Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-06
ECHOES FROM THE ANTE-ROOM
Another Installment of the Long
Masonic Controversy.
oolNes OF UNITED woRKMeN.
Uniform Raak X. OF P.-Coming Ses-
sion OF the Grand Lodge-rhe
Daughters OF Rebekah and
Their Progress in Omaha.


| and as a Masonic antiquarian has no equal,
| writes under date of August 30, 1899, that
| the points under consideration show that tn o
| body known as the Scottish rite under the
| name of the Southern jurisdiction, and pre-
| sided over by Albert Pike had its origin on
! forged and bogus charter and is clandes-
| tine and fraudulent in Scottish rite Masonry,
and goes to tho further extent of pointing
| out it is not the business of any grand lodge
| of Master Masons or any grand master to sit
in judgment or attempt to declare what is
right or wrong in the Scottish rite contro-
| versy
| The following extract from his letter on
this subject will be read by the Master Ma
| sons of Nebraska with great interest. He
| says:
ut almost passes belief that free America
| will so tamely submit to have the conscience
| fettered by any such compulsory laws, auu
| it is an absolute crime against the Masonic
brotherhood that such a state of things us
| you discuss should be allowed for one mo-
| ment 10 exist. There is only one grand lodge
| in the old country, or any Kingdom in Eu-
| rope. where such doings would be tolerated
by the Masonic craft, and that is in ireland,
| and under exceptional circums stances; but
| Irish Masonry is held in no esteem, except by
| 1rishmen; and the tying together of the
| craft and nigh grades in that grand lodge is
| political; the object being to prevent the es-
adjustment of quasi-masonic societies for
| political purposes; further, to keep in check
| Orange degrees, which, in some cases are al
| most identical with Masonic high grades
| In this aspect there can be no comparison be-
| tween American and Irish Masonry, and no
| reason in existence why the former should
| adopt the laws of the latter. In other
| spects, also, there is mo comparisons be-
| tween them; the grand lodge of Ireland sets
| its foot down against the publication of any
Masonic paper, and, therefore, there exists
| the most lamentable ignorance on
| all Mosonic subjects; for 1t is found
| easy to keep ignorance in subiecuon. 1t Is,
| hence "a grave question with Masonic jursts
| whether grand lodges ruled as are those of
! Scotland and England can hold fraternal re-
| lations with one ruled as ls that of ireland,
| and you will soon have the same difficulties
arising in America. There is no end to the
| troubles these grand lodges inQuestion are
bringing upon the craft, and no Masonic Ian
| guage is strong enough to characterize the
disgrace they are bringing upon Masonry.
What sensible reasons can these grand
lodges assign fop initiating the grand lodges
of Ireland, when there is nothing analogous
in the position! 1t is simply the spread of
intolerance; an exempidcation of what Ar
temus Ward said when he told us you left
the old country to follow your own religious
opinions, and prevent anyone else following
theirs. 41
How will sucn laws benefit any class of
Masons! IT can only disgust every right
thinking, conscientious man. and, perhaps,
bring on another anti-masouic crusade, like
what you had in Morgan's time. The action
of these grand lodges resembles the proven
bal sport of tying a cat and dog together
the tiger cat of Charleston ana the grand
lodge dog (it must be cur to permit it,. 1t
may be capital fun to the bulk of these grand
lodges to see theitght, but such men cannot
be conscientious @Mas0ns, let alone witness
it. Let all CONSCIENTIOUS ana honest Masons
rise as one man and declare emphatcally
that they van not permit the Masonic pave
ment of these grand lodges TO be the scene of
oh, 1ipu 10 and q ri Spt
ting brother against brother and provoking
the Vilest perjury.
And what is the value to Masonry of this
pretentious rite, on whose behalf Mason is
TO be pitted against Mason in an unholy
war.
Let us examine briefly its origin, It's value
its tendencies, its antecedents In very
ancient times craft Masons had something
of the same troubles by the existence of
varying rites. 1t is in evidence in France
as early as 1885, but is older than that prob
ably, by some centuries. There was a
Christian rite and there was Jewish rite.
Our grand lodge adopted the Jewish at it's
foundation in l1l1. But there is sufficient
evidence to show that following upon this
early period the Christian part was placed
as higher series upon the Jewish, forming
a rite of seven degrees which spread to
France, where it underwent all kinds of
anipulation-politcal, social and otherwise
Until everything was involved in confusion.
Then the grand lodge of France (Which
attempt to establish system by collecting
everything practical and piling il into one
rite. without very much system, and Ger
tainly without any science. making rite of
twenty-ti degrees. Its introduction and !
progress in America may be summarized as
follows:
/. The first thing was to give it a lying |
title-the Scottish rite-for 1T was unknown |
in Scotland until introduced late last cen |
tury.
q The grand master of France, of the |
royal line, had pimp or procurer of the |
name of Lacorne, dancing master, whom |
he appointed deputy. This so enraged the |
grand lodge that they refused to sit with |
Lacorne. He had his revenge by establish.
ing separate and high grade body, and |
granted patent to IL jew named NORM, as
his deputy Ia the West Indies.
3. The next step was the amicablc settle
ment OF the difficulties with the French |
grand lodge, and the reabsorption into its |
bosom of hetwenty tivc degree malcontents
upon which the grand lodge revoked ali |
MOrln's privileges
4. NORM found there was money IN the |
rite, and started the business on his own
account, by peddng it IN America.
). A few of these located in Charleston,
about the year 1902. forged n sort of charter,
which they fathered on Frederick the Great
of Prussia alleging that he had signed il in
1856, at a time when he lay in comatose
state, dying.
Soon after this Joseph Cerneau landed in
New York from the West Indies a member
of the grand orient of France, and estab-
lished for the first time a body of the rite in
the north 70 say the least, his title and
antecedents were superior TO Morn's
Z. The forG6r. Dalcho, seeing the success |
of Cerneau in New York, sent there crazy
jew of the maine OF Emanuel de la Malta,
to try to 'finger some of the monish." The
forged charter of Frederick the Great
clearly turned his brain, and he had the
crazy audacty TO issue an edct expelling De
Witt Clinton, Ccrncau and all their abettors
from every Masonic body throughout the
world Read lso,gers learned and impartial
history of theS doings of Charleston and
judge for yourselves. From this time forth
the whole of their history is one of forgery, |
lying, swinding apd blackguardism. Yet it
is such things liat these grand lodges nave
decided to ohAAbion by their Objectionable
laws! l.
s The time qIipe when the shadowy coun.
ell established bY DE la Malta ended in one
man, his amanuemsis D. j. Gourgas, "a spuri-
GUS craft Mas6ni Act this one man was able
10 constitute Ia London supreme grand
council, yet existing in Golden square,
wealthy body, but only held in esteem by its
own members, and not by the craft, and of
no real value as a Masonic factor in English
Masonry.
The Charleston action in regard TO Gour-
gas is an admission OF the one man power.