THE STONEMASONS OF GERMANY.
,44
admitted more as a representative of the masters than as a president, the proceedings being
"
always conducted by the Okl-fellow," the master sitting as a sort of coadjutor.i
But if we assume that this distinction was intentional, and that the stonemasons concraft guilds,
sciously differed in this respect from other
very little reflection will show that in each case the
A
In a large town there would be
unavoidable.
we shall commit an error of judgment.
known result was natural, nay, almost
many master
bakers, master weavers, master
in his employ but in very
be sufficient to form a separate fraternity,
few cases would the number in any one workshop
All the
or the efforts of one establishment of any avail in influencing the policy of the trade.
butchers,
etc.,
and each oue would have one
or
more journeymen
;
shops of one class, in one city or district, would consequently form one guild, at first including
both masters and men. But as the masters grew richer, more refined, and of more influence
in the government of the city,
—and
the more their interests clashed with those of the
—
workmen, the greater would be the tendency of the two classes to separate, the workmen
formed their own fraternity, either entirely excluding the masters, or allowing one or more
of them to hold elective office and the masters would refuse the fellows admittance to their
;
And
guild meetings.
thus
we
arrive,
on the one hand, at the trade guild practically consisting
workmen also, a fact which the municipality did
—
of the masters only, but nominally of F