Side Degrees.

SIDE DEGREES .

WHAT are side degrees ? I suppose they may fairly be defined as degrees under no government , which may be conferred by one Master Mason on another . In this sense a number of degrees now well known and belonging to recognised Grand Bodies , were once side degrees . The Holy Eoyal Arch used to be conferred by Blue Lodges ; the same is true of the Templar degree . The " Select Master " was a side degree in the beginning of _ this century , and rituals of it and of the "Super-Excellent" are in existence where there is no mention of any governing body in the O . B . Some of these rituals date hack to 1809 .

As soon as side degrees are organised they cease to he side degrees , and the right to confer them is taken away from the individual Mason . Thus , though the Select Master was once a side degree , no one Select Master ha s a right to confer the degree on a Brother Mason , because the degree has been organised either under a Council or Eoyal Arch Chapter . Masonic law is clear on this point . The body that first organises unappropriated degrees is the sole possessor of these degrees . Unless it surrenders its rights to some other authority , no other Masonic body can infringe on these rights .

There are in this country now practically no side degrees . They have been collected and appropriated by the Sovereign College of Allied Masonic and Christian Degrees of America . This body possesses the finest collection of side degree rituals in the world . Its object is to spread abroad those degrees which are worthy of working , either because of the beauty of the rituals or because they are recognised in other countries as belonging to legitimate Masonry . At the same time , by organising those degrees that are not worth , -working , it practically lays them on the shelf , and declares to the Masonic world-that they are not true Masonry .

Perhaps one of the commonest and best known of the so-called side degrees in America , is the Secret Monitor . It is essentially American . Where , on this continent , it was propagated , it is hard to say . The Sovereign College has rituals of it over forty years old . It is an excellent degree , with a beautiful lesson , but hitherto it has been utterly neglected in the land of its birth . In England it has been revived and developed into an Order . Some twenty years ago Bro . Zacharie , who had been in the Northern army during the war , and had there received the Secret Monitor degree in

company with two other Brethren who had been made Secret Monitors in America , organised in London the " Grand Council of Secret Monitors for Great Britain and Ireland , and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown . " The " Order , " as it is called , has been quite popular in England , and is spreading rapidly . Dr . Zacharie added two degrees—we believe invented by himself—to the original American one . His Grand Council has exchanged rituals with the Sovereign College and the "Monitor" degree , which is the second on the register .

The degree of " Ark and Dove '' came to this country from England . The first mention of it we can find is an old account dated 1810 . In that year a certain Bro . Samuel Jameson is certified to have received , on the 7 th day of July , at Dundalk , Ireland , amongst other degrees , that of Ark Mason . Probably about the year 1820 the " Ark " came to America . We have two rituals of it , one about forty and another about sixty years old . In

England the degree is known as the " Eoyal Ark Mariner , " and is practically governed by the Grand Mark Lodge . The " Ark and Dove " is a fine degree , and all the Brethren who have received it in Eichmond have expressed themselves delighted with it . Every Mark Master who is likely to travel ought to have it , as it corresponds to the English Eoyal Ark Mariner , and -will fit him for visiting the Lodges of that degree .

" St . Lawrence the Martyr , " is essentially an English degree . Traces of it are to be found in America , but the only rituals known are of English origin . It is very interesting , and teaches lessons of great importance . The " Knights of Constantinople" is also of American origin , and is one of the most admirable degrees in Masonry . It is also a striking illustration of the danger which besets the Order from the existence of degrees which are under no governing body . At certain gatherings of Masons it has been

customary to go through a piece of buffoonery called "The Knights of Constantine , " a burlesque which is almost a blasphemy , as the degree so burlesqued is one of the most solemn of Christian degrees , teaching the sublimest lessons . Had the " Knights of Constantinople " been organised as the " Eoyal Arch " is , it would have almost been a Masonic offence to treat it as it had been treated . The original ritual in the archives of the Sovereign College is over forty years old .

Among the degrees collected by the College , but not worked , are the Mediterranean Pass , the Babylonish Pass , Chief Priest , Knight of the Virgin Mary , Knight of Eome , Knight of Three Kings , Knight of the Bound Table , Knight of the Holy Cross , Mark Man , & c . The College also has on its register tbe following adoptive degrees , of which it possesses rituals : Mason ' s Daughter Good Samaritan , Martha and Mary , Daughters of Zelophahad , and Heroine of Jericho . As these are not Masonic , the rituals are merely kept as interesting curiosities .

A word to the degree which is known as the " Grand Tilers of Solomon , " akin in some respects to that of Select Master , which is itself derived from the sixth degree of thc Ancient and Accepted Scottish Bite . The College possesses two rituals of this degree , one dated 1812 , the other about 1820 . The Grand' Tilers is worked in Eichmond , as it is of considerable merit , and the College has has the honour of conferring it on the chief Officers of the Grand Council of Allied Masonic Degrees in England , who have the sole authority to propagate in the British dominions .

Of the degrees above mentioned , three at least ought to be possessed by well-equipped Masons ; the Ark and the Dove , the Secret Monitor , and the Knights of Constantinople . Without these degrees in England , tbe doors of all Ark Mariner Lodges , Secret Monitor Conclaves , and Councils of the Allied Degrees are closed to him ; with them , he will be received by those bodies with Brotherly welcome . — " Bough Ashlar . "

The World Of Intellect.

THE WORLD OF INTELLECT .

IN contradistinction to the world of ignorance there is such a world as that of intellect—where thought rules—where mind governs . To know nothing more than to live , eat , sleep , and to work , to make money or to make a living , although all of them axe natural and legitimate , is only a beast life , and but abs-olute slavery . Surely something better may be made of this lower world than mere ignorant drudgery . Though the millions live just in

this way , it is their own fault , their own home-made destiny . They might know something more if they would , but it seems they are contented with ilieir ccuditit-n , and like men freezing to death , they do not care to be disturbed . Even the poorest may be intelligent , and often are even the most so , for with all the power wealth has ever possessed it Has * never been

The World Of Intellect.

able to monopolise the general intelligence , or even to count its majority among the sons and daughters of cultivated intellects , lt is great wealth rather than intelligence , in many communities , that gives position above any other qualification . The almighty dollar , whether gold , silver , or paper , in their esteem , paves the way to social position and gives prominence to many who , like Pollock's innocent saint" The name of science never heard ,

Who lived where his father lived , and died Where his father died , and went to heaven . " Still in defiance of all human pride the empire of ignorance is one ot degradation and affliction . Disease feeds on ignorance and assumes its direct malignancy because of man ' s moral and physical errors .

To be ignorant , in the esteem of tho many , is only a misfortune , when in fact it is a sin and a heinous one at that , for like poverty it is most always the legitimate result of indolence , which is also as sinful as anything else . Work is life ' s highest civil order , and where this order is disregarded misfortune of some sort is sure to follow .

To think is the first and constant obligation of every human being , and in proportion as men fail to think they fall below the standard of civilisation . " Knowledge is power , " and where men master it they are able to comprehend the true philosophy of human life , and are thus better prepared to defend themselves against the ten thousand " ills flesh is heir to . " If

ignorance ever moves at all it must be here . It must have guidance of some sort , if any safety is assured , or any advance is made . Intelligence can guide , can govern itself , and this is , perhaps the reason why men of intelligence usually become independent thinkers in philosophy and religion , and in the general conventional affairs of life .

As the Craft knows , Masonry is an intellectual science , and the strict moral training which they receive in their Lodge Booms is no doubt one cause of their general high standard of intelligence as well as morals . An ignorant Lodge is , therefore , a Masonic paradox , which our mystic philosophy must always condemn , because under any such regime the lights of Masonry would grow dim and the Fraternity itself go down as an Institution of mockery and feebleness . The fact is , the sublimity of Masonic philosophy can only make its fullest displays among such Brethren as live and act in the grand world of intellect . — " Masonic Advocate . "

The Master.

THE MASTER .

LIGHT is the aim of all the Masons , the great desideratum for which the soul yearns , and for which the labours of the Craft are constantly directed and ceaselessly maintained . It is the topic of every lecture , and the fruitful theme of Masons' discourse . Light emanated from the East , the Worshipful Master ' s station , and hence the candidate and the Brethren look to the East for light , for information , and for Masonic knowledge . One Worshipful Master may excel in memory , another in elocution , another in work of charity and good deeds , but all should ever bear in mind

the important post they hold m the Lodge and m the fraternity . Be sure to seek in his own self that point , that trait in his character , which he can make most useful and most beneficial to his Lodge and to the Craft ; the Brethren look to the East for light and should not be allowed to look in vain . Surely the Brother who has accepted the honoured post of Master must feel the responsibility of that station and return at least in some measure to the Brethren some talent , some labour for the honour they have conferred upon

him . We cannot all be orators , we cannot all be ritualists , but we each can do our share of the great work assigned to us by our Brethren , and , above all , it is the Master's duty to study the best interests of his Lodge and the welfare of his Brethren , to guide them in all their laudable undertakings , to be

" Light " unto them in all their Masonic works , and be ever ready to serve the Craft , serve his Lodge and his Brethren , who have called him to be their Master for the time being . Let the Master appreciate the honour conferred , and use his best endeavours to fill the chair with all the ability at his command . If he is earnest and sincere in this , whatever may be his shortcomings will be readily overlooked by his Brethren . — " New York Tribune . "

Masonry's Purpose.

MASONRY'S PURPOSE .

A MASONIC Lodge has several purposes varying in their value . It is not possible perhaps to name them in the exact order of their value , yet all are desirable and valuable . The fraternity or fellowship in a Lodge is one end attained , which does much to smooth the uneven places of busy life ; the relief granted to the poor , unfortunate , or afflicted is a virtue to be cherished , and the improvement of the mind by a continued study of the principles of Masonry is a desired end . But beyond these purposes lies another , which to me is pre-eminent , the application of this fellowship , this relief , this study to

the individual Brother . The great value of our principles is , not in what they do for a Lodge in its corporate capacity , but in what they do for the individual Brother . The Lodge exists for the Brother , not for itself . Its pre-eminent purpose is to make a novitiate a Brother—to make him a thorough man , true , noble , and good . Masonry stands for the best and truest manhood that the human mind can conceive . We hear it said that Masonry is not religion . It is true that much so-called religion is not Masonry , but

Masonry is religious . A true Mason possesses the essence of true religion . He does unto others as he would be done by , and he tries to love mercy , deal justly , and act honourably with all men . Masonry does not ignore the celestial Lodge above , nor is it blind to the path that leads to its eternal gates . Its great light directs his steps to the Temple of happiness , and points out the whole duty of man . This is the pre-eminent purpose , to show man his duty , and to help him doit ; to equip man for life's work , and prepare him for immortality . —Edwin B . Holmes G . M , Mass ., in " Voice of Masonry . "

A Master recently gave the members of his Lodge some good advice when he warned the sponsors of candidates that it was their duty to see that the necessary knowledge for advancement had been duly acquired . He added , as a rider , that he was

fully determined to refuse the Passing or Eaising of any candidate unable to show thorough proficiency in the former degrees . It would be well for the Craft if all W . M . s acted in accordance with such a resolve . — "Masonry . "