The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-05-24

Grand Master; Lebanon Lodge No. ~ f..
J; Bernhard w; NJ; est: Johns Lodge No.
Brethren,' George r. willis; "Masonry, So
cislly and Fraternally,n vii lam NJ. Marine
"The Three Principal Supports of Free
masonry Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty"
retary, District of Columbia. w.
j. Blair acted as toastmaster
Joseph S. Smith, e. B. Harris, T. G. Wilkin-
son, j. W. Lindner, Louis Russell, and James
b. Reider were the committee of arrange
ments. The prettiest incident of the evening
was the presentation by Lebanon Lodge of a
beautiful set of inlaid working tools, in hand
some case, to st. Johns Lodge, which were
presented by Past Master III. X. Simpson, in
what was considered one of the most able and
eloquent addresses Of the evening. Among
the Washingtonians present were w. c. Bicl-
ford, w. r. Singleton, +. G. Alexander, II.
Standiford, Joseph Brunmett, ii. S.Merrill, T.
II. Young, Lieut.. Venabley of the Navy; DIR.
7. Tippett, E. J. Bernhard, William Watson,
/. D. Wilson, d. G. Dixon, Thomas Laylor,
L. ii. Young, s. r. Waters, A. X. Luid, j. B.
Forker, c. p. Bourne, Val. Ruebson, and
about one hundred brethren of Lebanon and
other lodges.
Nearly every officer of the Grand Lodge
was present at the funeral of Past Grand Sec
retary Yates last Sunday. The services of the
blue lodge was read by the Grand Master
Thomas +. Gibbs in the chapel of the ceme-
terry. The choir, Bros. Miller, Pearson, Black
mar, and Hancock, sang with much express
sion the Master Mason Chant, and the hymn
'sAbide With Me-" The entire service was
very impressive. The members of Mt. Ver-
non Chapter attended the funeral with Har-
mony Lodge in the capacity of Master Masons,
Mithras Lodge of Perfection being represented
by r. w. Hardy and w. Hamilton Smith, both
Past Masters of Harmony Lodge, who with
Past Masters z. j. Barden and Q. s. Firmin,
representing Harmony Lodge; Past Masters
w. ii. Webster and j. II. Austin, represent
ing the Grand Lodge, and 4. w. Cridler and
j. III. Pckall, representing Mount Vernon
Chapter No. 3, constituted the pall-bearers
The services at the cathedral were conducted
by the Rev. DR.. Stiner, and chaplain of the
lodge, Bro. Levi III. York, who delivered an
eloquent address relative to the life and char
acter of the deceased.
Since the publication of the Rose Croix
burial service in THE SUNDAY HERALD, three
weeks ago, the Masonic writer has been often
questioned by brethren of the order regarding
the origin and history of the degree. In the
Richmond (Va.) Dispatch recently appeared
an article, which, taken from various Masonic
authorities is condensed and authentic and
gives very clear insight into degree which
is not generally known or understood outside
of the Scottish Rite circles, extracts from
which are quoted in this article. 1t is very
widely diffused, being the 18th of the Scottish
of the Council Of Emperors of the East and
West, the I'd of the Royal Order of Scotland,
the 18th of the Elect of Truth, and the 7th of
the Philadelphes. In some bodies of Knights
Templar it is sometimes, but rarely con-
fered. 1t was of more frequent occur
renee twenty years ago than at the
present time Mackey, a distinguished Ma
sonic authority, says it should not be
| confounded, as was, done. by several his
torians of the last century, with the Rosicrl-
hnwaypr Sim mi liar IN
only hermetric or alchemical order The
Rosicrucians and the Rose CroiX, even deriv-
ing their names in different way, the former
is from ros, signifying clear, and croir, the
Masonry the term Rose Croix-cross and rose
is used of course, in the Christian sense. Ac-
cording to tradition, the Rose CroiX was in
stituted by Robert Bruce just after the battle
of Bannockburn, in the year 1914, who estab-
lished the chief seat of the order at Kilwin-
ming. In the year 1747 Prince Charles Ed
ward, commonly known as the Young Pre-
tender, soon after his return to France, follow
ing his Inflated expedition, established in the
city of Arras Rose Croix body, with the title
of ''Chaptre Pnmordial de Rose Croix." The
patent or charter is extant in which Charles
Edward styles himself ''King of England,
France, Scotland, and Ireland, as such
Sovereign Grand Master OF Herodem, known
under the title of the Eagle and Pelican and
since our sorrows and misfortunes under that
of Rose Croix." Baron Westerode, in 1884,
| supposes it to have been instituted by the
| Templars in Palestine in the twelfth century.
| it being derived from Ormesius, a converted
| Egyptian priest. Ragon attributes it to
| Monk named Andrea in the sixteenth century.
| Clarel affirms that the degree was founded
| by Jesuits, while Dr. Oliver states it existed
| as cabalistic science in Egypt, Greece, and
| Rome, and was also known to the
| Jews and Moors In the Southern juris-
| diction of the Scottish Rite of the United
| States the Rose Croix, while regarded as
|, eminently Christian in design and sentiment.
By a liberal Interpretation it has been rendered
| less sectarian and more latitudinarian in scope
than in other jurisdictions, in which this de-
of evangelical Christianity, and is conferred in
| magnificent style with Mozart's Twelfth Mass
| and other compositions of the Church intro
| duced. Its ritual is remarkable for the beauty
| and elegance of its diction Virtue and humil-
! ity are the foundations of this sublime degree.
''A mans life, it has been said, ''is laid in the
loom of time to pattern which he does not
| see but God does and his heart is a shuttle.
On one side of the loom is sorrow and on the
| other joy and the shuttle, struck alternately
| by each, flies back and forth, carrying the
| thread, which is black or white as the pattern
| needs, and in the end, when God shall lift up
| the finished garment and all its changing hues
shall glance out, it will then appear that the
| deep and dark colors were needful to beauty
| as the light and high colors." The symbolism
| of the degree is extremely intricate but never
| theless beautiful and instructive study The
cross, the rose, the pelican, and the eagle are
all important symbols, the explanation of
which will go far to a comprehension of what
| is the true design of the Rose Croix degree.