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Article A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1 Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Step In The Right Direction.
and justly esteemed brother , and let us hope that English Freemasons have for ever irradiated this worse than Egyptian
obscurity . Let every religious opinion be equally respected , let every honest phase of relig ious belief be equally represented in Freemasonry .
That is all we want , and that is what the Craft in England will have before some of us are grey . It is well-known that special Orders connected with the Masonic
Institution , and representing these truths , are already powerful organisations in England , and their claims are entitled to respect . For many years these Orders enjoyed the
active support of the Masonic authorities , and for many subsequent years as we have intimated , they languished under the ban of those who ought to have been their
protectors and guides . Happily , a ray of sunshine now appears to 23 enetrate the gloom of this undeserved neglect , and the dawn of brighter days is before those good and
faithful brethren . It is only necessary to state that the Grand Conclave of Knights Templar will again be permitted to use " Freemasons' Hall" for their half-yearly
meetings , to enable our readers to realise the full force of our remarks , and the permission accorded to this distinguished branch of ehivalric Masonry cannot of course bc
withheld from other degrees , such as the Rose Croix or Red Cross , which arc placed in a similar position . This wise and prudent determination on the part of the rulers of
the Craft comes with special grace at a time when , as we arc privatel y informed , preparations are being made for the reception of His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales as a Knight Templar , and when his admission to other grades of the Order may be dail y expected . The High Grades , in which wc comprise the " Templar , " the
Red Cross of Constantine , and the " Ancient and Accepted Rite , " seek for no recognition which shall deprive them of one iota of their ancient rights , nor do they
desire any compromise which would in the slightest degree abridge the catholicity of Craft Masonry . But the time is now rapidly
approaching—and it is one which the vast majority of English brethren will hail with satisfaction—when all the rites or Orders of
Freemasonry which are outgrowths of the Craft will bc sheltered under the wing of one "Grand Council of Rites , " when the moneys which arc now scattered over four or
hve different organisations will bc gathered into one treasury , to be made available for the relief or the solace of our fellowcreatures , particularly our brethren in
Freemasonry in each and every degree . In this spirit , and with this anticipation , wc heartily congratulate our brother Knights Templar on their reappearance in our Masonic
I duple , confident as we arc that the doctrines which they inculcate , and the precepts they teach , will never be found in antagonism to the primary principles of the Craft .
PEMIIROKE LODGE , No . 1299 , will be consecrated on Thursday 24 th inst ., at West Derby , bv Bro . Thomas Wylie , W . P . G . R ., P . P . G . Sec , & c ., ' West Lancashire . Bro . William , P . M . 249 and 1094 , will be the first Worshipful Master .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—0—There is a lodge held in London called the "Lodge of Nine Muses . " Can any of your
readers give the origin of this name , or state if the lodge is composed of men celebrated for literary abilities , either in poetry or prose ? A PROVINCIAL BROTHER .
[ The "Lodge of Nine Muses" is a very select one at the present day , and numbers very few members . Bro . J . M . Clabon , P . G . D ., one of the best speakers in Grand Lodge , is a
P . M . of the "Nine Muses . " When formed the lodge was chiefly composed of literary men , and a lodge of the same name in Paris was confined to litterateurs , including the philosophic Benjamin Franklin . —ED . F ]
Can the Kadosh degree be legall y worked in an English K . T . Encampment ? SIGMA . [ We believe not , nor can we imagine that under existing circumstances any regular Encampment would attempt to confer it . The
Rose Croix and Kadosh were formerly worked under the K . T . warrant , but since the formation ofthe Supreme Grand Council 33 ° , in 1845 , the degrees are given under its jurisdiction . This is as it should be . —ED . F . ~\
Can you explain the reason why there are two differing systems of working in London , under the very eyes of the authorities , viz . : — those known as "Emulation" and "Stability ?" A . D . O .
[ The reason is simply this , that at the time of the union in 1813 , Bro . the Rev . Dr . Hemming was commissioned by the Duke of Sussex to prepare a uniform ritual for the three degrees , but as he became incapacitated for the task
before its completion , Bro . Williams , P . G . M ., for Dorset , was called upon to undertake the work , when to the surprise of many , who had heard Hemming ' s ritual during its progress under the doctor ' s manipulation , the ritual Bro .
Williams produced varied from it in several particulars . In order to please the friends of both preceptors , the Grand Master allowed the promulgation of both rituals ! Hence originated
the rival schools , afterwards called by the names of theirpreceptors , the "Broadfoot" or "Thompson , " and the "Gilkes" working , now known as the "Emulation" and "Stability . "—En . P . ]
CIIARLF . S TOWARD STUART . Was the unfortunate Prince Charles , the "Young Pretender , " a Freemason?—QUERIST . [ It is a favourite theory of the supporters of High Grand Masonry , that the Prince founded
a Chapter of the Rose Croix at Arras , but no real proof of the assertion has yet been established . Charles Edward Stuart , was undoubtedly a Knight Templar , but at the time of his reception , 1745 , there was evidently no
connection between the Scottish Templars and the Freemasons . We believe in the transmission of the Order of the Temple from ancient times through the descendants of the Scottish Knights
and the fact of the " Young Pretender s admission into the Order so far back as one hundred and ticentyfive years ago , speaks volumes for the authenticity of the present Chapter General of the Temple in Scotland . —En . F ]
COLOURED MASON'S . I am glad to sec by the article " Our Exchanges " last week , lhat lodges composed of men of colour are spreading in America . It is humiliating to think of the use which the white
brethren in America could make of Freemasonry as a civilizing agent for the njgrocs , if they only studied a little more in reality the great principles of liberty before man , and equality before God . COSMOS .
MARK MA' . OXKV ( p . 6 S ) . Your correspondent "An Old Mark , " seems to me to make several mistakes in his remarks . It is not " certain that the inventors of the third degree were of the Mark , " for the Mark cere-
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
mony was not invented till long after 1717 ; it was not , therefore , before them , " always a degree per se . " The old operative Masons , apprentices , fellows , and masters used marks , but we have no evidence whatever of their knowing or practising aught of our Mark
ceremony or ritual , but otherwise . As to the Mark being the link ( before 1717 ) "between Craft Masonry and the higher degrees , " that , I consider , is purely imaginary . Lastly , I am prepared to believe that the Royal Arch degree is quite as old as , if not even older than , the Mark degree . ¦ LEO .
THE MARK DEGREE . How old is this degree ? After your late article , which I read with much interest , I am anxious to take it , if only to support the English body against the absurd pretensions of Messrs .
Mackersey and Co . R . A . M . [ It is difficult to state with certainty when the Mark Degree originated , but it is clear that it was one of the first additions to the Ancient York Rite . In 1780 , it was given as the second of
a series called "Ark , Mark , Link , and Wrestle , the latter two being sometimes called the "Link and Chain , " Of these the first-named expanded into the " Royal Ark Mariner , " a degree still worked in Scotland in connection with Royal
Arch Masonry , but scarcely known in this country except to a few Masonic students , amongst whom we may mention Bro . Hughan , P . G . Sec , Cornwall , and Bro . Little , P . G . Sec , Middlesex . A "Royal Ark" Lodge , was
formerly called a "Vessel , " and the chief Vessel was " anchored" at the Surrey Tavern , in the Strand . The presiding officer was termed the Grand Commander Noah , and his lieutenants represented Shem and Japheth . W e have seen
a warrant for this degree , which was signed by "Robert Gill , " in 179 6 . Bro . Gill was a zealous and enthusiastic Mason , and for many years served as Grand Vice-Chancellor of the Knights Templar . The ritual ofthe Ark
Mariner ' s degree is very pleasing and simple , and might , perhaps , with advantage be taken up and preserved as a relic ofthe past by the authorities ofthe Mark Grand Lodge of England . The ceremony now worked in English Alark Lodges ,
is not , m our opinion , an improvement upon the old ritual which is still used in Irish Lodges ; the language is too verbose and elaborate , and as a rule the degree is seldom worked in its entirety . It may well he considered a link in
the chain of Universal Masonry , and we therefore trust the Grand Chapter of Scotland will see the impolicy of refusing recognition to the rapidly-growing body of English Mark Masters . — ED . F ]
COLOURED MASONIC LODGES IX SAX FRANCISCO . There are three coloured Masonic Lodges in this city , viz .: — Hannibal Lod ? e , No . 1 , organized 1852 . Meet
every Wednesday evening . Officers : Bros . G . A . Deval . W . M . ; Charles '" ! - ! . Fisher , S . W . ; Wm . Davis , J . W . ; Rev . A . B . Smith , Treasurer ; Jas . R . Starkie , Secretary ; A . Harrison , Tyler .
Victoria Lodge , No . 3 , organized 1853 . Meet every Monday evening . Officers : Bros . David XV . Ruggles , W . M . ; James Johnson , S . W . ; Francis Green , J . W . ; A . Loney , Treasurer ; A .
J . Ward , Secretary ; A . Harrison , Tyler . These lodges meet on the N . E . corner of Broadway and Mason-streets , and are working under the National Grand Lodge of America .
Olive Branch , No . 5 , organized 1855 . Officers : Bros . Edward Quinn , W . M . ; James H . Bell , S . W . ; James E . Francis , J . W . ; Henry Tolhot , Treasurer ; Nelson Cook , Secretary ; Israel C .
Wilson , Tyler . Meet every lhursday evening in King Hiram ' s Hall , 541 , Broadway . Working under charter from United Grand Lodge of New-York . Bro . W . A . Smith , D . D . G . M . —The F . le : < ator .
There is in Lewes Castle a small organ which once belonged to Queen Elizabeth , but which is now the property of the South Saxon Lodge of Freemasons in that town . It was for many years
preserved in a recess in the old castle , being presented to the lodge by the Duke of Sussex . It has now been repaired by Mr . Starnes , organist to the lodge . — Musical Standard .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Step In The Right Direction.
and justly esteemed brother , and let us hope that English Freemasons have for ever irradiated this worse than Egyptian
obscurity . Let every religious opinion be equally respected , let every honest phase of relig ious belief be equally represented in Freemasonry .
That is all we want , and that is what the Craft in England will have before some of us are grey . It is well-known that special Orders connected with the Masonic
Institution , and representing these truths , are already powerful organisations in England , and their claims are entitled to respect . For many years these Orders enjoyed the
active support of the Masonic authorities , and for many subsequent years as we have intimated , they languished under the ban of those who ought to have been their
protectors and guides . Happily , a ray of sunshine now appears to 23 enetrate the gloom of this undeserved neglect , and the dawn of brighter days is before those good and
faithful brethren . It is only necessary to state that the Grand Conclave of Knights Templar will again be permitted to use " Freemasons' Hall" for their half-yearly
meetings , to enable our readers to realise the full force of our remarks , and the permission accorded to this distinguished branch of ehivalric Masonry cannot of course bc
withheld from other degrees , such as the Rose Croix or Red Cross , which arc placed in a similar position . This wise and prudent determination on the part of the rulers of
the Craft comes with special grace at a time when , as we arc privatel y informed , preparations are being made for the reception of His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales as a Knight Templar , and when his admission to other grades of the Order may be dail y expected . The High Grades , in which wc comprise the " Templar , " the
Red Cross of Constantine , and the " Ancient and Accepted Rite , " seek for no recognition which shall deprive them of one iota of their ancient rights , nor do they
desire any compromise which would in the slightest degree abridge the catholicity of Craft Masonry . But the time is now rapidly
approaching—and it is one which the vast majority of English brethren will hail with satisfaction—when all the rites or Orders of
Freemasonry which are outgrowths of the Craft will bc sheltered under the wing of one "Grand Council of Rites , " when the moneys which arc now scattered over four or
hve different organisations will bc gathered into one treasury , to be made available for the relief or the solace of our fellowcreatures , particularly our brethren in
Freemasonry in each and every degree . In this spirit , and with this anticipation , wc heartily congratulate our brother Knights Templar on their reappearance in our Masonic
I duple , confident as we arc that the doctrines which they inculcate , and the precepts they teach , will never be found in antagonism to the primary principles of the Craft .
PEMIIROKE LODGE , No . 1299 , will be consecrated on Thursday 24 th inst ., at West Derby , bv Bro . Thomas Wylie , W . P . G . R ., P . P . G . Sec , & c ., ' West Lancashire . Bro . William , P . M . 249 and 1094 , will be the first Worshipful Master .
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .
—0—There is a lodge held in London called the "Lodge of Nine Muses . " Can any of your
readers give the origin of this name , or state if the lodge is composed of men celebrated for literary abilities , either in poetry or prose ? A PROVINCIAL BROTHER .
[ The "Lodge of Nine Muses" is a very select one at the present day , and numbers very few members . Bro . J . M . Clabon , P . G . D ., one of the best speakers in Grand Lodge , is a
P . M . of the "Nine Muses . " When formed the lodge was chiefly composed of literary men , and a lodge of the same name in Paris was confined to litterateurs , including the philosophic Benjamin Franklin . —ED . F ]
Can the Kadosh degree be legall y worked in an English K . T . Encampment ? SIGMA . [ We believe not , nor can we imagine that under existing circumstances any regular Encampment would attempt to confer it . The
Rose Croix and Kadosh were formerly worked under the K . T . warrant , but since the formation ofthe Supreme Grand Council 33 ° , in 1845 , the degrees are given under its jurisdiction . This is as it should be . —ED . F . ~\
Can you explain the reason why there are two differing systems of working in London , under the very eyes of the authorities , viz . : — those known as "Emulation" and "Stability ?" A . D . O .
[ The reason is simply this , that at the time of the union in 1813 , Bro . the Rev . Dr . Hemming was commissioned by the Duke of Sussex to prepare a uniform ritual for the three degrees , but as he became incapacitated for the task
before its completion , Bro . Williams , P . G . M ., for Dorset , was called upon to undertake the work , when to the surprise of many , who had heard Hemming ' s ritual during its progress under the doctor ' s manipulation , the ritual Bro .
Williams produced varied from it in several particulars . In order to please the friends of both preceptors , the Grand Master allowed the promulgation of both rituals ! Hence originated
the rival schools , afterwards called by the names of theirpreceptors , the "Broadfoot" or "Thompson , " and the "Gilkes" working , now known as the "Emulation" and "Stability . "—En . P . ]
CIIARLF . S TOWARD STUART . Was the unfortunate Prince Charles , the "Young Pretender , " a Freemason?—QUERIST . [ It is a favourite theory of the supporters of High Grand Masonry , that the Prince founded
a Chapter of the Rose Croix at Arras , but no real proof of the assertion has yet been established . Charles Edward Stuart , was undoubtedly a Knight Templar , but at the time of his reception , 1745 , there was evidently no
connection between the Scottish Templars and the Freemasons . We believe in the transmission of the Order of the Temple from ancient times through the descendants of the Scottish Knights
and the fact of the " Young Pretender s admission into the Order so far back as one hundred and ticentyfive years ago , speaks volumes for the authenticity of the present Chapter General of the Temple in Scotland . —En . F ]
COLOURED MASON'S . I am glad to sec by the article " Our Exchanges " last week , lhat lodges composed of men of colour are spreading in America . It is humiliating to think of the use which the white
brethren in America could make of Freemasonry as a civilizing agent for the njgrocs , if they only studied a little more in reality the great principles of liberty before man , and equality before God . COSMOS .
MARK MA' . OXKV ( p . 6 S ) . Your correspondent "An Old Mark , " seems to me to make several mistakes in his remarks . It is not " certain that the inventors of the third degree were of the Mark , " for the Mark cere-
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
mony was not invented till long after 1717 ; it was not , therefore , before them , " always a degree per se . " The old operative Masons , apprentices , fellows , and masters used marks , but we have no evidence whatever of their knowing or practising aught of our Mark
ceremony or ritual , but otherwise . As to the Mark being the link ( before 1717 ) "between Craft Masonry and the higher degrees , " that , I consider , is purely imaginary . Lastly , I am prepared to believe that the Royal Arch degree is quite as old as , if not even older than , the Mark degree . ¦ LEO .
THE MARK DEGREE . How old is this degree ? After your late article , which I read with much interest , I am anxious to take it , if only to support the English body against the absurd pretensions of Messrs .
Mackersey and Co . R . A . M . [ It is difficult to state with certainty when the Mark Degree originated , but it is clear that it was one of the first additions to the Ancient York Rite . In 1780 , it was given as the second of
a series called "Ark , Mark , Link , and Wrestle , the latter two being sometimes called the "Link and Chain , " Of these the first-named expanded into the " Royal Ark Mariner , " a degree still worked in Scotland in connection with Royal
Arch Masonry , but scarcely known in this country except to a few Masonic students , amongst whom we may mention Bro . Hughan , P . G . Sec , Cornwall , and Bro . Little , P . G . Sec , Middlesex . A "Royal Ark" Lodge , was
formerly called a "Vessel , " and the chief Vessel was " anchored" at the Surrey Tavern , in the Strand . The presiding officer was termed the Grand Commander Noah , and his lieutenants represented Shem and Japheth . W e have seen
a warrant for this degree , which was signed by "Robert Gill , " in 179 6 . Bro . Gill was a zealous and enthusiastic Mason , and for many years served as Grand Vice-Chancellor of the Knights Templar . The ritual ofthe Ark
Mariner ' s degree is very pleasing and simple , and might , perhaps , with advantage be taken up and preserved as a relic ofthe past by the authorities ofthe Mark Grand Lodge of England . The ceremony now worked in English Alark Lodges ,
is not , m our opinion , an improvement upon the old ritual which is still used in Irish Lodges ; the language is too verbose and elaborate , and as a rule the degree is seldom worked in its entirety . It may well he considered a link in
the chain of Universal Masonry , and we therefore trust the Grand Chapter of Scotland will see the impolicy of refusing recognition to the rapidly-growing body of English Mark Masters . — ED . F ]
COLOURED MASONIC LODGES IX SAX FRANCISCO . There are three coloured Masonic Lodges in this city , viz .: — Hannibal Lod ? e , No . 1 , organized 1852 . Meet
every Wednesday evening . Officers : Bros . G . A . Deval . W . M . ; Charles '" ! - ! . Fisher , S . W . ; Wm . Davis , J . W . ; Rev . A . B . Smith , Treasurer ; Jas . R . Starkie , Secretary ; A . Harrison , Tyler .
Victoria Lodge , No . 3 , organized 1853 . Meet every Monday evening . Officers : Bros . David XV . Ruggles , W . M . ; James Johnson , S . W . ; Francis Green , J . W . ; A . Loney , Treasurer ; A .
J . Ward , Secretary ; A . Harrison , Tyler . These lodges meet on the N . E . corner of Broadway and Mason-streets , and are working under the National Grand Lodge of America .
Olive Branch , No . 5 , organized 1855 . Officers : Bros . Edward Quinn , W . M . ; James H . Bell , S . W . ; James E . Francis , J . W . ; Henry Tolhot , Treasurer ; Nelson Cook , Secretary ; Israel C .
Wilson , Tyler . Meet every lhursday evening in King Hiram ' s Hall , 541 , Broadway . Working under charter from United Grand Lodge of New-York . Bro . W . A . Smith , D . D . G . M . —The F . le : < ator .
There is in Lewes Castle a small organ which once belonged to Queen Elizabeth , but which is now the property of the South Saxon Lodge of Freemasons in that town . It was for many years
preserved in a recess in the old castle , being presented to the lodge by the Duke of Sussex . It has now been repaired by Mr . Starnes , organist to the lodge . — Musical Standard .