquity and search among the ruined empires of every nation throughout the earth ; study their mystic teachings and occult doctrines ; aye, each and every one of them, then study the sacred writings of these same people, examine carefully their Mystic Rites and ceremonies, and you will find proof positive of a "Secret Doctrine " running through them all, from the most remote ages to the present day. This Secret Doctrine is the container and contained of all Truths, carefully hidden from the profane ; a great and sublime philoso- phy, the fountain of all Truth, the source of all Wisdom, the key to all the higher spiritual and intellectual qualifications.
The Wisdom itself, in fact, permeated all teachings, mystic rites and ceremonies everywhere, and in all its sublimity and grandeur it is to be found in the glorious symbols of our beloved Ancient and Accepted Scot- tish Rite. It will, however, require earnest and profound study before the student will be able to obtain the faintest glimmer of their meaning. He must concentrate his mind upon each and every one, and as I have
336 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
hereinbefore stated, there is to be no jumping from one degree to another, skipping the symbology of those below. He must carefully study each and every symbol and allegory, until thoroughly understood, as presented to him, for the one below is the key to the one above. Like the sublime invocation of the Turanian Adept the meaning does not lie altogether in the symbol. The key must be found before we can thoroughly under- stand the ineffable Wisdom contained in the series that will transcend all we have ever known or dreamed of, and open to our view the great Truths taught by the Masters in every age.
During some of my lectures I have had manj'^ people come to me and say : " Well, Doctor, I enjoj'ed your ' talk ' very much, indeed, but when you spoke of lost Civilizations, Wisdom, Knowledge, etc., I can't believe it. Of course, I can very readily understand the Rise and Fall of empires, and that upon the ruins of one the foundations of another is laid ; but you could never make me believe that the world was ever more civilized or enlightened than it is to-day, under the ' Light of the New Dispensation.' You may talk of the Lemurians and Atlanteans as much as you like, but I believe the world of to-day is just as full of knowledge and Wisdom as it ever was ; and as to the sinking of those immense continents beneath the ocean, it is the height of absurdity."
Now, in answer to j ust si;ch people, let me say this : During a visit to Soiithern California, to the city of San Jose, in the latter part of the year of 1899, I attended a Lecture illustrated by stereopticon views which showed the wondrous beauties of the Island of New Zealand, its magnifi- cent rivers, streams, mountains and the gigantic tree ferns for which this country is noted ; in fact, the Lecturer, a Maori, a native of the Island and a scholarly gentleman, a graduate of an English college, described to us not only the topographical features of the country, but its Flora and Fauna, as well as the manners and customs of the natives. After which he threw upon the screen a great number of Native Chiefs, their sons wives and daughters, calling our attention especially to the features of the young men and women, whose phrenological development would compare very favorably with our own Anglo-Saxon Race, both in beauty of expres- sion and in evidences of a very high order of intellectual development.
He told us that he was on a Lecturing tour for the express purpose of making money to educate the native children of his country so as to
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 337
preserve the last remnant of his Race. He said he knew that his people were doomed to pass away unless something were done for them. He also said it would be no use to try and raise the moral standard of the old people of his country. The young children, however, could be trained and educated so as to preserve their native characteristics, while living and growing up among the Anglo-Saxons who now dominated his coun- try. He told us that in coming from his country, New Zealand, to the city of San Francisco he had visited quite a number of the islands in both the South and North Pacific Oceans, and on going ashore at the differ- ent islands ^'' en ronte^'' he was very much surprised to note that the natives of the various places visited had the same peculiar characteristics as those of his own people. On arriving at the Sandwich Islands he went on shore at Honolulu, where he heard the natives in conversation, and was surprised to find that he could understand every word they said as they were speaking his own language, with very slight variations, which he described at the time, but I have since forgotten. He said it convinced him that the various Islands of Oceanica must at one time have formed a vast Continent, and he thoroughly believed the natives of these Islands to be lineal descendants of the Lost Continent of Lemuria. After the lecture, on returning home, I thought considerably on what had been said by the lecturer, and after my meditation I began to realize that Knowledge could be lost, just as easily as a man could lose some trifling article out of his pocket ; for instance : Would it not be possible for a tremendous seismic disturbance to occur, through some cause or another, and the poles of the earth be entirely changed from their present position, and America, with the whole of Europe, suddenly be forced beneath the ocean. Suppose all the civilized portions of the earth were wiped out of existence, submerged with all arts, sciences, philosophies, etc., a thousand fathoms below the surgiuig ceaseless waves, with all history and record of civilization entirely lost, while from out the depths of the briny deep new continents should re-appear, to preserve the equilibrium of the earth's centre, giving to the islands of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans their places once again as the sierrated peaks of magnificent mountain ranges, upon these various continents, while all that would remain of the lost ones would be the tops of the mountain ranges, forming islands which in many instances would be widely sepa- 22
338 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
rated one from the other, with possibly here and there a few hundred thousand people still in existence, who had been saved in some very extraordinary manner from this terrible cataclysm, this wrecking of a World.
The thought of intellectual development would stop right there, man would drop back into the Paleolithic age and self-preservation would be the dominant chord among them. What a tremendous struggle would then take place for a mere existence, and it is self-evident that the civili- zation which had once been theirs would fall back into traditions and legends, to be handed down from one generation to another. It would grow more misty and hazy, more difficult of comprehension as the drifting centuries rolled along. Civilization would have to begin again with the life of a new race, as it were. After the obliteration of the older people, their children would not be able to understand anything, comparatively speaking, of the wondrous knowledge buried deep beneath the surging waves surrounding their island home. Knowledge would have to be obtained through long and bitter experience. No matter to what point their phrenological development had attained, they would again have to struggle along semi-barbarous paths before reaching any great intel- lectual development. It is therefore possible for knowledge to become entirely lost, though places may exist wherein may be stored and pre- served the Knowledge and Wisdom pertaining to this lost civilization, as above stated, just as in the plains of Gobi, or Thibet, for it is positively asserted that there in secret places are stored the remains of a far more ancient civilization than our own.
No doubt there are thousands of people, aye, millions, who would laugh to scorn this statement, but their laughing does not destroy or alter the fact of its existence. Let me repeat to you right here the apothegm of Narada, the ancient Hindu philosopher: Never utter the words: I do not know this — therefore it is false.
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My apron white.
So let me ever wear — finding my pleasure in a spotless name, "Cbc honor of tbe Craft's unsullied fame—
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— Sydney Freemason.
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