Contents
Annual Report For 1988 The members of the Society of Blue Friars
Canadian Provincial Grand Master Lodge Seals
Letters To The Editor Hope Is Not A Method
The Mystery of A.J. Fountain Black Freemasonry
Are We Tangible - or Intangible No Easy Solution
The Mystery of the Death of Meriwether Lewis New Computer Service
Pride and Morality
Through Masonic Windows
Jerry Marsengill, FPS Editor
401 Masonic Temple, 1011 Locust St.
Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 244-2540
OFFICERS
Jerry Marsengill, FPS, President
401 Masonic Temple, 1011 Locust St.
Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 244-2540
John Mauk Hilliard, FPS, First Vice President
Lehman College
Bronx , New York 10468 (212) 960-8363
Wallace E. McLeod, FPS, 2nd Vice President
Victoria College University of Toronto
73 Queen s Park Crescent
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 1K7
Allen E. Roberts, FPS, Executive Secretary
Drawer 70, 110 Quince Ave.
Highland Springs, VA 23075 (804) 737-4498
Henry G. Law, FPS, Treasure
2608 E. Riding Dr.
Wilmington, DE 19808 (302) 737-9083
Harold L. Davidson, MPS, Librarian
The Philalethes Society 1903 10th St. W.
Billings, MT 59102 (406) 259-1552
LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS
Philalethes Society
William R. Denslow Robert V. Osborne, FPS
Eugene S Hopp, FPS Dwight L Smith, FPS
Robert L Dillard Jr., FPS Bruce H. Hunt, FPS
Allen E. Roberts, FPS John R. Nocas, FPS
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY EMERITUS
Carl R. Griesen, FPS S. Brent Morris, FPS
CONTENTS
Annual Report For 1988
60th Anniversary Assembly-Feast-Forum
Canadian Provincial Grand Master
Climbs Popocatepetl 1830
Lodge Seals
Full Of Sound And Fury
Hope Is Not A Method
The Mystery Of A.J. Fountain
Black Freemasonry
Decals Now Available
"Are We Tangible-or Intangible?"
No Easy Solution
The Mystery of the Death of Meriwether Lewis
New Computer Service
Pride And Morality - A Solution For Membership Losses?
Through Masonic Windows
ON THE COVER
The interior of Tokyo Masonic Lodge #2 in Japan's capital city. Owned by the Zaidan Hojin Tokyo Masonic association, it is used for Lodge meetings and assemblies of the Tokyo Scottish Rite bodies. The Lodge hall seats 125, and was especially constructed to illustrate the teachings of Symbolic Masonry.
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The year 1988 was an exciting year in the history of The Philalethes Society. It marked the 60th anniversary of its founding. This was celebrated in Richmond, Virginia, on October 1, 1988, 60 years to the day the Society was officially founded. It was celebrated again at the Annual Assembly-Feast-Forum on February 17, 1989 in the District of Columbia.
The 60year history of the Society, Seekers of Truth, was written, published, and a copy sent to every member of the Society. The expense was high but the members and the Executive Board believe it was worth the cost. Sixty year lapel pins and charms were made available. And for the first time decals were printed to let the world know there is a Masonic Research Society called "The Philalethes."
The certificate of Literature Committee selected Joseph E. Bennett of Ohio to receive the Certificate for the best article of 1988 - "Dallas Stoudenmire." Two other articles came close to winning.
Herman Nickerson, Jr., was elected a Fellow of the Society for his years of service to the Society, Freemasonry in general, and his writings for various government and Masonic periodicals.
The Charters for four new Chapters were approved: Oklahoma; Long Island (New York); Samuel Clements (Iowa); York Minster (Indiana). Dispensations were continued for another year for proposed Chapters in Ghana and Ohio.
The Executive Board also heard a lengthy report on the proposal for "Talking Masonic Books." The concept was approved unanimously. The many problems concerned will continue to be studied and as soon as possible Talking Masonic Books will be made available to anyone interested.
For the first time ladies were invited to the Assembly-Feast-Forum. The Board agreed this was good for this anniversary celebration. A determination will be made from year to year about a continuation of this practice.
The Board adopted a budget calling for the expenditure of $67,600 for services for the members. The dues of $15 per year, and Life Memberships at $200, will continue in effect for the foreseeable future. The joining fee (a onetime cost) will increase on September 1 from $5.00 to $ 10.00 to help defray some of the costs of service.
So that officers can be prepared to serve the Society and Freemasonry, and the continuity now enjoyed will continue, officers for the 1990-1992 period were elected. John Mauk Hilliard of New York will be the President; Wallace E. McLeod of Canada, 1st Vice President; Forrest D. Haggard of Kansas, 2nd Vice President; Allen E. Roberts of Virginia, Executive Secretary; Henry G. Law of Delaware, Treasurer. The officers will be installed in February 1990. Reappointed were Harold L. Davidson of Montana as Librarian, and Keith A. Hinerman of Virginia, Project Secretary.
The Executive Board meeting of February 17, 1989 was adjourned until the evening's session of the Assembly-Feast-Forum.
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60th Anniversary Assembly-Feast-Forum
Breaks All Records
Wonderful! Over 330 Brethren and their ladies graced the ballroom of the Washington Hotel on February 17, 1989. They enjoyed an excellent meal, tremendous lecture by Donald M. Robey, PGM, Virginia, toasts in the tradition of the early 18th century, hard-hitting questions and frank answers, door prizes and anniversary mementos.
Later many were to proclaim the Assembly-Feast-Forum of The Philalethes Society the best affair by far of any during the meetings of the Allied Masonic Bodies.
Once again, regrettably, many had to be turned away from the Feast. Far, far too many wait until the day of the meetings to purchase their tickets. The hotel allows the Society to add numbers until noon and every meal guaranteed must be paid for. When tickets sell for less than the cost of the meal it is evident a guarantee cannot exceed the number of tickets sold.
Herman Nickerson, Jr., was presented with his certificate as a new Fellow of The Philalethes Society. It was announced that Joseph E. Bennett of Ohio had been awarded the Certificate of Literature for the best article published in The Philalethes for 1988. It was titled "Dallas Stoudenmire." Four new Chapters received their Charters.
It was announced that the joining fee will increase on September 1 to $10; the dues at $15 ($200 for Life Members) will remain the same.
The 1989 Lecture, "Past, Present and Future of Freemasonry," by Donald Robey will be printed in the June issue of The Philalethes.
A panel consisting of Allen E. Roberts, Wallace E. McLeod, Jerry Marsengill and Donald M. Robey answered a variety of questions during the Forum.
For further information see the Annual report.
The date for the 1990 Annual assembly will be announced in June.
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The members of the Society of Blue Friars
who are also Fellows and Members of
The Philalethes Society, congratulate
Jerry Marsengill, FPS
on his election to the Society of Blue Friars
on February 19, 1989.
Other members of both Societies include (in order of their election):
James Fairbairn Smith, FPS
Mervin B. Hogan, FPS
Wendell K. Walker, FPS (Grand Abbot)
Forrest D. Haggard, FPS
Allen E. Roberts, FPS
George H.T. French, FPS
Dwight L. Smith, FPS
William G. Peacher, FPS
Gerald D. Foss, FPS
Bruce H. Hunt, FPS
Wallace E. McLeod, FPS (Dep. Grand Abbot)
Louis L. Williams, FPS
F. Lamar Pearson, MPS
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Canadian Provincial Grand Master
Climbs Popocatepetl 1830
by Wallace McLeod, FPS
At some date close to 1785, probably in Dunlichity Parish, Stratherrick, near Loch Ness in Scotland, was born Simon McGillivray, a cousin of the chief of the clan. His uncle was Simon McTavish, who would soon become the head of the powerful North West Company of furtraders that worked out of Montreal. When he grew up, McGillivray joined several of the Company's subsidiary firms as a partner, first (1805) in London, and then (1813) in Montreal. In 1814 he paid his first business visit to Canada, and for the next ten years he spent most of his summers there. In 1818 he estimated that in the previous three years he had travelled 4400 miles in Canada by canoe.
On 23 April 1807 Simon McGillivray was initiated into Masonry in Shakespear Lodge, No. 131, London, and eventually he served three terms as Master. He joined several other lodges as well, including the Lodge of Antiquity, No. 2 - one of the "four originals." He was one of a small group of talented Masons who worked closely with the Grand Master, His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, and on 13 April 1822 he was appointed Provincial Grand Master for Upper Canada. Two rival groups of lodges had been contending there, neither of them legitimate from a strict point of view; he brought them together and regularized them. His interest in Canadian Masonry had other far-reaching effects as well. In 1825 he brought out the revised ritual that had been adopted in England after the Union of 1813, and caused it to be taught in Canada; it is still used there, in a slightly altered form. In 1826 he arranged for a Provincial Registry to be established in each province of British North America; this meant in theory that every newly admitted Mason would no longer have to be registered, in the first instance, in London. He also obtained a ruling that a Provincial Grand Lodge did not automatically cease to exist on the death or resignation of its Provincial Grand Master. Such measures as these gave the brethren a feeling of autonomy and continuity.
Meanwhile his business ventures were not prospering. In 1821 he helped to negotiate the union between the North West Company and the rival Hudson's Bay Company. Soon his Montreal branch-plant ran into personal problems; one of the three partners went mad, and another died; McGillivray was left holding the bag. He found that the firm was overextended, and on 27 December 1825 he declared it to be insolvent. Five weeks later, to meet expenses, he turned over his whole estate (worth more than $100,000) to trustees. From this time on, instead of being a wealthy businessman, he had to look for jobs as a salaried executive officer. From 1824 to 1829, he was a Director of the Canada Company, which was busy colonising a million acres of Ontario. In 1829 he was hired as manager of the United Mexican Mining Association, and spent the next five years in Mexico. He had some adventures there, and we might look at one of them.
He reached Mexico early in February of 1830. On his way inland he caught sight of Popocatepetl, the great extinct volcano, and decided to climb it. He did so, and wrote a book about it, which was never published. The manuscript is in the National Archives of Canada (reference number MG 19/A/35, volume 6). The story it tells, somewhat edited, runs like this.
He lined up a party of eleven, six Englishmen, his own valet, and four Mexican servants, and started from Mexico City (elevation about 7415 feet) at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, 11 March 1830. "I took no instruments," he tells us, "besides a thermometer, a pocket compass, and a small telescope; but I took what was subsequently found a most useful precaution, in preparing for the ascent pikes or poles, about seven feet in length, and pointed with iron in the manner of the Swiss alpenstock. These, with some canteen bottles to carry water up the mountain, and putting up some provisions for the journey, were nearly all the preparations we made." Everyone in the expedition was "well mounted and armed, because the district through which we were to pass was the residence of many of those bandits who infest the great roads to the south and east of the capital. Of these gentlemen however we saw nothing."
They took a full day to ride to the town of Ameca, 45 miles away and 800 feet higher. "At Ameca we passed the night, which was one of those brilliant cloudless moonlight nights so common in this climate. For the benefit of my European readers, I may here explain that in a Mexican house 'retiring to seek repose' does not mean going to bed, unless you carry your bed with you, and we had only three baggage-mules for our whole equipage, including provisions. Our beds therefore consisted of blankets, cloaks, or serapes, spread on the brick floor."
The next day they rode south, and after ten miles they reached a village where they picked up an Indian guide. "Starting from Atlanta with our guide Francisco, we soon passed the plain, and leaving behind us all traces of cultivation, began to ascend through a succession of steep ravines, filled with tall pines, and traversed by such paths as it is only in Mexico, and on Mexican animals, that people would think of risking their necks on horseback. After ascending in this manner for about three hours, an accident happened which had nearly been fatal to one of our party. In climbing a steep narrow path with a sharp turn, at rather an acute angle, Mr. Stanley's horse slipped on a piece of wood which happened to fill half the path, and in the exertion which ensued, the girth straps gave way, the saddle slipped backwards, and the horse and rider rolled down together, the latter being unfortunately under, and receiving some severe bruises before he could disengage himself. We doctored him as well as we could on the spot, and got him again on horseback."
Two more hours brought them to an upland pasture in the forest, nearly four thousand feet above the plain. Here they found "two small detached buildings of boards, each about twelve feet by nine, one of which had a sort of fireplace, while in the other we found a cheese-press and some new cheese. Around the enclosure some calves were fastened, with the cows grazing near them, but no inhabitants made their appearance. Our horses were almost exhausted, and our wounded friend required some rest and attendance. We therefore determined to remain for the night, and having appropriated one of the small houses to Mr. Stanley and his Mexican servant, the rest of us prepared our bivouac near the fallen trunk of an enormous pine, to which we set fire. The night was piercingly cold, with the wind at North West, and in this, as in many former instances in a very different climate, I observed that the feeling of cold does not depend entirely upon the degree indicated by the thermometer, but is also connected with the state of the atmosphere. In a Canadian winter, I have enjoyed exercise in the open air on a calm day, with the thermometer below zero of Fahrenheit's scale, when if the wind began to blow at the same temperature, it became necessary to protect one's nose and fingers from the frost."
The next day they were up at dawn. "We were at a loss how to dispose of our friend Stanley, whose left leg was stiff and painful, although it had been all night enveloped in a warm poultice. One of our horses was disabled by the carelessness of the rascal whose duty it was to have watched him, and in short we had a variety of points to adjust before starting. It was at one time determined to leave Mr. Stanley to wait our return; but Mr. Curtis having very ingeniously manufactured a crutch for him out of one of our mountain poles, to which he himself added a crossheaded walking staff for the other hand, he found he could manage to walk a little. And seeing us preparing to start, he declared he would not be left behind and got once more on horseback." It was after nine o'clock before they broke camp.
Ninety minutes of riding brought them up to the edge of the sandy slope that surrounded the cone of the volcano on the south side. They were at an elevation of 12,544 feet, and seemed to be within striking distance of the summit. It was still only 11:00 a.m., but there wasn't time to get up and back before sunset. So they found a sheltered spot for their campsite (they had neither tent nor beds) and then proceeded to look for the most practicable horsepath to follow the next day. "Soon after noon the clouds gathered round the mountain, and burst upon us in heavy showers of hail and sleet, which at one time completely whitened the sand, but the rapidity with which the snow was absorbed and the sand recovered its colour was remarkable. Before sunset the sky cleared up, and the storm was followed by a mild, calm, and beautifully clear moonlight night."
Early in the morning of Sunday, 14 March, at about 2:15 a.m., they set out for the last push, on horseback "so far as our horses could carry us. But at halfpast three we found the ascent too steep for them, and accordingly dismounted. A Mexican servant led one horse, and the rest readily followed back to the camp. We soon found we had undertaken an arduous task, not so much from the steepness of the mountain, or the difficulty of climbing, as from the exhaustion and want of breath caused by a very short continuance of exertion. After ten minutes climbing it was necessary to pause to draw breath."
They zigzagged back and forth up the sandy valley between two ridges, until the ridges came together in one craggy cliff. "This we scaled and scrambled over as well as we could, and on reaching its summit we found ourselves, at seven o'clock, close under the Picacho del Fraile ('Friar's Peak'). We were now, by barometrical observation, 16, 895 feet above the level of the sea, and within about one thousand feet from the summit of the mountain. We sat down in the sunshine to take some refreshments. Having no guides or servants to carry supplies for us, each had provided himself with a few hardboiled eggs, a couple of biscuits, and a canteenbottle of water, very slightly tinged with brandy merely to correct its bad qualities. We found a small portion of our provisions sufficient to satisfy our appetites. We were disappointed in the gratification of another sense, which we had expected to derive from the extensive view commanded by our elevated situation over the richest plains and the noblest cities in Mexico. A haze or mist unfortunately spread over the wide panorama stretched far under our feet, and all we could discern was the deep green of the forests, as distinguished from the prevailing yellow of the plains."
They went around the Picacho, and continued upwards. "The ridge along the top of which we were now ascending became steeper and more rugged as we advanced, the interstices between the rocky masses being generally filled with snow. We soon came to a cliff perfectly insurmountable by any means in our possession, a smooth wall about thirty feet high extending across our ridge from one side to the other. The ridge itself was on both sides bounded by precipices. That looking into the west valley on our left hand was so lofty that I really shrank back from approaching too near its edge." That on the right was not quite so high, and looked down into a sandy valley; it seemed in fact to be the only way they could go. "The first step was evidently to get down to the sand. But how that was to be effected was not by any means obvious. The Mexican lad, Agustin, scrambled along a narrow giddy ledge in the face of cliff, which he found ended in a precipice. Mr. Evans, trying a similar but lower ledge, happily found a crevice, through which he succeeded in descending to the sand at the foot of the precipice, and standing below it he received each of us in his herculean arms as each in succession followed his example in dropping from the cliff."
They proceeded along this valley, and at its northern end they found a gorge or pass, where there were two cliffs in succession for them to climb. "In this part of our progress there was some danger from the number of stones perpetually falling from the cliff, and rolling down from the upper portion of the valley, several of which passed so close as to startle more than one of our party. Having passed the two icy cliffs last mentioned, the upper part of the valley opened considerably to our left. This was the most difficult and the most dangerous of our ascent. And here by a strange fatality our party separated." The two most athletic members of the group pushed on ahead, because they saw stormclouds gathering near the summit. McGillivray held back, to stay with Mr. Stanley, who was hobbling along on his crutch and walking staff.
Here the ground was covered with snow. At one point "the snow gave way, and I slipped down ten or twelve feet. The shingly slope at the foot of this snowbank was so steep as to render our footing in its ascent exceedingly difficult and dangerous. Waiting till I had slipped to the extremity of the snow, I struck my pole into the shingle with all the force I could exert, and brought myself to a halt. Again I tried to ascend in the same manner, and again in the same manner I slipped down, only the second slip was longer than the first, because I had reached higher before the snow gave way. In the third attempt I dug deep holes in the snow with my pole, in which I stepped with safety."
"We had now attained a snowcovered ridge which commanded the view all around the mountain, excepting an easy ascent along the ridge directly to the highest summit of the cone. We commenced our ascent along the highest ridge over soft snow, into which we often sunk to the knee, and through which we could in all parts drive our poles to the bottom. This part of our progress, though entirely free from danger, was extremely toilsome, and it took us above half an hour."
At eleven o'clock McGillivray reached the top, which he calculated to be 17, 895 feet above sea level. "Having thus attained the object of our expedition, and being within a few paces of the brink of the crater, being at the same time out of breath and much exhausted by the exertion required in the latter part of our ascent, I sat and paused for some minutes to recover breath and to collect my ideas before I ventured to look into the crater. And when I did look into it, I took hold of a lasso which was held firmly by the other end by Mr. Randell, in order that I might contemplate it with a feeling of steadiness and security. The view was enough to appall stronger nerves than I possess. I stood on the highest pinnacle of the mountain and the highest brink of the crater, on the west side. Its figure seemed to me rather oval or oblong than circular, its greatest length being from east to west, about an English mile; breadth, above half a mile; and depth, on the lowest side, opposite to me, one thousand feet."
"The haze still prevailed, and prevented us from discerning any objects distinctly. We could not distinguish mountains from plains, all seeming alike a great level spread out far below our feet, and the only points capable of being discriminated were the shades of colour. The thermometer in the shade stood at forty degrees."
"Some clouds which seemed gathering round the mountain afforded an argument for expediting our departure. And accordingly about thirty-five minutes past eleven we took our last look into the crater, and turning away from it commenced our descent by the same route which we had pursued in ascending." Down past the ridge, the cliff, the sloping snowbank, the steep upper valley, the two icy cliffs, and at last into the soft sand of the valley into which they had descended that morning. "The difficulty was now over, as we had nothing to do but to step boldly down the sand, slipping forward with each step quite as far as the length of the stride in addition thereto, and burying the legs so deep in the sand as to take away all possibility of falling forward." They stopped for light refreshments at 1:00 p.m., and then proceeded farther down the valley, and around the end of the ridge that bounded it on the west. "Mr. Randell volunteered to go forward to the camp to hasten the horses. On enquiring however his idea as to where the camp was situated, I discovered he was not very likely to find the way. And as I had a pocket compass and knew the bearing it was necessary to follow across the sand, I requested Mr. Randell to remain, while I hastened to the camp to get horses. It was now nearly 2:00 p.m. My course during the greater part of the way was an oblique descent over sand, and the distance was between four and five miles. Having the benefit of going down hill, I found it easier to run or trot than to walk, and I reached the camp [in] about an hour. I met our horses just starting from the camp, and mounting my own, returned to show the servants where I had left our friends. [Then] I once more faced about and rode to the camp, where all who had ascended the mountain were assembled in safety before 4:00 o'clock."
From the camp in the pines it was easy going. It took two days, but they got back to Mexico City at 9:45 a.m., on Tuesday, 16 March. They had been gone just over five days.
After the Mexican sojourn McGillivray's life grew more settled. When he returned to London, from 1835 on he was one of the publishers of The Morning Chronicle. In these later years, after 1826, his business connections kept him from playing an active part in Canadian Masonry. Towards the end of his life he had leisure to think of his province a bit, and he appointed John Auldjo as his Deputy. But he never again visited America. He died on 9 June 1840. He was fifty-five years of age.
References and Acknowledgements
W. McLeod, AQC 90 (1977) 288-290; 96 (1983) 135; 100 (1987), forthcoming.
For permission to quote from McGillivray's papers in the National Archives of Canada, I am grateful to the holder of the copyright, Professor Gianni Lombardi, of the Universita degli Studi di Roma. For the portrait in Masonic regalia and the pictures of two pages from the manuscript, and permission to print them, I am grateful to the National Archives of Canada.
By permission of the Board of General Purposes of the United Grand Lodge of England, I am permitted to refer to an unpublished document in the Historical Correspondence File, reference HCF 16/E/27, which confirms that Simon McGillivray brought the post-Union ritual to Canada.
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by Pete Martinez, MPS
On the night of my initiation I overheard someone say something about a Lodge Seal. I had heard about "The Lodge Goat," but this was ridiculous!
Dexter said I should write a paper on Lodge Seals. You see, I have a hobby of collecting Lodge Seals. I made up this little affidavit form that fits in the back of my Grand Lodge Law Book and when I visit a Lodge for the first time I have the Worshipful Master and the secretary sign it to attest to the fact that I visited their Lodge. You should see the looks I get, a stranger walking into the Lodge with the Law Book in my hand. lust to make the affidavit look "official," I put a gold notarial seal on it (Dennison No. 43720 at most office supply stores) and have the secretary press it with his Lodge Seal. Most of the seals come from Texas, but I also have seals from Illinois, Louisiana and Virginia. After just a few seals I began to realize there are more differences than just the Lodge name and number.
Seals are of ancient origin. They are mentioned in many old writings including the Bible. We are all familiar with the seal of Solomon or shield of David that is a six pointed star constructed from two interlaced triangles.
St. John writes in the Book of Revelation, chapter V, "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside sealed with seven seals." Mackey tells us "The seal denotes that which is secret and seven is the number of perfection; hence the book of the seven seals is a symbol of that knowledge which is profoundly secured from all unhallowed search."
Old seals, made of wax, may be seen in museums. The person originating the seal would, in some cases, drip candle wax on the edge of the flap of an envelope or on the cord securing the object and then press a signet ring or other object into the wax to both cause it to be sealed shut and to authenticate its origin. This was done to keep the contents of the document or package a secret for only the receiver's eyes.
Of course, there are those agreements that are sealed with a nonmaterial seal. Deals between two honest and trusting men that are sealed with only a handshake, or the "true grip." Then there is the popular song about the young man sending to his sweetheart all his love in a letter "sealed with a kiss." The most famous deal sealed with a kiss had to be that of Judas Iscariot's "Kiss of Betrayal." We use seals today to authenticate a document or agreement. The Grand Lodge of Texas addresses the subject in article 222 and sets the requirements for Lodge Seals.
Art. 222. (262). Lodge Seal: Approval of Grand Lodge. Every chartered Lodge shall provide itself with a seal, to be approved by the Grand Lodge, for authentication of all official documents issued by it, and no documents issued by it shall be entitled to credit unless so authenticated; this requirement shall apply to the standard uniform dues receipt as set forth in form 56 on pages 291, 291B, and 291C, which standard uniform dues receipt shall require the imprint of the Lodge's Seal.
At the first Lodge I visited after I started this hobby, the secretary takes all of his work home and that is where the seal was. At least I have the signatures and the date, March 4, 1982. I have had the same problem at two other Lodges. Someday I intend to go back to those three and get their impression. I now carry a self addressed, stamped envelope just large enough for the form and send it home with the secretary. So far I have always received the form back within two weeks. All seals have the Lodge name, number and location in the outer band. Some even manage to squeeze in their charter date. Inside the band is where the differences start to show up.
The most popular design has the square, compasses and the letter "G" inside with the charter date. I have twenty-four of these. For an example of this seal, see Ihling Bros. Everard Co. Catalog A, 1985, page 40 or Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc., Catalog 1984, No. 110, page 43. This is followed closely by the same design but, without a charter date. I have twenty-one of these.
From here there are no two alike.
There is one with the square and compasses but without the "G" or the charter date and another with the charter date. There is one with the square, compasses and the letter "G" and the instituted date and one with the square, compasses and the letter "G" with the year 1850 on it. One has the square, compasses and letter "G" with A.F. on the left of the hinge pin of the compasses and A.M. on the right with the word "seal" below the point of the square. One seal has the square and compasses resting on the open Holy Bible. Another adds the letter "G" and places the all seeing eye above the Holy Bible.
There are several that have the square and compasses, some with the letter "G", some without, that are flanked by the pillars. One has the "G" above the hinge pin of the compasses while another has the constituted date. Another has no letter "G" but has two hands forming a grip below the point of the square. See the Ihling Bros. Everard Catalog for an example of this one. There are two that simply say A.F. & A.M. and one of these has the instituted date on it.
There are three Lodges within thirty miles of each other that have a star in the center of their seal. One adds the word "Texas" with the letters between the star points and the other also adds A.F. & A.M. above the star.
The most unique seal I have has none of the items that appear on any of the others. There is a small diamond with a greater distance across the horizontal points than the vertical. There are four balls of equal size just off the four points and in the horizontal plane there are two smaller balls, one on each side. The constituted date of June 13, 1867 is around the inside of the band that contains the Lodge name, number and location. This is a moonlight Lodge that meets on Monday, on or before the full moon. The symbolism may have something to do with this, but I have not found anything that would indicate it to be so.
Another unusual seal is that of Euclid Lodge No. 394 of New Orleans, Louisiana. In the center of the seal is the 47th problem of Euclid with the charter date.
Of the sixty-three seals I have collected, four are on the verge of needing to be replaced. They still make a semi-legible impression. There are three that definitely need replacing. There is just enough of an impression to be able to tell, with a little imagination, what they say or represent. I have no idea of the actual age of these seals, but it would seem that the Grand Lodge of Texas has approved many different styles in the past. And there are probably some Lodges that never had their seal approved by the Grand Lodge. I brought the old seal of one of my Lodges home with me one night and discovered that the reason it wasn't making a good impression was because the upper half had turned just enough to miss-align. With a slight adjustment it looks like new.
When was the last time you looked at your Lodge seal?
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Full of Sound and Fury
A column wherein our gentil readeres shake a lance at ignorance, at one another, at ye olde editor and on rare occasions even succeed in hittinge ye naile on ye heade.
Dear Brother Marsengill:
I've always held the consistories of the Northern & Southern Jurisdiction in high regard. But to hear that 12-15 black brethren who belong to a regular lodge were blackballed does injury to my pride of being a Mason.
I've always wanted to become a 32d Mason to seek more light in Masonry but I'm having second thoughts now. I cannot believe these 1215 brethren were unworthy to be admitted into the consistory. Shame on those who wear the square and compasses and allow the ugly head of racism to rise in a Masonic organization. This seems to be a backward move instead of a step forward as is right. Evidently the bylaws exclude men of color from seeking more light and that is exclusively for us Caucasian Masons? I think not!
If these men who are supposed to be Masons want to be racist, why don't they quit the fraternity which recognizes no race, color, religion but only good men and true, and don the white robe and hood and burn crosses in peoples' front yards? This seems close to the type of character they have shown.
Don't get me wrong. I love my brother Masons but some of them are doing a disservice to our Fraternity where men come together as friends and brothers who would have remained at a perpetual distance. I hope you will take this as a brotherly admonition filled with true brotherly love and affection which we should all be propounding as men and Masons, seekers of light and truth, which should ever be our quest.
I was going to petition the consistory in Kentucky when I got home from my tour of duty here in Germany but I think I'll wait a while until the dust clears and the brethren start taking their obligations seriously to help the downtrodden, etc.
Thomas E. Moins, MPS
P.S. Masons should think with their hearts and minds from whence they came and whither traveling.
Editor's note: In most jurisdictions one blackball can reject any candidate. We can't condemn any body because of one or two racists. Jesus selected twelve apostles and even He got one eight ball. Our record is far better than that.
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Each Member Get a New Member
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by Richard C. Friedman, MPS
Masonry needs to evolve in many ways to fit the times in which it lives. Perhaps the members of the Philalethes Society have recognized this fact more quickly than others. Change is a painful subject to many Masons. Even within the pages of our Society's magazine we are reading more and more defeatist literature. We flounder around proclaiming the need for change without really attempting to spell out potential remedies. To throw our collective hands up and say "l hope" that something will change is not nearly enough. My high school used to show a film on birth control entitled "Hope is Not a Method." Just as this title was appropriate for that task, so it is for modernizing Freemasonry.
For the record, I am 35 years old and have been a Mason for five years. I was installed Master of my Lodge in January 1989, and am a Life member of the Philalethes Society. Those of you who have just said to yourself "what does this guy know, he's young and inexperienced", are a part of the problem not the solution.
What will be set out in this paper are some initial thoughts around a methodology for modernizing the Craft in order to make it a more viable entity to younger men.
Perhaps the most used and indeed misused sentence in Freemasonry alludes to any brothers inability to make innovations in the body of Masonry. I wonder if our ancient operative brethren would have agreed with such a stifling statement. Would that mean that Gothic design should have been discarded because it was an innovation into the body of architecture as they then knew it? Should all Masonic books be burned because to put thoughts in print was preceded by the art? I hold with Allen Roberts that without innovation, we welcome stagnation.
Making the ritual the bad guy and root of all Masonic problems doesn't hold water either. As all of our main authors have correctly pointed out it is the ritual that makes us truly Masonic. What we need to do is stop looking at the trees and concentrate on the forest a little. Without a comprehensive Masonic Education the ritual is rendered impotent. Memorized words, without an understanding of why we say them, what they truly mean, and how we came to say them results in ritual which is not satisfying to anyone.
Here is a sampling of some critical issues and the start of a methodology for the modernization of Masonry.
Reduce the amount of contradiction in the Ritual and Craft
Members of my generation are far less likely to take what is told them by authority figures at face value. In the first degree we concentrate on letting the candidate know that we are unbiased, adopt no particular creed and forbid sectarian discussion in the Lodge room. As we are saying this he has already learned that the Lodge is dedicated to the Holy St's John and he is obligated on the "Holy Bible". He can be confused, as I was, because he recognizes those concepts to be purely Christian in nature.
The amount of literature about this topic in journals within the United States is deafening in its silence. Dwight Smith, FPS, used the Ars Quator Coronati to print his seminal work "The Slow Acceptance of the First Charge in the United States." How can we tell a new Mason that we are a universal fraternity and then explain the Knights Templar, where fealty to Christ is a requirement.
For many of my generation war is not thought of as a glorious thing. Within the Middle Chamber Lecture in the Second Degree, we extoll the virtues of peace when explaining the columns and proudly proclaim that music never sounds so beautiful as when singing the chorus of the heaven born anthem "Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men." In between these statements we glorify war in a horrendous manner and give it legitimacy by using the national anthem to punctuate the point. To many of my generation, still suffering the lingering horror of Viet Nam, these words are ludicrous at best.
In giving this lecture just this year I have seen two combat veterans reduced to tears. This is where innovation comes in. The Middle Chamber Lecture seems to "play" to the veteran of the Civil War, who would have heard "the martial strains of national airs" on the field of battle. These words have a far more pejorative connotation in 1989 than in 1865.
These are just a few of the contradictions within the ritual, which if clarified or removed would help to define our purpose and goals as a Craft.
At times you can measure your own goodness by the evil of your enemy. It was Erich Ludendorf who hated Masonry because of its being, in his distorted mind, "a pacifist tool of international Jewry." His pupil, Adolf Hitler elevated Masonic hating to a fine art, and also used its love of peace to denigrate it. Let the Craft remain committed to friendship morality and brotherly love and our course becomes clearer.
Another issue of contradiction is racial bigotry. Our members are neither blind nor stupid. Members of my generation were brought up during the most intense civil rights campaign in modern times. It is painfully obvious to us that despite all of the flowery words about the brotherhood of man that we hear regarding Masonry, that at this point in time we are still for the most part lily white. "Free born" is still a requirement for membership which can too easily be explained away. To many of my age group it is akin to apartheid in its "symbolic meaning." Proudly proclaiming that there is a black Lodge in New Jersey, only points out how involved we still are in self delusion.
Part of our Masonic Education must revolve around truly living out the dictates of our own creed. When we drop our bigotry and truly become Masons, then many minority candidates will enter through the inner door.
"Handicapism" must also be reexamined. In our enlightened world we realize that a person with a physical handicap is just as capable in many areas as anyone. To include the phrase "Physical deformity" on petitions is archaic at best. Our operative brethren may have needed to be physically perfect, to perform their functions as masons but we certainly do not.
Create two "tracks" within the Lodge: Administration and Ritual
This is an idea whose time has come. It has been alluded to by many famous Masonic thinkers including Alphonse Cerza and Allen Roberts. Masonry must deal with the fact that the competition for a younger man's time is much greater than it once was.
Many of the young men who join Masonry today are executives or professionals who probably have families with small children. These families almost always involve two working parents. This puts tremendous strain on the family system.
The internal table of organization of the Lodge as it currently exists puts another tremendous strain on the family system. The Lodge officer must deal with not only being out many nights but in trying to learn the ritual in order to function in his post. This is in addition to many time consuming administrative tasks. Many of us who are doing this balancing act talk about needing to "correspond" with our families. We begin to see Masonry as another full time job. The combination of administrative and ritual work of the line officer can be a terrible burden and an absolute reason why good young members shy away from the line.
Many of the older Masons that I talk to seem to feel that being a good ritualist insures being a good Master. Nothing seems to be further from the truth. There are many brothers who like to learn the ritual and are good at it. When these brothers do degree work we all smile and enjoy the beauty of the work. More importantly, our candidates have a meaningful experience that sets the tone for their thinking about the Craft. Too often candidates receive degrees conferred by brothers who feel like a fish out of water trying to present the work, have little aptitude and motivation for it and worse yet, do not have the gift of memorization that other brothers do.
I propose that except for the opening and closing ritual, our officers need no further ritual to run the Lodge. Give them the time to create programs, promote community service, enjoy fellowship and become Masonically educated. Allow men who have business and administrative acumen to use it for the good of the Lodge and the Craft.
By the same token have each Lodge nurture its ritualists young and old. Ritual talent can be organized and pooled among several Lodges so that each degree becomes a significant experience. Along with this I propose creating a system to reward ritualists in the same way that Masters are rewarded, with title and position appropriate to their important function in the Lodge.
Should we find the brother who can be both administrator and ritualist in a competent manner that is just icing on the cake. I would suggest that those men would eventually lead the Craft.
Many of you reading this may claim that I am not "holding high enough expectations" for our members. I am only suggesting that we utilize brothers to their best advantage. We cannot assume that all men have equal interests and abilities. In ancient times there were provisions for different forms of work, all important to the whole. I propose that we live up to our own words of having no contention other than who best can work and who best can agree.
Place Masonic Education First for the Candidate Going Through Degrees
"Suitable proficiency" should be pegged more to the candidates understanding of Masonic History, Masonic Law, Masonic Philosophy, the Role and Function of the Lodge and its officers than the memorizing of catechisms. Without prior knowledge these catechisms have little or no meaning in vivo to the candidate. Should a candidate show an aptitude and skill for ritual work this could be nurtured through the ritual track of the Lodge. He can be considered to go to work right away in the conferring of degrees. Conversely, a candidate who evidenced a talent for administrative work could then go into a position drawing on those talents. Again, "who best can work and who best can agree."
Develop Community Service Projects Which do not Only Require a Check!
Too often we are satisfied with only writing a check for our "Community Service." In order to attract and hold younger members in the Craft we again have to draw on the wisdom of our operative brethren and become builders. To build, one must become physically and publically involved. In my Lodge, we experienced a tremendous turnabout in the last two years in large part due to the fact that we selected two Community Service projects which needed active involvement from the brethren. Last summer we spent 8 weekends and built a nine hole miniature golf course for an agency serving emotionally disturbed children. We involved potential candidates in this work. What a tonic it was for us. We could really feel what it was like for our ancient brethren to have the honor of being called on to build something for a community which would benefit all. Near the end of the project a young child hugged one of our brothers when we confirmed that the project was for the kids of the Hospital. Believe me, there was not a dry eye at the place. The project's ribbon cutting ceremony was shown on two television stations and was written up in all the local papers. We raised 7 brothers last fall, six of whom had their first introduction to Masonry through this project.
Our Lodge also raised money for the local Ronald McDonald House in our area along with the entire district. This put us on our feet in shopping malls, and the effort raised over $20,000 dollars.
The working together on these projects was more meaningful in terms of Esprit de Corps than anything you can imagine and acted as physical proof of Masonry's desire to assist the community.
A Word on Solicitation
I first realized that there was a conflict around this point when I received my first issue of the Philalethes Magazine. I thought then and do now that this is an area where we shoot ourselves in the foot. My generation is one made up for the most part of people who need to be "sold" to do anything. We are "Madison Ave," babies, the first generation raised solely on television and fortunately or unfortunately, we need to be approached in kind.
How little faith the fraternity has in its own members to limit their ability to use their judgement in the selection of potential Masons. Even if a man was directly solicited he would have to go through a lengthy process; e.g. petitioning a Lodge, which means to some extent that he has made up his own mind to join, investigation, (where improper solicitation could be uncovered) and then his degree work, where, in New York State, he will be asked no less than 7 times per degree if this is an act of his own free will and accord.
Improper solicitation guidelines could be easily drawn, such as the promise of monetary or career gain, having legal issues such as parking tickets fixed etc. To not actively seek members is to sound the death knell of our Craft. Our Lodge puts on a "Brother Bring a Friend Night" each year which is a feast with a couple of five minute talks added. We have raised 23 men between the ages of 23-42 in the last 2.5 years.
Conclusion
This article can serve as a basis for further discussion around bringing the Craft into line with today's world and young man. To summarize: 1) Root out the Contradictions in the Ritual and the Craft. 2) Create 2 Tracks in the Lodge: Administration and Ritual. 3) Make a well rounded Masonic Education the priority for new candidate proficiency. 4) Develop pro-active Community Service Projects. 5) Create a system of advertising and proper solicitation.
Many will look on these ideas as heresy and invoke the claim that "it has never been done before." Remember that when man first thought of using rock to create an edifice, that had never been done before either!
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Fellow Of The Philalethes Society
Gen. Herman Nickerson
Certificate Of Literature
Joseph E. Bennett
S. Brent Morris
(honorable mention)
Blue Friar
70 John Van Gordon
71 J.E. Marsengill
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by Joseph E. Bennett, MPS
Stop one hundred people on any street in the country and ask them who Albert J. Fountain was and probably not one could tell you. Yet, at the turn of the century he was the center of a sensational crime that had the attention of everyone in the United States.
Albert Jennings Fountain was born in 1838 on Staten Island, New York. His family name was Jennings but he adopted the surname of Fountain early in life. His early years were eventful ones and he landed in California reading law after a trip around the world, followed by a stint as a reporter in Nicaragua. When only twenty-three years of age young Fountain enlisted in the California Volunteers at the outset of the Civil War. He marched into New Mexico with the famous California Column where he engaged in almost constant Indian fighting for the next four years. He was finally discharged at Fort Bliss in 1865 where he was recovering from a serious wound. Albert had some time before he married Mariana Perez in Mesilla, New Mexico. Now, with his new bride, he began civilian life as a lawyer in the Texas border town of El Paso.
Fountain was a multi-talented young man and quickly distinguished himself in civil life as he had in the military. He was a gifted orator and this helped him to soon acquire political office. Shortly, he was elected to the senate of the State of Texas where he was chosen as majority leader by Reconstruction Governor, Edmund J. Davis. Fountain's accomplishments in the senate legislature were impressive. He was able to guide many bills through the legislature that benefited both his constituents and all of Texas. Unfortunately, he acquired enemies. As a Republican, he was a member of an unpopular party. Texas was still under the Reconstruction government following the Civil War. Albert also had been drawn into a conflict with El Paso personalities during the infamous Salt War. This lead eventually to Fountain being indicted on seventeen counts of fraud and conspiracy. The legal expense of clearing himself of his enemies' charges had drained him financially. A shooting, in self defense, at El Paso in 1870 likewise generated a great deal of adverse publicity for A.J. Fountain. In 1874, he and Mariana packed up their young family and moved back to her home town at Mesilla, New Mexico. Here he would compile his greatest record of accomplishment.
Albert Jennings had embraced Masonry in El Paso Lodge No. 130 in 1867. His handwritten petition indicates his Staten Island birthplace in 1838 and his profession as "public officer." Colonel Fountain's picture hangs to this day in the foyer of El Paso Lodge as an honored past member from 1870-1872.
Fountain quickly established himself at Mesilla and opened a newspaper, the Mesilla Valley Independent. From the first he succeeded, due to his skillful editorial efforts and untiring promotion of expansion and prosperity for southeastern New Mexico. Albert plunged into many facets of community life, too. He formed a dramatic troupe, acted in it, and traveled all over the territory promoting Mesilla. He organized and trained a militia company that became famous as the Mesilla Scouts. Leading this troop, Fountain was engaged in numerous military engagements against hostile Indians. He was ultimately commissioned a colonel in the First Cavalry Regiment of New Mexico Volunteers. Again, a conflict caused Fountain a stumbling block on his road to business success. He became involved with the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church over their efforts to secure exemption for property taxes and teaching privileges in public schools. The Jesuits denounced him for his editorials and succeeded in alienating many Mexican Catholics who had been supportive of Fountain. He was soon compelled to close his newspaper.
Colonel Fountain resumed the practice of law, interspersed with tours of militia duty fighting Indians. His ability as a scout and Indian fighter had long since been acknowledged far and wide. The Indian problems were put to rest by 1882 and Fountain was able to give more time and attention to his legal practice. He was an extremely able attorney and before long came to the attention of a powerful group of wealthy ranchers who formed the Southeastern Stock Growers Association. The association was particularly impressed by his success in bringing the famous John Kinney gang to justice for cattle rustling. They appointed Fountain their chief investigator and legal prosecutor. His strong political affiliation with the Republican Party in New Mexico had not escaped their notice either. He was eminently capable of moving through the political and legal system with great skill. He plunged into his new duties with his customary energy and immediately began to see results.
In 1885, the railroad came to nearby Las Cruces. This choice marked Las Cruces as the center of activity for that portion of the territory rather than Mesilla. Fountain moved his family to Las Cruces shortly and became one of their most active and distinguished citizens. He joined Aztec Lodge No. 3 and became a major figure in Masonic activity. He continued his customary role in social life in Las Cruces, as he had in Mesilla. The colonel was a powerful and successful figure in the city, reknowned throughout New Mexico.
Fountain suspected a rancher from the Tularosa basin, Oliver Lee, as the ringleader of the rustling problems plaguing the Stock Growers Association in Dona Ana County. Fountain's investigators, Ben Williams and Les Dow, gathered evidence to support his suspicions. He pressed his investigation in an all-out effort to bring Oliver Lee and his henchmen, James Gilliland and William McNew, before the bar of justice. Lee had a champion and defender, though, in the person of a talented newcomer to the territory. He was Albert Bacon Fall.
Fall had come to Las Cruces in 1874, drawn by the mining boom in the mountains to the north. Although a rough and tumble individual, he was extremely intelligent and ambitious. Fall studied law a little while and shortly hung out his shingle as a lawyer. Immediately, he became an opponent of Albert J. Fountain as the leader of the dormant Democratic Party in Dona Ana County. Fall also became fast friends with Oliver Lee, and defended Lee and his friends in numerous trials. He later boasted that he had defended over 500 men and not one had spent a day in jail. Fountain's vigorous efforts to lay the rustling in Dona Ana County at Lee's door pitted him against Albert B. Fall in a bitter struggle. Their vendetta became notorious as far away as Washington, D.C. Fall opposed Fountain for the legislative seat from Dona Ana County, and eventually won it. In the national elections of 1882 Grover Cleveland became the Democratic President of the United States and Fall received an unexpected windfall. Over the objections of many people, he was appointed Judge of the Third Judicial District of New Mexico.
In his new position, Fall was able to promote his schemes without opposition. He secured appointments for Oliver Lee, Gilliland and McNew as Deputy United States Marshals. With their backing, he ran roughshod over all opposition, particularly in local elections. The record of A.B. Fall became so odorous that the stench reached even to the nation's capitol. Knowing that his removal was only a matter of time, Fall resigned his judgeship. However, he continued to be a powerful opponent of A.J. Fountain. The colonel had never relented in his effort to put Oliver Lee and company behind bars.
Fountain's efforts to bring Oliver Lee to trial for rustling came to fruition in January, 1896. The grand jury was to convene in Lincoln at the end of the month and Albert Fountain looked forward with confidence that he would receive the indictments he had so long sought. Fall and Oliver Lee were worried. So were unidentified others. Fountain and his family received threats against their lives if he did not desist in his efforts to implicate Oliver Lee. Fountain brushed the threats aside. He was too old a campaigner and too courageous to be intimidated. He continued his preparations to make the trip to Lincoln and be a part of the grand jury proceedings. Fountain's wife, Mariana, was alarmed. She pleaded with the colonel to take their youngest son, Henry, along with him. She reasoned that nobody would harm a nine year old boy. Albert finally agreed, to please his wife. The pair bundled up against the chill January winds and started the long trek to Lincoln.
The grand jury at Lincoln returned thirty-two indictments against Lee and his associates. Fountain was jubilant. On January 30th, he and Henry readied the buckboard for the trip back home. In his briefcase were the precious thirty-two indictments. They terminated the first long, cold day by staying overnight in Mescalero. All day Fountain had noticed three silent riders on the horizon, staying far enough away that they would not be recognized. Always, though, they kept the buckboard in sight. On the second day Albert and Henry stayed overnight at La Luz. The weather continued windy and biting cold. Next night they would be home in their warm beds in Las Cruces. They would need to get an early start.
Colonel Fountain and Henry started the third and last leg of their journey on the morning of February 1, 1896. On the road they met a stagecoach from Las Cruces. The driver of the coach mentioned that he too had seen the three horsemen trailing the Fountains. He commented that one rode a white horse. Oliver Lee usually rode a white mount. The Fountains pressed on. Three miles from Chalk Hill, near the White Sands, they met the mail coach driven by Saturnino Barela. He was concerned about the three riders on the horizon and urged Albert to accompany him back to Las Luz and return later to Las Cruces with him. Fountain commented that Henry had contracted a cold and needed his mother's care. He elected to continue the journey. The Fountains pulled their coats higher around their faces to protect them from the bitter wind and rode toward their destiny. They were never seen again.
Barela, the mail rider, stopped at the Fountain home on his return. Had Albert and Henry returned? Mariana was frantic with fear. As Barela spoke she knew her worst fears were reality and promptly fainted. Her oldest sons, Albert Jr. and Jack, gathered a search party and rode toward the White Sands to look for their father and brother.
They found a spot where someone had crouched in ambush out of sight of the road. Cigarette butts and empty cartridge cases lay on the ground. Hoofprints of three horses were found in the vicinity. The searchers found where the buckboard had left the road. A few miles to the east they found the buckboard, but no team. The contents of the buckboard had been scattered everywhere. Fountain's briefcase was found where it had been tossed, but no indictments were found. Numerous horse tracks were found where the buckboard had stopped. Dried blood was discovered at the scene. Colonel Fountain's cravat fluttered from a spoke of one of the buckboard wheels where it had been tied. Even little Henry's bloodstained handkerchief was recovered.
The search party followed the very visible trail toward Oliver Lee's Dog Canyon Ranch. A few miles from the ranch they found the trail obliterated by the tracks of a herd of cattle driven across it. They also found one of the buckboard horses a little later. Harness lines had been cut and used to tie a heavy, bloody burden to its back. The beast was exhausted. Further investigation yielded nothing of importance so the search party turned back to Las Cruces with the grim news.
A public uproar greeted the news of the Fountain tragedy. The story swept the country and there was a clamor for action. The Masons of New Mexico posted a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the murderers. The Stock Growers Association pledged all their resources to the investigation. The governor of the New Mexico Territory posted a reward and headed a group seeking to return Pat Garrett to Dona Ana County to solve the crime. Garrett had moved to Uvalde, Texas after he killed Billy the Kid. Public opinion had been against him for shooting the popular outlaw. Now the same people needed him again. He returned to Las Cruces as a paid investigator and soon was elected sheriff of Dona Ana County. Time passed, but little progress was made. Garrett was convinced Oliver Lee, Gilliland and McNew were the murderers. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was hired to assist Pat Garrett. They agreed with him that Lee and his friends were the culprits.
At long last Garrett obtained warrants for the trio. McNew was apprehended quickly. Lee and Gilliland were not. They had a gun battle with Garrett and a posse, but eluded capture. Albert Bacon Fall, just returned from service in the Spanish American War, came to the relief of his friends. He prevailed on Governor Miguel Otero to establish a new county from a portion of Dona Ana County. The governor liked the idea because the county would bear his name. A.B. Fall was well aware that any criminal trial must be conducted in the county in which it had been committed. Fountain and his son had met their fate within the boundaries of new Otero County. Immediately, Oliver Lee and Jim Gilliland surrendered to the Otero County sheriff. Fall then obtained a change of venue for the trial to Hillsboro in Sierra County. Fountain had enemies there.
The trial of Lee and Gilliland started late in May, 1899. Fall had worked hard on his preparations. He wooed the press and the citizens of Hillsboro. Public opinion strongly favored Lee and Gilliland. The case was tried in the newspapers where the defense received biased and overwhelming support. Fall's defense was centered around the fact that the prosecution had failed to prove that a crime had been committed. The prosecution was in disarray. Much physical evidence had disappeared. The witnesses for the prosecution were intimidated or failed to appear. Fall was merciless in his cross examinations, and rendered much of the testimony useless. Tom Catron, the prosecutor and old Aztec Lodge member, made a valiant effort. Finally, after eighteen days of testimony, the case concluded at midnight. The jury was out just seven minutes. The wild celebration of Lee and his friends continued until daylight. The verdict was "not guilty."
Pat Garrett never recovered from his disappointment. He was Collector of Customs in El Paso for a time, but returned to a small ranch north of Las Cruces. By a grim quirk of fate, he was also murdered in 1908, just a few miles from where the Fountains met their end. Albert Bacon Fall switched politics and became a Republican. When New Mexico achieved statehood in 1912, he and his old enemy, Thomas B. Catron, were elected to the United States Senate. Fall continued to prosper and finally was appointed Secretary of the Interior under President Warren G. Harding. He was involved in the notorious Teapot Dome scandal and returned to New Mexico in disgrace, where he died penniless.
Albert Jennings Fountain had been a giant among those men who made New Mexico into a great state. He was a gifted lawyer, soldier, patron of the arts, and devoted family man who exemplified all that is good in Freemasonry. His outstanding life became such an anathema to his enemies that nothing less than his bloody murder on the desolate White Sands would satisfy them. They were eminently successful. The bleak wasteland has guarded its secret well.
Bibliography and Partial Reference
Dee Harkey, Mean as Hell, Albuquerque, 1948.
A.M. Gibson, The Life and Death of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.
James B. Cillett, Six Years With the Texas Rangers, New Haven, 1925.
Leon C. Metz, Pat Carrett, University of Oklahoma Press, 1974.
C.L. Sonnichsen, The El Paso Salt War, Texas Western Press, 1961.
Herman B. Weisner, Albert Jennings Fountain, unpublished manuscript, copyright, 1985. Organ, New Mexico.
Personal interview with Herman B. Weisner, February, 1988. Organ, New Mexico, and numerous tapes prepared by Mr. Weisner.
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by Allen E. Roberts, FPS
My good friend Joseph A. Walkes, Jr., President of the Phylaxis Society, is of the opinion that only Black Freemasons can write objectively about Black Freemasonry. He may be correct, but I believe historians (as opposed to writers) should be able to write objectively on any subject within their expertise. The same material for research is available to all. At any rate, this is an objective attempt to cover a subject fraught with controversy that shouldn't be.
Recently I received a letter from the secretary of a country lodge. It read: "On page 5 of the 'Hospital Visitor Bulletin' is pictured a black Brother of Frank W. Thompson Lodge in Massachusetts...I am curious as to his Masonic affiliation. I could be wrong but I was under the impression that New Jersey was the only Grand Lodge that recognized black Masons. I would appreciate it if you would set me straight on this matter. "
Why the letter was sent to me, I don't know, but all types of requests for information cross my desk. And why the letter surprised me, I'm not certain. Reckon I thought everyone was familiar with the subject of Black Freemasonry.
As far as I can determine there have been Black Freemasons since 1356 when a code of Mason Regulations was drawn up in Guildhall, London. We don't know when the term "free mason" was first used, but we do know it was applied to early operative masons to differentiate them from other craftsmen. The "free" was added because these craftsmen were allowed to travel from place to place to seek employment in their important trade. There may have been Black men among them.
Shortly after the Grand Lodge system that we know today was established in 1717, Masonic Lodges were formed throughout the world. Many of them were organized in countries with predominately Black populations. The Grand Lodges of England, Ireland and Scotland, even today, have Lodges in such countries. In them whites and Blacks meet, as they should, on an equal footing.
When I was a guest of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1964 I sat with dozens of Black Masonic leaders from other countries. Since then I have met with Black Freemasons in many jurisdictions. In this country several have attended many of the seminars I have conducted.
The Constitutions of Freemasonry clearly defines who can and cannot be Freemasons: "The persons admitted members of a Lodge must be good and true men, free-born, and of mature and discreet age, no bondmen, no women, no immoral or scandalous men, but of good report." Note, there is not a word in this charge that specifies a color.
There evidently were no Black men among the Freemasons who were in the American colonies prior to 1730, nor, actually, until 1775. Then on March 6 of that year 1775 an event took place that has been discussed, often vehemently, continuously. On that date fifteen men of color were initiated into Freemasonry. Among them was a man who has become immortal, Prince Hall.
Sergeant John Batt of the Irish Military Lodge No. 441, attached to the 38th Foot of the British Army, conducted the initiation of Prince Hall and his fourteen Brethren. They are reported to have paid fifteen guineas to receive the three degrees. Eleven days later, March 17, 1775, the 38th Foot left Boston, but the Black Masons were issued a "Permet" by Batt. This permitted them to meet as a lodge and "walk on St. John's Day" and "to bury their dead in manner and form." So African Lodge No. 1 of Boston, Massachusetts, was born on July 3, 1775.
John Rowe, the Provincial Grand Master, it is said, issued a similar agreement to the lodge in 1784. It is also said that Prince Hall and the members of his lodge asked the English Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for its approval. This was denied. So on March 2, 1784 a request for a warrant was sent to the Grand Lodge of England ("Moderns"). A charter was prepared on September 29, 1784 (which is still in existence), but didn't reach Boston until April 29, 1787...African Lodge became No. 459 on the roster of the English Grand Lodge.
Nineteen days later the lodge sent an account of its activities to the Grand Lodge of England. It indicated it had "eighteen Masters, four 'Crafts, and eleven Entered Apprentices." Along with the return went a copy of its bylaws which had been adopted on January 14, 1779.
My study of Prince Hall Masonry began in 1957. In 1959 I submitted a paper for Virginia Research Lodge No. 1777 entitled "The Controversy Concerning Prince Hall Masonry." I attempted, and I think succeeded, in making it an unbiased report on the subject as it was then known. My then Grand Secretary gave me permission to research the subject with the then Prince Hall Grand Secretary in Virginia. Even then I believed, and still do, that it's difficult to consider any organization that's older than our country irregular, illegal, or clandestine.
"Free-born" is the catch-all phrase that the opponents of recognition of Prince Hall Masonry have constantly used. And it may be surprising to many to learn there were Negro (or Black) slaves in Boston in the 1770s. It isn't surprising to this ex-New Englander. There were, however, as many free Blacks as there were slaves. The men Batt initiated into what became African Lodge were evidently free men.
What we often forget is that there have been as many, if not more, white and yellow slaves throughout the years. There still are!
Bias has been deeply embedded in the subject of Prince Hall Masonry from its inception. Black and white Freemasons have used language to describe each other that's anything but Brotherly. The bigots are not confined to just one side alone.
Truth is always difficult to determine for any subject. Historians must depend on the work of others, but whenever possible the work of others should be supplemented by examining original documents. This is often demanding. but frequently more than one book or article will be found on the subject being researched.
Such is the case with Black Freemasonry. In 1903 William H. Grimshaw, a Black Mason, wrote Official History of Freemasonry Among the Colored People in North America. In 1940 Harold V.B. Voorhis wrote Negro Masonry in the United States. Voorhis based much of what he wrote on Grimshaw's book. A short time later Voorhis discovered Grimshaw's book was loaded with errors and fanciful writing, so Voorhis removed his book from distribution. Harry E. Davis wrote A History of Free Masonry Among Negroes in America in 1946. He also found Grimshaw's book full of myths and outright untruths.
Charles H. Wesley wrote Prince Hall Life and Legacy in 1977 and attempted to correct the falsehoods of the past. He didn't hesitate to "tell the truth as he found it" and write about who had stretched the truth or told outright falsehoods. And the falsehoods were plentiful; many came from the pens of Caucasian Freemasons. One such report came from one of my Masonic heroes, Josiah Hayden Drummond.
After the end of the American Civil War in 1865 many more Black men became interested in Freemasonry. This alarmed several Grand Lodges. As Foreign Correspondent for the Grand Lodge of Maine, Drummond wrote in May 1868 that Prince Hall and other men of color went to England and were made Masons. He said the Grand Lodge of England granted them a warrant for African Lodge No. 459. Drummond added: "But the granting of this charter was an invasion of the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. It was, therefore, recalled, but a copy of it was kept by the Lodge, and though it was no longer any authority for them, they continued to work as a Lodge, many of those made in the Military Lodges having joined them."
This was a complete distortion. These Black men were made Freemasons in Boston, not London. The warrant from England was requested by letter and the lodge did become No. 459 on the roster of the Grand Lodge of England. The warrant wasn't recalled. African Lodge was dropped by the Grand Lodge of England in 1813, along with many other American Lodges that had made no report to that Grand Lodge in years. Among those dropped were half the Lodges in Massachusetts; the other half were never on the rolls of the English Grand Lodge. Exclusive jurisdiction wasn't even thought of in the 1700s, and at any rate there were then two Grand Lodges in Massachusetts, English and Scottish. In addition, the Grand Lodge of England has never considered "exclusive jurisdiction" of any importance.
The first evidence that African Lodge had been established as a Grand Lodge occurred on September 28, 1789 when a letter was sent from Philadelphia to "Mr. Hall, Master of the African Lodge." The Black men in that city "were all ready to go to work, having all but a Dispensation." The request was cautiously approved. Later requests from Providence, Rhode Island and New York City were granted. African Grand Lodge was a reality and Prince Hall was its Grand Master.
Those who question the legality of Prince Hall Freemasonry claim African Lodge, even if legitimate, had no power to warrant other Lodges. This is a difficult argument to support. Scottish Lodges had warranted new Lodges for years. But one has to go no further than the American colonies.
The Lodge at Fredericksburgh in the colony of Virginia came into existence on September 1, 1752 with a full slate of officers. This makes one wonder when and where this Lodge was actually formed. On February 28, 1768 this Lodge granted a warrant for the formation of Falmouth Lodge in Virginia; on October 10, 1770 Fredericksburgh war granted Botetourt Lodge in Gloucester, Virginia. No one has ever questioned the legitimacy of these Lodges. Nor has anyone questioned the legitimacy of St. John's Lodge in Massachusetts which set itself up as a Grand Lodge in 1733.
Prince Hall died on December 4, 1807. The Black Masons continued to work. Caucasian Masonry continued to ignore them even though they requested recognition. In 1824 African Lodge requested permission from the Grand Lodge of England to confer the Royal Arch degrees. The request was ignored, but it created no problem for African Lodge - it had been conferring the degrees for years.
On June 26, 1827 African Grand Lodge notified the world that it was "free and independent of any lodge from this day." Although every Grand Lodge in the United States, including Virginia, had made much the same observation, this statement would haunt Prince Hall Freemasonry to the present day.
In 1847 the African (or National) Grand Lodge became Prince Hall Grand Lodge.
Over the years there have been several white Freemasons who have wished Prince Hall Masonry well and have assisted it insofar as their obligations would permit. John Dove, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, shortly after the close of the American Civil War gave Prince Hall Masons his text book. Much of it is still used to this day even though it has been revised and copyrighted by Prince Hall Masonry.
William Upton, and others, in the Grand Lodge of Washington in 1898 considered Prince Hall Masonry legitimate, and that Grand Lodge said so. This brought down the wrath of most of the Grand Lodges in the country. It was rescinded, in part, the following year. (For a full discussion on this subject, see the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Washington for 1897, 98, 99.) Even so, for the past several years this Grand Lodge has worked closely with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge on many civic projects.
In 1947 Melvin M. Johnson of Massachusetts, another of my Masonic heroes (even though he attempted to make his state Masonically first in everything!), proved to the satisfaction of his Grand Lodge and the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite that Prince Hall Freemasonry is legitimate. George Newberry, also of the NMJ, testified in court that Prince Hall Masonry is legitimate.
And I'll confess. Over the years I have written ritual (not ours') and other things for Prince Hall Masonry. I'll continue to help it in any way I can as long as what I do doesn't violate the obligations of Freemasonry that I have taken. And I shall continue to abide by the laws, rules and regulations of my Grand Lodge regardless of how I may feel personally.
What does Prince Hall Freemasonry want from "Regular" Freemasonry? Perhaps this item I wrote for my column "Through Masonic Windows" for The Philalethes magazine will answer the question:
Grand Master (and Reverend)
Howard L. Woods of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Arkansas would like to see more cooperation among the Prince Hall Grand Lodges and the Caucasian counterparts. He puts it this way: "Grand Masters (Prince Hall) do not want any integration as such among the jurisdictions, for we each walk a different path toward the same goal. What I personally would like to see is more meetings like the Phylaxis meetings with you and Jerry [Marsengill] and others like you that have a greater depth of feeling for Freemasonry. Once that feeling is attained, you 'become one with the universe' where there is no color or any other vain distinction that would separate men from each other. Kind of Utopian, but this I believe." In an organization that is nothing without Brotherly Love, shouldn't this become a reality rather than "Utopian"?
It must be emphasized that Brother Woods made it clear he was expressing his personal opinion and not that of any organization.
From my discussions with Prince Hall leaders I believe that Body does want to retain its own identity. It wants Black men to join its ranks rather than our Lodges. It would like to be fully recognized as the legitimate Black Freemasonry. It would like to be able to meet with us, outside our Lodges, as equals. This is an accomplished fact in several jurisdictions today.
What can we do to help? We should never refuse to accept a petition from any good man because of his race, creed, religion, or color. In the case of Black men, however, we should inform them about Prince Hall Masonry and its need for good leaders. These men should then be left to make their own choice with no persuasion in any way on our part.
Is Prince Hall Masonry legitimate? You be the judge. Take into account that it began in 1775, making it older than our country. It started with African Lodge in Massachusetts. This was formed into a Grand Lodge and warranted other Lodges and became national in scope. In 1847 it was renamed Prince Hall to honor its first Master and Grand Master, the man it considered its founder. It has continued to be active without a break to the present day.
Its rituals, insofar as I have read them, are similar to those we practice. Much of their work is based on the work developed by John Dove, one of the greatest ritualists in the country in his day. His work in the Baltimore Convention proves this statement. Their laws, again derived from the work of John Dove, along with Anderson's Constitutions of the Freemasons, are what we follow. However, Prince Hall Masons are heavily involved in politics and religion, two items that are prohibited in our Lodges.
A caution, however. There are something like 40 Black organizations calling themselves Masonic that are illegitimate. These have no connection with Prince Hall Masonry, and the latter is constantly at war with them. To fight them successfully, Prince Hall Masonry must have our help.
This, briefly, outlines the facts as I see them concerning Black Freemasonry. Each of us must make our own determination about what should be done to keep the Brotherhood of Man through the Fatherhood of a God a viable cause for Freemasonry as a whole.
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Decals Now Available
During the Assembly-Feast-Forum your Society unveiled a beautiful two color (blue on gold) 4" decal for autos, campers, homes, or whatever. These will not fade in the sun. They self-stick (with your help) to the inside of a window.
These are an excellent way to let your friends and neighbors know about The Philalethes Society. Because our name is unusual we added an explanation - The Masonic Research Society. We know our purpose for existence is far greater than this, but only so much can be printed in a small space.
These decals are available from the Executive Secretary, PO Box 70 Highland Springs, VA 23075 for $1.00 each, plus a self-addressed, stamped (25¢) number 10 envelope. One envelope plus $10 Will bring you 12 decals. Our overseas and across the border Brethren will have to send $1.35 in U.S. funds – unfortunately - but they can also have a dozen for $10 in U.S. funds.
Let's show our pride in our Society by putting these in every village, hamlet, city, province, country. Let's get the world talking about The Philalethes Society.
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Are We Tangible - or Intangible ?
by Ronald V. Peale, MPS
Surely we are both, by any limited stretch of the imagination. By tangible, we mean that which can be felt by touch, which can be weighed, seen, measured and even price tagged. The human body is of material substance, and although every individual being is unique, there obviously has to be the strain of a common denominator running through each one of us, or we would be of a different species.
When we meet and converse, one with another, we have the capability to separate at any moment and go our different ways. We are therefore independent bodies in the physical sense of the word.
Even identical twins are not absolutely identical. What we see with our eyes is not always what is there. In the first place we do not actually see with our eyes anyway. We take a picture with these lenses, and develop it in the darkroom of the brain, and then finally and hopefully, we interpret the true meaning of that picture. The decision as to what we will next do, is firmly embedded deep between our ears, and has brought us inevitably to the word intangible.
There are those who will tell you that if it does not have substance, it does not exist. Then one of the typically obvious questions is, "What is Love"?
Can this, or any other emotion be measured in the usual sense of the word. Does hate have dimension; with depth, breadth, and height? Certainly the action motivated by these intangible energy forces can be measured, but the concept itself is without form and definitely void in the generally accepted sense of the word.
Just as the theory of relativity which was introduced by Einstein, is completely beyond the realm of understanding of most of us; so is the dual make-up of tangible and intangible, regarding the human species, totally incomprehensible to most of us. It takes a certain type of human computer, with a built-in genetic gift, to mentally recognize, absorb and act upon this physically invisible movement of energy.
Is it within the bounds of reason, to presume that although we are without doubt entirely independent on the tangible level; we are really as one, on the intangible level?
It does appear as if, without any question, that the more materialistic the society, the less true thinking takes place, except possibly on the superficial egocentric level. It is truly fascinating that some who live in the so-called third world, and have absolutely no idea what a school is, do have an inner sensing mechanism which almost automatically delves into the depths of the searching drive for greater understanding of Truth and Light.
An academic education can and usually does increase whatever seed of inquiry already exists, but without that initial seed, there is no appreciable growth, irrespective of the amount of educational fertilizer employed.
Which brings us to the most disturbing form of human expression which has been with us since the beginning of all recorded history, and undoubtedly long before that.
The obvious, necessary and constantly asked question is, "What is the nature of violence"? It is not too difficult to describe the results or effects of these mental aberrations, but what about the causes, and where do they come from? Once again we come back to something we cannot see in the visual sense, but is undeniably the source of this most disturbing and destructive energy force.
Using the analogy of the human brain to that of the present day electronic computer, it becomes readily apparent that there must be an input, otherwise there could be no output.
Also the degree of the output is directly related to the amount of the input. The next question is, where does the input come from? The answer appears to be divided into two parts. The first and most important, let alone the most necessary; is that there is a predetermined sensing mechanism, which is part of our initial physical form at the point of conception, passed down to us through the ages.
In actuality there are three basic parts to the problem of this most vicious of all man's emotional outbursts. The input and the output, we have discussed; but sandwiched between these two movements of energy is the mechanism through which this energy moves, or in some cases completely bypasses.
For there to be an output, there must be a particular sensitivity factor regarding this specific input, to be an integral part of the brain or human computer. What this brain decides to do with this piece of information or misinformation is what mystifies the researcher.
To what degree is there really any choice as to what action should take place, or whether it should even be filed in the subconscious, disregarded or married to another piece of information already there, and subsequently permitted to conceive and produce a child of these two or more thought patterns? There is no question but that as we grow and progress physiologically, our brain becomes part of a geometric progression or at least some kind of similar expansion of the so-called "mind."
It is so far beyond our comprehension as to the actual capacity of this incredible mechanism called brain, that trying to trace the patterns of human behaviour which move with incredible speed within this cranial capsule, is somewhat like counting all of the drops in the ocean.
The variety of possibilities is probably infinite, in the truest sense of the word. But since man is born with a question mark, he is gradually opening up a road map of the strange, intriguing and sometimes frightening avenues which permeate the darkest areas of this the human computer.
Perhaps the most exciting yet troubling movement on the horizon, is in the realm of genetic engineering. The possibilities are virtually unlimited, but the dangers inherent in such an exercise are considerable, due to the frailty of present knowledge and the emotional ego of some men, who constantly act in a self-serving manner.
But once the genie is out of the bottle, he can never be returned. When a judge tells the jury to ignore a remark which was made by one of the two opposing attorneys, it is a legal command, and can never be completely adhered to, as the information has already been imprinted on the brain, and can literally never be erased. It can be buried to some degree in the subconscious. It can be self-disciplined in the conscious so that it is not acted upon in the normal manner, but it is still there.
So what is violence? It could be a volcano erupting, an earthquake, a plague, a bee sting, an automobile accident, an avalanche, a dam bursting. But the type of violence which occurs daily between men, can be brought about by innumerable causes.
Utter frustration can and does produce violence, inwardly and/or outwardly. Mass hypnotism brought on by one individual can bring about a Iynch mob. Belief, real or imagined, emerges as a most significant force let loose upon society. Some malformation in the brain itself can most certainly develop into or begin by being the catalyst which bursts forth upon an unsuspecting setting, without any apparent warning, in spite of the fact that there is somewhere a pattern of unacceptable movement toward an imminent explosion.
In most cases, the handwriting is on the wall, and very often there are many of us who are thoroughly capable of reading it. We may choose to become uninvolved, or we may draw attention to a probable disaster, and in turn we may be completely disregarded, and considered irrational ourselves.
Out of all this comes the sad fact that in spite of our communicative prowess, we have only just begun to scratch the surface with regard to that most elusive word communication.
Where will it all end? As an Armageddon? Are we destined for oblivion? Or will those men and women who have that in-built capacity to see with mental peripheral vision rather than myopic, come together with that relative objectivity which is the vital requirement necessary for survival, let alone continued growth?
Our very future is based upon the present and the past. And although we use separate words to describe these three time periods, we must never forget that everything is related to everything else to some degree, and we only separate them verbally for discussion, and because we do not have the mental capacity to carry all of these factors fully in the conscious at one time.
May we one day become aware that we are really one and that by violence we are actually committing universal suicide. This contagious practice, this destructive use of energy, can be in many cases redirected into constructive channels which would be more than acceptable to the majority of the world in which we currently live.
The speed at which we are presently moving, or living or existing; depending upon to whom and to where you refer in this world, makes it mandatory that we concentrate our mutual efforts in the direction of seriously thinking, before we say something or take action.
It seems fairly clear that some form of organized group of individuals, who have a deep understanding of the problems involved as outlined above, should take positive action in the direction of uniting man in a constructive manner.
If this reasoning has any merit at all, it becomes quite obvious to those who are members of the Masonic Fraternity, that this group already exists.
Two of the definite factors which undoubtedly have an exceptionally strong bearing on the "Brotherly Love" which permeates Masonry, is tied up in the following restrictions placed upon all members of this organization, whenever they meet in Lodge.
First, you are not permitted to discuss religion, and second, you are restricted from bringing up the subject of politics. These limitations are in force within the Lodge itself. What takes place outside the Temple, is governed by "keeping one's passions within due bounds."
Finally, it is incumbent upon all Freemasons to spread the word of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
Our current Grand Master, the Most Worshipful Leo B. Mark, has a theme, "The Time is Now." Let us not just read these words, or mouth them, but rather let us all take action, before it is too late.
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by John S. Yates
Probably the most pressing problems being discussed in Lodge today are "What's happened to the Lodge? What's to become of Masonry? Few of the Craft attend the stated meetings. How can we increase the membership? Isn't anyone interested anymore?" These burning questions as to the fate of our noble institution are being asked at Lodges throughout the districts, state and the nation.
Many great solutions to these problems have been brought forth. However just the proposals, without the action to back them up, they will remain merely proposals.
Raising more Master Masons seems to be the common solution and perhaps, it is assumed, that by the sheer weight of numbers Masonry will thrive. But that goal was reached shortly after World War II when record numbers of Brethren were entered, passed and raised. But where are these Craftsmen now? Most have fallen by the wayside these past years. Then, in this light, perhaps the idea of bigger is not better.
Maybe the Craft should be concerned with the quality of itself and not quantity as means of survival. In this laudible undertaking, let us emulate our Ancient Brethren and set to work with the tools and materials we already have at hand. The Craft should first look to the Northeast corner where the foundation stone was laid, for the Fate of Masonry is in that corner.
Writing his book "Look Well" Dwight Smith said the purpose of Freemasonry is "...the same as it was in that day when the stones for King Solomon's Temple were hewed, squared and numbered in the quarries where they were raised. The mere fact that individual Freemasons may not comprehend its purpose doesn't mean that Freemasonry has no purpose, nor that its purpose is outmoded. It only means that the stones are not being well hewed and squared in the quarries where they are raised..."
"There is nothing faulty with Nature, nor with Nature's God, just because we have a crop failure now and then. When the crop fails we need to look to our practices, and particularly to the quality of our seed..."
More than seventy years ago Brother C.P. Boon of San Antonio was chairman of the Committee on Work of the Grand Lodge of Texas. In 1912 Brother Boon published a pocket sized book entitled "Trestle-board and Working Tools of Symbolic Freemasonry." In that little book he summed up his observations after twenty-five years of labor in the quarries. He published many helpful hints and careful observations of his day that are still quite applicable today.
Even in Brother Boon's Masonic career, over seven decades ago, there was much concern about indifference and lack of attendance at meetings. He addressed the problem in this manner: "Why Masons do not attend Lodge, I have studied for twenty-five years. I have read many articles on the subject and I find the main cause is the frivolous and careless manner of initiating candidates. If we are careless or frivolous at any point, from the anteroom to the altar, or allow the candidate to be guyed in the anteroom, we place a stamp on his mind that can never be removed. To overcome all this appoint the most careful and earnest brother you have in your Lodge (as) Senior Deacon and have him conduct the candidate in the most solemn and impressive manner possible. There is no place in Masonry for levity. Stop making Masons for money and numbers. Let none be initiated but good men and true; give them what they paid for and have a right to expect - the True Symbolized lessons in Freemasonry. Impress on his fresh mind that Freemasonry stands for honoring the only true and living God, and doing good to humanity. Remember the candidate's mind is a blank, and you are responsible for the impression made on it. Then, live up to your teachings. You may expect others to follow your example. Have every member feel that he is necessary to a successful lodge meeting. Call on every brother to do or say something. Then you will have to provide more chairs, for the brethren will come to the Lodge."
Brethren, what can be expected of you as members of the Craft for the survival of Masonry? Keep this idea in mind: I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
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The Mystery of the Death of Meriwether Lewis
by Robert C. Barnard, MPS
Meriwether Lewis is a well known name in American History. The westward expansion of our nation was greatly enhanced when President Jefferson commissioned Lewis, his secretary, and William Clark, George Rogers Clark's brother, to head an expedition "to trace the Missouri River to its source, to cross the Highlands (Rocky Mountains) and follow the best water communication which offers itself from thence to the Pacific Ocean." Thus, the newly purchased Louisiana Territory was officially explored for the first time in 1804-1806.
Jefferson had known Lewis all of his life. Their families were friends and lived near each other in Virginia. The president described his secretary as having "a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction."
Clark, the expedition co-commander, was an Army officer experienced in the Indian wars. Lewis had been a soldier in Lieutenant Clark's company at the Battle of Fallen Timbers when General Anthony Wayne decisively defeated the tribes in Ohio.
Lewis and Clark complemented each other. Lewis was scholarly, conservative, sometimes pessimistic and morose, but a strong and trustworthy companion. Clark was enthusiastic, optimistic, and an expert on warfare and the Indian nations. They seemed to be a perfect leadership team, as the success of their expedition to explore the vast lands newly purchased from France demonstrated to the American people.
On returning from the exploration, both men were handsomely rewarded with grants of government land by President Jefferson. Captain Lewis was appointed Governor of Louisiana Territory and Captain Clark became General of the Louisiana Militia and Territorial Agent of Indian Affairs.
In October of 1809, approximately two years later, Governor Lewis began a journey to Washington City to confer with the president and report to the government on territorial business. While proceeding through the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, he was guided by Mr. Neely, U.S. Agent to the Chickasaw Indians. When two horses belonging to the party disappeared, Mr. Neely stayed behind to search for them and the governor went ahead by himself to a wilderness inn operated by a man named Grinder.
It seemed that Mr. Grinder was away at the moment and Mrs. Grinder gave Governor Lewis the use of the log inn and retired to an adjacent cabin for her own accommodation. Mrs. Grinder testified later that Lewis had come there alone about sunset and had enquired if he could stay for the night, saying that his two servants would arrive soon.
She said that the governor called for some spirits, but drank very little. He spent most of his time walking back and forth until the servants (one black, one white) arrived and then asked them for his canister of gunpowder.
Dismissing them, he continued to pace up and down, talking to himself. At times, the innkeeper's wife said, the governor would seem to approach close to her and then suddenly wheel and walk away as fast as he could.
When supper was served, he ate only a few bites, then sprang up, "speaking to himself in a violent manner." He lighted his pipe, drew his chair to the door and said to Mrs. Grinder in a kind tone of voice, "Madam, this is a very pleasant evening." But he soon got up again to continue his pacing.
The innkeeper's wife offered to prepare a bed for him, but he said that he would sleep on the floor. His servants brought bearskins and a buffalo robe and spread them for him.
Mrs. Grinder said that she retired to her cabin at dusk. The two servants withdrew from the inn to sleep in the barn which was 200 yards away.
The woman stated that since her cabin was only a few paces from where Lewis was that she could hear him walking agitatedly and talking aloud "like a lawyer." She then heard the report of a pistol and something fall heavily to the floor, followed by the words, "Oh, Lord!"
Soon afterwards, said Mrs. Grinder, she heard another pistol shot and then heard him outside her door saying, "Oh, Madam! Give me some water and heal my wounds." The logs being open and unplastered, she saw him stagger back and fall, then crawl. She heard him scrape the bottom of the water bucket for a drink, but there was no water. (All this time, the woman kept quiet and did nothing!)
As soon as daylight broke, and not before, after spending hours in this deplorable manner, she sent two twelve year old servant children to the barn to brink the governor's men. They went into the inn to find Lewis Iying on the floor. He was "wounded in the side and a piece of his forehead was blown off."
The governor begged, said the woman, to have them take his rifle and blow out his brains and for this service, he would "give them all the money in his trunk." As far as we can tell from the narrative, no one did anything for two more hours, after which the governor died.
Then, seemingly, Meriwether Lewis, Governor of Louisiana Territory and one of the most revered heroes of our young republic, was buried in the yard close to the inn and a few loose rails were thrown over the grave to keep the hogs and wolves away. It is impossible to tell whether Innkeeper Grinder presided over the grave digging or if the work was done by the menservants.
Mrs. Grinder narrated this story to Alexander Wilson, a famous ornithologist, three years after the happening. The scientist was a man of undoubted veracity, but the truth of Mrs. Grinder's story seems extremely doubtful.
What manner of person could hear and see this great and famous man attempt suicide, be terribly wounded, beg for assistance and still refuse to give him even a cup of water? Mrs. Grinder could have gone to get the menservants to aid the governor or she could have sent the servant children. Instead, she waited the entire night before doing anything at all.
The woman's statement that Lewis said that he would give them all of his money also leads to speculation. As far as is known, the only money that was found after the governor's death was a twenty-five cent piece.
There are many unanswered questions. For instance, where was Innkeeper Grinder on that fateful night? Exactly when did he return?
Also, why did Indian Agent Neely find it necessary to leave the governor at this particular time? Neely disappeared when he was needed most.
Most of all, one's thoughts inevitably return to the enigma of Mrs. Grinder. Was she really so terrified by Governor Lewis' actions that she could not come out and help him in any way? How strange that the wife of an innkeeper living in this dangerous wilderness area could be so gentle and innocent that she became paralyzed in this time of extreme emergency!
Former President Thomas Jefferson and General William Clark both seemingly believed that Lewis took his own life. "He was much affected by hypochondria, " said Jefferson. "I fear, Oh! I fear that the weight of his mind has overcome him," said Clark. They greatly lamented his death.
However, it seems possible that neither of these great friends of Lewis personally investigated his death; they might not have known all of the available facts. After all, the log inn in the wilderness of the Natchez Trace in Tennessee was a great distance from either Virginia or Washington City, especially in 1809 when horses were the swiftest transportation available.
It is understandable why Jefferson's and Clark's view of the demise of their friend would be believed by the public at large. People would naturally think that if these great men made a prognostication of suicide, it must be true. There can be little doubt that Clark and Jefferson honestly made their statements in the light of all the evidence they had as close friends of the deceased.
An article that accepted completely the idea that Lewis committed suicide appeared as a part of Howe's Historical Collections, published in 1856. The author states that "Mr. Lewis was subject to constitutional hypochondria and while under the influence of a severe attack, shot himself to death on the borders of Tennessee in 1809 at the age of 35."
People who lived near the scene at the time told another story. Many seemed to believe that Governor Lewis did not die by his own hand, but was murdered and robbed. A discussion of this belief of many Natchez Trace citizens took place in the Tennessee Legislature at its 1849-1850 session in connection with the erection of a monument to be placed on the grave. However, no unanimous conclusion was reached.
Alexander Wilson, the ornithologist who made a most thorough investigation of Lewis' death, came to the conclusion in an 1812 article that suicide was never proven. He had strong suspicions that "Governor Lewis was foully dealt with by a person or persons unknown; presumably Grinder alone or with accomplices."
A later investigator, James D. Park, a lawyer in Franklin, Tennessee, wrote in 1891 that the death seemed to be murder and not suicide. Park believed that Indian Agent Neely had no justifiable reason to cease guiding Governor Lewis when he did. Said Park, "The conduct of Mr. Neely, the Indian Agent, seems to be very strange. He volunteered to accompany Governor Lewis through the Indian country in order to watch over and look after his distinguished guest. They had servants and horses in their train, yet the recapture of two lost horses was of more importance than the welfare and safety of his friend."
After talking with people whose ancestors had lived near the Natchez Trace Inn, Park stated that "there has always been a firm belief in the people of the region that Lewis was murdered." The older citizens then living remembered the rumor current at the time of the incident. It was discussed as murder; no thought of suicide was ever mentioned.
Mr. Park interviewed a 77 year old lady named Christine Anthony who was a good friend of Polly Spencer, "Grinders' hired girl who was there when Governor Lewis was killed." Polly had often told of the circumstances of the "murder" so far as she personally knew them.
She was washing dishes in the kitchen after supper with some of the females in the family when they heard a shot in the room where the governor was sleeping. They rushed to the room and found him dead in his bed.
Polly said that Mr. Grinder, who was of Indian blood, was immediately suspected of the murder. When approached about it, he ran away, was captured brought back and tried. But since all evidence was circumstantial, he was released.
Polly Spencer maintained that Mr. Grinder soon moved to the Western part of Tennessee and it was reported in his old neighborhood that he bought a farm and a number of slaves. He had always been a poor man before this time.
Mrs. Anthony reiterated that everyone in the neighborhood believed that Grinder killed Lewis and got his money. She also had never heard of the theory of suicide until Park told her of it.
Such information is interesting, but does not suffice to convict a murderer or even to disprove the suicide theory. Therefore, the mystery remains unsolved and unless history discloses new evidence, the true facts will never be known.
Whatever the circumstances, Meriwether Lewis remains one of the early heroes of our country. With William Clark, he blazed the path followed by our ancestors in their Westward expansion which ended only when our great nation reached from sea to sea. Lewis and Clark were men and Masons of which their brethren may be proud.
Bibliography
1. Bakeless, John Background to Glory. Philadelphia: Lippincott Company, 1957.
2. Coues, Elliott, editor. The History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1964.
3. Dillon, Richard. Meriwether Lewis. New York: Coward-McCann, 1965.
4. Duncan, Dayton. Out West: An American Journey. New York: Viking Press, 1987.
5. Fisher, Vardis. Suicide or Murder? Denver: Swallow Company, 1962.
6. Fisher, Vardis. Tale of Valor. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1958.
7. Hawke, David. Those Tremendous Mountains. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1980.
8. Howe, Henry. Historical Collections of Virginia. Charleston, S.C.: Wm. R. Babcock Co., 1856.
9. Jackson, Donald, editor. Letters of the Lewis & Clark Expedition With Related Documents, 1783-1854. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1962.
10. Rogers, Ann. Lewis and Clark in Missouri. St. Louis: Meredco, 1981.
11. Thom, James Alexander. From Sea to Shinning Sea. New York: Ballantine, 1984.
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Years of frustration are over (we hope). We have changed our computer service. All accounting will continue to be done by the Executive Secretary. All records will continue to be maintained by the computer service. We have developed a simplified and more effective system.
The change-over was done quickly so the February issue of The Philalethes could be mailed on time. Of necessity changes in addresses received during the past two months were not made. These will be updated long before the April issue is ready to mail. If you don't receive your February issue write to our Librarian, Harold Davidson. He'll see that you receive one.
Dues paid since October were also not recorded so a few delinquent members will receive their magazines. Delinquent members will receive a reminder no later than March. In the meantime, if you are delinquent and have suffered a reversal of fortunes, either monetarily or physically, we don't want to drop you as a member. Send a brief note to the Executive Secretary telling why you are in distress. You will then continue to receive your magazine.
To help us keep the records straight, please include your membership number with all payments, changes of address, or anything that involves the computer. You will find this on your label; it's also on your dues notice the part you should have returned with your payment.
Our Society has grown. No longer is it possible to stay current with a pencil and pad. We've had growing pains, but we're fast maturing. With your help we can continue growing without the pain.
So please help us to help you. Add your membership number to everything you return that involves the computer.
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A Solution for Membership Losses?
by Stanley Clarke Wyllie, MPS
In all the critiques of the problems of Freemasonry, the one that keeps coming up is membership. This, I feel, is not our real problem. Our real problem is two-fold, pride and morality. Membership loss is but the symptom of the problem.
I will treat morality first, as it is the larger of the problems and is the one that is probably sounding the deathknell of the fraternity. Our fraternity's basis and reason for existence is morality - "to make good men better." It is even said that Freemasonry is a system of morality veiled in symbols and allegory.
In the past our influence on morality and society has been great, hence even those outside of the fraternity use our symbols, speaking of being on the square or level and being a Past Master, etc.
But the times as they say are a - changing. Now to be square is a term no longer complimentary and the new morality is what most of us would call the old immorality.
Our fraternity, instead of influencing society, has been influenced by the loosing standards. I am no longer shocked by leaders of the fraternity who are convicted of adultery, alcoholism, arson, drugs, embezzlement etc. through the whole alphabet of crimes and sins.
Once our leaders were the most moral men in the community, now it is not necessarily so. It used to be the governmental leaders were all Freemasons, now to be one will mean you may be penalized for belonging to a society that discriminates, no matter how or for what purpose.
This leads to the second major problem-pride. If the morality of our members and leaders at times appear to be lacking, and if there is a penalty for membership, and therefore our membership declines because fewer wish to associate; we begin to feel there is something wrong decreasing our sense of worth and a loss in pride.
The solution - get back to basics. Stress morality. As the Marines say "Give us a few good men," then let us train them - not just making them learn the exams which must be given or the lectures which our officers must memorize - but the meaning behind the words and symbols. Let's take longer in instilling these lessons and not be in a hurry to get our candidates to some higher body. Let us use the most up-to-date methods to instill the lessons. Lectures were great in our grandfathers' age, but now television has made our candidates' attention span smaller. Advertisers use repetition in small concise messages. Even libraries are now contending with the instant info-craze with computers, videos, etc. We can no longer be thought of as our grandfathers' fraternity, any more than a certain car can rest on its achievements.
This does not mean we need to change drastically the rituals or change our standards of morality, as some churches have done to even greater losses of members.
It does mean that we do away with uninteresting meetings. Couldn't the usual bills-rent, postage, secretary's salary, etc. be authorized to be paid by the trustees. Couldn't the business be printed up in a newsletter and interested members peruse it before hand and approve all the business at a meeting held-maybe once every three months in less time? Is it really necessary to have two meetings a month to conduct business? And this is probably heresy - why is it even necessary to open the Lodge ritualistically when all one is going to do is to pay the bills?
Would we get more members out, if we had but one meeting a month barring candidates, and that meeting devoted to interesting speakers on Masonic topics? After all they can only get Freemasonry in a Lodge. They can have more interesting evenings covering other subjects - sports, travel, movies, etc. either at a ballpark or at home on cable.
We should also lower our age of membership. It we don't get our members at 18 - they will be lost until their forties, what with college, paying back loans for their education, marriage, paying for a home, etc. By then who will be in Lodge? Older men. The average age is over 60 now and climbing. The older ones stay for loyalty - but even these we lose due to fixed incomes. This is another place we are thought of as our grandfathers' fraternity.
A younger age for admission might instill more brotherhood in our Freemasonry. Many of these newer brethren could be utilized to visit the homebound as part of their induction into the fraternity. Many of the old timers have interesting stories which the youngsters would enjoy hearing. They could provide services to the widow, which the older members are physically unable to do, as shoveling snow, helping with errands, etc. Take a lesson from the service clubs and recognize their efforts.
At one time Lodges helped in getting brethren jobs when out of work, with the age of most of our members there is little need now but with younger members the need would be there.
If we want members we must grow them. DeMolay, Jobs, and Rainbow will help us get members - if we lower the age. Jobs and Rainbow? Yes those young ladies do marry and they just might influence their husbands to become Freemasons, so they can become members of Amaranth, Eastern Star, White Shrine, etc.
We do not need a membership campaign. We do need to examine closely those who desire membership. We do need to make our standards high, "judging with candor, admonishing with friendship, and reprehending with justice" those who violate our tenets.
We should make it harder to get to the Master's degree, pass written tests on the meanings of the degree, provide services for the infirm brethren and the widow, visit the Masonic home or VA center, acting as stewards at dinners, etc. Perhaps make it a year between degrees. Too hard? Organizations that demand much, get much - look at the fundamentalist churches, look at the Marines. We should make it again an honor to wear the white lambskin apron!
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by Allen E. Roberts, FPS
"You can't win!" How many times we've heard this expression, and how true it is. For the most part Seekers of Truth has been well-received by the members of the Society. A couple of fellows were disappointed because we didn't include more of this or that, or include something they felt was important. This brought back memories of when House Undivided was published. I was asked why I hadn't included the story of an Illinois regiment. I had the last chuckle here. I wrote back: "Why didn't you tell me about it when I asked you if you knew of something that should be included?" Recently I received a letter from a fellow who had been loaned a copy of House Undivided. He was highly indignant because I had "omitted" his great grandfather's name and ordeal in Libby prison in Richmond. Occasionally our good Editor hears from some who don't like what' recorded in The Philalethes. We even lost one member because he didn't think we should report what our critics say about Freemasonry. Happily we gained hundred. of members because we did do this reporting. There's another truism: "You can't please all of the people all of the time." An, if you try you'll end up pleasing no one.
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"Masonic Shepherds" was the title of the article Grand Master William T. Sharp wrote for The Indiana Freemason in December. Within it he said: "When we consider the gifts that we have to share, why not start with a daily outpouring of our tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth; the four Cardinal Virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice? These gifts we already have; they are abundant, tax free, and like the power of the magnet, the more we use and share them, the stronger they get."
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Two years ago I "retired" as Chairman of the Fraternal Relations Committee and Fraternal Reviewer for my Grand Chapter. Now I'm back, and the job is even more eye opening today than it was during the first twelve years. As I go through the Proceedings of Grand Chapters of Royal Arch Masons I can, almost invariably, spot the Grand High Priests who are members of The Philalethes Society. Their actions, decisions and comments stand head and shoulders, in almost every case, way above the crowd. Those few who read my reviews will immediately find them without me saying a qualifying word. Why is this so? I'll let you tell us. I hereby proclaim that I will give a valuable prize to the member who submits the best article on the value of membership in The Philalethes Society. The deadline will be December 15, 1989. The prize will be awarded at the Assembly-Feast-Forum in February 1990.
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J.B. Hitt, II, MPS, Grand High Priest in Kentucky, in his final address told his Companions: "It (The Royal Arch magazine) is a very worthwhile publication and I am not alone in considering it second only to that of The Philalethes Society in providing informational, educational, and entertaining articles." Thank you! And congratulations to our Jerry Marsengill who edits both.
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Jerry Marsengill must be again congratulated, or more accurately, the Society of Blue Friars should be commended for at long last electing him to this prestigious body of Masonic authors and writers. It was a proud day to have Jerry introduced on February 19 as the newest Blue Friar by the Deputy Abbot, Wallace McLeod, FPS, the Society's Second Vice President.
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George Washington is back in the news. The same Bible on which he took the oath of office 300 years ago as the first President of the United States was the one on which the 41st President, George Herbert Walker Bush, did the same. The Bible, owned by St. John's Lodge No. 1, New York City (in spite of what you may have read elsewhere), has been used before. It was legally used by Presidents Warren G. Harding and Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was also the center piece when James Earl Carter, using the assumed name of "Jimmy" was sworn in. George Bush isn't a member of the Craft. Neither was Eisenhower or Carter. This Bible and the first inauguration make an interesting Masonic story.
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According to The Empire State Mason Wendell K. Walker, FPS, was among the dignitaries representing Freemasonry in the Columbus Day parade in New York City. Among the Freemasons in the parade, dressed in Masonic regalia, were members of Garabaldi Lodge No. 542. It's good to find Freemasonry visible to the eyes of the public.
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"Profane!" What does your thesaurus or dictionary say it means? Mine doesn't list a single redeeming feature. In Freemasonry we think it is a kind word meaning "one who is without the Temple"; or a man who isn't a Freemason. But that's not the interpretation the uninitiated place on the word. In our last issue the word is used several times. Isn't it way past time for Freemasonry to take this nasty word out of our non-ritualistic works? It can stay in the ritual in the few instances it's used because no one but us is supposed to hear it. But if we want to improve our public image wouldn't it be much better to say what we really mean - "Uninitiated" or better still "non-Mason"?
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The cover for The Oregon Scottish Rite Freemason for February was unusual, and I liked it. Within a large heart, running down the center were these words: "Little Things: Most of us miss out on life's big prizes: the Pulitzers, the Nobel, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys. But we're all eligible for life's small pleasures: a pat on the back, a kiss behind the ear (showing a woman's touch), a four-pound bass, a full moon, an empty parking space, a crackling fire, a great meal, a glorious sunset, hot soup, cold beer. Don't fret about copping life's grand awards, enjoy its tiny delights. There are plenty for all of us.
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Thomas W. Jackson, MPS, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, in its journal has attempted to quell a disturbance within the Craft. He said "the removal of the penalties from the Obligations and their relocation within the Ritual" has probably "created a greater expression of opinion, both pro and con, than any other change in Pennsylvania Freemasonry." He briefly explains some of the history that preceded this action. He rightly noted: "No change is ever going to satisfy all members of any organization, but it is necessary in the evolution of an organization to resist stagnation." He added: "Individually, we may not always agree on changes that take place within our Fraternity. It is, however, important for us to recognize that when changes do take place our acceptance and support is necessary to maintain our strength. Freemasonry has always been and will always be greater than any of its component parts."
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To solicit or not to solicit new members for Freemasonry is another topic that's invoking heated expressions of opinion. Good! Personally I think it's wonderful to have Master Masons who care enough to argue (reasonably of course) within our ranks. Every subject has at least three sides: his, mine, and somewhere in the middle the truth. Only by thrashing out the differing opinions can we come close to locating that truth we all should be seeking. A reminder though - it's perfectly proper to solicit Master Masons for membership in your Philalethes Society!