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FAMILIAR TREATISE 
 
 ON THE 
 
 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE 
 
 OF 
 
 MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN W. SIMONS, 
 
 •i 
 PAST GRIND MASTER OP NEW YOEK. 
 
 ••/Stond on the Old Ways and then make Progression. ." — Bacon. 
 
 
 ^^VERSrTY 
 
 ^^^^^ NEW YOEK: 
 
 MASONIC PUBLISHING AND MANUFACTURING CO., 
 
 432 BEOOME STREET. 
 1869. 
 
Art-*" 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 
 JOHN W. SIMONS. 
 
 In the Clerk's Offloe of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Southern District of Nevr York. 
 
TO THE 
 
 M. W. CLINTON F. PAIGE, 
 
 Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, 
 
 THIS WORK 
 
 IS FRATERNALLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 IK TESTIMONY OF THE 
 
 WABM PERSONAL BEGAED AND FBATEENAL ESTEEM 
 OF 
 
 THE AUTHOB. 
 
 14 7108 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting the following pages to the attention of the Frater- 
 nity, we are but repeating a thrice-told tale, and should, perhaps, 
 apologize for attempting a topic which has already been so exhaust- 
 ively treated by brethren learned in the law. Our title will, how- 
 ever, indicate our design, which is to bring the subject within the 
 grasp of the Fraternity in general, and, by our method of treatment, 
 to make it comprehensible to those who have heretofore deemed 
 it too abstruse for the common intellect, and have therefore been 
 satisfied to accept the decisions of any whom they might deem 
 qualified to instruct them. 
 
 The lamentable want of knowledge, in regard to the simplest 
 principles of Masonic law, which prevails even among otherwise 
 intelligent brethren, can only be fully known to those who, like 
 the writer, have held official station in the Craft, and been called 
 upon to answer the multitudinous questions that arise in the prac- 
 tice of lodges. A dozen different interrogatories are frequently 
 propounded in relation to the same subject, all of which might be 
 readily answered, were the questioners in possession of the funda- 
 mental principle on which it is based. To supply this principle, 
 and to simx)lify its application, has been the object in view in our 
 work; and to it we have brought the experience of a long and 
 active participation in every branch of our institution, with an 
 extended intercourse with Craftsmen from every portion of our own 
 country and Europe. 
 
 Our plan has been, as will be found upon examination of the 
 work, to reduce the authorities depended upon to the smallest com- 
 pass, and to make a careful distinction between the general laws 
 of the society and the local regulations of Grand Lodges, which 
 
Tl PREFACE. 
 
 •we have found, in our practice, to be the principal source of diffi- 
 culty among brethren unused to the application of the law to the 
 questions presenting themselves in their lodges. Commencing 
 thus at the foundation, we have followed the profane from his peti- 
 tion onward to his reception in a lodge, and explained, in the fewest 
 words possible, the various rules and requirements that attend his 
 progress. The formation of a lodge, and the powers thereof, as 
 well as the prerogatives of its officers and members, are considered. 
 The laws applicable to trials and appeals have received special 
 consideration; and thus the inquirer is led forward to the estab- 
 lishment of Grand Lodges, and the powers and prerogatives of 
 the Grand Officers. 
 
 We are by no means vain enough to suppose that we have 
 exhausted the questions at issue, or that nothing more is to* be 
 said on the subject; but we do believe that the great nimiber of 
 brethren unacquainted with the jurisprudence of the Fraternity 
 will find here useful hints to guide their progress in the study of 
 the laws which govern our institution, and to point out the paths 
 which lead to a correct understanding of the foundations upon 
 which our system of jurisprudence is based. 
 
 In the Appendix will be found the various forms required in the 
 business of lodges; among which, we desire to call especial atten- 
 tion to those regarding trials and appeals, which have been adopted 
 by the Grand Lodge of New York, and which we deem the best 
 that have yet been presented to the notice of the brethren. Pre- 
 pared originally by our friend and brother, the M. W. John L. 
 Lewis, they have proved in practice to be all that can be required 
 in the administration of Masonic justice. 
 
 And, in conclusion, we would say, that if our labors shall prove 
 to be of benefit to our brethren, and aid, even in a feeble degree, 
 in making the subject treated more comprehensible to them, we 
 shall feel amply compensated for the labor expended in its 
 preparation. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
or 
 
 J£0RH\ 
 
 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE 
 
 MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 The Masonic Institution is complete in itself. 
 Appointed, as we believe, an agent to assist in the 
 development of the purposes of our creation and 
 earthly existence, it moves silently forward in its 
 mission, without resort to exterior agencies, and 
 labors at its appointed task by methods of its own, 
 and from designs drawn on its tracing-boards by no 
 profane hand. Its history, its philosophy, its ethics, 
 and its symbolism, each bear the signet of the Craft ; 
 each is a study in itseK, that no single mind, however 
 industrious its possessor, can be said to have yet 
 completely mastered. So with its laws : they are a 
 portion of the system, stamped with its peculiar im 
 press, and only to be rightly comprehended when 
 viewed in the light that belongs to the institution. 
 Without a knowledge of the society — its rituals and 
 
10 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 customs — the most learned judge, the most subtle 
 advocate, would be at a loss to declare the law on a 
 given point, or even to rightly interpret its written 
 code. It should not, therefore, be a matter of surprise 
 that, to the great majority of the brethren, this sub- 
 ject presents almost insuperable difficulties, and that 
 it is so rare to find one who has devoted the time and 
 investigation necessary to a proper comprehension 
 of it ; they learn, it is true, the general routine of 
 lodge business with sufficient promptitude, but beyond 
 that, they rarely go ; suffering themselves — as in the 
 ordinary affairs of life — to be guided by the few, and 
 accepting (perhaps in too many instances) the deci- 
 sions of any one in whom they may place confidence. 
 We can, however, imagine no reason why the lay 
 brethren — to say nothing of Masters and other offi- 
 cers of lodges — should not understand this, as well 
 as other matters of Masonic peculiarity ; and it is to 
 encourage and facilitate such inquiry that we have 
 undertaken the present work, devoted, as wiU be 
 ^ound upon examination, rather to pointing out what 
 the law really is, than to inventing apologies for or 
 arguments against its provisions. The Masonic code, 
 though not so plain that a wayfaring man may not 
 err therein, is nevertheless not so intricate, nor is its 
 stud}^ so dry and forbidding as many suppose. Its 
 foundation rests upon three principles of action, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 11 
 
 wliich are well and concisely stated in the following 
 extract from the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of 
 the State of New York : 
 
 " The action of Freemasons, in their Grand or Subordinate 
 Lodges, or in their individual character, is regulated and 
 controlled — 
 
 " 1. By Ancient Landmarks; or, the Unwritten Law of 
 Masonry. 
 
 "2. By Written Constitutions and General Regulations; 
 and, 
 
 " 3. By Usages, Customs, Rules, Edicts, and Resolu- 
 tions, having the force of General Regulations. 
 
 " The Ancient Landmarks are those principles of Masonic 
 government and polity which are the only part of Masonic 
 law, or rule of government, that may never be altered or 
 disturbed ; and such of them as are lawful to be written, are 
 usually, but not wholly, engrafted in the written Constitu- 
 tions and General Regulations. 
 
 " Constitutions are those written compacts or laws adopted 
 by Freemasons for the government of a Grand Lodge and its 
 Subordinate Lodges, and their members; including General 
 Regulations, constitutionally adopted, that are intended to be 
 permanent in their character. 
 
 "General Regulations, Usages and Customs, Rules, Edicts 
 and Resolutions, are those Masonic rules of action adopted 
 by competent authority for local or temporary purposes, 
 admitting of change at convenience, and not embraced in 
 Ancient Landmarks or Constitutions, and are frequently 
 
12 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 termed By-Laws. But when they so operate as to alter, 
 modify, or otherwise affect the Constitutions, as defined in 
 the preceding section, they are also styled Constitutions." 
 
 We remark, in passing, that the Landmarks are not 
 all comprised in the unwritten law : on the contrar^^, 
 some of the most important are found in the An- 
 cient Charges and Eegulations. Of the three princi- 
 ples above set forth, however, the Landmarks are 
 undoubtedly the most important, being, as it were, 
 the starting-point, and, from their very nature, influ- 
 encing the formation and controlling the vahdity of 
 the others. And yet they are the most difficult to be 
 understood and defined. The term " Landmark " is 
 used in its scriptural sense where it is employed to 
 designate a mark or boundary set up in ancient days 
 between one man's possessions and those of his 
 neighbor, beyond which neither party could lawfully 
 go ; and, when once established, these boundaries or 
 landmarks were never to be removed. This custom 
 has come down to us unimpaired, it being a law in 
 most, if not aU the States, that a tree, stone, or other 
 landmark, between the possessions of neighbors, can- 
 not be cut down or removed. It is in this sense that 
 we apply the word in Masonic law and usage, as de- 
 signating a fundamental principle of Masonry, which 
 no man or body of men can change or remove — as 
 one on which we rely to preserve the institution from 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 13 
 
 tte changes of the outer world, and to hand it down 
 to the latest posterity, as it was in the beginning, and 
 must continue to be to the end of time. But, para- 
 doxical as it may appear, that there should be any 
 uncertainty about that which is, in its nature, fixed 
 and unchangeable, it is nevertheless quite true that 
 scarcely any two Masonic authorities of eminence 
 agree as to what are, and what are not, Landmarks. 
 We assume those principles of action to be landmarks 
 which have existed from time immemorial, whether 
 in the written or un^vTitten law ; which are identified 
 with the form and essence of the society ; which, the 
 great majority agree, cannot be changed, and which 
 every Mason is bound to maintain intact, under the 
 most solemn and inviolable sanctions. In accordance 
 with these views, we think that the following will be 
 admitted to have always been in force ; to involve 
 essential Masonic principles; to be unchangeable, 
 unless by altering the form and essence of the insti- 
 tution, and therefore to be landmarks, in the proper 
 sense of the term. 
 
 LANDMARKS. 
 
 1. A belief in the existence of a Supreme Being, 
 and in the immortality of the soul. 
 
 2. That the moral law, which inculcates, among 
 
14 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 other things, charity and probity, industry and sobri- 
 ety, is the rule and guide of every Mason. 
 
 3. Bespect for, and obedience to, the civil law of 
 the country, and the Masonic regulations of the juris- 
 diction where a Mason may reside. 
 
 4. That new-made Masons must be free-bom, of 
 lawful age, and hale and sound at the time of making. 
 
 5. The modes of recognition, and, generally, the 
 rites and ceremonies of the three degrees of Ancient 
 Craft Masonry. 
 
 6. That no appeal can be taken to the Lodge, from 
 the decision of the Master, or the Warden occupying 
 the Chair in his absence. 
 
 7. That no one can be the Master of a Warranted 
 Lodge till he has been installed and served one year 
 as Warden. 
 
 8. That when a man becomes a Mason, he not 
 only acquires membership in the particular lodge 
 that admits him, but, in a general sense, he becomes 
 one of the whole Masonic family ; and hence he has 
 a right to visit, masonically, every regular lodge, 
 except when such visit is likely to disturb the har- 
 mony or interrupt the working of the lodge he pro- 
 poses to visit. 
 
 9. The prerogative of the Grand Master to preside 
 over every assembly of the Craft, mthin his juris- 
 diction, to make Masons at sight in a regular lodge, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 15 
 
 and to grant Dispensations for the formation of 
 new lodges. 
 
 10. That no one can be made a Mason, saTe in a 
 regular lodge, duly convened, after petition, and ac- 
 ceptance by unanimous ballot, except when made at 
 sight by the Grand Master. 
 
 11. That the ballot for candidates is strictly and 
 inviolably secret. 
 
 12. That a lodge cannot try its Master. 
 
 13. That every Mason is amenable to the laws and 
 regulations of the jurisdiction in which he resides, 
 even though he be a member of a particular lodge in 
 some other jurisdiction. 
 
 14. The right of the Craft at large to be repre- 
 sented in Grand Lodge, and to instruct their repre- 
 sentatives. 
 
 15. The general aim and form of the society, as 
 handed down to us by the fathers, to be by us pre- 
 served inviolate, and transmitted to our successors 
 forever. 
 
 This list might be somewhat extended by adding 
 to it, as is frequently done, regulations deduced from 
 these principles ; but we prefer to avoid that error, 
 and the discussions which inevitably follow a depart- 
 ure from established law: for seK-interest, or the 
 predominance of a feehng entirely extraneous to 
 
16 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 Masonry, will sometimes lead men to close their 
 eyes to the most indubitable proposition. Take, for 
 instance, the fourth landmark, above cited. Its exist- 
 ence, as a fundamental principle of Masonic law, 
 from the very earliest times of which we have any 
 record, is beyond dispute : its language is too plain 
 to admit of any equivocation ; and it is just as much 
 an integral and immovable part of the Masonic sys- 
 tem, as the one requiring a beHef in the existence of 
 a Supreme Being ; and we can admit an argument 
 as to the right to abrogate one, with the same pro- 
 priety as the other. Nevertheless, the Grand Lodge 
 of England, a few years since, solemnly amended its 
 Constitution by striking out " hee-horn" and putting 
 in its place " free-man ;" thus changing an essential 
 feature of the law, or, in plain terms, removing an 
 indisputable landmark. We can easily perceive that 
 it would take but a few such alterations of the land- 
 marks to destroy the identity of the society, and 
 sever the links that bind it to the long past. Admit 
 the power to modify these principles at the pleasure 
 of Grand Lodges, and you at once overturn the whole 
 structure ; sever the present from the past as com- 
 pletely as if the past had never been ; bring to nought 
 the boasted antiquity of the Fraternity, and make its 
 most solemn covenants but empty words. 
 
 There is a double iniquity in this proceeding of the 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 17 
 
 ELglisL Graud Lodge, from the fact that, at its estab- 
 lishiaeiit, it was solemnly agreed that no regulation 
 should be adopted in derogation of the Ancient Land- 
 marks, and that agreement is just as binding as a 
 landmark ; for it was entered into as a condition of 
 the resignation of the general sovereignty into the 
 keeping of the Grand Lodge, which, therefore, not 
 only sets aside a landmark, but violates an express 
 stipulation that it would not do so. 
 
 We could easily assign the reason for this proceed- 
 ing, were any useful purpose to be subserved by so 
 doing. It is sufficient for us to show, however, that 
 the EngHsh Craft are themselves at a loss to justify 
 their own acts, as will be seen by the following ex- 
 tract from a late English work :* 
 
 " The strict inviolability of a Landmark is somewhat prob- 
 lematical. There are certain obsolete particulars in Masonry 
 which were formerly esteemed to be Landmarks, but have 
 undergone alterations in a greater or lesser degree. It fol- 
 lows, therefore, that if the old Landmarks cannot, by any 
 possibility, be removed, then we incur the unavoidable con- 
 clusion that these never had a claim to any such distinction. 
 In all existing constitutions, however, there is a prohibitory 
 clause, which pronounces the Landmarks, like the laws of the 
 
 * The Freemason's Treasury. Fifty-two short lectures on the 
 theory and practice of symbolical Masonry, by the Rev. Geoegk 
 Olivee, D. D. London, 1863. 
 
18 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 Medes and Persians, to be unchangeable ; but we shall find 
 that, in practice, it has been occasionally violated, and tiiere- 
 fore inapplicable to all the contingencies that may arise in 
 practice. 
 
 " To persist, then, in asserting that the Landmark cannot 
 be altered, with an array of positive facts against the hy- 
 pothesis, is indefensible and absurd, because it places the 
 society in a false position. It is well known, that whenever 
 it has been found expedient to expunge a Landmark, the 
 means of accomplishment were never wanting. The letter 
 of the law is stern, but the spirit is feeble. Practice is more 
 than a match for it: it beats it on its own ground." 
 
 This is undoubtedly a fair exposition of Englisli 
 " practice," and goes to show the method that must 
 have governed the Grand Lodge in the case before 
 cited. They resolved — 1, The regulation that a can- 
 didate must be free-bom is obsolete ; 2, It is not a 
 landmark; and, 3, That it be rescinded. By this 
 process of reasoning, it would be easy to prove the 
 non-existence of any Landmark ; and its natural con- 
 sequence would be to gradually remove, not only the 
 landmarks, but the society itseK. "We regret that so 
 able an exponent of the Masonic ideal as Dr. Oliver 
 should be willing to countenance such proceedings ; 
 we wonder that, instead of so doing, he had not 
 raised his voice in indignant remonstrance ; and we 
 sincerely trust that the day may never come when an 
 American Mason will be found willing to countenance 
 
MASONIC JURISPKUDENCE. 19 
 
 SO manifest an innovation, however exalted may be 
 the source from which, it emanates ; that all and sin- 
 gular wiU maintain the doctrine that any such action 
 or attempted action, on the part of a Grand Lodge 
 or other assembly of Masons, would be absolutely 
 void and of no effect. 
 
 To resume : All Constitutions, General Eegulationa 
 and Usages-are based upon the Landmarks, and must 
 be in harmony with them ; for otherwise they would 
 have no binding force or effect. But every Grand 
 Lodge has an inherent right to make local regulations ; 
 to abolish old ones, and to make new ones at pleasure ; 
 but such regulations, it will be understood, will only 
 be valid within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge 
 promulgating them. It is, however, a very common 
 mistake among the brethren to confound such local 
 regulations with the general laws of the fraternity, 
 from which source emanate many of the questions 
 submitted for the decision of Grand Masters and 
 Grand Lodges. The inquiring brother should, there- 
 fore, be acquainted with, and study for himself, the 
 basis of the Masonic law, and the superstructure of 
 Masonic jurisprudence that has been erected upon it. 
 
 Masonic jurists claim the authority of law for the 
 Gothic or York Constitutions of A. D. 926 ; for various 
 regulations adopted at subsequent periods, and for 
 the Charges and Eegulations compiled by Doctor 
 
20 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 Anderson in 1721, and published under sanction of 
 the Grand Lodge of England in 1723. These Con- 
 stitutions are claimed to have embodied all the reg- 
 ulations of the Craft up to that time, not only in 
 England, but of " Lodges beyond sea ;" and as they 
 certainly contain all the law of a general nature that 
 we have, we see no good reason for multiplying au- 
 thorities, and our references will be made to them. 
 We are the more inclined to this opinion, from the 
 fact that they were collated immediately after the 
 revival in 1717, by one to whom every facility for 
 making them correct was extended, and before the 
 increase of the fraternity, under the new regime, led 
 to the innovations which appear in subsequent edi- 
 tions. It should be observed, too, that during the 
 schism in England, Lawrence Dermott, who was 
 Deputy Grand Master of the seceding, or Athol 
 Grand Lodge, pubHshed a " Book of Constitutions," 
 similar in its general features to the true version, but 
 in which he took occasion to make alterations in 
 some essential points, probably to suit the exigencies 
 of his irregular Grand Lodge. Many of the warrants 
 for the establishment of lodges in this country issued 
 from the Dermott or Athol Grand Lodge, which is 
 doubtless the reason why so much of the spurious 
 Constitutions is found in the jurisprudence of the 
 several States. In New York, where most of these 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 21 
 
 warrants were tiltimatelj located, the spurious Charges 
 of Dermott are prefixed to and made a part of the 
 Book of Constitutions, and more or less of their spirit 
 is found in its otherwise admirable code of law. 
 
 As a matter of research, the Regulations, previous 
 to 1721, may be consulted ; but, for all practical pur- 
 poses, the Charges and Thirty-nine Articles of Doctor 
 Anderson are sufficient. For this reason, and to 
 avoid confusing the mind of the student, we insert 
 these only. 
 
 Extracted from the Ancient Records of Lodges beyond Sea, 
 and of those in England, Scotland and Ireland, for the 
 use of the Lodges in London. To be read at the making 
 of New Brethren, or when the Master shall order it. 
 
 THE GENEKAIi HEADS, viz: 
 I. — Of God and Eeligion; II. — Of the Civil Maqistkate, Supreme 
 and Subordinate; HI. — Of Lodges; IV. — Of Masteks, Wakd- 
 ENS, Fellows, and Appeentices; V. — Of the Management of 
 the Ceaft in working; VI. — Of Behavioe, m>: 1. In the Lodge 
 while Constituted. 2. After the Lodge is over, and the Beeth- 
 EEN not gone. 3. When Brethren meet without Steangees, 
 but not in a Lodge. 4. In presence of Steangees not Masons. 
 5. At Home and in the Neighboehood. 6. Towards a steange 
 Beothee. 
 
 I-CONCERNING GOD AND RELIGION. 
 A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the moral law; 
 and if he rightly understands the Art, he will never be a 
 
22 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Stupid Atheist, nor an irreligious Libertine. But thougli in 
 ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be 
 of the Religion of that country or nation, whatever it was, 
 it is now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that 
 Religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular opin- 
 ions to themselves; that is, to be good men and true,, or men 
 of honor and honesty, by whatever denominations or persua- 
 sions they may be distinguished ; whereby Masonry becomes 
 the Center of Union^ and the means of conciliating true 
 Friendship among persons that must liave remained at a 
 perpetual distance. 
 
 n.-OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE, SUPREME AND SUBORDINATE. 
 
 A Mason is a peaceable subject to the civil powers wher- 
 ever he resides or works, and is never to be concerned in 
 plots and conspiracies against the peace and welfare of the 
 nation, nor to behave himself undutifully to inferior magis- 
 trates; for as Masonry hath been always injured by war, 
 bloodshed, and confusion, so ancient kings and princes have 
 been much disposed to encourage the Craftsmen, because of 
 their peaceableness and loyalty, whereby they practically 
 answered the cavils of their adversaries, and promoted the 
 honor of the Fraternity, who ever flourished in times of peace. 
 So that if a Brother should be a rebel against the State, he 
 is not to be countenanced in his rebellion, however he may be 
 pitied as an unhappy man; and, if convicted of no other 
 crime, though the loyal brotherhood must and ought to disown 
 his rebellion, and give no umbrage or ground of political jeal- 
 ousy to the government for the time being, they cannot expel 
 him from the lodge, and his relation to it remains indefeasible. 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 23 
 
 ni.-OF LODGES. 
 
 A Lodge is a place where Masons assemble and work: 
 Hence that Assembly, or duly organized Society of Masons, 
 is called a Lodge, and every Brother ought to belong to one, 
 and to be subject to its by-laws and the General Regulations. 
 It is either particular or general, and will be best understood 
 by attending it, and by the Regulations of the General or 
 Grand Lodge hereunto annexed. In ancient times, no Mas- 
 ter or Fellow could be absent from it, especially. when warned 
 to appear at it, without incurring a severe censure, until it 
 appeared to the Master and Wardens that pure necessity 
 hindered him. 
 
 The persons admitted members of a lodge must be good 
 and true men, free-born, and of mature and discreet age; no 
 bondmen, no women, no immoral or scandalous men, but of • 
 good report. 
 
 IV.^OF MASTERS, WARDENS, FELLOWS AND APPRENTICES. 
 
 All preferment among Masons is grounded upon real worth 
 and personal merit only; that so the lords may be well served, 
 the brethren not put to shame, nor the Royal Craft despised: 
 Therefore no Master or Warden is chosen by seniority, but 
 for his merit. It is impossible to describe these things in 
 writing, and every Brother must attend in his place, and learn 
 them in a way peculiar to this Fraternity: Only candidates 
 may know that no Master should take an Apprentice, unless 
 he has sufficient employment for him, and unless he be a per- 
 fect youth, having no maim or defect in his body, that may 
 render him incapable of learning the art of serving his mas- 
 ter's Lord, and of being made a Brother, and then a Fellow 
 
24 PBINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Craft in due time, even after he has served such a term of 
 years as the custom of the country directs ; and that he should 
 be descended of honest parents; that so, when otherwise qual- 
 ified, he may arrive to the honor of being the Warden, and 
 then the Master of the Lodge, the Grand Warden^ and at 
 length the Grand Master of all the Lodges, according to 
 his merit. 
 
 No Brother can be a Warden until he has passed the part 
 of a Fellow Craft; nor a Master until he has acted as a 
 Warden, nor Grand Warden until he has been Master of a 
 Lodge, nor Grand Master, unless he has been a Fellow Craft 
 before his election, who is also to be nobly born, or a gentle- 
 man of the best fashion, or some eminent scholar, or some 
 curious architect or other artist, descended of honest parents, 
 and who is of singular great merit in the opinion of the 
 lodges. And for the better, and easier, and more honorable 
 discharge of his oflBce, the Grand Master has a power to 
 choose his own Deputy Grand Master, who must be then, or 
 must have been formerly, the Master of a particular lodge, 
 and has the privilege of acting whatever the Grand Master, 
 his Principal, should act, unless the said Principal be present, 
 or interpose his authority by a letter. 
 
 These rulers and governors — supreme and subordinate — 
 of the ancient Lodge, are to be obeyed in their respective 
 stations by all the Brethren, according to the old Charges and 
 Regulations, with all humility, reverence, love and alacrity. 
 
 V.-OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CRAFT IN WORKING. 
 All Masons shall work honestly on working-days, that they 
 may live creditably on holy-days; and the time appointed 
 
MASONIC JUEISPKUDENCE. 25 
 
 by the law of the laud, or confirmed by custom, shall be 
 observed. 
 
 The most expert of the Fellow Craftsmen shall be chosen 
 or appointed the Ma-ster or Overseer of the Lord's work; 
 who is to be called Master by those that work under him. 
 The Craftsmen are to avoid all ill language, and to call each 
 other by no disobliging name, but Brother or Fellow, and to 
 behave themselves courteously within and without the lodge. 
 
 The Master knowing himself to be able of cunning, shall 
 undertake the Lord's work as reasonably as possible, and 
 truly dispend his goods as if they were his own ; nor to 
 give more wages to any Brother or Apprentice than he 
 really may deserve. 
 
 Both the Master and the Masons receiving their wages 
 justly, shall be faithful to the Lord, and honestly finish their 
 work, whether task or journey; nor put the work to task 
 that hath been accustomed to journey. 
 
 None shall discover envy at the prosperity of a Brother, 
 nor supplant him, or put him out of his work, if he be capable 
 to finish the same; for no man can finish another's work so 
 much to the Lord's profit, unless he be thoroughly acquainted 
 with the designs and drafts of him that began it. 
 
 When a Fellow-Craftsman is chosen Warden of the work 
 under the Master, he shall be true both to Master and Fel- 
 lows, shall carefully oversee the work in the Master's absence 
 to the Lord's profit; and his Brethren shall obey him. 
 
 All Masons employed shall meekly receive their wages, 
 without murmuring or mutiny, and not desert the Master till 
 the work is finished. 
 2 
 
26 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 A younger Brother shall be instructed in working, to 
 prevent spoiling the materials for want of judgment, and for 
 increasing and continuing of Brotherly Love. 
 
 All the tools used in working shall be approved by the 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
 No laborer shall be employed in the proper work of Mason- 
 ry; nor shall Free Maso-ns work with those that are not free, 
 without an urgent necessity; nor shall they teach laborers and 
 unaccepted Masons as they should teach a Brother or Fellow. 
 
 VI.-OF BEHAVIOR. 
 1. — In the Lodge xrihUe constUvied. 
 
 You are not to hold private committees or separate con- 
 versation, without leave from the Master, nor to talk of any 
 thing impertinent or unseemly, nor interrupt the Master or 
 Wardens, or any Brother speaking to the Master: Nor 
 behave yourself ludicrously or jestingly while the Lodge is 
 engaged in what is serious and solemn; nor use any unbe- 
 coming language upon any pretence whatsoever; but to pay 
 due reverence to your Master, Wardens and Fellows, and 
 put them to worship. 
 
 If any complaint be brought, the Brother found guilty 
 shall stand to the award and determination of the Lodge, 
 who are the proper and competent judges of all such contro- 
 versies, (unless you carry it by appeal to the Grand Lodge,) 
 and to whom they ought to be referred, unless a Lord's work 
 be hindered the mean while, in which case a particular refer- 
 ence may be made; but you must never go to law about 
 what concerneth Masonry, without an absolute necessity, 
 apparent to the Lodge. 
 
8 R A 
 or THC 
 
 .DIVERSITY 
 
 MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 27 
 
 2.— Behavior after the Lodge is over, and the Brethren not gone. 
 
 You may enjoy yourselves with innocent mirth, treating 
 one another according to ability, but avoiding all excess, or 
 forcing any Brother to eat or drink beyond his inclination, 
 or hindering him from going when his occasions call him, or 
 doing or saying any thing offensive, or that may forbid an 
 EASY and FREE conversation; for that would blast our har- 
 mony, and defeat our laudable purposes. Therefore no private 
 piques or quarrels must be brought within the door of the 
 Lodge, far less any quarrels about religion, or nations, or 
 State policy, we being only, as Masons, of the Catholic reli- 
 gion above mentioned; we are also of all nations, tongues, 
 kindreds and languages, and are resolved against all politicSf 
 as what never yet conduced to the welfare of the Lodge, nor 
 ever will. This Charge has been always strictly enjoined and 
 observed; but especially ever since the Reformation in Bri- 
 tain, or the dissent and secession of these nations from the 
 communion of Rome. 
 
 3. — Behavior when Brethren meet without Strangers, hut not in a 
 Lodge formed. 
 
 You are to salute one another in a courteous manner, as 
 you will be instructed, calling each other Brother, freely 
 giving mutual instruction as shall be thought expedient, 
 without being overseen or overheard, and without encroach- 
 ing upon each other, or derogating from that respect which 
 is due to any Brother, were he not a Mason: for though all 
 Masons are as Brethren upon the same Level, yet Masonry 
 takes no honor from a man that he had before ; nay, rather 
 it adds to his honor, especially if he has deserved well of the 
 
28 PBINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 Brotherhood, who must give honor to whom it is due, and 
 avoid ill manners. 
 
 4. — Behavior in Presence of Strangers not Masons. 
 You shall be cautious in your words and carriage, that the 
 most penetrating stranger shall not be able to discover oi 
 find out what is not proper to be intimated; and sometimes 
 you shall divert a discourse, and manage it prudently for the 
 honor of the Worshipful Fraternity. 
 
 5. — Behavior at Rome and in yoiir Neighborhood. 
 You are to act as becomes a moral and wise man, partic- 
 ularly not to let your family, friends and neighbors know the 
 concerns of the Lodge, etc., but wisely to consult your own 
 honor, and that of the Ancient Brotherhood, for reasons not 
 to be mentioned here. You must also consult your health, 
 by not continuing together too late, or too long from home, 
 after lodge hours are past; and by avoiding of gluttony or 
 drunkenness, that your families be not neglected or injured, 
 nor you disabled from working. 
 
 6. — Behavior towards a Strange Brother. 
 
 You are cautiously to examine him, in such a method as 
 prudence shall direct you, that you may not be imposed upon 
 by an ignorant false pretender, whom you are to reject with 
 contempt and derision, and beware of giving him any hints 
 of knowledge. 
 
 But if you discover him to be a true and genuine Brother, 
 you are to respect him accordingly; and if he is in want, you 
 must relieve him, if you can, or else direct him how he may 
 be relieved: You must employ him some days, or else recom- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 29 
 
 mend him to be employed. But you are not charged to do 
 beyond your ability, only to prefer a poor Brother, that is a 
 good man and true, before any other poor people in the same 
 circumstances 
 
 Finally, All these Charges you are to observe, and also 
 those that shall be communicated to you in another way; 
 cultivating Brotherly Love, the foundation and cape-stone, 
 the cement and glory of this ancient Fraternity ; avoiding all 
 wrangling and quarreling, all slander and backbiting, nor 
 permitting others to slander any honest Brother, but defend- 
 ing bis character, and doing him all good offices, as far as is 
 consistent with your honor and safety, and no farther. And 
 if any of them do you injury, you must apply to your own or 
 his Lodge, and from thence you may appeal to the Grand 
 Lodge at the quarterly communication, and from thence to 
 the Annual Grand Lodge, as has been the ancient laudable 
 conduct of our forefathers in every nation; never taking a 
 legal course, but when the case cannot be otherwise decided, 
 and patiently listening to the honest and friendly advice of 
 Master and Fellows, when they would prevent your going to 
 law with strangers, or would excite you to put a speedy 
 period to all lawsuits, that so you may mind the affair of 
 Masonry with the more alacrity and success; but with respect 
 to Brothers or Fellows at law, the Master and Brethren 
 should kindly offer their mediation, which ought to be thank- 
 fully submitted to by the contending Brethren ; and if that 
 submission is impracticable, they must, however, carry on 
 their process, or lawsuit, without wrath and rancor, (not in 
 
30 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 the common way,) saying or doing nothing which may hinder 
 Brotlierly Love, and good oflfices to be renewed and contin- 
 ued ; that all may see the benign influence of Masonry, as all 
 true Masons have done from the beginning of the world, and 
 will do to the end of time. Amen. So mote it be. 
 
 GENERAL REGULATIONS, 
 
 CoMPHiED first by Mr. Geohge Patne, Anno 1720, when he vraa 
 Grand Master, and approved by the Grand Lodge on St. John 
 Baptist's Day, Anno 1721, at Stationer's Hall, London; when 
 the most noble Prince John, Duke of Montagu, was unanimously 
 chosen our Grand Master for the year ensuing; who chose John 
 Beal, M. D., his Deputy Grand Master; and Mr. Josiah Velle- 
 NEAU and Mr. Thomas Mokms, Jun., were chosen by the Lodge 
 Grand Wardens. And now, by the command of our said Eight 
 WorshipfiA Grand Master Montagu, the Author of this book has 
 compared them with, and reduced them to the ancient Records 
 and immemorial Usages of the Fraternity, and digested them 
 into this new method, with several proper Explications, for the 
 use of the Lodges in and about London and Westminster. 
 
 I. The Grand Master or his Deputy hath authority and 
 right not only to be present in any true Lodge, but also to 
 preside wherever he is, with the Master of the Lodge on his 
 left hand, and to order his Grand Wardens to attend him, 
 who are not to act in particular Lodges as Wardens, but in 
 his presence, and at his command; because there the Grand 
 Master may command the Wardens of that Lodge, or any 
 
MASONIC JUEISPEUDENCE. 31 
 
 other Brethren he pleaseth, to attend and act as his Ward- 
 ens pro tempore. 
 
 II. The Master of a particular Lodge has the right and 
 authority of congregating the members of his Lodge into a 
 Chapter at pleasure, upon any emergency or occurrence, as 
 well as to appoint the time and place of their usual forming; 
 and in case of sickness, death, or necessary absence of the 
 Master, the Senior Warden shall act as Master pro tempore, 
 if no Brother is present who has been Master of that Lodge 
 before ; for in that case the absent Master's authority reverts 
 to the last Master then present ; though he cannot act until 
 the said Senior Warden has once congregated the Lodge, or, 
 in his absence, the Junior Warden. 
 
 III. The Master of each particular Lodge, or one of the 
 Wardens, or some other Brother by his order, shall keep a 
 book containing their By-laws, the names of their members, 
 with a list of all the Lodges in town, and the usual times and 
 places of their forming, and all their transactions that are 
 proper to be written. 
 
 lY. No Lodge shall make more than five new Brethren 
 at one time, nor any man under the age of twenty- five, who 
 must be also his own master, unless by a Dispensation from 
 the Grand Master or his Deputy. 
 
 V. No man can be made or admitted a member of a par- 
 ticular Lodge, without previous notice one month before 
 given to the said Lodge, in order to make due inquiry into 
 the reputation and capacity of the candidate ; unless by the 
 Dispensation aforesaid. 
 
 VI. But no man can be entered a Brother in any particu- 
 
32 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 lar Lodge, or admitted to be a member thereof, without the 
 unanimous consent of ail the members of that Lodge then 
 present when the candidate is proposed, and their consent is 
 formally asked by the Master ; and they are to signify their 
 consent or dissent in their own prudent way, either virtually 
 or in form, but with unanimity: Nor is this inherent privi- 
 lege subject to a Dispensation; because the members of a 
 particular Lodge are the best judges of it; and if a fractious 
 member should be imposed on them, it might spoil their har- 
 mony or hinder their freedom; or even break or disperse 
 the Lodge, which ought to be avoided by all good and true 
 Brethren. 
 
 YII. Every new Brother at his making is decently to clothe 
 the Lodge — that is, all the Brethren present — and to deposit 
 something for the relief of indigent and decayed Brethren, as 
 the candidate shall think fit to bestow, over and above the 
 small allowance stated by the By-laws of that particular 
 Lodge; which charity shall be lodged with the Master or 
 Wardens, or the cashier, if the members think fit to choose one. 
 And the candidate shall also solemnly promise to submit to 
 the Constitutions, the Charges and Regulations, and to such 
 other good Usages as shall be intimated to them in time and 
 place convenient. 
 
 YIII. No set or number of Brethren shall withdraw or 
 separate themselves from the Lodge in which they were 
 made Brethren, or were afterwards admitted members, unless 
 the Lodge becomes too numerous ; nor even then without a 
 Dispensation from the Grand Master or his Deputy; and 
 when they are thus separated, they must either immediately 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 33 
 
 join themselves to such other Lodge as they shall like best, 
 with the unanimous consent of that other Lodge to which they 
 go, (as above regulated,) or else they must obtain the Grand 
 Master's Warrant to join in forming a new lodge. 
 
 If any set or number of Masons shall take upon themselves 
 to form a Lodge without the Grand Master's Warrant, the 
 regular lodges are not to countenance them, nor own them 
 as fair Brethren and duly formed, nor approve of their acts 
 and deeds; but must treat them as rebels, until they humble 
 themselves, as the Grand Master shall in his prudence direct, 
 and until he approve of them by his Warrant, which must be 
 signified to the other lodges, as the custom is when a new 
 lodge is to be registered in the List of Lodges. 
 
 IX. But if any Brother so far misbehave himself as to ren- 
 der his Lodge uneasy, he shall be twice duly admonished by 
 the Master or Wardens in a formed lodge; and if he will not 
 refrain his imprudence, and obediently submit to the advice 
 of the Brethren, and reform what gives them offence, he shall 
 be dealt with according to the By-laws of that particular 
 Lodge, or else in such a manner as the Quarterly Communi- 
 cation shall in their great prudence think fit; for which a new 
 Regulation may be afterwards made. 
 
 X. The majority of every particular lodge, when congre- 
 gated, shall have the privilege of giving instructions to their 
 Master and Wardens, before the assembling of the Grand 
 Chapter or Lodge, at the three Quarterly Communications 
 hereafter mentioned, and of the Annual Grand Lodge too; 
 because their Masters and Wardens are their representatives, 
 and are supposed to speak their mind. 
 
34 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 XI. All particular lodges are to observe the same Usages 
 as much as possible; in order to which, and for cultivating a 
 good understanding among Freemasons, some members out 
 of every lodge shall be deputed to visit the other lodges as 
 often as shall be thought convenient. 
 
 XII. Tiie Grand Lodge consists of,, and is formed by the 
 Masters and Wardens of all the regular particular lodges 
 upon record, with the Grand Master at their head, and his 
 Deputy on his left hand, and the Grand Wardens in their 
 proper places, and must have a Quarterly Communication 
 about Michaelmas, Christmas, and Lady-day, in some con- 
 venient place, as the Grand Master shall appoint, where no 
 Brother shall be present who is not at that time a member 
 thereof, without a Dispensation; and while he stays, he shall 
 not be allowed to vote, nor even give his opinion, without 
 leave of the Grand Lodge, asked and given, or unless it be 
 duly asked by the said lodge. 
 
 All matters are to be determined in the Grand Lodge by 
 a majority of votes, each member having one vote, and the 
 Grand Master having two votes, unless the said lodge leave 
 any particular thing to the determination of the Grand 
 Master for the sake of expedition. 
 
 XIII. At the said Quarterly Communication, all matters 
 that concern the Fraternity in general, or particular Lodges, 
 or single Brethren, are quietly, sedately, and maturely to be 
 discoursed of and transacted: Apprentices must be admitted 
 Masters and Fellow Craft only here, unless by a Dispensation. 
 Here also all differences that cannot be made up and accom- 
 modated privately, nor by a particular Lodge, are to be seri- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 35 
 
 ously considered and decided: And if any Brother thinks 
 himself aggrieved by the decision of this Board, he may ap- 
 peal to the Annual Grand Lodge next ensuing, and leave his 
 appeal in writing with the Grand Master, or his Deputy, or 
 the Grand Wardens. 
 
 Here, also, the Master or the Wardens of each particular 
 Lodge shall bring and produce a list of such members as 
 have been made, or even admitted, in their particular lodges 
 since the last communication of the Grand Lodge; and there 
 shall be a book kept by the Grand Master or his Deputy, or 
 rather by some brother whom the Grand Lodge shall appoint 
 for Secretary, wherein shall be recorded all the Lodges, with 
 their usual times and places of forming, and the names of all 
 the members of each Lodge; and all the affairs of the Grand 
 Lodge thatvare proper to be written. 
 
 They shall also consider of the most prudent and effectual 
 methods of collecting and disposing of what money shall be 
 given to or lodged with them in Charity, towards the relief 
 only of any true Brother fallen into poverty or decay, but of 
 none else: But every particular Lodge shall dispose of their 
 own Charity for poor Brethren, according to their own By- 
 laws, until it be agrefed by all the lodges (in a new Regula- 
 tion) to carry in the Charity collected by them to the Grand 
 Lodge, at the Quarterly or Annual Communication, in order 
 to make a common stock of it, for the more handsome relief 
 of poor Brethren. 
 
 They shall also appoint a Treasurer, a Brother of good 
 worldly substance, who shall be a member of the Grand 
 Lodge by virtue of his office, and shall be always present, 
 
36 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 and have power to move to the Grand Lodge anything, espe- 
 cially what concerns his office. To him shall be committed all 
 money raised for Charity, or for any other use of the Grand 
 Lodge, which he shall write down in a book, with the respect- 
 ive ends and uses for which the several sums are intended; and 
 shall expend and disburse the same by such a certain order 
 signed, as the Grand Lodge shall afterwards agree to in a 
 new Regulation: But he shall not vote in choosing a Grand 
 Master or Wardens, though in every other transaction. As 
 in like manner the Secretary shall be a member of the Grand 
 Lodge by virtue of his office, and vote in everything, except 
 in choosing a Grand Master or Wardens. 
 
 The Treasurer and Secretary shall have each a clerk, who 
 must be a Brother and Fellow Craft, but never must be a 
 member of the Grand Lodge, nor speak without being allowed 
 or desired. 
 
 The Grand Master, or his Deputy, shall always command 
 the Treasurer and Secretary, with their clerks and books, in 
 order to see how matters go on, and to know what is expe- 
 dient to be done upon any emergent occasion. 
 
 Another Brother (who must be a Fellow Craft) should be 
 appointed to look after the door of the Grand Lodge, but 
 shall be no member of it. 
 
 But these offices may be farther explained by a new Reg- 
 ulation, when the necessity and expediency of them may 
 more appear than at present to the Fraternity. 
 
 XIY. If at any Grand Lodge, stated or occasional, quar- 
 terly or annual, the Grand Master and his Deputy should be 
 both absent, then the present Master of a Lodge, that has 
 
MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 37 
 
 been the longest a Freemason, shall take the chair, and pre- 
 side as Grand Master pro tempore, and shall be vested with 
 all his power and honor for the time: provided there is no 
 Brother present that has been Grand Master formerly, or 
 Deputy Grand Master; for the last Grand Master present, 
 or else the last Deputy present, should always of right take 
 place in the absence of the present Grand Master and his 
 Deputy. 
 
 XY. In the Grand Lodge none can act as Wardens but 
 the Grand Wardens themselves, if present; and, if absent, 
 the Grand Master, or the person who presides in his place, 
 shall order private Wardens to act as Grand Wardens pro 
 tempore, whose places are to be supplied by two Fellow Craft 
 of the same Lodge, called forth to act, or sent thither by the 
 particular Master thereof; or if by him omitted, then they 
 shall be called by the Grand Master, that so the Grand Lodge 
 may be always complete. 
 
 XYI. The Grand Wardens, or any others, are first to advise 
 with the Deputy about the affairs of the Lodge or of the 
 Brethren, and not to apply to the Grand Master without the 
 knowledge of the Deputy, unless he refuse his concurrence in 
 any cert;ain necessary affair; in which case, or in case of any 
 difference between the Deputy and the Grand Wardens, or 
 other Brethren, both parties are to go by concert to the Grand 
 Master, who can easily decide the controversy and make up 
 the difference by virtue of his great authority. 
 
 The Grand Master should receive no intimation of business 
 concerning Masonry but from his Deputy first, except in such 
 certain cases as his Worship can well judge of; for if the 
 
38 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 application to the Grand Master be irregular, he can easily 
 order the Grand Wardens, or any other Brethren thus apply- 
 ing, to wait upon his Deputy, who is to prepare the business 
 speedily, and to lay it orderly before his Worship. 
 
 XYII. No Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Grand 
 Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary, or whoever acts for them, or 
 in their stead pro tempore^ can at the same time be the Master 
 or Warden of a particular Lodge ; but as soon as any of 
 them has honorably discharged his Grand OflBcc, he returns 
 to that post or station in his particular Lodge, from which 
 he was called to officiate above. 
 
 XYIII. If the Deputy Grand Master be sick, or necessarily 
 absent, the Grand Master may choose any Fellow Craft he 
 please to be his Deputy pro tempore : But he that is chosen 
 Deputy at the Grand Lodge, and the Grand Wardens too, 
 cannot be discharged without the cause fairly appear to the 
 majority of the Grand Lodge; and the Grand Master, if he 
 is uneasy, may call a Grand Lodge on purpose to lay the 
 cause before them, and to have their advice and concurrence: 
 in which case, the majority of the Grand Lodge, if they cannot 
 reconcile the Master and his Deputy or his Wardens, are to 
 concur in allowing the Master to discharge his said Deputy 
 or his said Wardens, and to choose another Deputy immedi- 
 ately ; and the said Grand Lodge shall choose other Wardens 
 in that case, that harmony and peace may be preserved. 
 
 XIX. If the Grand Master should abuse his power, and 
 render himself unworthy of the obedience and subjection of 
 the Lodges, he shall be treated in a way and manner to be 
 agreed upon in a new Regulation; because hitherto the An- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 39 
 
 cient Fraternity have had no occasion for it, their former 
 Grand Masters having all behaved themselves worthy of that 
 honorable office. 
 
 XX. The Grand Master, with his Deputy and Wardens, 
 shall (at least once) go round and visit all the Lodges about 
 town during his mastership. 
 
 XXI. If the Grand Master die during his mastership, or 
 by sickness, or by being beyond sea, or any other way should 
 be rendered incapable of discharging his office, the Deputy, 
 or, in his absence, the Senior Grand Warden, or, in his ab- 
 sence, the Junior, or, in his absence, any three present Mas- 
 ters of Lodges, shall join to congregate the Grand Lodge 
 immediately, to advise together upon that emergency, and 
 to send two of their number to invite the last Grand Master 
 to resume his office, which now in course reverts to him; 
 or, if he refuse, then the next last, and so backward. But 
 if no former Grand Master can be found, then the Deputy 
 shall act as Principal until another is chosen ; or, if there be 
 no Deputy, then the oldest Master. 
 
 XXII. The Brethren of all the Lodges in and about 
 London and Westminster shall meet at an Annual Communi- 
 cation and Feast, in some convenient place, on St. John Bap- 
 tisfs Day, or else on St. John Evangelisfs Day, as the Grand 
 Lodge shall think fit by a new Regulation, having of late years 
 met on St. John Baptist's Day: Provided, 
 
 The majority of the Masters and Wardens, with the Grand 
 Master, his Deputy and Wardens, agree at their Quarterly 
 Communications, three months before, that there shall be a 
 Feast and a General Communication of all the Brethren: For 
 
40 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 if either the Grand Master, or the majority of the particular 
 IMasters, are against it, it must be dropped for that time. 
 
 But whether there shall be a Feast for all the Brethren or 
 not, yet the Grand Lodge must meet in some convenient 
 phice annually on St. John's Day ; or, if it be Sunday, then 
 on the next day, in order to choose every year a new Grand 
 Master, Deputy and Wardens. 
 
 XXIII. If it be thought expedient, and the Grand Master, 
 with the majority of the Masters and Wardens, agree to hold 
 a Grand Feast, according to the ancient laudable custom of 
 Masons, then the Grand Wardens shall have the care of pre- 
 paring the tickets, sealed with the Grand Master^s seal, of 
 disposing of the tickets, of receiving the money for the 
 tickets, of buying the materials of the Feast, of finding out 
 a proper and convenient place to feast in, and of every other 
 thing that concerns the entertainment. 
 
 But, that the work may not be too burdensome to the two 
 Grand Wardens, and that all matters may be expeditiously 
 and safely managed, the Grand Master or his Deputy shall 
 have power to nominate and appoint a certain number of 
 Stewards, as his Worship shall think fit, to act in concert 
 with the two Grand Wardens; all things relating to the Feast 
 being decided amongst them by a majority of voices, except 
 the Grand Master or his Deputy interpose by a particular 
 direction or appointment. 
 
 XXIY. The Wardens and Stewards shall in due time wait 
 upon thfe Grand Master or his Deputy for directions and 
 orders about the premises ; but if his Worship and his 
 Deputy are sick, or necessarily absent, they shall call together 
 
MASONIC JUEISPEUDENCE. 41 
 
 the Masters and Wardens of Lodges to meet on purpose for 
 their advice and orders; or else they may take the matter 
 wholly upon themselves, and do the best they can. 
 
 The Grand Wardens and the Stewards are to account for 
 all the money they receive, or expend, to the Grand Lodge, 
 after dinner, or when the Grand Lodge shall think fit to 
 receive their accounts. 
 
 If the Grand Master pleases, he may in due time summon 
 all the Masters and Wardens of Lodges, to consult with them 
 about ordering the Grand Feast, and about any emergency 
 or accidental thing relating thereunto, that may require 
 advice, or else to take it upon himself altogether. 
 
 XXY. The Masters of Lodges shall each appoint one expe- 
 rienced and discreet Fellow Craft of his Lodge, to compose a 
 committee, consisting of one from every Lodge, who shall 
 meet to receive, in a convenient apartment, every person 
 that brings a ticket, and shall have power to discourse him, 
 if they think fit, in order to admit him or debar him, as they 
 shall see cause: Provided they send no man away before they 
 have acquainted all the Brethren within doors with the rea- 
 sons thereof, to avoid mistakes; that so no true Brother may 
 be debarred, nor a false brother or mere pretender admitted. 
 This committee must meet very early on St. John's Day at the 
 place, even before any persons come with tickets. 
 
 XXYI. The Grand Master shall appoint two or more 
 TRUSTY Brethren to be porters or door-keepers, who are also 
 to be early at the place, for some good reasons, and who are 
 to be at the command of the committee. 
 
 XXYII. The Grand Wardens or the Stewards shall ap- 
 
42 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 point beforehand such a number of brethren to serve at table 
 as they think fit and proper for that work; and they may 
 advise with the Masters and Wardens of Lodges about the 
 most proper persons, if they please, or may take in such by 
 their recommendation; for none are to serve that day but 
 Free and Accepted Masons, that the communication may be 
 free and harmonious. 
 
 XXVIII. All the members or the Grand Lodge must be 
 at tlie place long before dinner, with the Grand Master or 
 his Deputy at their head, who shall retire, and form them- 
 selves. And this is done in order — 
 
 1. To receive any appeals, duly lodged, as above regulated, 
 that the appellant may be heard, and the affair may be ami- 
 cably decided before dinner, if possible; but if it cannot, it 
 must be delayed till after the new Grand Master is elected; 
 and if it cannot be decided after dinner, it may be delayed, 
 and referred to a particular committee, that shall quietly 
 adjust it, and make report to the next Quarterly Communi- 
 cation, that Brotherly Love may be preserved. 
 
 2. To prevent any difference or disgust which may be feared 
 to arise that day, that no interruption may be given to the 
 harmony and pleasure of the Grand Feast. 
 
 3. To consult about whatever concerns the decency and 
 decorum of the Grand Assembly, and to prevent all inde- 
 cency and ill manners, the assembly being promiscuous. 
 
 4. To receive and consider of any good motion, or any 
 momentous and important affair, that shall be brought from 
 the particular lodges by their representatives, their several 
 Masters and Wardens. 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 43 
 
 XXIX. After these things are discussed, the Grand Mas- 
 ter and his Deputy, the Grand Wardens or the Stewards, the 
 Secretary, the Treasurer, the clerks, and every other person 
 shall withdraw, and leave the Masters and Wardens of the 
 particular lodges alone, in order to consult amicably about 
 electing a new Grand Master, or continuing the present, if 
 they have not done it the day before ; and if they are unani- 
 mous for continuing the present Grand Master, his Worship 
 shall be called in, and humbly desired to do the Fraternity 
 the honor of ruling them for the year ensuing: And after 
 dinner it will be known whether he accepts of it or not: for 
 it should not be discovered but by the election itself. 
 
 XXX. Then the Masters and Wardens, and all the Breth- 
 ren, may converse promiscuously, or as they please to sort 
 together, until the dinner is coming in, when every Brother 
 takes his seat at table. 
 
 XXXI. Some time after dinner, the Grand Lodge is form- 
 ed, not in the retirement, but in the presence of all the 
 Brethren, who yet are not members of it, and must not 
 therefore speak until they are desired and allowed. 
 
 XXXII. If the Grand Master of last year has consented 
 with the Master and Wardens in private, before dinner, to 
 continue for the year ensuing, then one of the Grand Lodge, 
 deputed for that purpose, shall represent to all the Brethren 
 his Worship's good government, etc. And, turning to him, 
 shall, in the name of the Grand Lodge, humbly request him 
 to do the Fraternity the great honor, (if nobly born, if not,) 
 the great kindness of continuing to be their Grand Master for 
 Jie year ensuing. And his Worship declaring his consent by 
 
44 PKINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 a bow or a speech, as lie pleases, the said deputed member 
 of the Grand Lodge shall proclaim him Grand Master, and 
 all the members of the Lodge shall salute him in due form. 
 And all the Brethren shall for a few minutes have leave to 
 declare their satisfaction, pleasure, and congratulation. 
 
 XXXIII. But if either the Master and Wardens have not 
 in private, this day before dinner, nor the day before, desired 
 the last Grand Master to continue in the mastership another 
 year; or if he, when desired, has not consented; then 
 
 The last Grand Master shall nominate his successor for 
 the year ensuing, who, if unanimously approved by the 
 Grand Lodge, and, if there present, shall be proclaimed, 
 saluted, and congratulated the new Grand Master, as above 
 hinted, and immediately installed by the last Grand Master, 
 according to Usage. 
 
 XXXIY. But if that nomination is not unanimously ap- 
 proved, the new Grand Master shall be chosen immediately 
 by ballot, every Master and Warden writing his man*s name, 
 and the last Grand Master writing his man's name too; and 
 the man whose name the last Grand Master shall first take 
 out, casually or by chance, shall be Grand Master for the 
 year ensuing; and, if present, he shall be proclaimed, saluted, 
 and congratulated, as above hinted, and forthwith installed 
 by the last Grand Master, according to Usage. 
 
 XXXY. The last Grand Master thus continued, or the 
 NEW Grand Master thus installed, shall next nominate and 
 appoint his Deputy Grand Master, either the last or a new 
 one, who shall be also declared, saluted, and congratulated, 
 as above hinted. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 45 
 
 The Grand Master shall also nominate the new Grand 
 Wardens, and, if unanimousl}^ approved by the Grand Lodge, 
 shall be declared, saluted, and congratulated, as above hinted; 
 but if not, they shall be chosen by ballot, in the same way as 
 the Grand Master: As the Wardens of private lodges are 
 also to be chosen by ballot in eacb Lodge, if the members 
 thereof do not agree to their Master's nomination. 
 
 XXXYI. But if the Brother whom the present Grand 
 Master shall nominate for his successor, or whom the majority 
 of the Grand Lodge shall happen to choose by ballot, is, by 
 sickness or other necessary occasion, absent from the Grand 
 Feast, he cannot be proclaimed the new Grand Master, unless 
 the old Grand Master, or some of the Masters and Wardens 
 of the Grand Lodge can vouch, upon the honor of a brother, 
 that the said person, so nominated or chosen, will readily 
 accept of the said office ; in which case the old Grand Master 
 shall act as proxy, and shall nominate the Deputy and Ward- 
 ens in his name, and in his name also receive the usual hon- 
 ors, homage, and congratulation. 
 
 XXXYII. Then the Grand Master shall allow any Brother, 
 Fellow Craft, or Apprentice to speak, directing his discourse 
 to his Worship; or to make any motion for the good of the 
 Fraternity, which shall be either immediately considered and 
 finished, or else referred to the consideration of the Grand 
 Lodge at their next communication, stated or occasional. 
 When that is over, 
 
 XXXYIII. The Grand Master or his Deputy, or some 
 Brother appointed by him, shall harangue all the Brethren, 
 and give them good advice: And, lastly, after some other 
 
46 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 transactions, that cannot be written in any language, tba 
 Brethren may go away or stay longer, as they please. 
 
 XXXIX. Every Annual Grand Lodge has an inherent 
 power and authority to make new Regulations, or to alter 
 these, for the real benefit of this ancient Fraternity : Provided 
 always that the old Landmarks be carefully preserved, and that 
 such alterations and new Regulations be proposed and agreed 
 to at the third quarterly communication preceding the Annual 
 Grand Feast; and that they be offered also to the perusal of 
 all the Brethren before dinner, m writing, even of the youngest 
 Apprentice; the approbation and consent of the majority of 
 all the Brethren present being absolutely necessary to make 
 the same binding and obligatory; which must, after dinner, 
 and after the new Grand Master is installed, be solemnly de- 
 sired ; as it was desired and obtained for these Regulations, 
 when proposed by the Grand Lodge, to about 150 Brethren, 
 on St. John Baptist's Day, 1721. 
 
 With the authorities here given, the Constitutions 
 of his Grand Lodge, and the Bj-laws of the Lodge 
 which he governs, the Master ought to be able to 
 solve most, if not all, of the questions that present 
 themselves in the ordinary course of events. 
 
 In the succeeding chapters we shall endeavor to 
 demonstrate their appHcation to the prominent top- 
 ics of the institution. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 SECTION I. -QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 Masoney, like society in general, is an aggregate 
 of individuals, and exercises, as a body, the sover- 
 eignty primarily invested in the individual Masons. 
 The source of power being in the people, it is im- 
 portant to consider who are the proper persons to 
 be admitted among us, and the qualifications which 
 are indispensable to the success of an application 
 for admission. 
 
 The applicant must he free-horn, "having no maim 
 or defect in his body, that may render him uncapable 
 of learning the art, and being made a brother." 
 
 He must be of laivful age ; that is, at least twenty- 
 one years ; nor can any authority change or remove 
 this requirement. It is the custom in Europe to 
 admit the son of a Mason, who is called a leivis or 
 louveteau, and members of the royal family, at the age 
 of eighteen ; but in this country we regard Masonry 
 as of too serious a character to be intrusted to boys, 
 and hence we follow the rule in its integrity. 
 
 He must be under tlie tongue of good report; that is 
 to say, of good moral character and standing in the 
 
48 TRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 communitj, and have a visible and honorable means 
 of obtaining a livelihood for himself and those who 
 may be dependent upon him. 
 
 He must acknowledge and declare Ms belief in the 
 existence of a Supreme Beings and a future state of 
 existence; and that not only does he seek admission 
 of his own free will and accord, but that he is not in- 
 cited thereto by the solicitation of friends, nor by the 
 inducement of mercenary or other unworthy motives. 
 
 He must be a resident of the place in which he 
 seeks to be initiated. In other countries than our 
 own, this law is not acknowledged, and, indeed, it is 
 to be admitted that until about the year 1848 it was 
 unknown here. The regulation is now, however, in 
 force throughout the United States — exceptions being 
 generally made in the case of mariners in the actual 
 practice of their profession, and officers in the mili- 
 tary or naval service of the general government — and 
 has arisen from the necessities of our contiguous 
 jurisdictions ; the increase of lodges often bringing 
 those of neighboring States in close proximity to the 
 line on either side, which, together with the facilities 
 of travel, have often given rise to unpleasant feelings 
 between the brethren, by the working up in one jui'is- 
 diction of material belonging to another. The great 
 evil of the indiscriminate making of Masons without 
 regard to their place of residence, has been the facil- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 49 
 
 ity tlius afforded to men who liad no characters to 
 lose at home, going abroad, and palming themselves 
 off on some new-found acquaintance as suitable can- 
 didates for the honors of Masonry; obtaining, by 
 indirection, what would have been promptly refused 
 them where they were known, and thus committing a 
 fraud upon the Craft. For this, and for other reasons 
 that wiU appear in their proper place, the law has 
 become general that a man can only be initiated in 
 the lodge nearest his place of residence, within the 
 Masonic jurisdiction in which he has his legal home. 
 He should have a fixed and steady purpose in his 
 own mind that, in uniting himself with the Masonic 
 fratel*nity, thus becoming part of an association dating 
 in principle from the earhest civilization, and always 
 found engaged in the endeavor to enfranchise the 
 spirit of man from the bonds of ignorance and error, 
 he does so with a desire to extend the sphere of his 
 own usefulness, and to derive hajjpiness from the 
 effort to increase the happiness of others. He should 
 consider that in a society existing wherever civiliza- 
 tion extends, and embracing within its membership 
 men of every station in life, there must necessarily 
 be some with whom he would not willingly associate ; 
 and yet, once received, they will be his brethren, and 
 have the right to claim his assistance and protection, 
 should they be in distress from legitimate causes, 
 3 
 
50 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 and thus lie must be prepared to exercise the virtue 
 of self-abnegation. 
 
 He should also understand that, as a Mason, it 
 mil be his duty to examine into and study the history 
 and ethics of the society, that he may be prepared 
 to discharge the functions and duties that may be 
 laid upon him, from which it follows that he should 
 have received at least a moderate degree of mental 
 culture ; be capable of reading, that he may emich 
 his own mind ; of writing, that he may communicate 
 his thoughts to others, and thus help to increase the 
 general store of knowledge, not hiding his hght imder 
 a bushel, nor remaining satisfied to be a hewer of 
 wood and drawer of water, but striving to improve 
 the talent committed to him, for his own advance- 
 ment and that of the fraternity. 
 
 The candidate, thus quahfied, proceeds in the steps 
 necessary to his acceptance and subsequent progress, 
 by subscribing to, and causing to be presented to the 
 nearest Lodge, his petition, which we now proceed to 
 consider. 
 
 SECTION IT. -THE PETITION. 
 
 It was the custom in olden times — and the rule is 
 still in force, though sadly neglected — that a person 
 desirous of being made a Mason should present a 
 petition to the Lodge in which he desired to be ini- 
 tiated. In many lodges, the practice now is, for a 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 51 
 
 member to rise in his place, and say, " I propose Mr. 
 
 for initiation in this Lodge ;" or the name of 
 
 the candidate, with his age, occupation, etc., is handed 
 to the Secretary, in which case the formula is varied 
 
 by his saying, " Brother Blank proposes Mr ," 
 
 etc. This is not only a loose way of doing business, 
 but is positively unmasonic ; because it has always 
 been required that the candidate should present a 
 petition, signed with his full name, and recommended 
 by two brethren, as an evidence that the act was one 
 of his own free-will, and with a distinct understand- 
 ing of what he proposed to do. The document itself 
 should be preserved in the archives of the Lodge, as 
 an evidence of the jurisdiction acquired by the Lodge 
 in the premises. It may be in the following or some 
 similar form : 
 
 ^^ To the Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brethren of 
 
 Lodge, No , of Free and Accepted Masons. 
 
 "The undersigned petitioner respectfully sheweth, that 
 having long entertained a favorable opinion of your ancient 
 institution, he now voluntarily offers himself as a candidate 
 
 for initiation and membership in your Lodge. He is 
 
 years of age; his occupation ; resides 
 
 (Signed) "A. B." 
 
 RECOMMENDED BY 
 
 Bro 
 
 Bro 
 
62 PRINdfrliES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 This petition* must be read at a stated meeting of 
 the Lodge : no business relating to the petition of or 
 ballot for a candidate can be transacted at a special 
 meeting. The reason for this is found in the Fifth 
 and Sixth of the Thirty-nine Articles cited in the 
 preceding chapter, namely, that aU the brethren may 
 have timely notice, and, by inquiry into the character 
 and habits of the petitioner, be prepared to prevent 
 a fractious or unwholesome member being imposed 
 upon the Lodge. If it is decided to receive the peti- 
 tion, it is then entered upon the record, and referred 
 to a committee for investigation. It has now become 
 the property of the Lodge, and cannot be withdrawn, 
 but must take the usual course by report of committee 
 and ballot. It is the duty of the committee not only 
 to satisfy themselves that the candidate is in posses- 
 sion of the necessary qualifications, but that he has 
 not previously been rejected by any other Lodge ; for 
 in that case, he could not be received (without the 
 consent of the rejecting Lodge, and not even then,) 
 till after the lapse of a certain time provided for in 
 
 * In the majority of lodges it is required that the petition should 
 be accompanied by a fee — usually five dollars — as an earnest of the 
 sincerity of the petitioner. It has been decided, however, that the 
 money so deposited does not become the property of the lodge till 
 action has been taken on the petition, the understanding being 
 that, in case of rejection, this fee shall be returned. — G. L. of N, 
 Y., 1859. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 53 
 
 the local regnlations of the several Grand Lodges — > 
 six months in some, one year in others. The reason 
 for this may be found in the Fifth of the Ancient 
 Charges : — " None shall discover envy at the pros- 
 perity of a brother, nor supplant him, or put him out 
 of his work, if he be capable to finish the same ; for 
 no man can finish another's work so much to the 
 Lord's profit, imless he be thoroughly acquainted with 
 the designs and draughts of him that began it." 
 Practically, however, it arises from the necessities of 
 multiplied lodges and jurisdictions. Its intention is, 
 not only to preserve harmony among the lodges, but 
 to shield the Craft against the wiles of improper per- 
 sons, determined to force themselves upon it at all 
 hazards. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, the 
 rejected candidate and his friends feel that a grievous 
 injustice has been done him, and, in the spirit of 
 human nature, set about the discovery of some means 
 of retaliation. Without stopping to point out the 
 imjustifiable and unmasonic nature of such proceed- 
 ings, it is only necessary to say, that although, in 
 some cases, there may be injustice — for Masons are 
 not devoid of failings — it must not be forgotten that 
 the ballot, being " strictly and inviolably secret," we 
 cannot lawfully inquire into the cause of rejection, 
 and can, therefore, only deal with it as a fact for 
 wliich we are not responsible. Moreover, it is always 
 
54 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 of greater importance that the Craft should be pro- 
 tected against the admission of improper material, 
 and that peace and harmony should be preserved in 
 the Lodge, than it is that any man, however distin- 
 guished, should be admitted to its privileges ; hence 
 the legal delay can never work harm, nor can there 
 be any shadow of injustice in allowing the Lodge to 
 which the application was first made, and that thus 
 acquired jurisdiction, to retain it, till time and inves- 
 tigation shall have convinced them of the propriety 
 of their first act, or of its reversal, on the presenta- 
 tion of a new petition. Mistakes are common to all 
 men and bodies of men, and it does sometimes hap- 
 pen that a black ball is cast in error, as in a case of 
 mistaken identity; but this does not alter the fact 
 of the rejection, nor is there any remedy but the 
 presentation of a new petition when the proper time 
 has arrived. In this connection it is proper to re- 
 mark, that the candidate, when waited upon by the 
 committee, must — as the lawyers say — well and truly 
 answer all questions that may be put to him touching 
 the matter in hand ; for it is a well-settled principle 
 that a Mason may be disciplined for an offence com- 
 mitted previous to his initiation, a knowledge of which 
 was willfully concealed at the time of his making. — 
 {G. L. of N. 7., 1861.) Thus, a person who had 
 applied to a lodge, and been rejected, and who, on 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 65 
 
 his application to another lodge, concealed that fact, 
 might, and ought to be disciplined for the deception 
 so practiced ; for although, as a profane, he was not 
 amenable to Masonic law, he was bound to act as an 
 honest man, in whose lexicon false pretences have 
 no place. 
 
 SECTION III. -THE BALLOT. 
 Assuming the committee to have made its report, 
 favorable or otherwise, the next step is the ballot, 
 which is now the universal method by which the 
 brethren express their acceptance or rejection of a 
 candidate ; for the ancient regulations do not specify 
 any particular mode of voting, but only that it shall 
 be done prudently and with unanimity. The first 
 and most important consideration in connection with 
 the ballot is, that it shall not be taken till one month 
 after the reception of the petition. We are aware 
 that the practice is to ballot, in most lodges, at the 
 expiration of two weeks, and in some cases one weeh, 
 which is in accordance with the local regulations of 
 many Grand Lodges, the letter of such regulations 
 being, that " a petition for initiation or affiliation can 
 only be received at a stated communication, and 
 must be laid over till the following one ; which cor- 
 rectly answered the requirements when lodges met 
 but once a month ; but now, when nine lodges out of 
 ten meet twice in each month, and many four times^ 
 
56 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 the letter may still be adhered to, but the spirit is 
 certainly violated. The ancient rule, to be found in 
 the General Regulations of 1721, that " no man can 
 be made or admitted a member of a particular lodge 
 without previous notice, one month before given to 
 the said lodge," is still in force ; and, if not abso- 
 lutely a landmark, is at all events a law of universal 
 acceptance and observance, except in the United 
 States. The Constitution of New York (to which we 
 refer because we are best acquainted with it) cites, 
 as a landmark, that " a candidate must be proposed 
 in open lodge, at a stated meeting, and can only be 
 accepted at a stated meeting following;" nothing 
 being said of the lapse of " one month," found in the 
 old regulation above quoted, fi'om which it professes 
 to be taken ; but in 1858 the Grand Master decided 
 that a proposition for honorary membership must lie 
 over for one month. Now, if the empty privileges of 
 honorary membership require a month's considera- 
 tion on the part of the lodge conferring them, surely 
 the important act of receiving a profane into active 
 membership ought, at least, to be as maturely con- 
 sidered. A majority of the Grand Lodges we are, 
 however, happy to say, enforce the rule in its integ- 
 rity, and that they are right in so doing, there can 
 be no question. 
 
 There must he a hallo* : for it is the right of eveiy 
 
MASONIC JUEISPEUDENCE. 57 
 
 member to express his acquiescence in the admission 
 of the petitioner, or his refusal of that admission, as 
 his judgment may dictate ; and that, too, with entire 
 independence of any responsibility, save that due to 
 his own conscience. If it be held that an unfavora- 
 ble report is equivalent to a rejection, and that there 
 is no need of a ballot, by a parity of reasoning it 
 might be said that a favorable report insures an elec- 
 tion, and thus do away with the ballot altogether. 
 
 The ballot must he unanimous. — In Europe the prac- 
 tice is, to require three or more negative ballots for a 
 rejection ; but as the oldest law we know of requires 
 unanimity, and we desire to " stand on the old ways," 
 our rule is, that without unanimity, no candidate can 
 be accepted. 
 
 All the Brethren present must vote. — In so important 
 a matter as the admission of a new member, it is 
 e\ddent that aU present should participate, because 
 it is the duty of every member to see that, so far as 
 his influence goes, no unworthy person is admitted 
 to membership ; because, if only a portion of the 
 members vote, the old regulation, requiring the unan- 
 imous consent of all present, cannot be complied with. 
 It is true, that by unanimous consent a Brother may 
 be excused from voting, but, in that case, the Lodge 
 assumes the responsibility, and it is no longer the 
 act of a single individual. 
 
58 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 The ballot must be secret. — ^Without tliis indispensa- 
 ble quality, its purity and independence cannot be 
 preserved ; lience it is that no Brother lias a right 
 to expose the manner of his ballot, or to make 
 known afterward how he has voted; for otherwise 
 the harmony of the Lodge would bo disturbed, and 
 the conscientious restriction that now rests upon 
 every Brother as he approaches the ballot-box would 
 be removed. The exposure of the ballot may, under 
 certain circumstances, be made a cause for discipHne. 
 
 The ballot cannot be unreasonably postponed. — That 
 is, in the ordinary course of affairs, a motion to post- 
 pone the ballot should not be entertained, because, 
 in that case, some brother may be deprived of his 
 right, and ultimately an unworthy or " fractious mem- 
 ber be imposed on them." But for reasonable cause, 
 a ballot might be postponed, though not to a distant 
 period of time. 
 
 An unfavorable ballot cannot be reconsidered. — When 
 after the usual course the ballot is pronounced unfa- 
 vorable, the petition must also be declared rejected, 
 and that is the end of it until the regulations of the 
 Grand Lodge allow its presentation anew. Hence, 
 no motion to reconsider can be entertained ; but if, 
 before the declaration of the state of the ballot, and 
 before any of the brethren participating in it shall 
 have left the Lodge, the Master, to avoid the possi- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 59 
 
 bility of mistake, or for other reasons, which to his 
 judgment seem proper, shall see fit to cause it to be 
 passed again, or even a third time, it is his undoubted 
 prerogative to do so, though it is recommended that if, 
 on the second ballot, the result still appear unfavor- 
 able, it should then cease, and the formal declaration 
 be made. 
 
 When the ballot is held on an application for affil- 
 iation, the same rules apply, but there is no delay 
 required in the presentation of a new application. 
 In such case, however, the Master should cause the 
 petition to lie over at least one regular meeting, that 
 all the Brethren may have an opportunity to express 
 their wishes. It will also be understood that although 
 a petition may be presented at any time, the Lodge 
 may always decide whether it will or will not receive it. 
 
 It is now generally admitted that a ballot for each 
 degree is an undeniable right when demanded ; but 
 when the ballot for the first degree has been had, the 
 Lodge may refuse another for that degree, unless 
 cause be shown. Although, in regard to the last 
 position, such is the decision (several times affirmed) 
 of our mother Grand Lodge, we cannot, after mature 
 reflection, say that we approve it. The old regula- 
 tion says, that " no man can be entered a brother in 
 any particular Lodge, or be admitted a member 
 thereof, without the unanimous consent of all the 
 
60 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 members of that Lodge, then present when the can- 
 didate is proposed^ and theii* consent is formally asked 
 by the Master." There is, we think, a misunderstand- 
 ing as to the purport of the word "proposed," — ^it 
 being generally taken in its modem sense, with refer- 
 ence to the first proposition, or, more properly, pre- 
 sentation of the petition, and not to the actual making. 
 But we have already shown that the present fashion 
 of proposing a candidate is of modem origin, and, 
 like many similar innovations, has crept into our 
 lodges with the initiation of persons previously affil- 
 iated in other associations. The proposition here 
 referred to is, beyond doubt, that made by the Mas- 
 ter when the candidate, having petitioned for initia- 
 tion, the petition having been received, and referred 
 "to the usual committee, the committee having report- 
 ed, and the ballot having proved favorable, and the 
 candidate having presented himself for initiation, he 
 asks the formal consent of the Lodge to proceed to 
 that ceremony. Under these circumstances, it would 
 clearly be the right of any brother to object to fur- 
 ther proceeding, and the objection would have to be 
 respected ; otherwise the harmony of the Lodge would 
 be destroyed and a brother be offended, and perhaps 
 driven out of the Lodge, for the sake of a profane. 
 Such is the almost universal decision of the authori- 
 ties in the United States, and we agree with them. 
 
MASONIC JUKISPRUDENCE. 61 
 
 The ballot is of such paramount importance, that, 
 in concluding this chapter, we trust to be pardoned 
 for detaining the reader with a few considerations 
 connected with the use of the black ball. The nega- 
 tive ballot has been aptly termed the palladium of 
 Masonry ; for on its discreet use the institution rehes 
 as a safeguard against the unworthy, who seek ad- 
 mission to our temples for purposes utterly foreign 
 to the designs laid down upon the original trestle- 
 boards of the Craft. The more popular Masonry 
 becomes, the greater will be the number of the pro- 
 fane, finding much in it to admire, nothing to condemn, 
 and everything to gain by affiliation with it ; and the 
 greater will be the necessity for some one in each 
 Lodge to stand guard over the sanctuary, armed with 
 an instrument that shall execute his will, 
 
 "As lightning does tlie will of God." 
 
 Such, in the hands of a true and trusty brother, is 
 the black-ball. Well would it be for Masonry if no 
 others used it ; well would it be for Masons if they 
 could school their minds to a rigid respect for its 
 appearance in the ballot, even though a brother were 
 passing the ordeal. To these causes, more than aU 
 others, may be traced the difficulties that arise in 
 Lodges : the scandal, the heart-burnings, the shame, 
 that so often attend on personal quarrels, pursued to 
 the bitter end with all the spiteful animosity arising 
 
62 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 from real or fancied injury. In the first place, then, 
 it may be said that none but discreet brethren should 
 assume to use this potent agent for good or evil, as 
 the case may be : or perhaps it were better to say, 
 that none should use it, but with the utmost discre- 
 tion, as an act of conscience, in the execution of 
 which, not even the dearest friend — no consideration 
 of personal advantage — no fear of injury or ill-will — 
 should for a moment be allowed to come ; that, above 
 all, it should not be used in a spirit of levity, nor 
 from the desire to gratify a personal pique either 
 against the petitioner or his friends ; for in most cases 
 where passion is allowed to nile, the smirk of satis- 
 fied malevolence betrays the secret. The adverse 
 party, in the heat of disappointment, will seek a 
 counter-revenge, and thus the fire being lighted, it 
 wiU — as it has done — devastate the entire lodge, and 
 scatter its membership, never again to be reunited. 
 But, on the other hand, when the humblest brother 
 knows that an applicant is unfit to be invested with 
 the high prerogatives of the Fraternity, he should 
 veto his admission without fear or favor. It would 
 seem, however, that less danger is to be apprehended 
 from the improper use of the ballot, than from the 
 refusal of those immediately interested in the result to 
 submit quietly to the action of the Lodge in refusing 
 to admit to the privileges of Masonry one who, to 
 them, may be a near and dear friend, but, to others. 
 
MASONIC JURISPKUDENCE. 63 
 
 a manifestly improper person. Consequently, we 
 may with propriety assert, that the duty of submission 
 to the award of the brethren is even more important 
 than the correct discharge of duty at the ballot-box. 
 No man has a right to admission into the Craft, and 
 his acceptance is, therefore, a favor granted, and not 
 a right conceded. Why, then, should we feel ag- 
 grieved if, for good reasons, (for we are bound to 
 believe that whoever uses the negative ballot does so 
 with a firm conviction of the justice of his act,) the 
 Lodge choose not to receive our friend among its 
 members ? or because all men do not place the same 
 estimate upon him that we do? Keflection must 
 convince us that such action cannot be justified, and 
 that it is better to submit in silence to what we be- 
 lieve to be a wrong, in the hope of proving in the 
 future the mistake of our opponents, rather than by 
 giving way to the sudden impulses of passion, and 
 thus, by impHcation, proving the unfitness of our 
 friend by the very standard we ourselves set up. 
 Time, that cures so many ills, will rarely fail to 
 soothe the angry feelings and mitigate the sense of 
 wrong, and still more rarely will it fail to do justice 
 to the claim of any good man, whose pretensions may 
 have been overlooked or unjustly treated. To it, 
 when our friends have been rejected, we may safely 
 trust, with the certainty that the delay required by 
 our laws will never operate to the prejudice of a 
 
64. PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 worthy candidate, while it may reveal a dark spot in 
 the character of one we have deemed above reproach. 
 Could all this be avoided, however, it would unques* 
 tionably be better ; to which end we submit for con- 
 sideration the method adopted by one of the French 
 Lodges in the city of New York, which is this : — ^At 
 each regular meeting of the Lodge, the Master of 
 Ceremonies, by direction of the presiding officer, pre- 
 sents to each member a suitable receptacle, into 
 which those having petitions to offer place them. 
 These are handed to the Master, who reads them 
 aloud, without, however, mentioning the name of the 
 brother or brethren presenting them. The petitions 
 then He over for two weeks, during which time every 
 member choosing to do so may satisfy himself as 
 to the character and standing of the candidates, 
 and, if desirable, see them personally. At the next 
 meeting, opportunity is afforded io present objec- 
 tions, if there be any; if none are offered, then 
 the petition goes to the committee, whose names 
 are known only to the Master and Secretary, and 
 takes the usual course. On the report of the com- 
 mittee, the Lodge proceeds to ballot, uninfluenced 
 by any consideratio^i but the personal character and 
 fitness of the candidate. It is respectfully submit- 
 ted that, in most, if not all cases, this plan would 
 tend to prevent the unpleasant feelings arising from 
 the use of the black-ball. 
 
or THE 
 
 ilYER8(TY 
 
 CHAPTEK III. 
 
 Having now disposed of the preliminary steps to 
 the making of a Mason, some of which, in order not 
 to break the continuity of the argument, we have fol- 
 lowed beyond that point, we now invite attention to 
 the formation of a Lodge, and the various consider- 
 ations that pertain to its establishment. 
 
 In the third of the Ancient Charges, " a Lodge " is 
 defined to be " a place where Masons assemble and 
 work ; hence that assembly or duly-organized society 
 of Masons is called a Lodge, and every Brother ought 
 to belong to one, and to be subject to its by-laws and 
 the General Kegulations." 
 
 Previous to the revival of Masonry in 1717, a Lodge 
 was simply a congregation of Masons in some appro- 
 priate or convenient place, by authority of the sheriff 
 or civil magistrate, for the purpose of "making" one 
 or more profanes, which ceremony being accomplish- 
 ed, the assembly dissolved into its original elements, 
 to meet at some future time, under like circumstances 
 and for a similar purpose. Warrants of Constitution 
 were then unknown, and the four old lodges that 
 
66 PRINCIPLES AND PKACTICE OP 
 
 united in the formation of the Grand Lodge of Eng- 
 land refused to be placed under the restrictions of a 
 warrant — continuing their meetings by immemorial 
 usage and the rights they had previously acquired. 
 Their survivor still exists in London, and is of course 
 on the registry of England, but has no number, being 
 known as the Lodge of Antiquity. After the forma- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge of England, Warrants of 
 Constitution were granted directly by the Grand 
 Master, and such is the custom in that jurisdiction 
 to this day, as, indeed, in most, if not all others, 
 outside of the United States of America. Here the 
 more prudent rule obtains, of requiring new lodges 
 to imdergo a probation, of greater or less extent, ac- 
 cording to the local regulations of the several Grand 
 Lodges, as an earnest of their fitness to undertake 
 the labors of Masonry, and carry them forward with 
 profit to themselves and with honor to the Fraternity. 
 Let us, therefore, commence mth 
 
 SECTION I. -LODGES UNDER DISPENSATION. 
 
 A Lodge under Dispensation is described as a tem- 
 porary and inchoate body, not entitled to representa- 
 tion in the Grand Lodge, and those who work it do 
 not thereby forfeit their membership in any other 
 lodge, unless they so elect at the time when the War- 
 rant of Constitution issues. To form such a Lodge, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 67 
 
 it is required that a petition,* signed by not less than 
 seven Master Masons in good and regular standing, 
 and recommended by the nearest lodge,t be forward- 
 ed to the Grand Master, who will, if he deems it for 
 the general interest, issue Letters of Dispensation, 
 empowering the petitioners to meet as a regular 
 Lodge, and perform such acts as Lodges under Dis- 
 pensation may of right do, or as may be allowed by 
 the terms of the Dispensation and the regulations of 
 the Grand Lodge, until the next succeeding commu- 
 nication of the Grand Lodge, when the Dispensation 
 ceases by its own limitation. 
 
 The powers of a Lodge under Dispensation have 
 been the subject of much argument, and the decisions 
 on this topic are extremely varied and conflicting. 
 The following summary will, we think, be found to 
 embrace the most generally received opinions : — 1. A 
 Lodge U. D. is but a committee — so to speak — of the 
 Grand Master's selection — a temporary body, which 
 by his prerogative he may create or dissolve at his 
 wiU. 2. It can hold no regular election, nor can its 
 officers be installed. 3. It cannot be represented in 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
 t In the State of New York, no Dispensation to form a new 
 Lodge can be issued witliin three months next preceding the 
 Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge, nor without the 
 recommendation of all the Lodges whose jurisdiction shall bo 
 affected by such Dispensation, except in cities. 
 
68 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Grand Lodge, because that body is composed of the 
 Masters and Wardens of Warranted Lodges only. 4. 
 It cannot try or discipline the Masons composing it, 
 that being the prerogative of a Warranted Lodge. 
 5. It cannot form a code of By-laws. 6. It cannot 
 affiliate Masons. 7. In the event of a warrant being 
 refused, the property and funds must be placed in 
 the custody of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 If these premises are correct, then Lodges U. D. 
 are but legalized conventions for the purpose of con- 
 ferring the three degrees of Masonry, and adding, to 
 the extent of their opportunity, to the army of non- 
 affiliated Masons. From the fifth and sixth proposi- 
 tions above stated, we, however, emphatically dissent. 
 Lodges we have seen were at first fully warranted by 
 the Grand Master ; and it may safely be assumed, 
 that when that power was surrendered to the Grand 
 Lodge, it was in order that the whole Craft might, 
 through their immediate representatives, have a voice 
 in the creation of new Lodges ; that when the plan 
 of issuing Letters of Dispensation was adopted, it 
 was that, by the acts of the new Lodge during their 
 term of probation, the brethren assembled in Grand 
 Lodge might be able to judge of their fitness to hold 
 a full warrant, and become duly-constituted Lodges ; 
 that when the Grand Master issues his Dispensation 
 for the formation of a Lodge, it is after careful exam- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 69 
 
 ination, on his part, of all the surroundmg circum- 
 stances, and with the direct expectation that, unless 
 through some unworthy act on the part of the Lodge, 
 a full warrant will be granted at the succeeding com- 
 munication of the Grand Lodge. They are properly 
 termed incJioate lodges, because they are in process 
 of forming, or preparing for a permanent existence, 
 under a warrant, and they are therefore just as com- 
 petent to decide what particular regulations they will 
 make for their own domestic government, as they 
 would be after the granting of the warrant ; indeed, 
 it would seem that a very important part of their 
 preparation would be the formation of such a code, 
 to be submitted, with the petition for a warrant, as a 
 portion of the evidence of their capabiHty in 'con- 
 ducting the affairs of a lodge. If to this we add the 
 well-known rule, that even a warranted lodge must 
 submit its By-laws to the Grand Lodge for approval, 
 the argument in favor of our position would seem to 
 be complete. In like manner, we think that, if a 
 Lodge U. D. may initiate, pass and raise candidates, 
 and thus increase their numbers, they may with equal 
 propriety be intrusted with the power of affiliating 
 such Masons as they may deem worthy. Such is the 
 practice in the State of New York — these powers 
 being specifically conferred in the Dispensation, 
 which is granted to the persons named therein, and 
 
70 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 not, like a warrant, to the first three officers. No 
 general law can, however, be stated, because Lodges 
 U. D., being a modem and almost exclusively Ameri- 
 can organization, each Grand Lodge makes such 
 regulations in regard to them as it may deem best 
 suited to the circumstances of its own jurisdiction. 
 
 SECTION 11. -WARRANTED LODGES. 
 
 When the time fixed in the Dispensation has ex- 
 pired, the work of the Lodge ceases, and the next 
 step is the return of the Letters to the Grand Secre- 
 tary, accompanied by a transcript of the minutes, a 
 copy of the By-laws, (where the Grand Lodge per- 
 mits Lodges U. D. to frame a code,) the proper Grand 
 Lodge return of work done, the constitutional fee, 
 and a petition for a warrant. These documents are 
 laid before the proper committee of the Grand Lodge, 
 and on their report the warrant issues. 
 
 A warrant once granted to a Lodge is immutable 
 so long as the Grand Lodge, of which it forms a con- 
 stituent part, exists, and the members adhere to their 
 allegiance, and pay the contributions required by the 
 Constitution and Regulations of the Grand Lodge. 
 In this respect, it differs materially from the Dis- 
 pensation ; for while the latter is an emanation from 
 the Grand Master, the Warrant has the direct sanc- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge, attested by its seal and 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 71 
 
 signatures — tliat is, those of the Grand Master, his 
 Deputy, and the Grand Wardens — and can only be 
 revoked by vote of the Grand Lodge, after due trial 
 and unequivocal proof. The acts by which the war- 
 rant may be forfeited are — Contumacy to the author- 
 ity of the Grand Master or Grand Lodge ; Departure 
 from the original plan of Masonry and Ancient Land- 
 marks ; Disobedience to the Constitutions ; and Ceas- 
 ing to meet for one year or more. The Warrant of a 
 Lodge may be surrendered by the voluntary act of 
 its members, after due summons, and when the mi- 
 nority opposed to such surrender is less than seven 
 in number. It is proper to remark, that the majority 
 of Masons agree with us in this opinion, and found 
 it, as we do, upon the assumption, that as seven Mas- 
 ter Masons are competent to form a Lodge, therefore, 
 so long as that number remain faithful, and desire to 
 retain the Warrant, it cannot be surrendered.* A 
 
 * A remarkable confirmation of this view occarred not long 
 since in New Orleans, where a majority of the members of a Lodge 
 had formed themselves into an association, transferred to that 
 association the property and funds, (a large amount,) and then 
 declared the Lodge dissolved. The minority protesting against 
 this action, a suit at law ensued; and it was finally decided by the 
 Court of last resort, that the minority were the legal custodians of 
 the Lodge and its properties, and that, although the majority 
 might withdraw, they could not dissolve the Lodge, so long as a 
 competent number of members were desirous of continuing its 
 existence. 
 
72 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 majority of the Grand Lodges hold to this view, and 
 in England they require the minority to be less than 
 three ; but others, among which is the Grand Lodge 
 of New York, allow a Warrant to be surrendered on 
 the vote of a simple majority. As the Old Regula- 
 tions make no mention of this occurrence in the his- 
 tory of a lodge, for the evident reason that previous 
 to 1717 there were no Warrants to surrender, it is 
 now conceded to be a subject of local regulation, 
 and each Grand Lodge makes its own laws for its 
 government 
 
 The Warrant of a Lodge may be temporarily sus- 
 pended, for cause, by the Grand Master ; but such 
 suspension cannot extend beyond the next ensuing 
 Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge. In 
 New York, this suspension cames with it that of all 
 the members, unless they be specially exempted at 
 the time, but this is clearly a local regulation, — the 
 general understanding being that the Grand Master, 
 by his edict, arrests the work of the Lodge, and pre- 
 vents its meetings, but that the Warrant remaius in 
 force imtil lawfully revoked by the Grand Lodge. 
 
 But to return : The Warrant haviug been granted, 
 it is necessary that certain ceremonies should be per- 
 formed before the Lodge can be set at labor. These 
 are; — 
 
 The Consecration, by which the Brethren com- 
 
MASONIC JUEISPEUDENCE. 73 
 
 posing the new Lodge are set apart to the work of 
 ruling and governing the household intrusted to their 
 care, for the " greater glory of God." 
 
 The Dedication, by which they are reminded of 
 the patrons of the Craft, and incited to emulate their 
 virtues. 
 
 The Constitution, by which, in the name and by 
 authority of the Grand Lodge, they are formed into 
 a just and regular assembly of Masons ; and, finally, 
 
 The Installation, by which the officers are induct- 
 ed into their several stations, and formally invested 
 with the powers thereunto belonging. 
 
 The order of these ceremonies, as here stated, dif- 
 fers somewhat from the general usage, but it is such 
 as we have always practiced, and appears to be in 
 keeping with the end sought to be obtained. These 
 services should be performed by the Grand Master 
 in person, or by his immediate delegate or proxy. 
 It is admitted that no one but the Grand Master or 
 his representative can Constitute a Lodge ; and al- 
 though the consecration and dedication are based 
 upon the religious observances of antiquity, and are 
 therefore religious in their nature, stiU they are essen- 
 tial to the legality of the whole ceremony ; and while 
 the Consecration Prayer ought to be rehearsed by 
 the Chaplain, the formal declarations should all be 
 made by the Grand Master. 
 4 
 
74 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 When the ceremony is completed, the Lodge takes 
 its place in the great Masonic family, as the peer of 
 all other Lodges, as a constituent member of the 
 Grand Lodge, by authority of which it has been 
 ushered into existence, and at once enters into the 
 enjoyment of all the rights, powers and privileges of 
 a just and duly-constituted Lodge. 
 
 SECTION m. -POWERS OF WARRANTED LODGES. 
 
 The powers and privileges of a Subordinate or 
 Particular Lodge are such as are defined in its war- 
 rant, by the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge grant- 
 ing the same, and the Ancient Landmarks and Gen- 
 eral Regulations. They are divided into — 
 
 1. Executive : in the direction and performance of 
 its work, under the control of its Master, and in all 
 other matters in aid of the Master, who has the pri- 
 mary executive power of a Lodge. 
 
 2. Legislative : embracing all matters relating to 
 its internal concerns, not in deiogation of the Ancient 
 Landmarks, the Constitutions and General Begula- 
 tions of the Grand Lodge, and its own particular 
 By-laws; and, 
 
 3. Judicial : embracing the exercise of discipline, 
 and settlement of controversies between and over all 
 its members (except the Master), and over all Masons 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 75 
 
 and non-affiliated brethren within its jurisdiction, 
 subject to an appeal to the Grand Lodge.* 
 
 From what has already been said, it will be seen 
 that, while in the beginning, Lodges were unrestricted 
 by any superior authority, and were therefore supreme 
 in themselves ; yet, at the formation of Grand Lodges, 
 certain of their powers were necessarily surrendered 
 for the general good, just as indiyiduals and commu- 
 nities divest themselves of a portion of their political 
 rights, that all may enjoy a uniform protection at the 
 hands of a supreme government. The idea of the 
 surrender of a portion of their rights by the Lodges, 
 carries with it the reservation of certain others, inhe- 
 rent in the Lodge, and not subject to dispensation 
 or other act of the Grand Master or Grand Lodge. 
 This is a most important distinction, and one that it 
 is necessary to keep in remembrance in the decision 
 of many of the questions that may be presented. 
 The general tendency of all governments and legis- 
 lative bodies is to cumulate power — to exercise not 
 only the authority delegated to them by the people, 
 but gradually to increase that authority by encroach- 
 ments upon the original sovereignty. We beHeve in 
 the simple doctrine that subordinate lodges are, as 
 to many matters which have received the legislative 
 
 * Constitution, Grand Lodge of New York. • 
 
76 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 action of Grand Lodges, sovereign bodies, and that 
 any action which interferes with that sovereignty is 
 of necessity illegal and void; and that, unless the 
 reserved and inherent rights of Lodges are well de- 
 fined and understood, the time will come when those 
 rights will be extinguished, partly through direct 
 legislation, and pai-tly fi'om the neglect, on the part 
 of the subordinates, to assert and maintain them. 
 The Lodge organization is the normal condition of 
 the Fraternity ; Grand Lodges, the result of necessi- 
 ty, growing out of the wide-spread popularity and 
 extension of the institution, and intended to preserve 
 uniformity of doctrine and practice by mutual con- 
 sultation on the part of the representatives of the 
 subordinate lodges. While each remains in its own 
 sphere of action, the result must continue to be in 
 the future, as it has been in the past, for the greatest 
 good of the Craft. Let it, however, be remembered 
 that the Grand Lodge acts by delegated powers, and 
 that, so far as those powers are concerned, it must 
 be supreme, but that the reserved powers of the 
 Lodge are inherent, and cannot be interfered with by 
 any act of the Grand Lodge ; nay, more : we insist 
 that these powers cannot be delegated, if the Lodge 
 were so minded ; for their possession by the subordi- 
 nate body is a Landmark — a fundamental principle 
 — ^that no man or body of men can remove. 
 
MASONIC JUKISPBUDENCE. 77 
 
 The powers of a Warranted Lodge may, therefore, 
 be divided into two classes. Inherent and Constitu- 
 
 TIGNAL. 
 
 The inherent powers of a Lodge, controlled only 
 by the Ancient Landmarks, are : — 
 
 1. To decide who shall be admitted members of or 
 initiated therein ; that is, of persons properly qualified. 
 
 2. To make Masons (not more than five at one 
 meeting) of those it has decided to admit. 
 
 3. To place on trial a member against whom 
 charges may have been preferred, to pronounce sen- 
 tence, and enforce discipline. 
 
 4. To elect and install its officers. 
 
 5. To fix its time of meeting. 
 
 6. To require its members to contribute to its funds. 
 
 7. To be represented at all communications of the 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
 8. To instruct its representatives, for their govern- 
 ment, at all such communications of the Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 To our comprehension, these propositions are seK- 
 evident, and no lengthened commentary appears to 
 be necessary. We direct attention to them, that it 
 may be understood that no Grand Lodge legislation 
 can alter their essential features. For example : it 
 is usual and proper for Grand Lodges to fix, by con- 
 stitutional provision, the time and manner of electing 
 
78 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 officers ; but, in the election, the Lodge is entirely 
 uncontrolled, save by its own By-laws and the usages 
 of Masonry. The Grand Lodge may say, that at a 
 given time a Lodge must elect a Master, two Ward- 
 ens, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, but it cannot inter- 
 fere with the choice by the brethren of persons to fill 
 those offices. So, the Grand Lodge may enact regu- 
 lations for the government of Lodges in the trial of 
 members, but it cannot deprive the Lodge of its right 
 of original jurisdiction ; it may, on appeal, reverse a 
 finding, and send the case back for a new trial, but 
 it cannot, in legal phraseolog}^ change the venue, or 
 order the case to be tried elsewhere, without the con- 
 sent of the Lodge. It cannot, by legislation, divest 
 the Masters and Wardens of the Warranted Lodges 
 in its jurisdiction of their right to represent their 
 Lodges, or of the Lodges to be represented by their 
 Masters and Wardens, in its annual or other commu- 
 nications, because to do so would be, in effect, to 
 destroy itself by destroying its members. Lideed, 
 the existence of this right is the very essence of 
 Grand Lodge organization, and carries with it the 
 right of instruction, to be exercised by the Lodges, 
 in their discretion. 
 
 The constitutional powers of a Lodge, subject to 
 control by the Grand Lodge, are : — 
 
 1. To make a code of By-laws for its internal gov- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 79 
 
 emment, not in derogation of its inalienabie rights, 
 or of those of its members. 
 
 2. To perform all the work pertaining to the three 
 degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry. 
 
 3. To transact all business that can be legally 
 transacted by a duly-constituted Lodge of Free- 
 masons. 
 
 4. To appeal to the Grand Master or Grand Lodge 
 from the decision of the presiding officer. 
 
 5. To change its place of meeting. 
 
 6. To control its funds. 
 
 It would seem as though the right to form and 
 adopt a code of By-laws should be an exercise of 
 original sovereignty, but when we reflect that these 
 By-laws must be made to conform to the regulations 
 of the Grand Lodge under the jurisdiction of which 
 the Lodge works, we discover at once that this is a 
 right given up for the general benefit to the control 
 of the Grand Lodge, which right is, however, rarely 
 or never exercised by the grand body beyond the 
 supervision necessary to ascertain that the Lodge is 
 neither depriving itself of its just rights, nor assuming 
 powers and prerogatives that do not belong to it. A 
 lodge may, therefore, enact a code of By-laws, change, 
 amend, or repeal the same, in accordance with the 
 provisions therein contained, and subject to the ap- 
 proval of the Grand Lodge, but for this reason it 
 
80 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 cannot suspend them, because a suspension is in 
 reality an alteration or amendment, which is not valid 
 without the approval of the Grand Lodge : hence, a 
 motion to suspend a by-law is not in order. And, 
 again, it might be asked, that if the Lodge has an 
 inahenable right to make Masons, why it has not 
 unlimited control over the work? The reason is, 
 that the Grand Lodge, by the very nature of the case, 
 must have superintendence of the work and lectures, 
 in order to guard against the introduction of matters 
 foreign to the original idea of Masonry, to prevent 
 the inexperienced and the over-zealous from emhel- 
 lisJiing the ritual, which, if allowed to have their own 
 way, they would do, and that to such an extent, that 
 the original form would disappear. It is evident that 
 the Grand Lodge, composed as it is of all the Masters 
 and "Wardens in its jurisdiction, can better maintain 
 and preserve the ritual from innovation, than any 
 single lodge could do, however well the lodge might 
 be disposed. Moreover, lodges in the beginning only 
 conferred the first, or Entered Apprentice degree; 
 the control of the ritual has, therefore, never been 
 left entirely to their discretion. 
 
 For similar reasons the business of the Lodge, as 
 contra-distinguished from the ritualistic ceremonies, 
 is necessarily subject to the supervision and control 
 of the Grand Lodge. The retention of this rigl^t by 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 81 
 
 the Grand Lodge is, if we may so term it, a portion 
 of the contract, by which that body ceded to the sub- 
 ordinates the right to confer the second and third 
 degrees ; and this is why it is now held that Master 
 Masons only can be members of a lodge, and that 
 hence all the business of a lodge must be transacted 
 in the third degree. The examination of candidates 
 for advancement, and the trial of Entered Appren- 
 tices and Fellow Crafts (see Trials) will necessarily 
 form exceptions. 
 
 The appeal to the Grand Lodge from the decision 
 of the Master, or of the Warden presiding in his ab- 
 sence, is evidently of no older date than the creation 
 of the appellate body, and must, therefore, be gov- 
 erned by the General Regulations. Fortunately, for 
 the weU-being and good discipline of the Fraternity, 
 it is a right that is so seldom exercised, that it is only 
 necessary to name its existence to have said all that 
 is required on the subject. 
 
 When Lodges met by authority of the civil magis- 
 trates, they of course fixed their own time and place 
 of meeting ; and as one meeting had no positive rela- 
 tion to those preceding or succeeding it, the conve- 
 nience of the brethren was the only governing rule ; 
 but when Lodges came to meet under sanction of a 
 Warrant, and thus entered upon a continued exist- 
 ence, it became necessary that they should have a 
 
82 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 fixed locality, to prevent confusion among the lodges 
 themselves, and to enable the Grand Lodge to know 
 where to find its constituents ; hence the rule, that 
 while a lodge, after due summons and vote of its 
 members, may change its place of meeting from one 
 locality to another, in the same city, town or village, 
 it cannot remove from^tKne city, town or village to 
 another, without the sanction of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 The lodge treasury, like the individual pocket, is 
 extremely sensitive to interference, and Grand Lodges 
 have wisely abstained from any attempt to exercise 
 control over the funds of their subordinates, beyond 
 requiring that they shall not be recklessly squander- 
 ed, or divided among the members, while the just 
 debts of the lodge remain impaid, or while the Grand 
 Lodge dues are unprovided for; but, these things 
 taken care of, it has been decided that a lodge may 
 appropriate its funds to a worthy object, even though 
 it be not a strictly Masonic one. 
 
 SECTION IV. -PRECEDENCY AND JURISDICTION OF LODGES. 
 
 Lodges take precedence according to the seniority 
 of their respective warrants — that is, Lodge No. 1 is 
 necessarily of older date than Lodge No. 300, and, so 
 far as the respect due to age and services goes, is 
 entitled to aU the consideration that may justly be 
 accorded to age and long service. The senior lodges 
 
MASONIC JUIIISPKUDENCE. 83 
 
 are also entitled, by their representatives, to fill tem- 
 porarily any vacancies in the stations that may occur 
 at a meeting of the Grand Lodge, and to take, accord- 
 ing to number, the right of Masonic processions ; but 
 beyond these comparatively unimportant privileges, 
 there is no difference between the status of the oldest 
 or youngest Lodge, except what each one may create 
 for itself by attention to the Constitution and Regu- 
 lations, the general usages of Masonry, and a proper 
 attention to the selection of materiel and the rights 
 of its peers. 
 
 The jurisdiction of Lodges is of two kinds — tee- 
 KITOEIAL and PENAL : 
 
 The territorial jurisdiction of a Lodge depends 
 entirely upon the regulations enacted by the Grand 
 Lodge to which it owes allegiance, and may be stated, 
 in general terms, to extend half-way in every direc- 
 tion to the nearest Lodge within the territorial juris- 
 diction of the Grand Lodge. Li cities and towns 
 where there are two or more lodges, their jurisdiction 
 is held to bet in all respects concurrent. Jurisdiction, 
 as here defined, relates entirely to the reception of 
 profanes; for a Lodge retains jurisdiction over its 
 members, without regard to their place of residence. 
 This is another law growing out of the increase of 
 Lodges, and is intended, by securing to each one a 
 well-defined limit in which to seek for material, to 
 
84 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 enable it to make a more thorough investigation into 
 the character and standing of candidates, than it 
 could otherwise* do, and, by preventing trespass on 
 the territory of its neighbors, to insure a greater 
 degree of harmony. This rule may, at first sight, 
 appear to interfere with the right of Lodges to decide 
 who shall be initiated therein, and to make Masons 
 of those they have thus decided to admit; but a 
 lodge can only entertain the petition of, or confer 
 degrees on, a properly-qualified candidate ; and it is 
 now held (except by the Grand Lodges of England 
 and Hamburg) that a candidate is not properly qual- 
 ified unless he has a fixed residence within the terri- 
 torial jurisdiction of the Lodge to which he applies. 
 Seafaring men, and mihtary and naval officers, are 
 excepted from this rule, because they are supposed, 
 from the nature of their professions, not to be able 
 to control their private actions so far as to be in any 
 place long enough, at one time, to establish a resi- 
 dence, in the legal acceptation of the term. Master 
 Masons are excepted from this rule, because they 
 have acquired aU the rights and privileges of the 
 Craft — one of which is, that every Mason may choose 
 for himself the Lodge in which he can best work, and 
 with the members of which he can best agree. 
 
 The penal jurisdiction of a Lodge, by which is un- 
 derstood the right of trial and the enforcement of 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 85 
 
 discipline, other than that exercised oyer, its own 
 members, (to which we shall give a separate consid- 
 eration,) extends to all non-affiliated Masons in its 
 jurisdiction, and to Masons belonging to lodges 
 located in other jurisdictions, but who are personally 
 within the jurisdiction of the disciplining lodge. 
 This is a law of common justice, as well as one of 
 ancient usage, but not of universal acceptance, — 
 many authorities claiming that if a member of a 
 lodge in Minnesota commit a Masonic offence in 
 Vermont, he can only be tried .by his mother-lodge ; 
 but it is evident that the offender in Vermont might 
 go on to any excess, and by his conduct bring unut- 
 terable shame on the lodge and brethren for any 
 length of time, before the lodge in Minnesota could 
 be informed of it, or, if informed, could obtain the 
 evidence necessary to a conviction; while, on the 
 other hand, the lodge in Vermont, in whose very 
 presence the offence might be said to be committed, 
 would certainly be best prepared to administer cor- 
 rection with a knowledge of the facts. Every Lodge 
 and every Mason is bound to maintain to the utmost 
 the good name and reputation of the Fraternity, and 
 to this end all regular lodges are justified in sum- 
 moning before them, for trial, those non-affiliated 
 Masons and members of distant lodges who, forgetful 
 of the solemn sanctions under which they entered 
 
86 PRINCIPLES AND PKACTICE OP 
 
 the Craft, violate its wholesome regulations, and thus 
 bring disgrace upon it. The principle upon which 
 this law is founded is coeval with the organization 
 of Masonry as we have it. It is not only a Land- 
 mark in itseK, but a necessary sequence of other 
 principles about which there is no difference of opin- 
 ion; thus, a Mason is required to be a peaceable 
 citizen, wherever he resides or works, by which is 
 imderstood that he is to conform to the law, respect 
 the magistrates, and act as a good citizen should do, 
 that the honor of the Fraternity may be thereby 
 promoted, and the caddis of its adversaries answered. 
 Now, if a Mason is thus required to demean himself 
 in regard to the civil law, how can he be exempted 
 from Kke provisions in the code of Masonry? Lodges 
 are but the subdivisions of a universal family, for the 
 convenience of the brethren ; the general reputation 
 and prosperity of the whole is, therefore, of greater 
 importance than the mere local interests or pride of a 
 small part, and every Lodge is consequently a guard- 
 ian — so to speak — of the general good name, wdth 
 undoubted right, in the execution of its trust, to 
 summon before it delinquent sojourners and non- 
 affiliated Masons, to place them on trial, and after 
 lawful-conviction to administer discipline ; subject, it 
 need hardly be said, to an appeal to the Grand Lodge 
 to which the disciplining lodge owes obedience. 
 
or THE 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 SECTION I. -THEIR POWERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Haying thus far treated of the general powers of 
 a Lodge, it is necessary to our plan that we should 
 now introduce the officers, as a knowledge of their 
 powers and duties is essential to a proper under- 
 standing of various matters that will appear as we 
 proceed. 
 
 The discipline of a Masonic Lodge, the order ob- 
 served at its meetings, the obedience there exacted, 
 and cheerfully rendered on the part of the brethren, 
 makes its government as nearly perfect as it is pos- 
 sible for any merely human institution to be. It 
 should, therefore, be — as in truth it generally is — a 
 matter of study and just pride, on the part of the 
 office-bearers, to be well acquainted with the general 
 laws and usages of the society, as well as with their 
 own powers, prerogatives and duties, that not only 
 may they be enabled to keep the members in the 
 straight path of duty, but that, by their own example, 
 they may make that path more easily discernible, 
 and less apt to be departed from. Intelligent and 
 
88 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 capable officers make good Lodges, and govern with 
 less difficulty tlian ignorant and incompetent ones, 
 because they do not overstep the bounds of proprie- 
 ty, nor heedlessly invade the rights of the brethren ; 
 and because all men — certainly all men fit to be 
 Masons — appreciate the labors of such officers, and 
 intuitively seek to assist them by prompt deference 
 to their commands, and the influence which such 
 conduct exercises over those — if any there be — less 
 loyally incHned. 
 
 The duties and prerogatives of the officers are 
 always well defined, but it is none the less a fact 
 that, in scarcely any two rites, are the officers and 
 their functions precisely the same, and, indeed, our 
 own coTmtry is not entirely unifonn, although aU 
 Lodges in the United States work imder the supervi- 
 sion of Grand Lodges of what is termed the Ancient 
 York Bite,^ Li some jurisdictions, they have an 
 
 * We may be deemed heretical, but we cannot avoid sajing, 
 that, in our judgment, the name of York Bite, as applied to our 
 system of degrees, is an absolute misnomer. Every ritualist who 
 has investigated the subject knows, that the simplicity of the An- 
 cient System has been buried, as it were, under the innovations 
 of Webb and his successors in the business of ritual-making; that 
 we have, in fact, a system peculiar to ourselves, which we ought 
 to call, what it really is, " The American Bite." The reader will, 
 of course, make the distinction between those who seek to creat<» 
 new rituals, and those who faithfully and earnestly teach what 
 they have previously learned. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 89 
 
 officer called the Inner Guard ; in others, such an 
 officer is unknown : some have Masters of Ceremonies ; 
 others, not. In the beginning, the indispensable 
 officers were the Master^ Wardens and Tiler. The 
 creation of new rites and other causes have, however, 
 gradually led to the introduction of other officials, 
 and a Lodge may now be said to be fully officered 
 when it has — 
 
 A Master, (whose style is Worsliipful^ 
 
 A Senior Warden, 
 
 A Junior "Warden, 
 
 A Treasurer, 
 
 A Secretary, 
 
 A Senior Deacon, 
 
 A Junior Deacon, 
 
 Two Stewards, or 
 
 Two Masters of Ceremonies, 
 
 A Tiler. 
 In addition to these, many Lodges have a Chap- 
 lain, some a Physician, others a Marshal, and most, 
 if not all, a Board or Trustees. 
 
 THE niSTER. 
 
 "It was the obseryation of a wisdom greater than man 
 can boast, that a house or kingdom divided against itself, 
 cannot stand; and experience proves the soundness of the 
 axiom. This proverb may be applied with great propriety 
 
90 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 to an institution whose members are segregated from the rest 
 of the world by obligations, customs, and laws of a peculiar 
 nature, yet retain their independence of character by a per- 
 fect freedom of thought and action. In such a society, a 
 judicious ruler is absolutely essential, not merely to its pros- 
 perity, but to its very existence. If the shepherd be careless 
 or inefficient, the flock will be scattered abroad. 
 
 "Unity is the mainspring of Freemasonry. Destroy that, 
 and the machinery will fall in pieces; and it will be a difficult 
 matter to preserve the links in the chain of unity unbroken, 
 unless the Master pursue an accommodating policy, which 
 may cause the brethren to be mutually pleased with each 
 other's society, accompanied by an inflexible regard to disci- 
 pline, which, while it allows freedom of action, will preserve 
 inviolable the respectful submission that is due the Chair, as 
 its undoubted and inalienable prerogative."* 
 
 **To become Master of his Lodge, is the legitimate object 
 of every young brother who takes any interest in our society. 
 The very questionable policy of our present regulations seems 
 to be, to open to each, in succession, the way to the Master- 
 ship — almost, if not altogether, as a matter of course. Now, 
 my younger brethren may rest assured, that although, in 
 deference to a usage which it is perhaps too late to abolish, 
 we may place a careless or ignorant Mason in the Chair, 
 invest him with the badge of authority, and address him 
 with the external forms of respect, we cannot command for 
 him the deference and consideration which will be sure to 
 follow the enlightened and expert. He will be like the figure* 
 
 * *'Bevelations of a Square."— Oliveb. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 91 
 
 head of a ship — placed foremost, and gaudily decorated; but, 
 after all, it is a mere effigj^ not contributing in the least to 
 the management of the vessel. In small, as in great things, 
 knowledge is power — intellectual sujperiority is real pre-emi- 
 nence." 
 
 " Some inexperienced brethren may think that no difficulty 
 can ever arise in the decision of Masonic questions, because 
 they have never seen any such difficulty in our society. It 
 is true, that mutual forbearance is so much inculcated, and 
 good feeling so widely prevails among us, that, in the hands 
 of a judicious ruler, all goes on with easy and undeviating 
 regularity. But I can assure them that, in a well-regulated 
 Lodge, there is a very ample scope for the exercise of intel- 
 lect; and that the Master will soon find that he requires 
 even more than a knowledge of Masonic law and usages, to 
 acquit himself creditably of his responsibility. He should 
 know his own limits, so as not to encroach upon the rights 
 of the brethren, of which, I candidly warn every young Mas- 
 ter, he will find us not a little jealous. If he falls short of 
 his own bounds, or oversteps them, he will find clear heads 
 and keen tongues to remind him — respectfully, but unmis- 
 takably — of the fact. The Lodge will soon feel what sort 
 of hand holds the helm ; and as they are bound to acquiesce 
 in his opinion, as their Master, he must show equal deference 
 to theirs."* 
 
 **In the whole series of offices recognized by the Masonic 
 institution, there is not one more important than that of the 
 
 * "The Duty of the Master," a Lecture, by J. Fitz-Henhy 
 TowNSEND. — American Quarterly Review of Freemasonry, vol. i. 
 
92 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Master of a Lodge. Upon the skill, integrity and prudence 
 of the presiding officer, depend the usefuhiess and welfare of 
 the Lodge, and as lodges are the primary assemblages of the 
 Craft, and by representation constitute the supreme tribunal 
 or Grand Lodge, it is evident that the errors of government 
 in the primary bodies must, if not duly corrected, be pro- 
 ductive of evil to the whole fraternity. Hence, in the cere- 
 mony of Installation, it was required, as a necessary qualifi- 
 cation of him who was proposed to the Grand Master as the 
 presiding officer of a Lodge, that he should be of good 
 morals, of great skill, true and trusty, and a lover of the 
 whole fraternity, wheresoever dispersed over the face of the 
 earth. And it was on such a recommendation, that it was 
 to be presumed that he would discharge the duties of the 
 office with fidelity."* 
 
 To the foregoing qualifications of the Master, which 
 are general in their nature, there is to be added the 
 legal one, that he shall have previously been installed 
 and served as "Warden — not necessarily in the Lodge 
 which proposes to elect him, but, at aU events, in 
 some regular Lodge. As considerable difference of 
 opinion exists in regard to this question, we propose 
 to give it a brief examination. The original law upon 
 the subject is found in the fourth of the Ancient 
 Charges. In this Charge it is stated, " That all pre- 
 ferment among Masons is grounded upon real t\ orth 
 
 "Text-book of Masonic Jurisprudence." — Macket. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 93 
 
 and personal merit only;" that "none but a perfect 
 youth should be made an Apprentice, that in due time 
 he may become a Fellow Craft, and when otherwise 
 qualified, arrive at the honor of being Warden, and 
 then Master of the Lodge." ^ * ^ * "No brother 
 can be a Warden until he has passed the part of a 
 Fellow Craft ; nor a Master till he has acted as Ward- 
 en." — To our comprehension, and, we may add, to 
 that of a large majority of the Fraternity, this law 
 is so expHcit, as not to admit of any fair argument 
 against the requirement which so plainly appears in 
 its language — that a brother must be a Warden be- 
 fore he can be Master. We have seen much ingeni- 
 ous argument to prove that, as aU preferment among 
 Masons depends on personal merit, such merit must 
 be the governing rule in the selection of the Master, 
 as well as other officers; but it will be seen that 
 "real worth and personal merit" are the groundwork 
 only of preferment, and they neither include nor, by 
 a reasonable deduction, forbid the necessity of other 
 qualifications. As a basis of preferment, we cheer- 
 fully acknowledge personal merit to be indispensable, 
 and regard it as one of the most satisfactory features 
 of the Masonic institution — as one that especially 
 distinguishes it from the associations of the profane 
 world ; but to make this the only test, would be to 
 sweep away, as with a breath, other distinguishing 
 
94- PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 and valuable characteristics of the Fraternity. If 
 the personally meritorious were all eligible to the 
 mastership, the Master Mason of a day might aspire 
 to the chief command, as well as the veteran of half 
 a century, and thus our lodges would become so many 
 arenas for the exhibition of the chicanery and tricks 
 of partisan politics, while the experience and educa- 
 tion necessary to fit even the truly meritorious for so 
 difficult a trust as that of Master of a Lodge, would 
 at once be left out of the account. Fortunately, for 
 the stabihty of the Craft, the advocates of such a 
 theory are few and far between. The Charge itself 
 is the best refutation, if any were needed, of the argu- 
 ment imder consideration ; for it plainly contemplates 
 the gradual arrival of the aspii*ant to the goal of his 
 ambition : — the Apprentice is to become a Fellow 
 Craft in due time, and when he has served such a 
 term of years as the custom of the country directs, 
 and is otJiertoise qualified, he may arrive to the honor 
 of being "Warden, and then Master. In the words 
 "otherwise qualified," something beside "personal 
 merit " is clearly provided for and intended. 
 
 There is another, and somewhat more numerous, 
 class, who claim that, under certain circumstances, a 
 Lodge may proceed to elect to the mastership auy 
 member of the Lodge, even though he may never 
 have been Warden. We have seen a report, adopted 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 95 
 
 by a Grand Lodge, in whicL. it is gravely argued 
 that "acting as Warden" is merely a ceremonial ob- 
 servance, and has no further effect than to require 
 that the candidate should have temporarily occupied 
 the "Warden's station during the conferring of a de- 
 gree. We cannot fully expose the fallacy of this 
 position without trenching on matters not proper to 
 be written ; but every Master Mason knows, or ought 
 to know, that there were three Grand Masters, neither 
 of whom was Warden — the duties of that station being 
 confided to the " Overseers of the work," and, there- 
 fore, that the ceremony referred to is without the 
 quality of common sense. "Acting as Warden" 
 means to have been lawfully appointed to that station, 
 and to have discharged the duties that pertain to it. 
 In Anderson's second edition of the Constitutions, 
 pubhshed in 1738, he makes two very important 
 changes in the Kegulation in regard to the qualifica- 
 tions of the Master. The first is simply explanatory, 
 by the addition of the word " somewhere ;" that is, 
 that a brother should have been Warden somewhere, 
 but not necessarily in the Lodge in which he was to 
 be elected Master. The second overthrows the whole, 
 by the addition of these words : " except in extraor- 
 dinary cases, or when a Lodge is to be formed where 
 none such (Past Masters or Wardens) can be had ; 
 for then three Master Masons, though never Masters 
 
96 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 or Wardens of Lodges before, may be constituted 
 Master and Wardens of that new Lodge." If, as 
 stated in the title, the Constitutions of 1721 were the 
 " Laws, Charges, Orders, Regulations and Usages of 
 the Right Worshipful Fraternity of Accepted Free- 
 masons," and were collected "from their general 
 records and their faithful traditions of many ages," 
 then he had no authority whatever to alter them in 
 1738, nor could the Grand Lodge of England, if they 
 had been faithful to their trust, have sanctioned any 
 such alteration. The Constitutions of 1721 were 
 either correct or they were not : if coiTect, they were 
 the usages of " many ages ;" and that they were so, 
 seems to follow from the fact of their approval and 
 authorized publication by the Grand Lodge. And, 
 although it is provided, in the thirty-ninth General 
 Regulation, "that every Annual Grand Lodge has 
 inherent power and authority to make neiu regulations 
 or to alter these, for the real benefit of this Ancient 
 Fraternity," it is clear that this only refers to local 
 regulations; for it is expressly declared that such 
 new regulations can only be made or the old ones 
 changed on condition ^HTiatthe old lajidmarlcs he care- 
 fully preserved." The requirement that a Master 
 must previously have been a Warden, we are told 
 was the usage of many ages, and the conclusion is 
 irresistible that there was no power in any body of 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 97 
 
 men to make an innovation by changing it. " But " 
 — we shall here be told — " you admit that any Master 
 Mason may be appointed Master of a new Lodge, or, 
 as we have it, a Lodge under Dispensation." We 
 admit the fact, but we deny the principle, for one 
 proposition carries the other with it ; and if the Grand 
 Master can, under the regulations of his Grand Lodge, 
 appoint any member to be Master of a new Lodge, 
 by the same authority he might grant his Dispensa- 
 tion to elect a member from the floor of a Warranted 
 Lodge, and thus the EngHsh practice of removing a 
 landmark would be fully established. If, however, 
 we admit that the Grand Lodge of England had 
 power to change the Regulation of 1721, in regard 
 to the qualifications of Masters, then we must also 
 grant to every other Grand Lodge a similar authori- 
 ty, and thus make the subject one of local legislation. 
 Such is, indeed, its present condition. The right of 
 the Grand Master to appoint any Master Mason to 
 the mastership of a Lodge under Dispensation is 
 universally conceded. The Grand Lodge of New 
 York makes this exception, but otherwise maintains 
 the rule in its ancient form. Section 38 of its Con- 
 stitution is in these words : — " No member can be 
 Master of a Lodge, unless he has been previously 
 installed, and served as an elected Warden for one 
 year, except at the institution of a new Lodge, when 
 5 
 
98 PRINCIPLES Am) PRACTICE OF 
 
 no Warden or Past Master is found to serve as Mas- 
 ter." With one or two exceptions, we believe, every 
 Grand Lodge in the United States has a similar pro- 
 vision in its Constitution ; and while, therefore, the 
 principle remains as we have stated it, the practice 
 must be governed by the regulations of the Grand 
 Lodge having jurisdiction. 
 
 We now pass to the consideration of the preroga- 
 tives of the Master, which are : — 
 
 1. The right to congregate his Lodge. — The law for 
 this is found in the second of the Regulations of 1721, 
 but some explanation seems to be necessary to its 
 proper understanding. There are two meanings at- 
 tached to the word congregate^ one of which is the 
 ordinary acceptation, meaning the calling together 
 of the brethren, at a time and place named, for the 
 purpose of holding a meeting; and the other, the 
 Masonic one, referring to the ceremony by which the 
 Master calls the brethren to order, when so assem- 
 bled, for the purpose of setting them at labor in a 
 formed lodge. It is an immemorial usage — and, 
 therefore, a landmark — that none but the Master 
 (when he is present) can congregate the brethren,* 
 although the formal ceremony of opening may be 
 performed by another brother in his presence and 
 under his direction. Under this prerogative, the 
 
 * In the second sense of the word. See Prerogative 9. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 99 
 
 Master may call or summon a meeting of his lodge 
 at any time he thinks proper ; but, though in former 
 times he could call it at any time or place, his power 
 in this respect is now restricted, under the regula- 
 tions of Grand Lodges, to the calling of special com- 
 munications at the place usually occupied by the 
 Lodge ; at which special communications no business 
 can be transacted, save that iox which the meeting 
 is called ; and, further, that no business relative to 
 the presentation of petitions for initiations or adjoin- 
 ing, or a ballot on such petitions, can be had at a 
 called meeting. The stated communications are fixed 
 by the Lodge itseK, as well as the place where they 
 are to be held ; and though the Master may, if he 
 please, summon the members for any meeting, he 
 cannot alter the time or place of the stated ones, 
 because he has agreed to observe the By-laws, and 
 to stand to the awards of the brethren, so far as they 
 do not interfere with his admitted prerogatives. 
 
 2. The right to preside. — This is a self-evident 
 proposition, and follows as a natural consequence of 
 his installation : but there is this peculiarity attach- 
 ing to the Master of a Masonic Lodge, viz : that once 
 duly installed, he cannot during his term of office be 
 deprived of his right to preside by any power residing 
 in the Lodge itself. By the terms of his covenant at 
 installaiion, he is boimd "to pay homage to the 
 
100 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Grand Master for the time being, and to his officers, 
 when duly installed :" hence, when the Grand Master 
 or his Deputy, or other duly-appointed representa- 
 tive, appears in a Lodge, the power of the Master to 
 preside temporarily disappears, unless the superior 
 authority waive the right thus vesting in him, a court- 
 esy which, it is perhaps needless to say, is almost 
 imiversally exercised. From this right of the Master 
 ensue others, intimately connected with it, as 
 
 3. Tlw right to Jill, temporarily, any vacancies thai 
 may occur in the Lodge Offices, — It is his duty to set 
 the Craft at labor, and, in order to do so, he needs 
 the active cooperation of all the other officers ; and 
 it is, therefore, necessary to the proper execution of 
 his trust that he should have full power to select from 
 the brethren present such as he deems competent to 
 discharge the functions of the absent incumbents. 
 
 4. To control the admission of visitors. — It is, be- 
 yond question, that one of the most important duties 
 of a faithful Master is the preservation of harmony 
 among the brethren by the exercise of sleepless vigi- 
 lance against the admission of cowans, or of those 
 brethren who, if admitted, would by their presence 
 disturb the peace of the Lodge and hinder its work. 
 In the exercise of this right, therefore, the Master 
 may refuse admission to any visitor, however correct 
 the standing of the visitor may be, he being respon- 
 
I 8 R 
 or TMt 
 
 MVERsny 
 
 Of 
 
 """ ■ iRN\^-^ MASONIC JURISPEUDENOE. 101 
 
 sible for the exercise of his prerogative. For a simi- 
 lar reason, it is the general practice of the Master — 
 though not absolutely bound to do so — to refuse a 
 visitor when any member of the Lodge objects to his 
 visit. It is held that he may even go farther, and 
 refuse a member of his own Lodge, subject of course 
 to the penalties that would follow an abuse of that 
 power. As an abstract proposition, this is probably 
 correct ; yet it is hedged round with so many diffi- 
 culties, and treads so close upon the right accorded 
 to every member in good standing, to participate in 
 the work of his Lodge, that we cannot but advise 
 that it should never be exercised, or, at least, only in 
 such flagrant cases as would demand a similar action 
 on the part of the Lodge, if the power were not 
 already vested in the Master. We are all liable to 
 error, and but few men are exempt from the influence 
 of a momentary pique, or the impulse of sudden pas- 
 sion. At such a time, the compasses lose their power, 
 and we become liable to do that which, in our cooler 
 moments, we might sincerely regret. It should also 
 be remembered that a member so refused, has an 
 appeal to the Grand Master or Grand Lodge, and, 
 if unjustly dealt with, may even prefer charges ; in 
 which case, the trouble ensuing would more than 
 counterbalance any good expected to result from the 
 exclusion. 
 
102 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 5. To regulate and terminate all discussion. — The 
 distinction between the Master of a Masonic Lodge 
 and the presiding officer of any other association, 
 is no where more strikingly exemplified than in the 
 exercise of this prerogative. While, in other socie- 
 ties, the president — or whatever title he may assume 
 — presides, in our Lodges, the Master rules and gov- 
 erns. Li the execution of his trust, he wields auto- 
 cratic powers, and, for the time being, the Lodge 
 must obey. Hence, when in his judgment the debate 
 has extended far enough, or when it is degenerating 
 into criminations and personalities — as unfortunately 
 will sometimes occur — he rises in his place, and the 
 floor is his; he proceeds to put the question, if a 
 question be pending, or to direct the labors in some 
 other channel. 
 
 6. To direct the order of business. — It has become 
 a custom, of late years, for lodges to append to their 
 By-laws a summary of the order in which business 
 shall be transacted at the stated communications, 
 and Masters are gradually falling into the habit of its 
 use, on the ground of convenience. It is very dis- 
 tinctly within our recollection when no such thing 
 was known — at least, not to our knowledge — and we 
 have always protested against it during the years of 
 our mastership by paying no attention to any such 
 rules. If a Master is competent to fill the station he 
 
MASONIC JUEISPKUDENCE. 103 
 
 occupies, he ought to be, and is, the best judge of 
 what to do and when to do it. Every Master should 
 assert this power, as a standing protest against the 
 innovations which are gradually, but surely, making 
 their way among us. 
 
 7. To appoint all Committees. — ^Being responsible 
 for the proper conduct of the affairs of the Lodge, it 
 is but just that the Master should have the selection 
 of the committees. If such were not the case, the 
 Master would, to that extent, be imder the direction 
 of the Lodge, a position in which he can never be 
 lawfully placed. The Master is considered, by virtue 
 of his office, a member of all committees, and when 
 he chooses to attend their deUberations, the deference 
 due to his position makes him Chairman. The right 
 is, however, seldom exercised, and in some cases — as 
 the committee to try charges against a brother — ought 
 not to be at all. He has also generally the appoint- 
 ment of such of the subordinate officers as are not 
 elected under the By-laws ; this, however, is not an 
 irrevocable right, for the custom has varied at differ- 
 ent periods and in different jurisdictions. Thus, in 
 England, he appoints the Wardens, and they in turn 
 appoint officers of lower grade than themselves ; in 
 some jurisdictions, the Lodge elects all the officers ; 
 in others, the Master appoints all below the Secretary. 
 
 8. To close the Lodge at will. — By this it is not 
 
104 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 absumed that the Master may close his Lodge in the 
 midst of its labors at the mere suggestion of his own 
 arbitrary wiU, for that would be intolerable ; but that 
 he is the proper judge as to when the labors ought 
 reasonably to cease, and the brethren retire to their 
 several homes. Perhaps no single objection against 
 Masonic Lodges has been urged with greater force 
 than that which has for its theme the detention of the 
 brethren to an unreasonable hour of the night. The 
 world is all too apt to believe whatever may be stated 
 to the prejudice of our society, and it would be diffi- 
 cult to furnish an argument hkely to be more indus- 
 triously used against us, than the imfortunate habit 
 many lodges have contracted of protracting their 
 meetings to unreasonable hours. Married men owe 
 it to their families, and single ones to their reputa- 
 tions, to be at home before midnight ; and it is well 
 that Masters should recollect their prerogative, and 
 exercise it by closing their Lodges at such an hour 
 as will enable the brethren to be at home in good 
 season. Cases may arise, in which it is the bounden 
 duty of the Master to close his Lodge summarily, 
 and in such an event, there is no question as to his 
 authority so to do. Li all well-governed Lodges, 
 however, the occurrence of such a scene would be 
 next to an impossibility. 
 
 It has been, and is still held to be, a prerogative 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 105 
 
 of the Master to open his Lodge at the hour he 
 thinks appropriate ; but while we do not dispute the 
 fact, we think he may be safely admitted to have 
 waived this in favor of the Lodge, to secure the at- 
 tendance of the brethren at a fixed time, in order 
 that all may know what to depend upon ; and that 
 no unfair advantage may be taken of the presence of 
 certain brethren, or the absence of others, to bring 
 forward or keep back a favorite measure. 
 
 9. To issue summons. — ^We have already alluded to 
 this power in the first-mentioned prerogative of the 
 Master, but only as to meetings, the topic then under 
 consideration. He has, however, power to summon 
 for various purposes, in addition to meetings : as, 
 witnesses in trials ; all Masons within the jurisdiction 
 of his Lodge, to answer complaints against them ; 
 the ofiicers of his Lodge, to render their accounts 
 or to answer for delinquencies ; the members of his 
 Lodge, to attend the funeral of a deceased brother. 
 The summons can be issued by authority of the 
 Master only, while he remains in the discharge of his 
 functions, and is a peremptory order, which must be 
 obeyed, under penalty, unless the excuse of the de- 
 faulter be of the most undeniable vaHdity. A sum- 
 mons is usually in writing, signed by the Master, 
 countersigned by the Secretary, and having the Lodge 
 seal attached ; but there is no doubt that a verbal 
 
106 PRINCIPLES AND PEACTICE OF 
 
 summons by the Master is equally binding with a 
 written one. 
 
 10. To he the custodian of the Warrant.— Mi\io\i^ 
 the Warrant purports on its face to be granted to the 
 Master and Wardens, yet, at his installation, it is 
 placed in special charge of the Master, and he is 
 made responsible for its safe keeping. As, under the 
 present organization of the Fraternity, no Lodge can 
 be established without a Warrant, and as its pres- 
 ence is necessary to the legahty of all meetings, it 
 follows that the powers of the Master can only be 
 exercised imder its sanction ; and it is, therefore, but 
 just that he should, at all times, be in possession of 
 the evidence of his authority. There is, in many 
 cases, a want of care, on the part of Masters, in re- 
 gard to this important document. We have frequently 
 seen it framed, and hung up in the Lodge-room ; in 
 other cases, we have known it to be regularly com- 
 mitted to the keeping of the Tiler at the close of the 
 meeting, and sometimes it is put away in a package 
 with the Secretary's books — all of which practices 
 appear to us extremely reprehensible. It is delivered 
 to the Master in person, and it ought to remain in 
 his personal custody. It is true, that even then an 
 accident might happen ; but, in that event, there 
 would remain the satisfaction of knowing that the 
 duty of personal care had been fully discharged. In 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 107 
 
 case of loss of the Warrant — by fire, for instance — it 
 is a simple matter for tlie Grand Lodge to issue a 
 new one, equally valid, in a legal point of view, with 
 the original, but it would only be a duplicate ; and 
 when, as is not uncommon, all the original signers 
 have passed away, the loss is irreparable, nor will the 
 regret attending it be lessened by the reflection that 
 carelessness may be cited as its moving cause. 
 
 Under certain circumstances, the custody of the 
 Warrant passes to the Wardens, as will be seen when 
 we come to speak of those officers. 
 
 11. In company ivith the Senior and Junior Ward- 
 ens, to represent his Lodge at aU communications of the 
 Grand Lodge. — ^While it must be admitted that this 
 is a right, which came into existence at the estabHsh- 
 ment of a Grand Lodge, after the revival of Masonry 
 in 1717, it is none the less, now, inalienable. We see 
 in the Regulations of 1721 that it is provided, that 
 " the Grand Lodge consists of, and is formed by, the 
 Master and Wardens of all the regular particular 
 Lodges upon record." And, again, " the majority of 
 every particular Lodge, when congregated, shall have 
 the privilege of giving instructions to their Master 
 and Wardens before the assembhng of the Grand 
 Lodge — ***** because their Master and 
 Wardens are their representatives, and are supposed 
 to speak their mind." From this it follows, that with- 
 
108 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 out the representatives of the subordinate or pai-ticu- 
 lar Lodges, there is no Grand Lodge; and as no 
 legislation can be effected without their consent, it is 
 not to be supposed they will disfranchise themselves. 
 By the terms of his installation, and as the executive 
 of the Lodge will, the Master is especially charged 
 with the duty of representation. 
 
 Li the exercise of these prerogatives, other and 
 correlative exhibitions of authority are sometimes 
 called forth ; as 
 
 The control of the minutes, so far as to see that 
 nothing improper to be written is recorded ; and, on 
 the other hand, that nothing essential to a fair record 
 of the proceedings is omitted. 
 
 The right to refuse to initiate a candidate, notwith- 
 standing his acceptance by the Lodge, if, in his judg- 
 ment, such initiation would be improper. 
 
 The right, when the first ballot for a candidate 
 appears to be unfavorable, to order a second — he 
 taking care that the necessary cautions be observed, 
 and that the re-balloting be done before any brother 
 participating in the first ballot has left the Lodge. 
 
 The right to discuss all questions, without regard 
 to the parliamentary etiquette of leaving the Chair, 
 because it is his duty, at all times, to give the Craft 
 good and wholesome instruction; in any remarks, 
 therefore, which he may be pleased to make, he 
 
MASONIC JURISPKUDENCE. 109 
 
 is presumed to act for tlie best interests of tlie 
 brethren. 
 
 He signs all drafts upon the Treasurer, without 
 which, that officer would not be justified in paying 
 out the Lodge funds. 
 
 He is exempt from trial by the Lodge. This pro- 
 position is a legitimate sequence of his official pre- 
 rogatives. We have seen that he has the right to 
 preside at all times, and to decide, without the possi- 
 bility of an appeal being taken from his decision to 
 that of the Lodge. If, therefore, a motion should be 
 offered to put him on trial, he might refuse to enter- 
 tain it ; and, even worse, he might, if his trial were 
 allowed in the Lodge, be called to sit as judge in his 
 own case ; for the Lodge cannot deprive him of his 
 right to preside. He has the right to appoint all 
 committees : in selecting one before which his trial 
 should be had, (where that mode of trial is adopted,) 
 he would, of course, select his personal friends, and 
 use his influence with them to secure an acquittal. 
 It is, therefore, held that some tribunal, other than 
 the Lodge, shall be charged with the trial of the 
 Master, and that tribunal is, by universal consent, 
 the Grand Lodge. 
 
 He is entitled, and required to receive the degree 
 of Past Master previous to his installation, because 
 it is an indispensable part of that ceremony ; without 
 
llO PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 the possession of which he could not lawfully preside, 
 and by which he is furnished with instruction for his 
 guidance while occupying the Chair. 
 
 He cannot dimit or resign during his term of office, 
 because he has entered into a solemn covenant to 
 discharge the duties of Master for one year from the 
 time of his election, which is in itself a promise that 
 he will not resign. If he cannot resign, he cannot 
 dimit; because, if allowed to withdraw, he might 
 affiliate with another Lodge, and thus be Master of 
 one while a member of another, an argument which 
 requires no refutation. 
 
 No vacancy can occur in his office, except by death 
 or expulsion. The Constitution of New York pro- 
 vides another cause, by " removal beyond the juris- 
 diction," which, with all deference to our mother 
 Grand Lodge, we think untenable, for this reason : — 
 It is universally conceded that a Master Mason ought 
 to belong to a Lodge, and that it is his right to affil- 
 iate with the one that suits him, without regard to 
 its location or his residence ; or, to make the matter 
 plainer, that a Master Mason residing in New Or- 
 leans, may, if he choose, affiliate with a Lodge in 
 Boston, if the Lodge think proper to affiHate him. 
 This being true, it foUows that removal beyond the 
 jurisdiction does not affect the membership of the 
 Master ; and while he continues a member in good 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. Ill 
 
 standing, his right to the office in which he has been 
 installed remains indefeasible. 
 
 Where a vacancy actually occurs by death or ex- 
 pulsion, it is generally held that the Grand Master 
 may issue his dispensation, authorizing a new election 
 to fill the vacancy thus created. From this proposi- 
 tion we also dissent, because it is the admitted pre- 
 rogative of the Senior Warden, in the event of such 
 vacancy, to succeed to the Chair, and, in his absence, 
 the Junior Warden succeeds by immemorial right — a 
 right which even the edict of the Grand Master can- 
 not abrogate. If, however, all three offices are vacant, 
 it would then be proper to hold a new election, under 
 authority of the Grand Master, but not otherwise. 
 
 The conclusion to which the yoimg Mason, after 
 reading this summary of the powers of the Master, 
 will naturally arrive is, that he is a perfect despot ; 
 and so, in one sense, he is — in the Lodge. But the 
 masonic system is amply provided with what, in diplo- 
 matic language, are called " checks and balances ;" 
 and for every power intrusted to and exercised by the 
 Master, there is a corresponding responsibility. If 
 he err — as Masters, being but men, will sometimes 
 do — there is the superior power of the Grand Master 
 to correct his error, and restore the status quo. His 
 powers are a peculiarity of the institution, and cannot 
 be changed without altering its entire character, which 
 
112 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 no one can do, if any were so inclined. Among us 
 the possession of these powers seems to render the 
 heedless careful, and the careful, conservative ; and 
 while the brethren render due obedience, carefully 
 observing the statutes and regulations, there is noth- 
 ing to fear from the exercise of arbitrary powers on 
 the part of the Master. Finally, to again quote Bro- 
 ther TowNSEND, "We have seen that the brethren 
 must, in all lawful things, obey their Master. He, on 
 his part, should have no object but the advantage, 
 welfare and comfort of his brethren. We may teach 
 him our forms, explain to him their meaning, stimu- 
 late his ambition to discharge his duties creditably ; 
 but, after aU, we must leave him to look within his 
 own heart for instruction, and to be guided by his 
 own good sense and good feeling in his general con- 
 duct. But, although particular rules wiQ not avail 
 to supply the want of good sense and discretion, yet 
 there are two general maxims, of which the Master 
 should never lose sight : — First, to be serious ; sec- 
 ondly, to be strict in observing what are called the 
 Landmarks of the Craft." 
 
 PAST SIASTER. 
 
 Though perhaps somewhat in the nature of an 
 interpolation, this appears to be the proper place to 
 call attention to the status of Past Masters. It has 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 113 
 
 been well said, that " Past officers have no powers as 
 such, except the respect due to their standing, skill 
 and experience, save what is expressly given them 
 by the Constitutions of their Grand Lodges," — al- 
 though it is but partially true. "When a Master has 
 arrived at the end of his official term, and has installed 
 his successor, he loses all the rights which, as an 
 actual Master, he had been exercising, and becomes 
 again the peer of the brethren, subject, like them, to 
 be ruled and governed by the new Master ; but by 
 the very fact of having been installed, and having 
 served as Master, certain privileges inure to him, 
 which are not possessed by any brother who has not 
 attained to that rank. Thus, in the fourth of the 
 Ancient Charges, it is provided that " no brother can 
 be a Grand Warden till he has been Master of a 
 Lodge ;" and that " the Grand Master has power to 
 choose his Deputy, who must be then, or must have 
 been, the Master of a particular Lodge." The Grand 
 Master himself is only required to have been a Fellow 
 Craft ; but in the many changes which these Charges 
 have since undergone, it has come to be required that 
 the Grand Master also shall have been Master of a 
 Lodge. It is clear that, under the present regulations 
 of the Fraternity, he must be at least a Master Mason ; 
 but we do not hazard anything in saying, that no 
 Grand Lodge would now elect a Grand Master who 
 
114 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 had not previously acquired the experience of at least 
 one term as Master of a Lodge. Therefore, we say 
 that it is a privilege of a Past Master to be ehgible 
 to office in the Grand Lodge. In all Grand Lodges 
 it is the rule that Lodges may be represented by 
 proxy when the actual officers are absent : in about 
 half of them, any Master Mason in good standing, 
 and a member of the Lodge he represents, can be 
 such proxy ; in the others, he is required to be a Past 
 Master. As a general rule, we think that in all cases 
 a Past Master would have the preference. 
 
 A Past Master is quahfied to install any Master 
 elect, when requested to do so, and to be present at 
 the quahfication of a Master elected to the Chaii* for 
 the first time.* We may here digress a moment, to 
 say that, although some authorities declare that a 
 virtual or Chapter Past Master may be present, and 
 assist at such qualification, we entirely dissent from 
 the assertion. The degree of Past Master, as con- 
 ferred in a Chapter, is a prerequisite to the reception 
 of the next higher grade, and can only be conferred 
 on those who have received the preceding or Mark 
 Master's degree, a quahfication not necessarily pos- 
 sessed by the Master elect, who is about to be quah- 
 fied for installation, by the reception of the Past Mas^ 
 ter^s degree. In one tjase, it is merely a ceremonial 
 
 * See Elections. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 115 
 
 qualification for a higher degree ; in the other, it is 
 part of the installation, by which the Master is in- 
 vested with power to govern an actual Lodge. Again, 
 it is the year of service in the Chair that makes him 
 a Past Master, and not the degree ; while in the Chap- 
 ter it is the degree, without any service whatever. 
 The cases are not parallel : one has earned his posi- 
 tion ; the other, has simply paid for a title. There is 
 no reason, in Masonry or equity, why their privileges 
 should be equal. 
 
 When the Grand Master is unable to attend to any 
 duty requiring his presence at a distance from his 
 home, he selects a proxy to act for him, and always, 
 when possible to do so, the Master or Past Master of 
 a Lodge. The same rule governs in the appointed 
 officers of a Grand Lodge. 
 
 A Past Master is always eligible to reelection with- 
 out further service as Warden, either in the Lodge 
 in which he originally served or in any other to 
 which he may attach himself. 
 
 As a matter of courtesy, he is invited to a seat in 
 the East, that he may aid the acting Master with his 
 counsel, should it be needed in conducting the busi- 
 ness of the Lodge. 
 
 Much argument has been had as to the right of a 
 Past Master to a seat in his Grand Lodge, by virtue 
 of his service in the Chair, and for some years the 
 
 
 or 
 
 "^S^S^Tl 
 
116 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Fraternity of New York were literally convulsed by 
 the troubles arising from this source. The real ques- 
 tion at issue, however, was not as to whether all Past 
 Masters were entitled to life membershijp in the Grand 
 Lodge, but whether those who had acquired that 
 privilege under a law existing from the very founda- 
 tion of the Grand Lodge, could be deprived of it by 
 an enactment ex post facto in its nature and applica- 
 tion. After long discussion, it was finally agreed, 
 that while the Grand Lodge might amend its Consti- 
 tution, so as to exclude all future Past Masters, it 
 could not in equity take away rights which had been 
 constitutionally acquired. "With this agreement, the 
 troubles in the Craft disappeared, as if by magic, and 
 the Fraternity, again united, has ever since flourished 
 as it never flourished before. There are still, we be- 
 lieve, one or two Grand Lodges where Past Masters' 
 are entitled to seats as such ; but the general sense 
 of the brethren appears now to be, that they have no 
 privileges but those we have here enumerated. 
 
 THE WARDENS. 
 
 In every just and duly-constituted Lodge of Free- 
 masons are two officers, styled respectively the Senior 
 and Junior "Warden. Second only in importance to 
 the Master, a proper understanding and performance 
 of their duties is essential to the welfare of the body. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 117 
 
 Doctor Oliver very happily terms them Deputy Mas- 
 ters ; such in reality they are. During the business 
 of the Lodge, and in what is technically termed the 
 work) they are particularly called upon to assist in 
 the preservation of order, and in the due performance 
 of the ritual ; and in case of the death, absence, or 
 inability of the Master, they are authorized and re- 
 quired, in turn — that is, first the Senior Warden, and, 
 in his absence, the Junior Warden — to succeed to all 
 his powers and prerogatives, for the time being. We 
 use the word aU advisedly, because we have frequently 
 heard it urged that the Warden, presiding in the ab- 
 sence of the Master, cannot confer degrees, partly 
 because he has not received the degree of Past Mas- 
 ter, and partly because the Regulations of 1721 pro- 
 vide that, in the absence of the Master, his power 
 reverts to the last Past Master. We cannot write all 
 that might be said in relation to the degree of Past 
 Master, but it will answer our present purpose to say, 
 that its reception is as much necessary to make a 
 Master, as it is that he should have previously served 
 a term as Warden, and that he should assent, in the 
 presence of the brethren, to the questions put to him 
 at his installation. Hence, though a brother should 
 serve as Warden twenty years, and should all that 
 time act as Master, he would not be Master de facto, 
 nor at the close of that term be a Past Master, without 
 
118 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 a regular election and installation as such, which 
 would include the degree in question. The degree, 
 then, is an absolute necessity to him who would be 
 Master, but not to a Warden temporarily called upon 
 to assume a contingency of his office. 
 
 The regulation referred to was evidently inserted 
 in the code by mistake, as it contains within itself a 
 flat contradiction of terms: for though it provides 
 that "the absent Master's authority reverts to the 
 last Master then present," yet it goes on to say, "he 
 cannot act until the said Senior Warden has once 
 congregated the Lodge, or, in his absence, the Junior 
 Warden." Dr. Mackey remarks on this question : — 
 
 ** The regulation is, however, contradictory in its provisions; 
 for if the Mast Master present' could not act — that is, could 
 not exercise the authority of the Master, until the Senior 
 Warden had congregated the Lodge — then it is evident that 
 the authority of the Master did not revert to him in an 
 unqualified sense; for that ofiBccr required no such concert or 
 consent on the part of the Warden, but could congregate 
 the Lodge himself. 
 
 " This evident contradiction in the language of the regula- 
 tion probably caused, in a brief period, a further examination 
 of the ancient usage; and accordingly, on the 25th of No- 
 vember, 1723, a very little more than three years after, the 
 following regulation was adopted: 
 
 " ' If a Master of a particular Lodge is deposed or dimits, 
 the Senior Warden shall forthwith fill the Master's chair till 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 119 
 
 the next time of choosing; and ever since, in the Master's 
 absence, he fills the Chair, even though a former Master be 
 present.' "* 
 
 But, admitting the Eegulation of 1721 to be still in 
 force, it is evident that the real power in the premises 
 is vested in the Warden : for if he refuse to " congre- 
 gate" the Lodge, then the Past Master would be 
 powerless to do so, and would be without any Lodge 
 to preside over. Such, except in England, is now 
 the general sense of the Fraternity, and we therefore 
 state, as the prerogatives of the Wardens : — 
 
 1. The right to assume the Chair in the absence 
 of the Master, and to exercise, while so occupying it, 
 aU the powers that might of right be exercised by 
 him, if personally present. 
 
 2. The right to represent the Lodge, in company 
 with the Master, at all communications of the Grand 
 Lodge. The same reasons apply here as in the case 
 of the Master. They are a constituent part of the 
 Grand Lodge, and it is their right, as well as duty, 
 to be present at its communications. It is the prac- 
 tice in the Grand Lodge of New York, and we pre- 
 sume in those of other States, for either of the three 
 (Master and Wardens) to cast the vote of his absent 
 associates, on the principle that every Lodge is enti- 
 tled to three votes. 
 
 * ** Text-book of Masonic Jurisprudence." 
 
120 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 3. The right, after regular installation and one 
 year's service, to be elected Master in any regular 
 Lodge with which they may afl&liate, and which may 
 choose to confer that honor upon them. And this, 
 too, without regard to the period of time that may 
 have elapsed between the close of the term of service 
 as Warden and the election as Master. 
 
 4. In some Lodges, the Wardens are allowed to 
 appoint the Deacons, but they are few in number, 
 and the custom is Hkely to become altogether extinct. 
 
 According to the ritual, the Senior Warden is 
 charged with the superintendence of the Craft while 
 at labor, and particularly with the preservation of 
 harmony by certain acts therein specified. 
 
 By the same authority, and in virtue of his installa- 
 tion charge, to the Jimior Warden is committed the 
 superintendence of the Craft during the hours of 
 refreshment. From this has arisen the practice — 
 for there is no written law on the subject — of requiring 
 that all complaints against the brethren for infraction 
 of our laws should be presented to the Lodge through 
 him. This custom is now becoming general, and is 
 every way to be commended ; for if he is responsible 
 for the proper conduct of the Craft while under his 
 charge, when at refreshment or during the recess of 
 the Lodge, it is but fair that he should present all 
 complaints against them for infractions of the law 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 121 
 
 oommitted during that time. It was the custom, 
 within our experience, for the Junior Warden to per- 
 form the duty now assigned to the Senior Deacon, in 
 the admission of visitors and the reception of candi- 
 dates ; and we recollect, too, that in some Lodges we 
 have visited, the "Wardens had truncheons, instead of 
 columns. How the change has been brought about, 
 we cannot say. In the French rite, the Wardens sit 
 together in the West, and each has beside him one 
 of the large columns, and, technically, the brethren 
 on either side of the hall, under their superintend- 
 ence, are said to be their columns. 
 
 In the absence of the Master, the Senior Warden 
 succeeds to his place, but it does not follow that the 
 Junior Warden thereby proceeds to occupy the Se- 
 nior Warden's vacant station. The Junior Warden 
 has certain well-defined duties, which, by his installa- 
 tion, he is bound to perform ; among these is no pro- 
 vision for his occupancy of a higher station, save in 
 the absence of both his superiors, when he proceeds 
 to the East, and becomes acting Master. When, in 
 the absence of the Master, the Senior Warden as- 
 sumes the Chair, the prerogative of appointment 
 vests in him, and he proceeds to fill his own vacant 
 station by the appointment of a Senior Warden pro 
 tern. 
 
 Finally, in the absence of the Master and Wardens, 
 6 
 
122 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 it is now held that the Lodge cannot be opened, be- 
 cause there is no one authorized to congregate the 
 brethren. We have ahready shown that, even if we 
 admit the power of a Past Master to preside, he can- 
 not do so until one of the Wardens has congregated 
 the Lodge, and that is a power they cannot delegate. 
 The Wardens cannot resign; and in case of a 
 vacancy in their offices, by death, suspension or 
 expulsion, no election can be had to fill it, until the 
 " regular time of choosing." They cannot resign, for 
 the same reason that governs the Master, and, in fact, 
 all the elected officers of the Lodge, because at their 
 installation they have voluntarily promised to faith- 
 fully discharge the duties of their stations for the 
 term of one year ; to resign, would be to set this 
 promise at naught, besides making the Lodge a party 
 to the violation of a phghted word, and subjecting it 
 to great inconvenience. Moreover, it is the preroga- 
 tive of the Master to fill such vacancies by temporary 
 appointments — it being understood, as a matter of 
 course, that the brethren so appointed would exercise 
 no powers, save that of assisting the Master during 
 the meeting for which they might be appointed. Li 
 case of a session of the Grand Lodge, these appoint- 
 ees would not be representatives, but the Lodge 
 would lose nothing thereby, for, as already said, the 
 Master would cast the votes of the absent Wardens. 
 
MASONIC JUEISPKUDENCE. 123 
 
 THE TREASURER. 
 
 In the thirteenth of the Regulations of 1721, it is 
 suggestively required that " the Treasurer should be 
 a man of good worldly substance ;" and this, although 
 referring to the Treasurer of the Grand Lodge, would 
 seem to apply with equal force to the corresponding 
 officer in a subordinate one ; for there is no trust 
 connected with the Lodge business which, as a gen- 
 eral thing, is so well understood by the brethren as 
 its financial concerns. "With greater tact, however, 
 than the ancients, we do not now so much regard 
 worldly substance as uprightness and sterling honesty 
 of character, which are considered better security 
 than mere wealth, especially as the Lodge, not being 
 recognized in law, there is no legal remedy against a 
 delinquent Treasurer. The Lodges in this country 
 give with a liberal hand, when a case of actual dis- 
 tress is brought to their knowledge ; they take delight 
 in real jewels, and expensive furniture and clothing ; 
 the consequence of which is, that the Treasurer is 
 rarely overburdened with such an amount of money 
 as to be Hkely, even if poor, to forfeit the reputation 
 of a Hf e-time by yielding to the temptation of appro- 
 priating to his own use the contents of the Lodge 
 treasury. But even the comparatively small balance 
 which, as a general thing, stands to the Lodge credit, 
 
124 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 is not left wholly to the keeping of the Treasurer, 
 but, through the agency of Trustees, is placed in 
 some public institution, where, in case of need, it 
 may be called for, with a tolerable certainty that it 
 will be forthcoming. 
 
 The office of Treasurer is of modem date, as may 
 be seen from the fact, that so late as 1723, it was 
 required that an Apprentice, at his making, should 
 give something to be used for charitable purposes, 
 which amount was to be taken in charge by the Mas- 
 ter or Wardens, or the CasTiier^ if the members saw 
 fit to appoint one, — the office being evidently of a 
 temporary nature, and the Cashier to be appointed 
 or not, as the brethren saw fit. Since that time, how- 
 ever, the importance of the office of Treasurer has so 
 much increased, that he ranks immediately after the 
 "Wardens, and in English Lodges is the only officer, 
 except the Master, required to be elected by ballot. 
 His duties are fully set forth in the Installation 
 Charge, and are entirely connected with the Lodge 
 finances. 
 
 Under the general rule, that the elected officers 
 cannot resign, no vacancy can occur in this office ; 
 but, in some jurisdictions, the Grand Lodge Kegula- 
 tions allow any officer, except the Master and Ward- 
 ens, to vacate their offices by resignation. In such 
 cases, the local statute will necessarily govern. 
 
Of THE 
 
 ^ Of / MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 125 
 
 THE SECRETARY. 
 
 We regard the office of Secretary as, under our 
 present organization, one of the most important in 
 the Lodge. Like that of Treasurer, it can only be 
 said to date from the revival of Masonry in 1717, the 
 desultory manner in which Lodge meetings were 
 held previous to that time requiting no minutes, and 
 therefore no Secretary: in Article III. of the Old 
 Regulations, to which we so frequently refer, there 
 is, however, a provision for the appointment of some 
 brother to keep, among other books, one in which 
 shall be aU the transactions proper to be written. 
 This sufficiently describes the duty of the Secretary 
 to show that, when Lodges assumed a regular organ- 
 ization under "Warrants, his office became necessary 
 to the preservation of the Lodge history and the 
 prevention of confusion in its labors, and it is par- 
 ticularly on this ground that we consider him an im- 
 portant officer. The Lodge records are its current 
 history, and, if well and neatly kept, ought to be a 
 source of pride to the Lodge and of satisfaction to 
 the Secretary, who should bear in mind that the lines 
 he traces will live when the hand that made them is 
 forgotten ; that his children's children, grown to old 
 men, may look upon his handiwork, and be grateful 
 that, through it, the remembrance of the Lodge and 
 
126 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 those who had guided its progi'ess had been pre- 
 served. We have examined the minutes of some of 
 our old Lodges (still in existence), written more than 
 a century ago, the paper tui'ned yellow and the 
 ink brown, but the language famihar as though 
 inscribed but yesterday, and it has seemed that 
 the very letters were links binding us with the past, 
 and proclaiming the abiding and imperishable nature 
 of our institution. It would, then, be well for every 
 Secretary of a Lodge to feel as if, in writing his 
 minutes, he were making history — carving, as it were, 
 with his pen, an imfading record of his Lodge and 
 himseK. La the discharge of his duties, which are 
 purely clerical, he should exhibit order, neatness and 
 punctuality. By this, we mean that he should have 
 not only a place for every thing, but a regular system 
 of doing business ; avoiding the slovenly fashion of 
 writing his minutes on odd scraps of paper, to be 
 found or not when needed, as the case may be ; the 
 use of hieroglyphics that none but himseK can read ; 
 the bad habit of entering his minutes on the final 
 record, as the events occur, without waiting for the 
 confirmation of the Lodge, and thus incurring the 
 risk of erasures and interlineations, just as much out 
 of place there as they would be in a merchant's leger ; 
 the trouble-breeding habit of trusting to memory — 
 which is always sure to desert him when its services 
 
MASONIC JUKISPRUDENCE. 127 
 
 are most needed — ^particularly with reference to the 
 collection of money. All the money of the Lodge 
 necessarily passes through his hands : he should not 
 only enter the amount received, in his cash-book, at 
 the time, but he should also give his receipt for it, 
 taking care also to exact a receipt from the Treasurer 
 when he pays the funds over to him. It has been 
 frequently urged in our presence that among Masons 
 there should be no receipts exacted or given, which 
 might be correct, if Masons were perfect ; but as they 
 are not exempt from the ordinary failings of humani- 
 ty, it follows that the best-intentioned will sometimes 
 make mistakes. Now, there is scarcely any mistake 
 about which it is so difficult to con\dnce a man as 
 one in which the payment of money is involved. It 
 is far from unfrequent for a member to insist that he 
 has paid dues for a certain time, while the Secretary, 
 finding no corresponding entry on his books, holds 
 the opposite opinion with equal tenacity ; ill feeling 
 is often engendered, and a lurking suspicion soon 
 finds a place in the hearts of the disputants ; all of 
 which may and should be prevented by the presenta- 
 tion of the Secretary's receipt, given at the time of 
 payment. 
 
 It is customary, in the various foreign rites, to ap- 
 point an officer, known as the Keeper of Seals and 
 Archives, who takes charge of all documents relating 
 
128 PEINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 to the Lodge or its aflfairs, and who has also the Seal, 
 which he alone is authorized to apply to all papers 
 emanating from the Lodge or the Secretary. Among 
 us, however, the Secretary has custody of the seal, 
 and its application to the documents ordered by the 
 Lodge is a prerogative of his office. 
 
 Finally, we find the duty of the Secretary correctly 
 summed up in the maxim, " That it does not so much 
 matter what the Lodge does, as what the Secretary 
 records." He is to observe the will and pleasure of 
 the Worshipful Master, and keep a just and true ac- 
 count of all things lawful to be written. 
 
 THE DEAC01V8. 
 
 There seems to be some question as to when the 
 functions of the officers in Lodge, whom we style 
 Beacons, were first made a part of our ritual. Dr. 
 Oliver appears to think their introduction as com- 
 paratively modern. One thing is certain, which is, 
 that the part of the ritual assigned to the Senior 
 Deacon is becoming greatly extended, and that, by 
 apparently common consent, he now performs duties 
 formerly devolving on the Junior Warden. The 
 method of their appointment varies in different local- 
 ities : in some, the Lodge elects ; in others, the Master 
 appoints ; and, again, in others, the Master appoints 
 the Senior, and the Senior Warden the Junior Deacon. 
 
MASONIC JURISPBUDENCE. 129 
 
 With their duties in the services of the ritual, we 
 have nothing to do here ; their remaining ones are 
 principally to act, — the Senior Deacon as the proxy 
 of the Master, by carrying messages for him about 
 the Lodge, as desired ; and the Junior Deacon, in a 
 like capacity, for the Senior Warden. The Senior 
 Deacon is placed at the right, and near the Master, 
 that he may be ready to attend to his commands 
 whenever issued. The Junior Deacon takes his po- 
 sition at the right of the Senior Warden, and is spe- 
 cially charged with the supervision of the outer door ; 
 it being his province to see that none pass or repass 
 without the needful permission. The distinguishing 
 feature of the Senior Deacon's office is, that it de- 
 volves upon him the reception of visiting brethren ; 
 and we here trespass on the good-nature of the reader 
 to express a thought or two, which occur to us in this 
 connection. Among the first things a brother does, 
 on going to a strange place, is to ascertain the time 
 and place of the Lodge meeting, and one of the plea- 
 sures he enjoys by anticipation is that of communing 
 with the brethren in their Temple. Knowing this to 
 be the case, it would naturally be supposed that the 
 rites of hospitality would be administered with un- 
 usual grace; that the amenities of such occasions 
 would be found attending the visiting brother, from 
 the announcement of his name till he is prepared to 
 
130 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 go forth again to the outer world. In Europe, such 
 is the case, and Eui'opean Masons in this country are 
 generally distinguished for the affabihty with which 
 they receive and greet a visiting brother. But in 
 American Lodges, the case is too often widely differ- 
 ent, and the contrast does not place us in the most 
 enviable light. When, among us, a visitor is an- 
 nounced, he is received, if a distinguished brother, 
 with all the formal honors due to his position, but 
 rarely anything farther ; if merely a lay brother, he 
 is, if known or vouched for, admitted, but is allowed 
 to find accommodations as best he may ; if the badge 
 of labor be absent, he is very likely to be promptly 
 admonished of that fact by the Master, as he will 
 also be, if he omit any portion of the ceremonial ob- 
 servance depending on him, which is correct enough, 
 but sometimes sadly embarrassing to a young Mason, 
 to a timid one, or one who essays for the first time 
 to put into" practice the inculcations of the ritual. 
 We need a Httle more pohteness — a larger degree of 
 that suavity which makes a bashful man feel at ease, 
 and warms the heart of the stranger as though he 
 were meeting with old friends. When a person calls 
 upon us, at our house, we receive him in the best 
 room, lead him to the best place in it, and make it 
 our business to know that he is as comfortable as it 
 is in our power to make him. When we go abroad, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 131 
 
 we expect similar attentions, and we mentally write 
 that man down for a boor who is so far unacquainted 
 with the customs of society as to neglect them. Now, 
 the lodge-room is our Masonic home, and the polite- 
 ness that we feel called upon to exercise in the do- 
 mestic circle, ought to be equally manifest there. We 
 should endeavor to make the visitor feel that we are 
 glad to see him, glad to have him participate in the 
 pleasant moments of our gathering, make him so 
 enjoy his visit, that he will gladly seek an opportunity 
 to renew it; that, at least, he will remember with 
 pleasure his call at our assembly. AU this can be 
 done in the legitimate exercise of the functions of 
 the Senior Deacon ; and it is worth while for that 
 officer to seek distinction, not only for his prompti- 
 tude in obeying the orders of his superior, but also 
 for the geniality of his reception of visiting brethren. 
 
 THE STEWARDS, or ISiSTERS OF CEBEiHOlllIES. 
 
 In the olden times, it was customary for Lodges to 
 terminate their assemblies by a season of social en- 
 joyment. In England, where the custom originated, 
 it still prevails, and is commonly referred to as the 
 " Knife-and-Fork degree." Less than half a century 
 ago, the American Lodges considered their meetings 
 incomplete without the table were spread in the ante- 
 room, and the brethren furnished an opportunity to 
 
132 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 refresh themselves before departing for their homes. 
 The wealthier Lodges had a regular commissariat, 
 bought their stores at wholesale, and were always 
 prepared to call from labor to refreshment, in the 
 actual sense of the word ; relics of which custom may 
 still be met with in the shape of brightly-poHshed 
 coffee-urns, inclosed in glass, and suspended on the 
 North wall of the Lodge-room. Among a people who 
 push things to such extremes as we do, conviviality 
 must necessarily be abused, and that it was so, even 
 when it flourished, we find from the songs pubhshed 
 for use on those occasions, among which are several 
 containing sneering allusions to those " who only go 
 to Lodge to eat and drink." The practice, we are 
 happy to say, has now fallen into disuse ; the senti- 
 ment of the Craft is against it ; and, that it may not 
 be renewed, some at least of the Grand Lodges have 
 forbidden by statute the introduction into the lodge- 
 room or its precincts of any refreshment but water. 
 
 In those days, the Stewards were officers of great 
 importance, being charged, as the name impHes, with 
 the duty of procuring the suppKes and dispensing 
 them to the brethren as occasion required. Li addi- 
 tion to the principal duties of their office, they w^ere 
 also required to assist the other officers in the recep- 
 tion of visiting brethren, in the ceremonies pertain- 
 ing to the several degrees, and in the dispensation of 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 133 
 
 the Lodge charities * The office is still nominally 
 retained in a majority of all the Lodges working in 
 the so-called Yorh rite^ but in some jurisdictions the 
 name of Master of Ceremonies is substituted, and it is 
 probable that at no distant day that will become the 
 accepted title of the officers in question. With the 
 change of name, there has been some change in the 
 routine of their duties. They do not nowjnake any 
 preparation for refreshments, nor do they have any- 
 thing to do with the collection of dues, that being 
 entirely in the hands of the Secretary, but in the 
 reception of visitors and candidates, they are of great 
 importance. Our remarks on the attention to visit- 
 ors, in the preceding section, will apply with equal 
 force to these officers : their polite attentions and 
 fraternal greetings on such occasions will rarely fail 
 of appreciation by those to whom they are addressed ; 
 so, too, with candidates : if the duties of the Masters 
 of Ceremonies are discharged in a courteous and 
 
 * In the Webb installation sernce, (edition of 1816,) the duties 
 of the Stewards are defined to be, *'To assist in the collection of 
 dues and subscriptions, to keep an account of the Lodge expenses, 
 to see that the tables are properly furnished at refreshment, and 
 that every brother is suitably provided for ; and generally to assist 
 the Deacons and other officers in performing their respective du- 
 ties." Nothing is said of Masters of Ceremonies, which fact suffi- 
 ciently demonstrates that the change of name is one of extremely 
 modern invention. 
 
134 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 kindly manner, the effect to be thereby produced on 
 the mind of the novice will be correspondingly favor- 
 able ; and, from this point of view, it is clearly the 
 duty of the Master, in the appointment of these 
 officers, to select brethren who by their manners are 
 capable of inducing a favorable opinion of the Lodge 
 in whose behalf they act, and of the Fraternity in 
 general. 
 
 THE TTLER. 
 
 This is one of the four indispensable officers of a 
 Lodge, and one whose functions and responsibilities 
 have undergone no change.* He is generally, except 
 where the By-laws provide a different method, ap- 
 pointed by the Master, and, from the necessities of 
 his position, takes no part in the business of the 
 Lodge, and is not required to be a member of the 
 Lodge for which he acts. The very first duty of the 
 brethren, when about to commence their labors, is to 
 be certain that the Tyler is at his post ; for without 
 that certainty, no labor could be felt to be secure 
 from the interruptions of cowans and eavesdroppers. 
 He is the sentinel on the outposts, upon whose sleep- 
 less vigilance we depend for security. But while he 
 is to be cautious and vigilant in preventing the ap- 
 
 * Except, perhaps, in the spelling of his title — Ti-ler — a mod- 
 ernism against which we respectfully protest. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 135 
 
 proach of those who have not the necessary qualifi- 
 cations, he should also be courteous in his demeanor 
 to all who may have occasion to address him. Po- 
 liteness is not an expensive commodity, and every 
 Tyler may, therefore, provide himself with an abund- 
 ant supply, and find his profit in using it freely. The 
 notion, which some Tylers we have met with seem to 
 entertain, that it is a portion of their duty to imitate 
 the fabled Cerberus, is a fallacy that ought to be 
 exploded. "We have read of an executioner, who took 
 off the heads of his victims with the most winning 
 affability, and we know of no reason why a Tyler 
 should be any more gruff than an executioner. Let 
 him, if he will, imitate the conscript, who refused to 
 allow the Emperor to pass without the countersign, 
 but let him do it in a becoming manner, suffering 
 none to pass without permission, but not acting as 
 though he were bound to regard every one approach- 
 ing him as desirous to pass his station at all hazards. 
 The Tyler is generally required, in addition to the 
 duty of guarding the outer door, to serve all notices 
 and summons, to take care of the jewels and imple- 
 ments against next preparation night, and in all 
 things to be guided by the will and pleasure of the 
 "Worshipful Master. 
 
136 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 « 
 
 OTHER OFFICERS. 
 
 The officers above enumerated are all that, strictly 
 speaking, can be said to be required in a Ma- 
 sonic Lodge, or to have any real official status in it ; 
 but while these are necessary to make a perfect 
 Lodge, it is left to the discretion of the brethren to 
 name others, which is, in most cases, done to give a 
 quasi official station to some brother or brethren 
 whom the Lodge desire in that way to honor. Thus, 
 when a minister of the Gospel is initiated in or affil- 
 iates with a Lodge, it is not uncommon for the Mas- 
 ter to appoint him Chaplain^ and place in his charge 
 the religious ceremonies of the society. There is a 
 propriety in this that commends the practice. The 
 prayers and invocations of the ritual are more solemn 
 and effective when pronounced by one who is known 
 to have received holy orders. We may even go fur- 
 ther, and say that, when it is possible to secure the 
 services of such a brother, it ought always to be 
 done ; it being understood that if he really love Ma- 
 sonry, he will, in the discharge of his duties, exem- 
 plify only " that Eeligion in which all men agree," 
 leaving the particular opinions of the brethren to 
 themselves. 
 
 For similar reasons, we have known a brother to 
 be appointed Pliysidan to his Lodge. We could 
 
MASONIC JUKISPRUDENCE. 137 
 
 never imagine any Masonic reason for the crea- 
 tion of such an office, except, perhaps, that his 
 professional talents might be called into operation 
 in the examination of the physical qualifications 
 of candidates. 
 
 Some Lodges appoint a llarshal, who is to take 
 charge of all processions and public ceremonials of 
 the Lodge. If these occasions were of frequent oc- 
 currence — as, happily, they are not — it might be well 
 to have an officer who would make himself competent 
 to officiate ; but as it is, when Lodges do appear in 
 pubHc — as at a funeral, for instance — a temporary 
 appointment seems to answer all the requirements. 
 
 The Board of Trustees, though not really officers, 
 but rather a kind of standing committee, occupy most 
 important relations to the Lodge, particularly when, 
 by a long and successful career, its funds and prop- 
 erties have accumulated to a considerable amount. 
 Lodges, under our civil law, not being incorporated, 
 are not recognized as having a legal status, or the 
 rights that ensue : hence, they cannot acquire or 
 dispose of real estate, or invest their funds, except 
 through the agency of Trustees. It is, therefore, of 
 moment that not only should such a Board exist, but 
 that it should be composed of prudent and discreet 
 brethren, who will appreciate the confidential nature 
 of the trust reposed in them, and be governed not 
 
138 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 only by a high sense of honor, but by a desu*e to 
 forward the best interests of their Lodge. The first 
 and strongest claim upon the capital of a Masonic 
 Lodge is that of a worthy brother in distress, or that 
 of his widow or orphans in destitute circumstances. 
 Money for such a purpose loses its ordinary charac- 
 ter, and becomes a trust, sacred as the fires of Vesta, 
 and he who wrongfully appropriates or carelessly 
 administers it, acquires, at the same time, the con- 
 tempt of every right-minded Mason. 
 
 It is usual for the Lodge property to be placed in 
 the custody of the Trustees, and they also receive and 
 invest, as the Lodge may direct, all its surplus funds. 
 
 The manner of their appointment and their tenure 
 of office depend altogether upon the By-laws of the 
 Lodge. 
 
 SECTION XL -ELECTIONS. 
 
 Of the officers named in the preceding section, the 
 Master, Wardens, Treasurer, and Secretary are, as a 
 general rule, required to be elected by ballot. The 
 others are elected or appointed, as the Constitution 
 of the Grand Lodge may permit or the By-laws direct. 
 In England, only the Master and Treasurer are elected 
 by ballot, the remaining officers, except the Tyler, 
 being appointed by the Master. 
 
 The elections are required to be held annually, at 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 139 
 
 such time as may be prescribed by the Eegulations 
 of tlie Grand Lodge ; generally at tbe stated commu- 
 nication next preceding the festival of St. John the 
 Evangelist (27th of December), though in some cases 
 on the day of the festival itself, and the installation 
 must either take place at once, or within some rea- 
 sonable period thereafter. Until such installation 
 takes place, it is a settled rule that the old officers 
 hold over, the installation being the completion of 
 the election, and the contract — so to speak — on the 
 part of the officer not only to accept the election, but 
 faithfully to discharge the duties of his office for the 
 term of one year, or until his successor has fulfilled 
 the like conditions; for which reason, as we have 
 already stated, an installed officer cannot and ought 
 not to resign. It is doubtful whether there is any 
 law for this, older than the present century, but it is 
 a regulation universally sanctioned in the United 
 States, and it has, therefore, all the force of a Land- 
 mark. 
 
 Should a Subordinate Lodge, from any cause, fail 
 to comply with the Grand Lodge Eegulations, as to 
 the time of election, it has no authority within itself 
 to correct the default, but must apply to the Grand 
 Master or his Deputy for a Dispensation to authorize 
 an election at a time other than that specified in the 
 Constitution. 
 
140 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 At every election, each member of the Lodge in 
 good standing is entitled to one vote. On this point, 
 two questions have been extensively argued : — Ist, 
 Who is the judge, and what is good standing, so far 
 as it is applicable to voting at an election for officers? 
 and, 2d, Are blank ballots, cast at such an election, 
 votes? These questions are of sufficient importance 
 to warrant their examination in this place. 
 
 It is held, by one side, that a member is in good 
 standing for all purposes, so long as his name remains 
 upon the roll, or so long as he has not, after due trial, 
 been suspended or expelled for immasonic conduct : 
 and by the other — with which we agree — that a Lodge 
 has a right to inflict a lesser penalty than suspension 
 for a delinquency that may be provided for in its By- 
 laws. It is admitted that a Lodge has a right to re- 
 quire the payment of an annual sum (called dues) by 
 each of its members, the amount of which, and the 
 manner of its payment, is of necessity left to the 
 Lodge. In Lodges where such dues are exacted,* 
 it is now the common practice to insert a clause in 
 the By-laws, depriving those in arrears for a specified 
 period of their votes at elections for officers, until 
 such arrearages have been paid. Now, we cannot 
 understand why, if a Lodge has the right to enact a 
 
 * In Khode Island, and, we think, Connecticut, the members 
 of Lodges are not required to pay dues. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 141 
 
 By-law requiring the payment of dues, it should not 
 also have the right to punish, by a reasonable penalty, 
 a neglect or refusal to comply with the law. Every 
 Master Mason is informed at his raising that, after 
 signing the By-laws, he will be considered a member 
 in good standing, entitled to all the rights and privi- 
 leges of the Lodge, and subject to all its rules and 
 regulations. The Lodge here evidently reserves the 
 right to judge of his good standing in the future by 
 putting him in mind of his obligation to " stand to 
 and abide by" the rules and regulations. He signs 
 the official copy of the By-laws, in token of his assent 
 to their provisions, and of his intention to maintain 
 them ; he is furnished with a copy, (and if he does 
 not read it, the fault is his,) and thus he is fairly held 
 to know them, (just as, in the State, every citizen is 
 assumed to know the law, and cannot plead ignorance 
 of it as a justification of its infraction,) and to accept 
 of certain privileges — among which is the right to 
 vote — on condition of the performance of certain acts 
 by him. It is, therefore, submitted that, in all fair- 
 ness, a member who fails or neglects to pay his dues 
 as required by the By-laws, violates a promise volun- 
 tarily given by him, and has no right to complain of 
 the enforcement of a penalty, which he had likewise 
 agreed to in advance, and the disability accruing 
 from which can be removed at once by the payment 
 
142 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 of a sum justly due. It will be understood, as a 
 matter of course, that where the non-payment arises 
 from positive inability, it would not come within the 
 terms of the regulation, because it would then be 
 neither refusal nor neglect. The right to vote for 
 the officers of a Lodge is evidently a household mat- 
 ter, and, strictly speaking, concerns only the members 
 of the particular Lodge : it is but just, therefore, that 
 they should control a subject in which they alone are 
 directly interested. 
 
 The ballot for candidates is widely different : in 
 that case, it is a landmark that every brother present 
 should give his consent, and no By-law can change 
 a fundamental law ; but the rules governing the elec- 
 tion of officers, being of modern date, are subject to 
 no such restriction. For these reasons, we are of 
 opinion that the Lodge is the judge of the qualifica- 
 tion of its own voters, and that a brother who has 
 willfully neglected or refused to comply with the By- 
 law which requires the payment of arrearages as a 
 qualification to vote at an election for officers, is not 
 a quaUfied voter, and, to that extent, not in good 
 standing. 
 
 Secondly. Are blank ballots, cast at an election for 
 officers, votes? We think they are, and our reasons 
 are few, and easily comprehended. Let us first ex- 
 plain that, by a ballot, we understand a sKp of paper, 
 
MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 143 
 
 when the election is for officers ; when it is for candi- 
 dates, we use the same word to signify white and 
 black balls, used for the purpose of voting. A ballot 
 represents a brother's vote, which is the expression 
 of whatever opinion he may entertain, and which he 
 has a right to express without let or hindrance. 
 Every quahfied voter is entitled to one vote, and the 
 successful candidate must have a majority of all the 
 votes cast. Now, suppose an election about to take 
 place, the first thing is to ascertain the number of 
 voters, suppose we say twenty, of which eleven would 
 of course be necessary to the success of any candi- 
 date. The roll is called, and every brother having 
 deposited his ballot, the tellers announce twenty 
 votes ; they proceed to canvass, and find that John 
 Smith has ten votes, WilHam Brown nine, and that 
 there is one blank. Under these circumstances, there 
 could be no election; for no one could be said to 
 have received a majority of all the votes cast, nor 
 could the brother who deposited the blank ballot be 
 lawfully deprived of his franchise : he had a right to 
 vote as he pleased, and because there was no name 
 on the sHp of paper used by him, it was none the 
 less his vote, and had been formally deposited by him 
 as such. Suppose that, instead of an absolute blank, 
 he had written the name of Mary Smith upon it ; 
 there would then be no question as to its being a 
 
144 PRINCIPLES AND PBACTICE OF 
 
 vote ; yet Mary Smith could not, by any possibility, 
 be a candidate, and a vote for such a personage would 
 be just as much a vote thrown away, as a blank would 
 be. Take another view : Suppose Smith to have re- 
 ceived eleven votes, and blank nine. Could it be 
 pretended that Smith would be unanimously elected? 
 Certainly not ; for there would be nine voters, who, 
 although they did not choose to vote for any one else, 
 clearly did not vote for him, and yet the expression 
 of their opinion could not be ignored. The true rule 
 is, to ascertain the whole number of votes cast, and 
 then require the successful candidate to have received 
 a majority of that number, whether the minority be 
 blanks or otherwise. When, on a question pending, 
 the vote is taken by ballot, blank ballots are always 
 counted as in the afl&rmative. 
 
 It is held that, as nominations for office are permit- 
 ted in the Grand Lodge, by analogy, it is proper to 
 nominate in the subordinate. As there is no law 
 against such a practice, there is nothing to prevent 
 it but the good sense of the brethren, which, so far as 
 our experience goes, has prevailed, though we know 
 there are jurisdictions where the practice of nomina- 
 tions is common. To our mind, the idea of making 
 open nominations for the officers, at an election in a 
 particular Lodge, is utterly repugnant — at complete 
 variance with that calm dignity which ought to char- 
 
 V 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 145 
 
 acterize all the proceedings. It reduces us at once 
 to the level of the ordinary associations of men, and 
 divests us of an attribute to which we ought to cling 
 with immovable tenacity. Moreover, it is a practice 
 for which necessity cannot be urged. The custom of 
 caUing off for a few moments, previous to depositing 
 the ballots, affords an opportunity for consultation, 
 and then, labor being resumed, the silent ballot is 
 more in accordance with the spirit of the Craft than 
 a resort to the practices of the outside world could 
 be. We have been present at a great many elections 
 in Subordinate Lodges, but never yet at one where 
 open nominations were made, and it appears to us 
 that such an act would shock our idea of the propri- 
 eties of such occasions. We earnestly hope that no 
 Lodge will commence the practice, and that those 
 that have been accustomed to it will see the propriety 
 of its speedy abandonment. 
 
 Much has been written to prove that a brother 
 elected or appointed to oJB&ce is bound to serve. It 
 is sufficient to say, that there is no law for such as- 
 sertion, but that every Mason is free to accept office 
 or not. When, however, a brother has been chosen 
 to aid in the labors of the Lodge, in any station for 
 which his capacities fit him, he ought, if possible, 
 to accept, and thus prove that he has its weKare at 
 heart. 
 7 
 
146 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 The results of an election should be immediately 
 communicated by the Secretary to the Grand Secre- 
 tary, under his official seal. 
 
 Elections are always to be held in a Lodge opened 
 on the third degree. 
 
 In some Lodges, the Treasurer and Secretary are 
 required to receive and canvass the ballots ; but it is 
 a better rule to appoint tellers from among the breth- 
 ren, leaving the officers to occupy their respective 
 stations. ^ 
 
 SECTION m.- INSTALLATION. 
 
 The ceremony of installation, which, as we have 
 already remarked, is the completion of the election, 
 is, therefore, indispensable to the officers elect ; for 
 without it they cannot legally enter upon the duties 
 of their respective offices. For this reason, it should 
 be performed at the earliest convenient time after 
 the completion of the balloting. 
 
 The act of installation, as wiU be seen by reference 
 to the Manucdy consists of the presentation of the 
 officers elect to the installing officer, on whose demand 
 the brethren acknowledge that they are the persons 
 elected, and that they (the brethren) remain satisfied 
 mth their choice. (This is the proper time to make 
 objections, if any are to be made, against any irreg- 
 ularity that may have occurred on the balloting ; for 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 147 
 
 it is held tliat if the installation be allowed to proceed 
 without objection, it will then be too late to make 
 complaint.) In a covenant by the officers elect, 
 faithfully to discharge the duties of the several trusts 
 for the term of their election. In the pubHc ac- 
 knowledgment by the Master elect of his acceptance 
 of and submission to the Charges and Eegulations, 
 as Masters have done in all ages before him. In an 
 appropriate Charge to the Master and each of the 
 officers. And, finally, in rendering homage and due 
 respect to the new officers. 
 
 All these ceremonies, except the qualification of 
 the officers, may be performed in public; and we 
 speak from much experience when we say, that the 
 effect of such a course, where properly conducted, is 
 always beneficial — as tending to convince the world 
 that the duties and responsibilities exacted of our 
 officers are of a nature to be commended ; that we 
 seek to maintain no greater secrecy as to our pro- 
 ceedings than is necessary to preserve the institution 
 from innovation ; and, as having a tendency, by re- 
 quiring the officers to assume their trusts in the 
 presence of their families and friends, to impress 
 with greater force upon their minds the serious 
 nature of their undertaking. PubHc intallations may 
 be enlivened with appropriate music, and should be 
 accompanied by an address, in which the nature and 
 
148 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 design of Freemasonry and other kindred subjects 
 may be treated. 
 
 It is the province of the retiring Master to install 
 his successor, but he may, if he please, delegate this 
 power to any Past Master, but not to any brother of 
 inferior rank ; or, if desired, the new Master, after 
 his own installation, may install the other officers. 
 
 There are some who hold that, in case of reelection, 
 no installation is needed ; but when we reflect that 
 the election and the covenant are for a specified term, 
 we must admit that, with the close of the term, the 
 obhgation ends, and that, therefore, a new election, 
 beginning as it does a new term, requires a new 
 covenant and a corresponding installation ; nor do 
 we appreciate the assertion that a man cannot be his 
 own successor ; for he commences the new term just 
 as any other person would, or just as if he had never 
 occupied the station before. We apprehend that 
 where a President of the United States or the Gov- 
 ernor of a State is reelected, he is required to again 
 assume the oath of office, as though he had never 
 been inaugurated before, and the cases are exactly 
 parallel. 
 
 There are some jurisdictions where installation is 
 allowed to be assumed by proxy. The majority of 
 Grand Lodges are, however, averse to such proceed- 
 ing ; and we do not see how a man can t^e upon 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 149 
 
 himself an obligation by the lips of another, or how 
 he could be legally held for the infraction of a vow- 
 he had not personally pronounced. 
 
 Immediately after the installation, the retiring 
 officers transfer to their successors all the books, 
 money, and property of the Lodge that may have 
 been in their possession. 
 

 %.o 
 
 Of 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 The assemblies of a Lodge, teclmically termed 
 COMMUNICATIONS, are of two kinds — cdlled and stated. 
 
 Called meetings, or meetings of emergency, are 
 entirely within the discretion of the Master, or of the 
 Warden acting in his absence, as to time, but they 
 are required to be held at the place usually occupied 
 by the Lodge. As a general rule, no business can 
 be transacted at such meetings, except that stated 
 in the summons or call ; but there are some things 
 that cannot be done there, even if mentioned in 
 the summons: as, the presentation of petitions for 
 initiation or adjoining ; the appointment of commit- 
 tees to act on such petitions ; the ballot on report of 
 committees of investigation, previously appointed at 
 a stated communication ; the dispensation of charity, 
 or any other disposal of the Lodge funds. This last 
 item, and perhaps some others, may be considered in 
 a called Lodge, but they can only be finally and law- 
 fully acted upon at a stated communication. Li like 
 manner, the minutes may be read and corrected, if 
 necessary, but they can only be confirmed at a fol- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 151 
 
 lowing regular assembly. The legitimate action of a 
 called meeting may, therefore, be said to be limited 
 to, the conferring of degrees on candidates previ- 
 ously regularly elected, the giving instruction in the 
 work and lectures, and the public ceremonials of the 
 Craft, as Dedications, Installations, and the burial of 
 the dead. 
 
 Stated meetings are the regular assemblies of the 
 Lodge at the time and place named in the Warrant, 
 and more particularly specified in the By-laws. They 
 should occur at least once in each calendar month, 
 and not more than twice in the same period of time. 
 We are aware that some of the finest and most flour- 
 ishing Lodges hold weekly communications ; but we 
 think that, all things considered, it will be found 
 wisest not to make too frequent calls upon the time 
 and attention of the members, lest, in the end, they 
 weary of a pleasure too frequently enjoyed, and little 
 by little lose their interest in the Lodge and in the 
 institution. It is difficult to maintain the interest in 
 weekly meetings, except by a constant succession of 
 " work," which is wearisome to the officers and dan- 
 gerous to the Lodge ; for there is less likelihood of 
 careful examination into the qualifications of candi- 
 dates, and of due proficiency before advancement, 
 where the staple attraction is the conferring of de- 
 grees, for which other and more important matters 
 
152 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 must, almost, of necessity, be sacrificed. Let us not 
 be misunderstood : we do not assert that such is al- 
 ways tlie case, but that it is so, sometimes, we know ; 
 that it may be so frequently, there is danger. One 
 evil alone that grows out of weekly meetings, more 
 than counterbalances all the good to be expected of 
 them, and that is, the reception of a petition at one 
 meeting, and the report of committee, ballot for, 
 and initiation of a candidate at the next ; or with 
 the lapse of only seven days between the petition of 
 a candidate and his actual initiation into the Frater- 
 nity. We know that this is done in New York, and 
 it is within the letter of the Constitution, but it is 
 so near making Masons at sight, that the difference 
 is hardly worth mentioning. Anything less than a 
 month between the petition and the ballot is a viola- 
 tion of the Old Kegulations; and although Grand 
 Lodge Constitutions may permit an abbreviation of 
 that time. Lodges should, for their own safety and 
 stabihty, waive the privilege, and act upon the old 
 law. They will be the better enabled to do this, by 
 having their stated meetings less frequently than 
 once a week. Finally, if it is thought indispensable 
 to hold weekly meetings, let the first one in each 
 month be the stated communication, devoted to the 
 legislative business of the Lodge, and the others, 
 special meetings for the conferring of degrees and 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 163 
 
 exemplification of tlie work and lectures ; both the 
 business and work would thus stand a chance of being 
 well done, and the value of the maxim, that " Masonry 
 is never in a hurry," be made manifest. 
 
 The first business at all meetings, after the con- 
 gregation of the Lodge, is, of course, the formula of 
 opening, which we take occasion to say should never 
 be performed in a slovenly manner, nor hastily slur- 
 red over, but given in ample detail, for the benefit of 
 the uninstructed brethren, and for the credit of the 
 Lodge and its officers. The introduction of music 
 in this, as well as in other appropriate portions of the 
 ceremonies, is, in our judgment, to be highly com- 
 mended. When well performed, either by the united 
 voices of the brethren, or with the accompaniment of 
 an organ or harmonium, it seems to predispose the 
 mind to the exercise of those qualities that ought 
 especially to distinguish the assembhes of the Craft. 
 There are those who object to it, because it is made 
 the means of introducing some inelegant doggerel, 
 but we are inclined to regard the sentiment, rather 
 than the versification of what we sing : if the idea 
 sought to be inculcated is correct, and the music 
 good, the rhyme is of small consequence. 
 
 There is a practice in many Lodges of calling the 
 roll of officers immediately after the Lodge is declared 
 open, which, although it has no legal sanction, is 
 
154 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 nevertheless not without its use as an inducement to 
 those brethren to be promptly at their stations, that 
 they may answer when called, and by their example 
 lead the members generally to be punctual in their 
 attendance. 
 
 The business of the meeting always commences by 
 the reading of the minutes of the last stated com- 
 munication, and of those of any special meeting that 
 may have intervened, that the latter may be approved, 
 and that the Lodge may be governed by the former 
 as to any unfinished business requiring its attention, 
 as reports of standing or special committees, or any 
 other item of Lodge business. Li this respect, the 
 qualities of a good Secretary will at once be mani- 
 fested by the orderly arrangement of the various 
 topics that may have been acted upon at the previous 
 communication. Some Secretaries write their entire 
 minutes in one paragraph, as if the economy of half 
 a sheet of paper that might be consumed in properly 
 displaying them would materially affect the Lodge 
 revenues. Properly, each item should form a sepa- 
 rate paragraph, and when one is finished, a blank 
 line should be left before commencing another. A 
 wide margin is also to be recommended, that brief 
 notes may be written opposite the important para- 
 graphs, to indicate their tenor. The object of these 
 marginal notes is, to enable the Secretary or others 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 165 
 
 to discover the record of any particular circumstance 
 without being obliged to read through the whole body 
 of the minutes. Brevity — that is, so much as is con- 
 sistent with clearness — ought to be the aim of the 
 brother who writes the minutes ; neatness and system 
 in their arrangement always attract commendation. 
 At the bottom of the last page of the minutes of each 
 communication should be entered, in fuU, the names 
 of all brethren who have paid money to the Secretary, 
 and opposite to their names the amount so paid, as 
 also the items of disbursement ordered by the Lodge. 
 These items, when so entered, are convenient for 
 reference ; and after having been read to and ap- 
 proved by the Lodge, are vouchers of the Secretary's 
 correctness. Finally, the Master is to observe that 
 the record is correct, both as to what is written and 
 what is omitted, before he allows it to be confirmed. 
 After the reading of the minutes, the proper oppor- 
 tunity is afforded for the admission of visitors, as it 
 can then be done with less interruption to the pro- 
 ceedings, than when the Lodge has entered upon the 
 transaction of its regular business. No alarm should 
 be attended to during the ceremony of opening or 
 closing ; during the reading of the minutes ; while a 
 brother is addressing the Lodge, or while the Master 
 is engaged in conferring degrees; nor should any 
 countenance be given to the practice of entering or 
 
156 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 retiring from the Lodge dining the most solenm paxt 
 of the ceremonies. A proper respect for the Master 
 and the proprieties of such occasions ought in them- 
 selves to be a sufficient restraint ; but when they fail, 
 the authority of the Master should at once be inter- 
 posed. Visitors may, of course, be admitted at any 
 time, if the Master choose to allow it ; but it is better 
 for all concerned that brethren should be at the hall 
 at the time appointed for the opening, in order that 
 they may be examined, if necessary, and admitted at 
 an early period of the communication. 
 
 Behavior, in the Lodge and out of it, is so fully 
 treated in the sixth of the Ancient Charges, that we 
 need do no more in this place than refer to that 
 authority. 
 
 The method of voting depends upon the subject 
 on which the vote is to be taken : thus, in elections 
 of candidates and officers, ballots are used, which, in 
 one case, are slips of paper, on which the voter writes 
 his preference, or which he leaves blank ; in the other, 
 white and black balls, the white being used to signify 
 the affirmative, or consent ; the black, the negative, 
 or rejection. On all other questions, the vote is usu- 
 ally taken by uplifted hands, which, if required, the 
 Deacons count. Much argument has been wasted in 
 the attempt to demonstrate the proper hand to be 
 aplifted — some inclining to the right ; others, with 
 
MASONIC JUBISPRUDENCE. 157 
 
 equal plausibility, to the left. We have never been 
 able to perceive that it makes any difference which 
 hand is used. 
 
 Much of the Lodge business is performed, in its 
 details, by reference to committees. Committees are 
 of two kinds — standing and special. Standing com- 
 mittees are usually appointed on electioii night, and 
 serve for the official year — the purpose of their ap- 
 pointment being indicated by the By-laws. Special 
 committees are named as occasion may require, and 
 are generally discharged when the particular item of 
 business placed in their charge is disposed of. All 
 committees are appointed by the Master, unless he 
 waive the right. It is the custom for the brother 
 first named in the appointment of a committee to act 
 as Chairman. Reports of committees should always 
 be reduced to writing, not only to avoid any misun- 
 derstanding as to their sentiments, but for the con- 
 venience of the Secretary and that of the brethren. 
 All members of committees are in honor bound to 
 the faithful discharge of the trust imposed on them, 
 and should make their report with all proper exacti- 
 tude and dispatch. 
 
 In the discussions that sometimes arise in a Lodge 
 it is, as we have already shown, the prerogative of 
 the Master to mark the limits of debate, and keep 
 the brethren within them. Few men, however, aro 
 
168 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 gifted with the powers of discrimination necessary to 
 the exercise of so difficult a supervision, and, there- 
 fore, some rules are sought for which shall suffice to 
 keep the debate within due bounds, and their ob- 
 servance be at once a restraint on the brethren and 
 an assistance to the presiding officer. The mind 
 thus naturally reverts to what is termed " Parhament- 
 ary law," and the question arises, " How far may it 
 safely be used in the business of a Masonic Lodge?" 
 This question has been most ably and satisfactorily 
 answered by M. W. Bro. Benjamin B. French, in an 
 article pubHshed in the American Quarterly Eeview 
 of Freemasonry. We feel that we are doing the 
 Craft a service by transferring to these pages its 
 most important suggestions. 
 
 "No body of men," (says Bro. French,) "no matter how 
 small, or how well disposed to be orderly it may be, can be 
 kept in order for the transaction of business, and the debate 
 which necessarily accompanies it, without a presiding officer; 
 and no presiding officer, be his talent and capacity for pre- 
 siding what they may, can keep order unless he be governed 
 by fixed rules and principles, admitted to be binding by those 
 over whom he presides. Therefore, we find the custom to be 
 universal, after the organization of any assembly of individ- 
 uals, of adopting rules for government, by which they impose 
 a duty on their presiding officer of administering, and on 
 themselves of obeying, the rules thus made. In ordinary 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 159 
 
 public bodies, these rules are temporary, lasting only during 
 the legal existence of the body which they are formed to 
 govern. The House of Representatives of the United States 
 becomes a new legislative body every two years, and is only 
 governed by the general parliamentary law until either the 
 rules of the preceding House are adopted, or a new code 
 formed. The Senate, being a permanent body, is always 
 governed by the same rules until it sees fit to alter or renew 
 them. 
 
 '* Masonic bodies are somewhat like the Senate, in this 
 latter particular. When once formed, they remain Lodges, 
 Chapters, etc., forever. Therefore, the rules and regulations 
 by which they are to be governed, ought to be permanent 
 and uniform. I have noticed, within a few years, a new 
 feature adopted by some of the governing Masonic bodies, 
 in the formation of * model by-laws,' on which the Subordi- 
 nates are to found their codes. This is an excellent plan, 
 inasmuch as it tends to create a uniformity of government in 
 the jurisdictions wherein it operates. But by-laws are one 
 thing, and rules of government, while the body is assembled 
 for business, another. 
 
 " My design in this paper is to present my own views in 
 relation to the application of regular parliamentary law, so 
 far as it will apply to the government of Masonic bodies. 
 
 " The term Parliamentary Law originated by being the 
 designation of the peculiar law which governed and governs 
 the proceedings of the British Parliament. Laws and rules 
 adopted by that body became by degrees the governing law 
 of all deliberative assemblies, so far as they would apply: 
 
160 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP ^ 
 
 and as soon as our forefathers so far established governments 
 on this side of the Atlantic as to need rules and regulations, 
 they adopted those of the mother-country ; and thus the law 
 of parliament became, in a measure, the governing law of 
 American deliberative assemblies; and the law of parliament 
 has come to be a general term, applicable to all well-estab- 
 lished rules and regulations adopted by legislatures. 
 
 " The dictum of Hatsell — the best English authority on 
 precedents extant — that ' it is much more material that there 
 should be a rule to go by, than what that rule is,' is a sound 
 principle, and applies as well to the government of a Masonic 
 Lodge as to the House of Commons of Great Britain. 
 
 "All regular meetings of Masonic bodies are fixed by their 
 by-laws, and the records of the body should always show, 
 either that the meeting was held, or the reason why it was 
 not. It is well known to every well-informed Freemason, 
 that a certain number must be present before a Lodge can 
 be opened, and that it requires also the presence of certain 
 ofiBcers: therefore, no parliamentary rule applies to the con- 
 vening of a Lodge. The rule, that a faithful record shall be 
 kept of what is proper to be written, is a Masonic one; and 
 the period of no regular meeting should be suffered to pass, 
 even though the Lodge be not opened, without a statement, 
 as full as may be, on the record-book, giving the facts as they 
 occurred, that when the proper inspecting oflBcer makes his 
 annual visit, be may see as well what has been omitted to be 
 done that ought to have been done, and the reasons therefor, 
 as what has actually been done. 
 
 *' The Lodge having been duly opened, it becomes at onca 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 161 
 
 a deaberative assembly for any business that may legitimately 
 come before it. The Master is the presiding officer, and the 
 floor is open, under the restrictions of the by-laws, to any 
 member who may desire to submit any proposition proper for 
 consideration. And here the parliamentary rules apply in 
 all their force. 
 
 "I will here quote those rules, substituting the words 
 ' Master ' and ' Brother ' for Speaker and Member. 
 
 " When the Master is seated in his chair, every brother is 
 to sit in his place. 
 
 "When any brother means to speak, he is to stand up in 
 his place, and address himself, not to the Lodge, or any par- 
 ticular brother, but to the Master, who calls him by his name, 
 that the Lodge may take notice of who it is that speaks. 
 
 "When a brother stands up to speak, no question is to be 
 put; but he is to be heard. 
 
 " [This rule closes with the words, ' unless the House over- 
 rule him.' It is not customary or proper for the Lodge to 
 overrule any brother in debate. If the Master deem the 
 debate irrelevant, he has full power to call the brother to 
 order, and to keep him within the bounds of order, or to 
 silence him in a manner known only to Masons. From the 
 Master's decision there is no appeal to the Lodge.] " 
 
 " If two or more brethren rise to speak nearly together, 
 the Master determines who was first up, and calls him by 
 name; whereupon he proceeds, unless he voluntarily sits 
 down, and gives way to the other. 
 
 " [Here again the House can overrule the Speaker, and 
 
162 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 decide which member was first up. But the Lodge cannot 
 overrule the Master.] 
 
 *' By the parliamentary law, no one may speak more than 
 once, to the same question, on the same day. This is a very 
 wholesome provision, and, unless there be some particular 
 provision in the by-laws touching this point, it would be well 
 for the Master, when he thinks precious time is being wasted 
 in debate, to enforce it. This is a matter, however, that I 
 consider altogether discretionary with the Master, and in 
 which he should always be governed by the peculiar circum- 
 stances of the time. Explanation, as to what has been said, 
 is always permitted. 
 
 " If the Master rises to speak, the brother standing up 
 must sit down, that he may be first heard. 
 
 " No one is to speak impertinently or beside the question, 
 superfluously or tediously. 
 
 " No one is to disturb another in his speech by hissing, 
 coughing, spitting, or whispering to another, nor to stand up 
 or interrupt him; nor to pass between the Master and the 
 speaking brother, nor to go across the Lodge-room, nor to 
 walk up and down it. 
 
 " If a brother, in debate, use any improper language, any 
 brothei>raay call him to order, if the Master do not; and if 
 there is any dispute as to the language used, it would be 
 well to have the language -taken ^own by the brother calling 
 to order, that the Master may consider it carefully before 
 coming to a decision. 
 
 "As the rules of Freemasonry allow no appeal from the 
 Master to the Lodge, it behooves every Master to make his 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 163 
 
 decisions with great care, and after full consideration ; and, 
 although no appeal can be taken, the Master may, before 
 his decision, ask experienced members of the Lodge to aid 
 him with their opinions, and they are bound to respond. The 
 Master may, if he see fit, express an opinion to the Lodge, 
 and ask its advice, prior to making his decision. 
 
 "Any brother may present a petition to the Lodge, if 
 properly signed and vouched, at the time when petitions are 
 in order, or he may hand it to the Secretary, and have it 
 presented through him. After it is received, it is for the 
 Lodge to determine what is to be done with it. If no ques- 
 tion is made by any brother, the petition is referred to the 
 Master as a matter of course; and when reported upon, the 
 report is open to amendment and debate, and to final action 
 by the body to which it is made. 
 
 "Upon the presentation of a petition, any brother may 
 raise the question, and, in that case, the Master is bound to 
 put the question: 'Shall the petition be received?' If not 
 received, no further action can be had relative to it, and it 
 remains in the hands of the one who presented it, to be dis- 
 posed of as he thinks proper." 
 
 ********* 
 
 " * Committees of the Whole* are out of place in a Masonic 
 body. Lodges can only do business with the Master in the 
 chair ; for, let who will preside, he is, while occupying the 
 chair. Master — invested with supreme command, and em- 
 phatically 'governs the Lodge.' Any committee presupposes 
 a ' Chairman,' and no Freemason would feel at home, were 
 he presided over by a ' Chairman.' " 
 
164 PRINOIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 " There is a difference between accepting and adopting a 
 report. If nothing is said, it is considered as accepted as 
 soon as made. If it closes with resolutions, and the report 
 itself requires no definite legislation, the question is on agree- 
 ing to the resolutions. If the report itself embodies legisla- 
 tion, and there are also resolutions attached, the question is 
 on adopting the report, and agreeing to the resolutions. If 
 no resolutions are attached, and the report recommends no 
 action, its acceptance, either tacitly or by a vote, disposes of 
 it. If it requires action, then a vote must be taken on its 
 adoption, to make it binding. If it is upon a petition for 
 admission, no matter whether favorable or unfavorable, the 
 question is on proceeding to ballot for the candidate, unless 
 a motion is made to dispose of the report in some other 
 manner.* Reports may be recommitted at any time before 
 the final action upon them." * * * ♦ * 
 
 " Motions, in a Masonic body, are governed by precisely 
 the same rules as in a parliamentary body. Any member of 
 the body can make a motion, and it must be seconded by 
 another member, (the presiding officer can second it, if he 
 pleases,) before it is in possession of the body. If in order, 
 of which the presiding officer must be the judge, it is then 
 debatable, or may be put to the question, if no debate is 
 offered. If the presiding officer require it, all motions must 
 be put in writing before being acted upon. 
 
 Resolutions and Orders are governed by precisely the 
 
 * We can imagine no other disposition of such a report, except 
 to lie upon the table temporarily, or to recommit for further exam- 
 ination. Its final disposition must be by ballot, for the petition 
 on which it is based cannot be withdrawn. 
 
MASONIC JUBISPEUDENCE. 165 
 
 same rules as motions; they are often only motions reduced 
 to writing: for instance, a brother may move that the Lodge 
 proceed to ballot for a candidate, or he may introduce a 
 resolution in writing to do the same thing. Resolutions gen- 
 erally express opinions, and motions may apply to resolutions, 
 as ' a motion to amend,' * to lie upon the table,' ' to postpone,' 
 etc., but resolutions cannot apply to motions. 
 
 " Orders are only used when the body commands, as, * Or- 
 dered,^ that the Secretary do so and so, etc. 
 
 ** Freemasonry knows no 'previous question/ and no Ma- 
 sonic body should ever tolerate it." * * * 
 
 " The Masonic rule should be, that where well-settled par- 
 liamentary principles can be properly applied to the action 
 of Masonic bodies, they should always govern; but they 
 should never be introduced where they, in any way, interfere 
 with the established customs or landmarks of Masonry, or 
 with the high prerogatives of the Master." 
 
 To the above we subjoin, for the sake of complete- 
 ness, the following, by Dr. Mackey : 
 
 When a motion has once been made, and carried in the 
 affirmative or negative, it is in order for any member who 
 voted in the majority to move for a reconsideration thereof 
 at the same communication. 
 
 When an amendment is proposed, a member who has 
 already spoken to the main question may again speak to the 
 amendment. 
 
 When a blank is to be filled, and various propositions 
 have been made, the question must be taken first on the 
 highest sum or the latest time proposed. 
 
166 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Any member may call for a division of the question, which 
 division will take place, if a majority of the members consent. 
 
 A motion to lie on the table is not debatable. 
 
 A motion to adjoarn is unmasonic, and cannot be enter- 
 tained. 
 
 The business of the meeting is concluded by the 
 reading of the minutes, in order that any errors or 
 omissions may be corrected, while the brethren are 
 present who have taken part in the proceedings. 
 They are then approved, which being done, we hold 
 that they cannot subsequently be altered, even though 
 a mistake of omission or commission should be made 
 manifest. The reason is, that the minutes of a Lodge 
 are the legal record of its transactions, and on Ma- 
 sonic trials are admitted as evidence : if they were 
 subject to alteration at will, they could have no such 
 value, because there would then be no certainty that 
 the minutes produced were in the same condition 
 that they were at the time they were recorded. 
 Where a palpable error is ascertained, it can be 
 noted in the minutes of the next communication, 
 and when approved by the Lodge, will stand as the 
 legal correction of the former minutes. 
 
 Finally, the ceremony of closing is to be observed 
 with the same care as that of opening, and, as before 
 hinted, it should be the endeavor of Master and 
 brethren to have it always take place at a reasonably 
 early hour. 
 
or THt 
 
 ,MiVERSlTY 
 
 CHAPTEE YI 
 
 "We have, in a preyious chapter, stated our belief 
 in the doctrine that, as in the State, the original 
 sovereignty resides in the people, so in Masonry, it 
 belongs to the members of the subordinate or par- 
 ticular Lodges, but the extent to which it may be 
 exercised by its original custodians, is now a very 
 different matter from what it was previous to the 
 revival of 1717. At that period. Lodges being merely 
 temporary gatherings for the one purpose of confer- 
 ring the E. A. degree, membership and its conse- 
 quences, as now understood, were unknown. Each 
 individual acted for himself, and entirely without 
 control or restraint, nor were there any but the most 
 general relations between individual Masons, except 
 when a number gave 'their consent to the initiation 
 of a profane, and attended a meeting held under the 
 authority of the civil magistrates, to witness and 
 assist in the performance of that ceremony.^ The 
 
 * The four old Lodges, wliicli are so often referred to in con- 
 nection with, the formation of the Grand Lodge of England, would 
 seem to have been an exception, so far as permanent organizatioa 
 
168 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 great body of the Craft was then composed of Ap- 
 prentices, or Masons of the first degree, and the 
 Annual Assembly was a gathering of the whole Fra- 
 ternity, or so many of them as chose to attend. As 
 there were no permanent Lodges, each brother rep- 
 resented his own interest at the General Assembly, 
 and the legislation must necessarily have been of the 
 most primitive character. When, however, the Grand 
 Lodge was estabhshed, and Lodges became perma- 
 nent organizations, under authority of Warrants issu- 
 ing from the supreme body, the general powers which 
 had previously been exercised by individuals, were 
 merged in the Lodges, and their powers were in turn 
 circumscribed by delegation of a portion of their 
 rights to the superior authority of the Grand Lodge, 
 so that the individual sovereignty may now, in general 
 terms, be said to be only exercised in regard to can- 
 didates for initiation or adjoining, in the selection of 
 officers, and in instructing them for their government 
 in Grand Lodge. In those days, too, the Grand 
 Lodge reserved the right to confer the degrees of 
 Fellow Craft and Master Mason, the applications for 
 which, as the Fraternity increased in numbers and 
 
 is concerned. Their origin and transactions are, however, involved 
 in a great deal of mystery, which it is not in our power to clear 
 up. We are not writing history, and, therefore, only speak in a 
 general sense. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 169 
 
 new Lodges were formed, becoming too numerons 
 for its capacity, it was obliged to relieve itself of the 
 burden, by empowering the Lodges to confer the 
 whole three degrees, and confining itself to the func- 
 tions now exercised by Grand Lodges. 
 
 The result of this change has been, that in all 
 Lodges deriving their existence from the English 
 system, as ours do, Master Masons have taken the 
 place formerly occupied by Apprentices, though in 
 jurisdictions where the Scottish or Ancient and Ac- 
 cepted Eite prevails, the change is not so manifest ; 
 Apprentices in those jurisdictions still participating 
 in all the business of the Lodge, except conferring 
 the two superior degrees, and even holding office. 
 
 Lodges are, therefore, now composed of Entered 
 Apprentices, Fellow Crafts and Master Masons, and 
 the latter may be divided into two classes — affiliated 
 and non-affiliated. The officers are chosen from the 
 affiliated Master Masons, because they alone are in 
 reality members of the Lodge ; but, as we have al- 
 ready spoken of the officers, we shall be understood 
 as in this chapter referring particularly to what are 
 termed "floor members :" that is. Masons not hold- 
 ing any office, or, in military parlance, "the rank 
 and file." 
 
 As there are pecuHarities attached to each class, 
 we shall give each a separate consideration. 
 8 
 
170 PBINCIPLES AND PKACTICE OP 
 
 SECTION I. -ENTERED APPRENTICES. 
 
 The name applied to the brother who has received 
 the first degree of Masonry, appears to signify that 
 he is one who has entered the Fraternity, but only 
 in the character of a novice or apprentice ; and such 
 is in truth his present status. The profane who seeks 
 admission may be said to be a petitioner ; during his 
 initiation, he is a candidate ; and when the initiation 
 is completed, he is an Entered Apprentice. In the 
 Old Kegulations, initiation is held to be synonymous 
 with making a Mason — ^that is, an Apprentice ; and 
 the rules that apply to the maJcingSy&s they are term- 
 ed, refer only to the first degree : thus, the rule that 
 a Lodge may not make more than five new brethren 
 at the same time, means that not more than five per- 
 sons may be initiated at the same meeting. The 
 term "making" is never appHed to the other degrees, 
 in which the candidate is said to be passed or raised, 
 as the case may be. While, therefore, initiation 
 makes a man a Mason, it only confers upon him a 
 part of the rights and benefits of the Lodge, the full 
 privileges being reserved to the Master Masons. 
 
 An Entered Apprentice, not being a member, is 
 not required to pay dues, and cannot make any claim 
 upon the Lodge treasury ; nor is his family, should 
 he die before advancement, entitled to claim reKef, 
 as in the case of a member. 
 
MASONIC JURISPBUDENCE. 171 
 
 He may visit his own Lodge whenever opened on 
 the first degree, but he has no voice or vote in the 
 proceedings, nor can he serve on committees or hold 
 office. 
 
 He cannot travel masonically, nor visit other 
 Lodges, because he is not in possession of the means 
 of making himself known as a member in good stand- 
 ing. Apprentices are sometimes allowed to visit 
 other Lodges than their own, when accompanied and 
 vouched by a Master Mason ; but the practice is rep- 
 rehensible, and ought not to be allowed. Instruction 
 is due him in his own Lodge, and he should seek and 
 find it there before going abroad. 
 
 He cannot, in case of death, be interred with the 
 formahties of the institution ; neither can he be al- 
 lowed to take part in the procession on such occa- 
 sions, the Lodge, when convened for that pui*pose, 
 being always opened on the third or Master's degree. 
 
 He is particularly cautioned against entering into 
 argument with the uninitiated, because, from his 
 sHght knowledge, he is unable to speak correctly of 
 the society, and, in the heat of debate, may assert 
 that which has no existence in fact. 
 
 He has the right to apply for instruction in the 
 degree which has been conferred upon him, that, in 
 due time, he may be prepared to advance another 
 step in his profession. 
 
172 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 He has the right to apply for the next or Fellow 
 Craft degree,* but it does not follow that the Lodge 
 is obliged to grant the request ; for, in that case, the 
 body could exercise no discrimination, and the rule 
 which exacts suitable proficiency before advancement 
 would be void. It is, therefore, the custom, when an 
 Apprentice applies for the next higher degree, to 
 require him to submit to an examination, either in 
 open lodge or before a committee named for the pur- 
 pose, that it may be known that he is prepared, by a 
 knowledge of the degree already conferred, for ad- 
 vancement to another. When such examination is 
 satisfactory, it is usual for the Lodge to express its 
 willingness to advance him by a secret ballot, wherein 
 one negative vote rejects him, without, however, af- 
 fecting his standing as an Entered Apprentice. It is 
 simply a refusal to allow him to advance, but in no 
 wise interferes with his right to apply again. 
 
 We have known cases where, on the appHcation of 
 an Entered Apprentice for advancement, the negative 
 ballot has been held to be an absolute rejection, as 
 in the case of a profane, but there is a wide difference 
 between the two. The question, on the ballot for 
 advancement, is not whether the candidate shaU be 
 made a Mason, for that he already is, but simply 
 
 * Among French Masons, this is technically called "applying 
 for higher wages." 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 173 
 
 whetlier lie shall receive a higher degree, an^ 
 tmless cause be shown to the contrary, an expres- 
 sion of opinion by the Lodge as to the proficiency 
 already made. If a black ball appear, then some 
 brother thinks the candidate has not sufficiently pro- 
 gressed in knowledge to be advanced, which opinion 
 may be changed on another examination. But if it 
 be held that such a ballot is an absolute rejection, 
 then a Mason is condemned and executed — so to 
 speak — ^without any semblance of a trial, without any 
 charge being made, and without any proof being 
 adduced. No such doctrine can be entertained. If 
 there are reasons, other than want of proficiency, or, 
 in other words, reasons affecting the moral character 
 of the Apprentice, then, as a Mason, he has a right 
 to a fair trial, that he may, if possible, exculpate him- 
 self, or, in the event of his failure to do so, that he 
 may be placed in such position as will not only pre- 
 vent his advancement, but forbid the exercise of his 
 rights even as an Entered Apprentice. We say, then, 
 that an Apprentice is entitled to a trial, but it must 
 be understood that the trial is to be had before Mas- 
 ter Masons, acting as a committee, that the accused 
 may be present, and present his defence ; the final 
 decision will, however, be pronounced by the Lodge, 
 opened in the third degree, where the Apprentice 
 cannot enter. 
 
174 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 w Following this, is the right to appeal to the Grand 
 Lodge for a review of the proceedings ; for however 
 limited the rights of an Entered Apprentice may be, 
 he must be allowed their full enjoyment, and the use 
 of all lawful means he may deem essential to their 
 maintainance. Clearly, the right of appeal, after » 
 trial, is one that cannot be denied him. 
 
 In case of the removal of an Apprentice beyond 
 the jurisdiction of the Lodge in which he was ini- 
 tiated, and on the expression of his wish to receive 
 the remaining degrees at his new place of residence, 
 the mother-lodge may furnish him a certificate, set- 
 ting forth the fact of his regular initiation, together 
 with its consent that he be advanced in the Lodge 
 he may select. 
 
 Li conclusion, it should be stated that in some 
 Grand Lodge jurisdictions, laws prevail which are 
 not in accordance with the views here given : in those 
 jurisdictions, the local rule must be obeyed ; but such 
 cases are exceptions to the general law. 
 
 SECTION n. -FELLOW CRAFTS. 
 
 In former times, as will be seen by reference to the 
 Ancient Charges and Kegulations, Fellow Crafts were 
 capable of being chosen Wardens of a Lodge, and 
 even, at one time. Grand Master. That was when 
 the majority of the Fraternity were Apprentices ; but 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 175 
 
 when the riglit to confer tlie second and third degrees 
 was ceded to the Lodges by the Grand Lodge, and 
 Master Masons took the place of the Apprentices, the 
 rights previously enjoyed by Fellow Craft Masons 
 disappeared, and they may now be said to have no 
 rights beyond those of Apprentices, except that of 
 applying for the third degree. They, therefore, occupy 
 the same relation to a Master Mason that an Appren- 
 tice does to a Fellow Craft. They have the same 
 disabilities as Apprentices, and are entitled to the 
 same immunities. They are required to make suit- 
 able proficiency, and to serve some time before they 
 can be raised to the degree of Master Mason. 
 
 The interval required to elapse between the de- 
 grees is not definitely, or rather not uniformly, settled. 
 Some Grand Lodges require a month's probation 
 between each degree; others more; some regulate 
 the interval by " due proficiency." The Grand Lodge 
 of New York requires proficiency, and that at 
 least four weeks shall elapse between initiation and 
 raising. In England the rule is twenty-eight days 
 between each degree. It may, therefore, be said to 
 be a matter of local regulation, as it certainly is sub- 
 ject to the control of the Grand Master, who may by 
 his dispensation abbreviate, or entirely abrogate it. 
 
176 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 SECTION IV -MASTER MASONS. 
 
 Masons of the third degree of Ancient Craft Ma- 
 sonry now constitute the body of the Fraternity. 
 They make up our Lodges, perform their labors, and 
 contribute the means for paying their current ex- 
 penses, as well as the demands of needy brethren, 
 their widows and orphans. Their duties comprise 
 the various requirements of the institution, and they 
 are, in their generation, the custodians and conserv- 
 ators of the trust bequeathed by the fathers, which, 
 in due time, they will leave to their sons, and thus 
 perpetuate the institution while there shall remain a 
 need for laborers in the cause of liuman progress. 
 In view of the weighty responsibilities of Master 
 Masons, it is proper that they should understand 
 their rights and privileges, which we now proceed to 
 enumerate. 
 
 The first right of a Master Mason is that of mem- 
 hersTiip, which is of two kinds — actual and honorary. 
 By actual membership is understood regular affilia- 
 tion with a Lodge, either as the result of having been 
 initiated, passed, and raised therein ; by acceptance, 
 or affiliation after having been previously a member 
 of some other Lodge, or by having been a member 
 of a Lodge under dispensation, and remaining there 
 after the warrant issues fi'om the Grand Lodge. 
 
MASONIC JURISPllUDENCE. 177 
 
 It is always understood that when a person peti- 
 tions for initiation in a Lodge, it is with the inten- 
 tion of becoming a member (unless the contrary be 
 expressed), and therefore when the third degree has 
 been conferred, no further ceremony is requisite save 
 that of the candidate signing the by-laws, thus re- 
 cording his wilHngness to assume his portion of the 
 duties of Masonry, on condition that he be entitled 
 to all the rights and benefits that accrue to members 
 in good standing. This is the first me.thod of obtain- 
 ing membership. The second is when a Mason de- 
 sires to change his membership from one Lodge to 
 another ; he withdraws or dimits from his old Lodge 
 and petitions the new one to receive him into fellow- 
 ship. This petition takes the usual course ; a com- 
 mittee of investigation is named, and on their report 
 a ballot is had, which, if favorable,* admits the pe- 
 titioner to membership, on the condition of the fee 
 as provided by the by-laws, and the appending his 
 signature to that instrument. We digress here a 
 moment to say, that among Masons in continental 
 Europe the act of affiliation is always accompanied 
 
 * We have already remarked, in a previous chapter, that the 
 ballot for an affiliating Mason differs from that for a profane in 
 this, that if unfavorable his standing is not thereby affected. He 
 is just as competent to petition the same Lodge, or another, after 
 rejection as before, and that residence has nothing to do with the 
 application unless ther ) be a local regulation on the subject. 
 
178 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 by appropriate ceremonies. The affiliating brother 
 is required to renew his covenant of fealty 4o tho 
 constitution of the Grand Lodge, and to the regula- 
 tions of the subordinate to which he is about to be- 
 come attached. He is then introduced to the breth- 
 ren by name, official announcement of his affiliation 
 is made, and he is saluted as a member of the Lodge. 
 The ceremony, though brief, is one that has always 
 favorably impressed us, and we submit it to the con- 
 sideration of the brethren. The tliird method of 
 obtaining membership is where a given number of 
 Master Masons petition the Grand Master to be 
 formed into a Lodge imder dispensation. Should 
 their prayer be granted, it is the general rule that 
 they must then withdraw from the old Lodge in 
 which they had previously been members, member- 
 ship in the new one accruing to them by their con- 
 stitution under a warrant fi'om the Grand Lodge, the 
 risk of which they of course accept. In New York 
 the rule is, that when Master Masons petition for a 
 dispensation they must pay up their dues to the date 
 of such petition and furnish satisfactory evidence of 
 that fact to the Grand Master at the time of peti- 
 tioning. If the dispensation be granted, the mem- 
 bership in the old Lodge remains in abeyance, and 
 it is optional Tvith the petitioners either to continue 
 in the n^w Lodge when the warrant is granted, or to 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 179 
 
 resume their membership in the old one. This rule 
 is evidently fair and commendable, as it avoids the 
 danger of setting men adrift who take part in the 
 formation of new Lodges, in case the warrant of con- 
 stitution does not follow the dispensation, and saves 
 them the trouble and expense of a reaffiliation, in 
 case they do not think proper to continue in the new 
 Lodge. 
 
 Honorary membership, as generally understood, is 
 the somewhat modern custom of conferring nominal 
 membership on a brother for services rendered the 
 Fraternity in general, or the Lodge in particular. As 
 it is the law that a brother can only be an active 
 member of one Lodge at the same time, and as only 
 active members can participate in the transactions 
 of the Lodge so far as to vote, hold office, serve on 
 committees, etc., it follows that honorary membership 
 when conferred is but the expression of a eomph- 
 ment, and that the honorary member acquires no 
 positive right whatever. They are generally allowed 
 to participate in discussion, but this is only an act of 
 courtesy rarely denied to any visiting brother who 
 signifies a wish to be heard. 
 
 There is, however, in some jurisdictions a kind of 
 honorary membership which is positive and tangible 
 in its operation. It is where, by the regulations of 
 the Grand Lodge, a poor brother, unable to pay the 
 
180 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 adjoining fee, may be received by any Lodge with- 
 out such fee, as an honorary member — by previous 
 notice and unanimous ballot — and may be excused 
 by the Lodge from the payment of dues. Li this 
 case the member is entitled to all the privileges of 
 the Lodge, without being subjected to any of its pe- 
 cuniary burdens. 
 
 From the right of membership follows the right to 
 visit masonically any regular Lodge. There is con- 
 siderable dijBference of opinion as to whether this is 
 an absolute or Hmited right. The present Grand 
 Master of England, and some authorities in this 
 country, insist upon making the right to visit a posi- 
 tive one ; the only condition being, that the visiting 
 brother shall produce satisfactory evidence of his 
 good standing in the Lodge from which he hails. Li 
 this country, whatever the theory may be, the gen- 
 eral practice is, however, to make the right a Hmited 
 one. And we certainly must say that we can ima- 
 gine no good reason for any other com'se. It is true 
 that Lodges are in a general sense but the subdivi- 
 sions of one universal family, but it must be admitted 
 that the members of any particular Lodge have 
 rights in it superior to the rights of Masons belong- 
 ing to other Lodges, and when a member objects to 
 the entrance of a visitor, his objection is, and ought 
 to be, of greater weight than the claims of the visit* 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 181 
 
 or ; for if this were not the case the sitting member 
 might be obliged to leave the Lodge, and thus be 
 temporarily deprived of all his rights therein, at the 
 order of a brother having equal rights in the Fra- 
 ternity but not in the Lodge. Moreover, it is the 
 duty of the Master to preserve harmony among the 
 brethren composing his Lodge ; but if he were 
 obliged to admit a visitor whose presence would, to 
 his certain knowledge, disturb that harmony and em- 
 barrass the work, then he would be deprived of one 
 of the means of performing an essential duty ; for 
 peace and harmony are the support of our institution 
 in a greater degree than in any other. Again, if the 
 right to visit were a positive one, then Masons who 
 believe that the landmark requiring candidates for 
 Masonry to be free-born is still in force would be 
 obliged to sit with a certain class of the initiates of 
 a Grand Lodge which has unblushingly removed 
 that landmark. Fortunately, however, the question 
 is settled by the admitted prerogative of the Master 
 to control the admission of visitors by withholding 
 that permission, without which they can neither "pass 
 nor repass."* 
 
 * Dr. Oliveb holds the right to visit to be absolute, but in the 
 same breath admits that, under certain circumstances, visitors 
 ought not to be admitted, or if present may be requested to with- 
 draw, which sufficiently demonstrates the limited nature of the 
 privilege. 
 
182 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 In immediate connection with Masonic visitation 
 is the subject of certificates or diplomas * Certifi- 
 cates being understood to emanate from a Lodge, 
 and diplomas from a Grand Lodge. There can be 
 no doubt of the right of a Master Mason in good 
 standing to furnish himself with a wiitten proof of 
 that standing, vouched for by tho seal of his Lodge, 
 or preferably his Grand Lodge, but little or no 
 weight can be given to such documents in the exam- 
 ination of a strange brother. They may be received 
 as collateral evidence, but the time dependence is the 
 Tyler's OB., the due trial and strict examination of a 
 competent and careful committee, who will omit no 
 question that ought to be asked, and who will accept 
 no equivocal answers ; acting on the maxim that it 
 is better that ninety-nine good brethren should be 
 refused than that one impostor should be admitted. 
 
 The right of avouchnient is a most important one, 
 and one in the exercise of which too much caution 
 cannot well be exercised. There are three rules in 
 regard to avouching, which may be thus stated : 
 
 1st. If you have been present in a regular Lodge 
 of Master Masons with the brother for whom you 
 vouch. 2nd. If a brother whom you know to be a 
 Master Mason introduces you to another in 2'>€rson^ 
 and says I have sat with this brother ; or, 3d. If you, 
 
 • See Appendix. 
 
MASONIC JURISPKUDENCE. 183 
 
 as one of a committee appointed by the Master of 
 your Lodge, have carefully examined a brother, then 
 you may lawfully vouch for him, and your avouch- 
 ment may be accepted by the Lodge. As a general 
 rule, the personal examination of brethren casually 
 meeting should not be accepted ; for though there 
 are undoubtedly many brethren just as competent to 
 examine a stranger in any proper place as well as 
 they could in the Lodge-room, yet the great majority 
 are not thus competent, and it is therefore unsafe to 
 accept such examinations and thus approve of the 
 practice. Every Master has agreed in the most sol- 
 emn manner that " no visitors shall be received in 
 his Lodge without due examination and producing 
 proper vouchers of their having been initiated in a 
 regular Lodge," and he will prove faithless to his 
 vow if he allow the somewhat loose system of mod- 
 ern avouch ment to prevail under his administration. 
 The simple announcement of " Brother so and so 
 vouched for" is a very frail warrant for the admission 
 of a person we have never seen or heard of before to 
 a participation in our mysteries. We should know 
 who is his sponsor, and on what grounds he assumes 
 that responsibihty, "While it is the right of every 
 Master Mason in good standing to vouch for an* 
 other, on proper grounds, it is equally the duty of 
 the Master to be satisfied that this important privi- 
 
 or rwc 
 
 wNivERsirr 
 
184 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 lege has not been lightly exercised, before he accepts 
 the voucher. There are so many ways in which the 
 best int^tioned brother may be deceived that there 
 should prevail a wholesome caution in accepting any 
 but the most irrefragible testimony. Thus, the bro- 
 ther who offers to respond for another should know, 
 beyond all question, that the one he vouches for is 
 really a member of the Fraternity, in good standing, 
 and his knowledge must be obtained, not from an or- 
 dinary conversation nor a loose and careless iuquiiy, 
 but from strict trial, due examination, or lawful Ma- 
 sonic information, which one of the unwritten land- 
 marks require as prerequisites to avouchment. The 
 sixth subdivision of the sixth of the Ancient Charges 
 provides that — " You are cautiously to examine a 
 strange brother, in such a manner as prudence shall 
 direct you, that you may not be imposed upon by an 
 ignorant false-pretender, whom you are to reject with 
 contempt and derision, and beware of giving him 
 any hints of knowledge." Nothing can lawfully be 
 taken for granted, nor should shortness of memory 
 be suffered to excuse the filling up of an inconvenient 
 blank. If the would-be-visitor has paid so Httle heed 
 to his first instructions, or so little attention to the 
 claims of the Fraternity, as to become rusty, he should 
 go where he is known to obtain his information, aud 
 be disappointed if he expect to pick it up from an 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 185 
 
 examining brother or committee. In this we would 
 be understood as referring to those important mat- 
 ters that are indispensible, and not to some of the 
 minor details that only a bright Mason conld be ex- 
 pected to have at his finger-ends. The particulars 
 of an examination cannot, of course, be detailed here, 
 but we may say, in general terms, that the errors or 
 inadvertencies of the visitor should not be corrected, 
 for that would be giving him the hints we are warned 
 against. "With an aged brother, or one who has long 
 been debarred the privileges of the Craft by journeys 
 or sickness, patience should be exercised. If he has 
 ever received the true light, the spark, though dimmed 
 will eventually brighten up by his own unaided en- 
 deavors ; and one such trial will always serve to re- 
 mind him of the necessity of keeping his treasures 
 where he can find them when wanted. But it is not 
 so much from any carelessness in regard to examina- 
 tions that we have to apprehend danger, as from the 
 uncertain application of what is termed " lawful iu- 
 formation." The Tyler's voucher is very often an 
 imcertaiQ guide ; for among the numbers that pass 
 his guard he may be deceived by great similarity of 
 personal appearance, or from a conviction that he, 
 having seen the person somewhere, that place must 
 have been in a Lodge ; or the Tyler may have known 
 that a person was a member of a Lodge, but not that 
 
186 miNCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 he had been put under discipline. Other instances 
 might be named, but they will readily suggest them- 
 selves to the brethren. Examinations conducted by 
 an inexperienced or unskillful brother can afford no 
 just grounds for an avouchment, because he cannot 
 be supposed to have the ability of detecting error, or 
 the judgment necessary to avoid conveying informa- 
 tion which should be withheld. If a brother vouch 
 for another on the ground of having sat with him in 
 Lodge, he should also be able to state positively that 
 it was a Master's Lodge, duly and legally constituted, 
 and not a Lodge of Entered Apprentices or Fellow 
 Crafts. Written vouchers, though indited by your 
 nearest friend, are of no positive value ; they can- 
 not lawfully contain any of those things which it is 
 indispensible the visitor should know, and can afford 
 him no assistance when put to the ordeal of strict 
 examination. Personal avouchment from one bro- 
 ther to another may be accepted, but no further ; 
 and then only when the brother vouched for is in 
 presence of the one giving the information and the 
 one receiving it ; and then it must be given with the 
 intent of being used Masonically, and be full, expHcit, 
 positive, and based on actual knowledge of a Masonic 
 character ; but when Brother A informs Brother B 
 that Brother C told him that Brother D was a Ma- 
 son, the information becomes too loose to have a law- 
 
MASONIC JTJELSPEUDENCE. 187 
 
 ful value, and must be discarded. Finally, tlie safest 
 and best rule for all concerned is for the visiting 
 brother to be at the haU half an hour before the time 
 fixed for Lodge opening, that he may have abundant 
 time to prove his qualifications by the scrutiny of a 
 regular examination. 
 
 The right to a Masonic trial by his peers is to the 
 Mason, as to the citizen, the inviolable safeguard of 
 aU his other rights, and it is therefore an unchange- 
 able law that the recognised punishments of Masonry 
 can only be inflicted after a regular trial, during 
 which, and until the final verdict is pronounced by 
 the Lodge, he is entitled to the presumption of inno- 
 cence, and remains in good standing. The method 
 of proceeding in Masonic trials will form the subject 
 of a separate and special consideration, and we 
 therefore in this place only consider the right of 
 every Mason to the benefit of such proceedings when 
 by his conduct, or by the imputation of wrong, he 
 becomes liable to impeachment. The enjoyment of 
 the rights that inure to a Mason is that which dis- 
 tinguishes him from the profane, and entitles him to 
 consideration among his brethren. Mere worldly 
 justice, much more then, the sacred ties of the bro- 
 therhood, require that the penalties for immoral or 
 unmasonic conduct should only be inflicted after 
 trial, in which the charges shall have been sustained 
 
188 PBINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 by ample proof, in which full opportunity shall have 
 been afforded the accused to make his defence, and 
 which proceedings shall have been approved by a 
 majority of the brethren in open Lodge. The peers 
 of a Master Mason are all other Master Masons in 
 good standing in his Lodge, and therefore a Lodge 
 has original jurisdiction for the purpose of trying 
 any of its members save the Master, whose peers, 
 while he remains in office, they are not, and whom, 
 therefore, they cannot try. 
 
 The natural sequence of the right to a fair and 
 impartial trial is the right of appeal. Human na- 
 ture is falUble, and men, however just their inten- 
 tions, are liable to err ; and it has therefore been 
 provided that in all trials the accused brother shall 
 have the right, when the Lodge has pronounced 
 sentence, to appeal to the final adjudication of the 
 Grand Lodge. The foundation of this right is found 
 in the Sixth Charge, in these words : " If any com- 
 plaint be brought, the brother foimd guilty shall 
 stand to the award and determination of the Lodge, 
 who are the proper and competent judges of all 
 such controversies, unless you carry it by appeal to 
 the Grand Lodge * * *." The requisites of an 
 appeal (unless otherwise provided by the local reg- 
 ulations) are : 1st. That the appellant shall notify 
 the opposite party of his intention to appeal. 2d, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 189 
 
 That a copy of all the proceedings in the case, 
 attested by the secretary and Lodge seal, shall be 
 forwarded to the Grand Lodge without delay. 3d. 
 That the appellant furnish the Grand Lodge, through 
 the Grand Secretary, with a full and clear statement 
 of the grounds of his appeal ; and 4th. That a copy 
 of this document be furnished to the adverse party. 
 When a case is thus brought before the Grand 
 Lodge, it is usually referred to a committee, who 
 examine the papers, hear explanations from either 
 or both parties, and report their judgment as to 
 whether the proceedings ought to be reversed or 
 confirmed, and on that report the Grand Lodge de- 
 cides. Proceedings thus conducted are strictly ap- 
 pellate, but it is held that the Grand Lodge, being 
 the supreme tribunal, may in its discretion assume 
 original jurisdiction, hear new evidence, and make a 
 new verdict. There is no doubt but that many Grand 
 Lodges do thus act, but we must say that the power 
 is one that ought not to be exercised except in an 
 extreme case. The safer and just plan would seem 
 to be, when there is manifest error in the proceed- 
 ings, when the verdict is not in accordance mth 
 the evidence, or when the punishment awarded is 
 too lenient or too severe, to send the case back for 
 a new trial, with such recommendations as it may 
 be proper to make, to the Lodge, who are "the 
 
190 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 proper and competent judges in all such contro- 
 versies." 
 
 Pending the appeal, the brother found guilty must 
 submit to the award of the brethren, so far as the 
 exercise of any of his Masonic rights, save that of 
 appeal, is concerned, because the Lodge having ori- 
 ginal jurisdiction had the right to pronounce sen- 
 tence, which must therefore be in effect until abso- 
 lutely reversed by the superior authority of the Grand 
 Lodge. It may be objected, that in a case of defi- 
 nite suspension, say three or six months, the appel- 
 lant would actually suffer the entire punishment be- 
 fore an appeal which might reverse the sentence 
 could be heard in Grand Lodge ; but of tliis there 
 is no real danger, for it cannot be doubted that dur- 
 ing the recess of the Grand Lodge the Grand Mas- 
 ter has ample power to entertaiu an appeal, and or- 
 der a new trial if found necessary, or grant a stay of 
 proceedings until the assembling of the Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 It is held, in a majority of the Grand Lodges of 
 this country, that where a Lodge has passed'sentence 
 of indefinite suspension or expulsion — two names for 
 the same thing, in effect — though the Grand Lodge 
 may, on appeal, reverse the sentence for irregularity 
 or want of proof, it cannot and does not by such 
 reversal reinstate the member in his Lodsre. This 
 
MASONIC JUBISPRUDENCE. 191 
 
 proposition is so diametrically opposed to common 
 justice and common sense, 41iat we trust to be ex- 
 cused for devoting a page or two to its considera- 
 tion. 
 
 Tlie object of the review by the Grand Lodge is to 
 ascertain by impartial investigation that the pro- 
 ceedings have been regular, and that the finding is 
 warranted by the evidence ; and until this conclusion 
 is arrived at, the adjudication is not complete, and 
 the accused brother remains so far connected mth 
 the institution (taking the supposition that the ver- 
 dict was one of expulsion) as to have the right, by 
 his appeal, to this final determination of the matter 
 by the supreme tribimal. If the verdict of expul- 
 sion pronounced by the Lodge at once severs the 
 connection of the individual with his Lodge and with 
 the Fraternity, then all his Masonic rights are at 
 once abrogated, and he could not enjoy the right of 
 appeal, which is one of them. But the verdict of 
 the Lodge is, and can only be, conditional, because 
 the right of appeal is inaHenable, and no brother can 
 be deprived of it till his case has been finally re- 
 viewed and decided by the court of last resort. 
 Hence, when a new trial is granted, a new appeal 
 follows, just as if no previous trial had occurred. If, 
 however, we admit the contrary view, then Masonic 
 justice is a mockery, and the form of trial a solemn 
 
192 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 farce ; for if the reversal of the entire proceedings 
 below does not place the brother in precisely the 
 same situation he occupied before the charges were 
 preferred, then all that is necessary to be done when 
 a Lodge desires to get rid of a member is to trump 
 up charges against him, declare him expelled, and, 
 though the charges be false as the Father of lies, he 
 is deprived of his membership beyond remedy ; and 
 if the Grand Lodge, when upon examination it finds 
 that the charges are imsustaiued, cannot reinstate 
 him in aU his rights, or rather cannot declare (and 
 enforce its declaration) that he has not been deprived 
 of any right, then it is lawful to vacate a brother's 
 membership at wiU, and the right of appeal is no 
 right, since it cannot procure the administration of 
 the simplest form of justice. The advocates of this 
 doctrine endeavor to justify it by saying that every 
 Lodge is the judge as to who shall be its members, 
 and that the Grand Lodge has no power to force any 
 of its subordinates to accept a member against its 
 will. As a general proposition, this is true ; but in 
 the case of a reversal of judgment the Grand Lodge 
 does nothing like forcing a member upon the Lodge ; 
 it simply says : " We have examined your record ; 
 we find your proceedings wrong, and that the evi- 
 dence you have furnished us does not establish the 
 charges made ; they are therefore null and void ;" 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 193 
 
 and the result is to restore the state of things that 
 existed before proceedings were commenced ; and 
 hence the brother continues the membership, of which^ 
 by the reversal of the sentence, it is declared he had 
 not been deprived. 
 
 Appeals from other acts and decisions of the Lodge 
 besides those relating to trials are sometimes taken. 
 Appeals from the decision of the Master in the chair 
 are likewise to be made to the Grand Lodge or Grand 
 Master — usually to the latter, or to his deputy, for 
 the reason that they generally involve some point or 
 principle which it is necessary to the harmony of the 
 Lodge should be decided without delay. This ap- 
 peal is the safeguard of the member against any ex- 
 ercise of arbitrary authority by the Master, and the 
 " check" by which he is restrained from the use of 
 his high prerogatives to the injury of the Lodge or 
 the brethren. 
 
 The right of relief, when in circumstances of des- 
 titution and distress, is one of the most ancient and 
 well-established rights of the individual Mason. It 
 existed before the constitution of permanent Lodges, 
 and before the institution of the Grand Lodge. It 
 has in modern times been modified in the case of 
 non-affihated Masons, but otherwise remains as in 
 the beginning ; for a Mason has a claim not only to 
 the benevolence of the particular Lodge of which he 
 9 
 
194 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 is a member, but upon that of tlie whole Fraternity 
 wherever dispersed ; a claim, too, that after his death 
 inures to his widow and children. Eelief as now 
 given may be said to be of two kinds : personal, that 
 is, donations from individual resources to relieve a 
 destitute brother ; and, from the funds of the Lodge 
 or Grand Lodge, for a like purpose. Li the present 
 day, when there is a Lodge in every village in the 
 land, it appears to us that the claim upon individual 
 members ought not to be enforced ; for the tax is in 
 many instances beyond the ability of the brother, es- 
 pecially if he be well known, or Hve in the vicinity of 
 persons inimical to the institution. Money contrib- 
 uted to the Lodge fund is deposited for the very 
 purpose of relief, and every contributor ought to be 
 allowed to refer applicants to it, unless, of course, 
 where he is persuaded that it is a duty to give from 
 his own pocket, as well as from the Lodge treasury. 
 We speak on this topic from an extended personal 
 experience, and from actual knowledge that the be- 
 nevolent feature of the Masonic association has been, 
 and will be, liable to great abuse ; for on it has grown 
 that unsightly parasite Masonic vagrancy. To a su- 
 perficial observer, it would seem that our system was 
 expressly intended to provide against mendicancy in 
 any shape, and that our professions of benevolence 
 are but hollow shams, while we allow our own kin- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 195 
 
 dred and people to fall into the vicious state of pro- 
 fessional beggars ; but those who are in the habit of 
 looking beyond the surface need not be told, that 
 Masonry does not pretend to be an eleemosynary es- 
 tabhshment ; that it is rather a system of morality, 
 one of the duties of which is, to relieve the distresses 
 of its worthy adherents, and those of their widows 
 and orphans ; or, in other words, that charity, or the 
 giving of alms, is but an adjunct to other and more 
 important duties. Saith the law : " If thy brother be 
 waxen poor, and fallen into decay with thee, then 
 thou shalt relieve him ; yea, though he be a stranger 
 or a sojourner ; that he may live with thee." (Levi- 
 ticus XXV., 35.) And it truly describes the real pur- 
 pose of Masonic donations. For this purpose our 
 members cheerfully impose upon themselves a tax 
 which, as citizens, they would not submit to without 
 murmuring, and the proceeds of which they give with 
 a liberal hand, not only to the " brother waxen poor" 
 among us, and those who have a natural right to ask 
 in his name, but also, in too many cases, to those 
 who neither have, nor ought to have, a claim upon 
 anything but the way to the door. 
 
 This is a defect of our present administration of 
 charity that is daily working evil not only to the 
 Craft, but to the recipients themselves ; for we hold 
 that money given to the idle and viciously disposed, 
 
196 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 not only does wrong to the giver, but also to the re- 
 cipients, as they are thus encouraged not only to 
 continue a life of idleness, but to exercise their wits 
 for new methods of imposing on the too credulous 
 stewards of a fund intended for a far different purpose. 
 The practice of benevolence is often and strongly in- 
 culcated in our ritual, in monitors, and in all publi- 
 cations which undertake to treat of Masonry; but it 
 is in almost every case taken literally, and without 
 consideration as to what true benevolence is. We 
 say that the mere giving of money is not charity, for 
 charity implies love, and requires discrimination. 
 Our gifts, unlike the gentle dew of heaven, should 
 not fall aHke on the just and the unjust ; for vice, 
 like noxious weeds, grows rampant enough without 
 fertilizing. Add this consideration : that every dol- 
 lar misgiven to an impostor is two dollars taken from 
 the true claimant, and a sufficient reason will be 
 found for the exercise of greater caution than seems 
 to prevail among the Lodges of our country. "While, 
 therefore, we would applaud the liberal assistance 
 given to those knoivn to be worthy, we would equally 
 condemn that loose giving that merely requires the 
 presentation of a doubtful paper and a plausible 
 story to unloose the purse-strings. We do not speak 
 unadvisedly when we thus characterise a process 
 vastly too common to be either denied or sufferedio 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 197 
 
 contiime without expostulation. We do not for a 
 moment call in question the intention of those who 
 so freely give the Lodge means to applicants, but we 
 warn them that they cannot thus discharge the trust 
 reposed in them, nor be certain that in thus giving 
 they are in reality assisting the meritorious; that, 
 on the contrary, they thus in many instances furnish 
 the means for idleness and dissipation, and in the 
 same proportion deprive themselves of the pleasure 
 they might otherwise enjoy in giving more generous- 
 ly to those whose right is undisputed. 
 
 "We hold that even in the latter case there is more 
 than money required in the fulfillment of our duty. 
 Money will often cut the knot of a difficulty which 
 it were better to spend a little time in untying. A 
 word in season to the desponding, or of encourage- 
 ment to those honestly striving, may produce more 
 lasting benefit than any amount of money could do 
 without them. " Words fitly spoken are like apples 
 of gold in pictures of silver." How often have such 
 words enlivened the gloom of affliction and converted 
 the night of despair into the morning of joy ! How 
 have they reclaimed the wanderer from the paths of 
 vice, and shielded the unfortunate from the shafts of 
 malice and oppression ! Yet how often is their value 
 lost, and conscience silenced, by adding an extra dol- 
 lar or so to the appropriation ? 
 
198 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 To be entitled, therefore, to ask relief, a Mason 
 must not only be in real need, but he must be worthy 
 and under the general ruling, a member of some 
 Lodge ; for one of the disabilities of non-affiliated 
 Masons is, that they have no claim on the benevo- 
 lence of the Fraternity. Where the application is 
 made by the widow, or in behalf of orphan children, 
 it is required that proper documentary evidence be 
 furnished that the applicants are entitled to claim 
 relief in the name of a deceased brother. There can 
 be no question that when the widow of a deceased 
 Mason marries a second time she loses all claims 
 upon the Fraternity accruing from the membership 
 of her first husband. The minor children are, how- 
 ever, regarded as still having a claim. 
 
 In connection with this topic, the estabHshment of 
 Lodges, or Boards of Belief, presents itseK ; but as 
 their management is purely one of convenience, and 
 subject to no law but what the brethren controlling 
 them may see proper to enact, it is out of place in 
 this Treatise. We, however, warmly approve of and 
 earnestly recommend them to the Craft of all large 
 cities and towns, as having proved the best safe- 
 guards against impostors, and the best defence of the 
 worthy distressed. 
 
 The right to withdrato from membership, or, as it 
 is technically' called, to dimit, is one that leads to 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 199 
 
 great differences of opinion. The law of 1721, that 
 " No set or number of brethren shall withdraw or 
 separate themselves from the Lodge in which they 
 were made brethren, or were afterwards admitted 
 members, unless the Lodge become too numerous," 
 evidently does not apply to the occasional withdrawal 
 of individuals, because in addition to the term " set 
 or number of brethren" it is required that the with- 
 drawal should only take place when the Lodge be- 
 comes too numerous ; that it should be for the pur- 
 pose of forming a new Lodge, and that such purpose 
 should have the sanction of the Grand Master or his 
 Deputy, by the issue of his dispensation to form such 
 new Lodge. This was evidently to guard against the 
 possibility of a number of the brethren, under the 
 influence of sudden passion, withdrawing from a 
 Lodge, and perhaps breaking it up. And though the 
 same purpose might be accompHshed by the with- 
 drawing of one individual after another, there is at 
 all events a better opportunity for reason and a sense 
 of duty to resume their sway, than if the majority 
 should be allowed to dimit at once. This is, how- 
 ever, an extreme case, hardly likely to occur, because 
 the majority would have the right to control the af- 
 fairs of the Lodge, and direct its legislation to suit 
 their own views. 
 
 We refer to the right of an individual Mason, for 
 
200 PRINCIPLES AND PPvACTICE OF 
 
 reasons of his own, to sever his connection with the 
 Lodge of which he may be a member, and we fail to 
 discover any general law to prevent it, except that 
 the dimitting member shall be clear of the books — 
 that is, have paid all indebtedness to the Lodge, and 
 that there be no charges against him pending at the 
 time of such dimission. Such has been the custom 
 in this country from the the first introduction of Ma- 
 sonry into it till within a few years. Various attempts 
 have been made to put a stop to the evil of non-affil- 
 iation ; first, by attaching disabilities to that condi- 
 tion, and then by requiring the withdrawing member 
 to obtain the consent of his Lodge, in addition to the 
 requirements above stated. The argument is, that 
 as the consent of the Lodge is required for the ad- 
 mission of a member, so it should be necessary to 
 the severance of that connection. Speaking of this 
 argument, a distinguished Craftsman has well said : 
 " The theory here laid down may be one which com- 
 mends itseK to favorable consideration, but I feel 
 constrained to say that, in practice, it is not entitled 
 to the same regard. I can see no vaHd reason why 
 a brother in good standing, if not a Master or War- 
 den, who has discharged all his pecuniary obliga- 
 tions to his Lodge, and so long as he leaves members 
 enough to form a working Lodge, should not be per- 
 mitted to dimit of his own volition, and without tak- 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 201 
 
 ing any vote whatever on the subject. Many things 
 might be said which would sustain this view, but I 
 will only cite a single case. It is impossible to en- 
 force the regular attendance of a member of a Lodge 
 who has been foiled in his effort to withdraw from it, 
 except by the service of a summons upon him previ- 
 ously to each communication. Even that compulsory 
 process might be evaded by a brother, if he should 
 so choose, without making him liable to the infliction 
 of any penalty. We will suppose that such a brother 
 had conscientious scruples, which, if disclosed, would 
 involve the honor of his family, against associating 
 with a member of his Lodge ; or suppose any other 
 cause to exist, leading to the same result, what be- 
 comes the necessary effect of this? The brother 
 either suffers his name to be struck from the roll for 
 non-payment of dues, or pays dues for privileges 
 which he cannot conscientiously enjoy, and avoids 
 attendance on his Lodge. Hence it is that the Craft 
 loses the services of a good member, and virtually 
 puts him out of the pale of association of a Lodge 
 which he can call his own, by preventing his affilia- 
 tion with one more congenial to his taste, or his 
 sense of propriety. I can see no good reason why 
 we should not return to the voluntary system, under 
 which we very happily worked in years past."* 
 
 * M. W. John J. Crane, M.D. ; annual address to the Grand 
 Lodge of New York, 1863. 
 
202 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 As it is undoubtedly true, that a brother kept in 
 afl&liation with his Lodge is only a nominal member, 
 and can be of no earthly use beyond the amount of 
 dues he may contribute, we think, with the brother 
 just quoted, that the interests of all parties would be 
 best served by leaving each member to change his 
 affiliation, or even to incur the odium of non-affilia- 
 tion, when he can no longer maintain the emulation 
 as to who can " best work" and who " best agree." 
 But if we admit the right of a brother in good stand- 
 ing to withdraw at pleasure, we cannot deny that the 
 granting of a certificate of that fact is a legislative 
 act which the Lodge may or may not do. Without 
 that certificate the brother cannot affiliate elsewhere, 
 for it is the general sense of the Craft that no Lodge 
 can affiliate a member unless he be able to show that 
 he has honorably withdrawn from the Lodge to which 
 he last belonged, and that evidence is the dimii* It 
 is therefore most masonic and fraternal that the sev- 
 erance of membership should be a matter of mutual 
 understanding ; that the brother should understand 
 that if he withdraw in the heat of passion, or against 
 the sense of the brethren, he incurs the risk of losing 
 the document necessary to his admission elsewhere ; 
 and, on the other hand, that the Lodge, when a bro- 
 ther in good standing desires to withdraw, and a 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 203 
 
 fraternal remonstrance fails to change his purpose, 
 should allow him to consummate his purpose, and 
 afford him the requisite facility for an affiliation that 
 may be more convenient or agreeable to him. It will 
 be understood that where there is a local regulation 
 it wiU necessarily govern any action that may be pro- 
 posed or taken. 
 
 Where a vote is taken on an application for a 
 dimit, and carried in the affirmative, it cannot be re- 
 considered, for the reason that by the announcement 
 of its passage the member at once becomes non-affil- 
 iated ; and though he might instantly repent of his 
 appHcation, he can onty regain his lost membership 
 by petition and a unanimous ballot in his favor. A 
 dimit must be applied for in person, or if in writing, 
 then over the proper signature of the brother desir- 
 ing it. The act cannot be accomplished through a 
 third party, for evident reasons. 
 
 Lastly, a Master Mason who dies in good standing 
 has a right to burial with the ancient formalities of 
 the institution. The earliest authority we find upon 
 this subject is that of Preston, who says : " No Ma- 
 son can be interred with the formahties of the Order 
 unless it be at his own special request, communicated 
 to the Master of a Lodge of which he died a mem- 
 ber ; foreigners and sojourners excepted ; nor unless 
 he has been advanced to the third degree of Mason- 
 
204 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 ry, from which restriction there can be no exception. 
 Fellow Crafts or Apprentices are not entitled to the 
 funeral obsequies." As the first edition of Preston's 
 Illustrations, from which this extract is taken, was 
 published in 1772, it is questionable whether the cer- 
 emony at funerals, and the regulations concerning 
 them, were very much older than Preston himself. 
 They are now, however, universally obeyed, and the 
 exhortation at the grave, written by him, is substan- 
 tially that in use throughout the United States. It 
 is now held that none but affiliated Masons, except 
 foreigners or sojourners, have a right to masonic 
 burial ; and hence, that non-affihated Masons cannot 
 be thus interred, which is in accordance with the 
 regulation quoted ; for the request must have been 
 preferred to the Lodge of which the brother died a 
 member. In the case of a member who dies in good 
 standing, but without making such request, the fu- 
 neral honors are generally accorded to his remains 
 at the request of his family or near relatives. 
 
 It was a rule in Preston's time, that there should 
 be no funeral or other pubHc procession in the badges 
 and insignia of masonry, without a dispensation had 
 first been obtained from the Grand Master or his 
 Deputy ; and the avowed object of the regulation 
 was to prevent the too frequent appearance of the 
 brethren in public, and that, too, on occasions not 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 205 
 
 likelj to advance the cause of Masonry, or enhance 
 its position in the public estimation. For Hke rea- 
 sons a similar rule prevails in nearly every Grand 
 Lodge jurisdiction in this country, though the law is 
 generally more stringent in large cities than in the 
 rural districts, where there is less hability to abuse. 
 A proper regard for the proprieties of a funeral 
 solemnity requires that the brethren should wear 
 dark clothing, and leave at home all Masonic deco- 
 rations but plain white aprons, white gloves, and the 
 sprig of evergreen. 
 
 SECTION V.-NON-AFFILIATED MASONS. 
 
 By non-affiliated Masons is understood those 
 brethren who have received the several degrees of 
 symbolic Masonry, but who are not attached to any 
 Lodge, which, previous to the revival of 1717, was 
 the status of the whole Craft ; when, as we under- 
 stand it. Lodges were distinguished by their place 
 of meeting : as, those at the Goose and Gridiron, in 
 St. Paul's churchyard ; the Crown, in Parker's lane, 
 near Drury lane ; the Apple-tree Tavern, in Charles 
 street, Covent Garden ; the Eummer and Grapes 
 Tavern, in Channel-row, Westminster, etc., rather 
 than by any permanent or continuous organization, 
 and a Mason was a member of the Lodge he hap- 
 
206 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 pened to attend ; but since that time it is held that a 
 brother ought to belong to some Lodge and be subject 
 to its by-laws and the General Kegulations. There is, 
 however, a large number (comparatively speaking) 
 of unaffiliated Masons who are beheved to be able to 
 bear their proportion of the general burden, but who 
 in a great measure escape it by neglecting or refus- 
 ing to keep up membership in a Lodge. This is felt 
 to be so great an injustice, that in many jurisdictions 
 it is called a Masonic crime, and many Grand Lodges 
 have sought to punish it as such — attempts which 
 have thus far been but moderately successful ; prin- 
 cipally because there has been no unity of action or 
 sentiment on the question, a result in a great mea- 
 sure due to a foolish spirit of exclusiveness, which 
 prevents Grand Lodges from mutual consultation and 
 action on subjects in which all alike are interested. 
 Some of the legislation, too, has been of a character 
 to effect the very reverse of what was intended. Men 
 wiU not always be forced to do right ; on the con- 
 trary, the very effort to do so produces, in a majority 
 of cases, an aggravation of the evil sought to be rem- 
 edied. 
 
 Certain disabilities are, however, now admitted to 
 be the consequence of non-affiliation, and Masons 
 thus situated are, it is agreed : 
 
 Not entitled to claim relief from the funds of the 
 Lodge or Grand Lodge. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 207 
 
 Not entitled to visit any Lodge more than twice 
 while they remain non-members. 
 
 Not entitled to join in Masonic processions. 
 
 Not entitled to the honors of Masonic burial. 
 
 They nevertheless remain subject to the general 
 rules of the Fraternity, and may be tried and pun- 
 ished for an infraction of them by any Lodge within 
 the jurisdiction of which they may happen to be. 
 
 They may, when in true and imminent danger, ask 
 assistance in the usual method, and a Mason must 
 respond, because in such case he cannot stop to ask 
 questions, which might also be the case with an ex- 
 pelled or suspended brother. 
 
 Whenever the Craft generally unite in considering 
 a non-contributing drone as no Mason, and refuse 
 him the privileges of the Lodge, except one visit to 
 enable him to select one in which he can affiliate, the 
 number will grow less ; but while, as at present, they 
 are frequently allowed to visit the same Lodge many 
 times, it is probable that the army of those who be- 
 grudge the pittance necessary to maintain active 
 membership will continue to increase. 
 
208 PRINCirLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 If any one were disposed to claim for Masonrj% or 
 for Masons, anything not rightfully belonging to hu- 
 manity, and subject to its frailties and short-comings, 
 the caption of tliis chapter ought to dispel the illu- 
 sion. It is at once an acknowledgment of our falli- 
 bility and an assurance that, recognizing the infirmi- 
 ties of human nature, we have prepared to deal with 
 the erring, not harshly, nor at the behest of arbitrary 
 will, but firmly, mercifully, and in the spirit of im- 
 partiality ; meting out justice to the guilty without 
 fear or favor, but governing our investigations by 
 that charitable principle of the common law which 
 regards every man as innocent till he is fairly proved 
 guilty. This was not always so ; for the period is 
 not very far in the past when it was held that, as a 
 Mason's reputation, like that of the Eoman matron, 
 should be above suspicion, so the very fact of charges 
 being preferred against him was the signal for his 
 loss of caste, and he was called to prove his inno- 
 cence before his guilt had been estabHshed. So mon- 
 strous a proposition carried with it its own (^ondem- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 209 
 
 nation, and in the more just and liberal views that 
 now prevail we see that while the world moves Ma- 
 sonry moves with it. It is a matter of frequent com- 
 plaint, that the administration of the penal laws of 
 Masonry is too complicated for the general compre- 
 hension, and that, with the aid of a lawyer, even the 
 guilty may escape merited punishment. There is 
 not, however, sufficient ground for the complaint ; 
 for in our somewhat extensive experience in such 
 matters we have not met with such a case. We liave 
 known instances where the brethren, feeling a moral 
 certainty that an accused brother was guilty, have 
 murmured because they were not allowed to declare 
 him so, in the absence of all legal proof ! And the 
 brother acting as counsel has been severely and un- 
 justly criticised for standing between his cHent and 
 any such unlawful conclusion. It is a very common 
 mistake of men unused to legal proceedings, to adopt 
 the convictions of their own minds as to the guilt 
 of a brother under charges, without any regard to 
 the production of such evidence as would lead a to- 
 tally unbiased person to the same conclusion ; and 
 these are the ones most likely to regard the forms 
 of law as irksome and intricate, because apparently 
 delaying a decision to which they arrive without any 
 form at all. We need not detain the reader with 
 argument to refute so untenable a position, but con- 
 
210 PRINCITLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 tent ourselves with saying, for the sake of many 
 good brethren who do not seem to comprehend the 
 value of judicial proceedings, that the rights of a 
 Mason are sacred ; that he not only has a right to 
 their enjoyment, but a claim to the assistance and 
 protection of all other Masons in maintaining them ; 
 and hence, that he can only be deprived of them on 
 the clearest proof, and being afforded every fair op- 
 portunity to establish his defence. 
 
 The Penal Code of Masonry has three divisions ; 
 Masonic Offences, Masonic Trials, and Masonic Pun- 
 ishments; connected with which is the subject of 
 Restoration. We will notice them in the order here 
 named. 
 
 SECTION I.-MASONIC OFFENCES. 
 
 The first of the Ancient Charges informs us, that : 
 "A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the 
 moral law ;" and this may be said to be the key to 
 all the requirements for the conduct of the brethren. 
 The moral law is the first of all laws, because it in- 
 cludes the law of God, and to violate one is to vio- 
 late both. The rights and benefits of Masonry are 
 conferred on a profane, under the beHef that he has 
 a good moral character and standing in the commu- 
 nity, and that the manner of life which has acquired 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 211 
 
 sucli a character for liim will be continued when, 
 having been admitted to the Fraternity, he shall be- 
 come an exemplar of its teachings. It is on this con- 
 dition, or as it is technically called, " tenure," that 
 he is permitted to enter the Temple ; on it that he is 
 allowed to enjoy the privileges of the Craft and claim 
 its protection when needed ; by his observance of it 
 that he can really say that he is a Mason, or that he 
 can be qualified to sit in judgment on his brethren 
 who yield to temptation. And therefore we say, that 
 an offence against the moral law is an offence against 
 Masonry ; for Masonry is, and from the very nature 
 of its constitution can only be, a system of morality. 
 It therefore follows, that a Mason who indulges in 
 the vices of profane swearing, habitual intoxication, 
 or others that subject him to contempt, and bring 
 shame and disgrace upon the Fraternity, represented 
 in his person, or who wilfully violates the solemn 
 sanctions of his covenants, is a Masonic offender. 
 Some of these offences are naturally more venial 
 than others, and subject to a much less penalty on 
 conviction, and in those cases it is held that the dis- 
 cipline of the Craft cannot be exercised till the of- 
 fender has been admonished by the Master or War- 
 dens, as provided in the ninth of the Kegulations < »i' 
 1721. We regard this as a very important rule, not 
 only as being in the oldest written law, but because 
 
212 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 it exemplifies the spirit of Masonry, which, like "true 
 charity, is long-suffering and kind, and seeks to ex- 
 haust the influences of brotherly love before resort- 
 ing to sterner proceedings. 
 
 There are offences against the moral law which are 
 so heinous in their nature that to dally with them 
 by remonstrance or admonition would almost be to 
 approve them ; in such cases, proceedings should be 
 instituted and carried _to conclusion without other 
 than the necessary legal delay. 
 
 Violations of the Masonic law — as, wilful disobe- 
 dience of the constitution or the by-laws of a Lodge ; 
 Masonic intercourse with a clandestine Lodge or 
 Mason, or with a suspended or expelled brother; 
 defrauding a brother Mason ; embezzling the funds 
 of the Lodge or Grand Lodge ; violating the unwrit- 
 ten landmarks ; refusing obedience to the lawful com- 
 mands of a Masonic superior ; wilfully neglecting or 
 refusing to obey a summons, are offences in Masonry 
 which subject the offender to punishment of greater 
 or less severity, according to the circumstances of 
 the case. In all these instances, and many others 
 that might be enumerated, a discreet Master will 
 mark out a course to be pursued with greater accu- 
 racy than could be accompHshed by any general rule 
 we could frame. 
 
 Violatiag the law of the land is necessarily a Ma- 
 
MASONIC JUKISPRUDENCE. 213 
 
 sonic offence, because the offender in disgracing him- 
 self also disgraces the Fraternity, the whole Craft 
 receiving blame for the acts of the individual. In 
 such a case, charges are to be preferred as though 
 no trial had taken place before the civil tribunal ; but 
 it is not necessary that aU the evidence should be re- 
 peated. The testimony of two brethren who were 
 present at the civil trial, and who certify the general 
 tenor of the evidence, will be sufficient ; or, where 
 the accused is abeady convicted of a felony, the of- 
 ficial record of such conviction will be sufficient evi- 
 dence for the prosecution. 
 
 In deahng with such cases, a distinction is to be 
 made between felonies and misdemeanors. Felonies 
 entail personal disgrace and loss of character, while 
 misdemeanors may be the simple neglect of a corpo- 
 ration ordinance entailing a trivial fine. The best of 
 men may be comdcted of such an offence without dis- 
 grace. 
 
 Pohtical offences cannot be made the subject of 
 Masonic discipKne, because Masonry takes no cogni- 
 zance of pohtical differences. " So that if a brother 
 should be a rebel against the State, he is not to be 
 countenanced iu his rebellion, however he may be 
 pitied as an unhappy man ; and if convicted of no 
 other crime, though the loyal brotherhood must and 
 ought to disown his rebellion and give no umbrage 
 
214 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 or ground of political jealousy to the government for 
 the time being, they cannot expel him from the Lodge, 
 and his relation to it remains indefeasible."* 
 
 Rehgious differences, especially in coimtries where 
 ecclesiastical powers are recognized by the State, are 
 subject to the like rule for similar reasons. 
 
 SECTION n.-MASONIC TRIALS. 
 
 In the whole range of Masonic topics, there is none 
 more difficult to deal with than the one we now pro- 
 pose to examine ; not so much from any inherent dif- 
 ficulty in the subject itself, as because it is one about 
 which the generahty of the Craft know Httle or noth- 
 ing, and (in one sense it may be said) fortunately 
 have little opportunity to acquire knowledge. For 
 when a trial takes place, it is usually confined to the 
 Lodge having jurisdiction, visitors being, very pro- 
 perly, excluded ; and thus many of the brethren know 
 nothing of the forms usual to such occasions. The 
 judicial powers of a Lodge are, however, a part of its 
 well-estabHshed prerogatives, and it is proper that 
 their intention should be understood, as well as the 
 forms by which they are accompKshed. 
 
 Li a majority of Grand Lodge jurisdictions, trials 
 are held in open Lodge ; but as in many cases it is 
 necessary for committees to be appointed to take the 
 
 * Ancient Charges, Art. IL 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 215 
 
 evidence of persons who could not be present to tes- 
 tify, it will, we thiak, eventually be the general rule 
 to name committees to take all the evidence during 
 the recess of the Lodge, and present that evidence, 
 with the conclusions of the committee, to the Lodge 
 for its final action. Such is the practice ia the State 
 of New York, and we shall here follow that model 
 not only for the sake of perspicacity, but in the hope 
 that a knowledge of its advantages may lead to its 
 general adoption. The forms used we have placed 
 in the Appendix, for the convenience of Lodges where 
 they are the law, and for the examination of brethren 
 elsewhere. The object of Masonic trials, Hke all oth- 
 ers, is to demonstrate the guUt or innocence of the 
 brother under charges, by the testimony of competent 
 witnesses, before an unbiased tribunal, where every- 
 thing may be done in a regular and orderly manner, 
 and where there may be as absolute certainty as the 
 imperfection of human natiu-e tvtU admit, that impar- 
 tial justice win be awarded ; the accused being enti- 
 tled to the presumption of innocence till proved 
 guQty, and the accuser to purity of motive and sia- 
 cerity of purpose. Trials occur either as the result 
 of an accusation against a brother for uninasonic 
 conduct, or to determiae controversies between 
 Lodges or individuals. 
 
 The first step in a Masonic trial is the presentation 
 
216 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 of charges, which must be done in open Lodge, at a 
 stated communication bj a brother in good standing 
 (usually the Junior Warden), non-affiliated Masons 
 and profanes not being competent to prefer charges. 
 
 The charges must be in writing, and must fully 
 specify the offence charged, together with the time 
 and place of its commission, and must be signed by 
 the accuser, even when presented by the Jiuiior War- 
 den. The indictment is read in open Lodge by the 
 Secretary, and the Lodge decides by vote whether 
 the charges shall be accepted and the accused bro- 
 ther be placed on trial. When decided in the affirm- 
 ative, the Master appoints a commission of three, five 
 or more members, to hear, try and determine the 
 same. 
 
 The next step is the service of the charges, which 
 is done by the Secretary furnishing a copy certified 
 by the Lodge seal, which, together with a summons 
 directing the delinquent to appear at a time and 
 place therein named, with his witnesses, for the pur- 
 pose of trial, is personally served on him, or left at 
 his residence or place of business. 
 
 The time allowed between the service of charges 
 and the trial varies according to cu'cumstances. 
 Where the accused is a resident of the place in which 
 the Lodge is held, ten days are generally deemed 
 sufficient, though, for cause shown, a further reason- 
 
MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 217 
 
 able delay will always be granted. When the accused 
 resides more than twenty miles from the Lodge, ser- 
 vice is allowed by mail, and twenty or thirty days 
 are given, and longer time when at a greater distance 
 and out of the State. If the residence be unknown, 
 or the dehnqnent has absconded, the Lodge may 
 proceed ex parte and conduct the case as though the 
 delinquent were present. When the summons is dis- 
 obeyed, then another is issued and served, citing the 
 accused to show cause why he should not be disci- 
 pHned for such contempt, and in the event of contin- 
 ued neglect, the committee may either report judg- 
 ment for contempt, or proceed to hear the evidence 
 as in the case of an absconding member. 
 
 On receipt of the charges, the defendant should, 
 previous to the time named for the trial, make an- 
 swer to them in writing, in which he may either sim- 
 ply plead not guilty, or admit a portion and deny the 
 rest of the specifications, as to him may seem proper. 
 The object of this is to save time in the investigation 
 by reducing the facts requiring proof to the narrow- 
 est possible hmits, and to avoid all extraneous mat- 
 ters tending to complicate the trial. This suggestion 
 will be found of great convenience in controversies 
 between individuals or Lodges, or where charges are 
 preferred against a Master by his Lodge, as afford- 
 ing an opportunity for explanation and a possibility 
 10 
 
218 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 of mutual arrangement, wliich ought always to be the 
 first aim of all concerned. 
 
 Where controversies arise between Lodges, or be- 
 tween individuals or the members of different Lodges, 
 the general custom is for the trial to be had in or by 
 the Lodge to which the member belongs against 
 whom charges are first made ; but though we are 
 not prepared to say that a fair trial may not be thus 
 obtaiued, there is nevertheless in such a course an 
 apparent want of that strict impartiahty which is at 
 the very foundation of justice. It therefore appears 
 fairer that such complaints, as well as those against 
 Masters of Lodges, should be made to the Grand 
 Lodge, or its officers charged with that duty, and 
 that they should select commissioners from among 
 the Masters and Wardens of neighboring Lodges ad- 
 mittedly free from aU bias in the premises. When 
 charges are thus preferred, the commission make 
 their report to the Grand officer appointing them, 
 and their judgment is fiinal, unless the proceedings 
 be found irregular and a new trial be ordered, or an 
 appeal be made to the Grand Lodge. In the latter 
 case, the delinquent remains under effect of the sen- 
 tence tin it is legally reversed. 
 
 At any time before the trial, the defendant may 
 offer objections to the commissioners, on the score of 
 bias, and when tliis happens they should either re- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 219 
 
 sign, or be removed by the appointing power, or tri- 
 ers be appointed and the defendant be allowed an 
 opportunity to show cause. These things would be 
 allowed a defendant in civil law. How much more 
 ought it to be done when the reputation of a brother 
 is at stake. 
 
 All the preliminaries having been adjusted, the 
 commission meet at the time and place named in the 
 summons and organize by the appointment of one of 
 then* number chairman, and a clerk, who need not 
 necessarily be a commissioner. The defendant is 
 then admitted with his counsel, if he have one. Any 
 Master Mason in good standing may act as such 
 counsel, but not a profane. The charges and speci- 
 fications are read, and the case is then open. At this 
 period the defendant may offer in writing any objec- 
 tions he thinks proper to make, to the jurisdiction of 
 the Lodge, to the defective nature of the specifica- 
 tions or others. The commission will decide as to 
 their vahdity. If the points of objection are found 
 to be well taken, it would be useless to proceed fur- 
 ther, because there would be a reasonable certainty 
 that on appeal the proceedings would be reversed. 
 If, on the contrary, they be deemed invalid, and the 
 commission so decide, a note to that effect is entered 
 on the miautes, and a copy of the paper is filed with 
 the clerk as a part of » the case. It would, however, 
 
220 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 be better, as we have already observed, that all such 
 objections should be made in the written answer of 
 the defendant to the charges, to be served on the 
 commission as soon after the reception of the charges 
 as possible, that the commissioners may have ample 
 time to consider them before making a decision. 
 
 The examination of witnesses (who are to be called 
 before the commission, one at a time,) will now take 
 place ; first, in behalf of the prosecution, and then 
 for the defence. And here we may devote a moment 
 to inquire who may be witnesses on a Masonic trial. 
 
 Children of tender years, unable to comprehend 
 the solemnity of an obHgatian ; persons of unsoimd 
 mind, atheists ; persons who have been convicted of 
 heinous crimes, and expelled Masons, are incompe- 
 tent to testify. In addition to these, it should be the 
 rule, although it is not always, that persons inter- 
 ested in the result of the trial — that is, persons whose 
 interests would be affected, either favorably or unfa- 
 vorably, by the result — should not be allowed to tes- 
 tify. Masons wives are generally allowed to give 
 evidence on the trial of their husbands, when desired 
 to do so ; but we think the practice an unsafe one, 
 and one that ought to be guided by the rule in civil 
 law which forbids such testimony. Women not thus 
 interested, and profanes, may give evidence before a 
 commission, but where the trial is in open Lodge, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 221 
 
 they would liave to be examined by a committee 
 named for the purpose, and in presence of the ac- 
 cused, who has the right to propound cross-interrog- 
 atories, and who would accompany the committee for 
 that purpose. 
 
 Lodge-books and vouchers, and certified extracts 
 therefrom, are occasionally and properly introduced 
 as testimony. 
 
 Master Masons in good standing are of course 
 competent witnesses, and give their testimony under 
 the sanction of their covenants, the commission hav- 
 ing no power to administer judicial oaths, and not 
 being allowed to do so if they had. 
 
 The accused has the right to cross-examine all wit- 
 nesses. 
 
 The general rules of evidence apply in Masonic 
 trials, but not aU. For instance, where a brother 
 is charged with habitual intoxication no evidence can 
 be introduced tending to convict him of fraud, or any 
 other crime ; nor would it be proper to attempt to 
 ehcit such information on the examination of a wit- 
 ness placed on the stand to substantiate the charge 
 of intoxication. This is one of the errors into which 
 brethren unaccustomed to legal proceedings are most 
 likely to be led ; and more judgments are reversed 
 on such grounds than almost any other. No attempt 
 should, therefore, be made to prove anything nofc 
 laid down in the charges. 
 
222 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 The questions asked, and the answers given by the 
 witnesses, are to be -svritten down verbatim by the 
 clerk — first the direct, and then the cross-examina- 
 tion ; and when the deposition of a witness is con- 
 cluded, it should be read over to him, and he should 
 approve its correctness by appending his signature 
 to it. 
 
 Hearsay evidence cannot be admitted ; the wit- 
 nesses must be able to testify of his own knowledge, 
 or not at all. 
 
 A Master Mason cannot be impeached. He may 
 be contradicted by the introduction of witnesses to 
 prove a contrary state of facts to that alleged by him, 
 but no witnesses can be allowed to testify that they 
 would not beheve him under oath, as is frequently 
 done in civil suits. If a Mason has so far lost his 
 character as to be unworthy of behef, even when tes- 
 tifying under oath, there must be some cause for it, 
 and he should therefore be put under charges, tried, 
 and excluded from the Craft ; but until these things 
 have been done, he is entitled to the considerations 
 attaching to regular standing. 
 
 Lastly, the object of a Masonic trial is to ascertain 
 the exact truth in regard to a charge preferred, that 
 strict justice may govern the administration of disci- 
 pline. No mere technicality ought to be allowed to 
 stand in the way of producing the necessary facts, 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 223 
 
 and wlien such teclinicalities are insisted upon by 
 counsel, the better way would be to note the objec- 
 tion on the minutes, produce the facts, and leave the 
 decision to the appellate tribunal. A Mason accused 
 of dehnquency ought to depend on an open rebuttal 
 of the accusation, and not upon the skilful handling 
 of what, in common parlance, we term " legal quib- 
 bles." During a somewhat extended observation of 
 Masonic trials, we have always found that, as the 
 committees are usually plain men, unacquainted T\dth 
 the technicalities and subtleties of law proceedings, 
 so a plain, straight-forward course is the most likely 
 to be successful ; and, indeed, it would be a scandal 
 to Masonry were the facts otherwise, for if a guilty 
 brother may avoid conviction by an authorized re- 
 sort to the chicanery of the law, then, by a parity of 
 reasoning, an innocent one might be convicted by a 
 similar process. To admit either proposition would 
 be to degrade Masonry, by assimilating it to the un- 
 fair practices of the world, and taking from its arcana 
 the cardinal virtues which are at the foundation of 
 its system. We shall not be misunderstood as ob- 
 jecting to the employment of counsel in Masonic in- 
 vestigations, for we favor such a course, on the ground 
 that, being disinterested, they are not affected by the 
 passions of the immediate litigants ; and further, that 
 by their knowledge they are enabled to avoid unnec- 
 
 
224 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 essary circumlocution, thus keeping the proceedings 
 within due bounds ; but we do object, and we warn 
 the brethren — both lay and professional — against 
 making the result of Masonic trials dependent upon 
 the subtleties by which reputations and fortunes are 
 won or lost in the lottery of common law. 
 
 The evidence being all in, it is then optional with 
 the parties concerned to sum up. We have only to 
 say, in this regard, that never having known a sum- 
 ming up to have the slightest effect upon the result, 
 we leave it as a matter of taste to those concerned. 
 
 If the proceedings have been lengthy, the commis- 
 sion usually have a meeting by themselves to read 
 over the evidence and agree as to their conclusion, 
 a majority of the commission being required to find 
 a verdict. Having settled upon their verdict, the 
 clerk is directed to notify the accused of that fact, 
 and that the commission will present their conclu- 
 sions to the Lodge at its next stated communication. 
 At that communication the report is presented and 
 read, together with the evidence, if required, and 
 the Lodge then proceeds to consider the question : 
 " Shall the finding of the commissioners be ap- 
 proved ?" Debate is allowed, and the defendant or 
 his counsel may be heard. The Lodge may in its 
 discretion alter, approve, or reverse the finding. Be- 
 fore taking the vote, however, the accused is directed 
 
MASONId JURISPRUDENCE. 225 
 
 to retire, and then the Lodge finally passes upon the 
 case,* subject, of course, to an appeal, of which the 
 accused is expected to give notice within such time 
 as may be fixed by the regulations. 
 
 Where, as under certain ckcumstances provided 
 in the constitution of the Grand Lodge of New York,t 
 the commission is appointed by the Grand Master, 
 the report is made to him, and his approval makes 
 it final, unless appeal be taken to the Grand Lodge 
 within six months. Where the Deputy, or one of 
 the District Deputies, names the commission, report 
 is made to the appointing officer, but appeal may be 
 taken to the Grand Master, and again to the next 
 succeeding Grand Lodge. 
 
 SECTION IlI.-MASONIC PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 The penalties inflicted for Masonic offences are : 
 Reprimand ; Exclusion, which is temporary or per- 
 manent ; Suspension, definite or indefinite ; and Ex- 
 pulsion. In England, fines are permitted to be levied 
 
 * The manner of voting, on these occasions, differs in the vari- 
 ous Grand Lodge jurisdictions. In some it is required to be taken 
 by ballot. In others, viva voce ; and in others it is left to the dis- 
 cretion of the Lodges. 
 
 t Controversies between Lodges, or between individuals belong- 
 ing to different Lodges, or where charges are preferred against the 
 Master of a Lodge. 
 
226 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 under tlie name of punishments ; but the sentiment 
 of the American Fraternity being decidedly averse 
 to them, they are held among us to be unmasouic. 
 
 Reprimand is the mildest form of Masonic punish- 
 ment, and, though it can only be inflicted after trial, 
 is considered rather as an admonition to the oflfender 
 for some trifling breach of the law, and as a notice 
 of intention to preserve intact the dignity of our pro- 
 fession. 
 
 This punishment should, when possible, be admin- 
 istered by the Master in person, and be made the 
 occasion for reminding, not only the deHnquent, but 
 the brethren generally, of the sacred nature of our 
 engagements, and the certainty that they cannot be 
 violated with impimity. 
 
 ExdusioUj when temporary in its effect, is adminis- 
 tered by the Grand Master, in the Grand Lodge, for 
 refusal to submit to the rules of order, contumacy to 
 the authority of the Grand Master, or, in brief, for 
 any conduct not sufficiently heinous to call for in- 
 dictment and trial, but too much so to be allowed to 
 pass without notice. 
 
 The same thing occui'S, under like circumstances, 
 in a subordinate Lodge. A brother who is disor- 
 derly, or contumacious — who refuses to obey the 
 Master, or to conform to the regulations of the 
 Lodge, may be excluded by a vote of the Lodge, or 
 by the direct prerogative of the Master. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 227 
 
 It is well to observe here, that the part of the 
 opening ritual which strictly forbids improper con- 
 duct, under such penalty as the by-laws prescribe, 
 or a majority of the brethren present see proper to 
 inflict, applies to the state of facts here cited, and 
 not (as many erroneously suppose) to the infliction 
 of the higher grades of punishment because an of- 
 fence has been committed in view of the Lodge. 
 Temporary exclusion does not deprive a Mason of 
 any of his general relations to the Fraternity, or any 
 of his positive rights (for the right to be in the 
 Lodge is a qualified one, dependent on good beha- 
 vior,) and hence, when milder remedies — as expostu- 
 lation or reproof — fail, may be summarily adminis- 
 tered to save the credit of the Lodge and preserve 
 its peace and harmony ; but when an offence has 
 been committed requiring the infliction of either of 
 the major punishments, then the necessary forms of 
 a trial must be had. This rule is necessary to guard 
 against the effects of sudden passion, which may 
 seize an assembly as effectually as a single individ- 
 ual, and under the influence of which a stigma might 
 be attached to an innocent man that no after repent- 
 ance could altogether banish. Moreover, if it were 
 in the province of a Lodge to deprive a brother of 
 all his rights in a summary manner, there would be 
 no safety for the minority ; for where absolute powev 
 
228 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 exists, the apology for its exercise is rarely difficult 
 to find. Let it be admitted, too, that where a grave 
 offence has been committed in the very presence of 
 a Lodge, the result of a formal trial must necessarily 
 be a foregone conclusion. Still, it is better and more 
 Masonic to guard against the possibility of error or 
 misunderstanding by adhering to the forms of trial, 
 and thus dispensing justice without the semblance of 
 passion. It is true that temporary exclusion might 
 be ordered by the Master without due reflection or 
 adequate cause, but at the worst the excluded bro- 
 ther would lose nothing but the pleasure of a single 
 evening in the Lodge, while, on his complaint to the 
 Grand Master, a more than compensatory justice 
 might be awarded to the hastily-acting Master or 
 Lodge. Not much danger, however, is to be appre- 
 hended from this source ; for during an active par- 
 ticipation of twenty years in the affairs of Masonry, 
 we have never known of a case. The principle, how- 
 ever, remains the same. 
 
 Permanent exdtmon was formerly the polite term 
 for expulsion ; but it is now better known as striking 
 from the roll — a process by which a brother is sum- 
 marily deprived of his rights of membership in a 
 particular Lodge, without trial, and often without 
 notice. This practice, which is gradually making its 
 way among the Grand Lodges, commenced about 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 229 
 
 the year 1851, and was intended by tlie authors to 
 ajfford a milder way of dealing with unwilling or neg- 
 ligent contributors to the Lodge funds than the 
 former one of suspension, it being held that no gen 
 eral deprivation of rights ought to follow mere re 
 missness in paying dues. The remedy has, however, 
 proved many times worse than the original disease ; 
 for a brother stricken from the roll is not only de- 
 prived of his membership in his own Lodge, but also 
 of that of affiliating elsewhere, should he be so in- 
 clined, because when attempting such affiliation he 
 cannot show an honorable discharge from his first 
 membership, and cannot therefore be admitted to 
 the new one. Striking from the roll is frequently 
 resorted to when it is desired to get rid of an obnox- 
 ious member against whom no charges can be found, 
 and he is thus driven into the ranks of the non-affil- 
 iated, with a moral certainty that he will remain 
 there. We fully concur in the general sentiment, 
 that no act of suspension should be allowed for non- 
 payment of dues only, and we think that all the re- 
 quirements of justice could be answered by excluding 
 from all the rights and benefits of his own Lodge 
 any brother who, after due notice, neglects or refuses 
 to pay his dues (when one year in arrears), condi- 
 tioned that payment of the amount due at the time 
 of exclusion, if tendered within one year from that 
 
230 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 date, should operate his restoration to his former 
 status without other action ; and if more than a year 
 had elapsed, that then the Lodge, on receiving the 
 amount due, should gi'ant an honorable discharge ; 
 provided, of course, that no charges are pending. 
 Lodge dues are a legitimate source of revenue, and 
 a much better dependence than initiations for the 
 means to meet current expenses. It is therefore 
 proper that Lodges should have reasonable power to 
 enforce payment, but still, one that when used should 
 not be a worse offence in Masonry than the delin- 
 quency against which it is leveled. 
 
 Definite Siispensu»i is the first really serious pun- 
 ishment inflicted by Masonic law, because, while in 
 operation — whether the period be one year or one 
 day — the suspended brother is deprived of all his 
 Masonic rights but one, and that is the right to re- 
 sume his place in the Craft when the suspension ex- 
 pires by its own limitation. If it were otherwise, it 
 would not be definite, because the Lodge, if required 
 to act, might refuse a reinstatement, and thus the 
 suspension would be indefinite. But the name of 
 the penalty sufficiently determines its character, and 
 no argument is needed to show that if a brother is 
 suspended for six months he cannot be suspended 
 one moment longer without new charges, and a new 
 trial for some other offence than that just expiated 
 by the six months' suspension. 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 231 
 
 Indefinite Suspension is technically considered a 
 higher grade of punishment than where the exact 
 period is specified in the sentence, because in this 
 case a vote of the Lodge is necessary to restoration ; 
 but practically it is less severe, for we incHne to the 
 opinion that a motion to take off an indefinite sus- 
 pension would be in order at any meeting after the 
 promulgation of the sentence. The very terms of the 
 penalty would seem to indicate that by naming no 
 time the Lodge reserved a right to terminate the 
 punishment at pleasure. Beyond this, there is no 
 difference in the two grades. A Mason definitely or 
 indefijiitely suspended is — while the penalty operates 
 — deprived of all his rights and privileges as effect- 
 ually as if he had never been initiated. 
 
 Expulsion is the highest penalty known to the Ma- 
 sonic code, and when inflicted absolutely severs all 
 connection between the brother and the Fraternity, 
 for which reason it has been aptly termed Masonic 
 death. This penalty is only inflicted for the most 
 flagrant infractions of moral or Masonic law, and 
 when pronounced by a Lodge is conditional until af- 
 firmed by the Grand Lodge, if appeal be taken against 
 it within the time prescribed by the local regulations. 
 If no appeal be taken, no confirmation is needed, 
 because the dehnquent may then be said to accept 
 the terms of the sentence. By expulsion, a Mason 
 
232 miNCirLEs and mACTicE of 
 
 not only loses his own rights, but his family is there* 
 by deprived of all claim upon the assistance and pro^ 
 tection of the Fraternity. 
 
 This penalty should only be inflicted after serious 
 deliberation, and when it is beheved that the pres- 
 ence of the offender in the Society will produce 
 greater evil than his reformation could be expected 
 to effect good. 
 
 A question here arises as to what vote is required 
 to suspend or expel. Keasoning by analogy, wo 
 should say that, as in the first Grand Lodge, all 
 questions were decided by a majority vote, so, in the 
 present day, the same general rule ought to apply ; 
 but we find a great diversity of opinion existing on 
 this point. Some Grand Lodges require a two-thirds 
 vote ; others — New York among the number — a ma- 
 jority. As in various other matters, therefore, the 
 decision will be governed by the regulations of the 
 local Grand Lodge. 
 
 Notice of suspension or expulsion is usually sent 
 to the neighboring Lodges, and always to the Grand 
 Secretary ; but care must be taken that no publica- 
 tion is made to others than Masons ; to avoid which 
 the notices should be in writing. 
 
 Lastly, it is now universally admitted that while 
 expulsion or suspension, when inflicted by the au- 
 thority of symboKc Masonry, debars the brother 
 
MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 233 
 
 thus dealt with from all the rights he may have as 
 a Koyal Arch Mason or Eoiight Templar, the same 
 penalties, when inflicted by the higher orders, do not 
 affect his standing in the Lodge, for the reason that 
 the Chapter and Commandery rest upon the Lodge, 
 it being an indispensible prerequisite to admission 
 in them that the candidate shall be in good standing 
 in the preceding degrees ; and the same quaUfication 
 is necessary to maintain membership when acquired. 
 When, therefore, a Knight Templar loses his stand- 
 ing in symbolic Masonry by suspension or expidsion 
 he no longer possesses the requisite qualifications for 
 membership in the Commandery, and can therefore 
 no longer participate in its labors. But the converse 
 of the proposition does not hold good, because, while 
 the Templar is required to have received the degrees 
 of the Lodge and Chapter, and therefore has lawful 
 knowledge of those bodies, the Master Mason knows 
 nothing of the superior grades, and cannot take legal 
 cognizance of their acts ; and hence, when the Chap- 
 ter or Commandery expel one of their members, his 
 standing in his Lodge remains good. If the offence 
 for which he has been expelled in the higher body be 
 one affecting his moraL character and standing, the 
 same charge may be brought against him in the 
 Lodge, and he will there be dealt with in the usual 
 way. 
 
234 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 SECTION IV.-RESTORATION. 
 
 In the Masonic code, restoration is the act of grace, 
 or pardon, extended to the repentant offender after 
 sentence has taken effect, and ought not to be con- 
 founded — as it usually is — with reinstatement, when, 
 on appeal, the proceedings in the lower tribunal 
 have been reversed. It is the law that when, after 
 trial and appeal to the Grand Lodge, the sentence 
 has been finally confirmed, and the accused indefi- 
 nitely suspended or expelled, as the case may be, the 
 Grand Lodge may, on petition, restore the individual 
 to aU the general rights and privileges of Masonry, 
 but not to membership in any Lodge ; because when 
 the sentence is confirmed by the court of last resort, 
 membership in the Lodge ceases as effectually as if 
 it had never existed, and the reserved right of the 
 Lodge to decide who shall and who shall not be ad- 
 mitted to membership then appHes in fuU force. But, 
 as we have already sho^Ti, when on appeal the sen- 
 tence and proceedings in the first court (the Lodge) 
 are reversed for irregularity or want of proof, then 
 the sentence of suspension or expulsion goes for 
 nothing, because it is declared by the highest au- 
 thority that it has not been legally pronounced, and 
 therefore not pronounced at aU ; and, as we have 
 said before, the member continues the standing he 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 235 
 
 enjoyed before tlie charges were preferred ; which 
 standing had been attacked but not injured by the 
 irregular proceedings. In this case, it is evident that 
 no act of restoration would be performed, because 
 there being no loss of membership there is nothing 
 to restore. It is true that after sentence, and during 
 the proceedings on appeal previous to its final deter- 
 mination, the Lodge would not allow the member to 
 sit or enjoy any of its rights or privileges ; but it will 
 be observed that, while the appeal is pending, the 
 rights of the member are not lost, but only in abey- 
 ance, the sentence of the Lodge being always subject 
 to appeal, which appeal would be worse than idle if 
 it left an unjust sentence in effect, or if, when it de- 
 clared a brother illegally dealt with, it did not by 
 that declaration place him in the exact position oc- 
 cupied by him before the commencement of proceed- 
 ings. 
 
 Definite suspension requires no restoration, be- 
 cause as a brother loses his rights by a sentence for 
 a defined period, so, when that period expires by its 
 own hmitation, the cause of the loss ceases, and the 
 effects cease with it. 
 
 When a Lodge restores a brother who is under 
 the effects of a final sentence of indefinite suspen- 
 sion or expulsion, it readmits him to membership, 
 because it reverses its own sentence and extends a 
 
236 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 full pardon for the offence on conviction for which 
 sentence had been pronounced. Restoration by the 
 Grand Lodge is necesarily different, because it may 
 take place without the knowledge or consent of the 
 Lodge, which may stOl adhere to its original deter- 
 mination. It also frequently happens that a Lodge 
 may be willing that a brother suspended or expelled 
 by it shall be restored to the rights and privileges 
 of a non-affiliated Mason, but not again to his former 
 membership ; in which case they allow the restora- 
 tion to be made by the Grand Lodge, and usually 
 join in the petition for such restoration. 
 
 Here again the question occurs : " What vote is 
 necessary to enable a Lodge to restore a brother in- 
 definitely suspended or expelled ?" Li answer, we 
 can state the general practice, but we cannot give 
 any absolute rule, because there is none. It is com- 
 monly held that a two-thirds vote is necessary to re- 
 store an indefinitely suspended Mason, but we have 
 never met with any one who could give a vaUd rea- 
 son for the requirement beyond the regulations of 
 Grand Lodges. Those bodies restore even from ex- 
 pulsion by a majority vote, and we see no reason why 
 a Lodge may not take off a sentence of indefinite 
 suspension in the same way. Grand Lodge regula- 
 tions are, however, of greater force than mere opin- 
 ions, and Lodges must consult and be governed by 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 237 
 
 them, llestoration from expulsion by a Lodge re- 
 quires previous proposal and a unanimous vote ; be- 
 cause the sentence of expulsion, when confirmed, is 
 Masonic death, or, in other words, absolute severance 
 of all connection between the individual and the Fra- 
 ternity ; and as the act of restoration puts the indi- 
 vidual in possession of full Masonic privileges, it is 
 necessary that the vote should be unanimous, be- 
 cause the Lodge by restoration admits to member- 
 ship one who had been severed from it as completely 
 as if he had never belonged to it, or had voluntarily 
 dimitted. Here the distinction between indefinite 
 suspension and expulsion (which is an extremely nice 
 one) will be made. A brother who has been sus- 
 pended, although he is as totally debarred from the 
 exercise of his Masonic privileges, for the time being, 
 as one expelled, nevertheless retains a quasi connec- 
 tion with the Society. " He is not dead, but sleep- 
 eth." That is, the functions of his Masonic existence 
 are not absolutely destroyed, but suspended ; and 
 the removal of this disability would appear to require 
 a less decided vote than in the case of the major 
 penalty. It may be added, too, that as this penalty 
 is inflicted for less serious offences than those re- 
 quiring expulsion, so, in justice, it ought to require a 
 less difficult method of restoration than unanimity. 
 Li the act of striking from the roll, it is understood 
 
238 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 that the member has forfeited his membership by 
 refusal or neglect to comply with the by-law requir- 
 ing him to pay annual or quarterly dues, and has, in 
 so doing, violated a contract made by him on his ad- 
 mission as a member. This is a matter belonging to 
 the Lodge — one that does not affect the general re- 
 lations of the brother to the Fraternity except in de- 
 priving him of the power to aflfihate elsewhere ; and 
 one, consequently, in which reinstatement, and not 
 restoration, is required. If the striking from the 
 roll is performed in accordance with the law of the 
 jurisdiction, then the Grand Lodge cannot interfere 
 to force the member back ; but, on the contraiy, if 
 there has been irregularity in the proceedings, then, 
 of course, the Grand Lodge, in reversing those pro- 
 ceedings, reinstates the member ; because, not hav- 
 ing been legally deprived of his rights, he is lawfully 
 entitled to the position he occupied before the illegal 
 act. We hope to see the day when, by general con- 
 sent, the disabiUties arising from mere non-payment 
 of dues may be removed by the payment of the 
 amount of such dues ; for as a Mason, while stricken 
 from the roll, cannot enjoy the privileges of the 
 Lodge, neither should he be chargeable with dues 
 during that time. 
 
CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 %\t iranJtr firist. 
 
 SECTION I.-THE FORMATION OF GRAND LODGES. 
 
 Our readers cannot have failed to observe that we 
 have studiously avoided aU reference to authorities 
 of an earlier date than the charges and regulations 
 of 1721, which we consider as sufficient for all the 
 purposes of the present system of Masonic jurispru- 
 dence. From this stand-point we feel warranted in 
 making the assertion, that Grand Lodges, as now 
 constituted and conducted, are a modern growth, en- 
 grafted on the original stock at the revival of Ma- 
 sonry in 1717, and having no claim whatever to an 
 existence preceding that period. We are aware that 
 the assembly in the city of York, in 926, at which the 
 Gothic constitutions were adopted, and others held 
 at subsequent periods, have been denominated Grand 
 Lodges, but the term is misapplied ; they were con- 
 ventions or general assembhes, having no more sim- 
 ihtude to a modern Grand Lodge than a friendly 
 meeting of brethren would resemble the order and 
 regularity that prevail in a formed Lodge. Eebold, 
 
240 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 in his " Hisfoire General de la Franc-maconneriej* 
 speaks of Grand Lodges (Haupthutten) existing in 
 the fifteenth century, which " had independent and 
 sovereign jurisdiction, and determined without appeal 
 all causes brought before them." But they belonged 
 to the Society of operative Masons or stone-dressers, 
 to which he and others imagine the present Society 
 of speculative or Freemasons owes its existence ; and 
 though they may in some degree have been the mod- 
 els, they certainly had no relation to Grand Lodges 
 of the present day. 
 
 Previous to 1717, an annual assembly and feast 
 was held at which all the brethren who saw fit were 
 present, and at which, when required, a Grand Mas- 
 ter was elected ; but these meetings feU into decay 
 until, on the accession of George I., the Masons in 
 London resolved to cement themselves under a new 
 Grand Master, and to revive the communications and 
 annual festivals of the Society. Accordingly, on St. 
 John the Baptist's day, 1717, in the third year of 
 the reign of King George L, the assembly and feast 
 were held, when the oldest Master Mason and the 
 Master of a Lodge, having taken the chair, a list of 
 proper candidates for the office of Grand Master was 
 produced, and the brethren, by a great majority of 
 hands, elected Mr. Anthony Sayer Grand Master of 
 Masons for the en.suing year, who was forthwith in- 
 
JilASONIC JUBISPRUDENCE. 241 
 
 vested by tlie oldest Master, installed by the Master 
 of the oldest Lodge, and duly congratulated by the 
 assembly who paid him homage." This was the be- 
 ginning of the Grand Lodge of England, from which 
 have sprung the Grand Lodges of the world. At this 
 meeting it was agreed, among other things, " that 
 the privilege of assembling as Masons, which had 
 hitherto been unhmited, should be vested in certain 
 Lodges or assemblies of Masons convened in cer- 
 tain places, and that every Lodge to be hereafter 
 convened, except the four old Lodges at this time 
 existing, should be legally authorized to act by a 
 warrant from the Grand Master for the time being, 
 granted to certain individuals by petition, with the 
 consent and approbation of the Grand Lodge in 
 communication ; and that without such warrant no 
 Lodge should hereafter be deemed regular or consti- 
 tutional." 
 
 Thus was established a central authority or gov- 
 ernment for the Fraternity, to which was committed 
 the superintendence of the Craft, and entrusted the 
 responsibihty of making laws for its observance and 
 for the maintainance of its ancient landmarks ; it be- 
 ing also specially agreed " that no law, rule, or reg- 
 idation, to be thereafter made or passed in the Grand 
 Lodge, should encroach on any landmark which was 
 
 * Pbeston's Illustraiions of Masonry— Olivek's edition — p. 150. 
 11 
 
242 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 at that time established as the standard of Masonic 
 government."* 
 
 The Grand Lodge thus inaugurated underwent, 
 within a brief period, various modifications. Many 
 new Lodges being formed, it was soon foimd that a 
 general attendance of the brethren would make the 
 body too unmeldy, and the present system of repre- 
 sentation by the Masters and Wardens was estab- 
 lished. The right to confer the three degrees was 
 ceded to the Lodges, and the Grand Lodge then be- 
 came what it is now — the supreme tribimal and leg- 
 islature of the Craft witliin its jurisdiction. 
 
 The first Grand Lodge, it will be observed, was 
 established by the concurrent action of the brethren 
 of the four old Lodges, acting as indi\dduals, as is 
 evident from the fact stated by Preston, that when 
 matters had been adjusted to the satisfaction of the 
 brethren of the four old Lodges, they considered 
 their attendance on the future communications of the 
 society as unnecessary ; and, like the other Lodges, 
 trusted implicitly to their Masters and Wardens, rest- 
 ing satisfied that no measure of importance would 
 be adopted without their approbation. It is now 
 held that no Grand Lodge can be estabhshed with- 
 out the concurrence of three or more regular Lodges 
 previously established, and acting through their 
 Masters and Wardens. We shall refer to this again 
 * Pbeston. 
 
MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 24:3 
 
 when we come to speak of the jurisdictional rights 
 of Grand Lodges. 
 
 SECTION II.-THE POWERS OF GRAND LODGES. 
 
 A Grand Lodge is now defined to be " a body of 
 Masons in whom is inahenably vested the govern- 
 ment and superintendence of the Fraternity within 
 its territorial jurisdiction, and is primarily composed 
 of its Grand officers and the Masters and Wardens, 
 or their proxies, of the several subordinate Lodges 
 under its jurisdiction."^ It is necessarily supreme 
 in the exercise of all powers not specially reserved 
 to the Lodges, and there is of course no appeal from 
 its decisions ; but it cannot make or pass any regu- 
 lation in derogation of the Ancient Landmarks. 
 
 The powers of a Grand Lodge are : Legislative, 
 Judicial, and Executive, which are exercised under 
 the Hmitations above specified, but which are inop- 
 erative beyond the pohtical limits of the country, 
 State, or territory in which it may be located, and 
 from which it usually derives its name — as the Grand 
 Lodge of England, of New York, etc. 
 
 Tlie Legislative powers of a Grand Lodge extend to 
 aU matters relating to the Craft save those inherent 
 in, and reserved to, the Lodges. The laws made by 
 it have general effect throughout the bounds of its 
 
 • Constitution G. L. of N. Y. • 
 
244 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 jurisdiction, and its decisions are final and without 
 appeal ; though it may, like all other legislative bod- 
 ies, revise its own proceedings, and alter, amend, or 
 annul them, as set forth in the thirty-ninth of the 
 General Eegulations. In the exercise of this power, 
 a Grand Lodge may enact a constitution and regula- 
 tions for its own government and for the government 
 of the Fraternity which it represents, and may alter 
 or amend that instnmient in accordance with its own 
 provisions. It may levy a tax on its subordinates, 
 or require the payment of a certain portion of their 
 revenues into its treasury, for the purpose of defray- 
 ing its necessary expenses. It may grant warrants 
 constituting new Lodges, by which they become com- 
 ponents of the great Masonic family, and enact laws 
 for their better regulation and convenience. It may 
 establish and preserve a uniform mode of work and 
 lectures, under sanction of the Ancient Landmarks 
 and usages of Masonry. It may hear, and entertain 
 or reject, all appeals, memorials, petitions, or resolu- 
 tions that may be presented in proper form. 
 
 The Legislative power of the Grand Lodge is the 
 one which, from its nature and the habits of our peo- 
 ple, is, in this country, most likely to be abused ; 
 nay, the one that is already responsible for much 
 evil. The tendency to over-legislate, common to all 
 deliberative bodies, is becoming more apparent ev- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 245 
 
 ery year ; and conservative men already foresee trou- 
 bles arising in the future from this source. Nor can 
 it be doubted, that the original intention of the foun- 
 ders of the Grand Lodge system — the objects they 
 sought to attain by yielding a portion of their rights 
 — have been, and are constantly being, overstepped ; 
 that the reserved rights of the Lodges are being 
 gradually encroached upon, and the powers of the 
 Grand Lodge correspondiiigly increased. The re- 
 sult may be easily divined, and will manifest itself — 
 as it has already done in some instances — in the as- 
 sertion of a claim to sole and supreme authority in 
 all matters relating to the Craft. It is the duty of 
 the brethren at large to counteract this evil tend- 
 ency, and maintain their reserved rights intact by a 
 more careful scrutiny of Grand Lodge doings, and 
 by instructing their representatives so that they shall, 
 when in Grand Lodge, represent their constituents 
 rather than themselves. There is also a minor evil 
 growing out of excessive legislation which is simply 
 annoying to the brethren, without producing any 
 benefit to the institution. We refer to the mania for 
 making laws and regulations on every conceivable 
 topic, nine-tenths of which ought reasonably to be 
 left to the discretion of Lodges, and the interference 
 with which tends to exasperate them, and sets their 
 wits at work to discover some means by which the 
 rule may be evaded. 
 
246 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 As a matter of right, tlie legislation of a Grand 
 Lodge ought always to be prospective in its action ; 
 retroactive, or ex post /ado, laws being regarded in 
 all communities as unjust, oppressive and destructive 
 of the rights of communities and individuals. 
 
 The Judicial powers of a Grand Lodge are of two 
 kinds : original and appellate. Original judicial 
 power is exercised by the Grand Lodge in the trial 
 of charges against any of its officers for malfeasance 
 in office, except the Grand Master ; in the settlement 
 of controversies between Lodges, or between indi- 
 vidual members of different Lodges, or in the trial 
 of a Master of a Lodge against whom charges are 
 preferred. It also may assume original jurisdiction 
 in cases which come before it on appeal, by increas- 
 ing the penalty awarded by the original court. It 
 also exercises original jurisdiction in the forfeitm-e 
 or revocation of warrants, which generally results 
 from evil practices on the part of the Lodge, which 
 is therefor put on trial. As one Lodge cannot en- 
 tertain charges against another, and proceed to try 
 them, it necessarily follows that the Grand Lodge, 
 being the common superior, is the appropriate tribu- 
 nal for the trial of such cases. "Warrants thus for- 
 feited may of course be returned by the Grand Lodge 
 at its pleasure. The judicial powers of the Grand 
 Lodge are, however, most frequently exercised in the 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 247 
 
 decision of appeals from the individual members of 
 tlie Fraternity against tlie action of their Lodges, or 
 the decisions of their Masters, and its decisions are 
 final and binding on the parties, because there being 
 no Masonic authority superior to the Grand Lodge, 
 it is the court of last resort. 
 
 Tlie Executive poivers of a Grand Lodge are those 
 in the exercise of which it administers the laws and 
 enforces the decisions made by it in its legislative 
 and judicial capacity. And whatever may have been 
 the practice in former days, it is now certain that 
 they are exercised for no other purpose. While, how- 
 ever, a Grand Lodge, when in session, confines its 
 action to the administration of the laws it has enact- 
 ed, there can be no doubt that it may extend the 
 sphere of its action, by a change of its constitution, 
 to all matters not in absolute derogation of the inhe- 
 rent rights of Lodges. Thus, if there were no con- 
 stitutional impediment, it might initiate, pass, and 
 raise a profane, because it is the authority from 
 whence the subordinates derive their right to make 
 Masons ; but it could not make the brother it raised 
 a member of any Lodge, for that is an inherent pre- 
 rogative of the Lodges themselves, with which the 
 Grand Lodge cannot interfere. 
 
 The executive power of a Grand Lodge is, how- 
 ever, in a great degree entrusted to the Grand Mas- 
 
248 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 ter, and by him exercised during the recess — a ne- 
 cessity arising from the fact that the Grand Lodges 
 of the United States, with perhaps two or three ex- 
 ceptions, having by common consent aboHshed Quar- 
 terly Communications, meet annually only. These 
 meetings seldom last more than three or four days ; 
 so that for three hundred and sixty days in the year 
 the administration and execution of the laws is en- 
 trusted to the Grand Master ; and the probability is 
 that, all things considered, the laws are more care- 
 fully executed by him than they would or could be 
 by the Grand Lodge. 
 
 The Jurisdictional rights of a Grand Lodge do not 
 extend beyond the bounderies of the country. State, 
 or territory where it is located, except where a coun- 
 try is Masonically vacant ; that is, having no Grand 
 Lodge established in it ; in which case all the Grand 
 Lodges in the world have concurrent jurisdiction 
 there, so far as they may deem it proper to be exer- 
 cised ; so that in a vacant territory one or a dozen 
 Grand Lodges may charter subordinates, and each 
 would be equally justified in so doing. "When, how- 
 ever, a majority of the subordinates (being not less 
 than three in number) choose to establish a Grand 
 Lodge, then the territory is occupied ; and not only 
 are Grand Lodges in other States or countries for- 
 bidden to exercise any powers in the ierritory occu- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 249 
 
 pied by the new Grand Lodge, but their subordi- 
 nates (if any) that may have refused to unite in the 
 formation of the Grand Lodge, are to be withdrawn 
 or left subject to the disposition of the local author- 
 ity."* It is the assertion of this doctrine that has 
 been, and still is, the cause of difficulty between the 
 Grand Lodges of New York and Hamburgh. The 
 latter body, not content with superintending the af- 
 fairs of its own jurisdiction, has thought proper to 
 create new Lodges owing fealty and obedience to it, 
 but located in the State of New York, and therefore 
 within the bounds of the lawful Grand Lodge of that 
 State. The Grand Lodge of New York very properly 
 objects to this invasion of its territory, because : 1st. 
 It was the first to occupy the jurisdiction now occu- 
 
 * A case in point occurred in the Grand Encampment of the 
 United States, in 1859. That body had established subordinates 
 in the State of Michigan to the number of' four. Three of these 
 subordinates united in forming a State Grand Commandery, but 
 one refused to do so, and claimed the right to continue its alle- 
 giance to the Grand Encampment of the U. S. The Committee 
 on Jurisprudence reported : " That in all the branches of Masonry 
 in this country the law obtains that a State Grand Body has sole 
 and exclusive jurisdiction within the limits of the territory it occu- 
 pies. There can be no divided jurisdiction, nor can any authority 
 give legal existence to a subordinate in contravention of the will 
 of the State Superior." Whereupon it was resolved : "That the 
 Grand Commandery of Michigan, from the date of its formation, 
 has of right exercised sole and exclusive jurisdiction over all sub- 
 ordinates in that State. " 
 
250 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 pied by it — its existence antedating the political 
 formation of the State. 2d. That occupation has 
 been continuous to the present moment ; and 3d. 
 Because the Grand Lodges of the world, Hamburgh 
 excepted, agree that every Grand Lodge has sole 
 and exclusive jurisdiction within the limits of the ter- 
 ritory in which it is located ; and hence, that no 
 Grand Lodge has the shadow of a right to plant 
 Lodges in the territory of its neighbor without its 
 consent. If, therefore, the difficulty is ever adjusted, 
 it must be by the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh retir- 
 ing from its unjustifiable and unfratemal violation of 
 an universal law. 
 
 "We have already spoken of Lodge juiisdiction in 
 its appropriate place. That jurisdiction is restrained 
 or extended by Grand Lodges, especially in the mod- 
 ern rule forbidding the iiiitiation of non-residents. 
 Having abeady given the reasons for its adoption, 
 it is only necessary to say that although accepted as 
 a law by the Grand Lodges of the United States, it 
 is not generally so in Europe. The probabiHty is, 
 however, that in the progress of time it will become 
 universal. 
 
CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 %\t (§XMii ®ffxttx$. 
 
 In all Grand Lodges and Grand Orients there is a 
 Grand Master, but the remaining officers vary in ti- 
 tle, number and prerogative according to the customs 
 of the country, the rite practiced, or the supposed 
 necessities of the Grand Body itself. Thus, in Eng- 
 land there is a Deputy Grand Master and Provincial 
 Grand Masters appointed by the Grand Master, and 
 in some cases a " Pro. Grand Master, who can only 
 be appointed when the Masonic throne is occupied 
 by a prince of the blood royal. And to be quahfied 
 for the situation it is requisite that his worldly rank 
 be commensurate with the dignity of the office and 
 the representative of royalty. He must, therefore, 
 be a peer of the realm, as weU as the Past Master of 
 a Lodge. His collar and jewel, like his authority, 
 must be precisely the same as that of the Grand 
 Master ; and in case of a vacancy, he actually as- 
 sumes the office until the next annual election."* In 
 France there is no Deputy Grand Master, but in his 
 place several assistant or acting Grand Masters, who 
 form the council of the Grand Master, dispose of the 
 routine business of the Grand Orient, and preside at 
 
 * Oliteb. 
 
252 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 its meetings in the absence of the chief officer. In 
 the United States, where all the Grand Lodges pro- 
 fess to be of the so-called "Ancient York Eite," the 
 officers are : 
 
 A Grand Master (whose style is Most Worshipful). 
 
 A Deputy Grand Master. 
 
 A Senior Grand Warden. 
 
 A Junior Grand Warden. 
 
 A Grand Treasurer. 
 
 A Grand Secretary. 
 
 A Grand Chaplain. 
 
 A Grand Marshal. 
 
 A Grand Standard Bearer. 
 
 A Grand Sword Bearer. 
 
 Two or more Grand Stewards. 
 
 A Senior Grand Deacon. 
 
 A Junior Grand Deacon. 
 
 (All of whom are styled Eight Worshipful.) 
 
 A Grand Pursuivant. 
 
 A Grand Tyler. 
 
 (Who are styled Worshipful.) 
 
 In some Grand Lodges there is a Grand Orator, a 
 Grand Lecturer, and District Deputy Grand Mas- 
 ters, and in others no Grand Pursuivant. In Penn- 
 sylvania the Grand Master is styled Eight Worship- 
 ful, and the remaining officers Worshipful. These 
 variations are of no particular importance other than 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 253 
 
 affording proof of an unfortunate tendency to lose 
 sight of that uniformity which ought to characterize 
 our institution in all its doings, and to which, we ap- 
 prehend, our successors will wish we had paid more 
 attention. 
 
 Let us now examine the powers and duties of the 
 several Grand officers above enumerated. 
 
 THE GRAND MASTER. 
 
 Like the King, in monarchical countries, the Grand 
 Master never dies. That is to say, the office, its pow- 
 ers and prerogatives, remain intact whatever may 
 become of the individual who, for the time being, is 
 their custodian ; and hence, the acts of a Grand Mas- 
 ter survive his tenure of office, and pass to his suc- 
 cessor, to be by him maintained or reversed as cir- 
 cumstances may to him appear to require. 
 
 The office of Grand Master has always existed. In 
 all the history and traditions of the Craft, we can 
 find no time when the Fraternity was not governed 
 by a chief officer styled a Grand Master. His office 
 is, therefore, not a creation of the Ancient Charges 
 and regulations, nor of any modern constitution. And 
 yet, while his prerogatives are in some things beyond 
 any control but that of the Landmarks, it is not in 
 all, from the fact that since the formation of Grand 
 Lodges, the government of those bodies and of the 
 
254, PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 Fraternity owing them allegiance is founded on writ- 
 ten constitutions, wliich the Grand Master, in com- 
 mon ^-ith the humblest Mason under his jurisdiction, 
 is bound to observe and respect. Indeed, he enters 
 into a solemn engagement at his installation, that he 
 will do so, and he therefore waives, to that extent, 
 his unlimited prerogatives. It wall be found, more- 
 over, that the commonly received notion that there 
 can be no appeal from the decision of the Grand 
 Master is not strictly true ; for on examining the 
 transactions of Grand Lodges, it will be seen that 
 the judgment of the Grand Master is overruled, and 
 that to do otherwise would be, in fact, to admit his 
 entire freedom from the weakness of human nature 
 — a proposition too absurd for argument. The sov- 
 ereignty, as we have repeatedly said, is in the Craft 
 at large, and by their delegation is exercised by the 
 Grand Lodge as their agent ; and the final decision 
 of a case by that body, in annual communication, is 
 in reality the only one from which there is no appeal 
 It is true, that during the interval from one session 
 of the Grand Lodge to another, its executive powers 
 are vested in the Grand Master, and all the high pre- 
 rogatives of his office are then in full force ; but they 
 are exercised by him on the condition of a review by 
 the Grand Lodge, whenever a majority of its mem- 
 bers think proper to exercise that right. Tliis re- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 255 
 
 served power of the Grand Lodge is distinctly seen 
 in the nineteenth article of the Regulations of 1721. 
 " If the Grand Master should abuse his power, and 
 render himself unworthy of the obedience and sub- 
 jection of the Lodges, he shall be treated in a way 
 and manner to be agreed upon in a new regulation ; 
 because hitherto the ancient Fraternity have had no 
 occasion for it, their former Grand Masters having 
 all behaved themselves worthy of that honorable of- 
 fice." Here we observe the distinct assertion of a 
 power to exercise discipline over the Grand Master, 
 in any w^ay that may be agreed upon in a new regu- 
 lation, and that if the power has not been exercised, 
 it is because the brethren chosen to the responsible 
 station of Grand Master have so demeaned them- 
 selves as not to require it. But of the right there 
 can be no question. Now, if the Grand Master can 
 be put on trial, he can— the proof warranting — be 
 expelled from the rights and privileges of the Craft ; 
 and it follows that the same power that may disci- 
 pline him, may also exercise the lesser act of sover- 
 eignty in reversing his decisions. We may be ac- 
 cused of taking an extreme view, and dispelling 
 certain illusions that have hitherto been maintained, 
 but we disclaim any such intention, and seek only to 
 bring about a proper understanding of the real pow- 
 ers of the officer of whom we are treating. We should 
 
256 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 be the last to lower the popular reverence for our 
 chief officer, but we deem it well that his true posi- 
 tion should be understood, both for the sake of the 
 officer himself and for that of the Craft imder his 
 authority. Whatever, therefore, may have been the 
 original powers of the Grand Master, there can be 
 no doubt but that those powers are now in some 
 things amenable to the provisions of Grand Lodge 
 constitutions and legislation, and that every Grand 
 Master accepts office with a proviso that he will not 
 only enforce the laws and execute the legislative acts 
 of the Grand Lodge, but that he mil do so under 
 the sanction of those laws and acts ; or, in other 
 words, that while he exacts obedience from others, 
 he will furnish a proper example by himself obeying 
 the laws he executes. 
 
 There are, of course, some of the powers belonging 
 to the Grand Master which are in themselves land- 
 marks, and therefore not subject to legislation ; but 
 even these have yielded to the force of pubUc opin- 
 ion, as will be seen in the following enumeration of 
 the prerogatives of the Grand Master. 
 
 1. To convene the Grand Lodge at any time he 
 may in his discretion deem proper. This is pre- 
 cisely the same power exercised by a Master of a 
 Lodge, and is subject to the same restriction ; name- 
 ly, that the meetings thus called are but special or 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 257 
 
 emergent meetings, at whicli no business affecting 
 the general interests of the Craft can be transacted. 
 The stated meeting of the Grand Lodge is its An- 
 nual Communication, which meeting is always pro- 
 vided for in the constitution or regulations, and is 
 therefore not subject to the caU of the Grand Master, 
 nor has he any power to change it ; for if he had 
 such power, and should exercise it, then the meeting 
 would not be the Annual Communication, and the 
 usual business of that session could not be lawfully 
 transacted. At the Annual Communication, too, the 
 order of business is generally fixed by regulation, 
 which the Grand Master cannot change of his own 
 authority, because he has agreed to observe and en- 
 force the regulations of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 2. To preside at all meetings of the Grand Lodge, 
 whether stated or special. Although installed and 
 proclaimed the Grand Master of Masons, his rela- 
 tions to the Grand Lodge are the same in this re- 
 spect as those of a Master to his Lodge. He is there- 
 fore, by virtue of his ofiice, the presiding officer, and 
 it is the law that while so presiding there can be no 
 appeal from his decision to that of the Grand Lodge 
 — a law which, though generally observed, has its 
 exceptions ; usually effected, it is true, by indirec- 
 tion, but effected none the less. 
 
 3. To summon any Lodge in the jurisdiction, to 
 
258 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 preside therein, and to require an account of its do- 
 ings. This is one of the undoubted prerogatives of 
 the Grand Master — one that is free from any restraint 
 but his own judgment, and one that is in keeping 
 with the nature of his office and the general princi- 
 ples of the society, which make him the overseer of 
 the Craft and necessarily clothe him mth aU the 
 power requisite to an efficient discharge of such im- 
 portant duties. 
 
 4. To grant his letters of dispensation for the 
 formation of new Lodges under such restrictions as 
 may be provided in the constitution of his Grand 
 Lodge. As, for instance, it is provided in the consti- 
 tution of the Grand Lodge of New York, " that no 
 dispensation to form a new Lodge shall be issued 
 within three months of the Annual Communication," 
 that a certain fee shaU be exacted, and that certain 
 recommendations should accompany the petition. 
 Now, it is true that the Grand Master might disre- 
 gard all these requirements and issue his dispensa- 
 tion to form a new Lodge, which would have to be 
 respected till the next Annual Communication of the 
 Grand Lodge ; but it is clear that the body would 
 not sanction so palpable a violation of its statutes, 
 even at the hands of the Grand Master — that hence 
 it would refuse to recognize the new Lodge or its 
 work, and therefore the Grand Master is boimd, as 
 
MASONIC JUEISPBUDENCE. 259 
 
 an act of justice to the petitioners and in view of Ms 
 own covenants, to respect the regulations that are 
 made by his Grand Lodge. The Grand Master of 
 England grants a full warrant, but the sanction of 
 the Grand Lodge is required to complete the stand- 
 ing of the Lodge, so that in reality there is but the 
 difference of a name between the acts of the English 
 Grand Master in constituting a new Lodge and that 
 of an American Grand Master in issuing his dis- 
 pensation to effect the same purpose. The real 
 exercise of power in this respect being the right 
 vested in the Grand Master to withhold his dispen- 
 sation ; in which case it would, as a general thing, 
 be folly on the part of the petitioners to expect a 
 warrant from the Grand Lodge. Dispensations are 
 likewise granted by the Grand Master for various 
 purposes ; as — to shorten the interval between the 
 degrees, for processions, and other purposes ; but 
 generally, if not always, in accordance with the re- 
 quirements of the general regulations of the Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 5. To constitute new Lodges and instal their offi- 
 cers when a warrant has been issued by the Grand 
 Lodge. • This appears to be an independent power, 
 for it is conceded that the warrant is of no effect un- 
 til the Lodge has been duly constituted and its offi- 
 cers installed — the power to do which is vested in 
 
260 PRINCIPLES AND PKACTICE OP 
 
 the Grand Master, and can only be exercised by him 
 or by his duly appointed agent or proxy. So, too, in 
 the laying of corner-stones and the dedication of Ma- 
 sonic halls, the Grand Master acts by the inherent 
 authority of his office. 
 
 6. To arrest the charter of a Lodge, or to suspend 
 the Master or any of the officers from the functions 
 of their respective stations imtil the annual meeting 
 of the Grand Lodge. Under the constitution of the 
 Grand Lodge of New York the Grand Master may 
 absolutely suspend a warrant, and with it, in his dis- 
 cretion, all the members of the Lodge ; but this is 
 an exceptional case, the general rule being that the 
 Grand Master simply arrests the powers of the war- 
 rant for the time being, without in any way affecting 
 the vaHdity of that instrument ; that is, he forbids 
 any further meetings of the Lodge, or the transac- 
 tion of any business by it, until the next Annual Com- 
 munication of the Grand Lodge ; but if at that an- 
 nual meeting the Grand Lodge should fail to take 
 action, the warrant would instantly become valid, 
 and all the lawful powers accruing under it would at 
 once inure to the Lodge, as completely as if no ar- 
 rest had taken place. This prerogative is therefore 
 but a part of the executive or supervisory power 
 vested in the Grand Master during the recess of the 
 Grand Lodge, and is exercised by him as the agent 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 261 
 
 of tlie body and subject to such action as may appear 
 judicious to it, when the facts are presented in the 
 annual report of the officer. The recall of a Lodge 
 under dispensation would of course be a finality, be- 
 cause the process of creating a Lodge not having 
 been completed by the vote of the Grand Lodge au- 
 thorizing a warrant of constitution to issue, the Lodge 
 would not have taken its place in the great family, 
 nor would it be entitled to the immunities and privi- 
 leges belonging to a regularly warranted and duly 
 constituted Lodge. 
 
 7. The right to make Masons at sight. This is 
 undoubtedly an inherent and inalienable prerogative 
 of the Grand Master, accorded to him by the Ancient 
 Landmarks, and therefore not to be affected by any 
 legislation of the Grand Lodge, except in so far as 
 he may be wiUing to be advised by the lawfully ex- 
 pressed will of the brethren,"* but is one which is 
 seldom exercised, and one that will gradually become 
 a tradition by the growing force of opinion, which is 
 rapidly being educated into a belief that there should 
 be but one entrance to the fold and that all aspirants 
 should pass through it in like manner and under 
 
 * Tlius, in 1861, a resolution was passed by the Grand Lodge of 
 New York, requesting the Grand Master not to issue dispensations 
 to authorize the conferring three degrees on a candidate at one 
 meeting (which is in reality making Masons at sight), since which 
 time no such dispensation has been issued. 
 
262 rRINCIPIJIS AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 similar restrictions. This prerogative has been the 
 subject of a vast amount of discussion within a few 
 years past, the net result of which seems to be a 
 general concurrence in the opinion that the Grand 
 Master may make Masons at sight, but that he must 
 do so in a regular Lodge. The proviso, however, 
 amounts to nothing, for the Grand Master certainly 
 has power to do in person what he can authorize 
 others to do by his dispensation, and as no one will 
 dispute the right of a Lodge U. D. to make Masons, 
 it follows that any six Master Masons summoned by 
 the Grand Master to assist him, would, with himself, 
 be to all intents and purposes a regular Lodge, con- 
 vened at the wUl of the Grand Master and dissolved 
 by a stroke of his gavel, when the purpose of its 
 meeting had been accomplished. The restriction is 
 therefore but an indication of the general sentiment, 
 that Masons ought not to be made at all, except in 
 the way provided in the old regulations ; that is, by 
 previous notice, due inquiry, and after imanimous 
 acceptance by some regular Lodge, at a stated com- 
 munication. It has been well said by the M. W. 
 John L. Lewis : " There is no conceivable case which, 
 to my mind, presents a necessity for the exercise of 
 the power. It ever resolves itseK into a question of 
 convenience. Going upon a voyage or a long journey 
 leads to the inquiry why the petition was not made 
 
MASONIC JURISPKUDENCE. 263 
 
 in a proper time before the voyage or journey was 
 undertaken. If a return be contemplated, then the 
 petition can await the return. The dispensing power 
 which arrests the requirements of written constitu- 
 tions, nay, of landmarks, cannot be a landmark itself, 
 and should be exercised with caution. Every candi- 
 date should pass the investigations of a discreet com- 
 mittee and the scrutiny of a secret ballot, before 
 admission to the portals of our Temple. " Making 
 Masons at sight" leads to hasty and imperfect work 
 — to half-comprehended and confusedly-received in- 
 struction, and. frequently to differences among breth- 
 ren. It is the fruitful source of complaint where 
 these hastUy-made Masons go. The exercise of the 
 power is asked always from seMsh, not to say mer- 
 cenary motives ; for the avowed object is always 
 some personal advantage to the appHcant. It rarely 
 benefits the candidate who thus receives the degrees, 
 and its refusal can rarely injure him. The rush at 
 the gates of the institution is sufficiently great with- 
 out the action of Grand officers to smooth the way.'* 
 Few Masons having the good of the Craft at heart 
 will dispute the truth of the words here quoted ; and 
 it is to be hoped that the day is not far distant when, 
 by common consent, making Masons at sight will be 
 among the things heard of but not seen. 
 8. The power to heal irregularly-made Masons. 
 
264 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 Having occasion, a few years since, to investigate 
 this topic in an official capacity, we found two ques- 
 tions presenting themselves for solution. First — 
 What is healing ? and secondly. By what authority 
 is it to be performed ? We found great diversity of 
 opinion among those we had always looked to for 
 authority, and, after much correspondence and dis- 
 cussion, finally arrived at the conclusion that to heal 
 is in reality to remake the irregular Mason — abbre- 
 viating the ceremonies, omitting the monitorial in- 
 struction, but giving the essentials as in the case of 
 a profane. As this process is equivalent to making 
 Masons at sight, it readily follows that the power to 
 control it is in the Grand Master, and that he may 
 exercise it in person or by dispensation to any regu- 
 lar Lodge in his jurisdiction. 
 
 9. The right of appointment. By referring to the 
 regulations of 1721, it will be seen that originally the 
 Grand Master wielded an almost imlimited patron- 
 age, in the way of appointments to the subordinate 
 offices of the Grand Lodge. He named his Deputy 
 and Wardens and various other officers required, ex- 
 cept the Treasurer, who was always elected. Li 
 England and on the continent such is the custom to 
 this day, but in the United States the first six offi- 
 cers of a Grand Lodge are generally made elective, 
 while the remainder are usually appointed by the 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 265 
 
 Grand Master. He likewise appoints the committees 
 and representatives near other Grand Lodges and 
 Grand Orients. 
 
 10. As a necessary adjunct of the appointing power 
 there can be no doubt but that the Grand Master 
 may, in the exercise of his discretion, summon any 
 Grand officer before liim, require an account of his 
 doings, and for cause suspend him from the functions 
 of his office, or even remove him altogether. 
 
 11. By the constitutions of 1721 the Grand Master 
 is entitled to two votes, but this is understood to ap- 
 ply only to cases of a tie, when he gives the casting 
 vote. 
 
 It will be seen from the foregoing summary that 
 the powers of the Grand Master are not as absolute 
 as the popular traditions would have us beheve — that 
 even the powers wliich are indisputably his are sel- 
 dom exercised but in obedience to the regulations 
 estabHshed by the Grand Lodge, and that as he is 
 the first Mason in his jurisdiction, so he should be 
 the most prompt in his obedience to the laws which 
 he administers. Of the powers of the Grand Master, 
 Dr. Oliver well says : " There are instances in which 
 it is presumed that the Grand Master can do no 
 wrong, because he is protected by his prerogative 
 and justified by an appeal to the Grand Lodge. But 
 this is a doubtful doctrine, and ought to be received 
 12 
 
2GG PMNCITLES AND PBACTICE OF 
 
 with caution, although it derives a negative corrobo- 
 ration from the constitution of 1721, which admits 
 that an abuse of power has never yet occurred, and 
 therefore it is unprovided for by the text of Masonic 
 law." 
 
 " The Grand Lodges of the United States enter- 
 tain adverse opinions on this point ; for while those 
 of Maryland and Florida have pronounced that an 
 * appeal from the decision of the Grand Master is an 
 anomaly at war with every principle of Freemasonry, 
 and as such not for a moment to be tolerated or 
 countenanced,' others have promulgated a contrary 
 doctrine ; but even these admit that the only real 
 and practical penalty at their disposal is the free ex- 
 pression of pubHc opinion on his presumed delin- 
 quencies. But as the power of the Grand Master is 
 derived from the Grand Lodge, and that body is 
 composed of delegates elected by the private Lodges, 
 if he should commit any flagrant act of injustice the 
 veto of the latter will determine, at the ensuing elec- 
 tion, whether he shall continue in an office whose li- 
 cense he has abused by ignoring the opinions of the 
 Craft and acting in open violation of the constitu- 
 tions. For what is each private Lodge but a local 
 legislature, while the Grand Lodge constitutes a vent 
 for the collective wisdom of its members." 
 
 "It is weU for the general interests of Masonry 
 
MASONIC JUKISPEUDENCE. 267 
 
 that sucli is tlie fact ; for it is a sound doctrine that 
 the opinions of the whole united body ought to sway 
 the counsels of their delegates, and prevent any of- 
 fensive exercise of arbitrary power in the Grand 
 Master." 
 
 "Prejudice, partiality, or caprice, may influence 
 the judgment of a single individual, and produce de- 
 plorable consequences, however virtuous in intention 
 or honorable in conduct he may be, which in dehb- 
 erative bodies of men could never happen. Such is 
 the security which Masons possess against the wilful 
 aggression of their rulers." 
 
 The Grand Master is required by the ancient reg- 
 ulations, and all subsequent constitutions, to be 
 elected annually, but it does not follow that there 
 need necessarily to be a change at each election. 
 The tendency is indeed the other way — especially in 
 Europe, where it may almost be said to be a life 
 tenure. " During the last century," says Dr. Oliver, 
 " the prevailing custom was to change the Grand 
 Master every year or two, in order to induce a greater 
 number of the nobihty to enter the Order, who were 
 by this practice furnished with an opportunity of 
 being placed at its head, and acquiring for the re- 
 mainder of their lives the distinguished rank of a 
 Past Grand Master ; but for the last sixty or seventy 
 years the office has been a Hfe appointment. Hia 
 
 or fME 
 
 NiVERSITY 
 
268 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Koyal Highness the Duke of Cambridge was elected 
 in 1781, and held the office nine years. At his death, 
 in 1790, His Eojal Highness the Prince of Wales 
 was elected in his stead. He held the office twenty- 
 three years, and when he became Prin^ Regent, in 
 1813, he resigned the Grand Mastership and assumed 
 the title of Grand Patron, and his brother, the Duke 
 of Sussex, was elected, who held the office till his 
 death, in 1843, being thirty years. The present 
 Grand Master was then chosen, and has filled the 
 throne ever since." So that at present England has 
 no Past Grand Master. Instances are not wanting, 
 in our own country, of long tenure of office, as in the 
 case of the late M. W. Phihp C. Tucker, of Vermont, 
 and others ; but our bustling, active life, and the fact 
 that our Grand Masters are usually business men, 
 make the pohtical axiom of " rotation in office" ap- 
 ply till it has become a rule sanctioned by custom to 
 consider two years as about the term of service that 
 may be required of one incumbent. The present 
 Grand Master of France, Marshall Magnan, was ap- 
 pointed to his station by the Emperor, without the 
 formaHty of an election by the representatives of the 
 Fraternity in the Grand Orient. This proceeding 
 was evidently a pohtical couji, as the French term it, 
 and was doubtless acquiesced in by the Craft to pre- 
 vent worse consequences befalling them. A subse- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 269 
 
 quent attempt to coerce tlie society into tlie adoption 
 of measures that would have made it a mere puppet 
 in the hands of the astute monarch, was, however, 
 gallantly and successfully resisted, showing that 
 there, as elsewhere, the brethren are not disposed to 
 yield up the inherent sovereignty that of right be- 
 longs to them. 
 
 THE DEPUTY GRAND MASTER. 
 
 Unlike the office of Grand Master, which has al- 
 ways existed, that of Deputy is a creation of the Reg- 
 ulations of 1721, previous to which time there does 
 not appear to have been such an officer. As the title 
 indicates, he is the immediate assistant of the Grand 
 Master, and his lawful successor wh^n from any cause 
 the Grand Master is unable ta act. The object of his 
 appointment may be gathered from the sixteenth ar- 
 ticle of the Regulations of 1721 : "The Grand Mas- 
 ter should receive no intimation of business concern- 
 ing Masonry, but from his Deputy first, except in 
 such certain cases as his Worship can well judge of ; 
 for if the apphcation to the Grand Master be irregu- 
 lar, he can easily order the Grand Wardens, or any 
 other brethren thus applying, to wait upon his Dep- 
 uty, who is to prepare the business speedily, and lay 
 it orderly before his Worship." 
 
270 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 He has no powers but such as are specially con- 
 ferred upon him by his Grand Lodge constitution, 
 and as these vary somewhat in each jui'isdiction, it 
 would be difficult, if not impossible, to state any gen- 
 eral rule applying to his office. In the State of New 
 York, the Deputy Grand Master is clothed with con- 
 siderable power ; he may grant dispensations to cre- 
 ate new Lodges and for conferring degrees, arrest 
 charters, etc., but as all his acts are liable to be re- 
 versed at any time by the Grand Master, he necessa- 
 rily proceeds with great caution. In Minnesota, his 
 powers are altogether latent, and only to be called 
 into exercise in case of the death, absence, or inabil- 
 ity of the Grand Master. Thus, a dispensation to 
 form a new Lodge, granted by the Deputy in that 
 State, was held to be irregular, and the Masons made 
 under it were required to be healed. We incline to 
 the opinion that Minnesota is right, and that the 
 true office of the Deputy Grand Master is to prepare 
 any business concerning Masonry that may be re- 
 quired to be laid before the Grand Master, to act as 
 his proxy when required, and be prepared in case of 
 need to succeed to his functions. In the United 
 States, the Deputy Grand Master is generally elected, 
 but in other countries he is appointed by the Grand 
 Master. 
 
MASONIC JUKISPRUDENCE. 271 
 
 THE GRAND WARDENS. 
 
 The duties of a Grand Warden are similar to those 
 of the Warden of a particular Lodge. They stand 
 next in rank and dignity to the Deputy Grand Mas- 
 ter, and succeed in order of seniority to the duties of 
 the Grand Master when required so to do by the ab- 
 sence of their superior officers. As in the Lodge, 
 too, the offices of Senior and Junior Grand Warden 
 are entirely separate, and it does not follow that be- 
 cause the Senior Grand Warden is absent, that the 
 Junior is to take his place, or that in the absence of 
 the Deputy the Senior Grand Warden is to sit on the 
 left of the Grand Master, but in case of a vacancy in 
 either office it is to be temporarily filled by appoint- 
 ment of the Grand Master. The rule of succession 
 only applies, in either case, when all the superior of- 
 ficers are absent. They have no other prerogative 
 except that of presiding in subordinate Lodges when- 
 ever they are present in company with the Grand 
 Master. They form part of the cabinet or council of 
 the Grand Master, and are always consulted in rela- 
 tion to the business of the Grand Lodge. In Europe, 
 they are appointed. Li this country, the Grand 
 Lodges reserve the right of electing them. 
 
272 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 THE GRAND TREASURER. 
 
 The duties of this officer are strictly financial. He 
 takes charge of all the properties, funds, and vouch- 
 ers of the Grand Lodge, pays all orders properly 
 drawn upon the money in his custody, is required to 
 give bonds for the faithful performance of his duties, 
 to submit his books and vouchers to inspection when- 
 ever required by the Grand Master or Grand Lodge, 
 and to pay over to his successor all funds, property, 
 and vouchers remaining in his hands at the expira- 
 tion of his term of office. 
 
 The first Grand Treasurer seems to have been ap- 
 pointed in 1727, and the duties expected of him are 
 very fully defined in the old Regulations. He con- 
 tinued in office till 1738, when a Grand Treasurer 
 was elected, and since that time the office has always 
 been filled by the votes of the members of the Grand 
 Lodge. He is by virtue of his office a member of 
 the body. 
 
 GRAND SECRETARY. 
 
 This office was first created in 1723, and has grown 
 in importance with the vast proportions assumed by 
 the society till now it is at once a post of distinction 
 and a laborious charge upon its incumbent. Its du- 
 ties are of such a responsible nature that none but 
 
X MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 273 
 
 men of education and refinement should accept its 
 honors, or be elected to the discharge of its duties. 
 As the amanuensis of the Grand Lodge, the Grand 
 Secretary is brought into contact with brethren from 
 all parts of the globe, and should be able by his ur- 
 banity and courtesy to convey a favorable impression 
 of the body he represents. He not only issues sum- 
 mons for all meetings of the Grand Lodge and its 
 committees, but is bound to attend them with his 
 books when required, m order that he may impart 
 information and take a eareful record of the proceed- 
 ings, to be read for information at subsequent meet- 
 ings and to be preserved in the archives for future 
 reference. The returns of all subordinate Lodges 
 are made to him, and he is in most jurisdictions re- 
 quired to keep a correct registry of their members. 
 He is to receive, duly file, and safely keep all papers 
 and documents of the Grand Lodge, to sign and cer- 
 tify all instruments emanating from it, to receive and 
 keep a proper account of all moneys of the Grand 
 Lodge and pay them over to the Grand Treasurer, 
 and to report annually to his Grand Lodge a detailed 
 account of his acts. la addition to his clerical du- 
 ties, he is frequently — in this country — the chairman 
 of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence, and 
 is charged with the correspondence of the Grand 
 Lodge, under direction of the Grand Master. In the 
 
274: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 important and often delicate questions that are 
 treated in this correspondence, great tact and dis- 
 crimination are requii-ed, and the mental calibre of 
 the officer is here put to its severest test. Though 
 but limited discretion is given the Grand Secretary 
 in recording the official transactions of the Grand 
 Lodge, which, being presented in the form of written 
 resolutions, reports, etc., he has little more to do 
 than to arrange in the Order of their presentation, he 
 may, and ought, by a proper use of the material that 
 passes through his hands, prepare and preserve a 
 history of the great Masonic events of his day that 
 should have the quality of correctness and the value 
 of being official. 
 
 This office comes nearest a life-tenure of any con- 
 nected with our Grand Lodges, the same brother be- 
 ing generally continued in it by successive re-elec- 
 tions as long as he chooses to serve. 
 
 THE GRAND CHAPLAINS. 
 
 This office, although of modern origin, the first 
 Grand Chaplain having been appointed in 1775, has 
 now very properly been assigned a place in all the 
 American Grand Lodges. It is a graceful tribute to 
 that religious principle that should underlie all great 
 institutions, and is peculiarly becoming in our Grand 
 Lodges, which admit the fimdamental truths all re- 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 276 
 
 ligions, but pay no heed to the distinctions of creed 
 or sect, it being no uncommon thing for several 
 Grand Chaplains to be appointed, each of whom 
 represents a different reUgious denomination. The 
 duty of a Grand Chaplain is to conduct the reHgious 
 ceremonies of the Grand Lodge, as well in its usual 
 assembhes as on occasions of pubKc ceremony. 
 
 THE GRAND MARSHAL. 
 
 This is an office which seems to have been created 
 in the days when Masonic processions were more 
 frequent than they are now, or, we trust, are ever 
 likely to become again, and the duty of this officer — 
 as the name implies — was to conduct them. In these 
 days, and in such Grand Lodges as appoint a Grand 
 Marshal, he is stationed near the Grand Master, to 
 assist in maintaining order and observing such com- 
 mands as may be given him by the presiding officer. 
 He is required to take charge of processions of the 
 Grand Lodge, should any occur. 
 
 THE GRAND STANDARD BEARER. 
 
 This is one of the appointed officers in some Grand 
 Lodges, but by no means in all. His duty is to take 
 charge of the banner of the Grand Lodge in all pub- 
 lic processions. 
 
276 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 THE GRAND SWORD BEARER. 
 
 Like the Standard Bearer, this officer is appointed 
 by the Grand Master. His special duty is to carry 
 the state sword immediately in front of the Grand 
 Master, in public ceremonials in which the Grand 
 Lodge participates. 
 
 THE GRAND STEWARDS. 
 
 These officers, as imphed by their title, were form- 
 erly charged, in conjunction with the Grand War- 
 dens, with the preparations for the annual feast, an 
 indispensible accompaniment of the Grand Annual 
 Communication which was held on St. John's Day, 
 in June or December, as the Grand Lodge by regu- 
 lation should decide — ^usually in Jime. They made 
 the necessary purchases, sold the tickets bearing the 
 Grand Master's seal, and rendered their accounts to 
 the Grand Lodge " after dinner," as will be found in 
 the thirteenth and fourteenth of the old Regulations. 
 Such, we believe, is the custom in England to this 
 day ; but in America the annual feast — except, per- 
 haps, in one or two instances — has become obsolete, 
 and the communications of Grand Lodges are de- 
 voted to the regular business of the Craft. The 
 Grand Stewards are now generally charged with the 
 investigation of applications for assistance on the 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 277 
 
 part of indigent brethren, widows, and orphans, from 
 the funds of the Grand Lodge. 
 
 THE GRAND DEACONS 
 
 Are appointed officers, and Hke the Deacons of a 
 Lodge are the messengers of the Grand Master and 
 Grand Wardens. They are stationed near the Grand 
 Master, in all public processions and ceremonials. 
 The Grand Marshal, Grand Standard Bearer, Grand 
 Sword Bearer, Grand Stewards, and Grand Deacons 
 have no powers or prerogatives, merely obeying such 
 orders as may be issued to them, and are generally 
 termed, in military parlance, the Staff of the Grand 
 Master. 
 
 THE GRAND POURSUIVANT, 
 
 Whose title comes down to us from the days of 
 chivalry, is a kind of assistant Tyler, and exercises 
 functions analagous to those of the Junior Deacon of 
 a Lodge, being placed inside the porch of the Tem- 
 ple to maintain order among those congregated there, 
 and to see that none pass or repass without the req- 
 uisite permission. 
 
 THE GRAND TH^ER, 
 
 Like his prototype in the subordinate Lodge, is 
 placed outside the gate and charged with watch and 
 
278 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 ward against all who are not entitled to pass. Al- 
 though the lowest in rank of the Grand officers, he 
 is certainly not the least important, for on him rests 
 the responsibihty of a careful guard against cowans 
 and a courteous welcome to the true. It is of the 
 highest importance that he should not hghtly vouch 
 for any one ; for, as having been present with a per- 
 son in Grand Lodge is considered the highest au- 
 thority for admitting him to a subordinate one, a 
 mistake here might lead to many others. The Grand 
 Poursuivant and Grand Tyler are usually Past Mas- 
 ters of long standiDg, and are generally paid a mod- 
 erate salary for their services. 
 
 THE GRAND LECTURER. 
 
 In the earlier days of Masonry on the American 
 continent, it was usual to appoint a number of breth- 
 ren in each Grand Lodge jurisdiction, under the title 
 of " Grand Yisitors," who were employed in journey- 
 ing about the State, visiting the Lodges, examining 
 their work, instructiug them when required, and at- 
 tending to such other business connected with the 
 welfare of the Craft as might be confided to them by 
 the Grand Lodge or Grand Master ; but with the iu- 
 crease of Lodges and Masons, the labor has been 
 divided, the " work" beiag placed in charge of Grand 
 Lecturers, and the other business in that of District 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 279 
 
 Deputy Grand Masters. The present idea of a Grand 
 Lecturer seems to be, that he shall have the quahty 
 of being able to recite the words of the ritual with 
 undeviating accuracy as often as may be required, 
 which point being reached, nothing further is looked 
 for by the Craft, and rarely, if ever, offered by the 
 Lecturer. For this state of affairs the Grand Lec- 
 turers are not to be held responsible ; they are ap- 
 pointed to comply with a certain demand, and they 
 do it ; but it is to be regretted that public sentiment 
 should have been so viciously educated, and that the 
 formal repetition of set phrases should have come to 
 be considered of such vital ^portance to Masonry, 
 to the exclusion, in too many instances, of higher 
 and nobler themes — to the making of the paths that 
 lead to the Temple of greater importance than aU 
 the glorious arcana within its precincts. Masonry is 
 a science, and as such appeals to men of intelligence 
 and education, and offers a sure reward to the indus- 
 trious seeker after its hidden mysteries ; but such 
 men will not and cannot be hampered by the mere 
 words in which the formulas of initiation shaU be 
 communicated or explained, nor will they consent to 
 fritter away precious time in chasing the shadows of 
 verbiage when they can be better employed in pur- 
 suit of solid attainments, of which our system offers 
 such an abundance. We have, then, no hesitation in 
 
280 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OP 
 
 saying that we have seen with sincere regret the spe- 
 cial efforts made within a few years to bend the ener- 
 gies of the Craft to the attainment of uniformity in 
 the ritual — a chimera as unsubstantial as the visions 
 of the night ; that, so far from producing the desired 
 end, has but resulted in the estrangement of breth- 
 ren, in differences among the workmen on different 
 parts of the building, in the intrusion of crude ideas 
 hatched in the brains of unlettered men — always pre- 
 sented, however, as the ancient work ; in short, of 
 making confusion worse confounded, and substituting 
 the exercise of the hps for the legitimate work of the 
 brain. That the Grand Lodge is the lawful custo- 
 dian of the work, we fi-eely admit, and. that it should 
 always endeavor to maintain the essentials of the 
 ritual in the simple quaintness of the fathers, we ac- 
 knowledge, but we can see in this no reason why a 
 legitimate duty should be made the vehicle of an at- 
 tempt to forcie all men to think and see alike, or to 
 assert an equality of intellect where the Great Archi- 
 tect has refused so to make men ; much less can it 
 be made the apology for secret combinations in be- 
 half of particular systems, by the introduction of 
 which it is hoped not only to make individual in- 
 structors always use the same identical words, but 
 to reduce the general mind to a certain line, from 
 which it shall never swer^^e to the right or left by the 
 
MASONIC JURISPEUDENCE. 281 
 
 breadth of a hair. Yet we have witnessed within a 
 few years a combined, systematic, and secret attempt 
 to displace the authority of Grand Lodges in this 
 particular, and substitute one set of words for an- 
 other ; and we have seen, too, that it has given rise 
 to more heart-burnings, ill blood, and unmasonic 
 demonstrations than anything that has been sought 
 to be fixed upon the institution since its introduction 
 into this country. And the men, too, who are most 
 ardent in this work are generally those who scarcely 
 know that Masonry has a history, a philosophy, or a 
 literature ; who are innocently unaware that the 
 " work" which secures their admiration and com- 
 mands their zeal is but one of the variations that 
 have been made from time to time since the days of 
 the great innovator Preston, and those of his imita- 
 tor and still greater innovator "Webb. The original 
 degrees of Masonry have been so buried under the 
 multipHed additions of ritualists, for the last hun- 
 dred years, that the Masons of the present day — 
 choose what system they will — cannot hope to ap- 
 proach the simplicity of the original. Why, then, 
 devote our time and attention to mere words ? "Why 
 quarrel about A, B, or C's work, when we know that 
 neither of them is anything more than a new version 
 of an old story, and that not one of them is in truth 
 the true work practised so recently as 1717 ? Let 
 
282 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 US rather seek to retain the essential features of the 
 ritual, with less regard for the mere words in which 
 our ideas may be conveyed, or at least without mak- 
 ing the power of machine-like repetition the test of 
 Masonic perfection. 
 
 From these premises the reader will easily arrive 
 at the conclusion, that a Grand Lecturer should be 
 something more than a ritualist ; that he should be 
 able to instruct the brethren not only in the forms 
 and ceremonies of the several degrees, but in the 
 hidden meaning of the symbols ; that, having led 
 them through the courts of the Temple, he should 
 be able to put aside the vail that conceals the inner 
 mysteries, and direct their investigations to higher 
 and nobler themes. 
 
 When such are the qualifications requii'ed of Grand 
 Lecturers, and they prepare themselves accordingly, 
 a brighter day wiU dawn upon Masonry, and its dis- 
 ciples wiU have arrived one stage nearer the accom- 
 plishment of its mission. 
 
 DISTRICT DEPUTY GRAND MASTERS. 
 
 The officers who bear this title have been known 
 to the Craft but a short time, the office having been 
 created to supply a want growing out of the vast in- 
 crease of the society in modern times. They have, 
 therefore, no inherent powers, and only exercise such 
 
MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE. 283 
 
 functions as may be specially given them by the con- 
 stitutions of the Grand Lodge for which they act. 
 They are really Assistant Deputy Grand Masters, but 
 are distinguished from the real Deputy by the fact, 
 that while he may exercise the powers of his office 
 in any part of the jurisdiction, they are limited to the 
 supervision of a certain number of Lodges called, for 
 convenience sake, a Masonic district, whence their 
 title. Although the powers exercised by them vary 
 somewhat in different locahties, the general idea is, 
 that they shall visit all the Lodges in their district 
 at least once in each year, examine their records and 
 proceedings, collect statistics of their numbers and 
 progress, and report annually to the Grand Lodge 
 their standing, and what — if any — ^legislation is re- 
 quired to promote their welfare and prosperity. 
 
 The appointment of these officers is but an exten- 
 sion of the twentieth of the old Kegulations, which 
 requires the " Grand Master, with his Deputy and 
 "Wardens, to go round and visit all the Lodges about 
 town (at least once) during his Mastership." When 
 that regulation was adopted, there were not, prob- 
 ably, a dozen Lodges in London, so that the caU 
 upon the Grand Master's time was not onerous ; but 
 in some of the American jurisdictions, where there 
 are from two hundred and fifty to five hundred 
 Lodges, a single visit to each would be a severe tax 
 
284 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF 
 
 Upon the Grand Master's time. Moreover, it it quite 
 as necessary to visit Lodges out of cities as those in 
 them, and it was therefore necessary to devise some 
 plan by which that object could be accomplished ; 
 and this, in our judgment, was most happily effected 
 in the creation of the oflfice of District Deputy. 
 
 The brethren who accept these offices by no means 
 acquire honor without labor ; on the contrary, the 
 duties required of them demand much time, no small 
 amount of patience, good address, and familiarity 
 with the laws and usages of the society. In some of 
 the country districts, where the Lodges are located 
 at considerable distances from each other, it is often 
 necessary for the Deputy to leave his usual avoca- 
 tions and travel many weary miles, in the discharge 
 of his duty ; and yet, we are proud to say, those du- 
 ties are rarely neglected. The benefits that thus ac- 
 crue to Masonry may not be lightly estimated ; and 
 while we should be glad, for the sake of the Craft, to 
 see the system adopted in every Grand Lodge juris- 
 diction, and trust to see it always continued in our 
 own, we would bespeak a larger appreciation of the 
 officers themselves, and such a recognition of their 
 importance as would enable them to appear in Grand 
 Lodge at the Annual Communications, mthout ex- 
 pense to them individually. While the Masters and 
 Wardens represent their particular Lodges, the Dis- 
 
MASONIC JUEISPRUDENCE. 285 
 
 trict Deputies represent a number, and are qualified 
 by actual inspection to speak of their condition and 
 needs, and thus enable the Grand Lodge to legislate 
 advisedly on matters that relate to the welfare of the 
 great body of the Craft. 
 
 Their immediate value, however, is in the fact of 
 their availability in arranging unseemly bickerings, 
 and preserving that concord and unity so essential 
 to the well-being of Lodges, by counsel, by admoni- 
 tion, and — when needed — ^by the strong hand of au- 
 thority. A kind word spoken in season may quench 
 the fires of passion about to break forth, and while 
 the beUigerents, from a sense of wounded or mis- 
 taken pride, might fail to allow for each other's 
 faults, or take the first step toward reconciliation, 
 the District Deputy could gracefully do so, as one of 
 the duties of his office ; and if these brethren never 
 did anything else, we hold that their appointment 
 would be most commendable. 
 
OF rwe ^ 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 FORM OF PETITION FOR A NEW LODGE. 
 
 To the M. W. Grand Master of Masons of the State of 
 
 The undersigned petitioners, being Ancient Free and Accepted 
 Master Masons, having the prosperity of the fraternity at heart, 
 and willing to exert their best endeavors to promote and diffuse 
 the genuine principles of Masonry, respectfully represent — That 
 
 they are desirous of forming a new Lodge in the of 
 
 to be named No They therefore pray for letters of 
 
 dispensation, to empower them to assemble as a regular Lodge, to 
 discharge the duties of Masonry, in a regular and constitutional 
 manner, according to the original forms of the Order, and the reg- 
 ulations of the Grand Lodge. They have nominated and do recom- 
 mend Brother A. B. to be the first Master ; Brother C. D. to be 
 the first Senior Warden, and Brother E. F. to be the first Junior 
 Warden, of said Lodge. If the prayer of this petition shall bo 
 granted, they promise a strict conformity to the edicts of the Grand 
 Master, and the constitution, laws and regulations of the Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 FORM OF DISPENSATION FOR A NEW LODGE. 
 
 To all whom it may concern: 
 
 Know ye. That we, A. B. , Most Worshipful Grand Master of An- 
 cient, Free and Accepted Masons of having received a peti- 
 tion from a constitutional number of brethren, who have been 
 properly vouched for as Master Masons in good standing, setting 
 forth that, having the honor and prosperity of the Craft at heart, 
 
 they are desirous of establishing a new Lodge at under our 
 
 masonic jurisdiction, and requesting a Dispensation for the same ; 
 
288 APPENDIX. 
 
 And whereas there appears to us good and sufficient cause for 
 granting the prayer of the said petition ; we, by virtue of the pow- 
 ers in ufl vested by the ancient Constitutions of the Order, do grant 
 this our Dispensation, empowering Brother A. B. to act as Wor- 
 shipful Master, Brother C. D. to act as Senior Warden, and Bro- 
 ther E. F. to act as Junior Warden of a Lodge to be held under 
 
 our jurisdiction at by the name of And we further 
 
 authorize the said brethren to Enter, Pass, and liaise Freemasons, 
 according to the Ancient Constitutions of the Order, the customs 
 and usages of the Craft, and the Rules and Regulations of the 
 
 Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of and not otherwise. And 
 
 this our Dispensation shall continue of force until the Grand 
 Lodge aforesaid shall grant a Warrant of Constitution for the same, 
 or this Dispensation be revoked by us, or the authority of the 
 aforesaid Grand Lodge. 
 
 Given under our hand, and the seal 
 
 [L. S.] of the Grand Lodge, at this 
 
 day of ,A.-. L.-. 58 . 
 
 Q B , 
 
 y Z Orand Masln-, 
 
 Orand Secretary. 
 
 FOllM OF WARRANT FOR A LODGE. 
 
 Grand Master. 
 Dep. G. Master. 
 Sen. G. Warden. 
 JuN. G. Warden. 
 We, the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Frft- 
 
 ternity of Free and Accepted Masons, of the State of , in 
 
 Ample Form assembled, according to the Old Constitutions, regu- 
 larly and solemnly established under the auspices of Prince Edwin, 
 at the city of York, in Great Britain, in the year of Masonry 4926, 
 viz. : 
 
 The Most Worshipful Grand Master, 
 
 The Right Worshipful Dep. G. Master, 
 
 The Right Worshipful Sen. G. Warden, 
 
 do, by these i)resents, appoint, authorize, and empower our worthy 
 
APPENDIX. , 289 
 
 brother to be the Master ; our worthy brother to 
 
 be the Senior Warden ; and our worthy brother to be the 
 
 Junior Warden, of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, to be, 
 
 by virtue hereof, constituted, formed, and held in 
 
 which Lodge shall be distinguished by the name or style of 
 
 and the said Master and Wardens, and their successors in office, 
 are hereby respectively authorized and directed, by and with the 
 consent and assistance of a majority of the members of the said 
 Lodge, duly to be summoned and present upon such occasions, to 
 elect and install the officers of the said Lodge as vacancies happen, 
 in manner and form as is, or may be, prescribed by the Constitu- 
 tion of this Grand Lodge. 
 
 And further, the said Lodge is hereby invested with full power 
 and authority to assemble upon proper and lawful occasions, to 
 make Masons, and to admit members, as also to do and perform 
 all and every such acts and things appertaining to the Craft as 
 have been and ought to be done, for the honor and advantage 
 thereof, conforming in all their proceedings to the Constitution of 
 this Grand Lodge, otherwise this Warrant, and the powers thereby 
 granted, to cease and be of no further effect. 
 
 Given under our hands and the seal of our Grand Lodge, at 
 
 the city of , in the United States of America, this. . . . 
 
 day of , in the year of our Lord one thousand eight 
 
 hundred and , and in the year of Masonry five thou- 
 sand eight hundred and 
 
 Grand Secrdary. 
 Eegistered in the Book of the Grand Lodge, 
 Page .... 
 
 FORM OF A LODGE CERTIFICATE. 
 
 To ALii Feee and Accepted Masons on the face op the olobb 
 
 — Greeting : 
 
 We, the Master and Wardens of Lodge No. ... Free and 
 
 Accepted Masons, constituted under a charter from the M. W. 
 
 Grand Lodge of the State of , do certify that our worthy 
 
 brother has been regularly initiated as an Entered Appren- 
 
 13 
 
290 APPENDK. 
 
 tice, passed to the degree of Fellow Craft, and raised to the sub- 
 lime degree of Master Mason, and is distinguished for his zeal and 
 fidelity to the Craft "We do therefore recommend that he be re- 
 ceived and acknowledged as such by all true and accepted Freema- 
 sons wheresoever dispersed. 
 
 In testimony whereof we have granted him this certificate under 
 our hands and the seal of the Lodge (having first caused our wor- 
 thy brother to sign his name in the margin), this day of 
 
 A.D. 18.., A. L. 58.. 
 
 W. M. S. W. 
 
 Sec'y. J. W. 
 
 This is to certify that Lodge No. . . is a legally consti- 
 tuted Lodge, working under the jurisdiction of the M. W. Grand 
 Lodge of 
 
 586. 
 
 Grand Sec'y. 
 
 TOim OF A GHAND LODGE DIPLOMA. 
 
 TFe, the Grand Lodge of the Slate of New York, by these presents 
 testify and declare to all whom it may concern, that our brother 
 , who has signed his name in the margin hereof, is a reg- 
 ular Master Mason of Lodge No. . . , as appeals to us by the 
 
 certificate of the said Lodge held under our jurisdiction in the 
 
 county of State of New York, in the United States 
 
 of America. Li testimony whereof we have caused our seal to be 
 hereunto affixed, and our Grand Secretary to subscribe the same, 
 at the city of New York, this . . day of A. D. 18. . A. L. 58. . 
 
 Grand Secretary. 
 
 i FORM OF A DIMIT. 
 
 FKEE AND ACCEPTED MASONS. 
 
 Lodge No 
 
 Acknowledging the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State 
 of , to all whom it may concern, greeting : This certifies 
 
APPENDIX. 291 
 
 that brother , whose name appears in the margin of this 
 
 dimit, is a Master Mason, and was a member of this Lodge in good 
 standing and clear of the books, and as such we do cordially com- 
 mend him to the fraternal guard of all true Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sons, wherever dispersed around the globe. 
 
 In testimony whereof we have caused this dimit to be signed by 
 the Master, and the seal of the Lodge to be attached, this .... day 
 of A. D. 18.., A. L. 58.. 
 
 Secretary. Master. 
 
 FORM OF TEIALS AND APPEALS. 
 
 The first step to be taken toward a Masonic trial is, of course, to 
 prefer charges, or make a complaint. The important requisites of 
 a complaint are, that it should be brief, and yet comprehensive, 
 clearly defining the nature of the offense charged, with an accurate 
 specifying of the time, place and circumstances of its commission. 
 This, when the transaction took place out of the Lodge, may be 
 preferred by any brother, but should properly be presented by the 
 Junior Warden. It may be in this form : 
 
 1. — Complaint. 
 
 To the W. Master, Wardens and Brethren of Triluminar Lodge, 
 No. 800 : Brother A. B. is hereby charged with immoral and unma- 
 sonic conduct : 
 
 First Specification. — That the said A. B., on the first day of April 
 
 1859, in the public street, at Freetown, in the county of , was 
 
 in a state of intoxication from the use of strong and spmtuous liq- 
 ors, in violation of his duty as a Mason, and to the scandal and 
 disgrace of the Masonic Fraternity. 
 
 Second Specifioation. — That the said A. B., on the first day ot 
 April, 1859, at Freetown aforesaid, and at various other times and 
 places, in the year 1859, was intoxicated with strong and spiritu- 
 ous liquors, although admonished therefor by the Master and War- 
 dens of this Lodge, in violation of his duty as a Mason, to the great 
 scandal and disgrace of the Fraternity ; and it is hereby demand* 
 ed, that the said A. B. be dealt with therefor, according to Ma- 
 sonic law and usage. 
 
 S. L., Junior Waulen. 
 
 Dated April 9, 1859. 
 
292 APPENDIX. 
 
 S.— Complaint (in another form.) * 
 
 To the W. Master, Wardens and Brethren of Trilaminar Lodge, 
 No. 800 : Brother C. D. is hereby charged with immoral and unmO' 
 sonic conduct : 
 
 First Specification. — That the said C. D., on the first day of April, 
 
 1859, at Freetown, in the county of , in the presence and 
 
 hearing of Bro. E. F., and others, spoke and declared of Bro. G. 
 H., of Anchor Lodge, No. 801, these words in substance : that the 
 said G. H. was a dishonest man ; that he was a knave and a cheat ; 
 and that he was a liar, to the great injury of the said G. H., and 
 to the common scandal and disgrace of the Masonic Fraternity. 
 
 Second Specification. — That the said C. D., on the first day of 
 April, 1859, at Freetown aforesaid, in the presence and hearing of 
 Mr. Y. Z., and others, publicly spoke and declared of the said G. 
 H., who was not present, that he, the said G. H., was a dishonest 
 man, a knave, a cheat and a liar, in violation of the duties of the 
 said C. D. as a Master Mason, to the great injury of the said G. 
 H., and to the common scandal and disgrace of the said Anchor 
 Lodge, No. 801, and of the Masonic Fraternity ; and it is therefore 
 hereby demanded, that the said C. D. be put upon trial therefor. 
 
 S. L., Junior Warden. 
 Dated April 9, 1859. 
 
 These forms might be indefinitely multiplied, but these will be 
 sufficient to show the manner and importance of specifying tame, 
 place and circumstances constituting the oflfense. 
 
 This charge (and that contained in the first form will hereafter 
 be followed) having been presented in open Lodge, and received, 
 the Master thereupon appoints commissioners to hear and try the 
 same, pursuant to the provisions of the constitution, which is en- 
 tered upon the minutes. The charges need not be entered, but 
 the nature of them should be. It is then the duty of the Secretary 
 immediately to serve upon the accused a copy of the charges, with 
 the following notice annexed : 
 
 3.— Notice of Clkar^^es. 
 
 Bro. A. B. : Take notice, that the within (or foregoing) is a copy 
 of the charges preferred against you, at a stated communication of 
 Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, held on the 9th of April, iust, and 
 
APPENDIX. 293 
 
 that Bros. E. S. , T. U. and V. K were appointed commissioners 
 to hear and try the same. 
 
 P. Q., Secretary. 
 Dated, April 10, 1859. 
 
 Should the commissioners determine, at the time the charges 
 are preferred (and it is recommended that they should in all cases, 
 if possible), when and where they will meet for trial, the Secretary 
 may add to the above notice the following : " and that they will 
 meet for that purpose on the 20th instant, at 7o'clock p. m., at 
 Triluminar Lodge room, at Freetown, at or before which time 
 you are required to answer said charges." 
 
 In case the accused absent himself, so that the charges cannot 
 be personally served, the copy may be transmitted by mail, if his 
 residence be known ; if not, after a reasonable time, and after dil- 
 igent inquiry, the Secretary should report the fact to the Lodge 
 for their further action, hi all cases the prosecutor or Secretary 
 should take care that the accused be served with notice of the time 
 and place of meeting of the commissioners for trial, at the time of 
 service of the charges. 
 
 The charges being served, it is the first duty of the accused, if 
 he has an objection to any of the commissioners, to make his chal- 
 lenge, that the master, if satisfied that there is ground for it, 
 may supply the vacant place by another appointment. If there 
 be doubts as to its foundation, the master, or other commission- 
 ers, may act as triers ; but it is recommended that if there be rea- 
 sonable objection, or probable cause therefor be manifest, that the 
 commissioner challenged remove all question by resignation. 
 
 The tribunal being properly constituted, it is next the duty of 
 the accused to answer the charges. As this must be in every 
 case equivalent to the well-known plea of "Not Guilty," it is 
 scarcely necessary to furnish a form, yet, for the sake of making 
 up a complete record, in cases of appeal, one is subjoined : 
 
 4. — Ans-wcr. 
 
 C. D., in person, denies the charges made against him, and ev- 
 ery matter and thing contained in the several specifications of 
 the same, and demands trial thereon. 
 
 Of course this answer will vary according to the facts of each 
 cas6. One specification may be admitted and another denied. 
 
294 APPENDIX. 
 
 The charge and specifications may be admitted, and matters set 
 up in extenuation or excuse. Assuming the answer to be a denial 
 the issued is formed, and the parties proceed to trial. To procure 
 the attendance of witnesses on either side, some process may be 
 necessary. If the witness be not a Mason, his attendance must, 
 of course, be voluntary ; but a Mason is bound to obey a sum- 
 mons. This may be issued by any master of a Lodge (Constitu- 
 tion § 56), and in the following form : 
 
 5.— Summons for 'Witnesa. 
 
 To Bro. I. J. : You are hereby summoned and required to at- 
 tend as a witness before the commissioners appointed for the trial 
 of A. B., on certain charges preferred against him, on the 20th 
 day of April, instant, at 7 o'clock p. m. , at the Lodge room of Tri- 
 luminar Lodge, No. 800, in Freetown, and there to testify the 
 tnith, according to your knowledge. 
 
 K. L., Master. 
 
 Dated, AprQ 16, 1859. 
 
 This may be made to answer for several witnesses, by inserting 
 their names and adding the words "and each of you" after the 
 word "you." The brother disobeying such a summons may be 
 proceeded against as in case of disobedience to any other sum- 
 mons. For this purpose the person serving it should note upon 
 it when and how it is served. 
 
 The commissioners, having met for trial, should organize ; that 
 is to say, one of their number (and usually the first named) should 
 preside, though they may choose another for that purpose ; and 
 another of them should be chosen to act as their clerk, and keep 
 the minutes of their proceedings. A copy of the resolution under 
 which they were appointed, together with their appointment, 
 should be furnished them by the Secretary. They should keep 
 minutes of their proceedings, which may be in this form : 
 
 6. — Minutes of Commissioners. 
 
 The commissioners appointed for the trial of A. B., on the 
 charges a copy of which is hereto annexed (marked A) pursuant to 
 the following resolution (copy resolution), assembled at the Lodge 
 room of Triluminar Lodge, JNo. 800, on Wednesday evening, the 
 20th of April, 1859 : 
 
APPENDIX. 295 
 
 Present : K. S., T. U. and V. K, commissioners. E. S. offici- 
 ated as chairman, and V. N. was chosen clerk. 
 
 A. B. appeared before them and objected to T. U., one of the 
 commissioners, on the ground that he was present at the meeting 
 of the Lodge when the charges were preferred, and voted for their 
 reference. 
 
 Bro. T. U. stated that he had formed no opinion on the subject, 
 and the other commissioners decided that he was competent to act 
 as commissioner, to which Bro. B. took an exception. 
 
 The charges were then read by Bro. S. L., Junior Warden, to- 
 gether with the answer of Bro. A. B. 
 
 Bro. B. requested that P. S. , Esq. , an attorney and not a Ma- 
 son, should examine the witnesses on his behalf and assist him in 
 his defense. The commissioners decided against the request, but 
 further decided that he might employ the services of any brother 
 to assist him in defense ; to which Bro. B. took an exception. He 
 then employed Bro. N. O. to assist him as counsel. Bro. 0. ob- 
 jected to the form of the charges as being vague and uncertain, 
 but the commissioners decided them to be sufficient ; to which 
 Bro. 0. took an exception. 
 
 Bro. E. F. was then introduced as a witness by the Junior War- 
 den, and testified as a Master Mason as follows : I am acquainted 
 with Bro. A. B. ; I saw him on Main street, in Freetown, on the 
 first day of April last ; I was on the opposite side of the street ; he 
 appeared to be much intoxicated (objection was made to the ap- 
 pearance of accused, but it was overruled and an exception taken) • 
 he was there for about half an hour ; he reeled as he walked, &c. 
 
 On cross-examination Bro. E. F. further testified : I know that 
 Bro. B. had been sick, &c. 
 
 The commissioners then adjourned to meet at the same place 
 on Thursday evening, the 21st April 1859, at 7 o'clock p. m. 
 
 Thursday evening, April 21, 1859. 
 
 The commissioners met pursuant to adjournment : present all 
 the commissioners and also Bro. L. the Junior Warden and Bro. 
 A. B. and his counsel Bro. O. 
 
 Bro. U.. officiated as chairman. 
 
 Mr. H. C. was then introduced as a witness by the Junior War- 
 den, and stated as follows : 
 
 I was in Freetown on the first day of April instant, &c 
 
296 APPENDIX. 
 
 The proofs on the part of the complainant here rested. 
 
 Bro. O., on behalf of Bro. A. B., then produced the sworn affi- 
 davit of Mr. J. B., to which the Junior Warden objected, on tho 
 ground that Mr. B. should be produced for cross-examination. 
 
 The commissioners sustained the objection on that ground, and 
 Bro. O. took an exception. 
 
 Mr. B. was then produced, and the Junior Warden then con. 
 seuted that his affidavit might be read, which was read according- 
 ly, and is hereto annexted (marked B). 
 
 The Junior Warden then cross-examined Mr. B., who stated as 
 follows, &c. 
 
 The proofs being closed, after hearing both parties, the commis- 
 sioners decided to meet again on the 23d day of April instant, to 
 determine on their report. 
 
 Saturday, April 23, 1859. 
 The commissioners ag«dn met by themselves, and after consulta- 
 tion decided upon their report, a copy of which is hereto annexed 
 (marked C), and notified the parties thereof. 
 
 Signed by the Commissioners. 
 
 These minutes have been given in this extended form because 
 they present a convenient way of stating certain facts and proceed- 
 ings on trial. Thus, the statement of formal objections and the 
 grounds of them, together with the decision thereon of the com- 
 missioners (which should always be stated), are here set forth ; 
 also, that the Junior Warden acted as prosecutor ; that the em- 
 plojTnent of an attorney not being a Mason was not permitted, but 
 that the accused was permitted to have counsel ; that the first wit- 
 ness testified in his character as a Master Mason, and that the 
 second witness, not being a Mason, made his statement merely, no 
 oath being administered to either ; that the testimony is taken 
 down in the words of the witness, and of course in the first per- 
 son as he spoke ; that the precise point objected to is stated ; 
 that the time and place of each adjournment are noted ; that a 
 sworn affidavit was not admitted because no opportunity was given 
 for cross-examination ; and, finally, that the commissioners met 
 alone and decided upon their report, and then gave notice to the 
 parties ; all of which may furnish useful hints to those engaged 
 in such trials, without further comment ; it being presumed that 
 
APPENDIX. 297 
 
 the usual forms of such proceedings and the ordinary rules of evi- 
 dence are understood and will be observed. It is at the option of 
 the commissioners whether they will admit any one to be present 
 but the parties and the witnesses testifying, but on all such oc- 
 casions none but Masons should be admitted, except the witness 
 not a Mason, and while testifying. 
 
 As the form of the notice given to the parties by the cdmmis- 
 sioners (Constitution, § 57) may be desired, it is here given, and 
 may be as follows. 
 
 7.— Notice of Decision. 
 
 To Bro. S., Junior Warden, and Bro. A. B. . 
 
 You will each take notice that we have agreed upon and signed 
 our report in the matter of charges against Bro. A. B. , referred to 
 us, by which we have found the charges sustained, and Brother B. 
 guilty thereof, and that the expenses of the proceedings be paid 
 by him ; and that we shall present the report to Triluminar Lodge 
 at its stated communication, on the 30th April instant. 
 
 (Signed by the Commissioners. ) 
 
 Dated April 23d, 1859. 
 
 The trial being concluded and the report thus agreed upon, the 
 commissioners will have it drawn up in form for the action of the 
 Lodge. This report need not, in the first place, contain anything 
 but the facts found and the conclusions arrived at thereon by the 
 commissioners. These conclusions, like those of any other com- 
 mittee, should be in the form of resolutions, for the definite action 
 of the Lodge. Should the Lodge, on the report coming in, desire 
 to hear the testimony read or any of the decisions stated, it will be 
 the duty of the commissioners to compl3^ 
 
 The report may be in the following form : 
 
 8. — Report of Commissioners. 
 
 To the W. Master, Wardens and Brethren of Triluminar Lodge, 
 No. 800. 
 
 The commissioners appointed for the trial of Bro. A. B., on 
 charges of intoxication heretofore preferred in this Lodge, respect- 
 fully report : 
 
 That they met at the Lodge room of this Lodge on Wednesday 
 evening, the 20th of April last past, and proceeded to hear and try 
 the matters referred to them. 
 
298 APPENDIX. 
 
 ITiat objections were presented to Bro. U., one of their number, 
 which they overruled, and also refused to permit Bro. B. to ap- 
 pear by counsel, not being a Mason, and thereupon Bro. N. O. 
 appeared for him. That objections were made to the charges, 
 which were oveiTuled. 
 
 That they proceeded to take testimony (in the course of which 
 they decided not to admit a sworn afl&davit), and Bro E. F. and 
 Mr, H. C. and Mr. J. B. were examined as witnesses. 
 
 That they held three meetings, the last of which was for the 
 purpose of agreeing upon and preparing their report 
 
 That from the testimony before them they find the following 
 facts : 
 
 1. That Bro. A. B. was intoxicated with strong and spirituous 
 liquors, in a public place, at Freetown, on the first day of April, 
 1859. 
 
 2. That Bro. A. B. has been at least twice intoxicated in a pub- 
 lic place, in Freetown aforesaid, within two weeks previous to the 
 said first day of April, 1859. 
 
 They therefore recommend the adoption of the following resolu- 
 tions : 
 
 Besolved, That the charges of intoxication against Bro. A. B., 
 made and presented to this Lodge on the 9th day of April, 1859, 
 are sustained, and that he is guilty of the said charges. 
 
 Besolved, That Bro. A. B. be and he is hereby suspended from 
 this Lodge, and from the rights and pri\'ileges of Masonry, for the 
 space of three months from this date. 
 
 The charges and expenses of the commissioners amount to the 
 sum of three dollars, which they adjudge that Bro. A. B. should 
 pay, of all which they have notified the Jimior Warden and Bro. 
 A. B. All of which is respectfully submitted, 
 
 K. S. ) 
 T. U. [ 
 V. W. ) 
 
 Commissioners. 
 Dated, April 23, 1859. 
 
 If the resolutions be adopted, the Secretary of the Lodge should 
 transcribe them on his minutes, together with the adjudication as 
 to charges and expenses. The resolutions, however, are subject to 
 the action of the Lodge, who may reverse the decision of the com- 
 missioners, or, if sustained, may amend the resolution as to the 
 penalty by increasing or diminishing it ; the decision of the com- 
 
APPENDIX. 299 
 
 missioners, however, as to expenses is final (Cons. § 61.) Should 
 the resolutions be adopted (and for this purpose a majority vote is 
 sufficient, unless the by-lavrs provide differently, ) and the accused 
 be absent from the Lodge, it is the duty of the Secretary to furnish 
 him immediately with a copy of the resolutions and of the award 
 as to expenses, with a notice, which may be in this form : 
 
 9.— Notice of Judgiuent. 
 
 To Bro. A. B. : 
 
 Take notice, that the foregoing is a copy of resolutions 
 adopted by Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, at their communication 
 held at their Lodge room in Freetown, on the 30th day of April 
 instant, together with a copy of the award made by the commis- 
 Bioners as to expenses. 
 
 P. 0. Secretary. 
 Dated, April 30th, 1859. 
 
 Thus have been presented the ordinary proceedings from com- 
 plaint to judgment on a Masonic trial on charges preferred in a 
 Lodge. Some of them may be found practically unnecessary, but 
 the complaint, minutes and report are deemed important, and 
 should be substantially followed in every case. Other proceedings, 
 under the title of the Constitution, entitled "Of Trial and Its In- 
 cidents," may be adapted to them, varying the allegations to suit 
 the case, and bearing in mind that in all the cases mentioned in 
 section 54 the decision of the commissioners is final, unless an ap- 
 peal be taken from it. (§ 58. ) In these cases the report will be 
 made to the Grand Lodge, and the minutes, with the report an- 
 nexed, filed in the office of the Grand Secretary, and notice given 
 to the parties by the commissioners. Their report, in such cases, 
 need not conclude with resolutions, but with an award of judg- 
 ment in the nature of both a verdict and sentence. It may be in 
 this form, in place of the recommendation of resolutions : 
 
 10. — Report of Commisgioners (another form). 
 The said commissioners do therefore adjudge and determine as 
 follows : 
 
 1. That the charges of intoxication against Bro. A. B., of Trilu- 
 minar Lodge, No. 800, preferred by Bro. C. D., of Anchor Tiodge, 
 No. 801, on the 9th day of April, 1859, are sustained, and that he 
 is guilty of the said charges. 
 
300 APPENDIX. 
 
 2. That the said Bro. A. B. be and he is hereby suspended from 
 said Triluniinar Lodge, and from the rights and privileges of Ma- 
 sonry, for the space of three months from this date. 
 
 3. That the said A. B. be adjudged to pay the charges and ex- 
 penses of the proceedings on this trial. 
 
 The charges and expenses, Ac., (as in the preceding report, ex- 
 cept as to parties notified, and add) and our report has been duly 
 filed with the R. W. Grand Secretary (dated and signed by the 
 commissioners). 
 
 The following may be the form of their notice : 
 
 11. — Notice of Judgment by Commissioners. 
 
 To and : 
 
 Take notice that we have this day made and signed our 
 report to the Grand Lodge, by which we have adjudged and deter- 
 mined that Bro. A. B. is guilty of the charges preferred against 
 him, and that he is susi)ended from Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, 
 and from the rights and privileges of Masonry, for the space of 
 three months, and that he do pay the costs and expenses of the 
 proceedings before us, amounting to the sum of three dollars. 
 
 Signed by the Commissioners. 
 Dated, April 23, 1859. 
 
 The subject of Appeals next claims our attention, and we shall 
 still follow the form of proceedings after trial on charges preferred 
 in a Lodge against a member. 
 
 The time limited in every case for bringing an appeal is six 
 months (§ 58) ; but where a party is intending to appeal it is ad- 
 visable that he give notice of it immediately, which may be in the 
 following form : 
 
 13. — Notice of Appeal. 
 To P. Q., Secretary of Triluminar Lodge, No. 800 : 
 
 Take notice, that I shall bring an appeal from the action 
 of said Lodge on the 30th day of April, 1859, in passing sentence 
 of suspension on me for three months, to the M. "W. Grand Lodge 
 of the State of New York (or the M. W. Grand Master, R. W. Dep- 
 uty Grand Master, or R. W. District Deputy Grand Master of this 
 district, as he may choose,) on the groimds to be stated in my ap- 
 peal. 
 
 Dated, May 4, 1859. A. B. 
 
APPENDIX. 301 
 
 On receiving this notice, the Secretary of the Lodge — or, in all 
 cases not under section 60, the commissioners — will transmit to 
 the Grand Lodge, or Grand officer, as the case may be, a copy of 
 the minntes of proceedings embracing the evidence, with a copy of 
 the report, to the Lodge— marked C and numbered 8— annexed, 
 all duly |ittested and certified ; and by carefully observing these 
 directions it may always be done promptly. This, if filed with the 
 Grand Secretary, may be furnished to the Grand Lodge, or its 
 Committee on Appeals, or to the Grand officer appealed to, when 
 desired. When the appeal is to a Grand officer, the report may be 
 transmitted to him directly, to be by him afterwards filed with the 
 Grand Secretary. The appellant should next prepare his appeal, 
 which may be in this form : 
 
 13. — Appeal. 
 
 To the M. W. Grand Lodge of the State of New York (or M. W. 
 
 Grand Master) : 
 
 The undersigned hereby appeals to you from the decision 
 of Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, made April 30, 1859, in passing 
 sentence of suspension on him for three months, and he specifies 
 the following as the ground of his appeal : 
 
 1. That F. U., one of the commissioners on his trial, was incom- 
 petent to act, having been present at the meeting of said Lodge 
 when the charges were preferred, and voted for their reference. 
 
 2. That the commissioners erred in deciding that P. S. , Esq. , 
 should not be allowed to assist the undersigned in his defense. 
 
 3. That the second specification of the charges is vague and un- 
 certain. 
 
 4. That the commissioners erred in receiving testimony as to ap- 
 pearances of intoxication. 
 
 5. That they erred in rejecting the sworn affidavit of J. R. 
 
 6. That the proofs in the case were not sufficient to warrant the 
 finding of the commissioners. 
 
 7. That the Lodge erred in passing the resolution of suspension 
 by a majority vote. 
 
 All of which appears by the papers, proceedings and evidence in 
 the case. 
 Dated, May 11, 1859. A. B. 
 
 A copy of this appeal should be served on the Secretary of the 
 
302 APPENDED. 
 
 Lodge ; and it is best, also, to serve a copy on the appellate tribu- 
 nal or officer. Within ten days (this is suggested as an admirable 
 time, there being no regulation on the subject,) an answer should 
 be made to the appeal by the Lodge. As in most cases this is 
 merely taking issue, the form of an answer on appeal may be un- 
 necessary ; yet one is subjoined, as follows : ^ 
 
 14.— AnsMrer to Appeal. 
 
 Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, answers the appeal of A. B. and 
 says : 
 
 That the said Lodge denies that there is any error in the pro- 
 ceedings of said Lodge, or of the commissioners appointed for the 
 trial of the said A. B. , and further says that the decision of said 
 Lodge in said case is sustained both by the law and evidence 
 therein applicable thereto. 
 
 Dated, May 21, 1859. S. L., Junior Warden. 
 
 This is very general, and if a specific denial is deemed necessary 
 — taking issue upon each of the grounds of appeal and assigning 
 reasons therefor — it may be made after the foregoing form in com- 
 mencement, and adding thereto as follows : 
 
 Because the said Lodge says as to the first ground of appeal, Ac 
 
 And because the said Lodge says aJs to the second ground of ap- 
 peal, &c. 
 
 The case being thus fairly brought up on appeal, the Grand 
 Lodge or Grand officer may hear the same, either by oral argu- 
 ment, or the appeal and answer thereto may be made sufficiently 
 full to call attention to all the points in the case and the reasons 
 therefor. If the Secretary of the Lodge shall have omitted a tran- 
 script of the proceedings of the Lodge, and the same be required 
 to make the case perfectly understood, the Grand Master, Deputy 
 Grand Iilaster, or District Deputy Grand Master may make an or- 
 der in this form : 
 
 15.— Order on Appeal. 
 
 Office of the Gkand Master of JklisoNs, | 
 May 28, 18.. j" 
 
 To the W. Master, Warden and Brethren of Triluminar Lodg«, 
 
 No. 800 : 
 
 Bro. A. B. having duly appealed from the decision of j'^our 
 Lodge made on the 30th April, 1859, suspending him for three 
 
APPENDIX. 303 
 
 months, yon are hereby required to transmit, by the hand of your 
 Secretary and seal of your Lodge, a transcript of all the proceed- 
 ings of your Lodge, in the case of the said A. B. , from the time of 
 the presentation of the charges against him until the final action of 
 your Lodge thereon, with the several dates thereof, together with 
 all papers and documents relating thereto not heretofore returned, 
 
 within days from the receipt of this order by you. 
 
 Given under my hand and private seal on the day 
 and year first above written. 
 
 , Grand Master. 
 
 After argument the appellate tribunal will, with all convenient 
 dispatch, pronounce the decision. If made by a Grand officer, it 
 should be filed, together with the appeal papers, in the office of the 
 Grand Secretary, and may be in this form : 
 
 16. — Decision on Appeal. 
 
 Office of the Geand Mastek of Masons, &c. , June 4, 1859. 
 
 Lsr THE Mattes of the Appeal 
 
 of 
 
 Brother A. B. 
 
 Brother A. B. having appealed from the decision of Triluminar 
 Lodge, No. 800, made on the 30th day of April, 1859, by which he 
 was suspended from the rights and privileges of Masonry for three 
 months, on charges of intoxication ; and having heard the case, I 
 have carefully considered the facts appearing on said appeal, and 
 the grounds of error alleged by him. There does not seem to be 
 any error or irregularity in the proceedings, or in the several de- 
 cisions of the commissioners on the trial, and the facts of the case 
 warrant the conclusions of the commissioners and the decision of 
 the Lodge. 
 
 [If the officers desire to review the facts or comment upon any 
 of the points taken, he may here insert his remarks and reasons. ] 
 
 My judgment and decision, therefore, is, that the proceedings 
 and decisions of Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, in the case of Bro. A. 
 B., be and the same are hereby affirmed. 
 
 , Grand Master. 
 
 If the decision be reversed, the appellate officer vrill vary the 
 second paragraph and give his reasons for dissenting from the con- 
 
304 APPENDIX. 
 
 elusions of the commissioners and Lodge, and nse the word ** re- 
 versed" in the last paragraph, instead of "affirmed." Should he 
 desire to make any special order in the case, it may be added at 
 the end. 
 
 When an appeal is taken from the decision of a Grand officer, on 
 appeal to the Grand Lodge the case will be heard on the papers 
 which were before him, and it will only need the folloT»ang and 
 final form of an appeal to bring up the matter, which should be 
 served on the Lodge through its proper officer, a reasonable time 
 (say twenty days) before the annual communication of the Grand 
 Lodge, and a copy transmitted to the Grand Secretary forthwith. 
 
 17. — Final Appeal to Grand Lodge. 
 
 To the M. W. Grand Master (or K. W. Deputy Grand Master) and 
 the W. Master Wardens and Brethren of Triluminar Lodge, 
 No. 800 : 
 
 The undersigned, A. B., hereby appeals to the M. W. Grand 
 Lodge of the State of New York, from the decision of the M. W. 
 Grand Master, made in and by his order of June 4th, 1859, in the 
 case of this appellant, affirming the decision of said Lodge on the 
 30th April, 1859, in the same case, on the grounds particularly 
 stated and set forth in his appeal to the M. W. Grand Master, dated 
 May 11, 1859, and respectfully prays your consideration thereof 
 and judgment thereon. 
 Dated, June 6, 1859. A. B. 
 
 Li the nature of the case, no answer to this appeal is required ; . 
 and when the appeal comes before the Grand Lodge it will take 
 the direction prescribed by its rules and usages. 
 
 From the foregoing general forms and directions, sufficient may 
 be gathered to apply to every case of Masonic discipline and trial, 
 between any parties and whatever may be the decision. To have 
 extended the forms, or adapted those given to every varying 
 change, would be great labor without adequate benefit, and es- 
 pecially in the great variety of charges. It should be remarked 
 that, when the charges are based upon a section of the constitu- 
 tion, or of the Lodge by-laws, it should be plainly and distinctly 
 referred to. 
 
 Should the accused admit the charges when served upon him, 
 proof of such admission or confession will be all that the commis- 
 
APPENDIX. 305 
 
 sioners are required to have made, and they will make up their 
 minutes and report accordingly, adapting the foregoing forms. 
 
 If the accused fails to appear and answer the charges after per- 
 sonal service, the commissioners may proceed, after taking proof 
 of such service, to take proof of the charges, and in such case the 
 Master should appoint some brother to appear for him. The min- 
 utes and report in such cases should be full, and the forms given 
 can readily be modified to suit such a state of facts. 
 
 STANMKD FOKM OF BYLAWS. 
 
 [Intended to serve as a guide in the formation of by-laws for Subordinate 
 Lodges, and subject to such alterations, not inconsistent with the Constitution, 
 as the convenience of the Lodges may dictate.] 
 
 AKTICLE I. 
 
 § 1. The stated meetings of this Lodge shall be on the . . and . . 
 days in every month. The hour of meeting, from April 1 to Octo- 
 ber 1, shall be. 8 o'clock, and 7k o'clock the remainder of the year. 
 
 § 2. Special meetings may be called by the Master, upon any 
 emergency which he, in his judgment, may deem necessary ; but 
 no business shall be transacted by such special meeting but that 
 for which it was called. 
 
 AKTICLE n. 
 § 3. 'JTie members of this Lodge are all who have been or may 
 be initiated in or affiliated therewith, who have subscribed their 
 names to these by-laws, and who have not withdrawn or been ex- 
 cluded for unmasonic conduct or non-payment of dues. (See sec- 
 tions 24 to 27, and sections 85 and 88, Constitution. ) 
 
 AKTICLE in. 
 
 OrnCEKS — ^THEIR ELECTION, INSTAIXATION, AND DUTIES. 
 
 § 4. The officers of this Lodge shall be ranked and entitled as 
 follows : 
 
 1. The Mastee. 
 
 2. The Senior Warden. 
 
 3. The Juniob Warden. 
 
306 APPENDIX. 
 
 4. The Tbeasubeb. 
 
 5. The Secketart. 
 
 6. The Senior Deacon. 
 
 7. The Junior Deacon. 
 
 8. The Stewards, or Masters of Ceremonies. 
 
 9. The Tyler. 
 
 the officers shall be elected at the stated communication 
 next preceding the festival of St. John the Evangelist, and be in- 
 stalled on or before the next stated meeting thereafter. 
 
 § 6. Any member months in arrears for dues, shall not be 
 
 entitled to vote at said election. 
 
 § 7. The duties of the officers of this Lodge, in addition to those 
 not proper to be written, are as follows : 
 
 the master. 
 To preserve the Warrant of the Lodge with unfailing care, and 
 deliver it to his successor in office ; to see that these by-laws, the 
 Constitution of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, and the 
 Ancient Constitutions of Freemasonry, be duly understood, re- 
 spected, and obeyed by the members ; to represent the Lodge, in 
 conjunction with the Senior and Junior "Wardens, at all the Grand 
 communications of the M. W. Grand Lodge ; to draw all orders on 
 the Treasurer, with the consent and approbation of the Lodge ; to 
 see that all cases of offense against the laws of the Order be fairly 
 dealt veith, according to these by-laws, and the constitutions and 
 rules of Masonry ; to report to the Lodge his proceedings in the 
 Grand Lodge, and to cause the printed transactions to be read for 
 the information of the brethren. 
 
 TECE SENIOR WARDEN. 
 
 Li addition to those duties which appertain to every individual 
 Mason, the duties of the Senior Warden are : to succeed to and 
 exercise all the powers of the Master in the event of his absence ; 
 to represent the Lodge, in conjunction with the Master and Junior 
 Warden, in the Grand Lodge ; to aid the Master in governing the 
 Craft during the hours of labor. 
 
 the junior WARDEN. 
 
 It is the duty of the Junior Warden to exercise all the powers of 
 he Master, in the absence of the two officers above him ; to repre- 
 
APPENDIX. 307 
 
 Bent the Lodge, in conjufiction with the Master and Senior Warden, 
 in the Grand Lodge ; to take charge of the Craft during the hours 
 of refreshment. 
 
 THE TEEASUBEB 
 
 Is to receive all moneys from the hands of the Secretary ; pay 
 out the same by order of the Master and consent of the Lodge ; to 
 submit his accounts, when required by the Master or Lodge, for 
 examination ; to deliver to his successor in office all the moneys, 
 books, vouchers, and other properties of the Lodge he may have 
 in his possession. 
 
 THE SECKETAEY. 
 
 The duty of this officer is to record the proceedings of the 
 Lodge ; to receive all moneys due the Lodge and pay the same to 
 the Treasurer ; to prepare the usual Returns to the Grand Lodge, 
 in proper time and in accordance with the Constitution, and for- 
 ward the same to the Grand Secretary ; to deliver up to his suc- 
 cessor in office all the books, seal, and other property of the 
 Lodge. 
 
 THE SENIOR DEACON 
 
 Is to take part in the active duties of the Lodge ; to be courteous 
 to and provide accommodations for visiting brethren, and act as 
 the proxy of the Master. 
 
 THE JUNIOR DEACON 
 
 Has especial charge of the door, acts as the proxy of the Senior 
 Warden, and attends to such other duties as are pointed out to him 
 by the Master or Senior Warden, in accordance with the usages of 
 Masonry and the by-laws of his Lodge. 
 
 THE STEWARDS 
 
 Are to assist in the preparation of candidates, and to assist the 
 Senior Deacon in .the discharge of his duties. 
 
 THE TYLER. 
 
 The duties of the Tyler are : to tile the Lodge under the direct 
 orders of the Master ; to serve notices, summons, etc., issued un- 
 der the authority of the Master and the Lodge ; and for the faith- 
 ful performance of these duties he shall receive dollars per 
 
 year for his services. 
 
308 APPENDIX. 
 
 OTHEB OmCEKS. 
 
 The Lodge may, in its discretion, appoint a Chaplain, a Marshal, 
 and an Organist, whose duties shall correspond with their titles. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 TRUSTEES — THEIR ELECTION AND DUTIES. 
 
 § 8. There shall be chosen by ballot, at the annual election, 
 three Trustees, who shall hold in trust for the Lodge all stocks, 
 securities, investments, and funds in deposit or interest, and shall 
 have power to transfer, exchange, or deposit the same, or any part 
 thereof, whenever required by a vote of the Lodge ; deposits to be 
 made in such institution as may be directed by the Lodge, and no 
 amount shall be drawn firom such deposit without the order of the 
 Lodge. 
 
 § 9. In case of a vacancy in the office of Trustee, the Lodge may 
 at any time proceed to fill the same, after two weeks* notice. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 MEMBERSHIP — HOW ACQUIRED. 
 
 § 10. Any person desirous of being initiated in this Lodge must 
 be proposed in writing by a member thereof, at a stated communi- 
 cation. The member making the proposition shall state therein 
 the age, birthplace, profession, and residence of the person pro- 
 posed. If the Lodge consents to receive the proposition, it shall 
 be referred to a special committee of three, whose duty it shall be 
 to make a thorough investigation into the physical, mental, and 
 moral qualification of said candidate, and make their report thereof 
 at the next stated meeting thereafter, unless further time be grant- 
 ed. On the report of said committee being made, the Lodge shall 
 proceed to ballot for the candidate, and, if no black ball appear 
 against him, he shall be declared elected ; but should one black 
 ball appear against him, he shall be rejected. 
 
 § 11. No person can receive any degree in this Lodge, or become 
 a member thereof, who is not of mature age, sound in mind, per- 
 fect in body and limbs, possessing a good character, a trade or 
 profession, or some visible way of acquiring an honest and respect- 
 able livelihood, and publicly acknowledging a belief in the exist- 
 ence of a Supreme Being. 
 
APPENDIX. 309 
 
 § 12. Any Mason desii'ous of becoming a member of this Lodge 
 by afl&liation, must produce a certificate of baring paid bis dues in 
 his former Lodge, and of bis having left the same in good stand- 
 ing, subject to the conditions set forth in section 10. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 FEES AND DUES. 
 
 § 13. The initiation fee shall be dollars (not less than fif- 
 teen.) The affiliation fee dollars. 
 
 § 14. The annual dues shall be dollars, payable quarterly. 
 
 § 15. Any member of the Lodge neglecting or refusing to pay 
 his dues for one year, may be stricken from the roll thereof by a 
 vote of the Lodge, at a stated meeting. 
 
 § 16. No person withdrawing from this Lodge can again become 
 a member without being proposed and balloted for anew, subject 
 to the provisions of sections 10 and 13. 
 
 § 17. No member whose name has been stricken from the roll 
 can again become a member of this Lodge without paying up his 
 indebtedness and being proposed and balloted for as in the case of 
 adjoining members. 
 
 § 18. No brother of this Lodge shall be suspended or expelled 
 from membership unless charges be preferred duly specifying his 
 oflfense, presented by a brother in good standing, and the accused 
 being allowed full opportimity to make his defense. 
 
 § 1^. Any brother desirous of withdrawing from this Lodge must 
 pay his indebtedness, and obtain its consent thereto. 
 
 ARTICLE Vn. 
 
 COMMITTEES. 
 
 § 20. The Master, on the night of his installation, shall appoint 
 a committee of three members to be called the Standing Commit- 
 tee, whose duty it shall be to examine the books, vouchers, etc. , 
 of the Treasurer and Secretary, from time to time, and to make a 
 detailed report in writing, whenever required. Likewise, to ex- 
 amine and audit all bills, accounts, and claims that may be pre- 
 sented to the Lodge for payment, and report upon the same in 
 writing. Nor shall any account be allowed by the Lodge until it 
 
310 APPENDIX. 
 
 shall have been examined and reported npon by the Standing Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 § 21. When in session, the Lodge may refer applications for 
 charity to a Special Committee ; but during the interval the Mas* 
 ter and Wardens shall be a Committee of Charity, and shall have 
 power at any time to draw upon the Treasurer, through the Mas- 
 ter, for a sum not exceeding five dollars at one time, to bestow 
 upon a distressed worthy Master Mason, his wife, widow, or orphan 
 child. 
 
 § 22. Special Committees may be appointed upon any item of 
 biTsiness, and may consist of as may members as the Lodge, in its 
 discretion, may think proper. All committees shall report at the 
 next stated meeting subsequent to their appointment, and in write 
 ing, unless otherwise ordered by the Lodge. All committees shall 
 be appointed by the Master. Members who are appointed to serve 
 upon committees shall feel bound in honor to give patient and dil- 
 igent attention to the business of their appointment, and report 
 their conclusions to the Lodge without fear or favor. 
 
 ARTICLE VJJL 
 
 DISCIPIilNE, OrFENSES, TBIALS, ETC. 
 
 § 23. An offense in Masonry is defined to be an act which con- 
 travenes these by-laws, any constitutional rule or edict of the 
 Grand Lodge, any requisition of the unwritten law of Masonry, any 
 law of the land, or any law of God. 
 
 § 24. When an offense shall be committed by a member or 
 members of this Lodge against the laws of Freemasonry, and 
 charges are preferred thereon, it shall be the duty of the Master to 
 appoint not less than three, nor more than seven, disinterested 
 members of the Lodge, commissioners, who shall appoint a time 
 and place for the trial, most convenient for those interested, and 
 summon the parties and their witnesses. After due investigation 
 of all the facts of the case, the commissioners shall found their 
 judgment thereon, and give notice to the parties interested. A 
 majority must concur in such judgment, and their judgment, it 
 approved by the Lodge, shall be final, unless an appeal be taken 
 therefrom to the Grand Lodge within six months, in which case it 
 
APPENDIX. 311 
 
 Bhall be the duty of tlie commissions, upon receiving notice of such 
 appeal, to transmit their report to the Grand Secretary. 
 
 AKTICLE IX. 
 
 § 25. Any portion or the whole of these by-laws may be amend- 
 ed, or others substituted in their stead, at the will of the Lodge, 
 provided the general principles of Freemasonry and the constitu- 
 tional rules and edicts of the Grand Lodge are carefully main- 
 tained. But all amendments, substitutions, etc. , must be proposed 
 in writing, read before the Lodge, and laid over for two weeks be- 
 fore a vote of the Lodge is taken, and a vote of two-thirds of the 
 members present shall be necessary to the adoption of such propo- 
 sition. 
 
 Any action or edict of the Grand Lodge altering these by-laws, 
 has the eflfect of an amendment, without any action on the part of 
 the Lodge. 
 
 FORM OF A PROXY. 
 
 The Proxy of the Subordinate Lodges should be in the following 
 form, viz : 
 
 At a meeting of Lodge, No , held at , in the 
 
 county of , in the State of , on the . . . day of . . . 
 
 A.L. 58.. 
 
 Resolved, That our Worshipful Brother , Past Master (or 
 
 Master, as the case may be,) of Lodge, No. . . ,, be and ho 
 
 is hereby appointed Proxy, to represent this Lodge in the Grand 
 
 Lodge of the State of , and he is fuUy empowered to act 
 
 in our behalf, in all the transactions of the Grand Lodge, as effect- 
 lally as if we ourselves were personally present. 
 
 All which we have caused to be certified by our Master and War- 
 dens, and the seal of our Lodge to be affixed. 
 
 [l. s,] , Master. 
 
 , Senior Warden. 
 
 , Junior Warden. 
 
 , Secretary. 
 
312 APPENDIX. 
 
 CERTIFICATE OF ELECTION. 
 
 The certificate of the election of officers in a Subordinate Lodge 
 should be in the following form, and said officers cannot be recog- 
 nized as members of the Grand Lodge until a proper certificate of 
 election is filed in the Grand Secretary's office : 
 
 Be it known, that on the day of A. L. 58 . . , at a 
 
 regular meeting of Lodge, No. . . held in the , county 
 
 of in the State of , our worthy Brother waa 
 
 elected Master ; our worthy Brother Senior Warden, and 
 
 our worthy Brother Junior Warden of the said Lodge, for 
 
 the ensuing year, and that said Master and Wardens have been 
 duly installed. 
 
 In testimony whereof we, the members of the said Lodge, have 
 caused the seal thereof to be hereunto affixed, and our Secretary 
 to sign the same. 
 
 [L. 8.] Secretary. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
INDEX 
 
 Advancement 172 
 
 Proficiency required. . . 172 
 
 Ballot for 172 
 
 Besult of rejection 172 
 
 Action of Masons — how con- 
 
 troUed 11 
 
 Ancient Landmarks defined 12 
 
 Affiliation 176 
 
 Age, lawful 47 
 
 Ancient Charges — 
 
 Concerning God and 
 
 Religion 21 
 
 Of the Civil Magistrates 22 
 
 Of Lodges 23 
 
 Of Master, "Wardens, 
 
 and Fellows 23 
 
 Of the Craft in working 24 
 
 Of Behavior 26 
 
 Appointed Officers of Lodge 136 
 
 Appeal , 188 
 
 Eight of 188 
 
 From Master . . .14, 81, 193 
 
 From Lodge 193 
 
 How taken 188 
 
 Effect of 190 
 
 Forms for 291 
 
 Apprentices, Entered 170 
 
 14 
 
 Apprentices may be tried . . 173 
 
 Eight of to Appeal ... 174 
 
 Articles XXXIX 30 
 
 Avouchment 182 
 
 Atheists, cannot Testify 220 
 
 Ballot, the 55 
 
 Must be unanimous ... 55 
 Not to be taken till one 
 
 month after petition 56 
 Indispensible in all cases 56 
 
 All present must 57 
 
 Must be secret 15, 58 
 
 Cannot be postponed. . 58 
 Unfavorable cannot be 
 
 reconsidered 58 
 
 For affiliation 59 
 
 For each degree 59 
 
 Exposui'e of, a cause for 
 
 discipline 58 
 
 Blank 14,0 
 
 Belief in God a landmark . . 13 
 
 Black-ball qi 
 
 Cast in error 54. 
 
 By-laws 79 
 
 Form of 305 
 
 Burial, Masonic 203 
 
f^U 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Candidates — 
 
 Laws relating to 47 
 
 Qualifications of 47 
 
 Must be residents 48 
 
 Must present a petition 50 
 Must answer all ques- 
 tions , 52 
 
 K rejected, must obtain 
 consent of rejecting 
 Lodge before peti- 
 tioning another 52 
 
 Kejection of, cannot be 
 
 inquired into 53 
 
 May be disciplined, af- 
 ter initiation, for de- 
 ceiving committee .. . 55 
 
 Deformity of 47 
 
 Initiation of 170 
 
 Advancement of 172 
 
 Called meetings 151 
 
 Certificates 182 
 
 Form of 289 
 
 Charges, how presented 216 
 
 Foi-m of 291 
 
 Charter— see Warrant. 
 
 Civil law, to be obeyed 14 
 
 Offences against 213 
 
 Committees 157 
 
 How appointed 157 
 
 On character 52 
 
 On business 103, 157 
 
 Constitutions, defined 11 
 
 Constitutional powers of 
 
 Lodges 78 
 
 Counsel in trials 219 
 
 Consecration of a Lodge ... 72 
 Constitution of a Lodge 73 
 
 Deacons, of a Lodge 128 
 
 Grand 277 
 
 Dedication of a Lodge 73 
 
 Degrees at sight 258 
 
 Deputy Grand Master 269 
 
 Dimission 198 
 
 Dimit, form of 290 
 
 Discussion, how controlled 102 
 Dispensations — 
 
 Who grants 67, 258 
 
 Expiration of . . . .^^ . , . 67 
 
 For degrees 259 
 
 District Deputy Grand Mas- 
 ters 282 
 
 Diploma, form of 290 
 
 Dues 140 
 
 Striking from roll for. . 238 
 
 Duties of the Master 89, 110 
 
 Of the Wardens. . . .116, 122 
 
 Of the Secretary 125 
 
 Of the Treasurer 123 
 
 Of the Deacons 128 
 
 Of the Stewards 131 
 
 Of Mas. of Ceremonies 131 
 Of other officers 136 
 
 Elections 138 
 
 Who may vote 140 
 
 When held 146 
 
 Majority required 143 
 
 Entered Apprentices 170 
 
INDEX. 
 
 315 
 
 Eligibility for office 92 
 
 Evidence, rules of 221 
 
 Exclusion 100, 226 
 
 Expulsion 231 
 
 Vote required for 232 
 
 Notice of 232 
 
 Expelled Masons cannot tes- 
 tify 220 
 
 Examination of visitors .... 184 
 
 Fellow Ckatts 174 
 
 Freeborn, candidates must 
 
 be 14 
 
 Fines 225 
 
 Felony, how dealt with 213 
 
 Forms, various 287 
 
 Funds of a Lodge 82 
 
 General Kegulations, 1721 30 
 
 Grand Lodge, the 239 
 
 Formation of 240 
 
 Legislative powers of. . 243 
 
 Judicial powers of 246 
 
 Executive powers of. . . 247 
 
 Jurisdiction of 248 
 
 Grand officers 251 
 
 Grand Master 253 
 
 May be disciplined 255 
 
 May convene the G. L. 256 
 Presides in Grand L . . 268 
 
 Issues summons 258 
 
 Grants dispensations . . 258 
 Constitutes new Lodges 259 
 Arrests Lodge charters 260 
 Makes Masons at sight 261 
 
 Heals irregular Masons 263 
 
 Appoints subordinates. 264 
 
 Is elected annually. . . . 267 
 
 Grand Vv'ardens 271 
 
 Treasurer 272 
 
 Secretary 272 
 
 ' Chaplains 274 
 
 Marshal 275 
 
 Standard Bearer 275 
 
 Sword Bearer 276 
 
 Stewards 276 
 
 Deacons 277 
 
 Poursuivant 277 
 
 Tyler 277 
 
 Lecturer 278 
 
 HoNOBARY Membeeship 279 
 
 Healing 263 
 
 Installation 146 
 
 To foUow each election 148 
 
 By proxy 148 
 
 Who may conduct 148 
 
 In Lodges U.D 67 
 
 Of a Lodge 73 
 
 Instruction of Eepresenta- 
 
 tives 77 
 
 Inherent powers of a Lodge 77 
 
 Jurisdiction — 
 
 Grand Lodges 248 
 
 Lodges 83 
 
 Territorial 83 
 
 Penal 84 
 
 Over sojourners 85 
 
316 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Jurisdiction over non-afl&lia- 
 
 ted Masons 85 
 
 Over candidates 83 
 
 Over unfinished work . . 83 
 
 Junior Deacon 129 
 
 Junior Warden 116 
 
 Law, Masonic, defined 9 
 
 Foundations of 10 
 
 Authorities for 19 
 
 Landmarks 13 
 
 Discussed 15 
 
 Kemoval of, void 16 
 
 Laws relating to candidates 47 
 
 Must be freebom 47 
 
 Of lawful age 47 
 
 Of good report 47 
 
 Declare his belief in a 
 
 Supreme Being 48 
 
 Keside where initiated. 48 
 
 Be self-denying 49 
 
 Have some degree of ed- 
 ucation 50 
 
 Present a petition 51 
 
 Law, Parliamentary 151 
 
 Lecturer, Grand 278 
 
 Lodges, inherent powers of 77 
 
 Constitutional powers of 78 
 
 Lodge, the 65 
 
 Defined 65 
 
 Under dispensation 66 
 
 Lodges U. D., powers of. . . 66 
 
 Warranted 70 
 
 Consecration of 72 
 
 Dedication of 73 
 
 Lodges XT. D., Listallafion. 73 
 
 Powers of 74 
 
 Cannot try the Master. 15 
 Precedency and juris- 
 diction of 82 
 
 Funds of 82 
 
 Officers of 89 
 
 Jurisdiction of 83 
 
 Masonic Law, defined 9 
 
 Offences against 212 
 
 Masonic Ofi'ences 210 
 
 Trials 214 
 
 Punishments 225 
 
 Kules of action 11 
 
 Master Masons, rights of. . . 176 
 Amenable to local laws 15 
 
 Master, Grand 253 
 
 Master of a Lodge 89 
 
 His qualifications . . .14, 90 
 Has power to — 
 Congregate his Lodge 98 
 
 Preside 99 
 
 Fill vacancies 100 
 
 Control admissions . . 100 
 Eegulate discussion. 102 
 Appoint committees. 103 v 
 
 Close 103 
 
 Issue summons 105 
 
 Control the warrant. 106 
 Kepresent his Lodge 107 
 
 Other rights of 108 
 
 Cannot dimit or resign 110 
 
 Marshal 137 
 
 Masters of Ceremonies 131 
 
INDEX. 
 
 317 
 
 Making Masons at sight 15, 261 
 Making Masons, how many 77 
 
 Meetings 150 
 
 Stated 151 
 
 Special 150 
 
 Cannot be adjourned , . 166 
 
 Mendicants 194 
 
 Members, floor 167 
 
 Membership, actual 176 
 
 Honorary 179 
 
 Minutes of a Lodge 126 
 
 Moral law, the rule of Ma- 
 sons 13 
 
 Offences against 212 
 
 Modes of recognition, a land- 
 mark 14 
 
 Mariners, excepted from law 
 
 of residence 84, 48 
 
 NON-APTTLIATED MaSONS 203 
 
 Disabilities of 206 
 
 Subject to trial 85 
 
 Their appeal 86 
 
 Notice before initiation 31 
 
 Objection, right of 60 
 
 Officers of a Lodge 87 
 
 Nominations for 144 
 
 Lastallation of 148 
 
 Who may instal ^148 
 
 Cannot resign 122 
 
 Offences, Masonic 210 
 
 Against moral law 212 
 
 Against Masonic law. . 212 
 
 Offences, Political 213 
 
 , Against civil law 213 
 
 Various 213 
 
 Origin of Grand Lodges. . . 240 
 
 Peoposition of candidates 
 not in accordance 
 with ancient usage . . 51 
 Petition of a candidate, 
 
 form of 51 
 
 Can only be presented 
 
 at a stated meeting. 52 
 Cannot be withdrawn . , 52 
 
 Fee to accompany 52 
 
 Must lie over one month 56 
 
 Previously rejected 52 
 
 For membership 59 
 
 Powers of a Lodge U. D. . . 66 
 A Warranted Lodge ... 74 
 
 A Master 89, 110 
 
 A Grand Master 256 
 
 Wardens 116, 122 
 
 Grand Wardens 271 
 
 Precedency and jurisdiction 
 
 of Lodges 82 
 
 Penal code of Masonry 208 
 
 Past Master 112 
 
 Privileges of 113 
 
 Parliamentary usages 151 
 
 Punishments, Masonic 225 
 
 Physical qualifications 47 
 
 Proxies to Grand Lodge . . . 114 
 
 Form for 311 
 
 Petitions for New Lodges . . 173 
 Political offences 213 
 
318 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 QuAuncATioNS of candi- 
 dates 47 
 
 Of the Master 14, 90 
 
 Right — 
 
 Of membership 176 
 
 To visit 180 
 
 Of avouchment 182 
 
 Of trial 187 
 
 Of appeal 188 
 
 Of relief 193 
 
 Of withdrawal 198 
 
 Of burial 203 
 
 To constitute a Lodge . 259 
 
 To instal officers 113 
 
 Rejected applicants 52, 172 
 
 For initiation 52 
 
 For advancement 172 
 
 Recognition, modes of, a 
 
 landmark 14 
 
 Regulations of 1721 30 
 
 Records of the Lodge 126 
 
 Reprimand 226 
 
 Representatives in Grand 
 
 Lodge 15 
 
 May be instructed 77 
 
 Reserved rights of Lodges. 245 
 
 Restoration 234 
 
 Vote required for. 236 
 
 Rules of action, defined 11 
 
 Ritual, control of . . 80 
 
 Secbetaky of a Lodge 125 
 
 Grand 272 
 
 Senior Warden 116 
 
 Senior Deacon 128 
 
 Sight, Masons made at. .15, 261 
 
 Stewards, of a Lodge 131 
 
 Grand 276 
 
 Suitable proficiency 172 
 
 Secrecy of the BaUot 15, 58 
 
 Suspension, definite 230 
 
 Indefinite 231 
 
 Vote required for 232 
 
 Notice of 232 
 
 Of by-laws 80 
 
 Of a warrant 72 
 
 Sword Bearer, Grand 276 
 
 Standard Bearer, Grand . . . 275 
 
 Succession to the chair 111 
 
 Special Meetings 151 
 
 Summons 105 
 
 Style of Grand officers 252 
 
 Sojourners 83 
 
 Surrendering a warrant 72 
 
 Tkeasukee of a Lodge 123 
 
 Grand 272 
 
 Thirty-nine Articles 30 
 
 Tellers 146 
 
 Trustees 137 
 
 Tyler of a Lodge 134 
 
 Grand 277 
 
 Trials, Masonic 214 
 
 Forms for 291 
 
 Right of 287 
 
 Sei-vice of charges 216 
 
 Answer to charges 216 
 
 Counsel 223 
 
 Examining witnes.ses. . 220 
 
INDEX. 
 
 319 
 
 Trials, Competency of wit- 
 nesses 220 
 
 Kules of Evidence ... 221 
 
 Summing up 224 
 
 Verdict 224 
 
 Final action of Lodge . . 224 
 Appeal from 225 
 
 Unitnished work 
 
 25 
 
 Visit, right of 14, 180 
 
 Visitors, control of 100 
 
 Avouched for 182 
 
 Objection to 180 
 
 Examination of 184 
 
 Voting, right of 140 
 
 Limitation of 140 
 
 Waekant, imftutable 70 
 
 How forfeited 71 
 
 How surrendered 72 
 
 May be suspended 72 
 
 Form of 288 
 
 Custody of 106 
 
 Wardens 116 
 
 Prerogatives of 119 
 
 Succession of 121 
 
 Cannot resign 122 
 
 Grand 271 
 
 Withdrawal, right of 198 
 
 Of petitions 52 
 
 Witnesses, who may be 220 
 
 Weekly meetings 151 
 
 Work 80, 278 
 
 Unfinished 25 
 
POPULAR WORKS 01 FREEMASONRY 
 
 PUBLISHED KY THE 
 
 MASONIC PUBLISHING AND MANUFACTURING CO. 
 
 432 BROOME STREET, N. Y. 
 
 Any book m this list sent by nrtail to any address in the l/nfted 
 States, free of postage, on receipt of the price. 
 
 A Ctclopedia op Freemasonay ; containing Definitions of 
 
 the Technical Terms nsed hy the Fraternity. With an account of the 
 rise and progress of Freemasonry and its Kindred Associations— an- 
 cient and modern : embracing Oliver's Dictionary of Symbolical 
 Masonry. Edited by Robert Macdy, 33d, Illustrated with numer- 
 ous Engravings. Cloth, gilt Bide, $4 00 
 
 Guide to the Royal Arch Chapter ; a complete Monitor 
 
 for Royal Arch Masonry. With full instnictions in the degrees of 
 Mark Master, Past Master. Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch, 
 according to the text or the Manual of the Chapter, fey John 
 SuEviLLE, P. G. H. P., of New Jersey, and Jas. L. Gould, D. G. 
 H. P., of Connecticut. Together with a Historical Introduction, 
 Explanatory Notes, and Critical Emendations. To which are added 
 Monitorial Instructions in the Holy Order of High-Priesthood in Royal 
 Arch Masonry, with the Ceremonies of the Order. By Jas. L. GouId, 
 M. A.,33d. Cloth— gilt back and side 1 50 
 
 The Masonic Harmonia ; a Collection of Music, Original 
 
 and Selected, for the use of the Masonic Fraternity. By Henrt 
 Stephen Cutler, Doctor in Music, Director of the Cecilian Choir, 
 etc. Published under the auspices of St. Cecile Lodge, No. 568, 
 City of New York. Half-bound— cloth sides, $1 00 per doz.lO 00 
 
 The General AHTMAif Rezon and Freemason's GuroE, 
 
 containing Monitorial Instructions in the Degrees of Entered Appren- 
 tice, Fellow-Craft, and Master Mason, with Explanatory Notes, Emen- 
 dations, and Lectures : together with the Ceremonies of Consecration 
 and Dedication of New Lodges, Installation of Grand and Subordinate 
 Officers, Laying Foundation Stones, Dedication of Masonic Halls, 
 Grand Visitations, Burial Services, Reguktiopa for Processions, Ma- 
 sonic Calendar, etc. To which are added k Ritual for a Lodge of 
 Sorrow and the Ceremonies of Consecrating Masonic Cemeteries ; 
 also an Appendix, with the Forms of Masonic Documents, Masonic 
 Trials, etc. By Daniel Sickels, 83d. Embellished with nearly 300 
 EuOTavings and Portrait of the Author* 
 
 Bound in fine Cloth — extra— large 12mo 2 00 
 
 " " Morocco, full gilt, for the W. Master's table, with appro- 
 i priate insignia of the East 8 50 
 
 The Historical Landmarks and other Evidences of Free- 
 masonry, explained in a series of Practical Lectures, with copious 
 Notes. By George Oliver, D. D. 2 vols. Large duodecimo — with 
 Portrait of the Author. Cloth, $5 00. Half Morocco 7 00 
 
 Washington and his Masonic Compeers. By Sidney 
 
 Hayden, Past Master of Rural Ami^ Lodge, No, 70. Pennsylvania. 
 Illustrated with a copy of a Masonic Portrait of Washington, painted 
 from life, never before published, and numerous other engravings. 
 Cloth— Uniform Style, $2 50. Cloth— fuU gilt-gUt edges, $3 50. Mo- 
 rocco— fall gilt 5 00 
 
1 
 
 Tkk Lights and Shadows of Freemasonry ; consisting of 
 
 Masonic Tales, Songu, and SentlmentB, never before publiahccL By 
 Rob. Morris, K. T. CloUi, $1 75. Half Morocco $2 60 
 
 ^Ianual op the Order of the Eastern Star, containing 
 Symbols, Scriptural Illuetrations, Lectares, etc., adapted to the Ameri- 
 can system of Adoptive Masonry. Bv Robt. Macot, National Grand 
 Secretary. BeiiUtifUlly Illustrated. Gilt Edges and 111 umiuated Cover 1 00 
 
 Ancient Constitutions of Freemasons. By James An- 
 derson. Verbatim copy of the original edition of 17i3. Cloth, $1 00. 
 Half Morocco 7. S 00 
 
 Illustrations of Masonry. By Wm. Preston. With 
 copious Notes and Additions. By Rsv.'Oeoroe Oliver, D. D. Cloth, 
 $115. HalfMorocco S 00 | 
 
 New York Masonic Code; containing the Old Charges, j 
 
 compiled in 1720 ; Constitutions and General Reprulations of the Grand 
 Lodge of New York, and tliu Resolutions andDecinious now in force 
 in that M. W. Grand Body. Collated bv R. W. William T. Wooiv 
 KUFi-. Plain binding, 35 cents. Cloth, 60. Tuck 1 00 
 
 The Use and Abuse of Freemasonry. A work of tlie 
 
 greatest utility to the Brethren of the Society, to mankind In gen- 
 eral, and to the ladies in particular. By Capt. Geo. Smith. Cloth, 
 ^125. HalfMorocco ^ 50 
 
 The History of Inttla.tton, in Twelve Lectures, comprising \ 
 Detailed Account of the Rites and Ceremonies, Doctrines and Disci- 
 pline of the Secret and Mysterious Institutions of the Ancient World. 
 £ / George Oliver, D. D. Cloth, $1 .50. Half Morocco 2 60 
 
 The Theocratic PHiLOsoriiY of Freemasonry, in Twelve 
 
 Lectures on its Speculative, Operative, and Spurious Branches. By 
 Geo. Oliver, D. D. Cloth, $1 50. HalfMorocco 8 50 
 
 Freemason's Monitor ; containing the Degrees of Free- 
 masonry, embraced in the Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Commandcry, 
 embellished with nearly 800 Symbolic Illustrations. Together with 
 Tactics and Drill of IVIasonic Knighthood. Also, Forms of Masonic 
 Documents, Notes, Songs, Masonic Dates, Installations, etc. By 
 DAifiEL SicKELS, 83d. Tuck 1. 50 
 
 Traditions of Freemasonry and its Coincidence witli the 
 
 Ancient Mysteries. By A. T. C. Pierson, 33d, Past Grand Master, Past 
 Gi-and High-Priest, etc. Blustrated. Large 12mo. Cloth 2 00 
 
 The History of IVIasonic Persecutions, in different quar- 
 ters of the Globe. By Various Authors. With an Introductory 
 Essay en the Usages and Customs of S^Tubolic ilasoury. By Rev. . . 
 Geo. Oliver, D. D. 
 
 Masonic Institutes. By Vai'^ious AuiJim's. With an intro- 
 ductory Essay and Explanatory Notes. By Rev. Gko. Oliver, D. D. 
 It^~ Two us^ul works in om volutm. Cloth, $2 00. Half Morocco, 3 00 
 
 The True I^IaSONic Chart; or, Hieroglyphic Monitor; 
 
 containing all the emblems explained in the degiees of Entered Ap- 
 prentice, Fellow-Craft, and Master Mason. Designed and aiTanged 
 agreeably to the Lectures. By Jeremy L. Cross, Grand Lecturer. 
 With a Memoir and Portrait of the Author. Edited by Daniel 
 SiCKELS,33d. 12mo. Cloth 1 25 
 
 The Mystic Tie ; or, Facts and Opinions illustrative of Uie 
 Character and Tendency of Freemasonry. By A. G. Macket, M. D. 
 Cloth, $150. HalfMorocco 3 50 
 
 The Symbol of Glory, showing the Object and End of Free- 
 masonry. By George Oliver, D. D. Cloth, $1 50. Half Morocco. . . . 9 50 
 
Signs ajs'D Symbols, Illustrated and Explained m a Course 
 of Twelve Lectures on Freemasonry. By Gbokgk Oliver, D. D. 
 doth, $150. Half Morocco |2 60 
 
 Digest op Masonic Law ; being a complete Code of Regu- 
 lations, Decisions, and Opinions upon questions of Masonic Jurispru- 
 dence. By Geo. W. Chasb. 12mo. Cloth 160 
 
 A MnmoR for the Johannite Mason. In a series of letters 
 
 to the Right Honorable the Earl of Aboyne. By Rev. Geo. Oliver, D. D. 
 
 The Star in the East. By Rev. George Oliver, D. D. 
 ^" 2'wo interesting and valuable works brought togetJier in one 
 volume. Cloth,$150. HalfMoiocco 2 50 
 
 A Coiuparison of Egyptian Symbols with those of the 
 
 Hebrews. By Fredkrick Portal. Translated from the French, by 
 John W. Simons. Illuatrated with some fifty cuts, representing the 
 Ancient Symbols, and accompanied with extended explanations, 
 which render it very entertaining and instructive. Contents : Prin- 
 ciples of Symbology ; Application to Egyptian Symbols, Symbol of 
 Colors, Symbol of the Bible, etc. Cloth, $1.00. Half Morocco 2 00 
 
 The Spirit of Masonry. By William Hutchinson, 
 
 p. A. S. With copious Notes, critical and explanatory, by Rev. 
 George Oliver, D. D. Cloth, $1 60. Half Morocco 2 50 
 
 Book of the Commandery ; a Monitor for the Orders of 
 
 Masonic Knighthood ; containing its Burial Service ; an improved Sys- 
 tem of Tactics and Drill ; the Ceremonies of Installation for Grand and 
 Subordinate Commanderies ; a List of the Orders of Knighthood 
 throughout the World ; and the Forms of Complaint and Appeal. By 
 John W. Simons, P. Q. M. Flexible Cover— full gilt, 75 cents. Tuck 
 — fuUgilt 1 00 
 
 Manual of the Chapter; a Monitor for Royal Arch 
 
 Masonry, containing the Degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most 
 Excellent Master, and Royal Arch ; together with the Order of High- 
 Priesthood ; the Ceremonies for Installing the OiEcers of a Chapter, 
 with Forms of Masonic Documents. By John Sheville, Past Grand 
 High-Priest of New Jersey, and James L. Gould, Deputy Grand High- 
 Priest of Connecticut. 3^mo. Scarlet and gold 75 
 
 Signet of King Solomon ; or, tlie Freemason's Daughter. 
 By Aug. C. L. A^tNOLD, LL.D. Splendidly Illustrated 1 25 
 
 Freemason's Monitor ; or, Illustrations of Masonry. By 
 Thomas Smith Webb, Masonic Lecturer. With Portrait, and Embel- 
 lished. Cloth 75 
 
 The Revelations op a Square, exhibiting a graphic dis- 
 play of the Sayings and Doings of Eminent Free and Accepted Masons, 
 from the Revival in 1717, bv Dr. Desaguliers, to the Reunion in 1813. 
 By Geo. Oliver, D. D. Royal duodecimo. Cloth, $1 60. Half 
 Morocco 2 50 
 
 Familiar Treatise on the Principles and Practice of 
 
 Masonic Jurisprudence. By John W. Simons, P. G. M. Cloth. . . 1 50 
 Rationale and Ethics of Freemasonry ; or, the Masonic 
 
 Institution considered as a means of Social and Individual Progress. 
 By Aug. C. L. Arnold, LL.D. Cloth, $1 50. Half Morocco 2 60 
 
 Free^l^son's Hand-book. By Wm. H. Drew Cloth, 75. 
 
 Tuck 1 00 
 
 Origin and Early History op Masonry. By G. W. 
 Stbinbbenner 1 00 
 
 Statutes of the Ancient and Accepted Rite. By A. 
 PiKJB 8 00 
 
TiTK Book op the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Ritb 
 
 OP Frkemasonrt: containing Instructions in all the De^ees 
 from tlie Third to the Thirty-third and Last Degree of the Rite, to- 
 eether with Ceremonies of Inauguration, Institution, Installadoii, 
 Grand Visitations, Refections, Locges of Sorrow, Adoption. Constl* 
 tutions, General Regulations, Calendar, etc. By Charles T, McClen- 
 ACHAN, a3°. EmbeilUhed with vpwardf of 300 flnely-txecuUd fn- 
 
 (/ravings, nearly all of which ar4 from original designs. Cloth, gilt, (5 00 
 
 Masonic Law and Practice, with Forms. By Luke A. 
 
 LocKWooD, Past Grand liigh-Priest of Connecticut 1 00 
 
 Des Freimaurer'b IIakdbuch (Oerman) 7B 
 
 Moral Design or Freemasonry. By S. Lawrencb 100 
 
 Book OF the CuAPTER. By A. G. Macket, M. D 1 TO 
 
 Majionio Vocal Manual. By Robert Macot per doa. 8 00 
 
 Manxtal DB LA Masoneria (<S;pani«A). ByA. Cassard 10 00 
 
 HiBTOBT op the AnCIENT AND ACCEPTED RiTK. By ROBT. B. FOLOEB. 6 00 
 
 Lexicon OP Freexasonrt. ByA. O. Macket 8 00 
 
 Mabonio JinuspRUDENCE. By A. Q. Macket 8 00 
 
 Pocket Library and Working Monitor. By Chasx 1 50 
 
 Manual OP THE Lodge. By A. Q. Mackey 176 
 
 Freemason's Manual. By K. J. Stewart 150 
 
 Masonic Trestle-Board. By C. W. Moore 175 
 
 Keystone op the Masonic Arch. By Charles Scott 1 25 
 
 Master Workman. By John K. Hall Tuck, 75 
 
 Masonic Harp. By George W. Chase 100 
 
 Juryman Mason. By an English Rector 25 
 
 Outlines op Speculative Freemasonry. By Town 20 
 
 Mason IN IIiGH Places. By an English Rector SO 
 
 Printed Blank Books for Lodge, Chapter, or 
 Commandery. 
 
 Lodgb or Chapter Register each, 2 60 
 
 Receipt Books FOR Lodge or Chapter " 8 50 
 
 Proposition Books " " *' 4 00 
 
 Drapt Books FOR Lodge OR Chapters " 3 50 
 
 Visitors' Book 3 50 
 
 BlackBook 8 50 
 
 Ode Cards for the Lodge per dozen, 1 50 
 
 Odb Cards for the Chapter " 150 
 
 Petitions for Membership per 100, 1 25 
 
 Ledgers and Minute-Books. Large and smaix Bibles. 
 
 Masonic Ledgers — a new article per ruire, 2 60 
 
 Secretary's Receipts 8 60 
 
 Book op Marks for Chapters 4 00 
 
 Qttbstion Books foir Commandery 4 00 
 
 GOODS OP ALL KINDS FOR 
 
 LODGE, CHAPTER, COMMANDERY, ETC., 
 
 ON HAND AND MADE TO OEDEB. 
 

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