The Arcana of Freemasonry (1915) - The Masonic Trowel

22 THE ARCANA OF FREEMASONRY
" Mushroom Grand Lodge," as the late Bro. W. J.
Hughan described it, was as inglorious as that of
its parent.
FORMIDABLE RIVAL
The fourth Grand Lodge was the only real
rival of the Premier Grand Lodge. It was con-
stituted on July 17th, 1 75 1, at the Turk's Head
Tavern, Greek Street, Soho, London, as
"
The
Grand Lodge of England, according to the Old
Institutions." Its members were designated
"Ancients," while those of the body from which
it had seceded were known as
'
Moderns." The
"
Ancients
'
were also spoken of as
"
Athol
Masons," they having
elected the third Duke of
Athol as their first Grand Master in 1772, his
son succeeding to the office at his death. Two
reasons are offered for the founding of the new
Grand Lodge. One is that the Regular Grand
Lodge adopted severe measures against recalci-
trant and impecunious Lodges. The other is that
it introduced innovations in the customs of the
Craft which were particularly objected to by the
operative section. "The new body," wrote
the late Bro. W. J. Hughan in his intro-
duction to the monumental work of his friend,
the late Bro. John Lane,
'
Masonic Records,
and in a few
1 7 17-1894," "became very popular,
years was no mean competitor ; its prototype and