Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-21
MANY EVENTS OF MASONRY IN HAWAII
RECALLED By JUDGE C. ". ASHFORD
Approach of 200 Anniversary Celebration of Order Recalls
History in These Prominent Men as Members
BY JUDGE G. w.. ASHFORD, Lodge
Ls Proores de POeeanie

BY JUDGE G. w.. ASHFORD, Lodge
Ls Progress de Foeeanls
Judge Ashford's extremely inter.
esting article published herewith Ia
written In connection with the great
Masonic celebration next Saturday
night at the Young Hotel. when more
than 800 members Of the order wiz
banquet, COMMUNICATING the 200th
anniversary Of the founding of the
Grand Lodge Of England) sE
e1ME facts of reminiscent eharac-,
y ter, lightly touching. the history
- Of Free Masonry In these islands
may not be uninteresting, in view OF
the fact that the craft IN Oahu will
celebrate, on Saturday evening next,
by banquet at tho Young Hotel, the
2o0th anniversary of the organization
OF the Grand Lodge Of England. which
10 the Mother Grand Lodge Of all
Masonic bodies in the Engiish;speak-
ing world. Honolulu enjoys the dis
tinction of having had established
here the first Masonic lodge west OF
the Missouri river This lodge was
organized April 8, 1912, by Captain
Letelfier of the French whaling bark
Ajax, then in port, who acted under o.
kind Of rowing commission from the
Grand Lodge OF France to institute
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 Poceanie, after
It had been born" on board the
French, whaler, In Honolulu harbof.
Honolulu was at that time q compare.
lively small town or .EifIags, and had
no extensive population 70 draw upon
In the. matter Of membership In a
Masonic lodge. but the new fraternity
attracted 70 itself rot only representa-
tiyes Of the best class Of foreigners
residing here al that time, and In the
succeeding ,sDs,s g. year, but also royalty
Kamehameha ~. King -, ~-..
Kamehameha. III was then King,
and, having been born In 1914, he was
Of the age Of % years. The date OF
Ills initiation into Free Masonry, ia not
presently accessible to the writer Of
this sketch, but there IL now pre-
served by a member Of the present
I5odgecLe Progress de f'oceanie, q 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 hts
tory OF Lodge lie Progress (which In
the meantime was waxing compare.
lively strong In nHmbers), until the
outbreak OF the gold excitement In
California, In 1888. That event caused
q stampede to the California gold
fields Of nearly All; the residents OF
Hawaii who were then footioose, in /
GLIDING considerable number OF the
members OF Lodge lie Progress, which !
appears at least partially as Q result
.of that exodus to have lapSed into Q 1
condition bordering upon quiescence,
which continued TO- several years
second Lodge Organized q g
BY 1852 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 then con- |
siderably exceeded what It had been
n previous years. Whether as the i
result Of perso1si estrangement
among members Of Lodge lie Progress.
or from other causes, this writer
knoweth NOT, but In 1859 q 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 q second
Masonic lodge, under q dispensaticn
tlater followed by q charter from
the, Grand Lodge Of California and
this new Masonic creation was christ
ened Hawaiian Lodge. That the CALI
fornia Jurisdiction was then coqapar.
afipely feeble one, ct least at the point
Of the number OF Its subordinate
lodges. IL attested by the fact that
Hawaiian Lodge was ASSIGNED ohe
Number 81 IN the, list OF lodges OF
that jurisdiction. s. %ess
During the forty years then next
following, symbolic Masonry was re-
presented In these islands by the two
lodges above named. Al friendly rival: |
~ appears to have existed between
them, and the members OF each lodge |
were more or less on their mettle to !.
maintain the quality Of the member
ship Of the respective lodges, for It Is
beyond cavil that the leading men OF
the community. throughout all those
years, attached themselves to one or
other OF the lodges named. lie. Progress
appears to have been most attractive
TO the Hawaiian element Of the COM
munity, including Royalty, and II
boasts OF having carried three Kings !
OF Hawaii up6a Its roster, namely. |
Kainehameha III, Kanchameha ~,
and Kalakaua. The two last named,
especially, were most enthusiastic
masons, and progressed through the
higher grades Of the order of both the
York aud Scottish rites They all pass
ed the Oriental Chair, and Kalakaua,
Il not the others. held the highest Of,
fees attaiRsble in the Royal Arch and
knight fsemplar bodies. He was the |
presiding officer Of Honolulu Chapter |
No /, Royal Arch Masons, at least as |
late as 1884: while Kamehameha wi
was so well thought Of by the breth- |