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Skwwwgggraf ^ SATURDAY , 20 TH JULY 1889 .

American Masonic Manias.

AMERICAN MASONIC MANIAS .

Br BRO . JACOB NORTON . WHEN I first came to Boston , I heard for the first time the phrase " Masonic Jurisprudence . " When I asked whether Masonic jurisprudence is not embraced in tho Masonic Constitutions ? I was answered that we have

written and unwritten laws , and Masonic jurisprudence means both kinds of laws . But the joke is , there is no agreement among our learned expounders of unwritten laws . I have here a book called " Digest of Masonic Law , being a complete code of Regulations , Decisions , and Opinions , " & c , by Geo . Wingate Chase , which is full of

contradictions . The mania of Masonic jurisprudence was magnified into a science . Symbolism also had its day . In 1846 ( I believe ) Mackey gave an outline of about two dozen Masonic landmarks , which he afterwards amplified

and enlarged , and which were quoted as " Gospel truth . " Since then the mania for expelling Masons for not believing that every word in the Bible was inspired , raged in several Masonic jurisdictions . Still more recently , laws wero

oaacted m some jurisdictions to expel saloon keepers from Masonry , bub the most absurd mania which afflicts some jurisdictions is the anti-Cerneauite mania . To make the subject clear to new subscribers or readers of tho FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE , I must inform them that

there are in existence some thirty ceremonies or degrees , which are variously called " Scotch Rite , " and " Ancient and Accepted Rite . " In reality , however , the said degrees are neither Scotch nor ancient . These degrees , wherever

they were introduced , always gave rise to splits , divisions , and discord . Now , in the United States , there are two Sovereigns of that Scotch rite , one is in the South and the other is iu

tho North , but the sovereiguty on each side of the dividing line ia disputed ; the descendants of Cerneau claim jurisdiction over all tho " United States and its Territories . "

These antagonistic factions abase each other ia Billingsgate style , each swears to be the Simon Pare , and denounces the opponent , as bogus , illegitimate , & c . Now , the leading members of the respective Grand Lodges North and South

belong either to what i 3 called the "Northern Jurisdiction " of tho A . aud A . rite , or to the " Southern Jurisdiction " of the same rite . As a rule , the leading dignitaries of the Grand Lodges North and South never paid a cent for the

honours of being thirty -thirded or thirty-seconded ; these degrees are conferred upon them merely as a bribe to enlist their influence in behalf of the faction ; getting , as

they do , these degrees for nothing , they are bound to sweatthrough thick aud thin that their organization is of the true blue blood , while tho other organizations arc mere Masonic bastards . For a time their squabbles were confined among

American Masonic Manias.

themselves , and were only made known through their own publications . But a few years ago a mania began to rage in certain jurisdictions , among the leading members of its

Grand Lodges , to pass laws for expelling from Masonry all thoso who belong to the Scotch rite of the opposite or Cerneau faction . The excuse of the said leaders of Grand Lodge is , that it was the duty of the Grand Lodgo to

prevent imposition among Masonic brethren . Tho fact , however , is simply this : both factions aro aliko worthless , but one faction sells its stuff for one hundred dollars , while

the other faction charges for the same stuff only twentyfive dollars . Now our worthy conscientious Grand Lodge members have no objection to our Masonic brethren being

cheated out of one hundred dollars , but they are ready to expel a brother Mason who allowed himself to be cheated out of twenty-five dollars . Bro . Parvin P . G . M .. and now Grand Secretary , and also

Chairman of tho Committee of Foreign Correspondence of Iowa , seemed to have been for some time the champion for Masonic rationalism ; he bravely fought , right and left , with all believers or pretended believers in the old nonsense

written in bygone times , and he does so still . But oveu Bro . Parvin has lost his balanco on the Saloon Keeper question . I do not think that he pretends to be a total

abstinence man ; at least he does not seem to insist that Masons must be teetotallers . It seems that ho does not object to moderate drinking by Masonic brethren , bat ho

is fiercely opposed to the man who sells them the liquor . This notion seems to me inconsistent , for if a man may drink , he surely must buy the stuff , and if he may buy it , then why may not another man sell it ? They say that in ancient times Masons used to meet on

high hills and in low vales . If so they could not havo been either English , Scotch , Irish , or American Masons , for , as far as I know , English speaking Masons , from the

remotest antiquity , always met in public houses . The four old Lodges" we read of , who formed the first Grand Lodge , met in public houses . The Grand Lodge of England was originally constituted in a public house , and for many years it continued to hold its meetings in public houses . The engraved Lodge Lists of the last century

prove conclusively that Lodges were principally known by the names and signboards of the public houses where they held their meetings , and even to-day a majority of the

English Lodges meet in public houses . Henry rrice constituted the first regular chartered Lodge in America in a Boston public house , and Franklin's unchartered Lodge in Philadelphia , from its very start in 1731 , used to meet in

a public house . Now , as a rule , the keepers of public houses where Masons meet are , and always were , Masons , and I never heard that public house keepers behaved worse in Lodges than brethren who follow other trades do . Iu

1739 , that is one hundred and fifty years ago , Bro . Luke Yardy , the keeper of a public house wherein the Boston Lodge used to hold its meetings , walked in a public St . John ' s Day Masonic procession , in Boston , sido by side

with Henry Price , Andrew Belcher , and other founders of American legitimate Masonry ; and if a public house keeper was worthy of being a Mason then , why cannot ouo of them be worthy of Masonry to-day ? Besides , for a

number of years after my arrival iu America , the Grand Lodge of New York used to hold its meetings in a public house , and so did every Lodge iu New . York and Brooklyn . The Grand Lodge of England lets part of its premises for

a tavern , or public house , and the manager of Freemasons ' Tavern is a Mason , aud a worthy one too . In short , public houses may be claimed to have beeu , iu olden times , tho

hot-houses and nurseries of ancient Freemasonry , and I believe that if thero had been no public houses in England for hundreds of years past , we should have been to-day without Masonic Ldrlges both in England and America .

Bat that is not all . I was verbally informed ([ hope it is not true ) that my philosophic friend Bro . Parvin was recently attacked with tho now spreading anti-Cerncauinm mania . Now , I can understand the reason of extremo

teetotallers for opposing tho admissiou or even expelling the Saloon Keepers from Masonry , but I cannot oouoeivo what Bro . Parvin can say against Ccrneauism that cannot with equal jiutiee be said against Gourgasisru , Pikeisui ,

Teaiplarism , and all other kinds of high dugretis / ji . One is not better than another , and no Grand Lodge has a right to patronise or to recommend either kind of hambug .

-rt ^ L -ii . _ n T >_ . T > »„ .. _ , » :.. „„ „ .. » : ») :.. But with all Bro . Parvia ' 3 new notiun ? , we are still indebted to him for the guod Le has done , aad is still doing , in hit , efforts to cure our deluded American Masonic writers of