Volume Vll Number 8
October 1954
Contents
Editorial The President’s Message Across the Years
MASONIC LORE Meet Your New Officers CommitteeAppointments
Symbolism of the Holy Garment Our Vice President Says Across the Secretary's Desk
What Should a Candidate Expect In Freemasonry WHAT WAS FIRST MEANING OF 'FREEBORN' Faith, God and Freemasonry
EARLIEST CLOTHING A Message From the Second Vice President They Have Passed the Veil
FOUR FOUNTAlNED PRAYER Between the Book Ends DEITY
L.E. Wells, F.P.S. - A Tribute The Carpenter's Theorem Spiritual Maturation
Keeping the Faith Now We Can Take Inventory
TOLERANCE And Whence the Gavel An Appraisal of Freemasonry
Bureau of Masonic Information
SYMBOLIC MASONRY
Published by
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY,
JOHN BLACK VROOMAN, F.P.S.
Editor
P. O. Box 402. St. Louis Mo
ALPHONSE CERZA, President,
130 Akenside Road, Riverside, Illinois.
ARTHUR H. TRIGGS, 1st V.P.,
2117 Funston Place Oakland, Cal.
ELBERT BEDE, 2nd V. P.,
Woodlark Building,
Portland, Oregon.
LAWTON E. MEYER, Ex. Sec.,
P.O. Box 402, St. Louis, Missouri.
JOHN BLACK VROOMAN,
Treas. and Editor
P.O. Box 402,
St. Louis, Missouri.
PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
A. L. WOODY, F.P.S.,
3502 Wesley Avenue,
Berwyn, Illinois.
EDWARD J. FRANTA,
Langdon, North Dakota.
DR. WILLIAM MOSELEY BROWN, F.P.S.
P. O. Box 276,
Elon College. North Carolina.
----o----
Felling Trees With Razor Blades
By THE EDITOR
FREEMASONS have been constantly admonished to make proper use of the Working Tools given into their keeping, and the use of which have been explained in detail. The difficulty seems to be that of using these tools in the right way.
It is not a practical exercise to cut down a tree with a razor blade. Better tools have been perfected for that purpose, and it is a waste of energy, and a misuse of such an instrument to do so.
The personnel of the PHILALETHES SOCIETY is of such high and specialized character in Masonic research and study, that there is to be expected of this group no less than the very best in uncultivated fields of Masonic endeavor.
Each of us, unless we put our razor to its proper use, will be wasting our talents in unproductive efforts - efforts that can but bring us commonplace and uninteresting results. What each of us needs now is to select a field of Masonic endeavor that has been but little-studied, set ourselves to the task of finding out all we can on the subject, and make our contribution to the good of Masonry, that will mark us as real students of new fields of Masonic endeavor.
The PHILALETHES MAGAZINE is the official publication of the Society. In it, we hope, will be given the Masonic world a quality and range of Masonic information that will be worthy of the high standard of the Masonic students and research experts who comprise this group.
Your literary and research contributions are earnestly solicited. It is the desire of the Society to have a magazine that will reflect credit and dignity upon the Fellows and Members who represent it.
Manuscripts submitted should be double-spaced, written on one side of the sheet only. and should have on each sheet the title of the article, the author's name, with the number of the page. We need your help, and will appreciate your efforts to help make this magazine the instructive, interesting organ we hope it will be.
----o----
"Hear again the old wisdom: 'There is no genuine wisdom without virtue.' " - Selected.
----o----
"Nothing but the right can ever be expedient, since that can never be true expediency which would sacrifice a greater good to a less." - Whatley
----o-----
By ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S.
I AM HAPPY to report that the Society is now established on a firm and permanent basis. From its start our Society was an informal association of Masonic scholars joined together to exchange ideas and to help each other in their labors. As the Society expanded its work and increased in size it lost some of its informality but, as far as we were able to ascertain, no written Constitution or By-Laws were ever adopted by the Society. As a result, there was no assurance of the continued existence of the Society.
In the process of re-activating the Society, Brother Lee E. Wells, the highest ranking surviving officer of the Society, suggested that the Society be placed on a formal and democratic basis. A committee was appointed to prepare a Constitution and By-Laws. This committee consisted of the following brethren: Elbert Bede of Oregon; William Moseley Brown of Virginia; and Laurence R. Taylor of Indiana. After many months of work the document was submitted to the Fellows and Members and was adopted by an overwhelming vote; only one dissenting vote was cast; several voted in favor but indicated an objection to one or two provisions. The adoption of this document marked an important milestone in the history of the Society.
A request was made for nominations of officers and the following were nominated by the Fellows and Members:
Lee E. Wells and Alphonse Cerza, for president; Alphonse Cerza and Arthur H. Triggs, for first vice president; Arthur H. Triggs, Elbert Bede, Laurence R. Taylor, and William Moseley Brown, for second vice president; Lawton E. Meyer and John B. Vrooman, for executive secretary; John B. Vrooman and Lawton E. Meyer, for treasurer. Brother Lee E. Wells about this time stated that he could not be an officer because of his work as a professional writer. As a consequence, the committee requested the nominees for more than one office to indicate a preference in order not to create any confusion in the voting. The result was a contest only in the office of second vice president.
If it appears that too much time was spent in these matters, let it be remembered that the officers and committee members are employed at full-time occupations. The services they rendered the Society were without compensation and during their spare time. Furthermore, these steps were designed to place the Society on a formal basis and insure its continuous operation.
On behalf of all the temporary officers I wish to thank all the Fellows and officers for their loyal help. We are now ready to work together so that the Society may make its continued contribution to the Craft.
The time has now come for aggressive action and it's not enough to talk - we must CREATE MASONIC ENLIGHTENMENT.
Through our Fellows and members we must stimulate fellowship and understanding; through our research and Masonic endeavors we must magnify the dignity and wealth of Masonic knowledge; in fine, we must go to work.
Your officers have many plans for the future of the Society. In the beginning, the Society was a workshop in which the Members told each other of their plans, and the projects on which they were working. When the number of members became too large this phase of the work was lost. We want to resume this valuable part of the Society's work. This can only be done by letting your officers know your interests; these interests can be announced regularly in the magazine so that the readers may correspond with you on these subjects.
The officers invite each Fellow and Member to take an active part in the work of the Society. Each is personally invited to write me and make his wishes known. Surely, there must be some work within the Society that can afford some pleasure to each Fellow and Member.
It is expected to publish the magazine with regularity. This can be done only if our Fellows and Members send us manuscripts.
In order to better serve the Craft, it is our plan to appoint a Representative of the Society in every foreign country, and in each state of the U.S. His duty will be to supply local information to the Fellows and Members of the Society seeking light from him.
It is some years since the Society has published an issue of The Informant. This valuable pamphlet, which described the work of the Society and listed the names and addresses of the Fellows and Members, was an important link in the work of the Society in enabling Masonic students to get acquainted. We expect to publish The Informant within the very near future.
The work of the Society cannot be carried on without adequate financial assistance. If you have not paid your 1954 dues, please do so at once. The money is needed to print The Informant and the magazines planned for the balance of the year. In all fairness to those who have paid their current dues, the names of those who have not paid their 1954 dues will not be included in the current issue of The Informant.
The Society has served a useful purpose for many years. This was possible through the cooperation of the Fellows and Members. Your officers cannot do the work by themselves. The help of all is needed. You can help in one or more of the following ways: write articles if you are literally inclined, pay your dues if you have not done so, recommend Masons to membership, make constructive suggestions to your officers, correspond with other Members, and suggest the names of Members of the Society who should be given the title of Fellows when vacancies occur. Let us know in what field your interest lies so that we may labor together for the success of the Society and the benefit of the Craft.
----o----
By CARL H. CLAUDY, F.P.S.
ACROSS MY KNEES is a copy of Anderson's Constitutions of 1723 - an original copy, in the original binding.
The sentence reads stodigily - and yet my hands tremble and the goose flesh rises on my neck. To have wanted a book for forty some years and finally to own it - only another Masonic book-worm can understand! Perhaps there are readers of these pages to whom these words will mean something.
Thoughts chase each other madly across my mind, as lines across an out-of-order television screen. A Book-plate (modern) states it once belonged to "Sir Francis Burdett, Bart." But who first owned this book? From whom did he buy it? What hands have preceded mine in holding it? Grand Master Sayer? The Duke of Montegu? Desaguliers? Anderson himself ?
Any of these, as a dozen others, are possible.
Two hundred and thirty one years is a long time for a book to last. It is made of good paper, now a little yellowed by time. The type impression is clear, distinct. beautiful. The old leather binding is in excellent condition. The frontispiece - of course I, as every other Masonic student, am long familiar with it - is as bravely dignified and impressive in the original as in the many copies which have been made of it.
What brethren may have studied this old book, to "inform themselves in Masonry?" One cannot help recall that this was not a choice to make - it was the only book about Freemasonry in existence! Today there are thousands, and great Masonic libraries to house them. Then there was this lone example - and if we are to believe our historians - it had not been published without the opposition of those who thought it wrong to put anything in print about the Ancient Craft.
It is, even now, not the most valuable Masonic book. Presumably a Roberts Constitutions - two copies, is it not, left in the world? - or a Ben Franklin reprint of this book, fourteen copies remaining.
I have a "Jachin and Boaz," a "Masonry Dissected" of course, and an original Preston, a Jeremy Cross Monitor. They are precious and from them arises the faint perfume of antiquity. But to me the possession of this copy of Anderson, the beginning of that great stream of Masonic literature, to which I have contributed a few tiny rivulets; this well-spring of books about the Ancient Craft, is not only precious, but awe-inspiring. Handling copies in a library is interesting, but possessing one "all my own" is thrilling!
It is not the less absorbing that I practically know the book by heart. In 1924, when I was privileged to see through the press the original twenty volumes of The Little Masonic Library, a reprint of Anderson was Volume One. It was made, I believe, from a copy in the Grand Lodge Library in Cedar Rapids. Iowa. The pages of the reproduction, if clear, are small; the product does not have - could not have - the dignity of the original. But it was sharp and clearly readable and brought for the first time to thousands a sight of Masonry's first book - thousands who might otherwise never have seen it.
A few years ago, despairing of ever having a copy of my own, I ordered a photographic reproduction which was made from an original in the Grand Lodge Library, Massachusetts. That I still have and it has been both a curiosity to friends who have seen my small Masonic library and to some extent an inspiration to me. But here, in the book I now hold reverently, is a thrill and a chill and a touch with vanished hands, with days long past, with personalities many if not most of whom are but a dreamlike sketch - what do we really know of "Anthony Sayer, Gentleman", for instance?
Yet these were men, like us, who were born and grew up and loved and married and died - even as we have and must. The hands of William Hunter printed it for "John Senex, at the Globe and John Hooke at the Flour-de-luce, over against St. Dunstan's Church, in Fleet Street". Their fingers smoothed these old leather covers. "John Pine in Aldergate Street, London," engraved the picture.
From those days of long ago, those personalities now but mists in time, those eager minds and those sturdy for the Craft we love come now to me, in 1954, this handclasp across the years, this almost "mouth to ear" touch with brethren long in a better world.
Through its pages, as through a telescope reversed to make the scenes far distant and small, I catch a glimpse of a Craft then (in our form) but just begun. For a moment, at least, I stand in one of the "four old lodges", and before the Altar, salute the Unknown Brethren who made, and who have touched, that which I now handle with fingers not too steady . . .
----o----
Under the English Constitutions only one who has been installed as Master of a Lodge can confer a degree.
In 1830 at Limerick, Ireland, a stone was found in a small chapel, bearing the date 1517 and also the following inscription: "I will strive to live with love and care, upon the level, by the square."
In an English Lodge, the only officers elected are the Master, Treasurer and Tiler.
The title of the presiding officer of the Grand Lodge of Scotland is Grand Master Mason. The Patron Saint of the Craft in Scotland is Saint Andrew, whose feast is celebrated on November 30th of each year.
The charge of being a Freemason, leveled against Mario Blasco Ibanes, son of the famed Spanish novelist, Vicente Blasco Ibanes, has resulted in his being condemned to twelve years in prison. A Franco-Spanish court sitting in Valencia passed the sentence.
- Masai Scottish draftsman.
----o----
AFTER A PERIOD of dormancy, because of the death of former officers, the Philalethes Society came to a state of activity under the temporary Presidency of Lee E. Wells, F.P.S., and other temporary officers, appointed to serve until a new slate of permanent officers could be elected and set to work.
The election has been held, following the formulation and adoption of a Constitution and By-Laws, and there are, in the Philalethes Society, the following officers, who will serve for a term of three years, beginning January 1st, 1955, but who under the Constitution, will also serve out the remainder of 1954:
President - Alphonse Cerza, Riverside, Illinois
1st Vice President - Arthur H. Triggs, Oakland, Cal.
2nd Vice President - Elbert Bede, Portland, Oregon
Executive Secretary - Lawton E. Meyer, St. Louis, Mo.
Treasurer - John Black Vrooman, St. Louis, Mo.
Each of these officers is a Fellow of the Society, has been active in many fields of Masonry, and has contributed much to the general welfare of the Society during the time of its re-activation.
The President, Brother Alphonse Cerza, a lawyer by profession, was educated at Crane Junior College, Chicago, received the degree of B.S.L. from Northwestern University in 1929, and that of J.D. from Loyola University (Chicago), in 1931. He is an instructor in the John Marshall Law School, and an active practising attorney.
Member and Past Master (1945) of Waubansia Lodge No. 160 at Chicago, he is an officer in the Lodge of Perfection of Oriental Consistory, A.A.S.R., and a member of the speakers' bureau of that group. He is married and has two daughters and a son.
Arthur Horace Triggs, 1st Vice President, was born in Grand Island, Nebraska, but moved to California, where he now lives. He is a member and Past Master of Bay View Lodge No. 401, F. & A. M., Oakland, Cal., and was chairman of Printing & Publications for centennial of Grand Lodge of California in 1950. He was Grand Pursuivant in 1950.
Elbert Bede, owner and Editor of the Oregon Freemason, is one of the outstanding members of the Craft. A member and Past Master of Cottage Grove Lodge No. 51, Cottage Grove, Oregon, and of the associated Masonic bodies, he is a Past Commander of Tancred Commandery, K. T., and a 33rd degree member of the Scottish Rite. He has made many contributions to Masonic literature, among them being "3-5 and 7 Minute Talks on Masonry." He is married and has a son and four daughters.
Lawton E. Meyer, District Claims Manager for a large Casualty and Bonding Co., is Librarian of the Scottish Rite at St. Louis, having a knowledge and insight into Masonic books that is uncanny. He is a member of Tuscan Lodge No. 360, A. F. & A. M. Chapter, Council, Commandery and a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor of the Scottish Rite of St. Louis. His insight into Masonry is an asset to him as Executive Secretary. In World War I he was a Lieutenant in the Marines.
Named as Treasurer, and also designated to become the Editor of the PHILALETHES MAGAZINE, John Black Vrooman is the Masonic Hospital Visitor in the St. Louis area for the Masonic Service Association of the United States. Prior to this assignment he was engaged in editing a Masonic magazine in Kansas. He is a Past Presiding officer of each of the four York Rite bodies, and a member of the Scottish Rite.
----o----
ONE OF the important functions of any organization is the appointment and activity of the several committees authorized by its Constitution and ByLaws. In accordance with this authority, President Cerza has made the following committee appointments - other names will be added from time to time, as the occasion necessitates:
PUBLICATION COMMITTEE:
Albert L. Woody, (Ch.), 3502 Wesley Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois
Edward J. Franta, (North Dakota)
Dr. William Moseley Brown, (Va.)
John Black Vrooman, ex-officio member; Editor, "The Philalethes"
REGULARITY COMMITTEE:
Ray V. Denslow, (Ch.), Box 529, Trenton, Mo.
Harold V. B. Voorhis, (N.Y.)
James R. Malott, (Ariz.)
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE:
Arthur H. Triggs, (Ch.), 2117 Funston Place, Oakland, Cal.
Others to be named.
GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE:
Milton T. Sonntag, (Ch.), Plainfield, Ill.
Dr. John C. Hubbard, (Oklahoma)
Lee E. Wells, (Cal.)
FINANCE COMMITTEE:
Ralph S. Davis, (Ch.), 315 Wisconsin Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois
Edwin E. Gruener, (Pa.)
FELLOWS COMMITTEE:
Harold V. B. Voorhis, (Ch.) 90 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn 2, N. Y.
Carl H. Claudy, (D. C.)
Lee E. Wells, (Cal.)
Dr. Charles G. Reigner, (Md.)
----o----
HOURS OF INITIATION
There is an old legend extant, which it is well to know, that the ancient Masons were enjoined to initiate their candidates at the third, sixth and ninth hours only; for which custom they assigned these reasons; that it was at the third hour of the day that the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles at the Pentecost, at the sixth hour Peter went up to the house-top to offer his prayers to God, when he was favored with a celestial vision; and at the ninth hour Peter and John went to the Temple for the same. purpose, and then and there healed a man who had been lame from his mother's womb. (Acts ii-i). - Exchange.
----o----
BY RABBI HIRSH GEFFEN, F. P. S.
THE GARMENT of the High Priest symbolizes the dressing of the soul and the qualifications of the high and holy-office. Man's qualities and inclinations clothe his soul and, by them, he demonstrates its spiritual and moral power in his life.
When the Almighty ordained the dress of the High Priest, He also created a spiritual gown of purity and sanctification. The white trousers were to remind the wearer of his purity and chastity, and it symbolized the subjugation of his passions as does the white apron of Freemasonry.
The checkered coat was to teach him to conquer his anger and wrath, since wrath can easily lead to bloodshed. It has been written in Genesis 37:31: "And they dipped the coat in the blood," meaning symbolically that they had dipped their spiritual garment in the blood of anger and revenge, which had overpowered them.
The Girdle was in length thirty-two ells, corresponding to the numerical value of the Hebrew word LEB, or "heart." Therefore, it was girded close to the heart and its embroidery work symbolized the alternating phases of man's thought, both good and bad, that are embroidered in his heart. Rabbis say the Girdle represents atonement in the contemplation of the heart. They also say that envy, cupidity and ambition take a mean from the world and only after he has purified himself from the envy, the cause of anger, does he conquer the false pride that is the source of all evil.
The Mitre covers the head of the High Priest to teach the lesson of the reverence for God and the Shekinah. If the Priest will realize that the Almighty and all the Heavenly Host is above his head, he will always walk humbly with God.
The Robe is blue, the color of Heaven. It was the garment of nobility, or moral and direct speech "without the least equivocation," as it is said Masonically. The robe "shall have a binding that it be not rent" (Exodus 28:32), to mean, symbolically. that he shall not rend his mouth in profane speech or slander. "His sound shall be heard when he goeth into the Holy place." (Exodus 28:35) Thus he speaks in sanctity and reverence.
The High Priest wore the Breastplate and Ephod on the robe. The Ephod was without sleeves, wee n over the tunic and outer garment. The robe worn by the High Priest of a Royal Arch Chapter is a representation of it.
The High Priest carried all the twelve tribes of Israel upon his shoulders. The Breastplate, however, was the symbol of judgment because he was also the chief judge of the supreme court and chief of the Sanhedrin. The names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the Breastplate, also those of the Patriarchs and some Elders, altogether seventy-two letters that correspond to the number of the Sanhedrin, the highest court in Israel.
It was necessary that the Ephod be connected to the Breastplate, symbolizing unity for only in unity is there power. "The Breastplate shall not be loosed from the Ephod," (Exodus 28:28), that there should not be factions at war with one and another
Because the High Priest stood near to God, and realized that the Great King of Heaven was ever near, he placed on his forehead the plate of pure gold with the inscription of the name of God upon it.
The Mitre with the plate's inscription, "Holiness to Tale Lord," was a double symbol - that of the Shekinah of God above his head, and the Holiness of God before his face.
----o----
Dear Brethren:
YOUR ELECTION of me as First Vice President is deeply appreciated, not only for whatever honor may go with the office but for the opportunity to further serve our beloved Society. It is a satisfaction to know we are once more moving forward and I am sure all members feel the same way. Although reorganization bulged with work, involving a tremendous amount of correspondence, the aid and assistance of all greatly eased the burden.
We always have been blessed with outstanding Masonic scholars to handle the executive work as President and this pattern was followed by Brother Lee E. Wells who took the temporary assignment as President to see the Society through its re-birth. The Society is deeply indebted to Brother Wells for his efficient guidance.
Now we have another outstanding student as our President, Brother Alphonse Cerza, who has shown by his zeal and ability during the trying times we have just passed through to be a truly great leader. The other officers matched his enthusiasm. With all working together we will make another advance.
The advancement of our Society, however, rests on all members and the degree of advancement will depend on the individual member's interest. It is your duty, pleasant as it may be, to suggest the names of qualified and interested Masons for membership in the Society and, as time permits, to contribute of your Masonic thinking for publication in the magazine. Now is the time to commence or renew your own personal activity.
Again, thank s for the confidence you have placed in me.
----o----
By LAWTON E. MEYER, F.P.S.
Executive Secretary
BEHIND EVERYTHING that is wonderful stands the individuals It is not the Moment that makes the Man - it is certainly the Man that creates the Age.
We, as individuals can bring forth a new Era - a truly Masonic Golden Age. The movements that fail are the ones which rely upon the permanency of human nature - and not on its growth and development. Too often has the dead hand of the past slapped the face of the living. Too often have we lived in the past. Masonry is a progressive science, and as such, is more alive and alert than in the ages past.
Certainly, therefore, we must search for and find the deeds of Masonry today and plan for its tomorrow. It is not to flaunt our virtues to the world - but to let the world know of our work. The dignified lethargy that has permeated research must give way to the lives and deeds of this day . . . we must cease worshiping the bones of our deceased ancestors and must take the lamps lit by them and set ablaze more lamps in this world of darkness and confusion.
Certainly, there are Washingtons - Reveres - Bolivars today. There are the MacArthurs and Clarks in our world now - but where are the bards to sing their praises - the Boswells to record their deeds?
Our membership is increasing - but we need, not more members, but rather more dedicated and enthusiastic scholars. The time to go to work is Now.
----o----
What Should a Candidate Expect In Freemasonry
By LAWTON E. MEYERS F.P.S.
THE MASONIC CANDIDATE is not born into a new world in which nothing ever happened. He is born into a world full of experiences - some bitter, but most of them, magnificent. Thus, he is entitled to know the "Why" of Masonry - what it means. He is also entitled to know what those who have preceded him have accomplished, and what their accomplishments mean to him and to Masonry.
It is also necessary that he should find out what he must do in this world of their accomplishment. He must feel that he is a vital part of the Masonic world, active in it, and well aware of what he must do. and the means by which he can do his part.
The Candidate's Masonic inheritance is five-fold: it is SCIENTIFIC, it is LITERARY, it is AESTHETIC, it is RELIGIOUS, and it is BROTHERHOOD. Without this fivefold inheritance the Candidate cannot be a Mason in the truest sense of the word.
MASONRY, the science of moral living in Free Society, is the very essence of good government and community well-being. Without these precepts the Candidate dies as a Mason, and Masonry dies with him . . . for we live or die on the tenets of our beliefs . . . what we believe to be TRUTH . . . and that mysterious authority of TRUTH we must have.
What we need now, more than ever before, is a knowledge of our honorable past that we may turn it into a more glorious FUTURE. We should revere the deeds of our illustrious dead, and carry on their work of regeneration and rebuilding of human character, so that we may not lack for example and precept in performing the duties of Life.
The patriots of the past - all Masons - are our examples, and their work must and shall be continued. We of the Philalethes Society, as must ALL Masons will take up the torch of our Brethren who have preceded us.
----o----
WHAT WAS FIRST MEANING OF 'FREEBORN' ?
Not long ago in looking over some old clippings and notes I ran into the reference to an occurence of many years ago in an Eastern Jurisdiction. It seems that a subordinate Lodge conferred the degrees on a Russian born under the old Tsarist regime. His father and mother were serfs on a great estate and bound to the soil in a state similar to slavery. Through some fortuitous circumstances they with their infant son escaped from the country and eventually reached this country. They prospered and the father became a citizen. The boy was well reared and educated. He was eminently respectable and a citizen. After his admission to the Order, the question was raised was he freeborn. Technically he was not, and the Lodge officers were much exercised.
Finally the question was submitted to the Grand Master. He promptly responded. First he commended their spirit and care and caution in holding fast to the Ancient Landmarks and traditions. Then he disclosed that he was a fundamentalist in democracy. He declared their action proper, just and Masonically sound, stating that he took his stand on a statement of "the greatest statesman the United States has produced," Thomas Jefferson, who said that "all men are created free." That settled the matter.
Yet there still remains the question asked. What is the original or real meaning of freeborn or free born? In this country when human slavery was a social institution until eighty years ago, the interpretation was in two words, "free born." That meant born without the limits of that condition of servitude. That understanding, with no reason for it, has continued. But an examination of old writings discloses that in the earlier English minds it had a different meaning. The old Constitutions said, "That the practice be able of birth, that is, free born."
- Bulletin, Grand Lodge of lowa.
----o----
By FREDERICK T. PARKER, M.P.S.
THE FIRST REQUISITE in Freemasonry is belief in a Supreme Being. This involves consideration of the words "belief," "Supreme," and "Being." To believe, of course, is to have the utmost confidence in the existence of the thing in which you believe, or faith, and Paul has said that "faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things unseen." "Supreme" or "Highest" infers or allows for the existence of others not so high. "Being" is defined as "existence in the widest sense, one that exists in actuality, has existed or may exist or may be conceived." The two words "Supreme Being" taken together mean God.
Men throughout the ages have tried to prove that God actually does exist but none has been able so to do. Probably Descartes, early in the seventeenth century, produced the most famous of all such efforts. He awakened to the fact that what he had termed "knowledge" was something that was necessarily based on the evidence of his senses and these same senses, he believed, had played him false from time to time so that he could not rely on their evidence as being the truth and therefore he could not prove that anything did exist.
One thing, however, he did know, and that was that at least he, himself, existed, for he was capable of thinking. "Cogito ergo sum;" "I think; therefore I am." Another thing he knew was that he was not perfect, for if he were perfect he would know of knowledge and not be in doubt.
He then assumed the axiom that something cannot come from nothing, and that an idea was certainly something, and he had an idea of perfection; hence, somewhere, something existed which was perfect, and hence his presumed proof of the existence of God, i.e. perfection.
Tennyson, in "In Memoriam," has put this comparison of belief as against knowledge most comprehensively when he says:
Strong Son of God, immortal love,
Whom we that have not seen Thy face
By faith, and faith alone embrace,
Believing where we cannot prove.
We have but faith; we cannot know,
For knowledge is of things we see,
And yet we trust it comes from Thee;
A beam in darkness; let it grow -
But Spinoza, the gentle Jew, gives in his "Ethics" his view concerning God. A Being absolutely infinite, i.e. a substance consisting of infinite attributes, each of which expresses eternal and infinite essence. He describes an attribute as "that which the intellect perceives as constituting the essence of a substance," and then goes on to show that there can only be one substance, God; its own cause; its essence necessarily involving its existence.
If I might sum up all the foregoing, it is that there is but one Supreme Being who of necessity must exist, and everything perfect is an attribute of Him.
But man can only falteringly understand perfection, can only vaguely imagine these attributes, for man after all can only know those things that come to him through his senses; he is a creature of his own particular environment; his thoughts, aims, hopes, desires, are all based upon his past history, are all affected by his upbringing, and yet these thoughts, these aims, these hopes, these desires combine to make him what he is: Man is the product of all his yesterdays. In one way it may be truly said that man of necessity has created God in his own image, and man, equally of necessity, sees as through a glass darkly.
Since the comprehension of truth surpasses human understanding; and since it is manifestly impossible for finite minds to comprehend Infinity, and also since the past and present environments of different peoples have been and are so entirely different, is it any wonder that the varied races of mankind, of men who at no time have seen the Father, give to this Supreme Being so many widely diversified attributes? Is it any wonder that primitive men, seeing God manifest in so many ways, in sun, moon, forest, rivers, men with such a confused idea of infinity, worship these manifestations of God as being, in fact, deities themselves?
The Israelites were originally a nomad people. Their social unit was the clan. Their highest authority was their own tribal leader. Hence the earliest conception of God that the Israelites could have was as a sort of glorified desert chieftain, a Jehovah who Van as God only of the Israelites. And this super-leader was one who tired from labor and rested when his work was completed, who loved quietly to walk in the garden in the restful cool of the evening.
But as Israel developed so did their conception of their Deity become enlarged. No longer walking and talking with man, He appeared only in visions. Finally, He appeared to Moses at a most momentous time on Mount Sinai and Jehovah was held to be a righteous God who had delivered His chosen people from a condition of social injustice. But still the Jehovah of Moses was an austere figure, demanding obedience and inflicting His just wrath even to the third and fourth generation of those who did not follow His commandments.
Gradually the Israelites became a settled people with an ever-widening social outlook; gradually they grew in what we might call "civilization" and as they progressed so did their conception of Jehovah expand.
To a series of remarkable men, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel (prophets - revealers); reformers, statesmen, leaders of the thought of their day and generation, we owe a record of this altering view of God.
When we come to Amos, and particularly to Hosea, the old conception of Jehovah immeasurably broadened. From one who jealously and austerely guarded His own prerogatives, He changed to one who desired loving kindness and not sacrifice; knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings; redemption of the sinful. No longer an autocrat demanding submission, He became one who was loving, reasonable.
Hosea conceived the truth that mercy and love are the essence of all true religion, and in Hosea "mercy and truth are met together." Moses had proclaimed that God would show mercy, but that was only toward those who loved Him. Hosea, whose relationship with his sinful wife, Gomer, is of decided interest, preached divine mercy and forgiveness to all. Soon the old visitation of sin changed into the responsibility and opportunity of the individual regardless of heredity.
Those immortal chapters of Isaiah, dating from the end of the exile, now tell of a God who disregards all barriers of race and space and time; omnipotent all-seeing, all-righteous Creator, Ruler and Saviour of the world. And Micah says: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God."
Truly the Bible and the Apocrypha are the expression of the increasing growth of the religious consciousness of a religious people.
The Christian belief concerning God started from this highest point reached in Judaism. Jesus taught that God is a personal, a universal Father, a Father of all mankind, as distinct from Jehovah of a group only of "them that fear Him." He taught that God forgives sin, not merely upon condition of personal repentance but upon the condition that the sinner himself forgives all who may have done wrong to him, even his enemies.
The Christians, naturally, ascribe to God all of the attributes which were exemplified in the life of Him who lived a life of love and service and forgiveness; who was the light, the way, the truth, the life.
The founder of Islam was a domineering warring autocrat. The Allah of Mohammedanism, sole God, for "There is no God but Allah," is all-seeing, all-hearing, all-knowing, all-powerful. While he is described as loving, his love is prescribed to those who do good, who follow Mohammed, to those who believe and act aright. He punishes the wicked and rewards the good (but the Christian God maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust). Allah is gracious and forgiving but only toward those who submit to his sovereignty. He guides whomsoever he pleases. Indeed, he guides and misguides, punishes and forgives, according to his own inscrutable, unquestionable good pleasure. On the whole, Allah is represented as a magnificent, opulent, irresistible Potentate - an Arab Sheik - glorified and magnified to cosmic proportions.
Confucius taught not only the existence of a Supreme Being but also the divine supervision of the world. True, numerous deities are worshipped, for the Sacred Book of the East says:
He sacrificed specially, but with ordinary forms, to God; sacrificed with reverent purity to the six Honored Ones; offered their appropriate sacrifices to the hills and rivers, and extended His worship to a host of spirits,
but every one of the Confucian scriptures makes direct allusion to the supreme power of the world. "Shang To" or supreme ruler is a personal designation always as "God." "Tien," literally Heaven refers to the supreme moral rule or order of the world in impersonal terms, and the third designation is the impersonal "Ming" or decree or fate.
Hinduism dating from 1500 B. C. is the complex gradual growth of a very religiously minded people with many different temperaments. Its main theological belief is in one omnipotent Divine Being named Brahma, in one imminent, all-inclusive, all-sanctifying world soul.
To the extent that the religions practised by man throughout the world involves a belief in a Supreme Being, regardless of just what attributes man, because of different environments and different pasts, thinks his God is endowed with;
To the extent that God or Allah, Shang Ti or Brahma, whether by inspired writings, by the laws governing the universe, or by consciousness of a moral law, has revealed His will to man, which surely is, at least, that man must earnestly endeavour to act like a child of God;
To the extent that man believes that this Supreme Being does award and punish, whether it be by the effect that actions have upon the mind or soul of man, or by quasi-material benefits to this extent Freemasonry embraces men of all faiths.
For Freemasonry is founded on the Fatherhood of God, the full development of the individual child of a Universal Father: the practice of social righteousness.
And so the spirit of Freemasonry, with understanding and with creative good will, ardently desires to embrace all men so that all may be enriched by its lofty morality, its essential ethics; and, with an increasing spiritual ideal of Brotherhood, hasten the day
'Till the war drums throbbed no longer,
And the battle flags were furled
In the parliament of man, the
Federation of the world.
That is the aim, that is the hope, that is the faith of Masonry.
----o----
On the monuments of Egypt, a garment which can best be described as a triangular apron, point upwards, is depicted in circumstances which clearly indicate that the wearer is taking part in some ceremony of initiation.
In ancient Mexico, the gods are depicted wearing aprons, some of which bear a striking resemblance to the modern Craft apron.
Indeed, the apron is the most ancient and most primitive garment in the world, and is the first evolved by the lowest type of savage.
The statement in the Old Testament, that Adam and Eve made themselves aprons of leaves, is testimony to the earliest form of clothing.
Thus, we see why the apron, as the human race developed, assumed a sacred and religious character. Religion constantly uses the garments of the past for the ceremonial robes of its priests and the regalia of the initiate. To this day, in certain parts of Africa, the boy on being initiated in their primitive rites, is solemnly invested with an apron of leaves.
Our aprons have behind them great antiquity and would still be most appropriate regalia, even if they were not further adorned by all manner of symbolic embellishments. - The Freemason.
----o----
A Message From the Second Vice President
By ELBERT BEDE
Second Vice President
As I ACCEPT the first office with which I have been honored by the Philalethes Society; there comes to mind that pretty poetic gem, "The Bridge Builder," by Will Allen Dromgoole:
An old man going a lone highway
Came, at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You've crossed the chasm deep and wide,
Why build this bridge at eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head;
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followed after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be,
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I'm building that bridge for him."
We, as members of the Philalethes Society, particularly those who have been honored by being selected as Fellows, and those named to the Executive Committee, may be compared to the bridge builder in the lines which I have quoted. At least, our activities should be such that we may be thus compared. We should be building bridges for those who are of fewer years in Freemasonry. We should be building bridges for the newer members of our Society. We should be making the way easier for others who may be approaching the chasms vast and deep and wide in which much of the history, philosophy and symbolism of Freemasonry awaits discovery by those who will search. Not one of us has escaped being placed in a position in which he wished there was a bridge built for him by those who had gone before.
While we should have pride in our work, let us not be proud. Let us not give the impression that we are setting ourselves above others. Let us have the humility of the student who discovers a lifetime will not suffice to acquire that which he seeks. Above everything, let us search for material well seasoned and sound, tried by the implements of Freemasonry, for the bridges we hope to build for others - and for ourselves.
----o----
"Long Lived and Lost Awhile
PHILLIP CROSSLE, F. P. S., Dublin, Ireland. Date of death unknown.
DECATUR NELSON LACEY, F. P. S., Seattle Washington. Died May 10, 1954.
Member - St. John's Lodge No. 9, Seattle, Wash.
Member - University Chapter No. 32, R.A.M., Seattle, Wash.
Member - Adoniram Council No. 17, R.&S.M., Seattle, Wash.
Member - Bethlehem Commandery No. 19, K.T., Seattle, Wash.
Member Seattle Scottish Rite Bodies.
Fellow of the Philalethes Society.
He is survived by his widow, one son and two daughters.
FRANK LANGOSCH, M. P. S., Chicago, Illinois. Died April 11, 1954.
Member and Past Master of Ivanhoe Lodge No. 1100, Chicago - served as Secretary for six years.
Member of Royal Arch Chapter, Commandery of Knights Templar, Shrine, and Scottish Rite Bodies.
He is survived by his widow, Gertrude, a son, Ray Langosch, M.P.S., and a daughter.
WILLIAM MOISTER, F.P.S., Johannesburg, South Africa. Date of death unknown.
JOHN MOSSAZ, F.P.S., Geneva, Switzerland. Date of death unknown.
FRITZ WILLIAM PITSCH, M.P.S., Basel, Switzerland. Date of death unknown.
----o----
MILFORD E. SHIELDS, M. P. S
Poet-Laureate of Colorado
Four fountained prayer issues forth
With living waters for the earth:
A pray'l of thanks for God flows there;
A prayer unto Him for aid;
A prayer for the word of pray'r;
A pray'r for endless pray'r is made:
Where all who drink thereof shall see
The Royal Arch of Masonry.
----o----
PHILALETHES MEMBER IS HONORED BY HIS STATE
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY is proud to learn that one of its members, Milford E. Shields, has been honored by the Governor of the State of Colorado in being appointed Poet-Laureate of Colorado.
A Past Master of his Lodge Durango No. 46, Durango, Colo., Past High Priest of the Chapter, R.A.M.; Past Illustrious Master of the Council, R.&S.M., and Past Commander of his Commandery K.T., he is a member of Pike's Peal Priory of K.Y.C.H.
We, of the Philalethes Society, are proud of this achievement, and the use of his talent in the future.
----o----
Masonic Books of Interest
FROM THESE BEGINNINGS,
By William Moseley Brown, F.P.S.
From the gifted pen of Dr. William Moseley Brown, F.P.S., there has been produced From These Beginnings, a biography of Remmie LeRoy Arnold, immediate Past Imperial Potentate of the Shrine.
This beautifully printed volume of 635 pages contains more than one hundred pictures and is the life story of a man who has devoted his waking hours to Masonry and its teachings of love and devotion - and it is just off the press.
MASONIC GLEANINGS,
By Robert G. Cole, 1922, West Hood, Chicago, III.
Many of the chapters of this book were published in the pages of the Chicago Scottish Rite Magazine. It is unique, in that the events portrayed are built around the person who made the particular part of history described. Its index contains the names of those discussed in the book. After all, events are the result of people doing something; so why not report what our Brethren are doing?
THE WELL-SPRINGS OF AMERICAN FREEMASONRY,
By H. L. Haywood, F. P. S.
One of the outstanding books of the decade is the story of each of the several Grand Lodges of the forty-nine Grand Lodges of the United States. Never before has this story been written with such a wealth of descriptive narrative, or accuracy of fact and legend. This is one of the most valuable books on Masonic history that has yet been produced, and will long be recognized by Masonic historians as such.
These books and others listed in these pages, can be secured by writing the Editor.
----o----
The following list of the names under which Deity is known in various languages may be interesting: -
In Latin it is Deus; French, Dieu; Greek, Zeus; German, Gott; Scandinavian, Odin; Swedish, Godd; Hebrew, Adon; Syrian, Adad; Persian, Syra; Tartarian, Tdga; Sclavonian, Belg or Boog; Italian, Idis: Spanish, Dias; East Indian, Esgi or Zeni; Turkish, Abdi; Egyptian, Aumu or Zeut; Japanese, Zain; Peruvian, Lian; Wallachian, Zene; Etrurian, Chur; Tyrrhenian, Eher, Old Irish, Dieh; Croatian, Doga; Margarian, Oese; Arabian, Alla; Dalmatian, Bogt.
To these we might add our English word Lord and the name of Deity in many of our Indian dialects.
The celebrated Scripture Commentator, Dr. Kitto, thus discoursed upon the question as to the space of time included by the term "a Day's work" in eastern lands:-
"The day's work closed when the sun set in the west. All the expressions used in Scripture about hired servants imply that they were hired by the day. This is still the case in the east, where not only laborers, but mechanics, whether they work for a householder or for a master in their own craft, are paid by the day, and regularly expect their day's wages when the sun goes down.
- Masonic Magazine. 1865.
-----o----
L.E. Wells, F.P.S. - A Tribute
AT THE TIME that the Philalethes Society was in the process of re-organization, and after the death of several of its principal officers, Lee E. Wells, F.P.S., the First Vice President, as the sole senior officer of that group, applied himself with energy and a full knowledge of the essential facts of the Society's needs, to the task of rebuilding and revitalizing it.
Working under severe handicaps, both from a personal standpoint and because of a lack of knowledge among the Fellows and Members of the ways and means of getting the expected results, he made a sacrifice of time and effort, and gathered around him those w ho could assist in doing the work necessary, and became the spark-plug for laying the groundwork of bringing the Society back to a position of activity.
As a professional writer, and one whose time was not his own, he called on those whom he knew would accomplish the purpose sought; contacted key men in all parts of the country, and set the wheels in motion that resulted in the writing and adoption of a Constitution and By-Laws, and the selection, nomination and election of permanent officers who would take over the reins of the Society, and make it active and aggressive in Masonic research.
Little credit has been given this ardent Mason for his work. His personal and professional obligations preventing him from accepting the Presidency of the Society, which he so richly deserved, he stepped down from that position and continued his labors for the good of the Society, without thought of personal advancement or honors.
All who know of the efforts of Brother Wells - all who know of the great amount of work done by him, and his unselfish efforts to revive the Philalethes Society - will rejoice with him in the results obtained, and thank him for the spirit of helpfulness.
While it is to be regretted that Brother Wells cannot preside as the President of the Philalethes Society, all Fellows and Members realize that the present status of this distinguished group, and its present state of activity will be forever a monument and tribute to his devotion and love of Masonry.
----o----
SUSPENSION NOTICE
Up to this time all Fellows and Members have been kept on the mailing list, whether their 1954 dues were paid or not. This was in the interest of harmony and because the pro tem officers wished to have every Fellow and Member of the Society have a voice in its organization along democratic lines.
NOTICE IS NOW GIVEN:
That the title of Fellow will be declared forfeited as to any Fellow of the Society that fails to pay his 1954 dues by November 15, 1954.
----o----
BY D. R. LANE, M.P.S.
THE GEOMETRICAL FACT represented by Euclid’s Forty-Seventh Problem is often used in the laying out of buildings, and hence this theorem has often been called "The Carpenter's Theorem." Actually it belongs far more to the operative Mason than to the carpenter, for the worker in wood uses it in only one way, to set the corner of a building square, whereas the operative Masons used it in many ways.
Euclid's Forty-Seventh Problem occurs in the first book of Geometry as compiled by him and is stated as follows:
(A) "In any right angled triangle, the square of which is described upon the side subtending the right angle is equal to the squares upon the sides which contain the right angle."
To put the meaning of this into plain words: if a right triangle has for its base a length equivalent to three, and for its perpendicular a length equivalent to four, then its hypotenuse will have a length equivalent to five, for the square of three is nine and the square of four is sixteen; their sum is twenty-five and the square root of twenty-five is five.
A triangle and squares of these dimensions constitute the form in which the problem is presented emblematically in Masonry.
But even before there were any Operative Masons as we know of them, this theorem belonged to the surveyors of land, to astronomers and to mathematicians.
In fact, it belongs to all of us. If man had never sought out the truths implicit in this great geometrical proposition, we would not be living in the kind of world we now enjoy. On this problem, and on the Thirty-Second Problem, are founded the science of algebra. This, and some other theorems, formed the basis for the development of trigonometry and spherical geometry. Hence it serves as ancestor to astronomy, navigation, and to all the higher mathematics. If it be true all science may be reduced to a basis of pure mathematics, then this Forty-Seventh Problem is parent to the whole body of the world's scientific knowledge.
This problem, and facts derived from it, enter a thousand times a day into the life of every civilized man. It is part and parcel of civilization as we know it - and by no means the smallest part or lightest parcel.
To whom, then, shall we credit this gigantic discovery? We do not know. Our Monitor says the Forty-Seventh Problem was an invention of Pythagoras (G) but this cannot be taken literally for this theorem was known many centuries before the birth of Pythagoras. (A) However, he may have learned of it during a visit which he is supposed to have made to Egypt in the sixth century B.C., and which, indeed, it is probable that he did make (B) for the Egyptians knew and used at least two of the mathematical facts embodied in this theorem. First, it enabled them to lay out the bases of structures as squares or oblongs with great accuracy. For example, consider the great pyramid at Gizeh. The base of this vast pile measures 755 feet 9 inches on each side and covers an area of no less than thirteen acres. Yet so accurately did the builders lay out its foundation that the angular error in closing this great square is less than twothirds of an inch.
Second, the Forty-Seventh Problem provided the Egyptians with the angle at which the sides of the pyramids are inclined, namely, 52 degrees. Within a very slight error, the sides of all the pyramids but one are inclined at this angle. In that single exception the angle is 53 degrees. In the cases of two other pyramids, those of King Sneferu at Medum and King Khufu at Gizeh, the error amounts to only eight minutes of arc (B) which surely indicates 52 degrees was the goal at which they aimed.
Furthermore, we may assume that this problem was a key factor in the surveying which had to be done in Egypt each year after the inundation of the Nile had eliminated all landmarks. In this surveying it was of course necessary to establish lines and angles, particularly right angles, and the principle embodied in the Forty-Seventh Problem was then and still is the simplest method of setting lines at right angles to each other.
And besides all this, the Forty-Seventh Problem was the standard of all the Egyptian measures of extent (A). By the use of a right triangle, a circle, and certain simple lines, it is possible to derive a great number of proportionate measures.
Since these structures date from as early as 4,750 B.C., and Pythagoras was born some time between 600 and 590 B.C. (C), it is evident that this great philosopher was not the first to know of the Forty-Seventh Problem, though to do him justice we must admit that he is generally credited with being the first to develop a logical mathematical proof for it (D). Many others have been developed since, including one by our own President Garfield (D).
It was the key to the great trade secret of our operative forbears - Geometry. This was their monopoly from the time of the Roman Colleges and it was so much a part of Masonry that in the Old Constitutions Geometry and Masonry were held to be synonymous (E). And so it is with little surprise that we find the Forty-Seventh Problem, which is the heart and soul of geometry, listed among the heiroglyphical emblems of Masonry today.
We do not know when this problem was first invested with symbolic values. It is a matter of record, however, that the ancient Egyptians regarded the right angled triangle formed in demonstrating the problem as the symbol of universal nature (A). To them, the base represented Osiris, or the male principle; the perpendicular represented Isis, or the female principle, and the hypotenuse was Horus, their son, the product of the male and female principles (C) (P).
Between their time and the beginnings of modern Masonry it may have had other meanings and it may not.
However, some students hold that our operative brethren gave it a symbolic significance (J), though what they ascribed to its meaning has admittedly been long lost to us. The learned Doctor Mackey says, "All the geometrical symbols of Freemasonry, such as . . . the Forty-Seventh Problem . . . may be considered as debris of what has been called the Lost Secrets of the old Freemasons (E).
We do know that the representation of the problem which we use today appears on the frontispiece of Anderson's Constitutions of 1723, where it is one of only three symbols displayed. The others are gloves and pillars representative of the five orders of architecture.
We also know that Anderson, in these same Constitutions, says among other references to geometry that, "The Forty-Seventh Problem . . . if duly observed, is the foundation of all Masonry, sacred, civil and military," and again: "Geometry is the basis of true Masonry, and its rule."
In what degree this notable symbol appeared at the time of Anderson's Constitutions is uncertain. It may have been either the Entered Apprentice or Fellowcraft, but hardly the degree of Master Mason, for Mackey, our best source, thinks the Fellowcraft degree was devised about 1719 and the Master's degree not until 1723 (E), whereas Anderson's Constitutions were approved in 1722, though not published until the following year.
Since that time, the Forty-Seventh Problem has been relegated to a considerably less imposing place. From the Irish work it has disappeared entirely (H). In the English work, it has been completely removed from the ritual but re-assigned a place as the jewel of the Immediate Past Master where it is accorded the following explanation:
"As this figure depends upon several lines, angles and triangles, which form the whole, as Freemasonry depends upon its several members, and the principles upon which the society is established." To this is appended an implied injunction toward charity (F).
The eminent Doctor Waite. who is surely entitled to speak with authority, says this explanation was taken from the Old Lectures; that is, lectures used before the formation of Grand Lodge in 1717. If so, it antedates by some time the explanation given in our rituals.
In these the Forty-Seventh Problem is mentioned only once, and then briefly. This single reference occurs in the monitorial portion of the Master's lecture in the Third degree, in a section which the candidate rarely hears, being merely told where the explanation of this and other emblems is to be found and admonished to make himself familiar with them.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A - Encyclopedia of Freemasonry - Mackey, Hughan and Hawkins, edition of 1921.
B - Encyclopedia Brittanica, 14th edition.
C - Secret Teachings of All Ages, Manley Hall.
D - New Plane Geometry, Welchons & Krickenberger.
E - History of Freemasonry, Mackey and Singleton.
F - Installing Master's Guide, Emulation Working.
G - MONITOR OF GRAND LODGE OF CALIFORNIA, F. & A. M.
H - Symbolism of Masonry, paper by Loudoun Harris in Transactions of Lodge of Research No. CC, Dublin for year 1929.
J - Transactions of Quatuor Coronatii Lodge No. 3076, paper by G. W. Speth, Vol. 3, Page 27.
K - Anderson's Constitutions, facsimile reproduction in Little Masonic Library.
L - Anderson's Manual, edition 1805.
P - Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike.
W - New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Arthur Edward Waite.
----o----
By GABRIEL RUSCETTI, M.P.S.
ONE IS NOT "made" a Master Mason. Nor do the taking of further explanatory degrees accomplish this. True, he has been accepted into the Masonic fold and as a consequence has been made a member of the Order. Nevertheless, he has not and will not be made a Master Mason by this procedure. One must develop, "grow," into a Master Mason. He, and he alone, can make this possible, provided he has a fervent desire to achieve this goal. This is not any easy task in this day and age of confusion and complexities, where it is easy to get lost in the maze.
Fortunate is he who becomes aware Masonry is the abstract science of spiritual unfoldment from the moment he passes between the pillars of Freemasonry. Those who are not are, in truth, hopelessly blind candidates. For it is this awareness alone, that can place him in the proper position to see the light, enabling him to perceive at once that a Master Mason is a builder of character - the temple of his own soul. That Freemasonry is not a material thing and, though not a religion, is essentially religious. He particularly becomes aware that the true initiation is spiritual and not the physical one taken in the Symbolic Lodge. That, as a member of the exoteric lodge he is given the tools with which to prepare himself for his eventual initiation into the esoteric lodge.
Spiritual maturation then, is the key to Masonic development. It is the strong foundation upon which our plans are built. If ever one becomes a real Master Mason, or how close to one he becomes, will depend upon his acknowledgment and acceptance of our spiritual philosophy. Unless he does, he cannot properly interpret the lessons of our ritual. In short, to what degree he matures spiritually will depend his Masonic growth.
----o-----
The question of Masonic funerals is still being discussed. Opinion seems to be that
"This Grand Lodge would be on fairly safe ground in stating the case as it exists in England. In England there is no Masonic burial service recognized by the Grand Lodge; in fact such services are not encouraged. - The Freemason, Canada
----o----
By PHILIP H. COAD
EASIER SAID than done! It means travelling the straight and narrow path - a most difficult task in these days of confusion and uncertainty. The tendency is to beat the other fellow to the draw, to gain immediate advantage, to get ours while the getting is good, now - let the future take care of itself. It has always been this way. People forget that the future must be reckoned with some time. It cannot be forgotten or by-passed. What we sow we must reap, and what is put on one side of the scales must be balanced on the other side.
Right up to the time of Pearl Harbor we were shipping the sinews of war to Japan, and it has been reported that afterwards we continued to sell that country materials for making munitions. Today, we are selling such things to Red China, while thousands of our young men are being slaughtered.
For what?
Blood money, comparable to the thirty pieces of silver Judas received for betraying his Lord and Master.
Is that keeping the faith? Is that following the commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and all thy mind," and does it follow the commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?" No, it does not! It says "I love profit, I desire wealth, I shall get it regardless of who suffers." Is it keeping the faith with those who lie in Flanders fields, or those who were killed in Europe, Asia and other parts of the
world in the last war? The answer is plain. We would do well to ponder the following poem written by Lieutenant Jack E. Spear, Inf. 3rd Army, killed in action in December, 1944, in the Ardennes:
If you would keep faith with me you need not weep
If I am killed, for I will not complain
Of any death if by it others gain
The things I think are worth my life to keep;
The right to have, to know, to love, to speak
If all win these, I will endure my pain
And on the battlefront where I have lain
Will find an honored place in which to sleep
But if when peace returns to you once more
You break the word you gave humanity
By keeping not the pledge to which you swore
Then carve in stone this epitaph for me:
"Here lies a fool who placed his hope in war
And gave his faith to insincerity."
Actually, in my humble opinion, the fault lies in leadership. The weakness everywhere is passivity. Adherence to faith in the possibility of a peaceful world is not strong enough to produce a vigorous society which demands peace, and out of which arises leadership that is incorrupt and which labors only for the good of the whole.
We say, "Our hope is in God," - let us, therefore, pray:
God give us men ! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands
Men whom the lust of office does not kill
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue,
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking
Tall men, sun crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking.
----o----
By JOHN BLACK VROOMAN, F. P. S.
Treasurer, The Philalethes Society
THE GREATEST ASSET that any society, group or organization can have is the quality of the MEN of which it is composed. In this, the Philalethes Society is most fortunate, for it comprises the elite of Masonry, and the keenest in Masonic research and study.
With this background of solidity, we can now turn our attention to the special task that confronts us - that of bringing to light ORIGINAL RESEARCH, new material from hitherto untilled fields, and the keen knowledge and insight of those of our Fellows and Members who are working in the quarries to make available material that has not, as yet, been brought to Masonic light.
It goes without saying that the official organ of the Society, THE PHILALETHES magazine, will be a medium through which the results of this Masonic research will be made available for study and enlightenment. The amount of material that can be given our readers will be in proportion to the number of new members we can get, and the financial contributions that will be received whereby we can carry on this work.
The Philalethes Society will not, and can not, carry on its work without funds. The plans and activities of the Society will be made in the light of the money that is ON HAND. It will not go in debt, nor project its activities beyond the range of money with which to carry on. It is now the need that every Fellow and Member interest himself in getting new members, new enthusiasm from our present membership, and that EACH FELLOW AND MEMBER prepare to take a personal, active part in the work of the Society.
Working together as a harmonious unit; pooling our knowledge and resources, and contributing our means and talents, will again bring the Philalethes Society to a place of influence and usefulness.
----o----
The most lovable quality that any human being can possess is tolerance. It is the vision that enables one to see things from another's viewpoint. It is the generosity that concedes to others the right to their own opinions and their own peculiarities. It enables us to let people be happy in their own way instead of our way. - Square and Compass.
----o----
By AUGUST J. STANGE, M.P.S.
IT IS GENERALLY ADMITTED that Masonry had its origin in the Ancient Mysteries and dates back many years before Christ, actually - "When was the Gavel introduced into Masonic Lodges."
I doubt if there is any information or any records as to when and how this occured. With the birth of mankind, people began to assemble in family, clan, or tribal meetings, and at such gatherings, the most powerful or influential man took charge. To enforce order he, beyond question, grasped in his hand his favorite war-club or other weapon of defense, so as to be prepared to enforce his authority. Is it too much to presume, that from this early custom thro' the evolution of Time, the use of our present day Gavel has been developed, and has since been adopted for use by the presiding officers of not only Masonic Lodges, but by all other lodges or bodies in conference?
We read in the Old Testament the tradition that God ordered Noah to make an instrument of wood with which to call his people to worship. This instrument was called "Nakus," and Noah was to strike it three times a day, as bells were then unknown.
It does not take a great stretch of imagination to conceive that from this originated the use of some instrument with which a head man or ruler could not only call his people together, but could also maintain order in his assemblies or gatherings. No doubt also that the present day "scepter" of monarchs had its origin in this humble "Nakus." As the scepter is an instrument of authority and power in the hands of kings or emperors, so the Gavel in the hands of a Worshipful Master is not only an instrument of authority, but also a symbol of order and decorum.
We have all been present on occasions when a Presiding Officer has used his gavel in an arrogant and arbitrary manner. This should not be, but is something that goes hand in hand with human frailty. Then again we have seen Presiding Officers who did not understand their rights and privileges and did not know how to use the authority entrusted to them to maintain decorum or to assert their prerogatives, with the result that their meetings were anything but desirable from the standpoint of accomplishing results. So, there you have the two extremes - too much arrogance, - too much diffidence.
There are times when a Master must use his Gavel to keep his brethren from becoming unruly, but such occurences are rare. One knock of the Gavel in the hands of a Worshipful Master calls a member or a lodge to order, and this summons must always bring about the desired result. The good of the Order demands prompt compliance to the requests or mandates of the Master, and when a Master's authority is used in a proper manner, he is entitled to the support and cooperation of all Lodge members.
Let us always remember what we have learned of the uses of the Gavel, and as speculative Masons, let us emblematically use the Gavel to fit our minds like living stones for that celestial building above, that house not made by hands.
----o----
By Ralph S. Davis, M.P.S.
FREEMASONRY, in all its Degrees, impresses on the Initiate, the importance of God as the Almighty Father, The Great Architect, the Source of all Life and Light, and the symbol Of Truth, Wisdom and Love. Freemasonry recognizes as supreme and vital two objects, the Divine Being and the human soul. It directs the mind of the Initiate, step by step, in the study of God's laws.
Freemasonry is not a religion, but its membership is composed of men who profess a belief in a Supreme Being and who are therefore religious men. For the most part they belong to churches and worship there. This belief in One God is the Cable Tow that unites men of all creeds into one common band of friends and brothers.
In Freemasonry, men of all faiths, meet on the level, and in accordance with their own interpretation of the designs on the Trestle-board, become searchers after Truth.
Freemasonry also teaches that the soul of man is immortal; that there is a life beyond the grave, and that the soul is destined to live throughout all eternity.
Freemasonry is a system of veiled symbolism which teaches its votaries to think; to cultivate habits of thought and meditation, and that they cannot love God unless they also love their fellow men. One cannot love his fellow man unless he comes into intimate contact with him, and enjoins man to become interested in his neighbor's joys and sorrows, his hopes and fears, and to rejoice with him in times of prosperity, and grieve with him in periods of adversity.
A Freemason is taught to obey the laws of the country in which he lives. He is especially instructed to obey the moral law. There is an essential difference between good and evil, between what is just and what is unjust. A Freemason accepts the Bible as the Great Light of his profession, and finds therein the foundation on which to build his Temple of Character.
All brothers are taught to appraise their status as Freemasons. Are you a Freemason in truth and fact? Apply the plumb, level, and square to your daily actions and obtain the answer.
----o----
A CLEARlNG HOUSE FOR MASONIC STUDENTS
(Letters Addressed to this Department Will Receive Prompt Attention)
. . . and Give Them Proper Instruction"
By WILLIAM H. KNUTZ, F.P.S.
BROTHER FRED I. MILLS, when he was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, said: "The large percentage of our members are not ritualists; they are not particularly interested in committing ritual and learning movements. Since they are not so interested, what are we offering them in order that they may have an active interest in the fraternally? Should not their membership entitle them to some attention that will be beneficial and pleasurable as well ? Would not a system of disseminating Masonic information be a step in the right direction ? I am convinced that it would."
Brother Mills placed such a system in effect in Illinois in 1948; since which time a Grand Lodge periodical, service letters, and candidate and other booklets have been made available and distributed in large numbers to Masons in Illinois.
Other jurisdictions have been working along the same lines. In 1950 the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education was formed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with ten midwest jurisdictions participating. Papers on many phases of Masonry are presented and discussed annually. The transactions of these conferences are printed in full.
Every Masonic publication, every group of Masons working on Masonic information, yes every Mason, should recognize the solemn duty to ". . . give them proper instruction." By the very nature of the organization, The Philalethes Society is vitally concerned with this problem.
The most effective method of disseminating Masonic information, the one which will reach the greatest number, and practically the only one available to the Society, is the printed page. But what is written should be given the greatest of care. The time to prepare material is valuable. Printing is costly. Time to read is valuable. Greater than all these is that error is harmful. The two following quotations will emphasize the importance of committing our thoughts to paper.
John Cotton Dana, the late well known librarian, museum director, author, and printer said: "Printing made a million times stronger the power that writing had to make all men brothers through likeness in knowledge and wisdom. Moreover the truths that pass through the printing press can almost never be lost. And with the printed records of human life at hand each man can study all men and find his place among them and discover the work for which he is best fitted."
But not by any means are all things which are printed true. And these untruths are "almost never lost." Note the complaint of Brother R.J. Lemert of Montana, voiced on page 137 of the 1916 issue of "The Builder: " "One of the most annoying things with which the student of history is obligated to contend is the tendency of writers, even those of high repute, to accept without careful investigation the statements of alleged fact made by their predecessors. Especially is this true, it is painful to admit, among writers on Masonic topics."
The value of truth and accuracy cannot be over emphasized. Masonic publications continue to print material proven untrue years ago. Anything of at biographical or historical nature should be based on reference to original documents, facsimile copies, or sources above question. Masonry makes practical application of such teachings as will lead to a better way of life. Mysticism, though still prevailing with apparent appeal, belongs to that period which produced the imaginative works of the times of Anderson, Preston, and Oliver, and has no place in Masonry.
Another important consideration is reader interest. Only those articles which interest the reader will be read. It is true that in a large group of readers there will be many interests. Some time ago the Illinois Enlightener made a survey of reader interest. In answering the question: "What subjects appeal to you most?" 2380 replies were received with the following results:
SUBJECTS PER CENT
History 39.00
All subjects 24.05
Lodge activities 3.48
Symbolism 2.10
Information 2.06
Educational 1.64
Explanatory 1.17
Postage stamps 1.17
"What Came You Here to Do 8.90
Total 83.57
Balance less than one per cent each.
Some of the above subjects could have been combined. However, they are given as they were received on replies. "What Came You Here to Do" is an unusually well written article printed a short time before the questionnaire was mailed to the readers. The interest in this subject was probably due to the time element as well as other factors.
Let truth, accuracy, and interest be our guide in all we commit to the printed page.
"Freemasonry must continue to be a force to be used and not a form to be served." - Thomas S. Roy.
----o----
You are a Mason. No matter what added Masonic honour may come to you, no matter how high you may rise in the various branches of the Order, if you keep your vows as a Mason, you have attained all that there is, fulfilled all there is and received all there is to be received, that fraternity and brotherhood based on a common motive, can bestow upon those who obey the laws and edicts of the great fraternity.
Masonry, after all, is but a formula for orderly righteousness. In the walks of men there is nothing more distinguished than that of being a good citizen.