e.
This motion being accepted and received, the Most Excellent says,
"Brother Junior Warden, you will please assemble the brethren around
the altar for the purpose of closing this Lodge of Most Excellent
Masters." The brethren immediately assemble around the altar in a
circle, and kneel on the right knee, put their left arms over and join
hands, as before; while kneeling in this position, the Most Excellent
reads the following Psalm: Psalm cxxxiv. "Behold, bless ye the Lord,
all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the
Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The
Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion." The Most
Excellent then closes the circle as in opening, when they balance six
times, rise and balance six times more, disengaging their hands, and
give all the signs downwards, and declares the Lodge closed.

* * * * *

ROYAL ARCH DEGREE.

All legally constituted bodies of Royal Arch Masons are called
Chapters, as regular bodies of Masons of the preceding degrees are
called Lodges. All the degrees from Mark Master to Royal Arch are
given under the sanction of Royal Arch Chapters. A person making
application to a Chapter for admission, is understood as applying for
all the degrees, unless he states in his application the particular
degree or degrees he wishes to receive. If you ask a Mark Master if he
belongs to a Chapter, he will answer yes, but has only been marked. If
a person make application for all the degrees, and wishes to receive
them all at one time, he is frequently balloted for only on the Mark
degree, it being understood that if accepted on that, he is to receive
the whole. The members of Chapters who have received all the degrees,
style each other companions; if they have not received the Royal Arch
degree, brothers. It is a point of the Royal Arch degree "not to
assist, or be present at the conferring of this degree upon more or
less than three candidates at one time." If there are not three
candidates present, one or two companions, as the case may be,
volunteer to represent candidates, so as to make the requisite number,
or a TEAM, as it is technically styled, and accompany the candidate or
candidates through all the stages of exaltation. Every Chapter must
consist of a High Priest, King, Scribe, Captain of the Host,
Principal Sojourner, Royal Arch Captain, three Grand Masters of the
Veils, Treasurer, Secr