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A Masonic Relic.
A MASONIC RELIC .
EEOENTLY a historical find was made of moro than ordinary importance . Among a number of old books and paper ? , resurrected from their long-forgotten resting place in the attic of an old country house in Delaware County , whero they had lain undisturhed for almost
a century , was a leather-covered folio book , which , upon examination , proved to bo ono of the long-lost records of the Masonic Lodge which was held at the Tun Tavern on Water Street in Philadelphia , during the early decades of the last century .
The contents of the book consist of 106 closely written page ? , setting forth all their proceedings , and , in addition , recording the names of every candidate , member and visitor who was present or advanced at the various meetings . In fact , it is the first minute book of the Lodge ,
and covers the period from 28 th June 1749 to 2 nd July 1755 , when the Lodge changed its meeting place to the newly-elected Freemasons' Hall , in Norris ( Lodge ) Alley . The importance of this old relic will be recognised when ifc is stated that heretofore nothing whatever has been known
of the official or social workings of the Masonio Brethren who flourished in Pennsylvania under the dispensation from the Grand Lodge of all England , extending from 1730 until the decade prior to the Revolution , when , on
account of political differences , application was made by sundry Brethren in Philadelphia to the rival Grand Lodge in England , known as the " Ancient York Masons , " for permission to hold Lodges in Pennsylvania under their authority .
In response to these applications two or three Lodges were warranted about 1759-60 , either by the Grand Master or the Grand Lodge , It is from these Lodges of tho A . Y . M . that tho present Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has
its origin . As the majority of the members of the first Provincial Grand Lodge , working under the " Grand Lodge of All England , " were politically inclined towards the Crown , that branch of Masonry rapidly declined in the troublous
times immediately preceding the Revolution , the patriot brethren affiliating with the new Lodges of the A . Y . M . rite . Thus the absolute absence of all records was always accounted for by the supposition that they were either carried away by their Loyalist custodians in their flight from the country , or else were destroyed during the war .
In the year 1884 the first scrap of authentic information , outside of the announcements in Franklin ' s paper , was found . This was an old account book , known as " Liber B , " and now in possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania , which gives the names and accounts of the
19 members who composed St . John ' s Lodge in Philadelphia , the first Masonic Lodge in America . It was this Lodge . which a few years afterwards resolved itself into a Provincial Grand Lodge . It covers the period from 24 th June 1731 to 1738 , and settles the claim of Pennsylvania ' s
priority to Freemasonry in America . But , independent of this great fact and the names of 19 members , ifc gives no insight into the Masonic life of the Order . The volume which has now come to light is the " Book of Proceedings " of the "Masons' Lodge held at the Tun Tavern in
Water Street , " and contains many curious entries , not the least of which is the invariable close of each proceedings with the announcement , " Ten o ' clock ye Lodge closed , " a custom which might well be followed by the brethren of the present day .
The firsfc entry in the book is dated " Wednesday , 28 th June 1749—present Bro . Griffin , Mr . Reily , S . W ., Shee , J . W . Members present , Bros . Corfe—Arstidale—Mullan—Wright—Eve—Foster . Visiting brethren , Bros . Murray—Alsop—Gantony and Duglap . " The business of the Lodge
consisted of electing a Tyler and a Committee to amend the Bye-Laws , after which a number of gentlemen were proposed for initiation , together with recommendations for passing and raising others , a separate ballot being taken in each case .
Another curious feature was that the Lodge met in the E . A . degree , and occasionally admitted visitors who were not Freemasons . Thus , in the Proceedings , 12 th August 1752 , among the visitors appears the entry : "Samuel Austin , nofc a brother . "
Thafc matters afc this early day did nofc always run smoothly is shown under date 5 th August 1749 , when a ballot was held " whether or no three of the leading
A Masonic Relic.
members should be continued or excluded from tho Lodge , " after which the Secretary was ordered to " raise" their names off tho books as members . Three weeks later a petition was sent to Benjamin Franklin Prov . Grand Master , to grant a " deputation " nndor his sanction .
Early in September , the Master , being accused by several members of some irregular " practices , contrary to the dignity of the Chair , " is asked in open Lodge to clear up the charges by the next regular meeting . This ho succeeded in doing at the Lodge , 27 th September
1749—" agreeable to the members . " After this episode matters went on in harmony , and at the Lodge , 19 th December 1749 , ifc was agreed by the majority , to celebrate St . John ' s Day by a dinner at the Tun Tavern , at 10 o ' clock , and " each Mason to bring his wife or a partner to a dance at
night , the expense of which to be left to the majority of the members after the dinner is over . " Tho expense of this celebration , as is shown by the next minutes , was £ 23 17 s 5 d , and 20 shillings were voted to the servants of the tavern .
Several cases are noted where members were imprisoned for debt , application being made to the Lodge to release them from durance vile—the most interesting case being that of Brother Smith , in 1753 . Six pounds were voted for his relief , but did not prove sufficient , when the Master
offered to advance ten pounds for the brother ' s relief , provided he gave his watch and books as' security— " upon condition fche Lodge , when in cash , pay him and take tlio watch and books , if they be not redeemed by Smith ; to which the Lodge agreed , and the things to bo left with tho Lodge in pledge . "
Another entry in a different vein , informs us thafc " The questions being put how we , as Masons , ought to be regulated in respect of our expenses at a regular Lodge night , and a ballot being made , agreed that no member shall be obliged to spend more than two shillings and sixpence
during Lodge hours without his consent , and do not depart paying less than two shillings and sixpence . " "It being proposed thafc no liquor be called for in Lodgo
hours but by the consent of tho Masters and Wardens , a ballot being made passed in the affirmative ; but so that nothing be understood to the contrary of each brother ' s spending two shillings and sixpence . "
There are numerous entries showing that Officers were entered , passed and raised in one night during tho exciting French and Indian troubles .
Thus the Lodge nourished , and when the proposed Freemasons' Hall , in Norn ' s Alley , was nearing completion , the question was put , on St . John ' s Day , 27 th December 1754 , " whether or not tho Lodge shall be removed to ye new Lodge lately erected , " the Brethren to a man voted in the negative .
The next six months , however , brought about a change of mind , and the last minute in the old register sets forth : " At a Lodge held ye 7 th June 1755 , at 6 o ' clock in yo
morning , the Lodge opened and choze all the old officers for ye ensuing six months , and adjourned to the Lodgo Hall in order to join the procession appointed for this day . "
This occasion was perhaps the greatest gala day of fche " Modern" Masons . There were 130 Brethren in line , who marched to Christ Church , where Brother William Smith preached the firsfc of his Masonic sermons , which havo since become historic . With the dedication of tho
" New Lodge" the minutes cease , and ifc may well bo inferred that from thence on the Lodge changed its meeting place from the Tun Tavern to the Freemasons ' Hall , until the troubles incident to the Revolution suppressed
the aristocratic Moderns , when the patriotic brethren almost to a man affiliated with the more patriotic Ancients , and laid the foundation of our present R . W . Grand Lodge and its hundreds of subordinate Lodges .
JULIUS F . SACHSE . Pub . Ledger , Philadelphia , 26 th Feb . 1892 . —Milwaukee Masonic Ticlt 7 igs
HOLIOWAT ' Pitts . —Thero is nothing in tho whole " "Materia Medica " like theso medicaments for tho certainty ol * their action in lumbago , sciatica , ticrtoloureux , ancl all ( lying or settled pains in tho nerves and muscles . Diseases of this nature originate in bad blood and depraved humours , and until these aro corrected thero can be no permanent euro . Tho ordinary remedies afford but temporary relief , and in the ond always disappoint the sufferer . Holioway ' s Ointment penetrates tho human system as salt penetrates meat , and tho Pills greatljr assist and accelerate its operation by clearing away all obstructions and giving tone to tho system generally . Tho prophylactic virtues of Holioway ' s remedies stand unrivalled .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Masonic Relic.
A MASONIC RELIC .
EEOENTLY a historical find was made of moro than ordinary importance . Among a number of old books and paper ? , resurrected from their long-forgotten resting place in the attic of an old country house in Delaware County , whero they had lain undisturhed for almost
a century , was a leather-covered folio book , which , upon examination , proved to bo ono of the long-lost records of the Masonic Lodge which was held at the Tun Tavern on Water Street in Philadelphia , during the early decades of the last century .
The contents of the book consist of 106 closely written page ? , setting forth all their proceedings , and , in addition , recording the names of every candidate , member and visitor who was present or advanced at the various meetings . In fact , it is the first minute book of the Lodge ,
and covers the period from 28 th June 1749 to 2 nd July 1755 , when the Lodge changed its meeting place to the newly-elected Freemasons' Hall , in Norris ( Lodge ) Alley . The importance of this old relic will be recognised when ifc is stated that heretofore nothing whatever has been known
of the official or social workings of the Masonio Brethren who flourished in Pennsylvania under the dispensation from the Grand Lodge of all England , extending from 1730 until the decade prior to the Revolution , when , on
account of political differences , application was made by sundry Brethren in Philadelphia to the rival Grand Lodge in England , known as the " Ancient York Masons , " for permission to hold Lodges in Pennsylvania under their authority .
In response to these applications two or three Lodges were warranted about 1759-60 , either by the Grand Master or the Grand Lodge , It is from these Lodges of tho A . Y . M . that tho present Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has
its origin . As the majority of the members of the first Provincial Grand Lodge , working under the " Grand Lodge of All England , " were politically inclined towards the Crown , that branch of Masonry rapidly declined in the troublous
times immediately preceding the Revolution , the patriot brethren affiliating with the new Lodges of the A . Y . M . rite . Thus the absolute absence of all records was always accounted for by the supposition that they were either carried away by their Loyalist custodians in their flight from the country , or else were destroyed during the war .
In the year 1884 the first scrap of authentic information , outside of the announcements in Franklin ' s paper , was found . This was an old account book , known as " Liber B , " and now in possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania , which gives the names and accounts of the
19 members who composed St . John ' s Lodge in Philadelphia , the first Masonic Lodge in America . It was this Lodge . which a few years afterwards resolved itself into a Provincial Grand Lodge . It covers the period from 24 th June 1731 to 1738 , and settles the claim of Pennsylvania ' s
priority to Freemasonry in America . But , independent of this great fact and the names of 19 members , ifc gives no insight into the Masonic life of the Order . The volume which has now come to light is the " Book of Proceedings " of the "Masons' Lodge held at the Tun Tavern in
Water Street , " and contains many curious entries , not the least of which is the invariable close of each proceedings with the announcement , " Ten o ' clock ye Lodge closed , " a custom which might well be followed by the brethren of the present day .
The firsfc entry in the book is dated " Wednesday , 28 th June 1749—present Bro . Griffin , Mr . Reily , S . W ., Shee , J . W . Members present , Bros . Corfe—Arstidale—Mullan—Wright—Eve—Foster . Visiting brethren , Bros . Murray—Alsop—Gantony and Duglap . " The business of the Lodge
consisted of electing a Tyler and a Committee to amend the Bye-Laws , after which a number of gentlemen were proposed for initiation , together with recommendations for passing and raising others , a separate ballot being taken in each case .
Another curious feature was that the Lodge met in the E . A . degree , and occasionally admitted visitors who were not Freemasons . Thus , in the Proceedings , 12 th August 1752 , among the visitors appears the entry : "Samuel Austin , nofc a brother . "
Thafc matters afc this early day did nofc always run smoothly is shown under date 5 th August 1749 , when a ballot was held " whether or no three of the leading
A Masonic Relic.
members should be continued or excluded from tho Lodge , " after which the Secretary was ordered to " raise" their names off tho books as members . Three weeks later a petition was sent to Benjamin Franklin Prov . Grand Master , to grant a " deputation " nndor his sanction .
Early in September , the Master , being accused by several members of some irregular " practices , contrary to the dignity of the Chair , " is asked in open Lodge to clear up the charges by the next regular meeting . This ho succeeded in doing at the Lodge , 27 th September
1749—" agreeable to the members . " After this episode matters went on in harmony , and at the Lodge , 19 th December 1749 , ifc was agreed by the majority , to celebrate St . John ' s Day by a dinner at the Tun Tavern , at 10 o ' clock , and " each Mason to bring his wife or a partner to a dance at
night , the expense of which to be left to the majority of the members after the dinner is over . " Tho expense of this celebration , as is shown by the next minutes , was £ 23 17 s 5 d , and 20 shillings were voted to the servants of the tavern .
Several cases are noted where members were imprisoned for debt , application being made to the Lodge to release them from durance vile—the most interesting case being that of Brother Smith , in 1753 . Six pounds were voted for his relief , but did not prove sufficient , when the Master
offered to advance ten pounds for the brother ' s relief , provided he gave his watch and books as' security— " upon condition fche Lodge , when in cash , pay him and take tlio watch and books , if they be not redeemed by Smith ; to which the Lodge agreed , and the things to bo left with tho Lodge in pledge . "
Another entry in a different vein , informs us thafc " The questions being put how we , as Masons , ought to be regulated in respect of our expenses at a regular Lodge night , and a ballot being made , agreed that no member shall be obliged to spend more than two shillings and sixpence
during Lodge hours without his consent , and do not depart paying less than two shillings and sixpence . " "It being proposed thafc no liquor be called for in Lodgo
hours but by the consent of tho Masters and Wardens , a ballot being made passed in the affirmative ; but so that nothing be understood to the contrary of each brother ' s spending two shillings and sixpence . "
There are numerous entries showing that Officers were entered , passed and raised in one night during tho exciting French and Indian troubles .
Thus the Lodge nourished , and when the proposed Freemasons' Hall , in Norn ' s Alley , was nearing completion , the question was put , on St . John ' s Day , 27 th December 1754 , " whether or not tho Lodge shall be removed to ye new Lodge lately erected , " the Brethren to a man voted in the negative .
The next six months , however , brought about a change of mind , and the last minute in the old register sets forth : " At a Lodge held ye 7 th June 1755 , at 6 o ' clock in yo
morning , the Lodge opened and choze all the old officers for ye ensuing six months , and adjourned to the Lodgo Hall in order to join the procession appointed for this day . "
This occasion was perhaps the greatest gala day of fche " Modern" Masons . There were 130 Brethren in line , who marched to Christ Church , where Brother William Smith preached the firsfc of his Masonic sermons , which havo since become historic . With the dedication of tho
" New Lodge" the minutes cease , and ifc may well bo inferred that from thence on the Lodge changed its meeting place from the Tun Tavern to the Freemasons ' Hall , until the troubles incident to the Revolution suppressed
the aristocratic Moderns , when the patriotic brethren almost to a man affiliated with the more patriotic Ancients , and laid the foundation of our present R . W . Grand Lodge and its hundreds of subordinate Lodges .
JULIUS F . SACHSE . Pub . Ledger , Philadelphia , 26 th Feb . 1892 . —Milwaukee Masonic Ticlt 7 igs
HOLIOWAT ' Pitts . —Thero is nothing in tho whole " "Materia Medica " like theso medicaments for tho certainty ol * their action in lumbago , sciatica , ticrtoloureux , ancl all ( lying or settled pains in tho nerves and muscles . Diseases of this nature originate in bad blood and depraved humours , and until these aro corrected thero can be no permanent euro . Tho ordinary remedies afford but temporary relief , and in the ond always disappoint the sufferer . Holioway ' s Ointment penetrates tho human system as salt penetrates meat , and tho Pills greatljr assist and accelerate its operation by clearing away all obstructions and giving tone to tho system generally . Tho prophylactic virtues of Holioway ' s remedies stand unrivalled .