December,1950
Contents
Christmas AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT HESPERIA LODGE NO. 6948,
BENEATH THE SURFACE CORRECTION
THE SQUARE AND COMPASSES CHRISTOPHER WREN - A FAMOUS MASON OF THE PAST
CHARLES FEY, M.P.S. AFTER THE THIRD
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
NEWS
What Is Success
IN ALTADENA, at the foot of one of California's mountain ranges, is a stately avenue, flanked on both sides by tall, spreading trees. Every Christmas season the trees are brilliantly illuminated with many colored electric lights, a beautiful tribute to the Child who was born at Bethlehem. All over the world beautiful things are done to celebrate His birthday. It is a day that little children love better than any other day of the year. Children instinctively recognize the beauty and the mystical attractiveness of God's best gift to the world. Men and women are said to be "but children of a larger growth " We, too, love best of all this day with its marvelously tender and hallowed associations.
CHRISTMAS brings a quiet and soothing peace to our hearts. Somehow heaven seems nearer. Sensitive souls hear once more the songs of angels. The common things of everyday life are magnified and glorified. God has use for a cave in the hillside, for beasts of burden, for a humble manger, for simple, unspoiled shepherds and their flocks. How incredible it seems that nineteen hundred years after the Prince of Peace was born, the world was torn with bitter strife, and men made in the image of God were killing each other by the millions! May God of peace forgive us and preserve us in love to one another!
THE Christmas joy is unique. There is none other just like it, nor to be compared with it. Nothing has occurred that is cause for such pure and intense gladness as the coming of Christ into this world of ours. Christmas brings a clear and challenging message. God has entered into our life, and we are to be godlike. Since Christ has lived among as, we are to live in the beauty of holiness, in the spirit of gentleness and kindly service, in justice and righteousness, and with a love in us that touches the ends of the earth.
CHRISTMAS speaks the language of "the larger hope." Much of life is drab and monotonous and depressing. We get weary and our eyes are dimmed and "the vision splendid" fades from our view. But amid the bright and tender lights of Christmas our spirits revive as if the hand of God had touched us. We see things under heaven’s own radiance. We know that paradise is not far away. We are certain that we share the life of God, and that we shall live more and more abundantly. In the recently published "Christ in the Poetry of Today," there are lines from T.A. Daly's "A Child's Christmas Song." They have touched the heart of many and they will touch yours:
Lord, I'm just a little boy,
Hidden in the night;
Let Your angels spy me out
Long before it's light.
I would be the first to wake
And the first to raise
In this quiet home of ours
Songs of love and praise.
You shall hear me first, Lord,
Blow my Christmas horn:
Let Your angels awaken me
On Your birthday morn.
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT HESPERIA LODGE NO. 6948, E.C.
By Wor. Brother A. M. Jacobs, P.M., Corona Lodge 2731, E.C.
Member of the District Grand Board of General Purposes, after the working of the Fellow Craft Degree in Freemasons Hall, Johannesburg, South Africa, May 26, 1950.
THE VERY NAME of our Order and the designation of its members as "Masons" implies an association of some kind with building and builders. I do not propose to review the history of the Order in this brief address, but shall content myself with saying that its origin can be traced back definitely for hundreds of years to associations of highly skilled builders. It is not surprising, therefore, that in our ceremonies there are numerous references to the art of building. When the attention of the Entered Apprentice is called to the three great, though emblematical, Lights in Freemasonry, "he finds that two of them are connected with the Working Tools of the craftsman. A little later in the ceremony he is given a Word and he is told that this Word was the name of a feature in King Solomon's Temple, which was one of the most famous buildings of ancient times. The apron with which he is invested represents the apron of the stonemason; and the initial part of the impressive Charge which is addressed to him immediately afterwards expresses the injunction: "from the foundation laid this evening may you raise a superstructure perfect in its parts and honorable to the builder."
It is on these words that I propose to dwell, leaving it to the brethren to trace the further references to builders and buildings. Here is a clear indication to the Entered Apprentice that something is expected of him, a definite labor to be performed; a task to be completed by the individual, not farmed out to others. "May you raise a superstructure...." At this stage it may not be perfectly apparent to the E.A. what is meant by the "superstructure" which he is to raise. The "Charge after Initiation" which is delivered in the second half of the ceremony sheds a vivid light on the subject; but still does not reveal the whole object in view. It indicates that the solid foundation on which the Order rests is "the practice of every moral and social virtue." It recommends to our "most serious contemplation the Volume of the Sacred Law as the unerring standard of truth and justice," and stresses the duties we owe to God, to our neighbor, and to ourselves. It also particularly commends the virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice, and finally exhorts us "Without neglecting the ordinary duties of your station to endeavor to make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge."
The whole tenor of this Charge is the serious duty of building Character.
Let us quote here some golden words by the late Brother Joseph Fort Newton, an inspired interpreter of the teachings of our Order: "Every Season ought not only to honor the Bible as a Great Light of the Craft; he ought to read it, live it, love it, lay its truth to heart, and learn what it means to be a man. There is something in the old Book which, if it gets into a man, makes him both gentle and strong, faithful and free, obedient and tolerant, adding to hid knowledge, virtue, patience, temperance, self-control, brotherly love, and laity. The Bible is as high as the sky and as deep as the grave; its two great characters are God and the Soul, and the story of their eternal life together is its everlasting romance."
Elsewhere Brother Newton has written: "Our work, if It is to be of any worth, must be in harmony with the nature of things; and this is equally true when we think of the House of the Spirit not built with hands but which, none the less, we are set to build in the midst of the years. Here also we build wisely only when we build in harmony with the with the Will of God as we see and believe it. All history enforces the truth and there is a Will, holy and inexorably which in the end passes judgment on our human undertakings. Faith in God advises us, warns us, to regard the revelations of the moral, as well as the physical, Will of God; else our proudest fabric will totter to ruin."
To digress for a moment from my main theme, let me remind the brethren that, though Freemasonry has a religious background, it is not dogmatic. The fact that the Holy Word lies open during our ceremonies means that we acknowledge that man needs Divine revelation; but the Order lays down no hard and fast dogma on the subject of revelation. Hence it is that men of different religious persuasions can meet and join in our ceremonies in an atmosphere of good-will and toleration, united in essentials and realizing that the things we have in common are greater than the things that divide us.
And now let us ask: what is the object of our character building? True, its first result is the developing of worthwhile men, and happier individual lives through attaining harmony with the Divine Laws, which in spite of all the turmoil created by men must prevail at the last.
To give the complete answer I can do no better than once again to quote, this time from the work of a great Scottish Mason, the late Brother A.S. MacBride: "Why is Masonry here in this world of selfishness and strife? Wherefore has it been developed, amid war and incessant convict, along the lines of peace and love; and so marvelously moulded and developed that in every land and by every race made welcome? Has all this been done that it may live for itself alone? No, there on the Trestle Board if the plan of the Great Architect, and its mission is to work out that plan. Out of the rough hard quarries of a quarreling humanity it has to build a Temple of Brotherhood and Peace. This Temple is the Great Landmark - the highest and grandest ideal of Freemasonry. To build, strengthen, and beautify it we must bring in the aid of the arts and sciences, apply every resource that civilization and progress can give us, and exercise all the powers and gifts with which we have been endowed."
There, brethren, is the glorious structure on which we are to work, each endeavoring to make himself a competent workman, and all good Masons of all nationalities and all creeds laboring together with this ideal constantly before our eyes. There may be setbacks, there will be setbacks, but ultimately the goal will be reached.
When Nehemiah, a captive in Babylon, obtained leave from the King Artaxerxes, to leave the royal palace (he was cupbearer to the King) and to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the City he met with strong opposition, not only from his enemies but from his countrymen as well. But Nehemiah was a determined man and a firm believer in the power of the Almighty. However, he left nothing to chance. We read that "they which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. We read also: "So built we the wall . . . for the people had a mind to work."
"For the people had a mind to work" If Masonry is but a hobby, a means of killing time, an escape from a less pleasant and congenial atmosphere, the "mind to work" will be lacking, and the true rewards of fraternal association in the Craft will never appear. So let us put first things first, keep the great ideal always before us and rejoice in the knowledge that we are laboring in a great and glorious cause. - (Masonic Journal of South Africa. June. 1950.)
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Sherwood V. Vestlake, M.P.S.
Bloomfield, New Jersey
BENEATH the surface of earth are found the most valued of metals, and the costliest gems. Deep within the blue water of the ever restless ocean, are hidden the priceless pearls, for "Errors like stratus, upon the surface flow; He who would search for pearls must dive below."
All vegetation derives its sustenance from beneath the soil. All evolution proceeds from within outward. The sparkling fount of water that springs from the green oasis of the sandy desert, to sustain and nourish the weary traveler, and the tired famished beast, wells up from below, and the dry arid sand produces from its depths the life giving and invigorating properties. From beneath the ground springs the mighty river whitened by the sails of commerce of many nations, bearing on its waters the waves of many climes. Deep down in the bowels of mother earth are found the materials nor light, warmth, and the sustenance for the countless host of humanity. The beauty of a flower appeals to the senses, but the subtle perfume is derived from within.
A superficial observation of any object may please the eye, but unless we give it more than a passing glance, more than an ordinary thought, the real hidden beauty, the veritable soul of the thing remains unrecognized. For instance, a splendid painting, a beautiful piece of sculpture, or a rare work of mosaics, does not appeal to the casual observer so forcibly as it does to one who studies it, one who lingers long over every portion of its intricate and pains-taking developments, and sees in the handiwork of the artist who wrought it, something of the soul, of the idea he embodied in his creation.
A classical piece of music falls flat unless the hearer can sense the breathings of the master soul who composed it, and endowed it with the richest and highest part of himself.
Thus it is with Masonry; one must go beneath the surface to appreciate it, to know it for what it is. How often do we meet men who have been partakers at the fountain of Masonic knowledge, who have taken part in "A Play in Three Acts" but have only seen the outward semblance of the inner truth; who failed to catch the inner meaning of what had been imparted to them, and had turned aside saying to themselves, "There is nothing in it." It is to such that Masonry owes the lukewarmness that is noticeably prevalent in many Blue Lodges.
Let us pause a bit and confer with our own real selves. The old axiom, "Man know thyself!'' is a most trite one and it behooves us Masons to heed it somewhat. Do we know ourselves? Are we in full and complete touch with our inner natures, the real and true part of each one of us? Do we really and honestly get beneath the surface of what the world supposes to be to us ? We are apt to be one thing to the world, and another thing to ourselves.
If we calmly look our nature closely in the face, and allow the real soul-part of us to assert the domination there surely will emerge from beneath the surface a divinity that will lift us high above the petty cares and worries of life, and demonstrate to us that to achieve the best, we must go deep beneath our outer covering.
To the thinking Mason here occurs an opportunity to penetrate the outer crust of his brother man. Let him know this, that the surface appearance is transitory, misleading and unreal, a mask that conceals the real man. However repugnant he may appear to the eye, we must never forget that we are gazing on his counterfeit, that deep down within that man is the same essence of godliness, the same touch of the divine that unites all men into one common brotherhood, and when we condemn him for his faults (not committed by his real self, but its counterpart) we are condemning ourselves.
Men of Tyre! Here is food for much thought. First, learn to know thins own self, and then thou wilt know thy brother, who after all is but a part of you because "inasmuch as ye do it unto one, ye do it unto all."
Brothers of and aspirants for so-called higher Masonry! Have you penetrated below the surface of the truths exposed to you in the three Symbolic Degrees? In your zeal for higher love, have you fully understood the interior symbolism of the Apprentice; the philosophical teachings of a Fellow Craft; or the lesson of the two opposites, of light and darkness, life and death of the Master Mason Degree?
Pause well ere you neglect the Blue Lodge, your Masonic birthplace, the foundation which sustains the entire superstructure of Freemasonry. Delve deeply beneath the surface, and enrich yourselves with the treasure therein contained, that you may give of your store to others, and shed cheer and hope to them while traveling the rugged paths of life, for to do this is true brotherhood.
Do this while the day is with us, "for the night cometh when no man can work." These are wholesome truths and will bear putting into earnest and sincere practice. Study your fellow man, and bring to the surface that which is struggling for recognition, that divine birthright, that touch of nature that "makes the whole world kin."
Seek to render noble service to all that lives! - (January, 1948, Trestle Board, St. John's Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M., Newark, New Jersey.)
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- Brother Remick's full name is: James Kinsman Remick. On page 11, of the October-November, issue, issue of "The Philalethes " the word "John" was used erroneously in the heading and the opening sentence of his biographical sketch, instead of "James." We extend to Brother Remick our sincere apologies for this inadvertency. - The Editor.
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If every American faced the reality of what the fulfillment of the Communist objectives would mean to him, he would be inspired to work harder to protect and preserve the individual liberty and freedom which is part and parcel of our American way of life. - J. Edgar Hoover.
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By Elbert Bede, F.P.S., Portland, Oregon
Editor, Oregon Mason
FREEMASONS point to the Square and Compasses as two of their greatest Symbols, as subordinate only to the other Great Light, the Volume of the Sacred Law, therefore it seems odd that so little has been written about them. It may be even more odd that these, being peculiarly Craft Lodge Symbols, seem to get their most prominent attention in "Morals and Dogma," of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States, product of the great brain of Albert Pike, patron saint of that Rite. Even more odd it may be that Pike gives little attention to these Symbols in his references to the foundation degrees, but it may be appropriate that he leaves his exposition of them until the Thirty-Second Degrees highest of the Consistory, subordinating them, if he subordinates them at all, to the Royal Secret, an understanding of which is the ultimate goal of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.
Both the Square and Compasses are of ancient and honorable origin lost in the mists of obliterated centuries. They existed untold centuries before the birth of Freemasonry, Operative or Speculative, and even before the erection of the Great Temple which we have appropriated to our purposes and re-designed for the eternal and fundamental Lessons which our rituals inculcate. The Square and Compasses unquestionably were used by the earliest mathematicians find astronomers. No improvement in their uses ever has been possible. They were perfect when their principles were discovered. The Square is proved by the perfect circle which the Compasses trace. Appropriately the right angle of the Square (terrestrial) is only a fourth part of the circle described by the Compasses (celestial).
The Square is adapted to trying and measuring plane surfaces only, and is, therefore, appropriate to geometry, in early days applied largely to measurements of the earth which appears to be a plane, and was by earliest users of the square so supposed to be. Although the square of the operative workman is used for measurement of the earth, the Square of Freemasonry is not divided into units of measurement. Because of the purposes to which it is devoted it may not be restricted or restrained to definite measurements. A Freemason’s duties and responsibilities can not be measured in inches, feet or miles They are limitless. Neither is a Lodge limited. It extends from East to West and between North and South.
The Square is a Symbol of our Old Mother Earth from earliest times designated as the female of the universe; The earth produces in unlimited quantity everything needed for the necessities, comfort and luxury of man: food of the field, animals of the field and forest, fish of the rivers and seas, birds of the air, stone of the mountain, wood of the forest, minerals from within the earth, everything in season an quantity; also food for all living creatures which serve man. The earth, the female, is the mother of everything provided for man. Biblically we are informed that from it even we came and we know that to it we must return.
The Compasses are related to spheres and spherical surfaces. They have to do with the heavens and with all things celestial. They are the Hermetic symbol of the Creative deity. The light and heat of the sun and the moisture that seems to come from the heavens make fruitful the earth. Of the procreative and generative agents, the heavens and the sun always have been termed the male. They are the generators that fructify the earth and cause it to produce.
The Square, being the Symbol of the earth, is also the Symbol of the material, mortal, sensual and baser portion of man.
The Compasses, being the Symbol of things celestial, is also the Symbol of the spiritual, immortal, intellectual and moral portion of man.
The Square and Compasses in conjunction, as they always appear when playing the part of two of our Great Lights, with the Compasses above the Square, are symbolic of the subjugation by the spiritual of the human in man; of the conquest by moral sense and reason of human appetites and passions; of the continual struggle and warfare of the spiritual with the material and sensual. Their elevation by degrees, as the novitiate progresses in Freemasonry, is symbolic of the gradual control the spiritual attains as the novitiate is increasingly impressed by the Lessons and Truths which are presented to him.
There is no limit to the line that may be extended by the Square. There is no limit to the diameter of the circle that may be described by the Compasses. Symbolically, there is no limit to the distance a Brother may travel in his search for the Meanings and Lessons of our Symbols; there is no limit to the circle he may describe in service to his God, or to his Brother, each symbolically represented by the Point Within a Circle upon which rested the inner leg of the Compasses.
As there is no limit to the line that may be extended by the Square, so there is no limit to the extensiveness of Freemasonry. As the circle, described by the Compasses, has no ending, so there is no ending to our obligations to God and to those whom we serve.
The Volume of the Sacred Law is a Symbol of the Supreme Being whom we revere and serve. The Square and Compasses complete the triad we must have in Freemasonry. No set of symbols conceal or reveal more.
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One of the rarest possession of the Library and Museum of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, which is housed in the Masonic Temple, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia, is the Masonic apron embroidered by Madam Lafayette and presented by her husband, General Lafayette, to General George Washington. This historic apron came into possession of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1829. Another document of unusual historical significance is an original Scottish Rite certificate issued to Ossonde Verriere, a planter in St. Domigo, signed by Stephen Morin of Port au Prince, October 26, 1764.
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There is nothing wrong with a self-made man if you don’t consider the job finished too soon. - Mooney
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CHRISTOPHER WREN - A FAMOUS MASON OF THE PAST
By Clifford W. Parkin, M.P.S., North Hatley, Quebec, Canada
ENGLISH LIFE and habits are often vividly reflected by events in London, that gigantic city and the capital of an Empire. Like other metropoli, it attracts the ambitions and would-be famous. Statesmen, merchants, industrialists, craftsmen, all sorts and conditions of men gather there to discuss affairs and plan further action. It is a center, a hub for the huge wheel which constantly moves for progress. Its institutions and organizations are known the world over; the names of its chief public buildings form part of Britain's history - past and present. Its Houses of Parliament, Stock Exchange, Art Galleries and Museums are as familiar to travelers from other nations as their own institutions of similar nature. Visitors with religious tendencies find their focal points of interest in two large, sacred edifices, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral, and these are very prominent in English literature
Scenes of pomp and splendor come to mind with the mention of these massive and beautiful structures; events that cover a long period, and the impression is enhanced when we note their splendid architecture.
Referring to St. Paul's in particular, I recall a very appealing motion picture, enjoyed by large audiences some years ago, in which the author and producers revealed a most interesting story of family life in London during the three preceding decades. Near the close of this film was portrayed a scene outside the Cathedral at a time when national emotions were profoundly stirred. The huge crowd around the portal seemed to have assembled there to give vent to their feelings of Thanksgiving. A superb climax was created by the camera men in the finale, first revealing the nobly proportioned dome, followed, in the 'fade-out', with the huge cross which tops the whole. The result was inspiring and sublime, and indicated a nation's efforts symbolized by the cross of sacrifice. With a blue sky for a background, that hallowed emblem made an ever-to-be-remembered impression on the mind.
Such were some of the thoughts which came to mind when I considered writing the things which could be profitably said concerning Sir Christopher Wren, a name invariably linked with the building of St. Paul's Cathedral. If he had done nothing else, he would have attained fame by that stupendous undertaking and marvelous achievement. It was, as the happy phrase of the Philalethes Society has it, his "masterpiece."
What are the characteristics of this great architect, this skilled and inventive genius, this eminent member of the Masonic Fraternity who not only added much to the grandeur of a great city, but with it inaugurated a style of beautiful construction which others were glad to take for example?
Christopher Wren was the son of an Anglican clergyman, born Oct. 20, 1632, at East Knoyle, a small village in Wiltshire, England, about twenty miles from the ancient cathedral city of Salisbury (old "Sarum" of Roman times). The sacred edifice in itself would have been an inspiration to young Wren, reared in an ecclesiastical atmosphere. The Cathedral, dating from the thirteenth century, is a unique specimen of early English architecture and combines classical design with stability. Its spire is the highest in England, rising 400 feet above its foundation, and it is remarkable for its beauty of proportion and the conveyed impression of lightness and slenderness.
Living only about one hundred miles from London, it is natural to assume that young Wren would have gone there with his elders and seen many examples of skilled craftsmanship in building construction. Too, he would have been in an advantageous position to Visit Oxford, Glastonbury, Wells, Exeter, Winchester, and other sites of celebrated churches and abbeys. And there is no doubt that he saw some of them.
To live near or frequently view such examples of constructive elegance, which enshrine important history within their walls, has great influence in moulding the thoughts and actions of an ambitious person. Those who are alive to the spiritual value of such creations gradually evolve a greater sense of dignity, stability and recognition of the historic perspective, combined with a realization of something higher and nobler than the market or store in community buildings. No doubt such thoughts were developing steadily towards action in Wren's mind during his adolescence.
Next we read of him as being at Wadham College, Oxford, around the age of fifteen. At that time it was a comparatively new institution, founded in 1610. After three years of study, Wren took his academic degree in 1650. A similar period elapsed and he was made a Fellow of All Soul's College, Oxford, also of high repute, founded in 1437, and specializing in legal tuition. In later years he designed its west front. Wren made a great success of his studies here in chemistry, astronomy and general subjects, his specialty being geometry and applied mathematics. This proved that he was carefully training himself for the special work for which he was fitted. In passing we say that Sir Isaac Newton the great mathematician and philosopher (1642-1727), in his monumental treatise "Principia," referred very highly to the work of Christopher Wren as a geometrician. This was high praise, indeed, coming from the exponent of the famous Law of Gravitation.
Wren was appointed Professor of Astronomy at Gresbam College, London, in 1657, and served a period at Oxford University in a similar capacity. There he occupied a chair founded by a learned Englishman, Sir Henry Savile (1549-1622), a great scholar skilled in mathematics and astronomy. He instituted lectures to develop such knowledge. Wren reaped the advantage because he had access to an excellent library specially devoted to these subjects, which had also been founded by his worthy benefactor.
It was in such an atmosphere and surroundings that Christopher Wren further developed skill for the technique which was later to stand him in such good stead for the work he was destined to do. Meanwhile, he prepared himself assiduously for the task of designing structures and calculating stresses in a manner which was to surprise his generation and become a model for decades to come.
Let us now examine the records of the location in which he was to begin his life’s assignment, namely London in the middle part of the seventeenth century. At that time it was a rather squalid place with badly-paved streets and narrow alleys, judging by present standards. In the City proper there were many comparatively fine shops including some substantial houses in streets such as Piccadilly. Certain well-to-do persons had attractive establishments, as for example Clarendon, Berkeley, and Burlington houses, built around 1665. Westminster Abbey, started in 1269 but not completed until 1735, with its Great Hall, was an imposing structure, but old St. Paul’s was in a ruinous condition. So much so that King Charles and the Dean of the Cathedral decided upon drastic action to assure its restoration. The King looked for a competent architect for advice.
By this time Christopher Wren had decided that his lifes work lay in the field of architecture rather than that of scholastic teaching. Starting on his new career, his outstanding abilities became soon apparent and he attained high reputation within a short time. In consequence, King Charles selected Wren as the one most competent to report on the condition of St. Paul’s Cathedral. His report was submitted in May, 1666, with designs and recommendations. (These documents have been preserved at All Soul’s College and were intact in 1900. They probably still are, in such esteem was he held there.) However, in September, 1666, occured the Great Fire of London, which, among other intensive damage, left the walls of St. Paul’s standing but completely gutted the interior. This terrible conflagration and its results caused Parliament to decree that the use of wood, as building material, was to be superseded by brick and stone. This decision paved the way for progress of a more modern style of architecture with the acceptance of new ideas in construction. Although for a long time such a change had been advocated by far-seeing minds, to increase the stability, as well as afford better protection against fire, yet as late as 1650 the Carpenters Company, one of the influential City trade guilds, had tried to persuade the civil authorities that "tymber buildings are more commodious" than those of brick and stone. These artisans of an older generation were later to have a rude awakening.
Various attempts were made by the Dean of St. Paul’s to have the ruined Cathedral restored, but without result. The disaster had disorganized construction of works of such magnitude. Thousands of homeless persons had first to be accommodated with shelter before funds could be raised for any ecclesiastical structures. In addition to the Cathedral, more than fifty parish churches had gone up in smoke. A master plan was therefore necessary to restore adequate opportunities for public worship.
Wren and his colleagues prepared plans for the rebuilding of the burnt-out sections of the City which included, provision, for wide main thoroughfares to replace the then existing narrow and twisting streets. Many large wide-open spaces arranged after the Italian style were to be conveniently situated. Unfortunately, the citizens were too dazed by the recent disaster to consider embarking on any such schemes, which looked too idealistic. Land was of high value and competitive jealousies prevailed among the tradesmen and owners of property. Individualistic effort was thought better than concerted action, and so Wren and his colleagues received a set-back.
In the matter of replacing the parish churches, Wren was able to do better. He was consulted for designs to rebuild more than fifty of them in the city. He undertook this immense project and its subsequent completion added further lustre to his reputation. He thus became the Great Restorer of public buildings and, in doing so, introduced features which created a new era in English architecture. When we consider that all this was in addition to his work of rebuilding St. Paul’s Cathedral the magnitude of his task can be realized.
We should now take time to consider the background against which Wren was to serve the citizens of London. The newer buildings, which contrasted strongly with the heavy timbered structures of past years, were gradually assuming unusual features. A renaissance style of architecture had been introduced into Britain by Inigo Jones (ca. 1572-1651), who was an enthusiastic admirer of the Italian architect Palladio. This famous designer obtained striking effects by discriminative use of ornament and studied proportion. The term Palladian came to represent a style with similar characteristics as used by Jones. Many buildings of beautiful and classical design were erected in London and elsewhere as the result of the ambitious efforts of this brilliant man. His reign of style was followed by one which particularly interests us as it is closely associated with Christopher Wren.
Wren was about twenty when Inigo Jones died, so he would have been old enough to be much impressed with the halo of glory which surrounded the creations of that famous craftsman. Wren was then to introduce the English Augustan Age in architecture which caused him to be later recognized as the greatest of English architects. The entire period in which he lived is memorable for its achievements in arts and science but this new beauty of building frontages was particularly noticeable. The Italian-Grecian style was perpetuated on an extensive scale and characterized by the finest in taste. That this innovation made a deep impress on the national ambition for stately and artistic buildings is illustrated by the effect on builders of a much later generation. A resultant incident occured when planning to rebuild was considered following World War II (1939-45). The assembled architects were respectfully reminded by a speaker of note as to the need of care; it would be well for them to realize their heritage from the seventeenth century predecessors. Whoever rebuilds our City, said this philosopher, will be in competition with Wren and the builders of his and the following periods. That was indeed a standard to be respected .
Referring again to the Great Fire of 1666 and its effect on St. Paul’s, we read that in 1668 Wren was consulted and requested to prepare designs and plans for an entirely new Cathedral. These he submitted to King Charles who took a great interest in the restoration of what was coined to some a national shrine. He approved but Wren was greatly disappointed when the Dean and Chapter did not. They objected on the grounds of Wren's departure from the orthodox styles, such as were then in vogue for Protestant Churches. They wished him to retain the accepted medieval arrangements of chancel, nave, transepts and aisles for the accommodation of clergy, choir and congregation. Wren pressed his point for the proposed changes, but the Cathedral dignitaries were adamant. The progressive architect was displeased with the extreme conservatism shown but consented, at the King's wish, to prepare an alternative scheme. The prominent feature of this was to be a huge dome crowned by an imposing spire. The new designs were accepted as a compromise; authority was received to proceed, and work was begun in 1675.
When Wren was supervising the clearance of the debris, previous to starting the new work, a carved stone was found and brought to him. This bore the Latin inscription: "RESURGAM" - "I shall rise again." It came as a challenge to the architect who considered it a good omen for ultimate success. The prescient phrase became the slogan which gave him greater courage to proceed with his ambitious scheme. He had a companion stone carved with a phoenix rising from the ashes, which, together with the original carving, still adorns one of the portals of the Cathedral.
It soon became evident, however, that Wren keenly felt the interference which frustrated the carrying out of his first designs. He, therefore obtained the King’s permission to change his plans as he thought fit, and of this he took full advantage. In consequence, the completed structure bore little resemblance to the second set of plans, although it was acknowledged as superior in every way.
The immense dome, with its cylindrical foundation flanked by graceful columns, is a triumph in design and harmonious proportion. The exterior appearance of the building gives the beholder an impression of great height. This illusion is strengthened by the division of the facade into two tiers. Consequently, at first sight it looks as high as the basilica of St. Peter's in Rome, whereas actually it is much less.
On its completion it was fully realized that Wren had achieved his magnum opus, attaining fame which was to endure. He was an artistic designer by nature and was not only a practical architect but a scientific engineer. The immense project of St. Paul's Cathedral presents an excellent example of constructive ingenuity and all-round ability. Wren overcame not only difficulties of a physical nature with resolution and skill, but he also had to surmount the prejudices of many of the clergy and leading citizens of London. Notwithstanding these handicaps he persevered and won, creating the best by giving of his best.
Thirty-five years were taken to complete the task of building a new Cathedral, although portions were opened for worship as the work proceeded. Because of frailty of old age, Wren was unable to be present at the final ceremony of re-dedication, but he sent his son, in 1710, to set the last stone in its true position.
The more than fifty parish churches which Wren undertook to re-establish required over forty years to complete. Regarding these he was free from restriction as to procedure. Rising from the city streets, medieval in their meanderings, their individual characteristics are striking. Their beautiful spires seem to reflect the qualities of London’s citizens of that period in their gracefulness, combined with boldness and suggestion as to the spirit of adventure. Dignity and stability are represented by their solid walls. There is no idea of "mass production" conveyed by the appearance of these new churches. Indeed, nothing is more noticeable than the variety of methods by which he raised his pinnacles above the surrounding buildings. Even in these times, when office structures rise high above street level, these beautiful towers and spires stand out prominently; not one a copy from the other; the architect's taste and skill is evident.
Writers, over a long period, have testified to the beauty of all these edifices, to wit: John Evelyn, the famous diarist (1620-1706), made an entry thus: "l went to St. Clement's, that pretty and well-contrived church in the Strand...." Karl Baedeker, producer of an authoritative series of guide books for discriminative tourists throughout the world, drew the special attention of travelers to the beautiful architecture of Wren's London churches. Of these he considered St. Mary-le-Bow one of the best. E.V. Lucas, a more modern writer says in his "A Wanderer in London": "When the sun is shining and the clouds are scudding over a bright sky, Wren's spires can resect as many moods as a beautiful and intelligent woman.... St. Paul's is so vast, so isolated, in comparison with his other churches; the dome is fine; it broods serenely over the great city; it is the artistic culmination of the metropolis.... One is amazed more and more as we see Wren's numerous creations in stone."
The ability of such a constructor of places of worship was also well recognized in his lifetime on this side of the Atlantic. At the William and Mary College, at Williamsburg, Virginia, the Main Hall is attributed to Sir Christopher Wren's genius. The charter of that venerable institution was granted by the English King and Queen of these names in 1693. Further, a church at New Haven, Connecticut, claims that its design was the work of the same architect. Large numbers of graceful spires, rising from sacred edifices throughout the New England States are undoubtedly replicas of Wren’s churches in the heart of London. Ambitious architects of the New World were no doubt anxious that the indicators of their places of worship should be things of grace and beauty as they pointed to the sky.
In England, apart from ecclesiastical buildings, Wren was responsible for the famous Temple Bar in the Strand, illustrated on page 8, which marks the entrance to the City of London proper as distinct from the metropolitan area.
His other notable edifices include: Greenwich Palace, down the river Thames, rebuilt by order of Charles II, subsequently used as a seamen’s hospital; Hampton Court Palace, on the upper portion of the Thames, later considerably enlarged at the request of William of Orange, father of King William III; and Trinity College, at Cambridge. These buildings are all of regal appearance. Wren’s facade of the Royal Exchange, London, suggests a dignified financial stability.
Such are the detail of Wren’s education and his work. We can now consider what type of man was he who thus made such a deep impress on a nation’s history, also add to the standard of a profession already highly esteemed. The painting in the National Portrait Gallery in London shows him with the very redundant wig which it was fashionable to wear at that period. His ornamented velvet coat with deep cuffs, also his flowing silk scarf, pictures him at the height of his career. On the table is a set of plans, and his right hand holds the compasses of the draughtsman. A well-built figure, with noble forehead, keen eyes, a nose showing determination and purpose, and long, slender fingers denoting the artist. Quite the type of person we should expect. His biographers speak highly of him. As Freemasons we can agree that he conforms to our ideals in every way.
As a humble disciple of the Great Architect of The Universe, particularly as the son of an Anglican clergyman, Christopher Wren would have developed an interest in the Guilds of Stone Masons who were responsible for the craftsmanship of the cathedrals and abbeys which he visited.
Around the middle of the seventeenth century, certain eminent gentlemen (who were designated "amateur masons’) were accepted as members of these Guilds. As a result of the renaissance in architecture there had been a decrease in enthusiasm for the Gothic style with which Freemasonry had been intimately associated for so long. However, Iniga Jones, who instituted the new era previously referred to, was a patron of the operative masons in London from 1607 to 1618, and during that period he invited several Italian artist-residents in the City to join that body.
In 1642 came the Civil War which disrupted social and professional life. A Commonwealth was established under Oliver Cromwell, which replaced the monarchy until 1669. As a youth. Wren had met two influential men who were much interested in science and art, namely Dr. Wilkins and Bishop Sprat. Some time previous to 1660, Wren had consulted these men of letters with a view of forming a national society for the advancement of these branches of knowledge, particularly geometry and physical science. Dr. Wilkins was appointed chairman of a preliminary organization formed in November, 1660, which led to the formation of the Royal Society of London. At its inaugural meeting held at Gresham College, London, in 1662, fifty-five members were enrolled, including King Charles II, several titled persons, professors of science and prominent physicians. Following this, the Society was incorporated. These facts are given in recognition of a Society which gave, at a later date, great impetus to the revival of Speculative Freemasonry.
A General Assembly of Guild operative masons was held in London in 1663, when the old catechisms were revised and a series of new statutes passed. Although the point has been questioned by some commentators, it is my opinion that we can accept without question the statement that Christopher Wren was a Freemason. Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Free Masonry quotes a lecture at Saint Andrew’s Hall, Hollborn, London, in 1867, by the Rev. J.W. Laughlin, who definitely stated that Wren was for eighteen years a member of the old Lodge of St. Paul’s which met at the Goose & Gridiron Tavern, near the famous Cathedral. That lodge subsequently became the Lodge of Antiquity and was one of the four old London lodges which, in 1717, concurred in the formation of the Grand Lodge of England. The records of the Lodge of Antiquity allow that the maul and trowel used at the laying of the foundation stone of St. Paul’s Cathedral were presented by Wren, together with a pair of carved mahogany candle-sticks.
Mr. C.W. King, who was not a Freemason, in his book, "The Gnostics," referred to the London Guild of Masons holding their meetings under the presidency of Christopher Wren during the Commonwealth.
Anderson also mentions Wren’s connection with the Craft and quotes him as holding high rank. John Noorthouck, editor of the fifth edition of the Book of Constitution, published in 1784, refers to Wren as a Grand Master (page 204). While the title has been questioned, as not existing prior to the creation of the Grand Lodge in 1717, yet it gives credence to the fact that Wren was not only a Freemason but that he was elected to high rank by his brethren. London newspapers of March, 1723, reporting his funeral, referred to him as that worthy Freemason.
Professionally, Wren was held in great esteem. He was appointed Assistant Surveyor-General to the Government in 1661 and succeeded his chief, Sir John Denham, at his death in 1667 when Wren was also named Chief Architect. These positions he held for nearly fifty years. In recognition of his work in rebuilding the central part of London, after the Great Fire, he was knighted by King Charles in 1673, his labors having been accepted as an important contribution to the national welfare. His other honors were extensive and included election by members of the Royal Society as their President in 1681. From 1685 to 1700, he represented three English boroughs in Parliament.
Christopher Wren, in 1674, married a daughter of Sir John Coghill and it was a son by this marriage who recorded many interesting details of his father’s career. These are contained in his book. "Parentalia," being memoirs of the Wren family. After the death of his first wife, he married a daughter of Viscount Fitz-William, an Irish peer, who was a generous benefactor to Cambridge University. Wren passed the remainder of his life in serene retirement until his death at Hampton Court, on February 25, 1723, in his ninety-first year. A Wren Society still exists in London to perpetuate his memory.
As the designing and rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral was the high-light of his professional life, it was only fitting that its shelter, the burial place of many famous Englishmen, should be chosen to receive the remains of its creator. There he now rests under the great choir. Over the inner north door is a tablet with a most significant epitaph: "Si Monumentum requiras, circumspice," which means: "If a monument is required, look around. Above the south portico can be seen the stone, previously mentioned, with the figure of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Under it is the inscription of the original stone: "RESURGAM" - "I shall rise again" - most appropriate for a Freemason!
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Charles Fey, the eldest of five children, was born November 2, 1884, at old number 292, 18th Street, Detroit, Michigan, to Jacob and Catherine (Wagner) Fay, who emigrated from Germany. The other children are Herman, Catherine (Mrs. Westphal), Harry, and Albert. Albert died in infancy.
Our Brother attended the Webster School, at Twenty-first and Porter Streets, until 1893, when he removed with his parents to Springwells township on what was then known as Peter Cooper Street. When this section was annexed to Detroit, the street was renamed Solvay Avenue. Here he attended the Garfield Schools located on Waterman Avenue. This school is now known as the Frank H. Beard School, from which he graduated in June, 1899. In 1900 he graduated from the Gutchess Business College in Stenography and Business Courses. In 1907 he studied mechanical drawing with the American School, and in 1926 with the LaSalle Extension University in Business Management.
After holding several minor positions he entered the employ of the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, August 10, 1906, and at the present writing he is still in their employ.
On November 17, 1910, he married Evelyn Marilla Powell, daughter of Henry North and Marilla Powell, of Adrian, Michigan. They resided in Detroit until 1916 when they removed to Royal Oak, Michigan, where Mrs. Fey passed on in 1931. On June 4, 1932, he married Mrs. Alice Brown, widow of Alexander K. Brown, taking up their residence at 937 East Grand Boulevard. December 20, 1941, they moved to their new home at 27821 Red River Boulevard, Lathrup Townsite, Southfield Township, Oakland County.
Charles Fey was initiated an Entered Apprentice on February 13, 1923, in Royal Oak Lodge No. 464, F.&A.M., Royal Oak, Michigan; passed to a Fellowcraft on February 27, 1923, and was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason March 20, 1923. He was elected Steward in December, 1927, advanced each year and served as Worshipful Master in 1932. He was Treasurer of the Lodge for the years 1933-34-35 and 1936.
In February, 1928, he was appointed chairman of the Royal Oak Masonic Service Commission. Became chairman for Oakland County on the Grand Lodge Masonic Service Commission, 1929-30. He and James G. Matthews formulated the famous Royal Oak Plan of Masonic Education which was favorably mentioned in the Grand Lodge Proceedings for 1930. At its organization meeting September 26,1934, he was elected Secretary of the Masonic Service Association of Oakland County and has served continuously since then.
Brother Fey holds Honorary memberships in Rochester Lodge No. 6; Birmingham Lodge No. 44; Austin Lodge No. 48; Berkley Lodge No. 536, all in Michigan, and Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, Corresponding Circle, London, England.
He has filled the following appointments: Committee member to revise the Masonic Burial Instructions, which were adopted by the Grand Lodge in May, 1934. Personal representative of Grand Master Frank S. Gould, in 1934, over eight Oakland County Lodges. Chairman of the Fraternal Fact Finding Committee of Grand Lodge, for 1938-39; Youth and Americanization Committee of Grand Lodge, 1939-40. Representative of the Grand Lodge of Denmark near the Grand Lodge of Michigan, in 1939. Committee member on Library and Publicity of the Grand Lodge, in 1941. On the Board of Control of the Michigan Masonic Home at Alma, for a term of five years in 1941, having been reappointed for another term of five years in 1946. District Deputy Instructor, 1940-47. On the Committee to incorporate the Michigan Masonic Home, in 1944. Committee member to revise the Grand Lodge Ritual and Monitor, 1944-48. Charter member and trustee of the Townsite Community Congregational Church. In May, 1949, in collaboration with Brother J. Fairbairn Smith, F.P.S., on the committee to write the history of Grand Lodge, which will include the established inception of the Craft in Michigan to the present time.
By a special dispensation of Grand High Priest J. Fairbairn Smith, F.P.S., Brother Fey was balloted on and received all the Royal Arch Chapter Degrees during the month of November, 1945, in Royal Oak Chapter No. 167, thus making it possible for him to be appointed to the Centennial Committee of the Grand Chapter in the same month. It is largely through his research in the old records that it was possible to complete a history in collaboration with Brother Smith, P.G.H.P., of the Grand Chapter, R.A M., including biographies of the charter members of the three Chapters that formed the Grand Chapter, in 1848.
Brother Fey became interested in the history of Masonry in 1929 and since that time has written many articles of interest to the Craft. His most extensive History of Freemasons in Oakland Country Michigan, just published, consisting of over 275 pages with more than 300 biographies of early members, was started in a small way in 1939, and as time went on many additions and alterations were made as his research has shown that the then existing information regarding the early Masonic Lodges in the State of Michigan was incorrect.
Brother Charles Fey was elected to membership in The Philalethes Society on May 5, 1948, upon the recommendation of Brother J. Fairbairn Smith, F.P.S., and we are pleased to publish his portrait on this issue of Philalethes.
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By Gabriel Ruscitti, M.P.S.
Berkeley, California
STARTING the newly-made Master Mason in the right direction should be the responsibility of the officers of every Symbolic or Blue Lodge. Bestowing the three degrees, alone, is not enough. Much more must be given him if he is to become a credit to the Fraternity and a better man as a consequence. His first venture in a Masonic environment as a Master Mason is impressionable. Like a child, he is seeing and hearing things for the first time. These impressions are deep and lasting and will affect his future mental attitude toward the Fraternity in general, and the Lodge, in which he holds membership, in particular. They determine whether his enthusiasm will continue or whether it will die. Obviously then, it becomes the indispensable duty of the Blue lodge officers and members to continue with the newly-made brother's Masonic indoctrination with the same zeal and warmth manifested while he was going through the process of the three Degrees.
What is done with him and for him after he has been made a brother is most important. The degrees over with, he is now in the position to observe and think. The Lodge ought to be cognizant of this change and it cannot afford to ignore this fact. Prior to this time the newly-made brother has been through an emotional strain brought on by the mysterious and exciting process of his induction into the Fraternity. He has been the focal participant of all that has transpired. A strange, fascinating and stirring adventure in a new world, so to speak. But now, all is past and he sits in Lodge calmly watching and listening, waiting and expectant. This, then, most certainly is not the time for disillusionment and disappointment.
If the spiritual philosophy so inextricably interwoven in the pattern that is Freemasonry is apparent by the exemplary conduct of the Lodge; if each member is obviously striving to become the dignified Being our Creator desires and Freemasonry advocates, the newly-made brother's impressions are as they should be. On the other hand if this is not so, the Blue Lodge has failed miserably in one of its most important functions.
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NEW MEMBERS
Louis F. Biehl; Norristown, Pennsylvania. (Recommended by John A. Mirt, M.P.S.)
Everett A. Martin; Norfolk, Virginia. (Recommended by W. Moseley Brown, F.P.S.)
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The Philalethes - December, 1950; Volume 5, Number 8. - Walter A. Quincke, F.P.S., Editor. The official publication of The Philalethes Society, 274 South Burlington Avenue, Los Angeles 4, California, where all communications should be directed. Publication schedule: Eight (8) issues per year or volume: January; February; March; May (April-May); July (June-July); September (August-September); November (October-November), and December. - No advertising in any form solicited or accepted. - When requesting a change of address, give the old as well as the new addresses, including your postal zone number, if you have such. Annual subscription, in the U.S.A., $3.00; elsewhere, $4.00, payable in advance at par in Los Angeles. - The columns of "The Philalethes" are reserved for the literary contributions of tile Fellows and Members of the Society, and the material is selected for its quality and timeliness rather than upon name. All published articles. however, express the ideas and opinions of their contributors only, and in no way need they be the opinion of the Society. Member-Editors of Craft magazines are privileged to reprint any articles first published in "The Philalethes," with the exception of "Masterpieces," which are the exclusive property of The Philalethes Society.
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The duty of a Mason is to endeavor to make a man think better of his neighbor; to quiet, instead of aggravate, difficulties; to bring together those who are severed or estranged; to keep friends from becoming foes, and to persuade foes to become friends. To do this, he must needs control his own passions. For anger is a professed enemy to counsel - it turns friendship into hatred. - Albert Pike in "Morals and Dogma."
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The only person we know who makes a success in running people down is the elevator boy - Exchange.
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Volumes have been written on the subject and much that has been said is just pure "bunk." Success as we all know often comes from a combination of luck and circumstance. Sometimes it is the result of hard work alone but not always or even often.
We all know men in business and in the professions who are successful as the term goes and are at the some time as lazy as the proverbial sloth. They simply have the faculty of getting ahead without any apparent effort on their part. We know other men who are diligent in business and have brains and energy and yet never get very far.
For anyone to attempt to set down established rules for achieving success is a silly presumption and an insult to average intelligence. In the first place it is essential to know just what constitutes success. If measured only in terms of dollars and cents then we are considering the wealthy man successful and the poor man a failure.
If this were true we should have to count among our failures some of the most outstanding figures of history. Great artists scholars scientists and poets whose works have survived the ages would if measured by this scale be set down as unsuccessful men. A preacher who set souls on fire with his eloquence a lawyer who was a towering giant in his profession a righteous judge of much learning and ability - would these then be counted failures?
We say of a man who possesses worldly goods in plenty fine houses many servants motor cars stocks and bonds: "There is a successful man."
What of the humble underpaid college professor toiling day by day in class rooms moulding the minds of growing youth? What of him? May he not in fact be a far greater success than the man of wealth and power? And the humble toiler in industry or the small shop keeper who each through diligence thrift and careful planning bring up and educate their children to become good citizens?
Success then is merely a comparative term with little real meaning.
Remember too that the love and esteem of your family and business associates and friends measure up far greater in the Almighty's scale than any mere material success.