In Ireland rio Grand Lodge records are extant of date prior to 24 June 1780 A.D. It is known that there was a lodge at Cork, the first minute of which is dated "December ye 8th, 1726.* The'city archives refer to a charter for a "Society of Freemasons,* and a "Grand Lodge of Munster)); and it is known that other lodges existed prior to 1726. There was also a Grand Lodge of Cork, and one at Dublin. The last named was of record in 1728-29; re organized 1731 A.D., electing Lord Kingston, who is described as "Grand Master of all the lodges of Free Masons in the Kingdom of Ire land.* Irish Masons possessed "Old Charges,* and like their English brethern propagated the order far and wide. It was in Lodge No. 44, of Irish register,— warranted in 1735,— that the Hon. Mrs. Richard Aldworth (Eliza beth St. Leger), was initiated, and became the celebrated and only "Female Freemason° of history. She only received the first degree.
An attempt has been made to connect, his torically, the building crafts of Continental Europe with the operative masons of Britain and Scotland. But, in Germany, in pre-Refor mation times, the "Independent Stonemasons° arose, coming out from the monastic orders as the zeal for building magnificent edifices, under ecclesiastical patronage, declined. These "lay brothers" were possessed of "Old Charges,° but no authentic documents remain which refer to their most flourishing period of existence. Within the short space, however, of from 10 to 20 years, following the revival in England, Ma sonry of the British type had obtained a foot hold in all the countries of Europe. It had crossed the sea to America, and in a list of lodges published in 1734, No. 126, of English register, is shown as located at "Boston, in New England,"—known since 5 March 1792 as Saint John's Lodge. "England became the great central point of Masonry for the whole world,° said Charles W. Moore, Grand Secre tary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, in an oration on 29 Dec. 1856 at Boston: "From this source have lodges, grand and subordinate, at various times, been established, and still exist and flourish — in France and Switzer land; in all the German states, save Austria (and there . . . for short seasons) ; all up and down the shores of the Rhine . Sweden, Denmark, Russia; in Italy and Spain (under cover of secrecy); in various parts of Asia; in Turkey; in Syria (as at Aleppo, where an English lodge was established more than a century ago) ; in all the East India set tlements . . . in China . . . Africa; . . . in all the larger islands of the Pacific
and Indian Oceans . . . Saint Helena, Mauritius, . . . Madagascar . . • Australia . . . New Zealand; in Greece . . . in Algeria, Tunis, Morocco — and wherever else in the Old World the genius of civilization has obtained a standpoint, or Christianity has erected the Banner of the Cross.° The speaker further enumerated the spread of the order in the West Indies, South America, Canada and the United States. In the 63 years which have elapsed since these words were uttered, the growth of Freemasonry has been still more extraordinary.
In France, Masonry has drifted away from the tenets preached and practised among the fraternity in other lands. All Masonic lodges throughout the world except the Grand Orient of France do homage to a Divine Being, symbo lized as Horani, the Great Architect of the universe, and in the beginning the French lodge also recognized the designer of the Temple. But in 1877 the Grand Orient formally re pudiated the Great Architect and atheism was made a condition of membership. The "Freres Trois Points,° as they are commonly called in France, the Brothers of the Three Dots ( .*. ) were credited with all the revolu tions of modern times. Petty ambitions and political intrigues made their homes in the lodges, and gradually it became impossible to succeed in business or public life without being affiliated, and everybody wished to join the omnipotent occult ring. The Grand Orient was threatened with losing its character of being a "serious° institution, and it was thor oughly defeated when it massed all its forces to oppose the election of General Boulanger in 1888. The Confederation Generale du Travail, the great Socialist machine, rose up against the Grand Orient, and latterly all the better feeling of France revolted against it. Notwithstand ing the allegations made against French Free masonry, that body includes all shades of po litical and religious opinions. For many years there had been no communication between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Orient; British Freemasons were prohibited from entering any lodge under the jurisdiction of the latter. A reconciliation appears to have been effected about five years ago when Lord Ampthill, the English Pro Grand Master under the Duke of Connaught (Grand Master), paid a visit to France. It may be remarked that political and religious topics are strictly pro Iiibited in all the other Masonic lodges. Consult New York Times on French Masons, 24 Feb., 12 and 14 May 1918).