The morning call., 1891-08-06
FRATERNAL NOTES.
Three Large A. O. U. w. Member
ship Lodges in Michigan.

| Golden Gate, No. 80. Pacific. No. 1856, and
| oriental, No. IA, lodges of the +. and A.
M. of this city held stated meetings on Tues
day evening for the transaction of routine
| business.
Morse Lodge, No. 257, I. o. o. F., at its
regular meeting last evening conferred the
initiatory.
California Chapter, No. g. Royal. Arch
Masons, at its meeting Tuesday evening had
work in the Past Masters and Most Excel
lent Masters degrees.
| Oriental Rebekah Degree Lodge, No. 90,
l. y. Q. F., held a well attended and very
entertaining meeting last evening.
The cornerstone of the new Masonic
Temple at Redding, Shasta County. will be
laid by Alvah L. Conklin, G. NJ, assisted by
| other grand officers tomorrow.
| :. Iemplar Lodge, No. II, l. o. o. F.. held
Its regular meeting last evening and trans
] acted routine business.
| No better illustration of the religious but
| unsectarian character of Free Masonry
| could be afforded than by the fact that the
| Grand Lodge of the State of New York coli
| tainS 103 clergymen, representing the Meth
odist, Episcopal, Baptist Presbyterian, Uni
versalist, CongregationaliSt, Dutch Re-
| formed, Lutheran. Unitarian and Jewish
| churches. The Methodist clergy has the
largest representation, 2SS, and the Episcopal
comes next with 146. The average IS one
minister to every lodge in the State.-Illinois
| Freemason.
The Odd Fellows of Lowell, Mass, are
contemplating building q new block, and
tine three lodges Of that city have voted the
sum OF 100000 for the purpose, as follows:
Merrmac $4,000, Mechanics $4,000 and
Lowell $4,000
Minnesota has 100 Masonic lodges, with
membership of Il, 16S, gain tor the year OF
562.
The jurisdiction of Michigan, A. o. q. W.,
has three very large lodges, viz: Detroit
NO. q, with 1850 members; Peninsula No.
II. with 1871. and Wolverine, No. 10, with
62l, total of 1854.
Excelsior. No. 166, and Mission, No. 1863,
lodges of the +. and A. NJ. of this city, held
stated meetings last evening acd transacted
routine business.
Franco American Lodge, No. 207, 1. o. 0.
f., will hold an important meeting this
evening. when business of great importance
Will be acted upon.
The mysterious letter G, within a square
and compasses, to be seen in all American
and English lodge-rOoms.- where it is re-
garded as a species of Masonic talisman.
0ut never III those of continental Europe,
where its place is correctly assumed by the
blazing star, has proven sort Of prepleXity
10 Masonic lnquirers anxious to obtain
knowledge of the origin of this venerable
symbol. The Abbie Grandidier, having had
guild of Masons at Strasburg, gives some
Interesting information concerning those
men who constructed the cathedral in that
city, commenced in 1877 and completed In
l459, period of one hundred and siXty-twO
years. The fraternity was composed of
Masters, Fellowcrafts and Apprentices. and
assembled in what they called "hutte,"
a small house, a lodge. The Craftsmen en-
ployed emDlematically the tools of their
calling, and wore them In public as decora-
diSOlayinp
square and compass. The guild, which had
Miller's patent from the Emperor Maxi
milan and Charles V, had branches in all
parts OF Germany, the Masters of whose
lodges assembled at Ratisbonne in 1859 and
formed tho General Fraternity of Free
| masons of Germany" with the architect at
| Strasburg as Grand Master. They admitted
| into the corporation burgheIs not in the
trade, among others John GrieDinfier, pub
| Usher of Strasburg, who died in 1925, who
! placed g., initial letter of his name, within
square and compass and used the design
as his trademark on his publication.