Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-24
BRITISH MASONIC
ORDER CELEBRATES
Grand Lodge Of England OBJ
serves Bi- Centenary of
English Speaking Free
masonry.


masons are celebrating the bicenten-
airy OF the first assembly of Freema-
sons in the united kingdom and the
establishment of the grand lodge in
England. This is the parent organi-
zation of all Masonic bodies in Amer
"a and throughout the English-speak-
ing world.
At a meeting OF the grand lodge
held in the Royal Albert hall today
the duk'- of Connaught, who has been
grand master for the last sixteen
years, presided, and prominent men,
bers from all parts. OF the united
kingdom were in attendance. Tomor-
row service will be held at the same
tplace which will be open to mem
bers of lodges other than the grand
lodge.
Two hundred years ago four of the
leading Freemasons lodges in Lon
don, believing that in some way they
had been neglected by Sir Christopher
Wren, one of the foremost Masons
of his day, met at the Apple Tree tav-
ern in Charles street, Covent Garden,
and there solcmnly resolved TO &C.
ment under grand master as the
center Of union and harmony"
Accordingly, a year later, on June
"a. 17l7, "the day Of light and roses"
the first grand lodge was formally
initiated at the Goose and Gridiron
in St. Paups churchyard, and from
that time onward it became the su-
preme authority, without whose war
rant no new lodges could be formed.
Washington and Franklin Members.
Five years after the establishment
of the grand lodge in England Ma
sonry was introduced into France. In
1929 the grand lodge OF Ireland was
established. About the same time the
order made its first appearance in
America
| According to many Masonic author
tiles provincial grand lodge and also
private lodge were established in
Boston, Mass, in 1888 In 1884 the
Boston lodge obtained place on the
roll of the grand lodge of England
The same year Benjamin Franklin,
probably initiated in England, wrote
to the grand lodge of Massachusetts,
as grandmaster of Pennsylvania.
About the same time Franklin pub
lished the Masonic constitution. An
other notable pioneer of the Masonic
order in American was George Wash
ington, who was initiated at Fred
ericksburg, Va. in 1752.
| Wn nF thn m an vybN ctAaI o,,+ -,
prominently in the creation of the
grand lodge of England were John
Theophilus Desaguliers, a Huguenot
refugee, and James Anderson, Scot
tish preacher and writer. Coming to
London in 1710, Anderson became
pastor of the Presbyterian church in
Swallow street. He was a prominent
Freemason and besides had consider
able learning. 1t was, therefore, ma
tural that when the grand lodge de-
determined to produce an authorita-
tive digest of the constitutions of the
brotherhood they should assign the
task to him.
This work, under the title of The
Constitution of the Free Masons, Con-
tanning the History, Charges, Regula-
tons, Etc, of That Most Ancient and
Worshipful Fraternity" was long rec
ognized to be the standard code by
English Free Masons. and an Amer
ican facsimile of the first edition was
issued in 1855 at New York.
Presidents Were Masons.
Desaguliers was Frenchman, a
native of La Rochelle. His father was
Protestant pastor, and when, in 1885,
the edict of Nantes was revoked BY
Louis XVI, and the persecution of
French Protestants followed, Jean
Desaguliers fed hastily to England
with his little son, then only 2 years
old. After a stay in Guernsey, Des-
aguliers came to London and became
pastor of the French chapel in Swal-
low street. He also kept a school at
lslington, where, later on, his son as
sisted him.
Some time later the way opened UP
for John Theophilus to go to Oxford,
and, in course of time, he became a
lecturer on experimental philosophy.
In l7l2 he was back in London, where
he settled down in Channelrow, West
minister, and continued to lecture.
Desagualiers will always be remem-
bered as being the first man to give
popular lectures on natural science, a
venture which met with marked sue
cess. He was the author of many
books and works i'll collaboration with
James Anderson in compiling the
| Constitutions"
King George V is not member of
the Masonic order, but his father,
King Edward, was most enthusiastic