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1、TheSymbolismofFreemasonry:IllustratingandExplainingItsScienceandPhilosophy,itsLegends,MythsandSymbols.ByAlbertG.Mackey,M.D.,"Eaenimquaescribunturtriahaberedecent,utilitatempraesentem,certumfinem,inexpugnabilefundamentum."Cardanus.1882.Entered,according
2、toActofCongress,intheyear1869,byALBERTG.MACKEY,IntheClerk'sOfficeoftheDistrictCourtoftheDistrictofSouthCarolina.ToGeneralJohnC.Fremont.MyDearSir:WhileanyAmericanmightbeproudofassociatinghisnamewiththatofonewhohasdonesomuchtoincreasetherenownofhiscountr
3、y,andtoenlargethesumofhumanknowledge,thisbookisdedicatedtoyouasaslighttestimonialofregardforyourpersonalcharacter,andingratefulrecollectionofactsoffriendship.Yoursverytruly,A.G.Mackey.Preface.Ofthevariousmodesofcommunicatinginstructiontotheuninformed,t
4、hemasonicstudentisparticularlyinterestedintwo;namely,theinstructionbylegendsandthatbysymbols.Itistothesetwo,almostexclusively,thatheisindebtedforallthatheknows,andforallthathecanknow,ofthephilosophicsystemwhichistaughtintheinstitution.Allitsmysteriesan
5、ditsdogmas,whichconstituteitsphilosophy,areintrustedforcommunicationtotheneophyte,sometimestoone,sometimestotheotherofthesetwomethodsTheSymbolismofFreemasonry:1TheSymbolismofFreemasonry,byAlbertG.Mackey,M.D.ofinstruction,andsometimestobothofthemcombine
6、d.TheFreemasonhasnowayofreachinganyoftheesotericteachingsoftheOrderexceptthroughthemediumofalegendorasymbol.Alegenddiffersfromanhistoricalnarrativeonlyinthis—thatitiswithoutdocumentaryevidenceofauthenticity.Itistheoffspringsolelyoftradition.Itsdetailsm
7、aybetrueinpartorinwhole.Theremaybenointernalevidencetothecontrary,ortheremaybeinternalevidencethattheyarealtogetherfalse.Butneitherthepossibilityoftruthintheonecase,northecertaintyoffalsehoodintheother,canremovethetraditionalnarrativefromtheclassoflege
8、nds.Itisalegendsimplybecauseitrestsonnowrittenfoundation.Itisoral,andthereforelegendary.Ingraveproblemsofhistory,suchastheestablishmentofempires,thediscoveryandsettlementofcountries,ortheriseandfallofdynasties,theknowledgeofthetruthorfa
