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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
All Letters must hear the name ani address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .
ORIGIN OF THE ROYAL ARCH , & G .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Abont two months ago I learned that a reply to my communication printed 6 th May , in your journal , would appear in the Masonio Magazine . It did not , however , appear before July—that number did nofc reach me before 7 th August , and , the most unpleasant part of all , it found me on a sick bed . I was unable to
write or even read , and I am yet unable to leave the house . However , I have sirce then read it , but found in it no reply at all . It neither proved , nor disproved , anything ; and , npon my word and honour , it is not worth analysing and showing up its shortcomings , and even its misleadings . And now for the R . A . ritual mentioned in the Chronicle of 24 th of
June . The ritual , as I then stated , was sent by the Moderns Grand Chapter of England to Hayti dnring the first decade of this century ; and in 1833 it was copied in New York by Bro . Marconnais . It is in the French language , and P . G . M . Nickerson , now G . S ., promised to translate it into English . But after waiting a few weeks , and finding him still overloaded with work appertaining to his officeI began to
, look out for another translator , and was fortunate in being introduced to Dr . De La Grangea , who performed the task without fee or reward . But , " thereby hangs a tale . " The said Dr . has made a stir in High Degreedom , and , as the whole subject is still unknown on your side of the big pond , I shall here give the origin and cause of thafc high degree squabble .
About fifteen or twenty years ago there was a ruge here for studying the science of Masonic jurisprudence , and any number of pretenders published books , and set themselves up as professors of that so-called science . At that time onr jurisprudence-mongers , without exception , sincerely believed that all the Masonic laws , written and umuritten , have descended from Solomon , Nimrod , and older Masonio worthies ,
and consequently were Masonic laws all over the world . It has , however , since then been demonstrated that what is Masonio law in America is not , nor ever was , Masonic law anywhere else . The phrase has , therefore , been altered . It is now called " the science of American Masonio jurisprudence . " I shall , however , here refer to one branch only of that science , viz ., " Masonic jurisdiction . " Aud
now for a few specimens of that branch of the science . Thus , a citizen of one State must not be initiated into Masonry in another State . When such a thing occurs , and it does occur sometimes , the Masonic jurists of all the States raise up a great hue and cry against the offending State , as if it had committed a crime of the greatest magnitude . This crime is called "Jurisdictional invasion . "
You might , perhaps , suppose thafc the object of that law was protec tion of the Fraternity for keeping out wrong materials , becanse a candidate ' s character is better known to the brethren of his own State than to those of another State . But nothing of the kind . The top and bottom of the reason is—the dollars . To prove my statement , I will give you a case that happened within my recollection . A young man
from Massachusetts , after hying two years in California , visited his native village , and during his stay among his old associates and schoolmates , he was initiated , and then returned to California ; his first attempt to visit a Californian Lodge exploded a bomb shell . Some indignant letters were received by the Grand Lodge of Massa . chusetts ; a Committee was appointed to mollify California , or to ar » ne
some legal points . I do not now remember what the result was , but I know there was a good deal of powder wasted . Now , in this case , no complaint was made against the moral character of the young man . Indeed , ifc must be conceded that the brethren of and in his native village must have known more about their candidate's character than the Californians conld have known about him . But , as already
said , it was not the character of tho man California cared for , hit the dollars . But while these worthy American Masonic jurists invariably fly into a rage when their jurisdictions are invaded , they have not a word to say when Englishmen , Turks , or any countrymen are initiated in their Lodges . It is only a very few years ago when some Turks were initiated in Connecticut , and I have met with any number
of Englishmen , employed on the Cunard steam ships , who were initiated in East Boston or in Jersey City . If their law had been designed to keep out suspicious characters , why did they not tell those foreigners—your characters aro better known in your own countries than here ? & c . But , as already said , character is not the motive , but dollars .
But though the motive and aim of that law is obvious , tho fanaticism for the necessity of that law is so ingrained in their minds that some of them were quite astonished at the audacity of the King of Sweden in initiating the Prince of Wales , at Stockholm , and at the temerity of the Grand Lodge of England for not having mado an American Masonic fuss aboufc it .
I will now give another illustration of the science with regard to jurisdiction . The law saith a man must bo initiated in the nearest Lodge to his residence . Now , as there are somo towns and villages which have no Masonic Lodges , a resident of such a town , if he wishes to be initiated , must consult a civil engineer iu order to ascertain
which Lodge in his surroundings is nearest to the village he resides in . True , this wonld-be Mason ia acquainted with brethren belonging to the Lodge at village A , and is not acquainted with any one belonging to the Lodge at B . Yet if the Lodge at B is a little nearer to his residence than fchafc of A , he must either be proposed in the Lodgo afc B , or must obtain its sanction to be initiated in fche Lodge at A , or
Correspondence.
nofc be initiated at all . Shonld fche Lodge at A , however , initiate him withcut being sanctioned by B , then begins the tug of war . The Lodge at B lays a complaint before the Grand Ledge . The Grand Lodge appoints a committee of jurists ; sometimes counsel are hired by the contending parties to attack and defend . The jurists draw up a verbose report , enumerating at great length the opinions of other
Masonic jurists , and the thousand and one precedents . This report sometimes recommends to censure the offending Lodge , or suggests some compromise ; but in either case the new-made brother cannot again enter a Lodge without being first healed . And here again it is obvious that dollars was the main object of the law . One more illustration of the science of the jurisdiction law will
suffice at present . " No new Lodge can be formed ( says the law ) without the sanction of the Lodge located at the nearest distance from it . " In 1855 , there were five Lodges in Boston , all of whom met at fche Boston Masonio Temple . A number of young men organ , ised a new Lodge , but neither of the five Lodges would give ita consent to it . A Lodge at East Boston , whioh is separated by a
channel from Boston proper , was willing to endorse the brethren ' s petition . A certain part of Boston , situated just opposite East Boston , was found by measurement ) to be somewhat nearer than the Boston Temple was from that locality . The whole neighbourhood was covered with nothing but warehouses and storehouses , so the brethren actually made an arrangement to hire a loft in that
neighbourhood for holding its Lodge there . When , however , the leaders of the Boston Lodges found they were outwitted by the youngsters , they made a virtue of necessity , and Joseph Warren Lodge was finally consecrated in the Boston Temple . In this case , dollars was also the object of the law . Oar American Masonio jurists are evidei tly protectionists , not only in trade and commerce bufc in
Masomy too . With snch Masonic science it is no wonder that our Grand Lodges are always in hot water with each other , with their own Lodges , and their members too . During the Grand Mastership of fcho Earl of Zetland the Grand Lodge of England was startled by a long-winded official communication from the Grand Lodge of Maine , the purport of
which was that a Lodge in New Brunswick initiated a man who lived a short distance from ifc on the Maine side of the border . The Earl of Zetland explained the nature of the long document , and told the brethren of the Grand Lodge , if any of them wished to have it read , fco make a motion to that effect . But no such motion was offered , and the Maine Grand Lodge learned , probably for the first
time , that whab is law in Maine is nofc law in England . A similar hnbbub was raised in Missouri not many years ago . A Scotch brother , residing in Missouri , while on a visit to his native place received there the Royal Arch degree ; thereupon the Grand Chapter of Missouri charged the Grand Chapter of Scotland with violating its jurisdiction . It is really fortunate for Masons and Masonry that our
American Grand Lodges , Grand Chapters , and other kinds of Amencan Grands , own neither armies nor navies ; for otherwise there would have been any number of fights , both with outsiders and insiders too . I hope the reader will now be prepared to understand to what length American Masonic jurists would go if the rights of their sacred jurisdictions ( for so our Masonio luminaries style it ) were invaded . And now I must go back to the anticipated new
trouble . Dr . De La Grangea is a native of Spain . Besides his mother tongue he is master of Latin , French , English , & c . In short , he is a linguist and scholar , well versed in science and history , —except Masonic history . He received the Blue Degrees in Spain , in accord , ance with the Scotch Rite fashion . When he first tried to visit a
Boston Lodge he was told thafc he could not be admitted unless he was initiated in the York Rite . So he paid the nsual fee , and was re-initiated . Being by nature ardent , enthusiastic , and impulsive , and money being no object with him , he rushed pell-mell into the Royal Arch , the Council or Cryptic degrees , Templarism , and finally got the thirty-second degree of the Scotch Rite . Oar
Doctor was very much elated with the high honours he received , and believed himself to have become a veritable Sir Knight , Prince , and very Illustrious . About a year or two since , he made np his mind fco re-visit Spain , when he was furnished with letters of high recommendation from our American Sir Knights , Princes , & o His old friends in Spain were very glad to meet him , and showed
their appreciation of his high merit by conferring npon him the thirtythird degree . Upon his return to Boston , previous to entering one of the High Concerns , he appended to his name in a book in fche anteroom the mysterious two threes , with the little ring , thus 33 ° . As soon as this was learned by the Grand Commander , after he entered the orand sanctum , the high degree volcano exploded . The Sovereign
Grand Commander lost his temper ; he was enraged with the Grand Orient of Spain for invading an American sacred jurisdiction , and was no less enraged with the Doctor for presuming to style himself a 33 . The Doctor tried to defend himself . The Grand Commander would not listen , and ordered him to be silent . But the Doctor ' s blood was roused , and he would not be silent . The Grand Commander rapped Falls
his gavel . But , lo ! he might as well have tried to stop the or Niagara with his gavel as to stop the Doctor ' s talking . The fact is , fche faster and louder the one rattled with hia gavel , the faster and louder did the other talk . Of course , all this produced an excitement , bnt many of those present thought it as good as a comedy . Sucn scenes are nofc at all uncommon in the history of High Degreedom ; bnt whenever such an event takes placed , it is always denounced as of the
unprecedented . The npshot of all this fracas was the expulsion Doctor ; he , however , has appealed to the Supreme Council of tne Northern Jurisdiction , which will meet in Boston during the next mouth , when I expect there will be some more jolly fun . I said before that Bro . De La Grangea is a very enthusiastic ana ardent Mason , this I discovered at a glance as soon as I en * < f " room . The walls of his parlours are decorated with about half a doze elegantly framed pictures , probably bought in France . Each P'p "" , contains a group of High Degree Princes , Knights , & c ., attired in m kind of fashions , of all ages and nations , scattered all over wiw
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE .
All Letters must hear the name ani address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .
ORIGIN OF THE ROYAL ARCH , & G .
To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Abont two months ago I learned that a reply to my communication printed 6 th May , in your journal , would appear in the Masonio Magazine . It did not , however , appear before July—that number did nofc reach me before 7 th August , and , the most unpleasant part of all , it found me on a sick bed . I was unable to
write or even read , and I am yet unable to leave the house . However , I have sirce then read it , but found in it no reply at all . It neither proved , nor disproved , anything ; and , npon my word and honour , it is not worth analysing and showing up its shortcomings , and even its misleadings . And now for the R . A . ritual mentioned in the Chronicle of 24 th of
June . The ritual , as I then stated , was sent by the Moderns Grand Chapter of England to Hayti dnring the first decade of this century ; and in 1833 it was copied in New York by Bro . Marconnais . It is in the French language , and P . G . M . Nickerson , now G . S ., promised to translate it into English . But after waiting a few weeks , and finding him still overloaded with work appertaining to his officeI began to
, look out for another translator , and was fortunate in being introduced to Dr . De La Grangea , who performed the task without fee or reward . But , " thereby hangs a tale . " The said Dr . has made a stir in High Degreedom , and , as the whole subject is still unknown on your side of the big pond , I shall here give the origin and cause of thafc high degree squabble .
About fifteen or twenty years ago there was a ruge here for studying the science of Masonic jurisprudence , and any number of pretenders published books , and set themselves up as professors of that so-called science . At that time onr jurisprudence-mongers , without exception , sincerely believed that all the Masonic laws , written and umuritten , have descended from Solomon , Nimrod , and older Masonio worthies ,
and consequently were Masonic laws all over the world . It has , however , since then been demonstrated that what is Masonio law in America is not , nor ever was , Masonic law anywhere else . The phrase has , therefore , been altered . It is now called " the science of American Masonio jurisprudence . " I shall , however , here refer to one branch only of that science , viz ., " Masonic jurisdiction . " Aud
now for a few specimens of that branch of the science . Thus , a citizen of one State must not be initiated into Masonry in another State . When such a thing occurs , and it does occur sometimes , the Masonic jurists of all the States raise up a great hue and cry against the offending State , as if it had committed a crime of the greatest magnitude . This crime is called "Jurisdictional invasion . "
You might , perhaps , suppose thafc the object of that law was protec tion of the Fraternity for keeping out wrong materials , becanse a candidate ' s character is better known to the brethren of his own State than to those of another State . But nothing of the kind . The top and bottom of the reason is—the dollars . To prove my statement , I will give you a case that happened within my recollection . A young man
from Massachusetts , after hying two years in California , visited his native village , and during his stay among his old associates and schoolmates , he was initiated , and then returned to California ; his first attempt to visit a Californian Lodge exploded a bomb shell . Some indignant letters were received by the Grand Lodge of Massa . chusetts ; a Committee was appointed to mollify California , or to ar » ne
some legal points . I do not now remember what the result was , but I know there was a good deal of powder wasted . Now , in this case , no complaint was made against the moral character of the young man . Indeed , ifc must be conceded that the brethren of and in his native village must have known more about their candidate's character than the Californians conld have known about him . But , as already
said , it was not the character of tho man California cared for , hit the dollars . But while these worthy American Masonic jurists invariably fly into a rage when their jurisdictions are invaded , they have not a word to say when Englishmen , Turks , or any countrymen are initiated in their Lodges . It is only a very few years ago when some Turks were initiated in Connecticut , and I have met with any number
of Englishmen , employed on the Cunard steam ships , who were initiated in East Boston or in Jersey City . If their law had been designed to keep out suspicious characters , why did they not tell those foreigners—your characters aro better known in your own countries than here ? & c . But , as already said , character is not the motive , but dollars .
But though the motive and aim of that law is obvious , tho fanaticism for the necessity of that law is so ingrained in their minds that some of them were quite astonished at the audacity of the King of Sweden in initiating the Prince of Wales , at Stockholm , and at the temerity of the Grand Lodge of England for not having mado an American Masonic fuss aboufc it .
I will now give another illustration of the science with regard to jurisdiction . The law saith a man must bo initiated in the nearest Lodge to his residence . Now , as there are somo towns and villages which have no Masonic Lodges , a resident of such a town , if he wishes to be initiated , must consult a civil engineer iu order to ascertain
which Lodge in his surroundings is nearest to the village he resides in . True , this wonld-be Mason ia acquainted with brethren belonging to the Lodge at village A , and is not acquainted with any one belonging to the Lodge at B . Yet if the Lodge at B is a little nearer to his residence than fchafc of A , he must either be proposed in the Lodgo afc B , or must obtain its sanction to be initiated in fche Lodge at A , or
Correspondence.
nofc be initiated at all . Shonld fche Lodge at A , however , initiate him withcut being sanctioned by B , then begins the tug of war . The Lodge at B lays a complaint before the Grand Ledge . The Grand Lodge appoints a committee of jurists ; sometimes counsel are hired by the contending parties to attack and defend . The jurists draw up a verbose report , enumerating at great length the opinions of other
Masonic jurists , and the thousand and one precedents . This report sometimes recommends to censure the offending Lodge , or suggests some compromise ; but in either case the new-made brother cannot again enter a Lodge without being first healed . And here again it is obvious that dollars was the main object of the law . One more illustration of the science of the jurisdiction law will
suffice at present . " No new Lodge can be formed ( says the law ) without the sanction of the Lodge located at the nearest distance from it . " In 1855 , there were five Lodges in Boston , all of whom met at fche Boston Masonio Temple . A number of young men organ , ised a new Lodge , but neither of the five Lodges would give ita consent to it . A Lodge at East Boston , whioh is separated by a
channel from Boston proper , was willing to endorse the brethren ' s petition . A certain part of Boston , situated just opposite East Boston , was found by measurement ) to be somewhat nearer than the Boston Temple was from that locality . The whole neighbourhood was covered with nothing but warehouses and storehouses , so the brethren actually made an arrangement to hire a loft in that
neighbourhood for holding its Lodge there . When , however , the leaders of the Boston Lodges found they were outwitted by the youngsters , they made a virtue of necessity , and Joseph Warren Lodge was finally consecrated in the Boston Temple . In this case , dollars was also the object of the law . Oar American Masonio jurists are evidei tly protectionists , not only in trade and commerce bufc in
Masomy too . With snch Masonic science it is no wonder that our Grand Lodges are always in hot water with each other , with their own Lodges , and their members too . During the Grand Mastership of fcho Earl of Zetland the Grand Lodge of England was startled by a long-winded official communication from the Grand Lodge of Maine , the purport of
which was that a Lodge in New Brunswick initiated a man who lived a short distance from ifc on the Maine side of the border . The Earl of Zetland explained the nature of the long document , and told the brethren of the Grand Lodge , if any of them wished to have it read , fco make a motion to that effect . But no such motion was offered , and the Maine Grand Lodge learned , probably for the first
time , that whab is law in Maine is nofc law in England . A similar hnbbub was raised in Missouri not many years ago . A Scotch brother , residing in Missouri , while on a visit to his native place received there the Royal Arch degree ; thereupon the Grand Chapter of Missouri charged the Grand Chapter of Scotland with violating its jurisdiction . It is really fortunate for Masons and Masonry that our
American Grand Lodges , Grand Chapters , and other kinds of Amencan Grands , own neither armies nor navies ; for otherwise there would have been any number of fights , both with outsiders and insiders too . I hope the reader will now be prepared to understand to what length American Masonic jurists would go if the rights of their sacred jurisdictions ( for so our Masonio luminaries style it ) were invaded . And now I must go back to the anticipated new
trouble . Dr . De La Grangea is a native of Spain . Besides his mother tongue he is master of Latin , French , English , & c . In short , he is a linguist and scholar , well versed in science and history , —except Masonic history . He received the Blue Degrees in Spain , in accord , ance with the Scotch Rite fashion . When he first tried to visit a
Boston Lodge he was told thafc he could not be admitted unless he was initiated in the York Rite . So he paid the nsual fee , and was re-initiated . Being by nature ardent , enthusiastic , and impulsive , and money being no object with him , he rushed pell-mell into the Royal Arch , the Council or Cryptic degrees , Templarism , and finally got the thirty-second degree of the Scotch Rite . Oar
Doctor was very much elated with the high honours he received , and believed himself to have become a veritable Sir Knight , Prince , and very Illustrious . About a year or two since , he made np his mind fco re-visit Spain , when he was furnished with letters of high recommendation from our American Sir Knights , Princes , & o His old friends in Spain were very glad to meet him , and showed
their appreciation of his high merit by conferring npon him the thirtythird degree . Upon his return to Boston , previous to entering one of the High Concerns , he appended to his name in a book in fche anteroom the mysterious two threes , with the little ring , thus 33 ° . As soon as this was learned by the Grand Commander , after he entered the orand sanctum , the high degree volcano exploded . The Sovereign
Grand Commander lost his temper ; he was enraged with the Grand Orient of Spain for invading an American sacred jurisdiction , and was no less enraged with the Doctor for presuming to style himself a 33 . The Doctor tried to defend himself . The Grand Commander would not listen , and ordered him to be silent . But the Doctor ' s blood was roused , and he would not be silent . The Grand Commander rapped Falls
his gavel . But , lo ! he might as well have tried to stop the or Niagara with his gavel as to stop the Doctor ' s talking . The fact is , fche faster and louder the one rattled with hia gavel , the faster and louder did the other talk . Of course , all this produced an excitement , bnt many of those present thought it as good as a comedy . Sucn scenes are nofc at all uncommon in the history of High Degreedom ; bnt whenever such an event takes placed , it is always denounced as of the
unprecedented . The npshot of all this fracas was the expulsion Doctor ; he , however , has appealed to the Supreme Council of tne Northern Jurisdiction , which will meet in Boston during the next mouth , when I expect there will be some more jolly fun . I said before that Bro . De La Grangea is a very enthusiastic ana ardent Mason , this I discovered at a glance as soon as I en * < f " room . The walls of his parlours are decorated with about half a doze elegantly framed pictures , probably bought in France . Each P'p "" , contains a group of High Degree Princes , Knights , & c ., attired in m kind of fashions , of all ages and nations , scattered all over wiw