MASONIC CHIT CHAT.

RHODE ISLA N D.- Repeal of the Antimasonic Law.-The Legislature of Rhode Island, at its recent session, repealed the obnoxious portions of the act "Concerning Masonic Societies," passed January 22d, 1835. This is right. In the heat of an Vunnatural political excitement, the Legislature of that State, inflicted a deep wrong on a higly respectable and numerous class of citizens; but the excitement having passed away, the earliest opportunity has been taken to repair that wrong. And though this be no more than an act of simple justice, yet the promptness and unanimity with which it has been rendered, are worthy of all commendation. A similar attempt was made about the same time, to disparage the character and interest of the Masonic Institution in this State, and though it failed in its object, the evidence of the attempt still remains a blot upon the Statute-Book of the Commonwealth. How long it will so remain must of course depend upon the honor and justice of some future Legislature.

We find the following paragraph in the London Quarterly Review for December. It appears among the notices to correspondents, and is sufficiently explicit to excite our curiosity, but quite too ambiguous to satisfy it. If there be no particular objection to the contrary, the talented editor of the Review would lay us under a special obligation, by stating the character of the "required examination."

"Dr. MORRISON, of Paris; the Ven. Archdeacon MANT, of Down; Dr. THOMAS WRIGHT, of Dublin; Mr. AVTOUN, Mr. DEUCHAR, or Mr. W. PRINGLE, of Edinburgh; Mr. NASH, of Bristol; Mr. C. W. MOORE, of Boston, U. S., are all Templar Masons of considerable attainments, and competent to assist in the required examination. If we do not name any London authorities, it is for the Rev. Dr. Oliver, as perhaps the most obvious reasons; but we ought not to omit competent to decide."

We have to request that our Agents would bear in mind, that the postage on letters containing remittances, is computed by the number of bills enclosed in them. We received the other day a letter from Columbus, Mo., the postage on which was one dollar! The amount enclosed was $13, viz: one ten and three one dollar bills. Now, had a ten and a three dollar bill been enclosed, one half the postage would have been saved. Cases of this kind are frequently occurring; and we are thereby compelled to pay a considerable sum in postage, which might, in most cases, without any additional trouble, be saved to us. There may be cases, where current bills of the required denomination

Our esteemed Brother and correspondent (F. C. B.) at Charleston, S. C. is respectfully informed that the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts has once decided not to come into the arrangement to which he refers. Should she hereafter see cause to change that determination, it will afford us great pleasure to present the request he makes, and we entertain no doubt that it will be most cheerfully acceeded to. There is much weight in the considerations he advances, and we shall take care that they are placed where theyannot be obtained, when it would be prefwill receive due attention.

The Grand Lodge of Michigan have resolved, that "it is inexpedient and injudicious to organize any General Grand Lodge in the United States, with the view of exercising jurisdiction over the different independent Grand Lodges within the same."

We have not received the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. Have they been forwarded? We wrote our esteemed friend and agent, at St. Louis, sometime since, but have received no answer. Has he written?

erable to incur the additional postage. But they constitute exceptions to the rule.

By reference to our "Bank Table," it will be seen that the bills of the Southern and Western Banks, have greatly depreciated within the last three months. South Carolina notes are the best that can be forwarded, when New York Safety Bank funds cannot be obtained, or bills on Banks North of Virginia.

ERRATA.-Life of Mrs. Aldworth, p. 138, 24th line from top, for "Elza," read Eliza; p. 140, line 20, for principal" read principle; line 40, same page, for" opposition," read oppression.

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, AND THEIR CON. NECTION WITH FREEMASONRY.

In pursuance of the plan indicated in the first of this series of articles, we come now to speak of the Knights Templars and their connection with Freema

sonry.

The general reader has learned from his books, that the Order of Templars was abolished by papal authority, with the concurrent assent of the sovereign powers of Europe, in the beginning of the fourteenth century; and the fact may be new to him, that, though at that period it became politically extinct, yet, as a confraternity, it has continued to the present time, to maintain a direct and uninterrupted existence.

The founders of the Order were HUGH DE PAYENS, (or Pajens, Paganis,) and GEOFFREY DE ST. OMER, (or Uldemar,) who had both signalized themselves in the religious wars. In connection with seven other gentlemen of France, they formed the chivalrous project of giving a regular escort to the numerous companies of Palmers, who were perpetually passing through the "Holy Land." To render this voluntarily imposed duty the more binding and fraternal, they agreed to unite Monkhood and Knighthood, in honor of the "sweet mother of God." Before they had fixed on any permanent place of residence, Baldwin II. of Jerusalem, assigned them an abode in that city, on the east of the site of the Jewish Temple. From this circumstance they were ever after called Knights Templars, or Knights of the Temple. They took the vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty; and during the nine years which followed their institution, they were distinguished by no particular garb; wearing the secular habit of the day, which was furnished to them by charity alone.

The Order was originally so poor that the two leaders could boast of only one battle-charger between them, which they rode in common. But, combining the two qualities, the most popular in that age, devotion and valor, and exercising both in the most popular of all enterprises, the defence of the "Holy Land," it soon acquired, from the piety of the faithful, ample possessions in every country in Europe. The clergy of the Temple at Jerusalem, conferred on them a space of ground between that building and the palace, for the purpose of military exercises; and various other benefices speedily followed. At the Council of Troyes,

in 1127, Pope Honorius II. confirmed the Order, imposed on it rules drawn from those of the Benedictine monks, and a white garment was designated for their dress. Their numbers rapidly increased; the fame of their exploits spread throughout Palestine; and possessions and riches flowed in upon them, as their services became extended and general. The Order, was soon divided into the various classes of servants of arms, squires, and Knights, to which were added, in 1172, some spiritual members, who officiated as priests, chaplains, and clerks. They all wore a girdle of linen thread, to denote their vows of chastity; the clerical members had white, the servants of arms gray or black gowns, and the Knights, besides their armor, wore plain white cloaks, over a kind of cassock of the same color, with a red Patriarchal Cross, on the left side, as represented in the annexed cut.* In addition to their great standard, which was white, with the red-cross,— symbolical, like their dress, of purity of life, and courage, even unto death,— they bore to battle a banner composed of white and black stripes, intended to typify their tenderness to their friends and implacability towards their enemies.† Their valor, says James, became so noted, that, like the famous tenth legion, it was a support to itself; and, according to James of Vitry, any Templar, on hearing the cry to arms, would have been ashamed to have asked the number of the enemy :—the only question was, "Where are they ?”

Notwithstanding the vast annual expenditures consequent on its extensive military and eleemosinary establishments, we find that in 1244, the Order possessed 9000 Bailiwicks, Commandaries, Priories, and Preceptories, independent of the jurisdiction of the sovereigns of the countries in which they were situated. At a subsequent period it had in all the provinces of Europe, its subordinate governors and 20,000 manors. Its revenues were immense.

If we except the contemporaneous Order of the Knights of St. John, the Tem plars were the best lances that the Chivalry of Europe ever produced. During the second and subsequent Crusades, the Orders of the Temple and of St. John, were regarded as the bulwarks of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Nor was their moral courage less dignified, than their martial valor was chivalric. To illustrate. At the battle of Tiberias, the Grand Master of the Temple was taken alive and carried prisoner to the tent of Saladin. That monarch commanded that the Knights of St. John and of the Temple, who had fallen into his hands, should instantly embrace Islamism, or undergo the fate of the scimitar. At the hour of trial, not one Knight could be brought to renounce his creed! They died with that calm resolution which is in itself a glory. Of the members of both Orders engaged in this desperate encounter, the Grand Master of the Order of St. John was the only Knight who escaped alive from the field of battle. After the victory had settled on the Paynim banners, he clove his way through the ranks of the enemy, and reached Ascalon that night; but died on the following day of the wounds he had received!

* Dugdale tells us they wore linen coifs, and " red caps close over them; on their bodies shirts of mail, and swords girded on with a broad belt; over all they had a white cloak reaching to the ground, with a red cross on their left shoulder; they used to wear their beards of a great length, whereas most other Orders shaved."

+"Signifying white and fair to Christians, but black and terrible to their enemies."—

Clark.