The Mysteries of Free Masonry Part 15

Q. His duty? A. To receive in charge the funds and property of the Council, pay all orders drawn upon the Treasurer, and render a just and regular account when called for.

Q. Station of the Master of Infantry? A. On the right of the second division when separately formed: on the left of the whole when formed in line.

Q. His duty? A. To command the second division or line of infantry, teach them their duty and exercise; also to prepare all candidates, attend them on their journey, answer all questions for them, and finally introduce them into the Council chamber.

Q. Station of the Master of Cavalry? A. On the right of the first division when separately formed, and on the right of the whole when formed in line.

Q. His duty? A. To command the first division or line of cavalry, teach them their duty and exercise; to form the avenue at the approach of the Sovereign Master, and prepare the lines for inspection and review.

Q. Prelate's station? A. On the right of the Chancellor.

Q. His duty? A. To preside in the Royal Arch Council; administer at the altar; to offer up prayers and adoration to Deity.

Q. Station of Master of the Palace? A. On the left of the Sovereign Master in the East.

Q. His duty? A. To see that the proper officers make all due preparations for the several meetings of the Council; to take special care that the Council chamber is in suitable array for the reception of candidates and the dispatch of business; to receive and communicate all orders issued by the Sovereign Master through the officers of the line.

Q. Chancellor's station? A. On the right of the Sovereign Master.

Q. His duty? A. To receive and communicate all orders and pet.i.tions; to a.s.sist the Sovereign Master in the discharge of his various duties, and in his absence to preside in the Council.

Q. Sovereign Master's station? A. In the East.

Q. His duty? A. To preside in the Council; confer this order of knighthood upon those whom his Council may approve; to preserve inviolable the laws and const.i.tution of our Order; to dispense justice, reward merit, encourage truth, and diffuse the sublime principles of universal benevolence.

S. M.--"Sir Knight Chancellor, it is my will and pleasure that a Council of Knights of the Red Cross be now opened, and to stand open for the dispatch of such business as may regularly come before it at this time, requiring all Sir Knights now a.s.sembled, or who may come at this time, to govern themselves according to the sublime principles of our Order. You will communicate this to the Sir Knight Master of the Palace, that the Sir Knights present may have due notice thereof, and govern themselves accordingly." [The Sir Knight Chancellor communicates it to the Sir Knight Master of the Palace, and he to the Knights.] S.

M.--"Return arms--right about face--to your posts--march--center face--Sir Knights, this Council is now open for the dispatch of business."

SECOND SECTION.

Question--What were the preparatory circ.u.mstances attending your reception to this ill.u.s.trious Order? Answer--A Council of Royal Arch Masons being a.s.sembled in a room adjacent to the Council chamber, I was conducted to the door, where a regular demand was made by two, three, and two.

Q. What was said to you from within? A. Who comes there?

Q. Your answer? A. Companion A. B., who has regularly received the several degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason, Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch, and now solicits the honor of being regularly const.i.tuted a Knight of the Red Cross.

Q. What was then said to you? A. I was asked if it was of my own free will and accord that I made this request; if I was worthy and well qualified; if I had made suitable proficiency in the foregoing degrees, and was properly vouched for; all of which being answered in the affirmative, I was asked by what further right or benefit I expected to gain admittance.

Q. Your answer? A. By the benefit of a pa.s.s-word.

Q. Did you give that pa.s.s-word? A. I did, with the a.s.sistance of my companions. [Here the Royal Arch word is given as described in the Royal Arch degree.]

Q. What was then said to you? A. I was then directed to wait with patience till the Most Excellent Prelate should be informed of my request, and his answer returned.

Q. What was his answer? A. Let him be admitted.

Q. What was you then informed? A. The Most Excellent Prelate observed that the Council there a.s.sembled represented the Grand Council convened at Jerusalem, in the second year of the reign of Darius, King of Persia, to deliberate on the unhappy state of the fraternity during the reigns of Artaxerxes and Ahasuerus, and to devise some means to obtain favor of the new Sovereign, and to gain his consent to proceed in rebuilding their new city and temple.

Q. What followed? A. The Most Excellent Prelate then informed me if I was desirous of attending the deliberations of the Council at this time, it was necessary that I should a.s.sume the name and character of Zerrubbabel, a prince of the house of Judah, whose hands laid the foundation of the second temple, and whose hands the Lord has promised should complete it.

Q. What followed? A. The Most Excellent Prelate then read a lesson from the records of the Fathers, stating the impediments with which they were troubled by their adversaries on the other side of the river, and the grievous accusations which were brought against them before the King.

Q. What followed? A. My conductor then addressed the Most Excellent Prelate thus: Most Excellent Prelate, our Sovereign Lord, Darius the King, having now ascended the throne of Persia, new hopes are inspired of protection and support in the n.o.ble and glorious undertaking which has been so long and so often interrupted by our adversaries on the other side of the river; for while yet a private man, he made a vow to G.o.d that should he ever ascend the throne of Persia, he would send all the holy vessels remaining at Babylon back to Jerusalem. Our Most Excellent and faithful companion, Zerrubbabel, who was formerly honored with the favorable notice and friendship of the Sovereign, now offers his services to encounter the hazardous enterprise of traversing the Persian dominions, and seeking admission to the presence of the Sovereign, where the first favorable moment will be seized to remind the King of his vow, and impress on his mind the almighty force and importance of truth; and from his known piety no doubt can be entertained of gaining his consent, that our enemies be removed far hence, and that we be no longer hindered or impeded in our n.o.ble and glorious undertaking.

Q. What was the Most Excellent Prelate's reply? A. Excellent Zerrubbabel, the Council accept with gratification and joy your n.o.ble and generous offer, and will invest you with the necessary pa.s.sports, by means of which you will be enabled to make yourself known to the favor of one Council wherever you may meet them; but in an undertaking of so much importance, it is necessary that you enter into a solemn obligation to be faithful to the trust reposed in you.

Q. What followed? A. The Most Excellent Prelate then invested me with a sword, to enable me to defend myself against my enemies, and said he was ready to administer the obligation.

Q. Did you consent to that obligation? A. I did, in due form.

Q. What was that due form? A. Kneeling on my left knee, my right foot forming a square, my body erect, my right hand grasping the hilt of my sword, my left hand covering the Holy Bible, Square, and Compa.s.s, with two cross-swords thereon, in which due form I took upon me the solemn oath and obligation of Knight of the Red Cross.

Q. Repeat the obligation.

"I, A. B., of my own free will and accord, in the presence of the Supreme Architect of the Universe, and these witnesses, do hereby and hereon most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, that I will always hail, forever conceal, and never reveal, any of the secret arts, parts, or points of the mysteries appertaining to this Order of Knight of the Red Cross, unless it be to a true and lawful companion Sir Knight of the Order, or within the body of a just and lawful Council of such; and not unto him or them, until by due trial, strict examination, or lawful information, I find him or them lawfully ent.i.tled to receive the same. I furthermore promise and swear, that I will answer and obey all due signs and regular summons, which shall be sent to me from a regular Council of Knights of the Red Cross, or given to me from the hands of a companion Sir Knight of the Red Cross, if within the distance of forty miles; natural infirmities and unavoidable accidents only excusing me. I furthermore promise and swear, that I will not be present at the conferring of this Order of Knighthood upon any person, unless he shall have previously regularly received the several degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason, Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch degree, to the best of my knowledge and belief. I furthermore promise and swear, that I will not a.s.sist or be present at the forming and opening of a Council of Knights of the Red Cross, unless there be present at least five regular Knights of the Order, or the representatives of three different Encampments, acting under the sanction of a legal warrant. I furthermore promise and swear, that I will vindicate the character of a courteous Sir Knight of the Red Cross when wrongfully traduced; that I will help him on a lawful occasion in preference to any brother of an inferior degree, and so far as truth, honor, and justice may warrant. I furthermore promise and swear, that I will support and maintain the by-laws of the Council, of which I may hereafter become a member, the laws and regulations of the Grand Encampment, under which the same may be holden, together with the const.i.tution and ordinances of the General Grand Encampment of the United States of America, so far as the same shall come to my knowledge. To all which I do most solemnly promise and swear, binding myself under no less penalty than of having my house torn down, the timbers thereof set up, and I hanged thereon; and when the last trump shall blow, that I be forever excluded from the society of all true and courteous Knights, should I ever wilfully or knowingly violate any part of this solemn obligation of Knight of the Red Cross; so help me G.o.d, and keep me steadfast to keep and perform the same."[16]

Q. What followed? A. The Most Excellent Prelate then directed me to rise and be invested with a countersign, which he informed me would enable me to make myself known to the friends of our cause wherever I should meet them, and would insure me from them succor, aid, and protection. [Here the Master of Infantry, who is the conductor, gives the candidate the Jewish countersign; it is given under the arch of steel; that is, their swords elevated above their heads, forming a cross, each placing his left hand upon the other's right shoulder, and whispering alternately in each other's ear the names of Judah and Benjamin.]

Q. What followed? A. The Most Excellent Prelate then invested me with a green sash, as a mark of our particular friendship and esteem; you will wear it as a constant memorial to stimulate you to the faithful performance of every duty, being a.s.sured that the memory of him, who falls in a just and virtuous cause, shall forever flourish like the green bay tree.

Q. What followed? A. I then commenced my journey, and was frequently accosted by guards, all of which, by means of the countersign I had received, I was enabled to pa.s.s in friendship, until I arrived at the bridge, which was represented to be in the Persian dominions; on attempting to pa.s.s this bridge, which I found strongly guarded, the Persian countersign was demanded, and being unable to give it, I was attacked, overpowered, and made prisoner.

Q. What followed? A. After remonstrating in vain against their violations, I told them I was a prince of the house of Judah, and demanded an audience with their sovereign.

Q. What was the answer? A. You are a prisoner, and can obtain an audience with the sovereign only in the garb of a captive and slave.

Q. Did you consent to this? A. I did; being firmly persuaded that could I by any means gain access to the presence of the sovereign, I should be able to accomplish the object of my mission.

Q. What followed? A. They then deprived me of my outward apparel, sash and sword, and having confined my hands and feet in chains, the links thereof were of a triangular form, they put sackcloth and ashes on my head.

Q. Why were the links of the captive's chain of a triangular form? A.

The a.s.syrians having learned that among the Jews the triangle was an emblem of the Eternal, caused the links of their chain to be made of a triangular form, thinking thereby to add to the miseries of their captives.

Q. What followed? A. I was conducted to the door of the Council chamber, where the alarm being given by 4 2, the Warder appeared and demanded, "Who comes there?"

Q. What answer was returned? A. A detachment of his majesty's guards, having made prisoner of one, who reports himself to be prince of the house of Judah.

Q. What was then said to you? A. I was asked from whence I came.

Q. Your answer? A. From Jerusalem.

Q. What was then demanded of you? A. Who are you?

Q. Your answer? A. The first among my equals, a Mason, and free by rank, but a captive and slave by misfortune.