London in the Olden Days
At the time when our story opens, London wherein our Order first came into being, was a much different sort of place to that which we know today, as the greatest city in the world.
True, it was then, as now the place wherein the largest number of people live together in Great Britain. But during the years which have intervened since then and now, many changes have taken place. The town has extended its boundaries on all sides, much of the old place has disappeared.
Many of the old wooden houses which dated back to the Elizabethan period have been pulled down, and their places taken by newer ones of brick. Where there were once green fields, is now covered by new buildings, the streets and roads, now so wide and spacious - were then only narrow, they were ill paved and, should two coaches meet, the greatest possible care had to be taken to allow their passing each other without accident. There were no raised sidewalks with kerbstones marking off the space allotted to pedestrians, instead, a few metal posts, about a yard high, marked off the footway over which they might pass, so they would push and jostle each other as they went along.
From the front of each house and shop, a signpost would stick out, swinging and squeaking in the wind - for although the houses were numbered, most people preferred to give their address as say, the sign of the “Red Dragon” or the “Spotted Leopard” or some other animal that they had painted on the sign.
Sedan Chairs had not gone out of fashion, and here and there you might see one standing at the door of one of the shops or houses with its two bearers waiting to take some passenger on his, or her, journey, or perhaps, you may see them carrying their burden on two long poles that stick out in front and behind the vehicle, you may also note how they roughly jostle the crowd as they carried their burden along.
Umbrellas had not yet made an appearance, and should by chance a sudden shower of rain come on, you might witness an amusing sight, there would be a mad stampede of the pedestrians for the nearest shops for shelter.
The buildings had no pipes or drains to catch the water which fell onto the roofs and it came splashing down into the roadway - deluging all who were unfortunate enough to be caught therein. The shops usually had goods outside the business premises for exhibition and soon the proprietor or his assistants had to leave his customers and get these goods under cover to protect them from the wet.
First Beginnings
When for a lengthy period a number of individuals have been accustomed to meet as members of a particular society, and generation after generation has passed away leaving few, if any records, to show how that society came into existence, a number of legends, traditions, and fables, will invariably be found clustering around that venerable institution, investing it with a veil of mystery and giving it an appearance of antiquity, which, possibly, were the true facts concerning its origin known, would be altogether absent.
It is thus with the greater majority of our great Orders. They started as a coterie of a few convivial souls, - a convivial club - often held in some out of the way obscure tavern, probably about the end of the eighteenth century, their founders, convivial souls, whose main purpose was to establish something which would give opportunities for their assembling together, and allow their spending an enjoyable evening.
The society thus formed grew in strength and magnitude, became popular, and passed from one generation to another, and from one place to another, until it had spread itself over the length and breadth of the land. Those who had founded it, had no thought of this, hence no proper records either of its doings, or of its wandering, had been taken, therefore the account of its origin, or its history do not accompany it on its travels, fictitious stories arise, the true history becomes obscure, or lost sight of, with the result, that there are thousands of members of various societies in existence today who, if questioned concerning their own particular fraternity, would be unable to give a satisfactory account as to how, why, when, or where, that society had started its journey.
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