field was chosen in his room; Grand Chaplain Feltus was elected Senior Grand Warden, and Dr. Smith retained the Junior Warden's chair. The Grand Secretary was also reelected, but opposition to Cornelius Bogert, the Grand Treasurer, had sprung up and he was defeated by George W. Hyer, Past Master of Mount Moriah Lodge, No. 132. The Rev. E. M. Johnson declined a re-election as Grand Chaplain and this, with the transference of the Rev. Dr. Feltus to the Senior Warden's chair, left two vacancies in the corps of spiritual advisers of the Grand Lodge. These vacancies were filled by the selection of two of the most noted clergymen New York has had in her entire history.

The senior of these, the Rev. Archibald Maclay, was born in Scotland in 1776. When 9 years of age, by the death of his father, he was thrown upon his own resources, but managed, in time, to attend the University and studied for the ministry. When he was graduated and licensed he became minister of a church at Kirkcaldy. In 1804 he was appointed a missionary to India, but for some reason or other he failed to accept the appointment and in 1805 he sailed for America. He became pastor of a Congregational Church in New York, but, his views on infant baptism having changed, he entered the Baptist denomination in 1809 and took charge of one of its churches, and so continued for thirty years. In addition to his immediate church work he was a diligent laborer in many ways. He was the means, through the ingathering of subscriptions, of founding Maclay College in Canada, and he was the leading spirit in the formation of the American Bible Union. He was one of the first American clergymen to advocate a revision of the King James version of the Scriptures, and, though his ideas in that regard were deemed iconoclastic at first, he had the satisfaction of seeing his views gradually becoming adopted by hundreds of the best educated clergymen in the country. Dr. Maclay died at New York in 1856.

The Rev. J. M. Wainwright, the other Grand Chaplain, at the time of his appointment was rector of Grace Church, New York. He was a native of Liverpool and was brought to America when young. After graduating from Harvard he entered into the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church and became rector of Christ Church, Hartford, in 1818 and a year later assistant rector of Trinity Parish, New York. In 1852 he was consecrated Bishop of New York and died two years later. Dr. Wainwright was a ready and able writer, a ripe scholar, a brilliant orator, and took part in many public movements, notably the establishment of the University of New York.

At the meeting of Dec. 7, 1825, there was submitted what may be called the first of the reports on correspondence which have within recent years become so important a part of the transactions of the New York Grand Lodge, as, indeed, of all others. True there had been submitted a report of that character at a preceding annual meeting, but it was a very weak effort, saying, in fact, that there was nothing in the foreign correspondence requiring "particular attention," except a recommendation that the Grand Lodge of Haiti should be recognized. On this occasion the report was somewhat more elaborate. They inform the brethren that the Grand Lodge of Maine had decided that a brother could receive the degrees on affirmation as well as under oath, and that the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania had protested against this as an innovation and requested the Maine brethren to reconsider the matter. The New York committee considered that the Philadelphians "supported their objections by a long chain of sound and incontrovertible reasoning." This reasoning the committee was prepared to accept, "provided, that the innovation is considered as relating to any, (even) the slightest of the forms handed down by immemorial usage, but if it relates merely to phraseology then they did not consider the change of vital im

After that we are told "the Grand Master and Grand officers, together with the officers of the subordinates, were then escorted by the Fraternity to the site of the proposed Freemasons' Hall, where the Grand Master, assisted by the Deputy Grand Master and Senior and Junior Grand Wardens, performed the ceremony, agreeable to ancient customs, of laying the foundation stone."

The other officers were re-elected, the only change being that the staff of Chaplains was increased to six, the Rev. William Mead and the Rev. Thomas Bristnall being added to the list.

The policy of Brother King's administration, like that of his predecessor, was simply one of waiting, only when his term began there were not wanting many clear indications that a tide in favor of union was setting in strongly over the State. Therefore under him the Grand Lodge did little more than attend to its own individual interests and preserve the necessary order in its own house. The tedium of the year was, however, mitigated a little by one or two noteworthy incidents. One of these occurred in a complaint laid against Alexander Caskaden, a Past Master of Benevolent Lodge. It seems that in the fall of 1825 an indictment was found by the New York grand jury against one James Malone. His offense was not precisely stated in the records, and what it was really does not matter. Caskaden went on his bond and he was set free pending trial. Caskaden's kindness did not stop there, for after Malone's release he was, on Caskaden's recommendation, initiated, passed and raised in Benevolent Lodge. The brother who made the complaint to the Grand Lodge said: "If this affair had not existed, sufficient could have been brought against Malone to prevent him from becoming a Mason, which can at any time be substantiated. I thought it my duty to inform Caskaden that I intended to represent the affair to the Grand Lodge; he appeared quite indifferent and observed that if

it was to do again he would have it done, or words to that effect."

The committee to whom this knotty point was referred had quite a time examining witnesses and comparing testimony and drawing conclusions. Finally they found that the facts were as stated; that Caskaden did propose Malone, and that Malone was made a Mason while under indictment by the Grand Jury. But they held that a man under indictment is not necessarily guilty, and, if Caskaden believed Malone innocent he violated no known Masonic law in proposing him. At the same time they thought his course indiscreet and injudicious and one to be deprecated, as "one

MASONIC HALL, EAST SIDE OF BROADWAY, BETWEEN DUANE AND PEARL STREETS, 1830.

of our great objects ought ever to be to preserve unsullied the reputation and respectability of our institution."

A much more serious trouble was that which developed in the case of Elias Hicks, who for some ten years had been Grand Secretary. What that trouble was we cannot exactly determine. At a meeting of the Grand Stewards' Lodge on Nov. 29, 1826, he presented his accounts, and, as usual, they were turned over to a committee for examination. That meeting was adjourned until December 4 and then a letter was read from the Grand

Master announcing that Hicks had resigned the office of Grand Secretary and that he had appointed O. M. Lowndes (of Adelphi Lodge, No. 91) in his stead "until the pleasure of the Grand Lodge be known." The minutes of that meeting then say: "The committee on the accounts of the Grand Secretary reported that owing to the resignation of the R.. W.. Elias Hicks he craved the indulgence of the committee for further time to prepare his books prior to surrendering them to his successor. Under these circumstances the committee deemed it proper to suspend further proceedings on their part until the pleasure of the Grand Stewards' Lodge. It was then resolved that the report be accepted and the committee be allowed further time.

The troubles of the ex-Grand Secretary were complicated by his being expelled from Holland Lodge, of which he had been a member since 1793 and of which he had been. fourteen times elected Master. From this he appealed to the Grand Lodge and that body on December 6 appointed a committee to consider the appeal and also to get from Brother Hicks all books, papers and other property in his possession belonging to the Grand Lodge. On March 7 that committee reversed the action of Holland Lodge and restored Hicks to Masonic privileges, and also stated that he had promptly delivered up all the papers and property of the Grand Lodge which he had. This practically ended the trouble, although there is a record of a bill for three swords he had ordered, amounting to over $1,000, being disputed in the Grand Stewards' Lodge. The trouble would

appear to have arisen rather through carelessness in bookkeeping and simplicity in business affairs rather than from any conduct which was really culpable, at least we so judge from the fact that Hicks was fully reinstated in the affections of his Lodge and remained an honored and respected member of it to the end of his career.

The new Masonic Hall on Broadway, between Duane and Pearl streets, was now approaching completion and the Grand Lodge hired its Lodge room at $100 a year for the four quarterly meetings. The Grand Stewards' Lodge and the Committee on Charity were, however, to continue using their rooms in St. John's Hall. This appears to have been a popular step, but not so appears to have been an order passed March 7, 1823, denouncing Masonic processions and recommending the Grand Master to issue dispensations for such public appearances only upon very extraordinary occasions. To appear in public clothed in regalia was always a privilege dear to the heart of the Mason who looked only to the spectacular side of the institution and the privilege had been greatly abused. The thoughtless condemned the edict, but the true Masons approved it as being absolutely necessary to the dignity of the profession.

We will, however, hear more about the evils of Masonic processions as our story progresses. Meanwhile we will now turn to consider the fortunes of the Country Grand Lodge, which we left when Grand Master Enos' gavel sounded the first of the great divisions which have marked the history of the Grand Lodge of New York.

RAND MASTER ENOS, according to the terms of his adjournment, called the Grand Lodge together in Tammany Hall on the forenoon of June 4, 1823. He was supported by Deputy Grand Master John Brush and Senior Grand Warden John Greig, but the remainder of the official chairs were filled by temporary appointments. After appointing a committee on credentials the Grand Lodge again adjourned until the following day, mainly for the purpose of gaining time to see how the lines in the struggle were settling. At that meeting (on June 5) Grand Secretary Hicks and Grand Treasurer Bogert were summoned to appear before the Grand Lodge with "the books, papers, funds and vouchers" in their possession, a summons to which it may here be said they paid no attention, and both were in time suspended from Masonry for ten years, a sentence which gave neither of them any concern. The Lodge then went into the election of officers, their choice resulting as follows:

Joseph Enos, Grand Master. John Brush, Deputy Grand Master. Nathaniel Allen, Senior Grand Warden. Thomas Barker, Junior Grand Warden. Aaron M. Merchant, Grand Secretary. Welcome Eslecek, Grand Treasurer. Rev. Henry I. Feltus, Grand Chaplain. Rev. W. B. Lacy, Assistant Grand Chaplain.

The Grand Secretary and Senior Grand Chaplain, however, declined to serve, but the

other officers were at once installed and a visit from Past Grand Master Tompkins and Brother Erastus Root, Lieutenant-Governor of the State, added eclat to the proceedings. The next business of importance was the removal of the decree of suspension against Ebenezer Wadsworth and that brother was not only received with open arms, but a committee reported that not only was he free of any indebtedness to the Grand Lodge, but that body was indebted to him $24.50. How this conclusion was arrived at, in the absence of any data is a mystery, but there is no doubt of Wadsworth's personal honesty. On June 6 thirteen new Lodges were warranted, some of them also getting a warrant from the City Grand Lodge, and the official list was completed by the election of Charles G. Haines as Grand Secretary, and the Rev. Hooper Cummings as Grand Chaplain. But it was found that a serious mistake in tactics had been made, for, while the Country Grand Lodge had the members, the City Grand Lodge had the money and the records. Instead, even at this juncture, of using a little policy which might have been productive of profitable results, the Country Grand Lodge Grand Lodge affected to deny the existence of any Grand Lodge in the State but itself and authorized the newly elected Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer to demand and receive from Elias Hicks and Cornelius Bogert, whom it was pleased to designate respectively as Past Grand Secretary and Past Grand Treasurer, "and of and