The Builder Magazine

January 1930 - Volume XVI - Number 1

 

A History of American Life

A Review

BY BRO. ERICK MCKINLEY ERIKSSON, California

 

PROBABLY most people, with the exception of the professional historians themselves, fail to realize the tremendous changes that have taken place in the field of history in the last fifty or sixty years. During that time there has evolved what is known as "The New History" in which a place is found for economic, social, and cultural developments, as well as for the affairs of polities and religion.

 

The old style history was concerned chiefly with the activities of governments or with the questions of religion. Great men received all the attention; no consideration was given to the doings of the common people. American history, for instance, started with the chronicle of colonial political developments, treated the fight for supremacy in America almost entirely as a political question, and followed with the political treatment of the causes of the revolution and of the revolution itself. After the adoption of the Constitution, history became the story of successive presidential administrations.

 

But this treatment has been altered beyond recognition. Any history that pretends to give the treatment of the development of the United States includes more or less material of an economic, social, and cultural character. If it did not, it would not have a chance in the market.

 

While the content of history has been changing the method of the historian has also been revolutionized. Scientific method has been applied with the result that we have more accurate history than previously. The inductive method of reasoning is employed, a critical attitude toward the sources is displayed and, when possible, foot-notes and bibliographical notes are used to indicate the sources of information.

 

Another outstanding feature in the new history is that it is co- operative and monographic. By this is meant that one person seldom attempts to cover single-handed a large period, or phase, of history, but on the contrary, several co-operate to produce a work covering the whole field of interest. The product of the pen of each is a monographic study complete in itself and yet fitting in with the other volumes in the set. This co-ordination is made possible through the supervision of the editors or editor-in-chief. Two of the best known co-operative monograpllic works are The American Nation: A History and The Chronicles of America.

 

The latest example of a work produced by the modern method is A History of American Life, now being produced by the Macmillan Company under the joint editorship of Arthur M. Sehlesinger and Dixon Ryan Fox. Both are well qualified for their work, the former being Professor of American History in Harvard University; the latter, a Professor of History in Columbia University. Each has made for himself an enviable reputation in the field of American history.

 

It is intended to have twelve volumes in the set, tracing, according to the publishers, "the evolution of civilization in the United States." So far five volumes have appeared from the press, and it is with these that the present article is concerned.

 

THE FIRST AMERICANS.

 

Four of these volumes were published in 1927. Of these the first to be considered is Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker's The First Americans. This covers the period from the Jamestown settlement in 1607 until 1690. Professor Wertenbaker does not concern himself with the traditional viewpoints. He is not interested in colonial charters and constitutional developments. Such chapter tities as "Land And Labor In The Tobacco Colonies," "A Transplanted Church," "The Invisible World," "The Practice Of Physic," "The Beginnings Of An Intellectual Life," "Planter And Puritan At Play," indicate the content of this book.

 

Probably the most interesting chapters are those dealing with colonial religion. If anyone still believes that the first New England settlers came to establish religious freedom, they will be disillusioned by reading this volume. Speaking of these settlers, Professor Wertenbaker says [pp. 87, 90] that "their minds were fired chiefly with the hope of establishing a Bible commonwealth, sealed against error from without and protected from schism from within.... Obviously toleration had no part in such a plan. It is a singular perversion of history which attributes ideals to the prime movers in this great migration that they themselves would have been the first to repudiate."

 

We read how attempts were made to purge Massachusetts of heretics through exiling Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. Even the mild Quakers suffered harsh penalties in Massachusetts for daring to propagate their doctrines there. Several Quakers were actually put to death. By their extreme measures the clergy alienated support so that by the close of the seventeenth century, as Professor Wertenbaker points out [p. 113]: "The experiment of a Bible commonwealth had definitely failed."

 

In Virginia the author vividly presents the difficulties confronting the clergy The scattered settlements, the lack of roads and other physical difficulties made inevitable the neglect of religious activities. The support of the clergy was inadequate and their tenure was often insecure. These conditions made it difficult to secure the best kind of ministers. It was common to find among the clergy such vices [p. 129] as "cursing, swearing, drunkenness or fight ing," yet there were many good and earnest ministers in the colony.

 

The author goes into considerable detail concerning the beliefs of the colonists in magic and witchcraft. The chapter on "The Invisible World" gives an excellent account of the witchcraft craze which resulted in numerous executions culminating in the Salem episode near the end of the seventeenth century which was not brought to a close until twenty people had been executed, eight more had been sentenced to death, fifty additional had confessed themselves to be witches, one hundred and fifty more were in prison, and two hundred others were under accusation. If such events seem to reflect on the intelligence of our colonial ancestors, it should be pointed out, as is done in this chapter, that conditions in Europe at the same time were far worse than in America.  In the chapter "The Practice Of Physic" we find a very fascinating account of the practice of medicine during the period under consideration. "The chief cause of error," according to Prof. Wertenbaker [pp. 164, 165], "was the belief, widely accepted for many centuries, that disease is caused by diabolic influence." The few doctors were sadly lacking as a rule in such medical knowledge as it might have been possible to secure. Bleeding was a favorite treatment. There was a gross ignorance of sanitation and hygiene which made it very difficult to control the various epidemics. What was evidently a favorite prescription of the time for the cure of small-pox, poison, and other maladies is quoted by Professor Wertenbaker as follows [p. 167]:

 

"In the month of March take toads as many as you will alive, putt them in an earthen pott, so that it may be half full; cover it with a broad tyle or iron plate; then overwhelme the pott so that the bottom may be uppermost; putt charcoals round about it.... Sett it on fire and lett it burn and extinguish of itself; when it is cold take out the toades, and in an Iron mortar pound them very well.... Moderate the dose according to the strength of the partie."

 

These extracts indicate the general character of this very fascinating volume. Professor Wertenbaker has performed his task exceedingly well, and the reader will find it difficult to put this book aside until it has been completed. A feature of this book, as well as all volumes in the set, is the illustrations which have been provided by the editors. Twelve plates have been provided, some of which contain six separate illustrations. Instead of merely having a list of these illustrations, elaborate descriptive notes have been included.

 

SOCIETY IN THE COLONIES.

 

Another volume dealing with the colonial period is James Truslow Adams' Provincial Society, which ostensibly takes up the story where Prof. Wertenbaker leaves off, and carries it on to 1763. The first chapter, entitled, " The Structure Of Society," deals with the various racial elements which came to America in the colonial period. The influence of each of these elements is weighed and conditions of land owning are discussed, as are such matters as law, relations of church and state, and the political structure of the colonies.

 

The author next deals with " The Economic Basis" which he says was fundamentally agricultural. An excellent description of colonial agriculture is given, including an account of the implements used and the products secured. Trade also receives attention, especially the fur trade. The few ventures in manufacturing are dealt with, as is the ship-building industry.- Fishing is noted as an important industry, while merchandising also comes in for consideration.

 

ARISTOCRACY IN AMERICA

 

Americans have always prided themselves in the lack in this country of social classes like those that prevail in Europe. Yet Mr. Adams points out [p. 56] that "From the very beginning of settlement there had been marked social distinctions between the colonists. " Mr. Adams gives considerable space to such things as the mansions, clothing, food and beverages, and amusements of the aristocrats.

 

In contrast with the aristocrats was "the common man," which class included [p. 85] "the smaller merchants, shopkeepers, farmers, planters, artisans, mechanics, pioneers, fishermen, free day- laborers, indented servants and slaves." A long chapter is devoted to these various groups.

 

Intellectual life is dealt with at length. That there was some literary activity in America is made clear, but because of the scattered population it was very difficult for an author "to find a public." Attempts to promote education are dealt with, but it is clear that educational facilities were very meager.

 

To religion this book also devotes many pages. The growth of denominations is pointed out. By 1700 there were nine Baptist churches in New England, which was certainly evidence that the control of the old theocracy there had broken down. From Mr. Adams' account, it would appear that the moral standards of our colonial ancestors were not the highest. Perhaps it would be safe to say that the people of these "good old times" were no better than the people of the twentieth century who are alleged to be afflicted with great moral laxity.

 

Immigration is dealt with under the title of " New Blood." Other chapters are "The Changing South," and " The Commercialization Of The North. " There is an excellent chapter on "The Growth Of The (:olonial Culture." An interesting feature described by Mr. Adams was the formation of the numerous social clubs modeled after those prevalent in Europe. In this connection Mr. Adams has a paragraph on the introduction of Freemasonry into America. Says the author [pp. 262, 263], "By the middle of the [eighteenth] century, a Mason traveling through America instead of being a lonely stranger would have found himself among an organized band of his brothers in the principal town of every one of the colonies with the exception of North Carolina."

 

The improvements in transportation, together with the increasing population made possible, during the second quarter of the eighteenth century, a considerable development of the periodical press. One of the most important of the new journals was Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, started in 1729.

 

There was manifested a considerable interest in science, all of which is well told by Mr. Adams. There was some progress in painting but, says Mr. Adams [p. 275], "Music and the drama showed a more noteworthy advance than did painting. " Music seems to have flourished in the middle and southern colonies more than in New England.

 

A feature of the period was a great revival of religious enthusiasm which took form in which was known as "The Great Awakening. " The prime promoter of this great religious movement was George Whitefield who made several preaching tours through the colonies, beginning in 1739. Mr. Adams credited Whitefield with being largely responsible for the beginning of the humanitarian group in the colonies, for he established an orphanage in 1740 in which there were soon several hundred children.

 

Mr. Adams closes his volume with a chapter entitled "The Mid- Century," in which he sums up the results of the wars with the French, and then deals with the conditions existing on the eve of the American Revolution. The increased interest in reading, establishment of new periodicals, scientific experiment, the activity in music, the theatre and painting, the establishment of new colleges, including the present Princeton, Dartmouth, and Columbia, are some of the matters dealt with in this interesting chapter.

 

This volume contains fifteen plates supplied by the editors, illustrating such diversified things as "Life on the Soil," "Southern Mansions," "The Great Awakening," and " Typical Public Buildings, 1690-1763." It is a worthy companion to that by Professor Wertenbaker and the two together will give the reader many new viewpoints on the colonial period.

 

THE BEGINNING OF DEMOCRACY

 

One of the most interesting periods of American history is covered by Carl Russell Fish's The Rise of the Common Man.

 

Under the heading, "New Winds" Professor Fish tells of the new influences which came to dominate American life with the accession of Andrew Jackson to the Presidency, and which continued to be the dominating influences for a score of years. As he points out [p. 2], it was a "period of most assertive patriotism." An interesting observation is the statement [p. 3] "that it was at this time that Americans became hustlers. The 'quick lunch' was introduced, and everywhere people ate in a hurry." Optimism was another characteristic of the period. To the Americans of the time [p. 6] "the keynote of the Constitution was opportunity for the individual." It was a period in which the "passion for equality" was probably stronger than in any other period in our history.

 

This was a period in which political organizations were definitely formed, and closely connected with this development of political organization were [p. 39] "the attacks upon the aristocracy of office-holding." In this connection the author cites the development of the anti-Masonic movement. Says Mr. Fish [p. 40]:

 

The larger significance of the movement was that it correctly expressed the fear and dislike of this generation for secret organization, and that however its adroit managers may have taken advantage of their supporters, they did secure for them their main object.

 

This statement may be well questioned. Certainly the main object of the movement was to do away with secret societies, and especially the Masonic Fraternity. In this respect the movement was a dismal failure. It might be further observed that Mr. Fish might have made some comments on Anti-Masonry as a religious movement. He treats it, however, merely from the political viewpoint.

 

It is interesting to note that in dealing with the civil service under Jackson, Mr. Fish did not find it necessary to cite any other authority than himself. He might have cleared up the false impression that Jackson created havoc among the Federal office- holders, but he chooses to "stand pat" on the old doctrine that Jackson introduced the spoils system into national politics. As a matter of fact, not over one-eleventh of the office-holders were removed in the first year and a half of Jackson's presidency, and certainly not more than one-fifth during his eight years in office. Why not say that Jefferson introduced the spoils system into national politics? His proportion of removals was at least as great as Jackson's.

 

In dealing with the newspaper organs in Washington, Mr. Fish is very vague and hazy. He seems to have no better conception of the significance of these party organs than he had a quarter of a century ago when he produced his Civil Service and the Patronage.

 

One may well ask Mr. Fish where he got his information [p. 46] that "Van Buren was nominated as vice-president contrary to the wish of a majority of the Democrats in 1832." There are other points in this book which might be criticized, but continued criticism would tend to create the impression that Mr. Fish's work was unreliable and of little value. This is not the impression which this reviewer wishes to convey.

 

In spite of defects, The Rise of the Common Man is a fascinating account of the score of years which it covers. We read of life on the farm and on the plantation; we see with the author the development of the transportation system through the building of roads and canals, and then railroads. We see the gradual improvements in the railroads, such as better engines and cars and the introduction of the chair ear and the sleeping ear. It was a period of experimentation in which the underlying problems of railroads were mastered, making possible the great developments of the future. Industry, invention and trade receive attention, as does the subjeet of immigration. Many interesting observations are made by the author in the chapter "Manners And Morals." The development of newspapers, especially cheap penny papers, are dealt with, and the appearance of the newsboys on the city streets receives comment. The spread of the theatre and the rise of the circus are mentioned.

 

The politicians receive a chapter, while another chapter is devoted to "The Religious Scene," in which the growth of various sects is treated. Not only did the orthodox religions spread rapidly, but such liberal denominations as the Unitarians enjoyed a new prosperity. Mormonism and other -isms flourished.

 

This was the period in which the fight for free public tax supported education was fought and won. Mr. Fish treats this fight under the title "Education For The People." "Art, Science, And Literature" heads a long chapter, which is fitting in view of the fact that this was the golden age in American literature. It was the period in which such writers flourished as Edgar Allan Poe, William Cullen Bryant, Nathanial Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Powell, James Greenleaf Whittier, and a host of others. The last four chapters are entitled "Reform And Slavery," "Manifest Destiny," "The End Of An Era," and "The Balance Sheet."

 

In this volume the editors have inserted eighteen plates, including numerous illustrations.

 

MODERN AMERICANISM

 

Professor Allan Nevins has produced in The Emergence of Modern America one of the most outstanding volumes in this set. In it, the author has covered the same period as two other recent writers. D. C. Seitz brought out for popular consumption recently a volume entitled The Mauve Decade, while a few months ago there appeared from the facile pen of Claude Bowers a book entitled The Tragic Era. Mr. Bowers writes, as he has heretofore done, in a strong partisan vein. His purpose is to point out all the degradation of the Republicans and to show how the Democrats were misused during the period. In other words, his viewpoint is primarily political.

 

It should also be observed that E.P. Oberholtzer has covered the period exhaustively in the first three volumes of his History of the United States Since the Civil War.

 

A remarkable feature of Prof. Nevins' book is his demonstrated ability to treat his period without becoming enmeshed in the political squabbles attending reconstruction. In fact, he has been able to write his book without mentioning Thaddeus Stevens or Charles Sumner, the chief Radical Republican leaders.

 

The book opens with a chapter entitled "The Darkest Days In The South." The economic destruction wrought by the war, the activities of bandits, and the presence of Federal troops imposed great handicaps on the Southerners. Heavy taxes, plundering officials, and bad crops made the situation in the South desperate for a time following the War.

 

Considerable attention is given to the negro and development of educational enterprises among them, such as Howard University in Washington, Fisk Institute at Nashville, and Hampton Institute.

 

With the passage of time progress was made in working out a "sound economic basis for labor." It was a real revolution for the South to change from a slave system to a wage system. By 1869, to quote the author [p. 23]: "the dark skies above the South showed a roseate gleam of dawn." The evils of carpet-bag government are also dealt with in this chapter.

 

The author then has a long chapter on "The Industrial Boom In The North." This chapter merely deals with the beginnings of the great economic revolution which began during the Civil War and extended to about the decade of the nineties and which was destined to affect every phase of American life. Here we read of a great revolution in manufacturing, typified by the development of the steel industry, the meat packing business, the oil industry and the ready-made clothing industry. The improvement in processes are described, and the westward movement of manufacturing is made apparent.

 

"Financial institutions," says Prof. Nevins [p. 47], "responded to the buoyant expansion of the time like vegetation to a tropical sun. " The building of railroads is dramatically described, the Union Pacific being used as a classical example. The consolidation of then existing lines into through lines is described [p. 63] as "Not less important than the new railway construction. " It was this period that saw the emergence of some of the great presentday railroad systems, such as the New York Central, the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio, the Chicago and Northwestern, the Rock Island, and the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy. The decline of water commerce as the result of railroad competition is mentioned.

 

The great industrial boom was accompanied by a rise of organized labor, the laborers attempting, through organization, to deal with the great problems which confronted them. Under the title of "Urban Life And Routes of Travel" Mr. Nevins tells of the remarkable improvements in the cities. He emphasizes the lack of fire-proof construction, illustrating his point by description of the Chicago and Boston fires. "The shock produced throughout the country by these conflagrations, " to quote Mr. Nevins [p. 85], "caused a powerful movement in favor of fire-resistant materials, and laws were passed which forced the question of safety upon the attention of architects and builders." The influence of the telegraph, the free mail carrying system, the typewriter and the telephone are stressed. A description of society in the cities is not neglected.

 

Under the title of "The Taming Of The West" the author describes the conquest of the Western Indians and the pushing in of population to take up the free land offered by the government under the Homestead Act, or to buy up the land offered by railroads at a cheap price. Agriculture and stock-raising of the West, with the ranches and cowboys, are interestingly described. Mining is not neglected. The discontent of the farmer is treated under the title, "The Revolt Of The Farmer." The corruption of the period, featured by the Tweed Ring, is excellently described in the chapter entitled "The Moral Collapse In Government And Business."

 

Space will not permit a more detailed resume of this very interesting book. It must suffice to say that every phase of American life is dealt with, sports as well as culture are given due consideration. "Humanitarian Striving," receives a long chapter. The book closes with an account of the "Recovery In South And West" and with a chapter entitled " Embattled Industry " which stresses the labor disputes of the decade of the seventies. Fifteen plates are included in this volume, illustrating various things described in the book.

 

THE EARLIEST IMMIGRANTS

 

The most recently published volume in this set is Herbert Ingram Priestley's The Coming of the White Man.

 

In this volume Professor Priestley deals with the Spanish, French, and Dutch elements in American life, beginning with the discoveries by Columbus, and carrying through to the time when the United States acquired the Mexican cession in 1848. The volume begins with a chapter entitled "The Western Impulse " in which various expeditions of the Spaniards are described. As Professor Priestley points out [p. 29], " These first Christians brought with them the cross and the sword, it is true, but they also brought all they had in practical civilization." In other words, while the Spaniards were exploiters in the new world, they did confer some benefits on the people they conquered.

 

"The Spanish Advance" is then described, showing how the Spaniards spread out as they conquered additional territory. The importance of missionaries in stimulating this advance is stressed. Attention is given to the methods of governing the Spanish colonies. Next comes the description of the "Pioneers of New Mexico and Florida," in which we read of the exploitation of the Indians in New Mexico by the corrupt governor, Mendizabal, who was finally brought to task and died in a dungeon. In the portion of the chapter dealing with Florida, there is an excellent description of San Augustin (Saint Augustine).

 

In the chapter entitled "Economic Iife In New Spain" we read of the ruthless exploitation of the plebeian class. The mining industry is interestingly described. Agriculture was very important in New Spain and it is also well described in this chapter. There was considerable cattle raising and some manufacturing.

 

We read in the chapter, "The Wards of The Spaniards," how the Spanish bestowed as their "most unselfish gift" their religion on the Indians, and we further read [p. 108] that

 

. . . second among his [the Spaniard's] settled ideals was his officially Sanctioned program of encouraging the fusion of Spanish and Indian blood. To create in the Indies an entirely new society by amalgamating the races under a unified faith was the spiritual vision of the Catholic Monarchs.

 

Further Professor Priestley says [p. 109], "A corollary of these two ideas was that of the physical preservation of the red man for the double purpose of evangelizing and exploiting him." The Spanish mission is praised by Professor Priestley [p. 123] as "the most effective and widespread of the social agencies."

 

"Spanish Colonial Life And Letters" is next taken up. Here we note the efforts of the Spanish rulers to preserve orthodoxy by censuring "books of false doctrines, " in good Catholic fashion. Yet there was considerable reading on the part of the Spanish colonists as is shown by the statement [p. 146] that "Some fifty persons were engaged in the business of book-selling during the first century in Mexico City alone." There was some scientific study carried on, while a few made reputations as producers of literature. Schools were established and the University of Mexico was started in 1551, but, as the author observes [p; 159], most of the schools "were conducted for Spanish boys." It is certainly apparent that the Spaniards were never much concerned with the education of the people whom they had conquered.

 

"In summing up the merits and demerits of Spanish occupation in America," says Professor Priestley [p. 208] "it may be said, given the defects of the society and the handicaps of the field of operation, the result was better than might have been expected."

 

Three chapters are devoted to the French, one entitles "The Builders of The French Empire," another "French Homes In The Wilderness," and the third "The Men Of The Middle Border." Professor Priestley attributes [pp. 214, 215] the French acquisition of the American empires largely "to the religious impulse of the adventuresome Jesuits and to the race-amalgamation ideal exemplified i the quickly risen class of coureurs de bois, men who sough the untrammeled and exhilarating life of the forest fur trade."

 

The book closes with two chapters entitled "Life Among the Dutch and Swedes" and "Our Dutch Heritage." There are eighteen plates in this volume, including some very interesting illustrations.

 

The authors of these five volumes have done their work well. They have succeeded in presenting an interesting account of American life during the periods to which the; have been assigned. If the remaining seven volumes in the set are as good as those already published, it requires no prophet to predict that this History of American Life will become one of the most widely read sets of history yet produced. The books are suitable alike to the scholar and to the person who reads for recreation and pleasure. No better suggestion could be made for spending a few of the winter's evenings than to secure and read these volume that have been here reviewed.

 

----o----

 

Some New Facts About the Baal's Bridge Square

 

BY BRO J. HUGO TATSCH, Associate Editor

 

THE interesting story communicated by Bro. Crossle, of Dublin, Ireland, in the December, 1929, issue of THE BUILDER is one holding much fascination for the antiquarians of the Craft. It appealed especially to me because I have in my possession some interesting material relating thereto, this having come into my possession during the winter of 1923-24 when I purchased an old Masonic volume which had been advertised in England as a scrapbook containing letters from prominent Masons of the last century, among them several from William James Hughan, the eminent English Masonic historian. The book turned out to be the By-Laws of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the North & East Ridtngs of Yorkshire, printed at Kingstonupon-Hull, 1868, and formerly the property of Bro. John Pearson Bell, M. D., Deputy Provincial Grand Master. In fact, it was his working copy, for it also contains numerous annotations in his handwriting, and addenda to his Short History of the Provincial Grand Lodge which forms part of the work. I shall not dwell upon the other valuable letters I found in the volume; let it suffice to say that Bro. Bell was interested in the Old Brass Square of Limerick, and had in the book not only a photograph of Bro. James Pain, the discoverer of the Square in 1830, but also several letters from him, as well as a number from Bro. Fred W. Flurnell. A reproduction of the photographs accompany this article; and extracts from the letters as they illustrate the story.

 

The first item in the series of notes is a cutting from the Limerick Southern Chronicle, Clare and Tipperary Advertiser, issue of Saturday, September 25, 1869. On the margin is a memorandum in Bro. Bell's handwriting, "Sent a sketch of this Square and letter to Editor a few days before this article [appeared]. J.P.B."

 

MASONIC RELIC

 

We have received from a worthy Brother, a fac-simile sketch, of a very antique brass square, discovered under the foundation stone of the Old Baal's Bridge, in this city, with the words inscribed thereon:

 

"I will strive to live with love and care, 

"Upon the level, by the square."

 

Brother James Pain, architect and engineer, of this city, contracted in the year 1830, to re-build Baal's Bridge on taking down the old one, the period of erection of which is unknown though noticed in the records in 1558 at the proclamation of Queen Elizabeth. Bro Pain discovered under the foundation stone at the Englishtown side, this old brass plate much eaten away. The shape, size, and formation of the engraving on both sides were easily traced. There are two holes in each square for the purpose of suspension to the collar, and a representation of a heart in both angles. The year 1317 is engraved on one of the squares, the most illegible character is the figure 3, which might be 5, but history proves it must have been before 1558.

 

[The worthy Brother who has favoured us with the above interesting sketch, has had it in his possession for the last 20 years.]

 

Further clues to the Square are given in other notes added to the cutting, thus:

 

Memo. Dec. 3rd, 1870. Up to this time no information of the above Square has been obtained. Wrote this day & enclosed sketch of Square to the W. Master, Limerick Lodge of Freemasons, Limerick.

 

Bro. Bell's letter to Limerick brought a reply dated December 10, 1870, from George W. Bassett, P. M., Worshipful Master of Lodge 73, Limerick, and P. K., Royal Arch Chapter, in which he conveys the information that Bro. James Pain was alive and "comparatively well, for he is an old & worthy Brother, now nearly 80 yrs of age." A letter of Bro. Pain's was enclosed, and the information was given that "I made it my business to see Mr. Furnell alluded to in Mr. Pain's letter and he promises to look through his late uncle's relics to find the Brass Square, but said he never saw it and I expect it will be difficult to search it up."

 

The letter from Bro. Pain forwarded by Bro. Bassett reads:

 

34 George Street,

Limerick, Dec. 6, 1870.

 

Dear Sir and Bro. Bassett:

 

In reply to your favor of yesterday's date with the sketch of the Old Brass Square enclosed, I beg to say I have a perfect recollection of the Square being found and given to me by the workmen - and I think I gave the Square to the late Brother Michael Furnell who I recollect thought much of it. It may possibly be found among his effects. I think it would be well if you inquired of the late Bro. Michael Furnell's nephew if the Square has been since met with. I regret the matter has never until now, been brought to my recollection and am sorry I cannot speak more about it.

 

Yours, Dr. Sir and Bro.,

G. W. Bassett. Esq 

JAMES PAIN.

 

This was the beginning of a correspondence which lasted for several years. Bro. Bell wrote to Bro. Pain at once, and received this reply:

 

35 George Street, 

Limerick, Dec. 17, 1870.

 

Dear Sir and Brot'r:

 

I beg to return you thanks for your kind letter of the 13th inst and its accomponents for which I am obliged. With respect to the brass square, it was found as observed on my removing old Baal's Bridge at Limerick previous to my erecting the present Bridge. I have no perfect recollection of the distich on it, but perfectly recollect talking with the late Br. M. Furnell (who was the Provincial Master for North Munster) on the difficulty of making out the date, he * * * much value for it, and 2nd, it was he thought the oldest document of the Craft he had ever seen. Mr. Bassett has not received any additional information from M. Furnell's nephew. When I next meet him I will have some talk with him on the subject and will let you know if I hear anything of it - since I gave it to his uncle. I am thank God in perfect health at 88, but a little weak in the frame from an illness I suffered three years ago when from weakness I lost my speech and could not even write my name. Please let this be an excuse for the improper formation of my note.

 

I beg to subscribe myself, Dear Sir and Brother,

 

Yours fraternally,

 

J. P. Bell, Esq.

 

A letter dated January 4, 1871, written by Bro. Pain speaks interestingly of his membership in Lodge No. 13, "to whom the late Bro. Furnell and myself were and are old companions. I have not seen his nephew since * * * but will do so and endeavor to get some additional intelligence of the Brass Square. We have belonging to 13 an Old Chest crammed with Papers and other stuff, I have * * * to be carefully searched to see if I can find aught related to it; as the late Brother Michael Furnell was for many years Grand Master of the Province of Munster."

 

The next letter brings good news. It was written January 15 or 18, 1871, and states that Bro. Pain had visited lodge the day before, and there met Bro. Michael Furnell, apparently a son of the late Provincial Grand Master to whom the Square had been given by Bro. Pain in 1830. While he remembered the article perfectly, he did not know what had become of it, but referred Bro. Pain to his cousin, Frederiek Furnell, of Castle Connell in the County of Limerick. The letter goes on to say:

 

But on yesterday evening, the two cousins, together, called on me. Mr. Frederick Furnell said he has the Square and he had it from his uncle, the late Michael Furnell. He also said that he would, in a day or so, write to you fully about it.

 

Some of the correspondence is apparently missing; but in a letter of February 8, 1871, Bro. Fred W. Furnell acknowledges one of January 19th from Bro. Bell, and says in part:

 

I enclose a rough uncorrected sketch of Ball's Bridge, compiled from Lenihan's History of Limerick. The date of the Square is undoubtedly 1517. How it got imbedded in the masonry of this old bridge no one can tell. I can only account for it by supposing that at some period after 1517 or about that time that that portion of the Bridge was being repaired or rebuilt and some worthy Mason put it in the place where it was found. I shall send you a copy of a sketch of Ball's Bridge taken just before Messrs. Paine commenced taking it down as soon as I can.

 

The same letter and subsequent correspondence indicate that Bro. Bell supplied Bro. Furnell with information about Freemasonry in earlier centuries. Reference is made to some tracing boards of Knight Templar interest, and also to a search for Mason's marks on the stones of a nearby cathedral founded in 1194; but none had been found up to that time. Apparently the copies of the tracing boards were made for Bro. William James Hughan, as they were sent for his acceptance.

 

The correspondence with Bro. Furnell ceased; at any rate, there are no more letters from him about the Square. However, there are some more from Bro. Pain, which become increasingly difficult to read, because of the good old brother's advancing years - ninety-one, far beyond the allotted three score and ten. One such letter gives us a hint why there are no more letters from the Furnells - there is a reference in 1873 to "the unfortunate death of Bro Doctor Furnell." Through it the Square came into possession of Captain Michael Furnell, also a member of Lodge No. 13. He brought it to the Lodge, "by whom it has been glazed and placed in the Lodge as an ancient memento of the Order, for which we have certainly to thank you," concluded Bro. Pain.

 

The last letter from Bro. Pain is dated August 1, 1875. Bro. Bell was still persistent in his search for information, having written again to Bro. George W. Bassett. He sent his son to see Bro. Pain, who apparently had the subject of the Old Square close to his heart. He gives further details:

 

I now write to you to account in the best way I can how the Furnells became acquainted with the Old Square. I was standing on the foundations of the Old Bridge, overseeing some labourers I had on the work. One of the labourers came to me: "See, Sir, what we have found among the stones of the Bridge we are taking up." I took it from him and kept it for some days I then showed it to the late M. Furnell. He was then P. Gr. Master of the Freemasons of North Munster. He was much pleased with it, and spoke of it as a very extraordinary thing He asked me for it and I gave it to him. At his death it was left to his nephew, Doctor Furnell, with whom you have a correspondence respecting it. The Doctor was shortly after unfortunately drowned. The Square then fell into the hands of his cousin, Capt. Furnell, a member of the Lodge. * * * His wife presented the Old Square to Lodge 13, of which the Rev. Anderson Ware was Wor. Master. I have this morning in company with the Lodge Tyler seen the Old Square, neatly framed and glazed with a compliment of Mr. Furnell. * * * The date of it is J5J7 or 5557. The third figure of it is so disfigured that we cannot tell what it is.

 

Readers of the article published last month will recall that there is question as to the date, being either 1507 or 1517. The newspaper cutting quoted has 1317, attributing the greatest illegibility to the figure " 3, " rather than to the third figure as has been done by others. No doubt the date is 1517, for both the first and third figures look alike, that is to say, like the letter "J." having a loop at the bottom. None of the brethren mentioned in this correspondence ever wrote of the third figure as "0" - all were agreed that it is a figure "1."

 

Bro. William James Hughan took more than a passing interest in the Old Square, as is witnessed by his action in sending a brief item about it to the "Freemason" of London, in which it appeared January 3, 1874. There is a memorandum to that effect in Bro. Bell's scrapbook, with the additional statement that "Not long before that date I had shown the sketch and correspondence to Bro. Hughan, when I saw him in London."

 

Reference is made in Bro. Crossle's article to the sketch of the Bridge. He is right in his surmise that it was made by some member of the Pain family, as Bro. James Pain, in his last letter, says: "This engraving [referring to the one in Limerick Lodge, accompanying the Square] is from a sketch of my Brother's, the late G. R. Pain, made by him a few days before I removed them [the stones] to build the present Bridge of a single arch. "

 

There is a confliet in the two statements by Brother Pain as to who presented the Square to the Lodge, but this is a detail of no great importance. The main thing is that the Square has been preserved. His statement in 1875 that he gave the Square to Bro. Michael Furnell at the time it was found is at variance with the latter's own letter to the "Freemason's Quarterly Magazine" in 1842, where he submits a sketch of "a very antique brass square presented to me this day by Brother Pain, Provincial Grand Architect."

 

A word about Brothers Furnell and Pain. The former is well known to collectors of Masonic bookplates because he had four variants of an attractive design, altered as the years went on through his advancement in Freemasonry. The whole story is told in Masonic Bookplates, page 130, a work produced by the collaboration of Bro. Winward Prescott and the present writer in 1928. Briefly, Bro. Furnell was born in 1794, and served as Deputy Lieutenant High Sheriff and Magistrate of the County of Clare. He was Provincial Grand Master of North Munster, 1842, and Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33d, A. A. S. R.

 

Bro. Pain's history is told by Bro. Henry F. Berry in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 1905, page 19:

 

James Pain, a distinguished architect, was born at Isleworth in 1779. He and his brother, George R. Pain, entered into partnership, subsequently settling in Ireland, where James resided in Limerick and George in Cork. They designed and built a number of churches and glebe houses. Mitehelstown Castle, the magnificent seat of the Earls of Kingston, was the largest and best of their designs. They were also architects of Cork Courthouse and the County Gaol, both very striking erections, and of Dromoland Castle, the seat of Lord Inehiquin. James Pain died in Limerick 13th December, 1877, in his 98th year, and was buried in the cathedral church of St. Mary in that city.

 

To this can be added that Bro. Pain was evidently made a Mason September 7, 1813, according to a notation on the back of the photograph in my possession, which was sent to Bro. Bell during the exchange of correspondence quoted herein.

 

----o----

 

George W. Baird: Sailor, Man and Mason

 

By BRO. PAUL. B. ELCAN, Washington, D. C.

 

We reprint this article by permission of the New Age and the author, Bro. Elcan; and we asked this for a special reason. The subject of the article is a brother who for many years was a regular contributor to THE BUILDER; one whose articles were a valuable contribution to one aspect of the history of Masonry in America. It must not be supposed that such a faithful helper has gone entirely without acknowledgment, for Bro. H. L. Haywood, as long ago as 1922, wrote a biographical sketch and tribute to Bro Baird. But eight years is quite a while, and there is a new generation of BUILDER readers, hence this new article will not be out of place.

 

SAILOR, Man and Mason, these three titles are used in their fullest meaning when applied to George W. Baird, who has ever borne the attributes expected of one so called.

 

Washington, the capital of the United States, was little more than a village on April 22, 1843, when he was born, and education was a luxury that was not to be had by everyone. Young Baird soon exhausted the possibilities of the public and private institutions and at the age of thirteen was apprenticed to a printer. The life of a printer's "devil" was not appealing, and shortly afterward he turned from the pursuit of the art of Gutenberg to become a disciple of Fulton, and apprenticed himself to a machinist. Here the real ability and desires of the boy found full sway. He was soon an excellent draughtsman and a freehand sketcher of unusual skill. His fame was more than local, and his extraordinary faculty as a detailer of intricate designs made his work much sought after.

 

CIVlL WAR SERVICE

 

While still in his 'teens the call of the Civil War was heard, and he was appointed a third assistant engineer in the volunteer navy then being assembled to blockade the Southern Coasts. This was on September 19, 1862, and acting in this capacity he served on the Mississippi, the Calhoun, and Pensacola in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron and saw action on twenty-three occasions. As soon as age permitted, he entered the regular navy, where his knowledge of mechanics brought him promotions so rapidly that, in 1866, he was second assistant engineer of the U.S.S. Shamrock. The duties of this vessel took her to Europe, and it is worthy of note that this young man was on a vessel of typical Irish name and in a country where Masonry is almost outlawed when the degrees of the Craft were conferred upon him. This was in Tolerancia Lodge, No. 4, of Lisbon, Portugal. Brother Baird was initiated July 23, 1867; passed July 30, and raised July 30.

 

Half the distance round the world found him at Mare Island, Calif., in 1869, and he affiliated with Naval Lodge, No. 87, of Vallejo, Calif., in 1870. Naval service does not permit active participation in fraternal orders, and Brother Baird secured his Masonry at odd times, but the lessons inculcated in Portugal were not forgotten and the actions of this brother have exemplified the best traditions of the Order.

 

UNQUESTIONED CAPABlLITY

 

Few of us living today realize what a great change came over the entire Navy during the last half of the nineteenth century, when the wooden sailing war vessels were changed into floating fortresses of steel that now protect our interests. Brother Baird took a very prominent part in this transition, one of his feats being the installation of incandescent lighting in the U.S.S. Albatross, the first vessel in the world to be so equipped. The Albatross was built under the supervision of Brother Baird and was intended solely for use in deep-sea exploring, and many were the devices that he perfected to expedite and simplify these researches. With the advent of the breech-loading cannon it was necessary to revise the methods of manufacture in the Naval Gun Factory in Washington and, as a member of the board, Brother Baird assisted in making this the model of modern shops in every manner.

 

As an authority on scientific subjects he has attained first rank. The following are a few of his writings: Absorption of Gases by Water and the Organic Matter Contained Therein; An Improved Distilling Apparatus for Steamships; Pneumatic Steering Gear; The Flagship Trenton; Ventilation of Ships, and Flight of the Flying Fish, of which latter the French Academy, said: "It remained for an American naval officer to prove by mathematics the weight of this fish." Brother Baird is also a recognized authority on some of the earlier heroes of the American Navy and his book, The Father of the Arrlerican Navy, is especially enlightening and interesting.

 

Duty brought Brother Baird to Washington, and he transferred his Masonic affiliations to Hope Lodge No. 20, in 1875, where his attention and diligence in Masonic work were recognized and he was soon placed in line, being elected Worshipful Master in 1883. Washington Royal Arch Chapter, No. 2, received him as a Companion in 1882, and he once more showed ability and served as High Priest in 1890. A staunch Christian, the precepts of Templarism appealed to him and, in 1891, he was made a Knight Templar in Washington Commandery No. 1.

 

His unusually thorough knowledge of mechanical equipment caused him to be appointed superintendent of the State, War, and Navy Building, one of the largest structures in the country at that time. It was while holding this assignment that he was honored by a post which he graced in such a manner as to be an example to his successors, being elected Grand Master of the District of Columbia Grand Lodge in 1896.

 

He was promoted to the rank of Chief Engineer in 1892 and was transferred into the line of the Navy with the rank of Commander in 1899, where he served as Commander and later as Captain. In 1905 he was retired with the rank of Rear Admiral. In January of 1922 he was appointed a member of Perry's Victory Memorial Commission as a further mark of distinction.

 

Brother Baird's Masonic journey in the Scottish Rite started in Portugal in 1867, where he received the first fourteen degrees, and was continued via the Rose Croix in Evangelist Chapter; he became a Knight of Kadosh in Robert de Bruce Council, a member of Albert Pike Consistory, and reached his highest elevation in 1906, when the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, gave him the Thirty-third Degree.

 

As his rise in Masonry was the well-deserved reward of a faithful worker, so it was in the service of his country when, after more than forty years, the government said to him, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," and retired him with the rank of Rear Admiral, although he continued on active duty until January, 1906. Not content to remain inactive when he still had the vigor of a sailor, he turned his efforts to civil betterment and was president of the Board of Education of the District of Columbia for several years.

 

Brother Baird is what may be called a "born Mason," as it was traditional in his family that the males be entitled to wear the lambskin. His father, grandfather, and three uncles on the paternal side and every man for eleven generations back on the maternal side were members of the Craft. Age has not caused him to relinquish any of the duties of Masonry, and his position as Chairman (since 1900) of the Committee on Correspondence of the Grand Lodge is held with pleasure to himself and genuine honor to the Fraternity. There is none to gainsay that he has earned a place in the first rank and his comments in Grand Lodge proceedings merit and receive general approval.

 

----o----

 

Historical Notes on Masonry in the Civil War

 

BY BRO. FRANK P. STRICKLAND, Kansas

 

This account of the differences of opinion among the Grand Lodges of the United States in regard to Army Lodges and military Masonry in general at the time of the Civil War will be very interesting as showing that very much the same problems appeared then and were met in much the same haphazard way as Bro. Irwin has depicted as occurring in the last war.

 

MASONRY is an Institution which, although it thrives in times of peace, yet has always held an appeal for military men; and many of those who have served it best have been warriors. Along with their battle-flags, soldiers have carried the Square and Compass into many distant lands and diffused the teachings of the Institution to the uttermost parts of the earth.

 

Many soldiers were members of the lodges which united to form the Grand Lodge of England at the organization of Speculative Masonry in 1717; and the names of soldiers have graced the rosters of countless lodges since that time. Shortly after this organization purely military lodges came into existence. The first of these, of which there is any definite record, was organized at Gibraltar in 1728, by the Duke of Wharton - the first foreign lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of England. The formation of many other such lodges soon followed.

 

During the period of the later American colonial wars many of the regiments sent over from Great Britain contained these military lodges. Known variously as "military," "army,"  "movable, " or " traveling, " lodges, they were destined to play an important part in the development of American Masonry.

 

The Royal Art had been introduced into the American colonies sometime after the organization in 1717, but its growth had not been rapid. The population of the colonies was scanty and widely scattered, means of communication were difficult, and the distances to be overcome were great; as a result the Institution could do barely more than exist. Consequently, there was little intercourse among the brethren and their ideas of cohesion were vague. But in the campaigns in which the colonists were associated with the British regulars, the colonial brethren had an opportunity of improving their Masonic education through contact with the regimental lodges freshly arrived from the cradle land of Masonry. The knowledge which they thus received they passed on to their brethren and so generated a new spirit in them. Furthermore, there were many colonists who received their first lessons in the Craft, and learned to practice its mystic rites in these army lodges; and they also became torch bearers of Masonry. Thus the colonial Masons, quickly appreciating the value of the teachings of brotherhood and unity as exemplified by soldier Masons far from home, became connecting links in a chain of education and encouragement stretching from these army lodges to the outlying brethren, and even to places  where the light of Masonry did not, as yet, shine. Through their activities their  brethren were inspired to seek contacts with their neighbors, to draw together  toward a common end.

 

These early Masonic apostles not only taught their brethren and fellows the  necessity of pulling together, which was so signally exemplified later at Bunker  Hill and Yorktown, but they also originated and organized that spirit of cohesion,  that unity of purpose, which is so strong a characteristic of American Masonry  today. The story of the extraordinary services rendered the American Institution  by the military lodges of the Revolutionary War is too well known to be inserted  here. Masonry in America owes a great debt to the obscure colonial Craftsmen,  who, upon their knowledge gained in army lodges, laid well the foundation  stones not only of the Republic, but of the Order as well.

 

As America advanced and expanded in the period of nationality, Masonry kept  pace with it; at the beginning of the Civil War the Institution had become a  mighty organization, with set forms of procedure and long established customs.  One of its outstanding and long held beliefs was the doctrine that but one Grand  Lodge could hold supreme authority in a state or territory; that it could not  assume jurisdiction of lodges in another political unit. This doctrine, virtually  unknown in Europe, had assumed almost the status of an American landmark,  and was jealously guarded. Consequently, when Grand Bodies, upon the  outbreak of the Civil War, became swamped with petitions for authority to form  army lodges at the front, many Grand Lodges, fearing an infringement of the  doctrine of Grand Lodge sovereignty, unhesitatingly refused such authority;  others, influenced, no doubt, by patriotism and memories of the services  rendered in the past by army lodges, as unhesitatingly issued authority for such  bodies.

 

There was a similar conflict of ideas in the matter of removing the time limits  between degrees in the ease of soldier applicants. As a result, there developed  a division of policy which caused considerable confusion in the American  Masonic Institution. The line of division between the two ideas was not always a  fixed one, as may be seen from a study of conditions year by year, for, in several  cases, Grand Lodges changed their belief and went over to the other side.

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR

 

The first year of the war found the Grand Bodies struggling with the problem  which was suddenly thrust at them, and attempting to discover means of solving  it. It was a time of confusion, uncertainty and tangling of cross currents of  opinion; but among the first Grand Bodies to come to a decision was that of  Indiana, which, at its Annual Communication, May 27, 1861, authorized the  formation of army lodges in the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Twelfth Regiments of  Indiana Volunteers.

 

The year 1862 began with the blunt announcement of Deputy Grand Master  Francis Darrow, at the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Michigan,  January 8, that he had refused to grant dispensations for military lodges " for  jurisdictional, constitutional and other reasons (1).'' Similar refusals came from  Texas and New Jersey. Speaking upon the subject of petitioners who desired to  take the degrees out of time, Grand Master Alvin B. Alden, of Wisconsin, said   (2):

 

The fact that such applicants had neglected to make their application until they  were about to be placed in positions of unusual danger did not furnish  conclusive evidence to my mind that they were wholly uninfluenced by unworthy  motives in offering themselves as candidates for masonry. The applicants,  having neglected to take the proper steps to become Masons prior to their  enlistment, are alone chargeable with such neglect, and have no right to  complain because the necessary safeguards which we have deemed proper to  throw around our Institution were not set aside for their benefit.

 

His further argument against these dispensations touched upon the fact that  when a man applies for admission into Masonry he justly expects, if admitted, to  receive all the rights, benefits and instruction appertaining thereto, and the  lodge, in consideration of the fee, is bound to confer these privileges; but if there  is not time enough granted, the lodge cannot properly confer such privileges and  the candidate, though granted the degrees, cannot prove himself a Mason, and,  consequently, cannot secure that which he sought.

 

During the year Grand Master Jacob Saqui, of Kansas, had refused to authorize  army lodges or to grant dispensations for conferring the degrees out of time  upon soldiers, as he did not believe a sufficient emergency existed. The Grand  Lodge of Arkansas likewise refused authority for such lodges, although, during  the recess following the Annual Communication, five military lodges were  authorized.

 

Although Grand Master James R. Bagley, of Oregon, had granted several  dispensations for conferring degrees out of time, he regretted his action, as he  found that, in most eases, these favors were either for men who, after being  initiated, had neglected to learn the work and desired such dispensations to  save time and trouble, or were for men who had lived a long time in the  jurisdiction of a lodge without caring enough about Masonry to apply for the  degrees until they were about to be placed in positions of danger and thought  that Masonry might help them.

 

As the conflict continued during its second year, Indiana added twenty more  army lodges to its roster. Its example was followed by other Grand Bodies. The  Grand Master of Virginia even went out of his lawful jurisdiction to authorize an  army lodge in the Fifth Louisiana Volunteers, an act which aroused the ire of  Grand Master J.Q.A. Fellows, at the Annual Communication of Louisiana,  February 10, 1862 (3).

 

Grand Master Charles F. Stansbury, of the Grand Lodge of the District of  Columbia, also, apparently, invaded another jurisdiction, for he reported, at a  semi-annual Communication, May 6,1862, that he had authorized a military  lodge in the Fifty-ninth New York Regiment. He had also granted authority to  confer certain degrees out of time, a practice to which he we; opposed  (4).

 

Some of the objections to army lodges may be summed up in the words of the  Committee on Correspondence of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. Commenting  upon the action of the Grand Lodge of New York in authorizing military lodges in  three regiments from that state, the Committee stated:

 

We would regard the organization of the Masons of a regiment into a lodge for  social or Masonic improvement as proper enough; this would be a pleasing relief  from the tiresome duties of camp life; but we are opposed to granting them full  powers to confer the degrees of Masonry.

 

Military lodges may have been very proper at the time of the Revolution. But in  our humble opinion Masonry is too popular now; too many are seeking and  obtaining admission through unworthy motives. If permanent lodges, who have  ail the facilities for obtaining a correct knowledge of the applicant, fail many  times in their endeavors to select none but the really good and worthy, what  could we expect of a lodge in the midst of a community where each is a stranger  to the other, except for the few weeks they may have been together as a  regiment? We do not mean to infer that there are not plenty of persons in the  various regiments now in the field who would make the very best of Masons, but  we cannot see the propriety of sending lodges to hunt them out  (5).

 

The closing hours of 1862 saw the senior Grand Lodge of America throwing the  weight of its prestige into the scales on the side of the soldier Mason. In the  Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for the year ending  December 30, 1862, Grand Master William D. Coolidge reported:

 

For this state of war there is no precedent, nor is there precedent for such an  influx into the Institution from the army; of those, who from the circumstances of  the case, must be made at sight, the prerogative alone of the Grand Master - as I  am taught by a strict examination of the ancient landmarks, and the best counsel  of the wise and prudent whom we all revere. I have met this pressure readily and  earnestly, for it has been made by those whose patriotic impulses have led them  forth to battle for their country; to stand for you and me and bare their breasts to  the bullet aimed at the nation's heart, and I could not flnd it in my own, to refuse  any aid, comfort or protection which I might be instrumental in throwing around  them (6).

 

He had, accordingly, authorized a subordinate lodge to waive the time limit  between degrees to the extent that, in five consecutive hours, the petitions of  one hundred and thirteen soldier candidates were received, balloted upon, and  all the degrees conferred. This wholesale dealing in the Mysteries aroused a  storm of disapproval, not only in Massachusetts, but also in other Grand  Jurisdictions. Grand Secretary O'Sullivan, of Missouri, expressed his objection in  strong language:

 

And so, without more ado, the Grand Master issues his dispensation, setting  aside all the requirements of the Constitution of his Grand Lodge, which he  covenanted to support, by which one hundred and thirteen men were proposed,  balloted for, initiated, passed and raised - "all within five consecutive hours", we  deny, utterly deny, the existence of any landmark authorizing this wholesale  manufacture of Masons. It does not exist. Not the most complaisant Grand  Master England has produced, even when royalty was to be made, ever  exercised such authority. It has remained for the oldest Grand Lodge in America,  occupying a front rank for her Masonic talent and respectability, to set an  example which others will not be slow to imitate; setting aside the Constitution,  requirements, usage - everything which appeared like a barrier is swept away,  and the mandate goes forth that one hundred and thirteen men may be entered,  passed and raised within five consecutive hours, in spite of law, covenants,  usage or common sense. We imagine the Grand Master quoting the words of the  great cardinal, "The pen is mightier than the sword." But we are told with the  utmost complacency that they were nearly all officers. We care not if they were  all brigadiers. It does not alter the case a whit (7).

 

A curious illustration of the confusion into which Masonry was thrown by the  eruption of the Civil War occurred on February 12, 1862, when the Grand Lodge  of the District of Columbia authorized the formation of a lodge in the city of  Alexandria, in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. It was set forth that  there were no lodges working in that city at that time, that no charters or other  property of lodges formerly working there could be found, that the Masons there  had been cut off from all Masonic privileges, and that, finally, the Grand Lodge of  Virginia had forbidden those working in its jurisdiction to recognize, or hold  Masonic intercourse with Masons who adhered to the Union. The Masons of the  District of Columbia felt that Virginia, in withdrawing recognition of loyal  brethren, had waived its rights to them; that they were to be considered as living  in Masonically vacant territory, the property of the first jurisdiction securing them.  The District of Columbia therefore felt no compunction in taking them. To show  that no attempt was being made to encroach upon the jurisdiction of Virginia, it  was ruled that

 

. . . should these unhappy National differences be composed, and Virginia  assume her former place in this great and glorious union, her Grand Lodge will  be restored to her authority over all lodges within her geographical limits. The  temporary warrant will be resigned to her, and her right of jurisdiction  acknowledged by the fraternity here and everywhere (8).

 

Incidentally, there was some abuse of this dispensation, for Grand Master Ijovell  Moore, of Michigan, complained, January 11, 1865, that this lodge was  conferring degrees upon men from all parts of the country (9). Upon the return of  Virginia to the Union, this lodge was returned to her Grand Lodge.

 

The year of Vicksburg and Gettysburg found many Grand Bodies still standing  firmly opposed to the idea of military Masonry. Among the Grand Lodges which  believed that there was no place in the Order for the army lodge, and that, in  war, as in peace, petitions should take their regular course, were those of  Vermont, Maine, California, Kentucky, Minnesota and Washington Territory. At  the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, October 20, 1863, there  was some opposition, among the members, to the practice of the Grand Master  in authorizing the conferring of the degrees out of time; doubt was even  expressed as to his right to do so. Chairman Thrall, of the Committee on  Correspondence, set forth the belief that

 

Laws and landmarks operate with equal force, as well upon the Grand Master  himself, clothed in all the plentitude of authority, as upon the youngest Entered  Apprentice of the lodge. It is the business of the Grand Master to look to the  enforcement of the laws, and not to dispense with their observance, or grant  indulgences for their infraction (10)

 

The report of Grand Master Jacob Saqui, at the Annual Communication, October  21, 1863, summed up the sentiments of Kansas:

 

I have had a number of applications from subordinate lodges for authority to  elect a candidate and confer the degrees at the same meeting, and I have  invariably refused to grant any dispensations for such a purpose, because I do  not believe that the established usages of the fraternity ought to be set aside  except on very particular occasions and I hold that a Grand Master is never  justified in granting such a dispensation unless on satisfactory proof that the  Order will be benefitted thereby, and not merely an applicant accommodated.  The laws of Masonry should be suspended for the convenience of no human  being. There are lodges in every town and village of every State in the Union,  and no man can say that he had not an opportunity to seek admission into the  Order. Whoever, then, neglected to avail himself of the privilege until he  discovered that Masonry would be useful should not be guided to the sanctum  sanctorum by a dispensation; besides, work performed in such a hurried manner  as the application for a dispensation necessarily implies, is a discredit to the  lodge and an injustice to the initiate  (11).

 

On the other hand, Indiana and New York continued to increase their collections  of army lodges; Illinois authorized the formation of six, and New Hampshire of  three such lodges. In Iowa a large number of dispensations to confer degrees  out of time upon soldiers had been granted, as was also the ease in Rhode  Island; but Grand Master Ariel Ballou, of the latter Grand Lodge, did not approve  of the matter as he thought that the motives of the applicants were mercenary.

 

The Grand Lodge of Michigan, which, in the previous year, had been flatly  opposed to military Masonry, now executed an "about face," and authorized the  removal of the time limit between degrees in the ease of soldier applicants about  to leave for the front - an act which drew the fire of the Committee on  Correspondence of Kansas:

 

Now this may seem all right and proper to some, but we must confess we can't  see the propriety under the circumstances, now, more than at any previous time.  We are quite willing at all times to confer all possible favors upon those who are  fighting our country's battles; but to hurriedly confer the degrees of Masonry  upon a person, because he is about to leave for "the seat of war," we consider  an injury to the person as well as to the Institution. Many of the persons, too,  receiving the degrees in this manner are persons who have lived for years within  the sound of the gavel, and have never once thought of joining a lodge, until  suddenly, as they are about to leave for the seat of war, they remember that they  have long entertained a favorable opinion of the ancient and honorable Order,  and almost demand an immediate admission. Ostensibly, they are actuated by a  sincere desire to be serviceable to their fellow man, but we fear personal benefit  is too often their real incentive to action; and fortunate will it be for us, if there  are not many now receiving the degrees, whom we shall soon wish had not been  admitted (12).

 

By the end of the year Massachusetts had eleven army lodges under charter,  and was being flooded with petitions for admission. Grand Master William  Parkman had continued the practice, established by his predecessors, of  dispensing with the time limit between degrees, in the ease of soldiers, but he  did so with misgiving, and thought the practice ought to be stopped.

 

So we can see that, even in those Grand Bodies which freely favored the military  applicant, a doubt was beginning to develop as to the wisdom of the proceeding.

 

GRAND LODGES CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE

 

As the war progressed and its fourth year opened and the evils of military  Masonry began to appear, those Grand Lodges which had held aloof from the  soldier Mason saw their course justified. Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota and other  Grand Bodies, which had not been swayed by the importunities of the army  applicants, pursued the even tenor of their way, unruffled as yet by the  complications which were shortly to follow. On the other hand, however, among  those Grand Bodies which had conferred favors upon the military Mason, that  element of doubt concerning the wisdom of their course, which, in 1863, had  crept into their deliberations, now assumed, in 1864, large proportions and  influenced many of them to take steps to curtail the flow of favors.

 

Masonry in New York completely abandoned its place in the ranks of the  "liberals," so to speak, and took its place in the column of the "conservatives." At  its Annual Communication, in 1864, Grand Master Clinton F. Paige announced  that he did not regard army lodges with favor, and, considering the manner in  which those already authorized had functioned, he had decided that the  objections far exceeded the advantages; as a result of which he had refused  authority for any more such lodges, and had also declined to grant any  dispensations for conferring degrees out of time. He believed, with regard to  army lodges, that

 

Aside from the question of expediency, there is an unsurmountable objection in  my mind, in the fact, that when the military organization to which such lodge is  attached removes beyond the limits of our own State, an infringement of the  jurisdictional rights of other Grand Lodges is inevitable and unavoidable (13).

 

Grand Master Alvin P. Hyde, of Connecticut, refused to grant any dispensations  unless the act received the unanimous consent of the local lodge requesting the  dispensation, and even then he thought it bad practice. The Grand Lodge of  Maine sought to curtail the flow of privileges by setting a price of three dollars for  each dispensation to hurry candidates through the degrees. Even in Kansas,  where the privilege of the dispensation had never been abused, Grand Master  Saqui thought a fee of twenty-five dollars ought to be charged for such authority;  the Grand Lodge, however, feeling that the privilege had never been  overworked, tabled the suggestion.

 

Grand Master Alvin B. Alden, attributing the rapid increase of the Order in  Wisconsin to carelessness upon the part of the subordinate lodges, suggested,  as a remedy for the "rushing through act," an increase in fees, and an edict  prohibiting the conferring of degrees in less than the statutory time. He was  opposed to army lodges, and still further opposed to their making Masons of  men from jurisdictions other than the one granting them authority. He called  attention to complaints of subordinate lodges regarding citizens of Wisconsin  who had returned from the army claiming to have received the degrees in  military lodges, some of these complaints referring to persons who had  previously petitioned and been rejected before leaving home, and others to  those whose moral and social standing were such that it would have been  useless to have applied at home. His Grand Lodge ruled that a candidate could  not be advanced within twenty days after receiving a preceding degree, and then  only upon passing a creditable examination. It also demanded that Grand  Lodges authorizing military lodges should limit the authority of the latter to  persons outside the jurisdiction of Wisconsin.

 

Grand Master Parkman, of Massachusetts, still viewing with alarm the continued  influx of new material, made an effort to slow up the flow of candidates by  insisting that each petition be received at a stated communication of a lodge; but  even with this restriction, he had granted one hundred and fifty-six dispensations  during the year. He did not think the material thus gathered into the fold was of  any considerable value, as few such persons became contributing members,  while most of them took what little Masonry they had thus acquired into the army,  where it was quickly forgotten.

 

Grand Master Leverett B. Englesby, of Vermont, thought that the practice of  subordinate lodges in encouraging the speedy advancement of candidates  ought to be stopped.

 

Grand Master Thomas Sparrow, of Ohio, now rose to inquire:

 

Has this rapid increase of members strengthened the tie of brotherhood, which is  the foundation and cap stone, cement and glory of this ancient fraternity? Has it  made us more industrious in furnishing the corn of nourishment to the hungry,  the wine of refreshment to the sick, or the oil of joy to the afflicted? Has it  sharpened the glorious strife of excelling each other in all the qualifications  which should characterize our profession as Masons? Has this vast enlargement  of the edifice added to its strength or symmetry? Has its interior been made to correspond in harmony and beauty with the magnitude and splendor of its  external appearance?

 

It has been well said: "They mistake the nature of the Masonic Institution, who  estimate its strength by its numbers, or measure its prosperity by the length of  the roll of its initiates. These are not the standards by which either the one or the  other is to be determined. Its strength is in its principle, and its prosperity in the  character of its members (14).

 

He also went on to say:

 

It should be understood by the officers and members of subordinate lodges -  once and for all - that lodges are created for the benefit of Masons, and not for  the accommodation of candidates; that there are no eases of emergency in this  jurisdiction, and that no lodge has the power to make them, that every petition  must take its regular course (15).

 

He was strenuously opposed to military lodges because of their total disregard  for the regulations prescribed for their government. His Grand Lodge supported  him to the extent of repealing the regulations, adopted in 1861, authorizing  military lodges among Ohio troops, and instructing subordinate lodges to repeal  any sections of their by-laws authorizing eases of emergency.

 

Michigan continued to shower its favors upon army candidates, Grand Master J.  Eastman Johnson having granted authority to waive the time limit in one  hundred and thirty-three cases. At the Annual Communication, January 13,  1864, his Grand Lodge, however, was considerably wrought up by the action of  Grand Master Thomas Saddler, of Kentucky, who had authorized the conferring  of degrees out of time upon a number of soldiers of the Eleventh Michigan  Regiment - properly the material of the Grand Lodge of Michigan. Brother  Saddler, it appeared, had granted this authority upon the recommendation of  Colonel S. B. Brown, regimental commander, who was also Deputy Grand  Master of Michigan; in addition, the Master, both Wardens and eleven members  of Evergreen Lodge, No. 9, of St. Clair, Michigan, had recommended the  petition.

 

And so, as the evils of military Masonry became plainly manifest and evident,  Grand Bodies began to look with dismay and chagrin upon the havoc that had  been, and was being wrought, and to cast about for means of checking it and of  repairing the damage that was resulting. The future looked black and foreboding.  In the words of Grand Master Thomas Hayward, of Florida, to his subordinates:

 

When this war is ended, and the blessings of peace are again our happy lot, you  will have much to do in your different lodges to correct the vices and  improprieties which generally follow a year or more in camp  (16).

 

THE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR

 

As the fires of the great Civil War burned out, the confusion of Masonry  continued, but sentiment among Grand Bodies definitely turned against the army  Mason. Instead of the warm brotherly greeting formerly extended him in many  Grand Lodges he now met coldness, mistrust and suspicion. In Michigan,  stronghold of army Masonry since 1862, there now developed outspoken  opposition to the institution, and Grand Master Lovell Moore refused a large  number of dispensations requested for soldiers. He even went so far as to  regard as clandestine Masons a number of Michigan soldiers, home on furlough,  who claimed to have been made in an army lodge in Mississippi working under  the jurisdiction of Indiana, for the reason that Indiana could not authorize a lodge  to work in the jurisdiction of another Grand Lodge, nor to make Masons of  persons belonging to the jurisdiction of Michigan.

 

Even Indiana, a strong supporter of military Masonry from the beginning of the  war, now began to doubt the expediency of the army lodge, especially as other  Grand Bodies were making complaints similar to that of Michigan in regard to the  activities of Indiana's military offspring; while in Maine, requests for  dispensations favoring the soldier ceased, the subordinate lodges having no  desire to pay the fee of three dollars, fixed the previous year, for such favors.  Grand Master William S. Whitehead, of New Jersey, insisted that all petitions  take their regular course, without favors to anyone.  But although the pendulum  was now swinging away from the army-made Masons, yet that fact did not  dispose of them. They existed, and in large numbers. Something, apparently,  had to be done with them. But what? Were they to be recognized as regular  Masons and taken into the fold ? Or were they to be permanently classed as  clandestines ?

 

NOTES 

1 Review, Proc. Mich., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1862, p. 319.

2 Review, Proc. Wis., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 406. 

3 Review, Proc. La., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1862, p. 317. 

4 Review, Proc. D. of C., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 388. 

5 Review, Proc. N. Y., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1862, pp. 322-3. 

6 Review, Proc. Mass., 1862, in Proc Kans., 1863, p. 398. 

7 Review, Proc. Mass., 1862, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 399. 

8 Review, Proc. D. of C., 1862, in Proc. Kans, 1863, p. 388. 

9 Review, Proc. Mich., 1865, in Proc. Kans., 1865, p. 549.

10 Review, Proc. Ohio, 1863, in Proc. Kans., 1864, p. 477. 

11 Address, G. M. Jacob Saqui, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 333. 

12 Review, Proc. Mich., 1863, in Proc. Kans., 1863, p. 400. 

13 Review, Proc. N. Y., 1864, in Proc. Kans., 1864, p. 475. 

14 Review, Proc. Ohio, 1864, in Proc. Kans., 1865, p. 555.

15 Ibid .

16 Review, Proc. Fla., 1864, in Proc. Kans., 1866, p. 87.

 

----o----

 

Sir Christopher Wren: Architect and Mason

 

By  BRO. G. C. KIRBY

 

This paper was read before the Toronto Society for Masonic Study and Research, and is now presented to the wider circle of members of the National Masonic Research Society through the good offices of Bro. N. W. J. Haydon, Associate Editor of THE BUILDER and also Secretary of the Toronto body.

 

In 1924 Bro. William B. Bragdon contributed a short article on the same subject, which will be found in the November number of THE BUILDER for that year. Bro. Bragdon, though inclined to believe that Wren was very probably connected with the Fraternity did not discuss the late R. F. Gould's arguments against this. These will be found in the twelfth chapter of his history. Gould's authority naturally carries very great weight, but while we may agree that he has quite demolished the supposition that Wren was a Grand Master of the Craft, he is not so convincing in denying that Wren could have been a speculative or honorary member. At least the possibility remains to intrigue us.

 

A STUDY of the lives of prominent men in the 17th century may afford clues to the unknown history of Freemasonry in a very interesting period. The subject of the present article is Sir Christopher Wren, the great English architect.

 

He was born at East Knoyle, near Tisbury in Wiltshire, on October 20, 1632. His father was also named Christopher. He was a clergyman of the Established Church, and at the time of his son's birth was the Incumbent of the parish of East Knoyle. A brother, Matthew Wren, was at the time Dean of Windsor. Later, when he was preferred to the see of Ely, Christopher Wren, senior, was made Dean of Windsor in his stead, and was also appointed as Chaplain to Charles I. His wife was Mary Cox of Fonthill Abbey. She died when her son was only two years old. The elder Christopher lived until his son was twenty-six years old. Both he and his brother, the Bishop of Ely, suffered much under the Parliamentary regime on account of their loyalty to the king.

 

When Wren was eleven years old he was instructed in mathematics by the famous mathematician, William Holder, who had married his father's sister, Susan Wren. At the age of nine he was sent to Westminster School, where he remained until he was fourteen. Here he was under the tuition of the famous Dr. Busby. Between leaving school and going to college he became assistant to Dr. Scarborough, and studied anatomy.

 

In 1649 he went to Oxford, entering Wadham College as a Gentleman- Commoner. Here he was under John Wilkins, afterwards Bishop of Chester, graduating as B.A. on March 18, 1650, and as M.A. on December 11, 1653. He was elected a Fellow of All Souls College and stayed there until 1657, when he was appointed to the Chair of Astronomy at Gresham College, London. On February 5, 1660, he was elected Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, and in 1661 he graduated D.C.L. at Oxford, and L.L.D. at Cambridge. From this it will be seen that he was an extremely clever young man. He seemed capable of everything; at one time he prepared drawings of insects, microscopically enlarged, for Charles II. He also invented a horse- drawn seeding machine to plant seeds after ploughing and harrowing. Another of his efforts was an illustration showing the graphical construction of solar and lunar eclipses, and most remarkable of all, he experimented with the transfusion of blood from one animal to another.