The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-01-18
COR 4 ESPONDENCE.
Masonry at the Canital.

= this ancient fraternity; for the benefit
of such, your correspondent has en-
deavored to gather, from prominent
members and official sources, variety
of interesting facts which indicate that
the Royal Art" is enjoying great
prosperity in this city Twelve Ma
sonic bodies are quite busily engaged
in working up the rapidly presented
material. 1t is believed there are
nearly 1000 Master Masons in the
city, distributed among: Centre Lodge,
No. %; Marion Lodge, No. 80; Cap
ital City Lodge, No. 318; Lodge of
the Ancient Land Marks, No. 319;
and Teutonia Lodge Germany, u. d.,
and, perhaps, 200 to 400 pom affiliated.
Besides the above-named lodges and
completing the aggregate of bodies
twelve-are: Indianapolis Chapter,
No. 5. Royal Arch Masons; In
dianapolis Council, No. 2, Royal
and Select Masons; Raper Com
mandery, No. l, knights TempIars;
Adoniram Grand Lodge of Perfection,
Saraiat Council of Princes of Jerusa-
lem, Indianapolis Chapter of Rose
Croix de H-r-d-m, and Indiana Con-
sistory of Sublime Princes of the
Royal Secret.
The four bodies last ma med are sub
ordinates of the Boston Supreme
Council of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite Il
This Right was organized in its pres
ent form, in France, early in the
eighteenth century, and has since ex-
tended to England, Scotland, Ireland,
Belgium, South America, Central
America, the Colonies and Provinces
/ of England and France, the United
States and other countries. Next to
the first three Degrees of the York
Rite, it is the most extensively diff
fused throughout the Masonic world.
In October, 1863, some half dozen
Masons, resident at indianapolis,
upon the representations and COM
imendations of the late Caleb B.
Smith, first Secretary of the Interior
under President Lincoln, and at the
time of his death, which occurred on
the 7th of January, 1864. Judge of
the District Court Of the United |
States for the District of Indiana,
were induced to go to Cincinnati,
Ohio, and there received the various
grades of the Rite, up to and inclu-
ding the thirty-second Degree. But
it was not until the month of Februa-
ry, 1864, that Adoniran Grand Lodge
Of Perfection and Saraiat Council of
Princes of Jerusalem were organized
under Dispensation, and the working
of the Inefable and Historical De-
grees entered upon within our own
State.
In the month of March, 1866, In
dianapolis Chapter of Rose Croix
de H-r-d-m and Indiana Consis-
tory of Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret began their labors. OF the
latter named body (Consistory), there
can only be one in State.
The presiding officer of Adoniram
Grand Lodge of Perfection is John
Caven, Esq, mayor of, the city of In
dianapolis. This Lodge has jurisdic-
ton of the grades from the fourth
degree to the fourteenth degree in
elusive, which are styled the "Ineffa-
BILE Degrees y ~ + s ~.
DR.. 2. G. @. Hunt is the presiding
oficerof Saraiat Council of Princes of
Jerusalem, in which are worked the
fifteenth and sixteenth, or "Histori-
CAL"
Indianapolis Chapter of Rose Croix
de H-r-d-m, has for its presiding Of
fcer General John Love, and en-
braces in its workings the 18th and
18th, or Philosophical Degrees.
With the Chapter begins Christian
Masonry.
indianapolis Consistory of Sublime
Princes of the Royal Secret, has juris
diction over the; Chivalric Histori-
cal and Philosophical Degrees, rang
ing from. the 18th to the 32d degree in
elusive. Edwin A. Davis, Esq, pre-
sides over the Consistory.
The peculiafities of the Scottish
Rite are high dramatic merit, moral
lessons of great beauty and power,
and impressive surprises, the like of
which could not be anticipated even
by those who have already passed