ing in a foreign tongue, and obstacles were put in the way of such work from a dread that the ancient landmarks might be departed from and the ritual and teachings of Masonry be altered and directed in ways which the Grand Lodge and the great body of body of brethren might not approve. But such fears in time passed away and it was recognized that the brethren speaking and working in German, the Lodges whose business was conducted in German and whose membership was made up of Germans by birth or immediate descent, were as devoted to the principles of the institution and as loyal to the craft as could anywhere be found. They were as enthusiastic as they were loyal. Devotion to the Fatherland, however, bound them together and it was with the view of promoting Freemasonry, as well as of keeping alive the flame of patriotism and the memories of home, that in 1876 the question arose of having a temple of their own, from the income of which a home for their aged brethren and needy

widows and orphans might be sustainedthe very idea which the main body of the craft had been wrestling with for years. The idea quickly took root, subscriptions were received with remarkable promptness, an association was formed, the property at 220 East 15th Street was purchased, and on July 2, 1878, the cornerstone of the proposed temple was laid. There were then twenty-seven German speaking Lodges in the metropolitan district and they worked together in this enterprise with such unanimity and devotion that on March 11, 1879, it was ready for dedication and that was performed with fitting ceremonies in the presence of a great gathering of the brethren, speaking all manner of tongues. The temple is a plain but substantial building, four stories high, and admirably fitted up for Lodge purposes, its rooms being large and its accommodations perfect. It was a success, financially, from the beginning, and in 1888 the association in whom ownership is vested was able to inform the Grand Lodge

that they had purchased a piece of land comprising eighteen acres, and had erected the necessary buildings for a home, at Tappan for a sum of $14,350. That home was formally dedicated on October 24, of that year, by Brother E. A. G. Intemann, in the presence of Grand Master Lawrence, and has since been in successful operation. As the German brethren at the same time paid all other claims made upon the fraternity for the Hall and Asylum Fund, contributed liberally to and bought liberally at the various fairs, and took their full share of the general burden, the successful establishment of this home shows that their devotion to their Fatherland and their fraternal spirit to their countrymen did not blind them to the claims of the fraternity at large, did not circumscribe their views as to the Masonic universality of the spirit of charity. The story of the German Masonic Temple and Home is one of the noblest chapters in the history of Freemasonry in New York.

In this connection a little cloud which for a time threatened to increase in size and darken the Masonic horizon in connection with the German Lodges may here be referred to. Among the German brethren an organization had grown up under the name of the German American Freemason's Society Veritas. It nad grown out of a society which had previously existed and was organized by seventeen members on June 28, 1883. That number rapidly spread and as it grew in strength so it waxed bold in enunciating its principles. These declared it to be superior to all Masonic authorities and that its objects were "the promotion of Masonic light by, first, spiritual or philosophic explanation of the being and purpose of Freemasonry, as also the spreading of knowledge of the history and symbolism of the same." It met within tiled doors and what its business was could not be learned by brethren who were not members. It, however, adopted a sheet called Masonia as its organ and through it communicated its

views and such of its doings as it chose to the outer world. Thus it became responsible for the utterances of that sheet. The society thus made two errors, one its declaration of independence of supreme Masonic authority and its designation of an official organ. No Grand Lodge could tamely stand by and thus find a practical repudiation of its authority and a newspaper endorsed giving peculiar Masonic views to the world by members of its own ranks, and the matter was referred to the brethren at the annual meeting of 1884. Then, as a result of inquiry, it was stated that the resolution giving the status of an official organ to "Masonia," the paper in question, was merely formal, and that while many of the members of Veritas were subscribers to the paper the society had in reality no control over its utterances, and it was also alleged that the obnoxious phrase "independent of" had been wrongly translated and that the words used really meant to convey simply the idea that the society had no official connection with supreme Masonic authorities. There seems no doubt that this society was born on account of the dissatisfaction felt by many over the appointment of a certain brother as the representative of the Grand Master in their midst, and while it does not seem to have done anything or counseled anything to distract the amicable relations which prevailed-it appears, in fact, to have zealously counseled harmony-there is no doubt that such an organization, with such pretensions and under all the circumstances, would likely become a nursery for schism. and-in time-might develop into something worse. The Grand Lodge committee, which seems to have patiently investigated all the circumstances, could find no fault with the society's purposes so far as it promised to further a knowledge of the history and philosophy of Masonry, but it recommended that it strike out the offensive passage in its constitution bearing upon its position toward supreme Masonic authority and also to expunge

its vote acknowledging "Masonia" as its organ. This was at once agreed to and the District Deputy regarding whose appointment the trouble had originated, resigned and another was appointed. The incident closed with a memorable reception given to the Grand Master (Brodie) in the German Temple on Nov. 24, 1884, when he received such an ovation as left no doubt on his mind or on the mind of any one present that the cloud had only served to bring out into bolder relief than ever the loyalty of the German brethren to the Grand Lodge. In his address to the Grand Lodge June, 1885, Grand Master Brodie thus closed official notice of the incident:'

At the last annual session, on the report of the special committee on the society called “Veritas," the Grand Lodge adopted the committee's recommendation "that the said society strike out

the entire of the objectional and offensive language and sections of their constitution, at the earliest period, and report the same to the Grand Master, and thus purge themselves from even an implication of disloyalty," and, "that such society Veritas, as evidence of their faith in American ideas of Freemasonry, and to set their seal of disapprobation of the misleading doctrines and offensive utterances of a newspaper known as the 'Masonia,' obliterate from its constitution the declaration that it is the organ of the society." On the 12th day of June, 1884, the secretary of the society, Veritas, reported to the Grand Master, that in pursuance of the action of the Grand Lodge, said society had at its regular meeting held on Monday, June 9, 1884, "resolved to strike from their constitution all the objectional sections and phrases in question." By this prompt action the brethren working in the German tongue gave such evidence of their loyalty to the Grand Lodge, that no question remained with any thereto, and the Grand Master is proud to recognize in these brethren those, than whom none can be more loyal to the Grand Lodge and the principles of Freemasonry.

N 1877 the Grand Lodge extended recognition to a Grand body formed the previous year in the island of Cuba, an act that was much appreciated by the people of the "ever faithful isle," as that unhappy island had been called by the power which misgoverned it for so many centuries. Some feeling was caused during 1877 by a dispute which had sprung up between the Grand Lodge of Scotland and that of Quebec in which the New York brethren took some interest, and as it affects a point in Masonic international law, it may be as well to refer to it here. The Grand Lodge of Quebec was organized in 1869, and incorporated on its roll all the Lodges in that province with one exception (Kilwinning Montreal). This Lodge had hailed from the Grand Lodge of Scotland and declined to submit to the new body, retaining its allegiance to its mother Grand Lodge, and, in accordance with long prevailing policy, the Scottish authorities declined to give it up. It was held that under the circumstances a subordinate Lodge could claim the right to declare its own course. The Quebec Grand Lodge asserted that it had full authority and jurisdiction over its own territory and demanded that the Lodge in question acknowledge its supremacy. This was refused, whereupon Scotland withdrew its recognition of Quebec, declared that province vacant territory, issued charters to two new Lodges and set up a new Provincial Grand Lodge. Later a similar contention arose between Quebec

and England. In both cases, while it was felt that New York had no right to interfere it was held that Quebec was right in her contention, for it is an unyielding dogma of American Masonic law that a Grand Lodge must have complete control within its own State, Provincial or Territorial boundaries.

A petty argument with Pennsylvania threatened serious trouble for a time. A gentleman named Tobias had been rejected by a Lodge at Pittsburgh and soon after a gentleman named Tobias, applying for membership in Shakespeare Lodge, No. 750, New York, was accepted and initiated. The rejection of the Pittsburgh Tobias was unknown to the members of Shakespeare Lodge until the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge complained of the "invasion of its jurisdiction." Shakespeare Lodge then preferred charges against the initiate; he was twice tried by a commission. On the first time the trial was broken up on a technicality, on the second he was acquitted, the finding being virtually that the New York Tobias and the Pittsburgh Tobias were two individuals. These facts were reported to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and the Grand Master, ignoring the two trials, declared in effect that Shakespeare Lodge was contumacious and issued an edict forbidding any Masonic intercourse with it. This peculiar situation, of course, could not be congenial to the New York Grand Lodge for various reasons, one of which was that Pennsylvania certainly had no control over Shakespeare Lodge. If it had any

grievance it was with the Grand Lodge of New York. A committee of the latter body investigated the whole question. It seems that the question was on the identity of the candidate, and, while the Pennsylvania people failed at the first trial to demonstrate the sameness of Tobias of Pittsburgh and he of New York, yet on the second and conclusive trial these witnesses were not forthcoming and Shakespeare Lodge had no alternative to find any other way than it did. That Lodge was fully sustained by the Committee of Investigation, but the statement on the subject which the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania had submitted through its Grand Secretary was referred to Grand Master Flagler. Finally it was resolved that as soon as the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania should withdraw its edict, but not before, another investigation would be ordered to be made by Shakespeare Lodge, and the Pennsylvania authorities, realizing the weakness of their position, promptly withdrew and the case soon dropped into its original insignificance, and all parties concerned were thankful when it was buried-to vex no more.

One of the most pleasing features which the historian of this period can chronicle is the housing of the library and its being made available for the use of the brethren. From the time of the appointment of John G. Barker as Librarian the collection of transactions and Masonic books of various sorts which had been gathered under the auspices of the Grand Lodge had been gradually arranged and put in order to make them be readily of service to the brethren. In 1878 Brother Robert H. Thomas, then Librarian, reported that the collection included a gathering of printed proceedings of Grand bodies as well as Masonic text books, monitors, constitutions, histories, addresses and various other descriptions of Masonic literature, which in completeness and extent he regarded as equal to any similar library in the world. In 1879 the brethren had a chance of understanding the value of this collection from the catalogue of the con

tents which Librarian Thomas had printed in the volume of proceedings of that year. One thing, however, was wanting, which was some arrangement by which the books could be rendered of practical use to the brethren, be so disposed that they might be consulted as required. Several efforts were made in that direction, but after Brother Thomas' death, June 6, 1881, the library began to suffer. It was placed in the charge of W. F. Costenbader, a good and enthusiastic Mason, but one who had neither the time nor the intimate acquaintance with books necessary to successfully administer such an office as that of Grand Librarian; neither had William Delamater, who succeeded him, one of the most useful Masons in the jurisdiction. Under such supervision the library suffered. Books became missing, others were mutilated, the sets of transactions were not kept up, the doors of the library were generally found locked, and the collection might just as well have been scattered to the four winds of heaven so far as beneficent service to the fraternity was concerned. It is due to both these brothers to state that such a condition of things was not agreeable to them. They tried to improve matters and pointed out to the Grand Lodge the decay which had manifestly fallen upon the library. One brother, in fact, thoroughly acquainted with the condition of affairs, when asked what was the good of a library anyway, announced that it gave the Grand Master an opportunity of naming a Grand Lodge officer-and that was all. Herman G. Carter, who was appointed Grand Librarian in 1882, and who was more of a bookworm than either of his immediate predecessors, improved matters a little by opening the doors of the library to whosoever listed on Saturday evenings. He tried hard to induce a little liberality in dealing with the library on the part of the Trustees, but without avail; it was felt that the fraternity could not afford to spend money for books while a load of debt rested on the building in which