The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-05-30
THE SUPREME COUNCIL.

| Believing that many of your readers
would be interested in the doings of
the Supreme Council of the Northern
Masonic Jurisdiction, the late session
held in Philadelphia May 8, l desire
to state it was tthe largest ever as
sembled in the history of the organi-
zation. Every part of the Empire
was fully represented. Grand Com
mander Ill. Jas. Francis Richards 33
delivered his Allocution dealing with
every phase of Masonic life and con-
duct.
Supreme Councils as at present con-
stituted are an extraordinary body of
men and Masons. They, usually are
the picked men of the Community in
which they live. They are the true
and tried, the never denied, and the
always ready and willing class to be
tried again of every race and nation
ality. They are, again-the histor-
ians, Scientists, Philosophers of this
day and generation. They deal with
facts and figures and not with Meta
physics as basis of calculation. The
people of which the above is descrip-
tive sustains a very remote relation
to that (which you and the writer
ought to know the most or reason to
suppose sympathetic consideration.
The history of Scottish Rite of Free
Masonry is variously understood but
suffice it to say that in 1871 the
United Supreme Councils of the
Northern and Southern Jurisdictions
were born out of a Council of delib-
Grafton with territorial jurisdiction
defined. And territorial Sections re-
pective-Philadelph and Washing
ton City. The territorial empire of
the Northern jurisdiction embraces all
of that part of the United States
bounded on the North by Canada and
South by parallel line coinciding
with the Ohio river from East to
West, Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans,
Missouri and California excepted.
Within the territorial lines there is
a colored population of more than
two million people with taxable
wealth and bank deposit of three
hundred fifty million dollars. Four
teen grand lodges and 10000 members
with an educational and religious ad-
vantages second to none and natural
resources, powers and possibilities al
most unlimited. These statements of
facts before us suggests an inrefuta
BILE argument why colored men
should take higher ground in the
work of our uplift. Time and space
will not permit a review of the Col
ored mans past or the rough and
rugged road over which he has ira
versed. This should be familiar his
tory to every school boy. The i'm
perative need of the hour is not re-
counting the gloomy, past with all of
it's iniquious horrors but relief from
encroaching and prevailing with that
which theatens he peace and tran
guilty of a dependent people. The
oft repeated assertion that the Color
ed man is an American citizen has
only force and effect from a colored
mans viewpoint. The Colored man
plays no part in the drama of Ameri-
can social, civil and political life, on
ly in so far as he is permitted. In
the Councils of War, on the bench or
in the legislative halls he is neither
to be seen or heard. He is forced if
he would stay, to ally himself with a
people with whom he must forever
remain a stranger less than a man
and more than a brute. Such a mon
strosity never was and can never be
endowed with inalienable rights under
prevailing conditions. Hence it de-
wolves upon him to prove his eternal
fitness.
(To be continued.)
D SMITH 90,