Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-21
MANY EVENTS or MASONRY IN HAWAII
RECALLED BY JUDGE c. ". ASHFORD
Approach of 20Oh Anniversary Celebration Of Order Recalls
History in these sands-ManY Prominent Men as Members
BY JUDGE c. W. ASHFORD, Lodge
lie Progress de rOceanie

BY JUICE c. w. ASHFORD, Lodge
lie Progress de roceane
Judge Astford's extremely inter
esting article published herewith is
written in connection with the great
Masonic celebration next Saturday
night at the Young Hotel, when more
than 800 members of the order will
banquet, commemorating the Booth
anniversary OF the founding of the
Grand Lodge OF England)
r0ME facts Of reminiscent charac-
y ter, lightly touching the history
- OF Free Masonry In these islands
may not be embarrassing, in view Of
the fact that the craft in Oahu will
celebrate, on Saturday evening next,
ty a banquet at the Young Hotel, the
2CGth anniversary Of the organization
OF the Grand Lodge OF England, which
IS the Mother Grand Lodge OF all
Masonic bodies in the English-speak-
ing world. Honolulu enjoys the dis
ttncton OF having had esta blished
here the first Masonic lodge west CT
the Missouri river. This lodge was
organized ATril S, 1912, by Captain
Lete!iier OF the French whaling bark
AJAX, then in port, who acted under a
kind of rowing commission from the
Grand Lodge OF France to tnst1tutc
Masonic lodges in the new world, but
we have no record OF his having exer-
cised that power elsewhere than at
Honolulu The new Masonic baby
was given a French name, that OF
Lodge lie Progress de rOceanie, after
it had been born" on board the
French whaler, in Honolulu harbor.
Honolulu was at that time compare
lively small town or village, and had
no extensive population to draw upon
in the matter Of membership in
Masonic bdge, but the new fraternity
attracted to itself cot only representa-
tives OF the best class OF foreigners
residing here at that time, and In the
succeeding years, but also royalty
itself.
kamehameha III. King
Kamehameha III was then King,
and, having been born in 1914, he was
Of the age of 18 years. The date OF
his initiation into Free Masonry is not
presently accessible to the writer OF
this sketch, but there is. now pre-
served by a member of the present
Lodge lie Progress de rOceanfe, a print
ed notice which, in the early years OF
the life of the lodge, had been sent to
that Monarch, commanding his atten-
dance at a meeting Of the lodge.
Nothing of especial moment appears
to have interrupted the routine his
tory Of Lodge lie Progress (Which m
the meantime was waxing compare
lively strong in nunbers), until the
outbreak of tine gold excitement in
California, in IS4s. That event caused
stampede to the California gold
fields of nearly all the residents OF
Hawaii who were then foOt-looSe, in
GLIDING a considerable number OF the
members Of Lodge lie Progress, which
appears at least partially as a result
Of that exodus to have lapsed into a
condition bordering upon squfescence'
which continued TO- several, years.
Second Lodge Organized <.,...
By 1859 many of the former resi-
dents of Hawaii, including members
of Lodge LIE Progress had drifted back
from California to Honolulu, and the
population of foreigners theL con-
siderabIy exceeded what it had been
in previous years. Whether as the
result of persona enlargement
among members Of Lodge LIE Progress,
or from other causes, this writer
knoweth not. but in 1852, a. number OF
the former members Of this lodge, to-
gether with unaffiliated Masons from
the mainland, and possibly from other
parts Of the world, organized a second
Masonic lodge, under dispensation
(later followed by a oharter) from
the Grand Lodge Of California, and
this new Masonic creation was christ
ened Hawaiian Lodge. That the Call
fornia jurisdiction was then compar-
atiyely feeble one, at least at the point
of the number Of its subordinate
lodges, is attested by the fact that
Hawaiian Lodge was assigned che
Number 81 in, the list Of lodges OF
that jurisdiction.
During the forty years then next
following, symbolic Masonry was re-
presented in these islands by the two
lodges above named. A friendly rival
~ appears to have existed between
them, and the members Of each lodge
were utOE0 UT less I'll IACA AASSIAO "
maintain the quality Of the member
ship of the respective lodges, for it IS
beyond cavil that the leading men lof
the community, throughout all those
years, attached themselves to one or
other Of the lodges named. LIE Progress
appears to have been most attractive
10 the Hawaiian element OF the COM
munity, including Royalty, and 1t
boasts OF having carried three Kings
Of Hawaii upon its roster, namely.
Kamehameha III, Kamehameha ~,
and Kalakaua. The two last named,
especially, were most enthusiastic
mosons, and progressed through the
higher grades OF the order Of both the
York aud Scottish rites. They all pass
ed the Oriental Chair, and Kalakana,
IF not the others, held the highest Of
fees attainable In the Royal Arch and
knight Templar bodies. He was the
presiding officer of Honolulu Chapter
Ne !, Royal Arch Masons, at least IS
late as 1884; while Kamehameha "
was so we'll thought Of by the breth-