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 ±'n,y;i by CapmreU iMmmM IN'.ljrJr.'^-m, a-Daa'e ipJiiMirujiT .Taz-i.-^cn ,Li7 . 
 
THE 
 
 HISTOKY OF MASONRY, 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 BUILDING OF THE HOUSE OF THE LOED, 
 
 AKD ITS 
 
 '^urn^i i^nmkmi ill* imlhd Ij^wW* 
 
 DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 THE ONLY HISTORY OF ANCIENT CEAIT MASONRY BTBR PUBLISHED, EXCEPT A 
 SKETCH OF FORTY-EIGHT PAGES BY DOCTOR ANDERSON IN 1723. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED 
 
 A HISTORY OF THE CRAFT IN THE UNITED STATES, 
 
 A WELL AUTHENTICATED ACCOUNT OF THE INITIATION AN; 
 PASSING OF THE HON. MRS. ALDWORTH, THE DIS- 
 TINGUISHED AND ONLY LADY FREEMASON. 
 
 7TZ?^ <\^ //L.ve.,.-.-w^.-w_^ Cy . 
 
 J. W. S. MITCHELL, M.D., 
 
 p. GRAND UASTBR, P. O. HIGH PBIEST, AND P. X. COHMANDBR OP MISSOtBI. 
 
 C^j Stitlfi^ ffibtfton t^otmtg^lg gcfiist!> anb Kbnteb to fflnt tSalxcmt. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 1871. 
 
 Sold hy Subscription only; or by the Author, at Ch-iffln, Ga. 
 
 /!/, 
 
 y^ 
 

 Afplkkp... 
 
 Enteredf according to Act of CongreBS, In the year 1871, by 
 
 J. W. 8. MITCHELL, 
 
 in the Office of the Librarian of Congreaa at Washington, 
 
 %i^ 
 
'^iU(iniU% 
 
 IN DEDICATINa THE LAST EDITION, WE ENDEAVORED TO BE GOVERNED 
 
 BY POLICY. IN THIS, WE ARE MOVED BY THE DICTATES OF THE 
 
 HEART. BRO. LEON HYNEMAN, OF FHILADBI.PHIA, PA., IS 
 
 ONE OF THE OLDEST MASONIC EDITORS AND AUTHORS 
 
 IN THE UNITED STATES. HIS WORLD-WIDE 
 
 FAME WOULD ALONE MAKE HIS NAME 
 
 THE HIGHEST HONOR TO OUR BOOK) 
 
 BUT WB ARE PROUDER STILL 
 
 TO DECLARE, THAT, IN 
 
 USING HIS NAME, WB 
 
 tSxtnit 
 
 THIS, THE TWELFTH 
 
 EDITION, TO OUR LOVED 
 
 FBIEND AND HONORED BROTHER. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 It has been said that the business of a historiaL is to detail facts, 
 unaccompanied by his opinions in favor of, or against particular theories. 
 Others go further, and say that " theory in history is preposterous." Now 
 all this sounds very well ; as all men would be likely to agree in saying 
 that the collation and proper arrangement of facts does indeed constitute 
 history. But it is a question of grave importance, whether, under cer- 
 tain circumstances, it does not become the duty of the historian to do 
 something more than this. How should we, at the present day, be able 
 to arrive at a knowledge of some of the most important events of the 
 middle ages, had not historians, after having detailed the known facts, 
 reasoned from cause to efiFect, in order to prove the existence of other 
 facts, not self-evident ? One class of historians give us a very interesting 
 and somewhat detailed account of the reign of Queen Semiramis, while 
 another class, equally honest and intelligent, tell us that no such Queen 
 ever lived, though both agree in stating the important facts of the sup- 
 posed reign. Here is a palpable contradiction ; and yet is it possible, by 
 the use of other facts and reasonable deductions, drawn from thence, to 
 determine which is right. Even at the present day, witnesses are being 
 exhumed from the bowels of the earth, which, of themselves, speak no lan- 
 guage now understood, buL when submitted to the antiquarian tests, and 
 compared with other and known developments, are made to testify of 
 important truths which have been buried from the knowledge of men 
 for ages past. It is a historical fact, that Cortes found a stone at the 
 city of Mexico, so large that no man of his, or the present age, has been 
 able to say by what power it had been elevated to its then situation. 
 And must this mystery forever remain necessarily unsolved, because nothing 
 can be found on record to explain it? On the contrary, should the 
 means be discovered for raising similar bodies, would it not be the busi- 
 ness of the historian, after detailing this fact, to reason upon the proba- 
 bility of the use of a similar power by the aborigines of Mexico ? It ia 
 
Tl PREFACE. 
 
 a historical feet, that the said stone contained a great number of devicM 
 and hieroglyphics, which could not be explained, even by the natives. 
 And should this, or any future age, discover a key capable of clearly nn- 
 raveling a part of these mystic symbols, may not the historian, after 
 detailing this feet and its developments, proceed to explain the relativ* 
 position of the remainder, and deduce from thence the probable readinj, 
 of the whole ? 
 jl In like manner, where truth has been covered up, or mystified b; 
 fiction, it would seem to be the writer's duty to hunt up and bring it 
 (bear all accredited testimony within his reach, in order to lift the vai 
 and expose the deception. 
 
 We have reason to believe that Masonry was, originally, a secret Society, 
 and was governed by laws known only to the members. "We read of old 
 manuscripts being in the hands of private members, at an early day, but 
 we have evidence tending to show that those manuscripts had reference 
 alone to the fundamental laws, so far as they could be written, together 
 with such usages, as, at an early day, were not considered to belong 
 exclusively to the Lodge room ; and yet, even these were held to be ex- 
 clusively the property of the initiated, and with which the world had 
 no right to become acquainted. Such, it is thought, was the condition 
 of things until the seventeenth century, when some publications were 
 made, but so meagre and unsatisfactory to the world, as to serve only to 
 whet the curiosity of the lovers of ancient lore. Soon after the reorgani 
 zation of Masonry in London, and the establishment of the present Grand 
 Lodge system, a spirit of inquiry was set on foot by Grand Master 
 Payne, for all reliable evidences of the true laws, usages, and, if possible, 
 evidences of the history of the Society. As early as 1719, the Grand 
 Lodge made a request to all private Masons, t» bring, or send forward all 
 manuscripts in their hands; which request was generally complied with, 
 though a few, who still adhered to the old teaching, that no publications 
 were allowable, committed to the flames some Masonic papers, rather than 
 risk them in the hands of their descendants. It is believed, however, that 
 no material loss was sustained by the burning of said manuscripts, as 
 those that were preserved contained all the important facts which had 
 ever been written. And yet, after they were all carefully examined, it was 
 found that they furnished but little more than an index, pointing to the 
 rituals and traditions of the Order. Doctor Anderson was appointed a 
 
rHEFACE. VU 
 
 committee to collate the o\d laws, and, as far aa practicable, write a hia- 
 torv of English Masonry : and, while we have reason to believe that he 
 faithfiiUy collated and digested the laws, we are at a loss to account for 
 the position he assumed in fixing the origin of Masonry. The Doctor 
 did not claim that the manuscripts collected furnished his data; on the 
 contrary, it was then generally believed that no such manuscripts had 
 ever existed. We further know that he did not rely upon the legends 
 or traditions of Masonry, for these all go to disprove his theory, viz., 
 that the Institution was as old as the world. It is hardly fair to sup- 
 pose the Doctor did not know that, down to that period, the Fraternity 
 believed that the origin of Masonry was known only from the teachings 
 of the Lodge room; and yet he seemed to attach more importance to 
 the supposed examination of a brother by Henry VI., in which the 
 witness is made to say that " Masopry was known to the man in the 
 West, before the man in the East," and, in assuming the hypothesis 
 that Masonry was about as old as the , world, very properly avoided 
 any reference to those traditions which point to the man who was the 
 instrument in bringing it into being, and perfecting its teachings. 
 
 When Doctor Anderson wrote. Masonry was but just merging from 
 the dark gloom of threatened annihilation, and it is not unfair to sup- 
 pose that its first historian was more or less influenced by a desire to 
 win for it popularity ; and if the great body of men were then, as now, 
 more readily won by marvelous tales, than by simple and plain truths, 
 we may cotclude it was a master-stroke of the pen to deal in fiction ; 
 and this the more readily, because, admitting that he knew the Lodge 
 room alone could furnish reliable testimony; he knew that Masons would 
 not then have tolerated a publication of the facta. Certain it is, that 
 the position he assumed carried with it the privilege of entering the 
 broad field of conjecture, and afforded him an opportunity to feed the 
 fancy of his readers with both facts and fiction : and the latter is equally 
 as safe from criticism, for nowhere upon record could be found anything 
 which would disprove either his hypothesis or his conclusions ; in short, 
 as the facts had never been published, the world was not prepared to 
 gainsay his (the most extravagant) claims of its antiquity, nor to pro- 
 nounce his theory " the baseless fabric of a dream 1 " 
 
 Since the publication of Anderson's Constitutions, containing a very 
 'aithful account of English Masonry, and a fancy sketch of its origin, 
 
VIU PREFACE. 
 
 many sketches have been written, claiming to be historical, no two of 
 which, it is believed, agree as to the time when the Order was instil 
 tuted. These writers may be classed under four heads, and may be 
 designated as follows : 
 
 First, those who, in the main, agree with Anderson as to the origin 
 of Masonry, but who undertake to fix the precise date — some at the 
 Garden of Eden, some in the days of Enoch, some in the days of Noah, 
 and last, though not least, a celebrated divine of the present day fixes 
 its existence in " the great empyrean of space, before this world was 
 created. " 
 
 The second class, conceiving that something very like Freemasonry 
 was absolutely necessary to relieve the descendants of Noah from the 
 curse which God entailed upon them, by confounding their language, as- 
 sume the hypothesis that Masonry was institated at the Tower of Babel, 
 before the dispersion, thus affording the tribes a universal language. 
 
 The third class charge that, the preceding classes are dependent upon 
 mere theory, unsupported by any known facts for their conclusions, and; 
 therefore, resolved to have, themselves, authentic testimony of the ex- 
 istence of the very oldest secret society, and, in their success in proving, 
 from authentic records, the early existence of the Egyptian Mysteries, 
 very wisely conclude that it is worse than useless to go further in their 
 antiquarian researches, and jump to the conclusion that either Freema- 
 sonry is the mother of the Egyptian Mysteries, or vice versa. Thus, 
 by some of this class. Masonry is the mother, and by others she is the 
 daughter. 
 
 The fourth class take exceptions to all the doctrines of the foregoing 
 — deny the antiquity claimed for the Society, and undertake to show, 
 from recorded testimony, that Masonry originated with the Orders of 
 Knighthood, during the Crusades to the Holy Land. 
 
 And now another adventurer enters the field, and, though " solitary and 
 alone," he has the temerity to venture the opinion, that his predecessors 
 were all wrong — that the origin of Masonry is not a matter of doubt, 
 or should not be, to any well informed Mason, whose special attention 
 has been called to a few well known facts ; on the contrary, that its 
 origin is so clearly and mmutely detailed in the Lodge room, that all 
 Masons must be brought to see that tliere alone can the whole truth be 
 learned. Tins being the hypothesis of the Author of this work, it will 
 
PRBFACE. IS, 
 
 be seen, from the facts before stated, that it -would be impossible for him 
 to write what he believes to be a true history of the Order, and through- 
 out confine himself to a detail of recorded facta. And, aside from the 
 consideration of the origin of Masonry, by what means may he proceed 
 to detail its rise and progress throughout the civilized world, relying 
 alone on recorded testimony, while only detached parcels of the whole 
 truth have ever been published? Doctor Anderson has given us more 
 historical detail than any other writer, and yet his investigations were 
 confined mainly to England, Scotland, and Ireland; and, indeed, strictly 
 speaking, his history is only complete, so far as it relates to the South 
 of England, or, more properly, the city of London. 
 
 Preston copied from Anderson, and brought down the history of the 
 Grand Lodge of England, and its dependencies, to his own time. Doctor 
 Oliver extended Preston's history through d period of ten years, but con- 
 fined himself almost exclusively to his own Grand Lodge. 
 
 Laurie's history is almost a literal copy of Anderson's, except of the 
 Order in Scotland, which is much more minutely given. There are many 
 volumes in'the German and French languages, written with great ability, 
 but, as far as the Author can judge, they all have reference to the various 
 modern degrees, called Masonry. 
 
 Prom what has been said, it will be seen that the Author relies upon 
 the traditions for much, very much of the material upon which to found 
 his history, and, therefore, he must needs do all in his power to clear 
 away the rubbish, and bring to light those sacred truths which have been 
 thrown over by careless and unskillful workmen, and which, for more than 
 a century, have been covered up, deeper and deeper, by fancy sketches of 
 imaginary theory. If the traditions of Masonry are not reliable as au- 
 thority for the foundation of a historical detail, then are they the merest 
 phantoms of a distempered imagination, and w« should blush to use them 
 in the Lodge room, as the foundation of all our instructions. On the 
 contrary, if they merit the high place they now occupy, as teachers of 
 those great truths which, for ages past, have served to unite the discordant 
 materials incident to man's nature, and link together a, mighty Brother- 
 hood, then are they entitled to all credit, and, by their aid, may the 
 origin of Masonry be clearly pointed out, and a true history of the 
 Order may be written and published to the world, with outlines sufficient- 
 ly broad, and details sufficiently clear, to answer the just demands of the 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 opiaitiated, and with still more precision to the understanding of the 
 Graft; and aU this, without doing violence to the laws of secrecy. With 
 Aese convictions, the Author has undertaken to prove that Masonry took 
 its origin just where, and in the precise manner pointed out by our rituals 
 and traditions ; and whenever and wherever authenticated facta were to 
 ( be found, he has endeavored to detail them impartially, without pausing 
 to inquire whether they tended to prove or disprove his peculiar opinions. 
 And where foots were not available, he has endeavored to glean the 
 
 i truth by analogy and sound deductions. 
 In his history and review of the great batch of modern degrees, called, 
 Dy their inventors. Masonic degrees, the Author has endeavored to have 
 but one great end in view, viz., to show what is, and what is not Pree- 
 masoniy, and to warn the true Fraternity against amalgamations or 
 entangling alliances with all outside institutions, however praiseworthy 
 their objects and ends may be. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION. 
 
 The rapid and steadily increasing sale of this work has not surprised any 
 one more than the Author. Fifty-one years ago, after becoming acquainted 
 with the legends and traditions of Ancient Craft Masonry, he became 
 impressed with the belief that Masonry had been instituted for some great 
 purpose not generally known and appreciated, and straightway he com- 
 menced a system of reading and study with the view, if possible, to trace its 
 origin. There was but little to rely upon as a starting-point, and as for 
 finger-boards on the way, there were onlj the traditions, and a few — very 
 few — records, so meagre, and at periods so distant and irregular, as scarcely 
 to assist the student. After seven years' diligent study and research, he 
 became satisfied that this institution had been brought into being by God'r 
 app(iintment, and that its objects and ends were clearly set forth in the lan- 
 guage of the Bible: and the Author commenced the delivery of private lec- 
 tures to the Lodges, in which he attempted to prove that the house of the 
 Lord was erected by God's appointment for the great purpose of teaching, 
 through Solomon's mysteries (Freemasonry), a knowledge of the true and 
 ever-living God, ^nd thus to bring back the lost nations to the true worship; 
 as otherwise the atonement of the Messiah, when he did come, could benefit 
 none but the Jews, for they alone acknowledged Jehovah, and none could 
 believe in the divinity of the Messiah who did not believe in the divinity of 
 the Father. Thus the Author attempted to show that this divine plan for 
 the subversion of the heathen mythology was essential to the fulfilment of 
 God's promise to send a Mediator, who, by his sufferings and death, should 
 redeem a lost and ruined world from original sin. 
 
 One leading object held in view by the Author in the delivery of these lec- 
 tures, was to bring before the Bible readers the .scriptures on which he 
 relied to establish his views, and have them disproved, if not true, and to 
 which he called special attention. After more than thirty yenrs of per- 
 sistent eff'orts, without meeting a negative reply, he sent forth to the Masonic 
 world the result of his life's labor, the first and only history of Ancient Craft 
 Miisonry ever written. That this needed work would be appreciated and 
 patronized by a few was not doubted, but he dared not hope that within 
 seven years it would pass through eleven large editions. Tlie first edition 
 was issued in 1858, but the war and other causes kept it out of view for more 
 
HI PREFACE. 
 
 than five years. Had hot an error been committed in making the work too 
 large and too expensive, doubtless the sales would have been much larger, 
 for though his books were cheap, the sum of ten dollars for a book deters 
 many from purchasing. 
 
 And now, to meet the views of all, and still give to the Craft all the essen- 
 tials combined in the two large volumes, the history of Masonry, full and 
 complete, as it was found in the first volume, with about thirty pages from 
 the second volume, are here given as a distinct work, in a volume of about 
 750 pages. This is offered in two styles of binding. First, in genuine law, : 
 hand-bound, at $5.00 ; second, in Turkey goat-morocco, antique, gilt edges, i 
 at $7.50. This is a high-priced v'olume, but the binding is not only the most 
 expensive, but is the most elegant and durable known to the trade ; both 
 styles have the best leather, best hand-work, and are guaranteed. 
 
 The Author has taken from the second volume all the laws, and, together 
 with such others as have been matured since the publication of his first book, 
 he has made a separate volume of over 500 pages. And now the subscriber 
 can order one or both works, as he may choose. The small work is called 
 " The Common Law of Masonry," which is believed and generally said to be 
 the only Masonic law-book which at all approximates to completeness. 
 
 And now, in concluding this Preface, the Author feels admonished by his 
 advanced age that this may be his last fraternal communication with the 
 Craft through his works, and in justice to himself he cannot close without an 
 expression of his deep sense of gratitude to those high-minded and liberal 
 brethren who have so long and so frequently commended his works — many 
 of them in as strong terms as the English language would allow — and thug 
 have they cheered his heart, and made him feel that while some good friends 
 have censured him for his refusal for fifty years to accept compensation for 
 his lectures, he can now say, in all candor, that though he is now wellnigh 
 as poor as when he entered upon life's busy scenes — and then his capital 
 consisted of patience and perseverance — still is he proud of his course 
 through life, and, in view of the causes which superinduced it, he is proud 
 of his poverty; and trusting as he does that the same favorable opinion of his 
 works will be continued, he looks, with God's approval, for the time to come 
 when the bread which he has cast upon the waters will be gathered after 
 many days, to gladden the hearts of the loved ones he may leave behind. 
 
 Thus consoled and rewarded for a long life of toil, cheered all along the 
 way by God's rich gifts, richly bestowed, he can do no less than try to be 
 ready for the sound of the gavel calling him from labor to refreshment. 
 
 May God's choicest reward follow in the footsteps of all the Author's 
 friends, and all good and true Freemasons, and guide them to their home in 
 heaven, is the prayer of 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGB. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Freemasonry a Secret Society 17 
 
 To the Traditions are we indebted for the 
 
 Early History 17 
 
 The origin of Masonry Investigated 18 
 
 Preston's Views 18 
 
 The Early History of the World 20 
 
 Dr. Oliver's Opinions Reviewed , . 23 
 
 The Cahiri 38 
 
 Dr. Oliver's Initiation of Moses by Jehovah. . 39 
 Laws by Moses to Lodges and Gbapters, — 
 
 Oliver 40 
 
 It^onry the True BeligioD 46 
 
 Masonry Aids to Spread the Gospel to Hea- 
 thens 47 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 The Author's Opmion of the Origin of Ma- 
 sonry 50 
 
 Masonry is of Divine Origin &3 
 
 Solomon the instrument in establishing Ma- 
 sonry 64 
 
 •Hie Three Degrees of Masonry, History of. . . 61 
 
 Entered Prentice 63 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 The Fellow Craft, History of «6 
 
 Jjodges allowed to confer only the Appren* 
 
 tiee Degree 68 
 
 Becond Section of the Fellow Craft's Degree.. 71 
 
 Distinction between Fellow and Fellow Craft. 74 
 
 The City of David 76 
 
 Eing Solomon to King Hiram 77 
 
 Hiram Abiflf 78 
 
 OassificatioD of the Workmen on the Temple 80 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Bolomon's Temple 83 
 
 Celebration of the Cape-Stone 86 
 
 Dr. Oliver's Traditions of the Curious Stones. 88 
 
 Solomon the First Master. 89 
 
 The Buildings Erected by Solomon 90 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Lodges Established — Grand Lodge at Jeru- 
 
 ■aem 02 
 
 Death of Solomon 03 
 
 Division of Solomon's Kingdom , 94 
 
 Influence of Solomon's Masons 06 
 
 Death of Josiah, King of Judah 07 
 
 Destruction of Jerusalem OB 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Liberation of the Jews from Captivity 101 
 
 Reign of Cyrus 102 
 
 Artaxerxes, Reign of 103 
 
 Darius, Reign of - 103 
 
 Zerubbabel 104 
 
 Second Temple 104 
 
 Masonry in Lesser Asia 10ft 
 
 Pythagoras 106 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 Alexander, the Macedonian lU 
 
 Death of Alexander the Great. 113 
 
 Euclid in 
 
 Ptolemy Soter US 
 
 Alexandrian LHttrary US 
 
 Tower of Pharaoh 116 
 
 CHAPTER Vm. 
 
 Asdrubal's Wife Curses Her Hudband 121 
 
 City of Rhodes 117 
 
 Colossal Statue IH 
 
 Wall of China 122 
 
 Lord Amherst's Visit to China 123 
 
 CHAPTER K. 
 
 Fall of Carthage 127 
 
 The Tuscan Order of Architecture 127 
 
 Pompey the Great IM 
 
 Masonry in Rome 128 
 
 Masonry in Judea 132 
 
 Reign of Herod 132 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Before Christ Forty Years 135 
 
 Flight of Herod 136 
 
 Judea in the Hands of a Stranger 137 
 
 Masonry Neglected W** 
 
 Charlemagne, Reign of i^' 
 
XJV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 The Knit Treatise on Architecture 143 
 
 Architecture of the Sixteenth Century Com- 
 pared 145 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Masonry in England, Introduction of 146 
 
 Introduction of the Saxons into England .... 151 
 
 London Inclosed with a Stone Wall 151 
 
 Origin of the Name England 153 
 
 Haflonic Recordfl JLost in the Wars with the 
 
 Druids 154 
 
 Prince Edwin 154 
 
 Grand Lodge at York 155 
 
 King Athelstan 358 
 
 First Prince of Wales 161 
 
 Oxford College Built 161 
 
 The Templars Erect their Dormvs Dei 161 
 
 Celebration of the Cape-Stone of Westminster 
 
 Abbey 161 
 
 Old Records of Masonry in the R^iga of Ed- 
 ward m 162 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 Edict of Henry VI. against Masons 164 
 
 The Bat Parliament , 166 
 
 Winchester's Hostility to Masonry 166 
 
 A R^xilar Lodge at Canterbury in 1400 .... 171 
 
 CHAPTER Sm. 
 
 The While and Red Rose 173 
 
 Letter from John Lot^e , 173 
 
 Ihe Old Bodleian Manuscript 174 
 
 Abrac 181 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Reign of Henry Vn 183 
 
 A Lodge of Masons in 1502 184 
 
 Sons of Masons Initiated at Eighteen Tears of 
 
 Age.. 185 
 
 Henry Vm. and his Parliament deny the 
 
 Right Divine of the Pope 186 
 
 Reign of Elizabeth 187 
 
 Districting England — Provincial G. Masters. 190 
 The Character of Quera Elizabeth 191 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Masonry in Scotland 194 
 
 Origin of the Scots 195 
 
 Macbeth's Descendants 197 
 
 Robert Bruce igg 
 
 Masons Lived in Camps or Huts 200 
 
 Kilwinning and York the Nurseries of Ma- 
 sonry. 200 
 
 Ordered by the King that the Masons Pay 
 
 the G. Master 201 
 
 William Sinclair, 6. Master 202 
 
 Mary Queen ofScota 202 
 
 PADS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 Union of Scotland and England 204 
 
 Reign of James I ^04 
 
 Inigo Jones ^**® 
 
 Nicholas Stone 207 
 
 The Massacre of Four Thousand Proteatania 
 
 in Ireland 208 
 
 Charles L and Cromwell 209 
 
 Cromwell, Washington, and Bonaparte 209 
 
 Restoration of Charles II 210 
 
 The Kings call for a Masonic Assembly 210 
 
 General Assembly of Masons, 1663 810 
 
 Regulations of 1663 213 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 Operative Masonry Abandoned 214 
 
 Sr Christopher Wren 215 
 
 Great Fire in London, 1666 215 
 
 RooBi^ far Houses in the Seventeenth Cen- 
 tury 218 
 
 Rebuilding St. PauPs Church 219 
 
 Sr Christopher Wren's Deputy 223 
 
 Walbrook Church 223 
 
 Death of Charles H 224 
 
 Reign of William and Mary 226 
 
 Masonry Neglected 225 
 
 CHAPTER XVm. 
 Masons Should Again Take Charge of Archi- 
 tecture 227 
 
 Grand Master Wren's Letter of Instructions 
 
 toBuild?r8 229 
 
 6. Master Wren's great Age compels him to 
 
 Neglect Masonry 234 
 
 The Churches of St Paul and St Peter 234 
 
 Apprentices Members of G. Lodge 236 
 
 Se-organization of Masonry m the South of 
 
 England 236 
 
 Grand Ma 'ter Payne's Administration 239 
 
 Occasional Lodge for the Duke of Lorraine.. 249 
 The Old Gothic Constitutions ordei'ed to be 
 
 Revised by Dr. Anderson, 1721 241 
 
 Committee of Fourteen 241 
 
 Masonry Popular in England 243 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Masonry at York 250 
 
 Masonry Neglected in London 260 
 
 Grand Lodge of England sends a Charter to 
 
 York 251 
 
 Committee of Charity 253 
 
 Stewards Admitted to Seats m G. Lodge ... 265 
 
 Novelties in Grand Lodge 255 
 
 Frederick, Prince of Wales, Initiated 266 
 
 Attempt to remove a Landmark 267 
 
 Second Edition of the Sooifc of CmstUvtwns. , 26T 
 
 Clandestine Makings ' 261 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XT 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Only Members ofLodgesErtitled to Charity. 259 
 Rupture between G. Lodge oC England and 
 
 tbatofYork 260 
 
 Seeders a,nA Ahiman B&on 260 
 
 The Fint Form for a Procestuon 262 
 
 Action Against the Ancimt Masons 265 
 
 CHATTER XX. 
 
 Reign of George HI 268 
 
 Initiation of the Duhea of Gloucester and 
 
 Cumberland 269 
 
 Taxing Grand Officers to Build a Hall 279 
 
 Past G. Officers May Wear Gold Jewels 270 
 
 Difficulty between G. Lodge and the Lodge of 
 
 Antiquity i^, 274 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 History of Lodge of Antiquity— Continued. . . 276 
 
 Initiation of Omdit-ul-Omnm Bauhader 279 
 
 Grand Officers with Robes 280 
 
 Regulations agsinst Non-affiliated Masons. . . 281 
 
 New Regulations Adopted 281 
 
 Fines for Non-attendance 282 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 Foundation Laid for the Female Orphan 
 
 School 284 
 
 Rules for the School 287 
 
 Address of the G. Lodge to tfao King 290 
 
 Address of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts 
 
 to Brother George Washington 293 
 
 Washington's Rjply 294 
 
 Washington as a Mason 294 
 
 Death of Washington— Funeral 295 
 
 CHAPTER XXm. 
 
 The Jesuits and Masonry 298 
 
 Expulsion of the Jesuits from all Countries 
 
 except the United States 299 
 
 Expose of the Articles of Union of the Jesuits 300 
 
 Weishaupt's Society 301 
 
 Baruel and Robinson's Opposition to Masonry 302 
 
 Revolution in France 305 
 
 Inhuman Treatment of American Prisoners . 307 
 
 Robinson's Proofs of Conspiracy 308 
 
 Extract from Dewitt Clinton's Address 315 
 
 Expulsion of the Jesuits in 1847 318 
 
 Masonry Meddles not with Politics or Re- 
 ligion 319 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Masonry in lYance 320 
 
 New Degrees 324 
 
 Masonry in the East Indies 325 
 
 Organization of the G. Lodge of Ireland 325 
 
 The Order of EnightA Templar instituted. ... 335 
 
 Warrants sent into Russia and Spain 326 
 
 Anti-Masonry in Holland and France....,,. 827 
 
 Bull of Pope EugeniuB against Masonry S28 
 
 Impriaonmentof Masons by the Inquisition. 329 
 
 Masonry in Switzerland 830 
 
 The Council of Berne against Masonry 830 
 
 Synod of Scotland against Masonry 881 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Masonryin Ireland 88S 
 
 Address of the Grand Ix>dge of Ireland to the 
 
 Duke of Sussex 830 
 
 The Duke's Reply 8-10 
 
 Celebration in Dublin in 1838 341 
 
 France, Germany, and America made the 
 
 Innovations 844 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 Masonryin Scotland 345 
 
 Monument to Bro. Robert Bums , 349 
 
 The TAronc of a Grand Lodge 862 
 
 Monument to the Memory of Sir Walter Scott 056 
 Laying a Corner-Stone in Scotland 867 
 
 CHAPTER- XXVn. 
 
 Masonry in England 361 
 
 Charges against Brethren for Visiting Ancimt 
 
 Lodges 361 
 
 Portraits of Grand Masters 362 
 
 Resolutions of Grand Lodge 863 
 
 Revoking Innovations 364 
 
 Great Dinner, January, 1813 365 
 
 CHAPTER XXVm. 
 The Dukes of Sussex and Kent Grand Masters 
 
 of the two Grand Lodges 873 
 
 Union of the two Grand Lodges 373 
 
 Articles of Union 874 
 
 Consequences of the Union 382 
 
 What is Spurious Freemasonry 864 
 
 A Clandestine Mason Contending at Iaw for 
 
 a Fee for Making a Mason 885 
 
 Insubordination of Masons at Liverpool 886 
 
 Prince of Wales Lodge 888 
 
 Influence of Masonry on a Pirate 389 
 
 Beautiful Ceremony of Laying a Comer-Stone 890 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 Initiation of King William IV.— The Offices 
 
 He Filled 893 
 
 An Asylum for Decayed Freemasons 39S 
 
 Address to the Duke of Sussex 390 
 
 Masonry in the Nineteenth Century 401 
 
 The Dirice of Wellington's Initiation. 40B 
 
 Badges of Mourning 410 
 
 Belgian Proscription of Masonry 410 
 
 Anti-l^asons Differ in Different Countries.,,, 413 
 
 Lodges in the Army Opposed 417 
 
 Hindoo Opinions of Masonry 421 
 
XVI 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XSX, 
 
 Masonry in the United States 423 
 
 Was Masonry Among the Indians Before the 
 
 Times of Columbus 427 
 
 The Greek language among the Indians.. .. 427 
 
 Indian Medicine Lodge 431 
 
 No Evidence of Masonry among the Indians. 434 
 
 Welsh Language among the Indians 435 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 Was Freemasonry Known to the Ahorigines 
 
 of the South? 441 
 
 The Ancient Mysteries of Mexico 442 
 
 The Great Temple of Mexico 444 
 
 Initiation Ceremony 445 
 
 CHAPTER XXXn. 
 
 The Early Settlers in the United States 453 
 
 Discovery of this Country by Icelanders in 
 
 1003 463 
 
 Voya^ of Columbus 454 
 
 Voyage of John C^bot 455 
 
 Voyage of Sebartian Qibot 456 
 
 Voyage from Fr.ince 456 
 
 Ponce de Leon's Voyage 467 
 
 De Soto's VoyagB 4B8 
 
 Indiana Carried into Slavery 458 
 
 French Colony 462 
 
 Colony of Hug'jenots 4t)3 
 
 Malcndez, the Spanish Assassin 464 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh's Colooy 466 
 
 Manteo, an Indian Chief 467 
 
 What Became of Raleigh's Colony 469 
 
 Settlement at Jamestown 470 
 
 Pocahontas and Smith 472 
 
 The First Warrant sent to America 477 
 
 CHAPTER XXXm. 
 
 Masonry ^n Alassachusetts 
 
 St. John's Provincial Grand Lodge Estab- 
 lished 482 
 
 St. Andrew's Grand Lodge Established 484 
 
 Joseph Warren appointed Provincial Grand 
 
 Master 486 
 
 Both Grand Lodges Suspended in 1775 4S7 
 
 Battle of Bunker Hill 437 
 
 Re-organization of St. Andrew's G. Lodge... 487 
 
 St. John's Grand Lodge Resumes Labor 488 
 
 Union of the Two Grand Lodges 489 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 History of Masonry in New York 498 
 
 St. John's Lodge, No. 1 i , , 500 
 
 A ThriUing Story of an Escaped Prisoner 501 
 
 The Atliol Warrant for a Grand Lodge in New 
 
 York 503 
 
 Establishment of the Present Grand Lodge. . 505 
 Origin of Difficulties in New York 508 
 
 PA(R. 
 .. f>13 
 
 ,,. 514 
 
 The Compact of 1827 
 
 Rupture and New y rand I/>dpe 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Rupture of 1849 
 
 Union of St. John 'a Grand Lodge with the 
 
 Grand Lodge of New York 630 
 
 Lodges Established by a Council of Thirty- 
 third Degiee *• 553 
 
 Union of 1858 554 
 
 Masonry in Pennsylvania 555 
 
 Smith's ^Ainwtn Bezon 559 
 
 General Grand Lodge Recommended 560 
 
 Establishment of an Independent Grand 
 Lodge 560 
 
 CHAPTER fexVI. 
 
 Masonry in Georgia 566 
 
 There never was any Athol Masonry in Mas- 
 sachusetts 566 
 
 Masonry in South Carolina 571 
 
 Masonry in North Carolina 576 
 
 Masonry in Virginia 578 
 
 Gi-andand Deputy Grand Masters of Virginia 58b 
 
 Grand Lodge of New Jersey 587 
 
 Grand Lodge of Maryland 587 
 
 Masonry in Connecticut 588 
 
 Hiram Lodge, No. 1 689 
 
 Grand Lodge of Rhode Island 697 
 
 Grand Lodge of Vermnnt 59'( 
 
 History of Masonry in Kentucky 597 
 
 Masonry in Delaware 603 
 
 Masonry in Ohio 604 
 
 Masonry in the District of Colombia 609 
 
 Masonry in Tennessee 610 
 
 Masonry in Missibsippi 610 
 
 Masonry in Louisiana 611 
 
 Old Records of G. Lodge of Louisiana 612 
 
 Masonry in Missouri... 622 
 
 Masonry in Alabama 629 
 
 Masonry in Illinois 638 
 
 Masony in Florida 638 
 
 O^anization of the G. L. and G . Chap, of Fla. 640 
 
 Masonry in Iowa G42 
 
 Masonry in Texas 645 
 
 Grand Lodge formed 649 
 
 Grand Chapter 653 
 
 Masonry in California 656 
 
 Masonry in Kansas Territory 661 
 
 Masonry in Nebraska Territory 662 
 
 Masonry in Oregon Territory 664 
 
 Masonry ua Minnesota Territory 664 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVn. 
 
 Royal Arch Masonry 666 
 
 Doctor Folger's letter egl 
 
 Council of Royal and Select Masters 706 
 
 Hi ,tory of the Council Degrees in Alabama. . 716 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 FeekiIasonry was strictly a secret Society for more tlian two 
 thousand years ; its members were forbidden to publish any 
 thing, cither in relation to its origin or teaching ; and yet, 
 throughout all^ that period, its history was transmitted from 
 generation to generation, unspotted by time, and unadulterated 
 by the sacrilegious hand of the innovator. Nor is this difficult to 
 be accounted for, when it is remembered that the legends — the 
 traditions of the Order, have ever constituted a portion of the 
 teaching, intimately connected with, and inseparable from, the 
 ritual of the Lodge room. And these instructions have not only 
 been communicated to all initiates, but they have been required 
 so to impress them on their minds as to be able to teach in turn. 
 Thus, while the middle or dark ages enveloped in oblivion the 
 very footprints of the w orld's history, leaving us but the merest 
 fables of Heathen Mythology to tell of Time's onward course, our 
 Order, having been transmitted from society to society, from 
 man to man, in the same unmistakable and unalterable sym 
 bolism, preserved its identity, and perpetuated its existence 
 in the upward and onward mission it was instituted and sent 
 forth to accomplish. We believe it is susceptible of the clearest 
 proof that to the universal language of Masonry, and its unerring 
 method of transmission, is the world indebted for a knowledge 
 of the most remarkable events of seven hundred years of the 
 world's history ; and, to well informed Masons, it satisfactorily 
 appears that,by divine permission, it was made the instrument, 
 not only for the preservation, but the discovery of the five books 
 of Moses, after a lapse of four hundred and seventy years oi 
 lawless disorder. And, if there were no other interesting 
 features in the general aspect of Masonry, these, it would seem, 
 are abundantly sufficient to rivet the attention and excite th'^ 
 
1& HISTORY OP FKEEMASONET. 
 
 careful investigation of every inquiring mind, in relation to its 
 true history and principles. But before we attempt to fix the 
 point of time at which our Society was instituted, it becomes our 
 unpleasant task to clear away the rubbish which has been thrown 
 over it by unskillful and unfaithful workmen. 
 
 The distinguished Preston says : " From the commencement 
 of the world we may trace the foundation of Masonry ; ever 
 since symmetry began and harmony displayed her charms, our 
 Order has had a being." 
 
 If the author had stopped with the first part of the paragraph 
 here quoted, we could readily have reconciled it with the facts, 
 as we believe they exist, that the foundation was then laid. 
 That some one or more of the great principles taught by Free- 
 masonry were known from the foundation of the world, no well 
 informed Mason is likely to question ; but the existence of that 
 principle, or even a knowledge of all the principles at that 
 period, which are inculcated now by the Craft, does not prove 
 that the system or art of teaching those principles was then 
 known or practiced ; and hence the objectionable part of the 
 paragraph is that which declares " the existence of our Order 
 ever since harmony displayed her charms." Now, this is a decla- 
 ration that Masonry, as a Society, has existed ever since the 
 creation of the world, for we must regard it as something more 
 than the knowledge of certain principles, separate and distinct, 
 or in chaotic confusion. Masonry is an Order, a Society of 
 individuals, having a systematic art of teaching certain princi- 
 ples, and linking its recipients together by certain indissoluble 
 ties which enable them to distinguish each other, and place 
 them under obligations to befriend and relieve each other from 
 the withering blight of misfortune ; and it is as impossible to con- 
 ceive of the existence of the Order witiiout a community of 
 individuals to constitute that Order, as to suppose the existence 
 of a government without subjects to be governed. We desire 
 the reader to satisfy himself in relation to the correctness of 
 tills position, for upon it depends the fitness of much about to 
 be said ; and we desire to use no terms which do not convey 
 our meaning, nor assume grounds which are not sustained by 
 facts. Preston, we believe, was a good man, and a devoted 
 
/ 
 
 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. ] 9 
 
 Mason ; loved its principles and practiced them ; but it is 
 matter of extreme regret that he has done little more than to 
 copy Anderson, and enlarge upon his wild theory. Had he 
 traced Masonry to that period to which the written records 
 point, or where Masonic tradition places it, his labors would 
 have been rewarded by the plaudits of those who are seeking 
 after true Masonic light. But his work would.in this particular, 
 have possessed none of ihose charms of miraculous mystery after 
 which the world is running with almost frantic rage. That 
 this declaration is true, we have only to refer to the light 
 literature of Prance', the very trash of which is read with more 
 avidity and eager delight at th6 present day, than the ablest 
 productions in the investigation of the means which conduce 
 to man's true aud lasting happiness ; nor is this the only 
 example of man's love of the wonderful. Science is being per- 
 verted and thrown into ridicule to suit the vitiated taste of the 
 age. A gentleman, whose character for ability and learning in 
 the literary world places him high as an instructor, may propose 
 to deliver a lecture in any of the departments -of science, and 
 he can not, in any town in the United States, obtain half the 
 number of hearers as can be had by the most illiterate 
 vagabond who professes to close his eyes by an impenetrable 
 hoodwink, and look with the eye of the mind through his own skuU 
 and distinctly see any object placed before Rim. Alas ! how true 
 it is, that while posterity will accord to this generation a rapid 
 march in the onward course of improvements, they will also 
 set us down as a race of men taking pleasure in being deceived ; 
 a people who are best pleased when most deceived, and the 
 more ridiculous the manner used, the more fascinating the 
 deception ; and thus it is with Masonry, we delight to call our 
 Institution " ancient and honorable ;" ancient as having existed 
 from time immemorial ; and to confirm the belief of this oft 
 repeated sentence, the historian is encouraged to date its origin 
 back to a period anterior to that which affords any proofs for 
 or against it ; which leaves the writer at liberty to manufacture 
 a tale of its origin and rise, as senseless and miraculous as the 
 tiiHte of the age demands. 
 In order that we may the better exhibit the ground we 
 
^1) HISTORY OP FEEEMASOXKT. 
 
 occupy, it -will be necessary to inquire into the early history of 
 man ; tliis we shall do only so far as is absolutely necessary to 
 the elucidation of the subject before us. If we were in posses- 
 sion of a clear and well defined history of the world, from its 
 creation to the present day, we might arrive at correct conclu- 
 sions with much less difficulty ; but, unfortunately, the first 
 eigliteen hundred years are almost buried in impenetrable 
 oblivion ; for down to the time of the Flood, we know very little 
 more than the genealogy of the Patriarchs, together with their 
 vices and ultimate destruction by the Deluge. If we take civil 
 history, we find its first dawn is to be traced only as. far back 
 as the foundation of the ancient kingdom of Babylon, or the 
 Assyrian Empire ; and even there its light is shrouded by many 
 mists, penetrated by dubious rays. This period is about a 
 century and a half after the Flood. Nimrod, the founder of 
 Babel, was the great grandson of Noah, and even of his reign 
 and government we know nothing, save from the writings of 
 Moses, which are confined to a few particulars. That Ham and 
 his sons rebelled against the authority of Noah seems probable, 
 if we rely on the opinion of most chronologers ; whereupon, 
 Noah and his followers 'crossed into Persia, or India and China, 
 and as Sliem, whom he considered in the line of the Messiah, 
 was doubtless a favorite with his sire, it follows as probable 
 that they settled in tl5e same country. That, while Elam, the 
 eldest son of Shem, settled in Persia, Noah went still further 
 East ; and, though we are not well informed of the history of the 
 Chinese Empire, its antiquity, the language of the people, their 
 numerous traditions of the flood, render it probable that Noah 
 was the first to give it being as a nation ; it was certainly 
 founded by the wisest men. To which may be added the some- 
 what singular fact, that Moses is silent in relation to Noah's 
 history after the Flood ; which is accounted for by writers on 
 the ground that Noah had left Western Asia before the time to 
 which Moses alludes, and his history is mainly confined to that 
 scene. 
 
 If Masonry existed and was operative in those days, then might 
 we expect to find it in a higher state of perfection than at any 
 subsequent period ; for of all the cities, ancient or modern, of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 21 
 
 which we have an account, none, perhaps, will be found to sur- 
 pass ancient Babylon, either in extent or grandeur. It was 
 built on a fertile plain, watered by the river Euphrates, which 
 ran through it, and was encompassed by a wall three hundred 
 and sixty feet high, eighty-seven feet thick, and inclosed a 
 square of ground, each side of which was fifteen miles in length, 
 so that a circuit of sixty miles was made in passing around the 
 wall. There were fifty great streets, one hundred and fifty 
 feet wide, crossing at right angles, and terminating in four 
 other streets of two hundred feet in width at each side of the wall. 
 The entire space within was improved with splendid edifices and 
 beautiful gardens ; the buildings were three and four stories 
 high, and of superior workmanship ; there was also, around, a 
 square building of four hundred feet on each side, carried up 
 to the hight of the wall, and a platform of immense stone laid 
 thereon, upon which earth was placed, which not only served 
 to produce splendid hanging gardens, but supported large trees ; 
 these gardens were watered by an engine from the river. 
 These people also erected the Tower of Babel, the hight of 
 which is variously estimated. We are inclined to fix it at 
 something over six hundred feet ; its base was forty rods 
 square. Whether this was built by Nimrod, Ninus, or Semir- 
 amis, is not clearly shown. Ninus was much occupied in 
 building and beautifying the city of Nineveh. Semiramis has 
 also the reputation of giving to the world a reign of more 
 splendor for her great works in architecture, as well as achieve- 
 ments in arms, than any other sovereign for many generations ; 
 but it is difficult to form any well grounded opinion of those 
 who succeeded her ; for although we are told she abdicated the 
 throne in favor of her son Ninyas, it is not stated in what year 
 of the world, nor do we know any more of the history of the 
 Assyrian Empire for more than one thousand years. Tradition 
 has scarcely given us the names of the monarchs ; it is probable, 
 however, that a knowledge of the arts and sciences was lost, 
 and that the people became corrupt, dissolute, and idle ; that 
 the monarchy was totally destroyed. One thing is certain, 
 we can not rely upon any of the details of civil history, until 
 the reign of Nabonassar, which was about seven hundred and 
 
22 HISTORY OF FREEMASON Rr. 
 
 fifty years B.C. Nabonassar was cotemporary with Jotham, 
 King of Judah, and his reign was within five or six years of 
 the founding of Rome : to this period only, can we trace civil 
 liistory with any certainty. About six hundred years B.C., 
 Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, invaded the Assyrian Em- 
 pire, and destroyed the city of Nineveh; two years after, he 
 laid siege to Jerusalem, and after two yeajs of untiring efforts 
 be took and destroyed it, burnt Solomon's Temple, and carried 
 the Jews captive to Babylon. This brings us down to a period 
 after the introduction of Masonry, as we believe ; and although 
 the sketch is imperfect, it is sufficient to enable the reader 
 fairly and clearly to estimate our own views, as also those from 
 whose writings we shall make extracts. We say the reader 
 must be prepared to judge with what accuracy the history of 
 Masonry could be traced back to the antideluvian world, even if it 
 then existed, by any thing which we find in profane history, when 
 we remember that the link is more than once broken, and for a 
 period of time which renders it impossible ever to be united 
 by any power of the human mind. This being true, we are 
 left only two other sources of information : — 1. The Bible ; 2. 
 Tradition ; and we give full credit to each ; but we are not to 
 be understood as saying — If such a revelation can be found in a 
 Mormon Bible, we are prepared to admit its truth ; nor are we 
 willing to admit the bare declaration of any man that a tradition 
 exists establishing the fact that Adam was a Mason. But if the 
 Holy Bible, or that only true and holy tradition which has been 
 regularly transmitted, from age to age, through the degrees of 
 Ancient Craft Masonry, places the Society in the antideluvian 
 world, we will admit that we have learned Masonry in vain, 
 and promise to commence de novo. 
 
 If we could conscientiously believe that Freemasonry is Lux ; 
 that Lux is the true religion ; -that the true religion was 
 revealed to Adam, then would we admit that Adam, Shem, 
 Ham, Japheth, Enoch, and Noah were Masons — that Masonry 
 dates its birth at the creation of the world — and we could 
 bring to our aid the testimony of nearly all the able writers 
 who have figured as Masonic historians for the last one hundred 
 years. Yea, we could reap the advantage of the testimony of 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 28 
 
 one of the most learned writers of the present day, were we to 
 take the ground that Masonry was instituted by a man who 
 lived in the East, before Adam was created. I 
 
 Should we assume that Masonry is the uncontami-nated 
 worship of the only living and true God, we should be sustained 
 by the same celebrated divine ; and it would follow that, 
 inasmuch as God had direct communications with Adam, and 
 Noah liaving been pronounced a just man, these, at least, were 
 " Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ;" and as there is no 
 evidence that Noah or his descendants departed from the true 
 principles of religion, for at least one hundred years after the 
 Flood, it would seem all were Masons until they rebelled against 
 the authority of Noah, and assembled themselves together in 
 the plains of Shinar, and attempted to build a tower, whose 
 top should reach the starry heavens. 
 
 If Masonry is Geometry, tlien were all the Antediluvians 
 members.of the Order ; for Adam and Eve, especially the latter, 
 gave evidence of a knowledge of this science. But we will 
 more methodically accomplish the object in view, by taking up 
 the works of Dr. Oliver, an eminent divine of England, who 
 has written more on the subject of Masonry, in the form of 
 books, we believe, than any other man. To say we are anxious 
 for the result of -an effort, on our part, to point out some of the 
 inconsistencies and false positions assumed by so distinguished 
 a historian, but poorly expresses our feelings ; for tlie high 
 position he justly occupies would deter us from the attempt, tlid 
 we not believe his works afe likely to do much mischief. 
 
 As a Mason, we should not, in any case, tolerate a misrepre- 
 sentation, but especially are we under obligation to expose 
 spurious theories, when they tend to excite the ridicule and 
 contempt of those who are not Masons, thereby bringing 
 reproach upon the Craft. The first extract we shall make, 
 is that to which we have already alluded, namely : " But 
 Ancient Masonic traditions say, and I thinic justly, that our 
 Bcience existed before the creation of this world, and was dif- 
 fused amidst the numerous systems with which the grand 
 empyrean of universal space is furnished." * To this singular, 
 
 * Oliver's AnliquUUs of Fieemismrv, puge 26. 
 
24 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 if not Quixotic declaration, we deem it scarcely necessary to say 
 more than simply deny its truth. We here assert that there is 
 no such tradition ; and in making this declaration, we feel 
 called upon to state that we have taken all the degrees of 
 Ancient Craft Masonry, together with the Cliristian and append- 
 ant degrees ; in short, all the degrees recognized in the United 
 States as Masonic. With the traditions of Ancient Craft 
 Masonry we profess to be familiar, and we assert here that 
 there is no such tradition ; but we do not regard the traditions 
 of any degrees of so called Masonry, above or aside from those 
 of Ancient Craft Masonry, as entitled to implicit confidence 
 these we hold in such veneration, that we feel bound to speak 
 plainly when an effort is made to misrepresent them. 
 
 Had Dr. Oliver given it as his opinion that Masonry, in all 
 its simpl3 beauty, existed in millions of worlds, and from all 
 eternity, we should not have complained ; for, although it 
 might have produced the impression on our mind that it dis- 
 played the recklessness of a fanatic, or hired advocate of a bad 
 cause, still, as we could neither show that the position is incor- 
 rect, nor satisfy any one else that he did not honestly entertain 
 the opinion, we would be justified in remaining silent. But we 
 regard Masonic tradition as the very highest order of testimony 
 which can be found, to establish any event which happened 
 anterior to that period to which clearly defined written history 
 leb,ds us, and, therefore, can not permit spurious traditions to be 
 substituted to establish every chimera of the brain, emanating 
 from those who may cater to the public taste. We will not say 
 that the principles of the science were not diffused throughout 
 the empyrean of space from all eternity, for the simple reason 
 that we do not know it to be untrue ; we only say, there is no 
 such Masonic tradition. 
 
 The Doctor says that "Masonry is Lux — that Lux is the true 
 religion." Then it follows that none can be saved but Masons, 
 for we do not suppose false religion will save any one. If he 
 had said that true religion and true Masonry consist simply in 
 the belief of the existence of one Supreme Being — the enligh^ 
 enment of the soul, showing a self-existent and eternal first 
 cause, then all men are, and ever have been, Masons ; for every 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 25 
 
 nation, kindred, and tongue, from the Anglo-Saxon down to tho 
 wild savage of our own forests, have a law written ^on their 
 hearts, pointing to the Father of Spirits. But Dr. Oliver tells 
 us what Masonry is, and, therefore, we know what he conceives 
 true religion to be : 
 
 '• Speculative Masonry is nothing else but a system of ethics, 
 founded on the belief of a God, the Creator, Preserver, and 
 Redeemer ; which inculcates a strict obedience of the duties 
 we owe to eacli other ; inspires in the soul a veneration for 
 the author of its being, and incites to a pure worship of the 
 Creator." * 
 
 That this is true to the letter, all well informed Masons will 
 testify. Freemasonry is a system of ethics ; it cultivates and 
 enforces the most sublime truths in relation to man's present 
 and eternal being, and it incites and encourages its votaries to 
 look to God, and ask His blessings and instructions ; it points 
 to the Bible as the great book of God's revelations ; but it 
 does no more. It seeks not to renovate the soul and make 
 sacrifice for sin, by pointing to the Lamb of God, who taketh 
 away the sins of the world. It points neither to circumcision 
 nor baptism for the remission of sins. It is a system of morals 
 only. It is not religion ; it is not in reality any part of relig- 
 ion. It is, as the Doctor here declares it to be, a systen of 
 ethics ; and yet, next to tlic Christian religion, it is the n jst 
 perfect system ever known to man ; but does it follow that God 
 gave to man, at his creation, a system by which an association 
 of men were to be formed into a secret society, for the cultiva- 
 tion and preservation of our sacred rites ? The fact that 
 Masons, in all ages, since the introduction of our Order, have 
 taught one or more of the principles of the true worship and 
 knowledge of God, is no more evidence of its coexistence with 
 the creation, than is the fact that every religious society in 
 Christendom, teaching, at this day, one or more of the same 
 principles, proves their respective existence, as such, in the 
 garden of Eden, or even in the days of our Saviour's sojourn 
 on earth. 
 
 • Oliver's AntijuitUs, p. 28. 
 
26 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 "We fraternally ask the reader to remember tlie extract above, 
 made with a view to compare it with others which we shall 
 make in the course of this investigation ; for, notwithstanding 
 the Doctor takes the ground that Masonry is the true religion, 
 it seems to us that the next, to which attention is here called, 
 tends to prove that Masonry is no part of religion : 
 
 " Placed in the Garden of Eden, Adam was made acquainted 
 with the nature of his tenure, and taught, with the worship of 
 his Maker, that science which is now termed Masonry. This 
 constituted his chief happiness in Paradise, and was his only 
 consolation after his unhappy fall."* 
 
 Now, if this science was communicated to Adam vdth a know- 
 ledge of the true worship, then it could not have been more 
 than an appendage to, and not even a constituent part of, the 
 true worship ; but as this constituted Adam's chief happiness in 
 Paradise, tlien are we left to infer that God revealed to Adam 
 the plan of salvation for fallen men, viz., repentance and faith 
 in Jesus' Christ, before he fell, because, the Doctor says, this 
 transpired in the Garden of Eden ; but we must suppose that 
 Adam did not repent until after his disobedience, for this would 
 be to suppose an impossibility ; on the contrary, if we take the 
 ground that Adam was a Mason before his fall, then must we 
 believe that Masonry is something more than religion, as w 
 understand it ; for we suppose the true religion embraces an 
 acknowledgment of guilt on the part of the creature, and an 
 outpouring of sorrow for sin to the Creator ; but man's prime- 
 val purity in Paradise, before the worm of corruption polluted 
 his soul, needed no repentance, as without sin there could be no 
 sorrow, or pain, or guilt. In short, Adam was created holy, 
 upright, and pure, and needed not a knowledge of the true 
 religion to add to his felicity. Again, if it constituted his 
 chief happiness before his fall — when he could not have felt the 
 want of a plan of salvation — and was his only consolation tifler 
 his fall, it could not have been mere religion. 
 
 The Doctor is not content with showing tliat Adam was a 
 Mason, but evidently endeavors to produce the impression that 
 his partner was also a Mason : 
 
 * Annuities, p. 41. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 27 
 
 " Seduced by these specious declarations, the mother of all 
 Masons violated the sacred injunctions of God, and, through 
 her entreaties, Adam followed the pernicious example, and both 
 miserably fell from a state of innocence and purity, to experi- 
 ence all the bitter fruits of sin, toil and labor, misery and 
 death." * 
 
 If the author had said that Eve was the mother of all men, 
 then would we have understood him as not differing from other 
 historians ; but to assert that Eve was the mother of all Mor- 
 mons, or all Odd Fellows, or all Masons, presupposes her 
 acquaintance with, and practice of, all the peculiarities of the 
 particular sect of which she was the mother. Abraham was 
 the father of the faithful, because he practiced that faith so per- 
 fectly, that God was pleased to declare that through him 
 should all the nations of the earth be blessed ; and if Eve was 
 the mother of all Masons, a question of somewhat serious import 
 might arise. There is an opinion angong the vulgar that 
 Masons have dealings with the devil, and it is sustained by 
 quite as well authenticated a tradition as some of those men- 
 tioned by the Doctor. Now, if Eve was a Mason before she 
 partook of the forbidden fruit, may it not be said that the devil 
 communicated to her the secrets of Masonry, in order that she 
 should fall, and thereby become the mother of all Masons ? 
 This opinion is quite as tenable as that Masonry is the true 
 worship ; that the true worship was understood and practiced 
 by her, and yet failed to arrest her disobedience, and thereby 
 save the world from sin and death. 
 
 The Doctor says that when Cain slew his brother, he fell from 
 the true principles of Masonry ; 'that the earth was cursed ; 
 that a mark was placed upon the fratricide, and evil pronounced 
 against his posterity : 
 
 " His race forsook every good and laudable pursuit, along 
 with Masonry, and degenerated into every species of impurity 
 and wickedness." t 
 
 Yet to these people he traces the origin of operative Masonry 
 — another evidence that Masonry was the work of the wicked 
 
 • Antiquities, p. 47. t Ibid p. 45. 
 
28 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 one. Jabal invented the use of tents ; Jubal, his brother, 
 invented music ; and Tubal-Cain, his half-brother, invented tlie 
 art of forging metals : who, together with their great grand- 
 sire and his descendants, erected the first city, which they named 
 Hanoch, after Cain's eldest son. Now, that the descendant 
 of Cain were the inventors of the arts above named is asserted 
 by Moses ; but, when we remember that th^ were under the 
 curse of God, were wicked and rebellious, how are we justified 
 in attributing to them the practice of Masonry, if it is the true 
 religion, and especially when the Doctor tells us that they had 
 lost all their Masonry ? But, anon, the Doctor turns with holy 
 horror from this wicked and rebellious people to the family of 
 Seth, the son of Adam : 
 
 " Who was educated by his father in the strictest principles 
 of piety and devotion, and, when he arrived at years of matu- 
 rity, was admitted to a participation in the mysteries of 
 Masonry, to which study he applied himself with the most 
 diligent assiduity. The progress he made in this study is fully 
 demonstrated by the purity of his life. Associating with him- 
 self the most virtuous men of his age, they formed Lodges, and 
 discussed the first principles of Masonry with freedom, fervency, 
 and zeal." * 
 
 Reader, strange as it may seem, the above extract comes 
 from the pen of one of the most learned divines of the age — one 
 to whom it would seem we had a right to look for light and 
 instruction ; to whose moral guidance the novitiate, at least, 
 might safely confide the direction of his footsteps in the path- 
 way of moral purity and true piety, which alone lead to 
 unfading glory. Were it an extract from that quarter where 
 the marvelous is known to predominate, where the pens of the 
 ablest writers are prostituted to the corrupted morals of an 
 infidel people, and true piety is driven into exile, we might hope 
 its effect would be as evanescent and harmless as the dreams of 
 infidelity ; but the works of Dr. Oliver are intended for preser- 
 vation, to be placed in. the archives of the Lodges, aiid handed 
 down as a rich legacy to future ages, and we are responsible to 
 
 * AnUgmlies, p. 48. 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONBT. 29 
 
 posterity, should the humblest among us permit the coinage of 
 fiction, the mere invention of a tale, though emanating from the 
 highest source, and that, too, in the enlightened nineteenth 
 century, to go down to future ages as the first and only true 
 history of Masonic events happening more than five thousand 
 years ago, and not raise our warning voice. We will not deny 
 the fascination which this new theory throws around the study 
 of Masonry. With what pride would we refecho the glad 
 tidings to the zealous and devoted Mason, that the long sleep 
 of oblivion which has shrouded our history has passed away ; 
 that the mist of ages has been dispersed by the brilliant rays 
 of Lux ; that the vail has been rent by this celebrated divine, 
 and we permitted to behold the standard of our Order, planted 
 by Seth, the son of Adam, who, together with his brethren, 
 actually " met in Lodges, and discussed Masonry with freedom, 
 fervency, and zeal." We repeat, this would be news worthy to 
 be chronicled abroad, were it only sustained by well authenti- 
 cated history, either written or traditional ; but, alas, so far 
 from this being the case, we are constrained to regard even tlie 
 theory of our author as leading the mind to disbelieve his own 
 declaration ; for if Masonry is the true religion and worship 
 of God, and if Seth was educated by his father in the strictest 
 principles of piety and devotion, what are we to understand the 
 Doctor as teaching, when he uses the following language : 
 " When Seth was arrived at the age of maturity, he was 
 admitted into the mysteries of Masonry ? " Could Adam have 
 taught Seth, anterior to his maturity, the principles of true 
 piety and devotion to God, without a knowledge of the true 
 religion ? Could he have been taught the principles of religion, 
 without a knowledge of Masonry? In short, if the true 
 religion and Masonry are one and the same thing, was not 
 Seth, by the Doctor's own showing, taught the secrets of 
 Masonry before he arrived to years of maturity ? But, above 
 all, we might ask — What proof is there that Seth was a Mason ? 
 Give us the proof, and then, and not till then, are we prepared 
 to believe that Seth and his brethren actually met in Lodges, 
 and discussed the great principles of Masonry with freedom, 
 fervency, and zeal. 
 
30 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKT. 
 
 " The seven xiberal sciences, originally invented by Masons, 
 were transmitted almost solely through their indefatigable zeal 
 before the invention of printing."* 
 
 Here we are in the same lamentable dilemma as before. How- 
 much we regret that some known facts are not produced in 
 support of this declaration. If a sufficient reason could be 
 found to satisfy the inquirer after truth that Masonry existed 
 in any form at this period, and that then, as now, it recom- 
 mended the study of the sciences, the declaration of the author 
 might be received as probable ; but, can we flatter ourselves 
 that well informed men will be prepared to admit, that because 
 Masonry has been known for several past centuries to teach 
 the arts and sciences, together with all the moral and social 
 virtues, and points to the necessity of a knowledge of the one 
 only living and true God, and a strict obedience to the divine 
 law, thattherefore Masonry was instituted in the Garden of Eden, 
 or at any time during the antediluvian age ? If history, sacred 
 or profane, recorded the fact, or if the traditions of Ancient 
 Craft Masonry could be brought to its support, then would we 
 gladly give our adhesion ; but it can not be thus traced. We 
 will not deny that there are degrees cdkd Masonic, and a great 
 number of them, from which we may glean a tradition, leading 
 back to the remotest period, and pretending to elucidate almost 
 all the religions ever known or professed in the world ; but 
 where is the well informed Mason who does not spurn them as 
 the production of modern times— the invention of men whose 
 Masonic peddling propensities make them a scoff and a by-word 
 to the good and true everywhere? We boldly assert, and hold 
 ourselves prepared to vindicate its truth, that there is no 
 Masonic tradition emanating from Ancient Craft Masonry — 
 and we acknowledge no other as being true Masonry — proving 
 the existence of such an order of men anterior to the building 
 of the Temple at Jerusalem ; and even to that period, we shall 
 have some difficulty to trace it, to the satisfaction of those who 
 are not Masons, for the reason, that the most reliable traditions 
 are hid from the world by the established usages of the 
 
 * Oliver's Antiqiiiiies, p. 54. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 31 
 
 Institution, still we do believe that the candid rtader, who will 
 summon the moral courage to wade through our somewhat 
 tedious investigation, will be constrained to admit that our 
 conclusions are drawn from a reasonable supposition of their 
 truth. 
 
 Dr. Oliver seems to be aware that there might be some who 
 would not be willing to regard his simple declaration as sufficient 
 proof that Masons invented the sciences, and, therefore, uses the 
 following most singular argument : 
 
 "To trace these sciences .back to their original, may be 
 counted an adventurous task; but if, amidst the doubtful 
 evidence which remains of these times, we find strong presump- 
 tive proof that they were in the exclusive possession of Masons 
 in the most early ages of the world, it will show that Masonry 
 is not a negative Institution, but that it is of some actual benefit 
 to mankind."* 
 
 Now, his conclusions would be, in the main, correct, if his 
 premises were not false. He might find presumptive proof, 
 perhaps, that the sciences were in the exclusive possession of 
 Masons at the time to which he alludes, provided he could find 
 presumptive proof that Masonry then existed ; but the total 
 absence of any proof, save the naked declaration of modern 
 writers, leaves the author's deductions worthless. The 
 science of numbers is said to have its origin with God, because 
 He computed time at the creation. Enoch invented an alphabet, 
 to perpetuate sounds, which is called the first rudiments of 
 grammar. Some are of opinion that Enoch communicated this 
 knowledge to Methuselah ; by the latter it w%.s given to Noah, 
 and by Noah to his sons, and thence to the world, after the 
 Flood. The descendants -of Shem have the honor of so improv- 
 ing on the original, as to produce the Hebrew tongue, while 
 Ham and his sons conveyed the same alphabet to Egypt, whose 
 priests, some hundred years after, dispensed with its use by intro- 
 ducing hieroglyphical characters, in order that their superior 
 attainments might be kept secret from the masses. That 
 astronomy and geometry were cultivated by the Antediluvians 
 
 • Oliver's Antiquities, p. 81. 
 
32 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 is equally true. Josephus says that God found it necessary 
 to give man long life, that Jie might cultivate virtue and a 
 knowledge of the sciences. That, as all heavenly bodies re- 
 turned to their original places every six hundred years, a life 
 of at least six centuries was required to obtain a knowledge of 
 their relative motion, etc. The Pythagorean Society taught 
 the sciences ; but it does not follow, a priori, that the Pythago- 
 rean Society existed in the days of Adam, when it is known 
 that the founder of that Society was born more than two 
 thousand years after Adam's death ? We think not ; and yet 
 there is quite as much reason for this belief as tliat,because 
 Masonry has been known to exist several centuries, and incul- 
 cated a virtue or recommended the study of a science, a 
 knowledge of which was possessed by Adam and his immediate 
 descendants, therefore, Adam and his immediate descendants 
 were Masons. 
 
 The laws of Great Britain are founded upon, and inculcate 
 many of, the moral precepts of the laws of God ; which prin- 
 ciples were known to the Antediluvians, and yet it will not be 
 contended that the British Government existed in the days of 
 Adam; in like manner, Masonry teaches and enforces many of 
 the injunctions given to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, 
 Jacob, and Moses, but it does not follow that Masonry was 
 practiced by all these men. 
 
 " Enoch practiced Masonry, of which he was now elected 
 Grand Master, with such effect, that God vouchsafed, by imme- 
 diate revelation, to communicate to him some peculiar mysteries 
 in token of His ap'^robation." 
 
 Here again the Doctor fails to produce any proof that Masonry 
 existed in the days of Enoch, nor does he say by whom, or for 
 what purpose, Enoch was elected Grand Master. Had the 
 Antediluvans a Grand Lodge ? Where did it hold its Grand 
 communications, and who were its other officers ? But, if the 
 Doctor was at our elbow, he would doubtless readily answer all 
 these questions, for it is not more difficult to have all the stations 
 and places occupied, in this case, than it would seem to be in the 
 days of Moses, and there he points out the very individuals 
 wlio were in all the principal offices, even that of Deputy Grand 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 33 
 
 Master, an officer not heard of, we think, before the eighteenth 
 century, and certainly not before nine hundred and twenty-six. 
 To make the Doctor consistent, we must ask to draw some 
 deductions which naturally follow. Masonry is Lux — Lux is 
 the true religion. God pronounced Enoch a just man, therefore, 
 Enoch was a Mason, hence all good men having the knowledge 
 and fear of God before their eyes, and living in obedience to 
 Hisknown commands, are also Masons, and either the Society 
 of Cliristians or Masons is wholly unnecessary at this day ; 
 and we contend that there are especial reasons for the total 
 abolition of Masonry, for we must not be so illiberal as to 
 claim that we, as Masons, are in the possession of the only true 
 mystic light of. God's unsearchable riches and goodness, which 
 can lead the world to worship at the footstool of His sovereign 
 mercy, where alone the signet of truth is to be found, by the use 
 of which we may enter the Grand Lodge of saints and angels, 
 and be crowned with the royal crown of never fading glory, 
 and yet withhold a knowledge of these ineffable gifts and graces 
 from one-half of the world. Surely our mothers, wives, and 
 sisters should be permitted to enter within the vail of our holy 
 sanctuary, and become partakers with us in our righteousness 
 and redemption from sin. 
 
 The following extract will astonish the enlightened American 
 Mason, who has occupied a certain station and become well 
 acquainted with the means which qualify him for it, as it 
 exhibits one of two things equally remarkable, either that the 
 same history of the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry is not 
 given alike in England and the United States, or that the 
 author is seeking to engraft Scotch Rite Masonry, so called, 
 upon the ancient stock, as this pretended history is taken from 
 the thirteenth degree of said rite. In speaking of Enoch, he 
 says : 
 
 " Being inspired by his Maker, and in commemoration of a 
 wonderful vision on the holy mountain, in which these sublime 
 secrets were revealed to him, he built a temple in the bowels of 
 the earth, the entrance of which was through nine several 
 porches, each supported by a pair of pillars and curiously 
 concealed from human observation. -The perpendicular depth 
 
34 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 of this temple was eighty-one feet from the surface. Enoch, 
 Jared, and Methuselah were the three architects who constructed 
 this subterranean edifice ; but the two latter were not acquainted 
 with the sacred motives which influenced Enoch in causing this 
 cavern to be dug. The arches were formed in the bowels of 
 the mountain which was afterward denominated Calvary, in 
 the land of Canaan ; and the temple was dedicated to the 
 living God. He then made a plate of gold in the form of an 
 equilateral triangle, each of whose sides was eighteen inches, 
 which he enriched with precious stones, and incrusted it on a 
 triangular agate of the same dimensions. On this plate he 
 engraved the ineffable characters he had seen in his vision, and 
 alone, in silence and solitude, he descended through the nine 
 portals into the temple, and placed this invaluable treasure upon 
 a cubical pedestal of white marble. When the temple was 
 completed, Enoch made nine secret doors of stone, and placed 
 them at the entrance of the portals, with an iron ring inserted in 
 each, for the facility of raising, in case any wise and good man 
 of future ages should be led to explore the secret recesses of this 
 sepulchral vault. He then closed up the whole, that the secrets 
 there deposited might remain in perfect security amid the 
 anticipated destruction of mankind, for the contents of this 
 temple were not intrusted to any human being. Enoch paid 
 occasional visits to the temple, for the purpose of offering up 
 his prayers and thanksgiving, in a peculiar manner, to God, who 
 vouchsafed to him alone such distinguished favors." * 
 
 If the Doctor is correct in supposing that God communicated 
 to Enoch, in his visions on the mountain, the secrets of Free- 
 masonry, then we must believe that Adam was not a Mason. 
 If the author had said, that God communicated new secrets in 
 Masonry, then might we still grant th&t Adam was a Mason, 
 made so by God,inthe Garden of Eden, but he only received 
 instructions in the lower degrees ; perhaps he was only an 
 Entered Apprentice : true, we should find some diflSculty in 
 believing that God ever communicated as freely of holy things 
 to any man after the fall, as he did to Adam while he was 
 
 * Oliver's Antiquities, p. 83. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEkASONRY. 35 
 
 permitted to converse with God face to face ; but, be this as it 
 may, if Masonry is the true religion which God communicated 
 to Enoch, is it reasonable to suppose that he would have buried 
 the secret in the bowels of the earth, without even making those 
 who assisted him in the erection of his work acquainted with 
 the only means by which they could escape eternal banishment 
 from the presence of God ? Would he have straightway buried 
 the true religion from the eyes of men, until some good and wise 
 men of future ages should discover and bring it to light ? We 
 hope never to call in question the mandates of Jehovah, though 
 our finite mind may not be able to comprehend the reason which 
 dictated them, and if it were recorded in the Bible, that God 
 communicated to Enoch the secrets ofFreemasonry, and directed 
 him to bury them in the bowels of the earth, we would be the 
 last to call in question its truth, but the same high veneration 
 for His holy law, impels us to protest against that doctrine 
 which tends to pervert His known will, in order to establish, as 
 true, that which, in reality, can be nothing more than mere con- 
 jecture, founded on premises originating only in the imagination. 
 But in addition to the fact that there is no tradition in Masonry, 
 as we understand it, which points to Enoch as the builder of a 
 secret vault, there is a little defect in the manner of finishing 
 this noble temple, which seems to place this ingeniously invented 
 story at the door of some writer not quite so learned as we 
 know Dr. Oliver to be ; had he devised the plan of the work, 
 the rings wliich were placed in the several portals would have 
 been made of gold or some other metal not liable to decompose, 
 for as the design was evidently to conceal the secret for the use 
 of future genera.tions, after the flood, the Doctor never would 
 have used iron rings, with the expectation that they would con- 
 tinue to exist as such, so long a time. The authorship of this 
 invented tale is probably due to Debonville, Chevalier Ramsey's 
 successor. 
 
 Before we leave the subject, so often referred to, viz. : — that 
 Masonry is true religion, we feel called upon to notice one 
 other fact, which seems to be inconsistent with this theory. In 
 all the works of Dr. Oliver, he attributes to Masonry the 
 discovery of the arts and sciences, and the practice of piety, 
 
36 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 while the fact, is staring him in the face that the very people 
 known to be destitute of the true religion discovered and 
 brought to light nearly all the sciences ; for, in addition to what 
 we have said in relation to the posterity of Cain, and much aa 
 we may boast of the influence of Masonry and the true wor 
 ship of God, we marvel that our philosophers so little excel a 
 Socrates, a Plato, or an Aristotle ; we wonder that our mathe- 
 maticians are so little superior . to Euclid or Archimedes ; we 
 think it strange that our better writers are but a step ahead 
 of a Demosthenes and a Cicero, or that in history so few stand 
 above Herodotus. We say it is wonderful that, after the lapse 
 of ages, each claiming to be wiser than the past, when Chris- 
 tianity and Masonry have, arm in arm, or, as the Doctor will 
 have it, "united in one," been enlightening and improving 
 mankind, developing the rich resources of the human mind, 
 that even now we are so little superior to the heathen, for the 
 above named men were all so. 
 
 We wish to be distinctly understood as reviewing Dr. 
 Oliver's opinions of Masonry, with no vain hope of measuring 
 arms, as a historian, with him. We frankly acknowledge his 
 infinite superiority in learning and research, but the true and 
 well authenticated history of Masonry is attainable by all who 
 have entered within the vail ; and when we find errors and 
 false doctrines inculcated, the higher the authority the more 
 injurious the consequences which are likely to result ; and the 
 more necessary is it that all, who can wield a pen or talk upon 
 thn subject, should boldly stand up to the work, respectfully, 
 bu!; firmly contending for the doctrine once delivered to us by 
 our fathers, and thus, in the might and majesty of truth, put to 
 shame those who may so far forget their duty to the Craft and 
 to posterity as to set up a theory having no foundation in fact. 
 More especially is it our duty to enter our solemn protest 
 against such a theory, if it shall manifestly tend to bring ridi- 
 cule and disgrace upon our beloved Institution. We frater- 
 nally ask whether the course pursued by Dr. Oliver is not 
 calculated to produce that effect ? To illustrate some portions 
 of his theory, we will relate a dialogue between Mr. Wilkins, 
 an intelligent gentleman, entertaining a favorable opinion of 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 37 
 
 Masonry, and really desirous of information ; and Bro. Jones, 
 who has taken all the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry ; 
 
 Mr. WUkins. — Where do you date the origin of Masonry ? 
 
 Brother Jones. — In the Garden of Eden. 
 
 Wil/dns. — May I not ask you for proof that Adam was a 
 Mason, as I find no account of it in profane or sacred history ? 
 If any exists, it must be traditional, and from my knowledge 
 of the antiquity of your Society, I am inclined to think favora- 
 bly of any Masonic tradition coming in a regular and well 
 authenticated manner. 
 
 Jones. — Well, sir, we have no tradition to that effect, but 
 Dr. Oliver, a celebrated divine, a learned historian, says, that 
 Adam was a Mason, because Masonry, being the true religion, 
 Adam evidently received it from God, who freely communi- 
 cated with him in the Garden of Eden in reference to holy 
 things. 
 
 Wil/dns. — Whether God communicated to Adam, before his 
 fall, the plan of salvation denominated the true religion, is by 
 no means apparent from any thing we find in the Bible ; but, 
 aside from this, have you any tradition that Masonry ever was 
 regarded as the true religion ? 
 
 Jones. — We have not ; but Dr. Oliver says, that inasmuch 
 as Masonry, as now practiced, inculcates some of the principles 
 of the true religion, and as God communicated freely with 
 Adam, face to face, Adam must have been acquainted with, and 
 in the practice of, the true religion, and therefore Adam was 
 a Mason ; and, beyond all doubt, Enoch was a Mason, because 
 God revealed a secret to him in a vision on the holy mountain. 
 
 WUkins. — My dear sir, if this be the best evidence of the 
 antiquity and original principles of Masonry, you must excuse 
 me for saying that I shall be compelled to regard the Insti- 
 tution as having claimed a standing and importance in society 
 which it by no means merits, and the arguments of Dr. Oliver 
 as too visionary to merit a serious answer. 
 
 We appeal to the candor and good sense of the fraternity to 
 Bay whether the conclusions of Mr. Wilkins are not such as 
 every intelligent man would arrive at. 
 
 "The Patriarch Shem continued, until the time of his death, 
 
88 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 to practice tliose principles of the Masonic science which lie 
 had learned from Lamech, Metliuselah, and Noah, before the 
 Flood. He communicated to his immediate descendants the 
 mysteries of Enoch's pillar, and hence his sons, the Cabiri, 
 became fraught with that knowledge, which rendered them so 
 celebrated throughout the world." * 
 
 We are aware that several historians entertain the opinion 
 that the Cabiri were the sons of Shem, and among the number 
 is the learned Bishop of Cumberland ; but to show how 
 uncertain this opinion is, it is only necessary to say that these 
 authors are not agreed whether there were three or sii of 
 them, whether they were Axieras, Axiakersa, and Axiakersos, 
 corresponding with Ceres, Proserpine, and Pluto ; or whether 
 Jove, Dionysius, and some others, not remembered, were of the 
 number. Nor is it at all clear, that the Cabiri were in any way 
 connected with Shem, or that they lived at the same time, much 
 less is it settled that Shem or the Cabiri knew anything of 
 Masonry. To us it is by no means satisfactory to say that 
 because a secret society existed at that day, whether Dionysian, 
 Elusinian, or Cabiric, that, therefore. Masonry was understood 
 and practiced ; nor is it plain to us that, because the Cabiri, in 
 conjunction with Thoth and a host of bther heathen, had 
 succeeded in substituting their mysteries for the truth, thereby 
 leading the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth from the 
 true worship, that, therefore, they were Masons ; nor yet 
 because Abraham was called of God to restore the true 
 worship, he was necessarily a Mason. We would, however, 
 confess, that there is more reason for supposing that the Cabiric 
 mysteries were Masonic, than that Abraham was a Mason, 
 because both the Cabiric and Masonic,were secret Associations, 
 while Abraham was called of God to do a work of faith and 
 obedience to his Divine Master, which God intended should be 
 an example to all men, for, through him the children of the 
 promise were to arise, and there is no reason to suppose that 
 God made Abraham an example of perfect obedience through 
 any secrSt confederates or associations with men. We are 
 
 ' 0\ivev'B AnUquUies, p. 141. 
 
HISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 39 
 
 aware that there is a tradition attached to one of the degrees 
 of Masonry, as now given, that leads us to suppose, upon a 
 superficial view, that Abraham was a Mason when he returned 
 from Eg3-pt and settled in Mamre ; that his nephew. Lot, was a 
 Mason : aye, and the same tradition, so called, makes Melchize- 
 deck, the priest of the Most High God, who had neither 
 beginning of days nor end of years, a Mason 1 But who 
 does not regard the degree as of modern introduction, got 
 up with a long line of antiquity attached to it, in order to 
 make it acceptable to those who may be placed in a situation to 
 receive it? 
 
 The traditions of Ancient Craft Masonry teach nothing 
 which is inconsistent with reason, and which can not be recon- 
 ciled with the known events of the age ; but the trumpery 
 which has been appended, by the introduction of new Ceremonies, 
 within the last one hundred years, and the calling them Masonic 
 degrees, enables the writer who desires to embellish, and amuse 
 the curious, to indulge his propensity to the full, but the 
 consequences must be great loss to Ihe cause of truth, and a 
 tendency to subject the Fraternity to ridicule and contempt. 
 
 Moses was ordained of God to deliver the children of Israel 
 from bondage, and long before he escaped into Midian, h^ 
 received manifest tokens of God's favor, by receiving instruc- 
 tions in the true worship; and yet, Dr. Oliver says, that Moses 
 had been instructed in the mysteries of spurious Masonry in 
 Egypt. " But when he fled to Jethro, he made him acquainted 
 with the mysteries of true Masonry." Now, the reader will 
 bear in mind that Jethro was a priest of Midian, an open and 
 acknowledged worshiper of idols, and therefore could not have 
 been well informed in the true worship ; and if Masonry was 
 the true religion we should certainly be inclined to suppose 
 that Moses was better prepared to instruct Jethro, than Jethro 
 him, for although there is some evidence that this idolater was 
 favored of God, still, we are not at liberty to believe that he 
 was qualified to give holy instructions to one whom Gx)d had 
 inspired and taught. When Moses had erected the twelve 
 pillars, Dr. Oliver says : 
 
 " After solemn sacrifice, Moses disposed the people according 
 
40 HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRY. 
 
 to tlieir tribes, and opened the first Lodge of which we hare any 
 certain tradition since the time of Joseph." 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say to the well informed Mason, 
 that there is rfo tradition of any sort, from the degree of 
 Entered Apprentice to the Select Master — and no one contends 
 that Ancient Craft Masonry embraces any degrees above — that 
 either Joseph or Moses were Masons, and certainly there is not 
 the shadow of testimony to be found that Moses was ever Grand 
 Master, and yet listen to the learned divine : 
 
 " Here he (Moses) held a solemn convocation to the Lord, and 
 the people returned thanks for their miraculous deliverance, 
 and entered into those indissoluble vows which implied 
 unlimited and united obedience to the commandments of God. 
 Over this Lodge presided Moses as Grand Master, Joshua aa 
 his Deputy, and Alioliab and Bezaleel as Grand Wardens." * 
 
 We feel called on to apologize to the reader for extracting 
 so much from the writings of Dr. Oliver, tending as the 
 above does to show his total want of knowledge of Masonic 
 traditions, or his recklessness as a writer, but, as before inti- 
 mated, the author's elevation of character gives him the power 
 to do much good or harm, and, as many of our readers have not 
 access to his works, we prefer the method here adopted of 
 making full extracts, that it may be seen whether we do him 
 injustice or not. We continue to make a further exhibit of the 
 Doctor's views of the Masonic life of Moses, after he descended 
 from the mountain, his face being covered with the glory of 
 God. The Doctor says : 
 
 " As a means of securing the practice of Masonry, and with 
 it true religion, among the children of Israel, until a prophet 
 like himself should appear among them to expand its blessings 
 and convey them to all the nations of the earth, Moses convened 
 a general grand assembly of all the Lodges, whether speculative 
 or operative Masonry, to consult about erecting a tabernacle 
 for divine worship, as no place,since tlie creation of the world 
 had been exclusively appropriated to religion and dedicated to 
 the true God, which He had condescended to lienor with His 
 
 • Oliver's AntiquiUes, p. 258. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 41 
 
 .mmediate presence. In obedience to the mandate of Moses, 
 the Masters of all Ihe newly formed Lodges, the principals of 
 the Chapter, the Princes of the tribes, with other Masons, 
 assembled to receive instructions of their Grand Master. To 
 this Grand Lodge Moses gave wise charges."* 
 
 Now, reader, in all candor, what think you of this as coming 
 from a learned and reverend gentleman, and brother Mason, 
 who is engaged in writing for posterity ? Moses, Grand Master! 
 Joshua, Deputy Grand Master ! etc. An assembly of all tha 
 newly formed Lodges 1 And if it be possible to conceive of one 
 thing as being more ridiculous than another in this extract, it 
 is that the principals of the Chapter were present at this Grand 
 Lodge ! 
 
 If the author had intended in the use of the term Chapter to 
 refer to an assembly of the clergy, as this term is sometimes 
 used, he would not have connected it with Masonry, as he has 
 done ; but all doubt is removed when he says " the principals of 
 the Chapter, the Princes of the tribes, and other Masons, assem- 
 bled to receive instruction from their Grand Master ; " so that 
 he evidently means a Masonic Chapter. To this we have only 
 to ask,, whether Dr. Oliver, or any other Mason, will undertake 
 to trace the existence of a Masonic Chapter to a period earlier 
 than nine hundred and thirty-four years before the coming of 
 our Saviour? Can one jot or tittle of testimony, written or 
 traditional, be found which will point to a period beyond the 
 reign of Cyrus, King of Persia ? We answer, positively, that 
 there is not. Nay, is there any proof that a Royal Arch Chap- 
 ter was known before the days of Chevalier Ramsey ? 
 
 We heard an Odd Fellow say that the Order of Odd Fellow- 
 ship dated its origin to the Garden of Eden, declaring that 
 Adam was an Odd Fellow ; and, certainly, there is more truth 
 in this than in many of the positions assumed by Dr. Oliver, 
 for, we suppose, Adam was odd before he had a. fellow, while for 
 tuany of the Doctor's opinions there is not even such a pretext. 
 
 But that we regard some things connected with our beloved 
 Institution too sacredly to write about them as the Doctor 
 
 * Antiquities, p. 266. 
 
42 HISTOET OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 has done, we could make extracts, and not a few, that would 
 astound the reader, who has not seen his works, and which 
 clearly show that he is culpably ignorant of true Masonic tradi- 
 tions, as well as Masonic secrets; or, he is recreant to the cause 
 he professes to espouse. We repeat, that if we have studied 
 Masonry to any purpose, if we have received the degrees in due 
 form, with the correct traditions belonging to the same, then 
 has Dr. Oliver written what we could not". He has mis- 
 placed and transposed the degrees, and last, though not least, 
 has antedated the origin of the Institution, without any sort of 
 testimony which is entitled to credit. While Preston, Hutchin- 
 son, and others, have asserted that the principles of Masonry are 
 coeval with the creation, no one, whose writings we have read, 
 has been reckless enough to declare that Adam and all his 
 prominent descendants, down to the Flood, were Masons. But 
 it is reserved for Dr. Oliver unblushingly to publish to the world 
 who were the distinguished officers of Grand Lodges, Chapters, 
 and other Masonic Assemblies. If the author had said the same 
 things in a different manner, if he had given it as merely his 
 opinion, that Masonry was practiced in those days, and given a 
 list of the Grand officers which he supposed existed, the Institu- 
 tion could not have suffered much ; but when he gives these 
 opinions as founded on Masonic tradition, the matter at issue 
 assumes altogether a different aspect. 
 
 We recollect but one instance in his Initiations or 
 Antiquities, where the reader is left to the choice of 
 believing or not, by reason of his declaration depending on 
 mere opinion. In speaking of the celebrated paper said to 
 have been found in the Bodlyan Library, in which the witness 
 on behalf of Masonry is made to say, that Masonry originated 
 with the first man in the East, before the first man in the West, 
 the celebrated Mr. Locke remarks, that " Masons believe there 
 were men in the East before Adam." Dr. Oliver pronounces 
 this opinion a mere conjecture, and this not being a conjecture 
 of his, but of Mr. Locke's, the reader would be left to suppose 
 that the Doctor writes alone by the authority of Masonic 
 tradition, were it not for the fact, that, by turning to page 
 26 of his Antiquities, we find this language has been already 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 43 
 
 extracted, viz.: "But Ancient Masonic traditions say, and, I 
 think, justly, that our science existed before the creation of this 
 globe," etc. We can not but be struck with the difference 
 which the Doctor makes between tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee.' 
 While the declaration of Dr. Locke goes to show that Masons 
 believe Masonry existed before Adam was created is mere 
 conjecture, the Doctor asserts, as by authority of Masonic 
 tradition, that Masonry did exist before this world was 
 created. 
 
 We ask, whence comes the Doctor's traditions ? We have 
 learned, what has ever been esteemed the only true Masonry, 
 viz., that which has been handed down to us by England. We 
 attach no value to any French or modern rites. We profess 
 to know and practice " Ancient York " Masonry, or Ancient 
 Free and Accepted Masonry, as coming to us through the Grand 
 Lodge at York, in England. There is no otlier Masonry 
 taught in the United States, except in Louisiana, which is not 
 acknowledged elsewhere, and we assert, and challenge contra- 
 diction, that there are no traditions regarded as well-founded 
 or coming through any truly Masonic channel, either in the 
 United States or England, which traces Masonry beyond the 
 Temple of Jerusalem. But, after some two years labor and ■ 
 reflection, the Doctor has had a change come over the spirit of 
 his dreams. Since writing the works already referred to, he, 
 has produced a large work, entitled the Historical Land- 
 marks, and in volume 1st, page 270, he says : " When Jacob 
 fled to his uncle Laban, at Mesopotamia, to avoid the resent- 
 ment of Esau, the servants were directed by his mother to carry 
 the Masonic stone of foundation along with him, in the hope 
 that its virtues might prove a talisman of protection in that 
 long and perilous journey." To this the Doctor adds a note, 
 and says : " The authority on which this tradition rests, is 
 exceedingly doubtful," and closes by saying:"! shall, therefore, 
 introduce the traditions of Masonry as they -occur, without 
 imposing on myself the trouble of vouching for their truth. 
 The brethren may estimate them according to their apparent 
 value." 
 Now, is this what we had a right to expect? Could we 
 
44 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 have supposed that Dr. Oliver would write some five or six 
 volumes on the antiquity and traditions of Masonry, giving us 
 line upon line in tracing it back to Adam by tradition, assert- 
 ing in positive language that Enoch, Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, 
 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Moses, Aholiab, and Bezaleel 
 wore all Masons, and several of them Grand Masters, and never 
 give us reason to believe his traditions came in a questionable 
 shape ? Yet, after the lapse of two years, he lets us know that 
 he is only writing the romance of Masonry ; that it is his 
 business to give all the idle traditions and superstitious tales of 
 by-gone ages, without being at the trouble to vouch for their 
 truth, and giving the reader the glorious privilege of adopting 
 whatever he may think proper ! We hold that there are no 
 false traditions in Masonry ; all the traditions which we 
 receive with the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry are true ; 
 they have ever been in substance the same ; they must ever 
 continue the same, if Masonry is permitted to remain, where it 
 ever has been, unconnected with, and untrammeled by, any 
 creeds, confessions, or associations of men ; and that tradition 
 which comes in any other way is not truly Masonic, and should 
 not be introduced and used as such. We might bring together 
 a thousand tales of ancient and modern times, representing 
 Masonry to be any and every thing that the ingenuity or 
 .wickedness of man is capable of inventing, and, as a book of 
 notions, we might sell our labor; but, we repeat, we were not 
 prepared to expect this from Dr. Oliver. Thousands are likely 
 to be misled by his works, from the fact that there are no 
 records showing the origin of the Institution ; and Masonic 
 traditions stopping short at the Temple, those who are fond of 
 the marvelous, and would fain persuade themselves that 
 Masonry is religion enough for man's present and eternal 
 happiness, will be too likely to adopt his opinions ; there is the 
 more danger of this, because he is aii authorized teacher of 
 religion. That he is deeply learned in ancient lore, no one 
 will doubt, and we only dare suppose that he is in the same 
 situation where thousands of other learned men (who are 
 Masons) are, viz., unlearned in the true Masonic traditions. If 
 this be his situation, and he writes at all upon the subject, he 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 45 
 
 must collect his testimony from the writings of others, and in 
 the multiplicity of stuff to be found in the world in reference to 
 Masonry, it is impossible to separate the true from the counter- 
 feit, unless the workman is acquainted with the signet. But 
 even though we take this horn of the dilemma, the effects of 
 Dr. Oliver's labor is not the less pernicious on the minds of 
 those who prefer the romance of fiction to the plain and 
 unadorned truth, wliich can only be acquired by receiving from 
 the few who are qualified to teach the unwritten history of our 
 Order. We may be asked if any high-minded, honorable Mason 
 would attempt to give to the world a history of Masonry, 
 without a thorough acquaintance with all its mysteries and 
 secret traditions ? We answer unhesitatingly. Yes ; and for con- 
 firmation of this opinion, appeal to the observation of the Craft 
 everywhere. We ask them to institute an inquiry, and answer 
 the following questions : — How many Masonic orations have 
 you heard ? Who delivered them ? What portion of these 
 expounders of our doctrine and traditions were qualified to 
 take the Chair, confer the degrees, and give the Masonic 
 lectures which teach the traditionary history of the Institu- 
 tion ? Alas, brethren, is it not true that, nine times out of ten, 
 men are selected to give to the world the history and principles 
 of Masonry, who are little more than able to pass themselves as 
 Masons ? How often is the inquiry made as to the brother's 
 Masonic learning ? If he is talented, acquainted with profane 
 and biblical history, and of sufficient notoriety to command an 
 audience, he is considered, just the man, and such an one will 
 collect from other writings such as he thinks calculated to 
 please, without being a:ble to determine how much of it is 
 Masonic tradition. 
 
 We know a worthy brother who has published a book on all 
 the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry, and several modern 
 ones, which was designed as a standard work (and by the 
 way, it is somewhat widely circulated), who, to our knowledge, 
 declined being examined . as to his qualifications to sit in a 
 Lodge of a certain degree, about which he had written learned- 
 ly, giving as the reason that he could not pass himself. This 
 same author, in social Masonic talk, frequently said things 
 
46 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY, 
 
 which those present had no right to hear, not really knowing 
 to which particular place they of right belonged. We hare no 
 means of knowing what position in this particular Dr. Oliver 
 occupies, but the most charitable construction we can at present 
 place upon his course is, to suppose he is very defective in 
 Masonic learning ; we can not believe there is so much differ- 
 ence between true Masonic traditions of England and the 
 United States. We frankly acknowledge that Ancient Craft 
 Masonry has been shamefully subdivided, and that our English 
 brethren are less to blame for this than we are, of which we 
 may speak hereafter ; still, the truth is not to be lost sight of 
 that the same traditional historv is afforded by each. 
 
 Say that in England Ancient Craft Masonry is all taught in 
 three or four degrees, while in the United States nine are 
 necessary. When one has taken them all, he is entitled to all 
 the Masonic traditions ; we believe we have them, and there- 
 fore believe Dr. Oliver has not. 
 
 We fear the reader is growing weary of this somewhat 
 lengthy notice of the productions of one author, to the neglect 
 of those who have claimed to occupy somewhat similar ground. 
 To this we beg to say that, but for the appearance of Dr. 
 Oliver's works, it is not probable tliat we should have written 
 a single page as preparatory to our contemplated history. We 
 bad supposed the opinions advanced by those who wrote from 
 1720 to 1800, had become almost obsolete, so far as they tended 
 to antedate the existence of Masonry. We had thought that 
 Anderson's History and Constitutions of Freemasonry was written 
 at a period when the Institution was ]3ut just rising into 
 newness of life, from a long sleep of feeble, if not sickly, exist- 
 ence, and that the man who was best qualified did not write its 
 history. So we thought of Smith's Use and Abuse of Free- 
 masonry. So we believed of Preston's Illustrations, and 
 Hutchinson's Spirit of Masonry. But, above all, we had been so 
 long in the habit of teaching and heaiing taught, in the Lodges, 
 the Masonic traditions blended with, and making part of, the 
 degrees, that we were not prepared to encounter a dozen 
 volumes, written or commented upon and enlarged, near the 
 middle of the nineteenth century, by an eminent brother living in 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 47 
 
 the home of our fathers, near the very halls in which our honored 
 sires received the mystic light, and where they received authority 
 and instructions to plant the glorious standard of our Order in 
 the New World. We repeat, that we were not prepared to hear 
 from that quarter, much less from such a brother, that Masonry 
 was practiced by Adam, that Masonry is the true religion, 
 when, by our laws, no such doctrine is or ever was taught. 
 Masonry never knew but one religious test to give admittance 
 within the walls of her holy sanctuary. A belief in the true 
 religion or a false religion was never required by the traditions 
 or rules of the Craft. A firm belief in the existence of the one 
 living and true God is, and, we believe, has ever been, the only 
 religious test. We are aware that efforts have been made to 
 exclude that very people who, in the days of their glory and 
 renown, established our time-honored Institution. A race of 
 men degraded and humbled down by the tyrannical laws of 
 bigotry and oppression. A people who, though once the chosen 
 of God, are now taught to feel the scourge of a malignant and 
 inhuman power, crushing their energies and blighting their 
 hopes of equal rights with other men. And why ? Is it 
 because they have no religion ? No, but because they have not 
 the particular religion of the powers that be. The heathen 
 oppress them, because they are not heathen ; the Catholics 
 oppress them, because thty are not Catholics ; the Protestants 
 oppress them, because they are not Protestants. Every religion 
 is true or false, as men adopt or repudiate it. Masonry 
 furnishes a refuge from all sectarian persecutions and distinc- 
 tions. Its doors are ever open to those who believe in a Supreme 
 Being, and whose cSiaracter for morality and good deportment 
 make them fit associates for gentlemen. We will not deny that 
 invidious distinctions have been attempted by some Lodges in 
 the United States ; they have passed edicts requiring candidates 
 for Masonry to subscribe to sectarian dogmas in the Christian 
 religion. But such are t.he materials of which our Fraternity is 
 composed, such the veneration for the Ancient Landmarks, that 
 when departures of this sort have been kindly reproved, the 
 offending brothers have clieerfully retraced their steps. If 
 Masonrv is tiie true religion, then should its privileges and 
 
48 HIRTOBT OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 benefits be restricted to the truly pious ; and as we firmly 
 -believe in the truth of the Christian religion, we should confine 
 Masonry to Christendom, and to a small number even here. 
 Then would Masonry cease to be universal ; then would we 
 travel from land to land and from sea to sea, and rarely meet 
 with the footprints of Masonry ; then would it become sectarian 
 in all its features ; and so long as the Christian Church is not 
 swallowed up by the "Masonic Church," so long would our 
 Lodges be filled with bigots, fanatics, and hypocrites— just such 
 materials as constituted nearly all the secret societies of the 
 heathen. God save us from such an alternative. No, my 
 brethren, let us go on in the even tenor of our way, teaching 
 Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, with the motto of " Faitli, 
 Hope, and Charity ;" let us send it forth into the uttermost 
 parts of the earth ; let us make it what God designed it should 
 be — a moral preparation for holier things — a stepping-stone 
 from virtue to grace — a handmaid to lead us on, by gentle 
 pursuasion, to higher and nobler deeds ; and God, who never 
 yet withheld the protection of his outstretched arm, will con- 
 tinue to shield and defend it through all ills. It may be, and 
 we are tempted to believe it will become, one of the means 
 employed by Jehovah to run through heathen lands and bring 
 every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus is 
 the Christ, not because it is the true» religion, but because ii 
 inculcates all the moral precepts of the Holy Bible, and 
 persuades all men to search that record. Yea, they can not be 
 accomplished Masons in any other way. And how often has it 
 happened, how often may it happen again, that, while its 
 votaries are searching for Masonic truths, tke Spirit of the Most 
 High God will illumine their understandings, and light them 
 on to ineffable glory. If the sacred truths which our Institution 
 teaches may but make us better men, better citizens, better 
 moralists, then it is worthy to receive the hearty welcome of 
 all good and virtuous men, whether they be Christians or 
 Pagans. But if it shall be able to accomplish more ; if its 
 tendency is to lead its votaries from the contemplation of sub- 
 lunary things to the enduring blessings of another and a better 
 world ; if it point to the great book-of nature and revelations, 
 
HISTORY OP PREEMASONR?. 49 
 
 aj the source from which we may learn to escape impending 
 riiiD,aTid "lay hold of the hope set before us," then should it 
 command the prayers of the virtuous, for then will it have, as 
 we believe it ever has had, the strong arm of Jehovah to succor 
 and sustain it through all time. Should we ask more ? Does 
 justice demand more? Dare we claim more? Does Dr. 
 Oliver, as aChristian, believe the plan of salvation revealed in 
 the Scriptures at fault, that we need Masonry to perfect it ? 
 We answer, No, no ; even he can not believe it ! As educated 
 Christians, we may believe that Masonry is calculated to lead 
 men from the evil of their ways, and point to the glorious plan 
 of redemption ; it may go forth, like John the Baptist, proclaim- 
 ing its heavenly mission to prepare the way for a mightier than 
 it. It may point to the cross of a risen Saviour ; it may tell 
 of the wonderful works of Him who spake as never man spake ; 
 it may even lead the weary and fainting invalid to the Pool of 
 Siloam, and tell of the miraculous virtues of the water of life ; 
 but its holy mission stops here ; it can not wash the polluted 
 scul from the disease of sin ; it can not, because God has not 
 so appointed. We claim for Freemasonry very much. We 
 claim for it some powers which will be denied by those who do 
 not believe it points to the Christian religion ; and while we 
 respect their feelings, and question not their motives, we claim 
 the same freedom from censure. We confidently look forward 
 to the day when the great system of missionary labor, which, 
 has been so nobly begun in this land of ours, will be cheered 
 on and powerfully aided by the mild and genial influence of 
 Masonry. Wlien the missionary shall go forth with the Holy 
 Bible in one hand, an3 our Book of Constitutions in the other ; 
 when he shall plant the standard of our holy religion, and open 
 a Lodge and preach the principles of Masonry in the imposing 
 and solemn forms peculiar to our ceremonies, we venture to 
 .predict tliat the heathen Mason will be the first to embrace the 
 Christian religion. Nor can it be otherwise, because to a 
 proper understanding of Masonry, he must search the Bible. 
 We now close our remarks as introductory to our history, only 
 remarking that we shall doubtless have occasion frequent'/ 
 to refer to them in th,e progress of our history. 
 1 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Having, as we humbly conceive, clearly shown that Dr. 
 Oliver has claimed for Freemasonry a degree of antiquity n^t 
 sustained by any reliable testimony, and some principles which 
 its votaries never practiced, we have only to add that our 
 arguments will apply with equal force to all others who, .in 
 like manner, have attempted to throw a romance around its 
 origin and early history. 
 
 It now remains for us to show, as near as may be, when 
 Masonry was instituted, and what were the principles taught in 
 its primeval purity. We have said it was not known in the 
 Garden of Eden ; we have said it was not known to the Ante- 
 diluvians ; we have said that the fancy sketch which clothes 
 Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and a host of 
 others, with the royal robe of Grand Master, is too deeply 
 covered with fiction to stand the mirror of truth ; and we have 
 further said, that there is no testimony upon which a prudent 
 man would risk his character, as an author, going to show 
 that it had a being until the building of the Temple at Jeru- 
 salem. There, we believe, it was introduced and perfected. 
 With every Mason who has become acquainted with the third 
 degree, we shall have no difiBculty to establish this truth. But 
 how difficult does it become to satisfy those who are not Ma- 
 sons, that our venerated Institution has even this antiquity? 
 For when we have given a true and faithful account of the 
 excellent tenets of the Order, and traced it back to the most 
 remote period of which there is the slightest recorded evidence, 
 still is there a mighty interregnum to be filled by other means ■ 
 than sacred or profane history. 
 
 We have stated that we rely more implicitly on a well 
 defined tradition, transmitted from age to age, from one organ- 
 ized association to another, in support of any supposed eveat 
 happening anterior to the dark ages, than upon any prolixafe 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 51 
 
 history, and we apprehend this is the opinion of most TtU 
 informed men. The Mason, therefore, who has the tradition 
 upon which we shall rely, will be constrained to admit our 
 position to be correct, while those who know nothing of that 
 tradition, are called upon to exercise a liberal faith in our 
 declaration of what is, and what is not, clearly defined tradi- 
 tion ; and we ask this the more earnestly, not because we care 
 so much whether it has this or that much antiquity, but because 
 Masonry has no history aside from, and independent of, its' 
 traditions. Strip it of its sacred lineage, as handed down 
 from generation to generation, through the medium of oral 
 communications, from father to son, from brother to brother, 
 from society to society, and you reduce it to a level with the 
 lowest schemes that were ever invented to delude a credulous 
 or superstitious people. All our talk about "Ancient Land- 
 marks," " Ancient Usages," becomes an idle tale, if Masonry 
 originated before or since the building of the Temple. The 
 entire fabric becomes a flimsy tissue of misrepresentations, 
 worthy only of the ridicule of all. On the other hand, admit 
 its origin as stated, the great good which it was designed to 
 accomplish, and it stands forth in all the moral grandeur and 
 magnificence of the first, the greatest, the most powerful aux- 
 iliary to our haly religion — the only Association that, through 
 weal or woe, through sunshine or storm, through evil as well 
 as through good report, has never failed to inculcate and 
 propagate the inimitable truths of God's holy law. All other 
 associations have come and gone, because they were conceived 
 in sin, or brought forth in iniquity. God's withering blight 
 has been laid upon them,because corruption was in their midst. 
 We say we must fix its origin at the erection of the Temple, 
 because all Masonic traditions go to, and not beyond, that 
 period of time. There is not an Ancient Craft Degree tliat 
 does not point to the Temple, there is not a lecture that does 
 not go back to the Temple, there is not a ceremony that does 
 not lead the mind to that beloved spot. King Solomon was 
 our first great teacher, he it was who conceived the plan and 
 '--"--gilt the beautiful system into being;atid, while the excellent 
 lessons taught by Masonry would remain just tlie same, we 
 
5^ HISTOEY OF FKEEMASONUY. 
 
 repeat, that if the Institution took its origin anywhere else, 
 all the forms, ceremonies, and reasons for their use are false, 
 and should be indignantly rejected. And with a view that 
 our readers, who are not Masons, may the better understand 
 and appreciate our views, we voluntarily give the most sacred 
 {)iedge that we will not put ' forth and claim as Masonic 
 history, that which we do not sincerely believe to be sustained 
 by the tradition of the degrees ; nor will it be diflficult to 
 confine ourself to the truth. The Ancient Craft Degrees are 
 the same everywhere ; their history is the same, and though 
 the simple truth may strip the lectures of some gewgaws and 
 trappings of modern innovators, and though they be deprived 
 of some of the fascinations of modern refinement, the fault is 
 " not ours. As a faithful historian, we do not feel at liberty to 
 write for those who expect us to tickle the fancy, and captivate 
 the imagination, by dealing in the miraculous. We intend to 
 have no interest in misleading any one. We expect our work 
 to stand upon its merits for truth, believing, as we do, that 
 much harm has already been done to a great and good cause, 
 by claiming for it more than is warranted by the facts. Truth 
 assumes many of the appearances, if not attributes, of falsehood, 
 when it is overdrawn or clothed in fiction. There lived, in 
 the early ages of the world, men whose excellent qualities and 
 noble conduct rendered them, doubtless, ornaments to society, 
 as the benefactors of mankind ; but instances are numerous, 
 where a just appreciation of their worth was merged into a 
 blind deification and worship of their names, until so much 
 fable attaches to their history, that, at this day, the most saga- 
 cious are at a loss to determine whether such men ever lived, 
 except in the imagination of an idolatrous world. We are not 
 ashamed to say, that we tremble for the history and con- 
 tinuance of Masonry, if it is to be enveloped in the mists of 
 mere conjecture. We tremble at the judgment of an enlighten- 
 ed community, if you prove that Masonry existed at a period 
 when no traces of its good works can be shown, or at a period 
 when every secret association, of which we have an account, 
 was strictly idolatrous, and, as we believe, in every essential 
 particular, save the account of the Flood, directly at war with 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 03 
 
 tnv holy religion, and the laws of God. Prove to the well 
 imormed historian, that Masonry existed before the days of 
 Solomon, and after the Flood, and he will be bound to declare, 
 that it was a heathen Institution in all its original designs. 
 Tell him that it existed before the Flood, and he will ask you, 
 What for? What was it designed to perform? Was it to 
 build the Ark ? Was it to cause Adam to partake of the for- 
 bidden fruit, in order that he might learn the mystic art of ' 
 making an apron ? Or, was it to bring Adam to repentance 
 after his fall ? We believe Masonry has been made, by different 
 writers, to do all these things ; and yet is the history plain and 
 simple when once understood. But when men have not given 
 themselves the trouble to become acquainted with the well 
 defined traditions of the Order (and great labor and time is 
 required to do so), if they write its history, they must neces-. 
 sarily be groping in the dark. 
 
 We here state, as our opinion, that God is the author of 
 Masonry. Start not, reader ; we do not mean to say that the 
 Great Jehovah condescended to form Lodges, and preside in 
 their midst, but we do mean to say that it was the result of a 
 divine gift, as we shall presently attempt to show. 
 
 We believe one of the objects designed to be accomplished 
 by its introduction, was the overthrow of those secret societies 
 that tended so powerfully to enslave the minds of the great 
 masses, and subject them to the whims and caprices of the few, 
 who governed and controlled the world through the machina- 
 tions of priestly superstitions. Age on age had rolled away, 
 since the great body of the people worshiped the one only 
 living and true God. Here and there only was His name to 
 be found engraven upon the hearts of men. Sodom and 
 Gomorrah could not furnish ten who knew and acknowledged 
 His divine law. The city of Jericho could furnish but one 
 family, while many others were destitute of a soul to aclinow- 
 ledge His immaculate power. Even the children of Israel, 
 that chosen people, selected for the purpose of receiving the 
 manifestations of His mighty power and great glory, who were 
 the daily recipients of His miraculous mercy and unceasing 
 goodness, too often spurned the hand that fed them, and defied 
 
54 HISTOBT OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 tlie power that preserved them from impending ruin. To us it 
 seems strange, that- when God made Himself known as the 
 avenger of their wrongs, snatched them from the galling joke 
 of slavery, commanded an East wind to open them a way 
 through the Eed Sea, and when their mighty and relentless foe, 
 like blood-hounds, were at their heels, caused the river to give 
 back its mighty torrent, and engulph Pharaoh and his host 
 beneath its flood ; we say, it seems strange that these people 
 should ever cease to feel grateful, and fail to worship at His 
 footstool. But, alas ! how melancholy a picture does their 
 after history present. The truth is, as we suppose, that the 
 world had long been engrossed in the thick darkness of idola- 
 trous worship, and the remembrance of Egypt's abominations 
 was rolled under their tongues as a sweet morsel, for they 
 longed for the flesh-pots of their task-masters, rather than the 
 ' glory of their Heavenly Father. 
 
 When Solomon w-as 'called to the throne of Israel, there were 
 a number of secret societies in successful operation, all profess- 
 ing to teach the wonderful mysteries of nature, the miraculous 
 power of certain gods, and teaching all initiates how to escape 
 all evils in this, and the world to come. When we shall come 
 to speak of these societies, the caverns, incantations, and 
 ceremonies, every Masou will see that there is no shadow of 
 resemblance between them and Masonry ; but such was the 
 regard entertained by the Egyptians for them, and such the 
 estimate placed upon the admission to their honors, that few 
 men lived without the hope of \)eing permitted to enter the 
 sacred Society, pass through the secret cavern, and be crowned 
 with a knowledge which would serve as a talisman against all 
 evil to which man is heir. And he who fai'ed to perform the 
 inhuman penance necessary to initiation, was ever after regarded 
 as an outcast, unworthy tlie society of men, dead to the world, 
 and cursed to all eternity. To counteract the direful effects of 
 all 1his, could a better method have been devised than the 
 establishment of a new secret Society, clothed with all the 
 paraphernalia of secret ceremonies, signs, and symbols which 
 Masonry has ever used ? We wish not to be misunderstood : 
 we do not believe that this was all that was to be effected bv 
 
HIbTOEY OF FREEMASONRY. Si^ 
 
 Masonry. Nor do we say that tradition tells us that it was 
 created for this purpose at all. But we do say that the 
 teachings of Masonry, instead of inculcating a belief in the 
 power and miraculous influence of heathen gods, laid the 
 foundation of a knowledge of that God and that religion which 
 could alone enlighten the mind, and point to a glorious immor- 
 tality. While we are constrained to admit that this opinion, 
 as to one great end of the Institution, is probably expressed for 
 the first time, and may, at first view, appear altogether 
 visionary, we ask whether it is not in accordance with the 
 general plans of the great Jehovah? Has He not, in all 
 ages, adapted His instructions to the habits of His people ? 
 Has He not given numerous instances, clearly showing that He 
 requires the use of means on the part of His created intelli- 
 gences, to the accomplishment of the great end to be attained ? 
 Noah was required to build an Ark, in which he was to be 
 saved; when, if it had been in accordance with the divine plan, 
 Noah could have been saved without the use of any such means. 
 In like manner, Moses was commanded to cast his rod upon the 
 ground, and take it again ; to thrust his hand in his bosom and 
 take it out ; to thrust it in a second time and take it out ; to 
 take water from the river, and pour it upon the dry ground ; all 
 these things were commanded to be done, as a prelude to the 
 miracles intended to be exhibited to an unbelieving and gazing 
 multitude ; and yet, no one attributes the performance of these 
 miracles to any power in Moses, except so far as God had 
 bestowed. No one supposes that, by striking the rock, Moses 
 jwssessed the power to make that act bring forth water. God 
 used Moses as a means, through which infinite power was 
 manifested. So with our Saviour, when He spat upon the clay, 
 and with that clay opened the eyes of the blind. When He 
 commanded the invalid to go to the Pool of Siloam, and wait 
 for the troubling of the waters, in order to be healed, no one 
 doubts the power of God to have efi"ected these events by a 
 simple act of will ; indeed, the whole plan of salvation, the 
 coming, death, and ascension of Jesus Christ, clearly exhibit 
 the general plan of using means, and those means were always 
 suited to the capacity, and, in many instances, agreeable to the 
 
56 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKY. 
 
 preconceived habits of receiving and communicating instruction ; 
 and as John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way, wean the 
 people from wickedness, and turn them to the Redeemer of the 
 world, is it farfetched to suppose that Masonry was instituted 
 to prepare the way, wean men from their secret, as well as open 
 abominations, turn them from a blind worship of idols, and the 
 machinations of a corrupt Society, to the great truths of God's 
 holy law ? The world has ever run after the marvelous and 
 hidden mysteries of life ; and while Masonry presented to the 
 uninitiated all the charms of other secret societies, and urged 
 him, by the same superstitious views, to seek admission, no man 
 ever entered within the vail of its holy sanctuary without being 
 taught to tremble beueath the strong arm of the mighty 
 Jehovah, venerate His holy name, love and adore Him, as the 
 chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely. It is not 
 likely that any who were initiated into Masonry were ever 
 after blind idolaters, for the very name which Masonry bore 
 indicated to the world around, and reminded the initiated, that 
 theirs was a knowledge above all the trappings of heathen 
 mysteries. They were called the " Sons of Light," and truly 
 were they a lamp to light the footsteps of a dark and benighted 
 people, from the worship of a thousand immaginary gods, to a 
 rational homage of Him " Who sits upon the whirlwind, and 
 rides upon the storm." 
 
 From the days of Abraham to the reign of Solomon, a period 
 of more than fourteen generations, the Jewish nation continued 
 to rise in power and influence among the nations of the earth; 
 and yet it can not be supposed that this was owing to their 
 superior attainments in knowledge, for, in the arts and sciences, 
 they were greatly behind their neighbors. It must, therefore, 
 have been the result of God's special care over them, and this 
 protection of divine Providence continued about the same 
 number of generations. 
 
 We now proceed to notice some of the prominent events 
 attendant upon the erection of the Temple. 
 
 Those who are conversant with the Bible will remember that 
 David desired to erect a house to the Lord, in which to deposit 
 the Ark of the Covenant, and afford a fit resting place for the 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 57 
 
 great Shekinah, made every preparation in his power, amassing 
 and laying up money for that purpose, and sought to learn the 
 spot of ground upon which it had been decreed the house should 
 stand, but God had determined that he, whose hands were 
 stained with blood, should never build the Holy Temple. Yet, 
 David being a man after God's own heart in all the outpoui- 
 ings of a benevolent spirit, God was pleased to promise him 
 that the great and glorious work should be executed by his 
 seed. 
 
 When Solomon was called to the throne of Israel, out of the 
 fullness of his soul to promote the happiness of his people, and 
 cause them to live to the honor and glory of their Lord and 
 Master, he devoutly prayed that his Heavenly iFather would 
 endow him with wisdom, adequate to the proper government 
 of the great nation over which he had been called to preside. 
 
 God, being pleased with the motive which prompted this 
 thirst after knowledge, answered his prayer by granting him 
 greater wisdom than had ever been bestowed on any king, and 
 added thereto such riches as would enable him to perform the 
 mighty work without let or hindrance. 
 
 From the earliest period of his reign, Solomon commenced 
 preparations and contemplated the speedy completion of the 
 Temple : and, as he received superior wisdom as a divine gift, and 
 as God set apart this work to be performed by him, is it not 
 fair to suppose that this superior wisdom was given for the 
 purpose of enabling him to perform the task assigned him in a 
 manner which no other man was qualified to do ? 
 
 Solomon, as our traditions inform us, and as is recorded in 
 the Bible, sent to Hiram, King of Tyre, to purchase timbers for 
 the Temple. Hiram, being ardently desirous to assist in the 
 glorious undertaking, cheerfully agreed to comply with tlie 
 request; and, moreover, offered to have the timbers felled, 
 hewed, marked, squared, and numbered, and delivered at what- 
 ever place might be designated by Solomon, without charge. 
 Solomon desired to pay for them, and Hiram agreed to receive 
 what would feed his workmen. " I will do all tiiy desire, con- 
 cerning timber of cedar and timber of fir. My servants shall 
 bring th'"m down from Lebanon unto the sea ; and I will con- 
 
58 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONKT. 
 
 vey them by sea in floats, unto the place thou shalt appoint mo, 
 and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt 
 receive them ; and thou shalt accomplish my desire in giving 
 food for my brotherhood." — 1 Kings v. 8, 9. 
 
 Upon this contract, Solomon sent to Hiram, annually, corn, 
 wine, and oil. (See 1 Kings v. 11.) All the workmen were 
 under the supervision and control of Solomon, as to the plan of 
 the work and style of execution. He also sent into Tyre, and 
 procured the services of Hiram Abif, generally known as the 
 " Widow's Son," in contra-distinction to Hiram, the King. The 
 mother of Hiram Abif was of the tribe of Naphthali ; and con- 
 sequently, an Israelite, but his father was a man of Tyre. Hiram 
 Abif, therefore, was only a Tyrian by courtesy, and not by the 
 strict laws of the land. It is said, by some historians, that early 
 in life he attracted the favorable notice of Abibalus, the father 
 of Hiram, King of Tyre, who, foreseeing the preeminent talents 
 of the young man, gave his powerful influence in advancing the 
 young artist, and this kindness was rewarded by young Hiram's 
 devotion to the advancement of his country's glory, and the 
 happiness of the people ; and though cut down in the bloom of 
 years, he had acquired the well earned reputation of being the 
 ablest artificer on the earth. 
 
 Our traditions inform us that, in the mere form of the build- 
 ing, Solomon took for his model the Tabernacle which Moses 
 erected in the wilderness. But we candidly confess our belief 
 that too much latitude has been given to this history, as it seems 
 to us the Tabernacle of Moses only served as a model for the 
 Sanctum Sanctorum, undmot for the entire edifice. 
 
 We have said that Solomon instituted and established Ma- 
 sonry, and we now proceed to give some of the reasons which 
 present themselves to our mind, in addition to those which we 
 are not at liberty to publish. And first, as already stated, all 
 our traditions point to him, as its fii'st great founder. Second, 
 he was the first Most Excellent Grand Master, of which we 
 have any account. Third, Hiram, King of Tyre, and Hiram 
 Abif, were King Solomon's confidential friends and counselors ; 
 and during the building of the Temple, and until it was nearly 
 completed, these three constituted the only Master Masons in t/u 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 59 
 
 world ; from them emanated all the instructions in the degrees 
 — nor were any conferred but by their authority, and tlie third 
 degree, as now in use, was instituted by King Solomon, as well 
 to perpetuate an important event, and transmit to future ages a 
 striking example of unprecedented integrity and moral firm- 
 ness, as to serve the invaluable purposes contemplated by the 
 great founder of a Society, whose very elements would be cal- 
 culated to bind together, in one common union, a band of 
 brothers in every age, cemented by those sacred and indis- 
 soluble ties which an association oi. benevolent spirits always 
 engender. Fourth, Solomon foresaw that if the children of 
 Israel continued in their rebellion against the holy laws of God 
 to do them, their enemies would be let loose upon them, that 
 their city and Temple would be sacked and destroyed, and the 
 remnant of the Jews be carried away into captivity, and this, 
 too, by barbarian force, the delight of whom would be to 
 destroy every vestige of the arts and sciences, and especially 
 the Holy Law and all the holy vessels. To guard, as far as God 
 permitted against this impending evil, Solomon instituted a 
 plan, by which a knowledge of the degree which was lost at 
 the building of the Temple, a copy of all the holy vessels, a 
 knowledge of the arts and sciences, together with a true copy 
 of the Book of the Law given by Moses, were all safely 
 deposited, preserved, and transmitted to after generations. 
 Other reasons crowd themselves upon our mind, but, for the 
 present, we pause to inquire the probable weight which should 
 be given to these. 
 
 We here repeat, that the clearly defined traditions of the 
 Craft unequivocally teach all we have stated above. Then, ia 
 it not remarkable, that if Masonry existed before the days of 
 Solomon, some of its traditions do not point to the time, place, 
 or persons engaged in its practice ? Is it not strange, that 
 Solomon is reputed as the first Grand Master, if Masonry 
 existed in the antediluvian age, or in the days of Noah, Enoch, 
 etc. ? For if, down to the time of Solomon, Masonry had been in 
 practice, how comes it that, at the time of the building of the 
 Temple, Solomon and the two Hirams were for several years the 
 only Master Masons in the world? Can it be believed that 
 
60 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Masonry existed for ages before, and yet at the period of which 
 we speak, but three could be found, even admitting our tradi- 
 tions to be silent as to their being the first ? Will not the well 
 informed Mason, who adopts the opinion that Masonry has 
 existed in all ages, marvel that when the degree of Master 
 Mason was lost, because of the peculiar condition in which 
 Solomon and Hiram, of Tyre, had voluntarily placed themselves, 
 that none others could be found upon the broad spread earth 
 who were not so situated, but that it was necessary it should 
 remain buried to the world for the space of four hundred and 
 seventy years? But, say these lovers of extreme antiquity, 
 Masonry was remodeled by King Solomon, and assumed a new 
 form at the building of the Temple. To this we have only to 
 answer that, while we can not absolutely prove that Masonry 
 did not previously exist, we are driven to the conclusion, that 
 if Masonry was remodeled by King Solomon, it was so done 
 as to leave no traces of its previous existence in any form 
 whatever — for no man ever has, nor is it likely ever will, 
 furnish one jot or tittle of testimony that Masonry at the Temple 
 owed its existence to, or had any connection with, any secret 
 association of previous existence. We, therefore, marvel that the 
 man has ever been found to hazard his reputation by saying that 
 Masonry, as a Society, is coeval with man, when this opinion is 
 sustained alone by the supposition that its principles are such 
 as must have been more or less in use in all ages. Nor have 
 we ever been able to appreciate the desire of tliese men so 
 tenaciously to adhere to this flimsy doctrine of extreme 
 antiquity. We admit Masonry is endeai-ed to our hearts by 
 having a head made venerable by long ages ; and we glory in 
 the remembrance that it triumphantly marched through count- 
 less revolutions, and nobly withstood the crush and ruin of 
 kingdom after kingdom, empire after empire, and still lives 
 and shines on earth, as a star does in bright glory. We say, 
 we rejoice in this, because it furnishes evidence, not easily 
 rejected, that an all-wise and over-ruling Providence has 
 shielded and protected it from the pelting of the pitiless °torma 
 that have been hurled against its bulwarks. But what need we 
 more ? Need we break through the barriers of truth, and trace 
 
HISTOEY OF FEEEMASONRT. 61 
 
 its geDealogy through the, dark vista of time, until the very 
 imagination is lost in the flitting clouds of other times and other 
 ■worlds ? Must the gray hairs, w-hich have adorned its noble 
 brow for more than twenty-eight hundred years, be silvered 
 over with a few hundred generations more, in order to gratify 
 our propensity for the marvelous, and thus attach us to the 
 Order ? For ourself, we see not the necessity nor an apology 
 for such a course. 
 
 We now proceed to give what we believe to be the clearly 
 defined history of the three first degrees. There were employed 
 at the building of the Temple one hundred and fifty-three 
 thousand three hundred workmen. Whether these were all 
 selected from the true descendants of the twelve tribes of 
 Israel,, or indiscriminately from all parts of the world, is not 
 of vital importance to the proper understanding of our subject; 
 but we hope always to give a preference to the Holy Bible, 
 especially when it is conflicted with by men who undertake, 
 without any superior light, to set it at naught by mere declama- 
 tion. Some such as these have stated, as historians, tliat, inas- 
 mucK" as some Greek artists settled in Asia Minor about fifty 
 years before the reign of Solomon, and as the Greeks were the 
 best workmen in architecture then in the world, therefore, 
 Hiram, King of Tyre, must have sent some of these to Solomon. 
 We regard this as worse than mere conjecture, because it 
 amounts to an effort to account for the unparalleled splendor 
 of the Temple, when completed, on other grounds than those 
 plainly taught in the Bible : " And King Solomon raised a levy 
 out of all Israel, and the levy was thirty thousand men. And 
 he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, by courses ; a 
 month they were at Lebanon, and two months at home, and 
 Adoniram was over the levy." " And Solomon had three score 
 and ten thousand that bare burdens, and four score thousand 
 hewers in the mountains. Besides the chief of Solomon's 
 ofiBcers, which were over the work, three thousand and three 
 hundred, which ruled oyer the people that wrought in the 
 work."— 1 Kings v. 13-16. 
 
 The difficulty arising in the minds of some, in admitting the 
 selection to be made from the Jews is, that this people were 
 
62 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 not accomplished workmen in architecture. But of how little 
 importance is this obstacle, if we admit the truth of the Bible, 
 in stating that God gave Solomon superior wisdom ; while, on 
 the coiitrary, if we set out with the calculation that none 
 worked on the Temple but the very best Greek artists, tlie 
 superior style and finish of the building can not be thus 
 accounted for ; for whether we take the statements of the 
 Bible,orof Josephus, it is represented as so far transcending all 
 others made by human hands, as to stand forth the wonder and 
 admiration of the world — and it will not do to say that it was 
 remarkable only because of th-e rich and costly ornaments, for 
 we are told in so many words, that " when the building was 
 completed, its several parts fitted with that exact nicety, that 
 it had more the appearance of the handy work of the Supreme 
 Architect of the Universe than of human hands.' And it 
 seems to us, idle to attribute the honor to any other than God 
 Himself, operating .through Solomon. It was erected by divine 
 command — and is it unreasonable to suppose that God would 
 take care of His own house, and give wisdom to man for its 
 completion in such a manner as to surpass all others ? To us, 
 there is nothing inconsistent or difficult to be understood in all 
 the plan and execution of the work, if we will but consider 
 that the Supreme Architect drew the plan, and if our brethren 
 would read the Bible more, and mere speculators less, we 
 should have much less difficulty to contend with in the history 
 of our Order, and much more clearly understand our duty to 
 God, our neighbor, and ourselves. 
 
 The workmen were divided into classes or Lodges, according 
 to their skill and ability to perform higher or lower orders of 
 work, and their advancement in knowledge»and virtue. 
 
 We will not stop to give in detail, our reasons, but we must 
 be permitted to say, that we believe Masonry was Speculative 
 as well as Operative in its original plan, and at a proper time 
 we shall attempt to show that since the days of Sir Christopher 
 Wren (the last Operative Grand Master), we have thrown off 
 Operative, and retained, not substituted, Speculati^>e Masonry ; 
 and that, whenever the Ancient Landmarks are well defined and 
 clearly set forth, the valuable lectures of Brothers Webb, CroRs* 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 6iS 
 
 and others, must be shora of much of their fanciful ornaments, 
 ■which have been introduced to adapt the Institution to the 
 times and circumstances under which we live. 
 
 We believe that Entered Apprentices at the Temple were 
 those who came forward and had their names recorded to 
 serve till the work was completed — that, thereupon, Solomon 
 gave them a lesson, or set of instructions adapted to their capac- 
 ities, calculated as well to promote their own interests and 
 happiness, as to forward the great work ; and as soon as they 
 had proved themselves worthy, by having acquired an intimate 
 acnuaintance with said instructions, he gave them privileges 
 and benefits which were enjoyed by none who were not engaged' 
 upon the Temple. 
 
 Our traditions clearly teach that he gave them certain secret 
 signs and token?, by which they would be able to make them- 
 selves known as Sons of Light, whithersoever they might be 
 dispersed. And we would ask. What advantage could result 
 to them from this ability to recognize and be recognized by the 
 Fraternity, if they were strictly operatives, and in possession of 
 no skill as workmen, superior to thousands of the Greeks ? We are 
 inclined to the belief that Entered Apprentice?,then,were quali- 
 fied to do better work, and were better instructed in the arts 
 and sciences, and a knowledge of God and his holy law, than were 
 many of the most accomplished Greeks, and hence were they pre- 
 pared, should any event prevent their further advancement in 
 Masonic degrees, to go forth and reap the benefit of instructions 
 received at the hands of one sent of God. 
 
 This degree is justly esteemed of greatly less value than the 
 third or even second ; and yet, when we properly appreciate 
 the moral lessons here taught, we are struck with the convic- 
 tion that a God-like wisdom must have instituted it. The very 
 first lesson teaches the candidate that humility is necessary to 
 the acquisition of all true knowledge, and here is shown a 
 striking likeness between this great system of ethics and that 
 sublime system of Christianity taught in the Holy Bible. To 
 whom does Masonry promise its benefits and blessings? To 
 those only ivho humble themselves to a proper condition to 
 receive— to those who come forward as dependent creatures. 
 
64 HISTORY OF FKEEMASONEY. 
 
 To whom does God promise the benefits and blessings of Chris 
 tianity ? To those only who humble themselves as suppliants 
 at the footstool of his sovereign mercy. 
 
 To whom does Masonry promise those invaluable secrets by 
 which the Mason is permitted to enter the company and enjoy 
 the advantages of the Sons of Light? He who voluntarily 
 enters into a covenant to keep sacred and inviolable the myste- 
 ries of the Order, and obey its ancient and established laws. 
 To whom does God promise those inestimable secrets of His holy 
 council, which enables the recipient to exclaim, " I know that 
 my Redeemer liveth?" To him only who will enter into a 
 Solemn covenant to walk in His statues and keep His command- 
 ments. 
 
 To whom does the Entered Apprentice's degree promise a 
 recompense of reward ? To him only who shall divest himself 
 of all the vices and superfluities of life, stand upon the Squaro 
 of Virtue, live by the Plumb-line of Truth, and thus form tha 
 corner-stone upon which he may safely build his spiritual and 
 eternal edifice. To whom does God promise a recompense of 
 reward ? To him only who will deny himself all ungodliness 
 and worldly lusts, and live soberly and righteously in this 
 present evil world. 
 
 Thus we think may be traced even in this, the preparatory 
 and least important degree, a striking likeness between the 
 divine teachings of our Heavenly Father and the Institution of 
 Masonry. Nor are these salutary lessons the invention of 
 modern times. They were taught at the building of the Tem- 
 ple — they have been taught ever since, and palsied be the arm 
 that shall be raised to oppose or withhold them. Who then will say 
 that Masonry was Operative only in former times? Who shall 
 sayit was anti-Christian in its formation ? And, above all, who 
 shall say that the finger of God does not point to its origin, and 
 Hisright arm guard it in its onward march to the accomplish- 
 ment of its divine mission of " peace on earth and good will to 
 man." 
 
 The Entered Apprentice is presented with a white garment, 
 as an emblem of that purity of life and rectitude of conduct, so 
 necessary to his gaining admission into the celestial Lodge 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 05 
 
 above, wliere presides our Supreme Grand Master. He is taught 
 so to divide his time, that he may devote eight hours to the 
 service of God and a distressed worthy brother, eight to tho 
 common avocations of life, and eight to refresliment and sleep. 
 He is further taught to use the " common Gavel " to divest his 
 mind and conscience of all the vices and superfluities of life, 
 thereby the better fitting his body, as a living stone, for tha 
 spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal ii 
 the heavens. He is taught to look with wonder and adaiira 
 tion at yonder " cloudy canopy, and starry-decked heavens 
 whither every good Mason hopes to arrive by the aid of tha 
 theological ladder which Jacob, in his vision, saw ascending 
 from earth to heaven, the three principal rounds of which are 
 denominated Faith, Hope, and Charity, and admonish us to have 
 Faith in God, Hope in immortality, and Charity toward all man- 
 kind ; but the greatest of these is Charity, because Faith may 
 be lost in sight,Hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends be- 
 yond the grave, through the boundless realms of eternity." The 
 Entered Apprentice is pointed to the Mosaic pavement, the 
 indented tassel, and the blazing star, to remind him that this 
 life is checkered with good and evil, that around it hangs a 
 beautiful tesselated border of comforts and blessings, which we 
 may enjoy by a faithful reliance on divine Providence, the hier- 
 oglyphic star of the Entered Apprentice Mason. He is taught 
 tliat the Mason's Lodge, in which our brethren formerly ceased 
 from their labor and sunk to sweet repose, conscious of a well 
 spent day in toil, and labor, and brotherly kindness, and char- 
 ity, is typical of that Grand Lodge where saints and angels 
 assemble around the throne of God to welcome the returning 
 prodigal with songs of rejoicing and hallelujahs to the Lamb 
 for ever and ever. This, this is Apprentice Masonry, and who 
 does not discover the finger of God in all this ? 
 
 Oh I how must the Christian Mason's heart bleed at heariog 
 this glorious Institution wantonly assailed 1 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 ' As THE second, or Fellow Craft's degree, as now conferred, 
 is infinitely less important than it was at the building of the 
 Temple, and, as a faithful historian, it will devolve on us to 
 show why this is so, we shall not shrink from the task when 
 the appropriate time shall arrive ; but, as we are now consider- 
 ing the earliest history of our Order, we think it proper to lay 
 before our readers Masonry as it then was, and in tracing its 
 somewhat obscure advancement through several ages, arrive 
 at, and account for, the changes alluded to, as best we may. 
 That the Fellow Craft's degree embraced a much larger 
 amount of valuable instruction, both in reference to Speculative 
 and Operative Masonry than is now to be found in the degree, 
 we think the well informed Mason can not rationally doubt. 
 Who and what were the eighty tliousand Craftsmen employed 
 at the building of the Temple ? We hesitate not to say that 
 they were accomplished workmen ; that, while it was the busi- 
 ness of the Entered Apprentice to prepare the Rough xlshler, it 
 was the business of the Fellow Craft to polish and perfect the 
 stone for the builder's use, to accomplish which great skill and 
 experience were necessary ; that these workmen were inferior 
 only to the three thousand and three hundred whom Solomon 
 had qualified by still superior instructions to take charge of 
 and Oversee the work, must be apparent to all ; that the most 
 vigilant watch was kept over them, in order that no imperfect 
 work might be assigned to, or find a place in, the edifice; and 
 that, to insure this result, the most perfect system of checks and 
 balances were instituted. If we understand the degree, as then 
 in use, the work of those men was regularly brought up to the 
 Temple for inspection and careful examination by such as 
 were fully competent ; and the system of examination was sn 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 67 
 
 perfect as to admit of no infractions, nor was it possible that 
 tlie Craftsmen could be imposed upon, sliould a corrupt over- 
 seer be placed to examine the work, for every Craftsman was 
 furnished with means by which he was safely protected from 
 having it appropriated to the use of another. So in reference 
 to the wages, which we are traditionally informed wej"e paid 
 regulai'ly on the evening of every sixth day. No mistake or 
 injustice could be done. Every man who had, in obedience to 
 the established rules of the Order, accomplished a piece of' 
 work, had a right to demand, and always received, the wages 
 justly due. And here we are struck with the simplicity and 
 perfection of the system, as adding another evidence of the 
 divine hand that directed ; for, so infinitely perfect was the 
 system, as noticed, that while the workmen were guarded and 
 protected in all their rights, in like manner did it safely and 
 completely protect King Solomon from any imposition, even 
 to the smallest sum demanded by that vast multitude of Crafts- 
 men. It is worthy of remark, that after the lapse of so many 
 ages, and all the powers and inventions of man have, from 
 time to time, been brought to bear, in order to facilitate easy 
 and correct settlements of accounts and the speedy liquida;tion 
 of just demands, no system has ever been discovered or 
 brought into use that will at all compare with that to which 
 we now allude, but which the Mark Master Mason of the 
 present day can alone understand. "We are aware that we lay 
 ourselves liable to ridicule by those who are unacquainted with 
 Masonry, in stating the fact that one man paid off regularly, 
 justly, and satisfactorily, every Craftsman ; and, when the 
 number is considered, we are aware how natural it is for those 
 who have not become acquainted with the simple plan, to 
 declare the thing utterly impossible, and yet he who has wit- 
 nessed an exhibition of the work has probably wondered more 
 that he had not thought of so simple a method, than that the 
 thing was impracticable. It will be seen, therefore, that we 
 believe the Mark Master's do.tj ice, as now given, is part and 
 parcel of the Fellow Craft's degree ; that this is true, is mani- 
 fested by a variety of reasons, few of which, however, can be 
 written, but which must suggest themselves. 
 
68 HISTORY OF FREEMASOXEY. ^ 
 
 To the intelligent Mark Master, indeed, the history of our 
 Order shows that, in England, as late as the middle of the last 
 century, subordinate Lodges had no power to confer higher 
 degrees than the Entered Apprentice. The right to confer the 
 Fellow Craft and Master's degree was reserved alone to the 
 Grand Lodge, or to a Lodge summoned by the Grand Master. 
 Again, the history of the degrees, as detailed in the Fellow 
 Craft and the Mark Master's, embraces much of the history of 
 the Temple, as alsoof the Institution of Freemasonry ; and here 
 we learn, most conclusively, that Masonry at the building of 
 the Temple was Speculative, as well as Operative, in its charac- 
 ter. The recipient of this degree is taught, not only the 
 operative use of the Plumb-line and Square, but the moral 
 application of these important symbols to the life and conduct 
 of man, as an intelligent and responsible being ; he is forcibly 
 impressed with the two-fold representation that, while King 
 Solomon decreed that all good and true men, who wrought 
 their regular hours, and produced such work as the overseers 
 were authorized to receive, should reap the reward of their 
 labor in temporal things, so should he, whose life and conduct 
 passed the Square of the Grand Overseer, in the final day of 
 accounts, be entitled to receive and feed on " the corn of 
 nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy." He 
 is forcibly taught, that as man was created a rational and 
 intelligent creature, capable of the highest enjoyments in this 
 life, so should he be constantly employed, not only in the 
 industrious exercise of his physical powers, in producing and 
 promoting man's comfort and convenience, by providing shelter 
 from the inclemency of the seasons, but he is required to bring 
 into active exercise all those higher and ennobling attributes 
 of the mind, which render him only a little lower than the 
 angels. The study of the arts and sciences, and their proper 
 application to the melioration of the condition of man, is not 
 only recommended, but, we apprehend, was formerly made to 
 constitute a pre requisite to admission to this degree. We are 
 prepared to admit that much of the lecture, as now given in the 
 Fellow Craft's degree, is of modern introduction— still do we 
 believe that the principle is retained. That the five orders of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 69 
 
 architecture were presented to the attention of the Masons in 
 the order they are now used, or that the seven liberal arts and 
 sciences were all classified, and given for the study of the 
 candidate, in the manner we now use them, we do not believe ; 
 but we do believe that the history of the Brazen Pillars, the 
 manner and end for which they were erected, and a cloHe 
 application to the study of astronomy, geometry, etc., were not 
 only advised, but enforced, as a qualification for advancement 
 to this degree. Nor is this a far-fetched conclusion, when we 
 remember the mission that Solomon was called to perform. 
 Can any one suppose that God gave Solomon superior wisdom 
 for no other purpose than the erection of the Temple? We 
 think not. We can not conceive of an extraordinary exercise 
 of infinite power for the accomplishment of a finite end only — 
 nor does the moral condition of the world, at the period of 
 which we write, authorize such a belief ; but we are forcibly 
 driven to the conclusion that the great end to be attained by 
 that King, called of God, was to . elevate the standard of 
 moral excellence, by all means calculated to impress the mind 
 of man with the belief of his immortality and dependence upon 
 his great Creator. The working man was lifted from his low 
 and degraded condition, to a level with the most favored of his 
 species. The accomplished mechanic stood proudly preeminent 
 among the most honorable and praiseworthy of men. Nor was 
 this effect temporary in its 'character; for many centuries after, 
 yea, down to the time of Sir Christopher Wren, princes and 
 rulers sought for, and labored to obtain, a place among the 
 architects-of the land. But this elevated platform, upon which 
 mechanics formerly stood, was not attained by -mere machines, 
 or by simply imitative beings; but the genius, the energy, the 
 power of intellect was called into requisition. The recipients 
 of the mystic tie were taught to throw off the worship of 
 pagan gods, and the mummeries of debasing superstition; they 
 were instructed to regard the law of Moses as emanating from 
 the divine will of the only living and true God ; they were 
 taught to look upon vice as tending to mar the happiness of 
 man on earth, and endanger his happiness to all eternity. 
 They were persuaded and entreated, by all the beauty of 
 
70 HISTORY OF FREEMASONKY. 
 
 holiness, to cultivate and practice every virtue, as a means of 
 contentment on earth, and a final passport to another arfd a 
 better world, where the righteous Judge will reward every man 
 according to his merits — when the good and true shall inherit 
 the kingdom prepared for them, from the foundation of the 
 world ; and, as a powerful means of impressing the mind with 
 the unlimited power of the great Jehovah, the student of 
 Masonry, the humble but faithful Fellow Craft, was pointed to 
 the starry heavens, hung with the rich, drapery of God's handi- 
 work ; he was taught to look to the bending arch which over- 
 spreads this vast universe, and contemplate the illimitable power 
 and great glory of that God, who by Hisfiat spoke into being and 
 harmonious action another and another, yea, worlds on worlds, 
 until our own is lost, or stands as but a speck in the constellation 
 of countless worlds, all ruled by the same unerring law of the 
 Divine Architect of the Universe. How contracted and 
 unsatisfying to the reflecting mind must be the doctrine that 
 Solomon taught Operative Masonry alone. How false and 
 ridiculous must our ceremonies appear, if they are, or ever 
 were, intended only to minister to the temporal wants of man. 
 How ridiculous to teach the novitiate the sublime truths con- 
 tained in our lectures, as handed down from time immemorial, 
 if these are all but a tale of modern invention ? But how 
 beautifully sublime, how ennobling to the soul, are all these 
 lessons of instructions, if we feel assured they emanated from 
 that man, called of God to teach mankind the secret of happi- 
 ness, and furnish a password that shall gain us an entrance 
 into the supreme Grand Council of Heaven. Masonry was 
 evidently designed to lift the soul of man from its fallen and 
 degraded condition, superinduced by a blind worship of a 
 plurality of gods, to a knowledge of that system which can 
 alone supply the wants and save from endless ruin ; and he 
 who is brought to study the heavenly bodies, and the arts and 
 sciences, must have a mind strangely perverted, that does not 
 behold the wonder-working hand of our supreme Grand Master, 
 and who will not acknowledge tlie rational homage due to the 
 Creator and Preserver of all things. 
 We do not believe that Masonry and geometry were e^er 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 71 
 
 synonymous terms, but we do believe that a study of geometry 
 was made incumbent upon all who sought to obtain advance- 
 ment in Masonry. A knowledge of geometry, and an acquaint- 
 ance with the liberal arts and sciences, was necessary to a 
 proper understanding and appreciation of the divine attributes 
 and powers of Jehovah ; and, as intimated before, Solomon had 
 a two-fold mission to perform ; it was his business, as well as 
 pleasure, to erect a building to the honor and. glory of God, and 
 to teach mankind, through the medium of Masonry, how to 
 fill that aching void in the soul, and satiate that longing after 
 immortality. "We have thought much upon the subject of this 
 degree, and have come to the conclusion that, in the subdivision, 
 the end has been made the beginning, and vice versa. We think 
 the entire degree of Mark Master constituted the major part of 
 the work of the degree of Fellow Craft, and the second section 
 of the Fellow Craft's degree, as now given, is a modern inven- 
 tion. If the Fellow Craft's degree, as used at the Temple, was 
 not founded upon a certain stone spoken of in the Bible, we 
 would ask upon what event or transaction it was founded '! 
 And this inquiry is the more apparently proper, as all other 
 degrees are founded upon some great transaction, either alluded 
 to in the Bible, or handed down through our sacred and 
 unerring traditions. 
 
 The degree, as now conferred, is not sufficiently marked to 
 characterize it as so important as the degree wa« at the building 
 of the Temple ; but, take it in connection with the Mark Master, 
 and it at once presents a well defined history of the causes 
 which led to its introduction, the great end to be accomplished 
 by it, both in reference to the benefits it bestowed on the 
 working class of the community, as mechanics, and the moral 
 bearing and influence it was destined to exercise on all who 
 were permitted to come within its pale and claim its benefits ; 
 yea, we doubt whether anything has ever been presented to the 
 mind of man, so well calculated to restrain the wild passions of 
 the human heart, draw the cords of love and reciprocal friend- 
 ship so closely around the affections, and incite to noble and 
 benevolent action. Where is the true Craftsman that would 
 not feel drawn by the sacred ties of Brotlierhood, when hailed - 
 
72 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 • 
 
 by the sign of distress or suffering ? Who would not feel it a 
 privilege to administer to the wants of that brother whom 
 misfortune has assailed, or disease prostrated ? Who would 
 fail to recognize the stone spoken of in the Revelations of 
 St. John : " To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the 
 hidden manna ; and I will give him a white stone, and in the 
 stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving him 
 that receiveth it." — Rev. iii. 13. " He that hath an ear to hear, 
 let him hear." 
 
 Psalms : — " The stone which the builders refused is become 
 the head-stone of the corner." 
 
 Chronicles ii. : — "And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, 
 as much as thou shalt need ; and we will bring it to thee in 
 boats by sea to Joppa, and thou shalt convey it up to Jeru- 
 salem." 
 
 Ezekiel xliv., 1 and 5 : — " Then he brought me back the way 
 of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looketh toward 
 the East, and it was shut. And the Lord said unto me : ' Son 
 of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with 
 thine ears, all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances 
 of the house of the Lord, and all tlie laws thereof ; and mark 
 T\ ell the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the 
 sanctuai'y.' " 
 
 How beautifully illustrative of the important truths incul- 
 cated by this degi-ee, is a proper understanding and application 
 of the Scripture here quoted ! How infallible are the means 
 here unfolded, of securing secret relief for suffering humanity ! 
 How simple, and yet how perfect, the plan here taught, of 
 protecting all men from falling a prey to the cravings of 
 hunger ! We marvel, not so much that this degree was insti- 
 tuted for mutual protection of all its recipients, but that the 
 means adopted are so simple and easy of execution, that all may 
 understand and practice them. That the secrets of this degree, 
 which enabled the brother to recognize and claim the friendship 
 and protection of the brethren everywhere, were given by King 
 Solomon to all those who proved themselves worthy, we believe 
 the traditions of the Order sufficiently show. That the eighty 
 thousand Craftsmen were accomplished workmen and scicutilic 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 73 
 
 men, we appeal to the perfection of the work as proof. That 
 they were under the influence of the most perfect system of 
 moral government, superinduced by the most sacred ties of that 
 holiest of all the holy principles of Christianity — love — love to 
 God and love to- man, we may safely refer, not only to our 
 traditions, but to the history of the building of the Temple, as 
 given in the Bible. That so many men could be restrained 
 from a violation of the law, by any other means short of divine 
 influence, or the teaching of our holy religion, we think can 
 not be seriously claimed, even by the skeptic, and that a 
 mistaken view of the claims of justice, on the part of the Craft, 
 and a corresponding dissatisfaction growing out of such an 
 error, was readily determined and satisfactorily adjusted by a 
 proper understanding of the true meaning and intent of the 
 law (such as occurred on one occasion), can only be accounted 
 for by the supposition that a power divine, a religions influence, 
 was operating and harmonizing the whole. We dare not 
 believe that men, in those days, were exempt from vicious 
 desires, and uninfluenced by mercenary motives ; we can not 
 rationally suppose that so vast a concourse of men wrought 
 together in perfect harmony, patiently submitting to the gov- 
 ernment of one man, influenced alone by the wages received, 
 or the advancement they made in a knowledge of mere Opera- 
 tive Masonry. No, no ; the omnipotent power of an omnipotent 
 God was working in them to do of His own good pleasure. 
 They had learned, not only valuable secrets, to render them 
 efficient and accomplished workmen, but their judgments were 
 convinced of the rational homage due to the Great Source of all 
 good, and hence the exercise of moral principle upon their lives 
 and conduct; hence their obedience, cheerfully and heartily 
 given, to the Moral Law ; and, while we boast of the rapid 
 strides in intellect and moral culture, and the still onward 
 march of mind, we could wish the evidence was before us that 
 Masons of the present day stood shoulder to shoulder, an 
 harmonious band, prepared to do as well as did these primitive 
 Masons. How mortifying to the philanthropist, how heart- 
 rending to the Christian Mason, must be a comparison of the 
 present with the past! Where is the spirit, the genius of 
 
74 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRr. 
 
 Masonry, that once united the Brotherhood in the bonds of love^ 
 made holy by the mystic tie ? Where is the plastic hand that 
 once spread the cement of affection, and united the Fraternity 
 into one common mass of pure and disinterested friendship? 
 Has the spirit departed, or does it sleep, only- to arise in might, 
 and majesty, and great glory, to shed around its benign and 
 vivifying influence over this broad land ? Brethren, are you 
 prepared to answer ? God is waiting to be gracious, and it is 
 with us to say whether our light shall be made so to shine, that 
 others, seeing our good works, may glorify our supreme Grand 
 Master. Let us, then, awake from the lethargy of our slumbers, 
 put on the armor of our fathers, and go forth, resolved to do 
 and dare. all things for the glorious cause. The field is larger, 
 and we liave, perhaps, more discordant materials to amalgamate 
 than had the primitive Masons, and, therefore, the greater the 
 necessity for a more vigorous and powerful effort to subdue our 
 passions, and improve ourselves in Masonry. Could we all live 
 in strict obedience to the rules of our Order, could we show 
 forth, in our lives and conversation, the spirit of the lessons we 
 are all taught within the Lodge, how beautiful — how incompar- 
 ably beautiful would be the spectacle to a gazing and admiring 
 world ! 
 
 We confess ourself involved in some diiSculty in treating 
 of the Fellow Craft and Master's degree, because, in the first 
 place, if we turn to the writings of Bro. Anderson, the 
 author, or rather the compiler, of the Ancient _,ConstituHons,in 
 1722, or Bro. Entick, who wrote in 1756, we are instructed 
 that on some, indeed, on all occasions, it was then common to 
 call Master Masons, Fellows ; and, unless we are careful, a 
 misconstruction of the author's views will be the result. It, 
 however, appears plain to us that at that day it was common to 
 speak of all Master Masons,not in authority, as Fellow Crafts, 
 that is. Brother Craftsmen ; while he who had charge of the 
 immediate work of erecting a building was called the Master 
 Mason. This is manifest as late as the time of Sir Cliristopher 
 Wren, who was the Grand Master of Masons, and superintend- 
 ed the erection of so many buildings in the city of London, 
 after the great fire. Bro. Wren could not have been more than 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. ' 75 
 
 the designer, the great architect, while the Craftsmen were 
 divided into Lodges, with a Master at the head of each, who 
 was careful to see that the designs of the Grand Master were 
 carried out, while it is quite probable that very many of the 
 Craftsmen or mem\)ers of the Lodges were Master Masons. 
 Second, because if the Master's degree had not been given, up 
 to the time at which our traditions place it (vi:;., Aoai- tlie com- 
 pletion of the Temple), we are at a loss to determine what was 
 the degree of advancement of those three thousand three 
 hundred overseers. But as the Master's degree, referred to in 
 our traditions, intended to be given to the Craft after the 
 Temple was completed, evidently embraced a set of instructions 
 altogether superior to those in possession of the overseers, and, 
 as these were never given by King Solomon, Hiram, King of 
 Tyre, and Hiram Abif, is it not probable that the overseers 
 received most of the instructions contained in the present 
 Master's degree, and, after the completion of the Temple, these, 
 and all other worthy Craftsmen, received the remainder of the 
 degree, which enabled them to become undertakers, by having 
 the power of drawing designs upon theTrestle Board, and that 
 the instructions were given through the medium of the degree, 
 then introduced and now in use ? We can not believe that the 
 overseers were no better instructed than the Fellow Crafts ; 
 and the beautiful system, introduced by King Solomon, for 
 rewarding merit, and yet holding out inducements for all the 
 workmen to remain engaged upon the Temple until its com- 
 pletion, may be seen and appreciated if we take this view of 
 the subject, for while all were advanced in knowledge and an 
 increase of wages, in strict conformity to their industry and 
 skill, none were allowed to receive tlie crowning degree, 
 embracing those instructions which qualified them to become 
 undertakers or master builders, until after the completion of 
 the Temple, for it must be manifest that if this instruction had 
 been received at an early period, most, if not all, the workmen 
 thus instructed would have left the Temple unfinished, and gone 
 forth in the woi'ld as undertakers, as by this coui-se they would 
 have amassed great fortunes, and established themselves a name 
 as superior workmen and architects, while the Temple could 
 
76 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 not have been completed at the time it was. We, therefore, 
 suppose that King Solomon gave to three thousand and three 
 hundred of the most accomplished Fellow Crafts, an additional 
 set of instructions in architecture and the arts and sciences, 
 thereby qualifying them to oversee the execution of the work 
 assigned to the Craft ; and this is the more probable, when we 
 remember that these overseers were not qualified to inspect or 
 superintend aU the work. It is known to the well informed 
 Mason, that our traditions inform us that some portion of the 
 work was not intrusted to any but the three Grand Masters. 
 Now, it is not likely that this would have been necessary, or 
 that the time of these distinguishea men would have been 
 occupied in manual labor, had not some great reason operated 
 to withhold a knowledge of the art of accomplishing the finest 
 and most secret work from those engaged on the Temple. 
 
 As the degree of Master Mason includes many of the most 
 important rules for the well being and happiness of man, and the 
 moral influence of its teachings are forcibly impressed upon the 
 mind by appropriate symbols, we propose to return and give the 
 reader a more minute account of the events that led to the intro- 
 duction of the Order, and trace its history down to the present 
 time. 
 
 We have said that David desired to build the house of the Lord, 
 to afford a resting place for the Ark of God, but not until near the 
 close of his reign do we find him engaged in any important work 
 of architecture. When he had taken the city of Jebus from his 
 enemies, and fixed his residence at Zion we are informed that he 
 employed workmen in repairing and beautifying the walls and 
 public edifices, and so much was Zion improved, that this, in con- 
 nection with his residence there, gave it the name of the city of 
 David, and he gave to the old city of Jebus the name of Jerusalem. 
 But while David was aware that God would not permit him to 
 build the house of the Lord, we have evidence that he did all in 
 his power to prepare for the work, for, a short time before his 
 death, he assembled all tlie chiefs of his people, and informed them 
 that he had gathered together an immense treasure, laid up large 
 quantities of rich materials, and plans and models for the differ- 
 ent parts of the building, acquainting them with the will of God, 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASONEY. 11 
 
 that tlie house was to be executed by his son Solomon, and he 
 urged them to give their assistance and cooperation when the 
 time should come. Shortly after, the King died, in the 
 seventieth year of his age, having reigned seven years in 
 Hebron, over the house of Judah, and near thirty- three over all 
 the tribes. 
 
 The fraternal letters which passed between Solomon and 
 Hiram, King of Tyre, although familiar to many of our readers, 
 seem, nevertheless, necessary here, as a connecting link in this 
 history. We, therefore, give the one most important and inter- 
 esting to Masons : 
 
 "King Solomon to King Hiram, greeting: — Be it known unto 
 thee, King, that my father David had it a long time in his 
 mind to erect a Temple to the Lord, but, being perpetually in 
 war, and under a necessity of clearing his hands of his ene- 
 mies, and make them all his tributaries, before he could attend 
 to his great and holy work, he hath left it to me, in time of 
 peace, both to begin and finish it, according to direction, as 
 well as the prediction of Almighty God. Blessed be His 
 great name for the present tranquility of my dominions ; and 
 by His gracious assistance, I shall now dedicate the best 
 improvements of this liberty and leisure to His honor and wor- 
 ship. Therefore, I make it my request that you will let some 
 of your people go along with some servants of mine to Mount 
 Lebanon, to assist them in cutting down materials toward this 
 building, for the Sidonians understand it much better than we 
 do. As for the workmen's reward or wages, whatever you 
 think reasonable shall be punctually paid them." 
 
 King Hiram returned the following answer : 
 
 "King Hiram to King Solomon: — Nothing could have been 
 more welcome to me than to understand that the government 
 of your blessed father is devolved, by God's providence, into 
 the hands of so excellent, so wise, and so virtuous a successor. 
 His holy name be praised for it. That which you write foi 
 shall be done, with all care and good will ; for I will give 
 order to cut down and export such quantities of the fairest 
 cedars and cypress trees as you will have occasion for. My 
 people shall bring them to the sea-side for you, and thence 
 
78 HISTORY OF FEEIlMASONEI . 
 
 Bhip them away to what port j^ou. please, where they may lie 
 ready for your own men to transport them to Jerusalem. It 
 would be a great obligation, after all this, to allow us such a 
 provision in corn in exchange as may stand in your convenience, 
 for that is the commodity we islanders want most." 
 
 Solomon, thankfully accepting of this generous offer, ordered 
 a yearly present to be sent to Hiram of twenty thousand mea- 
 sures of corn, twenty, thousand measures of wine, twenty thou- 
 sand measures of oil, twenty thousand measures of fine oil for 
 his household, and twenty thousand of barley, and it was 
 agreed that the timbers were to be delivered at Joppa. Hiram, 
 the King, also sent Solomon a man of his own name, a Tyrian 
 by birth, but of Israelitish descent, who was more than a 
 second Bezaleel. In 2 Chronicles ii. 13, he is called Hiram 
 Abif, the most accomplished and skillful workman on earth. 
 Anderson, in his Ancknt Constitutiovs, makes the assertion that, 
 in Solomon's absence, Hiram Abif filled the oSice of Deputy 
 Grand Master, and in his presence was Senior Grand Warden, 
 or principal surveyor and master of the work. We make the 
 following extract from the same work, pages 18 and 19 : — " In 
 2 Clironicles ii. 13, Hiram, King of Tj'^e (called here Huram), 
 in his letter to King Solomon, says, ' I hav;« sent a cunning 
 man, El Hiram Abif,' which is not to bo translated like the 
 Tulgate Greek and Latin, Hiram, my father; for his description, 
 T. 14, refutes it, and the words import only Hiram, of my father, 
 or tlic chief Master Mason of my father Abibalus. Yet, some 
 think that King Hiram might call the architect Hiram his 
 fatlier, as learned and wise men were wont to be called by 
 royal patrons in old times. Thus, Joseph was called Much, 
 or the King's father, and this same Hiram, the architect, is 
 called Solomon's father, 2 Chronicles iv. 6." 
 
 But the difficulty is over at once by allowing the word Abif 
 to be the surname of Hiram, the artist, called in the Scriptures 
 Hiram Abbi, and again Hiram Abif, as in the Lodge he is called 
 Hiram Abif, to distinguish him from Hiram, the King, for this 
 reading makes the sense plain and complete, viz. : — that Hiram, 
 King of Tyre, sent to King Solomon the cunning workman 
 called Hiram Abif. He is described in two places in the Bible. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 79 
 
 viz. :— 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. In the first, he is called the 
 Wido-w's Son, of the tribe of Napl.tali; and in the other, he is 
 called the son of a woni9.n of the daughters of Dan — but in 
 both that his father was a man of Tyre, that is, she was of the 
 city of Dan, in the tribe -of Naphtali, and is called a widow of 
 Naphtali, as her husband was a Naphtalite, for he is not called 
 a Tyrian by descent, but a man of Tyre by habitation, as Abed 
 Bdom, the Levite, is called a Gittite, and the Apostle Paul a 
 man of Tarsus. But though Hiram Abif had been a Tyrian by 
 blood, that derogates not from his vast capacity, for the Tyrians 
 were now the best artificers, by the encouragement of King 
 Hiram, and those texts testify that God had endowed this Hiram 
 Abif with wisdom, understanding, and mechanical cunning 
 to perform everything that Solomon required, not only in 
 building the Temple, with all its costly magnificence, but also 
 in founding, fashioning, and framing all the holy utensils thereof 
 according to geometry, and to find out every device that might 
 be put to him ; and the Scriptures assure us that he fully main- 
 tained his character in far larger works than those of Aholiab 
 and Bezaleel, for which he will be honored in Lodges till the 
 end of time. 
 
 In confirmation of the above,it may be proper to state that 
 Hiram Abif was not only celebrated for his skill in building, 
 but his superior knowledge extended to all kinds of work, 
 whether in gold, silver, brass, or iron, as also in linen tapestry, 
 ,or embroidery. Dires, the historian, is of the opinion that the 
 love of wisdom was the chief inducement to that tender and 
 devoted friendship which so long existed between Solomon and 
 Hiram — that they proposed to each other difficult and deep 
 hidden problems, and Entick states that " Menander, of Ephesus, 
 who translated the Tyrian annals out of the Philistine tongue 
 into Greek, also relates, that whenever any of these proposi- 
 tions proved too hard for those wise and learned princes, 
 Abdyraonus or Abdomenus, the Tyrian, called in the old 
 Constitutions, Amon, or Hiram Abif, answered every device 
 that was put to him, and even challenged Solomon, though the 
 wisest Prince in the world, with the subtility of the question he 
 proposed." Now, that Hiram Abif solved all the difficult- 
 
80 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 problems put to him by Solomon, or Hiram, King of Tyre, is 
 true, because the Scriptures declare as much. But we proceed 
 to notice an important discrepancy between the statements of 
 Anderson and nearly all the writers of the present day, in the 
 subdivision of the Craft at the building of the Temple. Dr. 
 Oliver, we believe, is the only one who agrees with Anderson, 
 and he quotes the language and uses the figures of the latter, 
 without exercising the magnanimity to give the credit. The 
 following is an extract from Anderson's Constitutions : 
 
 " To carry on this stupendous work with greater ease and 
 speed, Solomon caused all the Craftsmen, as well natives as 
 foreigners, to be numbered and classed as follows : 
 
 " 1. Harodim, Princes, Rulers, or Provosts, in number three 
 hundred. 
 
 " 2. Overseers and comforters of the people in working, that 
 were expert Master Masons, three thousand three hundred. 
 
 " 3. Stone squarers, polishers, and sculptors, and men of 
 newing, and setters, laycrs,or builders, being able and ingenious 
 Fellow Crafts, eighty thousand. 
 
 " 4. The levy out of Israel, appointed to work in Lebanon 
 one month in three, ten thousand every month, under the direc- 
 tion of noble Adoniram, who was the Junior Grand Warden, 
 thirty thousand. 
 
 " All the Freemasons employed in the work of the Temple, 
 exclusive of the two Grand Wardens, were one hundred and 
 thirteen thousand six hundred, besides the Ish,ormen of burden, 
 the remains of the old Canaanites, amounting to seventy thou- 
 sand, who are not numbered among Masons." 
 
 It will be seen, by the foregoing extract, that the three thou- 
 sand three hundred overseers were, in the opinion of Bro. 
 Anderson, not only Master Masons, but expert ones. But while 
 we are gratified at being able to bring such high testimony in 
 support of a theory we have been teaching for many years, viz., 
 that the overseers were advanced above Fellow Crafts, much like 
 the first section of the Master's degree advances at the present 
 day, still we are not satisfied ; for, as before remarked, if the tra- 
 dition handed down to us is true, the Master's degree was not 
 given until the completion of the Temple, that is, the degree 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 81 
 
 which we now have, and overseers could not have had the one 
 that was lost, for the same tradition informs us that, up to that 
 period, none were in possession of it but the three Grand 
 Masters. We also learn from Bro. Anderson another evidence 
 in support of a theory in reference to Entered Apprentices,' 
 which we have taught for many years, and, until now, sustained 
 only by the fact that Solomon was endowed with superior 
 wisdom, and, therefore, was capable of giving to Entered 
 Apprentices instructions in architecture and the arts and 
 sciences, which would make them superior to any others in the 
 world who were not under his control. If the opinion of Webb, 
 Cross, and others, were true, that Entered Apprentices were 
 bearers of burden only, of course our conclusion as to their 
 superior knowledge was erroneous, but we never could bring 
 our mind to believe that Solomon would admit seventy thou- 
 sand men to the degree of Entered Apprentice Mason, or in any 
 way unite them in fraternal bonds, and make them bearers of 
 burden. Again, Anderson says that, while the Fellow Crafts 
 wej e parceled off into Lodges, with Wardens over them, for 
 the purpose of receiving the commands of King Solomon in a 
 regular way, and the better to take care of their tools and 
 jewels, they took Entered Apprentices, and educated them, with 
 the noble purpose of perpetuating their succession, and handing 
 down those valuable secrets from generation to generation. 
 Nor is there any other opinion well sustained, for it is idle to 
 suppose that Solomon instructed each, in person, daily ; and, on 
 the other hand, how much instruction could these Entered 
 Apprentices have received, directly from the Fellow Crafts, or 
 indirectly from King Solomon, if they were daily engaged in 
 carrying th6 hod ? On the contrary, take the ground assumed 
 by Bro. Anderson, and a beautiful system is presented, by which 
 the strong bonds of union and love, created by mutual friend- 
 ships, are cemented by the holy ties of affection, never to be 
 broken ; for each ministered to the other's wants, comfort, and 
 happiness, and the advancement of each, in knowledge and 
 virtue, served but to highten the enjoyment of all. How 
 beautifully sublime appears this great plan of benevolence, 
 when we are able to harmonize its several parts, and trace its 
 
82 HISTORY OF PEEEMASONEY. 
 
 foundation to Him only -wto could speak it into being ! We 
 TDarvel, not that all men do not study the benign principles of 
 Masonry, and spread more widely tlie cement of Brotherly Love, 
 but we do marvel that Masons, who are Christians, do not all 
 study its beautiful proportions, and discover its intimate con- 
 nection with our holy religion, and the strong arm of its power 
 in bringing men nearer, and yet still nearer, the throne of 
 grace. Can any man be a good Mason, and not remember that 
 God is gracious ? Can any man understand Masonry, and not 
 feel that he hag no right to violate His holy law ? We answer, 
 No, no ; and every Christian Mason should use its principles as 
 a means of reforming others. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The traditions of our Order, and the old recprds which 
 were brought together by order of the Grand Lodge of 
 England, in 1718, and carefully examined by Bro. Ander- 
 son and a Committee of the Grand Lodge, agree in fixing the 
 time of laying the foot-stone, or corner-stone, of Solomon's 
 Temple on the second day of the month Zif, which answers 
 to the 21st of April, in the fourth year of th« reiga of Kiag 
 Solomon, the third after the death of David, and four hundred 
 and eighty years after the passage of the Children of Israel 
 through the Red Sea, in the year of the world two thousand 
 nine hundred and ninety-two, after the Flood one thousand 
 three hundted and thirty-six, and before Christ one thousand 
 and twelve. 
 
 This mighty structure was finished on the eighth day of the 
 month Bui, which answers to the 21st of October, being the 
 seventh month of the sacred year, and the eleventh of the reiga 
 of King Solomon. 
 
 "We presume a minute description of the Temple will not fee 
 necessary here, as we hope our readers are all familiar with 
 the Bible ; but we have made some estimates, which are not 
 generally found in Masonic works, of interest to the reader of 
 Masonic history. The length of the Holy Place, or Temple 
 proper, from wall to wall, was sixty cubits, sacred measure, the 
 breadth twenty cubits, and the highth to the upper ceiling, 
 thirty cubits, being every way just double the size of the 
 Tabernacle. The Oracle, or Most Holy Place, was a perfect 
 cube of twenty cubits. The wall of the outer court, or Court 
 of the Gentiles, was seven thousand seven hundred feet in 
 circumference, and all the apartments would contain three 
 hundred thousand people. The Oracle and Sanctuary were 
 
84 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 lined with massive gold, beautified, embellislied, and adorned 
 with sculpture and numerous gorgeous and dazzling decorations 
 of diamonds and all kinds of costly stones. 
 
 Tt has been conceded,on all hands, that no edifice has ever 
 been constructed that will at all compare with this in exact 
 proportions and beautiful decorations, from the splendid portico 
 in the East, to the glorious and revered Sanctum Sanctorum 
 in the "West. Men, in extreme vanity, have attempted to sur- 
 pass this masterpiece of Masonry, but it has never been 
 equaled, nor ever will, unless God shall again condescend to 
 plan and oversee. 
 
 We would venture an opinion upon the subject of religion 
 with great diffidence, but we can not but think the construction 
 of this Temple was intended to prepare the world for the 
 religion of our Saviour ; for, while the Jews would not worship 
 with the Gentiles, and despised them as being unworthy the 
 favor of Heaven, God put it into the heart of Solomon to 
 provide a place for the worship of all nations, thereby prepar- 
 ing the minds of the Jews for that doctrine which offers 
 salvation freely to all, placing all men on a level, and pointing 
 all to the one only living and true God, as the source of every 
 good and perfect gift. To those who deny that Solomon 
 erected the Temple under the influence of supernatural power, 
 we beg to propound a question, viz. : Why is it, that in the 
 lapse of so many ages, with the onward march of mind, with 
 all the improvements in the arts and sciences, no specimen of 
 architecture has ever been produced to equal the Temple, 
 either in exact proportions or beauty of finish ? Why is it that 
 no near approximation to it has ever been made ? 
 
 Anderson, in his Ancient Constitutions, states that a short 
 time before the consecration of the Temple, Hiram, King of 
 Tyre, came to take a view of that mighty edifice, and inspect 
 the different parts thereof, that he was accompanied by King 
 Solomon and the Deputy Grand Master, Hiram Abif, and that 
 after a thorough examination he pronounced it to be the utmost 
 stretch of human art. That here it was that Solomon renewed 
 the league with Hiram, the King, and made him a present of the 
 Sacred Scriptures, translated into the Syriac tongue, which is 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 85 • 
 
 BaiJ still to be extant among the Maronites and other eastern 
 Christians, under the name of the Old Syriac Version. This,he 
 states, took place in the year of the Flood 1356, before Christ 
 992. Now, the above statement that Hiram, the King, left at 
 that particular time to visit the Temple, is all true, but the 
 manner in which the author makes the representation, carries th6 
 idea to our mind that he intends to say that this was the only 
 time Hiram ever visited the Temple, and our Masonic readers 
 will perceive that this opinion conflicts with our traditions ; for 
 we are not only taught that Hiram, the King, spent much of liia 
 time at tlie Temple, but that in tlie erection of a certain piece 
 of work he was an operative ; hence, it becomes a grave ques- 
 tion with us, whether our traditions in relation to the Temple 
 have not, by inattention and ignorant teachers, confounded the 
 two Hirams, for we candidly confess our inclination to believe 
 Anderson more nearly correct, as it does not seem reasonable 
 to suppose that the King would leave his own people and 
 kingdom, and devote a great portion of his time to the erection 
 of the Temple of Solomon. But Anderson is mistaken in 
 stating the date of King Hiram's visit ; he says : " It was a 
 short time before the consecration, and in the year of the Flood 
 1356." Whereas, if this building was commenced in the yeai^ 
 1336, one thousand and twelve years before Christ, and was 
 finished in little more than seven years, it must have been dedi- 
 cated about one thousand and five years before Christ, instead 
 of nine hundred and ninety-two. We know there is a dif- 
 ference in the calculation of some chronologers of four years 
 between the era of Christianity and the birth of Christ, but there 
 is nowhere a difference of thirteen years. We are hence 
 driven to the necessity of supposing the calculation incorrect, 
 unless we adopt the opinion (not sustained by proof, that we 
 know of), that the Temple was not dedicated until thirteen years 
 after the laying of the cape-stone. Again, Anderson states 
 that the celebration of the cape-stone was interrupted by the 
 death of Hiram Abif, which every Master Mason will see is at 
 variance witli our traditions as given at the present day, but 
 we will give tlie author's language. He says : 
 " The Temple of Jehovah being finished under the auspices of 
 
86 HISTOKt OF PEEEMASONET. 
 
 the wise and glorious King of Israel, Solomon, the Prince of 
 Architecture, and the Grand Master Mason of his day, the Fra- 
 ternity celebrated the cape-stone with great joy ; but their joy 
 was soon interrupted by the sudden death of their dear and 
 worthy Master Hiram Abif ; nor less was the concern of King 
 Solomon, who, after some time allowed the Craft to vent their 
 sorrow, ordered his obsequies to be performed with great 
 solemnity and decency, and buried him in the Lodge near the 
 Temple, according to the Ancient Usages among Masons ; and 
 long mourned for his loss. 
 
 " After Hiram Abif was mourned for, the Tabernacle of 
 Moses, and its holy relics,being lodged in the Temple, Solomon, 
 in a general assembly, dedicated or consecrated it by solemn 
 prayer and costly sacrifices past number, with the finest music, 
 vocal and instrumental, praising Jehovah, upon fixing the holy 
 Ark in its proper place between the cherubims ; when Jehovah 
 filled His ownTemplewith a cloud of glory." 
 
 The Master Mason will perceive that we can not enter into 
 an argument here to sustain or disprove Bro. Anderson's 
 views, but we may be permitted to venture the opinion that 
 they are the deductions of his own mind, drawn from some 
 other source than old manuscripts. First, because we do not 
 believe there is a particle of tradition to sustain him ; and 
 second, we do not believe a manuscript was then in existence 
 detailing that portion of Masonic history ; for we must all believe 
 that much greater care and caution was used in committing to 
 writing anything in reference to Masonry, than at the present 
 day — and his opinions go to show that the traditions of nearly 
 all the degrees, as given at the present day, are incorrect, and 
 for this we are not prepared. 
 
 Dr. Oliver also states that Hiram Abif's death occurred 
 during the dedication of the Temple, and that the dedication 
 services continued twice seven days. Now, if Anderson is 
 correct in saying that Hiram Abif s death interrupted the cere- 
 monies, and a reasonable time was given to the Craft to mourn 
 the loss of their beloved Master, how could the ceremonies have 
 continued, as stated by Dr. Oliver, twice fourteen days? For 
 we suppofe he means successive days. i 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMISONET. 87 
 
 We will make another extract from Anderson's Constitutions 
 in reference to the splendor and magnificence of the Temple, 
 and refer the curious reader to J osephus and the Bible for a 
 more extended and minute account. 
 
 " The fame of this grand edifice soon prompted the inquisitive 
 of all nations to travel, and spend some time at Jerusalem, and 
 survey its excellences, as far as was allowed to the Gentiles ; 
 and they soon found that the joint skill of all the world came 
 infinitely short of the Israelites in the wisdom, strength, and 
 beauty of their architecture, when the wise King Solomon was 
 Grand Master of all Masons at Jerusalem, and the learned 
 King' Hiram was Grand Master at Tyre, and the inspired 
 Hiram Abif had been Master of the work ; when true^ complete 
 Masonry was under the immediate care and direction of Heaven ; 
 when the noble and the wise thought it their honor to be the 
 associates of the ingenious Craftsmen in their well formed 
 Lodges ; and so the Temple of Jehovah, the one true God, be- 
 came the just wonder of all travelers, by which, as by the most 
 perfect pattern, they resolved to correct the architecture of their 
 own countries on their return." 
 
 The fame which the Temple acquired was not based upon the 
 size or extent of the edifice, for if we bear in mind that it was 
 only one hundred and fifty feet long, by one hundred broad, it 
 will be seen that, at that day, there were many buildings much 
 larger. The Egyptian Temples, which could not be compared 
 with Solomon's in proportion, style of execution, or beauty of 
 finish, were, many of them, vastly more extensive in outline, and 
 massive in form. The palace at Carnac, from "West to East, is 
 about twelve hundred feet, and this measurement does not 
 include any of the appendages or apartments beyond the main 
 building. The breadth is more than three hundred and thirty 
 feet. The Temple, of Jupiter, at Agrigentum, in Sicily, is three 
 hundred and forty-two feet long, one hundred and sixty-one feet 
 wide, and one hundred and nineteen high. The dimensions of 
 St, Paul's, in London, as wc learn from Sir Christopher Wren, 
 is,from East to West, five hundred and twenty feet, and from 
 North to South, exclusive of the portico doors, is two hundred 
 and eighty-one feet. The Temple of Solomon astonished an<J 
 
88 HISTOEY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 confounded the world, because of the perfection of all its parts, 
 and by its evidences of the wonder-working hand of God, the 
 Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, overshadowed by the 
 Shekinah, the Urim and Thummim, .the Holy Fire, and the 
 Oracular Voice of Jehovah. 
 
 In reference to the costly stones used in beautifying the 
 Temple, we insert, as a matter of curiosity, an extract from 
 Dr. Oliver : 
 
 ' " An old Masonic traditioDi relates that, about four years 
 before the Temple at Jerusalem was commenced, Hiram Abif 
 purchased from some Arabian merchants several curious stoues 
 and shells, which they informed him were discovered on the 
 shores of the Red Sea by some persons who had been ship- 
 wrecked. Hiram, the King, hearing of this circumstance, 
 deputed Hiram Abif, with certain vessels, to examine the place, 
 for the purpose of making further discoveries. After some 
 experiments, he succeeded in finding the Topaz in great abun- 
 dance, intermixed with other stones of inferior value." 
 
 Whether the Doctor intends to be understood that these 
 formed a portion of the precious stones that David had laid 
 up to ornament the Temple — for this would answer to the same 
 year that he abdicated the throne to Solomon — we can not 
 surmise, nor can we say through what channel he acquires a 
 knowledge of this " old Masonic tradition ;" but, if we credit 
 the story, and this was the first discovery of the Topaz, then it 
 proves that the breast-plate of the High Priest, spoken of in 
 the Bible and by Josephus, was not used until after the build- 
 ing of the Temple, or within four years of its commencement, 
 for the second stone in the breast-plate was a Topaz, which 
 was said to refer to Simeon. There is one remarkable feature 
 in the writings of Dr. Oliver, viz., a propensity or habit of 
 taking the surmises of his predecessors, and adopting them as 
 the result of his judgment, formed from investigation ; and very 
 often he uses almost the precise language of another historian, 
 without giving that author the credit. For example, the 
 following extract from Anderson's Constitutions, in a note, 
 will be found, in substance, stated on page 339 of Oliver's Anti- 
 quities, not as an idk tradition, but as historicallv true : 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 89 
 
 " The tradition is, that King Hiram had been Grand Master 
 of all Masons ; but when the Temple was finished, Hiram came 
 to survey it, before its consecration and to commune with 
 Solomon about wisdom and art ; and finding the Great Archi- 
 tect of the Universe had inspired Solomon above all mortal 
 men, Hiram very readily yielded the preeminence to Solomon 
 Jedidiah, the beloved of God." 
 
 The reader will at once see, we mean the Mason, the fallacy 
 of this so called tradition, when he remembers that all our 
 traditions taught in the Lodges represent King Solomon as the 
 first Grand Master. Indeed, any other view of this subject 
 would produce the most perfect confusion in the Craft, by 
 making the entire traditions an absurdity, or a tissue of non- 
 sense. The doctrine of the divine origin of Masonry would 
 be thrown to the winds, unless, indeed, we should be so credu- 
 lous as to fall into the views of Dr. Oliver, and say, that God 
 taught Freemasonry to Adam in the Garden of Eden. Dr. 
 Anderson, though he styles the story a tradition, evidently 
 does not regard it as coming through an authenticated channel, 
 or he would have recorded it as true ; but Dr. Oliver, who, we 
 suppose, gets it from some one of the editions of Anderson, 
 gives it as Masonically or historically true. When Doctors 
 differ, how are the unlearned to learn? The truth is, we do 
 not wonder that some of the oldest and best informed Masons 
 of the present day, entertain doubts about the good resulting 
 from writing so much about Masonry, for it is a melancholy 
 fact that most of the authors tend to lead us deeper and deeper 
 into the mazes of conjecture, doubt, and difiBculty. For the 
 cure of this evil we know of but one plan, and the day may 
 come when it will be adopted, viz., require every man who 
 writes a book for sale, purporting to give the history of Ma- 
 sonry, to exhibit the work and lectures, and prove, thereby, 
 that his history agrees with the well-defined traditions, as 
 taught in them ; then, and not till then, will the young Mason 
 be able to lay hold of a work upon which he may safely rely 
 for correct information. For the present, we can only recom- 
 mend him to acquire a knowledge of the lectures, and, in 
 reading history, to reject all which does not conform to the 
 
90 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 traditions tauglit in the Lodges ; for it will be found that they, 
 when properly understood, are inconsistent with no principle 
 of common sense, but constitute,' as a whole, a beautiful illustra- 
 tion of the Catholic, or universal religion, as taught in the lives 
 of the Apostles and Prophets. 
 
 King Solomon did not send his workmen away after the 
 completion of the Temple, but employed the Craft in carrying 
 on his other works. He built two palaces at Jerusalem for 
 himself and Queen ; the hall of judicature, with an ivory 
 throne and golden lions ; and Millo, or the Royal Exchange. 
 This was constructed by filling up the gulf between Mount 
 Moriah and Mount Zion ; strong arches were thrown over, 
 upon which many beautiful piazzas were erected, with lofty 
 colonnading on either side, and between the columns was a 
 spacious walk from Zion Castle to the Temple. He also built 
 the House of the Forest of Lebanon, upon four rows of cedar 
 pillars. This was his summer-house, or place of retreat from 
 the cares and toils of his administration. It was furnished 
 with a watch-tower, overlooking the road to Damascus. Sol- 
 omon built several cities between Jerusalem and Lebanon, 
 many store-houses West of the Jordan, and several towns or 
 citiesEast of that river, to furnish a safe deposit and carry on 
 commercial trade ; and, last of all, he erected that famous city, 
 called by him Tadmor. This was situated in the desert 
 toward Syria, in the direction to Babylon. It was one day's 
 journey from the river Euphrates and six from Babylon ; this 
 city had a lofty palace in it. In after times, this city was 
 called by the Greeks, Palmyra of the Desert. 
 
 We are informed by travelers, that the ruins of this once 
 mighty city are yet to be seen. How the heart of the good and 
 true Mason — the lover of ancient lore — must beat on beholding 
 the mighty pillars, the royal arches, and other specimens of the 
 greatness and grandeur of the reign of Solomon, fallen, broken, 
 and dilapidated by the withering blasts of time, and the ruth- 
 less hand of hostile invaders ! How must his soul sink within 
 him, when he reflects upon the ever fading glory of man, and 
 the perishableness of all earthly things ! And yet, if the spirit of 
 Freemasonry, the principles of our holy religion, animate his 
 
HISTOEY OP FREEMASONRY. 91 
 
 bosom, with what joy may he look from nature up to nature's 
 God, and behold, in the perspective, a mighty city, a glorious 
 habitation, spoke into being by the fiat of Him who builds for 
 eternity 1 Aye, though we grope in thick darkness through this 
 world of change, and mourn over the wreck of matter and the 
 crash of worlds, the fall of kingdoms, principalities, and powers, 
 the long sleep of our ancestors, and then, in the bitterness of 
 heart, turn away to the new made grave of a father, a mother, 
 a sister, a brother, a child, or companion, and give evidence of 
 the poignancy of our sorrow, by dropping a tear upon the 
 green sod of the cold earth ; oli 1 how must that bosom's pang be 
 g,lleviated, how must his sorrow fade away, or mingle in sweet 
 melody with those life-giving words, " Come ye blessed of My 
 Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
 tion of the world." 
 
 Brethren, we read in vain, we go through the forms of 
 initiation in vain, we lecture in vain, if we fail to apply the 
 great moral principles of our Order to our walk in life. In 
 vain we preserve the Ancient Landmarks of the Craft, if we 
 make no effort to live up to their teachings. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 I Immediately after the completion of the Temple, Lodges 
 ■were formed in various parts of the kingdom. Anderson says 
 that old Constitutions relate the fact that Solomon annually 
 assembled all the Masons in a Grand Lodge at Jerusalem, " to 
 preserve the cement of fraternity, and transmit their affairs to 
 the latest posterity." Just here we are met with a difficulty 
 which we do not remember to have seen satisfactorily explained. 
 Solomon seems to have been the Father of Masonry, or the 
 instrument in God's hands to establish it. We believe Masonry 
 always taught all the morals, all the virtues, that are inculcated 
 in the Holy Bible. We have said, elsewhere, that Masonry was 
 originally Speculative, as well as Operative ; and though we do 
 not believe, with Dr. Oliver, that it ever was the true religion, 
 we most sincerely think all its teachings were in strict con- 
 formity to the principles which that religion teaches. It is 
 nothing without the Bible ; our traditions are false if the 
 ground-work of Masonry is not laid in the Bible ; and though 
 we may be compelled to admit that it has since been made 
 subservient to other religions, and dance attendance to other 
 gods, its tenets ever have, and ever will, point to the God of 
 Moses, and to that religion which was pointed out, or promised 
 to the seed of Abraham — and hence we find it difiicult to 
 reconcile the early life of Solomon with the great principles 
 and tenets of the Order. It does seem strange, that one 
 endowed with superior wisdom should, by means of that 
 wisdom, bring a set of principles into practice, bring all its 
 recipients under obligations to live in conformity thereto, and 
 yet be the first to depart from them ; yea, it would seem that, 
 at the very period when he was most engaged in disseminating 
 the truths of Masonry, he was setting at naught the very 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 93 
 
 doctrine whicli gave it power over all other institutions to do 
 good ; for -while it taught the power, and might, and majesty, of 
 the one only living and true God, Solomon was worshiping 
 the various gods of his concubines. But this is not more 
 remarkable than that God should choose him as the instrument 
 to build His .holy Temple, who so soon departed from the true 
 worship ; but how beautifully is the immaculate wisdom of our 
 heavenly Father displayed in the life and character of Solomon, 
 endowed, as he was, with wisdom such as man never had, and 
 with riches, and honors, and pleasures, to the overflowing, and 
 permitted to enjoy them all to the full extent, yet at last be con- 
 strained to cry out : " All is vanity without the fear of God and 
 the keeping of His commands, which is the whole duty of man." 
 How strikingly illustrative of the phantoms after which man 
 continues to run, through this short but eventful life ; and how, 
 like Solomon, do we all fail to find the haven of rest, and peace, 
 and happiness, here below. Three years only was Solomon 
 truly wise, and these were his last. He died A.M. 3029, in 
 the fifty-eighth year of his age. 
 
 Even before the death of Solomon, many of those who 
 received their instructions from him, and were, therefore, 
 called Solomon's workmen ; traveled into foreign countries 
 in search of employment, delighted with an opportunity to 
 disseminate the benign and holy principles of Masonry. "We 
 hear of them in Syria, Asia, Mesopotamia, and Scythia. "We 
 read of them in Assyria, Chaldea, Media, Bactria, India, Persia, 
 Arabia, and Egypt, and also in many parts of Europe. It may 
 seem singular that we have no historical account of their 
 traveling into Greece or Italy, which can only be accounted for 
 by supposing that the Greeks considered themselves suflEiciently 
 advanced in a knowledge of architecture, to do without the 
 assistance of Solomon's builders, or the loss of an account of 
 their work in this country has been the result of oversight. 
 
 But the tradition is, that they traveled to Hercules' pillars 
 on the"West, and China on theEast ; and the old Constitutions 
 aflSrm that one called Ninus, who had been at the building of 
 Solomon's Temple, brought the refined knowledge of the 
 science and the art into Germany and Gaul. 
 
94 HISTORY OF FREEMASONEY. 
 
 If this tradition be true, it seems to us probable that Greece 
 generally was supplied with Solomon's Masons, and especially 
 j when we remember the great, the unlimited fame of the Temple, 
 ' and the accomplishments of the workmen, we can not suppose 
 the Greeks would suffer the surrounding nations to surpass 
 them in architectural embellishments. We ask the reader to 
 bear in mind the opinion which we have given in relation to 
 the manner of accepting an Entered Apprentice, as we shall 
 soon see that the character which was given by Solomon to the 
 workmen, continued to operate advantageously to them and 
 their successors. Thus, we see that soon after the Masons 
 commenced traveling, so highly were they esteemed that, in 
 many places, they acquired privileges and immunities granted to 
 no other people ; they were called Freemasons, because they 
 taught the art only to the freeborn. They built Lodges or 
 rooms, in which they lived, in the vicinity of any building they 
 undertook to erect ; and by their proximity to the great and 
 wealthy, who employed them, the moral principles taught, and 
 so rigidly lived up to, attracted general notice, which, together 
 with their superior knowledge of the arts and sciences, soon 
 influenced men of the greatest wealth and of the highest order 
 of talents to solicit and obtain association with them : and, if 
 we are to believe the manuscripts brought forward in 1718, 
 kings, princes, and potentates soon after became Grand Masters, 
 each in his own dominion ; and this is the more likely, as 
 Solomon, the wisest King, had set the example. 
 
 It is probable that Solomon endeavored to unite the world 
 in the strong bonds of love, and encourage the study of the 
 sciences, by admitting all those sages and learned persons who 
 visited him, to see the Temple and learn of his wisdom, into the 
 mysteries of Masonry, and in this manner was a knowledge of 
 the art so soon carried to all parts of the world, and hence 
 kings and princes became Grand Masters, or patrons of Free- 
 masons in their respective countries. 
 
 In the year A.M. 3034, Solomon's dominions were divided 
 into Israel and Judah, but such was the influence of moral 
 worth, that Solomon's Masons, or, as they were called after his 
 death, Solomon's travelers, found favor in the eyes of all good 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONIIY. 95 
 
 men, and; moreover, their skill in arcliitecture and the arts and 
 sciences were acknowledged to be superior to all others, atd 
 hence the division of empires and the wars of nations did not 
 seriously affect them. About the period mentioned above, 
 Jeroboam employed them to build him two palaces, one at 
 Sichem, and the other at Penuel. They also erected for him 
 two curious statues of the golden calf, with Temples for its 
 worship ; one was erected in Bethel, and the other in Dan, and 
 to these the Israelites repaired to worship until they were 
 carried away by Salmanesar. Soon after, King Baasha 
 employed Solomon's travelers to build Tirzah, and King Omri 
 built Samaria for his capital, at which place his son, King Ahab, 
 afterward erected a large and sumptuous Temple for his idol 
 Baal. He also built a palace of ivory, besides many castles 
 and cities. The Temple of Baal stood, a monument of the skill 
 of the builders and the folly of the founder, until it was destroyed 
 by Jehu. 
 
 The royal descendants of King Solomon continued to fill the 
 throne and patronize the noble art of Freemasonry, either 
 directly or through the High Priest, until the reign Of Josiah, 
 the last good King of Judah. 
 
 With no people did Solomon's Masons seem to exercise a 
 greater and more beneficial influence than the Gentiles. The 
 Syrians built a lofty Temple, and a royal palace at Damascus. 
 Many beautiful structures were reared at Sardis, in Lydia, at 
 Ephesus, and other cities on the coast. 
 
 About thirty-five years after the death of Solomon, the 
 Temple of Diana, built by some Japhetites, in the days of Moses, 
 was burned down, and the kings of Lesser Asia rebuilt and 
 ornamented it with one hundred and twenty-six columns of 
 the best marble, each sixty feet high ; but this mighty edifice 
 was not finished until the seventh year of the reign of Hezekiah, 
 King of Judah, about two hundred and twenty years after its 
 commencement, and in the year, A.M. 3283. This Temple was 
 four hundred and twenty-four feet long, two hundred and 
 twenty feet wide, and constructed by the Ionic order. It was 
 regarded by all as preeminently magnificent, and hence became 
 the third of the seven wonders of the world. Even Xerxes, 
 
96 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 who waged war against image worship, and destroyed nearly 
 everything connected with it, spared this Temple in his passage 
 to Egypt, and it remained a monument to the Mason's art, until 
 it was burned down by an obscure and infamous individual, for 
 the sole purpose of notoriety. It was afterward rebuilt by 
 Democrates, the architect, at the expense of the neighboring 
 princes. 
 
 In the twelfth year of Jotham, King of Judah, A.M. 3256, 
 Sardauapalus was besieged by his brother Tiglath Pul Eser and 
 Nabojiassar, until, in despair, he burned himself and concubines, 
 and all his treasure in the old Palace of Nimrod, when the 
 Assyrian Empire was divided between Tiglath Pul Eser and 
 Nabonassar. This Nabonassar, we are told, erected a city near 
 the old Tower of Babel, in the year A.M. 3257, and called it 
 Babylon. In the days of this Prince, who ruled over Chaldea, 
 much attention was given to the study of astronomy, and so 
 great was the advancement made in the science, that after 
 generations styled this the astronomical era. In one of the 
 degrees of Masonry, we have a tradition that after Noah safely 
 landed on Mount Ararat, and offered up sacrifice to God on an 
 altar which he erected, that he turned his attention to the 
 cultivation of the earth, for one hundred years ; when, his 
 posterity becoming numerous, he ordered them to disperse them- 
 selves and take possession of the earth, according to the parti- 
 tion which he made ; that they traveled a westwardly course, 
 until they came to the plains of Shinar, when they counseled 
 together, and, fearing the consequences of a separation, and 
 being desirous to establish for themselves a name, gathered 
 themselves together in great multitudes, and built the city of 
 Babylon and the Tower of Babel. 
 
 Now, if this be true, there must have been a city there before 
 the time of Nimrod. In short, Babylon is the first city of 
 which our traditions give an account after the Flood ; but the 
 reader. will bear in mind that this tradition is not attached to 
 either of the Ancient Craft Degrees, and, therefore, is not 
 entitled to implicit belief, and the less so, because the city of 
 Babylon is not spoken of by any author, if we are not 
 mistaken, until the days of Isaiah, the prophet. By a reference 
 
HiSTOEY OF FEEBMASONKY. 97 
 
 to Isaiah xiii. 39, and chapter xlvii., it will be seen that he 
 described the inhabitants of the city, and foretold its destruc- 
 tion. It is true, he does not, we think, inform us when it was 
 built, but, from the language used, we should infer it had been 
 the pride of the Chaldeans for at least a century ; and yet, if 
 this Nabonassar was the Baladan spoken of in the Bible — and 
 some authors think so — he could not have built the city, for 
 Baladan is spoken of by Isaiah as being King of Babylon at 
 the time he foretold its destruction. 
 
 We will not undertake to trace Masonry into every country, 
 and point out the various cities that were built or adorned by 
 Solomon's travelers, but will be content to look at some of the 
 more prominent places. 
 
 Masonry not only flourished in Eastern Asia, but it took a 
 western direction also. Boristhenes, in Pontus, was built 
 about the period of which we are writing. Prusias and Chal- 
 cedon, in Bithynia, Constantinople (then called Bizantium), and 
 Lampsacus, in the Hellespont. The travelers also penetrated 
 into Rome, Ravenna, Florence, and many others in Italy ; 
 Granada, and Malaga, and others in Spain ; and also on the 
 coast of Gaul. "While these banded brethren were engaged in 
 improving and ornamenting Damascus, they erected a public 
 altar of such curious outlines and richness of finish as to com- 
 pletely captivate Ahaz, King of Judah, who ordered a pattern 
 to be taken and sent to Uriah, the High Priest of Jerusalem, 
 who had one built in imitation, and set it up in the Temple, in 
 lieu of the old one. 
 
 In A.M. 3394, Josiah, King of Judah, was slain in battle by 
 Pharaoh Necho, from which may be dated the commencement 
 of heavy misfortunes to Jerusalem, and, indeed, all Judah ; for, 
 soon after the fall of Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiakim 
 (who succeeded his father Josiah) his vassal, and, for his 
 revolting, was ruined. Nor did the ambitious views of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar stop here. He captured all the royal family, and 
 the flower of the nobles of Judah, making prisoners of the best 
 Craftsmen, laid waste Israel, overrun and destroyed every 
 vestige of the arts and sciences, demolished or burned every 
 thing that appertained to the one only living and true Gn" 
 
98 HISTOKT OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 and at last glutted his vengeance in beholding the ruins of the 
 masterpiece of architecture — the inimitable, the glorious Temple 
 of Solomon. Nebuzaradan, Nebuchadnezzar's Captain of the 
 Guards, entered Jerusalem on the seventh day of the fifth 
 month, four hundred and sixteen years after the completion of 
 the Temple, took out all the sacred vessels, removed the two 
 famous pillars, robbed the city a»d the King's Palace of all the 
 riches they contained, and then, by order of his master, on the 
 tenth day of the month, set fire to the Temple and city, over- 
 threw the walls of the Towers, in short, made the whole a 
 scene of desolation. This occurred, according to our computa- 
 tion, 588 years B.C., or A.M. 3416, though we believe it is 
 generally recorded four years earlier. The remnant of the 
 Jews, whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive into Baby- 
 lon, included very many of those noble-hearted Giblemites, who 
 descended from the builders of Solomon's Temple ; and Masonic 
 tradition informs us that they continued to hold secretly their 
 Lodge meetings, and, in this way, taught their children the 
 secrets of Freemasonry and the principles of the revealed 
 religion of their fathers ; for it will be remembered that, 
 previous to the fall of Jerusalem, the power and authority to 
 transcribe the law was confined to the Scribes, and hence but 
 a small portion of the people were in possession of a copy, 
 every copy found being destroyed by the infidel invader. The 
 captive Jews, therefore, could only perpetuate their religion by 
 teaching it to their children from memory, as they did Masonry. 
 All the captive Masons were compelled, for the space of fifty- 
 two years, to devote their time, labor, and skill in finishing and 
 ornamenting the buildings which the King of Babylon and his 
 predecessor had commenced, as also the erection of new ones. 
 In this way, the Chaldean masons, who wrought with the 
 captive Jews, perfected themselves in architecture, for the 
 specimens of their joint labor made Babylon the fourth of the 
 seven wonders of art, and the boasted mistress of the world. 
 The most remarkable structures were the walls of the city, the 
 Temple of Belus, the King's Palace, and the hanging gardens. 
 The Temple of Belus was ornamented with those famous pillars, 
 taken from the Temple at Jerusalem, and also the Brazen Sea. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 99 
 
 ^f what we read of the wonders of Babylon be true, the 
 magnificence and extent of the works surpassed all others ; and 
 yet, for beauty of proportions and elegance of finish, nothing 
 compared with the Temple of Solomon ; nor did the wall which 
 surrounded the city equal in extent the famous Wall of China. 
 Nebuchadnezzar also erected, in the plains of Dura, a golden 
 image of his idol god, Baal. This immense work of folly was 
 sixty cubits high and six broad, and, according to Diodorus, 
 contained upward of seven thousand drachms of pure gold," 
 amounting in value to upward of fifteen millions of dollars. 
 
 Thus labored and toiled the true descendants of the twelve 
 tribes of Israel, borne down with oppression and slavery, and 
 denied the privilege (dear to the heart of every Jew) of wor 
 shiping the God of their fathers ; but their long sufferings 
 were destined to result in' good ; for the very opposite effect to 
 that sou{|ht by Nebuchadnezzar was the result of their long 
 and painful captivity, for when the proclamation of Cyrus was 
 issued for the liberation of the Israelites, according to the word 
 of God, these architects were the better prepared to return to 
 the land they so much loved, and lay the foundation for the 
 rebuilding of the Temple and the city of Salem. Cyrus ascend- 
 ed the throne immediately after Belshazzar was slain, A.M. 
 3468, and removed his imperial residence to Persia, and thus 
 put an end to the Babylonish Empire, which had stood more 
 than two hundred years. About one hundred and seventy 
 years before the period just mentioned, the tribes became 
 famous for their skill in architecture ; for, under the reign of 
 Dioces, they enlarged, beautified, and adorned Echbatana so 
 wonderfully, as to command the admiration of all Greece, and 
 although neither this city nor Persepolis were to be compared 
 with the Temple, and other works of Solomon, the Greeks 
 contended that Dioces was the founder of the Fraternity of 
 Freemasons. 
 
 Dr. Anderson contends that Cyrus appointed Zerubbabel, 
 the son of Shealtiel, his Provincial Grand Master in Judah, 
 with the Higli Priest Jeshuah, his Deputy. That Cyrus was 
 Grand Master of Masons, even in his own country, our tradi- 
 tion does not inform us ; but whether he was or not is of little 
 
100 HISTOKT OP FBEEMASONET. 
 
 consequence to this history, for the Bible and Josephus inform 
 us that he was a friend to the Jews, and commissioned Zerub- 
 babel to take charge of those who were liberated, and ordered 
 the King's treasurer, Mithredath, to deliver into his hands all 
 the silver and gold vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had brought 
 from Jerusalem, amounting to fifty-four thousand ; these Zerub- 
 babel carried to Jerusalem, and the remainder were after- 
 ward, viz., in the reign of Artaxerxes Sangimanus, carried 
 back by Ezra. Dr. Anderson does not mention Haggai as 
 having any thing to do with the rebuilding of the Temple, and 
 yet our traditions attribute to him the important part of 
 constituting one of the Grand Council, thp.t met and deliberat- 
 ed upon the best method of commencing and carrying on 
 the work. 
 
 We have stated elsewhere,* that it was determined in this 
 Grand Council, for reasons known only to Masons, |iiat none 
 but the true descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel, should 
 participate in this glorious undertaking. One reason of this 
 decree, aside from that to which we allude is, in our estimation, 
 of the highest importance, viz., if God had erected the first 
 Temple, through the instrumentality of that people whom he 
 had chosen to be peculiarly His— if Masomy were instituted by 
 divine command, as the handmaid and co-worker with the true 
 religion, it is but reasonable to suppose He would not suffer 
 Idolaters to take part in the second, though He did not intend 
 the great Shekinah should dwell therein.t But, as we shall 
 have occasion to consider this branch of our subject more at 
 large when we come to treat of the higher degrees, we proceed 
 now to continue our chain of Masonic events. 
 
 * Maeonlo Address, delivered in Fayette, Mo., June 24, 1843. 
 
 t Yet, now, be strong, Zerubbabel, saith the Lord ; and be strong, O 
 Joshiia, son of Josedeck, tlie Hlgli Priest ; and be strong all ye people of the 
 land, saith the Lord, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts. — 
 Haggai ii. 4, 
 
CHAPTER YI, 
 
 The Jews were liberated from Babylonisli captivity, B.C. 
 536. See Ezra i. 2., Isaiah xliv. 28., from which it will be 
 seen, that if the seventy years of captivity foretold by Jeremiah 
 were completed in the first year of the reign of Cyrus, King 
 of Persia, that captivity must have commenced twenty-eight 
 years before the destruction of Solomon's Temple and the city 
 of Jerusalem, as from this period to the reign of Cyriis was 
 only fifty-two years. . If we examine carefully the history of 
 events, we shall find no diflSculty in supposing that the captivity 
 of the Jews commenced at that period, when Nebucha,dnezzar, 
 the Great reigned in conjunction witli his father ; for the 
 Bible informs us that he reigned forty-three years alone, and 
 one year and ten months with his father. In the first year of 
 the reign of Cyrus, he issued the following proclamation : 
 
 "Thus sayeth Cyrus, King of Persia, the Lord God of 
 heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and hath 
 charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in 
 Judah," etc., etc. 
 
 This proclamation was issued twenty-six years after the death 
 of Nebuchadnezzar. By reference to the thirty-second chapter 
 of Jeremiah, we are authorized to believe that the captivity of 
 the Jews commenced before the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 Jeremiah was himself made a captive two years before, viz., 
 B.C. 590. Furthermore, we know that Jehoiakim, who was, 
 placed on the throne by Pharaoh, was dethroned, bound in 
 fetters and imprisoned by Nebuchadnezzar. This Jehoiakim 
 was placed on the throne B.C. 601 years, and reigned eleven 
 years ; so that his captivity was eleven years before the 
 destruction of Jerusalem, which, if added to the fifty- two, 
 accounts for sixty-three of the seventy years of prophecy ! And 
 
102 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEr. 
 
 that these years may be computed is to be inferred from the fact, 
 that at the same time Jehoiakim was dethroned, vessels of the 
 house of the Lord were taken and carried to Babylon ; and we 
 have every reason to believe, that many of the Jews were made 
 captives at the same time. See Chron. xxxvi. 6, 7. 
 
 We have been thus particular in giving our views of this 
 subject, because in one of the degrees of Masonry, this portion of 
 Biblical history is, as we think, generally given improperly, and 
 is calculated to produce an injurious effect. We allude to the 
 number of years these Masons were in captivity, who, under 
 the proclamation of Cyrus, returned to rebuild the Temple. 
 The history, generally given by Masons is, that they were 
 seventy years servants to Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, 
 after the destruction of the Temple, and the intelligent inquirer 
 after truth will likely ask if Masons, in these- days, were not 
 made until they were twenty-one years old; then, the three 
 distinguished individuals, spoken of in the Royal Arch Degree, 
 must have been at least ninety-one years old when they returned, 
 which, when taken in connection with the active and important 
 part performed by them after their return, does not seem 
 reasonable. Now, we think they were in captivity only fifty- 
 two years, and may have been Masons before they left Jerusa- 
 lem, and be only seventy-three years old when they returned. 
 But it is not necessary to the consistency of the tradition that 
 they should have been Masons before their captivity ; for our 
 traditions represent that the captive Jews continued secretly 
 to hold Lodges in Babylon, and the worthy individuals to 
 whom we refer may have been present, in their youth, at the 
 destruction of the Temple, and afterward became Masons in 
 Babylon ; but, as we before intimated, there are no good reasons 
 to doubt their having taken the degrees before they left their 
 native land. 
 
 As long as Cyrus reigned, the Jews were protected in their 
 much loved efforts to rebuild the Temple, but his successor 
 Cambyses, being engaged in an effort to conquer Egypt, for 
 this people had revolted, neglected or disregarded the workmen 
 on the Temple. Some writers regard Amasys, the last of 
 Mitzraim's i-ace, as acting Grand Master, in Egypt, when this 
 
HISTORY OP PREBMASONKY. lOS 
 
 revolt took place ; certain it is, that lie was held in high esti- 
 mation hy the Craft ; for, as a manifestation of their high 
 regard, they cut from a solid stone, a house twenty-one cubits 
 long, twelve broad, and eight deep, and brought it to Memphis 
 a present to him. More than two thousand Masons were en- 
 gaged upon this work for three years. Amasys had done much 
 for the science of Masonry, he contributed largely to the 
 building of the Temple of Apollo, at Delphi, in Greece, but at 
 the very moment when this good man was building up and 
 beautifying various cities, Cambyses was preparing to pull them 
 down, by marching an army into Egypt, and destroying 
 temples, palaces, and other monuments of Masonic art. 
 Amasys did not live to witness this havoc, he died about the 
 time Cambyses reached Egypt, and Cambyses died on his 
 return, A.M. 3482. 
 
 Upon the death of Cambyses, Smerdis, the Magian, assumed 
 the name of Artaxerxes, and usurped the throne, who, being a 
 wicked and corrupt man, was soon made the instrument, in 
 the hands of the infidel and barbarous nations, to arrest the 
 building of the Temple. They sent to him a memorial, charg- 
 ing that the Jews had ever been a rebellious people, against 
 the authority of kings, and warning him that if they were 
 suffered to rebuild the Temple and city, and congregate as 
 formerly in large numbers, no king would be safe on his throne. 
 To which he sent back a reply that he had had the old f ecords 
 examined, and found truly that the Jews had ever been enemies 
 to kings, and, therefore, ordered that they be required to desist, 
 from building the Temple and city. This edict was not con- 
 veyed to them in the usual way, but, it being in possession of 
 their enemies, they hastily assembled an armed force, marched 
 against the workmen and compelled them to disperse. 
 
 The false Smerdis was, however, soon dethroned, and suc- 
 ceeded by Darius, B.C. 520. Although this Prince is repre- 
 sented by Masonic tradition as knowing nothing of the 
 mysteries of Masonry, the memory of no man of his day is held 
 in higher estimation by the Fraternity. Our traditions inform 
 us that Zerubbabel made heavy personal sacrifices, and travers- 
 ed the Persian dominions for no other purpose than to procure 
 
b 
 
 104 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 an interview with Darius, and, by reminding him of his early 
 vows in favor of the Jews, endeavor to win his favor and 
 protection in the great work of rebuilding the Temple and 
 city. The King having heard of the fame of Zerubbabel, as a 
 wise and accomplished Freemason, and being favorably im- 
 pressed with the value of the Institution, demanded to know 
 what the secrets were, and promised in return to raise 
 Zerubbabel to one of the highest of&ces in his gift. The reply 
 which Zerubbabel made was of such a character as to convince 
 the King, not only of the great worth and importance of Free- 
 masonry, but of the manifest impropriety of his request ; 
 whereupon, the King declared his determination, not only to 
 protect the workmen until the Temple and city were completed, 
 but made proclamation encouraging his loyal subjects to give 
 ifts, and do all in their power to assist the Jews in their much 
 loved enterprise. He also raade large contributions from his 
 own treasury to aid in carrying on the work ; and in the sixth 
 year of his reign, Zerubbabel iinished the Temple, and celebrat- 
 ed the cape-stone twenty years after he had laid the foundation 
 thereof. 
 
 Thus was that scripture fulfilled which declared that Zerub- 
 babel should lay the foundation, and his hands should finish it. 
 The consecration or dedication took place the next year, viz., 
 B.C. 515. 
 
 The'Sidonians were equally as liberal in furnishing timbers 
 for this as they had been in the days of Hiram, for the first 
 Temple. We are informed that they prepared timbers in the 
 forests of Lebanon, and, as formerly, conveyed them on floats to 
 Joppa. An order to this effect had been issued by Cyrus, which 
 they cheerfully obeyed, as also when it was rented by Darius. 
 During the reign of Darius, a new sect of religionists sprung 
 up, under their great leader, Zoroaster. This sect were called 
 Magians, and Zoroaster was styled their Grand Master, and 
 hence they have been regarded by some as a Society of Free- 
 masons, with how much truth we can not say. We suppose, 
 however, that Masonry then, as now, was anti-sectarian, and 
 that Masons were to be found in all religious societies. 
 Zoroas'^cr was certainly a learned man, and encouraged t]ie 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 105 
 
 study of the liberal arts and sciences, for his followers becamo 
 celebrated everywhere, for their learning and knowledge, 
 especially of geometry. The Greeks styled Zoroaster the 
 teacher of all human and divine knowledge. This sect wor- 
 shiped the sun, and were engaged in building fire temples, 
 mostly in Eastern Asia, where they flourished until the days of 
 Mahomet. 
 
 About 460 years B.C., Ahasueras married Queen Esther, 
 who was regarded the greatest beauty of the day, and an 
 accomplished Jewess. Under this reign Ezra was chosen head 
 of the Craft. He built many synagogues in Judea. Nehemiah 
 succeeded him, B.C. 455, who built the strong walls of Jerusa- 
 lem. This work was prosecuted while the workmen were 
 compelled to stand guard against their enemies. 
 
 The history of the Craft in that portion of the world of 
 which we have been speaking, presents nothing of striking 
 interest for a long period of time. We call attention to Lesser 
 Asia, B.C. 368, in order to show the state of Masonry and a 
 remarkable evidence of the customs regulating marriages. In 
 this year Mausolus, King of Cana, died ; and though his reign 
 was not marked by any notable deeds, his deatli was rendered 
 famous by Artemisia, who was his sister and wife, who deeply 
 bewailed his loss, and erected to his memory that famous 
 monument at Halicarnassus, which was regarded as the fifth of 
 the seven wonders of the world. 
 
 This monument presented an exception to the general rule 
 of building Masonic edifices, its length being from North to 
 South. It was four hundred and ten feet in circumference, one 
 hundred and forty-one feet high, and sixty-three, cubits long. 
 It was surrounded by one hundred and thirty-six columns of 
 the most beautiful sculpture. The East and West fronts had 
 mammoth arches, seventy-three feet wide, and on the side wall 
 was erected a pyramid, terminating in a triangle, upon the top 
 of which was constructed a coach and four horses, full size, 
 admirably chiseled out of one immense block of pure marble. 
 The Masons who had the superintendence of the work were 
 Timotheus, Briax, Scopas, and Leocleares. 
 
 Wo now turn our attention to Greece, where, as before 
 
106 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONBT. 
 
 intimated, we are involved in doubt and difficulty as to '.he 
 time tlie royal art commenced flourishing. Some authors contend 
 that it flourished there, as in other countries, shortly after the 
 building of the first Temple, while others equally entitled to 
 credit, fix the time at, or near, the completion of the second. 
 We adopt the former opinion, for the reason that the evidences 
 of a highly cultivated architecture is to be found in the ruins 
 at Lemnos, Athens, Sicyon, and Candia, and they afford evi- 
 dence of having been built before the Trojan war. But we are, 
 nevertheless, constrained to admit that the history is so dark 
 as to assume the character of fable, until the days of the 
 Olympiads, which was B.C. 775, about twenty-nine years before 
 the founding of Rome. 
 
 Whether the Temples of Minerva and Apollo, and their 
 gymnasiums, were erected at an earlier period or not, they did 
 not become famous until after the building of the second Temple, 
 at Jerusalem. If any of them were built before the Trojan 
 war, they must have been greatly enlarged, beautified, and 
 adorned after the time of Zerubbabel. 
 
 The first of whom we have any authentic account, as a 
 philosopher or architect, was Milesius, who acquired his 
 knowledge in Egypt,and flourished in Greece B.C. 540, only 
 some eight or ten years before the proclamation of Cyrus. About 
 this time,Pythagoras, who had been a pupil of Milesius, traveled 
 into Egypt. Our Masonic tradition represents Pythagoras as 
 traveling through Asia, Africa, and Europe, and being 
 initiated into several orders of High Priesthood, and raised to 
 the sublime degree of Master Mason. We think this tradition 
 is not sustained by any respectable history, nor by the life of 
 the man. We deem it proper to state here, that our views may, 
 possibly, be somewhat influenced by our preconceived and 
 expressed opinions. We have frequently said, in delivering the 
 lecture on the Master's degree, that we did not believe Pytha- 
 goras was a Mason, and we now proceed to an examination of 
 the subject from the best lights we have. 
 
 We have no evidence that the travels of Pythagoras were so 
 extensive as the traditions represent. He went directly to 
 Egypt in A.M. 3457, during the reign of Pisistratus, the 
 
HISTORY OF PEEEMASONRT. 107 
 
 tyrant of Athens. He lived twenty-two years in Egypt, when 
 Cambyses sent him to Babylon and Persia, in 3480, where he 
 remained, learning legerdemain, for aught we know, of the 
 Chaldean Magians, and picked up scraps of religion from the 
 Babylonish Jews, and returned to Greece in 3489. Here he 
 became the head of a sect or society, not of Masons, but 
 religious faaatics, made up of all other religions, and resembling 
 Masonry less,perhaps,than any, except that his followers were 
 initiated into his Society with secret forms and ceremonies, but 
 so different in their character, as at once to furnish strong 
 presumptive testimony that he knew nothing of Masonry. He 
 taught that God is a soul, everywhere in nature ; that the souls 
 of men are derived from this supreme soul, which is immortal ; 
 and the principle of all things being unity, he believed that 
 between God and man there is an infinite number of spiritual 
 agents, ministering from one to another to the great supreme 
 soul. He taught the doctrine of metempsychosis, or transmi- 
 gration of souls, that even the desires of one animal passed, at 
 its death, into another. Pythagoras was the first that assumed 
 the name of philosopher, or lover of knowledge, and so exten- 
 sive and profound was his knowledge, that he soon became 
 celebrated, and thousands sought to be connected with his 
 Society ; and the more anxious were they, because he required 
 five years severe and inhuman penance before they were 
 permitted even to behold the great philosopher, thus producing 
 the impression that the discoveries would be not only wonderful 
 at initiation, but that temporal and eternal happiness would be 
 their inevitable portion. The Pythagoreans lived abstemiously, 
 eating no flesh, shunning all pleasures, so called, and held all 
 property in common. They forbade the use of oaths, although 
 every initiate was bound by the most solemn oath not to reveal 
 any of the secrets which he instituted ; and yet, if we take the 
 opinion of some authors as authority, he only taught one secret, 
 viz., the forty-seventh problem of Euclid. He ascribed all 
 things to fate or destiny, required his followers to live without 
 the use of any drink but water ; but the most remarkable, as 
 well as the most ridiculous, was the injunction of five years 
 silence before admission into the mysteries. 
 
^08 HISTOEY OF FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 That Pythagoras was the greatest man of his day can not 
 well be questioned ; indeed, such was the estimation in which 
 , he was held by those who first wrote his biography, that they 
 entertained the belief that he was, lite Solomon, endowed with 
 superhuman knowledge. He was a devoted student for thirty- 
 five years before he undertook to teach his followers in Greece ; 
 indeed, before he left for Egypt, his inordinate love of know- 
 ledge was apparent to his friends. His knowledge of the arts 
 and sciences was so thorough, compared with any others of his 
 day, that he must needs leave behind him the character of a 
 learned and great man ; but with all we must regard him as 
 a religious fanatic ; his doctrines were made up of the shreds 
 and patches of all others, and differing from all in the singular 
 combination of wisdom and superstition — for while it was wise 
 to teach his followers to bridle the tongue, how ridiculous to 
 require five years total silence. While his code of morals, 
 which taught that true wisdom tended to elevate man to a 
 near resemblance to God, seemed the result of a most profound 
 knowledge of the divine economy, how weak and groveling 
 was that doctrine which taught that, after all the probation and 
 penance endured, the soul, though purified, should enter again 
 into a struggle with temporal life and earthly corruption, 
 either in the bosom of another human being or an inferior 
 animal. And so, in reference to all his doctrines ; they were 
 a system (if we may be allowed the term) of contradictions 
 and inconsistencies. And now we ask our Masonic Brethren, 
 in what does any or all the doctrines and teachings of Pytha- 
 goras resemble Masonry? Is it in his teaching morality? 
 Some, men in all ages, have taught morality, who were not 
 Masons. Is it in his teaching a knowledge of the arts and 
 sciences? These, though ever encouraged by Masons, have 
 never been confined to them. Is it in his requiring the appli- 
 cants for admission into his Society to do penance five years ? 
 Masons never required a penance of any sort, nor a longer 
 probation than was deemed necessary to know the applicant 
 was worthy. Is it his sectarian doctrines of religion ? Ma- 
 sonry has ever been opposed to sectarian religion, other than 
 that which was delivered to the twelve tribes of Israel, upon 
 
HISTORY OP PBEEMASONRT. * 109 
 
 which grand level all good men might meet^a willing 
 obedience to God's reyealed will and benevolence to all 
 mankind, has ever been the groundwork upon which is erect- 
 ed the noble structure of Freemasonry ; and in what does this 
 resemble the teachings of Pythagoras ? For aught we know, 
 he may have been a Mason, but we do know he was not a 
 good one. Masonry has ever been opposed to superstition, 
 fanaticism, and bigotry, and if the doctrines of Pythagoras did 
 not abound in these, then have we learned them imperfectly. 
 We are awafe that the views we have here advanced are at 
 war with the opinions of all, so far as we know, who have 
 written of Masonry ; and we have not the vanity to suppose 
 they will be lightly adopted, if at all, nor do we care, only so 
 far as the truth is concerned. 
 
 We promised to give, what we believed to be a true history 
 of Masonry, and this we shall do, if God shall give the ability, 
 without stopping to inquire whether it is likely to be popular 
 or unpopular. We think idle tales of modern invention have 
 been dignified with the name of Masonic tradition long enough, 
 and if we do no more than to awaken inquiry, and stimulate 
 abler hands to separate the true from the counterfeit, we shall 
 have accomplished much, very much, for the Fraternity of after 
 time, and though our opinions be cast before the winds, if they 
 are superseded by those that shall restore our beloved Order 
 to its primitive purity, divested of all the gewgaws and 
 tinseled trappings of modern innovators, we shall have done 
 more than if we had established a new doctrine or a new sect. 
 To this end we labor, for this object we shall continue to labor, 
 if our brethren will stand by and sustain us, until our Supreme 
 Grand Master shall close our earthly career, and call us to 
 render an account of our stewardship. 
 
CHAPTER VII, 
 
 I While the dcjctrines of Pythagoras laid the foundation for 
 a plausible system of infidelity, the influence of \rhich may be 
 traced through every age down to the present day, his thorough 
 knowledge of the arts and sciences, or, we should say, his supe- 
 rior knowledge of them, wrought a mighty revolution in 
 Greece. Geometry and architecture became the passion of the 
 age, and, taking man as the model of architecture, the fine arts 
 were cultivated with great energy. No man was esteemed an 
 accomplished sculptor or painter, unless he was master of 
 geometry and architecture. 
 
 The academies of Athens and Sicyon were filled with the 
 5ons of the wealthy and best born of the land, and a knowledge 
 of the arts and sciences became the stepping-stone to power and 
 influence. Masonry had ever taken the lead in cultivating and 
 storing the mind with useful knowledge, and disseminating the 
 principles of morality and virtue ; and now, more than ever, did 
 it flourish in Greece, and very soon this nation of people, who 
 had long been borrowing a knowledge of architecture from 
 Egypt, became the teachers, not only of Egyptians, but the 
 whole world. No country on the face of the earth can now boast 
 of having had half the number of learned and great men. Greece 
 had her Perseus, Philostratiis, Appolodorus, Eupompus, Pam- 
 philus, Artamones, Socrates, and Methrodorus. At this age 
 lived Theodoras Cyreneus, the master and teacher of Plato, 
 Xenocrates, and Aristotle, who became the teacher of Alexan- 
 der the Great. 
 
 At no age of the world did Freemasonry exercise a greater 
 influence on the public mind. The sacred principles of the 
 Institution found their way into every department of govern- 
 ment. The laws were framed for its protection and support. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. Ill 
 
 It was decreed that no slave should be permitted to study the 
 arts and sciences ; only the free-born could become geometri- 
 cians or architects ; none but the free-born could gain admis- 
 sion into a Lodge of Masons ; and hence some believe this was 
 the period when Solomon's travelers acquired the name of Free- 
 masons, and that because the noble, the learned, and wise of 
 Greece sought admission into, and were said to be accepted 
 by the Masons, that here it was they obtained the name of 
 Accepted Masons. 
 
 B.C. 335, Alexander, the Macedonian, gathered together an 
 army, and gave Darius Codomanus battle at the Granicus, in 
 which Darius was defeated. Alexander was equally successful 
 at Issus and Arbela, and, taking possession of Tyre and Gaza, 
 soon overrun and conquered all Egypt. Darius fled into 
 Bactria, and was there assassinated by one of his own generals. 
 The Persian Empire had existed two hundred and seven years, 
 and terminated with the death of Darius ; and in Alexander 
 began the Grecian Empire, B.C. 334. To recapitulate the 
 wanton and unprovoked outrages perpetrated by Alexander, 
 wou]d only go to show what an isolated case abundantly 
 proves — that he was one of those rare monsters of human 
 nature, who was prompted by a sordid selfishness, and a reck- 
 less disregard of the means necessary to be used in ministering 
 to his base passions. We read of monarchs, in former times, 
 who were murderers either for the gratification of mere per- 
 sonal revenge, or for the supposed perpetuity of their crowns, 
 and we try to regard these events, or deeds of wickedness, as 
 only taking place in the dark ages of the world ; but is this 
 true ? No age in British history is so renowned for the wisdom 
 of the ministry and the intellectual equanimity of the sovereign, 
 as the close of the seventeenth century, and yet Elizabeth 
 became a heartless assassin. The truth is, as we think, that 
 unlimited power in the hands of the few ever has, and ever 
 will beget a spirit of tyranny, and whenever and wherever that 
 poTver is concentrated in a single head, untrammeled by checks 
 and balances of power, that head will likely show forth only 
 the baser passions of the human heart. We doubt whether the 
 ao-a-regate amount of knowledge and virtue of the present day 
 
112 HISTOBT OF FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 is much greater than in the days of Alexander the Great ; but 
 the spirit of freedom which begets a knowledge of personal 
 rights is abroad in the land ; and fear, not wisdom or virtue, 
 restrains the wicked passions of crowned heads. Especially 
 since the days of the lucky blunderer, Cromwell, have the 
 people been learning that they were not created to be made 
 foot-pads for kings ; and as a knowledge of personal rights is 
 spread and communicated, a corresponding diminution of the 
 principles of the one man power has been the result, until, as 
 by a miracle, the model Government of the world sprang into 
 being; and though the present movements in the old world 
 may not, and most likely will not, immediately disenthral the 
 nations of the earth from the chains of oppression, the good 
 seed has been sown broadcast Over the land, and the day is 
 rapidly rolling on when the Goddess of Liberty will stand 
 upon every hill, and wave the proud banner of freedom over 
 the valleys of the earth. 
 
 We have no evidence that Elizabeth was either a tyrant or 
 a wicked woman, until power corrupted her heart. We have 
 no reason to believe that Alexander was an unprincipled de- 
 spoiler, until unlimited power, aided by the wine cup, brought 
 forth the beastly passions of poor, corrupt human nature. At 
 what period of Alexander's early life could he have been 
 induced to set fire to the city of palaces, the beautiful Per- 
 sepolis ? But when corrupted by a knowledge of his unlimited 
 sway, and maddened by the inebriating cup, he could, in a mere 
 frolic, will to destroy the most splendid specimens of human 
 art and ingenuity. And such were the debasing influences of 
 tyranny, that willing tools were at hand to execute hisbehests. 
 Even the renowned Democrates, who stood proudly preeminent, 
 as the most learned and accomplished Mason of the day, could 
 so far forget his own dignity as a man, as to pamper the vanity of 
 his vicious Emperor. He it was who proposed to Alexander 
 to convert Mount Athos into a statue of himself, with a lake in 
 one hand, and a city in the other ; which advice was approved, 
 and would have been executed, but for his desire first to build a 
 city, to be his seat of power. He commenced building the city 
 of Alexandria about the year B.C. 332. which became the 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 113 
 
 capital of the kingdom. It is stated in Pliny's JYatural History^ 
 that Democrates first discovered the use of the papyrus. It ia 
 described as a species of bulrush, growing in the marshes of 
 Egypt, especially in the vicinity of the Nile. It grows about 
 fifteen feet high ; the stalk is about six inches in diameter, the 
 bark of which, or, as some authors say, the leaves were con- 
 verted into paper, upon*which Democrates drew his designs of 
 the city. 
 
 Alexander died, drunk, at Babylon, B.C. 323, and soon after 
 his empire was divided between his generals. 
 
 During the reign of Ptolemy Soter, B.C. 304, Euclid, the 
 accomplished geometrician of Tyre, visited the Court of 
 Ptolemy, who encouraged him to teach the noble science, 
 especially to the sons of the lords of the land. 
 
 We find in Anderson's Constitutions, extracts from the regula- 
 tions of Euclid, which we believe to be the oldest record of 
 Masonry now extant, and which, if true (and we have no 
 reason to doubt it), should entitle Euclid to the high station in 
 the estimation of the Fraternity which Pythagoras has occupied. 
 When Ptolemy granted Euclid a commission to open a school, 
 or Fraternity, for teaching the arts and sciences, Anderson 
 states that an old Masonic record contains the following : 
 
 " Euclid having received commission, he taught such as were 
 committed to his charge the science of geometry, in practice 
 to work in stone all manner of worthy work that belongeth 
 to building of altars, temples, towers, and castles, and all man- 
 ner of buildings, and gave them a charge in this form : 
 
 " First, That they should be true to their King and the lord 
 they serve, and to the fellowship whereof they are admitted ; 
 and that they should be true to, and love one another ; and that 
 they should call each other. Fellow or Brother ; not servant, 
 nor knave, nor any other foul name ; and that they should truly 
 deserve their pay of their lord, or the master of the work, that 
 they serve. 
 
 " Secondly, That they should ordain the wisest of them to be 
 the master of the work, and neither for love nor lineage, 
 riches nor favor, to set another that hath but little cunning, to 
 be master of the work, whereby the lord shall be evil ser'-' " 
 
114 HISTORY OP PBEEMASONRT. 
 
 and they ashamed ; and, also, that they should call the governor 
 of the work, Master, in the time that they work with him. 
 And many other charges he gave them, that are too long to 
 relate ; and to all these charges, says my author, he made them 
 swear a great oath, that men used at that time. 
 
 " And he ordained for them a reasonable pay, whereby they 
 might live honestly ; and, also, that they should come and 
 assemble together every year once, to consult how they might 
 work best, to serve the lord for his profit, and to their own 
 credit ; and to correct, within themselves, him that had tres 
 passed against the Craft. 
 
 " And thus was the Craft grounded there ; and that worthy 
 clerk, Euclid, gave it the name geometry, which now is called 
 Masonry." 
 
 Some of our friends will remember having heard us question 
 the theory of Bro. Cross, and others, who have taught that 
 geometry and Masonry were originally synonymous terms, 
 wiU here see proof to the contrary. We are not surprised 
 that Masonry has been called by other names in several ages 
 of the world. Had the late efforts of the anti-Masons in the 
 United States, succeeded in rendering the Institution odious to 
 the people, we do not hesitate to say that it would have lived, 
 in all its simplicity and purity, under some other name ; but, in 
 all its attributes and ends, Freemasonry. So, perhaps, in the 
 days of Euclid, Masonry may have been called geometry by 
 this eminent scholar; but the charges just quoted will satisfy 
 any well informed Mason that they bear upon their face the 
 very impress of our venerated Order, and it is to be deeply 
 regretted that the other charges to which the old manuscript 
 alludes were not preserved. It is matter of surprise to us 
 that Dr. Anderson, when he was compiling or collating the 
 Ancient Charges and Constitutions, did not also give us the 
 evidences of their antiquity, as presented on the face of the old 
 manuscripts. For example, he gives us the Ancient Charges, as 
 said to exist from the foundation of the Order, and, as it is not 
 pretended that any alterations were ever made in them, they are 
 satisfactorily handed down to us ; but not so with the Ancient 
 Constitutions. We are simply told that this is an old Regulation, 
 
HISTORY OF FKEEMASONRY. 115 
 
 and that is a new Regulation ; and although the date of the new 
 Regulations can generally be traced, the old ones can not ; and 
 whether by the old Regulations the author means those which 
 were adopted by the Grand Convocation which assembled at 
 York, in A.D. 926 or simply refers to an indefinite period 
 anterior to the collation, we are not informed. 
 
 " According to the old Constitutions," says Anderson, 
 "Ptolemy, Grand Master, with his Wardens, Euclid and 
 Straton, the Philosopher, built his palace at Alexandria, and 
 the curious museum or college of the learned, with the library 
 of Bruchium, near the palace, that was filled with four hundred 
 thousand manuscripts or valuable volumes." 
 
 This immense library was the depository of the greatest 
 minds of the day, from the surrounding country, and was much 
 the largest collection of literary and scientific matter the world 
 had ever seen ; and no event, from the days of Noah, tended so 
 powerfully to bury in the rubbish of oblivion the true history 
 of the world, and a knowledge of the arts and sciences, as its 
 destruction. It was burnt during the wars of Julius Caesar. 
 
 Ptolemy Soter founded the tower of Pharo, or, as some 
 authors call it, the obelisk of Queen Semiramis. It was a 
 tower twenty-five feet square, and, when completed, was one 
 hundred and fifty feet high. This pyramid was completed by 
 Ptolemy Philadelphus, who succeeded his father. It was so 
 constructed, we are told, as to present the image of Queen 
 Semiramis, cut from a large stone, with smaller ones represent- 
 ing tributary kings. This opinion leads us into some difficulty ; 
 for it is not pretended that there was more than one Queen 
 named Semiramis, and she, according to Aristotle, was the 
 builder or ornamenter of Babylon and Nineveh. This history 
 represents her as not being so ancient, by several centuries, and 
 as being Queen to Nabonassar. The tower was built on an 
 island, and was intended, as we ,think, mainly, if not entirely, 
 to serve as a lighdiousn for the Alexandrian harbor, and when 
 completed, was regarded as the sixth wonder of the world. 
 Philadelphus founded a number of cities, and rebuilt old Rahab, 
 calling it Philadelphia. Ptolemy Philadelphus was evidently 
 an eminent architect and encourager of the arts and sciences ; 
 
116 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 indeed, so perfect was his style of architecture regarded, that 
 for a long period the best and most perfect specimens were 
 called Philadelphian, In his reign, or that of his son, another 
 library was built near or adjoining the old one. It is said that 
 Cleopatra afterward added to this library two hundred thousand 
 manuscripts, presented to her by Mark Antony. 
 
 As there is a remarkable similarity in the force of the reasons 
 given by the great Emperor for the destruction of this great 
 library, and those used by the great Alexander Campbell, of 
 the present day, for the downfall of Masonry, Odd Fellowship, 
 and Sons of Temperance, we will here give them in full. 
 
 The Belchium, or Alexandrian Library, had often been 
 subjected to the depredations of barbarian invaders during the 
 revolutions and commotions of the Roman Empire, but it was 
 as often repaired and replenished, until Alexandria was taken 
 by the Saracens. At the period of the destruction of the library, 
 there lived at Alexandria the famous Aristotelian philosopher, 
 Johanes Grammaticus, who was a great favorite of the Saracen 
 General, Amrus Ebnol. And he, being a great lover of the arts 
 and sciences, requested, as a great favor, to be presented with 
 this library, to which the General replied that the Caliph alone 
 possessed the power to dispose of it, but that he would write to 
 the Emperor and urge his request, which being done, the 
 Emperor returned for answer : — " That if those hooks contained 
 what was agreeing with the Alcoran, there was no need of them, for 
 the Akoran was amply sufficient of itself for all truths J but if they 
 contained anything that disagreed with the Alcoran, they were not 
 to be tolerated or endured J and, therefore, ordered that, whatsoever 
 they contained, the whole must be destroyed without delay." Where- 
 upon, they were distributed among the public baths, and served 
 as fuel to heat all the baths of Alexandria for six months. 
 
CHAPTER VIII, 
 
 B. 0. 304. When Antigonus was near eighty years old, and 
 during his wars with Cyprus, he demanded succor of the 
 Rhodeans, to which they sent back for answer a request that 
 he could not compel them to take up arms against their friend 
 and ally, Ptolemy. This reply so offended Antigonus, that he 
 sent against them his son Demetrius, with a fleet of two hundred 
 ships of war, one hundred transports, with forty thousand men, 
 accompanied with about one thousand small vessels with pro- 
 visions, etc. Rhodes was known to be a city of great wealth, and 
 the soldiers under Demetrius expected rich booty. Demetrius was 
 one of the most learned and scientific men of his day, as well as 
 a brave and accomplished officer, and carried with him great 
 numbers of those vast machines, then in use, for throwing arrows 
 and battering down walls. The Rhodeans had, after sending 
 away useless citizens, but about six thousand Rhodeans and one 
 thousand strangers, together with a few slaves, to defend the 
 city ; but, at that period, the city held many eminent architects, 
 and all were called upon to exert their best skill, and fight for 
 their homes ; and, notwithstanding the many scientific plans of 
 assault resorted to by Demetrius, the Rhodeans were successful 
 in counteracting them, till, after a siege of twelve months, 
 Demetrius was willing to make an amicable adjustment and 
 compromise of their difficulties ; and, in order to leave behind 
 an evidence of his high regard for their science and bravery, he 
 made them a present of all the machines of war which he had 
 employed against them. As an evidence of the high estimation 
 in which the arts and sciences were held by this distinguished 
 chief, we will here relate, upon the authority of Pliny and 
 Vitruvius, that at that time there was living in Rhodes a cele- 
 brated painter, named Protogenes. The rooms he occupied 
 
118 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 were situated outside of the city, and, consequently, exposed to 
 the violence of the soldiers of Demetrius ; but, as though notl;- 
 ing could disturb his mind, or draw it from the pursuit of his 
 profession, he continued his labors, unmoved by the noise of 
 war ; and on being asked by Demetrius for an explanation of 
 his conduct, replied : " Because I am sensible you have declared 
 ■war against the Rhodeans, and not against the sciences." 
 Whereupon, Demetrius ordered a guard to preserve him 
 unharmed. 
 
 This artist's masterpiece was the Inlysees, a historical picture 
 of a heathen god, or hero, said by the Rhodeans to be the 
 founder of that city. Pliny thinks that this painting was the 
 cause of Demetrius' raising the siege, as he states it hung in 
 that quarter of the city where alone it was possible for a 
 successful assault to be made, and that sooner than expose so 
 fine a specimen of art to destruction, Demetrius abandoned his 
 enterprise ; but this historian is not sustained in this opinion 
 by those who wrote about the same time, and the idea is ridi- 
 culed by Rollin and others. 
 
 We have said thus much about Rhodes, at the period referred 
 to, for the purpose of showing somewhat of the history of the 
 last of the seven wonders of art. The Rhodeans sold the 
 machines which had been given to them by Demetrius, for three 
 hundred talents, upward of three hundred thousand dollars, 
 with which, together with a sufficient sum raised from other 
 sources, they built the great Colossus across the mouth of the 
 harbor. Charles of Lindus, a celebrated Mason and architect, 
 was employed by the city to perform this stupendous work, 
 which occupied him and all his craftsmen twelve years. It 
 was built of brass ; and when we remember its hight — 
 seventy cubits, or one hundred and five feet — and that its 
 form — that of a man — was perfect in all its parts, we may form 
 some estimate of this vast human statue. Contemplate a 
 human figure, with one foot on either shore, and a natural 
 stride sufficiently wide to allow the largest ships, under sail, to 
 pass between its legs. This mighty Colossus stood only sixty- 
 six years, when it was thrown down by an earthquake, B.C. 
 236. We have no accurate account of the amount of materials 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 119 
 
 employed in its building ; but a tolerably correct estimate may 
 be drawn, when we consider that it remained prostrate until 
 A.D. 672, about eight hundred and ninety-four years, subject to 
 the waste of time and the purloining of men, and then weighed 
 over eight hundred thousand pounds. The sixth Caliph of the 
 Saracens, having taken Rhodes in the year above named, sold 
 the brass to a Jew merchant, who loaded nine hundred camels 
 with it, and it is fair to suppose each camel carried nine hun- 
 dred pounds. 
 
 We are at a loss to determine what great purpose this great 
 statue, much the largest in the world, was designed to answer. 
 We know this people worshiped the sun, and that the statue 
 was dedicated accordingly ; but we can find nothing in their 
 religion which would suggest the idea of such a statue, and it 
 was certainly not so constructed as to afford a place of worship. 
 If left to our conjecture, we should be inclined to say that it 
 was intended for the two-fold purpose of serving as a fit place 
 for a beacon-light to approaching vessels, and to excite the 
 wonder and admiration of tiie world ; though, at the present 
 day, we should be inclined to regard it as a specimen of their 
 folly. Certain it is, whatever may have been the design of the 
 Rhodeans, it did not long answer the end for which it was 
 designed ; for, like the Tower of Babel, the vengeance of 
 Heaven was poured out against it. 
 
 Tlie city of Carthage, so renowned in ancient history, and to 
 which we have already barely referred, was founded by Elisa, 
 or Dido, who married a near relative named Ascerbas, who, for 
 his wealth, was murdered by Dido's brother, Pygmalion, King 
 of Tyre. She, however, eluded his avarice, by secretly with- 
 drawing from the country, carrying with her all her late 
 husband's wealth, and after long wandering, landed on the 
 coast of the Mediterranean, near Tunis, and purchasing some 
 lands from the inhabitants, settled, with her few followers, about 
 fifteen miles from that town, and afterward commenced build- 
 ing Carthage — signifying new city. Dido was afterward 
 courted by Jarbas, King of Getulia, and threatened with a war 
 in case of her refusal to marry him. This Princess having made a 
 solemn vow to her husband never to consent to a «econd marriage, 
 
120 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 and not being capable of violating that vow, desired time 
 to return an answer, when she ordered a pile to be raised, and 
 ascending to its top, drew a concealed dagger and plunged it to 
 her own heart, thus setting an example of integrity and virtue 
 which tended no little to stamp the character of Carthagenians 
 for many ages. How many monarchs or presidents of the 
 present day would sacrifice their own lives sooner than involve 
 their nation in a war ? When we contemplate the growth and 
 prosperity of Carthage — the vast power and influence which it 
 long exercised, not only over Africa, but her conquests were 
 extended into Europe, invaded Sardinia, took nearly all of 
 Sicily and Spain, and for six hundred years was mistress of the 
 seas — and by her great wealth, intelligence, and bravery, was 
 prepared to dispute preeminence with the empires of the world 
 — we are struck with the wonderful ways of Providence. Here 
 was a mighty nation of people, brought into being and power 
 by a single act of a mercenary assassin. For a long period 
 before 'the Romans acquired any fame for architecture, or the 
 science of government, the Carthagenians had established wise 
 laws, bulk several thousand cities, ornamented with stately 
 castles, etc. Their skill in masonry was of that kind which 
 tends to show them to have been an intelligent and warlike 
 people. Their marble temples, gold statues, splendid palaces, 
 good ships, and well constructed forts, point out this people as 
 occupying the most prominent position of any in the world ; 
 and when we consider that their ships sailed on every known 
 sea, carrying on a trade with all the known world, we are not 
 surprised that they so long disputed with the Romans the right 
 of universal empire. But the envy and ambition of the Romans 
 never slept or slumbered ; they had a pretended prophecy — 
 " Delenda est Carthago "* — Carthage must be demolished — which 
 after several long and bloody wars was accomplished by Scipio, 
 B.C. 150. 
 
 * This was the constantly reiterated expression of Roman Senators.and served 
 to Isepp alive the hostile feelings of the people to the envied fame of Carthage, 
 but it is very questionable whether there was even 4 pretended prophecy in 
 those words 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 121 
 
 It is not a little curious that a lady, also, figured somewhat 
 conspicuously at the fall of Carthage. After the main city 
 was given ftp, Asdrubal, his wife and two children, with nine 
 hundred soldiers who had deserted from Scipio, retired to, and 
 fortified themselves in, the Temple of Esculapius, and, owing to 
 its favorable position, might have held out a long time ; but the 
 cowardly Asdrubal came out, and, with aii olive branch in his 
 hand, threw himself at Scipio's feet, begging for his life. The 
 Temple was then set on fire, when Asdrubal's wife presented 
 herself and two children in view of the army, and addressed 
 Scipio in a loud voice : — " I call not down curses upon thy head, 
 Roman, because thou only takest the privilege allowed by 
 the rules of war ; but may the gods of Carthage, and those in 
 concert with them, punish, according to his deserts, the false 
 wretch who has betrayed his country, his gods, his wife, and 
 children ! " Then turning to Asdrubal she said : — " Perfidious 
 wretch ! thou basest of men, this fire will presently consume 
 both me and my children ; but as to the unworthy General of 
 Carthage, go, adorn the gay triumph of thy conqueror ; suffer 
 in the sight of all Rome the tortures thou so justly deservest." 
 She then seized her children, cut their throats, and threw them 
 into the flames, and, with a bound, followed after them. 
 
 The Sicilians, who had descended from the Greeks, early 
 practiced geometry and architecture at various places, but 
 especially at Syracuse ■; ' for when Marcellus brought his Roman 
 army against that city, it was twenty-two miles around it, and 
 could not, therefore, be subdued by a siege. Nor was Mar- 
 cellus more successful in storming it, because of the able devices 
 of the learned Archimedes, the Master of the Masons of 
 Syracuse, whose plans were so skillfully laid, that he was able 
 to counteract every movement of the Roman army, and it is 
 probable that Marcellus would have utterly failed, but for the 
 love the people of the city had for their festive day ; |'or it was 
 while they were occupied with one of these, that a single tower 
 was permitJted to be imperfectly manned, which the Roman 
 general took advantage of, and, making himself master of it, 
 the city soon fell into his hands. Marcellus gave strict orders 
 to save Archimedes, but this great architect was so deeply 
 
122 HISTORY OP FEEEMASOXET. 
 
 engaged in devising means to repel the Romans, that he wag 
 not aware of the city being in the hands of the enemy, and 
 was murdered by a common soldier. Marcellus was a lover 
 of the arts and sciences, and deeply mourned the loss the world 
 had sustained in the death of Arcliimedes, and gave him. honor- 
 able burial. This occurred B.C. 212. 
 
 We have every reason to believe that Greece, Carthage, and 
 Sicily sent out architects and builders into many parts of 
 Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, and also on the coast of 
 Gaul ; but we know very little of Masonry in these countries 
 until after they were overrun by the Romans. 
 
 We do not recollect how many works of art have been 
 claimed as constituting the seven wonders of the world, but 
 there is no specimen of Operative Masonry which, to our mind, 
 presents so much mystery as the celebrated Wall of China, 
 which, though it has long occupied a place on the map, we do 
 not, to this day, know when or by whom it was built. Our 
 knowledge of the Chinese Empire is of modern date. We 
 think it was near the close of the sixteenth century that some 
 Jesuit priests entered, by some stratagem, within the wall, and 
 after remaining some time brought away, or professed to do so, 
 the secret of making their ware. The Chinese believe that 
 they have occupied the same spot of ground from the creation 
 of the world, which they make some two thousand years older 
 than it appears from the accounts of Moses. They have an 
 account of several floods, but deny that even the great deluge 
 reached China. This people have a few learned men who are 
 somewhat acquainted with astronomy ; for they record all 
 remarkable eclipses and conjunctions of the planets, and but 
 for the modern improvements and discoveries in astronomy, 
 we should be driven to the Bible alone, to set aside their 
 chronological calendar ; but the celebrated Cassini, observing 
 their account of a remarkable conjunction of sun, moon, and 
 some of the planets, which took place, according to their 
 showing, sliortly after the creation, or about six thousand years 
 £igo — calculated back, and proves that such a conjunction 
 actually took place in China one thousand eight hundred and 
 twelve years before Christ, or in the time of Abraham, about 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 123 
 
 four hundred years after the Flood ; which, if true, shows the 
 government to be very ancient, and that their account of the 
 creation is incorrect. 
 
 One thing seems to be very certain, viz., that this people 
 possessed a knowledge of architecture in an eminent degree, 
 before they built their Great Wall. That they have retained 
 that knowledge or improved upon it,' without any assistance 
 from other nations,' furnishes another evidence that architecture 
 was better understood by the ancients than it is at th^ present 
 day ; for, in point of magnitude, the world never saw anything 
 to equal the Wall of China. We state from memory, that it is 
 fifteen hundred miles long, and sufficiently thick for carriages 
 to be drawn and pass each other on its top. Different opinions 
 are entertained in reference to the style of the wprk ; but we 
 think the length of time it has stood, underwrites the quality of 
 the work. We think it probable that this people had been sur- 
 rounded by warlike tribes, and being themselves lovers of 
 science, and averse to war, inclosed themselves in a wall ; and 
 so rigid and complete became their seclusion, that they lost even 
 a knowledge of other nations. 
 
 We read, some twenty-eight years since. Lord Amherst's 
 account of the manner and customs of the Chinese, from a 
 personal intercourse with them, inside the Great Wall. We are 
 not positive as to the particular stratagem used on this occasion 
 to gain his admission, but, if our memory is correct, he bore a 
 present of a fine carriage from George III., of England, with the 
 condition that it was to be delivered to the Emperor in per- 
 son, and Lord Amherst states that, after great precautions and 
 blindfolding, he was admitted. He informs us that the policy of 
 the government is, in many resppcts, the very reverse of any 
 Anglo-Saxon nation. For example, while we are, using every 
 power of mind to do away with manual labor, the canals are so 
 built that all goods are lauded at the most distant point of 
 the empire, from the place of final destination ; and that no 
 means of conveyance is then allowed but that of manual labor ; 
 nor is this so very remarkable, when we remember that they for- 
 bid emigration, and must needs seek to give employment to all 
 citizens ; for it will be remembered that the bui. " 
 
]24 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKT. 
 
 which ai-e situated outside of the wall, in order to carry on 
 commerce with other nations, furnish employment to a very 
 j small portion of the citizens. 
 
 Since, in these latter days, the Chinese have permitted a more 
 liberal intercourse with other and Christian nations, we have 
 some prospect that the effect will be a conversion to Christianity, 
 a cessation of infanticide and idolatrous worship, and a turning 
 to the true worship, and a general system of slaughtering adults 
 under the sanction of Chinese laws abandoned. 
 
 England has already given them a foretaste of coming events. 
 Lord Amherst represents the common people as being a faithless, 
 lying set of ignorant beings ; but, in giving credit to the man- 
 ner of his reception, we are left at liberty to infer that they 
 may have been instructed to deceive him, with the intention 
 that he should know as little as possible of their true character 
 and condition. We think this author states that when the 
 carriage was presented to the Emperor, he ordered his best 
 workmen to make one just like it, and conceal or destroy the 
 original, showing a determination not to let the people know 
 that he would use any article of foreign manufacture. 
 
 In relation to the ignorance of the people, we should be 
 surprised to hear any other account than that given by Lord 
 Amherst ; for the nature of their language, and character of 
 government, must ever confine any very extensive knowledge of 
 the arts and sciences to the few who are privileged by birth or 
 wealth. It matters not to which of the sons of Noah we trace 
 this people. It is very evident that they understood Operative 
 Masonry at an early period ; but, as far as we know, there is no 
 account, either historical or traditional, of an organized Society 
 of Freemasons in the empire, even to the present day. Yet, it 
 is not impossible that it does there exist ; and, if so, its tradi- 
 tions might tend to remove much of the obscurity which shrouds 
 a portion of Masonic history. But we have strong reasons for 
 supposing that no such Society ever existed there until intro- 
 duced by Englishmen, within a short period. 
 
 All the traditions and teachings of Masonry, as far as we under- 
 stand them, are founded on, and corroborative of, the Bible ; 
 and the traditions of the Chinese are at open and direct variance 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASONBT. 125 
 
 with that holy volume. But, if the opinions of Dr. Oliver are 
 correct, that geometry is Masonry, and that Masonry is the true 
 religion, then have that people been long Masons, and the true 
 religion is not to be found in the Bible. The great works of the 
 Chinese leave no room to doubt their early knowledge of geom- 
 etry and architecture ; and, of course, as their religion and tra- 
 ditions ante-date the accounts of the Bible, and give altogether 
 a different history, their religion can have no connection with 
 the Christian religion. So that, if they have the true, we have 
 the false religion. 
 
 We have read and heard, again and again, that Masonry is 
 universal ; that we have brethren of the mystic tie in every 
 inhabited part of the globe, and, for aught we know, it may be 
 so ; but we are not prepared to believe, as true, mere declama- 
 tion, unaccompanied by proof of any kind. Masonry is univer- 
 sal in its principles, upon one important condition, viz., the 
 belief in OTie Supreme Being ; but we have nowhere any 
 authority for making Masons of those who believe in a plurality 
 of gods. We have heard that we have brethren among the 
 various tribes of Indians ; but, while there is nothing in their 
 faith to disqualify them (they all believe in a Supreme Being), 
 we ask if we have any account of Masonry among the Indians 
 prior to their intercourse with the whites ? A few have been 
 made, as Brant was, by the whites, who knew them to be 
 worthy from an intimate acquaintance ; and a few others have 
 been made also by the whites, as was recently done in Ohio, 
 without any knowledge of the moral fitness or qualifications of 
 the candidates. 
 
 In the case alluded to in Ohio, our brethren seek to find an 
 excuse in the fact that an Indian interpreter, a half breed, had 
 with him a precious relic, on which was painted some mysterious 
 characters, the tradition of which, from what we can learn, was 
 about as much like " ancient Druidism," or the " Society of Red 
 Men," as Masonry. But as the half-breed was, from his own 
 account, somehow connected with some Indian mystery, ergo, it 
 was spurious Masonry, and he deserved to be healed. If 
 Masons are thus carelessly and recklessly made at this day, 
 when the. Institution is so gloriously in the ascendant, is it 
 
126 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 remarkable that Chinese Masons are to be found in the persona 
 of those who have visited Christendom ? Point us to the Lodge, 
 among the Indians or Chinese, that can trace its origin to a 
 period anterior to their intercourse with a Christian or civilized 
 people, and we may be prepared to credit the story of universal 
 Masonry. 
 
 To us it does seem strange that so many able writers labor 
 to make Masonry so much more than common sense will bear 
 them out in ; when, if its well known history and character is 
 given without exaggeration, it will appear proudly above all 
 other human associations, as a system of ethics, capable of being 
 understood by all ; and it is the more remarkable, when we 
 reflect that these extraordinary claims are calculated to excite 
 the ridicule and animadversions of the thinking historian. Tell 
 an intelligent man that Masonry is the true religion, and that 
 its members are to be found in every tribe, kindred, and tongue 
 — one portion acknowledging the Bible as the rule for the 
 government of their faith, another the Koran, another without 
 any written law, but worshiping the sun, moon, stars, animals, 
 sticks, or stones — and what must he think of you, or of Masonry? 
 We can find a reason for believing animal magnetism, clairvoy- 
 ance, Millerism, Mormonism, enchantment, or even witchcraft, 
 or any other imposition of the day ; but we are at a loss to 
 conceive of a single reason going to show that Masonry is the 
 wonderful system of palpable contradictions.which makes it the 
 true religion and spurious religion, Christian and anti-Christian, 
 and, withal, as old as the world, and as wide-spread as the 
 universe of man. The Chinese evidently understood architec- 
 ture at a period long anterior to our knowledge of their 
 internal government ; the immense wall alone proves this. 
 And if we take the account of Moses, as much may be said of 
 the Antediluvians ; but does it, therefore, follow that the Ante- 
 diluvians, Chinese, and Christians have ever practiced the same 
 system of ethics, through the medium of the same organized 
 Society, Freemasonry ? We find the task a diflBcult one, to 
 t.race,satisfactorily, the Association from the days of Solomon to 
 the great Convocation of York, in England, in 928. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Hetrurians used the Tuscan order of architecture at a 
 very early period of their history, but from the Greeks, who 
 never used this order, they learned the Doric, Ionic, and 
 Corinthian orders ; and when Turrenus, the last King of the 
 Tuscans, bequeathed his government to the Romans, B.C. 279, 
 they had built many splendid specimens of their art. The 
 Romans, seeing these, invited their workmen to Rome, where 
 they taught their knowledge of architecture. 
 
 When Marcellus took possession of the rich spoils of Syracuse, 
 he imitated the great Archimedes, by becoming the Grand 
 Master, or patron of Masonry, and employed all the most 
 accomplished Fellow Crafts to build the celebrated theatre at 
 Rome ; also a Temple to Virtue, and one to Honor. Bijt the 
 Romans still remained greatly in the rear of the Greeks, until 
 the time of Scipio Asiaticus, B.C. 190, who led the Romans 
 against the King of Syria, and took, by force, the country West 
 of Tarsus. Here they beheld the magniiicent specimens of 
 Grecian architecture with wonder and admiration, and they 
 sought carefully to imitate them. Soon after this event, there 
 followed a series of conquests, which tended ppwerfully to foster 
 and build up a love of the arts and sciences. 
 
 In the time of Scipio Africanus, who was an encourager of 
 the arts and sciences, Carthage, the great rival of Rome, was 
 taken, and by order of the Senate destroyed, B.C. 146, but not 
 until Scipio, who mourned to see such specimens of magnificence 
 destroyed, had learned much of Carthagenian architecture. 
 Nor is this all that tended to establish the glory of the Roman 
 Republic. About the same period, Mummius entered and sacked 
 Corinth, the queen city of Greece, from which were taken, not 
 only the finest specimens of art, but the learned in science and 
 
128 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONBT 
 
 architecture were invited to Rome, from which period Rome 
 assumed a proud stand among the nations of the earth. The 
 noble palace of Paulus Emilius, the triumphal arch of Marius, 
 in Gaul, and the three theatres at Rome, rose in their splendor 
 One of these theatres was so remarkable in size and style of finish, 
 that we are induced to give a brief description of it here. 
 This building was capable of holding eighty thousand persons. 
 The interior was divided into three separate divisions or loft? 
 of scenery, one above another, supported by three hundred and 
 sixty columns ; the first row of marble, the second of crystal, 
 and the third of wood. Between these columns were throe thou- 
 sand human statues, beautifully formed of brass. 
 
 In the days of Tarquinus Superbus, the Temple of Jupiter 
 Capitolinus was built, and their god, Jupiter, was made of clay ; 
 but this Temple being destroyed, the great Sylla had the 
 columns taken from Jupiter Olympus in Greece, and used them in 
 building the new Temple in Rome, and made Jupiter of pure gold. 
 
 Pompey the Great built a splendid theatre near his palace, 
 that held forty thousand persons. At this period, no people 
 were so fond of shows of all kinds as the Romans ; and though 
 in all ages theatrical amusements have seemed to lead to the 
 toleration of more or less obscenity and immorality, it is 
 nevertheless true that to this species of public amusement are 
 we much indebted for the advancement of this people in literary 
 taste, and a love of knowledge and virtue. 
 
 We have been speaking of the proudest days of Rome, all 
 things considered, but now a mighty struggle commenced 
 between two great men — Pompey and Julius Csesar contending 
 for supremacy. The struggle was between two great Generals, 
 of giant intellects, and long was the effort of doubtful result ; 
 but finally, Pompey was routed at Pharsalia, and murdered in 
 his attempt to escape, and thus the Republic of Rome, which 
 had existed for more than one hundred years, fell to rise no 
 more. Csesar was proclaimed perpetual Dictator and Imperator. 
 The High Priest reformed the Roman calendar, B.C. 48. 
 
 It is stated by Pliny that Julius Cssar built the great Circus, 
 three furlongs in length and one in breadth, which was capable 
 of holding, at the shows, two hundred and sixty thousand 
 
HISTORY OP PKEEMASONET. 129 
 
 people. He built Caesar's Palace, the beautiful Temple of 
 Venus, and or'dered Coriuth and Carthage to be rebuilt about 
 one hundred years after they were destroyed. But how shall 
 we reconcile this statement with the short period which elapsed 
 between his ascension to power aud.his death? We do not say 
 that he did not accomplish all the great works assigned to him, 
 but we believe that,if he did so, they must have been commenced 
 long before he was declared Dictator, for he was murdered 
 at Pompey's statue, by iiis ungrateful friend Brutus, B.C. 44. 
 
 It must ever remain a matter of opinion and doubt, whether 
 the fall of Caesar was, or not, a^ational calamity. On the one 
 hand, the lovers of liberty and republican government will 
 contend that as a tyrant he deserved to die, that Rome might 
 return to her republican form of government; while on the 
 other, it may with truth be said that the Roman people had 
 lost their capacity to govern themselves ; but all agree that the 
 consequences which followed resulted in the glory of the Roman 
 Empire, for the conquest of Egypt, the death of Cleopatra, 
 the fall of the Grecian monarchy immediately followed, and 
 ushered in the magnificent Augustan age, which was destined 
 to throw a halo of glory around the Roman Empire, making it 
 not only the seat of imperial power, but the nursery of the arts 
 and sciences ; and though eighteen hundred years have now rolled 
 away, the magnificence and glory of that age furnishes a 
 fruitful theme for the pen of the scholar, statesman, and orator. 
 
 Augustus was not only a lover of science, and a great 
 encourager of the arts, but some of the greatest men of any 
 age then lived, and were co-workers with him to give imperish- 
 able fame to the Roman Empire. We doubt whether, since the 
 days of Solomon, a man has lived who, as Grand Master, or 
 overseer of the Craft, has done more to advance the interest 
 and prosperity of Operative Masonry than did Vitruvius, who 
 wrote learnedly on the subject of geometry and architecture ; 
 and under the patronage of Augustus, assisted by Agrippa, 
 commenced building B.C. 29. He first employed the Craft in 
 repairing the public works which had been torn down or 
 injured during the wars. He then built the bridge at Arminium, 
 and at Rome he erected the Temple of Apollo, the Temple of 
 
130 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONBT. 
 
 Mars, tlie great Rotunda, the splendid Forum, the Palace of 
 Augustus, the beautiful statue in the capitol, and many other 
 statues in the palaces, the library, the portico, the park, and the 
 splendid Mausoleum ; and placed in the Temple of Venus a 
 gold statue of Cleopatra, which had been brought from Egypt. 
 But we shall look with wonder and admiration at this golden 
 age of Operative Masonry, when we contemplate the effect 
 which the erection of these public edifices had upon the private 
 citizens of Rome, who, becoming disgusted with their old brick 
 mansions, and enamored with the Augustan style, tore them 
 down and rebuilt of pure marble, so that, in the death hour of 
 Augustus, he could with truth say, " I found Rome built of brick, 
 but I leave it built of marble." 
 
 The remains of the very buildings of which we have been 
 writing have been found and faithfully described by travelers 
 in the nineteenth century, from which we may fairly raise the 
 question whether architecture has marched forward or receded 
 for the last nineteen hundred years. We believe it has receded, 
 md will continue to do so until a revolution in the classifica- 
 tion of employment is produced. So long as it shall be regard- 
 id more honorable recklessly to advocate a bad cause, or shield 
 and defend villainy in a court of justice, or ignorantly tamper 
 with human life by every species of deception and fraud, or 
 stand behind the counter and live by misrepresentations, or 
 even to spin street yarn and live a drone in the hive of nature 
 — we say, so long as the world shall regard all these occupations 
 more honorable than to be master of a noble science, men of 
 the best minds and ample means will not become master build- 
 ers or accomplished architects. Men are not now, as formerly, 
 educated for architects. The P!uropean crowned heads and 
 best horn make only the learned professions honorable ; while 
 Americans, grateful for foreign crumbs of fashion, not only 
 trucklingly ape foreigners in this, but seek to excel them by 
 placing a well dressed scientific gambler greatly above a penny- 
 less scientific mechanic. That this is all wrong, few if any will 
 question ; every intelligent, thinking man, who desires the 
 honor and prosperity of his country, must admit that the 
 present state of society is not likely to promote the proirross 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 131 
 
 of the mechanic arts. There was a time when architecture 
 was practiced by the most learned and wise men of the day ; 
 then arcliitecture flourislied, and that people wlio excelled in 
 this hecame tlie great people of the age. There was a time 
 when the science of medicine was in the hands of barbers, and 
 it dwindled into insignificance. If the day shall ever come 
 when men will be esteemed in proportion to their merit, skill, 
 and knowledge of their business — when the learned and accom- 
 plished mechanic shall stand as high in the community as the' 
 learned lawyer or doctor — then, and not till then, will the art 
 of building be cultivated, and the science of geometry once 
 more engage the attention of the learned and wise. But to 
 whom shall we appeal with the hope of even beginning this 
 reformation ? Our attention was forcibly called to this subject 
 by our learned and able correspondent " G." whose article may 
 be seen in the first and second numbers of the Signet. He 
 calls upon Freemasons to go back and redeem the noble science 
 of architecture from its fallen condition, and place it before the 
 world in its former grandeur. He boldly makes the charge 
 (and no mechanic has offered to refute it) that there is not a 
 brick mason in the city of St. Louis who is capable of ascer- 
 taining what amount of pressure a brick, made of the ordinary 
 clay, is capable of sustaining. He instances the shot tower that 
 fell in this city a few years since ; he states that the neighbors 
 became alarmed, thinking there was danger of its falling ; that 
 some scientific mechanics were called upon to examine it, and 
 they pronounced it safe, and the next day it fell. He calls 
 upon the Masons to educate the orphan children, and make 
 accomplished builders of them. In short, he calls upon us to 
 assume control of the science, and so encourage its study, that 
 once more the world may know that the Society of Freema- 
 sons could at any time furnish competent builders. We know 
 there is no probability that these suggestions will lead to any 
 immediate practical good ; but there is hope " if the tree be 
 cut down, the tender branches tliereof will not cease." There 
 is hope that these "cmarks may, at some future day, awaken the 
 mind of some loi er of the noble, but decaying science, and 
 stimulate him to lay the foundation of a glorious revolution. 
 
132 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONBY. 
 
 Should the day come when a Grand Lodge would offer pre- 
 miums for the best specimens of architecture, that Grand 
 Lodge will have begun the good work. 
 
 We return to our history, by carrying our readers into Judea, 
 B.C. 180. At this period, the High Priests of Jerusalem had 
 charge of Masonry under the Kings of Egypt, and hence they 
 are styled by Anderson and others Provincial Grand Masters, 
 until Seleucus Philopater, King of Syria, seized upon Palestine. 
 His son. Antiochus Epiphanes, persecuted the Jews with great 
 cruelty, until they were rescued by the Asmonean Priest, Judas 
 Maccabceus. This High Priest was not the regular descendant 
 of Joshua, the High Priest, but came of the line of Joarib, the 
 great grandfather of Mattathias, the Priest of Madin. The 
 lineal successor of Joshua was Onias, who, being deprived of 
 his right by the Syrian Kings, traveled into Egypt, and built a 
 Temple at Heliopolisjand being greatly assisted by the Jews 
 then in Cyrene, he endeavored to make this Temple resemble 
 the one at Jerusalem. He commenced it B.C. 149, and being 
 speedily completed, stood until A.D. 73, a period of two hun- 
 dred and twenty-two years, when it was destroyed by Vespasian 
 the Emperor. Mark Antony induced the Senate of Rome to 
 create Herod, the Edomite, King of Judea, B.C. 33. Herod, 
 by the help of the Romans, conquered Antigonus and mounted 
 the throne at Jerusalem. He got rid of all the AAionean 
 Priests, and by his fiat made and set up High Priests according 
 to his own will and pleasure. Herod became the greatest 
 builder of his day — he was regarded as the patron or Grand 
 Master of all the Lodges in Judea, and greatly added to the 
 knowledge of Masonry,by sending to Greece for the most expert 
 Craftsmen, whose superior knowledge of architecture was of 
 great service to the Jews. 
 
 After the battle of Actium, B.C. 30, Herod being reconciled 
 to Augustus, began to show his great powers of mind, and 
 exemplify his knowledge and taste in architecture. He erected 
 a splendid tlieatre at Jerusalem, after the Grecian order ; he 
 next built the city of Sebaste, or Augustus, in which he built a 
 small Temple after the model of the great one at Jerusalem. He 
 built a Temple of pure white marble at Paneas ; also the cities 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 133 
 
 of Antipatris,Phasaelis, and Cypron, and the tower of Phasael at 
 Jerusalem. But that which added most to his fame throughout 
 the world, was his rebuilding the Temple of Zerubbabel. 
 Herod seems to have had two great objects in view in this 
 great undertaking — first, to win the attachment of the Jews ; 
 and, second, to establish his name among the nations of the earth 
 as a wealthy and scientific Prince. The Temple at Jerusalem 
 had been standing about five hundred years, and was much 
 decayed and injured by the many wars to which it had been 
 exposed ; but the attachment of the Jews to this venerable 
 edifice may be seen wlien Herod gathered them together, and 
 informed them that he designed throwing down the old Temple 
 for the purpose of rebuilding it anew, for the alarm which this 
 intelligence produced was such that Herod was compelled to 
 promise that the Temple should not be pulled down until every- 
 thing was in readiness to rebuild ; and accordingly he set about 
 preparing materials, employing great numlDers of masons and 
 one thousand wagons, in collecting the stones and timbers, 
 Herod acting as Grand Master, divided the masons — ten thou- 
 sand in number — into Lodges, and selected two learned Rabbins 
 — Hillel and Shammai — his assistants, or Wardens. Within 
 two years he had go't all things in readiness for the new Temple, 
 when he pulled down the old one, and laid the corner-stone, or 
 foot-stone as it was then called, just forty -six years before the 
 first Passover of Christ's personal ministry. The reader will 
 remember to have read in John ii. 20, that the Jews said to 
 Christ, " forty and six years hath this Temple been in building." 
 Now, this may seem inconsistent with the historical facts handed 
 down to us, if we are not careful to interpret the meaning of 
 these Jews correctly. We learn that the Temple proper, or 
 the most holy place in theEast, and the porch in the West, and 
 passage leading to both, were finished at an immense cost in 
 the short space of one year and six months from the laying of 
 the corner-stone ; and all the balance of the building as planned 
 by Herod, and constituting the original design as drawn by 
 him on the trestle board, in eight years more, when the cape- 
 stone was celebrated by the Fraternity with great pomp and 
 splendor ; and the more so, because the day was the same in the 
 
134 HISTORY OF PREEMASONKY. 
 
 year that Herod received the crown. But a great number of 
 masons were retained in adding outer buildings, so that if the 
 Jews intended to refer to these as part and parcel of the 
 Temple, it was in building forty-six years at the Passover, and 
 was continued all the time our Saviour sojourned on earth, and 
 several years after, and up to the time when Gesius Florus, 
 who was made Governor of Judea, discharged eighteen thou- 
 sand masons, which gave great offense to all the Jews ; for they 
 were constrained to regard this as a stroke, not only at their 
 Temple, but also at their worship. 
 
 Josephus describes this Temple as a magnificent marble 
 edifice, set off with a great profusion of costly decorations, and 
 as being the finest building upon earth since the days of 
 Solomon. It was much larger than the Temple of Zerubbabel, 
 and was modernized with the Grecian order of architecture. 
 This Temple was not finished, in all its parts, until about six 
 months before its destruction, A.D. 64. And now we approach 
 that wonderful and interesting period when peace and tran- 
 quility was to cover the face of the earth. When all wars and 
 rumors of wars were to be swallowed up in glad tidings of 
 great joy. When the new Star of Bethlehem should decorate 
 the heavens,and guide the wise men of theEast to the manger. 
 The Temple of Venus was closed, as if ashamed of the superior 
 light which was soon to burst upon a gazing and admiring 
 world. Augustus had reigned twenty-six years after the con- 
 quest of Egypt ; his reign was made glorious by his many 
 works of art, and his liberal encouragement of the sciences, but 
 now become still more famous by his having lived and reigned 
 at that period, when the Word was made flesh ; when Christ, 
 the Saviour, the mighty Prince of Peace, was born into thia 
 tvorldjto be a propitiation for our sins and a lamp to our feet, 
 to lead us from the errors of our way and point us to the 
 glorious morn of the resurrection, when our bodies shall rise 
 and become as incorruptible as our souls ; when, if we have 
 walked in newness of life and kept the faith as once delivered to 
 the saints, we may all hope to arise and ascend higher, and yet 
 still higher, through the countless realms of never ending bliss, 
 and live with Him in eternal glory. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 We do not feel it to be our duty to enter into a Iriblical 
 research in order to show all the striking evidences furnished 
 by God to man, when and how the Messiah would make His 
 advent into the world — this task apprcl|)riately belongs to 
 doctors of divinity — but as being intimately connected with the 
 authentic history of mankind, and especially with the Jewish 
 nation, the birth-place of Masonry, we think it not out of place 
 to quote the following prediction of the Patriarch Jacob. 
 When his spirit was about to leave its tabernacle of clay, and 
 appear before the awful Judge of quick and dead, he assembled 
 his twelve sons, who were the chiefs of the twelve tribes, and 
 foretold many things which would "befall that people, and 
 among them the following stands conspicuous : 
 
 " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
 from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him shall the 
 gathering of the people be." 
 
 We will now trace some of the prominent events which 
 transpired shortly before the coming of our Saviour, from 
 which we may learn how far the above prophecy was fulfilled. 
 About 40 years B.C., Pacorus, son of the King of Parthia, 
 entered Syria with a powerful army, and from thence sent a 
 strong detachment into Judea, with instructions to place 
 Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus, upon the throne. Several 
 prominent Jews, among whom was a brother of Herod's, were 
 enticed to the army of the enemy, under a pretext of com- 
 promise, when they were placed in irons. Herod, at this 
 critical period, escaped from Jerusalem. When the Parthians 
 entered the city, not finding Herod, they placed Antigonus on 
 the throne, and delivered the prisoners into his hands. Pliasael, 
 knowing that an ignominious death awaited him, dashed out 
 his brains against the wall of his prison. Hyrcanus had his 
 
136 1IST0RY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 life granted, tut, in order that he might never be able to enter 
 the priesthood, Antigonus caused his ears to be cut off, knowing 
 that the Levitical law required tliat the High Priest should be 
 perfect in all his parts or members. In the life of Hyrcanns 
 may be seen a striking exemplification of the devoted attach- 
 ment of the Jews to the Holy City. After he was mutilated as 
 above, the Parthians took him to Silencia, in Babylonia, where 
 he remained a prisoner until Phraates received the crown, who 
 caused his liberty to be restored and allowed him to have free 
 intercourse with his countrymen, who regarded him as their 
 King and High Priest, and raised hiin a revenue to keep him in 
 splendor ; yet the love he bore to his native country caused 
 him to disregard these advantages and comforts. He returned 
 to Jerusalem, whither Herod had invited him, and who after- 
 ward had him put to death. 
 
 When Herod escaped from the city, he went to Egypt and 
 thence to Rome. Antony was then enjoying the high power 
 conferred upon him by the triumvirate. Herod desired Antony 
 to procure the crown for Aristobulus, to whose sister he was 
 betrothed ; but Antony caused the crown to be conferred 
 upon him, in violation of all Roman usage ; for until now they 
 had not ventured to interfere with the rights of royal houses in 
 behalf of a stranger. But in this case, even the Senate bowed 
 obedience to the will of Antony, by declaring Herod King of 
 Judea, and caused the consuls to conduct him to the capitol, 
 where he received the usual honoi-s ; but it was by no means 
 certain,for some time, that he would be able to keep his position. 
 Antigonus refused to resign a throne which he had acquired at 
 so much cost, and for two years maintained his defense. In 
 the winter, B.C. 38, Herod made vigorous preparations for a 
 successful campaign in the spring, and opened it with the siege 
 of Jerusalem. Antony had given orders to Sosius, Governor 
 of Syria, to use his utmost to reduce Antigonus, and give Herod 
 full possession of the throne, and tlie two armies, being united, 
 amounted to sixty thousand, and after a siege of six moiths, 
 took the city. This army, contrary to the orders and will of 
 Herod, put thousands of the Jews to the sword, and flooded 
 she land with blood. Antigonus, being thus defeated, threw 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 137 
 
 himse]f at the feet of his conqueror, who sent him in chains to 
 Antony. Herod, not feeling secure wiiile Antigonus lived, 
 induced Antony to have him put to death. He was tried, con- 
 demned, and executed as a common criminal. This was a 
 violation of Roman usage, his being a crowned head. 
 
 Thus this unexampled event, by which the sovereign 
 authority of the Jews was given into the hands of a stranger, 
 and the reign of the Asmoneans, which had continued one 
 hundred and thirty years, substituted by an Idumenian, was 
 the prophecy being fulfilled — thus was the sceptre about to 
 depart from Judah, and the prediction of Jacob about to be 
 fulfilled : — Judah should reign oyer all other ti'ibes until Shiloh 
 come ; the Jews should exist as a nation, and be governed by 
 Judah until the coming of the Messiah. The tribe of Judah 
 has no longer the right to rule — the magistrates are no longer 
 taken from thence, for Shiloh has come, "and unto Him shall 
 the gathering of the people be." Herod had been made King 
 contrary to all law ; but the decree of Heaven had gone forth 
 — the sceptre had departed from Judah, and King Emanuel 
 was to commence his peaceful reign on earth. In the twenty- 
 sixth year of Augustus, the Temple of Janus was closed up, 
 because the whole world was at peace ; the word was made 
 FLESH ; Jesus Christ was born — after Solomon's reign nine 
 hundred and seventy-one years, in the year of Rome seven 
 hundred and forty-five, in the year of Herod thirty-four, and in 
 the year of the world four thousand. Four years after the 
 birth of Christ, A.M. 4004, or Anno Domini 1, the Christian 
 era begins. Augustus was a great friend and patron of Ma- 
 sonry, giving employment and respectability to all worthy 
 j Craftsmen ; he reigned with great splendor forty-four years, 
 land was succeeded by his colleague, Tiberius, under whose 
 reign the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified by Pontius Pilate, 
 .the Roman Goternor of Judea. Tiberius afterward banished 
 Pilate for this deed of injustice. Under this reign the Augustan 
 Btylc of architecture coniinued to be cultivated, and the Crafts- 
 men met with great encouragement. 
 
 Nero built a splendid palace about this time, and erected a 
 brass statue of himself, one hundred and ten feet high. 
 
138 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 In the year A.D. 64, Vespasian sent his son Titus to subduv 
 the Jews, and take possession of Jerusalem. When his soldiers 
 were sacking the city, one of them, contrary to orders, set fire 
 to the Temple, and soon after the whole city was leveled with 
 the earth, so that not one stone was left upon another ; and 
 that the prophecies might be fulfilled, the conqueror caused a 
 plow to be run over the ruin thereof, as a testimonial of its 
 total and final desolation. Vespasian has the honor of intro- 
 ducing the Composite order of architecture, when he erected 
 his splendid amphitheatre. This Prince ordered the Jewish 
 Temple in Egypt to be demolished, A.D. 73, and died A.D. 77. 
 When Titus had overrun the country of the Jews, he returned 
 and caused a triumphal arch to be raised, and adorned it with 
 splendid engravings and rich sculptures ; also his noble palace 
 and other public buildings. Domitian rebuilt the Temple of 
 Capitolinus, which he overlaid with plates of pure gold. He 
 also built the Temple of Minerva, and a palace, more splendid 
 than tliat of Augustus, containing stately galleries, halls, baths, 
 and beautiful apartments for his women. He died A.D. 83, 
 and was succeeded by Nerva, who died A.D. 95, having adopted 
 Trojan, who, by aid of the renowned architect and geometri- 
 cian, Apolodorus, constructed a splendid bridge over the 
 Danube, built two triumphal arches, a palace, circus, and his 
 famous column, one hundred and twenty-eight feet high, with 
 one hundred and twenty-three stairs. In those days no public 
 buildings were erected without having mystical inscriptions, 
 evidently designed to hand down to the Masons of future ages 
 the mysteries of the Order. This noble column was orna- 
 mented with mystical figures, ascending in spiral lines, from 
 the base to the capital. 
 
 In A.D. 130, Adrian, who was a Mason of great learning, 
 built the Roman Wall, in England, the remains of which are 
 probably yet to be seen in Northumberland. He also built a 
 bridge at Rome, his Mausoleum, etc., etc. 
 
 We are now approaching a period when Masonry was 
 neglected. We read of Antoninus, Marcus, Aurelius, Oom- 
 modus, and others, as having built some edifices, and, more or 
 less, patronizing Masonry ; but nothing remarkable is recorded 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 139 
 
 * 
 
 until the reign of Constarifine the Great, who reared at Rome 
 the last triumphal arch after the Augustan style. In A.I). 306, 
 this great Prince removed to Byzantium, which he called 
 Coos.tantinople. He took with him many monuments of Italian 
 art, and the best artists, that he might ornament Constan- 
 tinople, where he expended large sums in the employment of the 
 Craft, to erect many magnificent structures, including his own 
 equestrian statue, and died A.D. 336. 
 
 Architecture, and, indeed, all the arts and sciences, now 
 dwindled at Rome, and as an evidence of the liability of man 
 to pass to extremes, we are constrained to notice that this 
 state of things was much owing to the mistaken zeal of the 
 Christians ; for such was their hatred of idolatry, that they 
 injudiciously destroyed many of the noble monuments of art, 
 until the Roman Empire was divided between Valentinian and 
 Valens. The former died A.D. 374, the latter A.D. 378. 
 
 The northern nations of Europe, the Goths, Vandals, Huns, 
 Allemans, Dacians, Franks, Saxons, Angles, Long'obards, and 
 many others, had grown in power and boldness in proportion 
 as Rome became weak. They invaded Greece, Asia, Spain, 
 Africa, and Gaul, and even Italy itself, overrunning, like a 
 mighty avalanche, the civilized world, trampling under foot 
 every specimen of polite learning, and waging open war against 
 the arts and sciences. How wonderful will appear the ways 
 of Providence, when we remember what the Anglo-Saxon race 
 once was, and what it is now 1 Verily, " the first shall be last, 
 and the last shall be first." 
 
 Amid the gloom of Masonic desolation, of which we have 
 been speaking, one bright spot appeared and tended to preserve 
 our noble art. Theodosius the Great ascended the throne in 
 the East A.D. 378, who arrested the onward march of tlie 
 barbarians ; and so devoted was he to our Order, that he 
 enacted a law exempting all the Craft from taxation. Soon 
 after he became sole Emperor of the East and West, and then 
 partitioned the Government between his two sons. Honoring 
 and Arcadius. They both expended much of the rich spoils of 
 war. from Greece, Egypt, and Asia, in building, etc. 
 
 When Justinian the First came into power, he determined, 
 
140 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 at all liazards, to support and sustain the noble Craft, and suc- 
 ceeded in restoring the Roman Empire almost to its former 
 grandeur. In A.D. 526, finding the arts and sciences in great 
 peril of being for ever lost, he dispatched his brave Greneral, 
 Belisarius, with a powerful army against Totila, the Goth, who, 
 at the head of an army of savages, took old Rome, and set fire 
 to it, which, after burning thirteen days, left poor remains to 
 be rescued by Belisarius. Prom this period may be dated the 
 downfall of the arts and sciences in Italy. The Augustan style 
 of architecture was here lost — the harmony of Lodges was 
 broken — Masonry was overthrown and well nigh destroyed by 
 Gothic ignorance. Justinian succeeded in arresting from 
 savage vengeance the substance of the civil law, and by the 
 assistance of his wise councilmen, digested a code which bears 
 his name. He rebuilt the church of St. Sophia, at a cost of 
 three hundred and forty thousand talents in gold, which he 
 vainly attempted to make equal to the Temple of Solomon. 
 The world is indebted to Justinian for great achievements, and 
 his name is venerated for many accomplishments and virtues ; 
 but there is one dark spot upon his fame that centuries more 
 will not efface. He caused the eyes of Belisarius to be put 
 out, and left him in abject poverty, and only able -to preserve 
 life by begging alms at the gates of St. Sophia. As if to hold 
 up to derision and scorn the dastardly conduct of Justinian, the 
 faithful historian has recorded the words of the royal beggar : — 
 " Give a halfpenny to Belisarius, whom virtue had raised and 
 envy depressed." 
 
 From the period of which we have been speaking, the arts 
 and sciences declined for several ages. Persecutions and 
 bloody wars succeeded in quick succession. Emperor after 
 emperor was murdered by his successor ; cruelty and rapine 
 covered the land and disgraced the very name of Christian, and 
 led to still more disastrous results. In the beginning of the 
 seventh century, the Mohammedans had become numerous, and 
 stimulated by the vindictive spirit of their opponents — goaded 
 on by the wild and merciless bigotry. of their faith — they came 
 forth, as an avenging host, carrying fire and sword over the 
 land, laying waste every vestige of elegance or refinement. The 
 
HISTORY OF FEBEMASONEY. ' 111 
 
 noblo specimens of ai-t were torn down or consumed, and even 
 the gigantic tree of Masonry was shorn of its beautiful foliage, 
 and drooped beneath a cloudy sky for many ages. The 
 Augustan style was here lost, and if not dug up amid the 
 ancient ruins, in the nineteenth century, is lost for ever. When, 
 after the lapse of years, tlie Goths began to assume some pride 
 and taste for building, it was but too manifest that the very 
 principles were unknown ; for with all their wealth and 
 ambition, and the unceasing study of their ablest designers, 
 aided, too, by the secrets of tlie Order, wliich had been trans- 
 mitted from father to son, and from Lodge to Lodge, they suc- 
 ceeded only in bringing forth that uncomely order, ever since 
 called the Gothic, which to this day is sometimes used in massy 
 structures — occasionally in a church or convent ; but the taste 
 that admires this order more tlian the Grecian or Roman style, 
 must, we think, prefer disorder and disproportion to form and 
 symmetry. Yet the laudable efforts of the Goths to supply 
 the loss of the old style of architecture tended, finally, as we 
 shall see, to restore, in some measure, the earlier ^nd more 
 perfect orders. 
 
 Toward the close of the eighth century, Charlemagne 
 endeavored, by every means in his power, to reestablish 
 Lodges, and resuscitate the ancient orders of architecture. A 
 taste for fine building was thus engendered, and the French 
 kept up unceasing efforts for the cultivation of architecture, 
 geometry, and the sciences, in the days of Hugh Capet ; and 
 the result was, that, before the close of the tenth century, the 
 Fraternity had so improved on the Gothic style that they ran 
 into the other extreme, making their work as much too slender 
 and delicate, as the Gothic had been too massy and cumber- 
 some. The church of St. John, at Pisa, in Tuscany, under the 
 direction of a Greek undertaker, Buscliatto, presented some- 
 what the appearance of the ancient style of building, which 
 was improved upon by others down to the sixteenth century ; 
 but the first prince who publicly took steps to produce a 
 revival of the ancient style was Charles of Anjou, King of 
 Naples. He employed Nicliolas and John Pisan, father and 
 son, to build an abbey in the plain of Taglia Cotzo, whero 
 
142 • HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 Charles had met and overthrown the pretender Couradin. 
 They built the King's new castle at Naples, and other editices, 
 that did credit to the age. They, together with Cimaboius, 
 took apprentices, and educated in their Lodge many young 
 men, who became master builders ; but the most distinguished 
 was Giotto, who became an eminent architect, and established 
 an academy, as Lodges were then properly called, and from 
 this Lodge proceeded a fund of knowledge in geometry and 
 architecture, that sent forth an undying influence over all 
 Italy, A.D. 1300. Nor did the community, as now, fail to 
 appreciate their learning and skill ; their being mechanics wa? 
 no bar to public favor or public honors. Many of them took 
 part in the important ofiSces and affairs of the government. 
 One of the pupils educated in the Lodge above named, Laurentio 
 Ghiberto, framed the two brazen gates of St. Johns, which, 
 after standing long years, were seen by Michael Angelo, who in 
 rapture exclaimed, " they are fit to be the gates of Paradise." 
 
 We pass over several who became distinguished as under- 
 takers and as men of science, and call attention to Dominigo 
 Gliirlandais, who was the master of Michael Angelo, and several 
 other distinguished men. But, up to this time, much of the 
 Gothic style of building was used at Florence, when Bruneleschi 
 — who served an apprenticeship, and studied at Rome the 
 beautiful and just proportions of the old Roman buildings, then 
 lying in ruins — returned and introduced the pure Doric, Ionic, 
 Corinthian, and Composite orders. In this noble effort, he and 
 his successors were aided and encouraged by the Princes of 
 the house of Medicis — for John de Medicis, and his son, Cosmo 
 I., were educated in the Lodge at Florence, and each became 
 Grand Master ; and the Society oj Lodge was called the revi- 
 vers, because they were mainly instrumental in reviving the 
 Augustan style. Cosmo erected a large library building, and 
 filled it with manuscripts from Greece and Asia. To this 
 library was attached a cabinet, containing everything which he 
 could collect that was either rare or curious. He established 
 an extensive commerce by sea and land, and acquired the title of 
 the father of his country. He died lamented by all and mourned 
 for by the Masons, A.D. 1464. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 4 143 
 
 Peter de Medicis succeeded him, and was a friend to the 
 Craft ; he died A.D, 1472, and was ^cceeded by his son, John 
 Julian de Medicis, who was said to be the most remarkable 
 youth of his day. He was the most beautiful, the most accom- 
 plished, and withal the best operative mechanic in Florence. 
 He did much to restore and reestablish the ancient style of 
 architecture. He died A.D. 1498. His grandson, Laurenzo, 
 built a great gallery in his garden, for the education of the 
 most promising youths of the country. His second son, .Tohn, 
 afterward elected Pope Leo X., was Grand Master of M ^sons 
 in erecting the cathedral of St. Peter, at Rome. His ( usin, 
 Julius, afterward Pope Clement VII., was also Grand Master, 
 and continued the building of St. Peter's ;■ thus it will be seen 
 that the whole family were devoted to arts and sciences, lovers 
 and encouragers of Masonry, until Cosmo II. was created 
 Grand Duke of Tuscany, A.D. 1561, who became so eminent 
 in his knowledge of architecture and his devotion to. Masonry, 
 that Pope Pius V. and the Emperor Ferdinand styled him the 
 great Duke of Tuscany. He was the Grand Master of all the 
 Masons of Italy. He established the famous Academy or Lodge 
 at Pisa, for the education and improvement of Entered Appren- 
 tices. He died in his fifty-sixth year, A.D. 1574. 
 
 At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Augustan style 
 of building revived in Italy. Leon Baptista Alberti was the 
 first author in modern times who wrote on architecture ; so 
 says Anquetel, Anderson, Reece, and others. If this be true, 
 it is not wonderful that Masonry remained so long at a low ebb. 
 This author, it seems, gave an impetus to science, and ere 
 another century passed away, a greater number of distinguished 
 architects lived than in any other age of the world. The Popes, 
 Princes, and the States of Italy, all united to encourage and 
 give character to the learned Masons, and thus promote its 
 cultivation in the higher classes of society. The celebrated 
 Braraante studied Masonry at Milan, examined the sleeping 
 remains through all Italy, and became so proficient in the art 
 as to bo employed, by three successive Popes, to build at 
 Rome the cloister of the church of Peace, the palace at 
 Chancery, and many other splendid and tastefully decorated 
 
144 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 edifices, including a beautiful little church at Mount Orio, 
 Under Pope Julian II., Bramante was ordered to draw the 
 design of St. Peter's, at Rome, and at the head of a large assem- 
 blage of Cardinals, Clergymen, and Craftsmen, he leveled the 
 corner stone, A.D. 1507. This mighty structure now stands the 
 proudest specimen of human art upon the earth, but Bramante 
 r- 'y lived to conduct the work seven years. He died A.D. 
 1514, and, by order of Pope Leo X., was buried in the chunih. 
 
 Raphael, a celebrated painter, had studied Masonry under 
 Bramante, and succeeded him as superintendent of St. Peter's, 
 until he died A.D. 1520. Had he lived, he was to have been 
 made a Cardinal. Next came Jocunde and Antony San Gallo 
 into the office of superintendents or overseers of the work, 
 until they died A.D. 1535, when Pope Paul III. appointed 
 Michael Angelo, now the most celebrated draughtsman, and, 
 afterward, the most distinguished architectof that, or, perhaps, 
 any other age. He found fault with the draughts of his prede- 
 cessors, hence made a new model, by which that lofty and 
 magnificent Temple was carried on to completion. It would 
 be tedious to mention all the buildings, the designs of which 
 were drawn by Michael Angelo ; sufBce it to say, that his long 
 life was spent in the glorious cause of both Operative and 
 Speculative Masonry, and at the advanced age of ninety years, 
 he left behind him a fame as imperishable as the world's 
 history. It will not be uninteresting to illustrate the high 
 estimation in which accomplished Masons were then held by 
 kings and princes, by stating that Cosmo the great Duke of 
 Tuscany, stole the corpse of Michael Angelo and solemnly 
 followed him at the head of an immense procession of Masons 
 to St. Cross, at Florence, where he was interred with Masonic 
 honors, and a tomb erected to his memory, which was beauti- 
 fully adorned with three marble statues, representing Archi- 
 tecture, Painting, and Sculpture. 
 
 Vignola, aided by Ligorio, as his Warden, succeeded Michael 
 Angelo, the latter w5,s discharged from his oflBce by Pope 
 Gregory XIII., for altering the model of Michael Angelo. 
 Vignola acquired a high reputation as a draughtsman, and 
 died A.D. 1573, and was succeeded by Maderni, who built the 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 145 
 
 frontispiece of the Temple. During this a,ge, as intimated, 
 many distinguished men lived and astonished the world with 
 their learning and devotion to Masonry ; but we shall mention 
 only one more, and hasten to close this part of our history, 
 that we may commence considering the history of our Order 
 in England, about which all American Masons feel the deepest 
 interest. 
 
 About the period of which we have been writing, Andrea 
 Palladio, of Venice, became distinguished by the publication of 
 his opinions of the old orders of architecture, giving accurate 
 descriptions of the most magnificent Temples of the ancients. 
 This work is spoken of in such terms, as to cause us to regret 
 our inability to lay hands on it. 
 
 We now leave Italy, at the close of the sixteenth century, 
 having been once the mistress of the world, by the strong arm 
 of power, and twice the great cradle of learning, and the home 
 of the arts. In this golden age of Masonry, Lodges were truly 
 what they should be — academies of learning. Convocations 
 were held, not alone for the practice of Masonic ceremonies, 
 but also to foster, protect, and encourage the cultivation of true 
 knowledge and virtue. Masons were educated and rendered 
 scientific architects, learned draughtsmen, and practical builders. 
 The world knew to whom application might be safely made 
 for a competent and honest workman, to design and superintend 
 the erection of substantial and beautiful buildings. How 
 strikingly would a minute description of the house in which 
 we are now writing, illustrate the falling off in architecture 
 since the sixteenth century ! Why, reader, several of our 
 friends have warned us of the imminent danger we are sup- 
 posed to be in of being buried in the ruins of this our land 
 lord's new four story house. The front wall is supported by 
 wood pillars, said to be a little larger than poke-stalks, and 
 made to present a tolerable appearance by being boxed up in 
 one-inch plank ; and as for our office, the wind is now coming in 
 so freely, above, beneath, and at each side of the doors, that 
 our light, a good old fashioned tallow candle, is blown hither 
 »'dyon. 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 By those who are well acquainted with the history ol 
 England, as found on record, we shall not be expected to fix 
 the date when Masonry was introduced into that country, with 
 any reliable accuracy. There is intermingled so much fable 
 with all the early accounts of the settlement of that Island, 
 that no one at this day can distinguish between the romance of 
 Heathen Mythology and sober truth. Whether Bladud, who 
 lived about 900 years B.C., was educated in Athens, and com- 
 ing here, built Bath, and produced the waters there, and 
 afterward, in an attempt to fly with artificial wings,fell from 
 tlie Temple of Apollo — or that the entire story is a fiction, can 
 not now be determined. Whether the Druids of Britain prac- 
 ticed many of the customs and usages of Masons near 1100 
 years B.C., or whether their story is not something like the 
 surmises of the present day, that because one of the red men 
 of the forest is found in possession of a piece of bark, or bone, 
 with some unintelligible characters engraven thereon, ergo, he is 
 a Mason — we shall not undertake to decide ; but we venture the 
 opinion that there is about as much reason in the one as the other. 
 The Druids are supposed to have been Masons, because they 
 had their secret societies, and refused to publish what transpired 
 therein. Now, if it could be shown that this was the only 
 secret Society in existence at the time, then we should be con- 
 etrained to conclude that it was a Masonic Society, or that no 
 Society of Masons then existed ; but it is easy to show the 
 existence of quite a number of secret societies, all teaching and 
 practicing the doctrines of false gods, about the period alluded 
 to ; and, if we rely upon our traditions, it must be manifest that 
 Masonry was not then instituted, and though it came into being 
 very soon after, it never did teach the doctrine of a plurality 
 of gods ; so that the authors who make tlie ancient Druids a 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 147 
 
 Masonic Society must be reckless of truth, or know but little 
 of the traditions of our Order, for the Druids were infidels, or 
 believers in a plurality of gods. In the history of England we 
 have another proof that geometry and Masonry never were one 
 and the same thing ; for there is abundant proof that, while the 
 Island was inhabited by bands of savages (and long before the 
 visit of the Romans), they erected dwellings, and even built 
 towns, the remains of which are yet to be seen. In applying 
 the term savage to the first settlers of Britain, we do not use " 
 the term to be understood in the ordinary acceptation of the 
 present day. We do not mean to say that they knew nothing 
 of the arts — far from it — for they must have not only understood 
 much about architecture, but also the science of navigation; 
 while they were, nevertheless, savages in their manners and 
 customs. 
 
 The cities of York and Edinburgh were built before Masonry 
 was instituted, and the only way in which writers can succeed 
 in antedating Masonry is by making it exclusively Operative ; 
 and hence it will be found in the writings of all these lovers 
 of the marvelous, that every monarch who caused any building 
 to be erected is set down as, not only a Freemason, but the 
 Grand Master of Masons ; and, indeed, we must use some cau- 
 tion in the examination of this subject, or we are liable to be 
 deceived, because until the eighteenth century, a very large pro- 
 portion of the members of ear Order were operatives ; but it 
 must not be inferred that they were not also Speculative. On 
 the contrary, our traditions clearly show that, at the building 
 of Solomon's Temple, the principles of morality and the 
 doctrines of Moses were clearly taught. We have before stated, 
 that for many centuries no employment or occupation was 
 regarded more honorable than that of architecture — the best 
 men and the best minds were employed or occupied in the cul- 
 tivation of a practical knowledge of the art of building ; and, 
 hence, when we now read an account of the building of cities 
 in former times, we are bound to infer that Masons were 
 employed therein ; but it is a great mistake to suppose that all 
 workmen employed on every building were Masons, or members 
 of the Society. A mistake very much like this has been the 
 
148 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 cause of a very incorrect account of the number of MaKons 
 employed at the building of Solomon's Temple, a large proper 
 tion of writers having regarded all that worked on the Temple 
 or in the forests, as Fellow Crafts, or Entered Apprentice 
 Masons, when it would seem to us as ridiculous to suppose King 
 Solomon would make a levy of thirty thousand men, and 
 unconditionally introduce them into the Society, a leading 
 characteristic of which has ever been that no one could be 
 admitted but by a voluntary request, leaving it very certain 
 that drafted men were not likely to obtain its benefits. On 
 the other hand, we know of no period since the building of the 
 Temple, when architecture flourished, that it was not mainly in 
 the hands of Freemasons, either under this name, or that of 
 " Solomon's Builders ;" and, hence, in writing the history of the 
 Order through the middle, or dark ages, we are authorized to 
 infer that Masonry was prosperous or depressed much in pro- 
 portion as architecture advanced or declined. But there is the 
 more difficulty in fixing the period at which our Order was 
 introduced into England, because of the perpetual wars and 
 changes which were so long kept up. The first account upon 
 which we can rely for information, in relation to the inhabitants, 
 is to be found in Caesar's Commentaries, ahont 50 years B.C. 
 Dr. Anderson gives a singular reason to account for Csesar's not 
 pursuing his conquest — viz., that he wished to be Grand Master 
 of Rome — unless the Doctor regarded every king or ruler, as 
 holding that office. 
 
 Agricola is, probably, the first Roman that undertook any 
 buildings of magnitude ; nor have we any evidence that he did 
 much more than to throw up a wall of earth, to protect the 
 Romans from the incursions of the Picts, whom he had defeated, 
 or rather, for a time, 'driven before him, until they were 
 reinforced : for they soon broke over the wall, and continued 
 their barbarous warfare upon the South, rendering the Roman 
 possessions a scene of continual bloodshed. Adrian came in 
 person, A.D. 120, and bmit Adrian's Wall, which also failed to 
 protect the Romans. About ten years after this. King Lud is 
 spoken of as being the first Christian who ruled on the Island ; 
 but during his reign the Romans suffered so many and heavy 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 149 
 
 losses at the hands of the Northerners, that they were compelled 
 to purchase peace at a heavy sacrifice of money. Then came 
 .Severus, A.D. 207, who, in his efforts to subdue the barbarians, 
 lost over fifty thousand men, and was glad to retire within 
 Adrian's Wall, and rebuild it with stone. The first edifice of 
 any note, of which we have an account, was a temple built by 
 Chrispiness, the altar-^tone of which was/ound in the beginning 
 of the eighteenth century. We read of one, called the Wortliy 
 Knight Albanus, who, A.D. 303, was converted to the Christian 
 faith, and became a great encourager of the Craft ; and as he 
 was the first who suffered martyrdom for Christianity, it may 
 not be diflScult to account for his name having come down to us 
 as " St. Alban." Dr. Anderson says, that " the old Constitutions 
 affirm, and the old English Masons as firmly believe it, that 
 Carausius employed St. Alban to environ the city of Verulam 
 with a stone wall, and to build therein a fine palace ; for which 
 that British King made St. Alban steward of his household, 
 and chief ruler of the realm. St. Alban also loved Masons 
 well, and cherished them much, and he made their pay right 
 good, viz., two shillings per week, and three pence to theii- 
 cheer ; whereas, before that time, through all the land, a Mason 
 had but a penny a day and his meat. He also obtained of the 
 King a charter for the Freemasons, for to hold a General 
 Council, and gave it the name of Assembly, and was thereat 
 himself as Grand Master, and helped to make Masons, and gave 
 them good charges and regulations." 
 
 It is a curious fact, and well worthy of notice, that several 
 writers who contend that Masonry originated in the Garden of 
 Eden, or, at least, in the days of Enoch, and continued to be 
 practiced in all countries, but especially in Greece and Rome, 
 yet contend that Masonry was not introduced into Britain until 
 the twelfth century, when it was sent there by a Lodge then 
 recently established in Kilwinning, Scotland. Now, if 
 Masonry was flourishing in Rome, A.D. 55, when Cassar visited 
 Britain and laid the foundation of a colony, it is by no means 
 unreasonable to suppose Masonry was soon after introduced, 
 and we have no evidence of its introduction before the time 
 of St. Alban, viz., near the close of the third century after 
 
150 HISTORY OP FKEEMASONKY. 
 
 Christ, can only be accounted for on the ground that tho 
 Roman settlers were almost unceasingly harassed by the Picts, 
 Saxons, and other northern tribes, for more than two hundred 
 years, and it may be that no attempt had been made to establish 
 a Lodge until the days of St. Alban, and yet it is not unlikely 
 that traveling Lodges existed in the Roman array, from the 
 time of the first invasion, a record of which may have been lost. 
 At any rate, we can not think it unreasonable to believe that 
 St. Alban was a Mason, and that the Institution flourished in 
 Britain during his day ; for it will be remembered that,long 
 before this period, the natives in the South part of the Island 
 had adopted the manners and customs of the Romans, and 
 imitated them in the erection of buildings, and the cultivation 
 of some of the sciences ; indeed, historians inform us that many 
 of the more wealthy sent their sons to Rome, where they 
 received a knowledge of the polite arts and the sciences, as 
 taught in the best schools. Leland informs us that St. Alban 
 was thus educated, and soon after his return home he was con- 
 verted to the Christian faith by his fellow traveler, Amphibalus. 
 Being a man of unblemished integrity, and unwavering in the 
 honest discharge of all his duties, it may easily be seen that 
 from his conversion he left no fit occasion unemployed to 
 promulgate the doctrines of Christianity — thus rendering him- 
 self obnoxious to the hatred and unrelenting persecutions of 
 the infidels, in A.D. 303, when, in honor of his high birth and 
 eminent learning, they condescended to behead him. 
 
 Guthrie, in his History of England, tells us that the Emperor 
 Carausius, who governed the Island at this period, was not only 
 an accomplished architect, but gave great encouragement to 
 learning and learned men, and he induced many distinguished 
 architects to remove from Rome, so that at the close of his 
 reign he had gathered around him a large body of accomplished 
 workmen, many of whom were doubtless Masons ; for about this 
 period the city of Autun is spoken of as having suddenly grown 
 into a beautiful town by the rebuilding of the ancient houses, 
 and erecting splendid temples, and other public edifices, which 
 attracted attention to the " Roman Brotherhood," by which 
 title the Masons were then best known in Britain. 
 
HISTOHT OP FEEBMASONRT. 151 
 
 The British Empress Helena, wife of Constantius Chlorus, 
 enclosed London with a stone wall A.D. 306. After the death 
 of Constantius, Constcntine the Great, his son, ruled with great 
 wisdom, encouraging learning and the Christian religion, and 
 during his reign the Emperor enjoyed the blessings of peace 
 and prosperity. But soon after his death, A.D. 336, the 
 Northerns joined with the Saxon pirates,and renewed hostilities 
 with the South, which was continued, from time to time, with 
 opposite results, until A.D. 410, when Honorius was forced to 
 renounce the Roman sovereignty over Britain ; but, being 
 reinforced, changed again the fortunes of war, until A.D. 426, 
 when the Roman Legion was withdrawn, leaving the Southrons 
 at the mercy of the northern barbarians, who overran the 
 country, and destroyed many fine specimens of Roman art and 
 Masonic skill. Masonry now dwindled into ruin on the Island, 
 for the few Romans that remained became identified with the 
 Southrons, and lost their influence with the natives. But many 
 specimens of their Masonic art are still to be seen, among which 
 is "Arthur's Oven," a temple erected by the Romans to their 
 god Terminus. 
 
 About A.D. 450, the Southrons invited the Saxons of Lower 
 Germany to come over and assist them, which invitation was 
 accepted by Prince Hengist, who brought over a small army, 
 consisting of only two thousand men, and here commenced 
 laying the foundation upon which was destined to be raised the 
 great Saxon race. For mote than three hundred years the 
 Romans had tried in vain to maintain their foothold : they had 
 lost in a single campaign fifty thousand men, and suffered 
 innumerable defeats and disasters, until finally they were forced 
 to withdraw their forces and abandon their claim ; but now 
 two thousand Saxons joined the Southrons, drove before them 
 the Scots and Picts;and, being from time to time reinforced, 
 they succeeded in establishing seven kingdoms, when the 
 Anglo-Saxons rapidly increased in numbers and power until 
 King Arthur died, leaying the Britons with only a few petty 
 Kings, whose powers were soon surrendered or taken from 
 them. The Anglo-Saxons were a blood-thirsty, savage people, 
 unacquainted with any science, unless a skill in butchering 
 
152 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 human beings be dignified with that appellation — then, indeed, 
 would they have high claims, for they deliberately murdered 
 three hundred nobles at one time. But, nevertheless, the 
 material for a great and chivalrous people lurked in their 
 composition ; for very soon after they were converted to the 
 Christian religion, the fruits of great and energetic minds were 
 manifested. A.D. 597, about forty monks, sent by Pope 
 Gregory, converted all the Kings of the Heptarchy, when the 
 Island commenced changing its appearance as by a magic wand 
 — churches, monasteries, and towns sprung up, and the arts and 
 sciences were industriously cultivated — but they knew nothing 
 of any but the Gothic order of architecture. 
 
 The Cathedral of Canterbury was built A.D. 600 ; Roches- 
 ter, A.D. 602 ; St. Paul's, London, A.D. 604 ; St. Peter's, 
 Westminster, A.D. 603 ; but they were greatly deficient in the 
 art of building until A.D. 710, when Kenred, King of England, 
 sent to Charles Martel, then Grand Master of Masons in France, 
 with a request that he would send some of his most skillful 
 Masons to instruct the Anglo-Saxons, not only in geometry and 
 architecture, but also in the ancient customs and usages of the 
 Order. Martel cheerfully complied with this request ; and 
 while we have reason to admire the rapid strides that were 
 soon after made in the cultivation of the arts and sciences, and 
 the great moral influence exerted by the introduction of the 
 Christian religion, we are, nevertheless, furnished with a strik- 
 ing instance, tending to show the proneness of nan to pass 
 suddenly from one extreme to another. This people had but 
 recently emerged from barbarism and irreligion ; they had but 
 recently held in contempt the people and doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity ; and yet, as soon as they embraced the doctrines of the 
 Bible, no act was too rigorous, no taxes too high, to enforce the 
 consummation of any and every plan devised by their priests 
 to promote the interests of the Church. Masons were in high 
 favor, and were courted by kings and princes ; for they alone 
 could be relied on to erect churches and build splendid monas- 
 teries in every nook and corner of the earth. The common 
 people were taxed until the Church owned nearly half the real 
 estate in Britain and Scotland, and were lorded over until they 
 
HISTOBY OP FREEMASONRY. 153 
 
 became, in effect, slaves to the Church, instead of worshipers of 
 God. Nor did religious fanaticism stop here ; piety was not 
 estimated by a godly walk and conversation,- and an effort to 
 reform the world by the mild teachings of our Saviour ; but a 
 spirit of bigotry and intolerance crept into the Church, until 
 practical religion assumed the appearance of a scourge, rather 
 than a blessing to mankind. Thousands, both male and female, 
 secluded themselves in cloisters, and thus hid themselves from 
 the face of men. spending the remnant of their days in moping 
 fi"om cell to cell, with a woebegone and ghastly countenance, as 
 if Grod had created and iilled this world with the rich bounties 
 ol His munificent hand, to be appreciated and enjoyed by the 
 beasts of the field and fowls of the air, while man was doomed 
 to pass his pilgrimage on earth in a living grave ! 
 
 But this inordinate religious zeal effected much good in the 
 cultivation of the arts and sciences. Kings and queens, princes 
 and nobles, priests and laymen, vied with each other in culti- 
 vating a knowledge of geometry and architecture, in order that 
 costly churches, gorgeously ornamgnted, might spring up all 
 over the land. Masons were courted and caressed by the heads 
 of the Church, and although down to the close of the Heptarchy 
 nothing was known about the use of brick, architecture con- 
 tinued to advance, though confined to the clumsy Gothic order. 
 
 The Anglo-Saxons had always called the Britons Gualish or 
 Walishmen, until after the days of King Arthur, when they 
 denominated the settlement beyond the Severn, Walishland, or 
 Wales. All the old French writers call this people Galles, 
 from their ancestors, the Gauls. 
 
 During the barbarous wars on the Island, for more than one 
 hundred and sixty years, Operative Masonry was almost entirely 
 neglected ; but that Lodges continued to meet and practice 
 their speculative, or moral rites, in Wales, we have reason to 
 .believe ; indeed. Operative Masonry did not lay dormant long, 
 ■for, before the days of Martel,we find in that country numerous 
 churches and other public buildings, erected by the Brotherhood. 
 
 When Egbert succeeded to the sovereignty of the Six King- 
 doms, A.D. 830, the Angles were more numerous than any 
 •sther tribe, and hence he called the country England, and the 
 
154 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 people Englishmen. Masonry continued to flourish under hi.s 
 reign, as also under those of Ethelwolf and Edward, Sen., who 
 was succeeded by Ethred, deputy King of Mercia, the husband 
 of Edward's sister ; she who became renowned as the great 
 heroine of Mercia, because by her daring bravery she drove 
 out the Danes. The next who had charge of the Craft was 
 Ethelward, who founded the University of Cambridge, A.D. 
 918. The King died A.D. 924, and was succeeded by his son, 
 Ethelstan, whose mother was a concubine. This King made his 
 brother Edwin overseer of the Craft. Historians are divided 
 in opinion as to whether Edwin was the brother or son of the 
 King, and long, as well as contradictory, articles have been 
 written to prove the one and the other, and to show that the 
 King did, and did not,murder his son or brother. Dr. Anderson 
 makes the following extract from the old Masonic records, 
 which, in our opinion, settles the question that Edward was 
 brother to the King : 
 
 " That though the ancient records of the Brotherhood, in 
 England were most of them destroyed, or lost in the wars with 
 the Danes, who burnt the monasteries where the records were 
 kept, yet King Athelstan (the grandson of King Alfred), the 
 first annointed King of England, who translated the Holy Bible 
 nto the Saxon language, when he had brought the land into 
 rest and peace, built many great works, and encouraged many 
 Masons from France and elsewhere, whom he appointed over- 
 seers thereof. They brought with them the charges and regu- 
 lations of the foreign Lodges, and prevailed with the King to 
 increase the wages. 
 
 " That Prince Edwin, the King's brother, being taught 
 geometry and Masonry, for the love he had to the said Craft, 
 and to the honorable principles whereon it is grounded, pur- 
 chased a free charter of King Athelstan, his brother, for the 
 Freemasons, having among themselves a correction, or a 
 power and freedom to regulate themselves, to amend what 
 might happen amiss, and to hold a yearly communication in a 
 General Assembly. 
 
 " That, accordingly. Prince Edwin summoned all the Free 
 and Accepted Masons in the realm to meet him in a congress 
 
HISTOKT OP FREEMASONRY. 155 
 
 at York, who came and formed the Grand Lodge under him 
 as their Grand Master, A.D. 926. 
 
 "That they brought with them many old writings and 
 records of the Craft— some in Greek, some in Latin, some in 
 French, and otlier languages ; and from the contents thereof 
 they framed the Constitutions of the English Lodges, and 
 made a law for themselves, to preserve and observe the same in 
 all time coming." 
 
 Preston makes, in substance, the same extract, but prefaces 
 them with the following rather singular remarks, viz.: 
 
 " A record of the Society, written ii^the reign of Edward IV., 
 said to have been in the possession of the famous Elias Ashmole, 
 founder of the Museum at Oxford, and which was unfortunately 
 destroyed, with other papers on the subject of Masonry, at the 
 Revolution, gives the following account of the state of Masonry 
 at that period." * 
 
 We regard these extracts as furnishing conclusive proof that 
 the opinion that Masonry was first introduced into England 
 through Kilvrinning Lodge, of Scotland, in the twelfth century, 
 is without foundation ; for the standing of Dr. Anderson, as an 
 honorable and impartial historian, was too elevated to leave 
 grounds to suppose he would give the foregoing, as extracts 
 from the old records, if they were not to be found there ; and, 
 moreover, it will be remembered that his history was, by order 
 of the Grand Lodge of England, submitted to the severe 
 scrutiny of a learned Committee, before it was sanctioned by 
 that Grand body ; but, above all this, we have a tradition 
 which not only clearly points to the Convocation at York, in 
 926, but sets forth the more important and unpublished reasons 
 for the holding of said Convocation at that particular time. 
 Indeed, the tradition referred to satisfactorily accounts for the 
 addition of the word York to those of Ancient Free and 
 Accepted Mason. The intelligent and accomplished Mason 
 will readily understand to what we allude, and agree with us 
 that, although a change was not made in the body of Masonry, 
 an important change was made in a portion of our ritual, which 
 
 * Preston's Illustiationa, p. 141. 
 
156 HISTORY OF FREEMASONET, 
 
 : change has ever been approved, and sacredly regarded by all 
 I good and true Lodges of Ancient Craft Masons. The addition 
 I of the word York has ever been used to show that the Masons 
 'approye of, and are governed by, the edicts of the said com- 
 munication. If the change here alluded to had operated only 
 in England, it might not now be rega,rded as a principle 
 engrafted into our rules, but as it became a fixed law through- 
 out the world in conferring the two first degrees, we hold that 
 no Grand Lodge is at liberty to drop the word York from the 
 body of her charters — not that the name is essential to any 
 principle or practice of ^ur rites, but because it is commemo- 
 rative of the event which made such action necessary, and 
 points to a prominent evidence of the recuperative power of 
 our time-honored and heaven-protected Institution, when assailed 
 by traitors from within, or malevolence from without. 
 
 Bro. Preston makes no allusion to the tradition of which 
 we have been speaking ; he thinks the term York has grown 
 into use because the first Grand Lodge in England, of which we 
 have an account, was established at York. He says : " From 
 this era we date the reestablishment of Freemasonry in 
 England. There is, at present, a Grand Lodge of Masons in the 
 city of York, who trace their existence from this period. By 
 virtue of Edwin's charter, it is said, all the Masons in the realm 
 were convened at a General Assembly in that city, where they 
 established a General or Grand Lodge for their future govern- 
 ment. Under the patronage and jurisdiction of this Grand 
 Lodge, it is alleged, the Fraternity considerably increased, and 
 kings, princes, and other eminent persons, who had been 
 initiated into Masonry, paid due allegiance to that Grand 
 Assembly. But, as the events of the times were various and 
 fluctuating, that Assembly was more or less respectable ; and'in 
 proportion as Masonry obtained encouragement, its influence 
 was more or less extensive. The appellation of Ancient Yo^vK 
 Masons, is well known in Ireland and Scotland ; and the uni- 
 versal tradition is, that the brethren of that appellation 
 originated at Auldby, near York. This carries with it some 
 marks of confirmation, for Auldby was the seat of Edwin. 
 There is every reason to believe that York was deemed the 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY, 157 
 
 original seat of Masonic goTernment in that country ; as no 
 other place has pretended to claim it, and as the whole Frater- 
 nity have, at various times, universally acknowledged allegiance 
 to the authority established there ; but whether the Association 
 in that city was always entitled to that allegiance, is a sub- 
 ject of inquiry which it is not in our province to investigate. 
 To that Assembly recourse must be had for information. Thus 
 much, however, is certain, that if a General Assembly, or Grand 
 Lodge, was held there (of which there is little doubt, if we can 
 rely on our records and Constitutions, as it is said to have 
 existed there in Queen Elizabeth's time), there is no evidence of 
 its regular removal to any other place in the kingdom ; and upon 
 that ground, the brethren at York may probably have claimed 
 the privilege of associating in that character, A number of 
 respectable meetings of the Fraternity appear to have been 
 convened, at sundry times, in different parts of England ; 
 but we can not find an instance on record, till a very late period, 
 of a GENERAL meeting (so called) being held in any other place 
 than York. 
 
 To understand the matter more clearly, it may be necessary 
 to advert to the original institution of that Assembly, called a 
 General or Grand Lodge. It was not then restricted, as it 
 is now understood to be, to the Masters and Wardens of private 
 Lodges, with the Grand Master and his Wardens at their 
 head ; it consisted of as many of the Fraternity at large as, 
 being within a convenient distance, could attend once or twice 
 in a year, under the auspices of one general head, elected and 
 installed at one of these meetings, and who, for the time being, 
 received homage as the sole Governor of the whole body. The 
 idea of confining the privileges of Masonry, by a warrant of 
 constitution, to certain individuals, convened on certain days, 
 at certain places, had no existence. There was but one family 
 among Masons, and every Mason was a branch of that family. 
 It is true, the privileges of the different degrees of the Order 
 always centered in certain numbers of the Fraternity, who, 
 according to their advancement in the Art, were authorized by 
 the Ancient Charges to assemble in, hold, and rule Lodges, at 
 their will and discretion, in such places as best suited their 
 
158 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 convenience, and, when so assembled, to receive pupils and 
 deliver instructions in Masonry ; but all the tribute from these 
 individuals, separately and collectively, rested ultimately in 
 the General Assembly, to which all the Fraternity might repair, 
 and to whose award all were bound to pay submission. 
 
 As the Constitutions of the English Lodges are derived from 
 this General Assembly at York ; as all Masons are bound to 
 observe and preserve those in all time coming ; and as there is 
 no satisfactory proof that such an Assembly was ever regularlj 
 removed by the resolution of its members, but that, on the con- 
 trary, the Fraternity continued to meet in that city under this 
 appellation, it may remain a doubt, whether, while these 
 Constitutions exist, as the standard of Masonic conduct, that 
 Assembly might not justly claim the allegiance to which their 
 original authority entitled them ; and whether any other conven- 
 tion of Masons, however great their consequence might be, could 
 consistently with those Constitutions withdraw their allegiance 
 from that Assembly, or set aside an authority to which, not 
 only antiquity, but the concurrent approbation of Masons for 
 ages, and the most solemn engagements, have repeatedly given 
 a sanction. 
 
 It is to be regretted that the idea of superiority and a wish 
 to acquire absolute dominion should occasion a contest among 
 Masons. Were tlie principles of the Order better understood, 
 and more generally practiced, the intention of the Institution 
 would be more fully answered. Every Mason would consider 
 his brother as his fellow, and he, who by generous and virtuous 
 actions could best promote the happiness of society, would 
 always be most likely to receive homage and respect. 
 
 King Athelstan encouraged the Craft by paying them mark- 
 ed attention, and employed them in building many castles to 
 keep in subjection the Danes. He also built the Abbey of St. 
 John, in Yorkshire; Milton Abbey, in Dorsetshire; rebuilt 
 the city of Exeter, and made some improvements at York. He 
 died A.D. 940. 
 
 From this period, during the reign of several kings, we 
 read of nothing interesting, only so far as it relates to English 
 history ; indeed, there is nothing of much interest to Masons 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 159 
 
 for about one hundred years. In the reign of Edward the 
 Confessor, who came to the throne A.D. 1041, a collection and 
 compilation of the Saxon laws was made by order of the King. 
 He was a lover of the arts and sciences, gave countenance to 
 men of learning, and encouraged the Earl of Coventry, who 
 was remarkable for his wealth, as well as learning, to become 
 the overseer of the Craft, and at their head he erected the 
 Aboey of Coventry. The King rebuilt Westminster Abbey, 
 and a number of otlier houses of worship. He died A.D. 1065. 
 
 Harold H. succeeded, and reigned less than a year, when 
 he was slain in the battle of Hastings by "William, Duke of 
 Normandy, afterward, and to this day, known as William the 
 Conqueror. This battle was fought A.D. 1066, about six hun- 
 dred and seventeen years after the Anglo-Saxons entered Britain, 
 under Hengist. William the Conqueror, reigned twenty-one 
 years. He gave to Freemasons a powerful influence throughout 
 the kingdom, for this proud Norman, having subdued the Eng- 
 lish, improved every opportunity to make his conquest secure, 
 and hand down the government in safety to his Norman succes- 
 sors. He strengthened all his military posts ; to effect which 
 he placed the Earls of Rochester and Shrewsbury at the head of 
 the Craft ; who, in turn, appointed their deputies, or overseers, 
 and all the Masons being organized into Lodges, they built 
 the Tower of London, and the Castles of Hereford, Warwick, 
 Winchester, Exeter, Durham, Dover, Stafford, York, Rochester, 
 and New Castle ; thus, in a single reign he accomplished more to 
 render permanent the crown and perpetuate the monarchy than 
 had been done by all previous kings. Nor was he unmindful 
 of sacred architecture, for he built a splendid abbey near Hast- 
 ings, and in honor of the great victory he won there, he called 
 it Battle Abbey. He also built a number of other abbeys, and 
 during his reign there were erected monasteries and other 
 religious houses, amounting to about sixty in number. Both 
 Operative and Speculative Masonry were much benefited by 
 the introduction of many accomplished Masons from France. 
 The King died A.D. 1087. 
 
 William IL, succeeded his father, and employed the Craft in 
 rebuilding London Bridge and a wall around the Tower. He 
 
160 HISTOEY OF FllEEMASONIlY. 
 
 called all the master builders together, who, after due consul- 
 tation, advised the King to build the Castle of Westminster, 
 connected with which was the largest room in the world. 
 Westminster Hall, as this large room is called, is two hundred 
 and seventy feet long and seventy-four feet wide. The King 
 died A.D. 1100. 
 
 Henry I. succeeded, who granted to the Barons the first 
 Magna Charta. During the reign of this King, more than 
 one hundred churches were built. He died A.D. 1135, and 
 was succeeded by Stephen, who was perpetually occupied in 
 civil wars, urged on by himself and the Empress Maud. But, 
 notwithstanding all the confusion and misrule consequent on 
 civil commotions, in no reign of England's Kings were so many 
 castles built. The nobles and gentry were equally courted by 
 the King and the Princess, and, taking advantage of this state 
 of things, they erected over eleven hundred castles. The Ma- 
 sons were constantly employed, as well as the soldiers. The 
 Masons were under the government of Gilbert de Clare, as 
 Grand Master. The King died A.D. 1154, and in him termi- 
 nated the Norman line of Kings, after a reign, including Wil- 
 liam, the Conqueror, of eighty-eight years. Here commenced 
 the reign of the Plantagenets. 
 
 Henry II., of Anjou, now ascended the throne. We find 
 nothing in this reign of interest to Masons, except that the 
 Knights Templar built their temple in Fleet Street, London. 
 We do not remember that we have any account of the existence 
 of this Society in England prior to this period. It is proper to 
 observe, that Masonry continued to flom-ish ; they built a 
 number of castles, and about one hundred churches in this 
 reign. The King died A.D. 1189. 
 
 Richard I., reigned ten years, and died A.D. 1199. 
 
 King John now ascended the throne. His chaplain, Peter, 
 was chosen Grand Master, and under his superintendence 
 London Bridge was rebuilt with stone, or rather it was com- 
 menced by Peter and finished while William Almain was 
 Grand Master, A.D. 1209. After Almain, Peter de Rupibu? 
 was chosen Grand Master, and Fitz Peter was principal over- 
 acev of work, or, as modern writers would style him, Df puty 
 
aiSTOBY OF FREEM^SONEr. lljl 
 
 Grand Master. The King died A.D. 1216, and was succeeded 
 by Henry III., a minor of nine years old, when Peter de Rupi- 
 bus was chosen his guardian, who laid the corner-stone of 
 Solomon's Porch, in Westminster Abbey, A.D. 1218, The 
 King died A.D. 1272. 
 
 During this reign the famous College at Oxford was built, 
 and the Templars erected their temple at Dover, which was 
 called Domus Dei. 
 
 Edward I. now reigned, and soon became involved in wars, 
 but the interests of the Craft were not neglected, for the excel- 
 lent Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, was chosen Grand 
 Master, and Ralph, of Mount Hermer, principal overseer. 
 The King's son, Edward, who was the first Prince of Wales — 
 the Welsh having submitted to his father — was born A.D. 1284. 
 The cape-stone of Westminster Abbey was celebrated by a 
 great concourse of Masons, with great pomp, A.D. 1285. The 
 King died in camp at Sol way, after a short illness, on July 7, 
 A.D. 1307, and was succeeded by Edward 11^ under whose 
 reign Walter Staplclon was chosen Grand Master, and wisely 
 governed the Craft. The King died A.D. 1327. Edward III. 
 was the next King, who not only encouraged the cultivation 
 of the arts and sciences, but used every fit occasion to do honor 
 to Masonry. He it was who erected, at Windsor, a table, in a 
 circular form, six hundred feet in circumference, for the purpose 
 iiloue of feasting the Craft. This Prince, by general consent, 
 assumed the government of theFratornity as Grand Master, 
 and appointed the most skillful and accomplished workmen 
 overseers, among whom was John de Spoulee, who was styled 
 Master of the Giblim,* and who rebuilt St. George's Chapel, 
 in which place the King instituted the Order of the Garter; 
 A.D. 1350. William Wickham was overseer of four hundred 
 Masons, and Robert Barnham of two hundred and fifty. About 
 this time Henry Yeuele, who is spoken of as the King's Free- 
 mason, superintended the building of the London Charter 
 House, Queensborough Castle, and rebuilt St. Stephen's Chapel, 
 afterward the House of Commons in Parliament. But this 
 
 • Master of the Bloat Njusirers. 
 
162 BISTORT OF PEEEU iSONUT. 
 
 reign is most' interesting to Masons on account of some, addi- 
 tional regulations for the gorernment of the Craft, adopted by 
 a Convention of Masons and approved by the King.* It may 
 be observed in this as well as all other instances, where any 
 amendments have been made to the ancient rules, great care 
 was taken to make no change in the Landmarks of the Order ; 
 but the custom, in all ages, leaves no doubt on our mind that 
 Masons are, at all times, at liberty so to modify and change the 
 rules, having reference to the moral government of the members, 
 as to adapt them to the political and religious condition of a 
 God-fearing people ; and hence it is that Masoni-y, more than 
 any moral Association of men, may be admirably suited to all 
 
 * Aq old record of the Society runs thus : 
 
 " In the glorious reign of King Edward III., 'vhon Lodges were more frequent, 
 the Right Worshipful the Master and Fellows, with consent of the lords of the 
 realm (for most great men were then Masons), ordained, 
 
 " That,for the future, at the making or admission of a brother, the Constitution 
 and the Ancient C|uu-ges should be read by the Master ur Warden. 
 
 " That such as were to be admitted Master Mnsous, or Master of work, should 
 be examined whether they be able of cunning to serve tlieir respective lords ; as 
 well the lowest as the highest, to tlie honor and worship of the aforesaid Art, 
 and to the profit of the lords ; for they be their lords that cm'ploy and pay them 
 for their service and travel." 
 
 The following particulars are also eontained in a very old MS., of which a copy 
 is said to have been in the possession of the late George Payne, Esq., Grand 
 Master in 1728; 
 
 " That when the Master and Wardens meet in a Lodge, if need bo, the sheriff 
 of the county, or the mayor of the city, or aldi.'rmun of the town, in which the 
 congregation is held, should be made Fellow and Sociate to the Master, in help 
 of him against rebels, ^nd for the upbearing the rights of the realm. 
 
 " That Entered Prentices, at their making, were charged not to be thieves or 
 thieves' maintainers ; that they should travel honestly for their pay, and love 
 their fellows as themselves, and bo true to the King of England, and to the realm, 
 and to the Lodge. 
 
 " That at such congregations, it shall be inquired, whether any Master or 
 Fellow has broke any of the articles agreed to ; and if the offender, being duly 
 (Sited to appear, prove rebel, and will not attend, then the Lodge shall determine 
 against him, that he shall forswear (or renounce) his Masonry, and shall no more 
 use this Craft ; the which, if he presume for to do, the sheriff of the county shall 
 pridon him, and take all his goods into the King's hand till his grace be granted 
 him and issued. For this cause principally have these congregations been 
 ordained, that as well the lowest as the highest should be well and truly served 
 in this Art aioresaid, throughout all the Kingdom of England, Amen, so mote 
 it be." 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 163 
 
 religions where a belief in one God is held. But we can not 
 too forcibly impress upon the minds of our readers the fallacy 
 of that theory which represents Masonry as being practiced in 
 every land and by every people. If it is the same everywhere 
 — and it must be so — ^how can that people, who deny the supre 
 macy of God, or sub-divide His attributes among a variety of 
 finite beings and even inanimate things, practice Masonry, 
 when the most imperative and unalterable rule demands, as a 
 prerequisite to admission, an unconditional and unwavering 
 belief in one God ? If a Lodge exists in any part of the world 
 where its members are Atheists, or hold to the existence of a 
 plurality of gods, it has been introduced there by some God- 
 forsaken wretch, and can never be recognized as one in our 
 midst. To us, it seems passing strange that the Quixotic notion 
 that Freemasonry is everywhere to be found is tolerated by 
 those who assume to have studied its principles and undertake 
 to teach its doctrines to the Craft and to the world. It is not 
 remarkable that men, stimulated by a love of gold, should col- 
 lect together a bundle of novelties, and prate about the timeless 
 antiquity and unlimited existence of Masonry, if, when they 
 have published the jumble, it is to be lauded and praised, quoted 
 from and republished by teachers of Masonic principles and 
 Masonic law. Men who are governed by no higher views than 
 to " put money in their purse," will print and publish that 
 which will sell best. Whatever may be the course of others, 
 ours shall be the task of lending whatever of moral aid we can 
 command, to throw over among the rubbish every stone that is 
 not fit for the builder's use, and do honor to those whose work 
 will pass inspection. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 King Edward's son Edward, commonly styled the Black 
 Prince, died A.D. 1376, the King died the next year, and 
 was succeeded by Richard II. Under his reign, the Bishop of 
 Winchester was chosen Grand Master, -who rebuilt Westminster 
 Hall, and, at his own expense, built New College, at Oxford. 
 He also founded Winchester College. While the King was on 
 a visit to Ireland, his cousin Henry, Duke of Lancaster, who 
 was intriguing for the crown, raised a large army, met and| 
 seized the King, and overawed the Parliament to depose him, 
 and was thus enabled to mount the throne as Henry IV., A.D. 
 1399. Fitz Allen, Earl of Surrey, was now Grand Master, 
 who founded Guild Hall, and superintended the building of 
 several other public edifices. The King died A.D. 1413, and 
 was succeeded by his son, Henry V., whose reign presents 
 nothing of much interest to Masons. He died A.D. 1422, and 
 was succeeded by Henry VI., a minor nine months old. In the 
 third year of this reign, a Parliament, composed of men admira- 
 bly portraying the gross ignorance and superstition of the age, 
 attempted to put down Masonry by the passage of the following 
 act : 
 
 " 3 Hen. VI. cap. 1. A.D. 1425. 
 
 " Masons shall not confederate in chapters and congregations. 
 
 " Whereas, by the yearly congregationsand confederacies made 
 by the Masons in their General Assemblies, the good course and 
 effect of the statutes of laborers be openly violated and broken, 
 in subversion of the law, and to the great damage of all the 
 commons ; ^our sovereign lord, the King, willing, in this case, 
 to provide a remedy, by the advice and consent aforesaid, and 
 at the special request of the commons, hath ordained and 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 1C5 
 
 established that such chapters and congregations shall not be 
 hereafter holden ; and if any such be made, they that cause 
 such chapters and congregations to be assembled and holden, 
 if they thereof be convicted, shall be judged for felons : and 
 that the other Masons, that come to such chapters or congre- 
 gations, be punished by imprisonment of their bodies, and make 
 fine and ransome at the King's will." 
 
 But the Masons so far disregarded it as to laugh at the 
 founders and officers of the unjust law, and this stupid act of 
 Parliament was never enforced. At this period, Archbishop 
 Chicheley was at the head of the Craft, as Grand Master, by 
 whose authority new Lodges were formed at various places, 
 great harmony prevailed in them, "and, if we make proper 
 allowance for the depressed condition of learning, we must 
 believe that the principles of Masonry were practiced as 
 generally after the passage of the prohibitory act, as before. 
 But as the Masons of the present day may feel interested in 
 knowing the causes which led to this action on the part of 
 Parliament, we give the most accurate detail we have anywhere 
 met with, in the language of Mr. Preston : 
 
 . " The Duke of Bedford, at that time regent of the kingdom, 
 being in France, the regal power was vested in his brother 
 Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester,* who was styled Protector and 
 Guardian of the Kingdom. The care of the young King's person 
 and education was entrusted to Henry Beaufert, Bishop of 
 Winchester, the Duke's uncle. The Bishop was a prelate of 
 great capacity and experience, but of an intriguing and dan- 
 gerous character. As he aspired to the sole government of 
 affairs, he had continual disputes with his nephew, theProtector, 
 and gained frequent advantages over the vehement and impolitic 
 temper of that Prince. Invested with power, he soon began to 
 
 • This Prince is said to have received a more learned education than was usual 
 in his age ; to have founded one of the first public libraries in England, and to 
 have been a great patron of learned men. If the records of theSociety may be 
 relied on, we have reason to believe, that he was particularly attached to the 
 Masons, having been admitted into their Order, and assisted at the initiation of 
 King Henry, in 1442. 
 
166 HISTORY OF FREEMASONBT. 
 
 show liis pride and haughtiness, and wanted not followers and 
 agents to augment his influence'."* 
 
 The animosity between the uncle and nephew daily increased, 
 and the authority of Parliament was obliged to interpose. On 
 the last day of April, 1425, the Parliament met at Westminster. 
 The servants and followers of the peers coming thither armed 
 with clubs and staves, occasioned its being named the Uatt 
 Parliament. Several laws were made ; and, among the rest, 
 the act for abolishing the Society of Masons.t The Masonic 
 
 * In a Parliament held at Westniinster on November 17, 1443, to an- 
 swer a particular end, it was ordained. " That if any person committed for 
 grand or petty treason, should wilfully break out of prison, and, escape from the 
 same, it should be deemed petty treason, and his goods be forfeited." About this 
 time one William King, of Womolion, in Yorkshire, servant of Sir Robert Scott, 
 Lieutenant of the Tower, pretended that he had been offered by Sir John 
 Mortimer (cousin to the lately deceased Edward Mortimer, Earl of March, the 
 nearest in blood to the English crown, and then » prisoner iu the Tower), tea 
 pounds to buy him clothes, with forty pounds a year,,and to be made an Earl, if 
 be would assist Mortimer in making his escape ; that Mortimer said he would 
 raise forty thousand men on his enlargement, and would strike off the heads of 
 the rich Bishop of Winchester, the Duke of Gloucester, and others. This fellow 
 undertook to prove upon oath the truth of his assertion. A short time after, a 
 scheme was formed to cut off Mortimer, and an opportunity soon offered to carry 
 it into execution. Mortimer, being permitted one day to walk to the Tower 
 wharf, was suddenly pursued, seized, brought back, accused of breaking out of 
 prison and of attempting his escape. He was tried, and the evidence of King 
 being admitted, was convicted, agreeably to the late' statute, and afterward 
 beheaded. 
 
 The death of Mortimer occasioned great murmuring and discontent among the 
 people, and threatened a speedy subversion of those in power. Many hints were 
 thrown out,both in public and private assemblies, of the fatal consequences which 
 were expected to succeed this commotion. The amazing progress it made, justly 
 alarmed the suspicions of the ambitious prelate, who spared no pains to exert hia 
 power on the occasion. 
 
 t Dr. Anderson, in the first edition of the Book of Gmslitulms, in a note makes 
 the following observation on this act : 
 
 " This act was made in ignorant times, when true learning was a crime and 
 geometry condemned for conjuration ; but it can not derogate from the honor of 
 the ancient Fraternity, who, to be sure, would never encourage any such con. 
 fedpracy of their working brethren. By tradition it is believed that the Parlia- 
 ment were then too much influenced by the illiterate clergy, who were not 
 Accepted Masons, nor understood architecture (as the clergy of some former 
 iges), and were generally thought unworthy of this Brotherhood. Thinking 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMABONEY. 167 
 
 meetings being secret, attracted the attention of the aspiring 
 prelate, who determined to suppress them.* 
 
 they had an indefeasible right to know all secrets, by virtue of auricular con- 
 feeeion, and the Masons never confessing any thing thereof, the said clergy 
 were highly offended, and at first Euspectiog them of wickedness, represented 
 them iis dangerous to the State during that minority, and soon influenced the 
 Parliament to lay hold of such supposed arguments of the working Masons, for 
 making an act that might seem to reflect dishonor upon even the whole Frater- 
 nity, in whose favor several acts had been before and after that period made." 
 
 * The Bishop was diverted from his persecution of the Masons by an affair in 
 which he was more nearly concerned. On the morning of St. Simon and St. 
 Jode's Day, after the Lord Mayor of London had returned to the city from 'West- 
 minster, where he had been taking the usual charges of his high office, he received 
 a special message, while seated at dinner, from the Duke of Gloucester, requiring 
 his immediate attendance. He immediately repaired to the palace, and being 
 Introduced into the presence, the Duke commanded his Lordship to see that the 
 city was properly watclied the following night, as he expected his uncle would 
 endeavor to make himself master of it by force, unless some effectual means were 
 adopted to stop his progress. This command was strictly obeyed ; and at nine 
 o'clock the next morning the Bishop of Winchester, with his servants and 
 followers, attempting to enter the city by the bridge, were prevented by the 
 vigilance of the citizens, who repelled them by force. This unexpected repulse 
 enraged the haughty prelate, who immediately collected a numerous body of 
 archers and other men at-arms, and commanded them to assault the gate with 
 shot, the citizens immediately shut up their shops and crowded to the bridge in 
 great numbers, when a general massacre would certainly have ensued, liad it not 
 been for the timely interposition and prudent administration of the Mayor and 
 Aldermen, who happily stopped all violent measures, and prevented a great 
 efiusion of blood. 
 
 The Archbishop of Canterbury and Peter, Duke of Coimbra, eldest sou of the 
 King of Portugal, with several others, endeavored to appease the fury of the 
 two contending parties, and, if possible, to bring about a reconciliation between 
 them, but to no purpose, as neither party would yield. They rode eight or ten 
 times backward and forward, using every scheme they could devise to prevent 
 further extremities ; at last they succeeded in their mediation, an5 brought the 
 parties to a conformity ; when it was agreed that all hostile proceedings should 
 drop on both sides, and the matter be referred to the award of the Duke of 
 Bedford ; on which peace was restored, and the city remained in quiet. 
 
 The Bishop lost no time in transmitting his case to the Duke of Bedford ; and 
 in order to gloss it over with the best colors, wrote the following letter : 
 
 " Right high and mighty Prince, and my right noble, and after one leineat 
 [earthly] lord ; I recommend me unto your grace with all my heart. And as 
 you desire the welfare of the King, our sovereign lord, and of his realms of Bug- 
 land and France, your own weal [health] with all yours, baste you hither. For 
 by my troth, if you tarry long, we shall put this land in jeopardy [adventure] 
 
i<58 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 The sovereign authority being vested in the Duke of Glou- 
 cester, as protector of the realm, the execution of the laws, 
 and all that related to the civil magistrate, centered in him : a 
 
 \vith a field, such a brother aa you have here ; God make him a good man. For 
 your wisdom well knoweth that the profit of France standeth in the welfare of 
 England, etc. The blessed Trinity keep you. Written in great haste at London, 
 on AU-hallowen-even, the 31st of October, 1425. 
 " By your servant, to my lives ends, 
 
 " IIENRY, Wkchestek." 
 
 This letter had the desired effect, and hastened the return of the Duke of 
 Bedford to London, where he arrived on January 10, 1425-6. On February 21, 
 he held a great council at St. Albans ; adjoarned it to March 15 at Northampton, 
 and to June 25 at Leicester. Bats and staves being now prohibited, the follow- 
 ers of the members of Parliament attended with stones in a sling and plummeta 
 of lead. The Duke of Bedford employed the authority of Parliament to reconcile 
 the differences which had broken out between his brother and the Bishop of 
 Winchester ; and obligated these rivals to promise before that assembly that they 
 would bury all quarrels in oblivion. Thus the long wished for peace between 
 these two great personages was, to all apptarances, accomplished. 
 
 During the discussion of this matter before Parliament, the Duke of Gloucester 
 exhibited the following charges, among five others, against the Bishop of Win- 
 chester : " That he had, in his letter to the Duke of Bedford, at France, plainly 
 declared his malicious purpose of assembling the people, and stirring up a rebel- 
 lion in the nation, contrary to the King's peace." 
 
 The Bishop's answer to this accusation was : " That he had never had any 
 intention to disturb the peace of the nation, or raise a rebellion ; but that he 
 sent to the Duke of Bedford to solicit his speedy return to England, to settle all 
 those differences which were so prejudicial to the peace of the kingdom ; that 
 though he had indeed written in the letter that if he takmed we shodld hit 
 
 THE LANO IN ADVEXTUKE BY A FIELD, SCOH A BROTHEB TOD HAVE HERE, he did UOt 
 
 ji'ian it of any design of his own, but concerning the seditious assemblies of 
 masons, carpenters, tylers, and plasterers ; who, being distasted by the late act 
 of Parliament against the excessive wages of those trades, had given o-it many 
 spditious speeches and menaces against certain great men, which tendea much to 
 rebellion ; • that the Duke of Gloucester did not use his endeavor, as he ought to 
 have done in his place, to suppress such unlawful assemblies ; so that he feared 
 the King and his good subjects must have made a field to withstand them ; to 
 prevent which he chiefly desired the Duke of Bedford to come over." 
 
 As the Masons are unjustly suspected of having given rise to the above civil 
 commotions. I thought it necessary to insert the foregoing particulars, in order 
 to clear them from this false charge. Most of the circumstances here mertionei 
 are extracted from Wolfe's Chronicle, published by Stowe. 
 
 • The above particulars are extracted from one of Elias Aslimole's MSS. on the subjccl of Frw» 
 IU«»-nury • 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 16S 
 
 fortunate circumstance for the Masons at this critical time. The 
 Duke, knowing them to be innocent of the accusations which 
 the Bishop of Winchester had laid against them, took them 
 under his protection, and transferred the charge of rebellion, 
 sedition, and treason from them to the Bishop and his followers ; 
 who, he asserted, were the first violators of the public peace, 
 and the most rigorous promoters of civil discord. 
 
 The Bishop, sensible that Iiis conduct could not be justified 
 by the laws of the land, prevailed on the King, through the 
 intercession of the Parliament, whose favor his riches had ob- 
 tained, to grant letters of pardon for all offenses committed by 
 him, contrary to the statute of provisors, and other acts of 
 prasmunire ; and five years afterward, procured another pardon, 
 under the great seal, for all crimes whatever, from the creation 
 of the world to the 26th of July, 1437. 
 
 Notwithstanding these precautions of the Cardinal, the Duke 
 of Gloucester drew up, in 1442, fresh articles of impeachment 
 against him, and presented them in person to the King; 
 earnestly entreating that judgment might be passed upon him 
 according to his crimes. The King referred the matter to his 
 council, which was at that time composed principally of 
 ecclesiastics, who extended their favor to the Cardinal, and 
 made such a slow progress in the business, that the Duke, 
 wearied out with their tedious delays and fraudulent evasions, 
 dropped the prosecution, and the Cardinal escaped. 
 
 Nothing could now remove the inveteracy of the Cardinal 
 against theDuke ; he resolved to destroy the man whose popu- 
 larity might become dangerous, and whose resentment he had 
 .reason to dread. TheDuke having always proved a strenuous 
 'friend to the public, and, by the authority of liis birth and 
 Btation, having hitherto prevented absolute power from being 
 vested in the King's person, "Winchester was enabled to gain 
 many partisans, who were easily brought to concur in the ruin 
 of the prince.* 
 
 • The Bishop planned the following scheme at this time to irritate the Duke ol 
 Gloucester :— His Duchess, the daughter of Reginald Lord Cobham, had been ao- 
 cased of the crime of witchcn.lt, aud it was pieteuUcd that a waxen figure of the 
 
170 HISTORY OP FBEEMASONHT. 
 
 To accomplish this purpose, the Bishop and his party concert 
 ed a plan to murder the Duke. A Parliament was summoned 
 to meet at St. Edmondsbury, in 1447, where they expected ht 
 would lie entirely at their mercy. Having appeared on the 
 second day of the sessions, he was accused of treason, and 
 thrown into prison, where he was found, the next day, cruelly 
 murdered. It was pretended that his death was natural ; but 
 though his body, which was exposed to public view, bore no 
 marks of outward injury, there was little doubt of his having 
 fallen a sacrifice to the vengeance of his enemies. After this 
 dreadful catastrophe, five of his servants were tried for aiding 
 him in his treasons, and condemned to be hanged, drawn, and 
 quartered. They were hanged accordingly, cut down alive, 
 stripped naked, and marked with a knife to be quartered; 
 when the Marquis of Suffolk, tlirough a mean and pitiful affec- 
 tation of popularity, produced their pardon, and saved their 
 lives ; the most barbarous kind of mercy that can possibly be 
 imagined 1 
 
 The Duke of Gloucester's death was universally lamented 
 throughout the kingdom. He had long obtained, and deserved 
 the surname of Good. He was a lover of his country, the friend 
 of good men, the protector of Masons, the patron of the learned, 
 and the encourager of every useful art. His inveterate perse- 
 cutor, the hypocritical Bishop, stung with remorse, scarcely 
 survived him two months ; when, after a long life spent in 
 falsehood and politics, he sunk into oblivion, and ended his 
 days in misery. * 
 
 King was found In her possession ; which she, and her associates, Sir Roger 
 Bolingbrolie, a priest, and one Margery Jordan, of Eye, melted in a magical 
 manner before a slow fire, with an intention of making Henry's force and rigor 
 waste away by like Insensible degrees. The accusation was well calculated to 
 alfect the weak and credulous mind of the King, and gain belief in an ignorant 
 age. TheDuchess was brought to trial, with her confederates, and the prisoners 
 were pronounced guilty ; the Duchess was condemned to do public penance in 
 London for three days, and to suffer perpetual imprisonment ; the others were 
 executed. 
 
 The Protector, provoked at such repeated insults offered to his uchees, made 
 a noble and stout resistance to these most abominable and shameful proceedings, 
 but it unfortunately ended in his own destruction. 
 
 • The wickedness of the Cardinal's life, and his mean, base, and unmanly 
 
HISTOBT OF FREEMASONKY. Ill 
 
 . After the death of the Cardinal, the Masons continued to 
 hold their Lodges without danger of interruption. Henry 
 established various seats of erudition, which he enriched wilJi 
 ample endowments, and distinguished by peculiar immunities ; 
 thus inviting his subjects to rise above ignorance and bar- 
 barism, and reform their turbulent and licentious manners. In 
 1442, he was initiated into Masonry, and, from that time, spar- 
 ed no pains to obtain a complete knowledge of the art. He 
 perused the Ancient Charges, revised the constitutions, and with 
 ■the consent of his council, honored them with his sanction. 
 
 The ancient records show that, during this King's minority, 
 a Lodge was in successful operation at Canterbury, and the 
 name of Thomas Stapylton is recorded as Master, John Morris 
 Gustos as Warden ; also, fifteen Fellow Crafts, and three 
 Entered Apprentices are named in the same record. It may 
 also be seen in a record, made in the reign of Edward IV., the 
 following language is used : — " The company of Masons, being 
 otherwise known or termed Freemasons, of auntient staunding 
 and good reckoning, by Means of affable and kind Meetings 
 dyverse tymes, and as a loving brotherhood use to do, did 
 frequent this mutual Assembly in the tyme of Henry VI., in the 
 Twelfth yeare of his most gracious reign, viz., A.D. 1434, 
 when Henry was aged thirteen years." The same record says 
 ffj-thcr : — " That the charges and laws of the Freemasons have 
 been seen and perused by our late sovereign king, Henry VI., 
 and by the lords of his most honorable council, who have 
 
 death, will ever be a, bar against any vindication of his memory, for the good 
 which he did while alive, or which the money he had amassed could do after his 
 death. When in his last moments, he was heard to utter theee mean expressions : 
 " Why should I die, who am possessed of so much wealth? If the whole kingdom 
 could save my life, I am able, by my policy, to preserve it. or, by my money to 
 purchase it. Will not death be bribed, and money do every thing ? The inimit- 
 able Shakespeare, after giving a most horrible picture of despair, and a tortured 
 conscience, in the person of the cardinal, introduces King Henry to him with 
 these sharp and piercing words : 
 
 " Lord Cardinal, if thou think'st oa heaven's bliss, t 
 
 Lift up thy hand make signal of that hope." 
 • He dies, and makes no sign. — ^Hbn. VI., Act 3. 
 
 " The memory of the wicked shall rot, but the unjustly persecuted shall be had 
 in everlasting remembrance." 
 
172 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 allowed them, and declared that they he right good and 
 reasonable to be holden, as they have been drawn out and 
 
 1 collected from the records of auntient tymes," etc., etc. 
 
 I From this it appears that, before the troubles which happened 
 in the reign of this unfortunate prince, Freemasons were held 
 in high estimation. 
 
 The Grand Master, Chicheley, died 1443, after having gov- 
 erned the Craft with great skill, and superintended the building 
 of All Souls, Bernard, and other colleges and public buildings. 
 Indeed, the reign of Henry VI. is remarkable for the number 
 of colleges founded and built. After the death of Chicheley, 
 Wanefleet was chosen Grand Master, who superintended the 
 building of Eton College, Cambridge, and Queen's College, and 
 a number of churches at various places. This Grand Master 
 erected, at his own cost, Magdalen College, at Oxford. But 
 Masonry, as also the arts and sciences, were destined to be 
 greatly interrupted in this reign, which for a time promised so 
 much for the cause of learning. The King had done all that a 
 wise and prudent Prince could do to raise his subjects from the 
 low and degraded condition in which he found them, to an 
 elevated station among the nations of the earth ; but the bloody 
 civil wars, the inhuman butcheries of seventeen years, between 
 the white and red roses, or the royal houses of York and Lan- 
 caster, struck a death blow to learning, and Masonry languished. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 RiCHAED, Duke of York, son of Richard, Earl of Cambridge, 
 and Ann Mortimer, claimed the crown in right of his mother. 
 The house of Lancaster were the descendants of John a Gaunt, 
 and adopted the red rose as an insignia by which its followers 
 were known. The house of Yoi'k, for similar reasons adopted 
 the white rose. The civil wars which arose and were carried 
 on by these two houses, were not induced by a desire of either 
 party to establish any new principle in government, nor in any 
 way to benefit the masses, but simply to determine which of the 
 families should have the honor of furnishing England with her 
 kings ; and after deluging the country with blood, the red rose 
 was defeated. Nor were the dominant party satisfied with 
 victory and a ruling prince of their party, but Henry VI. was 
 murdered, and the males of every branch of his family were cut 
 off by assassination. 
 
 As it seems to be pretty well authenticated that Henry YI. 
 was a Mason, and did much to advance the interests of the 
 ctaft, we feel it to be our duty to give the celebrated paper, said 
 to have been found in the Bodleian Library, in the handwriting 
 of Henry. We give the paper in the same language it was 
 said to have been originally written in, together with the letter 
 and comments of the learned John Locke : 
 A Letter from the learned Mr. John Locke, to the Right Honora- 
 ble, Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, wUh an old Manuscript on the . 
 
 subject of Freemasonry : 
 
 Mat 6th. 1696. 
 
 My Lord : — I have at length, by the help of Mr. Collins, pro- 
 cured a copy of that MS. in the Bodleian library, which you were 
 so curious to see ; and in obedience to your Lordship's com- 
 mands, I herewith send it to you. Most of the notes annexed 
 
174 HISTORY OP FREEMASOJTET. 
 
 to it are what I made yesterday for the reading of my Lady 
 Masham, who is become so fond of Masonry, as to say, that she 
 now more than ever wishes herself a man, that she might be 
 capable of admission into the Fraternity. 
 
 The MS., of which this is a copy, appears to be about one 
 hundred and sixty years old ; yet (as your Lordship will observe 
 by the title), it is itself a copy of one yet more ancient by about 
 one hundred years ; for the original is said to be the hand- 
 writing of King Henry VI. Where that Prince had it, is at 
 present an uncertainty, but it seems to me to be an examination 
 (taken perhaps before theKing) of some one of the brotherhood 
 of Masons ; among whom he entered himself, as it is said, when 
 he came out of his minority, and thenceforth put a stop to a 
 persecution that had been raised against them. But I must not 
 detain your Lordship longer by my preface, from the thing itself. 
 I know not what effect the sight of this old paper may have 
 upon your Lordship ; but, for my own part, I can not deny that it 
 has so much raised my curiosity, as to induce me to enter myself 
 into the Fraternity, which I am determined to do (if I may be 
 admitted) the next time I go to London, and that will be 
 Portly. I am. 
 
 My Lord, your Lordship's most ob't and most humble servant, 
 
 John Locks. 
 Certayne Questyons, with Answeres to the same, concerning the 
 Mystery o/"Maconiite ; torittene by the hand of kynge ^ETuktb, 
 the sixthe of the name, and faithfully copyed by me * JoHNA 
 Letlande, Antiquarius, by the commande of his Highnesse.\ 
 
 They be as foUowethe, 
 Q.— What mote ytt be ? J 
 
 • John Letlande was appointed by Henry VIII., at the diesolation of Mon»g- 
 teries, to search for and save such books and records as were valuable among 
 them. He was a man of great labor and industry. 
 
 t His Highness, meaning the said King Henry VUL Our kings had not then 
 tiie title of Majesty. 
 
 X What mote ytt be ? That is, What may this mystery of Masonry be ? The 
 answer imports that it consists in natural, mathematical, and mechanical know- 
 ledge. Some part of which (as il appears by what follows), the Masons pretend tu 
 have taught the rest of mankind, and some part they still conceal. 
 
HISTOKY OP PRBEMASONEY. 175 
 
 A. — Ytt beeth the skylle of nature, the understondyngo of the 
 myghte that ys hereynne, and its sondrye w<^kynges ; sonder- 
 lyche, the skylle of reckenyngs, of waights and metygnes, and 
 the true manere of faconnynge al thyngs for mannes use ; head 
 lye, dwellings, and buyldyngs of alle kindes, and all odher thynges 
 that make gudde to manne. 
 
 Q. — Where dyd it begynne ? 
 
 A. — Ytt dydd begynne with the * fyrste manne yn the este, 
 whych were before the * fiyrste manne of the weste, and comyinge 
 vestlye, ytt hath broughte herwyth alle comfortes to the wylde 
 and comfortlesse. 
 
 Q. — Who dyd brynge ytt westlye ? 
 
 A. — The * Venetians, whoo beynge grate merchaundes, corned 
 £fyrste ffromme the este ynn Venetia, for the commodyte of 
 marchaundysynge beithe este and weste bey the redde and 
 myddlonde sees. 
 
 Q. — How comede ytt yn Engelonde ? 
 
 A. — Peter Gower,t a Grecian, journeyedde ffor kunnynge yn 
 
 * Fyrste meoae yn the este, etc. It should aeem by this, thait Masons believe 
 there were men in the East before Adsim, who is called the ' fiyrste manne of the 
 weste ;' and that arts and sciences began in the East. Some anthors of great 
 note for learning, have been of the same opinion ; and it is certain that Europe 
 and "Africa (which, in respect to Asia, may be called western countries), were 
 wild and savage, long after arts and politeness of manners were in great perfec- 
 tion in China and the Indies. 
 
 * The Venetians, etc. In the times of monkish ignorance, it is no wonder that 
 the Pheniciana should be mistaken for the Venetians. Or, perhaps, if the people 
 were not taken one for the other, similitude of sound might deceive the cletk 
 who first took down the examination. The Fhenicians were the greatest voyagers 
 among the ancients, and were in Europe thought to be the inventors of letters, 
 which, perhaps, they brought from the East with other arts. 
 
 t Peter Gower. This must be another mistake of the writer. I was puzzled 
 at first to guess who Peter Gower should be, the name being perfectly English ; 
 or how a Greek should come by such a name ; but as soon as I thought of 
 Pythagoras, I could scarce forbear smiling, to find that philosopher had under- 
 gone a metempsychosis he never dreamed of. We need only consider the Erench 
 pronunciation of his name, Pythagore, that is, Petagore, to conceive how easily 
 mch a mistake may be made by an unlearned clerk. That Pythagoras traveled 
 for knowledge Into Egypt, etc., is known to all the learned ; and that he was 
 initiated Into several diffferent orders of priests, who, in those days, kept all 
 their learning secret from the vulgar, is as well known. Pythagoras also made 
 
176 HISTORY OP PKEEMASONBT. 
 
 Egypte, and in Syria, and yn everyche londe whereas tlie 
 Venetians hadde plaunted maconrye, and wynnynge entraunce 
 yn al Lodges of Maconnes, lie lerned muche, and retournedde, 
 and woned yn Grecia Magna* wacksynge, and becommynge a 
 myghtye wyseacre, t and gratelyche renowned, and her he 
 framed a grate Lodge at Groton, i and maked manye Maconnes, 
 some whereoffe dyde journeye yn Fraunce, and maked manye 
 Maconnes, wherefromme, yn processe of tyme, the arte passed 
 yn Engelonde. 
 
 Q. — Dothe Maconnes descouer her artes unto odhers ? 
 
 A. — Peter Gower, whenne he journeyede to lerne, was fiyrste § 
 made, and annone techedde ; evenne soe shude all odhers beyn 
 recht. Natheless Maconnes II hauethe alweys yn everyche 
 tyme, from tyme to tyme, communycatedde to mannkynde soche 
 of her secrettes as generallyche myghte be nsefuUe ; they 
 liaueth keped backe soche allein as shulde be harmfalle yfif they 
 
 every geometrical theorem a secret, and admitted ouly Buch to the knowledge of 
 them as had first undergone a fiye years' silence. He is supposed to be the 
 discoverer of the forty-seventh proposition of the First Book of Eudid ; for which, 
 in the joy of his heart, it is said he sacrificed a hecatomb. He also knew the 
 true system of the world, lately revived by Copernicus ; and was certainly a most 
 wonderful man. See his life by Dion. Hal. 
 
 * Gkecu Magna. A part of Italy formerly so called, in which the Greeks had 
 settled a large colony. 
 
 t " Wyseacre." This word at present signifies simpleton, but formerly had a 
 quite contrary meaning. Wiseacre in the old Saxon is philosopher, wiseman, or 
 wizard ; and having been frequently used ironically, at length came to have a 
 direct meaning in the ironical sense. Thus Duns Scotus, a man famed for the 
 subtlety and ' acuteness of his understanding, has, by the same method of irony, 
 given a general name to modern dunces. 
 
 t " Groton." Grotno io the name of a place in England. The place here meant 
 is Crotona, a city of Grecia Magna, which, in the time of Pythagoras, was very 
 populous. 
 
 § " Fyrste made." The word made I suppose, has a peculiar meaning among the 
 Masons. Perhaps it signifies initiated. 
 
 II " Maconnes haueth communicatedde," etc. This paragraph has something 
 emarEable in it. It contains a justification of the secrecy so much boasted of . 
 by Masons and so much blamed by others ; asserting that they have, in all ages, 
 discovered such things as might be useful, and that they conceal such only as 
 would be hurtful either to the world or themselves. What these secrets aie we 
 see afterward. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 177 
 
 oomed yn euylle haundes, oder soche as ne myghte be holpyngo 
 wythouten the techynges to be joynedde lierwythe in the Lodge, 
 Oder soche as do bynde the freres more stronglyche togeder 
 bey the proffytte and commodytye comynge to the confrerie her 
 fromme. 
 
 Q.— Whatte artes haueth the Maconnes techedde mankynde ? 
 
 A.- — The artes, * agricultura, architectura, astronomia, geom- 
 etria, numeres, musica, poesie, kymistrye, governmente, and 
 relygonne. 
 
 Q- — Howe commethe Maconnes more teachers than oder 
 menfte ? 
 
 A. — The hemselfe haueth allein in t arte of ffyndynge neue 
 artes, whyche arte the ffyrste Maconnes receaued from Godde ; 
 by the whyche they fyndethe what artes hem plesethe, and the 
 treu way of techynge the same. Whatt odher menne doethe 
 ffynde out, ys onelyche bey chaunce, and herfore but lytel I tro. 
 
 Q. — What dothe the maconnes concele and hyde ? 
 
 A. — Thay concelethe the arte of ffyndynge neue artes, and 
 thatt ys for here own proffytte, and preise : J Thay concelethe 
 the arte of kepynge § secrettes, that soe the worlde mayeth 
 
 * " The artes, agricultura," etc. It seems a bold pretense, this of the Masons, 
 that they have taught mankind all these arts. They have their own authority 
 for it ; and I know not how we shall disprove them. But what appears most odd 
 is that they reckon religion among the arts. 
 
 t " Arte of ffyndynge neue artes." The art of inventing arts must certainly be a 
 most useful art. My Lord Bacon's Novum Organvm is an attempt toward 
 somewhat of the same kind. But I much doubt that, if ever the Masons had it, 
 they have now lost it ; since so few new arts have been lately invented and so 
 many are wanted. The idea I have of snch an art is, that it must be something 
 proper to be employed in aH the sciences generally, as algebra is in numbers, by 
 the help of which new rules of arithmetic are and may be found. 
 
 X " Preise." It seems the Masons have great regard to the reputation, as well as 
 the profit of their Order ; since they make it one reason for not divulging an art 
 in common, that it may do honor to the possessors of it. I think, in this par- 
 ticular, they show too much regard for their own Society, and too little for the 
 rest of mankind. 
 
 § " Arte of kepynge secrettes." What kind of an art this is, I can by no means 
 Imagine. But certainly such an art the Masons must have ; for though, as some 
 people suppose, they should have no secret 9,% all, even that must be a secret 
 which being discovered would expose them to the highest ridicule ; and, there- 
 fore, it requires the utmost caution to conceal it. i 
 12 
 
178 HISTOET OP PEEEMASONRT. 
 
 notliinge concele from them. Thay conceletlie the arte of wun- 
 derwerckynge, and of foresayinge thynges to come, that so thay 
 same artes may not be usedde of the wyckedde to an euyell 
 ende. Thay also concelethe the arts * of chaunges, the wey of 
 wynnynge the fasultye t of Abrac, the skylle of becommynge 
 gude and parfyghte wythouten the holpynges of fere and hope ; 
 I nd the universclle X longage of maconnes. 
 I Q. — Wylle he teche me thay same artes ? 
 
 A. — Ye shalle be techedde yff ye be wcrthye, and able to 
 lerne. 
 
 Q. — Dothe all maconnes kunnc more then odher menne? 
 
 A. — Not so. Thay onlyche liaueth recht and occasyonne 
 more then odher menne to kunne, but manye doetli fale yn 
 capacity, and manye more doth want industrye, that ys perne- 
 cessarye for the gaynynge all kunnyngc. 
 
 Q. — Are maconnes gudder men than odlicrs ? 
 
 A. — Some maconnes are not so virtuous as some odher 
 menne ; but, yn the moste parte, thay be more gude then thay 
 woulde be yf thay war not maconnes. 
 
 Q. — Doth maconnes love eidher odher myghtylye as beeth 
 sayde ? 
 
 A. — Yea, verylyche, and yt may not odherwise be : for gude 
 
 * " Arte of chaunges." I know not what this means, unles it be the tvasmutation 
 ofmetala. 
 
 t " Faoultye of Abrac." Here I am utterly in the dark. 
 
 J " Uuiversellfi longage of maconnes." An univer.sal language has been much 
 desired by the learned of many ages. It is a thing rather to be wished than hoped 
 for. Butit seems the Masons pretend to have such a thing among them. If it be 
 tnie, I guess it must be something like the language of the Pantomimes among 
 the ancient Romans, who are said to be able, by signs only, to express and deliver 
 any oration intelligibly to men of all nations and languages. A man who has 
 all these arts and advantages, is certainly in a condition to be envied. But we 
 ore told that this is not the case with all Masons ; for though these arts are among 
 them, and all have a right and an opportunity to know them yet some want 
 capacity, and others industry, to acquire them. Ilowever, of all their arts and 
 Bccrels, that which I most desire to know, is •' The skylle of becommynge gude 
 and parfyghte, " and I wish it were <-ommunicated to all mankind, since there is 
 nothing more true than the beautiful sentence contained in the laft answer, 
 " That the better men are, the more they love one another." Virtue naviuy in 
 Itself eomething bo amiable aa to charm the hearts of all that behold it 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRY; 
 
 179 
 
 mcnne and treu, kennynge eidher odher to be soolic, docth 
 always love the more as thay be more gude. 
 
 [Here endethe the questyonnes and awnswcrcs.] 
 
 A GLOSSARY OF ANTIQUATED WORDS IN THE FOREGOING 
 MANUSCRIPT. 
 
 AViein, only. 
 Alleys, always. 
 Jieilhe. both. 
 
 Cuiiiinoiiyti/e, convenienoy. 
 Omfrerie, fraternity. 
 Faconnyiiige, forming. 
 Ft/resjyeinge, propheBying. 
 Freres. brethrea. 
 Ileadlye, chiefly. 
 Hem plesdh, they please. 
 Uaiiselfe. themselves. 
 Her, there, their. 
 Ilareynne, therein. 
 HsrivHlh, with it. 
 IJJfiytu/e, beneficial. 
 Kiinne, k low. 
 Kioinynge, knowledge. 
 Mikegudde, are beneficial. 
 Mdynges, measures. 
 Mule. may. 
 
 Middlelonde, Mediterranean. 
 
 Mgglite, power. 
 
 Occassgonne, opportunity. 
 
 Odiw, other. 
 
 Ondyche, only. 
 
 Pemecensarye, necessary, absolutely 
 
 Preise, honor. 
 
 Recht, right. 
 
 Reckenyngs. numbers. 
 
 Sonderlyche, particularly. 
 
 Skylle, knowledge. 
 
 Whereas, where. 
 
 Waned, dwelt. 
 
 Wundervierckynge, working miracles, 
 
 Waksgnge, growing. 
 
 Werck. operatioa. 
 
 Weg, way. 
 
 Wylde, savage. 
 
 Wynnynge, gaining 
 
 Ynn, into. 
 
 Wo have no good reason to question the statement tliat this 
 paper was found in the Bodleian Library, and it irf not iinj)rob- 
 able that it was in the handwriting of Henry Yl.; but we are 
 not pi-cpared to regard the answers given to tlic (]uestions 
 projiDunded, as evidencing a thorough knowledge of tlie subject, 
 and tiic honesty of the witness. And yet the answers are not 
 much more ridiculous than many of the popular tlicoi-ics of 
 the present day. Now, we can not feel prcptired to ad()[)t the 
 opinion of Mr. Locke, that, even in the beniglitcd days of 
 Henry VI., Masons believed that the Society was instituted by 
 a man in tlie East, who lived before Adam. Nor, on the other 
 hand, are we inclined to coincide with Preston, in supposing 
 the words, "man in the East" were used by the witness to 
 convey any hidden or Masonic meaning. We believe tliat the 
 answers were given in such a manner, as to throw around tlio 
 subject as much mystery as would be most likely to operate 
 
180 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRT. 
 
 favorably on the mind of the King ; any other view mil prove 
 that the witness was grossly ignorant of the traditions of the 
 Order, as they clearly point to the building of Solomon's 
 Temple. 
 
 Again : the declaration that Pythagoras, who (according to 
 Pliny, Livy, and some others) lived in the reign of Servius 
 Tullius, in the year of the world 3472, communicated the secrets 
 of Freemasonry to the members of his Society at Crotona in 
 Italy ; that thence they were spread over France, and found 
 their way into England — we can give no sort of credit to. We 
 have heretofore shown — conclusively, we think — that Pytha- 
 goras never was a Mason, or at all acquainted with the prin- 
 ciples of Masonry, only so far as they are, and ever have been, 
 connected with science. At any rate, the principles of Ma- 
 sonry, as we understand them, never were taught by him. 
 With a view to the just appreciation of this Bodleian paper, it 
 is proper to consider the time and the circumstances by whicli 
 the Masons were surrounded when this witness testifies. The 
 Bishop of Wincliester, whose power and influence were second 
 only to the King's, was then engaged in persecuting, by every 
 possible means, the Society of Freemasons. The deep-seated 
 hatred and deadly hostility manifested by him to the Masons, 
 was in strict keeping with his character. His object was 
 power, and he sought to obtain it by low cunning, bribery, or 
 any other means within his reach ; and that society, or set of 
 men, wliom he could not suborn to subserve his purposes, 
 would, of course, come under his condemnation. Under this 
 state of things, it was very important that the Masons should 
 be able to enlist the King in tlieir behalf. It was an age of 
 superstition and gross ignorance ; and when questioned as to 
 tJie origin of the Society, he who said it originated with the 
 man in tlie East, before the man in the West, went only a step 
 further than Dr. Oliver, who traces it to tlie Garden of Eden, 
 and even adds another envelope to the bundle of mystery, by 
 giving it as his opinion, that Masonry existed in other worlds, 
 before this of ours was created. Now, as the Doctor has many 
 admirers, we infer they love this sort of extravagant method 
 of mystifying mystery ; and it is quite as reasonable to believe 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 181 
 
 that King Henry's witness understood how to please his royal 
 listener. But, with the exception of the manifest effort to give 
 a long and undefinable antiquity to the Order, the paper is to 
 be regarded as highly interesting ; for our principles are, cer- 
 tainly, very correctly set forth. 
 
 Thjat part of the answers relating to " Facultye of Abrac "* 
 which to Mr. Locke was unintelligible, conveys to our mind a 
 clear apprehension of one of the most important features in 
 Masonry. The use of the. word "Abrac" is universally traced 
 
 * Mr. Hutchinson, in iiis ingenious treatise, entitled, Tlw Spirit of Masonry, 
 gives the following explanation of the word Abbao, which, as it is curious, we 
 shall here insert in that gentleman's own words : 
 
 "Abrao, or ABRiCAB, was a name which Basilides, a religious writer of the 
 second century, gave to God ; who, he said, was the author of three hundred 
 and sixty-five. 
 
 " The author of this superstition is said to have lived in the time of Adrian, 
 and that it had its name after Abeasan, or Abkaxas, the denomination which 
 Basilides gave to the Deity. He called Him the Supreme God, and ascribed to 
 Him seven subordinate powers, or angels, who presided over the heavens ; and 
 also, according to the number of the days in the year, held that three hundred 
 and sixty-five virtues, powers, or intelligences, existed as the emanations of God ; 
 the value, or numerical distinctions of the letters in the word, according to the 
 ancien*. Greek numerals, made 365 : 
 
 A B P A X A Z. 
 1 2 100 1 60 1 200. 
 
 " Among antiquaries, Abraxas is an antique gem, or stone, with the word 
 Abraxas engraved on it. There are a great many kinds of them, of various 
 figures and sizes, mostly as old as the third century. Persons professing the 
 religions principles of Basilides, wore this gem with great veneration, as an 
 amulet, from whose virtues, and the protection of the Deity— to whom it was 
 consecrated, and with whose name it was inscribed— the wearer derived health, 
 prosperity, and safety. 
 
 " There is deposited in the British Museum such a gem, which is a beryl stone, 
 of the form of an egg. The hgad is in cameo, the reverse in taglio. 
 
 " In church history, Abkax is noted as a mystical term, expressing the Supreme 
 God, under whom the Basilidians supposed three hundred and sixty-five de- 
 pendent deities. It was the principle of the Gnostic hierarchy, whence sprang 
 their multitude of thrones. From Abraxas proceeded their primogenial mbji) : 
 from the primogenial mind, the logos, or word ; from the logos, the Phron^esih, 
 or prudence ; from the Phronaesis, Sophia and Dtnamis, or wisdom and strength ; 
 from these two proceeded PRDJCn-Ai-mES, Powers, and Akobls ; and from these, 
 other angels, to the number of three hundred and sixty-five, who were supposed 
 to have the government of so many celestial orbs committed to their care." 
 
182 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 back to the second or third century, when it was understood 
 to convey the idea of a great First Cause — either the only God, 
 or He who ruled over and controlled all other gods. 
 
 Now, that the secret traditions of Masonry furnish evidence 
 of God's will to man, in the preservation and transmission of 
 His holy law to future generations, through the Society of Free- 
 masons at the building of the Temple, is a fact known to every 
 well-instructed Mason, who has taken all the degrees apper- 
 taining to Ancient Craft Masonry. In short, Masonic tradi- 
 tions furnish proof of the power and wisdom of God, in addition 
 to those handed down by the writings of Moses. We there- 
 fore incline to the belief that the witness meant to be under- 
 stood as saying that Masons, more than others, were enabled 
 to comprehend the will of God to man. We certainly prefer 
 this construction to the one put upon his language by Mr. 
 Preston, viz., that he meant to say that Masons understood 
 the art of working miracles. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 When the blood} struggle between Richard III. and Henry 
 Tiidor, then Earl oi Richmond, terminated in the death of the 
 former, the army proclaimed the victor Henry VH., King of 
 England, 1485. His wife, Elizabeth Plantagenet, daughter of 
 King Edward IV., being the true lieir of all the Plantagenets, 
 conveyed hereditary right of royalty to all her offspring. In 
 this reign the Cape of Good Hope and America were discov- 
 ered ; the former in 1487, and the latter in 1493. 
 
 We find by a reference to the History of Italy, that at this 
 period the Gothic style of architecture was totally abandoned 
 in that country, and the Augustan style revived ; while in 
 England the Gothic arrived at its greatest perfection, and 
 continued to be used, as we shall hereafter see, down to, and 
 more or less during, the reign of Elizabeth. 
 
 Without stopping here to enter into a defense of the princi- 
 ples of Masonry, or inquire into the causes which led to the 
 denunciations of the Pope of Rome against the Order, we call 
 attention to the fact that so long as architecture was in the 
 hands of Masons, the Roman Catholic Church was their zealous 
 and steadfast friend. We can not affirm that this was caused by 
 a devotion to the principles which Masonry inculcates, or the 
 restrictions which its ritual places upon its members, whereby 
 tbey may not become slaves to the confessional, so far as to 
 reveal the secrets of the Society. But we rather infer that the 
 great moving cause was the necessity which the Church was 
 then under to obtain the services of competent workmen for the 
 erection of fine churches, monasteries, etc. However this may 
 be, it is certainly true that down to the time of Henry VIII. 
 most of the Catholic Priests were Masons, and generally officers 
 of the Society. Indeed, such was to some extent the case in the 
 days of Sir Christopher Wren. 
 
184 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 In the reign of Henry VII., the repairs of Westminster Abbey 
 ■which had been long before commenced, ■were completed, in 
 1493, from which period it stood untouched, and finally neg- 
 lected. This work was finished under the superintendence of 
 John Tslip, Abbot of Westminster. This magnificent structure 
 was in a dilapidated condition in the middle of the seventeenth 
 century ; when, at the expense of gorernment, Sir Christopher 
 Wren restored it to its former grandeur. In 1500, the Grand 
 Master of the Order of St. John's, then at Rhodes and afterward 
 at Malta, issued his order and assembled all the Sir Knights in 
 grand convocation, and chose Henry VII. their protector. This 
 royal Grand Master appointed John Islip, the Abbot of West- 
 minster, and Sir Richard Bray, Knight of the Garter, his 
 Wardens, through whom his summons was issued, calling a 
 Lodge of Master Masons at his palace on June 24, 1502 ; and 
 when so assembled a grand procession was formed, and under 
 charge of the King in person walked to the place appointed. 
 East of Westminster Abbey, and laid tlic corner-stone of the 
 King's Chapel,in manner according to the usages of the Order. 
 This fine edifice was completed and the cape-stone duly cele- 
 brated in 1507 ; and soon became famous as the most perfect 
 specimen of Gotliic architecture in the world. Some idea 
 may be formed of the estimation in which this splendid edifice 
 was generally held, in the fact that Leland. the distinguished 
 antiquarian, regarded it as constituting the eighth wonder of 
 the world. By order of the King, Grand Warden Bray rebuilt 
 the Palace of Sheen, on the Thames, and called it Riclmiond. 
 Bray also superintended the enlargement of Old Greenwich 
 Castle, which the King called Placentia, near which was erected 
 a somewhat singular building called the King's Box, or the 
 Queen's House. Bray also raised the Middle Chapel of 
 Windsor. The King built a number of religious houses, two 
 colleges — Jesus and St. John's, at Cambridge, and Brazen Nose 
 at Oxford — -jebuilt Bayard Castle, and converted the old Castle 
 of Savoy into a hospital. The King died in 1509, leaving his . 
 crown to his son, Henry VIII., aged eighteen years. Here is 
 another exemplification of the unalterable principles of, our 
 Order, It will be recollected that in all former times the King 
 
HISTORY OF FRBEMASOJJRT. 185 
 
 was regarded as Grand Master by hereditary right, provided 
 he was or should become a Mason, and not otherwise. In every 
 age it has fever been the interest and desire of the Fraternity to 
 have the favorable opinion and patronage of the ruling sovereign , 
 Yet, so sacred and inviolable have ever been the rituals of the 
 Order, that even when persecutions were most bitter and vin- 
 dictive, never was a prince permitted to take charge of, or be 
 considered Grand Master, unless he had first become a Mason. 
 Nor have we an account of a single instance where the rule has 
 been departed from, in order to initiate even a king before he 
 was of mature and discreet age. It has been (we shame to say 
 it) reserved to the nineteenth century, to the land of America, 
 to the old Grand Lodge of Louisiana, and to the Grand Orient 
 of France, influenced by the Scotch Eite, to attempt an innova- 
 tion in the body of Masonry, by declaring that the sons of 
 Masons might be initiated at the age of eighteen ; but we would 
 not leave our readers of after time unadvised of the fact that so 
 far from any other Grand Lodge in the United States imitating 
 or approving of this attempt to trample under foot and set at 
 defiance the ancient usages of the Order, every Grand Lodge 
 has put her seal of disapprobation upon the action of that Grand 
 body in this particular. Every good and true Mason loves to 
 be enrolled among those who aim to adhere strictly to that 
 immemorial usage which requires a man to be of lawful age 
 before he can be made a Mason ; and should any Grand Lodge 
 go behind this rule, under the flimsy pretext that "mature age" 
 conveys a meaning subject to a latitudinarian construction, 
 and presume to make Masons of men not twenty-one years old, 
 they must expect that all such will be regarded as clandestine, 
 [and unfit to be acknowledged as Fellows and Brothers. 
 \ In the case of Henry VIII. , though a King, and eighteen 
 years of age, not even a proposition was entertained for his 
 initiation, and because of this. Cardinal Woolsey was chosen 
 Grand Master. He built the College of Christ's church, Oxford, 
 Hampton Court, and White Hall, and several other edifices, 
 which, upon his disgrace, were forfeited to the Crown in 1530. 
 After the Cardinal incurred the displeasure of the King and the 
 Fraternity, he was removed, and Thomas Cromwell, Earl of 
 
186 HISTORY OF PREEMASONUY. 
 
 Essex, was appointed Grand Master, -who, by order of tho 
 King, built St. James' Palace, Greenwich Castle, and Christ's 
 Hospital. 
 
 This King and his Parliament disowned and denounced thi 
 right divine of the Pope of Rome, and Henry was openly 
 declared the Supreme Head of the Church in 1534. This 
 ecclesiastical revolution was productive of some momentous 
 eventti, destined to be felt throughout long ages ; for, though it 
 was not to be expected that the heretofore acknowledged 
 supreme power of the Pope would be abandoned without a 
 struggle, yet did this movement of Henry VIII. lay the founda- 
 tion for the freedom of English subjects. We would not, how- 
 ever, be misunderstood : we do not mean to say that in throwing 
 off the yoke of Rome, the protesting party were governed by a 
 iust conception of their religious duties alone ; far from it. It 
 is the nature of men to pass from one extreme to the other, as 
 well in religious as political matters ; and in this case, the dom- 
 inant party were as unjust, bigoted, and unyielding in all their 
 dogmas, as had been the Church of Rome. Near a thousand 
 religious houses were suppressed, and the landed estates con- 
 nected therewith forfeited to the Crown. Cromwell, the Grand 
 Master, was falsely charged, unjustly condemned, and fell upon 
 the scaffold a sacrifice to party bigotry and religious intoler- 
 ance. A.fter his death. Lord Audley was chosen Grand Master, 
 and notwithstanding the suppression of so many churches, and 
 the panic which ensued, consequent upon this religious revolu- 
 tion, Masonry did not languish, even its Operative department 
 jontinued in requisition, and the style of architecture greatly 
 improved. The religious houses and the landed estates con- 
 nected with them, which, as before stated, were confiscated to 
 the Crown by the King's order, were sold to the nobility and 
 gentry on such liberal terms, that they readily converted many 
 of them into stately mansions, furnishing employment for thi 
 Masons. Grand Master Audley erected Magdalen College, 
 and the great liouse of Audley End. 
 
 The King died 1547, and was succeeded by his son, Edward 
 VI., who was the son of Queen Jane Seymour. He was but nine 
 years old when he came to the throne, and reigned under the 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 187 
 
 regency of .Edward, Duke of Somerset, who exerted all hia 
 power and influence in favor of the Protestant religion : and 
 as Grand Master of the Masons, built Somerset House, which 
 was forfeited to the Crown when the regent was beheaded in ■ 
 1552. John Poynet was then chosen Grand Master ; but the 
 next year the King died, and Mary Tudor, daugliter of Queen 
 Catharine of Aragon, succeeded her bi'othcr as Queen Sovereign, 
 who restored the Catholic religion : and maddened by a recol- 
 lection of the wrongs which she thought her favorite Church and 
 people had endured, she became more vindictive and blood-thirsty 
 in her unholy zeal against the Protestants, than had either 
 of the preceding sovereigns been against the Catholics. She mar- 
 ried Philip II., king of Spain, fought several battles, lost Calais, 
 and died without issue, 1558. Altliough this queen reigned 
 but about five years, and left few if any monuments of her wis- 
 dom and virtue, still will her name live in the Protestant Church 
 history, through all time, as the " Bloody Mary." During her 
 reign we know but little of the condition of Masonry, as from 
 the death of Henry VIII, until the reign of Elizabetli, we have 
 no account of the assembling of the Craft, or of their having a 
 Grand Master ; and yet we must believe that Lodges continued 
 to meet and practice their rites. 
 
 Elizabeth next ascended the throne, A.D. 1558. She wa» 
 the daughter of Queen Ann Boleyn. As the arts and sciences 
 and general literature were greatly encou'-aged and cultivated 
 during this reign, and as there transpired many events of 
 deep interest to the Craft, we may be expected to devote 
 somewhat more time to it than either of the reigns which 
 immediately preceded it. Elizabeth was evidently a woman of 
 a strong and masculine mind. We are aware that the fame 
 which this administration so justly ac<iuired has been very gen- 
 erally attributed to the wisdom of her ministry, and that this is 
 partly correct can not be successfully dsnied ; for we doubt 
 whether any reign in English history, from the days of the 
 Heptarchy down to the present period, has been blessed with 
 such an accumulation of towering intellect and plodding sagac- 
 ity as was brought to bear in the reign of Elizabeth. But 
 can we overlook the fact that in order to concentrate and keep 
 
188 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 together tins galaxy of genius and learning, the efforts of a wise 
 head, keen perception, sound judgment, and unyielding firmness 
 was absolutely necessary ? And these qualifications were admira- 
 bly blended in this queen. When we remember that England had 
 only just emerged from an age of almost gross darkness, we can 
 the more readily accord to Elizabeth powers of discrimination 
 rarely met with in either sex. If her administration be care- 
 fully examined, it will be seen that almost all her movements 
 were the result of preconceived schemes, of deep and far-seeing 
 policy. Even her acts of benevolence and kindness were 
 prompted, not by impulse, but by a subtle calculation of cause 
 and effect, Her love affairs, where the dearest affections of her 
 heart were at stake, were made to yield to a cold political cal- 
 culation. So, also, do we look upon her refestablishment of the 
 Protestant religion, for it has never seemed at all clear to 
 our mind that the feelings of her heart did not lean to the 
 Catholic Church. All things, with her, seem to have been made 
 subservient to a craving ambition, which we suppose to have 
 been her ruling passion. True, it does not appear that she 
 courted that fame which monarchs acquire by the sound of the 
 clarion and gaudy trappings of war. She sought not to live in 
 the annals of the world's history as the heroine of great battle- 
 fields, but she longed for the more enviable and imperishable 
 name of being the wisest among her equals ; and pity it is that 
 .she did not more earnestly strive to be thought good as well as 
 vrise. 
 
 At the period of which we arc now speaking, no one but 
 initiates knew anything of Freemasonry ; no publication of its 
 principles had ever been made. For the most part, it had been 
 governed or influenced by the priesthood, whose policy was to 
 leep a knowledge of the arts and sciences from the masses ; 
 tnd hence, not even the true objects of the association were known 
 with any accuracy beyond the halls of the Lodge. Masons had 
 their public processions and public ceremonies it is true ; but 
 this dumb show of a portion of their rites remained unexplained, 
 as also the greater, and purer, and holier principles of the 
 Order. 
 
 Masons were known to hold their meetings in secrecy, and in 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 189 
 
 their intercourse with, the world studiously avoided conversa- 
 tions in relation to the principles of the Association ; and, 
 strange though it may seem, the very secrecy thus observed 
 created a degree of awe and reverence for the Institution in the 
 minds of some ; others were very naturally led to entertain 
 doubts and suspicions of its purity, and we marvel that through 
 so many ages of bigotry and superstition — through so many 
 reigns of tyranny and oppression^so few instances are record- 
 ed of organized opposition to the Society. Were a secret 
 society of the present day to refuse to make an expose of the 
 leading objects sought to be attained, they would most likely 
 enlist the opposition of the community ; more especially if that 
 society was becoming numerous. We are not then surprised 
 that Queen Elizabeth, who held the sceptre by a doubtful 
 tenure, and whose ambition could brook no opposition, should 
 entertain fears that, perchance, something might be concocted 
 where her secret emissaries dare not go, which might lead to 
 an investigation of the hereditary rights of Mary, Queen of 
 Scots, whose claims to the very crown which Elizabeth wore 
 were, to say the least, quite plausible ; and hence, as a stroke 
 of policy, the more securely to guard against secret conclaves, 
 she sent an armed force to York on the 27th of December, 
 1561, with orders to break up the Grand Lodge, and forbid the 
 Masons to assemble together or hold their Lodges. When th 
 leaders and most trustworthy of the Queen's officers presented 
 their instructions to Sir Thomas Sackville, who was tlieii 
 Grand Master, he initiated some of them, and expounded tht 
 principles of the Institution, whereby they became convinced of 
 the utility and purity of Masonry, and lost no time in rtpre 
 senting to the Queen that she had misconceived the charactci 
 of the Institution and the practices of the Society. They testified 
 that the Institution was one of pure benevolence, inculcating a 
 love of virtue and the practice of charity ; that it did not 
 tolerate or permit a meddling with affairs of State or Church, 
 etc. These representations were made in the form of a petition, 
 wigned by the members of the Grand Lodge, and subscribed to 
 by the Queen's officers above alluded to ; and whether at heart 
 she entertained doubts of their truths, or secretly harbored 
 
190 HISTOKY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 enmity against the Order, it is quite clear that after tlieso 
 representations were made public, a hostile demonstration 
 against the Society would have proved unpopular ; and while 
 it may be that we do the character of the Queen injustice, in 
 withholding the meed of praise generally awarded to her for 
 abstaining from further molestation, we attribute her forbear- 
 ance to other causes, for the reason, as before stated, that a 
 shrewd, selfish policy marked. her course throughout. It is fair 
 to suppose that the same reasons which prompted her fear of 
 their enmity, operated in causing her to use suitable means to 
 make them her friends, when assured they had not been her 
 enemies. Certain it is, that this event tended more to render 
 Masonry popular than anything which had previously occurred, 
 for the reason that it was the first public testimony ever made 
 in its behalf. 
 
 In this reign the arts and sciences were encouraged and cul- 
 tivated. The xVugustan style of architecture, which had been 
 so long neglected, was brought into use and favor by means of 
 travelers into Italy, where they not only acquired a knowledge 
 of the superior architecture of that country, but brought with 
 them copious drawings, which enabled the architects of England 
 to appreciate their excellence and imitate tlieir improvements. 
 The Gothic style was, therefore, neglected ; and it is quite 
 probable that in no age would England have been more beauti- 
 fied and adorned witli splendid edifices, had the Queen been 
 disposed to patronize the work. 
 
 In 1557, Sir Thomas Sackvillc resigned his oESce of Grand 
 Master, and as Masons had now become numerous in the South 
 of England, it was deemed proper to district the kingdom and 
 appoint a Grand Muster for each. Accordingly, Sir Francis 
 Russell, Earl of Bedford, was chosen to take charge of the 
 Masons in the northern division, and Sir Thomas Gresham of 
 the southern. 'J'he General Assembly, or Grand Lodge, con- 
 tinued to meet at York, where all the records were kept. Sir 
 Thomas Gresham puperintendcd tlie building of the first Royal 
 Excliange. At his suggestion the more wealthy citizens of 
 London ])urchased a piece of ground, upon which he erected a 
 liouse for the benefit of commerce. The corner-atone was laid 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 191 
 
 on tlic 7lh of June, 156G, just one hundred years before the 
 great Ure, and such was the expedition with whidi the wort 
 was carried on, that it was finished in November of tlie next 
 year, 1567, and was called the Bourse until 1570', when the 
 Queen, having dined with Sir Thomas, and being accompanied 
 by him in a thorough examination of the building — being par- 
 ticularly pleased with the plan of a gallery, which surrounded 
 the entire structure, and being divided into shops, tlien filled 
 with the most fashionable merchandise — she caused the edifice 
 to be proclaimed, by herald and trumpet, the Royal Exchange. 
 Under the superintendence of Sir Thomas Gresham, many fine 
 buildings were erected, and the Craft flourished in the South 
 under his administration. Charles Howard, Earl of Effingham, 
 was next chosen Grartd Master, and presided in the South until 
 1588, when George Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, was chosen 
 Grand blaster, and served in that office until the death of the 
 Queen, 1603, when the crowns of England and Scotland were 
 united by the ascension to the throne of James VI. (Stewart), 
 King of Scotland, who was proclaimed at London James I., 
 King of England, France, and Ireland^Scotland not yet being 
 added to the kingdom, though govcimed by England's crown. 
 
 The life and character of Queen Eiizabetli is not such as wins 
 upon the better feelings of the heart. We may admire her 
 lofty and independent spirit in many tilings ; we may be 
 fascinated with her powers of mind, hut a knowledge of the 
 fact that the whole was made subservient to an unholy 
 ambition, not even curbed by the moral suasion of a pure heart, 
 we turn from her praise with a feeling akin to disgust. She 
 that could refuse to marry a man for whom she felt a warm and 
 abiding attachment, for no other reason tlian tliat a husband 
 might, perchance, clog or divide her fame, was capable of per- 
 petrating even crime, did her interests demand it. Her cousin 
 Mary, Queen of Scots, being defeated in battle, fled from Scot- 
 land, threw herself at the feet of England's queen, and appealed 
 to tiie affections of a relative for safety and protection. Could 
 any l)iit a wretch, lost to every sense of feeling, save tliat of 
 selfisimess, betray the trust thus reposed ? Eiizabetli imprison- 
 ed her, not for a day, nor a month, not for a year only, but, if 
 
192 HISTORY OF I-EEBMASONET. 
 
 we remember correctly, for seventeen years. Some writers 
 have thought that tliis act of cruelty was prompted by a 
 jealousy felt on account of Mary's superior beauty — that being 
 herself vain of personal admiration, she dreaded the appearance 
 of her cousin at court ; but we think this a short-sighted view 
 of the subject, when we consider the true character of the 
 Queen. We know that she was a slave to ambition, and while 
 we must declare our want of opportunity now to look up 
 authorities, we may be permitted to say that, in our reading 
 the history of England in early life, we became satisfied— ^and 
 that from English authors, Robinson and others — that had 
 justice been done, Mary, the beautiful Queen of Scots, would 
 have swayed the sceptre of England in place of Elizabeth. We 
 think, therefore, that jealousy, not of pwsonal charms, but of 
 hereditary right to reign, was at the foundation of this fiend- 
 like cruelty. Some of the English writers attempt to account 
 for Elizabeth's conduct on the ground that the popularity of 
 Mary with the people rendered it almost certain that if she had 
 been liberated, the country would have been involved in civil 
 wars — to prevent which they justify the Queen in the murder of 
 Mary. But be this true or false in reference to the early 
 period of Mary's imprisonment, she had ceased to be remember- 
 ed by the people — all excitement had died away, and no excuse 
 or apology can be offered for the cold-blooded, heartless 
 conduct of Elizabeth iu having her beheaded in prison, denying 
 her even the comforts of her confessor. Had the reign of this 
 Queen been thrice illustrious, this single act of brutal barbarity 
 would snatch from her brow the last bright gem in her wreath 
 of glory. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 It may be thought by some a little singular that, in writing 
 the history of Freemasonry, we have so nearly confined our 
 investigations to England for reliable testimony since the 
 Christian era ; but we think it will not be so regarded by those 
 who have examined the subject for themselves, and who are not 
 disposed. to receive and adopt legendary tales in lieu of facts. 
 Dr. Robertson, the able historian and ready writer, says, 
 " History which ought to record truth and teach wisdom, often 
 sets out with retailing fiction and absurdities." If this was the 
 case in his day, how much more so now, and especially in rela- 
 tion to Masonry ? When Anderson, Preston, Smith, Hutchinson, 
 and others of the eighteenth century wrote, how little did they 
 think that the idle tales which they detailed in order to show 
 how ridiculous had been the superstition of some, would in the 
 middle of the nineteenth century be rewritten, embellished, and 
 sent forth as solemn truths ! The truth is, that if some master 
 hand is not found to expose the gross absurdities of the present 
 day, and snatch the pure history of the Order from the rubbish 
 with which it is being covered up, the day will indeed 
 come, when our brethren will not be able to distinguish between 
 the pure system of Ancient Craft Masonry, and the new 
 degrees of Scotch and Modern Masonry. But why is it that he 
 who writes the history of Masonry can more easily impose on 
 the reader by deceptive tales? We think the reason is to 
 be found in the fact that before 1722, so little had ever bcpn 
 published. All things connected with the Order jreie 
 either transmitted from age to age by oral tradition, or a few 
 rare parchments sacredly withheld from the public gaze. Aside 
 froni tradition, the history of Masonry is so difficult to trace, 
 that the writer may impose on his readers without the fear 
 
194 HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 of being exposed. Judging by what we liave seen, we do not 
 hesitate to believe that Macauley, or any other distinguished 
 writer, could send forth to the world a work purporting to be a 
 history of "Masonry, and it would become popular, though its 
 only merit should consist in an effort to show that the Order 
 not only existed in its primitive purity with the aborigines of 
 America, but was practiced in its highest perfection when 
 Columbus landed on this continent. Nor could he be wanting 
 in admirers should he claim that tlie ceremonies of the Indian 
 medicine dance is Masonry, only a little adulterated by savage 
 peculiarities. 
 
 We set out in this history with a determination that though 
 we might enlighten our readers but'little, and amuse their fancy 
 less, we would state nothing to be true which we did not believe 
 to be so ; and herein is to be found the reason of our confining 
 our investigations mainly to England. If we were writing tlie 
 romance and poetry of Masonry in modern times, we should go 
 to France for the gewgaw and tinsel wherewith to deck our 
 work. We should find there, and without turning baclt to 
 musty documents two centuries old, that Masonry is not a pure 
 system of morals, inculcating the sacred truths of the Bible ; 
 but a splendid pageant to captivate tlie eye and feed tlie vanity 
 of man. Nor should we be wholly wanting in material for 
 novelty were we to go only to the old Lodges of Louisiana, 
 where the old iron-sided genius of Masonry has been forced 
 into an unholy matrimonial alliance with the flippant jade of 
 France. But in our search after the substance rather than the 
 shadow we have been forced to rely mainly on England. 
 Masonry has been clogged with novelties and has greatly 
 deteriorated almost everywhere but in England and Scotland ; 
 and by those who do not know that Scotch Rite Masonry is not, 
 nor ever was, recognized as the Masonrv of Scotland, it may be 
 saf.pcsed ihat thepurity of the Institution has been lost even there. 
 
 As we have arrived at that period in our history where the 
 crowns of England and Scotland were united, it seems to be 
 proper to turn our attention for a time to the latter kingdom. In 
 entering upon this task we are met witli difficulties at the very 
 Oireshold. We are not able to fix, with any certainty, upon the 
 
HISTOEY OF FREEMASONRY. 195: 
 
 period at which Masonry was introduced into Scotland. This may 
 be accounted for by the incessant wars in which that country 
 was involved. When the Romans invaded England, thay found 
 the country occupied or alternately overrun by the Gauls, Picts, 
 "Welsh, Danes. Scots, and other barbarous tribes. 
 
 Tacitus is of opinion that the Scots are descended from the 
 Britons of the South, others think they are of Caledonian 
 origin, and hence they were called a wandering people ; but 
 whether they descended from the one or the other, they are of 
 Celtic origin. The Roman General Agricola, found, A.D. 81, 
 the northern part of Great Britain occupied by the Caledonians, 
 a fierce and warlike people ; and, having repulsed them, erected 
 ptrong walls, or forts, between the Friths of Forth and Clyde, 
 which was regarded as the northern boundary line. In A.D. 
 121, Adrian erected a stronger wall, and much further South, 
 extending from New Ca,stle to Carlisle ; but at no period did 
 the Romans enjoy peaceable possession of the country claimed ; 
 and a part of the time the Caledonians had possession at least 
 as*far as the old wall. After Agricola was recalled, the Scots 
 passed the walls, and put to the sword all the Romans coming 
 in their reach. In return, they were repulsed by Marccllus, a 
 Roman General, who succeeded Agricola. A predatoi-y war- 
 fare was kept up with alternate success, until Rome sent an 
 immense army who reconquered the Scots at a cost of fifty- 
 thousand men. The Emperor, who in this invasion commanded 
 in person, had not more than left the island when the Scots 
 became disgusted and incensed against his son, who had been 
 left as regent, and took up arms ; but a treaty of peace was 
 soon after entered into, under Donald I., who is regarded as 
 the first Christian King of the Scots. He died A.D. 216. 
 From the reign of Donald I. to Eugene I., a period of one 
 hundred and thirty years, no interesting events are handed 
 down to us in an authentic way. In the reign of Eugene 1., tiie 
 Romans and Picts united against the Scots, and the latter were 
 defeated in a battle in Gallaway county ; but Maxinms, the 
 Roman General, being called away to quell some disturbances 
 in the South, the Scots defeated the Picts. The following year, 
 Maximus marched again against the Scots, and defeated them. 
 
196 HISTOKY OP FBEEMASONUY. 
 
 The King and many of his nobles fell in battle, and the Scots 
 were driven out of the country. Some took refuge in Scandi- 
 navia ; but most of them went to Ireland, from whence they made 
 frequent flying attacks on their enemy. The Picts were, for a 
 time, pleased with the part they had taken against the Scots ; 
 but when they found that the Romans required them to submit 
 to Roman laws, and look for no other than a Roman ruler, they 
 repented of their course, and invited the Scots to join them 
 against the Romans. In 421 the Picts, Goths, and Scots united 
 against their common enemy, and together with other northern 
 tribes, compelled the Romans to withdraw their forces, which 
 left the Britons at the mercy of all the barbarians ; and being 
 harassed and hunted down on all sides, they dispatched to 
 Rome that celebrated petition, called the " Groans of the 
 Britons." But this failed to bring relief, and they called in 
 the aid of the Saxons, which, through a series of events, finally 
 led to the overthrow of all Britain's foes, and the permanent 
 establishment of the British government. Three hundred years 
 now pass without affording anything of interest in Scottish 
 history, except what is embraced in the history of England. 
 In 787, the Kings of France and the Scots entered into a treaty 
 which was observed down to the union of the crowns of Eng- 
 land and Scotland. After this treaty, the King of the Scote, 
 Dugall, claimed the right also to the Pictish crown, which 
 being disputed, a resort to arms was the result. King Alpiu, 
 who succeeded Dugald, was defeated, taken prisoner and be- 
 lieaded. Kenneth tl., son of Alpin, succeeded to the throne, 
 and seeking revenge for the death oft his father, collected his 
 forces, gave battle, and so signally defeated his enemy, that he 
 got possession of all Scotland ; and may, therefore, be justly 
 regarded as the founder of the Scottish Monarchy. He remov- 
 ed the seat of his government from Argyleshire to Scone, by 
 transferring tne celebrated black stone, held so sacred by the 
 Scots. This stone was afterward taken to Westminster, Eng- 
 land. After Kenneth's death, his brother, Donald, reigned ; 
 when the Picts called on the Saxons to join them against the 
 Scots promising that all the benefits arising from the war 
 should inure to the Saxons. By this confederation the Scots 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRY. 1VI7 
 
 were defeated, and the Saxons gained possession of all the 
 country South of the Forth and Clyde — the Forth being con- 
 sidered the boundary line. The Picts, as in the case of the 
 Romans, received the most cruel treatment from their allies. 
 Most of them fled to Norway. Donald, having been dethroned, 
 put an end to his own life, and was succeeded by his nephew, 
 Constantino, son of Kenneth MacAlpin. 
 
 It was during this reign that the Danes, who had long been 
 the enemies of the Britons, first invaded Scotland. They were 
 at first victorious ; but afterward defeated, and driven out of 
 the country. In this war Constantino was taken prisoner and 
 beheaded by the Danes, A.D. 874. For the next hundred years 
 Eth, Gregory, Donald III., Constantino III., Malcolm, ludulfus, 
 and Cullen, severally reigned. They were perpetually at war 
 with one tribe or another — sometimes with the Picts, some- 
 times with the Danes, Irish, and British. 
 
 Kenneth III., who succeeded Cullen, A.D. 970, was a strong 
 friend to the poor. He caused them to be relieved from the 
 unreasonable exactions of the nobility. During this reign the 
 Danes again invaded Scotland. Kenneth gave them battle. 
 His army were being defeated, and were flying, when they were 
 stopped by a yeoman named Hay, who induced them to turn 
 and renew the fight, which soon resulted in the defeat of the 
 Danes. Kenneth was murdered, A.D. 594, at the instance of 
 a lady whose son he had caused to be put to death. The 
 throne was then usurped by one Constantino, who reigned 
 eighteen months, and was succeeded* by Grime, who was kiHed 
 by Malcolm, son of Kenneth, who was the true heir to tlie 
 throne. Malcolm II. reigned about thirty years. He was en- 
 gaged in war most of the period, and it is said he was tlic first 
 to compile the laws of Scotland in a book, called the Regium 
 Majestatum. He partitioned the land into baronies, and 
 founded the bishopric of Aberdeen, in honor of his defeat of 
 the Norwegians at that place. He was a lover of the arts and 
 sciences ; encouraged architecture by fortifying his castles and 
 towns, and at last, at the advanced age of eighty years, fell by 
 the hand of an assassin, A.D. 1034. He was succeeded hy his 
 grandson, Duncan I, 
 
188 HISTOKT OF FUEEMASONKY. 
 
 Another grandson, the celebrated Macbeth, whose charactei 
 Shakespeare has so graphically portrayed, signalized himself 
 against the Danes ; and becoming ambitious, murdered Duncan 
 and usurped the throne, to the exclusion of the rightful Jieir, 
 Malcolm, son of Duncan. Macbeth commenced removing all 
 who seemed to be at all in his way ; he caused one of the most 
 powerful Thanes to be murdered, and sought the life of his son, 
 who only escaped by flying to Wales. Macbetli plotted against 
 the life of Macduff, the Thane of Fife, who fled to England ; 
 whereupon, Macbeth murdered his wife and children, and con- 
 fiscated his estate. Macduff took an oath to have revenge. 
 To this end, he encouraged Malcolm to set up his rightful 
 claim t6 the crown, and by their united forces, Macbetli was 
 defeated in battle, and fled to the most secure retreats in the 
 highlands, where he successfully defended himself against all 
 enemies for two years ; but his day of retribution came at last. 
 Macduff finally met him in personal conflict, and slew him, 1057. 
 
 Malcolm III. being now seated on the throne, was, like his 
 predecessors, engaged in almost incessant warfare. He espoused 
 the cause of the Saxons against William of Norway, who, on 
 conquering England, subjected Malcolm to many humiliating 
 terms. On the death of William the Conqueror, Malcolm again 
 espoused the cause of Edgar Atheling ; but William II., sur- 
 naraed Rufus, ascended the throne of England, and Malcolm 
 and his son fell in battle, at Alnwick, A.D. 1093. 
 
 The throne of Scotland was then usurped, first by Donald 
 Bane, and then by Donald ; but by the influence of Henry I. of 
 England, Edgar, the rightful heir, was placed on the throne. 
 He died A.D. 1107, and was succeeded by his brother Alexander. 
 This prince assisted the English in a war against the Welch, 
 and died A.D. 1124. David, his younger brother, succeeded him. 
 Owing to the great piety of this king, and his liberality to the 
 church and clergy, lie was called St. David. He was engaged 
 in war by espousing the cause of Maud against Stephen, the 
 rival aspirants to the English throne. He died A.D. 1153. 
 
 Malcolm IV. succeeded him — a prince of a feeble mind. He 
 died in 1165, and left the crown to his brother William, whc 
 waged war against England, was defeated and taken prisorer. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 199 
 
 [n order to gain his freedom he entered into an engagement 
 with Henry to become liis vassal, and do homage for his whole 
 kingdom, with which terms he complied until Coeur de Lion, 
 who succeeded Henry, declared Scotland an independent king- 
 dom. William died 1224. TliisKing built a palace at Aber- 
 deen, and rebuilt the town of Perth, after it had been destroyed 
 by fire. Doctor Anderson tells us that this King was an excel- 
 lent Grand Master, but by what authority does not appear. 
 
 Alexander II. succeeded his father and died A.D. 1249. His 
 son, Alexander, a child eight years old, was crowned Alexander 
 III. He was betrothed to the Princess Margaret of England, 
 and married her 1251. This prince had a fierce contest with the 
 Pope, who sought to destroy the freedom of the Scottish Church. 
 He was engaged in a bloody war with the Norwegians. He 
 was thrown from his horse and killed, A.D. 1286. 
 
 Here commences a series of events highly interesting in 
 Scotland's history. Alexander, at his death, left no children. 
 His daughter Margaret had married Eric, King of Norway, 
 and died before her father, leaving a daughter, Margaret, known 
 in history as the " Maiden of Norway ;" she was the undoubted 
 heiress to the crown.' Edward, King of England, was schem- 
 ing for the purpose of uniting Scotland to his dominions, and 
 with that view agreed to marry his eldest son, Edward, to the 
 Queen,but she died before reaching Scotland ; thus was Scot- 
 land left without an heir to the throne except through the de- 
 scendants of the Earl of Huntingdon, son of David I. Among 
 these were Robert Bruce and John Baliol. Bruce was the son 
 of Isabel, Earl David's second daughter. Baliol was the grand- 
 son of Margaret, the eldest daughter. Each of these aspirants 
 were supported by large factions, and, to prevent an appeal to 
 arms, they mutually agreed to refer their claims to Edward, 
 King of England, and abide his decision. Edward meanly 
 sought, and nearly succeeded, in destroying the independence 
 of Scotland. He first obtained an oath from the contending 
 parties, and nearly all the nobles, to regard Scotland as a fief 
 of the English crown, and then gave the crown to Baliol, as 
 the least formidable person. Edward soon forced Baliol to 
 resign the crown that he might seize it under a pretext that his 
 
200 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 subjects in Scotland had rebelled. Sir William Wallace now 
 appeared upon the stage of action, and byhis achievements in 
 arms acquired the fame of a great patriot and hero. His 
 history and unexampled exploits are too well known to require 
 a further notice here. He at length fell into Edward's hands, 
 was tried and condemned as a traitor, and suffered an ignominious 
 death. Robert Bruce, the grandson of Baliol, next came for- 
 ward to vindicate the honor of his country. The nobles 
 crowded to his standard, and, by the many hard fought battles 
 with their English oppressors, Scotland's well earned fame has 
 been securely recorded in the world's history ; and the names 
 of her heroes are being sung in every land. 
 
 We have thus far given a skeleton of Scotland's history, not 
 because it has directly any necessary connection with the 
 history of Masonry, but that our readers may see the reason of 
 so much uncertainty in dating its introduction and continuatior 
 in that kingdom. No one can reasonably axpect any connected 
 and authentic account of a benevolent institution from a people 
 who were perpetually engaged in warfare. But that Masom-y 
 was early introduced into Scotland we do not doubt ; and we 
 now proceed to give the most reliable testimony within our 
 reach. We make the following extract from the Edinburgh 
 Encyclopedia, as the most concise and impartial view of the 
 subject we have any where met with ; and though it appears 
 the writer was not a Mason, we do not question but that his 
 information was derived from the old records of the Society, 
 and, therefore, give full credit to the statements as follows: 
 " The earliest appearance of Freemasonry in modern times was 
 under the form of a traveling Assopiation of Italian, Greek, 
 German, and French artists, who were denominated Free^ 
 masons, and went about erecting churches and cathedrals. The 
 members lived in a camp of huts.* They were under a surveyor 
 who directed the establishment, and every tenth man was called 
 a Warden, and overlooked those under his charge. By means 
 of this traveling Association the mysteries of Masonry seem to 
 
 • Solomon's builders bo traveled and lived, and it is believed that their ueb or 
 log hutp gave rise to the term Lodge, \ 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 201 
 
 have been introduced into Kilwinning, in Scotland, and York, 
 in England, at a very early day." 
 
 About the same views hero expressed are entertained by 
 Wren in his Parentalia ; but we are still left to conjecture the 
 precise time of its introduction into Scotland. That it existed 
 there during the Roman invasions, we believe ; but, aside from 
 the romance of some side degrees called Masonic, we know but 
 little of it until the twelfth century. We have a very accurate 
 account of Masonry in Scotland from the union of the crowns, 
 and many of these accounts show that the brethren of that 
 period liad both written and traditional accounts of its exist- 
 ence there long anterior to the twelfth century. Under the 
 reign of James I., Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of Andrews, was 
 Grand Master until the young King was ransomed and crowned, 
 A.D. 1424. This King proved to be a wise and prudent ruler. 
 He was a friend and encourager of the arts and sciences, and 
 finally acted as Grand Master. This fact, which is authenti- 
 cated by the traditions of Scottish Masons, goes far to prove 
 that Masonry not only existed in Scotland at that day, but that 
 it was so well organized as to leave no doubt of its previous 
 existence. 
 
 King James instituted a law requiring each Master Mason 
 to pay four pounds Scots annually to a Grand Master, to be 
 chosen by the Grand Lodge and approved by the crown. He 
 also ordained that every candidate at initiation should pay a 
 fee to the Grand Master. The Grand Master had not only the 
 superintendence of the Craft, but to him was given the power 
 to regulate and determine all matters of controversy, and settle 
 claims arising between the members, thereby preventing law 
 'suits among Masons. In the absence of the Grand Master, 
 appeals were authorized to be made to the nearest Warden. 
 This wholesome regulation remained in full force until the civil 
 wars of 1640. King James turned his attention to architecture, 
 repaired and fortified all his castles and seaports, which greatly 
 influenced the nobility to follow his example in giving employ- 
 ment to the Craft. This King reigned thirteen years, much 
 beloved by all his subjects, and especially by the Masons. He 
 was basely murdered by his uncle, Walter Stewart, Earl of 
 
202 HISTORY OP FKEEM4S0NUT. 
 
 Athrall, A.D. 1437. His son, James 11., succeeded to the 
 throne, but, being only seven years old, reigned under the 
 regency of Lord Callender. William Sinclair was Grand 
 Master in this reign, and built Roslin Chapel, near Edinburgh, 
 which was regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. 
 Bishop TurnbuU, of Glasgow, was chosen Grand Master in 
 1450 ; and four years after founded the University of Edin- 
 burgh. The King encouraged and gave employment to the 
 Craft. He died A.D. 1460, leaving his son, James IH., to ascend 
 the throne at seven years old. This King early acquired a love 
 of architecture, and employed tlie Craft in the finest work. He 
 erected a spacious liall at Stirling ; and, under the direction of 
 Robert Cochran, then Grand Master, built the Chapel Royal in 
 the Castle. Soon after Lord Forbes was Grand Master, and 
 held the office until the King's death, A.D. 1488. 
 
 James IV., aged sixteen years, succeeded his father, Bishop 
 Aberdeen, now Grand Master. The King employed him to 
 build the University of Aberdeen, A.D. 1494. Elphinston was 
 the next Grand Master and founded at his own cost the bridge 
 at Dee, which was finished by his successor. Bishop Gavin 
 Dunbar. Tlie King turned his attention to ship building and 
 greatly increased his navy. He died in battle on Flodden 
 Field, A.D. 1513. From the issue of this King proceeded the 
 right to the British throne after the death of Elizabeth. His 
 wife was Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VII., of 
 England, by whom he had James V-, a minor of seventeen 
 months. This King, when of age, encouraged the cultivation 
 of the sciences and held in high estimation all learned men. 
 During this reign, Gavin Douglass, Bishop of Dunkel, was 
 Grand Master, and after him, George Crighton, Abbot of 
 Holy Rood House, Patrick, Earl of Lindsay, and Sir David 
 Lindsay, were, in turn. Grand Masters. The King died, A.D. 
 1542. By his wife, Mary, daughter of Claud of Lorain, Duke 
 of Guise, he left Mary Stuart, Queen Sovereign of Scotland, 
 only seven days old. She became Queen consort of France, 
 and after the death of her husband. King Francis IL, she 
 returned to Scotland A.D. 1561, and brought with, her some 
 fine architects. She married a second time, Henry Stewart, 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 203 
 
 Lord Darnley, A.D. 1565. The Queen was doubtless fond of 
 admiration, and so far indulged in a ffratitication of this pro- 
 pensity as to lead to the mostunhappy consequences. Darnley, 
 it would seem never shared largely in her affections, for she 
 very soon showed a decided preference for an Italian musician, 
 who, through jealousy, Darnley murdered. Soon after she con- 
 tracted an intimacy with Both well, a man of loose morals ; and 
 most historians tell us that the general impression prevailed at 
 the time, not only in Scotland, but throughout li]uropo, that she 
 and Bothwell caused the house in wliich Darnley was sick to 
 he blown up, thereby causing his death ; and in confirmation 
 of this opinion, she married Bothwell so soon after the death 
 of her husband as to Oxcite the indignation of her subjects, 
 upon which her nobles forced her to resign in favor of her 
 infant son James VI. Pending the investigation of the charges 
 brought against her of participation in the murder of Darnley, 
 she managed to escape, raised an army, and gave battle to hd* 
 opponents, was defeated, fled for protection to her cousin 
 iSlizabeth, who confined her in prison for many years, and then 
 caused her to be beheaded, as already mentioned. When James 
 VI. succeeded to the throne of England as James I., he 
 omitted to appoint, as was his right, a Grand Master fot 
 Scotland, but the Scottish Masons (in Grand Lodge we suppose) 
 granted two Charters to the Saint Clairs of Roslin. These 
 old Charters are said to be still in existence in Hays' collection 
 of MSS. in the Advocate Library. King James was a warm 
 supporter of the Protestant religion, and as had been done in 
 England, the property of the Catholic churches was divided 
 between the nobility and gentry, and they built many stately 
 edifices from the ruins, which gave active employment to the 
 Masons. At this period the Augustan style of architecture 
 was cultivated in Scotland. The King was made a Mason by 
 Lord Patesley, who was Grand Master before the union of the 
 crowns. 
 
 Previous to this period, the King, the nobility, and chiefs of 
 clans lived in fortified castles. The clergy also erected mon- 
 astries and churches which would favorably compare with any 
 Gothic buildings in Europe. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 We have already intimated that with Queen Elizabeth the 
 royal family of Tudors lost all claim to the crown of England. 
 Soon after Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded, a question 
 arose as to whom Elizabeth's successor would be. The Infanta 
 of Spain had a party ready to urge her claims, as had Arabella 
 Stuart, but the nobility, with but few exceptions, turned their 
 eye to King James VI., of Scotland. Nor is it remarkable 
 that the far-seeing Britons should quietly acquiesce in the reign 
 of the Stuarts, when we remember that it had long been a 
 favorite project with the Kings and Parliaments of England, to 
 bring Wales, Scotland, and Ireland under the government of 
 England ; and thus far having failed to consummate their 
 wishes by means of the sword, recourse was had to diplomatic 
 policy. 
 
 While we do not question the right which James derived by 
 royal descent, we very much doubt whether the English would 
 have submitted quietly to be governed by a Scotchman, had it 
 not been for the grasping propensity of the Saxon race to extend 
 their dominion. James had not been idle ; on the contrary, he 
 instructed his ambassador at the English Court, Edward Bruce, 
 to use all his efforts to obtain from the Queen, a promise to 
 name him as her successor. This, however, at the time, she 
 declined doing ; when Bruce was instructed to sound the 
 nobility, which he did, with so much effect as to gain the 
 promise of nearly all the prominent men that James should have 
 their preference against all pretenders, which may have had 
 Bome effect upon the mind of the Queen, as she did, shortly 
 before her death, and when she was most probably deranged, 
 name her cousin as her successor. His claims being thus set- 
 tled, immediately on the death of the Queen, 1604, the lords of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 205 
 
 the council declared James King of England and Scotland, and 
 Sir Charles Perry and Thomas Somerset, were dispatched to 
 bear the tidings to him, having a letter of congratulation, etc., 
 signed by all the peers and privy councilmen then in London, 
 ■which had the effect to suppress all further efforts in behalf of 
 the Infanta, Arabella Stuart, and the Earl of Hertford. Thus 
 did James I. commence his reign, without serious opposition. 
 Here we date the beginning of Scotland's downfall. That noble 
 love of independence and martial spirit, which so eminently 
 characterized that people, was swallowed up in a spirit of 
 rejoicing at having the opportunity of furnishing their ancient 
 enemies with a king ; and along with this, the opinion prevailed, 
 that the effect would be to enlarge the commerce and greatly 
 increase the prosperity of Scotland ; but, instead of reaping 
 the advantages expected, a depression succeeded, and Scotland 
 was soon regarded as only an appendage of England. We 
 will, however, better instruct our readers, by mating the 
 following extract from Dr. Robertson, the able historian. He 
 says : " The Scots, dazzled with the glory of giving a sovereign 
 to their powerful enemy, relying on the partiality of their 
 native prince, and in full expectation of sharing in the wealth 
 and honors which he would now be able to bestow, attended 
 little to the most obvious consequences of that great event, and 
 rejoiced at his accession to the throne of England, as if it had 
 been no less beneficial to the kingdom than honorable to the 
 King." 
 
 By his accession, James acquired such an immense increase 
 of wealth, power, and splendor, that the nobles, astonished and 
 intimidated, thought it vain to struggle for privileges which 
 they were now unable to defend. Nor was it from fear alone 
 they submitted to the yoke ; James, partial to his countrymen, 
 and willing that they should partake in his good fortune, loaded 
 them with riches and honors ; and the hope of his favor, con- 
 curred with the dread of his power in taming thuir fierce and 
 independent spirits. The will of the Prince became the supreme 
 law in Scotland, and the nobles strove with emulation who 
 should most implicitly obey commands which they had formerly 
 been accustomed to contemn. The extensive rights, vested in 
 
206 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 a feudal cbief, became, in their hands, dreadful instruments, and 
 the.military ideas on which these rights were founded, being 
 gradually lost or disregarded, nothing remained to correct or 
 mitigate the rigor with which they were exercised ; for the 
 King, satisfied with having subjected the nobles to the crown, 
 left them in full possession of their ancient jurisdiction over 
 their own vassals. The nobles, exhausting their fortunes by the 
 expense of frequent attendance upon the English court, an4 by 
 attempts to imitate the manners and luxury of their more 
 wealthy neighbors, multiplied exactions upon the people, who 
 durst hardly utter complaints which they knew would never 
 reach the ear of their sovereign, nor move him to grant them 
 redress. " From the union of the crowns, to the revolution of 
 1688, Scotland was placed in a political situation, of all others 
 the most singular and unhappy ; subjected at once to the abso- 
 lute will of a monarch, and to the oppressive jurisdiction of an 
 aristocracy, it suffered all the miseries peculiar to both these 
 forms of government. Its kings were despotic, its nobles were 
 slaves and tyrants, and the people governed under the rigorous 
 domination of both." 
 
 We have said that James omitted to appoint a Grand Master 
 in Scotland, which may have been owing to the fact tiiat, by 
 his elevation to the throne of England, he became, by preroga- 
 tive, Grand blaster of England, and therefore left to the Grand 
 Lodge of Scotland to choose a Grand Master ; for we find him 
 yielding the same right to the Grand Lodge of England, and 
 approved of their choice of Inigo Jones. The King ordered 
 him to draw a. plan of a palace at Whitehall, whereupon the 
 old banqueting house was pulled down, and the King, with 
 Grand Master Jones, his Warden, William Herbert, Earl of 
 Pembroke, and Nicholas Stone (Master Mason to His Majesty), 
 together with many of the Fraternity, proceeded in ample form 
 to lay the corner-stone of a new banqueting house. The 
 ceremony of laying the corner-stone was the same then that it is 
 now, except that it was then customary to hear the sound of 
 trumpets and the huzzas of the spectators when the Grand 
 Master used his gavel upon the stone. It was also customary 
 to find on the stone a large purse of gold, either presented 
 
HISTORY OP FRBEMASONRV. ) 207 
 
 by the King, or contributed by the people, for the benefit ol 
 the Masons. Now, we are not disposed to quarrel with oui 
 brethren of the present day for dispensing with much of the 
 noise and parade formerly used, but we much regret that the 
 good old custom of taking up a collection on such occasions for 
 the benefit of infirm brothers, or the widows and orphans, has 
 been done away with. Almost all other benevolent societies 
 appeal frequently to those who are not members to contribute 
 to their associations, and we can see no good reason why 
 Masons should not do the same. 
 
 While we may not so far violate the venerated custom of our 
 Order as to furnish any statistics of benefits bestowed or relief 
 afforded, nor publish to the world the manner or the amount 
 of alms annually given, we do feel at liberty to say that the 
 Masons expend more in benevolence, in proportion to their 
 numbers, than any other society in the world ; and the only 
 reason why this fact is not generally known is, that the rules 
 of our Order require us to act, in this particular, under the 
 instructions of the Bible — giving all alms in secret. But to 
 return. 
 
 The new banqueting hall was supposed to be the finest speci- 
 men of pure architecture in the world ; since the days of 
 Augustus. The room set apart as the banqueting hall was 
 thouglit to be the largest in the world. 
 
 In a manuscript of Nicholas Stone, which was burned in 
 1720, it is said that " the best Craftsmen from all parts resorted 
 to Grand Master Jones, who always allowed good wages, and 
 seasonable times for instructions in the Lodges, which he con- 
 stituted with excellent By-Laws, and made them like the schools 
 and academies of the designers of Italy. He also held the 
 quarterly communications of the Grand Lodge of Masters and 
 Wardens, and the annual general assembly and feast on St. 
 John's day, when he was annually rechosen until A.D. 1618, 
 in which year William, Earl of Pembroke, was chosen Grand 
 Master, and being approved by the King, he appointed Inigo 
 Jones his Deputy Grand Master." 
 
 Historians tell us that Masonry flourislicd in this reign, Tho 
 King, being a Mason, was qualified to judge of the great merit 
 
208 HISTOH-i OF FEEEMASONBV. 
 
 of patronizing the Society, and he did do all he could, under 
 the circumstances, but his extravagant manner of living, and 
 the mean and niggardly supplies voted him by Parliament, 
 prevented him from carrying on any extensive improvements. 
 Indeed, such was the jealousy of the English Parliament to 
 anything Scottish, they even withheld a decent supply for feai 
 the King would lavish a portion of it upon some of his brothei 
 Scotchmen. 
 
 TheKingdied A.D. 1625, and was succeeded by his son, Charles 
 I., aged twenty-five years, who had been previously made a 
 Mason, and waiving his right to Solomon's chair, the Earl of 
 Pembroke continued to fill that ofiice until he resigned in 1630. 
 
 The King was well skilled in the arts, and a lover arid 
 encourager of the sciences. He encouraged foreign painters, 
 sculptors, and statuaries ; but, justly regarding Inigo Jones the 
 ablest and best architect in the world, he permitted no foreign 
 er to furnish a design for any public building. 
 
 Upon the resignation of the Earl of Pembroke, the Grand 
 Lodge made choice of Henry Danvers, Earl of Danby, which 
 selection was approved by the King. This Grand Master made 
 Inigo Jones his deputy, who drew the plans of all public build- 
 ings. In A.D. 1633, Thomas Howard was chosen Grand 
 Master, and was succeeded in A.D. 1635, by Francis Russell, 
 Earl of Bedford, who soon after resigned, and Inigo Jones was 
 again chosen to fill Solomon's chair. During the government 
 of this distinguished architect and able Grand Master, civil 
 war broke out which almost set at naught all statutory laws, 
 and introduced a destructive anarchy. The Puritans had, 
 within a few years, become so numerous as to furnish Parlia 
 ment with scores of fanatics, and, as is generally the case, that 
 party which clamored loudest for tolerance, no sooner pos- 
 sessed the power than it became far more intollerant than 
 the parly it opposed. The Roundheads, or Puritans, so far 
 succeeded as to get the control of all the measures of state 
 policy. About this time the Roman Catholics of Ireland rose 
 en masse, and massacred forty thousand Protestants without 
 regard to sex or age. This inhuman and fiendish butchery, 
 perpetrated in the name of the holy religion, caused the Kiug; 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 209 
 
 who was a warm churchman, to convene the Parliament, and again 
 ask for supplies ; but the Puritans, being in the majority, and 
 feeling almost as much hatred for churchmen as Catholics, 
 refused to furnish the money necessary to preserve peace in the 
 kingdom, and even insinuated that the King was at the bot- 
 tom of the massacre. Charles pursued a vacillating course 
 toward his enemies, sometimes threatening the severest and 
 most summary punishment, and next conceding all that was 
 isked, until, emboldened by this advantage. Parliament threw 
 off all disguise, and raised an army for the avowed purpose of 
 protecting the liberties of the people, but in reality with no 
 other design than to establish their fanaticisms and jargon, as 
 the religion of the kingdom. In repeated battles, the Koyalists 
 and Roundheads were alternately victorious, until the gam- 
 bling brewer, Oliver Cromwell, made his appearance, and became 
 the great leader of the rebellion. This illiterate street brawler 
 soon acquired more unlimited power than had been exercised 
 by any king of England for centuries before ; nor did he fail 
 to exercise that power in such manner as tended most certainly 
 to his own elevation. 
 
 Cromwell was not only brave and daring, but if nature ever 
 designed men to lead armies to bloodshed and slaughter, Crom- 
 well and Napoleon were of the number. The immortal 
 Washington was not better fitted to lead a little band of 
 patriots in defense of their liberties than was Cromwell to 
 direct the wild enthusiasm of a bigoted, besotted, and ignorant 
 multitude. Who, for example, but Cromwell could have sent 
 five hundred men under the command of a journeyman tailor, 
 remarkable only for his ignorance and brutality, to take the 
 person of theKing from his palace, and convey him as a pris- 
 oner to the camp, and thus lay the foundation of his overthrow 
 and death. After retaining the King as long as he thought 
 good policy required, Cromwell instituted a mock tribunal, and 
 giving him a mock trial, had him condemned and beheaded, . 
 A.D. 1649. 
 
 In no country has Masonry flourished while that country was 
 cursed with civil commotions. The genius and spirit of the 
 Institution, covet the shades of retirement and the gentle smiles 
 
210 HISTORY Of FREEMASONRY. 
 
 of peace and quietness ; love — the strong bond of union — can 
 not bloom in its wonted freshness and rigor while civil wars 
 are turning neighbor against neighbor, and father against son ; 
 but now, as ever, though its light burned but dimly, still did it 
 continue to burn. Its altars were much neglected, but not 
 forsaken. Masons occasionally held their meetings and prac- 
 ticed their sacred rites. Partly to prove this fact, and partly 
 to indulge our fondness for the preservation of old documents, 
 we here insert an extract from the manuscripts of Elias 
 Ashmole. He says : " I was made a Freemason at Warrington, 
 Lancashire, with Colonel Henry Mainwaring, of Kenthingham, 
 in Cheshire, by Mr. Eichard Penkle, the Warden, and the 
 Fellow Crafts (whose names he gives), on the 16th of October, 
 A.D. 1646." 
 
 From the best light we have, this was about five years before 
 the death of Inigo Jones, though Preston says he died in this 
 year ; but as Hume, Anderson, and others agree in stating this 
 event as happening in A.D. 1651, we infer that Preston is 
 mistaken. Indeed, we are tempted to believe that Preston's 
 statement of the time is an error in print, for we can not 
 believe that historians should differ about the time of the 
 decease of the most distinguished architect the world probably 
 ever produced. He it was, that introduced the Augustan style 
 of architecture into England, and, if we may believe some of 
 the most judicious and unprejudiced writers, there are speci- 
 mens of his skill still to be seen, that amply prove the merit of 
 his great fame. 
 
 On the restoration of Charles II., in 1660, who had suffered 
 much in exile, and knew the value of Masonry, he now embrac- 
 ed the earliest opportunity to restore the ancient Order to its 
 wonted prosperity. On the 27th of December, 1663, a general 
 assembly of Masons was held under the following authority of 
 the King : " Whereas, amongst our regal hereditary titles (to 
 which, by Divine Providence, and the loyalty of our good sub- 
 jects we are now happily restored), notliing appears to us more 
 august, or more suitable to our pious disposition, than that of 
 Father of our Country, a name of indulgence as well as 
 dominion, wherein we would imitate the benignity of Heavcii 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 211 
 
 which, in the same shower, yields thunder and violets, and no 
 sooner shakes the cedars, but, dissolving the clouds, drops 
 fatness. We, therefore, out of a paternal care of our people, 
 resolve, together with those laws which tend to the well ad- 
 ministration of government, and the people's allegiance to us, 
 inseparably to join the supreme law of salus populi, that obe- 
 dience may be manifestly, not only to the public, but private 
 felicity of every subject, and the great concern of his satis- 
 factions and enjoyments in this life. The way to so happy a 
 government, we are sensible, is in no manner more facilitated 
 than by the promoting of the useful arts and sciences, which, 
 upon mature inspection, are found to be the basis of civil com- 
 munities and free governments, and which gather multitudes 
 by an orphean charm, into cities, and connect them in com- 
 panies ; that so, by laying in a stock, as it were, of several 
 arts and methods of industry, the whole body may be supplied 
 by a mutual convenience of each other's peculiar faculties, and, 
 consequently, that the various miseries and toils of this frail 
 life may, by as many various expedients ready at hand, be 
 remedied or alleviated, and wealth and plenty dififused in just 
 proportion to one's industry ; that is, to every one's deserts. 
 And there is no question, but the same policy that founds a 
 city, doth nourish and increase it ; since these mentioned 
 allurements to a desire of cohabitation do not only occasion 
 populosity of a country, but render it more potent and wealthy 
 than a more populous, but more barbarous nation ; it being 
 the same thing to add more hands, or by the assistance of art 
 to facilitate labor and bring it within the power of the few. 
 
 " Wherefore, our reason has suggested to us, and our own 
 experience in our travels in foreign kingdoms and states, hath 
 abundantly confirmed that we prosecute eifcctually tlie ad- 
 vancement of natural experimental philosophy, e?peciall^ those 
 parts of it which concern the increase of commerce, by the 
 addition of useful inventions tending to the ease, profit, or 
 health of our subjects ; which will best be accomplished by a 
 company of ingenious and learned persons, well qualified for 
 this sort of knowledge, to make it their principal care and 
 study, and to be constituted a regular Society for this purpose, 
 
212 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 endowed with all proper privileges and immunities. Not that 
 herein we would withdraw the least ray of our influence from 
 the present established nurseries of good literature and edu- 
 cation, founded by the piety of our royal ancestors and others, 
 to be perpetual fountains of religion and laws — that religion 
 and those laws, which, as we are obliged to defend, so the holy 
 blood of our martyred father hath inseparably endeared to us ; 
 but that we purpose to make further provision for this branch 
 of knowledge, likewise, natural experimental philosophy — 
 which comprehends all that is required towards those inten- 
 tions we have recited ; taking care in the first place for 
 religion, so next for the riches and ornament of our kingdoms : 
 as we wear an imperial crown in which flowers are alternately 
 intermixed with the ensigns of Christianity. 
 
 " And whereas, we are well informed that a competent 
 number of persons of eminent learning, ingenuity, and honor, 
 concording in their inclinations and studies towards this 
 employment, have for some time accustomed themselves to meet 
 weekly, and orderly to confer about the hidden causes of 
 things, with a design to establish certain, and correct un- 
 certain, theories in philosophy ; and by their labors in the 
 disquisition of nature to approve themselves real benefactors 
 of mankind : and that they have already made considerable 
 progress by divers useful and remarkable discoveries, inven- 
 tions, and experiments in the improvement of mathematics, 
 mechanics, astronomy, navigation, physic, and chemistry — wo 
 liave determined to grant our royal favor, patronage, and all 
 due encouragement to this illustrious assembly, and so bene- 
 ficial and laudable an enterprise." 
 
 How many of our readers will be able to discover in this 
 singularly worded document, a warrant authorizing the Ma- 
 sons to hold an assembly, we can not divine ; for wc confess, if 
 we had found it disconnected with the subject of Masonry, we 
 never should have suspected its connection with the Society. 
 But we find it recorded by Dr. Anderson, who says it was 
 drawn by Dr. Christopher Wren, father of the celebrated* Sir 
 Christopher Wren. Of one thing we feel satisfied, that if this 
 charter is to be regarded as a fair specimen of the legal insti'u- 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 213 
 
 ments of that day, men must have possessed a much keener 
 penetration then than now ; for it is to be presumed that no 
 document of the kind would emanate from the King which did 
 not admit of being understood by others than the writer. 
 
 At the assembly held under and by the authority of this, 
 charter, Henry Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans, was chosen Grand 
 Master, who appointed Sir John Denham Surveyor General of 
 the Royal Marks. Mr. Christopher Wren and Mr. John Webb 
 were appointed Grand Wardens. On December 27, 1663, this 
 Grand Master held a general assembly and feast, when the 
 following regulations were adopted : 
 
 " 1. That no person of what degree soever be made or 
 accepted a Freemason, unless in a regular Lodge, whereof one 
 to be a Mason or Warden in that limit or division where such 
 Lodge is kept, and another to be a Craftsman in the trade of 
 Freemasonry. 
 
 " 2. That no person hereafter shall be accepted a Freemason 
 but such as are of able body, honest parentage, good reputation, 
 and an observer of the laws of the land. 
 
 " 3. That no person hereafter who shall be accepted a Free- 
 mason shall be admitted into a Lodge or assembly until he has 
 brought a certificate of the time and place of his acceptation 
 from the Lodge that accepted him unto the Master of that 
 limit or division where such Lodge is kept, and the said Master 
 shall enroll the same in a roll of parchment, to be kept for that 
 purpose, and shall give an account of all such acceptations at 
 every General Assembly. 
 
 " 4. That every person who is now a Freemason shall bring 
 to the Master a note of the time of his acceptation, to the end 
 that the same may be enrolled in such priority of place as the 
 brother deserves ; and that the whole Company and Fellows 
 may the better know each other. 
 
 " 5. For the future the said Fraternity of Freemasons shall be 
 regulated and governed by one Grand Master, and as many 
 Wardens as the said Society shall think fit to appoint at every 
 annual General Assembly. 
 
 " 6. That no person shall be accepted unless he be twenty-ono 
 years old, or more." 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 We now approach that memorable period in the history of 
 Freemasonry when it was about to assume a different position 
 in society. We have seen that in the original formation of the 
 Institution a beautiful and harmonious combination of operative 
 and speculative principles cemented the Fraternity into a 
 scientific, moral, and .mechanical community, alike useful to the 
 world and beneficial to themselves. In every age of the world 
 the great mass of mankind has been influenced and swayed by 
 the few, whether in religion, politics, or ethics. 
 
 From the days of Solomon to near the close of the seven- 
 teenth century, we have no reason to doubt that the wisest and 
 best men held in veneration the sciences of geometry and 
 architecture ; indeed, so universal was this sentiment, that by 
 common consent the standing of a nation or people was com- 
 mensurate with their skill in architecture ; and hence, it is not 
 strange that the sons of kings and nobles sought to become 
 operative workmen and scientific architects, and hence was the 
 science better understood then than now. So soon as the 
 learned and wealthy came to regard labor as discreditable, the 
 scientific laborer was reduced to a level with the most illiterate 
 hireling, and it was to be expected that a society having within 
 its body a large number of the higher classes of the community, 
 would so far yield to the influence of public opinion, as to 
 remodel the system in accordance with the views of its mem- 
 bers. Thus, while the rituals of the Order were retained, our 
 Institution ceased to require its initiates to become either 
 accomplished workmen, or even cultivate a knowledge of the 
 sciences. It is true, the lectures continued to recommend the 
 study of the arts and sciences, but Masonry ceased to be an 
 academy of learning ; and it was not long ere it was regarded 
 as altogether proper to initiate men who possessed nothing 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 215 
 
 better than a negative character for honesty, though they 
 knew not a hatchet from a hand-saw, and though they were 
 not expected to devote any time to mental culture. To pre- 
 serve Freemasonry from total ruin and disgrace, however, the 
 same moral lessons were preserved and kept in use ; and now, 
 while one-half of the noble tree has been suffered to wither 
 and die, the other half blooms in immortal green, and points 
 the beholder, through faith, to the immortality of the soul in 
 another and eternal world. Yes, though Masonry stands forth 
 shorn of one of its beautiful proportions, still does it present 
 the most sublime reality (the Christian religion alone excepted) 
 that the mind of man ever conceived of. The period we are 
 now about to review is, therefore, one of great interest, and it 
 becomes our duty to deal somewhat more in detail in relation 
 to those important events, as also of the individuals who dis- 
 tinguished themselves as prominent actors. The city of London 
 had been built mainly of wood, which, together with the narrow 
 and crooked streets, rendered it, not only unsightly, incon- 
 venient, and unhealthy, but very liable to be consumed by fire. 
 The city had long been a fruitful generator of contagious 
 diseases. The year 1665 was unusually one of scourge, from 
 the plague, and it continued its ravages up to that period 
 when the greatest of all fires occurred in London in 1666. This 
 fire burned over three hundred and seventy-three acres of ground, 
 consumed thirteen thousand houses, eighty-nine parish churches, 
 and a number of chapels. It also destroyed the Royal Ex- 
 change, Custom House, Guild Hall, Blackwell Hall, St. Paul's 
 Cathedral, and some fifty-odd halls belonging to companies 
 and societies. The direct loss is estimated at ten millions of 
 pounds sterling — nearly fifty millions of dollars ; in short, the 
 great city was left in almost total ruin. At this trying period 
 the King displayed in a wonderful degree his keen penetration 
 in the selection of competent men to devise plans, and lake 
 charge of the rebuilding of the city, in such a manner as would 
 render it more beautiful and less liable to a similar catastrophe. 
 The King appointed Sir Christopher "Wren Surveyor General. 
 and principal grand architect. At this period he was acting 
 as Deputy to the Grand Master ; but as he was long in the 
 
216 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 service of his country and the Fraternity, as Grand Master, 
 and became prominent for the skill and ability with wl ich he 
 presided over the Craft, and for his learning in architecture, 
 we feel called upon to transmit through our pages something 
 of his early history, and this will be read with the more 
 interest because he was the last Grand Master of Operative 
 Masonry. 
 
 Sir Christopher Wren, the only son of Dr. Christopher Wren. 
 Dean of Windsor, was born in 1632. If we may rely on his 
 biographers and the Fraternity of his day, the great genius and 
 love of science which were so fully developed in after life, were 
 to be seen in Sir Christopher Wren when he was but thirteen 
 years old, as at this age it is recorded that he invented a new 
 astronomical instrument — the Pan-Organum— and wrote trea- 
 tises on rivers, which attracted the notice and wonder of the 
 learned. He invented a new pneumatic engine, and a curious 
 instrument to solve this problem, viz. ; On a known plane, in a 
 known elevation, to describe such lines with the turning of run- 
 dies, to certain divisions, as by the shadow the style may show 
 the equal hours of the day. 
 
 At the early age of fourteen he was admitted into Windham 
 College, where he enjoyed the advantages of the learned instruc- 
 tions and warm friendship of Drs. Wilkens and Ward. He 
 assisted Dr. Scarborough in anatomical preparations and exper- 
 iments on the muscles of the human body, from which experiments, 
 it is said, originated the geometrical and mechanical speculations 
 in anatomy. He wrote an able paper on the variations of the 
 magnetic needle, by which to iind the velocity of a ship under 
 sail ; one on the improvement of galleys ; one on using artillery 
 on shipboard ; how to build on deep water ; how to build a 
 mole into the sea, without cisterns ; and one upon the improve- 
 ment of navigation by connecting rivers, which, in our opinion, 
 embraces the outlines of that system of constructing canals by 
 means of feeders, which is now so generally in use, and the 
 invention of which, we believe, is generally attributed to 
 DeWitt Clinton. We regard the life and achievements of Sir 
 Christopher Wren as displaying, in a striking point of view, 
 the great powers of the mind ; for when we remember that ha 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONKY. 217 
 
 was early employed in public and active business, and so contin-\ 
 ued to near the close of his long life, we can scarcely conceive of 
 an opportunity for liim to use liis pen otherwise than in connec- 
 tion with his daily vocations ; and yet, this remarkable man 
 wrote so much as to draw from Preston the following language : 
 " In short, the works of this excellent genius appear to be 
 rather the united efforts of a whole century, than the production 
 of a single man." It will be seen in the course of this history, 
 that Sir Christopher Wren devoted his time and preeminent ta- 
 lents both to Operative and Speculative Masonry. His services in 
 the former capacity are better known to the general reader, for the 
 reason tliat the great fire of 1666 called forth his talents as an 
 Operative Mason, and everything connected with the rebuilding 
 of London was carefully chronicled in history while his services 
 in Speculative Masonry are known only through the traditions 
 of our Order, nothing having then been published in relation 
 to the moral teachings and principles of Speculative Masonry. 
 
 It is not more singular than true, that while every one is 
 ready to ridicule or censure those who, in laying off towns, 
 make the streets so narrow as to be inconvenient, unsightly, and 
 unhealthy ; yet, when by means of fire, the same men are 
 afforded an opportunity of so widening them that most, if not 
 all, the inconveniences would be avoided in the rebuilding, there 
 are generally a sufficient number of contrary or meanly con- 
 tracted landholders to thwart the praiseworthy efforts of the 
 balance. This difficulty was clearly ^een in the burnt district 
 of St. Louis, Mo., after the great fire of May, 1849, 
 
 The plan drawn up by Sir Christopher Wren for the rebuild- 
 ing of London was a masterly effort, and presented the singular 
 [merit of so widening and straightening the streets as to have 
 made it one of the handsomest cities in the world, and do little 
 or no injury to any one of the landholders ; and yet, because some 
 of them by that plan would not have received the precise spot 
 of ground once occupied by them, they refused their assent, and 
 thus defeated the accomplishment of an object that would have 
 benefited the inhabitants for ages to come. But even this 
 obstacle did not paralyze the efforts of the great architect ; for 
 he 'SO remodeled his plan as to give satisfaction to all, and 
 
218 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 though all could not be accomplished that was desirable, he 
 rebuilt the city, greatly surpassing in beauty and convenieuce 
 the old one. 
 
 One of the first houses of magnitude rebuilt was the Custom 
 House for the port of London. This was erected in A.D. 1668, 
 built so as to contain both the Tuscan and Ionic orders of 
 architecture. The length of this building is one hundred and 
 eighty-nine feet ; the breadth varies from twenty-five to sixty 
 feet. In A.D. 1669 the Royal Exchange was opened, supposed 
 to be the finest in Europe. In this building was placed a statue 
 of each of the kings of England. The first house built exclu- 
 sively by the taste, and under the direction of Deputy Wren, 
 was the great Theatre at Oxford, which was erected by the 
 private means of Gilbert Shelden. This edifice was modeled, 
 in many respects, after the Theatre of Marcellus, at Rome, 
 and with a view to do justice to the great architect, we make 
 the following extract from Dr. Plat's notice of this building, 
 from which our readers may judge whether improvements are 
 still being made in the art of covering houses. The Doctor says : 
 
 " It was an excellent device, whoever first contrived it, of 
 making flat floors or roofs of short pieces of timber, continued 
 to a great breadth, without either arch or pillar to support 
 them, but sustained only by the side walls and their own tex- 
 ture ; for by this means many times the defect of long timber, 
 or the mistakes of workmen, are supplied or rectified, without 
 any prejudice to the building. Of this sort of work we have 
 an example in the schools in the floor of the uppermost room 
 of the Tower. There is also a diagram of such work in the 
 architecture of Sebastian Serlio. But Dr. Wallis was the first 
 that demonstrated the reason of this work, and has given 
 divers forms for it, besides the aforementioned, in his book De 
 Motu. But of all the flat floors having no pillars to support 
 them, and whose main beams are made of divers pieces of 
 timbers, the most admirable is that of the Theatre of Oxford, 
 from side wall to side wall eighty feet over one way, and 
 seventy the other ; whose lockages are so quite different from 
 any before mentioned, and in many other particulars, as perhaps 
 not to be pai'alleled in the world. 
 
niSTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 219 
 
 In 1671, Sir Christopher "Wren eommenccd the monument of 
 London, built in memory of the great fire. This work waa 
 completed A.D. 1677. It exceeded in hight the pillars of 
 Trajan and Antoninus at Rome, as also that of Theodosius at 
 Constantinople. Its altitude is two liundred and two foet.^ 
 the diameter of the shaft of the column is fifteen feet ; ths 
 ground bounded by the plinth, or base of the pedestal, is twenty- 
 eight feet square, and the pedestal is forty feet high. On the 
 inside is a stoneway of three hundred and forty-five steps of 
 black marble, ten and a half inches broad, and six high. Over 
 the capital is an iron balcony, encompassing a meta thirty-two 
 feet high, supporting a blazing urn of brass. It is said to con- 
 tain near thirty thousand feet of solid Portland stone. The 
 shaft contains four thousand eight hundred superficial feet. 
 
 TheKing, having adopted one of the many plans furnished 
 for rebuilding St. Paul's Cathedral, and having appointed com- 
 missioners, consisting of lords, spiritual and temporal, and 
 noblemen, together with Sir Christopher Wren, Doctor of Laws, 
 proceeded, on the 12th day of November, 1673, to issue the 
 following remarkable proclamation : 
 
 " Whereas, since the issuing out of our commission (viz., 
 Anno 1663), the late dreadful fire in London bath destroyed 
 and consumed the Cathedral church of St. Paul, to such a 
 degree that no part of the ancient walls or structures can, with 
 any safety, be relied upon, or left standing ; in so much that 
 it is now become absolutely necessary totally to demolish and 
 raze to the ground all relics of the former building ; and 
 in the same place, but upon new foundations, to erect a new 
 church ; (which, that it may be done to the glory of God, and 
 for the promotion of His divine worship and service therein to 
 be celebrated ; and to the end the same may equal, if not 
 exceed, the splendor and magnificence of the former Cathedral 
 church when it was in its best estate, and so become, much 
 more than formerly, the principal ornament of our royal city 
 to the honor of our government and of this our realm, we have 
 caused several designs for that purpose to be prepared by Dr. 
 Christopher Wren, surveyor general of. all our works and 
 buildings, which we have seen, and one of which we do more 
 
220 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 especially approve ; and have commanded a model thereof be 
 made after so large and exact a manner, that it may remain a 
 perpetual, unchangeable rule and direction for the conduct of 
 the whole work.) And whereas, our former commission, in which 
 the upholding and repairing the ancient Cathedral church is 
 only designed^and mentioned, doth not sufficiently authorize and 
 empower our said commissioners therein named, to begin and 
 complete a new fabric upon new foundations — Know ye, etc. 
 " The Royal Warrant, under the Sign Manual and Privy Seal, 
 
 for beginning the works of the new Cathedral of St. Paul, 
 
 transcribed from the original, annexed to the Surveyor's 
 
 draunng : 
 
 " Charles R. Whereas, we have been informed that a portion 
 of the imposition laid on coals, which by act of Parliament is 
 appointed and set apart for the rebuilding of the Cathedral 
 church of St. Paul, in our capital city of London, doth at 
 present amount to a considerable sum, which, though not pro 
 portionable to the greatness of the work, is, notwithstanding, 
 sufficient to begin the same ; and with all the materials and 
 other assistances which may probably be expected, will put a 
 new quire in great forwardness ; and whereas, among divers 
 designs which have been presented to us, we have particularly 
 pitched upon one, as well because we found it very artificial, 
 proper, and useful, as because it was so ordered that it might 
 be built and finished by parts. We do, therefore, by these 
 presents, signify our royal approbation of the said design 
 hereunto annexed ; and do will and require you forthwith 
 to proceed according to the said design, beginning with the 
 East end or quire, and accomplishing the same with the present 
 stock of money, and such supplies as may probably accrue 
 according to the tenor of the commission to you directed, and 
 for so doing, this shall be your warrant. 
 
 Given at our court at Whitehall, the 14th day of May, 1675, 
 in the 27th year of our reign. By His Majesty's command, 
 
 " Henry Coventry. 
 
 " To our Commissioners for rebuilding the Cathedral of St. Paul, London." 
 In connection with the commencement of this great building, 
 there is some evidence that tends to throw a doubt over one of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 221 
 
 our Masonic traditions ; and this is entitled to tlie more atten- 
 tion because of Bro. "Wren's familiarity with, and love of all, our 
 rituals. Every Mason, at the present day, will remember where, 
 according to our traditions, the first or corner-stone should be 
 laid, and it would seem remarkable that the rule, if tlicn con- 
 sidered an established one, should have been disregarded at 
 laying the foundafions of St. Paul's ; but as there may be a 
 difference with builders between laying the foundation and that 
 of the corner-stone, with which, technically, we are not 
 acquainted, we make the following extract from Anderson's 
 Constitutions : 
 
 " In the progress of the works of the foundations. Deputy 
 "Wren met with one unexpected difficulty. He began to lay the 
 foundations from the "West end, and liad progressed successfully 
 through the dome to the last end, where the brick earth bottom 
 was very good ; but as he went on to the northeast corner, which 
 was the last, and where nothing was expected to interrupt, he 
 fell, in prosecuting his design, upon a pit, where all the pot- 
 earth had been robbed by the potters of old times. Here were 
 discovered quantities of urns, broken vessels, and pottery ware 
 of divers sorts and shapes. How far this pit extended north- 
 ward, there was no occasion to examine. No ox skulls, horns 
 of stags, and tusks of boars were found, to corroborate the 
 account of Stow, Cambden, and others ; nor any foundations 
 more eastward. If there was formerly any temple to Diana, he 
 . supposed it might have been within the walls of the colony, and 
 more to the South. It was no little perplexity to fall into this 
 pit at last. He wanted but six or seven feet to complete the 
 design, and this fell into the very angle northeast. He knew 
 very well that under the layer of pot-earth there was no other 
 good ground to be found, till he came to the low-water mark 
 of the Thames, at least forty feet lower. His artificers proposed 
 to him to pile, which he refused, for the piles may last for ever 
 when always in water (otherwise London Bridge would fall), 
 yet, if they are driven through dry sand, though sometimes 
 moist, they will rot. His endeavors were to build for eternity. 
 He therefore sunk a pit of about eighteen feet square, wharfing 
 up the sand with timber, till he came forty feet lower into 
 
222 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 the water and sea shells, where there was a firm sea beach, 
 which confirmed the opinion of many tliat the sea had been, in 
 ages past, where now St. Paul's church is. He bored through 
 this laeach till he came to the original clay ; being then 
 satisfied, he began, from the beach, a square pier of solid, good 
 masonry, ten feet square, till he came within fifteen feet of the 
 present ground ; then he turned a short arch, under ground, to 
 the former foundation, which was broken off by the untoward 
 accident of the pit." 
 
 When Deputy Wren was surveying the ground to begin this 
 mighty fabric, an occurrence happened that was regarded by 
 many as an omen of great good. Having determined the 
 outward lines for the foundation of the building, he found the 
 centre, and sent a common laborer for a stone to mark the spot, 
 who, seizing upon the first that presented among the rubbish, 
 happened to bring a part of an old grave-stone, having on it 
 but a single word of the original engraving, viz., Resurgam. 
 
 • Although this church is not so large as St. Peter's, it is re- 
 garded by many as affording evidence of a higher order of 
 scientific skill, and a more refined taste in the architect. We 
 sliould not subserve the purposes of this history by entering 
 into a minute detail of each, or any one of the many public 
 buildings erected in London by the Freemasons, under the 
 supervision of Sir Christopher Wren. Those who may desire 
 this sort of information may have their desires fully met by a 
 reference to any of the historians of that day. Suffice it to say, 
 that it is probable no man has ever lived who superintended so 
 much work, or so justly acquired high fame as an architect and 
 Mason, as did Sir Christopher Wren. He seems, from the 
 commencement, to have risen above the restraints of settled 
 rules in architecture, and conceived the bold design of following 
 either or all the orders of architecture only so far as they were 
 adapted to the location and design or use of the building. 
 Many of his edifices would be condemned if judged by the rules 
 laid down in the books ; but he, as we apprehend all able de- 
 signers would do, was, as before remarked, governed by sur- 
 rounding circumstances, and to meet the end in view, boldly 
 exercised a discriminating judgment and sound taste, whether a 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 223 
 
 rule •was laid down in accordance therewith or not. This is so 
 strikingly manifested in the steeple of Bow church, that we 
 extract Dr. Plat's notice of it. He says : 
 
 " The steeple of Bow church is another masterpiece of Sir 
 Christopher Wren's, in a peculiar kind of building, which has 
 no fixed rule to direct it, nor is it to be reduced to any settled 
 laws of beauty. Without doubt, if we consider it only a part 
 of some building, it can be esteemed no other than a delightful 
 absurdity ; but if either considered in itself, or as a decoration 
 of a whole city in prospect, not only to be justified, but admired. 
 That which we have now mentioned is, beyond question, as per- 
 fect as human imagination can conceive or execute, and till we 
 see it outdone, we shall hardly think it to be equaled." 
 
 Of the fifty-four churches, however, erected by Deputy Wren, 
 the one which most wins upon the taste of foreigners is St. 
 Stephen's Wallbrook church ; and an English writer, whose 
 name we omitted to take when we made the following extract 
 on our memorandum book, speaks of it in the same light. Jle 
 
 " Wallbrook church, so little known among us, is famous all 
 over Europe, and is justly reputed the masterpiece of the cele- 
 brated Sir Christopher Wren. Perhaps Italy itself can produce 
 no modern building that can vie with this in taste or proportion. 
 There is not a beauty which the plan would admit of, that is 
 not to be found here in its greatest perfection ; and foreigners 
 very justly call our judgment in question for understanding its 
 graces no better, and allowing it no higher degree of fame." 
 
 Dr. Wren early called to his aid Mr. Robert Hook, Profes- 
 sor of Geometry in Gresham College, who was engaged in 
 measuring and laying off private streets, lanes, and sites for 
 private buildings. During the rebuilding of London, thcKing 
 failed not to remember the interests of his people elsewhere. 
 He commanded Sir William Bruce, then Grand Master of 
 Scotland, to rebuild the palace of HolyJElood House, at Edin- 
 burgh, which was executed by that architect in superior style. 
 Thus it will be seen, that only accomplished and scientific 
 architects were deemed qualified to take charge of the Craft. 
 True, it often happened that by prerogative the reigning 
 
224 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 King was Grand Master, who, if ever so well qualififid, seldom 
 took the superintendence of the Craft in Operative Masonry . 
 but the high reputation which the Society had obtained as a 
 school of learning, was never lost sight of — for the King 
 appointed a Deputy from among^ the most learned of the pro- 
 fession. 
 
 George Villiers, Duke of Bucks, was chosen Grand Master in 
 1674 ; but he had neither the industry nor skill necessary for 
 the times, and the responsibility mainly devolved on Deputy 
 "Wren. Henry Bennett, Earl of Arlington, was the next Grand 
 Master, but he was so deeply engaged in politics that he 
 attended to Lodge duties but imperfectly, and in Speculative 
 as well as Operative Masonry, Dr. Wren was universally looked 
 to as the great leader. Our knowledge of the action of Lodge& 
 in this reign are imperfect, for the reason that many of the 
 records were destroyed in tte revolution of James III., and Dr. 
 Anderson says that many of these records were destroyed in his 
 diif, when the Grand Lodge was endeavoring to procure them 
 in order to preserve and transmit a true history of the Order 
 It seems that such was the prejudice against publishing anything 
 in relation to Masonry, or the action of Lodges, that some of 
 the old Masons, disapproving the edict of the Grand Lodge, 
 burned the records in their possession, rather than run the risk 
 of them getting into print in after ages. 
 
 King Charles II. died in 1685, and was succeeded by James 
 II., Stuart. This King was not a Mason, and the Institution 
 was much neglected in his reign. But on the death of Grand 
 Master Arlington, the Fraternity assembled and elected Sir 
 Christopher Wren, 1685. He appointed Mr. Gabriel Gribben 
 and Edward Strong, Grand Wardens. It does not appear that 
 this Grand Master appointed a Deputy, indeed we are well 
 satisfied that a Deputy was formerly appdlnted only when the 
 Grand Master was incapable of superintending the Craft. 
 Grand Master Wren was an active member of the Lodge 
 of Antiquity, and usually met the brethi-en to observe and 
 preserve the old usages of the' Craft until the revolution of 
 1688, when the Prince of Orange landed, and King Jamoa 
 sailed to Prance, and died, 1701. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 225 
 
 After James left, a convocation of states was held, and the 
 crown of England was entailed upon James' two daughters, 
 Mary, Princess of Orange, and Ann, Princess of Denmark, and 
 their issue ; and in the event of a failure of issue, then on "Wil- 
 liam, Prince of Orange — his mother, Mary Stuart, was King 
 James' eldest sister ; but he was to reign only during life. 
 Accordingly, in 1689, King William III., and his wife Queen 
 Mary II., were proclaimed king and queen, joint sovereigns 
 of England and Scotland. Masonry began to decline about 
 this period ; indeed, we do not learn of more than half a dozen 
 Lodges in the South of England that held regular meetings, 
 nor are we fully prepared to account for this sudden falling 
 off. The King was made a Freemason, and expressed his 
 approval of the choice of Wren as Grand Master, and extended 
 his encouragement in the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
 and the great addition to Hampton Court. The King also 
 built his palace at Kensington. Sir Cliristopher drew up a 
 petition to the King and Queen, praying them to convert the 
 site and buildings of their royal palace to the noble purpose of 
 &, hospital for old seamen, etc. To this petition he procured 
 the names of many of the lords, and their prayer was 
 granted. To the speedy erection of this exfensive and mag- 
 nificent building. Grand Master Wren devoted his unremitted 
 attention, without compensation or reward in any way ; indeed, 
 this was only characteristic of his whole life — he ever preferred 
 the good of the public to any private interests, and never 
 sought to enrich himself About this time, Charles Lennos, 
 Duke of Lennox and Kichmond, was chosen Grand Master. 
 Wren was again appointed deputy, and Edward Strong, Sen., 
 and Edward Strong, Jr., Grand Wardens. As heretofore, 
 Dr. Wren was the efficient head of the Craft, and in 1698 he 
 was again elected Grand Master. Queen Mary died 1694, and 
 King William 1702. 
 
 Ann Stuart, wife of George, Prince of Denmark, now ascend- 
 ed the throne as Queen sovereign. The Queen united the king- 
 doms of England and Scotland into one kingdom. Great Britain, 
 May, 1707. 
 
 Sir Christopher Wren had now become so old that he could 
 
226 HISTOET OF PREEMASONEY. 
 
 not attend to the active duties of Masonry, and Lodges were 
 Bhamefully neglected, insomucli that the few who attended the 
 annual assembly, being willing to do all in their power to 
 revive it, enacted a law abrogating the ancient rule which 
 required the initiates to be either architects or students of the 
 arts and sciences. The doors being thus thrown open as well 
 to the illiterate as the learned, the members rapidly increased. 
 Masonry revived at the cost of the downfall of the noble science 
 of architecture. 
 
 We have elsewhere said, that even yet, after the innovations 
 and miserable blunders of the eighteenth century, though archi- 
 tecture has been declining for one hundred and fifty years, still 
 may it be revived and brought back to its wonted grandeur. 
 Yea, more ; would Masons make their Lodges, as of old, 
 academies of learning, a brighter day would dawn upon our 
 Craft — for with the improvements of the age, and the onward 
 march of mind, architecture would rise far above its former 
 glory. 
 
CHAPTER XYIII 
 
 We feel, as we have intimated before, that if we could do or 
 say anything to induce the brethren of our Order to institute 
 an inquiry into the propriety of again taking charge of archi- 
 tecture, we should become a public benefactor. We know that 
 in the days of Sir Christopher Wren, the science was not as 
 much understood as it had been by the ancients. In every age, 
 from the building of Solomon's Temple down to the abolition 
 of Operative Masonry, the science of geometry and the art of 
 building languished or flourished in proportion as Masonry was 
 cultivated or neglected. For several centui'ies anterior to the 
 time of our last operative Grand Master, Masonry and sound 
 morals were so little attended to as almost to leave covered up, 
 in the rubbish of ignorance and superstition, every vestige of 
 the noble science. As Masons had the entire charge and 
 control of architecture, it must needs have suffered almost a 
 total overthrow ; and as the wisdom of the people and their 
 national greatness had been commensurate with their know- 
 ledge of the arts and sciences, and more especially architecture, 
 it is not to be wondered at that literature became unpopular, 
 and ignorance the standard of worth. After the reign of 
 Henry VI., Masonry several times revived and again languished, 
 until the beginning of the eighteenth century. One of these 
 revivals was under Sir Christopher Wren ; and we are not left 
 to tradition only to learn that as Masonry flourished archi- 
 tecture advanced and the nation prospered. No man, perhaps, 
 ever did so much to reestablish the fallen glory of our venerated 
 Order ; no man did more to render it honorable, in the eyes of 
 wise and good men, to be an accomplished and scientihc 
 mechanic. In his day, kings, princes, and nobles esteemed it a 
 high privilege to become Masons and accomplished artisans ; 
 
228 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 and it is a matter of astonishment and regret that, so soon 
 after his noble example, Sir Christopher's successors should 
 have taken down the great pillars of the edifice, by admitting 
 street loungers, ladies' dolls, and illiterate drones, into the 
 Order, to take charge of its concerns. From that day com- 
 menced the fall of Masonry from the proud stand of giving tone 
 and influence to mechanism, engendering a love of the sciences, 
 and shedding lustre and glory over the government that patron- 
 ized it. From that time, while science and art generally have 
 advanced with the progressive age, architecture has stood still, 
 if, indeed, it has not receded. Masons, more than any, have 
 the power to correct that vitiated taste which makes it more 
 honorable to be ignorant, with money, than learned, without it. 
 Mechanics themselves have it in their power to elevate their 
 standing above those who sneer at them. Let Lodges become 
 what they once were — schools of learning ; let mechanics learn 
 to be more than mere imitative beings ; let them become scien- 
 tific workmen ; and the day is not distant when even the purse- 
 proud ignoramus ■will be ashamed to say, " That is a very clever 
 man, for a mechanic." 
 
 We wish not to be misunderstood. We would not have our 
 Lodges to be less devoted to the inculcation of a high standard 
 of moral principle ; we would not have them lose one jot or 
 tittle of Speculative Masonry ; but we only desire, once more, 
 to see them take charge of architecture as a science, and, not 
 only bring it back to its once elevated position, but push it 
 forward, step by step, with the other noble sciences. This is 
 not a fit place to suggest the details of a plan, nor do we feel 
 qualified to do so, if it were ; but we again call attention to 
 the subject, and with a view to furnish some data, and call 
 attention to architecture of the seventeenth century, we will 
 here extract entire, from Anderson's Constitutions, a letter 
 written by Sir Christopher Wren, in his old age, which waa 
 designed as a letter of instruction to those -who might suc- 
 ceed him : 
 
 " Since Providence, in great mercy, has protracted my age to 
 the finishing the Cathedral church of St. Paul, and the parochial 
 churches of London, in lieu of those demolished by the fire (all 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRT. 229 
 
 which were executed during the fatigues of my employment in 
 the service of the Crown, from that time to the present happy 
 reign); and being now constituted one of tlie coniinissionors for 
 building, pursuant to the late act, fifty more cliurclies in London 
 and Westminster, I shall presume to communicate, briefly, my 
 eentinients, after long experience ; and, witliout further cere- 
 mony, exhibit to better judgment what at present occurs to mo, 
 in a transient view of the whole affair, not doubting but that 
 the debates of the worthy commissioners may hereafter give" 
 me occasion to cliange, or add to these speculations. 
 
 " I. — I conceive the churclies should be built, not where 
 vacant ground may be cheapest, purchased in the extremities of 
 the suburbs, but among the thicker inhaltitants, for convenience 
 of the better sort, although the site of them should cost more — 
 the better inhabitants contributing most to the future repairs, 
 and the ministers and officers of the church, and charges of the 
 parish. 
 
 "II. — I could wish that all burials in churches might bo dis- 
 allowed, which is not only unwholesome, but the pavements can 
 never be kept even, nor the pews upright ; and if the church' 
 yard be close about the church, this is also inconvenient, 
 because the ground being continually imised by the graves 
 occasions in time a descent by steps into the church, which 
 renders it damp and the walls green, as appears evidently in 
 all old churches. 
 
 "III. — It will be inquired. Where then shall be the burials? 
 I answer, in cemeteries seated in the outskirts of the town. 
 And since it has become the fashion of the day to solemnize 
 funerals by a train of coaches (even where the deceased are of 
 moderate condition), though the cemeteries should l)e half a 
 mile or more distant from the church, the charge need be little 
 or no more than usual ; the service may be first performed in 
 the church. But for the poor and such as must be interred at 
 the parish charge, a public hearse, of twc -wheels and one horse, 
 may be kept at small expense, the usu!»l bearers to lead the 
 horse and take out the corpse at the grave. A piece of ground, 
 of two acres, in the fields, will be purchased for much less than 
 two rods among the buildings. This being inclosed with a 
 
230 HISTORy OF FKEEMASONBT. 
 
 strong brick wall, and having a walk round and two cross 
 walks decently planted with yew trees, the four quarters may 
 serve four parishes, where the' dead need, not be disturbed at 
 the pleasure of the sexton, or piled four or five upon one 
 another, or bones thrown out to gain room. In these places 
 beautiful monuments may be erected ; but yet the dimensions 
 should be regulated by an architect, and not left to the fancy 
 of every Mason ; for thus the rich, with large marble tombs, 
 would shoulder out the poor, when a pyramid, a good bust on a 
 pedestal, will take up little room in the quarters, and be more 
 proper than figures lying on marble beds. The walls will 
 contain escutcheons and memorials for the dead ; and the area, 
 good air and walks for the living. It may be considered, 
 further, that if the cemeteries be thus thrown into the fields, 
 they will bound the excessive growth of the city with a graceful 
 border, which is now incircled with scavengers' dung stalls. 
 
 " TV. — As to the situation of the churches, I nhould propose 
 they be brought as forward as possible into the larger and 
 more open streets, not in obscure lanes, nor where coaches will 
 be much obstructed in their passage. Nor are we, I think, to 
 observe East or West in the position, unless it falls out properly 
 Such fronts as shall happen to lie most open in view, should be 
 adorned with porticos, both for beauty and convenience, which, 
 together with handsome spires or lanterns, rising in good pro- 
 portion above the neighboring houses (of which I have given 
 several examples in the city, of different forms), may be of suf- 
 ficient ornament to the town, without a great expense for enrich- 
 ing the outward walls of the churches, in which plainness and 
 duration ought principally, if not wholly, to be studied. When 
 a parish is divided, I suppose it may be thought sufficient if the 
 mother church has a tower large enough for a good ring of 
 bells, and the other churches smaller towers for two or three 
 bells, because great towers and lofty steeples are sometimes 
 more than half the charge of the church. 
 
 " ^- — I shall mention something of the materials for public 
 fabrics. It is true the mighty demand for the hasty worl ^ of 
 thousands of houses at once after the fire of London, and the 
 frauds of those who built for the great, have so debased the 
 
HlfeTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 231 
 
 valae of materials, that good bricks are not now to be harl 
 without greater prices than formerly, and, indeed, if rightly 
 made, will deserve them. But brickmakers spoil the earth in 
 the mixing and hasty burning, till the bricks will hardly bear 
 weight, though the earth about London, rightly managed, will 
 yield as good bricks as were the Roman bricks (which I have 
 often found in the old ruins of the city), and will endure, in our 
 air, beyond any stone our island aflfords ; which, unless the 
 quarries lie near the sea, are too dear for general use : the best 
 is Portland or Rock-abbey stone, but these are not without 
 their faults. The next material is lime. Chalk-lime is in 
 constant use, which, well mixed with good sand, is not amiss, 
 though much worse than hard stone-lime. The vaulting of St. 
 Paul's is rendering as hard as stone ; it is composed of cockle- 
 shell lime, well beaten with sand — the more labor in the beating 
 the better and stronger the mortar. I shall say nothing of 
 marble (though England, Scotland, and Ireland afford good 
 and beautiful colors) ; but this will prove too costly for our 
 purpose, unless for altar pieces. In windows and doors, Port- 
 land stone may be used, with good bricks and stone quoyns. 
 As to roofs, good oak is certainly the best, because it will bear 
 some negligence. The churchwarden's care may be defective 
 in speedy mending drips ; they usually whitewash the church, 
 and set up their names, but neglect to preserve tlie roof over 
 their heads. Tt must be allowed that the roof, being more out 
 of sight, is still more unminded. Next to oak is good yellow 
 deal, which is a timber of length and light, and makes excellent 
 work at first, but if neglected, will speedily perish, especially 
 if gutters (which is a general fault in builders) be made to run 
 upon the principal rafters, the ruin may be sudden. Our sea- 
 service for oak, and the waves in the North Sea, make timber 
 at the present of excessive price. I suppose ere long we must 
 have recourse to the West Indies, where most excellent timber 
 may be had for cutting and fetching. Our tiles are ill made, 
 and our slate not good. Jjcad is certainly the best covering, 
 and being of our own growth and manufacture, and lasting, if 
 properly laid, for many hundred years, is without doubt the 
 most preferable, though I will not deny but an excellent tile 
 
232 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 may be made to be very durable. Our artisans are not yet 
 instructed in it, and it is not soon done to inform them. 
 
 " VI. — The capacity and dimensions of the new churches may 
 be determined by a calculation. It is, as I take it, pretty cer- 
 tain that the number of inhabitants for whom these churches 
 are provided are five times as many as those in the city who 
 were burnt out, and probably more than forty thousand grown j 
 persons that should come to church, for whom these fifty 
 churches are to be provided (besides some chapels already built, 
 though too small to be made parochial). Now, if the churches 
 could hold, each, two thousand, it would yet be very short of 
 the necessary supply. The churches, therefore, must be large ; 
 but still, in our reformed religion, it should seem vain to make 
 a parish church larger than that all present can both hear 
 and see distinctly. The Romanists, indeed, may build larger 
 churches. It is enough if they hear the murmur of the mass, 
 and sec the elevation of the host ; but ours are to be fitted for 
 auditories. I can hardly think it practicable to make a single 
 room so capacious, with pews and galleries, as to hold above 
 two thousand persons, and all to hear the service, and both to 
 hear distinctly and see the preacher. I endeavored to effect 
 this in building the parish church of St. James, Westminster, 
 which I presume is the most capacious, with these qualifications, 
 that hath yet been built ; and yet, at a solemn time, when the 
 church was much crowded, I could not discern, from a gallery, 
 that two thousand were present. In this church I mention, 
 though very broad, and the middle nave arched up, yet as there 
 are no walls of a second order, nor lanterns, nor buttresses, but 
 the whole roof rests upon tlie pillars, as do also the galleries, I 
 think it may be found beautiful and convenient, and, as such, 
 the cheapest form I could invent. 
 
 " VII. — Concerning tlic placing of the pulpit, I shall 
 observe — A moderate voice may be heard fifty feet distant 
 before the preacher, thirty feet on cither side, and twenty 
 behind the pulpit, and not this, unless the pronunciation be 
 distinct and equal, without losing the voice at the last word of 
 the sentence, whicii is commonly emphatical, and if obscured, 
 Bljoils the whole sense. A Frenchman is hoard further than an 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 233 
 
 Finglish pi'eadicr, because ho raises his voice' and never sinks 
 his last words. 1 mention this as an insufferable fault in the 
 pronunciation of some of our otherwise excellent preachers, 
 which schoolmasters might correct in the young, as a vicious 
 pronunciation, and not as the Roman orators spoke — for the 
 principal is in Latin, usually the last word, and if that be lost, 
 what becomes of the sentence ? 
 
 " VIII. — By what I have said, it may be thought reasonable 
 that the new church should be at least sixty feet broad, and 
 ninety feet long, besides a chancel at each end, and the belfry 
 and portico at the other. Tiiese proportions may be varied ; 
 but to build more room than that every person may conveni- 
 ently see and hear is to create noise and confusion. A clmrch 
 should not be so filled with pews, but that the poor may have 
 room enougli to stand and sit in the alleys, for to them equally 
 is the Gospel preached.* It were to bo wished there were 
 to be no pews, but benches ; but there is no stemming the tide 
 of profit, and the advantage of pew keepers, especially, too, 
 since by pews in the chapels of ease, the minister is principally 
 supported. It is evident these fifty churches arc not enough for 
 the present inhabitants, and tlie town will continually grow ; but 
 it is to be hoped that hereafter more may be added, as the 
 wisdom of the government may think fit, and therefore the 
 parishes should be so divided as to leave room for subdivisions, 
 or, at least, for chapels of ease." 
 
 The foregoing extract, while it is replete with good sense, 
 presents a style of writing that in some respects would not be 
 sanctioned at the present day ; nor would the opinions of the 
 author, in relation to some things, be more acceptable. We 
 have heard one or two pulpit orators, Europeans, whose style 
 was such as Sir Christopher admired, but to us it was anything 
 but agreeable to the ear. 
 
 About the period here referred to, many splendid mansions 
 
 * Query? Is the Gospel preached equally to the poor, where all the scats are 
 owned- -though not always occupied — from which the preacher can be distinctly 
 heard? Does not the preacher of the present mlighUmed age ■pvEsuih directly for 
 the baneiit of the rich, and incidental'y for the poor ? ' Is not the house of the Lord 
 again occupied by money-changers? Do not rich sinners elbow out poor saints? 
 
234 HISTORY OF FRBEMASONET. 
 
 ■were erected throughout England, but the most beautiful speci- 
 mens of the A.ugustan style of architecture, were to be seen in 
 the new chapel of Trinity College — Christ's church College. 
 Sir Christopher Wren lived to see London laid in ashes — to 
 see it more beautifully and conveniently rebuilt. He had the 
 honor of designing and laying the corner-stone of St. Paul's 
 church, in 1673, and finished it in 1710. The highest and kft 
 stone on the top of the lantern was laid by his son, Christophei 
 Wren, Esq., who had been deputed by his father to do so. This 
 was done in the presence gf the great architect, Mr. Strong 
 and his two sons, Grand Wardens, and a large concourse of 
 Masons. Thus was this splendid edifice, second only to the 
 church of St. Peter at Rome, begun and finished in thirty-five 
 years, by one architect, and under one bishop (Dr. Henry 
 Compton), while St. Peter was in building one hundred and 
 forty-five years, under tw;elve successive architects, assisted by 
 the Roman See, and, as was supposed, by the best artists in the 
 world, under the reigns of nineteen Popes, viz.: Julius II., 
 Leo X., Hadrianus VI., Clemens VII., Paulus III., Julius III., 
 Paulus IV., Pius IV., Pius V., Gregorius XIII., Sextus V., 
 Urbanus VII., Gregorius XIV., Innocentius IX., Clemens VHI., 
 Paulus v., Alexander VII., Urbanus VIII., and Innocentius X. 
 
 The great age of Sir Christopher Wren obliged him to dis- 
 continue his frequent visits to the Lodges, and his assistance in 
 their internal management ; and strange to say, so long had the 
 Fraternity been looking up to him for instruction and guidance, 
 that his retirement had the effect to produce the most culpable 
 neglect of all their most sacred duties, until the number of 
 Lodges in the South of England were reduced to seven or 
 eight. 
 
 Queen Anne died without issue, 1714. She was the last of 
 the race of Charles I., who ascended the throne, because, by an 
 act of Parliament, the crown had been settled upon the Protestant 
 heirs of his sister, Elizabeth Stuart, whose daughter, the Princess ■ 
 Sophia, the rightful heir, died a short time before the Queen ; and 
 by said act of Parliament, her son George, Elector of Hanover, 
 was entitled to the crown. Accordingly, he made a magnificent 
 •entrance into London, on the 20th of September, 1714. Mter 
 
HISrOEY OF FREEMASONRY. 236 
 
 the rebellion of 1716, a ttsw zealous Masons made an effort to 
 resuscitate the Order, and as they regarded their long apathy 
 and inattention to the Institution as being mainly owing to the 
 inability df their aged Grand Master to attend to the duties of 
 his o£&ce, the following Lodges met in council, viz. : one held 
 at the Goose and Gridiron, in St. Paul's Churchyard ; one 
 held at the Crown, in Parker's Lane ; one at the Apple Tree 
 Tavern, in Charles street, Covent Garden ; and one at the Rum- 
 mer and Grapes Tavern, in Chancel Row, Westminster, together 
 with some old brethren, who were not connected with either, 
 assembled at the Apple Tree Tavern, and put into the chair tlie 
 oldest Master Mason, who was at the time Master of a Lodge. 
 They thereupon constituted themselves into a Grand Lodge pro 
 tempore, in due form. At this convocation or assembly, they 
 revived the quarterly communications of the Masters and 
 Wardens of the Lodges who alone had constituted the Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 We here call attention to an error into which many Masons 
 in the United States have fallen, in relation to the Grand Lodge 
 of England. The general impression seems to be, that the 
 Grand Lodge of England proper, only met once a year, viz., 
 on Feast Day ; while, if the history of that branch of the Era 
 ternity is well understood, it will be seen that the Grand Lodge 
 was made up of the Master and Wardens of the particular 
 Lodges, whose duty it was to meet quarterly in Grand Lodge, 
 and transact such business as the interest of Masonry and the 
 particular Lodges seemed to demand. At these meetings none 
 others than members were permitted, while at the great annual 
 feast, although the Grand Lodge was convened, the doors 
 were more widely thrown open. It was a day of rejoicing and 
 fellowship with all. Past Masters were there, and were per- 
 mitted to participate ; Entered Apprentices were there, and 
 permitted to participate ; in short, the annual feast was a 
 convention of all the Masons, and in relation to some things. 
 Apprentices had a voice in the Grand Lodge ; but at this re- 
 organization, the doctrine is clearly set forth that none but the 
 Mas'ters and Wardens of the Lodges for the time being are 
 entitled to seats in the Grand Lodge, as members, but the 
 
236 BISTORT OF FREEMASONUY. 
 
 Grand Lodge claimed and exercised tlie riglit to amend and 
 alter its own Constitution, and hence held and exercised the 
 power, at an after period, of admitting others to inembcrsliip. 
 
 The assembly above alluded to did not fully reestablish the 
 Grand Lodge of England, but advised tliat the old custom of 
 holding an annual feast should be revived, and that the Grand 
 Master, according to custom, should then be cliosen. 
 
 Accordingly, in the third year of the reign of George the 
 First, on St. John the Baptist's day, 1717, the assembly and 
 feast were held at the Goose and Gridiron. Anderson inforras^ 
 us that "before dinner, the oldest Master Mason (being the 
 Master of a Lodge) being in tlic Chair, proposed a list of pro- 
 per candidates, and the brethren, by a majority of hands, 
 elected Mr. Anthony Sayer, gentleman, Grand Master of 
 Masons, who, being forthwith invested witli the badges of office 
 and power by the said oldest Master, and installed, was duly 
 congratulated by the assembly, who paid him the homage." 
 We think it may be seen by this, that at this assembly of 
 Masons all the brethren were equally permitted to take part ; 
 but the very first act of power exercised by Grand Master 
 Sayer was, in effect, to declare who were the members of the 
 Grand Lodge, for he ordered the Masters and Wardens of 
 Lodges, only, to meet him in quarterly communication. To 
 this order, Anderson makes a note, in which lie says : " It is 
 called a quarterly communication, because it should meet 
 quarterly, according to ancient usage." 
 
 Now, if Anderson, who lived at the time, and assisted in 
 reestablishing the Grand Lodge of England, then spoke of this 
 order of the Grand Master, requiring the Masters and Wardens 
 only to assemble in Grand Lodge, as an ancient usage, with 
 what propriety can we say that Past Masters arc members of 
 the Grand Lodge by ancient usage, when, for fifty years after 
 that period, we have no evidence that they were considered 
 members, or ever had been at any previous period ? 
 
 At the assembly and feast held on June 24, 1718, George 
 
 Payne, Esq., was elected Grand Master of Masons ; and here 
 
 we will insert the language of Dr. Anderson, who was present, 
 
 • in order to elicit inquiry into the true history and origin of 
 
HISTORY OF PEEEMASONRY. 237 
 
 the Past Master's degree, which we do not boHqve belongs to, 
 or has any connection with. Ancient Ci'aft Masonry. The 
 Doctor says : " Bro. Sayer, having gathered the votes after 
 dinner, proclaimed aloud, our Bro. George Payne, Esq., Grand 
 Master of Masons, who being duly invested, installed, congratu- 
 lated, and homaged, recommended the strict observance of the 
 quarterly communication." This is as full as any description 
 given in any part of Anderson's history of the installation of 
 the Grand Master ; and we suppose the custom then was to re- 
 quire the Grand Mastersimply to promise faitlifully to discharge 
 the duties of the oSice, and that no other ceremony was used than 
 took place in the presence of all Master Masons. The investi- 
 gation of this subject will be more 'fully entered into in the 
 appropriate place. At this communication, the Grand Master 
 requested the brethren to bring to the Grand Lodge any old 
 writings and records concerning Masons and Masonry, in order 
 to show the usages of ancient times ; and Anderson informs us 
 that this year several old copies of the Gothic Constitution 
 were produced and collated. John Cardwcll, city carpenter, 
 and Thomas Maurice, stone cutter, were chosen Grand 
 Wardens. 
 
 As Grand Master Payne's administration may be justly 
 esteemed as marking out an era in the history of Freemasonry, 
 we will proceed at once to the further consideration of that 
 subject. 
 
 The eminent character and peculiar fitness of Grand Master 
 Payne for the office he held tended powerfully to render the 
 Institution popular, and caused many applicants, from the higher 
 walks of life, for the mysteries of Masonry ; nor were his very 
 efficient services overlooked by the Craft, for although at the 
 annual communication in June, 1719, the Rev. Dr. Desaguliers 
 was elected Grand Master, Bro. Payne was again elected in 
 June, 1720. It was during his administration, and especially in 
 1720, that a number of valuable manuscripts concerning ancient 
 usages, charges, and regulations, were brought forward, and at 
 this period while the Grand Lodge was using every effort to 
 perpetuate these things, many valuable documents were de-" 
 Btroyed by those, who regarded it as a violation of solemn duty 
 
238 HISTOEY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 to suffer anything having a direct reference to Masonry to be 
 published ; among the number so destroyed was one written by 
 Nicholas Stone, a Warden of Inigo Jones. This paper had been 
 seen by many of the old brethren, and by them regarded as of 
 the very highest importance. How remarkable to the light 
 thinker of the present day does this conduct seem, especially 
 when he can find at every turn a modern publication in which 
 is to be found almost everything but the mere ritual, and in 
 some, even much of that. We sincerely think that the true 
 course would have been between the two extremes, and that the 
 Grand Lodge of England in 1722 adopted that course. Those 
 brethren, who feared to publish to the world the principles, 
 objects, and ends of Freemasonry, and who believed that such a 
 publication would tend to the overthrow of the Order, greatly 
 erred ; for every community has a right to know the true prin- 
 ciples upon which are based the existence of all secret associa- 
 tions within its borders. No set of men have a right to congre- 
 gate together in secret conclave from month to month, from year 
 to year, without giving assurances, and reliable testimony, that 
 the end is not detrimental to the well-being and good order of 
 society, and for this purpose the Grand Lodge of England wisely 
 ordered the publication of the Ancient Charges which clearly set 
 forth the terms of cement and the principles of the Association, 
 the result of which was, to remove the vulgar prejudices and 
 idle tales, then in vogue in reference to Masonry ; and it did 
 much more than this, it rendered the Institution popular with 
 all classes, except those whose moral character was so defective 
 that they were excluded from its benefits. But, on the other 
 hand, we are not prepared to say that this passion for publish- 
 ing has not led to an evil more alarming and ruinous in its 
 consequences than the other extreme. We ask the reader, who 
 is a Mason, to take up the writings of Dr. Oliver, the Ancknt 
 Landmarks for example, read it carefully, and then tell us in 
 sober seriousness if the Doctor has not printed too much. 
 What are the secrets of Masonry, that may not be published to 
 the world ; aye, and if his history be received, what becomes of 
 our traditions ? We know we are treading on ground held 
 eacred by some, we have been made to feel the consequenced, 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 239 
 
 in a pecuniary point of view, of our temerity in presuming 
 to call in question anything coming from tliat distingiiislied 
 Englishman ; but, nevertheless, all this and much more will not 
 make us swerve from our course ; our purpose is to reject the 
 rubbish and imperfect work, whether presented by the Mastei 
 or the Apprentice, offend whom it may ; and though we seek noi 
 to measure arms with any one, we stand prepared to prove, 
 whenever it shall be questioned, that if Dr. Oliver's history of 
 the first three degrees in Masonry is true, then are our traditions 
 an idle tale. We can not but feel deeply concerned about the 
 reception and use that will be made of Oliver's works in the 
 United States ; already do we see evils which may be traced as 
 having their origin there — already are we hearing much which 
 may be found in "Webb's Monitor, as belonging to modern 
 Masonry, given as the true lecture of the Royal Arch degree. 
 In one instance, we asked the lecturer if he was aware that 
 much of his lecture was in Webb's Monitor, and he assured us 
 that he got it from Dr. Oliver as belonging to the Royal Arch. 
 We repeat, therefore, that we are at a loss to determine whether 
 it would not have been better never to publish a line than to 
 run wild with a desire not only to have all the truth in print, 
 but a vast amount of fiction and irrelevant matter. If we were 
 to be governed by the fashion of the day, as a Masonic 
 historian, we could not tell what it is we may not publish. 
 Until since the difficulties in New York, for example, we really 
 did not know it was right to speak of the use of the Gavel as 
 some Grand Lodges and journals have recently done, we thought 
 that instrument was so intimately connected with our ritual and 
 [strictly belonged within the walls of a Lodge, that its use was, 
 or should be, known only to Masons, aye, and we thought its 
 true and mystic use was known only to those who have been 
 called, constitutionally, to preside. We remember a time when 
 it was very common to hear a lecturer say," Masonry is a pro- 
 gressive science," and, verily, if all we read be true, and all we 
 see published be admissible, Masonry is truly a progressive 
 science," and if its end is not nigh, it is only because it is under 
 the supervision and control of a kind Providence. 
 Who arc the men that tolerate and give sanction to the 
 
240 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 publication of so much, and such an amount of trash as belong- 
 ing to Masonry ? we answer, as far as we know, they are 
 generally tliose who have taken the Ineffable degrees, where 
 the same rule against writing does not exist that is to be found 
 elsewhere. We sometimes see a brother who is an Odd Fellow 
 and who thinks it strange that the same rules which obtains in 
 Odd Fellowship will not apply in Masonry; in like manner 
 those who devote most attention to Scotch Rite degrees are 
 much inclined to regard the careless manner of concealing 
 those secrets as applicable to Ancient Craft Masonry, while, in 
 fact, there is no connection between them. Now, we have no 
 objection to the teachings of any of the degrees called Masonic ; 
 but we must say, strictly speaking, that most of them are only 
 so in name, and regarding Ancient Craft Masonry, as we do, 
 worth greatly more than all the rest, we protest against any 
 amalgamation which would infringe upon, or violate any of, its 
 sacred rules ; but we will not further pursue this subject here, 
 as an occasion may offer and circumstances may require a 
 separate article on tliis subject. 
 
 In 1721, the Dukeof Montagu wasclected Grand Master, which 
 greatly rejoiced tlie brethren, as it inspired them with the hope 
 that the time was again coming round when the Fraternity 
 would be governed and patronized by the nobility. At this 
 communication, the power was given to the Grand Master to 
 appoint his Deputy and Grand Wardens. A great feast was 
 held at this meeting and the question having arisen, whether 
 waiters, not Masons, might be employed to wait on the table, 
 it was determined that no one could be admitted to be present 
 who was not a Mason, when some of the most respectable and 
 worthy brethren volunteered as waiters. It is needless to say 
 that in America, at least, the practice is very different now. 
 After dinner, the noble prince, Duke of Montagu, was con 
 ducted into the oriental chair, and was installed with all the 
 pomp and ceremony then in use, in the presence of one Imndred 
 and fifty brethren, twelve Lodges being represented. In this, 
 as in other instances, there is not the slightest allusion made 
 to the Past Master's degree, nor any other ceremony which did 
 not take place in the presence of the entire company of Masons 
 
HISTORY OF FKEKMASONRY. 211 
 
 then in attendance, including Entered Apprentices. As -we 
 embrace every opportunity to give our readers extracts hom 
 old records, whenever of an interesting character, we give the 
 following from Dr. Anderson, who was an eye-witness to this 
 ceremony : — " Bro. Payne, the old Grand Master, made the 
 first procession r6und the hall, and when returned ho proclaim- 
 ed aloud the noble prince, and our brother, Jolm Montagu, Duke 
 of Montagu, Grand Master of Masons ; and Bro. Payne having 
 invested liis grace's worship with the ensigns and badges of his* 
 office and authority, installed him in Solomon's Chair, and sat 
 down on his riglit hand, while the assembly owned the Duke's 
 authority with due homage, and joyful congratulations upon thiw 
 revival of the prosperity of Masonry." The manner of those 
 congratulations will be given when we come to speak of tlie 
 election of the Duke of Richmond. 
 
 On the 29tli September, 1721, the Grand Lodge assembled 
 in ample form at the King's Arms, sixteen Lodges represented. 
 "His grace's worship and the Lodge, finding fault with all the 
 copies of the old Gothic Constitutions, ordered Bro. Jamcn 
 Anderson, A.M., to digest the same in anew and better method." 
 
 At a communication on the 27th of December, 1721, tlic 
 Grand Master, at the request of the Grand Lodge, appointed 
 fourteen learned brothers to examine Bro. Anderson's man- 
 uscript, and to report thereon. The meeting was made 
 unusually interesting by lectures of some old Masons. Mr. 
 Preston says, that Grand Master Payne appointed Dr. Desa- 
 guliers and James Anderson, A.M., to revise, arrange, and 
 digest the Constitutions. But as Preston does not give any 
 testimony in support of his declaration, that Dr. D. was placed 
 on that committee, and as we can not for a moment suppose 
 that one standing so high in the estimation of the world, as a 
 literary man and good Mason, as Dr. Anderson, would fail to 
 mention this fact, and especially so soon after the occurrence, 
 we do not hesitate to receive the statement made in his history 
 of Masonry, that Anderson alone was placed on that com- 
 mittee ; indeed, any other conclusion would leave a stain on 
 his good name, which his whole life contradicts ; but we know 
 tliat his manuscript was subjected to the most rigid scrutiny of 
 
 16 
 
242 HISTOBT OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 fourteen learned men and Masons, and that the Grand Lodge 
 authorized the publication of tlic work, approved of it after its 
 publication, and this it could not liave done Iiad Dr. Anderson 
 meanly deprived another brother of the lionor of being asso- 
 ciated with him in this noble work. Bro. Proston seems to 
 have fallen into another error, botli at wal- with tlie truth 
 and at variance with the above statement. He says in another 
 place that Grand Master Payne compiled the General Kegula- 
 tions, in 1721. Now, it is true tliat to Grand Master Payne 
 are the Fraternity indebted for setting on foot this inestimable 
 oublication ; for, at the period of liis election, the Craft had 
 fallen into many errors because tlie usages were not well under- 
 stood, and no one could determine, with certainty, in what 
 they consisted. To remedy this evil, Bro. Payne spared 
 neither labor nor pains to collect and compare ail the old 
 manuscripts he could gain access to, and finally urged upon the 
 Grand Lodge the importance of a compilation and digest ; but 
 more than this is nowhere attributed to him, save in Preston's 
 writings, and those who have taken his declaration as true, 
 without an examination of tlie subject. 
 
 As we notice several Grand Lodges are in error as to the 
 time at which Anderson's Constitutiom were received and 
 acknowledged as the fundamental law of the Grand I^odge of 
 England, and deeming it a matter of importance that this error 
 should not exist, wo make tiie following extract from Ander- 
 son's History : — " Grand Lodge met at tlio Fountain Tavern in 
 the Strand, in ample form, March 25, 1722, with former Grand 
 Officers and those of twenty-four Lodges. The said committee 
 of fourteen reported tliat Ihcy had perused Bro. Anderson's 
 manuscript, viz., the history, charges, regulations, and Master's 
 song, and, after some amendments, had approved the same. 
 Upon wliich the Lodge desired the Grand Master to order it 
 to be publislied." We have noticed in the reports of the differ- 
 ent Grand Lodges in the United States that the time of tlie 
 adoption of the Constitutions and Ancient Cliarges liavc been 
 variously set down at 1718-19-20-21-22 and 23. These dis- 
 crepcncies, we presume, have grown out of the action had by 
 the Grand Lodge of England upon that subject in each year ; but, 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 243 
 
 US before stated, they were adopted in 1722, and again approved 
 of and recommended to the perusal of the brethren in 1723, at 
 whicli meeting printed copies were before the Grand Lodge. 
 Masonry had now again become pojjular in England, espe- 
 cially witli the^nobility and gentry ; and so highly was the 
 office of Grand Master esteemed, that, to wear the honors, a 
 man, standing high in the estimation of the world, condescend- 
 ed to all that low truckling and trickery of electioneering 
 whicii have given notoriety to some little men of our day and 
 our own country. The Duke of Montagu had administered the 
 affaii'S of the Craft so wisely and well, that a large majority 
 desired to retain him in ofBce another year, but knowing that 
 aiiotlier brotlicr, a mere novice in Masonry, was jealously 
 aml)itious, and who was using every means to supplant him, 
 tlicy delayed the grand feast, but the ambitious aspirant, Philip, 
 Duke of Wharton, succeeded in getting a number of Masons 
 together at Stationer's Hall, June 24, 1722, who having no 
 Grand Officer present, put into the Chair the oldest Master 
 Mason then present, and who was Master of a Lodge, and hy 
 the great power in him vested, proclaimed Philip Wharton, Duko 
 of Wliarton, Gjrand Master of Masons, and Joshua Timson and 
 William Hawken, Grand Wardens ; but in the overjoy of his 
 licart at his high elevation, he forgot to appoint a Deputy, and 
 even forgot that it was necessary to open and close his Grand 
 Lodge in ample form. Our brethren over the water are 
 hereby informed that in cases of emergency we can do things 
 better than this in the United States ; for example, at the 
 meeting of the Grand Lodge, in the city of Xew York, on the 
 5th of June, 1849, a brother, in open Grand Lodge, proclaimed 
 the Grand Lodge dissolved {of course by the high power in him 
 vested), and actually went tlirough the flammery of electing 
 Grand Officers in open defiance of the legally installed Grand 
 Master and his officers. And this fungus Association had tlie- 
 effrontery to claim to be recognized as the Grand Lodge of the 
 State of New York. But this breach of Masonic faith and 
 common decency has been healed. As soon as it was known 
 that Wharton had been illegally proclaimed Grand Master, the- 
 good brethren refused to recognize his authority, end Grand 
 
244 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 Master Montagu convened the Grand Lodge, and Whartoc 
 came forward with a suitable apology and pledged himself to 
 submit to all the regulations of the Craft, and to be true and 
 faithful ; which humiliation moved upon the feelings of Grand 
 Master Montagu, and he suffered himself to commit a wrong by 
 causing "Wharton to be proclaimed Grand Master. He appoint 
 ed Dr. Desaguliers Deputy Grand Master, and Joshua Timsor 
 and James Anderson, Grand Wardens. This communicatiou 
 was lield on January 17, 1723, at which time Anderson present- 
 ed printed copies of his Constitutions, etc. The Grand Lodgfl 
 again convened on the 25th of April, 1723, the Grand Officers 
 and thirty Lodges represented. The Lodges were called by 
 the Grand Warden, Anderson, there being no Grand Secretary 
 yet appointed. Grand Master Wharton proposed for his suc- 
 cessor the Earl of Dalkeith, who was duly approved and 
 unanimously elected. The tickets for the next feast were 
 ordered to be ten shillings. At the assembly and feast on 
 June 24, 1723, Grand Master Wharton came, attended by 
 eminent brethren, in their coaches ; he sent for tlie Masters 
 and Wardens of Lodges, who came and formed the Grand 
 Lodge, presided over by Bro. William Cowper, now Grand 
 Secretary. Dr. Anderson informs us that at this feast there 
 were four hundred Masons, all dressed in their regalia, and 
 that tliey dined in due form. After dinner, Francis Scott, Earl 
 of Dalkeith, was duly installed. At a meeting April 28, 1724, 
 Grand Master Dalkeith proposed for his successor the most 
 noble Duke of Richmond, then Master of a Lodge, who was 
 joyfully saluted Grand Master-elect. " At the assembly and 
 feast, June 24, 1724, Grand Master Dalkeith, his Deputy, and 
 Wardens visited the Duke of Richmond, in the morning, at his 
 liouse in Whitehall, who, with many brothers duly clothed, 
 proceeded in coaches from the West io the £a*^, and were hand- 
 somely received at the hall by a vast assembly." 
 
 " The Grand Lodge met and having confirmed their choice 
 of Bro. Richmond, adjourned to dinner. Dinner being ended, 
 Grand Master Dalkeith made the first procession round the 
 tables, viz., Bro. Clinch to clear the way : the Stewards two 
 and two abreast, with white rods ; Secretary Cowper, with the 
 
HISTOKY OP FREEMASONRY. 245 
 
 Vig-,and on his left, the Master of a Lodge, with one great light ; 
 two other great lights borne by two Masters of Lodges ; 
 former Grand Wardens proceeding one by one, according to 
 juniority ; former Grand Masters proceeding according to jun- 
 iority ; Sorrel and Senex, the two Grand Wardens ; Desagu- 
 liers. Deputy Grand Master, alone ; the Sword carried by the 
 Master of the Lodge to which the Sword belonged ; the Book 
 of Constitutions on a cushion carried by the Master of the 
 Senior Lodge present, Richmond, Grand Master elect, and 
 Grand Master Dalkeith. During the procession round the 
 tables three times, the brethren stood up and faced about with 
 regular salutations ; and when returned, Bro. Dalkeith stood 
 up and, bowing to the assembly, thanked them for the honor he 
 had of being Grand Master, and then proclaimed aloud the 
 most noble prince and our Bro. Charles Lennox, Duke of 
 Richmond and Lennox, Grand Master of Masons. The Duke 
 having bowed to the assembly, Bro. Dalkeith invested him with 
 tlie ensigns and badges of his office and authority, installed 
 liim in Solomon's Chair, and, wishing him all prosperity, sat down 
 at his right had. Upon which the assembly joined in due 
 homage, affectionate congratulations, anl other signs of joy." 
 
 The Grand Master appointed Martin Folkes, Deputy Grand 
 Master, George Payne, P.G.M., and Francis Sorrell, Grand 
 Wardens. At a meeting of the Grand Lodge, November 21, 
 1724, P.G.M. Dalkeith proposed a fund of general charity for 
 the poor brothers which was unanimously adopted. This is 
 the first account of a charity fund we read of. We have 
 reasons to believe that, prior to this, relief was giien alone by 
 individual contributions. 
 
 At a meeting of the Grand Lodge, November 27, 1725, Grand 
 Master Richmond proposed for his successor Lord Paisley, and 
 at the assembly and feast on December 27, 1725, the Grand 
 Master was proclaimed, etc. Dr. Desaguliers was appointed D. 
 G. Master. We believe Grand Master Paisley did not attend 
 a meeting of the Grand Lodge until December 12, 1726, when 
 the Earl of Inchiquin was chosen Grand Master, and William 
 Cowper, Deputy Grand Master. In June, 1727, King George 
 L, after a reign of thirteen years, died and was succeeded by 
 
246 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 his brother King George II. The King was forty-four years old 
 when he, with his Queen Caroline, was crowned October il, 1727. 
 
 In examining the history of George I., our attention has beon 
 called to a sentiment of Dr. Anderson, which is at war wit!) 
 a portion of our present lecture on the E. Apprentice's degree 
 We tliouglit it had ever been customary to lay the first stone of, 
 a building in the north-east corner, until we read a description 
 of the manner in which the foundation of St. Paul's church was 
 laid, after the great fire in London ; and here again, more than 
 sixty years after, tlie south-east corner is spoken of, but for the 
 satisfaction of the reader, and especially the Mason, we will 
 make the following extract from Anderson : 
 
 " But St. Martin's church in the Fields was, at the sole charge 
 of the parishioners, rebuilt, strong and irregular, and it being a 
 royal parish cliurch, King George I. sent Richard, Bishop of 
 Salisbury, his lord almoner, as Deputy, and Thomas Hewett, 
 Esq., his Surveyor General, attended by Bro. Gibts (tlie 
 architect of that grand pile), with many Freemasons, in a 
 solemn procession from the palace, to level the foot-stone in the 
 south-east corner, by giving it three great knocks with a mallet, 
 in the King's name, and laying upon it a purse of one hundred 
 guineas; when the trumpets sounded, all joined in joyful ac- 
 clamations, and the Craftsmen went to the tavern to drink." 
 
 Masonry flourished in great prosperity throughout the entire 
 reign of George I., and the great number of fine buildings' 
 erected not only shows that the Craft, as operatives, were mucli 
 employed, but that architecture was much cultivated and im- 
 proved. 
 
 On the 19th December, 1727, the Grand Lodge wasassem- 
 bled, and the Deputy Grand Master, being authorized by the 
 Grand Master, who was absent, proposed Lord Colerane, who 
 was saluted ; and on the 27th of the same montli, Henry Hare,' 
 Lord Colerane, was duly installed, wlio appointed Alexander 
 Choke, Deputy Grand Master, and Nathaniel Blakesle/ and 
 Joseph Highmore, Grand Wardens. On the 27th December, 
 1728, Lord Kingston, of Ireland, was installed Grand Master, 
 who appointed Blakesley his Deputy. In 1729, Thomas Howard. 
 Earl of Great Britain, Duke of Norfolk, was installed with 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 247 
 
 more pomp and ceremony than any, perhaps, who had preceded 
 him. The very large assembly of Masons, including six Past 
 Grand Masters, formed a procession in chariots and carriages. 
 The annual assembly, or feast, had become a place of agreeable 
 resort to all Masons, and we notice that in all those annual pro- 
 cessions the most distinguished men took part, the most wealthy 
 and the noble born were there ; indeed, if we may judge from 
 what is recorded by Anderson, Preston, Smith, and others, we 
 conclude no Mason in good health failed to join the procession, 
 because of the weather being too warm, or too cold, nor any 
 other trivial reason ; all good Masons then turned out, and so 
 they do now, but it would seem that the number of _^ood Masons 
 are now proportionably small ; we have seen nearly as much 
 drumming to get up a respectable procession as is sowctimea 
 ueccssary to get up a respectabla thanksgiving. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 During the administration of the Duke of Norfolk as Grand 
 Master, he sent from Venice, where he was on a visit, twenty 
 pounds to be placed in the Charity Fund, and a large folio book, 
 elegantly bound, to serve as a record book. He also sent the 
 sword, formerly the property of Gustavus Adolplius, King of 
 Sweden ; afterward it was worn by the brave Duke of Saxe 
 Weimar. This sword the Grand Master caused to be orna- 
 mented and suitably engraved, and presented it to the Grand 
 Lodge, to be worn ever after by the presiding Grand Master. 
 It was called the Masonic Sword of State. At the communication 
 of the Grand Lodge in 1731, Lord Lovell was chosen Grand 
 Master. As the question has been mooted, whether it is pro- 
 per to install by proxy, we make the following extract from 
 Anderson's History of Masonry. He says : " Thomas, Duke 
 of Norfolk, Grand Master, proposed the Right Honorable 
 Thomas Coke, Lord Lovell, to succeed His Grace in Solomon's 
 Chair for the year ensuing. But Lord Lovell, being ill of an 
 ague, returned home and left Lord Colerane his proxy for the 
 day. All things being regularly transacted as above, Deputy 
 Grand Master Blakerby proclaimed aloud our noble Bro. 
 Thomas Coke, Lord Lovell, Grand Master of Masons.- Lord 
 Colerane being invested in his name, appointed Thomas Batson, 
 Esq., Deputy Grand Master, and George Douglass and James 
 Chambers, Grand Wardens." 
 
 In May, 1731, Grand Master Lovell and his officers, and the 
 Masters and Wardens of thirty-seven Lodges, met in Grand 
 Lodge. At this meeting it was resolved that the Committee 
 of Charity should be restrained from giving more than five 
 pounds to any petitioner for charity. We notice the passage 
 of a resolution at this meeting, which would seem to us of the 
 present day rather singular. It was found that, inasmuch as 
 
HISTORY OP PREEMASONET. 249 
 
 it was made the duty of the Grand Secretary to transmit to the 
 subordinate Lodges a copy of the minutes of the quarterly 
 communications, his labors had become burthensome, and by 
 resolution the Grand Lodge authorized them to be etched. 
 Now, if by this it is meant to engrave them on a plate so that 
 impressions could be taken, and be thus transmitted, we cai 
 not see why the more convenient and economical plan ot 
 printing with type was not adopted ; for in either case a pub- 
 lication was made, and we also know that before this time 
 Anderson's History of Masonry was printed, in which he bad 
 published the proceedings of the Grand Lodge from time to 
 time, more full and complete than would likely be done by 
 engraving. 
 
 We have said elsewhere, that formerly subordinate Lodges 
 were only authorized to confer the degree of Entered Appren- 
 tice;* the Grand Lodge, or Grand Master, alone having the 
 right to confer the degrees of Fellow Craft and Master 
 Mason. 
 
 In 1731, Grand Master Lovell issued a dispensation author- 
 izing a special Lodge to be held at the Hague, for the purpose 
 of initiating and passing His Royal Highness Francis, Duke of 
 Lorain, afterward Emperor of Germany. At this making, the 
 Sev. Dr.Desaguliers presided as W. Master. During the same 
 year Lorain visited England, and the Grand Master formed a 
 special Lodge, and raised the brother to the degree of Master 
 Mason. 
 
 In 1732, Lord Viscount Montagu was chosen Grand Master. 
 In 1733, the Earl of Strathmore was chosen Grand Master, 
 [who, being absent in Scotland, was installed by proxy. In this 
 year we find that the new colony of Georgia, in North America, 
 was recommended by the Grand Lodge of England to the 
 benevolence of the subordinate Lodges. Wo suppose the 
 bretliren of Georgia are now able and willing to return *.he 
 favor, should an occasion offer. 
 
 We confess our surprise that Dr. Anderson should publish to 
 the world a history, purporting to be the history of 'Masonry, 
 
 •Vid. Old R^iulaivm,xi3X. 
 
250 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 and yet so studiously abstain from saying anything of the Grand 
 Lodge at York. If he had been employed to write the liistory 
 of the Grand Lodge in the South of England alone, he shoula 
 have so told the world ; but lie who undertakes to write the 
 history of Masonry will fail of liis aim, if he withholds an 
 account of the oldest Grand Lodge then known. We are 
 aware that an unpleasant feeling long existed between the two 
 Grand Lodges ; but tiiis feeling was engendered mainly after 
 Anderson wrote ; but whetlier or not, we can conceive of no 
 reason that could have justified his course. Wo regret it the 
 more, because the Grand Lodge of York, as far as we know, 
 never ordered a publication of its proceedings, and our know- 
 ledge of its origin and liistory is very imperfect ; indeed, in 
 reference to its origin but little is known, save what may be 
 inferred from a tradition in tlic Fellow Craft's degree. 
 
 As we have iieretoforo given so much of the early history of 
 the Grand Lodge at York, as authentic information would 
 authorize, we will consider now that period embraced between 
 the seventeenth century and the dissolution of that Grand 
 body. 
 
 About the close of the seventeenth century. Masonry had 
 become very much neglected in the North as well as the South 
 of England, but still a few Lodges continued to meet and work. 
 In 1705, there was an assembly of Masons at York, ever which 
 Sir George Tempest presided as Grand Master. At this com- 
 munication many Masons were made, consisting not only of the 
 citizens of York, but of the surrounding country. The Right 
 Honorable Robert Benson, Lord Mayor of York, was the next 
 Grand Master, and to his administration were the Masons in 
 the North of England much indebted ; for he was not only a 
 lover of the Order, and well qualified to preside over the Grand 
 Lodge, but he gave so much attention to the promotion of the 
 Craft, that something like a revival took place, and the annual 
 feast which was held under his Grand Mastership was nu- 
 merous'y attended, and justly regarded as one of the most 
 splendid exhibitions of the kind ever witnessed in the city of 
 York. 
 
 Sir William Robinson was next chosen Grand Master, and 
 
niSTOBY OP PEEEMASONllY. 251 
 
 under his administration the Society flourished botli in numbers 
 and respectability. Sir Walter Hawkeswortli was tiic next 
 Grand Master, and after his termof service expired, Sir George 
 Tempest was again chosen to preside over the Craft in the year 
 1714. He was succeeded by Charles Fairfax in 1715. In 1716, 
 Sir Walter Hawkeswortli was again chosen Grand Master, who 
 presided with great dignity and usefulness until 1718. when he 
 was succeeded by Edward Bell, Esq. .In 1719, Charles 
 Bathhurst was chosen Grand' Master. In 1720, Edward 
 Thompson, M.E. lu 1722, Jolm Johnson, M.D., was Grand 
 Master, and in 1724, John Marsdcn was filling Solomon's Chair 
 at York, and during all- the period above named, the Craft in 
 the North of England continued in great prosperity. These 
 facts are taken from the old records of the Grand Lodge, and 
 for many years there is nothing to be found which goes to show 
 the slightest unpleasant feeling on the part of this Grand Lodge 
 toward the Grand Lodgeheld atLondon. Norisit likely thatany 
 serious difficulty would ever have existed had the Grand Lodge 
 of England held, at London,confined itself to a. strict observance 
 of the Ancient Landmarks, and issued charters for Lodges only 
 within a reasonable distance of its location ; but that this newly 
 constituted Grand Lodge did introduce some innovations, the 
 history and testimony of the three oldest Lodges in London 
 clearly thow ; and yet does it seem that the old Grand Lodge 
 of York was, for the sake of harmony, disposed to overlook all 
 this; but the Grand Lodge of England seemed to desire a 
 rupture between the two bodies, for it appears that at a period 
 when both Grand Lodges were prospering in the highest degree, 
 a few discontented or bad Masons at York, in bitterness of 
 spirit, applied to the Grand Lodge at London for a charter to 
 form a new Lodge in the city of York, and their request was 
 granted. This bearding of the lion in his den was anything 
 but courteous or Masonic, and the lookers on did not fail to 
 visit such conduct with marked disapprobation ; for though 
 the Grand Lodge at London continued to grow in strength 
 and influence, mainly because it was patronized and visited by 
 the noblemen and those in high places, the Grand Lodges of 
 Ireland and Scotland avoided intercourse with it ; nor is this 
 
252 HISTORY OP FEEBMASONEY. 
 
 remarkable when we remember that it had been everywhere 
 believed that the Grand Lodge of York was the oldest organ- 
 ized body of Masons that ever issued charters for the making of 
 Masons. This Grand Lodge had ever held sacred the original 
 tenets of the Order, and throughout the world Masons prided 
 themselves as being made under that auliiority which directly 
 or indirectly emanated from the Grand Lodge at York ; and 
 now that near a century and a half has passed since the organiza- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge at London, old Masons are generally 
 desirous to be considered York Masons. The Grand Lodge at 
 London has time and again disregarded and trampled under 
 foot the ancient usages of the Craft. It assumed the doubtful 
 right of publishing its proceedings ; it removed an Ancient 
 Landmark, by throwing off all connection with Operative 
 Masonry ; it sent a charter into the very city in which the old 
 Grand Lodge held its annual meetings ; it added to the number 
 of those who had ever constituted the Grand Lodge. No one 
 pretends to deny that, up to the period here alluded to, the 
 Masters and Wardens of particular Lodges alone constituted 
 the Grand Lodge ; but the Grand Lodge at London added there- 
 to, first, the P.G. Masters, then the P.D.G. Master, then the P.G. 
 Wardens, and not only the Masters and Wardens of the Stew- 
 ards' Lodge, but fifteen of the members also. Nor was this 
 all. At a later period, viz., 1813, even P. Masters of particular 
 Lodges were made members of the Grand Lodge. Who, then, 
 will wonder that with the sober and discreet Masons the Grand 
 Lodge at London was looked on with distrust ? But such is 
 the power and influence of money and birth, that the very 
 Grand Lodge who committed the first and only violations of 
 Masonic usage and Masonic law, trampled under foot the 
 Ancient Landmarks, and introduced novelties unknown to 
 the Fraternity, was ere long destined to triumph over all 
 opposition, and stand forth before the world as the only Grand 
 Lodge in England, with the assumed title of the Grand Lodge 
 of all Masons. Our readers need not start at this declaration, 
 for that it is true, look to their proclamation of the election of 
 Grand Master, and it will be seen that they always declared him 
 to be, not the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, but 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 253 
 
 the Grand Master of Masons. The Grand Lodge at York 
 styled itself the Grand Lodge of all England, while that at 
 London was called the Grand Lodge of England. The Grand 
 Lodge at York continued to decline from the period first 
 named until early in the nineteenth century, when it was 
 dissolved, and the Grand Lodge at London, alias the Grand 
 Lodge of England, has enjoyed since undivided authority over 
 the entire island. 
 
 As intimated, the Grand Lodge of England, as early as 1723, 
 adopted a system of disbursing charity through a committee, 
 similar in its character, and likewise in its component parts, to 
 the committee now acting in St; Louis, Missouri, called the 
 Board of Relief. Under the Grand Lodge of England, tlio 
 disbursement was intrusted to seven brothers ; soon after nine 
 more were added ; and, finally, the acting Masters of twelve 
 city Lodges and the Grand Ofiicers constituted the Charity 
 Conunittee, to whom all applications were made by those in 
 want of -assistance. The Committee met four times a year by 
 order of the Grand Master, or Deputy. At those meetings the 
 Committee passed upon all applications and disbursed to each 
 from time to time, five pounds, and, if peculiar cases required 
 more, the matter was presented to the Grand Lodge. This 
 system, or something like it, is necessary in every large town. 
 A brother applies for assistance, and if unknown to the 
 Fraternity,it is the duty of the Charity Committee to make 
 diligent inquiry to learn whether the applicant is wortliy. 
 
 About the period when Lord Lovell was Grand Master, the 
 Masons of Wales voluntarily came under the control of ihe 
 Grand Lodge of England, and a Provincial Grand Master was 
 appointed for the South, and another for the North of Wales. 
 As early as 1729 a Provincial Grand Lodge was, by Deputy, 
 established in New Jersey, America, and a Provincial Grand 
 Master was appointed for Lower Saxony. Indeed, as far as 
 we can judge, the Grand Lodge of England gave character, and, 
 in most instances, created nearly all the Lodges beyond •the 
 island, save those established by the Grand Lodges of Scotland 
 and Ireland. 
 
 In 1734, the Earl of Crawford was installed Grand Master. 
 
254 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 At this meeting Bro. Anderson informed the Grand Lodge that 
 a new edition of the Book of Constitutions was needed, and that 
 he liad been preparing materials for that purpose, whereupon he 
 was ordered to lay the said materials before the present and 
 past Grand OfHcers to be examined and reported upon. He 
 was also ordered to collect the names of all tlic patrons of 
 Masonry as far back as possible, and to insert the names of the 
 Stewards from the time of Grand Master Montagu. At this 
 communication the following edict was passed : — " That if any 
 Lodge, within the bills of mortality, shall cease to meet during 
 twelve calendar months, the said Lodge sliall bo crossed out of 
 the list ; and if reinstated shall lose its former rank." Another 
 regulation, designed to encourage the brethren to serve in the 
 Board of Stewards, was made, namely, That all the Grand 
 Officers, except the Grand Master, should be elected or choson 
 from tiie Stewards' Lodge. At this meeting also a report was 
 made, showing that there were, in the city of London, several 
 illegal assemblies of Masons, styling tlicm?elves Lodges, in 
 which persons were given the degrees of Masonry for a nominal 
 Bum of money. 
 
 Grand Master Crawford suffered himself to commit another 
 outrage on the rights of the Grand Lodge at York, by consti- 
 tuting two Lodges within its district, and without the approba- 
 tion or consent of said Grand Lodge, granted deputations — one 
 for Northumberland, one for Lancashire, and one for Durham. 
 This act of open disrespect and defiance so incensed the Grand 
 Lodge at York, that they no longer held any communication 
 v.'ith, or acknowledged the legal existence of the Grand Lodge 
 at London. A total estrangement followed, which is alluded 
 to by Bro. Anderson rather cavalierly in liis edition of the 
 Constitutions of 1738. He uses the following language, after 
 giving the names of the Provincial Grand Masters appointed 
 by the Grand Lodge of England : 
 
 "All these foreijn Lodges are under the parentage of our 
 Grand Master of England ; but the old Lodge at York City 
 and the Lodges of Scotland, Ireland, France, and Italy, affect- 
 ing independence, arc under their own Grand Masters, though 
 they have the same constitutions, charges, regulations, etc., for 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 255 
 
 substance, witli tlieir brethren of England, and are equally 
 zealous for the Augustan style, and the secrets of the ancient 
 and honorable Fraternity." 
 
 In April, 1735, Lord Weymouth was installed Grand Master, 
 and to give our readers some idea of the estimation in which 
 Ihe Fraternity was then held by the nobility and gentry, we 
 mention the following individuals as being present on that 
 occasion, viz., the Dukes of Richmond and Athol ; the Earls of 
 Crawford, Winchelsea, Balcarras, Weyms, and Loudon ; the 
 Marquis of Beaumont ; Lords Cathcart and Vene Bertre ; Sir 
 Cecil Wray and Sir Edward Mansell. 
 
 Under the administration of Lord Weymouth, a deputation 
 was granted to the Duke of Richmond to hold a Lodge at his 
 seat at Aubigny, in France ; thus wholly disregarding the 
 powers and jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of France. He 
 also issued a warrant to open a Lodge at Lisbon, and anothe.r 
 at Savannah, Georgia, in America. He further caused patents 
 to be issued for Provincial Grand Masters in South America 
 and West Africa. 
 
 At a meeting of the Grand Lodge, December 11. 1735, the 
 twelve Stewards, headed by their Master, Sir Robert Lawley, 
 appeared with their badges on. Previous to this they had not 
 been recognized as having any right to a seat in the Grand 
 Lodge, but the scene which followed furnishes another proof of 
 the readiness of the Grand Lodge to introduce novelties and 
 new regulations. On this occasion, a proposition was made to 
 allow the twelve Stewards seats and votes in the Grand Lodge, 
 which was resisted with such earnestness tliat utter confusion 
 pervaded the Grand Lodge, and, to avoid further evil, the 
 Grand Master was compelled to order it closed ; but the 
 Stewards eventually accomplished their wishes, and ever after 
 held seats in the Grand Lodge, although no order was ever 
 passed, or, if passed, never entered on record to that effect 
 until 1740, when twelve of the Stewards' Lodge were, not only 
 declared members, but authorized to take precedence of all 
 other Lodges in rank. 
 
 The Earl of London was chosen and installed Grand Master 
 in 1736. During his administration he granted provincial 
 
256 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 deputations to New England, South Carolina, and one to Cape 
 Coast Castle, Africa. 
 
 The Earl of Darnly was chosen and installed Grand Master 
 in 1737. 
 
 " On November 5, 1737, an occasional Lodge was held at the 
 Prince of Wales' palace at Kew, near Richmond, by the Rev.* 
 Dr. Desaguliers (formerly Grand Master), Master of this Lodge, 
 Mr. William Goften and Mr. Erasmus King, Grand Wardens. 
 The Right Honorable Charles Calvert, Lord Baltimore, the 
 Hon. Col. James Lumsley, the Hon. Major Madden, Mr. D. 
 Noyer, Mr. Vraden ; and when formed and tyled. His Royal 
 Highness, Frederick, late Prince of Wales, was in the usual 
 manner introduced and made an Entered Apprentice and 
 Fellow Craft. 
 
 " Our said Royal Brother Frederick was made a Master 
 Mason by the same Lodge, that assembled there again for that 
 purpose." * 
 
 Dr. Anderson does not say whether this particular Lodge 
 which conferred the degree of Master Mason was convened by 
 order of the Grand Master or not ; but we are left to infer that 
 such was not the case, as no allusion is made to the manner of 
 constituting it with such authority. It is true that we find a 
 Past Grand Master present, but up to this time, as far as we 
 know, the Grand Lodge, or Grand Master presiding, always 
 conferred the Master's degree. 
 
 The article just quoted settles another vexed question, so far 
 as a usage no older than this can do, viz., that it is not illegal 
 to give the two first degrees at the same meeting. But wc 
 trust the reader, who has thus far followed us with care, is pre- 
 pared to question the propriety of regarding the action of the 
 Grand Lodge of England as constituting a fundamental law for 
 our government. If that Grand body had strictly adhered to 
 the Ancient Landmarks as laid down in the Ancient Charges, we 
 would not hesitate to regard all her early enactments as fur- 
 nishing a basis and guide for ours, but we have seen that again 
 and again, the most sacred rules have been trampled under 
 
 * AndersonV, OmslUidionf edition 1756, p. 123. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 257 
 
 foot whenever and wherever expedieacy seemed to call for it. 
 The question may arise — To what source, if not to the Grand 
 Lodge of England, shall we go for correct precedent or ancient 
 laws. While we acknowledge that to the Grand Lodge of 
 England we are indebted more than to all other sources for 
 authentic information in relation to the usages of the Order, 
 and while we receive as authority that which was collated and 
 Dublished by that body, as constituting the fundamental law for 
 the government of Masons throughout the world, we can not 
 consent to bow with submission to those edicts of the Grand 
 Lodge of England, which contravene or make void the very 
 laws which they proclaimed to the world as fundamental. We 
 are, therefore, left with no other reliable source from which to 
 learn what ancient usage is than the Ancient Charges found in 
 Anderson's Constitutions. Any action of the Grand Lodge of 
 England in the eighteenth century which does not interfere 
 with said charges, should be looked upon with the respect due 
 to their age and the distinguished brethren who enacted them ; 
 but to go further than this is to lose sight of the very principles 
 which they set out to maintain. 
 
 There is scarcely a year in our time that we do not learn of 
 some Grand Lodge, being at the moment ignorant of the spirit 
 and intent of the ancient landmarks, committing the greatest 
 blunders, superinduced by expediency. Even the Grand Lodge 
 of England, to whom all would willingly pay homage, and 
 gladly look for a bright example, set at defiance, blotted out, 
 expunged one of the very landmarks preserved and handed 
 down by that Grand body, and regarded everywhere as being 
 as sacred as any one in the whole code of fundamental laws. A 
 mere matter of expediency, begot in fanaticism, has led that 
 body to strike out "born," and insert"" man," so that liberated 
 slaves might be made Masons. 
 
 At a regular communication of the Grand Lodge, January 
 25, 1738, Anderson's new edition of the Book of Constitutions 
 was approved and ordered to be printed. 
 
 April 27, 1738, the Marquis of Carnarvan was chosen G. 
 Master, who appointed John Ward, Esq., Deputy G. Master, Lord 
 George Graham and Captain Andrew Robinson G. Wardens. 
 
258 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 "We make the following extract from the minutes of the Grand 
 Lodge, in order to show with what zeal the Masons of that day 
 attended to the business of the Fraternity : 
 
 " Grand Lodge held at the Devil's Tavern on Wednesday, 
 January 31, 1739. Present — 
 
 The Marquis of Carnarvan, G. Master ; 
 
 William Grame, as D. G. Master ; 
 
 Lord George Graham, Senior G. Warden ; 
 
 Andrew Robinson, Junior G. Warden ; 
 
 George Payne, John T. Desaguliers, LL.D., P.R.S., Earl of 
 Loudon and Earl of Darnley, P. G. Masters ; 
 
 Thomas Batson, Esq., late D. Grand Master ; 
 
 Mr. Jacob Samball ; 
 
 Martin O'Conner, Esq., Martin Clare, A.M., F.R.S., late G. 
 Wardens ; 
 
 Robt. Tomlinson, Esq., Provincial G. Master of New England ; 
 
 John Hammerton, Provincial Grand Master of Carolina ; 
 
 And the Masters and Wardens of ninety-two Lodges." • 
 
 From this we may form some idea of the rapid growth and 
 prosperity of Masonry in England, when we remember that 
 little more than twenty years previous to this period only four 
 Lodges could be found in the South of England to take part in 
 forming a Grand Lodge. In May, 1739, Lord Raymond was 
 chosen Grand Master, who appointed William Graeme, M.D., 
 F.R.S., Deputy Grand Master ; John Harney Thursby, S. G. 
 Warden ; Robert Pay, Esq., J. G. Warden. 
 
 In June, of this year, a complaint was laid before the Grand 
 Lodge, charging that some of the brethren had been guilty of 
 making Masons in a clandestine manner ; but the subject wa» 
 postponed, and was again taken up in December following, when 
 the brethren charged came forward with suitable acknowledg- 
 ments, and were pardoned. At this communication twenty 
 pounds were appropriated for the relief of a brother, who had 
 been inhumanely treated by the Inquisition at Florence, for no 
 other reason than that he was a Mason, and true to his trust. 
 We wish our readers to bear this in mind, for the reason that 
 some Grand Lodges in the United States have passed resolu- 
 tions declaring that it is no part of the business of a Grand 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 259 
 
 Lodp:e to give alms. In the history of the Grand Lodge of 
 England we learn that at almost every communication more or 
 less funds were appropriated for therelief of the distressed ; and, 
 in addition, the Grand Lodge had a Charity Committee, whose 
 business it was to afford relief when the Grand Lodge was not 
 in session. We confess our surprise at the attempt to estab 
 lish this new doctrine, that a Grand Lodge was only a legisla 
 tive body. We hope never again to hear of a brother, a 
 widow, or orphan, knocking at the door of a Grand Lodge for - 
 relief and receive for an answer, " Though we tax subordinate 
 Lodges in order to create a charity fund, yet it is no business 
 of ours to disburse it." 
 
 In 1740, the Right Honorable John Keith, Earl of Kintore, 
 was chosen Most Worshipful Grand Master, or, to use the 
 language of the Grand Lodge of England, Right Worshipful 
 Grand Master. 
 
 Here we obtain the first evidence of a departure from the 
 Ancient Regulations, which requires every Mason to be and 
 continue affiliated with some Lodge. We make the following 
 extract from the minutes of the Grand Lodge, held July 23, 
 1740: 
 
 " This Lodge put in force the regulation which requires every 
 petitioner for charity to have been a member of some regular 
 Lodge within the space of five years." 
 
 On ai^other occasion, the Grand Lodge passed a resolution 
 that every petitioner for charity should, at the time, be a member 
 of some regular Lodge. 
 
 About this time, a number of brethren, either from disap- 
 pointed ambition, or, it may be as they professed, from a belief 
 that innovations had crept .into the Grand Lodge of England, 
 withdrew their connection and support from the regular 
 Lodges, formed themselves into new Lodges, and took upon 
 themselves the power to make Masons without authority from 
 any Grand Lodge ; and so reckless did they become, that, in 
 order to increase their numbers and enlarge their influence, 
 they initiated, passed, and raised for a mere nominal sum of 
 money. The Grand Lodge took notice of this irregular con- 
 (!uct, and the brethren thus censured, availing themselves of 
 
260 HISTOET OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 the misunderstanding and unbrotherly feeling existing between 
 (he Grand Lodge of England and that of York, openly charged 
 the former with introducing innovations, and themselves assum- 
 ed the cognomen of York Masons. 
 
 It will be remembered that the Grand Lodge of Eugland 
 had given just cause of offense to the Grand Lodge at York, 
 by iuterfering with its acknowledged jurisdiction, and it is not 
 to be supposed that the latter would make an effort at recon- 
 ciliation ; indeed, it is probable that the members of the Fra- 
 ternity holding under the Grand Lodge at York rather 
 encouraged the schism. The arrogance of the Grand Lodge 
 of England, and the high veneration in which the Grand Lodge 
 of York was held by the Scotch and Irish Masons, tended 
 rather to create distrust and disaffection ; and though the 
 measures adopted by the Grand Lodge of England for the 
 punishment of those who acted in defiance of Masonic law had 
 the effect to check the lawless outbreak, it only had this effect 
 for a short time. At every meeting of the Grand Lodge, or 
 the quarterly communications, turmoil and confusion was 
 produced by complaints against the regular Lodges on the one 
 hand, and efforts to heal the breach and punish the leading 
 offenders on the other. The edicts of the Grand Lodge, enforc- 
 ing the penal laws against those who participated in the estab- 
 lishment of clandestine Lodges, caused the seceding Masons to 
 call in question the authority of that body. There were now 
 so many clandestine Lodges in London, that some decisive 
 measure became necessary, and we are told that one was 
 adopted by which all who were clandestinely made could be 
 detected, and thus prohibit them from visiting the regular 
 Lodges. This, more than anything, tended to exasperate the 
 seceding party, and they openly declared their independence 
 of the Grand Lodge of England, assembled themselves together 
 and formed what they chose to call the Grand Lodge of Ancient 
 Masons.* They constituted new Lodges, denounced all the 
 Lodges held under the Grand Lodge of England as being 
 modern Masons, and pretended to justify their course by 
 
 * Established in 1753. 
 
HI8T0ET OF F&EBMASONRY. 261 
 
 declaring that the Ancient York Constitutions sustained and 
 Hpheld them ; and that this might the more plausibly appear 
 to their followers and the World, they published a garbled and 
 mangled collection of the Ancient Charges and Constitutions, 
 Styling it the Ahiman Rezon. This book, under the authority 
 of this clandestine and illegd,! Grand Lodge, found its way into 
 the American Colonies, has been republished by Maryland, 
 Virginia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina ; and, indeed, until 
 recently it has been regarded generally as a true copy of 
 Anderson's Ccmstitufions ; but any brother can readily satisfy 
 himself that such is not the fact, by taking up either of the 
 above named editions, and comparing them with Anderson. 
 When we come to treat of the history of Masonry in th« United 
 States, we shall probably have occasion to refer to this spurious 
 book again ; but lest we should be misunderstood, we wish it 
 distinctly borne in mind that we do not say the Ahiman Rezon 
 contains nO part of the Ancient Charges and Ancient Con- 
 stitutions ; on the contrary, it contains the greater part of these 
 old documents ; but so much is added and intermixed with the 
 ancient law that no man living would be able to determine 
 what was ancient and what modern, unless he had a copy of 
 Anderson's Constitutions with which to compare. It is trtily 
 said that a " rose will smell as sweet by any othet flame ;" and 
 it is equally true, that the fact of calling the clandestine Lodge 
 of London the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, by no means 
 made it what its name imported ; but it is a fact, nevertheless, 
 that the fascinating title or name thus impudently assumed did 
 fliislead quite a number of worthy, and some prominent and 
 otherwise well-informed men. This irregular Grand Lodge 
 was, for a time, presided over by men of the highest standing, 
 and when we remember that the Masons of Scotland and Ire- 
 land acknowledged it, and tepudiated the regular Grand 
 Lodge, from a false supposition that the latter was governea 
 by modern rules, while the former was working under the 
 York standard, or ancient law — we say, under this state of 
 things it is not remarkable that charters from this irregular 
 Grand Lodge found their way into America, and became the 
 standard of Masonic light ; but this state of things can not long 
 
202 HISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 exist, for all who will make a strict and impartial examination 
 must become satisfied that this new Grand Lodge had beeu 
 founded in error, and made bad worse by so mutilating tl:e 
 ancient laws, and adding new and unauthorized regulations, as 
 to throw the Craft into confusion and disrespect. Even thote 
 who had with pain witnessed departures from the Ancient Land- 
 marks by the Grand Lodge of England, were constrained to 
 admit that the new Grand Lodge had erred in this respect, to 
 a much greater extent ; and the sober, thinking, and discreet 
 of the brethren, were daily deserting its jurisdic|ion. 
 
 On March 19, 1741, the Earl of Morton was chosen Grand 
 Master. Under his administration the Grand Treasurer, Secre- 
 tary, and Sword Bearer, became members of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 Lord Ward was chosen Grand Master in April, 1742. This 
 royal brother is represented as being well versed in all the rites, 
 ceremonies, and usages of the Fraternity, as well as the govern- 
 ment of the Craft, having filled every office, from Secretary in 
 a private Lodge to Grand Master. The wisdom and modera- 
 tion with which he presided over the Grand Lodge tended 
 much to break down the bitter feelings which had grown up 
 between the members of the two Gnand Lodges in London. 
 During his administration, which lasted two years, perfect 
 harmony was restored in all the Lodges under his jurisdiction, 
 owning allegiance to his Grand Lodge. He established several 
 new Lodges, and appointed a Provincial Grand Master for Lan- 
 caster, three for the Island of Jamaica, and one for North 
 America. 
 
 About this time we find the first rule laid down for the order 
 of a procession. We present the following, taken from Ander- 
 son : — " On a motion by a late Worthy Grand Warden, it was 
 now ordered that the procession in the Hall, at all future 
 Grand feasts, be made by the following brethren and in the 
 following manner, viz., 
 
 Tyler to clear the way before the Musick. 
 
 The Musick. 
 
 The 1 st Light, carried by the Master of the 4th Lodge. 
 
 The Wardens of the Stewards' Lodge. 
 
 The Master of the Stewards' Lodge. 
 
HIETOEY OP FEEEMASONET. 263 
 
 The Grand Secretary with the bag. 
 
 The Grand Treasurer with the Stafif. 
 
 The Provincial Grand Masters, juniors to walk first. 
 
 All Past Junior Grand Wardens, juniors to walk first. 
 
 All Past Senior Grand Wardens, juniors to walk first. 
 
 The 2nd Light, carried by the Master of the 3rd Lodge. 
 
 All former Deputy Grand Masters, juniors to walk first. 
 
 All former Grand Masters, juniors to walk first. 
 
 The 3rd Light, carried by the Master of the 2nd Lodge. 
 
 The Junior Grand Warden. The Senior Gratd Warden. 
 
 The Deputy Grand Master. 
 
 The Master of the Senior Lodge, with the Constitution on a 
 
 cushion. 
 The Grand Master-elect. 
 The Sword Bearer, carrying the Sword of State. 
 The Grand Master." 
 The following new regulation was adopted at the same com- 
 munication : 
 
 "Bro. Fatherly Baker proposed for a law or order of the 
 Grand Lodge, that no brother do presume to print, or cause to 
 be printed, the proceedings of any Lodge, or any part thereof, 
 or the names of the persons present at such Lodge, but by the 
 direction of the Grand Master or the Deputy Grand Master, 
 under pain of being disowned for a brother, and not to be 
 admitted into any quarterly communication or Grand Lodge, or 
 any Lodge whatsoever ; and of being rendered incapable of 
 having any office in the Craft. It was unanimously agreed to, 
 and ordered to be entered as a law of the Grand Lodge." 
 
 In May, 1744, Earl Strathmore was chosen Grand Master, 
 who was absent during his whole term, and the business 
 devolved on the other officers. He appointed a Provincial 
 Grand Master for Bermuda. 
 
 Lord Cranstoun was chosen Grand Master in 1T45, and con- 
 tinued in office for two years. Under his administration 
 Masonry greatly revived ; several new Lodges were formed. 
 
 About this period mock processions were gotten up, with a 
 view to throw the Fraternity into ridicule. This disgraceful 
 proceeding was traced to Masons who had become offended, 
 
liGt HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 and professed to be disgnsted with these public shows. The 
 ftrand Lodge discontinued public processions. 
 
 Lord Byron was chosen Grand Master in 1747, and held the 
 office for five years. His zeal and ability tended very powerfully 
 to elevate the standard of Masonry, and the more so from the 
 wisdom manifested in the selection of his assistants. Pew men 
 in the eighteenth century equaled his Deputy, Fatherly Baker, 
 in a thorough knowledge of the laws and usages of Masonry ; 
 and whether in the absence of the Grand Master, or in his com- 
 pany, the confidence and respect of the Fraternity was inspired 
 wherever he visited. Two such officers as these the Grand 
 Lodge of England seldom had. Preston says that he issued a 
 patent (charter) for Denmark, Norway, Pennsylvania, Minorca, 
 and New York. This latter parchment we have no account of, 
 as far as recollected, in the history of Masonry in New York. 
 A charter was issued in 1737 and in 1781, to form a Provincial 
 Grand Lodge in New York ; the former by the Grand Lodge 
 of England, and the latter by the illegal Grand Lodge of An- 
 cient Masons, so called, but we know nothing of the charter of 
 1750. Lord Byron was succeeded by Lord Carysfort, 1752, 
 who not only sustained an equally proud stand with his efficient 
 predecessor, but in some things greatly surpassed him. He was 
 remarkable for his judicious management of the funds of the 
 Grand Lodge, and no Grand Master ever evinced more tact and 
 management in the preservation of order and harmony in the 
 Craft ; and this was the more easily and effectually done be- 
 cause of his readiness, on all occasions, to visit the Lodges, and 
 encourage a strict conformity to the usages. He is represented 
 as being prompt in his decisions, affable and kind in his man- 
 ners, and candid in all things. 
 
 His Deputy, Dr. Manning, was also very efficient in his aid 
 to the Grand Master. It is therefore, not remarkable that 
 Lord Carysfort was reelected in 1753, On examination we 
 find that Preston speaks of a patent issued by this Grand 
 Master, also for. New York. We hence infer that what are 
 termed patents by Anderson and Preston in these cases, are to be 
 understood only as charters for particular Lodges, and not, dfe we 
 had supposed for the formation of Grand Lodges, Provincial. 
 
HISTORY OP PREEMASONET. 265 
 
 The Matquis of Garnarvan^ was chosen Grand Master in 
 1754. He" ordered the Book of Constitutions reprinted, under 
 a resolution of the Grand Lodge. The following . brethren 
 composed the committee to revise, correct, and make such 
 additions as were required, viz. : The Right Worshipful Grand 
 Master ; the other present Grand Officers ; George Payne ; the 
 Earl of Loudoun ; Lord Ward and Lord Carysfort, late Grand 
 Masters ; Sir Robert Lawkey ; Edward Hady, M.D.; Thomas 
 Smith ; Rev. John Entick, M.A.; Arthur Beardmore ; and 
 Edward Bowman. 
 
 The edition which this Committee were appointed to prepare 
 was published in 1756, a copy of which is now in the possession 
 of the author of this History. It is styled Entick's Edition of 
 Anderson's Constitutions. From this work we make the follow- 
 ing extract, purporting rfo be the minutes of the Grand Lodge, 
 March 20, 1755 : 
 
 " The Grand Lodge then took into consideration a complaint 
 against certain brethren, for forming and assembling under the 
 denomination of a Lodge of Ancient Masons, who, as such, 
 consider themselves as independent of this Society, and not 
 subject to our laws, or to the authority of our Grand Master ; 
 when the Deputy Grand Master (presiding) took notice of the 
 great necessity there was to discourage all such meetings, not 
 only as the same were contrary to our laws, and a great insult 
 to the Grand Master and the whole body of Free and Accepted 
 Masons, but as they likewise tended to introduce into our Craft 
 the novelties and conceits of opinionative persons, and to create 
 a belief that there have been other societies of Masons more 
 ancient than that of this ancient and honorable Society ; and the 
 question being put, that the meeting of any brethren of this 
 Society, as or under any denomination of Masons other than as 
 brethren of this our ancient and honorable Society of Free and 
 Accepted Masons, is inconsistent with the honor and interest 
 of the Craft, and a high insult on our Grand Master and the 
 whole body of Masons, it was carried in the affirmative." 
 
 On May 18, 1757, Carnarvan was succeeded by Lord Aber- 
 dour. 
 
 We have now passed over a long period of time, throughout 
 
266 HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRT. 
 
 all of which we have seen the Fraternity, though occasioaally 
 in trouble, yet in the main flourishing to a greater 'extent thai 
 during any period of time of the same length. The reign of 
 George II. was a brilliant one for Masonry ; the governmen 
 of the Society was in the hands of the wisest and best men, not 
 only in England, but elsewhere. The nobility were proud of 
 their membership, and delighted in the ritual and teachings of 
 our Order. Nor were the clergy less the encoui'agers and 
 patrons of the Institution. King George II. died October 5, 
 1760, and on the next day George III. was proclaimed. The 
 reign of this Prince calls up in the minds of American citizens 
 reminiscences of the glorious struggle of the noble spirits of 
 '76 ; it calls to mind that document (the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence) which is destined to be handed down and held in 
 Teneration whenever and wherever th^ stars and stripes shall 
 wave over the sons of freemen ; and it may be that the wrongs 
 inflicted by the King and his Parliament upon our forefathers 
 may tend to blind our judgment to a proper estimate of the 
 King's wisdom and virtues. Indeed, we doubt whether any true 
 American is qualified to write his history. That his popularity 
 at home was founded on a belief of his private virtues and 
 profound wisdom can not be denied. No king ever ascendecl« 
 the throne with a purer reputation, and none was more loved 
 by his subjects. Indeed, it is very questionable whether 
 England contained another man who could so long have kept 
 an army quartered in the American colonies, making war upon 
 their kindred and friends, in violation of every principle of 
 iustice and the inalienable rights of freemen. It is a fact not 
 as generally known as it should be, that many, very many of 
 the most effective battles for American independence were 
 fought in the beer-shops, taverns, and private families in Eng- 
 land. The great body of the people, though proud of the honoi 
 of British arms and British valor, disapproved of the course 
 pursued by the ministry, in making war upon the American 
 Colonies ; and a much longer continuation of hostilities would 
 most likely have led to a revolution in England. The reign of 
 George III. is marked by the onward march of the sciences. 
 Distant regions were explored, and every encouragement 
 
HISTORY OP FREBMASONET. 267' 
 
 was given to the dissemination of knowledge. Masonry had 
 now become a powerful auxiliary in the cultivation of the arts 
 and sciences, and a means by which the pure principles of 
 morality were diffused through every ramification of society 
 over the civilized world. Its benign influence was being felt 
 and acknowledged where, but a short time before, its foot-prints 
 were never known, or had been so dimmed by time as not to 
 be distinguished. But we must not lose sight of the fact that, 
 while Masonry arose in might and majesty, and spread far and 
 wide a happy influence upon the minds of men, its very increas- 
 ing popularity tended most powerfully to the introduction 
 of novelties and innovations, from which it is not known that 
 it can ever recover. It will be seen in the course of the 
 following pages, that, instead of .the original three degrees, 
 innumerable others have been instituted, no one knows where, 
 or by whom ; until, at the present day, n,o man knows when he 
 has taken all ; nor has this alarming increase yet ceased. 
 Every year we hear of from one to a dozen side degrees never 
 heard of before, and it requires no spirit of prophesy to foresee 
 that many of these are likely, at no distant day, to be engrafted 
 nto and made part of the so called regular degrees. But as 
 the subject here alluded to will be treated of in its appropriate 
 place, we dismiss it for the present, and return to the order of 
 our history. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 In the early part of the reign of George III., Masonry 
 flourished throughout the kingdom of Great Britain, and 
 extended its influence in otlier and distinct countries. The 
 Constitutions, as preserved and transmitted by the Grand Lodge 
 at York, were then, as now, universally acknowledged as the 
 only written authority going to show the Ancient Landmarks 
 and usages of the Order, and hence was the Grand Lodge of 
 England applied to for authority to establish and constitute 
 Lodges in various quarters of the civilized world. 
 
 Lord Aberdour remained at the head of the Fraternity five 
 years. During his administration, the public festivals and 
 yearly communications were regularly observed. We confess 
 our surprise at the number of Provincial Graiid Masters 
 appointed by this Grand Master, though some of them we 
 believe were appointed to fill vacancies. He appointed one foi* 
 Antigua, and the Leeward Caribbee Islands, also for the towns 
 of Norwich and Norfolk ; for the Bahama Islands ; for Ham- 
 burg and Lower Saxony ; for Guadaloupe ; for Lancaster ; 
 for Georgia ; for Canada ; for Andalusia ; for Bermuda ; for 
 Carolina ; for Mosquito Shore ; and for East India. 
 
 Lord Aberdour was succeeded by the Earl Ferrers, in 1762, 
 from which date it seems Masonry was much neglected. The 
 nobility and gentry, in a great measure, withdrew from the 
 Society, or ceased to attend the meetings of the Lodges, and 
 even the annual feasts were much neglected. At this falling 
 off, no one acquainted with the tendency of human associations, 
 whether religious, moral, or benevolent, should be surprised. 
 Each have their revivals and depressions. We will not stop 
 to enter into a metaphysical disquisition in order to show the 
 causes which ever have and ever will produce these seemingly 
 unnatural changes in human affairs, believing it only necessary 
 
HISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 269 
 
 to say here, that such events are to be looked for in almost 
 every department of life. 
 
 Gen. John Salter was Deputy Grand Master under Ferrers, 
 and to him is the Fraternity indebted, more than to the Grand 
 Master, for the preservation of order and the maintenance of 
 the principles of our Institution. 
 
 In 1764, Lord Blainey was chosen Grand Master. During 
 his administration the Dukes of Gloucester and Cumberland 
 (brothers to theKing), were made Masons. Eleven warrants 
 were issued under this administration. Thomas Dunckerley 
 was justly esteemed a luminary in Masonry, and to him much 
 is due for his prominent and untiring efforts to restore the 
 Order to its wonted dignity. The Grand Lodge, being aware 
 of his ^valuable services, did him the honor to order that he 
 should rank as a P. Senior G. Warden, and in all processions 
 take his station next to the acting officer of that grade. 
 
 In Blainey's administration we have an evidence of the undue 
 influence which birth is sometimes made to exercise, even in 
 Masonry, where one of the first lessons taught is that all meet 
 upon the level. 
 
 The following resolution will exemplify our meaning : 
 
 " Resolved, That, as the Grand Lodge entertains the highest 
 sense of the honor conferred on the Society, by the initiation 
 of the Dukes of Gloucester and Cumberland, each of their royal 
 highnesses be presented with an apron lined with blue silk ; 
 and that, in all future processions, they shall rank as Past Grand 
 Masters, next to the Grand Officers for the time being." 
 
 A similar resolution was passed in reference to their brother, 
 the Duke of York, who, in his travels, had been made a 
 Mason. 
 
 The Duke of feeaufort was chosen Grand Master, in 1767. 
 
 In 1768, letters were received from the Grand Lodge of 
 France, proposing to open and keep up a regular and fraternal 
 correspondence and interchange of Masonic courtesies between 
 the two Grand Lodges, which was cheerfully agreed to by the 
 Grand Lodge of England, and, forthwith a copy of the English 
 Constitutions, together with a list of subordinate Lodges, was 
 ordered to be forwarded to the Grand Lodge of France. 
 
'210 .HISTOEr OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Beaufort interested himself warmly for the promotion of the 
 prosperity and harmony of the Order. He it was wiio first 
 proposed to apply for a charter of incorporation of the Grand 
 Lodge of England. Some of the brethren misconceiving his 
 object, and the effect of being incorporated, opposed the 
 measure, and the Fraternity was soon warmly divided into 
 parties upon the subject ; but, on the final vote, the Lodges 
 sustained the proposition, one hundred and sixty-eight to forty- 
 three. 
 
 A bill was introduced into parliament to incorporate the 
 Society, by the Hon. Mr. Dillon ; but on its being opposed by 
 one of the members, at the request of some Masons, Mr. Dillon 
 moved its indefinite postponement, which was carried. 
 
 About this time, and during the pendency of this question, 
 Hon. Charles Dillon, D. G. Master, introduced a proposition 
 to raise funds for building a grand Masonic Hall, by taxing 
 the officers of the Grand Lodge, and all who should apply for 
 initiation into the mysteries of Masonry, also those brethren 
 who should apply for membership in the Lodges. * 
 
 Some have doubted the right of the Grand Lodge of Mis- 
 souri to levy a contribution upon the candidates for degrees, 
 to be applied to the use and support of the Masonic College ; 
 *%ut, aside from other and unanswerable arguments, it must be 
 admitted, that if the Grand Lodge of England possessed the 
 power to levy and collect fees from the applicants for degrees, 
 for the purpose of building a hall, surely it is competent for a 
 Grand Lodge to levy and collect a tax, to be applied in the 
 education of the sons of Masons, or any others. 
 
 At this period the Grand Lodge had on deposit, in the three 
 per cent, fund bank, one thousand three hundred pounds, stand- 
 ing in the name of Berkley Beardmore, which the Grand Lodge 
 ordered to be transferred to the names of their Grand Officers. 
 This order was resisted by Beardmore ; but soon after, in 
 consequence of his death, the transfer was made without op- 
 position. 
 
 The rapid increase of foreign Lodges, holding under the 
 Grand Lodge of England, suggested the propriety of consti- 
 tuting an office, the incumbent of which should have the special 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 271 
 
 Huperintendeiice of said foreign Lodges. The Grand Lodge, 
 therefore, appointed a Provincial Grand Master for all foreign 
 Lodges, to whom the reports of particular Provincial Grand 
 Masters and foreign Lodges, vi^here there was no such officer, 
 should be made. 
 
 Grand Master Beaufort also appointed an Inspector General 
 for that district, known to be within the bills of mortality ; but 
 this measure met the decided disapprobation of the city Lodges, 
 and the of&ce was soon after abolished. 
 
 In 1770, a communication was received from Baron de Boetze- 
 laer, Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of the United 
 Provinces of Holland and their dependencies. This communi- 
 cation asked to be acknowledged as an independent Grand 
 Lodge, and proposed to the Grand Lodge of England that, if 
 it would, for the future, refuse to give warrants for establish- 
 ing Lodges within the provinces as named, the Grand Lodge 
 of Holland agreed to yield to England the exclusive juris- 
 diction over all countries in which the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land then had subordinate Lodges. These terms were acceded 
 to, and articles of fraternal friendship and intercourse were 
 freely entered into between the two Grand bodies. 
 
 In 1772, Lord Petre was chosen Grand Master. At this 
 period a considerable sum of money had accumulated in the 
 hands of the Grand Lodge, belonging to the hall fund, and a 
 Committee was raised for the purpose of carrying out the plan 
 of erecting a hall. By their report in 1774, they had con- 
 tracted for the purchase of a lot of ground, situated in Great 
 Queen street, for the sum of three thousand one hundred and 
 eighty pounds. The cost of erecting the hall was estimated, 
 by the same Committee, at three thousand pounds, and yet, 
 twenty years after, it appears the hall had cost about twenty- 
 five thousand pounds, which sum was raised mainly by the sale 
 of annuities for life, of five pounds for every share of fifty 
 ' pounds. On the first of May, 1775, the foundation-stone was 
 laid in solemn form. This handsome structure was completed 
 in about twelve months, and on the 20th of May, 1776, it was 
 dedicated in Masonic form to Masonry, Virtue, Universal^ Clia- 
 rity, and Benevolence, in the presence of a large and brilliant 
 
272 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 assembly. This Masonic Hall, we believe, is still standing, 
 and is occupied in part for Masonic purposes. It may be a 
 matter of wonder to some that, in the great metropolis of Eng- 
 land, the Masons are unable to set aside the whole building for 
 Masonic purposes, but those who have lived in large cities and 
 have witnessed the large and perpetual drain upon the funds 
 of the Society, for the relief of suffering humanity, will not b3 
 surprised. We do not hesitate to say that generally the small 
 country Lodges are much more apt to have surplus funds oh 
 hand than any situated in a city or commercial town. 
 
 About the period here referred to, a fraternal correspondence 
 and interchange of Masonic courtesies were opened between the 
 Grand Lodges of England and Germany. It seems that the 
 latter, whether as a condition or not of this arrangement of 
 amity and brotherly intercourse, agreed to contribute annually 
 to theCharity Fund of the former. 
 
 In 1776, the Grand Lodge of England resolved that all Past 
 Grand Officers should wear a gold jewel, the ground enameled 
 blue — all the jewels were worn pendent to a blue ribbon. 
 
 About this period clandestine Masonry again attracted atten- 
 tion ; in reference to which- the Grand Lodge issued the 
 following edict, in 1777 : — " That the persons who assemble in 
 London and elsewhere in the character of Masons, calling 
 themselves Ancient Masons, and at present said to be under the 
 patronage of the Duke of Athol, are not to be countenanced or 
 acknowledged by any regular Lodge or Mason under the Con- 
 stitution of England. Nor shall any regular Mason be present 
 at any of their Conventions, to give a sanction to their proceed- 
 ings, under the penalty of forfeiting the privileges of the 
 Society. Nor shall any person initiated at any of their irregular 
 meetings be admitted into any Lodge, without being remade.* 
 That this censure shall not extend to any Lodge or Mason 
 
 * Preeton says : — " This censure only extends to those irregular Lodges iu 
 London which seceded from the Fraternity, in 1738, and can not apply to the 
 Grand Lodge in York City, or to any Lodges under that ancient and respectable 
 banner, whose independence and regular proceeding have been fully admitted 
 and authenticated by the Grand Lodge in London, in the Book of CbmtitiUum, 
 printed under their sanction, in 1738.' 
 
HISTORY OP PREEIMASONBY. 273 
 
 made in Scotland or Ireland, under the Constitution of either. 
 of these kingdoms, or to any Lodge or Mason made abroad 
 under the patronage of any foreign Grand Lodge in allianci 
 with the Grand Lodge of England, but that such Lodge anc* 
 Masons shall be deemed regular and constitutional." 
 
 The foregoing furnishes a useful commentary upon tiu' 
 writings of some prominent Masons of the present day. How 
 many, even in the state of New York, have written largely 
 about the charter received from the Grand Lodge of England 
 in 1781, Athol, Grand Master ? How many more in other 
 states, not excepting Missouri, have quoted from the Ahinum 
 Rezon, as the highest authority of ancient Masonic law, without 
 taking the trouble to inform themselves that the clandestine 
 body of Masons in the city of London, to guard against whom 
 the foregoing edict was issued, not only sent a charter for tlie 
 formation of a Provincial Grand Lodge in New York, but also 
 to two or three other points in the United States ; and, having 
 reprinted a garbled extract of Anderson's Constiiutions, called 
 it the Ahiman Rezon, and not only used the same as containing 
 all the ancient regulations, but sent it to America, where it was 
 afterward republished in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, 
 and South Carolina. We have examined two or three of these 
 republications, and feel called upon to admonish the brethren, 
 everywhere that the Ancient Regulations are so mixed up with 
 rarious modern regulations that, without a copy of Anderson's 
 Consiitutions, it is utterly impossible to separate them. 
 
 In 1777, the Grand Lodge of England ordered an appendix 
 to the Book of Constitutions, embracing the principal proceed- 
 ings of the Grand Lodge from the date of the last edition. 
 About the same time, the Grand Lodge ordered an annual 
 publication, called the Freemasons' Calendar, the profits ol 
 which went to the Charity Fund. This Calendar, we suppose, 
 was intended to answer about the same purposes that are now 
 effected in the United States by printing the proceedings of the 
 Grand Lodges. 
 
 The Grand Lodge passed a resolution prohibiting any sub- 
 ordinate Lodge from initiating for a less sum than two guineas. 
 Most of the Lodges were in the habit, and continued to charge 
 
 18 
 
274 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 five guineas for initiation. The Grand Lodge also directed that 
 the name, age, and occupation of every initiated and affiliated 
 brother should be recorded in the books of the Lodge. 
 
 In 1777, the Duke of Manchester was chosen Grand Master ; 
 under whose administration arose a difficulty between the 
 Grand Lodge and the Lodge of Antiquity. It will be remem- 
 bered by our readers that, in the course of this history, we have 
 had occasion to allude to the claim set up by the Lodge of An- 
 tiquity to an immemorial charter. The difficulty originated in 
 an open violation of one of the edicts of the Grand Lodge, by 
 the Master and Wardens of the Lodge of Antiquity, in dress- 
 ing in their regalia, and, with the Lodge, walking to and from 
 church in procession, without permission of the Grand Master 
 or Deputy. A charge to this effect being brought before the 
 Grand Lodge, the subject continued to agitate that body for 
 more than twelve months. Whether the law prohibiting pro- 
 cessions, without the consent of the Grand Master, or his Deputy, 
 was either necessary or proper, is, we think, extremely doubt- 
 ful ; but whether or not, while the law was in being, no good 
 Mason should have disregarded it, and the Grand Lodge could 
 do nothing less than maintain its dignity by asserting the con- 
 duct of the Lodge of Antiquity a violation of duty ; and it is 
 quite likely that the subordinate Lodge would have seen and 
 acknowledged its error, but for another difficulty, in which, 
 we think, the Grand Lodge transcended its powers. The Lodge 
 of Antiquity expelled three of its members for alleged gross un- 
 Masonic conduct. The Grand Lodge, without proper course of 
 law, and in violation of the rights of subordinate Lodges, 
 ordered them to be reinstated. The Lodge set up its claim to 
 the right, in all cases, of determining who should be its mem- 
 bers, and refused to comply with the edict of the Grand Lodge. 
 While we hold that it is the bounden duty of every Subordi- 
 nate Lodge to yield obedience to the edicts of the Grand Lodge, 
 not subversive of the ground-work and principles of the Order, 
 we can not conceive of a sufficient reason for denying to any 
 Lodge the right to judge in the choice of their private society. 
 Had the Grand Lodge restored the expelled brothers to the 
 privileges of Masonry, and stopped there, we should hold their 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 275 
 
 action as unquestionaMe ; but it is not only a wholesome, but 
 necessary right, guaranteed by the very nature of things, of 
 every Lodge to say who shall sit within its walls. No brother 
 should be at liberty to visit without the consent of the Lodge ; 
 and surely, if a Lodge may refuse to admit a proposed visitor, 
 it may refuse a brother membership. The Grand Lodge of 
 South Carolina has recently taken precisely the position which 
 the Grand Lodge of England occupied ; and it may be, that 
 it will seek justification by the precedent laid down by the 
 Grand Lodge of England ; but two wrongs can not make a 
 right. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Immediately after the unauthorized edict of the Grand 
 Lodge, reinstating individuals regularly expelled by the Lodge 
 of Antiquity, this Lodge began to set up its claims to independ- 
 ence, on the ground that they had not received its charter from 
 the Grand Lodge, nor had they ever surrendered its imme- 
 morial charter, when it came under the control of the Grand 
 Lodge. To such an exteat of bitterness was this discussion 
 carried, that both parties seem to have forgotten the ffi-iginal 
 cause of difference. Stringent edicts were hastily passed by 
 the Grand Lodge, which were answered by resolutions of 
 defiance on the part of the Lodge of Antiquity. Memorials 
 and remonstrances were presented to no effect. The Lodge of 
 Antiquity appointed committees for the purpose of examining 
 the ancient records of the Lodge from which it was found that 
 its existence was traceable greatly beyond the establishment of 
 tlie Grand Lodge of England, nor could there be found any 
 written testimony that they had derived their authority from 
 the Grand Lodge at York, and hence they chose to call theirs 
 an immemorial charter. They applied to the Grand Lodge at 
 York and the Grand Lodge of Scotland (both, as we have seen, 
 were prepared to take grounds against the Grand Lodge of 
 England) for advice; not only refused compliance with the 
 resolutions and edicts of the Grand Lodge, but issued protests 
 against its authority, discontinued attendance upon the Grand 
 Lodge, and the Charity Committee ; published a manifesto, 
 giving notice of its separation, and acknowledged its alliance 
 with the Grand Lodge of all England, at York. The Grand 
 Lodge of England enforced its edicts, several members were 
 expelled, and the most bitter animosities were engendered. In 
 vindication of the course of the Grand Lodge, the followuig 
 resolution was passed by the Committee of Charity, in 1779 : 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 277 
 
 "Resolved, That every private Lodge derives its authority 
 from the Grand Lodge, and that no authority but the Grand 
 Lodge can withdraw or take away that power. That though 
 the majority of a Lodge may determine to quit the Society, the 
 constitution or power of assembling remains with, and is 
 vested in, the rest of the members who may be desirous of con- 
 tinuing their allegiance ; and that if all the members withdraw 
 themselves, the Constitution is extinct, and the authority reverts 
 to the Grand Lodge." 
 
 The Lodge of Antiquity took the ground that this resolution 
 might properly be made applicable to all Lodges deriving 
 their existence from the Grand Lodge ; but, inasmuch as that 
 Lodge claimed an immemorial existence, it was not, nor could 
 it be made, applicable to them, " for," said they, " the Lodge not 
 only claims its prior existence, but the Grand Lodge has 
 repeatedly admitted it." 
 
 Bro. Preston, in reviewing this subject, fully concurs with 
 the Lodge of Antiquity, that, inasmuch as that Lodge did not 
 derive its being from the Grand Lodge, nor at any time surren- 
 der its ancient authority, and take a charter under the Grand 
 Lodge, therefore it was clearly independent of it. As we can 
 not concur with this eminent writer upon this subject, we 
 subjoin a reason or two upon which our judgment is formed. 
 
 Those of our readers who have read carefully our history of 
 the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England will bear in 
 mind that there were then in London four Lodges, one of them, 
 the Lodge of Antiquity, claiming an immemorial charter. 
 These Lodges assisted in forming the Grand Lodge, acknow- 
 ledging its authority; indeed, were its principal material of 
 existence, and therefore did not need a charter from that Grand 
 Lodge. Not long after, these old Lodges became jealous of the 
 rapid growth and power of the new Lodges, complained to the 
 Grand Lodge, and demanded an edict securing to them 
 authority and dignity, in the Grand Lodge, against future con- 
 tingencies — and everything they asked was granted. After 
 which, the Lodge of Antiquity submitted to the authority of the 
 Grand Lodge from 1717 to 1778. 
 
 Had the Lodge of Antiquity held itself aloof from the Grand 
 
278 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Lodge at its formation, and ever after, then would the conclu- 
 sions of Bro. Preston be correct ; but if, at any time, that Lodge 
 voluntarily came under the authority of the Grand Lodge, it 
 surrendered all its original rights, except such as were reserved, 
 and there is proof, not only that this Lodge did come under 
 said authority, but it was for weal or woe, in part responsible 
 for the existence of the Grand Lodge, and, as stated, it again 
 acknowledged its authority by demanding and receiving condi- 
 tions for the continuance of that authority. We hold that 
 a formal surrender of the charter is not at all necessary to the 
 acknowledgment and the exercise of authority ; but that the 
 overt acknowledgment of such power is all that is necessary. 
 
 It is true, as Preston asserts, that up to the beginning of the 
 eighteenth century, the Masons, by the Ancient Charges, had a 
 right to assemble in sufficient number at any place they chose, 
 call a brother to the Chair, and open a Lodge, receive and act 
 upon applications for the mysteries, and, furthermore, to make 
 Masons. A record of such proceedings was made, and he who 
 acted as Master of the Lodge for the time being was not neces- 
 sarily Master at any other meeting. Indeed, there was no such 
 thing as a Lodge with regular and permanent members ; but 
 all members of the Fraternity were alike at liberty to form a 
 Lodge to make Masons, and the officers were only so for the 
 time being. 
 
 The present system of the Grand Lodge, or Grand Master 
 constituting Lodges by the appointment of regular Masters and 
 Wardens, was not known. The Ancient Charges were the only 
 authority appealed to, nor were any laws or regulations made or 
 attempted to be made in addition to the charges. There was a 
 Grand Master of Masons, not of a Grand Lodge, properly speak- 
 ing ; for what we now regard or speak of as the Grand Lodge 
 at York, was simply an assemblage of all Masons who chose to 
 attend ; that assembly adopted such regulations as they thought 
 proper. It was presided over by the Grand Master ; but beyond 
 such meeting the Grand Master had no power delegated to 
 him. AU Masons were truly upan one common level, imi amenable 
 only to each other, under the authority of the charges, when assem- 
 bled at York. When a Lodge was formed bv the assemblage of 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 27,9 
 
 a sufficient number of brethren, the attestation of those brethren 
 was the highest authority of its legality, and the only written 
 testimony offered in proof of the making a Mason. By this 
 ancient regulation, Bro. Preston asserts the Lodge of Antiquity 
 was always governed. But this, we have shown, could not 
 have beea the case, for that it did come under and act by the 
 authority of the Grand Lodge of England is matter of history, 
 not questionable in its character. 
 
 The difficulties between the Grand Lodge and the Lodge of 
 Antiquity continued, though not with the same bitterness, about 
 ten jears. In 1790, all differences were reconciled, and the 
 Lodge of Antiquity once more took its place as a member of the 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
 In 1779, news was received by the Grand Lodge of England, 
 that Omdit-ul-Omrah Bahauder,son of the nabob of the Carnatie 
 in India, had been made a Mason, under the authority of the 
 English Constitution. The Grand Lodge feeling honored by the 
 association^of this distinguished man, sent him a congratulatory 
 letter, a copy of the Constitutions, etc. On the receipt of 
 which, he returned a letter so replete with good sense, and so 
 tastefully written, that we are induced to copy it entire.* 
 
 * TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL, His Grace the Dulce of Manchester, Grand Master 
 
 of the illustrious and beneooknt Society of Free and Accepted Masons, under the Omsd- 
 
 bdion of England, and the Grand Lodge thereof: 
 
 Much Hoxoked Sib and Brethren : — An early knowledge and participation of the 
 
 benefits arising to our house irom its intimate union of counsels and interests with 
 
 the British nation, and a deep veneration for the laws, constitutions, and manners 
 
 of the latter, have for many years of my life led me to seiz3 every opportunity 
 
 of drawing the tie between us still closer and closer. By the accounts which 
 
 have reached me of the principles and practices of your Fraternity, nothing can 
 
 be more pleasing to the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, whom we all, though 
 
 in different ways, adore, or more honorable to his creatures ; for they stand 
 
 upon the broad basis of indiscriminate and universal benevolence. 
 
 Under this conviction, I had long wished to be admitted to your Fraternity, 
 and now that I am initiated, I consider the title of an English Mason, as one of 
 the most honorable that I possess. For it is at once a cement between your 
 nation and me, the friend of mankind. I have received from the Advocate GeneraJ 
 of Bengal, Sir John Day, the very acceptable mark of attention and esteem with 
 which you have favored me ; it has been presented with every circumstance of 
 deference and respect that the situation of things here and the temper of the 
 times would admit of, and I do assure your grace and the brethren at large, thai 
 
280 EISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 In 1777, a Grand Lodge, provincial to the Grand Lodge of 
 England, was formed in India, and Brigadier Gen. Home was 
 elected first Grand Master. This Grand Lodge, as soon as organ- 
 ized, issued a charter for a new Lodge at Madras, under the 
 name of Perfect Unanimity Lodge, No. 1, and the Grand Lodge 
 performed the ceremony of consecration in the following 
 October. 
 
 About this time, the Grand Lodge of England donated one 
 hundred pounds for the relief of brethren in America, who 
 had suffered by the Revolution, or, as the English writers style 
 it, rebellion. 
 
 In 1778, a number of brethren, fascinated with show, intro- 
 duced into the Grand Lodge a proposition, requiring the Grand 
 Officers and P. G. Officers to provide themselves with robes in 
 which to appear on all public occasions. This proposition was 
 favorably received, but it being referred to a committee, it was 
 found to be at direct variance with the usages of the Order, 
 and therefore was abandoned. The Grand Lodge ordered that 
 no brother should hold two offices in the Grand Lodge at the 
 same time. The Grand Lodge of Germany applied for and 
 obtained leave to send a representative to the Grand Lodge 
 of England, who was given a rank next to the Past Grand 
 Officers. 
 
 In 1782, an effort was made on the part of the Grand Lodge 
 to establish fraternal communion between that body and the 
 Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland, but the old prejudices 
 were too deep rooted to be lightly or speedily removed. We 
 make the following extract from Preston, to show that in times 
 
 he has doae ample justice to the commission you have coafided to him, and has 
 executed it in such a manner as to do honor to Mmself and me. 
 
 I shall avail myself of a proper opportunity to convince your grace, and the 
 rest of the brethren, that Omdit-ul-Omrah is not an unfeeling brother, or heedless 
 of the precepts he has imbibed ; and that while he testifies his love and esteem 
 for his brethren, by strengthening the bonds of humanity, he means to minister to 
 the wants of the distressed. 
 
 May the common Father of all, the one Omnipotent and Merciful God take you 
 into His holy keeping, and give you health, peace, and length of years, praya 
 your highly honored and affectionate brother, 
 
 OMOrr-DL-OHSAH Bahaudeb. 
 
HISTOEY OP rilEEMASONEf. 281 
 
 past, Freemasons, as well as others, have been title-worshipers, 
 notwithstanding our boast of meeting on the level : 
 
 " At this meeting, also, the pleasing intelligence was commu- 
 nicated of the Duke of Cumberland's intention to accept the 
 government of the Society. This having been regularly stated 
 in the Grand Lodge, His Highness was proposed Grand Master- 
 elect, and it was resolved, in compliment to him, that he should 
 have the privilege of nominating a peer of the realm as acting 
 Grand Master, who should be empowered to superintend the 
 Society in his absence, and that, at any future period, when the 
 Fraternity might be honored with a prince of the blood at their 
 head, the same privilege should be granted. 
 
 "At the annual grand feast, on May 1, 1782, the Duke of 
 Cumberland was unanimously elected Grand Master ; and it 
 being signified to the Society that His Highness meant to appoint 
 the Earl of Effingham acting Grand Master, that appointment 
 was confirmed, and His Lordship presided as proxy for His 
 Royal Highness during the feast." 
 
 The following new regulations were adopted at this meet- 
 ing: 
 
 1. That no brother, initiated since October, 1768, shall be 
 appointed to the honor of wearing a blue or red apron, unless 
 the Grand Secretary certifies that his name has been registered, 
 and fees paid. 
 
 2. That no brother, initiated since that time, shall be appoint- 
 ed Master or Warden of a Lodge, or be permitted to attend 
 any Committee of Charity or Grand Lodge, unless his name has 
 been registered, and fees paid. 
 
 3. That every petitioner for charity, initiated since that time, 
 shall set forth, in his petition, the Lodge in which, and the time 
 when, he was made a Mason, in order that the Secretary may 
 certify by indorsement, on the back of the petition, whether his 
 name has been registered, and the fees paid. 
 
 4. That every Lodge shall transmit to the Grand Secretary, 
 on or before the general feast in each year, a list of all persons 
 initiated, or members admitted, together with the registering 
 fees, or notice that they have not initiated or admitted any, that 
 their silence may not be imputed to contempt. 
 
282 HISTORY OP PREBMASONKY. 
 
 5. That to prevent the plea of ignorance or forgetfulness, a 
 blank form shall be printed and sent to each Lodge to be 
 filled up and returned to the Grand Secretary. 
 
 6. That the Grand Secretary shall lay before the first quar- 
 terly communication after each Grand Feast, an account of 
 such Lodges as have not registered their members within the 
 preceding year, that they may be erased from the list of Lodges, 
 or be otherwise dealt with, as the Grand Lodge may think 
 expedient. 
 
 1. That to prevent any injury to individuals, by being 
 excluded from the privileges of the Society, through the neglect 
 of their Lodges, in their names not being duly registered, any 
 brethren, on producing sufficient proofs that they have paid due 
 registering fees to their Lodges, shall be capable of enjoying 
 all the privileges of the Society ; but the offending Lodges 
 shall be rigorously dealt with for detaining fees that are the 
 property of the Society. 
 
 8. That ten shillings and six pence be paid to the Grand 
 Lodge for registering the name of every Mason, initiated in 
 any Lodge, under the Constitution, after May 5, 1788. 
 
 9. That no Lodge shall be permitted to attend or vote in 
 the Grand Lodge, which has not complied with this regulation. 
 
 At this meeting, also, the precedent of inflicting fines for 
 non-attendance was set. The Grand Lodge ordered that the 
 Deputy Grand Master and Wardens should be fined for failing 
 to attend the communications of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 It will be seen that this penalty did not include the most 
 important Grand Officer, the Grand Master, for the reason, as 
 we suppose, that they could not "frame" to pronounce a royal 
 personage guilty of Masonic wrong. Now, we are far from 
 wishing to withhold from the meritorious the meed of praise ; 
 on the contrary, we hold it to be right and proper, if for no 
 other reason, to stimulate the rising generation to emulate the 
 example of the good and great, that public honors should be 
 bestowed upon all whose noble deeds or benevolent acts tend 
 to elevate the character of man, and honor the Great Creator ; 
 but we do desire to see those honors given to the truly meri- 
 torious, and withheld from those whose only claim is the 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 283 
 
 accidental distinction of being born of a certain lineage. If 
 royalty and virtue were known to walk hand in hand, we 
 would not complain ; but when it is not difficult to see, that 
 of all classes of mankind, in proportion to their intelligence, 
 the royal families are most corrupt, we do complain that 
 Masons, professing to know no distinctions other than merit, 
 should, spaniel-like, cringe and fawn at the feet of certain of 
 their brethren, only because of high-sounding titles. Away 
 with the square, level, and plumb, if they are to be desecrated 
 to unholy purposes. We would see the standard of Masonry 
 brought up to the sublime and ennobling principles it incul- 
 cates ; nor is this a consummation less devoutly to be wished 
 at this day than at the period about which we have been 
 writing. Masons in America do not worship royalty of birth ; 
 but a sort of royalty less dignified and of baser materials has 
 sprung up in this country, to which even Masons bow a willing 
 knee. Money ! money ! no matter by what means obtained, 
 wins upon the beholder, and cringing adulation is too often seen 
 paid to the merely wealthy, even in the Lodge-room ; while the 
 humble mechanic, who, though standing upon the topmost round 
 of Masonic knowledge, may pass through life, in the faithful 
 discharge of his Masonic duties, and, for all his toil, only 
 hear it said, " He is a very clever fellow,^r a mechanic!" 
 
 No people worship titles more than Americans do wealth. 
 This is all wrong ; and whose duty is it, if not the Masons, to 
 work out a change ? Let the Masons unite in the fulfillment of 
 that command, to give " honor to whom honor is due," and, by 
 the principles of our Order, it will be found to be due only to 
 the virtuous and good, the benevolent and wise. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 In 1787, Chevalier Bartholomew Ruspini, a very zealous 
 Mason, conceived the plkn of establishing, under the patronage 
 of the Fraternity, a place of refuge and school for the maintain 
 ance and education of orphan female children of indigent 
 Masons. Failing immediately to interest his brethren so far as 
 to embark in the enterprise, he applied to Her Royal Highness 
 the Duchess of Cumberland, who immediately seized the oppor- 
 tunity to manifest an animated interest and embark in the 
 enterprise, by heartily giving her open and avowed patronage 
 and influence to its accomplishment ; and to her fostering hand 
 is owing the establishment of the Institution in 1788. She 
 warmly commended it to the patronage of tlie royal family, 
 nobility, and gentry of both sexes. A house was hired for the 
 purpose, and, on January 1, 1789, fifteen children were admitted. 
 This, we believe, is the first Masonic school ever established— 
 at least, it is the first of which we have a published account. 
 This truly benevolent design soon attracted the attention, not 
 only of the Masons of the South of England, but the brethren of 
 India also contributed liberally to it. The object of the Insti- 
 tution was to train up orphan children in a knowledge of virtue 
 and religion. 
 
 We have often thought it strange that the governments of 
 England and America have not long since taken measures to 
 insure the proper training and education of destitute orphan 
 children. Thousands of dollars are annually contributed by 
 benevolent individuals for the immediate relief of the suffering 
 poor ; and, under existing circumstances, it is the best that can 
 be done to mitigate the sufferings and sooth the sorrows of the 
 distressed ; but was the sum thus distributed systematically 
 applied, under a system of laws and salutary rules, how much 
 more efficient and extensive would be the relief afforded, aud 
 the good accomplished. Let us exemplify our meaning by sup- 
 posing that fifty dollars is given to a poor family to purchase 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY, 285- 
 
 fuel, clothing, and the necessaries of life for the winter ; when 
 spring arrives, the family are not only as destitute of moans as 
 at the commencement of winter, but no moral or religious' 
 instructions have been given to the children — no new stimulus 
 to exertion or habits of industry have been inculcated ; and we 
 can not but see that a large proportion of the poverty and 
 suffering is to be found among those who live in ignorance, and 
 necessarily become more or less degraded and indolent. Let 
 the children of the same family be taken into a house of refuge, 
 under the control of competent teachers, and governed by 
 wholesome laws, and the fifty dollars will go far to support the 
 children ; and, what is of more consequence, they are so 
 instructed that, at an early age, habits of industry will be 
 acquired, self-respect and a commendable pride will be engeuT 
 dered, and not only will they be able to maintain themselves, 
 and, if need be, contribute to the comfort of an aged mother, 
 but they become lifted up from degradation to a fair respecta- 
 bility, and form, ever after, useful members of society. There 
 is strength and influence in concert of action and unity of pur- 
 pose. Benevolent societies accomplish much more good, 
 according to the means employed, than is or can be done by 
 individual alms-giving ; and yet, how much more might be 
 accomplished were the government to take the matter in hand. 
 But we are aware that it might be thought Quixotic in us to 
 suggest a plan, or the outlines of a system, with any hope of its 
 attracting the attention of law-makers, who spend their lives in 
 legislating for the benefit of property-holders, not caring to give 
 even a portion of their time and talents for the benefit of that 
 numerous but uninfluential class, the humble poor. We are 
 aware that it might not comport with our habits of thinking, 
 and, many would say, with the spirit and genius of our govern- 
 ment, to become the dispenser of alms directly. And why not, 
 pray ? The government is for the good of the people ; and 
 what people are, or can be, truly great and truly good, whose 
 government permits a large moiety of its citizens to drag out 
 a life of degraded morals, wretchedness, and want? No gov- 
 ernment of a civilized, much less Christian, people should suffer 
 a jjauper — we mean a street pauper — in the land. What must 
 
286 HISTORY OP FKEBMASONRT. 
 
 after ages ttink of England, with all her boasted freedom and 
 her inimitable laws, with all her rapid march in the knowledge 
 of religion and virtue, with all her vast domain " on which the 
 sun never sets," — we say, with all her boundtess resources, what 
 must future and more enlightened ages think of her eight mil- 
 lions of paupers, and the long list of deaths from absolute 
 starvation? But we are aware that this subject more fitly 
 belongs to another place ; and yet would we fain hope that our 
 remarks, if they do no more, will stimulate our brother Masons 
 to adopt a system in their alms-giving that will result in the 
 greatest amount of permanent good. He who gives a dollar 
 here and a dollar there to feed the poor does well ; but he who 
 throws all these dollars into a fund, to be distributed by whole- 
 some rules, will do much better. 
 
 In 1793, the funds raised through the Masons for the benefit 
 of the Masonic school of whicli we have been speaking, had so 
 far increased that they were enabled to build a spacious school- 
 house, at a cost of two thousand five hundred pounds. It was 
 large enough to accommodate one hundred children, but we 
 are not informed that it was ever filled.* 
 
 We subjoin some of the more important and interesting rules 
 adopted for the government of the school. Every child admitted 
 was required to be the daughter of a Mason, who had been 
 initiated three years, and whose name had been registered in 
 the books of the Grand Lodge ; and such child, at the time of 
 entering, must be between the age of five and ten years ; not 
 afflicted with any disorder or contagious disease, or constitu- 
 tional infirmity ; must have had the small pox,t and free from 
 any corporeal or mental defect. Children so received were 
 retained in the Institution until they were fifteen years old, 
 during which time they were carefully instructed in every 
 domestic branch of female employment, and when discharged 
 from school they were placed out as apprentices, eiAer to a 
 trade, or as servants, as might seem best. 
 
 * This eohool maintains and educates seven hundred daughters of indigent 
 Masons now. 
 
 t A very unjust and unnecessary requirement. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 287 
 
 The Institution was controled by a Board called the Gov- 
 ernors, who held their stated meetings quarterly. A general 
 committee, consisting of life governors and thirty annual 
 governors, met once a month to receive reports of the sub-com- 
 mittees and give such orders as they thought proper, subject to 
 the confirmation of the first named Board of Governors. 
 Twelve of the last named committee constituted a House Com- 
 mittee, to whose especial care was given the internal arrange- 
 ment. They visited the school weekly, examined the provisions, 
 condition of the rooms, etc., and reported accordingly. A 
 Committee of Auditors, composed of twelve of the general 
 committee, met quarterly to examine the vouchers of the 
 treasurer and collector, and saw that disbursements were not 
 
 made unless authorized.* 
 
 # 
 
 '■ RULES AND REGULATIONS OP THE SCHOOL. 
 
 1. Every person subscribing one guinea annually is deemed a governor or 
 governess during the time such subscription is continued. 
 
 2. Every subscriber of ten guineas or upward is deemed a governor or gov- 
 erness for life, and such governor is a member of the General Committee. 
 
 3. The Master, for the time being, of any Lodge subscribing ten guineas, is a 
 member of the Committee for fifteen years, and on each Lodge paying the further 
 sum of ten guineas within the space of ten years, such Master for the time being 
 is a governor and member of the Committee so long as such Lodge shall exist. 
 
 4. The Master, for the time being, of any Lodge subscribing twenty guineas, is 
 a perpetual governor, so long as such Lodge shall exist. 
 
 5. Any subscriber who has already made a benefaction of ten guineas, or the 
 Master of a Lodge who has contributed twenty guineas, and chooses to repeat 
 such donation, is entitled to the privilege of a second vote on all questions 
 relative to the charity. 
 
 6. The executor of any person paying a legacy of one hundred pounds for the 
 use of the charity, is deemed a governor for life ; and in case a legacy of two 
 Hundred pounds or upward be paid for the use of the charity, then all the 
 executors proving the will are deemed governors for life. 
 
 7. Every governor has a right to vote at all quarterly and special courts, and 
 every nobleman, member of parliament, lady, Master of a country Lodge, and 
 governor residing within the bills of mortality, have a right to vote by proxy at 
 all ballots and elections ; but no person being an annual governor can be per- 
 mitted to vote at any election until the subscription for the current year (and 
 arrears, if any) are paid to the Treasurer. 
 
 8. Any governor supplying this Institution with any article, wherefrom any 
 emolument may arise, shall not vote on any question relative thereto, nor can 
 such governor be a member of any committee during the time he serves the 
 charity. — Pkeston's Illualraliam of Free/nmonry. 
 
288 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 At the time Preston wrote his Illustrations, he informs us 
 that SO highly had the school flourished, that the sale of the 
 work done by the children who were inmates, amounted to as 
 much as two hundred pounds annually. 
 
 On February 10, 1790, the Grand Lodge voted an annual 
 subscription of twenty-five pounds to the school, and recom- 
 mended it to the charity of the subordinate Lodges, and soon 
 after a new impetus was given to this charity by the addition 
 of considerable sums donated by them. One remarkable dona- 
 tion is mentioned. Shakespeare Lodge, at Covent Garden, and 
 the individual members thereof, paid above a thousand pounds 
 to the fund. The Duke of Cumberland continued to be Grand. 
 Master until his death in 1790. Masonry never flourished 
 more in England than during the Grand Mastership of Cum- 
 berland ; indeed, we have been compelled 'to notice that ouf 
 Institution has ever flourished or declined in that country very 
 much in proportion as it was patronized by the nobility. High 
 sounding titles seem to be necessary to the growth and pros- 
 perity of almost any association in a monarchical government, 
 and nowhere more than in England. During Cumberland's 
 administration, nearly all the males of the royal family became 
 Masons, and hence at the grand feast of 1790, at which the 
 royal Masons attended, there were over five hundred brethren 
 in attendance. 
 
 In the latter part of 1790, the Prince of Wales was chosen 
 Grand Master. We say chosen, because such is the language 
 of English historians ; but we assert, without the fear of con- 
 tradiction, that there is to be found no instance where the 
 election of any candidate of the royal family was ever opposed 
 by any candidate, not of royal blood. On the contrary, the 
 most cringing adulation was perceptible in the Craft whenever 
 one of royal blood would condescend to serve as Grand Master 
 — and this, too, without even expecting the so called and elected 
 Grand Master to fill or pertorm the duties of that office ; but 
 while sending forth to the world the name of the Prince of 
 Wales, or any other prince, as Grand Master, he was requested 
 to choose an acting Grand Master, who performed all the 
 onerous duties of the office. The spirit of man-worship is not 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 289 
 
 confined to a monarchical government. How often do we find 
 it the case in the United States ? In choosing a Grand Master, 
 the brethren sometimes lose sight of Masonic worth, Masonic 
 qualifications, and faithful servitude in the glorious cause, and 
 choose some one having no other claim than that of having 
 occupied some prominent station in religion or politics, and who, 
 it is to be expected, will lead the Craft into errors, if not con- 
 fusion, for the want of Masonic light. 
 
 At the grand feast in 1791, the members of the Lodge of 
 Antiquity were reinstated by the Grand Lodge to all their 
 Masonic privileges, after having been under suspension or 
 expulsion for more than ten years. Among these was Bro. 
 Preston, author of the Illustrations of Masonry, which, to our 
 mind, accounts for his strange notions in regard to the rights 
 of the Lodge of Antiquity, because of its immemorial charter, 
 referred to in ouj- last chapter. 
 
 When the Prince of Wales consented to accept the ofifice of 
 Grand Master, the Grand Lodge ordered three elegant chairs 
 and candlesticks to be provided for the use of the Grand Lodge. 
 At the next grand feast, these chairs and candlesticks were 
 paraded before the public, but, unfortunately for the royal- 
 blood-loving masses. His Royal Highness was not present to 
 occupy one of the chairs. He was, however, elected Grand 
 Master by acclamation. It is due to the memory of the Prince 
 of Wales, to say that he was not at all responsible for the extrav- 
 agant devotion to blood manifested by the brethren ; on the 
 contrary, we-have reason to believe that after he assumed the 
 government of the Craft, he faithfully performed the duties of 
 his ofBce, so far as his engagements in public afiairs would 
 permit ; nor did he encourage or tolerate any departures from 
 the ancient and established usages of the Order, and for one 
 who was heir apparent to the crown, courted and caressed by 
 all classes, it is only remarkable that he qualified himself so 
 well to discharge his Masonic duties. Indeed, if we may rely 
 upon the opinions of Preston (who, by the way, was rather a 
 cringing royalist), the Prince of Wales was one of the best 
 presiding officers the Grand Lodge of England ever had. 
 
 The liOdges throughout the kingdom vied with each other in 
 
290 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 manifestations of gratitude and loyal submission to his person 
 and ofi&ce, and this seemed the more admissible, even in Masons, 
 when we remember that about this time the French Revolution 
 broke out and spread its influence into England. Attempts 
 were made to sow the seeds of discord and rebellion by secret 
 emissaries throughout the kingdom, and, therefore, in order to 
 strengthen and give confidence to the throne, many addresses 
 were signed and forwarded, while the Masons chose generally 
 to speak through their illustrious Grand Master, giving 
 assurances of their attachment to his person, and family. In 
 1793, the Grand Lodge adopted the following address, which 
 was delivered in person by His Royal Highness the Prince of 
 Wales, Grand Master : — 
 
 " To the King's Most Excellent Majesty, the humble address of the 
 Grand Lodge of the AruAent Fraternity of Free and Acceptea 
 Masons, under the Constitution of England : 
 
 " Most Gracious Sovereign : — At a time when nearly the 
 whole mass of the people anxiously press forward and offer, 
 with one heart and one voice the most animated testimonials 
 of their attachment to Your Majesty's person and government, 
 and of their unabated zeal, at this period of innovation and 
 anarchy in other countries, for the unequaled constitution of 
 their own, permit a body of men, Sire, which, though not known 
 to the laws, has ever been obedient to them — men who do not 
 yield to any description of Your Majesty's subjects in the love 
 of their country, in true allegiance to their sovereign, or in any 
 other of the duties of a good citizen, to approach you with this 
 public declaration of their political principles. The times, 
 they think, demand it of them, and they wish not to be among 
 the last, in such time, to throw their might, whatever it may be, 
 into the scale of order, subordination, and good government. 
 
 " It is written. Sire, in the Institute of our Order, that we 
 shall not, at our meetings, go into religious or political discus 
 sions ; because, composed, as our Fraternity is, of men ol 
 various nations, professing different rules of faith, and attached 
 to opposite systems of government, such discussions, sharpening 
 the mind of man against his brother, might offend and disunite. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY, 291 
 
 A crisis, however, so unlocked for as the present, justifies, to 
 our judgment, a relaxation of that rule, and our first duty as 
 Britons, superseding all other considerations, we add, without 
 further pause, our voice to that of our fellow subjects, in declar- 
 ing our common and fervent attachment to agovernmentby King, 
 Lords, and Commons as established by the glorious Revolution 
 of 1688. 
 
 " The excellence of all human institutions is comparative and 
 fleeting ; positive perfection or unchanging aptitude to its ob- 
 ject, we know, belongs not to the work of man ; but when we 
 view the principles of government which have recently obtained 
 in otlier nations, and then look upon our own, we exult in pos- 
 sessing, at this time, the wisest and best poised system the world 
 has ever known — a system which affords equal protection (tlie 
 only equality we look for, or that indeed is practicable) and 
 impartial justice to all. 
 
 " It may be thought, perhaps, being what we are, a private 
 society of men, connected by invisible ties, profesUng secrecy, 
 mysterious in our meeting, stamped by no act of prerogative, 
 and acknowledged by no law, we assume a part and hold a 
 language on this occasion to which we can urge no legal or ad- 
 mitted right. We are the free citizens. Sire, of a free state, 
 and number many thousands of our body ; the heir apparent of 
 the empire is our chief ; we fraternize for the purpose of social 
 intercourse, of mutual assistance, of charity to the distressed, 
 and good will to all ; and fidelity to a trust, reverence to the 
 magistrates, and obedience to the laws, are sculptured in capitals 
 upon the pediment of our Institution. And, let us add that, 
 pervading as we do every class of the community, and every 
 walk of life, and disseminating our principles wherever we 
 strike root, this address may be considered as speaking iu 
 epitome the sentiments of a people. 
 
 "Having thus attested our principles, we have only to im- 
 plore the Supreme Architect of the Universe, whose Almighty 
 hand hath laid in the deep the firm foundation of this country's 
 greatness, and whose, protecting shield hath covered her amid 
 the crash of nations, that He will continue to shelter and sus- 
 tain her. May her sons be contented and her daughters happy 
 
292 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 and may Your Majesty, the immediate instrument of her present 
 prosperity and power, to whom unbiased posterity shall thus 
 inscribe the column : 
 
 " To George, the friend of the people and patron of the arts, 
 which brighten and embellish life, with your amiable Queen and 
 your royal progeny, long, long continue to be the blessing and 
 the boast of a grateful, happy, and united people. 
 
 " Given unanimously in Grand Lodge, at Freemason's Hall, 
 this 6th day of February, 1793. 
 
 Signed, "Rawdon, A.G.M. 
 
 Countersigned, " Peter Paekee, D.G.M. 
 
 " William White, G.S." 
 
 After the Grand Master had waited on the King and deliv- 
 ered the address, the Grand Lodge unanimously adopted a com- 
 plimentary and fraternal address to His Royal Highness, ex- 
 pressive of their high sense of his services to the Craft, and 
 the powerful influences his name had exercised in favor of the 
 Institution.* 
 
 Masonry, at this period, flourished with great prosperity 
 throughout Europe ; nor were the brethren in America less 
 alive to the interests of the Order. The struggle for independ- 
 ence, through which they had just passed, the heavy burdens 
 which fell npon all classes, in order to recover, in some degree, 
 from the evils of a protracted and unequal war, and the down- 
 trodden credit of the national government, all did not, all 
 could not, arrest the onward march of Freemasonry. Nay, it 
 'had flourished to a limited extent even upon the battle field, 
 and amid the wounded and dying. Many and oft were its holy 
 and benign principles brought into requisition to shelter the 
 afflicted, bind up the wounds, and pour consolation into the 
 soul of the dying soldier. The tent of Washington was often 
 a rendezvous for the members of the Craft, who never failed to 
 find in the breast of that great chief and good man, a safe re- 
 pository of their secrets and a heartfelt sympathy for their 
 deprivations and sufi'erings. No wonder, then, that the Grand 
 Lodge of Massachusetts should remember with gratitude their 
 brother, the father of his country and theirs, when the struggle 
 was ended and they were freemen : 
 
HISTORY OP PEBBMASONRY. 293 
 
 "Mdress of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, of the 
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in JCorth America, to their 
 brother, George Washington : 
 
 " While the historian is describing the career of your glory 
 and the inhabitants of an extensive empire made happy in youi 
 unexampled exertions — while some celebrate the hero, so di* 
 tinguished in liberating United America, and others the patrioi 
 who presides over her councils, a band of brothers, having 
 always joined the acclamations of their countrymen, now testify 
 their respect for those milder virtues which have ever graced 
 the man. 
 
 "Taught, by the precepts of our Society, that aU its members 
 stand upon a, level, we venture to assume this station, and to 
 approach you with that freedom which diminishes our diffidence 
 without lessening our respect. Desirous of enlarging the 
 boundaries of social happiness, and to vindicate the ceremonies 
 of their Institution, this Grand Lodge has published A Book of 
 Constitutions (and a copy for your acceptance accompanies 
 this), which, by discovering the principles which actuate, will 
 speak the eulogy of the Society, though they fervently wish the 
 conduct of its members may prove its higher commendation. 
 
 " Convinced of his attachment to its cause and readiness to 
 encourage its benevolent designs, they have taken the liberty 
 to dedicate this work to one, the qualities of whose heart, and 
 the actions of whose life, have contributed to improve personal 
 virtue, and extend throughout the world the most endearing 
 cordialities ; and they humbly hope he will pardon the freedom, 
 and accept the tribute of their esteem and homage. 
 
 " May the Supreme Architect of the Univers'e protect and 
 bless you, give you length of days and increase of felicity in 
 this world, and then receive you to the harmonious and exalted 
 Society in heaven. 
 
 "John Cutter, G.M., 
 
 '* JosiAH Bartlet, S.G.W., 
 
 "MuNGO MacKay, J.G.-W, 
 
 "Boston, Dec. 27, A.L. 5792." 
 
 To the address of the Grand Lodge, General Washington 
 replied in the following words : 
 
294 HISTORY OP FREEMASONKT. 
 
 "Answer to tlie Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of 
 Massachusetts : 
 
 " Flattering as it raay be to the human mind, antJ^ truly 
 honorable as it is to receive from our fellow citizens testi 
 monials of approbation for exertions to promote the publij 
 welfare, it is not less pleasing to know that the milder virtues 
 of the heart are highly respected by a Society whose liberal 
 principles are founded in the immutable laws of truth and 
 justice. 
 
 " To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy the 
 benevolent design of a Masonic Institution ; and it is most 
 fervently to be wished that the conduct of every member of the 
 Fraternity, as well as those publications that discover the prin- 
 ciples which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind that 
 the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the 
 human race. 
 
 " While I beg your acceptance of my thanks for the Book 
 of Constitutions, which you have sent me, and for the honor you 
 have done me in the dedication, permit me to assure you that 
 I feel all those emotions of gratitude which your affectionate 
 address and cordial wishes are calculated to inspire, and I 
 sincerely pray that the Great Architect of the Universe may 
 bless you here, and receive you hereafter into His immortal 
 temple. 
 
 " Geo. Washington." 
 
 We are aware that, in the world's history, a faithful record 
 will be made of the life and character of Washington. We 
 know that he who was " first in war, first in peace, and first in 
 the hearts of his countrymen," needs not the aid of our pen to 
 render sacred his illustrious name. But we write of him in 
 this connection because it is our privilege, and we rejoice that 
 it is so, not only to ornament our pages with the name of one 
 who, to his other high claims to admiration, may be added that 
 of a just and upright Mason, but because his whole life will 
 serve as a model to others. From the period of Washington's 
 initiation, through a long and eventful life, he sought to incukale 
 q,nd practice the sublime principles of Masonry. Whether at 
 Jie fireside of home or upon the tented field, he was, every- 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 295 
 
 wLere and at all times, good and true. While, therefore, the 
 Christian, the statesman, the warrior, and civilian, justly claim 
 the privilege of enrolling his thrice-honored name upon the 
 broad scroll of their history, we, too, the Sons op Light, while 
 in the exercise of Faith, Hope, and Charity — while urging to 
 the practice of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, claim the 
 right to point the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and 
 Master Mason to the name of Washington, as an incentive to 
 noble exertions and glorious acliievemeats in the cause of be- 
 nevolence and virtue. We claim him as the great luminary, the 
 Masonic beacon of the eighteenth century. All good Masons 
 will derive a melancholy pleasure in seeing recorded in the 
 history of our Institution, an account of his death. 
 
 General Greorge Washington died at his residence. Mount 
 Vernon, on the 14th of December, 1799. 
 
 On the 18th, a solemn and imposing procession was formed 
 about three o'clock, at Mount Vernon. 
 
 The commencement of the ceremonies was announced by the 
 firing of minute ' guns from a vessel in the river. The pro- 
 cession moved in the following order : ^ • 
 The Cavalry, Infantry, and Guards marched with arms reversed. 
 Music. Clergy. 
 
 The General's horse, with his saddle, holsters, and pistols. 
 
 The Corpse, borne by Colonels Little, Gilpin, Payne, Ramsay, 
 
 and Simms, as pall-bearers. 
 
 The Mourners. 
 
 Freemasons. Citizens. 
 
 The procession having arrived at the lower part of the lawn 
 on the banks of the Potomac, where the family vault was 
 placed, the cavalry halted, and the infantry marched toward 
 the mount and formed their lines. The clergy, followed by the 
 Masons and citizens, then descended into the vault, where the 
 burial service was performed. After which, three general dis- 
 charges were given by the infantry, while the cavalry and 
 eleven pieces of artillery, which lined the banks of the river at 
 the back of the vault, paid the last military honors to the de- 
 parted hero, soldier, and civilian, the Christian and Mason, the 
 father of his country, the immortal Washington. 
 
296 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 It has ofteu been truly said that his achievements are en- 
 graven upon the hearts of all true Americans ; but this is not 
 enough, for, in every country beneath the sun, where freemen 
 dare be free, his name is known and appreciated ; aye, and 
 there is not a patriot battling for liber'Ey and the rights of man, 
 whose bosom does not heave with a new and nobler impulse at 
 the sound of that venerated name. And if, for another century, 
 the American people shall continue to rally round the blood- 
 bought banner of their glorious Union, the day will come when 
 the very sound of that name will rouse to arms millions of 
 down-trodden and fettered slaves, whose battle-cry will be 
 " Washington and liberty, or death ! " Already may be heard the 
 deep-toned mutterings of a gathering storm. A little while, 
 and the battle-cry of all Europe shall sweep like an avalanche 
 over the whole civilized world, dethroning kings and demolish- 
 ing thrones, till not a monarch shall be left to bind again the 
 chains of slavery. To this beloved land of ours, the home of 
 Washington, all eyes are turned. The experiment is here being 
 made, which, through all time, must determine whether the 
 'people are r capable of self-government. Three-quarters of a 
 century have passed away since the banner of the Union and 
 liberty was unfurled by a band of veterans. The United Colo- 
 nies have become United States, they have waxed old and 
 powerful. Other States have been added to the confederacy, 
 until the new are stronger than the old ; but they are all 
 actuated by the same glorious principles which governed the 
 sages of '76. It is true that now and then we hear the das- 
 tardly croaking of the Pharasaic religionist of theNorth, whose 
 soul knows no higher aim or more noble impulse than the love 
 of self, and whose love of country is measured by the same 
 laws. But these are not all who are becoming disturbers of 
 the peace and harmony of society. The noble bearing of the 
 generous South is sometimes converted into the intemperate 
 and fiery shout of the revolutionist. But what of all these ? 
 They are but atoms floating in boundless space. They are but 
 drops of poison cast upon the bosom of the calm and sleepy 
 ocean ; they may disturb the surface for a moment, but will 
 soon be lost to view, and live no more in the memory of men. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 297 
 
 The great body of the people are sound, and the Union is safe. 
 Ohl would not the withering blight of an offended Jehovah 
 palsy the hand that would attempt to sever the cord that binds 
 our States in one, and our people into a fraternity of friends 
 and brothers ? We envy not the notoriety of the northern 
 abolitionist or the southern disunionist. But neither are to be 
 feared, for impulsive as are the people of America, they are not 
 prepared for the yoke of a monarch, or the anarchy of petty 
 governments. The Saxon loves to breathe the air of freedom ; 
 his stalwart arm will ever be raised against an enemy from 
 without, or a 'traitor from within. Yea, all true Americans 
 will rally around the standard of their country, and they have 
 no country but in the Union. We return from this digression. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 We have now arrived at a period in the history of Masonry 
 when the principles of the Institution had become so gener- 
 ally known, that Lodges were established all over Europe ; 
 indeed, its glorious banner had been flung to the breeze in 
 every civilized land. We are, therefore, no longer compelled 
 to look alone to England for materials with which to fill our 
 work. But the rapid march and growing popularity of the 
 Order did not shield it from the foul aspersions of the bigot 
 and the time-serving demagogue. It is somewhat singular that, 
 of all the persecutions practiced in the world, none is so 
 bitter and unrelenting as that which originates with religious 
 societies ; and, of all the societies the Jesuits greatly excel in a 
 spirit of vindictive and relentless persecution. We know some 
 who are so exceedingly afraid of wounding the feelings of some 
 brother who may be connected with that Church, that they 
 would have us cover up the truth, and withhold any censure or 
 exposure of our deadliest enemies. But to such timid, cringing 
 Masons we beg to say, we are writing for the lovers of truth ; 
 we are writing that after ages may learn, through our pagea, 
 the true and unadorned history of Masonry ; and if, in so 
 writing, it becomes necessary to expose to public gaze the cor- 
 ruptions of a sect who profess the religion of our Saviour, the 
 fault is not ours ; nay, we should merit the scorn and detesta- 
 tion of the Brotherhood in all time to come, did we fail to 
 record the simple truth, offend whom it may. 
 
 But the writers of Masonic history are not the only class who 
 have and will continue to call in question the purity of the 
 motives of the Jesuits. Go to the history of nations, examine 
 the records for the last three hundred years, and we believe it 
 will be found that, in every country where they have assembled 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 299 
 
 hi coEsiderable numbers, the Jesuits have been expelled by 
 national authority. But lest we be charged with promulgating 
 slanders aa;ainst a religious sect, we call attention to a few 
 facts from the records of history. Before doing so, however, 
 it may be proper to say that we have not taken this course 
 because of any pleasure we derive in prostrating the influence 
 of one religious denomination and elevating another, but the 
 Jesuits have time and again attacked Masonry ; yea, wherever 
 they had the power, they have persecuted the members of the 
 Older even to the death, and it is a privilege we shall take, 
 to defend our Institution from falsehood and foul slander, and 
 we shall not withhold ouu knowledge of the corrupt motives 
 which have actuated our enemies. If it could be made to appear 
 that the Jesuits had shown hostility or opposition to no other 
 society than Freemasonry, it might seem probable that their 
 enmity arose from some practice or doctrines of our Order, at 
 war with the Christian religion ; but we charge that the Jesuits 
 have never failed to use every means in their power to prostrate 
 every association, whether religious, moral, or political, which 
 they could not suborn to their unholy purposes. We are aware 
 that this may seem to be mere declamation and hearsay. We 
 ask the reader's attention to a few historical facts, viz. : the 
 Jesuits were expelled from Saragossa in 1555 ; they were 
 expelled from Valteline in 1566 ; from Segovia in .1578 ; from 
 Portugal in 1578 and 1759 ; from Vienna in 1568 ; from Avig- 
 non in 1570 ; from Antwerp in 1578 ; from England in 1579, 
 1581, 1586, 1601, and 1604 ; from Japan in 1589 and 1613 ; 
 from Hungary in 1588 ; from France in 1594, 1762, and 1847 ; 
 from Holland in 1596 ; from Tournon in 1597 ; from Berne in' 
 1597 ; from Dantzic and Thorn in 1606 ; from Venice in 1606 
 and 1612 ; from Bohemia in 1618 ; from Moravia in 1619 ; 
 from Naples in 1622 ; from Malta in 1634 and 1768 ; from 
 Eussia in 1676, 1723, and 1816 ; from Savoy in 1729 ; from 
 Spain in 1767 ; from the Sicilies in 1767 ; from Parma in 1768 ; 
 from Rome and nearly all Christendom in 1773 ; from Bor- 
 deaux in 1789 ; from the Netherlands in 1622 ; from China 
 and India in 1622 ; and we are not by any means certain that 
 we have been able to find an account of all their expulsions. 
 
300 HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 But, for all the purposes of their bitterest enemies, we have cer- 
 tainly found enough ; and now we ask our readers to draw 
 their own deductions. We ask if there is a single leason to 
 suppose that any society, not wholly corrupt, would have been 
 expelled from the several communities in which they lived, forty- 
 odd times in less than three hundred years ? Nor is it the 
 least remarkable in the history of this corrupt Society, that, in 
 nearly all cases, they have been expelled from the midst of a 
 people who were Catholics. We think it was during the reign 
 of Charles of France, that their expulsion was brought about 
 somewhat in the following manner : 
 
 A Jesuit, who was engaged largely in some sort of traffic, 
 failed for a very large amount. The creditors obtained some 
 evidence that the Society of Jesus held all property in common, 
 and, if so, the Society was legally responsible for the debts of 
 any one of its members. It, therefore, became of the highest 
 importance to get hold of their articles of association, that the 
 principles of the confederacy might be laid before the proper 
 tribunals. Accordingly, legal process was issued, requiring the 
 Society to bring forward the articles of association. At this 
 they became alarmed, and the General (who is a personage 
 between the Pope and the people), appealed directly to the 
 King, and demanded the interposition of his authority to prevent 
 their exposure. The King, in turn, demanded to see the articles 
 before taking further steps, and, as he was a good Catholic, the 
 General supposed he would be able to manage the King, and, 
 therefore, laid before him all their secret articles of compact. 
 But, unfortunately, the General proved too much. He not only 
 showed that whenever he chose, he could set at naught the 
 bulls of the Pope, but that he was, through his secret agents, 
 able to dethrone any prince he chose. Now the King was a 
 good man, and, withal, not willing to have under his immediate 
 wing a set of wire-workers, whose principles, by their own 
 showing, would lead them to adopt the basest schemes to 
 dethrone the King of France, should it be to the interest of the 
 Society so to act. It is said the King expressed astonishment 
 and horror, at the thought that such an organized band of 
 unprincipled men had obtained so powerful a foothold iu 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 301 
 
 France, and immediately issued his order for their expulsion 
 from the kingdom. 
 
 Now, reader, these are the men, this is the secret Society 
 {opposed to aU secret societies), who have ever been ready to use 
 any and all means against the prosperity of Masonry. 
 
 It is known to every well informed Mason that, though the 
 precepts and doctrines of Masonry have no connection directly 
 with politics, they do tend to freedom of thought, to the cul- 
 tivation of the mind, and, consequently, beget a love of free 
 institutions of government. It is also known that the doctrines 
 and policy of the Jesuits tend inevitably to the opposite 
 extreme. The power and influence of their religion upon the 
 minds of the people, are precisely in proportion to the ignorance 
 and superstition of the masses. Will any intelligent man doubt 
 the power of the present Pope to take the toe-nail of some 
 beggar, cause it to be exhibited as a relic of our Saviour, and 
 have millions of poor deluded human beings bowing before it, 
 even at the cost of their last farthing ? 
 
 Near the close of the eighteenth century, perhaps about 1775, 
 a secret society was established at Bavaria, founded by the 
 celebrated Dr. Weishaupt, Professor of Canon Law in the 
 University at Ingolstadt. This philosopher and his adherents 
 professed to have at heart (and, for aught we know, sincerely) 
 the well being and happiness of the human race. The AhM 
 Barruel, a Jesuit priest, of whom we shall speak more at length 
 presently, informs us that this secret Society gravely contended 
 that all the religions existing were but so many clogs in the 
 onward path of man's happiness, and, therefore, their effort 
 would be exerted to subvert them all, and raze their very foun- 
 dations. This theory did not stop here, but, necessarily, led to 
 a like hostility to all civil governments, and Barruel charges 
 that they did seek to destroy all political and social relations, 
 that the mind might be left to untrammeled thought and unre- 
 strained action. 
 
 1. He says they sought to demolish the altar. 2. The 
 throne. 3. All ties of social union. These, he goes on to 
 say, were suggested first by a sect of philosophers, who aimed at 
 the destruction of the altars of Jesus Christ, and His Gospel 
 
302 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 The second were the Sophists of rebellion, who conspired 
 against the thrones of kings, and the third called themselves 
 the Illuminati, who united with the two former, and then affiliated 
 with the Freemasons. We will here remark that, from our 
 reading we know but little of the first two named Societies, we 
 mean from an authentic source, but we venture to say that we 
 have good authority for believing that the Society of the Illumi- 
 nati had for their leading object to improve the condition of 
 mankind, by cultivating the minds of the masses. They were 
 visionary — they were infidel in some of their religious notions, 
 but, certainly, they had in view to encourage education among the 
 common people— a consummation devoutly to be wished by all 
 except despots, and that class of religionists whose policy has 
 ever been to keep the people in ignorance, and through their 
 superstitions enslave them. At the close of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury. Masonry had spread over France and Germany, and waa 
 becoming very popular ; its influence was thefore feared by the 
 Jesuits, and the first favorable opportunity was seized upon to 
 make an unfavorable impression on the public mind in relation to 
 its objects and ends. Few men were better qualified to do the 
 dirty work of slander, and none, certainly, ever had less regard 
 for the truth than this Jesuit priest, Barruel. 
 
 It will be remembered that pending the Revolution in France, 
 the Assembly so far reorganized the Church, as to require all 
 priests and ministers of the Gospel to subscribe and swear to 
 obey certain articles, which tended in some degree to freedom 
 of conscience. The priests, dear souls, could not do this ; not, 
 as they said, because there was anything wrong in the thing 
 itself, but because it was a direct attack upon God's holy law — 
 alias, the Church ; and thus it has ever been with that class of 
 men ; if an attempt is made to enlighten the common people, 
 that is an attack upon .God's law which gives to Peter and his 
 successors the right to expound the law. If an attempt is made 
 to relieve the common people from the necessity of taking bread 
 out of their children's mouths, to purchase luxuries for the 
 priests and build churches for their mummeries, the whole 
 priesthood rise as one man and cry out" profanity," and charge 
 all philanthropists with being infidels. 
 
HISTOEY OP FREEMASONRY. 303 
 
 Tlie Abb(J I?arruel was one of those sacred personages who 
 could not stoop to subscribe to liberal articles, and he fled to 
 England, where he wrote and published the bitterest invectives 
 against all who dared to gainsay the divine right ofthe King and 
 the holy Catholic Church, under the title o^ Memoirs Illustrating 
 the History of Jacobinism. Barruel was an ultra royalist Cwhat 
 Jesuit is not ?) and that his writings might not give offense in 
 England, where most of the royal family were Masons, he 
 charges the Society in France with uniting with the before 
 named secret Societies, all infidel in their character, and thus 
 united caused the Revolution, while he admits that the Masons 
 in England were not only in favor of the Christian religion, 
 but free from any connection with the abominable doctrine of 
 republicanism. The following extract will afford the reader 
 a specimen of Barruel's attack upon the Masons of France : 
 
 " I saw," says he, " Masons, till then the most reserved, who 
 freely and openly declared, ' Yes, at length the grand object of 
 Freemasonry is accomplished, equality and liberty ; all men are 
 equal and brothers, all men are/ree. (Monstrous !) That was the 
 whole substance of our doctrine, the object of our wishes, the 
 whole of our grand secret!' Such was the language I heard fall from 
 the most zealous Masons — from those whom I have seen deco- 
 rated with all the insignia of the deepest Masonry, and who 
 enjoyed the rights of ' venerable ' to preside over Lodges. I 
 have heard them express themselves in this manner before those 
 whom Masons could call profane (uninitiated), without requiring 
 the smallest secrecy, either from the men or women present, 
 rhey said it in a tone as if they wished all France should be 
 acquainted with this glorious achievement of Masonry." [See 
 Hartford edition, 1799, vol. ii, p. 149.] 
 
 We once believed the foregoing to be, not only false, but 
 maliciously so ; but a thorough examination of the subject has 
 developed the fact that Eamsey's Ineffable degrees, falsely 
 called Scotch Rite Masonry, were introduced into France about 
 1740, and had for their leading object, the propagation of the 
 theory that Masonry was merely a part and parcel of the 
 Egyptian Mysteries ; and its doctrines little more than tho 
 inculcation of the philosophy of their priests and hierophantae. 
 
304 HISTORY OP FBBBMASONRT. 
 
 But for a time the Ineffable degrees were neglected or lost 
 sight of until De Bonville, or a convocation of his followers, 
 reproduced them, so remodeled, that their teachings opposed all 
 kings, all governments, all religions, and sought to erect upon 
 their ruins the religion of Reason, Liberty, and Equality ; 
 and soon after Weishaupt, who claimed to have instituted the 
 lUuminati, adopted said degrees as the foundation of his 
 Society, requiring 51II initiates to have taken them before eii- 
 tering his Association. Before the French Revolution, and, 
 therefore, before Barruel wrote, this new system of so called 
 Masonry had become popular in France, and was there 
 spoken of and regarded to be truly Freemasonry, and not only 
 became a part and parcel of the leveling schemes of the Illumi- 
 nati, but gradually crept into the Jacobin clubs, and thus 
 wielded an influence in bringing about the great Revolution. 
 At a proper time we will give the history of Ineffable, or 
 Scotch Rite Masonry (improperly so called), and it will then 
 be seen that though Barruel's motives were purely selfish and 
 sectarian, he had apparently good grounds for charging Ma- 
 sonry with being a political and disorganizing Institution. 
 Barruel correctly states that the Masons of England had never 
 been known to meddle with politics or religion ; and had he 
 known what Masonry truly was, truth would have demanded 
 of him to say it had nowhere so meddled ; but as he was not a 
 Mason, he was justified in supposing that what was regarded to 
 be Masonry in France was truly so called ; and in this view of 
 the subject, the denunciations heaped upon Barruel by Masons 
 everywhere are uncalled for. The motto of the Illuminati was 
 " Liberty and Equality." The motto of Scotch Rite Masonry, 
 Ancient and Accepted, was, and is now, " Liberty, Equality, and 
 Fraternity." That some Ancient Craft Masons, truly so called, 
 were concerned in bringing about the French Revolution is very 
 probable, but nowhere, throughout the world, have our Lodges 
 permitted even the discussion of politics in any shape or form. 
 In the American Revolution, Washington, and a host of other 
 Masons, joined the standard of rebellion, and nobly fought for 
 our independence, but no one dreamed of charging the Lodges 
 with originating, or having anything to do with the revolt. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 305 
 
 The people of Prance had been downtrodden under the most 
 slavish surveilance — they were even made to bushwhack all 
 night, to keep the frogs from croaking, and thus disturb the 
 slumbers of the best horn. 
 
 In the reign of Louis XVI., no common citizen was safe. It 
 IS a fact, not now denied, that Louis was in the habit of signing, 
 in blank, letters de cachet; in other words, blank warrants or 
 orders,. directing the keeper of the Bastile to take charge of, 
 and carefully lodge, the persons named. These orders could be 
 had for a few francs ; and while the King was reveling in lux- 
 uries and gluttony, the purchaser filled the blank with the 
 names of such persons as his interest, hatred, or whim chose to 
 single out for destruction ; for, be it known, that punishment, 
 at least in prison, took place without any trial, and very often 
 without any crime being cliarged. When that dismal prison- 
 house was thrown open by the revolutionists, hundreds came 
 forth who could not tell for what they had been imprisoned. 
 One man, it is stated, had been a prisoner forty years, and 
 never knew why he had been placed there. ■ 
 
 A Revolution in France was the necessary consequence of the 
 wrongs inflicted upon tlie people ; it was demanded by the state 
 of things then existing, and, for a time, the struggle was a noble 
 one ; aye, and it was being crowned with that success which 
 an oppressed and downtrodden people deserved. Nor would 
 it have stopped short of the independence and freedom of the 
 people, protected by free institutions of government, but that 
 even patriots, goaded on by the drunkenness of success, lured 
 and misled by such soulless monsters as Robespierre, committed 
 crimes so black and horrible as to turn the best men of the 
 republican party against the party, and beget an impression in 
 the minds of the disaffected, in and out of Prance, that no 
 people were capable of self-government. The royalist party 
 are wont to point to Robespierre as a model infidel republican, 
 while the truth is that he was a professor of religion— a hypo- 
 crite, of course, for he was a merciless assassin. But so far 
 from his being a fair specimen of a true republican, it is now 
 generally admitted that he was in the employment of the royal- 
 ists ; that he committed excesses and cause<l the most revolting 
 
 20 
 
306 HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 murdeis and other crimes- to be perpetrated, in order that the 
 thinking portion of the people, whether royalists or republicans, 
 might become disgusted with the liberty party, and render them 
 again willing to see the return of a monarchy. No nation of 
 people ever labored under so many difficulties in shaking off 
 the chains of slavery as did the French. Myriads of hired 
 emissaries of royalty were in their midst, and such confusion 
 existed that they seemed to know no other law than to kill 
 their own countrymen, each in self-defense. All Europe was 
 opposed to the principles of the Revolution ; the republican 
 party had no friends abroad, save the little handful of Amer- 
 icans, who, upon principle, repudiated all entangling alliances, 
 and hence could render no service to the friends of liberty in 
 France. Under this state of things it is not remarkable that 
 impulsive Frenchmen, having no great and good spirit to lead 
 them to victory, and at the same time restrain their passions, 
 should have run pellmell into utter ruin. We do not under- 
 take to excuse the excesses committed by the republican party, 
 but we will not admit that those excesses were the necessary 
 result of republican principles. On the contrary, the American 
 Revolution stands out in bold relief, proclaiming to after gen- 
 erations, and to the confusion of monarchists everywhere, that 
 a weak and almost defenseless people, a little band of veteran 
 republicans, were able, amid their victories and defeats, to set 
 an example of moderation, forbearance, and mercy, worthy 
 the imitation of the wisest and most powerful nations of the 
 earth. 
 
 Where is the Englishman whose cheek does not crimson with 
 the blush of shame, in reading an unvarnished tale of that 
 memorable struggle ? On the one hand, a nation the most power- 
 ful, a people the most polished and christianized, the model na- 
 tion of civilization, was engaged in hiring savage bands, not 
 only to make war upon a small number of half-armed Christian 
 people, but encouraged those savages in all the most inhuman 
 and barbarous cruelties perpetrated in cold blood upon prison- 
 ers of war. Yes, civilized England, Christian England, savage- 
 like, trampled upon the laws of nations, the laws of humanity, 
 and the laws of God, by murders unprovoked, by assassinations 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 307 
 
 nwl butclieries the most fiend-like that ever disgraced the most 
 barljarous people. Nor is this all ; the suffering, starvation, 
 and death, on board their prison-ships, wore no less revolting 
 to humanity than the tomahawk and butcher knife of the 
 Indian.* On the other hand, the prisoners taken by the Ameri 
 cans wei-e treated, not only humanely, but with kindness. The 
 truth is, the American army was led on and governed by high 
 and noble spirits ; by men who were republicans in principle, 
 clothed with the holy armor of justice and mercy. Away, then, 
 with the foul charge that republicanism is chargeable with the 
 crimes of the French Revolution. The republican party of 
 France had no Washington ; they had not the moral worth 
 and sterling virtue that composed the convention of '76 ; they 
 had no such Congress as the Colonies had. The republican 
 party of France was headed by corrupt men, and the people 
 became corrupt ; and lience the loss of nearly all the good 
 designed to be accomplished by the Revolution. 
 
 Had Barruel been an honest man — had it been his intention 
 to show to the world the true causes which led to the Revolution, 
 and the reason of so much crime and bloodshed in its prosecu- 
 tion, he was every way disqualified to accomplish the end 
 sought, for he was no politician or statesman ; he believed no 
 political movement to be correct, unless it tended to honor 
 and increase the power and wealth of the clergy. With him 
 the cause of the Catholic Church was the cause of God, and he 
 who ofifended a priest offended God ; and hence did he and 
 thousands of others refuse to take the oath of allegiance to the 
 new government, alleging such an act to be dishonoring God. 
 
 The publication of Barruel was soon after followed by a 
 similar one from Robinson ; and as the Masons of England had 
 not then learned the true character of the new system called 
 
 ' During the six years that Howe and Clinton commanded at New York, eleven 
 thousand Americans died oa board the prison-ship Jersey, stationed at that i)oiD» 
 to receive prisoners, and starve them to death. The number who perished iirnid 
 fainine and disease, in their jails, dungeons, and prison hullis, were in proportion 
 to the above. The immense number of cases of massacre and cruelty to indivi- 
 duals are so revolting to humanity, that we can scarcely associate them with b 
 civilized people. 
 
808 HISTORY OF PEEEMASONET. 
 
 Masonry in Prance, thej were alarmed and deeply grieved at 
 the appearance of these grave cha,rges, sustained, as they vere, 
 by respectable testimony, against their beloved Order. Thug 
 did a scheming political society, anti-Christian in its character, 
 li»ring unmerited reproach upon Ancient Craft Masonry by the- 
 jjame it assumed, and by selecting its members from among the 
 Masons. 
 
 Mr. Robinson was Professor of Na,tural Philosophy, and Secre 
 tary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and, very naturally, an 
 ultra royalist. He published a book entitled Proofs of Con- 
 spiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe, 
 carried on in the Secret Meetings of the Freemasons, lUuminati, 
 and Reading Societies. Robinson^ like Barruel, wrote to pro- 
 ipote his own aggrandizement. Mr. Burke had written what 
 was termed an unanswerable argument against republicanism, 
 and proving the divine right of kings, for which inestimabls 
 service he received a large pension from the British govern 
 ipent. Robinson, very likely, looked forward to a like remune- 
 ration ; but, even in the event he failed in this end, he had. 
 nevertheless, everything to gain and nothing to lose by the 
 publication, for he enjoyed a very lucrative situation in the 
 gift of the royalists, and nothing was more likely to win their 
 confidence and beget their gratitude than an attack upon the 
 friends of liberty ; and the reckless slanderer is less likely to 
 be exposed in essaying against secret Societies than anything 
 else ; for, inasnluch as secret Societies can not. make kijown all 
 -tjhe transactions of their meetings, the malignant villifier i* 
 only known to be so to the members of those Societies. 
 
 Robinson pursued the same illiberal and unmanly course that 
 was carried out by Barruel, attributing the Revolution ip France 
 tp secret Societies, but mainly to Masonry and Illuminati, And, 
 although an investigation by the English Masons proved him to 
 be an unprincipled slanderer, his publication had the eflFect to 
 prejudice the minds of a great many persons against the Insti- 
 tution . It is true that Robinson had the same proof that Barruel 
 had, and, in like manner, charged that the Illuminati and Free- 
 masonry united in France, and together raised the Illurnination 
 war-whoop — '^ Peace to the cottages, and war vyith palapes." Wo 
 
HISTORY OP Freemasonry. 309 
 
 lind an exciuse for Barruel's vindictiveness in his probable 
 ignorance of the principles and character of Freemasonry 
 but no such apology can be found for Robinson ; for, though h^ 
 was not a Mason, he was in daily contact with those whom htf 
 knew to be Freemasons, and to be gentlemen of the highes! 
 character ; and again, had he desired to know more of the true 
 principles of the Order, he had the means at hand, and would 
 have been furnished with unmistakable evidence that, in Scot- 
 land and England, Masonry had never been known to meddk 
 with politics or religion, and though he had shown that those 
 calling themselves Masons had so interfered in France, every, 
 true Mason in Scotland, England, and everywhere else, would, 
 as they did, openly disavow and repudiate the course pursue'd 
 by reputed Masons in France. But Robinson had a purpose 
 to serve, and truth and honesty had no part or lot in it, or he 
 never would have quoted the flimsy and coarse argumehta 
 of Louis XV. to establish the divine right of kings. 
 
 Both Robinson and Barrnel, like all others who have made an 
 attack upon Masonry, obtained for their writings but a trahsi- 
 tory influence, and for themselves a fame as unenviable as their 
 bitterest enemies could desire. The motives which actuated 
 Barruel may be inferred from the' following language, h^ld 
 by Rabaut de St. Etienne, who was a member of tlie National 
 Assembly-^an eye-witness to the scenes of the Revolution, and 
 who wrotd its history ; he was a clergyman of the Protestant 
 religion, and may, like ourself, have felt some bitterness against 
 Jesuit priests ; but, as he was a man of unexceptionable charac- 
 ter, .we may fairly infer his prejudices, if he had any, Were 
 forced upon his mind by the corrupt course pursued by the 
 priests. He says : " The oath required of the clergy was one 
 of the pretexts used for endeavoring to create one of those 
 quarrels which are termed schisms, and in which men separate 
 into parties, and then fight for the sake of abstract questions 
 ■v^hich they do not understand. The National Assembly had 
 given the title of Civil Cmistitution of the Clergy, to what was 
 nothing but its organization. It would seem that the assembly 
 would have done better in not engaging in this affair, since 
 each profession and each professor can arrange themselves 
 
310 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 agreeably to. their own mode of proceeding, saving the superin 
 tending power of the government. It ran the hazard of reviving, 
 under one form, a body which it had destroyed under another. 
 But priests maintain such a fast hold of all temporal affairs, and 
 attach themselves so closely to the interests of the government, 
 that it is difficult to separate them from these affairs and these 
 interests ; and, take the matter up in what shape you may, 
 the priesthood still meets you at every corner. This creates a 
 degree of embarrassment in every country where the sovereign, 
 be it what it may, has a serious inclination to be master. 
 
 " Tlie National Assembly, then, having organized the clergy 
 according to the principles of the French Constitution, required 
 of the priests the oath which had been taken by every citizen 
 to support the Constitution, but it required at the same time 
 that they should swear to maintain the civil Constitution of the 
 clergy. Of all the military men who have taken and broken 
 the civic oath, not one ever thought of saying that heaven was 
 injured by the military organization ; their pretext hath been, 
 that they had already taken an oath to theKing, which render- 
 ed the latter null and of no effect ; but priests are in the habit 
 of identifying themselves with God, and whoever offends them 
 offends Heaven. Accordingly, certain subtle minds soon dis- 
 covered the means of creating a schism in asserting that this 
 Constitution was a spiritual affair — nay, more, that it was 
 another religion ; that to require such an oath was a restraint 
 of the freedom of conscience ; that it was putting priests to the 
 torture and exposing them to suffer martyrdom. They even 
 desired death, and that they might be led to execution — well 
 assured that the National Convention would never do any such 
 thing. 
 
 "There was found in the kingdom a considerable number of 
 well meaning persons, who imagined that their consciences had 
 received a material injury by this new organization of the 
 clergy — for what men most believe, is very often what they 
 least understand. Meanwhile, the nonjuring priests were 
 e)bliged to quit their parishes, and pensions were allotted to 
 them ; but they endeavored to preserve their influence over 
 their parishioners and interest them in their favor, by all thoso 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 311 
 
 means which continually lie within reach of those to whom 
 men have committed tlie government of their reason. This 
 division inspired the enemies of the Constitution with the hope 
 that the French might be seduced into a civil war for the sake 
 of the priesthood, since they would not go to war for the sake 
 of the nobility, which, in truth, had no abstract ideas to present 
 to the subtle minds of the discontented. The courtiers and the 
 friends of privileges on a sudden became devout ; ,tliey were ' 
 devout even at court ; nay, they were devout even at Worms 
 and at Coblentz. But the citizens of Paris, even such as were 
 least enlightened, did not become the dupes of this mummery. 
 Now, without Paris, there can be no civil war." — London Edi- 
 tion, p. 200. 
 
 We are aware that it is with some difficulty any one can 
 determine who, or whether any, have written an impartial 
 account of the French Revolution. Not only was all France 
 divided into parties, but all Europe partook more or less of 
 the same feelings — all were partisans; and whether we read 
 after a royalist or republican, we are called upon to make 
 allowances for the bias which the author's mind had received 
 by his connection with the excitements of the times. On the 
 subject of Masonry, however, or any other secret society, we 
 think the case is different. We know that those who set them- 
 selves up as competent judges, and who undertake to pronounce 
 judgment agaipst Freemasonry, or any other truly benevolent 
 institution, must needs do so from corrupt motives, and at the 
 expense of common honesty ; for, were their motives pure, they 
 would not condemn what they did not understand ; and were 
 they honest, they would admit that, not being members, they 
 had not the means of knowing what Masonry is. We may not 
 be able to convince the world that Robinson and Barruel wrote 
 from corrupt motive8,and in disregard of the truth ; but, no Mason 
 can fail to believe it. But while we look with contempt upon 
 those who have wantonly villified Freemasonry, we can not 
 overlook the fact that, at the very period referred to, or a 
 short time before, the foundation was laid for innc/vations 
 which have spread over France and Germany ; and even m 
 this land of ours, where we so much love the Ancient Land- 
 
812 nisTOBT or feeemasonry. 
 
 marks, the innovations referred to have crept in ; and though 
 Ancient Craft Masonry has not been ousted, Modern Masonry 
 has been added on, and so far tolerated as to endanger the 
 identity of Ancient Masonry. Some are of opinion thai 
 although Modern or French Rite Masonry was introduced 
 before the institution of the Society of Illuminati, still had that 
 Society much to do in giving birth to the great flood of new 
 degrees, yalept Masonic. Some are of opinion that the great 
 ^tch of degrees, now attempted to be called Masonic, were 
 originally practiced in the occult Lodges of the Illuminati — 
 that a great many Masons became members of the Illuminati, 
 as they at this day become Odd Fellows, without the one inter- 
 fering with, or trampling on, the rights of the other ; but the 
 Illuminati being desirous to occupy the elevated station Ma- 
 sons had ever occupied, sought to assimilate theirs, as far as 
 possible, to the Institution of Freemasonry, and hence soon 
 passed a law that no one should become a member of the 
 Illuminati without previously receiving the first three degrees 
 in Masonry. Whether there is any truth in this suggestion we 
 know not ; but that the founder of the Illuminati sought, in the 
 outset, to create the impression that Masonry, trite Masonry, 
 was what he proposed teaching, the following extract from a 
 circular of his will clearly show : 
 
 " I declare," says Dr. Weishaupt, " and I challenge all man- 
 kind to contradict my declaration, that no man can give any 
 account of Freemasonry — of its origin, of its history, of its 
 object, nor any explanation of its mysteries and symbols, which 
 does not leave the mind in total uncertainty on all these points. 
 Every man, therefore, is entitled to give an explanation of the 
 symbols, and any system of the doctrines that he can render 
 palatable. Hence have sprung up that variety of systems 
 which, for twenty years,have divided the Order. The simple 
 tale of the English, and the fifty degrees of the French, and 
 the Knights of the Baron Hunde, are equally authentic, and have 
 equally had the support of intelligent and zealous brethren. These 
 systems are, in fact, but one. They have all sprung from the 
 blue Lodge of three degrees, take these for their standard, and 
 found on these all the improvements by which each system is 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 313 
 
 afterward suited to the particular object which it keeps in 
 view. There is no man nor system in the world which can show, 
 by undoubted .succession, that it should stand at the head of the 
 Order. Our ignorance in this particular frets me. Do but 
 consider our short history of one hundred and twenty years. 
 Who will show me the mother Lodge ? Those of London we 
 have discovered to be self-erected in 1716. Ask for their 
 archives, they tell you they were burnt. They have nothing 
 but the wretched sophistications of the Englishman, Anderson, 
 and the Frenchman,- Desag'uliers. Where is tlie Lodge of 
 York, which pretends to the priority, with their King Bouden, 
 and the archives that he brought from the East ? These, too, 
 are all burnt. What is the Chapter of old Aberdeen and its 
 holy clericate ? Did we not find it unknown, and the Mason 
 Lodges there the most ignorant of all the ignorant — gaping for 
 instruction from our deputies V Did we not find the same thing 
 at London ? And have not their missionaries been among us, 
 prying into our mysteries, and eager to learn from us what is 
 true Freemasonry? It is in vain, therefore, to appeal to 
 judges ; they are nowhere to be found ; all claim for themselves 
 the sceptre of the Oxder ; all, indeed, are on an equal footing. 
 They obtain followers, not from their authenticity, but from 
 their conduciveness to the end which they proposed, and from 
 the importance of that end. It is by this scale that we must 
 measure the mad and wicked explanations of the Rosicrucians, 
 the Exorcists, and Cabalists. These are rejected by all good 
 Masons, because incompatible with social happiness. Only 
 such systems as promote this are retained. But, alas, they are 
 all sadly deficient, because they leave us under the dominion of 
 political and religious prejudices, and they are as inefficient as 
 the sleepy dose of an ordinary sermon. 
 
 " But I have contrived an explanation which has every advan- 
 tage ; is inviting to Christians of every communion ; gradually 
 frees them from all religious prejudices ; cultivates the social 
 virtues, and animates them by a great, feasible, and speedy 
 prospect of universal happiness in a state of liberty and moral 
 equality, freed from the obstacles which subordination, rank, 
 and riches continually throw in our way. My explanation is 
 
314 HISTORr OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 accurate and complete ; my means are effectual and irresistible. 
 Our secret Association works in a way that notliing can with 
 stand, and man shaM soon be free and happy. 
 
 " This is the great object held out by this Association, and 
 the means of obtaining it is illumination — enlightening by the 
 sun of reason, which will dispel the clouds of superstition and 
 prejudice. The proficients in this Order are, therefore, justly 
 named the Illuminated. And of all the illumination which 
 human reason can give, none is comparable to the discovery of 
 what we are — our nature, our obligations, what happiness we 
 are capable of, and what are the means of obtaining it. In 
 comparison with this, the most brilliant sciences are but 
 amusements for the idle and lascivious. To fit man by illum- 
 ination for active virtue, to engage him to it by the strongest 
 motives, to render the attainment of it easy and certain, by 
 finding employment for every talent, and by placing every 
 talent in its proper sphere of action, so that all, without feel- 
 ing any extraordinary effort, and in conjunction with, and com- 
 pletion of, ordinary business, shall urge forward with united 
 powers the general task. This, indeed, will be employment 
 suited to noble natures — grand in its views and delightful in its 
 exercise. And what is this general object? The happiness of 
 the human race." 
 
 We leave the reader to make his own comments upon the 
 egotistical views of the Doctor, with the simple remark that 
 all may see tlie fallacy of attributing modern Masonry to the 
 Society of Illuminati, as the founder of this Society tells us the 
 French had been giving fifty degrees for twenty years before. 
 
 We can not close our notice of the malicious slanders of 
 Barruel and Robinson, without expressing a feeling of pity for 
 such men. Theirs was a species of depravity, the like of 
 which we are called upon too often to witness. Men of strong 
 and well cultivated minds, are often led astray by an overween- 
 ing desire to do or write something to perpetuate their names, 
 without exercising a sound discrimination in the selection of a 
 subject, and hence are they liable to leave behind that which 
 will consign their names to the contempt and derision of good 
 men. 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRY. 315 
 
 "We make the following extract from an address of De Witt 
 Clinton, delivered at the installation of G. M. Van Rensselaer, 
 of New York, in 1825, not only because of its application to 
 Barruel and Robinson, but also because it strikes at another 
 class of enemies to Masonry, now doing much more harm,. We 
 repeat what we have said elsewhere in this history, that Dr. 
 Oliver is doing Masonry more injury than its bitterest enemies, 
 by the ridiculous claims he sets up in its behalf. Had Clinton 
 seen and read the writings of Oliver, he could not have 
 denounced them in more forcible and appropriate terms than 
 do his remarks in 1825 : 
 
 " Our Fraternity has suffered under the treatment of well- 
 meaning friends, who have undesignedly inflicted more injuries 
 upon it than its most violent enemies. The absurd accounts of 
 its origin * and history, in most of the books that treat of it, 
 have proceeded from enthusiasm operating on credulity and 
 the love of the marvelous. An imbecile friend often does more 
 injury than an avowed foe. The calumnies of Barruel and 
 Robinson, who labored to connect our Society with the 
 Illuminati, and to represent it as inimical to social order and 
 good government, have been consigned to everlasting contempt, 
 while exaggerated and extravagant friendly accounts and 
 representations continually stare us in the face, and mortify our 
 intellectual discrimination by ridiculous claims to antiquity. 
 Nor ouglit it to be forgotten that genuine Masonry is adulterat- 
 ed by sophistications and interpolations foreign from the sim- 
 plirity and sublimity of its nature. To this magnificent Tempk 
 of the Corinthian Order there have been added Gotliic erections 
 which disfigure its beauty and derange its symmetry. The 
 adoption, in some cases, of frivolous pageantry and fantastic 
 mummery, equally revolting to good taste and genuine Masonry, 
 has exposed us to much animadversion ; but our Institution, 
 clothed with celestial virtue, and armed with the panoply of 
 truth, has defied all the storms of open violence, and resisted 
 all the attacks of insiduous imposture, and it will equally 
 
 • Dr. Oliver says it is reasonable to suppose Masonry existed before this world 
 was created ! 
 
316 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 triumjili over migguided friendship, which, like the transit of a 
 planet over the disc of the sun, may produce a momentary 
 obscuration, but will instantly leave it in the ftiU radiance of its 
 glory." 
 
 We make the following extract from Robinson, that every 
 Mason may at once see the evidence upon which he founds hia 
 opposition to Masonry : — " In 1789, or the "beginning of 1790, 
 a manifest was sent from the Grand. National Lodge of Free- 
 masons (so it is entitled) at Paris, signed by the Duke of 
 Orleans, as Grand Master, addressed and sent to the Lodges in 
 all the respectable cities in Europe, exhorting them to unite for 
 the support of the French Revolution — to gain it friends, 
 defenders, and dependants ; and, according to opportunities 
 and the practicability of the thing, to kindle and propagate the 
 spirit of revolution throughout all lands. This is a most 
 important articlo, and deserves a very serious attentiOH. I got 
 it first of all in a work written by L. A. Hoffman, Vienna : 1795. 
 * * * Hoffman says that he saw some of those 
 manifests ; that they were not all of one tenor — some being 
 addressed to friends of whose support they were already assur- 
 ed. One very important article of their contents, is earnest 
 exhortations to establish, in every quarter, secret schools of 
 political education, and schools for the public education of the 
 children of the people, under the direction of well principled 
 masters, and offers of pecuniary assistance for this purpose, and 
 for the encouragement of writers in favor of the Revolution, 
 and for indemnifying the patriotic booksellers who sufi'er by 
 their endeavors to suppress publications of an opposite ten- 
 dency." 
 
 It will be seen, when we come to speak of Scotch Rite 
 Masonry, that, at the time Robinson refers to, the National 
 Grand Lodge of France had lost its identity with Ancient 
 Craft Masonry, and had adopted the political Masonry, so 
 called, of Chevalier Ramsey, modified and anti-christianized by 
 De BonviUe. The witness brought forward by Robinson is not 
 of the best character ; indeed, he had no other motive than that 
 of stooping to the lowest and most scurrilous abuse of the 
 Protestants ; and had we none other than the testimony of 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 317 
 
 Hoffman, we should be justified in calling in question his state- 
 ments ; but the weight of testimony goes to show that th'e 
 National Grand Lodge, having accumulated the Scotch Rite 
 degrees, or Ineffable Masonry, trampled under foot the teach- 
 ings of Ancient Craft Masonry, and, in open violation of its 
 saored injunctions, did take part in concocting political schemes 
 in unison with the Illuminati ; but, while even the best citizens 
 of France might well have believed that the said Grand Lodge 
 acted in obedience to the principles of true Masonry, we repeat 
 that Robinson could not have so believed. His facilities for 
 knowing better were too easy of access ; indeed, the testimony 
 was forced upon his notice by daily intercourse with Masons, 
 remarkable for their piety and devotion to law and order. 
 
 No man of observation has lived where Masonry was prac- 
 ticed, without being compelled to see that to the Institution 
 belonged men of all religious and political creeds ; that the 
 Constitutions and usages forbid their interference, in any way, 
 with religion or politics, nor could they successfully do so, were 
 a majority so disposed, for the reason that men of all creeds 
 belong to the Order, and, of course, there would be opposition 
 to, and, consequently, exposure of, any effort of the majority to 
 carry out a partisan measure. This fact was well known to 
 Robinson and Barruel, and hence they make an effort 
 to show that the Masons had affiliated with the Illuminati ; 
 that the members of this Society were all liberty men, and 
 hence the Masons associated with them were in favor of univer- 
 sal freedom. Now, to an American, it seems strange that any 
 private citizen, with a cultivated mind, and who is not in the pay 
 of royalty, should be opposed to the liberation of all or any 
 portion of the human race from the yoke of monarchy ; but no 
 dispassionate, unprejudiced man can fail to see that both 
 Barruel and Robinson have, throughout their publications, per- 
 verted the truth in order to effect their object. We know it 
 was the policy of every royalist to influence, if possible, the 
 rainds of the people of all Europe against the party who 
 brought about and carried on the Revolution of France, for it is 
 too manifest a truth that, had France succeeded in throwing 
 off entirely the bondage under which her people had been 
 
318 HISTORY OF PEEEMASONKT. 
 
 groaning, and established a republican form of government, the 
 example would have been speedily followed in England and 
 other portions of Europe. Robinson admits, rather injudiciously 
 we think, that the example of the Americans operated power- 
 fully in France. He says : " The French officers and soldiers, 
 who returned from America, imported American principles, and, 
 in every company, found fond hearers, who listened with delight 
 to their fascinating tale of American independence. During 
 the war, the minister was obliged to allow the Parisians to 
 amuse themselves with theatrical entertainments, where every 
 extravagance of the Americans was applauded as a noble 
 struggle for native freedom. All wished for a taste of that 
 liberty and equality which they were allowed to applaud on the 
 stage ; but, as soon as they came from the theatre into the 
 streets, they found themselves under all their former restraints. 
 The sweet charm had found its way into their hearts, and all 
 the luxuries of France became as dull as common life does to a 
 fond girl who lays down her novel. In this irritable state of 
 mind, a spark was sufficient for kindling a flame. To import 
 this dangerous delicacy of American growth, France had 
 expended many millions, and was drowned in debts." 
 
 We repeat, that we do not doubt that a large majority of the 
 Masons of France were in favor of Republican principles, and 
 we rejoice in the belief that such was the case ; for, while we 
 are constrained to admit that the revolutionists signally failed to 
 accomplish the great end of their outbreak, still did they leave 
 France in a much better condition than it was at the com- 
 mencement of the struggles, and then it was that the seeds 
 were sown that are now beginning to shoot forth tender 
 branches that must sooner or later grow and overshadow the 
 land. 
 
 The expulsion of the Jesuits, in 1847, caused the people to 
 inquire into the nature and objects of that Association, and no 
 gne can fail to see that the masses have undergone a great change 
 in relation to the rights and powers of the priests. In France, as 
 in America, there are thousands of good Catholics who are still 
 clinging to the imaginary idea that the Pope is supreme and in- 
 fallible in all spiritual things, but who as stoutly deny his right 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 310 
 
 to interfere with temporal, and especially political affairs ; and 
 wlienever tlie people of France shall become independent of the 
 priesthood, they will no longer have any use for, nor will they 
 tolerate, a monarchical government. 
 
 But Masonry, as a Society, has had nothing to do with the 
 politics of France. Masonry meddles with neither Church nor 
 State. The members of the Order have ever taken a stand for 
 or against political revolutions, according to "their individual 
 views and opinions of right ; but no rule is older or better e?- 
 tablished in the government of the Institution, than that, in the 
 Lodge room, no discussions in relation to politics or religion 
 can be tolerated. This rule must ever exist and be lived up to, 
 or Masonry will cease to exist. Were it possible to make it a 
 partisan Institution, it would cease to be Masonry. Not so 
 with the Ineffable degrees ; they were originally, and are still, 
 political in their teaching. The Rose -|- was originally, not 
 only a christian, but also a military degree, the order of Knights 
 Templar (which is in substance the Rose -{-), is now both chris- 
 tian and military. What encampment of Knights Templar 
 could deliberately fold their arms in the event an assault 
 was made upon the Christian religion? All the members of this 
 Order are Christians in principle ; it is their duty to uphold and 
 sustain it on all fit occasions, and, we believe, as valiant and 
 magnanimous Knights, they would never prove recreant to 
 their trust. There are some Sir Knights who, from recent devel- 
 opments in the General Grand Encampment of the United States, 
 would even be willing to go further, and throw themselves into 
 the breach, should an attempt be made to dissolve the union of 
 the States ; but, as before stated, we wish it to be distinctly 
 understood that when we speak of the principles and govern- 
 ment of Masonry, we mean Ancient Craft Masonry. In no 
 association of Masons, from the Entered Apprentice to the 
 Royal Arch, will politics or religion ever enter. These degrees 
 are in the possession of all creeds and professions. No religious 
 tests, other than a belief in one God, can by them be exacted ; 
 nor can the applicant be required to say whether he is a royalist 
 or republican, a unionist or disunionist, a whig or democrat — 
 but all, all meet upon one grand level at the shrine of Masonry 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 We have to regret our inability to trace back, by any 
 authentic records, the existence of Masonry in Prance to any 
 very remote period. We have already given an account of the 
 early introduction into England of some French architects, and 
 that Solomon's builders were known there, as elsewhere, is very 
 certain ; but, for a long period of time, all traces of the Society 
 are lost in that country. To account for this satisfactorily is 
 no easy task, but we think it capable of a probable solution. 
 We have already shown that Masonry was formerly patronized 
 and protected by the Catholic Church ; that a large number cf 
 the priests were members of the Order. This, it will be re- 
 membered, was at a time when the art of building was exclus- 
 ively, or nearly so, in the hands of the Masons, aad when tho 
 Church of Rome was, as now, vigilant in pushing forward her 
 claims into every country and town, by the erection of costly 
 and attractive buildings, either cathedrals or churches. In 
 short, so long as it was the interest of the Church to use the 
 Society, so long was it in the enjoyment of the favor and 
 patronage of the Church. But two prominent causes operated 
 to release them from all ties of interest. First, the united 
 efforts of Pope and priests, for a long period, had resulted in 
 the erection of a vast number of public buildings for worship, 
 and the demand for buildings then ceased to be so great ; but 
 the more prominent cause was, that the Society departed from 
 the Landmarks handed down to them by their fathers, by 
 neglecting to cultivate a thorough knowledge of their vocation, 
 and by suffering the art to get into the hands of others than 
 members of the Society ; and, as soon as the Church was able to 
 command the services of builders who were not Masons, it was 
 • '-^ite natural they should avail themselves of the advantage, 
 
HISTORY OF FKEEMASONRT. 321 
 
 for we know there are, and ever haye been, some things held 
 sacred in Masonry which are at open war with the Catholic 
 Church. For example. Masonry teaches freedom of thought, 
 and encourages its members to investigate from cause to effect, 
 and sound the philosophy of all things — receiving and cherish- 
 ing that which would stand the test of the overseer's square, 
 and casting among the rubbish all else. This did not, and 
 never can, comport with the doctrines of a Church whose leading 
 trait is to debase and keep in abject ignorance the great mass 
 of its members, who may not think, or act, or speak, only aa 
 they are bid to think, act, and speak by those professing to 
 have the key of knowledge. 
 
 Again, we know that the secrets of Masonry have ever with- 
 stood the basest efforts of the confessional — a thing abhorrent 
 to a poor worm of the dust, who has donned a long-tailed coat 
 as a covering for his sacred person, and who claims homage as 
 a right divine. From what we have said, it will not seem 
 improbable that the influence of the Church tended to drive 
 Masonry from France, as we know it did from Spain and other 
 countries. 
 
 That Masonry was last introduced into France from Scotland 
 or England is beyond doubt, but, as to the precise time, we are 
 much at a loss to show. Doctor Robinson was of opinion that, 
 when James II. abdicated the throne of England, and took 
 refuge in France, in 1688, his adherents introduced Masonry 
 there as a means of making friends to his cause and the rights 
 of royal prerogative. Thus is Masonry made to answer either 
 extreme best suited to the wicked ends of the reviler and mis- 
 chief-maker. In 1688, it is made use of to promote the ends of 
 royalty ; and in 1796, it is used to " make peace with cottages, 
 and war upon palaces." 
 
 We think the statement of a few facts will render it at least 
 probable that Robinson is incorrect, both as to the time of its 
 introduction into France, and the purposes for which it was 
 used. 
 
 As early as 1645, Masonry certainly existed in France, for 
 we learn that, at that period, a certain district was set apart 
 for the Society ox Company oi Ma^onTierie. In examining some 
 
822 HISTORY OP FEEEMASOKET. 
 
 of the laws, by which we know the Society there was governed, 
 we shall find abundant proof that it derived its authority and 
 being from Scotland instead of England, and that, whatever in- 
 novations have since been made in that country. Masonry was 
 then practiced according to the strict rules of primitive Craft 
 Masonry. When any difference of opinion or dispute arose 
 among the members, either in reference to the manner or the 
 art of building, or other causes threatening to disturb the har- 
 mony of the members, the whole matter was referred, for ad- 
 judication and settlement, to judges or overseers chosen from 
 their own body, before whom each party had the right to in- 
 troduce testimony, and be supported by an advocate. Now, 
 nothing of this sort ever existed in England, but we know that 
 in Scotland the Masons had, for similar purposes, their Warden 
 Courts, conducted in the same manner as the Masonic Courts 
 in France. It is, then, very certain that the Masonry of Prance 
 in 1645, was derived from Scotland. 
 
 We shall now undertake to show the probable time of its 
 introduction. It will be borne in mind that about the middle 
 of the sixteenth century, Mary, Queen of Scots, was a minor in 
 Prance. Mary of Guise, sister of the French King, was Regent 
 of Scotland. Prance and Scotland were allied powers, and 
 stood connected by strong fraternal ties, for Mary, Queen of 
 Scots married, though an infant, the heir apparent to the 
 throne of France. France sent to Scotland troops, to assist in 
 prosecuting the wars of the Scots. They were residents there 
 for a long time, and as the Lodge at Kilwinning was then in a 
 flourishing condition, it is not likely so many Frenchmen would 
 return home without taking a knowledge of Masonry with them. 
 Indeed, we should be doing injustice to the French character to 
 suppose so curious a thing as Masonry was being practiced in 
 their midst and they not seek to share in it. 
 
 We might add other reasons tending to prove our position ; 
 but, as they are all circumstantial only, we have deemed it suf 
 ficient merely to give the above, they being satisfactory to our 
 mind that Masonry not only existed in France before 1645, but 
 that it must have had a place there as early as the days of Mary 
 Queen of Scots. Had Masonry been introduced into France as 
 
* HKTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 323 
 
 late as 1688, it would seem that we should certainly have had 
 
 some authentic account of it, for, during the revival of Masonry 
 
 in the South of England, about thirty years after, much stir and 
 
 inquiry was made in relation to its history, and the eventful 
 
 fact would then have been within the memory of some of the 
 
 living. Upon the whole, then, we conclude that Robinson has 
 
 been unfortunate in his attempt to state facts, both as to the 
 
 history and the objects or ends of Freemasonry, for had Mar 
 
 sonry been used in the Revolution of 1688, to put down the 
 
 Hanoverian succession and reestablish the Stuarts upon the 
 
 throne of England, we should have the important move recorded 
 
 with the events of the time ; for neither the policy of the 
 
 French government, nor the feelings of the French people, 
 
 were such for England as to create the belief that it would 
 
 have been kept a profound secret. Nor is it likely that James 
 
 II. would have been so short-sighted as to make such an 
 
 attempt, well knowing, as he did, that there was in the minds 
 
 of the people a decided leaning in favor of the Scottish line 
 
 of succession. In short, we presume no man dreamed of 
 
 such an idle tale, until it was supposed capital could be made 
 
 out of it. 
 
 It is our misfortune, at this day, that the early rules of Ma- 
 sonry deterred all, until 1717, from publishing anything in 
 relation to it ; and for the balance of the century we know but 
 little through the press, except from England ; and Masonry 
 there partook somewhat of the character of the English govern- 
 ment in one particular, viz., bigotry. The English writers on 
 Masonry have been at no pains to give us any very accurate or 
 extended account of Masonry anywhere, unless it was what 
 they boastingly call English Masonry. In other words, when- 
 ever and wherever the English sent out a warrant, we have an 
 account of the fact, and in such a manner as to leave the in»- 
 pression that that warrant carried with it the first Masonry 
 introduced there, though it was known that warrants from 
 Scotland had long preceded theirs. From the frequent English 
 publications as above, English Masonry became better known 
 in continental Europe than Scotch Masonry ; and the republi- 
 cation of the Ancient Constitutions, improperly called the 
 
824 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 ■English Constituiiom, tended greatly to give notoriety to 
 English Masonry. Of course, we do not design leaving the 
 impression that there was any radical difference in the principle 
 or rites of Masonry in England and Scotland, but only in the 
 external forms of government. 
 
 It is a matter of doubt whether it would not have been better 
 for the Fraternity of the world, if Masonry had never been 
 introduced into France. There is something peculiar in the 
 constitution of the mind of a Frenchman, which renders him 
 essentially different, in some respects, from all others. He is 
 not only restless, but fond of gewgaws and tinsel, and a never 
 ceasing round of changes, which latter is illy adapted to 
 Masonry. We have not been able to show when French Masons 
 jaegan to introduce innovations, but we have seen that the 
 founder of the Illuminati dates their existence to a period 
 anterior to the time of his writing about twenty years ; but 
 these remarks must be considered as applying to the great 
 batch of new degrees, and not to the origin of the first ; for, as 
 early as the beginning of the last century, they instituted a new 
 degree called Chevalier Macon Ecossais, doubtless originating in 
 a desire to do honor to Scotland for having planted Masonry 
 in France ; and as it was accompanied with great pomp and 
 ceremony when conferred, many were inclined to regard it as 
 superior and more desirable than the plain and simple degrees 
 of Ancient Craft Masonry. The barrier being thus passed, it 
 was not difficult to find an apology for another and another 
 new degree, more and more showy, until finally nothing was 
 regarded Masonry that did not tolerate great display and 
 parade. Nor was Craft Masonry permitted to escape the influ- 
 ence of these fungus additions. Even the Blue Lodges com- 
 menced resorting to ceremonials, resembling as nearly those of 
 the Pythagoreans or the Egyptian Mysteries, as the true aud 
 unadorned Ancient Craft Degrees. As far as we can ascertain, 
 just enough of the secret ceremonies are retained as to allow 
 the brother to pass himself, and be recognized throughout the 
 world as a Mason. Let an Englishman or an American visit a 
 French Lodge, at the present day, and he will be astonished to 
 find how wholly unprepared he is to assist in conferring the 
 
HISTOEY OP FEBEMASONRT. 325 
 
 degrees ; but if he is familiar with the accounts given of the 
 mystic rites of the ancient heathens, he can not fail to mark the 
 near resemblance, except, it may be, that the French excel thg 
 ancients in flummery and pageant. From all this, it should not 
 be wondered at if, indeed, as charged, the Lodges in France 
 have sometimes suffered politics and religion insidiously to creep 
 in. We have recently seen a letter from a distinguished Mason 
 and accomplished gentleman in France, charging that some of 
 the Lodges of his country are now suffering these things withia 
 the sacred walls of their meeting. If this be true, we hope, as 
 he predicts will be the case, that the Grand Orient will institute 
 the strictest investigation, and at once put its seal of disappro- 
 bation on such an outrage, by cutting off, or otherwise punishing, 
 every offending Lodge ; for we hold that no apology or excuse] 
 can be offered for an offense, known to be so by every Masonic 
 Lodge the world over. 
 
 The Grand Orient should be open and above board. If tlie 
 novelties of Scotch Rite Masonry has, indeed, superseded 
 Ahcient Craft Masonry, let the Grand Lodge declare the fact, 
 and the true Grand Lodges throughout the world will with- 
 draw their recognition of French Masonry. 
 
 When we come to speak of the nineteenth century, we shall 
 probably again direct our attention to Masonry in France. 
 At present, we must turn our attention, for a short period, to the 
 spread of our Order into various countries, not yet noticed, in 
 the eighteenth century ; and, ere we are done, we shall most 
 likely furnish a singular commentary upon the doctrine of those 
 who contend that Masonry is universal. 
 
 We do not hear of Freemasonry in the East Indies until 
 1729. That year a provincial charter was granted by the 
 Grand Lodge of England, and the next year a Provincial 
 Grand Master was appointed to overlook the Lodges. 
 
 A Grand Lodge was established in Ireland, in 1730. During 
 this year, the Grand Lodge of England appointed Monsieur 
 Thuanus Provincial Grand Master for Lower Saxony. In 1731, 
 a charter was issued by the Grand Lodge of England to open 
 and constitute a Lodge at Hague. It was in this Lodge that 
 the Duke of Lorraine, afterward Emperor of Germany, was 
 
520 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONBY. 
 
 made a Mason. This year, the Grand Lodge of England sent 
 Masonry into Russia and Spain, and a distinguished gentleman, 
 residing in Andalusia, was appointed Provincial Grand Master. 
 In 1736, we hear of the first Lodges in Upper Saxony, under 
 the guardianship of the Grand Lodge of England. Also, at 
 Cape Coast, in Africa, and at Geneva. In 1738, a Lodge was 
 instituted in Brunswick, under a warrant from the Grand 
 Lodge of Scotland. In this Lodge quite a number of the 
 German princes were made Freemasons, several of whom, tlib 
 King among the number, were afterward raised to the Grand 
 Master's chair. 
 
 Masonry was now being spread so rapidly over the civilized 
 world, that it necessarily attracted the attention of the vigilant 
 Catholic Church, who, for reasons already given, looked upon 
 it with a jealous eye. In 1735, Masonry was being extensively 
 disseminated throughout Holland. The emissaries of the 
 Church, finding that Lodges were growing up in almost every 
 town, their meetings were known to be held with closed and 
 well guarded doors, and this was made a pretext for reporting 
 against them to the authorities of the government. We do not 
 doubt at all the sincerity of those priests who professed to 
 believe that doctrines were taught in the Lodges in opposition 
 to the Catholic religion, and hostile to the government. A 
 Society who never lets an opportunity slip to propagate any 
 doctrine secretly that will effect their own aggrandisement,, 
 might well suspect that no body of men could be found who 
 would monthly and weekly assemble themselves together for 
 no more profitable object than mere benevolence, and the ameli- 
 oration of the condition of men. We repeat, that we believe 
 they were sincere when they charged that the Masons assembled 
 for vile purposes ; and they had no difiBculty in inducing the 
 government to enact laws denouncing them. It is true, the 
 first act acknowledged that nothing had been discovered hostile 
 to either the Church or the State, or derogatory to the conduct- 
 of gentlemen and good citizens, yet, for fear some bad conse- 
 quences might result, the government thought it prudent to 
 abolish all Masonic assemblies. It was a violation of this 
 tyrannical law that caused the celebrated brutal persecutions 
 
HISTORY OP PKEEMASONaY. 321 
 
 in Holland. A Lodge at Amsterdam continued to meet secret- 
 ly after the passage of the above act. They were watched, and 
 information laid before the magistrates — whereupon, the Master, 
 Wardens, and all the members present were arrested ; and hei'e 
 commenced a scene of thrilling interest, not only to the Masons 
 of the world at that day, but even now, when more than a 
 century has rolled back into the gulf of the past. Who that 
 loves the courts of the tabernacle can look back upon the 
 manly and noble bearing of the Master and Wardens of that 
 Lodge, and not feel that, though the money-changers must be 
 expelled, yet will Jehovah preserve and purify the Temple from 
 the sacrilegious pollutions of wicked men. Our brethren of 
 the Lodge at Amsterdam, being arraigned before the criminal 
 tribunal of their country, where but little mercy and no justice 
 was to be expected, if the holy religion of the holy Catholic 
 Church was a party in the trial, so far from skulking behind 
 that protection which might have been afforded them by requir- 
 ing proof to be brought that they were Masous, and if so, that 
 they had been holding a Masonic meeting, the Master and 
 Wardens came boldly forward and confessed both to be true, 
 and upon their oaths defended the Institution, by declaring its 
 objects to be purely benevolent, and consistent with, rathter 
 than hostile to, the Christian religion and the loyalty of the 
 subject. They declared themselves true and faithful subjects 
 and followers of Christ. They further stated that, although 
 they could not reveal the secrets of the Order, there was 
 nothing in them repugnant either to the laws of God or man, 
 and challenged the Court to select any good man, in whom 
 they had confidence, and upon his testimony would they be 
 willing to stand or fall. Upon this reasonable suggestion they 
 were discharged for the time, and the town secretary was 
 requested to be initiated, who afterward so zealously advocated 
 the principles and practices of Masons in the Lodge, that 
 the magistrates also became members and were advocates of 
 Masonry. 
 
 In 1637, a similar feeling to the one above detailed was got- 
 ten up in France against our Order, which resulted in an act 
 of government abolishing their assemblies ; and this, too, as in 
 
328 HxSTOEr OF feeemasonet. 
 
 Holland, terminated in an acknowledgment that no evil was 
 known to exist in the Institution ; but, as the meetings of the 
 Society were held in secret, it was feared they might harbor 
 doctrines hostile to the Church or the government. But so incon- 
 sistent was this act with the known character and lives of its 
 members, that public opinion frowned down the law, and in a 
 little while no attention was paid to it. 
 
 It is related that about this time the Society was thrown into 
 much trouble in Germany by a few illiterate and mischief-mak- 
 ing women. Strange to say, it is recorded in history that a few 
 German ladies, seized with an over-portion of curiosity, had 
 long been laboring by stratagem to learn the secrets, but with- 
 out success, and becoming exasperated at their failure even to 
 extort them from their husbands or admirers, sought revenge 
 by attempting to poison the mind of the Empress Maria 
 Theresa against the Lodges in Vienna ; and they so far suc- 
 ceeded as to induce the Queen to issue an order for surprising 
 all the Masons while in attendance upon their Lodges, and, but 
 for the Emperor, Joseph I., it would most likely have been 
 carried into effect ; but, being a Mason himself, he voluntarily 
 gave assurances that no fears need be entertained that the 
 Society would ever attempt to interfere with politics or relig- 
 ion, and maintained openly that the charges were false and 
 malicious. 
 
 It is remarkable with what rapidity Masonry spread through- 
 out the world after the revival in England, in 1717. Through- 
 out all Italy Lodges had become so numerous that, as early as 
 1738, Pope Eugenius, becoming alarmed lest they were plotting 
 against papal authority, issued a bull, not only against the 
 assembling of Masons, but denouncing all who assisted, or in 
 any way gave countenance to their meetings, or the secrets held 
 by them. The Pope, it seems, succeeded in instituting one 
 truthful charge against the Society, and the only one upon 
 which he claimed to found the denunciation. He charged that 
 Masons initiated men of all religions, and from which he chose 
 to draw the inference that they were enemies to the Catholic 
 religion, and the more to be detested because the Society was 
 rajndly on the increase. No instance is shown of improper 
 
HISTORY OP FRBEMASONUT. 829 
 
 conduct on the part of any of the members ; but the charge 
 above named (which was admitted to be true) was amply suf- 
 ficient to justify this high-handed measurein His Holiness, whose 
 Church was composed of men whose superstition taught them 
 that the Pope could do no wrong. This bull was attempted to 
 be enforced everywhere. In Holland, where the persecution 
 had given way to common sense, and even priests had become 
 reconciled, the priesthood had attempted to enforce the will of 
 the Pope, by propounding the question, "Are you a Mason?" 
 before communion, and, if answered in the affirmative, the 
 sacrament was refused. 
 
 On January 14, 1739, the Pope issued an edict filled with 
 even more of bigotry, superstition, and violence than the 
 previous one. The galleys, a fine of a thousand crowns of 
 gold, and even the tortures of the rack were threatened against 
 all who would dare visit a Lodge room ; and, not satisfied with 
 fulminating his vindictive spleen against his subjects, he ordered 
 a book, entitled Jin Apology for Freemasonry, to be publicly 
 burned in the streets of Rome, lest some honest and intelligent 
 Catholic might, perchance, be led to believe that all Masons 
 were not heretics. 
 
 Soon after the Pope's denunciation had gone forth, a brother 
 Mason was imprisoned and treated with unrelenting cruelty at 
 Florence, by the Inquisition, because he persisted in saying 
 Freemasonry was a good Institution, and no enemy to the 
 Christian religion. This was the same Bro. Crudeli already 
 mentioned in our history, to whom the Grand Lodge of England 
 sent assistance and condolence while he was in prison. 
 
 At Lisbon, in 1742, James Mouton and John Coustos were 
 imprisoned by the bloody and heartless Inquisition. They 
 were commanded to disclose the secrets of the Society, but, 
 instead of doing this, they defended it against the heinous and 
 false charges brought by the minions of the Church ; whereupon 
 they were extended upon the rack, and the horrid torture 
 applied ; but failing to move them, from an inflexible trust to 
 their solemn engagements, they were given a respite, and then 
 again was the torture applied. This inhuman punishment was 
 repeated three times,- and they were eventually sentenced to 
 
S30 HISTORY OF FKEEMASONRT.. 
 
 walk the auto defe, and serve four years in the galltf-ys. In 1744, 
 upon the petition of a number of Masons in Loudon, George 11. 
 authorized the British Minister at Lisbon to make a demand of 
 the prisoners from the King of Portugal. Tlius, after more 
 than three years' imprisonment and brutal treatment, for no 
 other cause than their fidelity, and daring to speak the truth, 
 they were restored to their friends. 
 
 Freemasonry was introduced into Switzerland by the 
 establishment of a Lodge at Berne, under the authority of the 
 Grand Lodge of England, in 1739 ; and it is astonishing to see 
 with what rapidity Masonry has spread over that country. 
 This prosperity continued until 1745, when a quarrel, between 
 the council and some members of the Fraternity, led to the most 
 serious consequences. Instead of settling the difficulty upon its 
 merits, the council arrayed themselves against the whole 
 Society of Masons, under no other pretext than that it had in 
 its body secrets which were, by its laws, withheld from all who 
 were not initiated. No charge of immoral or irreligious con- 
 duct was made against any of the members, and yet the council 
 issued an edict, prohibiting the assembling of Masons under the 
 severest penalties ; but they were not satisfied with merely 
 denouncing the Institution and suppressing the Lodges, not only 
 at Berne, but throughout all Switzerland, but the council 
 seemed determined to outdo in cruelty the Pope, and all mem- 
 bers of the Catholic Church, for the law required that he who 
 was accused of being a Mason should be put upon oath, and if 
 proven to be a Mason, he was required to renounce and 
 denounce the Institution ; and, if any of the authorities chose to 
 push the matter so far, he was required to develop the secrets 
 under oath. We have already given instances of cruelty 
 practiced under several edicts against our Order, and we might 
 add greatly to the number, but it is not deemed necessary. * 
 
 "We can not, however, take leave of the Council of Berue, 
 without making this public acknowledgment — that, while the 
 intolerant bigotry of the Catholic Church has, in various 
 quarters, led to wanton and unprovoked abuse and persecutions 
 against Freemasons, honesty and fairness require us to say that 
 the Council of Berne, composed of a people professing the 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONKT. 331 
 
 reformed Eeligion, and pretending to be governed by the divine 
 injunctions of our Saviour, proved tliemselves greater bigots, 
 more intolerant tyrants, and far less merciful human beings than 
 was Pope Eugenius, or any of his followers. But this state of 
 things could not last long in a country where there was no 
 ecclesiastical prince to fetter and bow down the minds of the 
 people. The very extreme to which the Council of Berne ven- 
 tured upon, produced a reaction and an inquiry into the justice 
 of the stringent measures ; and the result was that in a little 
 time Masonry was openly practiced. But the Council of Berne 
 was not the only Protestant tribunal who took upon themselves 
 to legislate upon and denounce a Society about which they 
 were totally ignorant. In 1745, a memorial was laid before 
 the Synod at Stirling, in Scotland, drawn up and signed by a 
 bigoted, self-sufi5cieut member who, according to Burns, con- 
 sidered himself " unco good and rigidly righteous," alleging 
 that at the initiation of Freemasons some sacrilegious ceremo- 
 nies were practiced, and, therefore, the memorialist prayed the 
 Synod to inquire whether Freemasons were entitled to be fed 
 from the table of the Lord. The Synod gravely deliberated 
 upon the subject, and sent the question out to the Kirk Sessions, 
 and thus it became a bone of contention or fire-brand in the 
 churches until 1755, when the Synod even surpassed Pope 
 Eugenius and the Council of Berne in some respects, for they 
 passed an ordinance requiring the Kirk Sessions to propound 
 to all communicants, suspected of being Masons, a certain list 
 of questions, supposed to cover all the ceremonies and secrets 
 of initiation, and, being clothed with the omnipotent powers of 
 the Inquisition, required full and explanatory. answers to each. 
 All honorable Masons, of course, spurned the effort to filch from 
 them that which is safely deposited in faithful breasts ; and, for 
 thus indignantly refusing to act meanly and dishonorably, they 
 were debarred all communion with the Church. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 In relation to the history of our Order in Ireland, we havt 
 to regret our inability to lay hands upon anything either fuD 
 or satisfactory. The meagre accounts we have are in detached 
 parcels, and rather tend to embarrass than satisfy the inquiring 
 mind. We have examined Anderson, Preston, Hutchinson, 
 Oliver, and others, to no purpose. We learn, it is true, from 
 these authors, that a Grand Lodge was established in Ireland 
 in 1730, from which the careless reader would be led to believe 
 that Masonry was unknown in that country prior to that 
 period ; while a careful examination will irresistibly lead to 
 the belief that Masonry in Ireland was coeval with the Grand 
 Assembly in York. It is true, we can not find any records 
 which show an organization separate and apart from the York 
 Assembly, nor is it likely that any such existed. For a very 
 long period it is quite probable that York was the great point 
 to which all Masons were annually attracted from a large 
 extent of country, if not, indeed, from the whole of Europe. 
 Provincial, or even national Masonic governments were un- 
 known ; but as many as could meet at York, each having 
 equal rights and equal powers to advise means for the advance- 
 ment of the Order, annually assembled there, and it is quite 
 probable that this state of things would have continued much 
 longer, but for the almost perpetual wars waged by the sur- 
 rounding nations and clans. 
 
 The first Assembly of which we have an account, besides that 
 ot York, was called at Kilwinning, in Scotland, in the thir- 
 teenth century, in the days of King Robert Bruce. This 
 monarch was in the habit of invading England so often and so 
 rapidly, as seldom to meet a well organized opposition. In the 
 reign of the weak minded Edward II., Bruce overran, burned, 
 and pillaged the country almost with impunity ; and even in 
 
HISTOEY OP FREEMASONBT. 333 
 
 his last days, during the reign of Edward III. and his queen 
 mother, though he had sent timely notice and a defiance to the 
 English army, they could only judge of his whereabouts by the 
 smoking ruins in his rear. Under such circumstances, it is not to 
 be wondered at that our Fraternity in Scotland projected a sepa- 
 rate organization, for they could not, or would not, attend the 
 meetings at York, in the midst of their national enemies. The 
 same thing may be said of England and Fi%,nce, and England 
 and Ireland ; and hence it follows that, if Masons were then 
 made only by order of the Assembly, or the Grand Master of 
 Masons, it is not remarkable to find, in the beginning of tlie 
 eighteenth century, a knowledge of the Craft almost entirely 
 lost, except in England and Scotland, where Masonic organiza- 
 tion continued to exist. Yet, if we may rely upon the researches 
 of M. Farrell, Provincial Grand Master of North Munster, who 
 lately issued a Calendar and Directory for 1850 (some limited 
 extracts from which have been kindly furnished us by one of our 
 able correspondents, whose name we would gladly mention, but 
 that we are forbid), we may infer that Masonry is as old in 
 Ireland as in England ; and this, from the very nature of 
 things, is probably true, for Ireland was not always, as now, 
 the weaker and less intelligent nation. 
 
 We proceed, then, using the information derived as above 
 stated, and such others as we have access to, to give some 
 account of Masonry in Ireland. 
 
 The early part of the history of Masonry in Ireland can not 
 be separated from the history of the Order in England, from 
 which we infer that no difference really existed. The Irish 
 and English both claim that Masonry was introduced by the 
 Phoenicians, A.D. 124. It is true, as stated in the early part 
 of our history, that there are some reasons to believe the Order 
 was introduced at 'the commencement of the Roman invasion, 
 about A.D. 50. 
 
 The Irish Masons contend that Heber and Hereman, sons of 
 Milesius, were the first teachers and founders of the art in 
 Ireland. These names, if we mistake not, are not mentioned 
 by the English historians as having any connection with the 
 Order : and it will be observed that many of the names referred 
 
334 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 to by Farrell, and others, who have written of Irish Masonry, 
 are strictly Irish names. 
 
 After Heber and Hereman, the next most prominent patron 
 or teacher mentioned was Eachaid, styled Ollamh Fodhla, or 
 Learned Doctor, who, in A.D. 767, ordered triennial meetings of 
 the Fraternity to be held at Tara, in Meath. 
 
 Soon after this, the Danes renewed their aggressions, carried 
 on a constant predatory warfare against the Irish, overran the 
 country, and destroyed all the ancient records of the Society, 
 making war upon the arts and sciences as well as upon the 
 people. That these events took place at about the time referred 
 to in our traditions, Bro. Farrell refers to some towers known 
 to be the handiwork of the Craft of that era, and also to the 
 opinions of Strabo, of Diodorus Siculus, and the evidence fur- 
 nished by Sir Robert Betham, in his second volume of Etruria 
 Celtica, in which he assimilates the Masonic rites with the 
 mysteries of the Gobham Saor, or " Free Smiths " of Ireland. 
 
 Bro. Farrell states that, in A.D. 306, St. Albans'obtained the 
 first royal charter for Assemblies or Huttes (Lodges) of Masons 
 to be holden in England. This corresponds with Preston's 
 statement. 
 
 In A.D. 430, during the reign of Longhaigh, St. Patrick 
 founded the priories of St. Aoogat, Lochdery, and St. Patrick. 
 
 A.D. 872, Alfred the Great was patron of the Order, and, 
 under his kind guardianship and protection, the Society flour- 
 ished in great prosperity. According to Bede, Alfred was 
 initiated at the college of Mayo, and the letter of Eric, a cele- 
 brated philosopher of Auxerre, to Charles the Bald, about the 
 middle of the ninth century, designates the Irish philosophers, 
 servants of the wise Solomon. 
 
 The ruins of Kilmallock (the Irish Balbec), and numerous 
 others, are referred to by Bro. Farrell as clearly showing the 
 great antiquity and varied fortunes of the Order in those dark 
 and troublesome ages. 
 
 A.D. 926, King Athelstane granted a charter to the Masons 
 of England. This account also agrees with Anderson and 
 Preston ; but they do not mention it as the second charter for 
 Lodges in England, as, from Bro. Parrell's account, it would 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 335 
 
 Beera to be. We suppose it is probable that Masonry had been 
 somewhat neglected in England, and a new organization then 
 took place. 
 
 A.D. 1014, Brian Boroihme routed the Danes ; not, however, 
 until they had destroyed, or again carrfcd away, the records of 
 the Order. 
 
 A.D. 1118. The Knights Templar were instituted under 
 the Grand Mastership of Hugo de Payan, or Payance. Of 
 course we do not wish it understood that the organization of 
 Knights Templar, here spoken of, was the same in rites and 
 ceremonies as those of the present day, or that the Association 
 was then connected at all with Masonry. Such a position, 
 though assumed by many, can not be sustained by testimony, 
 which we will attempt to show in the proper place. 
 
 A.D. 1166. Dermond MacMurrough built the priory of All 
 Saints, or All Hallows. 
 
 A.D. 1168. In the reign of Roderick O'Connor, the won- 
 derful castle of Tuam was built. 
 
 A.D. 1177. The priory of Knights Templal-, Kilmainham 
 was erected under the Grand Mastership of Earl Strongbow, 
 i7ho, it seems, was " Lord Warden," as well as Grand Master. 
 We are not told whether he was Grand Master of the Templara 
 or Masons, but suppose the former. 
 
 A.D. 1183. The priories of Nedrumand and St. John the 
 Baptist were founded by Alwred du Palmer. 
 
 A.D. 1210. In the reign of King John, Henry de Laundres, 
 or Launders, Archbishop of Dublin, and Grand Master, erected 
 the Castle of Dublin, and the priory of Kilkenny was built by 
 William, Earl of Pembroke. 
 
 A.D. 1225. Subsidies were raised by the Order in Ireland, 
 for the Holy Land. 
 
 A.D. 1230. Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, and Grand 
 Master, founded Carickfergus, the priory of Ords, and Trim 
 Castle. 
 
 A.D. 1464. Thomas, Earl of Desmond, was Grand Master, 
 and it is said that O'Donnell MacWilliam de Burgo was Deputy 
 Grand Master ; but we apprehend that this office was unknown 
 at that period. It was common to induce a King, or some dia- 
 
336 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 tinguished nobleman, to accept the ofiBce of Patron or Grand 
 Master, with the understanding that he was to have nothing to 
 do with the active duties of the office, and then choose an 
 acting Grand Master, who was not called Deputy. 
 
 A.D. 1517. In the raign of King Henry VIII., the Earl of 
 Kildare was Grand Master, and greatly promoted the prosperity 
 of the Order. [See Freemason^ Quarterly Review, p. 289, vol. 
 ii.jfor a statement respecting Boal's Bridge, Limerick.J 
 
 A.D. 1591. The Knights of Malta patronized the Masonic 
 Craft. It will be remembered that the Knights Templar, and 
 Hospitalers, or Knights of Malta, had, at the period we are now 
 speaking of, become very wealthy — owned large possessions 
 which had been given them by the Christian kings, because of 
 their valuable services and indomitable courage in the long con- 
 tinued wars with the Infidels, and it is to be understood, when 
 we speak of their patronizing the Masons, we mean that they 
 employed them to erect buildings. 
 
 A.D. 1600. In this century, the Order greatly flourished, as 
 the erection of many splendid edifices abundantly show, and 
 especially in England, during the time of Inigo Jones and Sir 
 Christopher Wren — a full account of which we have already 
 given. We learn but little of Masonry in Ireland during this 
 century ; it is, however, quite probable, that Masonry there, as 
 well as elsewhere, suffered a heavy depression in the latter part 
 of the seventeenth century ; for we are not referred to any docu- 
 mentary evidence of the condition of the Craft until the be- 
 ginning of the next ceptury ; and this corresponds with our 
 knowledge of Masonry in England, for there we know that 
 while the Order flourished with remarkable prosperity, until 
 after the great fire in London in 1666, yet even before Sir Chris- 
 topher Wren died, a great lukewarmness and falling off was 
 perceptible. 
 
 A.D. 1726. The books of the provincial Grand Lodge of 
 Munster show that the Hon. Col. James O'Brien was Grand 
 Master, and Springett Deputy Grand Master. It will be borne 
 in mind that Preston says, that the Grand Lodge of Ireland was 
 established in 1740 — clearly conveying the idea that iaasonry 
 had been sent there after the revival in the South of England. 
 
ilSTOEY OF FEEEMASONKT. 337' 
 
 No>( , ive lia\ e sIiptii some proof that the Order probably existed 
 in Ireland as early as in England, but it may be that Bro. Preston 
 interded to be understood as alluding to the revival or re- 
 suscitation of the Order ; and if it be true that the Provincial 
 Grand Lodge of Munstor emanated from the Grand Lodge of 
 England, it may be, and likely is, true that the Provincial Grand 
 Lodge was established four or five years before the Grand Lodge 
 of Ireland, or rather before the revival of that Grand Lodge. 
 
 .We suppose Masonry was very much neglected throughout 
 Europe during the latter part of the seventeenth century. To 
 the four old Lodges in London are we indebted for the revival 
 of 1717, and to the publication of the old Charges and Consti- 
 tutions are we mainly indebted for the revival throughout Eng- 
 land, Prance, Germany, America, etc., and the rapid spread of 
 the Order througliout the civilized world. 
 
 A.D. 1728. The records of the Grand Lodge of Ireland show 
 O'Brien was still Grand Master, and Robert Longfield Deputy 
 Grand Master. 
 
 A.D. 1729. Col. William Maynard was Grand Master, and 
 Thomas Riggs D. G. M. In this year, under the reign of George 
 II., the Grand Lodge of Ireland laid the corner-stone of the 
 Parliament House, Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 1730. The Bight Hon. James King, Lord Kingston, 
 was elected and installed Grand Master of Ireland, having been 
 Grand Master of England the preceding year. 
 
 A.D. 1731. Lord Kingston was reelected Grand Master, 
 and Lord Viscount Nitterville D. G. M. 
 
 A.D. 1732. The Eight Hon. Nicholas Nitterville was elect- 
 ed Grand Master. 
 
 We do not think it necessary to give the names of the Grand 
 Masters any furtlier. 
 
 A.D. 1738. The Grand Lodge established a Committee of 
 Charity. 
 
 A.D. 1749. In the beginning of this year (January 3rd) tho 
 Grand Masters' Lodge was established, and ordered freedom on 
 the registry, 
 
 A.D. 1751. In this year the book of the Irish Constitutiona 
 was published by Edward Pratt. 
 
 22 
 
333 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 It will be remembered, we have stated that the Emperor of 
 Germany was initiated in 1735, and the Prince of Wales in 1737 ; 
 and, if we mistake not, Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, 
 was initiated the following year, but when and where the latter 
 acquired a knowledge of the royal Ineffable degrees, we are not 
 so well informed. 
 
 We will here add that, at a proper time, we may institute an 
 inquiry, to ascertain from whom Frederick the Great derived 
 his authority to order a Convention of Eoyal Princes at Paris, 
 in order to send that system into the new world. We may 
 further inquire who possessed the power to proclaim Frederick 
 the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of both hemispheres. 
 In short, we may seek to know the origin of the Ineffable 
 degrees ; and this one thing we promise our readers — that, 
 whatever may be our opinions from the facts elicited, we shall, 
 as in all other cases, speak out fearlessly and without reserve. 
 We shall not pause to inquire whether the teachings of Webb 
 or Morin are the most popular in this country. We know that 
 there is a great amount of false teaching traceable to the door 
 of one or the other, or both ; and, if our researches should 
 enable us to find the way, we shall not fail to leave a finger- 
 board to direct future travelers. 
 
 Having been thus led out of our usual course, we return to 
 eay that we are so imperfectly informed in relation to the 
 latter part of the history of Freemasonry in Ireland, that our 
 best efforts would only exhibit detached parcels. We think it 
 remarkable that all the English writers should have so totally 
 neglected to notice the action of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. 
 If we mistake not, Preston does little more than mention Irish 
 Masonry — except to say a Grand Lodge was established there 
 in 1780 — until 1808, when we learn that a communication was 
 received by the Grand Lodge of England from the Grand 
 Lodge of Ireland, approving the adoption of stringent measures 
 in reference to the Masons holding under the Grand Lodge of 
 Ancient Masons, or the Athol Grand Lodge, and promising to 
 admit no one to visit, who held allegiance to that clandestine 
 body. This con)munication was cordially appreciated, ai.d 
 kindly responded to by the Grand Lodge of England. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. Sbw 
 
 The following feeling address was voted by the Grand 
 Lodge, in 1836, on the receipt of the intelligence that His Royal 
 Highness, the Duke of Sussex, had been successfully operated 
 on, and the cataracts, which had so long caused his blindness, 
 removed r 
 
 " To His Royal Highness, Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussetc, 
 Earl of Inverness, and Baron of Jlrklow, Right Worshipful 
 Grand Master of Freemasons in England: 
 
 " The Address op the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge op 
 Ireland : 
 
 " "We, the Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Officers, and 
 other brethren of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, approach your 
 Royal Highness with joy and exultation at the boon granted to 
 the Masonic Craft by the Grand Architect of the Universe, at 
 whose creative fiat all things first were made — who, in the 
 glorious manifestation of His power, has again bestowed on 
 your Royal Highness the light of this sublunary world, of which 
 you were so long deprived. 
 
 " Ever mindful of the blessings dispensed by Him who said 
 ' Let there be light,' and there was light — who has withdraw^ 
 the va.il of darkness from your sightless orbs, as if it were His 
 will that the high decree should be kept perfect, and that your 
 Royal Highness might be without blemish, and continue to 
 cultivate the divine attributesof Faith, Hope, and Charity intp 
 the hearts of the Mystic Craft, over whom you have so long 
 presided with advantage to them and credit to your Royal 
 Highness. 
 
 " We, of the Mystic Craft, in union with our British brethren, 
 rejoice that the Masonic Star of England has again arisen injo 
 noontide splendor, and that your Royal Highness can again 
 behold the glorious light of day. 
 
 " That your Royal Highness may long continue to enjoy that 
 blessing, for the good of the Masonic Order and the benefit of 
 the nation, is the fervent prayer of your Royal Highness' 
 brethren in Ireland." 
 
 The following is the answer returned by the distinguished 
 Gr.TOd Master of the Gj-and Lodge of England : 
 
840 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 " To the Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Grand Officers, 
 and Members of the Grand Lodge of Ireland: 
 
 " My Lord Duke : — Most worshipful and highly esteemed 
 brother — I hasten to express to you, as Grand Master of Ire- 
 land, and, through your Grace, to the brethren who compose 
 the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, my 
 sincere acknowledgments for the congratulatory address with 
 which you have marked and welcomed my restoration to the 
 blessing of sight. 
 
 " Every true and faithful Mason must be ready, at all times, 
 to bend before the chastening hand of the Almighty, as well as 
 to adore and magnify His goodness and His mercy. 
 
 " During the progress of my disorder, my heart was cheered 
 and my sufferings were alleviated through the divine favor, by 
 the consoling attentions, as well as by the kind sympathy, of 
 friends ; and now that the same gracious Providence has been 
 pleased to remove the vail of affliction, and to bring me back 
 to the enjoyment of life's choicest treasure, the happiness I 
 enjoy is increased in a tenfold proportion by the numerous 
 and affecting addresses which I am proud to have received 
 from those who were distant, as also from those who were 
 near. 
 
 "And now, my Lord Duke, while the opportunity is thus 
 favorably afforded, as a brother of our ancient and venerable 
 Order, I avail myself of it to communicate to your Grace my 
 entire satisfaction at hearing of the distinguished exertions 
 which you ]ia.d made in tlie last session of Parliament during 
 the progress of a bill* in which the interests of our Fraternity 
 
 • This bill was intended to exclude from office la the goverament, all who 
 were members of secret Societies, and was superinduced by the supposed efforts 
 of the fag end of the lUuminati, and some other newly invented secret clubs 
 which were suspected of teaching disloyalty to the government and opposition 
 to religion. During the pendency of this bill before Parliament, the Duke of 
 Leinster, Grand Master of Ireland, offered an amendment, or proviso, excepting 
 the Society of Freemas:ins, and in support of his measure, stated that they were 
 not a secret Society, and in the able manner of his sustaining this, the trae posi- 
 tion, did honor to liimself and country, and justice to our Order. But in carry- 
 ing his measure he was ably sustained by others, who stood ready to vouch for 
 the principles of Masonry. 
 
HISTOBT OF FREEMASONRY. 341 
 
 in Ireland were concerned. My unfortunate malady rendered 
 me at that time wholly incapable of seconding, as I otherwise 
 most certainly would have done, both by my voice and my 
 vote, your zealous exertions — ^nor did any one more sincerely 
 rejoice than myself at their proud success. 
 
 "In conclusion, I must further assure your Grace, that so 
 long as I shall continue to preside, by the wishes of my brethren, 
 over the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons in England, 
 as their Grand Master, I shall always endeavor to promote, by 
 every means in my power, the best understanding, as well as 
 to cement and strengthen the bonds of affection between the 
 respective Grand Lodges of our Fraternity, and among all our 
 brethren in the threefold division of that mighty empire which 
 is placed under the dominion of our gracious Sovereign, who is 
 at once a brother and the patron of our Craft. 
 
 " That you, my Lord Duke, the Grand Master, together with 
 all the brethren under your rule and guidance, may long enjoy 
 every earthly blessing which the Great Architect of the Uni- 
 verse can bestow, is the sincere wish and fervent prayer of 
 " Your Grace's affectionate brother and sincere friend, 
 "Augustus Frederick, G.M. 
 
 "Halkham, l€th Dec, 1836." 
 
 In 1838, there was a Masonic celebration, procession, etc., at 
 Dublin, by the brethren of St. Patrick's Lodge, No. 50. As 
 we notice some peculiarities on this occasion, and as we believe 
 the Freemasons of the United States have, within a few years, 
 departed from some of the old Masonic usages, in a vain effort, 
 to imitate the showy apparel of our friends the Odd Fellows, 
 on occasions of public processions, we shall mention some par- 
 ticulars of this occasion. 
 
 It seems the fete was gotten up in part to do honor to the 
 Countess of Mulgrave, and more than a thousand guests, 
 composed mafnly of the most fashionable and distinguished 
 members of Dublin society, were present. The entertainment 
 was given at the Rotunda. Soon after the arrival of tli« 
 Viceroy, and her Excellency the Countess of Mulgrave, and 
 suite, a procession was formed to conduct the distinguished 
 guests to the rooms where refreshments awaited them, all of 
 
342 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 whioh were beautifully decorated with Masonic banners, ett., 
 and brilliantly illuminated. When the great throng of the 
 elite, male and female, were collected, the effect must have 
 been brilliant and imposing in the extreme, as we find Dr, 
 Oliver, who is a divine, and not to be presumed at all led 
 away by tinsel and show, using the following language in 
 describing it : 
 
 " The radiant array of white and hliie plumage — the exquisitely 
 wrought dresses of every tint and hue which varied taste could 
 suggest — tlie sparkling diamonds, and eyes still brighter, 
 flashing from the countless beauties whose presence graced this 
 gorgeous assembly, combined with the various military uni- 
 forms and the costly insignia of the brethren — rich in the 
 grandeur and glory of jeweled gold, tended to highten the 
 effect, and throw a pleasing variety over a scene which looked 
 like a fairy festival in an eastern romance." 
 
 The members of the Lodge and brethren visiting, all wore 
 black coats with velvet collars and cuffs. The breast and 
 skirts were lined with white satin ; the buttons were of silver. 
 The members of the Lodge, as a mark of distinction, wore him 
 rosettes on their arms. We have italicized the words showing 
 the Masonic colors used on the occasion, to remind our Ameri- 
 can brethren that these were formerly the only colors permitted 
 to be used in Masonic processions. All accounts represent 
 this festival as being the most magnificent, as well as one of 
 the most agreeable, entertainments that ever occurred in Dublin. 
 The decorations delighted the eye, the music the ear, and 
 activity as well as animation was added by dancing ; but 
 above all, beauty must have borne off the palm, if we may 
 credit the Chairman who presided on that occasion : 
 
 " We have here a lovely band of ladies, culled from the 
 garden of Irish beauty, and conducted by our fair and noble 
 guest, the Countess of Mulgrave. To attempt a description of 
 the leader, or of the band, were alike futile. To paint in words 
 the bright eyes, the lips steeped in loveliness, and the golden 
 hair in whose flowing locks love has this night spread a thousand 
 nets, is altogether impossible, unless I were that favored fairy who 
 spoke pearls ; and to express our feelings toward the possessors 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 343 
 
 of these beauties is equally impossible, uuless my lips were 
 touched with fire. To her Excellency, and to that lovely band, 
 we owe every sentiment of pleasure and delight which we have 
 this night experienced. They have spread happiness on every 
 side around them ; they have poured upon our festival the rosy 
 light of beauty, and have made our banquet hall (like the sea 
 whence Venus sprung) to teem with all the graces. To say that 
 her Excellency's virtues and accomplishments render her worthy 
 to be the leader of that band of beauty, is as high a compliment 
 as can be paid, in my opinion, to anybody, and yet not more 
 than truth ; and to declare that we desire to see her Excellency 
 often filling that distinguished station, is only to give utterance 
 to a sentiment which is swelling at the breast, and bursting at 
 the lips of every brother of the Order." 
 
 Before the close of the evening's festivity, the Worshipful 
 Master proposed the health of Lord Mulgrave, in reply to 
 which he arose and said : 
 
 " I certainly must plead guilty to the charge of not being a 
 member of the time-honored Order of Masonry. I regret that 
 I am obliged to admit this ; my only consolation, and it is a 
 great one, is, that I suffer under this defect in common with the 
 entire of that part of the creation which is generally admitted 
 to approach nearest to perfection ; and no Irishman can venture 
 to pronounce that to be a great error which is committed by all 
 those lovely ladies around, whom it would be high treason 
 against the laws of gallantry to deny to be faultless." 
 
 A custom has long prevailed, and, we believe, is still kept up 
 by the old Lodge at Cork, to give annually a dress ball for the 
 benefit of the Masonic Female Orphan Asylum. These assem- 
 blies are attended by the most distinguished and fashionable 
 families, and are generally productive of great enjoyment, and 
 tend to contribute quite largely to the support of the Asylum. 
 One of these balls yielded, in 1840, two hundred pounds sterling. 
 
 With this brief, imperfect, and desultory notice of the Grand 
 Lodge of Ireland, and the state of Masonry there, we leave the 
 subject, at least until we can acquire further information. It 
 is proper, however, to add that Masonry in Ireland has never 
 been thrown into confusion by an attempt to mix up modern 
 
344 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 degrees, called Masonic, with it. France, Germany, and America 
 are amenable to the Fraternity at large for these spurious de- 
 gi-ees ; but, though repeated efforts have been made to lure from 
 the old and beaten track by fascinating show, and the music of 
 high-sounding names, we believe our brethren in England, 
 Scotland, and Ireland have thus far refused to amalgamate the 
 discordant materials, and we sincerely hope they will continue 
 to do so ; for, if we are not greatly mistaken, the day will come 
 when France, Germany, and America will be under the necessity 
 of sending to Great Britain to learn what true Masonry is. 
 For even now we are told, from high places, that this rite and 
 that rite is Masonry — that this system and that system is Masonry 
 — while he who penetrates into the depths of our mysteries, and 
 learns Masonry as it was originally taught, and which was con- 
 tinued to be taught until within the last hundred years, will be 
 forced to the conclusion that Masonry has no rites. It is a 
 perfect system of itself, and is unlike all others ; it has no rites, 
 and though men may seek out many inventions, and though, in 
 themselves, they may be good, it by no means follows that they 
 are part and parcel of Masonry. Truly shall we be compelled 
 to admit that Masonry is a progressive science, if, to the simple 
 three or four degrees, some eighty others are to be added and 
 engrafted on the old tree. We hope not to be misunderstood ; 
 we are not opposed to any of these new associations which have 
 for their object benevolence and good will to man. On the 
 contrary, we know many of them to be highly useful, and emi- 
 nently calculated to strengtlien the bonds of union, under certain 
 circumstances ; but, they are not, therefore, any part of Masonry, 
 any more than Odd Fellowship, or the ceremonials of the Sons 
 of Temperance, nor should they be so regarded. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 Hating given a sketch of the early history .of Masonry in 
 Scotland, from the most authentic sources then at our command, 
 and being desirous to throw all the light -vve can upon this 
 interesting subject, we give tlie following note of Dr. Oliver's, 
 which we find in Oliver's Preston, page 384 : 
 
 " A communication from my friend, James Dobie, Esq., of 
 Leith, in Scotland, contains the following remarks on the origin 
 and progress of Freemasonry in that part of the island : — ' It is 
 generally admitted that Masonry was first established at Kil- 
 winning, where a stately monastry was founded A.D. 1140. I 
 find in the notes to a poem published at Paris in 1820, La 
 Jlfoptmnerie, that "Jacques, Lord Stuart, recM< dans sa Lodge, a 
 KUwin en Ecosse, en 1286, les comtes de Gloucester et Ulster, V un 
 Anglais, V autre Irelandois." ' This was the year in which Alex- 
 ander III. died, and, if the authority be correct, it shows that 
 the Stuart family were distinguished in Scotland before they 
 came to the crown. James I. patronized Kilwinning Lodge, 
 and presided as Grand Master until he got one chosen by the 
 brethren, and approved of by him. To this office an annual salary 
 was paid by all the Lodges in the kingdom, and he had deputies 
 in the difl'erent counties. In the reign of James II., the office 
 was made hereditary in the noble family of St. Clair, of 
 Roslyn, where it continued until 1736, when Wm. St. Clair, 
 Esq., of Roslyn, resigned in favor of the brethreja, and with 
 the view of instituting the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The 
 Mother Lodge of Kilwinning, long after the institution of the 
 Grand Lodge, continued to act independently and to grant char- 
 ters to other Lodges, as formerly. This gave rise to disputes, 
 which it was desirable, for the credit of the Fraternity, to avoid ; 
 and, at length, in 1507, Mother Kilwinning agreed to hold of the 
 Grand Lodge, thereby renouncing all right to grant charters 
 
S-ie HISTORY OF FKBEMASONEY. 
 
 in future. Kilwinning was placed at the head of the loll of 
 the Grand Lodge, under the denomination of Mother Kilwin- 
 ning, and its Master, for the time being was declared the 
 Provincial Grand Master over the Ayrshire district. Other 
 minor regulations were adopted, and these put an end to all . 
 disputes about Masonic precedency." 
 
 In 1801, the Grand Lodge of Scotland received an invitation 
 from the magistrates of Edinburgh, to assist in laying the 
 foundation-stone of the Wet Docks, at Leith. At the time the' 
 Earl of Dalkeith, Grand Master, was absent, and his powers 
 being vested in the Deputy Grand Master, Robert Dundas, who 
 accepted the invitation and caused notice to be given, inviting 
 the Fraternity to assemble for that purpose on the 14th of May. 
 On that day, Preston informs us, about twelve hundred Masons 
 met in the Assembly rooms at Leith. This, we believe, was 
 the largest number of Masons which had ever assembled 
 together since the days of Solomon, and we regard it as pretty 
 strong evidence that in no country is the same interest felt, and 
 the same zeal manifested in the cause of our Order, as in 
 Scotland. On the occasion referred to, the procession was 
 formed before nine o'clock, and was accompanied by the Lord 
 Provost, Magistrates, and Council of Edinburgh, with the 
 Magistrates of Leith, in their robes. The Masonic procession 
 included the most prominent and respectable men in Scotland. 
 When the procession arrived on the ground, the usual addresses 
 were made and responses given, and the corner, or foundation- 
 stone, was laid with all the formalities known to the Craft ; and, 
 though there were many thousand spectators, it is said the day 
 closed without a single accident. 
 
 Masonry in Scotland has ever pursued the even tenor of her 
 way, and flourished in great prosperity, except during the con- 
 flicts and disturbances arising from wars. Hence, at the 
 beginning of this century, when no such disturbances interfered, 
 the Order was highly in the ascendant. It will be remembered 
 that some years prior to this period, the clandestine or irreg- 
 ular Grand Lodge in London, called the Grand Lodge of 
 " Ancient Masons," to which we have referred before, obtained 
 the consent of the third Duke of Athol, who was then Grand 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASOKKT. 347 
 
 Master pf the Grand Lodge of Scotland, to preside over it a? 
 Grand Master also. Through the high standing, popularity, 
 8£nd influence of the Duke of Athol, it was many years before 
 the Grand Lodge of Scotland was informed of the true cause of 
 difference between the Masons of England ; and, .as the Scots 
 Masons were made to believe that the Grand Lodge of England 
 had departed from the Ancient Landmarks, and made innova- 
 tions into the body of Masonry, their Grand Lodge not only 
 justified the spurious Grand Lodge of London in assuming the 
 name " Ancient," but refused to recognize the Grand Lodge of 
 England. In 1803, at a communication of the Grand Lodge of 
 Scotland, at Edinburgh, on the 30 th of November, the Earl 
 of Moira, the acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of 
 England, was a visitor, and, in a speech of some length, gave a 
 history of the cause which led to the formation of the spurious 
 Grand Lodge, and the obstinacy manifested by the seceders 
 from time to time, when, as had several times been done, an 
 opportunity had been offered for a fraternal adjustment of all 
 difficulties. He further assured the Grand Lodge of Scotland 
 that his Grand Lodge would never close its doors to those 
 erring brethren, if they would come forward and acknowledge 
 those errors and cease to practice them. So entirely satisfactory 
 was his explanation of the whole affair, that at the conclusion 
 of his address he was loudly applauded, and the Grand Lodge 
 of Scotland soon after opened a correspondence and solicited 
 fraternal intercourse with the Grand Lodge of England, and 
 immediately offered its mediation in order to bring about a 
 reconciliation and union of the two bodies in London. 
 
 We have already given an account of the causes which led 
 to the formation of the Athol Grand Lodge in London ; but, as 
 this subject will have to do with the history of Masonry in the 
 United States, and especially as all the editions of the Ahiman 
 Bezon, so extensively printed and used in this country, origin^ 
 ated with this spurious Grand Lodge, we will extract a note 
 which we find appended by Preston in his last edition. After 
 giving some account of the matter, he, in a note, says : 
 
 "From Mr. Lawrie's valuable treatise on Masonry, lately 
 published, the above particulars have been extracted. This 
 
348 HISTOKY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 gentleman lias given a very satisfactory account of the mis- 
 understanding between the regular and irregular Masons of 
 London. After stating that the schism commenced with the 
 secession of some brethren from the Grand Lodge in 1739, he 
 obsei'ves that the active promoters of it, calling themselves 
 Ancient Masons, not only formed Lodges in subversion of the 
 rules of the Order, but actually established in London a nominal 
 Grand Lodge, in open defiance of the Ancient Grand Lodge, 
 on whom they invidiously bestowed the appellation of Modern 
 Masons, on account of a few trifling innovations in the ceremo- 
 nial observances which had been inconsiderately sanctioned. 
 The irregular Masons encouraged the revolt ; and having 
 chosen as their Grand Master the Duke of Athol, then Grand 
 Master-elect of Scotland, a friendly intercourse was opened 
 between them and the Grand Lodge in Edinburgh. From this 
 circumstance, more than from any predilection in their favor, a 
 correspondence has, since that time, been kept up, and the same 
 prejudices imbibed by the brethren of Scotland against the regu- 
 lar Masons of England. The business, however, being now more 
 clearly understood, it is expected that a general union will soon 
 terminate all differences, and that a regular communication 
 will be speedily effected among the regular Masons of both 
 kingdoms." 
 
 The Grand Lodge of Scotland further manifested its desire to 
 approve of the course pursued by the Grand Lodge of England, 
 by the election of the Prince of Wales as their Grand Master, 
 while he still retained that dignity over the Grand Lodge of 
 England. This circumstance, we think, tended powerfully to 
 bring about a reconciliation and the union which afterward 
 took place. 
 
 Several spurious Grand Lodges have been established in the 
 United States, at different periods, and in different States ; but, 
 such is the power of moral influence, no one of them has con- 
 tinued long to exist after the Fraternity at large had expressed 
 their disapprobation ; and this it was that taught the seceding 
 Masons of London to seek a reconciliation. So long as that 
 body was recognized by tlie Grand Lodges of York and Scot- 
 land, they boldly set at defiance their legal Grand Lodge ; but 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 349 
 
 when tlie cold shoulder was given them by both these Grand 
 bodies, they had no foreign support left them, except in the 
 United States, where they had sent some charters and their 
 garbled Constitutions, under the title of the Miman Rezon, the 
 spurious Grand Lodge was forced, in self-defense, to seek a 
 union. 
 
 On the 25th of January, 1820, as, by arrangement, twenty- 
 five Lodges met at Allaway Kirk, in Ayrshire, it being the 
 anniversary of the birth-day of Robert Burns, to lay the corner 
 stone of a monument to the memory of our brother, the great 
 Ayrshire poet. The Lodges appeared in their separate regalia, 
 or badges, and, having walked in procession to the ground set 
 apart for the monument, they formed a circle, and the Right 
 Worthy Deputy Grand Master Boswell, proceeded to lay the 
 corner-stone, and delivered the following beautiful address : 
 
 " Brethren : — May corn, wine, and oil abound ; may all 
 that is useful and ornamental be cultivated among us ; and may 
 all that can invigorate the body or elevate the soul, shed their 
 blest influence on our native land. 
 
 " We have at length assembled to pay a grateful, although 
 tardy, tribute to the genius of Robert Burns, our Ayrshire poet, 
 and the Bard of Coila. There surely lives not the man so dull, 
 BO flinty, so phlegmatic, who could witness this event without 
 emotion. But to those whose heartstrings have thrilled respon- 
 sive to the chords of the poet's lyre — whose bosoms have 
 swelled, like his, with love and friendship, with tenderness and 
 sympathy — have glowed with patriotism or panted for glory — 
 this hour must be an hour of exultation. Whether we consider 
 the time, the place, or the circumstances, there is enough to 
 interest in each ; but these combined, and at once in operation 
 on our feelings and our fancies — his muse, alas ! is mute Who 
 alone could have dared to paint the proud breathings of such 
 an assemblage at such a moment. 
 
 " When we consider the time, we can not forget that this 
 day is the anniversary of that which gave our poet the light of 
 heaven. Bleak is the prospect around us ; the wood, the 
 hawthorne, and the birkenshaw are leafless ; not a thrush has 
 fct essayed to clear the furrowed brow of winter ; but this we 
 
350 HISTORY OP PEEEMASONET. 
 
 know shall pass away, give place, and be succeeded by the buds 
 of spring and the blossoms of summer. Chill and cheerless 
 was our poet's natal day ; but soon the wild flowers of poesy 
 sprung, as it were, beneath his boyish tread ; they opened as he 
 advanced, expanded as he matured, until he reveled in all the 
 richness of luxuriance. Poverty and disappointment hung 
 frowning around him, and haunted his path ; but soothed and 
 charmed by the fitful visits of his native muse, and crowned, as 
 in a vision, with the holy wreath, he wantoned in a fairy land 
 • — the bright creation of his own vivid and enwrapt imagination. 
 His musings have been our delight. Men of talents and of 
 taste, the most refined, have praised them ; men of strong and 
 sterling, but of untutored intellect, have admired them ; the 
 poet of the heart is the poet of mankind. 
 
 " When we consider the place, let us remember that these 
 very scenes, which we now look upon, awakened in his youthful 
 breast that animating spark which burst upon the world in a 
 blaze of inspiration. In yonder cottage he first drew breath ; 
 in that depository of the lowly dead sleeps the once humble, 
 now immortal, model of the cottage life — there rests his pious 
 father — and there it was his fond and anxious wish that his 
 dust should have been mingled with the beloved and kindred 
 ashes. Below us flows the Doon, the classic Doon, but made 
 classic by his harmony ; there, gliding through the woods, and 
 laving his banks and braes, he rolls his far-fetched waters to 
 the ocean. Before us stand the ruins of Kirk AUoway, shroud- 
 ed in all the mystic imagery with which it is enveloped by his 
 magic spells. Kirk Alloway ! to name it is enough. 
 
 " If, then, the time and place are so congenial with our fond 
 impressions, the circumstances which have enabled us to carry 
 into effect this commemoration of our bard, must give delight 
 to every enthusiastic mind. In every region where our lan- 
 guage is heard, the songs of Burns give rapture ; and from 
 every region, and from climes the most remote, the votive 
 offerings have poured in to aid our undertaking, and the edifice 
 which we have now begun shall stand a proud and lasting 
 testimony of the world's admiration. Not on the banks of 
 Doon alone, or hermit Ayr, or the romantic Lugar, echo repeats 
 
HISTORY OF FEEBMASONRT. 351 
 
 tlie songs of Burns ; tut amid the wild forests of Columbia, and 
 scorching plains of Hindostan — on the banks of the Mississippi, 
 the St. Lawrence, and the Ganges, his heart-touchihg melody 
 floats upon the breeze. 
 
 " This monument rises like the piled cairn over our warriors 
 of old — each man casts his stone ; and in honor of him, the 
 son of a cotter, and himself a plowman, our Prince, with the 
 true feelings of greatness, and more illustrious by this act of 
 generosity, pays here his tribute at the shrine of genius. May 
 the work prosper, and when happily completed, then may it 
 tell to future generations that tlie age which could produce a 
 Burns was rich also in those who could appreciate his talents, 
 and who, while they felt and owned the power of his muse, 
 have honored his name." 
 
 At a convivial meeting in the evening, among other enter- 
 taining addresses, the Rt. W. Deputy Grand Master took 
 occasion to say that the monument was well nigh the work of 
 the civilized world ; that contributions had not only poured in 
 from every part of that kingdom, but from the East Indies and 
 America, where a higher enthusiasm for Burns' writings seemed 
 to prevail than in his native land. 
 
 Under the political excitements, and owing to other causes, 
 Masonry languished in Scotland from 1815 to 1835. In the 
 latter year, many evidences of its revival were observable. The 
 Lodges recommenced work with animation, and a general 
 desire prevailed, not only for a uniformity of work, but to 
 assimilate as near as possible to the work in England. 
 
 It will be remembered that Mother Kilwinning and the 
 Lodge at Melrose claimed to have had their origin from that 
 company of Solomon's builders who erected an abbey at Kil- 
 winning and Melrose, in the twelfth century. In December, 
 1835, the Lodge at Melrose renewed its ancient customs of 
 forming a torchlight procession and marching round the ruins 
 of "St. David's holy pile," preceded by solemn music. Dr. 
 Oliver gives the following fanciful description of one of those 
 processions : 
 
 "Nothing could be more singular or impressive than the 
 spectacle which here presented itself. The red glaring light 
 
352 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 of the flambcai'X, as it flashed upon the pillars and projection* 
 of the ancient abbey, discovering the grotesque faces and figures 
 of grinning monks sculptured on the corbels and capitals of 
 many a moldering arch, contrasted strikingly with the deep, 
 mysterious gloom of the retiring aisles and cloisters, whose 
 darkness, indeed, was ever and anon partially illuminated as 
 the singular procession passed along. Every step which the 
 brethren trod, as they slowly advanced up the interior of the 
 edifice, was upon hallowed dust. In the language of him whose 
 name is linked with that of the place : 
 
 " ' Beneath the lettered stone were laid 
 The ashes of their fathers dead ; 
 From many a garnished niche around 
 Stern saints and tortured martyrs frowned.' " 
 
 In 1836, Lord Eamscy was elected Grand Master of the 
 Grand Lodge of Scotland. The following is the language of 
 Dr. Oliver : 
 
 " A beneficial regeneration of the Craft was effected in Scot- 
 land, under tlie able rule of Lord Ramsey, who was elected to 
 the Grand Master's throne in the month of November, 1836." 
 
 Now, we have the writings of Anderson, Preston, Hutchin- 
 son, Smith, Lawrie, and Lawrence Dermott — the latter was a 
 member of the spurious Grand Lodge of London, and all the 
 others were subjects of a monarchy — and yet no one of them 
 at^^mpted to introduce the novelty of calling the chair of the 
 Grand Master a throne. We have long since ceased to be 
 astonished at anything which may be found in the writings of 
 Dr. Oliver, but we have been surprised to find those in high 
 places, and especially conductors of Masonic periodicals, en- 
 gaged in trumpeting the fame and recommending the works of 
 a man, who seems to be as reckless of consequences as the most 
 irresponsible tale-writer of the age. Doubtless, the eulogists 
 of Dr. Oliver will be disposed to regard this attempt to change 
 the names of things as a small matter ; but, if he has the right to 
 change one, lie is equally authorized to change all the Masonic 
 terms, and, if the whim takes him, we may look to have a Chan- 
 cellor of the Exchequer, etc., etc. 
 
 It is not wonderful tliat Lord Ramsey exercised a powerful 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 353 
 
 influence in favor of Masonry in Scotland, for, in addition to 
 his amiable and preposaessing qualities as a gentleman, he was 
 emphatically a working Mason. We think it doubtful whether 
 Scotland can boast anotlicr name deservedly entitled to so 
 much praise, or who obtained so thorough a knowledge of the 
 work, and lectures of the degrees. Being thus prepared to 
 work or give instruction to others, he necessarily exercised an 
 immense influence for good. Under his administration^ a spirit 
 of laudable pride and emulation was produced — and all Lodges 
 prosper where the officers know and do their duty. 
 
 As Lord Ramsey will ever occupy a prominent place in the 
 history of Masonry, it will not be uninteresting to introduce an 
 anecdote which accounts for his becoming a Mason, at least at 
 the time he did. The Frecniason's Quarterly Review, of England, 
 
 "As his Lordship, some years ago, was walking with his 
 clerical tutor, a wretched beggar, apparently a foreigner, en- 
 treated his charity. The clergyman turned round to question 
 the suppliant, and in a moment grasped his hand with the most 
 cordial kindness. Lord Ramsey was surprised. The stranger 
 was a Freemason; he was fed, clothed, and supplied, by the 
 generous Englishman, with the means of transit to the coast of 
 Syria, where he stated lie originally came from. The circum- 
 stance made such an impression on Lord Ramsey, that he de- 
 termined to join an Association so pregnant with good works." 
 Our readers will doubtless remember the account we gave, in 
 the early part of this history, of St. Clair of Roslyn, who, by an 
 act of noble generosity, made himself the instrument to break 
 down the long existing and time honored practice of making 
 the office of Grand Master of Scotland hereditary. In 1837, 
 just one hundred years after this event, the Grand Lodge of 
 Scotland determined to celebrate the centenary in honor of the 
 man and the happy circumstance. An effort was made, and 
 successfully, to call out Masons from all parts of Scotland. No 
 expense was spared to make the occasion long to be remem- 
 bered by the Fraternity and the community. St. Andrew's 
 day was chosen for the celebration, and more than one thousand 
 Masons assembled on the day appointed. We find the following 
 
 83 
 
354 HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 account of the memorable proceedings of that day, given by 
 Dr. Oliver as an extract, without sayiflg from whence it was 
 taken ; but we suppose it to be from the records of the Grand 
 Lodge, or from one of the journals of the day in Edinburgh : 
 
 " The word march being given, and repeated along the whole 
 line, the grand batallion of the brethren of peace moved for- 
 ward as one body, preceded by the band of the Queen's Royal 
 Lancers. Thus issuing from the portals of the Royal Exchange, 
 at Edinburgh, the head of the column was greeted with a loud 
 huzza from the assembled multitude, which, as the rest ad- 
 vanced, gave place to a solemn and admiring silence. This 
 attention and decorous conduct, on the part of the spectators, 
 was flattering to the Craft, and is a proof of the great moral 
 impression which the character of our glorious Institution uni- 
 versally creates, whatever a few prejudiced and unfortunate 
 individuals may say or think. Respect to the ancient Free and 
 Accepted Fraternity of Masons, was the sentiment expressed on 
 this occasion ; and no other than a moral force could, in the 
 absence of the military, have kept the crowd in such extra- 
 ordinary order. The police employed undoubtedly did good 
 service, particularly in repelling the tendency to pressure at 
 the several turnings. But only look what a sight the High 
 Street presents during the procession! Whoever has beheld 
 Edina, with her cloud-capped towers and lofty mansions, rising 
 from eight to ten stories in hight, each individual stage of this 
 Babel of buildings inhabited by whole hosts of families, of every 
 kind and calling, may imagine the sublime effect of a multitude 
 of torches, reflecting with reddening glare upon the mighty 
 sides of the spacious streets, which long has formed the pride 
 of ' Auld Reekie.' Thousands of visages were visible froBi 
 every tier of windows on either flank, from the lowest to the 
 topmost habitable spot. It was a study for the lover of the 
 picturesque — a scene of strange grandeur, not unworthy of the 
 magic pencil of a Martin. We have witnessed the religious 
 processions in the capitals of Catholicism, but we will ave 
 that this transcended them all, even as a spectacle. On passing 
 the front of the Theatre Royal, Bro. Murray, the manager, testi- 
 fied his fraternal attention by the exhibition of a brilliantly 
 
HISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 355 
 
 illuminated star placed over the portico of the house. Blue 
 lights and rockets were discharged from Calton Hill, as the 
 procession passed up the Regent's Bridge, till, at last, arriving 
 at the Waterloo Hotel, the music divided right and left, and 
 the grand Masonic cortege marched into the great hall, -s^ich 
 had been decorated and prepared for their reception." 
 
 This brilliant display made a powerful and lasting impression 
 on the bystanders, and tended, in no small degree, to excite a 
 laudable pride in the bosom of the Masons. We wonder not 
 that the greatest and best men delight to be found enrolled on 
 the books of our Lodges, when not only the principles taught 
 assist in elevating the soul to noble deeds, but whose moral in- 
 fluence exercises so happy an effect upon a community on public 
 occasions. Dr. Oliver says that all Maisonic processions should 
 be got up upon the same plan as the one just described, without 
 regard to expense, and thus prevent public processions be- 
 coming so common as to excite the ridicule of the world ; and in 
 this we heartily agree with him, supposing, of course, that he 
 does not include funeral processions. There was a time when 
 we were proud to be seen in a procession on a festival occasion, 
 at least once a year ; but we had not then well looked into the 
 effect of those half got up displays. We had not then heard the 
 opinions of good and prudent men, who were lookers on ; but 
 now, and for many years past, we have been in the habit of ad- 
 vising the first Lodge in each town to make, as soon as they 
 were able to do it well, one celebration, and such an one as 
 would command the attention and admiration of the spectators, 
 and, through some one who was fully capable, explain to the 
 community the principles of our Order in a public address. We 
 hold that every association, who does business with closed doors, 
 owes it to the public to explain the objects and ends of tha,t 
 association ; but this being once done, it is a bore to keep repeat- 
 ing it. 
 
 It seems a matter of surprise that a body of Masons so large 
 and respectable, and influenced by a zeal unsurpassed, should so 
 long have neglected to provide, by a well organized system, 
 for the destitute orphan children of brother Masons. But 
 whatever may have been the cause of their long delay, the year 
 
856 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 1837 will be memorable in the history of Masonry in Scotland, 
 as the period when an Institution for the education and main- 
 tenance of orphans was established in Edinburgh by the Fra- 
 ternity. 
 
 i^nd this year was destined to add another gem to the chap- 
 let of Scottish Masonry, by presenting to the world, in a tangi- 
 ble form, their veneration for genius and letters. The far- 
 famed Sir Walter Scott, who first revolutionized romance writ- 
 ing, and so blended truthful history with fascinating tales of 
 fiction, that his works became at once a source of amusement and 
 a channel of useful instruction to all, was made a Mason at St. 
 David's Lodge at Edinburgh ; and his brethren, in 1836, laid the 
 corner-stone of a monument to his memory. The convocation 
 was called by the Lord Provost (who was also Provincial 
 Grand Master), to meet at Glasgow. The magistrates of Glasgow 
 and of several of tlie surrounding towns, and a large concourse 
 of Masons, were formed into a grand procession, protected by 
 the military, and moved from Court Hall to St. George's Square, 
 where the monument was to be erected. As the ceremony of 
 laying this corner-stone differs in some respects from that in 
 use in this country, and, as far as we are informed, from that in 
 England, we will insert some portions of it as it is found in 
 Oliver's History of Freemasonry : 
 
 " The Grand Master (the Lord Provost) caused the Grand 
 Treasurer and Grand Secretary to deposit the papers and coins 
 in the cavity of the stone, the band playing ' Great lights to 
 shine,' during which the stone was let down with three regular 
 stops. Tlie Grand Master, with the Sub-Grand Master,* and 
 Grand Wardens before them, then passed down the stono 
 — the Grand Master on the East, the Grand Wardens on the 
 West— wlien the Grand Master said : 
 
 "'Right Worshipful Sub-Grand Master, you will cause the 
 various implements to be applied to the stone, in order that it 
 may be la,id in its bed according to the rules of architecture.' 
 
 • We have not seen the title " Sab-Graad Master " used anywhere else. It is 
 probably a Scottish title. In law, especially among the Scotch, we have noted 
 Bomo strange titles of dignitaries, common to both England and Scotland. 
 
HISTOEY OP FREEMASONRY. 357 
 
 " The Sub-Grand Master having then ordered the Wardens 
 to do their duty, the usual interrogatories were then made, as 
 follows : 
 
 " G. Master. — ' Right Worshipful Sub-Grand Master, what is 
 the proper jewel of your office ? ' 
 
 "Jlnswer. — ' The Square.' 
 
 " G. M. — ' Have you applied the Square to those parts of the 
 stone that should be square ? ' 
 
 ''Ans. — ' I have, Most Worshipful Grand Master, and the 
 Craftsmen have done their duty.' 
 
 " G. M. — Right Worshipful Senior Grand Warden, what is, 
 the proper jewel of your office ? ' 
 
 "^rwf.— ' The Level.' 
 
 " G. M.— Have you applied the Level to the stone? ' 
 
 "^ns. — ' I have, Most Worshipful Grand Master, and the 
 Craftsmen have done their duty.' 
 
 " G. M. — ' Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden, what is 
 the jewel of your office ? ' 
 
 "^Ms.— ' The Plumb.' 
 
 " G. M. — ' Have you applied the Plumb to the several edges 
 of the stone ? ' 
 
 ''Jim. — 'I have. Most Worshipful Grand Master, and the 
 Craftsmen have done their duty.' " 
 
 No part of the remaining ceremony differs from that in use 
 in the United States. As far as our observation has extended, 
 the custom here is for the Deputy Grand Master and Wardens, 
 who carry the appropriate implements, to hand them to the 
 Grand Master, who, as the Master Workman, or Grand Over- 
 seer, applies them to the stone in regular order, and thus tries 
 the stone, and pronounces it square, level, and plumb — ^hence 
 the above questions are not asked. 
 
 After the Grand Master had poured on the stone the corn, 
 wine, and oil, and pronounced the usual benediction, the band 
 played the " Mason's Anthem," the Grand Master ascended the 
 platform and delivered the following address : 
 
 "Principal Macfarlane and Gentlemen. — We hiave performed an 
 act which, while it honors the dead, at the same time honors 
 the living. By erecting a monument to departed genius, we 
 
;J58 HISTORY OF FKEEMASONET. 
 
 leave to our posterity a tangible proof that tie generations 
 among whom Sir Walter Scott lived were in so far worthy of 
 him, that they could appreciate his merit. We have been 
 doing what, perhaps, more than any other act, helps society 
 forward in the road of social improvement. Every monumeut 
 erected to a great and good man is an ever fresh moral lesson 
 to the public. We have been doing what tends to cement 
 society in all that concerns men, in the matters of public and 
 domestic life, in the certainties of this world and the hopes 
 of the next. There are, and in our nature there must ever be, 
 a diversity of opinions and affections. Experience seems to 
 teach that, in the society where these are most freely expressed, 
 where men most freely emulate each other in endeavors to pro- 
 mote their favorite views, the greatest discoveries are made, 
 and the greatest actions are performed. But rivalry and 
 emulation alienate men, and cultivate the less amiable passions. 
 It is good, therefore, to seize on all those occasions which can 
 reunite us in that love which is one of the best "attributes of our 
 nature ; and what occasion can there be so well fitted for this 
 purpose, as when men of every creed and every opinion which 
 divide society, unite in common homage to the memory of some 
 distinguished fellow-citizen. Their common admiration teaches 
 them that, however widely they may differ, they still have one 
 common nature, and that their points of resemblance form 
 exactly what is noblest about them. There could not be a 
 mind more admirably constituted for producing this desirable 
 effect than that of the great man whose memory we meet to 
 honor. Those of his works which will live with his nation's 
 language, are not controversial, stirring up strife — they are 
 pictures of life around which all men gather to derive enjoy- 
 ment. Their distinguishing features are the power of noting 
 and expressing the peculiarities of character, as well as the 
 fei-tility of invention. We, from whose firesides, from the 
 living inmates of whose domestic circle his charms were drawn, 
 can feel and attest their identity with nature. We have sat at 
 table with — we have shaken hands with — ^we have quarreled 
 and been friends with — his Dandie Dinmonts, his Cuddie 
 Headriggs, and last, though not least, his Bailie Nicol Jarvies. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 359 
 
 There can be no testimony to the truth of his portraits so 
 strong and credible as ours. But it is for those less familiar 
 with his prototypes, that testimony must be borne of the power 
 and originality of his genius. It has been left to posterity to 
 bear this testimony. Already has his fame been echoed back 
 to us from distant lands, in which a differently constituted 
 society judges as impartially of his merits as the latest posterity 
 will be able to do. 
 
 " It must be pardoned us if we indulge in a feeling of self 
 gratulation, that, while every anxiety has been expressed to 
 pay a tribute to the memory of Sir Walter Scott, Glasgow has 
 been the first to realize the honorable intention. He has 
 deserved it at our hands — his heart and imagination were 
 wedded to the old chivalrous time — and yet, no man has 
 delineated with a more graphic hand the peculiarities of the 
 founders of that state of society in which we, of this country, 
 live — the originators of that self-reliance and persevering 
 enterprise, which has changed the face of the whole country 
 around us, and which will change it to something nobler and 
 better still, 
 
 " Gentlemen, I return my sincere acknowledgments to all 
 who have assisted me in discharging this pleasing and imporr 
 taut duty. To the brethren of the Grand Lodge — to the Com- 
 mittee of Management — to the members of the various public 
 bodies, who have favored us with their company — to the whole 
 of my fellow-citizens with whom solemnities like this draw 
 closer the cords of love, first knit by more onerous, and, there- 
 fore, more anxious ties — to all, this monument, when complete, 
 must be an interesting object. To me it must be eminently so, 
 from the gratifying recollections it will ever awaken in my 
 mind." 
 
 The Masons of Scotland were again called upon, in August, 
 1840, to lay the corner-stone of a metropolitan monument to 
 the memory of Sir Walter Scott. Having already given a 
 description of the ceremony of laying the corner-stone of 
 another monument to do honor to the same man, we shall not 
 enter into a detailed account of this. It is proper, however, 
 to say, that the grand spectacle had been looked to with 
 
3C0 HISTORY OF FEEEMABONKY. 
 
 anxiety for weeks before, and tliis anxiety pervaded every 
 class of society. On the morning of the day set apart, we are 
 told that the streets of Edinburgh were crowded, and long 
 oefore the hour for the procession to move, the shops were 
 closed, and all classes, male and female, went forth to witness 
 the ceremony which was to begin the edifice intended to do 
 honor to one who had contributed so largely to the literature 
 of Scotland and the world — one who produced an era in that 
 branch of literature designed to instruct and amuse — who 
 found it fallen and debased, by the hands of bunglers, to a silly 
 display of fantastic dreams, having neither the merit of a 
 praiseworthy design, nor the power to "hold the mirror up to 
 nature," and, as with a magic wand, wrested the sceptre from 
 the writers of love-sick tales and pointless plots, and so elevat- 
 ed the character of light reading, that no man has since dared 
 to give to the world a romance not designed to follow his 
 model. In every country where the banner of the Cross waves 
 over the national flag, and the principles of our holy religion 
 triumphs over the shreds and patches of infidelity, the influence 
 of the giant mind of Sir Walter Scott is felt, and so far 
 acknowledged by the pious followers of our Saviour, that the 
 doctrines of regeneration are, since his time, extensively taught 
 by tracts modeled after his style of writing. No wonder, 
 then, that, on the occasion of laying this corner-stone, fifteen 
 hundred of his brother Masons, the largest assembly of the 
 kind ever seen in Europe, should congregate to do honor to 
 their distinguished countryman and beloved brother. No 
 wonder that such an immense concourse of the sons and 
 daughters of Scotland, who are a reading people, should joy- 
 fully seize upon the opportunity of showing their admiration 
 of the genius and talents of the " Great Unknown." And we 
 may add, no wonder so many are to be found in other and 
 distant lands, to whom the news of this event came like the 
 gentle whisperings of the Genii of science, filling their souls 
 with the benign fires of emulation. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 In 1802, the Earl of Moira, Acting Grand Master of the 
 Grand Lodge of England, informed his Grand Lodge that the 
 Lodges in Berlin, subordinate to the King of Prussia, had 
 solicited the influence of the Dul?e of Sussex for a mutual and 
 fi;aternal correspondence, to be commenced and carried on 
 between them and the Grand Lodge of England. One of the 
 beneficial effects designed to be accomplished by these fraternal 
 relations, was to place the Masons, in either jurisdiction, under 
 obligations to protect and assist any brethren hailing from, the 
 other, who might stand in need of such assistance ; to which 
 propositions the Grand Lodge of England responded in the 
 most respectful and fraternal manner, giving assurances of a 
 cordial cooperation in carrying out the wishes of their brethren 
 of Berlin. 
 
 The same year, four Lodges in Portugal asked for fraternal 
 correspondence, and, on their part, appointed a resident repre- 
 sentative to the Grand Lodge of England, and expressed a 
 desire to be considered as acting under, or by the Masonic rules, 
 g,s laid down by the English Constitution. These acts of fra- 
 ternal kindness were duly appreciated, and the Grand Lodge 
 of England appointed a Delegate to represent them in Portugal. 
 
 In November, a charge was brought before the Grand Lodge 
 against some of its members, for not only visiting, but for 
 filling ofiices in the irregular Society calling themselves Ancient 
 Masons. The charge being fully sustained, and it being an open 
 and known violation of the laws of the Grand Lodge, it was 
 determined to proceed in the most summary manner to punish 
 them, unless they promised to withdraw all connection or asso 
 elation with the irregular Lodges. The offending parties, it 
 would seem, had no improper design in thus oversteppiug the 
 
362 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 bounds of their duty, but were sincerely desirous of doing all 
 in their power to effect a reconciliation and a union between 
 the two Masonic bodies ; and, with the hope that this desirable 
 end might be accomplished, they asked and obtained the consent 
 of their Grand Lodge to withhold any further proceedings 
 against them, and the Grand Lodge, having ever been willing 
 to throw open its doors and invite their erring brethren to 
 return to their duty, granted this request ; but the charges 
 were withdrawn, and a Committee, consisting of the most 
 prominent brethren, was appointed to aid in the desired object. 
 The Earl of Moira was at the head of this Committee, and 
 expressed an ardent desire to effect a union. But, in 1803, a 
 report was made to the Grand Lodge, setting forth the entire 
 failure, on the part of the Committee, to induce the erring 
 brethren to return. It was in evidence that the irregular 
 members, so far from meeting the advances with a cordial 
 desire to heal all divisions, had obstinately refused to take any 
 steps to pave the way. Whereupon, the Grand Lodge put in 
 force its edicts, by declaring that whenever it should appear 
 that any Mason, under the English Constitution, should visit 
 or hold Masonic communion with any Lodge, or meeting of 
 persons, calling themselves Ancient Masons, under the sanction 
 of any one claiming to be Grand Master, who had not been 
 regularly elected in the Grand Lodge, should have their names 
 stricken from the list, and the fact made known to all the Sub- 
 ordinate Lodges. 
 
 In 1804, the Grand Lodge ordered the portrait of the Earl 
 of Moira, Acting Grand Master, to be placed in the Masonic 
 Hall, along with the portraits of the Past Grand Masters. "We 
 hope it will not be thought indelicate in us, because of our hav- 
 ing filled that station, to express our regret that it is not the 
 universal custom of the Grand Lodges in the United States to 
 preserve a portrait of their Grand Masters. The expense 
 would be comparatively small, and not only be gratifying to the 
 Past Grand Masters, but a source of pleasure to all the mem- 
 bers. We should, indeed, like to visit a Grand Masonic Hall 
 and behold the likenesses of all who had presided over the 
 Grand Lodge. During our life, we have received no mark of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 363 
 
 distinction, or evidence of esteem, so highly prized as the- rich 
 and handsome jewel presented to us by the Grand Lodge of 
 Missouri ; we are, therefore, prepared to appreciate the grateful 
 emotions which would rise up in the breast of a brother who, 
 upon entering the hall of his Grand Lodge, beheld his portrait 
 there suspended by order of his brethren. 
 
 In February, 1806, the Earl of Moira, Acting Grand Mas- 
 ter, informed the brethren that, in a visit to the Grand Lodge of 
 Scotland, he had fully explained the origin and progress of the 
 difficulty existing between the Grand Lodge of England and 
 those Masons holding under the so called Grand Lodge of An- 
 cient Masons, who assembled under the authority of the Duke of 
 Athol. Whereupon, the brethren of Scotland expressed them- 
 selves as having been greatly misinformed in relation to the 
 matter, and, being now satisfied that the error existed with the 
 seceding Masons, they took occasion to manifest their sense of 
 approbation of the course pursued by the Grand Lodge, by elect- 
 ing his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, as Grand Master of 
 Scotland. The Grand Lodge of Scotland immediately set on 
 foot measures to induce, by mediation, the erring brethren to 
 return to their duty, and unite with their legal Grand Lodge. 
 The Grand Lodge of England ordered an expression of its fra- 
 ternal appreciation of the course pursued by the Scots Masons, 
 to be forwarded to the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and invit- 
 ed the interposition of that body to bring about a reconcil- 
 iation and union of all the Masons in England. The Grand 
 Lodge unanimously tendered a vote of thanks to the Acting 
 Grand Master, the Earl of Moira, for his efi'orts in behalf of the 
 restoration of peace and union. 
 
 In April, 1808, the Grand Lodge resolved, 
 
 " That it is absolutely necessary for the welfare of Masonry, 
 and for the preservation of the Ancient Landmarks, that there 
 be a superintending power competent to control the proceedings 
 of every acknowledged Lodge ; and that the Grand Lodge, 
 representing, by regular delegation, the will of the whole Craft, 
 is tlie proper and unquestionable depository of such power. 
 
 " That it is contrary to the principles of Masonry for a Lodge 
 to publish its sentiments upon political subjects,inasmuchasthe 
 
304 HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY, 
 
 agitation of any political question, or the discussion of any pub- 
 lic affair, is strictly forbidden among Masons ; the Grand Lodge 
 itself, though acting for the whole Craft, not being justifiable in 
 departing from this rule, unless in some cases of obvious and 
 extreme necessity. 
 
 " That the Grand Lodge concurs entirely in the justice of the 
 opinions which the Grand Lodge of Scotland thought itself 
 bound to enforce, and trusts that no Lodge under the Consti- 
 tution of England will, in any shape, countenance resistance to 
 an authority exerted upon principles universally recognized by 
 all true and faithful brethren." — Preston. 
 
 In November, of the same year, the Grand Lodge received a 
 communication from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, highly ap- 
 plauding the course pursued by their English brethren of said 
 Grand Lodge. On the 31st of December, of this year, his Royal 
 Highness, the Prince of Wales, laid the corner-stone of 
 Covent Garden Theatre, as Grand Master of England and 
 Scotland. 
 
 On the 12th of April, 1809, it was resolved by the Grand 
 Lodge that they " Do agree in opinion with the Committee on 
 Charity, that it is not necessary any longer to continue in force 
 those measures which were resorted to, in or about the year 
 1739, respecting irregular Masons ; and do, therefore, enjoin the 
 several Lodges to revert to the Ancient Landmarks of the Society!' 
 
 Here is an implied acknowledgment that the Grand Lodge 
 had tolerated some departures from the Ancient Landmarks, 
 and that there were some grounds for the charge made by the 
 seceding Masons, that they had tolerated innovations — and 
 Lawrie confirms this charge, but says they were of a trifling 
 character, belonging to the, ceremonials of the degrees, and could 
 not justify the term given them of " Modern Masons." The 
 more effectually to carry out the last-named resolution, the 
 Grand Lodge constituted a " Lodge of Promulgation," or Com- 
 mittee of Instruction, to exhibit the works and lectures in An- 
 cient Craft Masonry. Sir Peter Pai-ker, D. G. Master, died in 
 December, 1811, when the Prince of Wales, Grand Master, ap- 
 pointed his royal brother, the Duke of Sussex, then W. Master 
 of the Lodge of Antiquity. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 3G5 
 
 The Earl of Moira had now been many yeai's the acting 
 Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, and it may be truly said 
 that, since the time of Sir Christopher Wren, no man had done 
 more to elevate the standard of Masonry, and make it honorable 
 to live in obedience to its benign injunctions. It may be truly 
 said that, he never shrank from any duty which his office im- 
 posed on him, and none could be more tenacious of the equal 
 rights of all. He had ever been ready to sacrifice his own ease 
 and comfort to serve the Craft, and no wonder that such a man, 
 won the confidence and love of all the brethren. In 1812, his 
 Lordship was appointed Governor General of India, and it was 
 determined, by the Fraternity, to testify their high estimate of 
 his character, and their love of his person, by inviting him to a 
 farewell banquet on the eve of his departure. 
 
 "The 27th of January, 1813, was the day appointed, when a 
 most sumptuous dinner was served up in Freemason's Hall to 
 about five hundred brethren, including six Eoyal Dukes, viz., 
 Sussex, D.G.M., York, Clarence, Kent, Cumberland, and Glou- 
 cester. The gallery was filled with ladies of the first fashion 
 and respectability, including the Countess of Loudon and Moira. 
 The Duke of Kent's band attended in the gallery." 
 
 The Duke of Sussex, in proposing the health of the Prince of 
 Wales, accounted for his absence, and then, in a most eloquent 
 address, remiaded the Craft and the spectators, of the many 
 virtues and important services which the Earl of Moira had 
 rendered his country, his brethren, and mankind, and closed by 
 proposing " the health of the Earl of Moira — the friend of his 
 Prince, the friend of his country, and the friend of mankind." 
 
 To this high compliment the Earl made the following most 
 feeling and beautiful reply : 
 
 " Beethre>i : — It has been said that ' out of the fullness of the 
 heart, the tongue speaketh.' I know not upon what grounds 
 that statement was founded ; but at present, at least, I can not 
 vouch for its accuracy. Never did I more wish for a command 
 of words, and never was I less confident of my powers than' I 
 am upon tliis occasion ; yet, God knows, my heart is full 
 enough. But the overwhelming marks of regard and attach- 
 ment, with which you have honored me, and, still more, the 
 
366 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 exaggerated compliments which I have just received from the 
 illustrious personage who presides here this day, leave me little 
 of that spring of spirit which is necessary toward answering 
 adequately. I thank that illustrious personage for his high 
 encomium, though he has left me a diflScult line to draw between 
 apparent acceptance of so overcharged an eulogy, and failure 
 in due recognition of your kindness. I thank that illustrious 
 personage, because I know the cordiality of his soul, and 
 triumph in the impulse which it has given to his expressions, 
 though it has raised him to a strain of eloquence, after which 
 any language of mine must seem tame and feeble. You, 
 brethren, well know the medium through which our illustrious 
 Chairman has viewed me, and will thence not be at a loss to 
 account for his fervor ; but they who can not construe those 
 expressions by that key which all of you understand, ought to 
 be apprised that there exists in the Society of Masons, a 
 brotherly affection, nay, an affection far more than brotherly, 
 which delights in slackening the crest of judgment, and even 
 rioting in the field of fancy, when the object is to exalt the 
 merits or to extenuate the defects of a member of the Craft. 
 (Applause.) Such has been the practice of the illustrious per- 
 sonage who has just addressed you. He has allowed fraternal 
 partiality to seduce him into all the indulgence of luxuriant 
 imagination. He has sketched a picture with fairy tints. He 
 has exhibited the hand of a master in the portraiture ; but he 
 has also displayed a master's license, trusting that elegance of 
 outline and brilliancy of colors would atone for deficiency of 
 resemblance. What the Royal Duke has been pleased to ascribe 
 to me, has been only the emanation of the principles cultivated 
 in this hallowed Institution — the practical effect of those lessons 
 which Masonry inculcates, not for purposes of mysticism, but 
 in the hope of their influence on the interests of society. 
 
 " His Royal Highness has been pleased to dilate upon my 
 humble services in the army. I am sufficiently conscious of the 
 exiguity of the scale upon which it has been my lot to act. I 
 have no pretensions to aught beyond credit for zeal ; and with 
 that I can be satisfied. If I know myself, I have ever held it 
 of far higher value to possess the silent esteem which atlenda 
 
HTSTOKT OP FREEMASONRY. 367 
 
 a useful member of the community, than to be followed by the 
 clamorous, but unweighed and transient, applause of the mul- 
 titude. Only believe of me, that I have honestly considered 
 myself the servant of the country, always liable to be called 
 upon to support its interests, and always ready to obey, with 
 fervor, the summons. That merit is all that I can be entitled 
 to claim. The illustrious Chairmanhas praised me as the friend 
 of the Prince. Can I assume merit for my attachment, when 
 all the honor of such a connection, for a number of years, must 
 have been bestowed upon me ? If I had the happiness of being 
 distinguished by such partiality, adherence was but a slender 
 return, though the only one I could make. But, were it possible 
 for me to forget every other cause for pride and gratitude in 
 such favor, there is one obligation which the circumstances of 
 this day would present most emphatically to my memory. It 
 was the Prince Regent who placed me in the situation 
 whence I have derived all the flattering testimonies of your 
 good will. To him I owe the opportunities of endearing 
 myself to you — if I dare indulge myself in listening to your 
 friendly assurances of my having done so; to him I stand indebted 
 for the means of manifesting what I thought ought to be the 
 tenor of his representative in the Craft. You have approved 
 my conception of that character. You have gone further ; you 
 have rewarded it by making this the proudest day of my life ; 
 and see how much his influence contributes to that pride ! 
 "When I look round me and observe so many individuals of the 
 royal family present on the occasion, I must feel what an 
 indication it is of his generous wish that your kind enthusiasm 
 should have his implied concurrence ; not that I can thence be 
 less grateful to each of these illustrious personages for allowing 
 me the boast, that their countenance on this night bore 
 testimony to their ratifying your approbation. This, as a man, 
 I feel deeply, but with no inferior sensibility as a Mason. 
 Dignifying, indeed, it is to the Craft, to see those elevated per- 
 sonages exhibit their fellowship with us. But it is not merely 
 a superficial honor to which your minds should be alive. No, 
 you ought to feel the incalculable benefit which the serious 
 objects of Masonry must derive from this public display of the 
 
368 HISTORY OF FREEMASONBT. 
 
 sentiment of rovaltj lowai'd the Brotherhood ; this avowal 
 from so many of tliose immediately connected with the throne, 
 that they make common cause with your welfare and your 
 affections. Let us carry this thought further. Let us exult in 
 the advantage which may ensue to every class in Britain, from 
 the circumstance, that these elevated individuals could not have 
 been present here, had they. not previously received all those 
 solemn inculcations with which Masonry endeavors to dispost? 
 the heart of each of the initiated, to promote the comfort of his 
 fellow. Every one of these illustrious persons has had the im- 
 portant lesson whispered into his ear, ' Be simple, be benignant, 
 be man ! ' And the germ, planted in minds lilie theirs, can not 
 be unfruitful. They comprehend their rich reward. They 
 share with us in the glowing confidence that the beneficence of 
 a superintending Father perpetually shields us. They partici- 
 pate with us in that sure hope of the future, which makes our 
 present existence appear but a speck in the immensity of our 
 immortal heritage. They are assimilated to us in all the 
 generous aflections of that charity, which tells us that kindness 
 to all must be the oblation most acceptable to Him, who, in 
 creating all, could have no motive but their happiness. When 
 royalty cherislies such sentiments, its commixture with social 
 life is a blessing. Need I remarlc how proud the distinction is 
 for our own beloved country, that the presence of these illustrious 
 persons, in meetings of convivial society, so far from being a 
 check upon liilarity, is an encouragement, which renders enjoy- 
 ment more grateful ? Yes, tlie influence of royalty in Britain is 
 never felt but as the genial zephyr, wliich cheers and invites to 
 expansion every bud it breathes upon ; while, in other realms, it 
 is the wind from the desert, withering all over whfch it passes. 
 " One word upon a point, more immediately referable to 
 myself. 1 liave called this the proudest day of my life. I 
 ought to feel it so. For above twenty-one years, I have had the 
 honor and satisfaction of presiding in this Society ; a Society 
 formed to stinmlatc men to the practical application of doc- 
 trines, at which I have slightly glanced, but on wliich I should 
 havo b'jen happy (had it been allowable) to expatiate. The 
 prodigious extent of this Society, in England, is little imagined 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 36S 
 
 by those who are not called upon to look to the numbers. It<( 
 perfect tranquility attracts no attention. That so vast a body 
 should exist in such silence, and move with such invariable 
 tranquility, while it would appear to the casual observer that 
 no eye watches or hand directs its procedure, is the best proof 
 of its rigid adherence to principles, in their nature unalterably 
 advantageous to society. It is, then, a pride to hold a leading 
 station among such men. But while I have enjoyed that dis- 
 tinction, I have, on the other hand, been subjected to their 
 scrutiny. It has been, not only the right, but the duty, of 
 Masons to keep a vigilant eye over my conduct in life, that, if 
 censure were due, their remonstrance and rejection might 
 prevent the credit of the Craft from being tainted by the 
 ostensible superintendence of an unworthy individual. After 
 that observation of me for twenty-one years, my brethren have 
 this day pronounced their judgment. I, therefore, ought to 
 know how to appreciate this testimony of your approbation. I 
 do appreciate it justly. I should believe your verdict to be 
 partial ; perhaps I must be conscious it is so ; but in the eyes 
 of the world it is the stamp of honor afBxed upon me ; and I 
 thank you, brethren, with a gratitude commensurate to the 
 magnitude of the boon." 
 
 At the close of this address, the whole assembly was wrapt 
 in that profound silence, which the eloquence of the speaker, 
 and the occasion which called it forth, were calculated to pro- 
 duce. After a short pause, the Duke of Sussex asked attention 
 to a song, written by Waller Eodwell Wright, expressly for 
 the occasion ; when Mr. Bellamy sung with great applause the 
 following verses : 
 
 OCCASIONAL STANZAS. 
 
 IDATTBD TO THE GERMAN AIB, " BESCHALL, GEFDHL." 
 
 Thou, soft-breathing lyre, for awhile be suspended 
 
 The social delight which thy numbers impart ; 
 While sighs of regret with our raptures are blended, 
 And strains of affection flow warm from the heart. 
 Hail ! hail ! hail I to every bosom dear, 
 
 Thou, to whose honored name 
 We consecrate the parting tear. 
 
370 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 Te realms, where the day-star first springs from the ocean, 
 Now welcome the dawn of Philanthropy's ray ; 
 
 Ye nations that tremble in abject devotion, 
 By Ganges or Indus — rejoice in her sway. 
 Hail! hail! hail! etc. 
 
 Go on, noble Spirit ! still guerdon'd with glory, 
 Pursue the bright track which thy fate has assigned ; 
 
 For thus shall thy name live ennobled in story, 
 Of Britain the pride, and the Friend of Mankind. 
 Hail! hail! hail! etc. 
 
 Oh, deem not our hearts can e'er cease to revere thee. 
 
 Or still on thy virtues with rapture to dwell, 
 Eecalling those scenes to our souls that endear thee. 
 
 And the pain of that hour when we bade thee farewelU 
 Hail! hail! hail! etc. 
 
 E'en then, while between us wide oceans are rolling, 
 
 Whene'er we assemble these rites to renew, 
 With magic illusion our senses controlling. 
 
 Shall fancy restore thee again to our view. 
 Hail! hail! hail! etc. 
 
 And when on that breast, where bright honor, still beaming. 
 Sheds lustre, excelling what kings can bestow. 
 
 The pledge of Fraternal Affection is gleaming, 
 With kindred emotions thy bosom shall glow, 
 Hail! hail! bail! etc. 
 
 Oh, think, while glad millions their gratitude breathing, 
 For Freedom and Justice thy name shall adore, 
 
 Fond Friendship and Joy, rosy chaplets are wreathing, 
 To greet thy return to thy loved native shore. 
 Hall! hail! hall! etc. ' 
 
 The spectators having retired, the Grand Lodge was opened, 
 and the Duke of Sussex presented to their noble guest a splen- 
 did jewel, a present from the Masons, and delivered an, 
 appropriate address, which was replied to in a feeling manner 
 by the Earl. We do not deem it necessary to insert either of 
 the addresses entire, but will make the following extract from 
 the reply of the Earl of Moira : 
 
 " The lustre which he praises, and which his friendship mis- 
 leads him to consider as essentially mine, is only the splendor 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 371 
 
 I 
 
 of Masonry reflected by me. The prominent station which I 
 hold here, concentrates all the rays of the Craft upon my 
 person, as it would upon the person of any other placed in the 
 same elevation, and the illustrious Deputy Grand Master makes 
 an effort to persuade himself that this lunar brilliancy is the 
 genuine irradiation of the sun. My real relation to you may 
 be best explained by an Asiatic apologue.* In the baths of 
 the East, perfumed clay is used instead of soap. A poet is 
 introduced, who breaks out' into an enthusiastic flow Of admira- 
 tion at the odor of a lump of clay of this sort. 'Alas ! ' answers 
 the clay, ' I am only an ordinary piece of earth ; but I hap- 
 pen§4 to come in contact with the rose, and I have borrowed 
 some of its fragrance.' " 
 
 After various toasts were drank, the Earl of Moira proposed 
 the health of the Provincial Grand Masters, Sir John Doyle 
 and his colleagues. Upon which. Sir John Doyle rose and 
 made the following reply : 
 
 " Most "Worshipful Acting Grand Master and Brethren : 
 Honored as I have been by the personal notice of the Chair, and 
 deputed by my colleagues, the Provincial Grand Masters, I rise 
 to return our joint thanks for the honor Vhich has been con- 
 ferred upon us. The value of the compliment is considerably 
 enhanced by the kindness with which the toast has been 
 received by all the worthy brethren present, and the gracious 
 approbation given to it by our illustrious visitors ; it is doubly " 
 gratifying to us in coming ' from a body, the basis of whose 
 Institution is, ' to fear God, honor the king, and to love one's 
 neighbor as one's self;' an Institution whose principles, if 
 universally diffused, would tend to calm those angry storms 
 which agitate and convulse an affrighted world, and man would 
 no longer be the bitterest enemy of his fellow-man. Upon the 
 interesting occasion which has brought us together this day, 
 and which has excited the best feelings of the human breast, it 
 is impossible to be wholly silent. I am, indeed, sensible of the 
 difficulty, nay, the impossibility, of engaging your attention, 
 unless jou could do, what you never will do, forget the brilliant 
 
 • The Prophecy of Sadi. 
 
372 HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRT. 
 
 display of impressive eloquence which you have heard from the 
 Chair, a;nd from the distinguished person who has been the sub- 
 ject of its just and elegant eulogium. But, brethren, difficult 
 as the task may be, that heart must be cold and callous,indeed, 
 that could remain unmoved at such a scene as this, and not catch 
 some sparks of that enthusiastic fire which seems to animate the 
 whole — an enthusiasm which must be as honorable to those who 
 feel it, as gratifying to him whose virtues have called it forth. 
 If this could be applicable to a casual observer, how must it 
 affect the feelings of one who, from earliest youth, has been 
 honored with the unvaried friendship of this highly-gifted man ! 
 I know him well ; and he who knows him best must love him most : 
 I know his virtues, but I also know the refined delicacy of his 
 manly mind ; and I am fearful that, in endeavoring, however in- 
 adequately, to describe the one, I should insensibly inflict a wound 
 upon the other. Were it not for fear of this offense, what 
 countless instances could I state of modest merit brought for- 
 ward and sustained ; of rising genius fostered and protected ; 
 of human misery relieved and comforted. The helpless orphan, 
 the wretched widow, the aged parent, the houseless stranger, 
 the prostrate foe, all shared the bounty of his generous hand : 
 [here ensued loud and reiterated applause and joyful approba- 
 tion] — thus embracing, in the vast scope of his comprehensive 
 and philanthropic mind, every gradation of human woe, from 
 childish infancy to decrepit age. He was, in heart, a true 
 Mason, ' and every child of sorrow was a brother ; self w&s the 
 only being that seemed by him forgot.' Happy Hindoo ! how 
 will thy sable sons have cause to bless the power that sends 
 them a father and protector, to diffuse happiness among count- 
 less millions 1 But I dare not trust my feelings further ; deli- 
 cacy forbids me to say more — truth and justice would not allow 
 me to say less." 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 We have heretofore given an account of the causes which 
 led to a rupture in the Craft, in 1739 ; but we omitted to say 
 that the seceders did not then set up, or attempt to establish, a 
 Grand Lodge. On the contrary, they held themselves inde- 
 pendent of all authority — denied the right to erect a governing 
 head — but professed to be governed by the ancient law which 
 authorized any number of Masons to assemble,when and where 
 they pleased,to make Masons. And thus they continued, deny- 
 ing the authority of the Grand Lodge of England, and making 
 Masons without a warrant, until 1753, when they formed them- 
 selves into a Grarid Lodge, and made the third Duke of Athol 
 Grand Master ; which office he and his successor, the fourth 
 Duke of Athol, held until the Prince of Wales became Regent 
 of the United Kingdom, when the Prince resigned his office of 
 Grand Master of the regular Masons, and the Craft unani- 
 mously elected his brother, the Duke of Sussex. The Duke 
 immediately threw his entire influence in favor of a reconcilia- 
 tion between the two bodies of Masons ; and so active and 
 energetic were his efforts, that he soon laid the foundation for 
 the success of his noble undertaking. His iirst care was to 
 satisfy the Duke of Athol that a union would be productive of 
 good; and that venerable nobleman soon after resigned hiai 
 office of Grand Master, and warmly recommended the Society 
 to elect the Duke of Kent, who had been made a Mason under 
 Athol's jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Duke of Kent was 
 chosen and installed Grand Master of that Society on the first 
 of December, 1813 ; and His Royal Highness then declared that 
 his object in accepting the office was that he might the more 
 effectually cooperate with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, iu 
 burying for ever all animosity and bitterness of feeling that 
 
874 HISTORY OP FKEEMASOKRY. 
 
 might still be remaining between the two Societies, and bring 
 about a union which could but operate for the honor and pros- 
 perity of the Craft, not only in England, but throughout the 
 world. The two Grand Masters immediately called to their 
 ^id several able and distinguished Masons, whose joint labors 
 resulted in the following articles of union : 
 
 ARTICLES OP UNION BETWEEN THE TWO GRAND LODGES OP 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 In the Najus of God, Amen. 
 
 The Most Worshipful, His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and 
 Sti-athearn, Eari of Dublin, Knight Companion of th^ Most Noble Order of the 
 Garter and of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick, Field Marshal of His 
 Majesty's Forces, Governor of Gibraltar, Colonel of the First or Royal Scots 
 Regiment of Foot, and Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of England 
 according to the Old Institutions ; the Right Worshipful Thomas Harper, 
 Deputy Grand Master ; the Right Worshipful James Perry, Past Deputy Grand 
 Master ; and the Right Worshipful James Agar, Past Deputy Grand Master of 
 the same Fraternity ; for themselves,and on behalf of the Grand Lodge of Free- 
 masons of England, according to the Old Institutions ; being thereto duly 
 constituted and empowered — on the one part ; 
 
 The Most Worshipful, His Royal Highness Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke 
 of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, Baron Ai'klow, Knight Companion of the Most 
 Noble Order of the Garter, and Grand Master of the Society of Free and Accept- 
 ed Masons under the Constitution op England ; the Right Worshipful Waller 
 Hodwell Wright, Provincial Grand Master of Masons in the Ionian Isles ; the 
 Right Worshipful Arthur Tegart, Past Grand Warden ; and the Right Worship- 
 ful James Deans, Past Grand Warden of the same Fraternity ; for themselves, 
 and on behalf of the Grand Lodge of the Society of Freemasons, under the 
 Constitution of England ; being thereunto duly constituted and empowered — 
 on the other part, 
 
 Have agreed as follows : 
 
 I. — There shall be, from and after the festival of Saint John the Evangelist next 
 ensuing, a full, perfect, and perpetual union of and between the two Fraternities 
 of Free and Accepted Masons of England,above described; so as that, in all time 
 hereafter, they shall form and constitute but one Brotherhood ; and that the said 
 community shall be represented in one Grand Lodge, to be solemnly formed, 
 constituted, and held, on the same day of the festival of Saint John the Evan- 
 gelist next ensuing, and from thencefoi-ward for ever. 
 
 n.— It is declared and pronounced, that pure Ancient Masonry consists of 
 three degrees, and no more, viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow 
 Craft, and the Master Mason (including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal 
 Arch). But this article is not intended to prevent any Lodge or Chapter from 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 375 
 
 holdlag a moeiicg ia any of the degrees of the Order of Chivalry, aooordiag to 
 the ConsUtatioaa of said Orders. 
 
 III. — There shall be the most perfect unity of obligation, of discipline, of work- 
 ing the Lodges, of making, passing and raising, instructing and clothing, 
 brothers ; so that but one pure, unsullied system, according to the genuine 
 landmarks, laws, and traditions of the Graft, shall be maintained, upheld, 
 and practiced, throughout the Masonic world, trom the day and date of the said 
 union until time shall be do more. 
 
 IV, — To prevent all controversy or dispute, as to the genuine and pure obliga- 
 tions, forms, rules, and ancient traditions, of Masonry, and further to unite and 
 bind the whole Fraternity of Masons in one indissoluble bond, it is agreed, that 
 the obligations and forms that have, from time to time immemorial, been estab- 
 lished, used, and practiced, in the Craft, shall be recognized, accepted, and taken, 
 by the members of both fraternities, as the pure and genuine obligations and 
 forms by which the incorporated Grand Lodge of England, and its dependent 
 Lodges in every part or the world, shall be bound ; and for the purpose of 
 receiving and communicating due light, and settling this uniformity of regulation 
 and instruction (and particdlarlt in matters which can neither be expressed 
 NOR DESCRIBED IN WRITING), it is further agreed, that brotherly application be 
 made to the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland, to authorize, delegate, and 
 appoint, any two or more of their enlightened members to be present at the 
 Grand Assembly on the solemn occasion of uniting the said Fraternities ; and 
 that the respective Grand Masters, Grand Officers, Masters, Past Masters, Wardens, 
 and brothers, then and there present, shall, solemnly engage to abide by the 
 true forms and obligations (particularly in matters which can neither be 
 DESCKIBBD NOR WRITTEN), in the presence of the said members of the Grand 
 Lodges of Scotland and Ireland ; that it may be declared, recognized, and 
 known, that they are all bound by the same solemn pledge, and work under the 
 same law. 
 
 v. — For the purpose of establishing and securing the perfect uniformity in all 
 the warranted Lodges, and also to prepare for this Grand Assembly, and to 
 place all the members of both Fraternities on the level of equality, on the day 
 of retinion, it is agreed, that, as soon as these presents shall have received the 
 sanction of the respective Grand Lodges, the two Grand Masters shall appoint, 
 each, nine worthy and expert Master Masons, or Past Masters, of their respective 
 Fraternities, witl> warrants and instructions to meet together at some convenient 
 central place in London ; when, each party having opened (in a separate apart- 
 ment) a just and perfect Lodge, agreeable to their peculiar regulations, they 
 shall give and receive mutually and reciprocally the obligations of both 
 Fraternities, deciding by lot which shall take priority in giving and receiving 
 the same ; and, being thus all duly and equally enlightened in both forms, they 
 shall be empowered and directed either to hold a Lodge under the warrant or 
 dispensation to be intrusted to them, and to be entitled, " The Lodge of Recon- 
 ciliation," or to visit the several Lodges holding under both the Grand Lodges, 
 for the purpose of obliuating, instructing, and perfecting, the Masters, Past 
 Masters, Wardens, and members, in both the forms, and to make a return to the 
 
376 HISTORY OP PEEBMASONRT. 
 
 Grand Secretaries of both the Grand Lodges of the names of those whom they 
 shall have thus enlightened. And the said Grand Secretary shall be empowered 
 to enrol the names of all the members, thns remade, in the register of both the 
 Grand Lodgep. without fee or reward ; it being ordered, that no person shall be 
 thus obligated and registered, whom the Master and Wardens of his Lodge shall 
 not certify, b} writing,under their hands, that he is free on the books of his 
 particular Lodge. Thus, on the day of the assembly of both Fraternities, the 
 Grand Officers, Masters, Past Masters, and Wardens, who are alone to be present, 
 shall all have taken the obligation by which each is bound, and be prepared to 
 make their solemn engagement, that they will thereafter abide by that which 
 shall be recognized and declared to be the true and universally accepted obliga- 
 tion of the Master Masons. 
 
 VL — As soon as the Grand Masters, Grand Officers, and members, of the two 
 present Grand Lodges, shall, on the day of their reunion, have made the solemn 
 declaration, in the presence of the deputation of Grand or Enlightened Masons 
 from Scotland and Ireland, to abide and act by the univer.sally recognized 
 obligation of Master Masons, the members shall forthwith proceed to the election 
 of a Grand Master for the year ensuing ; and, to prevent delay, the brother so 
 elected shall forthwith be obligated, pro tempore, that the Grand Lodge may be 
 formed. The said Grand Master shall then nominate and appoint his Deputy 
 Grand Master, together with » Senior and Junior Grand Warden, Grand 
 Secretary or Secretaries, Grand Treasurer, Grand Chaplain, Grand Sword Bearer, 
 Grand Pursuivant, and Grand Tyler, who shall all be duly obligated and placed ; 
 and the Grand Incorporated Lodge shall then be opened in ample form, under the 
 style and title of " The United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons, of England." 
 
 The Grand Officers who held the several offices before (unless such of them as 
 may be reappointed), shall take their places, as Past Grand Officers, in the 
 respective degrees which they held before ; and in case either or both of the Grand 
 Secretaries, Pursuivant, and Tylers, should not be reappointed to their former 
 situations, then annuities shall be paid to them,during their respective Uves,out 
 of the Grand Fund. 
 
 VII. — " The United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons, of England," shall 
 be composed, except on the days of festival, in the following manner, as a just and 
 perfect representative of the whole Masonic Fraternity of England j that is to 
 say, of 
 
 The Grand Master. * 
 
 Past Grand Masters. 
 
 Deputy Grand Master. 
 
 Past Deputy Grand Masters. 
 
 Grand Wardens. 
 
 Provincial Grand Wardens. 
 
 Past Grand Wardens. 
 
 Grand Chaplain. 
 
 Grand Treasurer. 
 
 Joint Grand Secretary, or Grand Secretary, if there be only one. 
 
 Grand Sword Bearer. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 377 
 
 Twelve Grand Stewards, to be delegated by the Stewards' Lodge, from among 
 theh members existing at Cbe Union ; it being understood and agreed, that, 
 from and after the Union, an annual appointment shall be made of the Stew- 
 aidSjif necessary. 
 
 Tte actual Masters and Wardens of all Warranted Lodges. 
 
 Past Masters of Lodges, who have regularly served and passed the Chair.before 
 the day of union, and who have continued, without cessation, regular con- 
 tributing members of a warranted Lodge. It being understood, that of aU 
 Masters who, from and after the day of the said union, shall regularly pass the 
 Chair of their respective Lodges, but one at a time, to be delegated by his 
 Lodge, shall have a right to sit and vote in the said Grand Lodge ; so that, 
 after the decease of all the regular Past Masters of any regular Lodge, who 
 had attained that distinction at the time of the union, the representation of 
 such Lodge shall be by its actual Master, Wardens, and one Past Master only. \ 
 
 And all Grand Officers in the said Grand Lodges shall retain and hold theirrank and 
 privileges in the United Grand Lodge,a3 P.ist Grand Officers, including the 
 present Provincial Grand Masters, the Grand Treasurer, Grand Secretaries, and 
 Grand Chaplains, in their several degrees, according to the seniority of their 
 respective appointments, and where such appointments shall have been cotem- 
 poraneouB, the seniority shall be determined by lot. In all other respects, the 
 above shall be the general order of precedence in all time to come ; with this 
 express provision, that no Provincial Grand Master, hereafter to be appointed, 
 shall be entitled to a seat in the Grand Lodge, after he shall have discharged 
 the duties thereof for fall five years. 
 
 VHI. — The Representatives of the several Lodges shall sit under their respective 
 banners, according to seniority. The first two Lodges under each Grand Lodge to 
 draw lot, in the first place, for priority ; ar.ti to which of the two the lot No. 1 shall 
 fall, the other to rank as No. 2, and all the other Lodges shall fall in alternately ; 
 that is, the Lodge which is No. 2 of the Fraternity, whose lot it shall be to draw 
 No. 1, shall rank as No. 3 in the United Grand Lodge, and the other. No. 2, shall 
 rank as No. 4, and so on, alternately, through all the numbers respectively. And 
 this shall for ever after be the order and rank of the Lodges in the Grand Lodge, 
 and in Grand processions, for which a plan and drawing shall be prepared, pre- 
 vious to the union. On the renewal of any of the Lodges now dormant, they 
 shall take rank after all the Lodges existing at the union, notwithstanding the 
 numbers in which they may now stand on the respective rolls. 
 
 IX.— The United Grand Lodge being now constituted, the first proceeding 
 after solemn prayer, shall be to read and proclaim the act of union, as previously 
 executed and sealed with the great seals of the two Grand Lodges, after whiol 
 the same shall be solemnly accepted by the members present. A day shall then 
 be appointed for the installation of the Grand Master and the other Grand 
 
378 HISTOET OF FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 Officers, with due solemnity ; upon which occasion the Grand Master shall, in 
 open Lodge, with his own hand, affix the new great seal to the said instrument, 
 which shall be deposited in the archives of the United Grand Lodge, and to be 
 the bond of union among the Masons of the Grand Lodge of England, and the 
 Lodges dependent thereon, until time shall be no more. The said new great 
 seal shall be made for the occasion, and shall be composed out of both the great 
 seals now iu use ; after which the present two great seals shall be broken and 
 defaced ; and the new seal shall be alone used in all warrants, certificates, and 
 other documents, to be used thereafter. 
 
 X. — The regalia of the Grand Officers shall be, in addition to the white gloves and 
 apron, and the respective jewels or emblems of distinction, garter-blue and gold ; 
 and these shall alone belong to the Grand Officers, present and past. 
 
 XL — Four Grand Lodges, representing the Graft, shall be held for quarterly 
 communication in each year, on the first Wednesday in the months of March, 
 June, September, and December ; on each of which occasions, the Masters and 
 Wardens of all the warranted Lodges shall deliver into the hands of the Grand 
 Secretary and Grand Treasurer, a faithful list of all their contributing members ; 
 and .the warranted Lodges ia and adjacent to London shall pay, toward the 
 Grand Fuod, one shilling per quarter for each member, over and above the sum 
 of half a guinea for each new made member, for the registry of his name, together 
 with the sum of one shilling to the Grand Secretary, as his fee for the same ; and 
 that thiscontribution of one shilling for each member shall be made quarterly, 
 and each quarter, in all time to come. 
 
 XII.— At the Grand Lodge, to be held annually, on the first Wednesday in Sep- 
 tember, the Grand Lodge shall elect a Grand Master for the year ensuing (who 
 shall nominate and appoint his own Deputy Grand Master, Grand Wardens, and 
 Secretary) ; and they shall also nominate three fit and proper persons for each 
 of the offices of Treasurer, Chaplain, and Sword Bearer, out of which the Grand 
 Master shall, on the first Wednesday in the month of December, choose and 
 appoint one for each of the said offices ; and on the Festival of St. John the 
 Evangelist, then next ensuing, or on such other day as the said Grand Master 
 shall appoint, there shall be held a Grand Lodge for the solemn installation of 
 all the said Grand Officers, according to ancient custom. 
 
 XIII. — After the day of the reunion, as aforesaid, and when it shall be ascer- 
 tained what are the obligations, forms, regulations, working, and instruction to be 
 universally established, speedy and effectual steps shall be taken to obligate all 
 the members of each Lodge in all the degrees, according to the form taken and 
 recognized by the Grand Master, Past Grand Masters, Grand Officers, and Repre- 
 sentatives of Lodges, on the day of reiinion ; and, for this purpose, the worthy 
 and expert Master Masons, appointed as aforesaid, shall visit and attend the 
 several Lodges, within the bills of mortality, in rotation, dividing themselves 
 Into quorums of not less than three each, for the greater expedition ; and they 
 shall assist the Master and Wardens to promulgate and enjoin the pure and 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 379 
 
 Bneullied system, that perfect reooQciliation, unity of obligation, law, working, 
 language, and dress, may happily be restored to the English Craft. ^ 
 
 I 
 XrV. — ^When the Master and Wardens of a warranted Lodge shall report to the 
 Grand Master, to his satisfaction, that the members of such Lodge have taken 
 the proper enjoined obligation, and have conformed to the uniform working, 
 clothing, etc., then the Most Worshipful Grand Master shall direct the new great 
 seal to be affixed to their warrant, and the Lodge shall be ai^udged to be regu- 
 lar, and entitled to all the privileges of the Graft ; a certain term shall be 
 allowed (to be fixed by the Grand Lodge) for establishing this uniformity ; and 
 all constitutional proceedings of any regular Lodge, which shall take place 
 between the date of the union and the term so appointed, shall be deemed valid, 
 on condition that such Lodge shall conform to the regulations of the union within 
 the time appointed ; and means shall be taken to ascertain the regularity, and 
 establish the uniformity, of the Provincial Grand Lodges, Military Lodges, and 
 Lodges holding of the two present Grand Lodges, in distant parts ; and it shall 
 be in the power of the Grand Lodge to take the most effectual measures for the 
 establishment of this unity ,of doctrine throughout the whole community of 
 Masons, and to declare the warrants to be forfeited, if the measures proposed 
 shall be resisted or neglected. 
 
 XV. — The property of the said two Fraternities, whether freehold, leasehold, 
 funded, real, or personal, shall remain sacredly appropriate to the purposes for 
 which it was created ; it shall constitute one grand fund, by which the blessed 
 object of Masonic benevolence may be more extensively obtained. It shall either 
 continue under the trusts in which, whether freehold, leasehold, or funded, the 
 separate parts thereof now stand : or it shall be in the power of the said United 
 Grand Lodge, at any time hereafter, to add other names to the said trusts ; or, in 
 case of the death of any one Trustee, to nominate and appoint others, for per- 
 petuating the security of the same ; and in no event, and for no purpose, shall 
 the said united property be diverted from its original purpose. It being under- 
 stood and declared that, at any time after the union, it shall be in the power of 
 the Grand Lodge to incorporate the whole of the said property and funds in one 
 and the same set of Trustees, who shall give bond to hold the same in the name 
 and on the behalf of the United Fraternity. And it is further agreed, that the 
 Freemason's Hall be the place in which the United Lodge shall be held, with 
 such additions made thereto as the increased numbers of the Fraternity, thus to 
 be united, may require. 
 
 XVI.— The fund, appropriate to the objects of Masonic benevolence, shall not 
 be infringed on for any purpose, but shall be kept strictly and solely devoted to 
 charity ; and pains shall be taken to increase the same. 
 
 XVII.— A revision shall be made of the rules and regulations now established 
 and in force in the two Fraternities ; and a code of laws for the holding of the 
 Grand Lodge, and of private Lodges, and generally, for the whole conduct of the 
 Craft, shall be forthwith prepared, and a new Book of OmslUvtions be composed 
 and printed, under the superintendence of the Grand Officers, and with the sanc- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge. 
 
380 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Done at the Palace of Kensington, this twenty-fifth day of November, in the 
 year of our Loid 1813, and of Masonry 5813. 
 Edward, G.M. 
 Thomas Harper, D.G.M. 
 James Pebkt, P.D.G.M. 
 James Agar, P.D.G.M. 
 [l. S.J In Grand Lodge, this first day of November, A.D. 1813. Ratified and 
 confirmed, and the seal of the Grand Lodge affixed. 
 
 Edward, G.M. 
 RoBERi Leslie, G.S. 
 
 AnousTUS Frederick, G.M. 
 Waller Rodwell Weight, P.G.M., Ionian Idea. 
 Artblk Teoart, P.G.W. 
 Jambs Deans, P.G.W. 
 [L. 3.] In Grand Lodge, this first day of December, A.D. 1813. Ratified and 
 confil'med, and the seal of the Grand Lodge affixed. 
 
 AOQUSTUS Fredeeick, G.M. 
 William H. White, G.S. 
 
 A meeting of the two Grand Lodges, in pursuance of Article V., was held on 
 the first of December, 1813, at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand. 
 The Articles of Union were laid before these Lodges, and received with Masonic 
 acclamation ; the Articles were unanimously ratified and confirmed. " The 
 Lodge of Reconciliation " was then constituted ; the Royal Grand Masters? 
 respectively, having nominated the following brethren to form the same : 
 Old Ixstithtions. 
 
 R. F. Mestayer, of the Lodge - - . - No. 1. 
 
 Thomas Harper, Jr., - . . - . 1. 
 
 J. H. Goldsworthy, 2. 
 
 W.Fox, - - .... 4. 
 
 J. Ronalds, - - - - - - 16. 
 
 William Oliver, 77. 
 
 Michael Corcoran, ...... 194. 
 
 R. Bayley, 240. 
 
 James M'Canu, - . . 244. 
 
 And Brother Edwards Harper, Secretary thereof. 
 
 CoNSTrroTioN of England. 
 
 Rev. Samuel Hemming, D.D., of the Lodge No. 384, R.W.M. 
 
 William Meyrick, P.M., ... i, s.W. 
 
 William Shadbolt. G. Stewards' Lodge, - J.W. 
 
 Stephen Jones, P.M., ..... l. 
 
 Laurence Thomson, ..... 54. 
 
 Joseph Jones, ...... 66. 
 
 Jacob Henry Sarratt, . - - - 118. 
 
 Thomas Bell, 180. 
 
 J. Joyce, - . 453. 
 
 And Brother William Henry White, Secretary thereof. 
 
HISTORY OF PREEMASONKT. 381 
 
 Tlieir Royal Highnesses, the Grand Masters, then signed the Articles of Union. 
 »ud each affixed the great seal thereto in Grand Lodge ; and the same was ooun- 
 teraigned by the Grand Secretary of each of the two Grand Lodges respectively. 
 
 Invitations having been sent to the Grand Lodges of Scot- 
 land and Ireland, and notice given throughout the kingdom, 
 great preparations were made for a public recognition of these 
 Articles of Union, and, moreover, for the very desirable end of 
 bringing all the members of the Craft together, and thereby 
 unite them in feelings of Brotherly Love. The day set apart for 
 this purpose was Saint John the Evangelist's Day, 27th Decem- 
 ber, A.L. 5813. On that day, the two Grand Lodges assembled 
 in separate rooms, and, all things in readiness, united in forming 
 a grand procession to the Assembly Hall. The Duke of Kent 
 walked at the head of one Grand Lodge, and the Duke of 
 Sussex at the head of the other. 
 
 Being assembled, and duly seated in Masonic order, the Rev. 
 Dr. Foghlan, Grand Chaplain under the Duke of Sussex, made 
 proclamation, and calling attention to the Articles of Union, 
 inquired, " How say you, brothers. Representatives of the two 
 Fraternities — Do you accept of, ratify, and confirm the same?" 
 Which was responded to affirmatively by the entire assembly. 
 Whereupon, the Rev. Dr. Barry, after the trumpet was sounded, 
 proclaimed : 
 
 " Be it known to all men, that the Act of Union between the two Grand 
 Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons of England, is solemnly signed, sealed, 
 ratified, and confirmed, anfl the two Fraternities are one, to be henceforth known 
 and acknowledged by the style and title of The United Grand Lodge of 
 AxciEST FBEEMiSOXs OF ENGLAND : and may the Great Architect of the Universe 
 make their union perpetual." 
 
 The Articles of Union were then deposited in the Ark of the 
 Covenant, with appropriate ceremonies. 
 
 The brethrenf then severally approached the altar, and took 
 upon themselves an obligation to observe and keep sacred the 
 Articles of Union, and be true to the United Grand Lodge. 
 Whereupon, the Duke of Kent nominated his kinsman, the Duke 
 of Sussex, to be Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge, 
 which was unanimously agreed, to by the Craft, and proclama- 
 tion was then made that the M. W. Prince Augustus Frederick, 
 Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, Baron Ark low, Knight 
 
382 HISTOET OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 Companion of the Garter, was duly elected Grand Master of 
 the United Grand Lodge of England. The Grand Master, 
 being duly installed, nominated the other Grand Officers, 
 which, it will be observed, was equivalent to appointing them. 
 The officers being installed, the United Grand Lodge was 
 opened in ample form. 
 
 Due record was ordered to be made of all the proceedings, 
 and letters were directed to be forwarded to the Grand Lodges 
 of Scotland and Ireland, acquainting those Grand bodies of the 
 happy consummation of the union. 
 
 The consequences growing out of this fraternal settlement of 
 Masonic difficulties, so long existing in England, was of the very 
 highest importance. A very large proportion of the Lodges 
 then in the world owed their existence, and most of them still 
 acknowledged allegiance, to one or the other of these Grand 
 Lodges. Unceasing eflForts had been successfully made by the 
 illegal Grand Lodge to produce the impression everywhere 
 that the Grand Lodge of England was composed of modem 
 Masons, who had made such innovations in the body of Masonry, 
 as tended to the overthrow of all the sacred rites which, from 
 time immemorial, had been regarded as essential to the well 
 being of the Order ; and although this charge was unfounded 
 in fact, it was, nevertheless, true that the Grand Lodge of 
 England had introduced slight changes in some of the cere- 
 monies of the ritual, which were not necessary or proper ; and 
 thus the charge — ^ill-natured, exaggerated," and false — gained 
 belief, because the fact was known that the unimportant changes 
 spoken of had been made. The Grand Lodge of Scotland, 
 for more than a quarter of a century, were taught to believe, 
 by the Dukes of Athol, Grand Masters of the illegal body, 
 that the Grand Lodge of England was not entitled to the fel- 
 lowship and fraternal regard of Ancient Free and Accepted 
 Masons. The Grand Lodge of Ireland held itself aloof, under 
 an impression that the charge was well founded. Masons in 
 America had imbibed the same ill-founded views, and hence 
 nearly all the charters applied for by the Colonies, from 1772 to 
 the close of the Revolution, were demanded eitlier of the Grand 
 Lodge of Scotland, or the Grand Lodge oiJlncient Masons of 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 383 
 
 England. "We can, perhaps, introduce no testimony more 
 clearly going to show how deeply rooted was the prejudice of 
 American Masons against the Grand Lodge of England, and 
 the culpable ignorance which then and still prevails in the 
 United States in relation to the history of Masonry, than the 
 fact that, as late as 1849, after the notorious and disgraceful 
 riot in the Grand Lodge of New York, men were found claim- 
 ing to be profoundly learned, but who were so profoundly 
 ignorant as to state, over- their own signatures, that Lodges 
 holding under, or originating from, the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, might justly be regarded as modern and irregular Masons. 
 It is truly said that a rose by any other name would smell as 
 sweet, but we have been so long an observer of the current 
 events of life as to know that men are too often led astray by 
 fascinating or high-sounding names. The false war-cry, for 
 "Liberty and the people's rights" have led millions to bow 
 their necks and receive the yoke of oppression and the 
 chains of slavery. In like manner, thousands were won over 
 to the illegal Grand Lodge of England, by its assumed name 
 of the " Ancient Masons." That the time was approaching 
 when these errors would have been eradicated, and the Grand 
 Lodge of England assume the proud stand to which she was 
 entitled, even had the union not been effected, can not be well 
 doubted. Scotland had become enlightened, and had changed 
 her ground ; Ireland had also denounced the irregular Grand 
 Lodge. The Grand Lodges in the United States were being 
 set right upon the subject, but still was the union a glorious 
 event, an era in the history of Masonry ; for that union was 
 the result of concession and compromise. The Grand Lodge 
 of England receded from its slight innovations, or rather 
 additions, to the ancient rituals, and went so far as to commit 
 even a worse blunder, by admitting some new rules, introduced 
 by the irregular Grand Lodge, one of which is now being pro- 
 ductive of great e,vil in the United States, viz., the right, by 
 legislative enactment, of Past Masters to a seat in, and a life 
 membership of, the Grand Lodge. On the other hand, we 
 know of no important yielding of the irregular Grand Lodge, 
 except to throw away their ill-gotten and garbled Book of 
 
384 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Constitution, liaving the imposing name of the Ahiman Rezon, and 
 fall back on the highest and only extant code of laws contained 
 in Anderson's Constitutions. But this was a great triumph for 
 Masonry throughout the world ; for, since the union, no man, 
 who has searched for the precious jewels of antiquity, need 
 stray from the right path ; no man, who would separate the 
 gold from the dross, will go to the amalgamating and corrupting 
 laboratory of the Ahiman Rezon. Anderson's Constitutions and 
 Ancient Charges, as collated by order of the Grand Lodge of 
 England, adopted in 1722, and published in 1723, is every- 
 where regarded as the highest written authority, and that the 
 Ancient Charges, contained in that book, are to be regarded as 
 containing all the Ancient Landmarks proper to be written, to 
 which there can be no additions nor alterations, nor can any 
 of them be violated with impunity. We dismiss this interest- 
 ing subject, by expressing the hope that no attempt will ever be 
 ^nade again to mutilate, alter, or amend our fundamental laws. 
 We have examined, with great care, the writings of those 
 who have undertaken to draw a line of distinction between 
 true and spurious Freemasonry, without being able to rise from 
 our studies much enlightened. We confess that our mind is so 
 obtuse, that we have not been able to learn what spurious 
 Masonry is, notwithstanding we have had the advantage of the 
 learned writings of Dr. Oliver. We can not, for our life, see 
 how a system so perfect, and so unlike anything else ever con- 
 ceived by man, could be counterfeited ; nor do we believe it has 
 ever been, or ever will be, counterfeited. That system which 
 is not Masonry is certainly unlike it in the most essential par- 
 ticulars, and can not, therefore, be regarded as anything more 
 than an attempt at a counterfeit. We hold there can be Ho 
 counterteit Christianity. There are spurious religions, and 
 men may wear the externals of Christianity, and even counter- 
 feit a Christian, but, if the religion of our Saviour is a religion 
 of the soul, there can be no religion devised which will counter- 
 feit its impress upon the soul. And Masonry, like Christianity, 
 has never been counterfeited, though thousands have attempted 
 to imitate it. The most daring attempt of which we have an 
 account, originated in London with an obscure and illiterate 
 
HISTORY OF FEBEMASONBT. 385 
 
 man, who established what he was pleased to call a Lodge of 
 Freemasons, for purposes of emolument. His ceremonies were 
 secret and imposing, his rites were mystical and solemn in their 
 character ; he had his Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and 
 Master's degree ; but, upon examination, they bore so little 
 resemblance to Masonry, that every novitiate could at once 
 detect the fraud, and see that it was merely an imposition. 
 
 In January, 1815, an action was brought in the Palace Court, 
 Westminster, by one Thomas Smith, a copperplate printer, 
 against William Finch, to recover £4 2s. for printing done for 
 the defendant. Finch did not dispute the account, but set up as 
 plea that the plaintiff was justly indebted to him in the sum of 
 £16 19s. 6d. for making him a Mason, and giving him instruc- 
 tions in the various degrees conferred in his self-constituted and 
 independent Masonic Lodge, at his own house, near Westmins- 
 ter Bridge. It was proven by several oflBcers of the Grand 
 Lodge, men of known integrity, that Finch was not authorised 
 to make Masons ; on the contrary, that his whole system was 
 an imposition on all Avho could, by his misrepresentations, be 
 induced to submit to his process of initiation, and that even had 
 Finch been competent to confer degrees in Masonry, no man had 
 a right to do so for his own emolument. His trial, we are 
 told, occupied considerable time, and the facts were fully elicit- 
 ed. From all the testimony, the Court charged the jury 
 that it was clearly proven that Finch, not only had no authority 
 to make Masons, but that the Fraternity disowned him as 
 having any knowledge whatever of the peculiar rites of the In- 
 stitution ; in short, the testimony left no doubt of his being an 
 impostor. Whereupon, the jury, without leaving their box, gave 
 a verdict against Finch for the full amount claimed by Smith. 
 Now, we suppose Dr. Oliver would call Finch's miserable 
 attempt spurious Masonry. 
 
 From the period above referred to, although Masonry flourished 
 throughout the British possessions, we have no remarkable events 
 to record until the death of King George III., in the beginning 
 of 1820. It will be remembered, that the Prince of Wales waf 
 long the Acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England 
 
 26 
 
386 HISTORY OP FRBEMASONET. 
 
 and continued to fill the oriental chair until he was called, by 
 reason of the great age of the King, to the regency of the king 
 dom ; at which time he was tendered, by the Grand Lodge, the 
 office of Patron — which he accepted, and filled until, by the death 
 of his father, he ascended the throne — ^which, it seems, by the 
 usages of the Grand Lodge, released him from his care over the 
 Fraternity ; and, hence, it was deemed proper, by the Grand 
 Lodge, to address him a letter of condolence on the death of the 
 King, his father. This address, and the events which followed, 
 must for ever put to shame the unblushing charges made by 
 Barruel and Robinson — that Masonry is the cradle of treason, 
 insubordination, and revolution. The address fraternally re- 
 quested George IV. to continue at the head of the Fraternity, 
 by holding the ofiBce of Patron, which was accepted by him, and 
 which distinguished, position he occupied until his death. 
 
 About this time, some evidence of insubordination made its 
 appearance in Liverpool — confined for a time mostly to Lodge 
 No. 31. It seems to have arisen from a very laudable desire on the 
 part of said Lodge to have, through the Grand Lodge, some of the 
 Ancient Regulations so defined, that all Lodges might act consist- 
 ently and with some uniformity. Lodge No. 31 sent up a memorial, 
 charging that some Lodges had undertaken, and did transact, Ma- 
 sonic business with an insufficientnumberpresent, and desiring the 
 Grand Lodge to give definite instructions as to the constitu- 
 tional number to form a Lodge. Other complaints were made, 
 and some of them were clothed in indecorous language. This 
 communication, it seems, was not replied to, nor is it likely that 
 it ever reached the Grand Lodge ; but, as early as December, 
 1818, the Provincial Grand Secretary, for the Liverpool juris- 
 diction, communicated to the Grand Lodge some facts in 
 relation to the condition of Masonry in Liverpool, and suggest- 
 ed the propriety of the Grand Lodge fixing a rule as to the 
 number necessary to form a working Lodge, etc. To" this com- 
 munication, the Board for General Purposes, prior to the meet- 
 ing of the Grand Lodge, replied that the subject had long 
 engaged the anxious attention of the Grand Lodge ; that, having 
 found the Ancient Charges silent upon that point, it had been 
 deemed most prudent, in forming a new code of laws for the 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 387 
 
 governmenl of the Grand Lodge, to leave that iastrument silent 
 upon the subject also. 
 
 This we must regard as extremely singular in the Grand 
 Lodge of England ; ifor it would seem that no subject called 
 more loudly for the interposition of the Grand Lodge, for the 
 simple reason that the Old Regulations did not settle the 
 matter. If the Grand Lodge had undertaken to act upon no 
 subject about which the Old Regulations were silent, then, in- 
 deed, the Grand Lodge of England could never have had a 
 Constitution of its own making ; for the Ancient Charges makes 
 no provision for the creation of such an instrument. But the 
 Grand Lodge, not only adopted such of the old rules as were 
 deemed applicable, but declared that the Grand Lodge should 
 have power to alter, amend, or add new regulations for 
 the government of the Craft ; provided, in no case, could it 
 remove an Ancient Landmark — in other words, violate any 
 of the Ancient Charges ; and, certainly, it would seem within 
 the power of the Grand Lodge to make a wholesome rule desig- 
 nating the proper or smallest number which could legally form' 
 a Lodge for work, etc. This was the origin of the disruption 
 in Liverpool ; but the insulting circulars published and circu- 
 lated by Lodge No. 31, setting at defiance the Grand Lodge 
 and its edicts, and the repeated efforts of the Provincial Grand 
 Master to restore subordination having failed, the Grand Lodge 
 was left no alternative but, first to suspend, and afterward expel, 
 twenty-six of the brethren, and strike Lodge No . 3 1 from the regis- 
 try. The number suspended by the Grand Lodge was about sixty- 
 eight ; but, previous to the final action, all but twenty-six were 
 by petition restored. These not only persisted in their open 
 rebellion, but actually endeavored to get up a meeting of the 
 Craft in Liverpool, for the avowed purpose of setting at defiance 
 the Grand Lodge, and form a separate governing head for the 
 city of Liverpool, and so much of the surrounding country as 
 they could get to join them ; but, failing in this, we hear no 
 more of them until 1823, when, it seems, some of these expelled 
 brethren had been admitted into the Sea Captain's Lodge, No. 
 140, at Liverpool, and had actually acquired control over it ; 
 for a petition was sent up from that Lodge to the Grand LodgM, 
 
388 HISTOET OF FREEMASONRT. 
 
 Bigned by the Master and Wardens, two of whom were of the 
 twenty-six expelled Masons, in which they stated that it was the 
 determination of Sea Captain's Lodge to withdraw from the 
 Grand Lodge, unless the expelled brethren were restored, and 
 other important concessions made by that Grand body. The 
 Grand Lodge took prompt steps, and in' due time Sea Captain's 
 Lodge was stricken from the list of Lodges, which put an end to 
 the rebellion. 
 
 With a view of showing in what estimation Freemasonry 
 is, and has long been held by the royal family of England, we 
 subjoin a brief sketch of Prince of Wales Lodge, London. 
 
 In 1787, the Prince of Wales, Sir Samuel Hulse, Col. 
 Stanhope, Lord Lake, and others, petitioned the Duke of 
 Cumberland, then Grand Master, for a warrant to constitute a 
 new Lodge, to be called Prince of Wales Lodge ; which being 
 granted. Sir Samuel Hulse was named the first Master, Col. 
 Stanhope and Lord Lake as Wardens. But it seems the Prince 
 of Wales was soon after made Master of the Lodge, and, in 
 • 1792, the Dukes of York and Clarence were made Wardens by 
 election, which offices they filled until the Prince of Wales 
 ascended the throne. Soon after this event, the Lodge address- 
 ed a memorial to George IV., their late W. Master, in which, 
 after the usual salutations, they entreated his Majesty to con- 
 tinue his protection, by consenting to become the Patron of the 
 Lodge, to which he cheerfully gave his consent. The Lodge 
 then addressed a letter to the Duke of York, then acting Senior 
 Warden, setting forth the happy termination of their appeal to 
 the King, and urging the necessity of having an acting W. 
 Master, as it would not comport with the duties of the King to 
 fill that chair ; they, therefore, fraternally requested the Duke 
 to give his consent to fill that office, which he cheerfully agreed 
 to. The Lodge then made suitable preparations for the instal- 
 lation of his Royal Highness, which took place on the 22nd of 
 March, 1824. The Duke of Sussex, Grand Master, attended 
 and performed the installation service. After the officers were 
 all appointed and installed, the company, about ninety brethren 
 (some forty of whom were officers, or past-officers, of the Grand 
 Lodge), sat down to a sumptuous dinner. 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASONaT. 389 
 
 About this time, the wido-w of the celebrated traveler and 
 antiquarian, Belzoni, applied to the Fraternity for relief. The 
 M. W. Grand Master brought the subject before the Grand 
 Lodge. He stated that Bro. Belzoni, who lost his life in Africa, 
 was initiated at Cairo, in the Lodge of Pyramids, and, during 
 his residence at Cambridge, had become a member of the 
 Lodge of Plato, in that place, and as notice had been given 
 that his widow was in distress, he moved that the United 
 Grand Lodge of England, deeply sympathizing with Mrs. 
 Belzoni on the irreparable loss which she, as well as the lovers 
 of science and literature, have sustained by the premature 
 death of the late Bro. Belzoni, do contribute the sum of fifty 
 pounds, out of the fund of benevolence, in aid of the public sub- 
 scription in her behalf. This motion was unanimously carried, 
 and affords a significant commentary on those Grand Lodges 
 in the United States (Ohio, for one), who have gravely decided 
 that a Grand Lodge of Freemasons can not, consistently, be an 
 alms-giving body. But this instance of voting relief is by no 
 means an isolated case ; the Grand Lodge of England was 
 ever, and now is, a dispenser of charity ; and, until recently, 
 we supposed every Masonic body, whether Grand or subordi- 
 nate, was so. Yea, if it is not so, we have learned Masonry in 
 vain. In every land, on every sea, where Masons are to be 
 found, the hailing sign of distress is hearkened unto. 
 A Scottish paper, the Stirling Jomtoo^ contains the following: 
 "At a meeting of the Leith and Canongate Lodge, oq Thursday evening, 
 March 5, 1829, a visitor, who was the Captain of a ship, stated that, when sailing 
 ia the South American Seas, he was boarded by pirates, whose numbers were eo 
 overpowering as to render all resistance unavailing. The Captain and several of 
 the crew were treated with rudeness, and were about to be placed in irons while 
 the plunder of the ship went on. In this situation, when supplication and 
 entreaty were disregarded, the Captain, as a dernier resort, made the mystic 
 sign, which none but Craftsmen ever knew. The Commander of the piratical 
 crew immediately returned the sign, and gave orders to stop proceedings. He 
 grasped his newly discovered brother by the hand, with all the familiarity of an 
 old acquaintance, and swore he should sustain no injury. Mutual acts of kind- 
 ness then passed between them ; every article that had been seized was restored 
 to its place, and the two ships parted company with three hearty cheArs." 
 
 And shall it be said that, while an abandoned pirate will 
 forget his love of gain, and fly to the relief of a distressed 
 
390 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 brother, a Grand Lodge will be found too busily engaged in 
 making and unmaking laws to respond to the mystic sign, or 
 listen to the ominous cries for help ? No, brethren, no 1 Let 
 there be no Lazarus standing at our gates, pleading in vain for 
 the crumbs which fall from our table. It may be, and is true, 
 that the subordinate Lodges can best dispense alms generally ; 
 "but no Grand Lodge should be without its Charity Fund, to be 
 dealt out with a liberal hand in case of need. 
 
 In 1827, Humber Lodge, No. 73, in Kingston-upon-Hull, laid 
 the corner-stone of a new Masonic Hall, and as there is some- 
 thing beautiful and new to us in the ceremony (as recorded by 
 Preston) used on that occasion, we proceed to insert the ques- 
 tions and answers to which we allude : 
 
 " I hereby, in the presence of all these Worshipful Masters, 
 Wardens, and Deacons, and in the presence of all these Master 
 Masons, worthy and diligent workmen of our secret Craft, do 
 jvsk of you and of your company, if you know yourself at this 
 time to have done anything contrary to the laws of Masonry, 
 which has not been told to the provincial authorities, and 
 whereby you should be suspended from your work? 
 
 '.' W.M. — We are good Masons at this very time. 
 
 "D.P. G.M. — Have you among your company any brother 
 guilty of brawlings, strife, and disobedience in open Lodge ? 
 
 " W.M. — We have none, Right Worshipful Master. 
 
 ''D.P. G.M — Have you among your company any brother 
 who, in open Lodge, is guilty of drunkenness, common swearing, 
 or profane words ? 
 
 " W.M. — We have none, Right Worshipful Master ? 
 
 "D.P. G.M — Have you authority to do this day's work? 
 
 " W.M. — We have. Right Worshipful Master, and, with your 
 permission, will here read it." 
 
 The authority was then read, the procession formed, and the 
 corner-stone laid in ample form. 
 
 Bro. Preston states, in a note, that he was present on this 
 occasion, and, therefore, states accurately the proceedings. 
 
 There were ^ome other peculiarities in the ceremony of 
 laying the corner-stone, which will be interesting to many 
 Masons in the United States. The D. P. Grand Master 
 
HISTOBT OF PEEEMA80NKY. 391 
 
 anointed with oil the working tools before delivering them to 
 the builders. The stone, after being lowered, received from 
 the hands of the D. P. Grand Master not only corn, wine, and 
 oil, but some grains of sdt. The use of the latter article in 
 the ceremony is unknown in this country, we believe, nor have we 
 observed any account of its use on other occasions in England. 
 
 The Duke of York died in 1828, when his brother, the Duke 
 of Clarence, was chosen and installed W. Master of Prince of 
 Wales Lodge, by the Grand Lodge, the Duke of Sussex, Grand 
 Master, presiding. 
 
 In 1828, the Grand Lodge of England, in order to raise a 
 fund for the relief of poor brethren, their widows and orphans, 
 required the following fees to be paid into the Grand Treasury: 
 For registering a Mason within the London District, one 
 guinea ; for a Mason made out of the London District, ten 
 shillings and six pence ; affiliating fee for a brother made 
 within the London District, five shillings, and two shillings and 
 sis pence elsewhere ; one shilling per quarter to be paid by 
 every brother in London, and six pence per quarter for those 
 out of that District ; and so rigid was the Grand Lodge, in 
 requiring the Lodges to see that these fees were paid, that 
 fifty-nine Lodges had their charters arrested, and their namea 
 stricken from the list, at one session, for failing to comply. 
 
 In 1830, King George IV. died, and was succeeded by his 
 brother, the Duke of Clarence, as William IV. 
 
 The custom of the Fraternity in England has ever been to 
 consider the King, if a Mason, Grand Master or Patron of 
 Masons, and, on the death of George IV., the Craft requested 
 William IV. to fill that station, to which he cheerfully gave 
 Ms assent, as follows : 
 
 " Whitehall, July 28, 1830. 
 " Sm :— I have the honor to inform your Royal Highness that His Majesty has 
 been graciously pleased to signify his consent to be Patron of the United Grand 
 Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England." 
 
 " I am, sir, your Royal Highness' dutiful and ob't serv't, Robekt Peel. 
 " His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex." 
 
 In 1833, Lord Dundas, Deputy Grand Master, in behalf of 
 his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, G.M., presented the 
 Grand Lodge with a marble bust of William IV., and three 
 
392 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT, 
 
 elegant gilt silver trowels, used by the Grand Master in laying 
 the corner stones of the London University, the Licensed 
 Victuallers' Asylum, and the Charing Cross Hospital. 
 
 During the reign of King William IV., Masonry flourished 
 in England. The noble achievements of the Grand Lodge ip 
 creating a fund for benevolence, the school it had established, 
 and the great attachment for the Order manifested by the best 
 and most distinguished men, did not fail to give the lie to the 
 foul charges which had been brought against the Institution, 
 and as, in everything else, persecution but tended to purify and 
 enrich it. Nor was the prosperity of the Craft confined to 
 England. Throvtghout Europe and America, a new impetus 
 might be seen in its incipiency ; Masons, everywhere, were 
 beginning to awaken from their lethargy. The Jacobins in 
 the old, and the anti-Masons in the new world, had failed in 
 their end. The indignation of an insulted people was aroused, 
 and men were no longer hoodwinked by the cunningly devised 
 fables of demagogues and hairbrained fanatics. The fire of 
 persecution which had swept like a simoom over the land, was 
 stayed by the hand of Him who doeth all things well. Yea, 
 intelligent men awoke as from a dream, and wondered that 
 they had been dragged into the whirlpool of bitter invective 
 and insane denunciation against a Society of whose internal 
 regulations they knew nothing, and against which they could 
 say nothing, but at the expense of truth. 
 
 Brethren, we should be cheered by the soul-strengthening 
 reflection that our Supreme Grand Master has said, " whom He 
 lovethHe chasteneth," and truly has this been applicable in our 
 case. Masonry now, in all its essential worth, is as gold puri- 
 fied seven times, and it occupies a niche in the temple of fame, 
 more nearly allied to its primitive purity, than in any age of 
 the world since " with shouting and praise " the great cape-stone 
 of the house of the Lord was celebrated before an admiring 
 world. Aye, and if we look not back — if we halt not in our 
 onward march to glory and renown, the widow's tears and the 
 orphan's cries will ascend to the most high and holy place, and 
 once again the fire will come down from heaven and fill our 
 house with the presence of the Lord. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 King William IV. was made a Mason in Prince George 
 Lodge, No. 102, London, on the 13tli March, 1786. In 1788. 
 he affiliated with Prince of Wales Lodge. In 1790, he was 
 chosen Patron of R. A. Masonry in England, soon after the 
 death of his uncle, the Duke of Cumberland. In 1792, he was 
 Junior Warden of his Lodge, the Prince of Wales W. Master, 
 and the Duke of York Senior Warden. Before he ascended 
 the throne he was made W. Master. He contributed liberally 
 to the Masonic Female School, of which his consort, Queen 
 Adelaide, was Patroness. Thus, for more than half a century, 
 was his Royal Highness an active and watchful Mason, until his 
 demise in 1837. At the time of his death, his brother, the 
 Duke of Sussex, was Grand Master, and, in an address to the 
 Grand Lodge, spoke feelingly of the King's unwavering attach- 
 ment to Masonry, attributing much of his love of virtue to the 
 solemn impressions made on his mind at his initiation. 
 
 Upon the demise of the King, numerous addresses of con- 
 dolence to the Queen Dowager, and of congratulation to Queen 
 Victoria on her accession to the throne, were forwarded, 
 among which was one from the Grand Lodge of Ireland. 
 
 This year the Grand Lodge of Ireland adopted a By-Law, 
 prohibiting any brother from holding the office of Master of a 
 Lodge who had not previously given proof of his competency, 
 and also of his punctuality in attending the meetings of his 
 Lodge. 
 
 The most flattering accounts were also received, from varioua 
 parts of the world, of the prosperity of Masony, and especially 
 of the revival of the Order in the East and West Indies. 
 
 Efforts had been made, and with great success, to establish 
 an Asylum for Aged and Decayed Freemasons, and at the 
 
394 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKT. 
 
 quai'terly communicalion this year, Dr. Crucefix, Grand Treas- 
 urer, brought forward a resolution for the purpose of pledging 
 the faith of the Grand Lodge in support of this benevolent 
 Institution. This proposition had been opposed by the M. W. 
 Grand Master, but solely on the ground that he feared the 
 paramount obligations to the Female Orphan School would be 
 endangered, by diverting the means and energies of the Grand 
 Lodge to another channel, and thus, between two praiseworthy 
 Institutions, neither would prosper. The resolution of Dr. 
 Crucefix was modified and adopted, as follows : — " That this 
 Grand Lodge recommend the contemplated Asylum for Aged 
 and Decayed Freemasons to the favorable consideration of the 
 Craft," which had the effect to give confidence and importance 
 to the measure, and liberal subscriptions poured in from various 
 quarters. A list of the subscribers, and the following regula- 
 tions, were published : 
 
 " That a donation of fifty guineas and upward shall render the donor eligible 
 to be proposed as a Vice-President. 
 
 " That a donation of twenty guineas shall.constitute a life governor. 
 
 " That a donation of ten guineas shall constitute a life subscriber. 
 
 " That two guineas, annually, shall constitute a governor. 
 
 " That one guinea, annually, shall constitute a subscriber. 
 
 " That fifty guineas from a Lodge shall entitle it to the privilege of a litfe 
 governor so long as the Lodge shall exist. 
 
 " That twenty guineas from a Lodge shall entitle it to a like privilege for 
 twenty-five years. 
 
 " That ten guineas from a Lodge shall entitle it to the privilege of a subscriber 
 for fourteen years." 
 
 That the foregoing regulations may be well adapted to raise 
 money for benevolent purposes, we are not disposed to question ; 
 but that it is calculated to insure a judicious use of them, we 
 much doubt. If all wealthy men were well informed, prudent, 
 business men, the end desired might be arrived at ; but, we think, 
 as a general rule, the most active, efficient, and competent 
 brethren are to be found among the poorer classes, or those 
 who are in moderate circumstances ; and, whether rich or poor, 
 we hold that the management of funds for benevolent purposes 
 should be intrusted to the most competent men. 
 
 A petition from the brethren of Western India was, this year 
 sent to the Grand Lodge of England, praying for permission 
 
HISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 395 
 
 to constitute a Grand Lodge with legislative powers, and asking 
 the appointment of a District Grand Master for that portion 
 of country. ! 
 
 Early in 1838, Montego Bay Friendly Lodge, at Jamaica, had 
 a public procession, moved to a church, listened to a sermon, 
 and collected fifty pounds to be forwarded to London, for the 
 benefit of the Asylum for Aged and Decayed Masons. 
 
 Just at this point of time. Dr. Oliver informs us that the 
 historian arrives at " an epoch in Masonry." If, from this 
 period, a new computation of time is to commence, it is but 
 proper that the reader should be informed of the mighty event 
 which produced this epoch, and, hence, we must be held blame- 
 less if we seem to occupy more space than otherwise the subject 
 would demand. 
 
 In order that we may be the more clearly understood, it will 
 be necessary to go back a few years, and bring before the 
 reader some incidents in the history of English Masonry, to 
 which we have not heretofore directed special attention. 
 
 The reader will please to remember, that, in 1813, the Duke 
 of Sussex and the Duke of Kent were placed at the head — one 
 of the Grand Lodge of England, or Prince of Wales Grand 
 Lodge, and the other the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, or 
 Athol Grand Lodge — and that, through the commendable ser- 
 vices of the two royal brothers, the glorious union of 1813 was 
 effected. It will be borne in mind, also, that the Duke of 
 Sussex was thereupon chosen M. W. Grand Master of the 
 United Grand Lodge, and continued to fill that honorable and 
 responsible station down to the memorable epoch of Dr. Oliver. 
 
 The Fraternity, always ready to do honor to the good and 
 great, several times expressed a desire to tender to their noble 
 and efficient Grand Master some suitable testimonial of their 
 high appreciation of his services, and proposed that the Grand 
 Lodge order the preparation and presentation of a present 
 adapted to this end ; but the Grand Master, rightly estimating 
 the sacred deposits for charity, refused, peremptorily, to sanction 
 the appropriation of a dollar for any other object ; but inti- 
 mated that, should a free-will offering be made by the brethren 
 for that special purpose, he would accept any present thus 
 
396 HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 purchased. Whereupon, a suhscription was set on foot and.freely 
 circulated, not only throughout England, but also all Europe 
 and the isles of the sea. And thus, in 1838, it was found a 
 sufficient sum had been raised to complete the contemplated 
 present, and, a day being set apart for the presentation, great 
 preparations were made at Freemason's Hall, and about five 
 hundred brethren appeared, clothed in Masonic regalia, while 
 the galleries were filled with ladies and gentlemen, as spec- 
 tators. 
 
 All things being in readiness, Lord John Churchill read the 
 following address of the Committee of the Masonic Offering : 
 ' To His Royal Highness Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of 
 Sussex, K.G.,etc., etc., etc.. Most Worshipful Grand Master 
 of Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons of England : 
 " Most Worshipful Sir : — We, a Committee of the brethren, 
 associated for the purpose of presenting a votive offering to 
 their Grand Master, respectfully approach your Royal High- 
 ness to express the feelings, and to fulfill the wishes, of the great 
 body of Masons whom we represent. 
 
 " For them, sir, and for ourselves, we fervently acknowledge 
 the deep debt of gratitude to your Royal Highness from the 
 Craft of England. We do honor to ourselves in thus pro- 
 claiming the truth and the boast, that the Illustrious Prince, 
 who, during the twenty-five years now rolled by, has ruled the 
 Order, by its own free choice, has rendered to Masonry services 
 unparalleled in its history. 
 
 " For the high social rank which the Fraternity now holds in 
 this country — for the absolute exclusion from our peaceful temple 
 of those divisions, religious and political, by which men are else- 
 where distracted ; for our increased and increasing prosperity, 
 we feel, and we glory in the recollection, how much we owe to 
 your Royal Highness. The events of the last quarter of a cen- 
 tury afford a bright example tq other countries, and to future 
 times, how perfectly, under a wise, benevolent, and zealous 
 ruler, the freedom of our institutions may consist with the pre- 
 servation of union and discipline, the happiness of our members, 
 and the promotion of all those high interests which are tho 
 great objects of Freemasonry. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 397 
 
 " In testimony of the deep sense which we and»our brother 
 subscribers entertain of the obligations which we owe, in com- 
 mon with every member of the Order, we pray your Royal 
 Highness to be pleased to accept the work of art which is now 
 before us. It will, we are persuaded, derive value in your 
 Royal Highness' estimation, from the circumstance that, in tliis 
 offering of gratitude. Masons of all ranks, and in all countries, 
 have concurred. Toward this grateful object, contributions 
 have spontaneously flowed from brethren far and near ; in 
 Lodges, and as individuals, from the Provincial Grand Master 
 to the Entered Apprentice, from the British Isles to the farthest 
 parts of the world. The sentiments which the brethren enter- 
 tain toward your Royal Highness, have proved to be as uni- 
 versal as the principles which they are taught to profess. 
 
 " To preserve some record of these sentiments, and the occa- 
 sion and mode of their expression, we have embodied, in print, 
 a statement of the circumstances attending this offering. And 
 we further pray your Royal Highness to accept this copy of the 
 little volume, from which the future historian may learn how 
 strong and how just are the feelings by which we are animated 
 toward our illustrious Grand Master. 
 
 " Finally, and in the heartfelt consciousness that in this prayer 
 every good Mason will unite, we supplicate the Great Archi- 
 tect of the Universe that the favors of Heaven may be continued 
 to him who has so well deserved them, and that your Royal 
 Highness may long rule, in health and happiness, over a grate- 
 ful and united Brotherhood." 
 
 To which the Grand Master made an appropriate reply. 
 
 The following description of the offering was extracted by 
 Dr. Oliver from the published pamphlet of the proceedings : 
 
 " The Masonic offering was a candelabrum, the base being 
 about twenty-eight inches long, by twenty-four inches broad ; 
 the greatest extent of the branches for the lights is three feet, 
 by two feet six inches, and the whole liight is three feet seven 
 inches. The principal feature of the design is a circular temple 
 of architecture, formed by six columns of the Corinthian order, 
 supporting an enriched dome, crowned by the figure of Apollo. 
 On the frieze are represented the twelve signs of the Zodiac. 
 
Z9S HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 In the inteaor of the temple, resting on a tesselated pavement, 
 is seen the altar, with the volume of the sacred law unfolded, 
 and the square and compasses thereon. The temple is raised 
 on a circular pedestal, which again rests on a square plinth, or 
 step, on the projecting angles of which are seated four figures, 
 emblematical of Astronomy, Geometry, Sculpture, and Archi- 
 tecture. Astronomy is contemplating the heavens, and holding 
 in one hand a sextant, and in the other a telescope ; her head 
 crowned with stars, as with a diadem, five in number. Geometry 
 is depicted as contemplating the globe, measuring its parts and 
 ascertaining its proportions with the compasses ; and the mystic 
 triangle is marked on her pedestal correctly. Sculpture is repre- 
 sented with the mallet and chisel, having just completed the 
 bust of Socrates, emblematical of the devotion of the fine arts 
 to the promotion of the moral virtues. Architecture is typified 
 by the plan of a temple, which she is unfolding to view. The 
 whole of the temple, with its classical accompaniments, is 
 placed on a superb base. From the angles spring four branches 
 for lights, the cup to receive the lights being in the form of the 
 lotus leaf The whole may be used as a candelabrum, when 
 artificial light is required, or otherwise without the branches, 
 in its most simple form, without appearing imperfect. The 
 base has on each of its four faces an ornamental panel. Three 
 of these are enriched with historical tablets in low relief, and 
 the fourth contains the inscription. The frames of these tablets 
 are ornamented with the olive, corn, and pomegranate, em- 
 blematical of those blessings of Providence which Masonry 
 tCEtches us to diff'use and employ for the welfare of our fellow 
 creatures. The tablet, on the principal face, represents the union 
 of the two Fraternities of English Freemasons, so happily 
 accomplished by his Royal Highnesg the Duke of Sussex, in 
 conjunction with His Royal Highness the late Duke of Kent, in 
 the year 1813. The two illustrious Grand Masters, surrounded 
 by their respective Grand Officers and other brethren, are 
 represented as ratifying and completing the Act of Union ; the 
 instrument of which was forthwith deposited in the Ark of the 
 Covenant, the symbol of the Grand Edifice of the Union. The 
 all-seeing eye of Providence is represented as casting its 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 399 
 
 refulgent rays on the deed. The tablet, to the left pf the above, 
 represents Solomon receiving from his father, King David, the 
 plan of the Temple to be erected at Jerusalem, according to 
 the instructions which the Almighty had communicated to him 
 in a vision. The third tablet represents -the Temple completed, 
 and King Solomon in the act of dedicating it to God's holy 
 service. The fourth tablet contains the inscription, which is as 
 follows : 
 
 TO 
 
 HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, 
 
 PRINCE AUGUSTUS FREDERICK, 
 
 DUKE OF SUSSEX, K. G., 
 
 <feo., &0., &c., 
 
 IN COMMEMORATION OP COMPLETING 
 
 TWENTY-FIVE YEARS 
 
 GRAND MASTER OF ENGLISH FREEMASONS, 
 
 FROM HIS AFFECTIONATE BKETHEBN. 
 
 1838. 
 
 And this august ceremony, it would seem, constituted an 
 epoch in Masonry ! But it may be that we have done the dis- 
 tinguished author injustice in attributing to him the design of 
 making this interesting occasion the only event constituting an 
 " epoch." We are aware that, in 1838, the most cheering news 
 was received, giving assurance of the rapid spread of the prin- 
 ciples of Masonry throughout the civilized world, and the 
 unprecedented increase of Lodges throughout Mirope and 
 America, but this healthy revival cfimmenced in Euro.pe long 
 before 1838. And though Masonry, in the United States, 
 sujffered a serious drawback between 1825 and 1830, by reason 
 of the anti-Masonic excitement, and though a revival commenc- 
 ed before 1838, yet, so far from that revival having reached its 
 hight, it will be seen that it is still rapidly progressing at the 
 time we are now writing, and the same remarks are applicable 
 to Europe. But, after all, we think it would be vain-glorious 
 in the Fraternity to claim for Masonry all the credit for the 
 benign influences which it has seemed to exert within the last 
 twenty years. That a mighty re^'olution in the moral condition 
 
400 HISTORY OP FREEMASONKY. 
 
 of the civilized world had commenced, and was rapidly pro- " 
 gressing in 1838, is true ; and it is also true that Masonry 
 has, and is. still, playing a conspicuous part in the glorious 
 events of the age ; but, we apprehend, the close observer will 
 find no difficulty in perceiving that all this is owing lo a con- 
 tinuation of united influences, happily brought to bear upon the 
 social circles of society. Masonry has ever taught the same 
 principles, but, alone and unaided, it never had the power to 
 produce an epobh by revolutionizing society and moralizing the 
 world ; but, that it is a powerful auxiliary, no one acquainted 
 with its teachings dare deny. We leave to those, whose proud 
 prerogative it is to chronicle the achievements of the various 
 Christian churches, to tell to posterity the appliances brought to 
 bear, in the first half of the nineteenth century, for the ameliora- 
 tion of the condition of mankind ; and, but for the bigotry which 
 clings to the skirts of all sectarians, we might fold our arms, and 
 rely upon the honesty and fairness of such historians for a full 
 meed of praise upon the Masonic Institution. Those who believe 
 that man is a mere machine, impelled by the irresistible power of 
 the Divine hand, to travel through the elysian fields unscathed 
 by the tempter, and unimpeded in their pilgrimage to the holy 
 land, or, by a Divine fiat, be hurled into endless woe, may well 
 deny that any aid may be looked for from the associations of 
 men. Those, on the other hand, who believe that man has 
 nothing to do but to have faith in the power and mercy of God, 
 will cast aside the influence of benevolent and moral associa- 
 tions. But those who believe that man is wonderfully made in 
 the image of his Creator, endowed with a will and power to 
 exercise it for weal or woe, will feel sufficiently humbled to 
 acknowledge and appreciate all the assistance they may receive 
 in traveling the slippery path of virtue, which leads to the 
 fountain of pure and holy love, made accessible through the 
 intercession of the Son of Man. 
 
 When ministers of the Gospel were wine-bibbers, all men 
 might be so likewise, without losing caste in society. When 
 elders and deacons could take the name of God in vain, without 
 serious offense to their Church, the non-professor might well be 
 a profane swearer, and still occupy an elevated position in 
 
HISTORY OF PEEEMASONET. 401 
 
 Bociety. When Christianity was without a high standard of 
 virtue and moral worth, practical piety was without its proper 
 influence, even when it was found in.its purity. There is fashion 
 in religion, as in all things else, and if the Christian's mantle 
 sits lightly, or is rent and torn with the grosser passions, the 
 standard of morality claimed by the world will be proportion- 
 ably below the standard of Christianity. When Christians 
 are willing to sit with folded arms, and make no eifort to evan 
 gelize the world, the philanthropist will feel himself excused if 
 he withholds the hand of benevolence, and permits the suffering 
 to suffer on. 
 
 Within the nineteenth century, great achievements have been 
 won by the truly pious. Tlie money changers and adulterers 
 have been turned out of the Lord's house — the humble poor 
 have been invited in. A spirit of humility has taken the place 
 of ostentation, and Christians have commenced living for others, 
 as well as themselves. Sunday schools have been established, 
 where the twig may be bent as G-od would have it to grow. 
 Bible societies have been instituted, that the influence of com- 
 bination and the force of example might send the truth, and a 
 veneration for its teachings, through all the ramifications of 
 society. Missionary societies have been established, that the 
 holy Bible might find its way into every cottage, and that the 
 G-ospel might be preached to every creature. Various other 
 associations for benevolent purposes have sprung up, as the 
 result of the enlarged views of Christian duty ; and professors 
 of religion, seeing the happy results arising from those under 
 tncir immediate control, have been constrained to sanction and 
 encourage all others, having for their object the alleviation of 
 distressed and suffering humanity. 
 
 Odd Fellowship has been doing a good work in the elevation 
 of the standard of morality, with its votaries, and, through them, 
 on society around. The Sons of Temperance have effected 
 more in the cause of temperance than the Church, unaided, was 
 able to do in eighteen hundred years. 
 
 Since the days of Solomon, Masonry has existed, teaching the 
 doctrine of one God and obedience to His holy requirements. 
 Originally, it pointed to the coming of a Mediator, and thus 
 
402 HISTORY OP FKEEMASONRT. 
 
 everywhere were a few tOi be found prepared to listen to the 
 preaching of John the Baptist. From the advent of our 
 Saviour, it has walked hand in hand with Christianity. Its 
 power and influence have ever been second and subservient to 
 the ends of true religion. It teaches not Christianity, but doe? 
 teach all the preliminary steps to the most holy religion. Il 
 can not alone moralize the world, but it has powerfully aided 
 in the glorious revolution which, for the last twenty years, haj 
 been marching on with giant strides. Masonry is indebted tc 
 the Church, and all other benevolent associations, for the seeming 
 epoch of 1838, and the Church,and all other benevolent associa 
 tions, are indebted to it for the great increase of moralitj 
 among men. The epoch of 1838 is equally an epoch in the 
 history of the Church, in the history of a moral reformation 
 brought about by a combination of influences, all efl&cient and 
 praiseworthy, and these influences have stimulated all classes 
 to the cultivation of the mind. Education has become an 
 object of the first importance, and it is difficult to imagine the 
 existence of an educated people who are vicious. Let the 
 mind of the masses be cultivated, and vice and immorality will 
 measurably disappear. 
 
 Masonry has sought to effect this, and, aided by all the 
 associations before alluded to, much — very much has been 
 accomplished ; and hence it is that all moral and benevolent 
 associations are now prospering beyond anything hoped for in 
 any former age. Masonry is in the ascendant, because moral 
 principles are in the ascendant. Masonry is popular, because 
 Christianity is popular. A higher standard of piety is rapidly 
 gaining ground, and, like John the Baptist, Masonry has been 
 sent before, to prepare the way for a mightier than it, even the 
 religion of our Saviour. Sooner or later, the mission will be 
 accomplished ; sooner or later, the tenets of our Order will over- 
 spread the earth ; sooner or later will its teachings be sought for, 
 as part and parcel of the Christian's duty. Already does the 
 kindest feeling exist between Masonry and all Churches, except 
 that one whose members are esteemed pious in proportion to their 
 bigotry and superstition. Already does Infidelity stand abashed 
 at the rapid and onward march of the mighty army of allied 
 
HISTORY OP PBEEMASONET. 403 
 
 pbwers doing battle in the glorious cause of benevolence, and 
 fighting against those who would enslave the mind. One 
 division is marching under the banner of morality, with 
 " Benevolence " for its motto ; while the other displays the Cross, 
 bearing the inscription, " In hoc Signo Vinces." Aye, and we 
 are all marching to the same land of promise. The first 
 named division is now in the rear ; but, ere the final battle is 
 fought, we doubt not their humble submission to the discipline 
 of the Grand Commander will enable them to conquer, under' 
 the holy banner of their superiors, and enter, with joy and 
 rejoicing, the gates of the new Jerusalem. 
 
 An annual festival of the Asylum for Aged and Decayed Free- 
 masons was celebrated in June, 1838. An able and eloquent 
 address was delivered by Bro. Wood, and such was the effect of 
 his forcible appeal, in behalf of that class of suffering brethren, 
 that the subscriptions amounted to over eight hundred pounds. 
 
 In this benevolent and praiseworthy undertaking, we have 
 evidence of the great amount of good or harm which may be 
 done by any one man, who has the confidence and esteem of his 
 fellow-laborers. The reader will remember, that the Grand 
 Master, the Duke of Sussex, expressed his opposition to con- 
 necting the Grand Lodge, in any way, with this new scheme pf 
 benevolence, and gave as a reason his fear that the necessary 
 means would be diverted from the Female School already under 
 charge of the Grand Lodge, and thus, between the two benevo- 
 lent Institutions, both would fail. But the unceasing efforts of 
 Thomas Wood and Dr. Crucefix, and a number of other distin- 
 guished men, succeeded so far as to get liberal donations, not 
 only in England, but elsewhere, in aid of the new scheme. 
 
 In the early part of 1839, the amount of subscription being 
 deemed sufficiently large, the General Committee resolved 
 that, from and after July 31, of that year, the interest of the 
 amount subscribed should be given, by way of annuities, to des- 
 titute brethren of London and the Provinces, and, for this 
 purpose they adopted the following regulations : 
 
 " That the annuities be ten pounds each ; and that six only of such annuities 
 be granted for the first twelve months. 
 " That if a sufficient number of candidates, so located, apply for the benefitB of 
 
404 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONKY. 
 
 this InBtitiition,at the first election, the ax annuities already detennined shall be 
 thus allotted ; three in the Provinces, and three in the Metropolis. 
 
 " That every donor or subscriber of one guinea be entitled to one vote during 
 the yeai- ; and so on, in proportion, for every additional guinea. 
 
 " That an annual governor (or subscriber of two guineas per annnra^ he enti- 
 tled to three votes. 
 
 " That every life subscriber (or donor often guineas) be entitled to two votes. 
 
 " That every life governor (or donor of twenty guineas) be entitled to four 
 votes, and two votes for every additional ten guineas. 
 
 " That every governor, subscriber, or donor may vote by proxy ; aueh proxy 
 being a subscriber ; and that, for every single vote the subscriber may be entitled 
 to, he shall have as many votes as there are vacanciea, which may be given to 
 one candidate, or distributed at pleasure. 
 
 " That all proxy papers be numbered, signed by the Secretary, and forwarded 
 by post ; and that no second proxy paper be issued, without the concurrence of the 
 Chairman, on the day of election. 
 
 " That subscriptions,declared and paid on the day of election, shall entitle the 
 parties to vote. 
 
 " That no subscriber,in arrear, shall be entitled to vote at any election, until 
 such arrear be paid. 
 
 " That in eases of equality of votes, at any general meeting, the Chairman shall 
 be entitled to a second, or casting vote." 
 
 The Institution was thus brought into actual operation, not- 
 withstanding the opposition of the Duke of Sussex. Indeed, 
 everywhere, except in London, the Institution was popular with 
 the Lodges and brethren, and liberal donations were pouring 
 in from the Provinces. But, during the very tide of prosperity, 
 when men's hearts were in the right place, and liberal hands 
 were opened, and that, too, without injury to the Masonic 
 Female School, an organized opposition was gotten up against 
 the undertaking. Bitter feelings were engendered between the 
 friends and opposers of the Asylum, mainly growing out of the 
 opposition of the Grand Master to the plan of disbursing the 
 benevolence. We are, however, uncharitable enough to sup- 
 pose that one cause of the Duke's continued opposition grew 
 out of the fact, that the scheme was not proposed by himself, 
 and there was danger of its success, unless some stringent 
 measures were taken. That the reader may draw his own 
 inference, we insert the following communication from the 
 
 Grand Master : 
 
 "Adgustus F., Grand Master. 
 " Gentuembn ANT) Bbotheks : — Having received from Bro. Crucefix a note, 
 communicating to me various resolutions, which had been passed at difierent 
 
HISTORf OP FREEMASONRY. 405 
 
 meetings, by seyeral brethren, who have at heart the establishment of some insti- 
 tution calculated to relieve decayed and aged Masons, I feel it incumbent upon 
 me to repeat the statement which I first made upon that subject, at the Grand 
 Festival in the present year. On that occasion, I stated thiit, as to an aaylum or 
 a building, I could not, and never would, lend (;ither the sanction of my name 
 or any pecuniary assistance, inasmuch as I was convinced that it would be a 
 useless expenditure — a waste of money, without the slightest chance of any profit- 
 able or beneficial result therefrom ; but that, if such project were given up, and 
 then the brethren were disposed to form a plan for granting annuities, which 
 were to be taken solely ft-om the interest of moneys collected, and not break in 
 upon the capital, that to such a proposition I would listen. 
 
 " Since that time, a proposition was made to me to receive a deputation on 
 the subject, which I left unanswered, in consequence of seeing, a circular which 
 the Committee had in the interim circulated, and which had misrepresented the 
 statements I have here made, without any communication to me. 
 
 " This, I have no hesitation in saying, is completely at variance with my state- 
 ment. 
 
 " From the whole tenor of the paper, it is clear, the same disposition and 
 inclination, on the part of some individuals, as to the erection of an asylum, still 
 remains. Now, without imputing motives to any one, there can be no doubt 
 the Craft will be misled, in supposing that I have given a silent consent to such 
 a plan, which I am equally determined, as before, to resist ; therefore, unless it 
 is clearly understood that the intention of erecting iin asylum is totally aban- 
 doned, I feel myself under the necessity of declining any communication on the 
 subject. 
 
 " I hope this will be deemed a fair :mswer to the applicvtion made to me ; and, 
 as such, I wish it to be communicated to those brethren who framed the resolu- 
 tions upon which the request of an interview with me has been grounded, and 
 which I consequently decline ; but, to show that this determination lias been 
 talcen in conformity with those opinions which have actuated the whole of my 
 conduct in this transaction, I will fu«tljer add, that, until next April, if it please 
 God to spare my life, I will take no further steps ; but, should the brethren at 
 that time have made no advance in the matter, I shall think myself at liberty to 
 state my own plan, when, I have no doubt, the brethren will see which is the most 
 feasible, and when I shall call upon the Fraternity for that assistance which I 
 have never found them unwilling to afford, when useful objects are proposed for 
 their consideration. 
 
 " Southwick Park, Fareham, August 26, 1839. 
 
 " To Bros. R. T. Cbccefix, J. C. Bell, 
 
 J. C. McMdllbn, and Z. Watb^ns." 
 
 While Dr. Oliver gires His Royal Highness great credit fot 
 his hencvolence, and finds nothing remarkable in his opposition 
 to the plan of erecting a building for the residence of poor and 
 inf rm brethren, we can not but regard the Duke's whole course 
 as remarkable, to say the least of it. At first, he was opposed 
 
ice HISTOEY OF FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 to it, because he feared it would cripple the Female School ; 
 next, because it would be a waste of money ; and, after two 
 thousand pounds sterling was actually subscribed for the pur- 
 pose of erecting a building, he was then no longer opposed to 
 the scheme of creating annuities for decayed Freemasons, but 
 to the plan of furnishing them a residence ; and, without con- 
 descending to suggest a substitute plan, he arrogantly asks the 
 friends of benevolence to abandon their plan, and, at a future 
 day, he would suggest his, and call upon the Fraternity to give 
 means to sustain it ; and, in the event his plan was adopted, he 
 would probably contribute, out of his private means, to assist in 
 its consummation. Well, there are some men who give a great 
 deal of relief money, who never give alms. We know a gen- 
 tleman, who gave two hundred dollars for the relief of the poor 
 of St. Louis one winter, who, the next winter, though more 
 wealthy, could not be induced to give a suffering family half a 
 cord of wood, and we were so uncharitable as to account for it 
 thus : The two hundred dollars donated was done in a public 
 manner, and was published in all the papers. The half a cord 
 of wood was asked for privately, and, if it had been given, 
 would, most likely, have soon been forgotten by the few who 
 knew it. 
 
 Now, no man in England had been more honored and revered 
 by the Masons than the Duke of Sussex, and, we believe, much 
 of his popularity was deserved ; but, where his assistance or 
 approbation could not be had to a great scheme of benevolence, 
 upon any other terms than that he was to be the mover of it, 
 we fail to appreciate his benevolence, or the motives which 
 prompted his donations. 
 
 Dr. Oliver tells us that this letter of the Grand Master threw 
 the Asylum Committee into great difficulty, not because of their 
 being satisfied that the original plan was not a good one, but 
 because the Duke had opposed that plan ; and, while it appears 
 they were entirely willing to abandon it on his account, the 
 difficulty was, could they do so and carry out the wishes and 
 intentions of those who had donated two thousand pounds ster- 
 ling for the erection of a building. The Committee passed a 
 resolution, that it was expedient to postpone the erection of a 
 
HISTORY OP FBEEMASONKT. 407 
 
 building until an additional sum of seven thousand pounds ster- 
 ling was raised ; which was, in effect, suspending all operations, 
 as desired by the Grand Master. But even this did not satisfy 
 those who had become partisans of the Grand Master ; for, in 
 November following, an anonymous paper was circulated, basely 
 and meanly charging that Bros, Wood, Stephens, and Cru- 
 cefix had used language reflecting upon the conduct of the 
 Grand Master. ■ These brethren, it will be remembered, were 
 the most active and efficient men in getting up and carrying 
 ■ out the benevolent scheme. At a meeting of the Board for 
 General Purposes, the charges alluded to were openly made, 
 and then these distinguished men were suspended for three 
 months. What appears remarkable in this affair is, that these 
 brethren were suspended for using language which it was not 
 proven they did use, and which they afterward proved they 
 did not use. 
 
 In noticing the great number of distinguished men, who, 
 according to Dr. Oliver, held offices in particular Lodges, in 
 1839, we observe that the Earl of Aboyne held the office of 
 Senior Warden in the Lodge of St. Peter, in the city of Peter- 
 borough, and was, at the same time. Worshipful Master of 
 Aboyne Lodge, in Scotland. In the United States, none but a 
 member can be an officer of a Lodge, and no one can be a 
 member of more than one Lodge at the same time. But, since 
 the novelties of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons of Eng- 
 land, we suppose it has not been considered improper for a 
 nobleman to hold office ailywhere, as the Duke of Athol was 
 Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the above 
 named Grand Lodge of England, for many years. 
 
 We make the following extract from Dr. Oliver, to show how 
 Masonry was esteemed in Ireland, in 1839 : 
 
 " At a Masonic festival held at Clones, Bro. Tenison, Barris- 
 ter-at-law, an active and intelligent Mason, made an announce- 
 ment, which shows that, in Ireland, as in our own country, the 
 science is openly practiced by wealthy and educated men. He 
 observed that, 
 
 " The higher orders and well informed classes were coming 
 forward to seek the honors of Masonry. Why ? Because they 
 
408 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 were convinced that it did not contain anything derogatory to 
 a free citizen, contrary to the conscientious scruples of a believ- 
 ing Christian, or opposed to that allegiance which was due to 
 our Sovereign Lady, the Queen. But, on the other hand, that its 
 ordinances and discipline had been productive of the happy 
 effects of cementing, in personal friendship, people of different 
 creeds and countries, and uniting, in the sacred sympathies of 
 social life, those, who, in their distracted land, would otherwise 
 be divided, through the discordant materials of politics or party. 
 Yes, sir, persons of property and intelligence are now pressing 
 forward to assist in the resuscitation of Provincial Lodges, en- 
 couraged by the hope of doing good, regardless of the supinenesa 
 of mere nominal Masons, and despising the hostility of those, 
 who, unbound by 
 
 Honor's sacred tie, the law of kings ; 
 
 The noble mind's distinguishing perfection ; 
 
 That aids and strengthens virtue where it meets her, 
 
 And imitates her actions where she is not, 
 
 would crumble in the dust, a fabric built for the shelter of infan, 
 destitution and aged decay ; and which presents a common 
 centre, where all can associate without being disturbed by the 
 difference of opinion." 
 
 In connection with this subject, we insert the following note 
 
 from Oliver's Preston : 
 
 " The Duke of Wellington, when Colonel in the 33rd Regiment of Foot, wai 
 initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge 494, which was at that time held in the 
 Castle of Dangan, County of Meath ; the late Earl of Mornington, his Grace's 
 father, being W. M. at the time. He was duly passed, after the usual exafliina- 
 tion ; and, in the phraseology of the Lodge, entered at the southern gate, and 
 afterward raised. The following brethren, being members, were present ; many , 
 of them, in the words of the Irish bard, ' have been famous in story.' 
 
 "Bro. Sir James Somervillle, Bart, "Bro. William Foster, 
 
 " Sir Benj. Chapman, Bart., " George Lowther, M.P., 
 
 " Ham. Georges, TH.?., " Marquis Wellesley, 
 
 " Delvin, late Earl of Westmeath, " F. North, Earl of Guildford, 
 
 " . Robert Uniacke, M.P., " Robert Perceval, 
 
 •' Richard Boyle, M.P., " Robert Waller, 
 
 " John Pomeroy, " Richard Leslie, 
 
 •• Earl Mornington, " Arthur Wellesley.'' 
 
HISTORY. OP FREEMASONRY. 409 
 
 Were it deemed necessary to prove the laudable design and 
 purity of the Institution of Freemasonry, by an array of distin- 
 guished names, we could present a list of patriots, statesmen, 
 philosophers, and divines in this country, who would favorably 
 compare witli even Old England. Masonry has ever walked 
 hand in hand with literature, science, and religion, and hence, 
 in every civilized country, the greatest and best men have been 
 members of our Society ; and, withal, it is not very remarkable 
 that some respectable men should be everywhere found openly 
 opposed to the Institution. There are bigots everywhere ; there 
 are men to be found in every community, who are opposed to 
 everything that does not, in some way, put money in their purse ; 
 some, who are glad to have an excuse for not belonging to a 
 benevolent society, are not willing to say that they are so 
 supremely selfish as to be unwilling to administer to the wants 
 of others, and, as they can not belong to the Freemasons without 
 contributing something to the Charity Fund, they seek a pretext 
 for declining a connection with them ; and such men find it 
 convenient to be opposed to Masonry. Go to a man, who is not 
 a Christian, and ask him to join any Church, and he can, and 
 will, find serious objections to any Church you will name. The 
 truth is, if a man is not inclined to do good, he will find objec- 
 tions to all good associations. But this class of men are by no 
 means either as bitter, or as successful, in their opposition to 
 Masonry as is the bigot — the religious bigot — who would have all 
 men to bow to his will, and be governed by his standard of moral- 
 ity and virtue, when, in fact, he has no standard for either, save 
 that which centres in self ; and it is fortunate that such men 
 hold themselves aloof from our Order. What would Masonry 
 be worth in such hands ? Who ever knew a purely selfish man 
 to make a good Mason ? His professions of religion may awe 
 him into submission to the external rules of the Church, and he 
 may live and die with a religious cloak on, having but few glaring 
 rents in it ; but we apprehend it will be found eaten up, with the 
 moth of self-pride and inward corruption, when submitted to the 
 inspection of the Grand Overseer, in that day of final accounts. 
 Nor do we know that such men do Masonry any harm. They keep 
 some men from joining our Lodges, it is true, but only such as 
 
410 HISTOET OF FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 are disinclined to do good. They keep up a buzz a.nd outcry 
 against the monster secret Society ; and it is known they are 
 watching, not for the good which Masons do, but for their 
 slightest departures from the line of rectitude, and they serve as 
 a watch for our mouths, and a. guard to our lips ; we are all 
 more careful to walk uprightly, and square our actions by the 
 square of virtue, if we know there are a few self-righteous Phar- 
 isees watching us at every corner. But Masonry has not, at all 
 places, been so popular with those occupying the higher walks 
 of life, or who wear the clerical robe. While Masonry has ever 
 been in the hands of the best men, in England and America, we 
 have already seen that, wherever religion is based upon bigotry 
 and superstition, our Order has never flourished, if in the power 
 of the Church dignitaries to prevent it. 
 
 The following article appeared in the London Times of 
 February, 1838 : 
 
 " The Belgium pastors have proscribed the Institution of Freemasonry ; and 
 are so pregnant with spiritual horror,' that they have desired the poor not even 
 to receive alms froES a Freemason. Such self-denial as this, and we may regard 
 ' It as such, could scarcely have been expected." 
 
 The Earl of Zetland, Pro-Grand Master, died in A. D. 1839. 
 Upon receipt of the melancholy tidings, the Grand Lodge was 
 convened, and an order passed, requiring all the Lodges in 
 England to place themselves in mourning f9r six months. To 
 show the difference in the mourning badges used on that 
 occasion from those generally used in the United States, we 
 give the order as we find it in Oliver's Preston : 
 
 " Grand Officers, Past and Present, three rosettes of black 
 crape on the badges ; the collar suspending the jewel to be 
 completely covered with crape ; but the jewel to be uncovered. 
 
 " Masters, Past Masters, Wardens, and other officers of 
 Lodges, three crape rosettes on the badge, and one at the point 
 of the collar, just above the jewel. 
 
 " All other Master Masons, three black crape rosettes on the 
 badge. 
 
 '' Fellow Crafts and Entered Apprentices, two black rosettes 
 on the lower part of the badge." 
 
 In this year, the Grand Lodge found it necessary to resort to 
 
HISTORY OF FKEEMASONRT. 411 
 
 Stringent measures, in order to secure the punctual attendance 
 of the members. It is true, that the By-Laws or rules of Ma- , 
 sonry fixed the hour at which the members should meet; but' 
 it was found that this rule was so far lost sight of, as to produce 
 great inconvenience, and it was, therefore, ordered, that- the 
 hour of meeting, mentioned in the summons, should be the time 
 for commencing business. 
 
 We do not believe that any action of the Grand Lodges, in 
 this country, would have much effect in removing this evil, so 
 common, especially in cities ; but, if the Master of each Lodge 
 would, invariably, open the Lodge at the appointed time — or, 
 if not enough present, dismiss them, we have no hesitation in 
 saying a good effect would follow. We have frequently known 
 the Worshipful Master wait until nine o'clock, in order to get 
 members enough to transact business ; and this was so generally 
 the case, that brethren were in the habit of making a call after 
 tea, and then attend the Communication of their Lodge. Where 
 it is understood that a Lodge is not usually opened at the 
 appointed hour, even the most punctual members will delay their 
 attendance to a late hour. If we are correctly informed, our 
 friends, the Odd Fellows, seldom have cause to complain in this 
 particular, and for the simple reason that they enforce their 
 rules. No Institution has better rules than our Fraternity ; but 
 there is, in many instances, a fatal want of adherence to them. 
 
 When speaking of the history of Masonry in Ireland, we 
 stated that, in 1836, Parliament enacted a law prohibiting 
 certain unlawful oaths, and that the Duke of Leinster proposed 
 an amendment to the bill, which excepted the Masons from the 
 operation of this law. Dr. Oliver says that this act was 
 passed in 1839 ; but, while we most cheerfully admit that his 
 means of knowing is much better than ours, we are inclined to 
 think he is mistaken in this instance. For, it will be seen that 
 His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex, alludes to this subject, 
 and warmly compliments the Duke of Leinster for having 
 carried that amendment, in his letter to that, nobleman, dated 
 Dece iber 16, 1836. 
 
 The foJlowing are the conditions upon which the Masonic 
 Society was exempted from the operation of the statute : 
 
412 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 " That this exemption shall not extend to any such Society 
 or Lodge, unless two of the members, composing the same, shall 
 certify upon oath, which oath any Justice of the Peace, or bther 
 magistrate, is hereby ei^powered to administer, that such 
 Society or Lodge has, before the passing of this act, been 
 usually held ; or, if so formed after the passing of this act, under 
 the denomination of a Lodge of Freemasons, or Society of 
 Friendly Brothers of the said Order, and in conformity to the 
 rules prevailing among the Societies or Lodges of Freemasons, 
 or of such Societies of such Friendly Brothers in this kingdom ; 
 which certificate, duly attested by the magistrates before whom 
 the same shall be sworn, and subscribed by the persons so certi- 
 fying, shall, within the space of two calendar months after the 
 passing of this act, or within the space of two calendar months 
 after such formation of such Society or Lodge, as aforesaid, be 
 deposited with the Clerk of the Peace for the County, Riding, 
 Division, Shire, or place where such Society or Lodge hath 
 been usually held, or shall be so formed ; provided, also, that 
 this exemption shall not extend to any such Society or Lodge, 
 unless the name or denomination thereof, and the usual place 
 or places, and the time or times of its meetings, and the names 
 and descriptions of all and every the members thereof, be 
 registered with such Clerk of th* Peace, as aforesaid, within 
 such two months, and also on or before the 25th day of March, 
 in every succeeding year, while this act shall continue in force." 
 
 This amendment to the act of Parliament may be regarded 
 as the very strongest testimony of the high standing which 
 Masonry then had in England, for, it will be remembered, 
 a considerable excitement and alarm prevailed, growing out of 
 the supposition that the several secret societies or clubs, then 
 being formed in Ireland, had for their object revolution and 
 political reform ; and nothing, short of the most implicit con- 
 fidenbe in the principles of Masonry, and the law-abiding habits 
 of its members, could have induced Parliament to make that 
 Institution a solitary exception to the operation of that law, 
 the intention of which was to suppress secret societies or clubs. 
 This amendment, also, presents a very striking commen*arT upon 
 the charges of Barruel and Robinson, that the downfall of kings 
 
niSTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 413 
 
 and the rerolution of empires were concocted in Masonic 
 Lodges. 
 
 It ■will be observed, that the opposers of Masonry assume 
 rery different grounds, in different countries. In governments 
 controlled by a monarchy, Masonry is charged with being in 
 favor of liberty, and opposed to the one man power ; while, in 
 a land of freedom, where the people are governed by laws of 
 of their own making. Masonry is charged with designing and 
 desiring consolidation, and, finally, monarchical rule. During 
 the wild and heartless tirade against Masonry in the United 
 States, who ever heard an anti-Mason charge our Institution, or 
 its members, with being in favor of the liberties of the people ? 
 "Who ever heard a brainless demagogue or a canting priest 
 essaying against Masonry, on the ground that its members were 
 republicans or democrats ? No ; no such grounds were taken, 
 for, by that course, the sting of the malignant slanderer would 
 have failed to poison the public mind. It is true that man is 
 an excitable being, and liable to vacillate from one extreme to 
 the other ; but we wonder that, either in Prance or America, the 
 people could be made to run wild with their fears of Free- 
 masonry, for a moment's reflection should teach all honest men 
 that, from the very Constitution and usages of our Order, 
 neither of the charges could be true, for the simple reason, 'that 
 the Lodge room contains men of all political creeds, and of all 
 religions founded on the belief of God. But, sufficient for the 
 day is the evil thereof * we shall have ample opportunity for 
 comments upon this subject when we come to speak of the anti- 
 Masonic excitement in this country. 
 
 In 1840, Dr. Crucefix, while under suspension, caused to be 
 published in the Freemasons' Quarterly Review, some of the pro- 
 ceedings had by the Grand Lodge, in relation to the charges 
 brought against him. This was in direct violation of a well- 
 known law of the Grand Lodge ; and great as was the injustice 
 which had been perpetrated in suspending the Doctor, no one 
 could justify him in thus setting at naught an edict of his 
 Grand Lodge ; and it is not improbable that the influence of 
 his friends, and a conviction of his own, that he had, in this 
 particular, done wrong, and laid himself liable to well-grounded 
 
414 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 charges, caused him to go forward to the Grand Lodge, and 
 atone for his error, by an open and frank acknowledgment, 
 ■which had the effect to reconcile all diflBculties and restore 
 harmony. There seems to be a decided difference between 
 England and America, in relation to the homage paid to the 
 Grand Master. Here, while the Grand Master is presiding in 
 open Lodge, the most implicit obedience is paid to his mandates, 
 and the most respectful observance of all the courtesies due to 
 the oiEcer and his exalted station. Added to this, his ofBcial 
 orders, issued in vacation, are readily yielded to, even though 
 their propriety or justice be questioned ; but here the distinc- 
 tion ceases. A brother commits no higher offense in speaking 
 disrespectfully of the private character or conduct of the 
 incumbent of the chair than of any other, even the most humble 
 brother. The reputation and the feelings of all are held equally 
 sacred. 
 
 In England, it seems to be a crime of the highest magnitude 
 to impugn the motives, or even doubt the sagacity, of the Grand 
 Master, merely because he is Grand Master. If we rely upon 
 the testimony of Dr. Oliver and the Freemasons' Review, we 
 must believe that the language imputed to some of the brethren, 
 and for which they were suspended, imported but slight censure 
 against the Grand Master, and, as it turns out to be exceedingly 
 doubtful whether the language was ever used, it shows an over- 
 weening and sycophantic desire to shoulder the quarrels of that 
 officer. But Dr. Crucefix was suspended because he had been 
 so unfortunate as to preside over a meeting when other members 
 used the objectionable language. Dr. Oliver tells us that it 
 threw the Craft into great confusion, as they could not impugn 
 the motives of Dr. Crucefix ; they believed him to be an upright 
 and a good man, and a zealous Mason ;, but, on the other hand, 
 they felt bound to defend and sustain the dignity of the Grand 
 Master. 
 
 The truth is, that Dr. Crucefix was a warm and efficient 
 friend to the Asylum for Aged and Decayed Freemasons, and 
 the Grand Master, as we have seen, was not ; and that the 
 Doctor had triumphed is easily seen, when, at a festival, this 
 vear, three thousand five hundred dollars were subscribed, and 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 415 
 
 tlie Queon Dowager, consort of William lY., sent for-ward one 
 hundred dollars, and commended the project in handsome terms. 
 
 The Earl of Durham died this year. He had been a distin- 
 guished officer of the Grand Lodge for more than twenty years 
 fulfilling every trust reposed in him, and at every step making 
 friends. Throughout his whole life he had been a warm advo- 
 cate of the principles of Masonry, and had done much to pro- 
 mote the prosperity of the Institution. -His death was sincerely 
 mourned by all, but especially by the Craft. The testimony of 
 such men are of the highest importance, and should be preserv- 
 ed in the annals of our history. On one occasion, when an 
 assembly of his brethren were giving expression to their sense 
 of his long and efficient services, in grateful and complimentary 
 terms, he made the following remarks : 
 
 " I have ever felt it my duty to support and encourage the 
 principles and practice of Freemasonry, because it powerfully 
 developes all social and benevolent affections ; because it miti- 
 gated without, and annihilates within, the virulence of political 
 and theological controversy ; because it affords the only neutral 
 ground on which all ranks and classes 'can meet in perfect 
 equality, and associate without degradation and mortification, 
 whether for the purposes of moral instruction 'or of social inter- 
 course." — Oliver's Hist, of Masonry. 
 
 "We were struck with the force and justice of these views, 
 and have been tempted to apply them, more especially, to the 
 condition of society in England and America. England boasts 
 of the freedom of her subjects, while America urges, not only 
 the freedom, but equality of her citizens. The Declaration of 
 Independence, made by our venerated sires, asserts the doctrine 
 that all men are born free and equal ; but is there a land under 
 the sun where this boasted equality is maintained ? We affirm 
 there is not. It is- true, that every free white man in the United 
 States has guaranteed to him certain equal and inalienable 
 political rights, and he may, having a fair character, expect the 
 respectful consideration of every other honest man ; but, to 
 insure the fulfillment of high expectations, either social or polit- 
 ical, certain appliances are requisite", which all can not com- 
 mand. Extraordinary talents, without money, if accompanied 
 
416 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 with a large amount of " brass," is, sometimes, a successful 
 cause of rising to, and maintaining, a respectable station in 
 society. Prominent connections, without either talents or 
 money, raise some to a level with the most respectable ; but 
 the only sure passport is money ! money ! — and this, too, as 
 often without, as with, merit. There is, perhaps, no place where 
 we should look with so much confidence to find all on an 
 equality as in the house of prayer, but even there we find dis- 
 tinctions — yea, moreplainly marked than in the ball room. Is 
 there a Church in this country, where the members are on an 
 equality during divine service ? Who occupies the clioice 
 seats, the high places, in the house of the Lord ? We answer, 
 not the saints — not the poor in spirit — not those who are 
 humble and of contrite heart ; but those, only, who are able to 
 pay large annual rents. The choice or fashionable pews are 
 worth, say, one hundred dollars a year ; the next most respecta- 
 ble, sixty or seventy dollars, and so on down ; and, in some 
 I'Aeral congregations, a few back seats are set apart specially 
 for the poor, so that the elite can tell, at a glance, who are going 
 to heaven in fashionable company, and who with " tag-rag-and- 
 bobtail." In some parts of the country, the Methodists teach 
 us that it is radically wrong to dedicate a house to the Lord, 
 with the understanding that the seats are excepted ; and hence 
 their seats are all free. But poor human nature is, at last, the 
 same in that as in all other Churches. In Cincinnati, they 
 excommunicate a Church from the Conference connection, because 
 the seats belong to money-changers, while in Boston, and other 
 cities, pews are sold and rented for the best prices to be had, 
 and this, too. with the connivance, if not sanction, of the 
 Bishops and Elders. It is mockery, all, to prate about piety, 
 humility, and Christian meekness, if the poor woman is com- 
 pelled to take a back seat in the house of God, and become a 
 mark to be pointed at by those who, it may be, have helped to 
 make her poor. How often do we see the family of a tippling 
 shopkeeper occupying the most costly pew, while the widow of 
 a man, beggared and murdered in that dram-shop, is to be seen 
 occupying one of " the poor people's seats ? " 
 
 The Lodge room is, indeed, the only place where there are no 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 411 
 
 seats set apart for the poor — where there are no high places 
 save those obtained by merit, and these at the hands of a 
 majority, whether rich or poor. Whatever may be the distinc- 
 tions which society has established on the streets, in private 
 mansions, or church edifices, those distinctions can not enter 
 the Lodge room. We repeat, then, that the Earl of Durham 
 has forcibly illustrated the true character of our Institution in 
 its social relations. 
 
 The death of the Earl of Durham threw a gloom over the 
 Lodges throughout the kingdom, all which were required, by 
 an edict of the Grand Lodge, to put on mourning for six 
 months. 
 
 During this year a question arose in the Grand Lodge, 
 involving the right to send Lodges into the army. It is 
 believed that this was the first time a doubt had ever been 
 raised in England, or any other country where Masonry was 
 tolerated at all, upon this important subject. And it seems the 
 more remarkable that the question should be mooted at so late 
 a day, when it is remembered that Masonry was inttroduced 
 very early into England by the Roman army ; and, from that 
 period to the year 1840, no nation or people, nay, not even a 
 respectable military commander, ever dreamed of its interfering 
 with discipline. And, while we laugh at the distinction sought 
 by the individual who threw himself into the breach, we fully 
 agree with Dr. Oliver, in saying that our Institution had 
 nothing to lose by the discussion of the subject, for there ia 
 nothing more certainly true than that, in every instance, 
 Masonry has received strength, yea, new life and increased 
 prosperity, from the free investigation of every charge alleged 
 aga,inst its principles or tenets. We challenge contradiction, 
 when we say that the Freemasons' Quarterly Review, of London, 
 has done more for Masonry, in England, than all other causes 
 combined. And we may add, with equal truth, that the various 
 Masonic magazines, in this country, have not only tended to put 
 down all opposition, but to raise the proud standard of our 
 Order above the assaults of bigots and fanatics. 
 
 That the origin and nature of the question may be fairly un- 
 derstood, we make the following extract from Dr. Oliver : 
 
418 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 " The 38th Regiment, stationed in Limerick, having had a 
 Masonic warrant, No. 441 of the Registry of Ireland, in the 
 Regiment for the last fifty years, although it being some time 
 since the brethren met as a Lodge, through the exertions of 
 their Colonel (Piper), who was the W. M. while in India, they 
 revived the Lodge ; and, having got the brethren of the Ancient 
 Limerick Lodge to assist, the Master and officers were installed 
 on the 23rd June. The circumstance, having been inserted in a 
 Limerick paper, came under the notice of Sir Edward Blakeney, 
 who immediately wrote to know if such a transaction occurred 
 among the officers and men of the 38th ; .and, being answered 
 that they considered, while the 47th, 79th, 4th Dragoons, and 
 several other regiments, had Masonic Lodges attached to them, 
 and particularly as they were under the special protection of 
 the law, inasmuch as, when all other secret societies were pro- 
 hibited, a special exception was made to Masonry, they could 
 not see any breach of military discipline ; but, notwithstanding 
 all these and other arguments used. Sir Edward ordered them 
 to return the warrant at once, and cease to meet as Masons." 
 
 That this tyrannical order was justified, by the testimony of 
 a single intelligent and impartial officer of any army in the 
 world, we emphatically deny. It is scarcely necessary to say, 
 at this late day, that there is nothing in Masonry, or its rules, 
 which can be made to impair the devotion or zeal of a soldier 
 to his country, his fireside, and his home. It is certainly not 
 ■necessary to quote from our Ancient Regulations to show that 
 Masonry in no way interferes with the discipline or duty of a 
 soldier, under any circumstances. And it would be a waste of 
 time to introduce a single witness to show that, in every army, 
 Masons have been as good soldiers as any class with which 
 they can be compared. Indeed, such a cloud of witnesses could 
 be referred to, that we should scarcely know where to begin. 
 But, if it be charged that Masonry tends to take away the 
 desire for unholy revenge, harbored by the heart not free from 
 barbarism, and causes him to remember mercy to a captive foe, 
 even upon the battle field, we proudly admit the truth of the 
 allegation, to the fullest extent. We assert that Masonry tends 
 to make the soldier more obedient to the discipline of the array 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 419 
 
 and Jflie commands of his superior. Masonry tends to make the 
 brave more brave, until the battle is won ; but, then, its irre- 
 sistible tendency is, to cultivate the principles of civilization. 
 It teaches justice, tempered with mercy and pure benevolence; 
 it teaches the soldier to be a man, and not a blood-thirsty fiend ; 
 it teaches the conqueror that it is not beneath his dignity, nor 
 will it sully his honor to practice the benign principles of be- 
 nevolence, and extend the hand of fellowship to a fallen or 
 captive foe. And, if evidence were wanting to show that 
 Masonry practically inculcates these heaven-born principles, 
 we might triumphantly appeal to every army of civilized men 
 upon the face of the earth, in which a Lodge existed ; yea, to 
 every army in which Masons were to be found, though attached 
 to no Lodge. 
 
 But Masonry is productive of other and more important 
 results, in its influence upon the soldiery. We wish, that all, 
 wlio entertain doubts about the policy of suffering a, Lodge in 
 the army, could have heard the thrillingly interesting accounts 
 of its happy influence, as detailed by the lamented Colonel 
 Boyakin, of Illinois, who commanded a portion of our army in 
 the Mexican war. We had known the Colonel for many years, 
 and loved him as a Mason good and true. But, on his return, 
 he could only speak of our Order with enthusiasm. He said 
 he had ever seen it do good, but only in the army had he wit- 
 nessed its giant strength. There he had seen it arrest the 
 downward and ruinous course of young men, and, not only 
 r^tore them to their former good conduct, but raise them far 
 above their former standard of moral worth. He had seen 
 it make a sober and discreet man of the almost drunkard. 
 He had seen it drive away envy, and spite, and malice ; yea, he 
 had seen it make brothers of enemies. In short, he declared to 
 us that Masonry did more good with the volunteers under his 
 command, than all other benevolent efforts combined. He said 
 he had often before seen zealous brethren make the Lodge room 
 a place of praiseworthy fraternal association, but never had' he 
 seen the whole soul poured forth in Brotherly Love before. 
 There he saw, night after night, every member present engaged, 
 heart and soul, in the glorious cause. 
 
420 HISTOEY OF FEBiSMACONRr. 
 
 A.nd such is its influence, always, in a land of strangers, away 
 from the gentle allurements of home. It makes a home and n 
 family fireside for all its members. It brings up reminiscences 
 of the parental roof, and the endearments of early associations 
 with beloved sisters and brothers. We do not hesitate to say 
 that, however much good Masonry is doing everywhere, its 
 brightest and loveliest achievements are in the army ; and we 
 should be loth to believe that any sensible man, with all the 
 testimony before him, could oppose its introduction into the 
 barrack or camp, unless, indeed, it were possible for him to be 
 opposed to religion and morality. 
 
 Although we do not feel seriously called upon to furnish 
 proof of the well known fact that Masonry can not make a 
 soldier less brave, or less obedient to military discipline, we 
 think proper to give the following extract from Dr. Oliver, 
 who credits it to a writer in the JVaval Military Gazette: 
 
 " I must confess myself unable to comprehend the object of 
 this most arbitrary proceeding on the part of Sir Edward 
 Blakeney, and shall feel obliged if you will throw some light 
 on it, and state what it is, connected with Freemasonry, that 
 has led Sir Edward thus to condemn it, as an improper Society 
 for military men to belong to. If he can show that its intro- 
 duction into the army has been in any way subversive of good 
 order and military discipline, the question is of course settled ; 
 but I must remark that, if any such objection does exist, it is 
 strange that it has never been stated until now ; and that it 
 altogether escaped the notice of the following general officers, 
 who were, to the full, as anxious to maintain strict discipline 
 in the British army, as the gallant commander of the forces in 
 Ireland : — His Royal Highness the Duke of York, the late Duke 
 of Richmond, Earl of Harrington, Marquis of Hastings, Earl 
 of Donoughmore, Sir John Stuart, Sir John Doyle, Lord Com- 
 bermere (who was present, lately, when his son, an officer in 
 the 7th Hussars, was initiated into the mysteries of Freema- 
 sonry), and many others, living and dead, were all members of the 
 Masonic Brotherhood, which Sir Edward Blakeney has taken 
 upon himself to denounce, as dangerous and hostile to the well 
 being of the army. Did Sir Edward Blakeney ever hear that 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 421 
 
 the 46tli fought less gallantly at Dominica, in 1805, because 
 opposed to a body of French, consisting for the most part of 
 Freemasons, although there was, at the time, a regimental 
 Masonic Lodge in the 46th? Oi', can he show, in the whole 
 army, regiments which have uniformly maintained a higher 
 character for strict discipline, good conduct, and bravery in the 
 field, than the following regiments (which I name from 
 memory) :— 1st Dragoons, 28th, 29th, 38th, 42nd, 46th, Tlst, 
 79th, and 88th, to each of which there is, or was lately, a 
 Masonic Lodge attached ?" 
 
 About this time. Masonry received a new and powerful im- 
 petus in India, through the instrumentality of Provincial Grand 
 Masters, who had been appointed by the Grand Lodge of 
 England. Lodges rapidly sprung up, and the most intelligent 
 and prominent men sought initiation. This prosperity was the 
 more .remarkable, because of the materiel with which the Lodges 
 were surrounded, some idea of which may be formed from the 
 following amusing anecdote, found in the FreemasmCs Quarterly 
 Review for 1839 : 
 
 " The lower order of the Hiadoos, being at a loss to comprehend the occasion 
 of the Freemasons' meeting, conceived their mysteries are expounded by dancing 
 gestures, and likening them to their own natches, they style the Freemasoha' 
 ceremonial as the ' Chumera ka natch,' the leather dance, in reference to the 
 apron. They also consider that 'magic' is practiced by them, and they term 
 the Lodge building ' Jadoo Gurh,' Sorcery or Magic House. Lately, a punkah- 
 puller, who was squatting outside the banqueting room of a Lodge, was observ- 
 ed to become gradually sleepy over his duty, to the manifest inconvenience of 
 the brethren, and the punkah at length was still. One of the brethren left the 
 room, and found the lazy fellow asleep. A sharp touch with the rope aroused 
 the sleeper, who, suddenly awakened, and seeing the brother in his full parapher- 
 nalia, his dream was over ; bewildered and alarmed, he screamed out, ' Jadoo 
 Gurh ! Jadoo Gixrh!' and vanished. No consideration could ever induce him to 
 repeat his visit to the portals of the Sorcery House." 
 
 Our history of European Masonry, from 1830 to 1840, is 
 necessarily very partial and imperfect. We have been forced to 
 rely upon Dr. Oliver, and detached parcels found in the Free, 
 mason's - Quarterly Review, and other periodical publications— 
 but mainly upon Dr. Oliver, who has written but little, save of 
 Masonry in England. 
 
 There is another, and somewhat singular reason why our 
 
422 HISTOEY OF FKEEMASONEY. 
 
 history is less fascinating in its details for the last ten years. 
 At no period of the world's history has our Institution been so 
 groudly in the ascendant, in every civilized nation of the earth, 
 as it now is and has been for the last twenty years ; and one 
 would be prepared to expect the historian to be so richly 
 furnished with material, that he would be able to captivate his 
 readers by a detail of interesting events ; but, it must be borne 
 in mind, a relation of interesting facts in reference to any 
 one portion of the world is now applicable to all others. The 
 news from all quarters is, that Lodges are rapidly increasing, 
 and Masonry is prospering everywhere. Everywhere are thesame 
 public demonstrations being made in its favor ; and, so far from 
 riveting attention, we should tire the reader, were we to give a 
 separate and detailed account of each. Within the last ten 
 years, a few local disturbances, growing out of a difference in 
 opinion as to Masonic law, and, in some instances, temporary 
 confusion has been produced by an overweening desire to 
 assimilate Masonry to the Christian religion ; but these form 
 but slight and transient spots in the bright and broad firmament 
 which overspreads our time-honored and growing Institution. 
 We believe that almost, if not every Grand Lodge, that ever 
 attempted to establish any other religious test than a belief in 
 the God of the Bible, has receded and retraced its steps. And 
 the few jarring discords brought about by ambitious and 
 designing men, have been smothered in, their infancy ; or, if not, 
 will soon die of disappointment and chagrin. " Truth is 
 mighty, and will prevail." Masonry is one and indivisible, 
 its principles are Godlike, and will triumph over all opposi- 
 tion. Its ancient laws and peculiar rituals are being well 
 understood ; and though there be a few who vainly suppose they 
 could improve the system by fanatical innovations, the sound 
 sense and unbiased judgment of the great body of the Craft 
 will frown down every appearance of such unholy and mis- 
 placed zeal. Masonry will continue to move on, in the even 
 tenor of its way, until all benevolent breasts will beat respon- 
 sive to its benign injunctions. 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 However strange it may seem to those who have not care- 
 fully examined the subject, it is, nevertheless, true that, at this 
 day, it is more difiBcult to collate and digest a history of Free- 
 masonry, in any one country in which it has been known to 
 exist, than it would be to collate and digest a history of the 
 world. Two facts, not only prove this to be true, but satis- 
 factorily explain the reason of it! First, until the early part of 
 the eighteenth century, the Masons permitted very little to be 
 published, either in reference to the action of the Lodges, or of 
 the principles of the Order. And, second, since publications 
 have been permitted, very few men have undertaken the labori- 
 ous task of writing such a history of the Society as its claims 
 demand. In writing the history of the world, the author is 
 only required to examine, and select from his predecessors 
 (always at hand in great numbers) ; while, upon the subject of 
 Masonic history, we have no digested work to consult, written 
 prior to 1722 ; and what renders the task more difficult is, that 
 the works which have appeared since that time are little more 
 than copies of the first. Dr. Anderson, of London, by order of 
 the Grand Lodge of England, collected all the old manuscripts 
 then available, and wrote out a brief history of the Order in 
 1722. But that it was necessarily imperfect, may be readily 
 seen in the fact that such was the prejudice of some of the old 
 Masons against any publications upon the subject, that they 
 destroyed many valuable manuscripts, lest they should find their 
 way to the world at that or some future period. Since Ander- 
 son wrote, Preston, Hutchinson, and a few others, have written 
 upon the same subject ; but it is lamentably true, that no one 
 of them has done much more than copy Anderson. If we may 
 
424 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 believe Anderson, and if we consider tlie time occupied, and the, 
 p.ircumstances under which he wrote, we must suppose he did 
 not present all the facts which might have been gathered, had 
 his exclusive attention been devoted to the subject for a longer 
 period ; and it is much to be regretted that Preston and Lawrio, 
 who wrote in the same century, gave us so little additional 
 light. It is, therefore, a difficult task, at this day, to compile a 
 history of the Order down to the period when these authors 
 wrote ; but how much more difficult is it to continue that 
 history down to the present day. 
 
 Dr. Oliver, a distinguished divine of England, has recently 
 written largely upon the subject, and has undertaken to bring 
 the history down to 1840, and, so far as England is concerned, 
 has probably done so correctly ; but we regard it as rather 
 remarkable that he should have acquired so little knowledge 
 of Masonry in the United States. He does not undertake to 
 say at what time Masonry found its way into this country, nor 
 does he give us any details of its rise and progress, if we except 
 a short period in our Masonic history, viz., the rage of anti-Ma- 
 sonry. Upon this subject he dwells at some length, giving 
 extracts from Allyn's Ritual, Stone's Letters, and the writings 
 of other unprincipled scamps, whose gas we had been taught to 
 believe was too contemptible for serious notice, much less to 
 find an abiding place in a work entitled to the name of history. 
 To this day, then, we have no written history of Masonry in 
 the United States. Such a history has not been deferred 
 because of a want of demand for it, for no work is more 
 desired ; but, we suppose, no one has undertaken to write it, 
 simply because the difficulties attending it were too great to 
 be encountered. Had Dr. Anderson written the history of 
 Masonry in the American Colonies, Preston, Lawvie, Oliver, 
 and others, would have done likewise, for then it would- have 
 been easily compiled. As it is, we fear it is now too late to 
 expect that such a work will be satisfactorily performed. 
 
 We may go back about one hundred and twenty years, and 
 gath(!r a few disconnected facts of particular localities, and 
 draw our deductions from tnem, but the chain of events is by 
 no means continuous until after the close of the Revolutionary 
 
I HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRY. 425 
 
 war ; and even from that period to the present day, we are 
 compelled to wade through an almost impenetrable mass of 
 rubbish, and pick up, scrap by scrap, if, indeed, by so doing, 
 we shall be able to connect the links in such manner as may be 
 useful to those who shall come after us. It is true, we might 
 write volumes founded on mere conjecture ; we might assume 
 the popular ground, that Masonry is as old as the world, and 
 known to all the inhabitants thereof, and hence it must have been 
 in possession of the Indians prior to the discovery of this conti- 
 nent, in 1492. Yea, we should be borne out in asserting that the 
 " lost tribes " brought it to the forests of America, and have 
 ever since preserved it in its purity. We might find hiero- 
 glyphics stamped upon bones and pieces of bark, and, as one of 
 our cotemporaries has done, jump to the conclusion that, as we 
 could not decipher them, they must be the hieroglyphics of true 
 Masonry corrupted. But, we suppose, we would be about as 
 well sustained by testimony, to take the ground that the Gar- 
 den of Eden was situated in Central America, that some of the 
 mountains were not submerged by the Flood, and, that Noah 
 (being Grand Master, according to Oliver) left behind a Lodge 
 of brethren, well skilled, to teach and perpetuate Freemasonry 
 on this continent, while he sailed to Mount Ararat, to plant 
 it there. 
 
 "While we are not inclined to deal in any of these chimeras 
 of the brain, we are constrained to admit that " a round, 
 unvarnished tale -of truth " is scarcely to be hoped for, even 
 though we should detail and bring to bear all the available 
 testimony. Feeling well persuaded that we shall not be able 
 to meet the expectation of our readers, we claim the privilege 
 of showing that the fault is not ours, and that we are not alone 
 in our failure to elicit material for the history of Masonry in 
 this country. 
 
 Soon after we commenced our history, more than ten years 
 ago, we addressed letters to some of the most prominent Mar 
 sons in the older States, setting forth our design, and frater- 
 nally asking their aid, by collecting such materials as they 
 could within their respective jurisdictions. To South Carolina 
 and Virginia we looked with great interest, and we supposed 
 
42G HISTOEY OF FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 we had addressed the very men who would have taken prido 
 in aiding so laudable a work ; but to neither of those letters 
 have we received a reply. We did not write to any one in 
 Massachusetts, for the reason that we had no hope of being 
 benefited tliereby, as Bro. Moore had long been publishing a 
 Masonic journal in tTiat State ; and we took it for granted that 
 he would, long since, have given us something more than the 
 meagre sketches which have appeared in his Magazine, hadthe 
 .facts been available. From New York, alone, have we received 
 assistance. We take pride in saying that our letters to Bro. 
 Yates, the distinguished antiquarian and enlighted Mason, 
 were responded to in a most satisfactory manner, touching the 
 higher orders of Masonry. We have already availed ourself of 
 his valuable information, and though he compelled us to sup- 
 press his name in that connection, we can not permit this 
 opportunity to pass without tendering him our acknowledg- 
 ments. 
 
 Our letters to Bro. Hatch, of world-wide fame, as the 
 unequaled Chairman of the Correspondence Committee, was 
 promptly responded to, and such assistance as his pressing en- 
 gagements permitted, he gave with a free good will. We 
 tender him our hearty thanks. 
 
 Bro. King, the editor of the Union, a journal second to none, 
 to whom we wrote at a later period, has taken up the subjects 
 of our letter with a lively zeal, which can not fail to result 
 greatly to our interest, and which proves that his generous 
 bosom is animated by a noble heart. We will not say that he 
 has done more to forward our history than any other Masonic 
 editor would do, under similar circumstances, but we do say he 
 is the only one who has tendered us aid. 
 
 The following extract from the Portfolio, Vol. ii., p. 229, 
 will show how little interest is manifested by Masons, occupy- 
 ing high places, for the preservation of the histo'ry of the Craft 
 in the United States : 
 
 " Many years ago, the editor of this work had it in con- 
 templation to compile and publish a history of Masonry in the 
 United States. For the purpose of obtaining the necessary 
 material, he addressed a circular letter to each of the Grand 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 427 
 
 Secretaries ; to several of his letters he received replies, con- 
 taiaing notes of the origin and progress of Masonry in their 
 respective States ; but by the greater number his request waa 
 unnoticed, and he, therefore, abandoned the design." 
 
 It will be seen that Bro. Tannehill's failure to elicit informa- 
 tion was not more complete than ours has been, though we 
 selected men of literary fame. 
 
 And now, what remains for us to say, by way of promise to 
 our readers? It is very evident, that an attempt to gather 
 interesting facts has been so long delayed, that a perfect 
 history of the Craft, in this country, can never be given ; and 
 the longer such an effort is delayed, the more of our history 
 will be lost to future ages. Being impressed with the impor- 
 tance of rescuing from oblivion all the material we can, we 
 shall proceed to collate the few facts now available, though, in 
 the end, we should only be able to furnish an imperfect sketch. 
 Should we, at some future period, be able to make a tour 
 through the older States, as we much desire to do, we hope 
 then to be able to remodel and rewrite our History of Ameri- 
 can Masonry. 
 
 We do not think it important to our subject that we should 
 enter the lists with those who, for more than two centuries, 
 have attempted to show the origin of the American Indians. It 
 is true, that, if we believed there was reliable testimony that 
 Masonry was in the possession of the Indians before the dis- 
 covery of this continent by Columbus, it would become a sub- 
 ject of deep interest to inquire whether the aborigines sprang 
 from the lost tribes of Israel ; and, this fact being ascertained, 
 then to determine whether, at any period, there was a commer- 
 cial intercourse carried on between them and any other portion 
 of the world ; for if, in 1492, Masonry was known to the 
 aborigines, the conclusion is irresistible, that they received it 
 from an intercourse with some other nation or people, as they 
 could not have brought that knowledge with them long before 
 Masonry was instituted. 
 
 The religious ceremonies, but more especially their belief in 
 tme great spirit, one great first cause, one God, favors the idea 
 that they were descended from the Jews. On the other hand, 
 
428 HISTORY OF PRBEMASONEY. 
 
 some of the tribes are known to speak so nearly the Greek 
 language, that a Greek scholar finds little or no difficulty in 
 acquiring a knowledge of the Indian tongue. Some two or 
 three years since, we had a long interview with an Indian 
 agent, from the Missouri River, who stated to us ihat one of the 
 tribes under his supervision was readily understood by any one 
 familiar with Greek ; that, while many of the words had 
 evidently become corrupted by their intercourse with other 
 tribes, still was the greater portion of their language Greek. 
 There is, also, quite as much testimony that there are other 
 tribes who speak the old Celtic language. Now, how can all 
 these difficulties be reconciled to any of the theories which 
 have been promulgated ? If they are descended from the lost 
 tribes, we should expect the Indians to speak mainly the Hebrew, 
 and yet we have no knowledge of any tribe speaking that lan- 
 guage. If the Indians emigrated from Greece, we should, cer- 
 tainly, not expect them to have any knowledge of the one only 
 living and true God, but that the names of their gods would be 
 as numerous as the stars. If their stock is Tartaric or Celtic, 
 we should equally look for a perpetuation of the Egyptian 
 Mysteries, and a total want of any knowledge of the God of 
 Moses. And. besides, Wales has not been a nation long enough 
 to render it probable that the first settlers on this continent 
 were Welsh. Several writers tell rfs of tribes of Indians hav- 
 ing fair skins, blue eyes, and light reddish hair, and this they 
 give as evidence that they are of Welsh origin, and by some it 
 is supposed that Madock and his followers landed on this con- 
 tinent, and that the tribes last spoken of were his descendants ; 
 but this is not sustained by any other than doubtful surmises. 
 Moreover, it would not do to trace the origin of the American 
 Indians to Madock, for even admitting he landed on this con- 
 tinent at all, that event could not have occurred more than about 
 three hundred years before the landing of Columbus. But, not 
 wishing to pursue this subject here, we will only say that we do 
 not think it within the power of man to show, with any sort of 
 clearness, the origin of the American Indians. 
 
 To our subject, it is important that we ascertain, if possible, 
 whether Freemasonry was known to the Indians prior to the 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 429 
 
 discovery of the continent lay Columbus. If it can be shown 
 that Masonry was, at that time, known to the aborigines, it 
 would prove to our mind, satisfactorily, either that the Indiana 
 came here' since the building of the Jewish Temple ; or that, if 
 they emigrated to this country at any time anterior to the days 
 of Solomon, other emigrants came among them afterward, for 
 no man can show any reliable evidence that Masonry existed in 
 the world until it was instituted by King Solomon. No one, 
 who does not jump to conclusions from mere chimeras of the 
 brain, can for a moment suppose that Masonry was in posses- 
 sion of the lost tribes of Israel, and they, landing on this con- 
 tinent, perpetuated it down to the present day. As well plight 
 we suppose, as before suggested, that it had been left here by 
 Noah, or that it was instituted at the Tower of Babel, after 
 language was confounded, with a view that, by this universal 
 language, men might be able to recognize and hold communion 
 with each other the world over. Either of these fanciful sup- 
 positions would drive us to another, more serious in its conse- 
 quences, viz., that God failed to accomplish his designs, for the 
 Bible tells us, that the whole earth was submerged, and that 
 only Noah and his family were saved ; and that sacred volume 
 also informs us that the language of the Babylonians was con- 
 founded, that they might not hold communion one with another, 
 but, thereby, be compelled to separate into tribes or nations, 
 speaking the same tongue. But granting that Masonry did 
 exist on this continent before its discovery by Columbus, would 
 it not be quite as rational to suppose it was brought here 
 immediately after the completion of Solomon's Temple ? 
 
 The Bible informs us that the wise men of all nations visited 
 Jerusalem, to behold the Temple, and learn wisdom of Solo- 
 mon. Now, if there were at that time any wise men on this 
 continent, they certainly visited and learned wisdom of Solo- 
 mon. But we cease these wild speculations, and come to the 
 naked proposition — Were the aborigines in possession of Free- 
 masonry when this continent was discovered by Columbus? 
 Wc answer, unhesitatingly, they were not ; and, though we can 
 not be expected to prove a negative, we shall proceed to show 
 
430 HISTORY OF FKEEMASONET. 
 
 Bpon what shallow proofs reliance is placed by those who 
 maintain the opposite ground. 
 
 Brother Yates, in an able article to be found in Moore's 
 Magazine, vol. iv., page 70, relates several instances where the 
 whites were made prisoners by the Indians, and, through the 
 intervention of a friend, miraculously made, were saved from ( 
 being burned at the stake. 
 
 Now, these historical facts, in the hands of almost any other 
 writer, would have been used to prove that Masonry was the 
 cause of saving the lives spoken of ; but Brother Yates sets out 
 to prove that a portion of the Indians are descended from 
 Wales, and he tells us that some of the Indians spoke the same 
 language of the prisoners, and, hence, there was a partiality 
 created, which resulted in restoring the Welshmen to their 
 homes. 
 
 We find the following paragraph in Brother Yates' article : 
 
 " Major Stoddard, in his History of Louisiana, says that tra- 
 velers describe certain secret Societies among the American 
 Indians, which are like our own Freemasons' Lodges. Their 
 regulations are similar. No member can be admitted without 
 the unanimous vote of the whole Society, to be determined by 
 ballot. They have different degrees, like our Fraternity ; cere- 
 monies of initiation ; and different modes of passing from one 
 degree to another." 
 
 As statements similar to the above have been made, and 
 reiterated again and again, and as their truth has never been 
 questioned, so far as we know, we no\t propose to examine 
 their claims to our belief. It will be observed that Major 
 Stoddard makes no statement in relation to the matter upon 
 his own authority, and before giving a description of a secret 
 Society known to exist among the Indians, we undertake to say 
 that greater reliance may be placed upon the statements of 
 Indian traders and Indian agents than upon the gas of flying 
 travelers ; and we have been at no little pains to obtain infor- 
 mation from eye witnesses of the scene described. 
 
 The following description of a " Medicine Lodge," and the 
 "Medicine Dance,'' may be relied on as mainly correct. It 
 was detailed to us by an eye witness : 
 
HISTOltT OP FREEMASONRY. 4551 
 
 " For some months previous to the day of meeting, it is known 
 to the surrounding friendly nations that, on a given day, a 
 ' Medicine Lodge,' or ' Medicine Dance,' will be held. No one 
 Bcems to know by whose authority the meeting is called, but all 
 suppose it to be a decree from the " Great Medicine." 
 "Previous to the meeting,' a smooth piece of ground is selected, 
 about fifteen feet by thirty. Small poles are set on end in the 
 ground, about a foot apart ; willow limbs are then interlaced 
 closely, from pole to pole, until the sides or walls of the Lodge, 
 or ' Wickiup,' are sufficiently tight to prevent passers by from 
 seeing within, save by eaves-dropping, which, by the Indians, 
 is considered so disgraceful that no fears are entertained of an 
 interruption of the kind. ' After the walls of the Lodge are 
 finished, the tops of the poles are bent inward, and the whole 
 secured by means of bark strings, on the top of which skiiis of 
 animals are placed, to form a roof. It is understood that the 
 day of the meeting is the one, of all others, for making presents, 
 and few Indians assemble without being prepared with a pony, 
 a gun, furs, wampum, or some other articles to be given to their 
 friends. The members of the Society are made up of men and 
 women, but generally of the Chiefs, and descendants of Chiefs, 
 or families in authority. The day and hour being arrived, the 
 members assemble in the Lodge. The women have black leg- 
 gings, and black strouds, or mulle-taigon, extending from the 
 waist to midway of their thighs ; the upper parts of their dress 
 are thickly ornamented with silver broaches and trinkets. The 
 men have scarlet leggings, a calico skirt, and scarlet blanket. 
 The members being assembled, and seated around on skins, a 
 fire is built in the centre of the Lodge. Whisky is then handed 
 around two or three times, which is sparingly partaken of; 
 after which they rise, one after another, and commence danc- 
 ing, accompanied by music, resembling, somewhat, the chanting 
 of a hymn, the words of which have reference to the Great 
 Spirit, or Meleta. After singing and dancing for a time, they 
 are again seated, and a sumptuous repast of meats is partaken 
 of. Then, again, the singing and dancing is renewed, and now 
 enters a candidate, or one who is to be inducted into this 
 Society, and is seated at one end of the Lodge. This person is 
 
432 HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 decorated according to the ability of the family of which ho 
 is a member, but always are candidates richly supplied with 
 ornaments and jewels, held in high estimation. On the en- 
 trance of the candidate, the members all resume their seats, 
 except the ' Great Medicine,' who continues to dance up to, and 
 around the candidate, now and then going through the motions 
 of shooting, with a bow and arrow, at him. At each of these 
 imaginary discharges of the arrow, more or less of the powere 
 and endowments of the ' Great Medicine' are supposed to pass 
 into the candidate. Next, the ' Great Medicine' shoots, or 
 slips, a bean into the mouth of the candidate, and, finally, 
 strikes him a blow with the ' Medicine Bag,' and he falls to 
 the earth, apparently dead. He is then stripped of all his 
 jewels and ornaments, which constitutes the fee for initiation. 
 This being done, the ' Great Medicine' rubs the body making 
 mysterious signs, and repeating a batch of words, or guttural 
 sounds, the meaning of which is unknown to any one, but sup- 
 posed to be dictated by the ' Great Spirit.' Immediately after 
 this ceremony, the " Great Medicine" again strikes the candi- 
 date with the 'Medicine Bag,' and, putting his hand to the 
 mouth, the bean falls into it ; the initiate is restored to life, 
 and, with singing and dancing, he is welcomed as a member." 
 
 Now, reader, what think you is the great end supposed by 
 the Indians to be accomplished by all this parade and cere- 
 mony ? Do you suppose they imagine they make Masons ? 
 Are any of the tenets of our Order perceptible ? Is there any 
 likeness in the ceremony ? Is the candidate taught a system 
 of ethics ? Well, whatever may be your opinion, we will tell 
 you that the Indians believe the " Great Medicine" is permitted 
 to commune with the " Great Spirit," in relation to the cure 
 of all diseases of the human race, and that any one, male or 
 female, who may be introduced into the " Medicine Lodge," 
 is thereby placed under the special protection and instruction 
 of the " Great Spirit," who, if he is faithful, will in time be 
 taught how to cure all diseases. And this is the great secret, long 
 since discovered (if we may believe some far-seeing sud 
 seemingly learned Masons), to be spurious Masonry. But it 
 may be said by those who imagine they can find Masonry in 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 433 
 
 everything that possesses mystery, that we have not told all 
 that tends to establish a connection between this " Medicine 
 Dance " and Freemasonry. We have not told about the hiero- 
 glyphics — the symbols used by the members of the " Medicine 
 Lodge." We grant it, and admit that it is not our privilege to 
 withhold this irresistibk evidence, that the Indians have spurious 
 Masonry, at least. We grant that the members of the " Medicine 
 Lodge " are furnished with a bone, or piece of bark, with myste- 
 rious characters or symbols, if you please, painted upon it ; 
 and we further admit that once upon a time, the editor of a 
 Masonic journal, on beholding one of these mysterious articles, 
 very sagaciously arrived at the conclusion that the owner was 
 a Mason, though no sign or word could be obtained in proof 
 of it, and straightway, not only heaped favors and encomiums on 
 the Indian, but highly approved the action of a Lodge, who, a 
 few days after, made a Mason of a half-breed in company, 
 without requiring delay and strict investigation, as in all cases 
 where white men are petitioners. We admit, further, that we 
 can not explain the meaning of the symbols above alluded to, 
 but we ask it to be remembered that the same may be said of 
 many other symbols used by every tribe of Indians, whether 
 belonging to ar secret Society or not. The truth is, and it ii 
 known to all, that the Indians do as the ancient Egyptians did, 
 and as all untutored and uncivilized people have ever done, 
 represent events and things, by painting or carving certain 
 images, the meaning of which, by long use, is well understood 
 by them, but unknown to others. The Western pioneers ob- 
 tained a knowledge of the meaning attached to some of the 
 symbols, and we have reason to believe that a knowledge of all 
 could be an-ived at. Those who fell into the hands of the war- 
 like tribes in the early settlement of the Mississippi valley, soon 
 learned the particular kind of painting which represented the 
 condemnation of the prisoner, and some other symbols were 
 understood by them ; but to one who has not had tlie opportu- 
 nity to devote any attention to the subject, the peculiar manner 
 of painting the face, the symbols on their blankets, etc., would 
 not be understood. It is known that most of their symbols are 
 representations of different kinds of animals, to each of which 
 
434 HISTORY OF PRBEMASONET. 
 
 different meanings are attached, according to the different atti- 
 tudes in which they are represented ; but as far as we can 
 ascertain^ there is not a single Masonic symbol, or one having a 
 weU-deJined resemblance to those used in Masonry, in the possession 
 of the Indians. We do not, of course, mean to say, that 
 Masonry can not now be found among the" Indians ; on the 
 contrary, we know that a number of Lodges, with all our rituals, 
 are established among them, but we also know that these are 
 the result of their intercourse with the whites. 
 
 "We have often heard from public speakers that the noble 
 conduct of Brant, in saving the life of a brother Mason, though 
 an enemy, was proof positive, that Masonry was known among 
 the Indians, when this continent was discovered, and yet it 
 would not be difficult to produce testimony that he was made 
 in an English Lodge, held under the authority of the Grand 
 Lodge of England. And so, we presume, was Masonry intro- 
 duced among the Indians. We do not believe that Masonry 
 was known on this continent, until after it was visited by 
 civilized men. 
 
 We can not but regard it as remarkable, that learned men 
 who have not been able to produce satisfactory testimony that 
 a Masonic Lodge was ever opened on this continent, by the 
 civilized, the polished, the proud descendants of the Saxon, 
 prior to 1730, at the same time so fully satisfy themselves 
 that Masonry existed among the Indians before the days of 
 Columbus. And, as attempts are daily being made to convert 
 this visionary theory of Indian Masonry into settled historical 
 truth, we shall next proceed to examine some of the testimony 
 relied upon. 
 
 In the article referred to, Bro. Yates says : 
 
 " Francis Lewis, the father of the late General Morgan 
 Lewis, who was up to the time of his decease. Grand Master of 
 the Grand (symbolic) Lodge of the State of New York, was 
 taken captive during what was termed ' The French War ;' and 
 as was the custom on such occasions, he, with the thirty other cap 
 tives, were given to the Indians that accompanied the French 
 party, as their share of the prisoners. Mr. Lewis, being a native 
 of Waley, and versed in the Welsh language, was astonished 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONEY. 435 
 
 at hearing the Indian, to -whose particular care he had been 
 assigned, called by a name which reminded him of two Welsh 
 words, signifying 'large head.' On inquiring of an inter- 
 preter, who was one of the party, the meaning of the name, he 
 learned that its literal signification was large head. This dia- 
 discovery induced him to make some further philological re- 
 searches in the language spoken by these Indians, and, during 
 the short period of his captivity, he discovered many other 
 words, which bore so strong an analogy to Welsh words of the' 
 same meaning, that the conclusion that they were derived from 
 the Welsh was irresistible. Mr. Lewis' associate prisoners were 
 put to death, but Mr. Lewis' own life was saved by the large- 
 headed Indian, aforesaid, who had become his friend and patron, 
 and conducted him in safety to Montreal, . whence, on an ex- 
 change of prisoners, he reached his home in safety." 
 
 Admitting the foregoing statement to be strictly true, and we 
 have no cause to question it, it certainly does not furnish the 
 slightest testimony that the life of Lewis was spared because of 
 Masonry ; but, on the contrary, because the Indian had con- 
 ceived a friendship for him, growing out of their supposed 
 common origin. Bro. Yates further says : 
 
 " The Rev. Morgan Jones, Chaplain in a military expedition 
 to Port Royal, South Carolina, was, with others of his party, 
 taken prisoner by the Tuscarora Indians, in the year 1660. He 
 was condemned to death. While preparations were making for 
 his execution, he made signs of distress, and certain exclama- 
 tions in his native tongue, the Welch. These were noticed, and 
 instantly responded to by a Sachem o'f the Doeg tribe, who was 
 present. This Sachem warmly interceded with the Tuscaroras, 
 in behalf of Mr. Jones, and saved his life. He afterward visited 
 the Doeg tribe, and preached to them in the Welsh tongue, so 
 as to be understood." — Owen's British Remains. 
 
 Here, again, we are furnished with evidence, that the langvAxge 
 spoken by Morgan Jones was the means of saving his life. 
 But, says the account, he made signs of distress ; but we arc not 
 told that they were Masonic signs, and, most certainly, we 
 must believe there are signs of distress depicted upon the 
 countenance, and evidenced by gesticulations, which may be 
 
436 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 understood by the whole human race, and, to our mind, the fair 
 presumption appears to be, that Masonic signs were pot. used ; 
 for had they been resorted to with success, the fact would most 
 cert9,inly have been stated. Upon the whole, we reasonably 
 hope that we will not be amenable to the charge of illiherality 
 or skepticism, in expressing surprise that, upon such flimsy 
 testimony, Brother Yates jumps to the conclusion that secret 
 Societies, much less the Masonic Society, have existed among 
 the Indians from time immemorial, and, by the merest surmise, 
 that the Indians had derived their M^asoary from the Druids, 
 whom we suppose never knew anything about Masonry. Bro. 
 Yates says : 
 
 " I am not able, from the source of information now before 
 me, to give a more circumstantial account .than I have above, 
 of these secret Associations. The accounts we have, speak of 
 them only in connection with the Welsh Indians, and have 
 been furnished by writers not of the Mystic Craft, who intro- 
 duced the facts in relation to them, fpr the single purpose of 
 showing that the ancestry of these Indians must have emigrated 
 from "Wales. Of this there can be no reasonable doubt. This 
 emigration must have taken place several centuries before the 
 days of Columbus, and the knowledge of Freemasonry, which 
 these emigrants possessed, must have been derived from the 
 Druids, of whom there were more in "Wales than in any other 
 country in Europe. These learned and pious men were, it is, 
 well known, exterminated by the sword, A.D. 1282,. in the 
 reign of Edward, I., to whom they had rendered themselves 
 obnoxious by their liberal sentiments and exertions in the cause 
 of liberty. That English Masonry is of Druidical origin is 
 spsceptible of proof, and is a subject that has employed the 
 t£ilents of several distinguished writers without, as well; as 
 within, the pale of th^ Masonic Fraternity." 
 
 Bro. Yates is not content with stating that the^ "Welsh 
 Indians had a knowledge of Masonry, but makes the assertion 
 that " these mystic Associations were known also among other 
 nations." We are loth to believe that the distinguished brother 
 nxakes this statement with so much confidence upon no better 
 aftthority than the hearsay testimony furijighed by Governor 
 
HISTORY OF PBEEMJlSONRT. 437 
 
 Clinton. But that we may do no one injustice, we will extract 
 the article as given by BrO^ Yates : 
 
 " But these mystic Associations existed, not only among the 
 Welsh Indians, so called, they were known, also, among other 
 Indian tribes, which could not, by any possibility, have had a 
 Welsh origin. I allude to the tribes constituting the Iroquois 
 Confederacy, who were the sovereigns of the Stdte of New 
 York, when Hudson first discovered the river which bears hifi 
 name. De Witt Clinton, late Governor of the State of NeW 
 York, relates, on the authority of a respectable native minister 
 of the Gospel, that a Freemason Society existed among the 
 Iroquois. The minister received the signs of the mystery from 
 a Menomenie chief. The Menomenies must, therefore, be in 
 possession of the mystery also. Among the Iroquois, it wa8 
 anything but common. Only three times five could be members 
 of it at any time, viz., six of the Seneca tribe (that being the 
 most ancient), five of the Oneida, two Cayugas, and two Bt. 
 Regis. This was making their Association extremely selebt, 
 and strangely contrasts with the practices of Masons of modern 
 days, who regard less their selection of members for their 
 moral worth, than did these sons of the forest. They claim 
 that their Society has existed from the foundation of the 
 world ! The periods of their meetings they keep profoundly 
 secret. They assemble once in three years, ks deputies, unde^ 
 pretense of other business." 
 
 Now, let us see what evidence is here furnished, that Masonry 
 was, known among the Indians before the days of Columbus. 
 The details made by De Witt Clinton are well known ; they 
 have been published again and again, and, what iS very strange, 
 they seem to h^''^^ satisfied all, or nearly all. Masonic writers, 
 of the great antiquity of Masonry among the aborigines of this 
 country. But, suppose we grant that every word of the witness 
 examined by De Witt Clinton be true, and grant that t^e 
 mystic signs spoken of were Masonic signs, pure and unadul^ 
 terated, in the name of all the laws of evidence, what does it 
 prove ? Why, simply, that some of the Indians were Masons 
 in the early part of the nineteenth century. Is it at all 
 remarkable, that a native Indian minister should be able to find 
 
438 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 another Mason among the Indians, during the days of De Wilt 
 Clinton ? What a pity it is that the world happens to know 
 that Brant, who lived long before the period here referred to, 
 was made a Mason in a legally constituted Lodge of English 
 Masons. Had this knowledge been withheld, these modern 
 lovers of miracles would have seized upon his noble bearing 
 towai-d a brother captured in war, as proof positive^ that 
 Masonry had been known among the Indians from the days of 
 their crossing the great waters. 
 
 But the testimony of De Witt Clinton's witness proves too 
 much. It goes to show that the Masonry of the Indians was 
 no Masonry at all. Who ever heard of the number of Masons, 
 in a whole tribe or nation of people, being limited to three 
 times five ? There are some modern degrees, caUed Masonic, 
 which might be tortured into the teaching of a similar,doctrine ; 
 but, be it remembered, that the antiquarian writers, who take 
 similar grounds to those occupied by Bro. Yates, make no 
 intimation that the Indians were always in possession of these 
 degrees. Certainly not. Ancient Craft Masonry is their 
 theme, and yet nowhere can they lay their finger upon historic 
 or traditional facts tending to show that twice five, three times 
 five, or any other specific number, constituted the limit, beyond 
 which no additions could be made. We think that no such 
 doctrine was taught at Solomon's Temple. 
 
 In our inquiries in relation to the " Medicine Lodge," among 
 the Indians, we were informed that the time and place of the 
 meeting was not known in the vicinity until a short time before 
 it occurred, and yet, in some mysterious way, tribes at a dis- 
 tance were informed, and were always represented, if any of 
 them belonged to the " Medicine Lodge ;" that but few were 
 permitted to become members, but we did not learn that the 
 specific number was three times five. The truth is, we know 
 something of this " Medicine Lodge." We know it is the 
 Indians' Medical College, where they make doctors. They 
 believe all knowledge of the healing art comes directly from 
 the Great Spirit, using the Indian " Great Medicine," as an 
 instrument ; and hence they believe that their " Medicine Lodge " 
 has been in existence from the foundation of the world ; foi 
 
HISTOBT OP FREEMASONRY. 439 
 
 they have no doulDt about the Indians being the first race of 
 people. Bro. Yates is fully aware of the difficulties to be 
 encountered in sustaining the theory assumed by himself and 
 others, and hence he frankly holds the following language : \ 
 
 " The Menomenies and Iroquois may have learned their 
 mysteries from the Welsh Indians ; or, on tha supposition that 
 they did not, their knowledge of the mysteries might be traced 
 to a more ancient source — even the same from which the Druids 
 themselves derived them. For the want of authentic materials 
 — documentary, and even traditional — we could, at best, present 
 only plausible conjectures ; and, to show how we arrive at these 
 conjectures, would involve a tediousness of detail more suitable 
 for a set volume, than a short essay for a periodical. Masons 
 conversant with the ancient history of our Order, will be 
 enabled readily to connect the historical fragments we subjoin, 
 and will see their bearing o^n the question under discussion." 
 
 This, upon the whole, is a very singular paragraph to come 
 from the pen of Bro. Yates. First, he tells us, that the Meno- 
 menies and Iroquois may have learned their mysteries from the 
 Welsh Indians ; but, on the supposition that they did not, their 
 knowledge of the mysteries might be traced to a more, ancient 
 source. We grant, that if it could be satisfactorily shown that 
 Masonry was known to the Indians prior to their connection 
 with civilized men, or, if you please, before the discovery of 
 this continent, there would be some excuse for entering upon 
 the field of conjecture, in search of the truth, but we protest 
 against the right of jumping to conclusions, without a founda- 
 tion to start from. 
 
 Bro. Yates concludes his article by stating that the Ca- 
 manche Indians have, a language of signs. Now, this we do not 
 at all question ; but we ask whether this is evidence that these 
 signs are Masonic ? As well might it be conjectured by those 
 who know no better, that the language of signs used in every 
 country, and among every people, by the deaf and dumb, is the 
 language of Masonry. 
 
 But we notice the enthusiastic article of Bro. Kavanaugh, 
 who, after quoting the cases given by Bro. Yates, to show there 
 are Masons among the Indians, proceeds to detail the facts of 
 
440 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 another case, where, during the late war with England, a white 
 man's life was saved by an Indian Mason, who was a Chief of 
 the Miami tribe, and then he breaks out with the following 
 language : 
 
 " Prom these facts, and hundreds of others of a like charac- 
 ter, which could be given, it is most manifest and clear that many 
 if not all the Indian tribes of this continent are in possession 
 of at least the mystic signs and language of Masonry. Now, 
 the great inquiry arises, how came they in possession of them ? 
 When, and through what channel ? And how have they retained 
 and perpetuated a knowledge of these mysteries through many 
 generations and centuries ? All agree that they must have 
 obtained them long before the discovery of this continent by 
 Columbus." 
 
 Such extravagant, and, we must say, unweighed declarations 
 as these, have already rendered Mstsonic writers the laughing- 
 stock for well-informed and thinking men, who are not led 
 away by mere -declarations, and have tended no little to bring 
 ridicule and reproach upon our Institution. Who are all these 
 agreeing that Masonry was known among the Indians long 
 before the days of Columbus ? But, above all, we ask for, and the 
 world has a right to demand the evidence upon which this 
 agreement is made. ' 
 
 We have no satisfactory proof that Masonry existed among 
 the white men of this country, before the early part of the 
 eighteenth century, and by what authority shall we all agree 
 that it was known to the Indians from time immemorial ? Bro. 
 Kavanaugh adopts one of the popular theories of the day. He 
 erects his standard on the Tower of Babel, unfurls his banner, 
 and sends Masonry from thence (where it never existed) to the 
 four corners of the earth. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 Was Fkeemasonrt known to the aborigines op the south? 
 
 Whether we adopt the opinion that America was first peopled 
 by the Carthagenians, or the ten tribes, or by some wandering 
 tribes of Japheth ; whether they sprang from China or Japan ; 
 or, lastly, whether, as some say, this continent was not sub- 
 merged by the Flood, and that the aborigines were Ante- 
 diluvians ; we are, in either .case, bound to suppose there was a 
 time when a connection or intercourse existed between the 
 inhabitants of the eastern hemisphere and those of the southern 
 portion of this continent. Either the first settlers in Mexico 
 and Peru emigrated from the East, or else Asia, itself, was 
 peopled from South America. To show this, we need no other 
 proof than the striking similarity in the religion of the two 
 portions of the world. We have seen that, between the aborig- 
 ines of North America and the ancient Jewish nation, there 
 were many unmistakable approximations and features of same- 
 ness that could not have been accidental ; and yet, still more 
 unmistakable, is a likeness to be found between the Ancient 
 Mysteries of Asia and those of Mexico. Indeed, the only strik- 
 ing difference to be observed is found in the fact, that while the 
 Egyptian Mysteries were practiced with great cruelty, it was as 
 nothing compared with the cold-blooded vampirism of the 
 Mexican Mysteries. But whether Freemasonry was known to 
 the ancient Mexicans; is quite another question. It is asserted, 
 that Freemasonry existed in Mexico long before the days of 
 Cortes, and it will be seen that we are subject to some embar- 
 rassment in denying the truth of this assertion, when we remind 
 our readers that the affirmative party have done nothing but to 
 afi&rm. But, as all who do thus affirm take the ground that the 
 Ancient Mysteries were, somehow. Freemasonry, spurious, to be 
 
442 HISTOEY OP FEEBMASONEY. 
 
 Bure, but, nevertheless, Preemasoury ; we may, by showing what 
 the Ancient Mysteries of the Mexicans were, enable our readers 
 to judge of the correctness or fallacy of the popular theory. 
 If the Ancient Mysteries constituted Freemasonry, then, of 
 course, we admit that Masonry was known to the aborigines ol 
 Mexico ; but, aside from this favorite theory of Dr. Oliver, we 
 are at a loss to account for the origin of a bare surmise, that 
 Masonry was practiced by the early inhabitants of that country, 
 for we have not the slightest trace of any other secret Associa- 
 tion or Society, practicing secret forms and ceremonies. On the 
 other hand, if we admit that the A-ucient Mysteries and Free- 
 masonry were, originally, one and the same thing, we are 
 thrown into another dilemma by the declaration of the Rever- 
 end Doctor, that Freemasonry is the true religion, as we can 
 not bring our mind to suppose any sane man can recognize true 
 religion in the Mexican Mysteries. One thing is very certain, 
 viz., we have not the slightest evidence that Masonry was 
 known to the ancient Mexicans, by that or any other name of 
 similar import, unless, indeed, we should adopt anotherof the 
 many-horned theories of Dr. Oliver and his admirers, that 
 Masonry was Architecture ; in which event, we should be bound 
 to admit the existence of Masonry everywhere and in all time. 
 But we have no well-authenticated evidence that the Architects 
 were banded together, and practiced any secret rites. We are 
 left, then, to suppose that, if Masonry existed there at all, it 
 constituted the religion of the people, and to the end thg,t all 
 may see what sort of Masonry this religion would make, we 
 proceed to give a brief account of the Mexican Mysteries. 
 
 In Mexico, as in all other heathen countries, the priests were 
 at the head of all religious ceremonies, incantations, and bloody 
 sacrifices to their numerous gods. Rocky caverns, high moun- 
 tains, and dark and dismal forests, were selected for their secret 
 ceremonies. They worshiped a god in almost everything from 
 which they derived benefit or injury, and hence, all the elements, 
 the hills, the valleys, water-courses, and even the stones of the 
 mountains ; and it is a remarkable fact, that whatever was ter- 
 rible or productive of evil commanded more of their devoted 
 adoration than that which was productive of good. We shall 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 443 
 
 uame only a few of their most prominent deities. Teotl, the 
 Supreme, was supposed to be the head or principal god, and yet,' 
 it will be seen, that they did not worship him, nor Huitzilopo- 
 chtli, the god of mercy, with anything like the zeal and devotion 
 that was paid to Texalipuca, the god of vengeance. Quetzal- 
 coatl, the god of the air ; Mictlancihautl, the goddess of hell ; 
 and many others, come in for a large share of their devotions.* 
 The sun was supposed to be the god of mercy, and hence, all 
 supplications for mercy were directed to that luminary. This 
 deity was represented in their temple, by the figure of a man 
 with black marks on his forehead, and black lines extending 
 down to the nose. , Tescalipuca, being the god of evil, was 
 supposed to produce famine, disease, and death. He was repre- 
 sented as a black man with a hideous face, whose anger could 
 only be allayed or appeased, or his vengeance averted, by 
 human victims. Faber, in his Pagan Idol, tells us that the 
 Mexicans had many houses set apart for, and filled with idols, 
 great and small, made of metal, wood, potter's ware, etc., etc., 
 and that all these had to be feasted upon human blood ; not by 
 the use of that which was drawn sparingly from the veins of 
 the living, but by the warm and smoking heart's-blood, torn 
 from immolated beings ; with this blood were the idols literally 
 smeared until it would become an inch thick, and the floor of 
 the building a foot deep in coagulated gore. 
 
 At the Sacred Chapel in Mexico, victims were sacrificed under 
 various pretenses, and for various purposes, but the most re- 
 markable was that which occurred in the first month of the Mex- 
 ican year. On this occasion, human beings were sacrificed for 
 the purpose of getting their fresh and bleeding skins to be worn by 
 the priests, who, with this skin stretched over their entire persons, 
 traveled from street to street, and from house to house, demand- 
 ing alms from all whom they met for forty-eight hours, or until 
 the skin became ofl'ensive to the smell. t But we will hasten to 
 the consideration of the secret ceremonies consequent upon this 
 barbarous religion, used at the initiation of candidates into 
 their mysteries. The candidate was required to undergo a 
 
 * See Humboldt's Researches in America. f Ibid., vol. 1st. 
 
444 HISTORY OF FBEBMA80NEY. 
 
 probation similar to those mentioned in the Egyptian Mysteries. 
 He was whipped with knotted cords, his flesh cut with knives, 
 his lips and ears were pierced, and his body cruelly lacerated 
 with thorns of the cactus ; reeds were put into the wounds that 
 they might bleed more freely, and then they were burned with 
 red-hot cinders. Cases were not at all rare where candidates 
 perished under these inhuman cruelties. And yet such was the 
 superstitious reverence for this mysterious worship, that men 
 and women would rather die from torture than utter a com- 
 plaint, well knowing that a murmur from their lips would sub- 
 ject them to be dismissed with contempt, and be ever after 
 regarded as unworthy of the society of religious men, and under 
 the curse of the gods. 
 
 Faber mentions a striking evidence that a great deal more 
 cruelty was practiced by the Mexicans, than any of which we 
 have an account in the Eastern Mysteries. " All other nations," 
 he said, " used water as a means of purification, while the Mex- 
 icans used human blood." 
 
 Those who claim that Masonry is derived from the Eastern 
 Mysteries have called especial attention to the white garments 
 used in the ceremonies of initiation, as furnishing strong presump^ 
 tive evidence of its identity with the Masonic use of the lamb- 
 skin ; but here in Mexico, even that flimsy pretext is not to be 
 found, for their candidates were clothed in black. After the 
 candidate had undergone his allotted probation, preparatory to 
 initiation, he was anointed with holy ointment, prepared and 
 blessed by the holy priesthood, which process was to furnish him 
 with holy courage to encounter and withstand all dangers to 
 which he was about to be exposed. 
 
 The Great Temple of Mexico was dedicated to the god of 
 mercy, and was certainly the most wonderful structure of which 
 we have any account. It is said that a city of five hundred 
 houses might have been built within its walls. In this wonder* 
 ful pyramidal Temple, the Mexican Mysteries were celebrated, 
 and one would think, from the scenes enacted, that their god of 
 vengeance, and not of mercy, presided over it. Reader, we 
 refer you to Humboldt, to Faber, Jones, and others, if you 
 would read a detailed account of the bloody deeds of that 
 
HISTORY OF FKEEMASONRT. 445 
 
 Buperstitious and blood-thirsty people. We have neither the in- 
 clination nor the room for more than a brief allusion to those 
 having a bearing upon our subject, and yet we doubt whether 
 even this brief sketch can be read without a shudder : and 
 surely we may be allowed to pity a brother who can find Ma- 
 sonry in this barbarous system of religion. 
 
 All things prepared, the anointed candidate is led into the 
 dark and secret courts of the Temple, from whence he emerges 
 into an apartment where he is compelled to behold some of his 
 fellow-men brutishly put to death, under pretense that the 
 religious ceremonies can not be performed, or the blessings ob- 
 tained, without the immolation of human beings. The great 
 High Priest carried in his hand a large sharp instrument made 
 of flint, and resembling in shape a butcher's knife; another 
 priest carried a collar of wood, made to represent a serpent ; 
 four other priests proceeded to arrange themselves around a pyr- 
 amidal stone, so constructed .that when the victim was thrown 
 on it upon his back, the stomach and bowels protruded and 
 favored the intended use of the knife. The priests and their 
 assistants were singularly expert in giving the condemned a trip 
 which never failed to throw him as was desired. This being 
 done, the body being made bare, the High Priest, with wonder- 
 ful dexterity, cut open the man's bowels and likewise the thorax, 
 seized, and literally tore out his heart, and held it up smoking and 
 streaming with blood to the sun, to whom it was thus made an 
 offering, but as the sun did not actually take possession of it, 
 the High Priest turned, cast the heart into the face of an idol 
 near at hand, and took pains actually to smear its face with the 
 blood. 
 
 The candidate next descended into the dark cavern of 
 initiation, denominated the " path of the dead ;" and truly th© 
 name seemed to be appropriate, for here all the horrible sights, 
 which in the eastern mysteries were sham representation, were 
 but too real. The candidate heard the shrieks of despair 
 which burst from the lips of those who had but just then been 
 informed that they were about to be made victims, to minister 
 to the gods. He heard the groans of the dying, while he 
 beheld the hands of the priest reeking with the warm heart's 
 
446 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 blood of another and another victim. Hurried on from one 
 revolting scene to another, the candidate was compelled to 
 wade through human blood, now warm, and now partially 
 coagulated. Anon he reaches a narrow passage, guarded by 
 an idol, to whom another victim is offered, in order to gain 
 permission for the candidate to pass. Thus, from one scene of 
 butchery to another, being himself all the time exposed to the 
 most cruel and refined bodily tortures, the candidate arrived 
 at a narrow passage or fissure in the cavern, through which he 
 was forced up, until reaching a point some feet above the sur- 
 face of the earth, the termination of the passage, through which 
 he was rudely thrown and headlong fell among the assembled 
 multitude, by whom he was hailed with frantic shouts as a 
 regenerated and new-born soul. When these initiations occurred 
 on festival days, we are told that many thousands of men, 
 women, and children assembled to welcome each new-born soul 
 by shouting and dancing, during all which time the women 
 were without a single article of clothing, actually dancing 
 amid the throng in a state of nudity ; nor did the ceremony 
 stop here, but every species of obscenity, lewdness, and prosti- 
 tution was indulged in, sanctioned and encouraged by the 
 priests. One writer tells us that the young women were not 
 considered marriageable until they had prostituted themselves 
 about five years, and hence were they encouraged to commence 
 at an early age. 
 
 Bro. Masons — you who are in search of truth — you who do 
 not blindly adopt all the chimeras of other men's brains — you 
 who do your own thinking, and draw your own deductions 
 from the facts, pause and reflect. Nay, I need not ask so much, 
 for I can not believe that any Mason, not predetermined to 
 believe a falsehood, can read the foregoing imperfect history 
 of the Mexican Mysteries, and not feel indignant that any sane 
 man would dare call this Ancient Freemasonry, or anything 
 akin to it. Well may this be called an age of imposition, 
 when intelligent men will claim to establish a theory upon sucK 
 a flimsy basis ; bat we must believe that this is an age of 
 mental delusion and blind superstition, if authors are encour> 
 aged, by Masons themselves, to publish such ridiculous stuff, foj 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONHr. 447 
 
 the hi".tory of the origin and rise of Freemasonrj. We marvel 
 that cue, not a Freemason, should trace the origin of Masonry 
 to the Crusades to the Holy Land, where armies, in their phren- 
 Bied y.eal, were marching under an oath to redeem it from the 
 sacrilegious hands of the Infidel, or, failing in this, to die at the 
 tomb of Christ. But how much more do we marvel, that a 
 Mason — one who has learned what the principles of Masonry 
 are — should trace, or attempt to trace, the origin of our 
 glorious Order, to such a source as the Ancient Mysteries ; but 
 we marvel still more, that one who sets up this worse than 
 visionary theory, should find admirers and folloi^ers in this 
 enlightened age. Who is he that has beheld the simplicity and 
 beauty of our ceremonies, and listened to the holy teachings of 
 mercy and love, of truth and justice, of kindness and forbear- 
 ance, of benevolence and charity, of virtue and true holiness — 
 we say, who that has witnessed the inculcation of these benign 
 teachings of the Lodge room, can gulp down the wild theory 
 which makes Freemasonry the true religion and false religion — 
 a system of ethics, and, at the same time, nothing more nor less 
 than geometry ; aye, and then again the same thing as the 
 Ancient Mysteries, or Heathen Mythology ? 
 
 We have just seen that a distinguished brother, of our own 
 day and country, declares it to be susceptible of demonstration, 
 that the Society of Ancient Druids was an Association of Free- 
 masons ; and yet we know they were a religious sect, led astray 
 by the darkest superstitions of a dark and idolatrous age, 
 worshiping, not their Creator and Benefactor, but the ten 
 thousand gods of their own imagining. If it be possible for 
 any one to examine the subject and adopt the opinions above 
 quoted, it is but a step to suppose that the doctrines and teach- 
 ings of the Mexican Mysteries were the doctrines and teachings 
 of Freemasonry. Indeed, those who believe that the Egyptian 
 Mysteries were Masonic Mysteries, can not avoid an admission 
 that the Mexican Mysteries were also, for no man can doubt the 
 fact that the Ancient Mexican religion was the Pagan theology 
 — the same religion as that of the East, diflfei^ing only in this, 
 that in their ceremonies the Mexicans used no sham represen- 
 tations, but actually practiced all the cruelties which in Asia 
 
448 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 were merely represented or pretended to be practiced. Now 
 if all this be admitted — and the most popular' and distin- 
 guished Masonic historian of England claims Masonry to be 
 all that is above stated, and his theory is sanctioned by most 
 of the leaders of the Masonic press in this country — it may be 
 interesting to institute an inquiry, with a view to learn, if 
 possible, what are truly the leading features, the principles, of 
 Freemasonry : 
 
 First, " Lux is Masonry, Masonry is the true religion. Masonry 
 is a system of ethics; " then a system of ethics is Lux, Lux is 
 Masonry, and Masonry is the true religion. "Masonry is geome- 
 try," then Lux is Masonry, Masonry is the true religion, true 
 religion is a system of ethics, and a system of dhics is geometry. 
 "Masonry is architecture j" then Lux is Masonry, Masonry is a 
 system of ethics, ethics is geometry, geometry is architecture, and 
 architecture is the true religion. " The Ancient Mysteries were 
 Masonry; " then the Ancient Mysteries ( in Mexico, at least,) were 
 a system of blood-thirsty murders, this system was Lux, geometry, 
 architecture, ethics, and the true religion.* "Ancient Druidism 
 was Masonry; " t then Druidism was light, ethics, geometry. 
 Heathen Mythology, architecture, and the true religion, and the 
 system of Christianity taught by our Saviour, and sealed by 
 His sacred blood, is driven to the four winds, and murder and 
 rapine takes its place. 
 
 There is one popular theory intimately connected with our 
 subject, which, although mentioned in our catalogue of the 
 wonders of which Masonry is composed, yet claims something 
 more than a passing notice. It is known that some recent dis- 
 coveries in Central America, tend to prove that architecture 
 was understood and practiced in a high state of perfection at a 
 very remote period ; so remote, indeed, as to lead those who 
 are skeptical about the truths of the Bible, though correspond- 
 ingly credulous about other things, to suppose that the remains 
 of an ancient city, lately brought to light, furnishes satisfactory 
 evidence that the architects of that city were Antediluvians. 
 And, inasmuch as architecture is, and always was. Masonry, 
 
 * Dr. Oliver. f Bro. Tates. 
 
HISTORY OF FUKBMASONRY. 449 
 
 . they conclude that Masonry flourished liofore- the Flood ; and 
 most certainly, if their premises he correct, their conclusions 
 are inevitable, for Noah's Ark was evidently the work of 
 Architects. Yea, we go further ; we say, if architecture was 
 anciently Freemasonry, all doubt about the antiquity of our 
 Order is for ever removed, for the disinterment of the ruins of 
 ancient cities in Egypt, as well as in the southern portion of 
 the American continent, clearly show that architecture was 
 better understood by the ancients than it is at the present day." 
 But we are told that, whether we admit or not that Masonry 
 was anciently architecture, we are bound to admit that the 
 recent discoveries among the remains of ancient cities, prove 
 beyond a doubt ^hat Freemasonry did then exist, because very 
 remarkable hieroglyphics have been found, some of which bear 
 a striking resemblance to some of the hieroglyphics in Masonry. 
 Now, we have already shown that it would be remarkable, if 
 the people in ancient times, who resorted to symbols and 
 hieroglyphics to communicate their ideas, had not used some 
 emblems, which would bear some resemblance to those used in 
 Masonry ; and, besides, we have not the most implicit confidence 
 in the detailed accounl^ of all those wonderful discoveries. 
 Not many years since, a very remarkable stone was found 
 somewhere, bearing upon its face some very remarkable hiero- 
 glyphics. This stone was taken to London ; /ac similes of it 
 were sent to the learned antiquarians throughout all Europe ; 
 thousands of pounds of -rags, made into paper, were consumed 
 in writing learned dissertations upon the wonderful discovery, 
 and many believed that an authentic history of the dark ages 
 was about to be revealed. Well, if we have the story correctly, 
 a wag discovered the method of deciphering the hieroglyphics 
 on this stone, and they read as follaws, " John Bell lives here." 
 A learned writer, Septimus, in the March number of the 
 Mirror and Keystone, for 1852, under the head of "Masonic 
 Abraxas," labors to prove that those engraved stones, called 
 abraxas, were used, in the early ages of Christianity, for the 
 purpose of communicating certain facts, and to transmit a 
 knowledge of our religion ; but, not content with this view of 
 the subject alone, he proceeds to say : — 
 
 2» 
 
450 HISTORY OF TREEMASONET. 
 
 " Among tlie Masonic emblems, found upon these stones, are 
 the Lamb, Dove, Phoe;nix, Anchor, Lyre, Serpent on the Cross, 
 Cross and Eose, and the Cross Keys. . , Some may consider them 
 as simple individual devices, but the Masonic student will see, 
 in their peculiar forms, their surroundings, or the accompany- 
 ing words, the evidence of their origin and mystical intention. 
 There can be no doubt that, if these relics of the past were 
 industriously and carefully investigated by an accomplished 
 Mason, who had access to the originals, in European cabinets, 
 much light might be thrown on the ancient history of the 
 Craft." 
 
 Now, we will not gainsay all this, but we suggest whether Sep- 
 timus has furnished a clue to these important discoveries. First, 
 the emblem of a Lamb claims our attention, and we respectfully 
 ask, whether the Lamb is exclusively a Masonic emblem ? We 
 are inclined to think the ancient Christians used this emblem, 
 to represent the Lamb that was slain on Calvaiy. The Dove 
 is an emblem claimed by one of the modern degrees, called 
 Masonic ; but we apprehend that the Dove is not peculiarly a 
 Masonic emblem. The Phcenix, if a^ Masonic emblem at all, 
 certainly does not belong to Ancient Craft Masonry. The 
 Anchor is a Masonic and a Christian emblem. The Lyre we 
 know nothing about, as a Masonic emblem. The Serpent on 
 the Cross is a modern Masonic emblem, but not exclusively so. 
 The Cross and Rose has no connection with Ancient Craft 
 Masonry ; and the Cross Keys, we apprehend, has only been 
 used, as a Masonic emblem, since the reorganization of Masonry, 
 in the last century. But what Septimus means by saying, the 
 Masonic student will find evidence of their origin and mystical 
 intention, by " their peculiar forms and surroundings,", we are 
 at a loss to determine. We suppose the emblem of a Lamb is 
 the same, no matter by whom, or for what purpose, represented. 
 So, in reference to all the other emblems named. A Masonic 
 Square is an emblem of ninety degrees, or the fourth part of a 
 circle ; and is not a square, used for any other purpose, the 
 same ? We protest against this reckless manner of claiming 
 Masonry to be found in every emblem engraven upon the stones 
 which have been disinterred. The celebrated mammoth stone of 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRT. 451 
 
 Mexico, which Cortes had thrown down, but which no power 
 known at the j)resent day could replace, is covered over with 
 emblems of an idolatrous and superstitious age ; but, is it reason- 
 able to claim those emblems as belonging to Masonry ? There 
 would be quite as much propriety in claiming that the ancient 
 Mexicans were right in supposing the stone itself was a deity. 
 We have said before, and, from present indications, it can not 
 be too often repeated, that, if Masonry should ever be brought 
 into ridicule, it will be done by Masonic .writers themselves, 
 who claim for it more than history, tradition, or common sense 
 warrants. We humbly think our well authenticated traditions 
 make Masonry old enough to satisfy even the lovers of ancient 
 lore, and we know it to be wide spread enough for all needed 
 purposes ; but Masonry was never intended for, nor was it ever 
 adapted to, a race of savages, or people wholly void of the 
 lights of civilization. Masonry was instituted in wisdom, and 
 with wisdom's ways it has kept pace. In every land beneath the 
 sun, where the light of Revelation has dawned, or even where 
 a well defined system of moral accountability has enlightened 
 the understanding of men, there Freemasonry has planted its 
 standard, and erected its altars. But its mission never tole- 
 rated, nor was it ever mixed up with, idolatrous worship. 
 There is nothing in the religious faith oi the North American 
 Indians which would exclude them from a participation in 
 Masonry, for they have ever believed in one Great Spirit ; and, 
 ■if we can find no reliable evidence that Masonry was known to 
 them before their intercourse with the whites, how much less 
 testimony do we find of its existence in Mexico, at a time when 
 all the teachings of that people's religion were directly at war 
 with every principle known to Freemasonry. 
 
 Dr. Oliver has devoted thirty-odd pages to " Initiations in 
 America," and he has shown great learning and research in 
 doing so. He very clearly and minutely details the cere- 
 monies of initiation into the Ancient Mexican Mysteries ; but, 
 we believe, he nowhere mentions Freemasonry, until after he 
 concludes his article ; but immediately follows his corollary, 
 which commences as follows : 
 
 " Such were the famous Mysteries of Idolatry. I have, 
 
452 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 designedly, omitted to draw any formal comparison, for the pur- 
 pose of showing what portion of true Freemasonry they retained, 
 amid all their abominations, because the intelligent brother 
 will not fail to discover the points of resemblance, wherever 
 they occur." 
 
 NoW; we candidly confess that, in all this, the Doctor has 
 surpassed himself. In his examination of the Egyptian, Roman, 
 and Grecian Mysteries, he did not fail to put up a finger-board 
 at every cross-road, or dimly marked foot-path, which led to 
 the slightest resemblance between those Ancient Mysteries and 
 Freemasonry; while here, in Mexico, where' every usage, every 
 principle, and every ceremony of the Ancient Mysteries, were 
 at war with Masonry, and, hence, where no resemblance what- 
 ever can be found, he has the magnanimity to trust to the in- 
 telligence ol every brother to point out the resemblance. Is 
 not this an insult to the common understanding of men ? What 
 intelligent man, who knows not what Masonry is, would not 
 feel incl:r.'^,d to ridicule an Institution whose leaders connect it 
 with all the diabolical deeds of an idolatrous people ? And yet, 
 we are asked by brother Masons, who stand forth as beacon — 
 lights, to sanction the wild and visionary theory of this learned 
 divine — we are asked to believe that he is the great expounder 
 of Masonry, of the present age. 
 
 " Masonry," says Dr. Dodd, " is a singularly amiable Institu- 
 tion, which annihilates all parties, conciliates all private opinions, 
 and renders those who, by their Almighty Father, were 
 made of one blood, to be also of one heart and mind ; brethren 
 bound, firmly bound together by that indissoluble tie— the love 
 of their God and the love of their kind." 
 
CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 In order that we may arrive at the probable time at which 
 Masonry was introduced into this country, it becomes important 
 to inquire into the character of the early settlers, and the 
 country from which they emigrated ; for it is not likely that a 
 people, not having Masonry in their native country, would 
 introduce it into a newly discovered continent ; and we have 
 seen, from the collected testimony in this history, that, at the 
 time when this continent was discovered. Freemasonry did not 
 exist, or, at least, we have no proof that it existed everywhere ; 
 on the contrary, the evidence is that .it was confined to 
 England, Scotland, Ireland, and a small portion of continental 
 Europe. We shall, therefore, make a brief sketch of the dis- 
 covery and colonization of the United States ; but we shall 
 avoid useless discussions as much as possible. 
 
 We are not inclined to stop by the way, and undertake to 
 call in question the generally received opinion,''that the honor 
 of the discovery of this continent is due to Columbus ; but it 
 is a fact worthy of more than a passing notice, that an Ice- 
 landic historian, of acknowledged merit,* takes the ground that, 
 as early as 1003, America was discovered by his countrymen. 
 He states that a vessel sailed from Iceland to Greenland at the 
 period spoken of, and that it was driven by adverse winds to 
 the shores of Labrador, and that, for some years thereafter, 
 the voyage was repeated successfully to Newfoundland, where 
 colonies were then planted. The author relies mainly upon 
 the traditions of his countrymen, and we are not prepared to 
 say those traditions are not as reliable evidence as much which 
 has been offered for our belief by Eodern writers, in relation to 
 the middle ages. We know that, for a long period anterior to 
 the days of Columbus, the Italian mariners had penetrated 
 
 * Thorfseus. 
 
454 HISTOET OP FBEEMASONRY. 
 
 every sea known to the -world, and, -we think, it is not improb- 
 able that this continent was reached by some of them. What, 
 though the descriptions of the coast and the general face of the 
 country compare but poorly with the facts since known to 
 exist ? Some allowance may well be made when we remember 
 the true character of the people by whom these traditions were 
 preserved. Names of localities were liable to be confounded! 
 and the description of the coasts may have applied to the South 
 rather than the North ; in short, the point of land discovered 
 by the Icelanders or Italians may have been in Florida, instead 
 of Labrador. 
 
 But, suppose the Icelanders did plant colonies on this con- 
 tinent five hundred years before the time of Columbus, it does 
 not authorize the belief that Masonry was by them introduced 
 upon the shores of America, for the simple reason, that we have 
 not the slightest evidence that Masonry was then known in 
 Iceland. On the other hand, had we proof that the Italians 
 planted colonies here at the period spoken of, there would be 
 strong reasons for supposing Masonry was by them brought 
 over. But, with this hypothesis, we are lost in conjecture ; for 
 whether colonies were planted by Icelanders or Italians, they 
 were either exterminated, or they became merged into the 
 tribes of the aborigines, and all traces of their history was lost, 
 and we have but little reason to suppose an amalgamation took 
 place, except so far as the Greek language, known to exist 
 with some tribes of Indians, tends to favor the idea. But, 
 granting that a colony of Greeks was planted on this con- 
 tinent, and that, being deserted by their countrymen, they 
 finally joined and intermarried with the Indians, we have still 
 no testimony that Masonry was among them. It follows, then, 
 that we must look to another source, and to a later period, for 
 light upon the subject. 
 
 The discovery of this continent, as before intimated, is 
 generally attributed to Columbus, and yet there are some 
 strange passages to be found in the writings of the ablest 
 historians. George Bancroft, for example, vaguely admits that 
 Columbus first landed on this continent, but immediately after 
 writes as follows : 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 455 
 
 "In the new career -of western adventure, tlie American con- 
 tinent was first discovered under the auspices of the English, 
 and the coast of the United States by a native of England." 
 
 To sustain the above declaration, the author attributes the 
 discovery to John Cabot, a native Venetian, at the time a resi- 
 dent merchant at Bristol. Now, it would seem that, granting 
 the discovery to have been made by John Cabot, his residence 
 at Bristol did not make him an Englishman, and therefore the 
 credit is given to the wrong country. But Sebastian Cabot, 
 the son of the merchant, claimed to be a native of England, 
 and he accompanied his father, and for aught we know may 
 have seen land in the New World before his father ; but even 
 this would be a flimsy pretext, for we know that the enterprise 
 was gotten up and conducted by the father, and the credit is 
 justly due to him, however much his son afterward surpassed 
 his father in maritime adventures. But, be this as it may, the 
 expedition referred to was made five years after Columbus, 
 under the patronage of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, dis- 
 covered this continent. 
 
 Immediately after the termination of the civil wars between 
 the houses of York and Lancaster, a very general spirit of 
 commercial enterprise was enkindled in England, and Henry 
 VII. partook largely of the desire for new discoveries. It was 
 not, therefore, difficult for John Cabot to obtain from the 
 King, in 1497, a patent, giving to himself and three sons 
 almost unlimited powers to occupy and appropriate to their 
 own use. any newly- liscovered continent or islands, provided 
 only that the banner of England should be placed on the same. 
 Thus provided, the elder Cabot, at his own expense, fitted out 
 five vessels, and, with his son Sebastian, set sail for the West, 
 influenced, no doubt, by the traditions of the Icelanders, that 
 the New World was to be found " where the lands do nearest 
 meet.'* This little fleet, or a part of it, landed in Labrador on 
 the 24th of June, 1497 ; and as England was then the nursery 
 of Masonry, we have good reasons to suppose the first Mason 
 whose feet rested upon the soil of this continent, reached it on 
 St. John the Baptist's day, for it is not probable, that among ^ 
 the entire ships' crews of Englishmen there was not a single 
 
456 HISTOIY OP FEEEMASONKr. 
 
 rreemason. On the fruits of this expedition, England set up 
 a claim to the discovery of this continent, although it was not 
 denied that Columbus had made the discovery, in 1492. 
 
 In May, 1498, Sebastian Cabot sailed from England with 
 three hundred men and women, with the design of planting a 
 colony on the American shores ; but though it is said he ex- 
 amined the coast from latitude fifty-eight degrees North, to the 
 southern shores of Maryland, the fear of starvation deterred 
 the English from attempting a settlement, and all returned. 
 
 The next expedition was fitted out by the King of Portugal, 
 who deeply regretted not having listened to the entreaties of 
 Columbus for assistance. Gasper Corteral was appointed 
 commander of the expedition, and landed on this continent in 
 1501. He examined the coast for six or seven hundred miles. 
 His object seemed to be, not to plant a colony, but to give to 
 Portugal a claim to the country, and to reap advantage from 
 any speculation which might ofi"er, evidently expecting t© find 
 gold ; but, failing in this, the commander enticed the natives 
 to visit and examine his ships, when he set sail with a cargo 
 of Indians, and, arriving in Portugal, sold them as slaves. 
 
 While Spain claimed the right to this continent, through the 
 discovery of Columbus, England through the Cabots, and Portu- 
 gal through Corteral, France set on foot an expedition in order to 
 the enjoyment of a share in the reputed gold mines of this country. 
 
 As early as 1504, French vessels were engaged in the 
 fisheries of Newfoundland ; but we have no evidence that a 
 French vessel touched the shores of the present boundary of 
 the United States until 1524, when Veranzini was sent out by 
 the Dauphin, Francis I., and landed at Wilmington, North 
 Carolina. This was the first vessel ever seen by the natives 
 on that coast. The result of this expedition was of more bene- 
 fit to the world than any that had been made to America. 
 Veranzini, not only examined the coast from North Carolina 
 to Nova Scotia, but he made an accurate sketch of the 
 country, and published an account of the appearance, habits, 
 and customs of the natives, which we believe was the first nar- 
 rative ever published upon the subject ; at least, it is the oldest 
 known to exist. 
 
HISTOEY OP PEEBMASONKT. 457 
 
 It is noi remarkable that France should set up an undi v ided 
 jlaim to the New World, when, in truth, she had discovered 
 and surveyed a large extent of coast never before visited by 
 Europeans ; neither will it appear strange that such an earnest 
 struggle was entered into* and kept up, between the several 
 powers for a claim to North A.merica, when it is remembered 
 that all the discoverers agreed in the opinion that the country 
 abounded in rich gold and silver mines. They saw the natives 
 with trinkets made of both these precious metals, they remem- 
 bered the rich discoveries of Cortes, and all jumped to the 
 conclusion that the soil of North America must be filled with 
 precious metals ; and so confidently was this opinion enter- 
 tained, that several English vessels were loaded with the soil 
 or clay of the New World, which was taken to England, that 
 the gold might be, by the assistance of science, separated from 
 the earth. 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon, an enterprising Spaniard, accompanied 
 Columbus in his second voyage to the New World, in 1493 ; 
 and, nineteen years after, having fallen into the popular opinion 
 that an elixir somewhere existed in nature, liaving tlie power 
 to prolong life in perpetual youth, persuaded himself that the 
 invaluable article existed, and could be found in great abund- 
 ance in America ; whereupon, at his own cost, he fitted out 
 three sliips, and set sail from Porto Rico, March 3, 1512, in 
 search of new discoveries ; and, on Easter Sunday, March 27, 
 hove in sight of land, and, supposing it to be an island covered 
 with flowers, called it Florida, after the Spanish term for the 
 day on which it was discovered. 
 
 On April 2, Ponce de Leon went on shore, and took posses- 
 sion of the country in the name of Spain, in latitude thirty degrees, 
 eight minutes. Ponce de Leon remained in the country only a few 
 weeks, when he sailed for Porto Rico, intending soon to return 
 to Florida and plant a, colony. It is said he left a trusty fol- 
 lower in Florida to explore the country, but we have no account 
 of.the fate of such an individual. The government of Spain, 
 intending to reward Ponce.de Leon, made him Governor of 
 Florida, with the privilege of planting a colony, to be governed 
 at his own expense, which he was unable to undertake until 
 
458 ' HISTORY OP PREEMASONRY. 
 
 1521,, when he sailed' with two ships to take posscFision of Ui 
 Province, and select a location for a colony ; but, on lamping, 
 he was vigorously attacked by the natives, and many of his men 
 were killed, himself icceiving a wound from an arrow, which 
 eventually termijiated his life at Cuba. 
 
 In 1520, throe ships were sent from St. Domingo in search of 
 slaves on the North American coast, and, landing on the coast 
 of South Carolina, sought and obtained the confidence of the 
 natives : when, under the guise of friendship, thfc Indians were 
 induced to visit the ships, and, when there, were made prisoners, 
 ruthlessly tearing asunder every tie of kindred. Thus men, 
 professing Christianity, deaf to every cry of humanity, showed 
 themselves to be more savage than the natives of the forest. 
 Who can wonder that, in after years, the Indians turned a deaf 
 ear to the avowed missionaries of the Cross ? "Who can wonder 
 that the natives looked with suspicion upon European intruders, 
 and learned to despise the " pale face." 
 
 In 1528, Navarez landed on the coast of Florida with three 
 hundred men, and feeling so confident that they had reached an 
 earthly paradise, they burned their vessels, and commenced a 
 search for gold and the elixir of life. The natives looking upon 
 them with susJ)icion and dread, did not hesitate to use strata- 
 gem to get clear of them, and thus each tribe induced the 
 Spaniards to believe that gold and precious stones were to be 
 found in great abundance still further on ; and in this manner 
 were they destined to traverse the forests with buoyant hope?, 
 doomed to disappointment, until they reached the Bay of Pen- 
 sacola, where, after traveling eight or nine hundred miles, they 
 built rude vessels, put to sea, and were cast away. Of the three 
 hundred, it is said, only four men reached Mexico, and they 
 after wandering nine years overland. 
 
 In 1538, a wild spirit of adventure and speculation was got- 
 ten up by De Soto. It seems that this originated with some of the 
 Indians who had been made slaves by the Spaniards. Being 
 very anxious to return to their native forests, and to the wild 
 homes of their kindred, they invented a story which represented 
 certain portions of the New World as abounding in gold. DeSoto 
 believed their representations to be true, and created a similar 
 
HISTORY OF FEEEMASOXRT. -159 
 
 impression upon the minds of his countrymen ; indeed, so gen- 
 eral was the belief, that when De Soto was ready to set sail, being, 
 prepared to take only six hundred persons, he was compelled to. 
 select this number from thousands who eagerly sought the. 
 privilege of a passage. 
 
 On landing in Florida, De Soto sent back his ships to Havana, 
 that his followers might not desert him before the object of his 
 mission was accomplished. This army of freebooters were 
 fully equipped for war, and carried with them stores of pro- 
 visions, besides hogs, cattle, horses, etc., etc. They also carried 
 with them the means of forging chains for prisoners, of whom 
 they made slaves whenever it suited their purposes, seeming 
 scarcely to regard the natives as being human beings, or having 
 claims to the common calls of humanity. 
 
 To De Soto is due the unenviable fame of having first introduced 
 blood-hounds into this country ; and, singular enough, on the 
 very soil where, but a few years ago, an attempt was made to 
 use them, under the sanction of our Government, against the 
 Florida Indians. 
 
 We will not undertake to follow this array of freebooters 
 through all their wanderings. They traveled over much of 
 Georgia, Alabama, and that country occupied by the Cherokee 
 Indians, and, the next year, reached the Indian village of Mo- 
 bile, above the mouth of the Alabama River. The winter season 
 coming on, the Castilians were not satisfied to camp and winter 
 in their tents, but demanded possession of the village, which 
 the natives refused, and the result was the most bloody battle 
 ever fought in the United States, even to the present day. It 
 is true, the loss of life was mostly on one side ; the cavalry and 
 fire-arms of the Spaniards triumphed over the feeble method of 
 Indian warfare. Early in the battle, the Spaniards set the 
 village on fire ; and, thus, by fire and sword, two thousand five 
 hundred Indians fell. This battle was fought in October, 1540. 
 In the following spring, the Spaniards again traveled North, as 
 far as the Yazoo River, where, in March, 1541, the Cherokees 
 set fire to the village in which the Spaniards were encamped, 
 and consumed their arms and provisions ; and, yet, the Indians 
 were so timid as not to embrace this favorable moment for 
 
460 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 attacking and destroying the invaders, but delayed until the 
 Spaniards had time to manufacture rude instruments of war- 
 fare, and were able to repel the attack. 
 
 De Soto had promised his men to find a land much more abound 
 ing in gold and precious stones than that which Cortes had 
 discovered, and, now, having traveled over the country until 
 all the clothing his men could command, were made of skins 
 and the wild nettle, their leader was still unwilling to relin- 
 quish his object, notwithstanding the earnest entreaties of his 
 men. De Soto still bore North, and was the first European to 
 behold the wonderful Mississippi. The point at which he 
 reached the river is said to be the Chickasaw Bluffs, where 
 Memphis is now situated. Here De Soto crossed the river, and 
 continued up it to the New Madrid country, intending to find 
 the location of the Kaskaskia Indians, having heard, from other 
 tribes, that the country of the Kaskaskias abounded in gold. 
 And it is singular that, though he had been thus often deceived 
 by such stories, still was he led by them, and traveled in the 
 direction of the Missouri Eiver, until he was deterred from 
 further progress in that direction, by the fear of a scarcity of 
 game. Some historians say he crossed the Mississippi above 
 the mouth of the Ohio, and traveled northeast, until he reached 
 the hilly country of the White Eiver, in Indiana, and, becom- 
 ing satisfied that gold was not to be found there, he again 
 turned his course South ; but we know not what to think of 
 this account, when we remember that the same account repre- 
 sents tlie Indians as being an agricultural people ; but his route, 
 whatever it was, is not clearly shown, and we have no authen- 
 tic testimony until he reached the Washitaw, in March, 1542. 
 Here he determined to descend the river, and gain tidings of 
 the sea. After wandering through swamps, and suffering great 
 hardships, he arrived at the mouth of the Red River, and, 
 being unable to learn from the natives the distance to the sea, 
 he sent scouts down the river, who, after some days' absence, 
 returned with a report that the great number of bayous, and 
 the thick undergrowth of cane, rendered a passage by land 
 impossible. This, it seems, was the first time that marks of 
 desDondency could be traced upon the face of De Soto. He had 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 461 
 
 treated the natives with so much cruelty, that he knew he was 
 despised by them, and could expect but few favors from them ; 
 and, above all, he knew he could not rely upon them as guides, 
 as ne had already seen instances where the natives had misled 
 him, knowing they were to be shot ' down as soon as the fact 
 was discovered. De Soto's men were now dying around him ; he 
 had failed to accomplish any of his designs, or fulfill his pro- 
 mises, and it is only wonderful that he had not been discouraged 
 before. While at the mouth of Red River, De Soto received a 
 challenge from the Natchez Indians, for a pitched battle ; but 
 his day of proud bearing had passed ; he was no longer the 
 brave warrior and dauntless pioneer ; his spirit was broken ; 
 he was seized with a fatal melancholy, when his men, perceiv- 
 ing his dangerous situation, besought him to name his successor, 
 with which request he complied, and died the day after. Thus 
 perished the brave associate of Pizarro, the Governor of Cuba. 
 He had left his home, and friends, and country, in search of 
 richer mines than those of Peru, and found poverty and want ; 
 he had traversed a wild and unknown forest, under the super- 
 stitious belief that he would obtain the elixir of never-fading 
 youth, and found, in the end, a grave beneath the boiling waves 
 of the Mississippi, over which was performed, for the first time, 
 the chant of Christian burial, by Christian priests. His body 
 was sunk in the river, to conceal it from the natives, who would, 
 most likely, have defiled it, if it had been within their power. 
 From May until July, the followers of De Soto wandered through 
 that country lying on the head waters of Red River, in search 
 of the sea, and still hoping to find a land of gold mines ; but, 
 finally, they returned to the Mississippi, and followed it to its 
 mouth. They reached the Mississippi in December, some miles 
 above the mouth of Red River, where they built seven brigan- 
 tines ; but they were so imperfectly put together, that it could 
 scarcely be hoped they would answer the end desired. In July, 
 1543, they had exhausted all their iron, and other means of 
 perfecting their vessels ; and so thoroughly had they consumed 
 all the provisions the neighboring Indians had, that the poor 
 savages came to their camp begging for their own bread ; and 
 thus the Spaniards were compelled to embark in their frail 
 
462 HISTORY OP PEBBMASONRT. 
 
 vessels, and were safely wafted to the Gulf of Mexico in seven- 
 teen, days, arriving on the 18th of July. From July until 
 September, they followed the coast, when the remnant, three 
 hundred and eleven souls, found means to return to their native 
 homes. 
 
 Thus was laid the Spanish claim to the greater portion of the 
 United States. Spain first discovered the continent, Spaniards 
 first penetrated the country, and hence did Spain, with great 
 propriety, claim a right to the soil over any other European 
 power. But, thus far, Spain had been unable to conquer and 
 occupy the New World ; several attempts were made, but all 
 proved abortive, and Florida was abandoned by the Spanish . 
 Government, until 1563 ; and even then the attempt was made 
 to occupy it, not for the benefit of Spain, or the welfare of her 
 citizens, but for the purpose of breaking up a colony of Hugue- 
 nots, a Protestant religious sect from France. Coligny conceived 
 the idea of planting a colony of French Protestants in America, 
 and from Charles IX. received a charter for that purpose. In 
 February, 1562, a pioneering vessel was placed under the com- 
 mand of Ribault, who sought a climate similar to that of France ; 
 and, in the latitude of St. Augustine, landed on Seaman Island, 
 where he raised a monumental stone, and claimed the country as 
 a province of France. Their location was called Fort Charles, 
 in honor of the King, and in like manner the name Carolina 
 was given to the continent, a century before it was colohizedby 
 the English. 
 
 This French colony was composed of only twenty-six souls, 
 but it was promised that a large addition should be immediately 
 sent over. Ribault returned to France, but there found the fire of 
 civil war raging so fiercely, that all efforts to make a new levy 
 for Carolina were, for the time, abandoned. The year after, the 
 little colony was distracted by the unharmonious action of its 
 members, which ended in a determination to abandon the coun- 
 try, and return to France. They built a brigantine, and, all get- 
 ting on board, put out to sea, not only in a frail bark, but only 
 half supplied with provisions ; but, fortunately, before famine 
 had done its threatened work of destruction, they were picked 
 up by an English vessel. Thus ended the first attempt to settle 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 463 
 
 French Florida, and thus far we hear not a word about Ma- 
 sonry on this continent. The travels of De Soto were noted down, 
 and afterward published, by one of the company, but we have no 
 account of the miraculous preservation of the life of an Indian 
 or Spaniard through the instrumentality of Freemasonry. The 
 settlement and sufferings of the little band of Huguenots were 
 detailed, and have been handed down to us, through Chutoh 
 history, and yet Masonry is not mentioned as having had any 
 connection with the enterprise, or as being found in possession 
 of the Indians. 
 
 In 1564, a colony of Huguenots was again sent out ; but this 
 selection was unfortunate, both to the cause of religion and the 
 settlement of the New World. They were men almost totally 
 destitute of moral principles. They promised the neighboring 
 Indians their protection, and professed the warmest friendship ; 
 but straightway proceeded to rob and appropriate the property 
 of the natives. The corn of the Indians was taken without 
 leave, and in many other ways did these professors of Chris- 
 tianity maltreat the inoffensive savages. * 
 
 In 1565, more emigrants arrived, bringing full supplies of 
 provisions ; and the colonists were overjoyed at the thought that 
 they had found a country and a home where they could " wor- 
 ship God under their own vine and fig tree, and none to make 
 them afraid." Here, it was supposed, they could plant the seed 
 of the Protestant religion, which would serve as a nucleus, 
 around which Calvinists would gather from all Europe. But 
 they were doomed to disappointment; for no sooner did the 
 Jesuits of Spain learn of the design to plant this colony, than 
 they set on foot a scheme to strangle the yoiing republic, and 
 eradicate every vestige of the Protestant worship from Florida. 
 Spain had not been able to occupy the new country, but she had 
 , not relinquished her right to the soil, and the Jesuits lost no 
 time in an effort to prevent the location of a colony of " heretics" 
 so adjacent as was Florida ; religious bigotry, therefore, more 
 than any desire to promote the claim which Spain had to the 
 country, incited a movement against the Huguenots ; and the 
 •ships of Malendez, who commanded the expedition, were crowd- 
 ed with Jesuit priests, armed with weapons of warfare, bearing 
 
464 histort' op feeemasoney. 
 
 the Cross of the Prince of Peace in one hand, and the sword of 
 destruction in the other ; and whether they were actuated by a 
 desire to win souls to Christ, by preaching the Gospel, the 
 sequel will show. 
 
 In September, Malendez came upon the French vessels, lying 
 at anchor. On being asked, by the French, what his objects 
 were, the Spaniard replied : " I am Malendez, of Spain, sent 
 with strict orders from my King to gibbet and behead all the 
 Protestants in these regions. The Frenchman, who is a Catho- 
 lic, I will spare : every heretic shall die." The French shipping 
 cut cable and put to sea, cowardly leaving the defenseless 
 colonists at the mercy of the enemy. Malendez pursued the 
 French vessels far enough to insure their non-interference, and 
 then returned to the Huguenot settlement and disembarked his 
 blood-thirsty followers. On reaching the shore, he pompously 
 proclaimed Philip II. of Spain, Monarch of all North America ; 
 mass was performed, and the foundation of St. Augustine was 
 laid.* 
 
 Ribault, who had fled with the French shipping, returned an^l 
 attempted to attack the Spaniards, but a storm arose which 
 drove every ship of the French fleet upon the Florida coast, 
 where they were wrecked. 
 
 Knowing the French garrison to be weak and feeble, Malen- 
 dez led his men through lakes and marshes, attacked the 
 Huguenots with great fury, at a point where they were least 
 expecting an attack, and soon gained possession of the Port, 
 when a general massacre commenced, sparing neither women 
 or children. In this attack and massacre, near two hundred 
 Huguenots were butchered by religious bigots ; a few only 
 escaped into the woods, made their way to the sea shore, and, 
 going on board a small French vessel which had been left at 
 port, finally reached France to bear witness to the bloody scene. 
 
 After the massacre was consummated, the Spaniards said 
 mass, raised a cross, and selected a site for a church, on ground 
 still smoking with the hot blood of their victims. Aye, and the 
 
 • St. Augustine is the oldest town in the United States, by more than forty 
 years. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 465 
 
 work of heartless butchery was not yet ended. The French, 
 who escaped from the wrecked vessels, had collected together, 
 and, unitedly, were capable of making serious resistance ; but 
 being discovered by Malendez, he invited them to cross the 
 river and surrender, promising freedom and protection to all 
 who would do so. The Huguenots were thus -deceived by the 
 false-hearted Spaniard ; for no sooner did they land than their 
 hands were tied behind them, and they were marched to a 
 secluded spot, until all were gathered together, when an exam- 
 ination was made ; a few professing Catholics were found and 
 released. This being done, a signal was given, and the entire 
 colony was massacred in cold blood, not because they were 
 Frenchmen, but because they were Protestants. The whole 
 number of Huguenots sacrificed to religious intolerance is set 
 down at nine hundred by French writers, while the Spanish 
 historians make the number less ; but even they do not deny 
 the brutal manner of the murder. 
 
 In 1568, three vessels were fitted out in France by private 
 subscription, and were placed in charge of a Gascon, who had 
 been basely treated by the Spaniards, and who burned for re- 
 venge. On landing in Florida, he surprised and took a Spanish 
 fort, and caused the prisoners to be hung, declaring that he did 
 not hang them because they were Spaniards, nor yet because they 
 were Catholics, but as murderers and assassins. His force not 
 being sufficient to maintain his ground and occupy the country, 
 he again sailed for France. 
 
 The French Government had tamely submitted to the outrages 
 perpetrated the year before by order of Spain, and heuce it is 
 not remarkable that she should disown this private attempt at 
 retaliation : but she did more. In order to curry favor with 
 Spain, France relinquished all claims to Florida, which included 
 all that country now contained in the Southern States, and 
 extended North and East ad libitum. 
 
 We shall not undertake to give an account of every attempt 
 that was made for new discoveries in America, as they are not 
 necessary to our purpose. 
 
 In 1576, Martin Frobisher landed on the northern shores, 
 near Hudson's Bay, took back to England a native Indian and 
 
 30 
 
466 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 a few American stones. The latter were pronounced by tho 
 London refiners to contain gold ; and straightway an immense 
 gold fever raged throughout the Metropolis, and Elizabeth 
 participated largely in the desire of gold speculation. America 
 and the gold mines were intimately associated in the minds of 
 all ; a fleet was speedily fitted out for the continent, to be 
 freighted with American gold, and enrich the participants with 
 untold millions. The Queen willingly contributed means and 
 afforded facilities to the mariners for the undertaking — indeed, 
 one of the ships belonged to the Queen. This fleet sailed on 
 May 27, 1577, and landed somewhere on the northern coast of 
 America, loaded with dirt, and returned to England. In this 
 expedition one hundred men had been selected to form a colony ; 
 but their ardor becoming cooled, or it may be from the belief that 
 the ships contained gold enough for all their home purposes, cer- 
 tain it is that all returned ; and like many other unfortunate 
 speculations, the truth of their utter failure was concealed, that 
 the world might not know the hight of their folly. 
 
 From 1577 to 1580, Francis Drake distinguished himself by 
 circumnavigating the globe, and enriched himself by numerous 
 piracies on the high seas, and gave much interesting information 
 touching the American coast. 
 
 In 1584, through the enterprise of Sir Walter Raleigh, a 
 fleet was fitted out and placed under the command of Admiral 
 Gilbert, who took with him to the New World a patent from 
 Elizabeth. Without taking the time to relate the disasters of 
 this expedition, we state that it turned out a profitless trip tc 
 all parties concerned, and that the Admiral perished at sea oc 
 his homeward bound trip. 
 
 In 1585, another expedition was sent out by Raleigh, and 
 landed on the coast of North Carolina ; conversed and dined 
 with the natives, and returned to England with two Indians. 
 It was upon the return of this expedition, that (on hearing the 
 glowing accounts of the southern shores of America) Elizabeth 
 named the country Virginia, after the virgin Queen. Raleigh, 
 like all others, claimed the honor of new discoveries in the 
 New World, and being a member of Parliament, obtained a 
 •confirmation of his patent, and renewed his exertions to plant 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONBT. 467 
 
 a colony on his possessions. In 1585, seven vessels were fitted 
 out, and laden with emigrants for the New World. Raleigh 
 had well informed himself of the climate, soil, etc., in that part 
 of the country but recently occupied by the Huguenots, and 
 wisely determined that the proposed colony should locate in a 
 milder climate than had been visited on the previous trip. The 
 expedition was placed under the command of Ralph Lane. 
 The fleet sailed by the West Indies, thence to the mainland of 
 Florida, and finally came to anchor at Wocoken, and afterward 
 made its way to Roanoke. This was the first actual settlement 
 made by the English ; and, although they acknowledged that 
 the natives were an innocent, inoffensive, friendly people, but a 
 short time elapsed until the loss of a silver mug afforded an 
 apology to the English to set fire to an Indian village, and thus 
 lay the foundation of enmity and bitter feeling on the part of 
 the Indians. Nor did this suffice. The colonists seemed to be 
 apprehensive that a union of the neighboring tribes was about 
 to take place, in order to exterminate the English ; and, inviting 
 a council, gathered the Indians together under a pretext of 
 friendship, and, at a concerted signal, fell upon and murdered 
 all the Indians present. These Englishmen were preaching 
 Christianity to the Indians ; one of their ministers carried the 
 Bible, and endeavored to explain its inestimable value to the 
 Indians, and for a time impressed the simple natives with the 
 belief that the Bible was a thing to be worshiped, and Chris- 
 tianity was the true road to happiness in the spirit land — ^but, 
 behold the result ! What savage would exchange the religion 
 of his fathers for that religion which seemed to tolerate 
 deceit, treachery, and murder? Is it wonderful that the 
 Indians are to this day standing aloof from the religion of the 
 " pale face ?" 
 
 In 1586, Sir Francis Drake, on his way from the West Indies 
 to England, stopped and anchored his fleet of twenty-odd ves- 
 sels in the vicinity of the settlement, visited the colonists, and 
 offered them a ship and provisions ; but, ere he sailed. Lane 
 himself, partaking of the despondency of his followers, joined 
 them in soliciting a passage to England ; and, accordingly, they 
 all returned. Thus ended the first English colony. ScarceTjt 
 
41)8 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 had Lane left, when a vessel of stores sent by Raleigh arrived, 
 and returned to England. Soon after, Grenville also arrived* 
 with three ships, in search of the colonists, but found the place, 
 which had been pronounced the paradise of the world, deserted. 
 Grenville, being anxious to perpetuate the English claim to the 
 soil, left fifteen men on the island of Roanoke. 
 
 Raleigh was still not discouraged. True, he had expended 
 forty thousand pounds fruitlessly, but he now determined to 
 raise volunteers, to consist of men and women, husbands, wives, 
 and children ; wisely foreseeing that a colony of men alone 
 could not be successfully planted. In aid of this enterprise, the 
 Queen was applied to ; but not feeling sure of a profitable re- 
 turn, she refused even to contribute to the education of the 
 children about to be sent to the New World — aye, and to the 
 country of which she claimed to be the godmother. In July, 
 1587, the emigrants landed on the island of Roanoke ; but so 
 far from being welcomed by the fifteen Englishmen who had 
 been left, they found the island uninhabited, and only human 
 bones told the fate of their friends. 
 
 Raleigh had designated the location of a town, to be called 
 Raleigh, on the bay of the Chesapeake ; but Fernando, the 
 naval officer, refused to survey the coast, and White, who had 
 charge of the colony, was compelled to remain on the island of 
 Roanoke, and there lay the foundation of the city of Raleigh. 
 
 Manteo, an Indian Chief, who had been to England, was the 
 fast friend of the colonists ; but so often did the whites com- 
 mit deeds of cruelty and injustice against the natives, that not 
 even this good Chief was able to suppress the growing hatred 
 of his tribe. By command of Sir Walter Raleigh, Manteo was 
 christened on Roanoke, and invested with the title of a feudal 
 Baron— the first peerage erected by the English in America. 
 
 When the English vessels were about to return to England, 
 the whole colony invokedj Governor White to return for rein- 
 forcements and supplies of provisions ; and, much against his 
 will, he was forced to yield. Previous to his departure, his 
 daughter, Eleanor Dare, wife of one of the assistants, gave birth 
 to a female child, the first offspring of English parents born in 
 the United States. The child was named after the colony, 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 469 
 
 Virginia. This colony was composed of eighty-nine men, seven- ' 
 teen women, and two children, whose names are all preserved, 
 and, through the history of this great Republic, will be transmit- 
 ted to future ages. But where are they or their descendants ? 
 Echo answers, Where ? The noble-hearted Raleigh sent them 
 supplies, but, owing to the desire of the ship's crew to 'put 
 money in their purse,' by taking prizes on the sea, those supplies 
 never reached them. At five different times did Raleigh send 
 in search of his countrymen in the New World : but, to this day, 
 we know not what became of them. The noble Manteo had dis- 
 appeared, the island was deserted, and we are left to conjecture 
 whether they had all been massacr.ed, or had joined the Indians 
 and sought a retired home. The Indian tradition is, that the 
 Christians, being deserted by their English brethren, took shel- 
 ter under Manteo, removed to a country remote enough to 
 escape intercourse with those tribes who had known and con- 
 ceived a hatred for the whites, and there in peace and harmony 
 intermarried with the Indians, and were thus lost from the 
 knowledge of the civilized world. 
 
 We think there is truth in this tradition, for it is not proba- 
 ble that any force, which the Indians were likely to command, 
 could have overcome this number of well-armed Englishmen ; 
 for we must bear in mind that, at that period, the report of a 
 gun, and the flying of a bullet, were attributed by the natives to 
 the work of omnipotent beings. The Indians had no weapons 
 except bows, and arrows, the latter pointed with reeds ; and, 
 besides, Manteo, the great Chief of the Hatteras tribe, was the 
 fast and unwavering friend of the colonists : and when long 
 years had passed, and a century had rolled away, it was not 
 difficult to perceive that English blood was intermingled in the 
 veins of the Hatteras Indians. If this supposition be founded 
 in truth, it were easy to suppose the colonists introduced Ma- 
 sonry among the Indians ; yea, it is not v6ry unlikely that 
 Manteo was made a Mason in England, and afterward com- 
 municated the mysteries, in conjunction with the English, to 
 his tribe : but we have no proof that such was the case. We 
 have no evidence that Masonry was yet known to the Indians : 
 and, surely, it is too late, in the days of Gov. Clinton, to claim, 
 
470 HISTOEY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 that because Masonry was then known to some of the Indians, 
 it was, therefore. always known to them. 
 
 Several other attempts were made by Raleigh, and others, to 
 plant a colony in America, without success ; indeed, every effort 
 failed so long as the gold mania prevailed : but when there 
 arose a few far-seeing, enterprising, and Christian men, who 
 conceived the idea of planting an agricultural colony, and 
 creating a new and happy home for the already redundant 
 population of England ; then it was that success marked their 
 footsteps. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh accomplished more in laying the founda- 
 tion of this great republic than any other man. As a states- 
 man and patriot, he had no superior ; but his independent, high- 
 minded, and noble bearing, led him finally in chains to prison, 
 from which he escaped only after the axe of the headsman had 
 done its work. But though he lived not to reap the reward 
 of his philanthropic labors, he will live in the annals of litera- 
 ture, and be honored long after his rival and enemy, Lord 
 Cecil, shall be forgotten, or remembered only with derision. 
 
 From the period last mentioned, until 1606, voyages were 
 made almost annually to America, but still no colony had been 
 successfully planted : but now, when the wild and visionary 
 schemes of gold speculations had somewhat subsided, and 
 America was attracting attention for agricultural purposes, a 
 chartered company gathered together one hundred and five 
 emigrants ; and on the 19th of December, 1606, one hundred 
 and fourteen years after the discovery of this Continent, forty- 
 one years after the settlement of Florida, as before mentioned, 
 and one hundred and nine years after Cabot's discovery — three 
 vessels, neither exceeding one hundred tons, set sail for 
 America, steering for that portion denominated Virginia. 
 Favorable results, it would seem, should not have been 
 expected from this attempt to plant a colony, for there were 
 no females and very few mechanics or laboring men among 
 them ; most of them were men who had lived in idleness on 
 respectable means, until they had become impoverished ; in 
 short, they were gentlemen, on a desperate effort to live by 
 tlieir wits, rather than by the sweat of their brows. The little 
 
HISTOEY OF FEBBMASONEY, 471 
 
 colony reached the Chesapeake Bay on the 26th of April, 1C07 ; 
 thence ascended James River, so named after the King ; and 
 fifty miles above the mouth made a settlement, which they 
 named Jamestown. The Council, which had been appointed 
 by the King, chose Wingfield as President ; and straightway 
 excluded Smith from the Council, the best and ablest man 
 among them, on some slight pretext. But Smith's virtues and 
 preeminent talents were too apparent, and of too much import- 
 ance to the distracted colony, not speedily to be called back to 
 their aid. Smith, Newport, and a few others, visited the native 
 Chief, Powhattan, at his village, near the present site of 
 Richmond. The Indians were alarmed and displeased at the 
 appearance of the intruders ; but the Chief allayed the fears of 
 his tribe and favored a friendly intercourse. In June, Newport 
 returned to England, thus leaving the colonists to subsist upon 
 the fruits of their own industry or, rely upon further supplies 
 from the mother country. The provisions brought over spoil- 
 ed, and as the colonists knew nothing of labor, they were soon 
 in a starving or suffering condition ; despair, disease, and death 
 entered every cabin, until there were not five men left able to 
 wait upon the sick, or to plant a crop ; and before autumn 
 fifty men had died. Disunion also entered and completed the 
 melancholy picture of distress. They had tried two Presidents, 
 and each proved false or incompetent ; but now they called to 
 their rescue the services of Smith, and nobly did he meet the 
 emergency. No man in the colony displayed so much cool 
 calculation and foresight, and none made so many personal 
 sacrifices for the benefit of the colony. The love of gold, 
 which had well nigh dried up the avenues to benevolence, 
 entered not his heart ; he seemed more desirous to hold posses- 
 sion of the country, and to meliorate the condition of the set- 
 tlers. Smith had already acquired an influence over the sur- 
 rounding Indians, and, through his exertions, these wild men 
 of the forest shared their crops with the colonists, thus enabling 
 them to pass the winter without suffering. During the winter, 
 Smith and a few followers undertook to explore the country ; 
 but before they had accomplished much, they were surprised 
 and taken prisoners by the Indians, and were all put to death 
 
472 rilS^OET OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 except Smith, who saved his life ty exhibiting a pocket com- 
 pass, and explaining its wonderful properties, and thus inspired 
 the belief that he was a superior being, sent from the spirit 
 land. The Indians retained Smith a prisoner, and allowing 
 nim to send a letter to the settlement, they were amazed that 
 he was able to make paper talk. 
 
 The narrative of Smith is one of thrilling interest, and as it 
 tends to exemplify the character of the natives of the forest, 
 and may somewhat elucidate our subject,- we shall continue the 
 history, and probably inquire whether we have still any proof 
 that Masonry was known to the Indians ? 
 
 Few, if any, of the early settlers possessed so much cool 
 bravery and consummate cunning, while a prisoner among the 
 Indians, as Smith, who, when even death was staring him in 
 the face, possessed the presence of mind to bring to bear some 
 method to avert the impending blow. This he accomplished 
 on several occasions by the exhibttioh of some art or trick, so 
 remarkable in the estimation of the Indians as to excite terror 
 or veneration. Daniel Boone, was, perhaps, the only man who 
 equaled Smith in thus operating on the minds of his captors. 
 Smith was carried from one Indian village to another, to ascer- 
 tain, if possible, whether he was. as he seemed to be, endowed 
 with superhuman powers ; and finally, after consulting the 
 prophets and wise men, all seemed to agree that he was a 
 superior being, sent from_ the spirit land, either for good or evil, 
 to the red men of the forest. This being settled, it next became 
 a matter of the highest importance to learn whether his visit 
 portended good or evil — in short, whether he was a good or a 
 bad being. If they could learn that he was a good being and 
 a friend to the Indian, they much desired not only to spare his 
 life, but, if possible, to offer him such inducements as would 
 tempt him to remain with the tribes. If, on the other hand, he 
 was come among them with evil purposes, it became a question 
 whether they had the ability to destroy him, and if not, it would 
 be their only alternative to appease his wrath and court hia 
 compassion. 
 
 From the village of Chickahominy, Smith was conducted it. 
 triumjA to the villages on the Rappahannock and the Potomac, 
 
HISTOEy OF FREEMASONRY. 473 
 
 and thence, through various small villages, to the wigwam of 
 Opechancanaugh, at Pamunky, where for several days the seers 
 of the neighboring tribes resorted to all their religious cere- 
 monies, in^'Ocations, etc., in order to learn from the Great 
 Spirit Smith's true character, and the object of his mission. 
 But, after all this, the mystery still remained unsolved, and it 
 was finally determined that the decision of the great Chief 
 Powhattan should determine the matter, and decide the fate of 
 the prisoner. This Chief resided at a village situated in what 
 is now Gloucester county, on York River, ^j 
 
 Powhattan called a council' of his wisest men, and invited 
 others of the neighboring tribes to be present, and participate 
 in the deliberations. But, before this council met. Smith 
 learned enough to become satisfied that the decision would be 
 against him, and his life be demanded. In this extremity, we 
 are constrained to believe, he resorted to dishonorable means 
 in order to save his life. He was treated as a guest as well as 
 prisoner in the wigwam of Powhattan, and hence was not 
 restrained in his intercourse with Pocahontas, the beautiful 
 daughter of the Chief, to whom he made love : and though she 
 is represented as being but twelve years old, so powerfully had 
 he won upon her affections, that when condemned, and about to 
 be executed, this young, innocent, and confiding girl, in agony, 
 threw herself upon the prisoner's neck, and besought her 
 princely father to let the blow fall upon her head, but spare the 
 life of Smith. What a rare and beautiful specimen have we 
 here of pure and disinterested love ! Indians are not taught to 
 conceal their attachments under a vail of hypocrisy ; they know 
 not the arts and false modesty of civilized life. She, who has 
 been sought and won, fears not to tell the world to whom her 
 heart and hand are plighted. 
 
 Pocahontas, the beautiful, the uneducated -child of the forest 
 — she at whose feet the proudest and bravest young Chiefs 
 rfr■>'^^A ha.ve bowed in humble adoration — gave her affections, 
 pure and unsDuiucJ, tz z z:z^v. ::^t of her tribe and kindred, but 
 a sojourner from afar, of an unknown race — ^to one who had 
 been pronounced unfit to live — to one who, in the opinion of 
 many, came of an evil spirit. Pocahontas, without pausing to 
 
474 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 inquire from whence he sprang, was wooed and won by Smith, 
 the culprit, the condemned criminal, and so adjudged, too, bv 
 her own father. We can well imagine how beautifully hei 
 foelipo^s have been expressed by the inimitable poet, in the fol- 
 lowing couplet : 
 
 " I kaow not, I ask not, if guilt's in thai Leart ; 
 I but know that I lore thee, whatever thou art." 
 
 Justice, however, calls upon us to admit, that two circum- 
 stances tend to extenuate, if not excuse, the seeming dishonor- 
 able conduct in Smith. First, Pocahontas was so young that he 
 might well doubt whether she was capable of feeling and plight- 
 ing a woman's love : and, second, the estimation in which the 
 Indians, as a race of human beings, were held by all Europeans, 
 was so low as scarcely to command obedience to the laws of 
 humanity, much less the fulfillment of honorable engagements. 
 But after ages would have honored the name of Smith, and 
 poets would have sung his praise in never-dying song, had he 
 married the dark-haired Princess, who saved his life at the 
 hazard of losing her own. 
 
 After Smith was thus spared, Powhattan, whose stern heart 
 had been softened by the tears and supplications of his daughter, 
 determined to adopt the stranger into his tribe, and soon made 
 overtures to him to join and conduct a war party against the 
 whites at Jamestown. This proposition was promptly and 
 honorably met by Smith, who declared his willingness to die at 
 the stake sooner than take up arms against his countrymen. 
 Powhattan so much admired this high-minded and honorable 
 rpsolve, that he promptly set Smith at liberty, extending to him 
 his personal friendship, which was received and reciprocated by 
 Smith. And thus was Smith's captivity a blessing to the colony, 
 as he, thenceforward, exercised much influence over the Indians ; 
 and, through his means, provisions were obtained to prevent 
 suffering, if not starvation. 
 
 Soon after Smith's return to Jamestown, he commenced a 
 survey of the Chesapeake, and the adjacent country, from which 
 resulted much valuable geographical knowledge of that portion 
 of the New World. The maps of this survey are said still to 
 be in a high state of preservation ; and we marvel that ouj 
 
HISTORY OP FRBBMASONEY. 475 
 
 Government has taken no steps to obtain posst"ssion of them ; 
 the day is coming, and now is, when they would be esteemed a 
 valuable relic of American antiquity. i 
 
 After the conclusion of this survey, and immediately upon 
 his return to the colony, he was made President of the Council, 
 and his powerful influence for good was soon felt. The number 
 of the colonists had now more than doubled, by new arrivals, 
 but even yet the Company, at London, had not learned what 
 sort of men to send over ; and, indeed, in one of their mandates, 
 they demanded the return of so much gold dust, under a penalty 
 of forfeiting all claims to the protection and assistance of the 
 Company ; in short, they were threatened to be left without 
 supplies, thus to starve. And this they were well nigh coming 
 to, for, notwithstanding the fertility of the soil, so indolent and 
 lazy were they, that they did not grow corn enough through 
 the summer to seijire them in winter ; but Smith obtained a 
 decree of the Council, compelling the men to work several 
 hours each day, and thus forced them to raise provisions. And, 
 in his letters to the Company, he urged that mechanics and 
 laborers should be sent over, instead of loungers and broken- 
 down gentlemen. And so soon as Smith succeeded in satisfying 
 those interested that this was an agricultural, ra?ther than a 
 mineral country, a favorable change was perceptible, and the 
 colonists began to labor, rather than dream of gold and gold 
 mines. 
 
 Thus have we given a brief and imperfect sketch of the 
 various attempts to colonize this country. This much we 
 thought incumbent on us, as thereby we have afforded the reader 
 an opportunity to go with us, step by step, in search of testi- 
 mony (if any existed) going to show that the Indians were 
 then in possession of Freemasonry. And now, we respectfully 
 ask, to what conclusions must all sensible and candid men 
 arrive ? Have we any evidence that the Spaniards found 
 Masonry among the Indians ? Have the Prenah enlightened us 
 upon this subject ? And, lastly, does the colony of Jamestown 
 leave us either written or traditional evidence that any of the 
 Indians were Masons ? We say, without the fear of successful 
 contradiction, that there nowhere exists one jot or tittle of 
 
476 HISTOEY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 testimony in favor of this Quixotic theory ; and it is high time that 
 intelligent Masons should set their face against all those hatched 
 up stories about Indian Masonic hieroglyphics, found upon 
 bones and pieces of bark. We owe it to our Institution and to 
 posterity, to publish and proclaim the truth, though it should 
 strip Freemasonry of one-half of its hoary locks. We could not, 
 if we would, satisfy an intelligent community that Masonry waa 
 known and practiced by the aborigines of North America, by 
 mere declamation ; and we should not, if we could, promulgate 
 a false history. Masonry is sufiSciently universal for all prac- 
 tical good. It was never designed for, nor can it be appreciated 
 by, the wild, uncultivated savage of the forest ; and it is neither 
 a compliment to Masonrynor Masons, to say that our noble and 
 glorious Institution has been in the keeping of those who were 
 not capable of appreciating its holy teachings. Masonry was 
 designed to counteract and supersede the, false teachings of 
 superstitious and idolatrous associations ; and to accomplish its 
 mission, it must, and will be, transmitted to those only who are 
 capable of promulgating its principles. 
 
 It will be remembered, that so straitened in their circum- 
 stances were the colonists at Jamestown, that they were 
 parceled out, at one time, and given in charge of the different 
 neighboring Indians, to be fed during winter ; and can any one 
 suppose that, if tliis benevolence, this kindness, this charity, on 
 the part of the savages, had been superinduced by, and through 
 the influence of Masonry, that an account of the same would 
 not have been preserved ? And, so far from this being the 
 case, we have no reliable evidence that Masonry was practiced 
 by the colonists themselves. Yea, more, we are called upon to 
 pass over one hundred and twenty years before we can find 
 recorded testimony that Masonry was known in America. 
 And yet, how easy for some men to believe that the Indians 
 were Masons, without the slightest evidence of the fact. 
 
 We admit that it is quite probable there were Masons among 
 the colonists, and that they assembled themselves together in 
 occasional Lodges. We can not suppose that, while Masonry 
 was flourishing in England, under the Grand Mastership of Sir 
 Christopher Wren, that it was wholly unknown or neglected in 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 477 
 
 America. At tliat day, and do-wn to 1717, Masons possessed 
 the inalienable right to congregate when and where they 
 thought proper, as warrants for Lodges were unknown. But 
 it appears remarkable that no record has been preserved and 
 transmitted to us, giving an account of a single meeting for 
 more than a century. We know that records were not always 
 made of Masonic meetings, anterior to 1717, but we should 
 expect that, during so long a period, some records would have 
 been made, and that such papers would have been found ; but 
 we hear nothing of Masonry on this continent until 1729, 
 twelve years after the reorganization in England ; and this 
 much we learn only through English historians. 
 
 Anderson, in his History of Masonry, states that a warrant 
 was issued by the Grand Lodge of England, in 1729, for a 
 Provincial Grand Lodge in New Jersey, America. This 
 isolated fact we have already stated in this history. But we 
 are without satisfactory evidence in relation to the use, if any, 
 which was made of that warrant. It is true, that we believe 
 one or more Lodges were opened in New Jersey under that 
 authority, but we arrive at this conclusion from other than 
 recorded testimony. We know, from recorded facts, that a 
 warrant was issued by St. John's Grand Lodge, of Boston, in 
 1734, to Benjamin Franklin and others, of Philadelphia, em- 
 powering them to form and open a Lodge of Master Masons. 
 At this period. Dr. Franklin had not been to Europe, and it 
 does not seem probable that he went to Boston in order to be 
 made a Mason ; on the contrary, as the warrant names him as 
 the first Master of the New Lodge, we reasonably conclude 
 that he had been made a Mason before the Provincial Grand 
 Lodge was established in Boston, and we think he took the 
 degrees in New Jersey. There is a vague tradition that there 
 was, for a short period, a Lodge at Trenton, New Jersey, 
 which, we think, is quite probable, and that Franklin, and, 
 perhaps, others of the New Lodge at Philadelphia, were there 
 initiated. But, after all our inquiry, we are left to arrive at 
 the foregoing conclusions more from conjecture than reliable 
 evidence. In a private correspondence with Bro. Hatch, of 
 New York, he informs us that he has somewhere seen the name 
 
478 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 of the Provincial Grand Master to whom the warrant wa? 
 granted by the Grand Lodge of England, and thinks it was 
 Peter Holt, though he does not so speak with entire con- 
 fidence. 
 
 It will be seen that, under the supposition that we are 
 correct in saying a Lodge was instituted at Trenton, under the 
 warrant of 1729, that warrant must have been withdrawn or 
 forfeited before June, 1734, as we can not believe Franklin 
 would have obtained a warrant for a Lodge from Boston, if, at 
 the same time, such a warrant could have been obtained from 
 New Jersey. Under all the circumstances, we are justified in 
 believing that the warrant of 1729 was used, so far as to estab- 
 lish a Lodge at Trenton, but that, prior to June, 1734, said 
 warrant was forfeited, or ceased to be in force. 
 
 We do not think it a conclusive argument against the 
 existence of a Lodge at Trenton, to say no record of such 
 Lodge has been preserved ; for the same method of reasoning 
 would lead us to suppose that no Lodge was ever opened in 
 America, prior to the formation of the St. John's Grand Lodge, 
 at Boston. We admit that the Lodge at Trenton should have 
 reported its proceedings to the Grand Lodge of England, after 
 the warrant for a Provincial Grand Lodge ceased to be in 
 force ; and yet, even this is not clearly evident, for it may be 
 that the time said Lodge was authorized to work, was limited 
 to the existence of the Provincial warrant ; and, besides, even 
 admitting it to have been the duty of the Lodge at Trenton to 
 have reported its proceedings to the mother Grand Lodge, we 
 know how likely such duties are to be neglected, especially 
 after the Lodge ceases to work. Very many Lodges, at the 
 present day, after forfeiting their charters, fail to return their 
 warrants, jewels, etc., to their Grand Lodge until the members 
 are threatened with th« punishment due to such neglect of duty. 
 
 We have ample proof of the existence, at one time, of Lodges 
 in England and America, of whose records no trace can now be 
 found. It is not, then, very remarkable that no record has been, 
 preserved of the proceedings of the supposed Lodge at Trenton. 
 
 But where was the first Lodge established in America, of 
 which we have recorded testimony ? 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 479 
 
 Dr. Dove, of Virginia, in his Text Book, dates the establish- 
 ment of Masonry in the United States from .July 30, 1733, 
 at which time the Provincial Grand Lodge of St. John was 
 formed in Boston, under a warrant issued by Lord Viscount 
 Montagu, Grand Master of England. But th"e Doctor adds that 
 a Lodge had, however, been previously established at Savannah, 
 Georgia, by virtue of a warrant from Lord Weymouth, Grand 
 Master of England. 
 
 In looking over our private correspondence with Bro. King, 
 of the Masonic Union, to whom, as we have before said, we are 
 under many obligations, we find that, at one time, he was in- 
 clined to agree with Bro. Dove, as to the time of the establish- 
 ment of a Lodge at Savannah ; but, in a letter of recent date, 
 doubtless, after having made a more thorough examination of 
 the subject, he, very correctly, arrives at the conclusion that 
 Bro. Dove is -greatly mistaken, either in regard to the time said 
 . Lodge was established, or as to the Grand Master under whose 
 authority the warrant was issued. As Bro. King has concisely 
 and correctly stated the testimony, as found in Anderson's His- 
 tory, and as his deductions are truly drawn, we take the liberty 
 of making the following extract from his letter. He says : 
 
 " In regard to the Lodge at Savannah, Georgia, I obtained 
 my information from Bro. Dove's Text Book. Speaking of the 
 organization of Masonry in the United States, the author says : 
 'It is to be dated from July 30, 1733, at which time St. 
 John's Grand Lodge was opened in Boston, under a charter 
 issued by Lord Viscount Montagu, Grand Master of England.' 
 He then adds, in a marginal note : ' A Lodge had, however, 
 been previously instituted at Savannah, in Georgia, by virtue 
 of a warrant from Lord Weymouth, Grand Master of Eng- 
 land.' In this, the eminent author commits an evident ana- 
 chronism, for Lord Weymouth was not installed, as your own 
 excellent historical knowledge has taught you, until two years 
 after the Grand Lodge spoken of was formed in Boston. 
 Lord Weymouth succeeded the Earl of Crawford, and was 
 installed in London on April 17, 1735. If the formation of the 
 Lodge at Savannah preceded that of the St. John's Grand 
 Lodge in Boston, the warrant must have been granted by the 
 
480 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKY. 
 
 same Grand Master (Lord Viscount Montagu), or by one of 
 his immediate predecessors, Lord Lovell, or the Duke of Nor- 
 folk. One of the last ofi&cial acts of Grand Master Montagu, 
 was granting the Boston warrant. But, anterior to all this, 
 and contemporaneous with the establishment of a Provincial 
 Grand Lodge in Lower Saxony, in Europe, and the granting 
 a charter for one in Bengal, Asia, a Provincial Grand Lodge 
 was established in New Jersey, America, by a deputation from 
 Grand Master, the Duke of Noi-folk ; and, as the Duke left 
 England soon after his installation, whi^ took place January 
 29, 1730, and went to Italy, where he staid during the re- 
 maining part of his official term, it is altogether probable he 
 signed the warrant for a Provincial Grand Lodge in New 
 Jersey, in the month of February, of that year. This is the 
 earliest authentic record of the existence of an organized bod} 
 of Masons within the territory now occupied by the United 
 States, of which I have any knowledge. I find, in Preston's 
 Illustrations, page 236, that the Lodge' at Savannah was char- 
 tered in 1735 ; therefore, in point of time, five years subsequent 
 to the organization in New Jersey, and two in Massachusetts." 
 
 It will be seen, by the foregoing, that Bro. King dates the 
 warrant issued, by the Grand Lodge of England, for New Jer- 
 sey, in 1730, instead of 1729, as we have stated ; and it is 
 proper to say that Bro. Hatch fixes the date of said warrant 
 to 1730, by high authority, as this is what Preston states ; but, 
 notwithstanding all this, we incline to the belief that the war- 
 rant was granted in 1729, because Anderson so states. And, in 
 this instance, as in almost all others where a difference is to be 
 found between Anderson and Preston, we give preference to the 
 former, because he was a more learned, and better historian, and, 
 generally, more accurate in his historical details! Dr. Anderson 
 says that a warrant was granted by the Grand Lodge of England, 
 for a Provincial Grand Lodge in New Jersey, in 1729; and it 
 will be recollected that his history was submitted to his Grand 
 Lodge, and by it sanctioned and confirmed. We say, then, 
 that Anderson is not only the oldest, but the highest authority 
 to which we can refer. 
 
 Anderson says that, in 1729, Thomas Howard, Earl of Great 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 481 
 
 Britain, Duke of Norfolk, was installed with more pomp and 
 ceremony than any of his predecessors. If this be true, wo 
 think we are correct in saying the warrant for New Jersey 
 was issued in 1729, for the Duke left England soon after his 
 installation, and remained absent most of the time until his 
 successor. Lord Lovell, was chosen, in 1731. The celebrated 
 '• Sword of State," now in possession of the Grand Lodge of 
 England, was sent, as a present, by Lord Norfolk, from Venice 
 in 1730. 
 
 Touching the difference of opinion which has existed in rela- 
 tion to the time when a Lodge was established in Savannah, we 
 take the liberty of making an extract from a private letter, of 
 recent date," addressed to us by Bro. Hatch, of Rochester, New 
 York. He says : 
 
 " Masonry is sometimes said to have been established at Sa- 
 vannah, in Georgia, in 1730, but this is a mistake. A warrant 
 was granted by the Grand Lodge of England for a Master 
 Masons' Lodge, at Savannah, Georgia, under Lord Weymouth, 
 in 1735. Lord Weymouth was installed April 17, 1735, and 
 the warrant was granted after that — so says Preston." 
 
 We shall pursue this subject somewhat further, but we are 
 pained to be under the necessity of apprising our readers that 
 the history of our Order, in the United States, has been so 
 shamefully neglected, that we can scarcely trace its footprints 
 down to the time of the Revolution. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 ' Having satisfied our mind that, although a Lodge was 
 established in New Jersey about the year 1729, there being no 
 written testimony to that effect, it is our duty, as a faithful 
 historian, to give the honor to Boston of establishing the first 
 Masonic organization of which a record has been preserved. 
 There is no difficulty in defining the time of said organization ; 
 and the history of its progress has been so well preserved, that 
 we do not hesitate to subscribe to the opinion, that Boston is 
 the mother of Masonry in America, at least, so far as the 
 reorganization of 1717 is concerned. We proceed, then, to a 
 jrief detail of the introduction and progress of 
 
 MASONRY IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 During the latter part of the year 1732, a number of Free- 
 masons, residing in Boston, drew up and signed a petition to 
 the Grand Lodge of England, praying authority to establish a 
 Provincial Grand Lodge in Boston. Whether this petition 
 was presented to, and acted upon by, the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, we are not informed ; but we presume it was not, it 
 being then entirely competent for the Grand Master to grant 
 warrants and patents to whomsoever he chose. We suppose 
 the petition was not presented to the Grand Lodge, because of 
 the date of the warrant, which does not correspond with the 
 usual time of the meeting of that Grand body. The warrant 
 is dated April .SO, 1733, and is signed by Anthony, Lord 
 Viscount Montagu, Grand Master of Masons in England. 
 The warrant appointed Henry Price Grand Master of North 
 America, with full power and authority to appoint his Deputy, 
 and other officers, necessary for forming a Provincial Grand 
 Jiodge, which should be empowered to establish Lodges of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 483 
 
 Free and Accepted Masons anywhere upon the continent of 
 Araerica. 
 
 By the authority of this commission, M. W. Bro. Price pro- 
 ceeded to open a Grand Lodge in Boston, under the title of 
 St. John's Grand Lodge, on July 30, 1733 ; and, thereupon, 
 appointed W. Andrew Belcher, Deputy Grand Master ; and 
 Thomas Kennelly and John Quann, Grand Wardens. Thus 
 constitated, this Grand Lodge proceeded to grant charters for 
 constituting Lodges in various places in America ; and it is 
 a fact, not, perhaps, generally known, that from this Grand 
 Lodge originated the first Lodges, regularly located and estab- 
 lished, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Con- 
 necticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Yirginia, Noijth 
 Carolina, and South Carolina. 
 
 It will be remembered that, in 1739, a few old Masons of 
 London became offended, because of some imaginary injury 
 inflicted upon them by the Grand Lodge of England, and, in 
 a pet, withdrew their connection from that Grand body ; and, 
 joining in the hue and cry of a number of suspended and 
 expelled Masons, pronounced the Grand Lodge guilty of 
 removing many of the Ancient Landmarks,and introducing inno- 
 vations into the body of Masonry. These malcontents did not 
 stop here ; but, throwing themselves upon what they chose to 
 call their original rights, proceeded to establish Lodges (or 
 rather to open Lodges) when and wherever was deemed con- 
 venient, as Masons formerly had the right to do. And, in 
 order to justify their high-handed rebellion, they called the 
 Grand Lodge of England the Grand Lodge of Modern Ma- 
 sons, and claimed for themselves the more fascinating title of 
 Ancient Masons. They entered into correspondence with the 
 Grand Lodge at York, which had become displeased at, and 
 alienated from, the Grand Lodge of England, because the 
 latter had interfered with the jurisdiction of the former. 
 Therefore, the Grand Lodge at York lent a willing ear to the 
 misrepresentations of the dissenting party, and took them 
 under its care. The influence of this Grand Lodge was very 
 powerful ; and this approbation of the course taken by the 
 rebelling party in London, had the effect to induce the Grand 
 
4.84 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. ^ 
 
 Lodges of Scotland and Ii^land to regard the Grand'Lodge of 
 England as a body of Modern Masons, designedly innpvating 
 upon the Ancient Craft usages. Thus, the appellation of 
 Modern Masonry became very generally applied to that Grand 
 Lodge. This opinion prevailed with many in America ; and, 
 at length, a number of Masons in Boston, who attached great 
 importance to the name "Ancient Masonry," took upon them- 
 selves to call the St. John's Grand Lodge an organization of 
 Modern Masonry ; and petitioned the Grand Lodge of Scot 
 land for a warrant to form a Lodge of Ancient Masons. The 
 Grand Lodge of Scotland willingly granted their request, by 
 issuing a deputation, dated November 30, 1752 (now more than 
 one hundred years ago), and signed by Sholto, Charles Douglas 
 (Lord Aberdour), Grand Master of Scotland. This warrant 
 constituted the petitioners into a regular Lodge, under the 
 name of Saint Andrew's Lodge, No. 82. 
 
 The St. John's Grand Lodge very naturally and properly 
 protested against the right of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to 
 establish a subordinate in Boston, thus laying the foundation for 
 discord and heart-burnings. Acting upon the supposition that 
 they had previously occupied the ground legally, and that any 
 interference with their jurisdiction called for a firm resistance, 
 the St. John's Grand Lodge denounced the other as illegal and 
 claDiie_stine, and forbid Masonic intercourse. But the term An- 
 cient, as claimed by St. Andrew's, and their industry in apply- 
 ing the term Modern to St. John's, had the effect to make the 
 former quite popular ; and, being thus encouraged, the members 
 of St. Andrew's exerted themselves to forward its growth and 
 prosperity. But, alone, it could do but little, as it did not pos- 
 sess the power to grant warrants for new Lodges ; and, there- 
 fore, it became an object of the first importance with them to 
 take such steps as would lead to the formation of another Grand 
 Lodge. This they accomplished in a manner which must be 
 esteemed remarkable, if not unprecedented, viz., they induced 
 some Lodges belonging to the British army, tlien residing in 
 the Colonies to join them in forming a Grand Lodge. Thus did 
 St. Andrew's Lodge denounce the St. John's Grand Lodge, 
 because it held under the Grand Lodge of England, made up of 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 485 
 
 Modern Masons ; and yet they united with traveling Lodges, 
 holding under the same Grand Lodge of England, to form a 
 Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, in Boston. 
 •■ And, to this day, there are many good men who hoflestly 
 believe that the St. Andrew's Grand Lodge taught Ancient 
 Masonry, and that St. John's taught Modern Masonry. Shortly 
 after the formation of St. Andrew's Grand Lodge, it bid fair 
 to supersede the other, as it became much the most popular. 
 
 On December 27, 1769, St. Andrew's Grand Lodge cel- 
 ebrated the festival of St. John the Evangelist in great pomp. 
 At this meeting, a commission from the Right Honorable 
 George, Earl of Dalhousie, Grand Master of Scotland, was 
 read, dated. May 30, 1769, appointing Joseph Warren to be 
 Grand Master of Masons in Boston and within one hundred 
 miles of the same, which was joyfully approved ; whereupon, 
 Bro. Warren was duly proclaimed and installed into office, and 
 he proceeded to appoint and install all other officers. 
 
 The name of Warren, as Grand Master, was well calculated 
 to give power and influence, to this new Grand Lodge. As in 
 the establishment of the spurious or clandestine Grand Lodge in 
 London, in 1753, the name Ancient, together with a distin- 
 guished man as Grand Master, had the effect to catch the floating 
 Masons (so to speak), who judge of Masonry by its titles, rather 
 than take the trouble of tracing cause to effect. Certain it is that 
 this new Grand Lodge — established by the subordinates of two 
 foreign Grand bodies (England and Scotland), and taken charge 
 of by the latter, in direct disregard of the claims of a Grand Lodge 
 legally planted by the former (the St. John's Grand Lodge) — 
 with all this glaring injustice, continued to grow in importance 
 and popularity ; granting charters for Lodges to be holdcn in 
 Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and 
 New York. 
 
 We have ever regarded the Masonry of Scotland as having 
 been preserved in greater purity than anywhere else. England 
 has made many innovations, and Ireland and continental 
 Europe have copied them ; indeed, the latter have, from time 
 to time, largely improved upon the examples of England, until 
 Craft Masonry has become shrouded up in modern systems, 
 
486 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 called Masonic, but bearing no sort of resemblance to true Ma- 
 sonry. Scotland alone has stood aloof from popular progres- 
 sion, adhering faithfully to the old rituals of the Order. But, 
 while we do the Grand Lodge of Scotland honor for nobly rosisfr 
 ing the temptations to modern innovation, we can not but con- 
 demn, in the most decided manner, the course pursued by that 
 Grand body in planting Masonry in America. Had that Grand 
 Lodge authorized the institution of Lodges and Grand Lodges 
 in Colonies where the ground was unoccupied, we should not com- 
 plain ; buttoplantaGrandLodgeinthetownof Boston, knowing 
 that one had been established there by the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, was an outrage which should nothave been tolerated by such 
 men as Joseph Warren. It is due, however, to the parties con- 
 cerned in establishing the new Grand Lodge to say, that they 
 doubtless really believed the Grand Lodge of England to be a 
 body of Modern Masons, departing from the Ancient Landmarks 
 of the Craft. 
 
 On March 3, 1772, a commission was issued, signed by 
 Patrick, Earl of Dumfries, Grand Master of Masons in Scot- 
 land, appointing Joseph Warren, of America, Grand Master 
 of Masons for the Continent of America. From some cause, 
 unknown to us, this commission was not received until the 
 following year, when Bro. Warren was proclaimed Grand 
 Master in accordance therewith ; and, to this day, many very 
 intelligent Masons believe that Bro. Warren was legally the 
 Grand Master of all the Masons in America. 
 
 This statement has been proclaimed by public speakers and 
 epistolary writers, ever since the Revolution. We expect to be 
 taken to task for daring to disturb the supposed settled fact ; but, 
 we ask our readers to bear in mind, that we are not writing to 
 merit or receive the plaudits of the world — it is not our busi- 
 ness to make Masonry popular, by undertaking to prove that 
 the purest, best, and greatest men have ever been at its head. 
 Ours is the task to collate and record such of the historical 
 facts as may tend to preserve and transmit to posterity a true 
 and uncolored account of Freemasonry. Few, if any, more 
 admire the character of Bro. Warren than we do, and no one 
 could moi-e cheerfully do honor to his illustrious name ; but, 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONEY. 487 
 
 for all this, we dare not admit that he was rightfully the Grand 
 Master of Masons in America. 
 
 In 1775, both the Grand Lodges in Boston were compelled 
 to suspend their meetings, because Boston had been made a 
 garrison. 
 
 On the 17th of June, of this year, the battle of Bunker Hill 
 was fought ; and the gallant officer, the brave soldier, the dis- 
 tinguished citizen and noble-hearted Mason, Grand Master 
 Warren, fell, bravely contending for the honor and independence 
 of his country. 
 
 After Boston was evacuated by the British army, the brethren, 
 with one accord, entertaining a high regard for the memory of 
 Warren, repaired to the battle ground to search for his body, 
 which had been indiscriminately buried. By the assistance of 
 a man who was present when the slain were buried, our brethren 
 were enabled to find the body, which, though in a mangled con- 
 dition, was known by a false tooth. 
 
 It is stated (for effect we suppose) that the body was found 
 buried on the brow of a hUl, and the grave surrounded by a cluster 
 of sprigs. We neither affirm nor deny the truth of this state- 
 ment ; nor do we regard it as at all important what opinion 
 our readers may form in relation to it. But we rejoice at 
 knowing that, even while surrounded by a powerful foreign foe, 
 and hourly in danger of being torn from their firesides, their 
 homes, and their families, the Masons of Boston disinterred the 
 body of their beloved brother, and conveyed it to the State 
 House ; from which place it was followed by a large concourse 
 of Masons — among whom were the officers of Bro. Warren's 
 Grand Lodge — to the Stone Chapel, where an appropriate 
 ealogium was delivered by Perez Morton ; after which, the body 
 was buried with Masonic honors, according to the usages of 
 the Order. 
 
 A meeting of the members of the new Grand Lodge, and 
 Lodges holding under it, was called on March 8, 1777. The 
 object of this- meeting was to take into consideration the true 
 condition of their late organization, and to devise means to 
 resuscitate or reorganize the Grand Lodge. 
 
 By the death of their Grand Master, who held his con mission 
 
488 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 from Scotland, it was thought by this meeting that their organ- 
 ization had been broken up ; that the commission died with 
 the Grand Master ; and the Deputy, having been appointed by 
 th» deceased, his powers also ceased. These opinions were, 
 most likely, strengthened, if not superinduced, by a natural 
 desire to get rid of foreign control. After duly considering 
 the subject, the meeting determined to form de novo a Grand 
 Lodge ; and, thereupon, elected Thomas Smith Webb Grand 
 Master, who was thereupon proclaimed and duly installed. 
 
 It will be seen by the foregoing, that all the Masons of 
 America did not wait until the establishment of our indepen- 
 dence, to dissolve their allegiance to a foreign Grand Lodge. 
 These brethren of Boston dissolved their connection with the 
 Grand Lodge of Scotland, and organized an independent Grand . 
 Lodge, six years before the Colonies were acknowledged to be 
 free and independent, and four years before the brethren of 
 New York asked for and obtained a Provincial Charter from 
 the spurious, or Athol Grand Lodge of London ; under which 
 they continued to hold until 1785. 
 
 The St. John's Grand Lodge, at Boston, resumed its meetings 
 after Boston was evacuated by the British army, and continued 
 to move on in harmony, granting charters for the establishment 
 of new Lodges, in various places — sending some beyond the 
 present boundary of the United States ; but it was not to be 
 expected that the new Grand Lodge would fall into ruin, with 
 such a brother as Webb at its head. It is now, we believe, 
 generally admitted that Bro. Webb did more for practical Ma- 
 sonry, in this country, than any other man. While we admit 
 that Bro. Webb introduced some novelties, we can not but ac- 
 knowledge that his Monitor tended, in a most powerful manner, 
 to promote the prosperity of Masonry in America. Bro. Webb 
 took Preston for his guide ; and, as far as he quoted from that 
 eminent author, gave our rituals and usages in their original 
 simplicity ; and we much regret that he did not here stop. 
 But, being impressed with the belief that Masonry admitted of 
 being adapted to any government, by such changes and addi- 
 tions as were necessary to cause it to harmonize with the civil 
 and political institutions, he, unfortunately, laid the foundation 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 489 
 
 for progressive Masonry, so liberally improved upon by those 
 who have written since his time. 
 
 Preston's Illustrations of Masonry was, at no time, generally 
 in the hands of Masons in this country ; nor were the writings 
 of Anderson. The only manuals in use were the republications 
 of the Miman Rezon ; a work replete with errors and innova- 
 tions, and, hence, calculated to do much harm. And, though 
 Webb's Monitor failed to correct those errors, still, as a work- 
 ing manual, it better served the purposes of the Lodges than 
 any other, and, for a time, it was almost the only work in use. 
 But it is not in this connection alone that we regard Bi'o. 
 "Webb as having liberally contributed to the well-being and 
 prosperity of Masonry in America. 
 
 We have reason to believe that Bro. Webb gave his whole 
 influence in favor of bringing about a reconciliation and union 
 between the Grand Lodge over which he presided, and the St. 
 John's Grand Lodge. No intelligent Mason, it would seem, 
 could fail to see the evil which threatened to befall two Grand 
 Lodges, of equal powers, existing in the same town, and exer- 
 cising control over the same territory ; both claiming to be 
 legal, and each denouncing the other. The withdrawal of one, 
 or a union of the two, was loudly called for by every principle 
 of the Order ; and he who labored thus to restore harmony, 
 confidence, and brotherly kindness, to the Fraternity at large, 
 deserves the gratitude of every American Mason. We suppose 
 Bro. Webb believed, as w« do, that it was a matter of no sort 
 of importance whether the American organization of Masonry 
 dated back to England, or Scotland. Either of these Lodges 
 was good authority, and of equal dignity ; both claimed to be 
 descended from, and to teach, Ancient Craft Masonry ; and 
 both did so teach. And it was impossible for Bro. Webb to 
 reside in Massachusetts, and preside over one of the Masonic 
 bodies, and not know that the charges brought against the St. 
 John's Grand Lodge were wholly groundless. As propositions 
 for a union of the two Grand Lodges were set on foot while 
 Webb was Grand Master, we take it for granted that they met 
 Ins entire approbation, if, indeed, he did not originate them. 
 
 The laudable efforts made under the administration ot 
 
490 HISTORY OP FREEMASONEY. 
 
 Bro. Webb failed to accomplish tlie desirable end. in 
 all similar difficulties, it is generally the case that a few 
 ignorant, self-important, meddlesome men, who seek to throw 
 obstacles in the way of an amicable adjustment of party dif- 
 ficulties, are to be found ; and this was the fact in the above 
 case. Those who had no higher standard of judging the world 
 than that of their own contracted sphere, did not hesitate to 
 pronounce sentence of condemnation upon all who did not, or 
 would not, be measured by their rule ; which, upon careful 
 examination, did not admit of the use of the Square, Plumb, or 
 Level. We know many very good disposed Masons, at the 
 present day, who have no other rule for judging of Masonr-y and 
 its rituals, than that which was taught them (and imperfectly 
 learned) when they were initiated; and if it, unfortunately, 
 happened that they were initiated and instructed by an 
 ignorant and uninformed Master, they no less tenaciously 
 adhere to the errors thu=i early learned ; and they have always 
 an argument at hand to bear them out in condemning the work 
 of all wlio differ or depart from their own standard, viz. : 
 ' Well, that is not correct, I know, for, when I was made, the 
 work was done so ^nd so." These brethren are much in the 
 same condition as the young man who insisted it was best to 
 carry the corn in one end of the bag and a stone in the other, 
 rather than divide the corn, " because daddy did so." And so, 
 in Massachusetts, while many were disposed to look favorably 
 upon the proposed union of the two Grand Lodges, there were 
 a few in each body who vehemently opposed the proposition ; 
 each party contending that the other were innovators upon the 
 ancient usages of the Order, and, for a time, the breach became 
 vridened, and the difficulties enlarged. But, in January, 1783, 
 the whole subject was brought before the new Gran4, Lodge, 
 the St. Jolin's Grand Lodge having previously invited attention 
 and action in relation thereto. It seems that St. John's Grand 
 Lodge had charged that, although the new Grand Lodge might 
 have been legally established by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 
 the reorganization, after the death of tkeir Grand Master, 
 Warren, was without precedent and illegal, and that, therefore. 
 it was the duty of that body to dissolve, and unconditionally 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 491 
 
 come under the legal head. To meet this charge, the new 
 Grand Lodge appointed a Committee at the meeting last men- 
 tioned, and, on the 24:th of June following, made report as 
 follows : 
 
 "The Committee appointed to take into consideration the 
 conduct of those brethren who assume the powers and pre 
 rogatives of a Grand Lodge, on the Ancient establishment in 
 this place, and examine the extent of their authority and juris- 
 diction, together with the powers of any othetAncient Masonic 
 Institution within the same, beg leave to report the result of 
 their examination, founded on the following facts, viz. : 
 
 " That the commission from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 
 granted to our late Grand Master, Joseph Warren, Esq., 
 having died with him, of course his Deputy, whose appointment 
 was derived from his nomination, being no longer in existence, 
 they saw themselves without a head and without a single Grand 
 Officer ; and of consequence it was evident that, not only the 
 Grand Lodge, but all the particular Lodges under its jurisdic- 
 tion, must cease to assemble, the brethren be dispersed, the 
 penniless go unassisted, the Craft languish, and Ancient 
 Masonry be extinct in this part of the world. 
 
 " That, in consequence of a summons from the former Grand 
 Officers to the Masters and Wardens of all the regularly con- 
 stituted Lodges, a Grand communication was held, to consult 
 and advise on some means to preserve the intercourse of the 
 brethren. 
 
 "That the political head of this country having destroyed 
 this connection and correspondence between the subjects of 
 these States and the country from which the Grand Lodge 
 originally derived its commissioned authority, and the prin- 
 ciples of the Craft inculcating on its professors submission to 
 the commands of the civil authority of the country they reside 
 in, the brethren assumed an elective supremacy, and, under it, 
 chose a Grand Master and Grand Officers, and erected a Grand 
 Lodge, with independent powers and prerogatives ; to be exer- 
 cised, however, on principles consistent with, and subordinate 
 to, the regulations pointed out in the Constitutions of Ancient 
 Masonry. 
 
492 "HISTOET OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 '• That the reputation and utility of the Craft, under their 
 jurisdiction, have been more extensively diffused by the flourish- 
 ing state oi fourteen Lodges, cons.tituted, by their authority, 
 within a shorter period than that in which three orUy received 
 dispensations under the former Grand Lodge. 
 
 " That, in the history of our Craft, we find that, in England, 
 there are two Grand Lodges, independent of each other ; in 
 Scotland the same ; and in Ireland, their Grand Lodge and 
 Grand Master are independent either of England or Scotland. 
 
 " It is clear, that the authority of some of those Grand 
 Lodges originated in assumption, or, otherwise, they would 
 acknowledge the head from whence they derived said authority. 
 
 " Your Committee are, therefore, of opinion that the doings 
 of the present Grand Lodge were dictated by principles of the 
 clearest necessity, founded in the highest reason, and warranted 
 by precedents of the most approved authority." 
 
 The above report was adopted, and resolutions were agreed 
 to, in conformity therewith, and thus the matter ended for the 
 time. 
 
 In 1787, the subject of a unirn of the two Grand Lodges was 
 again agitated in both Grand bodies, but we have no evidence 
 that resolutions were adopted by either, having a direct bear- 
 ing on the subject. 
 
 In December, 1791, the new Grand Lodge appointed a Com- 
 mittee to confer with the officers of St. John's Grand Lodge, 
 on the subject of a full and complete Masonic union throughout 
 State of Massachusetts. 
 
 On March 5, 1792, the Committee brought in their report, 
 and presented a copy of the Constitution and By-Law:, and 
 Articles of Association, as agreed to by St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, which were read, and received the deliberate attention 
 of the Grand body, and were, thereupon, unanimously approv- 
 ed of. 
 
 On the 19th of June following, the two Grand Lodges met 
 together, agreeable to previous arrangements, unanimously 
 elected John Cutler, Esq., Grand Master of the United Grand 
 Lodge, and, thereupon, passed the following resolution, among 
 others : 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 493 
 
 " Resolved, That this Grand Lodge, organized as aforesaid, shall for ever here- 
 after he known by the name of the ' Gband Lodok op the Most Ancient and 
 
 JONOBABLE SOCIETY OK FrEE AND ACCEPTED MaBONS, FOB THE COMMONWEALTH OF 
 
 Massachusetts.' " 
 
 TJius were the prejudices and heart-burnings, so long indulged 
 in, most happily removed, and peace and harmony restored to 
 the Order, not only in Massachusetts, but, as far as the original 
 bodies had planted subordinates, in the surrounding country. 
 We hear much said, at this day, about the glorious union of the 
 two Grand Lodges in England, in 1813, and not unfrequently 
 is that union held up as an example to the Grand Lodges of the 
 United States, while the union in Massachusetts is never men- 
 tioned. Now, it may be that our opinion, in relation to this 
 subject, differs from the opinion of all other Masonic writers ; 
 but, nevertheless, we think it is well founded. We have never 
 believed that the Grand Lodge of England owed it to its own 
 dignity, or the honor of Masonry, to compromise and unite vnth 
 the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, of London. We deny 
 that the latter was ever, a legal organization. It was begotten 
 in a spirit of insubordination, and to gratify vindictive feelings, 
 at war with every teaching of the Order. It was, originally, 
 composed of a heterogeneous mass of bigoted dissenters, who 
 dissented because they could not rule, and a lawless band of 
 expelled, suspended, and clandestine Masons. Thus made up, 
 and thus actuated, they sought, not the good of the Order, but 
 to excite the prejudice and hatred of all others to that organ- 
 ization which many of them had assisted in forming, and under 
 which they had, for a time, peaceably lived. They were not 
 satisfied with an effort to render the Grand Lodge of England 
 unpopular in London, or even England, but they sought to de- 
 stroy its amicable relations with all foreign Grand bodies ; and, 
 when they succeeded in getting the third Duke of Athol to 
 take charge of this renegade Association of disorganizers, they 
 but too well succeeded in their wicked designs ; for, with that 
 distinguished nobleman at their head, they were believed in 
 Scotland and Ireland, when they charged that the Grand Lodge 
 of England was made up of Modern Masons, practicing inno- 
 vation? upon Ancient Graft Masonry, and that they were the 
 
494 HISTORY OP FEEEMAS0NR7. 
 
 true propagators of the true Ancient Rite. Does any ono 
 believe that the Grand Lodge of England would ever have 
 opened its doors for the reception of these deserters, had they 
 not succeeded in gathering into their fold the noble born, the 
 powerful, the influential men of the nation ? "We unhesitatingly 
 say they never would ; they would have continued, perhaps, to 
 throw open their doors to receive them back, whenever they 
 would return, acknowledging their error and promising obedi- 
 ence in the future. And if this was right, if this was the only 
 proper course in the early stage of this rebellion, it remained 
 the only proper course, though all the distinguished men in the 
 realm had connected themselves with the disorganizers. 
 
 And have we not been made to feel the evil consequences of 
 the union of 1813 ? We say we have ; and, in some respects, we 
 are destined to suffer by it through all time. The Grand Lodge 
 of Englahd, up to 1813, was composed of such members only as 
 the usages of the Order pointed out ; but, in order to reap the 
 glory of a " glorious union," that Grand Lodge compromised 
 with the spurious body, and admitted as members a class of men, 
 not the representatives of Lodges, having, indeed, no constituency, 
 and, therefore, irresponsible for their votes in Grand Lodge. 
 Of course, we refer to Past Masters as such. But this is not the 
 only evil superinduced by the union in 1813. We say that the 
 example set by the Grand Lodge of England, in thus throwing 
 itself on an equality with the disorganizers, and sacrificing prin- 
 ciple in order to a imion with a body which they had denounced 
 as clandestine, has tended, and \^ill continue to hold out induce- 
 ments to malcontents — to disappointed office-seekers — ^to follow 
 in the footsteps of the disorganizers of England, feeling well 
 assured that the day will come when the proper — the legitimate 
 organization will meet them half way, and agree to a " glorious 
 union," upon such terms as will tend to whitewash, if not, seem- 
 ingly, make great men of the leaders of rebellion. We could 
 point to more than one case in the United States where we have 
 reason to believe rebellion was originally superinduced by a 
 love of office and a desire for power. 
 
 We have said thus much, to discourage the inculcation of the 
 opinion that rebels can always come back as dictators, instead 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 495 
 
 of suppliants ; and, further, in order that we might piesent the 
 contrast between the union of the two Grand Lodges in England 
 and the two in Massachusetts. 
 
 In the latter case, it is true, the opposition grew out of a mis- 
 conception of the rituals, as taught by the St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, or, more likely, we think, out of the unenviable name 
 (Modern Masonry) which had been given to the mother of St. 
 John's. We admit that those who established St. Andrew's 
 Lodge, by authority from Scotland, acted wrong, and, for aught 
 we know, from impure motives ; but, it will beborne in mind, that 
 the brethren of Massachusetts could, with seeming propriety, say 
 that the Grand Lodge of Scotland had equal rights with the 
 Grand Lodge of England to plant subordinates upon this con- 
 tinent. And although we deny their right to ask the Grand 
 Lodge of Scotland to come upon territory already occupied 
 by England, we can well understand that, after the new Grand 
 Lodge was organized by the appointment of Bro. Warren as 
 Grand Master, the two Grand bodies held, in relation to each 
 other, a much more equal position than did the two Grand 
 Ijodges of England. St. John's Grand Lodge never charged 
 that the new Grand Lodge contained suspended or expelled 
 Masons ; on the contrary, it was known to be composed of good 
 men and true, men in all respects equal in Masonic zeal, and 
 equally desirous to sprea.d and communicate the. principles of 
 Freemasonry far and wide. Such men might well compromise 
 their difficulties, because this could be done without the sacri- 
 fice of principle. A union very properly took place between 
 these Grand Lodges, because few, if any, charged either with 
 being a spurious body. And this union was truly a glorious 
 one, because each Grand body yielded the honors which its 
 offices conferred, and the partialities and prejudices of their 
 members, in order to promote the harmony and well-being of 
 the whole. Each Grand body might well have maintained and 
 perpetuated its organization, for no other Grand Lodge would 
 have pronounced either to be spurious ; but, seeing that the good 
 of the Craft called for a united effort to promote the great 
 cause, they had the magnanimity to act in obedience to that call 
 —and we most gladly honor their memory for it. By these 
 
496 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 remarks we would not be understood as withdrawing one jot or 
 tittle of the censure which attaches to the Grand Lodge of Scot- 
 land, for throwing a fire-brand into Boston, and so emphatically 
 urging that course, of all others, the best calculated to bring 
 Masonry into disrepute in the Colonies^ As evidence tha.t the 
 Grand Lodge of Scotland did not act unadvisedly, and that its 
 intention was to array the new Grand Lodge against the old, 
 the jurisdiction of the new was extended over North America, 
 so soon as it was known that St John's had planted Lodges 
 beyond one hundred miles. 
 
 From and after the union^ the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts 
 continued to move on, and still continues to move on " in the 
 even tenor of her way," looking neither to the right nor to the 
 left, taking no by-paths, nor attempting to open new roads for 
 the purpose of outstripping other and sister Grand Lodges ; 
 but, with the great good and perpetuity of the Order constantly 
 in view, she early became a star in the East, to guide the wise 
 men of this Continent to the true haven of Masonic peace and 
 Masonic glory. 
 
 We might detail a variety of interesting events which have 
 transpired in that jurisdiction since the union ; but this course 
 is scarcely called for, as it will be found that the universal 
 prosperity and onward march of Freemasonry in the United 
 States, since the Revolution, renders a detailed history of any 
 one Grand Lodge uninteresting, because the history of one is 
 the history of all, and all have prospered. The few interrup- 
 tions which have impeded the workmen, in certain quarters, will 
 be noticed in their proper place. 
 
 We are not aware that the peace and harmony of the Grand 
 Lodge of Massachusetts was ever seriously impaired. We 
 think that from the date of the union, or, perhaps, from the day 
 (November 25, 1795,) when the corner-stone of the State House 
 was laid by the Grand Lodge, under the supervision of His 
 Excellency Samuel Adams, Freemasonry obtained a foothold 
 in that State which is destined to stand the test of time, and 
 outlive all opposition. 
 
 Aye, and Massachusetts has done more than barely secure a 
 resting-place and a home for the Ark of the Covenant. The 
 
HISTOET OF FREEMASONRT. 
 
 497 
 
 force of example has ever been strong upon the human heart, 
 and it is not far-fetched to conclude that the wise and salutary 
 measures, early adopted by that Fraternity, long continued to 
 exert a happy influence upon all Lodges in this country. When 
 other jurisdictions have become tempest-tossed and threatened 
 with shipwreck, they had only to look to the mother of Masonry 
 in America, as a beacon light to guide them safely over the 
 shoals and quicksands of human frailty, and bring them safely 
 to the harbor of peace. We honor Massachusetts as the far- 
 seeing and prudent mother of Masonry in this country. We 
 acknowledge our gratitude to be twofold, for, not only did 
 Massachusetts erect the first temple to Freemasonry on this 
 Continent, but she also laid the foundation, the corner-stone of 
 its onward and triumphant growth and prosperity, by first 
 rocking the cradle of liberty. Freemasonry walks with 
 stalwart strides beneath the noonday's sun, only where there is 
 freedom of thought and liberty of conscience. Her banner is 
 best unfurled where every citizen is a freeman, and every free- 
 man a King. Nowhere on this broad green earth does Masonry 
 80 proudly triumph over bigotry and superstition, as in " the 
 land of the free and home of the brave." As Masons, then, as 
 well as American citizens, we should be proud of Massachusetts, 
 and of Massachusetts' noblest sons, the early citizens of Boston, 
 the birthplace of our national independence. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 THE HISTORT OF MASONRY IN NEW YORK. 
 
 Chancellor "Walworth, to whom we shall have occasion to 
 refer frequently, says, in his written opinion of the difficulty in 
 New York Grand Lodge, in 1849, that " The first charter for 
 the organization and the holding a Provincial Grand Lodge in 
 New York, appears to have been granted by the Grand Lodge 
 of England, during the Grand Mastership of Edward, the 
 second Earl of Darnley, a grandson, on the mother's side, of 
 Lord Cornbury, our former Provincial Governor. This charter 
 was granted to Captain Richard Riggs, as Provincial Grand 
 Master of New York, and his associates. The precise date of 
 , that charter has not been obtained, as the charter and record 
 of the proceedings under it, were probably carried off, or 
 destroyed during the war of the Revolution. For I think I 
 have understood from my father, who was initiated in one of 
 the Lodges of the then Province of New York, that Sir John 
 Johnson was the last Provincial Grand Master immediately 
 previous to the Revolution. That charter, however, must have 
 been issued either in 1737, or the early part of 1738, as the 
 Grand Mastership of the Earl of Darnley commenced in April, 
 1737, and continued but for one year." 
 
 Had Chancellor Walworth referred to Anderson's Constitu- 
 tions and History of the Grand Lodge of England, he would 
 there have found, that it is not a matter of doubt as to the 
 year in which the warrant spoken of was granted. It is true, 
 as stated, that the Earl of Darnley was chosen Grand Master 
 and installed in April, 1737, and that he served but one year, 
 viz., until April 27, 1738, when the Marquis of Carnarvon 
 was chosen and installed Grand Master. Dr. Anderson says, 
 that a warrant for a Provincial Grand Lodge in New York 
 was granted, in 1737 j Darnley Grand Master. 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRT. 499 
 
 In a private letter from a distinguished Mason of New York, 
 we are told that the warrant for a Provincial Grand Lodge in 
 New York, granted in 1737, is now on file in that Grand 
 Lodge ; but we feel confident this is a mistake. We think 
 Chancellor Walworth is right in supposing it was carried oflf, 
 or destroyed, during the Revolution. The very fact, that a 
 necessity existed in 1781 for the brethren of New York to ask 
 for another Provincial charter, proves that the warrant of 1737 
 had been forfeited, or was not then to be found in New York. 
 
 In speaking of the warrant of 1737, Chancellor Walworth 
 advances a singular idea, as follows : — " I also think that those 
 who were acting under that charter here (New York), adhered 
 to the Grand Lodge which afterward was generally known as 
 the Ancient York Masons, which name, however, does not 
 appear to have been used by the Grand Lodge at London in 
 its charters." 
 
 In the above conjecture the distinguished brother has suffered 
 himself to fall into a palpable error. The charter or warrant of 
 1737, was granted, as stated, by the Grand Lodge of England ; 
 Darnley Grand Master. There was no Grand Lodge. at that 
 time called the Gr^nd Lodge of Ancient Masons, or of Ancient 
 York Masons. The members of the Grand Lodge of England 
 who withdrew from that body, and denounced the Grand Lodge, 
 and (for a time) all Grand Lodges, and who afterward joined in 
 with expelled and suspended Masons to form a Grand Lodge, 
 were in peaceable communion with the legal Grand Lodge at the 
 time the Provincial charter was granted to New York, and for 
 nearly two years after. These dissenters withdrew in 1739, 
 and did not form themselves into a Grand Lodge, so called, 
 imtil 1752 ; but when formed, they called it the Grand Lodge 
 of Ancient Masons ; and they further took 'it upon themselves 
 to call the Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of 
 Modern Masons. Thus it will be seen, that the New York 
 Masons could not claim to hold under the Grand Lodge of 
 Ancient Masons, for it was not in being when the Provincial 
 warrant was granted ; and it would be ridiculous to suppose 
 that, at any after period, they would claim to hold under any 
 other authority in England than that whicih gave them being. 
 
500 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKY. 
 
 For several years after the establishment of the spurious 
 Grand Lodge, the members thereof caused much trouble to 
 the Grand Lodge of England ; and, year after year, the Grand 
 Lodge declared the new Association a clandestine body of 
 Masons, and forbid all Masonic intercourse. An edict of this 
 kind was passed in 1755, when the third Duke of Athol pre- 
 sided over tiie clandestine Grand Lodge ; and, also, in 1777, 
 when the fourth Duke of Athol was their, so called, Grand 
 Master. 
 
 That the Masons of New York claimed to be Ancient Free 
 and Accepted Masons, or Ancient York Masons, is more than 
 probable, for such, in truth, they were, and such was their 
 mother Grand Lodge ; the name Modern, given by their 
 enemies, to tlie contrary notwithstanding. It is to be presumed 
 the Masons of New York knew the teachings of their mother 
 Grand Lodge, and like the St. John's Grand Lodge at Boston, 
 knew themselves to be Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 
 But suppose the Masons of New York believed the Grand 
 Lodge of England had been justly called Modern Masons, by 
 what process could they continue to use tiie warrant of 1737, and 
 yet claim to hold under another Grand body ? But we have 
 no reason to believe the Masons of New York were ashamed 
 of their great parent. We envy not the brother who prides 
 himself in being a descendant of the Athol Grand Lodge, as it 
 seems to us that no one, acquainted with the true history of 
 its establishment, could be lured by the assumed title of 
 Ancient. 
 
 St. John's Lodge, No. 1, of the city of New York, was char- 
 tered by the Grand Lodge of England, in December, 1757, 
 Lord Aberdour, Grand Master ; John Revis, D. G. Master ; W. 
 Chapman and Alexander Vanderville, Grand Wardens ; Samuel 
 Spencer, Grand Secretary. The original number of this Lodge 
 was 272, but, at the closing up of numbers, in 1770 it became 
 187, in 1781, it became 152; and again, in 1792, it was 
 changed to 135. 
 
 After the union of 1813, St. John's Lodge, having ceased to 
 make returns, was stricken from the roll of English Lodges. It 
 maintained its independence of any Grand Lodge until June 9, 
 
HISTORY OP PREEMASONET. 501 
 
 1789, -when it took its present charter from the Grand Lodge of 
 New York. The impression has prevailed in New York, to some 
 extent, that this was the first legally established Lodge in the 
 State, but this is evidently an error, as the Provincial Grand 
 Lodge, planted there in 1737, went into successful operation, and 
 continued its labors, certainly, for several years, though no one 
 of its Lodges is now in existence, nor are its records to be found. 
 St. John's Lodge, therefore, must be regarded as the oldest 
 Lodge in that jurisdiction. The original place of meeting was" 
 in Ann Street, where it probably continued until the Revolution. 
 An old record of the Lodge states that their hall was burned 
 March 8, 1770, rebuilt and opened in November of the same 
 year. 
 
 After New York was occupied by the British army, the 
 Lodge held its meetings at the Green Bay Tree Tavern, in Fair 
 Street, as the following interesting incident, recorded by the 
 Lodge, will show : 
 
 " It so happened, that Joseph Burnham, a prisoner of war, 
 who was brought to New York, and, of course, confined to 
 prison, made his escape ; but not knowing where to fly, for- 
 tunately found his way to Green Bay Tree Tavern, in Pair 
 Street, where St. John's Lodge was held, and, indeed, the only 
 one held in the city at that time, where he was kindly received, 
 and brotherly protection afforded him by Bro. Hopkins (com- 
 monly called Daddy Hopkins), the then keeper of the house ; 
 Bro. Hopkins soon prepared a habitation of safety from the 
 pursuers of the afflicted prisoner, by securing him in his garret. 
 In this place he fed and nourished him for a considerable time, 
 waiting an opportunity to convey him to the Jersey shore. 
 One evening (a Lodge night), after the Lodge had convened, 
 the prisoner, to pass the night, laid himself down to rest on 
 some planks that formed the ceiling of a closet, opening 
 directly to the centre of the Lodge room. The boards being 
 unnailed, naturally slid from their places, and the whole gave 
 way : the door, too, being only fastened by a wood button, flew 
 open, and gave the Lodge an unexpected visitor, for the poor 
 prisoner stood aghast in the middle of the room. The brethren, 
 chiefly JBritish officers, enveloped in surprise, called in Bro. 
 
502 HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 Hopkins, who was also Tyler of the Lodge. Bro.' Hopkins 
 explained all, and acknowledged what he had done. They 
 gave him credit for his charitable behavior to a brother, and 
 made a generous contribution, with their advice, wliich was 
 that Bro. Hopkins should transport him to the Jersey shore, 
 which was accordingly done." 
 
 Preston says the Grand Lodge of England issued a patent 
 to New York, under the Grand Mastership of Lord Byron. 
 He does not tell us the date of that patent, but we know that 
 Lord Byron succeeded Lord Cranstoun, in 1747, and held the 
 office of Grand Master until 1752, when Lord Carysfort was 
 installed. Preston also says that a patent was issued to New 
 York, under the Grand Mastership of the last named Grand 
 Master. Now, whether Bro. Preston is mistaken in both or 
 either of these patents, we have no means of knowing, but the 
 fair presumption is that he states only a historical fact ; and 
 yet, it seems singular that either Lord Byron or Lord Carysfort 
 would send a warrant or patent to New York, knowing that 
 a Provincial Grand Lodge was established there by the same 
 Grand Lodge over which they presided. We think the term 
 patent, as then used, was not synonymous with warrant ; and it 
 may be, that the patents spoken of only empowered the estab- 
 lishment of two particular Lodges in New York ; but even 
 this much would seem to us, of the present day, as irregular and 
 improper ; and yet, unless we admit some such explanation, we 
 should be left to suppose the Provincial Grand Lodge of 1737 
 had ceased to exist before 1752, while we have strong reasons 
 for believing that its organization was continued until 1775. 
 
 Soon after the establishment of the Grand Lod^e at Boston, 
 Masonry attracted the attention of the best and most distin- 
 guished men in this country ; of which fact, no better proof need 
 be adduced than that nearly all the officers of the American 
 army in the Revolution, and the principal statesmen of the day, 
 were Masons ; and it can not be doubted that New York made 
 a fair proportion of them ; and hence, we infer that the warrant 
 of 1737 remained in use until hostilities commenced. 
 
 During the Revolution, most of the Lodges in this country 
 suspended business ; indeed, there was much more attention 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRY. 503 
 
 paid to Masonry in the traveling Lodges, belonging to the 
 array, than elsewhere. If Sir John Johnson was Grand Master 
 of the Provincial Grand Lodge of New York at the commence- 
 ment of the war, the cessation of the meetings of that Grand 
 body, and the final loss of the original warrant, may be ration- 
 ally surmised, as he was a royalist, and, therefore, most 
 probably took possession of the warrant and abstained from, 
 calling a meeting, knowing the body would be composed mainly 
 of those favorable to the cause of American independence. 
 
 However this may be, it appears very certain that there was 
 no Grand Lodge or Masonic head in New York in 1781. Nor 
 does it appear that there were then American Lodges enough 
 in the vicinity of New York City to petition, with probable 
 success, for a new warrant. Three Lodges in the city, together 
 with six military Lodges, belonging to different regiments of 
 the British army, then stationed in New York, petitioned, not 
 the Grand Lodge of England, as some of the New York 
 writers assert, but the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, so 
 called, of England, over which the fourth Duke of Athol then 
 presided. 
 
 The request of the petitioners was readily granted,September 
 5, 1781 (Athol, Grand Master ; Wm. Dickey, D.G.M. ; James 
 Jones, S.G.W. ; James Read, J.G.W. ; and Charles Bearblock, 
 G. Secretary), by granting privilege to form and open a Pro- 
 vincial Grand Lodge in the City of New York, with the usual 
 privileges and powers ; and to this end, constituted and 
 appointed Rev. William Walter, Master of Arts, the first Rt. 
 W. G. Master ; John Stedholme Browning, Esq., Provincial 
 S. G. Warden ; and Rev. John Beardsley, Master of Arts, J, G. 
 Warden. We make the following extract from the warrant, a 
 copy of which is before us : 
 
 "Do by these presents, authorize and empower our trusty 
 and well-beloved brethren, Free and Accepted Ancient Masons, 
 who," at the time of this present writing; are, or shall hereafter 
 become, inhabitants of the Province of New York, in North 
 America, to congregate, form, and hold a Provincial Grand 
 Lodge in the city of New York, and Province of New York, 
 aforesaid, independent of any former dispensation, warrant, or 
 
/504 • HISTORY OP PBEKMASONBT, 
 
 constitution, ordered, given, or granted by tis, or any of our predeces- 
 sors, Grand Masters of England, to any Mason or Masons residing 
 within the Masonical jurisdiction aforesaid." 
 
 We have italicized the latter part of the paragraph, in order 
 t« call special attention to the fact that deception was intended 
 to be practiced. Why use the language, " independent of any 
 other charter," etc., etc., when they could not have been 
 ignorant of the fact, that neither they, nor their predecessors, 
 had ever sent any warrant, or been asked for any before, for 
 the Province of New York ? We very naturally conclude that 
 the object was to produce the impression in New York, upon 
 the minds of those not acquainted with the facts, that the 
 former Provincial Grand Lodge of New York had been estab- 
 lished by the same Grand Lodge in London. They very care- 
 fully avoid any direct allusion to the former Provincial war- 
 rant, knowing it had emanated from the legitimate — the regular 
 Grand Lodge of England. This Provincial charter contained 
 a clause which had never been inserted in a charter by any 
 other Grand Lodge in the world ; we mean that which gave 
 Past Masters perpetual membership in the Provincial Grand 
 Lodge. We have shown elsewhere that this innovation was a 
 stroke of policy early resorted to by that spurious Grand 
 Jjodge of London. They readily saw that this hid, this offer of 
 "distinction to Masters of Lodges, would have the effect to 
 fascinate and win over their influence, as the Grand Lodge of 
 England, and the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland, had 
 never permitted Past Masters to seats as perpetual members. 
 Nor did the Grand Lodge of England consent to this innova 
 tion, utttil it was done as a matter of compromise, at the union 
 of 1813. 
 
 Under the warrant aforesaid, the Provincial Grand Lodge 
 of New York was organized, in December, 1782. In this 
 organization, there was a feature which so much resembles the 
 original formation of the Grand Lodge of indent Masons in 
 Boston, that we are induced to call attention to it. We allude 
 to the fact, that this Provincial Grand Lodge was formed by, 
 and composed of, six Lodges belonging to the British army, and 
 three Lodges in the city of New York, who were the creatures 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 505 
 
 of the warrant of 1737. Thus was a Grand Lodge of Andent 
 Masons formed in New York, by the authority of the Grand 
 Lodge of Ancient Masons of London, but made up of Lodges of 
 Modern Masons, so called. We have seen that the three 
 Lodges in New York descended from the Grand Lodge of 
 BAgland. We know that some of the military Lodges spoken 
 of were established by the same Grand body, for some of their 
 charters were granted before the spurious Grand Lodge in 
 London was formed. From all which, we learn that, although 
 the Provincial Grand Lodge of 1782 was established in New 
 York by a warrant froip a spurious and irregular Grand 
 Lodge, it was, nevertheless, composed of Masons who had 
 descended from the true Grand Lodge of England. 
 
 At the close of the war, in 1783, when the independence of 
 the Colonies was acknowledged by the mother country, many 
 men elected to live under the crown of England, and, there- 
 fore, prepared to return. On the 19th of September, a meet- 
 ing of the Provincial Grand Lodge was called, when it was 
 agreed that the warrant, records, etc., should be left in New 
 York. Upon the adoption of a resolution to this effect, the 
 Grand Master resigned and nominated Bro. Cock, then the J. 
 Grand Warden, who was unanimously elected. Some of the 
 other oflBcers also resigned, and their places were filled by per- 
 manent citizens of New York. 
 
 It has been said that the Masons of New York threw off 
 their allegiance to the Athol Grand Lodge, and formed an 
 independent Grand Lodge immediately upon the close of the 
 Revolution ; but this is, evidently, a mistake, for, ks late as 
 February, 1784, the Provincial Grand Lodge passed a resolu- 
 tion, appointing the Grand Officers a Committee to settle upon 
 some plan to procure a Provincial warrant from the Grand 
 Lodge of England, for the State of Connecticut. At the same 
 meeting (February 4, 1784), Grand Master Cock resigned, 
 and the Hon. Robert R. Livingston was unanimously elected, 
 and afterward installed Grand Master. 
 
 In February, 1785, the S. Grand Warden, and others, were 
 authcrijed and requested to draw up Rules and Regulations, or 
 a Constitution, for the Grand Lodg" '^^'^'^ Committee reported 
 
606 HISTORY OF PEEEMASONET. 
 
 in March following, when their report was adopted, and the 
 Eules, or Constitution, was ordered to be printed. 
 
 After the difficulties of 1849, this portion of the history of 
 the Grand Lodge seems to have been carefully examined by 
 both the Willard and Philips party, and they arrived at 
 opposite opinions upon the subject of a reorganization of the 
 Grand Lodge. The Willard party contending that the Grand 
 Lodge did, in 1785, adopt a new Constitution, thereby throwing 
 off all allegiance to the parent body ; while the other party 
 with seeming plausibility, contend that there is nothing upon 
 record going to show that the Grand Lodge intended any such 
 thing ; on the contrary, they say that the Committee, appoint- 
 ed to inquire into the propriety of withdrawing from the mother 
 Grand Lodge, made the following report, in June, 1787 : 
 
 " That the Grand Lodge of this State is established, accord- 
 ing to the ancient and universal usages of Masonry, upon a 
 Constitution formed by the representatives of regular Lodges, 
 convened under a legal warrant from the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, dated the 5th of September, in the year of Masonry five 
 thousand seven hundred and eighty-one, the most noble Prince 
 John, the third Duke of Athol, being the then Grand Master. 
 And your Committee further beg leave to report, that, in their 
 opinion, nothing is essential or necessary, in future proceedings 
 of the Grand Lodge, upon the subject matter referred to them, 
 but that a Committee be appointed to prepare a draft of the 
 style of warrants to be hereafter granted by the Grand Lodge, 
 conformable to the said Constitution." 
 
 The Philips party contend that the word '" Constitution," here 
 •ised, was intended to mean rides, as, say they, no new Constitu- 
 tion was adopted in 1786, and hold that, down to 1849, the Grand 
 Lodge of New York continued to be Provincial to the Grand 
 Lodge of England. The other party contend, that the Com- 
 mittee intended to report (and was so understood) that a Con- 
 stitution having been adopted in 1785, by the Grand Lodge 
 assembled, that instrument constituted the body an independent 
 organization, and, consequently, there was no necessity for 
 further action upon the subject, except to make the chartera 
 conform to the reorganization. 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 507 
 
 Which of the parties are right in their construction of the 
 resolution, we can not say ; but it Is very evident that the Grand 
 Secretary, who acted from 1785 to 1787, did not understand 
 that an independent organization had been made, for all the 
 new charters were filled up, as formerly, as emanating from the 
 Provincial Grand Lodge ; and, as additional evidence that a 
 reorganization did not take place, both parties, in 1849, examined 
 this subject by reference to the records, and Bro. Cole gave it 
 as his opinion that a reorganization had never been made ; and 
 P. G. Secretary Herring, who, it is to be presumed, was -well 
 posted up upon the records, asserts, positively, that there is 
 nothing upon the records to show that the Provincial Grand 
 Lodge had ever asserted, or intended to assert, its independence 
 of the Grand Lodge of England. There is one view of this 
 subject, however, which we think has been overlooked, and 
 which must for ever settle the dispute. By reference to the 
 Provincial warrant, it will be seen that the right of appeal to 
 the parent body was expressly reserved for the final settlement 
 of all difficulties ; and it was further stipulated, that if, at any 
 time,the Provincial Grand Lodge should fail to acknowledge 
 and pay due respect to the parent Grand Lodge, then, and in 
 that case, the warrant was to become null and void. 
 
 Now, it is known that, from and after September, 1777, if not 
 from March, 1785, the Grand Lodge of New York never made 
 returns of its proceedings, or suffered appeals to be taken, to 
 the Grand Lodge of England, but has ever styled itself the 
 Grand Lodge of the State of New York, and not the Provin- 
 cial Grand Lodge. And it further appears that they have 
 uniformly claimed the title of Most Worshipful, instead of Rt. 
 Worshipful, the latter being the title of all Provincial Grand 
 Lodges. We say, then, that although the independence spoken 
 of was never expressly declared, that independence was a 
 natural and legal result of the disregard shown to the conditions 
 of the warrant ; and, moreover, the Grand Lodge of England 
 has, ever since our independence, regarded the Grand Lodge of 
 New York as an independent body, in no way amenable to its 
 original parent. 
 
 With this view of the subject, we shall proceed to notice 
 
508 HISTORY OF PRBEMASONET. 
 
 three of the four serious difficulties through which the Grand 
 Lodge of New York has passed within the la%t thirty years. 
 The interruption or difficulty referred to, which we shall not 
 consider in this connection, is the anti-Masonic tirade, which we 
 shall reserve for a separate notice, intended to embrace its 
 ravages in various portions of the Union. 
 
 For fifteen or twenty years subsequent to 1785, the Grand 
 Lodge of New York moved on in harmony ; but there were two 
 radical errors in its organization, which could not fail to lead to 
 evil consequences in that jurisdiction. The officers of the 
 Lodges were permitted to be represented in Grand Lodge by 
 proxy ; and Past Masters, not only held seats and voted in Grand 
 Lodge, but they, too, were permitted to be represented by proxy. 
 All this might never create difficulties in a State not having a 
 large city, where a great number of these irresponsible mem- 
 bers of Grand Lodges were assembled. We use the term 
 irresponsible, as applied to Past Masters, without intending any 
 disrespect to that worthy and intelligent class of Masons ; they 
 are not the representatives of any class of Masons, they are 
 without a constituency, and, consequently, irresponsible for 
 their votes in Grand Lodge. The great number of Lodges ia 
 the city of New York, of course, made a great number of Past 
 Masters, and, as the Grand Lodge held its meetings in the city, 
 complaints were made as early as 1815, by the country Lodges, 
 that the legislation of the Grand Lodge was improperly con- 
 trolled by the Past Masters of New York City, to the great 
 injury, inconvenience, and injustice of the country Lodges. 
 
 At this time, the Grand Lodge employed Grand Visitors, or 
 Lecturers, who were authorized to collect the dues to the Grand 
 Lodge from the subordinates. We are told that two Grand 
 Lecturers, from 1814 to 1820, collected over twenty-two thou- 
 sand dollars from the country Lodges, and retained for their 
 services over ten thousand dollars. This ruinous system of 
 wasting the funds of the Grand Lodge was attempted to be 
 remedied in 1819, by the appointment of a larger number of 
 Grand Lecturers, to be paid only for the time they were 
 actually in service ; but, this proposition failing, the country 
 members, arrayed against the city members, succeeded in 
 
BISTORT OP FREEMASONEY. 509 
 
 passing a law to pay the expenses of the representatives out of 
 the funds of the Grand Lodge. But, about the same time, 
 a rule was adopted which threw great power into the hands 
 of the city Lodges and the Past Masters. This law authorized 
 any Delegate to represent five Lodges and five Past Masters. 
 Afthat time, there were in the city of New York, and vicinity, 
 about twenty-three Lodges, and it will be seen that, by a 
 little arrangement in advance, those Lodges could give between 
 four and five hundred votes in Grand Lodge from the city 
 alone, without having their Past Masters present ; and, in 
 addition, it was to be expected that proxies from many country 
 Lodges would be forwarded to the city Masons. 
 
 The country Lodges also complained that the entire Charity 
 Fund of the Grand Lodge had been expended in the city, while 
 justice, demanded that a fair proportion of that fund should be 
 given to the country Lodges. 
 
 From 1819 to 1823, a struggle was kept up between the 
 country and the city, and bitter, unmasonic feelings were engen- 
 dered, until the country members held Conventions in various 
 parts of the State, and resolved to take steps to withdraw from 
 the Grand Lodge, and unite in forming a Grand Lodge for the 
 country, to be composed of such Lodges as should voluntarily 
 come tinder its authority. 
 
 In June, 1822, the subject of forming an additional Grand 
 Lodge was brought regularly before the Grand Lodge, and a 
 Committee was raised to consider of, and report upon, the subject. 
 This Committee was composed of two members from the city, 
 and six from the country. The city members complained that 
 this manifested great injustice to them ; but, it must be borne in 
 mind, that a salutary rule prevails in every deliberative body 
 requiring a Committee to be mad& up of the majority who are 
 known to be friendly to the proposition to be considered. Any 
 other course would be ruinous to legislation, and hence we 
 think the city members had no cause of complaint in this matter. 
 This Committee, it seems, published the conclusions to which 
 they arrived, in advance of the next regular communication of 
 the Grand Lodge. They advised the establishment of an 
 additional Grand Lodge, to be located in the country ; they 
 
610 HISTOBT OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 al?o advised that, in the formation of a new Grand Lodge, the 
 Past Masters should not be admitted to membership. 
 
 At the quarterly communication, in March, 1823, the Grand 
 Lodge passed a resolution, setting forth the manner in which 
 all proxies should be filled up, viz., that the name of every 
 proxy to represent a Lodge, should be filled up in open Lodge 
 at the time of his appointment, and a^ a regular meeting at 
 which a constitutional number, qualified to vote, were present. 
 This resolution brought on the tug of war. Indeed, it is hardly 
 to be supposed that this resolution was adopted with any higher 
 aim than to furnish the city members a pretext for a rupture, 
 should they deem it expedient to make one at the annual com- 
 munication. We know that the country Lodges were not 
 represented at the quarterly meeting in March ; and even 
 granting their right to pass such a regulation at a quarterly 
 communication (which, we think, is doubtful), they could not 
 expect the rule would be known to all the country Lodges, and 
 be conformed to in so short a time. The city Lodges of course 
 were apprised of this new rule, and had their proxies made out 
 conformable thereto. 
 
 At the annual communication, in June, 1823, the representa- 
 tion from the country was unusually full, and the predeter- 
 mined effort of the city members to thwart the plans of the 
 country members led to a large city delegation. On the ap- 
 pointment of a Committee on Credentials, a motion was made, 
 and sustained by the city members, to instruct the Committee 
 to receive no credentials that did pot conform to the explana- 
 tory resolution of the quarterly communication in March. 
 This trap was seen into and opposed by the country members. 
 They protested against the authority of the quarterly communi- 
 cation to make such a law. The discussion upon this subject 
 became angry, and great disorder prevailed. During this 
 debate, an appeal was demanded from the decision of the M. W. 
 Grand Master upon a point of Order. The Grand Master 
 decided that no appeal could be taken from the decision of the 
 Chair, and feeling satisfied, we suppose, that the proper Ma- 
 sonic feeling did not then exist, he adjourned the Grand Lodge 
 until tlie following morning. This adjournment gave great 
 
HISTOEY OF FREEMASONRY. 511 
 
 offense to the city members, as they contended that the Grand 
 Master knew the city members could not be present at a day 
 session. 
 
 We think this doctrine of New York City deserves a passing 
 notice, as it still prevails there. To us, it seems strange that 
 the Masons of the city of New York should ask the country 
 members to suffer the Grand Lodge to remain in the city, and 
 expect the country members to neglect their business for days, 
 and even weeks, in traveling to and from the Grand Lodge ; 
 and, in addition to all this, insist upon their holding night 
 sessions only, thus detaining them from home, lounging about 
 the streets during the day, in order to enable the city members 
 to assist in legislation at night. Can it be possible that it is a 
 greater loss to the world, or the Fraternity, that city members 
 should be taken away from their daily avocations, than the 
 country members ? We think the Grand Lodge of New York 
 should be held in the city, but certainly they do not deserve to 
 have it there, if the city members are so ungenerous and unjust 
 to the country members. We think the Grand Lodge should 
 hold its sessions from day to day, and night, also, if necessary, 
 and get through with the business as speedily as possible, so as 
 to enable the country members to return home. 
 
 But to return. Immediately after the adjournment of the 
 Grand Lodge as before stated, the city members remained, and 
 the Junior Chand Warden reopened the Grand Lodge, proceeded 
 to business, elected officers, etc. And this is thp origin of two 
 Grand Lodges in New York, in 182a. Really, it seems to us 
 strange, that any intelligent Mason, not governed by impure 
 motives, could claim that, after the Grand Lodge had been 
 regularly called off, or adjourned, by the Grand Master, until 
 the next day, the J. G. Warden could convoke it at an earlier 
 period. The whole proceedings, under the pretended authority 
 of the J. G. Warden, can only be characterized as a highhanded 
 and open rebellion, and the Grand Lodge so formed was 
 illegal and clandestine. This spurious Grand Lodge proceeded 
 to business, and continued to exist (calling itself the Grand Lodge 
 of New York) until 1827, when both bodies entered into a com- 
 promise, formed a compact in accordance therewith, and united. 
 
612 HISTOET OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 Thus did the Grand Lodge of New York, followiug in the 
 footsteps of England, recognize and bring into its fold a clan- 
 destine Grand Lodge ; setting, thereby, a precedent, which, in 
 effect, tendered an honorable reward to all ambitious, but dis- 
 appointed office-seekers, who, at any future period, should 
 choose to rebel against the legal authority, and set up for 
 themselves. 
 
 The following is the compact alluded to : 
 
 " At the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of the 
 State of New York, June 7, A.L. 5827, two hundred and 
 twenty-eight Lodges being represented, the following compact 
 was agreed to, unanimously, and is a fundamental law of the 
 Grand Lodge, which shall never be disturbed : 
 
 "1. That there ought to be but one Grand Lodge in the 
 State of New York, and that it ought to be held in the city of 
 New York, and be considered a continuation of the old Grand 
 Lodge. That all allusions to former differences shall be avoid- 
 ed,as far as possible. 
 
 " 2. That the proceedings of the two bodies (known as the 
 Grand Lodges) shall be confirmed ; and that the warrants grant- 
 ed to subordinate Lodges,by the two bodies, and the proceed- 
 ings of the said bodies, shall be deemed regular. That the 
 records and archives of the Grand Lodge being in the city of 
 New York, the Grand Secretary and the Grand Treasurer shall 
 be chosen from the city ; that the Grand Master or Deputy 
 Grand Master shall be chosen — one from the city of New York, 
 the other from the country ; the two Wardens from some other 
 part of the State than the city of New York. 
 
 " 3. That the permanent fund be managed by five Trustees, 
 viz., the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, the two 
 Grand Wardens, and the Grand Secretary, whose duty it shall 
 be to invest all funds, over three thousand dollars, annually, 
 after paying representatives, salaries, and rent. 
 
 " 4. That the number of Lodges which one Master, or Past 
 Master, may represent, shall not exceed three; that Past Mas- 
 ters shall not be represented by proxy ; and that representatives 
 be paid as heretofore." 
 
 Here did the Grand Lodge of New York undertake to do 
 
HISTORY OF PEKEMASONRT, 513 
 
 that which it had no right to do, viz., to make clandestine Ma- 
 sons regular Masons, nnthout the process of healing. All Masons 
 made in the clandestine Lodges, created by the clandestine 
 Grand Lodge, are declared regular Masons, merely by declar- 
 ing the warrants of the Lodges regular. 
 
 The union of the two bodies took place during the anti-Ma- 
 sonic excitement, generally called the Morgan affair, and, it may 
 be, were drawn together by a very natural desire for mutual 
 protection against the assaults of heartless bigots and fiendish 
 fanatics. During this tirade (religious and political). Masonry 
 withstood the shock better in the city of New York, than any- 
 where else in the State. This was, probably, not owing to the ex- 
 istence of greater Masonic integrity in the city than elsewhere, 
 but to the fact that in all large cities there is quite a number of 
 secret Societies, who are often seen on the streets, and soon fail 
 to elicit any special attention from the citizens ; while, in smaller 
 towns, the movements of such Societies are much more noticed 
 and talked about. Certain it is, however, that nearly every 
 Lodge in the northern and western portions of the State ceased 
 to work. 
 
 For a few years after the union, apparent harmony prevailed 
 in the Grand Lodge of New York, for the same causes which 
 had produced the discord of 1823 were not brought to bear. 
 But few of the country Lodges were represented in Grand 
 Lodge, for, as before stated, a large portion of them had either 
 abandoned their charters in despair, or had closed their Lodges 
 until the storm of persecution should subside. The city members, 
 therefore, had everything their own way ; but, notwithstanding 
 their power, we have no reason to believe they attempted to 
 violate the compact, or infringe upon the regulations of 1827. 
 The regulations then agreed upon were sufBciently favorable to 
 the interests of the city members. The compact provided that 
 there should be but one Grand Lodge in the State, that it shall. 
 be held in New York City, that the Secretary and Treasurer shall 
 be chosen from the city, and that either the Grand Master or 
 Deputy shall be chosen from the city. The city was, moreover, 
 guaranteed in the sum of three thousand dollars of the Grand 
 Lodge fund. The city members, therefore, desired no change. 
 
 33 
 
,514 HISTOEY OP FBBBMASONKY. 
 
 The next prominent event to whicli we shall here call atten- 
 tion, is the history of a rupture and the formation of a new 
 Grand Lodge in the city of New York. We have read two ver- 
 sions of this disgraceful affair : the one emanating from the 
 Grand Lodge of New York, shortly after its occurrence, and 
 repeatedr allusions to the same subject for several years there- 
 after ; and that which was put forth by the aggrieved party, the 
 so called St. John's Grand Lodge ; and, until recently, we 
 scarcely knew upon which to rely. The Fraternity at large is, 
 I fortunately, inclined to discountenance rebellion and disobe- 
 dience to the legal power ; and, hence, in looking to the testi- 
 mony in this case, they were predisposed to believe that the 
 Grand Lodge of New York must have been justifiable in the ac- 
 tion taken against the supposed offenders. But at the union of 
 the St. John's Grand Lodge with the Grand Lodge of New 
 York, the then Grand Master of the former, Bro. Henry C. At- 
 wood, gave a history of the affair in the presence of the assem- 
 bled Fraternity of both Grand bodies ; and, as its truth was not 
 denied, but, on the contrary, was ratified and confirmed by the 
 Grand Lodge of New York, by publishing the same, with its 
 proceedings officially sanctioned by the Grand Secretary, we 
 may safely conclude that the facts are truly set forth by Bro. 
 Atwood, and we, therefore, transfer his concise history of that 
 occurrence to our pages. He says : 
 
 " In the year 1837, York Lodge, No. 367, passed a resolution 
 to celebrate the anniversary of St. John the Baptist's day, by 
 an oration, dinner, procession, etc., and appointed a Committee 
 of five brethren to wait upon other Lodges, and request their 
 cooperation. The result was, that Benevolent, Silentia, and 
 Hibernia Lodges each designated a Committee to unite in 
 carrying into effect the above resolution. 
 
 " At a joint meeting of these several Committees, they 
 deputed a sub-Committee of five, to call upon the R. W. Grand 
 Master, James Van Benschoten, and the R. W. Grand Secretary 
 James Herring, and submit the following question to them :— 
 Is there any article in the Constitution which prohibits a pro- 
 cession on St. John's day, without a dispensation from the 
 Grand Master or his Deputy ? 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 515 
 
 " In performance of this duty, they proceeded to the Grand 
 Secretary's office, and there found the Deputy Grand Master, 
 Van Benschoten, and Grand Secretary Herring, to whom the} 
 put the foregoing interrogatory, and received the following 
 reply : — ' You have got the Constitution — read it for your- 
 selves.' To which, W.»Bro. John Bennett replied : — ' We are 
 are aware of that ; have searched, and can not find any article 
 which denies a Lodge such right ; but we came here for your 
 official opinion, and expect a respectful, or, at least, an official 
 answer.' 
 
 " Bros. Herring and Van Benschoten both then decided that 
 there was nothing in the Constitution which prohibited any 
 regular Lodge from celebrating that day in the usual manner, 
 without a permission from the Grand Lodge. 
 
 " The Committee of Inquiry reported, accordingly, to the joint 
 Committee then in session, who, thereupon,* selected a Committee 
 of Arrangements, who performed their duties, by engaging a 
 church, orator, music, dinner, etc. 
 
 " Due notice of the contemplated celebration was forthwith 
 published in all the principal newspapers of the city. 
 
 " Meantime, ten days elapsed without any objection being 
 interposed, or even suggested, by any party whatever. On the 
 night of the 23rd of June, at half-past eleven o'clock, I received 
 a notice, dated on that day, prohibiting the celebration, signed 
 by the R. W. James Van Benschoten, and attested by James 
 Herring, Grand Secretary. It was then too late for me to stay 
 the proceedings, had I deemed it my duty so to do. 
 
 " The following morning, at half past nine o'clock, Bros. Van 
 Benschoten and Herring appeared in person at Union Hall, 
 and sent for me, requiring my attendance in the Lodge room. 
 This summons I promptly obeyed. After exchanging the usual 
 civilities, Bro. Van Benschoten inquired what was the meaning 
 of this assembly, after the edict of the previous day. 
 
 "I replied, that I knew of no Constitutional Rule or Regula- 
 tion of the Order which authorized him to issue such an edict ; 
 and, further, if it ever did exist, he had waived it by informing 
 the Committee that any Lodge had a right to celebrate this 
 anniversary in the usual manner, without a permission from the 
 
16 HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Grand Lodge. I furthermore remarked, that, at all events, it 
 was evident that the prohibition was ill timed, as all the 
 arrangements had been effected — the expenses incurred — and 
 that the church was then nearly filled with ladies and gentle- 
 men awaiting our approach. 
 
 " His reply was, I know my duty and my prerogatives ; I 
 shall perform the former, and exercise the latter. 
 
 " My answer was, that no such prerogative existed, and that 
 I knew my rights ; and, knowing them, I dare maintain them. 
 
 " The room was densely crowded with brethren, to whom I 
 submitted the question, and the unanimous voice was. Onward ! 
 Form 1 Form 1 
 
 " The procession, consisting of over three hundred brethren, 
 was formed under the direction of the marshal of the day, and 
 the ceremonies were performed in an orderly and Masonic-like 
 manner ; and, subsequently, each brother returned to his home 
 in peace and harmony, believing that he had not transcended 
 his duty as a man or a Mason. 
 
 " On the 12th of July following, a special meeting of the 
 Grand Lodge was held, at which the R. W. James Van 
 Benschoten preferred charges against the W. P. M. Bro. Piatt 
 and myself for appearing in said procession, and encouraging 
 the same. 
 
 " A motion was then made to refer the subject to the Grand 
 Stewards' Lodge, and that the Grand Officers be directed to 
 pn^fer charges, accompanied with specifications, against Bro. 
 Piatt and myself. 
 
 "To this resolution I objected, upon two" grounds : Firstly, 
 that any action of the Grand Lodge, affecting the general in- 
 terest of the Craft, except at the annual communication, was 
 contrary to the Constitution. Secondly, that the Grand Stew- 
 ards' Lodge was an improper tribunal to try this question, as 
 it was composed of the first six Grand Officers and twelve 
 Masters Of Lodges ; and as the former were instructed, by a 
 resolution of th^ Grand Lodge, to prefer the charges, they 
 would, consequently, be both judges and accusers. 
 
 " Notwithstanding these objections, Bro. Herring urged the 
 question. Thereupon, the Deputy Grand Master, Bro. Van 
 
HI8T0EY OP FREEMASONRY. 517 
 
 Benschoten, put it to the vote, and it was lost. Bro. Willis 
 then called for another vote, which the tellers should count. 
 Two tellers were appointed for the occasion, instead of 
 permitting the Wardens to perform their duty, agreeable to the 
 Constitution. 
 
 "At this stage of the proceedings, I moved for a call of 
 Lodges, and stated that there were Lodges then represented 
 which were not entitled to vote, as they had not paid up their 
 dues, and named St. John's Lodge, No. 1, and offered in proof 
 a letter which had that day been written by Bro. Herring to 
 the Worshipful Charles F. Lineback, Master of said Lodge, 
 informing him, that unless their dues were that day paid, they 
 could not vote in the Grand Lodge. My appeal was wholly 
 disregarded, and the vote taken by show of hands, and reported 
 by the new-fangled tellers as lost. 
 
 " Bro. Herring then said there must be some mistake, and 
 called for another vote. Bros. Marsh, Piatt, Thomas Dugan, 
 T. S. Brady, and myself, solemnly protested against such an 
 irregular and unheard-of proceeding. I, also, requested the 
 Deputy Grand Master, as he had preferred the charges, to 
 resign the chair while the same were pending. 
 
 " All appeals, however, were in vain, as the destruction of 
 their victims was predetermined. 
 
 " A third vote was taken ; the Deputy Grand Master and 
 the tellers held some private conversation, and then he (the 
 Deputy Grand Master) declared it to be carried in the affirma- 
 tive. I challenged the vote, and asked for protection. Bros. 
 T. S. Brady, Thomas Dugan, W. B. Bruen, Henry Marsh, 
 John r. Davis, Charles F. Lineback, Jacob Moore, and John 
 Bennett, each rose and similarly challenged the vote, and all 
 agreed that the vote stood thirty-nine affirmative, and forty-five 
 negative. 
 
 " The lamented Bro. Marsh again arose, and exclaimed : — 
 ' Brethren, for God's sake, pause before you take this step ; you 
 are about to open a breach which will take a long time to heal, 
 and bring disgrace upon the Order-' But a deaf ear was lent 
 to all remonstrances, and the resolution was declared to be 
 adopted. 
 
618 HISTOKY OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 " The following week, Bro. Piatt and myself were notified to 
 appear before the Grand Stewards' Lodge, to show cause why 
 we should not be expelled from all the rights and privileges of 
 Masonry. Knowing, as we did, that these charges had never 
 been referred by a vote of the Grand Lodge to this body 
 we declined appearing. But at the quarterly communication 
 of the Grand Lodge, in September following, we presented 
 ourselves at the door of the Grand Lodge, ready to meet that 
 body, and appeal from, and protest against, the proceedings of 
 the Grand Stewards' Lodge. We were informed by Bro. Her- 
 ring, that we could not be admitted — that we were expelled 
 Masons. We remarked, that we could not be expelled until the 
 proceedings of the Grand Stewards' Lodge were approved. 
 His reply was. You can not be admitted at any rate. 
 
 " Bro. Piatt and myself then sent in a note, requesting an 
 adjournment of the Grand Lodge, to give us time to prepare an 
 appeal and protest. This was granted. The following week 
 we presented, through the Worshipful Master of St. John's 
 Lodge, No. 1, Charles P. Lineback, an appeal, couched in 
 respectful language, the reading of which Bro. Herring objected 
 to, but the Most Worshipful Morgan Lewis, Grand Master, 
 decided it must be heard. 
 
 "Finding that the Grand Master was determined that 
 justice should be rendered, Mordecai Myers moved an adjourn- 
 ment until nine o'clock next morning, which was carried. But 
 so soon as the M. W. Grand Master Lewis left the room, Mor- 
 decai Myers, who had been acting as Deputy Grand Master, 
 called the Grand Lodge to order, and passed a resolution not 
 to read or receive the appeal. 
 
 " On receiving this information, a meeting was called at 
 Castle Garden, to take the subject into consideration. Commit- 
 tees were appointed to intercede and even remonstrate with 
 Herring and Van Benschoten, but all their efforts were una- 
 vailing. 
 
 " Being now thoroughly convinced, that, under the imperious 
 sway and usurped authority of certain rulers of the Grand 
 Lodge, justice had for a season fled from her precincts — the 
 sanctum sanctorum been profaned — the sacred altar of Masonry 
 
HISTOET OP FEBEMASONEY. 519 
 
 desecrated, and the once social and fraternal circle ruthlessly 
 invaded by the unappeasable and malicious hand of persecu- 
 tion : — We, in defense of the sovereign rights of Lodges, and 
 our own individual rights as Masons, organized St. John's 
 Grand Lodge, and, as such, continued to practice the ancient 
 rites and ceremonies, until the late happy union was accom- 
 plished with the M. W. Grand Lodge of the State of New 
 "York. The three Lodges pronounced by Messrs. Herring and 
 Van Benschoten to have been expelled, have multiplied nine 
 times, even to the number of twenty-seven. The three hundred 
 brethren, pronounced by the same immaculate authorities to 
 have been ostracized, have increased to the goodly number of 
 four thousand — good men and true — who, viewed as citizens or 
 Masons, are equal in intelligence, moral worth, and respecta- 
 bility, to a like number of men or Masons, in whatever part of 
 the world they may exist." 
 
 The facts set forth But too clearly show how prone poor 
 human nature is to err ; yea, more, it tends to strengthen the 
 odious doctrine that every man is a tyrant to whom sufficient 
 power is given. Who, we would ask, after carefully reading 
 the history alluded to, can longer espouse the doctrine that the 
 Grand Master " is absolutely supreme ? " Do not the events 
 of 1837 clearly show that, even in the Masonic Association, the 
 powers of every officer should be restricted by checks and 
 balances ? Here is a case where the one-man power was so 
 strongly developed, that an attempt was made to exercise it, 
 after having admitted, in substance, that he had no authority to 
 act— that he had no law behind which to shield himself. And 
 for what good purpose was all this ? We are not advised of 
 there being at the time any urgent necessity for that officer's 
 unceremonious and heartless interdict. And what followed ? 
 If we take one part of the statement as true, we must take it 
 all, and no part of it has been questioned ; it then appears that 
 dteps were taken to punish some of the brethren engaged in the 
 celebration, contrary to the direct vote of the Grand Lodge, 
 for it is in evidence that, upon the motion to refer the matter 
 to the Grand Stewards' Lodge, with instructions to prefer 
 fLarges, etc., the motion was twice negatived, and, though upon 
 
520 HISTORY OP FREEMASONEY. 
 
 the third trial it was declared to be adopted, the proposition 
 was rejected by a majority of six votes. We confess our 
 inability to account for the conduct of the Deputy Grand 
 Master, even though urged to its adoption by the Grand Secre- 
 tary. We can not imagine why the Grand Secretary, or any one 
 else, should desire to interfere with the bretliren in their pro- 
 cession, especially at so late an hour. What, though an edict 
 of the Grand Lodge authorized the D. G. Master to prevent 
 processions, if he deemed it proper to do so ? Common respect 
 to the Fraternity, to the community, and to the cause of justice, 
 required at his hands the exercise of his power at the earliest 
 period practicable. Had the brethren failed to consult him — 
 had they knowingly disregarded an edict of the Grand Lodge, 
 still would it have been the duty of the proper officer to forbid 
 the procession, if he forbid it at all, at the earliest period 
 possible. But when we remember that he was consulted, and 
 that he made no objections to it, but,*on the contrary, decided 
 that it was a matter beyond his control, we can but regard the 
 course which he afterward took as being in the highest degree 
 dishonorable. But even his illiberal course was not so remarka- 
 ble as was that pursued by the Grand Lodge. We shudder for 
 the safety of individual character when it is made known that 
 a Grand Lodge will suffer its presiding officer falsely to state 
 the vote of his Grand Lodge. We tremble for the cause of 
 Masonry, when a Grand Lodge will expel a Mason without 
 meting out to him even-handed justice. 
 
 We must say that, in our intercourse with Lodges and 
 Grand Lodges, we have never known so glaring an outrage to 
 be perpetrated as that to which we here refer. The brethren 
 charged with disobedience of the D. G. Master's order, were 
 treated with unheard-of harshness and palpable injustice ; and 
 this treatment goes far to extenuate the improper, illegal, and, 
 therefore, unjustifiable course which they afterward pursued — 
 but it can not justify it. The injured brethren — the expelled 
 Masons — called together the Lodges which had been denounced 
 and cut off by the Grand Lodge, and as many of their associates 
 in the procession as would join in their project, and went 
 ilirough with the formula of constituting a Grand Lodge, whibh 
 
HISTOKY OP FREEMASONRY. 521 
 
 tliey styled the St. John's Grand Lodge, of New York. This 
 was all wrong ; they should have waited patiently, and the 
 time would speedily have come when the legitimate Grand 
 Lodge would have done them justice, and restored them to 
 their privileges. With all the facts before the Grand Lodges 
 of the United States, a universal appeal would have been made 
 to the Grand Lodge of New York to repair the injury, but the 
 illegal formation of the St. John's Grand Lodge cut off all 
 sympathy, and prevented that interference. The truth is, that 
 all the facts were never known to other Grand Lodges. The 
 Grand Lodge of New York not only denounced the St. John's 
 Grand Lodge and its members, as illegal and clandestine, but, 
 from year to year, the most inflammatory fulminations were 
 issued, and all regular Grand Lodges were fraternally called 
 upon to denounce and refuse Masonic intercourse with the 
 members and subjects of St. John's Grand Lodge ; and, that 
 this should be rendered the more availing, a request was made 
 that no regular Lodge in the United States should receive as a 
 visitor any Mason hailing from New York, unless he had a 
 certificate of the Grand Lodge of New York. To this request 
 many of the Grand Lodges yielded> 
 
 Not long after the organization of the St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, that body appointed a Committee of Conference, desiring 
 the Grand Lodge of New York to do likewise, and, if possible, 
 amicaflly settle all difficulties. But this proposition, it is said, 
 was, " through the influence of a Grand officer, frowned down, 
 and permission to have the communication read peremptorily 
 denied." 
 
 At another time, some of the members of the St. John's 
 Grand Lodge sent in a communication asking, " What the 
 Grand Lodge of New York required them' to do to settle the 
 unhappy differences then existing ? " This letter was presented 
 to the Grand Lodge by an ofiScer of that body, and was met 
 with a stormy opposition, and was not permitted to be read. 
 Several other unofficial efforts were made by members of the 
 St. John's Grand Lodge to bring about a reconciliation, with- 
 out effect. 
 
 Thus repulsed, the members of this illegal Grand Lodge 
 
622 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 were driven to an adherepce to their organization, aLd, very 
 naturally, fortified themselves by extending their influence in 
 establishing subordinate Lodges, which were filled with as 
 respectable men as those under the legal Grand body, and, at 
 length, gained a strength and respectability which could not 
 fail to command respect. And thus matters stood imtil 1849, 
 when another and disgraceful rupture in the Grand Lodge of 
 New York, had the efi'ect to bring St. John's Grand Lodge 
 prominently before the world — not as being composed of clan- 
 destine Masons and vagabonds, but as very clever fellows, whose 
 company- was sought with no ordinary zeal. In order that 
 this new-born friendship for St. John's Grand Lodge may be 
 understood, we devote the following chapter to a notice of the 
 celebrated rupture in the Grand Lodge of the State of New 
 York, and the formation of that ill-begotten organization of 
 disorganizers, commonly known as the Philips, Herring ^ Co. 
 Grand Lodge of J^efw York. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 We are aware that the facts which we are about to detail, 
 are, at present, familiar to the Masons throughout the world ; 
 but, in tracing the history of our Order, designed for preser- 
 vation, and, perchance, to be transmitted to posterity, we can not 
 pass in silence this, the most remarkable, and, altogether, the 
 most disgraceful outrage ever perpe£rated within the walls of 
 a Grand Lodge room. 
 
 From the reorganization of Masonry in New York, under the 
 Athol Grand Lodge, in 1782, down to 1849, Past Masters had 
 been recognized as life members of the Grand Lodge, by con- 
 stitutional regulations. It appears that, at the Grand annual 
 communication of the Grand Lodge, in June, 1848, a majority 
 of the subordinate Lodges, then represented, believed that the 
 harmony and well-being of Masonry in New York required 
 that Past Masters should no longer be permitted to exercise so 
 unlimited a privilege in the law-making body ; and, with a 
 view to remedy this supposed evil, brought forward and passed 
 an amendment to the Constitution, to the effect that, in future, 
 only the last Past Master of each Lodge should be entitled to 
 the privilege of a seat and vote in the Grand Lodge. This 
 proposed amendment could not take effect until it was sent out 
 to all the Lodges, and approved of by a majority of them ; or, 
 until passed a second time by the Grand Lodge, at its annual 
 June communication. 
 
 The amendment was sent, as the Constrtution provided, to 
 the subordinate Lodges. Meetings were held in the country, 
 and circulars sent to the country Lodges urging the adoption 
 of the amendment ; and meetings were held in the city, and a 
 like course pursued in order to defeat the amendment. At. 
 a quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge, held in New 
 
524 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 York City, in March, 1849, when none of the country Lodges 
 were represented, and when that Grand body was composed of 
 the Masters, and Wardens, and Past Masters of New York and 
 Brooklyn, a resolution was offered, denouncing the proposed 
 amendment as a violation of the compact of 1827 — destructive 
 of the rights of Past Masters, and pledging the Grand Lodge 
 to maintain and preserve the rights of Past Masters, whether 
 the amendment was^^dopted or not, by being approved of 
 by the Lodges. This bold attempt to thwart the will of the 
 majority, by an edict of the Grand Lodge at a quarterly meet- 
 ing, was pronounced out of order by the D. G. Master, because 
 no resolution could be constitutionally passed at a quarterly 
 communication which would affect the Craft of the State at 
 large. But his decision was appealed from and overruled ; 
 whereupon, the resolution was passed unanimously. Thus forti- 
 fied and prepared for an emergency, the city members held 
 themselves ready for the annual communication, provided the 
 resolution failed to deter the country Lodges from approving 
 and adopting the amendment. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of New York usually assembles on the 
 evening of the day specified for its meeting, though it seems no 
 hour is fixed by law. 
 
 At an early hour on the evening of the annual communication 
 (first Tuesday of June, 1849), a very large number of the city 
 Delegates and Past Masters assembled in the hall, and took pos- 
 session of the seats in front of' the Grand Master's pedestal, 
 leaving only about one-third of the seats unoccupied, and these 
 were situated so remotely from the East, that, when the country 
 members entered and took the vacant seats, they could not hear 
 distinctly what was going on or said near the Grand Master's 
 station. At about half-past seven o'clock, the Grand Master 
 not having entered the hall, a clamor was raised, demanding the 
 Grand Lodge to be opened. The J. G. "Warden, being the high- 
 est officer then present, informed the brethren that the Grand 
 Master was in the city, and would be present at about the usual 
 time of opening the Grand Lodge, and, consequently, he could 
 not consent ttifit it should be opened sooner. Whereupon, a 
 motion was made and carried, by the voters sitting in front of 
 
niSTORT OP FREEMASONRY. 525 
 
 the Grand Master's seat, that the Grand Lodge should be 
 opened hy a Past Deputy Grand Master : and, notwithstanding 
 the presence of the J. G. Warden, and his order to the contrary, 
 that Past Deputy Grand Master went tlirough with a part of the 
 ceremony, and declared the Grand Lodge open. He even proceeded 
 to call upon the Grand Secretary to call the roll of members. 
 But this farce was interrupte<i about this time, by the announce- 
 ment of the Grand Master, who entered, and, on approaching 
 the East, was permitted to take his seat, and, thereupon, he pro- 
 ceeded to open the Grand Lodge in ample form. The Grand 
 Master then called upon the Grand Secretary to call the roll of 
 members, when that Grand Officer announced to the Grand 
 Lodge, officially, that the amendment to the Constitution, in rela- 
 tion to the Past Masters, had received the sanction of a majority 
 of all the chartered Lodges, and was, therefore, a law of the 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
 This early announcement of the Grand Secretary has been 
 somewhat severely animadverted upon, in certain quarters, but 
 why, we know not ; for it would seem that, if the Past Masters 
 then present were not by law entitled to vote, the sooner they 
 were officially informed of the fact, the more agreeable to them, 
 and the better for the Grand Lodge. 
 
 The roll being called, it was found that seventy-six Lodges 
 were represented by their officers or delegates. The Grand 
 Master then rose, and commenced delivering his annual report, 
 as, by law, was his duty. He had barely commenced speaking, 
 when those who occupied seats in front of him commenced yel- 
 ling and otherwise making a loud noise, so that it was impossi- 
 ble for him to proceed. The Grand Master promptly used that 
 emblem of power, to which, in all time past, good Masons had 
 ever yielded obedience ; but, alas ! its magic power was no 
 longer felt in the city of New York. The Grand Master made 
 several attempts to read his report, but each time his voice was 
 drowned by cries and yells. Anon, one of the rioters made a 
 motion that the minutes of the March quarterly communication 
 should be read ; this, the Grand Master pronounced out of 
 order at that time, he having risen to make his official report. 
 Tpon this decision, the mob party commenced calling, in a loud 
 
526 HISTORY OF PBEEMASONKT. 
 
 tone of voice, for the reading of the minutes of the quarterly 
 communication of the Grand Stewards' Lodge. The Grand 
 Master continued to call to order by that means known and vene- 
 rated by all good Masons, but without effect, and the disorderly 
 and disgraceful conduct was continued for a considerable time. 
 At length, the Grand Master called one of the file leaders of the 
 rioters, and inquired whether order would be restored and har- 
 mony produced should he permit tlie minutes of the quarterly 
 meeting to be then read ; and this being promised, the Grand 
 Master said he would overlook the insult which had been 
 offered to him and the Grand Lodge, and permit the minutes to 
 be read before he proceeded with his address. The minutes 
 were accordingly read, and, on motion, were approved without 
 opposition, no one voting except the rioters. 
 
 The Grand Master then proceeded with his address, in the 
 course of which he stated that he had examined the returns of 
 the subordinate Lodges, and found that fifty-six of them had 
 approved and adopted the amendment of the Constitution in 
 relation to Past Masters, and that forty-nine of the fifty-six 
 had done so unanimously. He said that only three Lodges had 
 sent up certified negative votes to the Grand Secretary. He 
 further stated that a majority of the Lodges under dispensa- 
 tion had also voted for the amendment, but he thought their 
 votes could not be counted. He stated that the provisions of 
 the Constitution had been strictly complied with — the amend- 
 ment was legally adopted, and, therefore, had become the law of 
 the Grand Lodge, and binding upon the Fraternity throughout 
 the State. 
 
 The Grand Master alluded to the efforts which had been 
 made by the friends and the opponents of the measure, and said 
 that, if the amendment had been defeated, it would have been 
 the duty of its friends to submit without a murmur ; and as it 
 had received the sanction of one June communication of the 
 Grand Lodge, and the affirmative vote of a majority of all the 
 chartered Lodges, it was equally the duty of those who were 
 opposed to its adoption to submit to, and abide by, the law. 
 
 When the Grand Master concluded his address, the brother, 
 who was acting as J. G. Warden, pro. tern, (a Past Deputy 
 
HISTORY OF FEEBMASONRT. 527 
 
 Grand Master), ipquired of the M. W. Grand Master if he 
 rightly understood him to say that the amendment spoken of 
 vras now binding upon the Grand Lodge ; to -which the Grand 
 Master replied, "I certainly so consider it." The brother 
 making the inquiry then said, in a loud tone of voice, " Then I 
 pronounce that the Grand Lodge of the State of New York is 
 dissolved." He then called upon all those who were opposed 
 to the amendment, to come up and assist him" in organizing a 
 Grand Lodge, or, perhaps (as his party now contends), to 
 reorganize the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. 
 
 This Bro. Philips then addressed his pasty, instead of the 
 Grand Master, and nominated William Willis, as Chairman, and 
 immediately put the question on his own nomination, and 
 declared it carried ; and, doubtless, it was voted for by all who 
 voted at all ; as for the order-loving members, they did not 
 recognize the right of such proceedings, and, therefore, did not 
 vote. After the announcement of Willis' election, he stepped 
 upon the platform where the Grand Master was seated, and 
 claimed to assume the station of Chairman of the meeting. 
 
 During the whole of this time, the Grand Master was vainly 
 endeavoring, by all means in his power, to restore order. 
 
 In the midst of this confusion and disorder, the revolutionists 
 went through the ceremony of electing Isaac Philips, Grand 
 Master, and the other officers of a Grand Lodge, by show of 
 hands. In these irregular and unprecedented proceedings, the 
 representatives of twenty-seven Lodges, situated in New York 
 and Brooklyn, participated ; and thus was the pretended reor- 
 ganization of the Grand Lodge effected in the presence of the 
 representatives of about seventy-five Lodges. 
 
 During the prevalence of these illegal proceedings, the Grand 
 Secretary, R. E. Boyd, very justly became alarmed for the 
 safety of the Grand Lodge funds, just received from the sub- 
 ordinate Lodges. He very correctly concluded, that men who, 
 calling themselves Masons, could thus violate every principle 
 connected with the good order of the Society, and set at 
 naught the authority of the presiding officer, were capable of 
 doing almost anything — he, therefore, intrusted the money (about 
 two thousand dollars), to a friend, with a request that he would 
 
fl28 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 privately conTey it to a place of safe deposit ; but his moT6- 
 raent was discovered, and straightway the box was seized, and, 
 by violence, wrested from the brother who had charge of it. A 
 portion of the party proceeded to the Secretary's office, forced 
 an entrance, and took possession of the archives of the Grand 
 Lodge, including the seal, books, etc., etc. They also took the 
 books from the Grand Secretary's table, and forcibly carried 
 them off. Mr. Philips adjourned his, so called. Grand Lodge 
 until the next evening. During all this time. Grand Master 
 Willard, and the other Grand Officers present, continued to 
 occupy their prop^ stations, and, soon after the departure of 
 the rioters, regularly adjourned the Grand Lodge until next 
 morning. 
 
 At the appointed time, the Grand Lodge assembled at the 
 same house, but found that the Philips party had taken posses- 
 sion of the hall, having previously, it seems, rented the hall of 
 the owner. The Grand Lodge, however, opened in a room of 
 the same building, called the roll, and, after having provided a 
 room in which to hold the future meetings, regularly adjourned 
 the Grand Lodge, to meet at the room so procured in the after- 
 noon of the same day ; and, from day to day, with sixty or seventy 
 Lodges represented, attended to the regular business ; elected 
 an4 installed their Grand Officers ; expelled Philips, Willis, 
 Herring, Horspool, and one or two others, perhaps. 
 
 The Philips, Herring, & Co. Grand Lodge also continued 
 its sessions several evenings, and went through with all the 
 forms of doing the business of the Grand Lodge of the State 
 of New York, which title they claimed for their Association. 
 They sent out their printed proceedings to the Grand Lodges 
 of the world, in which they denounced the Willat-d party, as 
 being the revolutionists, etc., etc. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of New York also sent out its printed 
 proceedings with an account of the riot. Prom all these 
 printed documents, together with Chancellor Walworth's recap- 
 itulation of the leading facts, we have derived the information 
 here given to our readers. It is proper to state, that the 
 statement made by James Herring, in a pamphlet of eighty 
 pages, issued by order of the spurious Grand body, differs 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRT. 529 
 
 BOiitCwhat from our account of the affair ; but even he does not 
 deny the leading and most aggravated features of the disturb- 
 once, but seeks rather to justify the violent measures adopted, 
 on the ground that it was necessary in order to the preservation 
 of the iridienahle rights of Past Masters. In this connection, 
 it is not our province to investigate the claims of Past Masters 
 to an inalienable right to seats in the Grand Lodge ; it is our 
 business to detail the facts as, we believe, from the testimony, 
 they occurred, and to state, that, according to the plain reading 
 of the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of New York, the 
 amendment was legally adopted ; and hence it is easy for every 
 disinterested reader to form a correct opinion of the motives 
 which prompted the disturbers of the peace and harmony of 
 the Fraternity of Ngw York, and brought a stain upon Masonry 
 in America, which ages ,can not blot out. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of New York, and the Philips, Herring 
 & Co. Association, appealed to all the Grand Lodges of this 
 country, and of Europe, for a decision upon the legality of their 
 bodies, and, with but one exception in the United States, and 
 one foreign Grand Lodge, the decision has been universally in 
 favor of the Grand Lodge of New York, over which Bro. Wil- 
 lard, at the time, presided. But, will the Grand Lodge of New 
 York be satisfied with this decision ? Will she maintain the 
 proud position she now occupies ? We unhesitatingly say she 
 will not ; indeed, it will be difficult, very difficult for that Grand 
 body to do so, for the reason, that, from all quarters of this 
 country, an appeal is made to them to heal the breach, and 
 restore harmony in that jurisdiction. The other Grand Lodges 
 seem not to pause and reflect upon the consequences of their 
 request ; they seem not to remember the Divine injunction, that 
 repentance shall precede forgiveness ; they forget that every 
 time gross unmasonic conduct is met by propositions for such a 
 compromise as will operate as a reward for evil-doing, encour- 
 agement is given to others who may fail to carry any favorite 
 measure, to rebel against the legitimate authority and set up 
 for themselves. The Philips Grand Lodge still retains the two 
 thousand dollars forcibly taken from the custody of the legal 
 Grand Lodge ; they have not acknowledged their error, but. 
 
630 HISTOKY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 on the contrary, they persist in pleading justification, and in 
 denouncing and attacking the motives of every respectable and 
 influential brother who took an active part to procure the 
 amendment spoken of. We ardently desire to see a reconcilia- 
 tion of all difficulties, and a union of all good Masons in New 
 York ; but we do not desire this at the sacrifice of principle 
 We wish to see the doors of the Grand Lodge kept open for the 
 return of all penitents, who will give evidence, by their works, 
 that their penitence comes from the heart ; but we are utterly 
 ' opposed to forgiving a wrong, while the evil-doer is reaping the 
 reward of that wrong ; and still more are we opposed to hav- 
 ing wrOng-doers return, by offering them honorable stations. 
 Let the Philips party dissolve their spurious Grand Lodge, 
 return the money illegally and unmasonically obtained, and 
 then seek admission into the Grand Lodge, by an open and 
 manly acknowledgment of their errors ; and this they will soon 
 do, if they are not left to expect admission on very different 
 terms. They are now denounced, and cut off from Masonic 
 intercourse, almost everywhere. What good can result by their 
 keeping up their organization, and increasing their numbers, i^ 
 indeed, they shall be able to do so ? Good men will not desire 
 to be made Masons in Lodges whose members are not permitted 
 to visit in other jurisdictions. 
 
 We will now turn to the further history of St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, and briefly allude to its final dissolution, and then close 
 our history of Masonry in New York. 
 
 Soon after the rupture in 1849, both the Grand Lodge of 
 New York and the Philips Grand Lodge, seemed to be seized 
 with a new-born love for St. John's Grand Lodge, each body 
 desiring to form a union with it ; and, for a time, it was supposed 
 this object would be speedily effected by the Grand Lodge of 
 New York. But, about the time it was believed this Grand 
 Lodge would accept the propositions of the St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, the latter withdrew, or suspended negotiations, on the 
 ground that it was not satisfactorily shown whether the 
 Willard or Pliilips organization was the legal one. Thus 
 matters stood until the annual communication of the Grand 
 Lodge of New Yoi-k, in June, 1850, when Right W. P. G. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 531 
 
 Master Willard presented the following resolution, which was 
 adopted : 
 
 Resolved, That a Committee of five be appointed to receive any propoBitione oi 
 Bnggestious that may be preseated to them, by any member of thiB Grand Lodge, 
 or others, with a view to the harmony of feeling to the whole Fraternity of this 
 State ; and that the Committee use their discretion, aa to laying the same before 
 the Grand Lodge. 
 
 On the next day, the Committee reported the following 
 propositions : 
 
 1. Eecognition of Lodges subordinate to St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, as regular Masonic bodies. 
 
 2. That their members are lawful Masons. 
 
 3. That they (the Lodges) be put on the Registry of the 
 Grand Lodge of the State of New York. 
 
 4. That each and every of such Lodges may, at any time, 
 with their own consent, come under the jurisdiction of the 
 Grand Lodge of the State of New York. 
 
 5. That if St. John's Grand Lodge shall, on or before the 
 next June communication, by a vote of their body, decide to 
 give up their organization, as a Grand Lodge, and proffer 
 themselves to the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, 
 their Grand Officers and Past Grand Officers shall be received 
 and admitted as Past Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of the 
 State of New York. 
 
 We, the undersigned, pledge ourselves to carry the above 
 propositions into effect, if adopted by the Grand Lodge of the 
 
 State of New York. 
 
 Henry C. Atwood, G.M. 
 Daniel Sickels, J.G.W. 
 Robert Macoy, G. S. 
 David Cochrane, G.L. 
 
 Badlved, That the Grand Lodge of the State of New York do agree to the foi» 
 going propoEdtioni. 
 
 Salem Town. 
 John L. Lewis. 
 Jarvis M. Hatch. 
 Thomas Dugan. 
 J. S. Perry. 
 On motion, the report was accepted, and the resolution unani- 
 mously adopted. 
 
532 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 These propositions were also unanimously ratified by St 
 John's Grand Lodge. 
 
 The above terms being agreed upon, the two Grand bodies 
 set about making preparations for carrying out the amicable 
 adjustment of all difficulties, and, this being accomplished, 
 December 27, 1850, was mutually agreed upon as the day on 
 which the union should be consummated in ample form. 
 
 That this memorable event may not be forgotten, we transfer 
 to our pages an account of the union, as published by the 
 Grand Lodge of New York, simply premising that, while we 
 greatly rejoice at the amicable settlement of any, or all difficul- 
 ties which may unfortunately arise among Masons, we doubt 
 the consistency of making a jubilee, and claiming " glory," for 
 a union between bodies so lately the open and bitter revilers 
 of each other. We fear, moreover, that these " glorious unions " 
 are too apt to predispose and offer inducements to the restless 
 and dissatisfied, to bring about disunions and create spurious 
 organizations. We question the policy or justice of that Ma- 
 sonic body, who denounces another as spurious and clandestine, 
 and then proffers high places and distinguished honors to the 
 very individuals so denounced, without some evidence of repent- 
 ance and reformation. In short, we think that if the conduct 
 of brother Masons has been so grossly unmasonic as to call for 
 their expulsion, they should not be permitted to dictate the 
 terms upon which they are to be restored. These remarks 
 are not intended to cast reproach upon the late officers of St. 
 John's Grand Lodge, for we know they were harshly treated, 
 and almost driven to the course they pursued : 
 
 "A Special Meeting of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the 
 Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accept- 
 ed Masons, of the State of New York, was held at the Grand 
 Lodge room (late Howard House), 429 Broadway, in the 
 city of New York, on Friday, December 27, A.L. 5850, to 
 consummate the Union of the Brethren hitherto under the 
 jurisdiction of St. John's Grand Lodge, with the Grand 
 Lodge of the State of New York. 
 
 " The Grand Lodge opened at nine o'clock, A.M., in ample 
 form, and w ith solemn prayer. 
 
HISTOEY OP FREEMASONRY. 533 
 
 " Present: — The M. W. "William H. Milnor, Grand Master, 
 together with the other Grand Officers. 
 
 "The Grand Master, after some appropriate remarks on 
 peace and unity, informed the brethren that the day had arrived 
 for the consummation of the union, which had been so ardently 
 looked forward to by the Fraternity throughout the entire 
 United States, of the brethren hitherto under the jurisdiction 
 of St. John's Grand Lodge, with the Grand Lodge of the State 
 of New York ; and for that purpose he had convened this 
 Special Communication of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 " The Grand Marshal introduced the M. W. Grand Lodee 
 of Connecticut, comprising all her officers, or their representa- 
 tives, the Grand Officers of New Jersey, and the other visitors 
 who were all cordially welcomed by the Grand Master. 
 
 " The Grand Master then directed the Grand Marshal to 
 form the procession. 
 
 " The procession was accordingly formed, and moved, at ten 
 o'clock, up Broadway to Tripler Hall. On arriving at the Hall, 
 the procession halted, opened to the right and left, and faced 
 inward, while the Grand Master and others, in succession, 
 passed through and entered the Hall, and took the places 
 assigned to them. During the entree, and while the brethren 
 were taking their respective positions, the bands continued to 
 play appropriate airs. The galleries were already filled with 
 ladies and gentlemen — the invited auditors. 
 
 "At the sound of the Gavel, the brethren all arose, when the 
 R. W. and Rev. Alfred B. Campbell offered up an eloquent anci 
 most impressive prayer, imploring the blessing of the Supreme 
 Architect of the universe on the good work of Peace, Harmony, 
 and Love, in which they were about to engage. 
 
 " A hymn was then sung in admirable style, by an efficient 
 choir, conducted by Stephen Leach, Esq., accompanied by 
 Bro. W. B. Rockwood, on Carhart and Needham's Patent 
 Melodeon. 
 
 " While these ceremonies were progressing, St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, and its subordinate Lodges, assembled at the Grand 
 Lodge room, No. 274 Grand Street, and moved in procession, ^ 
 accompanied by Dodworth's and Shelton's Brass Bands, to 
 Tripler Hall. 
 
534 ' HISTOKT OP PREEMASONRT. 
 
 < 
 
 " Thciir approach -was heralded by a flourish of trumpets. 
 Being duly announced and admitted, they were received with 
 the public Grand honors. 
 
 " The whole scene at this time was truly magnificent and 
 intensely exciting. Each tier of the immense saloon was 
 densely crowded by the youth and beauty of the city. The 
 stage, considerably enlarged beyond its ordinary dimensions, 
 was occupied by the Grand Officers, the officers of the Grand 
 Lodges of Connecticut and New Jersey, the invited guests 
 from our sister States, and other brothers of high rank in the 
 Order. On one side of the Grand Master rested the Sacred 
 Ark^ with the Cherubim, and on the other side, the Holy 
 Bible, Square, and Compasses, resting on a crimson cushion. 
 The members of the subordinate Lodges, attended by their 
 officers, were ranged along the floor of the Hall. 
 
 " At this moment the trumpets sounded — the doors were 
 thrown open — St. John's Grand Lodge entered the grand 
 saloon in most admirable order, escorted by the Sir Knights 
 Templar of Palestine Encampment, and followed by its subor- 
 dinate bodies, and, marching with military precision, filed off 
 to their respective positions. The four bands continued to 
 play in union several soul-stirring pieces of music. The entire 
 area and platform of this immense saloon was now thronged 
 with between three and four thousand Masons. The numerous 
 flags and banners, bearing aloft various striking Masonic 
 emblems and devices — the gorgeous regalia of the Grand 
 Officers, their glittering jewels — the appropriate and beautiful 
 clothing of the officers and members of the Blue Lodges, con- 
 trasting with the bright scarlet of the Royal Arch Mason, and 
 the antique costume of the Templar — combined to form a 
 Masonic pageant never equaled in the New, and probably 
 never surpassed in the Old World. 
 
 " But the enthusiasm and deep heart-felt joy manifested by all 
 the brethren present, far surpassed, in the estimation of the sin- 
 cere lovers of our Order, the dazzling brilliancy and splendor 
 of this sublime and never-to-be-forgotten scene. 
 
 " ' These, indeed, seem, 
 For they are actions that a man might play ; 
 But there was that within which passeth show.' 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 535 
 
 •' As soon as each Grand Of&cer of St. John's Grand Lodge 
 had taken the place reserved for him, at the right of the corre- 
 Bponding Grand Officer of the Grand Lodge of the State of New 
 York, and their subordinate bodies had assumed their positions 
 on the floor of the Hall, the Grand Lodge of the State of New 
 York gave them a grand salute. 
 
 " The Most Worshipful Grand Master of St. John's Grand 
 Lodge, Henry C. Atwood, then arose and made a short address, 
 congratulating the brethren upon the occasion which they were 
 about to celebrate. Addressing Grand Master Milnor, he nar- 
 rated, in brief, tlie circumstances under which the dissension 
 originally occurred. Speaking of himself and companions who 
 then left the Grand Lodge, he said, the olive branch had been 
 extended to them, and they had returned — ^but not alone : no, 
 they were attended by this escort (pointing to the numerous 
 assemblage of persons in the centre of the house). He con- 
 cluded by saying, ' I present them to you as Masons — Masons by 
 name, and by practice.' 
 
 " Grand Master Milnor replied : 
 
 " Most Worshipful Sir and Brother : — In the name and 
 on behalf of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, I bid 
 you and your associates welcome. As the official head of the 
 Grand Lodge, I receive you and your brethren. Masons, good 
 and true, who have faithfully endeavored to promote the great 
 principles of our Order, as members of this jurisdiction — here- 
 after to be recognized as such — entitled to all the rights and 
 privileges thereunto belonging. 
 
 " My Brethren : the union, so long desired by the Masons, 
 not only of this great State, but throughout the United States, is 
 now completed. All difficulties, which, heretofore, may have 
 existed, are ended. The wall of partition is broken down, never, 
 I trust, to be rebuilt. There seem.s a peculiar propriety thai 
 such a union should be consummated on this day — a day held 
 sacred by all Masons — a day on which multitudes of brethren, 
 throughout the civilized globe, are gathering together to renew 
 their pledges of love and fidelity — to rekindle their zeal — to 
 confirm their faith. There is many a joyous meeting at this 
 moment, where hands are clasped and hearts are knit, in true 
 
536 HISTORY OF FBEEKASONET. 
 
 Masonic friendship ; but there is not one more joyous than 
 this. The happy countenances before and around me, speak this 
 more forcibly than any words of mine. Who can look upon a 
 scene like this, and not realize, in all its fullness, ' how good and 
 how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is 
 like precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the 
 beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his 
 garment — as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended 
 upon the mountains of Zion.' 
 
 " Tlianks to the Supreme Architect, who has imbued our 
 hearts witli the spirit of unity, and has disposed the minds of 
 the brethren, that, with one accord, they have come up to this 
 house to-day, to honor His Holy Name by obeying His commands. 
 Glory be to God on High. (Response of the brethren, ' So mote 
 it be. Amen !') 
 
 " My Brother : I am but the organ of others. There are hun- 
 dreds of hearts around us, beating responsive to mine, when I 
 again, most cordially, bid you a fraternal welcome. I extend 
 to you the grip of fellowship, and receive you among us, as 
 a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of New 
 York. 
 
 " A round of cheers of welcome were here given by the Grand 
 Lodge and'subordinates, and each brother, grasping his fellow 
 by the right hand in fraternal embrace, consummated this glo- 
 rious union. The scene of cordial greeting and mutual congrat- 
 ulations that ensued baffles description. Few could control 
 their feelings — a tear of joy gushed from many an eye, and 
 trickled down over many a manly and honest face. Such a scene, 
 to have been at all appreciated, must have been witnessed. It was 
 an epoch in Masonry ever to be remembered. 
 
 " Grand Master Atwood then called for Grand Standard 
 Bearer Hyatt, of St. John's Grand Lodge, who came forward 
 and received the custody of the banner of St. John's, with the 
 injunction to protect it as faithfully as he had heretofore defend- 
 ed it. This the Grand Standard Bearer promised to do, and 
 the Grand Master addressed the members of the Lodges on the 
 subject of the dissolution about to take place. He enforced 
 upon their minds the necessity of obedience to all the mandates 
 
HISTORY OF PREEMASONEY. 537 
 
 of the Grand Lodge, under whose jurisdiction they were about 
 . to place themselves. In conclusion, he said : ' Under the sound of 
 the same Gavel that first called the Lodge to order, I now declare 
 St. John's Grand Lodge dissolved.' He then desired the brethren 
 of Lodges under St. John's Grand Lodge, to salute the Grand 
 Master. This was done in a manner worthy of Masons, who 
 know how to do what they undertake, and we venture to say 
 that this salute has never before been given in the city, by so 
 large a body of Masons, with such combined precision and ease. 
 The union was thus accomplislied, and many hearts rejoiced. 
 
 " A Masonic song was then sung by the choir, accompanied 
 by Dodworth's Band. 
 
 " Next followed the presentation of warrants. The Masters 
 of the several Lodges were called upon to come forward and 
 receive their new warrants. 
 
 " The first Master called was W. Thomas Abbot, of Indepen- 
 dent Lodge, No. 7, it being the senior Lodge of that jurisdic- 
 tion. On coming upon the stage, Past Grand Master Atwood 
 introduced Bro. Abbot to the Grand Master. The Grand 
 Secretary read to him the new charter of Independent Lodge, 
 which henceforth is No. 185. The other Masters were next 
 called forward, but the ceremony of reading the charter was 
 not performed in any instance except the first. 
 
 "After the presentation of the charters, a Masonic Ode, 
 written for the occasion by Bro. George W. Stevenson, was 
 Bung by the choir. 
 
 " The Oration was then delivered in an impressive manner, by 
 the M. W. William II. Milnor, Grand i' aster of the State. 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 "Life has been called a pilgrimage, and, perhaps, no term 
 could be selected more expressive of its uncertaihty, dangers, 
 and hopes. It is, indeed, a pilgrimage through a region of 
 varied aspects, beneath a checkered sky of cloud and sunshine, 
 Man is, indeed, a pilgrim — one of a goodly company, as diverse 
 in character and feeling as in language and complexion ;, yet 
 all united in one common object, all pressing forward to one 
 common goal — the ocean of Eternity. As the strings of an 
 
538 HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRr. 
 
 instrument, responding to the same touch, but each Tihrating 
 with its own peculiar tone, produce one harmonious melody, 
 BO all hearts respond to the touch of the same Divine Master, 
 each with its own peculiar measure, yet, all uniting to perfect 
 the great work for which they were created — the glory of the 
 Maker. Life is, indeed, a pilgrimage, joyous to some, yet 
 wearisome, at times, to all ; in all its stages, youth, manhood, 
 and old age, changing and uncertain. Yet, on this journey, how- 
 ever dreary — to each one, however desponding — there appears 
 green spots, as welcome as are the oases of the desert to the 
 panting caravan, where the sparkling waters and cool herbage 
 invite to refreshment and repose. Here the weary spirit loves 
 to linger, renewing its vigor forthe journey onward. Here, like 
 the good old Patriarch, we erect a pillar of remembrance, in 
 token that God hath dealt kindly with us. These are the way- 
 marks along the travel-path of life, to which memory often re- 
 turns, in seasons of danger and distress, and brings back fresh 
 courage for the conflict. Now, to such a green spot have we 
 Come to-day. Such a waymark are we about erecting on the 
 pathway of time. We have halted — two bands of pilgrims — at 
 the clear and pure fountains of Truth and Charity, and, for a 
 brief period, rest by the still waters. How refreshing thus to 
 meet and interchange friendly greeting. How delightful to 
 know that such union is not but for a day or an hour, but that, 
 when the signal is given for the march onward, we are to jour- 
 ney together, through the rest of our pilgrimage, lightening each 
 other's toils, sharing each other's burdens. 
 
 " This is, indeed, a glorious day for Masonry — doubly glorious, 
 for she appears again before the world, after years of seclusion, 
 clad in the white robe of Brotherly Kindness and Charity. 0, 
 there are spirits looking down upon this scene from the realms 
 above, who are rejoicing, with joy unspeakable, at this joyous 
 spectacle. They, living, believed the day was not far distant, 
 when, all differences forgotten, this union would be effected — 
 that the hour would come when atonement would be made for 
 the wrongs of Masonry. They died in this faith. It had sup- 
 ported them through many a long day of trial, when the heart 
 was ready to sink beneath the load of obloquy and reproach 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 6S9 
 
 which their persecutors, some in ignorance, but more in malioet 
 heaped upon them. The hour has come, and I stand before you, 
 the official head of this united body, with a swelling and grate- 
 ful heart, but with a tongue too feeble to do justice to the occa- 
 sion. This is, indeed, a glorious day, one which will long be 
 remembered in our annals — whose tale will be told to our chil- 
 dren's children. I would not mar its pleasures by narrating by- 
 gone difficulties — difficulties which, I trust, are to be buried in 
 oblivion. It is sufficient to know and feel that we are one — one 
 in feeling — one in action — ^brethren of the mystic tie — ^with 
 cheerful hearts and ready hands, now, and for the future, re- 
 solved, unitedly, to promote the blessed work of Masonry. Ma- 
 sonry ! what thoughts cluster about the heart at the mention of 
 that word. Masonry 1 so much reviled, because so little under- 
 stood. Masonry 1 venerated for its antiquity — yet, suspected 
 from its mystery. Masonry ! whose genial influences, like the 
 dew-drop on the flower, are felt, but seen only in the crystal 
 tear resting on the eye of gratitude, dissolved by that sunshine 
 of which it is the precursor. 
 
 " It, perhaps, ill becomes me to speak of her beauty and 
 excellence, lest it be thought that cool judgment has given 
 place to excited feeling. Yet, who so well fitted to speak her 
 praises, as one who has been taught her principles — who has 
 realized their power ? I would not, however, be the mere 
 eulogist of Masonry, for she needs no eulogy of words. The 
 epitaph of that illustrious Mason— the great Architect, resting 
 in the splendid Temple of his own creation — ' Circumspice : ' 
 look around — is the best eulogy of Masonry. Look around at 
 • the temples and palaces she has reared in every land — look at 
 her altars, bright with the fires of truth, in every clime — look 
 at her children, their name is legion, humbly ministering to 
 the sufi'erins: and the needv. To whom is the world indebted 
 for the perfe&tion of architecture and the arts ? To Masonry. 
 She gave the first impulse to the systematic dissemination of 
 learning. When, during the dark ages, the clouds of darkness 
 and superstition rested upon the nations, she was the chosen 
 guardian of literature and science — and when those clouds 
 lifted, and the horizon became clear, there came forth, from her 
 
640 HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 inner sanctuary, a chosen band, to show to the people that 
 there still remained a remnant of the wise and prudent, 
 
 " Much has been said and written respecting the origin oi 
 Freemasonry. Ridicule has been too frequently cast, by the 
 ignorant and unthinking, upon her pretensions to great antiquity. 
 Yet, the jeers of the ignorant and the scofifings of the profane 
 have not one jot or tittle affected those claims. The mosses of 
 antiquity have gathered around her columns. The wisdom of 
 ancient sages is treasured up within her archives. Her prin- 
 ciples are, indeed, coeval with the origin of man ; but we pretend 
 not to claim for her an existence, as a distinct organization, in 
 the earliest ages. 
 
 " When God walked with man in tlie Garden, then and there 
 were taught him the cardinal doctrines of Masonry, He was 
 taught unbounded love for all things created, and holy reverence 
 for the Being who created them. Purity and holiness were 
 attributes of the mind. As the blood coursed through his veins, 
 untainted by disease, so thought traversed the brain and 
 moved the soul, unpoisoned by the touch of evil. As the Earth 
 poured forth her treasures, unbidden, for his corporeal nature, 
 so Heaven, through ministering angels, supplied, direct, his 
 spiritual aliment. Man walked forth in the image of his Maker 
 — perfect in form, in feature, and in mind. There was harmony 
 in all things — the carol of the bird, tlie plash of the waterfall, 
 the roar of the lion, the bleat of the lamb. The softest zephyrs 
 stirred the forest leaves, and the moonbeam was unbroken as it 
 rested on the streamlet. Beauteous and gladsome was the face 
 of nature — all things were subjected to the dominion of man's 
 will — all made subservient to his interests and enjoyment. He • 
 felt no physical pain — he suffered no mental anguish; the 
 burning heat and the biting cold — the excitement of hope and 
 the bitterness of disappointment, were alike unknown to him. 
 A created being, he held converse with his God." Yet, he felt 
 a void within- a want unsupplied. Humanity yearned after 
 human sympathy. ' It is not good for man to be alone 1 ' So a 
 helpmeet was provided — the family relations were established, 
 and tlius was foreshadowed what, to the end of time is to be 
 a necessity of humanity. 
 
HISTOET OP PREKMASONRT. 541 
 
 " The world grew older, and sons and daughters became its 
 denizens. The wing of the evil one had overshadowed the 
 pure and perfect one. The carol of the bird is hushed by the 
 snare of the fowler. Tlie lion no longer crouches at the feet 
 of his master. The thunder of God's wrath had been heard 
 crashing amid the forest trees, and the lightning of Ills eye had 
 withered the tall cedars. The heart of man had become a 
 volcano of passions, which, ever and anon, burst forth in 
 devastating fury. Ambition looked forth for a field to play 
 her part in, and the hand of man had been raised against his 
 brother. How changed — how changed the face of nature, once 
 so beauteous and gladsome ! The trail of the serpent has left 
 its mark upon all things created ; yet, still, men cling together, 
 as those who have a community of interest and feeling. 
 Patriarch and people, chieftain and tribe, are one and undi- 
 vided. They feel pressing upon them, as with an iron hand, a 
 necessity of humanity. ' It is not good for man to be alone.' 
 
 " The world grew older. The few saved by the Ark have 
 grown into a very great people. Tliey have traveled far and 
 wide, and founded great nations. They have discovered the 
 riches contained in earth's bosom. Simplicity has given place 
 to luxury and refinement. The carol of the bird is all unheed- 
 ed, while they listen to the sweet strain of the stringed instru- 
 ment. The lion lies close in the recSsses of the forest, as the 
 train of the hunter passes by in pomp and splendor. Is the 
 heart of man lighter than it was in the days of simplicity and 
 purity ? Does not care sit heavy on the brow of the Monarch, 
 and oppression, like a nightmare, lie upon the people ? 0, there 
 is still felt that want which was felt in the Garden — that 
 yearning after human sympathy and support. There is pressing 
 upon them a necessity of humanity. ' It is not good for man to 
 be alone.' 
 
 "The world grows older. Man feels within him the 
 strength of intellect. His inventive and imitative powers are 
 called into action. He explores the recesses of nature, and 
 pries into her secrets. The vegetable and mineral kingdoms 
 become curious subjects of investigation. He studies the stars 
 in their courses, aud calls them familiarly by name. The 
 
642 HISTORY OP PEEEMASONET. 
 
 earth and the sea deliver up to him their treasures, and projid 
 and erect he stands almost a god. Is he happier than the one 
 who stood in the Garden ? He is, now, one of a multitude — of 
 a mighty throng ; yet, he is still conscious of a want which 
 must be supplied. He feels pressing upon him a necessity of 
 humanity ; and so associations are formed of those who can 
 harmonize in pursuits and feelings. They unite for mutual 
 support and encouragement — for intellectual improvement and 
 for social enjoyment. The shadow is still upon the dial. ' It 
 is not good for man to be alone.' 
 
 " Among these Institutions, thus originating in a law of 
 nature, arose Freemasonry. But when and where ? It was 
 foreshadowed in the Garden ; the foundation was laid there ; 
 but when and where was the superstructure reared ? This has 
 been a fruitful source of discussion in the Masonic world, and 
 to various periods and causes has its rise been ascribed — ^to the 
 Crusades, to the Jesuits, to the Commonwealth of Cromwell. 
 Time and talents have been wasted in the defense of their 
 favorite theories, by ingenious authors. The general belief 
 among Masons, however, is, that, at the building of Solomon's 
 Temple, Freemasonry was first established as a distinct Order. 
 You are all, doubtless, familiar with the peculiar incidents 
 attendant upon the construction of the Great Temple. It was 
 reared under the immediate supervision of the Almighty. Day 
 by day it advanced in beauty and grandeur ; no sound of the 
 graving tool or workman's hamnier heard, for the stones 
 were brought fashioned from the quarries of Zeredathah ; until 
 after seven years of labor, the sunlight gleamed from its bur- 
 nished dome and spires. Three Grand Masters presided over 
 the work, and three thousand three hundred Overseers, eighty 
 thousand Fellow Crafts, and seventy thousand Entered Appren- 
 tices assisted. With what feelings of pure, but grateful, satis- 
 faction must this mighty multitude have assembled to witness 
 its dedication ; when the Grand Master, Solomon, clothed in 
 his sacred vestments, blessed the people, and, stretching forth 
 his hands to heaven, uttered that supplication for mercy on his 
 brethren, in their hour of need, so beautiful and touching from 
 it3 earnest simplicity — ' Hear Thou in heaven, Thy dwellinji| 
 
HISTORY OF PEEEMASONRY. 543 
 
 place; and when Thou hearest, forgive.' What a deep sense of 
 God's presence must have filled every bosom, when the fire 
 came down from heaven, and the glory of the Lord filled the 
 place. How fervent their emctions, as, with their faces bowed 
 to the ground, they worshiped and praised the God of Israel, 
 saying : ' The Lord, he is God, for His mercy endureth for ever.' 
 
 " This was the first grand assemblage of Masons. Back to this 
 period we can trace, with certainty, the existence of our Order. 
 Along the track of history, both sacred and profane, we have 
 glimpses of its progress. As the footprints in the rock enable 
 the naturalist to determine the existence and character of the 
 antediluvian animals, so does a trait, a word, or a symbol, in 
 the historic records, which have come down to us from antiquity, 
 exhibit Masonry. Although all this can not be explained to 
 the uninitiated, it is clear and distinct to the mind of the intel- 
 ligent Mason. 
 
 " The Temple being completed, this great body of Operative 
 Masons was dispersed. They traveled into various lands, con- 
 structing temples and palaces, and disseminating moral and 
 intellectual light. This is neither the time nor place to enter 
 into an examination of the connection of Masonry with the 
 Egyptian Rites. The remains of buildings in Egypt, at the 
 present day, prove that architecture had, in that land, reached, 
 at a very early age, a high state of perfection. There is but 
 little doubt that Egyptian architects assisted at the building 
 of the Temple. From the similarity between some portions of 
 their ceremonials and doctrines, it is probable that Masonry 
 borrowed somewhat from the Egyptian Mysteries ; but that they 
 were identical with each other, we have no proof, and but little 
 reason for belief. Immediately subsequent to the completion 
 of the Temple, a sect existed in Judea, called Essenes, which 
 has, by some, been looked upon as Masonic. 
 
 "It would be tedious and unprofitable to follow Masonry, 
 in her course through the world, to the present time, She 
 flourished, especially during the middle ages, under the protec- 
 tion of the Jesuits, throughout Europe— and again declined, 
 when cast off and anathematized by the Popes, as opposed to 
 their tyranny and superstiiiou. She found a resting-place iu 
 
544 HISTORY OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 Great Britain, into whicli she was introduced by tlie architects 
 who founded tlie Abbey of Kilwinning. From England, Ma- 
 sonry was given bitck to the continental kingdoms probably 
 by tlie adlierents of James II., who, on the abdication of that 
 Monarch, took refuge with him in France. In spite of perse- 
 cution, she has continued to flourish there, and has numbered 
 among her votaries, the greatest, the wisest, and the best — 
 Prince and subject serve at the same altar. 
 
 " Between the years 1729-40, Lodges were created in differ- 
 ent parts of America, and Provincial charters granted by the 
 Grand Lodge of England. Such is the origin of our own 
 Grand Lodge. We originally held a charter from the Grand 
 Lodge of England, and worked under the same, until, on the 
 declaration of our independence as a country, we also assumed 
 an independent position in the Masonic world, as the Grand 
 Lodge of the State of New York. Her course has been a most 
 prosperous one, though, at times, obstructed by opposition and 
 persecution. A Tompkins, a Clinton, a Lewis, and a host of 
 worthies, admired and respected by the world for their virtues 
 and talents, have, at various periods, occupied distinguished 
 positions among us. They lived and died firm and consistent 
 Masons. 
 
 ■ But let us turn to a subject of far more interest to such 
 an audience as I have before me — of far greater importance to 
 us, as Masons — a brief consideration of the cardinal principles 
 of Masonry. These are the test of her excellence — by these 
 she must stand or fall. Within the walls of a Lodge, the 
 inquiring spirit finds meet companions. There dwells, in a 
 degree, that unity of spirit, which, in a perfect state, is only 
 found in the heavenly Temple. The seeker after truth enters 
 our portals. He may come fretted by worldly disappointment, 
 bowed down by misfortune, oppressed by care. He may feel 
 solitary amid the crowds which throng the thoroughfare. He 
 listens to the words of kindness and truth, which meet him at 
 every step. A chord is touched — strange — that chord has 
 been sounding ever since his birth, yet he has not heard it. 
 The discords of the woild have overpowered it. But he hears 
 it now ; and, as it thrills througii his frame, he begins to feel 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 645 
 
 'how good and pleasant a tiling it is for brethren to dwell 
 together in unity.' He discovers that friendship is something 
 more than a name — that deep within the recesses of the heart 
 lie emotions which only need to be warmed into life by con- 
 tact with kindred spirits. He realizes the true nobility of 
 his nature. The intellectual and moral functions are brought 
 into healthful action. As an individual, he is conscious that a 
 change has come over his spiritual nature. The genius of 
 Masonry has touched, with her wand, his stony heart, and the 
 living waters have gushed forth, making his barren wilderness 
 blossom as the rose. He no longer walks solitary amid the 
 multitude ; for, in each countenance, he sees a something which 
 draws him, as by a magnetic influence, to itself. He looks upon 
 all as brethren, and is bound to all by the strong ties of 
 brotherhood. His unruly passions are subdued, and the gentler 
 emotions roused into activity and life. 
 
 "As the colors of the spectrum, though of varied brilliancy 
 and intensity, when blended, produce a clear, unsullied white, 
 80 the feelings of the heart, though of varied depth and power, 
 are united and harmonized by the medium of Masonry, and 
 Brotherly Kindness and Charity are the characteristics de- 
 veloped — Brotherly Love and Charity, the cardinal principles 
 of Masonry. 
 
 "How endearing the title of friend ; what a charm in the 
 very name of friendship. How the mind turns at once to tho 
 domestic circle, for it is here that friendship is seen in its 
 beauty and intensity. The wife's devotion has ever been the 
 theme of the poet's song and minstrel's strain, and filial love has 
 been promised a blessing in its fulfillment. Desolate, indeed, 
 must be that heart which can not look back to the early, quiet 
 joys of home. 0, the remembrance of a mother's love hath 
 often come back to the lone wanderer, like a long-forgotten 
 strain, to cheer him in his loneliness and soothe his wearied 
 spirit ; and feelings of bitterness at the world's heartlessness 
 have given place to kindlier emotions, as he thought of his 
 earliest, his truest friend. 
 
 " Throughout all animate creation is this principle recog- 
 nized. The humble ant shows attachment to its fellow-laborer, 
 
546 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 and the honey-bee will allow no intruder in its hive. They are 
 all drawn to each other, by instinct, if you please, but, in reality, 
 by a love of their own species, implanted in them by an all-wise 
 God, for their own good. And so up, through the scale of 
 created beings, is the ruling principle evident, increasing grad- 
 ually in power, until, in man, under the guidance of reason, it is 
 displayed in its full development. 
 
 i " It is the basis of patriotism — that love of country which 
 , nerves the arm and fires the heart to protect our native soil 
 from the step of the invader — our hearth-stone from the touch 
 of the oppressor. It imparts hope to the exile, when some 
 home-melody strikes his ear, with all its loved associations. 
 High and low, rich .and poor, acknowledge its power. It 
 hightens the pleasures of the palace, and alleviates the misery 
 of the hovel. Even the vicious, whose hearts have been worn 
 away by the constant droppings of evil, are subject to its influ- 
 ence. What noble instances of heroism has it produced ! It 
 has supported the dying martyr in his agony, and cheered the 
 prisoner in his solitude. It was seen at the Cross, when, amid 
 revilings and reproaches, the faithful band of disciples stood by, 
 and witnessed the last agony. It guided the lone woman, at 
 early dawn, to the sepulchre, to see where they had laid her 
 Friend and Master. 0, it is the golden thread which runs 
 thf ongh the web of human life, imparting to it its strength and 
 beauty. 
 
 " We claim not for Masons that they alone exhibit, in a:ll its 
 fullness, this divine principle, but we do assume that the lessons 
 of wisdom presented night after night, and day after day, to the 
 eye and ear of the youthful Mason, have a direct and powerful 
 tendency to induce those kind feelings — that earnest desire to 
 benefit his fellow, which belongs to true friendship. We all 
 know and feel the influence of daily associations — ^how produc- 
 tive they are either of good or evil. Thus the habit is acquired 
 in our Lodges of thinking well of our neighbor, and this is the 
 first step toward seeking to do him good. We learn to look 
 upon our fellow-man, not as one who can be used to advantage, 
 but as one who has claims upon our sympathy and regard. We 
 are taught to shun moroseness, jealousy, and suspicion, and to 
 
HISTOET OF ERBJEMASONRT. $47 
 
 cultivate courtesy, affability, and fran^ess. Now, the heart, 
 thus alive to the geutle feelings, thus full of love and mercy, 
 must be possessed, also, of charity, the distinguishing charac- 
 teristic of a Master Mason — that wide-world charity which 
 looks abroad upon the whole human family, and recognizes aU 
 3,8 brethren — that charity which looks to the moral as well ?i8 
 physical improvement of man — which seeks to clpthe him wi^h 
 the armor of righteousness : to present him with tlae shield of 
 virtue — that charity which desires man's intellectual advance- 
 ment, and strives to raise him from the degraded condition to 
 which sin has reduced him, and to elevate him nearer to that 
 state of perfection in which he was originally created. How 
 beautiful the description of charity by St. Paul : ' Though I 
 speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not Charity, 
 I am become as sounding brass or tinkling cjvah^l ; ^.nd though 
 I have the gift of prophecy, and understa,nd ,^11 mysteries and 
 all knowledge, and though I have aU faith, so that I could 
 remove mountains, and haye not Charity, I am nothing ; and 
 though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I 
 give my body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth 
 me nothing. Charity suffereth long and is kind ; Charity 
 envieth not ; Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 
 doth not behave itself ujisieemly, seeketh not her own, is not 
 easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity ; but 
 rejoiceth in the truth, believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
 endureth all things : and now abideth Faith, Hope, and Char- 
 ity, but the greatest of these is Charity.' How graphic this 
 description — how strictly in consonance with the teachings of 
 Masonry. 
 
 "The young Mason is taught patience — patience under 
 trials and affliction — patience under obloquy and reproach. 
 If the world taunt him as one whose profession is better than 
 his practice, let him examine and see whether, in some particu- 
 lar, be is not wanting in that strict consistency which should 
 mark his course through life. He must not return taunt for 
 taunt, but rather good for evil. There is, indeed, a po^nt 
 beyond which forbearance ceases to be a virtue ; but much may 
 be borne before that point is reached. ' Charity suffereth long 
 
548 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 and is kind.' He is taught humility — to be lowly in his owa 
 eyes, serving the Lord. If God has endowed him with superior 
 gifts, he is to use them for the benefit of his brethren ; but not, 
 by unnecessary display, to endeavor to excite jealousy and 
 envy. True merit is never obtrusive, nor does it ever go with- 
 out its reward. The lowliest flower often exhales the sweetest 
 perfume, and is the especial object of the naturalist's care. 
 
 " It is said of an ancient philosopher — one at whose feet 
 many had sat to gather the words of wisdom — that, to a flatter- 
 ing disciple, he replied — ' My daily experience is that I know 
 nothing.' He was not unconscious of his own powers ; he 
 knew the value of his own acquirements ; yet his thirst for 
 knowledge is unsatisfied. He had often grasped at the shadow 
 rather than the substance. He had not been able to sound the 
 depths of the well of truth. The young Mason is taught that 
 such is the experience of all. ' Charity vaunteth not itself, is 
 not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly.' He is taught 
 to control his passions. Mildness of demeanor should ever 
 mark his conduct — purity of heart his daily life. He is directed 
 to ' set a guard at the entrance of his thoughts ; to place a watch 
 at the door of his lips ; to put a sentinel at the avenue of his 
 actions — thereby excluding every unqualified and unworthy 
 thought, word, and deed ' — and, while thus guarding the outposts, 
 to examine, at set seasons, the chambers within, and to see that 
 they are swept and furnished. ' He rejoiceth in the truth.' He is 
 taught to despise no means of instruction; — to follow any path, 
 however uninviting, if it but lead to wisdom. The listening 
 and attentive ear are his — to catch every ray of light, if it be 
 but of twilight brightness ; to drink in every sound, though it 
 be but as a whisper. He is to love wisdom for wisdom's sake 
 — to follow her paths, because they are paths of pleasantness. 
 In that Book which he is taught to cherish as a great light 
 in Masonry, wisdom and happiness are ever inseparable.. ' God 
 giveth to a man, that is good in his sight, wisdom, and know- 
 ledge, and joy.' Wisdom possesses a sustaining power ; and 
 he who is conscious of his own weakness, is eager to cling to it 
 as to a tried friend. ' Wisdom is a defense, and money is a 
 defense ; but the excellency of knowledge is, that' wisdom 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 649 
 
 giveth life to them that have it.' It giveth life in this world, 
 for it imparts fresh vigor to the soul, and supports it amid 
 difficulties. It giveth life in the future world, for true wisdom 
 — that knowledge of God that bringeth forth the fruits of a 
 righteous and holy life — will gain for us an entrance into that 
 Temple, where the work and the workmen are alike pure and 
 perfect. 
 
 "But while thus seeking his own moral and intellectual 
 improvement, and that of his brethren, the duty of relieving the 
 afflicted and needy is imperative upon him. The command of 
 God, as laid down in His law, is the Masonic rule. 
 
 " ' If there be among you a poor man, one of thy brethren, 
 thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy 
 poor brother ; but thou shalt open thy hand, and shalt surely 
 lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. 
 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved 
 when thou givest unto him ; because that for this thing the 
 Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that 
 thou puttest thy hand unto. "When thou cuttest down thy har- 
 vest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt 
 not go again to fetch it ; it shall be for the stranger, the father- 
 less, and the widow, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in 
 all the works of thy hands. When thou beatest thy olive tree, 
 thou shalt not go over the boughs again ; it shall be for the 
 stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. When thou gatherest 
 the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward ; 
 it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. I 
 command thee to do this thing.' 
 
 " How blessed is charity, as thus exercised — doubly blessed ! 
 For it blesses him that gives and him that takes. To the man 
 whose mind is, indeed, aright, there is no pleasure so great as 
 the consciousness of having done a good action. The incenge 
 of prayer and praise is doubly fragrant, when perfumed by deeds 
 of benevolence and kindness. 0, how much we all need a 
 brother's helping hand I We start on life's voyage down the 
 stream of time — the banks are strewed with Aowots — we do 
 not see the hidden thorns — we do not inhale the lurking poison 
 —we glide on gently, the distant mountains bright with hope, 
 
650 HtSTORT OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 and all beyond an expected PaTadise. But will the stream be 
 always smooth ? Shall we not feel the thorns ? Shall we not 
 inhale the poison ? How cross the mountains ? The pilgrim's 
 staff may break in ascending their I'ug'ged heights. How wel- 
 come, then, a br^other's hand, to ease us a little of our burden. 
 
 " I can not permit an occasion like th6 ptesent to jiass, with- 
 out alluding to a charge which has been advanced against 
 Freemasonry. She has been declared antagonistic to revealed 
 religion. She haS been accilsed of teaching a refined system of 
 Deism. How utterly baseless the charge, we, who are initiated 
 in her mysteries, are conscious. The pious and good of all 
 ages, who have served at hef altar, alid whose praise has been 
 known in all the Churches, should certainly be received by the 
 world as surety that the assertion is utterly without foundation. 
 It is true that, as Freemasons, we are not sectarian. As such, 
 we are only required to acknowledge an all-wise and omnipo- 
 tent Deity. Our Order is a social and intellectual, not strictly 
 a religious one. The revealed Word of God, however, is the 
 Mason's rule of life. His commands, as therein made known, 
 he is enjoined to observe. We respect, but do not interfere 
 with, each other's peculiarities of belief. The Jew and the 
 Christian here sit side by side, both worshiping the same God 
 of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. They are both taught, 
 and both believe, that God is love — infinite, unchangeable, 
 everlasting ; that ' pure religion, before God and the Father, is 
 this : to visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, 
 and to keep themselves unspotted from the world.' 
 
 " Masonry opposed to revealed religion ! She has been, she 
 is, her handmaid — not the rash usurper of her seat. Each has 
 its own peculiar province, and both act in perfect harmony. 
 Religion implants new principles in the heart. Masonry, by 
 judicious culture, fertilizes the soil in which the seed is sown, 
 that it may ripen into grain, and bring forth an abundant 
 harvest. God works by means, and Masonry has been a chosen 
 one to promote man's temporal and eternal interests. Within 
 her walls, and only within her walls, all meet on terms of the 
 strictest harmony. She leads by pleasant paths to the crystal 
 fountains of truth. We have no waters of Jordan, in which 
 
HISTOEY OF FREEMASONRY. 551 
 
 the soul, leprous with sin and defilement, can wash and be made 
 whole. We should encroach on the attributes of Deity — we 
 should touch with profane hands His altar, and offer strange 
 fire thereon, did we assert such claims. But, does Masonry 
 arrogate too much to herself, when she does claim to be a 
 moral teacher and reformer ? Her mission is a noble one, and 
 not yet ended. When the promised period shall arrive, of 
 universal peace and harmony — 'when the lion and lamb shall 
 lie down together, and a little child shall lead them' — when a 
 united hallelujah shall swell from all voices, ' Glory to God 
 and the Lamb' — when the sword shall be turned into the plow- 
 share and the spear into the pruning hook, and sighing and 
 suffering shall for ever cease — then, and not till then, will her 
 mission be ended ; for sin and mercy shall be known no more. 
 
 " It has, also, been urged against Freemasonry, that she is 
 clothed in mystery. Well, and what then ? Do the objectors 
 not know that life itself is a mystery ? Are not the operations 
 of nature all mysteries ? Are not death and immortality the 
 greatest of mysteries ? What finite being pretends or expects 
 to comprehend them, until time shall change for eternity? 
 Doubtless, for a wise object, the Almighty has so ordained it. 
 If the whole excellence of Masonry consisted in strange, myste- 
 rious ceremonies, the argument against her utility might be 
 good and valid. But her secrets are but the keys to her trea- 
 sures, and we offer them to all, on one condition only — that 
 they be found worthy ; an unblemished character, and a spotless 
 reputation, are the requisites for their possession. Neither 
 wealth nor exalted station gain for their possessor a more 
 ready entrance within our portals, than humble poverty, 
 accompanied by true merit. We know no distinction of rank 
 or position. The prince and the peasant meet here on a pes- 
 fect equality. 
 
 "We have our secrets — they are necessary for our self- 
 preservation. As Masonry is universal, so her language is 
 universal. It is essential that we should be enabled to re- 
 cognize each other, without the possibility of being deceived ; 
 and we are enabled to do so by this universal language. 
 Publish it to the world — make it common to the virtuous and 
 
552 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY, 
 
 the vicious, and you at once destroy its utility ; and, by mak 
 ing it familiar and easily attained, insure its destruction. It 
 is to this very mystery that Masonry owes its perpetuity and 
 universality ; for it is, perhaps, a weakness in human nature, 
 that men are charmed by mystery. Empires have risen and 
 fallen ; whole nations have passed away into comparative 
 oblivion — yet, Masonry still stands beautiful and vigorous. 
 The wild winds of kingly despotism, and the surges of popular 
 fury,have beaten against her, but in vain ; for she was founded 
 on a rock. 
 
 " She has, in all ages, been the pioneer of civilization and 
 refineipent. The philanthropist has ever found her a willing 
 assistant, and the missionary has often been indebted to her 
 support. Circumnavigate the globe, and you can scarce touch 
 a spot where the genial influences of Masonry are not seen and 
 felt. In the frozen regions of the North, and the sunny lands 
 of the South — throughout the broad expanse, from East to 
 West, her banner is floating. Like the Baptist, she has been 
 the great forerunner — fitting the untutored mind for the recep- 
 tion of greater truths, by teaching her own pure principles — 
 proclaiming everywhere through her mystic rites, ' Prepare ye 
 in the desert a highway for our God.' 
 
 " Brethren of this united Order : the union, which has, for 
 years, been the earnest wish of all true Masons, is now consum- 
 mated ; we, who have been divided, are now one. Together 
 we are to walk within the porches pf the Temple — together to 
 tread the Mosaic Pavement. Let us not forget that we have a 
 work to perform while the day lasteth. As the stones were 
 brought ready from the quarries of Zeredathah, fitted and pre- 
 pared for the builder's use, so our minds are to be prepared in 
 these our earthly sanctuaries, and made as living stones for 
 that building, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
 Oh ! let us, above all, cherish the spirit of unity ; let us keep 
 bright and glowing the spirit of Brotherly Love — that golden 
 chain, which, in its magic circle, links heart to heart. 
 
 "This eloquent production was listened to with breathless 
 attention by the vast multitude present, and was frequently 
 bterrupted by warm plaudits. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 55S 
 
 "A hymn was then sung by the choir, accompanied by the 
 Melodeon and Dodworth's Band. 
 
 "A truly beautiful and touching prayer and benediction were 
 pronounced by our gifted and venerable brother, the R. W. 
 and Rev. Salem Town, LL.D., Grand Chaplain. 
 
 " The Grand Lodge then reformed in order of procession, 
 when the united brethren fell into their respective positions, 
 and moved down Broadway to the Park, up Park Row, 
 Chatham Street, and the Bowery, and down Broadway to Trip- 
 ler Hall, where the brethren dined together at six o'clock, P.M." 
 
 In 1851, Pythagoras Lodge, composed of Germans, fascinat- 
 ed, probably, by the gewgaws of a foreign rite, surrendered 
 their charter, and applied to Hamburg for a warrant. The 
 Grand Master of New York, being apprised of their design, 
 lost no time in transmitting to the Grand Lodge of Hamburg a 
 statement of the evils which would grow out of foreign inter- 
 ference, and, failing in this, entered a respectful, but firm, 
 protest against the planting of a Lodge in the jurisdiction of 
 New York ; but to all this the Grand Lodge of Hamburg 
 turned a deaf ear, and sent a warrant, under which Pythagoras 
 Lodge continued to work until her members were cut off from 
 all communication with other Masons, and the Grand Lodge of 
 Hamburg had been denounced, generally, by the Grand Lodges 
 in the United States. Thus situated, Pythagoras Lodge was 
 brought to see her error, and returned to her allegiance to the 
 Grand Lodge of New York. 
 
 In 1852, or 1853, Henry C. Atwood, Grand Commander 
 of the Supreme Grand Council of the 33rd degree, of New 
 York, and formerly Grand Master of St. John's Grand Lodge, 
 withdrew from the Grand Lodge of New York, and took with 
 him two or three Lodges, to whom he gave charters, to work 
 under the Scotch Rite, which Lodges, with, perhaps, some new 
 ones, have continued to hold under said jurisdiction, cut off 
 from communication with the other Lodges. 
 
 From 1849 to 1858, the Philips body of Masons continued 
 to hold regular communications of their, socalled. Grand 
 Lodge ; but, being denounced, generally, throughout the Union, 
 and deprived of the right to visit other Lodges, their members 
 
554 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 remained few in number. During the most of this period, we 
 suppose, the leaders of this party were willing, and the subor- 
 dinates anxious, for a union, provided it could be obtained 
 without any humiliating acknowledgments of error, and, at the 
 same time, secure honorable positions in the legal Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 At the June communication of the Grand Lodge of New York, 
 in 1858, an amendment to the Constitution was adopted, restoring' 
 to membership all Past Masters who were members prior to 1849. 
 Thus, while they retained the principle — the right to legislate 
 upon the subject — they opened up a way for an adjustment of 
 ^11 difficulties. A Committee of Conference was appointed, 
 and articles of union were agreed upon, enlbracing precisely 
 such terms as were adopted at the union of St. John's Grand 
 Lodge. We were present on this interesting occasion, and, 
 though we have not changed oui" views, but believe, as we did 
 after the union of 1850, that no Grand Lodge has the right to 
 restore expelled Masons by resolution, and en masse, we can 
 scarcely see how else the Grand Lodge could have acted. The 
 Grand Lodges, throughout the Union were annually calling 
 upon the Masons of New York to settle their difficulties and 
 restore harmony. The true Grand Lodge was looked to to 
 devise the means. She had assumed a false position (doubtless 
 influenced by the precedent set by England in 1813), and if she 
 opened her doors at all for a compromise, justice seemed to call 
 upon her to make the terms as easy as had been offered to Sti 
 John's Grand Lodge. This feeling, and a desire to do all in 
 their power to restore harmony, induced many members to 
 sanction the terms, believing them to be wrong in themselves, 
 but necessary under the circumstances. It now remains to be 
 seen with what good faith this union will be carried out. If 
 all bitterness of personal feeling can be allayed, and good 
 fellowship restored to all the ramifications of the Masonic 
 family in the city, Time's hoary hair may be bleached with the 
 snows of another century before another outbreak occurs. But 
 is this within the range of probability ? Can we hope for so 
 much good to grow out of the great amount of discordant 
 material heretofore, if not now, existing ? We hope for the 
 
History op feeemasonrt. 555 
 
 best ; and, certainly, the late Philips party have nothing to 
 Complain of; for, whatever may be their opinion of the dif- 
 ficultios of 1849, the Masonic world has pronounced against 
 them, and yet have they received all they could ask. Their 
 Offenses have been blotted ont by a single stroke of the pen ; 
 Sill censure hac been removed by a mere resolution ; and their 
 Orand Officers have been recognized as Past Grand Officers, to 
 be honored as such. Thus situated, every member of either 
 Wing of the JJrotherhood should feel solem-nly bound to abstain 
 from inveciives, and rather throw a vail over the foibles of 
 others. Caald our pleadings find a place in their hearts, we 
 \?ould app-eal to them, as good and true men and Masons, to lay 
 down the weapons of their warfare, and invite the return of 
 the late banished Masonic virtue — ^Brotherly Lotb. 
 
 MASONRY IN PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 We have already stated, incidentally, that the first Lodge in 
 Pennsylvania, of which we have any well authenticated record, 
 was established in Philadelphia, in 1734. The charter for this 
 Lodge was granted by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 
 dated June 24, in the year above stated. It made Benjamin 
 Franklin the first Master. That other Lodges previously 
 existed in that jurisdiction, we have elsewhere attempted to 
 show as being probable, but they were doubtless held, as all 
 Lodges were prior to 1717, without any warrant ; and, there- 
 fore, in speaking of the establishment of the first Lodge in 
 Pennsylvania, in 1734, we mean to be understood as alluding 
 to the first Lodge held under the Grand Lodge system — the 
 first warranted Lodge. Here, as in all other parts of the 
 United States, we have to deplore the total absence of any 
 effort to preserve and perpetuate the history and progress of 
 Masonry. It is scarcely probable that we should now know 
 anything of the Lodge of 1734, had it been presided over by 
 some obscure, though Worthy, brother ; but the history of this 
 Lodge, or rather its establishment, constitutes a part of the 
 llistory o*' the eminent Dr. Franklin. 
 
556 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONKY. 
 
 Dr. Anderson informs us that a patent was issued to Penn- 
 Bjlvania during the Grand Mastership of Lord Byron, but fixes 
 no date to the document. We know, however, that Lord 
 Byron was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England 
 from 1747 to 1752 ; but, whatever the date of this warrant 
 might have been, it is probable that it was never used, as we 
 have no account of any Lodge having been established under 
 its authority, and, as all patents had but a year to run, it is not 
 to be expected that further notice would be taken of it in the . 
 records of the Grand Lodge, in the absence of a report thereon. 
 
 In January, 1825, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania appointed 
 Most Worshipful Grand Master James Harper, Right Worship- 
 ful Past Grand Master Josiah Randall, and W. Thomas Gordon, 
 a Committee to prepare and present a digested code of laws for 
 the government of said Grand body, who, at the session of 
 1826, made a report, to which they prefaced a brief history of 
 Masonry, from which we extract the following : 
 
 " In 1758, Lodge No. 2 was constituted, by virtue of a war- 
 rant from the Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons of Eng- 
 land, signed by the Right Worshipful and Right Honorable 
 William, Earl of Blessington, Grand Master ; William Holford, 
 Esq., Deputy Grand Master ; Robert Goodman, Esq., S. Grand 
 Warden ; William Osborne, Esq., J. Grand Warden ; and 
 Laurence Dermott, Esq.j Grand Secretary." 
 
 If the foregoing be true, we have elsewhere, in our history, 
 been in error, in stating that Lord John, the third Duke of 
 Athol,'was the first Grand Master of this spurious Grand 
 Lodge. In order to the settlement of this question, we have 
 examined all the authorities at our command, and especially 
 and carefully read a London edition of Dermott's Ahiman Rezon, 
 issued in 1801 ; but, after all, we are unable to find the slightest 
 reliable testimony that any Earl of Blessington was ever Grand 
 , Master of this, so called. Grand Lodge. Dermott himself does 
 not claim that the Earl of Blessington was ever Grand Master, 
 nor does he anywhere allude to his name. He tells us of two 
 Earls who, he says, presided over that Grand body at different 
 periods ; the first is the Earl of Kellie, in 1761, but whether 
 there ever was such an Earl, we can not say ; certain it is, that 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 557 
 
 a brother at our elbow, who is very familiar with English, 
 Irish, and Scotch heraldry, doubts the existence of such an 
 Earldom. The other is the Earl of Antrim, whom Dermott 
 makes Grand Master, after the death of the third Duke of 
 Athol, and prior to the Grand Mastership of the fourth Duke 
 of Athol ; while, elsewhere, he favors the opinion we have ever 
 entertained, that the fourth Duke of Athol was the immediate 
 successor of his father. We have so many reasons for distrust- 
 ing Dermott's sincerity and truth, in other respects, that we 
 dare not attach implicit faith to this part of his attempt to 
 bolster up his bantling, the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons. 
 And the more are we driven to doubt his history, when we 
 remember that Dermott gives no regular account of his Grand 
 Lodge, until after the third Duke of Athol was prevailed on to 
 preside over it. He does not tell us when this Grand Lodge 
 was first instituted. Again, while Anderson gives us an 
 account of the disaffection and withdrawal of certain members 
 of the Grand Lodge of England, in 1739, he also says that they 
 denied the right of a Grand Lodge to control the making of 
 Masons, and threw themselves on their original riglits, to 
 assemble when and where they pleased, for the purpose of 
 making Masons. The same author gives us no account of the 
 formation of a spurious Grand Lodge ; and, as these Masons had 
 been expelled by the Grand Lodge of England, it would seem 
 strange that Anderson would have been silent upon this subject, 
 had they attempted an organization before his death.* If we 
 are not greatly mistaken, the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons 
 is nowhere mentioned in any edition of Anderson's Constitutions, 
 until the third Duke of Athol was reported as its Grand 
 Master, when the Grand Lodge cut off all communication with 
 him and his Grand Lodge, so called. It is proper to say, how- 
 ever, that Preston informs us that this Grand Lodge was 
 instituted immediately after the disaffected brethren were 
 expelled. We notice that Bro. Hatch, in his late report to the 
 
 • Since writing the above, Bro. White, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge 
 of England, has stated, on oath, from an examination of the records, that the 
 Athol Grand Lodge was established in 1753. 
 
558 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 Grand Lodge of New York, entertains similar views in regard 
 to the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons of London, and its 
 Constitution maker, to those which we have here and elsewhere 
 expressed. There is one other seeming coincidence ; we allude 
 to the fact that there is nowhere any evidence that such a 
 warrant as that alluded to above, was ever introduced into 
 Pennsylvania. This alone, it is true, would not discredit the 
 statement that such a paper emanated from the Grand Lodge 
 referred to ; but, taken in connection with the other circumstan- 
 ces named, we are bound to regard the whole story of the 
 warrant as of a doubtful character, and, especially, when we 
 remember that the Committee of Pennsylvania go on to speak 
 of the warrant as granted for a Provincial Grand Lodge, while, 
 in the extract above, they plainly say that it was granted to 
 Lodge No. 2. 
 
 The same Committee say that a warrant for a Provincial 
 Grand Lodge in Pennsylvania was issued by the Grand Loig^ 
 of England, in 1764, directed to William Ball.* We incline t» 
 the belief, that there is a mistake in attributing this last yf&r- 
 rant to the Grand Lodge of England, because the first code of 
 laws for the government of Masonry in Pennsylv£|,nia, was taken 
 from, or modeled after, the Ahiman Rezon. It is true, the Com- 
 mittee tell us, and so does Bro. Webb, that the warrant was 
 issued " by the Grand Lodge of England ;" terms easily under- 
 stood, for we know that the Athol Grand Lodge never assumed 
 precisely that name, and that the legal Grand Lodge did ; but we 
 know that Dermott and many American writers have, and some 
 of the latter, to this day, call the Athol Grand Lodge the Grand 
 Lodge of England ; and there is a stronger reason than any yet 
 given, that the legal Grand Lodge issued no such warrant, viz., 
 neither Anderson nor Preston give any account of it. The latter 
 tells us that a warrant was issued that year to Virginia, but not 
 ,to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Whatever may have been the origin of the warrant of 1764, 
 the impression evidently prevails in Pennsylvania, that, un 
 der it, a Provincial Grand Lodge was established, and that il 
 
 • Bro. Webb gives the name William Bell 
 
HISTORY OP PBE^MASpjfKY. 559 
 
 continued i& successful operation until the breaking out of the 
 Bevolution. It is further supposed that the records were aW 
 djestroyed, or carried off, while Philadelphia was in the hands 
 of the British. 
 
 In 1779, the Masons of that jurisdiction, feeling the evils result- 
 ing from the want of an organized head, requested "William Ball 
 to appoint a temporary Grand Secretp,ry, and, by the authority 
 originally vested in him, to convene the Masons of the State, 
 with a view to a reorganization. He appointed the Bev. Wil- 
 liam Smith, Grand Secretary pro tern. ; and, at his summons, the 
 brethren assembled in Philadelphia, on December 20, and elect- 
 ed Grand Officers — Bro. Ball, Grand Master^-and had a public 
 procession and installation, and a Masonic sermon from Rt. Eev. 
 Bro. Smith. This sermon is now in our possession, having been 
 printed and dedicated to General Washingtpaj who, the author 
 says, was present on that occasion. 
 
 At this meeting, the Grand Lodge made it the duty of the 
 Grand Secretary to prepare and present a code of laws for 
 the future .government of that Grand body. On November 22, 
 1781, Brp. Smith presented, as his report, an abridgment of 
 Dermott's Jihimam, Rezon, with such alterations and additions as 
 seemed to him necessary for that jurisdiction ; which report was 
 unanimously adopted, and the same ordered to be printed for 
 the use of the Grand and subordinate Lodges. In 1783, Bro. 
 Smith published, as above, a book called The Abridged Ahir 
 man Rezon, as a help to qll that are, or wovld be, Free and ^cceptei 
 Masons, which is known to this day as Smith's Ahiman Rezon. 
 It has been, and still is, extensively quoted from, as the oldest and 
 highest authority for the government of Masons in this country. 
 "Wonderful ! the effect a name will sometimes have. That this 
 book was designed simply as a code of By-Laws for the Grand 
 and subordinate Lodges in Pennsylvania, as was the Book of 
 Constitutions, published by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, m 
 1808, for that jurisdiction, there can be no doubt ; but as Der- 
 motj's AMman Rezon wormed its way into the United States, 
 and became here the paramount law of Masonry, Smith's 
 Miman Rezon acquired coextensive authority, while the Ken- 
 tucky book was very properly regarded as containing merely 
 
560 HISTORY OP PREEMASONBT. 
 
 local regulations, based on general principles. Smith's Ahiman 
 Rezon does not, in fact, contain more than half the stuff found 
 in Dermott, and much is added by the compiler which could 
 never have entered the mind of Dermott, while the Kentucky pub- 
 lication is largely a copy from Dermott. But we dismiss this 
 branch of our subject, in this connection, confidently believing 
 that the Masons in the United States are rapidly acquiring in- 
 formation which will lead them to regard all the various editions 
 of Dermott's Ahiman Rezon as garbled, spurious, and worthless 
 books. 
 
 In 1780, a special communication of the Grand Lodge of 
 Pennsylvania was held, at which resolutions were adopted 
 favorable to the establishment of a General XJr and Lodge, and 
 recommending General Washington as its first General Grand 
 Master. A copyof these resolutions were transmitted to the 
 Grand Lodges of Massachusetts and Virginia, urging their 
 cooperation. What action, if any, was taken upon the subject 
 by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, we are not informed, but the 
 Grand Lodge of Massachusetts had so long exercised an exten- 
 sive and uncontrolled power, that it was prepared to look 
 unfavorably upon any measure threatening to circumscribe or 
 check its influence. Certain it is, that she received the propo- 
 sition coldly, making various excuses for so doing, but mainly 
 because the resolutions did not define the powers to be given to 
 the " general head." Thus the matter dropped. The Grand 
 Lodge of Pennsylvania made no effort, so far as we know, to 
 renew it. Upon this subject the two Grand Lodges have since 
 changed opinions, Massachusetts being in favor, and Pennsyl- 
 vania opposed to, a General Grand Lodge. 
 
 It is quite probable that one of the leading objects which 
 Pennsylvania had in view, by the establishmeijt of a Masonic 
 head in the United States, was the withdrawal of all depend- 
 ence upon foreign Grand Lodges ; and this end was soon after 
 accomplished, as follows : 
 
 On September 25, 1786, thirteen Lodges, by their Mastery and 
 Wardens, met in Philadelphia, and unanimously " resolved, that 
 it would be improper that the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania 
 should remain any longer under the authority of any foreign 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 661 
 
 Grand Lodge ; " whereupon, the Grand Lodge closed sine die. 
 On the day following, the Delegates of the thirteen Lodges assem- 
 bled in Convention, and organized the present Grand Lodge of 
 Pennsylvania, and elected Grand Officers. From the reorganiza- 
 tion of this Grand Lodge, down to the present day, the history 
 of Masonry, in that jurisdiction, has been one uninterrupted 
 course of prosperity and general harmony. It is true, we think, 
 they commenced in error, by relying upon the false teachings 
 of Dermott and the Athol Grand Lodge, and have too tena- 
 ciously adhered to said errors ; though, to her honor be it waid, 
 she did, in 1826, throw away Derraott's garbled publication of the 
 Old Charges, and, in lieu thereof, insert in her Book of Con- 
 stitutions the true law, as collated by Anderson, in 1722, at the 
 order of the Grand Lodge of England ; since which time, Penn- 
 sylvania has been governed by the written Ancient Landmarks, 
 while, at the same time, that Grand body retains some of the 
 errors to be found in Derraott's Ahiman Rezon, under the head 
 of "Ancient Regulations," which, as we have before explained, 
 is nothing more than the Constitution of the, Athol Grand 
 Lodge, which was always subject to amendment. Lest we be 
 misunderstood, we will repeat what we have stated elsewhere 
 in this history, viz., that the Old Charges constituted the 
 fundamental and unalterable laws of the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, and they alone still constitute the written Landmarks of 
 Masonry throughout the world, while the Ancient S.egula- 
 tions of the Grand Lodge of England were, and still are, 
 nothing more than the Grand Lodge Regulations, or local Con- 
 stitutions, subject to alterations and amendments. So with the 
 Athol, or spurious Grand Lodge, the code of which Dermot 
 pristended to have collated from the old records, and which he 
 calls the " Old Charges," but which he shamefully mutilated, 
 altered, and added to, constituted the Ancient Constitu- 
 tions, or unalterable laws, of the Athol Grand Lodge, while 
 the "Ancient Regulations "—so called by Dermott— were simply 
 the By-Laws or Constitution of this spurious Grand body. 
 Some portions of this latter code have been retained by Penn- 
 sylvania, and have been the means of misleading thousands, who 
 have honestly sought for the Ancient Constitutions of Masonry. 
 
562 HISIORT OP FREEMASONRY, 
 
 No longei since than 1848, the editor of the oldest Masonic 
 magazine in the United States * quoted from Smith's Ahiman 
 Rezon, of Pennsylvania, published in 1783, and told his readers 
 that he was quoting from the English Constitutions. It is not 
 very remarkable, then, that Pennsylvania, and several other 
 Grand Lodges, have been misled in relation to this subject. If 
 Masonic writers will not inform themselves upon subjects of so 
 much importance, it can not be expected that uniformity in the 
 .legislation, work, and lectures, shall be arrived at, in this coun- 
 I try, very soon. But we rejoice at the prospect of a new era in 
 the history of Masonry in the United States. A custom has 
 rapidly grown up, and is now generally adopted by the Grand 
 Lodges in this country, to require a report from a Correspond- 
 ence Committee ; and so important are these reports considered, 
 that the ablest men and best informed Masons are placed at 
 their head. Already have these reports opened the eyes of 
 thousands, in relation to the laws of Masonry ; and even should 
 Masonic editors continue to quote Dermott as authority, the time 
 is not far distant when every Grand Lodge, through its Corre- 
 spondence Committee, will do as Bro. Hatch, of New York, has 
 4one — give the pedigree of Dermott, and the history of the 
 spurious Grand Lodge, whose dirty work he so well performed. 
 Bat 5jrhat we most desire to consider, in this connection, is 
 *he fat^liSrror persisted in by Pennsylvania, in not suffering the 
 publication ,of her proceedings. This Grand Lodge has a Foreign 
 Correspondeuiee Committee, but its reports, if any are made, are 
 kept within doors. We know that this Grand Lodge assembles 
 ■.apnually, and elects Grand Ofl&cers. We may know how many 
 subordinate Lodges there are in that jurisdiction, but we know 
 but little more ; for, like the old Grand Lodge of Louisiana, while 
 being governed by the Grand Council of the 33rd and last 
 degree, she publishes little more than a mere tabular statement 
 of the dignitaries of the Grand Lodge, etc. This is not as it 
 should he. Pennsylvania justly deserves to occupy a proud 
 stand among the Grand Lodges of this country, in the dissemi- 
 nation of true Masonic light. Shall it be said that, for fear of 
 
 * Bro. Moore, of Boston. 
 
HISTOEY OF FKEEMASONBT. 563 
 
 innovations, that enlightened tody of Masons will continue to 
 withhold from the world a knowledge of the pure and holy 
 principles inculcated by our Order ? Can this Grand Lodge 
 fail to see that the very system of publishing to the world, 
 through reports from Committees, has tended, more than any, 
 or all others, if we except the publication of papers, to render 
 Masonry almost universally popular in this country ? And 
 does, or can, any evil result from these publications ? We 
 cheerfully confess we have been pained to witness the publica- 
 tion of some things which belong exclusively within the Lodge 
 room ; but such improper publications as these have not come 
 from Grand Lodges, nor their Committees, but, as far as we 
 have seen them, they emanated exclusively from the pens of 
 Masonic book-makers. But, because this evil exists to a limited 
 extent, it furnishes no sufficient reasons for withholding all the 
 transactions of a Grand Lodge. And we ask whether the 
 world has not a right to know something of our private trans- 
 actions ? In a Government like that of the United States, 
 where all men are alike privileged to inquire into, and investi- 
 gate the political, religious, and moral bearing of every associa- 
 tion, it is idle to suppose that a Society, holding its meetings 
 in retirement and with closed doors, could meet the approving 
 smiles of the people, were the objects of the Institution concealed 
 or withheld ; nay, that Society, whose principles can only be 
 known, as were the Egyptian Mysteries, by a blind and idola? 
 trous worship of things unseen, except by a distempered • 
 imagination, would find but few advocates among the free, 
 thinking, and intelligent people of thi^ country. The world 
 has a right to demand of us to make public the motives, the 
 ends, and the principles which actuate us in our associate 
 capacity. While we claim that Societies, like families, have an 
 inalienable right to congregate and hold their councils with 
 closed doors, the people may properly demand of these Societies 
 some evidence that evil is not designed. 
 
 If this were the proper place, we could turn back the pages of 
 Masonic history, and demonstrate the correctness of the posi- 
 tion we here assume. Where, we ask, did Masonry flourish in the 
 beginning of the last century,? We challenge the advocates 
 
564 HISTOEY OF FEBEMASONET. 
 
 of close, commanion in Pfinnsylvania to point to a spot m 
 Europe, Asia, or America, where it had any other than a sickly 
 existence. Even the great city of London could boast of but 
 four Lodges. The great spirit which had animated and given ' 
 light and life to the Institution, for the preceding fifty years, 
 had cowered beneath the withering touch of age, and, as his 
 tottering limbs approached the brink of the grave. Masonry 
 pined away in the South of England, until its benign, light 
 seemed to be settling into the nighjb of obscurity. But the 
 Power that created it was still abroad in the land — a Provi- 
 dential arm was stretched forth to animate and encourage the 
 little band of the Sons of Light to assemble and reorganize ; 
 and when, in the wisdom of their council, they determined to 
 publish to the world the principles inculcat^d by Masonry, 
 there were a few who, like our Pennsylvania brethren, became 
 alarmed for the safety of the Order, denounced the scheme, and 
 committed to the flames some of the Ancient Records, lest, in^ 
 some after-time, they might be published to the world. And 
 what was the result produced by tlic publication of the Consti- 
 tutions, Regulations, and principles of Masonry, in 1722 ? Need 
 we reply to this question, when every reader knows that the 
 Institution grew apace, and spread rapidly over Continental 
 I^urope, and soon found foothold coeval with civilization. 
 
 If we come down to a later period, we will find that the 
 Masonic Quarterly Magazine, of London, has tended largely to 
 the prosperity of Masonry in Great Britain, and elsewhere. 
 And, lastly, we might triumphantly ask^What was Masonry in 
 the United States before the publication of Masonic magazines ? 
 and what is it now, when, in addition to eight Masonic papers, 
 we have about thirty Grand Lodges engaged in collecting, 
 digesting, and publishing everything proper to be written, 
 having a bearing upon the history, principles, and objects of 
 Freemasonry ? We have heard intelligent old Masons denounce 
 these publications, and when called upon for a reason, very 
 gravely remark that, thirty years ago, such things were not 
 tolerated or encouraged. And this, to a great extent, is true ; 
 and, it is also true that, thirty years ago, many of the Lodges 
 kept a barrel of whiskey in the ante-room, and the members 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 565 
 
 were so grossly ignorant of a knowledge of the true principles 
 of Masonry, that they could find no Masonic law to condemn 
 drunkenness and street-brawling after Lodge hours. Thirty 
 years ago, aye, only five years ago, there were not five Grand 
 Lodges in the United States, that knew what the Ancient Con- 
 stitutions of Masonry were, though, for many years, they had been 
 gravely legislating about the Ancient Landmarks, Ancient 
 Usages, and Ancient Constitutions. And even now, while we 
 write, in 1853, a majority of the Grand Lodges are governed 
 by Dermott's garbled publication, in some form or other. But 
 will this be the case five years hence ? We unhesitatingly say, 
 No. Already are distinguished men beginning to offer excuses for 
 ever having quoted the Ahiman Rezon as authority, and should 
 the Masonic journals do nothing to bring about the happy 
 result, the Correspondence Committees will, within the next 
 five years, so enlighten the Grand bodies upon this subject, that 
 all will agree upon the fundamental law. We believe Pennsyl- 
 vania was the first to throw away the Old Charges of the Athol 
 Grand Lodge, and adopt the true code. Pennsylvania now 
 occupies a most singular position in relation to publications. 
 Shewithholds the publication of the Grand Lodge proceedings, 
 and yet encourages the publication of a Masonic manual, greatly 
 inferior to any other extant. The Pennsylvania brethren, to 
 their honor be it said, are now patronizing two Masonic papers, 
 published \a the State — ^no other State patronizes more than 
 one. We do, therefore, sincerely hope we shall soon see able 
 Reports emanating from the Correspondence Committee of that 
 Grand Lodge ; when, we doubt not, the well-being of Masonry 
 in that jurisdiction will be greatly promoted thereby. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 MASONET IN GEOKGIA. 
 
 In one of our previous chapters we expressed regret that our 
 eiForts to obtain statistics, by a correspondence with prominent 
 Masons in the old States, so utterly failed ; and we have now to 
 lament the necessity of acknowledging that much of the infor- 
 mation which we have been able to gather from various scrap 
 publications, is not to be relied on as historically true. Our 
 readers will remember, that we lately had occasion to show 
 that Dr. Dove's history of the introduction of Masonry into 
 Georgia was manifestly incorrect : and, in noticing which 
 article, Bro. Mackey, of South Carolina, has declared, through 
 his magazine, that he was the author of the entire article con- 
 tained in Bro. Dove's Text Book, to which our strictures re- 
 ferred, and, with a magnanimity truly commendable, admits the 
 error by us pointed out ; and, hence, with the more regret do 
 we now feel called upon to allude to other important errors in 
 the same history. 
 
 In the first place, Bro. Maokey is wrong throughout, in 
 speaking of the early existence of JLndent and Modern Masonry 
 in Massachusetts. We regard this as not only a gross, but a 
 mischievous error. We have given an authentic history of 
 Masonry in Massachusetts, from which it will be seen that no 
 Lodge was ever planted in that State by the spurious Grand 
 Lodge of London, calling itself the Grand Lodge of Ancient 
 Masons. The true Grand Lodge of England, and the Grand 
 Lodge of Scotland, planted Masonry in Massachftsetts ; and, 
 though Dermott called the former a body of Modern Masons, 
 we think the character of this slanderer, and the history of the 
 Grand Lodge of England, are now too well understood to 
 justify any one in giving credence to Dermott's tirade of abuse 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 567 
 
 and misrepresentations. There never was any other than 
 Ancient Craft Masonry in Massachusetts, until the foreign 
 gewgaws of France were introduced there under the imposing 
 title of the "Ancient and Accepted Rite," or Scotch Rite Ma- 
 sonry, or, more, properly, Ramsey the Scotchman's Rite. We 
 have thought these remarks were called for in this connection, 
 because Bro. Mackey, in the same article, speaks of the exist- 
 ence, at one time, of two Grand Lodges in South Carolina — the » 
 one Ancient and the other Modern ; and to show that the author 
 believed one of these bodies to be composed of Modern Masons, 
 in speaking of the Provincial Grand Lodge, established in 
 Boston by the Grand Lodge of England, he says, " this Grand 
 Lodge, however, descending from the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, was, of course, composed of Modern Masons ; " ^nd he 
 goes on to say, " a number of brethren, therefore, residing in 
 Boston, who were Ancient Masons, applied to, and received a 
 dispensation, from Lord Aberdour, Grand Master of Scotland," 
 etc. We know that the idea of the St.' John's Grand Lodge 
 of Massachusetts being composed of Modern Masons, did not 
 originate with Bro. Mackey ; it originated with Dermott, and 
 was afterward tacitly admitted by Bro. Webb and others ; but 
 it is certainly, high time, that this error in historv be corrected, 
 in order that this stain on American Masonry may be for ever 
 removed. 
 
 Another error, to which we call attention in the article 
 claimed 'by Bro. Mackey, is contained in the following ex- 
 tract : 
 
 " In 1735, Freemasonry was introduced into South Carolina, 
 by the Constitution of Solomon's Lodge, No. 1, under a warrant 
 from Lord Montague, Grand Master of Free and Accepted 
 Masons of England." 
 
 To point out the errors in the above, we state that Lord 
 Viscount Montagu — not Montague — was installed Grand 
 Master on April 19, 1732. The Earl of Strathmore succeeded 
 Lord Montagu, and was installed by proxy (he being absent in 
 Scotland), on June 7, 1733. The Earl of Strathmore was suc- 
 ceeded by the Earl of Crawford, who was installed on March 
 30, 1734. The Earl of Crawford was succeeded by Lord 
 
568 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 WeyinoQth, who -was installed on April 17, 1735 ; and Lord 
 Weymouth was succeeded by the Earl of Loudon, who was 
 installed on April 15, 1736. We have been thus precise in 
 stating the terms of service of the Grand Masters above named, 
 in order to show, first, that Bro. Mackey is in error in saying 
 that Solomon's Lodge, at Charleston, was established by a 
 warrant from Lord Montagu, in 1735, as that nobleman was 
 Grand Master from 1732 to 1733 ; and second, to show that 
 the author is probably mistaken in saying Solomon's Lodge 
 was established at all in 1735. If a warrant was issued for 
 that purpose in that year, it must have emanated from the Earl 
 of Crawford, between the 1st of January and the 17th of April, 
 or from Lord Weymouth from the 17 th of April to the last day 
 of December, in said year. But we can not believe that either 
 of these Grand Masters issued a warrant for South Carolina, 
 because Preston distinctly speaks of the warrants issued by 
 each, and does not name South Carolina ; while he tells us that 
 in the year 1736, the Earl of London did issue a warrant for 
 South Carolina. We conclude, then, that the first warranted 
 Lodge in South Carolina, was established the year following 
 that stated by Bro. Mackey. As we think it can be shown 
 that a warrai»t was issued to Georgia in 1735, we proceed to 
 record, what in truth we may, of the history of Masonry in this 
 State. 
 
 The first mention we find of Georgia, either in Anderson or 
 Preston, is under the Grand Mastership of the Earl of Strath- 
 more, who presided, as before stated, from June, 1733, to March 
 30, 1734. Preston says : 
 
 " The history of the Society at this period aflFords few remark- 
 able instances of record. Some considerable donations were 
 collected, and distributed among distressed Masons, to encour- 
 age the settlement of a new Colony, which had been just estab- 
 lished at Georgia, America." 
 
 The foregoing is so worded as to leave it doubtful whether the 
 donations spoken of were not made in aid of brethren then in 
 England, and about to start for the Colony in Georgia ; but 
 Anderson speaks of a collection being made for the relief of 
 brother Masons then in Georgia. But neither Anderson nor 
 
HISTORY OP VEEEMASONBY. 569 
 
 Pteston alludes to the establishment, of a Lodge by warrant, in 
 Georgia, prior to 1735. Preston says : 
 
 " He (Lord "Weymouth) also issued -warrants to open a new- 
 Lodge at Lisbon, and another at Savannah, in Georgia ; and, by 
 liis special appointment, Provincial patents were made' out for 
 South Americaand Gamboy, in West Africa." 
 
 The foregoing is almost the language verbatim, of Anderson, 
 and hence, we are led to suppose, they are correctly a tran- 
 script from, the records of the Grand Lodge of England. It 
 irill be seen, also, that the warrant spoken of for Savannah was 
 intended to authorize the establishment of a particular Lodge, 
 and not a Provincial Grand Lodge ; for, in addition to the war- 
 rants for Lodges at Lisbon and Savannah, Anderson and Pres- 
 ton say, " and by his special appointment Provincial patents 
 were made out for South America, etc.," all which corresponds 
 Trith the history or tradition as preserved in Savannah, of the 
 origin of Solomon's Lodge, which, we understand, is still in 
 existence. The first Lodge under warrant in Georgia, was, cer- 
 tainly, held under, and by authority of. Lord Weymouth, in 1735, 
 instead of 1730, as stated by Bro. Webb. Said warrant was 
 directed to Roger Lacy, Esq., and by him faithfully executed. 
 
 Bro. Webb tells us that this warrant for a Lodge in Savannah 
 was renewed by Lord Aberdour, who, he says, was Grand Master 
 of England, " for the years 1757 and 1758." We have here one 
 of the many evidences of evil which we are constantly meeting 
 -«nth, growing out of the ignorance or carelessness of Masonic 
 writers who pretend to make historical records. We have no 
 doubt but that Bro. Mickey was led into the errors heretofore 
 alluded to, by relying upon the statements of Bro. Webb, Dr. 
 Daloho, or some other equally careless writer, without making 
 for himself the proper examination. As above stated, Bro. Webb 
 tells us that Lord Aberdo,ur was Grand Master for 1757 and 
 1758, from which the reader would suppose, of course, that he 
 was Grand Master no longer, while the fact is, that this noble- 
 man was installed Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, on May 18, 1757, in theroignof George II., and continued 
 to preside until the second year of George III., that is, May 3, 
 1762, when he was succeeded by Earl Ferrers. Thus, he was 
 
570 HISTORY OF PEEEMASONKY. 
 
 Grand Master five years, instead of two years, as stated by Bro. 
 Webb. Again, Bro. Webb tells us that the warrant of Lord 
 Weymouth to Georgia, was renewed by Lord Aberdour, while 
 we can find no evidence corroborating this statement ; on the 
 contrary, the probability is, that the warrant was not renewed 
 at all, nor did a necessity exist for a renewal. The original 
 warrant, we presume, was, like all others issued by the Grand 
 Lodge of England, perpetual ; for we know it was not a patent, 
 because, according to Bro. Webb himself, it had continued in 
 force much longer than a patent could run. The only testi- 
 mony we can find in relation to authority granted to Georgia 
 by Lord Aberdour, is the simple statement of Preston, that, 
 among many other " deputations," this nobleman issued one for 
 the Province of Georgia, and to show that it was not a renewal 
 of the warrant granted by Lord Weymouth, we quote the lan- 
 guage of Preston, which precedes his enumeration of the differ- 
 ent deputations. He says:" His Lordship equaled any of his 
 predecessors in the number of appointments to the office of Pro- 
 vincial Grand Master, having granted the following deputations." 
 From this, it appears very plain that the authority was a Pro- 
 vincial warrant, appointing Grey Elliot Provincial Grand Mas- 
 ter of Georgia, instead of a renewal of the warrant previously 
 granted for the establishment of a particular Lodge. We are 
 not informed whether this Provincial warrant has been preserved, 
 and hence we can not fix the date of its issue, except to state that 
 it was between 1757 and 1762. But we say, with great certainty, 
 that, under this Provincial warrant, quite a number of particular 
 Lodges were soon after established in Georgia ; for we are 
 informed that, as early as December, 1776, a Convention of the 
 Lodges was held at Savannah, when Samuel Elliot, the last 
 Provincial Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, 
 relinquished his right to preside over the Craft of Georgia, 
 whereupon, they proceeded to form an independent Grand Lodge. 
 Thus have we briefly detailed the more important events of 
 the early history of Masonry in Georgia, and conclude our 
 remarks by observing that, so far as we know, the Grand 
 Lodge of Georgia has moved steadily on, from the period of its 
 organization down to the present day, without any discord to 
 
HISTORY OP FKEEMASONRY. 571 
 
 mark an epoch in its history ; its course has been onward and 
 upward in the harmonious discharge of all its duties, until now,' 
 t may be truly said that, in no State in the Union is Masonryj 
 more popular with the people. We believe more Masons have 
 been made in one year in Georgia, than in any other State ; 
 and we are very far from believing, as some have intimated, 
 that the great number of initiations, in any given district, prove 
 the admission of bad or unworthy men. If we were to ascertain 
 that our Institution was controlled in any State by men of little 
 worth, we should apprehend danger that too many Masons 
 would be made in that State, because like begets like. In the 
 same manner, if our Institution is in the hands of good men, it 
 goes far to prove that bad men will not be admitted, and, 
 moreover, it rationally accounts for the popularity of Masonry, 
 for it is natural that the world should think favorably of any 
 Institution, if it is known that good men belong to and control 
 it. We say, then, of Georgia, that, while the rapidity with 
 which Masons have been made there may have superinduced a 
 hurried, careless, and imperfect manner of doing the work, we 
 have reason to believe the Lodges have used ordinary prudence 
 and care in selecting worthy men. 
 
 When Bro. Webb's Monitor was published, in 1812, there 
 were twenty-one Lodges in Georgia ; and now there are more 
 than two hundred and twenty, with an aggregate membership 
 of over twelve thousand. 
 
 MASONRY IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 ' The first Lodge established in this State was by the authority 
 of the Earl of Loudon, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of 
 England. In speaking of the Grand Mastership of this noble- 
 man, Bro. Preston says :— " His Lordship constituted several 
 Lodges, and granted three deputations during his presidency, 
 viz., one for New England, another for South Carolina, and a 
 third for Cape Coast Castle, in Africa." Bro. Preston, no 
 doubt, made the above statement upon the authority of the 
 records of the Grand Lodge of England, or upon the testimony 
 
572 HiSTOBr OP freemasonry. 
 
 of Dr. Anderson, who published, verbatim, from said record's. 
 The above extract is all we can find in relation to the estab- 
 lishment of a Lodge in South Carolina ; and hence it will be 
 seen that we have no means of fixing the precise date of the 
 warrant, but, as stated, we know that the Earl of Loudon was 
 installed Grand Master, April 15, 1736, and was succeeded by 
 the Earl of Darnley, April 28, 1737, so that the warrant must 
 have been issued between the two. dates, and it is fair to con- 
 clude it was granted in 1736. 
 
 Bro. Mackey tells us that the warrant to which he alludes 
 resulted in the establishment of Solomon's Lodge, No. 1, at 
 Charleston, which, on the registry of the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land, was numbered forty-five, from which we infer that the 
 same Lodge is still in existence, and we have much to regret 
 that Bro. Mackey has given so meagre an account of it. What 
 has become of its original warrant? How and under what 
 circumstances did it perpetuate its existence ? Did it assume 
 its present number under the Provincial Grand Lodge, or from 
 the establishment of the present State Grand Lodge ? These 
 and many similar inquiries would be made exceedingly interest- 
 ing, could appropriate answers be had to them, but we much 
 fear no record has been preserved, to enable any one to give the 
 desired information. That other Lodges were established in 
 South Carolina, between 1736 and 1754, it would seem, is quite 
 probable; and Bro. Mackey tells us that three others were 
 constituted soon after the establishment of Solomon's Lodge, 
 but he fails to inform us when, and by what authority. We 
 have examined the records of the Grand Lodge of England, 
 and can find nothing going to show that either of said Lodges 
 were established by that authority, and hence we are led to 
 Suppose that the three Lodges spoken of held under the Grand 
 Lodge of Scotland, and, though we are unable to speak posi- 
 tively, our impression is, that the records of this Grand bod|y 
 show this fact. 
 
 The Marquis of Carnarvon was installed Grand Master of 
 the Grand Lodge of England, in March, 1754, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Lord Aberdour, in May, 1757. Bro. Mackey states 
 that this Grand Master "issued his warrant, constituting <i 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 573 
 
 Provincial Grand Lodge in the Province, and appointing Chief 
 JjJ3tice Leigh, Provincial Grand Master." 
 
 "We presume the above statement is strictly correct, for, 
 although Preston gives no special date to this warrant, he men- 
 tijpns it as the iirst issued by Grand Master Carnarvon, and, 
 thei^efore, we infer it was during the first year of his presidency. 
 But here again Bro. Preston, confounds the use of terms. 
 Elsewhere, he gives us clearly to understand, that the term 
 " patent," used by the Grand Lodge of England, applied only 
 to that authority which had but twelve months to run, and, 
 generally, we suppose, intended for the establishment of par- 
 ticular Lodges, whereas, in the present case, he uses the term 
 ".patent," as clearly applying to a warrant of authority to 
 establish a Provincial Grand Lodge, from which we infer, 
 t^iat if said organization had not taken place within the twelve 
 months, the authority would have, ceased ; but, at any rate, it 
 appears that the authority was used within the supposed speci- 
 fied period, for Bro. Mack ey continues to say, " On December 24, 
 in the same year, the Grand Lodge was solemnly constituted at 
 Qharleston." 
 
 We proceed to give Bro. Mackey's very meagre and unsatis- 
 fjjctory account of another Masonic organization in South 
 Ga,rQlina. He says : 
 
 " In 1787, a Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons was also 
 established at Charleston, and, in the course of the succeeding 
 years, many disagreeable dissensions occurred between this and 
 tlje Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, which had been 
 organized in 1754. Theaa, however, at length happily termi- 
 nated, and an indissoluble union took place between the two ' 
 bodies in December, 1817, which resulted in the formation of 
 the present Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons." 
 
 Were it not for what Bro. Mackey says, in reference to the 
 tyo Grand Lodges of Massachusetts, we should be left totally 
 in the dark as to the meaning which he designed to attach to 
 the terms " Free and Accepted Masons," and " Ancient York 
 Masons." But, taking the whole together, we are, however 
 reluctantly, forced to the conclusion, that the author did, at the 
 tipe, believe the Grand Lodge of England was not composed of 
 
574 HISTOET OF FREEMASONET. 
 
 Ancient York, or Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and that 
 the clandestine Grand Lodge, presumptuously styling itself the 
 Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, was in reality made up of the 
 true descendants of Solomon's builders. The author fails to tell 
 us by -what authority, or under what circumstances, this Grand 
 Lodge of Ancient York Masons was established in South Carolina ; 
 and though, at various times, we have seen allusions made to this 
 body of Masons, we are not now able to lay hands on any docu- 
 ment giving an account of its organization. We think, however, 
 the account is to be found in the precious writings of Bro. Dalcho, 
 who, it seems, believed as did Bro. Mackey, that Ancient Craft 
 Masonry had been at one time alone in the keeping of the Athol 
 Grand Lodge. It would seem that we have heretofore said 
 enough to awaken inquiry into the history and conduct of the 
 Athol Grand Lodge, and to remove the stigma brought upon 
 American Masonry, or, more properly, Masonry in America, by 
 and through the influence of that illegal body of Masons in Lon- 
 don, aided by its projector and willing tool, Lawrence Dermott. 
 But we feel that South Carolina and Georgia occupy a prominent 
 position in the history of Masonry in the United States, and it 
 grieves and mortifies us that any one, so learned, and otherwise 
 well informed, as Bro. Mackey, would suffer himself to be misled 
 by such authority as Dermott,. though bolstered up by Dr. Dal- 
 cho. Masonry in South Carolina originated from the purest 
 source, for, whether we confine its introduction to Solomon's 
 Lodge, under the Grand Lodge of England, or refer also to the 
 three other Lodges soon after established, we are bound to 
 suppose they were planted there by the Grand Lodge of Scot- 
 land, and by both these Grand bodies was Ancient Craft 
 Masonry, or, if you please. Ancient York Masonry, taught in its 
 simplicity and purity. 
 
 That the Grand Lodge, established in South Carolina in 1787, 
 was the result of the machinations of the driveler, Dermott and 
 his spurious Grand Lodge, we have no reason to doubt, not only 
 because of the name being the same, but because Dermott's 
 Ahiman Rezon soon after became the paramount law of Masonry 
 in that jurisdiction, and, strange to say, the cheat was not dis- 
 covered at the union, in 1817, and, still more strange, that 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. .575 
 
 discovery lias not yet been made, if we may judge by the 
 
 published regulations of the Grand Lodge of that State, and 
 
 the opinions of its Grand Secretary. We think we should not 
 
 be wide of the mark in supposing, that, when the union of the 
 
 two Grand bodies took place, the name, that of Ancient York, 
 
 assumed by the one, had much weight in the fixing upon articles 
 
 of union and the laws for the government of Masonry in that 
 
 jurisdiction, and, in saying thus much, we make no invidious 
 
 charge, for we know that shortly after the Athol Grand Lodge 
 
 was established, that body, through Dermott, succeeded in 
 
 making the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland believe, that 
 
 this clandestine Association was, indeed, the only depository of 
 
 Ancient Craft Masonry in London, and we further know, that 
 
 a similar impression was extensively produced in this country, 
 
 and hence, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, and Maryland, 
 
 as well as South Carolina, adopted and republished the Jthiman 
 
 Rezon, as the paramount law ; indeed, we much question whether 
 
 a single Grand Lodge in the United States was governed by 
 
 any other authority until after the close of the last century. 
 
 If any Grand Lodge was governed by Anderson's Constitutions, 
 
 prior to 1826, when Pennsylvania threw away Dermott, and 
 
 adopted the true law, we are not apprised of the fact. But can 
 
 it be possible that South Carolina, who may proudly trace her 
 
 Masonry to the highest source known to the world, will long 
 
 continue to use the garbled publication of the Ancient Masonic 
 
 Law, to be found in all the editions of Dermott's Ahiman Rezon ? 
 
 That Grand Lodge must certainly know that Anderson's Con- 
 
 stitutims, as collated by order and under the supervision of 
 
 fourteen of the most learned men of the Grand Lodge of 
 
 England, should be everywhere regarded as constituting the 
 
 only written law, justly esteemed immemorial' and unalterable ; 
 
 we allude, of course, to the Old Charges, and not to the 
 
 Eegulations, the latter having ever been subject to amendment. 
 
 If the Grand Lodge is apprised of this fact, it is only necessary 
 
 to compare the old law with that published by Dermott, and to 
 
 be found in any and all the editions of the Ahiman Rezon, in 
 
 order to see that there is a wide and important difference, and 
 
 a difference, too, which can not be reconciled. It must be 
 
576 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 apparent, moreover, that so long as a portion of the Grand 
 Lodges in the United States use Anderson, and another portion 
 the Ahiman Rezon, so long will the legislation of the different 
 Grand bodies be different and irreconcilable. For example, 
 the Grand Lodge that is governed by the Ahiman Rezon can 
 make no man a Mason who is not " perfect and upright in his 
 body, as a man ought to be," while the one that is governed by 
 the true authority, can make any man, who is not so deformed 
 that he can not teach and practice our rituals. By the true 
 law, no man can be made a Mason who is not " free-born ;" while, 
 by the Ahiman Rezon, he must be " free-born, or no bondman." 
 But having said so much upon this subject elsewhere, we shall 
 only add here, that the deep interest we feel in seeing Masonry, 
 in this country, redeemed from false teaching, and brought back 
 to .the true platform, must constitute our apology for alluding 
 to the subject in this connection. 
 
 MASONRT IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 We are met by the same difficulties, in fixing upon the pre- 
 cise time when Masonry was first introduced into Nortii 
 Carolina, that we have complained of in other old States. It 
 is scarcely reasonable to suppose that Masonry was unknown 
 in this State, for more than twenty years after the establish- 
 ment of the Grand Lodge at Boston ; and yet there is no record 
 to which we can gain access, that speaks of a Lodge in this 
 portion of the new world, until 1771. It will be borne in 
 mind, however, that the meagre and imperfect accounts, or 
 sketches of Masonry in the United States, have been limited to 
 the, establishment of Grand Lodges in the several Colonies, or 
 States. The writers seem to have attached no sort of import- 
 ance to the time when the first Lodges were established, unless 
 it has been where distinguished men presided over them. We 
 know that a Provincial Grand Lodge was established in Northi 
 Carolina in 1771, under the authority of the Grand Lodge of 
 Scotland, which convened alternately in Eden ton and Newbern. 
 The archives were deposited at Edenton, which, as we are 
 informed, were destroyed by the British army^ during the 
 
HISTORY OP FREKMASONEY. 577 
 
 Revolution ; and, for several years, the meetings of that Grand 
 body were suspended, and all knowledge of its early records 
 verc lost. We can not even say whether this Provincial war- 
 rant was issued directly by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, as we 
 can not find the fact stated in the history of that Grand body ; 
 but we think it not at all difficult to reconcile this seeming 
 defect. We know that, in 1756, the Grand Lodge of Scotland 
 granted a Provincial commission to Col. John Young, who 
 had long acted as Deputy Grand Master over all the Lodges in 
 America and the West Indies. This appointment grew out of 
 . an application which was that year made, for the establishment 
 of St. Andrew's Lodge, in Boston. 
 
 It was known to the Grand Lodge of Scotland, that the 
 Grand Lodge of England had planted Freemasonry in Boston, 
 as early as 1733 ; and, so far from declining the application 
 for a rival Lodge, the Grand Lodge of Scotland readily granted 
 the warrant, and invested D. G. M. Young with unlimited 
 powers over Masonry in North America ; and, indeed, it is quite 
 probable that the warrant to establish a Provincial Grand 
 Lodge in North Carolina, in 1771, was issued by the D. G. M., 
 and may never have been recorded in the proceedings of the 
 Grand Lodge of Scotland. For our purpose, it is of but little 
 consequence whether this warrant was directly or indirectly 
 issued, as, in either case, the authority was legal. But, as before 
 stated, that warrant was destroyed, and, for about ten years, no 
 effective attempt was made to reorganize. " In 1787, the 
 members of the Craft," we are told, "assembled at Hillsborough, 
 and compiled a code of laws for the government of the Grand 
 Lodge, and again commenced Masonic labors." From this it 
 would seem, that they did not think themselves incapacitated 
 to reorganize, or resuscitate the Grand Lodge, or, which is 
 most likely, to form a new Grand Lodge, because the original 
 document of authority had been destroyed. We suppose they, 
 very properly, considered themselves quite as fully authorized 
 to establish an independent Grand Lodge for North Carolina, 
 as were the Masons of Scotland, in 1736, a similar Grand body 
 for Scotland, or as the Masons of England had for establishing 
 a Grand Lodge for that Island, in 1717. 
 
578 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 In 1788, tie Grand Lodge of North Carolina convened at 
 the city of Raleigh, and, having fully agreed upon a Constitu- 
 tion and By-Laws, proceeded to issue warrants for the estab 
 lishment of subordinate Lodges. And here the historical 
 chain is broken. We know nothing more of Preemasoniy, or 
 the history of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, until wt 
 come down to that period when, as other Grand bodies, it com- 
 nenced the publication of its annual proceedings. We think, 
 I '.owever, that there has been no other epoch in the history of 
 this Grand Lodge. Masonry has quietly and successfully 
 Tnoved on in peace and harmony, and is now as prosperous 
 there as in other jurisdictions. 
 
 K. 
 
 MASONET IN VIRGINIA. 
 
 In our brief sketch of the early history of the American 
 Colonies, we have attempted to show that, in all probabililnr, 
 Masonry was,' to some extent, cultivated in this country, long 
 (anterior to that period to which our records now point. We 
 'ihaiVie said that, while the Colonies were being settled by all 
 ■Classes from England, at a time when Sir Christopher Wren was 
 (Grand jStsster, and when Masonry flourished in that kingdom 
 beyond thait of any preceding period, we could not, for a mo- 
 ment, believe !&at any considerable number of Masons crossed the 
 Atlantic,, and i&at, when here, they ceased to propagate its princi- 
 ples, by failing to transplant its rituals. We believe that Lodges 
 were often convened, and Masons made therein ; certainly in 
 ■the seventeenth centairy, if not before. It is true, we have no 
 record to which we caii refer, in support of this opinion ; but it 
 must not be forgotten that but few records were ever made of 
 the making of Masons, prior to the organization of the Grand 
 Lodge of England, in 1717. Warrants, or charters, were 
 previously unknown. Freemasons assembled when and where 
 they chose ; opened a Lodge and made Masons, without being 
 responsible or amenable to any higher authority ; and hence it 
 is not very remarkable that we have no records of their meet- 
 ings. But, as we have before said, it is remarkable that wo 
 
HISTORY OF FREBMASONRy. 57-9 
 
 are not able to find evidence of the precise time jyliQn organ- 
 ized Lodges were instituted. 
 
 The record? of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, which have 
 been faithfully preserved, tell us of the different authoritieis 
 r.nde.v which the Lodges in Virginia were held, in 1777 ; bjit 
 e-fen these valuable old records fail to inform us at what partic- 
 ukr time said Lodges, or any of them, were formed. We do 
 not recollect that the records of the Grand Lodge of England 
 anywhere mention th4 issue of a warrant for Virginia, prior 
 to 1755 ; and if none were issued prior to that period, it is fair 
 to suppose that Lodges were established in the Old Dominion, 
 under a patent issued by G. M. Carnarvon, in 1756, which 
 patent authorized the holder to establish Lodges " in all North 
 America, where no former Provincial was appointed." 
 
 Believing that the records, made at the establishment of the 
 present Grand Lodge of Virginia, furnish more information 
 than is to be found elsewhere, we cheerfully decline intruding 
 any further speculations of our own, and proceed to give an 
 extract from said records, as follows : 
 
 History of the Grand Lodge cf Virginia, at its commencement and 
 
 organization. , 
 
 At a Convention of Delegates from the Lodges below men- 
 tioned, met in the city of Williamsburg, on Tuesday, May 6, 
 1777, in consequence of a petition of the Williamsburg Lodge, 
 recommending that the Worshipful Master and Wardens of ^the 
 different Lodges, or their Deputies, should nieet in Williams- 
 burg, for the purpose of choosing a Grand Master for the St^,t^ 
 of Vkginia : 
 
 Matthew Phripp, Esq., Deputy from the Norfolk Lodge. 
 
 James Kemp, from the Kilwinning, Port Royal Cross Lodge. 
 
 Duncan Rose, from the Blandford Lodge. 
 
 William Waddill and John Rowsay, from the Williamsburg 
 Lodge. 
 
 William Simmons and John Crawford, from the Cabin Point 
 Royal Arch Lodge. 
 
 Matthew Phripp, Esq., being elected President, and Jamea 
 Kemp, Clerk. 
 
580 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 Bro. Waddill laid the following letters before the Con- 
 vention, which were directed to the Williamsburg Lodge, viz., 
 a letter from the Fredericksburg Lodge, inclosing an order o.' 
 that Lodge — a letter from Botetourt Lodge ; also, a letter from 
 James Taylor, as Master of the Norfolk Lodge — which were 
 severally read, and referred to the "Williamsburg Lodge, for 
 proper answers. 
 
 A motion being made, and it being the unanimous opinion 
 of this Convention, that a Grand Master ought to be chosen tc 
 preside over the Craft in this Commonwealth : 
 
 Resolved, That a Committee be appointed for drawing up reasons why a Grand 
 Master should be chosen, consisting of Duncan Rose, William Waddill, James 
 Kemp, and John Crawford, and that their proceedings be laid before the Con- 
 vention, on Tuesday, May 13, at six o'clock, P.M. 
 
 Resolved, That this Convention be adjourned till Tuesday next. May 13. 
 
 Tuesday, May 13, 1777. The Convention met agreeably to 
 adjournment. 
 
 Bro. Phripp being absent upon business, Bro. Rose was 
 elected President. 
 
 Bro. Waddill reported that the Committee, having met, had 
 drawn up their reasons why they thought a Grand Master 
 should be chosen, which he delivered to the Chair ; and being 
 read, it was agreed the same should be recorded — and are as 
 follow : 
 
 To the Right Worshipful Master, Worshipful WardeTis, and 
 
 Worthy Brethren of the Lodge: 
 
 In consequence of a proposition of the Williamsburg Lodge, 
 inviting all the regular Lodges in Virginia to attend at their 
 Lodge, on May 5, 1777, for the purpose of electing a, Grand 
 Master of Freemasons for the said Commonwealth of Virginia, 
 five regular Lodges appeared, by Deputation, on the 7th in- 
 stant, viz., Norfolk, Kilwinning, Port Royal Cross, Blandford, 
 Williamsburg, and Cabin Point Royal Arch, and thence, by 
 adjournment, to the 13th instant, when taking the subject of 
 meeting into consideration, are unanimously of opinion, that 
 a Grand Master is requisite in this State, for the following 
 reasons, founded on the principles of necessity, convenience, and 
 right, viz.: 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 581 
 
 1. We find that the Lodges in this State hold their charters 
 under five distinct and separate authorities, viz,, tlie Grand 
 Masters of England, Scotland, Ireland, Pennsylvania, and 
 America (the last at second-hand); of course, all have an equal 
 right to appoint their Deputies, who can claim no authority 
 over those not holding this principle. Therefore, any difference 
 arising between Lodges, holding differently, can not be settled 
 for want of a common tribunal. For the same reason, the 
 Craft can never meet in annual communication, manifesting 
 that Brotherly Love and Affection, the distinguishing character- 
 istics of Masonry, from the beginning. Such divided and sub- 
 divided authority can never be productive to the real good of 
 the Craft. 
 
 2. We can not discover, upon inquiry, that Masonry has 
 ever derived any benefit from the foreign appointment of a 
 Grand Master in this country, they being as little known and 
 as little acknowledged. 
 
 3. Being, at this time, without a Supreme, and so circum- 
 stanced as to render it impossible to have recourse to the 
 Grand Lodge beyond the sea, should any abuses creep ijito the 
 Lodges, or should any body of the Brotherhood be desirous of 
 forming a new Lodge, there is no settled authority to apply to. 
 In this case, we are of opinion that a Grand Lodge is a matter 
 of necessity. 
 
 4. We find upon record, that the Grand Lodges of England, 
 Scotland, and Ireland, founded their original right of election 
 upon their sole authority, by mutual consent, distinct and 
 separate from all foreign power whatever. We, therefore, 
 conclude, that we have, and ought to hold, the same rights and 
 privileges that Masons, in all times heretofore, have confessedly 
 enjoyed. 
 
 We, the Deputies aforesaid, for ourselves and our respective 
 Lodges, humbly beseech and desire that you will be pleased to 
 take the foregoing reasons into consideration, and that you 
 will favor us with your attendance, by Deputation, in this 
 Lodge, for the purpose of electing a Grand Master for this 
 State, on June 23, next, at ten o'clock, A.M., for the first time, ^ 
 and ever after, at such time and place as the Grand Lodge 
 
582 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 shall determine — we having signified this our desire to all 
 others, our regular and loving brethren, in like manner as we 
 have done you, hoping to see you on the day appointed ; and 
 we have caused these our proceedings to be signed by our 
 loving brother, Duncan Rose, our President, and attested by 
 our worthy brother, James Kemp, Secretary, this May 13,. A.L. 
 5777, A.D. 1777. 
 
 Resolved, That copies of the above be made out and seat to all the different 
 re^lar Lodges in the State. 
 
 Remloed, That this Coaventioii be adjouraed till June 23, next ensuiag, at ten 
 o'clock, A.M. Duncan Rose, PresidenL 
 
 Attest, Jaues Kbmf, Secretary. 
 Truly recorded from the minutes. 
 
 W. Waddill, G. Seirdary. 
 
 At a Convention of five Lodges, assembled at the Lodge room 
 in Williamsburg, June 23, 1777, pursuant to an adjournment 
 of Deputies, on May 13, last, and agreeably to the letter of invi- 
 tation to the several regular Lodges of this State — present, 
 Duncan Rose, Past Master, Blandford Lodge ; James Kemp, 
 Master's Degree, Kilwinning, Port Royal Cross Lodge ; James 
 Mercer, Master, and Benjamin Johnson, Secretary, Fredericks- 
 burg Lodge ; William Finnie, Master, and William Waddill, 
 Past Master, Williamsburg Lodge ; William Simmons, Master, 
 and A. Campbell, Master's degree, Cabin Point, Royal Arch 
 Lodge. 
 
 James Mercer being elected President, and James Kemp, 
 Secretary, of this Convention, the several Deputations being 
 inspected, and letters of other Lodges, and also several char- 
 ters being read and considered. 
 
 This Convention are unanimously of opinion, that a Grand 
 Master for this State is essential to the prosperity and digaity 
 of Masonry in general ; but there not being a Deputation fronl 
 a majority of the Lodges therein, decline the choice of a Grand 
 Master for the present; but, in order to prepare for the 
 appointment of so essential an ofi&cer, in the ampkst and most 
 constitutronal mode by which scrupulous Masons may be 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 583 
 
 reconciled to such a measure, this Convention are unanimously 
 of opinion, that the most unexceptionable mode of procuring such 
 an officer in this State, agreeably to the charters constituting 
 the several Lodges therein, will be for the respective Lodges to 
 solicit their respective Masters for an appointment of some 
 worthy Mason, resident within this State, as Grand Master 
 thereof, by which the several authorities of the different Grand 
 Masters of England, Scotland, and Ireland, from whom the 
 several Lodges in this State hold their charters, will be united 
 in one and the same person ; and, in order to continue such an 
 officer in this State, this Convention are of opinion, that such 
 charter of appointment should contain authority to such Grand 
 Master to resign the superiority of Principal into the hands of 
 the respective Lodges, in order that such Lodges, by their 
 Deputies, may form a general Convention of the Craft, to elect 
 a Grand Master, and proper officers of a Lodge, in time to 
 come. 
 
 And, in order to give dispatch to this business, this Conven- 
 tion beg leave to recommend to their constituents, and to the 
 members of all other Lodges in this State, his Excellency, Gen- 
 eral George Washington, as a proper person to fill the office of 
 Grand Master for the same, and to whom the charter of appoint- 
 ment, aforementioned, be made. 
 
 But, should the Lodges prefer any other person to this office, 
 it is recommended that the respective Lodges do elect some 
 other person, and notify the same to the Williamsburg Lodge, 
 being most convenient, who are to examine such appointment, 
 and declare, thereupon, on whom the majority falls, to be nomi- 
 nal Grand Master of this State, for the purpose of accepting a 
 charter of resignation, as aforeproposed, and notify the same to 
 the respective Lodges in the State, in order to their solicitation 
 • aforerecommended. 
 
 But in case such appointment is not made by the first day of 
 June next, then, this Convention are unanimously of the opinion 
 that the several Lodges of this State should proceed to elect 
 such Grand Master, and to that end, that the President of this 
 Convention, or, in case of his death, the Master of Williamsburg 
 Lodge, for the time being, ought to invite a Convention of the 
 
584 HISTORY OP EEEEMASONET. 
 
 Deputies of such Lodges, to meet at such time and place, as to 
 him shall seem most convenient. 
 
 Ordered, That these proceedings be attested by James Kemp, SecretaT7, and 
 copies transmitted to the several Lodges in this State, who are requested to pay 
 the earliest attention to the game. Attest, J^mes Kkmf, Seerelary. 
 
 June 23, A.L. 5777, A.D. 1777. 
 
 At a Convention of the Craft, agreeably to an advertise- 
 ment of the R. W. James Mercer, October 13, A.L. 5778— 
 present, Robert Andrews, M. ; James M. Fontain, S. W. ; 
 James Willison, J. W. ; Duncan Rose, T. ; William Wad- 
 dill, S. Blandford Lodge ; Robert Andrews, W. Waddill, 
 James M'Clurg, and John M. Gait, Williamsburg Lodge ; J. 
 M. Fontain and Chris. Pryor, Botetourt Lodge ; James Willi- 
 son, James Belches, and John Crawford, Cabin Point Royal 
 Arch Lodge : 
 
 On the question being put. 
 
 This Convention are unanimously of opinion, that there is 
 a sufficient number of Lodges present to proceed to business. 
 
 It is the opinion of this Convention, that the power and 
 authority of Cornelius Harnet, Esq., as Deputy Grand Master 
 of America, does not now exist. 
 
 It is the opinion of this Convention, that it is agreeable to the 
 Constitutions of Masonry, that all the regular chartered Lodges 
 within this State should be subject to the Grand Master of the 
 said State. 
 
 The R. W. Warner Lewis, Past Master of the Botetourt 
 Lodge, being nominated to the office of Grand Master, declined 
 the acceptance thereof ; and, then, the R. W. John Blair, Past 
 Master of Williamsburg Lodge, was nominated, and unanimously 
 elected, who was pleased to accept of the office. 
 
 Signed, Robert Andrews, Master. 
 
 Truly recorded from the minutes, by 
 
 W. Waddill, Secretary. 
 
 At a Convention of the Craft, agreeably to adjournment, 
 the R. W. Robert Andrews, Master, held October 13, A.L. 
 5778, now assembled for the purpose of installing the R. W. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 585 
 
 John Blair, Past Master of the Williamsburg Lodge, into the 
 office of Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons, of the 
 State of Virginia, held in the Lodge room in Williamsburg, 
 October 30, A.L. 57Y8— present, Robert Andrews, M. ; Dr. 
 James Taylor, S. W. ; John Crawford, J. W. j^James Gait, 
 T. ; Duncan Rose, S., and forty-four members. 
 
 The Lodge being opened in. due form, the R. W. M., Robert 
 Andrews, agreeably to the meeting, installed the R. W. John 
 Blair into the office of Grand Master of this Commonwealth ; 
 when he was pleased to appoint the R. W. and Rev. Robert 
 Andrews, D. G. M. 
 
 At a Grand Lodge held in the city of Richmond, October 
 4, A.D. 1784, A.L. 5784— the M. W. G. M., John Blair, having 
 resigned the Chair, the R. W. James Mercer was elected Grand 
 Master, who was pleased to appoint the R. W. Edmund Randolph, 
 Deputy Grand Master. 
 
 At a Grand Lodge, held in the city of Richmond, October 
 27, A.D. 1786, A.L. 5786, the term of service of the present 
 Grand Master expiring, Edmund Randolph, Esq., was unani- 
 mously elected Grand Master, installed, and congratulated, 
 according to the ancient usage ; who was pleased to appoint 
 John Marshall, Esq., Deputy Grand Master. 
 
 At a half-yearly Grand communication, holden in the Ma-' 
 sons' Hall, Richmond, October 28, A.L. 5789, R. W. Alexander 
 Montgomery, Esq., was elected Grand Master ; who was pleased 
 to appoint the Hon. Thomas Matthews, Esq., Deputy Grand 
 Master. 
 
 At a half-yearly Grand communication, holden in Masons' 
 Hall, in the city of Richmond, October 28, A.L. 5790, the M. 
 W. A. Montgomery having resigned the Chair, the Hon. Thomas 
 Matthews was unanimously elected and installed Grand Master ; 
 who, resigning his right of nominating his Deputy, consigned 
 the choice to the Lodge, who unanimously elected John K. 
 Read, Deputy Grand Master. And, on October 28, 1791, iu 
 Grand communication, the Hon. Thomas Matthews was re- 
 elected Grand Master ; J. K. Read, Esq., Deputy Grand Mas- 
 ter ; Robert Brooke and William Bentley, Esqs., Grand 
 Wardens. 
 
586 
 
 MISTORr aP FREEMASONEY. 
 
 List of Orand Officers, from the OrganizoHon of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, chum to 
 December, 1846, A.L. 5846. 
 
 GRAKD MASTERS. DATE. 
 
 John Blair, of Williamsburg, Oct. 13; 
 
 James Mercer, Nov. 4, 
 
 EdmuQd Randolph Oct. 27, 
 
 Reelected, Oct. 29 
 
 Alexander Montgomery, Oct. 28 
 
 Thomas Matthews, Oct. 28 
 
 Reelected Oct. 29, 
 
 John Marshall Oct. 28, 
 
 Robert Brooke, Nov. 23, 
 
 Benjamin Day, Nov. 27 
 
 Reelected Nov. 10, 
 
 Reelected, Deo. 8, 
 
 Alexander M'Rae, Dec. 14, 
 
 James Byrne Deo. 13, 
 
 William H. Hening Dec. 10, 
 
 David Robertson, Dec. 15, 
 
 John H. Fouehee, Dec. 12 
 
 Solomon Jacobs, Dec. 11 
 
 Robert Brough, Dec. 14, 
 
 Charles H. Graves, Dec. 11, 
 
 Archibald Magill, Dec, 
 
 John H. Purdie, Dec. 14, 
 
 Samuel Jones, Deo. 10, 
 
 Charles Yancey, Deo. 10; 
 
 Mordecai Cooke Dec. 14 
 
 D. W. Patteson, Dec. 12 
 
 Robert G. Scott Dec. 9 
 
 George C. Dromgoole, Dec. 14, 
 
 William H. Fitzwhylsonn,. . Dec. 11 
 
 William Mitchell, Jr., . '. Dec. 9 
 
 Levi L. Stephenson, Dec. 13, 
 
 William A. Patteson, Jan. 13, 
 
 0. M. Crutchfield Dec. 14, 
 
 J.W.Smith, Dec. 12 
 
 John R. Pnrdie, Dec. 10, 
 
 S. S. Baxter, Dec. 15 
 
 DEPUTY GRAND MASTBBa 
 
 1778, Rev. Robert Andrews. 
 
 1784 Edmund Randolph. 
 
 1786, John Marshall. 
 
 1787, James Taylor. 
 
 1789, Thomas Matthews. 
 
 1790, John K. Read. 
 
 1792, John Marshall. 
 
 1793 Robert Brooke. 
 
 1795, William Bentley. 
 
 1797 Nathaniel W. Price. 
 
 1798, William Ausfin. 
 
 1800 Alexander M'Rae. 
 
 1801, James Byrne. 
 
 1803, William H. Hening, 
 
 1805, David Robertson. 
 
 1807, John H. Foushee. 
 
 1809 Robert Brough. 
 
 1810, Reelected. 
 
 1813, Charles H. Grave* 
 
 1815 Archibald Magill. 
 
 1817 John H. Purdie. 
 
 1819f Samuel Jones. 
 
 1821 Charles Yancey. 
 
 1822, Mordecai Cooke. 
 
 1824, D. W. Patteson. 
 
 1826, Robert G. Scott. 
 
 1828, George C. Dromgoole. 
 
 1830, Wm. H. Fitzwhylsona 
 
 1832, William Mitchell, Jr. 
 
 1834, Levi L. Stephenson. 
 
 183C, William A. Patteson. 
 
 1836, 0. M. Crutchfield. 
 
 1841, 
 
 J. W. Smith. 
 
 1843 John R. Purdie. 
 
 1844 S. S. Baxter. 
 
 1846, Josiah Bigeloir. 
 
 As before stated, it has been our anxious desire to place 
 upon record, and give to our readers, a detailed account of the 
 introduction and progress of Masonry in each of the States 
 of this confederacy ; to this end we early commenced, by 
 correspondence, a search for reliable testimony. Of the " Old 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. S87 
 
 Thirteen," we have treasured up and detailed everything reli- 
 able which we esteemed of interest, as far as our means pefmit-| 
 ted, and yet, nearly half of them remain unnoticed ; nor have we 
 the material to do more than barely allude to the period when 
 Grand Lodges were established in them. We exceedingly 
 regi*et that our means of information are so restricted, but the 
 fault is not ours. No history has been preserved, and, probably 
 no records, with this view, were ever made, and we have not 
 been able to find brethren, residing, ih said States, willing and 
 capable of hunting up statistics. 
 
 GRAND LODGE OF NEW JERSEY. 
 
 Soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, Masonry was 
 more or less cultivated in this country ; indeed, there seems to 
 have been something like a revival in our Order throughout 
 the land. We have already given our reasons for supposing 
 that Masonry was introduced into New Jersey as early as 1729 ; 
 that the first Lodge established in this country, under the 
 system as organized in 1717, was in this State, then a Colony ; 
 but as no records have been preserved to establish the fact 
 beyond doubt, we are compelled to date Freemasonry in New 
 Jersey, in 1786. That Lodges, regularly organized, existgd 
 there anterior to that period, we are bound to believe ; but we 
 are not informed when, or by what authority. All we know is, 
 that in obedience to previous notice, a Convention of Masons 
 was held at the city of New Brunswick, on December 18, 1786, 
 when a Grand Lodge was duly constituted, and the Hon. David 
 Brearley, Chief Justice of the State, was chosen the first 
 Grand Master. » 
 
 GRAND LODGE OF MARYLAND. 
 
 All we officially know of Masonry in Maiyland is, that the 
 Grand Lodge was established April 17, 1787. We do n^t 
 know who was the first Grand Master. 
 
688 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRY. 
 
 GRAND LODGE OF NEW HAMPSHIEB. 
 
 The first reliable account we have of Masonry in this StaU» 
 is, that at the close of the Revolutionary War several Lodges 
 were in existence, holding under the Grand Ltfdge of Massa- 
 chusetts. Of the number of said Lodges we are not informed ; 
 but, on July 8, 1789, their Delegates assembled, and formed the 
 Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, We do not even know who 
 was the first Grand Master. The first Grand Master named, in 
 the publications we have seen, is Nathaniel Adams, who pre- 
 sided in 1811.* 
 
 ■ MASONRY IN CONNECTICUT. 
 
 While detained in New York, in superintending our publica- 
 tion, we were invited to visit New Haven, where we were 
 reminded that open hands and warm hearts are not confined to 
 the sunny South. Our stay was limited to a few hours, during 
 which time we were under the special care and courteous atten- 
 tions of Bros. Stafford and Babcock, who, in a delightful ride, 
 showed us over the most beautiful city in the Union. Well 
 may New Haven be called the " City of Elms," for, though other 
 shade trees are occasionally met with, the beauty and grandeur 
 of the scene is greatly enhanced by the old towering elms, 
 sending up, as they do, their festooned limbs from either side 
 of the streets, meeting and interlacing above, until they present 
 to view, as far as the eye can reach, one darkgreen, grand 
 royal arch, surpassing in loveliness anything of the sort we 
 ever beheld. Thus canopied, we approached the public grounds, 
 carpeted with greensward, and noticed the golden tints of the 
 mid-day sun gently stealing through the dark foliage, and, as 
 they, ever and anon, kissed the -vfaving grass, we exclaimed : 
 " How like the scintillations of joy scattered over the pathway 
 of man's pilgrimage through life ;" or, 
 
 " Like any fair lake that the breeze is upon, 
 When It breaks into dimples and laughs in the sun." 
 
 • From a publication— Jfcomc Begisler—ia. 1802, we learn that Thomas Thomp- 
 son was Grand Master for that year. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRT, 589 
 
 Our readers will pardon this digression, wlien -we say, that 
 to the courtesy of the brethren of New Haven are we indebted 
 for all we are permitted to know of the early history of Mason- 
 ry in Connecticut. The Brotherhood of New Haven own a 
 large building, in which they have a magnificent Masonic hall. 
 We there saw the portrait of Capt. David Wooster, taken a 
 short time before his death, and we were surprised to find that 
 one so distinguished in the annals of his country, was a very 
 young man. We also saw, inclosed in a glass case, the spurs 
 worn by Bro. Wooster ; and there, too, we were permitted to 
 glance at the ancient records of the oldest Lodge (Hiram, No. 
 1) in the State ; and, as containing very interesting- details, we 
 present the following historical facts, collated by Bro. Francois 
 Turner, at the centennial anniversary of said Lodge, in 1850. 
 We will only add that, from the best information which we 
 heretefore had, we were taught to believe the Grand Lodge of 
 Connecticut was organized in 1789, two years earlier than Bro. 
 Turner fixes it. 
 
 mRAM LODGE, NO. 1. 
 
 In one of his voyages to Boston, Capt. David Wooster, 
 who had been an officer in the regular army during the Indian 
 War, and then commanded a trading vessel, applied to the 
 Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, sitting in Boston, 
 for a charter to establish a Lodge of Ancient, Free, and 
 Accept-ed Masons in the town of New Haven, Connecticut, 
 which petition was received favorably by the M. W. Thomas 
 Oxnard, G. M., and the charter granted at a quarterly session 
 of that body, held August 12, 1750 ; but it was made out. on 
 the 12th of November following, as is seen by the preamble of 
 the new charter granted by the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, 
 after its organization in 1791. 
 
 The precise time when Capt. Wooster first joined the hon- 
 orable Society of Masons does not appear, and it is not im- 
 portant to our purpose to ascertain the fact. It is probable that 
 it was during one of his frequent absences from home, on 
 business, that he learned to appreciate the benefits he might 
 derive from his connection with the Order ; and no doubt can 
 be entertained that he did not take this resolution lightly, for 
 
590 HISTORY OP PREEMA.SONRT. 
 
 he was remarkable, through life, for his prudence and delibera- 
 tion. 
 
 When the charter was granted, he was appointed first W. M. 
 of the Lodge, and- continued as such several years ; but how 
 long, can not be ascertained, for there is an interruption in the 
 records from June 24, 1754, to December 20, 1762. His name 
 appears no more in the books from that date, and it is not 
 unreasonable to suppose, that he was so entirely engrossed by 
 his multifarious public duties, that he left it to younger mem- 
 bers to impart to others the useful knowledge and instructions 
 they had formerly received from his lips. 
 
 The first .W. M. we find after the R. W. David Wooster, js 
 Nathan Whiting, December 20, 1762, and it is probable that 
 an election of officers was held this evening, for we find that 
 Bro. Andrew Burr was W. M. ; Josiah Woodhouse, S. W. ; 
 and Solomon Pinto, J. W. ; from that date to December .3, 
 1764. Bro. Ralph Isaacs was raised that evening, and elceted 
 Secretary of the Lodge. In 1763, there were six brothers 
 raised. The price of admission into the Order seems to have 
 been fourteen pounds — a very high price in those days, when no 
 California gold mines were as yet known. 
 ■ On February 28, 1763, it was voted that " Bros. N. Whiting, 
 Samuel Mansfield, and Ralph Isaacs, be appointed a Com- 
 mittee to form a code of By-Laws for the government -pf 
 this Lodge ;" but those By-Laws are nowhere found, and it may 
 be doubted whether they were ever written ; for, some year^ 
 later, we find another Committee appointed for the same 
 purpose. In the same year, April 18, the fee for admission into 
 the Lodge of M. M. was fixed at " two pounds five shillings, 
 lawful money, and three shillings to the Tyler." 
 
 In 1764, three brothers were raised ; supposed to be an 
 incorrect number, for there is only one session recorded during 
 this year. 
 
 In 1765, Bros. Nathan Whiting again elected W. M. ; George 
 Mills, S. W. ; Andrew Burr, J. W. ; and Timothy Jones, S. 
 On the 16th of April, Bro. Benedict Arnold, then " a 
 good man and true," as may be inferred from the fact that he 
 was proposed for membership by the R. W. M. himself, "was 
 
HISTORY OF FBEEMASONRY. 591 
 
 a4»itted a member of this Lodge." His name appears fre- 
 quently on the records, as present at the regular meetingB, 
 until about 1772. Six brethren were raised. The vote estab- 
 lishing the fee of admission at two pounds five shillings was 
 reconsidered, and it was then " voted, that when a brother is 
 raised to the third and honorable degree of M. M., he shall 
 pay the Tyler five shillings." 
 
 We have only one meeting on record for 1766, and two 
 brothers were raised. The Lodge was opened in the other 
 degrees. Business was more brisk in 1767, and ten brothers 
 were raised. On the 23rd of June, Bro. R. W. Nathan Whiting 
 resigned the Chair, and Bro. Timothy Jones was elected to till 
 the vacancy. He was reelected in December following, with 
 Bros. John Lothrop, S. W., Eobert Brown, J. W., and Moses 
 Hartwell, S. On June 14, 1768, R. W. Timothy Jones resign- 
 ed his office, as Master of the Lodge, and Bro. John Lothrop 
 was elected to succeed him. 
 
 There is on the records of July 12, 1768, the following : — 
 " Voted, that there be an exact account extracted, from the 
 Secretary's book, of the number of evenings each member has 
 attended since -he was made a member, and that exhibited to 
 the Lodge ;" a certain proof this, that indifference had been 
 creeping in among the brethren. There were but five members 
 raised. * 
 
 There is no record at all in the Master's Lodge for 1769, 
 though several initiations took place during that year. Decem- 
 ber 26, Bro. Timothy Jones was elected W. M. " during his 
 pleasure ;" Bros. Philip Daggett, S. W. ; Joseph Howell, J. W. ; 
 and Caleb Trowbridge, S. 
 
 1770. Five brethren weise raised in this year. Bro. Ralph 
 Isaacs was elected W. M., March 13, W. Timothy Jones having 
 resigned. On the 25th day of December, Bros. Ralph Isaacs 
 reelected W. M. ; A. Camp, S. W. ; Benj. Sanford, J.W. ;and 
 Solomon Pinto, S. 
 
 There were six brothers raised in 1771, and ten in 17T2. 
 Bros. Timothy Trowbridge elected W. M., December 24, 1771 ; 
 Benj. Sanford, S, W. ; Thomas Green, J. W. ; and Elias 
 Shipman, S. ; and for the next two years we find no records 
 
592 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 of the Master's Lodge. December 23, 1773, Bros. Benjamin 
 Sanford elected W. M. ; Thomas Green, S. W. ; Thomas 
 Davis, Jr., J. W. ; and Samuel Green, S. The two brothers, 
 Thomas and Samuel Green, were long considered as the fathers 
 of the press in this city, and established a news paper under 
 the name of the Connecticut Jaurnal and Post Boy, which con- 
 tinued until 1835, after passing through the hands of a great 
 many different publishers. 
 
 In 1775, eight brothers were raised to the honorable degree 
 of M.M., among whom was the Hon. Pierpont Edwards, so long 
 known as an eminent lawyer, and a distinguished Judge of the 
 United States District Court. 
 
 December 19, 1775, Bro. Timothy Jones was again W. M.; 
 Bros. John Lothrop, S.W.; Isaac Bishop, J.W.; and Christo- 
 pher Hughes, S. There were sixteen brothers raised in 1776, 
 and thirteen in 1777 ; a proof that those who went to the wars 
 were anxious to avail themselves of the benefits of Masonry, 
 knowing that the arm of an enemy, raised for destruction, might 
 be arrested in its fall by the sign known to the brothers of 
 the Craft, and the hand of mercy be extended to them instead. 
 Col. Thomas Wooster, only son of Gen. D. Wooster, and aid 
 to Gen. Washington, was raised in that year. 
 
 There is only one meeting of the M. M. Lodge recorded in 
 1778, and one raised. Bros. PierpiSnt Edwards, W. M.; Joseph 
 Bradley, S. W. ; Rutherford Trowbridge, J. W. ; Zina Deni 
 son, S. 
 
 December, 1778, election of Bros. Joseph Bradley, W. M. 
 Rutherford Trowbridge, S. W.; Thomas Davis, J. W.; and 
 Zina Denison, S., who continued in oflSce several years ; there 
 are no regular records of election froit this time till December, 
 1793. Still we find some scattering records of M. M. Lodge, 
 and a few brethren raised. In 1791, the year in which the 
 Fraternity of this State began the organization of the Grand 
 Lodge, Masonry seems to have revived here, as elsewhere ; for 
 there are the names of twelve brothers raised, among whom is 
 the Hon. David Daggett, who was appointed first D.G.M. of the 
 Grand Lodge, and held the ofl&ce many years. Judge Daggett 
 was for several years a Senator of the United States for 
 
HISTORY OF PEEEMASONRT. 593 
 
 Connecticut ; afterward Judge of the Superior Court, and has 
 attained the honorable old age of eighty-six years, the oldest 
 brother in this Lodge. 
 
 In 1792, five brethren were raised, one of whom was Bro. 
 Amos Doolittle, for so many years one of the pillars of the 
 Lodge. Bro. Peter Johnson seems to have been first elected 
 W. M. in 1790, and continued until December, 1794 ; Bros. John 
 Albro, S.W.; Stephen Osborn, J.W.; and Christopher H. Alli- 
 cocke, S. Sixteen brothers were raised in 1793, one of whom 
 survives to this day, Bro. Capt. Gad Peck, who was at the 
 celebration, and upward of eighty years of age ; eight in 
 1794 ; and in 1795 only three, one of whom was Capt. Benjamin 
 Beecher, now seventy-six years of age, so long and so well 
 known as Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, 
 and one of the most active and eflScient Selectmen of New 
 Haven. On December 18, 1795, Bros. David Daggett, elected 
 W. M.; Hezekiah Hotchkiss, S. W.; William Munson, J. W.; 
 and Henry J. Coolidge, S., and were continued for two years 
 in ofSce. In 1796, fourteen members were raised, among whom 
 was our still surviving Bro. Amos Townsend, now seventy-eight 
 years of age. 
 
 In 1797, Bros. Peter Johnson, "W.M.; William Munson, 
 S. W. ; Daniel Barnes, J. W. ; and Nathaniel Hubbard, S. 
 Nine brothers were raised, one of whom still survives, viz., 
 Robert Brown, who, though now eighty years of age, was 
 present at the celebration. Twelve were raised in 1798, but 
 only six in 1799. 
 
 Bro. William Munson was elected W. M. in 1799, and con- 
 tinued two years in oflBce. Bros. Amos Doolittle, S.W., and 
 Luther Bradley, S. We find four raisings in 1800, seven 
 in 1801, and five in 1802. In December, 1802, Bros. Peter 
 Johnson chosen W. M. ; Hezekiah Hotchkiss, S. W, ; Robert 
 Brown, J. W. ; and Andrew Kidston, S. During the year 
 1803, eight brothers were raised. 
 
 December 15, 1803, Bros. Napthali Daggett elected W. 
 M. ; Robert Brown, S. W. ; Amos Bradley, J. W. ; Andrew 
 Kidston, S. The horizon brightened in 1804, when we find 
 twenty-six names of brothers raised ; and the fair prospecta 
 
594 HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRT. 
 
 continued for several years, for there are fourteen in 1805, 
 fifteen in 1806, and thirteen in 1807. 
 
 The Hon. Samuel Bellamy was elected W. M., December 19, 
 1805 ; Bros. Robert Brown, S. W.; Samuel Sackett, J. W.; 
 Richard Cutler, S. December 26, 1806, Bros. Hezekiah 
 Hotchkiss, W. M.; Samuel Sackett, S.W.; Samuel Wilmot, 
 J. W.; and Isaac M. Wales, S. ; and December 17, 1807, 
 Bros. Ambrose Ward chosen W. M.; Laban Smith, S. W.; 
 j Andrew Kidston, S. W.; Henry Eld, S. The following year, 
 December 15, Bros. Laban Smith elected W. M.; Andrew 
 Kidston, S. W.; David Moulthrop, J. W.; Henry Eld, S., and 
 continued in office three years. In the meantime, there were 
 raised six brothers in 1808, nine in 1809, among whom was 
 Henry W. Edwards, elected Secretary the same year, and 
 afterward Governor of this State, and United States Sen- 
 ator from Connecticut. In 1810, ten brothers were raised, 
 and in 1811, thirteen, the last of whom was the Hon. Ralph I. 
 Ingersoll, afterward W. M. for several years, M. W. G. M. of our 
 Grand Lodge, Representative in Congress, and Minister of the 
 United States to the Court of Russia. 
 
 On December 19, 1811, Bro. John H. Lynde elected W. M., 
 and continued in office four years, with nearly the same officers ; 
 John Bulford, S. W.; Eben H. Collins, J. W.;' Ralph I. Inger- 
 soll, S. In 1812, only seven brothers were raised, but there 
 were seventeen the following year; among them was Bro. 
 William H. Ellis, who has successively passed through all 
 the honors that can be conferred by his brethren in a subordi- 
 nate Lodge, as also in the Grand Lodge of the State ; he is also 
 P. H. P. of Franklin Chapter, No. 2, of R. A. M.; P. G. C. of 
 New Haven Encampment, No. 2 ; P. G. M. of the Grand En- 
 campment of Connecticut ; finally, he has just been elected to 
 the office of D. G. G. M. of the General Grand Encampment of 
 the United States. Bro. Ellis has also held, for three years, 
 the office of Surveyor, and, for twelve years, that of Collector 
 of the Port of New Haven. 
 
 In 1814, twelve brethren were raised, and in 1815, seven 
 names are recorded. We find that on the 21st of Decem- 
 ber of this year, Bro. Ralph I. Ingersoll was elected W 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRY. 595 
 
 M., he was reelected twice to the same office ; Bros. E. H. Col- 
 Una, S. Y/. ; Nathaniel Bacon, J. W. ; Thomas G-. "Woodward, S. 
 
 In 1816, we have only four brothers raised, one of whom was 
 lie Hon. Henry C. Flagg, so well known among us as Mayor 
 of this city for several years, and W.M. of Hiram Lodge. There 
 liic no names of persons raised in 1817 ; but in the following 
 year there were twenty-one admitted, one of whom was (he cele- 
 brated lecturer Jeremy L. Cross, author of the Masonic and Tem- 
 plar's Charts, who was received a member of this Lodge, but had 
 been a Mason many years previous to his admission. 
 
 Bro. James Carrington was elected W. M., December 17, 
 1818, and reelected for two ensuing years ; Bros. EbenH. Col- 
 lins,. S. "W. ; Wm. H. Jones, J. W. ; Eli Beecher, S. In 1819, 
 there were twenty-six brothers raised, one of whom was Hon. 
 Henry Peck, P. G. M. of the Grand Lodge of the State, and 
 tor several years Mayor of this city. There is, also, the name 
 of Bro. Charles A. IngersoU, afterward W. M. of this Lodge for 
 several years, and J. G. W. of our Grand Lodge ; District and 
 State Attorney ; in a word, one of the most distinguished law- 
 yers of the State. 
 
 In 1820, six names, and five only are recorded in 1821. But 
 in 1822 (Bros. Wm. H. Jones, W. M. ; Hector Humphrey, S. 
 W. ; Nahum Flagg, J. W. ; Wm. H. Ellis, S.), there are thir- 
 teen names, among which are those of Wm. W. ^o^^rdman, a 
 Member of Congress, Speaker of the House of Representatives 
 of this State, etc. ; of the well known poet, James G. Percival, 
 and of the Rev. Charles S. Stewart, who went Missionary to the 
 East Indies, was afterward Chaplain in the United States 
 Navy, and author of several valuable works. In 1823, we 
 find fourteen names of brothers raised. 
 
 In the spring of 1823, several of the brethren of Hiram Lodge 
 joined together and formed a new Lodge, to be located in this 
 city, which was known as Adelphi Lodge, No 63. It flourished 
 for several years ; but, finally, in the times of anti-Masonic ex-' 
 citcment, it was found that the good of Masonry required that 
 the new Lodge should surrender its charter, and the brethren 
 unite with Hiram Lodge, which was accomplished in 1835, by the 
 mutual consent of both bodies. 
 
596 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 In consequence of the resignation of Bro. Wm. H. Jones aa 
 W. M. of this Lodge, Bro. James Carrington was elected on June 
 5, 1823, and reelected in December for one year. We find nine- 
 teen raised in 1824. On December, 16 , of that year, Bro. Charles 
 A. IngersoU was elected W. M., and was continued as such, till 
 December 4, 1828 ; Bros. James Q. Parker, S. W. ; Daniel 
 Collins, J. W. ; George Bostwick, S. 
 
 Among the nineteen raised in 1825, we find the name of Dr. 
 Timothy P. Beers, Professor in the Medical Department of Yale 
 University. During the same year, we find, as admitted a mem- 
 ber of this Lodge, the name of Bro. Eliphalet G. Storer, the 
 well known Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Connecti- 
 cut ; P. G. C. of New Haven Encampment ; and P. G. M, of 
 the Grand Encampment of this State. In 1826, sixteen mem- 
 bers were admitted ; but here begins the anti-Masonic storm 
 that swept over the land, and lasted for ten entire years, with 
 little or no abatement. From that time until 1835, we find 
 twenty-one names as having joined the Lodge ; and, although 
 there were members admitted in 1835-36, but few were new 
 Masons, the largest portion of them being members of Adelphi 
 Lodge, who joined Hiram, in consequence of the agreement 
 mentioned above. Since that time, however, the prosperity of 
 the Lodge has increased continually, and, as an instance of this, 
 we will only mention the fact, that there were thirty-eight names 
 of brethren raised reported to the Grand Lodge, at its annual 
 session, in May last. 
 
 In December, 1849, sundry brethren, residing in Fair Haven, 
 petitioned the Grand Lodge, in extra session assembled, to grant 
 them leave to. take up the charter of Adelphi Lodge, No. 63, 
 and the petition being, as required, signed by seven members of 
 the old Lodge, the prayer was granted, and the Lodge, thus re- 
 organized, is now in a flourishing condition in the village of 
 Fair Haven. 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRYi 597 
 
 GRAND LODGE OF RHODE ISLAND. 
 
 Ill 1791, there were but two Lodges in this State, and, singu^ 
 lar enou^gh, both were named St. John's Lodge* No. 1 was 
 held at Newport, and No. 2 at Providence. These Lodges 
 published an address to all the Masons in the State, and, on 
 June 25, 1791, a Convention was held, and the Grand Lodge of 
 Rhode Island was constituted. We are not told who was the 
 first Grand Master. 
 
 GRAND LODGE OF VERMONT. 
 
 This Grand Lodge! was constituted at Rutland, October 14, 
 1794. We do not know who was the Grand Master'. 
 
 HISTORY OP MASONRY IN KENTUCKY, 
 
 We now undertake the pleasing task of tracing the intro- 
 duction and progress of Masonry in our native State, Ken- 
 tucky. We say, the pleasing task ; first, because it is pleasant 
 to call up reminiscences of other, and, to us, happier days; and 
 go back to a period when, not we, but our bold and daring 
 fathers, encountered the hardships of a frontier life, braved th« 
 dangers of savage warfare, and planted Freemasonry upoa the 
 " bloody ground." And, secondly, it is pleasing because, thanks 
 to our learned and accomplished preceptor. Dr. James Moore, 
 late of Shelbyville, Ky., and to Gary L. Clark, an accom- 
 plished gentleman and zealous Mason, of Georgetown, Ky., we 
 are enabled to give a somewhat extended account of the Order 
 in Kentucky. 
 
 In 1808, the above named brethren, by order of the Grand 
 Lodge, compiled a brief sketch of the history of Freemasonry, 
 and gave a detailed account of the establishment of the Grand 
 Lodge. of Kentucky. For a copy of this valuable old book, we 
 are indebted to Bro. Conp, of Clinton, Ala., and from which 
 we extract the following mcts : 
 
55)8 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONBT. 
 
 " The first regular Lodges in Kentucky derived their author- 
 ity from the Grand Lodge of Virgii^ia. 
 
 "In the year 1800, there were under that authority fivts 
 regular Lodges. But, from their remote .situation jrom their 
 parent Grand Lodge, they were induced to proceed to the 
 establishment of a Grand Lodge for the State of Kentucky ; 
 and, in pursuance of an invitation from Lexington Lodge, 
 No. 25, a Convention of Delegates from all the regular Lodges 
 then existing in the State, was held at the Masonic Hall, in 
 the town of Lexington, on September 8, A.D. 1800, when it 
 was resolved, that it was expedient and proper to establish 
 a Grand Lodge in the State of Kentucky, and the following 
 address was adopted, and ordered to be forwarded to the 
 Grand Lodge of Virginia : 
 
 " Lexington, Kt., ) 
 
 "September 8, A.L. 5800, A.D. 1800. j 
 
 " Most Worshipful Sib and Brothee : — A meeting of the 
 Deputies from five Lodges, regularly established in Kentucky, 
 has been held at Lexington ; and adopted the resolutions which 
 you will find inclosed. 
 
 " In adopting this measure, we bave been actuated by a wish 
 to promote the welfare of the Craft. It can not be new to, or 
 unconsidered by, the Grand Lodge of Virginia, that the Lodges 
 in this country, under their jurisdiction, labor under many in- 
 conveniences. 
 
 " In the first place, we suppose the Charity Fund an import- 
 ant object in our Institution. The benefit of this- Fund can 
 not be extended to any brother or his family here. 
 
 " It must be observed, that the Lodges in this State can not 
 conveniently be represented in the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 
 by their Masters and Wardens ; and that the appointment of 
 other Representatives is subject to great difBculties; from causes 
 which are evident. The distance, and unavoidable accidents, 
 have frequently prevented the Lodges in Kentucky from being 
 represented in the Grand Lodge. 
 
 "Another inconvenience (not the least important with regard 
 
niSTORT OP FREEMASONRY. 599 
 
 to Masonry) is, that we can not expect the presence either of 
 the Grand Master, or visitors,' who may be appointed to inspec* 
 our work, and see that it is regularly conducted. ' 
 
 " Part of an independent Commonwealth, we need not refer 
 tJ precedents to authorize this measure ; these precedents must 
 be familiar to the Grand Lodge of Virginia. 
 
 " While, however, we deem this measure necessary, we have 
 yet determined that the usual contributions to the Grand 
 Lodge of Virginia, shall be paid up till the period of separa- 
 tion ; and, thus proving our disposition to discharge, in every 
 respect, our duty to our parent Lodge, we trust that it will 
 credit the motives which leads us to separate. 
 
 "Notwithstanding the separation, we will never forget that 
 we are materials of the same Temple, nor cease to attach our- 
 selves to our brethren of Virginia, however remote we may be 
 from their part of the great superstructure ; no disgust, no dis- 
 respect to the Grand Lodge of Virginia, has induced us to 
 adopt this measure; necessity and the welfare of the Craft 
 commands it. 
 
 " We shall, at every opportunity, be happy to communicate, 
 through our Grand Lodge, with your Grand Lodge ; and assure 
 you we are your friends and brothers. 
 
 " Signed by order of Convention, 
 
 "John Hawkins, Chairman. 
 " Thomas Bodley, Clerk." 
 
 In pursuance of a resolution entered into by the said Con- 
 vention, Delegates from all the said Lodges again met at the 
 Masonic Hall, in the town of Lexington, on October 16, in the 
 year 1800, and proceeded regularly to establish a Grand Lodge 
 for the State of Kentucky.* 
 
 "The Delegates then severally surrendered to the Grand 
 Lodge their respective charters, and received new ones in lieu 
 thereof, under the authority of the Grand Lodge then established 
 
 * " The Representatives of five Lodges, regularly constituted under the Grand 
 Lodge of Virginia, as3embled*at Masons' Hall, in the town of Lexington, on 
 Thursday, October 16, A.L. 5800, for the purpose of opening a Grand Lodge for 
 
6U0 HISTOEY OP PRBBMASONBY. 
 
 for the State of Kentucky ; by which they chartered and 
 constituted Lexington Lodge, No. 1 ; Paris Lodge, No. 2 ; 
 Georgetown Lodge, No. 3 ; Hiram Lodge, No. 4 ; and Solo- 
 mon's Lodge, No. 5. A Committee was appointed, who reported 
 the following address to the several Grand Lodges in the 
 United States, explanatory of the reasons for establishing a 
 Grand Lodge in the State of Kentucky : 
 
 " Lexington, Kt., ) 
 A.L. A.D. ]■ 
 
 " Most "Wokshipful Sie and Brother : — I am instructed, by 
 the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, to announce to you their organ' 
 ization, and explain the motives which have led to a separation 
 of the Lodges in Kentucky from the jurisdiction of their 
 parent Grand Lodge of Virginia. They will be detailed in 
 the simplicity of unadorned truth, and are too forcible to 
 require extraneous assistance to carry conviction of the pro- 
 priety of the measure. No motive of disgust, or disrespect to 
 the Grand Lodge of Virginia, has actuated those Lodges upon 
 this occasion. They still feel the same fraternal love and 
 affection for their brethren of Virginia, which, as Masons, it is 
 their duty to entertain for all the Fraternity ; with the additional 
 
 the State of Kentucky. The Worshipful James Morrison, being the oldest 
 P. M. present, was requested to take the Chair, and appointed the following 
 brethren officers ^o fern.; William Murray, S. W.; Thomas Hughes, J. W.; Thomas 
 Bodley, S.; James Bliss, T.; Isaac E. Gauo, S. D. ; John Robb, J. D. ; Nathaniel 
 Barker, Tyler. 
 
 " The Lodge then proceeded to the election of Grand Officers, when, on exam- 
 ining the ballots, it appeared that the Worshipful Brother, William Murray, 
 M. of Hiram Lodge, No. 57, was unanimously elected G. M. of the Grand 
 Lodge of Kentucky, and was immediately installed according to ancient form. 
 The M. W. G. M. elect, having waived his right of appointing a D. G. M^ the 
 Lodge proceeded to the election of one ; and the Worshipful Brother, Alexander 
 Macgregor, M. of Lexington Lodge, No. 25, was duly elected to that office, and 
 installed according to ancient form. 
 
 " The Lodge then proceeded to the election of the Grand Wardens, when the 
 W. Simon Adams, M. of Abrahams Lodge, was elected Senior, and Gary L. 
 Clark, P. M. of Georgetown Lodge, No. 46, Junior G. W., and respectively 
 installed accarding to ancient form." 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 601 
 
 sentiments, whicli arise from a remembrance that it was more 
 immediately from that Grand Lodge that those Lodges derived 
 the means of illumination. They conceive that their procedure 
 is sanctioned by precedent, and enforced upon them by Masonic 
 principles. Among the multitude of precedents to which they 
 might refer, the following only will be enumerdtod, which are 
 supposed to be more than sufficient to give every sanction 
 which precedent can give to any measure : 
 
 " 1. In the reign of George II., the Lodges in England 
 having, from neglect, gone greatly into decay, it was deemed 
 necessary, to promote the welfare of the Craft, that a Grand 
 Lodge for England should be established in London, although 
 no Grand Lodge had ever before been established there. It is 
 further to be observed, at that 'time there was a Grand Lodge 
 established at York, in the same kingdom, which continued a 
 long time afterward, separate and independent. In the State 
 of Kentucky, there is no Grand Lodge but this which is now 
 organized. In forming the new Grand Lodge in England, at 
 London, four Lodges only concurred ; in forming the Grand 
 Lodge of Kentucky, five regular Lodges (all of which are in 
 this State) are represented. 
 
 " 2. Prior to the American Revolution, the Grand Lodges 
 of the then Provinces were governed by Provincial Grand 
 Masters, appointed by the Grand Master of England. After 
 that Revolution, they separated themselves into different and 
 independent Grand Lodges, justly conceiving that, as members 
 of an independent Commonwealth, and as Freemasons, they 
 had a right so to do, the better to promote the welfare and 
 prosperity of the Craft. This is believed to have happened in 
 almost every State in the Union. 
 
 I " 3. There was one exception, which will now be notfced, as 
 the last precedent of which mention will be made. The Lodges 
 in Maryland were generally, if not altogether, under the juris- 
 diction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, until July 31, 
 A.D. 1783, A.L. 5783, when they formed a Grand Lodge of 
 Maryland ; and this proceeding, finally, received the sanction 
 and approbation of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. 
 
602 HISTORY OF PBEEMASONKY. 
 
 " Though the right of the Lodges in this State to form a 
 Grand Lodge is undoubted, yet, a due regard to the opinions of 
 their brethren, induces this Grand Lodge to develope the 
 circumstances which have rather compelled than induced this 
 measure to be adopted, merely as of right and choice. 
 
 " Here it will be only necessary to advert to the great dis- 
 tance (not less than seven hundred miles) between the seats of 
 the Lodges in this State, and that of the Grand Lodge of 
 Virginia. This, alone, is sufficient to prove that our induce- 
 ments to a separation are much stronger than those which 
 existed in the cases of the Grand Lodge at London, or that of 
 Maryland. On this head, it will be sufficient to enumerate 
 some inconveniences, not which might happen, but which have 
 actually been felt, in this State, by the Craft. Some Lodges, 
 though punctual in transmitting their communications and con- 
 tributions to the Grand Lodge of Virginia, have labored under 
 a painful, and, although to the Grand Lodge then unknown, an 
 undeserved censure, when, from causes unavoidable, the persons 
 intrusted therewith have not arrived in due time. From the 
 same cause, one Lodge, then acting under a dispensation, has 
 been compelled to take out two dispensations before they 
 obtained a charter, and were obliged to suspend their work, at 
 two periods, for almost a year. In different parts of this State, 
 applications for charters have been made by worthy brethren, 
 which are presumed wholly to have miscarried, because no 
 notice has been taken of them by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 
 and the characters of the applicants are of undoubted eligibility. 
 
 " We have already found cause to lament that the Lodges in 
 this country could not be legally and regularly visited ; a con- 
 tinuance in such a state, there is just ground to fear, would 
 give existence and permanence to the greatest irregularities. 
 Finally, it is the opinion of this Grand Lodge, that, if no other 
 reason existed, it would be sufficient to represent to our 
 brethren, that our situation precludes an unfortunate brother, 
 or his family, among us, from the due assistance out of the 
 Grand Charity Fund, to which we have contributed. 
 
 " Fully convinced of their right, and actuated by u desire to 
 encourage the deserving brethren in their labors, and repress 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 603 
 
 the irregularities of the unwary, we trust that our motives and 
 conduct will be duly appreciated by the Most Worshipful 
 
 Grand Lodge of . I 
 
 " I am also instructed by this Grand Lodge to offer, through 
 you, a reciprocation of correspondence and communications 
 with your Grand Lodge, and to assure them of the earnest wish 
 we have to prove to them our fraternal regard and esteem ; in 
 which, permit me to add, to yourself and them, that of 
 
 "YouH Friend and Brother." 
 
 In the foregoing, there is a discrepancy which we are at a 
 loss to reconcile. It may be seen that Simon Adams, of 
 Abraham Lodge, was elected the first S. G. W., and yet it does 
 not appear that Abraham Lodge was ever represented in either 
 of the Conventions, or otherwise referred to, as one of the 
 original Lodges of the State. Five Lodges only are spoken of, 
 and this is not of the number. And yet we have the highest 
 authority for believing that Abraham Lodge was then held in 
 Middletown, and was afterward removed to Louisville, where 
 it is still flourishing. 
 
 MASONRY IN DELAWARE. 
 
 We are unable to state at what time Masonry was introduced 
 into Delaware. The Lodges in that State, prior to 1806, were 
 held under the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. On June 6, 
 1806, Delegates from a majority of the Lodges met at Wilming- 
 ton, and adopted the following resolution : 
 
 Resolved, That the several Lodges of Ancient Masons in the State of Delaware, 
 here represented by Deputies, properly authorized, consider it as a matter of 
 right, and for the general benefit of Masonry, that they ought to form a Grand 
 Lodge within the said State ; and now proceed to form and organize themselves 
 into a Grand Lodge accordingly, to be known and distinguished by the name of 
 the " Grand Lodge of Delaware." 
 
 This resolution was unanimously adopted, and the Conven- 
 tion proceeded to the election of Grand Officers. 
 
604 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY* 
 
 MASONRY IN OHIO. 
 
 I We are not in possession of facts, sufficient to enable us to 
 state, with confidence, the precise time when the first Lodge was 
 established in Ohio ; nor do we know under what authority it 
 was held. We know that the Grand Lodge of Kentucky sent 
 a warrant to Cincinnati, we think, in 1804, and, we think, it 
 was named Cincinnati Lodge ; but it seems probable that one 
 or two Lodges were established in that Territory before 1804. 
 We think it quite probable that Pennsylvania first sent Mason- 
 ry into that country. 
 
 The most satisfactory, as well as most reliable, sketch of 
 Masonry in Ohio, is to be found in the late address of G. M. 
 Hubbard to his Grand Lodge. ' 
 
 We transfer to our pages the facts, as detailed by Bro. 
 Hubbard, in his own language, barely expressing our deep 
 regret that the distinguished brother has been unable, or has 
 neglected, to give us an account of the introduction of Mason- 
 ry, and the establishment of the first Lodges. Bro. Hubbard 
 says : 
 
 " My Brethren : — We have again met at a place hallowed in 
 our memories, both as citizens of the State and as Masons. 
 The place we now are in was among the first settlements by 
 civilized man, in Ohio. Before their day,, it was the favorite 
 ground of the red man ; and is-renowned in the history of our 
 country as the battle-field' whereon, by the indomitable courage 
 of our pioneer soldiers, the savages and their allies, ' more 
 savage still than they,' were overcome, totally discomfited, and 
 peace and security established and perpetuated for all the 
 southern and central Ohio settlements. Here, in this beautiful 
 valley of the placid Scioto — meandering through a wide-spread 
 soil of inexhaustible fertility, and surrounded, in the distance, 
 with an amphitheatre of hills, perspective views, and majestic 
 forests, arose, by the hands of civilized industry, the present 
 town of Chilicothe, then numbering its few hundreds, now, as a 
 city, its many thousands, always distinguished for its refinement 
 and hospitality. Here, just after completing the transition 
 state peculiar to all western places, of passing from the oppos- 
 ing elements of savage warfare and the unsubdued wilderness — 
 
HISTOBT OP FEEEMASONBT. 605 
 
 and, as an handmaid in the work of social, intellectual, and 
 virtuous reform, Freemasonry appeared. Here the first Masonic, 
 as well as civil, government of the State was established. Here 
 the first Convention of Masons, the hardy ^pioneers of the West, 
 first assembled, and formed the present Grand Lodge of Free 
 and Accepted Masons of Ohio. You, as the lawful descendants 
 of our Masonic forefathers, have always treasured their mem- 
 ories with the kindest and most fraternal affection ; and, after 
 many years of absence, did resolve, at your last session, once 
 more to visit the place of your Grand Lodge's paternity — the 
 old hearthstone and altar of your Masonic Alma Mater. Here 
 we are, if not in the identical room, yet, in the same city, then 
 village, where the Representatives of five Lodges organized the 
 present Grand Lodge of Ohio. How busy must be the memories 
 of those few, yet alive, who took part in the labors of that day 
 — and how earnest the desire of all, to know the history of 
 those times — to converse with the living, and to commune with 
 the spirits of those who have ceased from their labor on earth, 
 and found rest in the place prepared for them. To many of 
 us, now in the setting sun of our life, has been allowed the 
 pleasure of fraternal intercourse with most, if not all, of the 
 first Grand Officers, all of whom, whether living or dead, were 
 extensively known for their talents and virtues. Presuming 
 that it would be interesting to you all, and more especially to 
 the younger members of the Craft, I present you with the 
 names of those brethren who first met here in Convention, and 
 on January 8, 1804, organized this Grand Lodge. They were, 
 
 "Robert Oliver, ) 
 
 " Ichabod Nye, >■ Delegates from Union Lodge, No. 1 . 
 
 "Wm. Skinner, ) 
 
 'I Thos. Henderson, ) „ „ Cincinnati Lodge,No. 13. 
 
 Francis Mennessier, ) ' 
 
 ;; Thomas Gibson, ) „ „ g^j^^^, „ jfo. 2. 
 
 " Eljas Langham, 
 "JohnW. Seelj 
 " George Todd. 
 
 ^JobnW^Seely, ) „ „ jjrie " No. 41 
 
606 HISTOEY OP FKEEMASONEY. 
 
 " The first elected G. M. was that distinguished patriot, Gen. 
 Rufus Pufaiam, of Marietta. Unable, from age and infirmity, to 
 journey to Chillicothe, and discharge the labors of his appoint- 
 ment, he sent his letter of declination, which embodies such beau- 
 tiful sentiments, so characteristic of the man, the Mason, and the 
 Christian, that I can not refrain from giving an extract from it : 
 
 " ' My sun is far past the meridian — it is almost set ; a few. 
 sands only remain in my glass. I am unable to undergo the 
 necessary labors of that high and important office ; unable to 
 make you a visit at this time, without a sacrifice and hazard of 
 health, which prudence forbids. 
 
 " ' May the Great Architect, under whose all-seeing eye all 
 Masons profess to labor, have you in His holy keeping, that, when 
 our labors here are finished, we may, through the merits of Him 
 that was dead, but now is alive and lives for evermore, be ad- 
 mitted into that temple not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens. Amen. So prays your friend and brother, 
 
 4, 
 
 '"Rupus Putnam.' 
 
 " Under the Constitution, Samuel Huntington was the first 
 G. M. ; Lewis Cass, first D. G. M. ; Wm. Skinner, S. G. W. ; 
 Wm. Rayen, J. G. W. ; Henry Massie, G. T. ; Henry Brush, S. ; 
 Philemon Beecher, S. D. ; Thomas Kirker, J. D. ; John Wood- 
 bridge, G. M. ; Peter Spurch, G. S. and Tyler. 
 
 " Of these, all have paid the debt of nature, common to all, 
 except Lewis Cass, Henry Brush, and John Woodbridge, who 
 still live in the freshness and vigor of old age, surrounded with 
 numerous friends, and all the blessings to which life is heir, hap- 
 py in the consciousness that they have severally performed their 
 duty, in all the official and private relations in which they have 
 been placed. 
 
 " The Grand Lodge continued to hold its session in this place 
 from 1808 until 1818, during which period of time the following 
 distinguished individuals successively occupied the offices of 
 G. and D. G. M. : — succeeded Samuel Huntington, Lewis Cass, 
 G. M., Jacob Burnet, D. G. M. ; who were continued in office 
 by reelection, until 1813, when Henry Brush was elected and 
 installed G. M., and James Kilbourn, D. G. M. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 60T 
 
 " M. W. Henry Brush continued in office until 1818, when the 
 Grand Lodge held its first session in the then ' borough of Colum- 
 bus.' It will not be inappropriate to the present occasion to 
 present you with a list of those worthy men and Masons, who 
 have officiated in the office of G. M. of this Grand Lodge, 
 and from that time until the session of 1850 : 
 
 " M. W". Henry Brush was succeeded in office by 
 
 "Bro. Chester Griswold, "Bro. William Fielding, 
 " John M. Snow, 
 " Charles R. Sherman, 
 " William W. Irwin, 
 " Samuel Wheeler, 
 " John M. Goodenow, 
 " Thomas Corwin, 
 " John Snow, 
 
 John Satterthwaite, 
 Charles Anthony, 
 Timothy Baker, 
 William Reese, 
 William B. Thrall, 
 M. Z. Kreider. 
 
 " Of these, the names of Huntington, Sherman, Irwin, Wheeler, 
 Goodenow, Snow, Satterthwaite, and Baker, remind us that death 
 is the common destiny of all. They have departed from among 
 ns, and the places that knew them well shall know them no 
 more. We may go to them, but they will not come to us. Our 
 Lodges and Council, made glad by their presence, and instruct- 
 ed by their wisdom, shall no more hear the sound of their 
 voices. But we may look to their examples, recall to memory 
 their fraternal teachings, and profit thereby. We may be per- 
 mitted, on this occasion, to speak of the dead, who were at 
 the laying of the foundation-stone of our Grand Lodge Temple, 
 and who aided in its completion and adornment. They were 
 among the most distinguished of Ohio's sons — renowned on the 
 page of her history, for a high order of talents, and for exem- 
 plary virtues. They have filled important stations in the halls 
 of legislation, in the army, at the bar, on the bench of the judic- 
 iary, in the workshops, and on the farm. In our reminiscences 
 of the Grand Officers who have gone before us to the place of 
 departed spirits, we have witnessed Governors laying aside the 
 mantle of authority. Generals sheathing the sword of war. 
 Judges disrobing themselves of their ermine, Senators doffing 
 
608 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRy. 
 
 their togas, and the mechanic and the farmer laying aside the 
 tools and utensils of industry, to put on the emblem of innocence 
 and badge of a Mason — the white apron. " Man dies, but hia 
 memory lives." The memory of our ancient and departed Grand 
 Ofi&cers, is refreshing to the best feelings of our nature. They 
 were great and good men and Masons. May their virtues and 
 their labors live in perpetual record upon the tablets of our 
 memories, and upon the minds of all the brethren I 
 
 " It was the sentiment of an eminent divine, that the workmen 
 die, but the work goes on. How appropriate the reflection to 
 your present meeting, at this time and at this place. Forty -four 
 years ago, in this place, five Lodges, being all that were then 
 within the State, assembled, by their representatives, and organ- 
 ized the present Grand Lodge ; now your subordinates exceed 
 two hundred. Then, the probable number of Masons in Ohio, 
 inclusive of those not members of the five Lodges, were one 
 hundred and forty ; now, the number of Master Masons in the 
 State, affiliated and not affiliated, in membership in Lodges, 
 probably exceed twenty-five thousand. It is true that, during 
 this long period of time, the progress of your Lodges in the works 
 of mercy, morality, and Brotherly Love, has not been uninter- 
 rupted. They have had their dark days and severe trials — Lodge 
 after Lodge, through a large portion of the State, was pros- 
 trated by, or succumbed to, the fell besom of anti-Masonry ; 
 but enough remained nobly to sustain your Grand Lodge, so 
 that her annual meetings were never interrupted. The work 
 went on. She never quailed before the storm and the tempest 
 of passion, invective, and vituperation, that was directed against 
 her. Her beacon-light continued to shine amid the surrounding 
 darkness of error, ignorance, bigotry, and fanaticisA, till good 
 men, seeing her good works, united in sustaining her in that 
 peace and tranquility that she has long since enjoyed. And 
 now, renovated and refreshed, by years of quiet and prosperity, 
 she is industriously, and with annual augmentations, discharging 
 the important duties of her mission, with honor alike to herself 
 and the Craft. 
 
 "I can not dismiss the recollections and reminiscences to 
 which this visit, after so many years of absence, has given rise, 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 6US 
 
 without adverting to the great, wide-spread, and disastrous fire 
 that occurred in this place, within the past year. So extensive 
 was this conflagration, that nearly one-half of the buildings of 
 Chilicothe were destroyed ; and many of our Fraternity, in 
 common with others, lost their all, and were thrown houseless 
 and homeless upon the charities of their fellow-members of 
 society. That charity was at hand, and, to a large extent 
 supplied. The citizens of the town, who had escaped the rav- 
 ages of the destructive element, aided by the farmers and others 
 of the neighborhood, contributed of their abundance, and those 
 of more restricted means divided with their suffering fellow- 
 citizens, while, as far and as fast as the tale of loss, of suffer- 
 ing, and of woe was told, contributions came in, not only from 
 various Lodges, for theu- suffering brethren, but from Masons, 
 individually and jointly, with a large number of others of their 
 fellow-citizens, and in common for all of the sufferers, without 
 distinction, or respect of persons. So that some of the loss and 
 injury, caused by that wide-spread and desolating fire, was, in 
 part, alleviated, though not repaired. 
 
 " We all rejoice to see that, by the indomitable energy and 
 perseverance of the sufferers, 'the burnt district' is fast being 
 restored to its pristine usefulness, comfort, and beauty. Long, 
 long will that sad event be remembered in tiie annals of Chili- 
 cothe." 
 
 MASONRY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA- 
 
 On December 11, 1810, a Convention was called, and Dele- 
 gates attended from most of the Lodges in the District of 
 Columbia. They met in Washington City. The Convention, 
 among other resolutions, resolved that it was expedient to 
 establish and organize a Grand Lodge at the seat of the na- 
 tional Government. 
 
 On January 8, 1811, the Convention, being again assembled, 
 proceeded to the election of Grand OflBcers, who wei' >,lul» 
 installed, and the Grand Lodge regularly organized. 
 
 39 
 
610 HISTOET OF FEEEMA80NBT. 
 
 MASONRY IN TENNESSEE. 
 
 The first Lodges established in the State of Tennessee, were 
 held under the authority of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, 
 but we do not know the dates of the warrants. In December, 
 1813, the Lodges in this State, by their Delegates, met in Con- 
 vention, and resolved to establish an independent, or State 
 Grand Lodge, and proceeded to elect the M. W. Thomas Clai- 
 borne, Esq., the first G. M., who, being duly installed, pro- 
 ceeded to fill the other offices, and, thereupon, announced 
 the organization of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. 
 
 MASONRY IN MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of Kentucky sent the first charter for a 
 subordinate Lodge in Mississippi, and, afterward, the Grand 
 Lodge of Tennessee, also, sent charters for subordinate Lodges 
 in that State. 
 
 On July 27, 1818, Delegates from the several Lodges. convened 
 in the city of Natchez, and, being organized, resolved that it was 
 expedient, and highly necessary, to form and organize a Grand 
 Lodge for the State of Mississippi. On the 25th of August 
 following, the Convention again assembled, and adopted a 
 Constitution for the government of the Grand Lodge, when 
 the respective Lodges surrendered the charters derived from 
 Kentucky and Tennessee, and took out charters under the new 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 MASONRY IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 The first Lodge in Louisiana was planted there by the Grand 
 Lodge of South Carolina, in 1793, under the name of Perfect 
 Union. The second was under a charter of the Grand Mother 
 Lodge of Marseilles, France, the French Revolution preventing 
 application to Paris. This Lodge was authori2;ed to work 
 after the Modern, or French Rite, and was called Polar Star ; 
 and afterward cumulated, and practiced the three rites — York, 
 Scotch, and French, or Modern Masonry. It was established 
 in 1794. 
 
 In 1800, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania chartered a 
 Lodge there, under the name of Louisiana Lodge ; and, in 
 1806, the same Grand Lodge chartered Harmony Lodge, and 
 Desired Reunion Lodge, composed of brethren from St. Domingo. 
 
 On April 18, 1812, a General Masonic Committee was insti- 
 tuted, by a Convention composed of the first five officers of each 
 Lodge. Said Committee called a meeting to form a Grand 
 Lodge, on June 6, of the same year, in ihe city of New 
 Orleans, when a Constitution was adopted, and the Grand 
 Lodge established, on the 11th of July ; M. "W. Bro. Debourg, 
 first Grand Master. On March 5, 1813, a Grand Chapter was 
 established there. 
 
 On June 19, 1813, a Consistory of the 32nd Degree, Scotch 
 Rite, was established there by the Grand Council of New York, 
 which was afterward acknowledged by the Grand Orient of 
 France. 
 
 In 1833, the Grand Lodge* established a Scotch Symbolic 
 Chamber, for the purpose of issuing charters to work in said 
 rite, and requested the Grand Consistory to yield up. the right 
 to establish Lodges of the Symbolic Degrees, which request 
 
612 HISTORY OF FREEMASOHBT. 
 
 was, of course, granted, as, by this arrangement, Scotch Rite 
 Masonry, so called, obtained the control of Masonry in that 
 jurisdiction ; and, thereupon, the celebrated Concordat was 
 entered into. For ten years following, it seems that the 
 Masons of Louisiana, who had been made in regular Lodges, 
 were either too few in numbers, or too careless of their rights 
 and the dignity of true Masonry, to raise a formidable objection 
 to the innovations thus perpetrated. 
 
 From 1812 to 1845, the Grand Lodge was acknowledged and 
 corresponded with by all the Grand Lodges in the United 
 States, and no doubt was entertained of its strict adherence to 
 the Landmarks of the Order ; and, for a considerable period 
 after its establishment, it certainly did adhere to the usages of 
 the Order. From the investigation of P. G. M. Gedge, it was 
 found that the following record was made on June 27, 1818 : 
 
 "The Grand Master announced that the Lodges of the juris- 
 diction, established at the Havana, had received communications 
 from certain individuals, who had constituted themselves into a 
 Consistory, at that place, which communications had given 
 birth to some doubts as to the power and authority of this 
 Grand Lodge." 
 After mature deliberation, the Grand Lodge decreed, 
 " That the Lodges of this jurisdiction are forbidden to recog- 
 nize any Grand or private Lodge, of a rite different from that 
 of York, or any other Masonic body, under whatever denomina- 
 tion it may be." 
 
 In September, of the same year, "the Grand Secretary 
 announced that he had, on his desk, a letter from a Society 
 established at the Havana, under the title of ' Grand Consistory 
 of the Havana.' The GrandvLodge was of opinion that it ought 
 not to take cognizance of it." 
 
 In November, of the same year, the Grand Lodge adopted 
 the report of a Committee, previously appointed, from which 
 the following is an extract : 
 
 " Your Committee, without departing from the mission cou' 
 fided to it, believes that, in consequence of the knowledge they 
 possess of the insinuations which certain Masons, pretending to 
 be clothed with sufficient powers to establish Lodges, have made 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONKY. 613 
 
 to differeut Lodges at the Havana, and of the disorder which 
 they have occasioned in the minds of a number of the brethren 
 in that East, that it is our duty to engage the Worshipful Lodge, 
 the Rectitude, and the other Lodges under the jurisdiction of 
 this Grand Lodge, to keep themselves on their guard against 
 the pretensions of those Masons invested with high degrees, 
 who, in arrogating to themselves rights and privileges which 
 they never possessed, set themselves up as reformers, and con- 
 demn everything that does not emanate from themselves. For 
 where is the Mason, however inexperienced he may be, who 
 can be ignorant that to a Grand Lodge alone belongs the right 
 to constitute Lodges — that all these Masons, assembled under 
 the title of Consistory of Prince Masons, never have had, and 
 never can have, jurisdiction, direct or indirect, over the Symbolic 
 Lodges, nor even over the higher degrees — and that any person 
 made a Mason by powers emanating from a similar source, can 
 never be considered as a regular Mason, and can never be 
 admitted into any regular Lodge of any of the known rites ? 
 
 " That it is the duty of those Lodges, from the impossibility, 
 and their incapacity of discovering, by themselves, if these 
 Masons, who make a parade of so many powers, are regular 
 themselves, to be continually upon their guard not to allow 
 themselves to be seduced by the desire of possessing those 
 degrees which, not being conferred by competent and duly 
 authorized Masons, will only serve to place them in a ridiculous 
 and disgraceful position. 
 
 " They should be thoroughly convinced that many of these 
 great personages, who visit countries where Masonry is in its 
 cradle, finding no opponents to expose their absurd and insidi- 
 ous pretensions, easily lead into error the Masons who do not 
 know them, and who are naturally zealous and anxious for 
 instruction. 
 
 " Your Committee, in digressing from the direct object of 
 their mission, in making these observations at the conclusion of 
 their report, although foreign to our rite and jurisdiction, 
 believe this measure indispensable, in order to arrest the 
 disorder, and terminate the uncertainty of many Masons at 
 the Havana, on the subject of this illusory, chimerical Gran# 
 
614 HISTOBT OP FBEEMASONRY. 
 
 Orient. And it is ia consequence of the particular knowledge, 
 possessed by your Committee, of the extent of the powers and 
 privileges of this Consistory, supposing it even to be regular, 
 and in consequence of our possessing these same degrees, that 
 we submit this exposition to the Grand Lodge, for such decision 
 as may be appropriate." 
 
 " The Grand Lodge ordered a copy of this report to be sent 
 to the Lodge No. 7, under her jurisdiction at the Havana, with 
 directions that it should be read in open Lodge." 
 
 From the foregoing, we learn two important facts : — 1. That 
 a Committee, composed of brethren in piasses'sion of the In- 
 effable degrees, reported against their having properly any 
 connection with Masonry, and that the Grand Lodge enter- 
 tained the same views. 2. That whenever and wherever Grand 
 Councils, or Grand Consistories, have been established, they 
 have sought to govern and control Ancient Craft Masonry, 
 if the slightest probability of success existed. 
 
 We have said that the Grand Lodges in the United States 
 continued to recognize the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, as being 
 governed by the usages of Ancient Craft Masonry ; and we 
 know that this fact was afterward made use of as an argument 
 against tlie course pursued by the Grand Lodge of Mississippi ; 
 but it is due to the cause of truth to state, that other Grand 
 Lodges had no means of knowing the changes which took place 
 in the reorganization of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, in 1833, 
 as it adopted the very safe policy of publishing only a tabular 
 etatement of its officei-s and members. 
 
 The truth is, that, at some period prior to 1833, the Gtand 
 Lodge had fallen into the hands of the officers of the Grand 
 Consistory of the 32nd degree, both being presided over by the 
 same individual. In 1833, a new Constitution was formed, by 
 which the cumulation of rites was clearly recognized. A copy 
 of the above Constitution was not transmitted to the other 
 Grand Lodges in the United States, and it was afterward 
 charged that some pains were taken to withhold this new, or 
 revised Constitution from public view. 
 
 About 1839 or 1840, a complaint was made to the Grand 
 Lodge of Mississippi, by some brethren of Louisiana, charging 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRT, 615 
 
 that the latter Grand Lodge had departed from the Ancient 
 Landmarks of the Order, not only by thp cumulation of rites, 
 but, also, by conferring degrees, after the manner of certain 
 printed or written rituals, prepared under and by authority of 
 the Grand Master, and sanctioned by the Grand Lodge. The 
 brethren, who made these representations to the Grand Lodge 
 of Mississippi, prayed for a dispensation to form a regular 
 Lodge of Ancient Craft Masons in Louisiana. The Grand 
 Lodge of Mississippi declined the granting of a dispensation, 
 as prayed for, but appointed a Committee to visit New Orleans 
 and inquire ipto the truth or falsehood of the charges. For 
 reasons which delicacy forbids our stating, only one member of 
 the Committee could be induced to report the result of this 
 investigation, but, by the report of the member alluded to, the 
 charges were fully sustained, and his report was not called in 
 question by the majority. 
 
 This report contained the opinion of the Ijrother, that, not- 
 withstanding the glaring errors and innovations practiced by 
 the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, he had good reasons for believ- 
 ing, and did believe, said Grand Lodge would speedily reform 
 her errors and return to her ancient platform ; whereupon, the 
 Grand Lodge of Mississippi dismissed the subject. 
 
 In 1845, other brethren of Louisiana again petitioned the 
 Grand Lodge of Mississippi, praying for dispensations, and, at 
 the same time,- furnished proof that the Grand Lodge of 
 Louisiana pertinaciously adhered to all the errors before 
 alluded to ; whereupon, the Grand Lodge appointed another 
 Committee of Investigation ; and, upon their report, declared 
 that there was no legally constituted governing head for 
 Ancient Craft Masonry, in the State of Louisiana, and pro- 
 ceeded to, grant the prayer of the petitioners, by issuing the 
 dispensations they asked for. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of Louisiana denounced the Grand Lodge 
 of Mississippi, expelled those brethren who had been most 
 active in obtaining the dispensations, and published a circular 
 to the Grand Lodges in the United States, in which they say : 
 
 "The Grand Lodge made with the Grand Consistory of 
 the Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret, 33rd degree, a 
 
616 HISTOEY OP FEEEMASONEY. 
 
 concordat, agreed and signed by both parties, in New Orleans, 
 January 14, 1833, stipulating that the Grand Consistory granta 
 to the Grand Lodge the right and power the Consistory here- 
 tofore had, of creating and constituting, within the jurisdiction 
 of Louisiana, Lodges of the Symbolic degrees of the Scotch and 
 Modern Rites." 
 
 The circular further declares that, since that time, " the 
 Grand Lodge does accumulate, under its authority and juris 
 dictiouj the three rites, say York, Scotch, and Modern Rites, 
 to the general satisfaction of all Masons under its jurisdiction." 
 
 This circular afforded the first published testimony of the 
 innovations admitted into the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, and, 
 notwithstanding this open and full confession, the Grand Lodge 
 of New York, and some others, undertook to sustain her in her 
 course. 
 
 In October, 1847, we, as Chairman of the Committee on 
 Foreign Correspondence, brought this subject before the Grand 
 Lodge of Missouri. We made such statements as the published 
 facts authorized, and charged that other, and even grosser, 
 innovations had been committed by the Grand Lodge of 
 Louisiana ; and to establish which, we introduced P. S. G. W. 
 Douglass, who had recently resided in New Orleans ; where- 
 upon, the Grand Lodge of Missouri, with but one dissenting 
 voice, for-bade all Masonic intercourse with the Grand Lodge 
 of Louisiana, and her subordinates. 
 
 In 1832, there were fifteen Lodges in Louisiana working 
 under the Grand Lodge, and governed strictly by the usages 
 of Masonry. (We mean to be distinctly understood, that we 
 regard nothing as Masonry that is not Ancient Craft Masonry; 
 and we again state that there are no rites in Masonry. The 
 modern Societies, called Masonic, are miscalled, and should not 
 be recognized as Masonry by any enlightened brother.) There 
 were four Lodges holding under the Grand Council; working 
 the Scotch Rite ; and there were two, also, holding under the 
 Grand Council working the French, or Modern Rite. When 
 the Grand Lodge permitted it, these last named six Lodges 
 obtained authority to work also in the York Rite^ viz., Ancient 
 Craft Masonry. 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 617 
 
 In defending tUe position assumed by the Grand Lodge of 
 Louisiana, the Grand Lodge of New York contended that she 
 had done no more than did the Grand Lodge of England, in 
 1813, when the two Grand Lodges united. But can it be 
 possible that another respectable Committee can be found to 
 indorse this view of the subject ? It is true, that the spurious 
 and clandestine Grand Lodge of England was caUed the Grand 
 Lodge of Ancient Masons, and the other was improperly called, 
 by Dermott and others, the Grand Lodge of Modern Masons ; 
 and, because of this, the New York Committee tell us that 
 these rites were united in 1813. It is true, likewise, that the 
 spurious Grand Lodge was also called the Athol Grand Lodge, 
 and it seems that, if the name constituted a rite, there must have 
 been three rites united in 1813. But the case of Louisiana and 
 England are totally dissimilar, and will not even bear a com- 
 parison. The two organizations in England adhered in all 
 essentials to the rituals and usages of Ancient Craft Masonry ; 
 or, at least, even granting that Dermott's Grand Lodge did 
 add other and novel degrees, no one of them was recognized in 
 the union of 1813. The two Grand Lodges occupied precisely 
 the same relation to each other as did the Grand Lodge of 
 New York and the St. John's Grand Lodge, before the union ; 
 and the union effected similar results. But the Scotch and 
 French Rites, so called, are separate and distinct Societies, 
 differing essentially and vitally from Freemasonry ; they each 
 cultivate a variety of degrees, not known in Masonry, and some 
 of them not half as much like Masonry as are some of the 
 degrees in Oddfellowship. We say, then, that the cumulation 
 of degrees, not belonging to Masonry, can not be justified in 
 any Lodge; It is true, that the Grand Lodges of Prance, 
 Brazil, and Venezuela, cumulate what they term rites, and for 
 this we have not thought proper to cut . off all Masonic com- 
 munion ; but it by no means follows that these Grand bodies 
 are acting in strict obedience to the laws and usages of Mason- 
 ry, We unhesitatingly say, they do not so act ; and, in strict 
 justice, they should be denounced by all true Masonic bodies. 
 But, because we feel too little concern in the government of our 
 distant brethren to resort to harsh, though just, measures, it is 
 
G18 HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 no reason why we should fold our arms and suffer similar inno- 
 vations to fasten upon Masonry in the United States. Innova- 
 tion after innovation has been stealthily introduced, and, 
 finally, tolerated in this country, until we are made to feel— 
 and our children's children will be made to feel- — ashamed of 
 American Masonry, when compared with Masonry in its primi- 
 tive purity, or at a period before a company of self-constituted 
 lecturers assembled together, and concocted, from Ancient 
 Craft Masonry and from the. Ineffable Degrees, a sort of 
 lectures for Masonry, made up of the most beautiful parts of 
 each. We will, most likely, never get clear of the trouble thus 
 entailed on us ; shall, most probably, never return to simple, pure 
 Freemasonry ; but let us unite in putting down every other 
 effort to introduce additional innovations or novelties. We do 
 not complain of the officers and members of the Grand Con- 
 sistory of New Orleans, for attempting to control Ancient 
 Freemasonry ; for (as we shall attempt to prove at the proper 
 time and place) it is made a part of their duty to obtain and 
 exercise that power if they can. The Grand Consistory at 
 New Orleans has, on all occasions, acted openly and honorably 
 upon this subject. She has openly proclaimed that her secret 
 Constitutions gives her the control of Ancient Craft Masonry. 
 The Grand Council in the North made the same declaration, a 
 few years since ; and the Grand Council at Charleston, while 
 she denies the existence of such right, is secretly using every 
 effort to get control of portions of Craft Masonry, as is recently 
 proven, by her claim to control the Council degrees of Royal 
 and Select Masters, and an intimation that the Mark degree 
 belongs, also, to her. 
 
 But, while we admit that, in the cumulation of rites in 
 Louisiana, the Grand Council did no more than their duty, 
 we, at the same time, contend that the Grand Lodge acted in 
 bad faith to the other Grand Lodges in the United States, and 
 in derogation of every principle held at her organization ; and, 
 while we have ever doubted the policy pursued by the Grand 
 Lodge of Mississippi, in granting dispensations to that jurisdic- 
 tion, without first consulting her sister Grand Lodges, we 
 Selieve she did no more than she had a legal right to do, and 
 
HISTORY OF PBEBMASONRT. 619 
 
 ander all the Gir.^mstauces, the most fortunate thing that could 
 have been done Had the matter been referred t& the Grand 
 Lodges, some muld have decided one w&j and some another, 
 and some would have taken no action at all, and to this day, 
 and, perhaps, for many years hence, the evils would have 
 existed. As it was, so soon as the new Lodges obtained 
 oharters, they united in forming a new Grand Lodge of Ancient 
 York Masons, and were rapidly and successfully moving forward 
 Sn the dissemination of true Masonic light, by planting Ledges 
 at various points throughout the State. The old Grand Lodg6 
 maintained her ground and persisted in practicing the innova- 
 tions complained of, until the beginning of 1850, when proposi- 
 tions for a union were exchanged, accompanied by every 
 demonstration of brotherly feeling. The old Grand Lodge 
 agreed to abandon all her innovations, and return to her 
 erigijial platform of Ancient Craft Masonry, and the new 
 Giai>i Lodge agreed to dissolve and merge its subordinates 
 into the old ; all which was, Anally, accomplished in March, 
 18.7.', since which time, general prosperity and harmony has 
 prevailed, except, however, the interruption caused by the 
 withdrawal of three of its subordinates — Polar Star in the 
 nunAer — who, after surrendering their charters, took out 
 charters from the Grand Council, and are now (1853) holding 
 under that so called Masonic body, while they labor under the 
 denunciation of most, if not all, the Grand Lodges in the 
 United States, and are cut off from all right to visit or hold 
 Masonic intercourse with the Masons of Louisiana, until they 
 shall return to their proper allegiance. 
 
 It is an object of pleasing interest, to consider the result of 
 the difficulties and temporary divisions in Louisiana. Before 
 those difficulties, we heard but little from Masonry there. We 
 saw nothing but an annual tabular statement of the Grand 
 Officers, under titles we knew nothing of. The country members 
 were, in effect, disfranchised, and only such things were legis- 
 lated upon as suited the Grand Council of the 33rd. We saw 
 no address from the Grand Master ; neither saw nor heard of a 
 report from the Correspondence Committee. In short, Louisi- 
 ana was wrapped in a more impenetrable gloom than even 
 
620 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 Pennsylvania. But a mighty change has been wrought within 
 a few years, and mainly by those who were zealously engaged 
 in purging Freemasonry of those shreds and patches of modern 
 catch-penny associations, made up of every variety of adven- 
 turers, from the avowed Swedenborger to the secret Infidel, 
 and held together by that sort of fascination which high-sound- 
 ing titles exercise upon vain and superficial minds. Now, the 
 Grand Lodge of Louisiana stands in the very foremost rank, 
 for intelligence and acquaintance with the Ancient Laws and 
 Usages of the Order. The enlarged and liberal views which 
 now govern that Grand body, have been recently manifested in 
 a most striking manner by the expenditure of fifty-five thousand 
 dollars in the purchase of Masonic Hall property, intending to 
 lay the foundation of a system of charity, that shall tell upon 
 future ages, and which, we trust, will speedily influence other 
 Grand Lodges to adopt some course which will result in the 
 permanent establishment of a Charity Fund, equal to the calls 
 upon the Fraternity. • 
 
 But now (in 1858) it becomes our painful duty to state, that 
 the innovations complained of by the late new Grand Lodge, 
 and which it was understood, at the union in 1850, should be 
 abandoned, have continued and increased in that jurisdiction. 
 Several Lodges in New Orleans are working in the Scotch, or 
 Modern Rites, and though that fact has been well known, the 
 Grand Lodge has, not only silently permitted it, but has encour- 
 aged fraternal intercourse ; and now, if we are not mistaken, 
 there is a storm gathering which threatens a renewal of the 
 scenes of 1845-50. In February, 1857, a paper, explanatory 
 of the Scotch Rite degrees, was permitted to be published with 
 the proceedings of the Grand Lodge, which, of course, was not 
 more out of place than it would have been to publish a treatise 
 on Oddfellowship. 
 
 This feekr having been well received, the Consistory of 
 New Orleans, planted there by the Grand Council of Charles- 
 ton, were encouraged to go a step further ; and hence, at the 
 Grand Lodge meeting in February, 1858, they sent in a communi- 
 cation, modestly, but emphatically, calling on the Grand Lodge 
 to enter into a league for the purpose of putting down the lasl 
 
HISTORY OF FKEEMA80NRT. 621 
 
 remains of their old rival and enemy, the old Grand Council of 
 New Orleans. This communication reminded the Grand Lodge,' 
 that the Qrrand Council at Charleston h^d waived the right to 
 grant charters for the three Symbolic degrees, for the sake of 
 peace, and plainly apprised the Grand Lodge of their power to 
 resume that right, should they deem it necessary ; in short (as 
 we understood it), it threatened the Grand Lodge with a rival, 
 in the event of their failure to enter into a compact for mutual 
 protection and defense. 
 
 This paper was referred to a Special Committee, a majority of 
 whom presented a sort of compromise measure, acknowledging 
 all the so called rites of Masonry, thus making Masonry in 
 Louisiana consist of Ancient Craft, Scotch Rite, and French, or 
 Modern Rite. The minority of the Committee presented a 
 report denying, out and out, the right of the Grand Lodge to 
 legislate about, or to have anything to do with, any but the pure 
 Ancient Craft degrees. The majority report was adopted, and 
 the minority report was not printed with the proceedings. 
 
 Thus it appears that the Grand Lodge of Louisiana is prepar- 
 ed once again to waive the opinion of her sister Grand Lodges 
 in the United States, heretofore so plainly expressed in relation 
 to foreign degrees ; and, unless the country members shall go 
 forward to the rescue, we have reason to fear that the day is 
 not distant when that Grand body will be compelled to look to 
 the Grand Orient of Prance, and similar bodies, working in 
 foreign rites, for their correspondents and fraternal associates, 
 as we can not suppose the Grand Lodges in the United States, 
 England, Scotland, or Ireland, are prepared to admit that any 
 and every hatched-up bundle of novelties constitute Freema- 
 sonry ; and especially so, when they remember that the rites 
 referred to make Machine Masons^ from book or manuscript 
 rituals. We have been driven to say thus much from a solemn 
 conviction of duty. We owe to the Masons of Louisiana more 
 than to any jurisdiction in the Union, save Missouri, and we 
 trust never to be guilty of ingratitude. We are fully aware 
 that we hereby provoke the invectives of an influential party in 
 Louisiana, which, by silence, we might have avoided ; but silence, 
 on such terms, would have been dishonorable. We hope it will 
 
622 HISTOEY OP FREEMASONRY., 
 
 be seen that we have sounded an alarm ■without cause. God 
 grant that time may show that it is so. 
 
 ; MASONRY IN MISSOURI. 
 
 In presenj;ing a brief notice of the formation of the Grand 
 Lodge of Missouri, and some of its acts to the present time, it 
 may not be uninteresting to my brethren to speak, of the intro- 
 duction of Masonry into the State. 
 
 I presume it is well known that the first settlers of Upper 
 Louisiana (as this State was formerly called) were French ; 
 they came by the way of Canada, and were the companions of, 
 Qartier, La Salle, and Father Hennepin, who, with a persever- 
 ance and courage seldom surpassed, traversed the vast wilder- 
 ness that then lay between the Canada line and th© French 
 settlements on the Lower Mississippi. 
 
 To connect her Canadian with her southern possessions on 
 the Mississippi, was a fevorite scheme with France, j and, in 
 order to effect this, she caused a chain of military post§ to be 
 established along the Lakes, and the Ohio and Mississippi 
 Rivers. Between these posts, settlements rapidly sprung up, 
 one of which, the town of St. Genevieve, was of some importr 
 ance, as early as 1763 ; here was concentrated the lead tradej 
 as also a trade in furs and peltries. 
 
 In November, of the above year, Pierre Liguste Laclede, who 
 had received from the Director General the exclusive privilege 
 to trade with the Indians of Missouri, and those West of Mi* 
 sissippi, arrived at St. Genevieve ; but, finding no place suit- 
 able for the storage of his goods, and being still too far fron» 
 the mouth of the Missouri River, a proximity to which was an 
 object of primary importance to him, he proceeded up the Mis- 
 sissippi River. 
 
 On February 15, 1764, Laclede and his party landed at the 
 &pot now occupied by the city of St. Louis, and proceeded to 
 cut down trees and draw the lines of a town which he named 
 St. Louis, in honor of Louis XV., of France ; a town which, 
 subsequently, became the capital of Upper Lonisiana, and which 
 is now the commercial capital of Missouri. 
 
HISTORY OF PEEEMASONBY. 623 
 
 The merchants of St. Genevieve and St. Louis, in the days 
 of which I write, procured their goods from Philadelphia, to 
 which city they resorted once in every year. Here several of 
 them became Masons, and were made in the Old French Lodge, 
 No. 73, on the Registry of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. 
 
 In process of time, as the Masons in the Territory became 
 numerous, they resolved to form a Lodge, and on proper appli- 
 cation, in the year 1807-8, a warrant of constitution was 
 granted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, for a Lodge to 
 be holden in the town of St. Genevieve, Territory of Louisiana, 
 and is registered on the books of said Grand Lodge, as Louisi- 
 ana Lodge, No. 109. Otho Strader being its first Master^ 
 Dr. Aaron Elliott and Joseph Hertick, Wardens. This was 
 the first Lodge established in the now State of Missouri. 
 
 In the years 1811-12, Gen. H. Dodge presided over this 
 Lodge as W. M. Owing to the unsettled state of the Territory, 
 during the late war with England, the Lodge declined, and it 
 finally ceased to work about the years 181.6-17. I am led to 
 this belief because no mention is made of it in the early records 
 of the Grand Lodge, and also from the fact that, in the year 
 1826, several brethren petitioned for a Lodge to be held in the 
 town of St. Genevieve, by the name of Tucker Lodge, which 
 Lodge was chartered as No. 13, and continued in existence 
 until 1831, when it went down. In the year 1809-10, a charter 
 was granted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, to certain 
 brethren in the town of St. Louis, to open St. Louis Lodge, 
 No. 111. Of this Lodge I am unable to procure the least in- 
 formation, who its officers were, or when it ceased to exist. 
 A dispensation for a Lodge at the town of Jackson, now in the 
 county of Cape Girardeau, was granted by the Grand Lodge 
 of Indiana, in the year 1820, but was chartered by the Grand 
 Lodge Missouri. 
 
 ! A charter, bearing date October 8, 1816, was granted by the 
 Grand Lodge of Tennessee to Josiah Pilcher, Thomas Brady, 
 Jeremiah Connor, and others, to open a Lodge in the town of 
 St. Louis, Missouri Territory, by the name of Missouri Lodge, 
 No. 12, and is signed by Robt. Searcy, Grand Master. 
 
 WiLKiNS Tannehill, G. See. 
 
624 HISTORY OP FREI5MAS0NEY. 
 
 A charter, bearing date October 6, 1819, was gianted to Wm. 
 P. Roberts, S. Converse, Wm. Bates, and others, to open a 
 Lodge in the town of Heiculanium, by the name of Joachim 
 Lodge, No. 25, and is signed by Oliver Hayes, G. M., Moses 
 Norvell, G. S. 
 
 A charter, same date and year, was granted to Benjamin 
 Emmons, B. Palmer, John Payne, and others, to open a Lodge 
 in the town of St. Charles, by the name of St. Charles Lodge, 
 No. 28. 
 
 On February 22, 1821, in pursuance of an invitation sent by 
 Missouri Lodge, No. 12, to the several Lodges in the State, the 
 following Lodges, by their Representatives, assembled in the 
 hall of Missouri Lodge, No. 12, in the town of St. Louis, and, 
 having resolved to organize a Grand Lodge for the State of 
 Missouri, appointed a Committee, consisting of Bros. Wm. 
 Bates, Nathaniel Simons, and Edward Bates, to draft a Consti- 
 tution and Code of By-Laws for the government of the Grand 
 Lodge, and then adjourned to meet at the same place on the 
 23rd day of April, following, to organize a Grand Lodge. 
 
 A Convocation of Masons met, pursuant to previous notice 
 given by the Convention of Delegates, at the Lodge room of 
 Missouri Lodge, No. 12, April 21, A.L. 5821, for the purpose 
 of organizing the Grand Lodge of the State of Missouri. 
 
 Opened in the 3rd degree in due form. 
 
 Present — W. Edward Bates, M. pro tern. 
 
 James Kennerly, S. W. ' 
 
 Wm. Bates, J. W. " 
 
 Abram Beck, S. " 
 
 Joseph V. Gamier, T. " 
 
 Isaac A. Letcher, S. D. " 
 
 Joseph White, J. D. " 
 
 John C. Potter, Tyler, " 
 
 Representatives — Missouri Lodge, No. l2, Edward Bates 
 Joachim Lodge, No. 25, William Bates ; Bros. J. Jones, J 
 Graig, Thornton Grimsley, W. H. Pococke, J. H. Penrose, W. 
 G. Pettus, W. H. Hopkins, and H. Hardin. 
 
 On motion, the proceedings of the Convention held at St. 
 
 I 
 
HISTOEY OP FBEEMABONRT. 625 
 
 Louis, February 22nd last, and the Constitution adopted bj 
 nheni, were read. 
 Adjourned until to-morrow at three o'clock P. M. 
 
 Tuesday, April 24, A.L. 5821. — Met pursuant to adjournment. 
 Present — W. Edward Bates, M. jrro tern. 
 James Kennerly, S. W. " 
 William Bates, J. W. 
 Abram Beck, S. " 
 
 Wm. G. Pettns, T. " 
 
 John D. Daggett, S. D, " 
 G. H. C. Mplody, J. D. " 
 John C. Potter, Tyler, " 
 Representatives — Missouri Lodge, No. 12, Edward Bates, 
 John D. Daggett ; Joachim Lodge, No. 25, William Bates ; 
 St. Charles Lodge, Nd. 28, Abram S, Platte ; Bros. H. Rankin, 
 Harvey Hunt, T. Douglass, and T. P. Riddick. 
 
 An election for the officers of the Grand Lodge for the ensu- 
 "'ng year was then held, and the following brethren were elected,' 
 viz.: 
 Bro. Thomas P. Riddick, M. W. G. M. 
 " James Kennerly, S. G. W. 
 « William Bates, J. G. W. 
 " Archibald Gamble, G. T. 
 " William Renshaw, G. 6. 
 Tlie Grand Lodge, being thus organized, adjoui-ned to Friday, 
 4th of May next. 
 
 May 4, A.D. 1821, A.L. 5821.— The Grand Lodge met in 
 St. Louis, pursuant to adjournment, and, being opened in ample 
 form, proceeded, in procession to the Baptist church, where the 
 Grand OfiScers were duly installed, and the Grand Lodge 
 consecrated by Bro. Thompson Douglass. 
 
 On May 5, .5821, the following brethren were appointed a 
 Committee, to draft a Code of By-Laws for the government of 
 the Grand Lodge, viz : — Bros. Thompson Douglass, W. G. Pettua, 
 and J. V. Gamier. Which duty they performed ; and, on the 
 same day the code presented by them was adopted. 
 Population of St. Louis, 4,600. 
 
626 HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRY. 
 
 On the evening of October jO, 1821, the Grand Lodge being 
 in session, a Past Master's Lodge was opened, and the M. W 
 Nathaniel B. Tucker was duly installed G-. M. of Masons of the 
 State of Missouri. 
 
 1822. Committee appointed by Missouri R. A. Chapter, and 
 Missouri Lodge, No. l,forthepurpose of procuring, by subscrip- 
 tion, funds to build a Masonic Hall. 
 
 j 1823. Application for permission to initiate a " man, who 
 ; had lost an arm," and " another, very much deformed," rejected. 
 I Grand Lodge adopted resolutions in opposition to the formation 
 of a General Grand Lodge. 
 
 August 31, 1823. Grand Lodge lays the "foundation-stone" 
 of a Presbyterian church, G. M. N. B. Tucker presiding. 
 
 At a special meeting of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, held in 
 the city of St. Louis, on Friday, April 29, 1825, present — E. W. 
 G. H. C. Melody, D. G. M. and G. M. P. ; R. W. Thornton 
 Grimsley, G. S. W. ; R. W. John D. Daggett, G. J. W. P. ; A. 
 Gamble, G. T. ; T. Douglass, G. S., and a. large number of vis- 
 iting brethren. 
 
 Grand Lodge opened in 3rd degree in solemn form. 
 It being stated by the Grand Master that General La Fayette, 
 a brother Mason, and an officer of the Revolution, had arrived in 
 the city. 
 
 On motion of Bro. Gamble, 
 
 Ordered, That a ballot be now taken, on the election of La Fayette, as an honor- 
 iffy member of this Grand Lodge. 
 
 When he was duly elected. 
 
 On motion of Bro. Gamble, 
 
 Ordered, That a Committee be appointed to wail apon Bro. La Fayette, infonn 
 him of his election as an honorary member of this Grand Lodge, and solicit his 
 attendance at the present meeting. 
 
 Bros. Melody, Douglass, and Atwood were appointed that 
 Committee. 
 
 After a short absence, the said Committee returned, accom- 
 panied by Bro. La Fayette and his son, Bro. George Washington 
 La Fayette,, who were received by the Lodge standing, and an 
 address delivered by Bro. A. Gamble, to which Bro. La Fayette 
 replied, and was then conducted to a chair in the East. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 627 
 
 On motion of Bro. Gamble, 
 
 Ordered, That the ballot be taken on the election of Bro. George WiVBhiagton 
 La Fayette, as an honorary member of this Grand Lodge, when he was duly 
 elected. 
 
 Bro. La Fayette again addressed the Lodge, and, with Mb 
 son, withdrew. 
 
 Grand Lodge closed in harmony and peace. 
 I • G. H. C. Melody, D. G. M. 
 
 April 5, 1831. Grand Lodge ten years in existence. Four 
 Lodges represented at this semi-annual communication. 
 
 Dues paid in $52 75 
 
 October 17, 1831. Semi-annual communication do., 94 05 
 
 Total for the year $146 80 
 
 In this year a resolution was offered, but afterward with- 
 drawn, to dissolve the Grand and subordinate Lodges in the 
 State. 
 
 The following resolution was unanimously adopted : 
 
 Resolved, That the Grand Lodge of the State of Missouri will zealously support 
 the interest and dignity of the Fraternity, and will strictly require of the subor- 
 dinate Lodges, under this jurisdiction, a vigilant and faithtul discharge of their 
 duties ; and that it is inexpedient either to dissolve or suspend the Grand and 
 subordinate Lodges. 
 
 April, 1832. The Grand Lodge adopted a resolution that 
 " hereafter, this Grand Lodge shall hold one communication in 
 the year." 
 
 October, 1833. The Grand Lodge adjourned, to meet in 
 Columbia, Boone county, on the 2nd day of December, 1833. 
 
 October 2, 1837. Grand Lodge, after an absence of four 
 years, returned to St. Louis. 
 
 October 21, 1839. The Grand Lodge, at the request of the 
 County Court, laid the comer-stone of the Court House in the 
 city of St. Louis, Col. A. B. Chambers, D. G. Master, presiding. 
 
 October 6, 1840. Annual communication ; nine chartered 
 Lodges, and four U. D., present by their Representatives. 
 
 In 1841, the Grand Lodge adopted, among others, the follow- 
 ing '•esolution : 
 
628 HtSTOBt OP PSEEMASONRY. 
 
 Btsoked, That it is neceseary and expedient, and the imperative duty, aa vdl 
 as the interest, of the Grand Lodge to establisji, at some healthy and convenieDt 
 point, an institution of learning for the sons of indigent Masons, and saeh others 
 M the Grand Lodge may, &om time to time, admit ; and, also, to establietii, at 
 such place as the Grand Lodge may direct, an asylum for the maintenance and 
 education of th« female orphans of worthy Ha^er Masons and oth^s. 
 
 In accordance with the foregoing resolution, the M. W. 
 Priestly H. McBride, G. Master, and others, did, on September 
 12, 1842, purchase, for the use of the Grand Lodge, for the 
 institution of learning, above mentioned, certain land and real 
 estate in the county of Marion, being about thirteen hundred 
 and fifty acres of land, with the buildings and improvements 
 thereon, including the College buildings of the Upper Marion 
 College.* 
 
 February, 1843. The Grand Lodge was chartered by the 
 Legislature of the State. 
 
 May 9, 1842. Griand Lodge laid the corner-stone of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Centenary church, E. W. Joab Bernard, 
 D. G. Master, presiding. 
 
 June 34, 1845. Masonic College dedicated by the Grand 
 Lodge, M. W. J. W. S. Mitchell, Grand Master, presiding.! 
 
 June 26, 1845. Grand Lodge adopted resolutions expressive 
 of their sorrow, on the death of Bro. Andrew Jackson, P. G. 
 Master of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, and ex-President of 
 the United States ; and, on June 28, the Grand Lodge united 
 with the citizens of St. Louis, in the public ceremonies conse- 
 quent on the death of that illustrious brother. 
 
 March 18, 1847. Grand Lodge decided to locate the Ma- 
 sonic College at Lefington, Lafayette county, Mo., the citizens 
 having generously subscribed the sum of thirty-three thousand 
 dollars, for the purpose of erecting the necessary buildings. 
 
 May 18. Grand Lodge laid the corner-stone of the Masonic 
 College. R. W. G. H. C. Melody, P. D. G. M., presiding. 
 
 May, 1848. Grand Lodge closed its session, to meet in the 
 city of Boonville, on the first Monday in May, 1849. 
 
 * This resolution was offered by S. W. B. Caraegy, P. G. Master, who bore an 
 ftfitive part in the establishment of the College. 
 
 t The Faculty was organized, and the school opened in 1843^ and continued In 
 these buildings until its reSrganization, in Lexington. — The Author. 
 
HI8T0ET OP PBEBMASONRT. 629 
 
 June, 1853. Grrand Lodge met in St. Louis (Sifter an absence 
 of tbree years), where it is permanently located. Sixty-four 
 Lodges represented, and one hundred and four paid their dues. 
 
 Owing to the Indefatigable exertions of P. G. M. Hon. B. 
 W. Grover, the endowment fund of the College was announced 
 as fifty-three thousand dollars, being the amount of scholarships 
 sold, and closed by the agents appointed for that purpose. 
 
 There are one hundred and twenty-three chartered Lodges, 
 under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge, having a membor- 
 ghip of three thousand six hundred. The revenue of tlie Grand 
 Lodge, for the present year, was five thousand three hundred 
 dollars.* 
 
 The Grand Lodge has made provisions for the boarding, 
 clothing, and educating, of one orphan boy from each Masonic 
 district in the State, which, added to the two provided for by 
 the Grand Chapter, makes nineteen orphan boys, being 8up» 
 ported and educated by the Fraternity in this jurisdiction, 
 besides some thirty others, who are receiving a gratuitous 
 education. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that, after years of toil, in laying iho 
 foundation for that system of benevolence contemplated by the 
 Grand Lodge toward the orphans of our deceased brethren, a 
 commencement is being made,which promises a glorious future 5 
 the Masons of this State, by their liberality, have the proud 
 satisfaction of providing the means of mental and moral culture 
 for those to whom they are bound by fraternal ties, and of 
 furnishing an additional proof that Masonry is not dead, but 
 
 LIYETH. 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted, 
 
 A. O'ScLLiVAN, G. Sec, Grand Lodge, Ma 
 
 MASONRY IN ALABAMA. 
 
 During our,short residence in Alabama, in 1853, we made 
 personal application to the late Grand Secretary Pfister, and to 
 
 • This sketch was prepared in 1853. There has been a large increase in Lodgei 
 knd revenue.— 2^ Aiahor. 
 
6;i0 niSTOET OP FEEEMASONBY. 
 
 aeyeral of tLe oldest Masons, for statistics, to enable us to write 
 out the history of Masonry in that State. Bro. Pfister promised 
 his aid, and, but for his sickness and death, Trould, we think, 
 have given what information he could. After his death, we ad- 
 dressed letters to others — Dr. Penick of the number — and yet, to 
 this day (July 25, 1858), we have neither received an item of 
 information, nor word of encouragement. We have thought the 
 foregoing statement of facts due to ourself, as tending to show 
 that we have intended to do justice to the Brotherhood of that 
 jurisdiction, to whom we are under many fraternal obligations. 
 And now, though we have no authentic information, we will, as 
 best we may, state from memory, some of the leading events con- 
 nected with the Order in Alabama. 
 
 We think Masonry was planted in that jurisdiction by the 
 Grand Lodges of Tennessee and North Carolina, and grew 
 apace, until about the year 1821, when the present Grand Lodge 
 was established in Tuscaloosa, at which place it held its annual 
 communications, until the seat of the State government was 
 moved to Montgomery, to which latter place the GrandXodge was 
 moved, and still remains. 
 
 The older brethren of the South and West will, doubtless, 
 remember that the Morgan excitement affected the Craft there 
 but little. We are not aware that an organized anti-Masonic 
 party was effected in either of the Western or Southern States ; 
 and yet, if such a party was not really organized in Alabama, 
 the excitement prevailed to such an extent, as to cause the Grand 
 Lodge to suspend, for a time, its Grand annual communica- 
 tions. The following statement of a few facts, in connection 
 with one of the Lodges of that State, will serve to portray the 
 character of the opposition. It is due to the writer of this 
 sketch, Dr. Whetstone, now a citizen of Louisiana, to say that 
 he wrote it at our request, while we were partaking of his kind 
 hospitalities, between 11 and 12 o'clock at night : 
 
 " During the Morgan excitement in Alabama, the opposition 
 became so powerful that the Grand Lodge discontinued its 
 regular communications for two or three years. During the 
 whole of that time, Autauga Lodge, No. 31, held at Washington, 
 ten miles below the city of Montgomery, met regularly every 
 
HISTORY OP PREEMASONRT. 631 
 
 month, attended to its duties, and, although but few Masons 
 were made, they proved an honor and an ornament to the 
 Institution, The presiding W. M. was Dr. John A. Whetstone, 
 afterward D. G. M. of the Grand Lodge. If any other Lodge 
 worked all that time, the fact is not known. The same Lodge 
 is still working finely, but has been removed from Washington 
 to Autaugaville, in Autauga county. 
 
 " During the same period, several anti-Masonic meetings were 
 held in Autauga county, at the Old Rocky Mount, and at 
 Asbury church, in the Dutch Bend. A renunciation was made 
 at Rocky Mount, at one of the meetings, by George Foreman, 
 who was a simple, good-natured, harmless man, who had never 
 visited a Lodge in the State ; neither was he known to be a 
 Mason by any member of the Order in Autauga county. Fore- 
 man's renunciation made a great noise, and was published, with 
 a great flourish of trumpets, in the Selma Courier, a paper then 
 conducted by Thomas J. Frow, the same gentleman whom Eli 
 Terry, Solicitor, afterward, at Washington, in Court, gave such 
 a handsome threshing for daring to speak disrespectfully of 
 the Institution, and to make his remarks personal. Yes, we 
 had to, and did defend our beloved Institution in Alabama — 
 pugnis et cakibus. Another instance I will relate : Near Inde- 
 pendence, in Autauga county, two gentlemen, anti-Masons, 
 took it into their heads to waylay and beat Col. Dixon Hall 
 (now of Louisiana), because he was a Mason. They were near 
 relatives, powerful, athletic men, and attacked him at the same 
 time, but, as 'fortune favors the brave,' and Col. Hall had 
 justice and right on his side, the game was played the other 
 way, and two worse whipped men were never seen anywhere, 
 nor in any country; and so it proved everywhere, in all the 
 fights. We were compelled to make our opponents come off 
 second best, in every instance, but tempus mutat, et viri mutant. 
 We now rest from our persecutions, and are permitted, thank 
 God, to enjoy otium cum dignitate." 
 
 In a conversation with Bro. De Jarnett, of Autaugaville upon 
 this subject, he related a number of interesting incidents, and 
 gave the names of the parties concerned, of which we made a 
 memorandum, which we have mislaid ; but we call to mind the 
 
632 HISTOKT OP PEEEMASONBT. 
 
 following facts, and only regret we can not give t^^ 
 the persons alluded to. 
 
 ; A young man of unblemished character, "a Mason, married the 
 daughter of a minister of the Gospel, and lived happily with his 
 companion, until he was. taken sick. On his death-bed, feeling 
 convinced that his end approached, he sent for the Master of 
 his Lodge, and requested that his remains should be buried with 
 Masonic honors ; and, though the anti-Masonic excitement was 
 then at its highest pitch, the Master promptly promised that his 
 wishes should be attended to, remarking that he would wait 
 until his father-in-law came to the house, and arrange the mat- 
 ter with him. Soon after the reverend gentleman was seen 
 approaching the house ; he went out to meet him. The poor, 
 afflicted wife overheard so much of the conversation, as to sat- 
 isfy her that her father was refusing his assent, and, rushing out 
 of the house, she threw herself upon her knees, and, with uplift- 
 ed hands, exclaimed, " Father, oh, father ! upon my knees will I 
 remain, until you consent to the dying wish of my poor, dear 
 husband." Reader, we would not that you should feel as indig- 
 nant as we did, when Bro. De Jarnett related the incident, and, 
 therefore, we have caused this pause between the words of sup- 
 plication and the answer. What answer would you expect from 
 one professing to be a follower of the meek and lowly Saviour ? 
 Would you — could you suppose that the Christian minister, the 
 father, would look down upon an agonized daughter with con- 
 tempt, and reply — " Then you may rot there, madam." And 
 yet, these were the very words used — words which soon became 
 stamped upon the memory of every member of the Lodge. 
 
 After the death of the young man, the Master convened his 
 Lodge, and stated all that had occurred, when the excitement 
 became so great, that a motion was made to go in procession 
 to the house, and take possession — by force, if need be — of the 
 body cf their brother, and comply with his dying request. 
 This motion would, most probably, have been adopted with 
 great unanimity, but for the timely interference of the Master, 
 who had reflected coolly upon the best course to pursue. The 
 motion was withdrawn, and a day fixed for performing the 
 funeral ceremony, not at, but in sight of, the grave. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 633 
 
 On the day appointed, the Lodge, with a great number of 
 visiting bretii/en, appeared in procession, with white gloves 
 and aprons, and moved to the place appointed — a church stand- 
 ding near, but not on the land of the unfeeling father. A great 
 cfmcoi :se of spectators also attended. These consisted of the 
 friends and enemies of Masonry. Anon, a minister, whose head 
 was sprinkled by the snows of many winters, entered the pul- 
 pit, and delivered such a sermon as told upon the hearts and 
 consciences of all who heard it. At a moment when the audi- 
 ence were deeply impressed by the eloquence of the speaker, he 
 pointed to a newly-raised mound of earth, and said : "Yonder, 
 yonder, where it is esteemed sacrilegious for us to perform 
 these solemn funeral ceremonies, sleeps the mortal remains of 
 our beloved brother. Brethren, mourn not that, by a poor 
 worm of the dust, it is esteemed pollution for your foot-prints 
 to mark the spot. Mourn not that you were denied the privi- 
 lege of casting in his grave the ' emblem of innocence, and badge 
 of a Mason.' Mourn not that, even though it was his dying 
 request, you were refused the *right to deposit the evergreen 
 sprig of Accasia ; but rather rejoice that, while here you deposit 
 this emblem, the spirit of our departed brother is blooming in 
 immortal green. Aye, rejoice and give thanks that it is your 
 privilege so to order your lives, that when, one by one, you 
 shall be called from labor on earth, your immortal spirits may 
 wing their way to that haven of repose 'where the wicked 
 cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.' Let your 
 motto be, ' Onward, onward,' in all your Christian and Masonic 
 duties, and be assured that, when you shall knock at the door 
 of the Grand Lodge of saints and angels, you will not find it 
 tyled by a poor, ignorant, self-righteous anti-Mason." 
 
 This address, together with the facts connected with it, 
 struck a death-blow to anti-Masonry in Autauga county, 
 i Soon after the events "referred to, the Grand Lodge of Alabama 
 reassembled ; and, from that period to the present, the Order 
 has prospered there. Indeed, we can state, from personal 
 observation, that nowhere is it in better hands. We were 
 present at the meetings of the Grand Lodge in 1852 and 1853, 
 and, if we except the Grand Lodge of Kentucky (at one time), 
 
634 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 we have never witnessed the assemblage of so large a number 
 of Masons, with so few men of inferior minds ; and we may 
 safely add, that in no State have we seen a legislative body 
 who would favorably compare with them. There are now in 
 that jurisdfetion over two hundred Lodges, with a meml crship 
 of above ten thousand. 
 
 MASONRY IN MICHIGAN. 
 
 A brother, of Michigan, has kindly furnished the following 
 brief details of facts : 
 
 " Zion Lodge, No. 1, of the city of Detroit, was instituted by 
 the Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada, in the year 
 1794, since which time, to the present, with about ten years 
 exception, during anti-Masonic times, it has been in active 
 operation ; and, among the names connected with it, from its 
 earliest date, are those whose history constitute, as it were, the 
 entire early history of the Territory. Their records are 
 nearly, if not entirely, complete, from 1794, bound up in one 
 large quarto Russia volume, and will be found a somewhat 
 curious document for a lover of the Order to examine. Any 
 one can see it, as it is always kept at their Lodge room. 
 
 "A few years later, Detroit, Oakland, and Menominee Lodges 
 were organized. 
 
 " The Grand Lodge of Michigan was originally organized at 
 Detroit, June 28, 1826, by Bros. Henry J. Hunt, John. L. 
 Whiting, Austin E. Wing, Levi Cook (present G. M., 1857), 
 John Garrison, Charles Jackson, Andrew G. Whitney, Marshall 
 Chapin, Orville Cook, and John Anderson. 
 
 " This Grand Lodge was incorporated by the Territorial 
 Legislature, in April, 1827, with a name at the head of the list 
 (Gen. Cass) of incorporators, as distinguished, at that time, for 
 the moral and social virtues of the man, as he has since been in 
 the annals of his entire country. 
 
 " This act of incorporation was passed at a time when the 
 Institntion of Masonry had more open enemies than at any 
 other period — when, from circumstances which it is unnecessary 
 
HISTOET OP PREEMASONRT. 635 
 
 to narrate, an honest indignation was felt by thousands in the 
 Territory of Michigan, as well as in New York and New Eng-' 
 land, and which created prejudices, more or less pervading the 
 entire community, against the moral character of the Institu- 
 tion, and its consequent prejudical influence upon the regular 
 administration of the affairs of a political and governmental 
 character. 
 
 "The excitement was amply fed by demagogues — ^had its 
 day, and spent its force. The ' sober second thought,' while it 
 convinced the upright, intelligent Mason of the utter folly of 
 being driven into that which, if true, was wholly indefensible, 
 in a moral point of view ; it also satisfied an intelligent com- 
 munity, that no association, while imperfection is the lot of all, 
 will long exist without unworthy members, for whose conduct 
 no society, save the Masonic, has for a moment been deemed 
 responsible. 
 
 " Owing to the excitement alluded to, the Grand Lodge, by 
 resolution, suspended,- 'practically, all Masonic operations in the 
 Territory, in 1829 ; from which time everything stood in statu 
 quo, until 1841, when a reorganization was had. 
 
 " This reorganization followed as the result of a preliminary 
 meeting, held at Mt. Clemens, Mich., in the winter of 1840. 
 Bros. A. C. Smith, subsequently P. G. S. and P. G. L., of that 
 State, now residing in Minnesota ; E. Hall, subsequently P. G. 
 M., and others, attended that meeting, and appointed a Com- 
 mittee of Inquiry. 
 
 " The highest Grand Officer in the State was soon found to 
 be Bro. Davis, of Ann Arbor, last J. G. W., from whom the 
 Mt. Clemens Lodge obtained a dispensation, and commenced 
 work — Bro. Hall the first Master. 
 
 " Three other Lodges were soon discovered, with charters, 
 records, etc., and a sufficient number of brethren to assemble 
 for work. A Convocation was ultimately called, and the Grand 
 Lodge reorganized, as above stated, the following year. 
 
 " It may, perhaps, be worthy of remark, that Stony Creek 
 Lodge — one of the Lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand 
 Lodge, in 1829 — continued its work through the entire period 
 of Grand Lodge interregnum, in violation of the Grand Lodge 
 
636 HISTORY OP PREBMASONHY, 
 
 resolution. Whether the Lodge was justified in so doing, good 
 Masons differ in opinion. 
 
 "After the reorganization of the Grand liodge, it was deemed, 
 by many, that a rum-tiser of ten or twelve years, and a reorgani- 
 zation by a majority of men entirely unknown to the Grand 
 Lodge of 1829, would fail to carry with it any of the civil 
 franchises of the old act of incorporation ; hence, a new act of 
 incorporation was passed by the Legislature, under which the 
 Fraternity, through the Grand Lodge, now hold a legal 
 existence. 
 
 " Bro. A. C. Smith was one of the leading spirits in bringing 
 about the revival of Masonry, in 1841, in Michigan. 
 
 " In pursuance of advice asked and received of Bro. Moore, 
 of Boston, the brethren thought best to array themselves under 
 the old Grand Lodge of 1829, provided the requisite number of 
 Lodges could be found, with By-Laws, records, etc., and with 
 members enough to reassemble and work. The charters, 
 etc., and a quorum of members were found for Zion, Detroit, 
 Oakland and Stony Creek Lodges, who, at the advice of ■ Bro. 
 Moore, aforesaid, and, at the call of the last J. G. W. Davis, 
 assembled and reopened the Grand Lodge. 
 
 " Many of the Grand Lodges of the Union recognized us, in- 
 cluding Ohio ; but Bro. Herring, then the ruling spirit (now an 
 expelled member) of the Grand Lodge of New York, and, for a 
 series of years, G. S. thereof, refused to have us recognized by 
 that Grand body. Here was a dilemma ! Our business relations 
 were intimately interwoven with New York, and it would not 
 do to make new Masons, and not have them received as genuine 
 Masons in New York. 
 
 " Bro. Smith, the Michigan Grand Secretary, soon had cause to 
 cut short negotiations with the Grand Secretary of New York ; 
 and, with the view to gelf-justification, on the part of the Grand 
 Lodge of New York, Bro. Herring wrote an article for the 
 Freemason's Monthly Magazine, which was published in that 
 journal as an editorial, in September, 18'1:2, covering eight pages 
 of the book (see p. 321, volume I.), to which Bro. Smith replied, 
 through the columns of a paper publi.-'hed at Mt. Clemens (the 
 only Masonic journal then published beio^ closed tc hJDi> apd 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONBT. 637 
 
 itt whicli Bro. Herring was compelled to feel, most severely, the 
 weight of a pen, when wielded in a just cause, and by injured 
 hands. 
 
 " Indeed, it may, with truth, be asserted that, in Herring's 
 conflict with Smith, the former dates the commencement of a 
 downfall, as sure and steady as justice usually overtakes an err- 
 ing mortal. 
 
 " Subsequently, Bro. Smith stood aside for a season as Grand 
 Secretary, and Bro. E. Smith Lee took his place. At the sug- 
 gestion of Bro. Lee, the Grand Lodge of Michigan authorized 
 its old Lodges to accept proffered, priceless charters from New 
 York, by virtue of which those old Lodges assembled, adopted 
 the Michigan Constitution, appointed a Committee of Confer- 
 ence, to meet a similar Committee from the Grand Lodge of 
 Michigan, who arranged one organization, by and with which 
 Bro. Herring became satisfied ; although he had sent charters 
 to Lodges whom, but a few weeks before, he had denounced as 
 clandestine, without stopping to inquire whether or not they 
 had absolved themselveg from said clandestine body. Such is 
 the frailty of inflated power, when exercised by weak, but 
 crafty minds. Subsequent history has shown the correctness 
 with which Bro. Smith judged the character of Herring from 
 the outset. 
 
 " The proceedings of the Grand Lodge.of Michigan, show Bro. 
 Smith as a leading spirit in moulding her Institution for twelve 
 or fourteen years, until he took up his abode at Minneapolis, 
 Minnesota. / 
 
 " The Masonic work of Michigan is, substantially, that col- 
 lated and agreed upon at Baltimore, in 1843 ; or rather, as 
 brought home from that body by Bro. E. Smith Lee. The work 
 of Michigan will be found more uniform, and better than that 
 of any other Northwestern State in the Union. 
 
 " She now numbers between ninety and one hundred Lodges, 
 most of which are in a sound condition. Among the old, hon- 
 ored, and reliable standard bearers of the Order in that State, 
 Eow living, are the present G. M., Bro. Levi Cook, Bros. Mul- 
 lett, Canniff, John Stewart, William H. Macomber, A. C. Smith, 
 and Gen. Cass. Among those lately deceased, we call to mind 
 
638 BISTORT OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 Bros. Leonard Weed, E. Smith Lee, and Jeremiah Moorz. The 
 Institution has always exercised a commanding influence in 
 every department of society in Michigan." 
 
 MASONKT IN ILLINOIS. 
 
 Within the last ten years, we have resorted to every means 
 in our power, to obtain sufficient information to enable us to 
 write out the history of Masonry in Illinois. We have written, 
 again and again, to the elder and prominent Masons, who, we 
 supposed, would feel a deep interest in placing upon record 
 the more interesting events connected with the introduction 
 and progress of Masonry in their State ; but now, when the first 
 volume of our work is nearly all stereotyped, we are destitute 
 of a single line in aid of our enterprise. 
 
 Prom vague impressions, we will state that Masonry was sent 
 into Illinois by the Grand Lodges of Kentucky and Indiana, 
 and that, soon after, a Grand Lodge was established, which, 
 for some cause — perhaps, the Morgan excitement — soon went 
 down, and the Lodges suspended theit meetings, until their 
 charters were considered void. During the revival of the 
 Order — ^between 1835 and 1840 — ^many of the members of the 
 disbanded Lodges petitioned the Grand Lodge of Missouri, and 
 obtained charters. These Lodges reported to, and remained 
 members of, the Grand Lodge of Missouri, until about 1839 or 
 1840, when, by permission, they withdrew and formed the 
 present Grand Lodge of Illinois, which now has a greater 
 number of subordinates, and a larger membership than Missouri. 
 
 Having visited a number of Lodges in Illinois, we speak ad- 
 visedly in saying that Masonry there is in the hands of " good 
 men and true ;" and we take pride in embracing this oppor- 
 tunity to bear testimony of their hospitality and brotherly 
 kiadness. 
 
 MASONRY IN FLORIDA. 
 
 We are indebted to Bro. J. B. Taylor for the following his- 
 torical sketch : 
 "Agreeably to notice duly given. Delegates from the following 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 639 
 
 I odges, viz., Jackson Lodge, No. 23, of the city of Tallahassee ; 
 Washington Lodge, No. 1, of Quincy, in the county of Gads- 
 din ; and Harmony Lodge, No. 2, of Marianna, in the county 
 of Jaekson, assembled at the Masonic Hall, in the city of Talla- 
 hassee, on Monday, July 5, A.D. 1830, A.L. 5830, for the 
 purpose of organizing a Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons, 
 for the Territory of Florida. 
 
 "From Jackson Lodge, No. 23, whose charter was granted by 
 the M. W. Grand Lodge of Alabama, in 1826, the following 
 Delegates appeared, viz., Bros. Isham G. Searey, D. M. Sheffield, 
 J. Laudaman, W. P. Duval, R. Butler, R. K. Call, R. Lewis, 
 Lewis Willis, T. Monroe, R. C. Allen, J. P. Duval, R. W. 
 Williams, J. F. Davis, J. Hughes, J. Bryan, B. H. Duval, 
 Thomas Brown, J. G. Ringgold, and W. G. Burgess. 
 
 "From Washington Lodge, Bros. Henry Gee, J. Lines, I. 
 Nathans, J. A. Dunlap, and F. A. Cash. 
 
 " From Harmony Lodge, Bros. James W. Exum, W. J. Wat- 
 son, and J. Robinson. 
 
 " Three regularly constituted Lodges having been duly repre- 
 sented, the Convention was organized by the appointment of 
 Bro. John P. Duval, the oldest Past Master present. President ' 
 of the Convention, and Bro. Thomas Monroe, Secretary. 
 
 " On motion, it was 
 
 "Resolved, That, as the usual number of regularly constituted Lodges of Ancient 
 York Masons, in tliis Territory, are represented in this Convention, the great 
 inconvenience to the Craft, in attending, by Representatives, the annual Grand 
 communications of the respective and several Grand Lodges from whence their 
 charters have been obtained, requires the organization of an Independent Grand 
 Lodge, for the benefit of the Craft in Florida. 
 
 " On motion, it was 
 
 "Seidved, That the Delegates from the respective Lodges shall vote by Lodges, 
 each Lodge casting one vote. 
 
 " On motion, 
 
 "Mesdved, That all Master Masons, in regular standing, resident or sojourning, 
 tore invited to attend the sessions of this Convention. 
 
 " On motion, it was 
 
 "Resolved, That a Committee be appointed by the Prcadent, to draft aConstilii- 
 tton for the Grand Lodge of Florida. 
 
640 HISTORT OF FREEMASONRT. 
 
 " Whereupon, the President was pleased to appoint the follo-??- 
 ing Committee, viz., Bros. Robinson, Searey, Gee, Brown, 
 Exum, Watson, Nathans, Lines, Butler, and Call ; and, on 
 motion, the President and Secretary were added to the Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 " In due time, Bro. Robinson, from the Committee, presented 
 the draft of a Constitution for the Grand Lodge of Florida, 
 which was received, and, after due deliberation, adopted. 
 
 " The Convention then proceeded to the election of the Grand 
 Officers of the Grand Lodge of Florida, when Bros. John P. 
 Duval was elected G. M. ; J. W. Exum, D. G. M.; John Lines, 
 S. G. W. ; Henry Gee, J. G. W. ; Thomas Monroe, G. S. ; I. 
 G. Searey, G. T. ; Peter Gautier, S. G. C. ; Thomas J. Holmes, 
 G. L. ; F. A. Cash, S. G. D. ; Thomas Brown, J. G. D. ; and 
 the M. W. G., M. was pleased to appoint Bros. I. Nathans and 
 D. M. Sheffield, Grand Marshals ; J. Edson and J. Laudaman, 
 Grand Stewards ; and J. Bryan, Grand Tyler ; and, after the 
 ceremony of installation was performed, the Convention was 
 dissolved. 
 
 " On the 7th day of July, the first communication of the Grand 
 Lodge of Florida was duly opened, in ample form, A.D. 1830. 
 
 " On motion, it was 
 
 "Resolved, That the Lodges represented in this Grand Lodge, do return lieir 
 charters to the several Grand Lodges whence they were granted, and that they 
 receive from the Grand Secretary charters from this Grand Lodge. 
 
 " On motion, it was ' 
 
 "Resolved, That the M. W. Grand Master and W. Grand Secretary be requested 
 to address a letter to the M. W. Grand Master of each of the Grand Lodges, 
 whence the respective charters of the several subordinate Lodges, in this Ter- 
 ritory, was obtained, informing them of the organization of this Grand Lodge, 
 and asking fraternal intercourse." 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF THE GRAND CHAPTER OP FLORTOA. 
 
 A meeting of Delegates from the several Royal Arch Chapters 
 in the State of Florida, assembled in the Chauter room of the 
 Masonic Hall, in Tallahassee, on Monday, January 11, A.D. 
 1847, A.I. 2847. 
 
 The Convention was organized by calling Comp. the Hon. 
 
HISTOEY OP FEEEMASONRY. 641 
 
 [gaac H. Bronson, to the Chair, and appointing Dr. John B. 
 Taylor, Secretary. 
 
 The following Chapters were represented by their Delegates, 
 viz.: 
 
 Florida R. A. Chapter, No. 32, by Comps. John P. Duyal, 
 Samuel S. Sibley, and Edward D. Nash. 
 
 Magnolia Chapter, No. 16, by Comp. Samuel W. Carmack. 
 
 Florida R. A. Chapter, No. 4, by Comps. Israel H. Bronson, 
 and Thomas Douglas. 
 
 On motion, a Committee, consisting of Comps. Duval, Car- 
 mack, and Thomas Brown, were appointed to examine and 
 report on credentials. 
 
 The Committee on Credentials reported the following Dele- 
 gates as legally entitled to seats in this Convention, viz. : 
 
 Comps. John P. Duval, Samuel S. Sibley, and Edward E. 
 Nash, from Chapter No. 32 ; Comp. Samuel W. Carmack, from 
 Chapter No. 14 ; Comps. Isaac H. Brown and Thomas Douglas, 
 from Chapter No. 4. 
 
 The following resolution was unanimously adopted : 
 
 Resolved, That all Companions. Royal Arch Masons, members of Royal Arch 
 Chapters, of Florida, in good standing, who may be present at this Cbnveation, 
 be invited and privileged to unite in its deliberations, in Convention and in 
 committees ; provided that none others than Representatives from Chapters shall 
 be entitled to a vote in Convention, and that such vote shall be oast by Chapters. 
 
 The following preamble and resolution was adopted ; 
 
 Whereas, At a .Convention of Royal Arch Masons, held in Tallahassee, on 
 January II, A.D. 1847. A.I. 2847, there were present at said Convention the 
 requisite number of Chapters represented, to form and organize a Grand Royal 
 Arch Chapter for the State of Florida ; therefore 
 
 Resolved, That a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, for the State of Florida, 
 be organized, and that the Chairman appoint a Committee for the purpose of 
 framing a Constitution for the government of said Grand Chapter. 
 
 Whereupon, the Chairman appointed the following Com- 
 panions as said Committee, viz., Comps. Duval, Brown, Sibley, 
 Bartholet, and Shrive ; and Comps. Douglas, Carmack, McCrea, 
 and Bronson, were subsequently added. 
 
 The Commitee on the Constitution reported a Code of Laws 
 which was received, amended, and adopted. 
 
642 HiSTOEr OP feeemasonet. 
 
 The Convention then proceeded to the election of Grand 
 
 Officers, when 
 
 Gomp. the Hon. Thomas Douglas was unanimously elected G. H. P. 
 
 John P. Duval 
 Harry R. Taylor " 
 George W. McCrea 
 John B. Taylor " 
 Edwin D. Nash " 
 Rev. E. L. G. Blake 
 
 D. G. H. P. 
 G. K. 
 
 G.S. 
 G. S. 
 G. T. 
 G. C. 
 
 A-fter other business, the Convention adjourned sine die. 
 
 MASONRT IN IOWA. 
 
 Past G. Master Parvin kindly furnished us the following 
 sketch, in 1853 : 
 
 " On the 20th of November, 1840, E. W. Jacob Bernard, D. 
 G. Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, issued letters of dis- 
 pensation to Hiram C. Bennett, "W". Master (who was a Colonel, 
 and an Aid to Gen. Harrison, at the battle of Tippecanoe, now 
 lieceased) ; William Thompson, S. Warden (since a member of 
 Congress from this State, and W. Master of Mount Pleasant 
 Lodge, No. 8, where he still resides) ; Evan Evans, J. Warden 
 (now a resident of Burlington) ; Gov. Robert Lucas (deceased) ; 
 W. D. McCord and T. S. Parvin (since Grand Masters) ; 
 Chauncy Sivan (then a member of the Legislature, since de- 
 ceased) ; and Thomas Curts, then of Henry, now of Lee county, 
 constituting them into a Lodge named Burlington, in the city of 
 that name, which was changed to Desmoines, when chartered, 
 October 20, 1841. 
 
 " Prior to these dates, however, there was a Lodge styled Ris- 
 ing Sun, No. 12, at Montrose (at the head of the rapids), and 
 Keokuck Lodge, U. D., at Keokuck, working under the jurisdic- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. But, attaching themselves 
 to the Mormon interest, then prevailing in Nauvoo, their letters 
 were revoked in 1843, because of their departure from the Land- 
 marks of the Order. 
 
 " Iowa Lodge, at Bloomington (now Muscatine), was consti- 
 i.oted by letters of dispensation issued by Bro. Bernard to Ansel 
 Humphreys, W. Master (since G. Master) ; John Lilly, S. 
 
 i i 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONRT. 643 
 
 Warden (since deceased) ; B. S. Olds, J. Warden (pow J. G. Wdr- 
 den of the G. Lodge of California) ; Josiah Parvin, T. S. Par- 
 vin, Joseph Williams (Chief Justice of the State), J. C. Day 
 (deceased), Philip Jean, B. P. Howland, S. B. Shortridge, and 
 two or three others, on the 4th of February, 1841, and chartered 
 October 20, 1841. 
 
 "Dubuque Lodge, at Dubuque, was constituted by letters 
 granted October 10, 1842, by P. H. McBride, G. Master of the 
 G. Lodge of Missouri, and chartered October 10, 1843. Their" 
 first officers were Timothy Fanning, W. Master (since G. S. 
 Warden) ; George N. Cummins, S. Warden ; and Narcisse Na- 
 deau, J. Warden ; all still residing in Dubuque. 
 
 " Iowa City Lodge was constituted by letters issued by Bro. 
 McBride, October 10, 1842, and chartered October 10, 1843. 
 William B,eynolds was the first W. Master (now D. G. Master) ; 
 W. S. Snyder, S. Warden (deceased) ; and A. J. Willis, J. War- 
 den (deceased). 
 
 " These four Lodges met in Convention, at Iowa City, on the 
 2nd of January, 1844, and constituted the Grand Lodge of 
 Iowa. 
 
 " The following were the Delegates : 
 
 " Desmoines, No. 1. — J. H. McKenny, proxy for W. Master ; 
 Wesley Janes, proxy for S. Warden ; H; T. Huggins, J. War- 
 den. 
 
 "Iowa, No. 2. — T- S. Parvin, W. Master ; Ansel Humphreys, 
 proxy for S. Warden ; B. S. Olds, proxy for J. Warden. 
 
 " Ansel Humphreys was Chairman, and H. T. Huggins and 
 G. W. Cummins, Secretaries. 
 
 " Bro. Humphreys reported the Constitution (modeled after 
 the old one of Missouri), and Bro. Parvin, the Code of By-Laws. 
 
 " Of these brethren, Bro. Jones is deceased, Bro. Huggins 
 removed to Connecticut, Bro. Hartsock to Louisiana, and 
 Bro. Olds to California ; the rest are still at home. 
 "In 1845, four Lodges were chartered ; in 1846, two Lodges 
 were chartered ; in 1847, three ; in 1848, three ; in 1849, 
 two; in 1850, four; in 1851, six; in 1852, seven; in 1853, 
 five : making, in all, forty Lodges working under the juris- 
 diction of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, numbering near one 
 
644 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 thousand members. Until 1847, its sessions were held at Iowa 
 City, and, since that time, at divers places. 
 
 " This Grand Lodge was the first to form a library, which 
 now embraces all the Masonic books to be procured in this 
 country and England, and all the Masonic periodicals of each. 
 It has a considerable sum at interest, husbanded for educational 
 purposes. 
 
 " The following compose the list of Grand OflBcers from 1844 
 to 1854: 
 
 Grand Master. Deputy Grand, Masia: Grand Secrdary. 
 
 1844, Oliver Cock, Ansel Humphreys, T. S. Parvin. 
 
 1845, " C.H. Booth, " 
 
 1846, G. W. McCleary, J. R. Hartsock " 
 
 1847, Ansel Humphreys, William Reynolds, " 
 
 1848, " W. D. McCord « 
 
 1849, " " " 
 
 1850, W. D. McCord G. S. Hampton, " 
 
 1851, " William Abbey A. Humphreys 
 
 1852, T. S. Parvin, James L. Hogin " 
 
 1853, A. Humphreys, WilUam Reynolds T. S. Parvin. 
 
 " These brethren are all living, and active workmen in our 
 Temple. Bro. Abbey has removed to California." 
 
 We were present in the Grand Lodge of Missouri, when the 
 Delegates from Iowa occupied their seats for the last time, and 
 took affectionate leave of their parent. We shall never forget 
 the profound silence and riveted attention of the members, while 
 a distinguished brother from Iowa was delivering his farewell 
 address. We remember that many eyes were moist with frater- 
 nal sympathy, and doubt not that heart-felt prayers were offered 
 up for the prosperity of Masonry in the " new Territory." We 
 remember that the speaker, in a modest, but confident manner, 
 made the pledge that Iowa Masonry would never disgrace its 
 mother, Missouri ; and truly has that pledge been fulfilled. We 
 dare not say that the Grand Lodge of Iowa has been free from 
 errors, but we do say that it has not been swayed to and fro by 
 every wind of doctrine emanating from modern improvers ; but, 
 endeavoring to intrench itself behind the Ancient Landmarks, 
 it has worshiped only at the same consecrated altar that was set 
 up by our fathers. Long may the light of' Ancient Craft 
 
HISTORY OP PRBEMASONRT. 645 
 
 Masonry continue to burn and glow with fervent heat, until the 
 benign influence of fraternal love shall fill every heart. 
 
 MASONRY IN TEXAS. 
 
 To Bro. Dugald Mac Farlane we are indebted for the follow- 
 ing able and accurate historical detail. Would that every new 
 State had a Mac Farlane to chronicle its Masonic history : 
 
 " The political aspect of Mexico, during the colonial depend- 
 ence of Texas, has been appositely assimilated to the fitful rage of 
 her own volcanoes. Even when the eruption and crash of matter 
 had ceased to exhibit external violence, the internal commotion 
 had been seldom found quiescent. Factions, though suppressed 
 for a while, seemingly exhausted by civil war, would burst 
 forth with redoubled fury on the political arena, from time to 
 time. Blood and carnage mark her progress to the goal of 
 felicitous freedom, if that should ever be her destiny. 
 
 "Two of the most formidable of these parties were each 
 organized under the imposing auspices of Freemasonry, and 
 the time-honored Institution was desecrated to the sanguinary 
 purpose of fraternal warfare. The 'Escoceses' and 'York- 
 inos' * were arrayed against each other on the field of 
 battle. The former were in favor of moderate measures, under 
 a central government, or a constitutional monarchy. The latter 
 were the advocates of republican institutions, and the expulsion 
 of the old Spaniards from the country. Under these circum- 
 stances, the attitude necessarily imposed on the incipient Texas, 
 aa an integral part of the Mexican Republic, had a paralyzing 
 tendency on every effort of internal improvement, and preclud- 
 ed the formal establishment of Masonic Lodges, in such position 
 as the usages of the Craft demanded, wholly independent of 
 political partialities. There was no deficiency of the essential 
 elements to erect the fraternal edifice in our midst ; for here 
 they existed in a greater ratio than could be naturally antici- 
 pated in the appearance of a heterogeneous population, such as 
 
 * The Scotch Rite and Ancient York Masons. 
 
646 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRT. 
 
 the Texas Colonies exhibited, previous to the Revolution and 
 final separation from Mexico, in 1836. 
 
 "The predominant parties of the Republic -were in the 
 balance, as it were ; one in the ascendant to-day--to-morrow 
 the other rose to the apex of power. The following brief 
 sketch of a historical event, will give the reader a clearei* con- 
 ception of the times. It is a part of Mexican history, presumed 
 not entirely unknown to the reader, that the whole population, 
 supposed to be partial to a central government, or a monarchy, 
 constituted a. strong, influential party, at the time organized 
 into a solid corporate phalanx, under the generic appellation 
 of ' El Escoceses ; ' and, by means of affiliated clubs, or 
 Lodges, and the aid of several inflammatory newspapers pub- 
 lished in the capital, were industriously laboring to overthrow 
 the government established by the Constitution of 1824, and 
 supersede it by one suited to their own views. 
 
 " The ' Escoceses,' were originally a Masonic Society, intro- 
 duced into Mexico under Scotch auspices, long anterior to the 
 Revolution, but now transformed, by intriguing aristocrats, 
 into a powerful political engine. This Association spread its 
 ramifications throughout the several States of the Republic, 
 and could number among its members, all who, under the 
 ancient regime, had titles of nobility ; all the Catholic clergy, 
 without exception ; many ambitious military officers ; together 
 with all the native Spaniards of every class. Under the 
 extended influence of such a Briarean Institution as the 
 ' Escoceses,' in such a country as Mexico, where, for a thousand 
 reasons not necessary to be here repeated, political parties, 
 known and acting as such, discriminated from each other by 
 principles conflicting with each other, in support of, or in 
 opposition to, known opinions and tenets, by publicly wielded 
 weapons of argument and persuasion, could not possibly have 
 being, or, at least, efficient action, may be easily estimated. 
 Such an institution, it is plain, must soon beco^ie stronger than 
 the government, and would eventually work its overthrow. 
 The republican party, perceiving the progress of their oppc- 
 nents, resolved to fight the devil with his own fire. A new Masonic 
 Order was, therefore, introduced from the United States of tho 
 
HISTOET OP FEEEMASONEY. 647 
 
 North, under the influential auspices of the American Miniotor, 
 then resident in Mexico, the Hon. Joel B. Poinsett, who kindly 
 undertook to, facilitate the generous and now indispensable 
 project. The new Politico-Masonic engine was soon in active 
 operation. I 
 
 "Lorenzo de Zavala, a native of Yucatan, a man of cultivated 
 attainments, had spent much .of his early life in Europe, amid 
 scientific associations calculated to impart polish and refine- 
 ment to his manners, and give expansive vigor to his under- 
 standing. An ardent, enthusiastic republican became the Grand 
 Master of the new Masonic Society, and leader of the '. Yorkinos.' 
 He declared his object to be the maintenance of ' the national 
 independence, under the federative form, and the promotion of 
 knowledge and virtue among the people.' 
 
 "The success of the ' Yorkinos' seemed to outrun popular 
 confidence, as they suddenly rose to the summit of power, and, 
 for a time, controlled the destinies of the Republic. By the 
 influence of the clergy, the Legislature was corrupted, and the 
 life of Zavala was sought, as the penalty of his temerity. He 
 had been the right arm of the corporate body of the nation, 
 while Santa Anna, affecting republican principles, was its head ; 
 but when that wily Chieftain became Dictator, and that Dictator 
 became a despot, Zavala was exiled, in the reputable character 
 of Minister to France. His credentials had scarcely yet been 
 accredited at the Court of St. Cloud, when he received notice 
 of his recall, under charges of impeachment. He returned to 
 the Mexican territory, but it was in Texas he planted his future 
 residence, where he possessed a large estate, as Empresari*^ of 
 one of its Colonies. In the eventful period of 1835-36, Santa 
 Anna, through his military agent, Gen. Cos, demanded the 
 persons of fifteen proscribed citizens of Texas, who had become 
 obnoxious to the administration of the Dictator, among whom 
 was the once venerated name of the amiable Lorenzo de Zavala. 
 His soul was in unison with those around him, and he boldly 
 appears as a Delegate of the Department of Liberty, and a 
 signer of the Texas ' Declaration of Independence,' almost in 
 the face of his enemies ; for, at this moment, Santa Anna had 
 perpetrated the massacre of the gallant defenders of the Alamo, 
 
648 HISTOBT OF FREEMASONRT. 
 
 at San Antonio de Bexar, under the intrepid Travis. A month 
 hence, and Santa Anna is made a prisoner in view of Zavala's 
 dwelling, at San Jacinto. Among the first persons whom he 
 encountered was the youthful son of the man he so lately sought 
 to immolate.* 
 
 " After reflecting on the above history of Mexican Freema- 
 sonry, the embarrassments of the Texas Craftsmen will be ap- 
 parent. They were, as. an integral part of Mexico, within the 
 jurisdiction of two antagonistic Masonic Societies, claiming 
 a jurisdiction coexistent with the supreme Constitution of 
 the country, forming the very embodiment of the conflicting 
 evils — the curse of this distracted country. Could they apply 
 to either of these Grand bodies — Masonic Lodges they can not 
 be called — for authority to form Lodges in Texas ? The con- 
 scientious brother will at once say. No. For the very elements 
 — the fundamental principles of the Order — are, Peace, Har- 
 mony, Friendship, and Brotherly Love : to subdue the storm of 
 angry passions and allay the turbulence of hostilities. 5ut it 
 may be said. Why did they not apply to some Grand Lodge in 
 the United States, for a warrant of legitimate Masonic authori- 
 ty, to establish Lodges in Texas ? This, too, will appear im- 
 practicable, as it is not consistent with the Constitutions of 
 Masonry, to issue warrants to applicants residing within the 
 jurisdiction of a country where a Grand Lodge is already in 
 existence. 
 
 " In 1829, a number of Masons met at San Filipe de Austin, 
 among whom were Stephen F. Austin, Empresario of the 
 Corony ; Col. Anthony Butler, at one time United States Minister 
 to Mexico ; Thomas M. Duke, Alcalde ; Elias R. Wightman, 
 Surveyor ; Ira Ingram, Esq., R. A. M.; Josiah H. Bele, Esq., and 
 others, from different parts the Colonies. It was determined 
 
 * Santa Anna's exclamation, on seeing young Zavala, then a soldier in our 
 ranks, was, " Oh ! my friend, my frieni ! the son of my early friend ! " embracing 
 the young man with indications of apparent feeling, and dropping o teur. Zavala 
 returned the embrace with a deference due to his former rank and power, but, at 
 the same time, emitting from his countenance an expression of disgust at his 
 dissimulation. Staring Santa Anna full in the face, he merely said, " It hca been 
 so, sir," 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 649 
 
 that the formation of Masonic Lodges in the Colonies was, at 
 this time, alike imprudent and impolitic, and might be detri- 
 mental to the interests and progress of the American emigrant 
 population in Texas, while ' Escoceses ' and ' Yorkinos ' con- 
 tinued to be the war-cry of tne belligerent parties of the nation. 
 
 "To say that indifference, or remission of fraternal duty was 
 prevalent in the Colonies, during the absence of Lodges, would be 
 unjust, and has never been charged against the Craftsmen of 
 Texas. Though far distant from the convulsions of the capital, 
 their effects extended to the remotest parts of the nation. The 
 changes incident to every revolution, only gave new evidences 
 of the instability of the Republican Constitution of 1824 ;. the 
 guarantee of freedom of our rights and privileges, and security 
 of property and life. The American colonists, as a body, 
 observed a strict neutrality on all political questions ; yet there 
 existed a manifest jealousy against the apparent progress and 
 prosperity of the Colonies. But when the political bonds which 
 bound Texas to Mexico were dissolved, and the devastations 
 of war had somewhat subsided, Lodges immediately sprung 
 into existence, free from political trammels, and opposed to 
 that most dangerous tendency of constituent confederations— 
 a central municipal consolidation of power, such as claimed bjf 
 the Grand Lodges of Mexico, and sought by a number of States- 
 men in the United States, in 1820-21, but which, fortunately^ 
 failed — the establishment of a central Masonic power, or 
 General Grand Lodge of the United States of America. 
 
 '• The first Lodges in Texas were : 
 
 " Holland Lodge, No. 1, Houston, originated from the Grand 
 Lodge of Louisiana ; Milam Lodge, No. 2, Nacogdoches, origi- 
 nated from the Grand Lodge of Louisiana ; Mac Farlane 
 Lodge, No. 3, San Augustin, originated from the Grand Lodge 
 of Mississippi ; Temple Lodge, No. 4, Houston, originated from 
 the Grand Lodge of Louisiana ; St. John's Lodge, No. 5, 
 Brazoria, originated from the Grand Lodge of Mississippi. 
 
 "In May, 1838, a Convention of Delegates from the above 
 named Lodges met at Houston, the then seat of government for 
 the Republic of Texas. 
 
 "A Constitution was formed and adopted. May 10, 1838 
 
650 HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Bigned by Anson Jones, Grand Master, and attested by George 
 Fisher, Grand Secretary. 
 
 " Under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of the Republic of 
 Texas, established as already stated, the influence of Freema- 
 sonry extended to every settled sefition of the country. New 
 Lodges were instituted, and the numbers and respectability of 
 the Fraternity increased with astonishing celerity and success. 
 Yet, under the flattering aspect of progress, the improvement 
 of the novitiate was arrested before he had completed the circle 
 of Masonic knowledge. There was something wanting to 
 satisfy the emulous spirit of inquiry ; the appetite was sharp- 
 ened, but not sated, by the traditions of the degrees he had 
 received. They were inconclusive ; he found the remainder 
 had been lopped off, and planted in a sphere beyond his reach ; 
 a barrier was raised, a gully fixed, between the beginning and 
 the ending ; an incongruous break in the chain of events, that 
 seriously affected the concordance of the ' first ' and the ■ last.' 
 
 "The Grand Lodge of Texas, like all others, assumed the 
 Masonic jurisdiction of the Republic, without specifying the 
 limits of its powers, as far as granting warrants to form Lodges 
 of Entered Apprentices, Fellow Crafts, and Master Masons. 
 The last had heard there were other degrees, that were inter- 
 esting developments of those they had taken ; that without 
 them the Masonic character was incomplete. To devise the 
 means of obtaining these degrees, became a matter of grave 
 inquiry and investigation, as Royal Arch Masonry had assumed 
 a peculiar character in the United States, unknown to other 
 parts of the world. The subject, taking into view our political, 
 position, was a matter of profound solicitude and consideration, 
 with the deliberative members of the Fraternity. They knew 
 what was the most general usage on the subject in other parts 
 of the globe, which was the same in the United States, 
 previous to the establishment of ' the General Grand Chapter 
 of the United States of America ' — an arrogant assumption 
 of power by the newly-formed Grand Chapter of New England, 
 unparalleled in Masonic history. Neither were they ignorant 
 that this organization, under Thomas Smith Webb & Co., did 
 not hesitate to go a step further, but remodeled and rearranged 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 651 
 
 iho work of the Chapter degrees, as they are now called, to 
 accommodate their specious' design. It was a bold stroke, 
 followed up with a degree of pertinacious temerity, that made 
 the unsophisticated Companions of the Order quail, to the most 
 remote regions of the country's limits. To call these acts expe- 
 dient innovations, would be but a feeble term to express the 
 reckless removal of Landmarks, and the depression, if not 
 violation, of Ancient Usages, in any other country. They were 
 fully aware, too. that all Eoyal Arch Masons, who did not sub- 
 scribe to the new formula, were proscribed and denounced as 
 clandestine and irregular, by the founders of the said General 
 Grand Chapter, though they themselves were Marked, Passed, 
 Received and Acknowledged, and Exalted, under the same 
 authorities, rule's, rites, and ceremonies as the condemned, and, 
 as all Royal Arch Masons, in Europe, are made at this day. 
 For a Grand Chapter is a body unknown under heaven, except 
 in the United States of America. 
 
 " Tliere appeared on the face of this arbitrary mandate, a want 
 of reciprocal courtesy and fraternal feeling for the Companions 
 of other nations but those of their own affiliation — an apparent 
 selfishness bordering on the despicable, not in character with 
 Masonic benevolence, obliterating, by a sweep of the pen, the 
 noblest and most fascinating feature of the Fraternity. Masonic 
 fellowship, they held, was universal, knowing no East, no West, 
 no South, no North — neither ' Paul nor Apollos ' — acknowledg- 
 ing no metropolitan, no Rome, no Mecca, or Jerusalem. The 
 broad earth alone its location ; the gemmed firmament the spa- 
 cious covering of all. It has no special shrine, caaba, or 
 domicil, to which its votaries must bend the knee, in preference 
 ,to all others. No characteristic restrictions over its benevolence 
 to those who merit its beneficence, except under the Constitu- 
 tion of the General Grand Chapter of the United States of 
 America. 
 
 " They could not but reflect (although, perhaps, for the first 
 time) to what a parsimonious exclusiveness that instrumeit 
 reduced the conceded universality of Masonic action — literally 
 curbing the urbanity of fraternal friendship, association, and 
 charity. The precincts of Royal Arch Masonry were fenced 
 
652 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 tip, as it were, by a ' wall of brass,' where no foreign Com- 
 panion, however meritorious, could enter without advancing a 
 doitceur for admittance ; humbling himself at the threshold, to 
 be healed of a wound he had never felt. From whence came 
 the knowledge these degrees profess to teach ? Prom England 
 and Scotland came all that is known of Ancient Freemasonry 
 in this country, yet a Companion hailing from the halls of 
 York, or the ruins of Kilwinning, is placed, by the adherents 
 of the General Grand Chapter of the United States — a being of 
 yesterday — in the same category with the irregular clandes- 
 tines — or, rather, independents. This is no less true, than it is 
 discreditable to the Fraternity of America. Did not the 
 founders boastingly claim the same origin, the same principles, 
 rites, and ceremonies, say? they are nourished by the same 
 Masonic diet, drink from the same fountain, reared under the 
 same regimen, rules, and regulations, and were exalted to their 
 elevated stations under the auspices of a Master's warrant, 
 which they are now pleased to say is no authority at all ? This 
 no one will have the effrontery to deny. 
 
 "A few Companions, and but few, recommended placing them- 
 selves under the foreign jurisdiction of the General Grand 
 Chapter, a novel Institution, whose legitimacy was doubtful, 
 without a parent or a precedent, entertained by toleration, 
 merely as a problem of expediency. The proposition met a cold 
 reception by the old colonial resident Companions of Texas, 
 who had witnessed the metropolitan action of the ' Escoceses' 
 and ' Yorkinos' Masonry, in the city of Mexico. The refusal of 
 the United States to entertain the applications of Texas for 
 annexation, disposed them to act independently of all foreign 
 influence, in their internal affairs. They knew but one Order 
 of Masons, and that was universally acknowledged in every 
 quarter of the world. 
 
 '•After a mature inquiry and investigation, it was deemed 
 advisable to adopt the most general, and least objectionable 
 usage of Masonry, without incurring foreign allegiance, and 
 pursue the precedents that lay before them, in the United States, 
 before those local municipalities were established. In this their 
 right was inherent, for it is a well known regulation, that ' no 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 653 
 
 man, or body of men, can, of right, make innovations in the 
 body of Masonry.' Under this determination, Comp. Dugald 
 Mac Farlane, with ten or twelve other Companions, Royal Arch 
 Masons, living in and near Matagorda, took upon themselves 
 the initiative step, and proceeded to open a Royal Arch Chap- 
 ter, in connection with Matagorda Lodge, No. 7, of which they 
 were members, by the name of Cyrus Chapter, No. 1, A.D. 
 1838, San Augustine, in the eastern part of Texas, soon fol- 
 lowed their example, and Rising Star, No. 2, appeared in the 
 East, in connection with Mac Farlane Lodge, No. 3. Next, 
 Lone Star Chapter, No. 3, was established in connection with 
 Austin Lodge, No. 12, but, in December, 1841, received a sepa- 
 rate warrant, signed by John A. G-reer, G. Master, and George 
 Fisher, G. Secretary of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 "San Filipe de Austin Chapter was established under a 
 dispensation said to be dated A.D. 1832, at least some time 
 previous to 1835, granted by one of the officers of the General 
 Grand Chapter to Corap. Samuel M. Williams, leaving the 
 remaining blanks for officers of the embryo Chapter to be filled 
 at convenience. This document was never used until after the 
 city of Galveston sprang into existence, eight years afterward. 
 On June 2, 1840, the Chapter of San Filipe de Austin was 
 organized. There being four Royal Arch Chapters in the Re- 
 public — three independent, and one under the authority of the 
 General Grand Chapter of the United States— on October 12, 
 1841, the following notice appeared in the public papers of the 
 day: 
 
 "To the Officers of the several Chapters, and all worthy Royal ^rch 
 Masons in the Republic of Texas: 
 
 " Companions : — In accordance with the wish of many ol the 
 Companions resident in this Republic, expressed by letter, or 
 otherwise, calling for the establishment of a Grand Royal Arch 
 Chapter, for the Republic of Texas, the following preamble and 
 resolutions were adopted at the regular meeting of Lone Star 
 Chapter, No. 3, held in their Lodge room, in the city of Austin, 
 on the evening of the 11th of October. The occasion for which 
 the Convention is called being important, it is hoped that there 
 
054 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 
 
 will be a general attendaBce, and that aU the Chapters in the 
 Republic will be represented. 
 
 "B. Gillespie, H. P. L. S. C. pro tern. 
 
 " Whereas, The Masonic Fraternity, posseBsing within itself all the necessary 
 elements and principles of self-government*, and being founded for the preservst- 
 tion of order, the advancement of the cause of virtue and morality— which is the 
 cause of truth — the uniting of men of every nation and every clime together, by 
 a lasting bond of fraternal love and brotherly regard ; and whereas, in the 
 opinion of the Companions present, the welfare of the Institution would ho better 
 protected, and order and harmony better preserved, by the formation of •% Grand 
 Royal Arch Chapter, for the Republic of Texas, to regulate the proceedings of 
 the various Chapters which are, at present, or may, hereafter, be established 
 within the political boundaries of this Republic ; and whereas, in our opinion, the 
 longer the establishment of a supreme head for the regulation of Royal Arch 
 Masonry in this country be delayed, the greater will be the inconvenience of 
 establishing such organization, for the purpose of carrying out the great funda- 
 mental principles of the Order ; therefore, be it 
 
 "Resolved, 1. That a Convention of Royal Arch Masons be holden in this city, 
 on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in December next, for the purpose 
 of organizing, forming, and establishing a Grand Royal Chapter for the Republic 
 of Texas, and that the Chapters in Galveston, Matagorda, and San Augustine be 
 requested to send, or appoint Delegates to meet like Delegates from this Chapter, 
 in said Convention, and that the Companions generally throughout this Republic 
 be invited to attend. 
 
 "Resolved, 2. That the Secretary be instructed to hav? the foregoing preamble 
 and resolution published in the Austin City Ga2eUe, and th^t all other newspapers 
 throughout the Republic, friendly to the Institution, are requested to copy the 
 same. 
 
 " Lone Star Chapter, No. 3, ) 
 " City of Austin, Oct. 12, A.D. 1841, A.L. 5841. j 
 " I hereby certify the above to be a true copy of the pream- 
 ble and resolutions adopted by the Chapter, at the regular 
 meeting, on the 10th instant, 
 
 " H. "W. Raglin, 
 "Secretary Lone Star Chapter, JVo. 3. 
 " Pursuant to the above notice. Delegates from Cyrus Chapter, 
 No. 1 ; Rising Star Chapter, No. 2 ; Lone Star Chapter, No. 3 ; 
 and San Filipe de Austin Chapter, of Galveston, met at the city 
 of Austin, December IB, 1841. 
 
 " The object of the Convention having been explained, Comp. 
 J. H. Walton, of Galveston, and Delegate from San Filipe de 
 Austin Chapter, was called to the Chair, and Comp. H. W. 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 655 
 
 Raglin, of Lone Star Chapter, No. 3, of Austin, was appointed 
 Secretary. After one week's deliberative labor, a Constitution 
 for the Grand Chapter of the Republic of Texas, was completed. 
 The proceedings were conducted with great unanimity, peace, and 
 harmony, until the election of officers for the incipient Grand Chap- 
 ter. The Delegate from Galveston was not elected to the first 
 office in the Chapter ; and when the Constitution of the new Grand 
 Chapter was presented for his signature, he declined having 
 further connection with it. But still, to do Comp. Walton jus- 
 tice, it is fair to state, that no Companion in the conclave sur- 
 passed him in urbanity, zeal, energy, and Masonic intelligence, 
 during the session, which added much to the harmony and facil- 
 ity with which the business was conducted, and so happily con- 
 summated. The Grand Chapter waS opened December 21, 1841. 
 Barry Gallespie, G. H. Priest. 
 
 "A correspondence with all the Grand Chapters of the 
 United States was immediately instituted, and cordially re- 
 sponded to by a majority of them. Harmony prevailed through- 
 out the jurisdiction, except an occasional refusal of admittance- 
 to a visitor, hailing from some Chapter under the Texas organ- 
 ization, by San Filipe de Austin Chapter, at Galveston. Though, 
 at other times, an exchange of courteous visitation was recipro- 
 cal, leaving it still doubtful what course that Chapter intended 
 to pursue, until the meeting of the General Grand Chapter, in 
 1847, when a garbled statement of the proceedings of the Royal 
 Arch Masons of Texas, was made out by San Filipe de Austin 
 Chapter to that Convocation, which ultimately resulted in thi 
 adoption of the resolutions contained in the accompanying cir- 
 cular, issued by the Grand Chapter of Texas, in January, 1849. 
 
 " In the meantime, several members of the San Filipe de Austin 
 Chapter seceded from that body, and became members of a 
 Chapter under the jurisdiction of the Grand Chapter of Texas. 
 These individuals soon gained distinguished positions in the 
 Grand Chapter, such as Grand Secretary, Grand Lecturer, etc. 
 What influence operated on the minds of the officers, at the date of 
 the circular, it is difficult to determine. But, from the tenor of the 
 accompanying letters, written by the G. H. Priest, and D. G. H. 
 Priest, during the political excitement in favor of annexation, and 
 
656 HISTORY OP FREEMASONEY. 
 
 80 nnanimously adopted as the sentiments of the Grand Chapter, 
 no one would have anticipated such a result. True, most of 
 the older members had retired from the meetings of the G. Chap- 
 ter, after its policy was supposed to be established, and in success- 
 ful operation. The business fell into other hands, possessing more 
 prudence, perhaps, but certainly less of Masonic independence, to 
 shrink from a policy so strongly guaranteed by the principles 
 of Masonry itself It may not, however, be surprising, when 
 it is known that at least three of the Companions, whose names 
 foot the circular, were formerly members of San Filipe de Austin 
 Chapter, of Galveston. Several Chapters have organized under 
 the Constitution of the General Grand Chapter. The writer has 
 not, as yet, identified himself with either of these new establish- 
 ments, and pretends to know nothing of their affairs. Though a 
 Past Grand Officer of the late G. Chapter of Texas, he knew 
 nothing of its intended nullification, until he received the circu- 
 lar of its annihilation. 
 
 " Several of the most strenuous advocates of Masonic inde- 
 pendence in this country, have already paid the debt of nature, 
 most of them holding distinguished stations under the late Re- 
 public of Texas : Barry Gallespie, Esq., P. H. Priest ; Col. An- 
 thony Butler, P. H. Priest ; Gen. Edward Burleson, P. H. Priest ; 
 Moses Johnson, M. D., Treasurer of the Republic, P. H. Priest ; 
 H. W. Raglin and Geo. K. Teulon, died in Calcutta ; Thomas 
 G. Western, Bro. William M. Tryon, Col. WiHiam G. Cook, 
 Thomas J. Hardiman, Adolphus Sterne, and others, so that your 
 humble correspondent almost stands alone, a solitary monument 
 of the past. His locks evince that he, too, is hastening to the 
 bourne where ' the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary 
 are at rest.' " 
 
 MASONRT IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 A Convention of Free and Accepted Masons, of California, 
 delegated by the several Lodges in the State, assembled at the 
 Masonic Hall, in the city of Sacramento, on the 17th day of 
 April, 1850, A.L. 5850, for the purpose of considering the 
 propriety of establishing a Grand Lo^ge for the State. R. W 
 
HISTORY OP FEEBMASONBT. 657 
 
 Charles Gilman, of San Francisco, Past Grand Master of Mary- 
 land, was called to the Chair, and B. D. Hyam, of Beuicia, was 
 appointed Secretary. 
 On motion of Bro. W. N. Doughty, it was 
 
 Resolved, That a Committee of three be appointed to examine the credential! 
 of Delegates from the several Lodges in the State to this Convention, and to 
 ascertain, if possible, the authority in them vested to organize and constitute a 
 Grand Lodge of Free aud Accepted Masons, for the State of California. 
 
 Whereupon, B/os. W. N. Doughty, John A. Tutt, and J. A. 
 Gihon, were appointed said Committee, and reported that 
 three chartered Lodges were duly represented, and two Lodges 
 TJ. D. The Convention then adjourned until three o'clock, P.M. 
 
 April 17, three o'clock, P.M. The Convention assembled, 
 P. G. Master Gilman, presiding. 
 
 Bro. Doughty, from the Committee on Credentials, made the 
 following report : 
 
 " To the Masonic Convention : 
 
 "Brethren: — The Committee appointed this morning, for 
 the purpose of examining the credentials of Representatives to 
 this Convention, respectfully report that they have examined 
 the charters of California Lodge, No. 13, Connecticut Lodge, 
 No. 75, and Western Star Lodge, No. 98, and the dispensation 
 of New Jersey Lodge, together with the credentials of the 
 Representatives of said Lodges, and of the Representatives of 
 Benicia Lodge, and have ascertained the following facts, viz. : 
 
 "The charter of California Lodge, No. 13, authorizes Bros. 
 Levi Stowell, W. Master ; William Van Voorhis, S. Warden ; 
 and B. F. McDonald, J. Warden, to open and hold a Lodge in 
 San Francisco. This charter bears date November 9, A.D. 
 1848, A.L. 5848, and has affixed to it the seal of the Grand 
 Lodge, and the signatures of the Grand Officers of the District 
 of Columbia. In conformity with the authority thus derived, 
 Bro. Stowell opened California Lodge, in the city of San Fran- 
 cisco, in October, 1849, and was elected W. Master on St. 
 John's Day last, which office he still retains. This Lodge is in 
 successful operation, and is duly represented in this Convention 
 by Bros. Charles Gilman, Jonathan D. Stevenson, and John H. 
 
658 HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 Gihon, whose credentials bear the signatures of the officers 
 present at the last meeting of California Lodge. 
 
 " The charter of Connecticut Lodge, No. 76, is dated January 
 31, A.D. 1849, A.L. 5849, and bears the signatures of the 
 Grand Officers, and the seal of the Grand Lodge, of Connecti- 
 cut. 
 
 "It grants full power to Bros. Caleb Penner, W. Master ; 
 James W. Goodrich, S. Warden ; and Elizur Hubbell, J. War- 
 den, to open and continue a Lodge in the Territory of Califor- 
 ' nia. Connecticut Lodge was, therefore, opened in Sacramento 
 City, by Bro. Fenner, on the 8th day of January last, and con- 
 tinues in successful operation. ' Its Representatives to this 
 Convention, legally qualified, are Bros. J. A. Tutt, W. Master ; 
 L. J. Wilder, S. Warden ; and B. B. Gore, J. Warden. 
 
 " The charter of Western Star Lodge, No. 98, was -granted 
 by the Grand Lodge of the State of Missouri, to Bros. Saschel 
 Woods, W. Master ; L. E. Stewart, S. Warden ; and Peter 
 Lasson, J. Warden. It bears date May 10, A.D. 1848, A.L. 
 5848, and has the signatures of the Grand Officers, and the 
 seal of the Grand Lodge, of Missouri affixed. This charter 
 authorizes the brethren named to open and hold a Lodge in 
 Benton City, Upper California. Bro. Woods, accordingly, 
 opened said Lodge, in Benton City, on the 30th of October, 
 1849, and it is now performing Masonic work. Its duly quali- 
 fied Representatives to this Convention are Bros. J. Wilcoxon, 
 T. E. Gray, and C. Clark. 
 
 "The dispensation of New Jersey Lodge bears the seal of 
 the Grand Lodge of the State of New Jersey, and the signature 
 of Edward Steward, Deputy Grand Master of that State, and is 
 dated March 1, A.D. 1849, A.L. 5849. This dispensation 
 authorizes Bros. Thomas Youngs, Moses W. Personett, John B. 
 Clark, and others, to open a Lodge in the Territory of Califor- 
 nia, with power to continue the same, through themselves or 
 their successors, until the next regular communication of the 
 Grand Lodge of New Jersey, or until their charter is granted. 
 Bro. Youngs, named in the dispensation as the first W. Master 
 of the Lodge, authorized thereby to be opened, conveyed the 
 same to Bro. John E. Crockett, and certifies this fact on the 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 659 
 
 oacK of the dispensation. "With the authority thus granted, 
 Bro. Crockett opened New Jersey Lodge in Sacramento City, 
 on the 4th day of December, 1849, and said Lodge is now in 
 active and successful operation. Its legally authorized Repre- 
 sentatives are Bros. W. N. Doughty, W. Master ; Berryman 
 Jennings, S. Warden ; and A. G. Hartt, J. "Warden. 
 
 "Your Committee have also examined the credentials of 
 Bro. B. D. Hyam, properly drawn and certified by Benicia 
 Lodge, located at Benicia, but they have not received either a 
 dispensation or charter, or any other Masonic information of 
 the existence of said Benicia Lodge. 
 
 "All of which is respectfully submitted, 
 
 " W. N. Doughty, ) 
 
 " John A. Tutt, [■ Committee." 
 
 " John H. Gihon, j 
 
 The report being adopted, it was 
 
 Rtsolved, That, in the judgment of this Coavention, California Lodge, No. 13, 
 Connecticut Lodge, No. 75, and Western Star Lodge, No. 98, are legally consti- 
 tuted and chartered Lodges of Free and Accep^^ed Masons ; and that the Repre- 
 seutatives of said Lodges, here present, are duly authorized and qualified to 
 organize and constitate a Grand Lodge of the State of Galiforaia. 
 
 The Convention adjourned until nine o'clock, A.M., to-morrow. 
 April 18, A.L. 5850. The Convention assembled at nine 
 o'clock, A.M., P. G. Master Gilman presiding. 
 At this session, it was 
 
 Resolved, That the Representatives of the several duly warranted Lodges, now 
 in operation in California, and present at this assemblage, proceed to the organi- 
 sation of a Convention, for the formation of a Grand Lodge for the State of 
 California. 
 
 Raolved, That a Committee of five (the presiding officer of this meeting being 
 Chairman thereof) be appointed by the Chair, to draft a Constitution for the 
 Grand Lodge of California. 
 
 "Whereupon, the Chair appointed Bros. Stevenson, Tutt, Gihon, 
 and Gray. 
 
 The Convention adjourned until four o'clock, when they report- 
 ed, in part, a Constitution, and, being allowed further time, the 
 Convention adjourned until nine o'clock to-morrow morning. 
 
 April 19, 1858. The Convention assembled as before. The 
 
660 HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 Constitution was fully adopted ; after which, an election \raa 
 held, which resulted as follows : -- 
 
 Jonathan D. Stevenson, M. W. Grand Master ; 
 
 John A. Tutt, R. W. Deputy G. Master ; 
 
 Caleb Fenner, R. W. S. G. Warden ; 
 
 Saschel Woods, R. W. J. G. Warden ; 
 
 John H. Gihon, R. W. Grand Secretary. 
 The election of the remaining officers being suspended, R. W. 
 Bro. Gilman proceeded to install the G. Master, who then in- 
 stalled the other officers. The Master Masons' Lodge was then 
 closed, and the Convention adjourned sirie die. 
 
 While, in the main, this Grand Lodge was constituted with 
 more than the usual forms, we notice two events, out of the com- 
 mon order of Masonic action : 1. A Lodge U. D., holding under 
 an assignment of said authority, was, for the time, admitted to 
 be a regular Lodge, and afterward received a charter. We have 
 understood that a dispensation or charter is granted to the Mas- 
 ter and two Wardens, they, indeed, jointly forming the Lodge, and 
 without all three are present, no Lodge can be opened. That, so 
 far from the Master having power to assign away the charter, 
 or dispensation, the three officers constituting the Lodge, or 
 authorized to constitute the same, can not, if united, sign away 
 said authority. The dispensation is granted to three brethren, 
 presumed to be known to the Grand Officer to be well-tried, 
 true, and trusty, and because of his full confidence in their abil- 
 ity and willingness to perform the duties assigned them ; but he 
 certainly never contemplates the transfer of his authority to per- 
 sons unknown to him, much less to a single individual to whom 
 neither he himself, nor his Grand Lodge, would have power to 
 grant such authority. 2. The Convention adopted a Constitu- 
 tion for the government of a Grand Lodge, to be afterward or- 
 ganized. We had thought, and still believe, that it is proper 
 first to organize the Grand Lodge, and then adopt laws for its 
 own government. An inferior body can not enact laws for the 
 government of a superior. 
 
 Masonry in California has attracted attention from all classes, 
 who have, at various times, visited the golden region ; and well 
 ■t might, for nowhere, upon the face of earth, has its acts — its 
 
HISTORr OP PREEMASONET. 6C1 
 
 efficient acts, been more fully portrayed. Thousands have re 
 turned from California, blessing the Institution for its benevo- 
 lence to the destitute poor, and the sick and afiQicted. Long 
 may the Masons of that State live to so act, that when, one by 
 one, they pass away to the spirit land, they may behold the rich 
 reward awaiting their deeds of benevolence. 
 
 MASONRY IN KANSAS TBRRITOET. 
 
 We are surprised to find, at this day, when the history of 
 Masonry in this country has been sought for in vain, that new 
 Grand Lodges are being established, without taking steps to 
 preserve an account of the first Lodges. We have examined, 
 the printed proceedings of the original Conventions of two, and 
 then of three Lodges, in Kansas, called for the purpose of estab- 
 lishing a Grand Lodge, but could find nothing to indicate the 
 time or source from which Masonry was planted in that juris- 
 diction. We suppose the Grand Lodge of Missouri sent Ma- 
 sonry into Kansas, but all we know is as follows : 
 
 On November 14, 1855, Bros. W. P. Richardson, from 
 Smithton Lodge, No. 1.40 ; R. R. Reece and A. Payne, of Lodge 
 No. 150 ; met, and on motion of Bro. Reece, Bro. William P. 
 Richardson was called to the Chair. 
 
 Bro. Reece moved, that as Wyandot Lodge was not repre- 
 sented in this Convention, the Convention adjourn to the 27th 
 of December next, with a request that all chartered Lodges in 
 the Territory be then represented. 
 
 December 27, 1855. The Convention met. Present, John 
 W. Smith, W. Master of Smithton Lodge, No. 140 ; R. R. 
 Reece, W. Master of Leavenworth Lodge, No. 150 ; C. P. 
 Harrison, L. J. Eastin, J. J. Clarkson, Geo. W. Purkins, J. B 
 Donaldson and Kaln, M. Masons. 
 
 On motion of Bro. Reece, Bro. J. W. Smith was called to 
 the Chair, and Bro. R. R. Reece appointed Secretary. Bro. 
 Reece offered the following resolution : 
 
 Resolved, That we do now proceed to organize a Grand Lodge for the Terri- 
 tory of Kansas, and that a copy of the proceedings of this Convention be fo» 
 irarded to Wyandot Lodge, No. 153, with a request that they approve of thesf 
 
C62 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 proceedings ; that then the Grand Master-elect be installed, and immediately 
 issue a proclamation, declaring the Grand Lodge fully organized ; which was 
 adopted, and a Committee was appointed to draft a ConstltutioQ andBy-Lawa for 
 the gorerument of said Grand Lodge. 
 
 The Committee made a report, and a Constitution and By- 
 Laws were adopted. 
 
 The Convention adjourned till early candle light, when they 
 met and opened a Grand Lodge, and proceeded to the election 
 of Grand officers, when Bro. R. R. Reece.was elected M. W. 
 G. Master ; J. W. Smith, D. G. Master ; Matthew Walker, S. G. 
 Warden ; D. D. Vanderslice, J. G. Warden; Charles Mundee, 
 ' G. Treasurer ; and C. W. Harrison, G. Secretary. 
 
 Among the foregoing we recognize several of our old friends 
 and brothers, and confess our surprise to find such men and 
 Masons — ^men of a high order of intelligence, and some of them, 
 especially Bro. Reece, well known for his familiarity with the 
 usages of our Order, undertaking to form and establish a Grand 
 Lodge, with only two Lodges represented. We do not say 
 there is no such precedent ; on the contrary, we believe that 
 one of the New England Grand Lodges was so established, 
 but, for the last fifty years, it has been generally conceded 
 that not less than three chartered Lodges could legally establish 
 a Grand Lodge, and we suppose the brethren discovered their 
 error, and hence the proceedings which follow. 
 
 On March 17, 1856, Delegates from all the chartered Lodges 
 met and ratified, or refenacted the previous proceedings, and 
 then opened a Grand Lodge in ample form, when they pro- 
 ceeded to the election of officers, in due form, which resulted 
 in the choice of the same brethren, except that Bro. Beverly 
 Beck was elected G. Treasurer. Whereupon, the Grand 
 Officers were installed by the Masters of the three Lodges. We 
 say, then, that this Grand Lodge was established on March 17, 
 A.D. 1856, A.L. 5856. 
 
 MASONRY IN NEBRASKA TBRRITORT. \ 
 
 At a Convention held in Omaha, September 13, 1857, it 
 was 
 
 Sesolved, That we deem it highly expedient to organize a Grand Lodge for this 
 Territory, and that the following order of proceeding be observed to that end, 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRY. 663 
 
 riz., that a Lodge of Master Masons bo opened in due form, the Master of the 
 oldest Lodge present presiding ; that the charters of the Lodges represented, and 
 the credentials of the Representatives, be presented and acted upon ; the election 
 of officers, and the installation of the officers-elect. 
 
 Whereupon, a Lodge of Master Masons was duly opened, 
 Bro. David Lindley presiding (Bro. B. L. Kinney waiving his 
 right), . R, 0. Jordan acting as S. Warden, and- Bro. L. L. 
 Bowen, J. Warden. 
 
 Prayer by J. M. Chevington. 
 
 A Committee having been appointed, made the following 
 report : 
 
 "The Committee appointed to examine the charters of 
 
 Lodges, claiming to be represented in this Convention, and the 
 
 credentials of Representatives under the same, have had the 
 
 . subject under advisement, and respectfully beg leave to report 
 
 the following Lodges duly chartered and represented : 
 
 "Nebraska Lodge, No. 184, at Bellevue, Sarpy county, 
 chartered by the M. W. Grand Lodge of Illinois, October 3, 
 1855, and represented by Bro. L. B. Kinney, W. Master ;,L. 
 L. Bowen, S. Warden ; and J. A. Nye, J. Warden. 
 
 " Griddings Lodge, No. 156, at Nebraska. City, Otoe county, 
 chartered May 28, 1856, by the M. W. Grand Lodge of Mis- 
 souri, and represented by Bros. David Lindley, W. Master ; H. 
 N. Cornell, S. Warden ; and William Anderson, J. Warden. 
 
 " Capital Lodge, No. 101, at Omaha City, Douglas county, 
 chartered June 3, 1857, by the M. W. Grand Lodge of Iowa, 
 and represented by Bros. George Armstrong, W. Master ; C. 
 W. Hamilton, S. Warden ; and R. C. Jordan, J. Warden. 
 
 " Your Committee, therefore, beg leave to report the follow- 
 ing resolution : 
 
 "Resolved, That the brethren heretofore named, are entitled to seats in this 
 Grand Lodge here to be formed. 
 
 "L. L. BoWEN, 
 
 "R. C. Jordan, 
 "H. N. Cornell.". 
 This report was adopted, and it was 
 
 Resolved, That officers for the Grand Lodge be now elected. 
 Thereupon, the following were chosen, viz., R. C. Jordan, 
 Grand Master ; L. L. Bowen, Deputy Grand Master ; David 
 
664 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 Lindley, S. Grand Warden ; L. B. Kinney, J. Grand Warden ; 
 William Anderson, Grand Treasurer ; George Armstrong. 
 Grand Secretary ; H. N. Cornell, Grand Marshal ; J. M. 
 Chevington, Grand Chaplain ; C. W. Hamilton, S. Grand 
 Deacon ; J. A. Nye, J. Grand Deacon ; and J. P. Manning, 
 Grand Tyler. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of Nebraska was then declared duly 
 organized, after the installation of the Grand Officers, by JBro. 
 J. A. W. Buck, of Illinois. 
 
 Thus have the brethren of Nebraska, by a few strokes of the 
 pen, left upon record the source from which Masonry in that 
 jurisdiction took its origin. 
 
 Had the Grand Lodges in the United States done thia much, 
 and no more, how easily could we collate a history of the 
 Order in this country. 
 
 MASONRY IN OREGON. 
 
 We do not know what Grand Lodge first sent a Lodge into 
 this Terr'tory, but, early in 1853, there were chartered Lodges 
 enough to form a Grand Lodge for that jurisdiction, which wa,3 
 legally done ; and, in June of that year, the following Grand 
 Officers were elected : 
 
 M. W. John Elliot, Grand Master ; R. W. J. C. Ainsworth, 
 D. G. Master ; R. W. A. M. Belt, S. G. Warden ; R. W. A. W, 
 Ferguson, J. G. Warden ; W. Robert Thompson, G. Treasurer ; 
 W. Benjamin Stark, G. Secretary, 
 
 MASONRY IN MINNESOTA. 
 
 Lodges were first established in Minnesota, in 1850. In 
 1853, three Lodges united and formed the Grand Lodge of 
 Minnesota. 
 
 At the Grand communication in January, 1857, there were 
 nineteen subordinate Lodges, and though but little more than 
 3ix years had elapsed since the first Lodge was established in 
 the Territory, they were erecting a Grand Masonic Hall, at a 
 cost of fifty thousand dollars — the stock held in shares of fifty 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 665 
 
 dollars each, by the brethren. When the corner-stone was 
 being laid, they were offered nine thousand five hundred dollars 
 vent, per annum, for that portion of the building designed to 
 be let. Our old friend. Grand Master Pierson, in his address, 
 speaks thus of Masonry in that jurisdiction : 
 
 " Our jurisdiction is one where the principles of Masonry 
 are subject to the severest tests, particularly that portion which 
 teaches us to do to others as we would they should do to us. 
 A new country rapidly filling up with immigration from every 
 State in this confederacy, and every nation in the civilized 
 world — towns springing up throughout its length and breadth, 
 like Jonah's gourd, in a night — claims, imperfectly made, 
 suddenly becoming valuable— rivalry as to locations of county- 
 sites, and the division of counties, pecuniary interests clashing 
 everywhere — brethren, and so many of them, in every county 
 and township — ^is it not wonderful, that, with such conflicting 
 interests in our Territory, dissensions, envy, and malice, should 
 not enter and control our Lodges ? No, 'tis not wonderful ; 
 for where the principles of Masonry are practiced, no dissen- 
 sions, discord, envy, or malice can enter ; all must, of necessity, 
 be peace, harmony, union. What other human Institution pre- 
 sents to the world such a picture ? " 
 
OHAPTER XXXVIIT 
 
 EOTAL AKCH MASONRY. 
 
 It is admitted, on all hands, that, originally, Freemasonry 
 consisted of three degrees only, and we suppose it will be gen- 
 erally admitted (except by the lovers of the various modern 
 rites), that Freemasonry was originally a system, complete in 
 itself ; but every Master Mason knows that the three degrees, 
 as now given, so far from constituting a beautiful whole, abso- 
 lutely leaves the recipient in doubt as to what its true teachings 
 are. It is held that thfere is nothing in our rituals inconsistent 
 with common sense ; on the contrary, that each and all its parts, 
 separately and together, not only teach solemn and important 
 truths, but are so symmetrical and complete, as to carry convic- 
 tion of their truth and sublimity to the ihinds of all. Such, we 
 apprehend, is absolutely true of Freemasonry ; and it follows, 
 that great violence has been done, and innovations perpetrated, 
 which it becomes all important to trace out and expose. An im- 
 pression has very generally prevailed, that somehow, not now 
 known, the Holy Royal Arch always constituted a part and par- 
 cel of the Master's degree, and though this is untrue, in the 
 sense generally used, we apprehend it is true that the teachings 
 of the now Royal Arch degree did, and, of right, does now, 
 belong to the Master's degree. We shall proceed to detail some 
 , facts, and present our deductions, which, doubtless, are destined 
 to startle, if they do not offend, nearly all Royal Arch Masons of 
 the present day". We beg to remind the reader that Dr. Anderson 
 has been, is, and must continue to be regarded the first and most 
 reliable historian of our Order. Previous to the reorganization 
 of Masonry in the South of England, in 1717, no reliable history 
 of our Order had been published, and the few manuscripts ther 
 in being, were secretly preserved, as inadmissible to the inspec- 
 tion of the profane. Under instructions from the Grand Lodg^ 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 667 
 
 Bro. Anderson collated, from all accessible sources, the most 
 important and interesting facts, in relation to the history and 
 teachings of Freemasonry ; and would it not be doing Bro. 
 Anderson and the Grand Lodge of England the greatest injustice; 
 to charge that Masonry then consisted of four degrees, and he 
 liad failed to notice more than three ? We say that such a charge 
 would appear absolutely ridiculous, in view of the fact, that 
 neither Bro. Anderson nor the Grand Lodge of England could 
 have had any good reason for suppressing so important and in- 
 teresting a fact. We say, then, that at the time Anderson wrote, 
 yea, more, at the time of his second edition, in 1738, the Holy 
 Royal Arch degree was not known, either in England or else- 
 where. 
 
 Having stated that Ma;sonry is a system of ethics, perfect in 
 itself, and seeing that the three degrees, as now given, do not 
 constitute a perfect system without the addition of the Royal 
 Arch, and, in America, the further addition of the Royal and 
 Select degrees, we are driven to the conclusion that down to the 
 middle of the eighteenth century, all the history, all the impor- 
 tant instructions, now given in the Royal Arch and appendant 
 degrees, were given in the third or Master's degree. The truth, 
 as we understand it, is, that down to the reign of Charles IL, 
 the third degree was divided into six sections — the Most Excel- 
 lent Master, Royal Master, Select Master, Super-Excellent Mas- 
 ter, and Royal Arch. We do not mean to say that a ritual was 
 attached to each of these sections ; on the contrary, we suppose 
 they constituted a historical lecture, explaining, not only the 
 ceremony of the degree, but the origin, objects, and ends of 
 Freemasonry, without which, no one can understand and appre- 
 ciate the third degree, nor, indeed. Freemasonry as a system. 
 
 When we come to speak of Scotch Rite Masonry, Ancient 
 and Accepted, we shall attempt to show, that Chevalier 
 Ramsey, a Scotch nobleman, on his visit to France, about 1740, 
 subdivided the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry : that he 
 took off most of the sections of the Masters degree, concocting 
 for each a separate ritual, and thus instituted the Royal Arch 
 degree, together with some twenty-one others. Ramsey was, 
 therefore, the author of the degree of " Royal Arcn "—of the 
 
668 BISTORT OP FEEEMA80NRT. 
 
 " Grand Architect "—of the " Burning Bush," etc., etc. The 
 " Scotchman's Rite Masonry," or Ineffable degrees, were prac- 
 ticed on the Continent, some years before they were taken 
 across the Channel. 
 
 Dr. Oliver tells us that, about this time, Ramsey visited 
 England, and, soon after, the Grand Lodge of indent Masons, 
 Lawrence Dermott's bantling, publicly proclaimed that true 
 Ancient Masonry consisted of four degrees, which were all in 
 possession of said Grand Lodge ; while the Grand Lodge of 
 England, which he had the impudence to pronounce Modem 
 Masonry, knew and practiced but three degrees. Dr. Oliver 
 does not tell us at what particular period Ramsey made this 
 visit ; but, as the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons was not 
 established until 1753, it follows that the subdivision of the 
 third degree was not introduced into England until after that 
 period. Ramsey declared the Royal Arch degree to be " the 
 ne pltLs ultra of Masonry." Dermott styled the Royal Arch to 
 be " the summit and perfection of Ancient Masonry." A letter 
 from a brother in England, dated 1763, addressed tathe Pro- 
 vincial Grand Master, in Frankfort-on-the-Main, contains the 
 following passage : " I have instituted the necessary inquiries, 
 in order to receive and become acquainted with the Scottish 
 degree in use in England. It is the same which resembles the 
 Royal Arch, as it is called by the French, and has been known 
 in France since the time of the establishment of the Scottish 
 regiment Agilvy, in the year 1746.* From the foregoing, it 
 will be seen that the Royal Arch degree had been adopted by 
 Dermott's Grand Lodge, between 1753 and 1763 ; and here we 
 have the commencement of innovations into the body of Mason 
 ry in England ; and as, soon after, the third Duke of Athol was 
 induced to consent to be announced Grand Master of Dermott's 
 Grand Lodge, it sent Masonry to the United States, and, along 
 with it, Dermott's Ahiman Rezon. It is easy to see how this 
 important innovation was introduced here. Dermott did not 
 adopt Ramsey's Royal Arch without modifications, and, hence, 
 the degree in the United States never was precisely the same 
 
 > Kloss. 
 
HISTORY OP PEEEMASONRT. 669 
 
 as the French Royal Arch, as given in the Scotch Rite. In 
 1755, the Grand Lodge of England adopted some stringent 
 measures against the spurious Grand Lodge, because of somo 
 startling innovations, practiced by that Grand body, which, 
 doubtless, had reference to the introduction of the fourth degree 
 in Masonry ; and yet, as early as 1777, we have evidence that 
 the Grand Lodge of England had adopted that innovation, as 
 the calendar, published under the sanction of the Grand Lodge, 
 indicated the days of meeting of the Royal Arch Chapters, in 
 addition to the working days of the Lodges, holding a warrant 
 to confer the Royal Arch. From this period. Masonry in Eng- 
 land fell from its long line of purity. The introduction of one 
 departure from the Landmarks set by their forefathers, laid the 
 foundation for others, and plain old English Masonry then, and 
 now, can be found alone in Scotland, where, to her eternal 
 honor be it said, not even the fascinating name of Scotch Rite 
 Masonry, was capable of corrupting the councils of the Grand 
 Lodge. Long, long may Kilwinning Masonry, untrammeled 
 by, and uncontaminated with, the daring schemes of unblushing 
 innovators, continue in its primitive simplicity and purity, to 
 honor the heads and cheer the hearts of Scotia's Sons of Light. 
 Prance scarcely knew what Frpemasonry was before she yielded 
 its proud standard to a system of gewgaws. America is but a 
 step behind, and bids are being made and threats fulminated, 
 which, if regarded as foreshadowing coming events, but too 
 truly indicate the downfall of Ancient Craft Masonry here. 
 But no, we will not believe the Temple of our fathers is destined 
 to be sacked and destroyed, to furnish golden ornaments to the 
 house of Baal's worshipers ! 
 
 In 1787, Ramsey's Royal Arch, in its purity, was planted in 
 England, under the name of Chapter of Harodim. It was sup- 
 ported by members of the English Royal Arch, and soon led to 
 the establishment of the Grand Chapter of Harodim ; and 
 Ramsey's Rose Croix, by the name of Knights Templar, soon 
 followed. The Grand Chapter of England was established in 
 1779. At the union of the two Grand Lodges, in 1813, Royal 
 A.rch Masonry, and the legal existence of Chapters, were owned 
 and acknowledged. Dr. Oliver says the Royal Arch degree 
 
670 HISTORY OP PKEEMASONRT. 
 
 was brought to America in 1764, by Stephen Morin, who had 
 previously received it in England, which, we think, is wholly 
 improbable ; first, because we have no evidence that Morin 
 received any degrees in England, and, moreover, he had no use 
 for any other Royal Arch degree than that which belonged to 
 Scotch Rite, specially intrusted to his care for American use ; 
 he had, and did plant the French Royal Arch here in Chapters 
 of Harodim, but the Royal Arch Masonry attached to Blue 
 Lodges, evidently came from Dermott, and this is the Royal 
 Arch Masonry now of our Chapters. The first Chapter of 
 Royal Arch Masonry established in the United States, was in 
 1758, by authority granted to a Blue Lodge by the Grand 
 Lodge of Pennsylvania, from which it will appear reasonable to 
 suppose that Dermott's Grand Lodge adopted the fourth degree 
 at the time, or soon after its organization. In America, Mark 
 Lodges were established in almost any Master'is Lodge, asking 
 said authority from their Grand Lodge, and this was extremely 
 proper, because, in all the Lodges planted by Dermott, the 
 Fellow Craft degree was shorn of its beauty and usefulness, 
 and the Mark became necessary to complete it. 
 
 We have frequently spoken of Lawrence Dermott as a most 
 unblushing and successful innovator. We have no evidence 
 that, down to his time, any man ever dared to tamper with the 
 regular degrees in Masonry, and, certainly, no one else was ever 
 so successfully backed by a clandestine body of Masons. There 
 was a period (and this, too, while he was an expelled Mason) 
 when Lawrence Dermott dictated, in efi'ect, to half of England, and 
 the whole of Ireland, Scotland, and America. Having succeeded 
 ^ in getting the third Duke of Athol to preside nominally over his 
 spurious and clandestine Grand Lodge, and himself first chosen 
 as Grand Secretary, and, lastly. Deputy Grand Master, he was 
 enabled to produce more mischief than had ever been attempted 
 by any other man. While Grand Secretary, he concocted his 
 innovations, and prepared his new code of laws, and when he 
 became Deputy Grand Master, he was clothed with authority to 
 enforce all his instructions, for, be it remembered, that the 
 Grand Master then had but little to do with the management 
 of the Grand Lodge. Kings and princes were most generally 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 671 
 
 Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of England, but, in truth 
 they were only nominally so, for their Deputies attended to all 
 the concerns of Masonry. Dermott secretly corresponded with 
 -the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland, and produced the 
 impression with each, that the Grand Lodge of England was 
 composed of modern innovators in Masonry, and that hia 
 Grand Lodge was what its name imported, " The Grand Lodge 
 of Jlncient Masonry," and that this impression might, if possible, 
 be made universal, he wrote and published, in each edition of his 
 Ahiman Rezon, a tirade of abuse and misrepresentation against 
 the Grand Lodge of England, and some of its distinguished 
 members. There has, at all times, been a desire with all good 
 Masons to preserve, unsullied. Ancient Craft Masonry, and, 
 added to the influence used by Derraott, the very name of his 
 Grand Lodge led many astray, and though the falsehoods of this 
 man were made known to the Grand Lodges of Ireland and 
 Scotland, and they again resumed their correspondence with, and 
 confidence in, the Grand Lodge of England, Dermott's influence 
 continued to deceive the Masons in the United States, and, even 
 to this day, some Masonic writers in this country continue to 
 quote him as authority. 
 
 We shall attempt to show that Lawrence Dermott first sepa- 
 rated the Royal Arch degree from Blue Lodges, by forming for 
 it a separate organization ; and as it is important that the 
 character of this i_an should be better known than it seems to 
 be in the United States, we transfer to our pages one of his 
 slanderous articles, written sixty-one years after the organiza- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge of England. And when we remember 
 the untarnished character and elevated standing of the noble 
 spirits who came forward in 1717 (thirty-one years before Der- 
 mott was made a Mason), and, by their united and noble effort, 
 snatched the Institution from impending decay and ruin, we 
 shall be able to appreciate the true character of the man, who, 
 as late as 1848, was quoted from by the conductor of the oldest 
 Masonic magazine in the United States, who spoke of him as the 
 Deputy Grand Master of Masons in England, in 1772. 
 
 After giving the following, which we extract from Dermott's 
 Ahiman Rezon (Thomas Harper's London edition of 1801), wo 
 
672 HISTOEY OP PEEEMASONB'*' 
 
 shall proceed to extract from the sama dooE, an account of the 
 origin of separate Chapters, and Grand Chapters of Royal 
 Arch Masons : 
 
 " Having taken my leave of strangers, I now beg leave to 
 address myself to the gentlemen of the most ancient and honor- 
 able Fraternity : 
 
 " Gentlemen and Brethren : — Several eminent Craftsmen 
 residing in Scotland, Ireland, America, and at other parts, both 
 abroad and at home, have greatly importuned me to give them 
 some account of what is called Modern Masonry, in London. I 
 can not be displeased with such importunities, because I had the 
 like curiosity myself in 1748, when I was first introduced into 
 that Society. However, before I proceed any further concern- 
 ing the difference between Ancient and Modern, I think it my 
 duty to declare solemnly, before God and man, that I have not 
 the least antipathy against the gentlemen, members of the 
 Modern Society ;* but, on the contrary, love and respect many 
 of them, because I have found the generality to be worthy of 
 receiving every blessing that good men can ask, or heaven be- 
 stow. I hope that this declaration will acquit me of any design 
 of giving offense, especially if the following queries and answers 
 be rightly considered : 
 
 " Query 1. — Whether Freemasonry, as practiced in ancient 
 Lodges, is universal ? 
 
 " Answer. — Yes. 
 
 " Query 2.— Whether what is called Masonry is universal ? 
 
 " Jim.— So. 
 
 " Query 3. — Whether there is any material difference oetween 
 the Ancient and Modern ? 
 
 " Ans. — A great deal ; because an Ancient Mason can not only 
 
 • "Sucb was my declaration in the second edition of this book ; nevertheless, 
 some of the Modern Society have been extremely warm of late. Not satisfied with 
 saying the Ancient Masons in England had no Grand Master, some of them de- 
 scended BO far from truth, as to report that the author had forged the Grand Mas- 
 ter's handwriting to Masonic warrants, etc. Upon application. His Grace, the 
 Moat Noble Prince John, Duke of Athol, our present Right Worshipful Grand 
 Master's father, avowed His Grace's handwriting, supported the Ancient Crift, 
 »nd vindicated the author in the public newspapers." 
 
HISTORY OP TEBEMASONBT. 678 
 
 * 
 
 make himself known to his brother, but, in case of necessity, can 
 discover his very thoughts to him in the presence of a Modern, 
 without Tseing able to distinguish that either of them are Free- 
 masons.* 
 
 Qiiery 4. — Whether a Modem Mason may, with safety, commu- 
 nicate all his secrets to an Ancient Mason ? 
 
 " ^ns.— Yes. 
 
 "Query 5. — Whether an Ancient Mason may, with the like 
 safety, communicate all his secrets to a Modern Mason, without 
 further ceremony ? 
 
 "^ns. — No ; for as a science comprehends an art, though an 
 art can not comprehend a science : even so Ancient Masonry 
 contains every thing valuable .among the Moderns, as well as 
 many other things that can not be revealed without additonal 
 ceremonies. 
 
 "Query 6. — Whether a person made in a Modern manner, and 
 not after the Ancient custom of the Craft, has a right to ba 
 called Free and Accepted, according to the intent and meaning 
 of the words ? 
 
 "Arts. — ^His being unqualified to appear in a Master's Lodge, 
 according to the universal system of Masonry, renders the ap- 
 pellation improper. 
 
 "Qfiery 7. — Whether it is possible to initiate or introduce a 
 Modern Mason into the Royal Arch Lodge (the very essence 
 of Masonry), without making him go throug'h the Ancient cere- 
 monies ? 
 
 "As.— No. 
 
 "Query 8. — Whether the present members of Modern Lodges 
 are blamable for deviating so much from the old Landmarks ? 
 
 "Am. — No ; because the innovation was made in the reign of 
 King George I.,t and the new form was delivered as orthodox 
 to fte present members. 
 
 "Query 9. — Therefore, as it is natural for each party to main- 
 tain the orthodoxy of their Masonic preceptors, how shall we 
 distinguish the original and most useful system ? 
 
 * " See Locke's letter, with notes, annexed to this book.'' 
 t Anthony Sayer, the first Grand Master of Modern Masons, assumed the Grand 
 Mastership on June 24, 1717. 
 
674 HISTORY OP FEEEMASONET. 
 
 "^ns. — The number of Ancient Masons abroad, compared 
 with the Moderns, prove the universality of the old Order, and 
 the utility thereot appears, by the love and respect shown to 
 the brethren, in consequence of their superior abilities in con- 
 versing with, and distinguishing the Masons of all countries 
 and denominations, a circumstance peculiar to Ancient Masons. 
 
 " I am so well acquainted with the truth of what I have just 
 
 now asserted, that I am not in the least apprehensive of being 
 
 j contradicted. But if any person should hereafter la,bor under 
 
 I the spirit of opposition, I shall, even then, be contented, as I 
 
 am sure of having the majority on my side. 
 
 " Therefore, in order to satisfy the importunity of my good 
 brethren, particularly the Right Worshipful and very worthy 
 Freemasons of America, who, for their charitable disposition, 
 prudent choice of members, and good conduct in general, 
 deserve the unanimous thanks and applause of the Masonic 
 world, be it known, that the innovation already mentioned 
 originated on the defection of Grand Master, Sir Christopher 
 Wren, who, as Dr. Anderson says, neglected the Lodges. The 
 Doctor's assertion is certainly true, and I will endeavor to do 
 justice to the memory of Sir Christopher, by relating the real 
 cause of such neglect. The famous Sir Christopher Wren, 
 Knight, Master of Arts, formerly of Wadham College, Professor 
 of Astronomy at Gresham and Oxford, Doctor of the Civil 
 Law, President of the Royal Society, Grand Master of the most 
 Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sons, Architect to the Crown, who built most of the churches 
 in London, laid the first stone of the glorious Cathedral of St. 
 Paul, and lived to finish it, having served the Crown upward 
 of fifty years, was, at the age of ninety, displaced from employ- 
 ment, in favor of Mr. William Benson, who was made Surveyor 
 of the Buildings, etc., to His Majesty King George I. The first 
 specimen of Mr. Benson's skill in architecture, was a report 
 made to the House of Lords, that their house and the Painted 
 Chamber adjoining, were in immediate danger of falling , 
 whereupon, the Lords met in a Committee, to appoint some 
 other place to sit in. while the house should be taken down; but 
 it being proposed to cause some other builders first to inspect 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 676 
 
 it, they found it in very good condition. The Lords upon this, 
 were going, upon an address to the King, against the modern 
 architect, for such a misrepresentation ; but the Earl of Sunder- 
 land then Secretary, gave them an assurance that His Majesty 
 would remove him. 
 
 " Such usage, added to Sir Christopher's great age, was more 
 • than enough to make him decline all public assemblies ; and 
 the Master Masons, then in London, were so disgusted at the 
 treatment of their old and excellent Grand Master, that they 
 would not meet nor hold any communication under the sanction 
 of his successor, Mr. Benson ; in short, the brethren were struck 
 with a lethargy which seemed to threaten the London Lodges 
 with a final dissolution. 
 
 "Notwithstanding this state of inactivity in London, the 
 Lodges in the country, particularly in Scotland, and at York, 
 as well as those in Ireland, kept up their ancient formalities, 
 customs, and usages, without alteration, adding, or diminishing, 
 to this hour, from whence they may justly be called the most 
 Ancient, etc. 
 
 "About the year 1717, some joyous companions,* who had 
 passed the degree of a Craft, though very rusty, resolved to 
 form a Lodge for themselves, in order, by conversation," to 
 recollect what had been formerly dictated to them ,; or, if that 
 should be found impracticable, to substitute something new, 
 which might, for the future, pass for Masonry among themselves. 
 A-t this meeting, the question was asked, whether any person in 
 the assembly knew the Master's part ; and, being answered in 
 the negative, it was resolved, nem. am., that the deficiency 
 should be made up with a new composition, and what fragments 
 
 * " Bro. Grinsell, a man of great veracity (elder brother of the celebrated 
 James Quin, Esq.), informed his Lodge, No. 3, in London (in 1753), that eight 
 persons, whose names were Desaguliers, Goston, King, Calvert, Lumley, Madden, 
 De Noyer, and Vraden, were the geniuses to whom the world is indebted for the 
 memorable invention of Modem Masonry. 
 
 " Mr. Grinsell often told the author, that he (Grinsell) was a Freemason before 
 Modern Masonry was known. Nor is this to be doubted, when we consider Mr. 
 Grinsell was an apprentice to a weaver in Dublin, when his mother was married 
 to Mr. Qnin's father, and that Mr. Quia himself was seventy-three years old when 
 he died, in 1766." 
 
'676 HISTORY OP PEEEMASONET. 
 
 of the old Order found among them, should b(( immediately 
 reformed, and made more pliable to the humors of the people. 
 It was thought expedient to abolish the old custom of studying 
 geometry in the Lodge, and some of the younger brethren made 
 it plainly appear that a good knife and fork, in the hands of a 
 dexterous brother, orer proper materials, would give greater 
 satisfaction, and add more to the conviviality of the Lodge, 
 than the best scale and compass in Europe. There "was another 
 old custom that gave umbrage to the young architects; that 
 was the wearing of aprons, which made thp gentlemen look like 
 so many mechanics ; therefore, it was proposed, that no brother, 
 for the future, should wear an apron. This proposal was 
 rejected by the oldest members, who declared that the aprons 
 were all the signs of Masonry then remaining among them, andj 
 for that reason, they would keep and wear them. 
 
 " Several whimsical modes were proposed, some of ivhich 
 were adopted, the absurdity of them being such, I shall decline 
 inserting them here. After many years observation, a form of 
 walking was adopted, actually ridiculous. I conclude, that the 
 first was invented by a man grievously afHicted with the 
 sciatica ; the second, by a sailor, much accustomed to the rolling 
 of a ship ; and the third, by a man who, for recreation, or 
 through excess of strong liquors, was wont to dance the drunken 
 peasant. Among other things, they seized on the stone-masons' 
 arms, which that good-natured Company has permitted them to 
 wear to this day.* 
 
 "I have the greatest veneration for implements truly em- 
 blematical, or useful in refining our moral notions, and I am 
 well convinced that the custom and use of them in Lodges are 
 both ancient and instructive ; but, at the same time, I abhor 
 
 ' " The Operative Masons are the thirtieth Company in London ; they have a 
 hall in Basinghall street ; the number of liyerymen about seventy-nine ; admis- 
 sion fine, one pound sixteen shillings ; and livery fine, five pounds. They were 
 originally incorporated in the year 1410,'by the name and style of the Sncietyof 
 Freemasons , and William Hanlistow, or Hankistow, Clarenoieux King-at-Arms. 
 In the year 1477, granted them their arms. Modern Masons have assumed theii 
 title. The said Company is the only Society in the kingdom vrho have a right to 
 <he name of Freemasons of England. Nor did the Accepted Masons of old ever 
 claim such a title ; all they assumed, was that of Free and Accepted Masons." 
 
BISTORT OF PBEEMABONRY. 67T 
 
 and detest the unconstitutional fopperies of eunnitag, avaricious 
 trad'esnien, invented and introduced among the Moderns with 
 no other design but to extract large sums of money, which 
 ought to be applied to more noble and charitable uses. There 
 is now in Wapping, a large piece of iron scroll-work, orna- 
 mented with foliage, etc., painted and gilt, the whole at an 
 incredible expense, and placed before the Master's chair,, with a 
 gigantic sword fixed therein, during the communication of tlj« 
 members, a thing contrary to all the private and public rules 
 of Masonry, all implements of war and bloodshed being confined 
 to the Lodge door, from the day that the flaming sword was 
 placed in the Bast end of the Garden of Eden, to the day that 
 the sagacious Modern placed his grand sword of State in the 
 midst of his Lodge. Nor is it uncommon for a Tyler to receive 
 ten or twelve shillings for drawing two sign-posts with chalk, 
 charcoal, etc., and writing Jamaica (rum) upon one, and Bar- 
 badoes (rum) upon the other; and all this,' I suppose, for no 
 other use than to distinguish where these liquors are to tre 
 placed in the Lodge. 
 
 " There are many other unconstitutional, and, perhaps,, unpre- 
 cedented proceedings, which, to avoid giving more offensej, I 
 pass over in silence, and shall content, myself with showing th© 
 apparent state of Ancient and Modern Masonry in England, at 
 the time of the present writing (July, 1778)." 
 
 The first movement which tended to lay the foundation for a. 
 separation of the Royal Arch degree from Blue Lodges, was 
 made by Lawrence Dermott, as the following artiete from hi« 
 Jlhiman Rezon, will show : 
 
 ' RuUsand RefftdaUomfor (he inlroduetion to, and government of. the Holy Royal Arch Ghaf) 
 ten, under the protection of, and supported by, the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, 
 made- at teoeral times. Remed and corrected at a Oeneral Grand Chapter, held at 
 the Oroim and Anchor Thvem, in the Strand, London, October 1, S'lU.—CottfinMi 
 in Grand Lodge,, December 3, 1794. 
 "Ancient Masonry consists of four degrees ; the first three of which are„<ha« 
 ef the Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the sublime degree of Master ; and » 
 brother being well versed in these degrees, and having discharged the offlceaa* 
 his Lodge, particularly that of Master, and fulfilled the duties thereof, with tha 
 approbation of the brethren of his Lodge, is eligible, if found worthy,, to be adr 
 mitted to the fourth degree, the Holy Royal Arch. 
 
678 HISTORY OF PKEEMASONBT. 
 
 M It follows, therefore, of course, that every regularly warranted Lodge possesseg 
 the power of forming and holding Lodges in each of those several degrees ; the 
 last of which, from its preeminence, is denominated among Masons a Chapter. 
 
 " That the said Chapters of the Holy Royal Arch may be held and conducted 
 with the regularity, discipline, and solemnity becoming the sublime intention with 
 which. they have, from time immemorial, been held as an essential component 
 part of Ancient Masonry, and that which is the perfection and end of the beauti- 
 ful system, the Excellent Masons of the Grand Lodge of England, according to 
 the old institutions, assembled and constitutionally convened in General Grand 
 Chapter of H. R. A., have carefully collected, revised, and adopted the regulations 
 which have long been in use for the government thereof ; that, under the sanction 
 of the Grand Lodge, they may be transmitted to every regularly warranted Lodge 
 on the register, and be solemnly and finally made a part of the book of laws and 
 regulations for the Ciaft. 
 
 " 1. — That no Chapter of Holy Royal Arch shall be held or convened within the 
 kingdom of England, or Masonic jurisdiction thereunto belonging, but under the 
 authority and sanction of a regular subsisting warrant, granted by the G. Lodge, 
 accflirding to the old institutions. 
 
 "£[. — That no Chapter of Holy Royal Arch, shall be convened and held, for the 
 purpose of exalting to the degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason, unless six regular 
 registered Royal Arch Masons be present. 
 
 '' in.— That no brother shall be admitted into the Holy Royal Arch, but he 
 who has regularly and faithfully passed through the three progressive degrees, 
 and has performed the duties in bis Lodge, to the satisfaction of the brethren ; to 
 ascertain which, they shall deliver to him in open Lodge, held in the Master's de- 
 gree, a eirtificate to the following purport : 
 
 " ' To the presiding Chiefs of the Chapter of Excellent Royal Arch Masons, un- 
 der the sanction of Lodge No. — . Whereas, our truly and well-beloved brother 
 
 , a geometric Master Mason, and member of our Lodge, has solicited us 
 
 to recommend him as a Master Mason, every way qualified, so far as we are 
 judges of the necessary qualification, for passing the Holy Arch : We do hereby 
 certify that the said truly and well-beloved brother has obtained the unanimous 
 consent of our Lodge, No. — , for the recommendation and signing, this certificate, 
 " ' Given under our hands this day of 179 . 
 
 " ' W. M. 
 
 " ' S. W. 
 
 " ' J. w. 
 
 " ' — , Secretary.^ > 
 
 " rv.— That a General Grand Chapter of the Holy Royal Arch shall be held 
 half-yearly, on the first Wednesday in the months of April and October, in each 
 year ; that every warranted Lodge shall be directed to summon its Excellent 
 Royal Arch members to attend the same ; and that none but members of warranted 
 Lodges, and Present and Past Grand Officers (being Royal Arch Masons), shall be 
 members thereof, certified sojourners to be admitted as visitors only. 
 
 •' V. — That, for the preservation of the supreme degree of Freemasonry, a 
 
BISTORT OP FREEMASONRY. 679 
 
 register shall be kept by tlie Scribes of the brothers admitted to tlie Most Excellent 
 degree ; and for the greater security against all improper admisBioae to the H, R. 
 .A., the return of brothers so admitted by the private Chapter of their own, or 
 other Lodges, together with the cirtificate of their due qualification, shall be pre- 
 sented at such General Grand Chapters, held halt-yearly, as aforesaid, to be there 
 examined previous to their entry in the register-book of the Grand Chapter. 
 
 "VI. — That General Grand Chapters may be held more frequently, if occasion 
 may require, application for that purpose being made by at least six Excellent 
 Masons, to the Grand Chiefs ; but at such General Grand Chapters of emergency, 
 no established law Shall be altered, and no uew law that may be made, shall be 
 conclusive and binding, until ratified and confirmed by a regular half-yearly 
 General Grand Chapter, but at such General Chapters of emergency, certificates 
 for registry may be granted. 
 
 " Vll. — That on the adi iitsiou of a new brother, the form of the return to tiie 
 Grand Chapter, or to the Grand Scribe, shall be as follows : 
 
 " ' We, the tliree Chiefs, whose names are hereunto subscribed, do certify, that, 
 in a Chapter of Holy Royal Ai-ch, convened and held under the sanction and 
 authority of the warrant of the Worshipful Lodge, No — , our beloved brothers 
 G. H., L K., and L. M., having delivered to us the certificates hereunto subjoined, 
 and proved themselves, by due examination, to be well qualified in all the three 
 degrees of Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason, were by us admitted to 
 the supreme degree of Excellent Eoyal Arch Masons. 
 
 " ' Given under our hands and Masonic mark, in Chapter, this day of , 
 
 in the year of Masonry 579 . Signed, 
 
 '■ Chuff. 
 
 , Seribe.' 
 
 '"Z., ) 
 " ' H., V ( 
 «'L, ) 
 
 "VUL — ^That all registered Royal Arch brothers shall be entitled to a Grand 
 Royal Arch certificate, either on paper or parchment, on the payment of three 
 ghillings for the same. 
 
 " IX.— That the expenses of General Grand Chapters for Tylers, summonses, 
 etc., shall be borne from the Grand Fund, as formerly ordered by the Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 " X— That the sum of half a guinea shall be charged on, and paid by, every 
 brother exalted at any Chapter held within the bills of mortality, of which the 
 sum of two shillings shall be paid to the General Grand Fund, on the registering 
 of the brother, and one shilling to the Grand Scribe, and the rest to be applied 
 according to the discretion of the private Chapter. The country, foreign, and 
 military Chapters, to be left to their own discretion, paying two Bhillings to the 
 Grand Fund, and one shilling to the Grand Scribe, on registering. 
 
 " XI.— That a member of any particular Lodge, in London, recommended by 
 the Master, Wardens, and Secretary, in open Lodge assembled, and after due 
 examination by any of the three Grand Chiefs, of the two Grand Scribes, or any 
 two of the same, the brother being a Master Mason, and dtdy registered at leaat 
 twelvfl months, as shall appear under the hand of the Grand Secretary, anj 
 
680' HISTORY OF FEEEMASOOTir 
 
 haying passed the Cbair, shall, if approved by the Royal Arch Chapter to whom the 
 brother is recommended, be admitted to the sublime degree of Excelleati or 
 Royal Aich Mason. 
 
 i" XII. — That in country or foreign LodgeB^ a brother so recommended by tlui 
 jnanimous consent of the Lodge, producing the Grand Secretary's certificate of 
 bis being twelve months a registered Master Mason, and approved of by the three 
 presiding Chiefe, at the Chapter to whom the brother is recommended, shall be 
 admitted to the sublime degree of Excellent or Royal Arch Masons ; those Chiefs 
 duly certifying the same to the next General Grand Chapter, or the Grand 
 Scribes, in Loudon. 
 
 " XIII. — It is further ordered, that every Chapter, either in town, country,, or 
 abroad, held under the 8anction.of the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, shaU. 
 return the name of every brother, who may have been so exalted to the sublime 
 degree of Royal Arch Mason ; and shall continue half-yearly to return the names 
 of those who, from time to time, are exalted to that degree, mentioning the 
 time when and where they were so exalted ; such Lodges as do not eoinply vrith 
 the above regulation, will be subject to the censure of the Grand Lodge, and 
 liable to have their warrants canceled. 
 
 " XIV. — That Excellent brothers, from the country or foreign Lodges, produc- 
 ing the aforementioned certiflcates from the Chapter in which they were admitted, 
 to the satisfaction of the Grand Chiefs in London, or any two of them, shall be 
 eutitled to be registered, and receive a Royal Arch certificate immediately, if 
 required, for which the Grand Scribe shall make his report at the next Gen- 
 eral Grand Chapter. 
 
 "iV. B. The General Grand Chapter, held in October, in each year, shall elect 
 nine Excellent Masters, to assist the Grand OfScers in visiting Lodges, etc\, that 
 the general unformity of Ancient Masonry may be preserved and handed down, 
 unchanged, to posterity." 
 
 It will be seen from the foregoing, that Dermott's scheme for 
 the separation and independent organization of Royal Arch 
 Masonry is but shadowed forth ; and such was the usual course 
 of this innovator. In getting up a code to be styled Ancient 
 Masonic Law, he was careful to blend with his alterations and 
 additions, so much of the true law as would obscure the innova- 
 tions, and make the whole acceptable to the casual reader. 
 Old and well known usages were not subverted openly and at 
 once, but gradually, and, if possible, imperceptibly. Dermott 
 foresaw that he could not directly deprive the Lodges of the 
 power of completing the third degree, by giving the Royal 
 Arch ; but, by calling a Convocation of Royal Arch Masons, 
 and making separate regulations for the degree, and obtaining 
 the sanction of the Grand Lodge to those regulations, the first 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY, 681 
 
 barrier would be passed, as it would then be but a step, and 
 
 that step easily taken, for the Royal Arch organization to 
 
 assert its independence of the Grand Lodge. But he did not 
 
 Idve to see his end accomplished in England, though he found 
 
 •willing instruments in America, where his influence was almost 
 
 unlimited. In relation to the movements, in accordance with 
 
 the suggestions, of Dermott, we will most gladly let Dr. Folger 
 
 speak. In our search after reliable facts, touching the history 
 
 of Royal Arch Masonry and Chapters, in the United States, we 
 
 addressed a letter of inquiry to Bro. Cross, to which Bro. 
 
 Folger replied, as follows : 
 
 " New Yoek, June 4, 1852. 
 
 "Moat Worshipful Sir and Brother : — I would now reply to the queetiona ooq- 
 tained ia your letter to Bro. Cross, which have not been attended to. 
 
 " ' Where to date the origin of Royal Arch Masonry in the United States, and 
 Royal Arch Chapters ; also, when the Past Master and Most Excellent, Master 
 were Incorporated with the Royal Arch ? ' 
 
 " To answer this question properly, it is necessary to go back a little, in order 
 to ascertain the usages and customs of other lands. You are aware, I presume^ 
 that, the Chapter degrees are not known or practiced on the Continent. Ia 
 Prance, the system is either Scottish or French — as thirty-three degrees, or seven 
 — the Rose Cross being the summit of the latter. In Germany, Sweden, Denmark, 
 and Norway, they haye systems, of their own, after the third, or Master,, which i» 
 oniTersal. These systems have also found place in England, Ireland, and Scott- 
 land, and ia some parts of this country. England, Ireland, and Scotland also 
 have their peculiar system, which is as follows : The three first degrees are the 
 same, but each Lodge, in those countries, has always had a so called Chaptei 
 attached to it, designated by name, as Mount Sinai Chapter, Mount Horeb Chap- 
 ter, etc., etc., deriving their authority from the Grand Lodge, until within ten oi 
 fifteen years past. It is the case now, and always has been, that a man,, as soon 
 as he has received the degree of Master Mason, is entitled to receive the Mark 
 degree, or, as it is called by some, the 'Ark, Mark, and Link,,' for the sum of 
 thirteen pence sterling — equivalent to about twenty-fi.ve cents — they considering; 
 this degree as part and parcel of the Fellow Craft, and properly belonging to it. 
 It is made there a kind of side degree, like the Secret Monitor, True Kindred, 
 Mason's Daughter, etc., etc.,, and not under the jurisdiction of the Chapter. The 
 Royal Arch aloae is the degree which the Chapter confers directly upon Master 
 Masons, whether they have the Mark or not. Thus, many English, Irish, and 
 Scotch Masons arrive in this country, with regular credentials as Royal Arch 
 Masons, and prove themselves such, who know nothing about the Mark degre& 
 This same authority is held, at the present day, by the Grand Lodge of Pena- 
 sylvania, although waived of late years, to give place to Royal Arch Chapters, 
 under the Grand Chapter. 
 
 " The Mark Master's degree was given in the United States as early as 1775, ov 
 1776, nndei the authority of a Master of the Blue Lodge, as was also the Rovt? 
 
682 HISTOEY OF FKEEMASONKT. 
 
 Arch degree. AU Masons of tha* day considered the Mark degree as a part ot 
 the Fellow Craft. . 
 
 " The Royal Arch degree was originally divided into the five following sections 
 (ir parts : — 1. Most Excellent Master. 2. Super- Excellent Master, which went as 
 lar as the destruction of the first Temple. 3. Royal Arch, which embraces tie 
 restoration of the Jews, and their progress toward the commencement of rebuild 
 ing the same, which work was attended with important discoveries, which com- 
 pletes, properly, the degree. 4. Royal Master. 5. Select Master, which are 
 historical of the Royal Arch, and without which that degree can not be complete. 
 / This was the original form, but it has undergone many and great alterations, as 
 every one must perceive, who is at all acquainted with its present form. Up to 
 179.5, it was conferred as above, viz., one degree, under the authority of a Blue 
 Lodge. 
 
 " In 1795, Thomas Smith Webb, Rev. George Richards, John Snow, Henry 
 Fowle, with several other Companions, met together dmrni East someuiheTe, and 
 consolidated the degrees now called the Chapter degrees, viz., they made the 
 'Ark. Mark, and Link,' or Mark Master's degree, fourth in order ; the Past 
 Master, or Chair degree, the fifth ; they cut off the Most Excellent Master from 
 the Royal Arch, and made it sixth ; left out the Super-Excellent ; made the Royal 
 Arch seventh, or ultimatum, and then made a further incision of the Royal and 
 Select Master, and afterward hatched up a Council of it, making the Council 
 contain the Royal, Select, and Super-Excellent Master — three degrees for tm 
 dollars more — which were conferred here in that way, manner, and form, up to 
 1828. 
 
 " On October 24, 1797, Delegates from several Royal Arch Chapters, working 
 under Blue Lodge warrants, assembled in Boston, and formed a Grand Royal 
 Arch Chapter, similar to the Grand Lodge. Other States followed suit. In 1798, 
 a Convention of Grand Royal Arch Chapters met at Hartford, Connecticut, 
 adopted a Constitution for their government, as separate and distinct bodies from 
 Giand or Blue Lodges, and established in that Constitution the Mark, Past, Most 
 Excellent Master, and Royal Arch, as we now have it, the form of work in Chap- 
 ters. In 1816, the General Grand Chapter was formed, which confirmed the 
 same. It is now the Masonic Law of the land, and is called the 'American 
 Organization.' 
 
 " I have thus attempted to answer your inquiries in a way which, I hope, will 
 meet your approval. My views of the whole matter are, perhaps, peculiar, and 
 differ materially from Masons of the present day, in many respects ; yet, I am 
 willing to take things as I find them, and float along with the current ; not 
 because I believe them to be true, but because the masses have said, through 
 ignorance, or for the want of carefully examining the subject, that the present 
 form is the right one, and, therefore, must be maintained. There were, originally, 
 but five degrees or grades in Masonry — the first three, viz., the Apprentice, 
 Fellow Craft, and Master, being the foundation and symbolic ; the fourth, 
 synonymous with what is called the Royal Arch, although not that degree ; and 
 the fifth, the Templars (not as we have it, nor is it known by that name), which 
 is the ultimatum, and plainly and clearly declares what the symbolic degrees 
 intend to teach. This simple, but sublime form of Masonry has been preserved 
 in all its piirity and unadorned beauty, for many thousand years, has descended 
 
HISTOBY OF FREEMASONRY. 683 
 
 »n as through numerous generations of men, and is practiced now, in the same 
 purity and simplicity that it was in days of old, carrying the evidence of its truth 
 upon its face, and commending itself to the attention of the virtuous and tfce 
 good, by the sublimity of its doctrines, and its effects upon the mind and heart. 
 But the Masonry we have among us, which is declared to be true, and upoi 
 which volumes are written, pictures made, and speeches numberless delivered, ia 
 quite a different thing ; in other words, the original degrees have, in the first 
 place, been altered materially, by designing men, to suit the taste ; and then 
 they have built upon the foundation which they have laid, and added to it, until 
 they formed a building which rises nearly to the clouds (ninety degrees of one 
 system alone, leaving out Chapter degrees, Encampment, and all the side degrees, 
 too tedious to name), the majority of which are so very foolish, and so perfectly 
 inconsistent with truth, or even plain common sense, that a sensitive mind can 
 « only reflect upon the same with disgust. It is an interesting inquiry concerning 
 the time when certain degrees were added to the system, and, if carefully pursued, 
 must inevitably lead the mind to behold the truth ; those who will examine the 
 subject will find out the alterations alluded to, and, so doing, will not only see 
 the mdiees for making the same, but also readily account for the building of such 
 a vast fabric as we now behold, under the name of Masoary, but, in reality, the 
 lauehing stock and ridicule of the wise and good. 
 
 "Yet, you must not suppose, by these remarks, that I am unfHendly to Mason- 
 ry ; on the other hand, rather believe me, when I say that I am a sincere and 
 heartfelt worshiper at its altar. It is now, and has been for thirty years, the - 
 subject on which I delight to think, examine, and lay to heart. It is Masonry, 
 however, which I mmn, and not the trash which I have spoken of under that 
 name. 
 
 " Wishing you all happiness and success in your undertaking, I am, dear sir, 
 respectfully and fraternally yours, 
 
 "Robert B. Folger, M.D." 
 
 It may be seen, from Bro. Folger's concise and able sketch, 
 that the Mark degree originally contained very little Masonic 
 information, and that little was but lightly regarded. 
 
 That paragraph in Bro. Folger's communication which speaks 
 of the sections into which the Royal Arch degree was formerly 
 divided, fully shows upon its face the unfitness of the subdivision, 
 and the palpable impropriety of making «a; degrees out of the one, 
 and making merchandise of them all. We gave notice that, at the 
 proper time, we expected to show that, to a few self-constituted lec- 
 turers, we are indebted for many glaring innovations made in 
 the United States, and that with them, and not the Grand Lodges, 
 originated what is very properly termed the American system ; 
 a system almost as unlike the original, simple, and sublime 
 Hasonry, as is that trumpery of gewgaws which is presumptu- 
 ously called the " Ancient and Accepted Rite." 
 
684 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONfiY. 
 
 Our readers will please bear in mind that this meeting of 
 Webb and others took place the very next year after Dermott 
 commenced his innovations upon the Royal Arch Degree, in Eng- 
 land. We have no written testimony in our possession that 
 Dermott was in correspondence with either of the American 
 lecturers spoken of, upon this subject, but this we do know, that 
 the Masons in this country generally, at that time, regarded 
 Dermott as the very highest Masonic authority in the world, 
 and it is reasonable to conclude that his plans were fully cora- 
 municated to his correspondents in this country, and we believe 
 that Webb was one of them. 
 
 The Convocation at Boston„of which Bro. Folger speaks, was 
 made up of Delegates from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, 
 Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and the 
 avowed intention was, not to form, as is generally supposedj a 
 General Grand Chapter for the United States, but a. Grand 
 Chapter for the States named. Pennsylvania had, during the 
 same year, taken the preparatory steps for forming a Grand Chap- 
 ter for that State alone, and the circular issued by the Conven- 
 tion in Boston, shows that their object was the same, save that 
 these several States thought one Grand Chapter would answer 
 them all. But we will let the circular speak for itself : 
 
 (CIRCtJLAK.) 
 
 " Companions: — Prom time immemorial, we find that Grand 
 Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons have been established 
 wherever Masonry has flourished, for the purpose of granting 
 waiTants for instituting private Lodges, as well as for estabJish- 
 ing certain general rules and regulations for the government of 
 the same. 
 
 " It is an opinion generally received, and, we think, well 
 authenticated, that no Grand Lodge of Master Masons can claim 
 or exercise authority over any Convention, or Chapter of Royal 
 Arch Masons ; nor can any Chapter, although of standing im- 
 memorial, exercise the authority of a Grand Chapter : We, 
 therefore, think it highly expedient, for the government of all 
 Chapters within the said States, who exercise the rights and 
 privileges of Royal Arch Masons, and to prevent irregularities 
 in the propagation and use of those rights and privileges, 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 685 
 
 ^al Aere should be a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons 
 established within the said States : And whereas this Conven- 
 tion has received ofiBcial information from our Companions at 
 Philadelphia, that the several Chapters, within their vicinity, 
 have recently assembled and established a Grand Chapter of 
 Royal Arch Masons, for their government : in conformity to 
 their example, we think it our duty to recommend to the several 
 Chapters within the said States of New Hampshire, MassSichu- 
 setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and New York, to 
 unite and form a Grand Chapter for the said States. 
 
 " Thelocal situation of the States before mentioned, the easy and 
 frequent intercourse between their several principal towlis and 
 cities, as well as the similarity of habits, manners, and customs, as 
 citizens and as Masons, which prevail throughout the said States, 
 induce us to believe that a union of all the Chapters therein, in 
 one Grand Chapter, will have the most useful, lasting, and hap- 
 py effects, in the uniform distribution and propagation of the 
 Hublime degrees of Masonry. They, therefore, take the liberty 
 of recommending to the consideration of your Most Excellent 
 Chapter, the propriety of appointing one or more Delegate or 
 Delgates, to represent your Chapters, before mentioned, to be 
 holden at the city of Hartford, in the State of Connecticut, on 
 the fourth Wednesday of January next ensuing ; investing them 
 with full power and authority, in conjunction with the other 
 Delegates, to form and open a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Ma- 
 sons, and to establish a Coastitutiom for the government and 
 regulation of all the Chapters that now are, or may hereafter be, 
 erected within the said States." 
 
 In referring to this circular, Bro. Webb says : 
 
 " In consequence of this addi-ess, the several Chapters within 
 the States therein enumerated (with the exception of two or 
 three Chapters only), appointed Delegates, who assembled at 
 Hartford, on the fourth Wednesday in January, 1798, and, after 
 several days' deliberation upon the subject, they formed and 
 adopted a Constitution for the government of the Royal Arch 
 Chapters and Lodges of Mark Masters, Past Masters, and 
 Most Excellent Masters, throughout the said States ; and having 
 
686 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 elected and installed their Grand Officers, the Grand Chapter 
 became completely organized." 
 
 The subject of a General Grand Chapter was not mentioned, 
 so far as we know, until 1804, when the Grand Chapter of 
 Rhode Island took action upon the subject, as follows : 
 
 GKAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. 
 
 " Prov];dence, January 4, 1804. 
 
 ) " Upon motion made and seconded, the following resolutions, 
 together with the preamble, passed unanimously, viz. : 
 
 " Whereas, an application has been made to thisGrand Chapter for the institution 
 of a Royal Arch Chapter in one of the Southern States ; and whereas the 12th 
 section, 2d article, of the Graod Royal Arch Constitution, provides that the juris- 
 diction of the several State Grand Chapters shall not extend beyond the limits 
 of the State in which they shall respectively be holden ; therefore, 
 
 " Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Grand Chapter, no State Grand Chapter 
 is competent to grant warrants for the institution of Chapters, or Lodges, beyond 
 the jurisdiction of the State wherein the same is holden, excepting the instances 
 provided for by the Sth section of the 2nd article of the Constitution. 
 
 "And whereas it appears to this Grand Chapter an object of great importance 
 thftt the benefits of the Grand Royal Arch Constitution should be extended 
 throughout the United States, so soon as the same can be regularly effected ; 
 therefore, 
 
 "Resolved, That this Grand Chapter do invest, and they do hereby invest, the 
 Grand High Priest, King, and Scribe of the General Grand Chapter, or any two 
 of them, conjointly, with full power and authority to grant and issue letters of 
 dispensation for the institution of Lodges of Mark Masters, Past Masters, Most 
 Excellent Masters, and Chapters of Royal Arch Masons, within any State in 
 which there is not a Grand Royal Arch Chapter established ; upon the same 
 principles and conditions as the Grand and Deputy Grand H5gh Priests of the 
 State Grand Chapters are authorized to grant letters of dispensation, for the like 
 purposes, in their respective States : Provided, that the fees required by tlje Con- 
 stitution, on such occasions, shall be paid into the hands of the Treasurer of the 
 General Grand Chapter. 
 
 " Resolved, That the Grand Secretary communicate a copy of the foregoing 
 resolutions, and also a copy of the annexed circular letter, to the several Grand 
 Chapters in the Northern States, and solicit their concurrence therein." 
 
 (CIRCDLAR.) 
 
 "To the Most Excellent Grand Officers and Companions of the 
 Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the State of . 
 
 " Excellent Companions : — The subject of the annexed reso- 
 lutions, which presented itself for the consideration of this Grand 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 687 
 
 Chapter, at their meeting of the present date, is viewed by us 
 as involving consequences of serious magnitude, and such as we 
 apprehend are iptimately connected with the tranquility, if not 
 the existence, of that union, which, at present, so happily sub- 
 sists between the several Grand Royal Arch Chapters of the 
 Northern States of America. 
 
 "At the period when the Gfeneral Grand Chapter was first 
 instituted, and the Constitution, which unites and governs us, 
 was formed and ratified, it was supposed to be impracticable to 
 extend its influence throughout the United States ; its provi- 
 sions were, therefore, confined to the six Northern States only ; 
 but subsequent experience has taught us that its extension is 
 not only practicable, but desirable. 
 
 " The first question that naturally arises on this subject, is 
 relative to the manner in which this extension can be effected, 
 consistently with the Constitution. By the 12th section, 2d 
 article of the Constitutio'h, the several State Grand Chapters 
 are prohibited the privilege of instituting Chapters, etc., in any 
 of the Southern or Middle States ; and it follows, of course, 
 that if a Chapter should be granted, contrary to the provisions 
 of the Contitution, within any of the said States, it is of itself 
 utterly null and void. 
 
 "This Grand Chapter, therefore, proposes that competent 
 authority to grant warrants for the institution of Chapters and 
 Lodges, within any State in which there is no Grand Chapter 
 established, should be vested by the several State Grand Chap- 
 ters in the General Grand High Priest, General Grand King, 
 andjGeneral Grand Scribe, or any two of them, conjointly ; the 
 moneys arising therefrom, and also the annual dues from said 
 Chapters and Lodges, so instituted, to be paid into the General 
 Grand Fund, for the purpose of assisting in defraying the 
 expenses of the General Grand Chapter, at the septennial 
 meeting. 
 
 " Upon comparing the plan here proposed with any other 
 that has occurred to us, it appears to possess the fewest ob- 
 jections and the greatest advantages. In forming this opinion, 
 we are led to consider that the several Grand Chapters pos- 
 sess equal rights and privileges, and it follows that if either 
 
688 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY, 
 
 of them has authority to grant warrants, beyond the juris- 
 diction assigned them by the Constitution, they each and all 
 possess the same authority ; and, in the exercise of this author- 
 ity, they may often be led, unintentionally, to infere with each 
 others' interests, and thereby mar that union which it ought to 
 be our care to cultivate and improve, and thus there may be as 
 many Chapters instituted in any one of the Southern States, as 
 there are Grand Chapters in the Northern States, each holding 
 under a diiferent authority, and all at variance with each other. 
 
 " This is one of the consequences that may be expected to 
 arise from the exercise of this authority by the State Grand 
 Chapters ; because, if a petition be presented to any one of the 
 Grand Chapters for a warrant, they will only expect a recom- 
 mendation from another Chapter under their own jurisdiction ; 
 and, although there may be many (and, perhaps, too many) 
 Chapters already established in the vicinity of the place where 
 the new one is intended to be opened, yet being under a differ- 
 ent jurisdiction, a recommendation can not be expected or 
 required from them ; and thus many Chapters be instituted, in 
 this mode, in direct hostility to the best interests of the Insti- 
 tution. 
 
 " If the union of the several Grand Chapters, under one 
 ereneral head, and under one Constitution, be considered an 
 object of importance to our general interests, by establishing 
 and cultivating one uniform and consistent manner of working 
 in the sublime degrees throughout the United States, it is then 
 of importance that this union should be strengthened and im- 
 proved by all passible means ; and it is, consequently, essential, 
 that the septennial meeting of the General Grand Chapter 
 should be regularly, fully, and respectably attended. 
 
 "If the jurisdiction of the Constitution should be extended 
 throughout the United States, at the next general meeting, it 
 may become necessary to appoint a place for futui"e meetings, 
 further southward ; and, as the expenses will, consequently, be 
 increased, it may be then thought proper to devise some mode 
 for the accumulation of a general fund, that shall be adequate 
 to this useful and important purpose. 
 
 " If the proposition now made should be adopted, the pecuniary 
 
HISTOEY OP PREEMASONBT. 689 
 
 benefits arising from the institution of new Chapters will be 
 cxperieaced equally by all Grand Chapters in the confederar 
 tion ; and, judging by the wise and liberal policy which has 
 hitherto marked the proceedings of your Most Excellent Grand 
 Chapter, we presume that no pecuniary consideration will 
 operate to prevent your concurrence with us in the annexed 
 resolutions. By order of the M. B, Grand Chapter. 
 
 " , Grand Secretary." 
 
 ' A majority of the six Northern States having approved of 
 the resolution of Rhode Island, the Grand Ofificers, above nam- 
 ed, considered themselves empowered to issue dispensations to 
 other States, and, in December, of the same year, they gavf 
 authority for instituting a Chapter at Savannah, in Georgia, 
 and, in March, 1805, they issued a dispensation for another at 
 Beaufort, in the State of South Carolina. In January, 1806, 
 this Grand Chapter of the six Nothern States met at Middle- 
 town, Connecticut, and, without any preliminary proceedings, 
 BO far as we are informed, styled the heretofore Grand Chapter, 
 the '• General Grand Chapter/' as the following proceedings 
 will show : 
 
 "A communication was presented by Coipp. Ozi^s Fuller, 
 from Rutland, in the State of Vermont, signed ' Nicholas God- 
 dard, Grand Secretary,' informing this General Grand Chapter 
 of the formation of a Grand Royal Arch .Chapter, in the said 
 State, and subjoining a copy of their regulations, and^ also, a 
 certificate of the appointment of the said Ozias Fuller, as proxy 
 of the Grand High Priest of the said Grand Chapter. 
 
 "A communication was also received from the Secretary of 
 the Grand Chapter of the State of New York, containing the 
 report of a Committee appointed by the said Grand Chapter, 
 upon the subject of the formation of a Grand Chapter in the 
 State of Vermont, 
 
 "The two communications, before mentioned, having been 
 read and considered, it was 
 
 "Resolved, That this General Grand Chapter deem it advisable, under a con- 
 sideration of all the eircumetances attending the formation of a Grand Royal 
 Arch Chapter, in the State of Vermont, that it be received into a union with lU, 
 anda tbeGeBeral Grand Boyal Arch Constitu^tion. 
 
690 HISTORY OP PRBBMASONRT. 
 
 "A communication was received from the General G. King, 
 and the General Grand Scribe, stating, that, by virtue of 
 authority derived from a special decree of several of the State 
 Grand Chapters, they had conjointly issued a warrant for 
 instituting a Chapter of Eoyal Arch Masons, in the town of 
 Beaufort, in the State of South Carolina, by the name of ' Unity 
 Chapter j' and, alSo, another warrant for instituting a Chapter 
 of Eoyal Arch Masons, in the city of Savannah, in the State of 
 Georgia, by the name of ' Georgia Chapter.' 
 j Whereupon, it was 
 
 "Resolved, That this General Grand Chapter do approve of the proceedings ot 
 the General Grand King, and the General Grand Scribe, relative to the formation 
 of the Unity Chapter, in Beaufort, and Georgia Chapter, in Savannah ; and that 
 their respective warrants be confirmed, and made permanent by either of the 
 aforenamed General Grand Officers." 
 
 At this meeting there were but four States represented, viz., 
 Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and New York. 
 
 In September, 1812, this Grand Chapter of six States, now 
 styling itself the General Grand Chapter, met in New York 
 City, and, at this meeting, the General Royal Arch Consvitu- 
 tions were adopted, from which period, wo think, it is proper to 
 date the institution of this General Grand body, and not from 
 1798, as is generally done. According to the foregoing, we 
 insert, as the first principal ofiBcers, M. E. Benjamin Hurd, of 
 Charlestown, Massachusetts, General Grand High Priest ; E. 
 Thomas Smith Webb, of Providence, R. I., G. G. King ; and 
 E. Ezra Ames, of Albany, N. Y., G. G. Scribe. We are some- 
 what surprised to find it stated by Bro. Cross, that, in con- 
 sequence of the war, there was no meeting in 1812. That Bro. 
 Cross is mistaken in this, we can not doubt, as not only the 
 time of meeting, viz., the second Thursday in September, 1812, 
 but the election of the General Grand Ofiicers is given at 
 length, by Bro. Webb, who, as above stated, was then elected 
 General Grand King. This discrepancy between these two 
 authors as to this fact, has probably led Bro. Folger to state 
 that the organization was finally consummated in 1816. Bro. 
 Cross also states that the G. G. Chapter was established in 
 1798, while, as we have seen, the organization to which ho 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 691 
 
 alludes, was only claimed to be a Grand Chapter for six States. 
 Thus were the subdivisions made by, five or six self-constituted 
 convention-men, in 1795, ratified and endorsed by this self-con- 
 stituted General Grand Chapter, Thomas Smith Webb acting, 
 in both instances, as the Dermott of America. But the Ameri- ■ 
 can system was not yet sufiBciently fascinating and attractive to 
 win golden opinions for another brood of Grand Lecturers, who 
 came upon the stage as successors to Bros. Webb & Co. It was 
 found, on comparing notes, that, inasmuch as seven degrees 
 were now necessary to complete the Royal Arch (originally 
 only the completion of the Master's degree), the whole could 
 be made more saleable, by tacking on to each a lecture, whether 
 said lecture should exemplify Masonry or not. But how was 
 this to Ue done ? If they suffered the Mark degree to remain 
 in its original simplicity, a mere nominal appendage to the 
 Fellow Craft, it would not take — it would not sell. So in 
 reference to the Past Master — the mere ceremony of investing 
 and obligating the Master faithfully to perform his duty as an 
 officer, occupied too little time, and was too uninteresting to be 
 charged for ; this latter,' however, had been attended to in 
 1795. The degrees were all arranged, but the difficulty still 
 existed of making so many degrees interesting, as the legends 
 of each were not settled in 1795, and it became a matter of im- 
 portance to systematize and Americanize the lectures' as well as 
 the degrees. To this end, the true lecture of the Fellow Craft 
 was claimed for the Mark Master, and a very pretty talk about 
 the arts and sciences was left in lieu thereof, ^ut what of the 
 Past Master's degree ? Well, we suppose the Grand Lecturers 
 were in a hurry, and, as their predecessors of 1795 had made 
 the ceremony of the degree so very agreeably farcical, that it 
 would pass without a lecture, and, hence, it remains without 
 the usual finishing touch. As to the degree of Most Excellent 
 Master, its history was so plainly laid down in the Bible, that 
 a few dashes of the pen, mainly in hair-line flourishes, was all it 
 required, while the great work of importance was to fix up the 
 lecture on the Royal Arch, and make the two or three addi- 
 tional degrees; manufactured like Pindar's razors — expressly 
 for sale — absolutely necessary to the completion of Ancient 
 
692 HISTORY OF FEEEMASONBT, 
 
 Craft Masonry. Now, dear reader, all this was successfully 
 accoraplislied, but, as you may not know how it was done, we 
 will endeavor to tell you. The lecture of the Royal Arch, as 
 it was then, and is now, given in England, was taken from the 
 Royal Arch degree, and given exclusively to those who paid 
 ten dollars more for the little Council degrees, which, them- 
 Bclves, were part and parcel of the Royal Arch degree. And 
 what think you was made to constitute the lecture of the Royal 
 Arch degree, as given according to the American system? 
 Why, some of the most fascinating and beautiful things belong- 
 ing to the Ineffable degrees, in the so called Scotch Rite 
 Masonry. Do you want proof of this ? Then we refer you 
 first to Webb's Monitor, and then we will let Bro. Cross explain 
 how it was done. He says : 
 
 " After the Grand Lodges of the several States had declared 
 themselves free and independent, and the General Grand 
 Chapter was formed and organized, in 1798, it was deemed 
 advisable to adopt a regular and uniform mode of lecturing and 
 work for the whole ; and, in order to accomplish this great 
 dtesideratum, the expert workmen from various parts of the 
 country met together. The work was completed and adopted 
 fully before 1810. It was at this period the author commenced 
 lecturing in the New England States, with all those bright and 
 well-informed Masons, who had been so assiduous in selecting 
 and arranging the above system, which was by them adopted as 
 the most correct. Taking the Ancient York Rite for a standard, 
 they selected from the Scottish Rite those things which approxi- 
 mated to the former, and, out of the two systems, they formed a very 
 complete set of lectures, which are beautiful in themselves, and have 
 been preserved entire to the present hour."* 
 
 We have italicised the above lines, in order to call special 
 attention to them. Here is a bold and open confession from 
 one of the party concerned in making the innovations. Here 
 is a direct acknowledgment that, so far from hunting up and 
 preserving pure the ancient lectures, and rejecting with scorn 
 every attempt at addition or embellishment, these bright Masons 
 
 * Cross' Outrt, 16tli edition, p. 315-16. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY. 693 
 
 resorted to a modern system of degrees, having no resemblance 
 tOjOr connection with Masonry, in order to hatch up "a uniform 
 system of work and lectures," suited, not to Masonic, but newly 
 invented degrees, called Masonic degrees. 
 
 We are sorry that Bro. Cross has not told us who it was that 
 " deemed it advisable to adopt a regular and uniform mode of 
 lecturing and work for the whole." We have no evidence that 
 it was the General Grand Chapter. We are sorry the author 
 did not tell us by whose authority " the expert workmen from 
 various parts of the country met together." We have no evi- 
 dence that they, or any of them, were delegated by any Masonic 
 body in the world. We are sorry Bro. Cross did not think 
 proper to tell us by what authority these expert workmen 
 resorted to a foreign and modern Institution, to find Masonie 
 lectures " beautiful in themselves ;" and, lastly, we are sorry that 
 Bro. Cross has not told us who these expert workmen were, who 
 60 wisely manufactured, from the two systems, a set of lectures 
 for the newly invented degrees, basely stolen, distorted, and 
 added to, by a lawless band of Masonic peddlers. If there is a 
 good and true Mason who can do otherwise than consign to 
 everlasting infamy, the names of those who made the innova- 
 tions, by the subdivisions of 1795, we know not, nor care to 
 know, by what principles a good and true Mason should be 
 governed. And equally beneath the respect of every good 
 Mason, should be the memory of those who perfected the inno- 
 vations of 1795, by providing appropriate lectures, in order 
 that the imposition should go down to posterity, sanctified by the 
 approbation of " the most expert workmen" of the country, and 
 solemnly approved by the General Grand Chapter. We are 
 left to believe that these expert workmen, spoken of by Bro. 
 Cross, were no more nor less than so many traveling retailers 
 of degrees ; and that these are the men who deemed it necessary 
 to adopt a uniform system of work and lectures ; that these are 
 the men who, upon their own responsibility, took the York 
 Rite as a standard, and borrowed from the Scotch Rite, lectures 
 for each degree, suited to the supposed taste of the age. That 
 our conclusions are correct, we appeal to the course pursued by 
 those expert inventors of Masonic lectures. After this systeu? 
 
694 HISTOKT OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 had been agreed upon, we find them traveling all over the 
 country, dealing out degrees and beautiful lectures to any and 
 every one who would pay for them ; aye, and, in many instances, 
 granting letters of authority to deputies to do the same thing, 
 provided they, too, would pay for the authority. We remember 
 when it was supposed that any brother, able to show a dispen- 
 sation from Bros. Cushman or Cross, was fully and legally 
 authorized, not only to confer degrees, but to organize Masonic 
 bodies pei-manently throughout the country. We know one 
 man who, to this day, prides himself as the holder of one of 
 these letters of dispensation from the hands of Bro. Cushman. 
 And now what is our condition? The man who denounces 
 these innovations, and calls upon the powers that be to set on 
 foot some plan by which American Masonry may safely retrace 
 its steps, and, finally, return to the old and beaten track, is 
 listened to with astonishment, or set down as a modern vision- 
 ary. The champion who appeals to the General Grand Chapter 
 for light and information touching Eoyal Arch Masonry,re- 
 ceives the cold shoulder, and gains, for his pains, either the priv- 
 ilege of withdrawing his appeal, or the profound silence of that 
 sage-like assembly. Thus situated, we can not see the end. We 
 are so situated now, in this country, that we have no remedy aa 
 Individuals ; we have been made Royal Arch Masons under the 
 American system, and are bound by its teachings. We can not 
 release ourselves from the foreign gewgaws with which Ancient 
 Craft Masonry has become encumbered, and, unless the Frater- 
 nity should rise in their might and demand a return to first 
 principles, the General Grand Chapter will probably /never take 
 even the preliminary steps, and Royal Arch Masonry is doomed 
 to be handed down to posterity, so metamorphosed, that it will 
 scarcely be known in England, from whence we obtained it. 
 Do we want further proof that the American system is an inno- 
 vation upon the ancient and established usages of the Order, 
 let us turn to that portion of the Union where the Masons had 
 not, and, for a long time after, refused to participate in the 
 unholy work. Pennsylvania, it is true, was the very first to 
 separate the Royal Arch degree from the Blue Lodges, but, as if 
 asuamed to do more, she, for a long time, refused to adoot the 
 
HISTOET OP FREEMASONRY. ' 695 
 
 novelties hunted up by the before named expert workmen. Of 
 the truth of this, -we have the testimony of BrO. Cross himself, 
 who, in 1816, visited Philadelphia, doubtless for the purpose of 
 making a convert of Pennsylvania to the new faith, and making 
 it subserve the purposes of the bright lecturers who were then 
 riding the circuit of the United States, retailing newly invented 
 degrees, and newer lectures to fit them ; but, from his own show- 
 ing, we are left to believe that Bro. Cross' visit proved an 
 unprofitable one. In speaking of this visit, he says : 
 
 " But, owing to the fact that Pennsylvania had not acknow- 
 ledged the jurisdiction of the General Grand Chapter, and 
 declining still to do so ; also the^ mode of work and lecturing 
 being entirely different from that adopted by the General Grand 
 Chapter, he passed on to Delaware." 
 
 Here is the testimony of the most prominent brother, except 
 Webb, its founder, testifying to the fact that, where Royal 
 Arch Masonry was practiced as it had been handed down to 
 them, unconnected with, and uncontaminated by, the fripperies 
 of Ineffable Masonry, so called, the work and lectures were 
 entirely different. 
 
 We have another beautiful specimen of the manner in which 
 these newly trumped-up degrees and lectures tended to make 
 Eierchandise of the whole system, and set on foot even further 
 additions to the already unharmonious batch. Bro. Cross tells 
 us that, while on a visit to Baltimore, " The author rteceived 
 from Comps. Niles and Eckels, a warrant to confer the Royal 
 and Select Master's degrees, they being explanatory of the 
 Royal Arch, and to establish Counts in all places where there 
 was a Royal Arch Chapter, if thus so desired. By authority 
 of this warrant, he established Councils in most of the places 
 he visited in the Western and Southern States." * 
 
 How must the foregoing confession make the cheek of every 
 Companion tingle with shame. And is it true that we have 
 derived a knowledge of the true lecture of the Royal Arch 
 
 • Bros. Niles and Eckels afterward sent a communication to the General Grand 
 Chapter, declaring that they never gave Bro. Cross, or any oiie else, any such 
 authority, nor did they claim ever having the right to do ao. 
 
696 BISTORT OP FEEEMASONBY. 
 
 degree, from no higher or better authority than two private 
 men ? True it is, that we know the Council degeees were 
 invented and given, before they were in the possession of Bros. 
 Niles and Eckels, but the lecture of the Royal Arch degree was 
 not originally attached to them, and how any two men could 
 muster up the effrontery to issue warrants, authorizing a third 
 person to confer Masonic degrees, and institute Masonic Councils, 
 is more than we can surmise ; and, if possible, we are still more 
 at a loss to conjecture what motives, influenced by' Masonic 
 principles, could have prompted any good and true Mason to 
 act under such authority, and thus impose on the less informed 
 members of the Craft. W6*have, certainly, no pleasure in thus 
 alluding to Bro. Cross. We have again and again expressed 
 our preference for his Chart, over all othws gotten up to teach 
 the same new work and lectures / we have said, and still say, that 
 Cross' Chart is the best work yet issued, to teach the American 
 system ; and we repeat, moreover, that as Bro. Cross was titie 
 first to publish the emblems in the form now generally used, the 
 brethren owe it to him not to suffer others to use his inventions, 
 by another name, to his injury. But all this could not excuse 
 us, as a historian, for withholding from our readers the facts we 
 have detailed. We are compelled to believe that Thomas 
 Smith Webb was the original and master spirit in introducing 
 the American innovations ; that by and through his influence 
 the meeting was gotten up in 1795 ; that by and through his 
 influence the Grand Chapter, for the six Northern States, was 
 established ; that by and through his influence the General 
 Grand Chapter was established, the lectures and work con- 
 cocted, and that he found willing assistants in Cross, Snow, 
 Cushman, Barker, Barney, and others, and the three last named 
 brethren, we know, made merchandise of all the newly invented 
 degrees and lectures. Bro. Cushman not only retailed the 
 Council degrees of Royal and Select Master, but he, like Niles 
 and Eckels, issued warrants (for which he received pay, of 
 course) to other individuals, authorizing them to go over the 
 territory which he could not himself visit, and peddle, without 
 let or hindrance, wherever they found market for their down 
 East vjares. Thus has the American system become fastened 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. . 697 
 
 upon US, and we are left without remedy, unless tlie day shonlrl 
 happily arrive when the great body of Masons will demand a 
 return to first principles, and the practice of our rituals in their 
 primitive purity. But is there the slightest probability of this? 
 We think not. We think the novelties now in vogue are 
 generally popular. We think those wire-workers who so suc- 
 cesslilly taught, in the first quarter of this century, that Masonry 
 is a progressive science, have succeeded in engrafting this doc- 
 trine upon tiie minds of the Fraternity, until now there is rather 
 a tendency to make further progress, by adding on a score or 
 two of side degrees, and having them incorporated with those 
 now used ; this being done, there remains but one step more to 
 arrive at the top of this progressive hill of science, and that is, 
 to bring the whole under the con^i)l and management of the 
 G^rand Council of the 33rd Scotch Rite. We pray that thig 
 may never be ; but, should a few as bold, intelligent, and perse- 
 vering spirits as the innovators spoken of, rise up and undertake 
 the work, there is danger that it may be accomplished, espe- 
 cially should the effort be made at a period after Masonry shall 
 have been, for a time, neglected, and its guardian spirits shall 
 have fallen asleep at their posts. Sucli a time must, in the very 
 nature of things, roll round again, and then, and not till then, 
 do we apprehend the establishment of a mammoth triennial 
 Convention, to legislate for all the degrees called Masonic. 
 
 A writer in the Pennsylvania Ahiman Rezon, of 1825, tells us 
 that a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons existed in Philadelphia 
 prior to 1758, but fails to inform us of the date of its establish- 
 ment, or the source from which it derived its authority. This 
 Chapter, the writer tells us, was working under the warrant of 
 Lodge No. 3. We can not suppose this warrant was issued by 
 the Grand Lodge of England, nor by the Athol Grand Lodge : 
 first, because the Grand Lodge of England numbered its sub- 
 ordinates in regular succession, without regard to location, and 
 to the Athol Grand Lodge the same reason will apply. It is, 
 therefore, more likely that this warrant was issued by St. John's 
 Grand Lodge, at Boston, and, for aught we know, it may be the 
 same which was obtained by Dr. Franklin, in 1734. Be this 
 as it may, the testimony is that, in 1758, Chapter No. 3, or, 
 
698 ' HISTORY OP FREEMASONET. 
 
 more properly, the Chapter holding under the warrant of Lodge 
 No. 3, held Masonic intercourse with a Military Chapter under 
 Lodge warrant No. 351, issued by the Grand Lodge of England. 
 The writer in the Ahiman Rezon, spoken of, is evidently in 
 error, in asserting that this warrant was issued by the Athol 
 Grand Lodge. He says, it is true, that it was issued by the 
 Grand Lodge of England, but immediately after, he says that 
 the proceedings of Chapter No. 3 were recognized by the 
 Grand Lodge of England, " as appears from a commuliication 
 from its Deputy Grand Master, Dermott," thus clearly showing 
 that he did not know Dermott to be, at the time, an expelled 
 Mason, arid the Deputy Grand Master of a clandestine body of 
 Masons, styling itself the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons. 
 That Dermott did, on tha part of his spurious Grand Lodge, 
 acknowledge Chapter No. 3, in Philadelphia, we do not question, 
 for we know he was too anxious to extend the influence and 
 powers of his Grand Lodge, to halt between two opinions, where 
 an opportunity was offered to obtain a recruit ; but it is folly 
 to suppose that his (the Athol) Grand Lodge issued the warrant 
 spoken of. We know that Dermott acknowledged the legality 
 of all the Lodges in the United States, or the then Colonies, 
 whether planted by the Grand Lodge of England, Scotland, or 
 St. John's, at Boston ; he knew them to be legally constituted 
 bodies of Masons, and even if he did not, it was not to be 
 expected that the head and founder of a corrupt institution, 
 would call upon others to purify themselves, his end being 
 accomplished when he succeeded in obtaining their adhesion to 
 his Grand Lodge. Soon after No. 3 was acknowledged by the 
 Athol Grand Lodge, several other Chapters were established, 
 and we think it quite probable that they derived their warrants 
 from the Athol Grand Lodge, for, at least, as early as 1772, all 
 the Lodges in Pennsylvania acknowledged themselves to be 
 subordinate to that spurious body, doubtless believing that it 
 was, in truth and in fact, the true Grand Lodge of England. 
 Pennsylvania, to this day, has not entirely recovered from the 
 delusions of 1772 and 1783. A writer in one of the papers of 
 Philadelphia, the Sunday Dispatch, has recently given the most 
 accurate and satisfactory account of the introduction and early 
 
HISTORY OP FBEEMASONEY. 699 
 
 histoi'y of Masonry in Philadelphia, that we have anywhere 
 seen and yet, strange to say, while the fact is staring him in the 
 face, that, in 1825, his own Grand Lodge put its seal of con- 
 demi^tion upon the Athol Grand Lodge, and its founder, Law- 
 renci Dermott, by throwing away the Ahiman Rezon, and 
 incorporating the English Constitutions in lieu thereof, as its 
 fundamental law, he gives us a long and learned dissertation 
 upon the rise and fall of Modern Masonry in Pennsylvania, 
 eviduntly intending to show what he, doubtless, to this day 
 "jelieves, that the Grand Lodge of England was, in fact and in 
 truth, an Association of Modern Masonry, such as Dermott 
 represented them to be. It is not true that the Lodges in 
 Philadelphia, deriving their authority from the St. John's 
 Grand Lodge, went down, but it is true that they were all 
 seduced by Dermott and his numerous followers, and that they 
 did deny the authority of the true English Constitutions, and 
 became wedded to the clandestine Grand Lodge ; and in this 
 error they persisted until 1825, and even their most intelligent 
 writers seem not yet to know that Dermott was an impostor, 
 and his Grand Lodge a spurious one, for they still continue to 
 quote from Dermott's Ahiman Rezon, as authority. 
 
 The history of Royal Arch Masonry in Pennsylvania affords 
 as another proof that, at the very time Dermott was laying the 
 foundation for the separation of the Royal Arch degree from 
 the Lodges in England, he was successfully operating, in this 
 country, for the final accomplishment of the same end. In 1795, 
 almost immediately after his celebrated Convocation of Royal 
 Arch Masons in England, a Bro. Molan made his appearance in 
 Philadelphia, and set on foot a bold and daring attempt to 
 induce all the Chapters to make those radical innovations into 
 Royal Arch Masonry, which were afterwards effected by the 
 before named lecturers dovm East. He not only proposed the 
 subdivision of the degree, and the adoption of many of the 
 heautifid gewgaws of the American system, but he taught the 
 propriety of a separation of Royal Arch Masonry from the 
 Lodges, by the establishment of a Grand Chapter. And Molan 
 succeeded in getting the concurrence of those Chapters working 
 under Lodge warrants Nos. 19, 52, and 67 ; and also a Lodge 
 
700 HISTOEY OF FEEEMASONBT. 
 
 liolding under the Grand Lodge of Maryland, and another 
 under Georgia. Before these Chapters, assisted by Molan, 
 matured their plans. Chapter No. 3 appointed a Committee to 
 inquire into the facts, and, upon due inquiry, denounced the 
 whole scheme to be an innovation into the body of Masonry, not 
 to be tolerated by the good and true. Complaint being made 
 to the Grand Lodge, that body, with unanimity, denounced the 
 innovations, suspended the three Lodges under her jurisdiction 
 and commanded that Molan should not be respected as a Mason, 
 Thus did Pennsylvania put her foot upon the first insidious 
 effort to subdivide the Royal Arch degree, and to separate the 
 same from the Lodges. Thus did that old Keystone State set 
 an example worthy of all praise. Happy for Masonry in Penn- 
 sylvania, and thrice happy for the Order throughout the world, 
 had that State remained constant, contending earnestly for the 
 doctrines of their fathers. We mean no disparagement to 
 others, when we say that no Grand Lodge in the United States 
 exercised the same amount of influence as did Pennsylvania, 
 at the time of which we write. Philadelphia was then the 
 largest commercial city of the East — a direct and annual inter' 
 course was kept up between it and all the Western and South- 
 ern States and Territories ; added to these influences, Philadel- 
 phia was regarded as the Athens of America, and to her all 
 eyes were turned for light and instruction, and hence the Grand 
 Lodge of that State was looked to as an example. But, alas ! 
 how did she meet the expectations of the Fraternity ? We do 
 not mean to say that our Institution has fallen there below its 
 standard elsewhere ; far from it. Philadelphia is still a 
 Masonic city, set upon a hill ; not only seen from afar, but 
 setting an example of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, woi> 
 thy of imitation. Nowhere in the United States are visiting 
 brothers received with so much courtesy, and so kindly treated, 
 as in that city. In short, we are constrained to believe that 
 there, more than elsewhere, is to be found the old-fashioned, 
 warm-hearted Masonry of olden time. But all this does not 
 conceal the fact that, almost at the moment when the Grand 
 Lodge so emphatically denounced Molan and his proposed inno- 
 vations, it laid the foundation for the final accomplishment 
 
HISTORY OP FBEBMASONET. 701 
 
 of the same end I Of course, we do not charge that this 
 was done with a knowledge that such would be the result, but 
 it is difficult for us to suppose that Pennsylvania could not see 
 that her consent to establish a Grand Chapter, for the govern- 
 ment of Royal Arch Masonry, would lead to a separation of that 
 degree from the Lodgep. 
 
 The influence of Dermott in Pennsylvania may be inferred 
 from the fact that, the next year after his Convocation of Royal 
 Arch Masons in England, when he formed a Grand Chapter, 
 subject to the control of the Grand Lodge, Pennsylvania did the 
 Vffl-y same thing, and this, too, after denouncing, in the strongest 
 terms, Molan's attempt to do the same. 
 
 In 1798, the Grand Lodge adopted rules and regulations for 
 the government of the Grand Chapter. But Pennsylvania was 
 not yet prepared to cut loose from the Ancient Landmarks, and 
 adopt the American system. The Grand Lodge, at this session, 
 unequivocally declared the inalienable right of all warranted 
 Masters' Lodges to open Chapters, and confer the Royal Arch 
 degree ; and, further, that no exaltations should take place 
 except under a warranted Lodge, and, as proof that the Grand 
 Chapter was held to be subordinate to the Grand Lodge, all 
 the expenses of the former were, by law, to be paid by the 
 lattei'. Thus did the Grand Lodge remain firm in preventing 
 further innovations, earnestly contending for the old Landmarks 
 which their fathers had set, until July, 1824, when the sceptre 
 departed from the Keystone State, by the independent reorgani- 
 zation of the Grand Chapter. We have examined the original 
 Constitution of this Grand Chapter, and from it we learn that 
 even yet Pennsylvania does not indorse the entire American 
 system. We perceive that, while provision is made for the issu- 
 ing of warrants for the Mark and M. E. Master, a provision is not 
 made to recognize such a thing as the Past Master's degree. 
 There is a clause in the Constitution, requiring that all candidates 
 for exaltation must be Past Masters, but, as the degrees under 
 the control of that Grand body are specifically named, and the 
 Past Master's is not one of them, we are. bound to suppose the 
 term Past Master evidently refers to passing the Cliaii', as the 
 tegnl&v Master of a Lodge. 
 
702 HISTORY OF PBEEMASONEY. 
 
 We have thus attempted to give the most authentic accouiii 
 of the introduction of Royal Arch Masonry into this country, 
 as also some idea of .the manner in which it was separated from 
 what is now called Blue Lodge Masonry. 
 
 To trace Royal Arch Masonry through the various States, 
 would be both difficult and useless, because, in the first place, 
 BO history of it has been preserved, nor, indeed, yet written ; 
 but even had we the means of showing its advancement, step by 
 step, down to tl^e present day, such details would be dry and 
 uninteresting, for the reason that its history in one State, would, 
 wiih a slight variation, be its history in all the States. To 
 this, however, there are two or three exceptions, and to these 
 we shall call attention. 
 
 Most of the old States have originally assisted in the forma- 
 tion of the General Grand Chapter, or yielding, one by one, 
 their independence, and coming under the general head, the 
 new States were left with no alternative, but to apply to the 
 General Grand Chapter for authority to work, and hence it 
 was but natural, that when Grand Chapters were established, 
 they should place themselves under the control of the parent 
 head. While we unhesitatingly believe that the General Grand 
 Chapfer has been the means of preserving order and harmony 
 throughout the United States, and, therefore, it is, and ever has 
 been, the true policy of new Grand Chapters to come into this 
 union, we much doubt whether such would have been the uni- 
 form course, had not the national body acquired the right to 
 grant warrants to all States and Territories, where a Grand 
 Chapter was not established ; added to this, that body has a 
 regulation requiring permission to be obtained from one of the 
 four principal officers, to form a State Grand Chapter, thus 
 securing, at all points, an intimate connection between that body 
 and all new Chapters and Grand Chapters. These causes, 
 combined with the policy of the union, has had the effect to 
 bring under the general head all the State organizations, except 
 Virginia and Florida. 
 
 Virginia refused, originally, to come into the national compact, 
 not, however, because of the innovations of the American sys- 
 tem, adopted by the General Grand Chapter, for, if we mistake 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 703 
 
 not, the Old Dominion has long since adopted all the gewgaws 
 of Wetb, Cross, Cushman, & Co. But, assuming in this the 
 States' right doctrine, Virginia opposed the establishment of a 
 national head, because it would, or might be made to, interfere 
 with ihe healthy independence of the State organizations. 
 Thus reasoning, Virginia has uniformly refused any connection 
 with the General Grand Chapter. But, at the time of this 
 writing, January, 1854, there is a proposition pending before 
 the Grand Chapter of Virginia; to place it under the national 
 head, and we have heard it said that there is great probability 
 of its final adoption.* 
 
 The Grand Chapter of Florida is also independent of the 
 General Grand body. As we now remember the history of the 
 causes which led to this state of things, the following are 
 believed to be the prominent facts : 
 
 A legal number of Companions in Florida, believing that the 
 Grand Chapter of South Carolina possessed the power to issue 
 dispensations and warrants to adjacent vacant territory, applied 
 to that body for a dispensation, to open a Chapter in Florida. 
 Their prayer was granted, and, in due course of time, their work 
 being approved, South Carolina issued them a Charter, and. 
 under it the said Chapter was, as they supposed, legally consti- 
 tuted. We scarcely know how to account for the dereliction of 
 duty on the part of the Grand Chapter of South Carolina, that 
 body being a member, and component part of the General Grand 
 Chapter, from its earliest existence ; we would be hardly doing 
 her justice, to suppose she was ignorant of the law which 
 reserved to the national head the right to establish Chapters in 
 all States and Territories, where no Grand Chapter existed. 
 On the other hand, we are not inclined to believe that she 
 intended to usurp powers which she knew did not belong to 
 her ; but, whatever may have been the reasons of her course, 
 the facts, as we believe, are simply as here stated. In other 
 portions of Florida, two other Chapters had been established, 
 under the authority of the General Grand Chapter, and the 
 three inited and formed a State Grand Chapter, and volun- 
 
 * The proposition was rejected. 
 
704: HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 
 
 tarily applied for admission into the national organization 
 The General Grand Chapter demanded of Florida that the 
 Chapter, hailing from South Carolina, should forward one hun- 
 dred dollars, and obtain a charter from her, and upon these 
 conditions only, irould the Grand Chapter be acknowledged 
 It must be borne in mind, that no vote of censure was passed 
 against South Carolina, nor was she required to refund the fees 
 received for the dispensation and charter, and thus was Florida 
 left to the humiliating condition of absolutely purchasing her 
 admission into the union, at the cost of money and principle. 
 This she very justly declined doing, but that she might be quit 
 of all blame, she gave a truthful history of the establishment 
 of said Chapter, and the reasons by which that body was 
 actuated in declining a connection upon such terms. We are 
 not aware that the General Grand Chaptra- took any further 
 action upon the subject, and thus the matter stands, no one, as 
 far as we know, pretending to censure the course pursued ty 
 Florida, except those who were, or would have been, interested 
 in the receipt of the one hundred dollars. 
 
 We sincerely hope that this breach will, ere long, be healed, 
 but even to effect it, we could not ask Florida to recede from 
 her position, because we believe it to be a correct one. But as 
 the course pursued by the General Grand Chapter was illiberal, 
 unjust, and parsimonious, we hope those " grave and reverend 
 seigniors'' will have the magnanimity to remove the obstacle, 
 and tender an unconditional admission to Florida. This being 
 done, we doubt not the Grand Chapter of Florida would at 
 once embrace the overture, and thus add another gem to the 
 national head. 
 
 It is weU known that Royal Arch Masonry suffered its full 
 proportion of the evils growing out of the anti-Masonic tirade 
 of 1826 to 1835. Several of the Grand Chapters in the North 
 suspended their labors, and remained inactive for several y«ar&; 
 we think the Vermont Grand Chapter remained longest in this 
 condition. This Grand body w^as, in effect, closed, in 1829, 
 but as a sort of meeting was held in 1833, we shall date its 
 suspension of labors from this period, and thus it continued 
 until 1849 (a period of sixteen years), when it was reorganized. 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONKY. 705 
 
 and is now in a healthy and vigorous condition, having some of 
 the ablest and best men at its head, including Philip C. Tucker, 
 who, perhaps, more than any, has been the cause of elevating 
 the standard of Masonry in that State, and whose able pen hag 
 been so employed, that bis name will go down to posterity as 
 one of the true lights in the brilliant galaxy of Masonic writers 
 of the nineteenth century. 
 
 And now that we are about to close this historical sketch of 
 Royal Arch Masonry, we are called upon to look back to that 
 period when we first were taught to humble mrself in order that 
 we might be exalted J we do, indeed, feel proud of the wonderful 
 changes which it has been our lot to witness. Then we rarely 
 met a Companion in our travels — then we had to visit cities, or 
 large towns, in order to be present at the meeting of a Chapter ; 
 but, thirty odd years having come and gone, we can now find 
 a Chapter in almost every county town, and, in many instances, 
 nearly all the Lodge members are also members of the Chapter. 
 Then we oould travel near a thousand miles on the Ohio River, 
 without passing a Chapter, but now they are at almost all the 
 villages. And how has Royal Arch Masonry extended its 
 borders ? Nay, we might ask, where are its bounds ? Like a 
 bow of promise, the Holy Royal Arch arises in magnificence 
 upon the eastern shores of Maine, and, with increasing reful- 
 gence, through the blue arch of heaven which overspreads this 
 hemisphere, losing nothing of its bright and glorious mission, 
 sets its foot upon the shores of the Pacific, amid the golden 
 sands of California I Nor has its benign teachings traveled 
 alone to the far off West. If we look to the snow-clad hills of 
 Vermont, we shall behold a " bright particular star," emitting 
 streams of Masonic light, which, as they fly athwart the heavens, 
 meet and commingle with the warm upheavings of Florida's 
 Sons op Light. The North is no longer a place of Masonic 
 darkness. From East to West, from North to South, Free- 
 masonry abounds, and everywhere are Masters being Exalted 
 beueath the Living Akch 1 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 COUNCIL OP ROYAL AND SELECT MASTERS. 
 
 From all the facts heretofore given in this work, our readers 
 must, we think, have arrive^ at the conclusion that, originally, 
 Freemasonry consisted of but three degrees, and that the Royal 
 Art continued to be so practiced until after the establishment 
 of the Athol Grand Lodge, in 1753. Down to that period we 
 hear nothing of Masonic rites, there being but one rite in 
 Masonry. Previous to that period, hothing was known of 
 degrees in Masonry, except those of Entered Apprentice, Fellow- 
 Craft, and Master. We have seen where, and by whom, the 
 first innovations were perpetrated. The facts, "heretofore 
 detailed, have also shown, that all the degrees, in those foreign 
 rites, which were esteemed to be valuable, were claimed and 
 practiced as regular portions of the system, and the numerous 
 side degrees were only intended to please the frivolous and 
 juvenile members. 
 
 The first organized Jirm, for the manufacture of Masonic 
 degrees, was established in France, Chevalier Ramsey being the 
 presiding genius ; and, but for the extended dperations of the 
 rival firm, established in the United States by Thomas Smith 
 Webb & Co., we should find no difficulty in tracing even the 
 detailed or side degrees back to their original parentage. The 
 American firm did not, perhaps, manufacture a greater number 
 of degrees than its illustrious predecessor, and its branch in 
 Germany. But the American establishment adopted the " Young 
 American " system, for the sale of their product, which far out- 
 stripped all competition. But as each traveling peddler had on 
 sale both the European and American wares, very few, if any, 
 of the recipients are now enabled to separate and classify them. 
 We think it probable that there are* Masons now living, who 
 would bear testimony that, when they were made, there were 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 707 
 
 no side degrees known in Masonry. We were made in May, 
 1820, and we affirm that then, and for several years after, we 
 heard of but one side degree, viz., the Secret Monitor. We do 
 not say that side degrees had not then been instituted ; on the 
 contrary, we know that Continental Europe and America had 
 then manufactured hundreds of them ; but we do say, that sa'id 
 new degrees did not find favor in the West or South, until a 
 brood of self-appointed lecturers overran the country, and 
 spread, far and wide, a knowledge of the " down East wares,"" 
 together with the fripperies of ^^ance and Germany. 
 
 We have ever been in favor of giving honor to whom honor is , 
 due ; and if honor attaches to the deed, it is proper to say that 
 Bros. Cross, Cushman, Barker and Barney, were the, leading 
 men in disseminating a knowledge of said degrees. 
 
 We shall attempt to show that the degrees of Royal Master, 
 Select Master, and Super-Excellent Master, were introduced 
 into this country by Stephen Morin, or his appointed Deputy 
 Inspectars General, certainly as early as 1766 ; and as there is 
 no evidence that these degrees were known in this country 
 before Stephen Morin's visit, in 1762, we think the conclusion 
 almost self-evident, that they were side degrees instituted in 
 * France, to accompany the Ineffable degrees entrusted to said 
 Morin, for the American market. 
 
 All old Masons, now living, will testify that, for a" long time 
 after these three little side degrees were known, no sort of im- 
 portance was attached to them, for the simple reason that they 
 did not teach, or even profess to teach, any definite principle 
 in Masonry, nor was there, then, any interesting Masonic legend 
 attached to them. 
 
 We have, through Bro. Mackey, the testimony of Bro. 
 Dalcho, thiit Myres, one of Morin's Deputies, deposited a 
 manuscript of these degrees with the Grand Consistory, at 
 Charleston, in 1778 ; and v-. know that manuscript Masonry 
 had never been heard of ur ^ the Ineffable degrees were insti- 
 tuted. 
 
 In addition to the abovf i .stimony, going to show the parent- 
 age of these degrees, -fre ua /e the benefit of the researches of 
 Bro. Tucker, of Vermont, who found testimony to satisfy hia 
 
708 HISTORY OF FREBMASONRT. 
 
 mind, that these Council degrees were known in Albany, N. Y. 
 as early as 1766. It is known that the Royal Arch degree was 
 introduced into this country as early as 1758 ; and though this 
 degree was, probably, sent over by Dermott, he had obtained it 
 from Ramsey, and though he modified it, still it was a part of 
 the French system, concocted by the Scotch nobleman, and, 
 therefore, whether the side degrees appertaining to it were 
 brought here by Morin or Dermott, it would appear equally 
 evident that they originated in France, and originally belonged 
 to the so called Scotch Rite. And we infer that they did not 
 teach any principle or legend esteemed important, or they 
 would have been incorporated as regular degrees. 
 
 But what are the teachings now, of these little, and, of them- 
 selves, unimportant degrees of Royal and Select Masters ? We 
 assert, without the fear of successful contradiction, that, accord- 
 to the American system, no man can understand, or properly 
 appreciate, the Master's degree, without receiving the legend — 
 the history of Masonry, as now given in the Council of Royal 
 and Select Masters. And it becomes our business to show- 
 from the best light we have, how it happened that the all. 
 important mysteries and traditions of Ancient Craft Masonry 
 came to be placed in the keeping of little side degrees, formerly 
 esteemed to be of no essential importance. It is true, that 
 Ramsey subdivided the degrees of Masonry, and made a num- 
 ber of additional degrees necessary to acquire a knowledge of 
 Freemasonry. It is also true that Dermott, in adopting the 
 Royal Arch of Ramsey, tore away from the third degree the 
 most important teaching and essential legend, which he gave 
 in the Royal Arch ; but we think it equally true, that neither 
 Ramsey nor Dermott again subdivided the Royal Arch, so as 
 to place the essential, yea, the mosfessential, legend of Masonry 
 in the keeping of two little side degrees. There are a few old 
 Masons still living in this country, who could, if they would, 
 explain the whole process, and tell us by whom the incision 
 was made ; and we hereby appeal to them, as good and true 
 Masons, whose heads, like our own, are whitening for the grave, 
 to leave behind them the true history, so that those who are to 
 come after us may not only transmit Freemasonry, but with it 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 709 
 
 the names of those who have so deservedly won the title of 
 innovators. 
 
 We know that, previous to the memorable sojourning of 
 Cross, Cushman, Barker, and Barney, the side degrees of Royal 
 Master, Select Master, and Super-Excellent Master, were 
 esteemed of but little value ; and we also know that, when 
 these same degrees, without any defined parentage, made their 
 appearance in the hands of the above named, self-constituted 
 band of lecturers, they contained all the most essential legends 
 of the third degree in Masonry. We further know, that these 
 lecturers claimed to have authority to confer the degrees and 
 establish Councils, from certain brethren in Baltimore named 
 Niles and Eckels, and, doubtless, the world would be inclined 
 deeply to censure these brethren, for unblushingly claiming the 
 right, not only to confer said degrees, but also to ifesue patents 
 authorizing others to do so, were it not susceptible of proof 
 that they denied ever having issued such authority, or of having 
 claimed the right to do so. 
 
 We know that the " expert lecturers," who, from 1810 to 1830, 
 traveled throughout the land, gave a beautiful lecture upon the 
 Royal Arch degree, which, being taken from the Scotch Ritei 
 or Ineffable degrees, had no sort of connection with Free- 
 masonry, but which had been concocted, as Bro. Cross tells us, 
 by taking Ancient Craft Masonry as the foundation, and select- 
 ing the most beautiful portions of the Ineffable degrees ; and 
 now are we cursed with this misplaced condition of things, 
 without a prospect of return to the old and beaten path. Der- 
 mott made the fourth degree necessary to the proper under- 
 standing of Masonry, and the " expert workmen," who met down 
 East, entered Dermott's Secret Vault ©f the Royal Arch, and 
 stole away the sacred jewels, which were discovered and 
 brought to light by three worthy Masters, who, on foot, travel- 
 ed from Babylon to Jerusalem to aid in rebuilding the House 
 of the Lord. Aye, we charge that Americans, and not the 
 French or Germans, for the sake of gain, made another incis- 
 ion — another innovation into the body of Masoijry, placed the 
 true lecture of the Master's degree in the keepiiTg of the Royal 
 jind Select degrees, and left in its stead a mere creature of th/» 
 
TIO HISTOET OF FRBEMASONKY. 
 
 fancy — a thing thatrather mystifies than developes the true 
 history. 
 
 Our charge that the before-named lecturers, who, traversing 
 the country, engaged in establishing the American system, were 
 Masonic peddlers, has wounded where we did not intend it 
 should, and we had determined to soften our language, before 
 our work appeared in book form, but we hare not been able to 
 do so. The fact is staring us in the face that they each and 
 all made merchandise, not only of Masonry, but of the gew- 
 gaws and frippery of side degrees, and though there may be 
 no positive proof that either of the brethren named originated 
 the innovation of placing the lecture of the Master's degree 
 beyond even the Royal Arch, we feel that, as intelligent Masons, 
 they must have known that they were teaching an innovation ; 
 and, so far* from thus teaching, they, as good men and true, 
 should have denounced the act, and exposed the person who 
 attempted its perpetration. But, so far from doing this, they 
 received all that was tendered them for their lectures on Ma- 
 sonry, and, in addition, demanded ten dollars for the Council 
 degrees, advised all Royal Arch Masons to take them as the 
 only means of understanding either the Master's, or Royal Arch 
 degree, and, in addition, after making all the Royal and Select 
 Masters they could, advised them to take a charter fr<ym them to 
 open a Council, and demanded ninety dollars more. These are 
 facts known to living men, facts which have come to our know- 
 ledge from undoubted testimony, and whilst they are staring us 
 in the face, our pen must refuse to hunt for a milder appellation 
 than that of Masonic peddler, as applicable to those brethren. 
 For reasons, deemed to be good, we have long felt a warm 
 attachment for Bro. Cross, and yet, five or six years ago, we 
 included his name among those noted Masonic peddlers, and 
 called upon him to defend the charge, if he esteemed it false. 
 ■Had the evil, which he and others perpetrated, been of a less 
 serious character, we might have forborne to allude to it, but 
 as it is, we think our language, though it were adopted by the 
 Masonic world, would be a mild reproof for so great an offense. 
 Here we are, in the midst of the growing popularity of Free- 
 masonry, publishing to the world and teaching in the Lodge, 
 
HISTORY OP FREEMASOXRT. 711 
 
 room, that of right there are but three degrees in Masonry, and 
 yet, when the Masters degree is conferred, we are forced, by the 
 innovations of Ramsey and Dermott, to tell the brother that 
 he must take the Royal Arch, before he can understand the 
 third degree, and the American system compels him to take 
 three new degrees before he reaches the Royal Arch, and, even 
 after he is Exalted, by a still later American innovation, he is 
 told that he must take two little side degrees, before he can 
 understand the Master's degree. Nor does the evil stop here. 
 The Supreme Grand Councils claim that the Royal and Select 
 degrees belong of right to them, and we think they can establish 
 the justice of that claim, and if they call them home, enriched 
 and adorned with the American additions, then will the Master 
 Mason be compelled to knock at the door of a modern and 
 foreign Institution, in order to understand the Master's 
 degree ; and if they have the right to control those degrees, 
 they have the right to place them beyond the 33rd degree, and 
 it will be seen how small will be the number who would ever 
 understand the three degrees in Masonry. Must this thing be ? 
 must we be compelled to see the Landmarks of our Order thus 
 trampled under foot, or taken charge of, by a foreign Institu- 
 tion ? "We say, No, no ; a thousand times, No. We say, if the 
 General Grand Chapter will authorize all its subordinates to 
 deliver the true lecture, which we now find in the Council of 
 Royal and Select Masters, to every Exalted Royal Arch Ma- 
 son, all will be well, and those little side degrees will again 
 become unimportant. Will not the General Grand Chapter do 
 this? Can that body doubt her right to do so? Will she lack 
 the moral courage to do her duty in this particular? If she 
 should, while we believe that body to be capable of doing good, 
 we would most earnestly urge the necessity of dissolving that 
 organization, so that each State Grand Chapter may be at 
 liberty to call home the true lecture of the Royal Arch, the true 
 lecture of the Master Mason. 
 
 We conclude by giving the following extracts. The first is 
 from the pen of M. E. Comp. Tucker, of Vermont, and the 
 last is from the pen of M. E. Comp. Mac Farlane, of Texas, to 
 whom we are greatly indebted for historical statistics : 
 
712 HISTORY OP FEBEMASONET. 
 
 " The question, as to the Royal and Select degrees, is placed 
 somewhat in a new aspect, by an article in the Southern and 
 Western Masonic Miscellany, published at Charleston, S. C, by 
 Comp. Mackey. We have our information from the pro- 
 ceedings of the Grand Chapter of Maine, for 1852, as copied 
 from those of the Grand Chapter of Tennessee, for 1851. The 
 Miscellany itself is not, at this time, accessible to us. It is con- 
 tended, in this article, that these degrees belong, of rights to 
 the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree, and that the jurisdic' 
 tion taken of them, elsewhere, is illegitimate and unwarranted, 
 and has existed only through the supineness of those Supreme 
 Councils. 
 
 " As a portion of tl^e history of this claim, it is asserted that 
 three brethren recei'sed these degrees in the Sublime Grand 
 Lodge of Perfection, at Charleston, in February, 1783, and 
 that, at the original establishment of the Grand Councils of the 
 Princes of Jerusalem, in that city, on the 20th of February, 
 1778, Bro. Myers, one of the Deputy Inspectors General of 
 Frederick II., of Prussia, deposited in the Grand archives 
 of that body, certified copies of them from Berlin, which were 
 to be under the future guidance and fostering protection of that 
 presiding body. It is also stated that the Grand Officers and 
 the Sublime Council of Inspectors General have been, since 
 1783, steadily in the habit of conferring the degrees in question 
 (up to 1827, at least), under their authority, in the Southern 
 and Western States, and have also granted charters, for that 
 purpose, to Councils, which have formed Grand Councils, and 
 which Grand Councils have granted other charters. It is 
 further stated, that, in 1827, the Grand Chapter of South 
 Carolina, upon being satisfied of the truth of these things, 
 resolved that ' it was improper and inexpedient' for that Grand 
 body ' to assume a jurisdiction over the said degrees, and thus 
 to interfere with the rights and privileges of our brethren and 
 Companions in another and higher order of Freemasonry.' 
 
 " By a memorandum in the archives of the Supreme Grand 
 Council, dated 15th March, 1830, and signed by Moses Hol- 
 brook, then Grand Commander, made, as is said, for the govern- 
 ment of members of the 33rd degree, ' it appears that agreeably 
 
HISTORY OF PREEMASONET. 713 
 
 to the obligations and the Constitutions governing these degrees 
 (Royal Master and Select Master of 27), it is correct and lawful 
 to give them, either to sublime Masons, who have • arrived at 
 Knight of the 9th arch (13th degree), or to Companions of the 
 3rd arch, that is, Royal Arch Masons.' 
 
 "In an appendix to the oration of Bro. F. Dalcho, delivered 
 in the sublime Grand Lodge, in 1807, it is said that, 'besides 
 those degrees which are in regular succession, most of the 
 Inspectors are in possession of a number of detailed degrees, 
 given in different parts of the world, and which they generally 
 communicate, free of expense, to those brethren who are high 
 enough to understand them.' Among these detailed degrees, 
 he enumerates that of the Select Mason of 27, or the Select 
 Master. 
 
 " The Supreme Council of the 33rd degree was first opened at 
 Charleston, on the 31st of May, 1801. 
 
 " If we correctly understand those claims, they involve the 
 following propositions : 
 
 " 1st. That jurisdiction over the Royal and Select degrees 
 belongs, of right, to the Supreme Grand Council of the 33rd 
 degree. 
 
 " 2nd. That their oldest date, in this country, is under the 
 authority of the Grand Lodge of Perfection, in 1783. 
 
 " 3rd. That the Grand Councils of the Princes of Jerusalem 
 had certified copies of them from Berlin, in 1178, and then 
 claimed jurisdiction over them. 
 
 " 4th. That the Grand Officers and the Sublime Council of 
 Inspectors General have conferred them ever since 1783, and 
 have granted charters for them. 
 
 " 5 th. That they are only to be conferred on Knights of the 
 9th Arch, and Royal Arch Masons. 
 
 " 6th. That they are not regular, but detailed or side degress. 
 I " In a letter from Bro. Mackey to Bro. Charles W Moore, 
 of Boston, published in the Freemason's Magazine for Novem- 
 ber, 1848, the same view, as to the jurisdiction of the Royal and 
 Select degrees as is here given, is' set forth, but they do not 
 seem, till recently, to have attracted any particular attention 
 from the State Grand Chapters. In the same letter, Bro. 
 
714 HISTOET OF PKEEMASONET. 
 
 Mackey srggested that a Convention of Royal and Select 
 Masons should be held at some central point, to make an ami- 
 cable settlement of the dispute, and to make the mode and 
 manner of conferring them uniform throughout the country. A 
 feeble attempt was made to have this brought about at Boston, at 
 the communication of the General Grand Chapter in September, 
 1850, but it turned out a complete failure, and the Convention 
 was not even called together. We hope it maybe renewed 
 with better success at the communication of the General Grand 
 Chapter, in Kentucky, in September, 1853. 
 
 " It is, we think, probable, that these degrees had been con- 
 ferred in this country previous to the oldest date claimed by 
 the article in the Miscellany, and we have good authority for 
 saying that, as early as 1766, they were conferred in the city 
 of Albany. We know also that it is an opinion, sustained by 
 strong authority, that at that time they came from France, and 
 not from Prussia. They were also, not far from that time, intro- 
 duced into Rhode Island, and, subsequently, into Massachusetts 
 and Maryland, and before the establishment of the Grand Lodge 
 of Perfection at Charleston, in 1783. They were then con- 
 sidered as detached or honorary degrees. At some time (but at 
 what time, can not be definitely ascertained), power was given 
 to individuals to confer them, and to that circumstance, we 
 probably owe the fact of finding them so generally spread over 
 the different States. We have strong doubts as to their having 
 solely originated at Charleston under the power claimed from 
 Berlin. 
 
 " We do not favor the idea of a superior body generally claim- 
 ing jurisdiction over side degrees, or any degrees which it does 
 not distinctly claim authority over in its publications, which purport 
 to give a list of those degrees claimed to be under its control. 
 We hardly think it would be generally recognized, if the State 
 Grand Lodges should assert jurisdiction over the dozens of side 
 degrees which are conferred on Master Masons ; or if the State 
 Grand Chapters should claim a similar control over such side 
 degrees as are conferable on Royal Arch Masons. When those 
 bodies publish lists of degrees regularly subject to their control, 
 the inference always is that they embrace all the degrees over 
 
HISTORY OP FRBEMASONET. 716 
 
 which they have power. Neither the Northern nor Southern 
 Supreme Councils have the Royal and Select degrees in their 
 published lists. The Northern, if we are correctly informed, 
 has not, for many yBars, claimed to control them ; the Southern 
 now stands alone in making the claim. If the Supreme 
 Grand Councils never claimed, in this country, to control the 
 York rite, because it existed here, independent, before their 
 establishment, why should they observe a different rule as to 
 the Royal and Select degrees, which also existed here prior to 
 their advent from Prussia? According to one of the positions 
 asserted in the Miscellany, the Grand Chapters of Maryland 
 and Virginia, and, • perhaps, some others (which confer the 
 degrees before the Royal Arch), have been pursuing a wrong 
 practice, although, to us, it seems plain that, as they belong 
 to the first Temple, and not the second, they should precede the 
 Arch. 
 
 " While we do not find ourselves satisfied that the claim assert- 
 ed by Bro. Mackey is one of strict right, still we are (in 
 common, we believe, with a' large majority of the Royal Arch 
 Masons of the United States) so far anxious that these degrees 
 should come under some proper control, that we feel very free in 
 saying that it is not, in our opinion, of so much consequence 
 what Grand body controls them, as it is that they should have 
 some fixed and authoritative head. In their present condition, in 
 the United States, they are almost literally nidlus filius, or, per- 
 haps, we should rather say, they have a surplus fraternity. 
 
 " State Grand Councils, State Grand Chapters, the General 
 Grand Chapter, Sublime Grand Lodges of Perfection, Grand 
 Councils of Princes of Jerusalem, and the Supreme Grand 
 Councils of the 33rd degree, have, at different times, claimed 
 their parentage, and it is quite time that the true parent was 
 restored to the control of his own children ; and if the legiti- 
 mate one be still doubtful, that a putative one should be agreed^ 
 to by compromise. For ourselves, though we may, perhaps, 
 doubt somewhat, as we may have intimated, the soundness of 
 the claim now set up dejure, we have few objections to helping 
 establish it de facto, if that will terminate the controversy. 
 
 " There are some things in the report of the Committee on 
 
716 HISTORY OF FREEMASONEY. 
 
 Foreign Correspondence of the Grand Chapter of New York, 
 which call for a few remarks. The Committee contend that 
 the General Grand Chapter has not abandoned its jurisdic- 
 tion over the Council degrees, and that the proceedings of 
 1829 and 1844 are yet in force. It might, . perhaps, be a full 
 answer to this position to say, that the General Grand Chapter 
 is a body of limited powers, set forth and defined in a written 
 Constitution, by which no power to act on this subject is con- 
 ferred at all, or ever was, by all the changes which that instru- 
 ment has passed through — that no implied powers of this char- 
 acter are given to that body, and that whenever it has acted 
 on this subject, its power has been assumed and wholly arbi- 
 trary. 
 
 The General Grand Constitution speaks of Chapters alone, 
 and when it names the degrees embraced by them, names only 
 the Mark, Past, Most Excellent, and Royal Arch. If the 
 General Grand Chapter did not consider that it had no juris- 
 diction over them, notwithstanding the inoperative resolutions 
 of 1829 and 1844, its action of 1850, in refusing to inquire into 
 the expediency of organizing a General Grand Council, is 
 wholly unmeaning. Our understanding of its import, at the 
 time, was, that the body doubted its right to interfere with them 
 at all." 
 
 HISTORY OP THE COUNCIL DEGREES IN ALABAMA. 
 
 " Gulp Prairie, Brazoria county, Texas, ) 
 "December 21, 1852. ) 
 " Dr. J. W. S. Mitchell : — ^The supreme jurisdiction of the 
 degrees of Royal and Select Masters seems to be still a mooted 
 question among the Royal Craftsmen, from Maine to Mexico. 
 A late review of the subject by the Correspondence Committee 
 of the Grand Chapter of the State of Vermont, in its report, as 
 published in the Masonic Signet, of December, 1852, attracted 
 the writer's attention. The frequent discussions of this subject, 
 during the last thirty years, have been more a source of amuse- 
 ment to him, than of the profound interest now so seriously 
 manifested in relation to these degrees throughout the United 
 States, for what were supposed, in his younger days, the mere 
 
HISTORY OP FEEEMASONRT. 717 
 
 bantlings of juvenile pastime. He is not, however, fully certain 
 whether his protracted silence is altogether without censure. 
 The idea of egotism, partially connected with the denouement of 
 what little he knew on the subject, deterred him from any 
 explanation, and, having emigrated to Texas in the spring of 
 1830, for many years precluded all correspondence on the subject. 
 Yet the matter was no secret among the R. A. Masons who had 
 taken these degrees, in the State of Alabama, and who attended 
 the meetings of the Grand Chapter of the State, from its foun- 
 dation in 1822, until the writer left the country. Until after , 
 the Revolution, there was neither Lodge nor Chapter in Texas. 
 " In 1820, a dispensation for the first Royal Arch Chapter in 
 Alabama was granted to Dugald Mac Farlane, and other Com- 
 panions, residing near the Palls of the Black Warrior, (now Tus- 
 caloosa,) by the Hon. De Witt Clinton, G. G. H. Priest of the 
 G. G. Chapter of the United States of America. In order to 
 establish Royal Arch Masonry in the new State of Alabama, 
 Comp. Mac Farlane, a young enthusiastic Craftsman, voluntarily, 
 and at his own expense, procured the warrant to do so, and 
 spent the summer of that year in the city of Charleston, 
 expressly to obtain as much Masonic information as his capacity 
 and means would secure, for the benefit of his then isolated 
 State. Here every facility was opened for his improvement, and 
 he had full and free access to the most celebrated Masonic 
 mediums of intelligence the city then afforded. Through regard 
 for the propagation of Masonic knowledge and kindness to him, 
 the Grand Chapter was called together, for his special benefit, 
 by the M. E. William Young, at that time G, H. Priest, for 
 Comp. Mac Farlane's installation as the H. Priest of Tuscaloosa 
 Chapter, No. 1, receiving the degree of Priesthood in ample 
 form. Yet, notwithstanding this high estimate of Masonic 
 character, and intimate friendships, his daily communication 
 with the most eminent Masons of the city — Brothers, Compan- 
 ions, Knights, Princes, Inspectors, etc., etc., of the Supreme 
 Grand Council of the 33rd degree— the degrees of Royal 
 and Select Masters formed nq part of conversation on any 
 occasion — they were not known to the catalogue of degrees at 
 that time conferred in South Carolina, He, however, met with 
 
718 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY. 
 
 them in the State of Georgia, as side degrees, and they were 
 conferred with but little obligatory restriction. They were 
 introduced here by a Comp. Vinton, a Grand Lecturer, author 
 of The Masonic Minstrel, from Maryland. They were bandied 
 about as mere playthings, between the Companions of Augusta, 
 Louisville, and Edenton, as coffee-room interrogations, when 
 they accidentally met. The first was a sufficient and convenient 
 guarantee for confidence and friendship. During the following 
 year, Chapters were estahlished at Cahawba, Fort Claiborne, 
 and Mobile, and, in due time, a Grand Chapter was formed for 
 the State of Alabama, and Comp. Mac Parlane was the first 
 G. H. Priest. As the head of the Grand Chapter, he discarded 
 the recognition of, or authority over, these interloping novelties, 
 alike fascinating as dangerous to the safety of the sacred 
 archives and interests of the Institution. To restrict the care- 
 less dissemination of these degrees in Alabama, so far as lay 
 within the limits of his individual influence, he had instituted a 
 Council, ill which the degrees were conferred, with the concur- 
 ronce of all the members only ; established a Constitution and 
 ceremonial, the recipients receiving' more stringent obligations 
 than had been hitherto required, and recommended the same 
 plan to the other Chapters, as they were established. As the 
 G. H. Priest was almost the only person in the State who pos- 
 sessed these degrees, and being, at the same time, Grand Lec- 
 turer of the recently formed Grand Lodge of Alabama, he had 
 it in his power to carry out his views without opposition, and 
 Chapters in the neighboring States soon followed the salutary 
 example. 
 
 " In the summer of 1828, the Companions of Tuscaloosa Chap- 
 ter were visited by a Comp. Barker, a Grand Lecturer, under 
 the patronage of the G. G. Chapter of the United States 
 of America, and the Supreme Grand Council of the 33rd 
 degree, of the city of Charleston. He came with a bull of 
 censure on his tongue, and, in measured terms, condemned the 
 arrogant assumption of power to form Councils and G. Councils, 
 as had been done in Alabama, without authority. The innocent 
 Companions, supposing themselves guilty, stood silent and 
 aghast before the agent of the self-constituted G. G. Chapter 
 
HISTORY OP FKEEMASONRT. 719 
 
 of the United States, until he was, in turn, interrogated, and 
 asked from whence, and when the authority, under which ho 
 pretended to act derived its power, in relation to these degrees 
 particularly. This question was easier asked than answered 
 satisfactorily, as he, in turn, stood abashed before the members 
 of the self-created Grand Council of Alabama, for his temerity, 
 when informed that these Councils were formed before the sub- 
 ject of them was known to the G. G. Chapter of the United 
 States at all. After some parley, the parties came to a partial 
 understanding for the time being ; but Comp. Barker did not 
 get thirty dollars for a Council dispensation. He delivered 
 , lectures on the Royal and Select degrees, and the isolated select, 
 so healed, were highly gratified to discover that his form was 
 but little more than an improvement on the old work of the local- 
 ity. If the latter was not the original, there was, certainly, a 
 surprising coincidence in the original conception of both work 
 and ceremonial. These degrees, every one who took them 
 supposed, were of recent origin. Although there were visitors 
 — R. A. Masons — ^from every State in the Union, it was a rare 
 occurrence to find one who had ever heard of these degrees, or 
 anything bearing any similitude to them, if we except a slight 
 affinity to the legend of one of the Ineffable degrees. There- 
 fore, there is strong reason to believe that the simple elements 
 of the R. Master's degree were unknown until a very recent 
 period — perhaps not earlier than 1818-19, at farthest. Jere- 
 my L. Cross' Masonic Chart gave them the first general 
 impulse. Bro. Thomas Smith Webb does not seem to have 
 known anything of them, or, if he did, he regarded them as 
 unworthy of his notice. Bro. Webb had but lately made a long 
 professional visit to the city of Charleston, when Comp. 
 Mac Tarlane was there. No person of perspicuous conception 
 and prudent foresight, would have proposed a test of so solemn 
 a guarantee, as is involved in such frivolous data as that embrac- 
 ed in the R. Master, and its present disconnected condition is 
 sincerely to be regretted. Both these degrees should be taken 
 care of and brought home to their legitimate domicile, and incor- 
 porated where, of right, they may claim paternal care, divested 
 of their wild and wandering individuality. 
 
720 HISTOBY OF FEEEMASONET. 
 
 " You may suppose I write with great confidence — ^it is a 
 part of my temperament. " P. B. s." 
 
 We feel unwilling to dismiss this subject, without calling 
 special attention to the distinction which we draw between the 
 degrees of Royal and Select Masters, and the lecture or legend 
 now given to the recipients of said degrees. We do not 
 believe that the General Grand Chapter can, with propriety, 
 lay any claim to the control of the degrees, but, surely, that, 
 General Grand body will not longer permit any foreign body 
 to take and exercise exclusive control of the most important, 
 yea, the all important history and explanation of the Master's 
 degree. We repeat, that without the legend given in a Coun- 
 cil, it is utterly impossible for the Master, or Royal Arch 
 Mason, to understand and properly appreciate the teachings 
 of Freemasonry. We are willing to unite with Bro. Tucker 
 in yielding up the degrees to whomsoever will take charge 
 of them, but we solemnly protest against a transfer of 
 the legend there given. We care not who placed the his- 
 tory there. We know that it was done without proper 
 authority. We know it belongs to the Master's degree, and 
 while, under the present state of things, we unwillingly con- 
 cede its control to the Chapter, we never will consent to its 
 continuance beyond that authority, much less would we agree 
 to place it in charge of any other rite. We say, then, if the 
 General Grand Chapter will not authorize and instruct its sub- 
 ordinates to give the entire legend or history to every Exalted 
 Royal Arch Mason, we trust that the State Grand Chapters will ; 
 but should they, too, fail of this duty, we appeal to the State 
 Grand Lodges to take charge of the whole system of Ancient 
 Craft Masonry, and restore it to its primitive purity. Ameri- 
 cans have perpetrated innovations ; let Americans, not only 
 retrace their steps, but go back and plant their standard on the 
 original platform, and soon the plaudits of the Masonic world 
 will be heard, and everywhere will the noble example be 
 followed. 
 
 We now close the first volume, and with it, our history of 
 Ancient Craft Masonry. 
 
CHAPTER VII, 
 
 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 
 
 Fbom the creation of the world down to the present time, w6 
 are furnished with unmistakable evidence that the fiat of 
 Omnipotence was pronounced, through the womb of time, against 
 the stability of dl human institutions. No law in the divine 
 economy is more clearly perceptible, than "he that humbleth 
 himself shall be exalted, and he that exalteth himself shall be 
 abased." Nation after nation have risen from poor and obscure 
 parentage, and gathered strength on the way, till, finally, they 
 would strut and lord it over the earth. Kingdom after king- 
 dom has come up from little colonies, or tribes, and grew 
 apace, until, by the strong arm of power, they have ruled with 
 unlimited sway, and given laws to mankind. But where are 
 they now ? Echo answers, where ? As each, in turn, waxed 
 strong, an(l became proud of its power and influence upon the 
 earth, so has each, in turn, been compelled to kiss the dust at 
 the feet of those once held in contempt. That this law of 
 heaven was designed to be of universal application to men and 
 things, we can ask no clearer proof than that God suffered His 
 chosen people to fall beneath its iron power, when that people 
 dared forget their allegiance to Him and His immaculate laws. 
 Man is so constituted, that success, even in his laudable efforts, 
 begets unholy desires for triumph in other and unholy things. 
 The acquisition of wealth begets a love of power, and power is 
 the parent of arrogance and pride, and pride is, most generally, 
 but bigotry concealed and arrogance put on. No nation has, 
 or ever will, become great in the eyes of mankind, and continue 
 steadily to remember that their greatness is derived from a 
 power greater than they. The heavens declare the glory of 
 God, and the angels adore Him as the Source of all power, and 
 46 721 
 
722 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED 7 
 
 tlie Giver of all good ; but when men and nations become pow- 
 erful and great, they become puffed up with pride and vanity, 
 and, to their own superior wisdom and goodness, do they 
 attribute their greatness. And when nations become maddened 
 with self-conceit, and wage successful war against other nations 
 of the earth, trampling under foot the sacred laws of human 
 liberty and human rights, then does the Great Jehovah buckle 
 on His armor, and their strong men are brought low. 
 i If we travel back through the unwritten history of the dark 
 ages, even there we shall find unmistakable evidences, that 
 nation after nation, kingdom after kingdom, people after people, 
 tribe after tribe, have ruled with iron sway. Civil institutions, 
 supposed to be wise beyond comparison, have sprung up, and 
 dazzled with their splendor for a while, but they have all 
 passed away, and many of them become so far forgotten, that 
 the bowels of the earth alone are capable of bearing testimony 
 that they once were. 
 
 And now, may we not ask, is it not remarkable that the 
 Institution of Masonry has survived the mildew of time ? Why 
 is it that, against all opposition, which bigotry, and superstition, 
 and dark cunning could suggest, this Institution alone has 
 proudly triumphed, and still stands a monument of its own 
 glory ? Masonry has never had, or sought to have the law- 
 making power, in any land beneath the sun. Masonry never 
 •had, or sought to have ecclesiastical power, to perpetuate its 
 being by religious dogmas. Masonry has never been, nor sought 
 to be set apart by sovereign power, as exempt from any or all 
 the duties and responsibilities of the body politic. Masonry 
 has claimed and received but few favors from kings or rulers. 
 Why then, we repeat, is her glorious star still in the ascendant? 
 It can not be because the Institution is too insignificant or 
 effeminate to attract attention, for we know she has been hated, 
 persecuted, and hunted down, with a malignity that would do 
 credit to fiends, and with a zeal that might have honored a 
 better cause. It can not be a cunningly devised fable, emanat- 
 ing from, and perpetuated by, the prince of darkness ; for we 
 have admitted into our fold, and declared all our secrets to old 
 and tried soldiers of the Cross, who have received the bounty, 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED? 723 
 
 and taken a solemn oath to wage war, to the death, against his 
 Satanic majesty, and all his subjects, both great and small. 
 
 The foregoing thoughts have been suggested, by our having 
 noticed that there is a tendency in the minds of the most intel- 
 ligent men, not even excepting pious ministers of the Gospel, to 
 account for all mysteries in the divine economy, by reasons 
 tending to show that man is God, and God is man. 
 , We have asked for a reason why Solomon's Temple was 
 erected, and have been told that " the avowed reason was to 
 furnish a resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, but tha$- 
 tlie gaudy trappings of the building go ,to prove that it was the 
 vain-glorious work of Israel's proud King." We have.aske(J 
 why the Temple was so constructed as to furnish ,a place of 
 worship for all nations ; and liave received for an answer, " this 
 was the result of the wisdom of Solomon, derivpfl from the 
 superior learning of the Scribes." We have asked why [the 
 Temple surpassed all oth«r buildings in beauty of proportions 
 and richness of finish, and have been told that " the Greeks, ott 
 that period, were profound geometricians, and the most expeiv^ 
 and scientific architects on earth ; that about fifty years before 
 the death of David, some Greek architects settled in the king- 
 dom of Tyre, and that these superior workmen were sent to 
 Solomon, which enabled him to present a perfeqt work ; an^ 
 that the great wealth of , King Solomon, enabled him to enrich an^ 
 adorn the edifice so as to surpass all others." 
 
 We have asked to be informed in what consisted the wisdoqi 
 imparte,d by Solomon to the wise men of all nations, who vie- 
 ited him after the completion of the Temple, and have beep 
 told, with a knowing look, " the science of geometry, ^nd the ant 
 of building." 
 
 Now, wliile we are constrained to admit that the foregoing 
 answers have been made by men, whose learning and research 
 entitle their opinions to the highest respect and consideration, 
 We are inclined to fear that their great desire to exalt the powers 
 of the human intellect, and make it capable of explaining all 
 things, as resulting from natui^al causes, has led them into a 
 misconception of the .whole subject. It would seern to us profit^ 
 able, in the investigation of cause and efl'ect, not to lose sight 
 
724 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 
 
 of the great First Cause, the Fountain of all power, and the 
 Dispenser of all good. 
 
 If we could see nothing remarkable in the Institution of 
 Masonry, in its long continuance and wonder-working influence 
 upon the lives of men, we, too, might readily fall into the popu- 
 lar notion, that its institution and perpetuation has been the 
 result of the wisdom and cunning of man. If we could see 
 nothing remarkable in the time, place, and the manner of 
 building Solomon's Temple, and if, too, the Bible were silent 
 upon the subject, we might suppose that Tanity and pride had 
 been the great moving causp in the mind of Israel's King, in 
 devising the plan. If we could believe that it was necessary, 
 in the divine economy, that the Ark of the Covenant should 
 have a building set apart for its special keeping, we might be 
 inclined to favor the opinion of some highly respectable diTines, 
 that Jehovah had put it into the heart of Solomon to erect the 
 house of the Lord, for that purpose alone ; but there are so 
 many reasons offered to our mind, for supposing there was a 
 greater and more important end to be accomplished, through 
 the mercy and providence of God, that we are not content with 
 so limited a view of the subject. 
 
 We claim that, in and out of the Bible, we have the clearest 
 evidence that God, in His providence, operates upon the minds 
 of men, not alone by the strong arm of His power, nor yet 
 according to the strict laws of divine justice, but also by means 
 qf His own appointment, which may, or may not, be chosen by 
 His creatures, and, therefore, while those means must work for 
 the well-being and happiness of mankind, as a whole, they may 
 not operate for the good of all individuals,' because the 
 appointed means are not chosen by all. 
 
 The account given us of our Saviour's mission on earth, is filled 
 with events designed to impress these truths upon the minds of 
 all. We know He possessed the power to do all things by the 
 fiat of His will, unaided by means, for He commanded Lazarus 
 to come forth ; and yet, His ordinary method of demonstrating 
 bis power, was by a resort to means, as is shown in restoring 
 sight to the blind, making the deaf to hear, and in healing all 
 manner of diseases. 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 725 
 
 We claim it to be a fixed fact, that Jehovah ordered the 
 building of the house of the Lord, and that He gave the instru- 
 ment used, wisdom and power commensurate with the great 
 design. We do not arrive at this conclusion, because the 
 reason of such fact is supposed to be clearly apparent to all, 
 but simply because the Word of God has so declared it. 
 
 We believe the house of the Lord was erected to accomplish 
 a great end for the good of mankind, not because we are able 
 to perceive that all men have been benefited thereby, but 
 because the works of God are all great, and the end is ever equal 
 to the means. 
 
 Having thus briefly prepared the way, we will proceed to 
 select a few of the most prominent facts, which, in our mind, 
 tend to show what were the objects and ends of the erectioL of 
 the Temple. 
 
 We have seen that, down to the .reign of David, infidelity 
 and false worship had spread and communicated from nation, to 
 nation, and from people to people, until all had gone astray. 
 Not even that people whom God, by His omnipotent power and 
 goodness, had snatched away from the house of bondage, and 
 who, by His divine presence, He had cheered on through the 
 wilderness, and gave a triumphant entrance into the land of 
 promise — we say, not even these, the peculiar, the chosen 
 people, remained true to their first love. It is true, that the Jews 
 retained more of the true worship, and outwardly kept more 
 of -the forms taught them by Moses ; in short, they knew more 
 about the true religion than any other nation of people. But 
 they had sought out many inventions ; they entered up decrees, 
 suggested by their own vanity, and designed to promote their 
 own vain glory, until God and His holy law were set at defiance, 
 when supposed to conflict with, or run counter to their own 
 creed. At the time to which we refer, the true worship was 
 only here and there to be found, and these were generally over- 
 awed by the outcry of popular will, if not borne down and 
 oppressed by the superstition of the age. Every nation had a 
 religion. All men worshiped superior, or supposed suj)erior 
 beings, but they were slaves to their carnal passions, or dupea 
 to the cunning and machinations of a designing and corrupt 
 
726 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 
 
 priesthood. The Egyptian Mysteries, in some form or other, 
 had covered the face of the inhabited earth, and all men were 
 being led astray by initiation into them. The flesh pots of 
 Egypt were everywhere open and yawning to be filled. Secret 
 societies were everywhere to be found, and all men were seek- 
 ing to enter them. The curse of the gods was supposed to 
 fall upon all persons who failed or neglected to gain admission. 
 These secret societies were all religious societies, and then, as 
 now, Heathens as well as Christians, believed religion was 
 necessary to the well-being and happiness of man on earth, and 
 to his felicity after death. 
 
 The time was at hand, when God, in His infinite wisdom, had 
 determined to send His only begotten San into the world, to save 
 ihankind from the penalty of their crimes. David was upon the 
 throne of Israel, and, we think, God permitted him toindulge in 
 all the abominations of wickedness and sin, that in his final 
 .penitence and true worship, the world might be furnished with 
 a prominent example, not only of the power and goodness of God, 
 hut to make manifest the means about to be set apart to bring 
 man back to his lost estate — his affinity to the one only living and 
 true God, and his home in heaven. To this end, we think, th6 
 clearest proofs were given, for though King David had imbued 
 his hands in innocent blood, and wrought wickedness under the 
 guise of friendship — although he had set at defiance all law save 
 that which ministered to his unbridled passions, still did God 
 extend forgiveness to true repentance. Yea, more, the astound- 
 ing fact is left upon record, that, through repentance, God 
 could take to His bosom, him who had been the vilest of the 
 vile, and pronounce him a man after His own heart. 
 
 When his locks were whitened with age, and his limbs were 
 tottering upon the brink of the grave, David's soul yearned to 
 do some good, and while his grateful aspirations were pouted 
 out in songs of inimitable sweetness, he prayingly sottght to 
 erect that house which he knew God designed to have built; 
 but God would not permit him to do so, because he had been a 
 man of war ; for, as the Temple was intended to typify the 
 kingdom and reign of our Saviour, a man whose hands were 
 Btoined with human blood could not participate in its erection-, 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 727 
 
 though, through the mercy and goodness of God, all stains of 
 Bin had been blotted out, and his name written in the Lamb's 
 Book of Life. But God promised that the house should be 
 built by his son, whose reign, as we know, was one of uninter- 
 rupted peace. King David was permitted to hoard up the 
 very wealth he had acquired by wicked deeds, that it might be 
 expended on the Temple. 
 
 When Solomon ascended the throne, he prayed to God for 
 wisdom to govern his people, and not only did God give hint 
 greater wisdom than had ever been given to any king, but 
 granted him also great riches, that he might fully accomplish 
 the work set before him. 
 
 We have heard it said, that the Bible does not declare Solor 
 mon the wisest man, but only wiser than any other king ■ while 
 we believe the language used was designed to show that he was 
 emphatically the wisest man that had ever lived, for we know that 
 kings were generally supposed wiser than any other men, and 
 hence, is Solomon's wisdom spoken of as being greater than even 
 that of any king. 
 
 Now, assuming our position to be correct, viz., that God's 
 works are all for great ends, we conclude that His peculiar and 
 miraculous gift to Solomon was for great and wise purposes, 
 and it does seem to us to be underrating the works of the King 
 of Kings and Lord of Lords, and the bestowment of His special 
 blessings, to say that He thus endowed and blessed the King of 
 Israel, for no other purpose than the erection of a fine houses, 
 though it be admitted that it was to contain the Ark of the 
 Covenant, and receive the great Shekinah. We hold these 
 things were secondary to the great end in the divine plan, as 
 we shall attempt to show before we conclude ; and we ask the 
 reader carefully to observe our advance, step by step, and 
 judge the correctness of our views by the facts adduced, and 
 such others as may suggest themselves to all Bible readers. 
 
 It will be remembered that, at the period about wliich we 
 write, the kindliest feelings did not exist between the Jews 
 and Tyrians ; on the contrary, a deadly hostility was percepti- 
 ble. Their religion was totally different, their interests were 
 different, and a long continued nptional hatred had been 
 
728 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED? 
 
 indulged in. And yet Solomon called on Uie King of Tyre to 
 give him aid in the great work which God had set apart for 
 him to accomplish. To us it seems to be a short-sighted view 
 of the subject, to conclude that the wisest and richest King upon 
 earth, should be driven to the necessity of calling on his 
 people's enemy, and the enemy of Israel's God and His worship, 
 to assist in building a house, simply because his enemy possessed 
 the most convenient means for giving that assistance. Again, it 
 is remarkable that the King of Tyre not only agreed to render 
 the assistance asked, but, in the most fraternal manner, express- 
 ed a desire to participate in the work,> and offered to do much 
 more than was asked or accepted. Reader, pause and reflect. 
 Why was it that a worshiper of idols and innumerable heathen 
 gods, was so willing, yea, anxious, to assist in building and 
 dedicating a house to the one only living and true God ? 
 
 Again, there was a youth, whose father was a man of Tyre, 
 and whose mother was of the tribe of Naphtali — we know not 
 that there was another of similar issue, certainly there were 
 but few intermarriages between the citizens of the two king- 
 doms. This youth early attracted the attention of the father 
 of the King of Tyre, who took charge of and educated him ; 
 and, at the time Solomon was engaged in laying his plans for 
 the Temple, this young man had acquired the fame of being the 
 most cunning and expert workman in the world. We rejoice 
 to know that, while all things in connection with the design of 
 the house of the Lord, are not fully explained, we are not left 
 to conjecture a reason why Hiram Abiff was so accomplished ; 
 for, though the reason which actuated God may remain a mys^ 
 tery, he has told us that, from the councils of heaven, the 
 Widow's Son received wisdom to work all manner of cunning 
 work, and to solve all difficult questions ; but it is not so 
 plainly told us why the King of Tyre sent him to King Solomon, 
 where his wisdom and skill would be employed in giving fame 
 to a rival King, and a hated nation of people. 
 
 Again, the Jews knew they were the peculiar people of God, 
 and had become so puffed up with vanity and pride, that none 
 from the surrounding nations were permitted to approach, much 
 less to worship at their altats, and a corresponding feeling 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 729 
 
 toward them was entertained by all others ; and yet, without 
 opposition, so far as we know, the Temple was so planned, 
 that, from its foundation, it was to be seen that a place was 
 being provided, even in Jerusalem, for the worship of all 
 nations. The Most Holy Place was for those who had beea 
 selected by God to minister in holy things. The inner courts 
 were for the worship of the Jews, God's chosen people ; and 
 the outer courts, for the worship of the Gentiles— all nations. 
 
 Again, the storm was suspended, the tempest was stayed, and 
 one uninterrupted sunshine was permitted to cheer on the 
 workmen, in their labor of love. Nor is this all ; for when the 
 Temple was completed, the wise men of all nations visited 
 Jerusalem to see the Temple, and learn wisdom of Solomon. 
 
 Can it be that intelligent, thinking men do believe that the 
 wisdom here spoken of consisted in teaching the art of build- 
 ing ? We can not so believe ; but, in order that our opinions 
 may be tried by the law and the testimony, we will return to 
 the remarkable events referred to, and briefly review them in 
 detail. Before doing so, however, we owe it to oursei." to say, 
 that we have no theory in religion or Masf'nry to establish. 
 We love all true Christians and true Ma^^yns, but we are 
 *wedded to no creeds in either. We labo. only to " render unto 
 Cffisar that which is Csesar's ;'' anu while we would not pre- 
 sume to measure arms with the thousands of learned divines, 
 who have made the Bible their study, we are forced to take 
 hold of this subject, even at the hazard of exposing our too 
 slight reading of that holy volume, in order to show what, in 
 our judgment. Masonry was instituted for, and why it is that 
 the storms of persecution ever have, and ever will beat harm- 
 lessly against the sacred walls of its temple ; and, if it shall 
 appear that the honor is due to God, why, then, let all good 
 Masons give glory, and honor, and praise to God and the 
 Lamb, for ever and ever. 
 
 We feel fully at liberty to assume it to be a conceded fact, 
 that before the building of Solomon's Temple, the people of all 
 nations had gone astray, so far as to lose sight of the true wor- 
 ship ; that they were seeking admission into secret societies, 
 all which taught false doctrines. If we are thus far correct, 
 
730 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 
 
 and if we are permitted to claim that, " God has no pleasure in 
 the death of a sinner, but rather that all should turn and live," 
 we are irresistibly led to the conclusion that some great scheme 
 was necessary, to stay the ruin which was pending over man- 
 kind ; and we do not hesitate to assert, that no scheme of mere 
 human invention would have been adequate to the end. 
 
 We assume it to be true, that God does not compel His crea- 
 tures to worship and adore His mighty name, to live good men 
 and true, always obedient to His laws of redemption ; for this 
 would be to suppose Him capable of giving laws without suit- 
 able penalties annexed to their violation ; or affixing penalties, 
 when, in truth, His creatures possessed no power to become amen- 
 able to them, for, if compelled to be holy and just, they could 
 not violate God's holy law. On the other hand, we feel equally 
 confident that God does not compel, or superinduce His crea- 
 tures to violate His law, for this would be to suppose Him 
 capable of commanding obedience to a law, the violation of 
 which was consonant with His fixed will. In short, it would 
 make Him not only the Author of sin, but would prove that sin 
 added to His glory ; that He is a God of vengeance, and not 
 of mercy. 
 
 We believe that, through the mercy of God, means arej, 
 provided for man's escape from the penalty of transgression, 
 and that He, in His infinite goodness and benevolence, holds 
 out strong inducements to all intelligent creatures to choose 
 the better part. 
 
 We believe King Solomon received superior wisdom from 
 God, that he might be the means of laying the foundation of man's 
 return to his lost estate. To suppose that Solomon received 
 an out-pouring of wisdom from the councils of Heaven, for no 
 other purpose than that he might erect a model house, in order 
 that the art of building might be thoroughly understood, is to 
 suppose that God failed in His design ; for no building has been 
 erected that would compare with it, either in justness of pro. 
 portions, or beauty of finish. Yea, more, to suppose God 
 capable of thus acting would be to make Him do great things 
 for little purposes. At the time of which we write, great con- 
 sequence was attached to fine houses, by king? princes, the 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 731 
 
 priesthood, and the people, and hence did Jehovah provide the 
 inducement of a fine house, in which to receive proper instruc- 
 tions. 
 
 Wp hold that God gave Solomon superior vmdom, that he might 
 be capable of teaching the principles of the true religion, and thus 
 prepare the minds of the wise men, of all nations, for the coming of 
 out Saviour; and, we think, the Temple was the place set apart, in 
 the divine plan, to commence that great work. 
 
 We are aware that we are treading upon favorite theories, 
 and running the risk of being thought a partisan in religious 
 doctrines. And what if we should ? Every Church, professing 
 Christianity, desires to be understood as founding their doc- 
 trin'^s upon the plain Word of God, or upon the spiritual 
 meaning of the Bible, and all contend that their doctrine is 
 consistent with common sense, and capable of being demonstrat- 
 ed, at least by the priesthood. And as we have set ourself up 
 (and what priest ever got up any other way), as a High Priest 
 in Masonry, we claim the right to construe the Word of God by 
 the rules of common sense, and draw such deductions as the 
 premises warrant, leaving our readers at liberty to put on the 
 same robes, in which to judge the fruits of our labor. 
 
 We do«not take by-paths to find reasons which might satisfy 
 the skeptic, why King Solomon called on King Hiram to 
 furnish timbers, but we say, what we are justified in believing, 
 that God put it into the heart of Solomon to call upon His 
 people's enemy, and that God put it into the heart of the King 
 of Tyre to comply with that request. We believe that God 
 raised up, and prepared the Widow's Son for the great work, 
 and that He put it into the heart of King Hiram, to send him 
 to King Solomon. We believe the Temple was so planned and 
 built, that it served to assist in typifying God's plan of sal- 
 vation. We believe that, during the building, and after the 
 completion of the Temple, King Solomon was engaged, under 
 the direction of God, in preparing the minds of the people for 
 the coming of John the Baptist, and the final advent of our 
 Saviour, by teaching the outlines — the preparatory steps to, and 
 the principles of the trm religion. We believe King Solomon 
 succeeded in eradicating the blindness of superstition and false 
 
732 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED? 
 
 worship from the minds of many hundred thousands, including 
 the wise men of all nations, hy introducing them into the so called 
 secret Society, now termed Freemasonry. We believe that, but for 
 the teachings of King Solomon, John the Baptist would have 
 been rejected, and his preaching would have received the 
 scoffings and derision of all men. 
 
 Whether that which we have already said, or may add, will 
 clearly show our opinions to be well founded, remains to be 
 seen. Indeed, it would be exceedingly vain in us to suppose we 
 shall succeed in making proselytes to this new view of the sub- 
 ject, but we do hope to elicit a more enlarged and liberal inves- 
 tigation than that whichmakes God bring down special wisdom 
 from heaven, and bestow it upon one of His creatures, for no high- 
 er and more glorious purpose than the erection of a fine house. 
 
 We have seen that mankind had gone astray, and fallen from 
 that" high station which God permitted and invited all Hia 
 created intelligent beings to occupy. Man had lost, by his own 
 wickedness and rebellion, even that knowledge of the true wor- 
 ship, which alone could gain him admission into a world of 
 glory. Such being the deplorable condition of the world, it 
 may be clearly seen that nothing short of omnipotent power 
 and infinite wisdom was capable of devising means for man's 
 redemption, and final salvation. If it be admitted that God 
 does not force obedience to His laws — and man's rebellion 
 proves this — it then follows that He could adopt no other means 
 to effect the object, than to open up a way by which man could 
 be justified, and yet God remain consistent and unchangeable. 
 
 The means, of necessity, still left all men at liberty to choose 
 between obedience and eternal blessings, and disobedience and 
 eternal woe. In the plan of the Temple, it may be seen that 
 the world was taught to look upon God in a different light to 
 that in which He had been viewed even by His chosen people. 
 The Jews, by their cunningly devised fables, had learned to 
 look upon Him as a God of vengeance, and not of mercy ; and 
 hence, they prayed for all manner of evils to fall upon their 
 enemies. The fact that God refused to permit King David to 
 build the house of the Lord, indicates His intention to represent 
 a reign of peace and purity. The fact that He put it into the 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 733 
 
 heart of Solomon to call upon the King of Tyre for assistance, 
 clearly shows His intention to manifest Himself to mankind as 
 an impartial and benevolent Being. The fact that He put it into 
 the heart of King Hiram to render the assistance asked for, 
 clearly proves His intention to show, to the heathen nations that 
 they, too, were to have an interest in the means about to be em- 
 ployed for man's redemption. In short, that He was preparing 
 a way for all mankind. It further shows His design to impress 
 upon the minds of all, that all enmity, and animosity, and bit- 
 terness of feeling, should be swallowed up in the great work oi 
 repentance. The fact that God gave special wisdom to the 
 Widow's Son, to fit and prepare him for a great work, and tlieu 
 put it into the heart of the King of Tyre to send him where 
 that work could be performed, tends most strikingly to show 
 to the world, that the great duty of men and nations, was to 
 live and act as brethren, created, and sustained by the same 
 Omnipotent hand. Could more striking proof of the justice 
 and mercy of God have been conceived by infinite wisdom ? 
 The Jews could not fail to see that their vanity and pride had 
 led them to overestimate their claims on Jehovali. The Gen- 
 tiles were struck dumb with wonder and astonishment, that a 
 Being, whom they derided and rejected, was giving the clearest 
 proofs that He was ready and willing to exercise a parental care 
 over them. They saw one of their greatest kings invited to take 
 part in building the house of the Lord. They saw their most 
 skillful workman chosen to go beyond the confines of his native 
 land, and take a distinguished part in the wonderful work. 
 Both Jew and Gentile were persuaded to believe in the one 
 only living and true God, by the fact that Hiram Abiflf was se- 
 lected to step between hostile nations, and heal all national 
 breaches,— ^was neither Jew nor Gentile, but both, his father 
 being a man of Tyre, and his mother of the tribe of Naphtali, 
 — and, at a little later period, all were enabled to see that he 
 was fully carrying out the great design of his divine master. 
 They saw him beloved by all, both Jew and Gentile. They 
 saw him uniting the discordant materials, and bringing the 
 workmen on the Temple to bow to the mild sceptre of King 
 Emantiel, now being most strikingly typifyed. 
 
734 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED? 
 
 The surrounding nations — the world at large, was struck 
 with wonder and admiration, in finding that a means was being 
 provided, by which the lion and the lamb could lie down to- 
 gether. All were permitted to know that the Temple was 
 being provided, not alone for the worship of the Jews, the only 
 people then professing to be God's followers, but for all nations. 
 They saw that God was true to His- promises, in still manifesting 
 His preference for His chosen people ; for, in the house of the 
 Lord, the Most Holy Place was to be set apart for the priest- 
 hood, the inner courts for the Jews, and yet, the outer courts 
 were to be free for all nations ; thus showing to mankind, whith- 
 ersoever dispersed, that He was God over all, and that all were 
 equally provided for, and equally invited to come to His house, 
 to bow at His altar, and there receive the rich blessings held 
 in reversion for all the faithful. And how were the character 
 and nature of the new dispensation to be made known to those 
 who rejected the Lord our God ? How were those who had 
 been reared and educated to believe all the teachings of the 
 Heathen Mythology, to have those powerful impressions re- 
 moved, and their error made manifest? God did not force 
 them to become his followers. The strong arm of His power 
 was not directed against their idols, by destroying their graven 
 images. God did not choose to cover the land with a blighting 
 curse, as in the days of Moses, in order to prove His omnipo- 
 tence ; but, on the other hand, yielded, so to speak, to all the 
 predilections of the people, so far as to aiford them their favor- 
 ite method of learning wisdom. We have seen that the gods 
 of the heathen were to be sought and honored through secret 
 societies ; that wisdom and honor in this world, and never end- 
 ing happiness, was promised to all who passed through the fiery 
 ordeal of those societies, supposed to be the peculiar dwelling 
 place of their gods. We say God indulged their predilections, 
 so far as to offer them inducements to learn true wisdom in their 
 own way ; and, hence, He established a secret Society, into 
 which all high-minded, and honorable men, whether Jew or 
 Gentile, were invited to enter. We suppose the tenets and the 
 peculiar teachings of that Society, were kept a profound secret 
 from the world. We suppose this was absolutely necessary to 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 735 
 
 its success, for so deeply rooted in the minds of the people were 
 the teachings of the Heathen Mythology, that had it been 
 known that the teachings within the vail were opposed to their 
 favorite theory, but few would have volunteered as candidates 
 for its Mysteries. Start not, reader, when we say that the So- 
 ciety here referred to was Freemasonry. We say this from a 
 thorough conviction of its truth ; we say it, believing that its 
 truth can be shown by many, and irresistible proofs ; and the 
 admission of this truth furnishes a solution for many things 
 which can not be understood, or satisfactorily explained in any 
 other way. By this view of the subject, we have no difficulty 
 in perceiving that God, in His mercy and divine goodness, gave 
 Solomon superior wisdom, and induced him to call upon Hiram, 
 King of Tyre, whose participation in the erection of the Tem- 
 ple could not fail to produce a beneficial effect upon the minds 
 of the Gentile world, by causing them to look favorably upon 
 the God of the Jews. By this view, we can see the unspeakable 
 wisdom of God, in preparing the mind of the Widow's Son, and 
 causing him to be sent to assist in building the Temple, as the 
 most eminently qualified person to put down all hostile feelings, 
 and amalgamate the discordant materials, then in active opera- 
 tion against the harmony and peace of nations. Hiram Abiff 
 was both Jew and Gentile ; each party claimed equal right to 
 his favors, and each delighted 'to call upon him to decide all 
 matters of difference. JVb other man was so universaUy loved by 
 the Craft. JVb other man could have preserved universal order, 
 though assisted by the superior vdsdom of Solomon. Again, by ad- 
 mitting that God's pity and benevolence towards fallen man, 
 caused the introduction of these means, that all men might be 
 persuaded to turn from their idolatry, and, finally, come back 
 to the worship of the only living God, we can perceive why it 
 was, that in Judea, yea, even in Jerusalem, a Temple for His 
 worship was built, wherein all men were called to participate. 
 By the very plan of the Temple, the proud and stiff-necked 
 Jews were taught that the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 
 and the God of Jacob, was equally God over all, and that all 
 created intelligences were invited to come unto Him for redemp- 
 tion from sin. and through His mercy, gain an entrance and 
 
736 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 
 
 eternal rest in that better kingdom. Yea, more, by this con- 
 struction of God's design in erecting the Temple, we can under, 
 stand why it was that the wise men of all nations visited the 
 Temple, in order to learn wisdom of Solomon. 
 
 With all our knowledge of the careless manner of conferring 
 degrees in Masonry, and the imperfect instructions given in the 
 lectures, wc still wonder how any Mason, who has been made 
 even partially to understand the Master's degree, can take any 
 other view of the origin and design of Masonry. Every Mason 
 knows that all our reliable traditions point to the Temple, 
 showing its origin to have been there. Every Mason knows 
 that the most prominent feature in all the teaching of Masonry 
 is the belief in one, the only living and true God ; and can any 
 Mason doubt that this was the case at the building of the 
 Temple ? We assert, with bold confidence, that Masonry was 
 instituted by God's appointment, to lead the minds of men to the 
 true worship, by pointing to the true and mighty Jehovah. We 
 do not suppose the Lodge of Masons ever was a place of religi- 
 ous worship. On the contrary, we suppose Masonry never 
 would have accomplished half the good which it has, had it 
 been a religious association ; but then, as now, its door was open 
 to the honorable man, no matter from what tribe, kindred, or 
 country he hailed. Had it been a religious society, by God's 
 appointment, females would not have been excluded. We sup- 
 pose the only difference between Masonry, as practiced in the 
 days of Solomon, and at this day, is to be found in the simple 
 fact, that while we now proclaim to the world that no man can 
 gain admission who does not believe in God, no such proclama- 
 tion was then made, but, on the contrary, no man had the most 
 distant well-grounded idea of the wisdom taught by King 
 Solomon to the initiated. This profound secrecy was necessary 
 to the success of the great plan. What worshiper of idols 
 would have applied, for admission, had he known what was 
 taught in the Society ? We suppose, in this Institution, as in 
 the Egyptian Mysteries, the whole system was explained to no 
 man upon his admission, for in this there was then danger 
 of doing more harm than good. Men's prejudices were to 
 be removed, their errors of education were gradually to be 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 737 
 
 eradicated, and then the seeds of true holiness to be planted 
 upon the prepared ground, with suitable instructions to cultivate 
 with industry and skill, in order to a reward in harvest time. 
 
 That initiates at the Temple received instructions in the art 
 of building, we do not question ; that initiates received forcible 
 aiid useful lessons in morals, we believe. And that all " good 
 and true men " were rewarded by being fully instructed in the 
 errors of the Heathen Mythology, and the sublime truth that 
 there never was, never can be but one God, one Lord, the Crea- ' 
 tor and Preserver of all things. It is, then, no wonder that the 
 wise men of all nations were enabled to learn wisdom of Solo- 
 mon. We do not, for a moment, doubt that their visit to the 
 Temple, and initiation and instruction by King Solomon, was a 
 part of the divine plan for the introduction of the new dispen- 
 sation. We believe that Solomon initiated the wise men of all 
 nations, spoken of in the Bible, and gave them, by means of his 
 superior wisdom, such evidence of the existence and omnipotent 
 power of Jehovah, as carried conviction to their minds ; and 
 hence it was that no man went away, without being filled with 
 such wisdom as he could nowhere else have obtained. And to 
 this divine plan, this preparation of the minds of men, are we 
 indebted for the favorable reception which John the Baptist met 
 with, when he came proclaiming the coming of the Saviour of the 
 world. 
 
 Masonry, then, is of divine origin ; instituted, not to teach 
 religious dogmas, but to prepare the way, and point to the true 
 worship. And has it not thus far performed its mission ? Has 
 it ever done more than teach the preliminary steps to the holy 
 religion ? but has it not always done tliis much ? Through the 
 dark ages of bigotry and superstition, its small, but pure light 
 may be seen, shedding a mild, heaven-born glory upon man's 
 benighted pathway. While th£ lamp of religion grew pale and 
 dim, a melancholy gloom also hung over our banners, but still, 
 by the strong arm of Jehovah, Masonry still lived on and con- 
 tinued to be the true depository of the doctrine of one God. 
 Did infidelity stalk forth, and, Moloch-like, crush the Church, 
 and banish the true worship, yet everywhere a little private 
 band of brothers was to be found, who preserved a knowledge 
 
738 WHY WAS MASONBT INSTITUTED ? 
 
 ef God and His immaculate laws. Did a Roman Pontiff, or a 
 Spanish Inquisition visit with their maledictions, and lead to 
 the stake or the guillotine its feiithful votaries ,' still, in some 
 secret hiding place, where only the All-Seeing Eye could 
 behold their midnight assembly, did they congregate for the 
 purpose of teaching that doctrine of one God, and for the pur- 
 pose of perpetuating the doctrine through all time. Masonry 
 has thus far done all it was designed to do. It has continued 
 to prepare the minds of men to live together as a band of 
 brothers, looking for superior blessings from Him who brought 
 it into being. 
 
 God's benevolence to man, caused Him to institute Masonry, 
 and, in humble gratitude to its great founder. Masons ever have, 
 and still continue to teach benevolence to all mankind. God 
 emphatically entrusted Masonry with the keeping of a copy of 
 His holy laws, and when every other copy was destroyed by the 
 ruthless hand of the invader. Masonry, true to its divine 
 appointment, preserved a copy, where neither Nebuchadnezar 
 nor the .mildew of time could sully its pages, and, at God's own 
 appointed time, brought it forth to be read to the people, as 
 evidence against themselves, and as proof of the power and 
 goodness of God. Masonry has ever taught Morality and 
 Virtue, Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. In short, it has 
 inculcated upon the minds of its votaries, all the preliminary 
 qualifications essential to a proper appreciation of the love of 
 God, and His holy laws. Masonry, being instituted for the 
 good of all, could not teach creeds ; it has, and ever had, one 
 faith and one docrine — love to God and man. While it teaches 
 no sectarian theory, it significantly points to the worship of that 
 holy King, whose fiat spoke worlds into being, and whose infinite 
 goodness pleads with fallen man. Masonry teaches no ephem- 
 eral worship, it wants no gewgaws to fascinate the vain 
 pretender, but, with plastic power, it lays hold of the thinking 
 faculties, and mildly, but irresistibly leads its votaries to scan 
 the far off heavens, and bow the knee in humble adoration to 
 Him who sits enthroned higher than the heavens, and more 
 glorious than the congregated glory of worlds. Masonjy 
 requires that all its members shall believe in one supreme, 
 
WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED ? 739 
 
 immaculate God, and, requiring t^iis, it, of necessity, encourages 
 all to seek an intimate acquaintance with, and obedience to 
 His laws ; and, hence, the Holy Bible, by Masons believed to 
 contain those laws, is always lying open in the Lodge room. 
 No Entered Apprentice can be made without it ; no Fellow 
 Craft can he made without it ; no Master Mason can be 
 made without it. In short, no degree in Masonry can be 
 conferred without it. and no degree can be legally conferred, unless 
 the candidate be. in a peculiar manner, persuaded to take that 
 holy volume as the rule and guide to his faith. Masonry affec- 
 tionately entreats all its followers to study the law of God, and 
 to do His will. Masonry requires its votaries to practice Moral- 
 ity and Brotherly Love ; it teaches Benevolence and Charity ; 
 it requires Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice ; it 
 teaches Mercy, Forbearance, and Kindness. In short, it teaches 
 all the virtues inculcated by the Holy Bible, and yet it does 
 not require that a man shall profess any of the creeds called 
 religion. 
 
 Masonry confirms the believer, persuades and endeavors to 
 convince the wavering, and attacks the stronghold of the 
 Infidel, and coiistrains him to bow his knee and supplicate for 
 mercy at the altar of Jehovah. Masonry deals with the world- 
 ly-minded, who might not otherwise read the Bible, or attend 
 divine worship. Thousands there are, who have been led to 
 knock at the door of the Lodge, prompted mainly by curiosity, 
 or by an expectation that amusement was to be found there, 
 but whose minds became solemnly impressed with the holy 
 truths inculcated by Masonry, and have gone away, resolved to be 
 better men. The chisel of truth has engraven upon their hearts 
 those solemn truths contained in the Bible, but which they had 
 never before learned, or learned to be disregarded. Masonry 
 persuades all men to be good and true, and to obey the moral 
 law ; and who will deny that he who so lives, has made one 
 step towards obedience to that higher and holier teaching, to 
 be found in the book of life. If, then, Masonry was instituted 
 by divine appointment, and continues to meet the ends of its 
 mission ; if, as we believe, Jehovah has preserved it as in the 
 hollow of His hand, " to bring the blind by a way they knew 
 
740 WHY WAS MASONRY INSTITUTED? 
 
 not ; to lead them in paths they have not known ; to make 
 da,rkness light before them, and crooked things straight ; these 
 things to do unto them, and not forsake them ;" will the time* 
 eyer come when Masonry shall cease to be ? 
 
 "We answer, unhesitatingly, that, as sure as the Bible is the* 
 Word of God, the day must, and will come, when Masonry shall' 
 no longer exist upon earth. Masonry will continue, as a means' 
 of God's appointment, to win the minds of men from the error 
 of their ways, until, in conjunction with all the other appointed* 
 means, the great end is accomplished, when " every knee shall' 
 bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ." Then, 
 and not till then, shall efforts for the spread of the Word of 
 God be no more needed. Then, and not till then, will ail' 
 benevolent associations cease to do good. Then, and not till' 
 then, will God sever the Masonic tie, and unite its members in 
 bonds of holy love, in " that Templfr^that house not made with 
 hands, eternal in the heavens.'" 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 THE HON. MRS. ALDWORTH: 
 
 THE LADT FREEMASON. 
 
 As a MsBonic historian, the duty devolves upon ub of leaving on record every 
 event in Masonry of which we have any knowledge or authentic information. We 
 intended to publish a sketch of the Honouable Mrs. Aldwokth, the Ladt Freb- 
 MASON, in our first edition ; but such was the hurry in which it was issued, that it 
 was overlooked. There are not a few of the general Masonic naders who have ex- 
 pressed their doubts of the truth of the story about the Lady Freemason. There 
 is no room for doubt in the matter. Elizabeth St. Leoer was initiated into the 
 mystenes and duties of the Entered Apprentices' and Fellow Crafts' degrees of 
 Freemasonry, as certainly as was the author of thetw pages. There is no evidence 
 that she received the degree of Master Mason ; although that she presided in her 
 Lodge on several occasions is beyond a doubt : this privilege of presiding, it will 
 be remembered, belonged at that time to " the most expert of the Fellow-crafts- 
 men," who " was chosen or appointed Master ; " and all the business of Freema- 
 sonry — except the work and lectures of the Fellow Craft's and Master's degrees, 
 and the esoteric instructions to them belonging — was then, as it is now with our 
 English Brethren, transacted in the Entered Apprentices' Lodges. We have now 
 before us a copy of the Masonic Jewel that this fair Sister usually wore oa Ma- 
 sonic occasions, and the highest grade represented on it is that of Fellow Craft. 
 
 It has been said with force, that " truth is stranger than fiction ; " and so 
 blended with fiction is the story of this lady's initiation into Masonry, that it was 
 to us a task of no little difliculty, to separate the truth from what was plausibly 
 burnished up as its counterfeit. The story of the " clock-case " in which she had 
 concealed herself, the " angry discussions " on the " motion to put her 1o death," 
 and all such wonder-creating, and exciting nonsense — fabricated and circulated 
 industriously in a pamphlet, by an old picture-dealer in Cork, in 1807. in order to 
 sell " prints " of her portrait which he had published — must be rejected as fiction 
 by every intelligent reader. After the most careful examination of the subject, 
 and an extended correspondence with Irish brethren of superior Masonic and gen- 
 ial intelligence, we believe the following sketch entitled to credit as authentic : 
 
 The family of St. Leqek is one of the most ancient and honorable in the 
 British peerage. A sketch of which, as showing the descent of Smter Aldworth, 
 will not be without interest : we give it in order to' correct errors as to dates in 
 former publications, on the subject of this lady's initiation into Masonry. 
 
n APPENDIX. 
 
 It is traditionally recorded that the ancestor of the family supported the Nor- 
 man Duke with his arm, when the Conqueror quitted his ship to land in Sussex. 
 Sir Robekt Sent Legebe, Knt., whose name appears in the roll of Battle Abbey, 
 having overcome a Danish landholder atUlcombe, in the county of Kent, settled 
 at that manor, where his descendants flourished for many centuries, although, 
 from the dateless state of the evidences, their precise connection with each other 
 cannot now be ascertained. William de §t. Leger, his supposed grandson, mar- 
 ried Joan, daughter of Geoffrey Sackville, ancestor of the Duke of Dorset. Ralph 
 St. Leger, who succeeded, accompanied King Richard I. to the Holy Land, in 
 which war he served fifteen years, according to the inscription on his coffiu in Ul- 
 combe church. Thus far we are without exact dates. In 1299, Sir Ralph, Sir 
 John, and Sir Thomas St. Leger, were knighted by King Edward I., for their 
 conduct at the siege of Caerlaverook, in Scotland. John St. Leger, Esq.. was 
 Sheriff of Kent in 1430. He was succeeded by Thomas St. Leger, Esq., who was 
 Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex in 1447. Stephen St. Leger, Esq., succeeded, and 
 was Sheriff of Kent in 1449. He had three sons, Ralph, Thomas and Stephen. 
 Sir Thomas, who was Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex, and Esquire of the body to the 
 King, married Anne, daughter of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, sister to 
 King Edward IV., and widow of the late Hem-y Holland, Duke of Exeter. Sir 
 Thomas, siding with Henry, Earl of Richmond, was executed by King Richard 
 HI. They had issue, Anne, — who married George Manners, twelfth Baron de 
 Ross, ancestor of the Duke of Rutland, — and James. Ralph St. Leger, Esq., 
 was Sheriff of Kent in 1467, and Constable of Leeds in same county ; he died in 
 1470. Stephen St. Leger, his son and heir, had two sons, Anthony and Robert, 
 who both settled in Ireland. 
 
 Sir Anthony St. Leger, Lord Deputy of Ireland, K.G., was gentleman of 
 the Privy Chamber to Hexrt VIII., from whom, at the dissolution of the monas- 
 teries, he received some grants in the county of Kent, and in 1537 was named 
 first in a commission of seven, " touching the whole state of Ireland, and the re- 
 duction thereof to a due civility and obedience." Returning from the execution 
 of this commission, he became Sheriff of Kent in 1539, but next year he was con- 
 stituted Lord Deputy of Ireland, as successor to Lord Deputy Gray, in which ca- 
 pacity he passed that Act of Parliament, which recognized and sanctioned the as- 
 sumption of the regal title in Ireland by the King of England. For this and 
 other sei-vices, he had grants in five or six of the Irish counties, and received the 
 Order of the Garter. After continuing in office through Edward's reign, during 
 which he diligently prosecuted the establishment of the Reformation andthe Lit^ 
 urgy — and three times visiting England, he finally gave way to the representations 
 of his enemies at the court of Queen Mary, by whom he was recalled, notwith- 
 standing she had returned him from England as her Deputy, on her accession to 
 the throne. He, however, not only retired to peace and quiet, but expectationi 
 were afloat that, from his satisfactory replies to the charges against him, he would 
 have been reinstated in f;ivor, if not in his government. He married Agnes, 
 daughter of Hugh Warham, Esq.. of Croydon, in the county of Kent, niece to Wil- 
 liam Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, and is characterized as " a wise and 
 wary gentleman, a valiant servitor in war. and good justicer in peace ; properly 
 learned, and with gravity interlaced with pleasantness ; partaking as well of the 
 prosperous as of the adverse fortunes of his sovereigns. He was a real image of 
 human life." He died in March 1559, and was succeeded by Sir Warhui St. 
 
APPENDIX. Ill 
 
 Leoer, his Bon and beir, who was Sheriff of Kent in 1560 ; Governor of Munater in 
 1566, and member of Parliament for Queen's county. He married twice : Ureala, 
 daughter of George Nevil, Lord Abergavenny, his first wife, was the mother of 
 his heir. He was killed in single combat, at the head of their respective troops, 
 in an engagement with Hugh Maguire, who liliewise fell by the hand of Sir War- 
 ham, near Cork, on the 4th of March, 1599. Sib William St. Leoeb, son and 
 heir sauoeeded. He was Lord President of Munster in 1627, and member of Par 
 liament for the county of Cork, in 1639. He married, firsl, Gartwright de Viries 
 a Dutch lady, and had Issuu, a son, William, who was killed at Newberry in 1644 ; 
 
 ucondly, Gertrude, daughter of Heywood, Esq., the mother of his heir. He 
 
 was vigorously employed in opposition to Lord Mountgarret's rebellion, 1641- 
 1642, and died July 2nd, 1642. John St. Lbgbb, Esq., of Doneraile, sou and heit, 
 married Maiy, daughter of Arthur, first Earl of Donegal. He was the first mem- 
 i)er of Parliament elected for Doneraile, and died 31st of March, 1696. 
 
 Akthdr, Fikst Visoouxt Doneraile, son and heir, married in 16fl0 Elizabeth, 
 daughter and heir of John Hayes, Esq., of Winehelsea, in the county of Sussex, 
 sod had issue. 
 
 I., Abthck, 2d Viscount, 
 n., John, who was killed in a duel in 1741. 
 ni., Hayes, Fourth ViBCouut, and 
 
 IV., Elizabeth, who married Richard Aldwoeth, of Newmarket, from 
 whom St. Leobr, Fifth Viscoi'nt Donerah^b. 
 
 Lord Doneraile was created Bakon Kilmatdow, in June, 1703, and Visoodnt 
 " Downebatle," usually written Doneraile, in September of the same year. He 
 died in his carriage between Waterford and Doneraile, July 5th, 1727. 
 
 We have thus traced the pedigree of this honorable lady with a view to cor- 
 rect erroneous statements and ideas prevalent both in the United States and Eng- 
 land, relative to the period of her initiation. We have taken great pains to fix 
 with accuracy the precise time, but have been unable, from any direct evidence 
 we could find, to do so. We distinctly recollect to have heard the story over forly 
 years ago, and then the tradition was, that her father and brothers were present 
 in the Lodge when she was initiated. Bro. Spencer's historical sketch fixes the 
 date of her initiation " as late as 1739." He says: " From all the circumstances 
 that have come under our observation, we are inclined to fix the period of her 
 initiation so late as 1739, and to believe that she was little older than nineteen. 
 The Honorable Elizabeth St. Leger was married to Richard Aldworth, Esq., of 
 Newmarket, county Cork, who was son to Sir Richard Aldworth, Provost Mare- 
 Bchal of Munster. We have it from undoubted authority that the occurrence took 
 place when her brother was Viscount, i. «., after the death of her father. So far 
 facts." 
 
 Now, we must be excused for questioning Brother Spencer's "facts," and 
 " from all the circumstances that have come under our observation, we are in- 
 clined to flLx the period of her initiation " long before the time designated by bin 
 " undoubted authority." If she was initiated '• so late as 1739," and only a " little 
 older than nineteen," how comes it that her son St. Leger was returned a aeia- 
 ber of Parliament in 1749,* ten years later? or are we to believe that in Ireland 
 
 * See Burke's Peerage and Baronetage — tit. " Doneraile." 
 
IV APPENDIX, 
 
 ibey elect children as their representatives in the British House of Cummoas 
 Again, Brother Spencer's statement that Richard Aldwortb was son of Sir Richard, 
 Provost MareschaJ of Munster, differs essentially from that of the Ulster King-at- 
 Arms, who says he was his grandson. And how can Brother Spencer " fix the 
 period of her initiation so late as 1739," when he has it from " undoubted authority 
 ,that the occurrence took place when her brother was Viscount?" when that brother, Ar- 
 thur, diedin 1734, five years before the " period " •' fixed " by his " undoubted author- 
 ity?'' And he was succeeded by his son Arthur, her nephew, who held the houois 
 until his death in 1749, when Hayes, his uncle, Mrs. Aldworth's youngest brother, 
 .succeeded to the title, which he held till his death in 1767 ; and he was succeeded 
 by St. Leger. Mrs. Aldworth's eldest son. Thus, it will be seen, that no reliance 
 whatever can be placed upon the publication we have referred to, or upon any of 
 the stories founded upon it by some of our brethren of the American press. 
 
 An intelligent and esteemed correspondent in St. Louis, Mo., whose commu- 
 nication we published in the Signet of June 1853, says : 
 
 " It will be remembered by those conversant with the history of Freemasonry 
 in Ireland, that for several years after the organization of the Grand Lodge in 
 that country, which event occurred in 1729, very many of the country Lodges 
 refuted, not only to be governed by the rules and regulations of that body, but 
 denied altogether its authority. This state of things continued for several years, 
 during which time the Lodges so refusing to recognize the authority of the Grand 
 Lodge, continued to meet as of old, and transact all the necessary work of the 
 Craft, About this time also, it was customary for noblemen and gentlemen of 
 good repute to hold warrants, by virtue of which they could, after due notice as 
 to time and place of meeting, call together a snfiBcieat number of Masons, and 
 then and there open a regular Lodge, and make Masons therein. Mrs. Aldworth's 
 fether, who was said to be a veiy zealous Mason, held a warrant of this kind, and 
 occasionally opened a Lodge at the Court, as Doneraile House was called, his sons 
 and'some of the neighboring gentlemen assisting ; and it is said that seldom were 
 the duties of Masonry more rigidly performed, or the business of the Craft more 
 ancerely pursued than by the brethren of that Lodge." 
 
 From our correspondent's communication, we infer that he fixes the period 
 of the initiation several years after the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 
 when her father held a warrant, and occasionally opened a Lodge at the Orart. 
 In adopting this view, we have as great difficulty as before, for it must be re- 
 membered, first, that her fathi.r died in 1727, two years before the Grand Lodge 
 was established, and, secondly, if the occurrence took place any time after the 
 death of her father, and she still Miss St. Leger, her son could not be eligible for 
 election as a member of Parliament in 1749. 
 
 We are compelled, then, to reject all the new theories and speculations on 
 the subject, and go back to the old story which fixed the time of the initiation 
 ■during the lifetime of her father — possibly between 1720 and 1725. We regret that 
 all the authoiities are silent as to the timi of her birth, her marriage with Mr. 
 Aldworth, or the birth of her son, St. Leger : but the fact that the latter was 
 elected member of Parliament in 1749, is evidence conclusive and satisfactory to 
 us, that we must throw the period of her initiation back into the lifetime of her 
 father. 
 
 Arthur St. Legeb, Viscount Doneraile, was, as we have shown, a distin- 
 guished nobleman of the cou->ty of Cork, in Ireland, in the beginning of the las* 
 
APPENDIX. V 
 
 ■scatury. He inherited ths family traits of Ws illustrious ancestor. Sir Aathohy. 
 He was, indeed, like him, " a vise ami wai-y geiulemaa," learned, dignified " with 
 gravity interlaced with pleasantness." He was kind-hearted, generous and char- 
 itable, and beloved by all who knew him : and by none more ardently than tha 
 brethren of the ■■ oiystic tie," who looked up to him as a father whose virtues and 
 deeds of benevolence* were an excellent model for them to copy, lie loved his 
 brethren too, for no more zealous Mason than he was to be found in the South of 
 li-eland. He held a Lodge in his house, as was customary with noblemen at the 
 period we are now writing about — the beginning of the last century — and as 
 goon aa his three sons, Arthur, John, and Hayes, becaiii* of - lawful age,'' they 
 were initiated and instructed by their father into the mysteries of Freemasonry 
 The brethren of the neighborhood, who comprised the Bite of that populous and 
 delightful country around Doneraile, usually attended the Lodge at Doneraile 
 House, and " seldom " as oar enlightened correspondent remarks, " were the du- 
 ties of Masonry more rigidly performed." or the business of the Craft more faith- 
 fully attended to than by the distinguished brethren who assembled there. 
 
 Upon one ocea.sion, the work of the Lodge was the passing of an Entered Ap- 
 prentice to the Fellow Craft's degree, and it appears that Miss St. Leger, prompt- 
 ed by that curiosity so natural in young ladies, concealed herself in an apartment 
 adjoining the room used as a Lodge, and in order that her curiosity might be 
 gratified by seeins;, as well as hearing, what was going on, she picked a hole ia 
 the partition, which was only a temporary! one at best, and thus witnessed the ex- 
 amination of the'candidate ia the first degree, and the entire ceremony of his ini- 
 tiation into the second. By some noise which she accidentally made, her situa- 
 tion was discovered, and she was immediately surrounded by the brethren of the 
 Lodge, amoi>g whom were her father and broth rs. and interrogated as to what 
 Bhe had seen. She modestly, but with that truthfulness that ever distinguished 
 her through life, admitted all, when it was found that she had not been a mere 
 idle spectator of the ceremony, but had carefully remembered every part of it, 
 and expressed her delight at all she had seen and heard. It was then proposed 
 that,she should be initiated, and lull instruction given her in the two degrees, 
 the greater part of which she had witnessed ; and, delighted at the proposition, 
 she readily gave her consent, when she was there and then initiated as an Entered 
 Apprentice, and passed to the degree of a Fellow Craft Mason. 
 
 Such is the account ot this honorable lady's connection with Freemasonry, aa 
 we heard it over forty years ago ; and we have now only to give in eonclusioa 
 the eloquent remarks upon her Masonic life, from the pen of oar intelligent cor- 
 
 * The St. Legers of Doneraile, have ever been uotetl tor their genuine "oenevoleDce. To relieve 
 the distressed, and to minister coiafort to tl e afflicted, has ever been a pleasure with that illustrious 
 bmily. We reeollect hearing, some forty years ago a doggerel rhyme, by the Irish Poetastei^- 
 " 0'Kelley,the Poet, with the jron leg," — ii praise of the Doneraile family. It was t ^methrng at) 
 this: 
 
 May frost, er snow, 
 Or steel, or hail, 
 No mischief do 
 
 May naught but joy 
 Through timeaftsail, 
 
 The noble host 
 Of Doneraile. 
 
 May every churn 
 And milking-pail, 
 
 O'erflow with cream 
 At IMnwraHe. 
 
 At DoneraiU. 
 
 May Oscar, with 
 His fiery Hail, 
 
 Thre.ih all the n»> 
 Of Doneraile. 
 
VI APPENDIX. 
 
 respondent before referred to— who is no other than the accomplished Grand 
 Becretaiy of the Grand Lodge of Missouri : 
 
 " Having thus talten upon herself the responsibilities of a Mason, the qnegtioo 
 may he asked whether she lived up to the teachings of the Order. The best an- 
 swer that J can give is to point to those deeds of charity and benevolence which 
 60 eminently characterized her. Neither did she neglect the active duties de- 
 Folving upon a member of the Craft — she became a bright and accomplished 
 working Mason, regular in htT attendance at the Lodge, over which she frequently 
 presided, a? well in private as in public, and on those latter occisionsit was her 
 custom to precede the Lodge in an open carriage, wearing the appropriai* rega- 
 lia of the Order ; possessed of a warm heart and charitable disposition, her purse 
 was freely opened to relieve the wants of the distressed ; her active sympattdeg 
 were always enlisted in the cause of suffering humanity, and the plaint of the 
 Widow and the ery of the Orphan never tell on her ear unheeded. Her liberality 
 to her brethren it is scarce necessary to dwell upon, one of whom never turned 
 his back upon her hospitable mansion unrelieved. In short she was the purest 
 as well as the most perfect specimen of what Masons ought to be that has appear- 
 ed amongst the Fraternity since the days of that mighty architect who is repre- 
 Bented by the Column of Beauty. What influence she exercised in her Lodge npoi! 
 the brethren, at this distance of time we are of course unable to say, but certain 
 it is that her best endeavors were used to elevate the standard of morality, and 
 inculcate the practice of those virtues which Masonry so forcibly teaches, and 
 which were as natural to her, as purity is to the female charaater. In the pres- 
 ence of this lady all angry discussions ceased ; nothing that was impure or un- 
 holy could exist in her presence, for as the sun dispels the mists which sometimes 
 hang like a funeral pall upon the morning, so does the presence of a virtuous 
 woman banish immorality and discord. She ca.st an additional ray of light upon 
 the labors of the Craft — a light so mild and genial that it appeared rather as a 
 scintillation from the Deity, than the emanation of a human being. At length 
 after a long life protracted beyond three score years and ten — a life honorable 
 and usefiil — her gentle spirit sighing for a congenial home, left its mortal tene- 
 ment and winged its way to the throne of the most Holy One, and there rendered 
 an account of its stewardship. Angelic being ! when shall the Masonic Fraternity 
 look upon thy like again, in the same endearing connection which you sustained 
 to them. 
 
 " Hur Irish brethren were proud, and justly, of their fair sister, and in sorrow 
 mourned the fall of that fair column which had so long cheered them with her 
 presence. As a testimony of their regard, her portrait graces the walls of sev- 
 eral of the Irish Lodges, amongst which may be particularized Lodrje No. 1, of 
 the city of Cork. 
 
 " Her Masonic character belongs to her brethren throughout the world, let 
 them see that its lustre be not dimmed by the rude touahes of an unskillfijj 
 MTtiet."