American Military Lodges.

AMERICAN MILITARY LODGES .

MILITARY Masonic Lodges are of an early date , having long existed in the British army . In this country the first of which we have any record was one the warrant for which was granted by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in 1738 to Abraham Savage , to be used in the expedition against Canada . A similar one was granted by the same authority in 1756 to

Richard Gridley for the expedition against Crown Point . In both of these cases the warrants were of a general character , and might be considered as deputations , as they authorised

Savage and Gridley to congregate Masons into one or more Lodjges . In 1779 the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania granted a warrant to open a Military Lodge , which , in the warrant , was called a " Movable Lodge . "

In England , the system of Military Lodges is regulated by special provisions of the Grand Lodge Constitution . They are strictly limited to the purposes for which the warrants are granted , and no new Lodge can be established in a regiment without the concurrence of the commanding officer . They can

not make Masons of any but military men who have attained some rank in the army above that of private soldier ; although the latter may , by dispensation , be admitted as " serving Brethren ;" and they are strictly enjoined not to interfere with the Masonic Jurisdiction of any country in which they may be stationed .

At the session of the Grand Lodge of Indiana , in May 1861 , barely a month after the declaration of war between the North and the South , application was made by Brethren connected with the Eighth Indiana Volunteers , for a dispensation to work

as a " Travelling Lodge of Masons , " and to confer the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry upon such worthy men as should desire them in such regiment . The petition was not accompanied with the usual recommendations , but the Committee to whom the

matter was referred reported that they were of the unanimous opinion that , as it was an anomalous case in the history of Grand Lodge , the law requiring the recommendation of the nearest Lodge did not apply in that case , as the regiment could not be said to have any location , and therefore could have no Lodge

that could be considered " nearest . " They also found that no necessity had before existed , and no law , or regulation , had been enacted on the subject . They , therefore , recommended that the dispensation prayed for be granted , and the Grand Lodge promptly concurred by the adoption of the following resolution :

" Eesolved , That a dispensation be granted to the Brethren of the 8 th Indiana Regiment , empowering them to open a Lodge of Ancient Craft Masons , and to work and confer the degrees ,

and that their jurisdiction be confined to the said 8 th Regiment ; and that when said regiment shall disband , it shall be the duty of the Worshipful Master to return the dispensation and records of said Lodge to the Grand Lodge .

" Resolved , That the Lodge be named Benton Military Lodge , TJ . D ., and that W . P . Benton be appointed W . M ., Geo . W . H . Eeiley S . W ., and James Ford J . W . " This was the first dispensation of this kind ever granted in

Indiana . It was the result of " an excess of patriotism , " and many of those who were so " unanimously " in favour of the scheme in the beginning lived to regret their hasty and inconsiderate action .

Dr . Thomas E . Austin was Grand Master in 1861 . He enlisted in the army in July of that year , and left the affairs of the Grand Lodge in the hands of John B . Fravel , who was at that time Deputy . Brother Fravel was at that time an

ardent Union man , and all his efforts were directed towards ameliorating the condition of the soldiers , especially " those of the household of the faithful . " During the year from July 1861 , to the meeting of the Grand Lodge in May 1862 , he issued twenty dispensations .

At a subsequent session , the Grand Lodge recommended that the dispensations be continued until revoked by the Grand Master , and that the Brethren of said Military Lodges be requested to keep a true and faithful record of the proceedings

of their respective Lodges , giving in detail the position of each member , the part taken in every battle , and , should any be killed or die in the service of his country , the location of his interment , and return said record to the Grand Secretary , to be retained by him for future reference .

At the same meeting Brother Lattimore Senior Warden of Perseverance Military Lodge , was present , and out of respect to him the Grand Lodge invited him to take a seat in the Grand Lodge with full privilege to participate in the deliberations

during the session . It was also resolved that any other Brothers who had been engaged in the service of the Federal Government in a military capacity , and as a token of respect and approval , be invited to take seats in the Grand Lodge and participate in the deliberations during that Grand Communication .

The Master of Vigilant Military Lodge made a report of its organisation in the field , near Corinth . He also reported the conferring of the three degiees on three candidates whose

American Military Lodges.

applications were made cases of emergency . " At the new station , " he said , " on the 26 th April , on the Shiloh battlefield near the graves of the brave aud noble men of our regiment , aud of the army who fell in the battles of the 6 th and 7 th , and on a

spot to be ever memorable hereafter in the history of out country , we set up our Masonic Tabernacle , and on the same evening we passed Bro . John M . Ellvvood to the degree of Fellow Craft . "

Very few of these Military Lodge made any report . Ee » imental Lodge of the 31 st Regiment made a final report when it disbanded , from which it appears that it was organised at Terre Haute , 13 th September 1861 . During its existence it initiated passed and raised twenty-six members . The receipts were $ 454 ,

No charges or collections for dues were made . On the close of the war each member was furnished with a certificate or di ploma of non-indebtedness . The net amount , less expenses , $ 226 , was appropriated to erect a monument to the deceased Master , R . M . Watterman , whose death was caused by exposure .

The general workings of the Military Lodges was anythin " but satisfactory , or creditable to the Ancient Craft . Grand Master William Hacker , in his aunual address , 1865 , said " Had I my two years of Grand Master to live over , and knowing what I now do , I do not think I would issue any dispensation

whatever to organise Lodges connected with the army . But few of those we have organised have been of any credit to us , and I doubt if we ever have a report from any of them . " In returning the dispensation for a Military Lodge issued to the 23 rd Regiment , Bro . Thomas R . Austin , who was Grand

Master the first year of the war , said : " I would respectfull y report that after haviug seen the workings of other Military Lodges in the field the Craftsmen who were members of the 23 rd

Regiment deemed that it would be prejudical to the interests of Masonry to open a Lodge and work as Masous in that Regiment . No Lodge was therefore organised and no work was done . "

After the close of the war the status of these army-made Masous gave rise to a great deal of discussion . Grand Master Hazelrigg , in his address , in 1867 , devoted three pages to the question . He was also prolific , and even in discussing serious subjects , the vein of humour , which predominated in his

makeup , was sure to show itself . His opinion on the subject was embraced in this extract : " While some Grand Lodges hold that these army-made Masons should all be held as clandestine , others suggest a healing process . Now , I cannot subscribe to the position of either . Those made in army Lodges are either

Masons , or they are not . If they are , they should be treated as such , and need no healing ; If they are not , there is nothing to heal ! Old fabric manufactories used to have a kind of cloth

they called " shoot about . " It mixed up colours and threads in such a way that it was hard to distinguish what was the predominating colour or substance . It was a bastard affair , about such as I think this healing process would produce . "

The Grand Lodge , however , did not seem to have deemed the question to be of much importance , as no action was taken . Whatever became of the army-made Masons will

probably never be known . The Grand Lodge has become so thoroughly sick of the Military Lodges and their work that" Whither they went or how they fared , Nobody knew and nobody cared . " — " Daniel McDonald P . G . M ., in " Masonic Advocate . "

Travelling Lodges.

TRAVELLING LODGES .

THE writer just quoted ( Brother McDonald ) sends to our contemporary the following interesting item concerning the organisation of two " Travelling Lodges " by Grand Master Deming , in 1849 . " We venture the assertion that not a dozen living Masons in Indiana ever heard of these Lodges . If there are any living who belonged to one of them we would be pleased to hear from them . "

It is quite probable that the thought that leads to the issuing of dispensations to " Military Lodges " was incubated by Grand Master Elizur Deming , in his address to the Grand Lodge in 1849 . He said : "Two travelling Lodges have been organised in this state for California , one composed of Brethren

from Lafayette and its vicinity , named Sierra Nevada ; the other , composed of Brethren from Wayne county , named San Francisco . These Brethren will , we trust , do honour to the Craft , and Indiana will be ranked in future Masonic history as one of the pioneers in dispensing light to the golden regions of

our country . For the preservation of order Henry C . Lawrenrce was appointed Deputy Grand Master , being a well-tried , true , and trusty Brother . It will be necessary for the Grand Lodge

to confirm the validity of the acts relating to the Travelling Lodges . " The Grand Ledge approved the action of the Grand Master , but whatever became of the two Travelling Lodges is not known .