Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-12-02
MASONIC JUaIsPRUDENCE
Synopsis of the General GraRd High
Priests Address TO the Grand Chap
Ter Of the United States.
Interesting Points for the COnsidera'
tlOn OF the Members Of the Mystic
Brotherhood.

I llnIutulhitl4 hlltI tnt Ahot
convOcation l commenced efforts to in
duce the grand chapters which had
passed resolutions withdrawing their al
legiance to the general grand chapter to
rescind those resolutions. / hold, with
out the shadow of doubt, that all such
resolutions are void, being IN violation
Of the constitution of this body, which
every companion who voted for such
resolutions had taken solemn Obliga-
| ton TO support and maintain. / hold,
moreover, that every past grand high
priest Of every grand chapter that was
ever under the Jurisdiction of this body
! is still a member OF it, whatever may
/ he the attitude OF his grand chapter 90
ward US, and that every member of the
grand council of such grand chapters is
also a member of this body, and has
right to exercise his privileges IS such
without being controlled by the views
Of his companions.
DECISIONS.
! A very large number Of questions OF
Masonic law have been submitted, some
in many cases for decision, and in others
for opinion. Some arose in chapters I'M
der our immediate Jurisdiction, and
others for q construction, or some Teso-
1 luton Of the general grand chapter.
/ Some Of the more important ones give:
First, Substitutes-The action of the
general grand chapter in relation to sub
stitutes is not mandatory, but permiss-
| i've. A regulation of grand chapter
permitting their use, or prohiting their
/ use, does not conflict with the resolution
OF the general grand chapter, and SUI
| coordinate chapters are bound by such
regulations.
| Second, Qualification of Candidate
| The general grand constitution does not
/ prescribe the qualification Of candidates.
BY the landmarks, they must be Master
Masons as are legally recognized as such
| by the other Master Masons OF the par
ticular Jurisdiction. In other words,
| they must be Master Masous in good
standing as such. The meaning of the
! term ain good standing" is determined
| by the laws governing the blue lodge in
the particular jurisdiction. If, by these
laws, an unsffiliAted Mason is ain good
standing" he is eligable as q candidate,
in the absence of any regulation OF the
State grand chapter. But 1 find nothing
in the general grand constitution pre-
venting any grand chapter from re-
quiring such further qualification as it
deems proper.
lhlTut Vi OISElHlluB DH luS
LOdgs-rhe chapter must give to disci-
pline by the lodge the same effect that
it has under the laws of the grand lodge,
and the chapter has no authority to in
duiTe into the regularity Of the proceed
ings of the lodge, but they must be taken
as valid until reversed by competent au-
thOrity; the chapter has no part or lot
in making or fixing the standing of
Master Masons. We take these as made
by the blue lodge, and their standing as
fixed by the blue lodge. The effect Of
the suspension OF member Of a chap
ter by his lodge for non. payment of dues
must be determined by the laws Of his
grand lodge. If the suspension las IL
some States) is from membership only,
his sta nding In the chapter is not affect
ed in the absence of regulations by his
grand chapter, but If the suspension las
in other States) is from sll his Masonic
rights, he at once loses his stand
ing as a Royal Arch Mason, whatever
may be the regulations of his grand
chapter.
Fourth, Effect ofReversal of Action of
Lodge by the Grand LOdge-When the
action of a lodge, in cases Of discipline,
is reversed or aunulled for any reason by
competent authority, the party at once
regards the same status that he had at
the commencement Of the proceedings,
as fully and completely as if none had
ever been had.
Fifth, Effect Of Restoration by the
LOdge-But when q companion is re-
stored to his Masonic rights by his lodge. |
after a legal conviction by it, the settled
law is that he is restored to his right as
Royal Arch Mason, except membership
in his chapter; though / confess / have
never been able TO see the prOpriety of
this rule, nor of the exception if the rule |
is adopted. When a lodge expels a |
member, he loses all his Masonic
rights, as fully as if he had never
been initiated; consequently he ceases
to be Royal Arch Mason. Now
the lodge may, by restoring him, make |
him again Master Mason, as it previ- |
ously made him Master Mason, save
that the process is different; but can
not see what authority a lodge has to
make Royal Arch Mason byrestoTdtiO1t,
any more than by the original initiation. |
But if it is held that the act Of the lodge |
restores him to all the right5 of which |
the lodge deprived him, why is men, |
bershlp in the chapter excepted? The !
lodge may refuse to restore him to |
annex such limitations to the restOra- |
tion as it sees fit, but the lodge has no |
power to annex any limitations to the |
effect OF his restoration in the chapter. |
Sixth, Past Masters Degree-It is not |
proper for q chapter to confer the past /
masters degree upon master-elect of a |
symbolic lodge, who has not received |
the Mark degree. As / understand, the |
general grand chapter decided at its last !
convOcation that chapter can recog-
nize no other Past Masters degrees than |
the one conferred by it, and no other |
person eligible to receive it than Marx |
Master Mason.
Seventh-The general Grand constitu- |
ton does not provide that a grand high |
priest must be past high priest, but |
seems to leave it to general chapters to |
fix the qualifications of these officers.
Eighth-A chapter cannot properly be
opened by past high priest in the ab-
sence of high priest, king and scribe.
Section 10 Of article ] of our cOnstitu.
ton provides that, ain all cases of an
absence of an officer from any body of
instituted or holden by virtue
Of this constitution, the officer next in
rank shall occupy his place, unless,
through courtesy, or for other reasons,
he should decline in favor of past high
priestp The language of this provision
embraces grand chapters and subordi-
nate chapters, and in terms seems to
authorize the captain Of the host, or
even the master of the third veil to open
the chapter in the absence of all his SUI
perior officers. l cannot believe that
such was the intention; but that it was
intended to apply only to the officers
the council; but if it has q
wider meaning, it does not authorize a
past high priest to open chapter, save
under the direction of the highest officer
present.
Ninth-The general grand high priest
has no power to change the place OF the
Of the general grand chap
ter fixed by it, and no power to change
the time, unless there shall be danger
10 life OF health" in holding the convO-
cation at the appointed time. This de-
,isiOn was made in consequence of an
application OF the grand chapter Of Lou
sisna, approved by many members Of
his body.
AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION.
At our last cOnvOcation an amend
nent to the constitution was proposed,
IN substance making the first four past
general grand officers permanent MEM
lers OF the general grand chapter, and,
to a provision of the cOnstitu-
ion, action thereon WAS postponed to
his convOestiOn.
DECISION OF THE GENERAL GRAND
CHAPTER AT IT'S LAST coNv0CATION.
/ feel it my duty to state to you that
he decision OF the general grand chap
er in 1871, in relation to the ritual, has {
great degree of dissatisfac.
ion. and that very many cOmpanions