December 1946
CONTENTS
By Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
We are beholden for the information contained in the following lines to papers transmitted to us by Bro Gottlieb Imhof of Basel, Switzerland, chief among them a letter signed by Bro. A. Ariens Kappers, of Amsterdam, the last surviving member of the Netherlands Committee of the "Round Table" which worked for ten years for the amelioration of the Masonic relations between the Anglo--Saxon and Latin Grand Jurisdictions. The work of the body mentioned being along the same lines as that which the Philalethes Society is pursuing, we are sure that it will be of special interest to our readers.
In the (circular) letter above referred to, which is written in French and dated December 31, 1945, Bro. Kappers, giving an outline of the work of his committee, states that on September 6 and 7, 1924, that body held an international congress at The Hague, Holland, attended by Bros Torrigiani (Grand Master, Italy), Townsend Scudder (N.Y.), Wilfred Henderson (England), Kekule von Stradonitz (Germany), Prof. Dr. C. N. Staroke (Denmark), and a few other Brethren. France and Belgium were represented by written proxies. The purpose of this congress was to discuss the reasons for the lack of unity among the various Masonic jurisdictions of the world and the means of changing that division into unity.
As a result of their debates, the delegates, who had no official commitment from their Grand Bodies and whose meeting had no official character, adopted an appeal which was drawn up in four languages and sent to all regular Masonic Grand powers, calling attention to the principal causes of discord, namely, the questions of the symbol of the Grand Architect of the Universe and of the religious and political beliefs and attitude of the Masons. It was recommended that upon the acceptance by the Grand Bodies of a declaration of principles appended to the appeal, the doors of all regular Lodges should be opened in order that the members of the same could fraternize.
Unfortunately this appeal as well as others launched in 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1932 by the "Round Table" did not find ready acceptance. The Anglo-Saxon Grand Bodies especially seemed to be determined to remain in a state of isolation from the others.
The seed sown had fallen on barren soil; but that soil was fertilized by the great war of 1936-1945. The idea launched by the "Round Table" had found an ardent champion in the United States in Past Grand Master Townsend Scudder, of New York, and thanks to his good work, the Grand Lodge of that State, at its last Annual Communication, unanimously adopted the following resolutions:
"Resolved: That the Grand Master be, and hereby he is, invited at his discretion, in the exercise of his ancient prerogatives, to enter into fraternal relations on behalf of Grand Lodge with Grand Lodges or Orients throughout the world, not presently in affiliation with Grand Lodge, provided always that such Grand Lodge or Orient shall be by direct descent or masonic healing an off-shoot of the Mother Grand Lodge; the facts of such direct descent or healing to be established in each instance upon due reference to the customary procedures of Grand Lodge.
"And he it further
"Resolved, that Brethren of the Obedience of Grand Lodge be duly advised of the privilege of intervisitation and masonic association with Brethren of foreign jurisdictions with whose Grand Lodges fraternal relationship shall have been established.
"That New York Masons be urged to constitute themselves "messengers of good will" whenever and wherever they are in contact with their foreign Brethren; this to the end that as Freemasons individually they may contribute to their utmost to the cause of peace by encouraging confidence, sympathy, understanding, co-operation between the peoples of the world."
These resolutions were submitted as part of the joint report of the Committees on Masonic Jurisprudence and on Foreign Correspondence, of the Grand Lodge of New York, presented to that august body by Bro. Townsend Scudder. That report contains among other splendid utterances the following:
"The world can hardly take us seriously as a factor for world peace when we refuse to strive for understanding and peace within our ranks. Your committees believe that this breach in our Fraternity should and must be healed; believe it can be healed in time and without sacrifice of principle. We, Anglo-Saxons, and they, Latins, are of different race and temperament, different in habits of life and customs, in ways of thinking. God made us that way: made us as we are, and seemingly that way we always will remain. And may it not be better that way? For thus may we not cover more ground, reach more people, spread wider our principles, do more good in the cause of Brotherhood ? It is worth trying out. Our faith and convictions are too deeD rooted to suffer contamination."
The "Round Table," M.W. Bro. Townsend Scudder, and the Grand Lodge of New York have added notably to the edifice of World Masonry which was greatly in need of the improvements they have wrought for its strength and ornament. May their efforts bear rich fruit!
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By Victor E. Vieira, M.P.S.
The history, philosophies, degrees; the continual search in realms of esoteric Freemasonry, have long challenged the ablest thinkers of all time.
Too often many within the Lodge are awed by the pinnacles attained by a few whose quest for more light over many years has elevated them to places of recognition.
Let the Mason, young or old, begin with understandable services. Make it his business to learn who are among the sick, and visit them. If to your knowledge comes information of an available position, communicate this information to Brethren likely to be interested or call your Lodge Secretary and advise him. As you depart on meeting-nights from the Temple, encourage attendance at the succeeding meeting. As you encounter brethren in your daily walks, urge them to attend Lodge. Now that gasoline is more abundant, drive occasionally to nearby Lodges and visit. Subscribe for the publication representing your own Grand Jurisdiction and then subscribe for other informative publications of the Fraternity. Buy and read a few Masonic hooks annually. Urge your Lodge to launch a program that reaches the entire Masonic family, then assist in its functioning. Attend occasional DeMolay meetings as well as those of the Rainbow Girls or Jobs Daughters. If you learn of a new Mason or Masonic family in your neighborhood, see to it that they are not only invited to attend Lodge but into your home. If you are driving to a nearby Lodge for an enjoyable evening, invite a Brother who may not have transportation. Attend Masonic funerals. Be concerned about the welfare of your Brethren.
You cannot join a Masonic Lodge any more than you can join a college. You can, however, progress Masonically from the first degree by working at the tasks nearby and understandable to everyone. Your progress beyond these assignments will not be computed by progress (?) that divorces you from these simple obligations, but by your ability to add other and higher degrees without departing from the daily performance of responsibilities like those and others suggested above.
Only such Freemasonry as you actually interpret into terms of daily living will ever contribute toward any solution of problems that confront mankind.
A Masonic Lodge is not something to join because it may enjoy an esteemed position in your community. There is a distinction between "members" and MASONS. Become a MASON and you can do much toward a better way of life. Become merely a member and much of the time and effort expended exposing you to the degrees could have been spent more profitably otherwise.
When a petitioner is being considered, don't appraise the applicant negatively, as: "He doesn't owe accounts"; "he doesn't violate the sanctity of families"; "he never harms anyone"; etc., etc. But, ascertain why he should become a Mason. If his actions do not indicate that he actually enjoys being servicable to his fellowmen, then he is not Masonic material.
As we enter the activities of the ensuing Masonic year, let us concentrate more upon making MASONS from those already within the Fraternity and introduce social, educational and other programs to augment the routine work, thereby devoting our energies to members who may have been within the Lodge for many years but have not progressed far toward becoming Masons. Then, after that is well under way, let us receive into our Lodges applicants who will begin by altering their lives from the introduction into the Lodge to become better men and eventually, Masons.
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I believe in today. It is all that I possess. As yesterday is history and tomorrow may never come, I will try to do all the business I can honestly and sincerely, have all the fun I can reasonably, do all the good I can willingly, and make the life of today fuller and sweeter.
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I believe that life is a matter of concentration and you are what you set out to be. The things you read today are the things you become tomorrow. I believe that you are a composite of the things you say, the books you read, the thoughts you think, and the company you keep.
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THE EDITOR'S CREDO
I believe it good medicine to keep in good humor. It's not great calamities that embitter existence; it is the petty vexations, the smaller jealousies, the little disappointments, the minor miseries, that make the heart heavy and the temper sour.
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I believe in gratitude as a virtue which carries joy and sunshine. The heart in which it makes its home is never dreary.
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I believe that steady plugging and honest work are the qualities that go to make genius. The "University of Hard Knocks" has graduated the really great men of this country. If you are poor, accept your poverty as a diploma of discipline.
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I believe that happiness and peace of mind is the satisfaction of living a life that will make you stand well in the opinion of your fellow citizens; of having their good wishes, their love and respect. That is all there is in life and with that you have the riches in the world.
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By Leland B. Tainter. M. P. S.
What do the words "Masonic Brotherhood" really mean ? Is it an expression or term which has no meaning - empty, vague, and without value? Or does it mean something that is real, concrete, and of endless value in furthering our "Way of Life" in a manner that is pleasing in the eye of God?
There are many who use this expression in their daily intercourse with society to gain its favor and respect by leaving the false impression that they really understand its philosophy, and then fail miserably in their attempt to put it into practice through their daily words and actions. This group has failed to grasp the true meaning of their teachings regarding Masonic Brotherhood.
There are also those who do understand to some extent the real meaning of this term but fail to carry out their convictions when it might put a crimp in their selfish interests or cause them physical exertion to carry through.
Those who do understand the full meaning of Masonic Brotherhood are well-known through the sincere expression of their thoughts and their humble deeds, not only among their Brethren, but also among their neighbors, associates and friends.
We are all Brothers in the sight of God. If our Brother should stumble, are we ever ready to prevent his fall? If our Brother needs aid, do we say "My hand is yours - use it; my strength is united to yours, you are not alone in your struggle for I stand with you?" It makes no difference in what way our Brother stumbles. It may be mentally, it may be spiritually, it may be materially, it may be morally. To supply his need is our moral responsibility. There are no exceptions in the practice of true Masonic Brotherhood.
We do not learn to stretch forth our hand in aid if, and perhaps, or but! It is not for us to judge, to condemn, to admonish. It is for us to put forth our strength unto our falling Brother in his time of need without question and without stint. For of such is the Kingdom of Brotherhood.
Too often we are prone to offer counsel when it is not advice but help that is needed. Too often do we admonish of motes in our Brother's eye when our own vision is blinded by beams. We are not taught to admonish our Brother by the plumb, square and level we carry in our own hearts, but his plumb, his square, and his level.
If he build true by his own tools we have no right to judge him by ours. He may differ from us in opinion but we must not judge him by the plumb line of our own beliefs. When we observe a brave Brother shrinking, a virtuous Brother abandoning himself to vice, a good Brother acting as a Bad Man, then his building is faulty, judged his own plumb line, and it is then we should offer counsel and advise him to turn back and build again true to his own working tools.
In times of sickness and distress, we should go to our Brother and extend him our aid without concern what the need may be. Visualize, if you will, his humble reaction to this kindly deed, the gleam in his eye, and the sunshine in his smile in expression of his gratitude for such Brotherly devotion.
In times of sorrow and bereavement let us journey to his home and give of ourselves that his burdens may be lightened or those of his loved ones he has left behind. Our greatest virtue is to "keep faith" with our Brother by our kindly words and actions that our Brother may keep faith with us.
In all our dealings and associations with our fellowman, in business, in society, and as public servants, we should ever be truthful, honest and just, keeping our faith with all mankind, ever meeting upon the level, ever acting by the plumb, and ever parting upon the square.
These teachings of Masonry put to work properly in our daily lives become a broad and beautiful band of blue - the True Blue of Masonic Brotherhood
By Leo Fischer, F. P. S.
Austria. With the consent of the Austrian Government, the Grand Lodge of Austria in Vienna has resumed its functions. Its offices are again located at 12 Dorotheergasse, and Dr. K. Doppler is Grand Master. The Grand Lodge of Austria was founded in 1918 by the 14 Masonic Lodges in Vienna and was prosperous and active until the Nazi invasion. Then a period of persecution and suffering began for the Masons of Austria. Upon the liberation of their country, they organized a collective Lodge, "Hazmanitas," and proceeded to a thorough house-cleaning among the membership before re-organizing the Grand Lodge proper.
Czechoslovakia. "The New Age" reports the death from an apoplectic stroke, on April 14th, last, of Dr. Vladimir Klecanda, of Prague, who was Grand Master of the Comenius Grand Lodge, the organization maintained by Czechoslovak Masons in exile in London during the war. Last year the body mentioned returned to Czechoslovakia and revived Masonry there by re-organizing the National Grand Lodge. The German-speaking Czechoslovakian Grand Lodge "Lessing zu den drei Ringen," which had, before the war, been working side by side with the National Grand Lodge and had, like the latter, suffered severe persecutions, is not to be re-established. The Grand Secretary of the re-organized National Grand Lodge is Dr. P. R. Korbel. Two other prominent members are Dr. Ladislav Feierabend, a cabinet officer under President Benes, and Jan Masaryk, son of the first president of Czechoslovakia and present Minister of Foreign Affairs of the republic.
Holland. The reorganization of Masonry in Holland is going on slowly but surely. On August 5, 1945, Bro. Caron was elected as Grand Master by a special assembly of the Masons of Holland, pending the regular election of a successor to Grand Master Van Tongeren who had died in a German concentration camp. With a greatly reduced membership, and owing to the destruction of most of the Lodge halls, furniture and libraries, and the disappearance of a large portion of the Lodge funds, the Masons of Holland are having a hard time of it.
Netherlands East India. In this island group, where Masonry was flourishing before the war, the reorganization of the Institution has met with the same difficulties as in Holland. "The Masonic prisoners sent to Japan and other places - ALPINA informs us - remained faithful to their Masonic vows. In February, 1943, twenty-eight Brethren met in Singapore and decided to organize a field lodge. None of them had a ritual; but they reconstructed it from memory and held initiations in a church. Brethren were posted in the environs in order to give the alarm in case of danger. After a few months, this Lodge was dissolved because several of the prisoner Masons had been sent elsewhere. Wherever these Masons were, they made propaganda among their fellowprisoners, often very successfully."
Finland. Dr. V. W. Grandberg, a member of the Philalethes Society residing at Helsingfors, has furnished us with some notes on the state of Masonry in Finland. In condensed form, these are as follows: "When Finland gained her independence as a result of World War I, the matter of re-establishing Masonry, which had been prohibited for more than a century under the Russian regime, was taken up by Finnish Brethren who had been made Masons in the United States. The first Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of New York in 1922. Two more Lodges were constituted shortly after, and in 1924, an independent Grand Lodge of Finland was organized in Helsingfors, the capital, with the aid of the Grand Lodge of New York. It was soon recognized by other Grand Lodges. Upon the outbreak of World War II, German influence, hostile to Masonry, brought about a suspension of Masonic activities in Finland. All Masonic Lodges and clubs were closed and their temples and premises were relinquished for non-Masonic uses. No force was used, though; the Lodges yielded voluntarily in order to be loyal to their government.
"Upon the end of the war, in 1945, the Grand Lodge reorganized and all the five subordinate Lodges have since then resumed their activities. Much enthusiasm is being shown; but owing to the depreciation of the Finnish currency and the extreme housing shortage, the Lodges have been experiencing great difficulties and have had to meet in hired halls or private homes. The secretarial and office work of the Lodges has often had to be done without compensation. The efforts of the Lodges have been confined to the increase of their membership and the stabilization of their finances; but in addition to this they have been able to provide for the support and schooling of a number of war orphans. Funds are being raised for the construction of Lodge halls and of a permanent home for the Grand Lodge with satisfactory results."
Palestine. A delegation from the National Grand Lodge of Egypt, having been invited by the National Grand Lodge of Palestine, were the guests of the latter from January 16 to 19, 1946, at Tel-Aviv, to renew the ties of friendship between the two nations.
The delegation consisted of three Brethren: a Mohammedan, a Christian, and a Jew, and was headed by V. W. Bro. Rifaat Bey, Grand Secretary of the National Grand Lodge of Egypt. An official reception was held, attended by all the dignitaries of Palestine Masonry, headed by Grand Master Gorodissky, to welcome the visitors and exchange cordial fraternal greetings.
The delegation attended the constitution of Hakokhaw Lodge and visited the schools created by Hiram Lodge. The ceremonies terminated after an enthusiastic appeal for national solidarity. (As reported by La Chaise d'Union).
Uruguay. The Grand Lodge of Panama, through its official organ, La Fraternidad, is publishing a call for all the Grand Lodges in South and Central America, Mexico, the United States, and Canada, to send delegates to the Interamerican Congress of Symbolic Masonry to be held at Montevideo, Uruguay, on October 12, 1946. The idea of holding such a Congress originated with the Grand Lodges of Uruguay, Chile, and Argentine in 1943, and the chairmanship was turned over to the Grand Lodge of Chile. This being the first Congress of Regular Grand Lodges that has been held, it is expected that many of the representatives of the Grand Lodges of the Western Hemisphere will attend it. We sincerely hope that many of the Grand Lodges of the United States will pocket their prejudices and abandon their attitude of aloofness in favor of an honest discussion of matters of vital interest to Masonry.
Philippine Islands. Since the Fourth of July of this year the Philippines has been a sovereign and independent republic. With a true and tried Mason, President Manuel A. Roxas, guiding the ship of state, and another Mason, Bro. Paul V. McNutt, American ambassador, standing by his side, the destinies of the new island republic are in good hands. Masonically, the country has been independent since 1912, when the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands was formed by the three California Lodges then operating in the Islands.
Scottish Rite Masonry, however, is still dependent and operates under the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States. In an article written by M. W. Bro. Antonio Gonzalez, P. G. M., Fellow of the Philalethes Society, the opinion is expressed that the time has come for a Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree to be established in the Philippines Among the difficulties that have to be overcome is the lack of funds due to the impoverished condition of the Islands. In the same issue of The Cabletow, containing the Gonzalez article, Grand Master Michael Goldenberg makes an appeal for assistance from the U.S. Masons in the rebuilding and re-furnishing of Lodge halls throughout the Islands. "We now have - M.W. Bro. Goldenberg says - only what is actually and essentially needed in a lodge room, such as bamboo furniture and fixtures, jewels made of tin or wood, aprons made of parachutes, improvised lights, etc. No degree charts, no stereopticon, no lambskin aprons, not even jewels and aprons for the Grand Lodge Officers. Our lodge halls everywhere are improvised...." That does not sound promising for the organization of a Supreme Council in the Philippines at this time. But is is wise and prudent to begin to make preparations.
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By Francois J. G. Corneloup, F.P.S.
(Translated from the French by Leo Fischer, F.P.S.)
An esteemed American contemporary, in its issue for May 1946, has furnished me with ample material for reflection. Its pages, from the first to the last, are ornamented with what in the absence of a more adequate term, I call the "electoral panels" of the candidates for the State elections which were to be held a month later. I counted sixteen: three candidates for Congress, four for the State Assembly, four for State Senator, two for sheriff, two for district attorney, one for State controller. And, probably in order that there may not be any doubt regarding the nature of that publicity, each notice is followed by the abbreviation "Pol. Adv." meaning - doesn't it ? - Political advertisement.
Political advertisements ! This has started me dreaming.
We have not anything in France that could compare with the luxurious American Masonic publications. If we had any, and if they accepted such advertisements, I can imagine the remarks of certain foreign Masons (I said "certain," which does not mean "all") regarding the regrettable collusion of French Masonry and politics. I am also sure that if we should make another attempt to seek a reconciliation, they would not fail to confront us with such evidence of our detestable practices.
The poverty of French Masonry preserves it from all temptation. I believe that even if it were rich, it would not succumb, because it is much less contaminated by the virus of politics than its critics delight in saying. But, I do not want my American Brethren to see any ill will in my reflections. I draw the line between a Masonic review, which is but the anteroom of the Lodge, and the Lodge itself. I am thoroughly convinced that in the Lodge, the Masons of the United States are strict observers of the law. I would not even attempt to criticize them. We have a French proverb, "The charcoal burner is master in his own house." And there is another, German this time, which advises us to sweep in front of our own house before pointing at the dirt on our neighbor's threshold. We have enough to do taking care that our own home is tidy, and we are fairly successful in that, as I say without modesty or pride, simply because it is the truth.
Far from criticizing, after reflection I admire (without, however, recommending imitation) these electoral panels, and this is why: I have all reasons to suppose that the candidates who thus solicit the votes of the Masons in a Masonic review are themselves Masons, upon which I congratulate them. I wish to make the emphatic statement, however, that in none of the advertisements is there the last allusion made to the political opinions of the candidate. Republican? Democrat? Socialist? There is nothing to indicate which, and this entitles to Masonic approval. They are satisfied with stating, in a few words, the moral qualities and previous "performances" of the candidates. In a very few words, but how expressive ! There is a candidate for the office of district attorney. Three adjectives are sufficient to characterize him: Reliable - Aggressive - Experienced. An aspirant to a senatorship uses four: Independent - Fearless Liberal - Democratic. Let it be well understood that the last word does not mean a member of the Democratic Party, which would invalidate my previous affirmation. But, what do you say of the association of Liberal and Democratic? One must be an American to risk mentioning those two in the same breath. It would smell most terribly of heresy! Independent is less striking. But Fearless! Coupled with Aggressive, above quoted, it gives a vivid idea of fierce tasks to be tackled and of combats to be fought against the gangs by those who have to take charge of the public affairs in the United States. One can almost imagine them with a Colt in each pocket....
But, to be serious again, because I have spoken seriously of admiration. That publicity is, in the first place a certain expression of an enviable purity of heart on the part of our American Brethren. It also shows that they are anxious to have the interests of the State well managed and the rights of man and of the citizens properly defended, which is also the anxious desire of us French Masons. Finally, it is evidence of how highly they prize being Masons.
To be a Mason, to be known as such by one's Brethren: those political advertisements make us feel that this is in America the consecration at the same time of the moral worth and the social worth of the individual. It is an efficient recommendation and a legitimate cause of preference. And I feel that this recommendation must extend beyond the field of Masonry and the precincts of the Lodge. I would be greatly astonished if our contemporary, even if it is in principle destined for Masons alone, were not known to, and read by, a large number of non-Masons, which extends the sphere of influence of the paper. Hence, if a candidate for public office publicizes his being a Mason, it is because he expects thereby to increase the consideration, esteem and confidence which he enjoys. It is to the honor of American Masons, of American Masonry, and of America itself which has succeeded in creating within its boundaries such an atmosphere of tolerance.
In France, quite a different atmosphere has been created by the hostility of the Catholic authorities against excommunicated Masonry. In many cases, especially in small provincial towns, a Mason would risk his professional or social standing if he divulged his membership in the "Sect." This fact may be surprising to my American friends; but it is a fact that we cannot possibly ignore. Prudence is imposed upon the French Mason by the force of circumstances. It must, however, not be confounded with pusillanimity. I firmly believe that we would influence public opinion in our favor if all those among us who can do so were to defend openly and publicly, whenever an occasion presents itself, their being Masons as an honor, and it is one! I know no better evidence than the results of the publication of the lists of Masons by the Vichy government in its Official Journal (and in the majority of the newspapers of the Collaboration), which results were quite different from what the elements responsible for that publication had expected. This publication proved that in France, the same as everywhere else, the very great majority, if not all, of the individuals militating in the ranks of Masonry are honorable men.
Yes, honorable men, many of whom gave proof that they were such. And fearless, because they proved to be men without fear and without reproach.
Now, you American Brethren, could we not extend the hand of brotherhood across the big pond and mutually recognize each other as good, loyal, and authentic Masons?
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By Philip H. Coad. M.P.S.
There has never been a time in its history when our world has needed a universal concept more than if does at this moment.
True, since the dawn of civilization, man has had disagreements with his fellows. Our early ancestors lived each man for himself, viewing all others as enemies. Later, tribes were organized and these pitted themselves one against another. Then nations and empires arose and these, in turn, battled for supremacy. The history of the world has been characterized by bloodshed. However, wars were confined to certain localities. They were not general, all over the world at one and the same time. With the advance of civilization it seemed for a time that the nations of the earth were getting together on a common ground, dependence one upon the other increased, and tolerance and love of one's neighbor seemed to be much more in evidence. Alas, greed of gold, dreams of empire and the desire for power have shattered our record of progress. During two decades, two world wars have been fought, the first reputedly was a "war to end wars," the second to save democracy. We have accomplished neither and the world is further from the goal than ever. Millions of lives have been sacrificed, considerable physical assets destroyed and our moral forces, universally, reduced to a low ebb.
Religion has played its part in the world. Whatever form that religion has taken it has had its effect in developing the lives of its devotees. Where many of these religions have fallen down is in their failure to recognize others. They have built moral codes for themselves; they have bound themselves to others; but their regard for another's viewpoint has been entirely neglected - their world concept has been nonexistent. There was a time when world consciousness was not of real importance. Today, the ends of the earth have been brought within reach. The old saying "as far apart as the poles" does not make sense. The world has been rebuilt. Radio and airplanes have brought us all close together. The remote is now also the immediate. Since this is so, no nation can live to itself; its welfare depends upon others. A perusal of our daily papers, however, will convince us that there are nations who still think they are sufficient unto themselves. There are many thousands of apparently brilliant minds who believe that man is not his brother's keeper.
Freemasonry stands upon the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God ! Its concept is universal; it recognizes that other human beings of whatever race, color or creed they may be are God's Children. It unites men of every country, sect and opinion and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance. In practice these principles do not always work out as planned. It is said that one half of the world does not know how the other half lives. Despite the fact that our world has been shortened up, communication speeded and information disseminated more freely than ever before, as individuals, we still are unable to correctly appraise true values. There is a babel of tongues and a confusion of thinking that has never been experienced since the dawn of time. Freemasons have been taught to think along parallel lines - while individuals may disagree on certain programs, as members of the Fraternity they are united in principle. They agree that Masonry teaches and stands for the worship of God, for truth and justice, liberty and enlightenment, fraternity and philanthropy. Such a concept universally applied would have a tremendous effect on world conditions. It has in the past affected the conduct of nations and it was the germ from which this great nation of ours developed. Can we meet the challenge today ? What impact can Freemasonry make in the rehabilitation of civilization ? It has been said we are a minority. No doubt of it, but minorities have in the past swayed public opinion and reconstructed the world in which we live.
If every Mason in the world gave constructive service to this cause, its effect would bound to be felt and our civilization could be re-made. Much of the misunderstanding existing today, considerable of which is caused by organized propaganda, would be dissipated if Masons in different parts of the world could communicate freely with each other. A Brother in England, for example, corresponding with another in America, could get an entirely different picture of true conditions than by reading syndicated articles in newspapers or magazines, stories colored to suit the editorial staff or the exigencies of the moment. There are three million Masons in this country. If even a small percentage of them corresponded with members of the Fraternity in foreign countries, many misunderstandings would disappear like the mist of the morning. The members of our Fraternity are leaders in every country and exert a great influence. A proper understanding of the conditions, thinking and philosophy of their respective countries would do much toward the making of a lasting world peace and concord. Shall we try it? "Great oaks from little acorns grow" and if the members of the Philalethes Society initiate such a program, it can later be successfully applied on a much larger scsale. Your comments, sent to the writer (Box 188-A; RFD, Berea, Ohio), or to our good president, Walter A. Quincke, would be much appreciated.
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By Rev. Sidney E. Harris, M.P.S.
We know from the Gospel record that John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus, so tradition has set his birthday as June 24th. Legend has set John the Evangelist's for December 27th. They were exact opposite in temperament: the Baptist an extrovert and man of action, and the Evangelist on introvert and man of thought, meditation and vision.
These extremes of temperament and their blending in various degrees swing the circle of human dispositions. The world needs such extreme types and the merging of the two types in various proportions.
The Baptist, son of Zacharias the Priest and Elisabeth, a cousin of Mary, was promised tothe father when he was ministering in the Holy of Holies in the Temple; the parents had given up all hope of ever having a child.
The Baptist was a Judean by birth and his character partook somewhat of the harsh, foreboding beauty of the bare, inhospitable, desert-like Judean hills. The Evangelist was the son of Salome who was believed to be Mary's sister, so he was Jesus' cousin. while the Baptist was his second cousin and was born in the With year of Tiberius Caesar. As son of a priest he would be well versed in the law and the Prophets. His parents died when he was quite young, so, instead of following in his father's footsteps, he withdrew to the desert and in solitude formulated a creed. Wild beasts, snakes and scorpions were his companions, the open sky his reef, locusts and wild honey his food. Often he saw the brush on fire and snakes and other wild creatures fleeing before the flames.
His mission: clad in the simplest garments, subsisting on the simplest fare, exposed to wind and sun, he preached in the sabatical year when the fields were left unsown and the soil's harvest was the common property of all.
He stood a heroic figure, splendidly built, of great strength, with bright flashing eyes and a deep resonant voice. Crowds flocked to him; there was an electric expectancy; not only the common people but Scribes, Pharisees, and Herod's soldiers eagerly listened to his message. Repent and be baptized ! Judgment is coming upon the wilful evil-doer. Jesus was baptized by John who did it very reluctantly. He felt oh so unworthy in the presence of his great kinsman.
The Baptist preached the coming of God's Kingdom and upon the second appearance of Jesus he said: "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."
Herod wondered about John. What had he come to do? Organize a new sect? Stir up a revolt against Rome? He was very popular; even some of Herod's soldiers were converts. After Jesus' ministry began, John began to wane in power. He had come to prepare the way: he was the pathfinder, the trailblazer.
John's condemnation of Herod's incest and adultery reached the Palace. Herod's unlawful wife persuaded Herod to imprison John. Herod Antipas was one of the sons of Herod who was misnamed the Great. He did not hate John but was nettled by him; he failed to understand his popularity. While John was in prison Jesus testified that John was not merely a prophet but the greatest of the Prophets.
John's fierce fanatical zeal was perhaps needed to stir the people and prepare them for Jesus' message; but it was certain to make his life a short and unpleasant one when he rebuked sin so boldly. Herod discarded Aretu, daughter of an Arab king, and took Herodias, his brother's wife. The discarded wife's father promptly declared war. Herod's soldiers were not very enthusiastic about the campaign, so Herod had to get help from Rome.
Herod's birthday was a drunken orgy and Herodias would not appear before the drunken men; but her daughter Salome danced lasciviously and pleased the vicious drunken king. On oath he promised to give her whatever she asked. Her mother told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Why did Herodias make this request ? Was it because John expressed disapproval? Other in the court circle also did so.
Herodias was a mature woman, jaded in heart and body. She was attracted by the vigorous body and mind, the flashing eyes and deep, musical voice, and the fearless tongue, the compelling personality who knew her for what she was and despised her. So she had the man executed whom she could not drive from her mind.
John the Evangelist was the cousin of Jesus and son of Salome and Zebedee, a well-to-do fisherman who kept hired servants and was well known to the High Priest.
He was a Galilean; yes, of Galilee with its soft verdant luxurious hills. Its valleys jewelled with lilies of a great variety of colors and shades, the beautiful lake, with the snow-capped Lebanons in the distance, the invigorating breezes: all helped to form John's character.
He was the beloved disciple, the center of the inner circle. At times impulsive, impetuous, vindictive, as when he wanted to call down fire from Heaven. Rebuked those healing in Jesus' name: was ambitious for the first place. At last supper asked who should betray Jesus. Was with Jesus in the garden when he was arrested. Stood with the women at the Cross. Jesus committed his mother to him. First at the tomb. With the seven at Galilee. First two say: It is the Lord ! After the day of Pentecost preached in Greece but mostly in Ephesus. Persecuted by Domitian. 81-90 banished to island of Patmos, now nearly treeless, indented by a good harbor. It was a place of exile for lower-class criminals. Worked in the salt mines for eighteen months. There wrote the Book of Revelations. In the cave is a monastery where tourists are shown what is supposed to be the embalmed body of St. John. In the year of the accession of Nerva he was released and returned to Ephesus where he lived until the reign of Trajan. He wrote three Epistles addressing them to an Elect Lady.
John's Gospel written at the end of the first century presupposes a knowledge of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and no book has been the center of so much controversy. In reading it you experience great difficulty in knowing when and where Jesus is speaking and John is commenting on the words of Jesus.
John's is the Gospel that is viewing the life of Jesus in perspective and seeking to present him as the divine son of God and the savior of the world: God incarnate in human form.
The world to-day needs the two Saints John. It needs the vigorous man of action who stands erect and unafraid; who will pull off the mask and show people themselves as they really are. Such men will not lead comfortable lives; they will get far more brickbats than bouquets. They will not have any too many friends. They will be admired but not loved. They are like the surgeon who on occasion will be compelled to perform a painful operation without using an anesthetic.
Such men will cut a path through the debris of our lives; they will build a road along which the great teachers can travel. They will be great and shining lights in a wilderness of uncut, untried paths.
They will prepare the way for the apostles of Love and teachers of its transforming power.
People must repent; the poison of the past must be eliminated; then comes the one who is to fill the void with the transforming power of Love.
The man of action directs our lives, then the teacher of Love follows and points out to men aml women the way to the city of God. There must be repentance, pardon, and peace, followed by light, life, and Love. The latter is that City's first law.
Both of the Saints John are essential, and a combination of these types in varying degrees is needed in God's great kingdom whose law is brotherhood and love.
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To Which Class Do I Belong?
All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move. - Arabian Proverb.
The above proverb contains a great deal of wisdom and can be applied to almost any group or organization. We can hardly admire those that are immovable unless their cause is just and righteous. Those that are movable are an asset to an organization only if the motivating power is an appeal to the heart or the intellect. Both of these classes, however, cannot by themselves achieve greatness. Of cardinal importance is the class that moves. that gets things done, that personifies action. "Movable" and "immovable" are subjective traits while those that move have a positive quality. In our Lodge, as in any other group, let us remember that we cannot go forward without labor, movement and activity. The member who,diligently serves on committees, who visits the ill, who carries out an assigned task, is one who moves; and such a one is a credit to the Lodge and to himself.
In almost every body of men, there is a nucleus from whom activity radiates and pulsates. These are the "doers." They carry the others. The success of an administration is measured in great part by the number of "doers" in the organization. They infuse life and vibrancy into an otherwise dormant group. Let each of us ask himself the question, "To which class do I belong?" If the answer is "immovable" or "movable," let us move to the other class. - Indiana Freemason.
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Freemasonry was not designed for any but the intelligent. The grand moral truths contained in its ritual cannot be understood or appreciated by ignorant men. If such are admitted, they tire of its ceremonies, into the spirit of which they are unable to enter, and soon drop out. - Masonic News.
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Gentleness is a rare virtue, and often neglected and frowned upon. However, the strongest characters are gentle, because gentleness is bred of reverence for personality. Gentleness knows when to speak and when to be silent. Gentleness keeps one from hurting others except when it is for their good. Self-expression has been so urged upon us that many have grown weak in self-control. We need self-control even before we seek self-expression. Indeed, without selfcontrol there can be no true self-expression. God has for us unlimited reserves of self-control. They are labeled "God-control through guidance." How many people have you met recently who showed evidence of complete discouragement, even bitterness? Did you have anything else but a false courage to offer them? True courage is the faith of an adoring truth in God. If God in His own sublime purpose be for us, who can be against us? Let us draw upon His inexhaustible reserves of courage. - The Educator.
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The real secrets of Masonry can be realized only in a man's own heart, and perfect realization is governed by his own conduct and habits of mind. The Mason who keeps the sacred fires of education burning on the altar of his heart, will be inevitably drawn nearer to his God and also learn the meaning of life. Receiving the degrees point the way and provide a means for securing the most noble and valuable secrets of the Order. In other words, they are the key to the real mysteries and the individual Mason must determine for himself whether or not he will seek more light by using the little knowledge he already has to open up vast stores of wisdom preserved for those who are diligent, and continue their education by reading Masonic magazines and books. - Indiana Freemason.
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When Benjamin Franklin so sagely observed that it is the worst wheel of the cart that makes the most noise, he neglected to mention that it is always the wheel that makes the most noise that gets the grease. Perhaps that was an after-thought. - Temple Times.
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The Masonic tree is known by its fruit. Let each of us so live, so act, so talk, that the world may say of each to us with approval, "Why he's a Freemason!" Let that be an avouchment of his honesty, integrity, temperance and decency. - Oregon Mason.
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Masonry has always stood for freedom of thought. Each member knows that he is entitled to his own opinions, and that very fact is one of the strongest factors in endearing Masonry to its members.
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By MARIUS LEPAGE. F. P.S.
Being an Oration delivered ire Volney Lodge, Laval, France, on November 25,1945.
Translated from tote French by Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
Chapter II
Initiation a Beginning
Initiation apparently does not bring anything very new to you. It has not suddenly transformed you to the extent that your close acquaintances will no longer recognize you when, presently, you will return to every-day life which we have momentarily left.
However, do not forget that according to its etymology, the "Initiation" is but a "beginning." We have, so to say, "begun" you; we have awakened you we were unable to do anything better, nor more.
You will learn later that you do not yet know anything; that you were like the small child who comes and sits down on the school bench to acquire the rudiments of book knowledge. In our ritual, not a word of which is without profound meaning, we teach Apprentices that they cannot pronounce the sacred word of their degree.
They do not know how to read or write. All they can do is to spell. In order that they may spell out the word of their degree, the Master must tell them the first letter which they will follow up with the second. But they cannot go beyond that without the assistance of the Master who will give them the third letter, and then the fifth.
The Masonic Initiation bestows upon you three precious things, of great help to you in your quest of the Light: a discipline, a method, and a faith.
A discipline of a general character. You will see that the way in which the meetings are conducted in any Lodge worthy of the name makes these altogether different from any non-Masonic gathering you may have attended heretofore. You will ask for leave to speak - and you cannot do that before you have finished your APPRENTICESHIP - BUT you will take care not to speak without having been authorized to do so. To be brief, you will forget that you are in Lodge, and you will show due respect to the Lodge.
This particular discipline is fully symbolized by the sign of the Entered Apprentice which reminds you to keep your passions in due bounds and indicates to you, as soon as you shall be able to understand it, the means of being successful in that. One of the practical - I might almost say profane - results of assiduity in Lodge is that very self-control to which the Mason attains. The non-Masonic philosophies themselves teach that the physical reacts on the moral, and that you form your mind at the same time that you govern your body. The Lodge that has trained you in that discipline furnishes you with the elements of method which will aid you in your quest of the Light.
This method is embodied in the symbols and is derived directly from the two fundamental laws of all traditional studies: the law of analogy and the law of correspondences. I shall in the course of my subsequent talks speak again of the Masonic method and the use of symbols. To-day I shall content myself with sketching in rough outlines our elementary symbolism.
You are invited to participate with us in the construction of the Universal Temple. Do you wish to confine yourself to the social, the primary, sense of this symbol? Then you will see that all our symbols group themselves around this idea: the construction of the Temple. The latter consists of numerous wellsquared ashlars, and these ashlars are all men who endeavor to inculcate in the minds of their Brethren a little more kindness, loyalty, and mutual understanding. This is why one of the symbolic acts which we have asked-you to perform personally in this Lodge was to give the Rough Ashlar, the symbol of the new Initiate, the first strokes of the gavel which will little by little transform it into a beautiful Perfect Ashlar suitable for being fitted in harmoniously with others of its kind.
If you will study our symbols profoundly you will see that they lead you further than the social concepts; that they trace before you a path towards philosophical Initiation. The Lodge is nothing but a reproduction of the Universe, low and high. The atom and the nebula are analogous. And, on the day when you shall become a Master Mason, you will understand that no difference separates Man from the Universe, that the latter is reflected in the Lodge, and that the Lodge is reflected in the Initiate. Thus, through the symbols, intellectual correspondence is established between the Unknown Principle of all things. the Universe and Man.
Chapter III
The Mysticism of Masonry
We then demand, more of your heart than of your mind, a final step. Passing beyond the intellectual knowledge obtained through the symbols, you can, if you well understand your art, rise to the subtle planes where spiritual contact is established with the spirit of Masonry, to what I would not hesitate to call the mysticism of Masonry. This extension tothe infinite of the possibilities of your intimate being will be made easier to you by the rites.
Through the rites we penetrate into the essence of Masonry, the same as into that of all really traditional institutions.
". . . The purpose of the rites is always to establish relations, directly or indirectly, between the human being and anything beyond its individuality appertaining to other states of existence . . ." (Rene Guenon, "Des rites Initiatiques." Etudes traditionnelles, 1933, p.97).
Through the rites was pass beyond the human and, whether you are conscious of it or not, we give you latent possibilities which you must develop personally.
The rite is a consecration, the same as the sacerdotal consecration. I insist upon that point. On the day of your Initiation you were in the precise words of the formula of reception, "created Freemasons." Those who speak of expulsions, dismissions, and even - using a current expression which is anything but fraternal, epuration, merely show their complete ignorance of Masonry. The essence of the Masonic consecration is properly understood only by men who, like us, strive to seek extra-human possibilities, because the Church has declared that, to belong to Masonry is an offense of the category known as "reserved sins."
All initiations teach us the existence of the eggregores, that is, the sums of the thoughts, desires, efforts and wills of all individuals belonging to any assemblage whatsoever. They create an entity which is often more powerful, in its aggregate, than many of the component parts. It is the eggreyores which explain the collective follies of mobs, that semi-madness from which the individual awakens denying that his own free will and accord had any participation in the mass hallucination.
Towns, nations, and specialized societies have their eggregore. There is the communistic eggregore and the capitalistic eggregore, the catholic eggregore and the Masonic eggregore. The rite puts you in direct and immediate contact with the eggregore. Through the rite you commune with all Masons of all times and all places. Distinctions of time and place disappear when rites are practised, and the spirits of our departed and absent Brethren are concentrated in this humble Lodge.
The ''Spirit'' of Masonry also descents upon this Lodge.
We, then, abandon the domain of the intellectual and, leaving behind us all that we have learned until then, and ascending the last steps of the Masonic ladder, we enter into the secret kingdom of mysticism. Do not let this word frighten you. Is not mysticism, according to its remote Greek etymology, the science of mystery and, also, the science of the initiates ?
There is a technique of mysticism, identical for all religions and initiations. We find everywhere the three traditional paths to be followed successively in order to attain to deliverance.
The Path of Purification.. The individual must cleanse himself of all dross obscuring his understanding. This is done through the medium of tests intended to eliminate his prejudices, fears, and passions. It is the path of the Apprentice who is deprived of all metals and confined in the Chamber of Reflections and whose eyes are not opened to the light until after his fourfold purification by Earth, Water, Air and Fire.
The Path of Illumination with which you will get acquainted later and which, properly speaking, is the path of intellectual knowledge, of Gnosis, of knowledge of self, and of geometry. Not only the geometry which you learned on the school bench but geometry in the really traditional sense, the knowledge of the equilibrium of the worlds.
Finally, passing beyond the rites, there will be the Path of Perpetual Union, which is purely spiritual.
It will be necessary for you to jettison all knowledge that you may have acquired, to attain to the absolute severance of the body from its Strength, the intellect from its Wisdom, and the heart from its Beauty. You must give up all conquests of the mind and even the noblest qualities of the heart which still fetter you to the illusions of the world.
Then, in the silence of the Middle Chamber, it will be the "dark night" of the mystic, the total death to your earthly existence for a glorious renaissance in union with the Prime Principle, which is unknowable to our senses, limited and weighed down by the bonds of matter.
(To be concluded)
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New Members
Mauro Baradi; 394 P. Paredes Street; Sampaloc, Manila, Philippine Islands.
Robert Christopher Hannan; 105 Coronation Building; 1405 Bishop Street, Montreal (Quebec), Canada.
James Noah Hillman; Masonic Temple; Richmond 20, Virginia.
Charles Thomas Morton; Masonic Temple, Freemason and Brewer Streets, Norfolk 10, Virginia.
Dale L. Patton; 213 Cincinnati Street, Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Hugo Albert Rickeman; P. O. Box 66, Racine, Wisconsin.
Alfred Douglas Smith, Jr.; 1320 Amherst Avenue, Richmond, Virginia.
Ezra Morton Wilson; 340 South Riverside Avenue, Medford, Oregon.
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New Fellows
To fill the vacancies by reason of the death of Brothers Silas H. Shepherd; Albert Frederick Calvert, and Suesskind Kramer, the Philalethes Society deems it a pleasure to bestow the honor of FELLOW upon:
Elbert Bede; 508 Woodlark Building, Portland 5. Oregon.
George R. Harvey; 245 Purdue Avenue, Berkeley 8, California.
Marius Lepage; 9, rue de la Cointerie, Laval (Mayenne), France.
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Freemasonry is one faith, one great religion, one great common altar, around which all menu of all tongues and all languages can assemble; in which there can be no rivalry, except a noble emulation of rites, orders and degrees, which can best work and best agree. Masonry will never be true to her mission till we all join hands, heart to heart, and hand to hand, around the altar of Masonry with a determination that Masonry shall become at some time worthy of her pretensions, no longer a pretender to that which is good, but that she shall be an apostle of peace, good will, charity, and toleration. - Albert Pike.
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Freemasonry is not to be found in mere books, stones, mortar and insignia. It is found only in the hearts and minds of men. - Aldrape B. Cooper.
LET US NOW GO EVEN UNTO BETHLEHEM, was the decision of the shepherds upon the Galilean hillside and no decision that they ever made in all their lives was as significant. It was the decision of the Wise Men, and all the centuries since have justified their wisdom in so doing. Great lessons have been and are to be learned at Bethlehem, lessons that men need to be taught very badly, lessons pregnant with meaning for all life, lessons that cannot be so well and truly learned at any other spot in all the universe of God. It was there God made His finest, His greatest, revelation. We, too, ought to go in the humble spirit of the searcher after truth, that all the grace and beauty and fullness of meaning that God would give us by this strangely unique revelation might be ours.
BETHLEHEM means the glorification of this human nature of ours. We can suppose that God might have made this greatest revelation of Himself in some way other than this one, but He did not do so. This finest and greatest and most complete revelation of Himself was made, not in some flaming message written across the face of the sky, not in any unusual unveiling of His greatness and His majesty, but in the birth of a little child, that grew to boyhood and manhood as other children do and entered into the experiences that are common to us all. Our human nature can reveal God, can be the medium through which the one true revelation of Him is made.
BETHLEHEM is thus a revelation of God's thought of how He would bless and redeem and save the world of mankind. Humanly speaking, what a poor way it might have seemed to anyone who stood around the manger cradle on that first Christmas morning! How many chances there were that something might have gone wrong. What assurance was there that men would understand and learn the lessons that were intended to be taught?
WHY didn't God write His fuller truth on some tables of stone with His own finger so that the men might learn surely and unmistakably what it was that He had to say? We know the answer. The truth on tables of stone has no redemption or saving virtue; it must become incarnate. It is the truth that Jesus lived that is saving the world today. And it is alone the truth that you and I incarnate that will help the world to newer and holier and better life.
Bethlehem, therefore, reminds us that this human world of ours is not to be redeemed and saved through any magical or short-cut process, but by the slow and long-continued enterprise of incarnating God, not only in our human hearts and lives, but as well in our human institutions and Processes and achievements.
It must be that Bethlehem should give us a great and glorious hope for mankind and its growth and development up into the godlike and the divine.
GOD came into our human life with high and holy purposes in view, we may be very sure. What man will be when those purposes have their full attainment no one can say, but may we not believe that God's purposes will hardly fail? If our faith in the divineness of Him who was born in Bethlehem is well founded, then surely we have good ground to believe that this sublime plan of the Eternal for the saving of our human race cannot finally be anything but a glorious attainment !