Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Rise And Development Of African Race Masons In America.
another charter , and hence the African Lodge worked under a mere copy of a charter . Dr . Lewis ' s letter was published by Moore in his magazine , and all the white American Masons believed it , and every spouting American
Grand Master repeated it . The Master of the African Lodge was , however , informed about the new fib of Moore ' s invention , and in the minutes of the African Lodge of 12 th January 1846 , 1 found recorded as follows : —
An article was read from the Freemasons Magazine , Vol . v ., No . 2 ( edited by C . W . Moore ) , 1 st December 1845 , stating that the African Lodge was not a legal body . A history of tbe whole transaction was given by the Master , to the satisfaction of the Lodge . As the coloured Masons had no access to Masonic
publications , the fact tbat the story in "Moore ' s Magazine" was an invention remained known to the coloured Masons only . In 1867 I learned from Bro . Findel ' s History that the
African Lodge possessed its original charter . In 1868 the lato Bro . Lewis Hayden , then Grand Master of the Prince Hall G . L ., showed me the original African Lodge charter . 1 told Dr . Winslow Lewis about it . Ho said thafc ho was
very sorry that he had been misinformed , in 1845 , and gave me leave to state his confession openly whenever I thought proper to do so . I must here add . that the year 1868 forms an epoch in the history of African Masonry in America . First , in 1868 a coloured man was for the first timo since 1755 initiated
in a Lodge ( composed of whito men ) in Boston ; and second , in 1868 the coloured Masons were somehow induced to petition tho G . L . of Massachusetts to acknowledge their legality as Masons , and for tho first time the said Grand Lodgo showed good manners by performing the farce of
referring the coloured Masons' petition to a committee . These events soon became known in other American Masonic jurisdictions , which of course created a stir amon g our Masonic jurisprudence-mongers . In January 1869 Bro . Gouley , G . Sec . of Missouri , fired off his battery against the
coloured Masons , not forgetting to make a point out of the African Lodge possessing only a copy of a charter , and challenging every Mason in creation to disprove it , when I replied by first calling his attention to Bro . Findel ' s " History of Masonry , " second I added my own evidence
that the African Lodge charter was in existence , and third I appealed to Dr . Winslow Lewis for confirmation of the fact that he was misinformed in 1845 about the said charter , and that he was sorry for it . Bro . Gouloy would
not print my reply , but ifc was printed by Bro . Brennan , in the American Freemason , at Cincinnati , in the June and July numbers of 1869 . Bro . John T . Heard was chairman of the committee on
the coloured Masons' petition . 1 know that he took tho trouble to examine the record of the African Lodge . Indeed I happened to come into Bro . Haydon ' s office a few miuutes after Bro . Heard left , and saw the records which were examined by Bro . " Hoard . In December 1869
Bro . Heard read his report to me privately , when he said , " You see the committee would not concede to acknowledge tho coloured Masons , but I insisted in stating that I saw the original African Lodge charter . " I then suggested that he ought to have inserted that he examined the
African Lodge records , and that fche meetings of the Lodge were continuous from its beginning to tho present time . He answered , " So I ought , but ifc is too late now . " Tbe
report of the committee was , of course , unanimously adopted , and no one who was acquainted with American Grand Lodge tactics was disappointed or surprised thereat .
In December 1870 , Grand Master Gardner tried to prove from tho American Masonic jurisprudence standpoint , with the addition of a little sophistry and quibble , the illegitimacy of the coloured Masons or of Prince Hall Grand Lodge . A reply to Bro . Gardner ' s mode of
reasoning may be seen by my English readers , in the Masonic Monthly , Vol . 7 , pp 216 to 221 , in Freemasons ' Hall , in London . One statement of Bro . Gardner I entirely overlooked , he said , thafc fche African Lodge was dormant from the time of Prince Hall ' s death uutil 1826 ,
when ifc was revived by John T . Hilton , I remained ignorant of my oversight until I received a letter , dated 25 th January 1876 , from the Rev . Charles Griswold , Grand Master of Minnesota , inquiring about the alleged
dormancy of the African Lodge . And I must here add , thafc between 1870 and 1876 the Masonic Temple of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge was destroyed by fire , together with the African Lodge records , which were examined by Bro . John T , Heard , in 1869 . Bro , Heard , however , was
Rise And Development Of African Race Masons In America.
too honourable to deny tho fact -thafc he had examined fcho records of the period in questiou , so I called upon Bro . Gardner , and told him all I knew , and appealed to Bro . Heard for confirmation , that tho alleged dormancy of tho African Lodgo was a mistake , and subsequently I
found out how tho mistake was made by Bro . Gardner , viz ., John T . Hilton ' s statement in 1826 , that the African Lodge had made no progress since the death of Prince Hall , was transformed in Bro . Gardner ' s imagination into dormancy , and as soon as I explained ifc to Bro . Gardner ,
he frankly confessed fchat I was right . I musfc here further add , that in the Proceedings of the Minnesota and of the Ohio Grand Lodges for 1874 and 1877 , the reader will find ample evidence that the African Masonio organisations in the United States of America are just as legitimate as the
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts , or any other Grand Lodgo in North America . Indeed , whatever reasons the white Masonic luminaries have brought forward to prove the illegality of the coloured American Masons , can with equal
justice be brought forward to prove the illegality of the Masonry of the whites in America . As far as legality and illegality is concerned between the white and coloured Masons in America , it may be briefly summed np , as " six of one and half a dozen of the other . "
I gave above two reasons for regarding the year 1868 as an epoch in the history of the African Masons in America , and I will here add a third reason , even more important than the former ones , viz ., when Bro . Hayden showed
me , in 1868 , the original African Lodge Charter , I showed him Bro . Findel ' s " History of Freemasonry . " Bro . Hayden was of course highly gratified with the part therein referring to the African Lodge . I then advised him to write a letter of thanks to Bro . Findel , which he did , and
by Bro . Findel , in an obituary notice of tbe late Bro . Lewis Hayden , in the Bauhutte , of 27 th April 1889 , and reprinted in the Prince Hall Grand Lodge Proceedings of the same year , on page 75 , as follows : —
thia was the beginning of a correspondence which eventuated in the acknowledgment of Prince Hall Grand Lodge by the United Grand Lodge of Germany , and by some other European Grand Lodges . This facfc is corroborated
The Princo Hall Grand Lodge of Boston has suffered a severe loss . Ono of the most meritorious members , our oldest friend there , Bro . Lewis Hayden has entered the Eternal Ease . Having his attention drawn to onr History of Freemasonry , by Bro . Jacob Norton ,
he commenced communication with us , that resulted in tbe recognition of tho Prince Hall Grand Lodgo . He reached a remarkable high age . Even the political papers in Germany consider him worth noticing .
Bro . Gould devotes bufc a short space to the subject of tbe African Masonic organisations in America . He says : — Thirty-one Grand Lodges in difl ' orent States of the Union aro montiot . od in the statistic- * before me , which show a total of 691 Lodges and 17 , 909 members . Those coloured or lesser Grand
Lodges have been more or less recognised as legally constituted bodies in France , Germany , Hungary , Peru and Siberia , and in Ohio a resolution by the white [ Masons ] acknowledging the regularity of tho Black Grand Lodge in tbat State was only lost by fifty-eight votes , the numbers being 332 to 390 in 1875 . The caso of the
" Negro Masons in America" has been ably stated by Mr . Samuel Clark , Grand Master of the coloured Masons of the State of Ohio , from whoso pamphlet and the other authorities at my disposal I am
inclined to think that the claim of the black Mason to be placed on a footing of equality with the white one is destined to pass through a somewhat similar ordeal in America to that which has been ( in parfc ) undergono by the famous Jewish question in Germany .
The fact is " Masonic universality in America is a sham , and truth and justice are discarded when either of theso clash with American prejudice or pride . Thus , firsfc the coloured Masons were snubbed by the white Masons , because they were not legally initiated , and later on because
the G . L . of England recalled the African Lodge charter . Having disproved these statements , ifc was next argued thafc the coloured Masons had no right fco rebel against the Grand Lodge of England . The rebellion against the Grand Lodge of England by the white Masons of Massachusetts in
1792 , without having paid some sixty or more guineas which was due to tho G . L . of England , was all right , but the rebellion of the coloured Masons in 1827 , when they owed nothing to the G . L . of England , was all wrong . Quibbles and lies satisfied the conscience of fche white
American Masonic luminaries to violate their Masonio obligation to thousands of Masons , because their skins were a shade darker than their own . The Grand Orient of France , the United Grand Lodge of Germany , and , I believe , the Grand Lodges of Switzerland and of tho Netherlands , and other Grand Lodges , have , however .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Rise And Development Of African Race Masons In America.
another charter , and hence the African Lodge worked under a mere copy of a charter . Dr . Lewis ' s letter was published by Moore in his magazine , and all the white American Masons believed it , and every spouting American
Grand Master repeated it . The Master of the African Lodge was , however , informed about the new fib of Moore ' s invention , and in the minutes of the African Lodge of 12 th January 1846 , 1 found recorded as follows : —
An article was read from the Freemasons Magazine , Vol . v ., No . 2 ( edited by C . W . Moore ) , 1 st December 1845 , stating that the African Lodge was not a legal body . A history of tbe whole transaction was given by the Master , to the satisfaction of the Lodge . As the coloured Masons had no access to Masonic
publications , the fact tbat the story in "Moore ' s Magazine" was an invention remained known to the coloured Masons only . In 1867 I learned from Bro . Findel ' s History that the
African Lodge possessed its original charter . In 1868 the lato Bro . Lewis Hayden , then Grand Master of the Prince Hall G . L ., showed me the original African Lodge charter . 1 told Dr . Winslow Lewis about it . Ho said thafc ho was
very sorry that he had been misinformed , in 1845 , and gave me leave to state his confession openly whenever I thought proper to do so . I must here add . that the year 1868 forms an epoch in the history of African Masonry in America . First , in 1868 a coloured man was for the first timo since 1755 initiated
in a Lodge ( composed of whito men ) in Boston ; and second , in 1868 the coloured Masons were somehow induced to petition tho G . L . of Massachusetts to acknowledge their legality as Masons , and for tho first time the said Grand Lodgo showed good manners by performing the farce of
referring the coloured Masons' petition to a committee . These events soon became known in other American Masonic jurisdictions , which of course created a stir amon g our Masonic jurisprudence-mongers . In January 1869 Bro . Gouley , G . Sec . of Missouri , fired off his battery against the
coloured Masons , not forgetting to make a point out of the African Lodge possessing only a copy of a charter , and challenging every Mason in creation to disprove it , when I replied by first calling his attention to Bro . Findel ' s " History of Masonry , " second I added my own evidence
that the African Lodge charter was in existence , and third I appealed to Dr . Winslow Lewis for confirmation of the fact that he was misinformed in 1845 about the said charter , and that he was sorry for it . Bro . Gouloy would
not print my reply , but ifc was printed by Bro . Brennan , in the American Freemason , at Cincinnati , in the June and July numbers of 1869 . Bro . John T . Heard was chairman of the committee on
the coloured Masons' petition . 1 know that he took tho trouble to examine the record of the African Lodge . Indeed I happened to come into Bro . Haydon ' s office a few miuutes after Bro . Heard left , and saw the records which were examined by Bro . " Hoard . In December 1869
Bro . Heard read his report to me privately , when he said , " You see the committee would not concede to acknowledge tho coloured Masons , but I insisted in stating that I saw the original African Lodge charter . " I then suggested that he ought to have inserted that he examined the
African Lodge records , and that fche meetings of the Lodge were continuous from its beginning to tho present time . He answered , " So I ought , but ifc is too late now . " Tbe
report of the committee was , of course , unanimously adopted , and no one who was acquainted with American Grand Lodge tactics was disappointed or surprised thereat .
In December 1870 , Grand Master Gardner tried to prove from tho American Masonic jurisprudence standpoint , with the addition of a little sophistry and quibble , the illegitimacy of the coloured Masons or of Prince Hall Grand Lodge . A reply to Bro . Gardner ' s mode of
reasoning may be seen by my English readers , in the Masonic Monthly , Vol . 7 , pp 216 to 221 , in Freemasons ' Hall , in London . One statement of Bro . Gardner I entirely overlooked , he said , thafc fche African Lodge was dormant from the time of Prince Hall ' s death uutil 1826 ,
when ifc was revived by John T . Hilton , I remained ignorant of my oversight until I received a letter , dated 25 th January 1876 , from the Rev . Charles Griswold , Grand Master of Minnesota , inquiring about the alleged
dormancy of the African Lodge . And I must here add , thafc between 1870 and 1876 the Masonic Temple of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge was destroyed by fire , together with the African Lodge records , which were examined by Bro . John T , Heard , in 1869 . Bro , Heard , however , was
Rise And Development Of African Race Masons In America.
too honourable to deny tho fact -thafc he had examined fcho records of the period in questiou , so I called upon Bro . Gardner , and told him all I knew , and appealed to Bro . Heard for confirmation , that tho alleged dormancy of tho African Lodgo was a mistake , and subsequently I
found out how tho mistake was made by Bro . Gardner , viz ., John T . Hilton ' s statement in 1826 , that the African Lodge had made no progress since the death of Prince Hall , was transformed in Bro . Gardner ' s imagination into dormancy , and as soon as I explained ifc to Bro . Gardner ,
he frankly confessed fchat I was right . I musfc here further add , that in the Proceedings of the Minnesota and of the Ohio Grand Lodges for 1874 and 1877 , the reader will find ample evidence that the African Masonio organisations in the United States of America are just as legitimate as the
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts , or any other Grand Lodgo in North America . Indeed , whatever reasons the white Masonic luminaries have brought forward to prove the illegality of the coloured American Masons , can with equal
justice be brought forward to prove the illegality of the Masonry of the whites in America . As far as legality and illegality is concerned between the white and coloured Masons in America , it may be briefly summed np , as " six of one and half a dozen of the other . "
I gave above two reasons for regarding the year 1868 as an epoch in the history of the African Masons in America , and I will here add a third reason , even more important than the former ones , viz ., when Bro . Hayden showed
me , in 1868 , the original African Lodge Charter , I showed him Bro . Findel ' s " History of Freemasonry . " Bro . Hayden was of course highly gratified with the part therein referring to the African Lodge . I then advised him to write a letter of thanks to Bro . Findel , which he did , and
by Bro . Findel , in an obituary notice of tbe late Bro . Lewis Hayden , in the Bauhutte , of 27 th April 1889 , and reprinted in the Prince Hall Grand Lodge Proceedings of the same year , on page 75 , as follows : —
thia was the beginning of a correspondence which eventuated in the acknowledgment of Prince Hall Grand Lodge by the United Grand Lodge of Germany , and by some other European Grand Lodges . This facfc is corroborated
The Princo Hall Grand Lodge of Boston has suffered a severe loss . Ono of the most meritorious members , our oldest friend there , Bro . Lewis Hayden has entered the Eternal Ease . Having his attention drawn to onr History of Freemasonry , by Bro . Jacob Norton ,
he commenced communication with us , that resulted in tbe recognition of tho Prince Hall Grand Lodgo . He reached a remarkable high age . Even the political papers in Germany consider him worth noticing .
Bro . Gould devotes bufc a short space to the subject of tbe African Masonic organisations in America . He says : — Thirty-one Grand Lodges in difl ' orent States of the Union aro montiot . od in the statistic- * before me , which show a total of 691 Lodges and 17 , 909 members . Those coloured or lesser Grand
Lodges have been more or less recognised as legally constituted bodies in France , Germany , Hungary , Peru and Siberia , and in Ohio a resolution by the white [ Masons ] acknowledging the regularity of tho Black Grand Lodge in tbat State was only lost by fifty-eight votes , the numbers being 332 to 390 in 1875 . The caso of the
" Negro Masons in America" has been ably stated by Mr . Samuel Clark , Grand Master of the coloured Masons of the State of Ohio , from whoso pamphlet and the other authorities at my disposal I am
inclined to think that the claim of the black Mason to be placed on a footing of equality with the white one is destined to pass through a somewhat similar ordeal in America to that which has been ( in parfc ) undergono by the famous Jewish question in Germany .
The fact is " Masonic universality in America is a sham , and truth and justice are discarded when either of theso clash with American prejudice or pride . Thus , firsfc the coloured Masons were snubbed by the white Masons , because they were not legally initiated , and later on because
the G . L . of England recalled the African Lodge charter . Having disproved these statements , ifc was next argued thafc the coloured Masons had no right fco rebel against the Grand Lodge of England . The rebellion against the Grand Lodge of England by the white Masons of Massachusetts in
1792 , without having paid some sixty or more guineas which was due to tho G . L . of England , was all right , but the rebellion of the coloured Masons in 1827 , when they owed nothing to the G . L . of England , was all wrong . Quibbles and lies satisfied the conscience of fche white
American Masonic luminaries to violate their Masonio obligation to thousands of Masons , because their skins were a shade darker than their own . The Grand Orient of France , the United Grand Lodge of Germany , and , I believe , the Grand Lodges of Switzerland and of tho Netherlands , and other Grand Lodges , have , however .