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Article GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF PENNSYLVANIA. ← Page 2 of 3 Article GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF PENNSYLVANIA. Page 2 of 3 →
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Grand Royal Arch Chapter Of Pennsylvania.
priate celebration ceremonies were observed , " and Comp . CllARi . F . S F . FOSTF . R , Past IT . P ., delivered an address , in which hc described the circumstances that led to the foundation , as well as the foundation itself and early history of the Grand Chapter
of Pennsylvania . This address is published in full in the Philadelphia Keystone of the Sth instant , and for the benefit of those of our readers who may not be in a position to obtain
read } ' access to a file of our worthy contemporary , we have compiled a summary of thc leading facts narrated by Comp . FOSTER .
In Pennsylvania , as in England , from which it derived its Masonry , the Royal Arch Degree was conferred during the latter part of last century ancl for years afterwards , under the authority of the lodge warrant , and the Supreme body which
took cognisance of all matters relating to the Degree vvas the Grand Lodge . Very direct evidence of this fact is to be obtained from the minutes of our own Grand Lodge of " The Ancients , " a very prominent instance being contained in those
of the 4 th September , I 77 I , in which we read as follows : "The G . Sec . ( Bro . W . Dickey ) , " having obtained an audience , moved that the following Question should be put to the Grand Lodge— ' Is His Grace the Duke of Atholl Grand Master of
Masons in every respect ? ' This being put by the D . G . M ., it was unanimously answer'd in the Affirmative . The Sec . return'd thanks , ancl then inform'd them that he was happy to have it confirmed by the Grand Lodge , as he had several times
heard it advanced that the Grand Master had not a right to inspect into the proceedings of the Royal Arch—further , that he , the Sec , had , with regret , perceiv'd many flagrant abuses of this most sacred part of Masonry , and therefore proposed
that the Masters and Past Masters of Warranted Lodges be convened as soon as possible in order to put this part of Masonry on a solid Basis . " It was thereupon " Resolv'd that a Meeting ol Masters and Past Masters of Warranted Lodges shall be held on the
2 d of Octr . next at 7 o'clo . in the evening on the aforemention d Business . " At the next Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on the 4 th December , the minutes record that " The Rt . Worshipful D . G . Master informed the Grand Lodge of the
Proceedings of the Royal Arch Meetings , viz ., on the 2 d October and 6 th Novembr last and expatiated a longtime on the scandalous method pursued by most of the Lodges ( on St . John ' s Days ) in passing a numberof Brethren through the chairon purpose
to obtain the sacred mysterys of the Royal Arch , and proved in a concise manner that those proceedings were unjustifiable . Therefore moved for a Regulation to be made in order to suppress them for the future . " And sundry brethren having
respectfully pointed out that many able and deserving men , and especially sailors , would be excluded from all participation in the benefits of the Royal Arch if the resolution were made too stringent , it was accordingly "Kesolved—That no person for the
future shall be made a Royal Arch Mason but the legal Representative of the Lodge , except a Brother ( who is going abroad ) who hath been 12 months a Register'd Mason , and must have the Unanimous Voice of his Lodge to receive such Qualification , and
in order to render this Regulation more expediate , it is further Order'd that all certificates granted to brethren from their respective Lodges shall have inserted the Day the Brother or Brethren joined or was made in said Lodge—and that this
Resolution take place on St . John s Day , the 27 th Deer ., 1771 . " As regards the case of brethren who had been illegally made Royal Arch Masons , seeing there were brethren present in Grand Lodge who were not members of that Degree , it was left to the
next Grand Chapter to deal with them . At the meeting on St . John ' s Day ( 27 th December ) following , we are told that " The Grand Secretary by order read part of the Minutes of last Grand Lodge relative to the new Regulation for the Royal Arch , which
the D . G . M . gave the Brethren ( present ) to understand that it was to be strictly observ'd in their respective Lodges , and that a Grand Chapter was to be held on thc first Wednesday in Jany . next to finally settle that part of the Minute referred b y
the Grand Lodge to said Chapter . " We are not aware of the fact ever having been disputed as to the Royal Arch Degree having been formerly conferred under thc authority o [ the lodge warrant , but here at all events is official evidence of the fact derived from our own Grand Lodge minutes of last century ,
Grand Royal Arch Chapter Of Pennsylvania.
and of the supreme authority exercised by Grand Lodge over the Arch as well as over thc Craft Degrees . And as the Prov . Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in its later organisation derived its authority from the "Ancient" Grand Liodge , it followed as a
matter of course that the Royal Arch was treated by it as in England , ancl that when it became thc soverei gh and independent Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania the same treatment was continued
Hence the law which laid it down that it vvas " competent for all Lodges possessing a lawful warrant to open a Chapter and exalt Masons to the supreme degree of thc Holy Royal Arch . "
But to return to the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania , its origin , and early history—In 1 795 , a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons appears to have been established under the warrants of Lodges Nos . 19 , 52 , and 67 , with a Past Master ol
one of them as G . H . P . Complaints , however , were made b y members of these lodges as to the irregularity of their proceed , ings , and at a special Grand Lodge held on the 1 7 th November of the same year the warrants of the three lodges were called
in and their work suspended . But it being felt there was a need for " a separate organisation which should have a supervision of the Royal Arch , Most Excellent Master and Mark Master Lodges , " a committee of investigation vvas appointed and
ordered to report on the subject as soon as possible . At an adjourned meeting on the 23 rd November , when the warrants of the suspended lodges were restored , the Grand Lodge refused to admit the validity of the proceedings establishing the pretended
Grand Chapter . At the same time , however , a resolution vvas passed for the opening of a Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter under the immediate sanction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania . The principles thus established as set
forth by Comp . FOSTER in his address include ( 1 ) the Supreme Masonic Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania over all lodges held in the State ; ( 2 ) the right of all regular warranted lodges , so far as they possess the ability and
numbers , to make Masons in the higher Degrees ; and ( 3 ) the chapters of Royal Arch Masons are under the -protection of Grand Lodge . Subject to these points , which were declared in the preamble of the resolution , it was determined that the " new
organisation should consist of past and existing officers of the Grand Lodge having duly obtained the degree of Royal Arch , and past and existing officers of Chapters of Royal Arch Masons , and that the Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge ,
if a Royal Arch Mason , should always preside as Grand High Priest . Furthermore , it was ordered that the Grand Chapter should never exalt any Brother to the degree of Royal Arch . " The Grand Chapter being thus established , no time was lost in
framing a code of Rules and Regulations for its government , and in this , assistance was obtained from the Grand Lodge o ( England and its Grand Chapter . In January , 179 8 , the General Grand Chapter of the United States was formed , but with this body
the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania would have nothing to do Of the events that occurred during the earlier years of the new Grand Chapter , Comp . FOSTER appears to have considered only a few of them worthy of notice . Thus , in 1807 , he tells us that
a Pennsylvanian companion was refused admission into a New York Chapter , because the latter recognised only those who had been exalted in chapters under the authority and sanction of the General Grand Chapter of the United States , but
this action was not sustained b y the Grand Chapter of New York . Other instances of a like character occurred , while in 1812 a Mark lodge , claiming to work under authority of t " General Grand Chapter , was opened in Philadelphia , but U '
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania took the matter up—not , be it remarked , the Grand Chapter—and no long time elapsed ere tb c authority was withdrawn and the lodge ceased . From this year forward , however , it became slowl y but surely more evident tha 1
a change in the relations between Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter was inevitable . Some thought the two should be broug ht more closely together . Others argued that as the lodges I ) ' 11 ' been the power of exalting brethren to the Degree , then '
was no need for a Grand Chapter . Ultimately in Ma . ' 1824 , the terms of separation between the two were agreed upon and in the November following , Comp . MlCHAEi . NssiilT , sen . ^ ' elected G . H . Priest . Since then the Grand Chapter has prosper ^ and Comp . FOSTER mentions that in 1894 the number of private
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Grand Royal Arch Chapter Of Pennsylvania.
priate celebration ceremonies were observed , " and Comp . CllARi . F . S F . FOSTF . R , Past IT . P ., delivered an address , in which hc described the circumstances that led to the foundation , as well as the foundation itself and early history of the Grand Chapter
of Pennsylvania . This address is published in full in the Philadelphia Keystone of the Sth instant , and for the benefit of those of our readers who may not be in a position to obtain
read } ' access to a file of our worthy contemporary , we have compiled a summary of thc leading facts narrated by Comp . FOSTER .
In Pennsylvania , as in England , from which it derived its Masonry , the Royal Arch Degree was conferred during the latter part of last century ancl for years afterwards , under the authority of the lodge warrant , and the Supreme body which
took cognisance of all matters relating to the Degree vvas the Grand Lodge . Very direct evidence of this fact is to be obtained from the minutes of our own Grand Lodge of " The Ancients , " a very prominent instance being contained in those
of the 4 th September , I 77 I , in which we read as follows : "The G . Sec . ( Bro . W . Dickey ) , " having obtained an audience , moved that the following Question should be put to the Grand Lodge— ' Is His Grace the Duke of Atholl Grand Master of
Masons in every respect ? ' This being put by the D . G . M ., it was unanimously answer'd in the Affirmative . The Sec . return'd thanks , ancl then inform'd them that he was happy to have it confirmed by the Grand Lodge , as he had several times
heard it advanced that the Grand Master had not a right to inspect into the proceedings of the Royal Arch—further , that he , the Sec , had , with regret , perceiv'd many flagrant abuses of this most sacred part of Masonry , and therefore proposed
that the Masters and Past Masters of Warranted Lodges be convened as soon as possible in order to put this part of Masonry on a solid Basis . " It was thereupon " Resolv'd that a Meeting ol Masters and Past Masters of Warranted Lodges shall be held on the
2 d of Octr . next at 7 o'clo . in the evening on the aforemention d Business . " At the next Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on the 4 th December , the minutes record that " The Rt . Worshipful D . G . Master informed the Grand Lodge of the
Proceedings of the Royal Arch Meetings , viz ., on the 2 d October and 6 th Novembr last and expatiated a longtime on the scandalous method pursued by most of the Lodges ( on St . John ' s Days ) in passing a numberof Brethren through the chairon purpose
to obtain the sacred mysterys of the Royal Arch , and proved in a concise manner that those proceedings were unjustifiable . Therefore moved for a Regulation to be made in order to suppress them for the future . " And sundry brethren having
respectfully pointed out that many able and deserving men , and especially sailors , would be excluded from all participation in the benefits of the Royal Arch if the resolution were made too stringent , it was accordingly "Kesolved—That no person for the
future shall be made a Royal Arch Mason but the legal Representative of the Lodge , except a Brother ( who is going abroad ) who hath been 12 months a Register'd Mason , and must have the Unanimous Voice of his Lodge to receive such Qualification , and
in order to render this Regulation more expediate , it is further Order'd that all certificates granted to brethren from their respective Lodges shall have inserted the Day the Brother or Brethren joined or was made in said Lodge—and that this
Resolution take place on St . John s Day , the 27 th Deer ., 1771 . " As regards the case of brethren who had been illegally made Royal Arch Masons , seeing there were brethren present in Grand Lodge who were not members of that Degree , it was left to the
next Grand Chapter to deal with them . At the meeting on St . John ' s Day ( 27 th December ) following , we are told that " The Grand Secretary by order read part of the Minutes of last Grand Lodge relative to the new Regulation for the Royal Arch , which
the D . G . M . gave the Brethren ( present ) to understand that it was to be strictly observ'd in their respective Lodges , and that a Grand Chapter was to be held on thc first Wednesday in Jany . next to finally settle that part of the Minute referred b y
the Grand Lodge to said Chapter . " We are not aware of the fact ever having been disputed as to the Royal Arch Degree having been formerly conferred under thc authority o [ the lodge warrant , but here at all events is official evidence of the fact derived from our own Grand Lodge minutes of last century ,
Grand Royal Arch Chapter Of Pennsylvania.
and of the supreme authority exercised by Grand Lodge over the Arch as well as over thc Craft Degrees . And as the Prov . Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in its later organisation derived its authority from the "Ancient" Grand Liodge , it followed as a
matter of course that the Royal Arch was treated by it as in England , ancl that when it became thc soverei gh and independent Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania the same treatment was continued
Hence the law which laid it down that it vvas " competent for all Lodges possessing a lawful warrant to open a Chapter and exalt Masons to the supreme degree of thc Holy Royal Arch . "
But to return to the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania , its origin , and early history—In 1 795 , a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons appears to have been established under the warrants of Lodges Nos . 19 , 52 , and 67 , with a Past Master ol
one of them as G . H . P . Complaints , however , were made b y members of these lodges as to the irregularity of their proceed , ings , and at a special Grand Lodge held on the 1 7 th November of the same year the warrants of the three lodges were called
in and their work suspended . But it being felt there was a need for " a separate organisation which should have a supervision of the Royal Arch , Most Excellent Master and Mark Master Lodges , " a committee of investigation vvas appointed and
ordered to report on the subject as soon as possible . At an adjourned meeting on the 23 rd November , when the warrants of the suspended lodges were restored , the Grand Lodge refused to admit the validity of the proceedings establishing the pretended
Grand Chapter . At the same time , however , a resolution vvas passed for the opening of a Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter under the immediate sanction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania . The principles thus established as set
forth by Comp . FOSTER in his address include ( 1 ) the Supreme Masonic Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania over all lodges held in the State ; ( 2 ) the right of all regular warranted lodges , so far as they possess the ability and
numbers , to make Masons in the higher Degrees ; and ( 3 ) the chapters of Royal Arch Masons are under the -protection of Grand Lodge . Subject to these points , which were declared in the preamble of the resolution , it was determined that the " new
organisation should consist of past and existing officers of the Grand Lodge having duly obtained the degree of Royal Arch , and past and existing officers of Chapters of Royal Arch Masons , and that the Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge ,
if a Royal Arch Mason , should always preside as Grand High Priest . Furthermore , it was ordered that the Grand Chapter should never exalt any Brother to the degree of Royal Arch . " The Grand Chapter being thus established , no time was lost in
framing a code of Rules and Regulations for its government , and in this , assistance was obtained from the Grand Lodge o ( England and its Grand Chapter . In January , 179 8 , the General Grand Chapter of the United States was formed , but with this body
the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania would have nothing to do Of the events that occurred during the earlier years of the new Grand Chapter , Comp . FOSTER appears to have considered only a few of them worthy of notice . Thus , in 1807 , he tells us that
a Pennsylvanian companion was refused admission into a New York Chapter , because the latter recognised only those who had been exalted in chapters under the authority and sanction of the General Grand Chapter of the United States , but
this action was not sustained b y the Grand Chapter of New York . Other instances of a like character occurred , while in 1812 a Mark lodge , claiming to work under authority of t " General Grand Chapter , was opened in Philadelphia , but U '
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania took the matter up—not , be it remarked , the Grand Chapter—and no long time elapsed ere tb c authority was withdrawn and the lodge ceased . From this year forward , however , it became slowl y but surely more evident tha 1
a change in the relations between Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter was inevitable . Some thought the two should be broug ht more closely together . Others argued that as the lodges I ) ' 11 ' been the power of exalting brethren to the Degree , then '
was no need for a Grand Chapter . Ultimately in Ma . ' 1824 , the terms of separation between the two were agreed upon and in the November following , Comp . MlCHAEi . NssiilT , sen . ^ ' elected G . H . Priest . Since then the Grand Chapter has prosper ^ and Comp . FOSTER mentions that in 1894 the number of private