The Story of American Masonry
(By H. L. Haywood, published in the New York Masonic Outlook -- April 1925 and Researched by
W. Gene Vollmer, Red Jacket Lodge 646) {This is something I thought should be here..Ken}
A great many brethren are under the impression that while Freemasonry has a great antiquity in England and Europe it is a more or less modern thing in America. While this is true of Operative Masonry, the original form
of our Craft, it is not true of the Speculative Masonry which we now practice; for Speculative Masonry began in America only some ten or fifteen years after it had its start in London, England in 1717.
According to some traditions Freemasonry was organized in the early Colonies even before 1717, but thus
far none of these traditions have been verified, so that it is safer to lay them to one side. What we can be sure of
is that a lodge of Masons was in actual operation in Philadelphia as early as 1730. A record book of that lodge—known as St. John's—shows that on June 23, 1731, Benjamin Franklin (other names were also listed)
was credited with £2-2-7, on account, presumably a portion of his initiation fees. This would indicate that the
lodge had been at work for at least some months prior.
This is the earliest Masonic Lodge in America of which we have written record. It is probable that St. John's
Lodge at Philadelphia was organized according to "ancient custom"; that is the brethren did not have a warrant
or charter, but assembled themselves together in a lodge by "inherent right."
In 1728 the Mother Grand Lodge of England adopted a regulation to the effect that henceforth no lodge could be brought into existence except by means of an official paper from the Grand Master. If it be true—as many of our historians believe—that the Lodge at Philadelphia was organized according to methods in vogue before the adoption of this regulation, then the first lodge in America "to be regularly and duly constituted" according to the regulation, was the First Lodge, organized in Boston in the summer of 1733.
The first American to be appointed a Provincial Grand Master was Daniel Coxe of New Jersey, who received
authority to act in that capacity from the Duke of Norfolk, Grand Master of England, June 5, 1730. Unfortunately there is no existing recording to show that Coxe ever exercised his authority, although it is now known that he was on this side of the Atlantic during the period of his Deputation. The second brother to be a Provincial Grand Master was Henry Price, of Boston, who received his Deputation from Lord Viscount Montague, Grand Master of England, April 13, 1733. Immediately upon his return to Boston (Price had received his Deputation in person while in London) he set up a Provincial Grand Lodge and under its authority organized the first Lodge, above mentioned.
The first Provincial Grand Master for New York was Captain Richard Riggs, appointed November 15; 1737, by the Earl of Darnley, Grand Master of England. Brother Ossian Lang, in his very excellent History of Freemasonry in the State of New York, says that "it is certain that a duly constituted lodge was at work [in New York] in 1738," but tells us that "nothing definite is known of the earliest lodge constituted in New York City, before 1757"
Thus far very little has been discovered concerning the practices of Masonic lodges in the American Colonies prior to the Revolution. Perhaps the brethren did not attach as great importance to minutes and other written records in that period as we do in ours; also, secretaries kept their books at home, so that frequently the records became lost or destroyed; and there was at this time a strong feeling that little or nothing about Freemasonry should appear in the public prints. But judging by such information as is available to us, the Craft was composed very largely of the most substantial and influential citizens in the Colonies. By the time the Revolution came on Provincial Grand Lodges were in actual or nominal existence in New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
Of all the many Masonic events of the Revolutionary period perhaps the most influential single happening was George Washington's active interest in the Fraternity. He had been made a Mason in Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, Fredericksburg, Va., being initiated November 4, 1752; passed March 3, 1753; and raised August 4, 1753. Owing
to his standing and prestige a large number—how large nobody can tell—of the leading statesmen, Army and Navy leaders, and citizens became active in the lodges. Among these were Hamilton, Lafayette, Muhlenberg, Baron von Steuben, Robert Treat Paine and scores beside, equally illustrious. Our Masonic writers are sometimes charged with being over enthusiastic in claiming for Freemasonry so large a part in the making of America. It is undoubtedly true that individuals here and there have made rash claims, with nothing by way of proof to back up their statements; but even so, and making probabilities are that when all the facts are in we shall discover that Freemasonry had much more influence in the beginnings of our nation than we have been wont to suppose. Of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence we may feel reasonably certain that the following nine were Masons: Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, Francis Lewis, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Robert Treat Paine, M. Thornton and William Whipple. Of those who signed the Constitution of United States, Alexander Hamilton, David Brearley, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were listed among the brethren. In this same connecuon it may also be of interest to note that of our Presidents, it is of record that at least eleven have been Masons: Washington, Monroe, Polk, Jackson, Buchanan, Johnson, Garfield, McKinley,Taft, Roosevelt and Harding.
'The outstanding Masonic event of the nineteenth century in America was the so-called Anti-Masonic Crusade, an organized attack that for a few years bade fair to destroy the Fraternity root and branch. A number of conditions prepared the way for this craze, a thing now so difficult to understand: one was the antipathy between the rural communities and the cities; another was the:fear that secret societies in America might turn themselves into political cabals in order to upset the government, as had often been the case in Europe; the third was the mysterious disappearance of one William Morgan, to be referred to further down, and a fourth was the turn taken by religious developments, more especially in the Middle West. The churches were given over to periodic revivals, and these were often in charge of men who felt that since Masonry was a semi-religious institution its very existence in some manner jeopardized the existence or welfare of the Church.
In 1821 certain synods of the Presbyterian Church denounced Masonry; the Congregationalists in New England followed suit; in 1826 the Methodist Church took measures against the Order; and these were followed by Quakers, Lutherans, the Reformed Church and a number of others. All this prejudice against the lodges was transformed into a political movement in 1826 through the mysterious disappearance of William Morgan. It is not known when or where Morgan was made a Mason; but it is known that when he came to live in Batavia, NY, he became active in the lodge there. Becoming piqued by what he considered a personal slight he arranged with one David C. Miller, a printer, to publish a so-called "exposure" of Masonry. Morgan was arrested in Batavia, September 11, 1826, on charge of perit larceny, and was jailed at Canandaigua. Released from that charge he was immediately re-arrested on another. According to one story-—all the stories are very much confused—a group of men took Morgan from the jail at Canandaigua and drove him away in a carriage; from that time all trace of him was permanently lost. Anti-Masons immediately charged that Freemasons.had. either abducted or murdered this unfortunate man. Such charges acted like a spark on the powder already laid by the anti-Masonic sentiment already existing, so that in a little while a name of fear and hatred against Masonry spread far and wide. Seeing political possibilities in this, a few astute politicians, such as Thurlow Weed and his associates, added fuel, to the flames for reasons of their own political ambitions. In 1828 this party polled 33,845 votes in the state of New York; by 1832 the number had grown to 156,672. It was christened "The Christian Party in Politics" in 1830, arid it displaced the Old National Republican Party in this state.
In 1831 the Anti-Masonic Party held a national nominating convention and nominated for President of the United States William Wirt, of Maryland, and for Vice-President Amos Ellmaker, of Pennsylvania. At this convention thirteen states were represented.
The fraternity bowed low before this storm, as a few figures will indicate. Masonic membership in New Jersey was reduced two-thirds; the Grand Lodge of Maine did not meet at all for several years. At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Vermont in 1834 only seven lodges were represented.:In our own state the four hundred and eighty lodges represented at Grand Lodge in 1826 fell to seventy-five lodges in 1835; and by 1840 this had fallen to a figure lower still.
Before the Craft had fully recovered. from this fiery ordeal it had to pass througb:the Ciivil war, an ordeal almost equally trying. For some reason or other no history of Masonry in the Civil War period has been'written; this is a great loss to us, which must some day be remedied. When such a history is written we shall all be amazed at the record, for it will show that in the rime when the nation was rent asunder our Craft lived sincerely and consistently up to its own high standards. Grand Lodges met in special communication to try to avert the catastrophe. Grand Masters and other fraternal leaders did all in their power to hold the country together; and even in the midst of conflict the Mystic Tie did not break. On the contrary, lodges were held on battlefields in which both Confederate and Union soldiers participated. And after the conflict was ended our Craft was first in the field in an attempt to heal over the serious and almost fatal wounds. The story is too long to tell here, but it is a pity that nobody has yet told it;
it is a thrilling record.
Two outstanding developments characterized the history of the Craft between 1865 and 1900. One of these was the work done by Masonic lodges on the frontier especially in the Far West and in the southwest. The Masonic Apron accompanied the American flag and the American sword in the great drive toward the Pacific. A history of Freemasonry's work in the Middle West has recently been completed by Bro. Ray V. Denslow of Missouri and is almost ready for the printer; a similar account of Freemasonry in the southwest is now in preparation by Bro. F. T. Cheetham of Taos, New Mexico. These two books, the present writer believes, will greatly astonish the Masonic public, because they show that Masons and Masonic lodges had an influence in the shaping of our naton west of the Mississippi far and above what we have been in the habit of thinking.
The other outstanding development lay in the field of the ritual, a subject not to be frankly discussed in print; but it is lawful to say that prior to the Civil War a great deal of liberty was given to Worshipful Masters in the forms of ritual so that oftentimes one Worshipful Master would "work" one version, whereas his successor might employ an entirely different version. This occasioned such a great amount of confusion throughout the land that a number of far-sighted brethren, not sufficiently appreciated in their own day launched a propaganda looking toward a uniform Ritual inside each Grand Jurisdiction. The outstanding figure in this movement was probably Rob Morris of Kentucky, the "stormy petrel" of the Craft. He was subjected to every kind of opprobrium while alive, but now: we can see that his work, though it was not always wise or. successful, was headed in the right direction. Today we have uniform Ritual in each Grand Jurisdiction of the country with the solitary exception of the state of Kentucky.
The period since 1900—it now covers a quarter of a century—has been marked by at least three very important developments. One of these has been the extraordinary proliferation and multiplication of the so-called Side Orders,
a growth so vigorous that it has caused concern to many Grand Lodges to know how to control it. A second has been the rapid development of Masonic Education in nearly all the Grand Jurisdictions of the nation. This second development has been made necessary by the rapid growth of the Fraternity and the ensuing complication of its activities. Both lodges and membership have increased in number to such an extend, and have entered into so many new forms of activity, that the rank and file of brethren are hard put to keep track of it all. Also the duties of the Masters and Wardens of a lodge have become so heavy, and in some instances so complicated, that they find themselves in need of assistance to carry on. Masonic Education is not an effort to persuade Masons to read ancient history; but rather a general movement, the purpose of which is to enable each brother to: understand Masonry and to be placed iri complete possession: of it,for himself; and at the same time: it is an effort to help each active worker to do his work.more intelligently and efficiently. The third of these developments is the movement toward the drawing together of all American Grand lodges to an end that they may work more harmoniously so as to avoid friction and confusion.
All these recent movements are still in process so that no man can predict definitely what the outcome will be. Meanwhile, however, we may be sure of one thing: no amount of pressure from within or from without can possibly change the substance and character of the Craft. During the one hundred and ninety-five years since the first lodge was organized at Philadelphia, Masonry has passed through all manner of vicissitudes, changes, transformations; but thorough it all, and in spite of it all, it has remained in essence unchanged. Today, as in the time of our Colonial forefathers, our lodges teach men to have faith in the Sovereign Grand Architect of the Universe, to use the V. S. L. as the guide of faith and practice, to be tolerant to follow in the path of brotherhood, and to practice charity—charity which is, perhaps, the fruit and crown of all. •
WB Reid Jensen sent this to me suggesting I may wish to find a place for it. You bet! So here it is:
THE OLD MASTER
He was sitting in a wheelchair, looking down at the lawn,
I thought he might be asleep, then I saw the old man yawn.
I told him I’d come to visit, a big smile lit up his face,
he said it’s not very often, people visit this old place.
Pardon my manners young man, as he offered me a chair,
would you like a glass of tea, it’s on the table over there.
I begged off the offer, but I said I have a surprise,
I’ve come to take you to Lodge, you should’ve seen his eyes.
You know, I’m past Master, about three or four times,
he said as matter of fact, I can work any chair in line.
I felt proud to push his chair, as we headed for my car,
I had already checked him out, and signed his pass card.
When we drove into the lot, you should’ve heard the cheers,
I had a lump in my throat, down his cheek rolled a tear.
The Lodge was filled with Brothers, who had come to celebrate,
our Guest of Honor had arrived, The Eastern Star had baked a cake.
We made a special presentation, that brought laughter and tears,
for tonight our wise old Master, had completed sixty-five years.
With countless years of service, in this lodge in his hometown,
he did it all with a gentle heart, and the strongest grip around.
His tired old voice cracked, but his mind was sharp and clear,
as he took the microphone, sitting there in his wheelchair.
We all sat down at tables, with hot coffee in our cups,
he said I’d like to take you back, to when I was just a pup.
You see, there’s been times, this old Lodge almost went dark,
we were down to just a few, and some didn’t know their part.
but we kept on working hard, and doing everything we could,
to get more men interested, in the craft of Brotherhood.
Oh there’s all kinds of things, that’s changed over the years,
but younger men not come in, is one of our biggest fears.
You see, it was different then, than it is this day and time.
I remember how strict it was, you didn’t dare cross the line.
About asking a man to join, when you knew he was good,
God and family came first, this, the Lodge understood.
We had to wait until he asked, about how to become one of us,
then we could tell him the truth, about fellowship, honor and trust.
We worked hard and did our best, to be good examples among men,
we all know from reading the Bible, there’s not a man without sin.
So we’d take the best men, and gently show ‘em the light,
just look at all the Brothers, that showed up here tonight.
If I could live my life all over, and I could rewrite every page,
I’d hit a few bumps a little softer, but there’s nothing I would change.
Each time I was asked to teach, Oh it made me feel so good,
to lead you gently to the light, until I knew you understood.
I love you all my Brothers, I enjoyed being there for you,
and I’ll tell each one tonight, you’ve been there for me too.
He talked for half an hour, as we traveled back in time,
He had taken us on a journey, and we hung on every line.
It was late when we got back, but he was still wide awake, as I pushed his wheelchair inside, he gave the Nurse a piece of cake.
Until the Old Master is called, to the Grand Lodge on high,
his memories will be filled, with the celebration tonight.
A few years have come and gone, since we honored him that night,
the Old Master even helped me, raise my Grandson into light.
his kind and gentle manner, stands tall among the best,
Today he made the final journey; we laid the Old Master to rest.
Website Designed at Homestead™ Make a Website for Your Business
