The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-03-12
FEMALE FREERTAsoNs.


FEMALE FREEAIAsONs.
From the New York Times, Sd
Z Some of the Atlantic coast members Of what
is perhaps the largest and most powerful Sos
cret society in existence are discussing the old
question whether or not a woman was ever
made "A Mason. There does not seem 90 be a
great difference OF opinion on the subject for
only those who are best acquainted with Ma
sonic lore dare 10 speak at all knowingly
concerning mystery which very few have ever
| been able TO explain. Ii seems 90 be pretty
/ generally assumed that by no possibility could
/ such an event ever have taken place. While
1t Is only fair 10 admit that members of the
Masonic fraternity should know more about
these matters than any one else In this ono
| instance, at least, most of them are certainly
| ignorant OF the real facts in the case Once.
and once only, is il recorded that one from tho
outer world penetrated unbidden, unpUpured
and unobserved into the temple while che
craftsmen were at labor, and on that occasion
the intruder was a woman. Toward the mid-
die of the eighteenth century, Irish Lodge
No. Al, held meetings az Doneraile House,
Arthur, second Lord Doneraile, being the
Worshipful Master His sister, Hon Eliza
beth ST. Leger, who afterwurd married Mr..
Aldworth, OF Newmarket, in the County Cork
determined, on certain occasion, 90 discover
what hreemasonry really was According 90
one account, saws the Masonic CyclOpedia,
sic NOiGcdlEu ltIhcll III "a CLOCK anu nee
cording TO another, she saw the proceedings
of the Lodge through a crevicc in the wall. "
That she was made Freemason is undOubted
though when made does not quite clearly
appear, nor are we informed as TO which degree
she was advanced To-. However, there is no
denying that Mrs Aldworth alone Of her SEX
during modern times, gained certain of the
mystic signs, symbols, grips and passwords
and witnessed the imposing and instructive
ceremonies which we have reason to suppose
are performed within the Lodge-room.
In the earlier days of Masonry, as shown By
some ancient manuscripts, there were Dame
Masons" well Master Masons.n The
" Apprentice Is charged in one manuscript
that he Z" shall not steal or pick away his mas
tiers or DANES goods, and in another manuscript
that "he shall not disclose his master or danes
counsel or secrets whence il may be inferred
that at one time the widows of Masons were
permitted to carry on work under the guild,
and in that case the apprentice would serve
out his time. Ii may be, " adds the editor of
the work on Masonic history to which We are
indebted for this information, that this rule
was even enlarged to admit the widows
and daughters of Masons, a superstition which
may well suggest misgivings about the secrets
impaired TO those who knew anything about
the order. Formerly, both in France and Ger
many, there existed-and now exists ira the
be made acquainted with certain signs and
mysteries, thus enabling them to make theme
selves known to members of the craft Con-
corning the German Mopses" a good deal OF
doubt prevails, inasmuch as it is even moot
ed point whether the word mOps signihcd
" the wife of a Freemason, or a Dutch mas-
tiff or pug dog or both. AT any rate noth-
ing has been seen of the "mopses " for over 100
years. In France Maconnerie d'adopti0n"
iourished during a considerable part of the
eighteenth, and was revived in the early years
of the nineteenth century. Between about l74O
and 1850 the French nation boosted of many.
what some Englishmen are pleased 10 call An-
drOgynous" orders of Freemasonry. Among
these were L'Order de la Felicite, on les Fee
licitaires, " "LOrder DIES Chevaliers ct Chew
alters de FAncre, " "L'Ordre des Chevaliers 60
Nymphes de Ia Rose L'Odre des DANES Ec-
ossaises de PHospice du Monthaba," and
"LOrdre de la Perseverance. Later on, that
is for fifteen or twenty years before the out
break Of the revolution, secret societies were
the rage with all classes, even with the great
ladies Of the court Under the patronage OF
Cardinal De Rohan, the notorious and inia-
nous CagliostrO established his system of
=" Egyptian Masonry" installed himself as
Grand Cophte, and opened Lodges for sisters
as well as brethren at Strasburg, Lyons and
Paris, of which Lodges the two principal ones
were named " La Sagesse TriOmphante " and
" Les Philathetes." Another order received
the particular protection Of the Duchess de
Bourbon and the Princess de Lamballe, and in
the Lodge ST. Antoine one Of them, as Grand
Mattress, was in the habit of comforting the
degrees OF "Apprentice," " CompagnonueY
" Maitresse" and " Parfaiate Maitresse. But
the new sisterhood passed away with the old
regime, and, although it was partially revived
under Napoleon l. and again under the BUR-
bons, it gradually came TO an end, and does
not now exist.
In our own country an adaptive rite-the
term adaptive seems to be a Masonic equiya-
lent for female-was instituted in 1855, con-
ssting Of five degrees; Jeptha's Daughter. or
Il. j Il
degree; Esther, or the wife's degree Martha,
or the sisters degree, and Electa, or the Girls
tian martyrs degree, the whole assemblage
being called the Eastern Star Now. this
body is not Freemasonry never can De Free
masonry, and is not of course recognized by
Masons in good standing. Nevertheless, 70
embraces only the wives, widows, mothers,
daughters and sisters of Master MasOns, and
all the male persons who are members of this
adaptive rite must necessarily be Mas0ns.
The origin and progress OF this rite il not even
familiar to most Masons. II was first brought
4Out in 1850, and the degree was first conferred
n this city in April, 1853; but the order 10
| is present form was not introduced until in
| q, tober 1868 when the system of ceremonies
| for opening, closing, and initiating candidates
/ was exemplified for the first time before Ale
mia Chapter Since then il has spread an
over the country, and in almost every State
and Territory chapters have already been es-
| tablished. The order now numbers nearly
20 600 members in this country alone. But
there are signs of discord even in this excel
| lent order and the chief matter under dispute
| is whether man woman shall wear the
1 apron Of authority, and whether that apron
shall or shall not have a bib to IT, It seems
NOT to have been intended by the Originator8
of this Order thai woman should be its lead
ing executive officer, but rather as an assis-
tant. Nevertheless, the lovely creatures have
succeeded in many Jurisdictions ia securing
control Of the Lodges, and now hold the lead-
ing Offices.
In the meantime, the outside world is called
| upon to stand and-wonder, while these "femala
Freemasons" settle the question not only Of
/ authority, but Of uniformity, in the clothing
to be worn ID subordinate Chapters Shall
they wear seal-skin or Astralzhan jackets.
aprons with or without bibs skirts with 81 with-
/ out rutfies, and long or short panta-that fs 90
| say, shall there be uniformity. and thus create
harmony and goodness Perhaps Miss Nfs-
son, who has Just been elected 81 the highest
grand Office Of the order in England can solve
the question.
MIR. Kernan's Tribute the Boy tar
and Poet.
Tupelo Journal.
u