ized and enjoined to exclude during the ceremony all such brethren as have not received or may decline to receive it.

The Grand Lodge in time endorsed all these proceedings and the Masters of the respective Lodges duly carried out the instructions of the Committee and imparted the mystery to those of their brethren who sought it. But the whole affair seems to have fallen flat in New York; even the possession of an extra degree failed to rouse the brethren, and the

union, with its accompanying "mystery," soon dropped out of sight. It was never really needed here and the most essential point for us to observe in the whole incident is the determination of the Grand Lodge to preserve the independence of their institution, no matter what changes were taking place elsewhere. They only agreed, it will have been observed, to permit its introduction if they deemed it proper "after being made acquainted" with its mystery and terms and obligations.

W

E must now consider a number of matters pertaining more immediately to the government of the Grand Lodge and its subordinate bodies-matters which, if of less general interest than those we have been discussing, had an important bearing on the welfare of the craft throughout the entire State.

At the extra meeting of the Grand Lodge on June 10, 1807, called to finish the business left over by the annual meeting a week previous, De Witt Clinton presided in person and as soon as the Lodge was opened "was pleased to inform the Grand Lodge that he had appointed the Right Worshipful Martin Hoffman, Deputy Grand Master, and the Right Worshipful John Wells, Grand Secretary, and that he had made the following appointments for the ensuing Masonic year, viz.: Grand Stewards.

The W., the Hon. Samuel L. Mitchell.
Gen. Gabriel Rey.

David Dunham.

John Caldwell.

Grand Deacons.

The Wor. Adrian Van Slyck.

John Disbrow.

James Friele.

John G. Tardy."

The duties of these Grand Stewards and Grand Deacons were not clearly defined and so it is likely that the offices were bestowed on the brethren just named merely as compli

ments-compliments doubtless earned in the service of the craft. The Stewards, for instance, do not seem to have been even members of the Grand Stewards' Lodge, by virtue of their appointment, at least there is no evidence in the records of their having served on that body as a result of their appointment, as a right derived from it.

But during the successive terms of De Witt Clinton that body-the Grand Stewards' Lodge-gradually waxed in strength, as the Hebrew writers used to say. It steadily added to its powers and exerted a wider influence than formerly in the regulation of Grand Lodge business. It, at this period, fairly started on that career which resulted in its becoming the hub, as it were, in the wheel of the Grand Lodge, which made a sort of inner circle in Grand Lodge affairs and which finally made its methods and ambitions so offensive in an organization so truly democratic as that of the Grand Lodge that it was completely wiped out. It seems a pity that it should have met such a fate, for, although the Lodge made itself really obnoxious, it performed a good deal of useful work to the fraternity. It was the abuse of the Lodge, the turning it into a governing body, the making of it a factor in what for want of a better name has been called "Grand Lodge politics" that brought about its downfall, and it is a matter for regret that even in its offensiveness it should not have been more leniently dealt with, been reorganized instead of being wiped out. Its dis

appearance really left a blank in the Grand Lodge which has never been filled and in many ways it is a misfortune that it should not again be permitted to flourish in our midst.

The original business of the Grand Stewards was to attend to the arrangements for the public festivals of the craft, such as the observance of the feast days of the Holy Saints John. During De Witt Clinton's time these days, so far as the Grand Lodge was concerned, were "more honored in the breach than in the observance" and the duties of the Grand Stewards in that respect were correspondingly light. But the Grand Stewards' Lodge by that time had its most practical work cut out for it in the distribution of charity and the collection of the dues of the Lodges. The latter was a delicate and often onerous duty and one which at times was the cause of much ill-will all round, especially when the question of settling the arrears of a Lodge by means of a compromise was in process of settlement. There were then no clear cut laws on the subject, and in many Lodges the fees to the Grand Lodge were considered much more in the light of an unremunerative tax than anything else. In fact, Lodges were formed, paid the fees for their charter, and then neglected to pay any further tribute to the Grand Lodge; some Lodges existed only on paper and all through the country there was a sentiment antagonistic to the brethren in New York, a sentiment which showed itself in the reluctance to pay the annual dues to the Grand Lodge promptly. There is no getting away from that fact. That the Grand Stewards' Lodge performed this part of its duty well is evident to any one who studies the records of the Grand Lodge. It was cautious, yet liberal, willing to listen to all appeals for reduction or compromise, yet firm in opposition when in the opinion of the members neither was warranted.

The Grand Stewards' Lodge also was the body through which, as has just been said, the charity of the Grand Lodge was distributed,

and this work-work which is now ably and more systematically done by the various Boards of Relief-they performed with judgment, prudence and fraternal liberality. The demands upon them were constantly increasing. For instance, for the six months ending Nov. 25, 1807, they expended in relief $361; for the following six months $535, and in 1812 the six-monthly account had increased to $619. This was distributed among needy ones of all sects, mainly widows and aged brethren, and brethren or their dependents who had gotten stranded in the city or were temporarily overtaken by adverse circumstances. The business of charity was generally performed by a committee of Masters of three of the city. Lodges, serving for a term of six months and reporting their work for review to each meeting of the Grand Stewards' Lodge, at which the money, except in pressing cases, was voted and to which was directly referred all matters involving any very great expenditure. Then, as the Grand Stewards' books and recommendations were subject to inspection and review by the Grand Lodge, the distribution of charity was hedged about by a sufficient amount of restrictions to make its expenditures be confined, even by the most careless administrator, strictly to legal and fraternal purposes.

Some of the items of the expenditures of the Grand Stewards' Lodge we must confess we cannot understand. For instance, a worshipful brother of St. John's, No. 6, received $50 "for his own use," nor do we see clearly how it possessed such power as to regulate the salaries of the Grand Pursuivant and Grand Tyler ($2 each for each attendance on Grand Lodge or Grand Stewards' Lodge). But most of their recommendations require no explanation, although some of them are a little involved. In 1808, for instance, there was an application from Worshipful Brother Pascals, of Clinton Lodge, in behalf of Mrs. Mary Hogbin, "praying that this Grand Stewards' Lodge would be pleased to direct to her the payment of $14, being the balance due to her

for the board of Mrs. Vanché, the widow of a Freemason, whom she had taken into her house as a boarder under an assurance that her board would be paid by Masonic contributions, but that she had left the city in arrears to her for that amount, and that she was herself in want." This was referred to the Committee on Charity and Mrs. Hogbin soon received the payment of her claim against the fugitive French widow. Another case, in 1809, showed that the Grand Lodge not only aided brethren who applied but that they also directly assisted the subordinate Lodges in their charitable work:

The committee of the Grand Stewards' Lodge, to whom was referred the petition of Brother Robert McMurray, of St. Lawrence Lodge, Kortwright, Delaware County, having conferred with the applicant are of opinion that the sum of $10 be granted to him to bear his expenses on his journey home, and that the Grand Secretary do address a letter to the Master, Wardens, and brethren of the above Lodge, acknowledging receipt of the certificate furnished by that Lodge, and authorizing them if they consider the applicant as deserving of relief to advance to him $40, which will be considered as so much of the dues of the said Lodge to the charity fund of the Grand Lodge, and placed to its credit accordingly.

The real secret of the gathering importance of the Grand Stewards' Lodge lay in its supervision and more or less control of the funds of the Grand Lodge. It was the Auditing Committee, or rather from it was appointed the Auditing Committee, which examined and passed upon the books of the Grand Treasurer and the Grand Secretary. From the reorganization, or establishment, of the Grand Lodge under Livingston this duty, when performed at all, was done half yearly, but in 1812 the Grand Stewards voted that the examination should be done quarterly and apparently their right to do this was unquestioned. They also supervised the accounts of the School Committee and made recommendations in accordance with that duty. One result of their investigations in this respect was a

clear and understandable report of the financial condition of the Grand Lodge which, as we have purposely refrained from touching on that question hitherto, may here be reproduced in full:

Having examined the accounts current of the Grand Secretary and the books and vouchers of the Right Worshipful Grand Treasurer from the 27th day of May, 1812, to the 26th day of May, 1813, they (the committee) find that the Grand Secretary has received for dues of Lodges, School Fund dues, warrants, bank dividends, and interest on United States stock the sum of $3,041.75; that he has paid for postage, $15.80, and has likewise paid into the hands of the Right Worshipful Grand Treasurer, on account of the Grand Lodge, $3,182.34, leaving the Grand Lodge indebted to the Right Worshipful Grand Secretary the sum of $156.39.

Your committee further report that at the date of the 27th of May, 1812 (the time to which the accounts were examined), there was in the hands of the Right Worshipful Grand Treasurer the balance of $175.60 due this Grand Lodge; since which he has received from the Grand Secretary, $3,182.34, making the aggregate of $3,357.94, out of which he has disbursed, as per authentic vouchers, the sum of $3,318.54 viz.:

For part payment of note due by Grand
Lodge

For Grand Secretary's fees.

For service of Grand Pursuivant.
For services of Grand Tyler...
For tuition to the Charity School.
For charities

$ 300.00

375.00 58.62

21.00

675.00

1,521.63

Although it thus possessed power and used it unceasingly for the benefit of the fraternity, the Grand Stewards' Lodge had become to a very great extent an irresponsible body. Membership in it was by no means Past Masters as well as properly defined. present Masters seem to have had a voice in its deliberations, and probably a vote on the rare occasions when a formal vote on any subject was taken. This was not rectified until 1816, when the Grand Lodge, then putting its house in order in many ways, drew up a series of resolutions governing the membership and powers of the Grand Stewards' organization in the following words:

That the Grand Stewards' Lodge shall, from and after the first Wednesday in June next, be composed of the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, Grand Senior, Grand Junior Warden, Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer; ex-officio, and of twelve Grand Stewards of Charity, to be elected from the Past Grand officers, Past Masters and Masters of the several Lodges in the city of New York, who at the time shall be members of this Grand Lodge. That the election of the said twelve Grand Stewards of Charity shall take place at the time of the annual election of the Grand officers, and immediately thereafter the presiding officers of the Grand Lodge shall arrange the said twelve Grand Stewards of Charity into four classes, three in each class, numbering them first, second, third and fourth class. That the seats of the members of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the first year, the second class the second year, and so continually to the end that three Grand Stewards of Charity may be annually elected.

That the said Grand Stewards' Lodge shall possess and exercise all the powers now vested in the present Grand Stewards' Lodge, and assemble at the times prescribed for its meeting and whenever the Grand Master may specially convene them.

That the Grand Stewards' Lodge shall appoint from the said twelve Grand Stewards of Charity a committee consisting of three, to be called the Grand Stewards' Committee of Charity, who shall have and exercise the same powers that now belong to and are exercised by the Committee of Charity of the present Grand Stewards' Lodge, to be organized as aforesaid, and the said committee shall discharge the duties of their appointment until the next quarterly meeting, and so from time to time, in such rotation as nearly as may be, that the whole of the said twelve

That appeals may be made from the Grand Stewards' Committee of Charity to the Grand Stewards' Lodge and from thence to the Grand Lodge.

In accordance with this the following twelve Past Masters and Masters were elected in June, 1816:

Class 1, John Leonard, Past Master St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 3.

Class 2, Henry Marsh, Master Benevolent Lodge, No. 142.

Class 1, William Carlisle, Past Master Trinity Lodge, No. 10.

Class 3, Thaddeus Seymour, Past Master St. John's, No. 1.

Class 1, Barnard Strong, Past Master Mount Monah, No. 132.

Class 3, John J. Boyd, Master Adelphi, No. 18.

Class 2, George Carroll, Master St. John's, No. I.

Class 4, William E. Dunscomb, Master Clinton, No. 143.

Class 3, Jonas Humbert, Junior Master Fraternal, No. 31.

Class 4, Samuel Montgomery, Master Hiram, No. 7.

Class 4, George D. Davenport, Master Indep. Royal Arch, No. 2.

Class 2, James Lyon, Past Master St. John's, No. 6.

This arrangement of annual selection in classes of three continued operative for a long time, and was certainly by its methodical arrangement a vast improvement over the old system. The duty of distributing charity, of listening to tales of distress and sifting the merits of these stories, determining whether relief should be given and its amount are matters from which many men instinctively shrink, and although we have found in our survey of the records few cases where any brothers shirked such work, we have met with many cases where it was performed