THE PHILALETHES

Contents
 
 
 

 Past Present and Future of Freemasonry                                          Midwest Conference Reaches New Plateau
 

 Freemasonry in LONDON 1803 - 1905                                         New Testament Meanings
 

 Freemasonry, Nazism, and The Nuremberg Trial                             The Masonic Leader - Coming
 

 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

The Philalethes Lecture Past, Present and Future of Freemasonry

Freemasonry In London 1803-1905

New Testament Meanings

Freemasonry, Nazism and The Nuremburg Trial

Good News: The Masonic Leader - Coming

Vision 20/00

Signs Of The Times The 1990 Assembly-Feast-Forum

Through Masonic Windows

ON THE COVER

A three dimensional impression made by projecting light through a transparency of the Masonic symbol and the two pillars. Used through the courtesy of Resp.’. Log.’. "Esperanza" No. 7, Caracas, Venezuela.

It was designed by Rose H. Pares, Secretary, and photographed by Jacques de la Tour. Michelle Ciofari, Junior Warden of Giordano Bruno Lodge, assisted with the use of his lens.

----o----

Past Present and Future of Freemasonry

by Donald Maynard Robey, MPS

First, I may say that I am deeply honored to be here with you this evening. We have just finished our Grand Annual Communication in Virginia, and our newly installed Grand Master is here with us this evening. I'm personally delighted that he could fit this occasion into his busy schedule. He will visit my mother Lodge in Alexandria, tomorrow evening for the Annual George Washington Birthday Celebration.

I congratulate the Philalethes Society on its sixty years of service to the Masonic Community. It may be of interest to you to know how I became involved as a member of the Philalethes Society in 1975.

I was the Worshipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge that year. Early in the year we had a letter from a Brother John Black Vrooman, who was the Editor of the Philalethes Magazine. He requested permission of the Lodge to use a photograph of the "Williams" portrait of George Washington which is owned by the Lodge and hangs in the George Washington Memorial in Alexandria. It was to be used in an article by Norman C. Dutt to appear in the August, 1975 issue of the Magazine. Upon receiving that letter, my first reaction was "what is the Philalethes Society?"

I wrote to Brother Vrooman and he sent me a copy of the magazine and told me about the Society and some of the principles upon which it had been founded and some of the people who had participated in the activities of the Society. He also sent me an application for membership which I filled out and returned to him with permission to use the photograph of Washington in the article by Brother Dutt. I have always enjoyed my membership in the Society and cherish my collection of Philalethes Magazines.

Allen Roberts called me early in 1988 and asked if I would prepare a paper to be delivered on this occasion. I have read with great interest the lectures that have been delivered on this occasion. The lecture last year by my friend Jack Kelly entitled "TANSTAAFL's Law," has evoked comments from Masonic Leaders across the land. It made a lot of people aware of some of the things that are going on in our fraternal world. I predict that portions of that address will be quoted by Masonic speakers for years to come.

In an editorial in the April 1977 issue of The Philalethes by Brother John Black Vrooman, who was the Editor Emeritus at that time, he says:

That while Freemasonry is timeless we must again divide it into past, present and future. To learn from the past, to make use of the present and to look well to the future should be our goal. Someone has said that to live the present we must forget the past. This is erroneous and misleading, for it is necessary for us to look to the past for those good precepts which inspired our present, learn from the past mistakes we have made and make wise use of all that we have learned in order to make a future that is worthy of our heritage.

After I did some serious thinking about what my subject matter would be, I called Allen back and told him that I would prepare a paper entitled, "The Past, The Present and The Future of Freemasonry." During the time I served as Grand Master in Virginia, I used as my theme, "Proud of the Past, Confident of the Future" and hoped to build upon some of the research I had done in that year.

Allen agreed with the topic I had suggested. He said that men had tried to address this subject before, but unfortunately, no positive answers to our present day problems have come out of anything he had seen. I told him it was not my intent to come up with any "Cure-Alls" for Freemasonry. I just felt that someone should come up with a comprehensive listing of where we've been, where we are now and some of the things that we're doing or should be doing to keep this organization moving in the right direction.

The Past - How We Got This Far

I would like now to take you back into the past briefly to talk about how Speculative Freemasonry began. I'm not going to go into great detail. I'm not a great one for lengthy footnotes, so I'll tell you where I received my information as I go along.

Looking into the past, I relied upon my file of information from the Masonic Service Association. In 1958 a digest was published by them entitled "From Operative to Speculative" written by a Past Grand Master of Virginia who was also a Fellow of the Philalethes Society, William Mosley Brown.

In reading through that work I find that "Operative Masonry" began its transition to "Speculative Masonry" about the year 1600. Up to that time it had been almost totally "Operative." The Masons up to that time were actual workers in stone, builders in the operative sense.

By 1700 the Lodges were almost entirely Speculative in membership. In June of 1717 is recorded the organization of the Grand Lodge of England. The first entirely Speculative Grand Lodge in the World.

I look upon the Lodges of those days as I do a modern day country club. Becoming a Mason in those days was something of a status symbol in the community, just as some believe belonging to an elite country club is a status symbol today.

When we look back upon where we were in technology in the eighteenth century, it's no great wonder why men joined Masonic Lodges. True, they were seeking status in their life, but what other organization could they join that would give them the opportunity to meet other men of good moral character that Freemasonry has always been so known for.

The nineteenth century was not much different Masonically than the eighteenth century. Freemasonry had spread to the new world in the eighteenth century, but experienced its real growth in the nineteenth century with the formation of the Lodges and Grand Lodges in this hemisphere.

In an article in the February, 1978 issue of the Philalethes Magazine. Doctor Eugene Hopps says:

The simple brilliant idea of eighteenth century Freemasonry was to bring together men from every walk of life. Commoner and King, merchant and philosopher, churchman and soldier, in cordial comfortable surroundings and in an atmosphere of human warmth and affection. This contract was designed to take place in a precinct shielded from the distractions of the larger world where men might speculate together in freedom on philosophical and moral issues central to their lives.

Freemasonry suffered its greatest setback since its inception in this country with what has become known as the "Morgan Affair" in 1826. William Morgan, who was born in Culpepper, Virginia in 1775 or '76, relocated to the Batavia area of New York state and was apparently made a Mason in a Lodge in that state. Morgan had a "disagreement" with the Masonic Order and announced that he and a Colonel David Miller were going to publish an "Expose" on Masonic Ritual.

I won't go into any further details of this incident other than to say it was alleged that Morgan was murdered by men who were known Masons for violating his Masonic obligations never to reveal any of the secrets of Masonic Ritual.

Nothing conclusive was ever proven in this case. It was never proven that Morgan was even murdered. Many historians feel that the entire story was a fabrication of a Mr. Thurlow Weed to promote his Anti-Masonic Political Party.

The publicity which this incident caused wreaked havoc with Masonic Lodges and Lodge membership well into the 1840's. Thousands of Lodges went out of existence and tens of thousands of Masons withdrew their membership.

Moving on now further into the nineteenth century. In an article by Brother William Stemper in the April 1981 issue of the Philalethes Magazine, we find these words:

Freemasons in the United States were part of the great social sweep of "Lodgism" which hit the United States following the Civil War. In this period Lodges were social and economic support societies as well as vehicles for Masonic teaching. The vast number of other Lodges, in effect, "fraternities," date from this period. The Elks from 1866 the Moose from 1888, the Knights of Columbus from 1882, the Knights of Pythias from 1864 as well as our own Grotto from 1889 and Shrine from 1870.

All of these represent an impulse make fraternalism more of a social experience and in the process less of a fund of moral ideas and traditions. In retrospect we can see that the nature of Freemasonry itself in the United States changed in this period as it began to win once again the form of social respectability, if not the same quality, it had in the period before the death of Morgan in 1826 and the subsequent persecution.

The beginning of the twentieth century saw continued increase in the number of Lodges being chartered across the United States. Following World War One, continued increase in membership in our Lodges was evident. Although the period of the great economic depression in the early thirties caused the loss of many members the period following the end of World War Two more than made up for the members we lost during the depression period.

Closing in now ton the present and some of our problems. Masonic membership in the United States saw a gradual increase until the year 1929. With the oncoming of the great depression of the 1930's Freemasonry saw a heavy decline beginning in 1932 which continued on until 1941 when it started to rise again, first with a one percent increase per year, then several years with a three percent increase and from 1945 until 1947 we saw five and six percent increase per year. Membership continued to rise at from three to five percent a year until it peaked in 1959 with just over four million Masons in the United States.

From 1959 through 1967 we saw nearly a one percent decline in membership each year. From 1967 through 1977 membership decreased at a rate of about one and one-half percent per year. In 1977 we had approximately 3,400,000 Masons in this country. By 1987 we are now seeing over a two percent decline in membership each year with the latest figures indicating our membership in 1987 at 2,800,000.

The significant loss of members in Masonry has been one of the major concerns of Masonic leaders during the '80's. This is only one of many problems that beset our fraternity today. Membership loss, of course, is of primary concern because with that goes the loss of qualified leaders. It is less possible today to "explain away" our losses as we have in the past. The unfortunate part is I don't see any serious studies being done on the reason for this decline in membership.

Present Day Problems

One of the serious problems we have to today is the shortage of young, affluent new members coming into our fraternity. We don't seem to be communicating with these younger men. One of the problems is that professional demands are so heavy today on a young man that he hesitates to become involved in a fraternal order.

A few young men I've had the opportunity to speak with in the professional world, about Freemasonry, have opened my eyes to something that I hadn't considered before. Many men that do petition our Lodges for the degrees are in the age bracket from 25 to 35. In this age bracket, just 25 years ago, the working wife was found in only 20 to 25 percent of the couples in that age bracket. Today that figure is in the 70 to 75 percent bracket.

I spoke with a young man in this age group, about Freemasonry. His father was a Mason. I asked him why he had not petitioned a Lodge. He said that he and his wife both work and he remembered the amount of time his father had put into Freemasonry. He felt that if he became a Mason, he would want to take an active part. He also felt that when he and his wife came home from work, that it wouldn't be fair to her, to be out working all day, and for him to take off to be with the men of the Lodge. I tried to explain to him that there are a lot of activities in the Lodge for the wives and families of Masons. I could see that he had made up his mind for the present, so I dropped the subject.

This is just one individual, but I'm sure that there are many men in this category that feel the same way. Fraternal organizations, unfortunately, are just not as high on the priority list for a young man today as they were just twenty years ago.

There are serious leadership problems in today's Lodges. Lodge officers are not being motivated to plan their activities. There just seems to be a lack of encounter with modern trends in the leadership of our Lodges today. Of course, apathy is one of the major problems with the members that we have. Many men just seem to have no interest in their Lodge after they join,

Many men join and are surprised to see the average age of our members well into the sixties. Many of our members are defensive on this issue. They don't see it as a problem. I believe we have a problem if Masonry is to become a shelter for the aging. Many activities in today's society exclude this segment of our population, but Masonry does not. The unfortunate thing that I've seen is the criticism of a young Mason by older members when he is enthusiastic about doing some "new" things in the Lodge, making changes.

We are experiencing much criticism by religious leaders today across the country. The unfortunate part is that we don't seem to know how to answer them. I don't know whether we're not sure what the criticism's are, but "silence and circumspection" seem to prevail throughout Freemasonry. What concerns me most is that our not answering them seems to make their side more believable to those who are hearing the criticisms.

At one of the conferences I attended recently, in a discussion concerning this very subject, it was stated that the "people who are criticizing us know more about Masonry that most Masons do." That in itself does not speak well of Freemasonry.

The continued problem of the lack of attendance at our meetings has plagued us for many years. I believe that many men don't come to Lodge because they fear being asked to become involved in the activities of the Lodge or being asked to "go in line." They would like to come to some meetings but they don't want to become fully committed to working in the Lodge.

I'm convinced that the major cause of the lack of attendance is due to the lack of effective programs in our Lodges. One man I spoke with about Freemasonry, asked "what do Masons do besides make other Masons?" I told him about some of the activities of the Lodge and about some of our charitable endeavors, but I really didn't have a definitive answer for him. Regrettably, this is all that many Lodges do, make Masons.

Another reason for our attendance being down is the massive amount of home entertainment so readily available today. VCR's, television, cable TV, computers, home video games and so much more to occupy a man's time with his family in his home.

Another area of much concern as far as attendance is concerned is the depressed condition of the buildings in which many of our Lodges meet. I made official visits to Districts in Virginia in 1987, in July and August, in Masonic Temples which were not air conditioned. By the time the evening was half over, every man in the room was soaking wet from perspiration. When I asked the obvious question, "why don't you air condition the Lodge room?", I was told "attendance is not very good in the summer time anyway, so it wasn't necessary to install air conditioning." How in the world can we expect a man to attend a Lodge with this type of mentality obviously ruling the organization.

Now I'll step on some toes. Some of our problems seem to come from the lack of continuity in the programs and goals of our Grand Lodges. It seems that each Grand Master has a different approach to leadership, but the Grand Master is not the Grand Lodge. Each Grand Master wants to "do his own thing," be remembered for something he started in "his year" in the Grand East. Having just finished a term as Grand Master in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I see this as a real problem and believe the only way this will ever be corrected is through legislation regularly submitted and adopted by the delegates of the subordinate Lodges, directing the path we want to take in the future.

Although each Grand Lodge has a program for officer training I see a lack of effective Lodge Officer training everywhere. Very few Grand Jurisdictions have compulsory administrative training for Lodge officers. The main emphasis is put on ritualistic proficiency. In a skit that was put on at the Sixtieth Anniversary celebration of this society in Richmond, Virginia last year, one very hard fact was dramatically presented. A question was asked the Worshipful Master, "How in the world did you get your certificate?" His reply was "Easy, all I had to know was the ritual. "

We are experiencing some very real problems today with our relationship with some of the Masonic Appendant Organizations. I never petitioned for membership in the Shrine, but I have always respected the image which the Shrine projects of Masonry to the public.

In 1987 the Imperial Shrine Representatives adopted a change in their law which would permit a Mason who loses his membership in the prerequisite bodies of Symbolic Lodge, York Rite or Scottish Rite for any reason other than nonpayment of dues, to appeal to the Imperial Shrine Grievances and Appeals Committee to retain his membership in the Shrine. Grand Masters across this country issued strongly worded warnings condemning this action. The major concern now is the resolutions being presented which would not require Masonic membership as a prerequisite to becoming a Shriner.

Internal squabbling in Freemasonry must stop. If we can't get along among ourselves in the various Masonic organizations, how can we get along with other organizations which are not Masonic in nature. Peace and harmony must prevail if we are to survive.

Solicitation of members has become a very controversial subject among Masonic leaders and even Grand Lodges. I was told of a Grand Lodge that had a resolution on its floor to withdraw recognition of another Grand Lodge because the other Grand Lodge was using the Solomon II program to attract new members. Though we don't use the Solomon II program in Virginia, I consider it an "awareness" type program and not direct solicitation. Apparently the brother who put the resolution in, considered the program as solicitation and unmasonic in nature. I understand the resolution was defeated.

Another concern which needs to be discussed is community involvement by Masonic Lodges. It seems in years past Lodges have been prohibited from taking part in any type of community activity as a Lodge. Most of our Lodges need some purpose for existence other than to "make more Masons." If we have at least some community involvement by our Lodges we will increase our visibility in our communities and increase our image in the eyes of the unmasonic population.

One area of concern to many members and nonmembers is the fact that most Grand Lodges don't have any black members in their Lodges. We don't have any regulations prohibiting minorities from petitioning a Lodge. Current members fear criticism from within the Lodge if they sign as vouchers on a petition from a black person, even though he believes him to be worthy of becoming a member. There is a great reluctance on the part of a black person to petition a Lodge through fear of rejection by ballot. I know of at least one member of my own Lodge that demitted because he felt we were discriminating by not having any minority members.

The Future - What Can We Do About It?

So much for where we are today, where do we go from here? What is our mission today in Freemasonry?

I'll begin this part by emphasizing the importance of our Lodges supporting youth groups. Certainly Masonic youth groups would be first on my list, DeMolay, Job's Daughters and Rainbow for Girls. There are a variety of youth groups that are not Masonic affiliated that our Lodges which do not have Masonic youth groups in their communities could get involved with to enhance their image in the community. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League Baseball, 4H Clubs, and Future Farmers of America are just a few that come to mind.

Forty Grand Lodges in this country have Masonic Homes for the care of their aging members and the rest have Charity Funds to assist in caring for the financial needs of their aging members. We've been criticized in this area for "only taking care of our own." I believe Lodges could improve their image in their local areas by lending support to nonMasonic homes for the aging and nursing homes. Many of these facilities are seeking volunteer workers to assist with many nonprofessional chores. Certainly one of the best public images we have for Freemasonry is the Hospital Visitation Program in our Veterans Hospitals sponsored by the Masonic Service Association. I don't see why something similar to this couldn't be done on a local level by a Masonic Lodge.

I mentioned "Community Activities" earlier as one of our problems today. I think we need to do a survey of the public concerning Freemasonry to find out how they feel about it, and what they know about it. I began a program in Virginia in 1987 which has been used in other Grand Lodges of recognizing non Masons in our communities for their contribution toward helping to make their community a better place to live. This program has met with great success in Virginia and from the things that I have read in our Masonic Herald this year, it continues to be an effective program for increasing the visibility of a Masonic Lodge in the community in which it is located. I have many newspaper clippings from across the Commonwealth with articles and photographs of someone well known in a community being recognized by a Masonic Lodge.

Another area that I think we need to explore as a way to improve our visibility in the community is through permitting more public and social activities to be held in our Masonic Temples. Many Lodges have fine buildings which could and should be utilized for community activities. At least two of the Lodges in Northern Virginia lease a part of their temple to a day care center for small children. This brings some amount of income into the Lodge and allows nonMasons to at least have some exposure to a Masonic Temple.

Just this past week I received my "Emessay Notes" and read with great interest about the Masons in Seattle, Washington manning the telephones during a "TV Telethon" to raise funds for a local Educational Television station. The article states that "manning the phones gave the Masons an opportunity to explain who we are, what we do and why we do it and how people benefit therefrom." It was also mentioned that a similar program was underway in Vermont.

I think it's necessary to talk about change. I don't think I spoke to a group in Virginia in 1987 without telling them "We've got to stop being afraid of change!" Some learned brother once said "We must evolve, or become extinct!" Those are strong words, but it takes strong words to make some people listen. I think it's absolutely necessary that we make changes to make Masonry more relevant in today's society. We need to adapt our methods of operation to more modern trends.

One of the undue criticisms we've received by religious organizations recently has been concerning the penalties contained in our obligations. I think it's essential that we explain that these penalties are merely symbolic and not physical. Some jurisdictions have actually removed the penalties from their obligations. I am personally against this action. They are totally symbolic and shouldn't even need to be explained as such. I favor a simple statement to be read to each candidate before he is initiated giving an explanation that the penalties are symbolic in nature and that the only penalties we have in Freemasonry today are reprimand, suspension or expulsion.

The solution to our declining membership problem, is to get the members which we do have on our roles involved in more of our activities. We just don't have enough Masons involved in Masonry! History has proven that small numbers can affect many people if utilized correctly. I'm convinced that we don't need outright solicitation of new members. Certainly we need to develop a set of standards that will be uniform throughout the Grand Jurisdictions in this country concerning solicitation restrictions.

A method is needed to improve our system of electing a man to become a member of our organization. Too many good men are being rejected from having the privilege of becoming a Mason. Too many good men have never submitted a petition because they know someone with whom they've had some petty disagreement that is a member and would use the ballot box to keep them out of the Lodge. One jurisdiction now requires three rejection ballots to prevent a man from becoming a candidate for Freemasonry. The so-called "Spite Ball" has kept many good men out of our order.

I believe the only way to eliminate this problem is to completely change the method of secret balloting currently in use in all jurisdictions. If a man is vouched for by two Master Masons as being morally fit to be a Mason. If a properly informed investigating committee interviews a petitioner. If the petitioners name, address and occupation is listed in the Lodge Notice as having petitioned the Lodge. The only way this man should be kept out of Freemasonry is for a member of the Lodge to personally inform the Worshipful Master of the reasons why the petitioner should not become a Mason.

A matter of great concern to men who want to petition a Lodge is the amount of memorization he knows will be required of him to become a member. Ritual memorization is just not for every man, and never has been. I personally enjoy the ritual work and have committed to memory all of the Virginia Esoteric ritual including the public ceremonies of Installation, Dedication, Cornerstone Laying and Funeral Service. I've seen good men initiated as an Entered Apprentice and never go on to become a Master Mason because of the requirements of memory work. Someone described our procedures as "Requiring every member of the congregation to be a member of the clergy!" The requirement of memorizing the catechisms to become a member was originally adopted as a means for the candidate to demonstrate that he has sufficient mental capability to be of some credit to the fraternity. This requirement dates back to the times when there was no requirement or provision for public education. As we approach the twenty-first century, we need to make some changes in our current procedures.

Concerning leadership within our Lodges, the same comments I made concerning obtaining new members apply here. We must seek out qualified leaders within our current Lodge membership. If we must revise the requirements for ritualistic proficiency for the men who want to become officers in our Lodges, then so be it! None of us would like to see Symbolic Lodges go to the "Degree Team Concept." If modern trends in our society prescribe this, and this is the only way we can get qualified leaders to serve as officers and Worshipful Masters, then we need to go to a system which would reduce the ritualistic requirements for a man to serve as Master of his Lodge.

We need to devote more of our resources toward educating our Lodge officers in administrative procedures, basic Masonic Law, planning effective programs within the Lodge and communicating with the members of the Lodge. A man who serves his Lodge well in these areas will continue to attend and support his Lodge in all of its endeavors when he has completed his responsibilities as a presiding officer.

Last year in the Grand Lodge of Virginia a survey was sent to approximately 900 of the 10,000 Masons in Virginia who are between the ages of 21 and 45. The questions in the survey were designed to determine this age group's thoughts on becoming a Mason, on Lodge activities as a Master Mason, on Public activity as a Freemason and to get the individual's personal feelings regarding Freemasonry.

The results of the survey indicate that our members in this age group feel that we need to make some changes. Fifty-two percent indicated that they would like to be permitted to "ask" a good friend of high moral standing to join the fraternity. Forty-six percent indicated that their attitude about Freemasonry had changed since becoming a Master Mason, unfortunately sixty-eight percent of these experienced a negative change. Sixty-nine percent felt that Freemasonry needs to be involved with a nationally recognized "hands-on" program of assistance. More than fifty percent felt that Masonic Lodges should be permitted to sponsor and participate in community activities. Seventy-one percent felt that Freemasonry should be more family oriented.

The survey confirmed many things that we already suspected were areas of concern among our younger members. Many of those surveyed felt that more of the Lodge programs are by older members and thus geared more for the older member. A major area of concern was cliques and politics within the Lodge. On the positive side, Fellowship and moral principles and teachings were highest on the list of things most liked about Freemasonry. Seventy-two percent reported participating in degree work since becoming a Master Mason but only thirty-one percent said they presently participate. Eighty-three percent felt that "The Ritual" was not overstressed in Freemasonry.

You may or may not be aware that a "Task Group" has been informally organized by the Southern and Northern Masonic Jurisdictions of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite Bodies and the Shrine. One objective of this Task Group is to undertake and fund a professionally conducted national survey of public and Masonic attitudes and expectations concerning Masonry. The Masonic Services Association is acting in a liaison capacity for this Task Group. Most Worshipful Richard Fletcher tells me that the results of the public survey will be presented to the Grand Masters and heads of the appendant bodies this week during the Grand Master's Conference.

I received a copy of the minutes of the first meeting of this Task Group. The topics discussed by the group were the same ones I have outlined for you here this evening. We all seem to know what the problems are. We just need to begin doing something to correct the problems.

One area that no one wants to talk about in Freemasonry was discussed by the Task Group, apparently in great detail. This topic which I touched on briefly tonight as a problem area is the fact that we do not have many minority members in our Lodges. The Task Group "conceded that this is one of the most important topics which Masonry must address, and also one of the most difficult. Because of the universality of Masonry it is by definition color blind. But some individual Masons are not. The secrecy of lodge balloting, coupled with the provision that one cube rejects, can enable a single member to make a Lodge appear racist. As a result, Masonry becomes vulnerable to media attacks; judges and other public figures become reluctant to join; and there is some indication that some young people view Masonry as hypocritical in its talk of a brotherhood of man while at the same time preserving a predominantly white membership."

This entire situation weakens our position as a fraternity. The provision in our laws that allows a member to object to permitting a member of another recognized Lodge to visit has been a major cause of concern to our leadership. The Grand Master of Virginia last year issued a strongly worded executive order concerning the use of this provision in the law, following an embarrassing incident in Northern Virginia. A Grand Secretary of another jurisdiction told me last month that he was seriously concerned with the number of black regular Masons in his jurisdiction that were "caught in the middle" as far as visiting a Masonic Lodge was concerned. They are reluctant to attend a regular Lodge as a visitor because someone may object to them. They cannot attend a Lodge of "Prince Hall" Masons because that organization is not recognized as Masonic. There just do not seem to be any workable answers to this problem.

If this provision on visitation were removed from our laws it would at least remove the racist implications that it being there provides for our critics. If an agreement could somehow be reached among all of the Grand Jurisdictions and appendant bodies acknowledging that the Prince Hall Affiliates Organization is Masonic in nature we could begin some form of contact with them concerning solutions to our mutual problems. This is the most difficult area to even talk about, much less come up with a solution for the problem.

I briefly touched on how we got here. You know where we are today. As large as this country is and as conflicting as the feelings are throughout the Grand Jurisdictions that make up Freemasonry in the United States, I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel yet. I told Allen that I could not come up with any "cure-alls" for Freemasonry. Awareness of the problems is a step in the right direction toward solving any problem. The members of this society have more influence on the Masonic Leadership throughout this country than any single group. We have to keep talking about the problems, writing about the problems and maybe, just maybe, a seed will be planted in the right spot to implement some of the changes that are needed to take this fraternity on through the Twenty-first and even the Twenty-second century.

"Your task, said God, to build a better world, I answered, how? the world is such a large vast place, so complicated now, and I so small and useless am, there's nothing I can do! But God in all his wisdom said, just build a better you!"

I believe that the original intent of Freemasonry was to build a better you. I pray that we shall all live to see it once again carry out its real purpose.

I appreciate being asked to share some thoughts with you this evening and I thank you for your kind attention.

Good evening.

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Midwest Conference Reaches New Plateau

A fresh breeze blew across the stagnant swamp of Masonic Education in Cedar Rapids, May 5-6, 1989. Some of us, to whom the words "Masonic Education" have become an oxymoron, were not only surprised but delighted with the program which Rick Crooks, President of the Midwest Conference, put together.

From the keynote on "Survival" by R.W. Jack Kelly of Texas, to the final remarks which Rick, himself, furnished it was inspiring, hard-hitting and geared to present day problems. Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska presented innovative ways in which to deal with declining membership, while most of the states in attendance showed how their Masonic Education was looking toward the future rather than lamenting the past.

Rick Crooks, who not only served as President of this Conference but who took over when Dr. Dawson Grim died, has set a mark for those who will follow him. Fortunately, they will have Rick's help in years to come since he was elected Secretary of the Midwest Conference at this meeting.

If the Conference continues in this vein it will be able to provide great service to our fraternity.

JEM

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Freemasonry in LONDON 1803 - 1905

by Norman Pearson, MPS

Late Beginnings

London Ontario, Canada has had a remarkable place in the development of Freemasonry in Canada, and it still remains a vital, unusual and special place for Masonry. For a long period, what is now London was the wilderness, and while there was Masonic activity in what was then called "Detroit, Canada" prior to the American Revolution, Masonry arrived quite late in this region because of the delayed settlement of the Thames Valley. In 1791, when Upper Canada was formed, there were no Lodges in the area, and likely only about 300 Masons between Montreal and Detroit. This absence continued through the early life of the first Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada 1792, and the split which resulted in the schismatic Grand Lodge in Niagara in 1802.

A Turbulent Start

The area springs into Masonic history in a characteristically vivid way, when the schismatic Grand Lodge based in Niagara warranted in 1803 the Lodge King Hiram No. 21, Township of West Oxford, Oxford County (now Hiram No. 37, G.R.C., of Ingersoll); and in 1816 warranted No. 30, St. Thomas, Yarmouth Township, Middlesex County, which apparently died out by 1821.

When the split was healed under Zeba Phillips' Grand Masonic Convention, another Lodge emerged in the area. A warrant was issued for Mount Moriah, in the Township of Westminister, in 1820. It worked as No. 20 in 1822; by 1847 was renumbered No. 4, and apparently died out by 1852.

So in this area we had schismatic and conventional Lodges virtually side-by-side: a confusing time for pioneer Masons. Nevertheless, there was local good sense. For example, in the rules of King Hiram Lodge No. 21, Ingersoll, we read:

"...AII liquors drank at supper on Lodge nights shall be charged to the Lodge, but liquors called for before the Lodge hour (unless an account of makings, etc.) shall not be charged to the Lodge. No person shall be permitted to sup in the Lodge room during Lodge hours..."

Under the Second Provincial Grand Lodge, Mount Moriah Lodge in Westminister was renumbered 506 in 1832.

An Attempted Grand Lodge

During the Morgan affair 1823-1840, Masonry was virtually in eclipse in Upper Canada, and by the most difficult time, in 1835, tired of working in isolation, three Lodges in this area tried to create a new Grand Lodge. They were King Hiram No. 12, Ingersoll; Mount Moriah No. 20, in what was by then London; and a third Lodge No. 14, Townsend (then meeting temporarily in Brantford).

Thus after preliminary organizational meetings in Oxford in 1835, on February 23, 1836, this abortive Provincial Grand Lodge elected its officers in London. The proposed Provincial Grand Master was a physician from Burford, Dr. Charles Duncombe, a considerable orator, a leader, and an outstanding member of the Reform Party in the Legislature. Since he was prominent in the 1837 Rebellion and fled Canada to avoid arrest, it is scarcely surprising that he was never installed, and that this London-based Grand Lodge collapsed, despite an attempt by the Provincial Grand Secretary to call together an organizational revival in Toronto.

Subsequently, when Zeba Phillips, on the death of a Simon McGillivray, called the Second Masonic Convention to seek an effective Provincial Grand Lodge, the London brethren denounced the whole scheme as Masonically illegal. Behind this scene was the struggle between 'Moderns' and 'Ancients'.

A Fragmented Ancestry

To further complicate life, London (which now had a series of Lodges derived, respectively, from the schismatic Niagara Grand Lodge, the First Masonic Convention, the Second Provincial Grand Lodge, the London abortive Grand Lodge, as well as British military regimental Lodges working under travelling warrants) now produced two other variants: a Lodge derived from the Second Masonic Convention, and the Irish Lodges.

The Ingersoll Lodge was again renumbered under the Second Masonic Convention, which seems to show a sensible attitude to continuity, while adding to the complexities.

Emergence of the Irish Lodges

The case of the Irish Lodges is also quite remarkable. Basically, brethren took the view, which is understandable in view of the evidence of no less than six venerable Masonic ancestries in the surrounding handful of Lodges, that there really was no recognized (or even recognizable) Masonic authority in the western part of the Province. That being so, they decided to apply to the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The result was St. John's No. 209, I.C., London, which subsequently became the focus for further excitement, including becoming the leader of a large group of Irish Lodges.

Today, it is really "the Irish twins," No. 20 and No. 209a. Basically, the original Irish warrant was issued on May 6, 1841. As we shall see later, it joined the Grand Lodge of Canada at its inception on May 6, 1841. As we shall see later, it joined the Grand Lodge of Canada at its inception in 1855, and while maintaining the then unique Irish working, became St. John's 20, G.R.C., London. In 1859, some brethren began working again under the old Irish warrant, as No. 209 I.C. This new Lodge later affiliated with the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1872, and became St. John's 209a, London.

London is thus a very remarkable place, Masonically, a sort of epitome of our strange history.

The Third Provincial Grand Lodge

Thus in 1846, with the emergence of the Third Provincial Grand Lodge, the situation essentially simplified itself into two main streams: the Lodges in London area were basically oriented to the Third Provincial Grand Lodge, with the Irish Lodge taking a lead with a number of others (including Lodges in Hawkesbury and Kingston).

Between 1846 and 1855, there was the struggle to create a Canadian central Masonic body, or at least one voice for Canada West. By May 1855, William Mercer Wilson was trying to get Canada West split into three Provincial Grand Lodges, and it was at this juncture that the London area again played a key role.

There were losses and gains: Mount Moriah, No. 9, London; No. 506 E.R., which had been No. 20 of the Second Provincial Grand Lodge, had ceased working by 1852, after a period of heroic survival. St George's No. 37, London, became No. 895, E. R. in 1853, after operating under dispensation since 1852. It is now No. 42.

The next phenomenon was, of course, the growth of the Irish Lodges.

Growth of the Irish Lodges

Between 1841 and 1855, as a consequence of heavy Irish immigration, some 15 Lodges working under the Irish Constitution were warranted, with two in Canada East and thirteen in Canada West. Two of them (including King Hiram 226, Ingersoll) were English Lodges seeking Irish warrants, a reflection of discontent with Grand Lodge in England. We have already seen that, in the absence of local Masonic authority, brethren in London in 1841 petitioned Ireland and received warrant No. 209. Essentially, all of this sprang from the very benevolent attitude of the Grand Lodge of Ireland and its long experience with the travelling warrants of the British Army regiments. London, as a garrison town, was very familiar to Dublin.

The Independence Question

Indeed the independence question surfaced first in the Irish Lodges in 1853, from the Irish Lodges in the York and Niagara areas, and No. 209 went to the Toronto Convention seeking means to set up a ruling power in Canada West. This was supported by King Hiram 226, Ingersoll. The outcome was a petition to the Grand Lodge of Ireland seeking recognition as "the Grand Lodge of Canada West." Dublin countered with the offer of a Provincial Grand Lodge, with the right to nominate the Grand Master subject to confirmation.

After two further conventions the Irish offer was accepted in Toronto in 1884. There followed a further plea for special status, effectively real independence, but it was rejected by the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

The Irish Lodges then met again in Hamilton on May 14, 1855, and invited all Lodges, English and Irish, to the convocation of the English Provincial Grand Lodge in Niagara Falls in 1855.

When the Irish idea was rejected, the dissidents met separately and took the plunge, inviting all Lodges in Canada West to send delegates to Hamilton in October 1855 to set up an Independent Grand Lodge in Canada.

When that was duly achieved, they then materially assisted in the swift and first recognition of the Grand Lodge of Canada which was by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Thus the London-lrish link had profoundly important consequences for Masonry in Canada.

The Irish Progeny

Some of their progeny still survive in the London area. We have traced the progress of the "Irish twins" and their remarkable retention of the Irish working. Other Lodges followed, and, with subsequent adaptation of their work, survived. There was, of course, King Hiram 226, I.C., Ingersoll, warranted on August 30, 1851, and still working as King Hiram No. 37, G.R.C., Ingersoll. There was also No. 211, I . C., Port Stanley, warranted on October 3, 1851, and still working as St. Mark's No. 94, G.R.C., Port Stanley. Later came St. Thomas No. 232, I.C., St. Thomas, warranted on January 1, 1853, and still working as St. Thomas No. 44, G.R.C., St. Thomas.

These Irish progeny are still understandably proud of their origins, which may account in part for their frequent visitations to see the Irish work in St. John's 20, and St. John's 209a.

Independence & Aloofness

The independence of the new Grand Lodge of Canada being achieved in 1855, it was perhaps characteristic of the hotbed of Masonic concern in the London area that some Lodges stood aloof for a while. There are three in this area: King Hiram 226, I.C., Ingersoll, which held out until 1859, after the Union; St. George's No. 37, P.R.C.W., London, which joined in 1885; and King Solomon, No. 38, P.R.C.E., Woodstock, which also joined in 1858, at the Union.

Ancients & Moderns

Behind all this, of course, was the long struggle between the aristocratic "Moderns" (the Establishment), basically derived from the oldest mother Grand Lodge of England in 1717; and the proletarian "Ancients," who broke away in 1751 to prevent innovations. The Third Provincial Grand Lodge gradually lost ground (as a result of the defections such as we have seen in the London area), and eventually by 18561857, we had them functioning as "the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada" under Sir Allan MacNab, facing the allegedly "Modern" Grand Lodge of Canada.

As we have seen, most of the Lodges in the London area participated in the 1858 Union of these two bodies, and were re-numbered.

The independent King Hiram 226, I.C., Ingersoll, which had belonged to neither body, came out of its Masonic limbo and was renumbered, as we have seen, No. 37.

Perhaps characteristically, St. John's 209 I.C., having helped spearhead the Grand Lodge of Canada, stayed independent until 1872.

Grand Lodge in London

In 1859, the English work was adopted as the established work. The Grand Lodge of Canada got jurisdiction over the whole of Canada West, and in 1861 Grand Lodge met in London for its 6th Annual Communication. The Craft then decided at that meeting not to take part in the laying of the cornerstone of the Parliament Building.

The Grand Lodge of Ontario

The London area's penchant for turbulence was not, however, over. Canada confederated in 1867, and Canada West became the Province of Ontario. The Quebec Masons, however, broke away years earlier, in 1869, leaving a problem of nomenclature for the Grand Lodge of Canada. The trouble in London began over a plan to form "Eden Lodge," in 1875.

After the death of M.W. Bro. Mercer Wilson, the Acting Grand Master, the R.W. Bro. J.K. Kerr of Toronto issued a dispensation to some London brethren to meet as "Eden Lodge." Masons in the London area then objected, on grounds that a new Lodge was not needed. In July 1875, Eden was refused a warrant, while 13 others were granted. The Board of General Purposes recommended a further dispensation to Eden. The Grand Master was disposed to do so under certain terms. Eden held a meeting to initiate a candidate, despite being forbidden to do so, and they refused to surrender their earlier dispensation. On February 7, 1876, the Grand Master refused further dispensation and again demanded the surrender of the first.

On February 10, 1876, Eden declared its independence as "the Grand Lodge of Ontario." Subsequently, 48 brethren were expelled from the Order. While most returned to the fold by 1879, and the seal had been surrendered and destroyed, the last vestiges continued until 1896. One consequence was to permanently blacken the idea of a name change of the Grand Lodge of Canada to "the Grand Lodge of Ontario."

The Enthusiastic Masons

While the period up to about 1899 was one of economic depression, and Masonry came to a period of great difficulty, there is evidence of a remarkable enthusiasm in the London area. In 1897, the DDGM visited Warren No. 120, Fingal, and we are told "it was in the early dawn of morning before the brethren could bear to separate and say goodnight." A Lodge of Instruction in Woodstock continued a full day, the following evening, and up to four in the next morning. Perhaps this is why, by the 50th Anniversary of Grand Lodge in 1905, Masons had increased from 1,500 to 35,000; and 41 Lodges had become 430 (or 390 after ceding 40 to Quebec and Manitoba).

London had played a key role, and an unusual role, in this period from 1803 to 1905, providing us with a colourful insight into the ideas and actions of our first Masonic Century. Much was achieved after 1905 in London, but that is another story for another time. The first century might best be described as a hotbed of Masonic creativity: a rich heritage to contemplate while giving thanks for the peaceful and harmonious nature of Masonry in London today!

References

This is basically a retelling of the strands found in Whence Came We? (Masonic Holdings, Hamilton, 1980). Like all Masons in Ontario, it is a particular pleasure for me to thank Chairman Wallace McLeod of the Special Committee on the History of Freemasonry in Ontario 1764-1980 for the diligent and painstaking research which makes such a pleasant task out of tracing those strands. We are even in his debt, and we salute his remarkable scholarship.

About the Author

Norman Pearson was born in England and became a Canadian in 1954 after having served here with the Royal Air Force. Trained as an urban and regional planner, he has been in independent consulting practice since 1962. He is a former Professor of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, and also served as Chairman and Director of the Centre for Resources Development at the University of Guelph (now the School of Rural Planning). He became a Mason in 1957 in Ancient Landmarks No 654, Hamilton: he is affiliated with St. John's 209a, London; and is currently an officer in London Daylight Lodge No. 735, London. He is a Fellow of the College of Freemasonry and a Member of the Philalethes Society (Lux Quaro Chapter, London). He has a special interest in Masonic research, history and education.

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New Testament Meanings

by John H. Yingling, MPS

The New Testament of the Holy Bible means different things to different people.

To some it is:

The absolutely inerrant and infallible word of God.

To others it is:

A record of the New Covenant between God and man that supercedes His earlier covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. And to others it is:

A collections of myths, legends, metaphors and allegories that lead man's spirit beyond the boundary of conscious words into a transcendent, mystical and intuitive realm where he can come to a better understanding of the ineffable nature of God.

Which if any of these concepts is embraced by an individual Freemason does not separate him from his brothers. The question of which if any of these views are true is not a question an historian can answer for others. However, questions such as, "Who wrote each book?" "When and where did he write it?" "Who selected these books from the great mass of similar literature and put them into one volume?"; and "Who placed the stamp of authority on them?" are questions an historian is trained to pursue.

To find answers to such questions, scholars use the New Testament books themselves as the primary written source. However, the main concern of their authors was to reveal the nature and will of God as it unfolded in history and not to detail credits for the Book's composition. They only incidentally mentioned names, places, dates and events that an historian, using the narrow guidelines of currently acceptable procedures, can use. Not only is there a poverty of information in the biblical sources, but some of the accounts differ. Still there is sufficient evidence for a serviceable framework for a reconstruction. The framework is filled out by the same techniques used on all ancient histories. This results in a selective approximation based on probabilities and reason. If new sources are discovered or new techniques developed that alter conclusions, they are welcomed and accepted. It is understandable that well informed scholars accept the process but debate the conclusions.

Here then is a widely held reconstruction of the history of New Testament literature:

In about 33 A.D. when Jesus of Galilee was crucified by the Romans, who convicted him of "Undermining the Imperial Authority," his companions and close followers who were led by Simon Peter and James, the brother of Jesus, anxiously awaited His miraculous return to earth. They believed Him to be the Jewish Messiah, a descendant of King David who would become the constitutional Monarch and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth at which time Yahweh would reign in peace and harmony. They were observant Jews who worshipped in the Jerusalem temple, presided over by the Sadducee High Priest who was appointed by the Romans. They also attended synagogue, where the Scribes recited and explained the Torah, Prophets and Writings under the influence of the Pharisees. While the Pharisees considered the Jesus movement misguided in their belief that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, they never the less felt them to be acceptable within the broad framework of the worship of Yahweh and took a wait and see attitude. The Sadducees, however, whose close ties to the Roman government made them sensitive to the political implications of the appearance of a possible pretender to the Jewish throne hired mercenaries, including Saul of Tarsus to ferret them out.

The disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem soon started missionary Journeys to those Jewish communities where the teachings of Jesus had taken root. They also sent out teachers who traveled as far as Babylon, Alexandria and Rome. These charismatic preachers took with them the Septuagint (a Greek translation of Jewish scriptures) and the oral teachings of Jesus. They also wrote accounts of the activities of Jesus - parables, narratives, anecdotes and oracles - for their own use in their travels. These writings were used as a source for the gospels of Matthew and Luke but have disappeared and are no longer available. By the early forties A.D., these preachers had reached Rome where their activities met resistance from resident Jews causing the Emperor Claudius to expel all Jews from the city. By the year 44 A.D., John the beloved disciple was dead and Herod Agrippa had executed James, the son of Zebedee. Simon Peter who had been in jail in Jerusalem escaped, journeyed to Antioch, Asia Minor and Rome where he spent his last days before being martyred by the Emperor Nero in the early sixties A.D. By this time James, the brother of Jesus, had been executed by Ananus, the High Priest. The fate of the other disciples is known only in pious fables.

Saul who was later called Paul, a resident of either Tarsus or Antioch, was an indefatigable activist, speaker, writer, and organizer. He was a Jew, observant of ritual purity and the dietary laws. He was also very familiar with Stoic philosophy and the mystery fraternities in the Hellenistic world around him. In about 34 A.D., a year after the crucifixion of Jesus, while acting as a mercenary for the Sadducee High Priest of Jerusalem, he had a traumatic encounter with the risen Jesus and retired to the Jordanian desert to contemplate the implication of his heavenly vision. He came to believe that Jesus was not only the Jewish Messiah as believed by the Jerusalem apostles, but was also the sacrificial savior of all mankind and that faith took precedence over the Torah. He claimed to get his inspiration and authority from that vision and not from the Jerusalem apostles. In about 38 A.D., he returned to Damascus, then on to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and James where their differences seemed to be reconciled. He soon left for Antioch where he departed on missionary journeys preaching to both Jews and Gentiles using Jewish scripture and his vision for references. He established churches in Syria, Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece. He returned to Jerusalem in about 54 A.D. for a council with the apostolic circle after which he returned to his missionary journeys. Paul now began extensive correspondence with his and the apostles" churches. His letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians and Romans survived and became part of the New Testament. Many of his other letters, though later mentioned are lost. In about 56 A.D., he returned to Jerusalem where he was arrested after being attacked by religious Jews. He was imprisoned in Ceasaria and on appeal was transferred to Rome for imprisonment. During his incarceration at Ceasaria he wrote the epistles to the Phillippians and Philemon. At the same time one of Paul's followers in Ephesus wrote the epistle to the Colossians. In the early sixties Paul was executed on order of the Emperor Nero.

In the late sixties A.D., a Jewish rebellion against Rome brought in General Vespasian and Titus to subdue Tudea.

About this time, a Pauline Christian community in southern Syria felt helpless and abandoned because of the Roman persecution and eagerly awaited the imminent return of Jesus. Since Paul and the Apostles were dead, leaving no firsthand knowledge of Jesus and his ministry, an unknown author from that community wrote the Gospel of Mark.

After Paul's death his Gentile churches seemed to dwindle while the Apostolic Christian churches of sectarian Jews survived. The Jewish revolt against Rome in 66 A.D. resulted in the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. The dispersion and persecution of the Jews that followed caused the abandonment and disappearance of the apostolic churches. Paul's gentile churches, however, seemed to be vindicated. They had adopted the Pharasee practice of meeting weekly for scripture reading, preaching and prayer and began to expand. Since the apostles and Paul were dead, those missionaries who were spreading the word outside Judea needed a reliable account of the life and ministry of Jesus to supplement the Jewish scriptures. Literature grew to provide that account and also to meet and correct problems that arose when no missionary was present. At the turn of the era it was a common and acceptable practice for writers who wished to show their indebtedness to those seminal teachers whose ideas they were expanding to name that great man the author of their work. This type of literature is designated "pseudepigrapha" by scholars. Several New Testament books fit this category: namely, Colossians, Ephesians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, 1st and 2nd Peter and Jude. Other books which are anonymous such as the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Epistles to John, and the Acts of the Apostles were erroneously attributed to apostles or other contemporaries of Jesus by later church fathers.

Between 70 and 150 A.D. all of the books that became part of the New Testament canon were written and widely scattered for use in churches. A great many other books were written also that drifted in and out of use but were later rejected. Examples of such rejected books are 1st Clement, Diadache, Shepherd of Hermas, Epistles of Ignatius, Epistle of Barnabas, Apocalypse of Peter, Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Sirach, Gospel of Thomas and gospel of Phillip. While this literature did not make its way into the New Testament canon, much of it has survived and is of great interest to biblical scholars.

During the above mentioned period an unknown author in Rome who had been influenced by Paul's teachings wrote the book of Ephesians. When it became evident that the return of Jesus may be delayed, an unknown author from a Greek-speaking Pauline Christian community near Antioch wrote the book of Matthew. He used as his sources:

1. The Gospel of Mark and

2. The writings of the charismatic preachers.

He was sympathetic to Jewish writings if not to Jewish leaders. At the same time a Greek speaking scholar with literary skill and cultural sophistication using:

1. The Gospel of Mark

2. A travel account of Paul's journeys (now lost) and

3. The writings of the charismatic preachers as sources wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He wrote them to set the record straight since there were so many uninformed gospels being written. The Gospel of John could not have been written by either:

1. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved

2. John, the son of Zebeddee, or

3. John, the elder of Ephesus

Whomever he was, he used an earlier tradition. He is thought to be from the Johannine School of scholars who were not only familiar with the Jewish religious literature and the Essene Sect writings, but also with the literature of the Christian Gnostics. The Essene and Gnostic literature once well known was lost until the 1940's A.D. when a partial list of them were discovered, reprinted and are now of great interest to biblical scholars.

When the sacrifices and ritual worship ceased with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple the Sadducees losing their reason for existence, disappeared from history and the Pharisees rose to prominence. They recognized the implications of the disaster and saw the best hope of cohesion and perserverance lay in the sacred writings and the synagogue. In 90 A.D., the learned Rabbis who centered in Jamnia on the coastline of Judea collected the sacred writings into a Hebrew canon to distinguish Jewish sacred literature from the rising influence of Pagan philosophy and Christian writings which were getting wide circulation.

Pauline Christian concepts smacked too much of the mystery religions for the Rabbis and the division between Christian and Jew widened.

The book of James was then written in Greek by an unknown author who was familiar with the Greek translation of Jewish scripture called the Septuagint. It was not written by James. the brother of Jesus who was an Aramaic speaking Galilean villager and could neither read nor write. Fifty (50) years after Paul's death, a school of his followers who wished to reinforce his teachings that were pertinent for their time, wrote the three epistles that scholars designate as the Pastoral Epistles and recognize as coming from a common source; 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus. The book of Hebrews was written in the style of the famous Philo of Alexandria and combines Jewish concerns with Stoic and Platonic outlooks. While Simon Peter could not have written the book of 1st Peter since he spoke Aramaic and he could neither read nor write, his secretary Silvanus could have written it in the elegant Greek it contained. However, that cannot be substantiated. The author of Revelation named John the Seer in exile on the island of Patmos could not agree with 1st Peter's tranquil resignation to Roman domination and in the apocalyptic style of Ezekiel, Zachariah and Daniel recommended resistance, even martyrdom if necessary. The Letters of John were written by men from the Johannine School and like Jude and 2nd Peter, the last book reflects the problems caused by the delay of Jesus' return and the rise of the false teachers.

In the middle of the second century a man from Asia Minor named Marcion, undertook to collect a volume of authoritative Christian literature. It was rejected as incomplete by other Christian communities. especially by the Roman church. It did bring about a long debate. In the second and third censures. other communities produced their own body of Christian literature. The earliest evidence now available of the existence of the New Testament as we know it, is the list given by Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria in 367 A.D. as the official canon. However, it was not universally accepted until early in the seventh century. Those books that the Catholic church recognizes as of secondary value called the Apocrapha that are listed between Old and New Testament were validated for them at the Council of Trent. However, they were rejected by the Protestant Reformers of the 1500's who, after disputing the authority of Hebrews, James, 2nd Peter and Revelation, very soon accepted them.

Here are the dates most scholars assign to the writing of the New Testament Books:

A.D.

50-52 1st and 2nd Thessalonians

53-54 Galatians

54-55 1st Corinthians

55-56 2nd Corinthians

56-57 Romans

58-60 Philippians, Colossians, Philemon

68-70 Gospel of Mark

75-100 Ephesians

85-100 Matthew, Luke, Acts

90-95 1st Peter, Hebrews, Revelations

90-100 Gospel of John, James

90-110 Epistles of John

100-130 1st and 2nd Timothy, Tutis

110-130 Jude

130-150 2nd Peter

The collection of Christian literature into a canon was a process and not an event. It was the consensus of the whole Christian community and not a council of great men who determined its content.

Regardless of how the writings came about, the lessons they teach and the examples they show of self sacrifice, charity, humility, love of God and man and the universality of good have earned them the respect of Freemasons of every religious preference.

Any brother who wishes to pursue a scholarly study can find complete reference to all the professional literature on methods in three (3) books written for unspecialized readers. They are:

1. The Making of the Bible by William Barclay

2. Understanding the New Testament 4th Edition by H.C. Kee

3. The New Testament, A Critical Introduction by E.D. Freed

A book that reflects the Pharisee viewpoint of early Christian writings is the provocative "The Myth Maker" by a leading Talmudic scholar, Hyam Maccoby, a Fellow of Leo Baeck College, London.

Most seminary libraries, whether Protestant, Catholic or Jewish, contain many volumes on the subject of New Testament history and allow free access to their books.

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Freemasonry, Nazism, and The Nuremberg Trial

by Leonard B. Markowitz, MPS

Freemasonry's intriguing facets are a perennial challenge to the imagination, and higher incentives of mankind. The ancient admonishment to "seek more light in Masonry" endows the subjects with a fascinating dynamic quality that finds a close parallel in man's constant endeavor to enrich his mundane, and material way through knowledge.

It seems a bit presumptuous for a "poor blind" novice, like myself, to elaborate upon any aspect of so profound a subject. However, I take it that exhaustive research and historical documentation is not quite the same proposition as development of philosophical, or even analytic, segments of the whole. The latter, of course, lay peculiarly within the ability, and experiences, of those who have traversed more of "this way before me."

Hitler Dissolves Freemasonry in Germany

Freemasonry in Germany, as in all other lands, is a story of mankind fraught by bigotry. Harassed from many quarters, and yet surviving its enemies to reappear radiant in the beauty of its own resurrection.

If we were to be asked why Freemasonry in Germany failed at a critical time, we should reply that it was due to lack of Masonic unity. There were no less than eleven, probably many more groups carrying on Masonic activity in Germany as late as 1932; at least three of these groups were centered in Berlin. Many of them restricted membership to persons of the Christian faith, the other groups were known as humanitarian lodges; one or two groups would accept Negroes as members, but would not accept Jews.

This lack of unity, plus the failure of the German Grand Lodges to function properly was undoubtedly the opening wedge which enabled Hitler to grasp power and become an unbridled dictator. To Hitler, once an ardent socialist, Freemasonry was an association which might interfere with his future plans and as such, it had to be done away with; it had too many elements of internationalism, brotherhood and cooperation for a nation which aspired to world supremacy; its charitable activities and its spreading of world brotherhood did not fit in with the plans of Adolf Hitler. It therefore came in for bitter denunciation and was one of the first organizations to feel the attack of the German official government.

Certain religious elements eager to assist in attacks on Freemasonry, aligned themselves with Hitler hoping thereby to advance their own interests. The Nazi attacks were apparently aimed to influence Roman Catholics and German Lutherans.

Many Masonic properties were confiscated by Hitler and later utilized as headquarters for the Gestapo, storm troopers, youth activities, and other national movements. In one instance a Masonic building was being occupied as a seminary for the education of Jesuit Priests.

Gestapo Plundering

The handwriting was on the wall. The Masonic brethren had to go underground to escape personal injury, and avoid total obliteration.

Thereafter, the Gestapo made regular raids on temples and the homes of Masons. Much of the furniture, and trappings, of the temples, found their way to museums in Nuremburg, Erlangen, and Weimar, where Masonry wore its "crown of thorns" for public ridicule.

The Gestapo in Denmark

There came a day when the Gestapo notified the Masonic authorities in Denmark that they were going to take over the Masonic building that afternoon, August, 1943. Immediately, the word went out to all of the brethren and they came hurrying from all parts of the city in their cars to carry off all the records and movable property of the Grand Lodge to safe repositories. When the Gestapo arrived they found little to take over except, the building and a very beautiful carpet which the brethren were unable to get out of the building because of its size and weight. The carpet later disappeared and constitutes one of their principal losses.

Later, a systematic plan of destruction followed. One of the Lodge rooms was converted into a cinema; filthy cartoons were painted on the walls. Most of the floors were ruined. Coarse remarks were printed on the walls of the buildings. The beautiful Knights Hall was as barren as a large barn. At the entrance of the building could be seen scars from bullets which had been fired at patriots and which had missed their mark.

The temple had 530 rooms and before it was damaged was generally regarded as one of the most beautiful in all Scandinavia.

King Christian X was Grand Master of the Masons in Denmark. Through which was one of the show places the courtesy of officials of the Grand Lodge of Denmark, some of the brethren secured an audience with his majesty at his palace where they were most kindly received.

The Gestapo in Holland

In 1938 there was constructed in the city of Sneek, one of the finest Masonic Temples in all Netherlands. It was completed in the year 1939 and consecrated shortly before the Germans marched into the country at the beginning of World War II.

The temple was the home of the "Lodge Concordia Res Parvae Crescunt No. 40," a lodge organized in 1816. This magnificent building had been designed by a celebrated Holland architect, Bro. H.A.J. Baanders, who was assisted by a group of devoted brethren skilled in symbolism, all of whom had worked over a period of years to create what they hoped to be an ideal Masonic Temple.

After the war ended in Europe, little but the walls remained. Under Gestapo rule every vestige of the fraternity had to be removed. The remains of this temple is a silent witness to the destructive power of the German army.

In the March, 1946 issue of The Royal Arch magazine, a picture showed a view of one of the Lodge rooms in the commercial city of Amsterdam; the rooms were completely destroyed; the plaster was torn from the walls; the wooden stairs and balustrades were sawed off level, with the floors and walls. Only deteriorated minds corrupted with insane ideas could have carried out such woeful and wanton destruction.

The Nazis in Norway

Freemasonry had suffered in Norway. Many bombs which were dropped on the coastal cities ruined or destroyed many of the beautiful Masonic Temples once the pride of Norwegian Freemasonry. The Gestapo was more destructive than the German bombings. Every temple they occupied, they made worthless by reason of their type of occupation.

There were 10,000 Freemasons in Norway in 1939 when the Germans arrived there. Many brethren were persecuted and their funds were seized. At the beginning the Gestapo occupied the beautiful temple at 19 Nedra Volgate Oslo. Here is how one of the brethren describes the Nazi occupation of Oslo. "When the German barbarians broke into this country and occupied Oslo, one of the first places they seized was the Masonic building where German soldiers of a very low class were billeted. They could not help but destroy everything in the building - as they do everywhere they go. Some of the soldiers took special pleasure in shooting holes in the paintings of our leading Masters "

Widespread Damage

Here is a report from some of the Norwegian towns:

Bodo: The walls of the building still stand but all furniture and paraphernalia has been destroyed.

Kristiansund: Building bombed and all furniture and records lost.

Molde: Building bombed and nothing left.

Alesund: Building unharmed but interior wrecked.

Trondjheim: Building damaged; has been used as German dog kennels.

Bergen: Building rebuilt making it unfit for Masonic use; heavy loss.

Hamar: Building rebuilt by Germans; no use for Masonic purposes; now used as a Jail.

Moss: Two Masonic homes there; 45 children and 40 old folks thrown out by the Nazis to make room for collaborators and German children whose fathers were members of the Gestapo.

Persecution of Freemasons in Czechoslovakia

When the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia they found 3,000 to 4,000 Freemasons. The Nazis had a complete list of Czechoslovakian Freemasons on March 15, 1939. As fast as possible, members were seized and sent to jail or concentration camp. Grand Secretary for foreign relations, Dr. J. Sednik, a member of the Grand Council, and Dr. O. Hlavac, were murdered by the Germans after undergoing two years of torture and suffering. Of the 3,0004,000 Freemasons who lived in Czechoslovakia, only a very small percentage managed to escape during the period of 193840.

A Small Number Found Hospitable Refuge in England

At the time of the German occupation, the Grand Master who had been in office only a few months, and the Grand Secretary and other Grand officers, were summoned to appear before the Gestapo and submitted to the most searching and humiliating interrogations; the Masonic Temples were seized and converted into workshops; all property was seized, and Masons made the object of persecution in every manner possible, being dismissed from office and otherwise humiliated against in both public and private service. Of all the active Masons in the Czech lands, over 40 percent were engaged in the underground at home. Of this number, not less than 31 percent were captured by the Germans; they were either tortured or executed, while 13 percent were killed in those sinister gas chambers; 40 percent were jailed in prison and concentration camps, and the remaining 16 percent were lucky enough to escape with minor injuries. These figures were compiled by the National Grand Lodge of Czechoslovakia.

The Grand Lodge fessing ru den drei ringen suffered even worse; a large majority of this Grand Lodge was made up of Jewish brethren. The number of their murdered members ran between 30 percent to 60 percent of their membership.

Fortunately, for our Czechoslovakian brethren, the United Grand Lodge of England gave support to their refugee brethren. In July, 1941, following the formation of Comenis Lodge in exile, quarters were secured at 4 wells rise, but in 1942 the temple was destroyed, necessitating new quarters, here again, the English Grand Lodge came to the rescue, donating one of their Lodge halls for Masonic use by the Lodge, and here they remained until the war's end.

The Nazis in Austria

The writing was on the wall, but many of the Masonic brethren preferred not to see it. That applied particularly to the majority of Vienna's 180,000Jews and Jewish Masons, who chose to believe until the last moment that the planned plebiscite set for Sunday, 13 March 1938 would save them from the anschluss to Hitler's Third Reich.

Reports from Germany about special benches for Jews in public parks and ii signs forbidding entrance to certain places to "dogs, Jews and Masons," were dismissed as atrocious western propaganda by Austria's "illegal Nazis."

In one day the new Chancellor, Seyss Inquart informed the Austrian people that he had asked Reichskanzler Hitler to send troops of the Wehrmacht to Austria to help the authorities maintain "law and order." He warned people not to resist the German troops, and to extend them a warm welcome.

Around nine o'clock in the evening, radio Vienna played for the first time the Nazi anthem, The Horst Wessel song.

On Saturday morning, huge swastika flags were hoisted in all public buildings, as well as on many apartment blocks and private houses. The entire Vienna police had its swastika arm bands ready.

There was a terrible day when 3,000 Jewish businessmen and many Masons were arrested and held in a school, since Vienna's prisons were already filled to capacity. A week later the school building was completely empty. The people were told that any information regarding the whereabouts of those missing could be obtained by contacting the ruthless Gestapo headquarters.

Later, information came through that the 3,000 Jews and Masons were sent to a concentration camp in Dachau where they were later exterminated.

The Gestapo and SS looted many Masonic buildings and confiscated most of the records containing the names of many of the brethren.

It may come as surprise to many that the Nazi treatment of Freemasons and Freemasonry had a part to play in the trial and conviction of Martin Bormann, Hermann Goering, Rudolph Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Alfred Rosenberg, Julius Streicher and the other infamous members of the Nazi hierarchy by the international military tribunal at Nuremburg. This, of course, does not mean that they were tried and convicted solely because of their persecution of Freemasonry.

The tribunal was invested with power to try and punish persons who had committed crimes against humanity as defined in the charter.

In Berlin, on 18 October 1945, in accordance with article 14 of the charter, indictments were lodged against the above defendants who had been designated by the committee of the chief prosecutors of the signatory powers as major war criminals.

The indictments contained four counts, namely, (1) that the defendants had engaged in a common plan or conspiracy to (2) commit crimes against peace, (3) war crimes and (4) crimes against humanity. The third count, that of committing war crimes: the evidence has been overwhelming in volume and detail. It was impossible for the tribunal to adequately review it, or to record the mass of documentary and oral evidence that had been presented. The truth remained that war crimes were committed on a vast scale never before seen in the history of war. They were perpetrated in all the countries occupied by Germany, and on the high seas, and were attended by every conceivable circumstance of cruelty and horror.

Other war crimes, such as the murder of prisoners of war who had escaped and been recaptured, or the murder of commandos or captured airmen were the result of direct orders circulated through the highest official channels. Prisoners of war were ill-treated and tortured and murdered not only in defiance of the well-established rules of international law, but in complete disregard of the elementary dictates of humanity. Civilian populations in occupied territories suffered the same fate. Hostages were taken in very large numbers from the civilian populations in all the occupied countries and were shot as suited the German purposes.

Looting of Public and Private Property

The third count also had ten subdivisions, the fifth being the plunder of public and private property. This was placed in the same category as the murder and ill-treatment of civilian populations. It was under this count that most of the evidence of the persecution of Masonic lodges was admitted in evidence.

In pursuance of this policy of deliberate plunder, Poland, the Ukraine, and the occupied parts of Russia were stripped of agricultural supplies, food, raw materials, manufactured articles and such machinery as could not be used for German purposes where it stood. Obviously, this left large numbers of the population of these countries to starve, a fact which did not concern the German forces in the least. Alfred Rosenberg, Reich Minister for the occupied eastern territories, bluntly stated in 1941 that the produce of southern Russian and the northern caucasus should be taken to the Reich to feed the German people. He said:

"We see absolutely no reason for any obligation on our part to feed also the Russian people with the products of that surplus territory. We know that this is a harsh necessity, bare of any feelings."

To call such inhuman policy, "a harsh necessity," is the acme of understatement. It was deliberate murder by starvation, nothing less.

In 1946 and 1947, the United States government printing office published a set of books in a limited edition which has now become a collector's item. It is entitled Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression and was prepared by the office of United States Chief of Counsel for prosecution of axis criminality. It ran to eight volumes plus two supplements and an additional volume containing the judgement and sentence of the military tribunal. A large portion of the trial brief consisted of German translations of captured documents found in the private and official files of many of the defendants and of the organizations they headed. Most of the material in this paper is to be found in the pretrial examinations of Alfred Rosenberg, Joachiam von Ribbentrop, Julius Streicher, Rudolph Hess and many others that were convicted.

The Nazi persecution of our Masonic brethren throughout Europe has been ably reported by a committee of the Masonic service association which went to Europe in the summer of 1945, shortIy after the collapse of Germany, for the purpose of investigating the "condition of Masonry in the devastated countries." In the report the committee made upon its return, it told of the persecution of individual Freemasons, the pillaging of Lodges and the destruction of many of their temples.

After a general review of the manner in which the persecution started, including Hitler's views as expressed in his book Mein Kampf, the committee said:

"Then (Hitler) began to associate Freemasonry with the Jews in such a way that the reader might take it for granted that all Freemasons were Jews and all Jews were Freemasons."

In reviewing the documents, which probably were unknown to the committee at the time of their report, we shall see the words "Jews" and "Freemasons" in juxtaposition in nearly every instance.

The Nazis were obsessed with the idea that Freemasons were their enemies so much so that they used many arms of the party and state to bring discredit to the craft, death to many of its members and irreparable loss to many, if not most of its Lodges. The Gestapo, SA, the SS, the members of the armed forces and even the foreign office were used.

Mr. Robert Jackson, Chief Justice of the United States prosecution staff, said in his argument before the military tribunal:

"In connection with the persecution of the Jews, the SA again performed its propaganda function."

It was the function of the SA to create and foster among the people an anti-Jewish spirit. Evidence of this function is to be found in the issue of der-sa-mann. Article after article in this publication was devoted to propaganda designed to engender hatred toward the Jewish race. The nature of these articles is apparent from some of the titles (including an) article entitled 'Jews and Freemasons', 13 January 1939. (1)

Later in his argument before the court, Chief Justice Jackson stated:

"The headquarters organization of the Gestapo was set up on a functional basis. In 1943 it contained five subsections (one of which, section B) dealt with political churches, sects and Jews and was subdivided as follows:

"B1. Political Catholicism

"B2. Political Protestantism sects

"B3. Other churches, Freemasonry

"B4. Jewish affairs, matters of evacuation, means of suppressing enemies of the people and state, dispossession of rights of German citizenship." (2)

Other articles appeared in dersamann, such as "The World Polyp of Freemasonry," with the subheading: "A Dangerous enemy must be made powerless," 23 February 1935, p.2; "Revolts and Disturbances - The Work of the Freemasons, " 28 March 1936, p. 11; "Five Million Freemasons - A World Threat," 5 March 1938, p.6.

The organization book of the NSDAP at page 418 was found to contain the following:

"Bravery is valued by the SS man as the highest virtue of men in a struggle for his ideology. He openly and unrelentingly fights the most dangerous enemies of the state: Jews, Freemasons, Jesuits and political clergymen." (3)

One document entitled "The Bearer of Arms - Political Soldier," dated June 6, 1939, contained a draft of a speech for the beginning of a training course for German commanders in Munich. The draft reads as follows:

"The next war will be the struggle for the victory of our ideology." "Democracies led by Jews and Freemasons against totalitarian states."

"At the end of such a war there must be a clear decision – no compromise solution."

"It is therefore a matter of existence or nonexistence." (4)

In January 1939, a circular was distributed to the German authorities abroad on the subject of "The Jewish question as a factor in German foreign policy for the year 1938." The circular reads briefly as follows:

"In North America, in South America, in France' in Holland, Scandinavia, Greece, everywhere, wherever the flood of Jewish immigration reaches, there is today already a visible increase in anti semitism - a task of the German foreign policy must be to further the wave of antisemitism. Salonika reported on 30 November 1938: "That forces are at work to stir up hate against the Jews and that at the same time Greek Freemasonry is endeavoring to stem the antisemetic movement." (5)

The Nuremburg Judgement Nuremburg, 1945-46

On August 8, 1945, the big four powers signed an agreement on the international military tribunal and on the statute of the court. It laid down the rights and duties of all the participants, the procedure of the trial, and the principles which the judges were to observe. Article 24 said:

a. The indictment shall be read in court.

b. The tribunal shall ask each defendant whether he pleads "guilty" or "not guilty."

c. The prosecution shall make an opening statement.

d. The tribunal shall ask the prosecution and defense what evidence, if any, they wish to submit to the tribunal, and the tribunal shall rule upon the advisability of any such evidence.

e. The witnesses for the prosecution shall be examined, and after that the witnesses for the defense. Thereafter such rebutting evidence as may be held by the tribunal to be admissable shall be called by either the prosecution or the defense.

f. The tribunal may put any question to any witness and to any defendant at any time.

g. The prosecution and the defense shall interrogate and may cross examine any witnesses and any defendant who gives testimony.

h. The defense shall address the court.

i. The prosecution shall address the court.

j. Each defendant may make a statement to the tribunal.

k. The tribunal shall deliver judgement and pronounce sentence.

When the members of the tribunal met in Berlin on October 18, 1945, for the first time - in the hall of the former people's court, where Judge Freisler once condemned the men of the 20th of July to death - the prisoners had an opportunity to study the bill of indictment, which was delivered to them the same day.

It comprised 25,000 words and was divided into four main parts:

1. Conspiracy. The accused had pursued a common plan to seize unlimited power and conspired for the committing of all further crimes.

2. Crimes against peace. The accused had broken 26 international treaties in 64 cases, had begun a war of aggression, and had caused a world war.

3. War crimes. The accused had instituted a horrible blood bath and had ordered or permitted mass murder, tortures, slave labor, and economic exploitation.

Crimes against humanity. The accused had persecuted political opponents, racial and religious minorities and made themselves responsible for the destruction of whole groups of the population.

The pages of this document are filled with such incredible revolting details as even the most morbid imagination could not conceive.

Yet, there are many college professors in the United States who refute some of this historical documentation, especially the planned genocide of the Jewish people. In some of the books and periodicals that they have written, they claim that this is all a fabrication of lies created by international Zionists. But as we all know, those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

Excerpts of the trial from some of the major war criminals who were brought before the international military tribunal. (1945-1946)

The United States of America, the French Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Against

Hermann Wilhelm Goring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Robert Ley, Wilhem Keitel, Ernst Kalten Brunner, Alfred Rosenberg, Julius Streicher, Martin Bormann, and Albert Speer. Some of the defendants.

On 17 November 1945 the tribunal decided to try the defendant Bormann in his absence under the provisions of article 12 of the charter. After argument and consideration of full medical reports, and a statement from the defendant himself, the tribunal decided on 1 December 1945 that no grounds existed for a postponement of the trial against the defendant Hess because of his mental condition. A similar decision was made in the case of the defendant Streicher.

In accordance with articles 16 and 23 of the charter counsel were either chosen by the defendants in custody themselves, or at their request were appointed by the tribunal. In his absence the tribunal appointed counsel for the defendant Bormann.

The trial, which was conducted in four languages - English, Russian, French, and German - began on 20 November 1945, and pleas of "not guilty" were made by all the defendants except Bormann.

The hearing of evidence and the speeches of counsel concluded on 31 August 1946.

Four hundred and three open sessions of the tribunal have been held. Thirty-three witnesses gave evidence orally for the prosecution against the individual defendants, and 61 witnesses, in addition to 19 of the defendants gave evidence for the defense.

A further 143 witnesses gave evidence for the defense by means of written answers to interrogatories.

The tribunal appointed commissioners to hear evidence relating to the organizations, and 101 witnesses were heard for the defense before the commissioners, and 1,809 affidavits from other witnesses were submitted.

Thirty-eight thousand affidavits, signed by 155,000 people, were submitted on behalf of the political leaders; 136,213 on behalf on the SS; 10,000 on behalf of the SA; 7,000 on behalf of the SD; 3,000 on behalf of the general staff; and 2,000 on behalf of the Gestapo.

Much of the evidence presented to the tribunal on behalf of the prosecution was documentary evidence, captured by the allied armies in German army headquarters, government buildings, and elsewhere. Some of the documents were found in salt mines, buried in the ground, hidden behind false walls and in other places thought to be secure from discovery. The case, therefore, against the defendants rested in a large measure on documents of their own making, the authenticity of which has not been challenged except in one or two cases.

Conclusion

The tribunal found that Bormann was not guilty on count one; that of conspiracy, but was guilty on counts three and four; that of committing war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Before pronouncing sentence on any of the defendants and while all the defendants were present, the tribunal took the occasion to advise them that any application to the clemency of the control council must be lodged with the general secretary of the tribunal within four days from the day they appeared.

Afternoon Session

In accordance with the 27th article of the charter, the international military tribunal pronounced the sentences on the defendants convicted on their indictment.

Some of the convicted were as follows: "Defendant Hermann Wilhelm Goring, on the counts of the indictment on which you have been convicted, the international military tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

"Defendant Rudolf Hess on the counts of the indictment on which you have been convicted, the tribunal sentences you to imprisonment for life."

"Defendant Joachim von Ribbentrop, on the counts of the indictment on which you have been convicted, the tribunal sentences you to death by hanging. "

"Defendant Alfred Rosenberg, on the counts of the indictment on which you have been convicted, the tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

"Defendant Julius Streicher on the count of the indictment on which you have been convicted, the tribunal sentences you to death by hanging."

The tribunal sentenced the defendant Martin Bormann, on the counts of the indictment on which he had been convicted, to death by hanging. A brief bibliographical background of some of the defendants at the military tribunal at Nuremburg.

Martin Bormann - "In my dictionary duty is written in capitals."

Bormann was indicted on counts one, three, and four. He joined the National Socialist party in 1925, was a member of the staff of the supreme command of the SA from 1928 to 1930, was in charge of the aid fund of the party, and was Reichsleiter from 1933 to 1945. From 1933 to 1941 he was Chief of staff in the office of the Fuhrer's Deputy and, after the flight of Hess to England, became head of the party chancellery of 12 May 1941. On 12 April 1943 he became secretary to the Fuhrer. He was political and organizational head of the Volkssturm and a general in the SS.

Crimes Against Peace

Bormann, in the beginning a minor Nazi, steadily rose to a position of power and particularly in the closing days of great influence over Hitler. He was active in the party's rise to power and even more so in the consolidation of that power he devoted much of his time to the persecution of the churches, Jews and Masons within Germany.

War Crimes and Crimes

Against Humanity

By decree of 29 May 1941 Bormann took over the offices and powers held by Hess; by decree of 24 January 1942 these powers were extended to give him control over all laws and directives issued by Hitler. He was thus responsible for laws and orders issued thereafter.

Bormann controlled the ruthless exploitation of the subjected populace. His order of 12 August 1942 placed all party agencies at the disposal of Himmler's program for forced resettlement and denationalization of persons in the occupied countries. Three weeks after the invasion of Russia, he attended the conference of 16 July 1941 at Hitler's field quarters with Goring, Rosenberg, and Keitel; Bormann's report shows that there were discussed and developed detailed plans of enslavement and annihilation of the population of these territories.

Bormann was extremely active in the persecution of the Jews and Masons not only in Germany but also in the absorbed or conquered countries. He took part in the discussions which led to the removal of 60,000 Jews from Vienna to Poland in cooperation with the SS and the Gestapo.

Bormann was prominent in the slave labor program. He also issued a series of orders to the party leaders dealing with the treatment of prisoners of war. On 5 November 1941 he prohibited decent burials for Russian prisoners of war. On 30 September 1944 he signed a decree taking from the OKW jurisdiction over prisoners of war and handing them over to Himmler and the SS.

Hermann Goering Number Two Man

"Do you wish to fight? To kill?

To see streams of blood?

Great heaps of gold?

Herds of captive women?

Slaves?

Gabriele D' Annunzlo "I am what I have always been:

the last renaissance man, if I may be allowed to say so."

Hermann Goring

Goring was indicted on all four counts. The evidence showed that after Hitler, he was the most prominent man in the Nazi regime. He was commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, plenipotentiary (possessing full and complete power) for the four year plan, and had tremendous influence with Hitler, at least until 1943, when their relationship deteriorated, ending in his arrest in 1945. He testified that Hitler kept him informed of all important military and political problems.

Crimes Against Peace

From the moment he joined the party in 1922 and took command of the street-fighting organization, the SA, Goring was the advisor, the active agent of Hitler, and one of the prime leaders of the Nazi movement. As Hitler's political deputy he was largely instrumental in bringing the National Socialists to power in 1933 and was charged with consolidating the power and expanding German armed might. He developed the Gestapo and created the first concentration camps, relinquishing them to Himmler in 1934, conducted the Rohm purge in the same year.

After his own admission to the Nuremburg court, from the positions which he held the conferences he attended, and the public words he uttered, there can remain no doubt that Goring was the moving force from aggressive war second only to Hitler. He was the planner and prime mover in the military and diplomatic preparation for war which Germany pursued.

"War crimes and crimes against humanity!" The record is filled with Goring's admissions of his complicity in the use of slave labor. "Workers were forced to come to the Reich. That is something I have not denied." As Luftwaffe commander-in-chief he demanded from Himmler more slave laborers for his underground aircraft factories. "That I requested inmates of concentration camps for the armament of the Luftwaffe is correct and it is to be taken as a matter of course."

Goring was the active authority in the spoilation of conquered territory. His directive contemplated plundering and abandonment of all industry in the food deficit regions and, from the food surplus regions, a diversion of food to German needs.

Goring persecuted the Jews and Masons; especially the Jews after the 1938 riots in Germany and in the other conquered territories. By decree of 31 July 1941 he directed Himmler and Ileydrich to "Bring about a complete solution of the Jewish question in the German sphere of influence in Europe." His guilt is unique in its enormity. The records discloses no excuses for this man.

Conclusion

The tribunal found the defendant Goring guilty on all four counts of the indictment.

"Hitler is Simply Pure Reason Incarnate"

Rudolph Hess

Hess was indicted on all four counts. He joined the Nazi party in 1920 and participated in the Munich Putsch on 9 November 1923. He was imprisioned with Hitler in the Landsberg Fortress in 1924 and became Hitler's closest personal confidant, a relationship which lasted until Hess' flight to the British Isles. On 21 April 1933, he was appointed Deputy to the Fuhrer, and appointed member of the Secret Cabinet Council on 4 February 1938, and a member of the Ministerial Council for the defense of the Reich on 31 August 1939. In September 1939, Hess was officially announced by Hitler as successor designate to the Fuhrer after Goring. On 10 May 1941, he flew from Germany to Scotland.

Crimes Against Peace

As Deputy to the Fuhrer, Hess was the top man in the Nazi party with responsibility for handling all party matters and authority to make decisions in Hitler's name on all questions of party leadership.

Hess was an informed and willing participant in German aggression against Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. He was in touch with the illegal Nazi party in Austria throughout the entire period between the murder of Dollfuss and the Anschluss and gave instructions to it during that period. Hess was in Vienna on 12 March 1938, when the German troops moved in; and on 13 March 1938 he signed the law for the reunion of Austria within the German Reich.

He publicly praised Hitler for his outspoken hatred for Jews, Masons and Poles and later attacked Poland for agitating the war.

War Crimes and Crimes

Against Humanity

There is evidence showing the participation of the party chancellery, under Hess, in the distribution of orders connected with the commission of war crimes; that Hess may have had knowledge of, even if he did not participate in, the crimes that were committed in the east, and proposed laws discriminating against non-aryans; and that he signed decrees forcing certain groups of people to accept German citizenship. The tribunal, however, does not find that the evidence sufficiently connects Hess with these crimes to sustain a finding of guilt.

Conclusion

The tribunal found the defendant Hess guilty on counts one, and two, and not guilty on counts three and four.

Joachim von Ribbentrop

Ribbentrop joined the Nazi party in 1932. By 1933 he had been made foreign policy advisor to Hitler, and in the same year the representative of the Nazi party on foreign policy.

Adolf Hitler Called Ribbentrop

"A Genius''

Ribbentrop made some of the following statements at the military tribunal:

"I assure you, we are all appalled by all these persecutions and atrocities. It is simply not typically German. Can you imagine that I could kill anyone? Tell me honestly, do any of us look like murderers? "

He participated in the aggressive plans against Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Denmark and all the low countries. He attended the conference on 20 January 1941, at which Hitler and Mussolini discussed the proposed attack on Greece, and the conference in January, 1941, at which Hitler obtained permission for German troops to go through Romania for this attack.

Von Ribbentrop attended a conference in May 1941 with Hitler and Antonescu relating to Romanian participation in the attack on the U.S.S.R.

War Crimes and Crimes

Against Humanity

Ribbentrop participated in a meeting of 6 dune 1944, at which it was agreed to start a program under which allied aviators carrying out machine gun attacks should be Iynched.

He played an important part in Hitler's "Final solution" of the Jewish question. On 25 February 1943, Ribbentrop protested to Mussolini against Italian slowness in deporting Jews from the Italian occupation zone of France. He also stated to Horthy, (17 April 1943) the ruler of Hungary, that "Jews, Masons and Gypsies must be exterminated or taken to concentration camps. At the same conference Hitler had likened the Jews to "Tuberculosis Bacilli" and said if they did not work they were to be shot. The tribunal found Ribbentrop guilty on all four counts.

Alfred Rosenberg

"National socialism stands or falls by its weltanschauung."

Alfred Rosenberg

"The ideas behind our programme do not oblige us to act like fools."

Adolf Hitler

Rosenberg was indicted on all four counts. He joined the Nazi party in 1919, participated in the Munich Putsch of 9 November 1923, and tried to keep the illegal Nazi party together while Hitler was in jail. Recognized as the party's ideologist, he developed and spread Nazi doctrines in the newspapers Volkischer Beobachter and NS Monatshefte, which he edited, and in the numerous books he wrote. His book Myth of the Twentieth Century had a circulation of over a million copies.

He seemed to enjoy the looting of Masonic Lodges and the confiscation of their libraries and archives.

Early in 1940, Hitler made plans for the creation of a research center for the Nazi party and the German Reich which was to become a place where the Nazis could study the writing and methods of their enemies in order that they might better combat them in the future. He appointed Rosenberg his deputy to set up the "Hobe Schule."

The prosecution trial brief states that what began as a project for the establishment of a research library developed into a project for the seizure of cultural treasures. (6)

Later Hitler ordered Rosenberg to search Masonic Lodges and libraries in the west for material valuable to Germany, and to safeguard them through the Gestapo.

Crimes Against Peace

As head of the APA, Rosenberg was in charge of an organization whose agents were active in Nazi intrigue in all parts of the world. His own reports, for example, claim that the APA was largely responsible for Romania's joining the axis. As head of the APA, he played an important role in the preparation and planning of the attack on Norway.

Rosenberg bears a major responsibility for the formulation and execution of occupation policies in the occupied eastern territories. He was informed by Hitler, on 2 April 1941, of the coming attack against the Soviet Union, and he agreed to help in the capacity of a "political advisor."

War Crimes and Crimes

Against Humanity

In December, 1941 at Rosenberg's suggestion, 69,619 Jewish homes were plundered and burned in the west, 38,000 of them in Paris alone, and it took 26,984 railroad cars to transport the confiscated furnishings to Germany. As of 14 July 1944, more than 21,903 art objects, including famous paintings and museum pieces, had been seized by the Nazis in the west.

He helped to formulate the policies of Germanization, exploitation, forced labor, extermination of Jews and opponents of Nazi rule, and he set up the administration which carried them out.

He also had knowledge of the brutal treatment and terror to which the eastern people were subjected.

Rosenberg's subordinates engaged in mass killings of Jews, and his civil administrators in the east considered that cleansing the eastern occupied territories of Jews was necessary. His signature of approval appears on the order of 14 June 1944, for the "Hey aktion," the apprehension of 40,000 to 50,000 youths, aged 1014 for shipment to the Reich.

What were Rosenberg's special qualifications for the persecution of Freemasonry? They appear in the documents assembled by the prosecution. He was the man who in 1930 wrote "the idea of honor national honor - will be for us the beginning and end of all our thoughts and deeds. It does not permit besides itself any other equivalent center of power, be it of whatever kind, neither Christian love, nor the humanity of the Freemasons, nor the Roman philosophy." (6)

As we all know, Rosenberg was high in the Nazi party. From 1934-1935, listed among his other accomplishments was the authorship of 16 publications, one of which stressed his book "The World Policy of Freemasonry." (7) It is obvious here that he has set himself up as an authority on Masonry. But listen to his testimony during a pretrial examination taken on September 25, 1945, at Nuremberg.

"Q. Do you recall any further correspondence with Bormann regarding the acquisition of materials from libraries and archives?

"A. It is possible that I did correspond with the man, but I don't remember it.

"Q. As a matter of fact, with reference to the statement that you have just made regarding private property, you wrote to Bormann on 1 July 1940 along that line, did you not?

`"A. I can't remember that.

"Q. Didn't you set forth some theory, by which it could be justified, in the case of the French Masonic Lodges?

"A. We had assumed that those great Masonic Lodges in Paris had carried on an anti-German policy for years. I, as a matter of course, wanted to find out from the libraries whether I could find confirmation or otherwise of the opinion which we had been holding on that subject. "

Here is a so-called expert on Freemasonry, who wrote a book on its world policy, admitting that he knew nothing about its history or philosophical teachings, and that his activities in plundering Lodge libraries and archives was for the purpose of learning whether perchance the charges he had hurled at the institution might possibly be correct. Let us continue with more of his testimony:

"Q. You advocated a confiscation of those libraries, didn't you?

"A. Yes; a confiscation of such libraries.

"Q. What was the principle on which you believed it justifiable to confiscate those libraries?

"A. I didn't consider that as an ordinary private French property but as the property of an organization into the activity of which I wanted to go.

Q. What was the basis on which you made this differentiation between property of this organization and any other private property?

"A. I told myself that actually it was a fighting organization, directed for some time against the German Reich.

"Q. In other words, you convinced yourself that it was all right, is that it?

"A. It so happened that same material was of interest to the police, and had been confiscated by the police. I only got hold of such material as was necessary for my research, to get the precise nature of their activities.

Q. The fact of the matter is, is it not, that at least some of the materials in these Masonic Lodges' libraries was confiscated for your purposes?

"A. Yes.

Q. In fact were the available books and the historical archives of the Paris Masonic Lodges given to the Hobe Schule?

"A. They arrived at Frankfort and we set them up separately with other libraries. On account of the air raids, those libraries had been transferred to Schloss Hungen...it is possible that on account of the transportation, those libraries are no longer in the state in which I had them set up.

Q. What was the mission you had received from the Fuehrer?

"A. I received the mission to confiscate Jewish and other libraries, which were to be considered as hostile and for a purpose of scientific research. In conjunction therewith I also received the mission to safeguard the works of art, which had been left in the houses and castles.

"Q. Did you establish an organization to carry out this mission?

"A. There was in Paris a representation of this Einstzstab. They visited the various organizations and the various castles where those works of art existed. There a brief outline of them was made.

They were packed up and forwarded to Frankfort-on-Main.

"Q. What did you have at the Hobe Schule?

"A. At the Hobe Schule I had all the works concerning the question of Jews and Freemasons. The other books, not dealing with either the Jews or Freemasonry, but also of scientific value, were transferred to the library of the Hobe Schule at Tanzenborg near Klagenfurth." (8)

In view of such overwhelming evidence it is no wonder that the international military tribunal, in its opinion and judgement had the following to say with regard to Rosenberg and his Einsatzstab:

"The defendant Rosenberg was designated by Hitler, on the 29th January 1940, head of the Center for National Socialist Ideological and Educational Research and thereafter the organization known as the 'Einsatzstab Rosenberg' conducted its operations on a very great scale. Originally designed for the establishment of a research library, it developed into a project for the seizure of cultural treasures. On the 1st of March 1942, Hitler issued a further decree, authorizing Rosenberg to search libraries, Masonic Lodges, and cultural establishments, to seize material from these establishments, as well as cultural treasures owned by Jews...in many of the occupied countries private collections were robbed, libraries were plundered, and private houses were pillaged." (9)

Chief Justice Jackson, in his opening address for the United States at Nuremburg said:

"We will not ask you to convict these men on the testimony of their foes. There is no count of the indictment that cannot be proved by books and records. The Germans were always meticulous record keepers, and these defendants had their share of the teutonic passion for complete thoroughness in putting things on paper."

"Adolf Hitler is the Coming Messiah. "

Julius Streicher

Streicher was indicted on counts one and four. One of the earliest members of the Nazi party, joining in 1921, he took part in the Munich Putsch. From 1925 to 1940 he was Gauleiter of Franconia. Elected to the Reichstag in 1933, he was an honorary General in the SA.

Crimes Against Peace

Streicher was a staunch Nazi and supporter of Hitler's main policies. There was no evidence to show that he was ever within Hitler's inner circle of advisors; nor during his career was he ever closely connected with the formulation of the policies which led to war. In the opinion of the military tribunal, the evidence failed to establish his connection with the conspiracy or common plan to wage aggressive war.

Crimes Against Humanity

In his antisemitic weekly, "Der Sturmer," which for a time had a circulation of 600,000 copies, Streicher's hatred of the Jews and Masons assumed a particularly disgusting form. In May 1939; long before the beginning of the war, "Der Sturmer" demanded: "There must be a punitive expedition against the Jews in Russia, and the same for the Masons if they are located. Sentence of death, execution! The Jews and Masons must be exterminated."

Streicher always maintained that he knew nothing of the mass murders of the Jews. The British prosecutor, J.M.G. Griffith-Jones, took up the issue in cross-examination at the tribunal: "This morning when you were speaking of a German Jewish weekly, you said, 'in these papers there was sometimes hints that something was going on. Later in 1943, there appeared an article saying that masses of Jews had disappeared, but no figures were given, and there was no mention of murder,' Do you really mean that in these issues of the Jewish weekly, which you and your editors read, there was nothing but hints about the disappearance of Jews, without mention of numbers or murder? Do you expect this tribunal to believe that?

Streicher: "Yes, I stand by that, certainly. "

Griffith-Jones: On December 12, 1941: "According to reports that have come in from many sides, thousands of people have been executed in Odessa. Similar reports come from Kiev and other Russian cities. Did you read that?"

Streicher: "I don't know, and if I had read it, it would not alter the matter. This is not evidence."

Griffith-Jones: "You still don't know, even if you don't believe all the figures, that millions of Jews were murdered after the beginning of the war? Do you know that? You have heard the evidence, haven't you?"

Streicher: "I believe so..."

Griffith-Jones: "I only wish to know if you have heard the evidence. You can answer yes or no, but I presume it will be yes."

Streicher: "The only evidence for me is the testament of the Fuhrer. It states in it that the mass murders took place at his command. That I believe. Now I believe it." Would you believe that statement? Testifying at the tribunal, he vehemently denied any knowledge of mass execution of Jews. But the evidence makes it clear that he continually received current information on the progress of the "final solution." His press photographer was sent to visit the ghettos of the east in the spring of 1943, the time of the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto. In 1942, referring to an article in the London Times about the atrocities aiming at extermination, Streicher said that Hitler's prophecy was being fulfilled, that world Jewry was being extirpated and that it was wonderful to know that Hitler was freeing the world of its Jewish tormentors.

Hans Fritzsche, Radio commentator who sounded like Goebbels, Dr. Hjailmar H.G. Schacht, financial wizard who planned the German war economy and Franz von Papen, former military attache who had been in Washington, and who had been expelled during the war for complicity in the planning of such sabotage as blowing up bridges and railroad lines while the United States was neutral; drew stiff prison sentences from; German denazification courts though in the end, they served very little time.

Seven defendants at Nuremburg drew prison sentences: Hess, Raeder and Funk for life, Speer and Schirach for twenty years, Neurath for fifteen, Doenitz for ten. The others were sentenced to death.

At eleven minutes past 1 a.m. on October 16, 1946, Ribbentrop mounted the gallows in the execution chamber of the Nuremburg prison, and he was followed at short intervals by Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, SeyssInquart, Saucrel, Jodl; and Streicher was dragged by two military policemen screaming, "Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler."

Hermann Goering cheated the hangman. Two hours before his turn would come he swallowed a vial of poison that had been smuggled into his cell. Like his Fuehrer, Adolf Hitler, and his rival for the succession, Heinrich Himmler, he had succeeded at the last hour in choosing the way in which he would depart this Earth on which he, like the other two, had made such a murderous impact.

Later at four o'clock that same morning, two American army trucks pulled up at the Nuremburg prison. They were both armed with machine guns. An American and a French General were in charge. Eleven coffins were loaded. The trucks turned in the courtyard, rolled out on to the street, and set off in the direction of Furth. A procession of private cars joined them, packed with newspapermen. At Erlangen the column stopped.

The jeep with the machine gun was maneuvered behind the two trucks, and an American officer declared that whoever tried to follow them would do so at the risk of his life. Then the trucks disappeared in the morning mist, apparently to the airfield near Erlangen for further transport to Berlin, as the journalists conjectured.

The truth was disclosed only many years later the corpses were taken to Munich by roundabout ways. There they were reduced to ashes in the crematorium of the east cemetery on the same day. An American official stated that the ashes of the executed men "were scattered in a river somewhere in Germany at an undisclosed place so as to prevent that at any time a shrine should be made of it."

It seems like the convicted defendants never dreamed for one minute that it would be the persecutors of Freemasonry who would be nonexistent, not Freemasonry.

Footnotes

1. Vol. 2, P. 150

2. Vol. 2, P. 253; and document L219, Vol. 7, P. 1084

3. Trial brief, Vol. 1, P. 264, and document 1855PS, Vol. 4, P. 495.

4. Document 4065PS, supp. A.P. 831.

5. Document 3358PS, Vol. 6, P. 94.

6. "The Myth of the 20th Century (der mythus, Dec. 20, Jahrunderts)," edition of 1941, Hoheneichen-verlag, Munich, Page 514, document 2891-PS, Vol. 5, P. 5.

7. Document 3530 PS. Vol. 6, P. 214.

8. Supp. B, P. 1336.

9. Opinion and Judgement, P. 71.

Bibliography

1. Martin Bormann, The Bormann Letters, The private correspondence between Bormann and his wife from January 1943 to April 1945. London 1954.

2. Hermann Goring, Germany Reborn, London 1934.

3. Czechoslovakia Fights Back, Washington; American Council on Public Affairs, 1943

4. Hermann Goring and the Third Reich, Charles Bewley, (New York, 1962).

5. Leonard Mosley, The Reich Marshal: A Biography of Herman Goring (New York, 1974).

6. The Major Figures of Nazism, Eugene Davidson, The Trial of the Germans (New York, 1971.)

7. The Face of the Third Reich, Joachim C. Fest, translated by Michael Bullock (New York, 1970). Published by Patheon Books.

8. Missouri Lodge of Research Brochure, 13 pages, 1959.

9. Shirer, William L., The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, N.Y., Simon and Schuster, 1960.

10. The Law of War - A Documentary History, Vol. II, by Leon Friedman, printed by Random House. 1972.

11. Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, printed in 1946 and 1947 by the U.S. Government.

12. Anti-Masonry, Alphonse Cerza, Missouri Lodge of Research, 1962, Printed by The Ovid Bell Press, Inc., Fulton, MO.

13. The Nuremburg Trial. Joe. J. Heydecker and Johannes Leeb-translated and edited by R.A. Downie, World Publishing Co., Cleve., Ohio, 1962.

14. The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany, by Warren B. Morris, Jr.. published by Nelson Hall in Chicago, Ill., copyrighted. 1982.

15. Ribbentrop, Joachim von, The Ribbentrop Memoirs, translated by J.E. Mitchell London, England, Weidenfeld and Nicolson Publishing, 1954.

16. Nuremburg Military Tribunal Trials of the War Criminals Before the Nuremburg Tribunal Under Control Council Law No. 10, Nuremburg, Oct. 1946-April 1949. 15 vols. Washington, D.C.U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950.

17. Various Masonic pamphlets and periodicals.

18. Royal Arch Magazine’s Sept., 1959, June. 1947, Dec., 1949 photo's from Royal Arch Mason magazines.

19. Nuremburg testimony and captured Nazi documents, (Freedom of Information Act) (Library of Congress).

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Good News: The Masonic Leader - Coming

by Jerry Marsengill, FPS

Several years ago a series of Masonic Leadership films was developed by Allen E. Roberts. Each of these films won Silver Awards from the prestigious International Film and TV Festival of New York. Over the years several Grand Lodges and some Masonic districts purchased the series and raved about the results.

The series consisted of four 25minute, 16mm, color, sound films. The cost was an amazingly low $1,200 for this complete leadership program. Similar programs in the business world cost at least four times this much. Even more amazingly, Allen is now making the series available for peanuts!

The four films are now on one VHS video cassette. The four Leader's Guides have been revamped and are now contained in an attractive loose leaf binder. But Allen has gone even further. The Leader's Guide now includes his "secrets" for conducting leadership seminars. It has copies of his overhead projections, handouts for the participants for continuing study, suggested formats, cartoons, Team planning, and much more.

The Guide also includes plans for conducting successful seminars, the pitfalls to look for and avoid, suggested questions and answers to the information contained in the films, ways to make this program adapt to the individual Grand Lodge's programs, and so on.

The ultra good news is the price. The video cassette with the four films, and the expanded Leader's Guide will sell for only $125. That's a 90% reduction of the original price. It's now within the reach of even the smallest Lodge. It is the peanuts we mentioned. But there is more good news. Proceeds will go into an educational fund of The Philalethes Society. Allen said this is his contribution to the Society in particular and Freemasonry in general.

You may order your program - The Masonic Leader - which includes the VHS cassette and the Leader's Guide for $125 from:

Anchor Communications, Drawer 70, Highland Springs, VA 23075. If you do not agree it is the best thing to come along for Freemasonry since sliced bread, return it in good condition for a full refund within 30 days of its receipt.

----o----

MEMBERSHIP IS THE LIFE'S BLOOD OF ANY ORGANIZATION

HAVE YOU DONE YOUR PART?

----o----

VISION 20/00

Bridging the Negatives

THE PHILALETHES INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

1989

SEMI ANNUAL MEETING

THE NEW HERITAGE INN

385 REXDALE BLVD.

ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO

CANADA M9W IR9

SEPTEMBER 22 & 23

ACCOMODATION: Single or Double CDN $48.00 or US $41.00 plus 5% tax.

This special rate applies to 40 rooms booked before September 1, 1989.

Complimentary Shuttle Service to and from Airport.

PLEASE BOOK DIRECT: ZENITH 1-800-668-4850

REGISTRATION: FEE - PER PERSON - CDN $70.00 - or US $60.00

INCLUDES: Coffee/Tea Juice at all sessions

Hospitality Room September 22

Lunch September 23

Happy Hour September 23

Assembly & Feast September 23

PHILALETHES INTERNATIONAL SESSION SATURDAY A.M.

JOHN ROSS ROBERTSON CHAPTER SESSION SATURDAY P.M.

LADIES PROGRAM: Saturday 10:00 A.M.

Guided Bus Tour of Toronto

Lunch at the Royal Ontario Museum

Visit Museum or Shop on Fashionable Bloor St.

return to Hotel 4:00 p.m.

REMITTANCE: of CDN $70.00 or US $60.00 PLEASE MAIL TO:

E.G. Burton, in Trust

P.O. Box 1095

King City, Ontario, Canada

LOG 1K0 Telephone: (416) 8330188

"FRIENDSHIP" Issue will feature the Proceedings

of "VISION 20-ZERO-ZERO and YOUR NAME!

For 'Friday-Early-Bird-Arrivals' a Shuttle Bus

service to Woodbine Shopping Centre or

Woodbine Racetrack is available on request.

POST TIME 1:30 p.m.

This Conference is open to all Freemasons

Join us Let's tower above it.

----o----

Signs of the Times

Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control (other than politicians) your Society has found it necessary to increase its income. As of September 1, 1989, Life Membership will be $250. The regular dues will remain at $15. The joining fees will go to $10. New members will be charged $25 for the first year or part thereof. Thereafter the yearly dues will be $15.

Several have commented that at twice the cost The Philalethes Society with its top-notch bimonthly publication, The Philalethes would still be a bargain. When its dues structure is compared with that of other organizations its bargain rates become highly visible.

----o----

The 1990 Assembly-Feast-Forum

Tom Eggleston, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, will be the Philalethes Society Lecturer for 1990. Along with him will come the usual fun and information that sets the Assembly-Feast-Forum of The Philalethes Society apart from all other Masonic related bodies.

The fun starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 1990, in the Hotel Washington. Reservations may be made now. The cost will be $24 per person if tickets are purchased prior to February 13. If any are available after that date the cost will be $29.

Send checks payable to The Philalethes Society, to P.O. Box 70, Highland Springs, VA 23075.

Please - a word of caution: Each year because of hotel regulations, latecomers have had to be turned away. Don't let this happen to you.

----o----

Through Masonic Windows

by Allen E. Roberts, FPS

Donald E. Meseth, MPS, suggests each member of The Philalethes Society present each new member of his Lodge with a year's membership in the Society. He believes a "spark of interest will be kindled" in them for Freemasonry. He has put this into practice with the last several members to enter his Lodge.

* * *

The Wisconsin Masonic Journal carried an important announcement on its front page. The Grand Lodge nominating committee is searching for Master Masons "with special backgrounds and areas of expertise to serve on the several" committees. It listed the categories needed, every field imaginable. An excellent idea that isn't new but rarely used. Now that Freemasonry is finally entering the computer age there's no reason why the members interests shouldn't be cataloged. The Craft is rich in talent that has never been asked to work for the benefit of the whole.

* * *

A 35 year Master Mason wrote of his concerns. He listened to a young lady preach in a "Brethren Church" on "Humanism." She claimed humanists believe that each is his own God. Among those she named was Gorbachev and "The Masonic Organizations" This upset our Brother. He asked her for her documentation. She named a "Brethren Revival News Letter," Edward Decker, Manley Hall. The news letter quoted John Ankerburg and his lackey Jack Harris, a renegade past master (lower case letters intentional), Albert Pike and Albert Mackey. The inventive statements of these men have been covered at length elsewhere. The greatest "sin" appeared to be that Freemasonry is a secret organization. Yet every person with a smattering of common sense knows that in no way can Freemasonry be classed as a secret organization. Certainly it has secrets. So does every household and every association. How can we ease the mind of this Brother and others who must listen to the anti-Masonic diatribe of would-be "Christians?"

* * *

Emessay Notes of The Masonic Service Association informs us that the Grand Lodge of Minnesota is engaged in "an extensive public relations effort." There are statewide open houses; continuing radio spots; newspaper ads; a new logo; bumper stickers and Masonic stamps.

* * *

Stardust, an independent monthly magazine, started in December running serially Seekers of Truth, the 60year history of The Philalethes Society. The Prince Hall Sentinel, official publication of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F. & A.M., of New York, carries one or more articles from The Philalethes in each issue. It has received blanket permission to reprint anything it likes from our magazine. Many, many Lodge bulletins reprint our items, so do periodicals. Most credit the source, but far too many don't.

* * *

A note about the controversy (by the opponents of Freemasonry) of the penalties. For the past four years whereever I have made a talk or conducted a seminar, I have asked how many were disturbed by a recitation of those oldtime penalties. I don't really know how many thousands I've addressed but in no audience has more than two hands been raised. I went out on a limb during my keynote address at the Conference of Grand Masters in February and asked the same question. One hand was raised! (but I was later told there were two!!). I asked then and I ask now - what's going on in those areas where leaders are claiming this is a problem within the Craft?

* * *

Writing for The New Mexico Freemason Grand Master Ernie Hazelwood tells his members to "Be Different! Do It!" He says:

"Your Grand Master is a firm believer that the ByLaws of your Lodge and the Grand Lodge should be strenuously obeyed. He also believes that the business of your Lodge is your business and should not be infringed in so far as you obey our laws. He also knows that no one person has all the answers. By the fact that he has been elected Grand Master does not suddenly make him all knowing. No Lodge should be restricted from trying new and innovative ideas." He then notes how several Lodges and individuals have been in the forefront of progressive acts that have borne fruit. Wonderful!

* * *

The Reverend Dr. Luther G. Baker, Sr., of Florida wrote "Masonry and Religion" for The Indiana Freemason. Within his closing paragraphs he said: "My years as a pastor revealed to me that deacons and elders that wore the Square and Compass [sic] were men devoted to their church and their God, men that took very seriously their vows of fidelity...Masonry and religion? They are totally different, but they are also the same. Both teach men to use their talents and wealth so that ignorance and want may be overcome; to love so that hatred and bigotry may be eliminated, to revere God so that family and country may live in security and peace. Masonry is not a religion, but it is composed of religious men who strive to do all they can to make our world into what we believe the Supreme Architect intended it to be."

* * *

The Wisconsin Masonic Journal tells us the "Square and Compasses Show Choir" is now in its eighth year. Sometime ago The Philalethes published a feature article on the work of these young men and women. They are continuing to represent the best of Freemasonry through music. Since its beginning over 150 have participated in this excellent program.

* * *

In 1985 a member of the Society, acting in his capacity as Grand Master, removed the penalties from the obligations in his jurisdiction. This has "created a greater expression of opinion, both pro and con, than any other change in Pennsylvania Freemasonry," writes Thomas W. Jackson, MPS, Grand Secretary in The Pennsylvania Freemason. He said he would not express his opinion but noted "a change has been instituted. Change for the sake of change will never serve a viable purpose, but refusal to make a change when deemed necessary is dooming any organization to extinction. This decision was based upon analysis of some of the greatest minds in Freemasonry." He closes by saying that even if we don't agree, "it is 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."