May, 1947
Contents
MEMORIAL DAY YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW
THE CLOUDS WILL PASS FREEMASONRY IN FOREIGN LANDS
THE TRESTLE BOARD AN INDIAN CHIEF AS PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER
THE PURPOSE OF MASONRY A BOON TO THE STUDIOUS CRAFTSMAN
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY NEWS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT LODGE IN PARIS
THE INFORMANT FOR A UNITED MASONRY IN A BETTER WORLD
NOBLE CONTENTION FREEMASONRY IN BELGIUM
Greetingsl RECENT BOOKS BY MEMBERS OF "THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY"
By WALTER A. QUINCKE, F.P.S.
Los Angeles, California
Memorial Day, when America halts to place its tribute on the graves of those who died that liberty might live, was first set aside for public observance in 1868. Known then as Decorations Day, it was promulgated by the Grand Army, of the Republic for the decoration and adornment of the graves of Union Soldiers and in that year generally confined to participation by the ex-soldiers and survivors of the dead. But it was the sorrow and remembrance of the Confederacy that inspired this action which has given our nation a day set apart to the brave who fell in the Spanish, Civil and World wars.
On a cold, rainy day in March, 1868, a little party left the national capitol for a visit to the battlefields about Richmond. The leader of this group was Colonel Charles L. Wilson, a Chicago editor, and with him were his niece, his fiancee and Mrs. John A. Logan. They wandered from one scene of desolation to another and were deeply touched by the poverty of the region, once the proud capitol of the Confederacy. They noticed above all the numberless Confederate graves decorated with faded flowers and bunting. Returning to Washington, the Richmond pilgrims called on General John A. Logan, then commander of the G.A.R., who had been unable to accompany his wife on the trip because of pressure of congressional business. The war-torn country around Richmond was described to him, the rows of graves, each marked by some loving hand, now covered by a gentle snow that could not dim the tokens of devotion left upon them.
"The Greeks and Romans," said Gen. Logan, "in the day of their glory, were wont to honor their heroes by chaplets of laurel and flowers, as well as bronze and stone." And he expressed the thought that this should be carried over to the United States. It could be done, he felt, by the issuance of an order from him, as commander-in-chief of the G.A.R. to the posts established throughout the North. He chose the date, May 30, because on that date the last Union volunteer soldier was mustered out of service.
He immediately set about writing this order and the following evening called a meeting of the staff officers in his rooms at the old Willard Hotel at Washington, where the order was submitted for their approval. The staff was unanimous in agreement and not long thereafter "Order No. 11" was communicated from G.A.R. headquarters to posts over the entire country. In part it reads: "May 30, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in the defense of their country during the late Civil war, and whose remains now lie in almost every city, village, hamlet and church-yard in the land. It is the purpose to inaugurate the observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades."
When May 30, 1868, came, the nation responded to the idea of a Memorial Day. Vast throngs of widows and orphaned children visited cemeteries throughout the land, while the G.A.R. posts paraded through city and village streets to solemn music.
General Logan won the Medal of Honor for his services at Vicksburg. He turned down a permanent Army commission in order to retain his seat in Congress as Representative from the Ninth Illinois District, and in June of the same year he introduced the following resolution in Congress: "Resolved, that the proceedings of the different cities, towns, etc., recently held in commemoration of the gallant heroes who sacrificed their lives in the defense of the Republic, and the record of the ceremonial of the decoration of the honored tombs of the departed shall be collected and bound, under the direction of such person as the speaker shall designate, for the use of the Congress." This resolution was adopted unanimously, and beginning with 1869 the importance of Memorial Day grew until it is now observed all over the nation.
General Logan, made a Master Mason in Benton Lodge No. 64, A. F. & A. M., of Benton, Illinois, and elected to the 33rd Degree of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory, of Chicago, on September 15, 1886, passing away, however, before the degree could be conferred, is fittingly remembered every May 30, when the Soldiers' Home Band of Washington, D.C., pauses in its march to the regular Memorial Day services to play the American Hymn before the tomb of the man whom General Sherman called "perfect in combat."
The most impressive ceremony that takes place is the placing of floral wreaths by the President of the United States on the tombs of officers at Arlington.
It ought to be possible, under the influence of a sacred tradition, to develop a loyalty that shall be a spiritual force, and not a mere one hundred per cent Americanism. Love of country means service to country and sacrifice for it. The love that does not thus express itself is not love and not anything even faintly resembling it. A man may stand at attention and doff his hat as the flag goes by, and yet graft on the government. No one can be patriotic who seeks wins or desires private gain at the expense of public weal. "Patriotism" of this sort is the last refuge of a scoundrel. In the wars in which this country has engaged, huge profits have been made by many individuals. It has been said that memorials to good and great men, to true servants of their fellows, and to inspiring causes, clothe the past with a life that it might not without them have, and in this way influence and ennoble the present. But they do more than that, for they reach into the future and mold it nearer to the pattern of which the memorials speak and which they are designed to perpetuate. It should be so with our Memorial Day. It is a day of consecration as well as a day of remembrance and points to the path which our people should tread if they would be worthy of the sacrifices made in their behalf.
It is easy to forget the dead when the guns are silent. New grass covers a shell-torn field no faster than the story of their sacrifices fades from the memory of the living. Life flows on over them, but the conscience of the nation demands they shall not be forgotten. The camps of the dead are too full of meaning to America for them to be ignored. For yonder may rest a soldier of the Revolution and without him the Declaration of Independence might have been so many empty words. Over there may rest a veteran who marched with Taylor or crossed the plains with Doniphan's men. Without him there might have been fewer stars in our flag. Over on this side may sleep one who fought at Chancellorsville or Chickamauga, and because of him, the Union remains one, free and indivisible. There are others who knew El Caney, or who saw Cervera's ship hunted down at Santiago, and because of them, Cuba is no longer a reproach to the western world. There are graves of those who, after the battle on the coast of Normandie or at Corregidor, looked no more upon the sun, and because of them, a menace against freedom and peace of the world has gone. Until the day of universal disarming and from generation to generation thereafter the memory of all these should be kept as green as the grass which covers them. They may be counted as martyrs to the beast in humanity, and while others may fail, they did not fail! They gave what was asked.
The idea of consecration was the keynote of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address. The great President spoke to the living rather than the dead. "It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from those honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth."
The Great Emancipator in that memorial address spoke a volume of trust which has gone down in history as a masterpiece. Each one who considers himself a true citizen of our nation should inculcate into his own life these same principles. The day on which we will remember the departed shall remain one of the greatest of holidays. On each Memorial Day, and indeed on every day of the year, Americans should highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. The application ought to be regarded as directly personal to every citizen of our land, because no obligation can be more weighty except only the obligation to God. Of all this, and much more, Memorial Day speaks. Thinking of the men, both dead and living, whom we honor, of the great work that they did, and of the blessings that we owe to them, we surely ought to be able to put something of their heroism into our daily tasks and in their spirit should face our duty to the country of their love.
A nation can be only what its citizens make it, and the quality of the product is determined by the character of these citizens, and that character is determined by the ideals that control, and by the loyalty to these ideals of those who profess to follow and be led by them.
"Do this in remembrance of me" . . . with these words the great memorial was instituted. It was more that a memorial, as is Memorial Day, for both are inspirations to right thinking and right action, and each in its way is a conveyor of grace and power.
The time will surely come when the fanfare of war will be unknown. Until then mankind must keep and cherish the soldier's faith. When he passes he must not be forgotten or his sacrifices be ignored. This realization far down in the nation's heart gives to Memorial Day its deeper significance !
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By LLOYD RIME, M.P.S.
Ottumwa, Iowa
Yesterday is gone and only the memory of its joys add pleasures, errors and disappointments linger with us. It was that day we looked forward to with such eagerness and expectancy only a seemingly short time ago. And from the events of that day did we gather experience that now constitutes our storehouse of knowledge and understanding. And as the seasons come and go, it is natural for us to reflect upon the scenes of the past. We cannot permit ourselves to dwell upon the events of yesterday, for yesterday is gone.
Today is the day of promise, the day for positive action, when each of us should be filled with the desire to set new marks in the field of human endeavor. Today is the day when we, clothed with the experience of yesterday, are qualified to advance to new heights in our respective stations. Let us think of yesterday as only a guide-post along the highway of life, warning us of the snares and pitfalls which may be encountered as we bear the torch of progress Today.
Tomorrow lies ahead as a promise unfulfilled, as a story yet untold. Only through the eyes of faith can we behold the gates of Tomorrow, and only thus can we prepare ourselves for the realities of the future. Faith is the balance wheel of our spiritual, social and national existence, the telescopic eye through which we must look for a sunny Tomorrow.
The experience of Yesterday, the opportunities of Today, and faith in the possibilities of Tomorrow constitute the foundation upon which you and I must fashion the Temple of Life.
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Here is a message from a letter of Bro. Jean Roumilhac, M.P.S., of Marseilles, France, with which we fully agree:
"It is to be hoped that 1947 will see good progress in the work of unifying the Masonic Bodies throughout the world. What an influence we Masons could exercise in preventing future wars if we were united and ready to call mankind to a better conception of international and social relations." - L. F.
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Recent visitors at the home of President Walter A. Quincke, F.P.S., (the present headquarters of "The Philalethes Society") included: George R. Harvey, F.P.S., of Berkeley, California; Lee Edwin Wells, M.P.S., of Los Angeles; Chan L. Rogers, M. P. S., and Mrs. Rogers, of Los Angeles; Leo Fischer, F.P.S., of Alhambra; Elbert Bede, F.P.S., of Portland, Oregon, and Mrs. Bede.
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Freemasonry has a higher destiny than that which it has allowed itself to attain. Now is the time for Freemasons to display the moral courage which their obligations demand of them. Now is the time for the Craft to shake its shackles of prejudice and stand erect as a shining example of Justice, Charity and Brotherly Love. - Aldrage B. Cooper.
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SCENICALLY the ridge west of town was a favored spot. Eastward was the curving sweep of valley with its tree-bordered river and quiltlike pattern of farms and villages. On either side the great slopes of timber rolled up to the sky; while in the distance, athwart the valley but far beyond, rose the mighty snow peak that gave the touch of grandeur to the scene. It was a beautiful view - beautiful and notoriously elusive ! For the elements seemed in endless conspiracy to shroud the masterpiece.
One day a traveler came to the ridge to see the valley and mountain, and found them, not unusually, lost in storm. There was no mountain. There was almost no valley. All to be seen were clouds - dark, laden clouds racing in close ranks over the valley floor.
Disappointment whetted his determination. Again and again as he was able, he returned, always to find the valley and peak ruinously marred by haze or blotted out by fog or clouds. Morning, noon and night; summer and winter - always there was something to blot out the mountain, until the traveler began to wonder and to doubt.
At last, however, the elements relented and the old peak stood forth in its glory. From the ridge the traveler watched the mountain come into outline against the dawn. In the valley, details appeared, colors emerged, giving depth and reality to the world. Then the sun came up and the miracle happened.
From nowhere came a strand of lowland haze reaching full across the far end of the valley. Into it the valley disappeared and was lost, and from it towered the shadowy peak, now mantled in a thick bat of cottony cloud, too delicate to be real. Low over the main valley hung an ornate pattern of smoke, drawn into mile-long wisps by the first stirring of the chill air. It was a spectacle cast on a scale that taxed the powers of comprehension. It was unearthly.
"To think," the traveler said, after a long silence, "that there could be such beauty out there where the clouds have been so long."
It is like that with certain other things. It is like that with the foundation stones of truth, the dimension timbers of virtue, with those rules of life we speak of as principles and ideals. Over the years there have been times when these have stood out overpoweringly clear and convincing. Again, as today, they have been vague or hidden for long periods.
Because the old standards are now shrouded, many are beginning to wonder if they still exist. They feel that perhaps justice has at last lost its power, if ever it had the power claimed for it. Mercy, they are certain, is no longer a living force. They can see no reward in thrift, no beauty in kindness, no joy in the restrictions of purity. In generosity they can discern no profit, in patience no good, in meekness no honor. Present appearance indicates that the beauty of the mountain has been grossly overstated. At best it is a dim old pile of rocks, distant in space, vague in perception; valueless in modern life.
All such reasoning has a familiar ring. What is it but the age-old lie of the devil brought up to date ? Always it has been his purpose to deny, confuse, and obscure that which is good. Under the stress and pressure of war his efforts have been redoubled, have become doubly effective.
Yet all this doubt and distraction and confusion and denial is as clouds upon the mountain. At most, it is but temporarily obscuring. Nothing has been changed about the mountain. Nothing will be. The end of evil is no different today than in former years, and no-less certain. The same is true of the merit and reward of godliness.
"Fret not thyself because of evildoers." "For evildoers shall be cut off." Psalm 37:1-9.
The mountain will be there as always, high, grand, and stable, against the dawn of the new day. The air will be purer, then, because of the fierce winds that have blown. Colors will be fresher for the drenching rains that have fallen. The uplifted slopes will be more glorious for having been hidden so long. The mountain will be then as it is now, as it always has been - a symbol of the best way of life.
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By Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
Alhambra, California
BRAZIL. According to a recent report in New Age, Masonry is making satisfactory progress and operating under favorable conditions in Brazil at present. Twelve of the States have now their own sovereign and independent Grand Lodges. The three Lodges that were operating in Rio de Janeiro under the Southern District Grand Lodge of England have ceased to function and the Grand Orient of Brazil has practically disappeared.
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PERU. The relations between the Grand Lodge of Peru (Edgardo Portaro, Grand Master) and the Supreme Council of that country, Manuel Yabar Davila, Grand Commander, are of the best, and the dissidents have about abandoned their activities. New Age states that the Grand Lodge and Supreme Council have simply ignored the R.C. Chapters and Blue Lodges organized by these elements.
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FRANCE. Prof. Bernard Fay, whose arrest on the charge of intelligence with the Nazi authorities in France we reported in our last issue, has been tried and convicted by a court of justice in Paris. The prosecution demanded the death penalty for this ex-professor of the College de France and director of the National Library of France; but the court was lenient and sentenced him to imprisonment at hard labor for life, the confiscation of all his property, and "national degradation." Fay told the court upon being interrogated:
"I was glad to have in my hands the instrument capable of renovating the country. My mission was to organize a service for the detection of the Freemasons and masonic archives. To be successful in that work, I was obliged to have relations with the Germans, especially as they had an organization parallel with ours."
Upon being asked by the court why he never protested against the role of informer thus imposed on him, Fay replied that he was not an informer but a "historian who was doing this for intellectual reasons."
The bureau of which Fay was the head prepared a card index containing 60,000 names. Lists of names of Masons were released to the official gazette of the Vichy government for publication, and many catholic papers copied these lists in order to boycott and publicly shame the Brethren so listed. Hunted down and persecuted for the sole reason that they belonged to the Masonic Fraternity, 989 Masons were sent to Germany and 549 were executed by firing squads or perished in concentration camps.
Bernard Fay is the author of two books on Freemasonry published in the United States, entitled "Franklin, the Apostle of Modern Times" and "Revolution and Freemasonry."
Fay's five co-accused also received prison sentences ranging from 5 years to life.
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PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. The New Age magazine for January, 1947, invites attention to the existence in California of an irregular organization calling itself Gran Oriente Filipino. That organization is publishing a paper named "Gran Oriente Filipino Cable Tow." It held its last meeting in Los Angeles, California, on November 26 to 29, 1946. This meeting ended with a banquet at the Ambassador Hotel at which the principal address was pronounced by Major General Paul B. Malone, U.S. Army, Rtd, who is a Roman catholic. The New Age ends its article with the following caution, printed in heavy type: "This organization's publication, the Cable Tow, must not be confounded with The Cabletow, the official organ of the regular Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands, F. & A. M., with headquarters at Manila, P.I."
The adoption of the title of an existing well-known Masonic periodical by an irregular organization is in line with the policy of the clandestine bodies in the Philippines which adopted the names of existing regular Lodges in order to profit by the confusion thus created.
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BELGIUM. The official review of the Swiss Grand Lodge "Alpina," Alpina dedicates its February issue to Belgian Masonry. There is a 20-page article, in French, by Marcel Ardin, which well repays reading.
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SWITZERLAND. Since its Executive Committee meeting at Basel, on November 16 and 17, 1946, the International Masonic Association has fully resumed its functions. A session of the commission will be held in Paris, in February 1947, and the committee will meet in Brussels in March.
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SPAIN. While there is no present possibility of a revival of Masonry in Spain, the embers are glowing under the ashes. Spanish refugees are active in various parts of the globe and the Spanish Grand Orient in Exile is functioning in Mexico under the able direction of Grand Master Lucio Martinez Gil. We have also received a letter from Bro. Jean Roumilhac, M.P.S., of Marseilles, France, reporting the constitution of a Spanish refugee Lodge, "Esperanza," in that city. This Lodge was founded in 1938 and kept in touch with the Spanish Grand Master in Mexico; but recently, after obtaining the consent of their mother body, they applied for a charter under the Grand Orient of France. Their petition was granted and the Council of the Order designated Bro. Roumilhac as president of the installing commission which, on February 22, 1947, constituted the new Lodge. Delegates from all the Lodges of the Marseilles region attended this ceremony. In his address, Bro. Roumilhac stressed the fact that it was not the desire of the Grand Orient of France to deprive Spanish Masonry of useful and loyal members but to enable these, by giving them a regular Masonic status, to do useful work for the reconstruction of Masonry and liberty in their own country.
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Correspondence on Bee Culture
"A French Brother interested in bee culture and able to write and read English would like to correspond with American Mason interested in the same hobby. Address: Jean Roumilhac, 35 Boulevard Maire, Pointe Rouge. Marseilles. France."
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AN INDIAN CHIEF AS PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER
By LEO FISCHER, F.P.S.
Alhambra, Calif.
In an article on "Indian Freemasonry" by the late Cyrus Field Willard, F.P.S., published in the March 1947 issue of THE PHILALETHES, reference is made to an "Indian Chief by the name of Clarke" to whom the author loosely refers in the second paragraph of his article as having been made a Mason in England and been appointed Provincial Grand Master of certain Southern Indian nations. The "Clarke" mentioned is no doubt identical with William Augustus Bowles who was the subject of an interesting biography written by Eugene Arthur Perkins, a prominent attorney of Manila, Philippine Island, and published in THE FAR EASTERN FREEMASON in 1927. Bro. Perkins, one of the most serious students of Masonry we have ever met, calls Bowles "one of the most singular characters of early American history; a man who crowded into the short span of forty-one years a life of adventure without parallel in history. Soldier, actor, painter, Indian chief, adventurer, Freemason, provincial grand master of four of the civilized tribes, prisoner of the Spaniards in Spain, Manila and Havana, are but a few rides of this exceptional man."
Born in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1763 or early in 1764, as son of an English schoolmaster and county clerk, Bowles entered the British army when but thirteen years of age and took part in the battle of Monmouth as a subaltern in the Maryland Loyalists. He lost his commission and was unjustly dismissed from the service for absence without leave while with his corps at Pensacola, Florida. Joining the Creek Indians, though but a boy, he became a noted warrior among them and distinguished himself in fighting the Spaniards on the British side. But he was forced out of the British service by jealous officers. He spent four years (1786 to 1790) in the Bahamas, and it is probably there that he became a Mason. In 1790 he went to England as ambassador of the united nations of Creeks and Cherokees, in view of the threat of war between England and Spain. In 1791, "General" Bowles, as he was then called, who was anxious to introduce Masonry among the Indian nations, was appointed as Provincial Grand Master of the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Indians under the Grand Lodge of England. He returned to Florida; but in 1792 the Spaniards, by means of a ruse, captured hint and took him to Spain. Treated as an important political prisoner, Bowles was finally taken to Manila and kept there for fourteen months. Owing to political events, he was then returned to Europe, escaped and returned to England practically destitute. In 1804 he returned to Western Florida and there headed the united Indian nations in a desultory warfare against Spain. Captured by the Spaniards a second time, Bowles was taken to Havana where he died in Morro Castle on December 23. 1805.
Bro. Perkins' article is adorned by a portrait of Bowles in his regalia as an Indian chief and is followed by an exhaustive bibliography in which two contemporaneous accounts of the life of this interesting character are mentioned.
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By JAMES K. REMICK, M.P.S.
San Diego, California
Throughout all the recorded history of mankind, and likewise the unwritten history of his life journeyings that have been vouchsafed us through folk-lore, racial customs, group fixations and symbolisms of culture, a clear-cut design on the cosmic trestle board as a guide for better expression of the Life Principle has ever been man's longing and the unconquerable urge of the Energy Divine within him.
The patterns he has drawn have often been faulty and the results in practice savored of mediocrity and even sordid failure, as witness the infantile stumblings of some politicos and other brutal demagogues of our day. Be that as it may, the Divine Spark within him has made the man species to profit sooner or later from the very harshness of his errors in design, and he re-views, realigns, and re-designs on his trestle-board of Life a nobler pattern than before, with all the increment derived from the lessons of former errors etched into the depths of his soul, not to be lost throughout eternity. The only hell there is must be of our own manufacture, and the only sin there can be is the sin of ignorance; the wise man does not err, his wisdom being ennobled with understanding.
It is when there are no designs upon the trestle board that the Child of Light is endangered by confusions, when the enlightened leaders are missing and fear in all its insidious blackness is permitted lodgement within the Sanctuary. But just so sure as darkness is but the temporary absence of light, so will the trestle board again be made bright with new wisdom. As with the incoming tide, each wave surging higher than the last, so shall each effort from designs correctly drawn bring the mystic Mason to his goal of Mastership.
"One ship drives east and one drives west
By the selfsame wind that blows;
It's the set of the sail and not the gale
That determines which way it goes."
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The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means, and the exercising of ordinary qualities. These may, for the most part, be summed up in these two: Common sense and perseverance.
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"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." - King Arthur.
WHAT is Prayer? Briefly defined, "prayer" is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed. It may be the momentary, passionate outpouring of the soul to its Maker; it may come in worship in company with our fellows, or as the result of the closeted seclusion which attunes to Divine harmony and creates a receptivity of soul which just appropriates the good which is earnestly desired.
Prayer knows no language, though it may express itself in any. It regards not time nor place, nor posture, though it may conceivably be helped by these. In the pressure of business life in the crowded street, behind the counter or the plow, our Heavenly Father is ever within call.
The saying of prayers is not prayer; it may be even the deadliest formality. This applies as much to the words of the "Lord's Prayer" as to any other words: they may become as empty and meaningless as the prayer wheel of the Lama temple or the high pitched invocation of its long-robed priests.
The man who faces sudden destruction in a railroad wreck or in a sinking ship prays in spite of his irreligious past, but he does not pray like that; he prays then because he must, as he comes face to face with the reality of all realities, with God, than-whom there is no help left to him in earth or in heaven.
There is a vast difference between the impetuous, almost despairing prayer of Jacob, "I will not let Thee go unless Thou bless me." (Gen. 32:26) and the calm confidence of Jesus, "I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me, and I know that Thou hearest Me always." (John 4 :42) . This is the confidence which comes from hours of communion with God on the mountain top, in secluded valley, or in the frequent inward retirement from the world. Such prayer is not a begging, beseeching as of an unwilling God, but rather the glad acceptance by a soul made one with the Divine will of whatever the hand of Love may send.
"If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15 :7).
But is there nothing short of this confident resting in the Divine will that finds its reward in prayer? Surely yes! For such a condition is not attained at a bound. The prayer of the publican in We temple, "God be merciful to me, a sinner," with its "this man went down .to his house justified rather than the other," (Luke 18 :14) has been repeated thousands of time; While Jesus was hanging, bleeding on the cross He uttered a prayer of love when He said: "Father, fore give them, for they know not what they do."
The earnest seeker for pardon, for cleansing, for strength, to live the life which he feels is open to him finds instant response within himself from the heart of God; a Divine energy begins to throb within him. Having turned his will toward the Divine will and commenced to work out his own salvation. he is soon conscious that God is working in him; the old nature with its downward drag is weakened and the new nature with its upward urge is strengthened: old things pass away, all things become new, and all things of God. Such a soul sooner or later arrives at Paul's experience, is anxious about nothing, "but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made knows to God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4 :6, 7.)
Is it not strange that men by exhaustive, patient, scientific experimentation, discover and utilize the great electric and other forces which exist, yet in the spiritual world they are slow to use the power and blessing which our Heavenly Father has placed within their reach. Science, however, cannot measure the happiness of those lines, lived close to their Saviour, where a Divine energy animates the soul. Real basic happiness is peace with God. "What drug is so potent as the spiritual refreshment that floods one's being for the asking ?"
The praying life followed to its conclusion is the rejoicing happy life.
There was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit following the prayers of that band of loyal followers in the upper room.
Prayer is not always immediately answered. It is sometimes months and years before our petitions are fulfilled.
A good man once said: "The true spirit of prayed is that wherein the Lord is prevailed with, and which draws from Him whatever the condition needs, the soul always looking up to Him in the will, time and way acceptable to him." That sentiment holds good today.
Pray without ceasing
PRAYER
Not that there be less to bear.
Not that there be more to share
But for braver heart for bearing,
But for freer heart for sharing.
Here I pray.
Not for scenes of richer beauty.
Not for paths of lighter duty;
But for clearer eyes for seeing.
Gentler hands, more patient being.
Every day.
Not that joy and peace enfold me,
Not that wealth and pleasure hold me:
But that I may dry a tear,
Speak a word of strength and cheer
On the way.
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By Albert E. Tatton, M.P.S.
San Francisco. California
A great many of those who have been privileged to receive the degrees of Freemasonry evidently fail to realize the significance of the obligation they assumed of their own free will and accord. Too often, they seem to think that having had the degrees conferred them and their names entered on the Lodge Rolls as Master Masons they have attained their goal and that nothing remains but to enjoy the fellowship of their Brethren, or to reap the benefits which they imagine will accrue to them due to their affiliation with such a time-honored institution. They either fail to fully comprehend the import of what they were told, or they intentionally ignore the lessons taught, due to unworthy motives.
It is only when we realize that the Masonic ritual is not a ceremony to be lightly passed over, but a "Way of Life" - a life to be lived, not only within the tiled walls of the Lodge Room but in all our walks of life, in our homes, in our offices, in our shops, or wherever our lot may be cast; that no man is made a Mason simply by the taking of a degree, or that he can be told, or be instructed in, the Sacred Mysteries; but that it is our duty to build and evolve the sacred teachings in our own being before we can be said to be truly initiated. True initiation, it has been said, is the result of adjustment of the evolving life to the physical, emotional, and mental planes of consciousness through which it passes.
The central theme of our beautiful and impressive ritual is that of temple building. The Temple of Solomon is used, allegorically, to represent the temple of character that each Mason as an individual is to build. As the workmen toiled in the darkness and dust of the mines, quarrying the stones and knocking from them their rough edges to fit them for the builders' use, so must we toil in the darkness and dust of our passions until we tame their lawlessness into the well-ordered kingdom of a noble life. To accomplish this purpose, as someone has well said, self-mastery is essential to success and happiness, and the wholesome influences that help to bring a man to that state when he can exercise dominion over the powers of his own life are to be encouraged.
As Speculative Masons, we are building temples of the soul not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, in which we must live, whether they be strong or weak, holy or defiled. Therefore it behooves us to see that our temples are beautiful, strong and undefiled; that they are built with the foundation stones of honesty, integrity, and truthfulness; ornamented with the gold of mercy, the cedar of charity, the pillars of strength and beauty, the carved pomegranates of generosity; and crowned with faith, hope and love.
There are three great steps in the unfoldment of the human soul before it completes the dwelling-place of the spirit. These have been called, respectively, youth, manhood, and old age, and are represented in Freemasonry by the three degrees, Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. All life passes through these three stages of human consciousness.
The true Mason will constantly strive to improve himself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Physically, because the body is the living temple of the soul. Our lower natures must be subdued by the curbing of passion and desire. We must understand and gain a mastery of the creative forces and learn their proper physical application in the unfolding of our spiritual nature; mentally, by gaining control of our emotions, learning to balance our mental and physical organisms through the application and study of the liberal arts and sciences; spiritually, by consecrating the fine senses to the study of human problems with the unfolding of the sense centers as the motive; for these five senses are keys the proper application of which will help us to spiritualize our beings.
Freemasonry is a perpetuation of the philosophical mysteries and initiations of the ancients. Its symbols are susceptible of the most profound interpretations and thus reveal to the truly initiated certain secrets concerning the spiritual realities of life. Therein is concealed the mystery of creation, the answer to the problem of existence. In the Masonic ritual are included the mystic spiritual rituals of all the mystery schools in the world.
Man, to be free, must mold his thoughts, his emotions, and his actions into faithful expressions of his highest ideals.
As human beings we are the highest expression of God's creation. Being created in His spiritual image, we are children of His consciousness and an intimate part of His own being. This idea is embodied in what is considered the first and principal Landmark in Freemasonry - a belief in a Supreme Ruler of the Universe - from which is derived the conception of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.
As Masons, therefore, we must cease believing or feeling that we are individuals, independent of all other persons or beings in the universe.
It is only through a developed sense of oneness with God and Mankind that man attunes himself rightfully to the conditions that surround him, and which will carry him onward to success, happiness, and health, if he masters the obstacles that seem to rise before him.
We have been given more faculties and more marvelous abilities to direct and control our lives than any other of the living creatures of this earth.
We have within us a creative power that is a part of the universal creative force and is a part of the creative energy which God breathed into space when the first word was spoken and order came out of chaos.
The Divine Self in Man is the only real part of his existence. By contemplating the Divine Self within, man broadened his consciousness to the extent where he senses and finally realizes that the real part of him is but a part of all the real expression in the universe, and that he is not separated from the rest of mankind and is not an individual, but an inseparable segment of the universal self or soul.
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A BOON TO THE STUDIOUS CRAFTSMAN
By LEO FISCHER, F.P.S.
Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry in two volumes, as revised by Robert I. Clegg, F.P.S., in 1929, has for many years been the most valuable work of reference for the Masonic student. However, it was written almost a century ago and the Clegg revision was by no means complete. A new edition of the famous book, or a supplement bringing it up to date, was badly needed. Now, at last, relief has come in the shape of a Third Volume, written by H. L. Haywood, F.P.S., and published by The Masonic History Company, 2831-33-35 South Parkway, Chicago 16, Illinois, of which L. B. Blackmore, M.P.S., is presidents The complete set of three volumes of the Encyclopedia may now be purchased for $18.00.
The great merit of the new volume consists in giving the reader a wealth of authentic information that has developed, and data on organizations and movements that have attained importance, in the last two decades. It sets him right on a good many false theories and erroneous beliefs that have been given extensive publicity and still survive, such as the LePlongeon theory concerning the Mayas; the fables of Atlantis, Mu, and Lemauria; theory of the descent of Masonry from the Comacine Masters, etc.
Volume III differs from I and II in that it contains none of the obsolete information that we find in the older volumes. It concentrates upon Symbolic Masonry and present conditions and usages in Masonry, which makes it especially useful to the Masonic student and reader of our day and age. Any Mason desirous of improving his knowledge of the Royal Art cannot do better than to acquire a set of the Encyclopedia and use it assidiously. The appendix of Volume III is designed to be of invaluable assistance to the Masonic reader, as it contains a "Reader's Guide," a list of Biblical References, a Masonic Dictionary, and other special features.
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Not one shingle, but many shingles make a roof. Not one tree, but many trees make a forest. Not one home, but many homes make a city. So in our financial support of the Philalethes Society - not one giver, but many givers, each doing his part to make our Society a force in doing the greatest possible good without seeking credit for it except the "well done" that comes from the highest authority.
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Men organize for a purpose. They unite to utilize their combined strength. There is something to do, and it can best be accomplished through unity and concerted action. - Masonic Tribune.
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FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT LODGE IN PARIS
By LEO FISCHER, F.P.S.
Alhambra, Calif.
Our good Brother Jean Roumilhac, M.P.S., of Marseilles, France, has given us some interesting details regarding the creation of Franklin D. Roosevelt Lodge, under the G.O. of France, in Paris, France. In 1938 a number of French Masons decided to found a new Lodge and name it after the illustrious Brother who then occupied the presidency of the United States. This choice of name was not approved by the Grand Orient, however, there being a tradition that no Lodge was to be named after a living person. The Lodge therefore was chartered under the name of "Plus Loin" (Further); but it continued to render homage to Bro. Roosevelt whose portrait adorned the Lodge room.
When Bro. Roosevelt passed to the Eternal East, the Lodge obtained authority to change its name to Franklin D. Roosevelt Lodge, and on June 15, 1945, it requested the U. S. Ambassador in Paris to advise the family of the illustrious deceased of its intention and ascertain its opinion. The reply was to the effect that the dedication was approved and the action of the Lodge was appreciated.
On January 10, 1946, the Lodge held a solemn ceremony in the Temple of the Grand Orient of France at 16 Rue Cadet, Paris, for the purpose of instituting the Lodge under its new name. All the Masons of the Paris region were invited and 420 delegates of French Lodges responded to the invitation, while Masons from the provinces and the colonies and a few foreign Masons were also present. The spacious hall was beautifully decorated with the American and French flags and a large portrait of Brother Roosevelt. 46 Masters of Lodges formed with their swords an arch of steel under which the high officials of French Masonry and the United States consul passed upon entering the hall. Ill. Bro. Francis Viaud, President of the Council of the Order of the Grand Orient of France, presided. Allocutions were pronounced by Bro. Jean Biso, orator of the Lodge, and Bro. Jules Regenstreif, founder and master of the Lodge. Bro. Desevaux conducted the orchestra and Bros. Vergez and Dutoit, of the Opera, sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" followed by the "Marseillaise."
Bro. Roumilhac believes, and rightly so, that by rendering this homage to our late President and Brother, the French Masons have contributed towards tightening the fraternal bonds between the Masons of the two countries.
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Knowledge of truth dawns slowly and we comprehend only such parts of truth as our minds and hearts have been prepared to understand. - Arthur C. Parker, F.P.S.
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No man can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself. - Selected
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By CHARLES G. REIGNER, M.P.S.
Baltimore, Maryland
What is the purpose of Masonry ? What is it trying to do in the world ? How does it seek to exemplify its principles in Masons and through Masons ? Is it a kind of antiquarian society with its eyes fixed on the glories of the past, of does it have a meaning and a message for today and tomorrow? As Masons, we shall do well to do a bit of serious thinking about these basic and fundamental questions.
In the first place, every Mason understands that belief in the existence of a Supreme Being lies at the very root of all Masonry. Such a belief is a condition of his acceptance into a Lodge of Masons. The first question he is asked in the initiatory ceremony has to do with that belief. He is not asked to define his belief. No questions are asked about his religious practices. He is simply required to give his assent to the fundamental fact in all the world . . . that there is an over-ruling Providence which guides the destinies of men.
The universality of Masonry is founded on this basic fact. Wherever there are men who acknowledge the Supreme Architect of the Universe, there too Masonry can initiate and carry on its beneficent work. Rudyard Kipling (who was a Fellow of the Philalethes Society) has written a heart-warming poem which he called "My Mother Lodge." It is built around a Masonic Lodge in far-off India, a Lodge in which many races and religions were represented. The narrator is an ordinary British soldier who drops his has and does a good deal of violence to the language, but he has the root of the matter in him. Let us look at some of the verses. First, the soldier tells about a few of the members of the Lodge:
There was Rundle, Station Master,
An' Beazley of the Rail,
An' 'Ackman, Commissariat,
An' Donkin' of the Jail,
An' Blake, Conductor Sergeant,
Our Master twice was 'e,
With 'im that kep' the Europe-shop,
Old Framjee Eduljee.
Next, we have a dramatic representation of the principle of the Level on which all Masons meet in a Masonic Lodge:
Outside . . . Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!"
Inside . . . "Brother." an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother Lodge out there.
Finally, let us read two verses in which Kipling, through the medium of this British soldier, sets out this basic tenet of Masonry . . . belief in the existence of God, no matter by what name He may be called:
An' monthly after Labor
We'd all sit down and smoke;
(We dursn't give no banquits
Lest a Brother's caste were broke).
An' man on man got talkin'
Religion an' the rest,
An' every man comparin'
Of the God 'e knew the best.
So man on man got talkin'
An' not a Brother stirred
Till mornin' waked the parrots
And that dam' brain-fever bird.
We'd say 'twas 'ighly curious,
An' we'd all ride 'ome to bed
With Mo'ammed, God, and Shiva
Changin' pickets in our 'ead.
When Masons talk about the Fatherhood of God, they are thinking about the "One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all." There are other meanings, deeper meanings, more intimate meanings, of the phrase "Fatherhood of God," but the basic meaning as the Creator and Giver of all life is one to which all Masons everywhere subscribe.
The first purpose of Masonry, therefore. is to strengthen that belief in the Fatherhood of God in the heart of every Mason. It holds up that standard everywhere . . . a standard to which the wise and the just may repair. A Mason ought, therefore, to be distinguished by an attitude of reverence to all names which are applied by all peoples everywhere to the Supreme Architect of the Universe. To use any name applied to God lightly, irreverently, blasphemously is to transgress a fundamental tenet of the Masonic profession.
The second basic purpose of Masonry is to teach the Brotherhood of Man. In the Book which lies open on every Masonic altar in our country we read: "God that made the world and all things therein . . . hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." There you have it. A man may, of course, assert that "all nations" are not "made of one blood." But whatever he says has no remote bearing on the principle which was laid down with such unmistakable clarity two thousand years ago and which is acknowledged to be true by the anthropologists of our day.
In February of this year we observed the 215th anniversary of the birth of George Washington . . . "first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen" . . . and, we might add, first in the hearts of American Masons. The story of George Washington’s lifelong attachment to the principles of Masonry is one to touch the heart. The week of February 16 to 23, in which Washington's birthday fell, was designated as "American Brotherhood Week." The President of the United States, who is a Past Grand Master of Masons in Missouri, issued a Proclamation to the American people. Here is what our President, Brother Harry S. Truman, said:
"I accept the Honorary Chairmanship of American Brotherhood Week, 1947, with the firm conviction that brotherhood is essential to the establishment and maintenance of peace. Our supreme need is brotherhood as a pattern for peace, here and across the globe.
"Our own land can make no greater contribution to this troubled world than to establish brotherhood as the rule of life among all our citizens of every religion, race, or national origin. Brotherhood - live it, believe it, support it - must be the resolve that governs our relations to one another We cannot hope to commend brotherhood abroad unless we practice it at home. Democracy rests upon brotherhood."
President Truman ended his Proclamation by calling on all Americans "to affirm anew the principles upon which the realization of brotherhood depends and to strengthen the bonds that hold us together as we face the demanding tasks to which destiny summons us."
Here is no idealist writing about some hazy hope of the future. On the contrary, the writer is a man who has to be a realist in dealing with the critical problems that confront us nationally and internationally.
"Harmony and good will," said our first Masonic President, George Washington, "is the basis of every political establishment." "Brotherhood," says today's Masonic President, "is the pattern for peace, here and across the globe." Live it, believe it, support it!
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New Members
David Altman; 1125 Bernard Avenue, Apt. 11; Montreal 8 (Quebec), Canada.
Leslie Mortimer Bailey; P. O. Box 52; Reedsport, Oregon .
Walter Kipling Belt; Newport, Oregon.
Frank Elmer Boardman; P.O. Box 557; Grants Pass, Oregon.
David Miller Christie; 46 Flynt Street, North Quincy, Massachusetts.
Maurice G. Clayton; 3332 Broadway; Huntington Park, California.
Stuart Piper Dobbs; 812 David Eccles Building; Ogden, Utah.
Louis Max Eyermann; P. O. Box 2521, Merchants Station; St. Louis 2, Missouri.
F. Ross Guerard; 21 East 31st Street; Savannah, Georgia.
James Alexander Lathim; Masonic Temple, Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Olin Pierce Lee; 516 East Fontanero Street; Colorado Springs, Colorado.
James Raymond Malott; Box 351; Globe, Arizona .
George Henderson McAllister; 839 East Second Street; Bend, Oregon.
Daniel L. Miller; 167 Eastwood Avenue; Providence 9, Rhode Island.
John Roy Miner; Route 1, Box 313; Tillamook, Orevan.
Robert H. Nisbet; South Kent, Connecticut.
Fernand Orelli; 3 rue Fondere; Marseilles, France.
Realff Ottesen; 910 Davenport Bank Building; Davenport, Iowa.
Dr. Asbjorn Pedersen Ousdal; P. O. Box 807; Santa Barbara, California.
Dr. Maarteen Lietaert Peerbolte; Sweelinckplein 70, The Hague, Holland.
David Parker Reese; 836 North Market Avenue; Canton 4, Ohio.
John Hendrick Reid; 4133 University Way; Seattle 5, Washington.
Willis E. Roe; 4720 Magoun; East Chicago, Indiana.
Dr. Joseph A. Rosenburg; 727 West 7th Street, Suite 900; Los Angeles 14, California.
Harold Guy Schneider, Sr.; 218 South Grant Avenue; Columbus 15, Ohio.
W. Stewart Sedgewick; 4 1/2 North Second Street; Newark, Ohio.
Jacques G. Slothouwer; Leidscheweg 120; Voorschoten, Holland.
Sherman Spencer Smiley; Box 565; Reedsport, Oregon .
Albert Edward Tatton; 1436 Fourteenth Avenue; San Francisco 22, California.
Ethan Allen Wells; Scottish Rite Temple; El Paso, Texas.
Fidel P. Encarnacion; Plaridel Temple; 620 San Marcelino Street; Manila, Philippine Islands.
Cassius Marion Humphreys; Box 836; La Grande, Oregon
Fred Ben Liston; 2901 East 7th Street; Long Beach 4, California.
Jesse Merritt; P. O. Box 2; Farmington (Long Island), New York.
Edward Piper; 10806 Parkhurst Drive; Cleveland 11, Ohio.
Henri Peter Projansky; 39 East Avenue; Rochester 4, New York.
James S. Whipple; Drain, Oregon.
In an attempt to bring together and make accessible for the use of all the Craft the best thought of the best minds within in, The Philalethes Society is seeking, and with success, to promote an international viewpoint and to discover the way of light and truth.
The fact that among the membership of the Society are distinguished citizens gives it a unique distinction. To this nucleus is gradually accruing an enlarging body of serious-minded men to whom the Craft is a medium for the practical expression of humanitarian impulses, of wide scope, designed for and aimed at the improvement of society in general. To the Mason who would improve his opportunity, there is always awaiting invitation to unite with us and help carry on our work.
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The first issue of "The lnformant," a regular annual publication of The Philalethes Society, is now off the press. This issue consists of 12 pages and contains information regarding the history, aims and functions of the Society; a roster of its FELLOWS and MEMBERS, with photo cuts of most of the "Fellows." Circumstances beyond our control have prevented our printing photo cuts of the "Members," but we hope to make up for this in 1948.
One thousand copies have been printed of the 1947 issue and a copy will be sent to every address on our mailing. The remainder will be used for the enlightenment of prospective candidates and subscribers.
* * *
THE PHILALETHES, May, 1947; Volume 2, Number 2. Board of Editors: Walter A. Quincke, F.P.S.; Leo Fischer, F.P.S., and Lee Edwin Wells, M.P.S. - Publication schedule: during January; February; March; May; July; September; November, and December. Annual subscription, $3.00 payable in advance to The Philalethes Society 274 South Burlington Avenue, Los Angeles 4. California. - lt is the purpose of The Philalethes Society to raise Freemasonry to a higher plane of service, and Editors Members of Masonic Magazines, here and abroad, are privileged to reprint, either in part or in full, any articles first published in "The Philalethes," providing due credit is given as to their source. "Marked" copies of such reprints will be welcomed.
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FOR A UNITED MASONRY IN A BETTER WORLD
By Edmond Gloton, M.P.S., Paris, France
Translated from the French by Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
To the profane, Masonry is a powerful society spread over the whole world. The enemies of Masonry have accused our Institution of being in the pay of English Masonry.
But, alas, we are far from being such a united power.
The newly made Mason soon learns, to his surprise, that certain Masonic Jurisdictions have raised barriers against others. tie is also told that here in our country there are several Rites which do not always live in harmony. This is a matter that sorely afflicts our young Brethren as well as the older Masons. '
Is a fraternal union of all Masonries of the world possible? What are the causes and reasons which stand in the way of the formation of one great Universal Family of Masons ?
We believe that they spring from ignorance of the conditions of life and from the difference in the religions, customs and traditions of the several countries.
On the other hand, certain Masonic powers have adopted a set of rules governing regularity; but these rules were established in an unilateral manner and without reciprocal consultation, so that the bases of regularity differ in each country.
There is, however, one charter by which all Masonic Powers of the world are governed, and that is the Constitution of Anderson. They alone define the conditions of regularity of Masons, Lodges, and Masonic Bodies. However, the original text of those Constitutions governs, and not the amended version, because the modifications introduced in them were adopted in an unilateral manner by certain Grand Lodges, without hearing or consulting any of the other existing Masonic powers. These modifications can for this reason not be considered as binding upon the Grand Lodges which were not called upon to submit their points of view. Only the original text is binding upon all Masons.
That original text must not be construed in a spirit of contention. One must seek in it that which unites rather than that which tends to divide us. That is a spirit which we have been far from showing. On the day when all Masons shall understand that it is to our common interest to seek an agreement, the Anderson's Constitutions will serve as a basis and be our common charter.
Masonry can be considered as forming two great groups: Anglo-Saxon Masonry and Latin Masonry. This division is not an arbitrary one but corresponds to two great spiritual currents resulting from the difference of the religions prevailing in the several countries concerned. In the Anglo-Saxon countries the protestant religion prevails while the Latin countries are under the influence of the Roman catholic religion.
The protestant religion is tolerant; it permits free examination and is not at war with Masonry. Many protestant pastors are Masons.
The Roman catholic religion is essentially totalitarian; it claims hegemony and combats everything that is not subordinate to it. It is opposed to any examination of its doctrine and is of necessity the enemy of everything outside of it. Masonry, which proclaims liberty in all its forms, is on that account being persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church.
The objection will be raised that during the 18th century there were catholic priests who were Masons. True, but at that time the French clergy had freed itself from the authority of the Pope, and later, when it returned under papal dominion, the priests no longer came to the Lodges. Famous encyclics were issued which excommunicated all Masons.
In the Latin countries the great majority of the inhabitants are catholics and Masonry is recruited exclusively from among the non-catholics. If a practising catholic should seek initiation, he would have to consult his spiritual adviser, who would most assuredly forbid him to present himself for initiation into Masonry, on pain of excommunion. Or he would have to conceal the fact of his being a Mason from his father confessor; belt as we require Masons to be frank in everything we could not accept him on such conditions. A Mason must be a free man, and the catholic religion, with its confession and with its narrow spirit takes away that liberty.
In the catholic countries Masons are, therefore, recruited from among men who are not catholics and are for that reason considered as atheists. But the Latin Masons cannot be considered as "stupid atheists," to use Anderson's words, merely because they are not catholic They have an ideal and a creed. They are constantly at war with the catholic clergy which has forced that war upon them, and this has given a peculiar aspect to Masonry in those countries: Our American Brethren cannot easily imagine what Masonry is in the Latin countries because it works there under conditions entirely different from those obtaining in their free country.
During the terrible years of the Nazi occupation, French Masonry managed to survive in spite of Gestapo and Vichy police. Our Brethren kept in. contact with each other; they fought for Liberty in the Resistanoe and many of them gave their lives in the defense of their ideals.
The catholic clergy took advantage of the dictatorship for activating their persecution of our Institution but were unsuccessful. Upon the Liberation, Masonry recovered its strength and vigor in spite of all the losses it had suffered.
During the war many of our American Brethren came to Europe and had an opportunity to observe the situation of Masonry themselves. We trust that these contacts have brought a better understanding which will further any movement toward Masonic unity.
We consider it quite possible that the several Masonries will finally unite. We are sure that the great majority of the Masons desire it and that only Grand Jurisdictions jealous of their prerogatives are opposed to it.
There is a solidarity among us and we cannot remain indifferent when any of our Brethren are persecuted. We must get together and establish some form of international agreement between all Masonries of the world which will make us an irresistible power in the struggle against our adversaries. We could thus constitute a great force capable of organizing peace.
The Philalethes Society, in bringing together in its folds the Masonic writers of the world without distinction of jurisdiction, is working toward the unity mentioned.
There is also the Universal League of Freemasons composed of Masons desirous of uniting in our Fraternity all the Masons of the world. It is an association of individual Masons seeking to prepare the way for a federation of all the Grand Lodges and Grand Orients. It would be splendid if branches of the Universal League of Freemasons could be formed in all countries.
The Masonic press has a very important part to play in this endeavor. It must inform the Brethren by means of articles of Masonic conditions in all countries in order that Masons may become better acquainted with each other and learn to love one another.
Masonry will grow unmeasurably in strength and beauty if the Masons of all countries unite.
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By MILFORD E. SHIELDS, M.P.S.
Durango, Colorado
When we are presented with the trowel, that perfect implement of Masonry, so that we may proceed with the work of the Sublime Degree, we are at the same time exhorted to "that noble contention, or rather emulation, of who best can work...."
As the widow's sons we are working for her, we are erecting a temple of light for humanity. We as stones in the building are individual entities, the cement which binds us into one common mass alone being of the same nature. Through this living medium, this exercise of brotherly love, are we to find the wisdom, the strength and the beauty to accomplish our destiny.
We discover that there are no designs drawn upon the trestle-board The trestle-board is the common culture and purpose of all who work upon the temple. The instruments with which the designs are traced are the implements - the vision, the warmth and the inspiration - of brotherly love.
As we draw our designs upon the trestle-board no two of them will be the same. However the cement of brotherly love will harmonize and blend them into one sublime pattern. Some of us are by nature and training physicians, some lawyers, some locomotive engineers, some farmers, and so on. We should strive to be the better physician, not to excel our competitor or our Brother, but the better to serve humanity. We should labor earnestly to be the best attendant of the soil for the same purpose. And so it should be with each and every one of us in our various stations in life. Our great concern should be the ever present cause and need of the widow.
And as we labor thus, we shall transcend all the contentions of malice and darkness. Then shall we be able to complete the temple of light, and move in the joy of that noble contention of having best served the widow; then shall we know the ecstasy of the emulation of Him who designed and completed the Perfect Work.
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By MAURICE COCK, F.P.S.
Brussels, Belgium
Translated from the French by Leo Fischer, F.P.S.
The first Masonic Lodge was founded in Belgium in 1721. The name of it was "La Parfaite Union" and it was founded by the Duke of Wharton who had received a patent from Lord Montagu, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of London.
This Lodge still exists as No. 1 on the rolls of the Grand Orient of Belgium.
Other Lodges were constituted successively in later years in various cities of the country. Belgium was then under Austrian rule and was subject to the jurisdiction of the National Grand Orient of Vienna. However, the Grand Lodge of France also had a few Lodges, especially in Brussels where it founded a Lodge in 1740.
Towards the end of the eighteenth century the emperor of Austria, Joseph II, conceived the idea of purifying Masonry (and doubtless of bringing it under his own power by considerably reducing the number of Lodges tolerated in the country. A silent war ensued from which Masonry emerged greatly weakened.
Then came the French Revolution and the conquest of Belgium by the French armies. These were gladly welcomed by the Belgians and the Lodges quickly re-organized and placed themselves under the obedience of the Grand Orient of France.
Emperor Napoleon is known to have favored and encouraged Masonry, perhaps in order to have its loyalty, instead of opposing it and having it oppose him.
Numerous military Lodges were established in Brussels, and that is how the Lodges "Les Amis Philanthropes" of Brussels which have always been admirably active sprang from a Lodge created by French military personnel in 1798.
The French jurisdiction ended with the fall of the Empire. The Belgian Lodges would have liked to have a jurisdiction of their own but had to pass under the jurisdiction of Holland. They so remained until 1830 when, by a successful revolution, the Belgians reconquered their independence, which they valiantly defended and have again reconquered with the aid of their glorious allies.
In 1832 the Grand Orient of Belgium was founded which has since then governed all the Lodges of the country.
Its Constitution provides that it does not recognize any Masonic power equal or superior to it as far as the government of the three degrees of Symbolic Masonry is concerned. However, many of the Masons of the Belgian Lodges being in possession of higher degrees; a Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite was also founded and recognized. Although it was chiefly dedicated to the higher degrees, it had, in principle, jurisdiction to govern Blue Lodges working in its rite. In order to avoid conflicts, a treaty was concluded in 1880 which clearly provides that the three degrees of Symbolic Masonry are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of Belgium while the higher degrees (that is, those from the 4th to the 32nd) are under that of the Supreme Council of Belgium.
Thus Belgian Masonry has managed to live in peace and practise the Royal Art as it should be practiced.
The war of 1914-1918 and the occupation of Belgium forced the Lodges to go into activity. However, the Germans of those days did not fight Freemasonry, and for this reason, while the Lodges refrained from doing any ritualistic work and thereby evaded the necessity of receiving Brethren of enemy nationality, the Belgian Masons did their Masonic duty nobly in practising charity in all its forms and in the most extensive domains.
The recent war brought with it another long and sanguinary occupation which affected Masonry quite differently. The Nazis and their henchmen threw themselves upon the Belgian Lodges and looted them, destroying what they could not steal. The Masons were persecuted, imprisoned, deported, or murdered. Among the hostages taken in the towns, 15%, on the average, were Masons, which is an enormous proportion considering that there is only one Mason to every one thousand inhabitants in Belgium.
The Grand Master of the Grand Orient was cruelly assassinated. The Deputy Grand Master died in prison in Germany. The Grand Commander and Lieutenant Grand Commander of the Supreme Council were also murdered. One hundred and twelve Belgian Masons thus paid with their lives for their loyalty to Masonry.
But the storm has blown over and the Belgian Lodges have again beheld the light of Liberty. Their wounds are healing and they are reborn to new vigor. Now they stretch forth their mangled hands in a truly fraternal gesture to all regular Masons of the world.
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Give sunshine to others, and others will be more than pleased to give sunshine to you. - Walter A. Quincke, F.P.S.
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The basis of all civilization is the handing down of information and knowledge from the older to the younger generation; teaching youth the way of life developed through the experience of parents and ancestors. - Walter A. Quincke. F.P.S.
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To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is power. - George MacDonald.
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Never let your zeal outrun your charity. The former is but human, the latter is divine. - Hosea Ballou.
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Patience is such a quiet virtue that few realize its deep power.
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It is not fair to judge a man by his one mistake.
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RECENT BOOKS BY MEMBERS OF "THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY"
"THE MYSTERY OF THE DARK MOUNTAINS," by Lee Edwin Wells, M.P.S. (David McKay Co., Philadelphia, 1946).
Bro. Wells, a successful writer of western stories, offers us in this 246-page volume an exciting story of adventure on river and Indian trail in the days when American and British fur companies were fighting for supremacy, 125 years ago. Tom Keene, the youthful hero of the story, has for his chum 18-year-old Jim Bridger, destined to become in later years one of the historical figures in the winning of the West. Who has not heard of Bridger's trading post in southwest Wyoming, Fort Bridger, mentioned in so many stories of seekers of gold and land bound for distant California and Oregon a century ago? The adventures of the two boys with the Ashley-Henry expedition into the Blackfoot country on the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers are thrillingly described, chiefly for the benefit of the younger generation of readers; but they are most interesting reading for the older ones as well. We are glad that, Bro. Wells has an inclination towards the historical novel and is doing research work in the history of the conquest of the west of the United States. We believe that full justice has never been done to the splendid exploits and heroic figures of that period, and we consider Bro. Wells well qualified to contribute something worthwhile to the literature on that subject which seems to be developing and finding favor. The illustrations in black and white adorning this book are the work of E. Franklin Wittmack and add to the charm of the volume.
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DIRTY FACE; COLORADO, AND OTHER POEMS, by Milford E. Shields, M.P.S., Durango, Colorado (Bruce Humphries, Inc., Boston, 1944), and BURNING WEEDS AND OTHER POEMS, by the same author and publisher, 1945:
Here we have three small volumes of poetry from the Rocky Mountains which well repay reading. Each has a charm and a philosophy of its own.
"COLORADO" is a collection of verses suggested to the author by nature, humanity, and industry in his part of the grand state of which Brother Shields is so proud. The author sees with the eyes, feels with the heart, and writes with the pen of the true poet. There are descriptive poems of subtle charm, such as "Mesa Verde Sunset," delicate bits of verse like "Vagabond Leaf" and "A Dead Bird," and in "The Smelter" the processes of industry are sung in the language of the poet. This is a little book of the kind you lay down reluctantly and pick up again and again.
"DIRTY FACE" is the book of the lovable little chap representing pictorially in the many attractive pen and ink drawings that adorn the volume. Whether he expresses his ideas regarding little toads, the noisy tomcat, or his pudgy pup, or wonders how a tree-top feels, or is engaged in pastimes such as whittling with his new knife, riding a calf, or pounding ants, the little fellow is irresistible and keeps one wondering what thoughts will occur to him next.
"BURNING WEEDS" depicts impressions of nature in her varying moods and of the scenes and characters thrown on the screen of daily life in the author's beloved Southwest of Colorado. The antics of the whirlwind, the beauties of ice, snow flakes, and mountain torrent, the four-footed denizens of the mountains: all have furnished inspiration for poems of great charm. The author gives us glimpses of the sturdy and colorful men of those mountains and canyons: of the prospector, the cowboy, the ditch rider, the homesteader, and others more. Brother Shields even dedicates a poem entitled "Altar" to the Indians, cliff-dwellers and others, who populated the mountain world centuries ago. There is tragedy in the final lines of it:
And now upon the basic stone of ground
Are all the elements of fertile mound:
The rabbit-sticks, the tools, corn's common store,
The sandals, feather-cloth, bones under floor-
The imprints and the dust these red men made
Now stand as altars into time arrayed.
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Too Busy to Read
An hour with a book would have brought to his mind
The secret that took him a whole year to find.
The facts that he learned at enormous expense
Were all on a library shelf to commence.
Alas! for our hero; too busy to read,
He was also too busy, it proved, to succeed.
We may win without energy, skill, or smile,
We may win without credit, or backing, or style,
Without patience or aptitude, purpose or wit -
We may even succeed if we are lacking in grit;
But take it from me as a mighty safe hint,
A civilized man cannot win without print.
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Philosophy is common sense in a dress suit
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The man of the hour is usually the one who made every minute count.
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Happiness and optimism are about 85 per cent physical. Keep well and worries will be eliminated just like other waste matter.
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Man needs ritual to keep his secret lights burning. There is a religious inspiration in a great church service, whether one subscribes to the exact tenets of the creed expressed or not.
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A Fraternal Message To The Masons Of The United States From President Franklin D. Roosevelt Lodge, Grand Orient of France, Paris
To the Members of our Great Universal Brotherhood in general and the "Philalethes Society" in particular.
Dear Brethren
On this tablet we engrave, for you to read, our most sincere wishes for all the members of the "Philalethes Society" and our cordial greetings to its President, Brother Walter A. Quincke.
You say that you commission Masons everywhere to help build an ideal social structure and thus to promote a bond of union between Freemasons in all the parts of the world.
We desire you to know, dear Brethren, that the French Masons of all Obediences, abused and decimated during the four years of the Occupation, have never despaired and have maintained an unshaken faith in their American Brethren. Despite all sufferings and hardships, they have like our Master Hiram striven to keep intact their integrity.
In order still further to express their gratitude to the sons of Great America, the French Masons have sought and obtained the privilege of dedicating their labors to that great president who has gone from us, that citizen of the world, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
But it seems to us that our labors will not be what they should be unless the American Masons extend to us the hand of fellowship. The support we ask of them is of a purely moral nature, and we would be happy and proud if the "Philalethes Society" would take up this our appeal and would by means of fraternal propaganda make it possible for us to obtain universal confidence and solidarity,.
Dear Brethren, tell our Brethren in the United States that the French Masons are thinking of them and are like them striving for the best interest of all men in this world who know the letter "G."
Accept, dear Brethren, the assurance of our most devoted fraternal sentiments.
For the Worshipful Lodge,
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT
(Seal of the Lodge)
(Signed) JULES REGENSTREIF
Master of the Lodge
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The above message of Wor, Brother Jules Regenstreif, Master of "President Franklin Delano Roosevelt" Lodge, Paris, on the rolls of the Grand Orient of France, as translated by Leo Fischer, F. P. S., is hereby published for general information. Editors of Craft Magazines are authorized and requested to reprint it should they desire to do so.
(Signed) WALTER A. QUINCKE, F. P. S.
President, "The Philalethes Society"
Los Angeles, California, May, 1947.