~ORTH DAKOTA MASONIC GFiAND loDGE L1BFiAFiY "History Repeats Itself" OF INTEREST TO EVERY EASTERN STAR MEMBER The CODtrove~y that has arisen in the General Grand Chapter in recent years over the question of "extraneous degrees", has perhap6 performed a useful Ilervi~. for it has educated members of the Order as to the relations elCisting be­ tween the General Grand Chapter and the several Grand Chapters. and has MOused them to a sense of the dangtnl involved to the Eastern Star itself from the continued agitation uJXln this subject. It is an old adage that "history re­ peats i.tself," and never was the truth of this adage more thOlOughly eumplified than in the controversy upon this particulat question. It is everywhere recognized that the original degree, in Free Masonry consisted of the first three degrees. For many years they were the onJy degn!e!l known Of recognized by Master Masons, but as the years rolled OIl, new rhea and ceremonies were devised to which men became eligible by reason of their membership in the so-called Blue Lodge. Precisely as some rnemben of the Eastern Star have questioned the right of other organizations to make as a pre­ requisite of membership, membership in the Eastern Star. so, many prominent masons in years gone by have queationed the right of the so-allied "Yark" and "Scottish Rite" bodies to base their membe.rship on the Blue Lodge. It is impossible in the space of this brief pamphJet to give any of the very violent denunciations contained in Grand Lodge reports, and Grand Lodgr proceeding!! in this and other countries, against the Royal Aech, the Knight Temp!ars, and the various Scottish Rite bodiea at the time of, or shortly after their inception. The controversy that raged many years ago eeems strange in· deed to the masons of the present day, for these bodies are now generally rec­ ognized as Masonic. and no one seriously quer;tions the right of a Blue Lodgr mason to become identified with anyone of these other organizatioos. The denunciation that was visited upon masoDJll who presumed to become identified with the so-called "higher bodies" was at a later time visited upon those IDaSODS and their families and relatives who joined the Order of the Eastern Star. I will merely allude to a few of the utterances that may be fouud in Grand Lodge proceedings, to demonstrate the intensity of the feeling that existed against the organization in its early history, and the very radical steps taken to prevent it gaining a foothold in many of the etates throughout the Union. In ]871 the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, in his address to the Grand Lodge, cautioned the brethren about their joining the Order of the Eastern Star in the following words: j "An attempt has been made to organize in Massachusett9 an order of what is termed 'Female Ma&Onry' under the designation of the 'Eastern Star.' Following the precedents established by two of my predecessors in office. I have decided that the Order is not a lwanch of the institution of Free Masonry, and that it has no connection with it, either in fann, i;ymbol, dogma or doctrine. Loo~es have been forbidden 2 to have any (.'Onnection with it, and have been inl!Itrueted to deny the use of their lodge rooms to this anomalous organization. It is (.'Ontrary to one of the great, fundamental landmarks of the Craft, and those who are seeking to propagate this Order, either in Massachusetts or else­ where, are acting in violation of their 6Qlemn obligations as masons; or, if true to their vows, they are practicing a mOl'lt contemptible im­ position upon tbose women whom they seduce into their lodges. They stand (.'Ondemned before the enlightened Craft either as traitors or as imposters. "No such organization as this can exist and Boorish without lower­ ing the higb standard of our institution, and debasing and corrupting the true source of masonic charity and masonic fellowship. Whatever may be the suc:ass of Female Masonry in other jurisdictions, let it not be said that the brotherhood of tIii8 Commonwealth have en(.'Ouraged it or given it a safe harbor within the confines of Massachusetts." In 1875. the Grand Master of WJSCODSin, in an add.ress to the Grand Lodge of that State, inserted a ropy of a drcuJar sent to the subordinate lodges, a por­ tion of whicb is herewith given, and his own starement with relation thereto: "Grand Lodge of F. and A. M. of Wisconsin, Office of the Grand Master, Milwaukee, Wis., July 28, 1874 Circular to all the Subordinate Lodges: "Applications have been made to me for instructions and advice by several of the subordinate lodges which have received circulars signed--,------­ P.G. Lecturer, etc., and asking the use of their lodge rooms for the lecture upon so-called 'Adoptive Masonry', and for the illStitution of so-called Chapters of the (so-called) Eastern Star, this circular is issued for the guidance of the subordinate5. "Section 15 of Article XXI of the Cowltitution provides that,'-The conferring in any lodge of what is known as honorary or side degrees is strictly forbidden'. "At the Annual Communication held in 1872 the following standing order was adopted: 'Ordered, that no lodge room shall be used for any purpose other than for Masonic bodies and for IILaSOILic PUTposes'.-Proceedings of 1872, Page 51. "At the Annual Communication held in 1873 this standing order was amended by adding to it the 'WOrds, 'without a dispensation from the Grand Master'.­ Proceedings of 1873, page 21. "Under this constitutional provision and general order, the Grand Master after careful examination is of the opinion: ' "First. That the so-called degre.t;s_ of the Eastern Star are side degrees within the intent and meaning of the Constitution. 3 "SeamC-. That no lodge rooID5 can be used for any of the pilCpose:!I mentioned in the circular al!uded to, without a special dispensation in each case {COIq the Grand Master. "The Grand Master is also of the opinion that no Lodge and no Mason as such can properly have any connection with or give any countenance to the so­ called degrees above referred to; "Substantially the same action was taken, I find, by the Grand Master of Maasachusetts in 1871; and his action was unanimously approved by his Grand Lodge. He forbade the lodges to have any connection with it; instructed them to deny the Use of their halls to this allom.alous organization; decided that it had no connection with Free Masoory 'in (orm. symbol. dogma or doctrine', and that 'it is contrary to one of the great fundamental landmarks of the Craft'. The committee on his addres.<> reported qpon this subject: as follows: 'As an es­ tablished rule, this peculiar institution is (or men only; and until the time sbalI come when men shall cease to be men, and women shall in their stead become architects, builders, and artisans, let UB adhere to the maxim-We are unwilling to change the laws and usa~s of Free Masonry'. "If the term degree or degrees can properly be applied to the ceremonies practiced by these bodies, they are dearly and beyond dOUbt 'side degrees', and as-Buch are prohibited by the Constitution and by the standing reguJationB; and not the lodges merely as such but ~ members of them are prolubited from practicing them," In 1882, E. T. Carson, a Well-known and diligent masonic student of Ohio. in a letter to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, informed them that more than 30 years previous the Grand Lodge of Ohio had adopted a resolution "against the conferring of side degrees in Ohio, and that resolution kept out of Ohio all those masonic charlatans who peddled the Eastern Star, Heroine of Jericho, Master Masons Daughter, etc," These utterances indicate the intensity of feeling upon this subject by Master Masons. With the passage of time, however, this intensity of feeling disappeared. Some of the resolutions aIltagonistic to the Eagtem Star were re~ yoked, and in other instances apparently were wholly forgotten. In 1882 thc Grand Lodge of Massachusetts adopted an amendment to its ,Grand Constitution, which reads in par:t_as followll: "Now, therefore, it is hereby declared that any mason who is hereafter admitted in this jurisdicth-ao_into any other oroerB as Masonic, ---is acting UIUIla&lnicly, a:Itd fOr such conduct shall be liable to be expelled from all the rights and priVileges of Masonry, and shall be ineligible to membership or office in this Grand Lodge." Attention iii especially directed to the words, "as Masonic," in the fo~ 4 going amendment. As the E'.a5tem Star did not claim to be masonic, there was from and after that date no legal objection to masons joining the Order of the Eastern Star in that state. The action taken by Ma~c;achll~ttswas apparently followed by other juris­ dictions, and in those other jurisdictions, as the Eastern Star did not claim to be a masonic organization, its existenCt'! was subsequently permitted or at least tolerated. From the quotations hereillbe[Of"e set forth from the ""arious reports of diBerent Grand Masters, it will be observed that the Chapters of the Order· of the Eastern Star were very generally excluded from Masonic Lodge rooms. In some instances this was due to the action of Grand Lodges, and i.n other in· stances to the action of various 5ubordii:J.atc lodges. Although this prejudi('e is gradually dying away, there still exists in eome communities a feeling that the Order of the E'.a5tern Star should not be pennitted to meet in the Masonic Lodge room, and in consequence the Eastern Star Chapters are still debarred.