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Az

I Anc .& Acc/.Scottish RiTEy Free Masonry

i

1 1822-1826

AULD

1844-1646

M?DONALD

1859-1891

PIKE

1893-1894

TUCKER

SOUTHERN

JURISDICTION

ofthe

UNITED STATES

^AMERICA

OCTOBER, 1917

RICHARDSQN,I90I-I9I4

SEORGE FLEMING MOORE, Sov. Grand Commander

lOUSE OF THE TEMPLE, WASHINGTON, D. C

1ARLESTON, S. C. 1917

1

ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

SUPREME COUNCIL

OF THE

33d AND LAST DEGREE

FOR THE

SOUTHERN JURISDICTION OF THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BIENNIAL SESSION, OCTOBER. 1917

GR.-. OR.'. OF CHARLESTON

a

fa-,2-

TABLEAU

OF

Officers and Members

OF

The Supreme Council A.'. A.'. S.'. R.

Southern Jurisdiction, U. S. A.

1917

GEORGE FLEMING MOORE... Gr.'. Commander Montgomery, Ala.

CHARLES E. ROSENBAUM. .Lieut-'- Gr.'. Com-' Little Rock, Ark.

CHARLES F. BUCK Gr.'. Prior New Orleans, La.

ERNEST B. HUSSEY Gr.'. Chancellor Seattle, Wash.

TREVANION W. HUGO Gr.'. Minister of State. .Duluth, Minn.

JOHN H. COWLES Secretary General Louisville, Ky.

THOMAS J. SHRYOCK Treasurer General Baltimore, Md.

ADOLPHUS L. FITZGERALD. .Gr.'. Almoner Eureka, Nev.

SAMUEL P. COCHRAN Gr.'. Master of Cer.'.. .Dallas, Texas.

JOHN F. MAYER Gr.'. Chamberlain Richmond, Va.

HENRY C. ALVERSON First Gr.'. Equerry Des Moines, Iowa.

HORATIO C. PLUMLEY Second Gr.'. Equerry. . .Fargo, N. D.

MELVILLE R. GRANT Gr.'. Standard Bearer .. Meridian, Miss.

PHILIP S. MALCOLM Gr.'. Sword Bearer Portland, Ore.

WILLIAM P. FILMER Gr.'. Herald San Francisco, Cal.

PERRY W. WEIDNER Los Angeles, Cal.

HYMAN W. WITCOVER Savannah, Ga.

DANIEL M. HAILEY McAlester, Okla.

EDWARD CASON DAY Helena, Mont.

GARNETT N. MORGAN Nashville, Tenn.

JOHN ALDEN RINER Cheyenne, Wyo.

FRED C. SCHRAMM Salt Lake City, Utah

ALEXANDER G. COCHRAN St. Louis, Mo.

OLIN S. WRIGHT Plant City, Fla.

MARSHALL W. WOOD Boise, Idaho

FRANK C. PATTON Omaha, Neb.

THOMAS 'G. FITCH Wichita, Kan.

ALVA ADAMS Pueblo, Col.

HENRY R. EVANS, 33 Hon.'.. .Gr.'. Tyler Washington, D. C.

WILLIAM L. BOYDEN, 33 Hon.'-. .Librarian Washington, D. C.

DEPUTIES

Norman E. Gedge, 33 Hon.* Honolulu. Hawaii

Richard H. Hanna, 33" Hon-- Santa Fe. New Mexico

John R. Hvkks, 33 Hon.'. Shanghai, China

Stirling Kerr, Jr.. 33 Hon-' Washington, D. C.

William F. Lippitt, 33 Hon-' San Juan, Porto Rico

Charles S. Lobingieb, 3.'" Hon.' Manila, P. I.

William T. Morris, 33 Hon.' .- Wheeling, W. Va.

EMERITI MEMBERS

Harry Retzer Comly, 33 San Diego, Cal Oct. 23, 1895

John Lonsdale Roper, 33 Norfolk, Va Oct. 18. 1886

EMERITI MEMBERS OF HONOR (Non-Resident)

The Earl of Kintore, 33.

William Homan, 33

Goblet D'Awella, 33

.Edinburgh, Scotland.

. New York City

. Brussels, Belgium. . .

.Oct. 18. 1888

.Oct. 18, 1905

.Oct. 18, 1905

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

Supreme Council of the 33d and Last Degree

OF THE

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

FOR THE

Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America

SITTING AT THE

City of Washington, October, 1917

The Supreme Council of the Sovereign Grand Inspectors

General of the Thirty-third and last Degree of the Ancient and

Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Juris

diction of the United States of America met in biennial session

in the House of the Temple on Monday, the 17th day of Tisri,

A.". M.". 5678, corresponding to the 15th clay of October,

C.'. E.'. 1917, and the 117th year of the Supreme Council, at

10 o'clock A. M.

The Supreme Council was opened in full ceremonial form

by 111.'. Bro.'. George Fleming Moore, 33, Sovereign Grand

Commander.

On calling the roll of officers and active members, the fol-

ing were present and answered to their names :

111.'. GEORGE FLEM ING MOORE Sov.'. Grand Commander

111.'. CHARLES E. ROSENBAUM Lieut-'- Grand Commander

111-'- JOHX A. RINER Grand Prior pro tempore

111-'- ERNEST P.. HCSSEV Grand Chancellor

111.". TREVANION W. HUGO Gr.'. Minister of State

ill- '-JOHN H. Cowi.es Secretary General

111-'- THOMAS J. SHRYOCK Treasurer General

111-'- Anoi.i'Hi'S .L. FITZGERALD Grand Almoner

111-'- SAMUEL P. COCHRAN Gr.'. Master of Ceremonies

111-'- JOHN F. MAYER Grand Chamberlain

111-'- HENRY C. ALVERSON First Grand Equerry

IB.". HORATIO C. PLUM LEY Second Grand Equerry

III-'. MEI.VII.I.E R. GRANT Grand Standard Bearer

2 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

111.". Philip S. Malcolm.

111.*. William P. Filmer

111.'. Perry W. Weidner.

Grand Sword Bearer

Los Angeles, Cal.

. . . . Savannah, Ga.

Grand Herald

111.-. Hyman W. Witcover

111.*. Daniel M. Hailey

111.'. Edward C. Day...

McAlester, Okla.

. . . Helena, Mont.

111.'. Garnett N. Morgan

111.'. Henry R. Evans, 33 Hon.'.. ..

111.'. William L. Boyden, 33 Hon."

Nashville, Tenn.

....Grand Tyler

Librarian

The Sov.'. Grand Commander announced that Sov.'. Grand

Inspector General Charles F. Buck, 33, Grand Prior, came on

to Washington for the purpose of attending the session of the

Council, but on account of his ill health and the advice of his

physician he had been obliged to return to his home in New

Orleans.

III.'. Bro.'. John Lloyd Thomas, 33, Active Member of the

Northern Supreme Council in New York, was introduced by

the Lieut.'. Grand Commander and cordially welcomed by the

Sov.'. Grand Commander, to which Brother Thomas replied in

a few happy and fitting words.

The following brethren were registered during the session :

Deputies of the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction

Richard H. Malone, 33 Hon." Colorado

Stirling Kerr, Jr., 33 Hon-' District of Columbia

Oun S. Wricht, 33 Hon." Florida

Marshall W. Wood, 33 Hon.' Idaho

Henry WallEn stein, 33 Hon." Kansas

Alexander G. Cochran, 33 Hon.' Missouri

Richard H. Hanna, 33 Hon.' New Mexico

David P. Byers, 33 Hon-' North Carolina

Chari.es S. Lobi.vgier, 33 Hon-' Philippine Islands

William F. LippiTT, 33 Hon.' Porto Rico

Edward Ashley, 33 Hon.' South Dakota

Fred C Schramm, 33 Hon.' Utah

Visitors

A.'. A.'. S.'. R.' ., Northern Supreme Council, U. S. A.

John Lloyd Thomas, 33 New York

Harry J. Guthrie, 33 Delaware

Henry L. Ballou, 33 Vermont

Samuel G. Cleaver. 33 Hon.' Delaware

SUPREME COUNCIL 3

Edward G. Walls, 33 Hon-' Delaware

George M. Moulton, 33 Hon-' Illinois

Charles H. Ramsay, 33 Hon.' Massachusetts

Clarence Blakelv, 32 Massachusetts

Henry B. Gorman, 14 Massachusetts

W. M. Macomber, 32 ' Massachusetts

Frank T. Lodge, 33 Hon.' Michigan

' Samuel Limerick, Jr., 33 Hon.' New Jersey

Frederick H. Schacht. 33 Hon-' New Jersey

David S. South, 33 Hon.' New Jersey

Henry S. Cowins, 32 New Jersey

Carl A. G. Frisius, 32 New Jersey

J. W. Lyman, 32 New Jersey

Ernest Wm. Bell, 32 New York

Alexander G. Davis, 32 New York

John Ralph, 32 New York

Winfield S. Rogers, 32 New York

Frank S. Zappula, 32 New York

O. W. Aldrich, 32 Ohio

E. E. Brown, 32 Ohio

J. E. Brown, 32 Hamilton, Out., Canada

Louis Hostetter, 33 Mexico City, Mexico

A.' . A.'. S.' . R.'., Southern Jurisdiction, U. S. A.

Alabama

Joseph Bowron, 33 Hon-'. H. R. de Holl, 32 K. C C. H.

John H. McCormick, 33 Hon.'. F B. Reiser. 32 R. C. C. H.

T. M. McMIillan, 33 Hon.'. Lew Lazarus, 32 R. C. C. H.

John H. Philips, 33 Hon.'. N. L. Mewhinney, 32 R. C. C. H.

Wm. J. Rushton, 33 Hon.'. M. T. Sprague, 32 R. C. C. H.

Robert S. Teague. 33 Hon.'. T. B. Leonard. 32

James S. Vance, 33 Hon.'.

Arizona

Harry A. Drachman, 33 Hon.". P. E. Howell, 32

Lee W. Mix, 32 R. C. C. H.

Arkansas

P. W. Crawford, 32 R. C. C. H. R. C. Bright, 32 R. C. C. H.

W. C. Bond, 32 R. C. C. H. M. W. Hardy, 32 R. C. C. H.

Army

William J. Mathews, 32 George Pulsifer, 32

Canal Zone

Lewis B. Bates, 32 James E. Jacob, 32

China

Archie W. Dunn, 32 Bjarne de Fine Juul, 32

4 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

Colorado

James R. Killian, 33 Hon.'. George J. Charpiot, 32

John M. Maxwell, 33 Hon.'. Leslie E. Hubbard, 32

W. A. Campbell, 32 K. C. C. H. Frank McLaughlin, 32

John R. Dixon, 32 K. C. C. H. . Louis D. Sweet, 32

District of Columbia

Samuel Aler, 33" Hon.'.

George W. Baird. 33 Hon.".

William L. Boyden, 33 Hon.'-

Allen Bussius, 33 Hon.'.

George E. Corson, 33 Hon-'-

Henry R. Evans. 33 Hon-'.

Louis Goldsmith, 33 Hon.'.

Samuel Hart. 33 Hon.'.

A. W. Kelley, 33 Hon.'.

John A. Lacy, 33 Hon.".

James Lansburgh, 33 Hon.".

James H. McIntosh, 33 Hon.'.

Elwood P. Morey, 33 Hon.'.

William O. Roome. 33 Hon.'.

Monie Sanger, 33 Hon.".

Francis A. Sebring, 33 Hon.'.

James E. Shepherd, 33 Hon-'.

L. Cabell Williamson, 33 Hon-'-

Sulaimaan Daavid, 32 K.CC.H

George R. Davis. 32 K..C. C. H.

Roe Fulkerson. 32 K. C. C. H.

H. P. McIntosh, 32 K.CC.H

Elmer E. Simpson. 32 K. C. C. H

Nathan Weill. 32 K. C. C. H.

J. C. Win-em.\n. 32 K. C. C. H.

Asher Ayres, 32

George A. Babcox, 32

F. E. Batchei.der, 32

C. E. Bittinger, 32

S C. Briggs, 32

W. D. Brown. 32

A. L. Colton, 32

Wm. Clise Corbett, 32

Arthur E. Dennison, 32

Mark F. Finley, 32

Joseph M. Furnas. 32

Albert A. Glaze, 32

Benj. Goldsworthy. 32

Samuel Gompers, 32

Charles H. Heyl, 32

Karl S. Kerr. 32

Harry G. Kimball, 32

W. H. Landvoigt, 32

Henry Lansburgh, 32

Robert M. McLuckie, 32

L. T. Paul, 32

Emanuel Rice, 32

L. Ray Nelson, 32

Frederick Schwab, 32

William W. Scott. 32

Mark Stearman, 32

Harry H. Thompson. 32

George H. Thorne. 32

George E. S. Williams, 32

Otis J. Eddy, 14

Florida

H. O. Snow, 32

Frank H. Thompson, 32

C T. Young, 32

Emil Bernstein, 33 Hon.".

Herbert Bradley, 33 Hon.'.

R. M. Sparkman, 32 K. C. C. H.

Charles H. Ketchum, 32

Georgia

Forrest Adair, 33 Hon.'. Edward P. King. 32 K. C. C. H.

Joseph C. Greenfield, 33 Hon.'. E. S. McCandlEss, 32 K.CC.H.

John L. Travis, 33 Hon-'. Chas. E. Robertson, 32 K.CC.H.

M. A. Weir, 33 Hon.'. Malcolm E. Turner, 32 K.C.C.H.

John L. Duncan, 32 K. C. C H. A. C. LeydEn, 32

SUPREME COUNCIL 5

Hawaii Territory

Walter R. Coombs. 32 K. C. C. H.

Idaho

Frederick V. Phinney, 33 Hon.'. Louis D. Schattner, 32 K. C. C. IT.

Iowa

Richard M. J. Coleman, 33 Hon.'. William Koch, 32 K. C. C. H.

Oscar J. Hoberg, 33 Hon-'. Francis R. Korns. 32 K. C. C. H.

George L. Schoonover. 33 Hon.'. F. W. Robinson. 32 K. C. C. H.

E. H. Biehford. 32 K. C. C. H. George H. Carter, 32

Edward R. Bladen, 32 K. C. C. H. John A. Fair, 18

Chas. M. Cathcart, 32 K. C. C. H.

Kansas

George D. Adams, 33 Hon.'.

Wm. L. Burdick, 33 Hon.'.

Evan Davis, 33 Hon-'.

Thos, G. Fitch, 33 Hon.'.

Isaac W. Gill, 33 Hon-'.

John B. House. 33 Hon.".

J. B. Kirk, 33 Hon-'.

Julius M. Liepman, 33 Hon-'-

L. M. Pen well, 33 Hon.'.

Frank A. Smith, 33 Hon.'.

James E. Thomas, 33 Hon.".

Marvin L. Truby, 33 Hon.".

C. A. Van Velzer, 33 Hon.".

S. J. Houston, 32 K. C. C. H.

Wm. E. Hutchison, 32 K. C. C. H.

Frank R. Spier. 32 K. C. C. H.

John M. Houston, 32

William M. Snyder. 32

Kentucky

Americvs Whedon, 33 Hon.'

John Manly, 32 K. C. C. H.

Gus D. Levy, 33 Hon.'.

Abraham L. Metz, 33 Hon-

L. E. Thomas, 33 Hon.'.

W. C. Sessions. 32 K. C. C. H.

W. P. Smith, 18

Louisiana

Wm. A. Briant, 32 K. C. C. H.

Joseph Sinai, 32 K. C. C. H.

Maryland

Wiluam H. Bordley, 33 Hon.'. Leander Schaidt, 32 K. C. C. H.

Charles C. Homer, Jr., 33 Hon-

Martin J. Kohn, 33 Hon-'-

William Mohr, 33 Hon.'.

S. M. Ottenheimer. 33 Hon.'.

J. Edw. Richardson. 33 Hon.'.

Warren S. Seipp, 33 Hon.'.

Arthur WallEnhorst, 33 Hon.'. William P. Rausch, 32

Wm. H. Parker, 32 K. C. C. H. Thomas J. Webber, 32

Wm. B. Price, 32 K. C. C. H.

Charles Bohn, 32

J. S. Cruikshank. 32

Jacob Goldsmith. 32

Henry Hellwig, 32

Charles F. HoFMEister, 32

John J. Kincaid, 32

6 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

Minnesota

Otto R. Fehlhaber, 33 Hon.'. T. G. Lee, 32 K. C. C. H.

Wm. E. Richardson, 33 Hon.". L. B. Pease, 32 K. C. C. H.

J. D. Denecre, 32 H. C. C. H. A. P. Cook, 32

J. P. Johnson, 32 K. C. C. H. William R. Rhodes, 32

N. P. Langford, 32 K. C. C. H.

Mississippi

E. H. Selby, 33 Hon.". Geo. C. Myers, 32 K. C. C. H.

R. F. Darrah, 32 K. C. C. H. F. V. Osborne, 32

Gabe Jacobson, 32 K. C. C. H. B. E. Eaton, 32

Missouri

C. H. Arcularius, 33 Hon.". H. S. Patrick, 32 K. C. C. H.

Nicholas M. Bell, 33 Hon.'. Robert A. May. 32 K. C. C. H.

Orlando P. Bloss, 33 Hon.'. John Pickard, 32 K. C. C. H.

Frank M. Cahill, 33 Hon.". John H. Miller, 32 K. C. C. H.

John Wm. Holtman, 33 Hon.". Geo. S. Murphy. 32 K. C. C. H.

F. F. Krenning, 33 Hon.'. Geo. A. Nees, 32 K. C. C H.

Jacob Lampert, 33 Hon.'. Frank W. Sansom, 32 K. C. C. H.

Claude Madison, 33 Hon.'. John E. Slater, 32 K. C. C. H.

Jesse L. Porter, 33 Hon.'. Lewis T. Tune, 32 K. C. C- H.

Orestes Mitchell, 33 Hon.'. W. S. Wittler, 32 K. C. C. H.

Louis Moller, 33 Hon.'. Thomas A. Buckland, 32

Thomas R. Morrow, 33 Hon-'. Frank B. Filley, 32

Hugo R. Volland, 33 Hon.". Louis C. Herchenroeder, 32

Jacob C. C. Waldeck, 33 Hon.'. Wm. J. Kennedy, 32

Alfred H. White. 33 Hon.". Joseph S. McIntyre, 32

Arthur L. Williams, 33 Hon.". Victor E. Rhodes, 32

C. W. Condie, 32 K. C. C. H. Charles L. Niemeier. 32

John R. Loosen, 32 K. C. C. H. Walter Wimmer, 32

A. J. O'Reilly, 32 K. C. C. H. Charles T. Burgess. 18

Montana

William C. Lamb, 32 Garfield B. Perier, 32

Nebraska

Fred D. Cornell, 33 Hon.'. H. A. Vaughan, 32 K. C. C. H.

Frank C. Patton, 33 Hon.". A. O. Bloedom, 32

F. J. Schaufei.bErger. 33 Hon.'. J. C. Harpham, 32

Edgar C. Snyder, 33 Hon.". J. H. Harpham, 14

New Mexico

James G. Fitch, 33 Hon.'. Edward R. Paul, 32 K. C. C. H.

A. A. Keen, 32 K. C. C. H. G. A. Riddle, 32

Jas. A. Massie, 32 K. C. C. H.

North Carolina

Thomas J. Harkins. 33 Hon.". Joseph 1\ Rhem. 33 Hon.'.

W. F. Randolph, 33 Hon.'. A. H. Cobb, 32 K. C. C. H.

SUPREME COUNCIL

D. S. Hamilton, 32 K. C. C. H.

Thos. A. Henry, 32 K. C. C. H.

H. T. Patterson. 32 K. C. C. H.

C. B. Newcomb, 32 K. C. C. H.

W. G. Rogers, 32 K. C. C. H.

A. B. Andrews, 32

Paul B. Bell, 32

A. D. Conner, 32"

A. J. Crampton, 32"

E. E. Graham, 32

F. M. Hahn, 32

A. S. Holden, 32

F. M. Holley, 32

Walter Liddell, 32

F. H. McCullough, 32

W. P. McGlanghan, 32

A. McG. Maupin, 32

Claude L. Pridgen, 32

Jos. H. Mitchell, 32

H. A. Murrill, 32

David Oestreicher, 32

Frederick G. Rose, 32

Elvie L. White, 32

J. M. Wood, 32

Edwin S. Wright, 32

North Dakota

Sylvester J. Hill, 33 Hon.". Alfred G. Arvold, 32 K. C. C. H.

Oklahoma

J. R. Abernathy, 33 Hon.'.

E. C. Barrows, 33 Hon-'.

F. A. Derr, 33 Hon.'.

0. L. Conner, 33 Hon.'.

Frederick Ehler, 33 Hon.".

C L. Reeder, 33 Hon.'.

William Noble, 33 Hon-'.

Wm. M. Sexson, 33 Hon.'.

Wm. H. P. Trudgeon, 33 Hon

G. T. Van Dall, 33 Hon.'.

Wm. M. Allison, 32 K. C C.

Orin Ashton, 32 K. C. C. H.

G. L. Benson, 32 K. C. C. H.

T. V. Doluns, 32 K. C. C. H.

A. C. Farmer, 32 K. C. C. H.

Wm. C. Field, 32 K. C. C. H.

T. B. Hinson, 32 K. C. C. H.

John A. Jones, 32 K. C. C. H.

Sol Lewis, 32 K. C. C. H.

H.

Eugene Rall, 32 K. C. C. H.

R. H. Sultan, 32 K. C. C. H.

Ross F. Terrell, 32 K. C. C. H.

D. D. Wertzberger, 32 K. C. C. H.

G. C. Alworth, 32 K. C. C. H.

R. E. Armstrong, 32

Wm. L. Bonnell, 32

Jacob E. Douglass, 32

Otto Featheringill, 32

Frederick W. Hall, 32

Otto J. Hellwig, 32

Roy M. Johnson, 32

Albert C. Markley, 32

J. D. Palmer, 32

Charles F. Robertson, 32

Charles C. Weith, 32

Thomas W. Whittaker, 32.

L. L. Wiles, 32

Michael A. Zelig, 32

Oregon

Robert W. Wilson, 32

Philippine Islands

Ernest B. Cook, 33 Hon.".

Wm. H. Taylor, 32 K. C. C. H

M. J. Hazelton, 32

H. G. Jordan, 32

South Carolina

W. W. Marquardt, 32

J. A.- Robertson, 32

Teodoro Yangco, 32

J C. Bissell, 32 K. C. C. H.

s TRANSACTIONS OF THE

South Dakota

Chas. N. Harris, 32 K. C. C. H. A. A. McDonald, 32 K. C. C. H.

Frank Herron, 32 K. C. C. H. George Philip. 32 K. C. C. H.

Tennessee

C. H. Burchpield, 33 Hon.'. E. M. Kelly, 32 K. C. C. H.

L. M. De Saussure, 32 K. C. C. H. A. G. Nichol, 32 K. C. C. H.

W. H. Finley, 32 K. C. C. H. R. E. Simpson, 32 K. C. C. H.

T. Graham Hall. 32 K. C. C. H.

Texas

E. G. Eberle, 33 Hon.". W. H. Mercer. 32 K. C. C. H.

C. A. Hotchkiss, 33 Hon.'. W. D. Cline, 32

Alvin V. Lane, 33 Hon.'. T. O. Coleman, 32

John L. Stephens. 33 Hon.'. H. W. Evans, 32

Mike H. Thomas, 33 Hon.'. Glenn A. Gray, 32

Wiley Blair, 32 K. C. C. H. J. E. Jarratt, 32

W. W. Boyce, 32 K. C. C. H. Blake Suratt. 32

J. W. McClendon, 32 K. C. C. H. William D. Syers, 32

A. C. McDaniel, 32 K. C. C. H. Jistin A. Paddleford. 30

Utah

J. H. Brow n, 33 Hon.'. S. D. Evans, 33 Hon-'.

Virginia

J. M. Ci.ift, 33 Hon-'. K. S. Cochran, 32

Jas. A. Richardson, 33 Hon.'. Preston O. Cockey, 32

P. E. Clift, 32 K. C. C. H. F. W. Latham, 32

W. S. Connelly. 32 K. C. C. H. George H. Lewis. 32

C. V. Schooler, 32 K. C. C. H. Arthur A. Paul, 32

Emmett Seaton, 32 K. C. C. H. Crawford McK. Nottingham. 32

L. B. Siegfried. 32 K. C. C. H. Horace Shepperson. 32

Roland Brinki.ey. 32 S. P. Sigovrney, 32

Washington

Elmer D. Olmsted, 33 Hon.'. George Govk. 32

John B. Anderson. 32

West Virginia

William E. Krlpp, 33 Hon.'. F. E. Cowl, 32

Lloyd E. Smith, 33 Hon.". Walter T. Eisensmith, 32

J. M. Crouch, 32 K. C. C. H. W. K. Frederick, 32

I. W. Copfman. 32 K. C. C. H. Robert S. Hickman, 32

R. M. Browne. 32 K. C. C. H. William C. McCord, 32

Ben E. Hamilton, 32 K. C. C. H. Thomas S. Meek, 32

W. T. Morris. 32 K. C. C. H. William Nisbum. 32

Edward L. Yager. 32 K. C. C. H.

The Supreme Council was then declared open in General Ses

sion and the Sow'. Grand Commander proceeded to read the

following :

SUPREME COUNCIL

ALLOCUTION

Brethren of the Supreme Council:

When three years ago we met in the "old Temple" our

Country was at peace with all the world. The greatest and

bloodiest war known to man was flagrant in Europe. Our

people not only hoped for continued peace in America, but

were ready to aid in securing it for all the nations of the

earth.

You then instructed me by resolution to offer my services

to the President of the United States * * * "to assist

in bringing peace out of the present deplorable condition

devastating the fair countries of Europe." You pledged

to the Sovereign Grand Commander your earnest "prayers

and support in the endeavor to make his efforts a success in

this great work."

When two years ago we met in this Temple our Govern

ment was striving to remain neutral in spite of the great

and gross indignities heaped upon it by the Imperial

German Government. I then reported to you that at

no time during the preceding year had the conditions

seemed opportune to offer my services to aid in bringing

peace to the suffering and horror-stricken nations.

But in December, 1916, President Wilson made certain

inquiries of the belligerent powers which seemed to promise

a trend toward peace, and I then promptly obeyed your

instructions and tendered to him my, and your, services in

accordance with the resolution. My letter to President

Wilson, of which you have had copies, was transmitted to

him through the kindness of Senator Oscar W. Underwood

of Alabama, a member of Birmingham Consistory. The

President's reply was as follows :

10 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

5 January, 1917.

My dear Mr. Moore:

Senator Underwood has handed me the letter you

were kind enough to send in obedience to the com

mission put upon you by the Supreme Council of the

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry

for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States to

offer your services to me to aid in bringing about

peace. I want you and those associated with you to

know how highly I appreciate the offer and how glad

I will be to avail myself of it if any proper occasion

should seem to present itself.

Cordially and sincerely yours,

(Signed) WOODROW WILSON.

Mr. George F. Moore,

Sovereign Grand Commander,

Washington, D. C.

Three months after the date of the President's letter to

me, he delivered to the Congress of the United States a

message declaring that a state of war existed between the

United States and the Imperial German Government. It

was one of the ablest state papers ever addressed by a Chief

Executive of a People to its Legislators. It will have a

high place in history, for it marks an epoch in International

Law, in the Ethics of Nations and in Human Government.

The Pope of Rome, (let us hope his motives are not tinged

with any desire to give partisan aid to Austria or Germany,

nor with any wish to restore his Temporal Power) recently

put out a plea for peace, which the President politely but

firmly rejected. The masterful manner in which the dis

approval was given must command the enthusiastic support

of every true American, no matter what may be his political

opinions or religious beliefs.

We are now at war with the Imperial German Govern

ment. It is no fault of our Government or of the people of

the Republic that we have been dragged into this bloody

struggle "but being in it we must bear it, that our enemies

may beware of us in the future."

SUPREME COUNCIL 11

|

You offered to President Wilson, by resolution, my ser

vices to aid in promoting the cause of Peace. Will you

not now offer your and my services to him in war? When

the Great Lights illumine our Lodge, Patriotism outshines

them all ! ! There was never a time in the history of our

Order when its lessons of Patriotism demanded more vigor

ous, forcible and persistent teaching.

Let us without divisions, without criticisms, without

bickerings, without "slacking", give to the President, to

his advisers, and especially to our soldiers and sailors the

best and noblest service of which we are capable. We are

pledged to this course by every obligation we have assumed

in Masonry.

The Flag of our Country never ceases to float in our

Temples, and our loyalty is pledged to it. Let us convert

teaching-patriotism into an active and positive force which

will assist our Country in carrying that Flag to victory

and thus securing for all time the welfare of the United

.States and the independence of the World.

The Supreme Council of this Jurisdiction, the Bodies

owing allegiance to it, and all our Brethren may, in many

ivays, render efficient service to our Country.

I will elsewhere in this Allocution direct your attention

to some of the modes in which we may be serviceable so

that if you deem it wise we may all "enlist" in the

American Masonic Service Corps.

IN MEMORAIM

"But trust that those we call the dead

Are breathers of an ampler day

For ever nobler ends."

Alphonso Chase Stewart, 33C

On the night of April the 22nd, 1916, the soul of our

Brother Alphonso Chase Stewart, freed from the ties that

bound it to his earthly body, passed over into the realms

12 - TRANSACTIONS OF THE

that lie beyond the "River of Death". We are told that

the great change came to him without warning; that sud

denly, while on a railway train, returning to his home

from an official visit to some of the Bodies of the Rite, he

fell unconscious, and without regaining it sank into the

sleep from which there is no awakening on this side the

veil.

I saw him only a few weeks before the end of his earth

life and he seemed then the very picture of health, his face

radiant -with good humor and with no suspicion of disease

or sickness lingering around or about him. And yet it well

may be that if he had chosen the time and manner of his

departure for the better world he would have prayed for

that very mode of departure.

Brother Alphonso Chase Stewart was born on the 27th

day of August, 1848, in Lebanon, Tennessee. He was of

distinguished ancestry. His father was a teacher and a

soldier. He was educated at West Point in the United

States Military Academy, and was, for a time, Acting As-

sistan^ Professor of Mathematics at West Point. He re

signed on May 31, 1845, to accept the chair of Mathematics

and Natural Experimental Philosophy at Cumberland

(Tennessee) University. At the beginning of the Civil

War he was appointed Brigadier-General, was promoted

to the rank of Major-General in 1863, and Lieutenant-

General in 1864. In 1868 he was elected Chancellor and

Professor of Mathematics in the University of Mississippi.

His son, Brother A. C. Stewart, was educated in the private

schools of Tennessee. During the Civil War he served for

a time in the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry, and also on the

staff of his father, General A. P. Stewart. He studied law

and was admitted to the Bar in 1867 and commenced the

practice of his profession in Saint Louis in 1873.

I was in Oklahoma when I learned of Brother Stewart's

death, and intended to send out the usual notice of his

death on my return to Washington, but on my return I

was taken sick en route and was confined to my room and

SUPREME COUNCIL 13

most of the time to my bed in the house -of our Brother

Garnett N. Morgan in Nashville, Tennessee. I hope it will

not be considered out of place for me to mention here the

kind and tender care which I received from Brother

Morgan and his good wife, and Doctor Crockett, of Van-

derbilt University, during my long illness.

After my return to Washington I wrote to Brother and

Doctor S. S. Stewart, 32, son of Brother A. C. Stewart,

giving him the reasons why the usual obituary notice had

not been sent out, and he kindly wrote that a tribute to

his father at a later date would be the more appreciated

because of the numerous testimonials that had already been

printed, thus serving to keep his father's memory in re

membrance.

Brother Stewart was raised to the Sublime Degree of

Master Mason in Occidental Lodge, No. 163, at Saint Louis,

Missouri ; was exalted to the Royal Arch Degree in Kil-

winning Chapter, No. 50, at Saint Louis, Missouri; be

came a member of Ivanhoe Commandery, No. 8, of Saint

Louis, Missouri, on July 27, 1876. He was made a Perfect

Elu in Saint Louis Lodge of Perfection, No. 1, on May 8,

1883 ; a Knight Rose Croix on March 26, 1888, by Saint

Louis Rose Croix Chapter, No. 1. He received the Degrees

of the Council in Missouri Council of Kadosh on March 28,

1888 : and on the 30th of the same month and in the same

year he became a member of Missouri Consistory, No. 1, of

Saint Louis, Missouri. He was elected a Knight Com

mander of the Court of Honor on October 19, 1892;

coroneted an Honorary Inspector General on October 19,

1893, by the Supreme Council ; and was crowned an Active

Member of this Body on October 23, 1909.

Brother Stewart held various offices in the several Bodies

of the Rite in Saint Louis and was for many years the

Deputy of Brother Martin Collins, 33, Sovereign Grand

Inspector General in the State of Missouri.

Brother Stewart was of affable and pleasant manners,

especially in fraternal and social associations, and was a

14 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

man of tine mind. He was devoted to principle and when

President of the Police Commission of Saint Louis caused

an investigation to be made of the Police Department which

resulted in the discharge of many officers for neglect of

duty or misconduct. Our Council suffered a serious loss

when he disappeared from among us. But we Freemasons

"do not believe that with death comes the Lethe of Oblivion,

but that we shall awake from that sleep and enter upon

another life which will be eternal. We may not say to the

souls of our Brethren 'Rest in Peace,' but rather 'continue

to progress toward those glories which it hath not entered

into the mind of man to conceive.' "

John William Morris, 33

Our ''Chain of Union" was again broken when our be

loved Brother John William Morris, our Treasurer-General,

departed this life on the night of Sunday, March 4, 1917,

at his residence in Wheeling, West Virginia.

In due time 1 sent out a somewhat extended printed

notice of our Brother, a copy of which I submit .herewith

and which it is, therefore, not necessary to repeat or to

reprint in this Allocution.

Permit me to call your attention to a departure from

the usual form of such notices which 1 made in speaking

of the passage of our Brother Morris from this life.

"Why should we dread death? Is it not for the Free

mason of the Scottish Rite to overcome it? Do we really

believe that death is a mere transition from one state of

our existence to another? Then, why grieve or be over

come with sorrow, save for the loss to ourselves when our

friends and our loved ones go from us to 'the other side

of life?' Why should we not act and govern our lives in

accordance with that belief? Why should we make the

passing out of the soul from the visible 1>ody an occasion

of not only the natural grief which we must feel but of

mourning and lamentation? Why should we dress in black

and surround ourselves with gloom when our friends enter

a happier world?"

SUPREME COUNCIL 15

Luther Wesley Blayney, 33 Hon.'.

On the 15th of May, 1917, I appointed and commissioned

Brother Luther Wesley Blayney, 33 Hon.'., Deputy of

the Supreme Council in the State of West Virginia.

Under date of May 21, 1917, Brother Blayney wrote me

a letter in which he said :

"I am at a loss to find language to express my deep

appreciation of the distinguished honor I have met

with at your hands and while the words will not come

that would adequately express my feelings I am sure

you will know that my heart is full and overflowing at

this moment.

"I hope that a kindly Providence will give me the

strength, the courage and the wisdom that will enable

me to fill this high office in the proper manner so that

our great fraternity in this State shall keep on moving

in the upward course that has marked it for so many

years."

On July 20, 1917, I received a brief telegram, saying:

"Luther W. Blayney died Friday morning at Battle

Creek, Michigan."

I quote the following from the notice of the death of

Brother Blayney which appeared in the August number

of the "Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Bulletin" of

Wheeling, West Virginia :

"An exceptionally sad incident in connection with

the death of Brother Blayney arose from the fact that

within an hour of his death and unaware of its happen

ing, Mrs. Blayney, accompanied by Mrs. Ennis, left

Wheeling for Battle Creek and upon their arrival

were met with the sad intelligence that it was too late.

"Members of the Masonic fraternity in Battle Creek

lent every assistance possible to the grief-stricken wife

and friends that were with her and the sad journey

home was completed on Sunday afternoon, a party of

local members meeting the train bearing the remains

at Zanesville, Ohio, returning with it to Wlieeling.

16 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

"Monday evening, July 23d, at the midnight hour

the solemn funeral service of the Knights Kadosh was

held in the Scottish Rite Cathedral at Wheeling by

Albert Pike Council No. 1. From all over the State

prominent members of the Rite were in attendance to

pay their tribute of respect and offer their condolences

to those who knew him best and loved him most.

''On Wednesday afternoon he was laid to rest in

the cemetery at West Alexander, Pa., by Wheeling

Lodge No. '5, A. F. & A. M., with Wheeling Com-

manclery No. 1, K. T., acting as escort, the services

being held from his late home at Roney's Point.

"Thus ended the life of a good man and true Mason.

A man of many parts, of many virtues and of little

fault. A man whose courage, whose integrity, whose

loyalty was never questioned. A man whose heart

was big and broad in keeping with his stature, which

bore no malice, harbored no evil, which opened out

to all mankind in charity and love."

The foregoing brief notice of our Brother does but scant

justice to the memory of a man who had the esteemnay,

the loveof the Brethren of the Rite who came into

contact with him.

He was for a long time the General Secretary of the

Coordinate Bodies of the Rite in Wheeling, and was thus

thrown into intimate connection with all the members of

the Rite in West Virginia, for there is only one Consistory

in the Jurisdiction. His devotion to our good Brother

John W. Morris, 33, the late Sovereign Grand Inspector

General in West Virginia, was a beautiful example of that

fraternal affection which is priceless in the eyes of all true

Masons.

Brother Blayney at the time of his death was Grand

Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar

of West Virginia, and with him Christian Knighthood

meant more than attending the meetings of the Com

mandery and the formal recital of a creed. It was his

endeavour to live the life of a true Mason, which in his

estimation was best exemplified by the teachings and the

work of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

SUPREME COUNCIL 17

Francis Joseph Woodman, 33 Hon.'.

Brother Francis Joseph Woodman, 33, Inspector Gen

eral Honorary, who was the Grand Tiler of this Supreme

Council, died at his residence in the City of Washington

on the 28th day of July, 1916. Brother Woodman was

born in Somersworth, New Hampshire, on August 7, 1851,

received his education at Phillips Academy, Exeter, N. H.,

and at Yale College; was graduated from Yale in 1876

and in 1879 obtained a position in the Pension Office at

Washington after a competitive examination ; was grad

uated from the George Washington Medical School and

was advanced to the position of Qualified Surgeon in the

Pension Office until his health compelled him to resign

early in 1916.

Brother Woodman was made a Master Mason in Adelphi

Lodge No. 63, of Fair Haven, Connecticut, on December

14, 1875, while still a student at Yale; affiliated with

Takoma Lodge, No. 29, and became its Master in 1896;

filled several of the chairs in the Grand Lodge of the

District of Columbia and was installed Grand Master of

Masons in the District in 1907 ; was Grand High Priest

of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter in the District of Colum

bia in 1909; was Eminent Commander and a charter mem

ber of Orient Commandery No. 5.

He was made a Perfect Elu in Mithras Lodge of Per

fection on December 16, 1884; a Knight Rose Croix on

October 18, 1885; a Knight Kadosh on August 4, 1886;

and a Master of the Royal Secret on August 7, 1886. He

received the rank and dignity of Knight Commander of

the Court of Honor on October 19, 1892, and was coroneted

an Inspector General Honorary on April 13, 1894.

Brother Woodman was Past President of the Convention

of High Priests; a member of the Royal Order of Scot

land, the Red Cross of Constantine and of Almas Temple,

A.A.O.N.M.S.

In civic associations he held an honorable place, for he

was a member of the Yale Alumni Association in the

District of Columbia Branch, a member of the D. K. E.

18 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

fraternity, the Sons of the American Revolution and the

Order of Washington. He was a member of Saint James

Protestant Episcopal Church and a lay reader.

I am indebted for these facts to the memorial notice

issued and sent out from the office of Brother Stirling

Kerr, Jr., 33 Hon.'., Deputy of the Supreme Council in

the District of Columbia.

I became acquainted with Brother Woodman when he

was one of the physicians of Brother Albert Pike, while

the latter was confined to his room in his last illness. His

devotion to General Pike attracted me to him and never

at any time during the many years that elapsed did I

cease to feel for him a sincere friendship.

He will be remembered by many members of this Council

for his zeal and attention to the duties of his office of

Grand Tiler of this Supreme Concil, for he was punctual

and attentive to his duties and seemed to take much pride-

in filling the office, although he had been the recipient of

so many compliments and congratulations at the hands of

his associates in other societies.

He served his Country well ; was an honored and re

spected Mason ; an efficient officer of this Body ; and we

doubt not that he has reaped the reward of a conscientious

performance of duty, in that realm of light and love pre

pared for those "upon whom God smiles."

DECEASED ACTIVE MEMBERS

Foreign Jurisdictions

I have received notices of the death of the following

Active members of Foreign Jurisdictions :

AMERICA

United StatesNorthern Jurisdiction

111.'. Bro.'. Newton Darlin Arnold, 33 Died Aug. 13, 1916

SUPREME COUNCIL 19

111.'. Bro.". George Wilkins Guthrie, 33 Died Mar. 8, 1917

111.*. Bro.*. Roscoe Orlando Hawkins, 33

Died Sept. 24, 1915

111.". Bro.". George Washington Kendrick, 33

Died Feb. 26, 1916

111.". Bro.'. Abraham Tolles Metcalf, 33 Died Oct. 28, 1916

111.". Bro.". Marsh Olin Perkins, 33. . . Died Feb. 10, 1916

III.". Bro.". Stephen Smith, 33 Died Nov. 1, 1916

CANADA

111.". Bro.". William Marshall Black, 33 Died May 11, 1917

111.'. Bro.'. James Kirkpatrick Kerr, 33 Died Dec. 4,1916

COLONCUBA

111.". Bro.". Manuel S. Castellanos, 33. Died Jan. 6, 19L6

111.". Bro.". Jose F. Pellon, 33 Died July 3,1916

IRELAND

111.'. Bro.'. William J. Chetwode Crawley, 33

Grand Chancellor Died Mar. 13, 1916

111.'. Bro.". Robert John Hilton, 33. . . Died July 16, 1916

Grand Captain of the Guards

ITALY.

111.". Bro.'. Saverio Fera, 33 Died December 29, 1915

Sovereign Grand Commander

It has been the custom to print in the Allocution of the

Sovereign Grand Commander, the names of our Honorary

Members who have died during the period between the

Regular Sessions of the Supreme Council. The Secretary

General has sent to the Chairman of the Committee on

Obituaries the notices of the death of all the Brethren of

our own Council who have joined the higher Lodge during

the previous two years and no doubt the Report of that

Committee will make suitable mention of them and pay

appreciative tribute to their memory.

20 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

The old Latin adage was "tempera mutantur et nos

iinitaniiir in illis" (Times change and we change with them).

Times hare changed in, and with, the Scottish Rite of

Freemasonry. When the custom of sending out these

notices, and wearing mourning badges of the prescribed

colors on the death of Brethren Active or Honorary of the

Thirty-third degree began, the Rite was small in member

ship and it seems to me that these observances had a mean

ing which today they lack by reason of the great increase

in the numbers of our members. Two Active Members of

the Council have passed away during the two years. If

the old rule were followed the badge of mourning would

have been worn during two, four or six months, according

to the edict of the Sovereign Grand Commander.

In some of our Jurisdictions the reunions are held not

more than twice in each year and by the time the Sovereign

Grand Commander's Memorial notice reaches the ears of

the Brethren of the subordinate bodies, it has lost the

interest that would have attended a newspaper notice ap

pearing at the time of the brother's decease.

Unless objection is made to such a course I will omit the

requirement for wearing the badge of mourning for ninety,

sixty or thirty days on the death of an Active or Honorary

Member of the Supreme Council and will not require the

Altar to be draped in mourning, for it can in many juris

dictions serve no purpose, as there will be no reunion ex

cept at long intervals of time. In other jurisdictions, how

ever, it will be proper to drape the altar and wear the

badge of mourning, for meetings are held often enough to

give some effect to the reception of Memorial Notices.

I submit the subject for such consideration and action

as you may deem proper.

SUPREME COUNCIL 21

II.

The Crowning of Brother John Alden Riner

On October 22, 191.5, John Alden Riner, 33 Hon.'., of

Cheyenne, Wyoming, was nominated by the Sovereign

Grand Commander for Sovereign Grand Inspector General

in the State of Wyoming, and was elected on the same day.

Brother Riner was not in Washington at the time of his

election and on the evening of October 23, 1915, the follow

ing resolution, offered by Inspector Hussey, was adopted:

"Resolved, That the Grand Commander be author

ized and at his earliest convenience to crown John

Alden Riner, 33 Elect, as Sovereign Grand Inspector

General in Wyoming."

Brother Riner was, and is, United States District Judge

in the State of Wyoming, and in consequence of his duties

could not come to Washington to be crowned until the 10th

day of February, 1916. On that day I crowned Brother

Riner as Sovereign Grand Inspector General, Active Mem

ber of the Supreme Council, in and for the State of

Wyoming. I notified the Secretary General on the same

day that the State of Wyoming was "thus organized by

his election, under the Statutes, as a Jurisdiction under

the General Jurisdiction of this Supreme Council." I

also requested the Secretary General to have this informa

tion inserted in the Transactions of the Supreme Council

for the Regular Biennial Session of 1915. It will con

sequently be found recorded in page 236 of the Transac

tions for 1915.

THE BURNS COLLECTION

In my Allocution delivered on October 18, 1915, I gave

a brief statement of the conditions under which The Burns

Collection, formerly the property of our Brother William

R. Smith, of Washington, D. C., would be turned over to

22 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

our Supreme Council, to be used for the benefit of the

public. I had received a letter from Senator Blair Lee,

Chairman of the Sub-committee of the Trustees, saying

that :

"The following are the main points to be covered,

according to Mr. Theodore Noyes, another of the

Trustees :

1st. Can the collection be housed at the Temple

and be open fully and unreservedly to the general

public, non-Masons as well as Masons?

2nd. Can the collection be kept together as a

whole under the care of the Librarian of the

Temple under conditions of housing and inscrip

tions which will do honor both to Burns and

W. R. Smith?"

I submit herewith for reference to the proper Committee,

letters and reports relating to this Collection and its ac

ceptance by us for the purposes of the trust created by the

will of Brother Smith.

The following extracts from a report made by Senator

Lee, Chairman of the Sub-committee of the Trustees, to

gether with a recent letter from George H. Lamar, Esquire,

Secretary and Attorney for the Estate, will sufficiently

show the present condition of this welcome addition to the

attractiveness of our House of the Temple. Senator Lee

says in his report :

"The present Sovereign Grand Commander, Honor

able George F. Moore, took up the matter where his

predecessor had left off ; and from that day until the

present, Grand Commander Moore and his associates

on the Committee of the Supreme Council have ex

hibited a hearty spirit of cooperation with your Com

mittee in the premises, and have afforded your Com

mittee every opportunity for an investigation, not only

of the internal construction of the building and the

plans for its operation, but also of the powers of the

corporation under its charter to provide the facilities

SUPREME COUNCIL 23

for carrying out the terms of the trust reposed by the

will, either directly as transferee of the trust or as an

agency of the Board of Trustees.

''Your Committee has several times visited this

beautiful and impressive Temple of the Supreme

Council of the Thirty-third and Last Degree of the

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States,

located in the City of Washington, on Sixteenth

Street, Northwest, both before and since its recent

substantial completion ; and has been shown by the

Sovereign Grand Commander and the Librarian the

room immediately under the office of the Sovereign

Grand Commander where it is proposed to locate the

Smith-Burnsiana. There were other apartments in

this structure indicated as equally available, but your

Committee preferred that first mentioned, and feel

sure that its recommendation in this regard will be

followed in the event arrangements between the

Trustees under the will and the Supreme Council in

respect to the Collection are fully consummated.

"In addition to the uniform courtesy of the present

Sovereign Grand Commander to your Committee, he

has shown the greatest sympathy with the purposes

of the will of Mr. Smith, and has indicated the willing

ness of the Council to accept the trust and house the

Smith-Burnsiana in a separate room with public access

and generally to carry out the trust contained in the

will, and your Committee believes that, agreeably to

the terms of the will itself, this trust may be trans

ferred to the eleemosynary corporation which owns

and controls the Scottish Rite Temple.

"Your Committee has examined the charter, being

an Act of Congress entitled, 'An Act to incorporate

the Supreme Council of the Thirty-third Degree of

Scottish Rite Masonry for the Southern Jurisdiction

of the United States,' approved March 13, 1896, and

believes that the corporation incorporated under this

Act has the power to assume and administer the trust

reposed by the will on the Trustees, either directly or

as an agency of the Trustees, as may be ultimately

decided to be most appropriate ; and your Committee

has no doubt that all the terms of the trust under the

will would be faithfully and scrupulously observed

and carried out by the Supreme Council.

24 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

"Wherefore it is earnestly recommended that the

Trustees shall transfer the trust in them vested by the

will of the late William R. Smith to the Supreme

Council of the Thirty-third Degree of Scottish Rite

Masonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United

States, a corporation incorporated under the laws of

the United States, and duly deliver the subject matter

of the trust, upon receipt of such appropriate evi

dences of the assumption of the trust as the Local

Committee of the Trustees of which you are Chair

man may deem appropriate to require."

The following statement or report by members of the

Board of Trustees is submitted to you in this form because

of its excellent form and contents and because it seems to

me that it should be preserved in this Allocution :

"The proposition to house the Smith-Burnsiana in

the Scottish Rite Temple has these merits :

"(1) It meets Mr. Smith's 'main purpose and

intent to have preserved intact' this collection.

"(2) The collection can there 'be properly

placed and arranged and kept open under such

regulations as will freely admit the public,' as

Mr. Smith desired.

"(3) Promise is given of the possible fulfill

ment of Mr. Smith's 'earnest hope' that the

Burns collection might 'prove the nucleus of a

Scottish Memorial * * * in Washington,'

and there is practical certainty of its enlarge

ment as a Burns Memorial.

"Mr. Smith was a Scottish Rite Mason. Burns, the

poet of the common people, was also the poet of

Masonry. A powerful and enduring organization will

with interest and affection preserve intact the Smith-

Burnsiana, open to the public, and in a separate room.

There is ample room in the Scottish Rite Temple and

there is a sympathetic disposition in the Scottish Rite

officials to enlarge and develop the Burnsiana in ac

cordance with the spirit of Mr. Smith's wishes.

"This Committee recommends to the Trustees that

the plan of housing the Smith-Burnsiana in the Scottish

SUPREME COUNCIL 25

Rite Temple be adopted, and that the Trustees shall

transfer the trust vested in them by the will of the

late William R. Smith to the Supreme Council of the

Thirty-third Degree of Scottish Rite Masonry for the

Southern Jurisdiction of the United States."

(Signed) THEODORE W. NOYES, Chairman.

BLAIR LEE,

THOS. NELSON PAGE,

ALBERT DOUGLAS,

CHARLES C. MARBURY,

OLIVER G. RICKETSON.

(Signed) GEORGE H. LAMAR,

Secretary.

It is only necessary for me to add that Mr. Lamar in his

letter to me says :

"As I understand it, what remains to be done,

would seem to be to have prepared and executed the

more formal transfer and have the proper authorities

0"? your Order make appropriate acceptance thereof."

The transfer and acceptance must, of course, be author

ized by a resolution of this Supreme Council, drawn in

proper legal form, to make the transfer and arrangements

effective.

I will not attempt now to call attention to the Collection

nor to Burns as a poet or as a Freemason. When the

Collection is received by our Supreme Council, properly

housed in the House of the Temple, and the books arranged,

displayed and in condition for the use of the public in

accordance with such rules as may be necessary to protect

and preserve it, it should be a part of our plan in making

it useful and accessible to have prepared a brief biography

of the donor, Brother William R. Smith, and this together

with a catalogue of the Collection should be printed at as

early a date as practicable after the Collection has been,

taken over by the Supreme Council.

26 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

The following letter was received after the foregoing

pages were written and in type. Coming from Mr. Noyes,

it is very pleasing to me to insert it in this Allocution,

and to inform you that it has been confirmed in a personal

interview with its writer which I was fortunate enough to

have a few days ago.

THE EVENING STAR

WASHINGTON, D. C.

October 1, 1917.

Dear Mr. Moore:

I have recently returned to the city and have just read

your letter to Mr, Lamar about the Smith-Burnsiana

and his replies. Supplementing what Mr. Lamar says

about the approval of the trustees of the project to

house the Smith-Burnsiana in the Scottish Rite Temple,

I will add that this approval by the trustees is unani

mous and enthusiastic. If I can be of service in ex

plaining further the action and attitude of the trustees

or can aid in any way your presentation of the matter

to the Supreme Council, let me know. * * *

Yours sincerely,

THEODORE W. NOYES.

The trustees under Mr. Smith's will who, as Mr. Noyes,

chairman of the local committee, reports, have thus ap

proved the transfer to the Supreme Council of the Smith-

Burnsiana are as follows : Andrew Carnegie, chairman ;

T. W. Noyes, Blair Lee, James Wilson, Champ Clark, David

Hutcheson, Thomas Nelson Page, Albert Douglas, Oliver

G. Ricketson, Charles C. Marbury, and John Barrett.

SUPREME COUNCIL 27

EXEMPTION FROM TAXATION

At the Session of 1915 the Committee on Jurisprudence

and Legislation submitted to you the following resolutions

which were adopted, viz :

"Resolved, That the Supreme Council approves the

efforts made and action taken by the Sovereign Grand

Commander to obtain a release from assessment and

exemption from payment of taxes on the property of

the Supreme Council.

"Resolved further, That should the effort now being

made to obtain relief in this respect from the Board of

Equalization of the District of Columbia prove un

successful, the Sovereign Grand Commander is hereby

instructed to institute such legal proceedings as may

be right and proper to achieve the result."

After a long delay, for which he was not responsible, the

Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia announced

that he did not agree with the position taken in the printed

brief filed by me with the Board of Equalization in that

the property of the Supreme Council is exempt from taxa

tion.

It is his opinion that even our personal property is not

exempt from taxation.

Under such circumstances any further negotiation with

reference to the matter seemed to me to be entirely useless,

and I then employed L. Cabell Williams, Esq., of

Washington City, who has frequently represented the inter

ests of the Supreme Council during the past years, to

institute such legal proceedings "as may be right and

proper" to secure an exemption of the property of the

Supreme Council from taxation.

He has filed a bill in equity which raises the question as

to our right to have the property of the Supreme Council

exempted. Much time was lost in endeavoring to make an

agreement with the counsel on the other side in the effort

to save costs of suit and to expedite the decision of the

28 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

cause which is now pending in the courts of the District

of Columbia on the equity docket.

It still seems to me that under the Acts of Congress the

property of this Supreme Council ought to be, and is.

exempt from the payment of taxes.

If the decisions of the lower court is adverse to the claims

of the Supreme Council for exemption, I recommend that

an "appeal" be taken from the decision of the District

Court to the Congress of the United States asking the law-

making power of the country to deal fairly and justly with

us and amend the Act of Congress giving us a charter as a

fraternal and benevolent corporation so as to exempt the

property of the Supreme Council from the assessment and

payment of taxes on the grounds set forth in the printed

brief which I submitted with my Allocution of 1915, as well

as for other good and sufficient reasons which seem to me

to exist.

We cannot, of course, foresee what the court will decide.

This is beyond conjecture.

I knew a witty Judge who said with great irreverence

that "there were two things the Almighty could not fore

tell, and these were a woman's will and the verdict of a

petit jury!" A bystander remarked, "and the opinions

of the courts are about as uncertain."

THE SETTLEMENT WITH THE LOCAL BODIES

OF THE RITE

At the Session of 1915 the Committee on Jurisprudence

and Legislation submitted a report in relation to the settle

ment between the Supreme Council and the Bodies of the

Rite located in the Valley of Washington, Orient of the

District of Columbia. This report contained a resolution

whereby and whereunder the Sovereign Grand Commander

was authorized to enter into

"a contract or arrangement with the Local Scottish

Rite Bodies, through their proper legal representa

SUPREME COUNCIL 29

lives, for the purpose of making a final settlement of

all differences and claims or counter-claims growing

out of or in any respect connected with the transac

tion regarding the purchase by the Local Bodies of

the property of the Supreme Council at the corner of

Third and E Streets, Northwest, in the City of Wash

ington, and the occupancy of the same by the said

Supreme Council by mutual quit claim, each of the

contracting parties agreeing that any and all obliga

tions of any kind whatsoever existing against either

party be satisfied and extinguished."

An instrument was drawn for my signature shortly after

the adjournment of the Session of the Supreme Council,

but as it did not conform to the resolution, which I have

just set out, it was not signed.

The proper quit claims have now been executed and

placed in the hands of the Secretary General of the Supreme

Council and the Trustees of the Local Bodies and the trans

action has been 'closed in accordance with the resolution

and the intent of both the Supreme Council and the Local

Bodies of the Rite.

I submit to you a report from L. Cabell Williamson, Esq..

on both the preceding subjects.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM AND TO OTHER

SUPREME COUNCILS

In my allocution delivered in October, 1915, (Transac

tions of 1915, page 135) I called your attention to the fact

that the system of appointing "Representatives From and

To Other Supreme Councils" had failed to produce any

useful or even interesting results, and made suggestions

intended to secure some improvements in it.

The subject was referred to the Committee on Foreign

Relations (Transactions of 1915, page 151), and was re

ported on the next day by it (Transactions of 1915, page

209). The Committee recommended that the "present

system" be continued ; that vacancies be filled as soon as

30 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

practicable ; that the duties of such Representatives be

defined in accordance with the suggestions of the Sovereign

Grand Commander in his allocution, and "requested the

Committee on Jurisprudence to prepare a Resolution defin

ing the duties of such Representatives to accord with the

recommendations suggested in the allocution of the Sov

ereign Grand Commander".

In the same allocution I directed your attention to certain

modes of procedure in cases dealing with requests for

charity by societies or individuals and sent out broadcast

asking for charity or fraternal assistance. I also submitted

to you a statement resulting from correspondence on the

subject between the Grand Commanders of the Northern

and Southern Councils of the United States (Transactions

of 1915, page 137). This subject was also referred to the

Committee on Foreign Relations (Transactions of 1915,

page 151). The Committee reported on the latter subject

as follows :

"As to the modes of procedure in the cases of re

quests for charity referred to in the Allocution of the

Grand Commander, we recommend the adoption of

such regulations as are indicated in the statement

resulting from the correspondence between the Grand

Commanders of the Northern and Southern Supreme

Councils of the United States and that the Committee

on Jurisprudence be requested to prepare resolutions

covering the same." (Transactions of 1915, page 209.)

These resolutions were not prepared nor submitted to the

Supreme Council during its Session. But instead of taking

action then, Inspector General Stewart, a member of the

Committee on Foreign Relations and a member of the Com

mittee on Jurisprudence, offered a resolution which was

adopted, providing:

"That the Committee on Jurisprudence and Legis

lation be and it hereby is authorized to prepare the

resolutions referred to in the report of the Committee

on Foreign Relations, defining the duties of the rep

SUPREME COUNCIL 31

resentatives of our Supreme Council to other Supreme

Councils and of the representatives of other Supreme

Councils to our own and in regard to the modes of

procedure in the cases of requests for charity referred

to in the Allocution of the Grand Commander after

this session of this Supreme Council shall adjourn and

submit the same to the Grand Commander, and that

if the same be approved by him he is hereby authorized

to take a mail vote by letter on the adoption thereof

and if adopted by a majority of the votes cast in favor

thereof declare such resolutions adopted and have the

same incorporated in the minutes of this meeting."

(Transactions of 1915, page 210.)

During December, 1915, our Secretary General delivered

to me resolutions which bore the signature of the members

of the Committee on Jurisprudence and Legislation defin

ing the duties of "Representatives From and To Other

Supreme Councils". But they were not accompanied by

the resolutions providing the mode of procedure in appeals

for charity, which the Committee had been requested to

prepare by the Committee on Foreign Relations.

I wrote the Chairman of the Committee asking why the

other resolutions had not been prepared and he replied

that he thought the subject was covered by the adoption of

the amendment to Section 11 of Article II of the Statutes,

and adding that he thought the propositions as to the mode

of procedure was "rather vague".

In reply to a letter on the same subject Brother Stewart

said :

"I don't know why Brother Buck did not propose

resolutions 'in regard to the modes of procedure in the

cases of requests for charity', etc. He wrote me he had

a letter from Brother Cowles requesting the resolu

tions and asked me for information on same. I gave

it to him as best I could from memory and mentioned

both subjectsduties of representatives and requests

for charity. Subsequently he sent me a copy of reso

lutions defining the duties of representatives which he

asked me to re-write and which I did and as I under

32 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

stood from him afterwards, to his perfect satisfaction,

hut I have never heard anything further from him

in regard to the subject and not at all with respect

to cases of requests for charity."

I did not, and do not, think that the subject of appeals

for charity of the nature described in the Allocution (Trans

actions of 1915, page 137) was covered by the amendment

of Section 11 of Article II of the Statutes, and the resolu

tion of Brother Stewart provided that the resolution on

both subjects should be submitted to the Grand Commander,

and if approved by him he was authorized to take a letter

vote upon them.

Strictly speaking, there was only one vote to be taken,

namely, that on both sets of resolutions.

The resolutions on the mode of procedure in cases of

requests for charity of the nature described in the allocu

tion have never been prepared or submitted to me.

In a letter to me, however, the Chairman of the Com

mittee on Jurisprudence said that if I thought another set

of resolutions was necessary and would give him some ideas

he would frame them, but as I had already in the allocu

tion given a statement which was drawn by my Illustrious

Brother Barton Smith, 33, M.'.P.'. Sovereign Grand Com

mander of the Supreme Council for the Northern Masonic

Jurisdiction of the United States, which seemed to me to be

specific and clear, it did not seem necessary to add anything

to what was contained in them and in the allocution.

There was another and, to me, potent reason why I did

not insist upon the other set of resolutions and did not

send them out for a letter vote in vacation.

I have sent out only two such letter votes during the pre

ceding two years and the experiences in both cases were

"unhappy" ones for the Sovereign Grand Commander.

In the first instance a simple amendment to a statute was

proposed, and while all the Active Members but one voted

in favor of it, the Brother who cast the negative ballot

expressed himself in such terms in his letter to me, that

while it did not change my opinion as to the power of the

SUPREME COUNCIL 33

Supreme Council to amend its Statutes in vacation he

did raise the question that it is a violation of our obligations

to do so, thus presenting a very unpleasant issue.

In the other case the vote resulted in a division of ten

to ten and there was one Brother who would not or did not

cast his vote. I did not myself express any opinion on the

question, nor did I vote, and yet the experience was not a

pleasant one.

In view of these incidents, as I was not required or even

requested to take the letter vote in vacation I came to the

conclusion that it was far better to let both subjects wait

until the present Session of the Supreme Council when

they can both be fully discussed and such action taken as

may be deemed wise by the Supreme Council in its Regular

Biennial Session. The delay has not in any wise affected

the interests of the Rite at home or abroad. The reasons

which have prompted the delay in appointments of Repre

sentatives, and in requesting other Supreme Councils to

appoint Representatives to our Council, will be given else

where in this Address.

I again submit to you these two subjects, which were dis

cussed in divisions XIX and XX of the Sovereign Grand

Commander's Allocution of 1915. The discussion of them

is found on pages 135, 136 and 137 of the Transactions of

the Supreme Council for the year 1915.

I also submit to you the resolutions drawn by the Com

mittee on Jurisprudence and Legislation defining the duties

of "Representatives From and To Other Supreme Coun

cils".

THE PUBLICATION OF GRAND COMMANDER

PIKE'S IRANO-ARYAN THEOSOPHY

During the Session of 1915, Inspector Fitzgerald offered

the following resolution, which was adopted :

"Resolved, That the Supreme Council, under the

direction of the Grand Commander, at the earliest

34 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

possible moment, publish the great work of former

Grand Commander Albert Pike, to wit : 'Irano-Aryan

Theosophy and Doctrine as contained in the Zend

Avesta'." '

The manuscript of the work to which the resolution

refers is contained in three large bound volumes, each of

which contains about seven hundred pages, or about twenty-

one hundred pages in all. The manuscript was all written

by Brother Pike with his own quill pen, and so far as I

have found is without blur, or an interlineation or a cor

rection in any line or word. But those who are familiar

with the hand-writing of the author of the volumes know

that it is not an easy task to read it.

It would have been necessary to have had it copied by

some competent typist, for personally I would not be willing

to entrust this manuscript to the tender mercies of any

publisher or printer. In order to prepare the manuscript

for the publisher it is necessary to have it edited by some

one who is an authority on the Indo-Iranian language and

literature, and who is at the same time an instructed and

interested Mason who would do the work in a sympathetic

spirit. I knew, and know, only of one such man, Professor

A. V. Williams Jackson. Professor Jackson, who holds

the chair of Indo-Iranian Languages in Columbia Univer

sity in New York City, is a Mason whom I know per

sonally, for I attended a course of his lectures on the

History and Literature of India some five or six years ago,

and he ranks among the highest, if he is not the very

ablest scholar in his department in the World.

When I requested him to undertake the editorship of

the "Indo-Aryan Theosophy and Doctrine as Contained

in the Zend Avesta," I expected, of course, that it would

be necessary to offer him adequate compensation for his

labors, but our negotiations did not go to that extent. He

wrote me that :

"I am in the vortex of a maelstrom of work, just

now. Nor does there seem the chance of buffeting out,

SUPREME COUNCIL 35

till the sweep changes. So do please understand

from an over-burdened worker that I can not take

up the matter of editing our Brother-Mason's manu

script."

The resolution did not call for any appropriation for

copying the manuscript, nor for the work of editing the

volumes, nor for seeing them through the press. The

Finance Committee did not make any appropriation for

the purpose.

In addition to what I have said in regard to the copying

of the manuscript and the work of editing the volumes, the

cost of publishing and printing books has steadily in

creased ever since the Session of the Council of 1915 up to

the present time.

Under these conditions it seemed to me that it was wise

to postpone the publication of the Indo-Aryan Theosophy

until after the present Session of the Council, and if you

still wish to have the manuscript printed, provision should

be made for copying the manuscript, for compensation for

an editor, and for a publication in such form and in such

binding as will make it a credit to its author and to this

Body over which he presided for so many years.

I may mention, however, another fact, that this work

of Brother Pike is not the greatest among his manuscripts,

nor that which should be published first by the Supreme

Council. His translation of the Vedas from the Sanskrit

was a work to which he gave many of the latest weeks and

months of his life. I had many conversations with him

in regard to it and its value and importance were known

to the publishers of books many years ago.

Shortly after the death of Grand Commander Pike, while

on a visit to New York City, I was urged by a celebrated

publisher of that day to try to induce this Supreme Council

to publish that really great work.

This gentleman, who was not a Mason, asked me why we

did not publish Albert Pike's translation of the Vedas. I

replied, jestingly, that we "were too poor to pay the ex

36 TRANSACTIONS OF

penses of such a publication." Thinking that I was speak

ing in earnest, he said : "it would not cost more than ten

thousand dollars" and, he added, "that he had no doubt

that if it were properly edited and published in good style

every library of any standing in the World would buy a

copy, and that the cost could thus be reduced to a very

small amount; that the book would be a monument to the

learning and industry of Albert Pike and to the liberality

of the Supreme Council over which he had presided."

I submit the facts for your consideration.

The publication of the book, "Indo-Aryan Theosophy",

would cost, according to the prices that have prevailed from

the time when it would have been possible to publish it

after the Session of our Supreme Council, I am informed,

about four thousand dollars.

VISITING FOREIGN SUPREME COUNCILS

Sovereign Grand Inspector General Sam P. Cochran, at

the Session of 1915 of the Supreme Council (Transactions

of 1915, page 231) offered a resolution providing:

''That the Grand Commander be and is hereby re

quested and directed to enter into correspondence with

other Supreme Councils with a view to arranging for

fraternal visitations by the officers and members of

our Supreme Council and members of the Rite to

other Supreme Councils for the purpose of promoting

closer fraternal relations, a better understanding of

our purposes and intention:?, a more uniform system

of work and the advancement of the great objects of

the Rite."

There have been only three Supreme Councils with whom

such visits might have been exchanged at any time since

the Supreme Council adjourned, namely, the Supreme

Council for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the

United States, the Supreme Council for the Dominion of

Canada, and the Supreme Council of Colon, at Havana,

Cuba.

SUPREME COUNCIL 37

Your Sovereign Grand Commander visited the Session

of the Supreme Council for the. Northern Masonic Juris

diction of the United States, held in Pittsburgh during

September, 1916, the session of the Supreme Council held

in New York on September 20, 1917, and that of the Supreme

Council for the Dominion of Canada, held in October, 191j6.

Our Secretary General accompanied me on the visit to

the Northern Supreme Council at Pittsburgh, but none of

our members accompanied me to Montreal.

1 entered into correspondence with our Brethren of the

Supreme Council of Colon at Havana and arranged for a

visit to that Body in company with several members of the

Supreme Council. The Brethren of that Jurisdiction were

anxious to have us visit them and their communications

were expressed in the most cordial and fraternal terms.

But as the time which had been fixed for the visit ap

proached, the Brethren who had promised to go "backed

out" for one reason or another until I found myself prac

tically alone or at most with only one member of the Su

preme Council to accompany me.

It was clear that such a visit would not conform to the

intent of the resolution, and the trip was abandoned.

I hope that during January or February of 1918 such a

visit to the Supreme Council of Colon may be made by the

Sovereign Grand Commander in accordance with this reso

lution and that he may be accompanied by enough Active

Members of the Supreme Council and Honorary Members

and Brethren of the Rite to make the occasion one of bene

fit and encouragement to our Brethren of the Island of

Cuba.

I have now the promise of more than one Active Member

of the Council that if such a visit should be made to

Havana about the date suggested they will go. I hope

others will see their way clear to get away from business

long enough to make the journey.

I have stated elsewhere some of the difficulties which

attend correspondence with Supreme Councils. If the

38 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

duties of Representatives are defined in such a way that

the Sovereign Grand Commander may be advised of con

ditions in Foreign Jurisdictions by them we can then rely

upon our Representatives to arrange for such visits and at

the same time greatly facilitate the work of Scottish Rite

Masonry throughout the World.

The pages of the Transactions of the Session of 1915

show that the Sovereign Grand Commander was authorized :

1. To crown Brother John Alden Riner as Sovereign

Grand Inspector General in and for the State of

Wyoming.

2. To continue the effort to secure the Burns Collection.

3. To begin suit in court for the exemption of the

property of the Supreme Council from assessment

and from the payment of taxes.

4. To settle all claims between the Supreme Council

and the Bodies of the Rite in the District of

Columbia.

5. To send out a vote on the proposition as to the duties

of Representatives From and To other Supreme

Councils and such a vote,

6. To regulate appeals for charity.

7. To publish the Indo-Aryan Theosophy of the Zend

Avesta by Grand Commander Pike.

8. To visit other Supreme Councils as indicated in the

resolution of this Supreme Council.

The foregoing pages, from 21 to 38 both inclusive, are a

report of the action and decision of the Sovereign Grand

Commander in each and all of the matters which were thus

referred to him.

SUPREME COUNCH. 39

THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF

ADMINISTRATION

Our Statutes and our Ritual have for many years pro

vided for a Council of Administration, composed of the

first nine officers of the Supreme Council. It possesses

and may exercise in vacation all the powers and authority

of the Supreme Council, except for the election of Active

and Honorary Members.

Sovereign Grand Commander Pike stated in his Allocu

tion recommending the creation of this Council of Admin

istration that the Sovereign Grand Commander, availing

himself of the counsel and advice of these dignitaries

"might be reasonably expected not often to err," and

thought that "what might be done and determined by this

Council of Administration or Executive Council would

possess quite another weight and authority than if done

or determined by himself alone."

The Deputy of the Supreme Council in the State of

Colorado granted Letters Temporary to four new Bodies

of the Rite in the City of Denver and notified me of his

action. About the same time that I received the letter

giving me this information, I received a communication

giving me a copy of an opinion which had been asked for

by the Presiding Officer of one of the old Bodies, or

"Number 1 Bodies", in Denver, in which the power of the

Grand Commander to appoint Deputies of the Supreme

Council was denied. This opinion, while utterly incorrect,

in my judgment, framed in bad taste to use no harsher

expression, put the Sovereign Grand Commander in the

attitude of passing upon his own powers to appoint

Deputies of the Supreme Council in a State such as

Colorado. I deemed it, therefore, improper to become, as

it were, a Judge in my own case, and determined on that

account and for the purpose of at the same time bringing

other questions before the Council of Administration to

call it to meet in Duluth, Minnesota, on August 6, 1917.

40 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

The time and place were fixed so as to meet the convenience

of the greatest number of the members of the Council,

as well as for the Brethren of Colorado, who were interested

in the hearing and decision of the question of the continu

ance of the "Bodies No. 2" under Letters Temporary

issued by Brother Malone.

The Council of Administration met in the City of

Ouluth in the Masonic Temple on the morning of August

6, 1917. There were present the Lieutenant Grand Com

mander, Brother Charles E. Roscnbaum ; the Grand Chan

cellor, Brother Ernest B. Hussey; the Grand Minister of

State, Brother T. W. Hugo ; the Secretary General, Brother

John H. Cowles ; the Treasurer General, Brother Thomas J.

Shryock ; the Grand Almoner, Brother A. L. Fitzgerald ;

the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Brother Sam P. Cochran ;

and the Sovereign Grand Commandereight of the mem

bers of the Council of Administration. The Grand Prior,

Brother Charles F. Buck, was not able to come on account

of sickness.

Brother Cowles was requested by me to act as Secretary

of the Council and to keep a record of the proceedings. He

did so and I herewith submit the record made by the

Secretary General, which he turned over to me after the

Session of the Council of Administration.

I prepared and submitted to the Body a lengthy state

ment of the questions to be submitted to it.

The first subject to which I called their attention was

the granting of Letters Temporary by Brother Richard H.

Malone, 33 Hon.'., Deputy of the Supreme Council in

the State of Colorado, for another set of Bodies of the

Rite in Denver, briefly termed "the Number 2 Bodies"

The "No. 1 Bodies" appointed a committee who met me

in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on my Western trip and called

to my attention a protest and appeal against the action of

the Deputy in issuing Letters Temporary for the "No. 2

Bodies" which had reached me in California at about the

time I was leaving that Jurisdiction.

SUPREME COUNCIL 41

This protest and appeal formed the basis of the contro

versy in the Council of Administration. The two sets of

Bodies were there represented by counsel and the greater

part of two days was given to the hearing and discussion

of the condition of the Rite in Colorado and the policy

and propriety of the action of the Deputy in creating the

new set of Bodies.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Council of Ad

ministration discussed the condition of affairs of the Rite

in Colorado and unanimously adopted the following reso

lutions proposed by the Grand Chancellor, Brother Ernest

B. Hussey, namely :

"Resolved, That the action of the Sovereign Grand

Commander, prior and subsequent to the issue of

Letters Temporary by the Deputy of the Supreme

Council instituting Bodies No. 2, in the City of Denver,

Colorado, be and are hereby approved ;

"Resolved, That the Council of Administration here

by recommends that the Sovereign Grand Commander

continue such Letters Temporary, subject to the action

of the Supreme Council at its next Biennial Session."

The second subject to which I called the attention of the

Council of Administration grew out of the refusal of our

Secretary General to pay a bill presented by the Architect

of the Temple which had been passed upon by the Executive

Committee on the Building, and approved by it for pay

ment.

After a full discussion of the subject by Brothers Rosen-

baum, Witcover and Cochran, members of the Executive

Committee on the Building, and by Brother Cowles, the

following resolution was adopted, all of the Council voting

in the affirmative on the proposition except Brother Cowles,

who voted "no" :

"Resolved, That the action of the Executive Com

mittee in allowing John Russell Pope, Architect,

$17,211.40 for services in the erection and finishing

42 TRANSACTIONS OF THE

the House of the Temple be approved and the Secre

tary General is directed to issue voucher for same,

which will be in full settlement for his services."

On the 12th of July, 1917, in accordance with an invita

tion sent out by 'Honorable Herbert C. Hoover, I attended

a meeting of the fraternal societies of the United States

to consult with reference to the work of the food conserva

tion of the United States. I was present at this conference

and the meeting after resolutions had been adopted.

It was suggested to the meeting by Mr. George A. Cullen,

who presided at the meeting, that some one should be chosen

to represent the fraternal orders there assembled. On

motion of Mr. Davis of the Loyal Order of Moose I was

unanimously selected and asked to occupy a place in Mr.

Hoover's office and give all such time and attention to the

matter as I found it practicable to devote to it.

I made several visits to the office of Mr. Hoover, but

owing to the unsettled condition of the food bill before

the United States Congress at that time, and to other

matters, they were not ready for me, so that on the 23d

day of July, I wrote Mr. Cullen a note telling him that I

had called the "Executive Council" of the Scottish Rite

of Freemasonry to meet in Duluth on August 6, 1917, and

sent him a copy of some Resolutions which I had prepared

asking him please to read them over and if they seemed

to be wise and proper "to O.K." them and return the same

to me so that I might proceed with the work so far as our

own fraternity was concerned.

I submitted the Resolutions to the Council of Administra

tion after Mr. Cullen had returned them with his approval.

They were as follows :

"