A D RE D SS .

COM PA N I ON S OF G RA N D COU N CI L

We are permitted by the favor of a kind Providence to meet again in

Annual Conclave . History is ever repeating itself

We see the same sights our fathers have seen , W the t e live same lives , we drink the same s ream

The song and the tear , the smile and the dirge ,

Still follow each other, surge upon surge . 3 115 the wink of an eye to the bier and the shroud Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud $ “ The ancient Grecian oracle said , Honor the chiefs of the country , ” the dead who dwell beneath the earth . We miss the genial greeting and hearty hand - grasp of two loved and honored Past Grand Sovereigns — l $ of this Grand Council John Llewe lyn oung, J . Frank Knight . To think of them as dead seems like the painful recollection of a dreadful dream , from the horror of which there has been a rude awakening . And li yet we should not call them dead , for we be eve that the vital essence , th e spirit , has risen to the higher and purer life , where those who have gained immortality cannot die any more , for they are like unto the angels . I ‘ had known these Companions for many years , and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to say that the record of our friendship bears no disfigurement of a single unpleasant word or act . The presence of death in our midst must bring to the minds of all of us thoughts of the uncer

- tainty of the present life . To day we may be happy in the full bloom of

- health . To morrow may find us robed in the garments of the grave .

Far wiser than we are , the ancients were , when , even at their feasts , they c ’ pla ed a chair where Death s grim skeleton sat mute and motionless , to r call the mind to other thoughts than those of evelry . $ I 18 2 Past Grand Sovereign John Llewellyn oung was born August 5, 3 , 18 x 8 . and died September 7 , 9 He was made a Mason in Phoeni Lodge , of t 20 18 18 l his city , September , 49 , and in 55 he became its Worshipfu

Master . He was interested in the various organizations connected with ' ithfid elit the Masonic fraternity , and served the craft w y and zeal in the f l ‘ o ficia positions to which he was elevated by his brethren. He was w l his e l o honored ith the dignity of eadership , not only in Lodg , but a s

n . 188 in Chapter, Council , Commandery and Co clave In 4 he was made

o - r - an H norary Inspector Gene al , Thirty third Degree of the Ancient I m r 1 Accepted Scottish Rite of Free ason y . In 888 he became Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Pennsyl i one 1 1 vania , occupying that high stat on for the term of year . In 87 he n t was made a Knight of the Order of Red Cross of Co stan ine . He e assist d in the organization of this Grand Council , and served as Grand 18 2 18 as o 18 18 6 Senior General from 7 to 7 4 ; Grand Vicer y in 7 5 and 7 , 1 and as Grand Sovereign in 87 7 . In the Sovereign Grand Council of 18 the United States he was elected Deputy Grand Master in 7 9 , and served as such uninterruptedly until the hand of Death removed him h $ from our midst . Sir Knig t oung had real kindness of heart , and was o a faithful friend . He had faults , like the rest of us , but they were ver

shadowed by strong virtues . When misunderstandings came in his way , he was always ready to throw them aside with the extended right hand

of reconciliation and fraternal love . There was more true love in his f . nature than , , perhaps , most people gave him the credit o possessing l ar All of us wil miss his genial presence , kindly smile and w m welcome .

Past Grand Sovereign J . Frank Knight passed to the higher life

18 0 . January 9 , 9 l 18 mu s He was born Apri 7 , 3 4, and thus Death took him fro in the

full bloom of vigorous manhood . He first saw Masonic light in Keystone $ ll th . a e Lodge of this city Like Sir Knight oung, he explored fields of

Masonic thought and life , and filled the highest stations in Lodge ,

Chapter, Council , Commandery and Conclave .

I n 188 - l h - 5 he was made an Honorary Inspector Genera , T irty third R . 18 Degree , of the Ancient Accepted Scottish ite of Freemasonry In 7 5 ‘

he was admitted to the Order of Red Cross of Constantine . In this Grand Council he served as Grand Chancellor in 1882 ; as Gr and Pre late in 1883 as Grand Junior General in 1884 ; as Grand Senior General

188 i 1886 G rand ~ Soverei n 188 in 5; as Grand V ceroy in ; and as g in 7 . He was a true Freemason ; a student of the craft ; well versed in the

' history , literature and symbolism of the Mystic Art ; a thorough crafts

Tlze Ke s/one h . s man , whom his brethren loved to honor y of t i city said ,

. n of him The loss of Bro Knight to the Fraternity is exceedi gly great . His unusual efficiency in all of the numerous Masonic stationswhich he d u had fille , and was filling , was only eq aled by his modesty. There was no worker in the Craft more intelligent or more conscientious than h ' w . t eLibr he as Everywhere he will be missed , especially on ary Com

mittee . H e w a d of the Grand Lodge as a gentleman n a scholar, a lover 3 of books and many are the hours and the days he devoted to the Library c of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania , in the enlargement and efficien y $ of which he took the greatest pride . ‘ A ll of the members of this G rand Council can bear testimony to his faithful and efficient performance of duty , and to the high sense of honor ‘ ri w as not which characterized his conduct . His f endship poisoned with

w as . deceit ; it pure , true , honest He had great force of will , and yet he

~

mod e st en ial arrd c om n ionab le . was tender, sympathetic , ; g m He was deeply beloved by those who knew him best . He was faithful to every a h trust , industrious , painst king , always accomplis ing great results , and yet he did his work with the gentleness and quiet dignity that marks the course through the heavens of the life - giving sun whose worth we value most when it has passed beyond our sight . Something has gone from nature since he died . Nothing has occurred during the past year to disturb the peaceful relations we have hitherto held with our Sister Grand Councils . Our Subordinate Conclaves continue to maintain the state of harmony t e that has always characterized hem . P ace reigns everywhere within the limits of our j urisdiction .

When I - assumed the duties of Grand Sovereign it was my purpose to n u visit all the places where Conclaves had bee established nder the , authority of this Grand Council but my plans were broken by the iron

' afiliction sufi er hand of , which led to the grave , through long months of ing , my eldest son , whom I had hoped would follow me in my love for

nr him: Freemaso y ; but , instead , I shall follow I However , have been enabled to visit the following points in the Al . : o l State , where Conclaves were established , viz lent wn , Be lefonte , r di Bloomsburg, Columbia , Corry , Harrisbu g , Rea ng and Towanda . $6 $6 96 96 96 96 96

Having made some researches in relation to the history of our Order, will i $ I present certa n facts , as brie y as possible , presuming that they will not be uninteresting to you . The i e dist nguish d Sir Bernard Burke , of England , in the introduction “ ” to his Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour , e r marks , The desire to possess honorary distinctions has shown itself in various shapes , from very remote times , and among nations strangely dissimilar ; and to be able to wear them on the person as evidence of some articular c i p qualifi ation in the ind vidual , or acknowledgment of ‘ a has import nt service rendered by him to his country , been an obj ect of human ambition almost fromtime \ The date of the institution of the Order of Red Cross of Constantine r “ is uncertain . Sir Berna d Burke , referring to the Order , says , This to Order lays claim the earliest antiquity . Tradition asserts that it was 4

“ e C s i r s institut d under on tant ne the Great, while sober histo y a signs its 1 0 n f 1 . origin to the year 9 , givi g as its ounder , the Eastern Emperor, n o Isaac A gelus Comnenus , who lent to it the name of C nstantine , (the ' l Comnenus race professed to derive their descent from him) , and a so that “

. . l of St George , its patron saint The ru es were formed after those of St . u so Basilius , and the Order rapidly acq ired many members that it was

c to l n c - found ne essary estab ish , in all parts of Christe dom , Vi ar Generals

to mana e its c w hichincreased from*d a g oncerns and possessions , y to day ‘ by the legacies of one hundred crowns which every Knight was bound r i . to bequeath to t The members were divided into secula and spiritual , i and ‘ d i nitaries etc . and these again nto officials g (Grand Priors , Priors , )

and into Knights . The candidates were originally bound to prove their l l ' nob e descent through four generations ; but , after the repu se of the

i a i r Comnen by the Turks , they beg n to traffic with the Order for pecun a y l purposes , granting it to any one who was ab e to pay for it , without 16 regard to birth , rank or station , until 99 , when the last scion of the w ho race , lived at Parma , and was childless , sold the dignity of Grand I ” ’ Master to Duke Francis . , of Parma , of the house of Farnese . (Burke s “ ” o 1 Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Hon ur , pp . 7 9 , d w The late Robert Wentworth Little , of Englan , ell known as an “ 1 1 0 able and earnest Masonic student , said of our Order, From 9 to 16 99 , the Grand Mastership of the Order of Red Cross of Constantine in was vested the Comnenian family , who were considered to be m r the lineal descendants of Constantine . The last embe of that l family , Andrew Ange us Flavius Comnenus , titular Prince of Mace D riv asto r donia and Duke of , , pretended to assign his he editary n rights as Grand Master to Francis Farnese , the then reigni g Duke

' of Parma . The Grand Crosses of the Order , one of whom was é e the Abb Giustiniani , continued , however , to exercise their privileg w of conferring the Red Cross upon worthy men , and e are , in all é w ho e probability , indebted to the learned Abb , was long attach d to

f x . the Venetian embassy in London , or the e istence of the Order in a England . It is beyond dispute that the members of the English br nch i n during the e ghteenth century were men of high positio in society , and

of eminence in the Masonic Order ; though , like the Knights Templar, we are unable to say positively when the Order was restricted to Free

1 88 Shirreff u 10 masons . In 7 , under Maj or Charles , of Whitch rch , Sa p , ’ several distinguished brethren of the Mystic tie (officers of the Grand ' w ames H es ltin G . e e a Lodge of England) ere admitted , viz , J , r nd Treas

r r v . u e ; William White , Grand Secretary ; John Allen, Pro Grand Master P f or G . Lancaster ; and James Galloway , ast Junior rand Warden I n 1 6 Rancliffe n w 7 9 , Lord , Gra d Master of the Templars , as

a the O . 180 lso head of the Red Cross and other chivalric rders In 4, his Lordship was succeeded as Grand Master of the Knights (Red Cross) by l W an Wal er Rodwell right , Provincial Gr d Master (Grand Lodge of m h England) for the Ionian Islands , a ost distinguis ed Mason , and a the personal friend of the Dukes of Kent and Sussex . On referring to minutes of the Red Cross Order , we find that the meetings were held at ’ ” The the Freemasons Tavern , London . Grand Lodge of England met at the same place . (Statutes of the Order of Red Cross of Constan i t ne , London , é w The Abb Giustiniani , referred to by Bro . RobertWent orth Little , is also “ mentioned in connection with the Order of Constantine in An Accurate ” Historical Account of all the Orders of Knighthood , published in “ é London , England , about a century ago , viz . , The Abb Giustiniani , who entitled himself a Knight and Grand Cross of the Order , asserted ”

16 2 . at Venice , in 9 , that it is the most ancient of all others ’ Bro . Jeremiah How, of England , in his Freemason s Manual , says : Few degrees have so won upon the Masonic Craft as those con ’ n ct d e e with the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine . About a dozen years ago it was scarcely known , save to students of our ancient history unless indeed it was erroneously classed with the Red Cross of Babylon .

1 0 Con clav es w orkin (1 Nowthere are about 5 , g under the authority ofthe Gran

Imperial Conclave of England , and many Grand Councils have been ” “ The revival oc c ured formed under its auspices . of the Degrees in thiswise : The Red Cross of Rome and Constantine was given by Maj or

Shirreff 1 80 Charles and others from about 7 , and was patronized during n the last century by Brothers James Heseltine (Grand Secretary , Gra d 1 6 — 1 8 1 86 Lodge of England , 7 9 7 4 , and Grand Treasurer , 7 William S 1 8 White (Grand ecretary, Grand Lodge of England , 7 4 and

- Ran cliffe 1 6 other well known Masons . Lord was Grand Master in 7 9 , as

a ri lso of the Knights Templar, and was succeeded by Judge Waller W ght

180 ; a t in 4 (Prov Grand Master of the Ionian Islands for many years) , f er

H . which H . R . , the Duke of Sussex , was installed as Grand Master for ’ an d during his natural life . In proof of these facts we have but to point

t e - to h Records of the Society for this period , which are still , happily , pre ” served . Brother William Henry White (who succeeded G d his father as rand Secretary of the Grand Lo ge of England , and filled the office until the year 18 57 ) was entrusted with this Red Cross Degre e

1 180 . on the 3 th March , 9 The signature as Grand

H . . . th Master by H R , the Duke of Sussex , is carefully treasured by e 2 2 d 18 1 present authorities , bearing date November , 3 , being a resolu ’ tion of the High Council , approved by their illustrious Grand Master . h The MS . Ritual of the ceremony observed on the installation of t e

lat l d i v Duke of Sussex as G . M e y sco ered amongst certain papers in l the Grand Lodge , has been duly forwarded to the Grand Imperia 6

’ “ ’

l f . c . l . so . 20 20 8 Counci or ustody (How s Freema n s Manua , pp 7 , ,

London , The Duke of Sussex w as Grand Master of the Order of Red C ross of .

18 1 18 . Constantine from the year 3 until his death, in 43 It will be remembered that this distinguished nobleman and enthusiastic Free ma f son was the sixth son of George I II , King o England , and was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of E ngland for a period of thirty years .

- H u han The well known Masonic historian , Bro . William J . g , of Tor la 18 8 quay , Eng nd , wrote to me , under date of November 9 , 9 , in regard l to the Order of Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , as fo lows Its

l . 15 origin , as with the Roya Arch , Knight Templar and other Degrees , 1 80 and l not quite clear , but in the year 7 , Bros . James Heseltine Wil iam a White , Grand Treasurer and Grand Secret ry of the Grand Lodge of

England , respectively , were made Knights of the Red Cross by Maj or f was Charles Sherri f, who in possession of the A . and A . Rite and other liff ov Ran Pr . . r a D . c i e . egrees Lord , G M of Leiceste sh re , was Gr nd 1 6 x Master of the Red Cross in 7 9 , and minutes of the Order e ist for c 180 several years of about a entury old . In 4 his Lordship was succeeded h W P . . . t e by Judge Waller Rodwell right (also a rov G M in Craft) , who

' b H k d w m . . . a m was followed y H R , the Du e of Sussex , as Chief , who ” h i was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge . Wit out doubt it s i ’ one of the Chivalric Degrees referred to$ n the Articles of Union , of 2 18 1 slams b e December 7 , 3 , and its is certainly as good as can , as

’ respects ceremonies not actually re cognl z ed by the Grand Lodge of

England . The signature of H . R . H Duke of Sussex , as Grand Master . 2 2 18 1 of the Red Cross , of date November , 3 , is still preserved , and likewise the Ritual used at the installation of H . R . H .

H u han r S ov r 1 n . e e Bro g also refers to the election , as G and g of the w Order in England , of William Henry White , who as Grand Secretary

n d f r n d s of the Gra d Lo ge of England o nearly half a ce tury , and a d , K nl w e is , He mas succeeded by Lord (afterwards Earl of Bective) then , by . e my la ented friend , Sir Frederick M . Williams , Bart , M . P and , sinc

ran M o F i r . . f c s B u d ett . his decease , Colonel Sir . , Bart (Prov G g Middlesex ” r i in offi r . es ce and Past S G W of England) , has been the esteemed p d g. . d The Earl of Lathom , D . G . M . of Englan , is one of c e . its honor d offi ers The Conclaves meet in the Masonic Halls , as with the A . and A . Rite Chapters and the K . T . Preceptories , etc . “ ov re n of The Right Hon . the Earl of Kintore is Grand S e 1g the Order for Scotland . L ond on F reemason ro The , referring to the Order of Red C ss of Con stantine 2 8 188 The u in its issue of March , 5, said , Degree , ndoubtedly, was working in this country (England) when the tw o rival Grand Lodges ‘ ’ l i . j oined hands , and is , therefore , protected by the Artic es of Un on , A

18 1 2 . u t D . 3 (Clause , relative to Chivalric Degrees) D ring the las cen tury it was most successful in gathering together some of the brightest of e u the Craft . B rothers James Heseltine , Past Grand Tr as rer and Grand

r W Secreta y of the Grand Lodge of England , William Henry hite , then w the i Grand Secretary , and James Gallo ay (one of lead ng Royal Com panions under the Modems ’ ) were made Red Cross Knights by Maj or

hirr ff 1 n iff . . S e 0 Ra cl . 8 . e in 7 Lord , Prov G M of Leicestershire , was

' h 'Kni h o in 1 6 t e ts . Grand Master of the Red Cr ss 7 9 , as also of g Templar His Lordship was succeeded in 180 4 by Judge Waller Rodwell Wright a h ( nother Prov . G . and t en followed the assumption of the Grand i Mastership by H . R . H the Duke of Sussex , of wh ch honor the mem

the r n . t bers of Degree have , natu ally , lo g felt proud The signa ure of

H . R . H . in such capacity being preserved . The 18 12 Degree bore its present title in , and possibly earlier , and certainly ,

as c as a matter of right , the members have mu h reason to work its

- l ceremonies as any other of the well known Chiva ric Degrees .

M a L o . . d . c e Col W . J B Moore , Grand Prior of the Knights Templar of Canada , referring to the revival of the Order of Red Cross of Con

“ stantine sad , i , in his address before the Great Priory of Canada in the “ 18 0 al its year 7 , Its reviv gave rise of late to much controversy as to $ e n h auth nticity and con ection wit Freemasonry , but this has been fully

t l $ i and sa isfactori y proved , and the Order is now our shing under the r Kenli s ule of the Grand Sovereign , the Right Honorable Lord (afterwards i u the Earl of Bect ve) , who has been pleased to a thorize its introduction into Canada, and appoint me , as his representative , Chief Intendant or ” “ - Inspector General of the Dominion . In England

' it a ears pp to have been incorporated with Freemasonry , being conferred o e on Master Masons ab ut the middl of the last century , and there is no question that it has equal claims , with the Masonic Templars and Knights

‘ of Malta , to be classed amongst the Orders of Chivalry recognized by the Articles of Union of the Grand Lodge of England in 18 13 (Pro ~ in 18 0 ceed s . g , Great Priory of Canada , 7 , p ' t an o her ad d ress A few years later the same dis inguished Mason , in t d id before the Great Priory of Canada , said , A connection exist between the old Templars and the Red Cross of the Constantinian Order of St .

George , which a former Grand Master of the modern English Templars l (Judge Wal er Rodwell Wright) , some sixty years ago , endeavored to t establish in Mal a , and to whose exertions , at the amalgamation of the

i

' t 1 8 1 in English Craf Grand Lodges in 3 , is due the clause the Articles of Union admitting an alliance between the Orders of Chivalry and the ” f di n . 188 . 18 Cra t (Procee gs , Great Priory of Canada , 3 , pp 4 , It will not be inappropriate , at this point , to quote the clause referred to , 8

m h itt l i t t e i l aft ad ing an a l ance be ween Orders of Ch va ry and the Cr , “ : t viz . It is declared and pronounced hat pure ancient Masonry con sists f c o three Degrees , and no more , viz those of the Entered Apprenti e , the Fellow Craft and the Master Mason (including the Supreme Order of h B ut to n t e Holy Royal Arch) . this article is not intended preve t any Lodge or Chapter from holding a meeting in any of the Degrees of the O f i ” rders o Chivalry , according to the Constitutions of the sa d Orders . 2 t tw This clause is known as No . of the Ar icles of Union between the o

' “ ” o co i as the Grand L dges of England , mmonly des gnated Ancients “ ” “ ” 18 1 and the Moderns . At the time of the Union , in 3 , when the “ “ ” “ t - A ncients and Moderns came , ogether and formed the United ” Grand Lodge of England , the Knights of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Knights Templar were the only organized Orders of Masonic h c N 0 . 2 f e Knighthood existing in England , and , onsequently , Clause o t

Articles of Union applied solely to those Orders . (Statutes of Order of s of Red Cross of Constantine , London , The fir t Grand Master “ f t the United Grand Lodge o England , and who held tha office for l 18 f ex thirty years unti his death in 43 , was the Duke o Suss , who con tinued for the same period the Grand Sovereign of the Order of Red .

1 Cross of Constantine . Among the living Past Grand Officers of the Grand Imperial Council

f . : l o England , are the following distinguished brethren , viz the Ear of f Bective , Prov . Grand Master of the Grand Lodge o Free and Accepted L Masons of England ; the Earl of athom , Deputy Grand Master of the E Z r Grand Lodge ; the arl of etland , Prov . G and Master of the Grand W n Lodge ; the Earl of Jersey , Past Grand arden of the Gra d Lodge ; s and the Earl Ferrers , Prov . Grand Master of the Grand Lodge . The fir t l l three officers of the Grand Imperia Conc ave of England are , Sir

Francis Burdett , Grand Sovereign ; Baron de Ferrieres , Grand Viceroy,

E . and the arl of Euston , Grand Senior General The Order is also honored by having on its roll of members the name of the distinguished Masonic H u han historian , William J . g . Lord Saltoun is the present Grand Sovereign of the Grand Imperial l f are Conc ave of Scotland , and among the Past Grand O ficers Lord a l . I nverurie , the Ear of Kintore , and the Marquis of Bre dalbane ' 186 enlis In the year 9 , the Earl of Bective (at that time Lord K ) , Grand

Sovereign of the Grand Imperial Conclave of England , appointed Col . M ac Leod W . J . B . Moore (Grand Prior of Knights Templar of Canada) , the Chief Inspector - General of the Order of Red Cross of Constantine i Col w as for the Dom nion of Canada ; and , in the following year , , M oore

- authorized to introduce the Order into the U nited States . The Grand

w 1 18 2 . Council of Pennsylvania as organized at Reading , June 4, 7 O w o t Subsequently , Grand Councils of the rder ere established in her

States . 9

18 c w as In June , 7 5, the Sovereign Grand Coun il of the United States $ organized at the City of New ork . x w of As already shown , a connection e isted bet een the English Order th Masonic Knights Templar and e Order of Red Cross of Constantine , and it is not unlikely that the latter Order was brought to this country with the former during the last century . I am inclined to the opinion ” that the Red Cross of Constantine is the Red Cross Degree con ,

f . 1 8 erred in Charleston , S C as early as 7 3 , according to a diploma ’

1 . emanating in that year from St . Andrew s Lodge , No . , of that city (Proceedings Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United

188 . no States 3 , p There is evidence of the identity of the Red ’

. C so Cross Degree of St . Andrew s Lodge , of Charleston , S . . , with the “ called Red Cross Degree now conferred in the Commanderies of “ and Knights Templar in this country , which , it has been said , was manufactured by Webb (Thomas Smith Webb) and his associates from the Knight of the East or Sword and Knight of the East and West ” Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite . (Proceedings Grand

r 1866 . 2 Commande y Knights Templar of Pennsylvania , June , , p 5, and

186 . September, 7 , p

1 B r o l In 7 97 , . Thomas Smith Webb pub ished the first edition of his ’ ’ Freemason 5 Monitor and in that work there is no reference to the

Red Cross Degree which , subsequently , became so prominent in his “ Ob ser system of Masonic Knighthood , though a chapter is devoted to v ations on the Orders of Knights Templars and Knights of Malta . “ ’ ” In the second edition of the Freemason s Monitor, published in

180 2 . , Bro Webb devoted several pages to the Red Cross Degree of

o m . the C m andery It would seem , therefore , that as late as the year “ ” 1 7 97 , Bro . Webb had no knowledge of the Red Cross Degree now

in - r n connected this count y with the K ights Templar Degree , and that the con nection between the two Degrees was made w ithin the period 1 — 1 0 2 7 97 8 . M acLeod n Col . W . J . B . Moore , Gra d Prior of the Knights Templar of

Canada , has referred to the Red Cross Degree of the Commandery as follows I t does not appear to me to be any way requisite to take this Degree r in Mason y for obtaining admission to the Order of the Temple , although insisted upon in the United States ; it has no connection whatever with and Knights Templar, a purely Christian rite , is , indeed , only an adjunct 1n to the Royal Arch , and not recognized England as a Degree of Masonry . The Grand Master of the United States admits that it is

‘

. 18 8 . a modern innovation (Proceedings Great Priory of Canada 5 , p it is not insisted In Scotland and Ireland upon as a pass to the Templar , Royal Arch Masons being alone eligible ; why it should have been in any I O

x r if lt x i way mi ed up with the O der of the Temple is d ficu to e pla n . a 1862 (Proceedings Great Priory of C nada , , p . “ I would wish it clearly und erstood that this Degree is in no w ay con n ected the with Ancient Order of the Temple , nor is it recognized by the n l Grand Co clave of England , being merely a continuation ofthe Roya Arch , of Z nd referring to the rebuilding of the Temple erubbabel ; a there is .no ” reason why it should be made an Appendant Degree . (Proceedings Great

18 0 . 12 1 . Priory of Canada , 7 , p “ n m i I obtai ed, so e years ago , authority to commun cate the D egree of ’ ’ e s r the Unit d States Red Cross , or Babylonish Pa s , to Canadian Te n

lars p , for the purpose of preventing any difficulty in visiting the United E States ncampments where this Degree is a pass to their Templar system , i but is not compulsory with us , nor do I th nk it would be of any advantage to graft it in our purely Christian Order . This Degree is now in Canada l o l l placed under the control of, and given in , Counci s of R ya and Se ect ” 8 1 i 1 . Masters . (Proceedings Great Pr ory of Canada , 7 , p no I S It has connection whatever with the Templar Order, and neither

n or c . a chivalric , , strictly speaking , a Masoni Degree The emblem of the Red Cross introduced in the Degree is evidently a C mistake , confusing it with the Christian Red Cross of the onstantine

Order . The American ceremony has been occasionally

practiced in our Preceptories , or the essentials communicated , to enable w the members to visit the Templar Commanderies in the U . S . A here it is the prerequisite to their Masonic Templar Degrees . I had authority to confer it from the Supreme Grand Master of the A E General Grand Encampment , U . S . . , the late minent Sir Knight l Wi liam Hubbard , and I shall continue to authorize Presiding Preceptors

by virtue of their office to communicate the Degree . It never obtained s $ any foothold with us , and was eldom or never conferred as a separate

Degree , properly belonging to the A . and A . S . Rite of (Proceed 1888 ings Great Priory of Canada , , p .

Though the remarkable event in the life of Constantine , which occupies such a prominent place in the Red Cross degree is well known t $ to you , it may not be improper , at this time , to presen , brie y , the i t e statement of Eusebius , who declared that he rece ved h account from I s w the emperor himself, and which as follo s , viz

Constantine , leading his army from France into Italy against

M ax entius l , his riva for the throne of the Roman Empire , suffered the d t e . c e pes anxiety , and felt the need of divine aid Though edu ated in a s the pagan faith , he had been attr cted to Christianity . De iring positive ’ i proof of Christ s divinity , he prayed earnestly that such ev dence would

. w be revealed to him On a certain day , while the army as on the the march , form of the Cross appeared very luminous in the heavens , I I

E n Tou fo M léa and bearing the Greek inscription , , which signifies , in

English, Conquer by this . In the night , while asleep in his tent , the s same form of the Cros appeared again to Constantine , with a vision of

di l . Christ , who rected him to adopt that symbo as his military ensign i Constant ne obeyed the command , and thenceforth the form of the

Cross adorned the standards of his army . After the victory which made him the sole ruler of the Roman Empire , Constantine placed the Cross ’ in the hand of the statue erected in his honor at Rome . (Eusebius

Ecclesiastical History , and Life of Constantine . )

The learned Dr . Milner , author of the History of the Christian “ : Church , in commenting upon this account , says He who is deter

mined not to believe Christianity to be divine , will , doubtless , disbelieve this miracle from the same spirit which has induced him to harden his

heart against much more striking evidence . With such an one I would u not converse on the s bject . But to those who admit the divine origin

any of Christianity , if such doubt the truth of the miracle , I would say that it seems to me more reasonable to admit a divine interposition in a

case like this , especially considering the important consequences , than i ’ to deny the verac ty of Eusebius or of Constantine . (Milner s History ri 1 0 0 si vol . 8 . of the Ch t an Church , , pp . 5 7 , 5 London ,

r . The lea ned Dr Grew remarked on this subj ect Constantine ,

r resolving to rely only upon the God whom his fathe worshipped , prayed

‘ al f to know , by some speci sign , who he was , and that he would af ord ial him his help . Whereupon he was honored , as Paul was , with a celest

h - . t e vision He saw in appearance , over sun at mid day, this figure ,

made w ith light of a golden color which being composed of the

XPI ZTOZ first two letters of , that is , of Christ , and having a resemblance i of a Cross , was a v sible sign of the Son of Man in Heaven . And here ‘ ' ’ ’ al Tau to M é a with this inscription , , that is , With this overcome . And the whole army , which were then upon their march with him , saw the

same . And , by a second vision in the night , he was commanded to take h t e . m said figure for his ensign Upon which , applying hi self with great concern to the Christians , for the meaning thereof, they took the occasion to preach Christ crucified and his religion to him so as to confirm him ’

. 68 therein (Grew s Cosmologia Sacra , p . 3 . London , “ : The historian Gibbon says In one of the marches of Constantine , he is reported to have seen with his own eyes the luminous trophy of the

Cross placed above the meridian sun , and inscribed with the following ’ : words By this conquer . This amazing object in the sky astonished the whole army , as well as the emperor himself, who was as yet undetermined in the choice of a religion ; but his astonishment was converted into faith . e by the vision of the ensuing night Christ app ared before his eyes , and , s d displaying the same celestial sign of the Cro s , he irected Constantine to a c r frame similar standard , and to march with an assurance of vi to y ” ’ against M axentius and all his enemies . (Gibbon s Decline and Fall of ” h . xx . . xx t e the Roman Empire , chap ) Gibbon adds (chap ) that sacred monogram glittered on the helmets of the soldiers of Constantine

a w as nn was engr ved on their shields ; interwoven into their ba ers , and adorned the person of the emperor . And that the principal standard l which displayed the triumph of the Cross was styled the Labarum , a ong t h pike , in ersected by a transversal beam , from whic hung a silken veil ; a w the summitmof the pike supporting cro n of gold which enclosed the , mysterious onogram at ‘ once expressive of the figure of the Cross and k the initial letters of the name of Christ . These initial letters are the Gree ” characters X and P Chi and Rho and their union forms the . o mysterious m nogram adopted for the name of Christ , and which consti tutes the Cross of Constantine . The early Christians adopted thi s monogram as a symbol of Christ , and its use as such has continued to the present time . “ ’ E n tou lo mé a The inscription is the ancient motto of our Order , “ ” I n fzoc sz w o w heat and it has been appropriated in its Latinized form , g ,

by another Order of Masonic Knighthood .

M acLeod Col . W . J . B . Moore , Grand Prior of the Knights Templar of “ ‘ m ‘ : I n f wc Canada , says It is a great istake to suppose that the motto

’ ’ sz no vznces lg was ever that of the Ancient Templar Order, or that the ’ is Passion Cross was ever borne on their standards . This motto taken a the from the vision of Constantine the Gre t , and is adopted in Masonic degree of ‘Rome and (Proceedings Great Priory of 188 Canada , 7 , p . i According to Sir Bernard Burke , the insignia of a Kn ght of the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine consists of a Cross ‘containing the “ ” I n koc sz no w hom a initials I . H . S . V . ( g , the L tinized form of the “ Greek E n lou fo while two Greek letters A (Alpha) and (2

(Omega) , in the centre , together with a Cross resting upon the letter P God t (Rho) , are to represent and Jesus Christ (Fa her and Son ) the ’ a beginning and end of all things . (Burke s Orders of Knighthood nd 18 1 Decorations of Honour, pp . , The obj ect of Constantine in founding Constantinople was to build a

city near the centre of his vast empire , and in which no pagan temple would be permitted . Rome was the stronghold of paganism . Within the walls of that city more than four hundred temples proved the devotion Th n of her people to the ancient faith . e great patricia families , as well 1 3 a th l c f s e populace general y , lung to the superstition that or more than ten centuries had been the religion of the State But the transfer of the empire to the hands of Constantine and the removal of the capital to

Constantinople shattered the fabric of paganism . History declares that “ n about sixty years after the death of Constanti e , The decrees of the

Senate , which proscribed the worship of idols , were ratified by the general consent - of the Romans; the splendor of the capital was defaced and the solitary temples were abandoned to ruin and contempt . Rome sub i ’ mtted to the yoke of the Gospel . (Gibbon s Decline and Fall of the xx Roman Empire , chap . viii . )

Constantine proclaimed that the new capitol was dedicated to Christ . 1 1th 0 l The dedication took place May , in the year 3 3 , and the pil ar r erected to commemo ate the event still stands , after the lapse of more ’ l l than fifteen centuries . (Walsh s Historica Sketch of Constantinop e , 11 p . v , London , . d .) “ The Encyclopaedia B rittanica says of Constantinople : No happier selection was ever made . The natural advantages of the site are probably unsurpassed by those of any other capital , either in the Old or N ew fre in the World , and its political importance is evidenced by the queney - w ith~ w hich it has been the key to the situation in European diplomacy .

In the twelfth century , when , as Sir Bernard Burke says , sober history

fixes the period of the establishment of the Order of Constantine , Con stantinople was the emporium of everything that was grand and beautiful w i in the arts , science and literature of the orld . The city conta ned , it is

i said , two m llions of inhabitants , and was adorned with the noblest W h’ specimens of statuary and architecture . ( als s Historical Sketch of

l . Constantinop e , p . ix ) It was the great depot for the trade of Eastern

Europe , and was filled with the riches of the earth . The historian

; r . . n Hallam , refe ring to that period (A D speaks of Constanti ople accummulated as decked with the wealth of ages , and resplendent with t the monumen s of Roman empire and of Grecian art ; adding , Her

- populousness is estimated beyond credibility ; ten , twenty , thirty fold that of London or Paris ; certainly far beyond the united capitals of all

European kingdoms in that age . In magnificence she excelled them in more than numbers . Instead of the thatched roofs , the mud walls , the narrow streets , the pitiful buildings of those cities , she had marble c and gilded palaces , churches and monasteries , the works of skilful ar hi e te ts through nine centuries , gradually sliding from the severity of ancient the taste into more various and brilliant combinations of Eastern fancy . i In the l braries, of Constantinople were collected the remains of Grecian learning ; her forum and hippodrome were decorated with those of ’

. 2 26 12 . . 1 os Grecian sculpture (Hallam s Middle Ages , vol , pp , 7 : B ton , ’ e fi f rt a r In th rst decade o the thi eenth century , the Crus de s , on their l march to the Holy Land , attracted by the splendor and wea th of Con “ antinO n st le . p , seized and plundered the city It is said that The sce es n of car age that followed are revolting to humanity . The Roman pontiff had a lenar himself, who granted p y indulgence to all who had engaged

x r in the e pedition , was compelled to denounce their b utality . He accused em r n th of spa ing neither age nor sex , nor religious professio of the allies they came to assist ; deeds of darkness were perpetrated in the open day

$ f i a noble matrons and holy nuns suf ered nsult in the Catholic c mp .

c o s e The apt r glutted without restraint every passion . Th y burst into S d efiled the church of anta Sophia and other sacred edifices , which they

a ~ in the most w nton manner . They converted sacred chalices into drinking- cups and trampled under foot the most venerable obj ects of h . t e Christian worship In the Cathedral , the veil of sanctuary was torn to pieces for the sake of the fringe , and the finest monuments of pious to art broken up for their material . It would be too revolting detail all the particulars of these impious outrages ; let one suffice : They placed the on the throne of the patriarch a harlot , who sang and danced in church to ridicule the hymns and processions of the Oriental Christian ' “ worship . The monuments of ancient art , collected ' l nd broken from al parts of the world , were defaced a to pieces , not simply from a bigoted rage against any superstition different from their ow n ev , but from a crusade of ignorance against what er bore the stamp of literature and science . Their utter contempt for ‘ I learning was displayed in various ways . n riding through the streets they clothed themselves and their horses in painted robes and $ owing

- m i head dresses of linen , and displayed on the pens , nk and paper, in

.I t ridicule of the people who used such worthless things . was , therefore , ‘ no exaggeration when the Greeks called them B arbarians , w ho could ’ ’ n w either read nor write , ho did not even know the alphabet . (Walsh s x Historical Sketch of Constantinople , p . . ) the f At last , in the middle of the fifteenth century , great capitol o the i s o first Christ an empire became the prey of the follower of Mah met , and “ i l the Cross , beneath whmose shadow the c vi ization of the ancient world had been p reserved a idst universal barbarism for more than eleven

of . centuries , gave place to the crescent the Turk Constantine was the first Roman emperor who embraced the Christian

: w t e faith He as the son of h Roman emperor Constantius , and was 2 t h l 2 . . . e born in England , it is said , February 7 , A D 7 4 At ear y age of thirty - two he succeeded his father in the sovereignty of the western half ’ of the Roman empire . Seventeen years later he became the sole ruler

. 2 2 . . . The c of the Roman world He died May , A D 3 3 7 , elebrated e Eus bius , one of the most learned writers of anti$uity , and who is styled

16

ho a ”9 manners gained the hearts of all w pprbached him . c f e l nc w as n l the: In the despat h o busin ss , his di ige e i defatigab e and t v w of w s c ti x ac i e po ers his mind ere almo t on nually e ercised in reading , writing or meditating ; in giving audience to ambassadors and in examining the complaints of his subj ects . E ven those who censured the propri ety of his measures were compelled to a cknowledge t hat he ' ' possessed magnanimity to conceive and patience to execute the most d ei e u c arduous designs , without being checke th r by the prej di es of educa

$ i u u w tion , or by the clamors of the mult t de . In the field he inf sed his o n

’ ‘ he cond ucted w ith lent intrepid spirit into the troops , whom the ta s of a

“ is e e w e consummate general and to his abilities , rather than to h fortun , may ascribe the signal victories which he obtained Vover the foreign and n’ “ domestic mfoes of the republic . (Gibbo s Decline and Fall of the . x i . Roman E pire , chap v ii ) It is worthy of note that in the year 3 3 1 fifty copies of the Bible were E made under the care of Eusebius by order of the mperor Constantine ,

“ and it is supposed that the only one preserved fromthe destroying hand

I S x Sinaiticus of Time the MS , known as the Code , discovered in the s i monastery of St . Catharine , on Mount Sinai , by Profe sor T schendorf, in 18 n 18 ror a 44 , and which was presented , i 59 , to the E mpe of Russi , t Alexander II . T hat MS . contains the Old Tes ament Septuagint w i 0 l of Version , and the New Testament , ith the add tion e Epist e ’ “ é . 18 n Barnabas . (Dor s Old Bibles , p 3 , Lo don , ' w h I t is a singular fact that England as the birt place of Constantine , t and ft he l the first Chris ian ruler of the Roman Empire , , also , a er t apse ’ ' - famil of la of eleven centuries , the burial place of the y the st of his suc e Llan l s ors . b u h c e s on the throne A monument , still to seen in p a h r s Church , in Cornwall , England , records the fact th t t e e repo e the ashes of the family of the last sovereignof the Christian E mpire founded

’ ‘ a k tc of by Constantine the Great . (Walsh s Historic l S e h Constanti

n o le . p , p