Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

306 GRAND
GRAND
the Grand Chapter, and did not precede it as
that of Grand M asters did the Grand Lodges,
he possesses no inherent prerogatives, but
those only which are derived from and delegated
to him by the Constitution of the Grand
Chapter and regulations formed under it for
the government of Royal Arch Masonry .
Grand Inquiring Commander. The
Sixty-sixth Degree of the Rite of Mizraim .
Grand Inspector, Inquisitor Commander.
The Thirty-first Degree of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. It is
not an historical degree, but simply a judicial
power of the higher degrees . The place of
meeting is called a Supreme Tribunal. The
decorations are white, and the presiding officer
is styled Most Perfect President . The jewel
of the degree is a Teutonic cross of silver attached
to white watered ribbon .
Grand Lodge. A Grand Lodge is the dogmatic
and administrative authority of Ancient
Craft Masonry, or the three Symbolic degrees
. It is defined in the Regulations of
1721 as "consisting of and formed by the
Masters and Wardens of all the regular Lodges
upon record, with the Grand Master at their
head and his Deputy on his left hand, and
the (errand Wardens in their proper places."
(Constitutions, 1723, p . 61 .) This definition
refers to a very modern organization, for of
Grand Lodges thus constituted we have no
written evidence previous to the year 1717,
when Freemasonry was revived in England .
Previous to that time the administrative authority
of the Craft was exercised by a General
Assembly of the Masons of a jurisdiction
which met annually . (See Assembly .) The
true history of Grand Lodges commences,
therefore, from what has been called the era of
the revival.
In 1716, four old Lodges in London, determined,
if possible, to revive the Institution
from its depressed state, and accordingly they
met in February, 1717, at the Apple-Tree
Tavern (whose name has thus been rendered
famous for all time) ; and after placing the
oldest Master Mason, who was the Master of
a Lodge, in the chair they constituted themselves
into a Grand Lodge, and forthw th
" revived the quarterly communications of the
officers of Lodges (call'd the Grand Lodge) ."
(Constitutions, 1738, p . 109 .) On the following
St . John the Baptist's Day, the Grand
Lodge was duly organized, and Mr . Anthony
Sayer was elected Grand Master, who appointed
his Wardens, and commanded the
Masters and Wardens of Lodges to meet the
Grand Officers every quarter in communication
. From that time Grand Lodges have been
uninterruptedly held ; receiving, however, at
different periods, various modifications .
A Grand Lodge is invested with power and
authority over all the Craft within its jurisdiction
. It is the Supreme Court of Appeal in
all Masonic cases, and to its decrees implicit
obedience must be paid by every Lodge and
every Mason situated within its control . The
government of Grand Lodges is, therefore,
completely despotic. While a Grand Lodge
exists, its edicts must be respected and obeyed
without examination by its subordinate
Lodges.
This autocratic power of a Grand Lodge
is based upon a principle of expediency, and
derived from the fundamental law established
at the organization of Grand Lodges in the
beginning of the last century . In so large a
body as the Craft, it is absolutely necessary
that there should be a supreme controlling
body to protect the Institution from anarchy,
and none could be more conveniently selected
than one which, by its representative character,
is, or ought to be, composed of the united
wisdom, prudence, and experience of all the
subordinate Lodges under its obedience ; so
that the voice of the Grand Lodge is nothing
else than the voice of the Craft expressed by
their representatives. Hence the twelfth of
the General Regulations declares that "the
Grand Lodge consists of, and is formed by, the
Masters and Wardens of all the particular
Lodges upon record." (Constitutions, 1738,
p. 158 .)
So careful has the Institution been to preserve
the dogmatic and autocratic power of
the Grand Lodge, that all elected Masters
are required, at the time of their installation,
to make the following declaration :
"You agree to hold in veneration the original
rulers and patrons of the Order of Freemasonry,
and their regular successors, supreme
and subordinate, according to their stations ;
and to submit to the awards and resolutions
of your brethren in general Lodge convened,
in every case, consistent with the Constitutions
of the Order.
"You promise to pay homage to the Grand
Master for the time being, and to his officers
when duly installed, and strictly to conform to
every edict of the Grand Lodge ."
The organization of new Grand Lodges in
America has followed that adopted, in essential
particulars, by the four Lodges which established
the Grand Lodge of . England in
1717. When it is desired to organize a Grand
Lodge, three or more legally constituted
Lodges, working in any State, territory, or
other independent political division, where no
Grand Lodge already exists, may meet in convention,
adopt by-laws, elect officers, and organize
a Grand Lodge . The Lodges within its
jurisdiction then surrender their Warrants of
constitution to the Grand Lodges from which
they respectively had received them, and accept
others from the newly organized Grand
Lodge, which thenceforward exercises all
Masonic jurisdiction over the State in which
it has been organized .
A Grand Lodge thus organized consists of
the Masters and Wardens of all the Lodges
under its jurisdiction, and such Past Masters
as may enroll themselves or be elected as
members. Past Masters are not, however,
members of the Grand . Lodge by inherent
right, but only by courtesy, and no Past Mas-
ter can remain a member of the Grand Lodge
unless he is attached to some subordinate
Lodge in its jurisdiction .