Part 625: The 1909 Scottish Rite Repeal
There were many resolutions passed at the 1909 Biennial Session of the Supreme Council of the Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the Thirty-third Degree of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America. Topics discussed varied from translating the rituals into Spanish to the purchase of an automobile. One specific action is often cited as the most significant one of the session – the call for the “enlargement, or extension, of the present House of the Temple or for the erection of a new one.” A side note to this action is often attached to Grand Chancellor William Frank Pierce (Inspector General of California) who missed the session due to a family illness. Pierce met with Grand Commander James D. Richardson shortly after the close of the session and strongly advocated for the construction of a new House of the Temple instead of merely enlarging the current one.
Pierce was responsible for proposing an action four years earlier– one that was repealed during his absence in 1909. His resolution in 1905 gave the leaders of the Southern Jurisdiction an incentive to rapidly increase membership in each region, one that ultimately secured the much necessary funding to propose a new House of the Temple in 1909. Looking at both Pierce’s resolution and its 1909 repeal provides us with some of insight into the Scottish Rite during a period of unprecedented growth.
The 1905 “Transactions of the Supreme Council” reported:
“Inspector Pierce, from the Committee on Finance submitted the following:
Resolved, That each Sovereign Grand Inspector-General and each Deputy of the Supreme Council shall be entitled to receive as payment for expenses incurred in the discharge of his duties for the Rite, two dollars for each Thirty-second Degree conferred within his Jurisdiction.
Resolved, further, That said sums shall be immediately paid by the Secretary-General to the Sovereign Grand Inspector-General or Deputy of the Supreme Council, but only after all the reports have been received from and all payments have been made to the Supreme Council, as required now by the Statutes for the fees, dues, books and patents from his Jurisdiction.”
The purchasing power of $2 in 1905 is about $57.07 today.
Well, that was one way to make sure Scottish Rite Valleys paid their bills – giving the heads of each Orient an incentive to put pressure on the Valleys to pay their fees, dues, books and patents in a timely manner. From 1905-1909 sixteen new Scottish Rite stages were constructed and outfitted with scenery by Sosman & Landis. Similarly, Toomey & Volland studios outfitted 10 new Scottish Rite theaters during this time period. All told, twenty-six Scottish Valleys built new theaters across the country. That is significant growth in a five year period. A lot of money was collected from the Valleys as new members were initiated into the various Scottish Rite Bodies, with a percentage being passed along to the Supreme Council. So how much money are we really looking at? For example, the total Scottish Rite fees for the four petitions to become a 32nd degree Mason in Wichita were $133.50:
Lodge of Perfection (4-14 degrees) $22
Chapter Rose Croix (15-18 degrees) $25
Council Knight Kadosh (19-30 degrees) $30
Consistory (31-32 degrees) $56.50
The continued annual dues for each Scottish Rite Body were $1 per body, or $4 per 32nd degree Mason annually.
We will start with a baseline number -the number of total men who became 32nd degree Masons (being initiated into the Consistory) in 1904. Of the 53 Consistories in the Southern Jurisdiction during 1904, there was a gain of 3,426 32nd degree Masons – so that many members paid a fee with their Consistory petition, after having already paid petition fees for the Lodge, Chapter and Council. This number was know to all the active SGIGs and Deputies when the resolution passed in 1905. The next, year 32nd degree petitions numbered 3025, at $2 per incoming 32nd degree Mason, $6,050 paid to the SGIGs and Deputies (today’s equivalent of approximately $173,000). I think of it as something similar to a sales commission.
By 1909 the number initiated into the Consistory that year was 4,602. If $2 was distributed to the SGIGs and Deputies for each new 32nd degree Mason during 1909, that would be a total payment of to the various SGIGs and Deputies of $9,204.00, or today’s equivalent of almost $255,000. To put that amount in perspective, from membership dues alone, the Scottish Rite took in $102,202.75, today’s equivalent of $2,821,615.77.
In 1909 public school teachers were making $492/year, state and local government workers were making $699/year, and Health Services Workers were making $338/year. For the building trades, the hourly wage was $0.52/hour ($20/week), with the average hourly wage at $0.22/hour ($8/week). Butter was $0.39 per pound and eggs were $0.36 per dozen. Also keep in mind that the role of SGIG was often held in addition to a full-time profession.
In 1909, Inspector Cunningham, offered the following resolution which was adopted:
“Resolved, That the resolution adopted at the session of the council for 1905, providing that each Sovereign Grand Inspector-General and Deputy of the Supreme Council, shall be entitled to receive as payment for expenses incurred in discharging his duties for the Rite, two dollars for each Thirty-second Degree, conferred within his Jurisdiction, be and the same is hereby repealed.”
To be continued…
