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N A L G
I O
G E RAND LODGE
The Ashlar R Vol. XV Issue I
candidate and what is the valley of death and and attractiveness and render it free from
why the word shadow is mentioned suspicion of being a cloak for political intrigue.
Yet all these matters and many more lie To this view of the conduct of our 18th century
enshrined and embedded within the simpler progenitors, there is a possible alternative
and more obvious material of our system and in which, in fairness to them, may be advanced
seeking to disentangle and consider them the rather because it is possible than that it can
question arises how is this admixture of now be proved. It is that, in anticipation of
elementary exoteric teaching with advanced Speculative Masonry proving attractive to
esoteric references to be accounted for? numbers of men not yet likely to appreciate
Was it due to limited knowledge, clumsiness the profounder aspects of Initiation science,
and muddleheadedness on the part of the they deliberately diluted the system by
compilers of Speculative Masonry (as has weaving into it a body of simple ethical ideals
been suggested by some able Masonic within the compass of everyone's
exponents) or was it intentional? understanding. In this way they conserved the
A. E. Waite's suggested that the 18th century vital points of the traditional secret doctrine for
worthies who framed our rituals and lectures the benefit of those who could recognize and
possessed little or no esoteric knowledge and profit by them and at the same time they
a very imperfect conception of the real purpose effectively crypticised and concealed them
of an Initiatory system. By some means, into from those who could not.
which we need not now inquire, there had To state a personal conviction, I do not believe
come into their hands from remote sources the that Speculative Masonry was instituted with
salient features of such a system, obviously the intention of becoming the social and
and faithfully perpetuating the self-perfecting money-raising organization into which it has
doctrine taught in the philosophic Mysteries of since drifted.
the past and common to all the secret schools Sociability and relief but not merely financial
of both East and West; a system of whose full relief — were obvious side-consequences of
significance it is suggested that they were such an institution, but primarily it was a
unaware yet one which they were intuitively movement made from behind the scenes of
moved to preserve, and which they amplified public history towards perpetuating an
and put forward clothed with some well-meant ancient secret doctrine for the sake of those
but cheap and tawdry garnishings of their own. who might discern and profit by it in the epoch
They were moralists rather than mystics. Their of spiritual sterility, materialism and religious
ideal seems to have been not the sublime disruption into which we had fallen and
attainments of the perfected initiate who finds through which we are still passing. As one of
and lives from his center but, as their our lectures truly affirms, the world is never
ponderous grandiloquence puts it, merely to left without witness to the ancient traditional
“become a worthy member of Society,” to ''rise science by following which man may recover
in the scale of moral excellence'' and to “live “that which is lost,” the ruined empire of his
respected and die regretted.” Not spiritual own soul, and scrutiny of human events
Mastership, but smug respectability, seems on indicates that at all times, behind and within
the surface to have been the limit of their humanity, there stand watchers, guardians,
ambition, consistently with which they guides, initiates, charged with the task of
obsequiously sought the patronage of royalty keeping the witness alive, however faintly,
and aristocracy to give the Order social dignity and unobtrusively steering the race towards

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