Contents
It Seems To Me
Is The Light Fl-ic-k-er-ing
DECEMBER, 1779
Spirit and Ritual
Happened to
George Washington’s Nightcap
The Ceremonies In Operative
Masonry
Books of Interest to Masons
Rabbits
FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL
DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF HONG
KONG
Jerry Marsengill, F.P.S. Editor
2714 Park Place
Des Moines, Iowa 50312
Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S. Life Assoc. Editor
237 Millbridge Road
Riverside, Illinois 60546
John Black Vrooman, F.P.S. Life
Editor Emeritus
P.O. Box 402
St. Louis, Missouri 63166
OFFICERS
Dwight L. Smith F.P.S. President
157 Banta Street
Franklin, Indiana 46131
Robert L. Dillard Jr. F.P.S. First Vice Pres.
P.O. Box 1850
Dallas, Texas 75221
Bruce H. Hunt F.P.S. Second Vice Pres.
P.O. Box 188
Kirksville, Missouri 63501
Franklin ("Andy") Anderson, F.P.S.
Executive Secretary
9580 Standon Place
Columbia Maryland 21045
Ronald E. Heaton, F.P.S. Treasurer
728 Haws Avenue
Norristown, Pennsylvania 19401
LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS
Philalethes Society
Lee E. Wells
Alphonse Cerza, F.P.S. (Life)
Dr. Charles Gottshall Reigner, F.P.S.
Judge Robert H. Gollmar, F.P.S.
William R. Denslow, F.P.S.
Robert V. Osborne, F.P.S.
Eugene S. Hopp, F.P.S.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY EMERITUS
Carl R. Greisen, F.P.S.
CONTENTS
Is the Light Fl-ic-k-er-ing?
It Seems to Me
The Fall of Savannah
Spirit and Ritual
More About the Annual Assembly and Feast
Whatever Happened to George Washington's Nightcap?
"The Ceremonies" In Operative Masonry
New Members
Books of Interest to Masons
Rabbits
Ritual: Control and Freedom
We have an error in the October issue, page 13. The History of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the USA by Dr. Francis J. Scully, will be brought up to date and republished by the Grand Encampment Committee on Templar History, Frederick G. Speidel, PGC (NC) Chairman; A. J. Lewis, PGC (La.); and Paul Rodenhauser, Grand Recorder. We are sorry for the error.
JEM
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by John Black Vrooman, F.P.S.
THAT as we come to the end of another year, it is well for us to remember that the past is history, and what is happening is an incentive for better activities. We are proud of our past, but must look to our future.
The concept for our annual meeting in Washington next February is a step forward. We need new ideas, new methods and new programs to instill interest. Dwight Smith has struck a keynote in giving us something new and practical. This version of the old Table Lodge or Feast will make a welcome innovation. We have been drifting from one problem to another, from one set of stereotyped programs to another, without progress, novelty or high Masonic interest. It is time to change our stance.
It was the ancient Table Lodge, that remarkable oddity of the mid-18th Century, that was the precursor of our Masonic Lodge of Instruction. It was here the Entered Apprentice was given his first initiation into the mysteries of Freemasonry. It was here the designs were drawn on the floor showing the progress of Masonry, the emblems, symbols, and working tools - in fact, all of the factors of early Masonry were drawn on the floor of the Tavern in which the brethren met, ate, drank, toasted the dignitaries and transacted business.
We have had many varieties of a Table Lodge in several Jurisdictions, each under the rule of the Grand Lodge and with rules and regulations given for the holding of this unique lodge. It is the essence of antiquity - brought up to date with modern interpretations and emphasis. It is a good sign that our Society is waking up to the need of a clearer, more interesting and more popular method of getting More Light. Let us look forward to February and the New Plan.
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by Allan D. Parsons
MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN
This year's figures are not in. But within the last six years Masonry has suffered a loss in membership of 301,548. Last year the erosion amounted to 58,499. Indications are that further reductions will be reported.
This is disheartening. At a meeting of prominent members of the Craft in Illinois in late 1978, Vance C. Van Tassell, Grand Master of Masons in Illinois, said: "I wish I could give you a glowing report about the progress of Freemasonry, but I cannot. Frankly, I am coming to the conclusion that Masonry is near the crossroads, where we must make some changes if we wish to survive."
Many are the reasons that have been put forth for this decline. The competition for men's time, the economy, the growth of professional sports particularly during the evening hours when Lodges meet, television and its insidious attraction, and a lack of imagination in combatting these inroads.
It is our belief that the Philalethes Society is needed today more than at any time in its 50 year history. Informed Masons are better Masons. Knowledgeable Masons are interested Masons. They attend Lodge more frequently. They talk Masonry with non-Masons. They spread the faith. The information and the knowledge they need is available through the Society, its Chapters and its magazine.
We are facing an uphill struggle. The task to stop the decline cannot be accomplished by the Society alone. But our efforts can inspire others. Many of our leaders have been and are Masons-Presidents, members of the Senate and House, Supreme Court, Governors, prominent men in industry, sports, the theatre and professions. It is up to us to "remove the bushel and let the light shine forth."
As a member of the Society you can sign up prospects for membership. Members from Coast to Coast are sponsoring new members every month. You can find their names in every issue of the Philalethes Magazine. We appreciate the effort that is being made, but it is being made by a small percentage of the members.
What the Society needs is for every member to consider the situation. The facts are obvious. Success or failure depends on each of us. Will you have just one non-member sign a petition?
Allan D. Parsons
Chairman
1402 West Euclid
Arlington Heights, III. 60005
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The FALL of Savannah
Article No. XLIV
By James R. Case, F.P.S.
The growth of the republican spirit in Georgia through the year 1776 is outlined in the Philalethes Magazine for April 1976. A Provisional Assembly governed the former province and a beginning had been made in drafting a constitution for the state.
The rebellion had been organized and led by dissidents in the city of Savannah and environs, and in the process of purging the population by the "American Association," many loyalists had moved to Florida. There many of them joined a military unit, the "Florida Rangers." In the more remote settlements there was little spirit of independence. But the hate and cruelty that developed in conflicts between patriot and tory was nowhere more bitter than in Georgia.
Fierce and desultory hostilities broke out in the area along the seaboard below Savannah during the summer and fall of 1777, when predatory excursions from Florida excited retaliatory measures from Georgia. Neither side gained any real advantage, while the peaceable residents suffered from ruin and carnage. Sentiment changed as military operations succeeded or failed, and to switch allegiance often brought on murderous results. The contention was long, bitter and deadly.
After the repulse at Charleston, South Carolina, in June 1776, the British high command concentrated their strength in an attempt to cut off New England, the "head of the rebellion" from the other colonies. Success in the North would have assured an easy takeover of the South, where commodities of importance in trade with the mother country were produced.
Following Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga, the futile move of headquarters to Philadelphia and return, and the abandonment of Newport, British forces were concentrated in and around New York City. By this time passage up the Hudson River had been denied by development of the forts at West Point. Now a plan was adopted to again put some pressure on the South, where strong support from the loyal element was anticipated.
While general officers had been named and quotas assigned for Continental army units to be raised, nothing had been done by Congress to provide arms, ammunition and supplies needed to prosecute a war. The southern colonies had been left to shift for themselves.
In 1778 Major General Robert Howe, commanding in the southern department, attempted to organize a punitive expedition against the enemy in East Florida. He was unable to conciliate personal and political differences in the forces which assembled. Governor John Houston exercised independent command over the Georgia militia units, those from outside the state were difficult to control; the commodore of a makeshift navy would take orders from no one on land.
Lacking the needed support and supplies, with differences continuing among the high rankers, and with dysentery rampant, Howe abandoned the effort. No expedition was ever successful with several commanders. This was a great let-down for the patriotic element, while raids on land add privateering on the nearby coasting vessels continued to be carried out by the partisans at St. Mary's.
During November 1778 a British expedition left New York, composed of the 71st Regiment of Highlanders, two battalions of Hessians and four battalions of Provincials, numbering about 3500 men. A somewhat smaller force under General Augustin Prevost * was to come up from Florida.
General Robert Howe organized defensive positions at the points where an attack could logically be expected. His force numbered no more than a few hundred Continentals and twice as many militia, in all about 1000 men. The British landing force seized the vantage point on Brewton's Hill after little resistance by an outpost. This, which appeared to be the main body, formed for an attack. Meanwhile, a column moving on a private path over a roundabout route enveloped the defenses which were open on the land side. Outnumbered and outflanked, the Americans were overwhelmed, losing 100 killed or wounded and 500 prisoners, many cannon and other ordnance, and all the accumulated ammunition and supplies. On the last day of 1778 Savannah was firmly in British hands.
Prevost captured Sunbury as he moved into Georgia on January 6th, 1779, and within a few weeks sent Colonel Campbell to occupy Augusta, which was done with no resistance. These moves were hard blows to republicanism, and political sentiment swung away from independence. Some of the patriots, branded as traitors to the king, were summarily swung up on the gallows, as an example to those wavering in their allegiance. Feeling among the populace was always on the teeter-totter as partisan warfare swept across the state and patriotic successes were few. Fortunately no Indian uprising added to the confusion, carnage and misery of the non-combatants.
Campbell, hearing rumors of the approach of a strong force under General Benjamin Lincoln, * quit Augusta within a few weeks of his entry. The Americans attempted to obstruct his return march to Savannah, and a battle developed at Briar Creek on March 3, 1779. But a relief force coming up from Savannah caught the patriot forces at a disadvantage, and Colonel Ashe lost about 350 men in the debacle. Colonels Elbert * and Nichols were made prisoners of war, and James Jackson * narrowly escaped death.
The first assembly of delegates under the newly adopted state constitution met at Augusta and elected George Walton * governor. At Savannah the royal governor, Sir James Wright, had come back and assumed the government of the British occupied territory. General Prevost now moved across the Savannah river and marched towards Charleston. Again Dame Rumor dictated strategy and Prevost turned back after skirmishes at Stono Ferry and Hickory Hill.
The British now moved into Augusta in force so that the entire area along the coast and up the Savannah came under British control, facilitating communication between Florida and the Carolinas, and possible cooperation between British, Indians and Tories. Signing of a treaty with France had made possible cooperation of the French forces in the West Indies with the patriot forces, and that is just what developed.
Admiral d'Estaing, with a fleet of 14 men-of-war, as many frigates and transports with 4000 men, appeared off the mouth of the Savannah River September 3rd. He appeared so suddenly that four British war vessels were surprised and taken captive. Prevost meanwhile had kept his 3000 men busy with development of a ring of fortifications, 13 redoubts and as many more batteries mounting 76 artillery pieces. Three hundred slaves had been brought in to do the pick and shovel work. Thus protection on the land side was guaranteed as well as towards the river where there were still a number of war vessels.
The French landed their fighting men on September 8th and demanded surrender to the King of France! During a truce when terms of surrender were to be considered, and under cover of a dense fog, 800 reinforcements came across the river from Beaufort, and Prevost thereupon rejected the French demands.
General Lincoln, coming to the siege with 800 men from Carolina, yielded to d'Estaing's advice, and rather than attempt an immediate assault, the city was to be approached through a system of siege works, planned by the skilful French engineers. After two weeks during which more than 60 cannon and mortars had been emplaced, d'Estaing learned with dismay that the siege works could not be completed for another ten days.
Fearing the approaching autumn storms, and hearing rumors of approaching reinforcements, the decision was made to stage an assault without delay. D'Estaing himself led one column. Count Dillon another, and Colonel Isaac Huger of South Carolina the third. Following a terrific overnight bombardment, the troops advanced at dawn. A terrible conflict took place with the assault columns exposed to cross fire from the several redoubts. D'Estaing was wounded, as were Colonels John Laurens and John McIntosh. Pulaski, carrying the banner of his mounted legion at their head, was mortally wounded in a charge, and his 200 men wavered and retired.
At the end of the day a five hour truce was agreed upon to permit time to bury the dead and succor the wounded. With two bold leaders hors de combat the Allies were forced to withdraw, having lost a thousand men killed or wounded, while the defenders had casualties of about 100. It was a bitter loss. Again sentiment swung away from the American cause; the fighting men went north into the Carolina campaigns, and cruel punishment was meted out to many who had "taken the wrong side," or switched their allegiance back and forth once too many times.
Savannah was not liberated until the British left the city duly 12, 1782.
Georgia Military Masons
The Committee concerned with the series of bi-centennial articles in the Philalethes magazine, running from 1974 through 1783, had recruited Walter M. Calloway, Jr. for contribution of material relating to Georgia.
Brother Calloway was a Fellow of the Philalethes Society, a Blue Friar, Editor of the Masonic Messenger, Past Master of Solomon's Lodge, et al. He was taken by death before he could complete the assignment.
The material in this issue has been assembled by the Committee and the Editorial staff, in part from the writings of Brother Calloway. Biographies on some of the Masons mentioned follow:
SAMUEL ELBERT (1740-1788) was born in South Carolina, orphaned at an early age, went to Savannah and grew into an important spot in the commercial field. Colonel of the 1st Georgia Continental regiment, he was shortly promoted to Brigadier and brevetted Major General at the end of the war. He was active in all the fighting and strategical moves in Georgia. Taken POW at Briar Creek, he was exchanged, and a few months later was again a POW when Charleston fell. He was again exchanged in time to command a brigade at Yorktown. A Past Master of Solomon's Lodge at Savannah, when Noble Jones, Provincial Grand Master, died in 1775, Elbert seems to have succeeded him as Provincial Grand Master, relinquishing that position when the Grand Lodge of Georgia was organized. He was a member of the Society of Cincinnati and served as Governor of the state in 1785-86.
ROBERT HOWE (1732-1786) was a prosperous planter when the Revolution broke out. With previous experience in the militia, he was named Colonel of the 1st North Carolina Continentals, leading them to Norfolk, Virginia and an early triumph at Great Bridge in December 1775. Promoted to Brigadier General, and to Major General in October 1777 he was the senior officer taking the field in the Southern Department. He was unable to ingratiate himself with the authorities in the Carolinas and Georgia, and as a result was not able to mark up any success in battle. Washington called him to the Main Army, and he proved a valuable and dependable commander in training and garrison duties. The British spitefully burned his house and other buildings, ravaged his plantation, and carried off his slaves and chattels. He had hardly re-established himself when death overtook him as he rode to take his seat in the Legislature. Believed to have been a member of Hanover Lodge, he is acknowledged by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. He was a member of the Society of Cincinnati.
JAMES JACKSON (1757-1806) was a native of Devon, England, and never lost his accent. He came to Savannah as a boy and began the study of law. Entering the service as a private soldier, he was named Brigade Major in 1778 and took part in most of the battles which took place on Georgia soil. As a Colonel he was designated to receive the "keys to the city" when the British quit Savannah on July 12, 1782. The Assembly gave him a house in the city as a reward for his war time services. He was later governor, representative to Congress, and a United States Senator. In 1789, while the government was still in New York City, he visited the Grand Lodge of New York. He was Grand Master of Masons in Georgia at the time and a Past Master of Solomon's Lodge. He is on record as participant in several duels, and the report of his death from "dropsy" is understood to be a euphony for fatal failure in his last fight. He was an honorary member of the Society of Cincinnati.
BENJAMIN LINCOLN (1733-1810) was a plain Massachusetts farmer until the Revolutionary War broke out. As a Colonel of militia, he was active in recruiting and training duties until February 1777 when he was named a Continental Major General. His active career was interrupted by wounds received at Saratoga which laid him up for nearly a year. He was among the few who received the Thanks of Congress for his services there. Sent to command the Southern Department after Gates' miserable showing, Lincoln was maneuvered into Charleston and became a POW when the authorities decided to capitulate to the besieging British. He was exchanged and at Yorktown was designated to receive Cornwallis' sword in surrender, a sort of retribution for the indignities imposed on him at Charleston. His services as Secretary of War in 1781-83 earned him the Thanks of Congress for the second time. Returning to Massachusetts, he ended his active career as Collector of the Port of Boston, in which city he is on record in the Lodge of Saint Andrew. He was the first President of the Society of Cincinnati in his native state.
CASIMIR PULASKI (1748-1779) for opposition to the King of Poland was
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Pulaski's Banner
This banner, more properly guidon, was less than two feet square, and could be mounted on a lance. It was described by Lossing as crimson in color, embroidered with yellow silk with green shading on the letters and devices, and having a green and bullion fringe. Somewhat faded after two hundred years, it is in possession of the Maryland Historical Society at Baltimore.
On one side are the letters US entwined, encircled by the motto "Unitas Virtus Forcior" which may be interpreted "In Union there is Strength" (Forcior should be fortior, one latinist points out). On the other side is depicted the All Seeing Eye, within a triangle on a glory or sunburst of seven rays, encircled by thirteen five-pointed stars and the motto "Non Alius Regit" which can be read "None other governs".
The All Seeing Eye may have been taken by some admirer as evidence that Pulaski was a Mason, as has been asserted, without any proof. Pulaski was a Polish Catholic and a member of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Cross, sworn to defend what they held to be the true faith against non-conformists as well as non-believers.
The banner was made by sisters at the Moravian Colony at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Pulaski had visited Lafayette when the latter was hospitalized under the sisters’ care. The banner was given Pulaski after organization of his Legion as an independent command. Henry W. Longfellow composed the poem in an adjacent column, and with poetic license, had the 'warrior' present in person to receive the banner from the 'nuns' after it had been 'consecrated' by someone with a 'cowled head' who swung a 'censer' before an 'altar'. The Moravians were not organized that way.
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outlawed, and his estate confiscated. His military training recommended him for employment by the Turks until he heard of an opportunity to go to America. He journeyed to Paris and was accepted. Congress gave him a commission as Brigadier General and Chief of Cavalry but did not reckon on the protest that came from a number of American officers thus superseded. Washington solved the dilemma and corrected the Congressional blunder by giving the foreigner command of an independent corps which came to be known as the "Pulaski Legion." The Legion performed valuable services under valiant leadership until Pulaski was mortally wounded at Savannah, October 11, 1779. He died on board a war vessel where he had been taken to the sick bay, and was buried in an obscure grave. When Lafayette visited Savannah in 1825 the foundation stone of a monument to Pulaski was placed with Masonic ceremony. Pulaski was eulogized as a "departed friend to Liberty," no mention being made of him as a Freemason. Curiously the banner of his Legion, which he himself traditionally carried on his last charge, bears an interesting device. The All Seeing Eye, within a Triangle, is on a seven pointed glory or star, with the motto "Non Alius Regit" or "None other governs." Can this be a reference to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe?
Hymn of the Moravian Nuns of Bethlehem At The Consecration of Pulaski's Banner
When the dying flame of day
Through the chancel shot its ray,
Far the glimmering tapers shed
Faint light on the cowled head;
And the censor burning swung,
Where, before the altar, hung
The crimson banner, that with prayer
Had been consecrated there.
And the nuns' sweet hymn was heard the while,
Sung low, in the dim, mysterious aisle.
"Take thy banner! May it wave
Proudly o'er the good and brave;
When the battle's distant wail
Breaks the sabbath of our vale,
When the clarion's music thrills
To the hearts of these lone hills,
When the spear in conflict shakes,
And the strong lance shivering breaks.
Take thy banner! and beneath
The battle-cloud's encircling wreath,
Guard it, till our homes are free!
Guard it - God will prosper thee!
In the dark and trying hour,
In the breaking forth of power,
In the rush of steeds and men,
His right hand will shield thee then.
Take thy banner! But when night
Closes round the ghastly fight,
If the vanquished warrior bow,
Spare him! By our holy vow,
By our prayers and many tears,
By the mercy that endears,
Spare him! he our love hath shared!
Spare him! as thou wouldst be spared!
Take thy banner! and if e'er
Thou shouldst press the soldier's bier,
And the muffled drum should beat
To the tread of mournful feet,
Then this crimson flag shall be
Martial cloak and shroud for thee!"
The warrior took that banner proud,
And it was his martial cloak and shroud!
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GEORGE WALTON (1740-1804) was a native of Virginia who established himself as a lawyer in Savannah. He was appointed a Lieutenant of Georgia Continentals, but a wider field of responsibility opened to him in the political field. But as a Colonel of militia he took part in the attack on Savannah in September 1779 and was made a prisoner of war. In the public service he was in the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence, was later governor of the state and in the United States Senate. For a time he was Chief Justice of the state, served on Commissions to treat with the Indians and to fix state boundaries, and in other capacities. He was one of the early Trustees of the University of Georgia. His Masonic membership was in Solomon's Lodge.
* Identified as Freemasons.
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Combining the Inner and Outer Worlds
by William H. Werle, M.P.S.
The most pressing problem facing the Masonic fraternity in America is recruitment. This problem cuts across both geographic and constitutional lines. It is not the problem of any one Masonic group. It is a problem which affects the entire order.
Recruitment is the way the Masonic fraternity secures its capital. The capital of the order is the body of new working members which we get. This capital is the common measure which determines how far the benevolent arm of Freemasonry extends into the community. These men are those who will extend our social services to the communities.
The leaders of the fraternity are faced with a choice. They can either take the opportunity to deal effectively with this problem, or they can languish in obscurity. They have done little in the past. Now they must choose a course of action. There is no longer a middle road for them to take.
There is a wealth of raw material waiting for them. The young men whose formative years were in the 1950's and 1960's are waiting to be used. The rough ashlars are waiting to be quarried. These young men need a sense of belonging to their communities. They also need the harmony and responsibility which this belonging will give them.
How do we utilize these men? We must realize that this generation is completely different than any previous one. We have social mobility. No man stays in one location for his entire life. Also family life is no longer the big factor. In the "nuclear" family, there are different values than there were in the "horse and buggy" family. Most of our candidates do not come to us "duly and truly prepared." They do not have the heritage which earlier generations had. They do not know who or what they are. This is true both historically and spiritually.
Any problem should be attacked at its foundation. Our foundation now begins in the preparation room. We should begin long before the candidate reaches the preparation room door. We should prepare him as soon as we get his petition. More programs and education are needed, and needed badly, prior to the conferral of the First Degree.
Preparation was the keynote of most ancient religions. In the Jewish religion, the High Priest, in anticipation of the "Sabbath of Sabbaths" (Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement), spent up to thirty-three days in preparation for this important event. Shouldn't our candidates do the same?
The candidate will be prepared to sense the deeper meaning of our ritual. The ritual is merely the outward signs of the inner processes which are meant to combine a man's inner and outer worlds. With the candidate properly prepared he will be able to realize the splendor of his own inner being. It will then become familiar
Its use and close proximity to community will reinforce the ancient landmarks of secrecy, fidelity, fraternity, and the loss and recovery of the word. The ritual which leads him into the crypt of his own soul through allegory, is the way he can be brought face to face with his own God in silent communion.
When he has done this, the next design has been drawn on the trestleboard. The ornaments have been cast. The course has been charted. The base materials yield and submit to the will of the individual until he conquers them. With this material he wields a new creation or recreation of the ancient drama of the man facing his God. This creation is a living, vibrant spirit. It is manifested in ritual. The individual designs his life's work within the outlines of his moral duty. He then remembers "There is an eye that looks to his work to see if it bears the stamp of his Name."
This will supply the deep inner faith which many of the younger men lack. They will be prepared to receive the "Word." We have been promised that the word will not be withheld if we accomplish our work with fervency and zeal. The word is only a thought on one level. It is merely a symbol. But this symbol goes deep into each man's soul. It makes him remember ancient memories and imprints. This word acts as a key or alphabet to the characters which spell deity.
When the candidate has looked into his own spirit he will realize the presence of deity. Before any great and important Masonic occasion we invoke the presence of deity. This does not mean we actually draw deity forth. After all, we are speaking of a being or a force which is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-encompassing. But since the force of deity is all pervading, the candidate is, through the medium of our ritual, attuning or fine-tuning himself to deity. Eventually he will no longer need to consciously determine to attune himself to this deity. It will become an automatic process.
In ancient times, this tuning-in to deity was filled by the mosaic or matrix whose purpose was, as Gertrude Stein put it, to lift man into the continuous present. This attuning binds the spirit with its source. It reveals the harmony and unity of an all-pervading God through the many facets of His existences Unless all existence is a way of revelation, no revelation is possible. Revelation is not a mandate of some divine law. It is an expression of nature.
Our candidates must realize that our ritual is merely a vehicle to draw them nearer to the sense of deity. Education is the way to prepare them to receive the benefits of Freemasonry. The time has come to stop worrying about how to accomplish this. We must start doing something about it. The needs and alternatives are apparent. Young men need a faith which they can cling to. The Masonic fraternity is able to supply that faith. We need to recruit workers. Not members, workers. We need men who will understand the deeper meaning of our fraternity. If we develop such men we will have a faith well founded, begetting hope, and extending into charity, not mere almsgiving. Haywood felt it was something unavoidable, something almost inevitable, something supremely fitting. We are its agents.
By realizing the spirit, we. will, as William Blake, the great 18th century mystic, said, "become what we behold."
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More About The Annual Assembly and Feast
by Dwight L. Smith, F.P.S.
PREPARATIONS FOR the Annual Assembly and Feast of the Philalethes Society have been proceeding at full speed, with the result that the precedent-shattering event could be held about six weeks early, if necessary.
Actually, nothing at all will be "shattered." On the contrary, the gathering will be precedent-making, we hope. That it will be different is without question. The original concept and all subsequent planning in every detail have had one "grand aim" in view:
If we must have innovations, then let's have an innovation in the very best traditions of the Craft.
In reality, the Fraternity in the U.S.A. has been guilty of permitting innovations in Masonry by discarding the Masonic Feast.
Here, then, are the arrangements:
Date: Friday, February 15
Time: 7 o'clock p.m.
Place: Hotel Washington, Pennsylvania Avenue at 15th Street, Washington, D.C.
Price of tickets: $15.00, including tax and gratuities.
Dress: Officers of the Society and all participants in the program will be attired in dark dinner Jacket with black bow tie. For others, preferred dress is either/or; that is, dark dinner jacket with black bow tie or dark business suit and dark tie.
Deadline for reservations: Thursday, February 12. Send request, accompanied by check at $15 per plate, to our Secretary, Brother Franklin J. (Andy) Anderson, 9580 Standon Place, Columbia, Maryland 21045. Cancellations may be made by telephone or otherwise for full refund - but not later than 12 o'clock noon Thursday, February 14.
The program will dramatize the fact that some important facets of Freemasonry have been neglected; yes, almost abandoned, in America. For example:
First, of course, the Masonic Feast itself.
A theme that is worth thinking about: The Ideal Lodge.
A high standard of performance.
Stimulating discussion presented by young Brethren vitally interested in Freemasonry, all of which serves to remind us that young men interested in Masonry can be found in just about every Lodge, yet oftentimes they are not altogether welcome in their Lodges. We might be amazed to learn what they could do for Masonry if we would let them do something besides memorizing and reciting.
Business and professional men will do the program honors. This should recall how we have been wringing our hands over the fact that business and professional men are not petitioning our Lodges as they once did. Such Brethren could make a tremendous contribution to the Fraternity. We have them in limited numbers, but we must be willing to permit them to do something other than conventional ritual.
The program also will illustrate the significant contribution that can be made by encouraging Brethren with intellectual attainments to probe the depths of Freemasonry and discuss such subjects among themselves and with others. Lodges in the British Isles and on the European continent have long utilized the intellectual community. In
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ANNUAL ASSEMBLY AND FEAST
Theme: The Ideal Lodge
History and Tradition - The Rev. William Stemper
Raised in Sanford Lodge No. 62 Sanford, Florida; now member of Kane Lodge No. 454, New York City
Lodge Management – John M. Hilliard
Raised in Portales Lodge No. 26, Portales, New Mexico; now Worshipful Master of Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2, New York City.
Ideals and Practices of Lodge Life – The Rev. T. Jeffrey Gill
Raised in Landrum Lodge No. 48, Savannah, Georgia; currently Secretary of Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2, New York City.
The Concept of Brotherhood – Peter Martin
Steward of Kane Lodge No. 454, New York City
The Spirit of Masonry – William Werle
Shekomeko Lodge No. 458, Poughkeepsie, New York
The Future of the Craft – The Rev. William Stemper
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North America that tradition also has been neglected or abandoned
Each speaker will discuss a sub-topic under the general theme The Ideal Lodge. At the conclusion of his presentation he will offer an appropriate toast. A brief response will then be made by a Brother designated by the president of the Society.
Participants in the program will be five Brethren who are identified with the Goose and Gridiron Society in New York City. This group has an extraordinary record to its credit in revitalizing the Craft on a small scale. What they have done and are doing gives the rest of us a hint of what might be done elsewhere.
The five Brethren are by no means interlopers. All of them have an impressive set of credentials, Masonic and otherwise. May I present them:
The Rev. William Stemper, M.P.S., associate minister, the Church of the Epiphany (Episcopal), New York City; Grand Chaplain, Grand Chapter R.A.M. of New York; King of his Royal Arch Chapter, Chaplain of his Council and Generalissimo of his Commandery; member of the Scottish Rite, Valley of New York; Chevalier and Past State Master Councilor, Order of DeMolay (Florida); graduate of John B. Stetson University, Deland, Florida, and of Union Theological Seminary, New York City; executive director of The Forum for Corporate Responsibility, City of New York; member of the Union League Club of New York City.
John M. Hilliard, M.P.S., counselor and lecturer, Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York; graduate of Eastern New Mexico University; Scribe of his Royal Arch Chapter, Steward of his Council and Senior Warden of his Commandery; member of the Scottish Rite, Valley of New York, Past Master Councilor and Chevalier, Order of DeMolay; member of Rotary Club of the Bronx.
The Rev. T. Jeffrey Gill, M.P.S.; assistant minister, St. Michael's Church (Episcopal), New York City, and associate Episcopal chaplain to Columbia University; member of the Royal Arch Chapter; graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and General Theological Seminary, New York City.
Peter Martin, M.P.S.; associated with the University of Chicago Press in New York City; attended Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, and graduate of Manchester College, Oxford University (England); member of the Scottish Rite, Valley of New York; member of the Union League Club of New York City.
William Werle, M.P.S.; operative stonemason in the capacity of contractor managing Freestone Restorations at Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; King of his Royal Arch Chapter, Recorder of his Council and Junior Warden of his Commandery, the three latter bodies at Poughkeepsie; member of the Scottish Rite, Valley of Albany; graduate of Marist College, also at Poughkeepsie.
That's my story. In the rural neighborhood in which I lived as a boy the elderly saints of God used to raise their voices in a joyous old evangelical song. The first line is all I can remember, but it is sufficient for our purpose:
"All things are ready, Come to the feast!"
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Whatever Happened to George Washington’s Nightcap ?
(Being an account of the pleasures and trials of compiling a Masonic Guide.)
by Richard H. Broom, M.P.S.
As the 1981 Bicentennial of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York approached, Wilmer E. Bresee, its Grand Historian, made a suggestion: Why not, as a Bicentennial project, compile and publish a Masonic Guide to the Empire State?
The sort of work envisioned would be something that a Mason travelling in New York might consult, that, finding himself near something of Masonic interest, he might decide to visit it, instead of passing by, unaware of its existence. Scattered over New York State, sometimes in remote and unlikely locations, are all sorts of physical remains concerning Masons or their devotion to Masonry.
Buildings used for Masonic purposes, sites where such buildings have stood, monuments commemorating the public services of Masons, private memorials and markers recording some Mason's devotion to the Craft - these are things which may be seen and savored. And not less important to the receptive mind are the tales of Masons - kept alive by repeating from mouth to ear - a fine but colorful thread in the tapestry of Masonic history.
The proposal seemed challenging. I decided to undertake it: but where to begin? Obviously, one cannot go over the State of New York inch by inch - not at my age! Fortunately, during the last half century, the Grand Lodge of New York has fostered a Grand Lodge publication furthering the activities of the Craft. The old Masonic Outlook, the Family Magazine, and the present Empire State Mason offer windows into the world of Freemasonry in their time. The old Outlook especially, had an editor named Tom O'Donnell, who was an ardent advocate of the value of local historical research, and under his guidance, the magazine carried much information as to ancient Masonic doings. A search of the files of that and later publications furnished a nucleus of material.
Then there are the Transactions of the American Lodge of Research, the papers published by this body, chartered by the Grand Lodge of New York, which will soon complete a half a century of labor. Its interests are by no means confined to New York, but it has naturally devoted much attention to that State, and many items of interest are found in its records.
How little do most people realize the significance of things they see every day! Of all the thousands of people who daily pass by the monument of General William Jenkins Worth, at Broadway and 24th Street, Manhattan, only a couple of stones' throws from the Masonic Hall on 23rd Street, how many are conscious of the fact that General Worth is buried there? And of all the dozens of Masons among the passersby, how many recall that the general's remains were laid there in the middle 1800's, with elaborate Masonic ceremonies, led by the Grand Master of the day, who eulogized the valiant and departed brother? Thereby leaving some annoying questions: for no one has ever been able to find any written evidence that General Worth was a Mason; some have been unkind enough to suggest that this is an example of the making of a Mason at sight - posthumously! That I doubt. General Worth in his young manhood was an associate of Masons; he was an aide to General Morgan Lewis, later, for many years, Grand Master of New York. It was a time when a man might become a Mason by initiation of which no written evidence remains. Today's busy men and women may be pardoned for being unaware of the sorrows of the past. Perhaps one of the uses of the Masonic Guide may be to remind people of what is in their own front yard.
But in almost every community, there is at least one man who has a sense of local history. He is likely to be a Mason. If one can find that man, the way to the past in that community is opened. To a myriad of helpers all over the State, the compiler of a Masonic Guide must be forever grateful.
To a devotee of Masonic folklore, the work is its own reward. A lawyer must marvel at the lodge room of Ellicottville Lodge No. 307, at Ellicottville, N.Y., which for over a century owned quarters for its meetings on the third floor of a building with the right to reach them by a stairway, which for years was the Lodge's only address; surely one of the earliest examples in New York State of condominium tenure! (The lodge has now acquired title to a third of the building, roof to ground, including the land beneath.) And Military Lodge No. 93 of Manlius, N.Y., for many years owned a temple on land held by a lease providing for a rental of one barley corn a year, if demanded; some years ago, the Lodge obtained full title to the site.
Masonic sites and buildings must be a source of interest to any Mason. The oldest Masonic site in North America is that occupied by the Albany Masonic Temple, which includes a plot acquired by Masters' Lodge of Albany (now No. 5) in 1768, and since that date in continuous use for Masonic purposes. The oldest building still standing in New York, built for Masonic use, is the former meeting place of St. Patrick's Lodge No. 4, of Johnstown, built in 1793, and now, as for many years past, a private home. A Masonic design is still to be seen in windows on the second floor. And the oldest building in the State built and still used for Masonic purposes is the temple of Scipio Lodge No. 110 at Aurora, an unique example of a lodge room within a room.
Many of the memorials are, necessarily, funerary; such as the handsome shaft marking the resting place of John Livy Lewis, County Judge of Yates County and Grand Master of New York 1856-1859, in Lakeview Cemetery at Penn Yan, placed there by the several Grand Bodies over which he presided, F. & A.M., R.A.M., R. & S.M. and K.T.; or a similar monument to Salem Town, the revered Grand Chaplain of New York in the middle 19th century, placed by his brethren in Oak Glen Cemetery in Aurora.
But any Mason must also view with interest and awe such a monument as that marking the site of the Battle of Newtown, near Elmira, where the Continental army under the command of General John Sullivan broke forever the power of the Iroquois confederacy, and opened Central and Western New York to white settlement, a monument dedicated with Masonic ceremonies in 1879 to commemorate an enterprise in which many Masons were engaged.
Even more moving is the little monument at Millport, north of Elmira, commemorating the tradition that under a huge oak tree which once stood on a hill nearby, a military Lodge, travelling with Sullivan's army, held a meeting as the army bivouacked at that spot. The monument was placed by Old Oak Lodge No. 253 of Millport, named in recognition of the tradition and still active there.
It would seem appropriate, also, in a Guide of this nature, to record local Masonic traditions, even if they have left no physical evidence of their truth. Who cares whether they are true or not? The important point is that they were told, retold and believed. Like the story still remembered in Lima, where, it is said, during the Anti-Masonic craze arising from the Morgan affair, a group of Anti-Masons piled clothing from the small pox victims in the local pest house about the only exit door from a room where a Masonic lodge was meeting, with the result that every member in attendance at the Lodge meeting came down with the small pox - save one! (I wonder how that one explained his exemption?)
But one of the more frustrating and baffling experiences is to find that some item in which one had confidence has been entirely forgotten by its supposed possessors. Among my notes was a statement that Lodi Lodge No. 345, in my own old home county of Seneca, possessed, back in the early years of this century, a silk nightcap once the property of George Washington, a sampler worked by Martha Washington, and a letter written by George Washington to some Pennsylvania Masons. In Lodi, this could be. The source, I thought, was sound: a local dentist, Doctor Brownell, who would not be likely to have picked the story out of the air. But a routine inquiry of a prominent member of Lodi Lodge brought a bewildering answer: "I never heard of them!" So for future Masonic detectives, the question is posed which I set as the title of this paper: 'What ever happened to Washington's Nightcap?'
Other things may be lost than nightcaps - alas. One of the oldest Masonic traditions of upstate New York concerns the fate of Lieutenant Thomas Boyd, an officer of Pennsylvania troops with Sullivan's army, who, at the western terminus of the expedition, with a patrol of some 14 men, was ambushed, the patrol destroyed, and Boyd himself taken as a captive to Little Beard's Town, an Indian village nearby. It is now Groveland, Livingston County. There Boyd appealed to Joseph Brant as a Mason, and was assured his life would be spared. Brant was called away, and Boyd and a fellow soldier fell into the hands of Walter Butler, who sought information from Boyd as to the movements of the army. When Boyd refused to answer, Butler, disregarding a Masonic appeal, turned the captives over to the Senecas, who put them to death with unspeakable tortures. The army soon after entered the Indian village and destroyed it, finding the mangled remains of Boyd and his fellow prisoner, which were buried nearby with the bodies of other victims of the engagement. The Masonic features of this tale are incapable of verification, but the story was widely told and believed in Central and Western New York in the early 19th century.
In 1841, in a burst of patriotic fervor, the remains of Boyd and the other members of the unfortunate patrol were unearthed and removed to a plot in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester. Old men, who had been young soldiers with the Sullivan army in 1779, came to the scene, pointed to the spots where they had assisted in their comrades' burial, and aided in the identification of such remains as were disinterred. The plot in Mount Hope cemetery to which they were taken was set aside by the City of Rochester as a burial plot for Revolutionary veterans of Central and Western New York.
The Revolutionary veterans never used the plot. It seems they preferred to be buried in the towns they had helped to establish; and in 1864, the Rochester Common Council authorized the cemetery authorities to remove the bodies buried in the plot, and divide and sell it for private use. The bodies buried there, supposedly including Boyd's, were removed to the Potter's field! There they remained until the early 1900's, when an outraged chapter of the D.A.R. acquired a new plot in the cemetery, removed the ashes to it, and erected a proper monument commemorating the soldiers, which still stands. But whether Boyd's ashes rest there may be in doubt, for the story is that during the years they reposed in the original plot in Mount Hope, the urn in which they were deposited was vandalized, and the fate of the bones is uncertain. A memorial park is maintained at Groveland, and a marker with Lt. Boyd's name is in the new plot in Mount Hope.
"But who knows the fate of his bones, or how often he is to be buried? Who bath the oracle of his ashes, or whither they are to be scattered?"
It would be depressing to end this paper on such an unhappy note. A more cheerful epitaph appears on the gravestone of William B. Alger, in the churchyard of Trinity Episcopal Church at Fishkill, in Dutchess County.
William B. Alger was a Revolutionary officer, and the first Master of the Lodge of St. Simon and St. Jude, organized just after the Revolution in Fishkill; and it was he, I am sure, who gave this Lodge its unusual and attractive name; appropriate, too, for St. Simon and St. Jude were fishermen, in other words, Fishkillers, and thus fit to be honored by a Lodge in Fishkill.
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The Ceremonies In Operative Masonry
by Alex Horne F.P.S.
Many no doubt believe that Speculative Masonry did not originate till the formation of our first Grand Lodge in London in 1717, and that the Operative Lodges, in prior times, were purely trade organizations, "all labor and no play." However, the exact opposite as to the latter assumption can be demonstrated from their own records, the so-called "Old Charges" of the Operative Masons, sometimes referred to as the Manuscript Constitutions, of which we now possess some one hundred and thirty-five different versions. "Different," yet "very similar" in essence, and occasionally in substance as well, since, in most cases, each was copied or developed (more or less freely) from a previous version, with perhaps some addition or minor change based on local practice or tradition, or on the personal knowledge or belief of the individual scribe.
These "Old Charges," as documents, were used for two specific purposes. Each document was, in fact, the unofficial "Charter" conferring "regularity" on a working Lodge, so that when a new Lodge was formed, around some important building construction that was about to commence, it was felt that it had to secure a similar "Charter" of its own, and thus a new version of the "Old Charges" came into existence. Some version, as a result, came to be identified by the name of the region or Lodge with which it was associated; such as The Edinburgh-Kilwinning MS., The Melrose MS. No. 2, the five York Rolls, and so on.
The second specific purpose for which these "Old Charges" were used was for the indoctrination of a new "Fellow," at the end of his period of Apprenticeship; and for this purpose, the Lodge's version of the "Old Charges" would be taken out of its repository and read out to him. This reading, in fact, constituted his "ceremony of induction" as a member of the Lodge and of the Craft as a whole.
This Manuscript Constitution generally consisted of two separate parts. Thus, after an Opening Prayer, there would be a history of the invention of Geometry and the art of building, going back in some cases to the Tower of Babel, and, in almost every case, to the building of King Solomon's Temple, with suitable mention of the Temple's expert artifices that the King of Tyre had sent down to his friend Solomon. The Craft is said to have taken its rise at this time, and the Charges and customs promulgated. All this, no doubt, was used to suitably impress the new Fellow with the worth of his craft, and of the institution of which he was coming to be a part. In the course of this exposition, there would be mention of the erection of two ante-diluvian stone Pillars, and "some men say that they wrote in the stones all the Seven Sciences," symbolizing to them the totality of human knowledge. (This story of the ante-diluvian Pillars - and the story of King Solomon's Temple - goes back to our second oldest version of the "Old Charges," the Cooke MS., of about 1410 A.D., a venerable antiquity for some of our institutions. ) The art of building was then said to have been carried to other parts of the world, eventually reaching France, and finally England, where our English Masonry formally began.
At the end of this somewhat prolix reading of the first section - partly historical and partly legendary - there would often come a direction (frequently in Latin), to the effect that at this point one of the "elders" would hold out a "book," upon which the entrant would lay his hand, or both hands, promising to keep the Lodge's secrets, and then the Charges would be read out to him, consisting of the trade requirements generally, but also of his moral duties. In some versions, there is an indication that at least a portion of the Constitutions would be read out to the newly incoming Apprentice also, and there is in some cases even a specific apprentice charge, so named, and given for his special benefit.
Interestingly enough, we have records of the actual wording, in one form or another, that the above mentioned Obligation took in some instances. In a massive and well-documented paper which Harry Carr delivered in London's Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge in 1968 - "600 Years of Craft Ritual" - he cites one of these Obligations. In a Catechism known as the Edinburgh Register House MS. (1696), because of its provenance, we find a section headed "The Forme of Giveing the Mason Word," a characteristic Scottish institution. The entrant is enjoined not to "reveal any part of what you shall hear or see at this time whither by word nor write nor put it in wryte at any time nor draw it with the point of a sword, or any other instrument upon the snow or sand nor shall you speak of it but with an entered mason, so help you god." (In this promise, Harry Carr rightly calls attention to this earliest version of our "indite, carve, mark, engrave . . . etc." or any of its variations.) Having given the promise, the entrant later confirms it "as I am sworn by God and St. Jhon (sic) . . . under no less pain than haveing my tongue cut out under my chin and of being buried, within the flood mark wher no man shall know. . ." etc.
Other more or less informative versions of the Obligation have also been noticed. One example is the earlier Buchanan MS. (17th century), wherein the entrant is told: "These Charges that you have Received you shall well and truly keepe, not discloseing the secresy of our Lodge to man woman nor Child, sticke nor stone: thing movable nor vnmoveable soe god you helpe and his holy Doome Amen." In these Operative Obligations which the entrant takes - without "mental reservation or equivocation" (5) (see notes, below) - promising to speak of these things to none "but to the Masters and fellows," (8) and to keep the secrets "which at this time or at any time hereafter shall be made known unto" him, (7) he also swears to keep the Articles (2) and statutes, (1) and to hele the counsel of the Fellows in lodge, (2) all the while his right hand, (9) or both hands, (4) are on the Holy Bible, (7) which is then kissed. (8) The Obligation being thus delivered and sealed, the secrets are then imparted to him, consisting of words and signs," together with "the privilege of the compass, square level and plum-rule"' (12) an obviously elliptical expression representing generally the trade secrets of Operative Masonry. And Cowans are not to be countenanced. (5)
In this monumental paper - "600 Years of Craft Ritual" - which Harry Carr had delivered, he summarized his findings by insisting "that our present day speculative Freemasonry is directly descended from the operative masonry whose beginnings we can trace back to the earliest record of organization among masons in 1356." This paper in Lodge, in accordance with our usual custom, was then followed by a Discussion in which those present took part (or submitted in writing, if they were unable to be present). On this occasion I had the opportunity ("temerity" might have been a better word) to present my own understanding the subject, in the form of a thumb-nail sketch, supported by the relevant documentation, as appears in the above quotations and their identifying notes. I also had the occasion to mention that the previously cited Seven Liberal Sciences are found enumerated in the earliest of our "Old Charges," (1) where they are described in detail in the next to the earliest; (2-3), particularly the Science of Geometry which is there said to be the foundation of all the others. (2) Tubal Cain, the first artifices in metals, and Jubal, "the first founder of music," (2) are mentioned, who, with their brother Jabal, set up the previously mentioned Antediluvian Pillars. To preserve their sciences from fire and flood, they had been constructed from special materials - in one case, from a material "that would never burn," and, in the other case, one that would not "sink in water." (2) (This reminds us effectively of the later Solomonic Twin Pillars, which we are similarly told were so constructed that they could withstand "conflagration and inundation," harking back to the earlier legend.)
But, to return to the Obligation, we note that the Charges are then recited to the entrant. He must be free-born, (4) and perfect of limb. (4) He must avoid adultery with the women-folk of his Master and Fellows; (1) must not slander a brother "behind his back to make him lose his good name or his wordly goods," (4) and must be ready at all times to give him help in danger. The apprentice must be at least twenty-one years old at his admission as Fellow, (9) and must be received in a Lodge containing an expressed minimum number of persons to regularize the proceedings, (9) and only after a test of proficiency. (2)
These and analogous proceedings being terminated, there was the closing benediction, "Amen: So mote it be." (1)
NOTES
(1) - Regius MS., c. 1390 A.D.
(2) - Cooke MS., c. 1410.
(3) - (As in the American "Staircase Lecture," in the 2d, and the English Second Lecture in Emulation working).
(4) - Grand Lodge MS., No. 1, 1583.
(5) - Dummies MS., No. 4, c. 1710.
(6) - Colne MS., No. 1, c. 1685.
(7) - York Boll, No. 1, c. 1600.
(8) - Harris MS., No. 1, c. 1670.
(9) - Sloane MS., No. 3848, 1646.
(10) - Harleian MS., No. 1942.
(11) - Harleian MS., No. 2054, c. 1670.
(12) - Melrose MS., No. 2,1674.
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WE WELCOME
OUR NEW MEMBERS
Marshall S. Loke
Recommended by
Keith Arrington, M.P.S.
James R. Hudson
Recommended by
J.E. Marsengill, F.P.S.
Gerald A. Sullivan, Jr.
Recommended by
Dwight L. Smith. F.P.S.
Paul A. Fitch
Recommended by
Allan J. Larson, M.P.S.
A.J. Lewis
Recommended by
B.F. Mandlebaum, M.P.S.
John P. Brooks
Recommended by
Taft Mitchell, M.P.S.
Morgan A. Hartman
Recommended by
Ben D. Fussell, M.P.S
Franklin R. Coursey
Recommended by
Murray Fidlow M.P.S
Eddie B. Wesley
Recommended by
Royal C. Scofield, M.P.S.
Jan Hansen
Recommended by
Alex Home, F.P.S.
Robert W. Glasgow
Recommended by
Royal C. Scofield, M.P.S.
Norman R. Caldwell
Recommended by
Roger S. Mills, M.P.S.
R. L. Togerson
Recommended by
B.F. Mandlebaum, M.P.S.
William J. Barrow
Recommended by
Thomas D. Bachtel, M.P.S.
James R. Jones
Recommended by
Robert C. Hosler. M.P.S.
Vilas L. Morris, Jr.
Recommended by
Glenn Holmes, M.P.S.
Dr. Edward M. Robinson
Recommended by
T. Olin Gore, Jr., M.P.S.
Karl A. Crane
Recommended by
George R. Hughey, M.P.S.
Dr. Charles F. Beorn
Recommended by
Alex. Home, F.P.S.
Keith Charles Parsels
Recommended by
Benjamin H. Weston, M.P.S.
Dennis Patrick Treece
Recommended by
Alphonse Cerza. F.P.S.
Kenneth E. Green
Recommended by
Renno S. Shaw, M.P.S.
Robert M. Shields
Recommended by
T. Olin Gore, Jr., M.P.S.
Doyn Inman
Recommended by
George R. Hughey, M.P.S.
John C. Cluney, Sr.
Recommended by
Harold S. Charters, M.P.S.
Richard L. Owen
Recommended by
Jack D. Sullivan, M.P.S.
Aubrey Sherwood
Recommended by
Harold L. Tisher, M.P.S.
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Al Cerza Reviews Books of Interest to Masons
For a period of twenty years various types of meetings were held by the Iowa Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education in the form of work shops, seminars, and others. Forty-one of the papers presented at these meetings have been selected by Tom Case and Jerry Marsengill and have been reproduced in a paperback book entitled "Gleanings With the Craft in Iowa." The papers cover a variety of subjects of general Masonic interest such as Masonic law, philosophy, lodge attendance, programs, the Landmarks, the Craft and Religion, the duties of officers, and the nature of the Craft.
Available at $4.50 a copy, from the Research Lodge No. 2, P.O. Box 302, Boone, Iowa 50036.
*****
Volume 32 of the Transactions of the Missouri Lodge of Research has been mailed to the members of the lodge. This cloth bound book is entitled "Conversations on Masonry," consisting of talks with the late Henry Wilson Coil, Sr., with Lewis C. "Wes" Cook. This book contains ten chapters and deals with many familiar and fundamental areas of Masonic information such as: The nature of the Craft, how the Craft is organized, Masonic law, the Craft and its relation with religion, and a discussion of the accusation sometimes made that Freemasonry is a conspiratorial society. This is a valuable book presenting the views of a member who was a student of the Craft for most of his long adult life.
Available at $9.00 a copy from the Missouri Lodge of Research, P.O. Box 480, Fulton, Mo. 65251.
*****
Iowa Research Lodge No. 2 has published two booklets that are worthy of note. The first is entitled "Knight Masons, a History," written by Otis V. Jones, Jr., M.P.S., and is a history of this group which originated in Ireland and is now located in the United States. The second is entitled "Attentive Ears, Instructive Tongues, and Faithful Breasts," written by Hugh A. Cole, M.P.S., and is a brief history of Masonic ceremonies with an illustration of how it developed in Illinois.
These finely researched and well written booklets are available at $1.50 a copy from the Lodge, P.O. Box 302, Boone, Iowa 50036.
*****
There has been published in the Italian language a book with 146 pages entitled "Reconciliation Between the Church and Freemasonry," by Father Rosario F. Esposito. The book has three introductions written by Girdano Gamberini, M.P.S., a Past Grand Master of Italy, Don Vincenzo Miano, and Father Giovanni Caprile. The book covers the historical background of the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to Freemasonry, the possible reasons for the opposition, how informal talks started on the subject of reconciliation, a debate on the subject in Italy, and the eventual liberalization on the prohibition in 1974. The book contains a number of pictures and a bibliography.
Available for 5,800 Lire from Giordano Gamberinz; C.P. 4, Ravenna 48100, Italy.
*****
The 1972 Proceedings of the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education contain the following papers: "The Mystic Tie Lodge Academy of Masonic Culture", by C. C. Faulkner, Jr. and James B. Gale; "A Master Mason Builds a Great Medieval Abbey in 1277 A.D.", by James B. Gale; "The Image of Freemasonry", by Wes Cook; "What Tools, Programs, and Projects are or may be Employed in Carrying Out the Objectives of Masonic Education"; "Masonic Libraries"; "Attractive, Clean, Modern Lodge Buildings", by Ben W. Graybill; " How a Lodge May Discuss Issua of Public Interest", by Conrad Hahn; "What Can you Say? a skit"; and "The Telelecture".
*****
The 1973 Proceedings of the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education contain the following papers: "Catalogue and Distribution Report on Grand Lodge Educational Material", by Charles R. Brown; "Iowa's Leadership Training Program", by Keith Arrington; "Building a Total Program Lodge"; "Do's and Don'ts of Education Committee Operation", by Clyde E. Hegman; "Leadership Training", by Charles S. Ward; and "Don't Stay on Your Knees", by Joseph A. Batchelor.
Available at $2.50 each as long as the limited supply lasts, from Dr. Dawson Grim, Higley Buildeng, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.
*****
In recent years many biographies have been published about famous men who have been members of the Craft. Many of these books have been high priced, so that when they appear in a paper-back edition it is good news. The book about Douglas MacArthur entitled "American Caesar," by William Manchester has been published in a soft cover edition by Dell Publishing Co. It is available at many book stores at $2.95 a copy.
"Mozart," by Marcia Davenport, originally published in 1932, is now available in a paper-back edition at $3.50 a copy. It has been published by Avon/Discus.
*****
The King County Masonic Library, located at Harvard Avenue and East Pine Avenue, Seattle, Washington has some duplicate issues of The Builder magazine and also has a few gaps in its files. Anyone being in the same fix who would like to swap issue-for-issue is urged to communicate with Albert J. Woody, F. P. S., 402 Bjune Drive S.E., Bainbridge Island, Winslow, Washington 98110.
*****
Dr. Jose Robert Levi-Castillo, P.O. Box 3606, Guayquil, Ecuador, South America is building up his Masonic library (which he plans to will to his Grand Lodge) and he needs the following volumes of the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge: 2, 8, 4, 5, 6, 43, 49, 50, 51, 53, and 54. Anyone having any of these volumes to sell or exchange is urged to communicate with him. He is a member of the Philalethes Society.
*****
The Transactions of the Marquis de Gages Research Lodge, for the years 1978 and 1979 are available in two softbound covered books. The lodge is located in Belgium. The volumes are published in French. The 1978 volume (132 pages) contains a detailed study of the Chevalier Ramsey, by C. N. Batham. Also a history of the craft in Italy. The 1979 volume (50 pages) consists primarily of comments made by members of the lodge on the subjects in the 1978 Transactions.
For information regarding the lodge and its Transactions, communicate with Michael I. Brodsky, M.P.S., Rue du Drabe, 27, B-1440, Braine-le-Chateau, Belgium.
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By R.R. Clemons, M.P.S.
Many happy childhood memories are a result of considerable parental understanding and tolerance for pets. Among various creatures (at one time or another) my brother and I were permitted to get a pair of rabbits. We made the usual commitments about care and feeding, and were further directed to get two of the same sex. The inevitable happened, and there was another pop in the population explosion. (We eventually disposed of all the bunnies, and the original pair, to other youngsters; and learned a great deal from the episode.)
A senior Grand Officer gave a talk at a local Masonic function which blew the dust from these memories. He decried, as so many have done, the decline in membership. He evoked the old ghost of solicitation as a remedy. Not that it was called solicitation - it rarely is. All the usual phrases were employed: Selected members of the community; cautious, dignified approach and the rest - plus the cap-phrase that "We have to do something".
What the speaker did is try to sell us a pair of rabbits. Perhaps we do have to do something. Solicitation isn't it.
I won't insult that worthy Brother by suggesting an interest in numbers for the sake of numbers or the money derived from large membership - his concern was certainly for active, participating Masons. There are two routes to that end: increased petitions, or retension and reactivation of existing Brothers. If we must assume and accept that 80% or more of our new Master Masons will never actively participate, then more petitions must be received; but if all - or even most - of our current petitioners were to go on to active Masonic careers we would eliminate the problem. (One Lodge of which I am a member conducted three initiations, three passings and two railings last year, about its average, and is in the prime of health because well over half the rest. dent members attend every meeting.) And think what would happen if we regained the interest of ¼, even 1/10, of the inactive members....
If we buy the rabbits of solicitation we must expect some inevitable consequences just as with the flesh and blood variety. Think first of the prizes and certificates offered by some York and Scottish Rite Bodies and the Shrine to 'top line signers,' then envision membership competitions between Lodges with awards for successful recruiting. Next, what of the caliber of our membership? How much harder would it be to reject a candidate who was invited to petition in the first place? Returning to our stated aim - active, participating Masons - is it likely, when we have difficulty activating many of those who have come to us of their own free will and accord, unbiased by solicitation, that we will fare better with men who were invited or 'rushed' as in some college fraternity?
I know one Lodge which experimented with solicitation. It was overseas, primarily military men, and had been hurt when a number of the Brothers were transferred back to the U.S.A. They could still operate, but would have had some hard months until other Brothers were transferred in or the normal flow of petitions restored their strength. Instead, they decided to go hunting.
This was supposed to be a short-term emergency measure, and the Lodge might have gotten away with it if it had worked. Oh, they got petitions, most signed by the same few members, and all the petitioners were elected (having taken the first step the Lodge wasn't going to back down). Within six months the quality of the refreshments was higher than that of the degree work (at considerable cost to Lodge finances). More members could be found outside the door playing pinochle than sitting in the Lodge, and things started to disappear from the jewelry case.
The Lodge acquired a new reputation, and soon no new petitions were received except from the cards and beer group. Newly arriving Brothers would visit once and never return. Finally, a visitation from a neighboring Lodge, deeply shocked by what it found, questioned some of the older members, got the story, and informed the Grand Lodge. A suspended charter, thorough housecleaning, and some VERY hard months followed.
An isolated incident? Of course. Hampered by having to act illegally? Probably. Very bad luck? Very. Still, if a Grand Lodge were to sanction "cautious, dignified approaches to selected members of the community" at least a portion of that jurisdiction's Lodges can expect something similar. And could the Grand Lodge then correct the excesses? "No soliciting" is clear, easily understood, and relatively easy to enforce. "Cautious, dignified, and selected", are not. If your Lodge were to offer a prize - say a medal - for bringing in three new petitions under those circumstances, which Brother would fill his quota first and what sort of candidates would you get?
Rabbits belong in hutches, not Lodges.
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BY C. W. COONS
Ritual ControI and Freedom
by Christopher Haffner, D.D.G.M., M.P.S.
Hong Kong & the Far East, English Constitution
In your August issue you ask for details of the control of ritual by the Grand Lodges of the British Isles, and of the solutions they have reached regarding the penal clause in their obligations.
The Grand Lodge of Ireland is closest to the American jurisdictions in degree of authority. The Grand Lodge of Instruction promulgates a ritual fixed in 1814, based on that of about 1770. Its rulings, if supported by Grand Lodge, become binding on all lodges. There is no official written ritual, and with true Irish softness, a meaningful rendering is regarded as more important than verbal perfection.
The Lodge of Reconciliation of the United English constitution recommended and demonstrated a ritual in 1816, and shortly afterwards two Lodges of Instruction, Stability and Emulation were formed, which claim to work this ritual to this day. There remain many lodges, especially further from London, which retain old forms, and even in London there are some twenty slightly different rituals. The Constitutions provide that the members of English lodges "have an undoubted right to regulate their proceedings" and are thus regarded as responsible for their own detailed ritualistic decisions, but mostly follow established precedents learned from ritual books.
In Scotland, there is even greater freedom in the rituals of the three craft degrees. The Grand Lodge, apart from its own ceremonies, has produced a standard form only for the installation ceremony, a centenary celebration, and the mark degree. These excluded, a prominent Scottish Mason has said that all Scottish lodge rituals but one known
DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF HONG KONG & THE FAR EAST, E.C.
D.G.M.: R. W. BRO. R.C. LEE, C.B.E., M.A., LL.D., J.P., ORDER OF THE SACRED TREASURE.
D.G.SEC.: W.BRO. N.J. GILLANDERS
D.A.G.D.C.
Airmail
30 August 1979Mr C.W. Coons
c/o 2714 Park Place, Des Moins, Ionia 50312, USA
My ref: M53
Dear W Bro Coons,The Philalethes, August 1979
I refer to your request on page 10 under "From Time Immemorial" and venture to enclose an article of about the right length about ritual and the penal clauses It took some doing, getting this down in length. I hope that it is useful.
Yours sincerely & fraternally,
Christopher HaffnerDDGM, MPS
to him show the influence, in parts, of Emulation. However, the "Scottishness" of a particular lodge's own ritual may be said to lie in its differences from the English, and these are often quite considerable.
Broadly speaking, it can be said that these three Grand Lodges offer greater freedom to their constituent lodges than those of the United States in matters of ritual. Even where they have authority, this is vested in Grand Lodge (the representatives of its lodges, met together) and not in the Grand Master.
The Irish changed their penal clause first, by the addition of the word "ancient, " so that in all degrees it is, "bearing in mind the ancient penalty of . . . , and binding myself under the real penalty of being deservedly branded as a wretch, base, faithless and unworthy to be received among men of honour . . . " This double clause has the advantage of stressing "ancient" versus "real," but the former implies, wrongly, that the penalty was once inflicted.
The English suggested that their lodges vote for a recommended alternative form in 1964, which goes, "ever bearing in mind the traditional penalty on the violation of any of them, that of . . ., or the more effective punishment of being branded as a wilful perjured individual . . . " There is no reference to "effective punishment" in the FC and MM obligation, but "traditional" in all three does not necessarily imply that it was ever a true penalty. Many, if not most, lodges have adopted this change, but earlier this year, the Grand Master asked lodges that have not done so to reconsider the matter.
The Scots made a much more fundamental change in 1966. Grand Lodge resolved that all lodges omit the penal clause from their obligations, an example of the resulting text being, "under no less a penalty on the violation of any of them, than that of being branded as a wilfully perjured individual
When the signs are being explained, the wording is, "in former times the penalty attaching to the violation of this obligation was that of .... We do not now include this penalty in the obligation as we would not wish to, nor indeed could, inflict it. We rely on the moral penalties prescribed in our laws." Whilst aiming to satisfy the most acute conscience, this phraseology still implies that the penalties were actually formerly inflicted.
On the penal clause, it appears that there is no simple solution, but the experience of the jurisdictions of the British Isles may be helpful. On ritual control generally, perhaps the lesson is that rigid uniformity is not desirable: localized pride in variants that accord with general recommendations may be a greater incentive to higher standards.