The Builder Magazine
August 1920 - Volume VI - Number 8
MEMORIALS TO GREAT MEN WHO WERE MASONS
PAUL REVERE
BY BRO. GEO. W. BAIRD, P.M., DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE THRILLING poem on Paul Revere's ride has made him an inspiring figure in the War of the Revolution, and his timely act is still fresh in the memory of every unhyphenated American boy. Any effort to add to his memorable ride would be like trying to paint the lily.
Paul Revere was born in Boston in 1735, of Huguenot descent, and he died there in 1818, his remains being laid away in the Granary Burying Ground.
Revere learned the trade of his father, that of a goldsmith, at which he became proficient, but he amplified this by taking up and perfecting the trade of a coppersmith and the art of engraving. At that time a man was as proud of his trade as of a college degree, and these vied with each other for supremacy. Revere had passed the point where the mechanic ended and the artist began.
He fashioned an urn of gold, not more than three inches in height, now in the possession of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, in which is contained a lock of the hair of George Washington. When the writer saw Past Grand Master Charles T. Gallagher, in the Temple at Philadelphia, hold it aloft and call it a "precious urn containing a precious treasure," he was struck with its beauty, the priceless treasure it contained and the tense interest and silence of the two thousand Masons present. The gifted and eloquent Gallagher could have made anything interesting, but when he held that urn in his delicate white hand and pronounced the words the fame of Paul Revere was raised far above the drastic ride.
Revere served as Lieutenant of Artillery in the Colonial Army and was stationed at Fort Edwards, near Lake George. He was one of those engaged in the destruction of the Tea in the Boston Harbor, and he carried the information to New York and Philadelphia that they might be prepared.
When General Gage prepared an expedition to destroy the military stores of the colony at Concord, Warren, at 10 o'clock at night dispatched Willian Daws through Roxbury to Lexington, and Revere, by way of Charlestown, to give notice of the event. Revere got ahead of the orders of General Gage to prevent any American from passing, and so was able to give the alarm from house to house.
As an engraver Paul Revere had no peer in his day. He engraved a print emblematic of the repeal of the Stamp Act, which was very popular. He also engraved one called "the seventeen rescinders" which was equally popular. In 1770 he published an engraving called "The Boston Massacre."
He once refused to serve on a jury because the Parliament had made the judge independent of the jury. In all his acts Revere seemed to be independent and determined.
Paul Revere was Grand Master of Freemasons from December 12, 1794, until December 27, 1797. He was a de facto Mason, rarely missing a communication of his lodge. He was initiated in St. Andrews Lodge in 1760, and raised in 1761, serving as Warden in 1764 and Master in 1770.
He served the Grand Lodge as Junior Grand Warden, Senior Grand Warden and Grand Master.
His memorial is simple - a plinthe, a die and a cap. The lettering shows all that is necessary. The little monument is of a design and of a stone that wil defy the tooth of time.
WOMAN AND FREEMASONRY
BY BRO. DUDLEY WRIGHT, ENGLAND
Wise men tell us that there never has been a woman Freemason. Perhaps that is true. This question has been called to the attention of the able scholar and devoted Mason who contributes this article. Can Freemasonry enlarge its borders to include women or must they forever remain outside the pale? If they are to be made Masons in literal truth in what way can we reorganize the ritual so as to eliminate certain features which might prove embarassing to them? If they cannot be admitted into full membership in what way can the spirit and teachings of this ancient Fraternity be made available to them? Since Freemasonry began to be this has been a moot question; it is still. It will be for years to come. It is a theme of perrennial interest. For this reason we are very glad indeed to give to our readers the reasoned and mature judgments of a scholar who has every right to speak oik this interesting question.
INTRODUCTION
SECRET SOCIETIES have always held a fascination for both sexes, despite the fallacious belief that women cannot keep a secret. Women have, however, from time immemorial been rigidly excluded from the ranks of orthodox 'Freemasonry, although, as will be see in these pagesc the barriers have been broken down on more than one occasion. The first Book of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England, published in 1723, expressly stipulated that no woman should be admitted as a member of a Masonic lodge.
The pages of history show that in past ages women had their own seeret societies. In some instances the mere man was excluded as rigorously as woman is excluded from modern Freemasonry. In others men were admitted on equal or almost equal terms with the sterner sex.
The Eleusinian Mysteries were introduced by Esmolpus in B.C. 1356, and were founded in honor of Ceres and Prosperine, and any one violating the oath taken on admission and revealing the secrets to the un-initiated was punished with death. The same punishment was meted out to uninitiated intruders at the ceremonies. Both sexes were eligible for initiation and there was no age limit.
Gibbon in his History of Rome records a female Order in the fourth century. It was customary for the Roman ladies annually to celebrate in the house, either of the Consol or Praetor, certain rites and ceremonies in honor of a goddess. In what the adoration consisted, as no man was ever permitted to be present or even to be made acquainted with the nature or tendency of the function, it is impossible to say. At the appointed time the vestals came, and, so cautious were they as to privacy, that the house was carefully searched, all male animals were turned out of doors and even statues and pictures of men were covered with thick opaque veils. The Romans punished with death any man found present at the Assembly. Pompeia, the wife of Caesar, schemed for her lover, Clodius, to be present at one of these gatherings, but he was detected and, Pompeia's share in the deception being discovered, she was divorced by Caesar as the consequence of her action.
With regard to the androgynous societies, L'Abbe Clavel in his History of Freemasonry and Similar Societies, Ancient and Modern, published in 1842, says that Freemasons "embraced these Societies with enthusiasm as a practical means of giving to their wives and daughters some share of the pleasures which they themselves enjoyed in their mystical assemblies. And this, at least, may be said of them, that they practiced with commendable fidelity and diligence, the greatest of the Masonic virtues, and that the banquets and balls which always formed an important part of their ceremonial were distinguished by numerous acts of charity." Androgynous Masonry also included certain degrees, among which may be mentioned the "Heroine of Jericho," which appears to be the most ancient, for which the wives and daughters of Royal Arch Masons only were eligible; the "Ark and Dove"; "The Mason's Daughter"; "The Good Samaritan"; "The Maids of Jerusalem"; and "The Mason's Wife," which was conferred on the wives, daughters, sisters and mothers of Masons. These were practiced mainly in the United States of America. There is also evidence that women in days gone by were admitted into the Order of Knights Templer.
The question as to whether or not women should be admitted into the ranks of orthodox Freemasonry is not discussed. As one proud to acknowledge obedience to the Constitutons of the United Grand Lodge of England which, by its Constitutions has decreed that they shall not, any discussion on this point would be unbecoming.
ADOPTIVE MASONRY
The origin of Adoptive Masonry is placed generally in the seventeenth century, and its author is named as the widow of Charles I of England, daughter of Henry IV, and sister of Louis XIII of France. After the death of Charles I, she was proclaimed "the protectress of the children of the widow," Freemasons in those days being known as "the children of the widow." She is said to have formed a society of women to whom she communicated certain signs and passwords.
In 1712, in Russia, Catherine the Czarina obtained from Peter the Great permission to found the Order of St. Catherine, an Order of Knighthood for women only, of which she was proclaimed Grand Mistress. This was a quasi-Masonic body.
In the eighteenth century there were four Grand Mistresses of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which was an emanation of early Masonry. They were the Princess of Rochelle in Italy, the Countess of Maille and the Princess of Latour in France, and the Duchess of Wissembourg in Germany. The Chevalier Cesar Moreau states with assurance that Adoptive Masonry is of French origin. "What other people," he says, "could have raised this beautiful monument of national gallantry to a sex who, in the East, are subjected to the most humiliating dependence; who, in Spain, are guarded in living sepulchres, namely, the convents; while, in Italy, this admirable half of humanity is in the same position; and, in Russia, the husband receives from the father-in-law, with his wife, the right of flogging her at his pleasure? The French know too well how to appreciate the numberless merits of this charming sex, to allow themselves to be influenced by any other nation in the happiness of proving to women that they are at all times their idols, from youth to age."
The real date of the establishment of Adoptive Masonry in France may be placed as 1775, when, according to M. Boubee, who is sometimes called "the father of French Masonry," the French ladies, not wishing to remain indifferent to the good done by Freemasons, wished to form Lodges of Adoption so as more efficaciously to exercise charity and goodness.
At first the Grand Orient of France did not sympathize with the formation of these Lodges of Adoption, and for some time withheld its sanction but eventually consented to take the oversight on the express condition that each assembly should be presided over by the Master of a regular Masonic lodge. Immediately several ladies of distinction became active members and propagators, among the number being the Duchess of Chartres, the Duchess of Bourbon, the Princess of Lambelle, the Countess of Polignac, the Countess of Choiseul-Gouffier, and the Marchioness of Coutebonne.
On 11th March, 1775, the Marquis de Saisseval, assisted by several distinguished brethren, formed the Lodge of Candour under the Constitution of the Grand Orient of France. Fourteen days afterwards - on 25th March, 1775 - this lodge gave a fete d'adoption, when the Duchess of Chartres, wife of the Grand Master of the Grand Orient, was present. There was also present the Duchess of Bourbon, who then consented to accept the position of Grand Mistress of Adoptive Masonry. Her installation took place on the following May, in the Lodge of St. Anthony, in Paris, when the Duke of Chartres presided in his capacity as Grand Master. Nearly a thousand persons, the elite of French society, are said to have assisted at this function.
The Adoptive Rite consisted of four degrees - Apprentice, Companion, Mistress and Perfect Mistress. The first degree was purely symbolical and introductory, intended rather to improve the mind than to convey any definite idea of the institution. The second degree depicted the scene of the temptation in Eden, and the Companion was reminded in a lecture of the penalty incurred by the Fall. The third degree alluded to the Tower of Babel and the confusion of tongues as a symbol of a badly-regulated lodge, while Jacob's ladder was introduced as a moral lesson of order and harmony. The fourth degree, that of Perfect Mistress, represented Moses and Aaron, their wives, and the sons of Aaron. The ceremonies referred to the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites, and the degree was said to symbolize the passage of man from the world of change and discord to a pure land of rest and peace. The officers of a Lodge of Adoption consisted of Grand Master, Grand Mistress, Orator, Inspector, Inspectress, Depositor, Depositrix, Conductor and Conductress. The sash and collar were blue, with a gold trowel suspended. The Grand Master, Grand Mistress, and the principal officers were provided with gavels, and each member was clothed with a plain white apron and white gloves. The brethren, as distinct from the sisters, wore in addition to the ordinary regalia, each a sword and a gold ladder of five rounds - this latter being the Jewel of Adoptive Masonry. The business of each lodge was conducted by the sisters, the brethren being looked upon only as assistants. Different descriptive hangings were provided for the various degrees. In the first degree, four curtains divided the room into four sections. The west represented Europe; the east, Asia; the south, Africa; and the north, America. Two thrones were erected in the east for the Grand Master and Grand Mistress; before them was placed an altar, while to their right and left were placed eight statues representing Wisdom, Prudence, Strength, Temperance, Honor, Charity, Justice and Truth. The members sat in two rows, to light and left, at right angles to the two presiding officers - the brethren, armed with their swords, in the back row, and the sisters in the front row.
The Adoptive Lodges found many opportunities for the practice of beneficence, in which, particularly, they excelled. The records of the Adoptive Lodge of Candour show that frequently collections were made for the poor and distressed. In 1777, the Duchess of Bourbon presided at a meeting of this lodge when there was a collection for a brave soldier of the Anjou regiment who had thrown himself into the frozen Rhone and rescued two drowning children. In 1779, through the agency of members of this lodge, a poor nobleman, without profession or resources, obtained from the King a pension and a lieutenancy. This lodge was disbanded in 1780, in consequence of Court movements. The Quadruple Lodge of the "Nine Sisters" was another prominent Adoptive lodge, which held several fetes for philanthropic purposes. In 1780, a lodge of Adoptan was formed by the Lodge "Social Contract" to celebrate the convalescence of the Grand Master, the Duke of Chartres. This lodge had for its first Master, the Abbe Bertolio, who was assisted by the Princess of Lamballe as Grand Mistress. Among the initiates of this lodge were the Viscountess of Afrey, the Viscountess of Narbonne, and the Countess of Maille. In common with many others this lodge was broken up by the Revolution.
Adoptive Masonry was seized upon by the comprehensive mind of the first Napoleon as a means to consolidate his power, and it rose into favor again on the re-establishment of the Empire. In 1805, the unfortunate Empress Josephine was installed Grand Mistress of the Loge Imperiale d'Adoption des Francs Chevaliers at Strasbourg, when she initiated one of her ladies of honor, Madame F. de Canisy. M. Boubee says that at no period in the history of Adoptive Masonry was there so brilliant a gathering. It was the first occasion on which French Masonry had been honored by the presence of a sovereign.
In a modified manner Adoptive Masonry still exists, but it has not flourished under the Republic, and its operations have been confined mainly to France. It has been rejected with a contempt amounting almost to indignation, by the Grand Lodges of the United Kingdom and the Overseas Dominions. The Ancient and Primitive Rite - a body not in communication with the United Grand Lodge of England, and now almost obsolete - has the power to confer the Adoptive Degrees, but does not exercise it.
Dr. George Oliver, the author of Revelations of a Square, gives an interesting account of a visit he paid to a lodge of Adoption in Paris in 1808:
"The ceremonies are conducted with the utmost decorum. We are, of course, totally ignorant of the dark room, as none but females are admitted to that penetralia and the preparations are conducted only by females; but when they are completed, and the trials come on, the novice is conducted through the process by a lady and gentleman together.
"On this special occasion it was thought that the candidate did not possess sufficient fortitude to endure the trials, and she was warned that if she had any doubts as to her power of endurance she had the opportunity of withdrawing. However, she indicated that she was quite willing to proceed, and she was accordingly conducted through the usual trials of fortitude, and endured them with the courage of a martyr, and even at last, when placed on the summit of the symbolic mountain, and told she must cast herself down thence into the abyss below, where she saw a double row of bright steel spikes, long and sharp. They were real, substantial spikes, and she would have been killed if impaled thereon.
"The word was given to throw herself down, and with a suppressed shriek she made the required plunge. So unexpectedly sudden was her obedience that the guide, who had charge of the machinery, was scarcely allowed time to touch the spring before she fell recumbent at the bottom of the abyss. The machinery is so contrived that at the very moment when the final leap is made the scene changes to an Elysium of green fields and shady trees, bubbling fountains and purling streams, and beneath the velvet herbage is placed a bed of the softest down, to receive the fair body of the exhausted novice as she falls. In the present instance the lady fainted, and lay for a time without motion, but was soon restored and tranquillised by the application of essences and perfumes, and the soft and soothing influence of delicious music.
"Being afterwards introduced into the lodge, her constancy was rewarded by witnessing and forming a part of the most beautiful and captivating scenes I ever beheld."
RITUAL OF ADOPTIVE MASONRY The following Ritual of Adoptive Masonry is translated, for the first time, from a French document issued in 1783:
ADOPTIVE MASONRY
There is wanting in the Order of Freemasonry the pleasure of the company of the fair sex, the members of which are always an ornament to the most reputable societies. Adoptive Masonry enables brethren to cure this signal favor.
DECORATION OF THE LODGE
The Apprentices' Carpet, on which is traced a diagram of the lodge, is placed in the centre of the temple. On it is placed the Noah's Ark, floating on the waters; the Tower of Babel; and Jacob's Ladder. Behind the Grand Inspector is placed a table covered with a black cloth, on which a skeleton is laid. Behind the Grand Master, a little above his head, stands the Destroying Angel, holding a naked sword in his right hand and an iron chain in his left hand. By the side of the Grand Master are two stools, on each of which is placed a pan filled with rope ends, spirits of wine, and salt, wherewith to make a flame. These pans are sometimes placed on stools in the centre of the temple. By the, side of the table which is behind the Grand Inspector are placed two brethren, wearing masks which cause them to look repulsive; their hats are fixed firmly on their heads and each holds a torch lighted by means of powdered sulphur and refined pitch.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE LODGE
The President of the lodge is addressed as Grand Master. He wears suspended from his neck a blue or black cord, from the bottom of which hangs a small trowel. He wears his hat in lodge, holds a naked sword in his left hand and a trowel in his right. Each brother also carries a naked sword in order to form the arch of steel, referred to later on in the Ritual. The Grand Inspector is placed in the west of the lodge, but, unlike the Grand Master, does not wear his hat. The brethren also remain with heads uncovered throughout the proceedings, but the sisters have their heads covered. The Grand Inspector wears a blue cord round his neck, from which is suspended a small hammer. The brethren and sisters arrange themselves in oblong form around the lodge, each wearing a white apron and having a small trowel suspended from a blue ribbon which is worn around the neck.
RITUAL FOR THE OPENING OF THE LODGE
Grand Master: "Brethren and sisters, assist me to open this lodge of Apprenticed Adoptive Masons."
(These words are repeated, first by the Sister Inspector and then by the Brother Inspector.)
Grand Master: "Sister Inspector, what is the first duty of a Mason?" Response: "To see that the lodge is properly tyled to prevent the admission of the uninitiated."
Grand Master: "Then, my dear sister, assure yourself that this has been done."
Sister Inspector: "Brother Inspector, will you see that the lodge is properly tyled and report to me?"
(The report having been given)
Sister Inspector: "Grand Master, the Brother Inspector reports that the lodge is properly tyled."
Grand Master: "Are you an Apprenticed Mason?"
Sister Inspector: "I believe so."
Grand Master: "If you believe it, why are you not certain?"
Sister Inspector: "Because an Apprentice is certain of nothing."
Grand Master: "What is the duty of a Mason?"
Sister Inspector: "To listen, to obey, to work, and to be silent."
Grand Master: "At what time do Masons begin to work?"
Sister Inspector: "At the moment of awakening."
Grand Master: "What time is it now?"
Sister Inspector: "The moment for awakening and the hour for working."
The Grand Master gives five raps on the pedestal and says:
"Sister and Brother Inspectors, give warning to the brethren and sisters in your neighborhoods that this is the moment for awakening and the hour for working and that I am about to open a lodge of Apprenticed Masons."
This injunction having been obeyed by these officers, the Grand Master gives a further five raps with his trowel on the pedestal and says:
"My dear brethren and sisters, I declare this lodge of Apprenticed Adoptive Masons open in the name of T.G.A.O.T.U., in the names of our lawful superiors, and in the name of this respectable assembly."
This formula having been repeated by the two Inspectors, all the brethren and sisters give the sign of Jacob's Ladder, clap their hands five times, and repeat five times the word "Vivant." CEREMONY OF THE FIRST DEGREE INITIATION OF APPRENTICES
It is essential that all ladies who present themselves for initiation should be in good health, of good repute, and that one of the brethren of the lodge should give a guarantee of fitness.
The candidate must, on admission to the precincts of the temple, be placed in a darkened room, which must not be illuminated with more than one faint light, and in which a skull shall be placed in such a position that the candidate cannot fail to observe it. She is waited upon by the last admitted initiate, who asks her if it is of her own free will and after mature reflection that she seeks admission into an Order of such high repute. This question being answered satisfactorily she asks her if she is in good health, because she will pass through some very trying experiences, which, however, will not be in any way improper or revolting to the most virtuous person.
The candidate is then told, as the first test of her discretion, to remain in the darkened room and not to attempt to leave. The door is then closed upon her and she is left to her own reflections for a time.
The sister returns after an interval, when she urges the candidate to exhibit much firmness. The left garter of the candidate is removed and replaced by a blue ribbon of a yard and a quarter in length. Her right cuff and glove are also removed. Her money, jewels, and trinkets are taken from her, and she is informed that they will be given or sold for the benefit of the poor. The candidate is then blindfolded, told to place her trust in God, and she is conducted to the door of the temple, on which she is told to give five raps.
The door is opened by the Brother Inspector, who asks the question: "Who knocks?"
Director of Ceremonies: "An unenlightened who seeks to be adopted by us."
The door of the temple is closed and the request, made through the Director of Ceremonies, is repeated to the Grand Master, who requests the Sister Inspector to ask the candidate for her name, age, religion, occupation, and the name of her guarantor; and to inform the candidate of the qualifications essential for her adoption.
The Sister Inspector, on her return to the temple, gives these particulars to the Grand Master, who asks the brother who stands as sponsor if he knows the candidate well and if he believes she has the necessary dispositions for admittance into the Order.
Satisfactory assurances in this regard having been given, the Grand Master says:
"Brethren and sisters, do you consent to the adoption of Madame (or Mademoiselle) N-----? Do any object?"
If the answer is unanimously in the affirmative, the Grand Master says:
"Sister Inspector, give admission to the candidate."
The candidate, accompanied by the Director of Ceremonies and her guide, then enters and is placed in front of the Grand Master, who addresses her upon the objects of the Order into which she seeks admission. At the conclusion of the Oration he asks her:
"Madame (or Mademoiselle), What is your desire?" Response: "To be initiated as a Mason."
Grand Master: "What opinion have you formed of Masonry? Tell me frankly your opinion of the Order."
The reply to this question is given by the candidate in her own words.
Grand Master: "Are you willing to pass through the ceremonies, both moral and physical, which are a necessary condition to admission: reflect well, because there is still the opportunity for you to retire, should you so desire; but in another moment it will be too late."
Candidate: "I am."
Grand Master: "Are you willing to make a sacrifice of your jewels for the benefit of the poor?"
Candidate: "I am."
Grand Master: "Are you willing to submit to trials by fire, water, and blood?"
Candidate: "I am."
The Grand Master then directs the Brother Inspector to conduct the candidate on the five mysterious journeys. At the end of each journey the Grand Master asks the Brother Inspector if he has observed any trembling on the part of the candidate, and at the termination of the fifth journey, the Grand Master says:
"Do you still persist in your desire: the trials to follow are more severe?"
Candidate: "I do."
Grand Master: "Brother Inspector, cause the candidate to advance five steps under the arch of steel."
In order to form this arch of steel all the brethren kneel on the floor of the lodge, raising their swords.
This having been done, the Grand Master says:
"Brother Inspector, cause the candidate to pass through the trial by fire."
The candidate is then conducted twice round the lighted braziers.
Grand Master: "Cause her to purify herself by passing through the water."
The candidate is then told to wash her hands.
Grand Master: "Do you still persist in your request?"
Candidate: "I do."
Grand Master: "Will you sign this declaration in your blood?"
Candidate: "I will."
Grand Master: "Brother Surgeon, do your duty."
A request is here made for mercy, which is granted by the Grand Master.
Grand Master: "If it is still your wish to continue, listen to the words of the Brother Orator."
ADDRESS ON THE INITIATION OF APPRENTICES
Man is born with the instinct of charity and fellowship engraven in his heart; the seeds of these two qualities are sown by the paternal favor of the Creator, and man in practicing these precepts before understanding the utility and necessity of a bond which mitigates the severity of our condition, sows flowers on the thorny path of our life. The first feeling of man on leaving the hands of his Creator must, undoubtedly, be that of His existence. So long as he is alone his heart has no other view; but so soon as he has beholden that charming creature which loving, powerful Nature has framed to be his companion, the germs of beneficence are developed; he forgets, so to speak, his existence and abandons the love of himself in order to transfer it to her who waits on his pleasure.
The foundations of society were therefore laid in the Garden of Eden, and it was in that delightful sojourn, the asylum of virtue, innocence and peace that beneficence and all the other sociable virtues were practiced in an their purity by our first parents, for so long as they were both contented with their strength, thinking only of enjoying the sweet fruits of their union, their happiness was without bitterness and they enjoyed in their hearts the ineffable blessings of terrestrial felicity. Unhappily evil approached very closely to the happiness. Adam and Eve were the first to discover, though too late, this sorrowful truth, by transmitting to their posterity the bitter fruits of their disobedience, curiosity, and weakness. Their hearts, like Noah's Ark, floating at the mercy of the winds on the waters of the abyss, which covered the surface of the earth, yielded with like ease to any impression. Society and pride, sustained by all the other passions, ever since then have triumphed over obedience and direction, which have no other support than weakness, and plunge our happiness into humiliation and misery.
This allegory of the Fall of Man through weakness and curiosity, you can trace, Madame, in a striking and forcible manner in the sad condition of our degeneration, but we offer, at the same time, the means of reparation, which, though it may depend on our feeble nature, are the means we find assembled in this Order or admitted under the emblems which we discover when we look closely, and of which I will give you the explanation.
You see first of all, Madame, in this lodge of Apprentices, the Ark of Noah, the Tower of Babel, and the Ladder of Jacob, drawn in picture. The Ark of Noah represents the heart of man, the eternal play-thing of the passions, like the ark floating on the waters of the Deluge; and we learn that we ought so to fortify our souls by the precepts of virtue that in the midst of this tempest we may, like Noah and his family, be saved from shipwreck. The Tower of Babel is the emblem of the pride of man, who desires to oppose his weakness to the eternal decrees of Providence, and who, for the fruits of his labors, will reap only shame and confusion, from which he is not able to guard himself except by presenting the prudent heart which is the characteristic of a Mason. On the other side of the picture you will see a ladder, the meaning of which may seem to be quite mysterious. It teaches us that the means of arrival at true happiness, like to that of which Jacob dreammed and which is represented by the steps, ought to be grounded on the love of God and neighbor, just as the steps of the ladder rise upwards and connect earth with heaven. All these things are secured by the practice of caution, strength, constancy, and the precepts of Masonry.
These are, Madame, the mysteries to which I would today call your attention.
My heart will call to mind with the sweetest emotion this solemn day on which you were initiated, through our feeble ministrations into the most sublime and reputable Order of Masonry. May you, Madame, spend happy days with those who, like you, ask great favors from T.G.A.O.T.U. and may you taste a succession of pleasures as intense and as pure as those which we shall experience every time that we call you by the beloved name of sister.
The Address being ended an acclamation is made.
Grand Master: "Madame, the pleasing things which you have heard have, no doubt, encouraged you to request that you may be received amongst us. If that is your desire, approach."
The candidate is then brought to the pedestal, where she kneels.
Grand Master: "Destroying angel, bring the chain which you reserve for incautious Masons of both sexes. Madame, I am compelled to attach this chain to you in order that you may recall unceasingly that which you have promised. You wish to be admitted into a most reputable Order in which there is nothing contrary to religion, to the State, or to virtue. The firmness which you have displayed in the trials which you have undergone, the probity which you have shown, and your known virtue are sure guarantees to us of your manner of thinking: perfect this good work and be persuaded that repentance will never attend your attempt.
"Place your hand, Madame, upon this Book of Truth, and repeat after me the following Obligation which will bind you forever to the most ancient and most reputable Order in the world.
OBLLIGATION
"I .............. promise, on my word of honor, in the presence of T.G.A.O.T.U. and of this respectable assembly faithfully to guard, conceal, and retain in my heart the secrets of Masons and of Adoptive Masonry; moreover, to listen, to obey, to work, and to keep silent, under the penalty of being struck with the sword of the Destroying Angel, and of being despised and disgraced. May my mind by its virtues be rendered worthy of so reputable a Society. I promise, moreover, and undertake to sleep this night with the garter of the Order, as T.G.A. shall help me."
The Obligation taken, the Grand Master rises and touches the initiate with the trowel on the right eye, the right ear, the nose, the mouth, and the breast, saying:
"By the power which I have received from this respectable lodge, I receive you as an Adoptive Mason."
The Director of Ceremonies then takes away the chain. The Grand Master gives a rap on the pedestal with his trowel, and all the brethren take their swords in their hands.
Grand Master: "Brother Director of Ceremonies, conduct the newly initiated sister to a convenient spot where she may receive her reward."
When this has been done, he says:
"What do you ask sister, because it is with true pleasure that I address you by the term 'sister' instead of that of 'madame'? "
Answer: "To see the light." Grand Master: "Brother Director of Ceremonies, You will give her the fifth rap. Brethren and sisters to order."
The Grand Master then gives five raps with his trowel and the Director of Ceremonies restores the candidate to light by taking off the bandagey her face being turned towards the skeleton.
Grand Master: "Look with horror on her condition, the result of sin. Consider what she has been, what she is, and what she will become."
At this juncture the two brethren with the repulsive masks come and stand on either side of the skeleton, their torches being aflame.
Grand Master: "Leave her to make serious reflections upon her present state so that she may pass from death to life."
After a moment the two brethren turn her sharply round to face the East, so that she may see the splendor of the lodge. All the brethren are holding their swords in their hands, the points being directed towards the newly-initiated.
Grand Master: "Sister, all these swords which you see are drawn in your defense, if ever you should have cause for their assistance. Approach, sister, to receive the insignia of the Order."
The Brother Inspector then leads her by five steps to the Grand Master.
Grand Master: "Brethren and sisters, you have been witnesses of the great cautiousness of our newly-initiated sister."
The Grand Master takes from underneath the pedestal (or altar, as it is known) a crown of flowers, which he places on the head of the initiate, as a reward for her discretion. He then hands her the apron of the Order, saying:
"This is to remind you of the candor which as a Mason you must have."
He then hands her the gloves, saying:
"The whiteness of these gloves, which are intended for you, indicate what should be the purity of your actions."
He then gives her a pair of men's gloves, saying:
"This respectable lodge has asked me to hand you these gloves in order that you may pass them on as a present to the Mason whom you esteem most highly."
He then hands to her the garter of the Order, saying:
"This garder is of white skin and has written on it in letters of gold: VIRTUE, HONOR, SILENCE."
Grand Master: "Sister Inspector, take away the blue ribbon and fasten the garter in its place."
The Grand Master then gives the Initiate the kiss of association.
Grand Master: "We have for our mutual recognition two signs and two passwords. The two words are Feix, Feax, which signify 'Academy' or 'School of Virtue.' The password which we adopt for mutual recognition is 'Etamie.' It signifies 'Amity.' for we know that amity which has virtue for its base leads to true felicity."
The Director of Ceremonies then introduce's the initiate to the brethren and sisters present. When this has been done and she has been tested in the passwords and grips by the Grand Master, her money and jewels are returned to her by the Grand Master, who says:
"My dear sister, we deprived you of all metals and trinkets, because they are the emblems of vices. You sacrificed them, but the lodge is content with your submission and have charged me to return them to you, exhorting you to employ them in good works and above all in the relief of your brethren and sisters who may be in want."
Grand Master: "Brother Director of Ceremonies, conduct the sister to the West in order that she may listen to the Instruction."
INSTRUCTION OF AN APPRENTICE
Grand Master: "What is the first care of a Mason7"
Answer: "To see that the lodge is properly tyled."
Grand Master: "Are you an Apprenticed Mason?"
Answer: "I believe so."
Grand Master: "Why do you not say that you are sure?"
Answer: "Because an Apprentice is sure of nothing."
Grand Master: "What is the duty of all Masons?"
Answer: "To obey, to work, and to be silent."
Grand Master: "Where were you admitted?"
Answer: "In a place inaccessible to the uninitiated."
Grand Master: "How do you know that you are an Apprenticed Mason?"
Answer: "By that which all the most reputable Masons have?" Grand Master: "What is it that the most reputable have?"
Answer: "Two signs and two passwords."
Grand Master: "Give me the signs."
These are given.
Grand Master: "What is the significance of this sign?"
Answer: "The Ladder of Jacob."
Grand Master: "Whither does this ladder lead?"
Answer: "To felicity."
Grand Master: "How do you respond to the first sign?"
Answer: "By a second which consist of bringing the thumb and little finger to the nostrils."
Grand Master: "Give me the pass-words."
Answer: "Give me the first and I will give you the second."
Grand Master: "Feix."
Answer: "Feax."
Grand Master: "What is the meaning of these two words?"
Answer: "They form one only and mean an Academy or School of Virtue.
Grand Master: "What is this school?"
Answer: "Masonry."
Grand Master: "How were you received?"
Answer: "By five knocks."
Grand Master: "How were you introduced into the lodge?"
Answer: "Blindfolded."
Grand Master: "Why?"
Answer: "In order that I might learn that before I attained to the sublime mysteries it was necessary to overcome curiosity and that I might learn the ignorance of the uninitiated when speaking of our mysteries."
Grand Master: "How did you gain access to our mysteries?" Answer: "Through an arch of iron and steel."
Grand Master: "What did this arch represent?"
Answer: "The strength and stability of the Order."
Grand Master: "How did you obtain access to a lodge?"
Answer: "By knocking five times on the entrance-door."
Grand Master: "Where were you received?"
Answer: "Between the Tower of Babel and the Ladder of Jacob and at the foot of Noah's Ark."
Grand Master: "What does this Tower of Babel represent? "
Answer: "The pride of the children of the earth which we can overcome by presenting a cautious mind, which is the characteristic of all true Masons"
Grand Master: "What does the Ladder of Jacob represent?"
Answer: "This ladder is very mysterious: the two sides represent the love of God and our neighbor, and the steps symbolize the virtues secured by a beautiful life."
Grand Master: "What does the Ark of Noah represent?"
Answer: "The heart of man agitated by his passions, as the Ark was swayed by the waters of the Deluge."
Grand Master: "What quality ought we to bring to the lodge?"
Answer: "A horror of vice and a love of virtue."
Grand Master: "What do you call those who are not Masons?"
Answer: "The uninitiated."
Grand Master: "How do you treat those who are not Masons but who are worthy to be such?"
Answer: "All virtuous men and women are our friends but we only recognize men and women who are Masons as our brethren and sisters."
Grand Master: "To what ought we to apply ourselves?"
Answer: "To the purification of our morals."
Grand Master: "What is the duty of all Masons?"
Answer: "To listen, to obey, to work, and to be silent."
Grand Master: "What is that you hear?"
Answer: "The explanation of our mysteries."
Grand Master: "What is the quality of our obedience?"
Answer: "Free and voluntary."
Grand Master: "What is the aim of our work?"
Answer: "To make us useful and agreeable to our brethren and sisters."
Grand Master: "In what are you silent?"
Answer: "In the mysteries of Freemasonry."
Grand Master: "Why were you introduced by five raps?"
Answer: "To bring to our remembrance the five points of Masonry, which are the love of our neighbor, the desire of meriting the esteem of our brethren and sisters, the wish to oblige them, cautiousness, and obedience."
Grand Master: "What is the password?"
Answer: "Etamic, which signifies amity in order to teach us that amity is the basis of virtue and leads to true felicity."
MANNER OF CLOSING A LODGE
Grand Master: "At what time do we close the lodge?"
Answer: "At the hour to rest."
Grand Master: "What time is it now?"
Answer: "It is the hour to rest."
Grand Master: "Brother Inspector and Sister Inspector, ask the brethren in your neighborhood if they have aught to propose for the benefit of the Order."
The command having been obeyed a collection is made for the benefit of the poor and distressed. This custom is never omitted, each one contributing according to his or her ability.
Grand Master: "Brother Inspector and Sister Inspector, advise the brethren and sisters in your respective neighborhoods that seeing it is the time to rest, the hour for ceasing to work has arrived."
The Grand Master then gives the command for the brethren to stand to order and each brother takes his sword in his hand.
Grand Master: "Brethren and sisters, we have listened, we have obeyed, we have worked, and we are silent; since this is the hour to rest, the lodge is closed."
These words are repeated by the two Inspectors; the usual signs and acclamations are given and each one says five times "Vivant."
MANNER OF OPENING A LODGE
Grand Master: "At what time do Masons begin work?"
Answer: "At the moment of awakening."
Grand Master: "What is the duty of a Mason?"
Answer: "To see that the lodge is properly tyled."
Grand Master: "Sister Inspector, command the Brother Inspector to see that this duty is performed."
This being done, the Brother Inspoetor says: "Grand Master, the lodge is properly tyled."
Grand Master: "What time is it?" Answer: "The time for awakening and the hour for working."
Grand Master: "Sister and Brother Inspectors, inform the brethren and sisters in your respective neighborhoods that this is the time for awakening and the hour for working."
This being done the Grand Master gives five raps with his trowel and says:
"Brethren and Sisters, in the name of T.G.A.O.T.U.; in the name of our recognized superiors; and by the power invested in me by this assembly, I declare this Lodge of Apprenticed Adoptive Masons open."
The Sister and Brother Inspectors also give five raps with their trowels and say:
"Brethren and sisters, this lodge of Apprenticed Adoptive Masons is open."
At a signal from the Grand Master all the brethren and sisters give the sign of Jacob's Ladder and the acclamation by saying five times "Vivant."
Grand Master: "Sister Inspector, are you a Mason?"
Answer: "I believe so."
Grand Master: "If you believe it, why are you not sure?"
Answer: "Because an Apprentice is not sure of anything."
Grand Master: "What is the duty of a Mason?"
Answer: To listen, to obey, to work, and to be silent."
Grand Master: "For the first proof of your obedience, Sister Inspector and Brother Inspector, request the brethren and sisters in your respective neighborhoods to trim their lamps for a ceremony I propose to carry out."
These words are repeated by the Sister and Brother Inspectors who, when all the lamps are trimmed, reply:
"Master, all the lamps are trimmed."
The Grand Master then gives the call to order. The brethren and sisters stand when the Grand Master gives the command to work, by saying:
"Raise your right hand to the lamp; raise the lamp, blow the lamp; Quicker; Blow out the lamp."
(NOTE.-This is the formula adopted also at the drinking of toasts, the drinking of wine being known as the trimming of the lamp. In the days when this ritual was in vogue it was customary always to honor five toasts at the banquets which followed the lodge meetings. The first was the King and Royal Family; the second, that of the Sister Duchess of Bourbon, the Grand Mistress and the Officers of the Grand Lodge; the third that of the Grand Master of the lodge; the fourth, that of the sister and brother Inspectors; and the fifth, that of the Initiates. Sometimes toasts were added for the visitors and sisters and brethren in distress.)
Adoptive Masonry found its way into Italy and the following description of an initiation ceremony appeared in an Italian paper Correspondence, published in Rome in 1862:
"In a room hung with black was raised a table covered with black cloth; on the table was a skull and above it was a lamp, which shed a funereal light. Eight personages: a venerable Grand Master, a venerable Grand Mistress, a Brother Orator, dressed as a Capuchin, a Brother Inspector, a Sister Inspectress, Brother and Sister Depositaries, and a Sister Introductress. These dignitaries wore on their breasts each a wide violet ribbon, to which was suspended a little gold trowel. The Grand Master held a hammer which served as his sceptre and marched at the side of the Grand Mistress, elevated to the rank of horrorable companion. The brothers and sisters of the lodge all wore the mystical apron and white gloves. A novice was to be introduced. The Grand Master struck his hands together five times and solemnly asked one of the dignitaries: 'What are the duties of a Masonic aspirant?' The answer was: 'Obedience, labor, silence.' The Brother Orator then took the novice by the hand and conducted her to a dark room, where, having bandaged her eyes, he read her a homily on virtue and charity. When the bandage was removed she found herself surrounded by the brothers in a circle, their swords crossed over her head. After another homily, pronounced this time by the Grand Master, he asked her if she had well reflected before entering a Society which was unknown to her, and then, after mutual explanations, the proselyte repeated the formula of the oath: 'I swear and promise to keep faithfully in my heart all the secrets of Freemasonry and engage to do so under the penalty of being cut in pieces by the sword of the exterminating angel.' The Grand Master then showed her the sign by which the brothers and sisters recognized each other, and gave her the password of the Order. Then, taking the sister by the hand, he respectfully gave her five kisses of peace and handed her an apron and a pair of gloves."
L'Ordre de la liberte, of which Moses was claimed to be the founder, admitted both men and women. The members wore in their button holes a chain with a jewel representing the two tables of the Law, but, instead of the ten commandments, the jewel had two wings to signify Freedom, with the motto "Virtue dirigit alas." On the other side was an "M" for Moses and the date 6743. The commandment "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is said to have been purposely omitted from their decalogue.
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COMBINATION OF THE SQUARE AND COMPASSES
It is the almost universal custom in these United States to arrange the Square and Compasses, when used as seals or as illustrations, in the following form: The Compasses are extended and laid upon the arms of the Square. Within the extended Compasses is placed the letter "G." I suppose that letter, in that combination, is intended to be the initial letter of the word God, and not of Geometry. The intended symbolism, if indeed any symbolism is meant, is not known to this writer.
This is not the custom in foreign lands, nor was it the custom of the days when that combination began to be made as seals of the lodges. In all the illustrations of this combination of the Square and Compasses made by foreign lodges I have not found the "G" combination. The All-seeing Eye is the most usual, though the globe, the sun, or some other special device or letter are frequently found. It is also frequently found that nothing is inserted between the Compasses.
The symbolism of the combination, with the All-seeing Eye inserted, is quite plain, going back to the older Mysteries. The Square, referring to the earth, and hence to the earthly in man, viz.: his passions and appetites, which are represented by the two arms of the Square, is dominated by the two arms of the Compasses, which refer to the heavens, and hence to the spiritual in man, his reason and the moral sense; symbolizing that through the light of Freemasonry we have subjected our passions and appetites to the control of our reason and our moral sense. The All-seeing Eye symbolizes that oversight of Almighty God necessary to maintain that domination of the spiritual over the earthly, or material.
If there is an instructive symbolism in the way we introduce the letter "G" perhaps it is by using the "G" in the same way as is suggested for the use of the All-seeing Eye. The "G" being used as the initial of two words is liable to be misunderstood, while the eye could not be misinterpreted.
- Geo. C. Connor, Tennessee.
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THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LODGE
Title Suggested by Brother Geo. L. Schoonover
BY BRO. L. B. MITCHELL, MICHIGAN
Is not the heart-beat of the lodge today
A bit above the old-time normal way?
Does it not in a fevered mood beguile
The hours that make them so much less worth while?
It seems in haste to see that they are o'er
And hurries up its work upon the floor.
Its temperature seems feverish today,
It corners cuts and hastens on its way,-
That is, it so speeds up the work in hand
That much is lost of its conception grand.
The hurrying world seems to sidestep the Art,
It seems to be, of it, the ruling part.
To some, as yet, these ways do not appeal;
Time was when it was all so really real;
But now, those who may come into the fold
Lose much that so appealed unto the old.
And so we find the Craft exposed today
To much that hurts the heart of Masonry.
EARLY KNIGHT TEMPARLY IN IRELAND
BY BRO. JULIUS F. SACHSE, GRAND LIBRARIAN, PENNSYLVANIA
Reprinted from "History of Masonic Knights Templar of Pennsylvania," by permission of R.’.W.’. Bro. John S. Sell, Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania.
THE EARLIEST documentary evidence in the Archives of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, showing the existence of Modern or Masonic Templary in connection with Craft Masonry is found in the Irish Craft Certificates and the Masonic History of Ireland.
About the middle of the eighteenth century innumerable new and fanciful degrees and fantastic rites were invented and attempts were made to engraft them upon the primitive stock of Speculative Masonry, which had been evolved out of the Operative Gilds. (1) Most of these degrees had their origin in France; none of these so-called Ramsay rites, (2) however, seem to have been adopted in Ireland.
Toward the middle of the century, there appears to have arisen a desire among Irish Freemasons to strengthen the correlation of Christianity and Freemasonry, an origin for the organization of the Craft was sought in the medieval orders of Christian chivalry. Among the multiplicity of such orders, two stood forth conspicuously challenging the fond admiration of the Masonic enthusiast, the Knight Hospitallers and the Knights Templar.
The name of the latter order was chosen and a suitable ritual for conferring the order was evolved. The probable cause for this selection was that during the Reign of Henry II, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar superintended the Gild of Operative Masons, and employed them in building their Temple in Fleet Street, London, A. D. 1135. Masonry continued under the patronage of the order until the year 1199. (3)
The Royal Arch had been conferred in Ireland by the Blue lodges under their Craft Warrants for some years. So when Templary was authorized, it was at once adopted by the Irish lodges, both civil and military.
How universal the adoption of the Royal Arch and Templar degrees became among the Craft lodges of Ireland is shown by the Francis C. Crossle collection of ancient Irish seals, in the Museum of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
Most if not all of the Irish lodges had different or separate seals for the Symbolic or Craft, Royal Arch and Templar degrees. Thus in the Crossle Collection (4) we have no less than 259 seals representing 118 Irish lodges. One hundred of these had a seal for each degree, viz.: Craft, Royal Arch and Knight Templar, thus showing that in the early days all the higher degrees were invariably conferred under the sole authority of a Craft Warrant, "the only limit to conferring of them being the possession among the members of a brother capable of working the ceremonies." (5)
The earliest evidence of both Royal Arch Masonry and Templary in Ireland is without doubt shown by the seals - both Royal Arch and Templar now in the Crossle collection, in the Museum of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania of Craft Lodge No. 205, Irish Constitution, originally attached to General Blakeney's Regiment of Foot, subsequently the 35th Regiment of the Line, 1749 - 1790. (6) These seals together with the Royal Arch Banner of the lodge, bearing the inscription "THE WONDEROUS ARCH IN YONDER VAULTED SKY, OUR MIGHTY KEYSTONE, THE ALL SEEING EYE 7, Feby. 1749 Anno Laotomiae 5749 Lodge No. 205" appear to be proof that Templary was practiced in Ireland as early as the beginning of the second half of the eighteenth century, by this Military lodge working under its Irish Warrant.
Craft Lodge No. 205 accompanied the regiment in its ordinary course until 1790, when the Warrant - that is the original Military Warrant, not a fresh one under the same number - was transferred to Moy in the County of Tyrone, August 3, 1790. (7)
The Royal Arch Banner of Lodge No. 205 was found together with some of the Craft implements of Lodge No. 205, of which the three-cornered gavel and the Senior and Junior Wardens' truncheons are now in the Museum of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
The Knight Templar Banner of Lodge No. 465 also stationed at Moy, Tyrone County, was found at the same time by Brother William Tait of Belfast in an old building at or near Moy early in the year 1913. Brother Tait's researches further show that meetings of Lodges 205 and 465 were held at Crew, a hamlet outside of Moy proper. (8)
The Templar Banner of Lodge No. 465 is one of the most interesting relics of Irish Templary. The banner is painted on both sides, the inscriptions so far as can be made out on the obverse reads "CREW 2d FEBY 1769 ANNO LAOTOMIAE 1769 Lodge 465," on the three steps approaching the lodge "CHARITAS SPES FIDAS."
In the center of the banner there is a building with a pediment resting upon pillars below which are two cherubim over an open doorway; above the building is seen the sun, moon and stars, while at the sides are the various craft implements including the jewels of the Master, Past Master, Treasurer and Secretary.
The reverse of the banner is patterned after the Royal Arch Banner of Lodge No. 205, having the same inscription in the circle. From the keystone in the middle of the arch is suspended the five pointed star with the letter "G" in the center; below the arch there are three lines:
S [OLOMON] RE [X] I [SRAEL]
HI [RAM] RE [X] TY [RE]
HI [RAM] A [BIFF]
Between the columns there is an equilateral triangle upon which are the twelve burning tapers. In the center of the triangle is a coffin with skull and bones and the words "MEMENTO MORI AMEN." Beside the coffin there are an incense vase, baldric with sevenpointed star and a cock.
In the fields between columns and triangle there is (left) the ark and trowel, (right) paschal lamb and a serpent; outside of both columns is the crucifix and other emblems.
This we think is the first instance where the Templar triangle was publicly shown with the lighted tapers. It, however, appears upon several of the early Irish Templar Seals in our collection.
The chief use of these banners was at the celebration of St. John's Day, both the festival of St. John the Baptist and that of St. John the Evangelist being religiously observed by the Irish Craft lodges in those early days, when the brethren paraded to church with music and their banners, where they heard a sermon appropriate to the occasion, after which they returned to the lodge room for refreshment. (9) Photographs of the above banners are in our library collection.
From the seals in the Crossle Collection it appears that there was an order or degree above but concurrent with that of the Temple as conferred in the Craft lodges of Ireland. This organization was known as "THE UNION BAND OF - KNIGHT TEMPLAR PRIESTS." There is, however, no record that this degree was ever introduced in America.
This "Priestly Order" as it was commonly called according to Brother Crossle in his History of Newry Lodge, XVIII, Newry, (10) in former days was pretty generally worked all over the northeast coast of Ireland. No definite records of this organization or degree have thus far been found during the present investigation. The question naturally arises whether it was not an organization similar to that of "Melchizedek" of the present day which is composed of Past High Priests of the Royal Arch Chapter. From the seals of the "Priestly Order" it would appear that there were seven degrees in this order each having its own seal. That the order was strictly Christian and Trinitarian is evident from the emblems in the large seal of the "Priestly Band." In our Crossle Collection of Irish Craft Seals we have evidence that at least fifteen Craft lodges (11) that conferred the Temple also had the "Priestly Order."
The mottoes on the seven smaller seals read: No. 1, "LET TRUTH"; No. 2, "STAND"; No. 3, "THOUGH THE"; No. 4, "UNIVERSE"; No. 5, "SHOULD"; No. 6, "SINK INTO"; No. 7, ''RUINS.'' (12) This order was established in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and so far as the investigations of the late Brother Francis C. Crossle go, the County of Down seems to have been its headquarters in Ireland. (13) Each center of this branch of Freemasonry was known as a Union Band of Knight Templar Priests and its working was generally carried out under the sanction of two or more neighboring Craft lodges.
According to the same authority each Union Band was governed by a president and seven masters, each of whom had his seal, that of the president being much larger than those of the masters. Each master in his absence, was permitted to appoint a proxy, whose authority to act was the production of his seal, and no document or certificate issuing from the band was perfect without the impression of the eight seals of the President and his seven masters. All candidates for the degree of Knight Templar Priest were obliged to produce evidence of having already received the Craft, Royal Arch, and Knight Templar degrees, in addition to being "recommended by two members of the band who are 'To answer for his being a regular or ordinary member of a' regular lodge, and for his moral character." (14)
Another proof of the Irish origin of Masonic Knights Templary is a footnote to a Templar Poem in Laurence Dermott's Belfast Edition of the Ahiman Rezon of 1795, (15) wherein it is stated that at "Fethard, in the County Tipperary, was the First Town in Ireland, where Knights Templars were made."
Other evidence of early Irish Craft Templary in the Grand Lodge Collection are interesting certificates.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST HOLY GLORIOUS AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY FATHER, SON, & HOLY GHOST. (16)
WE the Captn GENL. &c &c &c., of the General Assembly of Knights Templars and Knights of Malta do hereby Certify that the Bearer Our Faithful True and Well beloved Br Sir Adam Rice was by us Dubb'd Knight of that most Holy Invincible and Magnanimous Order of Knights Templars the true and faithful soldier of JESUS CHRIST as also of the order of St. John of Jerusalem now Knights of Malta he having with our Honour and Fortitude, justly supported the amazing Trials attending his admission and as such We recommend him to all Br Knights Templars and Knights of Malta on the Face of the Globe. Given under our hands and Seal of our Lodge and General Encampment Held in Newry under the sanction of a Warrant No. 706 and of the order of Knight Templars.
3789
And of the Order of Malta 921
And of Ark and Mark Masonry 3791
In Royal Arch Masonry 4138
Book of the Law, Found 2415
ADAM RICE R.G. Sy
Mattes Campbell C. Gl
Robt McCallaugh, G.M.
Robt Cassidy, G. A'
G. CHANCELLOR
IN THE NAME OF YE MOST HOLY GLORIOUS & UNDIVIDED TRINITY FATHER SON & HOLY GHOST. (17)
WE Captain General &c &c &c of the Grand Assembly of KNIGHTS TEMPLARS & KNIGHTS OF MALTA Held in Trillick & on the Registry of Ireland - Do hereby Certify That the BEARER Hereof Our Truly Beloved Br Sr Robt Brown was by us Dubb'd KNIGHT of that Most Holy Invincible & Magnanimous Ordr of KNIGHTS TEMPLARS Ye True & Faithful Soldier of JESUS CHRIST as also the Saints of JERUSALEM now KNIGHTS OF MALTA he having with Due Honour & Fortitude Justly Supported.
The Amazing Trials of skill & Valour Attending his admission & as such WE Him recommend to all True & Faithful Brs Srs. KNIGHTS TEMPLARS around the GLOBE. Given undr our hands & Seal of General Assembly held in Trillick In the County of Tyrone This 20th day of May 1795 & of Masonry 5795 & of the Ordr of KNIGHTS TEMPLARS 3795 & of the Ordr of Malta 675
ANDW FUNSTON Secretary
THOS PORTER
Signed by Order
Captain General
HENRY GAULT G. W a-n
Wm NEVILL G W a-n
