Note:  This material was scanned into text files for the sole purpose of convenient electronic research. This material is NOT intended as a reproduction of the original volumes. However close the material is to becoming a reproduced work, it should ONLY be regarded as a textual reference.  Scanned at Phoenixmasonry by Ralph W. Omholt, PM in May 2007.
 

GOULD'S HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

 

VOLUME VI

 

CHAPTER ONE

FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY I

 

CHAPTER TWO

FREEMASONRY IN NEW MEXICO 29

 

CHAPTER THREE

 FREEMASONRY IN NEW YORK 40

 

CHAPTER FOUR

FREEMASONRY IN NORTH CAROLINA 66

 

CHAPTER FIVE

FREEMASONRY IN NORTH DAKOTA

 

CHAPTER SIX

FREEMASONRY IN OHIO 85

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

FREEMASONRY IN OKLAHOMA I09

 

CHAPTER EIGHT FREEMASONRY IN OREGON 12.5

 

CHAPTER NINE

FREEMASONRY IN PENNSYLVANIA 144

 

CHAPTER TEN

FREEMASONRY IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS I69

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

 FREEMASONRY IN RHODE ISLAND 175

 

CHAPTER TWELVE

 FREEMASONRY IN SOUTH CAROLINA 185

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 FREEMASONRY IN SOUTH DAKOTA 207

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 FREEMASONRY IN TENNESSEE

 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

FREEMASONRY IN TEXAS

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

FREEMASONRY IN UTAH

 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

FREEMASONRY IN VERMONT

 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

 FREEMASONRY IN VIRGINIA 3I6

 

CHAPTER NINETEEN

FREEMASONRY IN WASHINGTON AND ALASKA 355

 

CHAPTER TWENTY

FREEMASONRY IN WEST VIRGINIA 368

 

CHAPTER TWENTY‑ONE

FREEMASONRY IN WISCONSIN 380

 

CHAPTER TWENTY‑TWO

FREEMASONRY IN WYOMING 394

 

CHAPTER TWENTY‑THREE

THE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL TEMPLE 404

 

CHAPTER TWENTY‑FOUR

AMERICAN MILITARY LODGES

 

CHAPTER TWENTY‑FIVE

ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR‑HISTORICAL REVIEW

 

 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF CONTRIBUTORS INDEX 1AGZ 415 426 455 495

 

VOLUME VI General View of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Frontispiece Inscription on Bronze Tablet in Memory of Daniel Coxe Daniel Coxe Key to Personages in "The Petition" The Petition Dispensation for Hiram Lodge, No. 4, of Mark Master Jewel Warrant Granted to Hiram Lodge, No. 4 Certificate Issued by Military Lodge, No.

 

Building Where Grand Lodge of New Jersey Was Formed in 1787 Washington's Headquarters, Morristown, New Jersey Masonic Temple, Trenton, New Jersey Old Quarters of Trenton Lodge, No. 5 Main Building of Masonic Hall, Burlington, New Jersey Boys' Unit, Masonic Home, Burlington, New Jersey Girls' Unit, Masonic Home, Burlington, New Jersey William W. Griffin David J. Miller Morristown, New Jersey 19 FACINC3 PAGE page 2 2 page 8 8 10 10 I2 14 14 16 18 18 20 24 24 34 34 xii ILLUSTRATIONS PACING PAGE Christopher ("Kit") Carson 34 Kit Carson's Rifle 34 Page from a Receipt Book of the Grand Treasurer 40 Badge Worn at the Dinner to General La Fayette 40 King's Arms Tavern, New York 42 The Rev. William Walter 42 The Committee Inspecting the New Sign 44 The Inauguration of Washington, 1789 46 Union of Grand Lodges of New York 46 Robert R. Livingston 48 Jacob Morton 48 Daniel D. Tompkins 48 DeWitt Clinton 48 The jail at Canandaigua, New York 54 Block House at Fort Niagara, New York 54 Three Views of the Masonic Washington Shrine at Tappan 56 Masonic Ceremonies, at the Dedication‑of the Worth Monument 58 Masonic Home, Utica, New York 6o Home and Hospital Farm 6o Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital 6o Scottish Rite Cottage for Children 62 Manual Training, the Boys' Electrical Shop 62 Parade of Masons at Utica, New York, April 22, 1922 64 ILLUSTRATIONS xiii FACING PAGE Masonic Ceremony at the Dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital 64 Commission of Joseph Montfort 70 Swimming Pool, Oxford Masonic Orphanage 78 Open Air Lodge Room on Masonic Island 82 Masonic Marker at Pembina Masonic Park 82 Masonic Temple at Dayton, Ohio go Price Hill Lodge, No. 524, Cincinnati, Ohio 1100 Masonic Temple, Chillicothe, Ohio 1100 Masonic Temple, Norwood, Ohio 1100 Masonic Temple, Troy, Ohio 1100 Masonic Temple, Canton, Ohio 1100 American Union Lodge, No. 11, Marietta, Ohio 1100 The Temple of Scottish Rite, Oklahoma 11110 Masonic Home for the Aged, Guthrie, Oklahoma 11114 Masonic Home Industrial School 11114 Masonic Dormitory and Campus of Oklahoma University 1122 Master Mason's Certificate of Orrin Kellogg 1130 Couch and Company's Warehouse, Oregon 1130 Notice of the First Masonic Meeting Held West of the Rocky Mountains 1130 Title Page of Anderson's Constitution page 1145 A Colonial Masonic Custom, the Summons 1146 Trowel Used by Benjamin Franklin 1146 Two Interiors of the Masonic Temple, Allentown, Pennsylvania 154 xiv PACING YAGB Grand Lodge Hall, Masonic Home, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 156 Morgue of Syria Temple, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 156 The Burning of the Masonic Hall, Philadelphia, 1819 158 Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, Erected in 1873 158 Grand Chapter Hall, Philadelphia 16o Corinthian or Grand Lodge Hall, Philadelphia 16o Banquet Hall, Philadelphia 162 Oriental Hall, Philadelphia 162 Masonic Temple, Bacoor, Cavite 170 Masonic Temple, Tondo, Manila 170 Masonic Hall, East Providence, Rhode Island 176 Masonic Temple, Centredale, Rhode Island 176 Masonic Temple, Charleston, South Carolina 196 Masonic Female College, Cokesburg, South Carolina 196 Masonic Library, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 216 Masonic Temple, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 216 Andrew Jackson 244 James K. Polk 2‑44 Andrew Johnson 244 Wilkins Tannehill 244 Auditorium, Masonic Home, Nashville, Tennessee 250 Scottish Rite Cathedral, Nashville, Tennessee 250 Infirmary, Masonic Home, Nashville, Tennessee 250 Laying of the Corner Stone of the Masonic Widows' and Orphans' Home, ILLUSTRATIONS Fort Worth, Texas, in 1899 z8o ILLUSTRATIONS xv FACING PAGE Administration Building, Masonic Home and School, Fort Worth, Texas 28o Hospital Building, Masonic Home and School, Fort Worth, Texas 282 Home of Aged Masons at Arlington, Texas 282 Printing Department, Mason's Home and School, Fort Worth, Texas 282 Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children of Dallas, Texas 284 Texas Scottish Rite Dormitory for Girls' University of Texas, at Austin 284 Masonic Temple, Salt Lake, Utah 292 Street in Salt Lake City in 1866 292 Masonic Temple, Rutland, Vermont 300 John Blair 318 Edmund Randolph 318 George Washington 318 John Marshall 318 Acca Temple Mosque, Richmond, Virginia 330 Old Masonic Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia 330 Alexandria, Virginia, Relics of Washington 352 Olympia Lodge, No. i, Olympia, Washington 362 Washington Masonic Home at Zenith, Washington 362 Masonic Temple, Ketchikan, Alaska 366 Scottish Rite Temple, Juneau, Alaska 366 Masonic Temple, Cordova, Alaska 366 Masonic Temple, Fairbanks, Alaska 366 Masonic Temple, Huntington, West Virginia 374 ILLUSTRATIONS Masonic Temple, Fairmont, West Virginia Masonic Temple, Clarksburg, West Virginia West Virginia Masonic Home, Parkersburg, West Virginia Masonic Temple, Parkersburg, West Virginia Masonic Home at Dousman, Wisconsin sAaNG PAGE 374 374 378 378 390 Benjamin T. Kavanaugh The Trout Stream at the Home First Masonic Hall in Wyoming, 1868 390 390 396 Masonic Marker at South Pass City, Wyoming The Whipple Letter Laying the Corner Stone The George Washington Masonic National Memorial The George Washington Hall page 396 405 .}o8 4o8 410 The Dedication Procession 412 Naval Officers Who Were Members of the Masonic Fraternity Joshua Barney, Isaac Chauncey, John A. Dahlgren, Stephen Decatur, David G. Farragut, John Paul Jones, Jacob Jones, James Lawrence, Lord Nelson, Edward Preble, Winfield Scott Schley, John D. Sloat, John L. Worden At end of volume GOULD'S HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD VOLUME VI A HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD VOL. VI FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY DAVID MCGREGOR HE oldest known membership Roll of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, that of the " Lodge of Aberdeen, No. 1 T.R," in Scotland, which dates back to 1670, is of great interest to all Freemasons every where. But it is especially interesting to the Masons of New Jersey, inasmuch as it contains the names of several men who were either directly or indirectly connected with the early settlement of the Scots in that Province, as early as 1682., and then also later. The first name on that Roll, that of " Harrie Elphingston, Tutor, and Master of our Honourable Lodge of Aberdeen," was that of the booking agent in Aberdeen who arranged passage for those desirous of emigrating to New Jersey on the ship Henry and Francis. The vessel was chartered for the purpose by George Scot, of Pitlochie, Fifeshire, under the patronage of the Earl of Perth, a Freemason, who was one of the chief proprietors of East Jersey. On that old Roll, too, are to be found the names of Robert Gordon, cardmaker; George Alexander, advocate; John Forbes, merchant; and John Skene, merchant; all " Meassons " and members of that old Operative Lodge which had by that time become largely speculative in character. Inasmuch as each of those men had purchased " proprietary interest in the enterprise of colonising New Jersey," they are of special interest to us in America.

 

In order to avoid confusion, let us remember that at that time New Jersey was divided into two provinces by a line which ran diagonally across the territory from Southeast to Northwest. The regions were known respectively as East Jersey and West Jersey.

 

Although John Forbes migrated to East Jersey in 1684 and settled at Plainfield, he returned to Scotland a year or so later. This left John Skene as the only one of those Aberdeenian Freemasons to make a permanent settlement in New Jersey. With his family, he arrived in New Jersey in October 1682.. He made his home at Burlington, the capital of New Jersey, and there served as deputy‑ 2 ‑ FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY governor of the Province from 1685 until his death in i6go. He has the unique distinction of being the first known Freemason in America.

 

Forty years elapse before we again find mention of members of the Fraternity as residents of New Jersey. At that time a deputation was issued by the Earl of IN MEMORY OF DANIEL COXE DIED IN TRENTON N. J. APRIL 25, 1739 AGED 65 YEARS A VESTRYMAN AND BENEFACTOR OF SAINT MARY'S CHURCH A PROPRIETOR OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW JERSEY A MEMBER OF COUNCIL AN ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY FIRST PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER OF MASONS IN THE NEW WORLD, HOLDING BY DEPUTATION FROM THE DUKE OF NORFOLK, GRAND MASTER OF MASONS IN ENGLAND, JURISDICTION OVER NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK AND PENNSYLVANIA. IN ALL OF THESE STATIONS HE ENJOYED THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE AND RESPECT.

 

THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY THE ANCIENT AND HONORABLE SOCIETY OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. xgo6.

 

Inscription on Bronze Tablet Erected in St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey.

 

Norfolk, Grand Master of England, at the request of " several Brethren, Free and Accepted Masons, residing and about to reside in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania." The Deputation which was issued to Colonel Daniel Coxe, of New Jersey, named him Provincial Grand Master of those provinces. It was dated June 5, 1730‑ Colonel Daniel Coxe was the oldest son of Dr. Daniel Coxe, FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 3 physician to the royal family of England. In 1687, after purchasing a controlling interest in West Jersey from the estate of Edward Byllinge, Dr. Coxe succeeded Byllinge as absentee governor. Dr. Coxe continued John Skene as his representative and deputy‑governor.

 

When the proprietors surrendered the government of the jerseys to the Crown, Dr. Coxe conveyed his landed interests in the province to his son Daniel, who had also studied for the medical profession. Nevertheless, the son there after devoted most of his time to the care and furtherance of his father's colonising enterprises in America. This brought him to New Jersey in 1702‑, at about the time of the arrival of Lord Cornbury, a cousin of Queen Anne, who was her appointee as governor of New York and New Jersey. It was Lord Cornbury who appointed young Coxe to be a colonel of the New Jersey militia and a member of the provincial Council. Colonel Coxe made his home at Burlington. There he was chosen president of the Board of Proprietors of West Jersey, a corporation then still in active existence and having its headquarters in that city. He also became an assistant judge of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and took an active interest in the political affairs of the Province.

 

When Robert Hunter succeeded the deposed and discredited Lord Cornbury as governor of New Jersey, Colonel Coxe's relations with the new regime became strained, and he was finally deprived of his military, political, and judicial offices. Going back to London to appeal against Hunter's treatment of him, Colonel Coxe sought to have New Jersey placed on an independent footing, with a governor of its own. It is supposed that he expected to be appointed to that office in case his plans were followed. Although he failed to accomplish his purpose at that time, Coxe lived to see it realised in 1738, when Lewis Morris was appointed the first royal governor of New Jersey, then a separate and independent province.

 

During his first fourteen years of residence in New Jersey Coxe travelled extensively throughout eastern North America observing the products and trade of the several colonies. He later published the results of his travels in a book entitled, A Description o f the English Province o f Carolina, by the Spaniards call' d Florida, and by the French La Louisiane, as also of the Great and Famous River Meschacebe or Missispi. This book, a lengthy dissertation, was prepared with the object of encouraging the establishment of a great commonwealth covering a large part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. The enterprise was conceived and financed by Colonel Coxe's father to checkmate attempts of the Spanish and French to secure possession and control of that great waterway and the adjoining territory. In the same book Coxe proposed a plan whereby the recognised weakness of the several British colonies in protecting their common interests was to be overcome by uniting those colonies under a " legal, regular, and firm establishment," with a supreme governor to preside over the whole, together with a general council of duly elected representatives from each province.

 

This far‑seeing and statesmanlike plan was again proposed by Benjamin 4 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY Franklin in 1784 as a solution for the difficulties that eventually led to the Revolutionary War and to the establishment of our Federal government under George Washington. Thus in the half century of political development which culminated in the Declaration of Independence and the final establishment of the United States, the names of three distinguished Freemasons, Colonel Daniel Coxe, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, are closely associated with the founding of our republic.

 

In 172‑0, when William Burnet, son of Bishop Gilbert Burnet, succeeded Hunter as governor of New York and New Jersey, Colonel Coxe returned to Burlington and was again elected president of the Board of Proprietors. Later, he and his brother‑in‑law, William Trent, became so interested in the development of the village of Trenton that Coxe moved there with his family. There he remained during the rest of his life. Late in 172‑9, at the instance of the Board of Proprietors, Coxe again visited London, this time to protest against a proposed change in the boundary line between East Jersey and West Jersey, which would bring about the loss of a large amount of territory to them. Since he had previously become a member of Lodge No. 8, in London, during his stay there he presented a Petition to the Grand Master for a Deputation as Provincial Grand Master of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. On June S, 1730, this was readily granted for a period of two years.

 

As has already been said, this was the first Deputation to be issued for a Provincial Grand Master in America, and the first recognition of American Freemasonry by the Grand Lodge of England. The two‑hundredth anniversary of that first Grand Body in America was suitably celebrated here in 1930. His mission accomplished, Coxe returned to New Jersey in April 1730, and remained there until December of that year. Whether he ever actually exercised his authority to Institute Lodges in any of the provinces cannot be positively asserted owing to lack of acceptable documentary evidence. Nevertheless we have reason to believe that he Warranted the first Lodge in Philadelphia, known as St. John's Lodge, No. 1. We are sure that Lodge, with a membership of fifteen, was in existence early in 1731, and that Benjamin Franklin was Initiated into it on February 1 of that year. Too, it has recently been discovered that there was a regular Lodge in New York before Captain Richard Riggs, the second Provincial Grand Master of that Province, had acquired authority to Institute Lodges there. Therefore it seems quite probable that Colonel Daniel Coxe had granted the Warrant for that Lodge also.

 

Returning to London again, Coxe was present at a Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge there on January 29, 1731. At that meeting he was toasted as " the Provincial Grand Master of North America." We may reason ably believe that his warm reception and greeting were evidences of the London Lodge's appreciation of the pioneer Masonic work Coxe had accomplished, rather than a mere act of courtesy to one who had been derelict in the duty assigned to him by his Deputation. Upon his return to America shortly afterwards, Colonel Coxe resumed his duties as president of the Board of Proprietors, FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 5 and was reinstated as assistant judge of the supreme court. He died on April 2‑5, 1739, at the age of sixty‑six. He was buried beside his wife at Burlington, in old St. Mary's Episcopal Church, of which he had been an active member and a loyal supporter. Thus passed into history the first Provincial Grand Master in America, a prominent citizen of early New Jersey.

 

Upon the death of Lewis Morris, the first royal governor of New Jersey, the office of governor was filled by Jonathan Belcher, a native of Boston. At the time of his appointment, on February 13, 1747, Belcher was a Freemason of forty‑three years' standing, having been admitted to membership in some British Lodge in the year 1704. Bro. Belcher was the first native‑born American to be made a Mason of whom we have any record. While serving as governor of Massachusetts, an office he held from 1730 to 1741, Belcher became a member of the first Lodge in Boston, which had been Instituted there in 1733. His son Andrew likewise became a member of that Lodge, and later served as the first Deputy Provincial Grand Master of that Grand Jurisdiction. During the ten years of his administration as governor of New Jersey, Jonathan Belcher devoted himself to his Province, and especially to the promotion of higher education within its boundaries. It was he who fathered New Jersey College, now known as Princeton University.

 

After four years' residence in Burlington, General Belcher moved to Elizabethtown in the hope of bettering his health. The Belcher Mansion there is still one of the landmarks of the city. When Bro. Belcher died there on August 31, I757, at the age of seventy‑five, his remains were conveyed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they were laid to rest in the family vault.

 

From the foregoing account it is clear that the following distinguished Masons lived and died in New Jersey. The first known Freemason in America, the first Provincial Grand Master in America, and the first native‑born Ameri can to be made a Freemason each resided for a time at Burlington, the capital of West Jersey and each took a prominent part in administering the public affairs of the Province.

 

Although New Jersey was the home of those early American Masons, it lagged in Instituting Masonic Lodges within its borders. Indeed, Lodges had been Instituted in ten of the original thirteen States before we find any record of the institution of a Lodge in New Jersey. Of those States, Delaware and Vermont alone were later than New Jersey in the Institution of Lodges.

 

The first Jersey Lodge of which we have any record was Instituted in Newark on May 13,. 1761. It was Warranted by R..W.‑.Bro. George Harison, Provincial Grand Master of New York, as St. John's Lodge, No. 1, with Wil liam Tuckey, a well‑known musician of New York and a temporary resident of Newark, as its Master. David Jamison was Senior Warden and James Banks was junior Warden. This Lodge, which has just commemorated the one hundred seventieth anniversary of its founding, ranks among the oldest Lodges in America. .

 

Just about a year later, Temple Lodge, No. 1, of Elizabethtown, received a 6 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY Warrant from R.‑.W.‑.Bro. Jeremy Gridley, Provincial Grand Master of New England. Jonathan Hampton was appointed its first Master. Bro. Hampton was a native of Elizabethtown and one of those named as alderman in the new borough Charter which was granted in 1740. John Blanchard, who was another Mason appointed to Office was named Recorder. No Record of this Lodge of Elizabethtown has come to light, and no information regarding its other Officers or members is available. It is fairly certain, however, that the Lodge continued only a few years. The establishment of that Lodge was followed by another Warrant from the same source. That Warrant was granted to St. John's Lodge, of Princeton, on December 27, 1765, in answer to a Petition from seven Brethren, among whom was Richard Stockton. It was requested that the Warrant should be issued to him as the Lodge's Master.

 

Richard Stockton was the fourth generation of his family in New Jersey. The first Richard Stockton had come from Durham, England, and settled at Burlington in 1692, while the second had removed to Princeton and built a mansion, " Marven Hall," which is still used as a residence. The fourth Richard Stockton was among the earliest graduates of Princeton College, of which his father was one of the original founders. Having studied law and been admitted to practice in 1754, this Richard Stockton soon rose to eminence in his profession and became widely known. Indeed, his reputation extended even to England. In 1766, when he went to England and Scotland for the purpose of persuading Dr. John Witherspoon to accept the presidency of Princeton College, Stockton was received with unusual honours.

 

Later, Stockton became a member of the Provincial Council, a judge of the Supreme Court, and one of the representatives chosen by New Jersey to attend the General Congress in Philadelphia. There he took part in the deliberations of that historic assemblage which gave to the world the Declaration of Independence. In fact, Stockton's name appears on that famous document as one of its signers. For that and other patriotic activities he later suffered imprisonment and ill treatment which brought about his premature death. He passed away on February 28, 1781, at the age of fifty, a martyr to the cause of freedom. When or where he had been made a Freemason is not known, nor is it known how long he presided over the activities of Princeton Lodge. Nevertheless, we do know that he played an important part in the early Masonry of New Jersey.

 

Dr. John Witherspoon also signed the Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey, and it has also been claimed that he, too, was a Freemason. Nothing has been produced that proves his connection with the Fraternity. Unfounded claims made by Bro. Henry Clark of Vermont, in 1879, have not withstood the test of critical examination. Another of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who was a native of New Jersey and a Freemason, was Joseph Hewes. Although his name appears on that memorable document as a representative from North Carolina, he was a great‑grandson of William Hewes who came from England in 1674 and settled in Salem County, New Jersey. Aaron Hewes, father of Joseph Hewes, removed to Kingston, FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 7 Somerset County, where Joseph was born on April z3, 1730, the very year that Richard Stockton was born at Princeton near by. Oddly enough, the birth of those two famous Masons was contemporary with the establishment of regular Freemasonry in America. Joseph Hewes acquired a common school education at Princeton, and then moved with his parents to Philadelphia, where he served first as an apprentice in a counting‑house and later entered upon a career. Some time between 176o and 1763 he removed to Edenton, North Carolina, where he was elected to Congress in 1774. From then on until his death at Philadelphia, on November io, 1779, he served in the Continental Congress when he was not engaged in military operations. Joseph Hewes was buried in Christ Church graveyard, at Philadelphia, the funeral service having been conducted by the Rev. Dr. William Smith, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

 

The only evidence we have of Joseph Hewes's having been a member of the Masonic Fraternity is a record of the Minutes of Unanimity Lodge, of Edenton, North Carolina, which mentions his having attended the celebration of St. John the Evangelist's Day in December, 1776. However, nothing is known about where he was made a Mason, although it seems likely that he may have joined some Philadelphia Lodge while he was a resident of that city.

 

The next Warrant for a Lodge in New Jersey was issued by R.‑. W.‑. Bro. William Ball, Provincial Master of Pennsylvania. That Lodge, known on the Pennsylvania Registry as Lodge No. io, was Instituted at Baskingridge, in Somerset County, in 1767, the year Lord Stirling took up his residence there. The loss of early Records of Lodge No. 1o leaves us in the dark as to the extent of its activities. Though it was located in a decidedly rural district, however, it had sufficient vitality to survive the Revolutionary War and later to become the most powerful factor in establishing the present Grand Lodge of New Jersey. Its activities in that matter were carried on under the leadership of Dr. William McKissack, for many years Master of the Baskingridge Lodge.

 

The four Lodges named above are the only ones known to have been in New Jersey prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Of them, two Lodges, those at Elizabethtown and at Princeton, had apparently ceased their Labours by that time. Like most American Lodges of the time, the other two went through a period of suspended animation, when Masonic activities were almost exclusively confined to the several Military Lodges in the army. Those Lodges were established with the sanction and encouragement of General Washington, who well knew how they would promote harmony and unanimity among the officers upon whom he depended for the ultimate success of the colonists' cause. Nothing, however, seems to have given so great an impetus to the revival and spread of Freemasonry, both in the army and among the civilians of the country, as did Bro. Washington's participation in the celebration of St. John the Evangelist's Day in December, 1778, at Philadelphia, which was at that time just recovering from the occupation by British troops.

 

During the five years following this public celebration, and before the disbanding of the Revolutionary army, the Grand Lodge of Philadelphia alone had FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 9 issued Warrants for more than twenty Lodges. Of those, three were to be located in New Jersey and another was a Military Lodge established among New Jersey soldiers. The Warrant for the latter was granted on December 11, 1782, as Lodge No. 36, and named the Rev. Andrew Hunter, an army chaplain, as its Master. The two other Warrants were for civil Lodges. One Warrant, granted on December Zo, 1779, authorised the establishment of Lodge No. 23, at Middletown, in Monmouth County, Lieutenant William Bostwick was named Master, and was duly Installed at an Emergent Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania held at Burlington on March 30 of that year. This was the first Lodge to be Instituted in New Jersey by a Grand Lodge. This was also the first time that the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania had assembled outside the city of Philadelphia. This was looked upon as a distinct honour, and was direct evidence of the paternal interest taken by that Grand Lodge in the spread of Freemasonry in New Jersey.

 

During the Revolutionary War New Jersey was the scene of a very important Masonic gathering, held by the Military Lodges at the winter headquarters of the army at Morristown, on December 27, 1779. At noon of that day, accompanied by a military band, some 104. members of those Lodges, all army officers excepting only the two Tylers, and ranging in rank from the ensigns to the commander‑in‑chief, General George Washington himself, marched to the church on the village green. There they took part in the service and then returned to the Lodge room in Bro. Jacob Arnold's tavern. They opened Lodge in the Entered Apprentice Degree, with W . . Bro. Jonathan Heart, Master of American Union Lodge, in the East. It was their purpose to consider " some matters respecting the good of Masonry," which were presented by a Committee in the form of a Petition to " the Most Worshipful the present Provincial Grand Master in each of the respective United States of America." Among the matters discussed was the re‑establishment of the Order " on the Ancient respectable foundation," by the appointment of a Grand Master in and over the United States of America. The Committee also urged that the growing irregularities within the Society should be checked, and that the distinction between the " Ancients " and " Moderns " should be erased, in order that the Craft might be established in unity and the established principles of its Institutions more universally extended. The evident intent of this movement was the election of General Washington as General Grand Master. Since the proposal was not acceptable to all the Grand Masters of the various States, however, nothing came of it.

 

Among the New Jersey Officers present at that meeting were BrigadierGeneral William Maxwell, Colonel Elias Dayton, Colonel Jacob Arnold, Lieutenant‑Colonel Anthony W. White, Major Jeremiah Bruen, Captains Thomas Kinney, John Armstrong, John Sanford, and Robert Erskine, Chaplain Andrew Hunter, Surgeon Jabez Campfield, and Lieutenant William Piatt. After the expiration of Daniel Coxe's Deputation as Provincial Grand Master, on June Z4., 1732, New Jersey became a sort of Masonic " no‑man's 10 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY land." The Brethren found it necessary to apply to other Grand jurisdictions for authority to organise Lodges and to do Masonic Work. In consequence, we find that, prior to the Revolutionary War, one Lodge was Warranted by New York, two by Massachusetts, and three by Pennsylvania. The first three Lodges were " Modern," and the latter were " Ancient." As was to be expected, the need for a Provincial Grand Master early engaged the attention of the Provincial Grand Master and from it had received its Warrant and asked that a Provincial, or Deputy, Grand Master be appointed for New Jersey. But their plans went unheard, and it was not until the latter part of 1786 that a successful effort was made to Constitute a Grand Lodge in New Jersey. The prime mover in that attempt was W.‑. Bro. William McKissack, Master of Lodge No. 1o, at Baskingridge, who presided over the meeting called for the purpose at New Brunswick on December 18, 1786. Also present at that meeting were fifteen other members of Lodge No. 1o, including the two Wardens, two Deacons, and a Past Master. St. John's Lodge, No. 1, of Newark, although not then active, was represented by its Senior Warden, Moses Ogden, while two Brethren of New Brunswick represented Lodge No. igo U. D., presumably Working under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The remaining Brethren present were members of Lodges outside New Jersey.

 

At that meeting the following Officers were nominated: the Hon. Lieutenant‑Colonel David Brearley, chief justice of New Jersey, as Right Worshipful Grand Master; the Hon. Colonel Robert Lettis Hooper, vice‑president of New Jersey, Deputy Grand Master; Lieutenant William Leddle, M.D., late sheriff of Morris County, Senior Warden; Daniel Marsh, representative in the Assembly of New Jersey, Junior Grand Warden; Colonel John Noble Cumming, Grand Secretary; Maskell Ewing, Jr., clerk of the assembly, Deputy Grand Secretary; Captain Joshua Corson, high sheriff of Hunterdon County, Grand Treasurer. Of these Officers, Daniel Marsh was a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 2, of New York. All other Grand Officers nominated were members of Lodges working under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Later additions to the names subscribed in support of the Grand Lodge included four members of Burlington Lodge, No. 32. Thus, those engaged were following the precedent established by the Grand Lodge of England according to which four Lodges are represented in the Institution of a Grand Lodge.

 

There were in all fifty Brethren associated with the establishment of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, thirty‑seven of whom we can identify as members of some Lodge working under the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. It will thus be seen that the Grand Lodge of New Jersey was at its inception predominantly Ancient in character, and that 65 per cent of its Charter members had come from the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

 

The Grand Lodge Officers have been duly elected, the precedent established by the Grand Lodge of London in 1717 were again followed, and the Officers were Installed by " the oldest Master present, now a Master of a Lodge." Since W .'. Bro. William McKissack held that rank he had charge of the Installa‑ FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY tion service held at the White Hall Tavern in New Brunswick, on January 30, 1787. On the following day, R.‑. W.‑. Brearley granted Dispensations for five Lodges, one to be established at Newark, with Moses Ogden as Master; one at Bedminster, with Captain William McKissack, M.D. as Master; one at Elizabethtown, with Colonel Elias Dayton as Master; one at Morristown, with John Jacob Faesch, as Master; one at Freehold, with Colonel Jonathan Rhea as Master.

 

The Lodge at Bedminster, which was successor to Lodge No. Io of Baskingridge, was unanimously accorded the honour of being known as Lodge No. i. This honour was conferred upon the Lodge in recognition of the lead ing part played by its Master and other members in the organisation of the Grand Lodge. The other Lodges acquired their numbers by casting lots. Thus, St. John's Lodge, No. i, of Newark, became Lodge No. 2; Freehold Lodge became Lodge No. 3 ; Morristown Lodge became Lodge No. 4; and Elizabethtown Lodge became Lodge No. 5. The first four of these Lodges were duly Warranted and Constituted, but since the Lodge at Elizabethtown failed to materialise, its place on the Roll was later taken by Trenton Lodge, No. 5, which received its Warrant from the Grand Lodge on December Zo, 1787.

 

The men who organised this Grand Lodge had all been in military service during the Revolutionary War, and, as was to be expected, the Officers and members of the subordinate Lodges were mostly veterans, and in some cases wholly veterans. In fact, an honourable discharge from the military service appeared at that time to be almost a pass to membership in the Fraternity. An evidence of the widespread influence of the Military Lodges, brought about by the scattering of their members throughout the State after peace had been declared, is to be found in the Institution of Lodges in widely separated locations at the instance of those men who had enjoyed the privilege of meeting on the level for the purpose of Masonic Work and intercourse while yet in military service.

 

Within seven years there were twelve Lodges in New Jersey, duly Warranted as follows: Solomon's Lodge, No. i, at Bedminster, Somerset County; Captain William McKissack, Master; Warranted On July 4, 1787. St. John's Lodge, No. 2, at Newark, Essex County; Moses Ogden, Master; Warranted on July 4, 1787. Trinity Lodge, No. 3, at Freehold, Monmouth County; LieutenantColonel Jonathan Rhea, Master; Warranted On July 4, 1787. Hiram Lodge, No. 4, at Morristown, Morris County; Captain William Leddle, Master; Warranted on July 4, 1787. Trenton Lodge, No. 5, at Trenton, Hunterdon County; General Aaron D. Woodruff, Master; Warranted on December Zo, 1787. Union Lodge, No. 6, at Hackensack, Bergen County; Captain Robert Neil, Master; Warranted on December Zo, 1787. Unity Lodge, No. 7, at Kingwood, Hunterdon County; David Baird, Master; Warranted on January 23, 1788. Harmony Lodge, No. 8, at Newtown, Sussex County; Quartermaster Thomas Anderson, Master; Warranted on January 23, 1788. Brearley Lodge, No. 9, at Bridgeton, Cumberland County; Lieutenant James Giles, Master; Warranted on January 12 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 11, 1791. Nova Cxsarea Lodge, No. 1o, at Cincinnati, Ohio; Surgeon William Burnet, of Newark, New Jersey, Master; Warranted on September 8, 1791. Woodbury Lodge, No. 11, at Woodbury, Gloucester County; General Franklin Davenport, Master; Warranted on July z, 1792. Washington Lodge, No. 12, at New Brunswick, Middlesex County; General Anthony W. White, Master; Warranted on January 6, 1794. Of those twelve Lodges, only three remained active half a century later. They were St. John's Lodge, No. 2, Trenton Lodge, No. 5, and Brearley Lodge, No. 9.

 

Not only were New Jersey Freemasons represented among the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but also among those who signed the Constitution of the United States. One of the latter group was the first Grand Master of Freemasonry in New Jersey, R.‑. W.‑. Bro. David Brearley. A native of Lawrenceville, Trenton, where he was born in 1745, Bro. Brearley was admitted as a counsellor‑at‑law in 1767. He early took an aggressive part in the activities that led up to the Revolutionary War, and was appointed a captain of militia in 1775. The next year he was made lieutenant‑colonel of the Fourth New Jersey Battalion in the Continental Army. Still later, at the call of the New Jersey legislature, he was recalled from General Sullivan's expedition against the Indians of Pennsylvania to become chief justice of the supreme court of New Jersey. Among the early decisions he rendered in that capacity was one which provided for a citizen's right to a trial by a full jury of twelve of his peers. Later, as a measure of expediency provided by the Constitution, that decision was amended by the State legislature to permit a smaller number to constitute a jury. Thus, for the first time, " the judicial guardianship of the organic law in the Supreme Court, as against attempted or inadvertent encroachment by the ordinary law " was established, and the inviolable integrity of the Constitution was sustained. This famous decision has since become known among the legal profession as " the New Jersey precedent." Bro. Brearley had the further distinction of being the first person in the United States to be selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia. There he exercised a great deal of influence in the deliberations of that Convention. Later, when the Constitution was submitted to New Jersey for approval, Bro. Brearley was Chairman of the Committee which drafted the form of ratification by which it was adopted on December 18, 1787. That Act placed the State of New Jersey third among the constellation of stars that grace the azure field of our national flag. As a presidential elector, Bro. Brearley also helped to put the Constitution into actual operation by casting his vote for George Washington. In turn, Washington later appointed him to be the first judge of the United States Court in New Jersey. Bro. Brearley held the Office of Grand Master until his death in 1790, when he was succeeded, in order, by several distinguished men, including General John Beatty, of Trenton; General John Noble Cumming, of Newark; Governor Joseph Bloomfield, of Burlington; General James Giles of Bridgeton, who had served as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of New York before taking up his residence at Bridgeton, where FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 13 he Instituted Brearley Lodge and Brearley Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons; and General John S. Darcy, M.D., of Newark, first president of what is now the Pennsylvania Railroad in New Jersey.

 

The two Brethren mentioned had the honour of taking part in the reception tendered to Bro. General Lafayette at Elizabeth, New Jersey, on September 23, 1824, by Washington Lodge, No. 41, and other near‑by Lodges. At that time M.‑. W .'. Bro. Jepthah B. Munn, Grand Master in the name of the Brethren of New Jersey, extended to their illustrious guest " the deep veneration, the warm affection and friendship of his Masonic Brethren, inferior to none in ardour and sincerity." In response, Bro. Lafayette touchingly referred to " the persecutions which Masons and friends of human rights and liberty had ever experienced from the hand of intolerance." While Bro. Lafayette was thus speaking from personal experience, little did he think that his listeners and all other members of American Freemasonry were soon to experience just such persecution in an aggravated form, and that the closing years of the first half century of Freemasonry in New Jersey were to be clouded by unbridled antiMasonic agitation. That agitation has come to be known as the " Morgan excitement.' While the " Morgan excitement " is a matter that pertains particularly to the history of Freemasonry in New York, that being the seat of its origin, we cannot pass it by without a brief resume of its effects in New Jersey. Up till that time Freemasonry had been progressing slowly but surely, and the Grand Lodge had already granted Warrants for fifty‑six Lodges during the first forty years of its existence. Although seventeen of those Warrants had either been stricken from the Roll or been surrendered, there were still thirty‑nine Lodges in New Jersey at the time of the organisation of the anti‑Masonic Society at Le Roy, New York, in 1828. Although two other Lodges were Warranted before the end of 1832, a complete cessation of Warrant granting on the part of the Grand Lodge followed. As a result, when the Constituent New Jersey Lodges were remembered in 1842, it was stated that thirty‑three more Lodges had been stricken from the Roll, thus leaving only eight active Lodges in New Jersey. That meant that less than Zo per cent of the Lodges in the State had survived the ordeal. In New York, however, the loss was even greater, for only about 16 per cent of the Lodges in the Empire State survived. Proximity to New York and Pennsylvania, where the anti‑Masonic campaign raged most actively, together with the persistent agitation of some newspapers of New Jersey, especially the Palladium of Liberty, of Morristown, had almost accomplished the aim of the anti‑Masons‑the total extinction of Freemasonry in New Jersey! It may be said of the Grand Lodge, however, that it continued on its way in an even tenor, assembling at every regular Annual Communication and transacting its regular business even although its financial condition was such that it was not always able fully to meet its obligations. At times there were scarcely enough Lodges represented at every meeting of the Grand Lodge during those 14 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY trying times when it was almost worth a man's life to be actively identified with the Fraternity.

 

Although St. John's Lodge, No. 2, failed to send a Representative to the Grand Lodge during five of those troublous years, when the active Lodges were renumbered in 1842, it was placed on the Roll as Lodge No. i. Although Tren ton Lodge, No. 5, was entitled to second place at that time, it preferred to hold its original number, and even to‑day it continues to be known as Lodge No. 5. It is the only Lodge bearing the original number given to it by the Grand Lodge of New Jersey in 1787. At the renumbering of 1842, Brearley Lodge, No. 9, became Lodge No. 2, and the eight other Lodges were numbered in accordance with their precedence on the original Roll. All other Lodges either restored or Warranted thereafter were numbered in the order of their application.

 

During the first half century of regularly Constituted Speculative Masonry in New Jersey, efforts were made to introduce Capitular Masonry. Indeed four Mark Master Lodges existed before 1812 and by the end of 1824 there were three Royal Arch Chapters Working under Warrants from the General Grand Chapter, and one other Chapter under authority of the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania. Then, on January 5, 1825, a Grand Chapter of New Jersey was organised at Elizabethtown by the first three Chapters mentioned above. Later, however, after it had issued Warrants for two other Chapters, its progress was seriously retarded by the anti‑Masonic agitation, and it finally suspended activities in 1836. This left New Jersey without a Grand Chapter of its own for the next twenty years.

 

The beginning of the period of revival following " the Dark Age of Ni*sonry " was marked by a determination on the part of the comparatively few tried and true Brethren who had remained loyal and active supporters of the Fraternity to place it on a plane where it would be above suspicion with relation to such inuendoes and direct charges as had been made against it during the " Morgan excitement. " One of the principal charges which had been made against it in New Jersey was that it exercised great influence in the political life of the State and that it monopolised the chief political offices and dictated the character of legislation that should be enacted. This charge was based on the fact that many of the leading men in the Fraternity were living up to their obligations as citizens by taking an active interest in affairs of State. Another charge was alleged debauching influence of the Lodges upon members, through the serving of intoxicating refreshments at, or after, their meetings.

 

The annual meetings of the Grand Lodge had as a matter of convenience been scheduled immediately to precede the meetings of the State Legislature at Trenton. Since this gave some colour to the political charge the Grand Lodge determined to change the time of meeting from November to January. Further, the use of any alcoholic liquors within the Lodge room was strictly forbidden. This restriction against combining Lodge matters with local, State, or national politics, as well as that against the use of intoxicants in Lodge rooms, has ever since been an outstanding characteristic of the Fraternity in New Jersey. Thus, FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 15 through the refining fires of persecution, this Ancient and Honourable Society in New Jersey has become an example of that political tolerance which has always been taught by its Ritual and in the Masonic lectures, and it has exercised an untold influence for bettering the social and moral life of the communities in which the Fraternity exists.

 

At about that time the return of prosperity was necessarily slow but none the less sure. By 1852, the Grand Master, having Zo Lodges and almost 600 members under his supervision, was able to congratulate the Grand Lodge .. that truth, justice, and freedom, had at last found a resting‑place in the great and glorious country." As time passed, progress of the Lodge in New Jersey became more and more marked so that by the end of the next decade there were 63 Lodges within the State, and in 1862 they totaled nearly 3400.

 

This brings us to the period of the war between the States, when North and South were pitted against each other in a life‑and‑death struggle for the maintenance of the Union, and for the abolition of slavery. But in spite of the strife at that time, Freemasonry advanced rapidly, and in New Jersey it almost doubled its membership during the six years 1861 to 1866, inclusive. This abnormal activity, which seems to be a concomitant of war, was still further emphasised by the Institution of 5o new Lodges during the next five years, thus bringing the total number of Lodges in 1871 up to 131, with a membership of nearly 1o,ooo, or an average of more than 70 members for each Lodge.

 

During the next few years an Institution of new Lodges was again carried on as it normally had been, but it took another third of a century to bring back a normal increase in their number. Nevertheless, the average member ship of the subordinate Lodges gradually increased till it was 123 by the year 1903, at which time there was a total membership of ZZ,ooo. That number was doubled before America entered the Great War. In the years immediately following the Great War each year saw a similar increase in the average of Lodges Instituted within the State. For example, there was an average of 3o Lodges Instituted during each of the three years from 1920 to 1922. There are now 274 Lodges having more than 97,000 members, and an average membership of 354 for each Lodge.

 

The abolition of slavery in the United States, and the granting of citizenship to the Negro, gave rise to hopes on the part of many persons for admitting the Negro to social and Fraternal equality. As a result, in several Grand juris dictions clandestine Negro Masons sought recognition and admission to the regular Masonic Lodges. But they were all unsuccessful, except in the case of New Jersey, while the Grand Lodge of New Jersey promptly refused a request for a Warrant for a Lodge by nine Negro Masons of Newark in 1870, on the ground of Petitioners' being clandestine and their Petition therefore irregular. Yet several regular members of the Fraternity residing in Newark, who were strong Abolitionists and who sympathized with the aspirations of the Negroes, determined to try and make it possible for them to secure such a Warrant as regular Masons. To do this, they proposed to secure a Warrant ostensibly for 16 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY a Lodge of white Brethren in Newark, to be known as Alpha Lodge, but with the ultimate object of admitting Negro applicants to membership in the usual manner, and qualifying them to hold Office and to carry on the Work of a Lodge of their own. This they finally accomplished after very strenuous opposition.

 

In due time those nine Negro Masons who had been admitted to membership in Alpha Lodge, No. 116, demitted in a body and again applied to the Grand Lodge for a Warrant for a Lodge to be known as Sorgum Lodge. Their Petition was this time endorsed by the remaining white members of Alpha Lodge. But the Grand Lodge once more refused to grant their Petition, and went on record as being unwilling to grant a Warrant for a Negro Lodge. Nevertheless, it stated that it would not interfere with any Constituted Lodge in its choice of members, so long as they were men, free‑born and of lawful age, who declared their trust in God and had achieved the favourable verdict of the secret ballot. As a result of this action, the Negro Brethren reaffiliated with Alpha Lodge. In the course of time the white members severed their connection with the Lodge, thus leaving it entirely in the hands of Negro Masons. To‑day it remains the only Lodge of that character in the United States constituent to a Grand Body which is fully recognised by all regular Masonic Bodies of this country. The membership of Alpha Lodge now numbers about seventy, and its Masonic Work is conducted in a highly creditable manner, while its relationship with the Fraternity is most unobtrusive. In justice it must be said that throughout all the proceedings leading up to its establishment as a Negro Lodge, the Negro members of that Lodge acted frankly and honestly.

 

Just what may have been the characteristics of the Ritual Work of the early New Jersey Lodges we do not know. It was, however, along the lines laid down by the " Ancients." Nevertheless, we do know that a great deal of irregularity and diversity in the Work gradually arose. Again and again the lack of uniformity was brought to the attention of the Grand Lodge by one Grand Master after another, and occasionally efforts were made to remedy it. For a long time, however, the results were indifferent. Then in 1822‑, the Ritual as prepared by Bro. Jeremy Cross was recommended by the Grand Lodge as the standard Work for the subordinate Lodges. A Grand Lecturer, or Grand Visitor, was also appointed occasionally by the Grand Master to supplement the efforts of the Senior Grand Officers and to give personal instruction to the Officers of such Lodges as desired his service at their expense. Much improvement resulted from this plan, which was followed for nearly twenty years, and not abandoned till 1843.

 

At that time the Baltimore Convention of Grand Lecturers, representing sixteen of the twenty‑three Grand jurisdictions, formulated the " National System of Work " which was a compromise based on the various Rituals then being used in America. The plan was to have it become a uniform system and to have it adopted as a standard by all the Grand Jurisdictions in the United States. The New Jersey Grand Lodge was not represented at that Convention, and in consequence it was not until 1859 that it adopted the " Maryland Work " FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 17 as it came to be known. This was done at the instance of M.'. W.‑. Bro. Joseph Trimble, Grand Master, who had been made a Mason in a Baltimore Lodge and had become highly proficient in the " Maryland Work." Two or three years later, however, an attempt was made to introduce what was known as the " Conservator Work," promulgated by Bro. Robert Morris of Kentucky, who claimed that his was the only genuine Webb‑Preston Work, and who characterised the " Maryland Work " as " the greatest humbug of the largest dimensions." But the Grand Lodge of New Jersey refused to have anything to do with Bro. Morris's Work and plainly forbade its use in the Lodges of the State.

 

With the coming of the war between the States a great deal of irregularity again crept into the Work of the Lodges. This was due, of course, to the lack of proper supervision at that time. But with the close of the war a determined effort was made to re‑establish uniformity and proficiency through the services of a paid Grand Lecturer, who devoted all his time to that Work. Although this plan was a marked success for several years, it was carried on at a cost beyond the resources of the Grand Lodge. Consequently, in 1874, the services of a full‑time Grand Lecturer were made available with seven District Deputy Grand Masters, part of whose duty was to instruct the Lodges in the Work appointed. One year of following this plan, however, was enough to show " that there could be no undeviable standing for the Work unless there were an unquestionable authority from which it shall emanate," with power to decide any difference that might arise. Consequently, the Grand Lodge created the Office of R.‑. W.‑. Grand Instructor. He was to be " Custodian and Conservator of the Standard Work of New Jersey," and District Deputies were to look to him for advice and instruction in the Ritual Work. This was the first time the Grand Lodge of New Jersey officially recognised the Office of Grand Lecturer, or Grand Instructor, as a part of the Grand Lodge organisation. By this arrangement it established a system of instruction that has since proved highly satisfactory.

 

The Grand Lodge has been highly fortunate in the choice of Brethren to fill the important Office of Grand Instructor. The first appointee, R.‑. W.‑. Bro. Heber Wells, held the Office for eight years, after which he was succeeded by R.'. W.'. Bro. Henry S. Haines, who gave unsparingly of his time and talents for a period of more than thirty‑eight years. Aided by a loyal and efficient staff of District Deputies, Bro. Haines placed New Jersey on a high level in regard both to the proficiency and the uniformity of its Degree Work. That splendid quality of the Work has since been maintained under the able leadership of M.‑. W.‑. Bro. Richard C. Woodward, Grand Instructor, and his twenty‑nine District Deputies. In 1907, a Committee on Ritual was appointed to " aid in conserving its form, diction, and accuracy." This Committee is now regularly represented by one or more of its members at each District Grand Lodge of Instruction. These meetings are held annually in each district. At that time the esoteric Work of the several Degrees is exemplified by the Officers of the Lodges in the district, under the critical observation of the Grand Instructor.

 

18 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY Although‑ several Lodges in the State had, by consent of the Grand Lodge, for many years conducted their Work in German, that practice was discontinued on January i, i919. This change was due partly to the ill‑feeling stirred up at the time of the Great War and partly to a growing desire for complete uniformity. Since then the Grand Lodge has required all Degree Work to be conferred, all Lodge notices to be sent out, and all Records to be kept, in the English language.

 

During its early years the Grand Lodge of New Jersey undertook to provide aid for deserving persons. This was paid for from the proceeds of small regular assessments that were turned into the Grand Lodge Charity Fund. But in i86o this policy was changed and the responsibility for relief work was placed on the various subordinate Lodges. That responsibility soon proved, however, to be a great burden on some of the Lodges. In some cases the calls for assistance frequently exceeded the Lodge's financial resources. This was especially true in calls for help in caring for aged Brethren and the widows and orphans of deceased Brethren. Consequently the beginning of the second century of the Grand Lodge's existence was marked by the favorable consideration of a plan for the Grand Lodge itself to care for such cases. It was not until 1898, however, that the plan was put into effect. On St. John the Evangelist's Day of that year a Masonic Home was dedicated.

 

The Home is located about two miles south of Burlington, and at the start it consisted of a large stone mansion of 2‑o rooms, together with 26 acres of farm land. It was purchased for the sum of $25,ooo and was paid for by an assessment of two dollars per member. Purchases of adjoining tracts of land have been made at various times since, until the total area of the property is now about i5o acres. The cost of this additional land was $25,ooo. Additional buildings have also been erected to meet the ever‑increasing demands. By the end of the first year there were 18 guests in the Home, of whom only one was an orphan. During the first decade 84 men, 34 women, 9 boys and 12 girls were admitted. Of those, 43 had died and 22 had withdrawn at the close of 1907 leaving 74 persons in the care of the Home. To provide for the ever‑increasing applications for admission, following in the wake of a constantly increasing membership, has been one of the chief objectives among the various activities of the Grand Lodge. Fortunately, calls for additional support have always met with a ready response from the Brethren.* During the more than thirty‑two years of its existence in excess of 790 persons have been admitted as guests of the Home. Of that number iio were boys, and 87 were girls. Almost half of the aged who have lived there have passed to the great beyond from under the Home's sheltering roof, after spending their declining years in that peace and comfort which would not likely have been their lot had it not been for this stretching forth of Masonry's helping hand in their time of need.

 

The last report of the Home stated that there were 221 guests in it. Of those, *Lately the benefits of the Home have been extended to i20lude not only the indigent or helpless Master Mason, his wife, widow, or children, but also the mother, sister, or daughter of any deceased Brother who was at the time of his death chiefly dependent upon him for support.

 

FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 19 78 were men, 89 were women, 32 were boys, and 2.2‑ were girls. The children are comfortably housed in modern brick buildings, the latest addition to which is the group of buildings for boys, erected at a cost of $ioo,ooo. Provision has also been made for the education of the children. Those in grades below the third are taught at the Home. The older children attend the public schools at Burlington, their transportation to and from school being provided by the Home.

 

Ordinary cases of sickness, most of which are ailments due to senility, are cared for in the hospital where from thirty to forty patients are attended by a visiting physician, a trained nurse, three practical nurses, and a pharmacist. A fully‑equipped dental room has also been provided by the Order for the Eastern Star. There a dentist is kept busy one day each week caring for the teeth of both young and old. In instances where the patient suffers some mental ailment or requires surgical attention, he is removed to some properly‑equipped outside hospital. The present value of the property is conservatively estimated to be some $92o,ooo, and the annual cost of maintenance is about $130,000.

 

As an auxiliary to this Home relief work, the Grand Lodge lately established what is known as the Charity Foundation Fund. This is derived from special assessments and voluntary contributions which at present amount to more than half a million dollars. Interest on this fund amounting now to about $Zo,ooo a year, is used for the relief of those who can best be cared for by being maintained in their own homes. This plan holds families together until they are able to care for themselves. This applies particularly to the families of the deceased Brothers, whose widows are given additional aid to supplement their own earnings and are therefore enabled to keep their families under their own care, rather than having to place their own children in the Masonic Home. Recently these two charities have been incorporated as the Masonic Home and Foundation of New Jersey, " to receive, hold, and administer endowments and funds exclusively for charitable, benevolent, and hospital purposes, and to insure absolute permanency of the Home and Foundation, and to encourage gifts to this benevolent cause." While these charitable activities of the Grand Lodge are for the purpose of helping those who are partially or totally unable to support themselves, another phase of helpfulness and one that commends itself to the support of every Mason is that of helping a Brother to help himself by assisting him to find employment when unemployed. It was with this aim in view that the Masonic bureau of New Jersey was established in 1914, at the suggestion of some practically‑minded Brethren. This Bureau was suggested by, and is managed along the lines successfully followed by, a quasi‑Masonic organisation known as the Universal Craftsmen's Council of Engineers, a nationwide organisation having three active local Chapters in New Jersey.

 

The work of this Bureau, voluntarily supported by a few Lodges at the annual cost of one cent per member, soon commended itself to the Grand Lodge, which in turn recommended it to the favorable consideration and support of all the Lodges of the State. It was not until I925, however, that the Grand Lodge zo FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY began to foster it by making all Lodges in the State members of the Masonic Bureau of New Jersey, Incorporated. Contributions at the above‑mentioned rate remain optional with each Lodge. A Committee on Masonic Bureau was established to have general supervision of its work. Since 19z8, the Grand Lodge has each year contributed $3,6oo towards the Bureau's support. That sum is approximately one‑third of the total cost of operation. Reports show that during the last two or three years the Bureau has been instrumental in securing about zzoo placements annually at an average cost of about $io each.

 

In addition to securing employment, the Masonic Bureau of New Jersey, in conjunction with similar bureaus in other jurisdictions, has rendered efficient and timely aid to Brethren who fall into distress because of sickness or accident while sojourning in foreign jurisdictions. Thus the helping hand of the Bureau stretches across the continent and beyond the borders of the United States. At the same time, through the vigilance of its agents, it has helped greatly to reduce and in some cases has eliminated the number of undeserving who seek to subsist on the credulity and good nature of the Brethren. Such people are ferreted out by the Bureau, their methods of securing help are investigated by due process of law. New Jersey Masonry has always been prompt to respond to the cry of distress from its own members. It has also been quick to render help to other Grand jurisdictions in times of dire distress brought on by famine, pestilence, or other disaster. It has also held a high place among those contributing to the George Washington National Memorial at Alexandria, Virginia.

 

The Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of New Jersey consists of the following Officers the Most Worshipful Grand Master, the Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, the Right Worshipful Senior Grand Warden, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden, the Right Worshipful Grand Treasurer, the Right Worshipful Grand Secretary, and the Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Secretary.

 

All of these Officers are elected to their respective stations and places by the Grand Lodge at the Annual Communication held at Trenton in the month of April each year. At that time the following Officers are appointed by the Grand Master: the Right Worshipful Grand Chaplains, the Right Worshipful Grand Instructor, the Right Worshipful District Deputies, the Right Worshipful Senior Grand Deacon, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Deacon, the Right Worshipful Senior Grand Steward, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Steward, the Right Worshipful Grand Marshal, the Right Worshipful Grand Swordbearer, the Right Worshipful Grand Pursuivant, the Right Worshipful Grand Historian, the Right Worshipful Grand Organist, and the Right Worshipful Grand Tyler. All elected Past Grand Officers and Past Masters, while they remain members of regular Warranted Lodges in the New Jersey jurisdiction, and all present Masters and Wardens of those Lodges are members of the Grand Lodge.

 

Each Lodge is allowed three votes in all elections of the Grand Lodge. These may be cast by the Master and Wardens or by such of them as are present. In FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 2I case all three are absent, the votes may be cast by duly elected proxies, properly accredited by the Lodge for which they are to vote. All other members of the Grand Lodge who are present are allowed one vote each and no more. Absentees have no voice in the decisions of the Grand Lodge by proxy or otherwise, as they do have in some other Grand Lodges.

 

The various activities of the Grand Lodge are cared for by the following Committees: (I) The Trustees of the Grand Lodge. Of these five, one is annually elected for a term of five years. (2) The Trustees of the Masonic Home and Charity Foundation. Of these nine, three are annually elected for a term of three years. (3) Of the following committees, each of the five members is appointed annually: Committee on Appeals and Grievances, Committee on Constitutions and By‑Laws, Committee on jurisprudence, Committee on the Masonic Bureau, Committee on Ritual. (4) The Committee on Foreign Correspondence consists of three members, each of whom is appointed annually. (S) The Advisory Committee consists of all elected Grand Officers, Past Grand Masters, Trustees, and the chairmen of the Committees already named in this paragraph. (6) The Audit Committee, the Committee of the Grand Lodge Charity Fund, and the Committee on the Grand Master's Address each consist of three members, all of whom are appointed annually. (7) The Committee on Dispensations and Warrants consists of five members, all of whom are annually appointed.

 

The State is divided into twenty‑nine Districts, each having a District Deputy appointed or re‑appointed for it. The duties of that Deputy are to instruct the Officers of the subordinate Lodges in the District in the standard Work of the Ritual; to make at least one official visit to each Lodge under his care during each year; to witness an exemplification of the Work; to examine the condition of the books and finances of the Lodge; and to perform such other duties and services as may be assigned by the Grand Master.

 

The Ancient Landmarks recognised by this Grand Lodge have been thus condensed and classified under the following Distinct heads I. GOD: A belief in God as the Great Architect and Supreme Ruler of the universe.

 

II. THE GREAT LIGHT IN MASONRY: The acceptance of the revealed Word of God as the rule and guide for our faith and practise, and its visible presence in every Lodge.

 

III. THE GRAND MASTER: The Grand Master is elected by the Craft and holds Office until his successor is duly Installed. He is the ruler of the Craft and as such is of right the Presiding Officer of every assemblage of Masons. He may within his jurisdiction convene a Lodge at any time or place and do Masonic Work therein. He may also create Lodges by his Warrant and arrest the Warrant of any Lodge he chooses. He may suspend during his pleasure the operation of any rule or regulation of Masonry not a Landmark. He may suspend the Installed Officers of any Lodge and reinstate them at his pleasure and he is not answerable for his acts as Grand Master. He may deputise any Brother to do any act in his absence which he himself might do if present.

 

22 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY IV. THE LODGE: A Masonic Lodge must have a Master and two Wardens, and when convened for Masonic Work must be duly Tyled.

 

V. THE CANDIDATE: No person can be made a Mason unless he be a man, free‑born, of mature and discreet age, of good character and reputation, and have no bodily maim or defect that may render him incapable of learning the art or of being advanced to the several Degrees. But he may not apply for admission without solicitation, or take upon himself the Masonic obligations. He cannot be admitted to membership in a Masonic Lodge except upon a secret ballot by the Brethren of that Lodge.

 

VI. THE BRETHREN : Masons, as such, are equal. Each possesses the right to visit any Lodge or assembly of Masons where his presence will not disturb peace and harmony. If and when he has been aggrieved by any act of any Lodge, he may appeal to the General Assembly of Masons or to its substitute, the Grand Lodge.

 

VII. MASTERS AND WARDENS: No man may be elected the Master of a Lodge who has not first served as a Warden. Although the Master and the Wardens are elected by the members of their Lodge, they hold their Offices by virtue of the Warrant of the Grand Master until their successors have qualified. They are, in fact, his Representatives in the Lodge, and are not, therefore, responsible to the Lodge for their official acts. Nor can they be tried or disciplined by the Lodge during their term of Office.

 

VIII. JURISDICTION: Every Mason, for Masonic purposes, is subject to the jurisdiction of the Lodge within whose jurisdiction he resides.

 

IX. SECRECY: The legend of the Third Degree. The means of recognition. The methods of conferring the Degrees. The obligations of those Degrees. The ballot of every Brother. These are, and must continue to be, inviolably secret.

 

X. DEGREES: Ancient Craft Masonry includes only the Entered Apprentice Degree, the Fellow Craft Degree, and the Master Mason Degree.

 

Membership in a Lodge is automatically acquired when the candidate is Raised to the Master Mason Degree, or by a Master Mason through affiliation subject to the unanimous vote of the Lodge. Restoration of members suspended for N. P. D. may be granted by a majority of the votes cast, but in case of suspension for other reasons, or in case of expulsion, the restoration of the member requires a favorable two‑thirds of the votes cast. Dual membership is not permitted in the New Jersey Jurisdiction. Honorary Membership may be conferred as a mark of distinction, by a two‑thirds favorable vote of a Lodge upon a member of another New Jersey Lodge. The honour, however, carries neither voice nor vote in the affairs of the Lodge which confers it.

 

Life membership may be granted to anyone who has paid dues for consecutive years in any Lodge, provided that Lodge has previously adopted a By‑Law to that effect. To all others, life membership can be granted only upon payment of a sum not less than the equivalent of ten years' dues. Each member of a Lodge in New Jersey, who has been a Master Mason in good standing continuously for fifty years or more, is presented by the Grand Lodge with a gold button bearing FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY z3 the Seal of the Grand Lodge and a suitable inscription indicating that fact. In 1929, when these were first distributed there were 32.9 recipients of this token. While in some jurisdictions visitation is looked upon as a privilege, in New Jersey it is considered a right. That right, however, is subject to the will of any member of any Lodge who may be present. Such member may object to the admission or continuance of any visitor, excepting only Officers of the Grand Lodge. It is the duty of the Master of any Lodge to refuse admission to anyone thus objected to, or if already within the Body of the Lodge, to invite the visitor to retire, on the ground that his presence may disturb the peace and harmony of the Lodge.

 

In the early days of the New Jersey Grand Lodge, the elective Offices were held by the incumbents for several years. This was especially true in the case of the Grand Master. In fact, during the first thirty‑seven years of the Grand Lodge's existence, there were only eight Grand Masters. Of these, M.. W:. Bro. Aaron D. Woodruff held the Office for twelve years from i8os to 1816, inclusive. At the same time Bro. Woodruff was serving as Worshipful Master of Trenton Lodge, No. S, an Office which he held for thirty consecutive years. He held both Offices at the time of his death. Contemporary with him as Grand Master was R: . W.‑. Bro. William McKissack, Deputy Grand Master for fifteen years; R.: W.‑. Bro. Thomas Bullman, Senior Grand Warden for eleven years; R.'. W .'. Bro. General Franklin Davenport, grandnephew of R.‑.W.‑.Bro. Benjamin Franklin, Junior Grand Warden for ten years; R.*. W.‑. Bro. General Jonathan Rhea, Grand Treasurer for nine years; and R.‑.W.‑.Bro. George McDonald, Deputy Grand Secretary for fourteen years. During the eighty‑year period from 1824 to 1903, inclusive, there were thirty‑five Grand Masters. The average term for those years was a little more than two years. Since 1904, the four highest elective Offices have been occupied for a term of only one year by any one person. With only one exception, each Grand Master has also served a year in each of the other three Grand Offices. Thus, for almost thirty years, there has been a regular, unbroken line of succession through those four Grand Lodge Offices. To‑day there are nineteen Past Grand Masters still living. M.‑. W.‑. Bro. George W. Fortmeyer is the Senior Past Grand Master, having occupied that high and exalted Station during 1896 and 1897.

 

Fortunately, the Offices of Grand Treasurer, Grand Secretary, and Deputy Grand Secretary have seen few changes in personnel. R.‑. W.‑. Bro. Elias Phillips was Grand Treasurer for twenty years, R.‑. W.‑. Bro. Charles Bechtel, for thirty years, and‑R.'. W.'. Bro. William F. Burk, for twelve years. R.'. W.‑. Bro. Joseph H. Hough stands at the head of the list for length of service, having been Deputy Grand Secretary for five years and Grand Secretary for forty‑eight years. The present Grand Secretary, R.‑. W .'. Bro. Isaac Cherry, has a record of fifteen years, and it is hoped that he may serve many more years. R.'. W.‑. Bro. T. H. R. Redway was Deputy Grand Secretary for thirteen years, and R.'. W.‑. Bro. William Rutan held the Office for twenty years. The Grand Lodge of New Jersey may well be proud of such a record of continuity of service among its Officers. It may boast not only of the wisdom it has displayed in the choice of Grand Officers to 2‑4 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY direct its affairs, but also of the long continuation of harmony and good will that has characterised its existence as a Grand Body, and is evidenced by the long service of its Officers.

 

Garret Augustus Hobart, the twenty‑fourth vice‑president of the United States, was born at Long Branch, New Jersey, on June 3, 1844, and continued a lifelong resident of the State. He graduated from Princeton in 1863, and after teaching for some time took up the study of the law in Paterson where he was licensed to practise in 1866. Three years later he was made a counsellor‑at‑law. In 1872‑ he was elected assemblyman, and two years later he became the speaker of that legislative body. In 1876 he was elected State senator, and was president of the Senate during 1881 and 1882‑. He was first to have the distinction of presiding over both branches of the New Jersey legislature.

 

At the same time an active business man, Hobart was associated with many industrial and public utility enterprises, and as he himself said, " engaged in politics for recreation." Nevertheless he put as much energy and ability into his political activities as he put into his regular vocation, and won nationwide recognition by being elected vice‑president of the United States in 1896. His public career was cut short, however, by his untimely death, on November 21, 1899, at the age of fifty‑five. At that time he was in the full maturity of his power and held high esteem of his fellow citizens for his ability and his integrity of character.

 

Bro. Hobart was Initiated in Falls City Lodge, No. 82‑, of Paterson, on July 9, 1867, and was raised on December 8, 1868. On November 6, 1871, he was Exalted a Royal Arch Mason in Cataract Chapter, No. 1o, of Paterson, and that same year he was Knighted in St. Omer Commandery, No. 13, Knights Templar. On January 1, 1876, he received the Thirty‑second Degree of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masonry in New Jersey Consistory, of Jersey City. Then, on December 23, 1896, he was elected a life member of Washington Commandery, No. 1, at Washington, District of Columbia, just prior to his installation as vice‑president.

 

Born in moderate circumstances, Bro. Hobart, through his assiduous application, became the architect and builder of his fortune, and builded so well that he had reached almost the pinnacle of human ambition, both politically and Fraternally, before he was called to join the innumerable throng in that house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

 

It has been claimed that another vice‑president of the United States, who was a native Jerseyman, was also a Freemason. We refer to Aaron Burr, second vice‑president of the Republic, a son of the Reverend Aaron Burr of Newark, New Jersey. But nothing has been produced positively to identify him with the Fraternity directly or indirectly. A complete Masonic Record of a man bearing the same name, who was elected, entered, passed, and Raised in Union Lodge, No. 40, of Danbury, Connecticut, between June S and September 13, 18o6, has been offered as proof of the claim. But if one will refer to Burr's biography one may see clearly that at that time he had something on his mind very different FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY 25 from taking upon himself the obligations of a Freemason. As a matter of fact, he was deeply engrossed in preparing for his filibustering expedition against Mexico, which has been satirically characterised as " being perhaps the most magnificent enterprise ever conceived on the American continent." Instead of being Raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason on September 13, i8o6, as recorded in those minutes, he had, then, gone West six weeks before to embark on a scheme destined to bring him into the limelight as a conspirator and a traitor to his country.

 

It has also been stated that he visited Western Star Lodge, No. io, at Kaskaskia, Illinois, on April 4, I8I2. But, from his own journal, we learn that on that particular date he had sufficiently recovered from an attack of seasickness to partake of a good dinner of codfish and potatoes, on board the ship Aurora, as he returned from exile in Europe. Happy, indeed, are we to be thus able to remove the blot of his name from the Records of American Freemasonry.

 

ROYAL ARCH MASONRY IN NEW JERSEY Following the example of the Lodges in New York City, several of the early Lodges in New Jersey had Mark Master Lodges attached to them, working under the sanction of their Grand Lodge Warrants.

 

There is evidence of one being attached to St. John's Lodge, No. 2, of Newark, Essex County, in i8o5, and Paterson‑Orange Lodge, No. 13, of Paterson, Passaic County, had one in active operation in I8o6. Cincinnati Lodge, No. 17, of Hanover, Morris County, Instituted one in 1811, and Union Lodge, No. 2I, of Orange, Essex County, authorised one in 18i2, the Minute Book of which is still to the fore; and later we find the Mark Master Degree being conferred in one or two Lodges in the Southern part of the State.

 

The establishment of Royal Arch Masonry in New Jersey was brought up for consideration before the Grand Lodge in 1804 and it was agreed to permit the opening of Chapters under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge and by permis sion of the Grand Master. The following year Grand Master Beatty granted a Dispensation to Washington Lodge, No. I2, of New Brunswick, Middlesex County, to establish a Chapter, but it was not until 1813 that a Warrant was issued to it by the General Grand Chapter as Solomon's Chapter, No. 2.

 

This is as far as the Grand Lodge went in the matter of establishing Royal Arch Masonry in New Jersey, and it has ever since abstained from having anything directly to do with it.

 

Washington Chapter, No. I, was Constituted on August 7, 1813, by Dispensation from the General Grand Scribe and it received its Warrant from the General Grand Chapter on September II, I8ig.

 

The long intervals between the Instituting and Warranting of these Chapters by the General Grand Chapter was due to the fact that it met only once in seven years, instead of every three as at present.

 

26 FREEMASONRY IN NEW JERSEY On October 16, 1815, Brearley Lodge, No. 9, of Bridgeton, Cumberland County, granted permission to several of its members to form a Chapter there, and on April 18, 1816, it was duly Consecrated and the Officers regularly Installed by Officers of the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania, from which it received its Warrant, with General James Giles as its first High Priest.

 

This Chapter followed the policy of the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania in maintaining an attitude of aloofness from the General Grand Chapter. This stood in the way of forming a Grand Chapter in New Jersey, when Washington Chapter, of Newark, and Solomon's Chapter, of New Brunswick, endeavoured to bring that about in 1817 and again in i82o, as these two Chapters were the progeny of the General Grand Chapter, and Brearley Chapter would have no association with them on that account.

 

Franklin Chapter, No. 3, was Constituted at Whippany, Morris County, in 1824, thus providing the third Chapter necessary to Constitute a Grand Chapter, which was consummated on January 5, 1825, at Elizabeth, Union County, when Comp. John E. Ruckle was elected Grand High Priest.