New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-28
THE CAPITTLAR RITE.

THE FOLLOWING LECTURE WAS DErIv-
Erred BY THE LATE NJ E. COMP. r.
RINGER. on THE RELATION or
ROYAL ARCH TO ANCIENT
.rRhFT MASONRY.
The FIRST Grand Lodge Of Free and Accepted Ma
sons Org nized the day OF 81. John the
| Baptist. June a. III AZ London. England
Previous to this time lodges sclfconstltuted
and independent. having no Superior or Grand
Master. and existed FOR trade purposes mainly.
When "A lodge became too numerous ut those
times a part Of the members followed the example
! Of the bees-they swarmed and founded a lodge Of
their own in another locality thereby relieving the
mother lodge Of too large n membership.
Tho ceremony OF admission initiation into
those old operative lodges was very plain md sim
pie. II consisted In short obligation. taken upon
the Bible. the communication OF The Mason word.
the recting Of the Old charges and the reading Of
the legend OF the craft. This simple ceremony was
always followed by banque, at the expense OF the
new made members. You see. therefore that he
banquet is an old Masonic institution dating back
to time immemorlal.
The question arises How did these operative
! lodges become speculative? In other words. how
/ Wa Operative Masonry changed into Speculative
rhc custom obtained in those Old operative lodges
| 10 admit friends OF architecture men ot inhu.
.ncc. OF wealth. Of high staining IN society. OF
/ qucnce. contained considerable portion OF ms
/ cooperative element. Yes f. has been stated that
tho lodge II antiquity was almost enilreiy comp"ec
of a. II IS cue to th.s very circumstance that tho
/ Idea WIS conceived and carried out by the,e g.
/ uemon Mason. as they were sty.cd' OK liyestlnB
th. lodge AZ least some o. them. OF ther oper-
/ ll,gorizns ~" legends. symho!izng tho working
I TO- II afd sq,flfuG .izlng the art.
/ AMI tAus arose a hundred and seventy five years
J ay5. the treemlsoury We practise to-day IN our
4 no4o-n INSTITUTION. its engraftment upon The old
4 operative stem gives II an antiquity dating PACK
lac fundamental idea OF Freemasonry was to es-
taali-i society on purely moral principles WIN
d .rr.dlcss ur UrioSUatic belief IN the cNlstcI'c,
. - supreme Rclng. Which should serve a. a bond
/ ~ unI.i sof a.! civilized mankind comprising al
/ people al nations. an religions. on the face q
o.t y The orgina, simple ceremony of ir4iGn
rr.r me eta lishmeni OF thr Frennl,r 'i'. w..
/ s,,.rf' waS c.liod Ancient craft Masonry. Wher-
csr tccs NJ; s ,c1cd ,n,ss 'mf, n% ,n~re
/ &c., for many brethren consider these thrsc sym
I loc degrees as the Only SIMON -pdI" .'' W., ,
soury e>lstug. rejecting Al Others AS spurious ana
A1oai ,he year 100 that IS. nbou, twcn,y-three
years after the foundation of Tho first Crane Log"
I M, Ro,al Arch made It, apg.Hrance AS an add.
~ -an4- what minds conceived and contrived u.
. Will Ike many other things in lreemasonry. Re-
' nr, WAS conflict in the ,hrec desrccs In tn
. third degree tho true VI " was commune tt"d.
ON me Cont.rcn. ~ Earorc where It was intro
duro from ENGLAND soon af,cr ne crcation OF ~
following rom ihc cniechisn Of French ritual
on aycz Won. ~ rccue
comment atcs-vous paryenu7
Par IN escallcr que Jai monte par trolls. Gina ct
t,ia'i1ycz ,u dan. ceuc chambre7
I,4n It trstess".
Paiccquc "a etal, lc tomboau lie notre respectable
'n o.!. i li'Ga% n ,os.u.,
M eaacn, d,acaci, ct dams la Ra[,ie superisute
nom du Grand Architectc de runlverse. etc.
Candidate Ir tho middle chamber.
". NJ How dil you get there
C-By ascending a high, Of stairs in three. i've
" NJ what aid you see In tina, chamber?
G,-Mournins and sadness
G Because there the tomb OF our ~ w. G.
" M,"what was on IT.
S5E Of eIG1 ina and on n' T %ppfr R Rsr
grayed -onerc follows the true ". w.
true NJ ". vas revealed was transferred TO
the Royal Arch and amplined with a superstruc-
The Royal Arch becoming very popular with the
brethren. the VI w vas IN The course OF time
Tho Royal Arch degree was originally conferred
Witch were styled r. A. lodges Or these lodges
ere the Indepcndent Royal Arch Lodge No. ? and
Manhattan Lodge No. IS As sign o. their ROYAL
Arch distinction their aprons arc still trimmed
So intimately was Royal Arch Masonry connected
Lodge Of England. the mother of ali Frecemasonry
on earth at the union Of the two then existing
craft Masonry consisted OF three degrees ana no
more viz. Of the Entered Apprentice Fellow craft
o. the Holy Royal Arch Crhe Royal Arch is
here evidently considered nothing else than the
completion OF the third degree)
In this manner The Royal Arch has become part
of Ancient craft Masonry. 1t differs In this re-
spec, from all other degrees which have been
manutacturod since as additional Masonry. exceed
ing by iar The number OF Il thousand OF which
few are stlll practse1 in some Of Masonic,
want Of vitality
t. Indicated by the purple color OF the second
IN snch high esteem that only the Masters Of
i,daes wfTe deemcd WORTH and well qualified for
consequently all Past Masters. a circumstance
which confined the degree within very narrow lin
elected to preside lodge Of f. and A. Masons
Later on. other brethren sufficiently advanced I'm
prived or me privilege or becoming Royal Masons.
TO remedy the restrictions placed upon the degree
cxpcdient was adopted Che expedient being Itself
violation Of the custom to make every npplican M
for the degree pass the chair by being elected OBJ.
lisated invested with the respective secrets and in
Quoted into King Solomon's chair: In short 10
maxi him virtual Past Master by comforting a
whatever and with no other meaning than the
In the o tme 1 the R"yN Hrch segTee
came detached from the lodges by gaining indie
pendent existence.
In England. where the degree was first worked
II remained solitary, and stands under tho direction
In This country three other degrees have been
added 10 II. the whole forming the Cspitular Sys-
tenn Of Masonry.
Sow the most important question for us comes
Has Royal Arch Masonry such a mission ?
II has not 1t IL superiuous and its cultivation Il
TO judge from Its organization and history. we
no other than a higher order of Masonic teaching
by entering deeper Into the very essence substance