Contents
The World Is Not Falling Apart Officers for Triennium
A Modern Tool For An Ancient Craft The Great Seal
Winding Stairs The Lost Library of Solomon
In Memoriam Masons of Puerto Rico
Records Past and Gone, But Not Forgotten TEMPLAR MASONRY
Masonic Mavericks Recommended Masonic Reading
The Knowledge of God Why Leave Our Youth With No Place to Go
Published bimonthly at Franklin, Indiana, by
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
John Black Vrooman, F.P.S., Editor
Box 402, St. Louis 66, Missouri 63166
OFFICERS
Dr. Charles Gottshall Reigner, F.P.S., President
4035 Belle Avenue
Baltimore 15, Maryland 21215
Robert H. Gollmar, F.P.S., First Vice President
1221 Oak Street
Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913
William R. Denslow, F.P.S. Second Vice President
P.O. Box 529
Trenton, Missouri 64683
Carl R. Greisen, F.P.S., Executive Secretary
401 Masonic Temple
Omaha 2, Nebraska 68102
Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S., Treasurer
728 Haws Avenue
Norristown Pennsylvania 19401
PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
A. L. Woody, F.P.S.
1440 Burr Oak Road
Homewood, Illinois
Edward J. Franta, F.P.S.
Langdon, North Dakota
Dr. William L. Cummings, F.P.S.
228-230 Gordon Avenue
Syracuse 4, New York
Volume XIX, No. 6
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The World Is Not Falling Apart
BY WOR. BRO. GEORGE GLASER
Master of Riverside Lodge No. 862, A. F. & A. M., Riverside, Illinois
A GUEST EDITORIAL
It is always a pleasure to read constructive and thoughtful interpretation of Masonic ideals, and the writer of this Guest Editorial, Wor. George Glaser, has so forcefully emphasised the good in Freemasonry, that it is our pleasure to use his fine editorial to stimulate and inspire our membership to better understanding. We are most appreciative of the opportunity to use this thought. The Editor.
The world is not falling apart because our daily newspapers are filled with stories of riots and crime, of shady dealings and outright corruption, of aggression and assassinations, of the world's fleshpots and those who eagerly seek them, these always have made news and probably always will.
The world is held together by something more constructive, if less spectacular, than sensational news. It is the every day lives of the mass of people who never make news, but who do help to make the world a better place for everyone to live.
Every day there are millions of people who eagerly speak a good word for someone else. They commend the professional skill of a busy doctor; they compliment the kindness of a generous neighbor. They instinctively say the things that make life a little more pleasant for all who know them.
Every day there are millions of people who go out of their way to be helpful to others. When circumstances call for it, the good deed is a natural response - a part of the way they live their daily lives.
These millions of people who go about their work with good will, integrity, generosity and compassion are the ones who are slowly making this a better world for all. Their way will prevail, for the noise made by those who live otherwise is out of proportion to their number or importance. We of Riverside Lodge share the ideas of the millions who are willing to help without the glory.
We have members that have helped in many ways to
make Riverside Lodge a better Lodge. Why don't you come out to the Lodge
and share the pleasures of the millions?
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Featured in this issue ....
THE WORLD IS NOT FALLING APART, A Guest Editorial by Worshipful Brother Glaser .
GOLLMAR, DENSLOW, WHITE, GREISEN AND HEATON NAMED A MODERN TOOL FOR AN ANCIENT CRAFT by Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S.
THE GREAT SEAL, by Conrad Hahn, F.P.S.
WINDING STAIRS, by Charles Gottshall Reigner
MIDWEST CONFERENCE HAS FINE PROGRAM
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
IN MEMORIAM, WARD KENT ST. CLAIR by Harold V. B. Voorhis, F.P.S., Life
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE OF PUERTO RICO by Juan L. Matos Cintron, M.P.S.
RECORDS PAST AND PRESENT, by Norman C. Dutt, F.P.S.
TEMPLAR MASONRY, by Lyman E. Smith, M.P.S.
MASONIC MAVERICKS, by Donald F. McAtee, M.P.S.
CHARLES FORHANDS ADAMS, NEW FELLOW
RECOMMENDED MASONIC READING by Alphonse Cerza, F. P. S., Life GOOD READING - Suggestion
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD by the late Lawton E. Meyer, F.P.S.
WHY LEAVE OUR YOUTH WITH NO PLACE TO GO? by Harold N. Painter, M.P.S.
NOTES, QUERIES AND INFORMATION by James R. Case, F. P. S.
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Gollmar, Denslow, White, Greisen and Heaton Named Officers for Triennium
By JOHN BLACK VROOMAN
Robert H. Gollmar, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, and Fraternal Correspondent of that Jurisdiction, has been elected President of the Philalethes Society for the Triennium 1967-1968 and 1969, according to the announcement made by Alphonse Cerza, chairman of the Tellers Committee, which counted the ballots cast for the various offices to be filled.
Active in the affairs of Freemasonry for many, many years, Brother Gollmar has endeared himself to Freemasons everywhere by his review - Our Masonic Neighbors in which he not only gives the highlights of Masonic Jurisdictions, but an insight into what is happening in Freemasonry around the World. His observations, tempered with Masonic wisdom and common sense are looked forward to by all thinking Craftsmen.
William R. Denslow, elected First Vice President of the Society, has had wide experience, ample actual active participation in things of Masonic nature, and is Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri.
A Past Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Missouri, he has been Editor and PubIisher of the Royal Arch Magazine, one of the outstanding and interesting Masonic publications of the World. His work as Director of the Royal Arch Educational Bureau, disseminating Masonic information has been outstanding.
Andrew J. White, Jr., the newest member of the official family, is the newly-elected Second Vice President. He is well known to all who attend the meetings in Washington during Masonic Week, and is a Past Grand Master and present Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ohio. A successful attorney, he has applied the legal procedure and activity to his Grand Lodge activities. He was the winner, some years ago, of the Philalethes Certificate of Literature award, writing a series of splendid articles on the Masonic Funeral Service, with introspective comments for its improvement.
Re-elected a Secretary of the Society, and with the full support, affection and confidence of the Fellows and members, was Carl R. Greisen, Grand Secretary-Recorder of all the state Masonic bodies of Nebraska.
Not only active in the midwest, where he is a landmark, but active in the many Masonic groups which center round Masonic Week in Washington, he has presided over many of these sharp and active research groups has co-ordinated the activities of many who have been seeking ways and means of getting in the swing of Freemasonry, and has, in fact, been most active in all phases of Freemasonry.
Ronald E. Heaton, student, scholar, accurate researcher and author, was re-elected Treasurer of the Philalethes. Painstaking to the extreme lest inaccuracies creep into his writing, this man is probably today the world's greatest authority on Colonial Freemasonry, its leaders, who were and who might have been a member of the Craft at the time when Masonic records were a matter of less care in their preservation than in the keeping.
All in all, the officers who have been elected to serve the Philalethes Society for the next three years are excellent!
As we enter a new Triennium of the Society - thirty-eight actual years since the formation of the Society in 1928 - let us bring to a happy focus the accomplishments, activities and particularly, the personnel - the membership of the Society. It is well known that no group is better or more active than those who compose it. Our membership is our Lifeline!
The Philalethes Society was formed just one year prior to the market crash of 1929. It gave evidence, at that time, that it would grow and prosper. This it did in spite of the Great Depression of the '30's, but its real growth did not - could not - begin until world conditions were more favorable.
George H. Imbrie was the first President of the Society, followed by Cyrus Field Willard, Robert I. Clegg, Henry F. Evans and Walter Quincke. These men laid the cornerstone and foundation of the Society. The latter Builders - the workers and active participants in the affairs of the Society through the great depression, and up to the mid-50's, were the framework and cement of the structure. They held it together, that the latter day dedicated workers could, and did complete the building.
We have much of which to be proud. Hard times and adversity but whetted our zeal. The impossible things, by the zeal of the advocates of Enlightenment, became realities, and now - as we approach 1967, are aware that the work was good work, true work, square work - just such as was needed to carry on our activities.
The first issue of the Philalethes magazine was printed in 1946. There is still much to be done to make our official publication what it must be to carry on the work of the Society.
There is still much to be done! The Society cannot - must not attempt to survive on its reputation. Present day activities and plans for the glorious future must occupy our every movement.
First, let it be said that every member of the Society owes it to the Society and to himself, that he go to work. There are many and varied ways in which each member can do something to build the work, to help carry on the idealism which we sponsor. Look within yourself, and determine what you want to do, where you want to work - then make your wants known to one of the officers. A way will be opened unto you, and you will have the great satisfaction of being a worker, not a drone.
Of course, there are two most important functions or activities of the Society in which every member can participate actively, and without formal action - the first, writing for the Philalethes, our official and widely-spread magazine. Not everyone is a perfected writer, in that we all agree, but each member of the Society has ideas, and it is to the benefit of the whole group that these ideas shall be presented to all the members. If your writing is not all that it should be, remember that it is the job of the Editor to put the material in logical and orderly form, that it may, to the best of its ability, express the thought of the person who wrote it.
We need articles of general Masonic interest. Special emphasis is put on original Masonic research, items of unusual and specialized background. These are always welcome. It must be remembered, however, that sermons, or simple philosophical matters are hardly pertinent to or interesting to our readers. Special activities and unusual events and studies, well written, authoritatively documented are the essence of what is needed to make our membership aware of the importance of Freemasonry. Any member who writes something for the Philalethes will be given the most courteous and careful attention, but remembering that it is the whole membership which must be best served, the magazine will continue to select only the most appropriate, the best documented, and the most interesting Masonic material available for the enlightenment of all who read our magazine.
In connection with writing for the Philalethes, it should be remembered by our members that each year an award is given to the person who in the estimation of the special committee appointed for that purpose, writes the most interesting and effective article during the current year.
This award is a special incentive to all members, and should be striven for, both to give good reading to the membership, and to give suitable recognition to him who makes a valuable contribution.
Important in its co-relation with the spread of Freemasonry, is the annual Masonic Workshop, held in Washington, D.C., during Masonic Week in February of each year. At that time a program of papers, prepared by selected members of the Society, are presented, with a panelist and general discussion following the reading.
This year, under the direction of Brother G. Wilbur Bell, M.P.S., chairman of the Masonic Workshop Committee, the general topic of discussion will be How Can Freemasons and the Craft Participate in Community Affairs? Panelists will be Harry Gershenson, M.P.S., (Mo.); Wylie B. Wendt, F.P.S., (Ky.), and Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., Life (Ill.). The fine committee which projected this program, is composed of G. Wilbur Bell, Benjamin W. Ela, Alvin L. Crump, Waldron C. Biggs, and Allen E. Roberts. A lot of work was done to perfect the program. The Masonic Workshop will be held on Friday, February 17, 1967. All members are cordially invited to attend.
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A Modern Tool For An Ancient Craft
By ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S. (Life)
The May 26, 1966, Proceedings of the United Masters Lodge No. 167, of New Zealand, reports an item that should be of interest to Masons who are interested in saving money and at the same time have the services of Brethren a long way off.
Brother J. Harvey MacPherson, an Associate Member of the Lodge, living in Iverness-shire, Scotland, was asked to deliver a talk and have it recorded on tape. This was then mailed to the Lodge. It was then played back to the members at their meeting on May 26th.
This appears to be a happy solution to having outstanding speakers present talks to Lodges in far off places. Too often the Lodges cannot afford to pay the expenses of a speaker. This method can also be used to have the speaker spend the time making one tape and then having this tape mailed to many places. All that the Lodge must do is find a recorder in the possession of one of its members or rent one from a local photography shop. This same system might be used by having talks on phonograph records. I know of at least one of these and it has been very successful in bringing its message to many persons.
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BY CONRAD HAHN, F.P.S.
The Great Seal of the United States was first authorized by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, a few hours after agreeing to the Declaration of Independence. A committee was appointed to bring in a design for a seal for the new government. It consisted of Benjamin Franklin, a Past Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania; John Adams; and Thomas Jefferson, often claimed but never proved to be a Mason. Franklin is generally credited with that part of the design on the reverse of the seal, which is officially described as "In the zenith, an eye in a triangle, surrounded with a glory proper." The Masonic derivation of that symbol appears to be obvious.
The work passed into the hands of a number of subsequent committees, who employed others to work on the design, which was not finally adopted by the Congress until June 20, 1782. The final design was largely the result of the work of Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Congress, a Philadelphian, who knew Benjamin Franklin very well.
The all-seeing eye and the unfinished pyramid were undoubtedly suggestions from men who were Masons; but I doubt that they were intended to convey a particular Masonic significance, other than the universal ideas which they could signify everywhere: the omnipresence of the Supreme Being and the necessity to build toward perfection.
The reverse of the Great Seal has never been used except in illustrations like the one you mentioned. In 1884 the Congress provided for the cutting of the reverse side of the Great Seal, but it was never done, the reverse of the Seal being then regarded as "spiritless, prosaic, heavy, and inappropriate."
The Great Seal, therefore, as used by the Secretary of State, has always been that design on the obverse of the Seal, which features the American Eagle.
If the reverse had not been used on the one dollar banknotes, the all-seeing eye and the unfinished pyramid would probably now be "dusty, forgotten curios" of American history.
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By DR. CHARLES GOTTSHALL REIGNER, F.P.S., President
BY THE END of this month I shall have completed the triennium of my service as the President of your Society. For the opportunity to serve you and for the widening of my Masonic contacts through that service, I shall always be grateful. The Society will constantly broaden its service and, with the blessing of the good God as I walk the "Winding Stairs" of life, I hope to have some small part in that broadening service. In this, my final message as President, I want to share with you some thinking I have been doing recently.
In chapter 6 of the first Book of Kings you will find a description of the building of King Solomon's Temple. In verses 7 and 8 you read: "And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building. The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house, and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber and out of the middle into the third."
Masonry uses the "Winding Stairs" as a symbol of the journey of life. Those stairs lead up. Life is not a level highway. On the contrary, it should ascend from lower to higher. There are always twists and turns, too. Often we cannot see "around the corner." Nevertheless, if as Masons we have faith, we shall pursue the path that lies before us in the confidence that we are going on and up.
In climbing the winding stairs of life, we continually use the five physical senses with which God has endowed us. Those senses are given to us that we may use them aright in our constant climb toward the nobler aspects of life.
We gain Masonic wisdom for that climb through a right understanding of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, which are an important part of the symbolism of Masonry. The symbolism of the Winding Stairs is drawn from the Bible. The symbolism of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, however, is a legacy from the philosophy of the Romans, developed and expanded in the Middle Ages. In due time William Preston, who was so largely responsible for giving form to the part of the Masonic ritual about which we are now thinking, incorporated that symbolism in the lecture with which we are all familiar.
The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences appeared in literature as early as the second century. They were eventually divided into two parts - the trivium - Grammar, Rhetoric Logic - and the quadrivium - Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy. In Roman and medieval times the scope of these "Arts and Sciences" was far wider than their names suggest today. To us, grammar has come to mean a systematic exposition of the structure of language. Rhetoric, we say, deals with accurate and forceful written or spoken expression.
Here, however, we are thinking about the symbolism which lies back of grammar and rhetoric. They symbolize not only language, but all the modes and methods of communication. We cannot go far in Masonry unless and until we take these first two steps. Not only do we need to listen to and think about the use of grammar and rhetoric in the ritual, but we ought also to avail ourselves of opportunities to learn all we can about their deeper symbolic meanings.
Logic, of course, is the art of straight thinking. Whenever we jump to conclusions from insufficient knowledge, we are illogical. All prejudice and bigotry grow out of failure to do real thinking. Intolerance of every kind is the outcome of a lack of logic in thinking and acting. Masonry bids us to use our Godgiven powers of thought to rise above petty prejudices and narrow partisanships - up where the air is clear of the smoke and pollutions of antagonisms and disharmonies.
Arithmetic and Geometry symbolize all science, all inventions, all discoveries of the laws of nature. Just as to the ancients, rhetoric included the study of law, as well as of prose and poetry, so geometry included geography and natural history, together with the study of the medicinal properties of plants.
Geometry is, indeed, the Queen of the Sciences. Plato, when asked what God does, replied, "God geometrizes continually." On the porch of his Academy at Athens, he inscribed these words: "Let no one who is ignorant of Geometry enter here." Henri Fabre, the French naturalist, wrote: "Geometry - that is to say, the science of harmony in space - presides over everything. And this universal Geometrician, whose Divine Compass has measured all things."
By Music we are to understand not only sweet and harmonious sound, but beauty of every kind - the beauty of art, of poetry, of Nature all about us - and, most of all, the beauty of character. To quote Albert Pike, "The beauty of Love, the charm of Friendship, the heroism of Patience - these and their like make life to be life indeed and are its grandeur and its power."
Astronomy symbolises not only the study of the heavenly bodies and the solar system, but that supreme creative power and wisdom without which the universe could not exist. It is the knowledge of God, the Grand Artificer of the Universe, and of his overruling Providence in our lives that is the apex of the Masonic Way of Life.
There are many other meanings associated with the symbolism inherent in the Winding Stairs and in the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. They are meanings that have been set out in the writings of Masonic students and can also arise out of our own thinking and meditation. Masonry is not something cold and abstract. On the contrary, its whole mission is to stimulate the constant acquisition of the kind of knowledge that will directly influence right action. The trouble with us all is that we know so much better than we do. "If to do were as easy as to know what to do," wrote Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice, "chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages princes' palaces." It is our constant responsibility - and ought to be our constant delight - to remind ourselves of the eternal verities which we learn by studying and contemplating the symbolism of Masonry - and then living in accord with the sublime truths which that symbolism embodies. That kind of thinking and living will lift us above the sordid strife, the ghastly evil, and the heart-rending disharmonies of our time. It is the kind of thinking I have tried to express in these simple lines.
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Midwest Conference at Milwaukee Has Fine Program
No Conference is the best, but the Seventeenth annual Midwest Conference on Masonic Education, held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 13 through 15, 1966, was certainly one of the most inspiring and varied, both in its program, its hospitality and its inspiration, that can be imagined by any Freemason.
Following a Fellowship Hour at the Grand Lodge building on the first night of the affair, at which the new and the old mingled to get better acquainted, the real business of setting the Workshop in operation was brought to focus on Friday morning, when M.W. Brother Doyn Inman, Grand Master of Masons in Wisconsin warmly welcomed the delegates and guests from the ten participating Jurisdictions.
On behalf of the Conference, M.W. Brother Joseph A. Batchelor, P.G.M., of Indiana, responded. Past Grand Master Howard J. Hunter, of Nebraska, President of the Conference, then gave The Challenge to action by the Conference, its keynote, followed by papers on Use of a Tape Recorder in Lodge Work; and Dividends from DeMolay, a very timely and interesting paper presented by C.C. "Buddy" Faulkner, Jr., of Indiana.
Alphonse Cerza then gave his ever-specialized and interesting paper on A Review of Masonic Books, Periodicals and Literature.
After a hearty meal in the dining room, a Table Lodge was formally opened under direction of M.W. Brother Howard J. Hunter, President of the Conference, and M.W. Brother Doyn Inman, Grand Master of Masons in Wisconsin. This was one of the most interesting and impressive portions of the Conference. The Traditional Toasts of a Table Lodge were proposed and drunk by all present, then the Table Lodge, formally opened on the E.A. degree, was closed in form. Much could be said of this function, but it is impossible now, to completely and adequately do it justice.
Following the calling to order, all delegates were separated into group symposia, each group taking a current topic for discussion, and each with a moderator and a reporter, the latter of which made a complete report of the symposium at the time all delegates returned to the general meeting. It was most factual and exemplified the spirit in which the whole Conference was working.
Following the dinner for the delegates and their ladies, the Brethren were thrilled to attend the meeting, in the same building of Aurora Lodge No. 30, which, under special dispensation, year by year, from the Grand Master, exemplifies the ritual in German. This Lodge, now more than one hundred years old, held the audience in hushed silence while the E.A. degree was conferred according to a special ritual that has been used these many years.
Concluding the work of the Conference on Saturday morning, the delegates and their ladies were treated to a rendition of the Masonic Music of Jean Sibelius, noted Finlandish composer, with a unique and interesting resume of Masonic music, Masonic composers and the important part that music plays in Freemasonry, written and Annotated by Lewis C. Wes Cook, of Missouri, himself an accomplished musician and a student of the subject. It was an amazing and most unusual performance. The music was skilfully played on the immense organ in the Scottish Rite Cathedral, by the organist of the Scottish Rite, and was greatly appreciated by all who heard it.
Following the business session, featuring the Resolutions Committee, the Time and Place Committee, and the election of officers, the delegates and their ladies heard a splendid address by M.W. Lewis A. Stocking, immediate Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, who spoke on Masonic Muscles, and laid emphasis on the need for Masonic action.
Lewis C. Wes Cook, Chairman of the Masonic Committee on Masonic Education of the Grand Lodge of Missouri was elected President for the coming year, with M.W. Roger Brown, Past Grand Master of South Dakota elected Vice President, and Dawson E. Grim, of Iowa, who has done such a splendid job the past few years, was reselected Secretary-Treasurer. The Conference will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in October 1967, with a probable location in Michigan for 1968 and Kansas in 1969. M.W. Joseph A. Batchelor, chairman of the Indiana Committee on Masonic Education, was named chairman of the Program Committee preparing for the 1967 meeting.
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Welcome to New Members
We heartily welcome the following new members since publication of our last issue:
MARKENT DALE WHITE, Box 683, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01262
IRVING E. PARTRIDGE, 100 Center Street, Wethersfield, Connecticut 06109
OLIN EUGENE LEHMAN, P. O. Box 308, Williams, Arizona 86046
WILLIAM L. KASTMAN 5909 - 60th St., Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140
JOSE B. BESANA, 1210 Woodward Ave., El Centro, California 92243
GEORGE W. RIGGS, 3719 Rogene St., Fort Worth, Texas 76118
RALPH W. GERRY, 4208 Fowler Ave., Omaha, Nebraska 68111
OSCAR C. ARNHEIM, 615 N. Barron St., Baton, Ohio 45320
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by BOB M. STONE, M.P.S.
Solomon, Solomon, what have you done?
Of your fabulous Library I found none -
Only stacks and archives deserted and bare
With never an ancient manuscript there!
Solomon, Solomon, where oh where
Hid you the pearls of Wisdom fair?
Have I searched through Tyre in vain?
Or should I journey in Jerusalem again?
Solomon, Solomon, my ancient friend!
Tell, tell me, where should I begin?
Is it there on the threshing floor?
That I'll find the hidden Library door?
Solomon, Solomon, in dreams we meet!
In the Holy of Holies with unshod feet -
Call up the Light with the ancient Yod;
And try to remember the name of God!
Solomon, Solomon, what is the key?
To open the locks of this old mystery -
Is it found in the book of Ancient Days?
Or here in Athens along the quays?
Solomon, Solomon, I'm growing old!
Give me the secret that once you told -
And you'll be sung of after I'm gone;
In the Book of Solomon and Song of Songs!
----o----
Ward Kent St. Clair, F.P.S.
By HAROLD V.B. VOORHIS, F.P.S., Life
Ward Kent St. Clair was born in Glasgow, Montana, on July 20, 1899, and passed away in East Williston, New York, on September 12, 1966.
Ward attended grade and high school locally and entered Montana State College in 1918. He was graduated from the college, with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In 1927 he was granted the professional degree of Electrical Engineer from the same college, and in 1937 was licensed as a professional engineer in the State of New York. Upon graduation from college he joined the Bell Telephone System and was associated with the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York since its formation, until his retirement in 1964.
Also, upon graduation from college he received a commission as second lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve, which was later transferred to the Signal Corps Reserve. In W.W. II he entered upon active duty as a major in the Signal Corps, and served from October 18, 1940, to March 10, 1946. During a part of this period he was officer in charge of the Wire Section of the Theater Signal Office in the China-Burma-India theater of operations. He returned to civilian status with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
On September 3, 1927, he married Miss Marian Ralston. Two daughters, Barbara (Mrs. Ronald E. Christman), Virginia (Mrs. Fred W. Traeger), and nine grandchildren survive.
Ward's Masonic activities began on July 20, 1920, when he received the Entered Apprentice degree in North Star Lodge No. 40, of Glasgow, Montana. On August 3, 1930, he became a Master Mason. He held dual membership in the Lodge of the United Services No. 1118, of New York City, over which Lodge he served as Master in 1947 and 1948. In 1951-52, he was District Deputy Grand Master of the Fourth Manhattan District, and in 1953 was appointed chairman of the Grand Lodge Committee on Library and Museum. He became a corresponding member of the American Lodge of Research, F. & A.M., in New York City on December 20, 1934, and was elected an active member on March 29, 1948, serving as Master in 1958.
To list the Masonic Record of our Brother would consume several pages. A partial listing follows:
CHAPTER, ROYAL ARCH MASONS
High Priest, 1943; Order of High Priesthood 1943
COUNCIL, ROYAL AND SELECT MASTERS
Illustrious Master, 1952
COMMANDERY KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
Eminent Commander, 1934
SCOTTISH RITE
Thirty-third, 1964
ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES
Sovereign Master, 1939
ROYAL ARK MARINERS
W.C.N., 1946
Nine Muses Council
Sovereign Master 1947, 1956, 1965
Sovereign Grand Master, 1951
HOLY ROYAL ARCH KNIGHT TEMPLAR PRIESTS
Preceptor, 1938
Grand Preceptor, 1954
KNIGHTS OF THE YORK CROSS OF HONOUR
Prior, 1966
SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIANA IN CIVITATIBUS FOEDERATIS
Chief Adept, 1952
High Council, Senior Sub. Magus, 1960-66
GRAND COLLEGE OF RITES
Grand Chancellor, 1951
GREAT PRIORY OF AMERICA, C.B.C.S.
Great Prior, 1966
RED CROSS OF CONSTANTINE
Illustrious Sovereign, 1941
Grand Imperial Council Grand Sovereign, 1963
KNIGHT MASONS OF IRELAND
Ex. Chief, 1944
Grand Council Past Junior Grand Knight, 1965
MASONIC ORDER OF THE BATH
No. H-19, 1937; Captain-General, 1957
SOCIETY OF BLUE FRIARS
Deputy Grand Abbot, 1966
PHILALETHES SOCIETY
Fellow No. 16, 1945
RITE OF MEMPHIS
Grand Administrator, 94d, 1955
NATIONAL SOJOURNERS AND HEROES OF 76
Many Research Lodges throughout the world, held several Grand Representations. Held several Honorary Memberships.
Ward was active in local, civic and church affairs, being treasurer of the Community Church of East Williston, N. Y., at his passing.
I had known Ward for thirty-five years and "travelled" with him Masonically and socially during these years. For the most part of these years our wives developed a close friendship. The loss we have sustained this year - William Moseley Brown, William Leon Cummings and Ward K. St. Clair - takes away three close colleagues of the writer. All of them were internationally known as Masonic historians and writers.
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The Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico
By JUAN L. MATOS CINTRON, M.P.S.
Grand Secretary
MASONRY HAD ITS rise in Puerto Rico in the towns along the western coast of the island, from Anasco to San German, in the beginning of the Nineteenth Century.
It is reported that in the year 1805 there was a Grand Lodge of Masons in Puerto Rico under Grand Master C. Honis. There is evidence to prove that in 1824 a Rose Croix Chapter called "Minerva" was installed in San German. But the oldest of all the Masonic Lodges that today exist in Puerto Rico is "Estrella De LuQuillo" Lodge No. 5, which works in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico with a Charter granted by the "Gran Logia de Colon e Isla de Cuba," dated May 22, 1867.
Although there existed several Lodges in Puerto Rico prior to 1883 there was no Masonic organization in the island worthy of the name as such, before the 2nd day of April of that year, on which date our eminent and illustrious Brother, the father of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico, M.W. Santiago R. Palmer, organized "Adelphia" Lodge in Mayaguez.
Our present standing as a Masonic Power in the World, is due, fundamentally, to the efforts made at that time by M. W. Brother Palmer.
After he had reorganized "Adelphia" Lodge, he put himself to the task, and successively reorganized Tanama Lodge in Arecibo, Constancia Lodge in Cabo Rojo, Conciliacion Lodge in Mayaguez, Prudencia Tercera Lodge in San German, Esperanza Lodge in Anasco, Estrella de Luquillo Lodge in San Juan, and Aurora Lodge in Ponce.
When he had these eight Lodges working, he invited their representatives to a meeting which was held in Mayaguez on October 11, 1884. It was then agreed to establish the Provincial Grand Lodge of Puerto Rico, in the jurisdiction of the "Gran Logia Unida de Colon e Isla de Cuba." The petition was made accordingly, and it was granted on the 25th day of October of that same year, when the Constitution of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Santiago de Cuba was extended to Puerto Rico.
The first session of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Puerto Rico was held on December 28, 1884, when its officers were duly elected and installed. From that date, regular quarterly sessions and extraordinary sessions were held as required.
The work of reorganization was continued with Amparo Lodge in Caguas, Porvenir de la Vega Lodge in Vega Baja, and Union Lodge in Guayama. These three Lodges with the eight Lodges previously mentioned, having a total membership of 600, were the eleven Lodges that constituted the Provincial Grand Lodge of Puerto Rico when it ceased to exist, to give way to our Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico.
In its regular session, held on March 29, 1885, the Provincial Grand Lodge passed a resolution to constitute the Sovereign Gran Lodge of Puerto Rico. In accordance with the terms of that resolution, Grand Master Palmer of the Provincial Grand Lodge, addressed a communication to the Gran Logia Unida de Colon e Isla de Cuba, requesting that Masonic Body to grant sovereign powers over the territory of Puerto Rico to a Grand Lodge of Masons that would then be established in the Island.
On July 12, 1885, on the third day of its quarterly session, the Gran Logia Unida de Colon e Isla de Cuba approved by unanimous consent to grant the request made by the Lodges of Puerto Rico, that had been working under its jurisdiction.
The inaugural session of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico was held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on the 20th day of September 1885. These were the officers elected:
Grand Master, M.W. Santiago R. Palmer; Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Eliseo Defillo; Senior Grand Warden, R.W. Agustin Feliu; Junior Grand Warden, R.W. Antonio Aramburu; Grand Secretary, R.W. Antonio Ruiz Quinones, and Grand Treasurer, R.W. Carlos J. Monagas.
The Spanish Government persecuted the Masons in Puerto Rico. Grand Master Palmer was arrested on October 17, 1886, while presiding over a Masonic meeting. Again during the political turmoils of 1887, he was thrown into prison at Morro Castle. When war broke out in Cuba in 1895, the Lodges in Puerto Rico were "watched" closely by the Spanish Government; guards were posted at the entrance of the buildings where the Lodges met, and the names of the members were taken as they entered. Many Lodges ceased to work and even the Grand Lodge did not then hold its sessions.
Masonic activities were renewed soon after the close of the Spanish American war. On April 2, 1899, the Grand Lodge was reinstalled in San Juan by Grand Master Santiago R. Palmer.
The founder and first Grand Master of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico, Illustrious and Most Worshipful Brother Santiago R. Palmer died in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 31st day of March 1906. Born in San German, Puerto Rico, the 25th of February 1844.
Besides him, the office of Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons of Puerto Rico has been held by the Illustrious Brothers Rosando Matienzo Cintron, Bernardo Escalona, Rafael Arrillaga, Carlos P. Meltz, Jose Francisco Dfaz, Jose Ramos de Anaya, Armando Morales, Santos Sanchidrian, Antonio Cordero Fuertes, William Fountain Lippitt, Luis Munoz Morales, Colton R. Elmendorf, Jose Gonzalez Ginorio, Rodolfo Ramfrez Pabon, Ramon Gomez Cintron, Angel Archilla Cabrera, Victoriao M. Fernandez, Jose G. Bloise and Hipolito Marcano, our actual dynamic Grand Master.
Of these veterans of the Square and Compass alive are M.W. Brothers Rodolfo Ramirez Pabon, Ramon Gomez Cintron, Jose G. Bloise and Hipolito Marcano.
The Great Architect of the Universe bless them all.
By Act of Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico approved in 1909 all the Lodges of this Grand Jurisdiction do celebrate the Day of Palmer in the anniversary of the foundation of the Grand Lodge on the 20th of September.
There are at present 69 Lodges and more than 6,000 active Masons in the Jurisdiction of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Puerto Rico.
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Records Past and Gone, But Not Forgotten
By NORMAN C. DUTT, F.P.S. (Calif.)
OUR ANCIENT and honorable Brethren in their quest for further light became Companions in the Royal Arch; that is a great many, and more in proportion in olden times, than at the present. These Companions were not infallible in their ways, which is only human, and that is life. Consequently this article has not been composed solely for the lucid intervals it may provide, but to reflect the trend of the times at their occurrence. There are some bylaws, statements from old minutes, that these old records reveal what may startle the reader but upon pondering, why this could happen today, and perchance in my own organisation.
In the years to come this may similarly reflect upon us, when future generations, and those yet who are unborn, may delve into and read the records we have kept. Their reactions may be somewhat the same as ours, in reading about us and our Ancient Companions. Words, phrases, spelling and semantics change with the passing of time, for it was never destined to remain stationary. Thus when the chips from the quarries are studiously investigated, perhaps our workings may not have been lost labor. Maybe the Right Worshipful Master of a Lodge of Mark Master Masons had an answer when he said, "Brother H.W.S. will now be receipted and advanced to the ornery degree of Mark Master Mason." (Texas 1891)
The following two paragraphs which are by-laws clearly show that the Companions of yesteryear were not unmindful of their duties, as they were thinking about what is good for their Chapters. "That no person can be admitted a member of this Chapter after this evening unless by ballot, and by paying three guineas. This clause respects what is termed new members. Old Royal Arch Masons in the cities of Richmond, Manchester, and elsewhere to pay half a guinea for the purpose of the Chapter and One dollar to the Tyler." (Virginia 1792)
The unanimous ballot was not regarded as essential to the election of a candidate. This is set forth in an excerpt from the instrument which reads: "If there are two or more voices against a candidate, he is rejected. If only one the Companion so dissenting, may within one week give his reasons to two of the Grand Officers, of whom the High Priest shall be one. They shall judge of the same and shall declare the candidate's acceptance or rejection accordingly." (Virginia 1792.) The use of a ballot box in Chapters had not as yet become common practice.
Our Ancient Companions often found ways to circumscribe or circumnavigate difficult problems.
"Whereas some inconvenience has been experienced and more likely to occur, for the prevention of which on the suggestion of Companion Dawe, the Chapter proceeded to the election of four brethren (sic) to serve as High Priest for three months in succession for the purpose of receiving the Degree and Order of High Priesthood, and upon examination it was found that Companion Wood was elected to serve three months next thereafter; Companion Hening was elected to serve three months also next thereafter, three months thereafter and Companion Gordon was elected to serve and the Rev'd. H.P. Dawe was requested by the Chapter to confer the degree of Priesthood on the Companions aforesaid." (Virginia 1805)
It is interesting to note that 49 years after the conferral of this degree, the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Virginia made the Order of High Priesthood mandatory of all newly elected High Priests. Virginia is one of the few Grand Royal Arch Chapters that does not belong to the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the largest group of Masons on the globe.
The next three paragraphs may give one an idea as to the fees of those olden days.
"The fee for the several degrees of Mark Master, Excellent, Most Excellent Master shall be two dollars each, and for that of the Royal Arch shall be eight dollars. The Tyler's fee for outside Tyling shall be one dollar and fifty cents for each night he shall officiate." (Connecticut 1795)
"The fees for the preparatory degrees in this Chapter shall be two dollars each, and for the Royal Arch five dollars." (Vermont 1809)
"The fees for the degrees shall be: Mark Master $1.00, Excellent Master $2.00, Most Excellent Master $3.00, and the Royal Arch $7.00. The Tyler for Tyling $1.00 for each night in occupancy said duty." (Massachusetts 1801)
There is no question that the fees of all Chapters have risen considerably since the time these were in effect. The most striking point of these three paragraphs being the value placed on the Royal Arch degree.
The following statement is unusual, not for the gratuity extended, but the listing of the officers. It is partially explained that at the time this took place Virginia was in a transitional stage in Capitular matters.
"Resolved, the said Chapter be, and they are hereby received into the jurisdiction of this Supreme Grand Chapter and that a Charter do issue, free of expense, appoint George Read, 1st Officer, Peter Lock, Second Officer, and Lemuel Bent, 3rd Officer." (Virginia 1816) One would surmise that it was similar to the signing of ship's officers.
The various and old minutes record some strange workings, while thus appearing, there may be a sound foundation as the next three paragraphs will show.
"Brother Daniel Comstock, who had previously taken the Past Master degree, in order to preside over a Symbolic Lodge, was made a Most Excellent Master." (Indiana 1827)
"A Companion received the degree of Past Master in this Chapter before receiving the degree of Master Mason, for reason that he wished to be qualified to preside over a Lodge of Master Masons." (Alabama 1827)
"The election of Tyler, it was agreed, should be dispensed with for the present and the Treasurer be authorized to the Lodge the required fee for initiation, passing and raising of Mr. I. P. Hatfield, that he might be admitted to the Chapter and fulfill this office." (Illinois 1844). In the study of old records in England, this was fairly a common practice in the Symbolic Lodge for the office of Tyler.
The next statement may seem up to date.
The question of conferring degrees upon a non-affiliated Mason is discussed and it is pointed out by the committee that many of the Grand Chapters have passed resolutions regarding candidates for the degrees in Royal Arch Masonry, one such resolution being, that the candidate must be in good standing of some warranted Lodge before his petition can be entertained. This is mentioned in passing since it seems strange in our day there could be any other qualification than just stated. (New York 1855)
There are a few cases to date and within the past five years, not only the Royal Arch Chapters but the other bodies as well, that non-affiliated Craftsmen have sought admission to membership.
The three following paragraphs were selected for the purpose of throwing a little light on the result of trials held in Chapters of Royal Arch Masons.
"Companion M.W.D. was expelled from the rights, benefits and privileges of Royal Arch Masonry. Guilty of Contumacy, Apostasy, and Venality. " (Pennsylvania 1843). Evidently this Companion was trying to sell an Expose, and was issued a cease and desist order which he did not comply with or....... ?
One thing is certain, Our Ancient Companions did not pull any punches as to words expressing guilt.
Resolved: "That Companion M.E. Dromgoole be summoned to appear before a committee to be appointed by the M.E. Grand High Priest, to show cause, if any he have, why he should not be expelled for the killing of Companion Daniel Dugger." The Grand High Priest appointed a Committee and it was discharged the following Annual Grand Convocation and Companion was summoned to appear before the Grand Chapter in 1842. He failed to appear, and the Companions, taking this as a confession of guilt, expelled him from the rights of Royal Arch Masonry. (Virginia 1841-42)
Our Ancient Companions took steps to encourage and increase attendance.
By-law passed: Every officer who missed a convocation was to be fined 50c. Said rule not to apply if Companion lived more than a mile from the city. The minutes of that eve also state: "Stephen A. Douglas and A.S. Pettit exalted. Chapter SHUTT!" Companion Douglas is none other than the 'Little Giant.' (Illinois 1847)
A dispensation asking for and to open a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in Niles, Michigan, and addressed to the General Grand High Priest of the General Grand Chapter RAM in the spring of 1843. It was recommended by Monroe Chapter No. 1, RAM of Detroit, Michigan, located approximately 185 miles away by Crow flight.
It was signed by Caleb J. Ingersol, Jonathon Brown, John G. Bond, and John F. Porter of Niles; Calvin Britain and Leverett Church of St. Jacob; Jacob Silver and Sterling A. Turner of Cassopolis, Abail Silver of Edwardsburg; Jonathon Wells of Cass County; Jacob Dutton, Robert Forster, and John Wittenmeyer of Berrien County; John Knapp and John Sample of South Bend, Indiana; W. A. Langworthy, John Holdridge, and Richard Tuttle of Mishawaka, Indiana.
The first three officers named in the dispensation were Jacob Silver, High Priest, John Knapp, King, and Calvin Britain, Scribe. These resided, one in Cassopolis, one in South Bend, Indiana, and one in St. Joseph, none from Niles where the Chapter was located. This in no way rendered them disloyal to Niles the home of St. Joseph Valley Chapter No. 2, RAM, as it became known October 16, 1844.
The ardor, assiduity and intrepidness of these Companions is reflected by determination and cold hard facts, that the signers of the original dispensation had to travel from three to twenty-six miles to attend the convocations. The writer uses the adjective cold with emphasis, as anyone who has experienced a winter in that area of Michigan fully realizes the implication, and just how frigid it can be with the wind whistling up or down the St. Joseph River valley.
There was less than 10,000 miles of railroad in the U.S.A. at that time, the trains were yet to come, along with the electric interurban that eventually linked these cities, hence the Companions used the dirt roads and trails, and part of some of the roads were corduroy, which made for a good ride in a wagon.
The next statement clarifies or amplifies the old adage: "To err is only human."
The High Priest declared the Ballot clear and the applicant elected to membership. Thereafter one of the Companions of the Chapter informed the High Priest that he had deposited a negative ballot, which was found behind the drawer. The High Priest then ordered a second ballot, and declared the applicant rejected. The Grand High Priest sustained the High Priest in spreading the ballot a second time. (Maryland 1870)
Mistakes will happen, and the error of man in jumping to conclusions too soon.
Our Ancient Companions always provided for the festive board, as a few of the following by-laws will illustrate.
"Each member attending any convocation of this Chapter shall pay a nightly due of twenty-five cents, whenever there shall be a supper provided for the refreshment of the Chapter." (Connecticut 1796.) Did someone say bring back the good old days, perhaps the next paragraphs will encourage that idea some more.
"The ordinary refreshments of this Chapter shall consist of brandy, gin and rum, crackers and cheese (if called for by the High Priest, or presiding officer), of which all Companions shall be entitled free of expense." (Connecticut 1806)
"The common refreshments for this Chapter shall consist of gin, rum, brandy, and whisky, biscuits and cheese. These to be served by the Stewards from the Convocation Larder." (Massachusetts 1803)
"The regular refreshments for this Chapter shall be spirits (Pennsylvania Special always ), rum, gin and brandy, with cheese and crackers. The Stewards provide with necessary firing glasses from Chapter stocks. It is also their duty to see that the Chapter Commissary is well supplied." (Pennsylvania 1804)
The following by-law has been selected at random from the many that exist in England, as a basis of comparison.
By-law: "That each companion shall pay the sum of one shilling per quarter, the same to be expended monthly in Liquor by the Companions then present. "
"That each Companion neglecting to attend by three o'clock shall pay for his own liquor over and above his monthly contribution." (It was quite common in those days to hold meetings on Sundays).
These by-laws were from the records of the Chapter attached to Royal Lancashire Lodge No. 116, A.F. & A.M. located at Colne, England. 6th March 1827. (A.Q.C., Vol. LXXI, '59.)
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By LYMAN E. SMITH, M.P.S., P. Gd. Car., Montana
The word "Knight" and the practice of knighting as a means of conferring special honor first appears in writings pertaining to establishment of the Order of Chivalry in France. It spread rapidly into other countries and has ever been a Christian institution. It is certain that Chivalry and Knighthood, from its earliest history, tended to promote order and good morals and it has produced models of public valor. This tradition is probably best known in the Masonic order of Knights Templar.
Templarism is a word which suggests knighthood, chivalry, the crusaders and Christian living. Indeed, all of these are part of its history. To us who are privileged to be members, Christian or chivalric Masonry is many things. It is good fellowship and pleasant contacts, the enjoyment of old friends and the making of new ones. It is sublime ritual and dramatic ceremony. It is a strong spiritual force, an uplifting power and constant inspiration. The Christian gospel, on which Templary is based, is the country's anchor to windward. Knights Templar, as citizens and as followers of the Christian religion, are daily making a significant contribution to our American way of life.
Multitudes of pilgrims in the 12th and 13th centuries made regular visits to Jerusalem for the purpose of offering their devotions to the sepulcher of our Lord and the other holy places in that city. Many of these religious wanderers were weak and aged, most were unarmed, and thousands of them were subjected to insult, pillage and often death by the Arab infidels, who, even after the capture of Jerusalem by the Christians, continued to infest the seacoast of Palestine and the roads leading to the capitol. To protect these pious pilgrims thus exposed to plunder and bodily outrage, nine French knights, in A.D. 1118 formed a military brotherhood in arms for the purpose of clearing the roads and protecting the pilgrims in their passage to the Holy City. They took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and with great humility assumed the title of Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ. They had the blessing of the Church at that time and the King of Jerusalem assigned for their residence a part of the palace which stood near the former site of King Solomon's temple, whence they derived the name of Templars, a title which they retained.
These knights were brave and chivalrous men, who had developed great skill with sword and shield, lance and buckler, and whose code of honor eventually became the foundation of our Knight Templar oath and character. They are portrayed with engaging fidelity in the English legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and chivalric literature is enriched with such characters as Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot, whose fame is connected with the search for the Holy Grail, the cup from which our Lord drank at the Last Supper.
The deeds of heroic valor during the Crusades and Medieval military expeditions under the banner of the Cross to recover the Holy Land from the Infidel was the high tide of Templar achievement.
With the capture of Jerusalem by the Arabs in 1292, the Knights Templar were forced out of Palestine and sojourned upon the Isle of Rhodes, then Cyprus and Malta before becoming established on the European Continent. For political reasons the Order was completely suppressed in the 14th century by Philip the Fair of France and Pope Clement, resulting in the death of thousands of the members and confiscation of their property. The burning at the stake of Templar Grand Master Jacques DeMolay, in March 1314, is one of the hideous crimes of history.
The political and ecclesiastical suppression and excommunication of the Templars at that time served to unite them into a secret band of Christian knights. The war-like nature of the ancient Templars had passed away, but in the modern Order of the Temple there remains a spirit of refined and moral chivalry, and its members are bound to stand ever-ready to defend the weak, the innocent, the helpless and oppressed; to practice the Christian virtues and defend the Christian religion. Its members have had a large part in shaping the spiritual aspirations and moral ideals of the countries in which the Order has become established.
Templary came to this country with the early European settlers and it was soon well established in the original Colonies. The Grand Encampment was established June 18, 1816, and it is fitting that the sesquicentennial of this event is being celebrated throughout Templary this year. The Order is flourishing in every state and several foreign countries and now has about 400,000 members.
Modern Knights Templar have a rich heritage to uphold. If we are to keep alive the spirit of the ancient Knights of the Order, we must remember to visit the sick, comfort the sorrowing, strengthen the weak, lift up the fallen, do justice, show mercy and practice charity. We must follow the gleam of the Holy Grail. Like the prophets of old - Jeremiah, Amos and Isaiah, and like the Knights of King Arthur, we must become crusaders for social righteousness and justice, champions of the weak, the oppressed and the under-privileged.
These noble principles of conduct are transformed into action by organizations the Order has created such as the Eye Foundation, which has restored eyesight to thousands who otherwise were doomed to a life of darkness; by The Educational Loan Foundation, a service for young people, which during the past 44 years has helped about 75,000 boys and girls complete their education and become useful citizens and a credit to the nation.
We have constructed a Templar Chapel on the top floor of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, which is viewed and enjoyed by people from all over the world.
We will soon construct a memorial chapel at the Masonic Home near Helena, Montana, for the use of the guests of the Home. All these things enhance the image of Templary, but if we relegate ourselves to resting on the laurels of past or present greatness and ignore both the present and the future, we are surely doomed to extinction. We must now consider some of the developments we may expect in the future, indeed during our lifetime.
With this in mind, the following guidelines may well be kept in mind as we deal with these developments:
There is Eternal Truth and it never changes; the individual is important and he has a right to the fruits of his labor; we are, indeed, our brother's keeper.
Physical survival is not the highest goal of man; physical environment does not determine all; loyalty to God, country and each other is not outmoded.
The majority does not always determine right; material change is not always progress; we should not attempt to treat everybody alike.
I happen to be one who believes that God is alive - not dead, and that He is in complete control of His creation. I believe that troubles which beset us are caused by the evil and frailties of man - not by God. The important thing, therefore, for us is that we be on God's side. We Knights Templar have deep and abiding faith and we will be on God's side as we continue to apply in our daily lives the principles we are taught in His gospel and in Templary. That clearly is our course and follow it we must. So mote it be!
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BY BRO. DONALD F. McATEE, M.P.S.
Canal Zone Lodge, A. F. & A. M.
WORKING AS A substitute and then through the line in my Mother Lodge will probably be the period in my Masonic journey of which I will have the fondest and clearest recollection. This should be so with many of you. It's during this period that we are listening, looking, and most important, learning the Masonic facts of life to assist us when the time comes to sit in the Chair once occupied by the wisest of kings.
During (and ever since) my time in-the-line I was aware of and indelibly impressed by several Past Masters who I consider to be Masonic Mavericks. (Please don't apply what D. Webster means when he defines this word maverick. I use it as a label of endearment to those few Masons who don't automatically agree with every act, statement, etc., which emanates from the East and are individually inclined to make it known in the proper manner.) God Bless them and my Mother Lodge. But for them I possibly would have turned into a "meeting-night Master" learning only the words of the ritual. Not a chance with those Mavericks, they wanted intelligent answers to intelligent questions. They knew many of the answers but wanted to make sure everyone did. Nothing escaped their eagle eyes. We had good, sharp, interesting meetings and few officers who were not wide awake and alert (there is always some poor soul who doesn't get the word!).
There were times when I wondered if these Mavericks ever heard of the word "harmony" let alone practiced it. I've since realized that too much harmony can be just like too much togetherness and create a "great society" effect. The Lodge (and I hope they are few) where only the Mutual Admiration Society exists is enjoying a false sense of security. I feel sorry for the Master and Brethren when all they hear is, "Good Ole Joe did his usual fine job," etc., etc., into the late hours of the evening! It really impresses the new Brother who sits through the first couple of meetings - so much so he's not too interested in coming out anymore, unless of course he can get his licks in and add his "Congratulations John on your good work, etc." Is it necessary to remind you that good work is what we're supposed to do, not just once in awhile, but all the time? Have you ever witnessed this: The High Sultan of the Mutual Admiration Society gets up and declares, "This is by far the best degree work I've seen and the Master and his corps of officers are to be complimented, etc." And, at the next meeting, and the next and so on, he says the very same thing! Each time he spouts out with this junk isn't he detracting from the credit he heaped on the previous meeting? Oh yes, the Master and Officers (and others) usually fall all over themselves thanking him and telling him how much they appreciate his good judgment, his efforts in behalf of the Lodge, etc. I wonder.
Be a Maverick! He has compliments to spend, but only when they are earned by those doing more than what's expected of them, more than just good work. Compliments for the younger man who's striving to improve, who tries his best to measure up and is showing steady improvement.
To look after the other various details mentioned above, he participates in and/or questions those who are supposed to be responsible for taking care of them. If he doesn't understand the reason for something he asks questions and expresses his opinion. You know where you stand with a Maverick, there is no false sense of security or over-confidence that everything is going fine when actually the Temple is falling apart at the seams.
It's so much easier (and I might add, safer) to measure quantity (such as the net increase/decrease in members or the number of members raised during the year) than it is to evaluate the quality of fraternal communion. You will note that I've used the term "member" as opposed to "Mason" because there are far more members than Masons in Lodges where quantity is the only or predominant standard of measurement. You can be confident if you have some Masonic Mavericks in your Lodge that more than quantity is being measured. One of the most important services rendered by these watchdogs is the continual guard they post over the West Gate by making the Craft aware of their individual responsibilities to their Lodge in particular and our beloved Fraternity in general.
In conclusion, we shouldn't lean too heavily on harmony, to the point where we just go along for the ride and aren't willing to risk a little contention by asking questions or expressing our opinions. If you haven't any Masonic Mavericks in your Lodge, beware! We need more of 'em.
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Charles Forhands Adams New Fellow of the Society
Charles Forhands Adams, Past Grand Master of Nebraska, and most active in many other Masonic bodies, is the new Fellow of the Society to replace Ward K. St. Clair, who died recently.
Past Master of Aurora Lodge No. 68, Aurora, Nebraska, and Past Grand Master of Nebraska in 1954, he is a Royal Arch Mason, a Past Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of Nebraska R & S M and General Grand Treasurer of the General Grand Council. He is, at this time, Deputy Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery, K.T. of Nebraska, a Past Prior of the Priory of Knights of the York Cross of Honour, past Preceptor of a Tabernacle of Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, and Active Legion of Honor of DeMolay, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, in all of which he takes a major part.
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BY ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S. (Life), Illinois
The Scottish Rite Supreme Council, S.M.J., has rendered another fine service to Freemasonry. The October, 1966 issue was devoted entirely to the subject of the Order of DeMolay. Here we have sixty-five pages devoted to the history, work, and aims of this fine organisation of boys sponsored by Freemasonry.
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Brother Ralph J. Pollard, P.G.M. of Maine, has written an interesting booklet entitled "Our Heritage of Valor," which gives a brief explanation of Freemasons in the military history of the United States. While the limited supply lasts, they are available at fifty cents a copy. Orders should be sent to the author, at Friendship Street, Waldoboro, Maine.
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The Illinois Enlightener was the official publication of the Grand Lodge of Illinois from 1949 to 1965. The magazine was chock-full of items of interest to Masons. Brother Albert L. Woody, F.P.S., painstakingly prepared a detailed index of the material and enough copies of the magazine were gathered together to prepare a few copies of the magazine bound with the index. This bound volume is encyclopedic in scope of subjects covered and the Index makes it a workable tool because material can be found easily. Copies of the Index are available at $2.50 a copy; copies of the bound volumes, are $12.50 a copy. Send orders to the Committee on Masonic Education, 201 N. Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois.
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Available in a paper back edition is Zoe Oldenbourg, "Cities of the Flesh," a novel pertaining to the Fourth Crusade against the Cathars. It tells the dramatic details of the siege, massacre, and the Inquisition. Available at Ninety-Five Cents a copy, from Ballentine Books, Inc., 101 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York.
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In 1934 there was published "Church and State in Latin America," by J. Lloyd Mecham and it became the best book on the subject because of the detailed research and scholarship that went into the book. It has been out-of-print for many years. Professor Mecham was induced to bring the book up to date and now the second edition is available. In many places he mentions the part Freemasonry played in the struggle. Available from the University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at $8.50 a copy.
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Masons who are interested in archeological discoveries will enjoy reading "Hands of the Past," edited by C.W. Ceram. It is a collection of reports by various archeologists of their discoveries in the Middle East and in Central America. Available from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 501 Madison Avenue, New York, New York. at $8.95 a volume.
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Special Notice
The Year 1967 Marks the 250th Anniversary of the formation of the First Grand Lodge in London. England.
The Philalethes Society will commemorate this event by publishing a special series of articles pertaining to the History of Freemasonry written by Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., Life.
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Good Reading
THE MEANING AND MISSION OF MASONRY
BY DR. CHARLES GOTTSHALL REIGNER, F.P.S., President
Copies of book are available for quantity purchases by Lodges, by Masonic study groups, and by Masons generally.
Use this form to order copies.
Date ___________________
John Black Vrooman
Editor, THE PHILALETHES
P. O. Box 402
St. Louis, Missouri 63166
Please fill my order for copies of The Meaning and Mission of Masonry. (In the space provided, write the number of copies you are ordering.)
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By the late LAWTON E. MEYER, F.P.S.
THE KNOWLEDGE of God is limited until we realize that He speaks to all peoples of the earth who truly seek Him, each in his own language. Each has always known God, but they have not known His name. The science of Freemasonry revolves about a word of supreme importance, which has been lost before those to whom it had been promised could receive it. The fact is known to every Freemason, but few realize that the same symbolism runs through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Both in Masonry and in its Great Light (the Holy Bible), we find the word is the true name of God, the knowledge of which man has lost.
In the first verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John we learn: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." In order to understand the identity of the word with the name of God himself, we must first consider the intimate relation which the Israelites thought existed between a man and his own name.
Nor was this conception confined to the Israelites, for among the ancients of many lands it was generally believed that a man's name was part of himself. There was also the widespread superstition that the knowledge of a man's name gave the possessor power over the man who bore the name.
The name of a person was descriptive of that person or his attributes. As witness Adam: Man. Eve was so named by God because she was the mother of all living things. Cain means to procure or get. Abel, Transitory or Emptiness. Seth, the third son, Substitute: For Eve said, "God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." Isaac had twin sons, named at birth Esau and Jacob; Jacob means heelcatcher, for he grasped Esau's heel at birth. Esau means rough, for when he was born he was "red all over like a hairy garment." Jacob later meant "supplanter," for he supplanted Esau.
It will be realized the name of God is more than a distinctive title. It represents the Hebrew conception of divine nature or character and of the revelation of God to His people. It represents the Deity as He is known to His worshippers and stands for all the attributes which he represents in relation to them and which are revealed to them through His activities in their behalf.
But we must realize there is no name descriptive of God. None of the half million words in the English language are sufficient either alone or in combination, not even if all were used, to express music so that another can hear it; the perfume of a rose, that another can smell it; the glory of a sunset so that another can see it.
How, then, can the Omnipotence, the Glory, the Power, the Mercy, and the Wisdom of God be described? For to describe God is to limit God - and God is infinite and descriptionless.
Can a worm describe man's mentality, his thoughts, his inventive genius? Man's mentality is to God's wisdom as the worm's is to man. But believe this: That man could not think of the Lost Word if he did not have it in himself ultimately to find the Lost Word. Man has by his driving, instinctive search for the word, which is power, pulled himself from the slime of the invertebrate; instinctively he has eliminated the unfit, which would ultimately, if compromised, have driven him into oblivion.
The difference between man and the brute animals is that man has the ability, inherent within himself, to control the thought stream of his consciousness and direct it to certain objectives.
The Jewish tradition is that the ineffable name of the Deity was never pronounced by the ancient Hebrews. Not even the priesthood, save on one day a year only - on the great day of Atonement, when the High Priest passed behind the veil and entered the sanctum sanctorum, the Holy of Holies, or secret chamber of the tabernacle.
Yet in Exodus 3:14 Moses had asked God for His name, that he might quote His authority to the Israelites: "And God said to Moses, I am that I am, and He said, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: I am hath sent me to you."
God did not say, "I am the God described by you or the Egyptians or the heathen." He said, "I Am that I am," and He meant exactly that. He meant He could only be described by Himself, that no man could describe Him.
Now I do not believe the High Priest had His name, for the word was God's description, and neither the priests nor the people were yet ready.
Witness the story of Adam and Eve: In Genesis 2, verses 15,16, "And the Lord God commanded man saying, of every tree in the forest thou may freely eat. But the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."
In the third chapter of Genesis we learn how Eve was tempted by the serpent, who said, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be like gods, knowing good from evil." Eve and Adam yielded to the temptation to seek infinite wisdom for which they were unfitted. "And the eyes of them were opened, and they knew they were naked and sewed fig leaves together and made aprons." For in that moment of God's revelation, they realized their unworthiness.
For like Adam and Eve, moments come into every man's life when the consciousness of sin penetrates his sophistication and causes him to suffer, hardened though he may be, cynical of the moral standards of his fellow men. Into the innermost solitude of his being the nausea of guilt penetrates. And for the moment he stands face-to-face with himself and knows himself as the God he has denied and foresworn knows him. Are we, therefore, more ready to receive the name than were the Israelites or their high priests or even Adam and Eve?
According to Masonic legend, the Master's word could only be obtained when the Temple was completed, and in the presence of the three of our first Most Worshipful Grand Masters, who represent WISDOM, STRENGTH, BEAUTY.
These conditions still hold. We cannot receive the word until our spiritual temple is completed; and such completion is impossible when one of the three elements of Wisdom, Strength, or Beauty are lacking. Here we have a symbol of one of the greatest truths in human life, namely, that a partial development produces a deformed character.
In Kings 9:3 we learn that the Temple of Solomon was the place where Jehovah would place His name and make it His dwelling place.
In 1st Corinthians, 3:16, 17, and in Deuteronomy 30:14 we are told by God that we ourselves are the Temple and that the word is to be found in our hearts.
It must follow that the mission of Masonry is the building of the ideal temple; but that each Mason must build within himself and that he must find the word within himself. He must seek the word selflessly - to seek the word with selfish desires is to lose the word.
Remember also the Temple was built by slave labor under the lash and that it lasted only thirty-three years, or until Shishak made war upon Rehoboam, King of Jerusalem. From that time until the time of its final destruction, the history of the Temple is a story of alternate spoilations and repairs, profanations to idolatry and the purification after the return to Jehovah.
Had the Temple been built by free men, eager to contribute to the glory of Jehovah, the story would have been different. Does it not seem that the assassin, whose name is the name of the three Gods worshipped by the Jews, is symbolic of the unworthiness of the builders and their unreadiness to assume Divine knowledge and power?
You will recall our Grand Master left no design on the tracing board - he left an unfinished problem.
The secret of Freemasonry is not tellable in words. It cannot be communicated from mind to mind. There are no words for it. He who knows the secrets may be eager to teach others, but fails because of the inability of the others to learn. Twelve men are said to understand Einstein's theory of relativity. Those men may eagerly set out to teach it, and we may be equally anxious to learn, but our immature development would not permit us to understand.
The tradition of a word of omnific power in which is concentrated a store of force at once so dynamic and intelligent, so terrific in its intensity that he who knows and utters the word may wield an absolute and divine sway over the elements, is one of the oldest legends of the human race.
Recently, on a clay tablet recovered from an ancient city on the Euphrates, there was found a hymn about a word. What the word was, we are not told. We find it symbolized in the Egyptian Mysteries, wherein a distraut Isis is represented as searching throughout the world for the mangled body slain and cut into a thousand pieces by Typhon. Eventually she recovered all save one piece.
Again, in those mysteries, we learn that when a man died his spirit was placed on one pan of the scales by the assessors, who were minor gods, while a feather was placed on the other pan. If his sins outweighed the feather, his spirit was sent to the underworld. If the feather outweighed his sins, the word was whispered in his ear, which enabled him to board the Boat of the Sun and pass into heaven.
We find it in the Arabian Nights, (which are 1100 years old), wherein a poor fisherman finds in his net a bottle sealed with a lead seal, bearing the seal of Solomon. This, when opened, released a genie, who was enslaved to the fisherman. In the same tales Ali Baba learned the magic name of Sesame, which, when pronounced, caused a heavy stone to roll away and give access to a cave of riches.
We find it in the search after the Holy Grail, the Golden Fleece, and the Lost Chord. There is hope for us, for man seeks instinctively and in spite of himself to create perfection.
Go to the top of a tall building at dusk. Look from the top of that building. The city with its pulsations of unstable light is a miracle of splendor and beauty, and lifts the heart like the laughter of the gods. But descend, go down into the city. Mingle with the details. You are trodden over by greasy, little profiteers and their cringing victims. You are encompassed about by the ugly and the sordid; and your illusions vanish.
But you have seen perfection; and perfection that was created by these people and people such as these. You have seen the tall towers under the stars and you wonder how did it come about that such a growth came from such a soil, that a breed as lawless and sordid and prosaic could create such wonder.
It is because the wise and subtle Deity permits nothing worthy to be lost. It was with no conscious thought or beauty or perfection that the builders wrought. They were masters or slaves in the war of commerce. They never saw the whole thing they were making - not one of them did. But each had his dreams. And the baffled dreams and the broken visions and the ruined hopes and the secret desires labored with him as he labored; and the things that were lost and beaten and trampled down, went into the stone and steel and gave them life. The aspirations denied and the hope abandoned and the vision defeated were the things that lived and not for the apparent purpose for which each of the builders lived, sweated, toiled, or cheated.
The hidden things, the silent things, the winged things - so weak they are easily killed - the rejected beauty, the strangled appreciation: these groped about and found one another, and worked themselves into the tiles and the bricks and the mortar of the edifice.
For nothing worthy is ever lost: and when man builds the temple within himself so perfect that it need not be destroyed, then man will have found the word within himself, within the temple.
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Why Leave Our Youth With No Place to Go ?
By HAROLD N. PAINTER, M.P.S.
Every young man should be given the opportunity to become a Freemason. He should be able to hear and learn something about the Fraternity.
He should not be kept out because of high fees and dues. Nor should poor Masonic business procedures delay his entrance.
He should be allowed to join his home-town Lodge, or the Lodge his father belonged to. In this modern age we cripple ourselves by local boundary lines and local horse and buggy rules.
We should make certain that every former DeMolay, and the husband of every former Rainbow Girl or Job's Daughter, is often reminded of the work of the Masonic Fraternity. Our future lies in our youth. Our youth organisations ARE Masonic organizations, founded by Freemasons and supported by Freemasons.
Youth of today must be shown. We cannot any longer say: believe. We must show our youth the value of Masonic fraternal fellowship.
And when we do get our youth to join we must provide ACTIVITIES for all of the members of their family. Husbands cannot seek personal glory at the expense of their families. Masonry is for all.
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Notes, Queries and Information On Items of Masonic Research
BY JAMES R. CASE, F.P.S.
1966 - No. 6
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 have previously appeared.
Our members and readers are invited to send in material appropriate for use in this column, especially information concerning research currently under way. The Editor will assist the sponsor of this column which is supervised and run by Brother James R. Case, F.P.S. but ALL COMMUNICATIONS should be addressed to the Editor.
It should be noted that this page is for the EXCHANGE of information and opinion, and does not pretend to provide the final answer to any query.
207 - Thaddeus Stevens. (June 1966.) Brother Temple R. Holleroft of Wells College, Aurora, New York, writes that several years ago he investigated this question and found that the Thaddeus Stevens expelled by North Star Lodge of Salem, N.Y., in 1825, was not the notorious anti-Mason.
202 - Penalties. (April 1966.) Ralph Tinker, M.P.S., Jr., Glendale No., Box 83, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 01262, writes: I would suggest that the inference in this ritual is that the third R. who quotes the penalty in question, is actually a rebel master mason. The only way he could know the penalty is to have passed through the ritual of the third degree. He appears as the ring leader and the one upon whom the burden of critical action rests. The obvious source of his support comes among the dissident element of those less advanced than himself.
210 - The Iron King. (October 1966.) This was answered by Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S., and Brother Bundy has been informed that these books can be found listed in the 1965 Books In Print in any public library. Mervin B. Hogan of 137 East Tuckey Lane, Phoenix, Arizona 85012, also sent in complete data on the series as follows:
The Iron King, 1956, 269 pp., $4.45; The Strangled Queen, 1957, 213 pp., $4.45; The Poisoned Crown, 1957. 224 PP., $4.45: The Royal Succession, 1958, 254 pp., $4.45; The She-Wolf of France, 1960, 335 pp., $4.45, and The Lily and The Lion, 1961, 313 pp., $4.45.
Of the 1608 pages, 64 pages are "Historical Notes" and 8 pages are "Bibliography." The British Publisher is Rupert Hart-Davis, Ltd., 36 Soho Square, London, W.L. The American publisher is Charles Scribner's Sons New York. The original French edition was published by Editions Mondiales, Paris, with the titles:
Le Roi de Fer, 1314, 1955, 354 pp. La Reine Etranglee, 1314-1315, 1956, 279 pp.; Les Poisons de la Couronne, 1315-1316, 1956, 295 pp.; La Loi des Males, 1316-1317, 1957, 335 pp., La Louse de France, 1323-1328, 1959, 421 pp., and Le Lis et le Lion, 1328-1343, 1960, 408 pp.
Philip IV, called Philip the Fair, of France, at the beginning of the 14th century reigned over his dominion as absolute master. He had defeated the warrior pride of the great barons, the rebellious Flemings, the English in Acquitaine, and even the Papacy which he had proceeded to install at Avignon. Parliaments obeyed his orders and councils were in his pay. In 1307 Philip moved to abolish the Sovereign Order of the Knights Templar of Jerusalem which, since its founding in 1128, had become extremely powerful and wealthy. Philip feared its power and coveted its wealth. The Iron King gives a stirring presentation of Jacques DeMolay's incarceration, verdict, and death at the stake on March 19, 1314, at Paris, as "a lapsed heretic."
211 - Masonic PHD Theses. Does anyone have information on how many Doctoral Theses, if any, have been written on the subject of Freemasonry and Anti-Freemasonry? Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S., 5554 Waterman, St. Louis, Missouri 63112.
212 - Masonic Type. Does anyone know of a book which illustrates Printers Type which is of Masonic nature? Bob Stowe, M.P.S.
213 - Masonic Almanacs. Is there a checklist available of all the Masonic Almanacs that were printed before 1900? Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S.
214 - Masonic Librarians Of Congress. Does anyone have information on how many of the Librarians of Congress have been Masons? Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S.
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Swap Corner
Briefly - this corner is for those who want to trade Masonic literature. It is not to be used for trading profane literature, and must be limited in number of items listed in each issue.
220 - Swap Corner. Mel L. Pfankucke, 3319 Harwinton Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, wants to trade for the following: Bound Vol. 13 or 14 of The Builder for Bound Vol. 15. Also: Proc. G.L. of N.Y., 1957-59 and 1963 to 1966. Offers: pre-1900 G.L.N.Y. Proc. in trade.
221 - Swap Corner. Jim Case wants Vol. I. Reprint of Proc. of the G.L. of New Hampshire.
222 - Swap Corner. Bob M. Stowe, 5554 Waterman, St. Louis, Mo. 63112, wants a set of Thory's ACTA LATAMORUM, will trade almost anything. Also wants a set of Higgin's Monographs.
223 - Swap Corner. John Black Vrooman wants to trade for Proc. of the Grand Enc. of U.S.A., years 1859, 1862, 1865 and 1868. Has variety of trading material.
224 - Swap Corner. John Black Vrooman needs information on the legendary Secret Lodge Room above old Clerkenwell Gate in London.
225 - Swap Corner. O. Wes Konering, P. O. Box 402, St. Louis, Mo. 63166, will trade duplicate Masonic books for Masonic Library Catalogues or Bibliographies.
226 - Swap Corner. Does anyone have a set of Library of Congress catalogue cards on Masonic books to trade? Bob M. Stowe, 5554 Waterman, St. Louis, Mo. 63112. Have a few rare items to trade.