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The
Order is strictly Christian in origin and character, and while there
are no restrictions as to who may receive it, yet one who did not
believe in the practice of Christian principles would be embarrassed
in petitioning for the Order. For its locale is laid among scenes
and characters referred to in the New Testament and it constitutes a
Masonic interpretation along Christian lines of the New
Dispensation.
The Order receives its name from the Island of Malta, whose name has
been in the headlines from the period of the Crusades until the
present day. A Priory of Knights of Malta still exists on this
ancient Isle.
The Maltese Cross is the proper emblem for this Order, for it was
officially conferred upon the membership during the Crusades, and
the modern Order in remembrance have perpetuated the symbol as
standing for all that was true and holy.
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