Contents
The President's Corner
Meet Our President
The Holy Saints
John and The Masons
An Overview of Jerusalem Temples
The Missing Link
The Annual Report
of the Executive Secretary
Commentary
on the Decline In Membership
The Antient
Charges and Prince Hall's Initiation
In Memoriam
A Reader Takes Exception
A Family in Crisis
A Time for Action
The Winds of CHANGE
The Mystery
of the Blank Masonic Checks
OUR MASONIC PENALITIES
Temple Mormonism and
Freemasonry
Through Masonic Windows
the philalethes
The Journal of Masonic Research and Letters
Allen E. Roberts, FPS Acting Editor
P.O. Box 70, 110 Quince Ave.
Highland Springs, VA 23075 (804) 737-4498
FAX (804) 328-2386
OFFICERS
Wallace E. McLeod, FPS President
Victoria College - FAX 416/585-456
73 Queen's Park Crescent - Res: 416/488-1097
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 1K7
Forrest D. Haggard, FPS 1st Vice Preside
6815 W. 78th Terrace
Overland Park, KS 66204 (913) 642-5519
Royal C. Scofield, FPS 2nd Vice President
655 W. Maryland Ave.
Sebring, OH 44672 216/938-6240
Allen E Roberts, FPS Executive Secretary
P.O. Box 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
Dwight L Smith, FPS
Robert L Dillard Jr. FPS
Bruce H. Hunt, FPS
Allen E. Roberts, FPS
John Mauk Hilliard, FPS
CONTENTS
President's Message
Meet Our President
The Holy Saints John and The Masons
An Overview of Jerusalem Temples
The Missing Link
The Annual Report of the Executive Secretary
Commentary on the Decline In Membership
The Antient Charges and Prince Hall's Initiation
In Memoriam - Albert Lee Woody, FPS
A Reader Takes Exception
Semi-Annual Meeting of The Philalethes Society Announcement
A Family in Crisis - A Time for Action
The Winds of Change
The Mystery of the Blank
Masonic Checks
"Unseen Journey" Video Available
Our Masonic Penalties
Temple Mormonism and Freemasonry
Through Masonic Windows
On the Cover
WE ARE GRATEFUL to the producers of Unseen Joumey, a video about Freemasonry which was produced for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, for permission to use their cover design. You may order a copy of this video which features Jerry Marsengill and John Robinson through The Philalethes Society (see page 45). All proceeds received by the Society will be credited to the "Jerry Marsengill Memorial Fund.''
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Wallace E. McLeod FPS
As I assume this high and honorable station, there are many things to be said, many debts to be paid. I must thank our immediate Past President, Bro. John Mauk Hilliard, for his courtesies to me over the years. Like so many others, I am deeply indebted to our Executive Secretary, Bro. Allen E. Roberts, for all he has done for me, and for the Society. No man, they say, is indispensable, but I sometimes wonder. I recall with sorrowful affection our immensely talented Editor, Bro. Jerry Marsengill, who left us so suddenly. I am grateful to my Canadian friends who came to Washington to show their support. In particular I appreciate the efforts of my Brethren Edmund V. Ralph and John M. Boersma, who worked hard to publicize and organize the visit.
I am conscious of the honor of presiding over this, the oldest and largest Masonic Research Association in America, in this, the 275th year of organized Masonry. The Philalethes Society is not a concordant order. It is simply a society for Masonic research; if it were located in a single jurisdiction, it would be called a Research Lodge. But since, from the beginning, it has drawn its members from more than one grand lodge, it calls itself "an international society for Freemasons who seek more Light and Freemasons who have Light to impart. "
This year will mark forty years since I joined the Craft. In forty years one sees a lot, and some of it, in retrospect, one could do without. In the early days I used to listen to what was called "Masonic education. " You know the sort of thing: awkward demonstrations of the wrong way to give the signs; boring lectures about Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth; grotesque sermons on the moral lessons to be drawn from the Heavy Setting Maul; rambling travelogues on the Great Pyramids of Egypt; mystical ravings based on the Pythagorean Theorem, shallow discussions of the meaning of the word "Landmarks "; the story of the first twenty-five years of a lodge nobody ever heard of; the life of some guy from a century ago who never did anything worthwhile. None of this was very exciting, but it seemed to be what Masons did, and so I listened patiently.
I was a Mason for over fifteen years before anyone told me that someone had actually written a book on Masonry; the late R.W. Bro. James Harvey Mitchell (P.G.S.W., 1946) mentioned something called The Builders, by Joseph Fort Newton. I was a Mason for nearly twenty years before I heard of such a thing as a lodge of research. The great M.W. Bro. William Kirk Bailey (G.M., 1971) suggested that we might find it useful to join the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle. It was another ten years before anyone even mentioned The Philalethes Society to me. And I'm not the only one.
Look around you. There are still three million Freemasons in North America, many of them desperate for information about the Craft. Only one-tenth of one percent of them have joined us. Yes, that's right. One-tenth of one percent! One Mason in every thousand! Most of the others have never even heard of us. Think of all we could accomplish if our membership was doubled, or tripled!
How can we reach those others? I don't know. But, as your Executive Board keeps on telling you, it will be a start if each of you can get another member. So make the effort. Do your bit; persuade a Brother to join our ranks. It will be good for him. It will help the Society. Think about it!
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Wallace McLeod was born in Toronto on May 30, 1931. His father's family came to Canada in 1839, and some of his mother's people have been in America since 1635. After attending school in his home town, he went to Victoria College, in Toronto, where he took Classics Greek and Latin. He earned his master's degree (1954) and doctorate (1966) from Harvard, and spent two years at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. He taught at several places in the United States and Canada before being called to his old school, Victoria College in the University of Toronto, in 1962. He has been there ever since.
His grandfather McLeod was initiated into Masonry in Edmonton Lodge, Alberta, in 1893, and his father belonged to Mizpah Lodge, No 572, Toronto. Wallace was initiated in his father's lodge in December 1952, and was Master in 1969. In 1972 he was appointed to the Board of General Purposes of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, and served for ten years, until retiring in 1982. In 1989 he was named an Honorary Member of the Board. He is a Director of the Masonic Foundation of Ontario, and represents the Grand Lodge of India near the Grand Lodge of Canada. He joined King Cyrus Chapter, R.A.M., No 232, Toronto, in 1980, and was First Principal in 1987.
Bro. McLeod published two books on the archery equipment from the Tomb of Tutankhamun (published by Oxford University Press in 1970 and 1982). For his Grand Lodge, he edited Beyond the Pillars (1973), Meeting the Challenge (1976), and Whence Come We? (1980). For the Masonic Book Club, he prepared introductions to The Sufferings of John Coustos (1979), The Old Gothic Constitutions (1985), and Wellins Calcott's Candid Disquisition (1989). When he was Prestonian Lecturer, in 1986, in accordance with custom he published copies of his lecture, The Old Charges, and sold them, with the profit going to Masonic charities. His book For the Cause of Good (1990) tells the story of the Masonic Foundation of Ontario, and the last year some of his Masonic papers were collected under the title The Grand Design (1191).
He has contributed articles and reviews to various magazines, and has spoken to Masonic audiences in Canada, Britain, and the U.S.A. In 1979 he was elected a full member of the Premier Lodge of Research, Quatuor Coronati, No 2076, in London, England, and served as Master in 1983, the only American so honored in the lodge's history. He received the Delmar D. Darrah Medal of Ancient Landmarks Lodge, No. 3579, Illinois; the Distinguished Service Plaque of the Virginia Lodge of Research, No 1777; the William James Dunlop Award of The Heritage Lodge, No 730, Ontario; he was Anson Jones Lecturer of the Texas Lodge of Research; and is a Fellow of the American Lodge of Research. In 1975 he was named to the Masonic Brotherhood of the Blue-Forget-Me-Not, which is restricted to Masonic Writers and Educators. In 1984 he was proclaimed a member of the Society of Blue Friars, which includes only 20 Masonic writers in the whole world in 1991 he became its Grand Abbot, or presiding officer. He was the first President of the John Ross Robertson Chapter of the Philalethes Society, in Toronto. In 1985 he received the Philalethes Certificate of Literature, and in 1986 he was named a Fellow of the Society.
He is married to the former Elizabeth Staples; her grandfather was Master of Chesterville Lodge, No 320, Chesterville, Ontario, in 1890 and 1891. Elizabeth teaches Latin in a girls' school in Toronto. Like so many Masonic wives she is a very patient lady. Wallace and Elizabeth have four children, Betsy, John, James, and Angus.
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The Holy Saints John and The Masons
By Dean N. Goranson
For the longest time after being made a Mason in Ohio, I remained puzzled by questions about the Holy Saints John as well as the Lodge of the Holy Saints John at Jerusalem. I went through the chairs in my home Lodge, Edgerton Lodge No. 357. There I conferred all the degrees and gave the lectures, yet I didn't find the pieces to the puzzle. Then fate removed me to Indiana, since I was still a young engineer by profession. Here I became a member of Angola Lodge No. 236. Again, I went through the chairs and, as Worshipful Master, conferred all the degrees and gave the lectures and charges; and again, I didn't find the pieces to the puzzle. I then, after more than 25 years of perplexity, resolved to make an objective search into the Masonic aspects of ancient history, a determined search to obtain and present the facts of the matter, regardless of personal feelings and opinions.
Historically speculative Freemasonry, a remarkable technique for building man into a spiritual temple, is a direct outgrowth of medieval operative Freemasonry, a remarkable technique for temporal building; a remarkable technique that embodied the use of Guild Crafts. Guilds existed from the late Roman Empire times until about 1700 A.D., a period of approximately 1400 years. Throughout this span of time, the universal Christian church was the dominant force in western culture and civilization.
The universal Christian church in the first place was erected to "God" and dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. Guilds operated under the auspices of the church and the church in turn appointed and assigned a patron saint for each Guild. (A patron by definition is a supporter and protector--in this case a patron saint is a spiritual supporter and protector for the Guild.) Guilds obligated their members by a sworn oath of allegiance to the Guild, as well as to the church; to profess a belief in "God" and the immortality of the soul; to provide for decent burial of the dead and to care for the widow and orphan; and last but not least, to work at their skills at rates of pay or compensation not less than those established by the Guild.
Systems of medieval freemen builders (operative Freemasons) which embodied a variety of Guild Crafts were unrestricted in their movements from bishopric to bishopric. These systems erected the castles, the abbeys and the gothic cathedrals across central Europe and the British Isles. A bishopric was a walled city-state ruled by a bishop who was equally responsible to the reigning monarch of the time and to the pope in Rome. These systems of freemen builders, labeled by modern civilization as medieval operative Freemasons, reached their pinnacle of prominence by 1400 A.D.
The printing press was invented about 1453 A.D. Lessons of life and morality formerly taught by means of architecture were now taught by the printed word--a much simpler and cheaper method. Thus began the decline of systems of medieval operative Freemasons. About 70 years later a doctrinal cleavage developed in the universal church and a Catholic priest by the name of Martin Luther introduced a new form of Christian religious practice called protestantism--putting religious observance and organization under local control. The cleavage ushered in the period of the Reformation and marks the beginning of the steep decline of operative Freemasonry.
It was in England, in an effort to stem the decline, that a few operative Lodges began to admit a sprinkling of sympathetic influential intellectuals called accepted Masons. It was hoped that the effort would promote and reestablish the medieval operative art of freemen (Freemason) builders. Inadvertently, that effort gave birth to Speculative Masonry within the operative system and simultaneously started the change-over. The change-over from operative to speculative took approximately 200 years and culminated in the formation of the 1717 Premier London Mother Grand Lodge. This 200 year changeover period is called by historians a Masonic Metamorphic Time span.
Meanwhile, the Pope in Rome began to excommunicate large segments of English, German and Scandinavian societies, societies engaged in the protestant from of Christianity. Again, it was in England near the midpoint of the metamorphosis that Lodges began to rededicate themselves to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, as well as to adopt the feast days honoring those saints. The earliest rededication occurs in 1598. Since these Lodges were commencing by 1600 to have quite a few Accepted Masons on their rolls, some of whom were prominent protestant theologians, and since they no longer bore any allegiance to the universal church, they were entirely free to rededicate with impunity. The feast days for the Holy Saints John originated in the early years of the universal church which in turn had copied it from the Roman and Greek pagan festivals of light to celebrate the longest and shortest days of the year. The church made the festivals a sacred observance and dedicated the longest day at the summer solstice to St. John the Baptist while dedicating the shortest day at the winter solstice to St. John the Evangelist--thus is the practice of dedication of Lodges to the Holy Saints John as well as the origination of the feast days into a form of collation to honor these saints.
Late in the metamorphic period, about 1690, the English monarch was busy rebuilding the city of London which had suffered a great conflagration--a fire that had consumed almost every wooden structure in the city. The king issued a decree that all building from henceforth must be done in stone--a fire resistant practice. To provide for architectural harmony and to enforce the decree, the king retained an architect in his court by the name of Sir Christopher Wren. Wren was also designated to be the Grand Master Architect to erect the new St. Pauls Cathedral. This cathedral marked the last great edifice to be built by the use of medieval operative masonry. It took approximately thirty years to complete the project and several London Lodges were employed in the process. Four operative lodges present and working on the cathedral were led by the "Lodge of Antiquity" to form the Premier London Mother Grand Lodge of Speculative Masons at the festival of John the Baptist held at the Goose and Grid Iron Ale House in St. Pauls Church yard in 1717. The formation confirmed in perpetuity Speculative Masonry with all its rites, forms, ceremonies and feast days. Two prominent protestant theologians and members of "Antiquity Lodge" were the prime movers to form the Grand Lodge: one was Dr. Desaguilers who served as the chief architect and the other was Doctor Anderson who provided the first constitutions. Shortly afterward another prominent printer and journalist, named Wm. Preston and also a "Lodge of Antiquity" member, arranged the ceremony of acception into the three degree system with lectures and charges pretty much as we know them today.
In 1733, an early Grand Master named Lord Montigue deputized one Henry Price and issued him a warrant to establish Regular Freemasonry on the North American continent. Price did so by constituting St. Johns Lodge at Boston, New England--not Massachusetts. This Lodge was numbered 126 on the Premier Grand Lodge rolls and served as the Provincial Grand Lodge to later constitute and create over 40 North American Lodges. Thus was the means to preserve and to perpetuate to succeeding generations of American Freemasons the Premier London Mother Grand Lodge Masonry complete with all the forms, rites, ceremonies and feast days.
It remains now to explain "What is the Lodge of the Holy Sts. John at Jerusalem? " Undoubtedly, this has been best explained by Doctor Joseph Fort Newton--considered by several historians to be America's preeminent 20th Century Freemason. Dr. Newton said, "It was wholly natural for Freemasons of that period, being skilled craftsmen themselves, to imagine that St. John the Baptist and St. John the evangelist were in turn craftsmen of the highest skills; and since all craftsmen must surely belong to a Lodge somewhere, where else would these skilled craftsmen have belonged but to an ideal imaginary Lodge at Jerusalem. "
It's not difficult to understand Dr. Newton's theory when one makes a detailed study of one of those magnificent and noble European Gothic cathedrals or, better yet, visits one; for here, one discovers the entire New Testament of the Holy Bible carved and sculpted over the massive entry ways and frontal facades, cast into stained glass windows and artfully painted on interior frescos and murals. The four Gospels appear in art form by way of architectural instrumentation without the use of one printed word--thus the true meaning of the earlier statement "that lessons of life and morality were taught by means of architecture before the use of the printed word." Craftsmen who were capable of creating such a magnificent and noble piece of art were in possession of the highest order of skills and intelligence and therefore certainly capable of imagining that the Holy Saints John were preeminent craftsmen--since their skills were to instill the Holy Spirit in the heart of mankind. It follows then that all craftsmen must belong to a Lodge somewhere and considering the skills of the Holy Sts . John, they would have belonged to an imaginary, ideal Lodge concerned only with the Holy Spirit, and at Jerusalem. Such a Lodge, existent only during the lifetime of these saints, serves as an ideal symbolical example for all Speculative Lodges and Masons to emulate.
It's no accident then, that Speculative Masons, engaged as they are in the building of man into a spiritual temple, should dedicate themselves to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist- the Great Apostle of Light. It was John the Baptist who introduced John the Evangelist to Jesus. It was John the Evangelist who became the beloved disciple who sat at the right hand of "Jesus the Christ" at the Last Supper and at the foot of the cross at the crucification to receive the charge to keep Mary the Mother of Jesus, and to care for her as though she were his own. It was John the Evangelist the zealous preacher who was banished by Roman rulers and exiled to the most desolate place called Patmos. It was while in exile that he composed the New Testament Book of Revelations. John the Evangelist lived to be a very old man, and toward the end of his life, he served as the chief architect to compose the Book of John later dubbed by the Christian movement as "the Gospel According to St. John." In closing, I should like to recall for you the opening lines of this Gospel. They are a most profound statement to the world in general and I like to think Freemasonry in particular. Paraphrased they are:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made. Life was in him and that Life became the Light of men, and the Light shone in the darkness and the darkness overcame it not. That Word became flesh and dewelt among us filled with grace and truth. " Such is the relationship of the Masonic institution to the Holy Sts. John at Jerusalem.
References
1 The Holy Bible, King James Version.
2 The Encyclopedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition.
3. T. Walter Wallbank and Alastair Taylor, Civilization Past and Present
4. Kenneth Clark, Keeper of the Dept. of Fine Arts at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University, 1931-1933 Civilization
5. The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents-Travels and Explanations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France 1610-1791
6. Joel D. Steele, PhD, and Esther B. Steele, Lit.D. (Barnes Historical Series), A Brief History of the United States, 1871
7. Henry Wilson Coil, Coil 's Masonic Encyclopedia
8. Missouri Lodge of Research, Colonial Freemasonry
9. Joseph Fort Newton, The Builders
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An Overview of Jerusalem Temples
By John H. Yingling, MPS
Jerusalem is sacred ground to Jew, Muslim, and Christian alike and it occupies a place in their heart so fraught with emotion it can only be adequately expressed poetically. The city is a crossroad between great civilizations, an oasis fountain of spiritual water, an umbilical cord between God and man, a vortex and a point within a circle. Across its stage the most significant roles in western religious history have been played out and recorded for the world to experience. Melchizedek, Abraham, David, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, Zerubabel, Ezra, Antiochus IV, Pompey, Herod, Jesus, Paul, Titus, Hadrian, Helena, Jerome, Muhammad, Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Kattab, Calif Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan, Baldwin, Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificent, have appeared and left their mark. Every great political force that has occupied the area has built temples of exquisite beauty to express their spiritual insights and to invoke the blessings and protection of God. Temples are evidence that men sense a divine presence and feel a need to congregate for worship. The earliest archeological evidence of temple building is in Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Levant. Men as early as the neolithic period demonstrated the creative capacity to express their most intimate and compelling feelings with building material. It is understandable that Freemasonry would weave a legend around the construction of King Solomon's temple and use it in their ritual as an allegory to help men come to a better understanding of the relationship between God and men, and between men.
According to Jewish tradition, it was in Jerusalem that King David conquered the Jebusites and on the threshing floor of Araunah built an altar, and a tent to house the most sacred object of the Hebrew people: the Ark of the Covenant. It was an oblong acacia wood box covered with gold. Its cover lid was the Mercy Seat of God with two cherubims whose outspread wings covered the Divine Presence. In the Ark were the Tables of the Covenant between God and his people. They were given to Moses at Mount Sinai and housed in a portable tabernacle during their wandering from Sinai to the Promised Land. It seemed to King David that the time of wandering and settlement was over. A permanent place of abode for the Ark was needed. In 967 B.C.E., his son King Solomon set about building a palace complex. It included the Temple of the Lord, the palace proper (his residence), the house of the Pharaohs daughter (whom he had married), the Throne Room, the Hall of Commons, and the House of the Forest of Lebanon. The Temple was to be a national religious center that would house the Ark of the Covenant and all the Tabernacle furniture. It would be the focus of Israel's religious and cultural life and its judicial and educational activities. A place where the integrity of the priesthood would fix the spiritual level of the nation and from which would flow brotherly love, social justice and economic equality. A place where the fires of sacrifice would send up a sweet savor to God renewing the bonds of Covenant.
These magnificent buildings required architectural skills the pastoral Hebrews did not have; skills the Canaanites had acquired in building other temples in the Levant. David's Canaanite friend, King Hiram of Tyre and Hiram, son of a man of Tyre and a woman of the tribe of Napthali (now widowed) joined Solomon in the enterprize. A structure meeting the requirements of a symbolic tabernacle with a courtyard, a holy place and the Holy of Holies, was erected. Two giant columns, commonplace in Canaanite Shrines, were placed at its entrance. The architecture and adornment of the building was so beautiful and impressive that its fame spread throughout the nations. It shaped the turbulent life of Israel even in those times when used for the worship of those Canaanite gods so abhorrent to the prophets and priests of Yahweh. In 586, almost four hundred years after its completion, it was looted and razed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, who took the elite of Judah to his capitol. Seventy years later, when Cyrus the Persian came to power, he permitted Zerubabel to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Later Nehemiah and Ezra returned to rebuild the city walls. The restoration, while it was so lacking in magnificence that it made the old men weep who remembered Solomon' s Temple, still established a place of Jewish identity. The second temple existed under Persian, Greek, Egyptian and Syrian dominance. The Syrian Antiochus IV plundered and committed sacrilege in the Temple precipitating the Hasmonean Revolt and a cleansing of the Temple.
In 63, the Roman General Pompey, captured Jerusalem. Herod usurped the Jewish throne, rehabilitated the Temple Mount and restored much of the magnificence of the second Temple.
This was the temple into which according to Christian tradition, Jesus made his triumphal entry as foretold by the prophets. He threw out the money changers and healed the blind and the sick. The Romans who feared his royal blood gave Jesus political aspirations to an earthly rather than a spiritual kingdom cruelly crucified him. From here Paul left on a mission for the Sadducees that turned into his missionary journeys to the gentiles.
The Romans, a devoutly religious people, felt very strongly that their phenomenal military and political success was due to the Gods appreciation of their religious observance and did not want to curry their disfavor by permitting the worship of strange gods. However, they had made a special case of the Jews, allowing them a limited religious freedom. While the rest of the empire was relatively peaceful, Jerusalem was a hot bed of political revolt so General Titus laid siege to it in 70 C.E. He completely destroyed the Temple, fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus, killed or enslaved most of the Jews and left the city in ruins. In 130 C.E. the Roman Emperor Hadrian visited Jerusalem to establish a garrison colony. They plowed along the ruins to build the city walls and called the colony Aelia Capitalina. This set off another revolt which Hadrian ruthlessly put down. He banned all Jews under pain of death and began the construction of temples to the Roman Gods to insure their blessing.
The Temple Mount called the Quadra or Square was left outside the colony plans. A temple to Jupiter was erected there with an equestrian statue of Hadrian facing it. The Tricameron Temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva was situated near the main market place with a temple to Venus facing it. There is evidence from coins that a whole pantheon of Gods were worshipped there.
In 326, the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome. Macarius, the Bishop of Aelia, persuaded Helena (the mother of Constantine) to visit the city. It is said that 300 years of Roman rule had erased all record of the places associated with the life of Jesus and it was Helena who determined their most likely location. She ordered the dismantling of the Roman monuments.
There then began under Constantine's influence a period of church building in Jerusalem. He commissioned Greek architects to build the church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335. Another church, the Eleona was built on the slope of the Mount of Olives. The churches of Ascension and Gethsemane were erected in the 380's by noble and rich women who had accompanied St. Jerome to Jerusalem. The Byzantine Empress Eudocia spent lavishly on churches such as St. Stephen. A Samaritan revolt in 529 and a Persian conquest in 614, led to the destruction of most of the churches. In 629, the Byzantine Christians recovered the city.
Meanwhile, according to Muslim tradition, Muhammad who had received God's last revelation to man and who was preaching the monotheistic religion of Islam in Mecca, turned his face daily to Jerusalem in prayer, as did his followers. Escorted by the angel Gabriel and mounted on the wondrous horse AlBuraq, the Prophet rode from Mecca to Jerusalem, stopped and tethered his horse at a place later commemorated by a mosque, went to the site of the Old Temple close by and led the former prophets in prayer. Later, Muhammad ascended to heaven by means of a celestial ladder standing on a rock over which now stands the mosque Quabbat AlSakhra (the Dome of the Rock). He there experienced the Beatific Vision, descended and returned to Mecca. Muslims decide for themselves whether this was a spiritual or a physical journey. In 638, the Patriarch Sophronius surrendered Jerusalem to the Muslim Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Kattab, who led the rapid spread of Islam. Now began 1300 years of Muslim rule over Jerusalem, only interrupted by crusader occupation from 1099 to 1187. Caliph Umar attempting to identify the places hallowed by the Prophets Nocturnal Journey had difficulty in locating them. After diligent search, he found the Rock of Ascent under a dung hill. He led the cleansing of the site and caused a primitive mosque to be erected close to both the Rock and the place where Al-Buraq had been tethered.
CHRONOLOGY
| 20th century BC | Canaanite Jerusalem |
| First mention on Egyptian clay figurines (execration texts) | |
| Abraham meets Melchizedek, King of Salem | |
| 1004 BC | King David establishes Jerusalem as capital of United Kingdom of Israel |
| 967 BC | King Solomon builds First Temple |
| 586 BC | Destruction of Jerusalem and of Temple by Nebuchadnezzar and exile of Jews to Babylon |
| 537 BC | Return of Jews from Babylon |
| 515 BC | Completion of Second Temple |
| 332 BC | Alexander the Great conquers the land |
| End of Persian period; beginning of Hellenistic period | |
| 169 BC | Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, plunders Temple |
| 167-141 BC | Hasmonean War of Liberation |
| 164 BC | Reconquest of Temple Mount and rededication of Temple |
| 63 BC | Pompeii captures Jerusalem |
| Beginning of Roman period | |
| 37-34 BC | Reign of King Herod the Great |
| AD 26-36 | Pontius Pilate, Roman procurator of Judea |
| c. 33 | Crucifixion of Jesus |
| 66-70 | The Great Revolt - the War of the Jews against the Romans |
| 70 | Fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Second Temple by Titus |
| 132-5 | Bar Kochba's Revolt |
| 135 | Emperor Hadrian's total destruction of Jerusalem |
| 324 | Beginning of Byzantine period |
| 326 | Visit of Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who determines the location of events associated with the last days of Jesus and initiates churches to commemorate these events |
| end of 6th century | Madaba map of Jerusalem |
| 614 | Persian conquest |
| 629 | Recapture by Byzantines |
| c. 638 | The Caliph Omar enters Jerusalem |
| 691 | Completion of the Dome of the Rock |
| 1099 | Crusader capture of Jerusalem |
| 1187 | Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders |
| 1250-1517 | The Mameluke period |
| 1517 | Ottoman conquest of Jerusalem |
| 1538-40 | Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilds the city walls |
| 1860 | First Jewish settlement outside city, walls |
| 1917 | General Allenby's entry into Jerusalem |
| Beginning of British Mandate period | |
| 1947 | United Nations Resolution partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab states and designating Jerusalem as an international city |
| 14 May 1948 | End of British Mandate |
| State of Israel proclaimed | |
| Attack on Israel by five Arab armies | |
| 28 May 1948 | Jewish Quarter in Old City falls |
| April 1949 | Armistice Agreement signed |
| Jerusalem divided between Israel and Jordan | |
| 13 December 1949 | Jerusalem declared capital of the State of Israel |
| 5 June 1967 | Attack of Jordanians on West Jerusalem |
| Beginning of Six Day War | |
| 7 June 1967 | Israeli troops capture Old City |
| Jerusalem reunited |
Fifty years later, Caliph Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan, changed the name of the city to Bayt Al-Maqdis (the Holy House). It was alternately called AlQuds (the Holy City) or Al-Quds AshSharif (Holy and Noble City). Caliph Vmars rude mosque was enlarged and beautified to become the magnificent mosque Al-Aqsa. The monumental mosque, the Dome of the Rock, was built over the rock where Muhammad ascended. The area between the mosques became known as Al-Haram AshSharif (the noble sanctuary). Caliph Malik asked his subjects to perform the pilgrimage to Jerusalem while Mecca and Medina were in the hands of rivals. Four hundred years later in 1099, Christian crusaders captured Jerusalem. Their massacre of Jews en route to Europe was continued in Jerusalem where they burned the Jews huddled in their makeshift synagogue and massacred Muslim men women and children who took refuge in the mosques and on the Haram. They took possession of the holy Christian unbelievers, plundered the mosques of their treasures and occupied the Dome of the Rock as their palace headquarters. They called it Templum Domini. They gave Al-Aqsa Mosque and the underground stables to the Knights Templar who used it as headquarters for their European expansion and the protection of Christian pilgrims. The Knights Templar called the Aqsa Mosque the Templum Solomonis and themselves the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The Crusaders ruled Jerusalem until 1187, when Saladin reconquered the city. He led the cleansing of the mosques, restored the Hararm and established many new educational and charitable institutions. After being expelled from positions of political and military power in Jerusalem, Christians were allowed to return to Al-Quds the Holy city of Jerusalem as pilgrims at the tomb of Christ as they had for centuries before the crusades .
Key to plan of the Temple Mount
| 1. | "The Rock" | 34. | Al-Madrasa al-Arghuniyya |
| 2. | Dome of the Rock | 35. | Al-Madrasa al-Khatuniyya |
| 3. | Dome of the Chain | 36. | Al-Madrasa al-Uthmaniyya |
| 4. | Dome of Joseph | 37. | Al-Madrasa al-Tankiziyya |
| 5. | Dome of Yusuf Agha | 38. | Al-Madrasa al-Fakhriyya |
| 6. | Dome of Moses | 39. | Western Porch |
| 7. | Dome of the Prophet | 40. | Northern Porch |
| 8. | Dome of Suleiman Pasha | 41. | Minaret of Israel |
| 9. | Dome of the Ascension | 42. | Minaret al-Ghawanima |
| 10. | Dome of the Spirits | 43. | Minaret of the Gate of the Chain |
| 11. | Dome of Solomon | 44. | Minaret al-Fakhriyya |
| 12. | Al-Khidr (Elijah) Dome | 45. | Double Gate (blocked) |
| 13. | Al-Nahawiwa Dome | 46. | Triple Gate (blocked) |
| 14. | Al-Aqsa Mosque | 47. | Single Gate (blocked) |
| 15. | Solomon's Stables | 48. | The Golden Gate (blocked) |
| 16. | Summer Pulpit | 49. | Gate of the Tribes |
| 17. | Pulpit of Nur al-Din | 50. | Gate of Forgiveness |
| 18. | Olive Tree of the Prophet | 51. | The Dark Gate |
| 19. | Al-Ka's (''The Goblet'') | 52. | Ghawanima Gate |
| 20. | Mihrab of Zechariah | 53. | Gate of the Inspector |
| 21. | Mihrab of David | 54. | The Iron Gate |
| 22. | Cradle of Jesus | 55. | Gate of the Cotton Market |
| 23. | Seat of Muhammad | 56. | Gate of the Bath |
| 24. | Seat of Solomon | 57. | Gate of the Chain. Gate of Peace |
| 25. | Fountain of Qayt-Bay | 58. | Barclay's Gate (blocked) |
| 26. | Fountain of Sultan Suleiman | 59. | Gate of the Mughrebins |
| 27. | Fountain of 'Ala'al-Din al Basir | 60. | Wilson's Arch |
| 28. | Fountain of Sheikh Budayr | 61. | Robinson's Arch |
| 29. | Fountain of Sha'lan | 62. | V |
| 30. | Fountain of Oasim Pasha | 63. | Balustrade (Second Temple) |
| 31. | Al-Madrasa al-Dawidariyya | ||
| 32. | Al-Madrasa al-Jawiliyya | ||
| 33. | Al-Madrasa al-Manjikiyya |
The "visit" to Jerusalem like the pilgrimage to Mecca (now sanctified by tradition) was a prescribed rite to be performed at the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa and the Haram. There were years when as many as twenty thousand Muslim pilgrims were in Jerusalem during the first few days of the pilgrimage. In 1193, Saladin's son built the Maghariba Mosque and in 1200, the governor had the Dome of Ascension completed . In 1517, the Muslim Turks of the Ottoman Empire moved into Jerusalem and in 1538 Suleiman the Magnificent, restored the city walls and monuments. The Muslim Turks ruled Jerusalem until the first World War when Britain united the Arab tribes to help fight the Turks and after the victory claimed the area.
It became a British Protectorate named Palestine. In 1947, the United Nations partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states with Jerusalem divided between them. In 1967, Israeli troops responding to an attack, captured the entire city and made it the capitol of Israel. They permitted Muslim and Christian structures to be administered by adherents except when in their judgment it endangered Israeli security. There are over 60 places of religious significance on the Temple Mount or Haram AshSharif. Most of them are Muslim holy places . Jerusalem is now a place of tragic, bloody confrontation.
Freemasons who also erect magnificent temples to God and who revere Jerusalem as the symbolic wellspring of their institution require of men who petition their brotherhood that they believe in the one living and true God. They accept Christians, Jews, Muslim, and others alike without reservation and make no effort to syncretize them into one religion. They respect each others religious traditions; there is no room for arrogant confrontation over doctrinal differences. The ethical principles and practice of morals prevails. They earnestly pray that the men of many different religious traditions who hold Jerusalem to be sacred ground and who fervently feel the Divine Presence there, can with temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice unite in a political solution that preserves for all time a halo of tranquility in Jerusalem befitting the sacred shrines of all.
Here is a list of books for more specialized study:
1. Solomon 's Temple. . . . . . Caldecott
2. The Second Temple. . . . . Caldecott
3. Temple Beyond Time . Klein and Klein
4. The Templars . . . Edward Burman
5. Jerusalem, It's Place in Islam and Arab History . . . . A. L . Tibawi
6. Guide to Dome of the Rock . . Arif Arif
7 . Encyclopedia Judaica
8. Holy Bible Kings, Chronicles, Ezra.
Christian Matthew 23:37
Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stoneth them which are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but you would not.
Mudim Koran Chapter XVII Verse 1
In connection with Muhammads Nocturnal Journey to Jerusalem. Glory to him who carried his servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the further mosque (Al-aqsa) the holy precincts of which we have blessed.
Jewish Psalms 137
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, there we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harp upon the willows in the midst there of for there they that carried us away captive required of us a song and they that wasted us required of us mirth saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord' s song in a strange land. If I forget thee O Jerusalem lest my right hand forget her cunning if I do not remember thee let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.
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by Vern S. Wertz, MPS
In their efforts to study and understand natural phenomena scientists try to develop a logical sequence or chain of data that will lead to an orderly and rational explanation of the events observed. All too often even the finest of researchers discovers that the ruthless hand of his own ignorance has left him with a chain of evidence with unexplained gaps- missing links! With intuitive reasoning the experienced scientist uses the gaps to point towards the next area of research.
If we place Freemasonry under the scientist's microscope of critical examination for an analysis of her past and present, we discover some missing links in a chain that ought to be complete, harmonious and unbroken.
Perhaps, the most obvious of these missing links is the one known as leadership. Even a cursory examination of the many bodies of our rite reveals a dearth of leadership or worse an excess of negative leadership as typified by those who seem to revel in prattling about all the problems that foretell the imminent demise of Freemasonry.
Why is this? One explanation would be that too many of our brethren who have been elected to a position of leadership erroneously believe that they are not now and can never be a leader. They mistakenly assume that leadership is some sort of accident of birth and a product of a mysterious aura known as charisma. Ridiculous!
Leadership is the result of using very specific "tools, " a concept Masons should be intimately familiar with in both a figurative and a literal sense. Every Mason has a life work and in that work he used the "tools of the trade." Those tools can range from the surgeons scalpel to the carpenters hammer. In every case he had to learn during some kind of apprenticeship the most effective way to use them. Masonry is no different! We struggle all our life to learn the best use of the working tools of Freemasonry. Furthermore, in every body of our great fraternity a brother is expected to serve in a line that allows him time to master the skills of leadership. And that may be where we get into trouble as there seems to be little evidence of such mastery.
Fortunately, having identified leadership as a missing link it requires no great intuitive leap of the mind to determine the next appropriate procedure. The obvious next step is to present our brethren with the tools of leadership and to teach them their uses.
Perhaps a brief discussion of some of these tools will indicate what we are missing and how easy it would be to reforge one of the vital links in the chain of Freemasonry through their use.
A successful leader will always identify and then make use of the skills and talents of the members of his group. This is another way of saying you can't do it all yourself and if you try you are the road to failure. Everyone enjoys contributing to the success of the group and almost everyone will lend a hand when asked; but the greatest joy, the greatest sense of accomplishment comes from utilizing skills that have been developed over a life time. In other words a leader really must find ways to let his brethren "show off" their talents in service to the Craft.
A successful leader will always determine the needs of his group. By one definition a leader helps a group establish goals, and then keeps them together while they achieve those goals. How one could do this without some understanding of the desires and needs of the membership is difficult to imagine. After all, Masonry is a people organization; everything we do is about people. Therefore, a leader must produce programs that meet the real needs of his brethren.
A successful leader will always share that leadership. Once again, you can't do it all yourself, and there are at least two good reasons for not trying. First, one of the principal duties of a leader is to train his successors by giving them the opportunity to test themselves and develop their own leadership abilities. Remember the reason for serving several years in a line? Second, a major goal of a leader is to involve his brethren in ways that will give them a sense of value and achievement. In simplest of terms a leader must provide ways for his brethren to be successful; then, and only then, will he too be a success.
A successful leader will always insure that members have the opportunity to learn and grow. Masonry can be, should be one of the greatest institutions of learning on this planet because the quality and the quantity of the lessons it teaches are simply remarkable. A leader who does not see to the Masonic education of his brethren has cheated, wronged, and defrauded them of something of inestimable value.
A successful leader will always carry out an evaluation of every activity. It is absolutely necessary to answer questions like: Are we on schedule? Why did this work? Why did this fail? What needs to be changed? Evaluation is critical because it is how a leader avoids repeating the same mistakes over and over.
There are a number of other tools of leadership that could be discussed, all of importance; but, hopefully, the point has been made that leadership can be learned.
Masonry offers many opportunities to its votaries, not the least of which is presiding in the East. To do this well does not require greatness, only the proper application of the useful tools of leadership.
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The Annual Report of the Executive Secretary
The Executive Board of The Philalethes Society met in the Hotel Washington at 9:30 a.m. on February 14, 1992, with Jolin Mauk Hilliard, President presiding. Present were Wallace McLeod and Forrest D. Haggard, Vice Presidents, Henry G. Law, Treasurer, Allen E. Roberts, Executive Secretary, Royal C. Scofield, 2nd Vice President-elect, and S. Brent Morris, quest of the President.
The meeting was opened with a memorial to Jerry Marsengill, Past President and Editor, who had died on November 22, 1991, and John R. Nocas, Past President, who had died on February 9, 1992.
A Memorial Fund for Jerry Marsengill was discussed. It was decided to establish a BENEVOLENT FUND, of which a JERRY MARSENGILL MEMORIAL FUND would be included. Its use will be determined by the Executive Board.
In December we received an emergency letter from a young lady medical student in Nigeria. She needed a small sum to keep her in school. We contacted her Provost by fax and confirmed her situation. As a result we sent her 9363 through her Provost. The Board determined this was acceptable but determined such requests in the future must be considered carefully because there are many other means for deserving students to obtain funds.
At a time to be determined by the Treasurer and Executive Secretary the former will take over the work now being performed by a computer service. We believe this will prove advantageous money-wise and hold down the far too frequent posting errors.
Permission was granted to Charles W. Ohrvall and Ovid Bell, "Publisher of Missouri Lodge of Research publications, "to publish selected articles from The Philalethes in a bonus book for members of the MLR. It was stipulated that this publication must contain a foreword written by an officer of the Society.
The qualifications of several applicants for Editor of The Philalethes were discussed. It was determined to leave the choice to the President and Executive Secretary. It was stipulated, however, that the position shall be classified as "Acting Editor" for a period of time. Some member of the Board will approve the contents of the magazine.
It was determined from now on to copyright the contents of The Philalethes. This will not prevent the theft of articles, but should hold this to a minimum.
David Crockett was named the winner of the Certificate of Literature for 1991. William F. Koeckert was named a Fellow of the Society.
An assistant for the Executive Secretary was left to the discretion of that officer.
S. Brent Morris brought us up-to-date with the biographical work the Society subsidized. He also reported on his work on the Folger Manuscript that he has spent several years working on. On publication the Board will consider making this a bonus book for the Society
The President was heartily thanked by the Board for his years of service to the Society He pledged to continue working for its advancement.
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Commentary on the Decline In Membership
by Andrew Johnson, MPS
"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link;" "Build on a solid foundation;" Freemasonry in order to grow must be a " Force " and not remain a " Form; " Platitudes? Agreed. However, it is becoming more and more apparent that our "chains" are becoming weaker, our foundations are eroding and we are no longer the " Force " we once were but are becoming a " Form " and not even a very strong "Form."
The basic structure of Freemasonry is the Craft or Symbolic Lodge and if allowed to continue on its present path and rate of decline, not only will the Craft wither, the branches from the basic tree will also cease to grow. Some hard cold facts as " food for thought. " In this jurisdiction of Nova Scotia, membership at the Craft level was 9,624 in 1944, rising to a peak of 14,860 in 1957, quite an increase in a period of thirteen years! However, since that date we have been declining at an annual average rate of 140 and the figure for 1989, 8,832, shows this decline continuing with an annual average loss for the past ten years of 154. It can easily be seen we are now below the 1944 figure and this in a period of thirty-three years with an ever increasing population!
Declining membership is not peculiar to this jurisdiction. Arguments are submitted that the reason is due to competition from Service Clubs, e.g., Lions, Rotary, Kinsmen and the like, plus television, sports events and so on. However, this brother does not find these reasons valid or acceptable.
Look around you when you next attend your Lodge or Chapter. Who are the regular attenders? The older brethren, the Past Masters and the Past High Priests! These senior brethren are the backbone of our Order. Ah! you say, "there was less competition in their day." Agreed, but if competition is the problem today, how come we still see them night after night? What then is the answer to the problem? The answer in my humble opinion is to make our meetings more interesting. How? More Lodges of Instruction, more Masonic Education Nights. If there are no competent brothers in your Lodge or Chapter, and I doubt this very much, there are many qualified brethren available who would be only too glad of the opportunity to come and " Spread the Light. "
Joining the Order in 1979, I immediately became interested in Masonic education and research, and, shortly afterwards, I joined Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle, the Charter Cosmos Transactions and the Philalethes Society. I then began a campaign to "Spread the Light" by encouraging my brothers to join these bodies, giving talks, reading papers, and to my amazement I discovered the average Mason was not interested in Masonic education. Undaunted I continued to "Spread the Light. " My year as Master and my year as High Priest confirmed my opinion that the average Masonic meeting, unless there was a Degree being exemplified or some Masonic Education taking place, was the most boring experience in existence unless you include watching paint dry!
In the past three or four years I have been instrumental in enrolling over two dozen brothers into the Philalethes Society with the help of Bro. Allen Roberts and Bro. Harold Davidson. Through these two brothers I obtained back issues of the magazine and gave them to interested brothers who, impressed by the publication, joined the Society. In July 1989, I applied to the then Grand Master (incidentally a member of the society whom I had enrolled) through the Grand Secretary, for permission on behalf of these members to seek a Dispensation to start a local chapter. I finally received a reply from the Grand Master in February 1990 that my request had been refused by the Board of Education! I quote the reason for their action:
"...it was recommended that this was not the appropriate time, with the reorganization that was underway, to commence such a Chapter. "
Two things relating to this recommendation intrigue me--of the twelve members of the Board of Masonic Education two of whom I personally enrolled in the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle, and presumably should have supported my request, and what is considered an appropriate time to commence a Chapter with the sole purpose of being a Masonic education study group? Bro. Allen Roberts has said over and over again, an educated Mason is a better Mason.
Certain organizations throughout history have always believed in keeping the masses uneducated, but surely an Order like Freemasonry that charges its initiates to improve their Masonic knowledge at every possible opportunity should be receptive to any and all attempts to further Masonic education, or are the various Grand Masters at their annual conferences only paying lip service to the need for Masonic education?
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The Antient Charges and Prince Hall's Initiation
by Kit Haffner, FPS
Every time a brother wishes to find a reason why 'regular' Grand Lodges should not recognize Prince Hall Affiliation Grand Lodges, a viewpoint is placed before the Fraternity which emphasize one point as the crucial reason why this cannot be done.
Thus Alphonse Cerza stated although the charter from England made all that had happened before 'regular', the failure of African Lodge to pay dues to England made it irregular. (But the same applies to every former English lodge in the United States). Sir James Stubbs sees the possible 'Declaration of Independence', as making it irregular. (But other dormancies have been accepted, and there is some evidence of continuity for African Lodge). Harold Voorhis wrote an article (which he never published) in which he disputed the date of Prince Hall's initiation, and thus 'proved' that he must have been made outside a chartered lodge. (How is it that no-one else had noticed this previously, and that after Voorhis had handled the original document it was found to have been defaced?) I was recently asked to review a paper to be presented at the Texas Lodge of Research at which yet another single issue was seen as proving conclusively that our Prince Hall brethren should not be recognized that the Grand Lodge of England had no right to issue a charter to African Lodge as the Grand Lodge Of Massachusetts already existed and it was a breach of territorial jurisdiction. (But no such concept was applied in the eighteenth century).
In The Philalethes for December 1991, we break new ground in that two issues are dealt with together, albeit in a way they are one, because both are taken from the 1723 Constitutions of the Premier Grand Lodge of England.
ARE THE CONSTITUTIONS IMMUTABLE?
The first and most Obvious point related to this is that the initiation is agreed by almost everyone to have taken place in an Irish Lodge, and thus the Irish Constitutions would apply. The first such book issued in Dublin in 1730, and although based upon English prototype, it did change things here and there, most notably in its recognition of the degree of Master Mason for the first time. But regrettably, I do not have a copy of the Irish Constitutions which applied in 1775, and no answer to this issue can be fully resolved unless the properly applicable "Charges" and " Regulations" are used. In the rest of this article I am making the dubious assumption that Ireland followed England in its changes.
In any case, the 1723 Constitutions did not come down on a gold plate from Heaven. Indeed, the original author, the Revd Dr. James Anderson, was responsible for publishing a very considerably amended version in 1738. He clearly thought that what he had published in 1723 could be improved. Bro. Dennis Scott is therefore not correct when he says that the ' 1723 ' stipulations were still in force when Prince Hall was introduced to Freemasonry.
But the question may also be asked as to whether the two points made by Bro. Scott are issues at all. The first is that Prince Hall or at least one of those initiated with him were not 'free-born', which is contrary to the "Regulations." Let us take them in reverse order, so as to deal with the simplest first.
The Limit of Five Brethren
Regulation IV of 1723 reads, 'No Lodge shall make more than FIVE new brethren at one Time' We know that fifteen Masons were made on the same evening including Prince Hall, but the record does not prevent there having been three or more ceremonies, one after the other. In any case in 1738 the somewhat revised Regulation IV read, 'No Lodge shall make more than FIVE New Brothers at one and the same time without a urgent Necessity ….’
Who was to decide the "urgent necessity?" It is true that the Regulation goes on to refer to the dispensation of the Grand Master, but the reference appears to be solely to candidates aged under twenty-five Thus the "urgent necessity" would be the decision of the Master or of the lodge, and we cannot at this date presume that there was a wrong decision made. Regimental movements potential if not actual-would have been enough irregular for fifteen Masons to have been made together
The Significance of the Antient Charges
The issue of "freeborn" is not so simple and it comes down to the legal meaning Of the Antient Charges. It is very important that they are not Regulations, which require exact obedience, but are exhortations.
As example, we can take Charge IV, which reads, "no Master should take an Apprentice...unless he be a perfect Youth. . . and then a Fellow-Craft in due time, even after he has served such a Term of Years as the Custom of the Country directs and that the should be descended from honest Parents. . . " This charge means that:
a. no-one can be initiated unless he is a youth, so all initiation of persons over twenty-one (say) are irregular;
b. no-one can be passed unless a period measured in 'years' has elapsed from initiation, so all passings within the same year are certainly irregular; and
c. no-one can be initiated unless his parents' honesty has been investigated, and certainly anyone whose parents at the time of initiation had a criminal record or had been found guilty in a civil suit would have been irregularly initiated. Is such an investigation required in your jurisdiction?
The "perfect youth" clause is immediately contravened by Regulation IV which prohibits the making of a Mason who is under twenty-five. But even if we allow that "youth" extends to thirty (surely that oldest possible age for "youth"), the vast majority of initiations carried out nowadays must be irregular according to Regulation IV.
Regulation IV also requires that the initiate "must be also his own Master." This would have let Prince Hall in as a self-employed man, but in our own time would exclude all employees, military personnel, and so on.
Another example is Charge IV which starts, "All Masons shall work honestly on working Days. . . " Does this not clearly mean that without exception since it says "all Masons"-when a Mason retires from work he must retire from Freemasonry? Where would our lodges be if this were enforced today?
Although the Antient Charges form a short document, examples might be multiplied at length to prove that they cannot be taken literally, nor ever were. Their value even as exhortation is dubious! Certainly the meaning of 'free-born' cannot be taken legalistically if the rest cannot be so taken.
What is Truly 'Free'?
What does this mean in relation to "free-born" and "no Bondman?" It seems to me that it simply means that a candidate should have a free mind to enable him to choose to be a Mason without improper encouragement or discouragement from others. Slavery is a state of mind, and this makes it very possible that a child born as a "slave" in the eighteenth century might have been more free than the child of his master.
Without painting a hagiographic picture of Prince Hall, all that we know of this Mason is wholly admirable, dignified and honorable, and his achievements display him as a man who worked freely for the good of his own race and the whole of the community. Are we at liberty to place a narrow and legalistic interpretation on the "free-born" aspect of the Antient Charges to attack the legitimacy of this man's initiation and that of his fellows, when we treat other Charges so symbolically when it suits us?
(Brother Haffner is District Grand Master; Hong Kong and the Far East and Past Master, The Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, London).
----o----
Albert Lee Woody, FPS February 15, 1901 April 16, 1991
Albert L. Woody, the senior Fellow of the Philalethes Society passed away on April 16, 1991 in Bremerton, Washington after a brief illness. He was ninety years old. He had been a Fellow of the Society for over forty years.
Albert Woody and Silas Shepherd, Executive Secretary of the Philalethes Society were close friends. For many years they both belonged to and regularly attended "The Standard Club." This club was composed of a group of Masons who regularly met on Saturday evenings, for ritual and floor work instruction at the Masonic Temple in downtown Chicago.
It was several years later that Silas Shepherd recommended Woody for membership in the Philalethes Society.
Shepherd also recommended that Woody be made a Fellow. of the Philalethes Society. Woody was listed as Fellow Number 70 of the Society in the first listing of Fellows to be published in The Philalethes Magazine in March 1946. His Masterpiece was entitled, Our Present Need -The Scottish Intender Program.
Woody was well-known pioneer in Radio Communication. He acquired his interest in radio communication at an early age while at sea for four years as a Morse code radioman aboard commercial cargo ships.
After traveling around the world, he settled in the Chicago area and engaged in pantagraph engraving for 41 years. He retained his skills as an amateur radio operator. He was a life member of the Society of Wireless Pioneers . In addition, he was a member of the Antique Wireless Association, the Morse Telegraph Club, Inc. and the Quarter Century Wireless Association.
Woody received his degrees in Harvey Lodge #832, A.F. & A.M. of Illinois, in 1925. In 1932, he served as Worshipful Master of his lodge. In the 1940's, during World War II, he became affiliated with Parian Lodge #977 . He served as a Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M. for many years. He was a member of both York Rite and Scottish Rite of Masonry.
He and several members of Parian Lodge started a study club within the lodge and many valuable papers on Masonic subjects were read there. For years he made valuable contributions to the literature of Freemasonry.
In 1950, he became Associate Editor of the Illinois Enlightener with its first issue, later becoming editor of this publication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Illinois. He also edited the candidate booklets published by the Illinois Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Information.
One of his best known papers was Masonic Rods -Their Use, History and Symbolism. In 1954, it was published by the Committee on Masonic Information of the Grand Lodge of Illinois.
Woody was a member of the Society of Indexers, London. He compiled the first index of the Philalethes Magazine in 197073. This was published by the Society in December 1973.
He became the first Secretary, Chicago Chapter, The Philalethes Society. He also served as Secretary, for Illinois of Quatuor Coronati Lodge in the 1960s.
For many years, he was an active participant in the annual meetings of the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education.
C.L. Roblee, MPS (Life)
----o----
Dear Brother Hilliard:
The most recent issue ... of The Philalethes includes a number of tributes to Jerry Marsengill, all of which are richly deserved. Among others in Iowa, I had a high respect for Jerry's intellect and admired his unawareness of material reward; his devotion to all of masonry [sic]; his unselfishness; his willingness to devote his considerable energies to the ideals he held. In memory of these qualities I would like to enclose a check to the Jerry Marsengill Memorial Fund.
I also noted with interest that, no where [sic] in the obituary -(or 'The [sic] Prophet ") was there any mention to Jerry's membership in the Scottish Rite, nor to the fact that he had been invested with the rank and decoration of Knight Commander of the Court of Honor. This honor came to him in 1979.
Is it possible that this information was omitted because it did not conform to the overall tone of "The Prophet" i.e. -the denial of honors to Jerry?
It is my considered belief that the Scottish Rite offered Jerry Marsengill a vehicle and platform to exhibit his Masonic and personal talents and that the Scottish Rite did not withhold deserved recognition.
Harry S. Barrows, 33, 5. G. I. G.
Allen E. Roberts Responds
Brother Barrows didn't address his letter to me, (he did send me a copy) but as the writer of "The Prophet " and cowriter of Jerry's obituary, I must respond to his comments.
First, he's correct. We didn't include his activities in the Scottish Rite -or Shrine --or some other organizations. I'm sorry.
Second, Brother Barrow takes great pride in stating Jerry was honored by the Scottish Rite with the award of K.C.C.H. And, "the Scottish Rite did not withhold deserved recognition. " Should the "deserved" be emphasized? Why did he not receive the 33d? Surely the so-called five year barrier (for all but the politically correct) was surmounted in 1984. Did the chosen ones exceed Jerry's dedication and work and justification for this award since then? Did each of them "deserve " the award more?
Brother Barrows wonders if this was left out because it didn't conform to the overall tone of "The Prophet. " Nope. It was originally included, along with the questions! On the advice of a mentor I trust, it was left out of the final draft.
----o----
THE ASSEMBLY / FEAST / FORUM
February 14, 1992
Slightly over 300 attended the Assembly/Feast/Forum which began at 6 p.m. in the Washington Room of the Hotel Washington. During the evening dozens more came to witness the proceedings. Shortly after the end of the lecture, over 30 ladies, most of them from Canada, were invited in to witness the installation of the new President of The Philalethes Society.
Throughout the Feast a program "for a Masonic Feast and Assembly, " developed and copyrighted by the President, John Mauk Hilliard, was featured. To the seven customary toasts he added one to the memory of Jerry Marsengill.
The Executive Secretary reported the actions of the Executive Board (see page 10). He noted that William F. Koeckert had been chosen a Fellow of the Society, and that David Crockett had been awarded the Certificate of Literature for 1991. Later in the evening Keith A. Hinerman was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal of The Philalethes Society. Several Awards of Merit were issued by both the out-going and in-coming Presidents.
The producers of the video Unseen Journey, in which Jerry Marsengill had participated, developed a memorial segment featuring Jerry's voice for this occasion. It was a poignant and memorable moment.
The Lecturer for 1992, Cyril N. Batham, gave an excellent discussion of his concept of the beginnings of Freemasonry He received a standing ovation and was presented with the Society's medallion proclaiming him the 1992 Lecturer.
At the conclusion of the Assembly and Feast a Forum was conducted. John J. Robinson, author of Born in Blood, joined Cyril Batham and the panel to answer many questions. All enjoyed refreshments in the hospitality room of the Society manned by our Canadian members and their ladies.
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Finger Lakes Chapter, The Philalethes Society
PRESENTS
Semi-Annual Meeting of
The Philalethes Society
Rochester, NY – Sept. 12, 1992
Fun
Unity
Education
Leadership
For a registration packet for an exciting
meeting, open to the ladies (with a
special program for them) write right
now to:
A. Wayne Engbrecht
Dortmund Rd.
Rochester, NY 14624
For the 90's
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A Family in Crisis A Time for Action
by David B. Dibrell, MPS
Today is a "Time for Action" by all members of the Masonic Family! The Masonic Family today is a "Family in Crisis." We are a family that is faced with declining membership, public misconceptions and membership apathy. The Blue Lodge, the Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shrine, the Eastern Star, Rainbow, DeMolay. . . all organizations which make up the Masonic Family, are faced with the same problems which can be solved by common solutions!
Very often speakers and writers are accused of "preaching to the choir" because speeches are heard and articles are read by the "choir members" by those very members that are active participants in the organization. It is the active members that attend functions to hear the speakers and that take the time to read the articles in the publications. In the Masonic Family Crisis this is exactly the group that must make a difference! The active members (the "choir") must be motivated to action to rededicate themselves to their Masonic relationships, to re-double their energies and to re-activate themselves to action to ACTIVE participation.
This article will attempt to define the crisis to you or prove to you that we have a crisis, and then, will offer several solutions. There are other solutions which each ACTIVE member must constantly work to develop. The conference of Grand Masters of North America in mid1988 commissioned a market research study through its Masonic Renewal Task Force. As you know, in business, market research is done to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of a product, to identify the competition and to offer possible solutions. The Conference of Grand Masters showed enormous foresight in undertaking this marketing project. The research study consisted of random studies of Masons and nonMasons; was national in scope and has provided many interesting facts and ideas. The study of Masons shows that 50 % were over age 61, with 26 % over age 70. This yields a very high average age. In fact, if the current rate of new membership continues, then the current membership of 2.7 million Masons will drop by 50% by the year 2000 and by 50% more by 2010. In the next 20 years Masonic membership will be 25 % of today's level. If a total membership of only 675,000 does not indicate a crisis, what does? Similar declines have been noted in all of the affiliated organizations.
If each person will look at your Lodge, your Eastern Star Chapter, your Rainbow Assembly, your DeMolay Chapter, your York and Scottish Rite bodies and the Shrine, you will see similar patterns. The decline in membership in all of the Masonic Family is related and similar. In the study, 72 % of Masons expressed no disappointments or only minor ones with the fraternity itself. Asked why they were Masons, 94% said it "...gives meaning and perspective to life. . ., " and 92% said it "...provides moral, ethical development." This says that Masons are glad they are Masons and would not make any major changes in the fraternity. We are doing something right...the basics of the fraternity need no change.
So why do we have this crisis today?
The Masonic Family is in crisis today because it has failed to adapt to today's society. Because there is so much in today's society that is not worth adopting, the fraternity has resisted au attempts to adapt. Adapting (not adopting) means to use the good things of today while retaining the good qualities from the yesterday.
However, there are many solutions to overcome the many problems facing the Masonic Family today. Two of the most important as well as viable solutions are:
Increased Membership
Fun & Fellowship
Much has been written about changing membership requirements and solicitation rules. These may or may not be needed. Since any change takes an enormous amount of time and energy, let us focus on increasing membership within the current rules.
Members of the Order of the Eastern Star are allowed to solicit members. This can provide an excellent marketing tool for Masons. In your daily lives you will often encounter a lady who would be a worthy member of the Order. ASK HER TO JOIN! Invite her to socials, invite her to charitable events, tell her about the good work of the Order. After she is initiated, take the time to involve her in the activities of your Chapter.
What...she has no Masonic affiliation?
Explain to her the requirement and then work with her to establish one. Don't stop trying to recruit her just because she has no affiliation. Help her find one. Her husband is not a Mason. . . explain how he can become one. If you make the Order of Eastern Star attractive to her and if she really wants to become a member, she will get her Masonic affiliation! Too often we are deterred by the lack of a Masonic affiliation and "drop the ball. " This does not advocate that we ask "just anyone, " only that we actively promote membership to those who are worthy. The same approach may be used by the Daughters of the Nile, the Order of Rainbow and other groups designed for the ladies and young ladies. The greatest service that any of these groups can provide to the Masonic Family is to aid in membership recruitment.
Now, Brother Masons, we have identified the tasks for the Eastern Stars to help us. How can we help them? ...By being members also. According to the study, only 30% of Masons are active in other Masonically related organizations. It is time to look out beyond our local Blue Lodge and expand our horizons to include the Eastern Star, Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shrine and by being attendees and advisors of Rainbow and DeMolay!
The most critical need of most Eastern Star Chapters is Masons! An Eastern Star Chapter must have a Mason to meet. Some Chapters are, indeed, in dire need of Masonic Leadership. Of the eighteen officers of an Eastern Star Chapter, two MUST bc Masons. If you expect thc Eastern Star to help solve our Blue Lodge membership problem, we must first start by helping them solve theirs. I challenge each Mason to join and become active in your local Eastern Star Chapter.
Some may say that they do not "have time" for all these other activities. You don't have to do it all yourself. If you do not have time, then take as YOUR task that of finding an inactive Mason and bringing him in to help you. Someone has to do something. If we all sit and wait for " someone else to do it, " we will arrive at the year 2010 with only onefourth of our current membership and will be facing increased problems.
A brief word about the other solution mentioned Fun and Fellowship.
Although our rituals are serious and teach many wise truths, nowhere is it written that one cannot have fun. Attend to the serious business, conduct the required business and conform to the Landmarks of our fraternities. The lessons taught by all of the Masonic Family are worthy of careful thought and active participation. Our service to humanity is unquestioned. But we should always include social activities so that our families can enjoy also being a part of the fun and conviviality.
Yes, the Masonic Family is in crisis. Yet, it is never too late for positive action! We still have an opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to Masonic Principles, to recharge our commitment to Masonic Precepts and to turn the tide of decreasing membership into a wave of a new beginning.
- If you are an Eastern Star lady get us new members!
- If you are a Rainbow Girl get us new members!
- If you are a DeMolay boy plan to be a member!
- If you are a Mason
become an Easter Star
be a Rainbow Advisor
be a DeMolay Advisor
but most importantly--live each day so that your Masonic teachings will be reflected through your life to those around you. Most importantly... Be a Mason in ACTION!
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by Thomas W. Olzak, MPS
"And slowly Arthur answered from the barge;
The old order changeth, yielding place to the new;
And God fulfills himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world."
The Passing of Arthur
Lord Alfred Tennyson
During the first half of the 18th century, a group of men with common interests, common ideals and common moral beliefs established the first Grand Lodge of Freemasonry. During the next two centuries, dynamic forces shaped our order. Change was prevalent as ritual and tradition grew out of the principles and ideals of the men who built our great fraternity. Today, many believe we have lost the dynamism of long ago. Are they right? Have we lost the ability to change? Are we locked so tightly in the framework of ancient tradition that we can no longer react to the changing world around us?
As with all organizations, our fraternity must nourish itself with the prevailing hopes and dreams of the society it serves. This does not mean we must abandon the principles upon which our order was founded. It does mean, however, that we must evolve as man and as society evolve. We must provide the basic requirements modern man expects of an organization worthy of his time.
I think we have to ask ourselves which is more important; the ideals we stand for or the manner in which we run our Lodges. In many cases, we have become so involved in the "form" of our fraternity we have forgotten the "essence" around which the form was constructed. By form I mean the traditions which control the decisions made from the Lodge to the Grand Lodge.
The brethren who built our fraternity built it around three basic ideals they wished to teach mankind: brotherly love, relief and truth. The whole framework of Freemasonry exists to teach men how to achieve these ideals. These ideals form the essence of Freemasonry.
It is easy to get into the habit of defending the form instead of promoting that for which the form was originally created. We get comfortable with the way things are and we feel safe knowing we are following the same course set by our brethren many years ago.
The threat of change makes us feel uneasy. It is always more difficult to face tomorrow when, instead of relying on what was done before, we must choose a new path to the future. But change is inevitable. It drives our universe from the smallest sub-atomic quantum to the largest galaxy. Changes in nature are driven by universal laws established by the Great Architect. Changes in social order are driven by the attitudes, hopes and fears of mankind. It is with these latter changes Freemasonry must be concerned. But what do we change? How much do we change? To help answer these questions, let us examine one of the more controversial topics of change the ritual.
Suggestions for changing the ritual's role in our fraternity range from rewriting it to make it more applicable to modern times, to eliminating it all together. Not unlike most change, there is a middle ground between these two extremes which will not compromise the essence of our order. Instead, it will serve to strengthen it.
I have already stated that I believe the tenets of brotherly love, relief and truth form the fundamental teaching of our order. Contained within them are all the moral precepts contained within the Great Light. To tell a newly raised brother that he should strive to attain them without giving him the means to do so would accomplish little. The ritual, however, allows us to give our new brother the tools with which to start his house not made with hands. It also forms the basis upon which we as brethren come together upon the level and by the plumb.
If we rewrite the words surrounding the symbols and truths embraced by our current ritual, have we changed the essence of our fraternity? I think not. The words comprising the Masonic ritual differ from Grand Lodge to Grand Lodge; the concepts do not. As long as the fundamental teachings remain constant, Freemasonry remains strong.
If, when addressing suggestions for change, we use the underlying principles of our order as guides, we will always move forward without leaving behind anything of value.
As Freemasons, we are men seeking truth and the perpetuation of the ideals of our fraternity. We are obligated to look beyond tradition and dogma to make the changes necessary to preserve our order. When properly managed, change can be a constructive process. However, if we allow ourselves to be blinded by tradition or by the fear of change, the results can be very destructive.
Edward Gibbon wrote in his "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, "All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance. " This was as true of the Roman Empire, as it was for the Athenian Empire, as it was for all kingdoms, empires, and societies which have come and gone. If our fraternity stops moving forward it too will begin to suffer the ills of decay. Its strength and resiliency will begin to wane. The winds of change will at last cause its decaying framework to fail. As the framework falls, the light which was once held high as a beacon to all men seeking truth will go out; possibly for the last time. But it is certainly not yet time to sound the death knell for Freemasonry. We still have hope. The hope of our members and their belief in what Freemasonry stands for.
Matthew Arnold, a l9th century poet once wrote,
"Nations are not truly great solely because the individuals composing them are numerous, free, and active; but they are great when these numbers, this freedom, and this activity are employed in the service of an ideal higher than that of an ordinary man, taken by himself. "
This service to a high ideal does not apply only to nations. It also applies to organizations whose purpose is to evaluate the dignity of man.
If we focus our thoughts on the ideals of our order, we will gain vision. If we let the pursuit of those ideals govern our actions, we will gain wisdom. With vision and wisdom, we can once again infuse our order with the courage and the desire to apply change where it is needed.
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The Mystery of the Blank Masonic Checks
by Stephen E. Patrick
Curator George Washington Masonic National Memorial
As checks go, there was nothing very exciting about the sheet of six unused, blank checks in the museum collection of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial other than that they had a Masonic square and compass in the paper's watermark. Printed for the Bank of South Carolina in the 1830s, they had nothing to do with George Washington, and their only interest to the collection was this watermark. Nevertheless, since the day I first saw them I was fascinated by the decision of a major bank to print checks on such paper more than one hundred fifty years ago.
The thing that captivated me most about this was that the 1830s were very much within the anti-Masonic years when feelings against the fraternity had heated enough to warrant the formation of a political party in 1828 dedicated to removing Freemasons from political offices. Though the party collapsed in 1836, the effects of the movement were felt by Masons until the 1840s. The very idea that a bank's board of directors would be daring enough to permit checks printed on such a paper stock was intriguing.
The answer proved to be in the name of John S. Cogdell, P.G.M. If any one Mason from South Carolina could have had the daring and the initiative to print his bank's checks on stationery identifying his involvement in Freemasonry, it was Brother Cogdell. Born in l778, Cogdell was educated at the College of Charleston, and began a law career in 1799, which was disrupted by ill health the following year. Cogdell went to Italy to recover, and there became fascinated with painting and sculpture; a hobby he pursued for the rest of his life. He became a member of Union-Kilwinning Lodge No. 4, one of the oldest and most prestigious Lodges in the state, and rose through the ranks of the craft. In addition to his law practice, Cogdell served on the board of the Bank of South Carolina, and became its president in 1832, a position he would occupy for the next fifteen years.
Cogdell became one of the leading figures in the financial, political and social life of Charleston in the 1820s and 1830s. A good Mason and a well-intentioned man, Cogdell managed always to be at the center of action and debate. Most notably, two years after serving as Master of Union-Kilwinning Lodge, Cogdell's friend, the Supreme Council's first Grand Commander, John Mitchell, 33 degree, died in 1816. Mrs. Mitchell gave two trunks full of the late Brother Mitchell's papers, including rituals for the Sublime Bodies, to the Grand Master of South Carolina, Brother Thomas W. Bacot, who served as president of the Bank of South Carolina in the 1820s. Bacot, not then a member of the Supreme Council, shared these papers with his friend and Junior Grand Warden, John Cogdell, and a number of other prominent Masons in South Carolina. Poorly advised, and believing that they were within correct practice, they fell prey to Joseph Cerneau of New York, founder of the spurious co-rival of the Supreme Council from 1807 to 1827. Cerneau's 1816 directory of his own "Supreme Council" lists Grand Master Bacot as the Ill. President of the Grand Council of South Carolina, and Grand Junior Warden Cogdell as Dep. President. In the Rose Croix, Cerneau made Bacot President, and Cogdell Grand Junior Warden.
Mortified by what had happened, the Sovereign Grand Commander, the Rev. Dr. Frederick Dalcho found himself in an extraordinarily bad position. Whereas Dr. Dalcho sat as head of the Supreme Council, Brothers Bacot and Cogdell were Grand Master and Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. Before the conclusion of this mishap, Cogdell would be sitting for a third term as Grand Master of South Carolina, and Bacot would be the most honored Past Grand Master of his time, having navigated the merger of the two rival Grand Lodge bodies of Antients and Moderns in 1817. To complicate the matters further, Dalcho had enjoyed a long friendship with both men, was also a member of Union-Kilwinning Lodge, and above all, was the assistant rector of the two dissenters' parish, St. Michael's Episcopal Church. Dalcho could find no comfortable way to handle the quarrel, and resigned as Sovereign Grand Commander in 1822. Dr. Isaac Auld, 33d, rose to the Sovereign Grand Commander's position at that point, and was able to solve the problem, and legalized the Cerneau associators by conferring on them Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret on February 22, 1822.
The matter died away shortly after that, and both Bacot and Cogdell were honored as well-liked Past Grand Masters of South Carolina. The anti-masonic period began shortly thereafter in 1826, and though neighboring Alabama and Georgia reeled under the onslaught of sentiments against the fraternity, South Carolina was only partially affected, and indeed the Grand Lodge began plans in the mid 1830s to build a new Masonic temple in Charleston. Construction began in August 1837, and substantial work was completed by the time a fire broke out on April 27, 1838 and consumed roughly a third of the city, including the uncompleted Masonic Temple building.
The Grand Lodge of South Carolina appeared to have been in a bad spot. Past Grand Master John S. Cogdell's Lodge, Union-Kilwinning, had loaned the Grand Lodge a substantial sum at a rate of six percent per annum, the sum of which had been deposited in John Cogdell's bank, the Bank of South Carolina. With the loss of the Masonic Temple, the Grand Lodge was miserably in debt to Union Kilwinning for S5,000, plus interest, and still with no temple. Interestingly, the City Council, which included none other than John S. Cogdell as an alderman for the first ward, approached the Grand Lodge asking to purchase the site for their own use in erecting a new public hall. At a Quarterly Communication on December 21, 1838, the Grand Lodge agreed to sell the lot to the city for a sum not less than S2,000. Much to their surprise, the City Council response was read at a Quarterly Communication on June 28, 1839, and the city offered S4,500 for the site. The Grand Lodge eagerly accepted the sale, and with a renewed vigor, set about constructing a brand new gothic revival Masonic Temple at the corner of King and Wentworth Streets.
The result was very happy. Union Kilwinning Lodge was paid in full eventually, and the City Council got their desired site at the corner of King and Meeting Streets, while Grand Lodge got their new structure at the corner of King and Wentworth. The Bank of South Carolina, under the able guidance of President John S. Cogdell managed everyone's money admirably. As late as 1847, the year that the Grand Lodge of South Carolina mourned the passing of Past Grand Master John S. Cogdell, the Grand Lodge was still showing in its assets stock in the Bank of South Carolina. Is it any wonder that the Bank issued checks on such a paperstock?
The research for this principally comes from Proceedings for the Grand Lodge of South Carolina; Charleston City Directories, 18291840; Albert G. Mackey, "History of Freemasonry in South Carolina " 1840; (Charleston) 1861; Ray Baker Harris, "History of the Supreme Council" (Washington, DC) 1964; Allan Johnson, cd. at., "Dictionary of American Biography" (New York) 1930.
Endnote
1. Allen Johnson and Dumas Malone, eds., Dictionary of American Biography (New York, 1930) vol. IV:270-71.
2. Albert G. Mackey, History of Freemasony in South Carolina (Columbia, 1861)182-191. See also Ray Baker Harris History of the Supreme Council, 33rd degree ... 180i 1861 (Washington, DC, 1964), 132-133.
3. Henry Wilson Coil, Coil 's Masonic Encyclopaedia (New York, 1961) 58.
4. Mackey, op. cit., 280-287.
5. Abstract of the Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of South-Carolina . . .1847(Charleston 1848) page
6. The necrology for Cogdell appears on page 7.
----o----
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----o----
by John Salmon, MPS
Many of the Brethren of our order believe, quite genuinely, that our Masonic Penalties have been handed down to us since the days of King Solomon. They are equally sure that the penalties were engraved on 'two tablets of stone,' therefore not one single word of them should ever be altered. There is also a very strong belief that King Solomon, in his own Lodge, practiced the same ritual as they do today.
The purpose of this paper is to trace from their origin to the present day, the history of our Masonic Penalties, and I promise that there will be no 'fairy tales. ' The majority of the statements that will be made in this paper can be proved by documents which are available at the majority of our Grand Lodge Libraries. When this is not the case, they will be based on quotation from " Masonic Scholars of Today. "
Let us now turn our attention to some historical facts.
Of the 113 copies of our "Old Charges, (a.k.a. Old Constitutions) of which approximately 75 date before the penalties were included in our Obligation, not one makes any reference to the type of penalty in use today, nor to any other type of a physical penalty.
"The Early Masonic Catechisms" by D. Knoop, G. P. Jones and D. Hamer was first published in 1943, was revised and enlarged in 1963 and required a further reprint in 1975. This book listed 20 exposures. The first 13 date between 1696 and 1726. Of these 13, not one includes a penalty in the Obligation.
Of the remaining 7,dated between 1727 and 1750, five list a penalty in the Obligation which is very similar with that in use today.
The Edinburgh Register House MS. of 1696. (E.R.H.):
This Manuscript, along with "The Chetwode Crawley MS," c. 1700; "The Kevan MS," c. 1714; and "The Haughfoot Fragment," dated 1702, belong to what is known today among Masonic Historians as "The Edinburgh Group of MSS. " They all originated from a common source even though the arrangement of their contents, phraseology and spelling differ, showing that they were not copied from each other. Of the above four " The Edinburgh Register House MS," dated 1696 is the oldest surviving description of our Masonic ceremonies of its day. As the Obligation in the E.R.H., C.C. and the Kevan MSS are all very similar in their content, I will list that as for the E.R.H. MS only.
"Obligation"
"By God himself and you shall answer to God when you shall stand naked before him, at the great day, you shall not reveal any part of what you shall hear or see at this time whither by word or write nor put it in write at any time nor draw it with the point of a sword, or any other instrument upon the snow or sand, nor shall you speak of it but with an entered Mason, so help you God. "
So here we have it, proof positive, that in the late 1600s and the early 1700s there was no such thing as a penalty in our obligation.
It should be noted that prior to taking the "Oath" (Obligation), the candidate must promise secrecy. After he has taken his Obligation he is removed from the Lodge, where he is taught, among other things, a penalty, much like our present day one if he should break his promise of secrecy.
The ritual goes on as follows:--
"After he has taken the Oath he is removed out of the company (Lodge),...he is to learn from the Mason the manner of making his Due Guard which is the sign and the postures and words of his entrance which is as follows,...here come I the youngest and last entered apprentice...under no less pain than having my tongue cut out under my chin and being buried, within the flood mark where no man shall know, then he makes the sign again with drawing his hand under his chin alongst his throat which denotes that it be cut in case he should break his word. "
Under questions to be asked, along with the answers to prove yourself a Mason, No. 3 was as follows:--
"Q. 3. What is the first point? Ans. Tell me the first point Ill tell you the second, the first is to heil and conceal, second, under no less pain, which is then cutting of your throat, for you must make that sign when you say that. "
This should prove, beyond doubt, that from our oldest Masonic ritual we find not only was there no penalty within the "Oath (Obligation), but that our present E.A. penal sign was at one time used as both a punishment if he should break his word and as a Mode Of Recognition. It will be shown later that this "Mode of Recognition" was "relocated " and "inserted into our Obligation" where today, we know it as the "penal sign" of an Entered Apprentice.
Of the first 13 ritual exposures printed in the "Early Masonic Catechisms," which are dated prior to 1727, the Obligation follows along the same line and there are no penalties included in these obligations. Let us therefore now turn our attention to the exposures of 1727 and 1730.
A Masons Confession, ?1727:
This exposure was printed in " The Scots Magazine, 1755/6, and claims to represent the workings of a Scottish operative Lodge of about 1727. If this is correct, it is the oldest dated Masonic ritual that we know of which includes a penalty in our Obligation (or Oath), which was as follows:--
"As I shall answer before God at that great day. . . under the pain of having my tongue taken out from beneath my cheeks, and my heart taken out from beneath my left oxter, and my body buried within the seamark, where it ebbs and, flows twice in the twentyfour hours."
We can now say, with reasonable certainty, that it was in 1727 that our present penalty was 'repositioned ' from the general narrative of our ritual to the Obligation. But not only that, the penalty has now grown from a very simple tongue cut out and buried within the flood mark (1696), to that which is included in the "Masons Confession" above (1727).
The Wilkinson MS C. 1727
This exposure, said to have been written in 1727 is very unique in that it includes an early version of our First Degree Lecture, along with the Traditional History. There are in total 79 Questions and Answers along with an Entered Apprentice Obligation not unlike our present one. The penalty for this Obligation was as follows:--
"All this under no less a penalty than to have my throat cut, my tongue taken from the roof of my mouth, my heart plucked from under my left breast, then to be buried in the sands of the sea, the length of a cable rope from shore, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in 24 hours my body to be burnt to ashes, my ashes to be scattered upon the face of the earth, so that there shall be no more remembrance of me among Masons. "
We have now just gone through the Second Version of our Masonic Penalty. It should be noted that the penalty has parts added to it which were not included in the "Masons Confession" version of 1727. That part of the "Body Burned to Ashes" etc. being new.
Samuel Prichards" Masonry Dissected, 1730:
This exposure, printed in the Daily Journal of 20 Oct. 1730 is often referred to by Masonic Scholars of today as the date of the Introduction of Penalties within the Obligation. It is also the date of the introduction of the three degrees in the ritual. Prior to this there was only one degree shown.
We cant say for certain that a penalty was introduced into the Obligation in 1727 as these dates are only approximate, but we do know for certain that "Masonry Dissected" was published in 1730.
This publication was also the date for three separate and distinct degrees, with a separate ritual listed for each degree. The Obligation shown is included in the E.A.D. only and is word for word the same as that shown for the Wilkinson MS. of 1727.
As far as we know there were no further exposures printed in England between 1730 and 1760.Let us therefore turn our attention to Masonry in France prior to 1760.
The Early French Exposures, 1737-1751:
This book, edited and compiled by our late Bro. Harry Carr lists 12 French Exposures dated between 1737 and 1751. They include three separate degrees with an Obligation in the E.A.D. only. The penalty is very similar to the "Wilkinson MS of 1727. What these 12 exposures show us is that at least until 1751, French Masonry still included the penalties in the E.A. Obligation only. Therefore, let us direct our attention to the 1760 exposures.
Three Distinct Knocks, 1760:
This exposure, printed in 1760, was the first of a whole set of English exposures which included a penalty in each of our three degrees. This publication is unique been once again changed where it now appears as three separate penalties, with one being allotted to each degree. They were as follows:--
"E.A.D. Penalty"
" . . . Than to have my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by the root, and that to be buried in the sands of the sea, at low-watermark, a cables length from the shore, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours; . . . "
"F.C.D. Penalty
" . . . Than to have my heart torn from under my naked left breast, and given to the vultures of the air as a prey, . . .
M.M.D. Penalty
"...Than to have my body severed in two, the one part carried to the south, the other to the north, my bowels burnt to ashes in the south, and the ashes to be scattered before the four winds, that such a vile wretch as I should be remembered no more amongst any manner of men, (particularly Masons). . . "
Our penalties have once again gone through a change. Not only are there now three separate penalties, but the wording of each one has also been slightly changed.
The Union of the Two Grand Lodges of England In 1813:
At the union of these two G.Ls. the ritual was "standardized " and a nonphysical penalty was included in the E.A.D., which was as follows:--
"...or that of being branded as a wilfully perjured individual, void of all moral worth, and totally unfit to be received into this or any other worthy and warranted Lodge, or the society of men who prize honor and virtue above the external advantages of rank and fortune. . . ' '
So here we have a further change to our Masonic Penalties. We now have not only our three physical penalties, but a further change has been made with the introduction of a nonphysical penalty.
Moral Implications:
I have endeavored to show in this paper that many changes have been made to both the location and wording of the penalties in our Obligation.
Should the penalties be retained in the Obligation? Is antiquity a good sound reason for doing so? Perhaps we should consider our "Moral Implications" to see if this would not be a much better reason to "relocate " them to that part of our ritual where the candidate is entrusted with the secrets.
Should we in fact retain a form of punishment that, Masonically, has never been inflicted which no one legally would be allowed to inflict and all for revealing certain secrets which have long since ceased to exist.
Should we ask a candidate to repeat an Obligation that has physical penalties included, especially after assuring him that the Obligation contains nothing that is incompatible with his moral, civil or religious duties?
Should we ask a candidate to kneel before an Altar place his naked right hand on the Volume of the Sacred Law and invoke the help of God in an Obligation that contains physical penalties?
Summary:
I hope I have shown in this paper that our penalties have gone through "numerous " changes, which are as follows:-
(a) from an Obligation without a penalty (pre 1727)
(b) to an Obligation with three penalties included (1727-1759)
(c) to three Obligations with a separate penalty in each ( 17601813)
(d) to a non-physical penalty included in the E.A.D. only (1813)
(e) and many changes in the wording of the penalties between 1727 and 1813.
And further:--
(1) In 1893 the G.L. of Ireland changed the way the penalties were explained to the candidate.
(2) In 1966 the G.L. of Scotland recommended that the penalties be removed from the Obligation.
(3) In 1986 the G.L. of England removed the penalties from the Obligation and explained them elsewhere.
(Here we have the three mother G. Ls. of the world finding that the "Moral Implications are more important.)
(4) The majority of the G.Ls. of Europe have never included penalties in the Obligation.
(5) In Canada the G.Ls. of Manitoba and Quebec have made changes in how the penalties are explained.
(6) The G. Ls. of Australia and New Zealand have removed the penalties and explained them elsewhere.
(7) Several G.Ls. in the U.S. have also removed the penalties from the Obligation and explained them elsewhere.
The majority of the G.Ls. which have made the change have relocated the penalties from the Obligation to that part of the ritual where the " secrets are explained to the candidate so that he will understand the meaning of the signs. "
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Temple Mormonism and Freemasonry
by Mervin B. Hogan, FPS
In the Mysteries...few explanations were given to the spectators, who were left, as in the school of nature, to make inferences for themselves. No other method could have suited every degree of civilization and capacity. To employ nature's universal symbolism instead of the technicalities of language, rewards the humblest inquirer, and discloses its secrets to every one in proportion to his preparatory training and his power to comprehend them.
--Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, p. 64.
Introduction
Joseph Smith established by revelation The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints as the restoration of the gospel that had been lost, including the revealed temple and associated ceremonies. This leaves the Temple Mormon free to conjecture as to the original existence of those ceremonies. To relate meaningfully to the Endowment Ceremony (as the presentation in LDS temples is called) most candidates need to know that the ritual they are participating in is based on symbol and allegory and extends an implicit rather than explicit instruction. Furthermore, although they are a group of candidates experiencing the ceremony together, the instruction is directed to each candidate individually. He or she is entirely on his or her own insofar as perceiving the intent of the ritual and discerning its many possible meanings. This mode of communication is that which was used in each of the various Ancient Mysteries.
As the inevitable products of the schooling we have been formally exposed to and the almost stereotyped world of today that we have been reared in, the ancient system of instruction utilized by the Church to communicate its most sacred teachings to each Endowment Ceremony candidate commonly presents some of the candidates with a serious problem. Those sensing difficulty find themselves confused and frustrated as they seek individual orientation and a feeling of understanding of the ritual in which they are participants.
As modern seekers of knowledge in the contemporary world, few have been prepared to realize that with the Endowment Ceremony they are confronted with a method of instruction which antedates recorded history. Unlike the classroom schooling they have encountered at the various levels of their studies in the past, this highly condensed program of instruction involves no one-on-one communication, no individual evaluations or examinations, and no individual grades. There is no official syllabus nor catalog description and goal of the course. In other words, there is no institutional declaration associated with a given plan and no one is held to any specific interpretation or formulation of the experience.
It is an utterly new learning experience. The message of the Endowment Ceremony is to each individual exactly what that individual is able to derive from the ceremonial presentation himself. He must concentrate his attention and thought on every detail of the ritual. He must meditate and conjecture on what he observes. He will mentally study and analyze the related content and possible meanings of the ceremony he has been privileged to be a part of.
What the individual extracts from his sacred prerogative and highly unique experience will depend essentially on two things, namely: his inherent gift or natural ability to derive meaning from allegory and symbolism, and the parallel, that talent for the same that he has developed by his mental training and educational experience. Everything is individually personal and relative.
We are born into the world and live out our lives immersed in an atmosphere of symbolism. Symbolism is so natural to us that many are scarcely ever consciously aware of its impact upon our lives . There is the symbolism of sound and the consequent magnificent field of music, relating to our sense of hearing. Dependent upon our sense of sight is the symbolism of color and the attributes various races and cultures have assigned to the spectrum of nature's many hues. Although somewhat restricted, the sense of taste has its symbolism which we frequently employ rather instinctively. The olfactory nerve or sense of smell we use at all times, especially in the symbolism of perfumes with their exotic and erotic names. The sense of touch relates us to various sensory and sensuous as well as physical and material symbolism.
The symbolism of personal expression, such as literature and the theater, we experience in many forms at numerous levels of accomplishment. Probably the most common areas of symbolism derive from the graphic arts; in color or black and white. There is the symbolism of form or geometry--plane and solid. Numbers or so-called numerology is an ancient and venerable field of symbolism, as is astrology or the symbolism of the heavenly bodies. The list can be extended quite readily to such arts as the ballet and symphony, as well as many other fields.
In the realm of symbols, the symbolism of ideas and words is doubtless the most flexible and inclusive. A rationalist and iconoclast, Elbert Hubbard was a journalist, writer, and publisher of widespread popularity during his lifetime. In his biography of Jesus--The man of Sorrows--he makes some explicit observations on symbolism that apply directly to the Temple Mormon and assist him greatly in establishing rapport with the Endowment Ceremony. Of course, they are equally applicable to the Mason and his ritualistic experiences.
The expressions of Jesus, which are found to be untrue literally, are never discarded, for they are believed by many to be true poetically and spiritually. New interpretations and new meanings can constantly be found for doubtful passages . . .
The use of metaphor, paradox and parable is an attempt to make clear an uncertain thought to one's self, and we indulge in it only when we do not know exactly what we desire to express. Metaphysics is valuable only to the man whose feelings outmatch his intellect...
Such expressions as "the Kingdom of God," "the Son of Man," "the Child of God," "the Gospel of Truth," "the Son of God," "the World of Spirit," "redemption," "fallen man, " "salvation, " "damnation," all require an explanation, and are valuable only as we read meanings into them, and scarcely any two men will define them alike.
" The chief advantage of metaphysics is that it makes people think--they have to cudgel their imaginations in order to comprehend what it all means. And it means, for them, what they think it means--all they can evolve out of it or read into it. [my italics] (pp. 129-30)
It is well to remember that the word endowment has several meanings in Mormon literature. It has a growing significance with time from its introduction into the Church at the Kirtland Temple until a later date in the Utah temples. As the ceremonial structure grew to that of functionality for the complete revealed ritual the actual ceremony was of necessity modified and refined. With this fact in mind, the various historical references to the Endowment Ceremony are made clear and meaningful.
The temple and its ceremonies have been freely discussed and countless pages dealing with the subject published continually, since the founding of the Church, by almost every member of the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and other General Authorities. To these utterances have been added innumerable other related publications by dedicated members of the Church who have been devoted to the topic.
A former University of Utah president, the scholarly apostle, Dr. John A. Widtsoe, spoke and published extensively in this field with outstanding success and effectiveness. A few words of his (2) on the symbolism and meaning of the Temple Rites are most relevant.
The objection is sometimes raised that a house is not needed for temple worship. "Why should a house be required, when God is everywhere, the God who made the trees and the mountains and the valleys?" "Why should God require the poor Saints in Illinois and Ohio and Missouri, to build temples at tremendous expense?" Of course, the Lord does not need a house. The Lord has specifically stated that under certain conditions the temple endowment may be given on the tops of the mountains, but as men multiply upon the face of the earth, it will be increasingly difficult to conduct temple worship, except in especially dedicated places away from the multitude and the chaos and the rattle and the disturbance of ordinary life.
The holy endowment is deeply symbolic. "Going through the temple" is not a very good phrase; for temple worship implies a great effort of mind and concentration if we are to understand the mighty symbols that pass in review before us. Everything must be arranged to attune our hearts, our minds, and our souls to the work. Everything about us must contribute to the peace of mind that enables us to study and to understand the mysteries, if you choose, that are unfolded before us. We would not give our family dinners out of doors, in the crowd; why should anyone ask us to do our most sacred work in the face of the crowd.
Some young persons do not like temple work "because the things done in it are secret, and we do not believe in secret things; we want to stand in the sunshine." In fact, there is nothing secret about the temple. I have found nothing secret in or about our temples; I have found many things that are sacred. There is a vast difference between things secret and things sacred--the thing hidden away from the light, and the thing sacred, which plays in the light, and is protected from darkness and impurity and all unworthy conditions.
God has declared that He will not enter a defiled temple, whether that temple be the body of a man or a dedicated grove or a mountain top, Dr a house, like the temple on these grounds. The Holy Spirit will withdraw from a defiled place. People who have no faith in temple worship, who desire simply as tourists to inspect unsympathetically our holy house, in spite of themselves defile it. We desire to present our temple ordinances to those who are believers. Moreover, visitors in temples would interfere with the procedure of the work. Of itself there is no reason why at proper times the temple may not be inspected.
Many young people object to temple work because, "We must make covenants and promises, and we do not like to be tied; we want full freedom. " This objection arises from a misunderstanding of the meaning of covenants. Knowledge becomes serviceable only when it is used; the covenant made in the temple, or elsewhere, if of the right kind, is merely a promise to give life to knowledge, by making knowledge useful and helpful in man's daily progress. Temple work, or any other work, would have no meaning unless accompanied with covenants. It would consist simply of bits of information for ornament; the covenant gives life to truth; and makes possible the blessings that reward all those who use knowledge properly; or the penalties that overtake those who misuse knowledge. That knowledge of itself is valueless, and that its use or misuse brings about inevitable results are the a b c of every scientific laboratory. The electric current properly used lights this building; improperly used, it may go through the body of the man and leave death behind. Unused, the electric current is to the man as if it were not. Penalties and rewards hang upon the use of knowledge.
Others say that the temple ordinances are unbeautiful. Some young man ready for a mission, or some young lady just married, says, "It is unbeautiful; I did not enjoy it. " Again, the misunderstanding. They have gone through the temple looking at the outward form and not the inner meaning of things. The form of the endowment is of earthly nature, but it symbolizes great spiritual truths. All that we do on this earth is earthly, but all is symbolic of great spiritual truths. To build this temple, earth had to be dug; wood had to be cut; stone was quarried and brought down the canyon. It was dusty and dirty work, and made us sweat--it was of this earth--yet it was the necessary preparation for the mighty spiritual ordinances that are carried on daily in this magnificent temple. The endowment itself is symbolic; it is a series of symbols of vast realities, too vast for full understanding. Those who go through the temple and come out feeling that the service is unbeautiful have been so occupied with the outward form as to fail to understand the inner meaning. It is the meaning of things that counts in life.
This brings me to a few words concerning symbolism. We live in a world of symbols. We know nothing, except by symbols. We make a few marks on a sheet of paper, and we say that they form a word, which stands for love, or hate, or charity, or God or eternity. The marks may not be very beautiful to the eye. No one finds fault with the symbols on the pages of a book because they are not as mighty in their own beauty as the things which they represent. We do not quarrel with the symbol G-O-D because it is not very beautiful, yet represents the majesty of God. We are glad to have symbols, if only the meaning of the symbols is brought home to us. I speak to you tonight; you have not quarreled very much with my manner of delivery, or my choice of words; in following the meaning of the thoughts I have tried to bring home to you, you have forgotten words and manner. There are men who object to Santa Claus, because he does not exist! Such men need spectacles to see that Santa Claus is a symbol; a symbol of the love and joy of Christmas and the Christmas spirit. In the land of my birth there was no Santa Claus, but a little goat was shoved into the room, carrying with it a basket of Christmas toys and gifts. The goat of itself counted for nothing; but the Christmas spirit, which it symbolized, counted for a tremendous lot.
We live in a world of symbols. No man or woman can come out of the temple endowed as he should be, unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the mighty realities for which the symbols stand. (pp. 60-62)
This authority and several others have added immeasurably to a fuller understanding of this vital arm of the gospel. (3-15)
Some of the principles and practices of the Ancient Mysteries are actually embodied in the rituals and ceremonies of several present day organizations. The practitioners of some of these ceremonial rituals prefer to never have the term Ancient Mysteries mentioned as in any way relating to them, and disagree strongly with scholarly opinion as to their likely actual origins and antecedents. Freemasonry is one of the few contemporary organizations which openly, frankly, and even pridefully acknowledges its ties to those mysteries of the ancient world.
A number of years ago the LDS Church published a brief instructional sheet titled "Meaning of Temple Ordinances. " (16) The collective listing of significant references is helpful.
" All that tread the globe are but a handful to the tribes that slumber in its bosom. "
When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they constructed a tabernacle (Exo. 26:1; this tabernacle was called a temple ( 1 Samuel 1: 9) .
In Solomon' s temple was a " molten sea," or font suitable for baptisms (1 Kings 7:23-26); the last verse named says it contained 2000 baths. The Hebrew measure of a bath is about seven gallons; so the font contained 14,000 gallons of water. In 2 Chron. 4:2 it is given as 3000 baths, or 21,000 gallons--a capacious baptismal font.
Some secular organizations claim to have a part of the ceremonies of Solomon's temple. No matter how similar these may be in form, they are not used for a divine purpose or under divine authorization, hence in them there is no divine power.
The purpose of the temple ceremonies is to give to those receiving them the keys, symbols and covenants that will admit them into the personal presence of God--into the rest of God, "which rest is the fulness of His glory. " Moses sought thus to lead the children of Israel, but they would not, and the higher Priesthood was taken from their midst (Doc. and Cov. 84: 14-27).
On the American continent the people also had temples after the manner of Solomon's temple (2 Nephi 5:16). Temple ceremonies reach to exaltation in the presence of God (Doc. and Cov. 76:51-70; 84:19-24; 132:19-23; 128 18, 24).
The Prophet Elijah held the keys for these higher ordinances, as Moses held the keys for the gathering of Israel (Doc. and Cov. 110 ~ 16; 128:17-19, 22-24; History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 250254; Joseph Smith's Teachings, pp. 3033).
By the use of these keys, in addition to receiving blessings for themselves, the saints may also become saviors upon Mount Zion (History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 183, 184); and the saints are not perfect without their dead (Doc. and Cov. 128:18).
More recently, Bruce R. McConkie gave an effectively concise definition of a temple. (17)
"Holy sanctuaries wherein sacred ordinances, rites, and ceremonies are performed which pertain to salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God are called temples. They are the most sacred places of worship on earth, and each one is literally a house of the Lord, a house of the great Creator, a house where he and his Spirit may dwell, to which he may come, or send his messengers, to confer priesthood and keys and to give revelation to his people. "
The great Temple at Salt Lake City, Utah is--and always will be--the unique Mormon Temple of distinction. It epitomizes the profoundly inclusive Mormon Gospel in timeless granite and enduring architectural symbolism. It is this keystone position of the structure symbolically in Mormonism that justified the incredible expenditure of manpower in the detailed designing and planning of the building, together with the quarrying, hauling, and shaping of the stones, and their final laying in courses to erect the edifice. It was an inordinate burden on an impoverished people struggling for an existence in a desert under essentially primitive working conditions.
As a prompting and provocative companion-piece of related architecture, it is fitting to call attention to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Among their many points of evident similarity, these two world noted structures have two immediate facets of comparison, namely: the interior symbolisms and the exterior architectural symbolisms. The latter will be considered briefly.
History's first selection of the classical Seven Wonders of the World was made in the second century B. C . by the Roman philosopher Antipater of Sidon. The only structures of his choice still standing at the time were the Pyramids of Giza- particularly the Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu, whom the Greeks called Cheops. This particular pyramid is universally acclaimed as the most massive stone structure ever erected in the world, thereby emphasizing its importance as an engineering accomplishment.
Its base covers 13 acres, while it contains about 2.3 million blocks of stone weighing from 2.5 to 70 tons each. Its finished height is estimated as 481 feet to the peak or vertex above the base or foundation. After an estimated 4500 years of existence, the northwest corner is only a half an inch lower than the southwest corner, while the longest side exceeds the shortest by less than eight inches.
This pyramid at Giza--near Cairo, Egypt--appears to be unique (that is, truly different) among the pyramidal structures found at various points on the face of the globe. Unfortunately a great deal of nonsensical rubbish and incredibly superstitious silliness has been, and continues to be, published regarding this paradoxical and intriguing structure. (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) A literature of amazing extent devoted to the subject of pyramids has come into being. Unquestionably a tremendous number of staggering unknowns prominently and insistently demand credible and meaningful answers. (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
The intelligent, analytical study and contemplation of the symbolism and many facets of inquiry projected by the Great Pyramid parallel the Mormon Temple method and the Masonic method of instruction and are profitable pursuits for the individual symbolist.
Physically the pyramid is an extremely simple geometrical solid, known as a polyhedron, consisting of a square base and four identical inclined isosceles triangles. In the geometry of solid bodies, (30) "a polyhedron of which one face, called the base, is a polygon of any number of sides and the other faces are triangles having a common vertex is called a pyramid. The triangular faces having a common vertex are called the lateral faces, the intersections are called the lateral edges, and their common vertex is called the vertex of the pyramid. The base of a pyramid may be any kind of a polygon, but usually a convex polygon is taken." (p. 337)
The ordinary traditional and historical structure is identified technically as a regular (or right) quadrangular pyramid. Its base is a square, and equal triangles constitute the four identical faces, while the center of the base coincides with the foot of the perpendicular let fall from the vertex to the base.
Primary geometrical and numerical symbolism of the simple structure is readily evident. The four triangular sides, each with three edges, with the square base of four edges, yield the sum of five plane figures, or the three consecutive numbers 3-4-5. These three classical numbers relate to the lengths of the two legs and hypotenuse of the simplest Pythagorean right triangle or example of Euclid's 47th Proposition. It should be noted that there are a number of other possible Pythagorean triangles inherent with the regular pyramid. The presence of the involved mystic numbers 3-4-5 suggest immediately to the symbolically inclined mind that here is a situation likely worthy of his further serious attention. Or, the intimated symbolism hints that the inquiry and study may be further pursued profitably at one's will and pleasure.
In the present investigation of Temple Mormonism and Freemasonry the matter of the two respective organization rituals will be laid directly on the table and discussed openly with unconcealed frankness. Any student of the subject who has made but only the initial steps of inquiry realizes there are numerous exposes in each instance. Such publications presenting the three degrees of Symbolic Masonry began appearing in London about 250 years ago and are now worldwide. Exposes of the Temple Endowment have been in the market place for a century or so. .some of these purported presentations--in each case--are fraudulent humbugs and garbage which are a blatant insult to the public's intelligence. On the other hand--also in each case--there are excellent and accurate exposures of the full rituals. It is fair then to assume that the concerned reader has informed, or will inform, himself as to the contents of these impressive and masterful works. The relevant point resulting from the public' s acquaintance over the many years with this so-called "secret" literature is that the "secret" has suffered but little, if any, from the violent efforts of vicious enemies of each of these two estimable institutions, as their strenuous endeavors are continued with the sole aim of hopefully destroying each institution.
The demonstrated fact is that the secret is not in knowing the full and exact text of each ritual but the individual's ability to discover and interpret the secrets which are concealed in the literal composition of the rituals. Without such individual capabilities to penetrate and assimilate the stated word, These rituals will continue to be as sealed books in the hands of the public.
At Nauvoo on Sunday, October 15, 1843, the Prophet Joseph Smith spoke on the Constitution of the United States and the Bible, along with temporal economics. (31 ) In this lengthy sermon he noted: Some say it is better to give to the poor than build the Temple. The building of the Temple has sustained the poor who were driven from Missouri, and kept them from starving; and it has been the best means for this object which could be devised. . .
The secret of Masonry is to keep a secret. [My italics] It is good economy to entertain strangers--to entertain sectarians. Come up to Nauvoo, ye sectarian priests of the everlasting Gospel, as they call it, and you shall have my pulpit all day. [pp. 56-59]
In his statement concerning Masonry, the Prophet was speaking Masonically, figuratively, and most profoundly. He assuredly understood the instructional techniques of the Ancient Mysteries and their relationship to Freemasonry and the Temple Endowment Ceremony. The historical record establishes further the related fact that Brigham Young, Heber Chase Kimball, the Pratt brothers, and others of the General Authorities were equally aware and informed as to these basic principles.
In his Children of Divorce, the novelist Owen Johnson relates with each of us. "There are long periods in life when everything moves in lazy repetition, when each week resembles the next, when nothing happens, when it seems that nothing ever will happen, that existence has no change in sight and no complications can come to disturb the satisfying routine which has been established. Then suddenly everything is accelerated, events crown in, swift decisions have to be made, when hardly the time is given to make them, when everything is hurried, dramatic, intense. (p. 229)
As it is in life, so it is with symbolism. The diligent inquirer listens and observes attentively, mentally relates his various thoughts, conjectures, and imagined creations as he seeks to understand with satisfaction to the full extent of his ability. For long periods of time he is frustrated, disappointed, and sometimes really disgusted with himself, because he can't seem to discover the sought for teaching or meaning. Then, all at once, the sustained tension breaks; the subconscious comes to his rescue and he rejoices that a significant breakthrough has been achieved. Then, as in life itself, he continues on to the succeeding challenging stages. It is a ceaseless and unending personal enterprise.
Bibliography and Notes
1. Elbert Hubbard, The Liberators, Roycrofters, East Aurora, N.Y., 1919, 266 pp. "The Man of Sorrows," pp. 87-160.
2. John A. Widtsoe, "Temple Worship:" Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Vol. 12, April 1921, pp. 49-64.
3. n.a., "Temples and Temple Building " Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Vol. i2, July 1921, pp. 113-122.
4. John A. Widtsoe, "Fundamentals of Temple Doctrine;" Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Vol. 13, July 1922, pp. 129-135.
5. John A. Widtsoe, "The Beginnings of Modern Temple Work;" Improvement Era, Vol. 30, No. 12, October 1927, pp. 1073-1079.
6. John A. Widtsoe, "The House of the Lord," Impovement Era Vol. 39 No. 4 April 1936 p. 228i Reprinted, Vol. 7i, No. ;, July 1969 p.
7. John A. Widtsoe, "Whence Came the Temple Endowment?" Improvement Era Vol 53, No. 2 February 1950, pp. 94-95.
8. John A. Widtsoe, "Why Did Joseph Smith Become a Mason?" Improvement Era Vol. 53 No. 9, September 1950, pp. 694-95.
9. James E. Talmage, "Why Do the Latter-day Saints Build Temples?" Improvement Era Vol 66, No. 11, November 1963, p. 973. Reprinted from Improvement Era June 1914, p. 712.
10. Richard L. Evans, Editorial, "'Sacred'--Not 'Secret';" Millennial Star Vol. 90, No. 12 March 22, 1928, pp. 184-185.
11. James H . Anderson, "Temple Ceremonies; " co, Improvement Era Vol. 32, No. 12, October 1929, pp. 969-971.
12. Harold B. Lee, "The Temple Endowment-" Instructor Vol. 96, No. 7,July 1961, pp. 226-2i7,
13. Joseph Fielding Smith, "Temples;" Improvement Era Vol. 66, No. 11, November 1963, pp. 926-927.
14. Albert L. Zobell, Jr., "Concise Accounts of LDS Temples;" Improvement Era Vol. 66, No. 11, November 1963, pp. 942-956.
15. Mark E. Petersen, Why Mormons Build Temples The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah, n.d., 19 pp.
16. n.a., "Philosophy of Temple Work;" Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine Vol. 15, April 1924, pp. 80-81.
17. Bruce R. McConkie, "Latter-day Temples;" Improvement Era Vol. 66, No. 11, November 1963, p. 957-
18. B.W. Tracey, The Pillar of Witness: A Scriptural View of The Great Pyramid; W. H . Guest, London, 1876, 85 pp.
19. Thomas W. Greenwell, "The Prophecy in the Great Pyramid About the Coming Years 18812; Millennial Star, Vol. 40, No. 48, December 2 1878, pp. 753-756. Reprinted from the Christian Herald.
20. J.N. [John Nicholson] "The Pyramid Symbolism," ibid pp. 756-759 746, 765. (editorial)
21. O. Pratt, "The Great Prophetic Pyramid--An Important Discovery;" Millennial Star Vol. 41, No. 18, May 5, 1879, pp. 280-283. (editorial)
22. n.a., "The Prophetic Pyramid Further Considered;" Millennial Star Vol. 41, No. 19, May 12, 1879, pp. 296-298. (editorial)
23. J. Bernard Nicklin, Testimony in Stone; Destiny Publishers, Merrimac, Mass., 1961 159 pp.
24. Piazzi Smyth, Our Inheritance in The Great Pyramid Daldy, Isbister & Co., London, 1877 626 pp. "Third and Much Enlarged Edition."
25. Ahmed Fakhry, The Pyramids; University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Second edition, 1969
26. Kurt Mendelssohn, The Riddle of the Pyramids; Praeger Publishers, New York, 1974, 224 p. Bibliography, p. 213-15.
27. Peter Tompkins, Secrets of the Great Pyramid with an appendix by Livio Catullo Stecchini; Harper & Row, New York, 1971, 416 p., First Edition.
28. Peter Tompkins, Mysteries of the Mexican Pyramids; Harper & Row, New York, 1976, 427 pp. First Edition.
29. Peter Tompkins, The Magic of Obelisks; Harper & Row, New York, 1981, 471 pp. First Edition.
30. George Wentworth and David Eugene Smith Solid Geometry Ginn and Co., Boston, 1913, pp. 273-463.
31. Documentary History of the Church Vol. 6.
32. The Viking Portable Library World Bible edited by Robert O. Ballou; Viking Press, New York, 1950, 605 pp.
33. Arthur Stanley, The Bedside Bible, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, n.d., 368 pp.
34. Oliver Day Street, Symbolism of the Three Degrees; Masonic Service Association of the U.S., Washington, D.C., 1924, 195 pp.
35. [Albert Pike], Morals and Dogma of The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry; Supreme Council of the Thirty Third Degree Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S., Charleston, [S.C.], 1871, 861 pp.
36. J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Why The King James Version; Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, 1979, 475 pp. "The Translators to the Reader," pp. xxvii-lv. (Originally published in 1956.)
Footnote
1. Numerals identify entrees in the "Bibliography and Notes. "
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by Allen E. Roberts, FPS
"Filer Lodge No. 55 Newsletter: A Sprig of Acacia," of which PGM Fred Decker, MPS, is Master for the third time, discusses problems arising from the Idaho Grand Lodge's recognition of Prince Hall Masonry in Idaho. Idaho PHM, a small jurisdiction, comes under the PH Grand Lodge of Oregon. The Grand Lodge of Oregon (regular) takes exception to what it calls an invasion of its exclusive jurisdiction. The Edict breaking off relations between the two Grand Lodges was issued by Grand Master Ivan D. Rinck, MPS. This has resulted in the refusal to permit a PGM of Idaho to attend an Oregon Lodge he has been supporting for several years. (He later demitted from his Lodge in Idaho.) According to the GL of Idaho recognition of PHM was extended only to those members in Idaho. Last year Idaho joined Connecticut, Wisconsin, Washington, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota and Minnesota in this recognition. Is Prince Hall Masonry legitimate? In my opinion (and an article will be written shortly pointing out my reasoning) if it isn't, neither is "regular' Freemasonry.
* * *
Robert C. Singer, MPS, Grand Secretary in New York, writing for the Masonic Times of Rochester, New York, asks his Grand Lodge to "join the rest of the world. " He says when the Grand Lodge meets in May it will have the opportunity to approve a resolution to conduct all business in the Entered Apprentice degree. He points out that almost all Grand Lodges outside the United States do this. Actually until the late 1840s and early 1850s an in this country did the same thing. The Baltimore Convention of 1843, designed mainly to prevent another "Morgan Affair, " helped change business meetings from the EA (or First Degree) to the Master Mason (or Third) degree. In fact, until this time an Entered Apprentice was a full-fledged Freemason.
* * *
The same journal. and the same writer report the Grand Lodge of New York Library and Museum is being redesigned. It's being done under the direction of Roberta Hankamer who served as Librarian for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for 18 years. She has replaced Allan Boudreau, MPS, "who retired at the end of " December. Thousands of items, plus many "valuable Masonic artifacts and treasures " heretofore not accessible will be on public display by the Spring of 1993. Wonderful!
* * *
Brotherhood in action. Thomas W. Jackson, FPS, Grand Secretary in Pennsylvania, received a phone call on a Saturday from Texas. A young girl was soon to arrive by air in New Jersey. She was on her way to take her injured sister home. The girl knew no one in NJ, but "her daddy was a Mason." Tom drove to the airport; with the help of a security guard who is a Mason he learned how to get to the NJ town. The girl needed a truck so she and her sister could leave the next day Nothing was available in the town, so Tom called the Grand Secretary in Delaware. Sunday morning he sent four Freemasons to rent a truck, load it and see the girls safely on their way to Texas. As Tom put it: "What is important is that it reveals the continuing essence of Freemasonry...As long as we feel the need to respond we justify our existence. " Well said.
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"Emessay Notes" of The Masonic Service Association carries some happy news. Monks from the Holy Protection Orthodox Monastery (Geneva) witnessed the cornerstone ceremony at a public building by the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. They were impressed, so much so they asked the Grand Lodge to perform the same ceremony at their new monastery. Seven of them continued their interest in Freemasonry! And they are now Master Masons!
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According to the reprint of the Grand Master's speech in The Pennsylvania Freemason he's concerned about the lack of Masonic leadership. He's going to do something about it. "Freemasonry as an organization in North America and Pennsylvania is in immediate need of a new beginning and we MUST START TODAY with a commitment to continue to promote and demand that TOP QUALITY LEADERS be selected and preside in our Symbolic Lodges and our Grand Lodges. " There are those among us who have been pleading for years for this. Now that one of the largest Grand Lodges in the country with the needed funds is getting behind the plea, we may see some action. There has been plenty of good leadership material out there, it hasn't been utilized. Perhaps spending money for a new approach built on material that never is out of date will prove enticing.
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The Wisconsin Masonic Journal tells us the Grand Lodge of California took a step in the right direction. In legislating on its members visiting Lodges within those Grand Lodges that have recognized Prince Hall Grand Lodges it said: 'The determination by any Grand Lodge to recognize another Grand Lodge is entirely with their jurisdiction and is not cause for (e.) California to withdraw recognition or thus forbid fraternal relations."
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Events in Illinois will prove interesting to watch. Grand Master James T. Miller, MPS, has issued an edict decreeing far-reaching changes. Among them: Lodges may meet only six times a year; there will be standardized Master Mason's aprons and also a standardized apron for Masters; only those earning a certificate from a Lodge of Instruction will be eligible for appointment or election to a Lodge office; the immediate Past Master shall be a "part of the structure of the Lodge and so invested; "District Grand Lodges " have been set up with a full slate of officers, and all referrals to the Grand Master must come from it; the Grand Lodge will handle the preliminaries of the mailing of all agendas to the members of each Lodge. Will this prove beneficial? Perhaps. We'll keep you posted.