“I made a strong distinction between traditional, three-degree masons, which went virtually extinct in the US by the early 19th century, and Pike’s 33-degree Scottish Rite masons.”
The blue lodge masons (the traditional, three-degree masons like George Washington) are the basic masons you see in every town in the USA. They are, by far, the most common and not remotely extinct.
The Scottish Rite is a side branch, the only link being you have to be a member of a blue lodge. It’s an entirely different fraternity.
Yes, thank you. VERY sloppy and misleading wording on my part.