By T.S. Akers
A few pages
into Rudyard Kipling’s
Kim, the story of the orphaned son of an Irish
colour-sergeant and nursemaid set in India following the Second Afghan War, is
the following passage:
…O’Hara drifted away, till he came across
the woman who took opium and learned the taste from her, and died as poor
whites do in India. His estate at death consisted of three papers – one he
called his ‘ne varietur’ because those words were written below his signature
thereon, and another his ‘clearance-certificate.’ The third was Kim’s
birth-certificate. Those things, he was used to say, in his glorious
opium-hours, would yet make little Kimball a man. On no account was Kim to part
with them, for they belonged to a great piece of magic – such magic as men
practiced over yonder behind the Museum, in the big blue-and-white Jadoo-Gher –
the Magic House, as we name the Masonic Lodge.
The “ne varietur”
that Kipling references here is most certainly the Masonic membership patent of
Colour-Sergeant Kimball O’Hara, Sr.
According to
Robert’s The Old Constitutions: “…no
Person hereafter, which shall be accepted a Free-Mason, shall be admitted into
any Lodge, or Assembly, until he hath brought a Certificate of the Time and
Place of his Acception, from the Lodge that accepted him…” In 1755 the Premier
Grand Lodge of England made reference to such certificates or patents, stating
that all must be sealed and signed by the Grand Secretary. The signature line,
with the words ne varietur, a Latin phrase meaning “it must not be changed,”
served as a security feature whereby a Brother’s signature could be checked
against the patent to prove he was indeed who he said he was.
Masonic Lodges
in America began issuing credentials in the form of patents to initiates in the late 1700s. With a patent in hand, a traveling Brother could gain admission to a
Masonic Lodge where he was not known. Patents not only helped to prove a
Freemason was in good standing, as they could also be used to apply for relief
or charity by the Brother, his widow, or orphan.
Patents today
are largely symbolic, replaced by wallet sized dues cards, and often make for
wonderful décor in a man’s study. While they are no longer typically carried by
Brethren, many Masonic orders still issue patents to their members today.
The Scottish Rite
Patents issued by the Scottish
Rite are among some of the most impressive. This example, the larger of the two
styles, dates to 1927 and features a Latin inscription.
The smaller version of the
Scottish Rite patents, featured here, remains in use today. This example from 1923 has
double seals, the second being that of Indian Consistory at McAlester.
This Scottish Rite patent, which
belonged to William E. Crowe, includes the signatures of Brethren Crowe may
have held in high regard. Of note are the signatures of past York Rite grand
officers Leslie H. Swan, James W. Greathouse, and Harold B. Downing. Crowe himself
had served as Grand Commander of Knights Templar in 1940.
The York Rite
It is common for grand jurisdictions to exchange representatives and such positions are usually accompanied by patents. When the Grand Commandery of Louisiana appointed Daniel M. Hailey as their grand representative, they also bestowed the honorary rank of Past Grand Captain General upon him.
The York Rite has come to include several
invitational bodies, such as the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests. The
order was formally established in the United States in the 1930s, a movement in
which several Oklahoma Brethren took part. It is for this reason that Joseph of
Arimathea Tabernacle has the extremely low charter number of IV.
The Allied Masonic Degrees are
another Masonic order that was formally organized in the 1930s for the purpose
of bringing “detached” Masonic degrees that had been practiced at some point in
the history of Freemasonry under the purview of one body. An honor the order
brought over from England in 1933 was that of The Royal Order of the Red Branch
of Eri.
The Oklahoma Past Commander’s
Association was established in 1973 as an honor for men who had served their respective
Commanderies of Knights Templar as Commander and conferred the Order of the
Temple during their term of office.
Other Patents
The Masonic Society was formed in
2008 for the purpose of fostering the intellectual, spiritual and social growth
of the modern Masonic fraternity. Their quarterly journal publishes papers on
Masonic history, leadership, esoteric themes, along with Masonic photo essays.
The Honorable Order of Kentucky
Colonels is not a Masonic organization, but like many institutions, they present
their members with patents. The first honorary Kentucky colonels were commissioned
by Governor William O'Connell Bradley in 1895. The colonels commission is awarded
in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments, contributions to Kentucky
society, remarkable deeds, and outstanding service to a community, state, or
nation.
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