The signs and symbols of primordial man : being an explanation of the evolution of religious doctrines from the eschatology of the ancient Egyptians / by Albert Churchward.

  • Albert Churchward
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The signs and symbols of primordial man : being an explanation of the evolution of religious doctrines from the eschatology of the ancient Egyptians / by Albert Churchward. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    And here I must answer some of my critics in their criticism of my monograph. One of them stated that there aie not any Masonic Signs and Symbols in use amongst the Aborigines of Australia, but they are simply gesture signs : and he further states that if these “ Blacks ” knew anything of Freemasonry the white man must have initiated them, a statement too absuid for any kind of argument. 1 have gone more particularly and explicitly into the traditional histories, and also drawn attention to the Totemic ceremonies of the Arunta and other tribes for this reason : to prove that our friend, in his criticism of the‘^Origin and Antiquity of Freemasonry,” has shown his complete ignorance of these histories, and that there is no foundation for his making such a statement. The facts brought forward will be indisputable proof to all Masons, as well as showing that these originated from, and that these Aboriginal Australians are an exodus from, the earlier Nilotic Negroes. Regarding the subject of Sign Language, I may here observe that one of my critics actually stated that signs and symbols were first used as Decorative Art, an assertion sufficiently ridiculous to prove his complete want of knowledge of the subject. There are not any facts in existence to support such an assertion on his part. Signs and Symbols were first used as a written language or ideographic marks by man to express his thoughts when he had not the articulate sounds that we now have—as will be seen later on in this work—and afterwards adopted to express secret meanings. The “Sign Language” must be studied and taken into account if one wishes to understand the natives and the Primordial. As to the song “To the West, to the West, to the Land of the kree ” being written originally by Russell, as one of my critics stated, and referring it to the United States ; this cannot be so, because in Ireland there is a very old song to the same effect, dating long before Russell, who may have, and probably did use part of this. Maspero gives the whole Egyptian translation from the hieroglyphics, which was a “Funeral Song” or “Dead March.” It was sung at the obsecpiies of all the dead at the burial, and its meaning will be shown later on. 1 he Fditoi of the Ars Quatiior Corouatorwn, vol. xii., part 2, speaking of the Aborigines of Australia and the tribes of West Afiica, says that they have evolved all their ideas of science, of
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