The Philalethes

Freemasonry always has been, is and I am sure always will be, a fraternity. A fraternity of men who pledge themselves to a practice of Brotherhood, not only among themselves, but more importantly in all their actions with all mankind.

The "work" of the Fraternity, in inculcating the principles of brotherhood in the hearts and minds of its members, is done by ritual and experience in a place called the Lodge. In beautiful and impressive ceremonies a Mason is urged to practice in his daily life the principles of the highest moral standards, the finest attributes of character, and to live by the Golden Rule.

Because a man who wishes to become a Mason, a man who desires the companionship of Masonic membership, must petition the Lodge of his own free will and accord, no man will be solicited for membership. Because Freemasonry appeals to the best that is in a man, and helps him to become a better man - not better than someone else - but better than himself, and because we mean to receive into the Lodge only men who are genuinely and sincerely in search of this was of life, we have a mode of recognition, a password, and a handclasp whereby a Mason may prove himself one. Because we meet thusly and behind tyled doors Freemasonry has been, and is, called a "secret society."

It is regrettable that the Masonic Fraternity has been called a "secret society." Indeed it is an indictment upon us that we have permitted this badge to remain attached to us. As a millstone around our neck, it hampers, and in some instances prevents us, as members of the Fraternity, from effectively promoting some of the finest principles upon which we stand as Masons.

What can be done about this problem?

There is no better time to begin than now.

Season's Greetings

----o----

The Aim and Purpose of Masonic Education

by INGVALD O. HEMBRE, M.P.S. (Wisc.)

Paper presented at Midwest Conference on Masonic Education

at Detroit, Michigan, October 21, 1960

THIS IS A Masonic Education workshop. It is a conference on "Ways and Means" of advancing Masonic Education. This is an unique organization. Here several Grand Jurisdictions of Free and Accepted Masons, represented through their Masonic Education Committees and Grand Lodge Officers have come to share their experiences, their successes and difficulties, in the advancement of Masonic Education in their respective Grand Jurisdictions. They are not here to build a "master" Masonic Education program. They are here to share what they have found helpful in their Grand Jurisdictions. If anything helpful comes of this conference, it will be because these Grand Jurisdiction representatives go back home enriched by the experience of being here.

The pattern of all our conferences has been to exchange ideas, techniques, and methods, building together better tools to take back home into the Masonic quarries of our Grand Lodges. The fact that this is our eleventh conference is the best testimony of its helpfulness. I can only speak for Wisconsin. We in Wisconsin feel we have received so much more than we have been able to give that "education wise" it has been our very best investment. We hope all our Grand Jurisdictions feel the same way about this conference. Our late very distinguished leader of this Conference Program, Brother Forrest Hagan, said on several occasions, "We try to keep our heads in the clouds, and our feet on the ground." This is a very concise, descriptive and truthful statement of one, if not the most important "overall" aim of this conference. We will very greatly miss our beloved Brother Forrest at this and succeeding conferences. He somehow, more than anyone else, could keep this conference geared to its most important objectives. Surely we will aim at this conference to pay appropriate tribute to the great labors of this distinguished Masonic educational leader of this conference.

It is the responsibility of a Masonic Education Committee, wherever its labors may be expended - be it in the local Lodge or in the Grand Lodge, to constantly endeavor to improve our understanding of Masonry. Secondly, we need to be constantly improving the methods by which we impart this knowledge to the officers, leaders and members of the Craft. Grand Lodge Committees of Masonic Education are primarily concerned with assisting the local Lodges to plan and carry out effective Masonic Education Programs.

One of the truly great leaders of this workshop, the central dynamo which somehow kept it on the track, whose guiding hand was constantly at the wheel, will not be with us physically at this conference. To many of us his spirit will always seem to be here. I would like to draw from Brother Forrest Hagan's beautiful Memorial Tribute at Ascension Day Memorial Exercises given at Cedar Rapids in May 1956, for one of the important aims and purposes of Masonic Education. In that Memorial Tribute he related this story:

"There are two seas in Palestine, one is fresh and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their roots to sip of its healing waters. Along its banks children play. The River Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from its hills. So it laughs in the sunshine and people build their homes near it and birds make their nests, and every kind of life is happier because it is there. This is the Sea of Galilee.

"The River Jordan flows on south into another sea. There is no splash of fish in this sea, no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no children's laughter. Travelers choose another route unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy about its waters and neither man nor beast nor fowl will drink of it. What makes this difference in these neighboring seas? Not the River Jordan - not the soil in which they lie - nor the country round about.

"This is the difference. The Sea of Galilee receives, but does not keep, the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it another drop flows out. The giving and receiving go in equal measure. The other sea is shrewdly hoarding its income jealously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets it keeps. The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. The other sea gives nothing. It is named the Dead Sea."

This story so beautifully illustrates what our lives should be, that it would be futile to comment on the subject.

This is a true example of the type of life Brother Hagan lived. Everyone of us who was privileged to know him, and more especially to work with him, cherish every moment we were privileged to be in his presence.

Surely Masonry needs to be diligent and consecrated in building bigger and finer men. Men with the spirit and devotion of a Forrest Hagan. Men, who as they receive from the "Giver of all good and perfect gifts," will in turn "give" to their fellowmen.

This must be one of the most important Aims and Purposes of all Masonic Education.

There is another broad objective, or Purpose of Masonry that needs to be emphasized in this day of unlimited and scientific development. It is man's realization of his dependence on Divine Providence. All "true knowledge" comes from God - and all "true knowledge" leads to God. Masonry needs to emphasize as an underlying Aim and Purpose a Brother's dependence on his Creator. We need to emphasize his responsibility to be a loyal and dutiful workman in the vineyard of His Lord. The storm clouds of the world reveal peoples of every clime, race, and station in life groping for light. They are groping for a light of Brotherhood which might be everlasting. If they knew how - they would demand it. Man must somehow learn to live with his neighbor, if he would live at all. The great Light on our altar has the answer. Masonry has the design on its trestleboard. Are we good stewards of "our Light"? "Put not your Light under a bushel" should be one of most important Aims and Purposes of our yearly Masonic program. No program should miss this emphasis.

It is good for us to keep Brother Hagan's counsel in mind when he said, "We keep our heads in the clouds and our feet on the ground."

As we build for stronger and more effective Educational Programs in our constituent Lodges there are some underlying principles and needs which we need always to keep in mind. They have been enumerated many times before this conference. Each of you could present a paper on anyone of them. However they are still important - they will always be important.

I am suggesting several Aims and Purposes which merit consideration in planning a Masonic Education Program.

PROVIDE GOOD LODGE ADMINISTRATION

Which requires:

All officers properly prepared to assume their stations and duties:

To start all meetings on time, and adjourn on time;

To conduct the affairs of the Lodge through committee and officer assignments to avoid needless delay in the business sessions of the Lodge;

To keep the Lodge membership informed of all the transactions of the Lodge;

To have a well-planned annual meeting including necessary reports, and to have an impressive and dignified installation to get the new year off to a good start.

PROVIDE FOR AMPLE POSTING

Because candidates need to be provided with posting given in a manner which encourages them to make good progress .

Be appreciative of your posters and the important service they are rendering the Lodge. Make proper recognition and

Do not overload Posters.

HAVE A CANDIDATE COUNSELLOR PROGRAM

To insure the candidate some friendly attention as he advances from darkness to light. A counsellor who can be his "sponsor" until the time he becomes a Master Mason is one of the best investments a Lodge can make in building a better informed, more vitally interested, and active member. The Counsellor Programs which have been developed by several Grand Lodge Jurisdictions merit expanded use in all our Grand Jurisdictions.

GOOD OFFICERS ARE IMPORTANT

And the duties of all stations need to be clearly defined.

When appointments are made, there should be a clear and definite understanding of what it entails. A Manual of Looking to the East which emphasizes the importance of each station in the advance to the Master's chair is important.

A YEARLY PROGRAM OF WORK

And a good Lodge with a sincere Master who has been planning for a good year in the East, will have a program planned for his full year of leadership. The degree work will be carefully planned in co-operation with his officers, and

Special activities will have long range planning so the membership can participate fully.

One or two well-planned special nights each year are to be preferred over an over-emphasis on special nights. The type of meeting should be varied from year to year.

Have a Lodge bulletin, and

Where this is not possible, consider a fall and spring bulletin, or a bulletin for the program for the year.

Even though you have a bulletin, special circular letters should be mailed to all members on special programs and events.

MASONIC CHARITY

Is most important.

Support the Masonic Home or other Grand Lodge charity, and devote a night to the: program of the Masonic Service Association.

Our Masonic Education Program has two overall aims and objectives. We need to be ever mindful that we are preparing new members in our Order to appreciate and understand the great privileges and responsibilities of Masonic membership. Secondly, it is equally as important to challenge and sustain the loyalty and active participation of the total membership of the Lodge.

A good Masonic program gives its attention to the needs of both groups we need to keep before our total membership a concept of what Joseph Fort Newton meant when he said a man is a Mason, "When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response. When he finds good in every faith that helps any man lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be . . . when he knows how to pray, how to love and how to hope. When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song-glad to live - not afraid to die."

What a privilege and responsibility it is to be a member of an organization which has such high goals.

May the Grand Master of all good workman sustain us in our work, mindful

"That there is a destiny that makes us brothers,

None goes this way alone

What we put out into the lives of others

Comes back into our own.'

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Case Makes Interesting Study

of Masonic Governors

IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE to be able to present data that will help in some manner to overcome the scourge of Masonic Misinformation which is flooding the Masonic press. Wild claims and wilder juggling of the facts make it extremely difficult to record any accurate narration of biographical data.

Brother James R. Case, F.P.S., has prepared a rather lengthy paper on this subject, "Masonic Governors of the Original Thirteen Colonies," presented before The American Lodge of Research, of which the following is a brief resume. Brother Case is Senior Deacon of The American Lodge of Research, and an accurate and exact Masonic student. What he has written here is of immense importance.

IN A DISCUSSION of Masonic By-paths in American History," Richardson Wright, first Secretary of The American Lodge of Research, remarked as follows:

. . . "we have been rather loose in our assumption that early American heroes were invariably practitioners of the Ancient Art. Indeed the average Mason . . . has indiscriminately swept . . . all Revolutionary and Federal Fathers" . . . (into the Fraternity).

Just a few months past, in a Masonic magazine having a circulation of probably half a million, and certainly read by most of them, the Grand Commander's message contained the statement that . . . "Washington . . . and his generals (were) all Masons except two or three." Brother Ronald E. Heaton's recent study, published as a Digest of the Masonic Service Association, presents a somewhat different picture, more clean cut in detail.

Editors of Masonic magazines who use their scissors with little discretion are still printing the misinformation that three-fourths of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons, although that imaginative statement has long since been proven a gross exaggeration.

If an item is printed often enough, it soon seems to appear in ink which cannot be erased, and it is impossible to successfully refute even though impossible to prove in the first place. Furthermore, to doubt some of these "facts" one must brave the wrath of the gullible ones who hate to admit they have been hoodwinked.

Masonic orators in the warmth of magniloquent utterance, have often made other claims which are now taken at face value, although they have no basis of fact. Among such is the statement that every one of the governors of the Thirteen Original States were Masons.

It is not my ambition to deflate the orators, or to debunk the heroes, or to dispute the count, but rather to let the facts speak for themselves in this matter, as I make a presentation of the circumstances.

First of all, we need a common springboard. Between the time of the Lexington Alarm on 19 April 1775 and the signing of the treaty of peace in 1783, no less than forty individuals were governors of the thirteen colonies, or at the head of the ruling council or legislative body as president or presiding officer. Taking up the colonies in alphabetical order the developments were as follows:

CONNECTICUT

Under the royal charter of 1662 the people of this colony elected their own governor. The charter continued as the basic law until 1818. Jonathan Trumbull had been chosen governor in 1769, succeeding one whose partiality to the Stamp Act was his downfall. Until 1784 Trumbull was at the head of the "Provision State" which was a most reliable source of men, money and munitions. "Brother Jonathan" was also a chief counselor in the war effort and well deserved that complimentary sobriquet, said to have been given him by Washington. Trumbull was not a Mason, and neither was the governor at the time of Washington's inauguration, Samuel Huntington. However, he has often been confused with a nephew of the same name, who was later governor and Grand Master of Masons in Ohio.

DELAWARE

A state government was organized in 1776 when the three lower counties on the Delaware separated from Pennsylvania and became an independent state. The several presidents were John McKinley, Thomas McKean, George Read, and Caesar Rodney, who was acting at the time of the Yorktown victory. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of 1787 and under the Republic the first president or governor was Joshua Clayton.

GEORGIA

The royal governor functioned until June 1776 although a Council of Safety had been organized the year before under William Ewen as president. This was superseded by a Provincial Council of which the presidents were Archibald Bullock and Button Gwinnett. Under the state constitution which took effect in May 1777 there were several governors, namely: John A. Treutlen, John Hueston, John Wereat, George Walton, Richard Hawley, Stephen Heard and Nathan Brownson. The first president or governor under the Republic was George Walton. Brownson was in office when Yorktown fell.

MARYLAND

The last proprietary governor left the colony 23 June 1776 and within a month Maryland became an independent state. The first governor was Thomas Johnson, succeeded in 1779 by Thomas Sim Lee, who served until 1782. The first governor under the Republic was John Eager Howard often claimed as a Mason but never verified as such.

MASSACHUSETTS

A meeting of the General Court in rebellious Boston having been deferred, the members came together at Salem in 1774 and organized a Provincial Congress. A council was chosen which governed the state until a constitution was adopted in 1780, when John Hancock was chosen governor. His term extended through the Yorktown date and he was still in office as the first governor under the Republic in 1789, and of course a Mason.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

When the royal governor fled to the shelter of British-garrisoned Boston, the General Assembly dropped the ex officio members and became a representative body, governing as a Provincial Council until a state constitution was adopted. The first president of the council was Matthew Thornton, succeeded after one year by Meshech Weare, who served until 1785. The first governor under the Republic was John Sullivan, installed as Grand Master of Masons in rather unusual circumstances that very same year. Ratification by New Hampshire as the ninth state made a sufficient number to proceed with a presidential election.

NEW JERSEY

The royal governor, William Franklin, a son of Benjamin, was displaced in 1776 by popular choice of William Livingston, who served as governor until his death in 1790. As a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 he influenced early ratification by New Jersey, the third state to do so .

NEW YORK

A Provincial Congress governed the colony from collapse of the vicearegal establishment until 1777, when George Clinton was chosen governor, serving until 1795. From May 1775 until May 1777 the Provincial Congress had no less than ten different presidents, or presiding officers, but they were not considered governors. This George Clinton, never verified as a Mason, has been confused with a nephew of the same name who was.

NORTH CAROLINA

In defiance of the royal governor, a Provincial Congress met at New Bern in August 1774. The assembly adopted a state constitution under which governors were elected by the legislature. Richard Caswell served for four years but Abner Nash was governor at the time Yorktown fell. The first governor under the Republic was Alexander Martin, one-time Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge. North Carolina did not ratify the Constitution until 21 November 1789, more than six months after Washington was inaugurated.

PENNSYLVANIA

The Colonial Assembly dissolved itself in 1776, and as a convention, organized a Council of Safety which held the political power until 1790, when a new state constitution was adopted. The several presidents were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Wharton, George Bryan, Joseph Reed, and William Moore in 1781. Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the Constitution and under the Republic Thomas Mifflin was the first governor.

RHODE ISLAND

In this colony, where the people chose their own governor, one was deposed for his lack of enthusiasm for independence. Nicholas Cooke served during 1776, succeeded by William Greene who was in office until 1786. He was defeated because he favored the proposed Federal Constitution and Rhode Island did not ratify the document for more than a year after Washington was inaugurated. When that occurred John Collins was governor.

QUIBBLE

Was Rhode Island one of the "Original" Thirteen States, or the thirteenth state? And what was North Carolina?

SOUTH CAROLINA

The royal governor was superseded by a Council of Safety in 1775 under Henry Laurens as president. The next year a constitution was adopted, to remain "in effect until an accommodation of the unhappy differences with the Mother Country was reached," but this never happened. John Rutledge was the governor under this constitution except for one year when Rawlins Lowndes functioned. Charles Pinckney was head of the state when Washington was inaugurated.

VERMONT

Independence from Great Britain, as well as from New York and New Hampshire, was declared in 1777. Thomas Chittenden, president of the Council of Safety, was elected governor and served for twenty years. Vermont, not one of the original provinces, colonies or states, came into the Union as the fourteenth state, only a few months behind Rhode Island.

VIRGINIA

Although the Virginia Assembly was dissolved by the royal governor, the members met and reorganized on their own initiative in convention. The governors successively were Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Nelson, Jr., who commanded the militia of the state at Yorktown. The first governor under the Republic was Beverly Randolph.

So, let's narrow things down a little bit and consider what the state of affairs was on the glorious Fourth of July 1776:

4 states were being governed by councils or provisional assemblies and had no governors as such.

3 governors have never been claimed as members of the Craft.

3 governors at that time are known to have been Masons.

3 others are claimed by some but unverified as to membership.

But how about the date when victory was won at Yorktown? Just who were the governors on 19 October 1781? Perhaps that would look better.

13 states then had governors although some were called presidents.

9 of these men have never been claimed as Freemasons.

2 are in doubt concerning their status as Masons.

2 are known to have been members of the Fraternity.

Let's try once more. George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic 30 April 1789. What was the situation on that date? Actually there were only eleven constituent states, qualified by ratification of the Constitution, and represented in the first Congress. Among their governors we find

4 were known Masons.

1 other has been claimed but never verified.

7 were not members nor ever claimed as such.

The first state to be admitted after the Republic came into being was Vermont, in which two curious developments took place. Thomas Chittenden, made a Mason in Vermont Lodge at Windsor in 1782, later affiliated with North Star Lodge at Manchester, was named charter Master of a Lodge at Vincennes in 1791. This Lodge took the name of Dorchester, after the British commander when New York was evacuated in 1783, later royal governor in Canada, and not a Mason. The charter was issued by none other than Sir John Johnson, then Grand Master of Masons in Quebec, formerly Provincial Grand Master of New York under the Grand Lodge of London (Moderns). And of course a detested adherent to the royal cause during the Revolution.

Furthermore, when the Grand Lodge of Vermont was organized in 1793, the moving spirit seems to have been Nathan Brownson, a Connecticut native whom we have already met as governor of Georgia at the time Yorktown fell. He was probably made a Mason in Georgia where he had settled as a physician just outside Savannah, but was in the far north on a visit to a blood brother in Vermont during 1793. Here he was passed and raised in North Star Lodge, and presided over the convention which preceded the organization of the Grand Lodge. He soon afterwards returned to Georgia where he died three years later.

In conclusion, it can be seen that never at any time during the period between the Battle of Lexington and the day when the Republic was born was there a time when all of the governors of the thirteen, states, or states-to-be were Freemasons. And when we check the records of the men who held office on the crucial dates I have chosen, out of the total of thirty different individuals about one quarter were indubitably members of the Fraternity. The total does not even reach thirteen.

MASONIC MEMBERSHIP OF THE GOVERNORS OF THE

THIRTEEN ORIGINAL STATES

4 July 1776 19 Oct. 1781 30 Apr. 1789

Connecticut Jonathan Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Samuel Huntington

Delaware none Caesar Rodney Joshua Clayton

Georgia Archibald Bullock Nathan Brownson George Walton

Maryland Thomas Johnson Thomas Sims Lee John Eager Howard (?)

Massachusetts none John Hancock John Hancock

New Hampshire Matthew Thornton Meshech Weare John Sullivan

New Jersey William Livingston Livingston Livingston

New York none George Clinton George Clinton

North Carolina Richard Caswell Abner Nash Alexander Martin

Pennsylvania none William Moore Thomas Mifflin

Rhode Island Nicholas Cooke William Greene John Collins

South Carolina Henry Laurens John Rutledge Chores Pinckney

(Vermont) none Thomas Chittenden Thomas Chittenden

Virginia Patrick Henry Thomas Nelson (?) Beverly Randolph

----o----

The Moving Finger Having Writ ...

by Dr. WILLIAM MOSELEY BROWN, F.P.S.

President, The Philalethes Society

THE YEAR IS COMING TO AN END, and with it, my term of office as President of the Philalethes Society. It has been a satisfactory and happy interlude - with accomplishments, frustrations and continuing activity.

No man can review his term of service without the feeling that all he wanted to do was not done. Neither can he be unaware of the fact that by the help, understanding and co-operation of his Brethren, he has been able to show progress, harmony and an evident raising above the level on which he started.

This has happened to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity that has been given me to labor in Freemasonry with those whose aims, aspirations and ideals are like my own.

There is much more that I would have wished to do than was possible. Perfection is never attained, but aspired to. Therefore, it is written; what is done - is recorded in the annuals of our precious Society. Thanks be to Providence that we have had this wonderful opportunity for service, fellowship and work.

The triennium 1958 - 1960 has been one fast-moving and changeable. It has seen a shifting of officers and personnel; it has seen a shakeup in planned direction which brought to a sharp focus the meaningful activities and purposes of the Society. Unimportant functions were sidetracked and replaced by vital and stimulating objectives and projects. The whole aim and direction of our work was stabilized - one main goal was set and brought to fruition.

Through The Philalethes magazine, and by means of careful screening of material submitted to the Editor, it has been possible to supply the readers of our official organ with stimulating, interesting, informative and accurate Masonic facts and studies.

Through The Philalethes magazine it has been possible to form a chain of union between the members of the Society who have common interests and problems.

Through The Philalethes magazine it has been possible to set aside a page - "Notes, Queries and Information on Items of Masonic Research," conducted by one of the outstanding Masonic students of America, James R. Case, F.P.S., by which to seek out, co-ordinate and interchange among our members those items of Masonic research which need multiple study and interpretation.

The value and importance of such a medium of contact cannot be overestimated.

Through The Philalethes magazine it has been possible to stimulate zealous Masons to set down their thoughts and record their research, and by so-doing, not only make valuable contributions to Masonic thought and progress, but, by being so-engaged, be contestants for the annual award of CERTIFICATE OF LITERATURE, which is given the contributor to The Philalethes magazine whose article is judged best by the committee. Many purposes are served and a large number of members of the Society are interested by this very personal way of cementing them to the work of the Society.

A project which is now assuming an important and satisfying place in the work of the Philalethes Society, is THE MASONIC WORKSHOP, held each year in Washington, D.C., in February during "Masonic Week," when the many Masonic gatherings of Masonic students, Masonic leaders and Masonic thinkers gather to enjoy the fellowship and stimulation that is afforded at that time.

THE MASONIC WORKSHOP is unique in its conception and execution. It is neither a research group nor yet philosophic forum for Masonic debate. It is, as its name implies, a laboratory or workshop created by the Society, to stimulate a closer investigation of ways and means - of research methods - by which those who are inexperienced in Masonic research and study may learn some of the ins and outs of doing the work of translating Masonic thoughts to paper, and be thereby better able to master the mechanics of Masonic writing. It has been a progressive activity.

I have noticed greater interest in our work, as evidenced by the steady increase in membership. The latest figures from our Executive Secretary show that there are now 39 Fellows and almost 600 Members, beside a number of subscribers who are enjoying fellowship with us. The loss of Ray V. Denslow, F.P.S., Life, after a life of devoted service to all branches of Masonry has been felt bitterly by all of us. His place will be hard to fill.

The financial affairs of the Society, through the devoted efforts of our Executive Secretary, Carl R. Greisen, F.P.S., and Treasurer Ronald E. Heaton, have been exemplary. Their work has been typical of the efforts of all the membership, and worthy of praise and commendation.

As I come to the end of my term of office, I can but pay my respects and affectionate regard for all of the members of the Executive Committee, the members of the various committees appointed to implement the work of the Society, and the loyal members whose efforts have been so constructive and helpful in bringing our work to its present high standard. To all of these I send my heartful thanks and appreciation. It shall not be easy to lay down my working tools and become passive, nor do I intend to go into retirement. But to the new officers I pledge my full cooperation and assistance, and whatever help I can give. Farewell and good luck!

----o----

VALLEY FORGE BOOKLET

IS STILL AVAILABLE

The action of the Executive Committee in sending a "bonus" to members appears to have struck a responsive chord. We are pleased with the comments received from the members. Some have inquired if additional copies of the book Valley Forge Yesterday and Today can be secured.

We are glad to say that arrangements have been made with the author, Brother Ronald E. Heaton, to furnish any additional copies requested at 50c each (52c each in Pennsylvania). These will be postpaid by Brother Heaton. Please direct all orders, with proper remittance, to

Ronald E. Heaton,

728 Haws Avenue,

Norristown, Pa.

----o----

Chat and Comment

News, achievements and items of interest about our

Fellows and Members - Discussion and comment on

Mutual Topics.

- Plan Mail and Observations -

FROM BROTHER EDWIN E. GRUENER, M.P.S., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, comes the following comment:

"On page 62, The Philalethes August (1960) issue, second column at the top: 'Masonically he is a member . . . is also a member of the American Rite Bodies, and was Potentate of Moila Temple in 1943. . . .' What are 'American Rite Bodies' and is Moila Temple a part of the American Rite Bodies system? We do not have the American Rite in Pennsylvania. . . ."

Commenting, the Editor would say that there has been a habit of naming the bodies representing Chapter, Council and Commandery, either American Rite, or York Rite. Both have been accepted, and both have had the approbation of Masonic leaders. Is it too technical to suggest that "A rose by any other name is just as sweet"?

SEPTEMBER 17 LAST, marked the "Regents' Award," by the University of Minnesota to the Masonic Fraternity, and especially to the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, of a gold medal signifying "Benefaction, Benevolence and Leadership," for the work of Masonry in Minnesota to complete the million-dollar Masonic Memorial Hospital on the University of Minnesota's campus, thereby augmenting the splendid work of cancer-research made possible through this act.

Brother Clyde E. Hegman, M.P.S., Past Grand Master, received the medal for the Grand Lodge.

This hospital was financed by individual gifts from Masons of Minnesota, and "the compelling reason which motivated Minnesota Masons in building the hospital was an inner conviction having to do with the on-going and upgrading of men and women, and of the institution which they have created."

ARTHUR L. MILLER, M.E. Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter, R.A.M., of Pennsylvania, writes that - "The Secretary of Phalanx Lodge (Number 31, North Carolina) appears to be short of facts (in his article in October 1960 issue of The Philalethes magazine), saying, '2. Phalanx was the only (italics mine) Lodge that has operated under charters or warrants from three separate American Grand Lodges....'

"At least one other Lodge," he continues, "has the same distinction, namely Wellsburg Lodge No. 2, at Wellsburg, West Virginia, which was originally warranted March 4, 1799, as Number 78 by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, for a Lodge to be erected at 'Old Mingo Town (in the Northwest Territory) or within 5 miles thereof.' The second warrant was granted December 10, 1817, by the Grand Lodge of Virginia - the third warrant was granted by the Grand Lodge of West Virginia, January 24, 1867.

"While visiting this Lodge a few years ago, they displayed and I examined all three warrants, which so far as I know are still in their possession, as well as the hand-wrought 'tools' of the original Lodge. How this came about and while Wellsburg is the oldest Lodge in West Virginia was given No. 2 instead of Number 1, is suite an interesting story." (This ought to prove to be a most interesting source of information for further research and an elaboration of this material could be interesting to the readers of The Philalethes magazine. )

IT HAS BEEN SATISFYING to note that many of our members and contributors have been honored in one way and another within the past few months. We doubt not that there are those whom we have not learned about who have also received recognition, and hope that if such is the case, that we may be informed. Meanwhile, here are our honores: Elmer Wolf, Ohio, crowned as a thirty-third degree Scottish Rite Mason by the Northern Supreme Council; Leon Godown, Editor of Orphans Friend and Masonic Home Journal, North Carolina, made an honorary Editor of The Craftsman, publication of Hibuscus Lodge No. 275, of Florida.

At General Grand Chapter and Grand Council Triennial at New Orleans, in October, Charles F. Adams, M.P.S. (Nebraska) was appointed General Grand Marshal, of General Grand Council and Antonio Gonzales, F.P.S., was awarded the General Grand Chapter Medal, and later appointed the Representative of the General Grand Council for the Philippines.

At the public investiture of DeMolay Legion of Honor, and Honorary Legion of Honor, held at St. Louis, Missouri, November 4, Dr. Harold O. Grauel, M.P.S., and Harry Gershenson, M.P.S. were honored by being named to the Honorary Legion of Honor, the highest honor that they could receive from DeMolay.

MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, are you making your plans to be present at the MASONIC WORKSHOP in Washington during "Masonic Week" in February? This, with all the other splendid activities attendant on the occasion, will be of inestimable value in fellowship and knowledge. Don't pass up this opportunity. Make reservations.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Welcome to New Members

William PresIey Mathews, 50 North Randolph Road, Kansas City 19, Missouri.

Frank A. Jacobs, 532 Jefferson Street, Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Francis H. R . Gaines, 1818 Fair Park Avenue, Los Angeles 41, California.

Frank G. Rankin, 1816 Spring Drive, Louisville 5, Kentucky.

Homer C. Phillips 1913 N.E. Ridgewood Drive, Portland 12, Oregon.

Ingrald O. Hembre, 622 Eugenia Avenue, Madison 5, Wisconsin.

Carroll E. Tucker, 2309 Blackmore Street, Saginaw, Michigan.

Roy J. Schwab, Sr., 2910 White Way, Louisville 5, Kentucky.

William H. Sachs 1440 Lanier Place N. E., Atlanta, Georgia.

William A. Carpenter, 1115 Woodside Avenue, Upland, Chester, Pennsylvania.

Wilbur C. Kenned 222 N. 2nd Street, Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Laurence A. Divine, 507 South Phelps Avenue, Winter Park, Florida.

Daniel Yakuber, 14237 Cherrylawn, Detroit 38, Michigan.

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The Philosophy of Freemasonry

by CARL A. MILLER, M.P.S. (Ill.)

(From an address made in Chicago)

FREEMASONRY grew into existence because there was a real need for it. Centuries ago men banded themselves together for mutual protection and security. In the early days of the Fraternity, its obligations were real, men respected them, they lived by them. The relationship of one Mason to another was sacred and binding.

In order that there might be a perfect understanding as to what was expected, our Ancient Brethren established certain requirements which to them constituted the decalog of Freemasonry. They agreed they would go on foot and out of their way to assist a needy worthy Brother.

They agreed that upon bended knee they would remember a Brother's welfare as well as their own.

They agreed that they would stretch forth their hands to save a falling Brother, and that they would vindicate his character behind his back as well as before his face.

They agreed that they would whisper good counsel in the ear of an erring Brother, and remind him of his errors, and aid in his reformation.

These declarations among our Masonic forebears were not mere platitudes - they were rules which they practiced in their Masonic relationships.

I believe that Freemasonry should give its moral support to all things religious in character. We boast that we are an Institution of high morality but only as we demonstrate morality are we proving ourselves worthy of our cause.

In this age of political intrigue and selfishness, Freemasonry can become a tremendous power for righteousness if we can cause Masons to think and act.

I am inclined to believe that an early return to some of the rules that were established and practiced by our Masonic forebears is very necessary if the Institution of Freemasonry is to maintain its prestige in the world.

Masonry has had many leaders and many leaders have been Masons. The leading men concerned in establishing the United States, in moulding its constructive policies and influencing its character, that has made it the great powerful nation it is today, were Masons.

The unrest and uncertainty that exists today, coupled with the feeling that prevails among groups of men in this country, demands intelligent thinking, sincerity of conviction, loyal adherence to true aims and purposes, integrity and honesty in our words and deeds.

No real man, who keeps abreast in his reading and in his thinking, can help but be exercised and impressed with the bitter feeling that is rampant, the intolerance and unrest in a rapidly changing world.

It is a trite expression to assert that we are living in a critical moment of history. Each moment of history is critical to someone somewhere. In a time when nations are trembling in the balance, when civilization which has taken centuries to build may crumble before the uncertainty now sweeping over many parts of the world.

No other group is working harder for the highest type of citizenship, and no other body of men can do as much to crystallize, the public sentiment of this nation, back to a program that makes for national honor, national safety, and the perpetuation of great American ideals, than this Fraternity, of which you and I are members.

No other organization has in its ranks so large a percentage of men not content with the acceptance of privileges of citizenship, without active participation in meeting the responsibilities of such citizenship.

We believe that we are facing an immediate future, that will test our faith in the validity of those ideal human agencies that have been created, for what be believe to be, the betterment of mankind. Will we, as strong resolute men, approach this future in a spirit of dismay, or will we accept it as a challenge to that faith, courage and heroism we received from our predecessors?

The challenge is a personal one and must be individually met. Among those human agencies created to improve social relationships existing among men, none take precedence over the Fraternity of Freemasonry in each and all of its several Rites, except the Church, for it being of Divine origin is the source and fountain head of all pure motives and good intentions.

The spirit of Freemasonry was born when human beings first lived side by side. Then was learned for the first time the need of men living in harmony and concord with each other. They discovered a mutual helpfulness to one another. Freemasonry then is the fine art of men living among their fellowmen gracefully. It is, therefore, more than an institution, more than a tradition, more than a society; it is a practical workable plan of life on earth, for men to follow if they will.

More and more we are realizing that if this great nation of ours is to endure and occupy its rightful place of power and prestige among the nations of the world, we reasons must stand squarely, without evasion or modification, for those great principles which the Founders of this nation deemed so vital to the stability of this Republic, and which are the very foundations upon which rests the superstructure of Freemasonry.

The need for sober, serious analysis of grave problems of this day, was never greater, nor the need for individual emphasis more imperative. Only by being Masons in name and deed can the Fraternity meet the issue of citizenship, and it is a duty incumbent on all members of the Craft to meet the conflicting opinions of the day with sane judgment and extend every honest effort toward the perpetuation of American ideals, thereby guaranteeing the government of our nation, and the future of its cherished institutions. Let us keep our vigil, and measure up to our responsibilities.

----o----

We judge ourselves by what we seem capable of doing, while others judge us by what we do.

- Longfellow.

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Our Responsibilities as Freemasons

by William S. Conoway, M.P.S. (Kentucky)

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,

As the swift seasons roll !

Leave thy low-vaulted post!

Let each new temple, nobler than the last

Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,

Till thou at length art free,

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, in his Chambered Nautilus, gives us the story of the evolution of the soul, of its growth from what it was in the past to what it will be in the future. The theme of his poem is responsibility, a responsibility to change for the better. It teaches us of our duties, reminding us that as Temple Builders we should never be satisfied with our spiritual structures, but should always be ready to revise the designs upon the trestle board of our lives. Above all, it tells us that ours is the duty, and ours the responsibility.

No one can reflect upon the moral lessons which are taught, not only in our Lodges but also in our Churches, without being forcefully struck with the discrepancy between what we profess and what we perform. As Masons we affirm that the foundations of the Craft are the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man, and the Immortality of the Soul. As individuals in a profane world we are apt to disregard these beliefs. As schizophrenic individuals we have a schizophrenic Masonry in which actions and ideals are at opposite poles.

The basis of our western civilization is the Judeo-Christian religions with their emphasis upon individual responsibility. In the history of the Israelites as revealed to us in the Bible, we learn that they were responsible to God for their actions, and that when they obeyed God they prospered, but that when they disobeyed God national ruin came upon them. In Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, G. Armitage Smith, in his article on Responsibility, says, "For the most part Jesus accepted the popular Jewish sense of responsibility, which was essentially answerableness to God. For every idle word men shall give account in the day of judgment, the obligation to seek perfection rests upon men because they should be as their Father in heaven; and although our Lord lays down strict duties to our neighbor, love to enemies, almsgiving to the poor, and feasts for the hungry, these duties are substantially obligations to God." All duties and responsibilities are therefore duties and responsibilities to God.

It appears that a doctrine of irresponsibility has swept the world. As individuals we become scientific and blame all of our shortcomings upon our subconscious, we blame our economic troubles upon the system, we blame the delinquency of our children upon our schools, in politics we blame the opposite party, and when things go wrong it is always the boys down at City Hall, and never ourselves, who are at fault.

In Freemasonry we are engaged upon a quest; a quest which was first begun when we intimated that we would like to join the Fraternity. It is a relatively modern order of the Quest, as in earlier days were the Mysteries, alchemy, the Rosicrucians, the Quest for the Holy Grail, the Hung Society, and others. One important quest was the quest for the Holy Grail, which was an allegory of the search of the soul after God.

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The Need for Modern Masonic Research

by V. M. BURROWS, M.P.S.

THERE IS GREAT NEED TODAY for Masonic research. But that need is not so much for the efforts of specialists who delve into old records in search for further evidence of the antiquity of Freemasonry, or a record of physical accomplishments of the organized branches of the Fraternity. That need was evident in the past generations, and was nobly pursued by competent men to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude. But much of the early findings have since been discredited in the light of a more reasonable interpretation and better understanding.

The modern need for Masonic research is in the mental realm of the individuals who compose the groups. We have good buildings and the proper social surroundings for personal encouragement. We have proper rituals and the core of valuable moral instruction.

Masonry teaches that the greatest victory is the mental victory which is achieved over a man's natural inclinations. It is evident that Masonry teaches us that character can be developed only by mental and emotional discipline in the control of the thoughts; in the continual substitution of higher thoughts for those of a lower nature.

We need to find some way of arousing the interest of the newly made Mason in teaching himself. For no matter how conscientiously we try to impart the information, it is he, himself, who must make his own mind receptive. What we are merely taught seldom nourishes the mind like that which we teach ourselves. If we merely listen to Masonic instruction, only partial appreciation is possible.

Masonry can serve to make a man over, if he will listen attentively to the teachings and apply them to his thinking. It is really a laboratory in the fine art of human relationships, for adult men. If we could just get the newly made Mason to realize the truth of that statement, he would be enabled to visualize the importance to himself as an individual, and would really have zeal for the Institution.

A member cannot properly appreciate the intended meanings of Masonry without mental attitude of open-mindedness He must recognize the fact that character can be developed only by mental and emotional discipline.

It is evident that we must give up temporary personal pleasures which are connected with a questionable morality, in order to possess pride in the feeling that we love Masonry and enjoy life according to the teachings of Masonry.

To control our health and environment we must control our thoughts. While this is known to us as a statement of human psychology, it is also a significant fact that in Masonry each candidate is especially instructed to memorize the statement that he will learn to subdue his passions and improve himself. That statement comes to us from remote antiquity. It was transmitted to us directly from the Operative Freemasons, more than 250 years ago.

The secrets of Masonry are the secrets of individual thought. We furnish a Ritual, which should be an incentive, but the candidate must supply the mental initiative. Modern Masonic research should assist in development and continuation of the mental initiative.

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How Secure is Our American Future ?

by IRVIN A. UPHOFF, M.P.S. (III.)

We, who have reached the adult stage of mortal life, and have completed at least a half century of such existence, wonder with anxiety what the future holds for our children, an d our children's children.

Certainly, we do not wish to jump at conclusions, but our minds at times, become confused and stifled, when we even attempt to arouse our initiative with intentions to only partly analyze conditions.

Let us be practical, if only for a moment. The delinquency that is all about us did not just happen over night, but is the product of years of social decay into which we have fallen as a nation.

Our first great concern is the utter disregard that the Roman Catholic church and some of its adherents, are and have been displaying concerning our glorious Constitution, our American way of life. Most learned Masons know the history of the Roman Church. They know the stories of the Roman Inquisition; of the Jesuit Order, and the political aims of the Church itself. If our country is to remain as our Masonic forefathers intended it to be, then there must remain that inseparable wall of church and state. We have no quarrel with the Roman Church, but we do object to, and strongly protest their methods of attempting to change our Constitution in order that it will benefit their way of life. Therefore, we have a tremendous problem to solve - that of educating the followers of Roman Catholicism, which in simple words means that in order to be a good American citizen, the welfare of the country must come first, together with a strict observance of the laws of the land. This we must do, seeking the help of that Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Then too, we must acquaint other Americans with the seriousness of the attempted inroads of the Roman Hierarchy, in order that such Americans will realize just what is being attempted by adverse forces, or may we be so bold as to say religious despots.

Our second concern is our changeable methods pertaining to education. Let us be frank and to the point. Our present era presents one of controversy and confusion. When our country was first established it was the intention that there would be free public schools for all the children. Now, however, through error or default we, as the American people, have permitted institutions of learning to be operated by religious groups, and one in particular, the Roman Church, that the conditions developing from such operation, have divided our people in more ways than one.

Education is an interesting and fascinating subject and, in order to hold the line to a proper level, we must constantly be on our guard because, unfortunately far too much that is written both in defense and criticism of education is in the nature of slick advertising, rather than a sound analysis of different points of view. We would say then, read more good, authoritative books.

Now, all these changes, and many more have come so quickly that the greater percentage of our people have either failed, or are unable to keep pace with this change which some call progress. The various transitions have become so great, so fearful, so perplexing, that it appears to be reducing our people to mere "servants of a state."

Freemasonry, its members, must continue to carry on the divine tradition and heritage that has been handed down by the forefathers. We must by precept and example rebuild the real and sustaining faith that carried our fathers and their fathers over such tremendous hurdles. We must inject into the minds of our children a manner of thinking and understanding that will return families to their normal and natural habitat, and ignite once again that spark or responsibility that is so lacking at the present time. We must nurture our young people, our citizens of tomorrow, in creative thinking and in the basic fundamentals of good government. As to religion we must impress deeply upon their minds that in order for a republic such as ours to continue and survive and remain free, there must be forever that impregnable wall which separates church and state. We must refer them to past history, which records the downfall of nations and the pitiful and shameful conditions of people who are under the yoke and dictatorial power of either political or religious despots, and for such answer we have but to look at the countries of Spain, Italy, Portugal, to mention a few.

And we further believe that, if we could have the right-of-way in civilization, we would have, especially in these United States, every American citizen taught not only in reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and spelling, but we would have him learned in the sacrifices made by our forefathers and the liberties which we are enjoying today, were costly, but not in vain. We would have him see imprinted in his mind's eye, Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower and the Landing of the Pilgrims; Daniel Boone; Valley Forge and that great Mason, George Washington; Concord and Lexington; Paul Revere and his famous midnight ride; the Boston Tea Party; the Signing of the Declaration of Independence; the Constitutional Convention in session; the Alamo; Sam Houston and Davie Crockett; the Gold Rush; the Monroe Doctrine; Abraham Lincoln; U. S. Grant; Sherman's march to the sea; the Monitor and the Merrimac; "Teddy" Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, a protective tariff. Also, when the map of our great Republic is spread out before him, we would have him imprint upon his memory, the immensity of the forty-nine states and their unity that comprise the Union. He would know of the nation's untold acres of golden grain; its many beautiful lakes and rivers; its magnificent orchards of fruit; its railroads, forming the greatest network of steel in the world, reaching from Canada to Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, and its thousands upon thousands of free public school buildings, from which have sprung American manhood. And most important, he would be apprised of the great and important part that Freemasonry has played in the foundation of this country.

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Solomon's Temple and Freemasonry

by JOSEPH C. RICHMOND

THE TEMPLE of Solomon was a small building by modern standards, no larger than many of our Masonic Temples today. The Temple proper was 70 cubits long and 20 cubits wide. The cubit was originally the length of the forearm from the elbow to the end of the middle finger, usually that of the king. Its length is usually considered to be about 18 inches, although values as high as 21 inches have been reported. On this basis the length of the Temple was 105 to 122.5 feet, and it width 30 to 35 feet.

The Temple was begun in the Year of the World 2992 (1012 B.C.), the fourth year of the reign of Solomon, and was completed in about 7 1/2 years, in the year 3000 (1004 B.C.) It retained its original splendor for but 33 years. In 3033 Shishak, King of Egypt, besieged and took Jerusalem, and carried away the choicest treasures of the Temple. From that time until its final destruction in 3416 by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Chaldea, its history was but a repeated story of spoliation and repair.

The Jews carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, where they remained captives until the reign of Cyrus, King of Persia, by whom they were liberated in 3468 (536 B.C.). Forty-two thousand, three hundred and sixty of the captives returned to Jerusalem, and one year later, under the direction of Joshua, Zerubbabel, and Hagaii, laid the foundations of the second Temple. The work was impeded and at times even caused to stop by political intrigue, and a full 20 years passed before its completion in the sixth year of the reign of Darius, King of Persia, 515 B.C.

The second Temple was similar to the first, but was one-third larger in each dimension.

Five things were present in the first Temple that were missing in the second: The Ark, the Urim and Thummin, the Fire from Heaven, the Shekinah or the Divine Presence or Cloud of Glory, and the Spirit of Prophecy and Power of Miracles.

The Jews were a nomadic people, chiefly occupied as herdsmen and warriors. They considered the Temple to be magnificent, for it was truly magnificent.

The Temple was planned by David, who numbered the workmen in his kingdom, appointed the overseers of the work, the hewers of stones and bearers of burdens, prepared a great quantity of brass, iron and cedar, and amassed a huge fortune to carry out its construction. But he heard the word of God from the Prophet Nathan: "Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars; thou shalt not build a house unto My Name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in My sight." The task of building the Temple was therefore reserved for his son and successor, Solomon.

David, before his death, charged Solomon to build the Temple, as soon as he should come into his kingdom, and gave him directions therefor and money he had amassed.

Solomon, realizing the deficiencies of his own people as builders, sought the aid of his father's friend and ally, Hiram, King of Tyre.

Hiram gladly agreed to assist, and sent 33,600 workmen from Tyre, plus a sufficient quantity of timber and stone to erect the Temple. He also sent a more important gift in the person of an able architect, a "curious and cunning workman," to superintend the construction and adornment of the building, Hiram Abif.

The Temple was built on Mount Moriah, one of the heights of Mount Zion, originally the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, from whom it was purchased by David.

The Temple was built on a very hard rock, encompassed by great precipices. The foundation was laid deep, with great labor and expense. It was surrounded with a wall of great height, of over 450 feet at its lowest point, all of white marble.

The magnificence of the Temple lay not in its size, but in its prominent position, dominating the surrounding countryside, its numerous terraces, its extensive outer courts, and the richness of its external and internal decorations. The Temple itself was but a small part of the edifice on Mount Moriah. It was surrounded by three courts, and the whole structure was at least half a mile in circumference. The first or outer court, just inside the outer wall, was called the Court of the Gentiles, because Gentiles were admitted to it, but were prohibited from passing further. It was surrounded with a range of porticos or cloisters, above which were galleries or apartments, supported by pillars of white marble.

The Court of the Gentiles surrounded the Court of the Children of Israel, divided by a low stone wall and a flight of fifteen steps into two divisions, the outer one being occupied by the women and children, the inner one by the men. Here the Jews worshiped and prayed daily.

Within the Court of the Israelites, and separated from it by a wall one cubit in height, was the Court of the Priests, in the center of which was the altar of burnt offerings, to which the Jews brought their sacrifices, but only the Priests were permitted to enter it.

From the Court of the Priests a flight of twelve steps ascended to the Temple proper, which was divided into three parts, the porch, the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies. At the entrance to the porch was a gate of Corinthian brass, the most precious metal known to the ancients. Beside the gate were the two famous brazen pillars, Jachin and Boaz.

The porch was separated from the sanctuary by a magnificent veil of many colors, representing the universe. In the sanctuary were placed the various utensils necessary for the daily worship at the Temple, such as the altar of incense, the ten golden candlesticks and the ten tables on which offerings were laid previous to the sacrifice.

The Holy of Holies, or innermost chamber, was separated from the sanctuary by doors of olive, richly sculptured and inlaid with gold, and covered with veils of blue, purple, scarlet and finest linen. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, which had been transferred to it from the Tabernacle, with the overshadowing cherubim and its mercy seat. This chamber could be entered only by the High Priest, only once a year, on the Day of Atonement.

These are the bare facts of history relating to the Temple. In our Ritual the facts have been greatly embellished.

As an Entered Apprentice Mason you were symbolically conducted around the outer courts of the Temple. As a Fellow Craft Mason you entered the middle chamber and finally as Master Masons you represented Hiram Abif in the unfinished Holy of Holies of the Temple, saw how the principal secret was lost, and received a substitute for it.

Those of you who are Royal Arch Masons learned in the Mark Master degree how our ancient Brethren of the Fellow Craft degree identified their work and received their wages.

The Past Master degree teaches the duties of presiding over a Lodge. In the Most Excellent Master degree you were present at the completion and dedication of the Temple and the laying of the Keystone. In the Royal Arch degree, after the destruction of the first Temple, you represented a captive carried to Babylon, were finally freed, and returned to Jerusalem over rough and rugged roads to assist in the rebuilding of the Temple. There you helped to discover the lost secrets and finally received the long-lost word of a Master Mason.

Those of you who are Cryptic Rite Masons learned in the Royal Master degree how a clue to the disposition of the Master's Word was conveyed to our surviving Grand Masters, and in the Select Master degree, how the secrets that were discovered in the Royal Arch degree had been buried. The Super Excellent Master degree told of the perfidy and rebellion of Zedekiah, last King of Judah, and the terrible vengeance of Nebuchadnezzar.

It would be inappropriate to conclude these remarks without some deference to its symbolism. Most Masons, will recognize that there is a degree of identity between the Temple and the Lodge or Lodge room.

Well-informed Masons usually consider the Temple to be a symbol of the spiritual side of the individual, and each Mason is expected to build his own Temple in developing his own character. Christ said "Know that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." Blue Lodge Masons, make the Temple of Solomon the symbol of this life. The great object of Masonry is the search for light or truth, and this symbolic temple is to be a fitting receptacle for the truth that they find, just as the Temple of Solomon was a fitting receptacle for the Author of all Truth.

The Temple of Solomon is an appropriate symbol of this life, for like life, it was utterly destroyed, and during its existence it had periods when it was dedicated to the worship of the True God, and periods when it was polluted to the service of Baal. Variable in its purpose, evanescent in its very existence, it becomes a fit symbol of human life, occupied in the search for divine truth, which is nowhere to be found; now sinning, now repentent; now vigorous with health and strength, and shortly thereafter a senseless and mouldering corpse.

The second Temple, is considered by Royal Arch Masons to be the symbol of the life to come, where the lost truth shall be found.

Thus to the Master Mason the Temple of Solomon is the symbol of this life; to the Royal Arch Mason the Temple of Zerubbabel, the rebuilt Temple of Solomon, is the symbol of life eternal. To the former, his Temple is the symbol of the search for truth; to the latter, his is the symbol of the discovery of truth. This the circle is completed and the system made perfect.

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Christian Freemasonry - Scandanavian

by C. CLYDE MYERS, M.P.S. (Kansas)

Court Houses Kansas City, Kansas

WE HAVE WRITTEN several volumes of Masonic "stuff," always from the view point that Freemasonry religiously is strictly nonsectarian. Now comes word that Scandinavian Masonry is Christian. Not that it matters especially, but it does make a most interesting study from the view point of most Masons.

Prior to the publication of the New Constitutions in 1723, the Mason was required to adhere to the religion of the country in which he labored. The European Mason had been largely employed in Roman Catholic countries so his Masonic obligations were to be Christian - to the Roman Church. That made sense, for the Masonic workman would fare better if he adhered to the faith of the community in which he labored.

The New Constitutions changed that aspect of Masonic obligation. The new obligation required only a belief in a one and Only Supreme Being, including, of course the brotherhood of man and the immortality of the soul. From that time, Masonry has been thought of as strictly nonsectarian, welcoming as members those of any denomination so long as professing a belief in the One and Only Supreme Being.

That is what we have written about Masonry, but now comes an article in the last Transactions of Lodge Quatuor Coronati which says flatly that the Scandinavian Freemasonry is Christian.

The Lodge Quatuor Coronati (the Lodge of the Four Martyrs) is a Lodge in London for the investigation and study of Masonry. It has a membership extending over the world - even to us.

The article mentioned is by a Brother Bertram Jacobs, we find nothing more about him. Though he pretends no particular scholarship, yet he writes as if informed in the premises.

Jacobs says he has visited Masonic Lodges in many parts of the world, but that in Scandinavian Freemasonry he has "been so impressed by the high level of knowledge and of practice and of the beauty of the rituals that (he) feel(s) that here is Masonry at its zenith."

Then he makes this statement that rather startled this corner:

"True it (Scandinavian Masonry) is Christian and not universal, like the British (and, of course, the American), but this is not surprising, as it is the product, not of widespread colonial power, but of Sweden, a Christian Kingdom. None the less, it is proud to point out its descent from the English Grand Lodge of 1717."

Brother Jacobs' argument seems to not quite bear out the last inference, yet, the English and the Scandinavian Lodges do seem to respect each other highly.

Carl Frederick Eckleff (1743 - 1786) spent forty years in support of Masonry in his Scandinavia. His greatest work was after 1753. He was largely the father of Masonry there.

Freemasonry spread from Britain to the Continent in the early 1700s. There it took many forms, some of them strictly unorthodox. Many Swedes were initiated in France and Germany, both Roman Catholic Christian nations. These Swedes received permission to introduce these (Lodge) workings at home, which they seem to have done in all of the Scandinavian countries. "Lodges were constituted in a haphazard manner, without set forms or rituals, lacking guiding and authority."

One Andrew Michael Ramsay had made a famous oration in Paris in 1737 which seems to have had an influence in this establishment of a Christian Freemasonry in Scandinavia. Jacobs quotes him as saying, "He (Ramsay) claimed that Freemasonry was descended from the Christian Chivalries (Crusades) of the past, from the rebuilding of the churches in Jerusalem - The Orders of St. John of Jerusalem."

Eckleff brought the Scottish Rite to Scandinavia in 1756, and, his rituals and right to work them from Geneva. With these, he constituted Sweden's first St. Andrews Lodge in 1756, with himself as Master. This seems to have been the pattern for the Scandinavian Lodges of today. Thus were formed the "Christian" Lodges of Scandinavia.

Gould's History of Freemasonry seems to confirm Brother Jacobs' conclusions as he reports that the Swedish Rite is a mixture of the French degrees, Templarism, and of the Hermetic Societies.

A hurried search gives us no date for the establishment of the Scandinavian Grand Lodge, but, Jacobs says that in 1765, one Tullman went with a warrant as Grand Master from the Grand Lodge of England to organize Masonic Lodges in Scandinavia. This evoked such a storm that Tullman was withdrawn and the Scandinavian Grand Lodge was recognized by the British Grand Lodge, and they have since worked in the closest fraternal relationship.

This, then, is the story of a "Christian" Freemasonry. This is not at all alarming, but to the one who always thought of all Freemasonry as "universal," the story will be most interesting.

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KENTUCKY SOCIETY MEN

HOLD THIRD ANNUAL MEET

Among the very active groups affiliated with the Philalethes Society are those living in the "Blue Grass State" of Kentucky. These Brethren, taking advantage of the annual meetings of the Grand Lodge and appendant Masonic bodies, planned and executed an informal and most appealing meeting of the members and their Masonic friends, with a dinner, fellowship and some interesting papers presented by some of the members.

Chairman of this group for the occasion, was Brother Wylie B. Wendt, M.P.S., who called the members together for a dinner at the Sheraton Hotel, Louisville, coordinated the activities, presented the speakers, and led the discussion. An extremely fine meeting.

Papers were presented as follows: "The Secret of Freemasonry," by William S. Conaway, M.P.S., "Crosses," by Albert S. Hanson, M.P.S., and "Freemasonry Versus Rome and Moscow," by Oscar Wheeler, M.P.S.

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	4 July 1776	19 Oct. 1781	30 Apr. 1789
Connecticut	Jonathan Trumbull	Jonathan Trumbull	Samuel Huntington
Delaware	none	Caesar Rodney	Joshua Clayton
Georgia	Archibald Bullock	Nathan Brownson	George Walton
Maryland	Thomas Johnson	Thomas Sims Lee	John Eager Howard (?)
Massachusetts	none	John Hancock	John Hancock
New Hampshire	Matthew Thornton	Meshech Weare	John Sullivan
New Jersey	William Livingston	Livingston	Livingston
New York	none	George Clinton	George Clinton
North Carolina	Richard Caswell	Abner Nash	Alexander Martin
Pennsylvania	none	William Moore	Thomas Mifflin
Rhode Island	Nicholas Cooke	William Greene	John Collins
South Carolina	Henry Laurens	John Rutledge	Chores Pinckney
(Vermont)	none	Thomas Chittenden	Thomas Chittenden
Virginia	Patrick Henry	Thomas Nelson (?)	Beverly Randolph