The Secret Monitor.-- In Freemasonry there are, in addition to what is known as Craft Masonry, which in England and Wales and the Overseas Empire is under the juris diction of the Grand Lodge of England, of which the Duke of Connaught is Grand Mas ter, certain extraneous Masonic associations to which only regularly initiated Freemasons can belong, but which are not recognized by the Grand Lodge. For example, in England Mark Masonry is not recognized by the Grand Lodge of England, although the Duke is also the Grand Master of the Mark Master Masons. Royal Arch Masonry is, however, officially rec ognized by the Grand Lodge of England. The reverse is the case under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, which recognizes the Mark but not the Royal Arch Masonry, while in Ireland both are recognized by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. One of the associations out side of "official" Freemasonry is the "Order of the Secret Monitor." It is claimed that the "Brotherhood of David and Jona than,' from which this Order developed, is as old as Freemasonry itself. The earliest exist ing records of an organized system of the Brotherhood are found in Holland, where it is said to have been founded in 1773. It was carried by Dutch emigrants to America, where it spread rapidly. In 1845 the Order was es tablished in Malta, in the following year in the West Indies, in 1848 in Jerusalem and in 1865 it became known to English Freemasons. It was not till 1887 that a definite attempt was made to organize the Order in England by the Bon Accord Lodge of Mark Master Masons. A Grand Council was formed and four con claves (or lodges) came into being. Seven more conclaves were formed in 1888, and there are now about 45 under the jurisdiction of the Grand Conclave of the United Kingdom. Some of these conclaves are held in India, Burma, South Africa and other parts of the empire.
Masonic Unity.—At the outbreak of the war in 1914 there were six a foreign' lodges in London under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England. Two of these — La France and L'Entente Cordiale have only Frenchmen as members; two — Deutschland and Der Pilger were German lodges; one — Loggia Italia — is composed of Italians; and one — America Lodge—is limited to Freemasons born in the United States. Each year a united festival of these lodges was held. For some years prom inent Masons in Great Britain expressed a de sire that there should be an extension of this international ideal. In March 1913 Lord Ampt hill said at Birmingham: "I may be a dreamer, but I consider that there is great scope in Freemasonry for improving the relationship among nations.* A society was formed in June to advance simple Masonic truths and principles; to promote the practice of the ritual in English, French, German and Italian ; the study of English, American and European Con tinental Masonic history, so that members might become more familiarized with the orig inal aims of Freemasonry; and the arrangement of international tours. In short, the object was to weld together into one associated body the Freemasons of the world. The occurrence of the war will undoubtedly retard that move ment for many years. It is a remarkable fact that none of the rulers or statesmen connected with the outbreak of the war was a Freemason. Among the military there were many, of whom the principal were General Joffre and Lord Kitchener. In February 1919 Grand Master
W. S. Farmer of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York issued an edict abolishing the use of foreign languages in ritual and proceed ings in the lodges of the State from 1 July 1919. This order affected 48 lodges in which languages other than English were spoken.
Organization and Degrees.— Craft Ma sonry was universally organized on the basis that within itself was conserved all the powers of the entire institution. A Grand Lodge once duly established must sui geueris be sovereign in its jurisdiction, the bounds of which soon be came restricted to a state, province or other recognized political division. The territorial limits of a Grand Lodge being sacred from in vasion, and this principle enforced, Masonry has escaped the successful competition of al leged rival rites purporting to be the craft itself, and also has been secure in its privileges from any and all plans to confederate these bodies into one centralized government,— a guaranty of the perpetuation of the democracy inherent therein. But the symbolism of "Solomon's Temple" as the most glorious edifice of ancient times, probably introduced by Drs. Anderson and Desaguliers (whether from the lost manu scripts, or otherwise, is not essential), required a more ornate adornment and furniture than a foundation and the bare superstructure upon which Operative Masons had wrought,— hence. naturally, suggested degrees above the original three of the Revival, et seq. For more than a century men toiled to perfect the society,— often building better than they knew,— until the three Rites became settled as at present es tablished. The best minds contributed toward this end. As in the Old World, so in the New, the institution bad attracted to itself men of high character and standing in the governments thereof, and men of letters contributed their full quota to develop the fraternity, which was expected to endure, as these promoters believe it had already existed, for ages. France, in particular, was prolific in the °fabrication° cif degrees and rites, the great volume of which survive only in the musty tomes of 18th century literature. As before inferred, the so-called Scottish Masonry became the forerunner of a rite that, perfected by scholarly Masons, ulti mately became the Ancient and Accepted Scot tish Rite. This title is now applied to a system which was first definitely organized at Charles ton, S. C., 31 May 1801. The rite in several of its degrees can boast of a very respectable antiquity, having descended from a °Council of Emperors of the East and the West;' at Paris in 1758. It is also based on the three craft de grees, and its postulants must be Master Masons in good standing, in whatever other regular rite they may hold membership. The original Supreme Council in America passed through an experience similar to that of the premier Grand Lodge of England before its authority as °Mother of the Rite" was fully established in the Masonic world; but peace came finally, and two recognized bodies exist in the United States: the primate, as the °Southern Jurisdic tion' and the present Jt risdiction? established by a concordat, signed at Boston, Mass., by several rival Supreme Councils, 17 May 1867. This rite was introduced into Eng land in 1845; and other Supreme Councils of this obedience exist in Scotland, Ireland.