Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-04-05
THE SECRET SOCIETIES.
MASONRY.

During the past week everything has
haen very ouiet in Masonic circles, II
being the fifth week in the month, IL Is
generally not very active. But during Tue
coming week matters will hven up: On
Monday evening Ohio meets, and IL is eA-
nected that there will be three or Tour lei
lows of the craft who will be maze mas,
tors. Some of the most prominent anu
efficient workers will be present anc goou'
true work will be done, and from lndlca-
tions the lodge room will be crowded 10 us
full capacity. The Lodge will miss Tue
efficient Secretary, Bro. Coliler, Iroui nls
accustomed place, and his kindly a1Vlce
and his correct rtuallsuc WORK VIII no
longer be heard in the Lodge, put we can IAN
hold him ever in kindly remem orance Ior
his noble. manly, Christian and Masonic
example. and hope that in the future we
NAV all meet again in the Celestial Lodge
Nelson Lodge No. so will hold communi-
cation Thursday evening, and as the louge
is crowded with candidates in the various
degrees there will be no doubt numoer
of aspirauts there; some TO be quarrleu,
some TO be dressed and some to De ntteu
into the structure of our great moral telu,
pie. All the brethren have been nouneu
of the material on hand, and consequently
there will be the crowded lodge rooi H.
which is generally the case wheh NO ~
meets and has work TO do.
GENERAL PIXIES DEATH.
General Albert Pike, the most proml-
nent Mason in the country, died In WASH
ington, D. c., on Thursday. A recent
biographer speaking of Albert PIKE, says;
1T was at Little Rock that TINS grand
old man of Masonry first saw Masonic
light-where he was initiated, passed anu
raised 1t was there at any rate where no
first presided as master IN the east. MOI
long after making Washington his nome ne
retired from the bar and has since devoted
his entire time ana energy to the order ne
loves so well. The splendid rituals OF the
Scottish Rite to-day are for the most part
from his pen. When he accepted
the Grand COmmandership, the de-
grees were quite too commonplace
for his broad mind and sublimated fancy,
so ne went to work 10 recast and emoelNsh
them. and how well he has succeeded the
intellectual. cultured members OF the Scot
fish Rite can testify. Had he gwen the
public the full benefit OF his literary laoors
he would rank 10 day in the world Oh letters
with Max Muller and Thomas Carlyle:
Pike has the pathological and the critical
turn of the one, with comprehensive
knowledge of the oriental religion, and the
bold, rugged, picturesque style OF express
sion which distinguished the other. lie
also reminds one in many respects OF Joh1
Ruskiu. He revels in an atmosphere OF
poetic spirituality and has little use for the
conventional or commonplace in art or man
ners.
AN INDRFATIGABLR WORKER.
"ln the matter Of book binding and sta
tionery he is certainly as fastidi0us as
Ruskin ever was On the shelves OF the
Supreme Councils rare and magnificent
library are seventeen or eighteen elegantly
bound quarto volumes containing mis- trans
lation of the Rigveda, the Zendavesta and
other works Of Aryan literature; they are
not printed, but are in manuscript, every
word being quill written by the translator
this venerable Masonic sage-and in all
these thousands of pages there is not
scratched word or an erasure. This work
has all been done since Gen. Pike came TO
Washington and it will stand as one OF the
great monuments TO the scholarship ana IN
dustry of man who has done more to-
ward putting Masonry on high intellec-
tual plane than any other Mason living,
and, with a very few exceptions, than any
Mason of the past
Several wears ago Gen. Pike caused to
be abolished in the southern jurisdiction
the absurd, bOmbastic and supertiuous
titles of the officers and the degrees. For
example his title was formerly most puts
SAINT sovereign grand commander. Instead
OF grand master of state, that officer is
simply minister of state. Instead of grand
secretary general that officer is secretary
general Instead of the thirty-second de-
gree being entitled sublime prince of the
royal secret, it is now simply master of
the royal secree Inspectors general,
thirty-third degree, until the pruning took
place, were styled sovereign grand inspec-
tors general. Gen. Pike, in proposing TO
the supreme council TIE elimination Of these
Understanding phrases, explained that the
use of them made the order an object of
ridiculc in the world.