Volume XIll Number 5
Contents
The Privilege of Voting PHILALETHES SOCIETY NEWS
Masonry in Our Government THUMB NAIL INFORMATION
Masonic Background The Right to Speak
Influence of the Enlightenment The Philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church
Phalanx - The Lodge Unique Philosophic Lodge of Research, 1941 - 1960
RECOMMENDED MASONIC READING MIDWEST CONFERENCE WlLL MEET IN DETROIT
Published bimonthly at
Franklin, Indiana
By
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
JOHN BLACK VROOMAN, F.P.S., Editor, P.O. Box 402, St. Louis, Mo.
DR. WILLIAM MOSELEY BROWN, President, Box 276, Elon College, North Carolina
ELBERT BEDE, First Vice President, 2316 N. E. 42nd Avenue, Portland 13, Oregon
DR. CHARLES GOTTSHALL REIGNER, Second Vice President, 4035 Belle Avenue, Baltimore 15, Maryland
CARL GREISEN, Executive Secretary, 401 Masonic Temple Omaha 2, Nebraska
RONALD HEATON, Treasurer, 728 Haws Avenue, Norristown, Pennsylvania
PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
A.L. WOODY, F.P.S., 3502 Wesley Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois
EDWARD J. FRANTA, F.P.S., Langdon, North Dakota
LAURENCE R. TAYLOR, F.P.S., c/o The Indiana Freemason, Franklin, Indiana
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(A Guest Editorial)
By Arthur H. Strickland, M.P.S. (Kansas).
November 8, 1960, will be an historic date in America. It is the date of the Presidential and Congressional Elections, and on that date many of our states will select governors and other state officers, and hundreds of counties and other political subdivisions will elect their officers. It is a day of vast importance to all of us, and it is a day on which we have the opportunity of expressing ourselves at the voting booths.
The fate of the country and many of these subdivisions is at stake in this election. Many grave and vital issues are before us, and we will select the men who will decide those issues for us.
This paper does not endorse any particular candidate. The writer is only concerned with the selection of officials who believe in the American Way of life. We hope that every Mason, and every other voter will study the records of the candidates, and then make up his or her mind, and then vote for those men who are strong believers in our free and democratic system - men who believe in keeping America free from any type of foreign overlordship.
Every Mason is urged to take his family to the polls on election day and cast their ballots for those men who believe in the idea of constitutional government, freedom of the individual, the right to select one's church, one's school and one's employment.
The unAmerican forces are mobilized today as never before. Their efforts will be more intense than ever before.
Your ballot will never be of greater force than it is this year.
So vote, and vote wisely. Vote for an America, forever free.
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RAY VAUGHN DENSLOW IS DEAD
We mourn the death on September 11, 1960 of Ray Vaughn Denslow, F.P.S. (Life). His service to the common man of Masonry was his greatest monument. We cannot pay him adequate tribute here, but will endeavor to do so in the December issue of The Philalethes magazine.
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THE MASONIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES has compiled a study of the Masonic status of the top officialdom of the 86th Congress, including the Presidency, Vice-Presidency, Cabinet, Governors and Lieutenant-Governors, and Senators and Members of the Congress. Copies of this valuable document may be obtained from The Masonic Service Association of the U.S., 700 Tenth Street, N.W., Washington 1, D.C.
However, since it will be out-of-date after the elections in November, the association will publish a new list for the 87th Congress, early to 1961.
In order to condense and segregate some of this material, the Editor has compiled information which, in this, an election year, may prove helpful to our readers. It will be noted that some of the names listed will be subject to the election in November, and some will be changed, with others taking their places.
We are listing, however, these personalities, and analysing some of the figures, so that a general overall picture may be seen.
The Masonic world is interested at this time in finding out "who's who in Masonry," in connection with the many candidates for office, those who are now in office, and the general set-up of our Government.
A careful study of the important listing by the Masonic Service Association of this situation, shows, first, that while the President (incumbent), the Vice President, and some of the Cabinet are not members of the Fraternity, yet a large portion of the Senators, Representatives and Supreme Court are Masons.
Let us see. President Eisenhower is not a Mason, but has been most sympathetic towards the Fraternity in his contacts with it, except when he abruptly departed from the Masonic cornerstone-laying ceremonies of the new East Front of the capitol, July 4, 1959.
Vice President Nixon is a Quaker, and not a Mason. In the Cabinet we find seven of the thirteen officials are Masons. The Supreme Court has five of its nine members who are Masons, including Chief Justice Earl Warren, a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California.
At the Capitol there are several interesting situations. Among Senators and Representatives, there are ten (10) states (Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Tennessee, Oklahoma and South Carolina), which have a Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, both Senators, and at least one member of the House who are Masons.
At the other extreme are to be found the three states which have no Masonic representative, either with Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Senator or any member of the House of Representatives - these states are Connecticut and Rhode Island, which have a large Catholic population, and in Utah, where the Mormon sect does not permit membership in the Fraternity.
Further breaking down the representation in Senate and House, there are 16 states in which both Senators, and at least one Representative are Masons (Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas).
Those states having one Senator who is a Mason are Arkansas Colorado, Delaware (a Past Grand Master), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. There are no Masonic members of the Senate from Connecticut. Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Rhode Island or Utah - 10 states.
In the House of Representatives, we find that New York and Texas have 14 apiece, Ohio 12, Pennsylvania 8, with seven other states having 7 each, 3 states 6 each, 5 states 4 each, 3 states 3 each, 7 with 2, and five with one Representative each, being a Mason.
Again, we find that nine states have none of their Representatives in the House who are members of the Craft - Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, New Mexico Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming.
Several states have both Senators and one of the members of the House who are members of the Craft; several have one Senator with one or more Representatives; some have both Senators but no Representative, while some have no Senators, but a Masonic Representative in the House. It is an interesting situation by which to make comparisons and contrasts illustrating the feeling or background from which these men come.
Turning our attention to the Governors and Lieutenant-Governors who are members, we find that 27 Governors are, and 21 are not Masons. The Governor of Kansas was a Mason, but demitted. Both the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of Georgia are first-degree members only. The Lieutenant-Governor of Kansas is a first-degree Mason.
Only 18 Lieutenant-Governors are Masons, the others are not. In this study, we have omitted the statistics for Alaska and Hawaii, our newest states, as the political situation is so changeable that it is not possible to give accurate and up-to-date figures. The statistics are for 48 states.
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From "Royal Arch Mason"
JOHN F. KENNEDY, a Roman Catholic.
LYNDON JOHNSON, an E.A. Mason, Member of the Christian Church.
RICHARD M. NIXON, Quaker (Society of Friends) Not a Mason.
HENRY CABOT LODGE, Episcopalian, not a Mason.
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Never in the world's history did the Sermon on the Mount make better sense than it does today. Never were the fundamentals of Freemasonry more needed in the lives of men.
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They Have Passed The Veil
RAY V. DENSLOW F.P.S. (Life)
CLARENCE O'NEAL (Ohio)
JOHN H. REID (Washington)
FORREST P. HAGAN (Iowa)
FRED DOLAN (Illinois)
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It's Time To Vote
Here Are Your Instructions
This is the year for the TRIENNIAL ELECTIONS of the Philalethes Society. The officers are expecting every member to cast his ballot, and vote for the good of the Society.
Enclosed with this copy of The Philalethes magazine is a ballot. In order that each member may be fully instructed as to how to cast his vote, we will enumerate the facts connected with this important matter.
Officers to be elected for a three-year term (1961-1963 inclusive), are:
PRESIDENT, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY and TREASURER.
The Nominating Committee has considered the merits of the candidates who have been suggested by members, and have designated the slate of officers which it considers most suited for our new officers.
It has always been customary, in the past, to advance the First and Second Vice Presidents, re-elect the Executive Secretary and Treasurer, and elect a new Second Vice President.
It should be recognized, however, that the nominations as proposed by the Nominating Committee do not prevent the members from voting for any qualified member of the Society to fill any of the above offices. The Committee placed the names in nomination with the intention of helping the membership pick those members who seem best qualified and willing to serve as officers.
Read the ballot carefully, then vote according to your desire, and place the ballot in a sealed envelope and mail to:
Alphonse Cerza, Chairman,
Balloting Committee,
Philalethes Society,
Room 401, 19 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, Illinois.
The ballots will be opened and counted on October 16, 1960, at 10 A.M., and the results will be certified to the Executive Secretary, who will declare the officers elected for the Triennium 1961 - 1963.
Only members of the Society are entitled to vote.
For the information of our members, the present officers of the Society are: Dr. William Moseley Brown, President; Elbert Bede, First Vice President: Dr. Charles Gottshall Reigner; Second Vice President; Carl R. Greisen, Executive Secretary, and Ronald E. Heaton, Treasurer.
Brother Brown is a Past Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, a distinguished author and Masonic student, has presided over a host of Masonic groups, is a member of too many Masonic organizations to list, and is an international Masonic figure. The progress of the Society under his administration has been marked by careful and skillful planning and activity.
Elbert Bede, our First Vice President, a retired Masonic editor and student, is former owner, publisher and editor of The Oregon Freemason, a deep and careful Masonic student, the author of several fine and popular Masonic books, and presently the Chairman of the important Membership Committee of the Society, under whose leadership it has increased and augmented its size and influence.
Dr. Charles Gottshall Reigner, probably one of the nation's leading publishers and literary lights, is President of The H.M. Rowe Company, publishers of text books and educational treatises. He has been honored in many ways for his contributions to Masonry.
Carl R. Greisen, Grand Secretary-Recorder of the Grand Bodies of Nebraska, has been active in many of the nation's research and student organizations, as well as in other Masonic groups which have added to the culture and advancement of Craft Masonry. His work for the Philalethes Society during his short term of office has been phenomenal.
Ronald E. Heaton, our Treasurer, is best known for his research in the field of Revolutionary and pre-Revolutionary Masonic history and biography. His several "Digests" for the Masonic Association, especially that on the Masonic affiliation of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, are considered to be the top authority among Masons on that subject.
Robert H. Gollmar, who has been nominated for the position of Second Vice President of the Society, is a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin is its "Foreign Correspondent" whose duty it is to make a report on the affairs of the Grand Lodges of the world to his Grand Lodge, and who has, likewise, made many valuable contributions to The Philalethes magazine, as well as to other Masonic publications.
Having noted these thumbnail sketches of our officers, we urgently hope that each member of the Society will exercise his prerogative to vote according to the dictates of his conscience, and elect the officers under whom we must all serve for the next three years.
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Let's Plan The
Masonic Workshop
THE MASONIC WORKSHOP, the splendid project of the Philalethes Society during "Masonic Week" in Washington each February, is an activity of the Society which should hold the interest of every member.
At this time, we have not yet decided what will be the general topic for discussion at the 1961 gathering of the Society. We have several ideas, but it is the opinion of the special committee sponsoring this activity that the topic, agenda and execution of this event shall be determined by the wishes of the membership.
Remember - the Masonic Workshop is not a research project, except in its endeavor to find ways and means by which to stimulate and advance methods and aids by which students may engage in research. We need ways and means, methods and tactics by which the inexperienced researcher may be helped.
Members - think, ponder and stimulate the work of the Masonic Workshop. Send your ideas for, How and What should be done at this meeting - its principal theme, and what should be discussed. Send all suggestions to the Chairman:
CHARLES K. A. MCGAUGHEY
Richmond Road, Route 7,
Lexington, Kentucky.
We need your help in planning than meeting.
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by Dr. WILLIAM L. CUMMINGS, F.P.S. (N.Y.)
(A MASTERPIECE)
IT HAS BEEN APTLY SAID that Freemasonry is the "no-man's land of history." Perhaps no other subject has been so badly handled or so thoroughly buried under the rubble of guesswork and unfounded speculation.
There is no lack of theories. One school, which probably has the greatest number of adherents, insists that our present-day Speculative Freemasonry is a direct outgrowth of the trade guilds of the Middle Ages - the Operative Masonry of the cathedral-building days. Another goes to equal length to prove that the system arose out of certain groups commonly referred to under the generic name of Rosicrucians, who are supposed to have indulged in mystical and occult teachings. Still another, the so-called Anthropological School, traces Freemasonry to the rites and practices of primitive and barbarous tribes. The Ancient Mysteries, the Comacine Builders and so on ad infinitum have been declared to be the only original and true starting points.
Each of these groups has bent history almost to the breaking point to prove that theirs is the only correct solution. All have committed the fundamental error of treating Freemasonry as if it was an isolated phenomenon and have entirely overlooked the fact that it was and is a purely natural sequence of the social, economic, political and religious thought of the period that gave it birth. They have attempted to explain an effect without for a single moment dealing with the cause or causes which brought it about.
It is my thesis that things do not just happen; that back of every effect there is an adequate and impelling cause, and that this is just as true of social movements as of what may be termed more material things; that the true origin of Freemasonry as we know it today lies in the general conditions of the period when it came into existence - in the ideas and thought that had come down to the men of the early eighteenth century from former ages. In other words in the "background" which forms the title of this paper.
This is simply a recognition of what is termed by scholars the Unity of History, which may be defined as meaning that the past determines the present and the present the future; that events occurring at any particular time are dependent upon and the result of what has happened before and that things as they are today will determine those of the future - the unvarying law of cause and effect.
By intensive study any event or movement can be traced back through the centuries until the trail vanishes in the darkness of unrecorded history. Ideas are imperishable. They may disappear from view over a longer or shorter period, but sooner or later the train they set in motion will again break to the surface and exert its effect on the thought of that time.
Just as the strength and beauty of a fabric is the result of the combination and interweaving of many threads, so the thought and action of today is the result of the combination of many causes and events. There is no isolated strand in history. Each thread is interwoven with many others in a kind of mingled network which must be patiently and carefully untangled to follow a particular one through its devious course.
To arrive at anything like definite and logical conclusions regarding Masonic origins a somewhat comprehensive study of English history must be made. We must know something of the conditions in Saxon England, of the feudal system set up by the Norman conquerors which persisted to a greater or lesser extent up to the sixteenth century, of its gradual decline as the result of the Crusades which reduced many of the barons to comparative poverty and the "Black Death" of 1348 - 1349 which destroyed practically half the population of England and thus completely revolutionized conditions of agricultural labor by bringing about the landlord and tenant system in place of the formal system of villenage. We must trace the gradual progress of political freedom from its inception in 1215 when, at Runnymede, the barons wrested from King John much of his former power and forced him to grant the Magna Charta and closely follow succeeding events which resulted in the abolition of the theory of the Divine Right of Kings, the slow but constant lessening of the authority of the throne and the putting of more and more power into the hands of the people, thus changing England from a practically complete autocracy to a strongly parliamentary form of government.
Among the events which tended to crystallize the thought and ideas of their periods to stand out in broad perspective and demand special attention - the invention of printing and the Protestant Reformation, the former of which completely revolutionized the intellectual status of the English people and the latter which gradually freed them from the existing evils of priestcraft and religious persecution. Although neither was immediate in its effect their influence over the centuries cannot be overestimated.
Printing from movable types invented by Gutenberg, in Germany, in 1438, was introduced into England by William Caxton circa 1471. This invention which one of the writers of the day said "Gave the death-blow to the superstition of the Middle Ages," made the dissemination and preservation of thought easy, stimulated scholarship and exercised a vast influence toward increasing literacy and promoting education.
Prior to the invention of printing, literacy was confined largely to the clergy and a small fraction of the nobility or ruling class. Such works as existed were in manuscript and written in Latin, a language wholly unknown to the common people. These consisted chiefly of religious liturgies and copies of the Scriptures. With the production of books in the mother tongue, particularly translations of the Bible, more and more of the people learned to read. Despite the opposition of the Church which made the possession or even the reading of the Bible a capital crime, men came to study and to put their own interpretation upon its teachings, something the most rigorous opposition of the ecclesiastics was unable to suppress. Such freedom of thought along religious lines could not have failed to develop ideas of political and economic freedom.
Although the Protestant Reformation did not become an established fact until November 1534, under the reign of Henry VIII, its roots go back more than two centuries earlier. From the days of Henry III (1217-1371), the English had resented the exactions of the Papacy. In the reign of Edward III (1327 - 1371) two great statutes were enacted, the one forbidding Papal appointments to ecclesiastical positions in England, the other forbidding appeals from the civil to the Papal Court. The Reformation was both religious and political in its intention and effect.
The Reformation did not immediately bring about anything like complete religious freedom. There was still a state religion to which the entire population of the country was required to conform and for a long period persecutions for nonconformity went on. It is highly important to follow the slow but constant growth of freedom to think and worship in accordance with one's own conscience.
As time went on the struggle for freedom of thought in religious matters progressed, with the result that breaking away from the Established Church and the setting up of other forms of worship became common. It came about that there was no common denominator of religious belief, each of the separatist groups maintaining that theirs was the only true interpretation of the Scriptures.
We must not overlook the great advances in education during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Literature flourished and such writers as Sir Francis Bacon and John Locke produced works which revolutionized education and laid the foundation for modern scientific methods. Shakespeare, Ben Johnson and various other writers greatly enriched the language with their matchless productions. The teachings of earlier times were being rapidly discarded. Old lines were loosened, the chain of tradition was breaking at practically every link, a spirit of inquiry was abroad and almost daily new facts were discrediting old methods.
In this age of progress, of change and of great intellectual activity, it is not surprising that the idea of the importance of the individual should come in for its share of attention. It was then that the seeds which ultimately developed into the idea of an organization such as Speculative Freemasonry began to germinate.
The revival of learning had been illuminating and enlarging the intellectual horizon; the Reformation and succeeding events had removed those checks which had hindered freedom of inquiry on speculative subjects, and by the time of William and Mary that which in earlier times could be practiced only in the privacy of the study could now without hindrance or danger be proclaimed from the house tops and discussed freely in the market place. Words and actions which in earlier days would have brought the ones speaking or performing them to the gibbet or the stake now met little or no opposition.
The revolution in religious thought and practice was closely followed by a general revolt against the old philosophical authorities whose teachings - chiefly those of Aristotle - they had perverted and disfigured. Progress in scientific lines was constantly being made. The Royal Society, formed in 1662, arose from the realization that more could be accomplished by men working in concert rather than individually.
Alongside the progress in strictly material lines there had arisen a school of thought which had to do with the relation of man to the universe, his duty to God and to his fellow-man. Practical ethics came to occupy a far larger place in the public mind than at any preceding period. Men had come to differentiate between religion and theology and this thought which found expression in the article on "God and Religion" in the Constitutions adopted by the premier Grand Lodge lies at and forms the foundation of the greater progress toward the unity and solidarity of the human race in the realm of history. It put into words and into effect for the first time the idea of genuine brotherhood, based not upon creed nor dogma, but on the importance of the individual and the inalienable right of thought and belief which opened a field where all might labor together for the benefit of all.
Just as the Royal Society was designed to encourage the study of the natural sciences, so Speculative Freemasonry, which arose from the same thought of working in concert, was instituted to promote the investigation of moral science and to inculcate in the hearts and minds of its adherents that as children of a common parent all men are brothers.
The true origin of Freemasonry will not be found in any of the far-fetched theories of the past. It arose not from a single cause but from the combination of many causes and events. So many streams have fed the lake of the Institution that no single one can be correctly designated as the only or even the principal source from which it came. Speculative Freemasonry is definitely and distinctly an English Institution, born and bred upon English soil, a child of the progress of English thought and ideas over the centuries during which the English People progressed from feudalism and villenage to a full measure of religious, political and economic freedom.
The formation of the Grand Lodge of England, on June 24, 1717, which is generally recognized as the beginning of organized Speculative Freemasonry, was not the result of a momentary impulse, but instead the culmination of a movement which began centuries earlier.
The early eighteenth century was an era of organization. So-called clubs were formed for almost every possible and impossible purpose. Most of these had but an ephemeral existence, but Freemasonry had within it that indefinable something which guaranteed its permanent existence and its spread over the entire civilized world.
It is my sincere conviction that something of the kind was bound to happen at this particular time. Had it not been that some of those interested in the movement had become members of the fast-decaying Operative Lodges it might have been known by a different name, but its philosophy would have been the same; its symbolism might have been built up around something else but there would have been the same teaching, that of the Brotherhood of Man, first promulgated by the ancient Greeks but lost through the Dark Ages, again brought to light in eighteenth-century England, when on St. John's day in 1717, was laid the foundation on which future generations have erected the vast Masonic superstructure of today.
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by ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S. (Life), Illinois
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA the right to speak is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. It is also a traditional, fundamental right of free men. From this basic privilege flows many other rights which make up what can be described as "the American Way of life."
Recent events indicate that there is a growing danger that this basic American principle may be lost. A political hierarchy clothed with a religious covering slowly but surely is becoming more powerful and will eventually destroy our way of life unless its influence is recognized and kept within its legitimate scope of activity. Let us see what has been going on.
Father McGlynn Is Silenced
Edward McGlynn, a faithful American, lived in these United States in the second half of the last century. He became a Roman Catholic priest, and was appointed pastor of St. Stephen's Church in New York City. He was a person of outstanding ability with a warm and friendly disposition. As a result, he was most popular not only among his parishioners but was loved and admired by all who knew him. He had a keen interest in the education of the young and insisted on the children of his parish attending the public schools. He was a devoted priest and was faithful to his church. But has was also a true American. He was a firm believer that churches should not have parochial schools; as was to be expected, he was severely criticized by his fellow-workers for these views.
He was very much interested in the public questions of his day. After some thought he espoused the cause of Henry George and his "Single Tax" theory. Father McGlynn worked actively to have this theory adopted. When Henry George. in the year 1866, became a candidate for Mayor of New York City, Father McGlynn was in the front lines advocating his election. Public announcement was made that he was to speak at a large public gathering.
Archbishop Corrigan sent him notice that he was not to speak at this meeting. But Father McGlynn went to the meeting as planned. He was suspended from his duties. The leaders of his church were so displeased that he was later excommunicated.
His popularity brought him much support. He took the view that while he was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church he was still an American and as such had the right to think and speak on public questions, that this did not in any way interfere with his duties for the church, and that the leaders had no right to dictate to him on matters of this kind. Many urged him to lead the Roman Catholics in the United States away from the rule of Rome and to form an American Catholic Church retaining all the religious beliefs and ceremonies of the church but breaking off the ties with the Roman hierarchy. But he would not. He wanted to be faithful to his church as well as to his country.
In 1892 Pope Leo XIII sent a delegate to this country to interview him and he was restored to full membership in the church. For several years he was transferred from church to church. In 1894 he was finally given a church he could call his own. He died in January 1900.
Here was a great man, able, warm and human. Rather than hide behind his priestly duties and lead a regimented existence, he wanted to be also an American. He wanted to lend a hand in the solution of the problems of the hour. He saw no conflict between the religious duties he owed his church and the other duties he owed to his country. As an American he had the right to speak his mind without hindrance. But he was silenced. Undoubtedly, the decree of excommunication broke his spirit for he was a devout man and wished above all to be faithful to his church. The incident clearly shows that this church is determined to prevent Americans from being Americans.
A Catholic Speaks His Mind
The problem created by the above incident apparently is discussed privately between Roman Catholics, and they are genuinely disturbed.
In the year 1951 Thomas Sugrue, a Connecticut Yankee from a Roman Catholic family, wrote two articles which were printed in the Christian Herald. These were later expanded and published by Harper & Brothers in a small book entitled A Catholic Speaks His Mind on America's Religious Conflict. The author, a life-long Roman Catholic, had been a reporter and writer for many years. At the age of thirty he had been stricken with a disabling form of arthritis but it did not prevent him from pursuing his chosen work. He travelled as a roving reporter for two years and then became a member of the permanent staff of the American Magazine. His reputation as a reporter and author was of the best. He was the author of a number of books, the one which attracts our present attention was completed shortly before he passed away.
In the preface of the book he tells of his mental conflict and that he concluded that it was time for some one to speak. With deep feeling he proceeds to search his mind and his soul as to the difficult task presented to a Roman Catholic in America who wishes to be faithful to his church and at the same time to be loyal to his country. He traces briefly the history of the church and shows its inherent weaknesses when it deals with matters outside the field of religion. Strange as it may seem, he reports that he attended a Protestant school, made the acquaintance of boys of other Christian denominations, discussed religion with them, and that this experience fortified his faith because he openly discussed the matters that are controversial and he read many books which broadened his horizon.
He takes issue with the position of the church that Jesus came to form a state, but contends that He merely suggested a church as a means for man to find his way to God. The words of Christ to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's are not lost on the author. He distinguishes between the things of the spirit and the things of this world, concluding that the Roman Catholic Church is in error in meddling with things which are not directly connected with religion.
The author makes a pertinent observation, that no one in America is prejudiced against any church or religion because of the beliefs or practices of the group. These matters are protected by law, and everyone knows that mutual respect is a two-way street; we can expect others to be tolerant of our views only so long as we are tolerant towards others; this is the American point of view. The trouble arises when the religious group begins to meddle in secular affairs in the name of religion.
Like most thinking Americans the author was much concerned with the activities of the leaders of his church in matters that did not concern religion. The author is devoted to his church with a warmth enamoured of the American Way of life, the system that affords every person the opportunity to develop his skills freely and to the fullest, the laws of which allow the greatest degree of personal freedom, and the system that glorifies the worth of the individual. In glowing terms he speaks of our form of government which permits men of all kinds to live together in harmony. He makes a plea for a better understanding between men of all faiths and expresses the hope that before too long Roman Catholics in the United States will break away from the secular views that have long been attached to the church leaving it free to act only in religious matters.
Some additional points made by the author are: That separateness has no place in the American scene; that the Roman Catholic Church encourages this situation; that there is no place for totalitarianism in the United States whether it is political or religious; the idea of church and state combined is obnoxious to him; that the work of the church in the field of religion is ample to occupy its time and that adventures into secular activities bring only trouble; that Catholic schools are not maintained on a high level; he bemoans the refusal of the Roman Catholic clergy to join with others in secular community programs; he resents the "pressure groups" built up within the church for the purpose of acting outside the religious work of the church: and he is not in sympathy with the church encouraging its members to stand aloof from others.
This little book of sixty-four pages reaches inside one's very soul as the author urges his church to forget its narrow ways and to adopt new ways which will engender good will among men. He clearly sets forth that no one in America is questioning the religion of the group but that there is much doubt as to the secular activities and the political pressures exerted by the hierarchy in the name of religion. It was well that at least one voice was strong enough to speak on the subject. Unfortunately, the power of the church and its rules prevent free discussion of the matter.
The Chapel of the Four Chaplains
In February 1943, while World War II was in progress, the United States troop transport ship Dorchester was taking 900 men to Europe. While off the coast of Greenland it was torpedoed by a German submarine, there was an explosion in the boiler room, and the ship began to sink immediately. On that ship were four United States Chaplains: Clark V. Poling (Reformed Church of America), Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), John P. Washington (Roman Catholic), and George P. Fox (Methodist). These four men were asleep in one small room. When the emergency arose they immediately went to work maintaining an orderly evacuation of the ship. There were not enough boats and life belts. The four removed their life belts and passed them on to four soldiers. They remained on board and went down with the ship. About 600 men were lost on that cold dark night. The four chaplains were last seen with their arms around one another forming a circle, praying as each of them had been taught to pray to the one true God. The brief biographies of these heroes is told touchingly by Francis B. Thornton, in Sea of Glory; the magnificent story of the four chaplains, published in 1953 by Prentice Hall.
Some years later Dr. Daniel A. Poling, father of one of the martyred chaplains, conceived the idea of establishing in Philadelphia a chapel in honor of the Four Chaplains. The chapel was to be a nondenominational place where men of all faiths could come together from time to time and commune with God. It was to be a perpetual memorial to the four men who gave their lives that others might live and exemplified their strong faith in praying to their Maker together as equal children of the one true God who has been given so many names that his single entity has been lost. Such a project is in the highest tradition of the American Way of life. It recognizes each of the three broad divisions of the religious believers in the current American scene.
When the chapel was completed certain public ceremonies were planned that were to memorialize the occasion. This was in 1951. Leaders of all faiths were invited to take part in the several ceremonies.
One of those invited to the banquet held when the chapel was about to be completed was a Congressman named John F. Kennedy, who has advanced quickly on the political scene since that time. He accepted the invitation to attend the banquet at a hotel in Philadelphia. He was invited as a leading Roman Catholic layman. Two days before the affair Kennedy called Dr. Poling and advised him that he could not attend. He gave as his reason that Cardinal Dougherty, of Philadelphia, had advised him not to appear. Kennedy was told by Dr. Poling that the affair was at a public place, not at a church, that men of other religious groups were attending, and that there was nothing sectarian about the affair. Kennedy stated that he understood all this, but yet could not attend. Dr. Poling said Kennedy was most gracious and was apparently upset by the incident. Kennedy offered to send him the speech he had prepared for the occasion. It was necessary to prepare new programs so that it would not be necessary to mention the incident and embarrass the Congressman.
Later, when the dedication ceremonies were to take place, General James O'Neill, Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army, accepted an invitation to attend as a member of the Roman Catholic Church. A few days before the dedication he too called Dr. Poling and informed him that Cardinal Dougherty had advised him not to attend the dedication.
Brother Harry S. Truman, then President of the United States, attended the dedication ceremonies. He spoke with feeling about the four heroes and this fitting memorial in their honor. He was speaking in the spirit of Masonry and Americanism when he said: "These four chaplains obeyed the Divine Commandment that men should love one another .... This is an old faith in our country. It is shared by all churches and all denominations . . ., the unity of our country comes from this fact."
Our fathers sought these shores to find a haven from persecution for religious beliefs and practices. At great sacrifice they created a new nation, under God, that all men might be forever free to live, to speak, to believe, to pursue happiness, and to develop their innate abilities. History has shown that under our American Way of life the individual gets the most out of life. There is no reason why religious observances and beliefs should interfere with these other activities, but they do with some groups. The basic principles of the Roman Catholic Church in fields outside of religion are well known; they are committed to the unity of church and state; they are firm believers that they are the guardians of the "faith and morals" of the entire community and proceed to define the word "morals" in a broad sense. The future can be best judged by a study of the past. History shows that wherever the church and the state are one, eventually the power of the state is used to coerce all nonbelievers to adopt the religion of the state. The present situation in Spain is a good example of what can happen.
No man should receive a vote or fail to receive a vote in these United States because of his religion. There is no religious test for holding public office here; and may it ever be so. But when thinking Roman Catholics question the secular activities of the hierarchy, when a Cardinal of the Church can prevent two of its members from speaking at a nondemoninational affair, when a person in high public office listens to the dictates of a leader of a church in a matter that does not concern religion, we have a right to ask: Is our American Way of life going to be changed slowly and indirectly by a religious power whose beliefs are foreign to our fundamental principles?
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Influence of the Enlightenment
On American Masonry
by (Brother) J. MARQUIS SMITH
(Washington D.C.)
THE PERIOD OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT, or the age of reason, is generally applied to a time starting in the early seventeenth century and extending through the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The beginning of the eighteenth century (1716 to be precise) saw the birth of the Grand Lodge System of Freemasonry, although Speculative Masonry can be traced back at least to the early part of the previous century. There are no minutes of English Lodges which go back so far, the oldest minutes extant (1701) being those of Alnwick Lodge which remained an operative body until its demise in 1763, however there are a few extraneous references to the speculative fraternity.
Elias Ashmole, founder of the Ashmolean Museum, stated in his diary that he was made a Mason at Warrington in Lancashire, on October 16, 1646, at 4:30 P.M., with Col. Henry Mainwaring of Karincham in Cheshire. An investigation has shown that none of the seven members of the Lodge which initiated them was an Operative Mason. We have no further trace of this Lodge.
Two of the early references are rather unfavorable. Dr. Robert Plot devoted considerable space to the Fraternity in his Natural History of Staffordshire (1686). Although Dr. Plot admits that "persons of the most eminent quality do not disdain to be of the fellowship" he suggests that the Lodges "might well be looked into lest they do mischief," and a leaflet printed in London in 1698 for M. Winter warns "all godlie people of the citie of London" against those called Freed Masons. "I say take care lest their Ceremonies and secret Swearings take hold of you; and be wary that none cause you to err from Godliness. For this devilish Sect of Men are Meeters in secret which swear against all without their Following. They are the Anti Christ which was to come leading men from Fear of God. For how should Men meet in secret Places and with secret Signs taking Care that none observe them to do the Work of God; Are not these the Ways of Evildoers?" *
One may wonder to what extent Masonry was influenced, during its transition period from an operative to a speculative science, by the growing philosophy of the enlightenment. The problem isn't an easy one. Philosophers do not agree among themselves neither do historians nor Freemasons. And the literature on each of these subjects is very extensive.
The Age of Reason was a cultural period distinguished by the fervent efforts of leading thinkers to make reason the absolute rule of human life, and to shed the light of knowledge upon the minds and consciences of all persons. Knowledge was regarded as a panacea. The ideals of the enlightenment period, the impassioned zeal for the materialization of the ideal man in an ideal society show rather clearly in the Constitution of the U.S.A. and in the Craft lectures of American Masonry, particularly the lectures of the Fellow Craft degree. This is not surprising since many of the "Fathers" of the Constitution were enlightened men (B. Franklin, Th. Jefferson, J. Adams, A. Hamilton, Th. Paine etc.) and many of the philosophers of the enlightenment were also Freemasons.
The earliest exposes indicate that the first Lodge ceremonies consisted of but one degree. It
* I want to point out that this leaflet appeared forty years before the first Roman Catholic pronouncement against the Fraternity (i.e., Pope Clement's Bull against Freemasonry, 1738) which did not appear until twenty-one years after the formation of the Grand Lodge. And before Pope Clement placed Masonry "out-of-bounds" for Catholics, at least two of our English Grand Masters, the sixth and the eleventh, were Catholics - Philip, Duke of Wharton, and Thomas Howard, eighth Duke of Norfolk.
seems safe to assume that until about 1723 there were only two degrees, the degree of Initiate or Apprentice and the degree of Fellow. The working of these degrees was by no means identical with the ceremonies of our first two degrees today.
Originally the Old Charges were read to the initiate, and from this grew up a practice of orally expounding their contents and commenting upon the important points. In the 1770s these were turned into a system of fixed lectures by William Preston. If we acknowledge with Brother Coil ** that "Freemasonry is, to a large extent, shaped by developments in the larger society about it and of which it is a part . . . Freemasons bring ideas into the Fraternity as much as they take Masonic principles out," then we can see in this occurrence a direct influence of the philosophy of the Enlightenment upon the ritual working as we have it today in our American Lodges. For the Prestonian Lectures, as modified by Thomas Smith Webb, form the basic part of the ritual throughout the United States. And Preston was an enlightened man, a typical product of the Age of Reason, thoroughly a child of his time. Brother Roscoe Pound wrote an excellent biographical sketch of Preston in 1915 ("Philosophy of Masonry," now reprinted in Masonic Addresses and Writings, Macoy, 1953) which I shall try to summarize.
Brother Preston was born in Edinburgh in 1742. His father, a man of some education and ability, died and William was taken out of school, apparently before he was twelve years old. He was left to the care of Thomas Rudiman, a well-known linguist, who apprenticed him to his brother who was a printer. Preston worked as a journeyman printer until 1762, when, with the consent of his master, he went to London. He soon found employment with William Strahan, the King's Printer, where he continued to work during most of the remaining period of his life. From setting up the great variety of matter which came to the King's Printer he acquired a notable literary style and became known to the authors whose books he helped to set up as an excellent judge of style and as a good critic. Accordingly he was made a proof reader and corrector of the press and worked as such during most of his career. He did work of this sort for such firstrate thinkers as Gibbon and Humge, as well as for less constructive writers such as Robertson.
Preston was made a Mason in 1762, at the age of twenty years, by a Lodge of Scotchmen that met in London. According to the English custom, which permits simultaneous membership in several Lodges, he presently became a member of a second Lodge which elected him Master when he was only twenty-five years old. To enable himself the better to perform his duties as Master, he entered upon an intense study of the rules and ritual of the Society and started to compile a system of lectures, which he had completed by 1774.
When he began the composition of his lectures, he organized a group of his friends to listen to him and to criticize him. This group met twice a week to pass on, to criticize, and to learn the lecture as Preston conceived it. In 1772, after seven years, he interested the Grand Officers in his work and delivered an oration before a meeting of eminent Masons, including the Grand Officers. His followers went about from Lodge to Lodge delivering his lectures and they brought back to the biweekly meetings the suggestions and the criticisms they had received. By 1774 his system was completed. He then instituted a regular school of instruction, which obtained the sanction of the Grand Lodge. Later he organized a society of Masonic scholars, the first of its kind, known as the Order of Harodim, which included the most distinguished Masons of the time.
Preston taught his lectures in this Society, and through it they came to America, where they became the foundation of our Craft lectures. Unfortunately, his lectures were replaced in England in 1813 by those of Hemming and Williams. Thus, our American working is older than the form used in England.
Preston died in 1818. A diligent and frugal life had enabled him to lay by some money and he left 500 pounds to the Freemasons' Charity for orphans (for which, left an orphan himself before the age of twelve, he had a natural sympathy) and 300 pounds to endow the Prestonian lecture, an annual lecture to be given in Preston's words verbatim by a lecturer appointed by the Grand Lodge. **
This should serve to remind us that Preston was the first to insist on the minute verbal accuracy which is now a feature of our lectures. Preston's philosophy became the philosophy of our American lectures, and his philosophy was that of the Enlightenment.
We must understand our working lectures as the thought of a man dedicated to his Fraternity, a laborer, chiefly self-educated, who associated with enlightened men, whom he came to know through preparing their manuscripts for the press and reading their proofs, and filled with their enthusiasm for enlightenment in what men called the Age of Reason. We can see in our Craft workings the cardinal notions of that age - intellectualism, the all sufficiency of reason, the absolute need of knowledge as the basis on which reason proceeds, and finality.
I hope that some Brother who reads this will become equally dedicated to the Fraternity. A dedicated Brother could present to the Masons of today the knowledge which they ought to possess so that our Lodges can again become centers of light from which men will go forth filled with clear ideas and ideals of social justice, brotherhood, and good will.
** Henry Wilson Coil: "A Comprehensive View of Freemasonry," Macoy Publishing Co., New York (1954), p. 218.
** These lectures are still given, but on a new basis. The lecture for 1957 was entitled "The Transition from Operative to Speculative Masonry." It can be obtained for $1.25 from the lecturer, Bro. Harry Carr, 14 Inver Court, Inverness Terrace, London, W.2. The proceeds go to the Royal Masonic Hospital Fund Appeal.
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The Philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church
As Discussed in Forthcoming Encyclopedia
IN A FORTHCOMING BOOK, Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, to be published in late 1960 by Macoy Publishing Company of New York, Henry Coil, F.P.S., has a particularly illuminating article on "Roman Catholicism," which we are publishing here, with the permission of Macoy.
Factual, interesting and thought-provoking, it summarizes all the reasoning pro and con of the aims and aspirations of the Roman Catholic Church. It states the fundamental principles of how this Church is trying to increase its power, and shows with what zeal it is working to accomplish this end. It is a publication that should be in the personal library of every thinking Mason.
Excerpt from "COIL'S MASONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA" scheduled for publication late 1960 by the Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., N.Y.
Roman Catholicism
HUMAN INSTITUTIONS and activities always have been and still are governed largely by sentiment and emotion as distinguished from facts and logic, and much sentiment and emotion has always been generated in one or another of the innumerable religions, sects, and denominations, often separating nations and creating discord within individual nations. A faulty purpose or policy backed by prejudice or emotion may effectively divert a worthy course supported only by reason and good judgment. Business mixed with politics becomes all politics; so, politics mixed with religion becomes all religion. If a quantity of ignorance and superstition is added, the mixture becomes explosive, and though the detonation is deferred, there is the smouldering threat of disagreement and conflict. It never seems to occur to the technical or formal religionist that his may be a bigoted creed, but he is the first to hurl a charge of bigotry or persecution at others. Some religions have spread by argument and example, some by the sword, and others by political alliances. Space is not available to treat of the history of the Roman Catholic Church, but it may be noted that the advanced and advancing nations of Europe broke both the spiritual and political power of the Church in the 16th century, and it was largely the efforts of the four Roman Catholic Stuart Kings of England to reestablish Romanism in Great Britain which immediately produced the English Revolution of 1689, ending not only the Catholic threat but stripping the English Crown of virtually all its sovereign powers and prerogatives.
What had been generally and substantially resolved by the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon countries of Europe was definitely expressed in writing in the Constitution of the United States whereby both the divine right of kings (or any other government) and the political interference by religious organizations were rejected. The Catholics then in the young republic did not object to those provisions, and certainly later arrivals must have come seeking a home free from both political and religious tyranny. Indeed, many Roman Catholics in the United States pose a problem, because they have become so Americanized that they ignore and assume the nonexistence of some of the more questionable of their Church's hierarchical theories and policies. Some are loose in their adherence to Church formalities and even speak lightly of the Pope, yet may still faithfully obey the censorship of books and refuse to hear or read anything critical of the Church or even rise to its defence when others challenge some Catholic act or statement. They observe certain feasts and fasts and are likely to feel clannish as most Catholics have been taught to feel, separate from or superior to those of all other faiths. All this together with the injunction against joining the Freemasons or even the Rotary or other Service Clubs must naturally cause a Catholic communicant to wonder just what is his place in a government run largely by Protestants and even by Freemasons.
Everyone knows that in the past few years or perhaps several decades there has been a constant and apparently organized pressure from Roman Catholic sources to invade the educational and political fields even against the advise of more prudent Catholic authorities who see the danger of too much aggression on the part of a group which has no more than 20 per cent of the national voting power. It is already noticeable that in communities, even states such as Rhode Island and Connecticut, where Roman Catholics approximate half the population, they have succeeded in securing free transportation for parochial school pupils and other things savoring of union of Church and State. Roman Catholics themselves are most effective in keeping up their apparent segregation or distinction from the rest of the population and some seize upon any opportunity to advance the cause of their Church. There have always been in all climes a hard core of Roman Catholic extremists moved by the profound belief in the necessity for Roman Catholic domination and the restoration of the priesthood to the position of power in things political, economic, social, and educational as well as spiritual, in short, a belief that nothing is completely removed from ecclesiastical interest and that most things are quite subservient to it.
Periodically and perhaps fortunately, Roman Catholic purposes are exposed under dramatic circumstances as when a communicant of that persuasion seeks to be elected President of the United States, for such an event cannot fail to create the greatest interest and curiosity. Ex-Governor Alfred Smith of New York was such candidate in 1928, and, 30 years later Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts has followed the example, protesting that there is no reason why any one should vote against him on account of his religion. Yet, he explained that reason quite simply, when at the very outset of his campaign, over a national broadcast, he renounced the age-old Catholic doctrine of union of Church and State and the right of any religious body to receive financial support from the State. That was a clear recognition of the inconsistency between the dogma of his Church and the Constitution of the United States, and it clearly indicated that, to know whether or not to vote against a candidate on account of his religion, one must know what political doctrines the religion inculcates and whether the candidate has in good faith renounced them.
But the test goes further, for it is to be noted in this instance the candidate did not say that he would see to it that his associate Catholics would follow his example. In view of the fact that the President of the United States has, directly or indirectly, the appointive power over tens of thousands of major and minor functionaries of the federal government from Justices of the Supreme Court and Ministers to foreign nations down to census enumerators and deputy United States Marshals, it is evident that the extravagantly swollen bureaucracy of the country could be heavily saturated with Catholics more attached to Church policy than the President himself! One Roman Catholic Justice on the Supreme Court might have more to say about the validity of pro-Catholic legislation than would the President and he would probably remain on the bench long after the Catholic President had departed from office.
Religious infiltration into political institutions is devious and surreptitious, for example, when President Eisenhower made his celebrated journey to and through the Near East and Far East in early 1960 he was not on a religious mission and did not visit the Archbishop of Canterbury, nor any Lutheran dignitary of West Germany, nor any Patriarch of the Greek or Orthodox Catholic Church, nor Mecca, nor the sacred and indistinguishable fire of the Parsees. He did visit and hold counsel with the Pope at Rome, and unless the conversation turned to politics, it had no legitimate purpose. Arguments to the effect that a President would not allow the Pope to "dictate" to him miss the point. Religious procedures are not crude and churchmen are not simple-minded. The Roman Catholic Church could not have lived so long, grown so large, or exerted so much influence without lifelong indoctrination of its communicants with the belief that an infallible Pope or a Bishop or Priest might determine the fate of the soul through ages of eternity. If that belief is real, it is potent. Let us consider some of the mental, sentimental, or persuasive elements of the Constitutional qualifications for a Presidential candidate: By Section 5 of Article II he is required to be a natural-born citizen, thirty-five years of age, and fourteen years a resident of the United States. None of those is directed against coercion, dictation, or control, but such seek to avoid subconscious or mental influences and to guarantee some degree of familiarity with, and preference and predilection for, our institutions or what is familiarly called and difficult to define - "Americanism." The fourteen years residence meant that the first President, at least, had lived here during and since the Revolution. All these requirements were intended to avoid the same general nature of influences which indoctrination by a dogmatic religion might exert undetected and perhaps unrealized, although it was at the same time provided in Section 3 of Article VI that there should be no religious test for holding office.
The Roman Catholic Church is an authoritarian church and it is no mere chance that its attitude toward Freemasonry has corresponded to the opposition so often manifested toward the Fraternity by absolute governments. Indeed, some have observed that treatment of Freemasonry may almost be used as a measure of the character of a government, and it is particularly to be remarked that every one of the abandoned and malignant dictators who arose so dramatically in the 20th century began their scourges and cruel and inhuman treatment of Freemasons and the desecration of their Temples, Lodges and paraphernalia. The methods had changed little from those which destroyed the Knights Templar and immolated their leaders a little over six centuries earlier. Where Freemasonry thrives, there is found freedom and justice, and it is no mere chance that the Fraternity has been most prosperous and prolific in the United States. A Roman Catholic President, following the repeated injunctions of the Popes, would have to distrust and avoid association with Freemasons, who on the average year in and year out, hold approximately one-half of the public offices, State and Federal, in this Republic. (See UNITED STATES OFFICIALS WHO ARE FREEMASONS.)
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by F. WILLIAM E. CULLINGFORD, F.P.S. (N.C.)
JANUARY 5, 1960, 7:30 P.M. - 2164th Monthly Stated Communication." So reads the Monthly Notice of Meetings of Phalanx Lodge, No. 31, A.F.&A. M., Charlotte, North Carolina.
Not all of these Stated Communications, of course, were held; and the figures are probably not exact, since the original warrant was issued by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania to a Military Lodge (No. 20), connected with the Fourth Regiment of the North Carolina Continentals, at Valley Forge. (Meetings of such Lodges are frequently held when and where opportunity presents; and each meeting may be a Stated Communication); but the figures roughly represent the period of the Lodge's existence - from October 4, 1779, to the present - 181 years!
Several years ago, the Secretary of Phalanx Lodge prepared and published a booklet entitled The Lodge Unique.
The claims for uniqueness were set forth as:
1 - So far as he had been able to discover, there was no other Masonic Lodge in existence bearing the name Phalanx.
2 - Phalanx was the only Lodge that had operated under charters or warrants from three separate American Grand Lodges, to wit: The Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, and the Grand Lodge of North Carolina.
Unique, too, is the fact that, while Masonry was active and militant in Charlotte in pre-Revolutionary days, no Masonic Lodge existed in the town until 1797.
Prior to the Revolution, Charlotte made for itself a place in history when, on May 20, 1775, men of Mecklenburg, responding to a call from Thomas Polk (a member of Old Cone Lodge, Salisbury), met and adopted the first Declaration of Independence from the British Crown; and later, on May 31, adopted a set of twenty Resolves, declaring that "all laws and commissions confirmed or derived from the authority of the King and Parliament are annulled and vacated." The Resolves were to be "in full force and virtue until instructions from the Provincial Congress shall provide otherwise, or the legislative body of Great Britain resign its unjust, arbitrary pretension with respect to America."
Several of the 27 signers of the Declaration and the Resolves were Masons, members of Old Cone Lodge including, among others, Thomas Polk, Robert Smith, Nathaniel Alexander, and Joseph Dickson.
Old Cone Lodge was organized by John H. Petchy, Governor Montfort Stokes, and of course others, at Salisbury (the first Masonic Lodge in that vicinity), about 1770. Other members, not identified as signers of the Declaration, or enrollees in the Fourth North Carolina Regiment included Samuel Lowrie, William Lee Alexander, and Thomas Davidson.
When the Revolution started, battalions and regiments were mustered throughout the state - one of these regiments (the Fourth) being organized in and about Charlotte, and of which Thomas Polk was in command.
The North Carolina Continentals (nine regiments) joined General Washington's forces in June 1777, at Middlebrook, New Jersey, and were placed under command of Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh, of Georgia, and William Alexander, Earl of Stirling. They took a prominent part in the Battle of Germantown, where Major William Polk was badly wounded, but recovered; and afterwards (1799-1831) was Grand Master of North Carolina. He assumed command of the Fourth North Carolina Regiment when his father retired, in June 1778. He was not a Mason at that time; but was initiated December 27, 1788, in an "occasional" Lodge held at Fayetteville. He was the first Master of Phalanx Lodge No. 7, South Carolina, and Phalanx Lodge No. 31, North Carolina.
In 1780 the North Carolina Continentals were transferred to Charleston, South Carolina, for the defense of that city, and placed under command of General Benjamin Lincoln. On May 12 of that year, General Lincoln surrendered to Sir Harry Clinton, and the North Carolina Continentals, and a thousand of the state's militia, became prisoners of war.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania issued seven warrants to Military Lodges - three of which were set up in Pennsylvania, two in New Jersey, and others in Maryland and North Carolina. The third such warrant was issued to Lodge No. 20, composed of members of Old Cone Lodge of Salisbury, enrolled in the Fourth Regiment of the North Carolina Continentals.
Lodge No. 20 is mentioned in several of the Grand Lodge minutes, as "not having reported" - probably due to inability to make reports while engaged in the defense of Charleston and their later status as prisoners of war.
After Pennsylvania recalled the warrants issued to military bodies, in 1764, the members of Lodge No. 20 requested a charter from the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, which was granted, about 1787, "to those Brethren, at present unorganized, residing in or about Charlotte, North Carolina," as Phalanx Lodge No. 7. This was the first time the name appeared, and it was an appropriate one for "a compact body of men" who had endured the hardships of war for a decade or more.
Lodge No. 47, warranted by Pennsylvania, and located at Winnsboro, South Carolina, following the pattern set by the Military Lodges of that Jurisdiction, secured a charter from the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, as Winnsboro Lodge No. 6, in 1785.
In the North Carolina Proceedings for 1799 appeared a list of the 44 Lodges under the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, "of which Phalanx Lodge No. 7, is located at Charlotte, North Carolina."
Phalanx attained its present status when, on December 2, 1797, a resolution was adopted by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, granting a charter, "to those Brethren residing in or about the town of Charlotte, in the County of Mecklenburg, who were heretofore organized by a charter from the Grand Lodge of South Carolina," as Phalanx Lodge No. 31. The petition for this charter Robert Smith, Nathaniel Alexander, Joseph Dickson and others. Brothers Polk, Smith, and Dickson were designated respectively as Master and Wardens.
Two years later, William Polk was elected Grand Master, and served as such for three years - 1799 - 1801.
Samuel Lowrie, who had been Secretary until 1804, became Master in that year, being at that time a member of the House of Commons, and later (1806-18) a Judge of the Superior Court.
William Davidson became Master in 1807. He died on September 16, 1857, and a monument in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church credits him with being "The father of Phalanx Lodge."
In 1848, Thomas Harris became Master, and died while serving his country in the Mexican War, on October 8 of that year.
Lewis Slaughter Williams was Master in 1852-54, and again in 1861, and was Grand Master in 1859-60. He assisted in raising the first money for the erection of a Masonic Temple, and lived to see the cornerstone laying of that building - his last Masonic meeting.
Walter Scott Liddell was Master in 1892-94, and Grand Master in 1904-05, and is said never to have held appointive office, being elected Master, Grand Master, Potentate, etc., direct from the floor.
In 1917, North Dakota Military Lodge was organized, and Kent Masonic Club in 1918 - both units being connected with Camp Greene. A total of 303 degrees were conferred by and through Phalanx Lodge during this year, of which 121 were "courtesy" degrees, hailing from 33 Jurisdictions.
Records or near records have been set as Lodge Secretary and Tiler served together for more than 40 consecutive years, and the Secretary conducted graveside services for more than 200 members of the Craft; Phalanx men fought in World War II to the extent of more than 25% of the Lodge membership, and many others have "served with the Colors" since that time.
If notable historic activities are not as much in evidence as in earlier years - with a three-term governor, four Grand Masters - Phalanx Lodge has a long and glorious record, making it indeed
The Lodge Unique.
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Philosophic Lodge of Research, 1941 - 1960
an address by RUSSELL D. RAMETTE, P.M.
Philosophic Lodge of Research (Conn)
At The Fifth Annual Northeast Conference On Masonic Education
THE EARLY PERIOD of the Lodge (Philosophic Lodge of Research) chartered for the purpose of stimulating Masonic research and to disseminate Masonic knowledge, from its date of institution in 1941 and constitution on February 5, 1942, was an era of formation and a period of great thought to the future potentials of a Lodge of Research.
Patterned after a type of English Lodge, the founders gathered to dine together, as indeed we continue to do, before opening the Lodge to develop within the Lodge that brotherly love that the breaking of bread together can create and cement. The early meetings were "closed meetings" which only members of the Lodge of Research could attend, with the exception of one annual open meeting to which all Masons were invited.
The membership was originally limited to 30 research members from the Fifth and Sixth Masonic Districts of Connecticut, who reasoned that a small group of dedicated Brothers, well known to each other, could fully discuss and debate a paper on Masonic philosophy and symbolism without the fear of hurting or offending a Brother.
In the early 1950s, the impact of the thoughtful formation and development of the Lodge, began to be felt which has produced inspiring and informative Masonic papers and speakers. Here was a group, dedicated to assist a Master in the primary function of his Lodge - the training of its members to understand the truths of our ritual and ceremonies, the development of its members as benevolent men and the cultivation of the social virtues.
Requests from Lodges for speakers were faithfully met, and papers on Masonic information, specified at times by a Master to meet a known desire in his Lodge were prepared. But the numerous requests for speakers soon taxed the limited membership of our Lodge and after much discussion changes in our by-laws were submitted to our members and approved by the Grand Lodge. The major change was to expand the Research membership to 50 members with all the rights of Lodge membership and to create an unlimited number of associate members, who could attend meetings and present papers, but who could not vote or hold office. The membership is still limited to only Brothers from the Fifth and Sixth Masonic Districts, so that maximum participation may be enjoyed.
But why associate members? It has been found that there were many of the Craft who were interested in the type of work we are doing, but who felt that they could never write a paper of worth nor could they appear in the East to expound Masonic philosophy and conduct the question and answer period that always follows. Associate Membership was then evolved, to gather Masons who showed interest and appeared to have the talent required, to assist them in the preparation of their papers and to have them with us on Lodge visitations so that they might learn first-hand. There is also a period of probation for them, a period of testing, during which time the Associate is expected to produce at least two research papers for presentation and discussion before the Lodge. When found worthy by the Program Committee, the Associate is recommended to the Membership Committee for full Research Membership in the Lodge. An interested Brother may thus develop in his own way into Research Membership without pressure or fear, and with the help of a seasoned Brother.
How We Operate
Stated communications are held each year, which may be attended, not only by the members of Philosophic. but by all interested Masons. We also have an "Open Meeting" as a continuation of a tradition started by our Founders. Once each year, formal invitations are mailed to all Lodges in our area, inviting their members to be with us.
Our dinner meetings start at 6:15 P.M., and all members and their guests break bread together. Our after-dinner speaker is introduced by the Program Chairman and the floor is his. This is followed by a question and answer period. At the conclusion of the Speaker’s talk, the officers' chairs are placed in regular Lodge manner, and the Lodge is then opened in full form and all Lodge business transacted. The Lodge is called from labor to refreshment, and the Brother having a paper to present is introduced by the Chairman of the Program Committee. After the paper, there is always a lively discussion of its merits, source of information, suggestions of material that may be added or eliminated. The paper submitted must be in duplicate, and the original placed in the hands of the Secretary and made a part of the permanent file of the Lodge.
It has been the practice to admit as Research Members only those who had presided as Masters of a Lodge, but in recent years the bar has been lowered and Brothers who have presided in other Masonic bodies or are line officers in a Blue Lodge are now admitted, although our by-laws provide that any qualified Brother may become a member.
Coupled with the demand for speakers and the necessity of having papers readily available, a Lodge committee was appointed to review and evaluate all the papers that had been presented since the institution of the Lodge. Those which were found valuable, and which did not disclose esoteric matters were reproduced. Each member now has a complete file of all published papers from which a ready selection may be made to meet a Lodge request.
A speaker is provided monthly for the Masonic Club of the University of Connecticut and appropriate papers are regularly submitted for publication in The Connecticut Square and Compass.
For many years a member, or members, have served annually, and with distinction on the Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Information.
We have conducted District informational nights with tremendous results as evidenced by gatherings of up to 300 Brothers, with requests for more. Last year one of our members was invited to address an open meeting of the Grand Lodge of Prince Hall Freemasons of Connecticut. As serious students of our Masonic Institution at this time, when membership is lagging, attendance dropping and with a multitude of Brothers who have not grasped or understood the strength, beauty and wisdom of Masonry, one ponders what would happen to our noble Institution were there to be another "Morgan" affair.
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CHAT AND COMMENT will not be used at this time, as everyone seems to be "on vacation," loafing, or just plain resting.
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by ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S. (Life), III.
BROTHER EDWARD D. WELLS has written A Masonic Melange, a booklet of 77 pages, with some illustrations. The booklet consists of a number of short items on a variety of subjects and I am sure that many questions that have perplexed our members will be found discussed here. Illustrations of chapter headings are: "The Holy Saints John," "The Word," "Why is it called the "Scottish Rite." The booklet is available for $1.50 from the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, 341 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia.
Brother Emmett McLoughin, author of People's Padre, has written a new book entitled American Culture and Catholic Schools. In this interestingly written book the teaching methods of the church are explained and explains many things such as why the Bible is not taught in Roman Catholic schools, how the propaganda machine works, that parents have no voice in the parochial schools, the conflict between the teachings of the Church and Americanism, and many other vital and important matters.
No thinking American can afford not to read this most interesting book.
The Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, of London, has published a study of the minutes of Lodge Mother Kilwinning, and will be available for distribution soon. The book will have 320 pages and many illustrations. Since the minutes book is one of the oldest extant, it will be of interest to the Masonic student. Copies can be secured by communicating with Alex Horne, M.P.S., 2135 - 29th Avenue, San Francisco, California. The price is $5.00.
The New Age has inaugurated a new system in the publishing of its magazine. For the second time the entire issue was devoted to one subject. The August 1960, issue was entitled "The Road to Freedom" and tells the complete story of the struggle for freedom from earliest times to the present day. It is detailed, yet brief and complete. It is written in an interesting style. Our readers who do not receive the magazine are urged to order copies before the supply is exhausted. The price is fifteen cents a copy. The address is 1733 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington 9, D.C.
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MIDWEST CONFERENCE WlLL MEET IN DETROIT
OCTOBER 21-22
The Eleventh Annual Midwest Conference on Masonic Education will be held at the New Masonic Temple, in Detroit, Michigan, beginning Friday, October 21, 1960.
This Conference, which has as participating Jurisdictions, the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, has come to represent one of the important and thought-provoking mediums for an interchange of methods, data, information and philosophy of Masonic Education of the country, and over an eleven-year stretch has contributed greatly to a better understanding of the Craft.
This year's Conference will be greatly saddened by the sudden death recently, of Forrest P. Hagan, who was its Secretary and moving spirit. Hagan, who was also Superintendent of the Masonic Sanitarium, at Bettendorf, Iowa, was active in many fields of Masonic endeavor. He will be surely missed.
A wide variety of topics, with brilliant panels to discuss and evaluate the material presented, has been provided. The meetings will open with an all-day fellowship meeting and gathering on Thursday, October 20th, for all delegates and visitors.
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Welcome to New Members
Fred C. Eppler (M), 125 Winthrop, New Britain, Connecticut.
Walter H. Cummings (M), 305 Waldorf Parkway, Syracuse 10, New York.
Donald W. Monson (M), 1139 Sherbourne Drive, Apt. 4, Los Angeles 35, California.
Joseph G. The (M), Box 636, Kearney, Nebraska.
Lewis D. Hoffman (M), 244 Corona Ave., Dayton 19, Ohio.
Thomas Olin Gore, Jr. (M), Box 147, Water Valley, Mississippi.
Earle Basil Welsh, Jr. (M), 755 Ponce de Leon Terrace, N.E., Atlanta 6, Georgia.
Edward Boyd Shearer (M), Box 111, Water Valley, Mississippi.
David Marion Staples (M), 6011 Whitefield, Dearborn, Michigan.
Laurence Stephen Russ (M), P.O. Box 790. Gulfport Mississippi.
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Two things indicate a weak mind, to be silent when it is proper to speak, and to speak when it is proper to be silent.
- Persian Proverb.
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Notes, Queries and Information On Items of Masonic Research
by JAMES R. CASE, F.P.S.
1960 No. 5
THE NUMBER OF LETTERS CONTAINING QUESTIONS which relate to matters of fact in Masonic history and biography, seem to justify their treatment in a column separate from the Editor's CHAT & COMMENT, where they hove previously appeared.
Our members and readers are invited to send in material appropriate for use in the new column, especially information concerning research currently under way. The Editor will assist the sponsor of this column, which will be supervised and run by Brother James R. Case F.P S. but ALL COMMUNICATIONS should be addressed to the mailing address of the magazine.
18 - Thomas Smith Webb. (Feb., Apr., June, Dec. 1958) Are there any living descendants of this great Masonic ritualist? A.E. F., R.I.
52 - Jeremy Ladd Cross Papers (August 1958) In the 1877 Proceedings of the Massachusetts Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters, reference was made to a "manuscript volume of Jeremy Ladd Cross letters in possession of the Grand Lodge of New York." Wendell K. Walker, the present director of the Grand Lodge Library and Museum, informs us that his predecessor in 1872 reported the acquisition of copies of certain scarce documents from Josiah H. Drummond of Maine. The 1905 catalog of the library included minutes books and manuscripts but made no reference to any Cross letter. (In the long sequence of reports and letters and references, apparently a "manuscript volume of letters" grew out of some hand written copies. Such transmutations are not unknown to Masonic historians and research workers. J.R.C.) The extensive collection of Josiah H. Drummond is presumed to have been lost in the fire which destroyed the Masonic Temple in Portland. Maine.
64 - Canada - (February 1959).
76 - Army Lodges - (June, Aug., 1959; Apr. and Aug. 1960) A History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec, 1759-1959 by A .T. R. Milborne. P.D.D.G.M. will be off the press this tall and is understood to contain much material relating to the above Queries.
65 - Anti-Masonic Lecturers - (Feb. 1958 and October 1959) Dr. William L. Cummings of Syracuse, compiler of a bibliography of anti-Masonic literature, and authority on the exposeurs of the Anti-Masonic period, suggests that the querist confused Colonel Harold C. Withered of Hartford, Connecticut (who is unidentified) with Elder George Wetherell of Hertford, New York (whose activities are well documented). Brother Sadowski of Chicago sent in similar comment.
106 - Oliver Hazard Perry - (June and August 1960) Although several comments on this query have been sent in there has been no "verification of the initiation, or attendance in any Masonic lodge" of the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie.
110 - Wall Decoration - (June and August 1960) Brother Edmund R. Sadowski of Chicago has uncovered evidence of the existence of a Philippian Order of Masonry well before 1786 and sends in a copy of "A Song composed by the late King of Prussia, for the most high and exalted Philippian Order of Masonry; translated into English by the Past Master of the Orange Lodge of Belfast, No. 257, Jan. 1st. 1786 (Never before published)," taken from The Sentimental and Masonic Magazine for 1793 printed in Dublin, Ireland, page 551.
From Macedonia's confines haste, To PHILIPPI repair,
Your trials then will all be past, No doubt they were severe;
But at our PHILIPPI you'll find
A sweet reception - good and kind.
With a fal la, &c, &c.
If any mean ignoble Knight
Our fortress should assail,
We'll straight deprive him of his sight,
His hearing too shall fail;
For sure in this we'll all agree,
That Cowans should not hear nor see -
With a fal la, &c, &c.
The great SAINT PAUL shall be our guide,
Under our MASTER GRAND,
In TIMOTHY we will confide,
With PAPHRODITUS stand;
The ne plus ultra of all good
We've gained at length with loss of blood.
With a fal la, &c, &c.
In friendship then let us unite
Our hearts and hands around,
Each man's a most exalted Knight
Who stands on holy ground;
May no misfortunes e'er depress
Our friendship or our happiness.
With a fal la, &c, &c.
111 - Smithsonian Aprons - (August 1960) A casual investigation shows only one apron at the institution, now in storage, not documented, but understood to have been in possession of the Ball family. (There goes another "Washington" apron! J.R.C.)
113 - French Lodges - (August 1960) E.A.P. of Connecticut suggests that if the names, dates and locations of the three French Lodges were made known, further research would be facilitated.
115 - Freemasonry versus Masonry (August 1960) A note from N.L.C. of Indiana suggests a reading of the chapter on Medieval Operative Freemasonry in Robert Freke Gould's History of Freemasonry, published in 1885. (This item might better have been used under the Editor's Chat and Comment and perhaps will be pursued therein.) (Brethren, will you continue this comment? J.B.V.)
116 - Tradition. - A recent biographical sketch points to a "strong family tradition" as proof of Masonic membership of the subject. (I submit it is not even evidence. J.R.C. )
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That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful. - Edgar Allen Poe.