An Inaccurate Historian.

" I am perfectly able to look npon the question in an impartial light , and for one reason , that I look upon all these degrees as of little value in themselves . Even in Craft Masonry I find ao little of the correct thing and so mnoh a la Grand Lodge of Kentucky , that every thing loses value in my eyes . I am purely a Masonic antiquary , taking np all degrees , as so many curious lectures , from

whioh some little knowledge may be gained . Moreover , I hold so many 33 ° Patents from various S . G . C . s , that it would puzzle your most astute ' Philadelphia lawyer' to trace my high-grade genealogy ; but the patent which I esteem above all others is that granted by old Templar Encampment , who adopted the 25 ° Rite from America late last century , before Frederick Dalcho , or any other forger , had

founded any Supreme Grand Council . He was once an 18 th of the Obedience of the Supreme Council of England and Wales . He is the High Potentate , Hierophant-General , or something , of the Ancient and Primitive Rite , and the chief of a Body claiming to be a Supreme Council of the 33 rd Degree , established by the Seymour or Peckham Supreme Council . Perhaps all that

conduces to his impartiality . I think that I have read mention made by him , some time since , i f the " old Templar Encampment , who adopted the 25 Degree Rite from America late last century . " That may be true , for the Rite was known at Kingston , in Jamaica , where Morin was at one time : and where tbere was ,

before 1800 , a Sublime Graud Council ; and from Kingston it might very well have gone to England . If it did , Mr . Yarker holds bis Degrees of tbat Rite , that he is so proud of , under authority derive ! from Stephen Morin ; or else his " old Templar Euoamffment , had no title to them , except illegal possession of the Rituals . I will not even say that I donbt the trnth of tbe story ; bat only

that I should not care to repeat it without having some evidence of its truth . But we are not concerned with the views or opinions of Mr . Yarker . Let ns see how he plays the historian . We quote the only noteworthy of his historical statements : 1 . " The Grand Lodge of France ( which later took the name of

Grand Orient ) made an attempt to establish a system by collecting everything practiced and piling it into one Rite ; withont very much system , and certainly without any science , making a Rite of twentyfive degrees . " . Tbe Grand Lodge of France not / ' later , take the name of Grand Orient '" nor did 'it ever attempt to " establish a system . " The

Grand Lodge of France was a Body of the Symbolic Degrees only . In 1772-3 , a committee created by it , by a revolutionary movement , created the Grand Orient of France , and the Grand Lodge and Grand Orient continued to exist and to work as Bodies distinct and independent of one another , until 1791 , when the Grand Lodge closed its labours , and its members dispersed . The Grand Lodge

established five Lodges in 1789 . Neither the Grand Lodge nor the Grand Orient collected Degrees together aud made a Rite of twenty-five Degrees . The Rite of Perfection in twenty-five Degrees existed and was worked as early as 1761 , and the Grand Lodge of France had nothing to do with its creation or establishment .

The Grand Orient of France never governed Bodies of the Rite of Perfection , or exercised any control over that Rite as a whole . It did make a Rite known as the French or Modern Rite , in 1786 , in seven degrees , the three Blue Degrees and four which it took from the Rite of Perfection , the seventh being the Rose Croix , 18 th of the Rite of Perfection . It forbade the working of any other Degrees , and as far

as it was in its power , it abolished all the other so-called Scottish Degrees . And in 1804 its Grand Master and principal members received the Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rito from tho COmte de Grasse who was made 33 ° by the Supreme Council at Charleston , and became Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the French West Indies , and of tbe Supreme Council of

France . 2 . " The Grand Master of France , of the Royal line , had a pimp or procurer of the name of Lacorne , a dancing master , whom he appointed deputy . This so enraged the Grand Lodge that they refused to sit with Lacorne . He had his revenge by establishing a separate and high grade Body , and granted a Patent to a Jew named Morin . as his

Deputy in the West Indies . " It cannot be found stated by any historian of Masonry in French , that Lacorne had anything to do witb " establishing a separate and high grade body . " He was a danoing-master j and in consequence of his appointment , in 1761 , by the Comte de Clermont , Grand Master of tho Lodges of the Realm , as his substitute or representative , the

Grand Lodge refused to recognise him or sit under his presidency . So he , Lacorne , formed a second Grand Lodge , and composed it of men of low condition ; and the old members continued to meet as a Grand Lodge . The Council of Emperors of the East and West was not formed by him , but had been in existence at least as early as 1758 . He formed no body of the high Degrees at all , hut a Grand Lodge of the

Symbolic Degrees . On the 24 th of June 1762 the two Grand Lodges united , the Comte de Clermont having revoked Lacorne ' s commission , and appointed in his stead Chaillon de Jonville—iuho had signed Morin ' s Patent on the 27 th of August 1761 , in the character of Substitute . General of the Order .

As Lacorne was recognised by the Grand Lodge , as will be seen presently , when Morin ' s Patent was granted , on the 27 th of August 1761 , the refusal to recognise him and the formation by him of another Grand Lodge must have taken place later in that year . Neither did Lacorne " grant a Patent to a Jeiv named Morin . The Pouvoirs given to Stephen Morin were granted by those who

described themselves thus : " We , the undersigned , Substitutes-General of the Royal Art , Grand Wardens aud Officers of the Gr ind aud Sovereign Lodge of Saint-John of Jerusalem , established at the 0 . * . of Paris- and we , S . Grand Masters of the Grand Council of the Lodges of Fiance , under the protection of tho Grand Sovereign Lodge , nnder the sacred and

An Inaccurate Historian.

mysterious numbers , do declare , certify and ordain , to all the D . \ B . B ., Kts . * . P [ rinces ] spread over the two Hemispheres , that we being assembled by order of the Substitute-General , President of the Grand Council , a petition ( requite ) communicated to ns by the Reap . * Bro . ' . Lacorne , Substitute of onr Th . ' . M . \ G . M . Knight and Prince Mason , was read in session . "

The requite is stated to have been that it wonld please the Grand Council and Grand Lodge . to grant Morin Letters-Patent for Constitutions . Tbe Patent was declared to be signed by the Substitute-General of the Order , Grand Commander of tbe White and Black Eagle , Sovereign Sublime Prince of Royal Secret , and Chief of the Eminent

Degree of the Royal Art , and by us Grand Inspectors , Sublime Officers of the Grand Connoil and of the Grand Lodge established in this capital , " and to be " sealed with the Great Seal of our 111 . Grand Master S [ on ] AQtesse ] S [ erene ] , and with that of onr Grand Lodgo aud Sov . ' . Grand Council . " The signatures are " Chaillon DE JONVILLE , Substitute General of tbe Order , Yen . * . Master of the 1 st Lodge in France , called St . Thomas ,

Chief of the Eminent Degrees , Commandant and Sublime Prince of Royal Secret : The Bro . Prince DE ROHAN , M . of the Grand Lodge l'Intelligence , S . Prince of Masonry : LACOKNE , Substitute of the G . M . R . D . Master of La Trinity Perfect Grand Elu , Kt . * . and Prince Mason : Savalette DE BUCKOLY , Grand Keeper of tbe Seals , Grand Elu , Grand Kt . and Prince Mason : TAUPIN , etc ., Prince Mason : Brest DE IA CHAUSSEE , etc ., G . E . P . M . C . Prince Mason : Comte DE CHOISEUL , etc ., Prince Mason : and Boucher DE LENONCOUKT , etc ., P . M .

Par Ordre of the Grand Lodge . So signed—DAUBANTIN , G [ rand ] Efleot ] P [ erfeot ] M [ ason ] and C [ hef . ] P [ rmoe ] M [ ason ] andR [ esp . ] V [ en . ] M [ aster ] of the Lodge de Saint-Alphonse , Grand Secret of tho Grand Lodge and of the Subl . Council of Perfect Masons in France , eto . "—Thory : Foundation du Grand Orient de France , 121 to 124 . The signers were not men of low condition , and did not belong to Lacorne ' s after-created Grand Lodge .

3 . " The next step was the amicable settlement of the difficulties with the French Grand Lodge , and the re . absorbtion into its bosom of the Twenty-five Degree malcontents ; npon whioh the Grand Lodge revoked all Morin ' s privileges . " There were no difficulties with " the French Grand Lodge" to

settle . At the time when Morin ' s Patent was issued ( 27 th August 1761 ) , tbe Governing Body of the Rite of Perfection had made a quasi union with the Grand Lodge , and the Patent was issued by both—by the Grand Lodge for the Symbolic Masonry , and by most of the signers , as Prince Masons , for the Rite of Perfection . Tbat , npon a settlement of the difficulties , the Twenty-five Degree malcontents

were re-absorbed into tbe bosom of the Grand Lodge , is a flight of fancy . The trnth is tbat tho quasi union between the Council of Emperors and the Grand Lodge was soon after dissolved , and when the Grand Lodge revoked Morin ' s commission , it had no longer any connection with the Body of Twenty-five Degrees , and was purely a Symbolic Body . And the revocation only recalled his powers as to

tbe Blue Degrees . It is not known that he ever established a Lodge , or gave even one of the Blue Degrees to any man . The malcontents were not " Twenty-five-Degree " men at all j but the persons who composed Lacorne ' s Grand Lodge of Master-Masons : and in 1765 the Grand Lodge became tired of them , ou

account of their low condition in life and their ignorance , and deliberately " froze them out . "—Thory , Acta Latomorum , I . 86 . And tho powers of Morin were recalled by the Grand Lodge some ten years after the reunion of the two Grand Lodges . Mr . Yarker ' s whole account of this affair is a travesty .

4 . " Morin found there was money in the Rite , and started the business on his own account , by peddling it in America . " No one has any right to say that ; for absolutely all thafc is known in regard to Morin ' s aotion under his commission is that he gave the Degrees of the Rite of Perfection , from 4 to 25 , to Francken and

three or four others , and made them Deputy Inspectors . It is not known that he received money for this , and it is not known that he himself ever created a Lodge of Perfection . It is not known that he ever was in the United States at all : and nobody knows when or where he died .

5 . "A few of these located in Charleston , abont the year 1802 , forged a sort of charter , which they fathered on Frederick the Great , of Prussia , alleging that ho had signed it in 1786 , at a time when he lay in a comotose state , dying . " A few of these did nofc " locate in Charleston about the year 1802 . " The Comte de Grasse was Master of a Lodge there , and was made

25 th and a Deputy Inspector there , three or four years earlier than 1800 . His father-in-law , Delahogue , was also tbere some yeara before 1800 , and was made 25 th and Deputy Inspector there before then . Of the original members of the Supreme Council , Lt .. Colonel Johu Mitchell was a native of South Carolina , and served iu the armies of

tho Revolution . So did Major Thomas B . Bowen . Dr . James Moultrie was a native of South Carolina , of one of its oldest families . Drs . Dalcho and Auld were old resident * , and so were Bros . De Lieben , Levy , De la Motta , and Alexander . There is not the slightest proof thafc the Constitutions of 1783 wero forged afc Charleston . The imputation is an offensive one , made against men of honour , in all good respects at least the equals of

Mr . Yarker . In May 1786 , the date of the Constitutions , Frederick did nofc " lie iu a comatose state , dying . " He died in August ; and in May and , indeed , nntil the very day before his death , he conduotad all the affairs of bis kingdom with the same intelligence as ever It is to be regretted for the sake of the historians , and of Miraboau and of Zimmermaun the physician , that thoir positive statements