LADY MASONS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5411, 18 June 1879, Page 3

LADY MASONS.

In the early days ; bf' Masonry, as shown by spmetjancient-mapuspribt, there were " Dame Masonß^^ as " well' ajs " Master Mt sons." Then'fapp^entice;^. is^ charged in me manuscript he " shall not steal or pick i#ay J tite' 'master'^ ''ot'damVs gooda^'^and' in 1 ' another 'manuscript that "he shall 'his miisterjs' or , dame's counsel orieecr.et^," ; w,henceiit may ; I)o jlnfer'reict fh'fit'kt : bniS' time" fche ; widpws of MasbWal-werer. permitted Ito carry/ on I work Tuniier the guild, aridi'ih that case the ap■^prdntice. would serVe; out his time.": '"It mrty be," adds. the editor of the work of Masonic history, to which we are indebted "that: 'this- rule . .was- even :-,, .enlarged iso I as" to; v admit i.. the ..widows, and daughters of Masons," a supposition wb^ioh^--mti^ -well^. suggest: .misgivings .•abbut'^the' fleo'rbts . imparted to those wHo^Vkhew'^a^iyihitig^ about' the- order, roritterl^j'bp'th in France and'Giermanyi „t hfere" a ! nd' now exist in" the IJmted ) StatesT-ayßtetns .by, which, lnen i^oiil^bei.^'a^dei/a^urtln'tod. with certain ;'si<jn/j , 'j' "thus enabling .them tfo Imakfot-hems'elves known ,to^' members of the-juC^ftCfo" J. Cpncerriiflg' . the : German "Mopaes" a good deal of 'doubt prevails, inasmuch as it is even a moot point wnether the word " mops" signifies "the wiife of a Freemason, or a Dutch mastifl or! pug dog, or both." At any rate, nof thing has been seen of the " Mopseß" for ovjer 150 yeaf^ In France " Maconnerie d'fiption" flourished during a considerable pajrt of the eighteenth, and was revived in the early years of the nineteenth century. Between about 1740 and 1760 the French nation boasted, of many, what some Englishmen are pleased to call " Androgynous" orders of Freemasonry. Among these were "L'Ordre de la Felicite*, ou les omfomi&Mmm .4?,, H R^) " jL^Qjtdjre; aes>Pames,.,Ecossaiseß de.lHbß. pfcai^nl^Qnthaba^.'and.^i.lj'Prdre Perseverance." ° , h -yj „ „\! l^- i J .- ) i [Later on, that is for fifteen or twenty years before the.outbreak of the revolution, secret soqietiei .^rele the rage of all classes, even w|th the"great ladies of the court. Underline patronage of .jOardinal De Roha^Hhe/; notorious -and-. infa'mous Oagliostro eltablished^., His-'', system of ;l " Egyptian Masbitipy," v instilled himself L) a 5 Grand Cop%te' Jf .jand opene^r' lodges for s: sters as woU^as- brethren at Rjjasburgh, Iyons, andi^arlß, of which| lodges the tvo principal were named "La Sagesse TriompHante " and " Les Bhilanthetes." k Atiqther. .order received trie particular protection pf the Difphess 'i d(e Bourbon and Princess de Lamßelle, and in the^-Lodge^St." Antoine .one of them, as Grand Maitresse, was in the habit of conferring the four degrees of c f A^pTerftie," ' ; " Oompagnonne,"--" Maib rks% "f &iid '"'^arfaite; Maitresse.'' ; '.But tte'^e^^iaWtho'cid'paß'se'd r away with; tlie ■ dldrfiflrtweVandi'ial'thbtigh' it was partially revived under Napoleon , 1,, and again Un^er^.t^B Bouybqnsy it gradually batne'to an^ndj.andjlqes not exist.'.' ' "'.', <l ! In bur own country, an adoptive rite — ! the term adoptive seems to be the Masonic equivalent : for female— was instituted in 1855, consisting of five degrees— Jephtha's daugtitor, i ; or . the daughter's degree,; Ruth, or the widow's degree ; •> Esther,, ar wife's degree ; Martha, or the sister's degree ;•'■' and"Eleeta : , -or the' Christian mKrtyf 'si degree, Atha. whole .assemblage called the Eastern Star. Now, thi3 body of Freemasonry never can be FreeAiasdnry>,and.is not, of. course, recognised i>y Masons in good standing, i Neverthfe T less, it embraces only the^wives, widows, mothers, daughters, and sisters of Master Masons, 'and all the male persons "who are inerabers in this adoptive rite must necessarily be Masons. . The> origin and progress of .this rite is not even familial: tp most; Masons. It^was first brought out in iBSO, and the degree was first" conferred in thia ci^y ii\ April^ 18^3 ; but the order.iin its present form was ? not introduced until in'October' lß6B, when the system of ceremonies for opening, closing, and initiating candidates was exemplified for the first time before Alpha Chapter. Since then it has spread all over the country, and in almosi every State and territory Chapters have Already been established. The order now numbers nearly 20,000 members in this country alone. But there are signs of discord, even in this excellent order, and the chief matter under dispute is whether man or '""Voman shall wear the apron of authority, md whether that apron shalj or 'shall not have. a bib to it. It seems koi to have been, intended by the originators of the order that woman should be its leading executive officer, but rather as an, assistant , Nevertheless the lovely creatures^ have succeeded in many juris dictions in' securing the control of the lodges, and now hold the leading offices. | In the meantime the outside world ii called upon to ' stand and wonder while these "female Freemasons" settle th( question, not only of .authority, but o! uniformity in the clothing to be worn ir subordinate chapters. Shall they weai jaealskin or Astrakhan jackets, aprons witl br without ruffles, and long or shori pants'; itbjiii&-tQ!jiftyi;sKall! there bj.ej. ifai formity, and thus create harmony anc goodness. 'Perhaps Miss'-Nilssbn, wh< has just/been elected to the highest gra,nc office of the order in fingland, can solv< jfchis question. —rNew^YJor Jc Times. ,, i . ! ( .di i. ■ i i..-,/ . i ;■< .