The history of freemasonry : its legends and traditions, its chronological history . onthe subject. With all respect, then, for our worthy Brother, the Rev. A. Woodford, whose exertions and contributions to Masonic liter-ature have been continuous and most valuable for many years, wefeel bound to state we do not believe according to the evidences ac-cumulated that the ? three degrees were distinct grades in the Oper-ative Order ; but that the term Apprentice, Fellow-Craft, and MasterMason simply denoted Masonic, relative, or official positions. If, then, there was originally but one degre
The history of freemasonry : its legends and traditions, its chronological history . onthe subject. With all respect, then, for our worthy Brother, the Rev. A. Woodford, whose exertions and contributions to Masonic liter-ature have been continuous and most valuable for many years, wefeel bound to state we do not believe according to the evidences ac-cumulated that the ? three degrees were distinct grades in the Oper-ative Order ; but that the term Apprentice, Fellow-Craft, and MasterMason simply denoted Masonic, relative, or official positions. If, then, there was originally but one degree, the one into which 956 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY Freemasons of every class or rank were initiated, according to a verysimple form, upon their admission to the Craft, it follows that thedegree Fellow-Craft and Master Mason must be of comparativelyrecent origin. This is legitimately a logical conclusion that cannot, I believe, be avoided. And if so, then the next question that we have to meet and dis-cuss is as to the time and the circumstances of the fabrication ofthese CHAPTER XXXIV INVENTION OF THE FELLOW-CRAFTS DEGREE T having been satisfactorily shown, first, that dur-ing the existence of pure Operative Freema-sonry there was but one degree, or ritual, of ad-mission, or system of secret working in a lodge,which was accessible in common to all the mem-bers of the Craft, Apprentices as well as Fellowsand Masters; secondly, that in the year 1717,when the Speculative element began to assume a hitherto unknownprominence, though it did not at once attempt to dissever the con-nection with the Operative, the Grand Lodge then formed, accepted,and practiced for some time this system of a single degree; andthirdly, that in the year 1723 we have the authentic documentaryevidence of the General Regulations published in that year, thattwo degrees had been superimposed on this original one, and that atthat time Speculative Freemasonry consisted of three degrees; itfollows as a na
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