Contents
A Look to the Future Unified Effort
How Big is a Man Old Council 150 Years Old
OUR MASONIC HERITAGE PROCRASTINATION
Where Are They Recommended Masonic Reading
Jacques Bastian de Molay I AM THAT MAN
For the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth What About Our Brains
King Solomon's Temple, Egyptian Style Look Over The Fence
Symbolism of Inverted Square and Compass Symbolism and the Number 3
What Kind of Men are Masons The Liberal Arts and Sciences
What to Tell a Freemason
On Items of Masonic Research
Published bimonthly at Franklin, Indiana, by
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
John Black Vrooman, F.P.S., Editor
Box 402, St. Louis 66, Missouri 63166
OFFICERS
Robert H. Gollmar, F.P.S., President
1221 Oak Street
Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913
William R. Denslow, F.P.S. First Vice President
P.O. Box 529
Trenton, Missouri 64683
Andrew J. White, Jr. M.P.S. Second Vice President
P.O. Box 208
Worthington, Ohio 43085
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
Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S. Life
237 Millbridge Road
Riverside, Illinois
Volume XX, No. 1
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by Robert H. Gollmar, F.P.S.
(President-Elect's Message)
A Guest Editorial
I am deeply honored by my election as President of The Philalethes Society. It is my sincere hope that during the three years ahead I may be able to contribute some value to our program. I am fortunate in the fine fellow officers that you have elected to serve with me. Add John Black Vrooman, our editorial giant, and I have real strength to rely on.
What then should be our program? That we will continue to publish our magazine and that we will make every effort to improve it, goes without saying. This is an area in which we particularly need the continuing assistance of our members and our Masonic friends. Only a steady flow of high grade, well written articles can prevent sterility from setting in. John does editorial miracles but he needs the help of all of us.
Our February meeting in Washington as a part of Masonic Week reaches more of our members as participants than any other activity that we have engaged in. We have been and are fortunate in the quality of programs presented. Hard working committees have set a high standard of performance that we will endeavor to emulate.
It has always been my hope that groups of members, large or small, would meet from time to time in different areas for discussion and programs. These meetings can be as formal or informal as you may desire. If I can assist in this activity, do not hesitate to contact me.
I have found that Masons in the United States have a continuing and extensive interest in the rituals, meetings and customs of our Brethren in other lands. I would hope that these Brethren may be stimulated to share their knowledge with us through the columns of the magazine. If such a Brother is hesitant as to his writing ability, there are many of us who stand ready to assist.
Certainly our Society will never be large. It is better so. A continued, steady growth, however, is most beneficial not only financially but because it brings in new blood, new ideas and new enthusiasms. Let us continue to welcome our friends into membership.
Masonry has problems, some of which are deep and far reaching. I have no desire to join the moaners and the groaners. I would feel that our Society is particularly well suited to promulgate well thought out discussions of the problems and proposed solutions. We should always be ready to assist Masonry wherever the written or spoken word will assist.
Finally, my Brethren, thank you again. What I can do, I will do gladly and happily for the Masonry we all love so much.
Featured in this issue . . .
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE, Guest Editorial, by Robert H. Gollmar,
F.P.S. President
UNIFIED EFFORTS AND COORDINATION, Charles S. McGinness, M.P.S.
PLANS ARE FINALIZED
OLD COUNCIL 150 YEARS OLD, by J. Winston Coleman, M.P.S.
OUR MASONIC HERITAGE, by Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S. Life
PROCRASTINATION, by Kenneth F. Curtis, F.P.S.
WHY? WHERE ARE THEY?, by George Clark M.P.S.
SEVERAL PROMINENT PHILALETHES NAMED
RECOMMENDED MASONIC READING, by Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., Life
INSURANCE? NO! by Norman C. Dutt, F.P.S.
PROGRAM OF WASHINGTON MEETINGS - Center Spread:
JACQUES BASTIAN DEMOLAY, THE MARTYRED GRAND MASTER, by Wylie B. Wendt, F.P.S.
I AM THAT MAN, by Paul W. Bidwell
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
FOR THE LORD OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH, by Louis L. Williams
WHAT ABOUT OUR BRAINS?, by Bliss Kelly, M.P.S.
KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, EGYPTIAN STYLE, by Robert M. Crawford, M.P.S.
LOOK OVER THE FENCE, by Harold N. Painter, M.P.S.
WHAT'S THE SYMBOLISM OF THE INVERTED SQUARE?
NORTHERN SCOTTISH RITE GIVES HONORS
CASE RELINQUISHED NOTES AND QUERIES
SYMBOLISM AND THE NUMBER THREE, Albert L. Biller, M.P.S.
WHAT KIND OF MEN ARE MASONS?, by A. Ralph Baker.
THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, by Rabbi Geffen, F.P.S.
SOME THOUGHTS BY WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
NOTES AND QUERIES AND MASONIC INFORMATION, by Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S.
SWAPS
Unified Effort and Co-ordination Will Bring Satisfactory Results
by Charles S. McGinness, M.P.S.
(A part of the Report of the Committee on Royal Arch Advancement, 53rd Triennial, General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, International- Boston, October 10-13, 1966).
We feel that the plea for a unified York Rite of Freemasonry has been stimulus for activity in many Grand Chapters. While there has been some division of thought about mechanics in bringing about a better coordinated effort between the three York Rite bodies, we believe that the discussions have brought results in a better understanding for the need of unified efforts in solving problems.
There is need for Unified Coordination and Effort. If this is not to be achieved by Unification (and we find much objection to the Concordat which has been proposed) then we certainly should not settle back into more lethargy, but should find some other means of bringing the York Rite into closer cooperation and effort.
Second: Festivals: This has become somewhat commonplace in many jurisdictions. There are many varieties. We have Chapter Festivals on the part of individual chapters, a group of Chapters bringing together the best talent of several Chapters in a one day affair, and then we have had Chapter Festivals on a Grand Scale where Special Dispensations have been issued to permit all Chapters in a Grand Jurisdiction to bring elected candidates into a central meeting place and use exceptional talent in the conferral of degrees.
We have been present at outdoor festivals. Some of these are truly outstanding and Illinois, California, Colorado and many other jurisdictions have used this vehicle in presenting the Chapter degrees in surroundings particularly suited to the antiquity of the degrees and with great success. In Kansas, we combined indoor conferral of the first three degrees of the Chapter with an outdoor presentation of the Royal Arch Degree. This worked very well, and we believe that there are several other jurisdictions which use this arrangement with similar success.
In several instances, these outdoor festivals have been enlarged to include other degrees and orders of the Council and Commandery.
Missouri and Arkansas have used the class idea, that is, selecting some outstanding well known figure and building a statewide festival around that figure. In Missouri on April 2, 1966 such a festival was presented in the state capita] with the Governor of the State as the central figure, and also including the Council Degrees as well as the Orders of the Commandery in the most successful efforts which has come to our notice.
A total of over 1,100 candidates was enrolled in the Warren E. Hearnes class and all degrees and orders were conferred in one day with the heads of all York Rite bodies in attendance and with the blessing and presence of the M.'.E.'. Grand Master of the Grand Encampment, Sir Knight Wilber M. Brucker.
The chairman of this committee was present in Glenwood Springs, Colorado for their outstanding outdoor festival for both 1965 and 1966. The ingenuity of the Companions and Sir Knights of that jurisdiction, sparked by excellent leadership of Brinkley (Buster) Brown, GRAC brought forth what amounted to a spectacle in which the ritualistic work was not in any way short circuited or reduced. A candidate who receives degrees or orders in that festival will certainly retain the memory of the excellence of the work for the remainder of his years, and I am sure that the same is true of many other festivals which have not come to my personal attention.
There is little doubt in our minds about the effectiveness of these festivals to dramatize the historical features of the degrees, and make a deep and lasting impression on the candidates.
The criticism of festivals, if there is valid criticism, is that the use of festivals will tend to stifle or supplant the conferral of degrees of the Chapter in local Chapters and render still more difficult any effort to organize for conferral of degrees in the local Chapter. Even in the face of this possibility, it is the feeling of the Committee that the festival idea should be encouraged and extended wherever possible.
Dramatization of Ritual. Reports reaching us from the Grand Chapter of Illinois calls attention to another undertaking which may have great merit. M.'.W.'. Myron K. Lingle, Grand Master of Masons in that jurisdiction and a devoted and very able student of ritual has developed a dramatized presentation of the Chapter and Council degrees into what many feel may be something of a salvation for some of our problems.
In this arrangement, Second and Third degrees of the Lodge, plus the Chapter and Council degrees have been developed in their chronological sequences and have been presented in a drama that when properly presented cannot help but be a great improvement over the presentation of Chapter degrees in local Chapters. There is a feeling in some quarters that such a change might result in a complete reorganization of the Capitular Rite into much larger Chapters which would then use the dramatization of degree work in classes and at two or three periods during the year. We feel that this should have careful and thorough study.
Competent observers have reported that the idea of this drama was to thoroughly integrate the Royal Arch and Council Degrees with the ritual of the Second and Third degrees of the Lodge and thus bring about a complete story of the word - its Adoption, its Purpose, its Loss and its Recovery. Perhaps such a presentation could be used to supplement the ritualistic work as we now have it in our Chapters, and be used on special occasions to increase interest in the Rite.
We are informed that in the dramatization that M.'.W.'. Lingle has worked out, the arrangement is that while one scene is on the stage, another is readied on the work floor, and by alternating the scenes, the time element is reduced to where all of the drama can be done creditably in a two and one half hour period. This was exemplified at the festival which was held in Springfield, Illinois on August 6, 1966.
The Orders of the Commandery were also included and the whole York Rite affair occupied less than seven hours. We are informed that there were 109 candidates for the Springfield Festival, and it was considered a success.
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Plans are Finalized for Activities of Masonic
Week in Washington, February 17-23
MASONIC WEEK in Washington! A thrill to all Freemasons who gather in the Nation's Capital to honor George Washington, the Freemason, and bring to a focus plans by which the Craft can be better able to carry on its work. Leaders from every state in the Union, Mexico, Canada, and, in fact, a greater number of countries everywhere will gather to plan for a better Freemasonry around the world.
The meetings in Washington are of particular interest to members of the Philalethes Society for two reasons, first, because a great number of our members are also actively engaged in the work of both the small research groups meeting there, and in the affairs of the Conferences of Grand Masters in North America and Grand Secretaries in North America, as well as in the splendid activities of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, at nearby Alexandria, Virginia, and the Masonic Service Association, all of which will hold meetings during the week.
Important to the Philalethes Society will be the meeting of the Executive Committee to be held at the Hotel Washington, 15th at Pennsylvania Avenue, Friday afternoon, February 17, 1967. Robert H. Gollmar, newly elected President of the Society for the Triennium 1967, 1968 and 1969, will preside, and the officers, with all past Presidents and the Editor of the Philalethes, will attend.
Activities during the past year will be reviewed and analyzed, and complete plans and a resume of contemplated work will be discussed, financial structure reviewed, a budget approved, and other progress reported.
Following the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Society, the Thirteenth Annual Masonic Workshop will convene in the Washington Hotel, under the direction of Robert H. Gollmar, President. A most interesting and profitable meeting has been planned. After the introduction of the new officers, distinguished guests and others, G. Wilbur Bell, Chairman of the Masonic Workshop Committee, will spark the program by introducing the first panelist.
G. Wilbur Bell, better known as the Grand Generalissimo of the Grand Encampment, Knights Templar of the United States, has been active in sponsoring, with his fine committee, a program that will bring Freemasonry to a practical application of ideals and action. Members of the Committee on Masonic Workshop who worked so hard to set up this splendid program, in addition to G. Wilbur Bell, the Chairman, are Benjamin W. Ela (Me.), Waldron C. Biggs (Vt.), Allen E. Roberts (Va.), Alvin L. Crump (Ill.), and Wylie B. Wendt (Ky.). Thanks to this fine committee for all that it has done to make this projected meeting a success. This year the general topic for discussion will be-
"Shall Freemasonry and the Craft Take Part in Community Affairs?" There will be given three papers on the subject, each taking a particular attitude toward the question, and it is sincerely hoped that audience participation will follow which will enlighten and clarify the scope of discussion.
First, will be Harry Gershenson, M.P.S., active Missouri Freemason, Chairman of the Missouri Grand Lodge Committee on Jurisprudence, and past Grand Orator, who will discuss the affirmative side of the topic.
Following him will be Wylie B. Wendt, F.P.S., Masonic student and researcher, who will take the negative side of the question, and in conclusion, Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., Life, will give a resume of both arguments, and summarize the results.
The question of participation by Freemasonry in national, state or local affairs has been a subject of controversy, and it is hoped that the reasoning of the members of this panel will clarify and actually make it possible to form a policy by which the tenets of Freemasonry may be put to use.
Saturday and Sunday, February 18-19, will be entirely given over to the meetings associated with the Allied Masonic Degrees. Starting at 9:30 Friday morning the Grand College of Rites will meet, report and elect new officers. Grand Master's Council, Allied Masonic Degrees will hold a brief session, and the Grand Council, Allied Masonic Degrees will open and continue its work intermittently throughout the rest of the day.
Installed Master's Council will receive and honor new Sovereign Masters, and the Council of Nine Muses, a roving Council, of high literary talent, will meet, with a paper to be read by one of its members. During the year just past, two members of the Council of Nine Muses have died. The outstanding literary character of these men has set them apart in Masonic circles. The papers have been unusual and striking in their character.
A meeting will be held at 3 o'clock of Knight Masons of Ireland, to form a Grand Council of that Order. Harold V.B. Voorhis is presently Grand Superintendent. This should be an interesting gathering. Societas Rosicruciana - High Council will hold a brief meeting to conclude.
The annual banquet of the Allied Masonic Degrees will be an event at 6 o'clock, presided over by M.V. William C. Buckner, Sovereign Grand Master, and is open to all who attend these meetings. The speaker will be Ex. Comp. E. Leon Smith, Grand Chaplain, Grand Chapter, R.A.M., of Virginia.
Labor will be resumed by Grand Council, Allied Masonic Degrees, routine business will be concluded, and officers elected and installed. Ancient Order of Corks and Order of the Bath will meet, elect and initiate candidates to complete the evening's entertainment.
Sunday morning, February 19, 1967, at 7:30 o'clock, Convent General of the Knights of the York Cross of Honour will breakfast together under the leadership of M.E. W. King Larimore, Grand Master General, of Oklahoma. All Knights are invited to attend.
Society of Blue Friars, a Masonic Literary group dedicated to the task of good Masonic literature and reading, will hold its thirty-fifth annual meeting, and the series of meetings at the Washington Hotel will be concluded with the Annual Ingathering of Grand College, Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, under the direction of M.E. Marvin E. Fowler, Grand Preceptor.
Information for hotel reservations, etc.. is as follows - for Hotel Reservations, write Mr. Rayburn Miller Manager, Hotel Washington, 15th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, mentioning the fact that you are attending the annual meetings of the Allied Masonic Degrees. Reservation for the annual dinner, Saturday evening, February 18, must be obtained by reservation, from Marvin E. Fowler, 1904 White Oaks Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, not later than February, 5th!
Following the close of the meetings at the Washington Hotel, the scene of action will move to the Shoreham Hotel, where, on Sunday afternoon, February 19, at 4:15 p.m., the Grand Masters' Conference Tea and Reception will start the ball rolling for a busy week.
Monday, February 20, the Deputy Grand Masters' Breakfast will hold the attention of the delegates, and at 9:30 a.m., the Conference of Grand Masters in North America will formally come to order. At the same time, the Conference of Grand Secretaries in North America will convene, each of which groups will hold a continuing session through Tuesday.
Of special interest will be the meeting of the Commission for Information for Recognition, of the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, which sifts out data relative to the regularity of Grand Lodges throughout the world, allowing our Grand Lodges to determine with accuracy the many requests for recognition. This group has added materially to the well-being of Masonic groups, recommending and showing cause why Masonic groups should or should not receive recognition from sister groups. This has been an important contribution to international Freemasonry.
It has been customary each year that the Conference of Grand Masters in North America should devote itself to topics of interest to the leadership of Grand Lodges of the world, touching on matters of Grand Lodge activity, possible means of helpfulness as between Grand Lodges, and generally with papers by present and past Grand Masters which will stimulate thought on Masonic action, by which intelligent co-operation and interaction may be brought to the attention of Masonic leaders.
The Conference of Grand Secretaries has as its operation, the idea of discussion and outlining of matters pertinent to Grand Secretaries in their ordinary exchange of data and usage. Matters of transfer, of uniform forms of service, and other such matters. It is, in fact, a fine workshop in which the interchange of experience will benefit all who take part.
The Grand Masters' banquet will be an event of Monday evening, February 20, with a national speaker, and with invited guests of national prominence, including, as usual, Congressmen and Senators and other government officials. The Grand Secretaries banquet will be held on Tuesday evening, and this year, as in former years, the Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, through the personal invitation of Luther Smith, Grand Commander, will host the visiting dignitaries at the House of the Temple on Tuesday at noon.
Wednesday the official group will move by bus to Alexandria, Virginia, where the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association will hold its annual meeting, with tours of the marvelous edifice and luncheon served to all present. This has become one of the outstanding events of Masonic Week in the East.
Returning to the Shoreham Hotel on Thursday, the Masonic Service Association will hold its annual meeting, with reports of the year's fine program, the educational activities, through the Short Talk Bulletins and other media, the welfare work at the Veterans Hospitals and a resume of the financial needs of the coming year.
Several state breakfasts, Wisconsin, etc., are scheduled for these days, and the Frank S. Land Breakfast for visitors under the sponsorship of the Imperial Council of the Shrine, will be an event of Tuesday morning, February 21. Certainly, the Mason who attends the many meetings in Washington during Masonic Week will not lack for variety of entertainment and activity.
May I see you, fellow Philalethians, in Washington???
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A man’s no bigger than the way
He treats his fellow man!
This standard has his measure been
Since time itself began!
He's measured not by tithes or creed,
High sounded though they be;
Nor by the gold that's put aside;
Nor by his sanctity!
He's measured not by social rank,
When character's the test;
Nor by his earthly pomp or show,
Displaying wealth possessed!
He's measured by his justice, right,
His fairness at his play.
His squareness in all dealings made,
His honest upright way.
These are his measures, ever near
To serve him when they can;
For man's no bigger than the way
He treats his fellow man.
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J. Winston Coleman, Jr., M.P.S.
Washington Council No. 1, Royal and Select Masters, of Lexington, Kentucky, observed its sesquicentennial on the evening of November 23, with a banquet at the Masonic Temple, 144-146 North Broadway. Speaker for the occasion was Brother Columbus J. Hyde, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky.
The Royal and Select Masters degrees - the eighth and ninth of the York Rite, are known as Cryptic Degrees, so called from the fact that the initiations and workings were generally held in subterranean vaults or chambers to insure further secrecy. The expression Cryptic Masonry means, therefore, "Masons of the Secret Vault."
Jeremy L. Cross, Masonic scholar and ritualist, received the Select Master's degree in 1816, from Philip P. Eckel, head of the "Grand" Council of Select Masters of the State of Maryland. With "letters patent" issued by the Grand Council, Cross was authorized and empowered "to grant charters for holding Councils of Select Masters," and "to confer the degree on Royal Arch Masons." He traveled extensively over the eastern portion of the United States, north and south, and established some 30-odd councils.
Cross, as "Deputy Grand Puissant" of the Grand Council of Maryland, visited the Bluegrass Capital and, on November 23, 1816, established Lexington Council of Select Masters, No. 1, by conferring the degree on nine Royal Arch companions in the "Masons Hall," corner of Walnut and Short streets. Named as the initial officers of this body of Cryptic Masonry in Kentucky - the first west of the Alleghenies - were Fielding Bradford, Illustrious Master; William G. Hunt, Deputy Master and Thomas G. Prentiss, Principal Conductor of the Work.
Two years later, in 1818, Jeremy Cross became "possessed" of the "Royal" degree. He was the first to combine the Royal and Select Masters degrees, and after August 1819, all charters issued by him were for the dual body, which he christened "Council of Royal and Select Masters." From this period may be dated the Commencement of the Cryptic Rite as an organized body of Freemasonry. Lexington Council No. 1 after 1819, doubtless began conferring both degrees of the Cryptic Rite.
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by Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., Life
1. OUR ANCESTORS
(Editorial Note: This article is the first of a series to be published this year in commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England on June 24, 1717, in London, England.) Subsequent articles will appear in the following issues:
April: The Transition from the Operative to the Symbolical Craft. June: The Formation of the First Grand Lodge in 1717.
August: Colonial Freemasonry.
October: Anti-Masonry and The Revival.
December: Freemasonry in The Modern World.
We are told that Freemasonry has existed from time immemorial; this means that the spirit of Freemasonry came into existence the minute man recognized the need for association and mutual assistance. At some time or other each Mason has asked himself: When and where did Freemasonry originate ?
There is no answer to this question because the Craft did not originate in one place at a specific time but grew up in many places at various times. Many theories have been advanced on this subject; many of them are fables. The Reverend George Oliver claimed that Freemasonry originated before the world was created; undoubtedly he was using the word "Freemasonry" differently than we use it today and probably meant the idea of order and unity in the universe. John Fellows sought to prove that Freemasonry originated in the Ancient Mysteries. Several authors have tried to trace the origin of the Craft to the Garden of Eden; probably because Adam wore a fig-leaf apron, and therefore he was the first Mason!
The first association which resembles a Masonic Lodge which is found in history is the Men's House. This organization is found in many primitive societies. It was a place where the men of the tribe met in secret ceremonies and in which the young men of the tribe were initiated into the rules and mores of the community. The ceremonies were different in various places, but basically there was a secret ceremony of initiation, the use of symbols in the ceremony, and advancement after a period of training and proficiency was acquired. Very often the ceremonies were of a religious character and always basic moral truths were taught in addition to the practical trades of the tribe.
In the Ancient world there existed a number of associations such as The Mystery of Isis and Osiris, The Mystery of Mithras, The Eleusinian Mysteries, and the Druids. These are usually given the broad description of the Ancient Mysteries. The ceremonies of Isis and Osiris related to the story of a King and Queen of Egypt, how Typhon a jealous brother of the King conspired to destroy him and take the throne, how he almost succeeded, but was thwarted when the "dead" king rose from the dead and resumed his throne. The ceremonies of the group started with a purification, the testing of the candidate, being made to take the part of the "dead king," and the final rescue all symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. The Mystery of Mithras was based on a story of Mithras an early God of Persia and approached the form of a religion. The candidate was taken on a journey, put to many tests, took a vow of secrecy, received a word, and taught many rules of austere conduct in one's life. The idea of friendship was highly developed in the group. The Eleusinian Mysteries existed in Greece for hundreds of years. The ceremonies were highly symbolical, the member was put to many tests, and there was a dying and resurrection. Lessons were taught which if adopted in one's everyday life plus the taking of the ceremonies of the Order assured one of eternal life. To this extent the Order approached a religion and was so considered by most of its members. The Druids were more like a religion, but they also had elements of secrecy, ceremony of initiation, the teaching of moral truths, and the use of symbols. But while these organizations all had some characteristics which on the surface appear to be Masonic, there are too many other elements of dissimilarity which would lead to the conclusion that they are not truly ancestors of the Craft. When dealing with these various ancient organizations we might assume that some one or more characteristics may have been copies by the Craft, but we have no evidence which links these groups with modern day Freemasonry.
The earliest records which we have of an organization resembling Freemasonry are those relating to the Roman Collegia. Tradition is that in 715 B.C. Numa Pompilius became the second King of Rome. One of his outstanding achievements was organizing the workmen of his day into various crafts and attaching them to the army. Thus, when the Roman soldiers conquered an area, Roman culture was brought in by the workmen. The stone masons were the most numerous because of the great need for the building of roads and buildings in what they considered the "primitive areas." These workmen in strange lands adopted rules of mutual aid and assistance, they preached and practiced assistance to the needy member, his widow and orphans of the Craft member, used symbols to illustrate moral truths, and practiced social meetings and programs of all kinds. The presiding officer was called the Master and the two other principal officers were called Wardens. Each member had to be a freed man. A common treasury was kept to help the group and its members. One readily sees many similarities of the Collegia with Freemasonry. But here again we cannot trace it step by step from the days of Rome to the present time. All we can say is that there are resemblances and we may have copied some of them.
The Essenes were a religious group that were at their height at the time of Christ. They had some characteristics that resemble a Masonic Lodge. They used symbols, they preached and practiced purity of life, they wore aprons as symbols, and the members were passed from one grade or degree to another as they gained proficiency. But they had many characteristics that are dissimilar. They retreated from the world of affairs, they required their members to lead celibate lives, they lived in a community of their members alone, and partook of work and meals together as a group. While attempts have been made to link them with the Craft these trials have not been convincing because of too many missing links.
The Steinmetzen was an operative group of workmen in Germany. It is sometimes claimed that Freemasonry originated with these groups. But they were primarily trade union groups with some symbolism and some moral teachings that may be compared to Freemasonry. A similar organization called the Compagnonnage existed in France about the same time. But both these associations have never been proved to be the ancestors of Freemasonry primarily because the Craft spread throughout the world from the organization in England and there is no evidence that this came originally from the Continent.
One interesting theory is that which is known as the "Cathedral Builders" advanced by Leader Scott (a pen name of Mrs. Lucy Baxter) in a book by that name. This is claimed to be the missing link between the ancient world and the modern world as far as Freemasonry is concerned. It is a theory that stirs the imagination, but there is no sound foundation for it. The story is that the fall of Rome caused the skilled workmen to retire to Lake Como where they preserved the secret art of building with stone until they emerged to engage in the many building projects of the middle ages in which many of the present day cathedrals of Europe were built. The theory has never been accepted generally.
How can we answer the question: Where did Freemasonry originate? We do not know the answer and will never be able to do so. The reason is that Freemasonry originated in its most elementary form when two men first met upon this earth and discovered the need for associating with one another and assisting one another. In the early days of our history there were many organizations which had certain elements that made them resemble present - day Masonic organizations but we have no evidence connecting them to the Craft today.
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Our immediate Past President, Dr. Charles Gottshall Reigner, went to the hospital, in Baltimore, November 26, 1966, for an eye operation.
The Membership joins in wishing him a speedy and complete recovery.
----o----
by Kenneth F. Curtis, F.P.S.
Chairman, Membership Committee
Not long ago I was turning the pages of Volume XVIII of the Kleinknecht Gems of Thought Encyclopedia and encountered the word "procrastination." To quote: Procrastination is "anticipatory fatigue." He who walks a thousand miles must take the first step. - Confucius.
This reminded me of an incident that took place years ago at Pont Buedet, Haiti. My Marine corporal's hashmarks were still rather new and somewhat shiny. I was in charge of a detail of men to repair a road and was lost in thought as to how to accomplish my assignment. Suddenly the police sergeant appeared and gave me the word in no uncertain terms. He informed me "to do something, not to stand at ease but to move to do something." Needless to state, I did Do Something and learned a valuable lesson, one not be forgotten for some forty-two years.
Yes Brethren, you and I must take that first step and not stand at ease, that is, if we are to obtain new members. We must Do Something as individuals in order to retain our total membership as of the first of the year. We need new members to replace those we lose.
Let us contact that Brother now - who has been waiting for you to tell him of the benefits of membership in the Society, let us not procrastinate. Drop me a line and I will forward to you application forms and magazines, remember you must take the first step. I can use lists of prospects for nomination, send them to me and I will do the rest.
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Good Reading
THE MEANING AND MISSION OF MASONRY
BY DR. CHARLES GOTTSHALL REIGNER, F.P.S., Past President
Copies of book are available for quantity purchases by Lodges, by Masonic study groups, and by Masons generally.
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Date ___________________
John Black Vrooman
Editor, THE PHILALETHES
P. O. Box 402
St. Louis, Missouri 63166
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by George Clark, M.P.S.
As most of you know, the Proceedings of all of the Grand Lodges of the United States pass over my desk and from them I abstract the membership statistics. A few years ago, I was working on some of these records when all of a sudden and for the first time one particular angle caught my attention which struck me real hard. It was the relationship of the number of candidates who had been initiated but had not progressed to receive the Fellow Craft degree. Immediate investigation was started which revealed some startling results.
I first looked at the record of the Grand Lodge of Colorado. The Grand Lodge of Colorado was formed August 2, 1861, with 52 members in three Lodges. According to our latest returns as of January 25, 1966, there were 46,320 Master Masons in 170 Lodges.
During these 106 years the degrees conferred were:
E.A. - 89,962
F.C. - 85,946
M.M. - 85,524
Apprentices who did not receive F.C. degree - 4,036 or 4.47%.
There was practically no loss from F.C. to M.M. degree. This great drop out of Apprentices is remarkable and bears closer investigation. Why this great loss?
I then looked to see what the Grand Lodge of Colorado did in 1966, and I found that 1,043 candidates were initiated and only 936 of these were passed to Fellow Craft degree. This indicates a drop out or loss of 107 or 10.26% To think that 10 1/4% of our candidates did not think enough of Freemasonry to progress to even the second degree hit me hard. Why did this big loss occur?
For fear some might think these figures were unreliable as being too local in character, I looked at the national situation. I have the complete membership analysis of a 11 Grand Lodges in the United States for every year 1900 to 1964-1964 being the last year of complete returns. Only 29 of the 49 Grand Lodges in 1964 reported Initiations and Passings. These 29 Grand Lodges listed 52,214 E.A. degrees and of these only 48,024 were passed to F.C. This indicated a loss of 4,190 or 8.02%. Colorado for this same year, 1964, reported a Drop Out of only 2.10%
In order to establish some sort of a trend, if any, I extended the study for the last 8 years, 1957 thru 1964, with the following results.
E.A. F.C. M.M. Drop Outs % Reporting
1957 70,491 67,828 67,934 2,663 3.78% 29
1958 63,069 61,064 61,378 2,305 3.656% 27
1959 58,812 55,688 56,017 3,124 5.61% 28
1960 53,743 50,787 50,563 2,956 5.49% 26
1961 58,051 55,270 55,342 2,781 4.796% 28
1962 54,295 51,435 51,738 2,861 5.27% 28
1963 54,260 48,706 48,648 5,554 10.236% 28
1964 52,215 48,024 47,706 4,191 8.02% 29
Average 58,117 54,850 54,918 3.267 5.62%
Much has happened during these 8 years, so the question arises - How does the trend of this period compare with an earlier one? The study was then made of the 8 years, 1901 thru 1908. Here also the same trend was evident, as the average Drop Out for the years 1901-1908 was found to be 4.53%.
The PEAK of membership in the Grand Lodges of the U.S. occurred in 1929, when the record shows 3,299,656, and in this year 35 Grand Lodges reported a Drop Out from E.A. to F.C. degrees at 3.83%
The Low point of membership was in 1941, when the record shows only 2,445,972 Master Masons, but in this year 32 Grand Lodges reported a Drop Out of 5.44%.
However, some may claim that these spot checks do not tell the real story of the effect of the National economy on Masonic membership growth or losses. Consequently, I examined the complete register of all Grand Lodges in the United States for the period 1901 to 1965, and it was quite evident that the Drop Out percentage persisted through the whole period, with the exception of only 3 years, during which no drop outs were reported. No doubt some work was done regarding drop backs of former years. During this period 1901 to 1964 the number of Grand Lodges reporting E.A. and F.C. degrees varied from 27 to 36, and the percentage of Drop Outs varied from 0.38% to 12.03%, disclosing an average of 5.00% over this whole period. And it may be kept in mind that this covers the years of general economic conditions - good times, bad times; depression years, boom years; war years and peace years. But the Drop Outs continued thru all of them. Why?
There is another angle to the picture and it also is not good. Consider only the Grand Lodge of Colorado for a moment.
As mentioned above, during its 106 years of operation, the Grand Lodge initiated 89,962 and passed 85,946 - a net loss of 4,026 or 4.47%. The fees for the degrees thru this period ranged from $50.00 to $150.00. A fair average could be about $75.00 as reported by Grand Lecturers.
Four thousand members at an average of $75.00 would have produced $300,000. Half of this would have accompanied the petitions and was received by the Lodges concerned. But the other half, or $150,000 of revenue was lost to the Lodges. This economic factor cannot be disregarded.
A few years ago, Grand Lecturer Albert E. Jameson, sent a questionnaire to all Lodges in Colorado to report how many candidates were standing on the Entered Apprentice degree for more than one year. The answers revealed that a total of 954 had been standing over a year. One Lodge reported 56 such cases. He then commented: "This situation is one of our problems. There is a cause, perhaps many of them, and consequently a solution if we can ascertain the cause. No solution is attempted here, but perhaps the above staggering figure will incite individual Lodges to find the cause in their Lodge and set about to correct it."
WHY? - Oh, why do we have to lose 2% to 10% or 12% or in some extreme cases as many as 18% of our Initiates?
Many answers are offered, but none seem to fully satisfy the question. Here are a few - you may suggest others:
1. - Many initiates, especially the older ones, just cannot commit to memory the required catechism. And here arises the question - Why the catechism anyhow? It is very seldom, if ever, used in visitations. Examining committees themselves seldom know the questions and further, the catechisms vary, state to state. It could be well replaced by a few leading questions and answers.
2. - Some get stage fright when required to appear before the Lodge at an examination. Why could not the examination be conducted in private by the Master or Wardens?
3. - Young men enter but do not find that which they expect. Where is the goat?
4. - They find a group of old men but few of their own age bracket.
5. - They cannot appreciate the philosophical and symbolic character of the ritual. True-much of the real image of Masonry is only hinted at in the ritual, but clues are there for an inquiring neophyte to study.
6. - They have not been told enough of what to expect to really grasp what is going on.
7. - The whole atmosphere of the Lodge is too solemn, no gaity, no modern life. DeMolay boys may be able to change some of this.
8. - Poor rendition of the ritual. The E.A. degree is really the most important degree in Masonry and should be delivered by the most expert ritualist of the Lodge.
9. - Discipline: Here is an opportunity to purge the Lodge of those who should never have been admitted in the first place or some times, unfortunately used to satisfy personal grudges.
10. - This applies to ministers of the Church. Many of them after experiencing the penalties embodied in the obligation, cannot accept them as symbolic, even if they are so advised. This criticism is legitimate and is wide spread. The Grand Lodge of England has corrected this to some extent. However, there is a reason why the wording is properly used.
11. - And this is most important: The candidate's first appearance before the Lodge begins in the preparation room, where he meets the Lodge Stewards. Here his pre - conceived opinion of Freemasonry is enhanced or destroyed by the manner in which he is treated by the Stewards. NUF SAID.
This opens up many avenues of thought and study. How to get the young men, and having gotten them, to keep them and indoctrinate them into a different manner of thought. This must begin with the instructors assigned to teach the initiates their first lessons. Unfortunately, in many instances, these instructors are recruits from those recently raised - "They know the answers." But do they know the meaning of those answers or what is the real plan and objectives of Masonry.
Wherein has Masonry failed to hold and keep its Initiate.
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Several Prominent Philalethes Named to
Office in General Grand York Rite
Several prominent Philalethes workers were given honors at the conclusion of the triennial meetings of the General Grand Chapter and the General Grand Council, in Boston, October 9-13 last.
Bruce H. Hunt, F.P.S., Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, Past Grand Master of the Grand Council, Royal and Select Masters of Missouri, and Grand Secretary-Recorder of the Grand Chapter, Grand Council and Grand Commandery of Missouri, was elected General Grand Recorder of the General Grand Council International, following the resignation of Ross J. Camblin, of Iowa, who was named General Grand Recorder Emeritus.
At the final sessions of the General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, International, William R. Denslow, F.P.S., and First Vice President of the Philalethes Society was named General Grand Master of the Third Veil. Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, Past Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons of Missouri, and Editor of the Royal Arch magazine, one of the outstanding Masonic magazines of the world today, this honor is both deserved and merited. Such leaders as were elected and installed in both these fine National Masonic York Rite bodies bode well for the future of York Rite Freemasonry.
Sprague Hanna Carter, of Portland, Oregon, was elected General Grand High Priest for the coming triennium. Others elected and installed were: Charles C. Ricker (North Carolina), General Grand King; Calvin A. Behle (Utah), General Grand Scribe; Russell G. Bird (New Mexico), General Grand Treasurer; Charles K.A. McGaughey (Ky.), General Grand Secretary; Edward M. Selby (Ohio), G.G. Captain of the Host; Marvin E. Fowler (D.C.), G.G. Principal Sojourner; Chester A. Hogan (Wash.), G.G. Royal Arch Captain; William R. Denslow (Mo.), G.G. Master of 3rd Veil; Stanley F. Maxwell (Mass.), G.G. Master of 2nd Veil; Mino Covo (Mexico City), G.G. Master of 1st Veil; Glen W. Smith (Ore.), G.G. Sentinel; W. Phelan Douglas (Tenn.), G.G. Custodian of Work, and the Rev. Gerald E. Bisbee (Ill.), G.G. Chaplain.
In the General Grand Council, C. Ellwood Smyrk, of Baltimore, Maryland, was elevated to the position of General Grand Master, and Verne W. Mokler (Wyoming), was named Deputy General Grand Master. Other officers named were: Hoyt McClendon (Ala.), G.G. Principal Conductor of Work; Charles F. Adams, F.P.S. (Neb.), G.G. Treasurer; Bruce H. Hunt, F.P.S. (Mo.), G.G. Recorder; Henry F. Collins (S.C.), G.G. Chaplain; Oliver I. Underwood (Ill.), G.G. Captain of the Guard; Charles A. Carlson, Jr. (Nev. ), G.G. Conductor of Council; Joseph C. Bryan, III (Maryland), G.G. Marshal; Bernard F. Mendelbaum, M.P.S. (Okla.), G.G. Steward, and Wilber E. Sherfy (Ore.), G.G. Sentinel.
Action on the Concordat, Protocol and Report of the Commission on Unity was, by vote of both General Grand Chapter and General Grand Council sent back to a future triennial session of both bodies. This was done by the adoption of a substitute motion made in each body which would suggest the appointment of committees to further study the proposition. It has been suggested that this action has, in the opinion of those who know the circumstances, made the whole matter something of hazard and unreality. Much yet remains to be done to accomplish the purpose which was originally formulated. It is hoped that progress can be made for the purpose stated.
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Many a man who starts on a good idea fails because the idea wouldn't work unless he did.
An old-timer is one who can remember when the crook got hung instead of the jury.
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BY ALPHONSE CERZA, F.P.S. (Life), Illinois
"MASONRY in Japan, The First One Hundred Years, 1866 to 1966," by Nohea O.A. Peck, a Past Grand Master, is a beautifully printed and bound volume of 395 pages with colored pictures of banners, seals, plaques, buildings, certificates, and other items. There is much biographical material and pictures of leaders of the Craft not only in Japan but in other parts of the world. Many documents are represented in full making this a permanent sourcebook of the subject.
Freemasonry has existed in Japan for a hundred years, but the Grand Lodge was formed only within the past ten years. Freemasonry came to Japan in 1864 when the British 20th Regiment arrived in Yokohama and brought with it Sphinx Lodge No. 263, under the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The following year local residents petitioned the Grand Lodge of England for a charter, which was issued. The first meeting of Yokohama Lodge No. 1092, E.C., was held on June 26, 1866. Other Lodges were formed with the passing years as were the various appendant bodies. Modern Masonic history started in Japan after World War II had ended and Philippine Masons extended assistance to Masons in the area.
Available from the Grand Secretary, Masonic Building, No. 13, Sbiba, Sakae-cho, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, at $8.00 a volume.
The Masonic Service Association has published another of its interesting Digests entitled "Vistas of Masonry," by Brother Raymond Burnette Pease, a retired college professor now residing in Sierra Madre, California. The brochure deals with words having Masonic significance, their origin, their meaning, and their symbolism. There are frequent references to the classic as well as nonMasonic literature to illustrate some of the meanings.
Available from the Masonic Service Association, 700 Tenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., at seventy-five cents a copy.
For many years Brother Henry S.C. Cummings, of Newton Centre Massachusetts, M.P.S., has been speaking before both Masonic and non-Masonic groups and he has written much for Craft publications. Some months ago there was published a paperback with many fine pictures of excerpts from his talks and some full reproductions.
The result has been appropriately called "Living Thoughts." The book has many fine inspirational passages and is the type of book one ought to have close at hand to pick up from time to time for the purpose of reading here and there to "perk up one's mind." Masonry and its lessons are on every page either directly or indirectly.
Available at $2.50 a copy, while the limited supply
lasts, from the author, at 33 Oak Hill Street, Newton Centre, Mass.
The Grand Oration delivered before the Grand Lodge of Illinois last October is so outstanding that it merits the attention of all Masons. The Grand Orator, Brother Louis L. Williams, spoke on the subject "For the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth." The speaker delved deep in the past and connects it with the present problems of the day. It is a most informative and inspirational piece of literature. Because of the many requests for a copy, the Oration has been printed in booklet form. As long as the supply lasts they can be secured free from Brother Paul R. Stephens, Grand Secretary, Rushville, Illinois. (The talk is also summarized and reproduced on page 17 of this issue of our magazine.) The MSA Short Talk Bulletin for January, is a summary of the Grand Oration.
Masons interested in the history, art, and architecture of the Middle Ages will welcome "the Flowering of the Middle Ages," a book with 10 x 14 size pages, 360 in number, with over 600 illustrations. Each of the nine chapters are written by an authority of the specific subject. The third chapter is written by an architect and is entitled "The Mason's Skill"; this chapter deals with the operative craft and there is a discussion of many of the famous cathedrals of the period.
Available from McGraw-Hill Book Co., 330 W. 42nd Street, New York, New York at $30.00 a volume.
Dr. Francis J. Scully is an illustrious citizen of Arkansas; he is a Fellow of the Philalethes Society and has served his State as Grand Master. He is the author of many books, brochures, and articles on scientific, historical, and Masonic subjects. For years he researched the history of Hot Springs by reading and searching for all available material on the subject; he read many letters, examined many scrap books in private hands, and studied all available public records. All this has resulted in the publication of "Hot Springs Arkansas and Hot Springs National Park," a clothbound book of 46 pages, well documented, with 49 pictures, a sixteen-page bibliography, and a fine index. The origin of the area, the Indians there, how De Soto explored the area, the geography of the area, etc., are all covered in detail to the present time. No person of note is omitted; no project of any consequence is left out. It is as complete a history of Hot Springs as anyone could write. Freemasonry and the appendant bodies are discussed briefly with all the other social and community groups. This is a real sourcebook for historical facts about Hot Springs.
Available from the author, 16 Conway Boulevard, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901, at $6.50 a copy.
Many words have been written about the recent Vatican Council (often erroneously entitled as an ecumenical council). For years Paul Blanehard has been the chief critic of the un-American projects of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He was an observer at the Council and has written a book called "Paul Blanchard on Vatican II." This is not a boring day by day recital of events but an analytical consideration of Pope John and Pope Paul as well as the various subject matters of interest to Americans. Written in his clear style he demonstrates that the grandfather image of Pope John and his warm personality is not the entire picture and that he did not deviate one inch from the basic fundamentals of his church which are vital to non-members. Some of the areas that are considered are as follows: Collegiality and infallibility; religious liberty; the Jews; Christian unity, birth control; and church and state relations. This is a thoughtful book and merits careful reading by all patriotic Americans.
Available from Beacon Press, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts, at $5.95 a volume.
Brother James R. Case, F.P.S., has called my attention to Col. Mark M. Boatner's "Encyclopedia of the American Revolution," a book of 1,275 pages, with the material arranged in alphabetical order, including biographical sketches, laws, economic information, maps, and drawings with a great deal of useful information about the period. Freemasonry is mentioned in the book and its influence during the period is covered.
Available from David McKay & Co. 750 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10036, at $17.50 a copy.
Students of government will welcome "Miracle at Philadelphia," by Catherine Drinker Bowen. This 346 page book tells the story of the United States Constitutional Convention and presents a fine word picture of the delegates and their views. The book shows how much compromising was necessary and how close the meeting came to being a complete failure.
Available from Little, Brown and Co., 34 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02106, at $7.50 a copy.
"The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, The Unabridged Edition," is really a miniature encyclopedia of over 2,000 pages 9 x 12 in size. There are many items of special interest to Masons; the word "symbol" is treated at length; and there are such familiar words as: eavesdropper, Solomon, Tubalcain, Shibboleth, and Boaz. For example, Freemasonry is defined as a "secret or tacit brotherhood; instinctive sympathy."
Available at $25.00 a volume, from Random House, 457 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, an association devoted to that single task, has published a number of leaflets that should be of interest to Masons and all thinking Americans since they deal squarely with current problems. They are as follows:
The Great Society and the Great Wall; five cents a copy;
The Truth About Shared Time; fifteen cents a copy;
The Child-Benefit Theory; five cents a copy;
The New Church-State Confrontation; five cents a copy.
The address of the group is: 1633 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
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by Norman C. Dutt, F.P.S.
The Ancient and Honorable Society of Freemasons is a fraternal organization, and not a benefit association. This fact is generally recognized, but there are some who do not recognize a distinction between the two terms. After careful consideration and a little thought will reveal to any Brother that this is impossible for the average Masonic Lodge to donate any sizable amount for relief, as its income is more or less confined to $12.00-$24.00 per annum per member, plus initiation fees. Deduct from this the cost of running the Lodge - rental, Grand Lodge per capita tax, Secretary's salary, and the other incidentals - and there remains little to bank. Freemasons and their families in distress are commonly referred to the Board of Relief, but even a Board of Relief is restricted as to the amount of aid. It may relieve extreme cases of need, but it is certainly not financially equipped to support indigent Brethren or unfortunate widows. In many jurisdictions the charitable of the Grand Lodge are focused upon the adequate support of the Masonic aged and orphans. Both the very young and the very old are quite helpless - and have the greatest claims upon our charity. Lack of funds prevents official Masonic charity from extending very far outside of this field. Yet, a superstition still persists that Freemasonry will always take care of its own, that once a man is accepted as a Brother, the spector of need for himself or his family is forever banished. No man is worthy to be made a Freemason unless he has made provision, either by life insurance or a trust fund for himself and his family. If he is neglectful of his responsibilities so close at home, it is quite evident that he will treat the obligations of Freemasonry in much the same manner. Perhaps it would be a good idea that every candidate should be informed when his petition is accepted and before he is made an Entered Apprentice, that Freemasonry is not a benefit society, nor an easy escape from financial responsibilities. Quoting from the late Australian Masonic author and writer, Wor. Bro. Charles E. Green: - "Freemasonry has its purpose, the gathering of men from all strata of life, that they meet on a common level and strive to live together for the predominence of the human race of the ideals of brotherhood, trust, altruism, charity, integrity, friendship, morality and education, that its progress may be onward and upward."
----o----
by Roy M. Moffitt, M.P.S.
To some, the three columns are a support for a roof. Other liken them to the three principal officers of a Lodge. Many remember them as symbols of Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.
These are abstract attributes. Wisdom, Strength and Beauty of What? Of the three officers, none of whom claim these qualities in any unusual degree? Of the three orders of architecture they represent?
Immediately after being introduced to the five orders of architecture, the craftsman is admonished to study, among others, rhetoric. To those who do not heed or have not voluntarily heeded this advice, the three columns remain so much mortar and stone.
To those so doing, the metaphor reveals a sublime secret. Architecture becomes the art and science of creation. The Architect is the G.A.O.T.U.
Evidence of the wisdom of that creation is in its strength; in the conservation of energy and/or matter; in the biotic balance; in the laws of self - preservation and procreation; in the inviolable urge of all living things to improve its species; in the order of the universe in which a relatively microscopic speck provides a habitable environment on its surface in an envelope but one-one thousandth its diameter in depth.
Evidence of the Beauty of that creation is visible to all who will see the harmony of Nature, itself; the whispering music of the breeze for all who may hear; the lucious fruit and life-sustaining grain for those who hesitate to taste; the fragrance of all living things, some beyond man's sense to perceive; the salubrious summer sun and winter frost; all growing things intent on ultimate usefulness.
Only the hateful, the foul, the vile are the results of man's perverted selfishness.
The three stone columns may crumble and fall. The metaphor is eternal.
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COMPLETE PROGRAM - MASONIC WEEK WASHINGTON, D.C. FEBRUARY 17-23, 1967
Programs of A.M.D. and other Meetings for 1967
Program Allied Masonic Bodies
ALL MEETINGS WlLL BE HELD AT WASHINGTON HOTEL
15th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C.
February 17-19, 1967, Inclusive
Friday, February 17,1967
7:30 p.m. - MASONIC WORKSHOP - THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
Thirteenth Meeting
Saturday, February 18, 1967
8:30 a.m. - REGISTRATION
9:30 a.m. - GRAND COLLEGE OF RITES OF THE U.S.A.
Thirty-fifth Annual Convocation
M.'.I.'. Early W. Bridges, Grand Chancellor
M.'.I.'. Archibald R. McNeill, Grand Registrar
10:30 a.m. - GRAND MASTER'S COUNCIL, A.M.D.
Thirty-fourth Annual Communication
V.'. Charles G. Reigner, Sovereign Master
V.'. Archibald R. McNeill, Secretary
11:45 a.m. - GRAND COUNCIL, ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES OF THE U.S.A.
Thirty-fourth Annual Communication
M.'.V.'. William C. Buckner, Sovereign Grand Master
R.'.V.'. Robert L. Grubb, Grand Secretary-Treasurer
Open for the receipt of the Grand Master's and Grand Secretary's Reports. All members of the A.M.D. are invited
RECESS
12:30 p.m. - Luncheon (Dutch Treat)
2:00 p.m. - Installed Master's Council, A.M.D.
M.'.V.'. Murray C. Alexander, Sovereign Master
R.'.V.'. Robert L. Grubb, Secretary
Installed Masters present who have not received the degree of Installed Master should present themselves. All Past and Present Installed Sovereign Masters, who have received the degree are invited.
2:30 p.m. - COUNCIL OF THE NINE MUSES, No. 13, A.M.D.
M.'.V.'. Harold V.B. Voorhis, Sovereign Master
V.'.W.'. Irvine Weist, Secretary
All members of the A.M.D. are invited
3:00 p.m. - KNIGHT MASONS OF IRELAND
Convention to form Grand Council of Order of Knight Masons of the U.S.A.
5:00 p.m. - SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIANA IN CIVITATIBUS FOEDERATIS - HIGH COUNCIL
M.'.W.'. Harold V.B. Voorhis, IXd, Supreme Magus
R.'.W.'. Frederic L. Pike, IXd, Secretary-General
6:00 p.m. - ANNUAL BANQUET, ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES
M.'.V.'. William C. Buckner, presiding
Banquet Speaker: Excellent Companion E. Leon Smith, Grand Chaplain, Grand Chapter, R.A.M. of Virginia
8:00 p.m. - GRAND COUNCIL, ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES
Labor resumed, Committee reports, routine business, Election and Installation of Grand Officers, Closing
10:00 p.m. - ORDER OF THE BATH OF THE U.S.A.
Thirty-fourth Assembly
M.'.H.'. Albin C. Anderson, Commander in Chief
R.'.H.'. Henry Emmerson, Keeper of the Bath Records
11:00 p.m. - YE ANCIENT ORDER OF CORKS
Forty-first Cellar
Rene L. DeSchryver, Grand Bung of America
J. Howard Haring, Prov. Grand Bung of U.S.A.
New Ark Council, No. 25, A.M.D., will confer Cork Degree
Sunday, February 19, 1967
7:30 a.m. - KNIGHTS OF THE YORK CROSS OF HONOUR
CONVENT GENERAL
Breakfast in the Hotel
M.'.E.'. W. King Larimore, Grand Master General
M.'.E.'. Stanley W. Wakefield, Grand Registrar General
9:00 a.m. - THE SOCIETY OF BLUE FRIARS
Thirty-fifth Annual Consistory
Harold V. B. Voorhis, Grand Abbott
W. Irvine Wiest. Secretary-General
10:00 a.m. - THE GRAND COLLEGE OF AMERICA, HOLY ROYAL ARCH
KNIGHT TEMPLAR PRIESTS
Thirty-fifth Annual Ingathering
M.'. E.'. Marvin E. Fowler, Grand Preceptor
E.'. Robert H. Simmons, Acting Grand Registrar
HOTEL
Hotel reservations should be made by addressing post card or letter to Hotel Washington, Mr. Rayburn Miller, Manager, calling attention to the fact that you are attending the annual meeting of the Allied Masonic Degrees. It will be well to ask for a confirmation. The Hotel Washington is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 15th Street. Reservations must be requested at least two (2) weeks prior to your arrival.
ANNUAL DINNER
Dinner reservations (6:00 p.m.) Saturday, February 18 must be made by addressing post card or letter to Marvin E. Fowler, 1904 White Oaks Drive, Alexandria, Va., not later than February 5th, as the hotel requires two (2) weeks advance notice.
COFFEE HOUR FOR LADIES
There will a COFFEE HOUR for the ladies in attendance from 10 A.M. to 12:00 Noon on Saturday, February 18. See the Bulletin in the Lobby for the location.
COMMITTEE ON TIME AND PLACE
Marvin E. Fowler, Chairman
1904 White Oaks Drive,
Alexandria, Va., 22306
Henry Emmerson
4181 Park Avenue,
Bronx, N.Y. 10457
Archibald R. McNeill
Slieve Ard Farm
Pine Plains, N. Y. 12567
Harold V.B. Voorhis
105 New England Avenue, Apt. 2-B
Summit, New Jersey 07901
Stanley W. Wakefield
41 Amhurst Drive,
Hastings-on-Hudson, N. Y. 10706
Robert L. Grubb
P.O. Box 4232,
Charlotte, N. C. 28204
Robert E. Simmons
513 Margaret Drive,
Silver Spring, Md., 20910
Conference Program
Masonic Week, February 19 to 23 inclusive, Washington, D.C. All meetings in the Shoreham Hotel, except the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, to be held in the Memorial at Alexandria, Vd.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19
4:15 p.m. - Grand Masters' Conference Tea and Reception, Palladian Room.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20
7:00 a.m. - Deputy Grand Masters' Breakfast, Tudor Room.
9:30 a.m. and
2:00 p.m. - Grand Masters' Conference, Diplomat Room.
9:00 a.m. - Grand Secretaries' Conference, Tudor Room. Grand Secretaries' Luncheon at 12:30 p.m., Executive Room.
7:00 p.m. - Grand Masters' Banquet, Regency Ballroom. (Doors open, 6:30. Tables reserved until 6:55.)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
7:45 a.m. - Frank S. Land Breakfast by Imperial Council of Shrine, Regency Ballroom. (Admission by ticket only.)
9:30 a.m. - Grand Masters' Conference continued, Diplomat Room and
2:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
9:00 a.m. - Grand Secretaries' Conference continued, Tudor Room.
12:30 p.m. - Luncheon, Supreme Council 33d, A.&A.S.R., Southern Jurisdiction, House of the Temple, 1733 16th St., N.W. Transportation provided.
7:00 p.m. - Grand Secretaries' Dinner, Palladian Room
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
10:00 a.m. - George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association meeting, Memorial, Alexandria, Va. Buses leave Shoreham promptly at 9:00 a.m. Luncheon 12:30 p.m. in the Memorial
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23
9:30 a.m. - Masonic Service Association 48th Annual Meeting, Diplomat Room, and
2:00 p.m.
Luncheon, 12:30 p.m., Palladian Room.
N.B. - For your convenience, the registration desk will be open in the East Main Lobby on Sunday, February 19 at 12:00 noon; also on Monday, February 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
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Jacques Bastian de Molay - The Martyred Grand Master of Templars
by Wylie B. Wendt, F.P.S.
(Note. Other names of DeMolay appearing in print in various places are: Jacobus Burgundus de Molay and Jacques Bernard de Molay.)
Jacques Bastian de Molay was the 22nd Grand Master of the Order of Knights Templar and the last Grand Master of the Ancient Order. (This statement presupposes that the Order was extinguished and/or dissolved at the death of DeMolay. It would be splendid if the connecting link could be discovered between the Ancient and the Modern Order.) He was born of an ancient family in Besancour, French Compte, A.D. 1237, entered the Order in 1265, was installed Grand Master in 1297 and served in that office until his death in 1314. DeMolay was the second Grand Master since the expulsion of the Christian powers from Acre in 1291. His name is a favorable one in American Templary and practically every state has a commandery named after him.
In the beginning of the 14th century, Boniface VIII was Pope, 1294-1303. The King of France was Philip IV, known as Philip the Fair. Philip was an ambitious, vindictive and avaricious man. The King and the Pope were engaged in a controversary, and the Templars, as usual, sided with the Pope and opposed the King. This act on the part of the Knights excited the hatred of the King. The Order was enormously wealthy and this aroused the King's avarice. The power of the Templars interfered with his designs of political aggrandizement and this alarmed his ambitions.
Pope Boniface was succeeded by Benedict XI, 1303-04, and he in turn was followed by Pope Clement V, 1305-14. Due to these changes in the occupant of the Papal throne, the controversary between Church and State was in a temporary state of quietude. The King therefore entered into a secret agreement with Clement and evolved a plan for the destruction of the Templars and the appropriation of their estates and revenues. Upon the direction of the King, the Pope therefore in 1306 wrote to DeMolay, the Grand Master of Templars, who was then at Cyprus, asking him to come to Paris to consult with the King on matters of great importance to the Order. Similar letters were written to the Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitalers of St. John and the Teutonic Knights. But these two Grand Masters were suspicious of a trap and did not accept the invitation of the King.
DeMolay, however, obeyed the summons and arrived in Paris in the beginning of the year 1307, accompanied by six of his Priors and Preceptors and sixty of his Knights. He and his retinue were immediately thrown into prison, and in October, 1307, every Knight in France was, on orders of the King, arrested on pretended charges which include idolatry, heresy and apostasy, these charges reportedly confessed by Squino de Florian, a renegade and expelled Prior of the Order.
The list of accusations totalled one hundred twenty in number, and was sent by Pope Clement to all Archbishops, Bishops and Papal Commissaries who were to examine the Knights who were brought before them.
The Knights were tried on these false charges and needless to say, were found guilty and condemned to death. On May 12, 1310, fifty-four of the Knights were publicly burned and on March 14, 1314, DeMolay, the Grand Master, and Guy de Charney, Grand Preceptor, were burned on an island in the Seine River, near Paris, by order of King Philip IV. (Note. It is a question in my mind why four year elapses between these two burnings. WBW.) Between the dates of the arrest of DeMolay and his Knights in 1307, and their execution in 1314, the money and property of the Order were seized by Philip in France and by Edward II in England, although no English Templars were put to death.
In Germany, Spain, Portugal, and in every other country outside the control of Pope Clement and King Philip, public courts declared the Knights innocent of heresy, apostasy and the other charges, but the Order had been destroyed and its wealth confiscated.
The last words of the martyred DeMolay, when his body was almost consumed, were: "You who behold us perishing in the flames shall decide our innocence. I summon Pope Clement V to appear in forty days and Philip the Fair in twelve months, before the just and terrible throne of the ever-living God, to render an account of the blood which they have unjustly and wickedly shed."
The fate of the persecutors of the Order is worthy of mention. A year and a month after DeMolay's execution, Pope Clement was attacked by dysentery and he had a speedy death. His dead body was transported to Carpentias, where the Roman Court resided. It was placed in a church which caught fire and the mortal remains of the Pontiff were almost entirely consumed. Before the close of the year, King Philip died of a lingering disease which had baffled the art of his medical attendants. The condemned criminal, DeFlorian, upon whose testimony the Templars were originally arrested, was hanged for fresh crimes. History attests that all of those who were foremost in the persecution of the Templars came to an untimely and miserable death. It may be amiss to call attention to the fact that the initial letters of the full name of the Grand Master, J.B.M., are also the initial letters of three words, each one of which is one of the important words in each of the first three degrees of Freemasonry.
Addison states that DeMolay was installed as Grand Master in 1297 at the age of sixty. That would make his birth in 1237. Addison also states that DeMolay was seventy-six at the time of his death, which Addison lists as 1313. There has been a discrepancy of one year in this death by many writers, and I am of the opinion that it is a matter of which calendar the writer is using. 1313 minus 76 equals 1237, the birth date.
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A DeMolay Said . . .
The following remark was excerpted from the Representative DeMolay application of an Indiana DeMolay: "DeMolay has given me a goal to work for. This goal being to live as a Good DeMolay. If every boy could strive to live the life of a DeMolay, this world would be a better place for all. DeMolay lets a boy meet friends learn, take part in ritual, and many things too numerous to mention. DeMolay is a wonderful organization."
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by Paul W. Bidwell
During the summer of 1910, the E.K. Wilcox Post 16 of the Grand Army of the Republic in Springfield, Massachusetts, invited the A.P. Hill Post, Confederate Veterans of Richmond, Virginia, to visit them at Springfield. The invitation was accepted and a delegation duly arrived. They were entertained in the homes of the local veterans.
They were a fine looking lot of men, most of them big, broadshouldered chaps, straight as arrows, in spite of the forty-five years that had passed since the end of "The War Between the States," as they preferred to call it. Many wore the mustache and goatee traditionally associated with Southern Colonels.
Among other forms of entertainment, a substantial parade was organized in their behalf, and they made a very impressive appearance as they marched down Main Street, in open order, with their light-grey broad - brimmed hats and waving their canes in acknowledgment of the applause from the sidelines.
At the time, I was a young minor clerk in a local factory and roomed in the home of Mr. Chauncey Farr at 3432 North Main Street. One evening Mrs. Farr served an elaborate dinner for five of these guests from the South, and I was also invited.
Mr. Farr had been a member of a New Hampshire infantry regiment and had been in the Army of the Potomac until he was taken prisoner at Cedar Creek, Virginia, and sent to a prison in Richmond.
The conversation at the table was most cordial and friendly, several humorous incidents of army life were related much to the amusement of all present. Only once during the evening was anything of a political nature touched upon and on this one subject there was no room for argument or injured feeling, because even Mr. Farr and I felt that the sending of the "Damn Carpetbaggers" into the South after the war was the meanest, most unjust condition that one group of Americans had ever imposed upon another.
After dinner when the group was assembled in the parlor, the conversation was almost entirely about personal experiences, sad, bitter and humorous, as well as tales of bravery performed by friends and acquaintances in their various units and strategic troop movements.
As the evening wore on, and a pause came in the conversation, Mr. Farr started telling of his experiences in prison. He spoke of the poor food and added that he understood some Confederate soldiers did not always fare much better. He spoke of the ever-crowded and unsanitary conditions that existed, but he said, perhaps he fared a little bit better than the average prisoner because of the friendliness of one particular guard. This man had been severely wounded at the front and after convalescence was placed on prison duty. They found that they were both Masons and this guard would smuggle to him small quantities of tobacco and bits of food not provided in the prison diet.
As their acquaintance and confidence in each other increased, there came a day when the guard asked Farr how he would like to visit a Masonic Lodge. Farr replied that that would be a wonderful diversion from the monotony of the prison, but that such a thing was only fantastic, wishful thinking; that the Commandant would never permit it.
The man replied that the Commandant was one of his "kinfolk" and also a Mason and he was going to try to get his permission. The Commandant flatly refused. Another soldier would have taken this decision as final, but Farr's benefactor took advantage of his relationship to be more persistent, and finally gained permission to take Farr out of the prison for an evening under certain conditions. The guard was warned that if he allowed Farr to escape he would have to take Farr's place in prison. Farr would be required to take a solemn oath that he would not attempt to escape.
So, on the evening of the Lodge meeting, he was brought to the Commandant's office, the oath was administered, and he was warned that he would be shot if he attempted to escape. He was allowed to use such facilities as were available to clean up his uniform as best he could, and shave.
Farr related that within the Lodge he was treated with the utmost courtesy and no allusion was made to his status as a prisoner of war.
They were challenged by military police both going and coming; the M.P.'s could hardly believe their eyes when they came upon the two walking the streets as companions. But the passes in the hands of the guard took care of these encounters and Farr was returned to the prison on time.
As the story unfolded, I noticed one man who was sitting off to one side of the room taking in the details with more intense interest than the others. He hitched himself forward in his chair until he was sitting on the very edge; his hands on the chair arms, his elbows elevated as though he was about to spring to his feet. As Mr. Farr concluded his narrative by saying, "I wish I could see that man once more before I die," the man leaped to his feet and almost shouted, "I am that man - I remember you now!" Farr was speechless for a moment, then asked, "Are you ____ ?" (I have forgotten the name he used). The man replied, "I am," and with that Farr leaped to his feet. They rushed into each other's arms, stood in the middle of the room alternately hugging, slapping each other on the back, holding each other at arm's length, and repeating the process, tears filling their eyes and running down their cheeks, lips quivering, and regarding each other with speechless emotion. In the meantime, we were all on our feet, forming a circle about the two men. There was not a dry eye in the room. Nobody spoke for several moments.
This was the most unforgettable incident that I have ever seen.
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Welcome To New Members
We are pleased to welcome the following new members in the Philalethes Society since the last issue of the magazine:
JAMES WESLEY ELLIS, Jr., P.O. Box 83, Ashland, Kentucky 41101
ROBERT A. ROGERS, 719 South 18th St., Terre Haute, Indiana 47803
ORIE H. LITTLE, 312 Doris Ave., Vestal, New York 13850
WILLIAM MUR, 1 Prospect Park South West, Brooklyn, New York 11215
WILLIAM A. MILLIGAN, 5518-110 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Can.
GEORGE K. GILLBERRY, Ordnance Directorate (Ord 8) Headquarters British Army of the Rhine, British Forces Post Office 40, West Germany
C. RANDOLPH MAY, 19840 N.E. Miami Court, Miami, Florida
HERBERT ARTHUR FISHER, 233 Old Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320
FRANK P. LOUGHRIDGE, P.O. Box 328, Smithville, Texas 78957
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For the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth
by Louis L. Williams, Grand Orator of Illinois (1966)
Ninety-seven years ago Joseph Robbins, in addressing the Grand Lodge of Illinois, said: "The great central truth - the Alpha of Masonry is that God lives and governs the world." This statement sent me off on a hunt for source information that led me down some curious paths and bypaths, with the strange results which you will now learn. Why was Masonry founded upon a belief in God as its great central truth, its foundation stone, its Holy Royal Arch?
Primitive man escaped from the jungle of his ape-like ancestors about one million years ago. Thinking man, as we know him today, the "homo sapiens" of the anthropologist, goes back about 250,000 years. When then, was the dawn of Creation, when the universe became something less than the "formless waste"? Today's astronomers tell us our Milky Way, containing uncounted millions of stars, is 200,000 light years in diameter, taking three million years to complete a single revolution. Compared to this the astronomer Jean remarks, the earth's orbit around the sun is no bigger than a pin's head compared to the surface of the American continent. Beyond our Milky Way stretches other millions of galaxies, separated by millions of light years. No human imagination can begin to conceive of the extent and the miracle of the universe. Could any thinking man believe that all this could have evolved and come into being without some higher power to form and direct its operations?
Primitive man, considering 100,000 years as a single era, developed simultaneously in Java, China, Africa, and mid-Europe. But modern man, with tools and the ability to communicate by speech and written or carved signs, dates back to 35,000 B.C. He then reached his highest state of prehistoric culture in the spot we have come to call the Garden of Eden, or Mesopotamia. This was the kingdom of Babylonia lying near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and governed by Hammurabi I about the year 2000 B.C.
From the first day man began to think in logical terms, he knew there were vast natural powers outside of his immediate knowledge, which controlled the seasons, the weather, the growth of animate life. He sought to appease the wrath of these unknown powers and to curry their favor, by ritualistic ceremonies and by sacrifices, oftentimes human. As knowledge increased, he worshipped the Sun, Moon and Stars; the Wind and Rain; Rivers and Seas; and the Earth which brought forth so much of his food. Gradually a whole series of superhuman powers, or deities, came into being, and a series of Gods was believed to control every phase of human activities. This system of many Gods, or pantheism, was worshipped by all tribes and all nations, and had attained its highest development in the Babylonian-Assyrian-Egyptian area.
But man's thirst for knowledge was as unquenchable then as it is today and one small tribe of men, fed up with the frustrations of trying to appease many Gods, and searching for a destiny and a belief as yet unknown, set out from Babylonia and travelled westward, seeking for the promised land. They were led by a man, or a group of men, we know as Abraham, and they were the children of Israel, now completely unique in their belief of one God, a just Father of us all.
How beautiful is the conception of the first chapter of Genesis with its powerful imagery. Here are the words known to every Mason:
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
"And the earth was without form and void; and the darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
"And God said, 'Let there be light, and there was light.' "
What genius of inspiration must have moved the man who wrote these immortal words.
I will leave for others the task of proving that Masonry originated at the building of King Solomon's Temple. Great gaps of our historical knowledge are being painfully pieced out by our great research scholars; and if Masonry cannot be proved to be the factual heir of King Solomon, it certainly has clearly shown itself to be his spiritual heir.
The operative Masons of the early days had the unique privilege of serving God with hand, heart and mind, for most of them were employed in the construction of the great European Cathedrals between A.D. 1200 and 1700. It would never have occurred to any of them that in or out of Masonry they could do ought else but worship God. So it never would have occurred to the Speculative Mason of 1717 to have any other idea but that God should be the foundation stone upon which all Masonry was founded. What the founders of the Grand Lodge of 1717 were trying to forge, and did create, was a Fraternity, worldwide in scope, which had a simple belief in the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God. Thus, belief in God was the first landmark, the foundation stone, of Masonry.
Masonry flourished, strong and secure in reliance upon monotheism. Although each Mason must assert his belief in God, no Mason is required to define his understanding of God. Each Mason is permitted to interpret his understanding of God in his own way, and to suit his own needs.
Since God is the foundation stone of Masonry, then it logically follows that any successful attack upon God would destroy Masonry. The brilliant German philosopher, Frederick Wilhelm Nietzsche, published his obscure text: "Thus Spake Zarathustra," in 1883. It condemns Christian morality as a code fit only for slavish masses, and preached the doctrine of a race of superman. He first proclaimed the battlecry, "God is dead." Six years later he was hopelessly insane, and most people dismissed his idea as the ravings of a madman. But another madman seized upon the idea, Adolph Hitler, and he used it as the foundation stone of the Nazi Party; the result is well known.
The past spring of 1966 two books hit the book stores: "Radical Theology and the Death of God," by Altizer and Hamilton, and "The Gospels of Christian Atheism," by Altizer. These ideas were developed within Protestantism, and the authors claim the following, among other things:
1. There is no God and never has been. This is traditional atheism.
2. That there once was a God to worship, but that now there is no God.
3. That God needs to be re-defined.
4. That church ritualism needs a thorough revision.
5. That the Christian gospel no longer performs its traditional function of salvation or redemption.
6. That the ordinary concept of God as omnipotent, omniscent and omnipresent must be destroyed.
7. That men today do not experience God.
8. That in a mystical sense God must die if he is to be reborn in us.
9. Lastly, and with this all of us can agree, that our understanding of God and our language about God is inadequate and imperfect. I add my own comment to this statement to the effect that no finite mind could be expected to grasp the infinite.
"What has all this to do with Masonry?" you may ask. Just this, Freemasonry was the creation of mortal men, founded on a belief in God, and a belief in the immortality of the soul. We are not a religion, for we have no ritual of worship, do not offer salvation, have no divine intercessor. If God is dead, then Freemasonry, as we know it, is a hollow mockery, and we are going through motions that will lead us nowhere.
What is the purpose for which Masonry exists? Its ultimate purpose is the perfection of humanity. Mankind itself is still in a period of youth. We are only now beginning to acquire a consciousness of the social aim of socialism of civilization, which is man's perfection. Such perfection can never end with just physical perfection, which is only a means to the end of spiritual perfection.
In a world that seems hurtling towards its own destruction; in a day when moral bankruptcy threatens our social institutions; in an hour when radical religious leaders proclaim that God is dead; those of us who are vitally concerned with the future of mankind need a foundation stone that is absolute. Throughout all time and throughout all the Universe there is one clear absolute, and no other is or ever will be needed: "In the beginning God ...." Here is the absolute, on which all of life is eternally founded.
As Masons let us be animated by one desire, to make the principles and ideals of Masonry live in our own lives, and in the lives of our Brethren. Let us resolve to love God and keep His commandments. Let us prove to the non-Masonic world that God is very much alive, in our hearts, in the work of our hands, in the lives we lead. Let us dedicate to the service of Masonry that which our forefathers in Masonry dedicated to this nation when they brought it into being, namely, "Our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor."
To reaffirm our belief, in closing may I quote a few lines from a magnificent hymn brought to this country from Sweden just eleven years ago:
'O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!"
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by Bliss Kelly, M.P.S.
Masonry emphasizes four important parts of the body, but appears to overlook the most vital part, the brain.
The four parts mentioned are:
1. The guttural, or voice, which symbolizes communication and dissemination of information and education by use of the spoken word and the instructive tongue.
2. The pectoral, or heart, which has for many ages been the symbol of the character of a person. It has signified energy, perception, hate, love, desire, ambition and all other emotional tendencies as well as the spiritual and moral part of man.
3. The manual or the hands, which symbolize the ability to accomplish things, to build, to plant, to harvest, to fight and to assemble things properly, as well as build structures, and to assist others when necessary.
4. The pedal or the feet, which signify man's ability to transport himself from place to place, to explore the world, to go to the aid of others in need, to climb mountains and to reach the heights in every endeavor.
Why is the most important part, the brain, omitted?
The word "pectoral" refers to the breast, in which the heart is situated. The heart is said, by dictionaries, to be the supposed seat of the mental faculties. It is referred to as being the part which controls the affections and passions, the emotions of grief, of joy, enmity, courage, love, hate, pleasure, the will, ambition, conscience and morals. It is also said to be the center of compassion, stubbornness, good and evil.
Memories are referred to as being kept within the faithful breast. It is said that a man is first made a Mason in his heart. From all this, it seems that the ancient Anglo Saxons believed the heart was the center and source of all these, and for this reason they seldom mentioned the brain as being of much importance. So we still refer to the heart as controlling our entire being and emotions.
Perhaps this might be explained in part by the fact that the heart reacts to many emotional situations. For instance, extreme mental stress causes the heart to beat faster when joy is felt, and slower - almost stopping - when sudden fright alarms the person, and then racing faster. Yet, in such cases the heart is, in fact, only reacting to the adrenaline which has been injected into the blood stream by the adrenaline glands when instant stimulation is needed to meet an emergency. But these glands are activated by a message from the brain which is responding to the commands of either the conscious or subconscious mind.
Perhaps a better term would be the head which contains the brain and most of the other five senses of man. The head has been used to designate kings, leaders and those in authority. Persons are referred to as bullheaded sometimes, although they may also be said to be kind hearted.
In line with these ancient misdesignations, Masonry's ritual contains many similar references which are incorrect. Isn't it about time some revisions were made in the ritual, not as innovations or changes, but to correctly state the truth as disclosed by the great objective of Masonry, the never ending search for TRUTH?
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King Solomon's Temple, Egyptian Style
by Robert M. Crawford. M.P.S. (Fla.)
RECENT RESEARCHES on the Books of Kings and Chronicles, and the Egyptian papyrus Ipwuer identifies the Queen of Sheba to have been Queen Hatshepset who was coregent of Egypt with Thutmose III (the Shishak of Chronicles II: 12, 9). As "Shishak," Thutmose III invaded sacked and pillaged Palestine five years after the death of King Solomon and during the reign of Rehoboam son of Solomon. According to James Henry Breasted's "History of Egypt" Hatshepset was a daughter of Thutmose I, by Ahmose, who had two sons by another, unknown wife; one becoming Thutmose II and the other Thutmose III. Thutmose III became heir to Egypt's throne while a very young and inexperienced person, and became extremely ambitious under the tutelage of Hatshepset. That the Queen of Sheba was a queen of Egypt is further confirmed by Josephus in his "Jewish Antiquities":- "Now the woman who at the time ruled as Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia was thoroughly trained in wisdom and remarkable in other ways, and when she heard of Solomon's virtue and understanding was led to him by a strong desire to see him which arose from the things told daily about his country.
The Bible relates the visit of Sheba with Solomon and if one inserts the name Sheba for Hatshepset in Egyptian history of the time of Thutmose III, a strikingly similar narrative ensues. This leads one to wonder whether Solomon's alliance with Egypt through Sheba might not have been an unholy one because five years after the death of Solomon. Sheba's husband Thutmose III (Shishak): "...came up against Jerusalem ... with twelve hundred chariots and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt, Lubia (Lybia), and the Sukim and the Ethiopians." (II Chron. 12, 9.) Further on in the same record one reads of the pillage and sack of Jerusalem wherein Thutmose III: " . . . took away the treasures of the House of the Lord and the treasures of the King's House; he took all; he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made." There remained, after several additional annual plunderings, only the Ark of the Covenant containing the stone Tables of the Covenant Moses received from Jehovah on Mount Sinai together with Aaron's rod and a vessel of manna and which had been carried from place to place during the forty years' wandering in the wilderness and even carried into the many battles engaged in by the Israelites.
The fabulous treasures carried to Egypt by Thutmose III from Palestine are reproduced in bas-relief on a wall of the Temple of Karnak, Egypt, and may be seen to this day. The great wealth accumulated by a nation over centuries of industrious labor, spoils gathered by Saul and David during their military expeditions, loot seized from the Amalekites, products of trade between Asia, India and Africa, gifts from Queen Sheba; all became the booty of Thutmose III. The amazing and intricate work of Hiram Abif is reproduced on this wall and an exhaustive identification of all the objects mentioned in the Bible and carved on the wall has been made and checked-piece by piece. The altars and furnishings of King Solomon's Temple can be identified there.
In addition to the bas-reliefs on the Karnak wall the walls of the tombs of Rekhmire (Visier to Thutmose III) and Menkheperre (high priest) contain bas-reliefs showing vessels, furniture and other artifacts enroute from Palestine as representing gifts to them from Thutmose III. Here are shown coppersmiths with the inscription: Bringing Asiatic coppersmiths which his majesty captured in Retnu" (an Egyptian name for Palestine). Over figures of cabinet makers appears the inscription: "Making chests of ivory and ebony." There are brickmakers and masons shown working on the temple of Amon with the inscription: "Captives which his majesty brought for the works of the temple of Amon." A taskmaster is saying to the builders: "The rod is in my hand, be not idle." Thus today any traveler to Egypt may gaze on the walls of Karnak and the tombs of Rekhmire and Menkheperre and see carvings in stone of the people of Palestine of the days of King Solomon, the animals and plants they raised and the sacred objects they cherished.
Breasted writes concerning Thutmose III: "The genius who rose from an obscure priestly office . . . reminds us of an Alexander or a Napoleon. He built the first real empire . . . From the fastness of Asia Minor, the marshes of the Upper Euphrates, the islands of the seas, the swamps of Babylonia, the distant shores of Lybia, the oases of the Sahara, the terraces of the Somali coast and the upper cataracts of the Nile; the princes of his time rendered tribute to his greatness. It should be a matter of gratification to us of the Western world that one of his greatest monuments, the Heliopolitan Obelisk, now rises on our own shores as a memorial to the world's first empire builder." The obelisk referred to is the one now standing in Central Park, New York City.
A most convincing proof that the Queen of Sheba and Queen Hatshepset were one and the same person is the presence in Egypt in everlasting stone of Temple Dier el Bahir, the ruins of which lie not far from Thebes. On the walls of this temple are bas-reliefs descriptive of the life and most important events of Queen Hatshepset. One relates of her divine birth and another series, called Punt Reliefs, relates of a journey to the Land of Punt ("God's Land," Holy Land, Palestine and Phoenicia). The story told on these reliefs is none other than that Hatshepset considered her expedition to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon to have been a personal triumph and she emphasized it by building Temple Dier el Bahir to be a substantial copy of King Solomon's Temple. One relief reads: "I have hearkened to my father . . . commanding me to establish for him a Punt in his house, to plant the trees of God's Land beside his temple (Dier el Bahir) and in his garden."
The terraces leading to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem particularly impressed Queen Hatshepset. I Kings 10:4, 5 reads: "And when the Queen of Sheba had seen . . . the house that he (Solomon) had built . . . and the ascent by which he went up unto the House of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her." Similar terraces were built and planted facing Dier el Bahir (referred to in the bas-reliefs as The Most Splendid of Splendors), of which it is written in Kings: " . . . there came no such alum trees nor were seen until this day." Queen Hatshepset wrote: "Never was seen the like since the world was." A relief on a wall of Dier el Bahir shows these trees with the inscription: "Trees were taken up in God's Land and set in the ground (in Egypt)."
The design of Dier el Bahir does not at all follow the grandiose massive style so characteristic of Egyptian structures and many have commented on this observation. Mariette wrote: "It is an accident and an exception in the architectural life of Egypt." Maspero wrote: "Mariette, struck by the strange appearance of the edifice, thought that it betrayed a foreign influence and supposed that Queen Hatshepset had constructed it in the model of some building seen by her officers in the land of Puanit (Punt)." Breasted writes: "The building was in design quite unlike the great temples of the age."
The Temple of Jerusalem was built upon terraces planted with exotic trees and shrubbery. These terraces were traversed by an ascending path along which the Levites trod, starting with the lowest, singing their "song of ascent" as they mounted the path on their way to the temple services. The Temple, itself, comprised (among other marvelous artifacts) a Great Hall which was three times as long as it was wide, before the hall was a vestibule behind which was the Holy of Holies and the Molten Sea occupied the center of the Inner Court. The whole was surrounded by a great colonnade of pillars. Dier el Bahir was constructed likewise and, except for the fact that it was built against a mighty cliff (there being no high prominence available similar to Mount Moriah) the two structures can be said to have been identical in design.
Not only was the physical structure of Dier el Bahir a copy of King Solomon's Temple, but the Temple's service was substantially duplicated there. Not until the building of Dier el Bahir, had an Egyptian temple service been officiated by a high priest, leading twelve priests to a sacrificial altar. A relief fragment from Dier el Bahir, now in the Louvre, Paris, shows a high priest leading twelve priests divided into four orders of three priests each, and a damaged inscription reads: " . . . in the temple of Amon, The Most Splendid of Splendors, by the high priest of Amon . . . ."
The office of high priest was established in an Egyptian temple service at Dier el Bahir only during the reign of Queen Hatshepset and after her visit with King Solomon. At the dedication of Dier el Bahir Queen Hatshepset issued an edict: "Ye shall fulfill according to my regulations without transgression of that which my mouth has given in order to establish the laws of his (Amon's) house. "
The establishment of King Solomon's Temple service, at least in substance, at the Temple of Amon (Dier el Bahir) planted the seed of monotheism for the second time * in Egypt; however the seed failed to germinate, for after the death of Queen Hatshepset and Thutmose III, feuding successors to the throne of Egypt refused to continue the concept of monotheism and reverted to the old polytheism. After several centuries Amenhotep IV (whose mother was Tiy and whose favorite queen was Nefertiti) succeeded in firmly establishing the concept of One God and changed his name to Akhnaton. So ardent was Akhnaton's belief in One God that he had his father's name (Amenhotep III) chisled off all bas-reliefs wherever possible and the name Akhnaton substituted.
* Moses is credited with being the originator of the concept of monotheism and Biblical writings, as well as Jewish writings, say that Moses was reared by a daughter of the Pharaoh and "became learned in the magic of the Egyptians." Sigmund Freud in his "Moses and Monotheism" (completed in England after a serious illness as a refugee from Nazi Germany) claims that his researches of several years duration indicates that Moses was an Egyptian and not a Jew. One salient point in this respect lies in the name "Moses." Freud notes that the lost syllable of many Egyptian Pharoahs' names is "mose"; (ThutMOSE, AhMOSE, etc.) and that the Greeks later added the final "s" which was customary in translating from the Hebrew into Greek. Freud submits other strong points in support of his belief that Moses actually was an Egyptian. Other authoritative writings, (that find no place here at the moment), point strongly to the fact that Moses endeavored to establish monotheism in Egypt prior to the Exodus.
Thus it would appear that the monotheistic concept had its genesis in Egypt with Moses (circa 1550 B.C.), was adopted by the Israelites, continued during the forty years' journey to Jerusalem, was represented by a portable Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, finally aggrandized in the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah (circa 1095 B.C.) and returned to Egypt after several centuries by Queen Hatshepset for an all too short period of time.
Sources: Ages in Chaos, by Immanuel Velikovsky. The Tell al-Amarna Tablets, English translation by Mercer. History of Egypt by Dr. James Henry Breasted. Moses and Monotheism, by Sigmund Freud. The Holy Bible, King James Version.
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by Harold N. Painter, M.P.S.
The Masonic fraternity may be likened unto a dinosaur: for 160,000,000 years dinosaurs ruled the surface of the earth, but at the end they continued to be sluggish and failed to adapt themselves to changing conditions.
Our Fraternity has a rich history, and though it is still very strong it is facing many serious problems. Yes, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell the idea of brotherhood for government is supplying many of these needs.
The membership quite rightly views our Fraternity as an officers club. Many Masons embark on a Masonic career. And success depends upon what other Masons think of you.
The manner of getting new members into the Masonic fraternity is archaic. Indeed, methods used by many members are un-masonic and an utter disgrace.
There are many Masonic organizations and the continual jealousy, and fussing, that exists among many Masonic leaders cannot possibly build us up.
Rising costs are having a profound effect. Blue Lodges are lowering their standards of admission in order to keep their Lodge alive. Many Lodges hold prospect meetings. Members of the rites conduct rigorous membership campaigns so that they can operate and remain strong.
In my own Blue Lodge we have had but one dinner for the ladies in the last twenty years. Yet the York Rite and the Scottish Rite have had several hundred. It is no small wonder that the ladies prefer an organization in which they can have some participation.
Lack of competent ritualists is felt keenly. More and more we are finding out that men of ability will not take the time necessary to memorize long parts. Neither will strong men spend ten years going through the chairs for a single honor.
Our Fraternity will live as long as it makes positive contributions to its members. These are knowledge of the divine mysteries, benefits to members, charity, and officer attainment.
If our Fraternity does not survive, then it will die as a result of outmoded ways. It must adapt itself to environment and change with the passing of time.
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What's the Symbolism of Inverted Square and Compass Asks Reader?
by John Black Vrooman, Editor
In a letter recently written Dwight L. Smith, F.P.S., and Grand Secretary of the M.W. Grand Lodge of Indiana, Brother George N. Nettleton, Indiana's Grand Representative in Massachusetts, says:
"Enclosed you will find photographs of headstones . . . which show an inverted Square and Compass resting upon the Holy Bible. Our local cemetery (Lee, Massachusetts) holds five other similar headstones, all erected during the period from 1833 to 1869. As an expert on Masonic history, your thoughts on the reason for the emblems being shown in this manner will be appreciated very much indeed.
In the Transactions of Lodge of Research C.C, Dublin, Ireland, several photographs are shown of similar Inverted Square and Compass.
Particularly applicable, however, are the plates on pages 146-147 of these 1928 Transactions, showing inverted Square and Compass on a tombstone, and the inscription "Here lyeth the Body of Owen McGinnis 1766 Aged 59."
In researching such a subject as this, one cannot draw on too many facts, but must think of tradition, custom, particularly custom of place and time, as well as the character of the persons with whom the events are to be connected. What would be proper in this day and age, might not have been so in the early days, and moreover, customs and actions of that day were even more bizarre than we can contemplate.
Who can add light to this interesting set of circumstances??
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NORTHERN SCOTTISH RITE GIVES SPLENDID HONORS
The Gourgas Medal of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, a rarely conferred honor, was awarded in the annual sessions of the Supreme Council of the Fraternity to Richard A. Kern, 33d, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The medal was conferred for "notably distinguished service in the cause of Freemasonry, humanity or country."
The eleven previous recipients were former President Harry S. Truman, the late King Gustave V of Sweden, the late Kaufman T. Keller of Detroit, the late Roscoe Pound of Boston, the late Dr. Winfred Overholser of Washington, D.C., General Mark Wayne Clark, the late George E. Bushnell of Detroit, former Secretary of State Christian A. Herter, the late Edward W. Wheeler of Brunswick, Maine, and Bishop Fred P. Corson of Philadelphia.
One hundred and eighty-eight leading Masons were elected to receive the Thirty-third Degree in 1967 in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania.
Among those chosen to receive the Thirty-third Degree next year awarded for "dedicated service to Freemasonry or for outstanding contribution to humanity reflecting credit on the Fraternity "are: Governor Otto Kerner, Jr., of Illinois; William A. Patterson of Chicago, Chairman of the Board of United Air Lines; Wade Negley Harris of Cleveland, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Midland-Ross Corp.; Herman C. Krannert of Indianapolis, Chairman, Inland Container Corp.; Methodist Bishop William Ralph Ward, Jr., of Syracuse and Evangelical United Brethren Bishop Hermann W. Kaebnick of Harrisburg.
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Case Relinquishes Notes & Queries - Stowe Takes Over
James R. Case, F.P.S., who has so ably sponsored the interesting page - Notes, Queries and Information on Items of Masonic Research since 1957, has come to the parting of the ways and the Philalethes Society has lost an ardent Masonic worker in a particular place.
Brother Jim has been given so many important and active duties in Masonic and civic endeavor, that he has written the Editor that he must, in the interest of his health and of other activities, give up the sponsorship of this interesting page.
We are proud of the fine work that this dedicated Brother has done for the Philalethes Society. We deeply appreciate his endeavors to make Freemasonry more understandable, and his most readable and brilliant contributions to our magazine.
We shall fondly hope that we may continue to enjoy the wisdom of his wide Masonic experience and background, and above all, we feel that we may call on him when the need arises, to help make this a better publication. Thanks, Jim Case!
The Society is particularly fortunate to have one who has made a major contribution to Masonic Research, in the person of Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S., who will work with the Editor in the formulation of the Information page.
Librarian of The ACF Technical Center, St. Charles, Mo., Archivist of the Scottish Rite Memorial Library of St. Louis, and an active Masonic worker, it is contemplated that his enthusiasm and zeal will do much to support the activity of this particular feature of the magazine. Welcome, Bob M. Stowe!
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BY ALBERT L. BILLER, M.P.S. (Mass.)
THE PECULIARITIES and lasting qualities of Masonry are locked in its symbolism. Its roots are in the past; it lives in the present; and it has an eye to the future, thereby giving it a perspective of life in its entirety.
As an example of symbolic meanings we may start with the Cabalistic way of thinking and its application to the "mysteries" of Masonry. This is a system of thought used to impart special meaning to numbers and letters. This pseudo-science claims that there are hidden meanings and wisdom in numbers and letters. (And, by the way, the word "mystery" as used in the Masonic sense means the work or drama being exemplified, often using allegories. It does not refer to a mystery story or "who-done-it;" neither does it mean curiosity in the ordinary sense of the word). The word "mystery" originates from the French "mystere" or Greek "mysterion," and carries with it the meaning of a religious ceremony or the rites of initiation; or the work, art, or craft acted out by apprentices of the guilds because they sought "mystery" in the art of building. Its theological meaning is that of truth or fact which is beyond human comprehension. It is secret, esoteric, and defies interpretation. The word "Mister" or "Master" is also derived from this. A master is a tradesman, if you will, who knows his job well.
Words, pictures, and sounds may be used as symbols. A symbol may be an allegory, a myth, a book, a symphony; indeed, anything that says one thing but implies something else. The real subject is inferred and not stated bluntly. For example, two seemingly different things may be alluded to but they have the same meaning. It is something represented other than what it is. The beauty of a symbol is that whatever meaning is gleaned by one person may be quite different to another. A symbol may be a pictorial representation of ideas, and because it is so elastic, is used to provoke thought. Symbols in Masonry are illustrated by lectures only partially and are one-sided. One must not only hear ritual but one must study, interpret, and develop the meaning of the various symbols for himself.
The same sounding words in various languages do not have the same meaning. But signs and symbols do have the same meaning the world over. He who learns only words, and does not delve into the meanings behind them, misses the intent, the significance, and impact of Masonry. The theory behind the symbol is most important. To cite a few examples: the Master's hat signifies equality and freedom. A white dove has always represented peace, but a black bird connotes melancholy or death. The Masonic Trestle Board depicts the human soul. The fish in Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" as well as the whale in Melvilles's "Moby Dick" are symbolic of man's search for Truth.
In Masonry, every act, word, parable, allegory, myth, or fable is directed to God. The candidate for the degrees is always ministering to God before the altar. In so doing, he makes it a personal and religious experience in his own individual way. It can therefore be readily seen that this lends itself to varying emphases and interpretations. The ritual symbolizes ideas which can be interpreted again and again in various shades and colors. It may be likened to listening to a symphony many times, and each time one hears something new.
With this background we are ready to discuss the three-sided figure, the triangle, which is without question the most important single symbol in all of Masonry. This is seen in a variety of ways. The three knocks on the door allude to the operative mason "breaking off the rough and superfluous parts of stones." The three raps of the gavel by a Judge in a court of law symbolically calls on the Deity to witness the proceedings at hand. The same applies to the bailiff who cries "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!" In religious readings, the word "Holy" is repeated three times. Certain prayers are repeated three times in succession. In the Old Testament God utters His Name three times "Yehova, Yehova, El" which means "I, the Lord, God." (Exodus 34:6 and 34:7). In the New Testament the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are always used as the Trinity. In Masonry, there are three stations and three top officers to rule a Lodge. The lap of the apron has three sides and three angles. A line drawn in such a manner as to bisect any two opposite corners produces two more triangles which when coupled with the triangle of the lap, makes three triangles in all. There are three movable and three immovable jewels, and three articles of furniture in a Lodge. The three Great Lights cannot be used or interpreted without the three Lesser Lights, Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty are alluded to constantly in the ritual. Jacob's Ladder has "three principal rounds denominated Faith, Hope and Charity." There are three Biblical Patriarchs common to the Jewish, Christian, and Mohammedan religions. The mythical god of the seas, Neptune or Poseidon is depicted carrying a trident. Even the Pyramids were built in triangular form to suggest Eternity. Note the right-angled triangle in the center of the Pythagorean Theorem symbolizing Deity and Perfection. Any multiple of three is also of great importance. For example, in the Scottish Rite, there are thirty-three degrees - one degree symbolic of each year of the existence of King Solomon's Temple; or one degree for each year of Jesus' life on earth.
The triangle, like the circle, means Deity - since God has no beginning or end - and alludes to Eternity. This can be readily understood if one reads Exodus 3:14 which tells of the conversation between Moses and God at the Burning Bush. You will recall that God answers Moses at the latter's query as to how he (Moses) could explain to the Israelites to whom he was talking. God answered "Eyeh asher Eyeh" - which means "I AM THAT I AM" - or trans-literated means "I always was, AM, and shall be." This is an allusion to the triangle, and is universally understood to mean Deity. The Star of David is also universal because the one triangle symbolically represents the soul God has put into that body - so interlaced as to be inseparable and inextricably interwined.
The triangle, or number 3, is also a symbol of perfection. One can find this everywhere in ancient thought and in every mystic philosophy. With the triangle everything is in equilibrium and balance.
When a High Priest or King in ancient days was anointed with Holy Oil, it signified that the Divine Spirit had been imbued into that person, and thereby received "the spark of Eternity." The same is symbolically true for the initiate who has "entered into the fold of the elect" with God ever before him.
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(Part of a talk made by A. Ralph Baker, P.M., on September 24, 1965, during Grand Lodge Visitation to Uintah Lodge No. 7 and Bonneville Lodge No. 31 at Park City, Utah, for the Committee on Masonic Education of the Grand Lodge F. and A. M. of Utah.)
During the past few months it has been my pleasure to have been requested to address several Masonic groups concerning the quality of men who are seeking admission to our brotherhood. Earlier this past summer, the Grand Master of California made the statement, "We should guard against admitting men who do not measure up to the highest qualifications."
On the surface, it would appear to me that Masonic leaders are asking themselves and others, "What is happening to the dedicated Master Mason?" My reply to them would be this: "Nothing that is not happening to all men, women, and children in every walk of life on the American scene." By way of explanation, let me say that you and I and every soul inhabiting these United States of America, are being subjected to what is now called "normal living." That is to say, we are in a very complex society, wherein we work for a living, for our churches, for our cities, for the State and the Nation. We also seek fraternal and social intercourse. Business interests demand that we entertain our associates, so we join country clubs and other social organizations. We own and drive more automobiles than do the people of any other nation in the world. Consequently, the American people have become more nomadic than any other in history. All this we do without considering the time it takes to do things well. If one argues with the system, he hears the retort, "get a busy man to do the job." This, of course, is fine providing the "busy man" does not drop dead from hypertension or a heart attack.
Most men who join fraternal orders are gregarious; that is, they like other people - they want to be with them and to do things with them. Literally, they are the perpetuators of human societies. What has this to do with Masonry? I say it is the answer to why we do not have men working with dedicated minds, hands, and hearts, to promulgate the best interest of the Masonic fraternity. In plain words, we are bombarded by so many outside demands that they affect our lives.
These great demands have disastrous effects upon our interest and activities in the paramount issue of our Masonic lives; namely, our lack of interest in maintaining liberty and freedom in our great land. Brethren, it may shock you to realize that liberty and freedom no longer abide in the halls of justice, but are long since supplanted by law. Liberty and freedom, as our forefathers knew them after the terrible struggle to loose the noose of political slavery, no longer exist - for now a free man is considered free only if he agrees with and participates in the legal ideology of the present socialistic reform. The great republic of the United States of America is no longer a democracy governed by the people, but a conglomeration of unions, businesses, sectarian groups, and enterprising individuals, all grasping for power. Lobbying groups fight for exceptions. No longer do we have the phenomenon of masterful men with open minds, but small men with political aspirations, avidly striving to be something they are not and never will be.
You ask, what has this to do with Masonry? Brethren, this is Masonry, for there is nothing democratic about our Fraternity. It is, and always has been autocratic, and only by attracting the highest type of men to enter and govern has it been made acceptable to men. Though it hurts me to say it, I am persuaded to believe that the same type of men who are depriving our country of its freedoms are doing the same to Masonry. Hence, I feel, as with our nation, Masonry is affected by lack of moral courage. We need not fear those outside of our membership, for as surely as the sun's rays will open each succeeding day, so will it be our lot, as with other institutions and nations, the decay will come from within.
Our great Fraternity has an inheritance, from its conception by strong and courageous men - the heritage of an awesome responsibility, that of being free. Down through the ages, those who have sought to control the destinies of men and nations, have feared, as they still do, the free man. What makes the free man, and how does he retain his freedom? During the past one hundred years, the best answer was given by a man who dedicated his life and actions to freeing men - Abraham Lincoln.
Remember what he said, and stop to think what is going on in these United States today:
"You cannot bring prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."
What makes a free man? Does this statement by Lincoln offer any clue as to why men are free, how they become free, how they remain free? Does any part of it sound a bell of warning ?
We of the Masonic fraternity have been assailed on every side by our elected and appointed leaders to try to stop this drift into socialism, then into dictatorship with its loss of human dignities and its inevitable return to bondage. Collectively, as Masons, we have no right to act, but as free men each of us is charged Masonically to defend and protect our country and our freedom. Distressing as it may be, one need not depart from a Masonic Lodge to find some of those who, through ignorance, are helping to lead us down the path to socialism.
Brethren, it is long overdue that we should find leadership to inspire us to do what is needed to keep us free. Our first President, a distinguished Mason, pointed out some of the pitfalls which could endanger the new nation, and I feel this might well apply to our Grand Lodge:
"This government (or Grand Lodge), the offspring of our own choice, uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation. completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and containing therein a provision for its own amendment has a just claim to your confidence and your support, and there will always be cause to distrust the Patriotism (or Loyalty) of those who, in any quarter may endeavor to weaken its bonds."
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BY RABBI H. GEFFEN, F.P.S.
WHEN T H E STUDIOUS Mason prosecutes the business of the Lodge, he employs his leisure in studying the Liberal Arts and Sciences - that valuable branch of education, which tends so effectually to polish and adorn the mind.
Astronomy, with its world of discoveries; Music, with its soothing fascinating influence; Architecture, with its various orders, and their origin; commend themselves to his early attention, and lead the way for the completion of his own sentient being - that most fearful and wonderful piece of God's workmanship, endowed with its amazing faculties and powers of perception.
Especially does he delight in the study of Geometry, the original synonym of Masonry. By the light of this science, he may curiously trace nature through the various windings, to her most concealed recesses, and discern the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Grand Artificer of the Universe.
It reveals to him how the planets move in their several orbits, and demonstrates their various revolutions. By it he is enabled to account for the return of seasons and assign causes for their various and interesting scenes. Being of a Divine and moral nature, it is enriched with the most useful knowledge, for while it proves the wonderful properties of nature, it demonstrates the more important truths of morality. It elevates the mind from things moral and transitory and conducts it to the contemplation of that One Supreme Being, to whose name all created beings, from the highest Angel to the lowliest son of Adam should bow in humble reverence.
Such are the representations and moral teachings of the Liberal Arts and Sciences in Masonry; such is the work of the Lodge. In such a school, there is ample scope for the most gifted intellect; and it is plain that, in such pursuits there is no place for the profligate, the idle, or the vain.
Studying the Liberal Arts, the Mason is seeking the truth, that truth which is a Divine attribute, and the foundation of every virtue.
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This question is continually cropping up and Masters and others confronted with it from enquiring members are often at a loss for satisfactory answers. There has just come to our attention a most valuable and useful statement on the subject written by Bro. William A. Carpenter, Librarian of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. It is worth preserving and to make wide distribution of the advice we cheerfully pass it on to our readers.
"We should not take a timid approach to our answers. We should not indicate a desire to 'change the subject.' We should not reflect a 'mum's the-word' attitude. Instead we should be prepared to speak with ease, pride and authority. What do we have to hide? Make it known that Freemasonry is a way of life.
"Freemasonry is fraternal in organization, religious in character, based on the belief in the Fatherhood of God, Brotherhood of Man, and the immortality of the Soul. Be prompt to make known that Freemasonry is not a 'secret society' as many surmise. Freemasonry is a voluntary association wherein the interested one comes of his own free will and accord. Indicate also that Freemasonry is not a religion as many claim it is. Discussion on religion and politics have no place in our proceedings.
"Proclaim that Freemasonry, in its every effort and purpose strives to do charitable work within its membership and for society and through its teachings, seeks to make good men better men. You can proudly state that the basic ethical principles exemplified in our ritual and Lodge work, are such as are most acceptable to all good men; they are lessons based on the Golden Rule, tolerance toward men, respect for one's family, charity towards all and being true to God, for His gracious and numerous blessings.
"Be proud to proclaim that Freemasonry is a band of men bound together in the bond of Brotherly Love and Affection that extends throughout the world. And to sum it all up Freemasonry is kindness in the home, honesty in business, courtesy in society, fairness in work, pity and concern for the unfortunate, resistance toward the wicked, help for the weak, trust in the strong, forgiveness for the penitent, love for one another and, above all, reverence and love for God.
- Ravenswood Temple Topics
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Connecticut Sponsors "Brotherhood in Action" Committee
Through the cooperation of the management of WNHC-TV, Channel 8, New Haven, a series of television programs had its premier showing on Channel 8, Sunday, November 6th, at 1:30 P.M. A member representing our Grand Lodge on t h e "Brotherhood in Action" Committee, William C. Neu, is the coordinator for the series of programs.
The first program featured a panel consisting of William Campbell, P.G.M.; William Wymen, Grand Master; Milton Kadish, President of B'nai Birth; John Rogers, P.G.M., Prince Hall Masons; Rudolph Lincke, Grand Master, Prince Hall Masons, and John Bedell, Supreme Deputy for Connecticut, Knights of Columbus. It was moderated by Gene Valentino, Chairman of the Connecticut "Brotherhood in Action" Committee.
Succeeding telecasts will feature other speakers and activities of Lodges and Councils in the area of community efforts to further the causes of Brotherhood in our State.
- Square and Compass
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Some Thoughts by William Jennings Bryan
by Carl W. Hazel
If the Father deigns to touch with divine power the cold and pulseless heart of the buried acorn, and to make it burst forth from its prison walls, will He leave neglected in the earth the soul of man made in the image of his Creator?
If He stoops to give to the rose bush, whose withered blossoms float upon the autumn breeze, the sweet assurance of another springtime, will He refuse the words of Hope to the Sons of Men, when the frosts of winter come?
If matter mute and inanimate, though changed by the forces of Nature into a multitude of forms, can never die, will the spirit of man suffer annihilation when it has paid a brief visit, like a royal guest, to this tenement of clay? No, I am as sure that there is another life as I am that I live today.
If this invisible germ of life in the grain of wheat can thus pass unimpaired through three thousand resurrections, I shall not doubt that my soul has the power to clothe itself with a new body suited to its new existence, when this earthly frame has crumbled into dust.
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Notes, Queries and Information On Items of Masonic Research
BY BOB M. STOWE, M.P.S.
5554 Waterman Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63112
1967 - No. 1
THE NUMBER OF LETTERS CONTAINING QUESTIONS which relate to matters of fact in Masonic history, biography and tradition, justify their treatment in a column apart from other portions of the magazine.
Our readers and members are invited to send such 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 Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S.
It must be noted that this page is for EXCHANGE of information and opinion, and does not pretend to provide the final answer to any query.
215 - Desert Masons. Is there data on Sir Richard Burton's membership in the so-called Desert Mason's Society? Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S.
216 - Jeweler's Handbook. Is there a jeweler's hand book that illustrates the various ways to make Masonic Jewels, etc. ? Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S.
217 - Thomas Bayes. Brother John W. Kloss, 504 Lincoln Ave., Erie, Pa.,
writes: Thomas Bayes, died in 1761, English. Propounded the law of inverse probability ("Philosophical Trans.," 1763). "In 1720 he left London to become minister of a chapel in Tunbridge Wells. He served as minister only until 1731, but remained at Tunbridge Wells until his death in 1761. The high point in his life seems to be his election, in 1742, to the Royal Society. Why was he accorded this honor is a bit of a mystery . . . Nevertheless, he was sponsored by five of its leading members." . . . "Product Engineering" magazine, March 29, 1965. Can anyone shed further light on this?
218 - George Wythe. Brother John W. Kloss, 504 Lincoln Ave., Erie, Pa., writes: George Wythe, of colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, Professor at the College of William and Mary. Dr. James D. Carter, of course, claims him as a Freemason. Rice and Brown, in the MSA Digest: "Masonic Signers of the Declaration of Independence," are more careful. It seems that he should have been a member . . . is there any more data on him today than when the MSA Digest was published ?
219 - Working Tools. Is there any jurisdiction in the U.S.A. where all the working tools are on display during the time the Lodge is open for work? I understand this is the practice in some of the Lodges in Australia. S.M.F., Connecticut.
227 - A Los Angeles Query. Thomas A. Crane, M.P.S., 6795 Cherry Ave., Middleville, Michigan 49333, wishes to hear from some members of the Philalethes who can give him information about the Philosophical Research Society, Inc., 3910 Los Feliz Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90027.
228 - Knocks. E.B.R. of Connecticut wants to know the significance of the knocks which follow the signs in opening a Lodge. Why are they given three at each station in some jurisdictions, while in others they are given once at each station, thrice repeated? When did the practice originate and what is the meaning?
229 - William Asa Fletcher (1788-1852). Born in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Lived in Salem, Mass., and central New York state before going to Michigan in 1821. Became a lawyer and judge and was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan. He acted as Grand Chaplain of an emergent Grand Lodge when the cornerstone of the first capitol building of the Michigan Territory was laid in 1823. Definitely a member of Washington Royal Arch Chapter of Salem, a search is being made to ascertain in what Lodge he was made a Mason. J.F.S., Michigan.
52 - Cross Letters. (Aug. 1958; Oct. 1960; June, Dec. 1965.) This column has been informed that the Diary of Jeremy Ladd Cross is in the special MSS collection of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge Library in the Masonic Temple at Boston. We hope soon to inform our readers whether or not any correspondence is with the Diary.
175 - Salt in Freemasonry. (Oct. 1964; Feb., Aug. 1965; April, Oct. 1966.) The apochryphal Book of Esdras I contains some references, of interest to Royal Arch Masons in particular, concerning the rebuilding of the Temple. Along with the "bullocks and rams and lambs" to be furnished for daily sacrifice there was added "corn, salt, wine and oil." Some readers had expected to see a comprehensive article in the magazine concerning Salt in Masonry.
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SWAP CORNER FOR NEEDED BOOKS AND RESEARCH MATERIAL,
Readers please carry on correspondence with individuals in need.
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1 - SWAPCORNER. Mel L. Pfankuche, M.P.S., 3319 Harwinton Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, wants Vols. 38, 41-60, 72-78 and 85 to end, of the Masonic Review, edited by Cornelius Moore. Will trade earlier bound volumes of same.
2 - SWAP CORNER. Dwight L. Smith, F.P.S., Masonic Temple, 525 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, Indiana, wants 1906 Proceedings of the Grand Commandery, K.T. of Indiana.
3 - SWAPCORNER. Harry Carr, Secretary of Quatour Coronati Lodge No. 2076, London, writes that the price of Collected Prestonian Lectures is $7.20 and not $5.00 post free as stated in a back issue of the Philalethes. Please note Brothers.
4 - SWAP CORNER. Bob M. Stowe, M.P.S., wants two copies of The Daughter of Hiram Abif, by John J. Lanier, 1922. Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., 87 pages. Will purchase.
5 - SWAP CORNER. Bob M. Stowe M.P.S., wants: The Stepping-Stone to Architecture, consisting of a series of Q. & A. explaining in simple language the principles and progress of architecture from the earliest times. By Thomas Mitchell. London. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892. 83 pages, will purchase.