mind on the subject under discussion, to elicit truth, and to conscientiously endeavour to have every thing done decently and in order. 3. The Most Eminent General Grand Master, or the presiding officer, shall be the judge of order and of debate. Where his decision is fairly questionable, an appeal may be made to the Grand Encampment: but such appeal must be neither captious, contemptuous, or contumacious. Truth, justice and candour, must be the desiderata in such appeal. 4. No Sir Knight shall be permitted to speak more than twice upon any subject, unless it is merely to explain, without permission from the Grand Encampment, and not then, until every member, who chooses to speak, has spoken as often as he may be entitled to. 5. If any Sir Knight is twice called to order, at any one meeting of the Grand Encampment, for transgressing these rules, and is guilty of a third offence of the same nature, the presiding Officer shall peremptorily order him to leave the Grand Encampment for that day or evening. 6. No Sir Knight shall interrupt any officer of the Grand Encampment, while performing the duty of his office, or use any improper language in open Grand Encampment, to any member thereof. It shall be the duty of the presiding Officer to admonish such offences for the first time; but if they are persisted in, it shall be his special duty to order such transgressor to withdraw for that day or evening. For flagrant outrage, the Grand Encampment may suspend or expel, as the case may require. And no member of the Grand Encampment, who has been suspended from the same, shall be permitted to visit any Encampment under this jurisdiction, during such suspension, of which the Grand Recorder shall notify each Encampment. 7. Every question moved and seconded shall be put by the presiding Sir Knight; and no new matter shall be brought forward, until that under consideration shall be first decided. 8. A majority of the Sir Knights present shall determine every question; and in case of an equality of votes, the Most Eminent General Grand Master, or the presiding Sir Knight shall have the casting vote. If any one Encampment shall request the vote to be taken by ballot, it shall be so taken. No vote shall be reconsidered by a smaller number of Encampments than were present, when the vote passed, nor on the same day on which the motion to reconsider is made. No vote shall be passed at a special or adjourned meeting of the Grand Encampment, in which a distant Encampment is particularly interested, without previous notice to that Encampment: and if such Encampment request it, (unless in cases which two thirds of the Encampments present shall judge to be too urgent to admit of delay) the decision shall be referred to the next annual meeting of the Grand Encampment. 9. No alteration shall be made in the above By-Laws, or any article that will affect them, except at an annual meeting, and then two thirds of the Sir Knights present agreeing to the same. List of the various Masonic Degrees. In a late publication, 1816, we find the following list of Masonic Degrees, which the author states are conferred in the Sublime Grand Lodges in Charleston, S. C. in the city of New-York, and in Newport, R. I. 1. Entered Apprentice. 2. Fellow-Craft. 3. Master Mason. 4. Mark Master. 5. Past Master. 6. Most Excellent Master. 7. Royal Arch. 8. Royal Master. 9. Knight of the Red Cross. 10. Knight of Malta. 11. Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. 14. Secret Master. 24. Perfection. 25. Knight of the East. 26. Prince of Jerusalem. 27. Knight of the East and West. 28. Sovereign Prince of Rose Croix de Heroden. 29. Grand Pontiff. 30. Grand Master of all Symbolic Lodges. 31. Patriarch Noachite, or Chevalier Prussien. 32. Prince of Libanus. 33. Chief of the Tabernacle. 34. Prince of the Tabernacle. 36. Knight of the Brazen Serpent. 39. Knight of the Holy Ghost. 43. Sovereign Grand Inspectors Gen- Besides those degrees, (observes the same author) which are in regular succession, most of the Inspectors are in possession of a number of detached degrees, given in different parts of the world, and which they generally communicate, free of expense, to those brethren who are high enough to understand them. Such as Select Masons of 27, and the Royal Arch, as given under the Constitution of Dublin. Six degrees of Maconnerie d'Adoption, Compagnon Ecossais; le Maître Ecossais, et le Grand Maitre Ecossais, &c. &c. making, in the aggregate, 53 degrees. To this arrangement I have taken occasion to make the following comments: His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. &c. is at present the presiding officer of the degree K-H. in England. The 1st, 2d, and 3d degrees are given in the Symbolic Lodge. From the 14th to the 24th inclusive, in the Sublime Grand Lodge, and the officers of both, are elected annually. The 25th and 26th are given by the Council of Princes of Jerusalem, the officers of which are also elected annually. From the 27th to the 43d inclusive, are given by the Inspectors, who are Sovereigns of Masonry. The Officers of the Supreme Council are appointed for life. A brief sketch of the respective degrees of Ancient Freemasonry, with the appendant degrees, agreeably to ancient form and usage, with occasional remarks. There are (I am bold to assert) but four Degrees in Ancient Freemasonry. This opinion accords not only with the sentiments of the oldest and best informed masons, with whom I have conversed, but is also agreeable to written and printed documents in my possession; some of the latter of which are almost as old as the art of Printing, itself. They are as follows: 1. Entered Apprentice. 2. Fellow Craft. 3. Master Mason. 4. Royal Arch Mason. The following orders which have within a few years past, been manufactured into degrees, are merely elucidatory of the second, third, and fourth degrees, namely: Past Master, Select Master, Most Excellent Master, Ark Master, or Noachite, The fifth, or past-master's degree so called, is, it is presumed, sufficiently explained under that head, page 197. We pass on, therefore, to the next in order, namely, the mark which appertains to, and is illustrative of the second or fellow-craft's degree; and was no doubt originally connected with the lectures in that degree. Of late years, however, it has been customary to work in the mark under a distinct, and in many respects, separate jurisdiction. But since the establishment of grand royal arch chapters, that body has very properly taken upon themselves the entire jurisdiction of this and other preparatory or introductory degrees; and in future, no brother, however worthy, will be acknowledged; nor is his preparation for exaltation considered complete, unless he has obtained his knowledge from a lodge of mark masters, working under a dispensation or warrant, granted by this august body. Remarks on the Degree of Select Master.* This beautiful degree, as well as that of Most Excellent Master, but particularly the former so illustrative of that *For a sketch of the history of this degree, see page 221. most important degree of ancient Masonry, the Royal Arch, is, I am happy to find, disseminating itself into every part of our widely extended country, and wherever it has been introduced, has met with a cordial reception; indeed without it, the above very sublime degree discovers to the strict enquirer a chasm, the bottom of which, notwithstanding its native and artificial brilliancy, is enveloped in darkness. Royal Master and Ark Master or Noachite. These are considered as merely preparatory, and ars usually conferred immediately before the solemn ceremony of exaltation. The following passages from holy writ, will sufficiently elucidate these degrees: a satisfactory history of neither of which is to be found in any of our authorities; they are therefore altogether traditional. Revelations, ch. XXI. v. 3—6. "And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the begin. ning and the end: I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life, freely." Chap. XXII, 12-14. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I an Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Genesis, ch. vIII, v. 4—9. "And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually, until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth |