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

414 KNIGHTS
KNIGHTS
Dr . Mackey held, therefore, that the compromise
resolution of 1859 still remains in
force ; that even if the Grand Encampment
had the right to repeal it, which he did not
admit it never has enacted any such re al ;
that the old Commanderies have the right to
wear the old black uniform, and that the legislation
of 1862 was intended only to affect the
new Commanderies which had been established
since the year 1859, when the first dress
lation was adopted .
t would scarcely be proper to close this
article on Masonic Templarism without some
reference to a philological controversy which
has recently arisen among the members of the
Order in the United States in reference to the
question whether the proper title in the plural
is "Knights Templars" or "Knights Templar
." This subject was first brought to the
attention of the Order by the introduction, in
the session of the Grand Encampment in 1871,
of the following resolutions by Sir Knight
Charles F . Stansbury, of Washington City .
"Resolved, That the proper title of the
Templar Order is `Knights Templars,' and
not `Knights Templar,' as now commonly
used under the sanction of the example of this
Grand Encampment .
"Resolved, That the use of the term
`Knights Templar' is an innovation, in violation
of historic truth, literary usage, and the
philology and grammar of the English lan-
TThis~report was referred to a committee,
who reported "that this Grand Encampment
has no authority to determine questions of
'historic truth, literary usage and the philology
and grammar of the English language' " ;
and they asked to be discharged from the further
consideration of the subject. This report
is not very creditable to the committee,
and puts a very low estimate on the character
of the Grand Encampment . Certainly, it is
the duty of every body of men to inquire
whether the documents issued under their
name are in violation of these principles, and
if so, to correct the error . If a layman
habitually writes bad English, it shows that he
is illiterate ; and the committee should have
sought to preserve the Grand Encampment
from a similar charge . It should have investigated
the subject, which to scholars is of
more importance than they seemed to consider
it ; they should have defended the
Grand Encampment in the use of the term,
or have recommended its abandonment .
Moreover the Grand Recorder reports that
on examination he finds that the title Knights
Tern piers was always used until 1856, when it
was changed to K nights Templar; and the
committee should have inquired by whose authority
the change was made . But having
failed to grapple with the question of good
English, the Craft afterward took the subject
up, and a long discussion ensued in the different
Masonic journals, resulting at last in
the expression, by the beat scholars of the
Order, of the opinion that Knights Templars
was correct, because it was in accordance with
the rules of good English, and in unexceptional
agreement with the usage of all literary men
who have written on the subject.
Bro . Stansbury, in an article on this
question which he ublished in Mackey's
National Freemason (., 191), has almost exhausted
the subject of authority and grammatical
usage . He says : " That it is an innovation
in violation of historic truth is
proved by reference to all historical authorities.
I have made diligent researches in the
Congressional Library, and have invoked the
aid of all my friends who were likely to be able
to assist me in such an investigation, and so
far from finding any conflict of authority on
the question, I have never been able to discover
a single historical authority in favor of
any other title than `Knights Templars .'
"I refer to the following list of authorities :
Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana,
Chambers's Encyclopedia, London Encyclopedia,
Encyclopedia Metropolitana, Penny
Cyclopedia Cottage Cyclopedia, Rees's Cyclopedia,Wade'sBritishChronology,
Blair's Chronological
Tables, Chambers's Miscellany (Crusades),
Chambers's Book of Days, Addison's
Knights Templars, Pantalogia, Boutelle's Heraldry,
Hallam's Middle Ages, Lingard's History
of England; Glossographia Anglicana
Nova, 1707 ; Blackstone's Commentaries, vol .
i ., p. 406 ; Appleton's Cyclopedia of Biography
(Molai) ; Townsend's Calendar of Knights,
London 1828 ; Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History
(ed . 1832), vol. ii., p . 481 ; Dugdale's
Monasticon Anglicanum v ol. vi ., p . 813 ;
Hayden's Dictionary of bates ; Becton's Dictionary
of Universal Information; Burne's
Sketch of the History of the Knights Templars ;
Laurie's History of Freemasonry ; Taffe's History
of Knights of Malta ; London Freemasons'
Magazine; Sutherland's Achievements of
Knights of Malta; Clark's History of Knighthood;
Ashmole's History of the Order of the
Garter; Turner's England in the Middle Ages;
Brande's Encyclopedia ; Tanner's Notitia
Monastica, 1744, pp. 307-310 .
"These will, perhaps, suffice to show what,
in the opinion of historical authorities, is the
proper title of the Order . In all of them, the
term 'Knights Templars' is the only one employed
.
"They might, perhaps, be sufficient also on
the question of literary usage ; but on that
point I refer, in addition, to the following :
"London Quarterly Review, 1829, p. 608 .
Article : 'History of the Knights Templars .'
"Edinburgh Review, October, 1806, p . 196.
Review of M. Renouard's work, Les Templiers
.
"Eclectic Review 1842, p . 189. Review of
the History of the Knights Templars, the
Temple Church, and the Temple, by Chas. G.
Addison. The running title is History of the
Knights Tern piers .
"Retrospective Review, 1821, vol. iv. p. 250 .
Review of the History of the Templars, by'
Nicholas Gaulterius, Amsterdam 1703. The
running title is History of the kN414; Ternplars.