Masonic Notes And Queries.

Lodges of coloured people , pronounced by the American Grand Lodges to be clandestine . " There are some features of this report that are very singular , and would be unaccountable , but for tho fact that a Mason from Hamburgh is unknown in America , and he will continue to be a stranger in this land of charities and Masonic benevolence so long as that unwise body on the continent of Europe , which bears that name , shall persist in the support and countenance of

its subordinates in this jurisdiction . Speaking of the negro lodges , this report says : — " Their origin is unknown . The African Lodge at Boston insists upon having obtained its charter from the Grand Lodge of England ; this is , however , doubtful . According to an assertion of some of our German brethren who have , free of prejudice , visited negro lodges in New York , they could find nothing tending to prevent them to pronounce these lodges just and perfect . " In the first lacehas the Grand

p , Lodge of Hamburgh ever been appealed to by these negro lodges to recognise them ? Not at all ; Hamburgh will not so pretend . What business , then , has that body to be meddling with this matter ? More than three thousand miles away ! None whatever . Do they know of the rejection of a coloured individual by one of our lodges ? Do they know , or have they been informed of the exclusion of a single member of a " coloured lodge " from the doors of a white man's lodge ? Has it been

intimated to Hamburg that all intercourse with coloured Masons has been forbidden ? We present these questions only to show the inconsistency of the pretensions of Hamburgh . And these are the grounds upon which it goes out to the Grand Lodges of Europe with an earnest appeal for the recognition of coloured lodges in this country . And yet , strange as it may appear , there is not the slightest proof—there is not the shadow of evidence that we are obnoxious to one of these charges . And yet

Hamburgh asks the Grand Lodges of Europe to recognise these bodies when it declares their origin is unknown , and their pretensions doubtful . Some of the German brethren have visited these negro lodges in New York . We respectfully submit that the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh is mistaken in this I'articular . No German brother has ever visited one of these lodges . Such a thing cannot he done—for the moment a Mason enters the portals of such a body in New York in the character of a Mason

his panoply of " brother" departs from him . There may be , and doubtless have been , white persons , perhaps Germans , who have visited negro assemblages which were called by the negroes themselves " Masonic lodges ; " but these assemblages bear about the same affinity to a Masonic lodge that a negro clam-bake would bear to the Diet of Worms . Nona hut irregular , clandestine , or expelled Masons visit these bodies of Masons ; the Mason in good standing who should visit one of these bodies

would subject himself to expulsion , and would be expelled as soon as the subject could be brought before his lodge—not so much because the bodj- is made np of coloured men , though this would cause a suspicion of his orthodoxy , but because there is not , and never has been , a negro lodge of Masons , in the State of New York , deriving authority from a regular Grand Lodge . A moment's reflection will convince any Mason that such a body cannot be visited without a violation of the most solemn

obligations . The Grand Lodges of Europe are supposed to be without prejudice to the coloured race , ancl are therefore asked to recognise these bodies ! Extravagant credulity ! Can it be possible that Hamburgh believes the other Grand Lodges of Em-ope will recognise negro lodges and Grand Lodges solely because theiv members have dark skins ? This idea presupposes an affection for the coloured race on the part ofthe European Grand Lodges

which would trample upon Masonic obligations to be gratified . Those bodies cannot commit , nor permit their members to commit so great a crime . There must be some other evidences furnished those Grand Lodges of tho regularity of these negro lodges before they will acknowledge them ; ancl when they come to seek for this evidence it will he entirely wanting . We are , however , forestalling Bro . Von Mcusch in these remarks , and we must allow him to be heard in a matter in which

he has taken so active and honourable a part , His first official communication on the subject was made to the Grand Lodge of Saxony , at its meeting on the 17 th of October last , and is as follows : "—[ Then follow three reports made to the Grand Lodge of Saxony , by R . W . ¥ . A . Von Meusch , Representative of the Grand ' Lodge of New York near that body ; tho first at the meeting of Oct . 11 , 1 S 5 S ; the second at the meeting of January 5 , 1858 ( 1850 ?) ; and the third at the meeting of April G , lSoii .

Our space will not permit us to insert them entire . We therefore present the following synopsis of the line of argument adapted by him . In the first report , he states that the Grand Lodge at Hamburgh requests the Grand Lodge at Saxony to give their views upon these points : 1 . The recognition of the Grand Lodge of the negro republic of Liberia , in Africa ; and

2 . The recognition of a National Grand Lodge , ancl of Grand Lodges of coloured men in the United States , which are considered by the Grand Lodges of the latter country as irregular . Bro . Meusch premises that , under the appellation of coloured men , tho Grand Lodge of Hamburgh does not mean the American aborigines , the Indians , hut those individuals in whose veins , to use a common expression , flows African blood—negroes and miilattoes . He then , in the name of the Grand Lodge of

New York , and as the representative of that body of Masons , formally protests against the recognition of visitors from such , in tho lodges under her jurisdiction . He calls to the remembrance of the Grand Lodge , the position which the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh occupies to the Grand Lodges of the United States . That the latter have ceased all fraternal relations with the former , in consequence of her invasion of the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New Yorkbthe establishment

, y of two subordinate lodges within the jurisdiction of the latter , the members of which comprise citizens of the United States , of German origin ; and that the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh persists in this invasion , and is in a state of hostility , in consequence , to the American Grand Lodges . He alleges that in the United States the free coloured men stand on the lowest rounds of the social ladder , and , generally speaking , of mental development ; and that in the non-slave-holding states they enjoy

protection ; but from higher considerations , no political ancl civil rights ancl privileges . That the Craft of Freemasonry presupposes w-ith its members not only a certain conformity of inner and outer culture , full independence in the position of life , the unimpaired possession of public rights , but also an intellectual equality , and the capacity of reciprocity of Masonic obligations . He alleges that the initiation of colored men in the American lodges would not fail , besides , to produce between the brethren

of the Northern and Southern States of the Union dissensions and discord , ancl the interests of the entire country would infallibly be heavily compromised . That it is the duty of the loyal citizen to respect and to protect the political organisation ofthe fatherland , and it would ill suit the old , venerable , and true Order of Freemasons should they , by violating the laws of the land , disturb by its actions tho order ancl peace of the country . That Masonic interests will always and everywhere he

subordinate to the welfare of the State ; and arrives at the conclusion that Masonic rights and public duty require that the Grand Lodges in the United States should not only firmly support the lav / respecting the interdiction of more than one Grand Lodge in each State , which excludes also the coloured Grand Lodges , hut also the constitutional declaration of incapacity of coloured men to he initiated into the Order . He also alleges that these negro lodges do not possess valid charters .

In his second report , Bro . Von Meusch further elaborates these views , and fully investigates the claims of Prince Hale Lodge , or Grand Lodge , whichever it may be called ; and shows that it is a spurious organisation . From his third report , we learn that the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh , has postponed the consideration of such recognition , which was to have been had in February , until her quarterly meeting in May . He also states that such German Grand Lodges as have acted on these

propositions have given only evasive answers—they recognise coloured lodges , provided they are just and perfect , that is , legitimate ; and that the Grand Lodge of Hanover has already given her vote to the effect that , she does not recognise these bodies , at this time , as just and perfect . He reiterates the views presented in his former reports , and alleges that the Grand Lodge of England , and the European Continental Grand Lodges , in general , respect tho American right and law , as well as the the

Americnn Grand Lodges on their part are wont to honour foreign rights ancl usages . Bro . King further says , in the notice of these reports , " It may not he improper to mention that , aside from the reports above copied from Bro . Meusch , we have learned through private sources , there is a disposition on the part of the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh to invite the coloured lodges to recognise her as the Mother Grand Lodge , in the quality of daughter lodges and Provincial Grand Lodges . This , of course , would avail nothing