The Jersey City news., 1902-02-18
SCOTTISH RITE
Masons Of High Degree to
Dine at Krueger's $ Audi
torium, Newark,
Tonight.

rum, Newark This banquet has become
an annual event in Masonic circles. The
one this week will be attended by over
| 500 members of Tie higher lodges OF the
craft which is the Oldest and most pow
| erful fraternal order In the world. The
programme follows:
/ Invocation, Rev Francisco Pesaturo,
/ thirty second degree; address of welcome,
1 Robert b, Sears, sd; toast, The Supreme
I Council, Northern Jurisdiction of the
1 United States" Robert A. Shirrefs, 3d.
deputy for New Jersey; song by the Ga
| thsdrai apartette, composed Of e. y
| Campbell, Jr., 32d: S. Henry Holland, S2d;
| E. II. Dexter, 32d, and J. Fl. Stubbs. S2d ;
toast, Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons of New Jersey" Most Worshipful
| w Holt Apgar, a2d, grand master of this
| State; song, by the quartette; toast, Our
| Country" James B. Dill, 32d; song. by
/ the quartette; toast, THE Craft" John
| Stewart 3Sd. past grand master of New
| York; toast, "Our Guests William Hoz
man, ssd, deputy for New York.
Among the expected guests in addition
TO the. speakers. are: Former Governor
Foster NJ. vQorhees, thirty-second degree;
Congressman Charles N. Fowler, 32d;
Joseph 3. Congdon, S3d: Governor Frank
| lin Murphy, of the Knights Templar rank;
Thomas j. Tilton, 33d, and Joseph e.
Moore, 3sd, past grand masters of New
Jersey; Most Worshipfu E. NJ Ehlers,
sSd, grand secretary of New York.
The Supreme Council, thirty-third de-
gree, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of
the Northern jurisdiction, governs all
Scottish Rite bodies north of Mason and
Dixon's line, and east of the Mississippi
River It was organized in 1918, and has
continuous history to the present time,
excepting the period from 1868 to 1856
There are about forty active thirty-third
degree members in the jurisdiction, and
they are known as sovereign grand In
spectors-general The list Of emeriti in
spectors is very short, and includes the
few active members of the Supreme Coun-
ell. who have retired from the delibera-
tions of that body Enthusiastic and ac-
tive members of the thirty-second degree
are frequently rewarded by being created
honorary thirty thirds. and of these
there are about 600 in the Northern jurisr
diction The officials of the council are
elected at the triennial meetings, but
faithful service and demonstrated fitness
for the position insures reelection with
out opposition, thereby making an office,
In most cases. one to be held for life.
The council is the supreme head of Scot
tish Rite Masonry In this jurisdiction. It
controls over 5000 thirty-second degree
Masons. These members are known as
sublime princes of the royal secret, and
among their number may be found many
Of the leading men in the professions, the,
financial and commercial world and the
army and navy It is the aim Of nearly
every Scottish Rite Mason to reach this
degree and once in possession OF; It's
mystic secrets. he has but one more goal
to reach-the thirty-third- Here the mem
bership is almost limited and many must
be content If they are made members Of
the honorary class of the thirty-third
degree.
The first appearance Of the thirty-third
degree in this country was at Charleston,
8. c.. in 1901, when Sovereign Grand In
spector General John Mitchell and Fred
erick Dalcho opened ard duly constituted
a Supreme Council of the rank, with au-
thority over America. This became
known as the Southern Jurisdiction Su-
preme Council when the Northern Juris-
diction Supreme Council was established
! in New York City in 1913. The basis was
the twenty-five degrees Of the Rite OF
Perfection to which were added eight
new degrees. members of the thirty-third
Ibefng two chiefs of the rite, Albert G.
Stevens, in his encyclopedias of Fraterni-
ties.,' SAYS that in 1851 patent was grant
ed Stephen MORN by the Emperors of
the East and West of France to introduce
the Rite of Perfection into the West In
dies and America. This authority gave
to NORM the right to create and appoint
inspectors of the rite, and he was made
an inspector and sovereign prince Mason,
| then the twenty y-fifth degree, and now.
what is known as the thirty-second- A
Lodge of Perfection was instituted at A.
bany, n. Y, in 1867. 1t was inactive from
| 1t is stiil in existence.
To the uninitiated the degrees in Ma
sonry may seem confusing, as to their
relative importance. They may be sum-
married. as follows: The "blue lodge con-
fers the first three degrees, viz, Entered
Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master
Mason. This is as far as many travel
The Scottish Rite employs four bodies to
raise candidate from the fourth to the
thirty third degrees.
1. In the supreme CouHcil, oou uSBfe SCI
there are two active members: Andrew
b. Frazee, of Camden, and Robert A.
shirrefs. Of Elizabeth The following New
| Jersey members belong to the honorary
Ithirty-third class: George B. Edwards.
stephen Smith, Thomas F. Watson,
Henry C. Roome. Thomas w Tilden,8
Joseph Il. Moore John G. Gopsill and
| Marcus Higginbotham. Of Jersey City,
Icharles Bechtel and Joseph Ashton, Jr..
lof Trenton; Edward Mills. William H.
| Grosscup and William E. Weiser, Of Cam
den; George Scott, Albert c. Stevens and
1 Joseph w Congdon. Of Paterson; Ans
thony schoder, of Woodbridge; Edward
q. Tillou and Walter B. Ward, of Eliza
beth.
! The committee in charge OF the banquet
is composed of Robert B. Sears, thirty
third degree chairman; Thomas W. TIL
| ton, thirty third degree; Thomas Watson
thirty-third degree; and Harry Onslow,
! thirty-second degree.