Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-03
RARE OBJECTS OF MASONRY
LIBRARIAN OF PHILADELPHIA
LODGE SEARCHES EUROPE.
Collection Said to Be Most Complete
in United States-Priceless
Jewels and Records.

From the Philsdelphia North American
Some remarkable Masonic relics have
been added to the museum OF the Grand
Lodge library I'm the Masonic Temple In
this city, through the trip to Europe dur
ing the past summer of Julius r. Sschse,
the librarian. With the recent additions
which have now been placed In their cabi-
nets the collection is said to be the most
complete I'm the United States.
Librarian Sachse spent nearly two
months I'm European capitals picking up
Masonic objects of rarity.
What Is regarded as the most valuable
foreign purchase is the scroll Of the Law.
found i'm Germany and believed to be
about 90 years old. Ii is thought to he
the finest specimen OF Hebraic writing i'm
the world. The characters are written
on parchment, pasted together to form a
scroll thirty feet in length Some of the
characters are almost miscroscopic judge
Mayer Sulzberger, who has examined IL.
declares II to be priceless, since every
character was printed by hand. and years
must have been spent in the work of pre-
pairing the scroll.
Masonic medals, Masonic drinking cups,
Masonic certificates. Masonic gavels. all
running far back into the musty ages.
are to be found i'm the collection
There is a jewel once worn by Jerome
Bonaparte. brother of Napoleon Bona
parte. II contains the initials -. b
This jewel was worn when Jerome Bona
parte. after being made King Of West
phalfa, was installed as grand master of
the lodges of that kingdom. There is also
jewel worn in the lodge Of which Napo-
leon Bonaparte was member, a lodge
which exists today.
Rare Old Punch Bowl.
To have Librarian Sachse escort one
through this museum and point out strik-
Ing things in the collection is to be car
ried back into bygone centuries of Ma
sorry.
Here" said he. lis a Masonic cup
once owned by Richard Slater OF York.
England. Who he was one knows.
but that he was a good Mason is PLAN
from the inscription burnt i'm the china
and the date, 1774. And look at this bowl:
how many gallons of strong. aromatic
punch it held more than one hundred
and fifty years ago. when everybody
drank. goodness knows. See the in
scription near the Masonic mark. lone
bowl more and then" This was a loige
property.
by the lodge which met at Star Inn,
Stonegate. Here is a punch bowl from
Warwickshire. and here two pitchers of
sunderland ware and two more OF rare
Leeds ware. all of them once flowing
ering in their graves these one hundred
and fifty years.
1T was the practice in those ancient
days for dodgers to own small glasses
They were known as firing glasses and
had no base, so that once fille1 with
punch they had to be emptied. there was
no setting them down. Here are half a
dozen dated 1900"
The museum also contains lodge glasses
from Scotland, Germany and France.
There is also English aims bag,
passed around i'm lodge during meeting.
and this is dated 1905 Also a rare jewel
bag from Germany and made out OF
beads.
A Great Variety.
And jewels from all parts Of the world.
There is one cross in silver and rcd en-
amel which was once worn by an original
| knight Templar and carried against the
Saracen. 1t Is about one and half
inches each way. Librarian Sachse bought
it during the last summer. He says il
came from Sweden, and he refuses TO tell
the history of this rare jewel. although
he knows it. He also found a jewel of
| the Asiatic Brotherhood. a Masonic or
| ganization I'm Asia. This Is dated 1II4.
There is a Masonic jewel worn by En-
peror Frederick l of Germany when he
was made grand master of Prussia
There are also the working tools used by
the present King Edward OF England.
when as grand master of all the Masons
of England he laid corner stones.
Here is q Masonic jewel" said Mr..
Sachse. worn by the grand master OF a
Huguenot lodge in France. And here
duplicate set of founders jewels, issued
by the authority of the Grand Lodge of
England and embracing all parts OF the
world, even in the heart of Africa, India
and China. And regalias from South
America. from Chile. Peru, Brazil. from
Algeria and from Egypt.
Here Is = miniature of Robert Burns.
II is looked upon as a correct likeness,
and while il cost a great deal OF money.
il is worth il. There is nothing like II
in this country. Speaking-of Burns. here
is a miniature gavel from his lodge made
from wood from theZJohn) Knox house
and filled with real old Scotch snuff"
An engraving of the original bridge
built across the SchuylkilD river at Cal
lowhill street was foundYin London and
purchased. The copper plates set in the
bridge at the time OF the laying OF the
corner stone in 1872 by the Grand Lodge
of Pennsylvania are now held In the IL
brary.
Ancient Masonic paintings. aged aprons.
queer Masonic engravings were brought
back by Librarian Sachse. Also many
caricatures.
There are prints of Napoleon entering a
lodge, of rulers of Dations in Masonic
dress and a reprint /of the royal decree
against Masons isS ued about the time
that the reign of terror began in France.