ANNUAL REVIEW OF CRYPTIC MASONRY AS IT APPEARS IN THE PRINTED PROCEEDINGS. PREPARED BY CHARLES A. CONOVER, Grand Recorder. INTRODUCTION. To the Cryptic Masons of Michigan who desire the information and to those who do not but should: Here follows what I have thought would be of interest to some of the members of our beautiful Rite who desire to know what is going on in the other Grand Jurisdictions but who are not favored with the printed proceedings of those jurisdictions. Without a shadow of doubt some of you will not care a flip who is Grand Master in Texachusetts nor what he said in his annual address but you might be curious to know how they ranked with Michigan, and if the Rite was growing in popularity. Or you might not give a hurrah who wrote their annual review or whether they had any but might want to look at the action taken on some important committee report. Well, you see there is the rub. The reviewer must attempt to get the meat in the kernel on most of the subjects treated and that is what I shall attempt to do in this my fifth annual review. ALABAMA, 1907. The seventieth annual assembly was held in Montgomery, December 3, 1907. Again Michigan failed to be represented in the catalog of Grand Representatives. says: Grand Master Lyons in opening his annual address "There is nothing new under the sun" may be true, in a full and broad sense; but it applies to the outlines and matter. Twenty-six letters in the alphabet and eight notes in the scale of music are the outlines of the English language and—to the civilized-music. And yet what webs of fancy, joy or sadness may be woven of such limited means! Our annual meetings, and the routine work incident to the propogation of the Order are but the outlines to the real pictures of pleasure and good-fellowship. There is something of soul-inspiration that is bestirred by these meetings that contains all the varied shades of sentiment and feeling. I would that my city had an active Council; but this branch of Masonry is a plant of too delicate a growth and sublime beauty to be planted in a soil that might not sustain it. This being the case, I have been deprived of the benefits and pleasures that those of you have enjoyed who are blessed by being in constant relation with a Council. In connection with the matter of the Widows' and Orphans' Home for Alabama, too much praise and honor cannot be given our beloved Companions, Ben M. Jacobs and George A. Beauchamp. After many years of effort and failure, the Home is now an assured success. It is true others had "blazed the pathway;" but it is equally true that they failed. And it takes a courageous heart to undertake an enterprise that has so repeatedly failed-undertake it and carry it to success. This jurisdiction suffered the loss of its Grand Sentinel, Charles Alexander Allen, who died September 21, 1907. He was also Grand Tyler of the Grand Lodge, and Grand Sentinel of the Grand Chapter. The Committee on Grand Master's address concurred in his suggestion that the money raised for the San Fran cisco sufferers and unexpended be turned over to the Widows' and Orphans' fund of the Grand Lodge. Grand Recorder Beauchamp added 102 bound volumes of proceedings to the library during the year. This jurisdiction has 463 members, and nine Councils. There is no annual review. WILLIAM W. RANSOM, Birmingham, Grand Master. ARKANSAS, 1907. One of the finest little pamphlets that has reached my hands is the proceedings of Arkansas. It is a work of art from front to back cover and they have certainly set a good lively pace for some of the larger Grand Councils to follow. The cover is an illuminated design in gold, green and purple on white, specially engraved. An excellent half-tone of C. L. Brown, Grand Master elect forms the frontispiece. Companion Brown is the duly credited Grand Representative of Michigan and we all join in extending congratulations. The forty-fourth annual assembly was held in Little Rock, November 22, 1907, Grand Master A. F. B. Odren presiding, who in opening his annual address said: When one year ago you honored me by elevating me to the exalted station of Grand Master of this Grand Council, it was my firm determination to put into performance of whatever duties there might be for me to discharge, the utmost of care, diligence and enthusiasm of which I am capable. I planned out to begin with, that I would make a tour of visits to all subordinate Councils to be with them in their work and to encourage them as far as my presence and my attendance might serve to do. But shortly after my induction into this high office, and before I had an opportunity to put any of my plans into effect, my health became so seriously impaired from exposure doing quarantine duty for the State at Texarkana, that it became necessary for me to seek relief by a sojourn in another climate, and accordingly for the period of five months I was compelled to leave the State and seek to recuperate my health amid the ocean breezes of the Pacific Coast. After struggling onward for many weary weeks I was enabled to return much benefited but not absolutely restored; and from that point to take up again the thread of life and its duties where I had left off near a half a year before. In this way I have been prevented from carrying out my cherished plans and my well formulated program and I am therefore compelled to appear before you with a record of but little done and quite meager accomplishing of what I had hoped to do. Yet with all I feel that our Council interests have not suffered during the year but have moved along in a fair degree of progress. There were faithful officers left behind me when I went away, who saw to it that whatever was needed to be done was done. This jurisdiction lost its Grand Sentinel, Companion Edward Metcalf, and also Past Grand Master, John P. Farrar. Dispensations were granted for new Councils at Eldorado and Rector. He assigned to Grand Lecturer Horsfall's indefatigable labors a large share of the credit for the advancement of the Rite in his jurisdiction. He closes with just one recommendation and that was that the salary of Grand Recorder Hempstead be increased by at least $100. The Finance Committee met him half way and increased it $50 which added to the $50 he was getting makes the $100. The Grand Recorder reports an increased interest in the Rite in that jurisdiction in rehabitating dormant Councils and organizing new ones. A communication was received from the Grand Commandery K. T. acknowledging receipt of a request for legislation looking toward making the Council degrees prerequisite and their reply was received as follows: I have the honor to advise you that your communication setting forth the resolution adopted at the annual Assembly of your Grand Council for the year 1906, requesting this Grand Commandery to enact such legislation as would make the taking of the Council degrees a prerequisite to the receiving of the Order of Knighthood in the Commandery, was duly presented and read at the session of this Grand Commandery held May 21st, 1907, and upon consideration of the same it was expressed to be the sense of this Grand Commandery that such legislation as your communication requests can only be enacted by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States, of which this Grand Commandery is a constitute, and that this Grand Commandery possesses no power or authority to enact the same and are therefore unable to comply with your request. My! what a burden of responsibility has been heaped upon the Grand Encampment by the "Subordinate" Grand Commanderies in the years gone by and still the "G. E.” still raises its eyes loftily above the heads of the Grand Councils. Companions, the only way the Council degrees will be made prerequisite is to make them so interesting and the ceremonies so beautiful and its lessons so impressive that the "G. E." will say: "We must have these beautiful and instructive degrees as prerequisite to the Orders of Knighthood." Companion Fay Hempstead, Grand Steward of the General Grand Council was introduced and received with the Cryptic Grand Honors and responded briefly in acknowledgment of the courtesy. At the afternoon session the degrees were conferred upon candidates elected. In place of the usual annual review of most jurisdictions, Companion Hempstead continues the series of "Notes" began in recent issues based upon subjects found in the proceedings of other Grand Councils. C. L. BROWN, Arkadelphia, Grand Master. CALIFORNIA, 1907. The bright countenance of Companion Charles J. Willett, Grand Master beams forth in the proceedings in the shape of a fine steel engraving. We are especially interested in Companion Willett as he was a former Michigan |