THE BUILDER JANUARY 1919

CALIFORNIA'S RECOGNITION OF FRENCH MASONRY
REPORT OF THE GRAND LODGE COMMITTEE

AT the annual communication of the Grand Lodge in 1917 the
following resolutions were unanimously adopted:

Whereas, It is pre-eminently desirable that the "Universality of
Masonry," no less than the "Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood
of Man" shall be something more than an empty phrase; and

Whereas, The readjustment of the world's affairs that will result
from the conflict now raging will justify, if it shall not require,
a reconsideration of the judgments rendered in the past concerning
what were believed to be fundamental differences between
Anglo-Saxon and Latin Masonry; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That a Special Committee of five members of this Grand
Lodge be appointed by the Grand Master to report at the next annual
communication some plan whereby, if possible, the breach between
French and Anglo-Saxon Masonry may be healed without the sacrifice
on either side of any essential principle or matter of conscience;
and, be it further

Resolved, That any inhibition upon the right of visitation
heretofore imposed by this Grand Lodge be, and the same hereby is,
modified insofar as it may be necessary to allow and permit our
brethren to hold Masonic intercourse with the Masons in France,
Belgium and Italy, and to visit any of their lodges.

The Grand Master appointed William Rhodes Hervey, Bradford Webster,
Charles Albert Adams, George F. Rodden and George W. Hunter a
Special Committee to make the report provided for in the
resolutions.

Immediately after entering upon its task the committee was
confronted with grave difficulties arising out of the disturbances
resulting from our present state of war, lack of authentic and
detailed information relating to the subject matter, and the widely
variant attitudes assumed by Grand Lodges respecting French Masonic
powers. Because of these difficulties your committee finds itself
unable at this time, notwithstanding its serious and diligent
efforts, to comply with the requirements of your resolution.
However, it may be profitable to present a discussion of the
subject and respectfully to recommend a present course of action
for the Grand Lodge of California without presuming in any degree
to indicate the attitude which should be assumed by any other Body,
or remotely to suggest the propriety of similar action by any other
Grand Lodge of the great family of Anglo-Saxon Masonry.

The work entrusted to your committee is one of vital importance at
this time. More than 5,300 members of California Lodges have
enlisted in the military or naval service of our great government,
and thousands more, in all probability, will soon join the colors.
Many of these Masons are already serving in France, and our
brethren will be sent in increasing numbers to that distant land.
California Masons are companions in arms with French Masons who owe
allegiance to Bodies with which this Grand Lodge has no fraternal
relationship. These men are engaged in the same high enterprise in
behalf of honor and civilization, their brave hearts beat in
unison, they confront the same foe and equal dangers, and the ashes
of many of them will commingle in the sacred soil of France, which
is being hallowed by their blood. They are entitled to exchange and
enjoy all the royalties and generosities and amenities of Masonic
fellowship and social intercourse unless some insurmountable
barrier of conscience lifts between them.

We are face to face with new and unusual conditions in the Masonic
world. Our soldier brethren in France are unfamiliar with the
points of difference which separate the Anglo-Saxon Masons from
their French brethren, and they are entitled to have this vexed and
difficult question settled or to be advised of the reasons for a
continued separation. The French Bodies have made overtures for
recognition. It seems our plain duty to leave nothing undone that
can consistently be done to cement more firmly the bonds of
universal brotherhood. We desire, in this report, to lay before you
the facts pertinent to this inquiry and to point out the obstacles
which must be overcome if French Masonry is to be recognized by
this Grand Lodge. We regret that this report will be found lacking
in definiteness, but authentic information is not always available
and many aspects of the question under consideration are veiled in
obscurity. We believe the statements herein contained, gathered
from many sources, to be facts in the case, although we cannot, in
every instance, prove their authenticity.

FRENCH MASONIC POWERS

There are three Grand Bodies in France exercising authority over
the degrees of symbolic and Ancient Craft Masonry, to-wit: the
Grand Orient of France, the Grand Lodge of France, and the
Independent and Regular National Grand Lodge of France and the
French Colonies. These three Bodies are independent of each other
and exhibit differences in method and principle. It appears that
very little is known about French Masonry by the members of the
Craft, and the fugitive items in the Masonic and secular press on
this subject have not always dealt fairly with our French brethren,
and oftentimes have echoed the complaints and misrepresentations of
the enemies of Latin Masonry. The history of these powers may be
briefly summarized as follows:

(a) The Grand Orient. It is claimed that a lodge of Masons was
organized at Dunkirk in the early years of the eighteenth century,
but we have been unable to verify such facts. It appears that the
first lodge actually known in France was that established in Paris
in 1732 by Lord Derwentwater. In 1735 certain lodges at Paris
applied to the Grand Lodge of England for the constitution of a
Provincial Grand Lodge, but the petition was refused for political
reasons. The Grand Lodge of England reconsidered its action and in
1743 granted authority for the organization of a Provincial Grand
Lodge under the name of the Grand Loge Anglaise de France. We have
been advised that the constitution of this Grand Lodge was modeled
on that of the Anderson Constitutions of 1723. Soon after the
organization of this Grand Body differences arose between the
Parisian and Provincial lodges and there ensued years of
turbulence. In 1775 the Grand Lodge declared its independence of
the Grand Lodge of England and changed its name to Grande Loge de
France, and excluded all the Provincial lodges from its membership.
It seems that this body recognized only the first three degrees of
Masonry. The difficulties between the Parisian Grand Lodge and the
Provincial lodges seem to have been finally healed and all the
factions of French Craft Masonry were united in 1771, in which year
a new constitution was adopted and the Grande Loge de France was
merged into the Grand Orient of France. It appears, however, that
soon a faction arose which repudiated the merger or change and
perpetuated the existence of the Grand Lodge, which engaged in a
struggle against the new Grand Orient until 1779, when the Grand
Lodge was finally and completely united with the Grand Orient. In
1804 a second Grand Body was organized, but by treaty was soon
after merged into the Grand Orient. Even a cursory inquiry into the
history of the Grand Orient is sufficient to impress the student
with the belligerent and controversial nature of the body, and
there is reason to believe that the internal conflicts in the Grand
Orient are probably responsible for the existence, at this time, of
more than one ruling Body of Craft Masonry in France. Yet it must
be borne in mind that even in England schisms in Masonry were the
outstanding feature of its early history, and that in 1753 there
was a division into two Grand Lodges --the Ancients and the
Moderns--which were not united until 1813.

It seems that the Grand Orient, at an early date, assumed control
over the "higher" degrees of Masonry, and we read that in 1804 it
entered into a controversy with the Supreme Council of France, an
organization of Scottish Rite Masons which seems to have originated
in France in 1760 under the name of the Rite of Perfection, and in
1805 agreed upon a treaty by which the sovereignty and independence
of the Supreme Council was recognized over all degrees above the
eighteenth, while the Grand Orient was agreed to have full power
over all the degrees up to and including the eighteenth. This
treaty was not sufficient to produce the desired harmony, and soon
after its ratification renewed disturbances began because of the
violations thereof by the Grand Orient. However, the Grand Orient
has continued for more than a century the strongest and most
influential Masonic power in France, and, according to recent
reports, today rules over 465 subordinate lodges with 35,000
members.

(b) The Grand Lodge of France. It appears that the Supreme Council
of the Thirty-Third Degree for France organized the Grand Lodge of
France in 1804 to administer and control the lodges working the
first three degrees of Masonry, although some authorities contended
that this Grand Lodge was a survival of a faction of the Body that
was united to the Grand Orient in 1779. Our information respecting
the history of this Grand Lodge, from the time it claims to have
been organized until recent years, is so obscure that we can not
give any details of its career. It appears, however, that the Grand
Lodge was reorganized in 1894, but remained a subsidiary or an
instrumentality of the Supreme Council of France until 1904, when
it became a sovereign and independent Body. Its independence from
the Grand Orient seems to date from 1895. From the fact that the
Grand Orient claimed jurisdiction over all degrees under the
eighteenth, and that the Supreme Council possessed jurisdiction
over the degrees above the eighteenth, it is difficult to
understand how the Supreme Council gained jurisdiction over the
Craft degrees so that it might relinquish the same to the Grand
Lodge, except upon the theory that strife continued between the two
great Masonic powers in France, and that, notwithstanding the
treaty they had made, each continued to confer and rule the first,
second and third degrees. Not being able to trace the history of
the relations between these powers, we assume that the independence
gained by the Grand Lodge of the Grand Orient in 1895, and of the
Supreme Council in 1904, terminated what must have been a long
quarrel. We believe that, by reasons of violations of the treaty of
1805, from 1841 both the Grand Orient and the Supreme Council
conferred and ruled Craft degrees, and that the Supreme Council
relinquished control over the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry to
the Grand Lodge in 1904. The Grand Lodge is said to have 136
lodges, with a membership in excess of 8,500. It is interesting to
note that one of these lodges, "Anglo-Saxon No. 343," works in the
English language, and that its members are mostly British and
Americans, and we are happy to state that fraternal good will has
existed uninterruptedly between these Grand Bodies since 1904. The
Grand Lodge claims jurisdiction over only over the first, second
and third degrees of Masonry.

(c) The Independent and Regular National Grand Lodge of France and
the French Colonies. This Body was founded in December, 1913, and
has been recognized by the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland and
other countries. It was organized by three lodges which withdrew
from the Grand Orient, and it appears that at the present time the
jurisdiction of the new Grand Body extends over three or four
lodges, with a membership of less than 200 Masons. This Body claims
to be the only regular Grand Lodge in France, and we are informed,
has modeled itself upon the laws and principles of the Grand Lodge
of England. It has been more than once intimated in high places
that this is hardly a new Grand Lodge, but rather a sort of
colonization in France of new lodges under English patronage. It
seems to us that this. Body may be considered a negligible quantity
until a longer life and greater growth may justify the attention of
the Masonic world.

RELATIONS WITH GRAND ORIENT SEVERED

Very early after its organization, the Grand Lodge of California
seems to have recognized or considered itself in fraternal
correspondence with the Grand Orient of France, and under date of
May 1, 1852, Prince Lucien Murat, Grand Master of the Grand Orient
of France, addressed the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of
California, announcing his election and extending fraternal
greetings, and stating the desire for co-operation and future
existence of firm and friendly relationships, which letter was
answered in a corresponding fraternal spirit by Grand Master
Charles M. Radcliff. In 1858 Grand Master N. Greene Curtis received
an invitation from the Grand Orient of France to send three members
to that Grand Body in order that more intimate relations might be
established. The Grand Lodge of California approved of the plan to
establish permanent interchange of representatives. In 1859 the
learned Grand Secretary, Alex G. Abell, reported the receipt of the
bulletins of the Grand Orient of France and its calendars, and also
furnished the Grand Lodge with a translation of a letter from the
Master of Lodge La Clemente Amitie in Paris. Our report for 1861
shows a continued friendly correspondence between the Grand Orient
of France and the Grand Lodge of California.

In 1856 the Foulhouze-Cerneau Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite
was organized in Louisiana. Two of the subordinates of the Grand
Lodge of Louisiana withdrew and joined the illegal and spurious
Supreme Council. The Grand Orient of France refused recognition to
the Foulhouze-Cerneau Council and denounced the same as irregular
and clandestine, but ten years later in 1868, the Grand Orient of
France, undoubtedly ignorant of the true conditions existing in
Louisiana and misled by its zeal in behalf of a wide tolerance and
liberty of conscience, accorded recognition to the spurious
Council, whereupon the Grand Lodge of Louisiana severed fraternal
relations with the Grand Orient, after protesting its action. In
order to give emphasis to its objection to the invasion of its
jurisdiction, the Grand Lodge of Louisiana presented its grievance
to the other Grand Lodges of the United States, and in a short time
thirty Grand Lodges severed fraternal relations with the Grand
Orient of France. In 1869 the Grand Lodge of California, because of
this hostile and unlawful action of the Grand Orient of France,
suspended all Masonic intercourse therewith. In 1872 the Grand
Orient of France, while still persisting in its unwarranted
invasion of the rights of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, addressed
the Grand Lodge of California, expressing a desire to renew
fraternal relations and to submit a report concerning the
difficulty with the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, declaring that the
Grand Orient could not change its conclusions, but hoping that the
American Grand Lodges might reconsider their decrees of
interdiction. The spurious and irregular Supreme Council, which was
the original cause of the severance of fraternal relations between
the American Grand Lodges and the Grand Orient of France, had long
since ceased to exist, and upon its demise the violation of the
Grand Orient of the territorial jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of
Louisiana ended. That the Grand Lodge of Louisiana at this time has
no grievance against the Grand Orient of France is emphatically
demonstrated by the fact that on February 5, 1918, the Grand Lodge
of Louisiana, by an unanimous vote, repealed its edicts of
non-intercourse with the Grand Orient of France and arranged for an
exchange of representatives.

REASONS FOR CONTINUANCE OF BREACH WITH GRAND ORIENT

If the only differences between the Grand Orient of France and the
Grand Lodge of California were those growing out of the invasion of
the territorial jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, then
there would be no obstacles in the way of immediate establishment
of full fraternal relations with the Grand Orient of France. It
appears, however, that after the dissolution of relations in 1869,
certain changes were made in the constitution of the Grand Orient
of France which are now the subject of controversy. For several
years the Grand Orient discussed the proposition of striking all
reference to the Deity from the rituals and the constitution. In
1877 the Grand Orient, after a year of serious deliberation, by a
vote of 135 to 76 lodges, resolved to make the change in the
constitution. It seems that prior to 1849 the constitution and
rituals of the Grand Orient were essentially the same as they stand
today. In 1849, probably because of growing closeness of political
relations with Great Britain, the Grand Orient amended its laws and
practices so as to more nearly conform to those of the Grand Lodge
of England. We understand that, following the English model, the
Grand Orient adopted the following rule in 1849:

"Freemasonry has for its principles the existence of God, the
immortality of the soul, and the solidarity of mankind."

In 1877 this provision of the constitution was repealed, and in
lieu thereof the following was substituted:

"Whereas, Freemasonry is not a religion, and has, therefore, no
doctrine or dogma to affirm its constitution, the Assembly adopting
the Vaeu IX., has decided and decreed that the second paragraph of
Article I of the constitution shall be erased and that for the
words of said article the following shall be substituted:

"Freemasonry, an essentially philanthropical and progressive
institution, has for its object the pursuit of truth, the study of
morality, and the practice of solidarity; its efforts are directed
to the material and moral improvement and the intellectual and
social advancement of humanity. It has for its principles, mutual
tolerance, respect for others and for one's self, and absolute
liberty of conscience. Considering metaphysical conceptions as
belonging exclusively to the individual judgment of its members, it
refuses to accept any dogmatic affirmation. Its motto is: 'Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity.'"

Upon making this change in the constitution, the Grand Lodges in
English speaking countries then in fraternal relations with the
Grand Orient, dissolved the same, and many of the Grand Lodges in
the United States, although having already severed relations
because of the Louisiana incident, protested the action of the
Grand Orient. The attitude taken is not easily understood when we
remember that many protesting Grand Lodges held fraternal relations
with the Grand Orient prior to 1849, and that the announced
principles of the Grand Orient subsequent to 1877 were practically
identical with those avowed in the years preceding 1849. The most
plausible explanation is that the Grand Orient was under suspicion
after the violation of the Jurisdiction of Louisiana, and that
instead of according full faith and credit to its actions, other
Grand Bodies looked askance upon all its doings. It is needless to
add that our French brethren made the most sincere explanations of
their action and were astonished and grieved at the fraternal
discord that ensued.

The Grand Orient explained that by its action in 1877 it merely
reverted to the Anderson Constitutions of 1723, which are
everywhere recognized as the common law of Masonry. These
Constitutions appear under the title "The Charges of a Freemason"
in our Blue Book, at page 342. Article I reads as follows:

CONCERNING GOD AND RELIGION

"A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the moral law, and if he
rightly understands the art he will never be a stupid atheist, nor
an irreligious libertine. But, though in ancient times Masons were
charged in every country to be of the religion of that country, or
nation, whatever it was, yet it is now thought more expedient only
to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree, leaving
their particular opinions to themselves; that is, to be good men
and true, or men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever denominations
or persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes
the centre of union and the means of conciliating true friendship
among persons that must have otherwise remained at a perpetual
distance."

The Grand Lodge of England adhered to these Constitutions until
1815, when it changed the article by inserting the word God in a
number of places, but these changes were not adopted by the Grand
Lodges in the United States. The Grand Orient, however, did in 1849
make changes to correspond with those made by England in 1815, and
then in 1877 reverted back to the original basis of 1723.

The French Masons have been roundly denounced and abused by Grand
Lodges and Ecclesiastical Powers as godless and atheistic. It is
illuminating to examine their views of the charge.

The Committee urging the adoption of the proposed amendment said in
1877:

"Who is not aware, at this moment, that in advocating this
suppression no one among us understands himself as making a
profession of atheism and materialism. In regard to this matter
every misunderstanding must disappear from our minds, and if in any
lodge there should remain any doubt in reference to this point, let
them know that the commission declares without reservation that by
acceding to the wish of Lodge No. 9, it sets before it no other
object than the proclamation of absolute liberty of conscience."

Brother Frederic Desmons, a Protestant minister of reputation and
high character, who was nine times President of the Grand Orient of
France, strenuously urged the adoption of the amendment, and later
said:

"In suppressing the formula respecting the G. A. of the U. we did
not mean to replace it by a materialistic formula. None among us in
proposing this suppression, thought of professing atheism or
materialism, and we declare formally and emphatically that we had
no other end in view than to proclaim absolute liberty of
conscience."

Brother Maricault, the reporter of the committee on amendment of
the law, in recommending a postponement in 1876 of the question,
made the following statement:

"Your commission has recognized that bad faith alone could
interpret the suppression demanded as a denial of the existence of
God and the immortality of the soul; human solidarity and freedom
of conscience, which would be henceforth the exclusive basis of
Freemasonry, imply quite as strongly belief in God and in an
immortal soul as they do materialism, positivism, or any other
philosophic doctrine."

By "solidarity" Brother Maricault and his brethren mean
"brotherhood of man."

The Grand Secretary of the Grand Orient wrote to an English brother
as follows:

"The Grand Orient of France has not abolished the Masonic formula,
'To the glory of the Great Architect of the Universe,' as you
appear to believe, still less have they made profession of atheism. 
In their general assembly of September, 1877, they purely and
simply proclaimed absolute liberty of conscience as a right
belonging to every man, and out of respect for this liberty they
expunged from their Constitution a dogmatic formula, which seemed
to a great majority of the members to be in contradiction with
liberty of conscience.

"In modifying an article of its statutes the Grand Orient of France
by no means intended to make profession of either atheism or
materialism, as would seem to be understood. No alteration has been
made either in the principles or the practice of Masonry; French
Masonry remains what it has always been--a fraternal and tolerant
brotherhood."

We are informed that French Masons contend that prior to 1877 the
Book of Constitutions had lain upon the altars, and that it was
interpreted as the "Book of the Law" or "Volume of Sacred Law." In
some quarters we find the claim made that the Bible was taken from
the altars of French lodges because of the attacks of the Catholic
church on Masonry in that Republic, and that because the Bible was
used on the altars of the Church, Masonry could not place it upon
its altars and remain consistent in its defense of the rights of
conscience. It appears that no change of practice with reference to
the Bible has been made by the Grand Orient for nearly a hundred
years. We understand that the Grand Orient is neither deistical nor
atheistical, but tolerates the widest liberty of conscience and is
not sectarian or dogmatic in matters of religion; and that both the
Grand Orient and the Grand Lodge open and close their lodges and
obligate their candidates "to the glory of the Great Architect of
the Universe."

NO BREACH WITH GRAND LODGE OF FRANCE

The Grand Lodge of California has never entered into fraternal
relations with the Grand Lodge of France, and thus far we have had
no occasion to protest its principles or practiced. The Grand Lodge
of France stands before us today seeking our fraternal recognition.
It exhibits the principles of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite in matters of religion, recognizes the existence of God,
requires the "Book of the Law" upon its altars, prohibits religious
and political discussions, and exercises jurisdiction of only the
three degrees of Symbolic Masonry. It recognizes the concurrent
jurisdiction of the Grand Orient in its territory.

THE SPIRIT OF FRENCH MASONRY

Your committee are satisfied that the brethren of the Grand Orient
and the Grand Lodge of France are actuated by a splendid Masonic
spirit, and exemplify in an honorable and unmistakable manner the
principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. We think the most
recent communications received by us from these two Bodies will
fully justify our opinion. In these times, which are particularly
trying to the souls of the men of France, when their people have
been burdened and decimated by a dreadful war, and after their
Masonic powers have been scorned and repudiated by Anglo-Saxon
Masonry, the two great French powers have taken the opportunity to
address communications to the Grand Lodge of California breathing
in every line the aroma of friendship and fraternity. These letters
are as follows:

GRAND LOGE DE FRANCE
Rue Puteaux 8
Paris
CONSEIL FEDERAL

O.'. de Paris, July 20, 1917 (E. V.)

The Grand Secretary, The Grand Lodge of California, Masonic Temple,
San Francisco.

Dear Sir and Very Worshipful Brother:

The landing in our country of the vanguard of your army, which is
crossing the ocean to unite with us in the great struggle for the
freedom of the world, is an event of momentous import. It has
aroused within us the thought that it is highly desirable that our
ancient institution, which has always stood for liberty, should
celebrate this manifestation of brotherhood by drawing together of
the bonds of fraternal esteem and affection, which unite Freemasons
all over the world.

With this thought in our minds, we are writing to extend to your
Grand Lodge an invitation to enter into official relations with us
and to cement those relations by an exchange of representatives.

The Grand Lodge of France was constituted in 1804 by the Supreme
Council 33rd for France and the French Colonies, to administer and
control the lodges working the three degrees of Craft Masonry. In
1904, as a result of friendly negotiations with the Supreme
Council, became a sovereign and independent body.

As an integral part of the A.A.S.R., our Masonic principles are
those common to the Rite in general as set forth in the
declarations of the convents of Lousanne of 1876. We have 136
Lodges working under our jurisdiction, among them one-- the
Anglo-Saxon 343--which works in English, and the members

of which are almost exclusively British and American.

In the hope that you will agree with us that such a union as we
propose will appear all the more in harmony with the ideals of our
Order, if realized in the hour when the brethren of our two
countries are shedding their life-blood in common for the triumph
of justice and civilization, we are,

Yours faithfully and fraternally, 
LE GR. MAITRE, General Peigne. 
LE GR. ORATEUR, 
LE GR. SECRET. GENERAL, 
LE GR. TRESORIER.
* * *

16, Rue Cadet, Paris, October 12, 1917.

Worshipful Sir and Brethren: The world-wide conflict for the
liberation of oppressed nations and for the triumph of the
principles of justice and liberty in which a good many allied
countries now take an effective part, has assembled on French soil
most of the glorious, armies fighting for right, who are now to be
joined by an imposing contingent of your noble country.

In the first rank of these gallant troops, their arm strengthened
by their ideal, we are sure to find, more numerous every day,
Freemasons of the United States of America, and we have thought of
offering them, as soon as they arrive in the French capital, a
warm, fraternal welcome becoming amongst brother Masons.

Under the auspices of the Grand Orient of France our worshipful "La
Fraternite des Peuples" has formed a reception at the Temple of the
Grand Orient, 16, Rue Cadet, a real Masonic home. Here your
brethren will always find devoted Masons, speaking their language,
ready to answer all inquiries and furnish any useful information
they may require; to assure them a fraternal help in all
circumstances, to keep in touch by corresponding with them, to
visit them in case they are ill or wounded, to serve as
intermediary between them and their relatives, etc.

The usefulness of this central bureau will at once be apparent to
you, not only for our brethren who are in the army, but also to
those near and dear to them and who in their thoughts will follow
them across the Atlantic, and who will know that they are not left
to themselves and abandoned amongst the dangers of every-day life,
but that a fraternal and helping hand is always extended to them in
case of need.

We therefore ask you to kindly inform the brethren of your
Worshipful Lodge and their relatives that in applying to us they
will always find us ready to be of use to them, and happy to render
them any service within the measure of our means and capabilities.

Please communicate this letter to the different lodges under the
jurisdiction of your Grand Lodge.

We are, worshipful sir and brethren, yours most fraternally and
sincerely, for and on behalf of the

MASONIC BUREAU FOR ALLIED ARMIES IN FRANCE.
(Signed)
W. M. A. BESNARD,
F. D. P. 16, Rue Cadet, Paris.
* * *

TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION

All the Grand Lodges in English-speaking countries tenaciously
adhere to the principle that each Grand Lodge is sovereign and
supreme throughout its territorial jurisdiction, and that an
invasion of the territorial jurisdiction of any Grand Lodge by
another Masonic power is an act of hostility and operates to place
the usurper outside the pale of fraternal recognition and brands it
as an outlaw. This is a salutatory doctrine, and in
English-speaking countries at least should be vindicated and
perpetuated. In the Latin countries the doctrine of exclusive
territorial jurisdiction does not obtain, but in those countries
each Grand Body is sovereign and supreme, not throughout the
territory it occupies, but over its subordinate lodges and their
members. This explains why the Grand Orient of France and the Grand
Lodge of France, occupying the same territory, are in fraternal and
friendly relations each with the other. It does not seem necessary
to the integrity and maintenance of our doctrine of exclusive
territorial jurisdiction that we shall force the same upon our
brethren of the Latin countries of the world who prefer to give
their adherence to a different doctrine, which suits them better
and under which they seem to live together in Masonic peace and
fraternal concord.

THE CALIFORNIA POLICY RESPECTING RECOGNITION

In 1913 the Grand Lodge of California adopted a certain report and
recommendation made by the late M.W. Edward H. Hart, Chairman of
the Committee on Correspondence, and thereby fixed the tests to be
applied by the Grand Lodge of California in the matter of
recognition of other Grand Lodges. These tests are as follows:

First, The Grand Body seeking recognition must be regularly formed
by subordinate lodges which trace their origin to regular and
legitimate Ancient Craft Masonry.

Secondly, the Grand Body applying for recognition must hold
undisputed sway as the acknowledged Supreme Power in Ancient Craft
Masonry in the territory in which it claims jurisdiction, and must
not render allegiance or obedience, in any sense whatsoever to any
other Masonic power, or Supreme Council, but must be absolutely
sovereign and supreme within its territory. As a necessary
corollary of this condition, it must recognize the exclusive
jurisdiction of all other Grand Lodges in their respective
territories, and shall not presume to project its authority or
sovereignty into the territory of any other Grand Lodge.

Thirdly, The Grand Body applying for recognition as a sovereign
Grand Lodge of Ancient Craft Masonry must confine its authority,
and the exercise thereof, to the three degrees of Craft or Symbolic
Masonry.

Fourthly, the Grand Body applying for recognition must recognize
and support the Ancient Landmarks, which include, particularly, the
Three Great Lights, and belief in God, and the immortality of the
soul.

An application of the foregoing rules promulgated by the Grand
Lodge of California to the Grand Orient and the Supreme Council of
France shows that no recognition can be given to these Bodies
without a change f the policy of this Grand Lodge. The Grand Orient
is regular in its origin, but its sway as a supreme power is
acknowledged only by the lodges of its obedience, and in its
territory it has concurrent jurisdiction with the Grand Lodge of
France. It does not appear to be invading the jurisdiction of any
regular Grand Lodge, and does not expressly and in terms profess a
belief in God and the immortality of the soul. The Grand Lodge of
France more nearly meets these requirements than does the Grand
Orient, for, as heretofore stated, the Grand Lodge confines its
jurisdiction to the three degrees of Symbolic Masonry and it
exhibits the Three Great Lights and obligates its candidates and
opens and closes its lodges with appeals to the Great Architect of
the Universe, and requires the "Book of the Law" upon its altars,
but it may trace its origin to a Supreme Council having
jurisdiction over many degrees instead of to Ancient Craft Masonry.


PRECEDENTS OF TODAY

Since the great war came to America, many Grand Lodges of the
United States have been seriously and earnestly considering the
matter of fraternal relations with the French bodies. At the time
of formulating this report several Grand Lodges have not held their
annual communications for 1918, but the action taken by some of the
Grand Lodges during this year is significant of the widespread
desire for harmonious relations with France, and is indicative of
ultimate concord between the Grand Lodges of France and those of
the United States.

The following Grand Lodges have resumed fraternal relations with
the Grand Orient of France: Louisiana, Rhode Island, Iowa,
Kentucky, New Jersey.

The following Grand Lodges have recognized and entered into
fraternal relations with the Grand Lodge of France: Louisiana,
Rhode Island, Iowa, Kentucky, District of Columbia, New Jersey and
Nevada.

The following Grand Lodges, in addition to California, have enacted
laws permitting their members to visit the lodges and hold
fraternal relations with the members of the obedience of the Grand
Orient and the Grand Lodge of France: Alabama, New York, New
Jersey, Utah, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Manitoba, Colorado and
Nevada.

ARGUMENT

Notwithstanding the attitude assumed at different times in the past
by the Grand Lodge of California with respect to the recognition of
Grand Bodies of Masonry in Latin countries, the time has now
arrived when there must be a new examination of the question and a
revision of former judgments. Our past judgments correctly
reflected our best thought, but now a new spirit broods over the
world and the conditions growing out of the great war compel us to
change some of our rules and earlier determinations. The time has
arrived when our brethren demand that the reality of universal
brotherhood be substituted for empty words, phrases and
expressions; that we be neither confused nor misled by catch words
for which we have developed an almost superstitious reverence. Now
is the time for our institution to show a broad catholicity of
spirit and not to reject any Masonic power which holds sway over
the affections of men and engages the attention of the world, if
that power displays the principles of brotherly love, relief and
truth, and is working for the benefit and happiness of humanity,
and bases itself upon eternal and immutable principles of
Freemasonry.

Masonic scholars and jurists are divided in their opinion
respecting the recognition of French Masonry. The members of one
group contend that there can be no recognition of these powers
because: (a) they are not sovereign and supreme within their
territory; (b) that the lodges of obedience of the Grand Lodge of
France do not trace their origin to regular Ancient Craft Masonry;
(c) that the Grand Orient exercises power over degrees other than
the first three degrees of Symbolic Masonry; (d) that the Book of
Constitutions, instead of the Holy Bible, is found upon the altars
of the lodges; (e) that a belief in God and the immortality of the
soul is a landmark and is fundamental in Masonry. This group
contends that when a Mason ceases to express a belief in Deity, he
ceases to be a Mason. It also asserts that an open Bible is an
indispensable part of the furniture of the lodge, and that these
requirements are immovable landmarks. We know that until recently
most of the Grand Lodges in English-speaking countries were to be
found espousing these principles, and they were supported by
innumerable determinations, precedents, statutory enactments and
utterances of the sages of the Craft.

However, there is the second group, which is constantly growing in
size and importance, which has made new evaluations and formed new
conclusions since the war has thrust this subject into prominence
and caused a demand for a better and wiser solution. Your Committee
feels that it is in harmony with the thought and spirit of this
second group. The requirement that lodges must derive mediately or
immediately from regular organizations of Ancient Craft Masonry
does not find universal adherence among Grand Bodies. The
application of the doctrine would serve to arrest the growth and
development of Masonry in many parts of the world, and might
forever destroy the possibility of universal Masonry. No harm could
be done by adopting the principle of recognizing, in countries
where no Symbolic Grand Lodge exists, the lodges and members of a
legitimate and regular Supreme Council. If we deny the legitimacy
of lodges originally founded under the Supreme Council or Grand
Orient system, then a large part of the territory of the world
must, perforce, remain unrecognized, and we could have no relation
with the Masons of South America, France, Italy, Greece, Spain,
Belgium and other countries, in all of which lands are Supreme
Councils recognized by the two Supreme Councils of the United
States. It seems to your committee that a just rule to apply to the
Masonry of Latin countries would be to recognize lodges and Masons
of any country where no Grand Lodge of Symbolic Masonry exists,
provided such lodges and members are of the obedience of a
jurisdiction recognized by the Supreme Council of that country, and
such Supreme Council is affiliated with the Supreme Council of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern
Jurisdiction of the United States.

With respect to acceptance on the part of the Grand Bodies in Latin
countries of the principle of concurrent jurisdiction, we do not
see why the Grand Lodge of California cannot tolerate the
self-determination of this subject by such Bodies. It is true that
the Grand Orient and Grand Lodge of France have not at all times,
nor do they now in all respects, comport themselves in accordance
with the standards which we have set for-the regulation of our
principles and practices, but we have no more right to demand that
they accept the principle of exclusive territorial jurisdiction
than they have to demand that we accept the principle of concurrent
Grand Lodge jurisdiction. Our Latin brethren seem to live in
fraternal concord under the rule they have seen fit to adopt, and
we are persuaded that the Grand Orient of France and the Grand
Lodge of France, notwithstanding their adoption of this
jurisdictional peculiarity, are not weakened in their Masonic
powers, and they are doing a great Masonic work in behalf of the
distressed, of the brotherhood of man, of the welfare of humanity
and of the advance of civilization.

On the subject of the exercise of authority over degrees of Masonry
other than the first three, we merely direct your attention to the
fact that the Grand Orient of France, prior to 1877, ruled more
than three degrees of Masonry, that it placed the Book of
Constitutions, instead of the Bible, upon its altars, and operated
under the same form of government as that in force at the present
time, and yet, for generations prior to that date, it enjoyed the
recognition of and held fraternal relations with the mother Grand
Lodge of the world-- the United Grand Lodge of England.

Religious dogmatism was not introduced into Masonry until 1760,
when the Holy Bible was, on motion of Preston,* made a landmark,
and as dear as this alleged landmark is to the hearts of American
Masons, we cannot thrust outside the pale of brotherhood good men
and true who have not followed this innovation in the body of
Masonry. The form and nature of our rituals as the same have
developed through the years have operated to fix m the minds of
English-speaking Masons the belief that Masonry is a religious
institution, and that the Bible is a necessary part of the
furniture of a Masonic lodge, yet the ritual itself is not
fundamental, and "its biblical nature is largely due to chance that
made its chief compilers a French Huguenot and a Scotch
Presbyterian. * * * This Holy and apparently indispensable book is
quite unnecessary for the validity of a lodge which is neither
Christian nor Jew." If there has been a departure from the Ancient
Constitutions, we, and not our French brethren, have drawn away
from them asserted a dogmatic landmark.

When we arrive at the ultimate and basic cause of the estrangement
of the Anglo-Saxon Masonry and the French Masonry, we find it to
consist in the religious test applied by the English-speaking
lodges and renounced by the French lodges. The Grand Master of
Louisiana, in addressing the Grand Lodge in 1918, said:

"I submit, my brethren, that in the misconception of the position
of our French brethren regarding their interpretation of Masonic
philosophy, English-speaking Masonry is clearly in the wrong, and
we as Masons, should be ready to admit it. While French Masonry is
religiously tolerant, it is not in itself a religion in the
restrictive sense of the word. It proclaims no dogma; it demands no
profession; it respects all opinions, and in that tolerance is an
exemplar of that true religion which is the basis of Freemasonry--
the brotherhood of mankind, which leads us through love of our
fellowmen 



* Preston could not have introduced this motion, as he was not made
a Mason until 1762.--Editor.



a spark of His own divinity--to the love, honor and glory of the
Great Architect of the Universe."

It is held by many of our best thinkers that no man's creed or
religious observances should be made an issue in any matter
indirectly connected with religion; that Freemasonry is not a
religion and, therefore, a religious test should not be applied to
it, and that while it is perfectly competent for any Masonic body
to require such confession of faith from its own members as it
deems expedient, yet it should not refuse the name of brother to
those who act on truly Masonic principles, but do not demand any
confession of religious faith as a condition of membership.

It is not possible for us, as deeply attached as we are to our
rituals, forms and professions, to affirm with any surety the
attitude that we would take on the subject of religion, if we were
unhappily situated in a Catholic country, in the midst of an
antagonistic population and subject to the vicious and continuous
attacks of powerful ecclesiastical and illiberal influences. Our
brethren in France suffer from slanderous reports and accusations
and are the objects of hatred and persecution. They should have our
sympathy and we should strive to view with brotherly concern the
measures they have in good faith adopted. Because references to the
Deity have been stricken from the French Constitutions and the
Bible does not lie upon French altars, your Committee has no more
right to pronounce French Masonry godless and atheistic than it has
to assert that the people of the United States are godless and
atheistic because there is no reference to the Deity in their
Constitution, or that the schools of our country are atheistic
because the Bible is not taught therein. We are not disposed to
reverence the religious sentiments nor admire the Christian
kindness of the German militarists, no matter how loudly and
frequently they call upon God; but, on the other hand, we believe
in the charity and tolerance and brotherly love and love of liberty
of our valorous French brethren, who have omitted the name but not
the service of God from their rituals and Constitutions, and who
are fighting for the very essence of Freemasonry. Noble France is
in the very forefront of the great fight for humanity and is aiding
in no uncertain or impotent way the great cause of Masonic
brotherhood and the universality of Freemasonry. We are very
hopeful that our French brethren, having been brought into new and
intimate relations with their American brethren, will in the near
future, out of a new-born love for us, and inspired by a fraternal
desire for a closer spiritual union, alter their Constitutions and
rituals to more nearly conform to those which bind in fraternal
bonds the hearts of more than a million American Masons.

CONCLUSIONS

It is the belief of your Committee that the Grand Lodge of
California should retain the policy it adopted in 1913,
hereinbefore set out, as the test to be applied to any Grand Lodge
of an English-speaking country seeking our recognition, but that
such test should not hereafter be the measure applied to Grand
Lodges situated in the Latin countries of the world. That each
application for recognition made by a Grand Lodge or Grand Orient
located overseas or in South America should be considered by this
Grand Lodge on its merits, and that if it appears that such Grand
Body exercises authority over the three degrees of Symbolic
Masonry, and is recognized as a sovereign power over its lodges and
members, and exhibits its adherence to the principles of brotherly
love, relief and truth, and is engaged in the promotion of the
happiness of mankind and the brotherhood of man, then, unless
objections of a character other than dogmatic appear, such Grand
Body should be entitled to recognition. We believe that the Grand
Lodge of California should labor unceasingly in behalf of the
universality of Masonry and should strive to promote fraternal
relations between all the legitimate powers of Masonry in the
world, and to this end should examine into the regularity and
Masonic character of the Grand Bodies with which it is not now in
fraternal correspondence.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Your Committee respectfully recommends the adoption of the
following:

1. That the action taken by this Grand Lodge in 1869, by which
fraternal relations with the Grand Orient of France were severed
and forbidden, be, and is hereby repealed.

2. That the Grand Lodge of California is hereby declared to be in
fraternal accord and relation with the Grand Orient of France, and
that an exchange of representatives be requested of said Grand
Orient.

3. That the Grand Lodge of California is hereby declared to be in
fraternal accord and-relation with the Grand Lodge of France, and
that an exchange of representatives be requested of that Grand
Lodge.

4. That the principles enunciated by this Grand Lodge in 1913 as
tests for the recognition of other Grand Lodges, be, and the same
are applicable only to Grand Lodges of English-speaking countries,
and that as to the Grand Lodges and Grand Orients of other
countries, each application be considered upon its merits with
relation to the situation of the applicant and with a view to doing
full and complete Masonic justice.

5. That the permission granted by resolution in 1917 to our
brethren to hold Masonic intercourse with the Masons in Belgium and
Italy and to visit any of their lodges, be continued until the
further order of this Grand Lodge.


REST

When your weary feet shall have reached at last their toilsome
journey's end
It will be to you the priceless gift of your best and truest
friend,--
'Twill be nature's way to speak to you the word that sounds the
best
When she kisses you her fond good-bye and sweetly whispers, 

-- Rest.L. B. Mitchell, Michigan.
