SOME LODGES ARE DIFFERENT
(The information in this Short Talk
Bulletin
has been generously furnished to The Masonic
Service Association by Brother Norman
Peterson, Portland, Oregon, who originally
published it in greater detail in the
November, 1957, New Age, the September, 1958,
Royal Arch Mason. and the March, 1963, Oregon
Freemason.)
Since World War 11 Americans have become
world travellers in increasing numbers.
American Freemasons have joined the swelling
tide of visitors to other lands for military,
business, and vacation plans, as well as out
of fraternal curiosity.
Many Brothers have learned by first hand
experience that Masonic ritual is recited in
foreign languages, a fact that all of us have
been aware of but never truly realized in our
fraternal travels in the United States.
From this realization has come a quickened
interest in ritual as well as language
differences, which has stimulated frequent
questions about "how they do it over there".
Many inquiries received by your Masonic
Service Association are exemplified by this
one: "Since they use the metric system, what
do they have, in Germany for example, for the
twenty-four inch gauge in the E. A. degree?"
This answer is not intended to be humorous.
They use the twenty-four inch gauge.
Freemasonry on the continent of Europe
acquired much of its ritual, especially for
the first three degrees, from England in the
first half of the eighteenth century. The
metric system was not widely used in Europe
until after 1790 when France required its
adoption by law during the period of the
revolution. The metric system is a product of
modern science and mathematics. The inch, a
word derived from a Latin word meaning
twelfth part, was known and used throughout
the countries of Europe long before metric
units became the standards for weights and
measures.
Most of us subconsciously assume that others
do what we do. When we find that what we took
for granted "just isn't so", we are likely to
be astonished or confused unless we inquire
into the historic, linguistic, or racial
differences which have created the variations
that surprise us.
Many a newly-made Brother in the United
States is at first bewildered when he learns
of the differences from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction. What are private grand honors
in one Grand Jurisdiction may be public grand
honors in another. Sometimes this happens
within the territory of the same Grand Lodge.
For example, in Connecticut, a Mason raised
in East Hartford may be really surprised if
his first visit to another Lodge is made
across the river in Hartford, in a Lodge
which has proudly maintained a somewhat
different ritual entirely "from mouth to ear"
since it first acquired its charter from
Massachusetts before the Revolution.
Connecticut has a "standard" ritual, approved
by the Grand Lodge Custodians of the Work;
but since some of its founding Lodges
antedate the formation of the Grand Lodge in
1789 and "have transmitted unimpaired" the
rituals which they acquired (from three
different sources) before that date, the
Grand Lodge has never insisted on the
adoption of the "standard" ritual by those
older Lodges, so long as they make no
alterations in their form and language,
because those agree in spirit with the
fundamental tenets of the Craft.
But many American Masons are also surprised
to learn that there are Masonic Lodges in
this country still working in other languages
than English. A little reflection will remind
such brethren that this nation absorbed a
great many immigrants into its population,
whose descendants still preserve their
"mother tongue" and some of the ideas and
customs of the countries of their origin.
The writer's father, a Presbyterian minister,
preached two sermons every Sunday, one in
German and one in English, in New Orleans,
Louisiana, New York City, and Scranton,
Pennsylvania, until the third generation had
so largely forgotten the mother tongue of
their immigrant ancestors that the German
worship services were discontinued un the
1930's.
The same thing has happened in Masonic
Lodges. There used to be many more which
worked in other languages, French, Spanish,
German and Italian. Lessing Lodge No. 557 of
Chicago and United Brothers Lodge No. 356 of
New York are examples of Lodges which have
discontinued working in another language.
But as late as five years ago there was a
considerable number of Masonic Lodges whose
members still carried on the ritualistic
labors of Freemasonry in their mother tongue.
The majority of American German-speaking
Lodges are concentrated in New York City,
especially in the Ninth Masonic District; but
there are others in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia, and Reading); California (San
Francisco) ; Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee,
Wisconsin; Boston, Massachusetts; Detroit,
Michigan; and Washington, D. C.
The polyglot origin of the people who built
such cosmopolitan cities as New Orleans, New
York City, San Francisco, and Miami, Florida,
accounts for the survival of foreign language-
speaking Lodges in those places, particularly
those employing the Romance languages,
French, Spanish, and Italian. Freemasonry in
New Orleans, for example, had its origins
among the French refugees who fled there from
Hispaniola in the 1790's and the early
1800's, when that island experienced bloody
revolutions led by Toussaint L'Ouverture and
Henry Christophe.
French speaking Lodges may be found in New
Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and
Montreal, Canada. Italian is still used in
some Lodges in the 10th District of Manhattan
(New York City), New Orleans, and San
Francisco. Spanish is the language used in a
few Lodges in New Orleans, New York City,
Miami and Tampa, Florida. A list of these
foreign language Lodges in the United States
is given at the end of this Short Talk
Bulletin.
But for every Brother who is surprised to
learn that there are still so many Lodges in
the United States using a foreign language,
there are many more who are amazed to
discover that a number of Lodges (most of
them still using a foreign language) employ a
"Scottish Rite" version of the three degrees
of Symbolic Masonry. The average American
Freemason is bewildered to hear that there is
a "Scottish Rite Blue Lodge ritual".
To clear up the first and most natural
misunderstanding which such a statement may
create, it should be emphasized that the
Supreme Councils of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite in the United States most
emphatically disclaim any control over "the
symbolic degrees of ancient Craft Masonry",
i.e., over the "Blue Lodges" and their
governing bodies, the sovereign Grand Lodges
of the various states of the nation. In fact,
the Supreme Councils have done all in their
power to proclaim and to demonstrate their
acknowledgment of the Grand Lodges as the
supreme Masonic authority in their respective
jurisdictions.
To understand the term, "Scottish Rite Blue
Lodge ritual", one must become aware of the
historical developments which produced that
phrase. Since it is a phenomenon associated
primarily with those Lodges using a foreign
language in their labors, it is closely tied
to the theme of this Bulletin, "Some Lodges
are different."
When Speculative Freemasonry underwent its
phenomenal spread and growth in the
eighteenth century, its ritualistic
ceremonies had not been fixed or finally
determined. When the Mother Grand Lodge of
England was established in 1717, there was no
ritual of the third degree, as we recognize
that term today. The ritual grew and expanded
as "ritual tinkerers" experimented with it
and added to its language and its ceremonies.
As it spread into other countries on the
continent of Europe, it took on different
forms and ceremonies which reflected the
tastes and predilections of various national
groups. The French especially liked colorful
rites and pageantry, which became the
characteristic features not only of the
"higher degrees", but even of the primary
degrees of symbolic Craft Masonry.
Because of the association of the term
"Scottish Rite" with some of those degrees in
France, as a result of the activities of the
Chevalier Ramsey and other Scottish
Freemasons in exile in that country, the
basic degrees also were described as
"Scottish Rite" to distinguish them from the
symbolic degrees as they had developed in
England. In fact, in some European systems of
Masonic rites, Supreme Councils actually
claimed control over the symbolic degrees.
"Scottish Rite Blue Lodge ritual", therefore,
is a term which describes the ritual of the
symbolic degrees as it developed in France
and other nations on the continent,
especially those which had a closer cultural
affinity with the French because of their
kinship in the use of Romance languages.
The "Scottish Rite" version of the ritual has
been the most popular one among Latin
peoples; so it is not surprising that where
we find that ritual in use in the United
States today, it is usually in foreign
language speaking Lodges using French,
Spanish, or Italian. The only German speaking
Lodge known to employ a "Scottish Rite"
ritual in the first three degrees is Aurora
No. 30 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For those brethren whose first reaction is to
say about Lodges which are different, "Why
can't they do the way we do?", there is a
humbling consideration in the thought that
the "Scottish Rite" version actually
represents only one of many versions
different from those usually found in
American jurisdictions. Even the ritual used
in English Lodges - and there are various
"workings" permitted by the Mother Grand
Lodge! - differs appreciably from that which
the American Mason regards as "standard". The
Short Talk Bulletin for March, 1961, pointed
out one of the minor differences which create
misunderstanding: what we call movable and
immovable are just reversed in English
practice!
There are approximately twenty-five
legitimate Lodges in the United States which
use a "Scottish Rite" version of the ritual
of the three symbolic degrees. (A list may be
found at the end of this Bulletin.)
Unfortunately for the Brother who desires to
visit some of them, they are concentrated in
New York, New Orleans, and California. But
with our "population on the move" so much,
American Freemasons visit other jurisdictions
much more frequently than they did a couple
of generations ago. An awareness of the
location of "Scottish Rite Blue Lodges" may
help an interested Brother arrange his travel
plans to include a Masonic visit to one of
the cities mentioned above.
While this Short Talk cannot be extended to
include even a brief description of the
"Scottish Rite" version of the "Blue Lodge"
ritual, it should be mentioned that the first
degree is the most impressive of the three.
More ritualistic officers are usually
employed; the ceremonies of the first degree
are more elaborate and extended. However, the
basic lessons of the three degrees are
developed as any Mason would expect to find
them. A description of these ceremonies,
especially as they differ from the familiar
features of "the American rite", may form the
subject matter of a future Short Talk
Bulletin.
These variations illustrate the richness of
Masonic heritage. Displeasing though they may
be to those who crave a global uniformity for
Masonic rites and ceremonies, they show how
differences in the interpretation and
exemplification of Freemasonry's universal
ideas can satisfy different individuals in
different cultures. And in that way, they
illustrate the Masonic slogan: "In
essentials, unity; in non-essentials,
liberty."
FOREIGN LANGUAGE LODGES IN THE UNITED STATES
(GERMAN)
Allemania No. 740, New York City
Copernicus
No. 545, New York City
German
Pilgrim No. 179, New York City
German Union
No. 54, New York City
Goethe No.
629, New York City
Harmony No.
199, New York City
Hermann No.
268, New York City
Lessing No.
608, New York City
Lincoln No.
748, New York City
Navigator No.
232, New York City
Schiller No.
304, New York City
Socrates No.
595, New York City
Solon No.
771, New York City
Teutonia No.
617, New York City
Uhland No.
735, New York City
Von Mensch
No. 765, New York City
Zschokke No.
202, New York City
Hermann No.
125, Philadelphia
Humboldt No.
359, Philadelphia
Germania No.
509, Pittsburgh (Knoxville)
Jefferson No.
288, Pittsburgh
Solomon No.
231, Pittsburgh
Teutonia No.
367, Reading, Penn.
Hermann No.
127, San Francisco
Arminius No.
25, Dist. of Columbia
Germania No.
160, Baltimore
Germania
Lodge, Boston
Schiller No.
263, Detroit
Aurora No.
30, Milwaukee
(FRENCH)
Etoile
Polaire No. 1, New Orleans
La Parfaite
Union No. 172, San Francisco
Vallee de
France No. 329, Los Angeles
L'Union
Francaise No. 17, New York City
La Sincerite
No. 373, New York City
La Clemente
Amitie No. 410, New York City
(ITALIAN)
Dante No.
174, New Orleans
Garibaldi No.
542, New York City
Italia No.
786, New York City *
Roma No. 854,
New York City (Brooklyn) *
Alba No. 891,
New York City *
Archimede No.
935, New York City *
Speranza
Italiana No. 219, San Francisco
Mazzini No.
824, New York City
Cavour No.
872, New York City *
Dante No.
919, New York City (Bronx) *
Leonardo No.
937, New York City (Brooklyn) *
(SPANISH)
Cervantes No.
5, New Orleans
Universal No.
178, Tampa
Dr. Felix
Varela No. 63, Key West
La
Fraternidad No. 387, New York City
La Universal
No. 751, New York City
Luz de
America No. 255, Miami
* Since the
first printing of this Bulletin
in 1963, it has been learned that this Lodge
now works only in English.
U. S. LODGES USING "SCOTTISH RITE BLUE LODGE"
RITUAL
Le Progres de l'Oceanie No. 371, Honolulu (3d
only)
Cervantes No.
5, New Orleans
Dante No.
174, New Orleans
Etoile
Polaire No. 1, New Orleans
Germania No.
46, New Orleans
Galileo-Mazzini
No. 368, New Orleans
Kosmos No.
171, New Orleans
Perseverance
No. 4, New Orleans
Albert Pike
No. 376, New Orleans
Schneidau No.
391, New Orleans
Union No.
172, New Orleans
Alba No. 891,
New York City
Archimede No.
935, New York City
Cavour No.
872, New York City
Dante No.
919, New York City
Garibaldi No.
542, New York City
Italia No.
786, New York City
La Clemente
Amitie No. 410, New York City
La
Fraternidad No. 387, New York City
La Sincerite
No. 373, New York City
La Universal
No. 751, New York City
L'Union
Francaise No. 17, New York City
Leonardo No.
937, New York City
Mazzini No.
824, New York City
Roma No. 854,
New York City
La Parfaite
Union No. 17, San Francisco
Speranza
Italiana No. 219, San Francisco
Vallee de
France No. 329, Los Angeles
Aurora No.
30, Milwaukee back to top | 
