The Philalethes

WHAT IS NEEDED now, more than anything else, is ORIGINAL material, with verified data, facts, dates and conclusions that may be presented for publication by our Fellows and Members.

So many Masonic topics of research lend themselves to discussion and study, that it is hard to do other than suggest to our contributors that they select those subjects with which they are familiar, get all the facts thereon, and bring original and authentic facts to light that will be of interest and value to our readers.

Among the items of Masonic interest in which special investigation can be carried on is that relative to THE VIGlLANTES. This organization, product of the Old West, was the law-enforcement agency in places of lawlessness. Most of the Vigilantes were known to be Masons. Individual Masons sponsored and activated the Vigilantes.

In localities where the Vigilantes formerly worked, are to be found records, histories and relics of this now-extinct organization. Who were these men? What was their mode of operation? What part did they play in their respective communities in Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and California?

To answer these questions the suggestion is given that some of our Fellows and Members in these places take upon themselves to look into the old records and find these facts. A series of articles, one from each of the places mentioned, could result in some interesting and informative facts.

The Editor is setting aside a page - more if necessary - in the next issue of the PHILALETHES for such research material and data as may be sent in by our Fellows and Members on THE VIGILANTES. Will you not, Brethren, set yourselves to the task of making this interesting investigation?

One of the pleasures in investigations of this sort, is that LOCAL history, old settlers, prominent residents and the strictly-domestic aspects of research on a given topic, when combined with similar data and research on the part of others in widely-separated sections of the country, will give an overall and complete picture of the facts and coloring of the subject that will make interesting reading.

It is the ability to assume a task, complete it with dispatch and accuracy, that will make our Society a source of knowledge and information that will prove most satisfactory and interesting. But - WE NEED THE HELP OF EVERY FELLOW AND MEMBER, to make this result possible. May we count on YOU?

----o----

A Word of Explanation

THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY ...

Is AN International Society for Freemasons who seek more light and Freemasons who have light to impart.

ITS NAME .. . PHILALETHES .. .

Is DERIVED from two Greek words "PHILA" and "ALETHIS" meaning "Lovers of Truth."

ITS ORIGIN . . .

THE PHILALETHES was founded October 1, 1928 by a group of Masonic scholars for the purpose of corresponding with one another for mutual benefit. It grew larger year by year and expanded its activity. In 1946 the Society began the publication of THE PHILALETHES, a magazine devoted to the literary works and discussions of the Fellows and Members of the Society.

ITS MEMBERSHIP . . .

HAS HAD, and continues to have, within its fold, some of the outstanding Masonic scholars of the world. In this list we find: Rudyard Kipling, Lionel Vibert, Robert C. Wright, Albert E. Waite, Charles C. Hunt, Carl H. Claudy, H. L. Haywood, Robert J. Meekren, J. Hugo Tatsch, Ray V. Denslow, Charles C. Reigner, Roscoe Pound, J. Fairbairn Smith, Harold V. B. Voorhis and many others. There are four classes of membership at this time:

1. FELLOWS: Members of the Society who have been awarded this title for their outstanding scholastic service to the Craft.

2. MEMBERS: Masons who are students of Masonry.

3. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: Members - Non-Masons, who are interested in Masonic research, and who desire to receive the material published.

CORRESPONDENCE CIRCLE: Organizations, such as Lodges and other bodies which desire to receive the published material of the Society .

ITS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS . . .

INCLUDE RECEIPT of the publications of the Society, which have published the best Craft material available. There are no advertisements in these publications.

AN OPPORTUNITY to correspond with Masonic students and exchange ideas with Masonic scholars throughout the world.

A MEDIUM in which to publish Masonic studies, if found worthy.

ITS REQUIREMENTS ARE . . .

FILING AN application, with proper recommendation of a Fellow or Member. For further information write ARTHUR H. TRIGGS, 2117 Funston Place, Oakland, California, chairman of the Membership Committee.

THE JOINING FEE IS $3.00 - ANNUAL DUES ARE $5.00.

MAIL YOUR APPLICATION AND CHECK TO -

LAWTON E. MEYER, Executive Secretary

P. O. Box 402,

St. Louis, Missouri.

Representatives Are Appointed

YOUR OFFICERS have thought it advisable to have a local Representative in each state and in each country. These men are appointed for the purpose of serving you. If you have any information which you desire relating to a particular locality, you are urged to write to them. Should they not have the information they will be able to tell you how you can secure it.

As of the time of going to press the following Fellows and Members had been appointed and accepted the position of Representative. If you are desirous of representing the Society in your locality, please write to any one of the officers of the Society.

Arizona James R. Malott

Box 351, Globe.

Arkansas Dr. Francis J. Scully

Medical Arts Bldg., Hot Springs.

Colorado Edward E. Hedblom

1770 Sherman Ave., Denver 5.

Connecticut Robert H. Nisbet

South Kent.

Dist. of Columbia Carl H. Claudy

700 - 10th St., N.W.,

Washington, D. C.

Georgia William B. Shwartz

P. O. Box 1123, Atlanta.

Illinois Ralph S. Davis

315 Wisconsin Ave., Oak Park.

Indiana James Scofield

722 Conkey Street, Hammond.

Iowa Realff Ottesen

910 Davenport Bank Bldg.,

Davenport.

Kansas Floran A. Rodgers

P.O. Box 707, Wichita 1.

Kentucky Wylie B. Wendt

2346 Emerson Ave., Louisville.

Massachusetts Frank N. Wilson

27 Beverley St., Melrose 76.

Michigan James Fairbairn Smith

New Masonic Temple, Detroit

Montana Frank E. Van Demark

Cut Bank

New Jersey Norman I. Morris

330 Mt. Prospect Ave., Newark 4.

New York Dr. Arthur C. Parker

Naples .

Ohio G. A. McComb

3616 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland.

Oklahoma Dr. John C. Hubbard

1501 N. E. 11th St., Oklahoma City.

TURN TO PAGE 9

----o----

The Poetry In Freemasonry

By CHARLES GOTTSHALL REIGNER

LITT.D., LL.D., 33d, F.P.S.

THERE IS A maxim in the Proverbs of Solomon which expresses - in its distilled wisdom - the essence of what we are to think about together: "Where there is no vision the people perish." How that sentence is weighted with the spirit of the meditative, contemplative East! Here in the Western world we are so busy about many things that all too seldom do we lift our thoughts above the pedestrian way. Yet without vision, life becomes empty and meaningless.

We all have the power of vision. "Why," as Wordsworth asks, "should we undo it?" The imponderables, the intangibles, the physically unfelt, unseen, and unheard - these are the factors that lend color and vitality and meaning and significance to this experience that we call life.

========================================================

ROBERT BURNS

Freemason

Born - Kirk Alloway, near Ayr, Scotland, January 25, 1759.

Initiated, St. David's Lodge No. 174, Tarbolton, July 4, 1781, after union of St. David's Lodge with St. James Lodge.

Passed and Raised - October 1781, after division of above Lodges - he remained with St. David's Lodge No. 174.

Made Honorary member - St. John's Lodge, Kilmarnock, October 26, 1786, the first Lodge to make him Poet Laureate.

Made Poet Laureate - with pomp and Ceremony 1787.

Became member of Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No. 2, 1787, which had the most ancient Lodge room in the world.

Was Deputy Master of Lodge St. David, 1784.

Became Royal Arch Mason, about 1787.

Died July 21, 1796.

========================================================

The drab and dusty roast we tread,

Hearts oft oppressed and filled with dread;

Enwrapped in self, our downcast eyes

Catch not the vision of the wise.

'Tis not by bread that man shall live,

We get from life but what we give.

Beyond the things we hear and see

Lie thoughts that make the spirit free

We all live in two realms - the realm of the physical and the realm of the emotional. In the physical world we are concerned with what can be seen and felt and heard and touched. It is a truism to say that the present is an era in which the physical aspects of life are in the ascendancy. The whole trend of our modern scientific age emphasizes the externals.

In this physical realm we can measure and weigh; we can give comprehensive definitions which include, and exclude what we do not want to include. The emotional realm, however, differs from the physical realm in kind - not simply in degree. What we feel with our hands we can measure and weigh and assess and define; what we feel in our hearts cannot be measured and weighed and assessed and defined. Depending on the degree of our articulateness, we can describe emotional states. But even then words get in our way, so that I think it is safe to say that no emotional experience can be conveyed to another in all its ramifications and implications in such a way as to create in that other the precise emotional experience which the speaker or writer seeks to convey.

My subject is "The Poetry in Freemasonry." Note the phraseology - "in Freemasonry." If we were talking about "The Poetry of Freemasonry," we would be thinking primarily about what Masons have felt about Freemasonry which they have endeavored to express in rhythmic writing. Here, however, we are concerned with the spirit, the essence, the true inwardness of the great teachings of Freemasonry .

I would be a brave man indeed to attempt to define poetry. For our purpose here, however, we may take Wordsworth's famous definition: Poetry is "emotion recollected in tranquillity." All true poetry has its origin in emotion. The truer the emotion, other things being equal, the truer will be its poetic expression. Second, it is emotion recollected - recalled - not written down at the moment when the emotional experience or the imaginative flush pervades the heart and mind. Poetry calls for perspective. Third, it is emotion recollected in tranquillity. The recollection of the emotion is done under circumstances of quietness and composure - intellectual composure. Any attempt to express the poetry in Freemasonry calls for contemplation. The thoughtful man makes time for contemplation: nowhere in the stresses and strains of life will he find time.

"To every Mason who knows his art," writes Brother Joseph Fort Newton, "life is an Allegory, and the degrees and symbols of Masonry are comments on it, interpreting its meaning and expounding its duties and its hopes." "By the same token," he continues, "a literal-minded man can never know the real meaning of Masonry any more than he can read the Bible aright, since both speak in metaphors and parables for such as have eyes to see and ears to hear. That is to say, Masonry is a kind of moral poetry - a practical mysticism, as some of us call it - uniting the basic truths of faith with the tasks and duties of every day, seeking to build men and make them workmen in the service of fraternal righteousness."

It is obvious to every thoughtful Mason that the very language of the ritual of Masonry is shot through and through with the spirit of poetry and high drama. As a single illustration, let us take the passage about the uncertainty of life - a passage which you have repeated and heard repeated over and over again. That whole passage - its spirit and in large part its language - has been taken over bodily from the poet and dramatist who, in his wide-ranging genius, stands head and shoulders above all others who have endeavored, in poetry or prose, to portray the many-sided allegory of life. If you will turn to Scene II, Act III of King Henry Vlll, you will find these words which Shakespeare puts into the mouth of Wolsey.

This is the state of man: Today he puts forth

The tender leaves of hope; tomorrow blossoms

And bears his blushing honors thick upon him;

The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,

And when he thinks, good easy man, full surely

His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,

And then he falls.

How and when and where did Shakespeare get into the ritual of Freemasonry? No man can tell. All that we could say has already been beautifully and movingly said by Brother Newton: "Masonry is too great an institution to have been made in a day - much less by a few men; it was a slow evolution through long time, unfolding its beauty as it grew. Indeed, it is like one of its own cathedrals upon which one generation of builders wrought and vanished, and another followed, until, amidst vicissitudes of time and change, of decline and revival, the order itself became the temple of Freedom and Fraternity."

The fundamental landmark in Freemasonry is belief in the existence of the Supreme Being. Unless a man is willing to confess that it is God in whom he puts his trust, he can have no part in our Art. He is not asked to define his faith; much less is he asked to subscribe to any dogmas. "Masonry is not a religion," as Albert Pike has rightly said. "But Masonry teaches and has preserved in their purity," he continues, "the cardinal tenets of the old primitive faiths, which underlie and are the foundation of all religions. Masonry is the universal morality."

The Fact of God is therefore the controlling element in every Masonic Lodge. High above all else stands the constant reminder of the Supreme Architect of the Universe. "No human brotherhood that has not its foundation in a Divine Fatherhood," to use the words of Brother Newton, "can long endure. It is a rope of sand, weak as water, and its fine sentiment quickly evaporates. Life leads, if we follow its meanings and move in the drift of its deeper conclusions, to one God as the ground of the world, and upon that ground Masonry lays its cornerstone. Therefore, it endures, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

In recent months I have been reading again that great panorama, War and Peace, by Count Leo Tolstoi. Those of you who have followed the vast sweep of this most compelling of all modern stories need hardly be reminded of the scene in which one of the characters - a sensual, dissolute young Count - meets an old man, a stranger. The old man upbraids the sensualist for his evil ways. The young Count's eye falls on a ring on the old man's finger - a ring which bore the emblem of Freemasonry. "Are you not a Mason?" asks the young Count. "Yes," replied the old man, "and in His name I extend to you the hand of a brother man - in the name of God the Father."

"I ought to tell you that I don't believe in God," said the Count. Spoke the old man, "You do not know Him, sir. You do not know Him; that is why you are unhappy. But He is here, He is within me, He is in thee, and even in those scoffing words you have just uttered. If He is not, we should not be speaking of Him, sir. Whom dost thou deny? How came there within thee the conception that there is such an incomprehensible Being?"

Then the novelist tells us how the young man's eyes betrayed his longing to know God. "He exists," continues the old man, "but to know Him is hard. It is not attained by reason, but by life. The highest truth is like the purest dew. Can I hold in an impure vessel that pure dew and judge of its purity? Only by inner purification can we know Him."

Of all the English-speaking poets who have touched our hearts and enriched our lives there is hardly one who spoke for the common man as Robert Burns spoke and wrote. It was as one of the Sons of Light that he wrote-

For a' that and a' that

It's coming yet for a that,

That man to man, the world o'er

Shall brothers be for a' that.

You are perhaps acquainted with a book published in Edinburgh in 1846, entitled, "A Winter with Robert Burns; Annals of his Patrons and Associates during the year 1786-1787." In it I find quoted a letter which Burns wrote on 14th December, 1786, which I want to read to you.

"I went to a Mason Lodge yesternight, where the Most Worshipful Grand-Master Charteris and all the Grand Lodge of Scotland visited. The meeting was numerous and elegant; the different lodges of the town were present in all their pomp. The Grand-Master who presided, with great solemnity and honour to himself as a gentleman and Mason, among other general toasts give 'Caledonia and Caledonia's bard - Brother Burns,' which ran through the whole assembly with multiplied honours and repeated acclamations. As I had no idea such a thing would happen, I was downright thunder-struck and. trembling in every nerve, made the best return in my power. Just as I had finished, some of the grand officers said, so loud that I could hear, with a most comforting accent, 'Very well, indeed' - which set me something to rights again."

One of the most touching of "Bobbie" Burns' Masonic poems. Of which there are not a few, is his "Masonic Farewell," part of which it as follows:

Adieu; a heart-warm, fond adieu;

Dear brothers of the mystic tie,

Ye favour'd, ye enlighten'd few,

Companions of my social joy!

Though I to foreign lands must hie,

Pursuing fortune's slidd'ry ba'

With melting heart and brimful eye

I'll mind you still though far away

Oft have I met your social band

And spent the cheerful festive; night

Oft, honour'd with supreme command,

Presided o'er the sons of light;

And by that hieroglyphic bright,

Which none but Craftsmen ever saw,

Strong Mem'ry on my heart shall write

Those happy scenes, when far away’,

To be continued in next issue.

----o----

Freemasonry Abroad

A Personal Report

By WILLIAM MOSELEY BROWN, F.P.S.

"With change of place we change our ideas; nay, our opinions and feelings.... Things near us are seen of the size of life; things at a distance are diminished to the size of the understanding." - William Hazlitt, English Essayist.

LAST SUMMER it was my pleasant experience to make another Masonic journey to Europe, as I had done several times in years past. My itinerary included visits to Masonic groups and individual Masons in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, and Switzerland. It was again a case of both literally and figuratively "traveling in foreign countries," a practice, which I have endeavored to follow for the past twenty years and more, and which I also recommend to every interested member of our fraternity.

Leaving New York the middle of July, my first port of call was Cobh, Ireland (now Eire), where I had landed on a similar visit almost exactly twenty years previously. There had been little change in the appearance of things in the meanwhile, however, and it was not difficult to "feel" myself back into the atmosphere and environment once more. Traveling by train the same day to Dublin I spent the night in a guest house, as no rooms were available on short notice at the hotels and I had not "booked" a reservation in advance. The day following I went to Freemasons' Hall with my good friend Brother J.H. Hamill, Past Great Chief of the Knight Masons of Ireland, which also has Councils in the United States under the jurisdiction of the Grand Council of Ireland. I visited with Assistant Grand Secretary J.O. Harte since Brother Henry C. Shellard, who has occupied the office of Grand Secretary for so many years, was not available. Brother Hamill entertained me at his seaside cottage that evening and I departed next day for the famed city of Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

There was much to see in Londonderry, also in Belfast, but, as I was in both places on a week-end, there was no opportunity for the renewal of Masonic contacts.

Then came the trip across the Irish Sea to England and two days in London, which is always a sort of "sacred city" for Masonic visitors. It was there that the Mother Grand Lodge of England was formed on June 24, 1717, and there that Sir Christopher Wren, who has always been an inspiration to me, wrought so many monumental specimens of the operative art, and who now lies buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.

I was fortunate in receiving an invitation to attend the quarterly convocation of the Supreme Grand Chapter R. A. M. on July 28th, which was presided over by its First Grand Principal (who is also the M.W. Grand Master of Grand Lodge), the Right Honorable the Lord Scarbrough. All was done in the most formal manner and with the utmost decorum, as is customary with the Grand Bodies of the British Isles everywhere. There followed the usual banquet, over which the Third Grand Principal, the Rt. Reverand A.T.A. Naylor, presided.

Through the good offices of the Assistant Grand Secretary, in London, Brother J.T. Stubbs, and of Brother Ivor Grantham, Librarian and Curator of the Library and Museum belonging to the Grand Lodge, I was able to complete a piece of Masonic research on which I had been working for years.

Sir Sidney White, the Grand Secretary, was absent on a Masonic visit to Newfoundland, so I did not see him this trip. I was also fortunate in spending some time with Colonel E.G. Dunn, D.S.O., who is the Grand Secretary General of the Supreme Council of England, Ancient and Accepted Rite.

From London the way led to Edinburgh, "Auld Reekie," where it was my privilege to visit by special invitation, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, which held its quarterly communication on August 5th. The Grand Master Mason, Lord MacDonald, the Grand Secretary. Dr. A. F. Buchan, the Grand Librarian, George S. Draffen, and Brother John Mason Allan were all most kind to me. I also spent some time in the Grand Lodge library and museum, examining some of the old records pertaining to Colonial America, and inspecting rather minutely the famed "Morrison Collection," which is known throughout the Masonic world for its wealth of Masonic material, both printed and in manuscript form, most of which is in the French language. The Committee on History of the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States, has made good use of information obtained in the past several years from this source.

While I was in Edinburgh I also had the pleasure of being received in Metropolitan College, S.R.I.S., being welcomed there by Supreme Magus John Mason Allan in person, who was accompanied by a number of the other officers of High Council. It was an experience never to be forgotten.

From Edinburgh I travelled by automobile to the West of Scotland under the guidance of Brother George Prentice, who had arranged for me to visit Rose of Sharon Priory No. 4, Knights Templar, and Lily of the Valley Conclave No. 4, Knights of the Red Cross of Constantine. I was honored by being obligated to honorary membership in both of these bodies and also by being received in person by Francis Cooper, Esq., Grand Sovereign of the Grand Imperial Council of the Red Cross of Constantine for Scotland.

Enroute to Newcastle - upon-Tyne, I made it a point to travel through the Bobby Burns country to Ayr and Dumfries, also to Kirkcudbrightshire, which is linked with the memory of John Paul Jones and of many another good Mason, who emigrated to America in pre-Revolutionary times.

At Newcastle the special event in my honor was a meeting of Northumbrian Masters' Lodge, of which I have been an honorary member for a number of years. In spite of the fact that it was the month of August and vacation time, more than 30 Brethren attended from all parts of the North of England and the Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Brother J.M.S. Coates, O.B.E., along with a number of his officers, received me in person. The former Provincial Grand Master was R.W. Brother William Cooper Bailey, known to many of our Brethren in America, who was unfortunately compelled to resign the office some years ago on account of ill health. I was honored to be the guest of Brother Bailey and his lovely wife during my stay in Newcastle.

The next stop was for a few hours at Beverley, in Yorkshire, for the purpose of visiting the Lodge rooms of Constitutional Lodge No. 294, which has been for many years in close fraternal relations with Virginia's famous Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, over which George Washington presided as first Master under its Virginia charter. Hard by the home of Constitutional Lodge is the great pile of Beverley Minster, through which I was shown by one of the Past Masters of that Lodge.

Then came the trek to Frankfurt on the Main, Germany, through Belgium and Luxembourg. The headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of Germany, of which Dr. Theodor Vogel has been the able Grand Master and guiding spirit since its reorganization after the Nazi regime, are located in Frankfurt. Several days were spent in Germany with fraternal visits to several Masonic groups including the Lodge at Wurzburg and the Stuttgart American Lodge U.D., which received its dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. Brother Peter Rasmussen is the Master of this latter Lodge and is one of the most devoted and active Masons, whom I have ever been privileged to meet. Dr. Werner Mohr, Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Germany, accompanied me on a visit to the Grand Lodge museum and library, at Bayreuth, the city of Richard Wagner and the Wagnerian music festivals. Dr. Hermann Beyer, the librarian and curator, literally lives, eats, and sleeps Masonry and has done the impossible in gathering together Masonic books and trophies from all over the world to replace those destroyed and carried away by the Nazis.

Then followed visits to Masonic leaders in Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland, and in Paris, many of whom I had already met on previous visits to those cities. The grand old man of French Masonry, Grand Commander Rene Raymond, with whom I had travelled in Europe in 1936, and his lovely wife received me once again into their hospitable home, where we partook of afternoon tea, French style, together.

Space forbids greater detail in this narrative, which I close with my departure for home from Cherbourg, a stone's throw from where our boys had landed on that fateful D-day, June 6, 1944. But the recovery from war's ravages had been so complete, that it was with considerable difficulty that the visitor could discover the traces of that almost-complete destruction, which had devastated the port ten years previously.

----o----

In this glorious country any American boy, however poor he may be, if he has a clear head, a true heart, and a strong arm, may rise through all the grades of society, and become the crown, the glory, and the pillar of the state.

----o----

Merry Christmas

By the Editor

THE SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTMAS dedicates this season to good will and peace on earth. To the children it is the time of gifts and family affection. To many it is a time of feverish buying and an attempt to make up, in a few days, for the neglect of months and years. In short, Christmas has lost much of its real significance because of its commercialization and accepted activities.

As Masons, we consider the Wise Men, who came to the Manger, bringing gifts of incense, myrrh and precious stones. The Wise Men are the symbol of Christmas, seeking the Light of the Christ-Child; bringing the gift of their wisdom, and returning to their own country filled with the essence of good, and teeming with the qualities of Brotherhood, Good Will and the love of their fellows.

Too often has the Christ been mis-interpreted to represent that which he is not; to become the symbol of hate, paganism and vengeance. An eye for an eye was not the gospel of love in the Christ, and the spirit of Christmas is not that of placid lip-service, but a call to all men to practice Brotherhood and live according to the Golden Rule.

We as Masons, have not seen the vision. We have not caught the message of SERVICE which is sent to us - Masons, as representatives of the Wise Men of old, are the LIGHT-BEARERS of humanity, the bringers of Truth. We heed not the call, nor read the omens that token reversion to paganism unless we revive our Faith.

The PHILALETHES, an organization of light-bearers, has dedicated itself to the diffusion of Light; to the alleviation of ignorance, superstition and tyranny. With few exceptions this has been unenthusiastic lip-service, and Masonry is weighed and found wanting in a practical and definite practise of the Christmas virtues.

All men cannot have the same interpretation of Christmas, hence the differences in religions, creeds and beliefs, but all have the same basic and fundamental basis of "Love God and Serve Man."

We as Masons deserve nothing better than we are getting, should we fail to live up to our principles, and NOW seems to be the time, THIS the Christmas, when we ought to search our souls, sweep out the cobwebs, and truly interpret Christmas as a time of dedication, a day of service, and a period which will mark a new endeavor on the part of all of us to live in the Christmas spirit all the rest of the year.

In the words of Tiny Tim - "God Bless Us - Every One"!

----o----

Between the Book Ends

Masonic Books of Interest.

(All Books listed here may be purchased by writing the Editor and enclosing remittance to cover.)

MASONIC ADDRESSES AND WRITINGS OF ROSCOE POUND.

One of the outstanding students and exponents of Masonic Philosophy and Jurisprudence, Roscoe Pound (M.P.S.) compiled a volume that from the point of view of variety, clarity and general interest, ranks with the best productions of Masonry.

The contents run the gamut from Philosophy, with a brief resume of the thinking of the founding fathers to an up-to-date compendium of Masonic thought, Ritual, an unusual analysis of the causes of divergence in ritual in different places, Landmarks, a discussion by a jurist, and a dissertation on general Masonic principles, with a world of wisdom and practical value. This is one of your MUST books. Price $5.00, postpaid.

THE LANDMARKS OF FREEMASONRY, By Elbert Bede, F.P.S.

So much variance has existed in past times in a proper interpretation of the Landmarks, that this pertinent volume is most appropriate for one who seeks accurate knowledge of the subject. Customs and usages of the Craft, in the light of the interpretation of these landmarks, add a very vital touch to the character of the contents of this volume.

Price, $1.50.

RAYS OF MASONRY, By Dewey H. Wollstein, P.G.M., Georgia.

Everyone who has read this inspirational volume has been thrilled by its variety, by the depth of its interpretation, and by the wide scope of its development. In fine, it is a compendium for one who wants much in little - whose time is valuable.

Officers of Lodges can well use this book for a brief topic for Lodge-reading, and individuals will profit by the message that is contained herein. Price, $2.75.

A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF FREEMASONRY, By Henry Wilson Coil, M.P.S.

With a fine sense of discernment, the author has been able to cover every type of Masonic topic. Blue Lodges, Scottish Rite, York Rite, Mediaeval Builders - in fact, a cross-index of Masonic knowledge.

Too often, it is a difficult task to segregate Masonic information, to pigeonhole data. Brother Coil, however, has made neither an encyclopedia nor a series of essays his object - he has hewed to the line, and let the chips fall where they may, resulting in a readable, interesting, informative and valuable addition to any Mason's library. Price $3.95.

----o----

We live in deeds not years, in thoughts not words, in feelings, not in figures on the dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.

- P.J. Baily.

=========================

THE OFFICERS OF THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY WISH YOU AND YOURS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

----o----

Membership Objectives

BY ARTHUR H. TRIGGS, F.P.S.

First Vice President

Dear Philaletheans:

BY DIRECTION of President Alphonse Cerza, my major assignment for the Philalethes Society during the coming term will be the supervision and co-ordination of activity in the membership field pertaining to applicants for admission into our ranks. He asked me to suggest names of members to serve on the Membership Committee but has consented to have all of you serve with me in this phase of our program.

The obtaining of qualified applicants is too great an undertaking for less than the entire membership to handle. It is a day-to-day project of each of us as we pursue our normal duties, always keeping in mind the Society when we meet a brother during the day or at any function where Masons meet.

Many splendid applicants will make their wishes to join known, but there are those who, either through lack of information about our work or by natural reluctance to ask for anything, have to be cultivated and shown where and how their interests and talents will enrich the Masonic world if but put on paper so all can read and enjoy them.

Then, again, there are those who have a strong desire to improve themselves in Masonry but do not know how or where to begin. This latter group will find a haven in the Society and will be highly enlightened by each succeeding issue of the magazine which they will treasure for its thought-provoking content. representing a worldwide grouping of competent Masonic students and scholars. And who is to say that the beginnings they will receive among us will not, in time, bear fruit and as they mature Masonically redound to the benefit of all.

President Cerza has touched on membership objectives frequently in our correspondence and it is probably safe for me to state the Society's approach to the acquiring of new members. We are not interested in a large number of members for numbers' sake alone. We want our membership to embrace every outstanding Masonic scholar in the world. One who apparently has no outstanding talent to offer at this time can be qualified by a deep and sincere desire to improve himself. The Philalethes Society continues to grow in stature and to be said to be a member of it implies a great deal more than merely being a dues-paying member of the Craft. You who are members now helped to build that tradition and it is up to you to strengthen the Society by inviting those whom you have personal knowledge of as to their worthiness to join in our work.

Our energetic and capable editor, John Black Vrooman, will enclose an application blank for your use. Hand it to a brother after explaining the aims and objectives of the Society. He, in turn, should mail it to our Executive Secretary, Lawton E. Meyer, Box 402, St. Louis, Missouri, with a check for $8.00 ($5.00 being his year's dues and $3.00 affiliation fee ) and he will be duly entered as a member and will receive all literature produced during the calendar year in which he joins. Anyone joining at this time will be entered as a 1955 member, with no further dues payable until 1956.

There is a possibility some member of a prospect's family might want to give the brother a membership for Christmas. In any event, be sure you sign as a recommender and satisfy yourself that he is a member in good standing of a regular lodge. Where there is any doubt as to regularity of any foreign lodge, the matter will be turned over to the committee appointed by the president for that purpose.

Will you serve as an operative Mason in this necessary work? I am sure you will, and the work we do to add strength to our Society will live when time shall be no more.

If you have any questions regarding membership, contact your nearest representative-at-large who has been appointed to help all phases of our work, or address me at 2117 Funston Place, Oakland 2, California.

Additional application blanks are available.

Sincerely and fraternally,

ARTHUR H. TRIGGS.

----o----

Representatives are Appointed

Oregon Victor E. Viera

P. O. Box 51, Grants Pass.

Pennsylvania William J. Paterson

Library, Masonic Temple,

Broad & Filbert Sts., Philadelphia.

Texas Ethan A. Wells

Scottish Rite Temple, El Paso.

Utah Stuart Dobbs

812 David Eccles Bldg., Ogden.

Phillipines Antonio Gonzales

138 Gunao St., Manila, P. I.

New Zealand Dr. Ross Hepburn

50 Ilam Road, Riccarton,

Christchurch, N. W. 3, N. Z.

Canada Charles E. Holmes

294 St. Catherine St., W.,

Montreal 18.

South Africa James Stephen Dunn

P.O. Box 111, Kimberley, S. A.

Scotland George Prentice

10 Roman Drive, Motherwell Road,

Bellsh ill, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

England Captain William F. Spalding

"Aylmerton," 123 The Chine, Grange Park, London, N. 21, England.

Further names will be added as it is possible to get our Fellows and Members to represent us in localities not now accredited.

----o----

Faith is one of the most effective tools in the human equipment. A man can prove this negatively by looking at himself or anyone who has lost faith, and noting how helpless he is. Lack of it holds us back as individuals and as a nation. The world needs it now.

- Henry Ford.

----o----

Dues Are Due

Dues for 1955 are now due - MaiI your check for Five Dollars to:

LAWTON E. MEYER, Executive Secretary,

P.O. Box 402, ST. Louis. Mo.

----o----

What Is a Mason ?

By DAVID SIEGELMAN, M.P.S. - St. Louis. Mo.

THE QUESTION, 'What is a Mason?" is one of the most difficult which may be asked by and of Masons.

There is no simple, straightforward answer, none that could be given in an ordinary declarative sentence. We could say, and leave it at that, that a Mason is a man of ample age and suitable qualifications who belongs to the leading Fraternal Organization in the world. But if we did that, there would not be sufficient light in our words to illuminate the tiniest crevice of an inquiring mind.

Among the profane, generally, a Mason is a respected and respectable person. The insignia he wears is regarded as a Chevron of Honor. But ask the average profane what a Mason IS, and he cannot answer. Go further: ask the average Mason what a Mason IS and he will find the answering almost as hard. Go even further: ask the well-informed Masons, those who, for example, are or have been "in line" this same question. Articulate as these undoubtedly are, and as well-versed in our lore as most of them must be, they will still have a difficult time in the answering. Why is this so ?

It is so because Masonry is, in a very real sense, "all things to all men." There is nourishment enough and to spare in its moral, spiritual and intellectual fare for all who sup at its bountiful table.

Again, it is so because men find according as they seek, and as their own inner lights direct them.

And again, it is so because Masonry is a speculative mirror, reflecting back to its viewers that which is presented to its bright and shining visage.

Despite all this, Masonry and the Mason may be described in such a fashion as to present a single, broad meaning to all the diverse men who are their devotees, and as well to those who are not as yet within the boundaries of the Circle.

Proceeding from the general to the specific, let us examine first what the thing is that a Mason is a part of, in order that we may discover what a Mason is. Masonry may be said to consist of the essence of the moral teachings embodied in its Rituals and Lectures and a Mason one who subscribes to and practices those teachings.

Having reached this point, it might seem to some that we have not only arrived at the Brow of the Hill but passed well enough beyond it; but here again we encounter insufficient illumination for our purposes.

We are taught that Masonry is a beautiful system of morals, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols; its tenets, brotherly love, relief and truth; its cardinal virtues, temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice; and its religion. if religion it may be called, an unfeigned belief in the One Living and True God. We are further taught to regard the whole human species as one family . . . who as created by one Almighty Parent and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support and protect each other.

There is more, much more, in the same vein. The well-versed Brother will instantly recognize where these meaningful words occur. As we read these words, or hear them intoned in Lodge by a competent Brother, we thrill in our innermost beings to their beauty and worth, resolving that we shall renew our sacred Vows and live by them. If, by the way, there is a Brother who reads this and fails to recognize whence it came, let him indulge a more assiduous attendance at Lodge that he may be reminded and revitalized.

When a man, sound of mind and right in heart, receives our Degrees, he becomes a living vehicle to carry forward the Way of Life that is Freemasonry. By frequent appearance at our regular Communications, assiduous attention to the business of the Craft, constant repetition of the lessons therein inculcated and honest endeavor to understand and apply these lessons in his daily life, he in fact and in truth becomes a Mason. The mere fact that he went through the physical motions of receiving our Degrees and standing an examination thereon in open Lodge does not signify that he is a Mason. And in this same connection, any Lodge and any Master that does not impress this fact irrevocably upon the minds and hearts and souls of the recipients of the Degrees is woefully remiss in duty.

Well, then, what IS a Mason?

A Mason is a man versed and steeped in the lore, the history, the Rituals and the Lectures of the Craft. He has mastered and applied the principles, tenets and cardinal virtues and lives according to theme insofar as it is humanly possible. He is a man who believes in and propagates the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. He loves his brothers - which is to say, all men whether in or outside the Craft - not because it is required of him but because he has a feeling for it. His brethren's sorrows sadden him and he hastens to alleviate their distress. To be good and true is the first lesson he learned in Freemasonry, and to him it is the foundation of every virtue; he lives and acts and tells the truth, but gently, gently - that it may help and never hurt.

He is temperate in all things because it enables him to avoid extremes. He exhibits fortitude in facing up to life, never flinching from its obligations or its blows, and is enabled to carry on when lesser men give up. He is prudent because this enables him to regulate his life according to the dictates of reason, and to husband all his resources. He is just that he may render to every man his just dues, and thereby earn his own. Finally, he humbly believes in and reveres God, because there is in his heart the same unimpeachable testimony that is in all of ours, that God IS, and is God.

The question might arise. at this juncture, how we may become the kind of Masons we have been describing. The obvious answer, one that would undoubtedly be given by almost any Craftsman, is to go where Masons go-to Lodge. And this answer is eminently correct. The lawyer goes to law school to learn the law. The doctor goes to medical school to learn medicine. Any member of any profession must go to that school where the art and science of his profession are taught. Once there, he must earn the right to his Degrees by diligent study, hard work and the demonstration of his proficiency. Until he has studied, worked and demonstrated, he does NOT receive his Degree. The Mason, however, is more fortunate: he receives his Degrees first, and then, if he is earnest and honest, works to perfect himself in his chosen profession, that of being a Man.

The Mason's school is his Lodge. There he should repair frequently and participate in the Work. This he can do either directly or on the sidelines as he may prefer or as his abilities will permit. Should he remain a sideliner, he can repeat after his proficient Brethren the holy and inimitable words of the Rituals and Lectures, thereby impressing them and their meanings indelibly upon his mind. Who has not observed and rejoiced in observing the brethren whose lip, move silently in unison with the outspoken utterances of the working Craftsmen as they go about the "business" of the Craft? In time, the sideliners will become as proficient as the others, perhaps not in the dramaturgy of our Art, but surely in the significances of that Art, and worthy of the ancient and honorable title of Mason which they bear. In time, again, the Light for which they asked at our Altar will dawn upon them in all its glory, and they will know what a Mason IS, and what Masonry is. Let us hasten the day!

----o----

Where Your Treasure Is

By A. DONALD OLSON, M.P.S.

PERHAPS THERE is nothing to which we are more hoodwinked than we are to our own treasure, our fellow men. If we are hoodwinked to our fellow men, we are hoodwinked also to our Creator. We read in Matthew 25:40, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, in as much as you have done unto the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me " And so we can not have faith in God without also having faith in our fellow men. We read again in Matthew, 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If in an hour of trial, we have prayed to God for help, but have not shown faith in our fellow men, it will be like writing a check on a bank in which we have placed no funds.

It would be futile to claim that we must trust each and every man in order to say that we have faith in God. We, as individuals, certainly can not claim to be perfect and we can not, or rather, should not, expect it of others. In some, we recognize a higher degree of perfection than in ourselves, and strive to live accordingly. With these, unless it is through some passing misunderstanding, we never come in conflict. There is very small chance for conflict, physical or moral, which would bring on a crisis.

There are those among us, too, in whom we have not the fullest of confidence. Perhaps this lack of confidence is merely in the fact that we have not yet come to fully understand them. In this respect, we could say that we are "Hoodwinked." The meritorious qualities are there, but owing to factors contingent upon circumstances and environment of all parties concerned, the understanding is not immediate. We want to be just: we want to understand, so therefore it calls for faith. There are times when the decisions that we make require some considerable faith, and still can not be termed a real crisis. Each time we do this, we might say that there is one veil-like layer less of the hoodwink before our eyes. Just that much more beauty of the world are we privileged to see.

Our lives, generally speaking, run along pretty much in this pattern. We have taken the decisions that we have made pretty much for granted. And then comes a crisis. It might have been precipitated by a culmination of seemingly commonplace circumstances; grave or lingering illness; tragedy: connivance on the part of one or more of the relatively few in whom we can place but little or no trust at all. We receive well-meaning advice from many quarters, enough value in each, to make the problem still more complex. We ask God for help in solving it. Of course, we can not expect an audible answer. This must come from our faculty of getting along with our fellow men, our insight into them gained through previous crises, and our outlook upon life. If we have gone through life wearing an ever-thickening hoodwink of prejudice, avarice and covetousness, we would be too blinded to read any word from Him.

We have heard of people being "God-forsaken." God forsakes no one. The condition of the one of whom this otherwise would be said, stems, rather, from his having worn throughout his life such a heavy hoodwink that he is unable to perceive any answer through his fellow men. Perhaps Shakespeare had this in mind when he said even through Cassius' crafty tongue, "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings." If Brutus had not been wearing such a heavy hoodwink of ambition and greed, he would have seen Cassius for what he was and would not have succumbed to these words.

It is also true that in these words of Shakespeare there is much room for argument on the sociological factors of heredity and environment. These in themselves are studies toward the solution of which even men of genius are still devoting their lives. But there are so many of us in this world who have within us, through training and background, complete freedom of choice as to the thickness or thinness of our respective hoodwinks. This choice is one of the greatest privileges man has ever known.

Our eyes enable us to see our fellow men, but it is impossible for us to see all of our fellow men in whom we must place our faith in order to have faith in God. It is also impossible for us to see, even without a hoodwink, what goes on in the minds of even our closest friends. In these respects we are hoodwinked, and remain so until with our last breath, God removes the final veil. In the meanwhile, we are seeing the treasure of life, but we are seeing it through the heart as well as through the eyes.

----o----

Wherever there is a human cause, we are certain to find Masonry, for it is the fundamental basis of all truly liberal associations. Thank all of my brethren and tell them that I am always with them with all my heart, and that forever I will pride myself upon my Masonic connections.

- Garibaldi.

----o----

Four Named Life Fellows for Merit

BY UNANIMOUS action of the Executive Committee of the Philalethes Society, four Fellows of the Society have been given the rank and dignity of LIFE FELLOWS, and forever exempt from payment of dues or fees of any sort.

In token of the activity, zeal and enthusiasm of Brothers ROBERT J. MEEKREN, JAMES M. CLIFT, ARTHUR C. PARKER and HARRY LEROY HAYWOOD, they have been given the title as above-designated, and it is with some pride that it is pointed out that each of the above has been outstanding in his work for the Philalethes Society, and in the locality in which he lives.

Possibly no other Mason has a more varied and exact knowledge of ritualistic matters than R.J. Meekren. His studies on this subject have brought world-wide commendation.

James M. Clift, Grand Secretary-Emeritus of the Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Virginia, and active in many other Masonic bodies, is well-deserving of his new honor. We are happy to add our commendation.

Arthur C. Parker, probably best-known for his Masonic Dramas, has had the faculty in his Masonic work, of making the hard things simple, and bringing something of practical value to the Masonic student.

One of the world's great Masonic students, H. L. Haywood has been practical in bringing to the Craft some of the lore and tradition of Freemasonry. Avoiding too-deep interpretations, he has made simple the lessons so eagerly sought after by all of us.

----o----

Logic

By LAWTON E. MEYER, F.P.S.

Executive Secretary

Our Law class had a professor in logic who had the unhappy faculty of sandpapering our egos with misleading, over-simplified stories. We never learned to laugh at his whimseys - not because they weren't clever - but because we weren't.

One in particular remains with us all. After calling the class to order, he told of a farmer who was plagued by an owl - that after ridding the barn of mice, began to decimate the poultry.

The farmer loaded his shotgun, took aim and fired at the owl. The discharge set the barn afire, the barn burned to the ground - the flames spread to the field, destroying the grain, and then the house caught afire and was leveled.

Our professor stopped abruptly and asked if there were any questions. We asked him many things - were the house and barn insured? Would the insurance cover the farmer's acts? Was any of his family injured in the fire?

Finally, just before the bell - our professor complained - "Gentlemen, you haven't asked the only pertinent question - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OWL?"

So it is in Masonry - We swallow Masonry whole and never taste it. We are taught to remember, word for word, the ritual, but we are NOT taught how to grow. Yet, the essence of Life, as of Masonry is GROWTH. We are so intent on ritual that we rarely understand what Masonry is.

We should realize that most people can learn KNOWLEDGE - but few can learn WISDOM. Wisdom is God-given.

The wisdom of Brotherhood is the Owl that is hidden in the verbiage of the ritual.

----o----

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, moves on: nor all your piety or wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it.

- The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

----o----

We Need More Give and Take

The common cry of writers everywhere is - "Why should I write, when no one seems to read or care for my efforts?" That there may be a better spirit of cooperation, a truer interpretation of our objective - the purpose of the Philalethes Society - ONE WHICH IS FOR FREEMASONS WHO SEEK MORE LIGHT, AND FREEMASONS WHO HAVE MORE LIGHT TO IMPART - we need to bring a closer and more intimate spirit of discussion and interchange of ideas between our members everywhere.

It is not enough to have articles published in our magazine, we must have discussion of these Masonic topics by author and reader by student and researcher. If there is a variance of opinion, if there is a difference of meaning - an amplification of ideas and an exchange of opinions can be the best means of closer and better understanding - of a better fellowship and greater appreciation of the efforts of whose who have the interest of the Craft at heart.

Too often Masonic endeavors are unappreciated, unsung and barren of community activity. The Philalethes Society, above all else, needs to cultivate and sponsor a closer union, a greater understanding between its component members.

When an article appeals to you, write the author and tell him so - he will appreciate your words of praise. If you disagree, tell HIM wherein you do not look eye to eye with him. Get closer to your fellow-students, and help make the Philalethes that close-knit unit that it deserves to be.

----o----

When In Danger...

From an ardent Masonic student in England, Brother Alfred I. Sharp, sent to M.W. Brother Carl H. Claudy, F.P.S., Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association, comes the following most interesting incident of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, in which Freemasonry took a prominent part.

Brother Sharp says, in commenting upon the matter, that the incident is contained in a book - "Quaker Campaigns in Peace and War," by William Jones who is related to him. Dr. Spence Watson mentioned in the reminiscence, was for many years, Chairman of the Liberal political Party in England.

"My comrades Thomas Whitwell and Dr. Spence Watson had to pass through a somewhat rough experience when they followed H. J. Allen and myself to Metz. They entered, as we had done, into French Territory from Belgium, by the town and fortress of Longwy, but neglected the needful precaution, on entering a country in a state of war, of obtaining from the Commandant of the Garrison, a 'safe conduct' for the journey. At Longwy they were arrested by gens d' armes sent by the Commandant, were taken as prisoners of war at the point of the bayonet to Longwy - Haut and were marched up to the parade ground, in front of the Castle, where the Commandant was reviewing his troops.

The Commandant, having received the previous evening news of the surrender of Metz, eyed the two Englishmen furiously, refusing to look at the passport tendered him by Dr. Watson, and in his rage, stamped on it with his boot. He would listen to no explanation but charged them with being Prussian Spies,' and muttered threats as to what he was going to do with them.

The situation was alarming enough, but during this outburst of passion, Whitwell gazed fixedly into his face, hoping to catch his eye, and give him the Masonic sign, having the impression that he was, like himself, a Freemason. His first attempt failed, but after an interval, he caught the officer's eye full, and noticed that he took the sign.

The Commandant came round past the soldiers, and told the gentlemen to walk into the Castle. They preceded him there, and he followed and closed the door. When he and Whitwell came to handgrips with each other, the officer recognizing, perhaps, that Whitwell was a Mason of superior rank, was profuse in his apologies, and most effusive in his professions of cordial friendship; in short, as Watson was astonished at the change of the Commandant, observed to me soon after - 'Those bearded fellows hugged and kissed each other in the most ridiculous fashion.'

The Lion had become a Lamb all at once. Having explained to them how the news of Bazaine's treachery, in surrendering Metz to the Germans, had provoked him to uncontrollable fury, he now amply made up for his fault by doing all in his power to facilitate their journey to Metz, and endorsed their passports with his 'safe conduct,' as he had previously done for Allen and myself.

The whole story, when freshly told to us in the course of a day or two, intensely interested and aroused my companion and myself. Watson when commenting on this curious incident, added that one of the first things he should do when reaching home, after this wonderful instance of its usefulness, would be to become installed as a 'Freemason.' "

----o----

To All Subscribers

With the reorganization of the Philalethes Society, it is now possible to list all who have paid their dues to the present officers. However, there has been some confusion relative to monies paid the Society since the deaths of some of the former officers.

In order that we may have a complete record of all who have paid, it is requested that any Fellow or Member of the Philalethes Society who has paid other than the present officers, and who has not been given credit for such payment, shall immediately notify LAWTON E. MEYER. Executive Secretary, P.O.Box 402, St. Louis, Missouri, of the amount paid, and to whom.

A complete list of all present Fellows and Members is being made, and we do not wish to omit any name of such person who has become a Fellow or Member in good standing of the Society, and your co-operation will be appreciated in getting an accurate list of all who have paid their dues.

LAWTON E. MEYER, Executive Secretary,

P.O.Box 402. St. Louis, Missouri.

----o----

Another Forgotten Reason

BY ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S.

IN THE OCTOBER, 1954 issue of "The New Age" there was published an article which I wrote entitled "A Forgotten Reason. '

In this article I discussed the proposition that the first Papal Bull was issued against Freemasonry because of the basic change made in Ancient Charges eliminating "Holy Church" and substituting "the religion on which all men agree." There is another possible reason which may have contributed to this act. I would like to discuss this briefly. This second possibility is known in history as the "Deism Movement."

The word "deism" has two general meanings. First, it refers to the theological doctrine that God created the whole world and gave it certain attributes whereby through various processes of cause and effect the world proceeds to operate without further divine assistance. We are not interested in pursuing this interesting and debatable subject here. Second, the word is used to describe a movement, or school of thought, that existed during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is this second meaning that concerns us at this time. This is particularly true because for many years the term in general acceptation, has come to mean a denial of divine revelation, a refusal to believe in miracles, and a lack of belief in anything religious that cannot be proved .

Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648), English soldier, statesman, poet, and philosopher, is the acknowledged father of this school of thought which we now call "Deism." He accepted the idea prevalent in his time that each man had a faculty called "natural light" which is similar to other instincts in that they are an inherent part of each person. He went on to reason that by virtue of this innate characteristic mean has certain inborn ideas which are the basic elements of all religions, such as: that God exists, that there is a duty to worship God, that worship of God is essential to man, and that man will be rewarded in a future life. He did not repudiate revealed religion, but merely disregarded it, and stated that the religious troubles of the world were caused because man was diverted from the essentials of early religion of "natural religion" by organized groups called churches. He merely wrote about the subject and made no attempt to organize a group or association to promulgate his theory.

The movement, as we know it took form as a result of the work of Charles Blount (1654-1693), who took the basic idea of Lord Herbert and developed it into a negative form by analyzing and criticizing the sacred books, the revelations of religion, and the miracles. Instead of taking the positive position of Lord Herbert literary movement became negative in character by opposing established religion by creating doubts, questioning the authority of the Holy Bible, examining the "evidences" of the revealed religions, and urging a return to the "natural religion of man." The list of writers who conducted this movement are many and they carried on their work over a long period of time. A few attract our attention at this late date because they lived and worked close to the period that interests us at this moment.

Anthony Collins (1676-1729), was a leader of his day in this movement, and created a violent controversy in 1724 by his book "Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion." Matthew Tindal (1656-1733) published in the year 1730 his celebrated book "Christianity as Old as Creation or the Gospel of Republication of the Religion of Nature" in which he sought to strip religion of its divine attributes, ridiculed the miraculous elements, and argued that the sole claim to the existence of religion is its natural morality. In the year 1738, Thomas Chubb (1679-1747), published a book "The True Gospel of Jesus Christ" and in 1741 he wrote "Discourses on Miracles."

These books were not very masterful, and they were answered by other authors of the period who had much more learning and ability than the Deists. But it was an era of discussion and these books created doubts, encouraged freedom of thought, instilled the idea of examination rather than taking things on the word of "authority," and making a distinction between a provable fact and a statement of mere opinion.

As far as is known today, no attempt was ever made to organize the "Deism Movement" into a vehicle to "sell" its ideals to the rest of the world or to impose its thoughts on the world. The matter was handled on an intellectual basis only by persons who were not connected with one another. Consequently, no organized opposition to the movement ever arose.

The Deists had no connection whatsoever with Freemasonry. Certainly the Craft did not adopt any of their ideas. But there has been some misunderstanding about the matter, and the Roman Catholic Church may have thought that there was a connection. Even within the Craft there has been some misunderstanding of the subject. For example, Findel in his "History of Freemasonry" stated that the Deists "exercised an important influence on the Fraternity of Masons." This is doubted because at the time the Deists were classified by many as atheists. There are many reasons in support of the view that the statement by Findel is not correct. Certainly none of their doctrines or beliefs have been grafted into the fabric of Masonic philosophy. The Masonic leaders of the day: Payne, Anderson, Desaguliers, the Duke of Montague, and others of equal dignity, were not Deists. For example, Dr. Anderson was a Presbyterian minister; the Deists were held in ill-repute by the churchmen of the day. It has been argued with some merit that when Dr. Anderson wrote his famous Constitution of the Freemasons that he had the Deists in mind when he inserted in the regulation that irreligious libertines could not become Masons.

The Deists with their books did cause some commotion during the period that the 1717 Grand Lodge was started and developing. It is reasonable to assume that this movement did not escape the attention of the Roman Catholic Church. It is possible that this church may have assumed that there was a connection between the Deists and the Masonic fraternity. At any rate, it might have lent a little more weight to the decision to issue the Papal Bull of 1738 against the Craft.

----o----

Masonry and Civilization

By the late WALTER A. QUINCKE, F.P.S.

former President, The Philalethes Society

THOSE WHO care to investigate in the proper spirit the history of Masonry will be strongly impressed with the peculiar relations that exist between the history of Masonry and that of civilization. They will find these facts: first that Masonry has ever been the result of civilization; second, that in ancient times the spirit of Masonry and the spirit of civilization have gone hand in hand; third, that the progress of both has been with equal strides; fourth, that, where there has been no appearance of civilization there has been no trace of Masonry; and fifth, that wherever Masonry has existed in any of its forms, it was sustained by civilization, elevating and purifying its social condition. Masonry, therefore, seems to have been a necessary result of civilization. Even in its primitive and simple forms it cannot be found among uncultured people. Such a state of society was incapable of maintaining the abstract principle of Divine Truth.

But while Masonry is the result of civilization, it has by a reactionary law of sociology, proved the means of extending and elevating the civilization to which it originally owed its birth. Civilization has always been progressive. That of Pelasgic Greece was far behind that which distinguished the Hellenic period of the same country. The civilization of the ancient world was inferior to that of the modern and every country shows an advancement in the moral, intellectual and social condition of mankind. But in this progress from imperfection to perfection, the influence of those systems or rites identical with Masonry always was seen and felt. Let us, for example, review the ancient heathen world and its impure religion. While Pagans bowed, in their ignorance, to a many-headed god and worshipped at shrines of many gods whose mythological history and character must have exercised a pernicious effect on the moral purity of their worshippers, philosophy, in the form of the "ancient mysteries," was exercizing its influence upon a large class of neophytes and disciples by giving this true symbolic interpretation of the old religious myths. In the adyta of their temples in Greece, Rome and Egypt, in the sacred caves of India and in the consecrated groves of Scandinavia, Gaul and England, these ancient sages were secretly divesting the pagan faith of its polytheism and of its anthropomorphic deities, and were establishing a pure monotheism in its place, and illustrating, by a peculiar symbolism, the great dogma, taught in Masonry, of the unity of God and the immortality of the soul. And in modern times, when the religious thought of mankind, under a better dispensation, has not required this purification, Masonry still exerts its influence in elevating the tone of civilization, for through its working the social feelings have been strengthened, the charities of life have been refined, and, as we have had recent reason to know and see, the very bitterness of strife and the blood-guiltiness of war have been softened.

One then arrives at these conclusions: that Masonry is a result of civilization, for it does not exist in a savage or barbarous state of society, but always appeared with the advent in any country of a condition of civilization, grown with its growth and strengthened with its strength. And in return it proves a potent instrument in extending and refining the civilization which gave it birth, by advancing its moral, intellectual and religious character and outlook.

----o----

Waving a Wand Over Masonry

THE FOLLOWING ITEM was sent to us by a Past Grand Master. He knows most of the answers, but he asked us not to tell his name. He is too modest to take credit for labelling a mis-understood fact of Masonry. He wants Masonry to know that there are misstatements.

Here is what he writes:

"In a recent publication - which at least denominates itself as Masonic - appeared this:

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .

50 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons?

20 of the 29 Major Generals in Washington's army were Masons

59 of the 60 Brigadier generals were Masons?

50 of the 55 members of the Constitutional Convention were Masons ?

The Governors of the 13 original states were all Masons.

How wonderfully grateful we will all be if the Editor thereof can offer any proof of these Statements! Our most erudite and learned researchers stand appalled at their own ignorance in the face of this gift of 'knowledge' to the Masonic world.

While he is at it, may we ask the Editor of said publication . . .

DID HE KNOW THAT . . .

JESUS Christ was Master of his Lodge - of course the Lodge of the Holy Sts. John at Jerusalem?

ADAM was the first Grand Master and EVE the first most Worthy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star?

POCAHONTAS was Grand Electra of the 'early' Order of the Eastern Star, and that JOHN SMITH was Most Worthy Grand Patron?

THAT not only ALL the governors of ALL the original Colonies were ALWAYS Masons, but that ALL governors of ALL States and Territories of the United States have ALWAYS been Past Masters unless they were Past Patrons of the O.E.S.?

THAT the first Masons who came to the shore of this country were ALL Masons, and held Lodge meetings on the Mayflower and that fraternization with the Indians in Massachusetts was forbidden because the Indians practiced Cernauism?"

There may have been some other FACTS that our Brother Grand Master overlooked at this time, but we will be satisfied, right now to ponder some of the stories that have been told us, and govern ourselves accordingly.

----o----

Bureau of Masonic Information

A CLEARING HOUSE FOR MASONIC STUDENTS

(Letters Addressed to this Department Will Receive Prompt Attention)

Practical Methods in Masonry

By JOHN BLACK VROOMAN, F.P.S.

EVERY MAN has his own method of reading. Each Mason who is interested in doing Masonic research uses his own system of compiling the information needed to complete his task, but there are certain fundamental routines that ought to be followed that will assist the newly-made Mason in his attempt to get the most from his Masonic studies.

First, it is necessary that a student have ALL of the necessary material available from which to get the facts he needs. Of course, if he has access to a good Masonic Library, this will simplify his problem. In such a Library, with the assistance of the Librarian, he can pick out what he needs, and make the necessary notations from which to carry on.

However, if such a Library is not readily available, the next best procedure is to get what references he can from other available sources, and take copious notes on the desired topics.

Assuming that the student will be able to get the material needed, the next thing to be done is to make a topical outline of what he wants to write. Taking general headings, then making subdivisions and supplementary material in proper sequence, the student will soon have a working sheet that will enable him to begin his actual research.

Sometimes it is a question, not of getting too little material, but of selecting from the vast amount of material available that which is most pertinent to the task in hand.

It is better to have too much than too little material, and it is easier to make a selection from a larger amount of data, than it is to try to piece out material that is not complete.

It ought to be emphasized that one of the most essential things to be done in any research is to adhere closely to the topics selected.

Don't let enthusiasm make you use material that does not bear directly on the topic. It is too easy to get off the track and include facts that clutter up the text. Stick to the main point.

In writing up your material from the notes you have taken, be sure that you have copied these facts accurately. It is easy to transpose dates. 1772 could easily be written 1727 without the fact being known. Accuracy is most important in Masonic research. for accuracy is the only method known by which History can be properly taught.

In dealing with persons, places and personalities, be sure to verify the fact that these persons. etc. are the ones you think they are. Names are the tag of the person. Sometimes men of the same name have been active in the same place, but have not been the persons connected with the Masonic events of which one writes. It is essential, therefore, that names be verified and proved to be those of the time and place of which one is writing.

It is important, too, that the references quoted are of such authenticity that they may be verified. Some writers are entirely without truth in the statements made. Be careful that you do not use these authors for your studies, for they will cause you to be mis-quoted as to actual fact.

In writing be careful to make your sentences short and to the point. Say what is necessary and no more. Don't have it said of you "he had nothing to say, and took all day to say it." It is better that the readers should ask for more from your pen, than that they should toss your work into the waste basket, due to its lack of interest.

Learn to put first things first when writing on Masonic topics. History is full of inaccuracies many of which are the result of a de-emphasis of important people and facts. People make news, but be sure that the people of whom you write have a strong enough claim to importance as to warrant their inclusion in your study.

Masonic study is governed and controlled by personal ability, by interest, and by the ability of the writer to select facts and topics that are of interest to a large group of readers. When you select a topic for study, try to select one which is of enough interest to a large number of persons that it will be read. In scientific groups, specialized research, and fields of unusual endeavor, it is necessary to confine research to specialized fields, but this is not so in Masonry - here, the subject-matter is open, and it is not too hard to find reader-interest in many facets.

Masonic research, after all, is a personal matter - something that each individual does of his own accord. The methods he uses, the technical habits of writing, etc., are all his own. But when his material is presented to his public - to the reader - it is no longer individual, except for the material contained, it is a contribution that must meet the good will and understanding of those readers - it is his own work, stamped with approval by the reader.

Masonic research is an important necessity. All of us ought to give more attention to it. First, however, each of us ought to learn the methods by which we can best use our own talents - by which we can satisfy our own desire to know more about the Craft with which we have associated ourselves. Let us learn to study!

----o----

Good taste is essentially a moral quality. Taste is not only a part and an index of morality, it is the only morality. The first, last, and closest trial question to any living creature is, "What do you like?" and the entire object of true education is to not merely do the right things, but enjoy the right things. What we like determines what we are, and is the sign of what we are; and to teach taste is inevitably to form character. - John Ruskin.