Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-04-04

Templars; and the Order Of ths
Temple in France Is wholly
different thing. The American de-
gree was made by Webb, and
American Tenplarism Is rot q whit
more connected with or related to the
genuine Chivalric Order Of the Temple,
than Odd-FeIlowship is a man alwsya
has had to be of noble descent to become
q real Templar.
He denied that American Tsmplarism
borrowed anything from the Ancient
and Accepted Rre. It borrowed the
Red Cross degree bodily from the 18th
and 18th OF the Rite OF Perfection and
A. aud A. Rite: and the American
/ Temps ar degree itself was not borrowed
for Webb made it out Of the whole cloth.
The Rite Of Perfection never wAs . a
system Of degrees ranging from seven to
twenty-five" Il slwAys consisted of
Twenty-Five. The Grand Orient Of
France selected four Of these, in addition
to the three blue degrees, and worked
these as the Rit Noderne.
"The assertion that any part Of the
York Rite, from the Entered Apprentice
to the Order OF the, Temple, is taken
from such a modern concern as the So
called A. and \. S. Rite is really too pre-
posterous to demand intelligent discus
gion; and we will waste no time or space
here to consider it."
The writer Of that well knew that TIE
Royal and Select Masters degrees were
originally auxiliary or side degrees,
given by the Deputy Inspectors Of the
Rite Of Perfection or Heredom; and that
the Red Cross was made out Of the 18th
aud 18th of that Rite. 1t is mere
quibble to say that they were not bor-
rowed from the A. and A. S. Rite; be-
esuse the Rite Of Perfection was merged
| 10 that IS an integral part Of it.
He says thst the authors Of the An
cient and Accepted Rite were " Israe!ites
10 the degree-peddling business" That
is not true. Col. Mitchell, the first
Grand Commander, was net an Israel
ite; nor was DR.. Dsleho, nor the Count
de Grasse. Neither were the mem bers
of the Supreme Council Of 1901 and 1902
" degree-psddlers " at all: nor did they
forge the signsture OF Frederic the Great.
4 more astounding assertion is, that
the Ancient and Accepted Rite has jus.
as much Masonry as i: hiss dared or
thought best to take from the legitimate
Rite"
The three first degrees belong to all the
Rites equally. The York Rite has 10
monopoly OF them. From the Chapter,
Council and K. T. degrees the a, & A.
S. Rite has taken Bothing for its de-
grees are many Of them older than any
Of these; snd the borrowing has been
the other way.
Il is false that the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Rite has made any "efEorts o. 10
subsidies the officers and mem asIs o.
Grand Lodges, &c, and this to get coz
troll of them, SO as to sell out the Eu-z
Rite" It IS not only not true, but the
writer had not the least reason 70 belIeVe
it true.
The Grand Commander finally quotes
two paragraphs written by Us in regard
to the work made up by James Foul
houze, for the bodies working under
spurious Supreme Council in New o.
leans, and represents them as having
been tgritte7l Of and concerning the Rite
as ,cor&e} 6y the bodies under the Iegjti-
mate Supreme Councils Of the United
States. One who could descend to 50
pitiful Misrepresentation is to be pitisd.
Ee says, A" All the Templsrs here who
took the degrees Of the Rite took all the
obligations with the expressed and open
reservation that, wherever they con-
ficted with those already assumed, they
were to be null and void" Oa the mar
gin OF this passage, in the copy OF the
proceedings sent Us, is indorsed false"
with the initiSls of a well known Brother
Of ST. Louis.
On the slh OF September, Bro. Gouley
writing to Us, and speaking OF the
obligations Of the A & A. S. Rite, said,
q What it wss all about, have not the
remotest idea, on account OF the multi
tude of 0. B B. taken together, except
the great general covenant of seeresy,
which believe pervades all the degrees,
and are Of course sacred with me-" .
'' At the time, impressed by the impossi- |
bili.y Of approaching the full force Of the
business, I made it an open and declared
sine qua non that none Of those o. B. B. |
should be binding on me that in any
wise conficted with any allegiance had
already assumed in Masonry, and when
the installation was about bsing per-
formed, refused to promise a superior
allegiance without inserting the words
not inconsistent with A Y. Masonry
and the SD said he could not iDssrt
that, aud the installation stopped, and
We have had but one meeting since.n
The writer Of these words pre:ends to
know all about the teachings Of the de-
grees of the A. and a. Rite; and yet ad-
mits that he does not even know the
tenor Of the obligations he took. What
reservations ne may have msde We can
not sag Of cur own knowledge; but we
feel quite sure that the officer from
whom he received the degrees IUoJtld not
haze giUen him any one Of them, NTH
such q reservation and assures Us that
the whole statement is untrue. And
moreover, if made, it amounted
to nothing, for there is no con-
h;et Of allegiance between the A |
and A. Rite and any other Rite or de-
grees, nor did anybody ever discover or !
imagine any until Bro. Gouley found |
it out.
He uses pretty strong language in re-
gard to the pretensions OF the A. and 4. |
5. Rite. He cannot complain if we re-
tort that his pretensions as to the anti
guilty Of Masonic Templarism, English /
or American, are fraudulent; and thz. il |
is deception to call the American de-
grees worked in the different bodies, The |
Ancient York Rite" They ccnstitnte /
no Rite; and seven Of them at least never
were worked in York or under the York /
Grand Lodge, at al. And more
yer, there is not q single one
ofs al the degrees, whose work
resembles the old York work of Dermott. |
1t is palpable fraud TO talk about the /
Ancient York Rite, as including any ex-
cept the three first degrees and the Royal |
Arch; and the latter was no original part \
of York Masonry.
AGRICULTURAL