THE BUILDER MAGAZINE
november 1915
volume 1 - number 11
THE ESTABLISHMENT AND EARLY DAYS OF MASONRY IN AMERICA
BY BRO. MELVIN M. JOHNSON, GRAND MASTER, MASSACHUSETTS
CONCLUSION.
MAY I conclude with a few words concerning recent
Pennsylvania claims to precedence? After conceding that the Pennsylvania Lodges
prior to 1734 were held without Charter or Warrant, a most astounding argument
is offered to the effect that they made themselves regular by confederating in a
Gland Lodge; in other words, irregularity plus more irregularity, plus still
more irregularity equals regularity. It is contended that in 1731 these
unwarranted Lodges came together and formed a Grand Lodge which was a "sister"
and not a daughter to the Grand Lodge of England. The complete answer to this
argument is given by Pennsylvania herself. Her application to Price in 1734; her
sending Franklin as a proxy several times to the Grand Lodge in Boston in the
early days; her application again to Massachusetts in 1749; her application
immediately thereafter direct to England for a confirmatory Deputation which was
issued to her and accepted and acted upon by her in 1750; her payment April 10,
1752, of 31:10:0 to the Grand Lodge in Boston as a charter fee; her acceptance
and action under a Warrant received from England bearing date July 15, 1761; and
indeed all her Masonic acts since 1731 are consistent only with the complete
recognition by Pennsylvania of the fact that all of her lawful Masonic authority
flowed directly or indirectly from England. Just as it is sound law and good
reasoning that a tenant cannot deny the title of his landlord, so it is equally
sound reasoning that a deputized Lodge or Grand Lodge cannot deny the authority
of the source issuing the Deputation accepted and exercised by it. After nearly
two centuries of Masonic life during which it has recognized the Grand Lodge of
England as its lawful predecessor, and as the one Body in the world having the
primary right in those early days to issue Warrants or Deputations covering
Pennsylvania, it is a little late to claim for the first time in 1908 and for a
present day historian to contend that "The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was a
sister and not a daughter to the Grand Lodge of England." It is, in fact, a
daughter of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and, therefore, a grand-daughter of
the Gland Lodge of England.
It is entirely correct that "the movement in Massachusetts
was not an independent one, but subordinate to the Grand Lodge of England." But
Pennsylvania having in the early days again and again acknowledged itself to be
subordinate to England and to Massachusetts, it is now too late for Pennsylvania
to expect that the novel modern theory of some of her recent sons will be
permitted to upset the facts of history. Pennsylvania is too great a
jurisdiction; she has too grand a history; she is too highly respected in the
Masonic world; she has too much claim to Masonic grandeur and pre-eminence in
many directions to stoop at this late day to belittle Franklin and others of her
great men; to belittle Price; to belittle Massachusetts; and indeed to belittle
the Grand Lodge of England itself by the attempt now being made to distort
history.
While it does not particularly concern this discussion, I
cannot let pass without notice the same historian's statement that the
legitimate Grand Lodge of England (which had been nicknamed "Moderns") was
superseded by the rival organization known as the "Ancients" (this being the
schismatic Grand Lodge), and that such supersession has continued down to the
present time. Every impartial Masonic historian and student in the world knows
better. In 1813 there was a fusion or union of the two rival Grand Lodges in
England known as the "Moderns" and "Ancients." On St. John the Evangelist's Day
in 1813 there was a very elaborate ceremony of union. The story of the union and
its attendant circumstances are thoroughly detailed by Bro. Albert G. Mackey in
the fifth volume of his History of Freemasonry, Chapter XLIII. A learned paper
on this subject is to be found in XXIII Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati
Lodge, 215. The ceremony of union is given in full in the Minutes of the United
Grand Lodge of England, and may be found also in Bro. W. J. Hughan's "Memorials
of the Masonic Union of A. D. 1813" published 1874; Revised, augmented and
republished by the Lodge of Research in 1913. Original programs of the
ceremonies and of the music are in the archives of Massachusetts. So far were
the "Moderns" from being superseded, that their Gland Master, the Duke of
Sussex, became then the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge. I call attention
to this statement more particularly that it may illustrate how much weight is to
be given to the other claims with which we have been dealing made by the same
historian.
Recapitulating briefly the facts, we find that prior to
1733 many Lodges met without authority; that a regular Commission issued to
Daniel Coxe for a part of North America in 1730, but that this Commission was
never exercised; that after Masonry became an organized Institution and meetings
of Lodges without a Charter or Warrant were prohibited, no lawful authority was
ever exercised in America until July 30, 1733, when Henry Price organized a
Provincial Grand Lodge in Boston under the authority granted him by the Lord
Viscount Montague, then Grand Master of Masons in England. It is thus that the
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is the Mother Grand Lodge of America, and that
Henry Price is the "Founder of Duly Constituted Masonry in America."
NOTE.
Recognition has widely and frequently been made of
Massachusetts as the oldest Grand Lodge in the Western Hemisphere.
No effort has been made to collate with any thoroughness
the instances, but a few which come to mind as this is being prepared for the
printer are as follows:
By England. There has been frequent recognition by the
Grand Lodge of England of Massachusetts as the oldest jurisdiction in America.
The earliest instances have been heretofore referred to. More recent is a letter
from the Grand Master of England to the Grand Master of Massachusetts, dated
Feb. 7, 1912, in which he speaks of that Grand Lodge as "The oldest Lodge on
this (the North American) continent, and which originally owed its Warrant to
the Grand Lodge of England." The most recent instance is a resolution of the
United Grand Lodge of England, unanimously passed on Sept. 2, 1914, reading as
follows:
"That Grand Lodge expresses its thanks to the Most
Worshipful Grand Master for communicating the letter his Royal Highness has
received from M.W. Bro. Melvin Maynard Johnson, Grand Master of Mason of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and desires to associate itself with his Royal
Highness' deep appreciation of the expressions therein contained, as voicing a
sincerity of Masonic feeling especially welcome to Grand Lodge as coming from
its 'eldest child in Western Hemisphere.' "
By Canada. See the Address of Grand Master William David
McPherson at Grand Peace Festival, held at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, July
16, 1914, to be published in memorial volume, also his 1915 annual address.
By Nova Scotia. See "Early History of Freemasonry in Nova
Scotia," by M. W. Bro. Hon. William Ross, June, 1910.
By the District of Columbia. Massachusetts was given
seniority in ceremonies of dedication of Washington Monument, Feb. 21, 1885.
This was after a formal hearing by a Committee before which Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania presented their claims to seniority. The decision was in favor of
Massachusetts.
By Idaho. M.W. Curtis F. Pike, Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Idaho, in a letter to the writer dated April 8, 1914, says, "It occurs
to me as I write that Massachusetts is the oldest Grand Jurisdiction in America,
if my memory of Masonic History is correct."
By Indiana. See Proceedings. of May, 1852.
By Louisiana. See 11 Moore's Freemason's Magazine 167.
By Maine. See 1887 Mass. 236.
By Maryland. At a banquet in Baltimore, Md., in 1885, the
representative of Massachusetts was called upon to respond to the toast "The
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, the Mother Grand Lodge of Masonry in America."
By Missouri. M.W. Van Fremont Boor, Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Missouri, in a letter to the writer, dated April 29, 1914, refers
to Massachusetts as "The oldest Grand Jurisdiction in the United States."
By Pennsylvania. As set forth in earlier chapters.
Also:
Wor. Alfred P. Reigh, a learned Masonic student and Past
Master of Washington Lodge No. 164 of Pennsylvania, in a letter dated Sept. 9,
1852, refers to Massachusetts as "The oldest Grand Lodge in the United States."
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania on June 16, 1834, on motion
of a Committee of which Past Grand Master Michael Nisbet was Chairman,
unanimously adopted a resolution, "For the celebration of St. John the Baptist's
Day, 24th of June A. D. 1834, A. L. 5834, being the Centennial Anniversary of
the Establishment of the First Lodge in Pennsylvania, of which Lodge Bro.
Benjamin Franklin was the First Master."
M. W. Sereno D. Nickerson of Massachusetts on June 10,
1903, said: "At the time of this Centennial the orator (R. W. George W. Dallas)
was the Attorney General of Pennsylvania and ex-United States Senator;
afterwards Minister to Russia, Vice-President of the United States and Minister
to England. He was Deputy Grand Master, and six months later was elected Grand
Master. He was then fighting the battle with anti-Masonry in his State. His
father was a distinguished lawyer in Philadelphia, Secretary of the Commonwealth
when Franklin died, and Secretary of the Treasury under President Madison; he
must have known Franklin well, and lived until the son, born only two years
after Franklin's death, was twenty-seven years old. It is simply absurd to claim
that the orator, under such circumstances, did not know the history of his Grand
Lodge, did not know whether they were celebrating the true date of the
'Establishment of the First Lodge in Pennsylvania, of which Lodge Bro. Benjamin
Franklin was the First Master.' It is not improbable that there were Brethren
present who had heard the story from Franklin's own lips. Only forty-four years
had elapsed since Franklin's death, and probably the incidents of his life were
as familiar as household words to some Brethren then present."
On Sept. 26, 1855, Bro. James King was orator at the
dedication of the new hall on Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, and there and then
referred to the illustrious Franklin as "The First Master of a Masonic Lodge in
Pennsylvania."
On Sept. 26, 1873, Past Grand Master Robert A. Lamberton of
Pennsylvania, President of Lehigh University, in an oration at the dedication of
the Temple in Philadelphia said: "The Lodges in Philadelphia, doubtless desiring
to place themselves under the immediate jurisdiction of that Grand Lodge
(Massachusetts), accepted and recognized the power of R.W.G.M. Price to appoint
Benjamin Franklin as the Grand Master; Massachusetts authority gives the date of
this appointment the 24th of June, 1734. From a contemporary account it is
certain that on that day at the celebration of the Feast of St. John the Baptist
he appeared as 'Grand Master.' Franklin evidently had doubts of the regularity
of the powers of the Lodge or Lodges over which he exercised authority, for,
signing himself as Grand Master on the 28th of November, 1734, he wrote from
Philadelphia to the 'R.W.G.M. and Most Worthy and Dear Brethren in Boston,'
requesting that a Deputation or Charter be granted by the R.W.G.M. Price, by
virtue of his commission from Britain.
He continued: "It is needless to follow on the history of
the Grand Lodge, as then constituted, and of which Franklin, in 1749, again
became the Grand Master by appointment of R. W. Thomas Oxnard." It would seem
that Brother Lamberton was disposed to give full credit to Massachusetts.
By Tennessee. See 9 Moore's Freemason's Magazine 316.
By Vermont. At the laying of the corner-stone of the
Bennington Monument.
By Lafayette. In this connection it is interesting to
recall a letter written by General Lafayette on Aug. 29, 1824, to the Master of
St. John's Lodge of Boston, in which he refers to that Lodge as "The first Lodge
on the Continent of America."
AGNOSTICISM
Agnosticism, as now stated, assumed not simply the
impotence of the
human, but of the Divine reason; for a God man cannot know
is at
the same time a God who. cannot make himself known. Our
inability
to reach Him is possible, only because of His inability to
become
intelligible.
--Albert Pike
THE END OF EVIL
Evil on itself shall back recoil,
And mix no more with goodness, when at last,
Gathered like scum, and settled to itself,
It shall be in eternal restless change
Self-fed and self-consumed.
--John Milton.
THE MYSTERY
If it touches the heart of a Poet,
The gods and the ages will know it;
For over the waters and crags of time
The winds of the world will blow it.
--Edwin Markham.
MY BROTHER KNEELS
My Brother kneels, so saith Kabir,
To stone and brass in heathen wise,
But in my brother's soul I hear
My own unanswered agonies;
His God is as his fates assign;
His prayer is all the world's--and mine.
--Poems of Kabir.
THE BIBLE IN MASONRY
BY THE EDITOR
Joseph Fort Newton
BROTHER Toastmaster: Time is a river and books are boats.
Many volumes start down that stream, only to be wrecked and lost beyond recall
in its sands. Only a few, a very few, endure the testings of time and live to
bless the ages following. Tonight we are met to pay homage to the greatest of
all books--the one enduring Book which has traveled down to us from the far
past, freighted with the richest treasure that ever any book has brought to
humanity. What a sight it is to see five hundred men gathered about an open
Bible- -how typical of the spirit and genius of Masonry, its great and simple
faith and its benign ministry to mankind.
No Mason needs to be told what a place of honor the Bible
has in Masonry. One of the great Lights of the Order, it lies open upon the
altar at the center of the lodge. Upon it every Mason takes solemn vows of love,
of loyalty, of chastity, of charity, pledging himself to our tenets of Brotherly
Love, Relief, and Truth. Think what it means for a young man to make such a
covenant of consecration in the morning of life, taking that wise old Book as
his guide, teacher and friend! Then as he moves forward from one degree to
another, the imagery of the Bible becomes familiar and eloquent, and its mellow,
haunting music sings its way into his heart.
And yet, like everything else in Masonry, the Bible, so
rich in symbolism, is itself a symbol---that is, a part taken for the whole. It
is a sovereign symbol of the Book of Faith, the Will of God as man has learned
it in the midst of the years--that perpetual revelation of Himself which God is
making mankind in every land and every age. Thus, by the very honor which
Masonry pays to the Bible, it teaches us to revere every book of faith in which
men find help for today and hope for the morrow, joining hands with the man of
Islam as he takes oath on the Koran, and with the Hindu as he makes covenant
with God upon the book that he loves best.
For Masonry knows, what so many forget, that religions are
many, but Religion is one--perhaps we may say one thing, but that one thing
includes everything--the life of God in the soul of man, and the duty and hope
of man which proceed from His essential character. Therefore it invites to its
altar men of all faiths, knowing that, if they use different names for "the
Nameless One of a hundred names," they are yet praying to the one God and Father
of all; knowing, also, that while they read different volumes, they ale in fact
reading the same vast Book of the Faith of Man as revealed in the struggle and
sorrow of the race in its quest of God. So that, great and noble as the Bible
is, Masonry sees it as a symbol of that eternal Book of the Will of God which
Lowell described when he wrote his memorable lines:
"Slowly the Bible of the race is writ, And not on paper
leaves nor leaves of stone; Each age, each kindred; adds a verse to it, Texts
of despair or hope, of joy or moan. While swings the sea, while mists the
mountain shroud, While thunder's surges burst on cliffs of cloud, Still at the
prophets' feet the nations sit."
None the less, much as we honor every book of faith in
which any man has found courage to lift his hand above the night that covers him
and lay hold of the mighty Hand of God, with us the Bible is supreme What Homer
was to the Greeks, what the Koran is to the Arabs, that, and much more, the
grand old Bible is to us. It is the mother in our literary family, and if some
of its children have grown up and become wise in their own conceit, they yet
rejoice to gather about its knee and pay tribute. Not only was the Bible the
loom on which our language was woven, but it is a pervasive, refining, redeeming
force bequeathed to us, with whatsoever else that is good and true, in the very
fiber of our being. Not for a day do we regard the Bible simply as a literary
classic, apart from what it means to the faiths and hopes and prayers of men,
and its in weaving into the intellectual and spiritual life of our race.
There was a time when the Bible formed almost the only
literature of England; and today, if it were taken away, that literature would
be torn to tatters and shreds. Truly did Macaulay say that, if everything else
in our language should perish, the Bible would alone suffice to show the whole
range and power and beauty of our speech. From it Milton learned his majesty of
song, and Ruskin his magic of prose. Carlyle had in his very blood, almost
without knowing it, the rhapsody and passion of the prophets--their sense of the
Infinite, of the littleness of man, of the sarcasm of providence; as Burns,
before him, had learned from the same fireside Book the indestructibleness of
honor and the humane pity of God which throbbed in his lyrics of love and
liberty. Thus, from Shakespeare to Tennyson, the Bible sings in our poetry,
chants in our music, echoes in our eloquence, and in our tragedy flashes forever
its truth of the terribleness of sin, the tenderness of God, and the
inextinguishable hope of man.
My brethren, here is a Book whose scene is the sky and the
dirt and all that lies between--a Book that has in it the arch of the heavens,
the curve of the earth, the ebb and flow of the sea, sunrise and sunset, the
peaks of mountains and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, the shadow of
forests on the hills, the song of birds and the color of flowers. But its two
great characters are God and the Soul, and the story of their eternal life
together is its one everlasting romance. It is the most human of books, telling
the old forgotten secrets of the heart, its bitter pessimism and its death
defying hope, its pain, its passion, its sin, its sob of grief and its shout of
joy--telling all, without malice, in its Grand Style which can do no wrong,
while echoing the sweet-toned pathos of the pity and mercy of God. No other book
is so honest with us, so mercilessly merciful, so austere yet so tender,
piercing the heart, yet healing the deep wounds of sin and sorrow.
Take this great and simple Book, white with age yet new
with the dew of each new morning, tested by the sorrowful and victorious
experience of centuries, rich in memories and wet with the tears of multitudes
who walked this way before us--lay it to heart, love it, read it, and learn what
life is, what it means to be a man; aye, learn that God hath made us for
Himself, and unquiet are our hearts till they rest in Him. Make it your friend
and teacher, and you will know what Sir Walter Scott meant when, as he lay
dying, he asked Lockhart to read to him. "From what book?" asked Lockhart, and
Scott replied, "There is but one Book!"
----O----
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Let there be light !
In world's dim dawn
When all earth's hopes depended on
The spread of that effulgent glow
To germinate all things below,
Then wisdom's laws, by His command
Made ready evolution's hand.
Then were the clouds of chaos riven
When that decree by Him was given.
Let there be light!
Let there be light ! The edict spread
O'er all the universe, where sped
The essence of the Power Supreme
Alight with glory's potent beam
Which woke to action, growth and force,
Each slumb'ring atom in its course,
While life's prodigious prospects bright
Took shape at earliest dawn of light.
Let there be light !
Let there be light ! In darkened hours,
When hov'ring clouds
with threatening powers,
By superstition's gruesome hand
Are spread o'er mystic beauty's land,
Swift as the lightning's flash from heaven
The blest decree to worlds is given,
And lights revealing hope and love
Break through the darkened clouds above.
Let there be light !
Let there be light! By symbols known
That wonderful decree is shown
Expressing each true heart's desire
That lights of truth from mystic fire
Which burns in each appointed place,
May spread their gleam o'er all the race
And they, in glow of beauty find
Pare truths long sought by all mankind.
Let there be light!
Let there be light ! When nations rise,
And war clouds hover o'er the skies,
When thunders of the battle break
O'er lovely plains, and havoc wake,
VVhen devastation's scorching breath
Is borne through lands on wings of death,
When horrors of the conflict rage
And leave their marks on hist'l y's page
Let there be light!
Let there be light ! Nay, seek no more
To stop each devastating war
While leaving causes of the strife
To stay and harass human life;
While war lords yet their systems nurse
To make mankind's condition worse.
Think well of these, of moral laws
Which, violated, gave the CAUSE !
Let there be light!
Let there be light ! When they, in war,
The rights of liberty ignore
And scatter baneful dangers wide
'Mong friends and foes, all laws defied,
Vain are the pleas ignobly made
For wholesale murder's cruel aid,
Nor can diplomacy atone
For willful acts of murder done.
Let there be light!
Let there be light! In time of peace,
That each oppressive system cease
Should be our aim, and never wait
Until remonstrance be too late;
Till outraged manhood's hosts, in wrath,
Poise up across the oppressor's path,
And freedom's warriors' bold stand
At length brings peace through every land.
Let these be light!
- Lewis Alexander McConnell.
----o----
THE WAY OF DITTY
This truth comes to us
more and more the longer we live, that on what field or in what uniform, or with
what aims we do our duty, matters very little, or even what our duty is, great
or small, splendid or obscure. Only to find our duty certainly and somewhere,
and do it faithfully, makes us strong, happy and useful men, and tunes our lives
into some feeble echo of the life of God.
- Phillips Brooks.
----o----
Masonry is not an
exposition of a manufactured ritual, nor is it a new revelation. It expresses
the underlying principles which govern all the religions which the race has
loved, and is founded upon the accumulated traditions which are necessities to
humanity.
- Sir Gilbert Parker.
THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MASONRY
BY BRO. J. H. MORROW, CALIFORNIA
ONE of the most beautiful of natural phenomena is the dew.
We rise up early in the morning, throw open the casement, and there, spread out
before us on earth's green carpet, lie myriads upon myriads of gems more
brilliant than ever graced a queenly brow. It is as though God before rolling up
the canopy of night had laid the stars for a moment upon the earth for man's
nearer view.
As we gaze, entranced, the sun asserts his majesty, and
along invisible paths the wealth of magic beauty vanishes in thin air. But each
crystal drop has left refreshment in its wake. The tender blade of grass, the
new-born leaf of the shrub, the unfolding petal of the blossom has each in turn
gathered fresh life and renewed vigor.
And so, in a way, is spirituality. Heaven sent, it comes to
earth to quicken men's souls into new life. It is all that the dew is to nature,
but it is far more. It more closely resembles the gentle rain in the depth and
permanence of its effect.
A dove brought a seed from the skies, and it said to the
man, "The seed I bring is precious beyond all price. Its name is the
Knowledge-of-God. I would fain plant it where it shall find constant
nourishment, so that it may germinate and grow and bear fruit for the healing of
the nations."
Reverently the man uncovered his head, and humbly bared his
breast. "O gentle dove," he said, "vouchsafe that this seed may find lodgment in
my poor heart." And the dove replied, "So let it be," and straightway it planted
the seed in the human breast so freely offered.
And there flew to earth another dove, and the seed it
brought- was called Faith, and this seed, too, found lodgment in the man's
heart. And still another dove brought the seed of Hope, and another the seed of
Charity, and a fourth the seed of Brotherly Love, and again a fifth the seed of
Immortality; for these seeds, too, the man's breast gave welcoming place
The name of the man was Freemason. The life he lived, and
the deeds he wrought, be they small or great, are known to all, but the vision
of the doves and the planting of the seeds were for his eye alone.
Brethren, if I have indulged in metaphor and resorted to
parable, it has been but to stimulate the imagination that you may the more
easily rise with me to the plane upon which Masonry in its teachings and their
fulfillment rests. The first seed implanted in the heart of the Freemason was
the Knowledge-of-God. To put our trust in Him is the initial and the directing
step in the journey of life. With Him as our guide, our mentor, we can press
forward without doubt or fear. As Christian, Jew, Brahmin, or Mohammedan, each
may call Him by a different name, but to one and all He is the Great Architect,
the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and as we learn to accept His guidance, He
becomes better still the Heavenly Father, drawing us to Him with bonds of love.
"We feel His presence, e'en unseen," and we walk by faith, and are sustained by
hope in its whispered promise of eternal life. And so it is with the other
seeds. In the exercise, for example, of charity through the promptings of
brotherly love--charity which softens and modifies our judgments, makes us
conscious of our own shortcomings, and renders us responsive to the appeals of
those in distress--we become partakers of the Divine nature and thus children of
God.
"To worship rightly is to love each other; Each smile a
hymn, each kindly deed a prayer." "Each loving life a psalm of gratitude."
King Solomon's Temple is long crumbled into dust, but we as
Masons are taught that we may rear another in its stead. The plan lies upon the
trestle board of the Supreme Master. Happy is the man who builds according to
that plan. For the temple site is the human heart, and the temple is known as
character. Masonry is character-building, and whether we be Entered Apprentice,
Fellowcraft, or Master Mason, our duties are clearly defined, and our
accountability made clear.
Now, character is what we are, and must not be confounded
with reputation, which is what men think of us. If character be sound, be good,
be true, then reputation can safely be left to take care of itself. Men covet
reputation, but reputation is only secure when it rests upon a moral foundation.
Hypocrisy, deceit, false pretensions may achieve their ends for a while, but
sooner or later the sham will be found out, and the structure so faultily built
prove but a house of cards. Therefore, the question which concerns me as a Mason
is not what do men think of me, but what do I think of myself ?
In the light of Masonry I am able to judge myself. The plan
lies before me. My obligations are emblazoned upon the walls of my remembrance.
How have I hewn and laid the foundations of my character? How have I built the
superstructure? Dare I apply to the walls the plumb and square and level of
righteousness ? The heart of the man who received the seeds from the doves knew
as the days and the years went by how well it had cherished the divine gifts.
So, as I lay my head at night upon my pillow, and turn upon myself the eyes of
introspection, I can search my soul.
Shall I be discouraged by the faults I find? Nay, not so.
If I only realize that I have tried to build a temple acceptable to the Supreme
Architect, I have not wholly failed. To be able to discover the fault shows that
I have not lost sight of the plan, and am not deaf to the still small voice of
conscience. And the wonderful thing in character-building is that so long as
life lasts opportunity is given all to correct the faults. Fortunate, indeed, am
I if the faults be those of days rather than of years. Yet it were better to
begin all over again, though the structure eventually remain incomplete, than
never to have made the attempt. But I must not put off the rebuilding to "a more
convenient season," for "the night cometh when no man can work." Opportunity is
mine, but it is limited. The sands remaining in my hour-glass I cannot see.
Still, I must not despair. Hands of brotherly love are
outstretched to help me.
Toil though we may, none toils alone-- A brother's hands
help lift the stone My arm is powerless to place; And love is beaming from his
face.
Furthermore, we cannot contemplate the sublime truths of
Masonry without receiving a reciprocal blessing. It is an immutable law that
like begets like. Out of the abundance of the harvest is the promise of another
garnering of like kind. And we sow without doubt, knowing that as we sow so
shall we also reap. What is true of nature is true of spirituality. Of all the
gifts of the inner life, the highest is that of love. Brotherly love unifies
Masonry, and in its expression ennobles the lives of the brethren. It is this
ennoblement, this enrichment so evident in innumerable instances, that draws men
to our sanctuaries, humble and voluntary applicants for admission. They have
discovered in the influences of Masonry a transforming power for good which they
would fain enjoy.
Sculptured in profile on a New England mountain cliff is
the noble face of a man. Tradition foretold that one day the counterpart would
appear in human form. And the story runs that a lad was wont to visit the spot,
watching in his boyish faith for the fulfillment of the promise. Alas, many
passed, but never one who in lineament and expression reflected the heavenly
beauty of the face of the granite hills. From boyhood the watcher grew to youth,
and from youth to manhood, and still his dream remained unfulfilled. The tocsin
of war sounded, and he hastened to the defense of his country's flag. Bravely,
honorably, heroically he did his part, but often on picket duty in the gloomy
watches of the night or amid the fitful sleep of the turf-pillowed bivouac, that
radiant face of the distant mountain would reveal itself, and he would study it
with the eyes of introspection. The war ended, and it was vouchsafed to him to
return to his home. From force of habit he repaired to the mountain. There stood
the face, as it had stood for ages untold, not an attribute impaired. Lost in
reverie the soldier in his faded uniform became unconscious of surroundings, and
unaware of the gathering of an awe-struck group. The tradition was at last come
true; the counterpart in human form was there--but he did not know it.
Like begets like, beauty begets beauty, love begets love,
holiness begets holiness, but the discovery is left to others.
Frequenting the almost inaccessible peak of a lofty
mountain was a bird of snow-white plumage. Its name was Purity, and to him who
should find one of its spotless feathers was the promise of eternal life. Many
essayed to find a feather, but discouraged by the obstacles became disheartened
and dropped back to the Valley of Ease---all save one. Undaunted, though bruised
and bleeding, he pressed upward. Often he stumbled, sometimes he slipped
backward, but only to regain lost ground and to keep on climbing. Would he ever
reach the top ? His strength was giving out, when suddenly the shadow of the
bird rested upon him. With one last effort he stretched forth his hand, but only
to grasp thin air. He fell and died, and then, lo the miracle ! From the pitying
breast of the hovering bird descended a feather, and rested on the palm of the
nerveless hand. The gift of eternal life was won.
Brethren, the spiritual rewards of Masonry are not to be
sought in the Valley of Ease. They may be summed up in one phrase--the
satisfaction of feeling that we have endeavored to walk uprightly in every path
of life, and to discharge our duties to God, to country, to home, to our
fellow-men in conformity with the sublime teachings of the Order. The rest may
be left to Him who noteth even the fall of a sparrow.
"Oh ! the cedars of Lebanon grow at our door, And the
quarry is sunk at our gate; And the ships out of Ophir, with golden ore, For our
summoning mandate wait; And the word of a Master Mason May the house of our soul
create ! While the day hath light let the light be used, For no man shall the
night control ! Or ever the silver cord be loosed, Or broken the golden bowl,
May we build King Solomon's Temple In the true Masonic soul!"
And the meaning is this--that we do not have to go far
afield to discharge our Masonic obligations, and to be spiritually quickened. In
the pursuit of wealth men often travel to the uttermost parts of the world and
endure danger and privation without end, alas, sometimes in vain, not realizing
that mines of golden promise lie buried at the very doorsteps of the homes they
have spurned. So the demands for the exercise of Masonic virtues lie close at
hand. The stranger, hopeless, distressed, is knocking at our gate for
admittance. The tearstained faces of the widow and the orphan are lifted in
appeal to our windows. The brother, needy in a material or in a spiritual sense,
is mutely stretching out his hand for help and sympathy along the pathway of our
daily routine. Our homes are demanding of us the highest expressions of love.
Our city and our country are expecting us to exemplify civic righteousness. And
the voice of God is ever ringing in our ears, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto Me."
It is a misnomer to speak of the spiritual side of Masonry.
If there be another side it is foreign to our Order, and I know it not.
Spirituality is the life of Masonry. Blest is he who is privileged to partake of
it, and to help rebuild the Temple of King Solomon.
FREEMASONS AS BUILDERS
(A Series of Researches into the Operative Efforts of the
Craft
III.THIE TEMPLE AT IOWA CITY, IOWA
ERECTED and completely
equipped for slightly less than $50,000.00 the Temple occupied by the Brethren
at Iowa City, Iowa, is at once compact, convenient and commodious. It is
designed to meet Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery needs. The Brethren have
ventured further into club house arrangements than we have previously
illustrated in this series. Iowa City is the home of Iowa State University, and
the presence of a large number of Masons in the student body probably accounts
for this.
The basement story
(not illustrated,) is occupied by a dining room, kitchen and heating plant. The
first floor is arranged around a central "Exchange," utilized for social
features as well as a Commandery Drill Hall. Two Game Rooms, a Billiard Room,
the Secretary's Office and Vault, and a Reading Room, all have openings into the
Exchange. In the forward part of the building, separate parlors and cloak rooms
are provided for the ladies and Brethren, both readily accessible from the main
entrance.
In the second floor,
additional cloak rooms are provided. The Armory, with a generous balcony, is
well adapted to the uses of the Commandery, and opens directly into the Lodge
Room. The Ante-Room, Committee Room and Preparation Room open into the
Lodge Room also, while (as in all plans thus far presented) the paraphernalia
and storage room parallels the Lodge Room. East and West. A high ceiling in the
Lodge Room affords opportunity for
mezzanine floors all around it, thus permitting the introduction of a pipe organ
and other accessories, if desired.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF MASONRY TO THE LIBERATION OF SPANISH
AMERICA
BY BRO. HENRY BIXBY HEMENWAY, A.M., M.D., ILLINOIS
(Note.--The following article has been written at the
earnest solicitation of the Editor. It is submitted, not as a completed study,
but that it may aid others who wish to follow a similar path. Unfortunately,
such a study should occupy much time, and the investigator should be able to
follow the path into many countries, and to search through documentary records.
Citations are here given to shorten, if possible, the preliminary work of other
students.-- H. B. H.)
ONE of the most inviting fields for the Masonic
investigator is that which pertains to the relationship between this great order
and governmental history. It is not probable that any one would be so rash as to
affirm that Masonry was the cause of the War of the Revolution. On the other
hand, there are many who believe that the Revolution would not have been
successfully begun, continued and ended were it not for the aid of that body of
patriots. If this be granted, the next question to arise is whether the
revolution was the incidental result of the teaching of Masonry, or was the
organization used by the leaders of the movement because secrecy was necessary
for their operations. Were these leaders driven into the society for mutual
protection ?
Apparently it was the oppression of the Huguenots in France
and the constant annoyance of the Scotch Irish by the English government that
developed in each of those oppressed a spirit of determined endurance, and a
love of liberty, which they strongly exhibited on coming to America. This had
much to do with the starting of the revolution. Both of these peoples were
patrons of Masonry, and the two leading spirits of the movement which resulted
in the formation of the Grand Lodge of England, June 24, 1717, were James
Anderson, a Scotch Presbyterian clergyman, and John Desaguliers, a French
Huguenot. One of the fundamental principles of Masonry is religious liberty; and
it therefore received the condemnation of the Roman See. While Masonry has no
opposition to the Roman church as a religious institution, it does oppose its
attempt to connect spiritual and temporal power. As between monarchy and
democracy that church has in the past always been arrayed on the side of
monarchy. It was therefore a natural result that a large proportion of the
leaders in the American revolution were members of the fraternity, though it
must by no means be forgotten that some loyal members of the Roman church gave
important moral, financial, and personal support to the cause.
In the minds of such men as Washington, Masonic membership
was another evidence of a man's reliability and fitness for trust. Silence and
circumspection had been taught him. If therefore there were some important
business to be done in the interest of the colonial army or government, it was
natural that it should be safeguarded by those fraternal bonds. If a council
were necessary, it was not unlikely that it might be protected by the privacy of
the military lodge. There was a double test of safety in the membership in the
order, and the position in the army. The practical influence of this association
impressed itself upon the Marquis de Lafayette, and he became an enthusiastic
Mason.
It has been said that when Lafayette came to this country
he had upon his staff a young native of Venezuela by the name of Miranda. It has
been supposed that Miranda here became a Mason also, and it has often been said
that Washington was his ideal. After he left the United States he settled in
London for a time. There he established a secret society for the avowed purpose
of freeing Spanish America from the European yoke. This society, we have been
told, was founded on Masonry. It inculcated republican doctrines, and was formed
principally, if not exclusively, of Spanish Americans who were pledged, in
different degrees, to work for South American freedom. Into this society the
great leaders of the southern rebellion were initiated--San Martin, Bernardo
O'Higgins, Bolivar, Sucre and the rest. At Cadiz, we are told, (1) a subordinate
society was established affiliated with the mother organization, and known under
the name "Sociedad de Lautaro, o Cabelleros Racionales." Subsequently a Logia
Lautaro was established in Buenos Aires, and another at Santiago, Chile.
It will also be remembered that almost immediately after
the success of the Spanish revolution, Masonic lodges were formed throughout
Latin America, and that the political leaders were Masons. Further, though the
Roman church was not disturbed in its ministrations, wherever the Masonic
influences were the strongest, there the temporal power of that church was the
most restricted.
The general evidence, therefore, tends to show a direct
relationship, not only between the revolution in the English and that in the
Spanish colonies, but between both and the Masonic order, either as a causative,
or as an executive agent.
It is only within a relatively short time that the study of
history has approached scientific accuracy. Formerly it was the custom of a
historian to take what came to hand without special question, unless he found
that statements or evidence did not agree. The consequence was that
misstatements were kept alive, and by their very frequency they became
convincing. If, as sometimes happened, many writers went to the same source for
their information, a mistake in the original caused the error of many; still, in
the place of being really the evidence of many, it was the evidence of only one,
oft repeated.
In the sketch of Miranda's life in the International
Encyclopedia it is said that he resigned from the Spanish army in order to fight
with the French in the United States. The Encyclopedia Britanica says: "He
entered the army, and served with the French in the American War of
Independence. The success of that war inspired him with a belief that the
independence of Spanish America would increase prosperity. He began to scheme a
revolution, but was discovered and had only time to escape to the United States.
Thence he went to England." As will be seen later this account is almost
entirely wrong, though that writer refers in his bibliography to the only
critical study of the subject which has been made. The Encyclopedia Americana
repeats the former error about Miranda's service in our Revolution, even giving
the dates, 1779-1781. It also refers to his formation of the Gran Reunion
Americana, which is correct. The other encyclopedias are silent as to this
society, and the Logia Lautaro.
The misstatement relative to Miranda's service in our
Revolution is repeated by Dalton, (2) Hirst, (3) Eder, (4) Garcia Calderon, (5)
and Chisholm. (6) Chisholm gives no authority for any of his statements, but he
dwells at some length upon Miranda's influence in the liberation of the Spanish
Americans, and his formation of the Gran Reunion.
Turning now to South American sources, (but Professor
Pennington, of the University of Cordoba, Argentina, and Garcia Calderon of
Peru, should also be so ranked,) we find the two best recognized authorities for
this period of history are B. Vicuna Mackenna of Chile, and Bartolome Mitre of
Argentina. Mackenna, in his "Ostracismo de O'Higgins" in speaking of Miranda
says (7) that he went to the United States and fought for freedom, with
Washington as his hero, and Lafayette as his companion. Mitre, the poet,
historian, general, and President, wrote large histories of San Martin and
Belgrano. In the first of these he says (8) of Miranda that he was "a soldier of
Washington in the war of North America, Comrade of Lafayette, a General with
Dumoriez in the early campaigns of the French revolution, a companion of Madame
Rolland in prison, the confidant of Pitt in his plan of insurrection of Spanish
American colonies, distinguished by Catherine of Russia, by whose favors the
important mission which was imposed was fostered, and considered by Napoleon as
a crazy man, fired by hot blood. In a similar manner Mitre speaks in his life of
Belgrano (9) of Miranda's having known Hamilton when under the orders of
LaFayette and Washington he had fought for the independence of the English
colonies.
We have been thus particular to refer to many accounts
which speak of Miranda's service here because they are all in error, but
evidence of the mistake is likely to be overlooked. The only critical life of
Miranda which the writer of these lines has found is that by Professor William
S. Robertson, which is hidden in a copy of the Proceedings of the American
Historical Society. (10) Robertson has taken the pains to verify his study by
searching through official documents and private diaries. In marked contrast
with the methods of Mitre, Mackenna, and the others cited, he makes it a rule to
state the evidence. What he says may be taken as reliable so far as he goes, and
from his account, unless otherwise specified, the following sketch is taken:
Francisco Miranda was born of Spanish parents in Caracas,
Venezuela, probably June 9, 1753. Blanco gives (11) the year as 1756, and Vicuna
Mackenna (12) as 1758. He was educated in a college in his native city, and
according to his statement to President Stiles, at Yale college, he received his
B. A. degree in 1767. He later studied law "for a year or more" at a college in
the city of Mexico. (The father of Mexican independence was Don Miguel Hidalgo y
Costilla, a creole priest, who received his B. A. degree in the city of Mexico
in 1770, (13) after his education in the college of Valladolid, Mex. It is
therefore more than a possibility that Hidalgo and Miranda met at that time. It
must be remembered that the word "creole" does not imply mixed blood, as many
imagine, but is descriptive of those of pure Latin blood, born in America.) In
Caracas it is probable, as has been stated, that one of Miranda's companions
during those early years was Manuel Gaul, who later took an active part in the
revolution, and who was punished for translating and publishing the "Rights of
Man." Incidentally we may here mention that later Thomas Paine became one of
Miranda's intimate friends, and that his "Rights of Man" became one of the
potent influences for the revolution of Spanish America. Miranda was an
enthusiastic student, and before he became of age he went to Spain, and there
applied himself to the study of mathematics. His sympathies at that time were
intensely Spanish. In 1772 he was commissioned a captain in the Spanish army. He
served in Africa against the Moroccans. During the summer of 1777 charges were
made against him, and he was imprisoned for a short time, at the instigation of
the Inquisition, he thought. However, the official report of his commander in
November of that year said, in contrast with the report relative to many of his
fellow soldiers: "This captain performs his duties well."
During his early service he came under the command of
Cagigal, who was ever thereafter his firm friend. In March, 1780, Miranda was
transferred from Madrid to Cadiz. Early that spring the French and Spanish
governments cooperated in hostile operations against England, and in the Spanish
force sent to the West Indies Miranda was on the staff oœ Cagigal. In August,
1781, Miranda was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel. In September Miranda was sent to
Kingston, Jamaica, ostensibly to arrange for an exchange of prisoners, but
really as a spy. There, with the aid of a Boston man by the name of Fitch he
purchased some ships. The English commander received at the least a strong
reprimand from his superior for the transaction; and Miranda found charges
preferred against himself, and was arrested in the absence of Cagigal, but
immediately released on Cagigal's return. Envious fellow officers later made
other charges involving both Cagigal and Miranda. Cagigal was transferred to
Spain. April 16, 1783, Miranda wrote to Cagigal that he was disgusted with his
treatment, and saw no chance for justice, though he was "more innocent than
Socrates"; he had therefore determined to return to Europe by way of the United
States. In spite of his desertion from the command, and in spite of the
knowledge of the government that after leaving the service Miranda had been
engaged in intrigue and plotting against the Spanish authority, in 1799 the
Council of the Indies fully exonerated both Cagigal and Miranda of the charges
made. Early in the summer of 1781, and while Cagigal was in command, Pensacola
was captured from the English. It is possible that Miranda was present at this
siege; but aside from this there is no evidence that he was within the present
bounds of the United States before the spring of 1783, when he landed at
Charleston to make his tour of the country.
Because the West Indies were very properly regarded as in
"America"; because the Spanish and French nations were warring in the West
Indies together against the English during the latter part of the war of the
Revolution; and because Lafayette, a Frenchman, and some of his compatriots were
with the American army, though not with the sanction of the French government;
and because Miranda and Cagigal were serving in the Spanish army in the West
Indies, it was, perhaps, natural that some non-critical historian should draw
the inference that those Spanish officers were serving with Lafayette in the
Colonial army. While the incidental effect of the Spanish campaign might have
been helpful for the Colonial army, this was not its object. By the treaty of
1783 England surrendered title to Florida to Spain as a result of the Spanish
victory. Since Miranda was not serving with Washington and Lafayette in the
Revolution, it follows-that the inference was unfounded that his observations at
that time led him to an appreciation of Masonry, and that he was made a Mason in
the Military lodge, or anywhere in the United States at that time.
From time to time Miranda sent letters to the Spanish
government demanding justice and protection, but he did not dare to visit Spain.
However, the Spanish government kept a close watch of all his movements, and at
one time expected to capture him in France. This official espionage, and the
consequent records, makes it easy to trace his wanderings. The Spanish
government feared that he might dispose of valuable plans of Spanish
fortifications to the English.
After a tour of the United States Miranda went to England.
Complaints from his friends in Spanish America, combined with his own feeling of
injustice received, and contrasted with his observations in the United States,
begot in his mind a scheme for freeing Spanish America from the Spanish rule. He
visited most of the European countries to study their governments, and secured
from Catherine of Russia financial aid and encouragement in his scheme. He got
Pitt thoroughly interested for England; and in the expectation of commercial
advantages to be received, there seemed to be a prospect of naval and military
assistance from Britain. Miranda also received encouragement from Alexander
Hamilton and from Rufus King that the United States would also assist. It was
probable that during his American tour he discussed this project with
Washington, Smith, Sayre, Adams and others, some of whom became his firm
friends. It was here that he made the acquaintance of Thomas Paine. After his
trip through Europe, and another sojourn in London, he entered the French
contest for liberty. Later, with the turn in fortunes, he was imprisoned in the
Bastile, at the same time that Madame Rolland was there incarcerated. On being
released he returned to London, and continued to plan for action in America.
At this time there was a young Chilean at school in
Richmond, England. He was the natural son of Ambrosio O'Higgins, then Viceroy of
Peru, but was known then as Bernardo Riquelme. Needing an instructor in
mathematics, chance sent the young O'Higgins to Miranda, but their discussions
were not limited to pure science. They studied maps together, and discussed the
great problems of the western hemisphere. It was about this time that Miranda
organized the Gran Reunion Americana, with headquarters in London, though from a
statement by Mitre (14) we infer that it was organized in Paris in 1797. It is
natural that we should find few records of this most important organization--in
fact, the wonder is that we find so many. It is also natural, considering all
the circumstances, that its existence should be covered by the assumption of
various names.
Professor Pennington, of the ancient university in Cordoba,
Argentina, close to the seat of San Martin's most strenuous exertions in
connection with the secret organization, gives this account: (15) "General
Francisco Miranda, a native of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, was the first
South American to dream of the greatness of the various South American Colonies
if they could be freed from Spanish dominion and converted into independent
states. In order to carry his ideas into effect, he established a secret society
called the 'Gran Reunion Americana' with headquarters in London. This parent
association gave birth to many branches and affiliated societies of which the
principal was the Sociedad de Lautaro, or of Caballeros Racionales, which in
1808 had more than forty members in Cadiz alone. The meetings of these societies
were secret and protected by rites and pass-words derived from Freemasonry.
There were various degrees, the first involving a promise to work for American
independence and the second accepting Republican principles. The fifth grade was
the highest and most responsible, as it involved more than mere expressions of
opinion and professions of faith."
Chisholm says: (16) "Erected on the models of the Lodges of
Free Masonry that wielded such a beneficent influence for humanity during the
eighteenth century, and conforming in great part with Masonic principles and
methods, the "Reunion" included in its rolls many of the foremost patriots of
Spanish America. There were found registered the names of Nariiio, San Martin,
Fretes, Cortes, Yznaga, Bejarano and many others who represented every Spanish
American colony from Cuba to Chile. When Miranda had satisfied himself that
Bernardo [O'Higgins] possessed those qualities of character that would render
him steadfast as well as enthusiastic, he opened before him the great purpose of
achieving the independence of all the Spanish Colonies in America by one
concerted and irresistible movement, and O'Higgins joined the lodge and took the
necessary oaths of fidelity and service. It is interesting to know that a few
years later Simon Bolivar also joined the same order, took the same oaths and
fulfilled with equal fidelity the solemn engagements which joined him with San
Martin and O'Higgins in overthrowing the power in America of the King of Spain."
(Though this indicates that O'Higgins was not an original member, I am satisfied
from many items that he was one of the founders of the organization in Paris, in
1797.)
In February, 1797, Pedro Jose Caro came to London,
representing that he owned large properties in Cuba and in the city of Mexico,
and attempted to get the English government interested in the scheme for freeing
Spanish America. The Spanish officials thought that he was an escaped
conspirator from Caracas. About the same time Antonio Narino, a conspirator from
Santa Fe, failed to secure a favorable hearing from the English government. "It
is possible that both these emissaries were sent or directed to London by
Miranda. It is also possible, as stated by Miranda later, that other alleged
agents, from South America were sent to London while the master intriguer
remained in Paris." (17) "It is clear that the arrival of Miranda in England
early in the following year was with the full knowledge and consent of the
English government." (18) On January 17, 1798, Miranda addressed a
communication to Pitt beginning with the words: "The undersigned, principal
agent of the Spanish-American colonies, has been named by the junta of deputies
of Mexico, Lima, Chili, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Santa Fe, etc. to present himself
to the ministers of H. B. M., in order to renew in favor of absolute
independence of these colonies the negotiations begun in 1790," (19) etc.
"Nothing is known of the alleged Spanish junta which was to take cognizance of
the negotiations. Nevertheless, it is possible that some revolutionary spirits
from Spanish America, like Caro and Nariiio, did meet in Paris and discuss a
plan of campaign." (20) Apparently the junta was the mother lodge of the Gran
Reunion.
In his original scheme Miranda planned a constitutional
monarchy, binding the states in a federation, with an Inca at the head; this
monarchy to extend westward from Brazil and the Mississippi, and from parallel
45 degrees north to the Cape Horn. (21) In the new version it was to be a
federation of republics, and one of the propositions included the cutting of
canals connecting the Atlantic and Pacific at Panama and through Nicaragua. (22)
Though Robertson does not mention the Gran Reunion by name, he says: (23)
"Miranda may well have been the founder of a revolutionary club which later
developed into a great international association of Spanish American
revolutionists, that was transported by the leaders to the different parts of
Spanish America."
Vicuna Mackenna speaks (24) of the departure of Bejara,
Caro, Iznardi, O'Higgins and others to arrange for the entrance of the Gran
Reunion Americana into the Spanish peninsula; and Mitre tells us (25) of the
Sociedad de Lautaro o Caballeros Racionales in Cadiz. Vicuna Mackenna tells us
(26) that the Lojia Lautarina (Chilean for Logia Lautaro) was founded in Buenos
Aires in 1812, and Mitre says (27) that in 1717 a lodge of the Lautaro was
established in Chile, to be composed equal parts of Chileans and Argentinos. It
will be remembered that the rebellion of all the Spanish American colonies began
at practically the same time, about 1811, and that the names of the leaders in
each country are among those enrolled in the Gran Reunion or its branches. I
have somewhere seen the statement that Hidalgo, who sounded the signal for the
Mexican uprising from his pulpit in Dolores, was a member of this organization.
Certain it is that there was an organized secret body of Mexicans in the plot,
but I have not found definite evidence as to its official connection with the
Gran Reunion.
As to the meetings of the Buenos Aires lodge, Mitre tells
us (28) that it sometimes met in the factory of Vieyetes, or in the country
house of Orma; but more frequently in that of Rodriques Pena, who was the sinew
of this association, of which Belgrano was the counselor; and which showed
sometimes the enthusiasm of Castelli, or the prudence of Vieyetes, or the high
reason of Passo.
The organization having ceased to-exist, Vicuna Mackenna
has been able to publish a copy of the constitution and by-laws of the Lojia
Lautarina. (29) "The mother lodge is composed of thirteen Caballeros, aside from
the President, Vice President, two secretaries, one for North America and one
for South America, an orator, and a master of ceremonies. The number cannot be
increased. No Spaniard or foreigner can be admitted, nor more than one
ecclesiastic." Whenever a brother is made the governor or magistrate in a
section of the country he shall assist in forming a subordinate lodge. When one
of the brothers is elected Supreme Governor, he shall plan nothing of grave
importance without having consulted the lodge. The objects of the institution
are to assist and protect each other in the conflict of civil life, and to
support the opinion of the others, but when it is opposed to the public, they
should nevertheless preserve silence. Every brother should support, at the risk
of his life, the determinations of the lodge. Two-thirds constitute a quorum. A
brother, who by word or sign reveals the secret of the existence of the lodge
shall be put to death by the means most convenient. There is no mention of any
connection with the Masonic order, and no stipulation that the members shall be
Freemasons.
Mitre says (30) of these secret societies that they were
composed of South Americans with the object of the emancipation of South
America, and its foundation upon the republican plan. They resembled greatly in
their organization and in their political plans the societies of charcoal
sellers formed upon the Masonic rites, and which have not only the Masonic
forms, but also their symbols.
Garcia Calderon says (31) that "from Mexico to Chili the
same revolutionary fervour engendered the partial movements of 1808 to 18L1.
Conspirators similar to the Italian carbonari, lodges in which men spoke of
liberty in the midst of ingenuous rites, and university students who read the
Encyclopaedists, were preparing the great crusade." And again he says: (32) The
Masonic lodges worked in silence against the power of Spain and Portugal, and
upheld the humanitarian ideas of French philosophy. In the lodge of Lautaro, San
Martin and Alvear received their initiation as revolutionaries. In Mexico the
lodge of York was transformed into a Jacobin club."
The very plain implication of Garcia Calderon is that there
was a vital connection between the revolutionary secret societies and
Freemasonry. It is true that in those early years there were no Masonic lodges
established as such. So long as the old regime lasted such organizations were
prohibited. It is probable, however, that there were many Masons scattered
through the countries, and that they met occasionally as Masons. We may perhaps
suspect that Miranda and O'Higgins may have received Masonic light, either in
England or in France. In speaking of the early days of the independent Mexico,
Rives says (33) "The nearest approach to a social or political organization was
to be found in the Masonic lodges, which had been successfully established near
the very beginning of independence. The fundamental principle of that order
--the fraternity of all men and the apparent indifference of its members to
theological beliefs had always arrayed the Roman Catholic Church against it, and
indeed against all secret societies. Damnantur clandestinae societates, were the
words of an infallible Pope; and so long as ecclesiastical authority was in full
vigor in New Spain Freemasons were not tolerated in the kingdom. But when
Mexican delegates sat in the Spanish Cortes under the Constitution of 1812 some
of them were initiated under the ancient Scottish rite, so that in 1820 and
afterward Masonic lodges were established in Mexico, and came to be exceedingly
influential bodies."
"The first Masonic lodge in Mexico was established in 1806
by Spaniards. There were at that time four lodges in the peninsula, which had
been founded by Englishmen--two at Gibraltar, one at Cadiz, and one at
Madrid--and it may be reasonably assumed that from these the Mexican Masons
first derived their existence. It is reported that Hidalgo, who first raised the
cry of independence, became a Mason about 1807. At any rate, the existence of
this first lodge was short lived, for it was denounced to the authorities in
1808, and many of the brethren were imprisoned and prosecuted before tribunals
of the Inquisition. Later on the Spanish troops which landed in Mexico after
1811 brought in their ranks a number of Masons; and still later the Mexican
delegates to the Spanish Cortes were initiated in Europe, and on their return
founded lodges, which, deriving apparently from French sources, followed the
Scottish rite. These lodges were chiefly composed of men who were fairly
well-to-do or were of recognized professional or commercial standing, and they
thus naturally came to form in a short time a nucleus for those who were not
favorable to the idea of a republic." (34)
The York rite was introduced into Mexico by Mr. Poinsett,
the American Minister, in 1825, and became the great force of the populist
movement for a republic. The two rites nominated candidates for the Presidency
and the Yorkino candidate was an Indian by the name of Gerrero. Not content with
battles of ballots the parties actually went to war. From that day to this
Masonry has been powerful in Mexican politics. When the writer was in Mexico
several years ago, he asked an acquaintance if he were a Mason. The reply was:
"No, I never meddled with politics." (35)
According to the "Diccionario Enciclopedico
Hispano-Americano," pages 687-703, Masonry was introduced into Brazil in 1816,
and the first regular lodge was established in 1820. In Colombia it was
introduced in 1820, and in Peru in 1825. The Grand Lodge of France founded the
first lodge in Uruguay in 1827. In 1857 a lodge and chapter were founded in
Guayaquil, Ecuador; and the Grand Lodge of Venezuela was established in 1865. In
addition to these lodges, we aretold that the Grand Lodge of England has
established lodges throughout Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, which are
still in active operation.
The immediate founding of Masonic lodges throughout Latin
America so soon as the bonds of Spain had been broken is an indication of their
probable existence, sub rosa, at an earlier time. The fact of the immediate
disbandonment of the Gran Reunion, and of the Logia Lautaro, is strongly
indicative of their giving place to another organization. The way that prominent
men in South American politics during the last century referred to these three
organizations more or less together, suggests that the Logia Lautaro, was simply
another name temporarily adopted by members of the Masonic body who were banded
together for a special purpose. Otherwise it would have been natural for these
old companions in the struggle for freedom to have continued their organization,
and to have kept thus alive the principles of the order among their children and
grandchildren. * * *
Masonry cut no small figure in the settlement of the Texas
problems, and Poinsett's activity in Mexican politics wrecked his mission.
When the Spanish government, through its London and Paris
spies. became aware of the intimacy between Miranda and Bernardo O'Higgins, the
commission of his father, Ambrosio, was cancelled, and the father ordered home
for explanation. Ambrosio died in Peru, and probably never knew why he had been
deposed.
Miranda was evidently a scholar of no mean ability. He was
an enthusiastic maker of plans, but unable to carry them to perfection. Bolivar
was perhaps the strongest of the great South American Caudillos, but he was also
intensely selfish, and was willing to sacrifice any one and any thing to obtain
his own advancement. O'Higgins was faithful and patient, working much of the
time very quietly. San Martin combined in himself the good qualities of all, and
having served as Grand Master of the Logia Lautaro for years, and having won the
freedom of Argentina, Chile, and Peru, turned his army over to the northern "Liberador"
who demanded supreme command, and then went into voluntary bal;lishment in
France, that his presence might incite no possible opposition to his brother
Caudillo, Bolivar. Whether or not San Martin was ever brought to light in a
Masonic lodge, no truer Mason, nor one who more clearly illustrated the
principles of our noble order, probably ever lived.
(1) Mitre, Vida de San Martin, Vol. 1, p. 135.
(2) Venezuela, p. 81.
(3) Argentina, p. 77.
(4) Colombia, p. 32.
(5) Latin America, p. 66.
(6) The Independence of Chile, p. 101 and ff.
(7) p. 44.
(8) Vol. 1, p. 82.
(9) Vol. 1, p. 113.
(10) 1907, Vol. 1.
(11) Documentos para la Historia de la Vida. Publica del
Liberador,
Vol. 1, p. 80, note.
(12) La Ostracismo de O'Higgins, p. 44.
(13) Noll & McMahon, Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo, p. 7.
(14) Belgrano, Vol. 1 p. 113. Also see Blanco, Op. cit. p.
17.
(15) Argentine Republic, p. 142.
(16) Independence of Chile, p. 102.
(17) Robertson, Op. cit. p. 316.
(18) Robertson, Op. cit. p. 317.
(19) Chatham MSS, 345.
(20) Robertson, Op. cit. p. 320.
(21) Robertson, Op. cit. p. 272 and ff.
(22) Robertson, Op. cit. 319.
(23) Op, cit. p. 338.
(24) Op cit. p- 49
(25) Vida de San Martin, Vol. 1, p. 135.
(26) Op cit. p. 269.
(27) San Martin, Vol II, p. 30.
(28) Vida, Belgrano, Vol. 1, p. 303.
(29) Op cit. 269
(30) San Martin, Vol. 1, p. 135.
(31) Latin AmeriCa, P. 65.
(32) Op, cit. p. 81.
(33) The United States and Mexico, Vol. 1, p. 62.
(34) Rives, Op. cit. Vol. 1, p. 163.
(35) (For information as to the influence of Mexican
Masonic lodges see Ward's Mexico, Vol. II, p. 408, Suarez, Historia de Mexico,
77-79; Zavala, Ensayo Hist. Vol. 1, 346 Tornel, Breve Resena, 43-46.)
----o----
REVELATION
I made a pilgrimage to find the God:
I listened for his voice at holy tombs,
Searched for the print of his immortal feet
In the dust of broken altars; yet turned back
With empty heart. But on the homeward road,
A great light came upon me, and I heard
The God's voice singing in a nesting lark;
Felt his sweet wonder in a swaying rose;
Received his blessing from a wayside well;
Looked on his beauty in a lover's face;
Saw his bright hand send signal from the sun.
--Edwin Markham.
----o----
Look up, not down; look out, not in; look forward,
not back; and lend a hand.
--E. E. Hale.
----o----
IN FELLOWSHIP
By C. M. Boutelle
My foot to thy foot, howe'er thy foot may stray;
Thy path for my path, however dark the way.
My knee to thy knee, whatever be thy prayer;
Thy plea my plea, in every need and care.
My breast to thy breast, in every doubt or hope;
Thy silence mine too, whate'er thy secret's scope.
My strength is thy strength, whenever thou shalt call;
Strong arms stretch love's length, through darkness, toward
thy
fall!
My words shall follow thee, kindly warning fond,
Through life, through drear death--and all that lies beyond
!
----o----
REALIZATION
In the quiet hours of evening, I doze by the study fire.
My mind on the plans of a palace, from lintel to towering
spire.
Tinted its windows with colors, caught from the rain-bow at
dawn,
Painted by hand of a Master, designs, man hath not drawn.
Stately columns of marble, carved to adorn its halls
Scenes from the noblest subjects, hang from its Jasper
walls,
Truly a noble structure, wrought by the mind of man,
Shrine for some priceless Jewel, Flawless - Beautiful -
Grand.
Yet were its corridors empty. hollow they sound to my tread
Cold and silent its chambers, as the presence of something
dead.
A something seems to be lacking a feeling that dulls my
pride -
As I gazed at my garnered treasures, What is missing? I
sighed.
A beaver came to its portals, his garments tattered and
worn -
All he once had, had long been Riven, to silence the
sufferer's moan,
Bound un the wounds of cripples, dried he the widow's tear
Holding the babe to his bosom, lovingly quieting its fear.
Knelt by the side of the sinner, Yea - the scarlet woman of
vice,
He whispered the old. old story, Love of a merciful Christ
-
A light shone forth from his features, with a wondrous
peaceful glow -
Surely, I said, 'tis a prophet come from the long ago.
He calne to my gorgeons portals, in the chill of the
evening tide,
Glanced at its cold. chill beauty. shivered and turned
aside -
Amazed, I caught at his garments, Hold stranger, a reason I
pray
Why quiver and turn to the darkness? - Enter, I beg thee
and stay.
See - I have built me a palace, Jewell'ed its walls with
arts,
Columned its halls with marbles, treasures from many marts
Yet I admit a yearning, Something - I have not attained
Seems to be casting a shadow, o'er pleasures I hoped to
have gained.
He bowed his head as in sorrow, then stepped to the door by
my side,
Glanced in at my marvelous beauties, then turning, sadly
replied -
Brother, I see a widow, haggard, weary, and worn.
Three little hungry orphans, nowhere to call their own.
Thrown to the mills of Mammon, crushed neath its cruel
stones,
Ground into shekels of silver, matters little their moans.
'Tis only the price of a picture, one of your Jewels of art
Yet can I see on the canvas, tears from a broken heart.
Down in the slums of a city, a brother striving to rise,
Striving to gain his manhood. the spirit within him cries -
Give me the hand of friendship. that is mv prayer for help.
Did'st answer his call my Brother? Assist with part of thy
wealth?
'Tis only the price of a column such as I see in yon nave,
Yet, I see by that column, the form of a Brother's grave -
What if its price had been given, with a smile and a word
of cheer
Life might not have been failure, but brighter while he
were here.
And so in the halls of your palace, lofty - gorgeous -
wide,
Built from the tears of suffering, built with the spirit of
Pride
Empty its heart to me Brother, cold as yon marble glove
The soul of the builder has never awaked to the beauty of
"Love."
This is the Jewel missing, this, - the shadow that falls
Over your princely palace, over your lordly halls -
Search for this precious treasure, not in some distant land
Not in some wondrous building, wrought by the hand of man.
Deep in thy spiritual nature, search for its hidden ray
This pure white stone of the Temple; Light of a new born
day -
Buried perchance in the rubbish, trampled and covered from
sight,
The gift that was sent by a Master, burns with a luster
bright.
I gazed at my royal palace, it slowly crumbled to dust
Judged bv this humble Brother, merciful, candid, - Just.
Again, will I build a mansion, my labor has not been lost,
Each "Great Truth" discovered, ever has labor cost.
Here at my hand the quarries, here in the walks of life
Here will I rear a building, here in the midst of strife
I will build with the widow's blessing, paint with the
orphan's smile,
Trim with the rays of gladness, caught from the face of a
child.
Its columns in place of marble, shall be the strength of
man
Saved from the life of madness, upright, noble, grand -
Wisdom, Strength and Beauty, they shall support my naves,
Keyed by the stone so priceless, the Great White Stone that
saves.
I turned to thank my critic, only to find him gone,
To find that I had been dreaming, into the early dawn.
Light in the East was shining with glow of a crimson flame,
I th |
