Contents
It Seems To Me
Washington Conferences
Have Inspired
MASONIC WORKSHOP Chat and Comment
Made a Freemason in Jail Symbol of Liberty
Our Free Public Schools Grand Lodge Libraries, Their Uses and Benefits
Dr. Eugene Hopp, M.P.S. American Revolution
The Photograph of Freemasonry Recommended Masonic Reading
About the Author of Walden Pond A Good Masonic Program
The Ritual Is Not The Main Thing Double Award for Service to Freemasonry
Improving Step By Step The Literature of Masonry
London Bridge Dispelling Another Masonic Myth
A Gem From the Past How the States Got Their Names
Washington a Mason At 20 A Parable
Published bi-monthly at Franklin, Indiana by
THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY
John Black Vrooman, F.P.S. Editor
Box 402, St. Louis, Missouri 63166
OFFICERS
William R. Denslow, F.P.S. President
P.O. Box 529
Trenton, Missouri 64683
William E. Yeager, F.P.S. First Vice President
350 Pennsylvania Avenue, W.
Warren, Pennsylvania 16365
Robert V. Osborne, F.P.S. Second Vice President
3624 Giffard Road,
Franksville, Wisconsin 53126
Franklin J. ("Andy") Anderson, F.P.S. Executive Secretary
P. O. Box 529
Trenton, Missouri 64683
Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S. Treasurer
728 Haws Avenue
Norristown, Pennsylvania 19401
LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS
Philalethes Society
Lee E. Wells, F.P.S.
Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S. (Life)
Dr. Charles Gottshall Reigner, F.P.S.
Judge Robert H. Gollmar, F.P.S.
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Jerry Marsengill, M.P.S.
2602 Terrace Road
Des Moines, Iowa 50312
Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., (Life)
237 Millbridge Road Riverside, Illinois 60546
Melvin L. Pfankuche, M.P.S.
14267-130th Place N.E.
Kirkland, Washington 98033
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY EMERITUS
Carl R. Greisen. F.P.S.
Volume XXV, No. 2
----o----
By JOHN BLACK VROOMAN, F.P.S., Editor
THAT the impact of the Masonic meetings in our Nation's Capital have focussed the attention of the Craft upon the necessity of pre-planning and active participation by ALL Freemasons in the progressive celebration between now and 1976 in the program celebrating the Bicentennial of the birth of our Nation.
Special committees to plan and execute these programs have been set up, not alone by the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, and by the several Colonial states which formed the government, especially the R.W. Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, but by most of the Grand Lodges of this country, which will make outlined programs and activity available for everyone, but especially to co-ordinate and outline activities by which each Grand Lodge, and appendant Masonic body may have working material that will be practical and efficient.
Already, many Grand Lodges have set the wheels in motion that will stimulate and activate data which will be helpful in setting up material that can be used by all Masonic groups to plan progressive action throughout each year between now and 1976 by which to give the greatest effort towards a united and colorful program.
At the recent sessions of the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, its special committee has outlined its preliminary plans. Each Grand Lodge that now has such a committee is gathering informative data and information that will be made available when the time comes for its use.
We, of the Philalethes Society, as good citizens and active Freemasons, are very much interested in these plans, and we have been assured that, when the time comes, we may be helpful in using this material, and spreading the information to our less informed and interested brethren.
It will be our hope that through the columns of the Philalethes magazine we may have the privilege of giving thoughtful publicity and information to those who may need it to assist in this great work of paying tribute to those who are giving their time and their efforts toward a realistic interpretation of this historic event.
In the February issue of our magazine, Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., has written a provocative and inspiring article - "Preparing for the Year 1976." We expect to have other similar articles in every issue of the magazine, looking toward the final year of the celebration.
Programs do not become realities just by themselves, and it takes time, effort and hard work on the part of dedicated Freemasons to bring such programs and their execution to reality. We are hoping and anticipating that many of our well informed brethren, who have the good of this celebration at heart, will write for our magazine something that can stimulate and enhance our participation in this nationwide program. We must, however, proceed with caution, and assemble our facts with accuracy, as well as avoid the many pitfalls of deliberate "mix-information" by which to mislead and confuse the real facts of our Nation's history and progress.
Featured in this issue . ..
IT SEEMS TO ME, Editorial, by John Black Vrooman, F.P.S.
WASHINGTON CONFERENCES HAVE INSPIRED MASONIC ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
CHAT AND COMMENT, by Jerry Marsengill, M.P.S.
MADE A FREEMASON IN JAIL, by Harold V. B. Voorhis, F.P.S., Life
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
SYMBOL OF LIBERTY, by Gen. Herman Nickerson, Jr., M.P.S.
MASONS ESTABLISHED AND HAVE SUPPORTED OUR FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, by Charles F. Gosnell, M.P.S.
GRAND LODGE LIBRARIES, THEIR USES AND BENEFITS, by Charles T. Jackson, Grand Secretary, Iowa
DR. EUGENE HOPP, M.P.S., IS WINNER OF AWARD
ST. JOHN'S LODGE, PORTSMOUTH, N. H. IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, by Gerald D. Foss, M.P.S.
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF FREEMASONRY, by Louis C. King, M.P.S.
RECOMMENDED MASONIC READING, by Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., Life
MASONIC LODGE OF RESEARCH TO HONOR CONRAD HAHN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF "WALDEN POND"
A GOOD MASONIC PROGRAM, by Roger K. Becker, P.G.H.P., Indiana
THE RITUAL IS NOT THE MAIN THING, by Rabbi H. Geffen, F.P.S.
FREEDOMS FOUNDATION AGAIN HONORS HEATON
PHILALETHES EDITOR HONORED - Vrooman Receives Double Award for Service To Freemasonry, by Jerry Marsengill, M.P.S.
THE LITERATURE OF MASONRY, by The Late W. H. Knutz, F.P.S.
DISPELLING ANOTHER MASONIC MYTH; WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON
GRAND MASTER PRO TEM?
A GEM FROM THE PAST ORIGIN UNKNOWN, BUT PUNGENT
HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR NAMES
WASHINGTON A MASON AT 20
NOTES, QUERIES AND INFORMATION ON ITEMS OF MASONIC RESEARCH, by Melvin L. Pfankuche, M.P.S.
DECEASED MEMBERS
----o----
Washington Conferences Have Inspired Masonic Activity Throughout the Country
In assessing the value and importance of the many Masonic meetings held in the Nation's Capital around Washington's birthday, it may be said that more and more each of these meetings is bringing better information, greater co-operation and wider variety of data, by which to make Freemasonry more realistic than ever before.
Starting at noon on February. 18, 1972 with the annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the Philalethes Society, held in the Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C., the meetings progressed in rapid order and extreme activity.
The Executive Committee of the Philalethes Society was called to order by the President, William R. Denslow, F.P.S., with the following in attendance: William E. Yeager, F.P.S., First Vice President; Franklin J. Anderson, F.P.S., Secretary; Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S., Treasurer; John Black Vrooman, F.P.S., Editor, and Jerry Marsengill, M.P.S., Associate Editor. Letters of regret were read from Robert V. Osborne, F.P.S., Second Vice President, and Carl R. Greisen, F.P.S., Secretary Emeritus. Regret was expressed by those present for the absence of these brethren.
Minutes of the 1971 meeting were read and approved; the report of the Treasurer, which correctly agreed with that of the Secretary, was presented and approved. The Secretary's report was presented, which showed a net membership, including the 40 Fellows, at year's end, to be 1,350 members. It was noted that several new members had joined, and that, since the first of the year, several members had died or resigned. The net membership is well over that of previous years. Our Treasurer, Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S., presented a proposed budget which was unanimously adopted. It was stated that the financial affairs of the Society were in excellent shape, with a good cash balance, and a Certificate of Deposit of $2,500.00 as a cushion of safety.
The matter of a Bonus Book for the ensuing years was discussed, and the matter left to the discretion of the officers. Several items were suggested.
A suggestion was made that the Society should work with the Committees of the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, and that of the R.W. Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania for authentic information on the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976 for the Signing of the Declaration of Independence.
It was decided to send the usual materials for publicity to the Conferences of Northeastern Conference on Masonic Education, and the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education, which the Editor promised to do.
President Denslow announced that the annual award of the Certificate of Literature had been given to Eugene S. Hopp, M.P.S., and past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F. & A.M. Of California, for his splendid article in the April, 1971 issue of the Philalethes magazine entitled "Defining Freemasonry; Traditional Becomes Practical." This was awarded "in absentia" to Dr. Hopp at the Masonic Workshop held the same evening of the meeting of the Executive Committee.
Committee appointments for the year 1972 were announced, and these appear in this issue of the magazine.
It was noted that the year 1972 is the triennial election year, and that proper notice would be given in the August issue of the Philalethes magazine. A committee on Nomination and Ballot was appointed by President Denslow to expedite this election.
After the discussion of several items of appropriate interest, the meeting was adjourned, to meet again in 1973 at the regular time and place unless sooner convened by order. Second Vice President Robert V. Osborne, F.P.S., was named chairman of the 1973 Masonic Workshop. Several tentative topics were suggested, but no definite action was taken at this meeting to determine the topic to be used.
The Philalethes Masonic Workshop was called to order Tuesday evening, February 18, 1972 at 8 o'clock in the Roof Room of the Washington Hotel, after an hour of fine fellowship among the nearly 200 Freemasons in attendance. Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S., was in charge of the registration, noting that 182 registered, but, as usual, there were some who failed to register, but the total attendance was well over the 200 mark.
The meeting was called to order by President William R. Denslow, who introduced the officers of the Society, and noted that there were three of the four founders of the Workshop present, and introduced them, they
======================================================
MASONIC WORKSHOP - Washington, D. C.,
Friday, February 18, 1972
Thirty-three states and Canada were registered. A
total of 182 registered, from these jurisdictions:
| Non-Members | Members | Total | Non-Members | Members | Total | ||
| Virginia | 11 | 16 | 27 | Maryland | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 16 | 10 | 26 | Rhode Island | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| N. Carolina | 6 | 19 | 25 | S. Carolina | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New York | 8 | 8 | 16 | Tennessee | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 6 | 14 | Vermont | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 6 | 10 | Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ohio | 4 | 6 | 10 | Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 0 | 8 | Iowa | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| California | 1 | 2 | 3 | Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Florida | 3 | 0 | 3 | Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Missouri | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||
| Nebraska | 3 | 0 | 3 | Mississippi | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Arkansas | 2 | 0 | 2 | Nevada | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 | 1 | 2 | New Mexico | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | 0 | 2 | Oregon | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| W. Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 | Canada | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Illinois | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Indiana | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Maine | 2 | 0 | 2 | Totals | 104 | 78 | 182 |
Virginia again led the list with a total of 27 registered.
========================================================
being Harold V. B. Voorhis, F.P.S., Life, Wendell K. Walker, F.P.S., and Henry Emmerson, F.P.S. Brother Voorhis made announcement regarding the Allied Masonic Degree meeting the following two days, after which the President presented the Certificate of Literature to Dr. Eugene S. Hopp, "in absentia," and then presented Dr. William G. Peacher, F.P.S., the Chairman of the Masonic Workshop, who presided at this session. The general topic of the Masonic Workshop for 1972 was "The Impact of Freemasonry on the Public School System." Panelists for the occasion were Charles S. Gosnell, M.P.S., past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of New York, Dr. James D. Carter, F.P.S., Historian of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S.A., and Lloyd S. Cochran, Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of New York. Brother Gosnell's paper is reproduced in this issue of the Philalethes magazine. The papers of Dr. Carter and Brother Cochran will appear in the June issue of the magazine.
Each of the panelists gave a complete and comprehensive review of the subject, and a lively discussion period, with questions and answers added to the informative value of the session.
The several meetings connected with the Allied Masonic Degrees commenced the next day, February 19, 1972, starting with the Fortieth Annual Convocation of the Grand College of Rites. A report of the year's activities and a resume of what will be done during the coming year, and the annual election and installation of officers completed this part of the program. Grand Master's Council "A" was called to order, several candidates initiated, and the Grand Council, Allied Masonic Degrees opened its session. Several presiding officers were given the Installed Master's Degree at the Installed Master's Council, after which the very interesting meeting of the Council of Nine Muses was opened in form, and a splendid paper - "The City of York and Freemasonry" was read by Wylie B. Wendt, F.P.S. This paper will be printed in "Miscellanea" at a later date, and available to members of the Allied Masonic Degrees. Commemorating the alleged first meeting of Freemasons at York in the year 926 A.D., this is a most interesting and scholarly discourse.
Great Chief's Council No. 0, and Grand Council, Knight Masons of the U.S.A., held their sessions, after which a most interesting session of the Societ as Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis was held, to complete the afternoon activities of the group.
The annual banquet of the Allied Masonic Degrees was held at 6:00 p.m., with the Honorable G. William Whitehurst, Member of Congress from Virginia as the guest speaker. Following the dinner meeting, Grand College resumed its sessions, completed its business and elected and installed the new officers for the year. The "fun sessions," Masonic Order of the Bath of the U.S.A., and Ye Antient Order of Corks, completed the day's work.
A breakfast honoring the officers and members of the Convent General of the Knights of the York Cross of Honour was held early Sunday morning, followed by the Fortieth Annual Consistory of the Society of Blue Friars. At this meeting a paper was read on behalf of the new Blue Friar, R.W. Gerald Foss, Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of New Hampshire (reproduced elsewhere in this issue), on the role of Portsmouth Lodge No. 1, in the American Revolution. Brother Foss has just completed a history of that Grand Lodge, which will be available. to our members within the next few months.
The last meetings of the bodies connected with the Allied Masonic Degrees, were those of the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests. Grand Preceptor's Tabernacle opened and elected and received several new members, and then Grand College of America, the parent body, was opened in form. Due to the illness of the Grand Preceptor, G. Wilbur Bell, and his inability to preside, the Deputy Grand Preceptor officiated. Following the completion of all business and the election and installation of officers, Grand College was closed in form.
The scene shifted from the Hotel Washington to the Shoreham Hotel Sunday at noon, with registration for the major Conferences which met there. The Grand Master's Conference Tea and Reception was an event of Sunday afternoon. Monday saw the delegates carried to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial for the annual meeting, transaction of business and a delightful luncheon.
The fifty-third annual meeting of the Masonic Service Association convened early Monday afternoon. M.W. Brother Newell A. Lamb, Chairman of the Executive Commission of the Association presented the annual report of activities the past year, a beautiful Memorial Service was held for the deceased members of the Association's affiliated Grand Lodges, participated in by the Grand Masters of the Jurisdictions which had lost an honored member, and, after the several reports of the many committees of the Association, and the presenting of donations for Welfare work, John Black Vrooman, Masonic Field Agent at the St. Louis Veterans Hospital was given a token presentation of affection by the Executive Secretary and Chief Field Agent, for his long activity on behalf of the Association.
The Conference of Grand Secretaries, which was to be in session for the next day, held its annual banquet, with the speaker, M.W. Brother Chester Hodges, past Grand Master of Ohio, and presently the Grand Master, Order of DeMolay, taking as his subject the role of Youth in current affairs.
The annual traditional Frank S. Land Memorial Breakfast washed the next morning, with a large and enthusiastic attendance and some pertinent remarks by the Imperial Potentate. Following this breakfast, both the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, and the Grand Secretaries' Conference, went into executive session, with papers in each that seem to have been more practical than any in the past few years.
In the Conference of Grand Masters, "Relationship of Freemasonry to the Religious Community," "The Transient Mason," "How Universal Should Our Charity Be?", "Is Nationalism and Masonry the Same?", were some of the topics discussed, with a Group Leader and a Group Reporter for each topic, to analyse and interpret the theme. It was much worthwhile.
Among the very important accomplishments of the Conference of Grand Masters, was the progressive report of the Committee on the Celebration of the Bicentennial of our Republic, which outlined progress and activity of the group, and which will be made available for Masonic distribution and use within a short time. The traditional Grand Master's Conference Banquet was a splendid social event, and the Conferences completed their work, elected and installed officers and closed their sessions before noon Wednesday, February 23. All were then guests of the Supreme Council, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, at the beautiful House of the Temple, at a delicious luncheon, followed by tours of the building with its many attractive points of interest, including the Library and Museum.
The Conference of Grand Masters at its last session, designated the dates for the 1973 meetings of the several larger Masonic groups, which will be at the Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C. , beginning with Registration on Sunday, February 17, and continuing through Wednesday, February 20, 1973. In accordance with these set dates, it is presumed that the Committee on Time and Place for the Allied Masonic Degrees and other groups meeting prior to these sessions, will meet and designate the dates for the smaller groups' meeting, with all probability that they will be set with the Philalethes Masonic Workshop on Friday, February 15, and the various Allied Masonic Degree groups following on Saturday and Sunday, February 16 and 17. Of course, this must be determined by the dictates of the officers of these groups. Further announcement will be made after the definite dates have been set.
----o----
Philalethes Society
Committee Appointments - 1972
MASONIC WORKSHOP 1973
Robert V. Osborne, F.P.S.
Certificate of Literature
James D. Carter, F.P.S., (ch)
John R. Nocas, M.P.S.
Louis V. Sylvester
Fellows
Harold V. B. Voorhis, F.P.S., (ch)
Finance
Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S.
Membership
Melvin L. Pfankuche, M.P.S.
Publicity
Allan D. Parsons
Auditing
William E. Yeager, F.P.S.
Nominating and Ballot
Carl R. Greisen, F.P.S., (ch)
Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S.
----o----
News, achievements and items of interest about our
Fellows and Members - Discussion and comment on
- Plan Mail and Observations -
Mutual Topics.
This page conducted by Jerry Marsengill, M.P.S., 2602 Terrace Road, Des Moines. Iowa 50312.
Educational committee meetings scheduled include the Northeast Conference May 20-22 at Newton, Massachusetts. Rocky Mountain Conference July 16-17 at Salt Lake City. Southeastern Conference August 5-7 at Nashville, Tennessee. Southwestern Conference, September 10-11 at Santa Fe, New Mexico. Th e Midwest Conference this year will be at Worthington, Ohio.
About two years ago George W. Schabow, Route 5-12 First Ave., Antioch, Illinois 60002, organized a Masonic Stamp Group at the Scottish Rite in Chicago. Readers interested in Masonic stamps are urged to write him.
* * *
T. G. Zacharias, P.G.M. and M.P.S. was recently elected President of the Iowa Conference for Masonic Cooperation. This group includes the craft lodge, York Rite, Scottish Rite, Shrines, and Grottoes of Iowa. M.W. Brother Zacharias is presently employed at the Iowa Masonic Library as Secretary of the Iowa Committee for Masonic Education.
* * *
Brother William Weisberger is presently working on a biographical sketch of Benes, Mason and great leader of the Czechs. It is hoped that this will be submitted to our magazine for publication as he is an outstanding researcher.
* * *
Masonry brings out the best, and sometimes the unusual in men. Recently while attending a Scottish Rite Reunion at Freeport, Illinois, Louis L. Williams, M.P.S. and 33d was prevailed upon to sing Edelweiss, that fine song from a famous movie. We knew Brother Lou was a man of many talents, but here he displays yet another talent and one which he has been hiding for too long a period.
* * *
Frank D. Hensel, M.P.S. is presently serving as Puissant Sovereign of St. Alphege Conclave No. 81, Red Cross of Constantine for 1972. He was installed into office on December 4th.
* * *
Brother J. Robert Watt, M.P.S., chairman of the Speakers' Bureau for the Chicago Scottish Rite for the past three years has secured a speaker before the discussion group on each Thursday night (except for holidays.) This is an outstanding achievement.
* * *
Letter from Andy Anderson informs us that he spent the cold and snowy weather in Hawaii. He attended Loge le Progres de L'Oceanie. One of our Hawaiian members, C. H. McAllister was present at the meeting and they had a good visit. Andy also met another brother, Manuel B. Shapiro and thinks that he may have another member signed up soon. While there Andy also saw Julius Opheim of Rochester, Minnesota. Julius was on our workshop panel last year. Recent information informs us that Julius has been elected to receive the 33d in the Valley of Winona, Minn. Also Jerry Korstad of Rochester, M.P.S. has received the K.C.C.H.
* * *
A couple of months ago, Lt. Col. Harvey N. Brown, M.P.S. was passing through Des Moines and called us. We had one of the nicest four visits that anyone could imagine. We don't agree with all of Col. Brown's ideas, nor does he agree with ours, but he is an interesting and a well informed brother.
* * *
Samuel K. Zipp, M.P.S. in the Scottish Rite Library in Chicago for the past two years has read all the books there and has cleaned all of them and refurbished them. He has also installed modern lighting fixtures and renewed the library rooms.
* * *
The American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 736 Jackson Place N.W., Washington, D.C. 20276 a government agency, issues periodical bulletins on what is being done for the 1976 celebration. It would be a good idea to keep posted with this committee, not only to get their bulletins but to advise them of what the craft is doing in preparation for this year. Lodges, Grand Lodges, and appendant bodies are all active and should let the commission know about their work.
* * *
At their last Grand Lodge session Colorado considered lowering the age of petitioners from 21 to 18 years. The proposal was defeated. We hear the same talk from other places. What's next, women's lib? I can hear it now, Brother Ms. Jones!
* * *
We note in the Royal Arch Advance, edited by Gordon R. Merrick, M.P.S. that Silver Medal awards from the General Grand Chapter were presented to Carl R. Greisen, F.P.S., our former Secretary, Walter J. Bublitz, M.P.S., P.G.H.P. of Missouri and Joseph C. Richmond, M.P.S. General Grand Sentinel General Grand Chapter.
* * *
G. Wilbur Bell, F.P.S. is improved after his hospitalization. Wilbur was unable to be with us in Washington and was missed by all.
* * *
We seem to have a rash of accidents lately. O. Wes Koenering, M.P.S., of St. Louis has been on the sick list with a broken arm, Allen E. Roberts, F.P.S., fell and pulled some ligaments on the morning before our workshop and showed up in Washington with his arm in a sling. Paul Schwartz, M.P.S. fell when getting out of his car in Oskaloosa, Iowa and is hospitalized at Knoxville with a broken leg.
* * *
We had one of the worst storms of the season white in Washington. Many delegations were stranded by snowstorms, and those from Indiana were in Pennsylvania and couldn't get out for 2-3 days.
* * *
Our President, let me make o n e thing perfectly clear, I mean Bill Denslow, not Nixon, was named Chairman of the "Commission for Information on Recognition" for Conference of Grand Masters in North America.
* * *
Stewart M. L. Pollard, Secretary of National Sojourners, Inc., did a fine job taping the Workshop. Stew was also present at the meeting of the Richmond, Va. Chapter of the Philalethes of February 15.
----o----
By Harold V. B. Voorhis, F.P.S., (Life)
The following item appeared in the Quarterly Bulletin of the London Grand Rank Association - November 10, 1965. (Edited by Arthur Buddell, then Hon. Secretary).
JOHN WILKES, 1727-1797
The City Press of 15th November, 1924, reported as follows: "This November witnesses the 150th anniversary of the election as Lord Mayor of London of John Wilkes, reformer and patriot. His career was strangely akin to that of the stormy petrel. By the public he was adored as an idol and, by the State Party, denounced as one who placed himself completely beyond the pale. In his delightful book on the notorious Alderman of Farringdon Without, the late Sir William Treloar sums up the many-sided character of Wilkes in a few trenchant sentences. 'By some,' says Sir William, 'he was regarded as a great blackguard and a thorough humbug and by many others as a reformer and patriot. Certainly he was a bad husband and dissolute man but, on the other hand, he undoubtedly has come down in history as a good father. In his day Wilkes was expelled from the House of Commons and a resolution recording the fact found a place on the records. Before he died, Wilkes had the satisfaction of seeing that record expunged."'
But what has this somewhat sordid story to do with the pages of Masonic Histories? Bro. E. Newton, the Assistant Grand Librarian, continues the story.
"On 2nd February, 1769, while in prison, Wilkes was initiated in the Jerusalem Lodge No. 44 by Dispensation signed by the Grand Master, in the presence of Thomas French the Grand Secretary. Also while in prison he joined the Society of Beefsteaks, was made an honorary member of the Bucks and initiated into the Ancient Family of Leeches. Earlier, in 1768, he was expelled from the Society of Friends."
History does not relate what progress this extraordinary fellow made in the Craft but there are accounts of many startling events in his life. As an example of the rough and tumble of political life in those distant days the following is recorded from a recent review by Robert Carvel of a newly-published book which appeared in the columns of a London evening paper:
"To the Earl of Sandwich's prediction about a century and a half ago that John Wilkes would either die on the gallows or of V.D., Wilkes retorted: 'That depends, my lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress.'"
In various accounts of this happening two different dates are given. The one in the above article - February 2, 1769 - and one by A.M. Broadley, a Masonic author - February 18, 1769. The latter date is vouched for by the late R.W. Brother Sir John Monckton, P.G.W., who noted in an address he delivered in Jerusalem Lodge No. 197 of London at their hundred year celebration that he had the minute books for 1769 before him when he prepared the address in 1971.
This old Jerusalem Lodge was constituted December 12, 1731 as No. 83. In 1740 it became No. 72; in 1756 it was No. 44; in 1770 it was No. 38; and on April 12, 1780 it was erased.
In 1759 it met at St. John of Jerusalem Tavern on St. John's Street, Clerkenwell, London, where it continued to meet for several years.
This dispensation to make Wilkes a Mason was given, I assume, without consideration that he was or had been in prison, the Grand Master at the time being Henry, 5th Duke of Beaufort.
The record says that the officers of the Lodge, and possibly some of its members, met within the precincts of the jail and that Thomas French the Grand Secretary was present. The year book of the United Grand Lodge of England lists him as Grand Secretary 1768 and James Heseltine holding the office 1769-80. However, he may have been Grand Secretary until April, 1769 when the Grand Lodge had a meeting. He may have died - but Grand Lodge lists no date of death. It is even possible that because of his presence at the Wilkes "making" he was replaced as Grand Secretary. We have no way of determining if the dispensation was to make Wilkes a Mason or just for the Lodge to meet in special session. (Possibly in Kings Bench Prison where Wilkes was held).
In February, also in 1769 - Wilkes was elected to the House of Commons (one of several times), and shortly thereafter obtained a verdict of four thousand pounds ($20,000) against Lord Halifax for false imprisonment. Four years later he became Lord Mayor of London after having been elected Sheriff in 1771.
At his death in 1797, Dr. Johnson remarked "his name has been sounded from pole to pole as the Phoenix of Convivial Felicity."
----o----
Welcome To
New Members
GEORGE FRANCIS BECKNELL, 2028 Michigan Avenue, La Porte, Indiana 46350
RONALD KEITH SMITH, 135 S. 9th Street, Clinton, Indiana 47842
WILLIAM SHERMAN ERVIN, JR., 108 N. Quince Avenue, Highland Springs, Va. 23075
JACK CARLETON SWAN, 244 Haywood Street, East Liverpool, Ohio 43920
STANLEY GARDNER, Box 406, Salyersville, Kentucky 41465
ALBERT EUGEN KURD VON DAMM, 17055 Pine Street, Los Gatos, Calif. 95030
ROSCOE JAMES DONOVAN, 120 Allenwood Dr., Clarksville, Tenn. 37040
SADI ARAL, P.K. 1041 Karakoy, Istanbul, Turkey
JAMES HENRY BLANCHARD, JR., 177 Commodore Dr., Norfolk, Va. 23503
MELVIN R. JEFFRIES, 1364 Carnegie Avenue, Akron, Ohio 44314
EVERETT LEROY MAKES, 2703 W. 6th Street, Mishawaka, Indiana 46544
SAMUEL F. GOUGHER, 1435 Washington Avenue, Northampton, Pa. 18067
THOMAS WILLIAM JACKSON, Star Rt. 2, Shippenburg, Pa. 17257
G. EDWARD SCHOEN, 117 Tyson Ave., Glenside, Pa. 19038
JAMES EARL BROWN, 1222 Corbett Lane, Orlando, Florida 32806
LEE D. TUFTS, 7429 Warner Street, St. Louis County, Mo. 63117
ALBERT N. ARDITTI, P. O. Box 339, Izmir, Turkey
JESSE WASHINGTON (JACK) NUTT, P. O. Box 727, Little Rock, Ark. 72203
JAMES M. DESMOND, 212 West Granby Road, Granby, Conn. 06035
IRVIN L. KUGEL, 6454 Donjoy Drive, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
----o----
By Gen. Herman Nickerson, Jr., M.P.S.
President, National Sojourners, Inc.
Goethe, the German poet, said that the highest cannot be spoken. There are truths and facts too profound to be put into words. Their rich meaning finds expression in symbols. We American Freemasons are very aware of this truth. The symbol of our Liberty in our Flag.
The roots of symbolism run deep and are found in all ages of the recorded history of man. Did you ever consider how symbols are used in our every day life? Shake hands with a friend, kiss a child, tip your hat to a lady, salute the Flag of our Country.
Old Glory embodies a mystic spirit which binds us to the faith we call patriotism. When we see the Flag, it makes that vague, unreal and mystic feeling come to life.
Our symbol originated in Philadelphia in the late summer of 1776 when General George Washington, was our Brother, accompanied by Colonel George Ross and Mr. Robert Morris, called on Mrs. Betsy Ross, 24, a charming vivacious young widow and excellent seamstress. That day our Flag was born. That day these three agreed to have Colonel Ross' niece, Betsy, make our Flag of thirteen stripes alternate red and white, with thirteen white 5 point stars on a field of blue. This flag the Continental Congress adopted on June 15, 1777. The Continentals and Militia alike fought under Old Glory. The Revolution which gave us our Republic also gave our symbol its place in the lore and legend of our past.
"For those who fight for it, life has a special flavor the protected never know." (1)
Benjamin Franklin, who was our Brother, said, "We gave you a Republic, if you can keep it."
On July 4, 1776, that Republic was born with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Our forefathers fought for the freedom we now enjoy. They followed our symbol and marched to the sound of the guns, ......"and sacrificed their lives and fortunes." (2)
Thus in 1776, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, General Washington displayed a flag of 13 stripes with the Union Jack, from which evolved the Betsy Ross flag .... the Stars and Stripes. "And when we see our Nation's Flag," as Henry Ward Beecher said, "we see not the flag, but the Nation itself. And whatever may be its symbols, we read chiefly in (our) flag, the government, the principles, the truths, the history that belong to our Nation." (3)
When we salute and pledge allegiance to our Flag, we are really showing the spirit of national loyalty, oneness and greatness symbolized by Old Glory.
Only a symbol? Not so; but rather the visible sign of the power to nurture and sustain our national spirit. But our Flag faces a danger today which it never before has faced in our history. Old Glory is being unceremoniously burned, dragged on the ground, worn on the seat of the pants of hippies, and removed from our public schools' ceremonies. This assault on our Flag and on the Pledge of: Allegiance to our Flag must not be tolerated. One remedy I would prescribe is to describe our symbol in law.
Among the minor indignities to Old Glory that has crept into our society is the yellow fringe, said by some to be a beautiful gold frame enhancing the beauty of the Red, White, and Blue. The flags that fly over our National Capital are unfringed, as are all those flying free over our Armed Forces at home and abroad, in peace and war. In my view, nothing need be added to enhance the beauty of the red, white, and blue. We need to describe our National symbol as Red, White, and Blue only! Let's make it legal!
From our heritage, we have learned that all men desire to be free - liberty and freedom are the most precious heritage we have. Our freedom is the light of hope of all men in their ageless struggle for life, liberty and happiness.
Today, our Nation faces severe tests of our wills to remain free. We know eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. The great patriots of our Nation's history persevered through many trials to preserve our union and our liberty. These words by Abraham Lincoln describe for me my share of the responsibility for preserving our heritage.
"Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity - swear by the blood of the Revolution never to violate in the least particular the laws of our country. And never tolerate their violation by others. As the Patriots of '76 did, in support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and laws let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor. Let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample the blood of his father, and to tear up the charter of his own and his children's liberty . . . let it be taught in schools, and in colleges; let it be written in primers . . . and in almanacs, let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice, and in short, let it become the political religion of the Nation, and, in particular a reverence for the Constitution." (4)
The words of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), British philosopher and economist, likewise vividly fix the responsibility I pray we Freemasons can shoulder to keep our Republic.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.
"A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight; nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.: (5)
It was thirty-one years after General Washington accepted the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown that the United States and Great Britain were again at war, the War of 1812. On September 4, 1814, Francis Scott Key is said to have penned the most stirring words of the Star Spangled Banner.
It is now more than 157 years after that memorable morning when Old Glory still waved "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
(1) Anon - Khesahn, Republic of Vietnam.
(2) American Creed.
(3) An Essay "The American Flag," Bartlett's Quotations, 14th Edition.
(4)Lincoln & His America 1809-1865, Arranged by David Plowden, Viking Press Publishers.
(5) John Stuart Mill. 1806-1873.
----o----
Masons Established and Have Supported Our Free Public Schools
By Charles F. Gosnell, P.G.M., M.P.S.
(A paper read at the Masonic Workshop, Washington, D.C., February 18, 1972).
Freemasonry is basically a system of education. Many of the mediaeval "operative" Masons were illiterate, as were many of the nobles and even the kings. For this reason, and because of its secret nature, the Masonic work does not depend upon the written or the printed word. Our work is done by the "instructive tongue" to the "attentive ear." The operative Mason's tools are used to symbolize the basic truths we teach, and thus the tenets of our institution are transmitted from generation to generation.
This humble but effective basis of our system of teaching has been no deterrent to the pursuit of learning through all its branches and to all its levels. The seven liberal arts and sciences were the very core of the mediaeval system of education, and today they have new emphasis in this world of global geography, atomic physics and space travel.
Thus the Masonic system of education ranges from the simplest devices of symbolism and oral repetition to contemplation of great mysteries and modern science. We have both the proven techniques, and the proven results.
However much concern we may have for the education of our own members, in our own principles and work, we have been equally concerned with the need of good education for all. We support free public education - Free public education - free from economic restrictions which would limit it to the few. - Free from control by propagandists who would emphasize their fanatical "isms" at the expense of the great eternal truths and at the neglect of the knowledge and skills so essential to modern life.
While our fraternity frowns on playing politics, it has not failed both public and private.
Why is it that Freemasons have been so interested in the public schools? The answer is not far to seek. Freemasonry itself is concerned with fostering the growth of democracy and equality among men. Other aims we have, but none more vital to our institution and to the world today. If these ideals are ever to be fully realized in this land of America, they will be realized very largely through the public school system. Man has never devised, and it is doubtful that he ever will devise, an institution more "ideally fitted to organize the lives of men according to the spiritual principles of democracy and equality.
Our Fraternity has much at stake in the American government, and this government has one of its principal bulwarks in the preparation which its citizens get in our public schools.
In the history of the founding and development of the public school system of New York State, Masonic names loom clear and high. Three of the great figures in early Grand Lodge History, all Grand Masters, played active parts in setting into motion and guiding those forces that were to build, out of the meager beginnings made by our colonial forefathers, an educational system that is in many respects without equal in the world today.
M.’.W.’. DeWitt Clinton, M.’. W.’. Daniel D. Tompkins, M.’. W.’. Morgan Lewis - These are men who achieved eminence by virtue of their public service to their state and nation. They were men who served as mayors and members of the state legislature, as well as filling the Governor's chair with distinction, and going on to national office. They were men who brought to the office of Grand Master qualities of statesmanship that guided the order in the first half of the past century through the most trying period of its history. The education of the young people of the state was safe in such hands. The story of how well they acquitted themselves of their tasks is well known.
It was in 1784, at the instance of Governor George Clinton, that the Regents of the University of the State of New York were incorporated, to have charge of the colleges and academies. Shortly afterward an appropriation of more than seven million acres of unimproved land was surveyed off "for gospel and school purposes" and an actual beginning of the common school system was made in 1795 when the legislature voted an annual sum for the next five years of one hundred thousand dollars, to be divided among the counties.
The life and works of Morgan Lewis, both as Mason and as a public figure were recently described to the American Lodge of Research by Grand Master H. Lloyd Jones.
On February 5, 1805, Governor Lewis submitted a special message to the Assembly devoted to public education with state support. In it he outlined a plan for the establishment of common schools by dividing each county into a competent number of school districts, and for the establishment of "an adequate, permanent, and certain fund" for their support and for the support of other institutions of learning.
A joint committee was appointed to consider the message, and a report was submitted on February 25 expressing the opinion "that common education will leave a very salutary influence on the rising generation, to correct their morals, improve their minds, and prepare them for useful stations in society." A bill to accomplish the purpose of the message was passed and became a law (Chapter 66) on April 2, 1805. "It set apart 500,000 acres of unappropriated lands for the purpose of establishing a common school fund. Such land was to be sold and the proceeds invested by the Comptroller. After the interest had accumulated to $50,000, the interest was to be used for the support of common schools." This has been considered to be the origin of the common school fund.
At the legislative session of 1810, Governor Daniel D. Tompkins reported the fund to be producing $26,000 a year and "daily booming more productive." He urged further attention to education, and the next year was empowered to appoint a committee to report a system for the establishment and organization of common schools.
Before the plan for the state at large had been affected, New York City had taken measures to provide instruction at pay schools for the many poor children who were growing up unlettered. Back in 1805, the Mayor, DeWitt Clinton, afterwards Governor, and Grand Master of the State, and nephew of George Clinton, with other leading citizens, had incorporated the Free School Society. They opened its first school four years later under the Lancastrian method of instruction.
When DeWitt Clinton became Governor, his practical vision for the progress of education found wider scope. In speaking to the legislature in 1827, he reported "the number of our common schools at 8,000, the number of children taught during the last year for an average of eight months at 480,000, and the sum expended in education at $200,000 . . . There is no provision made for the education of competent instructors . . . The scale of instruction must be elevated, and a central school ought to be established in each county for the education of teachers."
Upon the foundations laid by these great men of the past, has been built the great public education system of New York State. Many governors have been active and devoted members of the fraternity, and have contributed to the advancement of the school system.
In recent times Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the school system through the beginnings of the great depression. Governor Thomas E. Dewey, since the war, has raised state aid to local schools to over three hundred million dollars a year, increased teachers' salaries, and founded a State University.
No review of what the governors have done for education can be complete without reference to the contribution of Governor Alfred E. Smith. Although not a member of the fraternity, he certainly possessed many of the ideals and purposes. During his administration a modern formula for state aid to public schools was developed, and great impetus was given to consolidation of small rural schools into larger and more efficient ones.
There are many other avenues of service in addition to the governorship, especially on the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, which is the over-all governing body of education in New York State. A hundred or more members of the fraternity have served on this Board, and it is beyond our scope to list them here. Among them have been the Grand Masters DeWitt Clinton, Morgan Lewis, Daniel Tompkins, Stephen Van Rensselaer, and, most recently, Christopher C. Mollenhauer.
There is literally no counting of local officials, mayors, city councilmen, school board members, superintendents, principals and teachers who have advanced the cause of free education. Suffice it to cite such examples as that of M.’.W.’. Henry C. Turner, who was a member of the New York City Board of Education from 1934 to 1941 and President of the Board in 1936.
At its 175th anniversary Grand Master's dinner, the Grand Lodge again reaffirmed its faith in education, and told the story of its participation by means of a series of historical tableaux.
All over the state today there are thousands of Masons serving on school boards, as teachers and administrators, as parents and taxpayers, working to carry on the support of this great work, so essential to present and future of our Craft and our American Way of Life.
I want to make a few remarks, more or less "off-the-record" on the thorny and exasperating problem of aid to parochial schools. Few of our Grand Lodges or Masonic leaders have taken conspicuous public positions on this matter, which seems nowadays to be primarily a political one. But as individual citizens we have every right to be well informed and articulate on this subject.
The Grand Commander of the Southern Supreme Council, Illustrious Henry C. Clausen, 33d, has written And spoken forthrightly. Read his fine statement in the January 19 New Age. This is now available in reprint form.
First, and foremost, in my personal opinion the parochial schools are basically and usually intentionally divisive in our modern society. They were instituted and maintained to keep children of immigrant parents from adopting rapidly and readily to the mainstream of American life.
Secondly, as we Masons respect all religions, and avoid religious dissention, we believe in that wall of separation between Church and State. We do not believe that the taxpayers and the government should support religious teaching. We cannot deny the right of the parent to dictate the religious training of his child. We believe in "live and let live"; and we believe that from the beginning the child must learn that he is a part of the whole community.
One of the great troubles with our country in recent years is the insistence by newcomers to our shores that things be made over - that we make ourselves and our institutions over to suit them. Once we assumed that people came here because they liked what was here already – No more - We cannot even require them to learn English in order to vote!
The story of the drive to break down the constitutional wall in New York State is a long and involved one. I shall cite only a few high spots. You all know, in your own states, and in many others, the history of the drives for released time, free bus services, free lunches, free textbooks, and etc., and etc.
The New York State constitution, from the very beginning in 1777 has contained prohibitions against public support for religious institutions. The latest version, has been in effect since 1894.
In their drive to eliminate this prohibition to state aid for parochial schools, at the most recent N.Y. State constitutional convention in 1967, clever public relations people, working for the Roman clergy and the K of C, dubbed it "the Blaine amendment," seeking thereby to tar it with opprobrium, and conceal its real status and purpose. This constitutional section is not an amendment, and Blaine had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
The 1967 convention proposed a number of major changes in the constitution. One of them was a repeal of this section, or a watering down of it to the general terms of the federal constitution.
Significant amendments or changes are usually put on the ballot separately, but our friends, fearful of defeat if this question were put separately, insisted on having it in a "package" on a "take it or leave it" basis. As a result, the voters voted down everything the convention proposed. It is a curious coincidence that just a century earlier the voters turned down a proposition to place the functions of the executive branch of the state government into the hands of the directors of the New York Central Railroad.
A curious evolution is now taking place in the "parochaid" controversy. Where the arguments were once profoundly emotional and religious, they are now political and economic. The bureaucracy of the parochial school system is in severe fiscal difficulty, and is fighting for its life.
The attitudes of the Roman Catholic people are changing markedly:
They are not producing the large families they used to.
They are not supporting the parochial schools in the dedicated, self-sacrificing way they used to.
Parents have lost their sense of obligation or enthusiasm for sending their children to parochial schools.
Children are not as devoted to attending.
Churches are not supporting the schools as they used to.
Clergy are not volunteering in sufficient numbers to man the schools.
The lay teachers who must be hired are demanding salaries comparable to those of public school teachers, and are joining unions and striking to enforce their demands.
So, although the anguished cries for support of parochial schools are loud and long, and the schools are indeed in a financial squeeze, I predict that a lot of steam in this drive will subside in the years to come.
The principal reasons for the fiscal difficulties of these schools are lack of support in money, and greatly increased costs due to lack of clerical manpower from the community, and the substitution of lay workers.
This trend is emphasized in the N.Y. Times for February 9 (1972), reporting an interview with Sister Elinor Rita Ford, newly appointed superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of New York: "Sister Elinor is in favor of fighting for more public aid for non-public schools. She thinks, too, that more children will be sent to Catholic Schools 'if their parents' commitment to the Christian faith can be revitalized.'" This is not the place to comment on the growing disaffection of the young with the Church; it has been amply documented by studies such as that of Msgr. George Kelly of St. John's University, Jamaica, N.Y. We refer to it only in the belief that it has or soon will have a profound bearing on the parochial school aid problem.
Certainly the general taxpayer cannot be expected to fill the gaps created by this growing apathy. He cannot be expected to provide funds to fight the growing trend away from parochial schools. Nor can we accept the roundabout argument that because parochial schools now save money for the taxpayers, the taxpayers should pay for them.
----o----
Grand Lodge Libraries, Their Uses and Benefits
By Charles T. Jackson, Grand Secretary, Iowa
(A paper read at Grand Secretaries Conference, Washington, D. C., February 22, 1972).
Brethren We first want to thank you for this opportunity to address this august body. We, in Iowa, are extremely proud of the Iowa Masonic Library which was established in 1845 with a fund of $5 with which 4 books were purchased and in which we now have over 100,000 volumes. Because of this pride we feel the best method of treating the subject assigned is to talk of the use and benefit derived from our own Masonic Library. As, we are sure, would most other Masonic Libraries, our first statement would be one of regret that it is not used more. Our Grand Lodge Library Committee almost every year compliments us on the way we keep up the library by the purchase of new books, the rebinding of old, the cross referencing by title and content, the additions to our clipping collection sections, etc., but decry the fact that it is not used enough.
Briefly an actual count shows that during last year 650 parcel post packages were sent from the library. There were 660 books checked out. We had 2,218 visitors to our building representing 35 states and 7 foreign countries. For research purposes 387 persons actually visited us and many more wrote or phoned their requests.
We feel that we do receive a great deal of benefit from the public relations aspect of our library as well as from its primary purpose. Our library is open to the general public and we think we gain a great deal of respect for and interest in our fraternity by this public service feature. While the great majority of our books are strictly Masonic we do have a rather complete section on Iowa history, a section on poetry, a section on religion, a Burns section and a Lincoln section. One of the most widely used features in our library is the section containing mimeographed Eastern Star ceremonies. Many times the use of this section by the wife of a Mason has led that Mason into some Masonic reading. We have also found that many who originally used our shelves for a genealogy study have spread the word concerning what a vast fund of knowledge is stored in our shelves. We also feel we perform a vital service in keeping files of programs, invitations, trestle boards, etc., from lodges which have had successful ventures. We are then able to send to a lodge which asks us for help some concrete suggestions upon which they can pattern a program of their own.
One extremely important part of our library is, we feel, the clipping bureau. This is a section made up of thousands of articles clipped from various Masonic periodicals and so filed that information concerning specific subjects or events can be readily located. Many requests come to us for help in preparing a talk on a specific title rather than by asking for a book by its name. With our clipping bureau and our index rerum which is a cross referencing of subjects carried within books we can usually send out material which can be rather readily read in order to prepare such a talk. We are of the opinion that even though by so doing we may be doing part of a brother's research for him that it is more conducive to further reading than would he the mere sending of some books.
We feel it might be of interest to you to know that on the back page of every Iowa Grand Lodge Bulletin we invite use of the Iowa Masonic Library. Usually this invitation is in the form of a listing of a half dozen books with a one line description of what it is. Often it will include the name of a new book or 2 we have added to the library. Over the years we have also had extremely close relations with the Iowa Committee on Masonic Education and at the Workshops the use of library books has been recommended. Certainly no discussion of the use of our library would be complete without reference to our beautiful building and our museum rooms. Visits to see the premises and the museum do, we feel sure, tend to make people aware of the library and encourage more widespread use of the books.
We would now like to recount some of the ways the Iowa Masonic Library has served Masons and non-Masons from Iowa and from far-flung corners of the world in a variety of ways.
Harold Moores, a New Zealander and a non-Mason, who is a Doctorate candidate at Duke University, is making a study of Freemasonry, particularly in regard to the latter part of the 19th century and the motives men had for joining the fraternity during this period. He has acquired an enviable knowledge of Masonry and its history and spent more than a week with us doing research for his thesis. Typical of the many scholars who make their first visit to this library he was amazed at the quantity and variety of material available here. Mr. Moores and his wife left for England this past June and, through our library, requested permission to use the library of the Grand Lodge of England. Unfortunately that library does not permit non-Masons to use their facilities.
Brother Wallace Smith of Nova Scotia has read the complete list of 48 books in the Iowa "Reading Course on Freemasonry" borrowing three at a time. It has been necessary in Brother Smith's case for us to considerably extend the usual borrowing time of three weeks to allow for approximately three weeks in transit each way. Brother Smith discovered the Iowa Masonic Library when he somehow came across a leaflet printed many years ago listing a few of our books and services.
Brother Samuel W. Hepps, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is in the process of reading all volumes of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum borrowing them one at a time from the Iowa Masonic Library.
Coeds and nuns from Mt. Mercy College in Cedar Rapids regularly use our library. The sister who teaches one of the history courses, each spring assigns her students a paper on some phase of Iowa history and then informs them that the best source for information is the Iowa Masonic Library. That our facilities and services are appreciated is demonstrated by a note of thanks sent by one young nun, in which she said, "There is certainly a wonderful spirit in the Masonic Lodge."
A year or two ago we received a phone call from the Library of Congress, who had first vainly tried to secure from another outstanding Masonic Library publications of the International Masonic Bureau. A ten minute search revealed a quantity of the publications of this Switzerland based organization of the 1920's. Subsequent correspondence revealed that they were desired by a lady researcher in Switzerland who found that she must look half way around the world to the cornfields of Iowa for material originally produced in her own country Currently Brother Elwell Crissy is engaged in writing the: history of the Northern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite. He has spent several days in our library acquainting himself with the type of material we have available and now has quantities of it out on loan for his beginning research. He plans to make extensive use of the Iowa Masonic Library in his research for this work.
The Philalethes Society, born in the 1920's, had no official publication of its own in its early years. Its research papers were published in the Square and Compass of Denver and, unfortunately, the Society did not preserve copies of these magazines.
Just a few months ago Brother John Black Vrooman, editor of The Philalethes Magazine, spent 5 days at the Iowa Masonic Library going through our complete file of Square and Compass. He was delighted with the quantities of Philalethes material he had never before seen. We spent several days photocopying hundreds of pages of this material for him and the Philalethes Society now has a file of its original material thanks to the foresight of the Iowa Masonic Library in preserving such material. In passing it is interesting to note that copies of the magazine were not even available from the publisher in Denver.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: A new vista has been opened up in revealing the history and background of the Philalethes Society, through the courtesy and good will of R.W. Brother Charles T. Jackson, Grand Secretary, and Brother Keith Arrington, the Assistant Librarian of this wonderful Library. We are, all of us who are members of the Philalethes Society, most grateful for this courtesy.)
Just a couple of weeks ago Carroll Curtis, P.G.M. of Kentucky called at the suggestion of Dwight L. Smith, P.G.M. and Grand Secretary of Indiana asking for "A Vindication of Masonry." This was a speech delivered in 1741. Brother Curtis had found reference to it in a footnote in the Indiana Monitor. He called at 3:10 p.m. and by 4:30 we had located the speech, made a copy and had it on its way.
It is obvious from the above that the Iowa Masonic Library places no restrictions on the use of its material as far as Masonic membership or lack of it is concerned. Neither is there any restriction because of race, creed, color, or place of residence. We do, of course, restrict the use of certain books.
In conclusion let us reiterate that we are extremely proud of our library and of the many services we perform. We are sure it goes without saving that to be of maximum use to the craft, to researchers, or to the general public a library must have an extremely well versed librarian. This we have in our Assistant Librarian Keith Arrington with whom we are sure, many of you have been in contact. While, as stated at the outset, we wish it could be used more, we are certain a great deal of the popularity we enjoy is due to his efforts.
----o----
Is Winner of Award
Dr. Eugene S. Hopp, M.P.S., and Chairman of the 1971 Masonic Workshop of the Philalethes Society, has been named the winner of the Certificate of Literature award for the best article in the Philalethes magazine for the year 1971, according to the announcement of the Committee on Certificate of Literature.
Dr. Hopp's award winning article appeared in the April, 1971 issue of the magazine, and was entitled "Defining Freemasonry; Tradition Becomes Practical," and was in fact, the keynote of the thought of the Masonic Workshop theme, evolving about the topic "Are Physical Requirements Essential to Freemasonry."
Dr. Hopp, a past Grand Master of California, was also the Keynote speaker at the Conference of Grand Masters in North America in 1968, and has been most active in fraternal, civic and medical circles for many years.
----o-----
St. John's Lodge Portsmouth, N.H. In the American Revolution
By Gerald D. Foss, M.P.S.
(A paper read at the Annual Consistory of the Society of Blue Friars, Washington, D.C., February 20, 1972.)
St. John's Lodge, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is one of the oldest Masonic lodges in the United States. Its present charter states that it was constituted in 1736. Its minute books have been preserved since 1739. Its original authority was under English Constitutions, though it was never enrolled on the Register of the Grand Lodge of England.
The following is a summary of the participation of some of its members in events immediately preceding and during the War of Independence.
Nine members of this lodge paid the supreme sacrifice to help win freedom for the people of the United States. Many others risked their lives, and suffered untold misery to accomplish the same goal.
The minute book used during 1775 records the death of Major Andrew McClary at Charlestown, June 17, 1775. This first large military action is better known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was the first New Hampshire officer to die in that action. The fighting was about finished that day when Major McClary reconnoitered to be certain that none of his men were left behind when a cannon ball from HMS Glasgow hit him, killing him instantly. He was initiated March 3, 1774.
Captain Richard Shortridge w as second to die. He was captain of the Second New Hampshire Regiment and was killed in action on Gwynn's Island, Chesapeake Bay in July 1776. He was initiated and passed March 29, 1776. The entry in the minute book is typical of many. It is quoted, "Voted to make a compliment to Bro. Shortridge of his making, he being a Capt. out of this Town in the Continental Army and Being on his march to the southward."
Edward Parsons, graduated from Harvard College 1765, a promising young attorney, became the third casualty while serving as Adjutant to General Poor's Regiment. He died of smallpox near Ticonderoga, New York, October 1776. He was initiated November 5, 1772.
Lieutenant Colonel Winborn Adams was killed while leading the Second New Hampshire Regiment September 19, 1777 at the Battle of Bemis Heights. He was initiated March 27, 1777. His Masonic life was a short one.
Major Edward Sherburne, Aide-de-Camp to Major General John Sullivan fell at Germantown, Pennsylvania October 4, 1777. He was a direct descendant of the immigrant, Henry Sherburne, one of the first settlers of New Hampshire. He was initiated May 6, 1773.
Captain Zachariah Beal of the Third New Hampshire died of wounds October 27, 1777 received in battle at Fort Mercer, New Jersey October 22, 1777. He was initiated March 27, 1777.
Colonel Nathan Hale of the Second New Hampshire Regiment was taken prisoner at Hubbardton, Vermont, July 7, 1777. He was imprisoned by the British on Long Island, New York where he died September 23, 1780. He was initiated February 22, 1777.
Similarity in names has often led to mistaken identity with the martyr spy. Nathaniel McClintock was one of four sons of Reverend Samuel McClintock. Three of the four died in military service. He graduated from Harvard College in 1775 and immediately enlisted in the cause of liberty. He held several commissions, the last being Major in the Second New Hampshire Regiment. During 1777, he resigned his commission, returned to Portsmouth and enlisted as a marine on the privateer, GENERAL SULLIVAN. He was killed while this ship was engaged in a sea battle during 1780. He was initiated February 6, 1778.
The ninth death was that of Colonel Alexander Scammell. Scammell had been through most of the major battles in which the northern army was engaged. He had spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. The war was nearly over on September 30, 1781 when at the siege of Yorktown he was wounded for the second time, taken prisoner and his death is reported to have taken place under mysterious circumstances October 6, 1781. He had several commissions, the last being Colonel of the First New Hampshire Regiment. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1769 and was practicing law in Durham, New Hampshire when war commenced. He was initiated March 6, 1777.
The minute book during 1774 reflects the growing tension between the members who were loyal to the English government and those who were desiring an independent country. It was customary as late as 1773 for officers aboard ships of the Royal Navy to be initiated in this lodge or in the event that they were already Masons, they were recorded as Visiting Brothers. Only six men w e r e proposed for initiation in 1774. Four became officers in the Continental Army. They were Jeremiah Clough, Henry Dearborn, Andrew McClary, and Daniel Moore. The other two went to England before war commenced. Neither returned alive.
The first Provincial Congress of New Hampshire assembled at Exeter July 21, 1774. It voted that Major John Sullivan and Colonel Nathaniel Folsom be appointed to be delegates from this province to attend the General Congress. John Sullivan, a member of this lodge, thus became one of the first two delegates to the Continental Congress from New Hampshire. The other named above was not known to be a Mason. The delegates of the Provincial Congress decided to meet at Exeter for Governor John Wentworth made every legal attempt possible to keep the Provincial House of Representatives from passing any votes which might be against the English government. During the time several officials of the English government were members of the lodge but they were conspicuous by their absence.
During the last few months of 1774 there was increased activity in Portsmouth against the crown. Three ships with cargos of tea came into port on different dates. The first was sent away with its cargo without incident. The second one was the cause for a street disturbance which was suppressed by peace officers. The third ship came in October. The citizens burned the ship and its cargo.
The annual meeting of the lodge was held December 1, 1774 but only eight names are recorded as present. Where were the others? In light of events which transpired in December 1774, it is an interesting point on which to speculate.
Paul Revere made one of his famous rides December 13, 1774. There is little written about it but he departed Boston for Portsmouth arriving in the latter town about 3:00 p.m. He carried news to Samuel Cutts of the Portsmouth Committee of Correspondence that the importation of powder and arms was prohibited and that this order would be enforced by the Royal Navy. The Safety Committee of Portsmouth held a meeting that evening. There is no evidence of its deliberations, but it must have determined that evening to assault Fort William and Mary on the next day. Some planning must have been taking place even before this for without the instant communication of the present era, how would one organize an armed unit of some 400 men within twenty-four hours. The first assault took place on the afternoon of December 4, 1774. Brother John Cochran of this lodge was captain in charge with five soldiers under his command. His men used small arms but to no avail. Captain Cochran and his five men were bound while the party removed 100 barrels of powder from the fort into boats. It was transported inland on the Piscataqua River, concealed and used later by New Hampshire soldiers.
Another assault was made the next day when cannons and muskets were taken. There is no record of the men who took part in the attack, but some of the leaders were named as John Sullivan, Pierse Long, Winborn Adams and Andrew McClary, all members of St. John's Lodge. Portsmouth was blockaded by one or more ships of the Royal Navy from December 17, 1774 until August 1775. The meetings of the lodge were irregular during the siege. There are minutes for February, April, May and June 1775. Few members are recorded as present.
There was a real threat to burn the town as Falmouth, Maine had been burned. General Washington dispatched General Sullivan and Major Joseph Cilley from Cambridge to Portsmouth during the Fall of 1775 to improve the harbor defenses. About 1,800 men were involved in manning four forts, artillery units and other services.
The first lodge meeting recorded for several months was held November 24, 1775. Major Joseph Cilley was made a Mason, "gratis" for services rendered in defense of his country. General Sullivan was present this evening.
William Whipple affiliated with this lodge January 2, 1752. According to the minutes, he did not receive any Masonic degrees here nor does the record reveal the lodge where he was made a Mason. He was never an active member, but the members have not forgotten his many good deeds in behalf of the town and the country. He held many high offices, but the one for which he is noted is that of a member of the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1779, for during his term in Philadelphia, he became one of the men who signed his name to the Declaration of Independence.
New Hampshire sent eighteen delegates to the Continental Congress. Six of them were members of St. John's Lodge, Portsmouth. Sullivan and Whipple have been mentioned. The others were: Woodbury Langdon 1779-80; Samuel Livermore 1780-83 and 1785-86; Pierse Long 1784-86 and Nicholas Gilman, Jr. 1786-88. Sullivan is too well known to make further comment. Woodbury Langdon was long an active member of St. John's Lodge. He was a shrewd and talented business man but his biographers state that he never became as well known as his famous brother, John, since he did not have the kind of disposition John possessed.
Samuel Livermore has long been overlooked as a competent attorney and politician. He graduated Nassau Hall 1752, passed the Massachusetts Bar and became King's Attorney for New Hampshire. He switched his loyalty not long after war commenced and became Attorney General for New Hampshire 1776-79. He served in the first Congress 1789-93. He was United States Senator 1793-1801 and elected President of the United States Senate for the 4th and 6th sessions. He served two terms as Worshipful Master and three years as Treasurer of this lodge. He was one of three leaders in New Hampshire who persuaded the Constitutional Convention to ratify the United States Constitution.
Pierse Long served in the Continental Congress 1784-86. He performed admirably as a Colonel in the armed forces from the beginning of the war until after the surrender of General Burgoyne, when he became seriously ill. It took him a year to recover. He was a well educated man for that period. He served as Secretary of the lodge for one term and at other times held various offices on a pro tern basis. He was named as one of the leaders of the assault on Fort William and Mary.
Nicholas Gilman, Jr. was only twenty years of age when war commenced, but he volunteered for service immediately. He held various commissions throughout the entire period in New Hampshire Regiments. His service was closely associated with Colonel Scammell. Gilman was at Yorktown in 1781. He was initiated in this lodge March 20, 1777. He served in the Continental Congress 1786-88 and became one of two men to sign the United States Constitution for New Hampshire. He served in Congress from 1789-97 and as a United States Senator from 1805 to 1814.
There were at least fifty-four members engaged in military service. Time will not permit naming them and their deeds, but Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dearborn is rated as an able officer by his biographers during the War of Independence. He saw action from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, including that miserable trek through the Maine wilderness under Colonel Benedict Arnold.
Lieutenant Elijah Hall of the Continental Navy served on the Ranger and participated in several naval battles prior to being taken prisoner at Charleston, S.C. He suffered the loss of an eye in that battle.
Dr. Hall Jackson and Dr. William Parker were medical doctors who administered to the soldiers and sailors who were ill or wounded. Jackson was then a Past Master of the lodge and became the second Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire.
Captain John Hart of a privateer, PORTSMOUTH, sailed his ship into Garonne River, France to seize an English ship.
Captain Thomas Thompson of the Continental Navy, assigned to the frigate, RALEIGH, had some difficulty returning from France which led to his dismissal from the service, but there is no doubt that he was a competent ship's captain. He became fourth Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire.
One member, Stephen Meads, was commissioned a first Lieutenant of the Continental Marines and assigned to the frigate, RALEIGH. He was initiated December 2, 1773 and raised April 18, 1777.
The lives of others make interesting reading, but Hopley Yeaton deserves attention he has not received. He could have made a small fortune as a privateer, but instead, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Continental Navy. He was assigned to the frigate, RALEIGH, but after it was wrecked off the coast of Maine, he was reassigned to the frigate, DEANE, which had an outstanding record seizing ships and taking prisoners. When war was over, he returned to his usual occupation as a ship's captain until the United States Revenue Marine Service was established. He was the first commissioned sea-going officer of the United States assigned to the revenue cutter, SCAMMEL. He is credited by the United States Coast Guard with accomplishing many goals, among which were increased size of ships, increased armaments, increased pay for officers and crew. With the exception of a few years, he served the rest of his working days in this service, making it difficult for smugglers to import merchandise without payment of customs. He retired December 31, 1809.
In the first by-laws dated 1739, the lodge indicated its location as Portsmouth in the Province of New Hampshire. The term United States was used in the minutes of April 3, 1777. In less than forty years, a substantial change had been wrought.
Is it any wonder that members of this old lodge are proud of their heritage?
----o----
By Louis C. King, M.P.S.
In Louis Nizer's book, "The Jury Returns," he made a remark concerning the preparation of a lawyer's case for presentation in court, which, while having no connection with Freemasonry, gave me the idea for this paper. I quote it here in full.
"Events can never be reconstructed by generalities. The truth is composed of infinite details. At first glance, a telegraphed newspaper picture reveals a recognizable face and nothing more. When we look closely, we see myriad dots out of which the likeness is constructed. So the recital of happenings in real life becomes believeable only as we perceive the innumerable incidents, often trivial, of which they are composed."
In any history the true story can often be arrived at only by this means. In art, as one form of history, this is quite evident.
Man's portrayal of himself in the pre-historic paintings such as those found in caves, was rudimentary, intended to record certain events but not to provide accurate pictures of the principal characters. As records their meanings were quite clear to the artist's contemporaries even though our interpretations may be wide of the mark.
As men developed skills in other fields, so the work of artists improved. The features and forms of the characters improved so that we can easily distinguish them, even in the portrayals of m any different artists. Even the artists became identifiable by their characteristics. Their own natures became manifest in many ways, as in their choice of subjects, their use of colors, the pigments they selected, the surfaces on which they worked, many small details discernible to the trained eye; all served, even before signatures were used, to identify the artist. Another trait also became obvious. In many ways the artist indicated where his sympathies lay, his choice of scenes and his treatment of the various actors, all showed plainly that he was biased in favor of some in preference to others. Taken as historical records, the artists presented their heroes in the most favorable light.
When the systematic use of symbols developed beyond that of mere book-keeping the art of writing was found useful in keeping a record of important events; battles fought and the leaders who participated; the accession of kings and overlords and how they ruled; all gave rise to a new method of preserving the stories of nations, rulers, and of the people. The writers of histories supplanted the painters, having a more flexible medium.
And they, like the painters, soon showed that they were as well aware of which side of their bread the butter was on, in the way their histories were written, as the painters were.
Even the work of men who, for one reason or another, were able to write impartially were susceptible to error for a multiplicity of causes. A person actually present at a certain event can see only so much at any time. What he hears and remembers may vary much from reality, depending on so many things, his retentivity, his interpretation of the speaker's words, even the unfortunate use of an expression by the speaker can, once the account is written, make a vast difference in the credibility of the historian. Worst of all is the writer who allows his imagination to hold sway over common sense in his narrative.
That sort of person can cause incalculable harm. What ever his motives, his sources, his actual knowledge of the subject, the scrupulousness of his character and, quite importantly, the intended purpose his work was to achieve; the unbridled use of imagination can cause confusion for years to come.
Such was the case with Freemasonry's first written history. Legends it had in plenty, all handed down by word of mouth, vague, and having no real purpose. The writer of this history was James Anderson, a man about whom very little was known.
Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1669, it is believed, as no record of his birth has ever been found. He was educated there and received his Master of Arts degree in Marischal College, the date unknown. He is believed to have been ordained a Presbyterian Minister and Generally accepted to have been made a Mason in the Lodge at Aberdeen. In none of these things has any record been found, although it has been admitted that the Lodge records were poorly kept. He was evidently able to satisfy the London brethren when he moved to that city in 1708, where he established a church.
He was apparently quite active in Masonry as he was affiliated with two Lodges, the Horn, in 1723 and Solomon's Temple in 1725, although when and where he was first affiliated is not known.
In 1717, when the first Grand Lodge was erected in London, he must have shown an interest in it, although, in the nebulous state in which it existed, no records of any kind were kept. This condition existed until 1721, by which time John, 2nd Duke of Montague, had become Grand Master, the fifth to hold that office and the first nobleman to do so. In this year of 1721, Lord Montague decided that Grand Lodge had a real function to perform in Masonry and ordered Anderson to collect as many as could be found of the so-called Gothic Constitutions, with the purpose of gleaning from them some sort of regulations by which Grand Lodge could govern and be governed.
Now, with no concrete evidence to the contrary, it appears that this task was assigned to Anderson and he did succeed in getting some of those documents. All those Constitutions, whether turned over to Anderson or not, were descendants of one or the other of the two oldest sets of regulations known to Masonry and they, from their similarity, are believed to have been copied from one still older document. Along with the regulations that all contained, they carried what was purported to be a history of the Craft. These histories were mostly brief but some were quite lengthy and all carried, to a greater or less extent, a curious legendary tale allegedly relating the early history of various characters connected with masons in periods before, during or after the building of Solomon's Temple. Vague and fragmentary as they were and often written by men of little education, these tales do carry the hint of a larger story. Anderson evidently sensed this and, while there was little to work on, his theological education was peculiarly adapted to building a story from these vague pieces. The history that Anderson wrote was built from those fragments.
The work that Anderson was ordered to do was done, but not by him. There were two other men, Dr. John T. Desaguliers and George Payne, both Past Grand Masters, who took care of the rest of the work. Payne is credited with writing the regulations. So, for nearly two years Anderson continued with his fantastic "History."
Not content with using the story of King Solomon's Temple, he went back to the first chapter of Genesis. As he opened his "version," he said that God undoubtedly transmitted the secrets of Masonry to Adam, who in turn, made Masons of his two sons. He blithely ignored Adam's disobedience and that Cain murdered his brother. Instead, he told how Cain and his descendants spread Masonry across all the nations of the earth.
Down across the centuries Anderson carried this ridiculous fantasy. He spun so fantastic a yarn about Noah and his sons that many Masons still believe that Noah was of greater importance to the Craft than Solomon. The secret societies of the Egyptians and Greeks were incorporated in his Masonic system; the Essenes, Druids and about all the other ancient and mystical orders became, through Anderson's pen, parts of the Ancient Masonic fraternity.
That what he wrote bore no resemblance to the truth seems not to have disturbed his conscience in the least. He was the first in his field and he took advantage of it to the utmost. Who had the temerity to question him?
As the new form of Freemasonry grew and gained in popularity and strength, other teachers followed dutifully in his footsteps. Writers quoted Anderson and were in turn quoted. Much of what they wrote became a part of the workings of the degrees and still more became the basis for new orders and systems of degrees, all, of course, claiming to have access to greater enlightenment far superior to the teachings of the Symbolic Lodges. Fortunately, most of these "Rites" and systems became too complicated, jealousies arose and quarrels were common both within and between the contending groups and they destroyed themselves. But it seems that many of the fragments persisted.
Eventually, certain men began to question assertions that had never before been challenged. First, the more obvious falsehoods were cleared away. Then came the search for Truth. Removal was simple but gaps appeared and substitutions were made. More care was now needed, lest one error replaced another. Forged documents were detected and methods were developed to prove falsified documents. Old letters, parts of old records were turned up, sometimes containing but a few words. Bits and pieces accumulated, often seemingly meaningless, and then another piece was found which fitted. Gradually a picture began to emerge.
Like the scattered dots and blots on the newspaper page, meaningless in themselves, they began to merge with others and discernible form appeared. As Mr. Nizer put it, "So the recital of happenings in real life becomes believable only as we perceive the innumerable incidents, often trivial, of which they are composed."
Those dots, those bits and pieces, have been accumulating for many years now. The patient, untiring men who have spent their lifetimes deciphering faded and almost unintelligible writing. And what scrawls a great deal of them were. When the first records were kept, Lodges often hired clerks to write them. The great majority of the inhabitants of the British Isles were totally illiterate. Contrary to the impressions made by writers who would have us believe that masons in the twelfth to the Sixteenth Centuries were cultured educated men, sought after by royalty and noblemen for their wide experience in the Sciences. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only persons who could be considered literate were churchmen. Even they were literate only to the extent required in their ecclesiastical duties. Many bishops were well educated but in the humbler offices the priests and monks knew little more than their parishioners. Many monks devoted their working hours to copying the few books the Churches possessed but the misspelled words and the deviations from the original texts refute the claim that those copyists could read and understand what they put down.
As for the laymen of the working classes, none but the few clerks required in law and business could do more than make their marks. What time did a quarry-man or a stonecutter have to learn reading and writing? Of what use were they to masons or stone-carvers? For the few pence a day that they were paid, they were required to be on the job at first light and stay there until it was too dark to see.
The average workman in any trade was only too glad to eat supper and get to bed, get a few hours rest and be ready at dawn for another day. Study - ? Impossible! Who was there to teach them? Before the printing press, books were so costly that even in churches, Bibles were chained to the lecterns to prevent being stolen.
Only the exceptional boy was trained for the post of Master Builder. The Master of a lodge was no more than a foreman, told each day what was to be done. The Master Builder was the architect, working from designs given him by his employer.
In medieval England, society was stratified. The Normans held themselves a cut above Saxons, even of equal rank, and the pecking order was firmly established from the King down to the untitled Gentleman who was wealthy enough to live without soiling his hands. The pecking order continued again, down through the working classes and the masons were well down the list.
It is a strange thing to consider how, when the glamor of Gothic construction gave way to other forms of building and the mason trade went into a decline, that, in about the middle of the Sixteenth Century, men of other occupations began joining mason lodges. This popularity was the beginning of a new trend. The Lodges became often composed of non-masons and, by the end of the Seventeenth Century, lodges in the larger cities became the meeting places for wealthy, well educated men who were seeking to make of these lodges a means of educating and refining the characters of their members.
As yet, they were self constituted and independent clubs. Then, in 1717 four lodges in London got together to form a Grand Lodge. For four years, little more was done except, possibly, to make up some sort of ritual for the two degrees of members, and how well the rituals were accepted is also unknown. Then Lord Montague saw in the Grand Lodge a central governing body. For as much as we have of those few early years we have nothing but Mr. Anderson's entirely questionable account, published in 1738 in his second Book of Constitutions and, thanks to him, we are still putting bits and pieces together.
The photograph of Masonry has finally emerged, the bits and pieces fitted together to form a beautiful picture of a Fraternity that has arisen from the humblest of beginnings to the proud, stately organization we can be justly proud of today.
----o----
By Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., (Life), Illinois
In 1927 there was published ten small paper-back booklets under the general title of "The Dollar Masonic Library." This was a joint project of the Commission on Masonic Education of Michigan and of the Bureau of Social and Educational Service of New York. This fine set has been out-of-print for many years.
The first volume of the set was written by our late Brother Harry L. Haywood, and it was entitled "Introduction to Freemasonry." Not too long ago this first booklet was rediscovered by Brother Keith Arrington, of the Iowa Masonic Library, and present Worshipful Master of Research Lodge No. 2, of Iowa. He discussed the matter with Brother Charles Jackson, the Librarian and Grand Secretary of Iowa, and was encouraged to reproduce this item. The matter was further discussed with Brother Jerry Marsengill, Secretary of the Lodge, and steps were taken to reproduce the first volume of the set.
The booklet consists of 79 small pages and contains ten chapters dealing with the nature and history of the Craft as well as many related subjects. It is an excellent "first book" for the new Mason and a good "review" book for the older member who wants to refresh his recollection and fill in some gaps in his Masonic information.
Available from Research Lodge No. 2, 2602 Terrace Road, Des Moines, Iowa 50312, at $1.00 a copy postpaid.
* * *
Readers interested in securing a list of leading basketball players who have been Freemasons should secure a copy of "Masonic Hoopsters," prepared by Brother Jerry R. Erikson, F.P.S., P. O. Box 424, Pico Rivera, Cal. 90660, at twenty cents a copy postpaid.
* * *
Volume three of the History of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, is being printed at this time. It will be available for distribution later this year. Those who have the first two volumes will be happy to hear this as this is a valuable work, brings the subject up-to-date, and all facets of the subject have been researched by an expert professional historian, Dr. James D. Carter, F.P.S., librarian of the Supreme Council in Washington, D.C.
Orders for this volume should be sent to the Supreme Council, 1733 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009, after August 1st. The price for volume three will be $6.00 postpaid.
* * *
Grand Lodge proceedings are a gold mine of Masonic facts and interesting information. But the many volumes, the inadequate index in most of them, and the mass of formal material make it an herculean task to find the items of interest. Brother Thomas Sherrard Roy, a Past Grand Master of Massachusetts, and an able and dedicated worker in the quarries of the Craft for many years, went carefully through the Grand Lodge Proceedings of his state and picked out the items of enduring interest. The manuscript has been published under the auspices of the Masonic Education and Charity Trust of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, under the title "Stalwart Builders," the sub-title is "A History of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 1733-1970.
Available from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 186 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass. 02111, at $6.00 a copy postpaid.
* * *
The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts has also published, and which are still available, the following books:
Dare We Be Masons, a collection of outstanding talks given by Brother Roy over the years. Available at $2.50 for the hard cover edition and $1.25 for the soft cover edition.
The Masonic Way of Life, a collection of talks given over the years by Brother Joseph Earl Perry, a Past Grand Master of Massachusetts. Available at $2.50 for the hard cover edition and $1.25 for the soft cover edition.
* * *
The Masonic student about to make a study of a specific subject is always presented with the serious problem of what material is available. Unfortunately, there are few guides to help him; and while many Masonic books have bibliographies most have few footnotes and few have specific references to topics covered by the book.
We now have a fine working tool to locate much gold buried in the first eighty volumes of the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, the first Masonic Research Lodge in the world. In recent years the transactions have had a fine detailed index in each volume, plus a list of the main articles in prior volumes. Many years ago one of our research lodges published a short index, but it was inadequate and the few copies printed did not enjoy a wide circulation. Quatuor Coronati Lodge has now published a Concise Index of the Transactions Volume 1 to 80. It is a workable index in that it covers the main topics in the Transactions, the names of some authors and the titles, a subject classification, and some biographical references. It was prepared by A.R. Hewitt and H.G. Massey, skilled Masonic indexers. Although it is regretted that the lodge could not afford to publish a more detailed index, the present Concise Index will be a useful tool for many years to come.
Available to members of the lodge at $1.50 a copy postpaid. Membership may be secured by filing an application, the payment of the joining fee of $3.00, and payment of the annual fee of $5.80. The address of the lodge is 27 Great Queen Street, London, W. C. 2, England.
* * *
Recently I have received a number of letters inquiring about the Masonic Book Club. This group has been in existence for a little over two years and has published a facsimile of the Regius Manuscript with commentary and modern translation as its 1970 book; and a facsimile of Franklin's edition of Anderson's Constitutions for its 1971 book.
The 1972 book will be a facsimile of Dermott's Ahiman Rezon with a commentary. It is planned to have the 1973 book be a facsimile of the second edition of Preston's Illustrations of Masonry.
The membership of the Club was restricted to 333 members and the number was filled within a few months after the Club was formed. Those desiring to get their names on the waiting list to fill vacancies as they exist should write to: Alphonse Cerza, Secretary, The Masonic Book Club, 237 Millbridge Road, Riverside, Illinois. The annual dues have been $10.00 up to the present time.
----o----
Masonic Lodge of
Research To Honor
Conrad Hahn
The "James Royal Case Award of Excellence," established by the Masonic Lodge of Research of Conn., to annually honor a Masonic individual who has exemplified in his career eminent leadership and achievement in Masonic Research and related subjects, will this year be awarded to Conrad Hahn, F.P.S., Past Grand Master of Conn., and Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association of the U.S. The testimonial dinner will take place Saturday evening, May 13th in Valle's Restaurant, U.S. I-95, West Haven, Conn.
The award, a medal of gold, was first presented to James Royal Case, Grand Historian of Conn., and internationally known Masonic scholar and historian. Upon presentation it was announced that henceforth the medal would be named after the premier recipient.
Brother Hahn is known for his work as the Executive Secretary of the M.S.A., a post he has held since 1964. He previously served as Deputy Secretary and Editor of Publications. He was Grand Master of Conn. in 1957.
His literary contributions to the Conn. Jurisdiction and others is many and varied. His four "Candidate Instruction" booklets are considered one of the finest pieces of instructional material available. Since 1958 he has edited all the publications of the Masonic Service Association; authored many of the "Short Talk Bulletins" and the M.S.A. supplement "Your Masonic Hospital Visitor." He is the author of two of the Association's booklets, "The Builders Laid the Foundations" and "A Short History of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America."
He has written many papers for presentation at the Northeast, Midwest and Southeastern Conferences on Masonic Culture, Education and Libraries. He will be a keynote speaker at this year's Northeast Conference to be held in Hartford, Conn., May 11, 12, 13th. He has appeared before many Research Lodges, presenting original papers of Masonic interest, as well as a large number of Blue Lodges and other bodies. Almost daily he is engaged in researching answers to questions from inquiring Masons in this country and abroad.
Brother Hahn is a member of the York and Scottish Rite bodies and the Shrine; an Honorary 33d; a member of the Royal Order of Scotland, Washington, D.C.; Red Cross of Constantine and others.
The Committee, comprised of past masters of the Research Lodge is headed by Leon Rozene, charter master. Master Masons and their wives are invited to attend. Reservations may be made with Raymond Zotian, 70 East St. Milford. Conn. 06460.
----o----
About the Author of Walden Pond
In an article in the New York "Masonic Outlook," for August-September, 1937, we find something of interest to nature lovers, and narrating something closely connected with the life of David Henry Thoreau, author of "Walden Pond." We reproduce it here, for the edification of our readers:
In the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for December 11, 1815, is found an item in a report of the Committee on Charity that holds deep interest for the literary student: "Mary Minot . . . ten dollars." Payment had been authorized at the previous communication "A petition was presented by M - M - , of Concord, widow, accompanied by a certificate from Bro. Ripley, praying for charitable relief. Read and committed to the Committee on Charity and voted, That the committee on charity have leave to draw on the Grand Treasurer for such sum as they deem expedient to be given to the widow M - M - ."
The petitioner was Mrs. Mary M. Minnott (the correct spelling), who was none other than the grandmother of Henry D. Thoreau, the great naturalist-philosopher of Concord, best known for his celebrated book, "Walden Pond." Her first husband had been Dr. Asa Dunbar, of Keene, New Hampshire, and their daughter, Cynthia Dunbar, it was that was Thoreau's mother, having married John Thoreau, Concord pencil maker.
It was Dunbar, not Minott, who was the Mason. The petitioner for relief went on to state that Dunbar, "was a native of Massachusetts: that he was for a number of years settled in the gospel ministry at Salem; that afterwards he was a counselor-at-law; that he was Master of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons at Keene, where he died; that in the cause of Masonry he was interested and active; that through some defection or misfortune of that Lodge she has suffered loss, both on account of what was due to him and to her, at whose house they held their meetings; that in the settlement of the estate of her late husband, Jonas Minott, Esq., late of Concord, she has been peculiarly unfortunate, and become very much straitened in the means of living comfortably; that being thus reduced, and feeling the weight of cares, of years, and of widowhood to be very heavy, after having seen better days, she is induced, by the advice of friends, as well as her own exigencies, to apply for aid to the benevolence and charity of the Masonic fraternity."
There is no record that Thoreau was a Mason, but the record is interesting in its revelation that Dr. Ripley was a Craftsman. He was the Rev. Ezra Ripley, famous Concord Unitarian clergyman, one of the most impressive figures of the time, an eminent scholar, preacher and humanitarianist, and friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose step-grandfather he was.
----o----
by Roger K. Becker, P.G.H.P. (Indiana)
A paper read at the sectional conference of York Rite officers, Columbus, Ohio, October 31, 1964.
It has been said that, in business, nothing happens until somebody sells something.
In my own business, when a sales meeting is planned, our Sales Manager must bear in mind one important fact. It is not nearly as important to tell salesmen something new as it is to remind them of what they already know.
Perhaps that sounds as silly as the advice: "To avoid hitting your thumb with the hammer, hold the hammer in both hands." If it sounds silly, it is only because it is an obvious fact, and sometimes we overlook the obvious. Truth has been around a long time, so let us not be afraid to repeat the facts. In reminding ourselves of what we already know, I am going to say some things that I have said before, things that I have said more than once.
We must not be afraid of the facts, like the six year old boy who had just been to Sunday School. After Sunday School, Daddy asked him what he had learned in Sunday School that morning. He replied, "I heard a good story about the Jews who escaped from the bad Egyptians. They were running away, and suddenly they were trapped at the Red Sea. Then the United States Army came along and built a pontoon bridge across the Red Sea so that the Jews could get away."
"Now, wait a minute" said Daddy. "Is that the way they taught you that story in Sunday School?"
"No, daddy, not exactly, but the way they told the story, you'd never believe it."
We as Masons contend:
First - Man is endowed by his Creator with dignity and liberty.
Second - It is the responsibility of man to revere and worship God, but Masonry does not single out one Church or sect.
Third - Men and Masons have the responsibility to build a civilization worthy of our principles.
The challenge of these principles is basically a moral challenge. It is a spiritual challenge.
It is an old proverb that many people never see the light, they only feel the heat. We can not and we must not force ourselves on anyone. We cannot use the blow torch method in a combat of this type.
It is both easy and pleasant for us to think about and talk about the glorious history of Freemasonry. I can think of nothing more pleasant than admiring our beautiful antiques, and reflecting upon the glorious contributions of men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and many others.
We certainly like to boast of our past. How about boasting about our Future ? What can we do about it ?
We must realize, and realize clearly, that the principles upon which our Fraternity is founded are under attack. What principles? Why are they under attack?
We talk about our selected membership, and the necessity for restricting our membership to men of unquestioned character and integrity, realizing that the quality of our membership determines the entire future of our Fraternity. Let's face it. That concept is under attack, because it is not consistent with the popular catch phrase of today "without regard of race or creed."
We are not a "come one come all" organization. We are selective, and we intend to be selective. Therefore, we will be opposed.
Since we believe, as a fundamental principle, that man is endowed by his Creator with dignity and liberty, we will be opposed. That fundamental principle is completely unacceptable to many who oppose us.
We have stated that one of our fundamental principles is that man revere and worships God, but Masonry does not single out one church or sect. It certainly is not difficult to see why this fundamental principle should be under attack. Certainly it will be under attack from the atheist, and all those who deny the existence of Deity. Also, paradoxically, it is unacceptable to the other extreme, those whose religion is primarily bigotry and intolerance. People on this extreme believe that they, and they alone, are the sole repositories of Eternal Truth, and that nothing but their particular group can be recognized. They believe in intolerance, and will find our fundamental principle unacceptable.
We have stated that we believe, as a fundamental principle, that men have the responsibility to build a civilization worthy of our heritage, worthy of our principles, and worthy of our beliefs. This requires us to take an active part, not only in Fraternal matters, but in both private and public matters which affect the improvement of our communities.
We must dedicate ourselves to this struggle, and dedicate ourselves to the application of the great power of spiritual strength. In a struggle of this kind, strength is not found in numbers. Remember the story of Gideon. Also remember that when the Master himself selected men for the most challenging task ever given to any group of men in all history, he selected only twelve, and one of that twelve failed.
God, in his infinite wisdom, has created men of infinite varieties of mental characteristics, physical characteristics, and social background. This is pressure today to hammer all men into one mold of mediocrity. It is becoming increasingly popular not only to state that men are politically equal, but, in the name of democracy, they must be social equals as well, and that equality does not only mean equality, but means parallelism.
We, as Masons, must remember that if we are to be worthy of the title of leaders in our Fraternity, we must recognize that all the progress in all of the history of all of the civilizations in the world has been due to the efforts of a small fraction of one per cent of our population. That faction of one per cent has been the men whose philosophy was that of our Fraternity. Their lives have been founded upon character, integrity, and service.
Our future is just beginning.
----o----
Sorry We Are Late!
Because of the necessity of including the material from our Masonic Workshop and other Masonic meetings in Washington during February, we are late in mailing this issue - be patient, please.
----o----
The Ritual Is Not The Main Thing
By Rabbi H. Geffen, 32d, F.P.S.
There are many Masons who know nothing about the morality of Freemasonry, or what their duties are, for the reason that they are only interested in the ritual. The ritual is only a small part of Masonry; steps should be taken to call the attention of the Craftsman to the morality of the Craftsman, and to what his duties as a true Mason are, and the nature and extent of his obligations. The ritual is undoubtedly not to be neglected, inasmuch as it is the medium through which we convey our lessons of symbolism, by translating the mystical in real conduct of life.
The ritual is also important because by its means we separate ourselves from the rest of the world, and obtain the means of mutual understanding and recognition, but it is, after all the weakest part of Masonry. The ritual alone will not more make a true Mason than the Manual exercise will make a true soldier.
The moral and intellectual teachings of the Order - its purpose as a great religious institution, occupied in the search for Divine Truth, should always engage the attention of the Masonic order, and form a prominent part of his studies.
We unfortunately, know too many Masons who are completely ignorant of the history, the nature, the design and the true symbolism of the order, as if they had never entered within its portals, regardless of the fact that they are familiar with the exact phraseology of the ritual. Masonry has its science and its literature, and to these the attention of the Masonic student should be directed. The ritual is its alphabet. A knowledge of it is, therefore, necessary to a full comprehension of its language; but he who has gone no further than the alphabet, however competent he may be to instruct in the same rudiments, can hardly discharge the duty of a teacher of the science. Such ritualists, who do not know the history and morality of our order, are like some ignorant servitor in a public library, who can readily point out the shelf and spot occupied by every book, and even give correctly its little-page, and yet who knows no more concerning the intellectual treasurers containing within its locked up leaves than the binder who put them together.
It is time that Masons should come to the conclusion and realize that something more than a mere knowledge of the worlds of a ritual are necessary to make a "bright" Mason or a competent teacher in Masonry.
----o----
We do not need more national development, we need more spiritual development. We do not need more intellectual power, we need more spiritual power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen. - CALVIN COOLIDGE.
----o----
Freedoms Foundation
Again Honors Heaton
Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S., our Treasurer has been honored for the second time by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. The attractive booklet, "The Image of Washington, the story of the Houdon Statue," which we sent to our members as a bonus book last year, was awarded an Honor Certificate by the 1971 National Awards Jury of the Freedoms Foundation.
This is twice that this organization has seen fit to honor Brother Heaton. In 1970, the booklet, "Loud and Clear, The Story of Our Liberty Bell," which was co-authored by Heaton and Harold V. B. Voorhis, F.P.S. received a similar award from the Foundation.
Besides being a tireless worker in the Philalethes society, Brother Heaton is widely known as one of the leading authorities, if not the leading authority, on the Masonic membership of the founding fathers of the country. Brother Heaton has published many books and papers on Freemasonry in the early days of the republic and we commend the Freedoms Foundation for their good judgement.
----o----
Philalethes Editor Honored : Vrooman Receives Double Award for Service to Freemasonry
By Jerry Marsengill
(Editor's Note - I pass!)
John Black Vrooman, Editor of the Philalethes magazine, and one of the best known Masons of our time, was honored on January 15th when he was presented the Fifty-year Grand Lodge of Missouri lapel emblem and, a "first" in the history of the Masonic Service Association, was presented a beautifully engraved plaque attesting to his thirty years of devoted service as a Field Agent and Hospital Visitor for the Masonic Service Association.
The elements did not co-operate, for the presentation was made on the coldest night of the winter season and in bitter sub-zero temperature. The fifty-year presentation, on behalf of Vrooman's own lodge, Equality Lodge No. 497 at Newburg, Missouri, as well as the one for the M.S.A., were made by Vrooman's close friend and Masonic co-worker Right Worshipful Brother 0. Wes Konering, Secretary and Past Master of Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 40 of St. Louis. The presentation took place in the hall of Mt. Moriah Lodge.
A large number of letters, telegrams, and messages were sent by a number of R.W. Bro. Vrooman's friends who were unable, because of the inclemency of the weather, to attend the presentation. These included a number from the various Grand Masters of the United States with whom R.W. Brother Vrooman has been associated.
Brother Vrooman was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on May 31, 1921, just prior to his graduation from Wabash College, in Montgomery Lodge No. 50, F. & A.M., Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Following his graduation, he sojourned briefly in Wichita, Kansas, where he taught at a private Indian School which was comprised of representatives of approximately 16 tribes of Indians.
He later worked as a reporter for the Wichita "Eagle," and editor of the "Kansas Masonic Digest," of Wichita, where be became active in Masonic journalism.
When World War II seemed imminent, R.W. Brother Vrooman answered Masonry's call and enlisted as a Field Agent for the Masonic Service Association at Rolla, Missouri. While there he served the many thousands of men and women in the Armed Forces of the United States at Ft. Leonard Wood at the Rolla Masonic Service Center. This service began on November 23, 1941 and lasted until the closing of the center following the end of the war. When the war ended, Vrooman was transferred to the hospital scene at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Jefferson Barracks, in the suburbs of St. Louis, where he served the hospitalized veterans.
When the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital in mid-town St. Louis was constructed and opened in 1954 he was transferred to that location, where he has been serving since that time.
Presently there are three Veterans Hospitals in Missouri which are served by the representatives of the Masonic Service Association, John J. Cochran, St. Louis, served by Vrooman, Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, ably served by Claude Parkhurst, and the Veterans Hospital in Kansas City, served by Phillip Pollard. Each of these hospitals is a very active and well-functioning operation, and the Freemasons of the state are well aware of the work being done at these points.
As a footnote and another well deserved award, at the fifty-third annual meeting of the Masonic Service Association, held in Washington, D.C. on February 21, 1972, R.W. Brother Vrooman was presented with a beautiful Masonic pen and pencil set by M.W. Brother Conrad Hahn, F.P.S., Executive Secretary, and Worshipful Brother Daniel P. Knode, Jr., Chief Field Agent of the Masonic Service in an extremely colorful and interesting ceremony. R.W. Brother Vrooman accepted the gift with appropriate remarks and with great enthusiasm.
Uncle John has been active in both York and Scottish Rite being a member of K.Y.C.H. as well as a 32d K.C.C.H. He is the long time editor of The Philalethes magazine, for many years, and until recently resigning, he edited the Freemason, the official organ of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. He also serves as associate editor of the Scottish Rite publication of the Valley of St. Louis.
He was honored by the Grand Lodge of Missouri in its sesquicentennial year 1970-1971 by being selected to serve that Grand Lodge as Grand Pursivant.
----o----
"The men of old, when they wished their virtues to shine throughout the land, first had to govern their states well. To govern their states well, they first had to establish harmony in their families. To establish harmony in their families, they first had to discipline themselves. To discipline themselves, they first had to set their minds in order. To set their minds in order, they first had to make their purpose sincere. To make their purpose sincere, they first had to extend their knowledge to the utmost. Such knowledge is acquired through a careful investigation of things. For with things investigated knowledge becomes complete. With knowledge complete the purpose becomes sincere. With the purpose sincere the mind is set in order. With the mind set in order there is real self-discipline. With real self-discipline the family achieves harmony. With harmony in the family the state becomes well governed. With the state well governed there is peace throughout the land."
- Confucius
Sandusky Masonic Bulletin
----o----
By The Late W.H. Knutz, F.P.S.
Norman B. Hickox, Past Master of Evans Lodge, had a Masonic Library of about 700 books. A professor of English was astonished that so much could be written about Masonry. This is probably a common reaction among the uninitiated, which is shared by far too great a number of Masons.
At least one Grand Lodge Library contains 25,000 or more books on Masonry. Several others have a large number. A great many Masonic magazines are published. They range all the way from small publications, devoted to local news, to the more pretentious magazines carrying articles on history, philosophy and symbolism. A few, mostly under English Constitutions, devote considerable space to research.
Masonic literature may be classified as:
Biblical, Judicial, Historian, Symbolical, Encyclopedical, Fictional, Monitorial, Research, Poetic, Philosophical, Patriotic, Biographical, Constitutional, Mystical, General.
The literature of Masonry, particularly the works on history and research, may also be grouped as to method of subject treatment. There are three of these methods each confined to a period in our history, and each differing greatly from the others.
Our early writers set forth as facts, all the fancies and fictions developed by the early ritualists. From these views, we still have a quite common belief of great antiquity.
Eventually the imaginative stories of early writers exceeded the credulity of serious students, and a new view point developed. Literature written during this period was based on rigidly proven facts.
We are now in the third period of Masonic literature. Proven facts are amplified by scientific deduction.
The oldest Masonic manuscript is the Regius poem, written about 1390. It is believed to have developed from earlier documents. About 100 ancient Masonic manuscripts have been discovered. By a careful study of these manuscripts and a knowledge of contemporary history scholars are now better able to present a truer record of the Craft.
To provide a guide to Masonic literature, Brother Hickox, directed a survey to determine the twelve Masonic books a Mason should read first. The selections were determined by ballot with seventeen Masonic Scholars participating. The selections in the order of preference are:
The Bible; Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Mackey (Clegg); The Constitutionals, Anderson; The Builders Newton; History of Freemasonry, Gould; Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, various; Jurisprudence of Freemasonry, Mackey (Clegg); Symbolism of the Three Degrees, Street; Freemasonry in the Thirteen Colonies, Tatsch; Illustrations of Masonry Preston; Morals and Dogma, Pike, and the Secret Traditions of Freemasonry, Waite.
Masonic students seldom agree as to which books should be required reading or on the relative order of preference. Most, I believe, will agree that "The Builders" by Joseph Fort Newton should be among the first to be read. It is informative, very interesting and easy reading. Encyclopedias are excellent for reference. They will supply the answers to many questions. Mackey's Encyclopedia is the most complete.
The literary inclinations of the reader will determine the subjects he wishes to read. The general classification provides a guide. For some of the subjects, it is advisable to secure up to date books.
Readers who are so inclined, and have the time, will find in the Annual Proceedings of Grand Lodges and other Grand bodies the source of our modern history and law.
One of the most fascinating subjects in Masonic literature is history. Three periods of our history are of particular interest. The period before the forming of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717 is that period when many Masons worked at building. Many imposing Cathedrals were erected and Sir Christopher Wren, the famous architect, was a leader in the Craft.
The year 1717 witnessed the forming of the first Grand Lodge and from this date to 1730, the form of Masonry began to develop a long modern lines. At the same time, rival Grand Lodges were formed in England. Five existed, not all at the same time, between 1717 and 1813 when they united. Gould's History of Freemasonry is our most authoritative general history. C.C. Hunt's "Rival Grand Lodges of England", in pamphlet form, gives a clear picture of the period from 1717 to 1813 it may be obtained from the Iowa Grand Lodge Library at Cedar Rapids.
The principals of liberty and justice are practiced by the Craft. They are the principals upon which democracies are founded. It is not strange that Masonry played an important part in the Revolution.
Washington, Franklin, Warren, Revere, Lafayette and many other leaders of this period were active Masons. "Freemasonry in the Thirteen Colonies," by Tatsch; "Revolution and Freemasonry, 1680-1800," by Pay; "Paul Revere," by Esther Forbes, are just a few of the books we should class as required reading. A well illustrated booklet called "A Masonic Tribute, Sesquicentennial of the Constitution," provides in statistical form, much Masonic data pertaining to the Revolution.
- Hi-Twelvian Magazine
----o----
At high tide at London Bridge the Thames is some eight hundred feet wide.
In the reign of Henry II, Pious Peter, a chaplain of St. Mary's Cole - Church in the Poultry, built a stone bridge in lieu of the wooden one which had been destroyed by the great fire. The King helped him by a tax on wool, hence the saying: "London Bridge is built on woolpacks." The guild or Corporation of Bridge Builders, like the Corporation of Travelling Freemasons, from which it was an off-shoot, was a religious institution, but admitted laymen into the society. In other words, the great body of the Guild was secular, but the patrons were dignitaries of the Church. When by the multiplication of bridges, the necessity of their employment became less urgent and when the numbers of the workmen were greatly increased, the patronage of the Church was withdrawn, and the Association soon afterward fell into decay.
Nothing has remained in modern Masonry to preserve the memory of the former connection of the Order with the bridge builders of the middle ages, except the ceremony of opening a bridge, which is found in the rituals of the last century, but even this has now become obsolete. - The Sandusky "Masonic Bulletin"
----o----
Dispelling Another Masonic Myth
Was George Washington Grand Master Pro Tem?
In the current issue of "National Sojourner," official publication of National Sojourners, Inc. appears an article by M.W. Brother Conrad Hahn, P.G.M., F.P.S., about the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in 1793. The question of George Washington's being "Grand Master, Pro Tem" on that occasion has raised some questions of fact, and this article vividly delineates the actual story of this event:
In publishing the Fact Sheets on the Five-Year Plan, generous quotations were made from the book "George Washington - Freemason," written by the late William Moseley Brown, a noted Masonic author, and a Past National President of National Sojourners (1940-1943). One of our four Honorary Members at Large, M.W. Bro. Conrad Hahn, P.G.M. - Conn., and Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association, writes that we have reasserted what he considers a "Masonic Myth." He writes: "I can't accept the statement that 'George Washington acted as Grand Master Pro Tem' on September 18, 1793.... I disagreed with William Moseley Brown when he was alive, so I'm not trampling on the memory of a deceased brother by continuing to disagree now.... Let harmony and truth prevail!"
Following is a memorandum written by M.W. Bro. Hahn on the subject: George Washington as "Grand Master Pro Tem."
re George Washington as "Grand Master Pro Tem."
"Reading maketh a full man, and writing an exact man."
Masonic writers frequently assert that Washington acted as Grand Master pro tem at the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol of the United States because of the wording of the order of the procession which appears in the only contemporary account of those ceremonies - a report in The Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette, Vol. I, No. 89, for Wednesday, September 25, 1793, which is reproduced clearly in Ray Baker Harris' The Laying of Cornerstones, Supreme Council 33d, A.&A.S.R., Washington, D.C., 1961.
In that report, which states that "the procession marched two abreast," the last two items in the processional arrangements are as follows:
"Grand Master P.T.
George Washington; W.M.
No. 22, Virginia
Grand Sword Bearer"
It is natural to assume that there were only two men walking in the procession in second last place, George Washington and the W.M. of No. 22, Virginia. But a careful reading of the paragraph will show that a mark of punctuation is missing after "Grand Master P.T." (Punctuation was "fluid" in 1793!)
The report makes clear that there were three men in second last place: ".... the Grand Marshal ordered an halt, and directed each file in the procession, to incline two steps, one to the right and one to the left, and face each other, which formed an hollow oblong square; through which the Grand Sword Bearer led the van; followed by the Grand Master P.T. on the left - the President of the United States in the Centre, and the Worshipful Master of No. 22, Virginia, on the right - all the other orders, that composed the procession advanced, in the reverse of their order of march from the President's Square, . . ."
In a following paragraph of the report, it is again made clear that the President, George Washington, and the Grand Master pro tem were two different men:
"The Plate was then delivered to the President who, attended by the Grand Master, P.T. - and three most Worshipful Masters, descended to the Cavesson trench - and deposed the plate, and laid on it the Corner Stone of the Capitol of the United States...."
And in the following paragraph the same distinction is made: "The President of the United States, and his attendant Brethren ascended from the Cavesson to the East of the Cornerstone, and there the Grand Master P.T. elevated on a triple rostrum, delivered the following . . ." In one part of his address, the Grand Master P.T. praises "our most illustrious brother . . . George Washington."
The contemporary account of the ceremony informs us that "the President of the United States, attended by the Grand Master P.T.," laid the cornerstone of the Capitol. While Brother George Washington undoubtedly performed some of the rites usually performed by a Grand Master on such an occasion, there is no evidence that he was regarded as "the Grand Master pro tem." As the most distinguished citizen and Mason of the day, he was undoubtedly invited to participate in the Masonic ceremonies by the Grand Master pro tem, as was President Millard Fillmore, not a Mason, who participated in the Masonic ceremonies at the laying of the cornerstone of the extension of the U. S. Capitol in 1851.
----o----
Origin Unknown,
But Pungent
It is true that, like everyone else, items slip away from me, and I am at a loss to know just where certain gems of thought have come from, in passing over the Editor's Desk. This one, beautiful in its thought and pertinent to modern living, came to light, but whence, I do not know. If anyone can identify the source, we will be happy to give full credit.
Some Interesting Paragraphs
And thereafter we hear the Grand Orator's oration, with the subject, "According to Law." He said:
It is a hard lesson to learn - that of obedience; but woe betide the man or woman who, secure in the pride of his or her own fervid convictions, deliberately flaunts and acts upon them in the face of constituted authority, when those convictions and actions are in direct opposition to the decrees of duly empowered sovereignty. Such a man or woman must ultimately feel the heavy hand of fate, for "Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small."
But obedience is more than mere lip service, more than mere compliance with and submission to the ordinances and rules and regulations which we recognize for our direction and guidance as we jostle each other in the race through life. Obedience includes a toleration of the foibles and the frailties and the imperfections of our fellows, for all are prone to deviate from the straight an d narrow path, and to wander into the byways which today, while forbidden, are made attractive and alluring as never before to the wayfarer. Did this propensity to err and go astray not exist in the human heart, then indeed would we have the Millennium with us now, and there would be no occasion and no need for tenets and precepts and rules and regulations.
----o----
How the States Got Their Names
Of all the forty-eight states, only one - Washington - honors a president. Yet several were named for rulers of European countries.
Maryland pays tribute to Queen Henrietta Marie, wife of Charles I, of England. Louisiana honors Louis XIV, of France. Georgia honors George III of England. Virginia honors Queen Elizabeth I, and the Carolinas tribute the British monarch, Charles I.
New York pays respect to the Duke of York, later King James II. Delaware was named for Lord Delaware, first governor of Virginia, and Pennsylvania toasts its founder, William Penn.
Ten states in the Union drew their names from Indian tribes. Kansa, or Kaw, Indians, "people of the South Wind," became Kansas. Illinois came from Illini, which meant man. Utah took its term from Ute, or Eutaw tribe, a name meaning "high up." Texas adopted Tejas, a confederation of allies. Alabama came from a Creek confederacy tribe, Alibama, meaning "thicket cleavers," or "plant gatherers." The Dakota Indians, and Massachusetts originated from the tribe living "near the great hill."
If names of states were impressed by tribal names, they were dazzled by the language of the red man. From Indian words have originated names of sixteen states. The Platte River, Nebrathka in Indian, inspired the name of the Cornhusker state. The word means "flat water." The Algonquin word Weskonsan, "gathering of waters," was adopted by Wisconsin. The name Wyoming developed from a word in the Delaware language, Maughwauwame, meaning "great plain." Connecticut means "upon the long river."
Ee dab how, Shoshone for "sun comes down mountain," was adopted by Idaho, and Indiana means "land of Indians." Michigan drew its label from the name of one of the great lakes, and Minnesota is Sioux for "sky-tinted water." Mississippi is "great waters," and Missouri signifies "people of long canoes."
In Indian, Ohio means "great." Two Choctaw words, Okla, meaning red, and home, for land, combined to form Oklahoma, "land of red people." Arizona originated from the Pima and Papago word Arizonac, which designated a Mexican district where Spaniards found great silver slabs. Arkansas came from Agokhapah, which means "downstream people," those camped at the mouth of the Arkansas River.
A Latin word meaning "mountainous" became Montana, and the French verd mont, green mountain, described Vermont. Rhode Island was first called Zquidneck by Indians, but some historians believe that Giovanni de Verranzano, Italian explorer, suggested the present term because the place resembled the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. Other scholars argue that Roger Williams was responsible, calling it after the Greek Island of Rhodes. Yet another belief is that the name came from Roodt Eylandt, a Dutch navigator.
Nevada, which means "snow clad," was donated by Spanish gold seekers in describing the mountains. California comes from the name of a treasure island described in a yarn of the 1500's.
Love for homeland is revealed in some state titles. New Hampshire honors an English shire, New Jersey came from an island in the English Channel, and New Mexico obtained its name from the land south of the border.
- Square & Compass
----o----
More Comments
Brother David R. Wheeler, M.P.S., Chairman of the Committee on Education and Service of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, F. & A.M., writes commenting on the article in the April, 1971 issue of the Philalethes magazine about George Washington's Initiation, and commenting as follows:
"I have just come across the article in the April, 1971 Philalethes magazine, by M.W. Laurence E. Eaton entitled Was George Washington a Mason at Age 20?"
"As a genealogist I must take exception to his conclusion, for it is incorrect. George Washington was born 11 February 1731/2, or as they wrote it ll.XI.1731, February being the 11th month of their calendar. It was therefore incorrect to state that he was 21 on 4 November 1752. Novem in latin means 9 therefore he was Entered 4.1X.1752, or 3 months and 7 days before his 21st birthday. His 20th birthday was 11 February 1751 (OS) and his 21st birthday was 22 February 1753. When searching records of that period one finds no births, deaths or marriages between 3 September 1752 and 14 September 1752, or 1 January 1752 and 24 March 1752. The day after 3 Sep 52 was 14 Sep 52 and the year of 1752 was from 25 March to 31 December. To state it more clearly 31 December 1751 was followed by 1 January 1751, but 31 December 1752 was followed by 1 January 1753. It (the date change) has caused many a genealogist to tear his hair, I can assure you."
----o----
From Delaware comes a clever little simile that is so apt we cannot resist the opportunity to pass it on. It will repay reading several times, for it is much superior to a lot of symbolism offered here and there.
"What the Masonic institution is now going through is the same as that which every fruit tree in our fine orchards experience every year after the harvest. The sap ceases to run, the leaves drop from the branches, and to the casual, unknowing observer the tree is dead. Not so, however, to the orchardist. No sooner has the last leaf fallen than, armed with pruning hook and saw, he begins to lop off excessive growth of twigs and branches, and to begin the war against insect pests with his dormant sprays. These trees are precious, this treatment is necessary, and this dormant season is the strategic time of the year for him to work. The quantity and quality of the fruit of the coming year depends upon this period and upon the work that is clone in it "
----o----
Welcome To
New Members
EARL BARTEEE THOMAS, 5451-42nd Ave. S.W., Seattle, Wash. 98116
JOHN EDWIN FOSTER, 1 Strawberry Hill Ct., Apt. 6F, Stanford, Conn. 06902
JOHN CALVIN HAYES, 1420 Tampa Drive, Mobile, Alabama 36605
RUSSELL WHITFIEID WELLS, 1012 W. Peninsular Street, Tampa, Florida 33603
FRED M. TROUT, 301 West Memorial Drive, Muncie, Indiana 47302
ALDEN F. BAUMGARTNER, JR., 43 Sylvester, Webster Groves, Mo. 63119
GORDON JOSEPH FRAZER, RD 2, Box 308. Hamburg. Pa. 19526
----o----
Notes, Queries and Information On Items of Masonic Research
BY MELVIN L. PFANKUCHE, M.P.S.
14267-130th Place. N.E., Kirkland, Washington 98033
1972 - No. 2
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 Melvin L. Pfankuche, M.P.S.
It must be noted that this page is far EXCHANGE of information and opinion, and does not pretend to provide the final answer to any Query.
SWAP CORNER
FOR NEEDED BOOKS AND
RESEARCH MATERIAL
Readers please carry on all correspondence with individuals in need.
You're on your own!
60 - Swap Corner. Brother Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S., 237 Millbridge Road, Riverside, Ill. 60546 is interested in buying or trading for any and all volumes of the Universal Masonic Library. The full title is: "The Universal Masonic Library, a republication in Thirty Volumes, of all Standard Publications in Masonry, Designed for the Libraries of Masonic Bodies and Individuals." Lodgeton, Ky: Rob. Morris, Sole Proprietor. Publication started in 1855.
308 - William Schaw. (August, 1971). William Schaw is best known Masonically for his authorship of the Schaw Statutes 1598 and 1599, (see D. Murray Lyon's History of the Lodge of Edinburgh, Mary's Chapel, No. 1. A biography of Schaw is given on pages 58-59). He was Principal Warden and Chief Master of Masons, in a purely "Operative" capacity, and, as there was no organized "Speculative" Masonry at the time, he could not have been a Speculative Mason. Lyon says (p.84): "William Schaw, in his ordinance for the reconstruction and government of the Scottish Lodges, made no provision for the admission of Theoretical Masons" - otherwise also known in England as "Accepted" or "non-Operative Masons." So sayeth Brother Alex Home, M.P.S., San Francisco, California. Thanks to Bro. Home.
314 - Jewish Grand Masters. (February, 1972.) My new neighbor sends the following: "The first Grand Master of the present G.L. of Illinois was Abraham Jonas, an Orthodox Jew. Bro. Jonas was a lawyer by profession and a friend of Abraham Lincoln, for whom he performed many confidential services."
318 - Jewels, Regalia & Summonses. Brother Francis Stuart Jackson, Member of the Manchester Association for Masonic Research is interested primarily in research on Masonic Jewels and Regalia. As a collector, he would like to obtain as large a variety of lodge Summonses that he can. Lodge Secretaries, here is your opportunity to return Masonry to its source. Brother Jackson's address is: 27 Prairie Crescent, Burnley, Lancashire, England.
319 - California '49er Descendent. Brother George W. Davis, P.M., Rosendale, Missouri 64483 a member of Rosendale Lodge No. 404 since 1903 claims to be one of the last survivors of immediate direct descendents of California 49ers. Brother Davis' father left for California on May 10, 1849 and returned to Missouri in 1852.
I have known Bro. Davis myself for probably 40 years and we both belong to Rosendale Lodge No. 404. Any correspondence may be addressed either to me or to Brother Davis.
320 - Masonic Authors. Brother Stanely Clarke Wyllie, Jr., M.P.S., 1715 Riviera Court, Dayton, Ohio 45406 wants to know if any or all of the following authors are or were Masons: Kenneth Clarke, author of "Civilisation" (English); Clive Staples Lewis, author of "Chronicles of Narnia" (English); and Frank L. Baum, author of "Wonderful Wizard of Oz." (American). Brother Wyllie is planning to do a paper on the writings of these authors.
321 - Councils of Royal and Select Masters. Brother Wyllie is also looking for Transactions, Publications, Programs, Historical Materials, Catalogues and any other printed materials on the R. & S.M. Any borrowed or loaned property will be guarded and in "due time" returned to the owner.
322 - South Carolina Grand Lodge Seal. With several recent questions about Grand Lodge Seals, the February, 1972 issue of "Masonic Light" published by the G.L. of South Carolina encloses an article stating that the G.L. Seal was changed between 1880 and 1900 to its current style. An investigation of charters of defunct lodges establishes the dates but the Grand Lodge Library is without further light. Brother H. Wallace Reid, M.P.S., S.G.W., 414 Brook Forest Drive, Anderson, South Carolina 29621 would be interested in hearing from anyone who might shed light upon the new seal or its alternate.
----o----
Deceased Members
The death of the following named members have been made known to your editors since the last edition of this magazine:
Alabama - Gordon Lee Evatt
Arizona - Ralph E. Noble, John C. Walton
Connecticut - Frederick M. Henderson
District of Columbia - J. Williamson Cook
Indiana - Henry L. Haupt
Massachusetts - William F. Clark
Michigan - Roscoe J. Burch
New York - Fred C. Stern
Ohio - Harvey Walker, Sr.
Rhode Island - John D. Nelson
Texas - Lawrence Clifton Hart
THE LORD GIVETH AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY.
----o----
Are you Reading Us? Get a New Member