JULY, 1946
Volume 1 Number 3
Contents
The Four Elements. The Basic Triangle
Two National Holidays Masonry Stands Firm
The Fourteenth of July Masonry As An Investment
Masonry in Foreign Lands Righteousness Exalteth A Nation
The Philalethes Society News Dr. Gottlieb Imhof
Saint John The Baptist The Central Purpose
You wear the Square !, but have you got
That thing the Square denotes?
Is there within your inmost soul
That principal which should control
Your actions, words and thoughts?
The Square of Virtue, . . . is it there,
Oh, you who wear the Mason's Square?
You wear the Compass! Do you keep
With that circle due
That's circumscribed by law divine
Excluding hatred, envy, sin, . . .
Including all that's true?
The Moral Compass draws the line,
And let's no evil passion in !
You wear the Trowell have you got
That mortar, old and pure,
Made on the recipe of God
Divulged within His ancient Word,
Indissoluble, sure?
And do you spread, 'twixt man and man,
That precious mixture as you can?
You wear the Oriental G!
Ah, Brother, have a care!
He whose All-seeing Eye surveys
Your inmost heart, with open gaze
Knows well what thoughts are there!
Let no profane, irreverent word
Go up t' insult th' avening God !
Dear Brother ! if you will display
These emblems of our Art,
Let the great morals that they teach
Be deeply graven, each for each,
Upon an honest heart!
Then they will tell, to God and man,
Freemasonry's all-perfect plan !
- Rob. Morris
By Percy P. Barbour
It seems likely that somewhere along the line of development of initiatory ceremonies, the four elements - earth, air, fire and water - or trials by them, played a prominent part in them. If so, it must have been prior to the organization of our Masonic degrees; for we still retain an allusion to them in our monitorial work: "The earth, of all the elements, has never been found unfriendly to man. The bodies of water deluge him with rain, oppress him with hail and drown him with inundations. The air rushes in storms and prepares the tempest, and fire lights up the volcano." Then follows a beautiful soliloquy on how good the earth is to man; ending with the observation: "that from it we came and to it must sooner or later return."
All this is a fitting sequence for some sort of trial by the four elements; perhaps more appropriate to some system of ancient mysteries which one may imagine could have used them. For, why should they be mentioned at all in our monitor? The ideas expressed are not, in any way, related to those which precede it. The matter seems to have been picked up bodily from somewhere else and tacked onto the lecture, or it was the closing statement of something which has been deleted.
Mackey, in his Encyclopedia, has but little to say regarding them. However, under Elements we find: "It was the doctrine of the old philosophies, sustained by Aristotle, that there were four principles of matter - fire, air, earth and water - which they called elements. * * * It was also taught by the Kabbalists and afterwards by the Rosicrucians, who according to the Abbe de Villars (Le Comte de Gabalis) peopled them with supernatural beings called, in the fire, Salamandera; in the air, Sylphs; in the earth, Gnomes, and in the water, Undines. From the Kabbalists and the Rosicrucians, the doctrine passed over into some of the high degrees of Masonry, and especially referred to in the Ecossais of Scottish Knight of St. Andrew, originally invented by the Chevalier Ramsay. In this degree we find the four angels of the four elements described as Andarel, the angel of fire; Casmaran, of air; Talliad, of water, and Furlac, of earth; and the signs refer to the same elements.
Further search, in Mackey, only brings out: "that the etymologies are uncertain and that Furlac is probably Arabic."
The four horsemen of Apocalypse do not seem to refer to the four elements, although there is more or less calamity attending each. Rev. 6:2-8: "and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering and to conquer. - - - And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword - - - and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand - - - A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see that thou hurt not the oil and the wine. - - And behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with beasts of the earth."
This is all rather terrifying, and so also are the devastations caused by the four elements when they become malevolent, as in volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.
It may be interesting to note that the candidate for initiation into "Misraim" was required to pass certain tests of his courage, endurance, decision and persistence, partly physical and partly mental, involving the four elements, before he was admitted for initiation.
Mackey, in his comment on Misraim, says, among other things: "its ritual is a very close imitation of the ancient system of initiation" - whatever he means by that.
Misraim was, at one time, a French rite claiming to be both Masonic and ancient - bold claim, perhaps made on account of moral teachings derived, as they said, from G A O T U, just as we derive them from the sacred writings.
In defence of this claim, Marc Bedarride, Grand Master of the order in France, wrote a history of its antiquity, works and progress from the creation of man to the year 1845. In this history he describes the tests. In several instances, they apparently differed according to circumstances, the conveniences of the place are waived, in part, by the presiding officer; while one description is quite lengthy, detailed, and perhaps imaginary as well. So, one should not place too much credence in the particulars; for, if it be true or not, he told too much, because he, as well as the other members must have taken an oath not to reveal the nature of the tests.
However, for us, they do present an interesting topic, and as such we may examine them. Our account will be very much abbreviated.
In the earth test, the aspirant was required to pass through devious underground passageways, alone and unassisted, with only a feeble light attached to his cap. These passageways were more or less difficult, whether from being small, steep, or obstructed by rubbish, doors and human guards.
He was admonished at intervals along the way not to "turn back" under the most severe penalty. His own courage and fortitude alone enabled him to proceed, and sometimes it required a certain amount of ingenuity on his part to allow him to do so.
Before attaining the trial by fire, he had to make his will and testament upon the assumption that he might not survive, or that he might by some act forfeit his freedom.
In the fire test, he must go for a considerable distance along a narrow passage between two fierce fires which made him hurry and then he must slow down to carefully place his feet between red-hot iron bars forming a grid near the floor.
He must then cross a stream of water of unknown depth. By the light of the fire, he could see the opposite bank, but he must keep his lamp burning because he would need its light after crossing the stream. Here he found two gates, one of iron bars and the other of bronze.
Through the iron gate, which was locked, he could see a brilliantly lighted room. The bronze gate was not locked and opened upon a passage leading to a kind of draw-bridge over a deep, dark chasm.
Crossing the draw-bridge, he came to an ivory door which he could not open; but on the door posts were two polished iron rings within reach. Taking hold of them, he was at once hoisted into space for a considerable distance, so that he found himself opposite another dark passage.
While he was being hoisted he heard around him and below him a terrific racket which sounded as though the place was caving in and the machinery going to pieces.
As he arrived at the upper limit of his "elevation," a strong gust of air blew out his light. Then, in darkness, he was slowly lowered to the drawbridge where he found the ivory door open and the passage therefrom led to a "chamber of horrors" just back of but not open to the brightly lighted room, where the ceremony of initiation to the first degree took place later.
This ended the trials by the four elements.
The tests add trials preceding the higher degrees are also described. They consisted in fasting, complete silence, patience under accusation, and written tests, fully as comprehensive and discouraging at the moment, for the aspirant, as one might desire.
In support of the speculation that the four elements were featured in other initiatory ceremonies, we have a quotation from Apuleius who says of his initiation into the mysteries of Isis (the lesser mysteries of Egypt): "I approached the confines of death, and, having trod on the threshold of Proserpine, I returned therefrom, being borne through all the elements." Another translation is: "I have transcended the boundaries of death, I have trodden the threshold of Proserpine, and having traversed all the elements I am returned to earth."
This statement "traversed all the elements" points to something suspiciously like the description of the tests given above, since traversed means passed through, and the aspirant passed through the earth (underground), through the fire, through the water of the canal, or the ocean if he was ship-wrecked on a rocky, barren coast and this accepted as part of his trial, and elevated through the air, the analogy is almost perfect.
It seems that there is no other way for us to proceed than by a system of inference, induction and deduction regarding this problem for the ancients were careful to preserve "secrecy" regarding initiations into the mysteries.
In the mythologies of Greece and Rome, which are the popular tales of the gods, the four elements were presided over by certain gods and it may be questioned whether or not this falls within the limits of our question. We may say, ancient Roman mythology gives us Vulcan as the personification of fire; Neptune, of water; Juno, of earth, and Jupiter, of the heavens in the air.
Under "mysteries" Mackey says: "Each of the pagan gods had, besides the public and open, a secret worship paid to him, to which none were admitted but those who had been selected by preparatory ceremonies called Initiation."
Why the ancient mysteries were secret is a subject for speculation, but since they were secret it was necessary that certain tests be instituted to insure that only those who could and would keep them secret should be deemed worthy of receiving them.
It is not known, to any extent, in what these tests consisted, but one can readily see that the four elements could have been made to accomplish the desired result and that they afford a simple means of arriving at that result.
Furthermore, in the popular mythology, the four elements were, to some extent at least, personified or deified, as the attributes of nature, either at the time of, or prior to, the introduction of the mysteries. Thus, the earth for instance, might be represented as different personalities when its different aspects were considered. Hence the union of the earth and water from the sky brought forth crops and they would be represented as the offspring of earth and water or sky as parents. So too, the murmuring of a stream of water flowing over the rocks would come to be taken as the speech, if you will, of invisible spirits (Undines). And also, the noise of the thunder was the voice of some great invisible god - Vulcan or Jove.
Now, this may, in a measure, account for the personification of the aspects of the four elements, because only beings have the faculty of speech.
Herodotus says (Clio 1, 131) of the Persians: "It is not their practice to erect statues, or temples or altars, but they charge those with folly who do so - They are accustomed to ascend the highest parts of the mountains and offer sacrifice to Jupiter and they call the whole circle of the heavens by the name of Jupiter. They sacrifice to the sun and moon, to the earth, fire, water and the winds." (Herodotus was an initiate).
In the doctrine of Mythra, in Rome about the third century A.D., the supreme god was Kronos or Time, sometimes identified with Destiny; sometimes with primitive light or primitive fire. He was the father of all the gods, Lord and ruler of the four elements, the creator and destroyer of all things. He was represented as a naked man with the head of a lion; he was encircled six times with a serpent whose head rested on his skull; on his breast were engraved the signs of the zodiac and in the center was the symbol of lightning. In each hand he held a key and also in his right hand a long scepter, according to Franz Cumont.
Mithraism seems to have been a mixture or hybrid of the Ancient Persian cult with the Assyrian cult, somewhat modified by Roman elements, and may have had considerable influence on Roman Christianity, particularly as to the 26th of December and certain ideas regarding heaven and hell.
At the entrance to Assyrian and some Persian edifices there were carved images of a four-fold nature, having the head of a man, the wings of a bird, the body of a lion and the fore-feet of a bull. The banners of the four principal tribes of Israel were said to have been adorned with figures representing a man, an eagle, a lion, and a bull. A Greek silver coin of Chios, struck nearly 600 years B.C., shows on one face, a figure with the head of a man, a wing or feather, the body of a lion and front feet of a bull. Can it be that these figures could symbolize the four elements ? The wings can be construed to refer to the air, the head, to fire through intelligence; the bull, to earth through its patience; the lion, to water through courage; while the combination may easily be taken to represent nature or all of the four elements according to ancient thought.
Aristotle's elements, while being four-fold, were also dual as: hot-cold and wet-dry; he thus explained the fire as hot-dry; the air, hot-wet; the, water, wet-cold, and the earth, dry-cold.
The alchemists adopted four other "elements" namely: mercury, as symbolizing the metals; sulphur, those substances consumed by fire; salt, those which are soluble; and those which are refractory like earth, while the philosophical or speculative alchemists used these same terms to symbolize entirely different matters (non-material).
In pursuing our thought that the monitorial part relating to the four elements is a remnant of something earlier, let us again quote from Mackey. Under "Alchemy" we find: "Freemasonry and Alchemy have sought the same results (the lesson of Divine truth and the doctrine of immortal life) and they have both sought it by the same method of symbolism. Is it not, therefore, strange that in the eighteenth century, and perhaps before, we find an incorporation of much of the science of Alchemy into that of Freemasonry."
If we were to attempt to deduce a theory for the origin of Masonic initiation, we have to bear in mind that all inventions are but improvements or adaptations of earlier modes, methods or machines, and that they are accomplished in a step by step fashion; so that, whatever we have in Masonry today has been evolved from some earlier practice or practices. This may be illustrated by the automobile which has evolved, little by little, from the carriage by what we are pleased to call "improvements."
Thus, we may take it, a ceremony of initiation, involving the four elements, may be very old and that but a vestige of it remains in the lecture of the first degree.
Hoping that this presentation but whets your curiosity, you may peruse, to whatever extent available to you, the subjects of Alchemy, Paracelsus, Rosicrucians, Kabbala, Mythology, the mysteries of Isis, Ceres, Demeter, the mysteries of Egypt (Osiris); of Persia, (Mithraic); of Thrace, (Cabiric); of Syria, (Adonisian); of Greece, (Dionysian and Eleusinian); of the Celts, (Druidical); of the Gothic nations (Scandinavian); as well as various ancient philosophies and such writings as those of Plato, Plutarch, and others.
As in the "making of books," there is "no end" to speculation.
Cum grano salis.
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Masonic labor is purely a labor of love. He who seeks to draw Masonic wages in gold and silver will be disappointed. The wages of Masons are earned and paid for in their dealings with one another. Sympathy begets sympathy; kindness begets kindness, and helpfulness begets helpfulness. And these are the wages of a Mason.
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The administration of the affairs of The Philalethes Society, for example, is in the hands of four Fellows - a president, two vice-presidents, and a secretary-treasurer, and these officers serve without compensation.
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There is nothing, no circumstance, that justifies temper or resentment. - R.H. Newcomb.
By Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
The Fourth of July
The day no which "the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled," declared the United Colonies to be Free and Independent States and mutually pledged to each other their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor, is one to fill the heart of every citizen of the United States with pride and that of every member of a dependent people with hope.
This year, we people of the United States have a special reason for being proud and grateful on our national holiday, because on that day we shall redeem a pledge and complete a noble task begun nearly half a century ago, by giving the Philippine people their independence.
The flag that will henceforth wave alone over the Philippine Republic was designed by Masons, and the sun as well as the triangle and three stars were put there by men who had seen the light of Masonry in Spanish Lodges. Those of them who still survive have lived through three occupations of their country: by the Spaniards, the Americans, and the Japanese. The Filipinos have manfully struggled against the armed forces of these three nations; but their battle for independence has been won by ways of peace, by education and the ballot. They may well be proud of their final victory.
Forty-five years ago, on July 4, 1901, this writer stood on Plaza McKinley, in the walled city of Manila (now a heap of rubble), and saw the last military governor of the Philippine Islands, Major General Arthur MacArthur, turn the reigns of government over to the first civil governor, William Howard Taft. MacArthur was a Mason, and Taft became one later. Aguinaldo, the erstwhile president of the short-lived Filipino Republic, at that time a prisoner of war, was likewise a member of our Fraternity.
* * *
The great national holiday of France is the Fourteenth of July. It is the anniversary of the storming by the people of Paris of the Bastille, on July 14, 1789. The siege and capture of that medieval fortress-prison may not rank high as a feat of arms; but to the liberty-loving Frenchman the Bastille was the symbol of oppression and tyranny, and the French of today celebrate on July 14 the birth of their republic.
Among the many precious relics preserved at Mount Vernon is the key of the Bastille, a huge affair of wrought iron seven inches long, which was presented by the Marquis de Lafayette, on behalf of the French nation, to his comrade in arms and Brother in Masonry, George Washington. The action of the French people in presenting this priceless souvenir of one of the outstanding events in their history to our great Washington was, to our way of thinking, a beau geste that has no superior in the history of any nation.
By Walter A. Quincke, F.P.S.
July 4, 1946, marked the one hundred and seventieth anniversary of the birth of the United States. This event is commemorated annually by a great people by every form of joy, respect and gratitude for the ancestral virtues which gave it its glory, and with the firmest faith that time should not obscure its luster, reduce the ardor or discredit the sincerity of its observance. Let every man who loves this country strive within his whole heart to raise the thought and conscience of this nation to a new appraisal of spiritual values, that he may trust more and prize more the unseen power of faith, good will and honesty.
Everything we have gained in the years of man's life on this earth has been the result of his age-long struggle to realize God in his own soul. The measure of civilization is the measure of this realization. It is this that moves men to heroism and to the purest patriotism. There would be no justice, no virtue, no love, in the world without it. In our effort to extricate ourselves from present difficulties, we have set up machinery - social, economic and political - colossal and complicated beyond all experience. I am wondering whether we are not thinking too little of the spiritual energy? No one of these experiments, nor all of them together, goes to the root of the trouble. At best it is only first aid. The malady is one of the spirit and the cure can be only of the spirit.
I have often wondered how I, so small a unit in the world of humanity, could help in our present distress. There is one way - leadership. And there is only one leadership equal to the task, which is given to no one man. It is the leadership that comes out of the willingness of the many. Whatever else seems right or wrong, wise or unwise, this is right and this is wise. What labors await this glorious nation, what trials shall attend it, and what triumphs and glory are prepared for our people in the future, cannot be foretold. One generation succeeds another and we reverently hope that the constituted unity, liberty and power shall be maintained to the unending line of our posterity, so long as the earth itself shall endure.
In the great "March of Time," the attainment and preservation of peace must be forever our sacred aim and duty. In its arts we should find the scope for all our energies, rewards for our ambitions and renown for our love of fame.
Let us resolve, therefore, that the great heritage we have received shall be handed down intact through the long line of advancing generations, the home of liberty and the stronghold of faith among men!
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There are two virtues much needed in modern life, if it is ever to become sweet.... These virtues are honesty and simplicity of life. - William Morris.
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Success is naught, endeavor's all. - Browning.
By James K. Remick, M.P.S.
Among our Masonic emblems we learn of the glass, a symbol of human life. Very apropos are the fraternal symbols in the Life drama, and in no instance need the lessons exemplified be sordid nor doleful.
Let us have a glance at the hour glass from an esoteric point of view. We are all Masons convinced that the stream of Life flows unending, age to age, universe to universe, and within this Life stream surge joy, power, brotherly love and an existence eternal. Each individual in this colossal theatre of being guided from darkness to light, is daily and hourly absorbing the fine grains of sands of experience. These experiencings in life furnish the lessons by which we rise or fall, as we conquer or submit to the rigors of the action.
The arenas for the drama are as numberless as the sands within the glass. The glass in this transitory mansion of earthly living may exhaust its grains, but we have only to reverse the glass on another stage of the drama, and the sands of discipline and resu tant knowledge flow unending, so long as consciousness shall be, which is forever.
The hour glass, therefore, symbolizes to us that there are many mansions in the Father's house; a myriad of ashlars composed of the minute sands, from which to fashion the Temple. The sands of experience may rub harshly here and there, yet Life treads immutably forward and we make of it only what we have learned to make of it.
So if the times seem harsh and fraught with momentary doubt, there is solace in the knowledge that we are bound together as brethren in every phase of Life. Even in the moments of the pang of having loved and lost we know they are not dead, but are watching the hour glass of a anew experience, and we utter to them in full confidence - - "Hail, but not farewell."
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In olden times Lodges held their meetings according to the time of the moon. This custom, it is said, was followed in order that all Lodges, as far as possible, might be open and working at the same time, to signalize the unity as well as the universality of Freemasonry.
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THE PHILALETHES - July, 1946; Volume 1, Number 3, Walter A. Quincke, F.P.S., editor. Publication schedule (tentatively set) during January; February; March; May; July; September; November, and December. Annual subscription, three dollars, payable in advance to The Philalethes Society, Walter A. Quincke, President; 274 South Burlington Ave., Los Angeles 4, California. - Readers of "The Philalethes," the official publication of The Philalethes Society, will find in each issue a well-rounded and practical text to please discriminating Masonic taste.
By Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
FROM DENMARK. Brother Frederik K. Lauterbach, M.P.S., Rysensteensgade 4, Kobenhavn V, Denmark, after expressing his pleasure on receiving from our president, Walter A. Quincke, the first Masonic letter from the United States, informs him that, while the hard years are over, yet his Lodge will not re-open and the Masonic magazine "Frimureren," published by himself and Brother I. A. Hansen, will not resume publication, Bro. Hansen having died and Bro. Lauterbach being 67 years old. Bro. Lauterbach encloses photographs of a monument erected by his Lodge to Bro. Peter Lassen, of California, in his native town Farum, near Copenhagen.
FROM FINLAND. In a letter dated Helsingfors, Finland, February 17, 1946, Dr. Valter W. Granberg, M.P.S., states that he would be glad to pay dues in the Philalethes Society, but cannot do so at present. He explains this as follows: "The financial position of our country is now so hard with our war payments to Russia in eight years that no money may be sent out of the country without special license, and licenses are granted only for imports necessary for war deliveries to Russia, for foodstuffs, medical supplies and, lately, small amounts of clothing. Of the products of our forests, our chief national wealth, one-half is sent directly to Russia, and one-fourth is used for rebuilding our destroyed homes." The Masons of Finland, he continues, have been made special victims 'of Ludendorff's anti-Masonic campaign, as the Germans desired to prevent Finnish relations with Great Britain and America. The Russians now endeavor to break the Finns physically by imposing unbearable economic burdens on them. However, with the aid of Sweden and America, the Finns will manage to live through the eight years of war payments to Russia and continue to be good friends of the western countries. "We are not of the East and do not want to be of the East," he says. "But Finland will be in the utmost need of practical and economic assistance in the eight years that war payments to Russia are continuing; after that we can again breathe freely and live like human beings."
Brother Grandberg is Master of St. Henrik Lodge No. 5, under the Grand Lodge of Finland, which was formed by the Grand Lodge of New York in 1922. The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Finland is now M.W. Brother V. M. J. Viljanen; his predecessor, M.W. Brother Solitander, died of a heart disease during the war. Henrik Lodge was dormant during the war, but the members are very anxious to resume their labors and be more active than ever. They are especially anxious to have a Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of California in their midst, and would appreciate Masonic publications.
FROM FRANCE. From Paris we have received the January issue of La Chaine D'Union which, as usual, contains a number of interesting articles. Under "Information" we find an account of the Scottish Rite Winter Solstice Festival held in Paris on December 23, 1945. Sovereign Grand Commander Raymond presided, and Sovereign Grand Commander Pangal of Roumania was present as a visitor. Brother Raymond discussed the present situation and made a brief reference to his recent visit to the United States where he found Masonry highly developed. Grand Master Dumesnil de Gramont, of the Grand Lodge of France, also made an address; he fully agreed with Grand Commander Raymond in that it is "either unite or perish" for Masonry in France.
We also learn that in the afternoon of December 23rd the Grand Lodge of France, on the initiative and with the assistance of the American Brethren, gave an entertainment for the children. There was a show, refreshments and Christmas gifts, followed by a children's ball.
The reporter further informs us that the Masters of the Blue Lodges held their traditional dinner on January 12, 1946, with the Grand Secretary of the Grand Orient of France presiding.
Under "United States" we find an item regarding a meeting held on March 27, 1939, by Henry A. Greene Lodge No. 250, of Fort Lewis (Wash.), at which there were present 119 visitors representing fifty-five Lodges belonging to twenty-three Grand Lodge jurisdictions.
As of special interest to the Philalethes Society, we translate in full the following news item, also appearing under "Information in the journal mentioned:
"We learn that at Marseilles several Masons seeking their moral betterment have, under the name of Le Delta, organized an academy of the Royal Art. It is to consist of 33 chairs each of which will be given the name of some illustrious Mason or forerunner of Masonry.
"Le Delta" will engage exclusively in the study of Masonic literature, doctrine and symbolism. Its mission will consist, further, of searching for, arranging and preserving documents and diverse obiects concerning the Order.
"Aside from the members proper, Le Delta accepts as associate members and corresponding members. Masons of all obediences.
"We wish the Delta success in its undertaking. For information address: Le Delta. 21 rue Armand Bedarride, Marseilles, France."
The February issue of La Chaine D'Union contains an interesting article on Voltaire as a Freemason, by Fernand Orelli. Voltaire's initiation in the "Lodge of Nine Sisters," of Paris, on April 7, 1778, has always been of special interest to American Masons because Benjamin Franklin was one of Voltaire's sponsors. Voltaire was 84 years of age when he became a Mason, and he survived his reception into our Craft not quite two months as he died on May 30, 1778. A large portion of the article rejects as not founded on facts the assertions made by various authors that Voltaire had been made a Mason previously in England and that he belonged to other secret societies.
In its news columns La Chaine D'Union describes a solemn ceremony held in the Grand Hall of the Grand Orient of France, at 16 rue Cadet, Paris, on January, 10, 1946, when Lodge "Plus Loin" was installed under the new name of "Lodge President Franklin D. Roosevelt." Delegations from various high Masonic bodies of France, a delegation of American Masons, and a representative of the Ambassador of the United States in Paris were received under an arch of steel formed by the Worshipful Masters of over fifty Lodges. "The Brethren, writes the reporter, who attended the Lodge installation, one of the most successful of its kind, will never forget it. It fell to French Masonry to honor one of the noblest contemporaneous figures of Humanity who, besides, was a Mason who never failed to do his duty."
FROM SWITZERLAND. In a letter dated February 21, 1946, our good Brother Gottlieb Imhof, M.P.S., approves of the aims of the Philalethes Society as outlined by our late Brother Shepherd in his circular, dated January, 1946, announcing the resumption of the activities of our Society, and pledges his cooperation. We thank him not only for his encouraging words but also for the numbers of "Alpina" for 1943 and 1944 which contain a treasure of Masonic information and a record of the splendid work done by the Swiss Grand Lodge ALPINA during the years mentioned. Articles in "Alpina," by the way, are published in German, French and Italian, the three official languages of the Republic.
FROM THE PHILIPPINES. The first issue of "The Cabletow," the official organ of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands, published since that eventful month of December, 1941, has finally reached us. It bears the date of November, 1945, and is a credit to the Grand Lodge which published it, as well as to the printer. Its format is the same as in 1941, but its contents reveals tragedies upon tragedies. Among the official announcements we find that of the 30th annual communication of the Grand Lodge, on January 22-24, 1946, and of a Lodge of Sorrow for five Grand Lodge Officers who fell victims to the Japanese invaders: Grand Master John R. McFie, Jr.; Deputy Grand Master Jose P. Guido; Grand Junior Warden Antonio Ramos; Grand Bible Bearer J. R. H. Mason; Grand Junior Deacon Harold T. Gewald, and Grand Pursuivant Honorio Musni. Numerous instances of self-sacrificing courage and loyalty to our Institution are mentioned, and Grand Master Michael Goldenberg and Grand Secretary Antonio Gonzales, F.P.S., are especially praised for the fortitude with which they suffered wounds and imprisonment, as well as for the tireless activity they displayed in their titanic efforts to create order out of chaos and reorganize the Grand Lodge and its subordinate Lodges. To what extent the Grand Lodge has resumed its natural functions is illustrated by the fact that the number mentioned contains excellent reviews of the Proceedings of the Grand Lodges of Michigan and Maryland for 1944. the work of Worshipful Brother J. W. Ferrier.
Printed in a city in ruins by Brethren impoverished by the war and living under conditions regarding which hardly anyone in our United States can form an idea, the issue of "The Cabletow" which lies before us is evidence of the indomitable spirit of our Brethren in Freemasonry in those Isles of the Pacific.
FROM HOLLAND. Brother Albert Ernst Feruand Junod, pastor at Wassenaar, Holland, and an officer of the Grand Orient of the Netherlands, died at the Hague, Holland, at the age of 68 years, on August 26, 1944. Born in Delsberg, Switzerland, Brother Junod studied theology in Holland and was active there as a minister. Brother Junod took a deep interest in international Masonic relations and was a leading spirit in the Universal Masonic League, of which he was the president in 1939, when the war began in Europe. Brother Junod was also a member of the Philalethes Society.
Masonic news from the Netherlands had been very scarce on our desk when, fortunately the February number of the Swiss Grand Lodge review "Alpina" reached us. Through it we learn that M.W. Bro. Hermannus van Tongeren, who was Grand Master of the Grand Orient of the Netherlands from 1929 until the invasion of his country, in May, 1940, was murdered by the Nazis in the infamous Buchenwald concentration camp. Our martyred Brother had been a former officer in the Dutch armed forces and nothing the enemy did to him could break down his iron will. His only son fell in battle. One of the first official acts of the Grand Orient upon the liberation of the Netherlands was a Lodge of Sorrow held in Amsterdam on December 20, 1945. Van Tongeren's widow and two daughters occupied places of honor on this occasion. A special ritual was used and the services were directed by the new Grand Master, Professor Caron. The audience had to be limited because the beautiful temple of the Grand Lodge at 39/41 Vondelstraat, built some fifteen years ago, had been badly damaged by the Nazis.
We further note in the February issue of "Alpina" an article on the re-appearance of the "Algemeen Maconniek Tijdschrift" (General Masonic Journal), the official organ of the Grand Orient of the Netherlands. Immediately upon the occupation of the Netherlands by the Nazis in May, 1940, all official Masonic activities ceased; but hardly had the enemy been driven out of the country when they were resumed. By the end of 1945 the active publisher of the Masonic journal above named, Brother S. W. Melchior, of Amersfoort, had already gotten out three issues, and "Alpina" now reports having received the issue for January, 1946, and discussed its contents.
The writer of these lines used to enjoy reading the "Tijdschrift," which is published in the Dutch language and is of a high order. May its future career be prosperous and serene after the terrible trials of the last six years!
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On Sunday, April 14, the San Jose, California, Scottish Rite Bodies performed the ceremony of Masonic Baptism. This service is strictly Masonic in nature and in no way is to be confused with the rights of the church. It is intended for infants. A child of either sex may be baptized until, if a boy, he has attained the age of 12 years; or, if a girl, she has reached the age of 18. It secures for the child the protection and assistance of the Lodge. - Scottish Rite News Bulletin.
Dear Brother Quincke:
Some mighty inspirational and informative material in No. 2, of "The Philalethes" . . . Your tributes to Brother Shepherd have been beautiful . . . and would have been impossible except that they were so completely deserved.
Elbert Bede, Portland, Ore.
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Dear Brother:
We enclose $3.00 to cover our one-year subscription for The Philalethes, beginning with Vol.1, No. 1.
Iowa Masonic Library,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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Dear Brother Quincke:
No. 2, of our magazine, has many articles of interest and value to Masons generally, and that, to me, is the basis upon which to judge . . . More power to you in forthcoming issues!
E. E. Hedblom,
Colorado Springs Colo.
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Dear Brother Quincke
"The Philalethes" is good and quite satisfactory. You might improve it, however, if some of the articles are shorter and easier to read. Long articles, like long speeches, are taboo for the rank and file.
Phil H. Coad, Berea, Ohio
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Dear Brother Quincke:
The May issue of "The Philalethes" is very good. The articles on "French Masonry"; "Grand Lodge"; "What is Masonry ?" and "The Endless School of Life" are of interest to me.... Keep up the good work.
L. B. Blakemore,
Chicago 16, Illinois
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Dear Brother Quincke:
Please enter a subscription to The Philaiwethes beginning with the first issue, so that we may have a complete file in our Grand Lodge Library.
Frank H. Hilton, Grand Secretary
The M.W. Grand Lodge of A.F.
& A.M. Masons of Massachusetts,
Boston 16, Mass.
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Dear Walter:
You will have many stars in your crown for the work you have done in making The Philalethes magazine possible.
John Black Vrooman,
Rolla, Missouri
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Dear Brother Quincke:
One can readily observe that the writers who contribute to The Philalethes magazine are not only brethren of distinction, but of much erudition. I wish to add my congratulations to the many that you have probably received.
Clarence D. Phillips, P.G.M.,
Portland. Oregon
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New Members
Dr Watson Boyes; 5483 South University Avenue; Chicago 15, Illinois.
Rt. Rev. Joseph Andrew Boyle; 954 South Vermont Avenue; Los Angeles 6, California.
Philip Henry Coad; "Maldophar," RFD 3, Box 188-A; Berea, Ohio.
Samuel Harris; High Prairie (Alta.); Canada.
Bruce H. Hunt; Kirksville, Missouri.
Rev. Clarence Arthur Kopp; P. O. Box 684; La Grande, Oregon.
William James Millard; Temple of Justice; Olympia, Washington.
Lee Arnold Richmond; 621 North La Grange Road; La Grange, Illinois.
Dr. Herbert H. Schultz; 450 Sutter Street; San Francisco 8, California.
Milford E. Shields; P. O. Box 1217; Durango, Colorado.
August John Stange; 1612 Walnut Street; La Grande, Oregon.
William Horace Strang, Jr.; 327 Lime Avenue (Apt. 14); Long Beach 2, California.
Dr. Henry Adam Sturdevant; 501 First National Bank Building; Enid, Oklahoma.
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Because of oversight, the following brethren were not included in our membership lists of No's 1 and 2, of Volume 1:
Maurice Cock, F.P.S.; 28, rue des Noyers; Brussels, Belgium.
Edmond Camille Gloton, M.P.S.; 7, rue Cadet; Paris 9me (Seine), France.
Rogers Kelley, M.P.S.; Edinburg, Texas.
Marius Le Page, M.P.S.; 9, rue de la Cointerie; Laval (Mayenne), France.
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Changes of Addresses
Clarence Brain, F.P.S.; 604 N.W. 17th Street; O!.lahoma City 3, Oklahoma.
William Moseley Brown, F.P.S.; c/o Mrs. Leo Leavitt, 640 Riverside Drive; New York City (New York).
James M. Clift, F.P.S., 2127 Floyd Ave.; Richmond 20, Virginia.
Dr. A. M. Bradley, M.P.S.; 303 Surety Building; Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Elbert G. Fye, Jr., M.P.S.; Roosevelt Hotel, 18th and California Streets, Denver, Colorado.
(When requesting a correction, or a change of address, please give the old as well as the new addresses, together with your postal zone number, if you have such. - Editor).
By Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
In Europe the 24th of June, as day of St. John the Baptist, is a much more important day than in the United States. The German peasant, for instance, will mention certain work in the fields as having to be done before or after St. John's Day, just as in the United States the farmer speaks of before, or after, the Fourth of July or Christmas.
On the evening of St. John's Day the country folk in many European countries light bonfires on hill tops, harking back to the summer solstice rites of their pagan ancestors. The writer of these lines remembers dancing round such fires and jumping over the flames with his playmates while a boy in northern Bohemia.
These bonfires have long ago lost their ancient significance. The catholic missionaries of a thousand years ago had to give something to their converts in the place of their pagan holidays, rites and customs, so they retained a good many of these under a Christian guise, trusting that with the time the pagan connection would be forgotten. Thus they replaced the pagan summer solstice festival by a Christian holiday which they dedicated to St. John the Baptist, a rugged figure with great appeal to primitive people and for that reason one of the most popular saints on the calendar.
In catholic countries the popular custom on St. John's Day has more of a Christian aspect: on that day the young folk walk about armed with small squirt guns and the unwary passer-by is liable to be wetted and thus reminded of the baptism administered by St. John.
How did Masonry come to adopt a patron saint? It was customary with the ancient trade guilds, cities, etc., to place themselves under the protection and patronage of their choosing, and Saint John the Baptist being such a great favorite, the operative Masons of medieval times selected John the Baptist as theirs. Dalcho, one of the founders of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, says in his "Ahiman Rezon": "The stern integrity of John the Baptist, which induced him to forego every minor consideration in discharging the obligation he owed to God; the unshaken firmness with which he met martyrdom rather than betray his duty to his Master; his steady reproval of vice, and continued preaching of repentance and virtue, make him a fit patron of the Masonic institution."
In our Symbolic Lodges the Entered Apprentice is informed, shortly after his admission, that "Our Ancient Brethren dedicated their Lodges to King Solomon, because he was our first Most Excellent Grand Master; but modern Masons dedicate theirs to St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist, who were two eminent patrons of Masonry."
In fact, St. John the Evangelist does not appear as a patron of Masonry until the 16th century. The "Charter of Cologne," one of the ancient documents of our Institution, contains the following sentence:
"We celebrate annually the memory of St. John, the Forerunner of Christ and the Patron of our Community." No mention is made of St. John the Evangelist.
Mackey calls attention to the fact that the Grand Lodge of England was revived on St. John the Baptist Day, 1717, and that the annual feast of the Grand Lodge was kept on that day until 1725, when it was held for the first time on the festival of St. John the Evangelist, December 27.
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By V. M. Burrows, M.P.S.
A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and thus influence the shaping of his circumstances.
Good thoughts crystalize into habits to temperance and self-control. A noble character is not a thing of chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking. Men are makers of themselves by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage.
Men who have no central purpose in their lives, fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles and self-pityings, which lead to failure, unhappiness, and loss. A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make his purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts guided by the effect of Masonic teachings.
The most important thing is to know one's self. Masonry teaches that we cannot know self without first knowing God. When King Solomon became perplexed, he turned to his closest associate and said, "What shall we do?" King Hiram of Tyre replied, "Let us pray." After Solomon had talked with his God, he said, "My mind is now clear."
When Washington needed help to sustain his personal morale, he knelt in the snow at Valley Forge. During the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention, when it seemed impossible to come to a reasonable understanding between factions, Franklin said to Washington, president of the convention, "How has it happened, Sir, that we've not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our undertakings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection ..... I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men."
It is recorded that prayer was held from that day on, and progress was made so that agreement could be effected.
Lincoln said, "I told God that I had done all that I could and that now the result was in His hands; that if this country was to be saved, it was because He willed it ! The burden rolled off my shoulders. My intense anxiety was relieved, and in its place came a great trustfulness."
Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln knew God and sought His help. Our coins bear the motto: "In God We Trust." Let us not fail, in our modern lodges, to transmit this idea to our new members in a commendable manner.
Advertising that does not sell is missing the mark. It may be impressive with literary skill, amusing with clever puns, gratifying with pretty pictures or catering to the artistic instinct with good border effects, but if the advertisement does not effect a sale, or contribute definitely to the making of sales, the attributes are sheer waste.
And so it is with Masonry, to a considerable extent. Fine temples, beautiful furnishings, well-dressed officers, good oratorical effect in perfect rendition of the ritual - these are desirable, but only the attributes of Masonry. If they do not effect a "sale," or contribute to the definite purpose of teaching principles of Masonry, they are, to a great extent, wasted in the void.
We have no problems of creating attention or of arousing the interest. But these are like two sides of a box, and without desire to learn, and without action on the part of the "newly raised Brother," the square cannot be completed. The purpose will not be fulfilled until the new Brother shows definite tendency to become a "good Mason." The lodge fails if the definite tendency is permitted to lapse into carelessness or lack of interest in the fundamental teachings of Freemasonry.
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A Pioneer of the Films
Few persons know that Basel (Switzerland) once played a leading part in the film industry and did much pioneer work in that line. But it is still less known that this city is indebted to Dr. Gottlieb Imhof, M.P.S., for this in the first place. As he will celebrate his 71st birthday very soon (August 29), this is a welcome opportunity to speak of the merits of that active pioneer.
When cinematography was still in its early stages, the far-seeing pedagogue already recognized the valuable educational possibilities of that new form of demonstration. To him, who valued service to his native land, education, and the enlightenment of the masses so highly, the film appeared as an important cultural factor, and he gave it his full attention, which led to the organization of the Basel Cultural Film Society in 1931.
Naturally, Imhof's ideas and desires did not find ready acceptance in every quarter, and in view of his firmness of opinion in which he was critical to the point of sarcasm, he encountered not infrequent contradiction. But he had his way in spite of it all. It is due to Imhof, in the first place, that the Basel Educational Film Office is a model institution and a better one probably does not exist anywhere else.
Although he was tirelessly active in the cantonal as well as in the federal film offices, he did not allow that to interfere with his duties as a teacher, because to him education and popular culture were tasks he kept constantly in view.
Imhof has never been active in politics. He has for many years been editor of "Alpina" the journal of the Swiss Grand Lodge of Masonry, and was during the critical years 1940-1942 the Master of "Friendship and Perseverance" Lodge, of Basel.
Although life has brought him many sorrows, he has not lost his cheerful disposition and sense of humor. He enters upon his eighth decade of life with his accustomed spirit of enterprise. May he be granted many years of activity and usefulness.
Righteousness Exalteth A Nation
By George R. Clarke, M.P.S.
Fighting times - times that try men's souls, such times as these men and Masons have behind them and ahead of them. Also the opportunities to put into practice principles which have long been talked about. It can be graciously said: "Now is the time for all good Masons, in spite of their parties, to come to the aid of their leader."
Victorious in arms, we must be victorious in peace. Even as we have had an inspired leadership during the war and a real semblance of unity of action throughout our war industries united in effort for a common purpose, there is need now for a continued inspired leadership. Masons everywhere in our land should rally to the responsibilities of the victory in the cause of peace. It is time now to spread the cement of brotherly love extending the Brotherhood of Man.
Whenever a nation passes through war periods, men, materials, and spiritual values are sacrificed and lost. The men are irreplaceable. They have given their all that we who remain might lift high the torch they carried and carry on. Materials are replaceable and machines are scrapped, and the scrap converted into peace-time machines - ploughshares or implements of peace. Spiritual values are again ascendant. Human life already has a higher value. World constructive problems are occupying men's minds in place of destruction. Respect of man for man is increasing.
The immediate effect of the let-down of our war efforts through the unexpected capitulation of our enemies has been a high state of confusion amongst the people. The "lid is off," so to speak, on all activities and with characteristic spontaneity the American people have rightly celebrated their well earned victories. In spite of this, there is the need for the "lid to be kept on." There still is a multitude of problems to be solved. While the international bandits have been caught, some have been chased into a corner, others have been sent underground to pop up at some future time. Many months and possibly years will elapse before eternal vigilance has this situation under complete control.
There is a need for a public spirited program to keep alive the activity of constructive programs as a national problem of military, naval, air, industrial, and scientific preparedness. The future strength, security and well-being of our great nation depends upon our attitude toward such a public spirited program. Perhaps universal peace can only come when the strongest army, the strongest airforce, and the strongest navy remain in our hands.
While it is necessary to return to development of machinery and equipment for peace-time pursuits, a development which will require skill and enterprise, engineers and manufacturers will be required to follow even higher principles having higher spiritual values than exercised before. Surely a program of development of atomic power, or radar, and of other scientific miracles of war is just as necessary as a long range development program to keep America strong enough to assure American Supremacy ashore, afloat, and aloft.
Then there is the United Nations Organization. It will take time measured in years to bring this organization to an effective peace-time going concern. We must keep in mind that even after the signatures were affixed to the Declaration of Independence considerable time elapsed before all the thirteen states had ratified the Constitution. The Bill of Rights did not just tumble out of thin air. And similarly an International Bill of Rights will require considerable time in formulation and then passing into active legislation. This calls for an abundance of reasonableness as our forefathers displayed. It also calls for patience, and an exactness for justice and fair play on the part of all concerned.
Who but those who "meet on the level" of a common brotherhood and have respect for the Grand Architect of The Universe - should they not assume the leadership in building a more righteous a nation? This opportunity - is it not the gavel of authority to be wielded with justice, toleration and truth as the responsibility of world freedoms encircle us?
It has been told that a certain clergyman when meeting President Lincoln during the Civil War "hoped that the Lord was on our side." And to this Lincoln replied that he was not at all concerned about that for he knew that the Lord was always on the side of the right, but he was in constant anxiety and prayer that this nation should be on the Lord's side. Would that the President of our beloved America be supported by Christian patriots, zealous Masons, and Brethren like-minded.
Therein lies righteousness and security and a higher peacetime patriotism.
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By the late Silas H. Shepherd
3 - 5 - 7 Minute Talks on freemasonry, by Elbert Bede, M.P.S.
This delightful book is unique, and furnishes A much needed aid to those who want to express their thoughts in a manner that will be instructive, entertaining and inspirational to the Brethren.
One of the most important things for the brother who may be called upon in the lodge room or at the refreshment table is to make his remarks at once forceful, entertaining and brief, and something to be remembered. "What did the speaker say last night?" and its answer is a fairly good way of judging whether it was a creditable talk. This book not only furnishes the material for such talks, but also has a fund of Masonic information that will amply repay the reader, even though he never expects to be called upon.
Published by the Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Company, 35 West 32nd Street, New York (N.Y.), and priced at $3.00, is a valuable addition to Masonic literature.
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By Dr. A. M. Bradley, M.P.S.
Ethics is an ideal. Right action is man's earnest endeavor to attain the ideal. Morality is that standard below which he cannot go without incurring some form of liability. The study of right action - Dharma in Hindu, and the foundation upon which it rests, is our theme. Three separate schools of thought, all of them hoary with age, offer their theories for our guidance.
Wisdom
The theory promulgated by ecclesiastical dogmatists postulates Divine revelation, that great gift to man, through which he may acquire wisdom and develop right action. The ancient "Wisdom" religion, and such great masters as Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, and Jesus, who so greatly benefited mankind from what they drew from its tenets, all bear witness to the fundamentality of this theory; and no individual experiencing true inspiration, whether or not he envisions its course, can question it as a factor in his guidance.
To these basic tenets the critics of this theory offer little opposition save its failure of a full solution. It is in the interpretation of these teachings and in the voices of the prophets and priesthood that they take issue. The laws of Moses, containing much that is applicable in all ages, were written for the purpose of welding together a group of nomadic tribes, and cannot be expected to cover the evolutionary phases of civilization. The thunderings of Elijah can only apply to a specific time, place, and special group.
The Genesis version of creation, the Chaldean Book of Numbers, the visions of Daniel, the Apocalypse - much of it paraphrased from the older Book of Enoch: all these and more, veiled in myth and allegory to conceal their true esoteric meaning from all but initiates of the mystic schools, have long been a lost word and a stumbling-block of conjecture.
The pronouncements of the priesthood of all ages have carried much weight among their peoples. Stretching a point to always accredit them with the highest motives, the personal equation arises and is too frequently bolstered by an un-warranted "Thus saith the Lord." Add to this the various individual theophanies that have generated a multitude of sects, and branches of the principal religions, and it is not at all difficult to observe a fair ground for criticism of revelation as a complete guide to right action. Yet, we believe it to be a Divine gift to man, through which he is enabled to develop wisdom.
Strength
The Utility theory envisions "The greatest good for the greatest number," which in practice operates as happiness for the most of us: the minority absorbing the drab side for all of us. Its tendency is to stimulate selfishness. We are inclined to the happiness side, and there lurks the temptation to accomplish the end, regardless of the means. It was to develop this theory into a bulwark of usefulness that the immortal Blackstone established the legal code under which we now operate.
The ever increasing avalanche of laws, and the machinery necessary to interpret and put them into operation, evidence an ideal not yet in fruition.
But its usefulness as a guide to right action must not be under-estimated, for it provides the strength and support that binds humanity into a body politic.
Beauty
The theory that intuition, less aptly termed conscience, is man's surest guide to right action, fails to consider such factors as education, race, environment, and temperament, that provide the background upon which it operates. Without modification it entails too great a responsibility on the individual: in combination it becomes a tool of the Craft whereby we are enabled to display the beauty of right action.
Masonry
We of the Fraternity cherish the suggestive teachings of Masonry as priceless pearls that equip us to play an important part in the development of civilization. In its archives we read: "This great structure is supported by three grand pillars called Wisdom (revelation), Strength (utility), and Beauty (intuition)." Surely this should be sufficient suggestion to the Craft.
The priceless pearls of Masonry are not found floating on the surface. We must dive, way down, deep, to find them!
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Is there a nation intact today that has lived since the time of the building of King Solomon's Temple? Not one. Hundreds have risen to power and disintegrated through the confusions they brought upon themselves in trying to keep the evils that grew up within them. Their hopes, prides, ambitions and deeds lie buried in the ashes of antiquity.
But what about the noble Fraternity of Masonry? Nations have bestowed honors, degrees, rank and titles since time immemorial. All have been swept away in the constantly rising tides of human avarice, passion and greed. Yet, Masonry itself and the honors conferred by it, stand more firmly today than ever before. It has not changed. The whirlpools of hate and the torrents of war passed over it, yet it stood immovable and fixed. Why is this so?
Again the answer is simple, brethren. The Masonry we practice was erected according to the rules and designs laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe in the Book of Life. That book is our Trestleboard. The rules and the designs are plain and clear. Properly trained to observe it (the pattern) man needs no law more complex than the Ten Commandments.
So, while great men shall argue over what they call the complicated problems of peace, let us not rue deluded. Justice, right, mercy, and love are simple, clear and plain .... Masonry's relation to life is simply that of light to darkness - Masonic Chronicler
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By the most of us, investment has to do with money or its equivalent, but a Mason writes in an English magazine about "Masonry as an Investment."
"You cannot buy Masonry, no man ever did or ever will. You do not buy it when you pay your fees or dues, you simply gain by these opportunities to get Masonry. Where is your investment then, you ask. Let me tell you.
If you become a Mason you put into Masonry more than money, more than anything you have or possess, that you measure by pounds or shillings, you put your life into it. Unless you can and do put your life into it, unless you let Masonry direct your life, you have no investment, you get little or nothing from Masonry.
"Life is in constant conflict between good and evil. Masonry aids the Mason to choose the good rather than the evil. Dominating the Mason's life Masonry creates the habit of choosing the good, with the result that it helps him to develop character. You may have wealth and put your money in to paying propositions but you can make no investment that will pay you greater dividends than Masonry will if you make Masonic effort to build character.
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One of the only two streets in the United States to be named Freemason Street is located in Norfolk, Virginia. Originally laid out as a road in 1762, it became a street as the city developed and, lacking a name, was designated as Freemasons Street because of the Freemason Lodge Building located upon it.
For many years the street was the only one of its name in the world. Proof that it was unique, according to the Virginia Masonic Herald, is the story that a letter was once written to a resident of Norfolk who lived on Freemason Street by a friend in a European country. No town, state or country, was on the letter, only the name of his friend and the two words, "Freemasons' Street," but the missive was delivered promptly to the addressee.
The only other Freemason Street at present is two-block street at Edenton, North Carolina.
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To use what gifts I have as best I may;
To help some weaker brother where I can;
To be as blameless at the close of day
As when the duties of the day began;
To do without complaint what must be done;
To grant my rival all that may be just;
To win through kindness all that may be won;
To fight with knightly valor when I must.
- S. E. Kiser