10. The Knights of Mystery
A passion for processions. – Revelation to the Masons. – The Egyptian obelisk and Masonic ceremonies. – The public and religious position of the Masons.
Whoever has not seen America can be said never to have seen processions. Surely no nation in the world has a greater passion for them than the Americans, and nowhere do they play such an important public and political role as here. Every somewhat significant popular holiday is celebrated with processions, and every public event is marked by them. Every political party, every corporation, every club has its own special annual holidays, and all are celebrated without fail with processions, wherein the members of each society or corporation, in their own special original uniforms, with banners or torches, march majestically through the streets, beating the military step to the sounds of an inevitable orchestra of musicians. For all such general love of processions among Americans, there are however special seasons when the passion for them passes into a kind of madness. This happens precisely in autumn of a presidential election year, before the November election of the president. The President of the United States is elected every four years in the month of November. In the elections two main parties compete—the Republican and Democratic—striving to elect a president from their midst. To secure the presidency for their candidate, the parties resort to all permitted and unpermitted means, and among the chief means of agitation are solemn processions—with banners glorifying their candidate and belittling the other. Last year was precisely a presidential year, and processions, each more splendid, more solemn, and more numerous than the last, continually marched through the streets of the city. These processions represent something like a puppet war and are reminiscent of something naively childish, but for Americans it is almost a Hamlet-like question—to be or not to be? And remarkably, in these tiring processions, necessarily to the beat of a military march, not only young people participate, but often very old men, and they with the greatest seriousness, straining all their last old-age strength, strive to keep pace with their young brothers. Truly comoedia humana!
Among other processions, on Saturday, October 9th of last year, there occurred one which had a special character. It was namely a brilliant procession of members of the local Masonic order. Three years ago the Egyptian khedive presented America with a magnificent obelisk, the so-called “Needle of Cleopatra.” When the obelisk was removed from its ancient pedestal, strange emblems were discovered which puzzled the learned world with their enigmatic character. But what is mystery for men of science proved to be clear revelation for the knights of mystery, or Masons. In these puzzling Egyptian emblems the Masons found striking resemblance to their own emblems, which, as is known, abound in the mysterious order. This discovery stirred up the whole Masonic world and its rejoicings knew no end. The order recognized the Egyptian emblems as Masonic, and they were for it a new revelation concerning how deep into antiquity the history of the order’s existence extends, and in what secret primordial antiquity one must seek its origins. Now this obelisk arrived in New York and a place in Central Park was designated for its erection. On the named day the cornerstone-laying ceremony was taking place; the Masons took the work of laying it into their own hands and performed it with such splendid ceremony and such ceremonialism as only the order’s means and inventiveness permitted.
In the center of the city, namely at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street, stands an enormous building which at once strikes the eye with the grandeur of its dimensions, the originality of its architecture, and the quantity of mysterious bas-reliefs adorning it. Its enormous windows are covered with gold-trimmed curtains, and the whole house regards the surrounding bustle with a kind of mysterious, thoughtful silence. Even the rumble of the air trains constantly rushing past does not lend it an enlivening character. This is the temple of mystery, the temple of the Masonic order. The organization of the order is remarkable. It enjoys complete freedom here, is considered on equal terms with all other societies and clubs, conducts services and has periodic gatherings, publishes journals and—in all this, remains as mysterious and enigmatic as where it constitutes a secret society out of necessity. Everyone knows that this is a Masonic temple, that gatherings occur there, everyone has a friend and acquaintance, a known Mason, and yet no one knows what is actually done and said at these gatherings. The secret of the society remains a secret, despite all its external manifestations. On the named day, around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, the environs of the mysterious temple became gay with masses of elegantly dressed people. The knights had gathered to open the procession to the site of the celebration. Precisely at two o’clock the procession began to move down Fifth Avenue, the aristocratic street of the city. Music thundered and the knights in formations, representing separate lodges, marched forth with drawn swords, each group under the command of a grand master and under the guidance of a standard-bearer. In the bright sunlight the columns presented a brilliant picture. The knights, mainly representatives of the richest families, and their brilliant costumes with ribbons, various gold and silver decorations, triangular hats with feathers, and drawn swords played in rainbow colors with the sun’s rays. On their hands were high leather gloves reaching to the elbows with red crosses; on the uniforms and banners were in abundance multicolored crosses, lending the whole procession a religious character. Each lodge moved with its own special banner, on which shone a special emblem and a special inscription—in Latin. Among many other inscriptions were the following: In hoc signo vinces; Rex regum; Dominus dominorum; Magna est veritas et prevalebit, and so on. The musicians constantly played Masonic hymns, and one of them in its melody simply astounded me by its resemblance to the tune of the well-known Russian folk song: “Along and by the river, along the Kazanka…” Could it be of Masonic origin? The grand masters repeatedly shouted words of military command, and the knights performed elegant military evolutions with remarkable dexterity for non-soldiers; they now closed into one column, now broke up into pairs, threes, etc., depending on the command. In the procession were about 10,000 people, and all of them for the most part respectable elderly people from the richest families of New York and neighboring cities. From the Masonic temple to the site of the obelisk’s erection is three miles or more than five versts, and one could only marvel at the patience with which the knights, many of whom were simply deep gray-bearded old men, in undisturbed order, with measured military step, walked all this distance, while from time to time performing military evolutions at command. The pavements were covered with people, and from the balconies of houses ladies waved handkerchiefs in greeting.
Upon arrival at the site of the celebration, the knights of mystery closed into four-square columns around the place of the cornerstone laying. When order was fully established, the “most worshipful master” stepped forward and addressed the following speech: “Brothers! We have gathered here to lay the cornerstone in the foundation of an ancient monument, known by the name of the Needle of Cleopatra. An occasion such as this is one in which our brotherhood may take pride and has great significance for the history of our order. Coming thus publicly before the world in the capacity of members of a society which has a right to the sympathy of all honest and unprejudiced people, we openly declare our unwavering devotion to our holy cause. We have a task before us, but in accordance with ancient Masonic instruction, before we begin it we must unite in a prayerful appeal to the Deity.” The grand chaplain of the Masonic temple read a prayer, after which the most worshipful master addressed the most worshipful treasurer with the words: “Now place the order’s charters on the rock,” and he indeed began to place a whole mass of Masonic charters in the foundation, minutes of Masonic sessions, statutes and rules of every kind, and finally a photographic picture of the Masonic temple. After the placing of the charters was complete, the most worshipful master approached the stone designated to serve as the foundation, and sprinkled it with cement. Then he took the working tools and handed them to the Masonic overseers. At this point the following conversation took place:
“What constitutes the true jewel of your office?” asked the worshipful of the first overseer.
“The square,” replied he.
“What is its moral and Masonic use?”
“To measure man’s actions squarely by the square of virtue and justify one’s work.”
“Apply the tool of your office to that part of the stone which requires verification, and render your account.”
The overseer applied the square to the stone and said: “Most worshipful master, I find the stone to be square. The workers have fulfilled their duty.”
The worshipful turned to the next one:
“What constitutes the jewel of your office?”
“The level,” replied the overseer.
“What is its Masonic use?”
“Morally it reminds us of equality, and its function is to verify horizontal lines.”
“Apply the jewel of your office to the stone, and render your account.”
The overseer applied the level to the stone and answered: “Most worshipful, I find the stone to be level. The workers have fulfilled their duty.”
The worshipful turned to the third overseer:
“What constitutes the true jewel of your office?”
“The plumb,” replied the overseer.
“What is its Masonic use?”
“Morally it teaches us uprightness of conduct, and we use it to verify perpendicular lines.”
“Apply the tool of your office to the various sides of the stone and render your account.”
The overseer applied the measuring tool to the stone and answered: “Most worshipful, I find the stone to be plumb. The workers have fulfilled their duty.”
Then the worshipful approached the stone, sprinkled it with cement, and, striking it thrice with his staff, solemnly proclaimed: “I, Jesse B. Anthony, grand master of the Masons of the State of New York, declare the stone to be plumb, level, and square, well dressed, correctly, properly, and as it should be laid. Let the elements of initiation now be presented.” Then the deputy grand master stepped forward, sprinkled the stone with grains of bread, and pronounced: “I scatter these grains as an emblem of abundance and plenty. Let the generous blessings of heaven be poured down upon us and upon all such patriotic and charitable enterprises, and inspire the hearts of the people with virtue, wisdom, and gratitude.” After him the senior grand overseer approached the stone, and pouring wine upon it, spoke: “I pour this wine as an emblem of joy and gladness. May the Great Ruler of the universe bless our national, state (New York county), and city governments, preserve the union of states, and may it be a union of friendship and fraternal love, which will continue for all time.” Then the junior grand overseer drew near to the stone and, pouring oil upon it, spoke: “I pour this oil as an emblem of peace. May its blessings remain constantly with us, and may the Great Chief of heaven and earth cover and protect widows and orphans, and guard us from trials and the vicissitudes of this world, and thus pour out His mercy upon the oppressed, the laboring, and the sorrowful, that they may sorrow no more and labor no more.” Finally, the most worshipful grand master, standing before all, raised the following prayer: “May the all-merciful Creator of nature bless the inhabitants of this city with an abundance of things—necessary, useful, and comfortable for life. May He help in the raising of this foundation and in the completion of this undertaking. May He protect the workers from every mishap, long preserve this specimen of the work of Eastern workers from ruin, and may He grant us all abundance of grains of food, wine of refreshment, and oil of joy. Amen.”
During all these ceremonies a deathly silence reigned around, thousands of Masonic faces seemed to have turned to stone in reverent solemnity, and only the sun smiled in the sky and a light breeze playfully played with the feathers and ribbons of the Masonic uniforms.
The worshipful then rendered proper honor to the great architect for the successful laying of the foundation; after him the grand marshal of the grand lodge came forward and in the name of the grand master of the Masons of New York State finally proclaimed that the cornerstone of the Egyptian obelisk, known by the name of the Needle of Cleopatra, had been properly laid. This proclamation he made to all four directions of the earth—south and north, east and west—and at each proclamation the side of the square formed by the Masonic columns, facing the direction toward which the proclamation was directed, three times clapped their hands. In sign of final confirmation of the deed. To conclude it all, the most worshipful grand master addressed the Masons with a long speech in which he examined the significance of Egypt in the history of mankind, displaying a mass of knowledge—literary, scientific, archaeological, architectural, astronomical—and argued that all contemporary sciences have their cradle on the shores of the Nile. There too, in his opinion, Masonry has its cradle, though of course that Masonry differed greatly from the contemporary one, into which many new elements developed by modern civilization have entered. Tracing the history of the obelisk, the worshipful concluded: “The ancient mason built not for one age, but for eternity. So, brothers, should it be with us. Let us then labor faithfully in the present, awaiting the reward promised to him who fulfills his whole duty, and may the past, present, and future of each and every one greet him with: well done, good and faithful servant!” The Masons approved the speech with enthusiastic shouts, and the grand chaplain raised a prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty for this glorious day, which forever linked Egypt, the land of the past, with America, the land of the future, and asked that the union of states exist forever. “Amen, so be it!” thundered ten thousand voices, and the echo repeated the Masonic cheer many times over in the grottoes of the park. A command rang out, the Masonic columns swayed, broke up into formations, and to the sound of a march began their return journey. And the sun had already hidden behind the hills on the Hudson shore, and only bright stars smiled upon the Masons, gleaming on the dark blue sky.
The Masonic society is extremely extensive and numerous in America. Its individual lodges are spread throughout all the United States. It counts its members in the hundreds of thousands, and in New York State alone there are more than 100,000. It carries on vigorous propaganda and at every convenient opportunity makes itself known through loud and brilliant demonstrations. Three times a year there is usually a general council of the Masons in one of the principal cities of the country, and each time such an event is marked with solemn parades. The funeral of any Mason is performed with general’s honors, with music and a ceremonial procession of knights. As a society, the Masonic order enjoys great public respect, and without exaggeration one can say that to it belong all the highest, wealthy, and educated classes of American society. In its essence the Masonic order is a religious-charitable society, without any political admixture. At least politically it makes no demonstrations of itself even at the time of presidential elections, when the political passions of the whole people are inflamed to impossibility. Its charity, however, is limited only to its own members, and from this side every member of the Masonic brotherhood can consider himself secured against need and misfortune, wherever he may be. Every Mason has a sign which he need only show in a Masonic lodge for him to receive aid in sickness, money in need, defense in court, and so forth.