The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-27
THE CALLS
QUERY COLUMN.
Women Who Have Been Initiated
in Masonry.
Origin Of the Liberty Cap-Marriags Contracts.
Patents and Claims-What Is Genera.
tion-1he Bancroft Fire.

The CALLS Query Column is conducted with
eral interest.
Catch questions will not receive any attention
j.. NJ opinion will be given in this column regard
Ing the reliability or character of any person or
nfms IN this city or elsewhere.
Questions, answers to which are in the nature
OF an advertisement, will not be answered.
Every inquiry must have the true and full
nahle OF the sender, as well as the correct resi-
denee. Any inquiry that has not the cor
rect name and add ress of the sender will
De treated as IL 1t was not signed, and the
writer need not expect all answer.
E4;E1oMEN FREEMAsoNs-S F. j., City.
SsifAEs9 In answering your question regarding
M Et:N initiation OF females in Masonry the
Q. {. will quote from the Trestle Board for j N.Y.
in which Is published an article on that subject,
credited TO the Madras Masonic Review The
writer Is Brother Ii. J. Whymper and the Ian
guage employed by him is as follows: 81 believe
that not only one, but five or six cases of female
initiation have actually occurred, and that there
may have been other cases, the circumstances OF
h7laye not been made public, Will be con-
ceded as not Improbable where secret inStitu-
tlon is concerned" In connection with the above
sentence is the following foot-note: "The fol-
lowing are the names Of female members: Hon.
Miss Elizabeth st. Leger (Mrs. Richard Aid
WOrln) OF NeWinalktI, county COTk, MIS-. DediOu
Countess Haldick BarkOcZy, Nine. de Naintra
les, Nine. dEon." The article gives some OF the
records regarding Miss ST. Leger's mi
tiatiOn In Lodge No. A Of Ireland
and quotes to say that all versions of the oc-
currence agree in stating that the eavesdropper
was detected and afterward initiated in due
FORM" aud further. that " there is some reason
To believe that she never advanced beyond the
degree OF entered apprentice. II is certain the
Grand Lodge of Ireland never took any steps 10
cancel the proceedings and that Miss st. LegerS
membership was duly recognized" The eli cum
stances Of Mrs. Beaton's initiation are said TO
have resembled those of Mrs. Aldworth ana ut
was with reference to this event [quotng from
the articlel that Brother Hughan remarked he
could not what else could be done neither
can /, and it is ON this base my theory that on
the occurrence OF 4 similar circumstance the
same procedure would have TO be adopted 1t
thus becomes possible for any woman TO be
made Freemason. In addition to modern
limitations OF females into speculative Masonry
lquoting furtber there are records OF
women becoming operative Masons. One
was Anna Urich or Ensigner, daughter OF
Master Builder. Early in The fifteenth cen
tury she was married TO John Gum and was
enrolled in l4l7 IN the Lodge Register OF The
Ulm Minister (AIunster? p as Fellow" The Q.
c. might add that it has lately been published
that Margaret Smith, relative Of Alexander
Smith, the Scottish poet, and Janet Browning OF
tile same family as the poet Robert Browning,
became S,asons II hai pened In this way Mar
garet lived In the town of Newmions, Scotland,
and when but II years old Tell In love with
young man, who was member OF the Masonic
order. To crafty woman's curiosity about the
secret order TO which her betrOthed belonged, she
hid one evening In an alcOye where the Dand sat
or $1,000 when dances were given III the hall, anG
concealed there she saw the ceremonies oil The
craft. just before the meeting was over she was
discovered, brought out from her hiding place,
and there made to take the solemn oath TO Keep
secret what she had seen and heard. This was
III lI9S Whereabouts. line Masonic LOu5e
was constituted there in $780, ana was quite an
old body even then IN the place. Tradition does
not say that she was ever an attendant AT lodge
alter that but IL does say that she did not marry
her Masonic lover. This story is youched Tor by
Mrs Elizabeth d. Kline, who wrote an account
OF ii in The l oled0 Blade, stating thatit was her
grandmother who had become Mason, and not
believing IL that she had Journeyed to Scotland,
and on being pointed out Inc old mouse OF the
Smiths, Which had been tnelr family home from
generation to generation Tor more than 800
years, a Mr.. Wallace, an old resident OF the
place, stated that, without a>word OF suggestion
as 10 the purpose of MRS. KInhes visit, that the
building close by (poining TO ip contained the
Old hall, wherein her grandmother had been re-
ceiyed into the Masonic fraternity. Mrs. hlnne,
In closing her article, says; q" Seeing my grand
father on white horse one DAY she exclaimed.
There Is the man who Is 10 be my husband:
and they were aflerward married My grand
father was not Mason, and the paradox OF
wife who had right 10 20 out to lodge aud the
husband VINO did mol existed Tor the Hrst tine.'
LIBERTY CAP-M. Ii. c., Vallejo, Cal. The So
called Liberty Cap" has its origin in tie an
cent Phrygian cap, which may be- seen in all
the representations of the Trojans in the llustra
tions TO Homer The Pnrygians were people from
the shores of The Eux Inc Sea and conquered
and took possession OF the entire eastern part OF
Asia Minor. 10 distinguish themselves from
the natives, these conquerors wore close fitting
cap, ana this they also had stamped on their
coins. The Romans look from them tile fashion
of wearing caps, but only freedmen were per
mited 10 wear them. In ancient Greece and
Rome, slaves were not allowed TO have tie head
covered, whence Came the placing OF a req cap
(caed the pileus) on his head a part OF the
ceremony of freeing slave. This cap became
the symbol OF liberty, and was so regarded dur
ing The Roman Republic. cap on spear was
used by Saturninus when he possessed him
self of the capitol %. q. 1868 as n token OF
liberty to all who might JON him, and Alarus
raised the same symbol TO incite The slaves to
revolt against SyIla. When Cesar was murdered
the conspiratoIs carried cap ON spear. as
token OF komes freedom, ana medal struck on
lie coca sion and bearing this device is sun ex-
tant. The statue of the Goddess OF Liberty on
the Aventine Hll had in her hand cap as the
emblem of freedom. In History of the JacO-
bin Club" which existed during The French
ReyoiutioD, it is narrated that the F." Liberty
"a p" or Bonnet Rouge" was inti oduced by
The GiIondists, and thai II ow It's favorable re-
ception rincpally TO an article by Btissot, In
the Patriotic Francais for February q, 1892,
proving from history that "all great nations-the
Greeks, the Romans and Gauls-had held the
Cap in peculiar honor" and that in modern times
NoltaIre and Rousseau had worn 1t as symbol
OF freedom The led color was expressly recon-
meuded ''as the most cheerful" Ii Is also said
that the Bonnet Rouge" was habitually worn
by the galley slaves and was adopted as the SYM
boil of freedom alter the release from The galleys
OF lie swiss Regiment OF Chateau Vieux. Here.
tof0Ie red had been regarded III France as the
colcr OF 0espotism and oppression and had ac-
CURED a bad reputation among patriots through
lie red book - and the red flag as the lnstrh-
menIs OF martial law. But after Brlssors letter
the red cap became the symbol OF the Girondsts
and on March 14th II appeared for tile first time
in the Jac0bn Club Five days later, how
II cd
fuence of Potion and Robespeile. though the
Gmoudsts continued to uphold II until the ln-
surreeton OF June 2olll made II lhe emblem OF
the, victory OF repubcanism over monarchy. In
England The symbol was also adopted aud Bfl-
tanna is pictured with the cap Oh spear In
America II was probably first used as one OF the
devices on the flag OF The Phiadelptia Light
house Guards, militi. company organized prior
TO the Revolution. On August 81, 1919, the
Philadelphia Committee Of Safely passed resO-
luton providing seal for tile use of the board
'to be engraved with cap of liberty and the
motto This is my right and will defend it,"
1t Is sometimes supposed that the United States
TOOK the emblem from France, but this IS erro-
neous. The symbol was not used IN France
until 1890 or 1892, whereas. as shown, IL was
used in this county much earlier and certainly
was put on American CONS in 1888. In conclu-
sion the " Bonnet Rouge OF the French was, as
the name indicates, red; the British cap blue,
with a red border, and the American blue With a
border OF gilt stars on white.
MARRIAGE CoNTRAcTs-J. f., City. ~ The
@. c. declines emphatically 10 "glve form OF
marriage contract-one with as few words in 1t
as possible" Apply at the Recorders Office and
consult declarations OH file there. (2) Marriage
Is a personal arrangement arising out OF a civil
contract to which the consent OF the parties cap.
able OF making IL is necessary. Consent alone
Will not constitute marriage. Ii must be fol-
lowed by soemniZation or a mutual assump-
tlon OF marital rights, duties or obligations. Per
sons married Without the solemnization provided
for i'll the Civil Code must jointly make declara-
ton of marriage substantially showing
l. The names, ages and residences OF the
parties.
2. Tie fact of marriage.
). The time OF marriage.
4. That the marriage has not been solemniZed.
80 Declarations OF marriage must be acknUwl-
edged ana recorded in like manner as grants OF
real property. III no record OF the sclennza-
ton of marriage heretofore contracted be known
to exist the parties may join In a written decar-
alton OF such marriage, substantially showing as
above and further that no record OF such mar
Rage Is known TO exist. This declaration must
be subs cribed by The parties aud aitesIed by at
least three Witnesses az The person s0emniZ-
Ing the marriage must first require the presenta-