The Mark Degree In England.

the Entered Apprentice , is under his control , and any order goe up by Masons is relinquished , if he objects to it . I know at out time there was an attempt to establish an order there , the " Red Cross of Constantine , " and I was applied to by Bro . Shekleton to take it in hand , and was obliged to call a meeting in Dublin and request the Brethren to relinquish it till it was recognised ¦ and sanctioned by the Duke of Leinster . Therefore you see the G . M . has complete control over the whole Masonic order .

Bro . Portal : What Bro . Shekleton wishes , is that all the Degrees should be recognised as in Ireland , not only the Mark , but the Templar and the 33 ° . They wish to have all recongnised—the present unrecognised Degrees . Tho Chairman : If a man is suspended or expelled in any way in one Degree , all the other bodies do the same with regard to him ; and the Duke of Leinster is the head of each governing order .

Bro . Portal : They all say , We agree to expel or suspend any one expelled or suspended in either of the others , as we have nowdone by our treaty with tho 33 ° and the Templars and the others . Tho Chairman : And I hope some day you will do the same with the Order of Constantine and all the others . Bro . Portal : So that we shall have taken the first step to unity .

Bro . Hay : I think the position that the Mark Degree occupies at present is not at all satisfactory , because it is not easily recociled with the tradition of the degree itself or with the whole of Masonic tradition . It does not fall into the proper place that the Grand Lodge of Scotland would prefer that it should occupy in the order cf the history connected with the Degree , that is with the F . C . In the 2 nd and 3 rd Degrees reference is constantly made to acts aud circumstances relating to what

you consider to he a superior order of F . C . ( namely Mark Masters ) , which is also acknowledged by the Grand Lodge of England in . portions of its ritual . The Chairman : There was a strong endeavour made in 1856 to bring it in as an adjunct to the F . C . Degree . Bro . Hay : It is a great mistake to isolate this Degree . The Chairman : I imagine that it was through that that this

Mark Grand Lodge sprang up . I think it would be a very difficult thing to get Grand Craft Lodge now to make any alteration whatever . Bro . Hay : Perhaps there would then be the same difficulty in Scotland . The Grand Chapter of Scotland would probably be prepared to give up the Mark Degree to Grand Lodge . Your difficulty might be greater in Ireland . The only other bodies that would be affected by it are the Grand Chapter of Canada

and the Grand Chapters of the United States cf America . Bro . Portal : Yon see you are proposing an enormous innovation in the existing Masonic system . Bro . Hay : I think it is a restoration instead of an innovation . The Mark Degree according to the laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland has its proper place assigned to it , and is made consistent with its history . No doubt all the speculative Masonry came out of the Operative Masonry , and iu Operative Masonry

Lodges were presided over by men of superior intelligence , by ecclesiastics engaged in tbe building of churches , and by architects who employed and immediately superintented those operatives , and who would naturally try to invest the art of Masonry , so useful to them , with a religious or mysterious character , and also to convey instruction to their operatives by those symbols they would most readily comprehend . Probably this system of Speculative Masonry is now extended much

beyond what it was then , but there cannot be a doubt that it existed in connection with the ceremonies , aud formed part of their mysteries , otherwise those ceremonies would have been without meaning . We certainly derive our Speculative Masonry from the practice of our Operative Lodges . This Mark Degree comes in its natural order in the Old Operative Lodges , and forms an important link in the chain of Masonry as it is practised in EnglandIrelandScotlandCanadaand the United

, , , , States ; and I think it is a pity to have the Mark Degree out of its place , the Grand Lodge of England ought to restore this Degree to its proper place in the middle of Masonry as a second part of the F . C . Degree . The Chairman : If that is the caso you would confer the Degree before that of Master Mason . Bro . Portal : That is what we objected to . Lord Leigh says , in a circular issued 7 th May , 1867 : — " It is sufficient for me to

draw attention to this fact , that tho Grand Lodge of England , iu tho Report of its committee , decided in March , 1 S 56 , to admit our working into their system ; and if the proceedings of the GrandLodge on that occasion had been confirmed at the Quarterly Communication in June , no other authority would have been desired for the government of Mark Masters . Partly from conscientious objections based on the principles promulgated in 1813 , by the ' Lodge of Reconciliation , ' and partly from the

disapproval by Mark Masters , Members of the Grand Lodge of England , of what they considered the improper manner in which it was proposed to confer the Degree , the proceedings were not confirmed . " Bro , Hay : I cannot understand the Mark as a Degree unconnected with F . C . Bro . Portal : I believe the Mark to be purely operative Masonry . The Master Masons wore Masters of Lodges . The

present Master Mason's Degree is a new thing and we did not and cannot approve of the Mark Master ' s Degree which qualifies its members to rule over operative Lodges , being put below the present Master Mason ' s Degree , which does not any longer consist of Masters of Lodges . In no jurisdiction throughout the world is the Mark Master ' s Degree conferred on any but a Master Mason . It would be a violation , of Landmarks co do so , and we could not consent to it .

Bro . Hay : I rather think that tho Master ' s Degree is really derived from tho Mark Masters . You give a separate Degree to your Masters of Lodges which we have not got . Bro . Binckes : I thought it was universally conceded , Bro . Hay , that up to a moderate date we had but the Entered Apprentice and the F . C . Bro . Hay : That was formerly our position i ; i Scotland ; we had only one Master for several Lodges . It is a modern thing

to confer a Master Mason Degree on every F . C . Bro . Mackersy : I was going to propose a resolution to be come to by this Conference . I took the liberty of explaining yesterday the very anomalous position in which the Mark Degree stands in England , and the very great practical inconvenience which it presents in Scotland and Ireland , on account of the position it holds , and what a misfortune it is as regards countries

so closely connected that there should be a practice of this kind in England differing from Scotland and Ireland ; because as I then explained , visitors coming to us from England are in a different position from those coining from Ireland . In the Chapters of Scotland we are compelled to commence by giving the Mark Degree to candidates , and we have other Degrees , one of which is called the Excellent Degree . When an Irish Mason comes to visit us he is introduced at once ; but when an English Mason

comes we arc compelled to ask him to remain outside the Lodge until the Royal Arch Chapter is opened ; this is very disagreeable to us , and it must be very disagreeable to the visiting companion from England . We are all desirous of doing something which will bring matters to a better working footing in the throe countries . Now , I think there can be no doubt that if the Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter of England will accord to the Degree the same recognition as is accorded to it bthe

y Grand Chapters of Scotland and Ireland , all difficulty will be obviated , because we should he all working in the same way ; and we in Scotland could receive English visiting brethren during all our ceremony , as we do our Irish , Canadian , and American Brethren . I should propose that the brethren present report to their respective constituents the proceedings of this Conference , with a recommendation that these Grand Bodies should report to the Grand Lod and Chapter of

ge England these proceedings , and should ask the Grand Lodge or Chapter of England if they will recognise the Mark Degree as a part of Ancient Freemasonry ; or if they will agree that it be given separately as they see fit . I know it may be said in answer to this that the matter has been twice before the Grand Lodge of England—once , when it was recommended to adopt a resolution to the effect that this

was a graceful appendage to the Second Degree , and might be worked , although it was not considered a part of Ancient Freemasonry ; and on another occasion , when the minutes of the meeting were non-confirmed on the ground that the recognition of this agreement would interfere with the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England , which declare that there are onl y three Degress in Freemasonry including the Royal Arch . Bro . Binckes : And again in 1864 . Bro . Mackersy : When we asked the question of the Grand