The historic period of Freemasonry begins with the formation of is known an the premier Masonic Grand Lodge of the world in London, England, in 1717. This is generally styled the 'revival' of Freemasonry. Prior to that time a Masonic lodge was composed of number of brethren assembled at any place for the perform ance of work, and, when so assembled, were au thorized to receive into the Order brothers and fellows, and to practice the rites of Masonry. The Ancient Charges were the only standard for the regulation of their conduct. The master of the lodge was elected pro tempore, and his au thority terminated with the dissolution of the meeting over which lie had presided. unless the lodge was permanently established at any par ticular place." Such lodges are known in Ma sonic history as time immemorial lodges. On June 24. 1717. four of the old lodges then ex isting in London constituted themselves into a Grand Lodge, the first Masonic Grand Lodge ever organized, and elected Anthony Sayer their first grand master. George Payne succeeded Saver as grand master in 1718. and Dr. John The ophilus Desapuliers followed in 1719. In 1720 ileoi7e Payne was again grand master, and in that year compiled for the first time a set of 'General Regulations.' which were subsequently revised by Dr. Desagnliers and Rev. James An derson. a Scotch Preshyterian minister, and were first published in 1723, under the title of "The Charges of a Freemason. extracted from the ancient records of lodges beyond the sea and of those in England, Scotland and Ireland, for the use of lodges in London." After 1717 new lodges could he created only under a warrant from the Grand Lodge. In 1724 the Grand Lodge of Eng land came into conflict with a time immemorial lodge at York, claiming to have originated at an assembly of Masons in 926. This led to the formation in 1725. by the old Lodge of York. of the 'Grand Lodge of All England.' The Grand Lodge of all England. however. appears to have maintained friendly relation: with the London Grand Lodge. In 1751 nine lodges owing alle giance to the Grand Lodge of England seceded from that body on the ground that the Grand Lodge suffered subordinate lodges of its jurisdic tion to depart from the ancient landmarks of Freemasonry, and organized a 'Grand Lodge of England, to old institutions.' They styled themselves 'Ancients,' and called the mem bers of the Grand Lodge of England 'Moderns.' In 1756 Laurence Dermott, the leader of the seceders, published the "Ahiman Rezon." or Book of Constitutions, which lie copied from the con stitutions of the original or 'Modern' Grand Lodge. and addressed it to 'The Ancient York Masons in England.' The Grand Lodge of All England, at York, died in 1792. There then ex isted in England but two Grand Lodges, the 'Ancients' and the 'Moderns.' After negotiations extending over a number of years. finally. in ISIS. through the efforts of the Duke of Sussex, grand master of the 'Moderns.' and leis distin guished brother. the Duke of Kent. grand master of the `Aneients,' a permanent union was estab lished tinder the title of the 'United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England.' by which the fraternity has since been known. Freemasonry has always been favorably considered in England. In 1799, when an net of Parliament was passed directed against seditious societies, an exception was made in favor of Alasonic lodges, which were credited with meeting solely for benevolent pur poses. Jews were admitted to IllOnlliel'Ship on the same footing as other religious denomina tions. The growth and progress of the fraternity has been so marked that there are now in tho Grand Lodge of England more than 2000 lodges, a Grand Lodge, sixty provincial Grand Lodges, a Grand Lodge of Nark a Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch .Masons, a Great Priory of Knights Tempi:11.s. and a Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. A few years after the revival a Committee on Charily was formed and since then Alasonie schools have been founded for boys and girls and institutions for the aged and infirm.
In Scotland the early history of the .Masons differed in no essential respect from that of other trade crafts. In ]59S-99 the statutes and ordinances of the order to be observed "by all :Master .Masons as set down by William Shaw, Alaster of Work to His Majesty. and general war dent of the craft" (see 1-yon, History of Prec masonry in. Scotland), were published. These ordinances. however, are largely concerned with trade relations. The system of degrees was not developed, but a 'pass-word' was adopted. In 1730 a final effort, set on foot fifteen years be fore by Desaguliers, the organizer of the English Alasonie movement, to consolidate the various lodges into a representative body, was successful, and on .November 30, 1736, the first general as sembly of symbolical Masons was held and a Grand Lodge for Scotland forine(I. The.repre sentative of the family of Saint Clair, which was patron of the _Masonic Lodge. was elected first grand master; provineial grand masters were appointed, a general adhesion of S'eotch lodges to the new organization was effected. and Saint
Andrew's Day was substituted for the day of Saint John the Baptist, the fi'de day in England. Freemasonry was introduced into Ireland in 1730, when the first lodge NITIs opened at Dublin. The English system and ritual were adopted.
owing to the fact that the religion of the country is so largely 'Roman Catholic, :Masonry has not made a very marked progress. At the close of the nineteenth century its representation con sisted of one Ilrand Lodge and about :350 lodges.
The first Masonic. lodge in Franey, according to Clavel and other welbanthentivated authori ties, was Ost:Ibli,lied it Dunkirk on ()vilifier 13. 1721, and W:15 styled rt Praterniti.: The second was .‘rganized by Lord Derwentwater in Paris in 1725. It was at first largely patron ized by the nobility. lint its purpose does nr,I seem Io Inue been of an elevated character. and this, supplemented by the rigorous opposition of the Cal holie Church. tended to invest the inst it nt ion of Masonry with a very unstable (diameter. In 1730 a Grand Lodge was formed, and in 1700 u new (iratilie.LOOC of France was ere ated (subsequently altered in title to the Grand (Ini, c1 I. and a representative system adopted un der which the various lodges were bronght into a degree of subordination to the central and au thoritative body. Considerable hostility, how ever, was manifested toward the new organiza tion by the original Grand Lodge, and there was, besides, a conflict between the rituals in use. the arand Orient following the Scottish rite, while the original Grand Lodge had adopted a wildly superstitions form, fathered by the impostor Cagliostro. The Revolution practically suspended both organizations, which subsequently were re vived and in 1799 became united in one national organization. Hardly had this union been effect ed when another entering wedge was inserted by the introduction of two new systems of ritual, one the Scottish Philosophical Rite, ineluding the luminous ring and the white and black eagle, and the other the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of thirty-three degrees. Finally, in 1804, a union was again effected between the Grand Orient and the Supreme Council, but since that period the cause of Freemasonry in France has nut been as progressive as in other European countries. At the close of the nineteenth cen tury the number of lodges in existence was only :Wont 350. The Grand Orient has ceased to re quire belief in a personal God as a test of mem bership. The in trod net ion .‘f Freemasonry into other European countries, notably Spain, 'Hol land, Italy, Austria, Gen many, and Russia. took place between 1725 and 1750, but with varying results. In Russia the Masonic lodges have been suppressed, while in Austria-Hungary they mere ly preserve an existence, owing to the ban of the Church being placed on them.
The introduction of Masonry into America was under the deputation to Daniel Coxe of New Jersey, from the Grand Lodge of England, dated June 5, 1730, which appointed him provineial grand master for Pennsylvania, New York, and New jersey, 'for the space of two years.' While Coxe does not seem to have been active in estab lishing lodges in his territory, reliable evidence that Saint John's Lodge was founded in Phila delphia in the latter part of 1730 or early in 1731 is found in a letter written by Henry Bell, dated November 17, 1754, in which he speaks of a charter being granted by Daniel Coxe to a number of Philadelphians. The exist ence of the lodge in 1731 is further proved by the account books of Franklin. who sold stationery to and did printing for Saint John's Lodge. The entries bear dates in 1731. Another corroborative proof is found in a ledger of the lodge diseovered in 1884. which is called •Liber B.' Its entries begin with June 2.1. 1731, and eonsist of amounts paid into the lodge by mem bers. Franklin was made a Mason in January, 1731. In 1733 the Grand Lodge of England granted a deputation to .Nlajor Henry Price of Boston, as 'Provincial Grand Slaster of Free and Accepted Masons in New England.' On July 30, 1733, a warrant was granted to form Saint John's Lodge in Boston. Mass. From this beginning, Freemasonry spread throughout the colonies. There also existed a large number of military and traveling lodges. usually attached to regiments or battalions of the British Army, and formed under warrants from the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
I.Vhen the War of the 'Revolution came to a successful close the American lodges so created withdrew their allegianee to the parent lodges in England and Scotland and created Grand 1.o.bres in several of the States. and the Order thus became deeply rooted in American soil, where it has continued to grow without inter ruption other than what is known as the great anti- lasonie movement, which began in 1826 and emit inued for about ten years, during which period the membership was reduced to a very small number. (See ANTr-MAsoxs; -MORGAN,