Contents
The President's Corner
The Thanatology of Masonry
Whaddya Mean, Ask Him
Wolfie and Hiram Join The
Big Parade
Full Of Sound And Fury
A Quest For Meaning
Lucky Lindy Still Shines
Benedict Arnold
- Original Man Without A Country
George
Washington was not the first President
Quo Vadis, Philalethes
In Memoriam
Louis L. Williams, FPS 1899-1990
The Massachusetts' District
of China
the philalethes
The Journal of Masonic Research and Letters
Jerry Marsengill, FPS Editor
401 Masonic Temple, 1011 Locust St.
Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 244-6011
FAX (515) 244-2540
OFFICERS
John Mauk Hilliard, FPS, President
Lehman College
Bronx, New York 10468 (212) 960-8713
Wallace E. McLeod, FPS, 1st Vice President
Victoria College University of Toronto
73 Queen's Park Crescent
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 1K7
Forrest D. Haggard, FPS, 2nd Vice President
Overland Park Christian Church 7600 W75th St
Overland Park, KS 66204 (913) 677-4646
Allen E. Roberts, FPS, Executive Secretary
Drawer 70, 110 Quince Ave.
Highland Springs, VA 23075 (804) 737-4498
FAX 804/328-2386
Henry G. Law, FPS, Treasurer
2608 E. Riding Dr. Wilmington, DE 19808
(302) 737-9083
Harold L. Davidson, FPS, Librarian
The Philalethes Society 1903 10th St. W.
Billings, MT 59102 (406) 259-1552
LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS
Philalethes Society
William R. Denslow FPS
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
Jerry Marsengill, FPS
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY EMERITUS
Carl R. Griesen, FPS
S. Brent Morris, FPS
CONTENTS
The President's Corner
The Thanatology of Masonry - Part II
Whaddya Mean, Ask Him
Wolfie and Hiram Join The Big Parade
Full of Sound and Fury
A Quest For Meaning
Lucky Lindy Still Shines
Benedict Arnold - The Original Man
Without A Country
George Washington - Fifth, Sixth or Eighth Masonic President?
Quo Vadis, Philalethes?
In Memoriam - Louis L. Williams, FPS
The Massachusetts District of China
Through Masonic Windows
ON THE COVER
Our cover this month is a stylized treatment for the treatment of George Washington's birthday. Brother Joseph Bennett has again drawn us a five cover. If any of the rest of the readers are artists, we would be happy to have their work. Again, thanks to Joe Bennett.
----o----
by John Mauk Hilliard, FPS
The most important thing to me in my Masonic life has been my Lodge, Independent Royal Arch No. Two, F. and A.M ., "Old Number Two," founded in the 1750's in New York City by a British Regimental Lodge. I was its Master in 1979, and have served as its Secretary for a decade. Its Masonic antiquity, its scrupulous preservation and fierce perpetuation of its Royal Arch and ritual landmarks, its rich mix of powerful and independent personalities have made it the very symbol in my life of what Freemasonry ought to be. Without Old Number Two, my Masonic life would have a paucity of meaning. The friendships I have made there, the Masonic, fraternal, and social intercourse that I have experienced there are as lasting and profoundly significant as any that I have encountered in any other arena of my life. I can say without too much immodesty that my role in Old Number Two has been a pivotal one over the past decade and one-half. I have devoted the bulk of my Masonic energies to assuring its survival, encouraging its Masonic independence, and maintaining its proud traditions, landmarks, and customs.
It is ironic, therefore, for me to contemplate one unexpected consequence of that passionate attachment to my Lodge. Independent Royal Arch Lodge in colonial times and well into the nineteenth century worked not only the three degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry, but also the degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, and Holy Royal Arch. The Lodge's aprons are bordered in red, its furnishings are ornamental in red, its Masters and Wardens must be Royal Arch Masons to hold those stations, and its Masters and Past Masters wear the triple tau of the Royal Arch upon the flaps of their aprons. Old Number Two's colonial fathers, through their service in the regimental lines of the Continental Army, founded several Royal Arch Chapters, and promulgated the Red Degrees throughout the colonies. My absorption in the Lodge's history and traditions led me to a compelling interest in the arcane world of Freemasonry's York Rite. From the bedrock of the Lodge, I launched what has become an involved and demanding career of York Rite activity. My appendant body involvement has represented a great personal adventure in my life. The irony lies in the fact that it may also have been a personal indulgence, for I am obliged to admit that my great old Lodge has suffered through the diffusion of my time, energy, and attention represented by my other Masonic allegiances. What is true for me is, I believe, equally true for many other Masonic leaders who engage in a broad spectrum of Masonic involvements. Notwithstanding my Lodge's recent successes, what would its situation have been if I had concentrated all my Masonic energies on it alone?
My York Rite experience has been happy and productive. I have lately completed a year as High Priest of Ancient Chapter No. One, New York's original chapter founded in 1763, probably by the members of my Lodge. It is a blacktie chapter which invokes its ancient right, as guaranteed to its forbearers and founders by the Grand Chapter of New York over two centuries ago, to use its traditional late-eighteenth century version of the work instead of the current standard work. "The Old Chapter" thus reaffirms and rediscovers its own precious history, and simultaneously celebrates and preserves for future generations the birthright represented by these venerable Masonic rituals. In a Masonically corrupt age which finds the ancient workings and symbols of the Craft under attack both within and without the Fraternity, the maintenance of this vital heritage of myth, symbol, and legend preserves the fundamental identity of meaning upon which the Royal Arch and all of Freemasonry ultimately rests. The formal attire and the precise ritual is essential to that spirit of excellence which motivates each of the companions of the Old Chapter to reach beyond himself to do his utmost to support the mission of the Gentle Craft. Because it is full of younger Masons at the height of their business and professional careers, and who are in the midst of raising families, the Chapter has yoked itself to Columbian Council No. One, the Mother Council of Cryptic Masonry, and Morton Commandery No. Four, New York's oldest continuous Templar commandery. The Chapter meets only in the autumn months, the Council only in the Winter, and the Commandery only in the Spring. This careful apportioning of meetings enables these younger Freemasons to meet family, business or professional, and Blue Lodge involvements with a minimum of distraction by the demands of active York Rite involvement. I wish such a system had been in place during the long years which I spent toiling through the lines in my original York Rite bodies. By Blue Lodge and personal involvements might be in better repair today had such an arrangement been obtained then.
Be that as it may, I will always cherish the memory of my years in the York Rite. The opportunity to confer the York degrees in the company of talented companions whose ritual skills and enthusiasms for the traditions and symbols of the Craft were a profound inspiration to me, and my great personal pleasure in presiding over numerous Table Chapters, Table Councils, and Masonic Feasts and Assemblies were the high points of my York Rite life. These things reinforced my strongly-held belief in the mission of the York Rite. And that mission, as I envision it, while supportive of that of the Blue or Symbolic Lodge, is not the same as that of the primary body. To keep the degree work of the Royal Arch, the Cryptic Rite, and the Temple alive and in high relief in the minds and hearts of Freemasons is the sublime and happy duty of the York Rite. It is not its role to compete with the Blue Lodges, nor to drain them of the talent and energies and precious time of their junior officers and sideliners. The primary responsibility of the Blue or Symbolic Lodge is to make Masons, to Masonically educate them, and to foster the social, fraternal, and charitable amenities that should adorn Craft life in the primary community of the Lodge. The role of the Royal Arch Chapter, and of all of the York, Scottish, and appendant bodies is more circumscribed: it is the simple and elegant task of working the great degrees of the Masonic canon with precision, exactitude, and style. The Appendant Bodies, in this sense, are nothing more, and should be nothing more, than reliquary societies. They preserve and foster the ancient mythic and symbolic treasure represented by the complex of Freemasonry's appendant degrees. They enhance and elaborate upon the consciousness to which each brother is awakened in the Sublime Degree of Master Mason.
Freemasons in this modern age no longer have the luxury of treating each Masonic body as if it were a miniature Lodge, of insisting on monthly meetings of each York and Scottish Rite body, of giving each a full program of Masonic education, lectures, films, ladies nights, and social events. To perpetuate the notion that each appendant body in the Craft must be a full-service institution in the way that a Blue Lodge should be, is to do a grave injustice to the leaders of the Craft. They will inevitably diffuse their time, talent, and energies, which should of right be concentrated in their Lodges, and which will be spread over all the Masonic institutions in which they and none more so than the Lodge, for the greatest injury will be the inexorable leaching of critical talent from it alone. In the York Rite, in the Scottish Rite, in all the maze of additional Masonic orders, societies, and institutions, we seek not to replace or imitate the Masonic life we experience and share in the Lodges. Rather, we strive to broaden, for the thoughtful, mature, and serious Blue Lodge Mason, the sense of personal growth and adventure in the Craft represented by the wealth of degrees in the keeping of our Gentle and Royal Art.
----o----
Part Two What To Expect Beyond The Gates
By Walter P. Benesch, MPS
In Part 1 of this article we looked at the experience of death from a thanatological point of view and through an examination of Masonic traditions. However, we are left with the question. 'What is beyond the gates of death?' Again a review of the philosophical, thanatological, and Masonic literature may give us the key.
YOU ARE DEAD! You have experienced great physical distress. You have been pronounced dead by a doctor. You are no longer in your physical body but can see it lifeless below. Your emotions are on edge as never before. Slowly you become aware of your new form, a form with different qualities and powers. You travel through a tunnel with the loud noises. As you look around you notice friends and family who have died coming to greet you, to help you across the border between life and death. Your guide, a being of light and love, appears before you. Lovingly you take his hand and cross the river of no return. (1) Or as Evans-Wentz describes (p. 95-6):
When the deceased has departed the body he can see that the share of food is being set aside, that the body is being stripped of its garments, that the place of the sleeping rug is being swept; can hear all the weeping and wailing of his friends and relatives, and although he can see them and can hear them calling upon him, they cannot hear him calling upon them, so he goeth away displeased.
What's next?
'The dead...was brought to the shore of that lake (Acherusia), and to the foot of a tribunal consisting of several judges, who inquired into his life and conversation.' (Fellows, p. 3). This is an ancient account of the travel of both the spiritual and the physical body. The key was the crossing of a barrier of no return and the judgment which accompanied the journey (See Fig. 1). These two points were made by Moody (1977) and recounted in steps 10 and 11 in the first part of this article. The judgment is not imposed by some moralistic deity or archangel but is one of clear and self determination (See Moody 1988, Atwater 1988, Ring 1980). We as Masons should realize we can be our most severe judge when we reflect upon our obligations. This is more true when one reaches the objective perspective of one's spiritual self. Atwater does note that the judgment is in terms of love, not some moralistic dogma. A Mason would ask: 'Have we used the tool of a Master Mason to cement Fraternal love both within and without the Lodge?'
Many years ago a friend described her near death experience (NDE). She was in a beautiful field, surrounded by flowers. A white sun shown brightly. She was told by a being of light (See Figure 2 & 3) that she had a choice. If she wished to continue all she had to do was to climb over the fence at the edge of the field. She looked and was fully aware of the meaning behind the choice. On the other side of the fence she saw more of the same beautiful panorama with magnificent buildings far in the distance (see Figure 4). But the one thing that came to her mind was: 'Where is my husband?' He had died several years before and she expected him to be waiting for her. She asked her guide. The response was that he was not there at present. Then she thought about the response and felt her husband's thoughts. She was still needed by her children, even though they were grown. At that point she decided to return, whereupon she found herself conscious in her hospital room. (2)
This experience is not unlike the soul's journey described by the Thompson River Tribes of British Columbia (Eliade, 1967, p. 366-7):
As the deceased reaches the entrance (to the other world), he hears people on the other side talking, laughing, singing, and beating drums. Some stand at the door to welcome him and call his name. On entering, a wide country of diversified aspect spread out before him. There is a sweet smell of flowers and an abundance of grass, and all around are berry-bushes laden with ripe fruit. The air is pleasant and still, and it is always light and warm.
The ascent to the heavenly abode is what usually follows. In most primitive tribes this is described as the ascent by the climb up a ladder, the being carried away by a great spirit bird (see Figure 1 in Part 1). In the Western World a flight of stairs or upward passage is described in the Bible as Jacob's ladder or similar descriptions by various mystics in Christian history. (3) In Masonry we see the means of ascent pictured on paintings and tressel boards as Jacob's Ladder. We see on these old tressel boards the ladder clearly reaching past the clouds to the bright stars above. In the rituals the ascent can be the literal or figurative stairs, the rough roads and bridges, or the ascent after finding that which was lost. In each case, the Masonic rituals bestow more 'light' on the candidate after the symbolic ascent. In the same way the NDE gives light to the traveler after its journey up the tunnel. Similar descriptions follow the out of the body sensations of those involved in meditation and shamanistic practices. While 'traveling' on the other planes they often see the same landscapes and beings as NDEers. An example are the experiences of individuals who participated in shamanistic seminars. (4) Out of a group of 22 participants all but two were able to achieve out of the body experience (see Tart 1969, 1975, Eliade, 1964, and Harner). A commonality of experience and descriptions, independent of each other, tended to confirm the experiences. The overall impression is the beauty of the field and flowers. Most of the flora were recognized by any botanist but a few were considered strangely beautiful, 'beyond earthly description.' Almost all participants saw a zoological paradise with animals of every description. The animals on this plane of existence included a host of mythological creatures including, unicorns, dragons, griffins, etc., all peacefully lounging around the landscape. (5)
One participant described the fields and pastures as the fields of knowledge and existence past, present, and future, where myth and reality join together in a living world. Souls of the deceased were found on various levels. One level which was described, 'like an unemployment office' filled with souls who never gained the knowledge of where to go. This would be the plane where two of Atwater's participants describe a 'hell' like place. Other planes were filled with joyous souls, angels, and beings of light bathed in the pure love.
The interesting thing about the experience was the opportunity to choose. Entering would be of NDEer's own free will and accord. Also the description of the green fields of flowers and trees, of beautiful buildings in the distance, all follow descriptions given by others who have seen the world beyond (see Moody 1988, and Atwater 1988) . These descriptions parallel those of shamans in the various levels of the under and upper worlds. The descriptions could be applied to 'The Temple not made with human hands. . . ' often referred to in various Masonic rituals.
The freedom to choose is related to the feeling of great knowledge. Knowledge sufficient to make the spiritually correct choice (Moody, 1977, 10-11).
There was a field of knowledge: It seemed that all of a sudden, all knowledge of all that had started from the very beginning, that would go on without end that for a second I knew all the secrets of all ages, all the meaning of the universe, the stars, the moon of everything. But after I chose to return, this knowledge escaped, and I can't remember any of it.
The occultists call this the Akashic Records, the place where all knowledge of all times is kept. It is accessible to any who can obtain the ability to reach this plane. The problem is reaching the plane and returning with the knowledge. Few, if any are successful. In Hinduism it is the becoming one with all life: 'And when life thus departs, all the vital breaths depart after him. He becomes one with the Supreme Intelligence. What has intelligence departs with him. His knowledge and his work take hold of him as also his past experience' [Brihadaranyaka Upanishad] (Eliade, 1967, p. 335, also see Atwater 1988). To the Greeks it was drinking from the Lake of Memory (4 century B.C. gold plates in Greek Eliade, 1967, p. 358, also see Fellows, p. 142):
Thou shalt find to the left of the House of Hades a spring,
And by the side thereof standing a white cypress.
To this spring approach not near.
But thou shalt find another, from the Lake of Memory
Cold water flowing forth, and there are guardians before it.
Say, 'I am a child of Earth and starry Heaven;
But my race is of Heaven (alone). This ye know yourselves.
But I am parched with thirst and I perish. Give me quickly
The cold water flowing forth from the Lake of Memory.
And of themselves they will give thee to drink of the cold spring,
And thereafter among the other heroes thou shall have lordship.
Upon return Atwater (p. 77-94) describes the NDEer as having a brain shift with three distinct changes associated with the expanded knowledge. The NDEer often has expanded sensitivities and is more psychic. They have a harder time differentiating time senses and references since on the other world, all knowledge, past, present, and future is available to them. The poor ability to recognize limits and cultural boundaries since the experience, makes day to day life functions so nonessential in a spiritual sense. All the changes must be understood to deal appropriately with those who have had a NDE.
In a similar way Masonry takes the allegories of the past and applies them to the present and future of the candidate. A new world of knowledge and philosophy is opened with every new degree. Likewise I have known some Masons who when meditating and internalizing their experiences in the Lodge have expanded their psychic and spiritual awareness in much the way Foster Bailey and Wilmshurst describe in their respective books on the Craft.
Most important, NDEs confirm the great lesson of Masonry: All life on earth is one; All mankind become our brothers. God lives! Atwater describes how she and other NDEers now believe in the unity of life. But we as Masons have had that lesson with us all the time (Wilmshurst, p. 133-4):
Life is fundamentally one, a unity though distributed into many separated lives and divided into separate self-contained kingdoms, as compartments of a ship are divided by decks and bulkheads. It is 'an ever-rolling stream,' a stream that pours through those kingdoms in a continuous flow which is never more than momentarily checked by the forms (or bodies) it flows through, which are as it were but little eddies and vortices in the stream; and these forms, from the lowest to the most highly evolved, are devised and adjusted to raising consciousness to progressively higher levels. Nature, in a word, is a system of restricted consciousness in perishable bodies, leading up to unrestricted consciousness in an ultranatural immortal body.
For those returning to the body who have experienced the field of universal knowledge, there are lasting after effects of an intellectual nature. The lessons of the Second Degree in Masonry take on real meaning to them. The importance of knowledge and learning are internalized. Science, history, all fields associated with math become more interesting to the individuals. Geometry takes on new meaning. They have seen the great geometric patterns upon which the universe is built. Each sphere, cone, spiral brings new understanding of the importance of geometric forms. With the renewed interest in geometry, arithmetic also becomes more interesting. Numbers are the keys to understanding not only the geometric patterns but of the hidden side of nature.
The arts and social sciences are not neglected. Music becomes a major focus. Those once attracted to rock or the less harmonious forms of music, usually reject the old favorites for the more harmonious melodies, of classical or even some 'new age' forms of music. Some have rejected all music as being inadequate expressions of the heavenly sounds heard while in the other world (see Atwater).
All is put together by a new logic. This logic is the product of being in the 'light of Truth.' This 'Truth' seen on the other side is not completely extinguished upon returning. What is interesting is the difficult time NDEers have with Grammar and day to day rhetoric. Small talk and daily conversation often become labored and near impossible for the NDE survivor. They see far beyond the average individual and have been blessed with a knowledge beyond the comprehensions of the physical forms they have returned to. Grammar and rhetoric seem limiting and restricting, but when expressed are carefully chosen (See Atwater, Ch. Chapter 3 for additional discussion on all these effects). The NDEer has manifested the ideal found in the Fellow Craft's degree. We as Masons should now realize how important that degree is and how it can be applied to the understanding of the world above which will become our ultimate dwelling. Likewise this new reality will often leave them the impression that they are the craftsman from the Mark Degree, whose work is not accepted since it is beyond the comprehension of the common man.
With the knowledge, the logic, the light, be it of the ideals found in Masonry or from experiencing first hand, the other side, comes a change. For both the NDEer and the Mason who has understood and explored the inner meaning of the rituals and symbols of the Craft, his whole life is energized and transformed into a higher morality. Certain 'Truths' must be rived. All mankind are part of a great brotherhood and we must respect and treat them as part of our family. The love within the Lodge should be manifested throughout the whole world. God is real and when we do His Will, we are walking in his path and aiding the building of the heavenly temple. NDE (See Moody, 1977, 1988, Atwater, 1988) and Masonry (read Steinmetz, Haywood, Bailey, Whilmshurst) have the same effect, or should have; a great desire to learn more about ones own spiritual nature and his/her place in God's tressel board, how to live in His Light. 'What has life or death to do with light? In the image of My light I have made you. The relativities of life and death belong to the cosmic dream. Behold your dreamless being! Awake, My child, awake!' (Yogananda, 317-8).
The importance of LOVE as the supreme religion is what rules the heavenly world. All the mistaken theologies of a vengeful God, of a God who favors one people over another, of a God whose principals are encompassed in one religion over another, are dissolved once we reach the other reality. Atwater (op. ct.) and NDEers even describe the being of light, who becomes our guide to the other world, as having a sense of humor. When told: 'My church didn't say it would be like this,' he would laugh. When given reasons why one should return to the physical he would also express amusement. (6) The importance of love the fact that all are equal in God's eyes. All religions are likewise equal in representing only a part of God' s Truth. This reaffirms the basic Masonic tenants of the Brotherhood of Mankind, under the Fatherhood of God (Haywood, 1971, 99-100):
...It is as if the Fraternity said to its children, 'Here is the great substructure, the mother rock under your feet, on which you must each one build your own house of religions; what manner of temples you build, and in what style, and where, and how high, that I shall leave to you individually; but on the substructure of belief in God, in brotherhood, and in immortality, you must build, else you do not belong to me.'
Conclusion
I have tried to show what the various researchers in thanatology have found and how it reaffirms the basic lessons of Freemasonry. A Mason who has this knowledge will not fear death but welcome the warm and friendly arm of his Deacon returning to the Grand Lodge above. 'From whence he came and to which he is returning.'
The object of these articles is to help Masons understand the truly religious and spiritual nature of the Craft. It is the spiritual and religious nature of the Craft that has not been taught for fear of stepping on the toes of the personal beliefs of the members. But the greatest importance of the Craft is to teach a means of knowing your inner self. Once armed with the knowledge and love within the Lodge and ourselves, spreading it to the outer world is our greatest duty. Only then, in this member's view, will our ranks become filled, our doors constantly knocked upon. Our Great Fraternity will once again be the beacon of Light and Moral guidance not only for the country but the world.
All the NDEs related here are from the perspective of non-Masons. but within Masonic literature we do have one glowing example. Bro. Wilmshurst in his wonderful book Masonic Initiation describes his experience on the other plane in terms which every Mason should recognize (Wilmshurst, pp. 156-158):
I raised myself and looked round. Standing near me I saw one whom, instantly and instinctively, I recognized as my hitherto unseen friend and brother, the concealed interior monitor, to whom I had previously addressed my appeals for counsel. What a mighty, glorious being he was as he stood there, a dazzle of flame-like hair circling his fine head, his feet also winged with wreathing harmless fire; his person white-robed with a garment that seemed, not put on, but to grow from and be an integral part of him, and about his neck and loins the shimmering blue and gold clothing of, to my amazement, a Grand Lodge Officer. In one hand he bore a tall crystal wand like a deacon's, and his other arm held a golden thyrsos or caduceus.
We both smiled a recognition when our eyes met. I discerned that he was waiting there till I was sufficiently rested.
'Where are we?' I asked.
'In the Aula Latomorum!'
'Freemason's Hall!'--my thought translated his words, and then as swiftly went on by habit; 'Great Queen Street, London, W.C.2. But surely not there!' And I saw that his mind read mine though I spoke not.
'No, not there. That is far below you now; far removed, yet not so much by distance as by difference of conscious state.'
'Then where am I?'
'In the candidate's preparing-room of the Aula Latomorum; the Supreme Universal Lodge of all Builders in the Spirit what you have heard of as The Grand Lodge Above.'
I began to protest that I was unfitted for, and had no title to admission to, such a place, but he checked me, saying:- 'You have sought, asked, knocked, though you did not know it. That forms your title to admission. Your search for wisdom, your continued askings for light, did not pass unobserved by the Eye that watches here, that never slumbers nor sleeps. Your blind strivings after truth were heard as knocks upon our door, and for you that door will be open. You are being awaited within. Come, we will enter the Lodge!' And he placed a gentle but powerful arm around me.
I still hesitated, but the bracing vitality of his presence and touch countered my weakness and gave me tenseness and courage. Nevertheless, as we began to move away, I turned and looked back upon my sleeping body in the gloom at my feet, with its head couched upon the rude dark stone,--the poor, poor rags of myself. From it, linking me with it, I saw issuing a slender silvery streak, a phosphorescent filament faintly visible against its violet background.
'That,' said my guide, 'is your cabletow, by which you shall be restored later on to the blessing of your material comforts:--if, indeed, comforts they be to you,' he added with a laugh. 'They are a blessing, nevertheless, for without them you could never have reached or entered here. Now come!'
'What is that glorious music?' I asked, as we passed up a great stairway, the steps of which his fire-winged feet scarcely touched, for its tomes grew louder, richer, as we ascended, and its waves rolled out upon me like ocean billow.
'Pending your arrival, the Grand Organists playing selections from the Music of the Spheres for the healing of your bruised spirit. . .This Lodge, the heavens, yes, and the earth beneath, are all built and held together by that music, though few of you in the world have ears to hear it.’
So we passed on. . . to the Grand Lodge Above (see figure 5).
So, let us continue to meet, act, and part in brotherhood knowing the blessings of the Great Architect (no matter what name our faith calls Him) are upon all true and faithful brothers throughout the world. And when our work is done and the Grand Master of All calls us to labor again, our place in the Grand Lodge on High will be waiting.
Bibliography
Atwater, P.M.H. Coming Back to Life: the After-Effects of the Near-Death Experience, Ballantine Book, New York, NY 1988.
Bailey, Foster, The Spirit of Masonry, Lucis Publishing co., New York, NY 1957.
Castells, F. DeP.: The Apocalypse of Freemasonry; A. Lewis, London, England, 1925. The Genuine Secrets of Freemasonry Prior to A . D. 1717, A . Lewis London, England, 1971.
Eliade, Mircea: Shamanism: Archau Techniques of Ecstasy, Bollingen Press, Princeton, University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1964, From Primitives to Zen Harper and Row, 1967.
Gallup, George, Jr., Adventures in Immortality, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 1982.
Hamilton, Edith and Huntington Cairns, (eds.) The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Bollingen Series 71, Pantheon Books, New York, 1961.
Haywood, H L., The Great Teachings of Masonry Macoy Masonic Publishing co., Richmond, Virginia.
MacLain, Shirley, Out on a Limb, New York, NY, Bantam Books, 1983.
Moody, R.A., Life After Life, Atlanta, Mockingbird Books, 1975, Reflections on Life After Life Atlanta, Mockingbird Books, 1977; The Light Beyond, Bantam Books, New York, 1988.
Ring, Kenneth, Life at Death, Coward, McCann & Georghegan, New York, NY, 1980.
Steinmetz, G H., Freemasonry: Its Hidden Meaning Richmond, VA, Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1976.
Tart, c., (ed.) Altered States of Consciousness, New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1969, States of Consciousness, New York E.P. Dutton & co., 1975.
Wilmshurst, W.L., The Masonic Initiation, London, Rider & co., n.d.
Yogananda, P., Autobiography of a Yogi, Los Angeles, Self-Realization Fellowship, 1972.
Footnotes
1. This is a brief review of the stages experienced by those declared clinically dead and resuscitated as described in Moody 1975.
2. See Moody, 1977, p. 15-18 for similar descriptions.
3. See Atwater and Moody, 1988, also Eliade, 1964 for extensive descriptions from a Shamanistic perspective.
4. The seminars I mention here were conducted by Dr. Michael Harner. Dr. Harner was the head of the Anthropology Department at the New School for Social Research in New York in the 70's. He has authored several books and has done extensive ethnographic research on several tribes in South America, and is an expert on the Aztec culture of prehistoric Mexico. He also heads the Center for Shamanistic Studies in Connecticut.
5. The description of the saints prior to receiving the Light of Christ and the description of the Buddha when the armies of Mara attacked him prior to his final enlightenment all speak of the attack by the beasts attempting to hold back from divine inspiration the soul of about to surpass their own abilities to achieve the true spiritual light. Examples of these creatures can be seen in the art of many religious painters of the 14th through 17th centuries.
6. Atwater gives the example of one woman who said she had not danced enough, whereupon the being laughed and sent her back.
Comments from the Editor
The memorial for Louis Lenway Williams was taken from the work of Francis Paul of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction Supreme Council. We are grateful for the work of Illustrious Brother Paul and can think of no one who could have written a better memorial to one of the pillars of Freemasonry.
In the "Full of Sound and Fury" column a letter from Brother Jacques Litvine castigates Hampton Harley for a passing reference to another Masonic rite. The three places where Brother Harley obtained his information are "A Pocket History of Freemasonry " by Pick and Knight: 1977, Mackey's Freemasonry Volume II and: "The Craft" by John Hamill; 1986. This is not intended as a complaint about any brethren. Letters I receive are printed in my column if I think they are interesting enough. I will forward them to the author if they are a private complaint. However, I seldom answer letters with a minor complaint. If I were to answer all of this mail I would have to hire a full time secretary. Letvine's letter appears in this issue.
When you send me an article and want it back, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope and I will return it if I reject it. If I do not return it, I will eventually use. However, do not attempt to hold me to your publication schedule. I am working nearly a year in advance in planning the magazine.
----o----
by Alon L. McMillian, MPS (Texas)
Notice that there is no question mark or exclamation mark at the end of this title. Note, also, that this is not accidental. I hope I have uttered the title without any undue inflection, which would give you a clue as to how I intend to proceed. Punctuation would give it away, but...I won't keep you waiting longer.
We will approach this subject from two directions.
One is indicated by the question mark, as in "Whaddya mean, Ask him?" It indicates the inquiring mind, the seeker of answers to difficult questions; an open-minded person.
The other is indicated by the exclamation mark, as in "Whaddya mean, Ask him!" It indicates the reaction of most other people.
Let's take a look at both of these positions.
First, there is an overwhelming abundance of literature that indicates that one simply cannot ask someone else to become a Mason. Or at least, it has not been done that way for generations.
The Grand Lodge laws, in Title V Chapter 2, Article 505, Masonic Offenses, defines that " . . .every violation of the Constitution, Laws, Resolutions, or Edicts of this Grand Lodge, Or Usages And Customs Of Masonry (emphasis added). . . is a Masonic Offense. "
So, clearly, if it is a usage or custom of Masonry not to ask someone to petition, then doing so violates Grand Lodge law and is a Masonic offense.
Look at items 2 and 3 under Article 398 of Grand Lodge Law, where the candidate is required to respond to two statements:
"...2. Do you sincerely declare, upon your honor, that, unbiased by friends and uninfluenced by mercenary motives, you freely and voluntarily offer yourself as a candidate for the mysteries of Masonry?
...3. Do you seriously declare, upon your honor, that you are prompted to solicit the privileges of Masonry by a favorable opinion conceived of the institution, a desire for knowledge, and a sincere desire to be of greater service to your fellow man? "
This says "you freely and voluntarily offer yourself." It does not say "after a lot of arm twisting by a friend. " It also does not say "in response to an invitation." It does say that you freely and voluntarily did it. The second part of the above seems to imply that you have been living in somewhat of a vacuum and have nothing but the purest of motives, and highest of ideals in petitioning. You have a favorable opinion of Masonry, want to know more, and want to serve others. This lofty idealism may be suspect. And, so that you will not think that this is my idea alone, let me refer to an article in the Little Masonic Library, Volume V, entitled " In my heart. " In this article "The Old Past Master" says, plainly, that most men do not seek Masonry for these reasons, but rather because other men whom they know are Masons, or their fathers were Masons, or because they are curious, or "even because they believe a Masonic membership will help them succeed."
Don't answer this question aloud, but how many of those reasons applied to your own case? How many men do you know in the Lodge to whom one or more of these reasons applied?
"The Old Past Master" also points out that even though some may come into the Craft under something less than the idealistic motivation, they remain to become good or even outstanding Masons. I think I know a few of those, myself.
Carl Claudy, in his Introduction to Freemasonry, brings symbolism into the picture. He describes the petitioner experiencing his first Masonic symbol "when he receives from the hands of a friend the petition for which he has asked. "
Elbert Bede, in Introduction to Freemasonry lists, as a landmark, "Petitioners must come of their own free will. "
Claudy raises a very good point in support of the long standing policy of not asking. That is that Masonry is for all times. When a man becomes a Mason it is not for just a while, but for ever. Even though he may drop out of active participation, demit, or perhaps be expelled from the Fraternity, he is still a Mason at heart and his obligations have not expired. Claudy's point is that if a man has been asked to join he could conceivably say, in justification of his failure to follow his obligations, that he was pressured, and "overpersuaded." Succinctly, "He who is not first prepared to be a Freemason in his heart, that is, of his own free will and accord, can never be one. "
Now here we have used an expression for the first time in this paper, that all Masons have heard and recited numerous times. It is "free will and accord."
For instance, Henry Wilson Coil, in his " A Comprehensive View of Freemasonry" speaks of the candidate "who ordinarily seeks admission of his own free will and accord."
Arthur Edward Waite's "A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry" says that "no person may be unduly persuaded to become a Mason. It is correct to say that he must not be persuaded at all..."
Several of the Masonic exposures quoted extensively by Harry Carr in his various works on Masonry have the candidate answering variously "of my own free will and accord" or "of my free will. "
In one article, Brother Carr quotes the English Book of Constitutions where the form of Declaration that must be signed by a candidate says "I...being a freeman...declare that, unbiased by IMPROPER (emphasis supplied) solicitation of friends...do freely and voluntarily offer myself a candidate. . . " Although this may seem to imply that a PROPER solicitation might be acceptable, Brother Carr makes a distinction and lays down three "rules . " Carr' s rules may be summarized as 1) the candidate must have opened the discussion himself, 2) don't make it easy for him--draw him out on his interest, and 3) if you have any doubt about him, drop it there because to go further would be "improper solicitation."
And there are other citations dating back to the 1700's and early 1800's which leave no doubt that freedom of choice was inherent in the act of becoming a Mason.
For one, the Wilkinson Manuscript of about 1727 contains the following,
"Q. How came you to be made a Mason?
A. By my own Desire and ye recommendation of a friend."
And in another, in 1737, it is reported that the candidate is asked if he had a "vocation" to be make a Mason. Use of "vocation" casts a slightly different, sterner, more idealistic light upon the question. Was he "called" to join the Craft, in an almost spiritual sense as compared to having been persuaded by a friend?
Brother Allen Roberts, in his "The Craft and its Symbols, " emphasizes that you asked for membership, sought admission of your own free will, and were free to stop anywhere along the way.
Brother, and Doctor, George French, in an article dating back to 1071-1972 opposes removal of what he calls the "Doctrine of the Unsolicited Petition," fearing that to do so would in time lead to membership campaigns. Brother French rests comfortably, on the position that the usage "of his own free will and accord" can not be misunderstood.
But, that's enough, for now, about the long-standing emphasis on "free will and accord." It does not seem to have rested on a statutory basis. But, there can be no doubt, in view of the preponderance of documentation, that it has been a well-established usage in Masonry for well over 200 years.
So the "Whaddya mean, ask him!" group has a lot of history and support on its side of the question.
Numerous writers, however, have penned long articles about the current state of Masonry in which they have bemoaned the decline in membership and wondered what could be done about it.
And the decline is serious. In my own Lodge, for instance, we had about 813 members in 1920. Membership peaked in 1965 at 1,241, and has now declined to the current level of 756. This is less than we had some 70 years ago. While we receive a petition for the Mysteries from time to time, and maintain a fairly steady, although light, level of work, it is in no way like it was in the 1960's. Then we had 25 or 30 candidates working in various Degrees at all times. We have had some recent years where we had 30-plus deaths and raised only 8 or 10 new Masons. Indeed, it is serious.
We should be reminded that in the earlier days, Masonry enjoyed a somewhat constant growth, although maybe somewhat erratic in some periods. Also, that given its derivation from operative Masonry, the apprentice was accustomed to going on into the " Lodge " as an Entered Apprentice without having to be asked. And, during generations of sustained growth, it may well have never been necessary to consider asking someone to become a Mason. Masonry's light may have shone brightly enough to attract ample petitioners without any overt acts on the part of its members. Today, obviously, it is not doing so.
The Grand Lodge of Texas, as this is being written, is about to meet in its annual communication and consider, among other things, a serious, well funded, professionally designed and administered public relations program to PROMOTE MASONRY. This is part of an effort to stop and reverse the decline in membership. But,--and this leads to the subject of the present paper--one of the principles of salesmanship is that one must "close" the sale--ask the prospect to buy the product. This step has not been addressed publicly to my knowledge.
Let's look at "closing the sale" or the "Whaddya mean, ask him?" side of the coin.
First, there is no doubt, and can be no doubt, that given the present state of the record, you and I simply cannot ask someone to become a Mason. Not as in "Why don't you join the Lodge?"
But, Brother G. Lloyd Collier, in a paper entitled "Whither York Rite Masonry?" said something so well that I wish it had been my own idea, and at least I want to quote it to you. He said " . . .the seven last words of any organization, Masonry included, are 'We've never done it that way before. "'
He develops a theme that society has changed drastically from the early days of Masonry. He asks, of those who joined Masonry, how many did it because of the attraction of Masonry rather than because of respect for a relative who was a Mason. He points out that the first question students ask today about any organization is "how is it going to help me in my career?" He further suggests that we should be careful not to confuse form with substance in Masonry--that our ritual is not the "message" of Masonry. And, finally, he reiterates that "...the societal conditions under which speculative Freemasonry has existed since its inception are changing and changing rapidly in this part of the world," and that changes must be made to meet the new situation.
Can we change?
You bet we can IF GRAND LODGE approves the change.
But, you say, the eleventh thing a Master-Elect agrees to in his Installation, is that "You admit that it is not in the power of any man, or body of men, to make innovations in the body of Masonry..." That's an "atta-boy." You are right. But somewhere along the way, since the early 1700's, the words "without the consent first obtain'd of the Grand Lodge" that were in the earlier writings seem to have disappeared. As originally written, and I believe subscribed to today in our own Grand Lodge, those of us meeting as members of the Grand Lodge have the power to change things.
If not, how did we drop the one blackball rule in favor of multiple black balls? How can we, as proposed, eliminate two of the sections of the E.A. Questions and Answers? How did we get them in there in the first place? How did we change from the practice of opening and conducting our Lodge business in the Entered Apprentice? How have we made numerous other changes. Why do we meet each December to consider various Resolutions and Recommendations brought to the floor?
Item XI of the Installation Ceremony simply means that I, as one man, cannot change anything that the Grand Lodge has adopted . Neither can you and I, together, as men. We can do it only in a duly constituted meeting of Grand Lodge as voting members of Grand Lodge. But it can be done.
A fundamental, basic question, if you please.
What does "free will and accord" mean?
Roget's Thesaurus gives synonyms of "Freewill (choice)" as "selection, election, preference, decision, pick, choosing, free choice, will, volition." It gives "own freewill" as "own account, own accord, own hook, own say so, own discretion, own choice, own initiative."
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines Free to mean "freedom from outside domination" and free will as "voluntary choice or decision (I do this of my own free will)."
Another dictionary gives solicitation as "an earnest request, entreaty," and will as "the power of the mind to decide and do; deliberate control over thought and action."
That's enough definition for the moment.
When Brother Ford asked me to write a paper for The Philalethes, he was soliciting me to do so. When I agreed, it was by my own free will. He did not, would not and could not force me to do something against my will in this case. I can find nothing evil in his actions. Neither has his action improved or worsened the quality of this paper--such as it is.
And, more to the point, aren't we being a little inconsistent if we insist that one cannot invite a worthy person to become a member of the Fraternity, but is free to invite him to join any number of appendant bodies after he has become a Blue Lodge member?
The Masons present almost certainly have experienced the membership drives of the appendant bodies--either as a member in the "Rah! Rah! go out and get more members" exhortation at a meeting, or as one who has been barraged with solicitations to join. I well recall the numerous strong suggestions hints; pleas; and yes, demands that ,I should join something beyond the Blue Lodge. After some 12 or 15 years, it must have worked because I took the York Rite, later the Shrine, and still later the Scottish Rite. I was 40 when I was Raised in Blue Lodge. Would I have become a Mason sooner IF ASKED? Probably. Would Masonry or I have been better off? This one I can't answer, but I can say that I would have had more years to enjoy Masonry if I had petitioned at 21 or 22 instead of 39.
In this regard Grand Master Marvin E. Fowler wrote in the Knight Templar magazine in October, 1989, that " Improper solicitation is always wrong and should never be condoned. But a discreet and proper invitation to another to become a member of the Masonic body of which you are a member is a compliment and is usually interpreted as such by your friend. " I think I would carry this one step farther knowing what I do today of Masonry, and would have felt it a compliment to have been asked to join initially.
Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia states that it is sometimes said that the statement that the Candidate signs to the effect that he petitions of his own free will and accord and because of a favorable opinion of the Fraternity precludes his having been invited. This is followed by the statement, "This is obviously not so, for merely answering an invitation does not mean that one goes against his will."
Coil's statement raises a question. Have we really thought through, carefully, and rationally, what the words "freewill" and "accord" really mean?
Yes, there is a danger that opening up the doors to permit a member to ask someone to join might be abused and result in men being admitted who are not worthy of being a Mason.
But, if this should happen, Masonic jurisprudence provides a way to cast out the truly unworthy. I would hope this would not become necessary because I would expect my Brethren to ask only those of their acquaintances with whom they themselves would want to associate.
One final aspect to be considered is the framing of the question when and if one should be permitted to ask another. Great care should be given here to developing guidelines so that the "asker" will not pressure the invitee in any way that could or would be obnoxious or negate the invitee's "freedom" of will or choice, but yet let it be known to a prospective member that his petition would be welcomed.
So to wind this up, where are we?
The "Whaddya mean, Ask him! " folks have much strength on their side. Tradition, usage, history all support them.
The "Whaddya mean, Ask him?" folks probably have an uphill climb ahead of them in making the change discussed above. But, with the approval of Grand Lodge the change can be made.
The change might permit us to "capture" membership of truly worthy men who don't know how to go about becoming a Mason, or who just need a little gentle nudge to come in to the fold. This just might go a long way toward reversing the decline in membership.
Neither side should permit the "we've never done it that way" syndrome to close their minds to well-thought out proposals for the good of Masonry.
You've been a great audience, so I'll close by saying " Thank you " and "THINK ABOUT IT."
----o----
Wolfie and Hiram Join The Big Parade
by Elliot A. Saron, MPS
One day Wolfie and Hiram were hanging around the house when Hiram's wife, Marian, decided that, since she planned to do some housework, it would be best if Hiram took Wolfie out for a walk and then played in the yard for a while until she finished her chores. Both Wolfie and Hiram were very enthusiastic about that proposition, and off they went. While they were playing ball in the front yard, the postman drove up to deliver the mail. He, too, was a Mason, and after he and Hiram shook hands, he also played a brief ball game with Wolfie.
Among the letters the postman delivered was one from no less a person than the Grand Master of Masons himself, inviting Hiram to join with the other Masons the next Saturday to march with him in the big parade to raise money for some very important Masonic Charities. One of these was a hospital which takes care of crippled children, enabling them to lead happy lives and become productive citizens. Another is a home out in the country for those elderly Masons, their wives and widows who could no longer take care of themselves.
Wolfie immediately got the idea that something was afoot, and he did not like it one bit! After all, Saturday was a day that Hiram was supposed to stay home with him and romp around. Hiram started to explain to Wolfie why he had to join with the Grand Master in marching in the big parade. Wolfie was very unhappy and let Hiram know it.
When Hiram and Wolfie returned to the house, Marian saw Wolfie and asked Hiram what the problem was. Hiram told her, and she immediately agreed with Wolfie...but for another reason. Hiram had promised her that next Saturday he would drive her to a couple o~ "classy" stores so that she could buy a dress for the big dinner dance that was being held the week after the parade to raise money for the Grand Master's favorite charity, a research laboratory where top scientists and doctors seek cures for many dread diseases from which human beings suffer.
Well, Hiram was now really in the "dog house! "
Just then, the phone rang and Hiram answered. It was his Lodge Brother, Dick, who told Hiram that he planned to march with the Grand Master and that his wife, Sarah, would like to speak to Marian. Sarah invited Marian to join with her and other wives to help out at the Masonic Temple to cook up sausages and make potato salad for a big collation after the parade. She also invited Marian to go shopping with her on Sunday afternoon because she, too, needed to buy a dress. Marian, who, like Sarah, was a very good cook, agreed. But Wolfie sat there and looked forlorn. He let Hiram and Marian both know that he knew they were going to the big parade and then the big collation, but where did that leave him?
The week passed. The day of the parade drew nigh. Wolfie wasn't even keen on romping around with Hiram. Hiram tried to explain to Wolfie how important this parade was, since it was being held to raise money for charity. He also explained that the Masons should show the community who they were and what they stood for. And he also explained that this particular parade would serve to bring many men of different countries, sects and opinions together who, if it weren't for Freemasonry, would have remained perpetually at a distance.
Hiram went on to explain that many of the Masons marching in this parade came from a far-off land which, in a very dark period of history, was ruled by a very evil man who was full of hatred. Among the people this evil man hated were the Masons, because they believed in and practiced friendship, charity and brotherly love. The Masons in that land could not wear their Square & Compasses insignia, because this evil man with his cowardly bullies did many vicious things to Masons when he found them. So those Masons identified themselves by wearing a flower called a "Forget-Me-Not! "
He also explained that another group of Masons came from another far distant land where Masonry flourishes. That land was ruled by a good and gracious King, who was a Mason himself, who indeed sat in his Lodge and met his Brethren from all walks of life upon the same Level. And when he parted company with them, it was upon the Square of morality and virtue. When the good King died, his daughter ascended the throne, and as she reigns as a gracious Queen, her consort, too, is a Free & Accepted Mason.
As the sun rose in the east, Hiram told Marian that he thought he might bring Wolfie to the big parade and have him join the line of march. Marian answered sharply, "You'll make a fool of yourself and Wolfie in front of the Grand Master. "
But Wolfie had heard what he wanted to hear. Hiram would take him to the "It's your Lodge and your dog, and you're such a big-shot, so do what you want." Hiram said, loudly and clearly "All right, let's go for it." Marian shrugged her shoulders in resignation and Wolfie thought that was the best thing he'd heard in over a month since he had attended the Lodge meeting.
Hiram got his Apron and regalia together. Marian drove him and Wolfie to the assembly place and then continued to the Masonic Temple. As soon as Hiram and Wolfie alighted from the car, Hiram could see that there were mixed feelings about Wolfie's joining the parade. Solomon the Master was glad to see Wolfie and bent down to pet him. He said that he thought it would be all right for Wolfie to march, but he was afraid the Grand Master might not approve. Most of the Brethren were very glad to see Wolfie. After all, he had attended the last meeting and they had made him a member of the Lodge.
Just then, a big open-top car pulled up, driven by the Grand Marshal and bearing the Senior Grand Deacon and the Grand Master himself, splendidly clad in his top hat, gauntlets and jewels. The Grand Master got out of the car and shook hands with all the Brethren. He then saw Wolfie and asked, "Who is that dog?" Hiram answered, "He's my dog, Wolfie."
Everyone fell silent, for they didn't realize that the Grand Master was indeed a kind and charitable man who chose to lead the Masons by precept and example. The Grand Master paused for a moment and everyone gasped. He then turned to Paul, the Lodge Secretary, and said, "I read your Lodge's minutes this week, and it seems I remember something about a Wolfie who visited the hospital with you and behaved very well while you conferred the Degree at the last meeting. "
Hiram proudly answered that he was indeed Wolfie and asked the Grand Master's permission to allow Wolfie to march in the parade. "March!" the Grand Master roared. " He's not marching! "
Hiram and Wolfie's hearts both sank.
The Grand Master then proclaimed, "He's riding with me in my car while you march with the Brethren!"
And so, Wolfie rode in triumph with the Grand Master for the whole parade, with the Grand Master waving at all the people, Wolfie barking at them, and everyone cheering the Masons.
When they arrived at the Temple, Marian was standing out front with Sarah and the Grand Master's wife Margie. When she saw Hiram marching with his Brethren without Wolfie, she became very upset. Then Margie saw the Grand Master' s car approaching and asked Marian who that dog was. Marian shook her head and said, "I don't believe it! "
Well, they all went downstairs for the big collation, and Marian made sure to bring some "nuggies" for Wolfie, while everyone else ate the sausages and potato salad. She gave Wolfie his "nuggies" but he didn't eat. He looked like he wanted something else. Margie saw this and asked Marian if she could mix a few tidbits of sausage into the "nuggies." Marian nodded. That was just what Wolfie wanted. He chowed down his "nuggies" with the sausages, just like the rest of the Masons, and dined in good fellowship with his Brethren and their ladies.
----o----
A column wherein our gentil readeres shake a lance at ignorance, at one another, at ye olde editor and on rare occasions even succeed in hittinge ye naile on ye heade.
Dear Brother Marsengill:
In the October 1990 issue of The Philalethes (page 28, middle column) Brother Allen Roberts, FPS, severely castigated, and justly so, the mindless antiMasonic attitude of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. In the process however, Bro. Roberts added some comments of his own:
"...It [the Missouri Synod] is highly disturbed, as are most fundamentalists, that something besides "grace " and the "blood of Christ" will help one go to Heaven. "Good Works," those folks strongly believe, are ignored by God and aren't considered necessary to join him in the Hereafter. Does this mean that we can steal, injure, and even murder a neighbor, go to a Lutheran Church, claim we believe in whatever the church says we should swallow, and receive absolution?. . . "
Having spent some time studying the Middle Ages in general and the Reformation in particular, and assuming that we readers of The Philalethes are all Masons in search of the Truth, I would like to offer the following remarks, as I believe clarifications are in order here, lest Brother Robert's comments be misunderstood by some. (Let me hasten to mention that I have no connection whatsoever with the Missouri Synod.)
First, we should keep reminding ourselves that in the Middle Ages, a major preoccupation of Man was the salvation of his soul, something seldom even considered nowadays as worthy of mention. At that time, the issue was whether one could help gain one's salvation by one's actions (deeds, prayers, alms, etc.) or whether to the contrary one was predestined to be saved, or damned.
By the end of the 14th century, "good works" had come to describe all the efforts Man could deploy to win for himself the good opinion of God. Until then, the Roman Church had always maintained that one could improve one's future lot in Heaven by actively participating in one's salvation, for instance by helping the poor, caring for the less fortunate, giving money to the Church, etc. By 1500 AD, the Church was actually selling indulgences to its followers, promising in return reduced time in Purgatory.
Martin Luther, appalled by what he considered to be pure inventions of the Church for the sole purpose of filling its coffers, instead reconsidered the whole problem of the relationship between Man and God in the light of Romans 1:17 " the Just shall live by faith." In the process, Luther developed his own theology which may be summarized as "sola Fides." Essentially, what Luther meant was that God chooses who will be saved, and to that effect, He directs his Grace to that human being. Man then answers God's message with his own faith, and nothing else since he has nothing to offer but his faith (hence "sola Fides.") The Just then, is he who is justified, i.e. chosen, recognized by God (Romans 3:24). On the other hand, if a particular individual is not chosen by God, there is nothing this person can do,--not even good works-as it is only the Almighty who can initiate the dialogue. Any other attitude, in Luther's mind, would have been sheer arrogance (hubris) on Man's part.
From Luther's perspective, all men are sinners (including those who, matching Bro. Roberts' definition, steal, injure and murder) yet this will not preclude some of them from being saved by the grace of God. The accent here is not on being a non-sinner (since, for Luther, sin is part and parcel of the very nature of Man), but on repenting. Incidentally, referring again to Bro. Roberts' remarks, one does not "go to a Lutheran Church and receive absolution. " That would better match the Catholic model, where the priest has been given the actual power to absolve another human being of his confessed sins. The Lutheran pastor has no similar quasi-magical powers: in the Lutheran tradition, one goes to Church and listens to the pastor announcing the remission of their sins to "all who believe and repent. " Indeed, for Luther, the remission of Man's sins can only be God's decision, which in return can only be accepted by Man's "sola Fides."
In addition, without reopening the debate of co-substantiation vs. trans-substantiation, let me offer the gross simplification that Luther's belief was that the eucharist and the wine actually represented the body and the blood of Christ, and that going to the communion table on a regular basis reinforced Man's ability to recognize his sins and eventually repent (see for instance Luther's "Small Catechism," Lenker Edition, vol. XXIV, pp. 28f). On the other hand, for John Calvin who believed that truth could only be found in the Scriptures, and specifically excluded all church traditions and embellishments, the eucharist was essentially symbolic (see 1 Cor. 11:24).
Although their position on the eucharist differed somewhat, it was an axiom for both Luther and Calvin that the belief in the power of "good works" was yet another example of Man's unbridled arrogance and audacity in the face of his Maker. Hence, the Missouri Synod's position to consider the grace of God and the "blood of Christ" (ie. the Euchrist) as necessary and sufficient for Man's salvation, is essentially in harmony with the teachings of Luther, and the Missouri Synod should not be criticized for doing what it is supposed to do in the first place, i.e. promote Luther's views. On the other hand, Bro. Roberts was perfectly right in firmly rebuking the Synod for meddling in matters outside of its moral jurisdiction.
From a purely Masonic point of view, if we do " good works, " it should not be, of course, to "help one go to Heaven" but because we simply want to help our fellow-men, without any ulterior motive in mind. We do it because it is the correct thing to do. Sincerely, Andre Kesteloot, MPS
Dear Brother Marsengill:
My colleague and friend Michel Brodsky who is a full member of the Q.C. Lodge sent me a copy of a brief and short paper dating back to Dec. 89, published in "The Philalethes, " and written by W. Bro. Hampton Harley about "Degrees, Rites and Orders."
It is not my intention to discuss that amusing & brief though instructing summary, but I would like to correct an asset given by Brother Hampton Harley about a maybe poorly known rite, in the U. S. at least, and so to add a stone to Bro. Hampton Harley's paper.
W. Bro. Hampton Harley, in the diagram given, delivers the affirmation that the "Scots Philosophic Rite" is a pseudoMasonic rite.
May I say, that that very affirmation is quite astonishing and a little frustrating.
The "Scottish Philosophic Rite," and not the Scots Philosophic Rite, (the label "Scots Philosophic Rite" is a mistake made by Gould, the French designation being "Rite or Regime Ecossais Philosophique" and not "Ecossais du rite philosophique," mistake corrected in Coil's Encyclopedia), was described above all by his last librarian and Grand Master Thory, in both of his books "Histoire Chronologique du Grand Orient de France" and "Acta Latomorum" and also by Clavel, a less renowned but also less credible French historian.
Gould and Coil later wrote about it for the English speaking reader, on the basis given by those two French historians.
Gould, for instance, wrote on volume V, pages 92-3, 117-9, and further on, on page 213 about Belgium, an almost relatively fair though short description of the Rite development and history, Rite which was founded in 1751 and not 1740 date probably found in a superficial lecture of the pages 91 & 117 of Gould's History of Freemasonry, mixing the Scots Lodges, the hermetic schools and the Scottish Philosophic Rite, a mistake made also in Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia.
The foundation date is 1751 and not 1740, when, a Scot Freemason named Dewalmon(?) gave credentials to a Lodge de Saint Jean d'Ecosse, and the place of foundation is Marseille and not Avignon.
Later on, in 1774 the 31 of July, Marseille amongst other numerous Lodges, installed a daughter Lodge, which became the Mother-Lodge of Avignon, Saint Jean d'Ecosse du Comtat-Venaissin and took a tremendous importance under the name of Saint Jean de la Vertu Persecutee, spreading the Rite all over the world, as Marseille did, giving birth to more or less 80 Lodges and above all to the Parisian Lodge of Saint Jean de Saint Lazare constituted in January 1774 on the Philosophic Rite (it was founded in 1766) and recognized by the Grand East on May 1776.
That Lodge took the name of "Saint Jean d'Ecosse du Contrat-Social," designation under which it acquired a real celebrity. The Mother-Lodge du Comtat Venaissin and of course Saint Jean de la Vertu Persecutee, had to close its doors in 1775, because of its to Hermetic "Academy's workings," academy or research cell which counted amongst its members and not as the founder Dom Pernety, closure motivated by an "Interdict" of the Holy See, Avignon being a papal possess.
The influence of the Rite was spread all over the world, Lodges being created in Constantinople (Istanbul), Lebanon, the north, the Netherlands, Belgium...etc.
On the contrary of the Mother Lodge of Marseille, which never accepted the Grand East supremacy, the MotherLodge Saint Jean d'Ecosse du Contrat-Social was part of the Grand-Orient de France, which is in no way "pseudo Masonic" in the 18th century.
The Rite held most renown annual Convents from 1778 till 1812. Those Convents gathered all Rites and nationalities, enjoyed a wide reputation for scholarship and had often a Hermetic outlook.
If Marseille gave birth to a seven and later 19 degrees rite, some inspired from the Illumines d'Avignon, the Academy des Vrais Macons de Montpellier, du rite de perfection, Paris had a 7 then 12 and finally, after Clavel, who was born in Marseille in 1798 and Worshipful of the Lodge La Clemente Amitie: 15th degrees.
It seems that the "high degrees" of the Parisian Lodge were exported to the United States and it is a proved fact that de Grasse-Tilly, co-inventor of the 33rd REAA, was a member of the Contrat Social Lodge and proposed the degree, back in France, first to his Lodge, which turned down the "gift" and finally offered it to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, with the success we know.
The Scottish Philosophical Rite was almost eradicated after the French revolution, for it suspended its works, its Grand Master and Masters being loyal to the King Louis XVI (we traced back a paper where the Grand Master recalls the Respect and Obey due to the King) and most of its members were beheaded. (Almost 5000 Free-Masons were "guillottines" during the terror.)
Under the Empire the "Regime Philosophique" flourished anew, the Parisian Mother-Lodge du Contrat-Social, merging with the Lodge of Saint Alexandre and the Rite created a number of Lodges in Paris (Les Commandeurs du Mont-Thabor, Le Grand Sphynx, the most renowned at the time) and in Brussels and Antwerp.
After the Empire disappearance, the Grand Master Thibeaudon who played the Empire game a little too closely, made the Rite become less popular, Rite on the other side overwhelmed in its high degrees by the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite and finally, according to Thory and the documents we own, ceased to exist in 1826, but survived officially and that is less known in Belgium till 1863.
In 1854 the Belgian Grand Orient attacked the Landmarks and in 1872, 5 years before France, suppressed the two first Landmarks.
That situation was a fatal blow to the Rite which couldn't be motivated in that context. The high degrees were conceded to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and the Rite resumed its working officially.
Still, the symbolic degrees of the Philosophical Rite influenced strikingly what is called the Belgian Modern Rite, and actually, the Lodge "La Parfaite Amitie No. 11 " founded in 1772 by the Marquis de Gages is still presenting regularly the symbolic degrees of the Rite in its original purity under the label "modern philosophical rite. "
The rituals are quite similar to those of "La Vertu Persecutee" (1774) and those of " Les Commandeurs du Mont-Thabor" (1880). The last representation in the first degree was honoured by the presence of the Grand Master J. van de Calseyde and the W. Bro. Rene Michel, Orator of the Dom Pernety Lodge No. 279 of Avignon.
Dear W Bro, may I remind you the end of the first paragraph of the page 119 of Gould’s volume 5: 'In spite of its theosophic and hermetic degrees, the Philosophical Rite merits our admiration for the high tone of its literay labours and the quality of its membership.
Dear Bro., reading the paper of Bro. Hampton Harley, I felt frustrated, if not shocked, to read that our Rite, our history and by the way we, were "pseudo" so I felt I had to give you those information you can check in Thory and Clavel of course, but also it Gould and Coil's encyclopedia.
If that matter interests you or Bro. Hampton Harley, we'll soon publish the modern philosophical rituals with a historical, and esoteric study of the Rite, in the three first degrees.
With my most fraternal greetings
W. Bro. Tacques Litvine
Grand Archivist-Librarian of the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium
Secretary of the Lodge "La Parfaite Amitie No. 11 " in the East of Brussels.
Dear Brother Marsengill:
I am writing this letter to comment upon the article The Lodge at Refreshment in the April issue of The Philalethes. I am pleased that the magazine was begun with so positive and stimulating an article as that written by Brother Hilliard.
I am convinced that we Freemasons are negligent when it comes to refreshment time. As Brother Hilliard points out, refreshment was an integral part of the Lodge in the past, (but has become less important in our time). My Lodge, and all others that I have visited, gives little care to either "the quality of its "food and drink" or "the comfort of its leisure surroundings. " Most Lodges think it appropriate to serve snacks or easy to prepare foods on paper plates. The dining room is usually furnished with folding chairs and tables and is about as comfortable and cheerful as a school cafeteria.
My Elks Lodge is, by comparison, carefully and comfortably appointed with pleasant round tables that seat eight, and real, chairs so that Brothers can eat in comfort. I particularly joined an Elks Lodge some distance from my home, in part, because of the pleasant surroundings. This Lodge serves meals to the public, except on meeting nights. The same kitchen and serving staff serve our Lodge dinners, so that it is unnecessary for any of the Brethren to perform such duties while the others relax and enjoy the occasion.
I realize most Lodges cannot afford such accommodations especially if their membership is small, but it seems unwise to neglect tie dining room to the degree that most Lodges do.
One of the reasons I joined the Masonic Lodge was to associate myself with people of quality and to enjoy their company in a convivial setting. I love our Ritual and Ceremonies and consider them essential to Masonry, but I like to relax in comfortable surroundings also and that is where we seem to fail. Furthermore when we have refreshments or especially dinners, I don't care to act as server or dishwasher, nor am I comfortable if some of my Brethren have to serve in such a capacity.
I would rather raise dues so as to afford a comfortable and pleasant dining room, or share facilities with a restaurant, or some sort of arrangement that would allow us to have our dinners served to us in some place other than a bare bones, unfurnished room.
I know of some Lodges who build and meet in a building large enough for the Lodge to use the upper floors and to rent out the lower floor to businesses. Here in California a restaurant is unlikely to rent from us, for our Grand Lodge Regulations forbid the serving of alcoholic beverages in any part of the building. While many Brothers would like to see the end to such a regulation, many others fear that without it our Lodges might turn into little more than private bars, as many Lodges have done.
I feel the ban on alcohol is an innovation, one that reflects the deep spirit of Puritanism which permeates our society. As Brother Hilliard points out, we seem to want to avoid even the very appearance of intemperance.
Nor is there no little risk should we permit alcohol at our refreshment. I would not feel comfortable having alcohol served while I was in the company of any but those who have proven to be of good character. I believe that we have been far too relaxed when it comes to the admission of candidates. some of our members would not be welcome in polite society and I fear that alcohol would aggravate the situation.
Further, I believe that while alcohol tends to encourage conviviality among Brethren, it may lead to awkward situations with mixed company. Our Craft was once exclusively male, (and I prefer it that way), but now, many of our meetings are attended by our wives and I think we all worry that alcohol might lead to uncomfortable situations while in their company.
However, I agree wholeheartedly with Brother Hilliard, about the importance of the festive board. Without it our Lodge is like a table with only two legs. Therefore,
* I submit that we Masons should again be a fraternal organization.
* Women should rarely be invited to our dining rooms.
* Proposers and Examining Committees should be charged with the utmost care in regards to Petitioners.
* Masons who wish regulations about alcohol to be relaxed, should make their wishes known to their Grand Lodge Officers and Representatives.
* Lodges should investigate the advantages that might come of building facilities adequate not only for their Lodge but for renting out to businesses that would enhance the Lodge, (restaurants, barber shops and caterers come to mind).
* Dues structures should be examined to determine that income is adequate to pay for quarters that are conducive to comfort and safety. (That same dues structure must take into account and accommodate members who live on fixed incomes.)
I am convinced that we can have our cake and eat it too. I am sure that we have Brothers, with business expertise who will guide us in those enterprises that involve property management.
I know that I would attend Lodge more often, and I think others would too, if we made "Refreshment" a little more elegant and comfortable.
I would love to meet, with my Brethren, in the spirit of "The Lodge at Refreshment." George F. Laun, MPS
----o----
by Barry Albin MPS
In our modern world, we are confronted with change at a radical rate. It seems as if the prophecy of Daniel is being fulfilled:
"But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. " Daniel 12: 4. RSV.
In our century, a mere ninety years, we have gone from the horse and buggy to the moon. We have seen all the planets of our solar system except one, some of which we did not even know about until late in the last century. We are once again living through an acute crisis of meaning, an uncertainty about our direction and our goals. The various systems, programmes and ideologies which, less than a century ago, seemed to promise so much have all, to one degree or another, proved hollow. As in the first century there is a pervasive awareness that life has lost its meaning, and the young resort to turning off and tuning out with drugs, alcohol, sex, and television.
The activating forces most powerful today are the search for meaning and the retreat from fear. The second force is most apparent in the rise of militant fundamentalism and of the drug culture which are two sides of the same coin. Both seek to avoid fear--one by escaping this world into an artificially created euphoria; the other by looking for unshakable doctrines to be our rock in the storm. The vast majority are choosing the second power.
But the first power is also attractive to some. It is manifested by a growth in monasticism, witchcraft, occult studies, esotericism, and eastern mysticism. Freemasonry once fit firmly into this first power, but now only a few isolated affiliates provide this important solace.
Jesus says to Satan:
"Man does not live on bread alone, but by every utterance that comes from the mouth of God. " Matthew 4:4.
C.G. Jung, the great psychoanalyst and mystic agrees. Jung says that man needs internal, non-material needs as profound, as urgent, as elementary as the need for food, for shelter, for procreation. One of the most basic needs of man is a raison d'etre, a meaning. The expansion of knowledge has destroyed many, if not all, of our myths and religion has lost much of its scientific validity. Science has tried, and miserably failed, to replace it.
With the loss of scientific validity, religion has felt its two great pillars shaken. No longer is the scripture infallible and no longer is tradition grounds for the continuance of belief. The thoughtful mind has lost its trust in dogma and the power of the church fades. The mainline churches fail, to be replaced by the fundamentalist demagogues, because they provide the opiate of togetherness, the illusion of love.
But society desperately seeks something to hold onto, to believe in, and to trust. There is one technique for providing trust which has withstood the test of time and it has successfully provided meaning for millions throughout the ages. That technique is the use of symbols to activate and manipulate what Jung calls archetypes. According to Jung, an "archetype" is a certain elemental experience, or pattern of experience, which men have shared from time immemorial. Examples of archetypes are birth, puberty, sexual initiation, death, the traumas of war, the cycles of the seasons, the yearning for a spiritual resting place, and the quest for meaning. Archetypes are powerful because as commonly experienced symbols they bypass language and intellect and directly effect the subconscious mind.
Freemasonry provides archetypal experiences when the brotherhood is functioning properly and the ritual is being dramatically presented. The enhancement of robes, lighting, incense, music, and rhetorical style merely serve to build the atmosphere for the experience to be more powerfully impressed on the candidates subconscious. For example, in all three blue lodge degrees in the York Rite, we provide symbolic birth experiences by bringing the candidate from darkness to light. These initiatory experiences at a deep level touch the candidate and he feels reborn into a new brotherhood giving his life new meaning. By allowing the brother to advance in Masonry, we allow him to experience the puberty archetype. We deal with the archetypes of death and resurrection, the two most powerful adult archetypes, and provide symbolic answers to those deep questions. The Fraternity provides the valuable archetype of belonging which impresses the importance of the moral virtues of friendship and brotherly love. But most importantly, the Fraternity provides something to trust in--a new interpretation of morality as embodied in our obligations and lecture.
If our Fraternity is failing, if it is dying as some say, and if we must change to save it, what must be changed is our approach to living out the archetypes in such a way as to build trust. When we promise to treat a brother in a given way and tolerate a member treating a brother differently, we destroy the archetype and the trust that all had placed in it. When we fail to provide light on how to access spiritual power and even fail to pray, we destroy the faith we place in that archetype. When we allow a brother to die unattended by his brethren, we destroy the archetype of the third degree. Our actions must support, not destroy, the trust we place in our Order. Only then will our Order survive and only then will it deserve to survive.
As for me, I still have faith that a leaner, cleaner, rededicated Order is just around the corner. I know that a fraternity has nothing to do with buildings and personal acquisition of prestige and power. Freemasonry has lasted at least 300 years and will last another millennium, if it will rededicate itself to the principles set forth in its obligations and will forget about Lodge buildings, grand titles, and quantities of members. All those things flow from a Fraternity providing the meaning its members need.
----o----
The Assembly and Feast: An Unforgettable Treat
"You're in for a treat you'll never forget." That's what those who know the Reverend Howard L. Woods say He has served the Prince Hall Masons of Arkansas as their Grand Master for eight years. He has won many awards for his writing and speaking. He is in demand as a speaker within and without Freemasonry.
His civic achievements are notable so much so the governor of Arkansas appointed him to a seven year term to the Arkansas State Police Commission. Certificates and awards of appreciation come from the Boy Scouts, Humane societies, governors, and numerous other sources. The Philalethes Society deems it an honor and a privilege to have Brother Woods as its Lecturer for 1991.
It's easy to make your reservations. Here are the details:
The Date: February 22, 1991.
The Place: The Hotel Washington, Washington, DC.
The Time: 6:00 p.m. sharp.
Good fellowship; good food; good toasts; an excellent forum (where your Masonic questions can be answered by the best).
The investment: $24 per person by reservation before February 15. Send check to: The Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 70, Highland Springs, VA 23075.
(If not sold out, tickets will be available in the lobby until noon [none thereafter] on the 22nd at $29 per person.)
This is NOT a tiled meeting. It is a Feast - a social gathering - Master Masons and their male friends are cordially invited to participate.
----o----
By Robert D. Barnard MPS.
On May 21, 1927, a shy, handsome young man landed his airplane at Le Bourget Field in Paris, France and the world went into a paroxysm of adulation. Charles A. Lindbergh was the first individual to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and by doing so, he won the Orteig Prize and a $25,000 purse; a lot of money in those days.
However, the reasons for Lindbergh's popularity were much more profound. He was the "All-American boy," clean, self-effacing devoted to his mother. He flew in a relatively crude single engine plane built by a little known firm, without a pilot or navigator with him. All others entering the contest had much more to work with. Also, in carrying out the flight, the young aviator displayed bravery and determination, as well as good fortune. The underdog had flown away with the Orteig Prize and everyone loved it. Finally. the Ryan-built monoplane carried the name, "Spirit of St. Louis, " bringing special praise from that city and from France and the rest of the Catholic world . Practically overnight, Lindbergh became the best known name to people everywhere.
The young man added to the admiration by refusing to accept millions of dollars to endorse products and ideas. He agreed only to help promote aviation by flights and guest appearances sponsored by the Guggenheim Foundation.
This public adoration lasted many years. The nation was inexpressibly shocked when the infant son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh was kidnapped and killed in 1932. Aroused public opinion led Congress to pass the Lindbergh Law, making interstate abduction a possible death penalty offense.
After being the world's greatest hero in the "roaring twenties" and then going through the traumatic death of an only child, a third emotionally charged era arrived for Lindy in the rise of Nazi Germany and the approach of World War II. He believed strongly that France and Great Britain combined could not win a war against Germany and that United States participation would be a mistake.
The majority of the press and official U. S. Government spokesmen turned against him, even to the extent of taking away his reserve commission in the Army Air Force. (This was returned to him after the war while he was serving as a consultant and board member for several major air lines. ) He joined the "America First" organization and gave speeches for them throughout the country. In doing so, he became anathema to many of those who hailed him as a conquering hero in the past.
What does posterity have to tell us about the comprehensive life of this man? Today, we are far enough away from the events to view them objectively.
Charles A. Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan, but spent most of his boyhood in Little Falls, Minnesota or Washington, D.C., where his father served several terms as a Congressman. Spurred by dreams of flying from his childhood, he dropped out of college in his sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin and enrolled in flying school at Lincoln, Nebraska. When he was competent, he joined a barnstorming aerial group as a stunt performer. After a year, he saved enough money to buy a World War I Curtiss "Jenny." He was just in time to take his father around the state of Minnesota for an unsuccessful attempt to become governor. He then applied for and received admission to the United States Army Air Service as a cadet and became one of only 33 men out of 104 to complete the course, graduating at the top of his class.
Taking a job with Robertson Brothers Air Service, he also asked for and received a commission in the Missouri National Air Guard. During this time, Robertson's contracted with the government for Air Mail runs and Lindy gained much piloting experience.
It was in 1925 that he first heard of the Orteig Prize offering $25,000 to the first pilot who successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The award had waited unclaimed for six years, although the world's most prominent fliers were constantly trying to achieve it.
Lindy felt that this experience couldn't be any worse than the nightly mail runs in the middle of Winter and he determined to win the prize for himself. He was competing against such world renowned pilots as Commander Richard E. Byrd and Noel Davis, who had substantial financial backing and the support of the major aircraft manufacturers.
To obtain his goal with all possible speed, he talked to a group of St. Louis businessmen who agreed to provide the funds, knowing that they would be repaid if he won the prize. He experienced difficulty finding any aircraft plant willing to trust him with their plane, especially since his idea was to fly with only a single engine.
Finally, the Ryan Airline Company of San Diego, California agreed to build a single engine monoplane for $10,500. In the building of the plane, Lindbergh stressed fuel capacity, holding down the overall weight, and having plenty of emergency equipment, even though it meant lengthening the plane's wingspan. Beginning on February 20, 1927, Ryan fulfilled the contract by completing it in ninety days.
In the meantime, Byrd had an accident with his aircraft during take off and Davis was killed while practicing for the flight. Lindy decided to be thorough, even if it made his flight planning somewhat slower.
He took his completed plane to show his financial backers in St. Louis on May 10 and arrived in New York on the 12th. He was ready to begin flight with the first superior weather, which came on May 20. At 7:52 a.m., he took off from Roosevelt Field, barely missing electric wires because extra gas made his plane so heavy.
Lack of sleep plagued Lindy and heavy fog forced flying at wave top altitude. Whinning his fight to keep awake, he sighted the Irish coast and flew on to the continent, landing at Le Bourget Field in Paris at 10: 20 p. m., after thirty-three and a half hours in the air.
A vast crowd surrounded the field and soon engulfed the hero. Lindbergh's life was never the same again.
He was returned to triumph to America aboard the U.S.S. Memphis, sent by President Calvin Coolidge, to face the greatest ticker tape parade New York ever saw, a visit to the White House, and a whirlwind of invitations from all over the world. Casting aside endorsements for great personal gain Lindy began his round of flights to popularize aviation for the Guggenheim Foundation.
One such trip was to Mexico, where he not only charmed everyone as a goodwill envoy, but met the lovely daughter of the American Ambassador to Mexico, Dwight Morrow. Friendship grew to love and Anne Morrow and Lindbergh were married in 1929, after which she became his partner on many air trips. This era ended when they were devastated by the kidnapping and death of their son. They retired from society to live in Europe.
In the decade before World War II, Lindbergh was invited by the German Government to visit their aircraft plants and flying fields and to evaluate this phase of Adolf Hitler's rearmament program. He became convinced that Germany was by far the strongest nation in the world militarily and especially in the air where their Luftwaffe planes and trained fliers placed them on a superior plane.
Believing that this information should be made public to the democracies of the world and the United States must be kept from the mistake of underestimating German power, Lindbergh wrote to Joseph P. Kennedy, United States Ambassador to Great Britain and also contacted personally several high British officers and some of the U.S. military officers stationed at the American Embassy in London. This led to Lindbergh' s testimony on German strength before the British Cabinet and talks with General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, Chief of the U.S. Army Air Force in private meetings at West Point in New York to escape reporters.
Lindbergh's unemotional narration to these officials describing the situation as he saw it was not received by his hearers in the same manner. Their answers were charged with emotion and hatred for Germany and in some cases also reflected on Lindbergh as the bearer of "bad news" that couldn't possibly be true. He was accused of implausibly and purposely exaggerating Germany's strength and they implied that Lindbergh was motivated by tacit approval of the Nazi regime and all that it stood for.
Though facing the castigation of the world, Lindbergh continued to state his belief that Germany "now had the means of destroying London, Paris and Prague because German air strength is greater than that of all other European countries combined" and that "England and France are too weak in the air to protect themselves." He felt that the United States should develop its own strength militarily in the air and elsewhere and not waste valuable time attempting to prop up those two weak European democracies. Taking advantage of the protection of the two wide oceans, the United States should at that time "avoid entanglement in Nazi aggression."
As the debate became public, Lindbergh was called a traitor and many worse names by both U.S. Government officials and the ordinary citizens of his country. His colonel's commission in the United States Army Air Force Reserve was recalled to serve notice that his military abilities were no longer required. His warning observations were called outright lies by those we elected to run our country and the general public.
Lindy's reactions to these multiple attacks was to stubbornly continue to state the truth as he saw it. Because of his ongoing political dispute, he was, of course, not permitted to serve on active duty with the armed forces at any time in the years of World War II. Instead, he spent the war years as a consultant to private companies making war planes and as a test pilot of military aircraft.
Gary N. Smith, past director of Museum Programs for the Missouri Historical Society which manages the Lindbergh Collection, reminds us that as part of his work, " Lindbergh managed to get himself sent to the South Pacific where he worked closely with young pilots to demonstrate how to get maximum flight range from their planes. Although overage for a fighter pilot and strictly forbidden to engage in combat, Lindbergh managed to fly sixty combat missions in his 'unofficial' capacity." Thus, Charles A. Lindbergh answered the critics who called him a traitor to his country.
Some of Lindbergh's statements specifically named the numbers of German strength in the air. For instance, he said that in 1939 Germany was producing 500 to 800 planes per month. Evidence of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey produced after the war shows German production at 436 planes per month in 1938 and 691 per month in 1939.
Colonel Martin F. Scanlon was Assistant Sir Attache at the American Embassy in London when Lindbergh gave his official warning there before the war. Now a retired Air Force General, when he was asked about the Lindbergh report recently, Scanlon said, " I didn't put much credence in his opinion of the German Air Force, but I'm afraid I was wrong. They had a hell of an air force. Lindbergh deserves a lot of credit. " (For deducing the true facts and not hesitating to state them.)
General Hap Arnold, Army Air Force commander, wrote after the war, "Lindbergh gave me the most accurate picture of the Luftwaffe, its equipment, leaders, apparent plans and training methods and present defects that I had so far received."
Thus, posterity records that Lindy's figures and estimate of pre-World War II strength was largely true as stated. Many American people who forgave him for his evaluation of German strength reacted in explosive anger when he said that France and Great Britain by themselves were incapable of surviving a war with Germany. History shows this to be an obvious truth; any American veteran of World War II in the European Theatre will set that record straight.
Lindbergh's philosophy of U.S. isolation does not seem to fare as well in the light of history. Given an Adolf Hitler who openly boasted of conquering the world and the then tremendous strength of the Axis Powers, it seems best both strategically and morally for America to have entered the war with allies rather than to wait and perhaps face the enemy alone.
Lindbergh's detested opinions, although extremely embarrassing to the government and President Roosevelt and not at all what the majority of Americans wished to believe, have been partially vindicated by time. On the role of American heroes, Lucky Lindy still shines.
To the world of 1927 and still today Lucky Lindy gives us all hope. Our feeling for this man was perhaps best expressed by Frederick Lewis Allen: A disillusioned nation fed on cheap heroics revolts against the low estimate of human nature which it had allowed itself to entertain.--The American people had seen their early ideals and illusions and hopes one by one worn away; by the disappointing aftermath of World War I; by scientific doctrines and psychological theories which undermined their religion and ridiculed their sentimental notions by the spectacle of graft in politics and crime on city streets; their newspaper diet of smut and murder.--All on once Lindbergh provided what people needed if they were to live at peace with themselves and with the world; the proof that men could do heroic things and continue to act as heroes in the aftermath! He continues to stand for these things today.
Brethren may pridefully state today, as in the days of his triumphant flight, that Charles A. Lindbergh determined to become a Freemason at the age of 24, receiving his degrees in 1926 in Keystone Lodge #243 in St. Louis, Missouri and that he was a life member of that Lodge.
On his famous flight, he wore the square and compass on his flight jacket. The "Spirit of St. Louis" also wore a Masonic tag from his Lodge. The many Masonic medals and citations rest beside the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Pulitzer Prize and the multitude of medals he received from around the world. The Lindbergh memorabilia are on display at the Jefferson Memorial in St. Louis. So mote it be. Bibliography
1. Davis, Kenneth Sydney, Thc Hero, New York: Doubleday, 1959.
2. Gill, Brendan, Lindbergh Alone, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977.
3. Fredette, Raymond H. and Kowalke, Kim H. Lindbergh, St. Louis, Missouri: Missouri Historical Society, April, 1977.
4. Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, Bring Me A Unicorn New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972.
5. Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, Listen! The Wind New York: Harcourt, 1938.
6. Lindbergh, Charles A., Of Flight and Life, New York: Scribners, 1948.
7. Lindbergh, Charles A., The Spirit of St Louis, New York: Avon, 1953
8. Lindbergh, Charles A., The Wartime Journals of Charles A. Lindbergh, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970.
9. Lindbergh, Charles A., We, New York: C.P. Putnam's Sons, 1927.
10. Meyer, Duane M., The Heritage of Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri: River City Publishers, 1981.
11. Primm, James M., Lion of the Valley, Boulder Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company, 1981.
12. Ross, Walter S., The Last Hero, New York: Harper & Row, 1967.
13. Smith, Gary N., The Charles A. Lindbergh Trunk, St. Louis, Missouri: The Gateway Heritage Summer 1986.
14. Smith Gary N., Charles A. Lindbergh Remembered, St. Louis, Missouri: The Gateway Heritage, Summer, 1987.
15. Streeter, Jean Douglas, Charles A. Lindbergh's Papers, St. Louis, Missouri: The Gateway Heritage, Winter, 1983-1984.
16. Streeter, Jean Douglas, The Charles A. Lindbergh Photograph Collection, St. Louis, Missouri. The Gateway Heritage, Winter, 1986-1987.
----o----
Benedict Arnold - Original Man Without A Country
by Jack Soroka, MPS
As a patriotic writing there is no short story that is superior to "The Man Without A Country. " It was written by Edward E. Hale, whose great-uncle was Captain Nathan Hale. The story is about a fictitious character, U.S. Army Lieutenant Philip Nolan. The tale is so stirring that even Dr. Hale said, "My own tears blotted the paper of the original manuscript. " On trial by court martial Nolan expressed with an oath, the desire that he might never hear of the United States again. The court sentenced him to have his wish fulfilled. Lt. Nolan was not only a man without a country, doomed to endlessly sail the seven seas--he was also a man without all those natural ties of life which bind men to their homes, their brethren, and the traditions of their fathers. This imaginative narrative is as real as the mercurial arch-traitor Benedict Arnold, the Hannibal of the Continental Army. Fire-eater Arnold was among the first officers in a previously nonexistent army that was serving a nation not yet born. Ironically, his non-fictional tragedy parallels Dr. Hale's specious fable.
The closest historical analogy to Arnold's case is that General George Monk who, in 1660, changed sides, brought back Charles II from exile, and thus ended the Cromwellian rebellion. The difference between the two scenarios is that in the latter, Monk was successful. Had Arnold's perfidy brought an end to the Revolution he would have been acclaimed a hero by many patriots. It was his scheme to hand over West Point, end the war, and seek a sensible peace that would give the colonies a measure of independence under the Crown; something fashioned after the dominion status that Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand were to achieve. West Point was the country's last great arsenal. The control of this citadel would decide the contest. The betrayal of country and comrades-in-arms has always been considered the most vile of crimes and no rationalization can restore Arnold's reputation. The treason might have been his beautiful wife's, Peggy Shippen's, machination. Her closest literary prototype was Lady Macbeth.
This latter-colonial-day quisling's most outstanding characteristic was his face. It was commanding without being handsome. The eyes were almost violet, the skin swarthy, the nose hooked and thin, while the jaw--the key to his personality--was thick and massive. He . was 5'7" tall and weighed 200 pounds with bull-like shoulders and a muscular body. His physical prowess was legendary.
In colonial days, admission to the Fraternity in one place did not necessarily assure acceptance in another place. It was asserted that all Major Generals of the Revolutionary Army were Masons. Turncoat Arnold was probably admitted to one of the many Lodges in the West Indies. From a transcription of the minutes of Hiram Lodge No. 1 in New Haven, Connecticut, we learn that Benedict Arnold was proposed by W.M. Nathan Whiting and became a member on April 10, 1765. The last time his name was found on the record was April 11, 1771, at a communication that was called when Colonel Nathan Whiting laid down his working tools. Nowhere does it appear that his dishonesty and treason were ever the basis for him being charged for any Masonic offense. In a book kept by the Masonic Lodge in New York City, just prior to the Revolution, the signature of Benedict Arnold appears. Across the appellation of Arnold, someone has drawn a line--probably to express contempt for his treason.
People called him a pirate for owning shares in privateers, but they failed to remember that Washington and General Knox also owned shares in privateers. It has been said that Arnold s men hated him, but the truth is that no general, aside from Washington, was so admired by the entire army.
It can be argued that he was even better as a naval commander than as a land-based general. Both on land and on Lake Chaplain he earned a reputation of bravery and intrepidity. He proved himself as an extraordinary leader and tactician. He was the first to foresee the possibility of making Canada our fourteenth colony.
In offering his services to the British, Arnold's main notice was his belief that he could get the appreciation from them that he was convinced his own country had denied him.
The crimes of this limping renegade major-general are thus summed up: treason, avarice, hypocrisy, ingratitude, falsehood, deception, and robbery. The fallen hero was resentful over belated promotions, trouble with his military accounts, the need of ready money to maintain his extravagant lifestyle, bitterness over the sacrifices and personal expenses that the war had cost him, a sincere indignation for the French alliance, and a court-martial, in Philadelphia, on charges of improper commercial dealings in Philadelphia while he was the American commander in that city.
For Americans and British alike, one consequence of his attempted treason made him incomparably villainous: the hanging of his fellow conspirator, Major John Andre, General Sir Henry Clinton's intelligence officer. From 1780 on Arnold's name became an American synonym for treachery.
It was asked of the British military what the Americans would do if Arnold should fall into their hands? A Continental officer replied, that they would cut off the left leg that was wounded at Saratoga and bury it with the honors of war, and then hang the remainder of his body on a scaffold.
The memory of Arnold is not remembered for his valor, his sacrifices, and his triumphs, but for his defection and perfidy, which left him branded forevermore as America's most infamous traitor. He died in London, 18 years after the Revolution ended, at the age of 60.
----o----
Talking Masonic Books Now Available
As another service to Freemasonry, the Society is making three Masonic books available on cassette tapes: The Craft and its Symbols; G. Washington: Master Mason: and Brother Truman. These will be loaned free of all costs to anyone who is blind or has difficulty in seeing. Others will be requested to contribute $8.00 per book for a two week rental.
C. Edwin Ellmore, MPS, of Pennsylvania, graciously did the recording. Other recordings will be made available in the months ahead.
These Talking Masonic Books may be obtained by writing or calling our Librarian, Harold Davidson, FPS, 190310th St., W., Billings, MT 59102; 406/259-1552.
----o----
George
Washington was not the first President
George Washington - Fifth, Sixth or Eighth Masonic
President ?
by Robert D. Haas, MPS
George Washington was not the first President who was a Mason. He was the fifth, or maybe the sixth; Some would say--without foundation--the eighth Masonic president. You may be surprised to discover Brother George was not the first President at all; he was the fifteenth, in a sense.
What you see depends upon your point of view, but sometimes we miss that other point of view. Suspend your incredulity for a moment and consider the following. You may get a different perspective on a small bit of our Nation's history.
Our History teachers (and textbooks, too) forgot to tell us that there were two legal governments before the United States of America was founded. Or if they did tell us, they certainly made no big deal of it.
Like the friction between mother and daughter, the colonies became noncooperative and more independent in their dealings with Mother England. Following the victories of the French and Indian war, as they matured they felt misused, scorned and abused by Great Britain. The many real and imagined abuses the colonies suffered caused drift toward war.
In direct response to the Boston Tea Party, an outraged British Parliament imposed a series of "Repressive Acts". These" Intolerable Acts, " as the Colonies referred to them, led to the formation of the First Continental Congress convened, in Philadelphia, in 1774. It was to consider ways of redressing the grievances of the colonies. Fifty-five distinguished men from all the colonies except Georgia, were present. They formed a loose-knit body known simply as "The Congress." The constituents were mostly members of the legislative body of the Colony from which they came. We presently call it the "First Continental Congress," but in spite of its name, the assembly was more a convention than a congress.
Now you can't have a congress for long until someone decides there must be a President in charge of things, and so there was held an election. The first President of our country, the President of the First Continental Congress, was a brother Mason. He was well educated, attending the University of Edinburgh and graduating from William and Mary College. Brother Randolph served in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1748-49 and again from 1752 to 1775.He was a close friend of George Washington. We don't know his mother lodge, but he was Master of Williamsburg Lodge #6. He was the last Provincial Grand Master of Virginia in 1771. He visited Williamsburg Lodge on July 5, 1774 as Provincial Grand Master. After prolonged and heated argument, Congress drew up a ringing Declaration of Rights, along with several other papers. The Declaration of Rights petition, dispatched to England by Congress, was rejected by the Crown. Following only seven weeks of deliberation, the First Continental Congress disbanded, agreeing to reassemble as the need arose.
The drift toward war continued and in April 1775, the famous march of the British from Lexington to Concord launched the War of Independence. The month following the Concord incident on May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress met with all the Colonies represented. Randolph was replaced as President by Henry Middleton of South Carolina. The second President served only five days.
John Hancock, Boston's leading merchant shipper and wealthiest resident, was a graduate of Harvard University. He served two years and five months as the third President of the Congress from the spring of 1775 through 1777. During his term, on June 7, 1776, fiery Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, as a part of a motion, said that "These United Colonies are, and of a right, ought to be free and independent states." After considerable debate, and nearly a month later Congress adopted the motion. Shortly after Lee's motion a committee drafted an appropriate statement. They gave the job to a young lawyer from Virginia, Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence was formally approved by Congress on July 4, 1776. It was a renunciation of allegiance to the King and an affirmation of the right of revolution. The climactic achievement of Hancock's term was the signing of the Declaration of Independence that was a formal declaration of war with Great Britain. He contributed to the drafting and writing of the Declaration of Independence was minimal, but as an instrument of secession from the Empire, it required a signature. As President of the Congress, he signed first. When asked why he wrote his name so boldly he replied, "So that George III may read it without putting on his glasses.
Under Hancock's Presidency Congress commissioned General Washington, entitled Bills of Credit, established a top secret committee to secure bids and aid from abroad and urged the colonies to organize state governments. Although Hancock did not initiate any of these actions, they were taken in his name. His Presidency marked the most active, the most creative, span of Congressional initiatives. He gave the first presidential farewell address.
While on a business trip to Quebec, Canada, in 1762, Hancock was made a Master Mason in Merchants Lodge No. 277. On his return to the colonies he affiliated with St. Andrews Lodge of Boston on October 14, 1762.
The Second Continental Congress had no constitutional authority. Each state in all respects, was sovereign. Each coined its own money, raised armies and navies, collected taxes and erected trade barriers. Shortly before declaring independence in 1776 the Congress appointed a committee to draft a written constitution. The finished product was the Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1777. The Articles made no change in the powers of Congress and may have, to a degree, lessened the powers of the President. To be effective, the document required the unanimous approval of the Colonies. Maryland stubbornly held out until March 1, 1781, but finally, after ratification, "The United States in Congress Assembled, " became the name of our Country.
The Articles provided for a loose confederation or " firm league of friendship." Each state, operating under its own constitution, governor and legislature, provided a diversity of opinion and each, of course, jealously guarded its autonomy. Yet the similarities of the various state constitutions made possible the Articles of Confederation. There was no provision for an executive branch but the President still had some executive powers.
The fourth President of the Congress was also a Mason. After the resignation of John Hancock, Henry Laurens became President on November 1, 1777 and served until December 10, 1778. Laurens, from Charleston, South Carolina, was a member of Solomon's Lodge No. 1, in Charleston and was its treasurer in 1775. He was Grand Steward of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina in 1754.
Laurens was the first activist President. He held firm opinions concerning the need for strengthening the executive power in the central government. He was vain, combative and indiscreet. At times his temper outran his prudence. More than any other President, he was an active participant in debate. His tempestuous term nearly split the Congress in two as he quarreled with factions who did not agree with him. He presented a motion that failed to pass He regarded this as a vote of no confidence and tendered his resignation in a dramatic farewell address. Congress accepted his resignation and at once chose a young Lawyer from New York, John Jay. Laurens later traveled to Paris with John Jay and Benjamin Franklin to negotiate peace with Great Britain.
John Jay graduated from King's College (now Columbia University) and was a member of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1779. He was President in 1778 and 1779. He often asserted the fundamental tenets of national sovereignty; the first stirrings of the notion of a strong central government. For example, Pennsylvania refused to accept Congress' jurisdiction over cases in Admiralty. Jay asserted that "Congress is by these United States invested with the supreme sovereign power of war and peace." The major concerns of his Presidency was the deterioration of the currency and inflation. Jay reminded the "constituent" states that "the independence of America is now fixed as fate, and the petulant efforts of Britain to break it down are as vain and fruitless as the raging waves which beat against her cliffs. " He was one of the prime builders of the revolutionary period. Later, after the New Constitution had been ratified Jay became first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and joined with Hamilton and Madison in writing the Federalist Papers explaining the new Constitution.
There is no documentary proof that Jay was a Freemason, although many Masonic journals and orators have referred to him as such. On April 21, 1779, he wrote the following in a letter to George Washington that has Masonic obvious allusions: "The dissolution of Governments threw us into political chaos. Time, Wisdom and Perseverance will reduce it into form and give it Strength, Order and Harmony. In this work you are (in the style of your profession) a Master Builder, and may God grant that you may long continue a Free and Accepted one." Jay is sometimes regarded as a "circumstantial" Mason.
After Jay's Presidency more executive duties were assumed by new department heads or secretaries. When the Congress finally formed an Executive Department six Presidents had already served and they foreshadowed the Presidency as we now know it. The President of the Continental Congress was elected by that body and each one exercised limited executive powers under the central government. Although there were no established guidelines granting or withholding specific powers, the prestige of the office allowed the President to influence events, formulate the agenda for Congress and prod it to move in certain directions. He represented Congress on formal occasions and served as its correspondent.
Thomas McKean of Delaware, the seventh President of the Congress, may have been a Mason, but his lodge is unknown. A statement in the History of Perseverance Lodge No. 21, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, written in 1901 asserts that McKean was a visitor to the lodge while Governor of Pennsylvania. However the Secretary of Perseverance Lodge in 1952 wrote that the lodge records contain no information to verify the statement. The biographer of the McKean family asserts that McKean was a Master Mason but gives no supporting evidence.
McKean was the only continuous member of the Continental Congress from its inception in 1774 until peace was signed in 1783. He served four months as resident in 1781. An interesting sidelight concerns McKean when he was elected to the Stamp-Act Congress in 1765. He berated the timid souls who refused to sign the Stamp Act, including Timothy Ruggles, President of that body. Because of this, a duel between the two was arranged during a session. Ruggles, however, left town the next morning before daybreak.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, the eleventh President of the Continental Congress, is considered a "circumstantial " Freemason by some writers . He was referred to as a Mason, supposedly made at Tappahanock (Hob's Hole) Lodge, a "time immemorial" lodge, that became extinct about 1778. No lodge records exist verifying his membership. Lee claimed to be a member of Hiram Lodge No. 59, Westmoreland, Virginia, chartered in December 1799. The Grand Lodge of Virginia also claims him as a member.
Lee was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. He opposed slavery and proposed a tax on slaves to make the cost of further importation prohibitive. He was the Virginia delegate to the Congress from 1774 to 1779 and was its President in 1784 and 1785. He was a renowned Libertarian and a zealous advocate of state's rights. He was the author of the original resolution for independence, as mentioned earlier. He was the most distinguished incumbent during his years in the Congress.
The Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1787. and its 13th President in 1786, Arthur St Claire was one of two Presidents who was not native born. He was born in Thuro, Scotland, a member of the St. Claire of Roslyn family, prominent in Freemasonry in that country. He inherited a fortune from his mother and came to America in 1757. He soon resigned his British commission and settled in Pennsylvania where he became prominent in all political and cultural affairs, building a residence and erecting mills. He participated as a Major General under Washington in many battles of the War for Independence. By this time, the Congress had become a weakened deliberating body; more a debating society.
While Governor of the Northwest Territory St. Claire signed a request to the Grand Lodge of New Jersey for a Lodge at Cincinnati, Ohio (Nova Ceasarea Harmony Lodge No. 2). He is recorded to have been in attendance at many meeting of this Lodge and Masonic services were conducted at his burial.
As the war wound down the Continental Congress, slowly dying, was reluctant to take a step that might sign its own death warrant. Many social, economic political and military problems plagued the infant country. The Congress was ineffectual in solving or enforcing any solutions it might suggest. Each state jealously guarded its sovereignty and was reluctant to relinquish power to the Congress. The most divisive, aggravating and pressing problem was one of tariffs and trade barriers between the states. The Congress finally issued a call for a convention of the thirteen states "for the sole and express purpose of revising" the Articles of Confederation. Fifty-five delegates were appointed by their state legislatures except for Rhode Island who sent none. Most of them were lawyers and old hands at constitution making in their own states.
The Convention elected George Washington Chairman of The Convention. His prestige served to quiet overheated tempers, and too, most of the fiery revolutionary leaders of 1776 were absent. The time had now come for conservative men skilled in fashioning political systems to take on the task. The Convention, however, went far beyond its assignment of revising the Articles of Confederation. In secret, it fashioned the most startling and provocative document the world has ever witnessed.
After 17 weeks only forty-two of the original fifty-five members remained to sign the new Constitution. And so the Continental Congress, with its 14 Past Presidents, disbanded in favor of the new United States of America under its new Constitution, and its first President George Washington.
References
Richard B. Morris "Meet the Men Who Were Presidents Before Washington" The Smithsonian Magazine, Vol. 8,January 1978, pp.
William Denslow 10, 000 Famous Freemasons Transactions of the Missouri Lodge of Research, 1958
Vol. II, pp. 173, 290; Vol. 111, pp. 69,174; Vol. IV, pp. 10, 88.
Thomas A. Bailey The American Pageant, 2nd edition pp.125-147 D.C. Heath and Company, 1966
Fourteen Presidents of the Continental Congress
| 1. | + Peyton Randolph | Virginia | 1774-1775 |
| 2. | Henry Middleton | South Carolina (3 days) | 1775 |
| 3. | + John Hancock | Boston Massachusetts | 1775-1777 |
| 4. | + Henry Laurens | South Carolina | 1778 |
| 5. | ? John Jay | New York | 1778-1779 |
| 6. | Samuel Huntington | Connecticut | 1779-1781 |
| 7. | ? Thomas McKean | Delaware (4 months) | 1781 |
| 8. | John Hanson | Maryland | 1782 |
| 9. | Elias Boudinot | New Jersey | 1782-1783 |
| 10. | Thomas Mifflen | Pennsylvania | 1783-1784 |
| 11. | @ Richard Henry Lee | Virginia | 1784-1785 |
| 12. | Nathanial Gorham | Massachusetts | 1786 |
| 13. | + Arthur St. Claire | Northwest Territory | 1787 |
| 14. | Cyrus Griffen | Virginia | 1787 |
@ "Circumstantial" Mason
? Claimed by some to be Mason, but not substantiated.
----o----
By Frank MacHovec, MPS
The Philalethes Society is for Freemasonry what the Library of Congress is for the nation, what a university library is for higher education and it is much more. The information in any issue of its magazine is a clearinghouse of ideas at the cutting edge of current problems and controversial issues. At the same time, it explores every aspect of the past in greater detail than is possible at Blue Lodge talks or even in the ritual. Philalethes is a storehouse of knowledge of Freemasonry’s origin and development, the experience of the past and a valuable resource for future planning.
Philalethes members are workers in the fields of Freemasonry as well as in its temples. Visionaries who see and study what once was and seek to restore and renew, they cultivate and build on ancient landmarks which are timeless and universal, from Solomon to space stations. They do so quietly and loyally, asking no special favor, rewarded only by the excitement of discovery, the satisfaction of adding to knowledge, further describing the identity and the promise of Freemasonry.
Philalethes publications reflect this philosophy. They complement all of Freemasonry, Blue Lodge and all appendant bodies, without conflict or contention. Its open forum is a model of unity in diversity, strength in the open sharing of differing opinion, the enrichment of ideas carefully researched, the brotherhood of collaboration and enlightened debate. The open flow of study and discussion adds depth to Freemasonry and all its branches not available in other parts of the order, increases light to offset misinformation and prejudice. Its attention to history brings to life the personalities and the problems of the past. It is a living library. By knowing more of the past, its people and its times, we can better cope with the present and better anticipate the future. Its focus on the basic ideas and underlying philosophy of Freemasonry distills truth to be more clearly seen, preserved, and applied more effectively in the future.
The Philalethes Society purifies and refines the truth of Freemasonry. If the goal of Freemasonry is more light and its product character building, then the Philalethes Society is the spark that ignites that light, illuminates past, present, and future, enriches with detail and warms with finer truth, vital ingredients with which character is built. It is a very special mission, a sacred mission, and it is open to all members of the Craft who continue to seek light and seek to share it with others.
----o----
In Memoriam Louis L. Williams, FPS 1899-1990
Louis Lenway Williams was born in Rockbridge, Illinois, on February 11, 1899, the son of David Jacob and Allie Florence (Greene) Williams. He attended the Rockbridge and Greenfield Public Schools, graduating from Greenfield High School in 1916. He furthered his education at Illinois Wesleyan University, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1921.
On August 17, 1922, Williams married Kathryn Helen Pletsch, who survives along with their son, Louis D. Williams, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Their other son, Robert G. Williams, predeceased Brother Williams.
After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University, he became associated with the Division of Highways of the State of Illinois. In 1926 he left the Division of Highways to enter the private practice of law. He was a member and past president of the McLean County Bar Association. He was a founder of the Williams & Williams law firm and one of the founders of Champion Federal Savings and Loan Association in 1941, serving as its legal counsel and director for many years. He recently was accorded the title director emeritus. He was the author of the History of Champion Federal, which was published in 1988.
He was active throughout his professional life in many civic and charitable organizations, including trustee and secretary of Illinois Wesleyan University for 25 years; a member and treasurer of McLean County Historical Society; served as president of the Withers Public Library Board for 20 years; was the first chairman of the McLean County Public Building Commission; was one of the founders of the Bloomington-Normal Symphony Society; and was a former director of the American State Bank.
Brother Williams devoted much of his life to the American Passion Play, playing the role of Judas Iscariot for many years. He was a director, trustee, and author of its published history.
In Masonry, our Illustrious Brother had a long and distinguished career:
Symbolic: Raised a Master Mason in Arts and Crafts Lodge, No. 1017, A.F.&A.M., of Bloomington, on November 29 1920, where he advanced to Worshipful Master in 1931. He had also been a member of Bodley Lodge No. 1, A.F.&A.M. of Quincy and was a founder and the first Worshipful Master of Ancient Landmarks Lodge No. 3579, A.F. & A.M. of Bloomington. He was appointed District Deputy Grand Master for the years 1945-47, served on many committees of the Grand Lodge and held the position of Grand Orator in 1966-67.
Capitular: Exalted in Loyal L. Munn Chapter No. 96, R.A.M., on April 6, 1926, later becoming a member of Bloomington Chapter No. 26, R.A.M. where he served as High Priest in 1938.
Cryptic: Greeted in Bloomington Council No. 43, R.&S.M. in 1930 and was the Thrice Illustrious Master in 1931. He later became a member of Clinton Council No. 74, R. & S.M., at Clinton, Illinois.
Chivalric: Knighted in DeMolay Commandery No. 24, K.T. on January 19, 1931, he was the Eminent Commander in 1937.
Scottish Rite: Completed the Scottish Rite degrees in the Valley of Bloomington, on November 18, 1927. He served in various offices and was the Most Wise Master of Mount Calvary Chapter of Rose Croix 1938-40 and Commander-in-Chief of Bloomington Consistory in 1939-43.
Supreme Council: III. Brother Williams was created a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33rd Degree, Honorary Member of the Supreme Council on September 25, 1940 at Cincinnati, Ohio; crowned an Active Member at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1958, appointed Deputy for Illinois August 5, 1963, continuing through September 30, 1971. He became an Active Emeritus Member on September 27, 1973, and had served as Grand Representative near the Northern Jurisdiction for the Supreme Council of Costa Rica from 1964 to 1982.
Brother Williams was the 21st recipient of the Gourgas Medal, the highest decoration bestowed by the Northern Jurisdiction for notably distinguished service rendered to our fraternity, our country and to humanity.
He was a member of Medinah Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S.; Bloomington Chapter No. 50, Order of the Eastern Star; St. Edward Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine; Lily of the Valley Tabernacle No. 46, Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests. The awards bestowed upon him were many including the DeMolay Cross of Honor and DeMolay Legion of Honor, York Rite Cross of Honor, and Knight Templar Cross of Honor, Fellow Philalethes Society and member Blue Friars.
----o----
The Massachusetts' District of China
by Kit Haffner, FPS
Lodge Numbers Grow
My article on 'The First American Lodge in China' concluded with the growth of Massachusetts' Masonry in China from a single Lodge to four, one in the northern port of Tientsin (Tianjin) and two sisters to Ancient Landmark in Shanghai. This process continued, and soon there were even more. The charter dates and locations were:
- Dec. 14, 1864 Ancient Landmark Shanghai
- Sep. 14, 1904 Sinim (orig. Cathay) Shanghai UD only Peiho Tianjin (Tientsin)
- Sep. 14, 1904 Shanghai (orig. Orient)Shanghai
-Jun. 15, 1916 International Beijing (Peking)
- Mar. 21, 1921 TalienDalian (Dairien)
- Sep. 13, 1922 Hykes Memorial Tianjin
- Mar. 10, 1926 Pagoda Shenyang (Mukden)
- Mar. 13, 1929 SungariHaerbin
UD only Chin Ling Nanjing (Nanking)
UD only Delta Lodge of China Guangzhou (Canton)
Regrettably, Peiho Lodge did not progress beyond its dispensation. Attempts to revive it also failed, though from the list it can be seen that by 1922 a new Lodge was established in the city of Tianjin, and this time it lasted until the Pacific War. The early failure of American Masonry in Tianjin is hard to understand, as generally the influence of the United States in northern China was greater than in the south (where Britain predominated), and Tianjin had a well-equipped Masonic hall with several English and Scottish Lodges. Noises were even being made about a separate District Grand Lodge for English Masonry in the north. Could it be that the American brethren were too well established in English Lodges? (Only an Englishman could write this).
But the trio of Massachusetts Lodges in Shanghai prospered until the Pacific War and revived briefly until the 'liberation' of China. Despite the vicissitudes of time, Sinim Lodge continues to flourish in a new home in Tokyo (and I hope that its members will forgive the inadvertent omission of its name from my last article).
Lodge Names
The name changes shown in the list, made as the charter was granted, were caused by sensitivity to other names. 'Cathay' has the disadvantage of being the name used by China at the time of Marco Polo, when the Mongolian foreigners ruled the country with a rod of iron. And the English objected that it was too similar to their own Far Cathay Lodge No. 2855 of Hankow.
The name Sinim was supposedly picked by Bro. the Revd. John Reside Hykes and was taken from lsaiah 49:12 which reads in the King James' Version, 'Behold, these shall come from far; and lo these from the north and from the west and these from the land of Sinim.' Commentaries at that time suggested that Sinim was Hebrew for China. (Modern scholars suggest that Sinim is Syene, modern Aswan).
'Orient' has no such problem, but there was already a Lodge with the same name in Massachusetts, and since Lodges in that jurisdiction are unnumbered, very considerable confusion would result.
District Deputies
The organization of the Massachusetts' Lodges remained that of supervision by a District Deputy Grand Master. There were also a couple of periods when there was no District Deputy 1878-91 and 1895, when the single Lodge, Ancient Landmark, reported directly to Boston, Mass. Apart from those years, there were nine such officers stretching over the years from 1864 to 1915.
Without doubt the most colorful was the Revd. John Reside Hykes who was referred to in my earlier article, and who will again be mentioned in connection with the 'higher' degrees under American jurisdictions. From his photograph, he appears to have been a massive man with a balding top amply compensated by a massive white beard spreading over a voluminous chest and corporation. His congregation must have regarded him as half way between Moses and God the Father. It was quite clearly his influence that energized the brethren of Ancient Landmark after forty placid years, to petition for the two new Shanghai Lodges, and indeed to hope for a possible Lodge in Tianjin.
Bro. Hykes resigned as District Deputy in 1905, perhaps believing that he had done enough for the Craft, as he certainly remained active in the 'higher' degrees. Amazingly, apart from his religious and Masonic work he was at the same time American Vice-Consul in Shanghai. He died in 1921, after forty-eight years of missionary service in China.
With Bro. Hykes' resignation, at least in terms of expansion, the American Craft again became static. From the list it would seem that no expansion took place until 1916. However, Masonic activity relates to quality as well as numbers, and the three Shanghai Lodges supported a joint Lodge of Instruction. This first met in 1913, although it had been proposed as early as 1909.
One meeting each year was devoted to a joint rehearsal of the installation ceremony. At other meetings, one of the Lodges would demonstrate a degree working and receive friendly criticism from senior brethren as Preceptors. At other meetings, discussion was the rule of the day. It all seems rather like a typical English Lodge of instruction, tingled with a greater degree of informality. Clearly the aim was to produce well-educated young Masons of high ritualistic ability.
International Lodge
The list at the head of this article shows that, after this quiet period, International Lodge was formed in Beijing (previously Peking or even Peiping). The petition for this Lodge must have been formulated early in 1915, as the dispensation was dated July 24. There were twenty-seven founders whose names appear to justify the name 'International,' and notable amongst them for the first time in a petition were a number of Chinese names, one being the first Senior Warden.
A separate history of the Lodge indicates a definite attempt to immerse its membership in Chinese affairs and culture. The entrance to the Temple in 'The Street of the Well of the Prince's Palace' had large character quotations from Mencius about the proper use of compasses and squares. Incidentally, the street is now a main thoroughfare, and the Masonic premises long since gone, but the exotic name (Wang Fu Jing DaJie) remains.
(One of the petitioners was Bro. Francis Nixon, who at the age of ninety was still a prominent Hong Kong Mason when I was in my thirties. At one Lodge festive board, we ascertained that within a week he was exactly three times my age! Bro. Nixon was prominent in the postal service from his arrival in China in 1904, and received citations under four different regimes. It may be wondered how twenty-seven Masons were there in Beijing, five hundred miles from the other Massachusetts Lodges in Shanghai. Bro. Nixon provides a clue--he was a member of one of several English Lodges in Tianjin, only fifty miles away. Indeed, once a year International Lodge and Union Lodge of Tientsin No. 1951 each used to travel the distance by train and carry out a degree working in the other's premises, bringing a candidate with them.
The District Grand Lodge Concept
The appointment of Provincial Grand Masters to represent the Grand Master in a province remote from London became an established custom from 1725 and eventually this was to cover all English and Welsh Masonry outside London itself. Whilst these officers were originally individuals, they soon were authorized to appoint subordinate officers to assist them, and the Provincial Grand Lodge became a small version of a Grand Lodge. Some today appear as such even in size; for example, the Provincial Grand Lodge of West Lancashire now has 524 Lodges. Under the current Constitutions, the Provincial Grand Master for such a large Province can appoint a Deputy, thirteen Assistants and seventy-three other Provincial officers.
The concept spread overseas, and you will not need me to remind you that RW Bro. Daniel Cox was the first Provincial Grand Master for New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, patented by the Duke of Norfolk on 5 June 1730. A total of twenty-three Provincial Grand masters were appointed for various parts of the area now the United States during that century. However, in 1866, the United Grand Lodge of England designated overseas 'Provinces' as 'Districts,' but apart from location there is no difference between the two. Districts and Provinces rank together in order of the date of the Patent of office of the present Provincial/District Grand Master.
Despite the early use of Provincial Grand Masters to govern remoter territory, the idea of a 'District' in American Masonry has generally been smaller in area and number of Lodges within the territory of a Grand Lodge, with one or two Officers (such as District Deputy Grand Master and District Grand Lecturer) appointed by the Grand Master. Thus the Massachusetts Lodges in China were governed solely by a District Deputy Grand Master for the period which I have so far considered.
The Massachusetts' District of China
The District Deputy Grand Master for China from 1910 was RW Bro. Stacy A. Ransom, and he no doubt looked with a degree of envy at the shared responsibility for a number of Lodges which existed in the English Scottish jurisdictions in northern China. He is stated to have been 'mainly responsible for the organization of the District Grand Lodge.' There were three Lodges in Shanghai and we have just seen that a new one had been petitioned for in Beijing. With a roll of four Lodges, a minimally sized District Grand Lodge was a possibility, and it was announced in the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts on 9 December 1915 that two District Grand Lodges would be created, one in China and the other in the Panama Canal Zone. Obviously Grand Lodge's administration had looked at Bro. Ransom's idea and seen that it could be sensibly applied to Panama as well.
Things progressed rapidly, and the District was inaugurated and Bro. Ransom installed as the first District Grand Master on November 24, 1915. The ceremony was carried out in Shanghai by the English District Grand Master of Northern China, RW Bro. Robert S. Ivy. This occasion of great solemnity and rejoicing was attended by a record number of Master Masons representing over twenty Lodges under ten jurisdictions. Bro. Ivy was fulsomely thanked for his services in carrying out the ritualistic work.
Bro. Ransom appointed sixteen District Officers, and since they were the first of a fairly unique institution, I will record the list in full:
- Deputy District Grand Master: Alfred H. Aiers
- District Senior Grand Warden: Offley Crewe-Read
- District Junior Grand Warden: Frederick J.W. Melville
- District Grand Treasurer: Harry E. Gibson
- District Grand Secretary: Elma F. Shanstrom
- District Grand Marshal: George E. Marshall (sic)
- District Grand Chaplain: William Cohen
- District Senior Grand Deacon: Carlton Roeper
- District Junior Grand Deacon: Charles Houghton
- District Senior Grand Steward :William Whiting
- District Junior Grand Steward: Charles Powell
- District Grand Sword Bearer: Frank J. Seeman
- District Grand Standard Bearer: William C. Woodfield
- District Grand Pursuivants: William B. Pettus Herbert W. Strike
- District Grand Tyler: Crispin Matthews
That no racism existed in this listing is seen in the probable race of the appropriately named Chaplain. However, even the most cursory glance reveals that, in the commercial center of China, Massachusetts Masonry could not produce a single Chinese brother worthy of District rank. But we are at the turning point, and have already seen that the brethren of the new International Lodge were happy to have a Chinese as Senior Warden. The District could of course only appoint those who had passed through the ranks of their Lodges, and in successive years we find that Bro. C.T. Wang was District Grand Chaplain in 1921, with others in this office in 1925, 1927 and 1930. Bro. R.H.P. Sia was Assistant District Grand Marshal in 1931, and this was the highest office achieved by a Chinese brother in the pre-war Years.
Massachusetts' Masonry had in fact set a lead in the initiation of Chinese, even whilst this was prohibited under the old Imperial rule which lasted until 1911. An educational officer sent by the Chinese Government to the States and called variously Tsung Lai Shun and Laisun Chan had been initiated, passed and raised in Hampden Lodge in 1873. (He later visited Union Lodge of Tientsin No. 1951, English constitution, at its consecration meeting in 1881, the first known Chinese in a Lodge in China. Bro. Chan acted as interpreter for Bro. H.M. King David Kalakaua of Hawaii when he visited China, later in 1881). Thus Masonry at home had set the lead, long before International Lodge and the China District followed.
The District prospered in a modest way, despite the call home and to Europe of many American brethren to serve in World War I . The roll of brethren in 1917 was 287, ample at an average of seventy-one to keep four Lodges running.
Bibliography
'Bro. Tsung Lai Shun in Massachusetts.' Hong Kong (Chater Cosmo Transactions, Vol. 2 for 1980) .
Gratton, F.M., and Ivy, Robt. S., The History of Freemasonry in Shanghai and Northern China, Tientsin (Various Masonic Bodies) 1913.
Masonic Year Book for 1985-6, London (United Grand Lodge).
Nagel's Encyclopedia Guide - China, Geneva (Nagel) 1984.
Nation, W., The History of Freemasonry in Northern China, 1913-1937, Shanghai (Various Masonic Bodies) 1938.
Roads, David J., 'Early Masonry in Hawaii: French, California and Scottish,' Hong Kong (Chater-Cosmo Transactions, Vol. 3 for 1981).
----o----
by Allen E. Roberts, FPS
Robert G. King, Editor of The Wisconsin Masonic Journal (one of the better Grand Lodge periodicals), wrote of a country editor. He spends his life "toadying to vulgarity; all for a few bushels of potatoes and a few cords of wood per year. " King likened this to the Masonic editor who is threatened because he publishes some articles and doesn't others. He tells us advice comes from all directions, and the editor "demonstrates his incapacity and general mental disability if the advice is not followed." True. And it' particularly difficult for any Masonic editor (especially the editor of The Philalethes who publishes items of differing points of view. Too many of us wear our biases and prejudices on our sleeves.
* * *
Writing in Masonic Light of South Carolina, the Grand Chaplain tells a story all of us could emulate. A fellow writes at least one "Thanksgiving letter" every day in November to people who made a contribution to his life. One of these went to a former school teacher. She answered it: "I am now an old lady in my eighties. I am sick and cannot leave my room. I can't tell you how much your letter meant to me...[A]fter fifty years of teaching, yours was the first letter of thanks I ever received from a former student. You lifted the clouds for me. " Let us who profess to be Freemasons ever remember: Every human being has a claim upon our kind offices.
* * *
Wow! Joseph A. Walkes, Jr., President of The Phylaxis Society is writing a series for The Phylaxis, titled "They Lie in Wait to Deceive." He's concentrating on the infamous anti-Masons, Martin, Ankenberg and Whalen. To this point he has concentrated on Walter Martin, the fellow who appeared in the anti-Masonic video series produced by John Ankenberg. Brother Walkes, quoting for legal sources, proves that Walter Martin isn't an ordained minister. More seriously, Martin was accused by his first wife of " extreme mental cruelty, " and cruel and disfiguring beatings. It should be pointed out that the men Walkes is featuring dislike, not only Freemasonry, but many religious and other things with which they don't agree. Interesting!
* * *
Congratulations to our Editor, Jerry Marsengill, and to the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. The latter for having the good judgment to award its Silver Medal to the former. No single man has done more in recent years for the advancement of Royal Arch Masonry than has Jerry. Among other things, he continues to do a superb job as Editor of its Royal Arch Mason.
* * *
An outfit called "Milli Vanilli" won a "Grammy" for singing--but it didn't sing! It mimicked. The award was reclaimed. Double standards at work once again? Of course. The world is loaded with double standards. When we hear a politician, and high-ranking officials of industry or organizations, bombarding us with words, whose thinking are they really "singing?" How many "ghosts" are in the background? Then there's plagiarism. This has always been rampant, even among the most revered of men. Who actually wrote some of the award-winning books of yesteryear? How many men have been rewarded in varying ways by deceptively using the talents of others? How many owe their PhD. to the writing of their thesis by others? How many use the talents of others to attain high office? Is deceptive entertaining more insidious than deception in industry, science and politics? Appears it is. And this isn't unknown within Masonic circles.
* * *
Good work. Nebraska sent all Grand Lodges a list of its members sojourning within their jurisdictions. It asked that they be contacted. In return, Nebraska asked for a list of their members living within Nebraska. Several Grand Lodges reciprocated. The results have been most promising. Many sojourners now hold dual membership. Isn't this as it should be?
* * *
The American-Canadian Grand Lodge has a chartered Lodge in Saudi Arabia. Its members are affectionately called "Desert Rats." These fellows have been staying busy helping our service men and women, even carrying them to their own homes for meals, showers, phone calls, and so on. With their "Host a Soldier Program" (HASP) more than 3,500 soldiers were hosted in less than a month. The Masonic Service Association will pass along names of Freemasons over there to the ACGL. This must de done cautiously. Freemasonry isn't exactly popular with most of the governments in that part of the world. At the moment several of us are hoping to have a Masonic Square Club formed in Saudi Arabia. When it happens you'll be informed. It will need all the assistance we can give it.
* * *
Note. It's claimed one should never explain; your friends don't need it, your enemies won't believe you anyhow. But here goes.
1. In the last issue I reported that New York had hired some high-priced "professional trainers." A good friend (literally) informed me that indeed they were high-priced, and he thanked God they knew nothing about Freemasonry. I assume (always dangerous) that he assumed I was talking about our ritual and ritualists. Not so. Those who know me know that I'm well aware there's much, much more to Masonry than our ritual. I have always believed, and I still do, professionals must understand the many facets of the Craft if they are to teach the leadership what must be done. My friend says these non-Mason instructors are doing a good job. Fine. But isn't it strange that we never quibble about paying high fees to nonmembers, yet we expect members, who are also experts in their fields, to work for free?
2. One fellow missed my point entirely about my report on French Freemasonry. He wants us to know it's the French National Grand Lodge (FNGL) that's the only one recognized as legitimate. Again I ask, "Why?" He, or anyone else, is invited to try to clear up the ungodly French Masonic situation. I continue to plead for understanding and ask, "Why, with all the kooks without the Craft attempting to destroy it, must we quarrel among ourselves? Why do we have a death wish mentality?"