Bisbee daily review., 1907-10-13
MYSTIC SHRINE MADE CLEAR
 TO ID ALL
Prominent Member of Order Tells Boston Newspaper
 What Ii Is and What It
 Does

Thousands of people in Boston who witnessed the great parade nf the Mystic Shr.ners asked the question Who are these Mystic Shriners, and what are they? What do they stand for in Masonry?
 In order to make these questions clear the Boston Globe interviewed one the head officers of Aleppu Temple of Boston for a full explana, tion of the order of Mystic Shriners
 who they are and what they stand for. The officer was Joseph w. Work, grand treasurer of Aleppo Temple.
 Tn the irst place." said Mir. Work. ] I've are and We are not of the Ma sonic body. The Shr.ners have noth- ! ing to do with the Masonic body. but in order to be a Mystic Shriner you must be a thirty-two degree Mason
 or Knight Templar. In other words, the Mystic Shriners are a sort of social club, twhose membership is . confined ito Masons of the thirty second degree or Knights Templar Has the order or club a benevo-
 lent as well as a social purpose?" Yes, indeed, p has. It does a great charitable work very quietly. . Nobody except the potentate and the
 treasurer knows the extent of the
 charities of the Mystic Shriners. It
 is all done very quietly and in such
 a way that it cannot give offense.
 but is usually of a timely and nee
 essary character. I could cite the
 case of widow whom he found with
 in few days. needed some assistance.
 She got check which enabled her to tide over very nicely the temporary
 embarrassment in which she found
 herself,
 Now. to make more clear to you
 just what the Mystic Shriners are,
 will take the case of Aleppo Temple
 here in Boston, which has more than 5000 members. We took in $50 more
 members this forenoon. All these members belong to Masonic lodges
 in and around Boston. They would seldom or ever meet
 in social way were it not that they are drawn together in one great so- cial body. Aleppo Temple. which meets five times a year.
 "All the other temples :n the United States and Canada maintain the same relations to the Masonic lodges in their vicinity that Aleppo Temple maintains to the lodges in and around Boston.
 'The order is very strong and pow eTful in the West. I think Chicago has the largest temple, with Now York next and Boston third. All told We have membership in the United States and Canada of about 12O, 900, and it Is growing all the time
 "A man with a ShrineTs button on his coat can have about anything in the West as know from experience" concluded Grand Treasurer Work.
 The Mystic Shriners as a sort of Masonic adjunct are confined to the United States and Canada, although the order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine dates far back in Asiatic ant Mohammedan history. and spread into Italy under the title of the Car bonari, which became a very power ful secret organization with political purposes, and did much toward eff fecting Italian unity under Victor Emmanuel, Count Cavour and Gari- baIdi.
 The order of the Nobles of the Mys- tic Shrine was instituted by the Mo hammedan Kalif Alu, the cousin german and son-in-law of the Prophet ia tho 56ET 0f the iI5s.T a g 1s4! A. D., ct Mecca iG Arabia as an inquisition or vigilance com mittee to dispense justice and execute punishment upon criminals who es- capped their just deserts through the tardiness of the courts; and also to promote religious toleTation among cultured men of all nations. The no- bles perfected their organization and did such prompt and efficient work hnr N.1 nTa nation n the heart of evil-doers in all countries. The order is still one of the most highly favored among the secret societies which abound in oriental countries It's membership in all countries includes Christians, IsTaelites, Moslems and men of high positions o learning and power. The Nobles of the Mystic Shrine have always been eminent for their broad and catholic tolekation. The
 noble who holds to a belief :n a su- preme or most high is never ques- toned as to any definition of that belief. Frequent revolutions in Arabia
 Persia and Turkey have obscured the order from time to time, as appears rom the many breaks in the contsnu- ity of the records at Mecca.
 In the year 1898 the learned orient alist and Italian priest, Father Levigi Marracci. who was for several years confessor of his holiness, Pope Inno- cent xI.. translated the ritual of the order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. It was after he had translated the Bible into Arabic at Padua that he was initiated into the order. He or ganized an Italian branch of the so- ciety, which was censured by the college of the propaganda at Rome. 1 The rituals that were printed were condemned to be burned, A few cop les were saved. and one is still pre- served in the synagogue which stands 1 just inside the Roman gate in old Cairo. The society has existed in Italy up to the present time under the name of the Carbonari.
 The Italian translation of the ritual was translated into English under the supervision of Dr. Waiter M Elem ing. a thirty-third degree Mason and past commander of Columbia Com mandery No. 1 of New York City
 He got authority from Rig K Allah Hassoon Effendee to institute the order in America as an adjunct of Masonry Mecca, the first temple. was established in New York in 1872 with 100 members. of whom but twenty-oHe are alive. Since then the order has spread all over the United States and Canada, Aleppo Temple in
 Boston being instituted twenty-five
 years ago.
 It is a society which inculcates re-