The Traditions And Symbolisms Of The Mark Degree.

' ts membership , since there is no branch of Freemasonry which has been so much neglected . I desire , however , not to trench upon any of the ground so excellently occupied by our Provincial Grand Master in those very useful addresses on

he Mark Degree and its lessons , which he has from time to time delivered to us at these meetings . I shall , therefore , endeavour to avoid all reference to the points which he has already elucidated in a far more capable manner than I can hope to do .

In glancing at the Traditions and Symbolism of the Mark Degree—for indeed this is all we can hope to do within the compass of a paper like this —it may be well that we should first dwell a little on its history in more modern times , resting satisfied that the Mark Degree is an essential po'tion of Ancient Freemasonry .

The learned and profuse writer , the Rev . Dr . Oliver , tells us that before the Union in 1 S 13 , the Degree was practised by many lodges as an integral part of the Fellow Craft Degree , which was divided into two parts—the

ordinary one of Fellow Craft and that of Mark Master , which was conferred upon the superior class of Fellow' Crafts—and that at that period the Master of an ordinary lodge was simply a Menatxchim , or Overseer , or in reality a Mark Master .

The first Grand Lodge of Freemasons in England was established 111 1717 , but in 1751 a schism occurred amongst the London Masons , which resulted in those who seceded terming themselves " Ancient" Masons , and designating those who had remained loyal lo the Grand Lodge as " Modern " Masons . The Grand Master of the " Ancients " was the Duke of

Atholhence they are also known as the " Athol " Masons , and their lodges as " Athol" lodges ; and many of the oldest lodges now on the register of the United Grand Lodge of England are descendants of Athol lodges , and some of these have , from time immemorial to the present time , continued—uninterruptedly , I believe—to confer the Mark Degree ; as was done , in fact , by

individual lodges , before the establishment of a Grand Lodge in 1717 . For full information as to its origin and nature of the " Secession " to which I have alluded , and the doings'of the "Ancients" and "Moderns , " I would

refer all who are anxious to make themselves acquainted with the subject to the excellent work published by Bro . Henry Sadler , P . M ., the present Grand Tyler and Sub-Librarian of the Grand Lodge of England , entitled "Masonic Facts and Fictions . "

In 1813 , when the Duke of Sussex was Grand Master of the " Modems , " and the Duke of Kent Grand Master of the " Ancient , " or , " Athol " Masons , a glorious union was effected between them under the present title of "The United Grand Lodge of Ancient , Free , and Accepted Masons of England , " and the ceremonies of the Order were revised by a " Lodge of Reconciliation , " which comprised members belonging to both parties .

One result of this change was that the Mark Degree was discarded , as a separate Degree , although portions of it were retained in the Master Mason's Degree , and partly in the ceremonies of the Holy Royal Arch , which latter Degree , however , has since that time been so remodelled as to contain in it now few traces of the Mark Degree .

Nevertheless , although it was thus ignored by the supreme authority of the Craft in this country , the Mark Degree has never ceased to be practised in various parts of England , and it has been always recognised as an integral portion of ancient Freemasonry by the Grand Lodges of Scotland , Ireland , and America .

Matters were brought lo a climax in September , iS 5 i , \ vhcn a warrant was granted by the Bon Accord Chapter , No . () o , at Aberdeen , under the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland , to six of its members resident in London , to establish a Mark Masters' Lodge under the title of " The London Bon Accord Mark Masters' Lodge . "

The return ot this warrant was demanded in 1 S 55 by the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland , which the Principals of the Bon Accord Chapter declined to accede to . But in February , 185 ( 1 , they returned their own warrant , which left the London Bon Accord Mark Lodge without a supreme authority . In consequence of conflicts respecting the Mark Degree arising in Nova

Scotia and Canada , between lodges and chapters under the Grand Lodge of England and those under the Scotch and Irish Constitutions , it was agreed in a quarterly communication of the Supreme Grand Chapter of England , held on ist November , 1855 , that it was desirable to enter on the question of the Mark Degree . The Committee appointed to report upon it decided

that the Mark Mason ' s Degree did not form part of the Royal Arch Degree , and it was resolved to refer the matter to the Grand Lodge of England . The following report of the Board of General Purposes was accordingly

made in Grand Lodge on 5 th March , 1856 : — " That the Committee for investigating the subject of the Mark Degree are of opinion that it is a link between the Second and Third Degrees of Craft Masonry , " and it was therefore resolved " That it be added thereto " under certain regulations .

But these minutes were not confirmed at the next communication of Grand Lodge , on the ground that as it was agreed at the time of the Union " That Masonry consisted of Three Degrees and no more , " and that were the Mark Degree acknowledged , other innovations might follow . With

regard to this discussion , 1 have seen it stated that nearly all the speakers admitted that ihe Mark Degree was an integral part of Antient Freemasonry , although they voted against il ! And also , that the motion against its recognition was carried by a majority of one !

On account of the refusal of Grand Lodge to acknowledge the Mark Degree , the London Bon Accord Mark Masters' Lodge resolved themselves into a Grand Lodge for England and Wales and the British Colonial Dependencies , which was known by the names of " The Bon Accord Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons" and " Lord Leigh ' s Grand Lodge , " as Lord Leigh was its first Grand Master .

The Traditions And Symbolisms Of The Mark Degree.

This step naturally excited dissatisfaction , and soon afterwards we find Mark lodges being established in various parts of England and Wales , under warrants from the Supreme Grand Chapter . In May , 1857 , however , the newly-constituted Lord Leigh's Grand Lodge convened a special meeting , to which the whole of the Brethren of the Degree were invited , to consider whether it would be better to unite under one

Constitution , or continue separately under English , Scotch , or American warrants . The result of this meeting was that a resolution in favour of unity and uniformity was unanimously agreed to ; and on 16 th June , 1857 , regulations were adopted , to which every Mark lodge wishing to enrol itself was required to conf Jim , and at the regular mreti-g of the new United Grand Mark Lodge , held in December , 1 S 57 , we find several lodges had joined it , and that seven Provincial Grand Masters were appointed .

Since that time Mark Masonry has happily continued to prosper , all the Mark lodges in England and Wales working under warrants granted by foreign supreme bod . es have returned them , and taken out new ones from the Grand Mark Lodge , which at the end of last year numbered 467 lodges , and is ruled over as Grand Mark Master by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , who is also Grand Master of English Craft Freemasonry .

Several theories have been propounded , as you are all probably aware , as to the source of Freemasonry . These , as I have already said , I am not going to attempt to discuss , or even allude to , beyond adverting to the one theory which is universally acknowledged as the orthodox historical creed of the Fraternity , viz ., that our present division of the Craft in lodges with Degrees is to be traced to the building of King Solomon ' s Temple at Jerusalem ,

which was commenced 111 the year 1012 B . C ., and dedicated 111 1004 B . C . I am aware , of course , that there are those who have laboured , and still labour , to demolish this theory , and to explain all our rites and ceremonies , not historically , but altogether symbolically . " But so important , " —to use the words of a writer on this subject— " and indeed essential , to Speculative Masonry is the Temple of Solomon as a symbol , that to eradicate it . from

Masonic Symbolism would be equivalent to distroying the identity of the Institution . " The history , then , of the building of King Solomon's Temple is the orthodox and accepted history of Freemasonry , of which the Mark Degree is undoubtedly an integral part . As the particular traditions connected with the Mark Degree are set forth in the lecture , with which you are all so familiar , I need not , I think , now

enlarge upon them , further than by reminding you that the means employed by King Solomon and Hiram Abiff to regulate and control the 80 , 000 workmen , who wrought in the quarries of Zaredatha , form the basis of the Mark Degree , which is supposed to have been instituted seven days after ihe laying of tlie foundation stone of King Solomon ' s Temple , when our three ancient Grand Masters—Solomon , King of Israel , Hiram , King of Tyre , and Hiram Abiff—assembled the Masters of the Lodges of Fellow Crafts , and

conferred on them the Mark Degree establishing at the same lime the regulations for the inspection of the materials from the quarries . I have just mentioned the names of Solomon , King of Israel , Hiram , King of Tyre , and Hiram Abiff , as those of three of the ancient Grand Masters of our Craft ; but in the Mark Degree we are , as you will remember , more especially connected with Adoniram , and it may be well to consider who he was , and what his connection with this Degree .

Adoniram , as we learn from I Kings , iv ., 13 , was the son of Abda , and that he was one of King Solomon's Princes , and was set over the Tribute . And later on , in Chapter v ., 13 and 14 , we read that he was over the levy of 30 , 000 men which King Solomon raised out of Israel and sent to Lebanon to fell timber for the Temple . And finally we read in Chapter xii ., where he is called Adoram , that he was stoned to death by order of King

Rehoboam , to appease the insurgent Israelites . Masonic tradition further tells us that he was married to a sister of Hiram the builder , or Hiram Abiff ; and his name is also introduced in the Degrees of Secret and Perfect Master , and Intendant of the Building , in the Ancient Scottish Rite , and in the modern Degree of Royal Master . Adoniram , then , was one of the chief overseers at the building of ihe Temple of King Solomon , and one of that mighty monarch ' s chief Officers of State ; and the W . M . of every Mark

lodge is supposed to be , I imagine , his icpresentative . And yet , brethren , in the ritual I find in use here in West Yorkshire , our lodges are closed in his name , instead of the more fitting way of closing them in the name of the Grand Overseer of ihe Universe . How such an omission of the recognition of the Almighty Sovereignty of God came about passes my comprehension , and I can only attribute it to some lapsus of oral teaching from a formula of this nature— " In the name of the Grand Overseer of the Universe , and by command of Adoniram , " & c .

Neither have I the time to-day to say much about the traditions concerning those Masons' marks which have excited so much interest and controversy , and I should certainly hesitate to do so in the presence of many brethren learned on the subject , who are now doing me the honour to listen to me . Suffice it to say , then , that these marks have been divided generally into two classes—those of the overseers ( the Menatzchims ) and those of the

workmen who worked each stone ( the Ghiblimites ); and that the truth of the traditions regarding them is amply confirmed by history , as they have been found in great abundance in various parts of the world—in England , France , Germany , India , Central America , and other countries— " and , going back further stiM , " says Bro . Fred | . \ V . Crowe , in thai most useful little work of his , " The

Master Masai's Handbook , " which ought to be in the possession of every Freemason , " in the passages of the Pyrami 's , on the underground walls of Jerusalem , in I Ierculaneum and Pompeii , in Rome , Greece , Hindostan , Mexico , Peru , and Asia Minor ; " and Bro . Sir Charles Warren , G . C . M . G ., has found Phoenician and Hebrew letters on the walls of the Temple , just is they were painted by the workmen before its completion . And he quotes

the following passage from a lecture on the antiquity of Masonic Symbolmism delivered by Bro . Gould ( the gifted author of the "History of Freemasonry " ) , at Glasgow on 301 I 1 September , 1889 : " It is not too much to say that Masons' marks , which had long been regarded b y adva iced students as possessing a sentimental value out of all proportion to their

serviceable worth , were now , owing lo the researches of Bro . Hayter Lewis , shown to be a wry important factor in the complicated problem of Masonic history . " And seeing that these Marks possess a general harmony in their design , and are in many cases identical , it shows that the men who carved them did so by a system which was common to all countries and all ages . To be Continued .