St. Andrew's Royal Arch Chapter, Boston (U.S.A.)

Lodge . " The members of the Chapter thereupon duly thanked the Craft Lodge for its " politeness , " and having previously , and for many years afterwards , occupied the St . Andrew ' s Lodge Room , they evidently understood the entente cordiale of Masonry . Until 1792 , the names of the Officers were Royal Arch Master , Senior and Junior Wardens , & c ., from that year the chief Officer was called the High Priest , and the two Wardens were changed into First and Second Kingthe Secretary being entitled

, fas Scribe . The " cypher , " often called the "Arch cypher" in America , was in use from about 1772 , by the Companions at Newburyport , with whom the members as Boston held correspondence and conferences , a sample of the writing being presented by Bro . Gardner , who however apparentlv has failed to decipher it . We make the

hieroglyjihics to be ( a ) H . P . ( High Priest ) , ( b ) F . K . ( First King ) , ( c ) S . K . ( Second King ) , ( d ) Sribe and I . L . we should have thought was I . R . ( Janitor ) . We submit the foregoing with pleasure to our excellent Brother Gardner , especially as the explanation does ( as he surmised it would ) " give us exact information as to the ritual used " in relation to the Officers . It was customary "to confer all the steps in one evening , " so that the ceremonies could not then have partaken of the elaborate character of the

present degrees of Eoyal Arch and Knights Templars' Freemasonry . No mention is made of "Passing the Chair" until 1797 , and the Mark was not introduced into the series until 1792 , when the order was " Passing the Chair , Super-Excellent , Mark and Royal Arch . " In Feb . 18 th , 1795 , it was " voted that in future there shall only two be advanced to the Royal Arch step in the same evening . " Bro . Thomas Smith Webb visited the Chapter ; and from 1795 , changes occur , evidently traceable to his presence . That well-known Companion presided , with Companion John Hanmer of Albany , " and opened upon the Mark Master Masons' Degree after their manner , and communicated a lesson belonging to the degree to the brethren . "

This is the first instance of the word Companion in the records . The next eve the Chapter met , and elected Officers for the Mark Lodge and R . A . Chapter ; for the former the titles of Master , Second and Third Overseers being mentioned , and that of Chief Sojourner in the Chapter . The Most Excellent Masters' degree . Bro . Gardner believes originated at Albany ( Temple Chapter ) and was communicated for the first time , apart from Chapter , in Oct .,

, 1795 . In November of the same year , a Grand Chapter was constituted in consequence of the action of St . Andrew ' s Chapiter and others , and by virtue of that authority the IIP . of the Chapiter was appointed chief of the Dejiuty Grand Chapter of Massachusetts . The Grand Chapter of Massachusetts granted the Chapter a Charter on the 14 th February , 1800 .

The first mention made of the Mark Degree was Oct . 23 rd , 1792 , as follows : "balance due the Mark Masons' Lodge , £ 2 14 s . lOd . ; and on Nov . 28 th , it was agreed " that the degree of Mark Master be connected with the other degrees . " The Mark Degree is a favourite in the United States , as in Great Britain , and from late last century has been a necessary jrre-requisite in connection with the Royal Arch in most English speaking countries . We must , however , content ourselves now with

stating that the oration was well received , as it deserved , and the remainder of the Day ' s Celebration partook of a festive character . We cannot do better than conclude in the language of Bro , Gardner—language as true as it is beautiful— "Elegance of rhetoric , startling and impressive ceremonials brilliant and gaudy vestments , may have their ephemeral part in the drama , but the pure teaching of the doctrines of . Masonry , which lead the thoughts of man through the wonders of nature and the intricacies of science up to the Grand Architect of the Universe , will alone live and flourish through trials , persecutions , and discords . "