The Philalethes

Contents
 
 

 A Tribute to Jerry Marsengill                                              In Search an Editor

 'Jerry' Edmond Marsengill                                                  The Prophet

 Great Architects of the University                                       A Widow's Prayer

 Freemasonry, Change                                                        Old Hickory and the Raven

 Freemasonry and the Future                                               WHY Did You Leave the West

 The Hiramic Legend                                                           What Came You Here To Do

 The Five Pointed Star As A Masonic Symbol                      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

John Mauk Hilliard, FPS President

Lehman College

Bronx, NewYork 10468 (212)960-8713

Wallace E. McLeod, 1st Vice 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 2nd Vice President

Overland Park Christian Church 7600 W75th St

Overland Park, KS 66204 (913) 677-4646

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 R. Nocas, FPS

----o----

A Bonus Issue

CONTENTS

A Tribute to Jerry Marsengill

In Search of an Editor...

Last Chance for Discounted Tickets

The Prophet - Jerry "Jerald" Edmond Marsengill

Great Architects of the University

Another Point of View

Send Articles

A Widow's Prayer

Freemasonry, Change?

Old Hickory and the Raven

Freemasonry and the Future

Why Did You Leave the West?

The Hiramic Legend and the Symbolism of the Master's Degree

What Came You Here To Do?

The Five Pointed Star As A Masonic Symbol

Bonus Book

Through Masonic Windows

ON THE COVER

A picture of the Victoria College in the University of Toronto. The building was designed by R.W. Brother W. G. Storm, and built in 1891-92. WalIace McLeod, FPS has written an article titled "Great Architects of the University" which starts on page 6 of this issue. (Photography by Jed A. Buchwald)

----o----

A Tribute to Jerry Marsengill From John Mauk Hilliard, President

In February, 1977, I attended my first Philalethes Society annual meeting in Washington, D.C. held during "Masonic Week" at the venerable Hotel Washington. A Masonic friend in New York City who was a fellow member of Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. Two had subscribed to the Philalethes Magazine for a number of years, and urged me to attend the Philalethes Annual Meeting and Forum, "not, " he said, "because the meetings are of great interest, but because you'll meet during that weekend a greater range of truly interesting Masons of every type and description than at any other Masonic function in the world! "

I tended to discount his strong favorable opinions of Masonic Weekend in Washington as being characteristic of that combination of headstrong enthusiasm and hyperbole with which he approached all his fraternal endeavors. However, he was the most fervent Mason I had yet encountered in my life, so I figured I would take a chance on the event. Little did I realize that I would meet in Washington that weekend a group of brothers who would utterly change my Masonic life, and that the experiences inaugurated there would lead to a future progression of events that would invigorate and enrich my Masonic experience beyond measure. The friendships established that February would endure as among the Ancient and Gentle Craft's most treasured gifts to me. I devote this column, which is my last message to the Society as its International President, to one particular friendship formed that weekend.

The experience began rather ominously. The Philalethes Forum, in those days, consisted of a panel of speakers who presented papers, each of which was followed by a question and answer session. The feasting, which these days characterized the event, was not to be a feature of the evening until a good many years later. The group of young Masonic "rebels and radicals" from New York City whom my friend had recruited to accompany him to the weekend quickly grew bored and disillusioned with what we youngsters (quite unfairly, as I now look back on it) regarded as being dull Masonic topics. The insipid discussion that followed the papers also failed to elevate us. We young Turks were one tough audience! We wanted to hear arguments about the burning Masonic issues of the day: the decline of the Craft's numbers, its waning social and cultural profile and influence, its racial and ethnic hypocrisies, etc. During a lull in the proceedings, my enthusiastic friend leapt to his feet and, in an inspiring speech, urged the assembly to consider a wider range of issues. I followed with an impassioned public demand that the great Masonic issues of the day be immediately addressed. My voice shaking with righteous conviction, I then proceeded with my usual overwrought rhetoric, to catalog the major ills of Freemasonry and, for good measure, threw in an equally fervent encyclopedia of sure solutions. The assembly was stunned; a strained silence followed these two philippics, but not for long; a rumble of outrage finally spewed up a host of apoplectic Masonic notables who (with considerable justification, I, in my placid middle age, must admit) to proceed to denounce the young bearded whippersnappers and long-haired hippies who had the presumption and the temerity to question the stewardship of a whole generation of experienced Masonic leaders! One particularly enraged Southern brother shook his fist at me, and demanded to know how I could possibly question a fraternal institution to which Jesus Christ Himself had belonged!

Things were clearly getting out of hand. My friends and I were appalled a~ what we had sown, and what it appeared we were now to reap. We had clearly bitten off more than we could chew. As I was checking the exits to see if we could bolt out before the Lynch mob formed, a tall, lanky, pipe-smoking fellow with the visage of an amiable gargoyle rose at the head table, and in a bellow which shook the rafters, ordered everyone to "sit down, and shut up!" In the ensuing silence, he began softly to speak. He reminded everyone that the Philalethes Society had a tradition of free, open, and frank discussion, that both the Forum and the Magazine possessed a mission dedicated to the pursuit of ideas without fear of reprisal from those "clothed in a little, brief Masonic authority. " He asked us to remember, at the first, and at the last, that we were brothers. He ended with the extraordinary statement that, and here I quote exactly, "Freemasonry is big enough and strong enough for its young men to see visions and its old men to dream dreams. " The evening drew to a quieter and calmer close. All of us listened to this tall fellow with the country accent. And so, we young Masonic hippies escaped with no permanent scars, and our older brothers with their dignity and sense of fraternal accomplishments intact. It was my first encounter with Jerry Marsengill, and, thank God, not the last!

I was with some of these young Masons, now grown older, on a chilly New York City evening last November when we learnt of Jerry's death. The sense of loss and sorrow was palpable. It seemed the end of an era, perhaps the end of what little remained of our Masonic youth. It was Marsengill, more than any other Craft figure of his time, who championed the young men, who tolerated their youthful lunacies, who forgave their excesses and cherished their enthusiasms, who gave them a true forum and voice in the magazines he edited. This patience, this kindness, this encouragement launched and nourished a generation of young Masonic writers, researchers, pundits, and scholars. His is no mean legacy. Whatever the Philalethes now becomes, it will never exceed the openness, and the commitment to frank and candid exploration of Masonic ideas that Marsengill made of it. He seemed always to be able to see the love for the Gentle Craft that motivated his authors, and he published them with a sense of the mutual joy that we all found in the Fraternity. He received reams of shoddy manuscripts, and he published more than a few of them, usually after excreting herculean editorial labors to clean them up. Some folks complained about the occasional 'lack of quality" in the magazine. Marsengill would just smile, and with a few gentle profanities, offer his critics the editorship. There were no takers. He was never blind to quality, however, and he worked ceaselessly to stimulate capable Masonic authors to send manuscripts his way. Plenty of them did.

The major Masonic voices of the '80s' wrote for him: Roberts, McLeod, Morris, Stemper, Weir, Tecter, Bennett, Lipson, Guthrie, Starkweather, Nocas, Hutchins, Haffner, Walkes, Voorhis, and many others found a voice through Jerry Marsengill. He revolutionized the layout, graphics, and covers of the magazine, and gave it a look of extraordinary professionalism. He took some glee in the controversy that often engulfed the magazine, but was scrupulous to make certain that all viewpoints were represented with balanced exposure in its pages. He welcomed the disaffected, the zealous, the conventional, the fierce, and the timid to the pages of The Philalethes. Both Masonic rebels and Masonic loyalists were given voice through the agency of Jerry Marsengill's editorship.

As a person, Jerry Marsengill was a bundle of contradictions: he affected a shambling country-boy exterior, and liked to boast that as a young man he could plow a straighter furrow behind a team than anyone of his age in Iowa. He was born in the small town of Lineville, Iowa, and never forgot his country roots. This "aw, shucks" country exterior masked one of the keenest intellects in the American Craft. He was a member of MENSA, the organization for people with the highest I-Qs. He was graduated summa cum laude from Drake University, and completed with honors a Masters in magazine journalism, and this comparatively late in life after a varied career in the Service, and as a railroad telegrapher. He had a memory like a steel trap, and could quote reams of American and British verse and dramatic passages. He affected to dislike the over-emphasis that he felt the Craft sometimes put on its ritual, yet he was one of the renowned ritualists of his generation, having at his fingertips virtually the entirety of the Iowa Blue Lodge ritual, and reams of the York Rite workings. His powerful delivery was worthy of an avid and accomplished student of the great canon of British and American literature.

He played the role of Masonic rebel and radical, and had considerable contempt for the "honors-hounds" who lived only to garner you more titles and Masonic baubles. His Masonic resume, if it ever existed (and I doubt he ever bothered with such a thing) would have been replete with page after page of citations of high Craft office, including the supreme positions in the Iowa Grand Chapter of Royal Arch and the Iowa Grand Chapter of the Royal and Select Masters. He was proud of having earned such rewards by his labor as a ritualist, administrator, researcher, and scholar, and had little time for those who spent their Masonic lives bartering for honorifics and jewels . He authored Marsengill 's First Masonic Maxim as a way of expressing his contempt for this crowd: "Them that has, gets! ", he used to snort.

Marsengill's Second Masonic Maxim was an even blunter commentary on the use of the Masonic Honors system as a means of social control in the Craft: "They figure out what you really want in Freemasonry and then deny it to you until you toe the line." Because of his blunt speech and his straight talk, he had a few singular Masonic honors denied him in his life. He was hurt, but he knew that such sacrifices are a necessary adjunct to the independence of thought and action that he cherished more than any title or jewel. It is significant and in some way fitting that he received a special honor long denied him by his enemies on the very night he died. He was, in fact, returning from the conferral of membership in a Masonic institution in which he had previously been regularly rejected, although virtually everyone thought him more than eminently qualified.

Of the many things in his Masonic career in which he took pride, it was his championing of the role and presence of Jewish and Afro-American brothers in the Craft that most gratified him. He relished his friendships with these two under-represented minorities in the American Craft. He was an ubiquitous figure at the principal Jewish Lodge in Des Moines, was an avid student of the Hebrew language and Judaic culture, and was a frequent attender at the local shuls. He brought his considerable religious background as a lay minister in his own faith to the understanding of the Jewish experience. He sought out the major Prince Hall figures in Black Freemasonry, and was a principal advisor to The Phylaxis, a Prince Hall publication similar to The Philalethes. He introduced many regular Freemasons to their Prince Hall counterparts, and did more to heal this ancient and cruel Masonic breach than any other American Freemasons of his day. He belabored his Black friends with genial insults which they would have taken from no other white man, because they know he loved and respected them.

Jerry was proud of his family. He talked often, and with obvious love, of "crabby old Betty, " his long-suffering, lovely wife who was his partner in all his Masonic undertakings. Neither crabby, or old, Betty is a better Freemason than most of us, and Jerry knew it. She was a profoundly humanizing and harmonizing factor in the life of this powerful personality. His pride in his daughter and son-in-law was equally great, and his joy in the "grandpersons," as he characterized his two granddaughters, was a delight to behold. It appears as if these two little girls have inherited much of their grandfather's intellect, wit, and stalwart, independent personality.

In his later years, Jerry sometimes mentioned privately that he felt Freemasonry had perhaps outlived its usefulness to society. Yet he was the first to be present, and the last to leave most Masonic gatherings. His time and advice were always at a premium with his younger Craft friends who aspired to leadership in the fraternity. He had done it all in Freemasonry, and seen it all, but was never jaded in his outlook. It was he who in the last years of his life organized, and wore himself out in running, an immense annual Christmas dinner at the Des Moines Masonic Temple for the homeless and dispossessed of Polk County. He did this because he thought the Craft ought to make an immediate and direct statement in the face of such overwhelming human need. He wanted the Gentle Craft to stay spiritually honest. He thought such service reminded Freemasons of the true nature of our calling as Craftsmen.

Jerry Marsengill's life has meant much to all he touched, but nowhere more profoundly than in his great work with the Philalethes Society. For the sake of his memory, and for the preservation of his legacy, we brothers of the Philalethes are obliged to remember that the Society and its magazine were founded, in large part, to shield Masonic authors from the whims and rages of Masonic autocrats. He believed that the singular issues facing the American Craft deserved to be discussed in the major publications of Freemasonry with candor and forthright sincerity. Jerry felt that it simply did not do to mince words when issues of magnitude were addressed in the major forums of the Craft. Blunt and clear argument was the only means by which the Craft could effectively analyze and develop strategies to confront and resolve matters of profound import.

Jerry Marsengill offered all his brothers the same right to present their opinions and attitudes that he so boldly claimed for himself, even though their opinions might occasionally upset and offend him and others. He did not approve of any editorial policy for the magazine which would in any way limit freedom of expression. He believed, and many of us strongly concurred, that the Philalethes Society could not legitimately consider itself a true scholarly and research institution unless it were willing to tolerate and print widely diverse points of view about a variety of subjects concerning the Craft's history, traditions, and the issues which beset it. Jerry knew that some of these opinions might not be "nice, " "courteous, " or "friendly, " but that the Philalethes society could not achieve any approximation of the great Masonic quest for truth (nor could the Craft, in general) without accepting the full, and often uncomfortable range of ideas, thoughts, and differing rhetorical styles which were likely to accompany any real exploration of the issues.

Jerry was of the old school of Masonic researchers. His models were Masonic historians such as Gould and Hughan, and the other founders of Quatuor Coronati who brought a new scholarly rigor to the study of the Craft's history and traditions, and who began to question the legends and myths of Craft origins inherited from the 17th and 18th Centuries. In our own day, he admired Voorhis, Case, Roberts, Denslow, Hahn, and McLeod because he felt they attempted to apply similar standards by grounding their work in a thorough reliance on careful research in primary sources and reliable secondary materials. He frequently waxed indignant over American Masonic leaders who insisted their supreme positions in the Craft entitled them to scholarly pretensions. He was particularly distressed when prominent Masonic leaders quoted out-of-date and discredited Masonic history in their public pronouncements and writings. The persistence of legends disguised as history especially irked him. He spent thirty years valiantly rallying against and correcting widespread misconceptions about the presumed Ancient World/Egyptian origins of Freemasonry, the latest being a reprint in the December, 1991 Philalethes (published posthumously) of a superb refutation, which Jerry authored some years ago, of the King Tut/Masonic Apron controversy. He had little patience with Masonic mystics and visionaries who sought to pose as true historians, and was determined that Craft scholarship must be held to a higher standard if our institution were to win the respect of the world of scholarship at large.

His crusading spirit, his wry wit, his splendid memory, his intellect, his amiable and fond regard for his friends and brothers, his fierce independence of thought, mind, and character all made Jerry Marsengill a treasure to his brother Masons. Our lives are the larger for having known him, and the lesser for his loss.

----o----

In Search an Editor

The sudden and untimely death of the great Masonic Editor, Jerry Marsengill, has left The Philalethes Society with a void it will be difficult to fill. Indeed, the void may never be completely covered; the loss may never be completely remedied. He was a genius in the field of Masonic knowledge.

But the Society must seek out the best man possible for the job of Editor of our excellent magazine, The Philalethes. It is a debt that is owed to its 4300 members, over 800 of them Life Members. They deserve the best we have to offer.

In working with Mass Media to publish the February issue I went over the stack of material Jerry had accumulated for possible publication. I found Jerry had been extremely generous in his acceptance of material. Some of the stuff he practically had to rewrite! Spelling and grammar were too often atrocious. Single spaced and poorly typed articles were rampant. Two articles running from 12 to 17 pages were made up of a single paragraph! Several items were typed completely in caps. Most of them were single spaced. Too often I was left cold! Too many commas and periods were placed outside quotation marks. Jerry (and his good wife Betty) had spent hours making them suitable for the printer.

How long I'll be acting as editor will depend on how long it takes to find the right man for the job. The job is the most crucial we have in the Society. The search will not be rushed. So, in the meantime here are my criteria for the submission of articles for possible publication:

1. They must be thoroughly researched for correctness of statements; 2. They must be typed on one side of the paper, double spaced, in upper and lower case (in case you need an example, look at what you're reading); 3. Footnotes, if they are used (I prefer references within the body of the article) must be researched for accuracy; 4. Paragraphs of various sizes make for easier reading; 5. Periods and commas must be placed inside quotation marks, colons and semicolons do go on the outside (honest men can disagree on capitalization, but all style manuals I've read insist on this punctuation and so shall I); 6. Opinions (and we're opposed to censorship) should be well thought out; 7. All articles must be Masonically connected (this is a Masonic publication), 8. We are publishing a magazine, not a book, therefore articles must be limited in length (2,000 to 3,000 words are ideal).

Minimum requirements for the Editor of The Philalethes

The Philalethes Society was formed in 1928 to protect Masonic writers and Editors from bigoted Masonic leadership. Its goal was to develop a publication that could and would publish varying viewpoints concerning Freemasonry. Censorship was to be avoided; however, the Editor must know the difference between "good taste" and outright tirades.

These are the minimum requirements we must look for in an Editor of The Philalethes magazine:

1. Have a broad knowledge of Freemasonry.

2. Know how to write!

3. Know how to spell.

4. Experience with a computer would be helpful.

5. Be able to get along with people.

6. Strongly believe in the principles of Freemasonry and the Society.

7. Hold allegiance to Freemasonry, not some appendant body (e.g., Scottish Rite/Royal Arch/or some offshoot). This does not mean he cannot be an officer or member of other bodies. All of the officers of the Executive Board belong to many bodies that have attached themselves to the parent, but all are first and foremost Freemasons.

8. Be able to devote the time necessary to do the job properly.

The Editor will be reimbursed for his necessary expenses, and will receive a pittance for a salary. He will eventually become a Fellow of The Philalethes Society, if he isn't already. He will be a member of the Executive Board and will be expected to attend the yearly and semi-annual meetings of the Society.

Interested? Contact the Executive Secretary at the address on the masthead.

----o----

Last Chance For Discounted

Tickets for the 1992

Assembly/Feast/Forum

The Date: Friday, Feb. 14, 1992

The Time: 6 p.m. sharp

The Place: The Hotel Washington,

Washington, D.C.

The Investment: $26 for reservations prior to February 1; $31 thereafter, including tickets purchased in the hotel lobby; none available after 12 o'clock noon.

Who: Master Masons only.

The Program: Feasts with toasts; Society business; awards presentations; The Lecture: Cyril N. Batham of England

The Forum: Masonic questions and answers

Hospitality Room on the Mezzanine hosted by our Canadian Brethren: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.; 9:00-10:30 p.m. Ladies welcome

Send checks payable to

The Philalethes Society to: Exec.

Sec., PO Box 70, Highland Springs, VA

23075-0070.

----o----

Jerald 'Jerry' Edmond Marsengill

Fellow of The Philalethes Society

April 22, 1930 November 22, 1991

An Editor extraordinary was Jerry Marsengill. This brought him to the attention of the Masonic world early in his life. This was especially so when he became Editor of The Philalethes magazine of The Philalethes Society in November 1976. He parlayed a good periodical into the best Masonic publication in the world.

He became one of the most in demand Masonic speakers in the country, and even in foreign climes. His love for Freemasonry was evident. He remained a staunch supporter for improved leadership in the many Masonic bodies to which he gave wholehearted support. He pleaded for Masonic education, firmly believing a knowledge of the principles of the Craft would bring dedicated leadership.

Jerry put into practice what he preached. From 1958 when he became a Freemason until the day he died he served the Craft. He was the Master of three Lodges plus Iowa Research Lodge No. 2. He built the latter into one of the best in its field. He was a Past Grand High Priest, a Past Grand Master of his Grand Council, a Past Prior of the Knights of the York Cross of Honor. The latter is composed of men who served as presiding officer of a Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandery.

He was a Past Grand Chancellor of the Grand College of Rites, a past presiding officer of Great Chief's Council, Knight Masons, a Past Master of Grand Master's Council A, Allied Masonic Degrees. At the time of his death he was in line to become Grand Master of the Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States.

He served as President of The Philalethes Society while remaining as Editor of its magazine. His excellence in writing and editing earned him election as a Fellow of The Philalethes Society in 1974, and later membership in the Society of Blue Friars, an organization of Masonic authors, which has rarely had more than twenty living members. He was one of the original members of the Brotherhood of the Blue Forget-Me-Not, an organization of Masonic writers and educators.

His work for all branches of Freemasonry earned him numerous awards. Among them the Silver Medal of the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, whose magazine, The Royal Arch Mason, he had edited since January 1978.

In spite of his work for Freemasonry, Jerry found time to work in the secular world. He was a train dispatcher for the Rock Island Railroad from 1947-77. Then he attended Drake University and graduated in 1977 Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 average. He was president of an advertising agency, and was the editor for the American Chiropractic Journal. He edited several other medical and other journals while writing hundreds of articles for professional and Masonic publications.

Among his many other occupations, Jerry was an ordained clergyman, and served constantly as a supply preacher. He also officiated at many funerals (religious as well as Masonic), and he conducted weddings frequently.

The many talents of Jerry Marsengill will be missed wherever he trod. None will be missed more than his generosity, especially his work and love for others. In his community these attributes were well known. He brought together men and women of every walk of life and religious persuasion to help the downtrodden and homeless.

At his right hand stood his loving wife, Betty. Without her understanding and cooperation Jerry could not have accomplished what he did for Freemasonry and his community.

Jerald Marsengill practiced the principles of Freemasonry-Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. by Keith Arrington, FPS, and Allen E Roberts, FPS

On November 21, 1991, Jerry Marsengill was inducted into St. Joseph Conclave (Missouri), Red Cross of Constantine. It was while returning from this event that Jerry met the Grim Reaper and joined our Supreme Grand Master in that House not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.

********************************************************************************

-----o-----

The Prophet

by Allen E. Roberts, FPS

And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A Prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. Matthew 13:57

There are many passages in the Holy Bible that quote Jesus. A few of them are duplicated almost verbatim, so we can be confident they are close to being what He actually said. The "Prophet " is one of these. Mark (6:4) does add an important phrase: "and among his own kin. "

The recent death of one of the handful of Masonic prophets sent me to the Scriptures, particularly "The Sermon on the Mount. " What the Lord spoke on that day speaks of the Masonic life of those few prophets we have in Freemasonry -particularly my friend who left us today.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged, " said the man from Galilee. He added, why consider the mote in another's eye, but not your own? My friend, the Masonic Prophet, was judged within his own jurisdiction, and found guilty of heresy. He dared to tell the truth!

What was this truth? That Freemasonry became one of the treasures which the Carpenter, our Prophet's friend, acclaimed in His Sermon on the Mount. It is a treasure worth giving up one's worldly goods to preserve. A jewel like no other in the world. A precious element of society that deserves the best leadership possible to obtain.

The Prophet suffered fools -those who took Freemasonry lightly -with contempt. Taking his inspiration from the Constitutions of Freemasonry as written by Dr. James Anderson and published in 1723, he believed leaders should be worthy of their hire. Rarely have Masonic leaders been chosen for their "merit " rather than their popularity. Our Prophet never hesitated to tell the truth about this revulsive practice. This caused him to be "politically incorrect" and without "honour" within his own "country. "

The various rituals of Freemasonry are rich in truths and poetically recitable. Our Prophet loved and recited these rituals endlessly. But again he was among the curious within the Craft -he knew these rituals were a beginning, not an end. Consequently he enriched the lives of those Freemasons who were seeking the light of truth. He cast pearls among the lesser informed, hoping they would not trample them into the dust. But if they did, he found more pearls to scatter among them.

His search for, and the spreading of, light in Freemasonry caused the "swine " that Jesus had warned about to turn and "rend " our Prophet. He watched as lesser members of the Craft received "high honors" while he was by-passed. He saw "popular" men who had trouble composing a letter invited into exclusive "intellectual" Masonic bodies.

Year after year Masonic nonentities were selected for "high degrees " or "honors " while our Prophet was spurned. Why? Could it be because those chosen had seldom, if ever, told the truth about the dire lack of dedication in the selected leadership? That the "honoree " was Masonically Politically Correct -one who had never dared to "rock the boat? "

The Philalethes Society, the Masonic research body that is continually seeking the truth, was blessed with the Masonic expertise of our Prophet. Through this Society and its excellent periodical he spread the light of truth throughout the Masonic world.

The Prophet's "country" had virtually ignored him throughout his more than three decades of Masonic service. Other jurisdictions were the beneficiaries of his wisdom. In America and abroad vast audiences of Freemasons sat in rapture to absorb his words of Masonic knowledge.

The blackball, or one derogatory word, throughout Freemasonry has kept the few Prophets "in their place " within their "country. " Another "country" determined to recognize our Prophet with an exclusive honor when his own jurisdiction would not. It was while returning from this ceremony that our Prophet was called to the Grand Lodge Above. He was carried to that House not made with hands whose virtues he had so often extolled in the language of the Masonic ritualists.

Our Prophet would ask us to remember, in the words of the Scriptures: "Ask, and it shall be given you. . . Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. " It is also among the tenets and principles of Freemasonry.

Jerald "Jerry" Edmond Marsengill, FPS, left this earthly scene on November 22, 1991. We will be always grateful to the Supreme Architect of the Universe for permitting us to walk in Jerry's footsteps for a time. We can thank Him for the prophetic wisdom our Prophet has left for us to follow until time shall be no more.

[This was recited via tape recording during Jerry's Memorial Service in Des Moines, Iowa, on December 6, 1991.]

Jerry was found dead in his auto early in the morning of November 22. He had crashed into a tree on I-35 near Garden Grove, Iowa, not far from the place of his birth. His funeral service was conducted at the Methodist Church at Lineville, Iowa, on November 27. He was buried at Trenton, Missouri.

In keeping with Jerry's life-long work for the underprivileged, The Philalethes Society has established a permanent fund to be used for this purpose. You may honor Jerry and other loved ones by making contributions to:

The Jerry Marsengill Memorial Fund Send them to: The Philalethes Society, PO Box 70 Highland Springs, VA 23075-0070.

----o----

Great Architects of the University

by Wallace McLeod, FPS

We certainly don't want to be arrogant, but you've got to remember that my hometown of Toronto is the largest city in all Canada, and it' s growing bigger all the time. This is bound to cause problems, because one thing the Creator has stopped making is real estate. Land is in short supply, and (we are told) it must be put to good economic use. This means that obsolete old buildings are torn down, and nice new shiny things get put up in their place. Because the city fathers are so progressive and realistic in their attitude, the "bleeding hearts" often say the City is bent on destroying its own past. Actually, there may be some truth in the allegation. Take a look at any architectural history of Toronto, and time after time you will find pictures of grand old buildings labeled "Demolished. " Still, there are a few impressive landmarks left; some of them, located on the campus of the University of Toronto, were designed by notable Freemasons.

They often say you can't really understand the University of Toronto until you've been there for a lifetime. Part of the problem comes from the fact that it was produced by " Federation. " About a hundred years ago four independent universities were brought together under the same umbrella, and two of them actually moved, so they'd be closer together. The University sits on about two hundred acres of prime land in the middle of Toronto, and at last count (in 1987-1988) it had 3592 full-time faculty members and 52,258 students. This makes it the largest university in Canada. It expanded tremendously during the salad days of the 1960s, and a lot of modern ugly efficient buildings were erected. But there are still some beautiful old ones. Three of them are connected with the old independent universities. Let's take a quick look at them, and the men who built them.

St. Basil's Church and William Hay (1818-1888)

St. Michael's College was founded by the Basilian Fathers as a Catholic Institution in 1852. It affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1881, and entered into full federation in 1910. Not too long after it was established, it moved into an elegant building that housed, under the same roof, a church and teaching facilities.

The responsible, William Hay, had been born at Dikeside, Aberdeenshire, not too far from Peterhead (the easternmost town in Scotland), on 17 May 1818 . He learned the trade of architect, and lived in St. John' s, Newfoundland, from 1847 to 1850, as clerk of the works for the construction of the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. After a brief return to Scotland, in 1853 he came back to the new world, eventually settling in Toronto. He soon became one of the leading architects there, and within the next decade designed many buildings, a few of which are still standing, though they have been extensively remodeled. He was the man who built the original parts of St. Basil's Church and St. Michael's College, on the campus of the University of Toronto (1856). He also designed the school addition to Holy until 1843. It was secularized in 1849, Trinity Church (1858), closer to downtown Toronto, and the nearby Scadding House (about 1860). He was active outside of Toronto, and was responsible for St. George's Anglican Church in Newcastle, forty-five miles to the east of Toronto (1857), and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Guelph, about the same distance to the west (1857-1858). From 1858 to 1860 he served as a councillor of the Canadian Institute (now the Royal Canadian Institute), "the oldest scientific society in Canada."

Hay was initiated in St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1 on the Provincial Register, Toronto, on 9 May 1854, and soon affiliated with St. John's Lodge, No. 55, which was instituted in 1856. Old records tell us that he participated in the Masonic corner-stone laying for Victoria Hall, in Cobourg, in 1856. He served as Grand Superintendent of Works for the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada, one of the two independent bodies in Ontario, in 1857-1858. After the union of the two Grand Lodges, he was again Grand Superintendent of Works in 1861-1862. One authority says that he was "an ardent freemason," who was "associated with many Masonic organizations. " He left Toronto in 1862, to finally return to Scotland. His most significant commission there was the restoration of St. Giles's Cathedral in Edinburgh (18721883). He died near Edinburgh on 30 May 1888.

University College and Frederic W. Cumberland (1820-1881)

A Royal Charter was granted to King's College, in the town of muddy York (the old name of Toronto), in 1827. Originally it was an Anglican (Episcopalian) foundation; it took awhile to get organized, and it did not begin to hold classes and in 1853 it established University College, to be responsible for all the teaching in Arts. For several years the new faculty held its classes in the original King's College site, but in due course it was able to transfer them into an impressive new building that had been designed by F.W. Cumberland.

Frederick William Cumberland was born in London, England, on 10 April 1820, the great great grandson of Richard Bentley (1662-1742), the finest student of classical Greek that England ever produced. Cumberland himself was trained as a civil engineer and surveyor. Probably because his wife's sister was married to Thomas Gibbs Ridout, a well-known banker of Toronto (who, incidentally, was made an honorary Past Grand Master in 1859), the young engineer came out to Toronto in 1847. One of his first jobs here was to lay out the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets which is still a major landmark of the city. He soon set up shop as an architect, and entered into partnership with his wife's nephew Thomas Ridout. Their first major building was St. James' Cathedral (1850). Then in 1852 he established the firm of Cumberland and Storm, which over the next fifteen years was responsible for a number of buildings that (by some strange oversight) are still standing. The Post Office they built on Toronto Street (1853) is now the headquarters of the giant Argus Corporation. Probably their masterpiece was University College (1856-1859); it is still (even to the writer, who is a graduate and a teacher from a rival college) the most beautiful building on the campus. Its magnificent Norman door provides the emblem for University (Masonic) Lodge, No. 496, Toronto. Cumberland and Storm also carried out the alterations in Osgoode Hall (which is now a law school), including the splendid Great Library (1857), and built the Chapel of St. James the Less (1858).

In 1859 Cumberland was chosen general manager of the Northern Railway Company, and gradually steam locomotion came to demand more and more of his time, until his architectural partnership was finally dissolved in 1867 . His interest in trains took him into politics, and he represented Algoma (in northern Ontario) in both the Provincial Legislature and the Federal House of Commons. He was also a Colonel in the Militia, and helped to found the Canadian Institute (Royal Canadian Institute).

Frederic William Cumberland was initiated into Freemasonry in St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1 on the Provincial Register, Toronto, on 16 August 1853, and served as Master in 1857. He became District Deputy Grand Master of Toronto District in the new independent Grand Lodge of Canada in 1858. He died on 5 August 1881.

Victoria College and William G. Storm (1826-1892)

Upper Canada Academy was founded in Cobourg, a bit more than sixty miles east of Toronto, in 1836. It was chartered as Victoria College in 1841, and in 1845 it conferred the first arts degree that was earned by study at an Ontario institution of higher learning. Not that it's relevant for our purposes, but Victoria College was in the forefront of advanced education for women; in 1883 it conferred the first medical degree to be earned by a woman in Canada, and one of its graduates for 1884 was the first woman to receive the degree of Bachelor of Science in Ontario. (Just to set things in perspective, Oberlin College began to admit women as students in 1837.) In 1892 Victoria College federated with the University of Toronto, and moved from Cobourg, into a new building that had just been completed.

The architect of this new building, William George Storm, had been born on 29 October 1826, at Burton-upon-Stather in Yorkshire, England, where his father was a builder. In 1830 the family moved to York (now Toronto), and in 1838 the senior Storm actually erected the scaffold on which Lount and Matthews, two of those condemned to death for their part in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, werc hanged. The son served his apprenticeship as an architect, and in 1850 was given a job in the office of F.W. Cumberland, preparing the drawings for St. James' Cathedral. Then in 1852 Cumberland took him on as a partner, and over the next fifteen years they collaborated in a number of major projects. The senior partner usually gets the credit for them, but according to one authority " Storm played an increasing part in the construction of these buildings." After Cumberland turned his attention to trains and politics, Storm continued his architectural career with distinction. Two of his more striking commissions from this period are St. Andrew's Church, on King Street (1875), and Victoria College, on the campus of the University of Toronto ( 1892)--a building with which the present writer is well acquainted. One authority writes in appreciation, "If the interior disappoints, the exterior is an assured, astutely scaled composition that conveys an enduring presence. Its balance of horizontals with verticals, of massive towers with ample porches, provides the campus with one of its finest and most imposing structures. "

William George Storm was initiated into Freemasonry in St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1, Toronto, on 11 June 1850, and served as Master in 1858 and again in 1859 . He became District Deputy Grand Master of Toronto District in 1861. He died on 8 August 1892.

The fourth of the original colleges in the University of Toronto was Trinity College. It was founded in 1851 as an Anglican institution, and at once began its work in a gorgeous new building designed by yet another notable Freemason, Kivas Tully (1820-1905), who was made a Past Grand Master (Honorary) in 1897. Trinity College entered into Federation in 1904, and moved to a new location on the main campus in 1925. The City allowed the old building to be torn down in 1956, so we shall not discuss it further at this time--if only to spare you a sermon on the self-righteous philistinism of politicians.

There are, as we have said, many more recent structures in the University of Toronto. But if you are not a fan of metal and glass filing cabinets, or if you prefer buildings that look as if they had aspirations towards higher ideals, you will not find many that are more satisfying than these three, St. Basil's Church, University College, and Victoria College--all three built by Masons, who were initiated into Masonry in the same Lodge within the space of four years.

Sources of Information:

Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Canada 1882), 239; (1893), 171, 312; John Ross Robertson, History of Freemasonry in Canada (Toronto, 1900), Henry T. Smith, History, St. Andrew's Lodge A.F and A.M., No. 16, G.R.C., 1822-1901 (Toronto, 1901), C.B. Sissons, A History of Victoria University (Toronto, 1952); Eric Arthur, Toronto: No Mean City (Toronto, 1964) 245, 251; W. Stewart Wallace, editor, The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography (4th edition, revised by W.A. McKay; Toronto, 1978); Frederick H. Armstrong, in Dictionary of Canadian Biography 11 (Toronto, 1982) 391-393; Frederick H. Armstrong and Peter Baskerville, ibid. 11.225-229; Shirley G. Morriss, ibid. 12 (1990) 991-994; W. McLeod, editor, Whence Come We? Freemasonry in Ontario, 1764-1980 (Hamilton, 1980) 261; Anne Rochon Ford, A Path not Strewn with Roses: One Hundred Years of Women at the University of Toronto 1884-1984 (Toronto, 1985) McLeod, "Noteworthy Canadian Freemasons," Newsletter of the Committee on Masonic Education 9.1 (Summer 1989) 14-16; 9.2 (Fall 1989) 29-32.

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT...

Bro. R.R. Beardsley's article, "The Order of Judas Maccabeus" [Oct. 91, page 8] incorrectly claims that the Jews under the Maccabees "revolted against Roman hegemony. . . after the Romans revolted against the Selucids under Antiochus Epiphanes, who were a "successor" state created by the breakup of the Alexandrian Empire. Not only were the Selucids enemies of Rome and Ptolomaic Egypt (and everyone else in their vicinity), but also the Maccabean rebels made diplimastic overtures to Rome which resulted much later, in Roman hegemony over the Hasmonean Jewish state Selucids .

Evidently Bro. Beardsley has confused the Selucid act of desecration and the Maccabean revolt with the Roman desecration and Zealot revolt which occurred later (in the early Christian period.)

Dennis A. Leuenthal, MPS, Hong Kong

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A Widow's Prayer

by John J. Robinson

Almost a hundred and fifty years ago a young widow wrote a prayer to thank God for the Masonic assistance she received in her time of greatest need. The Freemasons should also be thankful that she remembered, and returned their kindness a thousand times over.

In mid-June of 1844 a young builder, a Freemason, traveled from his home in Charleston to nearby Wilmington, South Carolina. He took with him his bride of six months, who was already carrying their child . Instead of the business he had hoped for, he met the wave of yellow fever that swept the Carolina coast that summer. He died nine days later.

Although not members of his own St. Andrew's Lodge No. 10 of Charleston, Masonic brothers in Wilmington had gathered at his bedside, where he begged them to look after his frightened young wife. They buried him with a Masonic funeral service in Wilmington, then turned to the matter of help for his widow.

It was help that she desperately needed. After settling her husband's affairs she found herself totally without funds. With a baby due in four months time, she was anxious to return to her family and friends fourteen hundred miles away in New Hampshire. But she was not alone.

The Freemasons provided money and selected one of their number to act as her escort on the tedious journey. The escort, a Wilmington Freemason named Cooke, was apparently well chosen. He took her by railroad to Weldon, North Carolina, on to Portsmouth, Virginia by carriage, then by steamboat to Baltimore. Another steamboat took them to Frenchton, then a train carried them across Delaware to new Castle. They continued by steamboat to Philadelphia, where they boarded another boat to Bristol. They travelled by railroad to Jersey City, took the ferry across to Manhattan, caught a boat to Stonington, Connecticut, then traveled by train to Boston, where they changed trains for Concord. A horsedrawn stage completed the journey to the home of the young widow's father in Tilton, New Hampshire, where her Masonic escort set off alone on his return journey, to report the success of his Masonic mission to his brothers back in South Carolina.

It is important to note that the Masons involved had done what they had with no expectation of reward or even gratitude. The widow they had helped would be living over a thousand miles away. They were motivated only by their bonds of brotherhood. There was no way that any of them could have foreseen that the young mother-to-be, widowed and with no visible prospects for good fortune, would one day become a world-recognized religious leader whose writings including her expressions of lifelong gratitude toward the Freemasons would be read by millions. Her name was Mary Baker Eddy.

As the founder of the Church of Christ Scientist (The Christian Scientists) she had evidenced her skill with words at an early age. Before she left Wilmington, she had written a poem called "The Widow's Prayer, " which she gave to the Freemasons who came to see her off. The poem was published in South Carolina in the Freemasons ' Monthly Magazine, next to the obituary of her husband, Brother George Washington Glover:

For past trials I would not grieve, But count my blessings o'er;

And teach the heart Thou hast bereaved Thy goodness to adore.

Thou gavest me friends, in my distress, Like manna from above;

Thy mercy ever I'll confess, And own a Father's love.

Although she thanked God for providing the Masonic assistance, Mary Baker Eddy did not fail to thank the Masons themselves. In her autobiography she wrote:

"My husband was a freemason, being a member in Saint Andrew's Lodge, Number 10, and of Union Chapter, Number 3, of Royal Arch masons. He was highly esteemed and lamented by a large circle of friends and acquaintances, whose kindness helped to support me in this terrible bereavement. A month later I returned to New Hampshire, where, at the end of four months, my babe was born. "

Then she used her husband's civilian title, bestowed by the Governor:

"Colonel Glover's tender devotion to his young bride was remarked by all observers. With his parting breath he gave pathetic (painful, not pitiful) directions to his brother masons about accompanying her on her sad journey to the North. Here it is but justice to record, they performed their obligations most faithfully. "

Fifty years later, her new church well established, Mary Baker Eddy had another chance to extend thanks to the Freemasons, and demonstrated that she had learned more about the Craft along the way.

The occasion was the gift of a boat to use on the pond at her school, sent by a group of Christian Scientists in Toronto, whose number included several Freemasons. The boat was beautifully decorated, with designs that incorporated several Masonic symbols. In her thank you letter she wrote:

"The symbols of freemasonry depicted on the boat wakened memory, touched tender fibres of thought, and I longed to say to the masonic brothers: If as a women I may not unite with you in freemasonry, nor you with me in Christian Science, yet as friends we can feel the touch of heart to heart and hand to hand, on the broad basis and sure foundation of true friendship's level and the square of moral sentiments. " Years after her death, members of Mrs. Eddy's staff decided to seek out historical documentation of her account of the events surrounding the death of her first husband. The job fell to a Christian Scientist and Freemason in Charleston. After many inquiries, he learned that St. Andrew's Lodge No. 10 had ceased to function years earlier. During the Civil War its records, along with those of other Lodges, were taken to Columbia, S.C., where they were subsequently burned to keep them from falling into unfriendly hands. The search went on, and finally a bundle of papers was found that included a record of the death and Masonic achievements of Brother George Washington Glover. That record, bearing the seal of the Grand Secretary of South Carolina, is now a valued possession of the Christian Science Publication Committee.

Another Freemason in Wilmington, S.C., also a Christian Scientist, searched the old records of St. John' s Lodge of that city, and found the minutes of a special meeting called on June 28, 1844. Its purpose of final Masonic tribute to Brother Glover is made clear in the minutes:

"A procession was formed, which moved to the residence of the deceased, and from thence to the Episcopal burying ground, where the body was interred with the usual ceremonies. The procession then returned to the lodge, which was closed in due form. "

The single act of kindness toward its founder cannot be said to be the only factor in the warm regard that Christian Science has had for Freemasonry over the past century, but it certainly made a strong contribution, as did Mrs. Eddy's expressions of ongoing gratitude throughout her long life. Several times the universally respected Christian Science Monitor has called attention to the good works of the fraternity. And it all started with a small group of Freemasons in South Carolina who had grasped the true meaning of brotherhood.

Note: John J. Robinson, who is not a Freemason, is also not a Christian Scientist.

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Freemasonry, Change  ?

by Charles A. Jacobi, MPS

Because God created all existences--the physical and metaphysical--and because God's laws are love and spiritual realization; and because you and I are drawn toward His Great Light; and because Masonry is a majestic institution inspired and directed by the Great Architect to enlighten the spiritual aspirant; and because Masonic teachings are eternal; and because eternity has no beginning, nor end; Masonry, therefore, always was, and is and will forever be. "How old is Masonry? As old as spiritual longing and as new as spiritual awakening. " (1)

As a result of our declining membership, we are often subjected to the question, "What is Wrong With Masonry Today? " I say nothing is wrong with Freemasonry today or at any time in the past, nor shall it be in the future! Rather, we should ask, "What is Wrong With Us Today" that we would think Freemasonry needs to change?

"Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, observed that nothing is permanent except change. Some things change at an alarming rate, others so slowly a time-lapse camera cannot record the action. We are not conscious of change as we live in the present. And we can only suppose that there will be change in the future. But when we look back, we come to realize that change is irrevocable, benign, devastating or beneficial, as the case may be.

"Freemasonry seems changeless. That it is slow and deliberate in conforming to changing conditions may, in many ways, account for its stability and longevity. Its Ancient Landmarks have been impervious to transformation. Even the process of adjusting to changing social customs and conventions is slow. Masons have never hastened to change the order of things. The final approval of the admission of the physically handicapped to membership is typical.

"But change, unhurried and gradual, is now in evidence. The Duke of Kent, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, not only suggests that Lodges contribute to non-Masonic charities, but that Masonry become more visible publicly. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, as well as England, is considering the removal or modification of the penalties of the obligations. Mississippi, Kansas and other Grand Lodges are studying the shortening of the memory work to signs, grips and obligations. Membership proposal is being examined.(2) "Change is unerring. It is a continuing process. And as Disraeli wrote, 'Change is inevitable in a progressive country. ' " If we are reluctant to accept its inevitability, we may find assurances in the words of Francis Bacon, 'It is sufficiently clear that all things are changed, and nothing really perishes, and that the sum of matter remains absolutely the same. ' So will the sum of Freemasonry remain the same. "

Modern Speculative (Symbolic) Freemasonry began in 1717, A . D. Obviously, times were remarkably different then than now. Our Nation began officially with the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776, and its Constitution (actually, a Masonic Document) was ratified by the 13 States (Rhode Island being the last) May 29, 1790; the first 10 Amendments (Bill of Rights) were ratified March 1, 1792. Though each of these events occurred in the same (18th) Century, conditions were different than in 1717; the people had changed!

In this last decade of the 20th Century our way of life in these United States is remarkably different than was that of its citizens of the latter 18th Century. Today's world requires different uses of our talents, our time, ourselves, and the ways in which we are family members, and either we change and adapt ourselves to these changing times or we (as a Fraternity) die. Why then, can we not, in our changed way of living, recognize the necessity of altering our viewpoint of Freemasonry without trying that which has been eminently enduring since its origin(s)? Actually, can we, mere mortals, even attempt to change that which has been with us forever?

As Masons we are quite familiar with allegorical teachings, and we employ additional allegories to continue our education. If one travels by personal auto from Portland, OR to Portland, ME in the summer, selection of I-84, I-80, I-90 and I-95 is a good choice of routes. However, if one makes this trip in winter, it will be far better to choose a combination of highways that avoid the very cold weather with its accompanying snow, ice and potential blizzard conditions. We will have arrived in Portland, ME just the same! Stating this "allegory" differently, why should anyone suggest that we change this content and style that has existed for nearly three centuries; i.e., Modern, Speculative Freemasonry and its Rituals? Rather, we should change our approach (our route) to, and visible exemplification of, that which is good.

"The principles (of Freemasonry) are transmitted unimpaired, but the vehicle through which they are expressed changes as the years go on. " (3)

Assume that Freemasonry is the peak of a mountain which forms the border between any two countries. Is it not true that a citizen from each country can reach the summit of this mountain by traveling a trail (from his country) to the summit? Then can we not, also, assume that each country's citizen can become a Mason through traveling his country's Masonic Ritual? Each man has adapted his modus operandi to fit his needs in reaching the summit of the mountain, or of receiving the teachings of Freemasonry. We need to continue to change our modus operandi of imparting the teachings of Freemasonry to those who will seek them, and in so doing, it is within the limits of probability we will find new ways to attract worthy and well-qualified young men to petition our Fraternity.

Aside from the LANDMARKS OF FREEMASONRY, about which there is considerable confusion as to the meanings (even the authenticity), a most excellent reason for not ' proselyting' young men into our ancient Fraternity is that we must choose only the best as we plan our future. With this in mind, pray tell me what is wrong with suggesting to any upstanding man, regardless of his age, that men of his character have always sought each others companionship in our Fraternity; that he would be the better for being a Mason and that Freemasonry will benefit from his mental and moral convictions and contributions. After-all, do we not seek to make good men better?

How many of us, each day, attempt to impress our youth with the qualities of ourselves that exemplify Freemasonry? Do you always identify yourself as being a Freemason? Do you? When any person thanks you for something you have personally done or enabled to be done for that person, do you indicate, in your own way, that you are a Freemason and that this is the way we Masons live and believe? A great number of my students, throughout the 32-plus years of my professional teaching career, have expressed their thanks and appreciation for 'helping them on the way' (and there have been many more than a few), my usual response was: "Just remember that what benefit you may have received from me, you received from a Freemason, and that is our way of living. " We can never repay those who have befriended us in the past, we can only do for others in the future what has been done for us in the past.

Freemasonry, change? No, what changes are necessary will come about and we will probably not recognize the change nor be aware of it; BUT we Freemasons need to change, and we need to change radically and quickly. We need to be the KNOWN, RECOGNIZED LEADERS in assisting in and with the very necessary changes in our public school curricula, and we need to be known equally well for our forward-looking stand on public-school-finance. We can no longer tolerate our own young people being denied education at any level from first through sixteenth grade (or a comparable grade in technical, vocational or trade school).

It is not enough to sit back on our laurels, knowing how many dollars each day are given by the Masonic and affiliate bodies; we need to make ourselves visible in ways more comprehensible to our youth.

When we recognize and admit our general apathy toward educational offerings and to the stumbling blocks placed in the way of our youth in its efforts to gain an education, and when we "lead" the drive to remedy the problems with curricula and financing, then we have made ourselves as Freemasons, very visible to our youth, and we have shown ourselves to be examples of leaders with which our youth will desire to become associated--no longer will we have declining membership. Bibliography

1. The Scottish Rite Journal Vol. XCVIII, #4, page 48

2. The California Freemason, Vol. 133, #2, March 1, 1986 .

3. The Craft and its Symbols, Allen E. Roberts (J. Hugo Tatsch), page 11 . Feb 1992

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Old Hickory and the Raven

Two Masons for Manifest Destiny

By Robert C. Barnard, MPS

They were united in respect and admiration for each other and in the love of their country from the very first. Yet, they were not even of the same generation.

Andrew Jackson was born in 1767 and fought in the Revolutionary War when he was 13. The next year, his mother and brother, the last of his family died and he was left alone. However, he met Spruce Macay, a friendly lawyer from North Carolina and he was adopted and trained. Jackson was admitted to the bar in 1787 at the age of 20 when he moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Sam Houston was born 26 years later, in 1793. The war for liberty was long over, but Houston's early life was full of difficulties like Jackson's.

His father died when he was 13 and his mother moved to Tennessee and put Sam to work in a trader's store. At the age of 15, he ran away and lived with the Cherokee Indians for 3 years. The young "Colonneh" (Raven) was adopted into the tribe.

It was in March of 1813 that young Sam met the man who was to become his model and hero. He had returned to live with his mother in the frontier hamlet of Marysville, Tennessee.

In the years just past, Lawyer Jackson had become a wealthy man selling land and practicing law. He was also Major General of the Tennessee Militia and had come to recruit men for our second war against the British.

The general was amused and intrigued to see Sam thrash the village bully much bigger than he by challenging him first to a long, rugged foot race and then attacking when the bigger man was tired. Jackson told the young man to use these same tactics in fighting a war. "When the enemy is superior to you in strength, extend him, lead him a chase until he exhausts himself; then close suddenly for the decisive blow. " The admiring young Sam never forgot those words and used the system many years later in Texas.

Houston joined the Army and soon found himself in Jackson's command fighting the Creek Indians in Mississippi Territory who were helping the British. Because of his absolute faith in Jackson, Houston charged the enemy when ordered, even when the platoon he was leading quit. He was terribly wounded by many musket balls fired at close range.

The general detailed four men to take his young soldier friend back to Tennessee and they got him there seemingly more dead than alive. However, Sam recovered after many months of his mother's tender care. He then found that Jackson had written him a letter of commendation and sent him a commission as 1st lieutenant.

From this time on, the two men worked closely together. Jackson helped Sam to become a lawyer and then backed him to become district attorney of Nashville at the age of 25. Under the general's tutelage, Sam became a Congressman at 31 and Governor of Tennessee when he was 35.

Jackson had become the great political leader of the West when he won the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, defeating 9,000 British veterans who had just crushed Napoleon at Waterloo. He had only 5,000 backwoodsmen, but their long rifles proved more than a match for the British muskets and his amazing leadership was successful. He was the hero and hope of the common man of the United States from that hour.

By 1829, war hero Jackson was President of the United States; but Governor Sam Houston was struck from the zenith of success to face his darkest moment in life. He married Eliza Allen, a wealthy and completely innocent young lady, who had seemingly no idea what marriage entailed. Historic writers tend to think that the marriage was never consummated and she went home to her parents. Sam was blamed by society in a way that is difficult for us to understand today.

The Governor of Tennessee resigned and went back to live with the Cherokee Indians, drinking heavily to forget the episode. The Indians ceased to call Sam Colonneh, The Raven, and nicknamed him "Big Drunk." It took about five years for Sam to take any interest in the world again.

In 1833, the 44 year old Houston fought his way out of the alcohol induced stupor. He found that his Cherokee friends were being robbed and oppressed by their government agents. These officials stole a large portion of the Indian rations and sold them elsewhere at a profit .

Sam induced the three paramount chiefs to sign a treaty making him "Ambassador of the Cherokee Nation;" then he returned to Washington in full savage regalia to visit his hero, President Jackson. The old man was delighted to see him again and Sam was able to right many of the wrongs done the Cherokees.

In this manner, the old friends were able to confer together. Jackson was worried about the future of the United States, whose boundary at no point reached across the Rocky Mountains. Mexico claimed most the old Spanish territory in the Southwest and West and Great Britain and Russia were reaching for the Northwest and the Pacific Coast. The weak United States could well be crushed in the land grabs of the great powers.

The president convinced Houston that our country's only safety lay in being able to procure all of the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific; this was our "manifest destiny. " He felt that the Mexican province of Texas was the key to unlock the continent of North America for the United States.

The Raven went back to tell the Cherokee of the better laws and honest agents who would deal with them. Then, he left for Texas with Jackson's last words ringing in his memory: "Texas will trigger the United States in an explosion across the continent.

He was there to be elected general of the Texas forces when El Presidente Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna brought up the entire Mexican Army of about 6,000 men to abolish the Constitution of 1824 and destroy the American colonists. He found few men and less munitions to stop the depredations. Texas fighters were wiped out at Goliad and at the Alamo.

Sam began his tactics with Santa Anna by retreating again and again. His own men began to question if "ole Sam really knowed what he was doin'."

In the ensuing weeks, the Mexican forces became extended and only about 3,000 continued to pursue the little Texan Army of 750. On reaching the bayou near San Jacinto, Sam crossed Vince's Bridge and then had his lieutenant, Deaf Smith, burn it so that no reinforcements could reach Santa Anna. Having tired out and extended the enemy, Sam was through retreating.

He trotted out in front of the little force on his big white gelding, drew his sword and bellowed, " Remember the Alamo ! " Seven hundred desperate and enraged Texans took up the cry and began to run toward the Mexican lines. In less than half an hour, the survivors of the Mexican Army were on their knees imploring, "Me no at Alamo" and the war was over. "El Presidente" was captured the next day. Sam and his men were heroes and he would soon be the first president of the Texas Republic.

However, the United States, no longer under "Old Hickory's" leadership, would not annex Texas to the Union, for they knew it would mean war with Mexico. Sam was a strategist, as well as a soldier, and he pretended to consider bringing Texas into the British Empire. An alarmed President Polk and Congress agreed to annex Texas.

Mexico then declared war on the United States and on the bloody conflict's conclusion, the "manifest destiny" which Old Hickory had discussed with The Raven came to pass. Our nation received not only Texas, but the territory that is now Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and California. Texas had truly "triggered us in an explosion" across the continent from sea to shining sea.

Houston had been true to his trust. On his deathbed in June of 1845, Andrew Jackson knew and said that "All is safe at last." America owes much to these great men and Masons.

Masonic Affiliation of Sam Houston and Andrew Jackson:

Sam Houston was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in Cumberland Lodge #8 of Nashville, Tennessee on July 22, 1817. In Texas, he joined Holland Lodge #1 in 1837 and presided over the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Texas .

Although the exact date of Andrew Jackson's becoming a Master Mason is in doubt, we know that he was a member of Harmony Lodge #l of Nashville, Tennessee by 1800. He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee from October 7, 1822 to October 4, 1823. On May 4, 1825, he introduced the visiting Marquis de Lafayette to the Masonic brethren in Nashville.

References

1. Bassett, John Spencer. Life of Andrew Jackson, New York: Harper and Row, 1984.

2 Case, James Royal. The Case Collection of Biographies of Masonic Notables, Fulton, Missouri: Missouri Lodge of Research and Ovid Ball Press, Inc ., 1984 .

3. Eisen, Jonathan. Unknown Texas, New York: Collier Banks, 1988.

4. Fehrenbach, T.R. Lone Star, New York: Crown Publishers, 1983.

5. Fritz, Jean. Make Way For Sam Houston, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 1986.

6. Fuermann, George Melvin. Reluctant Empire, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1957.

7. Gerson, Noel B. Old Hickory, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1964.

8. Gerson, Noel B. Sam Houston, Garden City N.Y.: Doubleday&Co., Inc., 1968.

9. James Marquis. The Raven, Houston, Texas: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1929.

10. Remini, Robert V. The Life of Andrew Jackson, N.Y.: Harper & Row, 1988.

11. Schlesinger, Arthur Meier. Age of Jackson, Boston: Scribners, 1945.

12. Stone, Irving. The President's Lady, New York: Doubleday & Co., 1951.

13. Tolbert, Frank X. Informal History of Texas, New York: Harper and Bros ., 1961 .

14. Wassam, Homer E. The Avenging Angel of Nashville, New York: Dorrance, 1968.

15. Wellman, Paul 1. Magnificent Destiny, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1962.

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Freemasonry and the Future

(Is There A Future For What We Call Freemasonry?) by Jerry Marsengill, FPS

(The following paper was delivered by our late lamented Editor at the Semi-Annual Meeting of the Philalethes Society in 1989, while he was serving as International President. The meeting, which was hosted by the John Ross Robertson Chapter, was held in Toronto, Canada, on September 23, 1989. The Proceedings were published in a limited edition by the host Chapter, but Jerry's words are still relevant, and deserve a wider audience. They are presented here as a tribute to his memory, with the permission of John M. Boersma, MPS, the President of the John Ross Robertson Chapter.)

In a little more than eleven years we will enter the 21st Century. In that year, 2001, Freemasonry, as we traditionally believe, will be approximately 283 years old. How much longer can we reasonably expect the fraternity to last after that point?

When I was initiated into Freemasonry, the institution had reached its peak in membership. In Iowa -not one of the larger jurisdictions in the United States -we had more than 96,000 members. The number of members, not only in Iowa, but throughout the entire country, has gradually dwindled until at this time we have a little less than 46,000 members in our state. That is a loss of more than 50% of the entire membership in only thirty-one years. Think about it. More than half of the organization lost in thirty-one years!

This situation has not gone unnoticed. Most of the Grand Lodges have attempted to stop this erosion of membership. Various studies have been made, formulas tried, and attempts instituted, to reverse this headlong rush to oblivion. Nothing has helped to any great extent. Although some scattered pockets of candidates are apparent, the overall trend is continuing to be a bad loss of membership. In my own experience, we have attempted to lower the age of initiation. It did not help. We are quartering the number of questions for proficiency. It will take a few years to evaluate this idea. We have talked of dropping the penalties from our ritual. I am personally convinced that none of these is the answer. We have tried advertising, both television and print media. This was intended to increase awareness of the fraternity. We can't yet evaluate the long term effect of this advertising.

I feel that most of the attempts made throughout the Masonic world are attempts to treat the symptoms while ignoring the root cause of the disease. We are using modern marketing techniques to promote a product which, by present day standards, is nearly obsolete. We are advertising a Model T Ford by methods that should be used to sell a Porsche.

In my opinion, the problem that faces the fraternity today is that we are not relevant to present day society. Young people, at this time, want to belong to organizations with clearly defined goals and objectives. They also want to be a part of the organization, and perhaps to play a major role in making the decisions that govern the future of any organization of which they are a part.

Some of the recent surveys state that the best pool for potential Masons is men from 35 to 50 years of age. For some reason we are not attracting these men as we should be. I am not qualified or able to give any answer as to why these men are not petitioning, but I do know that they are not. I certainly can't speak for a number of young men. I am far too old for that; I am nearly sixty years old. And before someone comes up with the usual idea, "Oh, you're still a young man, " let me say that if sixty years of age is a young man, no hope of any kind exists for the fraternity.

As Secretary of my own Lodge (of more than 400 members), I have averaged the age of membership. Our average age was slightly more than sixty-eight years. Think about that for just a minute. Sixty-eight is the average age! It would take a large number of younger men to drop our age to any extent. Also, each of us keeps getting older every year, and the average gets higher. We need a large influx of young men just to stay even with the natural aging process.

I finally decided that I would go out and interview a number of young men. I did this. Some of them were members of the fraternity, some were not. Others had, at one time, been Masons, but for one or another reason had dropped their membership. Almost all of them were happy to talk to me, and to allow me to tape our conversations. I asked a few questions, but the main portion of the tapes was merely the words of these men, telling why they had not joined, or, if they had, why they had turned their backs on the fraternity. A few of them told how they had joined, and what they had found in the order. Unfortunately, those who found little, and left the institution, far outnumbered those who remained as members .

This is not intended as any kind of scientific study. My methods were empirical and my presentation of the findings is anecdotal. No attempt at balance has been made, and no statistics have been compiled. (Needless to say, a scientific study should be made. A statistical analysis of our order should be compiled. This should be done by some firm which specializes in such studies. Although the Masonic order should fund such a study, and fund it liberally, no Mason nor Masonic-related group should have any part in performing such a study. In this way, we might perhaps get a picture of why the fraternity continues to shrink, and find some means by which we can make the necessary changes while there is yet time.) These anecdotes are not arranged in any particular order. All of the names used are fictitious. All of the instances related are, unfortunately, true.

John joined the Masonic order twenty years ago. His grandfather, his father and his uncle were all Masons. As soon as he was twenty-one he asked for a petition, filled it out, and within two months he was raised. Being a college teacher, he had little trouble with the rote memorization. Seeing that the fraternity was losing approximately 1,000 members a year in the state, he attempted to use his expertise to try to help stem that trend. John says, "I noticed that the Grand Lodge had a public relations committee. Since I had a Ph.D. in Mass Communications with an emphasis on journalism, I thought that perhaps the Grand Lodge could use my abilities. I was teaching Public Relations at the time, and had worked for one of the larger practitioners in Chicago, and just wanted to help. I went to the Grand Master, introduced myself, spoke about my background and education, and asked him if he would be able to use me somewhere in public relations. He looked at me as if I were something that had just crawled from under a rock and said, 'We pick the people we want for our committees.' I found that later he had gone to all of the others in the Grand Lodge line and told them not to use me for anything, that I was just trying to get something. I quit going to Lodge. I quit trying to give any assistance. I later found that his public relations committee consisted of a postal worker, a policeman and one small-town newspaper publisher. Why didn't he use me? I don't know. I think I had something to contribute, but we'll never know now. "

Dick was a Ph.D. candidate in the field of history. His ambition was to study and to write the history of Freemasonry in the Midwest. When he approached the Master of his Lodge with his ideas, the Master informed him that, before he could get active in any work of the Lodge, he would first have to memorize some ritual. The Master stated, "You'll never get anything out of Masonry if you don't take some part in the work. " Dick told him that he had no ambition to become a ritualist nor to be a Lodge officer, he merely wanted to study and write history. The Master stated that there wasn't much place in the Lodge for any man who didn't want to do part of the work. According to this Master, the only purpose for a Masonic Lodge was to confer degrees, and anyone who didn't confer degrees was useless to the fraternity. Dick still pays dues, still wears a Masonic pin, but he never attends Lodge. He has never studied nor written any Masonic history. (In my own experience, this Master is not out of line with a number of other Masons . They do not understand that Freemasonry does not begin and end with the ritual. As Bill Stemper once said, "Freemasonry is the only church where every member of the congregation is expected to be a member of the clergy.")

In one state they promoted a Masonic booth at the state fair. The Lodge, the York and Scottish Rites, and the Shrine, were all involved. The Grand Master appointed a brother to take charge of the Lodge portion of the work. One of his duties was to select the brethren who would work in the booth. He chose most of them from men of his own acquaintance. He was sixty-five years of age, and so were most of his workers. When one of the young Lodge officers from a neighboring Lodge stated that he would like to work in the booth, he was told that he wasn't the type that the Lodge wanted to represent Freemasonry before the public. Three others were also curtly dismissed and informed that they weren't needed. They now refer to each other as second class Masons, but have resigned their Lodge Offices and quit attending the Lodges that showed them they were not wanted.

Lou was elected Master of his Lodge. After only five years as a member of the fraternity, he was very proud to be allowed to represent his Lodge at Grand Lodge, and he looked forward to his first trip there. He asked a few questions of some of the Lodge officers, and of the Grand officers. When he was questioned about his impressions of Grand Lodge he stated that most of the men in attendance appeared to be nearly seventy years old, and that the incoming Grand Master was much older than that. He asked how progressive thought could be a part of an organization whose only qualification appeared to be longevity. He received a letter from the Grand Secretary warning him about his opinions. This was, more or less, a cease-and-desist order.

Of course there are a number of younger men who are favourably impressed by our order. Jim is a young lawyer, a Lodge officer, and a Grand Lodge committeeman, at the age of thirty-seven. His principal reason for staying active in the fraternity is to associate with people that he would not meet in his daily life. He says, 'Where else can I be friends with a garbageman, a postal worker, a policeman, some retired railway workers, and a number of college students? The fraternity's main value is, so far as I can see, to give us an opportunity to meet other people and get to know them. "

Jack and Bill are both enthusiastic Masons. They joined the Lodge at the age of twenty-one. They are raising families, and have little time to spend in learning ritual, or in sitting through business meetings. When they do go to any Masonic function, it is usually a Scottish Rite reunion or a Shrine party. However, if their enthusiasm continues, they should become Lodge officers as soon as their children are grown.

Bob started out just like Jack and Bill did. He was highly impressed with the Masonic ceremonies, and especially with the lessons of brotherhood he was taught. He noticed, however, that his own Lodge had no black members, and when he tried to find out if the state had any, a Past Grand Master informed him that "They have their Lodges and we have ours. We both stay in our places. " When he talked in his own Lodge about it, one of the members told him that we had it in our code that Negroes couldn't join. Fortunately, we found out about it, and got to him before he quit the fraternity. We introduced him to some black members, and we told him that he would see more of this in the future. He is still disillusioned about the brotherhood we swear, and the brotherhood we practice.

Is there a future for Freemasonry? I don't know. I do know one thing. We must become relevant to present-day society. We must try to cure our illness, not grab on to each miracle cure with which some Masonic Moses tries to lead us out of the wilderness. History is replete with examples of organizations that refused to change with the times. The Redmen are gone. The knights of Pythias are nearly gone. The Oddfellows are rapidly dwindling.

It there a future for what we call Freemasonry? There can be if we will try to drag the fraternity into the present day. If we do not, then we will be the last of the dinosaurs, sinking into the primeval ooze while our last haunting cry echoes from the hilltops: "But we've always done it that way!"

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WHY Did You Leave the West  ?

By W. Richard C. Freidman MPS

I would like every brother reading this article to answer this question: Why did you leave the West and travel East? The answer is obvious, but I wonder how many of our Brethren ever give that particular piece of our ritual any thought. Our distinguished brethren who wrote the ritual placed the idea of searching for light, more light, and further light in all three degrees. In fact, the Senior Deacon must proclaim his involvement in this search before he is permitted to allow the candidate or Brother to approach the East for his obligation.

In the third degree much of the action of the Hiramic legend centers on the act of searching. The ruffians search for the secret word of Master Mason. Hiram Abiff searches for a way out of the Temple. Hiram then searches for the answer to one of the most profound questions a man can be faced with; your integrity or your life? The Craftsmen search for Hiram Abiff, and for the ruffians. While Hiram's jewel is found, he is lost forever to the Craft. Finally, Solomon searches for a substitute for that which is lost unless the wisdom of future generations can discover and bring to light the true word.

Why belabor the point about searching? My brothers, we are now in the position of searching for answers to allow our Craft to survive into the 21st Century. We ARE the future generations looking for the keys to Masonry's survival and growth.

What Has Been Lost?

We, in Freemasonry, have lost much of our emphasis on:

our philosophy

our symbolism

our history

our focus on Masonry as a way of life

our interest in why it is important to render good ritual

our fun and fraternal pleasure versus business

direct community service which involves physical participation

innovation and individual initiative.

a cogent plan for gaining and then TRAINING new members

more importantly, our focus on the positive rather than the negative.

It is tragic that many of us have forgotten why Masonry is special, why it is not just another men's club or service organization. We have become so focused on the minute details of our inner workings that we have lost the concept of what Freemasonry means to us and can mean to the world.

There is no other fraternal organization which has so much to offer to the individual man or to the world as does Freemasonry. Why then does the recent survey in the Northern Light Magazine predict that we will lose half our membership by the year 2000 and lose half again by 2010? Even more frightening why do almost 6 out of 10 Masons believe that they receive all the benefits of Freemasonry WITHOUT having to attend Lodge?

Let us begin our search for that which is lost.

Philosophy and Ritual

Our Masonic philosophy is well stated in the Old Charges of a Mason written by Dr. James Anderson for the first Grand Lodge of England in 1723 . These charges were based on the ancient manuscripts of Masons, including the Regius manuscript dating back to 1390. Within these soaring charges you can discover the power and wisdom which underlines Freemasonry.

What incredible ideas! Centering a Fraternity around the belief in God and the hope of immortality, the equality of man, no racial or religious prejudice, no backbiting, no lawsuits of any kind, (particularly not for money damages), advancement in the Craft by merit versus seniority, the need for the CRAFT TO PLAY TOGETHER in order to stay together, mutual support, dependence, and charity to those who need it.

How many of us have read the Old Charges or had any emphasis placed on understanding the philosophical implications therein contained during their education as Masons?

The philosophy of Masonry is imparted to our Brethren in this day and age through the vehicle of the Ritual. Yet little or no emphasis is placed on what the ritual means, only on getting it "right. " To us, it appears that it is more important to focus on whether a Brother says "on" instead of " upon" rather than to take the time to think about what we are saying.

The opening of Lodge is not just intended as a test for the officers and Past Masters but was written as a vehicle to transport you out of your mundane troubles and put you in the proper frame of mind to practice your Masonry. How often do we hear Senior Wardens, for example, rush through the words of their duties? Can we really listen to them? "Pay the Craft their wages if any be due that none may go away dissatisfied, harmony being the support of all institutions especially this of ours. "

There is so much beauty in our ritual. For example: "Peace, that here on the broad platform of brotherly love, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, may meet together with one common purpose, the perpetuation of each other's friendship and each others love. "

Too often our new Brothers resent the ritual because of the attitude our Brothers take. New Brothers must know it word for word, yet its meaning does not seem to matter. Many Brothers doing the work seem bored with it, or are not proficient, and the meaning is lost. Those who are proficient often rattle through the work as quickly as possible. Questions about the meaning of the work are not encouraged and our new Brothers can be left to feel that learning the ritual is just a hazing procedure for them to endure as "all Brethren and fellows" have done who have gone this way before them. New Brothers are often left to discover for themselves why it was important to learn. We are all too aware that too many never begin the search for light at all and become lost to the Craft. Our proficiency standards should have as much or more to do with understanding the meaning of the work as they do with getting the words right. A man who is truly imbued with the beauty of the words and their significance will WANT to become proficient in the ritual. Our standards for candidates should involve memorizing only the essential work such as the obligation and working tools. Passing to the next degree should have as much to do with a Brother's ability to understand the meaning as much as memorizing the words.

Proficiency requirements need to be looked at in a systematic way and published for the entire Grand Lodge. As an Assistant Grand Lecturer, I can assure you that the word "suitable" as it applies to proficiency covers many sins, not the least of which is no instruction to Brothers going through the degrees at all. Too rigid proficiency requirements concerning the ritual stop hundreds of men each year from completing their degree work.

The progressive Grand Lodge of Iowa sent letters to hundreds of Brothers who had stopped advancing after their entered apprentice degree, informing them of new proficiency requirements in Iowa which stress quality over quantity. A significant number of Brothers returned to complete their degrees. I am sure that many of the men who came back were younger men whose work and family requirements had stood as too great an impediment to advancement.

Much too much information is given the candidate or brother at one time. Often, by the time the long lectures in the second sections begin and certainly by the time the Charge is given even the most motivated man has lost his ability to absorb the meaning, rendering the whole process unable to achieve its stated mission.

Why not take our time in passing the Brother between the 1st and 3rd degrees? All business except balloting can occur on the first or second degree. This allows us to slowly incorporate the Brother into the Lodge. At present a man takes his first degree, comes back in a month for the second and another month for the third, but may never get in the habit of coming to Lodge. We can instruct him more completely and assist him in becoming an active Mason with a strong knowledge of what the degrees that he is passing through are trying to convey to him.

Every wife of every man taking his first degree should be contacted in writing by either Grand Lodge or the District Deputy and provided information about the expectations that her husband will face and inform her about Masonry itself. In today's environment, as was pointed out by Tom Eggleston, at the Philalethes Society Annual Feast, if we "smother a new Mason's wife with secrecy" about her husbands activities, and do not actively seek her support and encouragement we will not see her husband around often. The Grand Lodge of Iowa even has a new brochure called "To the new Masons Lady" which is sent under a cover letter from their Grand Master to every lady of every man initiated.

In a sense, my vision for the 21st Century involves going back to the future. My firm belief is that our revival depends in large part on our PRIDE. If we become truly familiar with what we stand for we could generate the pride necessary to fuel the engine of recovery. Therefore we need to focus our instruction on Masonic philosophy and the meaning of the ritual.

Symbolism

Philosophy provides the essential structure of our renewal and ritual a vehicle for imparting this structure. Symbolism can be seen as the steering mechanism by which the ritual reaches out to our hearts and minds. Unfortunately our ancient symbols seem to be falling to the wayside for want of use, yet our Brothers seem positively hungry for this information.

Our symbolism can be traced well into the 9th Century and perhaps before. Our beautiful way of life is tied up in symbols such as the working tools, the ladder extending to heaven, the broken column, and others represented on most Masonic charts. We must spend time in Lodges talking about and understanding Masonic Symbolism. There is nothing more expensive to our Craft than ignorance. Just as with Philosophy, once you understand our symbols you gain pride in your Craft and want to do more for it. Each Lodge should schedule a "Symbolism " night where we dust off the Masonic charts which hang in most Lodge rooms and discuss the symbols displayed and their meanings.

History

We must go back to basics and teach our Brethren about Masonic History. In many ways Masonic History is the story of the development of Western Civilization, of democracy and freedom across Europe, South America, and Mexico. Nowhere was our Masonic History more entwined with a country's development both physically and morally than in our own beloved United States of America. The influence of Masonic Philosophy is evident throughout the Constitution Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and the actual formation of the structure of our systems of Law.

Education must be one of the bedrocks of our revival. As an example, in the Monroe Districts we have revived a long dormant Bureau of Masonic Education. We have focused on three programs; the first is an Orientation course targeted at newly raised brothers and using the Grand Lodge's Lodge System of Masonic Education program. The second program is a Continuing Education Course involving Masonic Law, Philosophy, Masonic Publications, and two historical lectures. The third in the series is a Leadership course which addresses itself directly to Lodge Administration in a more nuts and bolts way.

Our Masonic Heritage is one of the richest in the world and to name the men who were proud to call themselves Masons throughout the world would be an enormous task. Yet our history is one of our best kept secrets. When I do historical lectures the Brethren are amazed at how interesting and how vital a part our Craft has played in the development of Western Civilization. At almost every major turn from the Renaissance, to the Reformation, to almost all revolutionary movements towards democracy, our Craft has played a vital role. Washington, Franklin, Bolivar, Garibaldi, Lafayette and literally countless others were members of the Craft. Our understanding of their roles in history will fill us full of the PRIDE I have already mentioned and will again.

There is one sure way for us to learn our History: READ!!! How many copies of a Masonic Book is considered a "Best Seller?" I have read where Allen E. Roberts claims that number to be 5,000! That is with a potential market of almost 3 million Masons in the United States alone. Part of what must be offered to Masons on a local level is a Masonic Library. We must publish material about how to use the Grand Lodge libraries and about societies such as the Philalethes Society. Every Brother initiated should be sponsored by his Lodge into a reading course or a subscription for reading material that he will not know about himself. In doing this we teach the Brother, with our deeds, what we consider to be important.

Community Service

I am a firm believer that we must concentrate our outer efforts in the area of Community Service Projects for each Lodge. These projects must include physical involvement. Don't misunderstand, checks are very nice thank you and some of our Brethren can only really contribute in that way. Every Lodge no matter how big or small can think of a way to do something in their community which will symbolize the good works of Masons in an active way. Agencies, churches, widows, veterans centers and many other worthy organizations in our communities are crying out for help if we extend the hand.

Doing a community project has a four fold benefit to a Lodge. First, it brings out our members to work together. Secondly, it gives us something concrete to say when we are asked what do we do. Third, it gives us an opportunity to receive good publicity which assists in membership drives. Lastly, and most importantly, we live our creed as Masons by assisting our fellowman.

Our district Lodges big and small are doing events like bike rodeos, involvement in scouting, painting houses for widows, taking disables youngsters on fishing trips and many other fine projects.

As a district we get together and go to shopping malls for the two weeks leading up to Valentines Day and raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. Every Lodge and Star chapter is involved in this effort which has raised over $75,000 for the House and has allowed us to dedicate the entire foyer of the house with a plaque and picture. We were also given the honor of laying the houses cornerstone which will forever have our Square and Compasses on it. Masonic charity is as old as Masonry itself and just as useful in our efforts to grow into the 21st century.

Fellowship and Fun

By arriving at Fellowship and Fun we touch on perhaps the most important ingredient that will assist us to grow and become vigorous once again. In Masonic History we are aware that 4 Lodges in England became the First Grand Lodge in 1717 . The announcement of that Grand Lodge set off a chain reaction heard around the world as Masonry fairly exploded in the British Empire, Europe, South America and most vividly in North America.

Would it shock you to remember that none of these Lodges in our early history met in a Lodge room, but in the upstairs rooms of taverns? Is it a coincidence that this fraternity exploded at a time when it had a clear focus on fellowship and fun? Did it horrify our early ritualists that degrees were conferred in these taverns with designs drawn on the floor in chalk in an area cleared out during a feast? That all of the business of the Lodge was conducted while at dinner and punctuated by toasts and good fellowship?

Given that does it surprise you that one of the major complaints expressed by our members in every survey taken about Masonry is that the meetings are boring and too sullen? Is it a further coincidence that as Masonry has lost the active trappings of a Fraternity which can be considered fun that we have been on a steady decline?

Be honest with yourselves my brethren. Is there one of us who has not sat through a boring business meeting and considered not coming to Lodge for the following boring business meeting? Does a Lodge need more than one business meeting out of every four? Important dates can be posted outside the Lodge room on a bulletin board or sent out in a Lodge notice. Arguments about fans, lights, paint colors and so on can take place after or before Lodge.

Almost 40 years ago a famous Masonic Author Carl Claudy stated that we could not compete with most modern forms of entertainment and that our fellowship and desire to learn about Masonry was what Lodges had to offer. Isn't that statement even a hundred times more accurate today?

How did Masonry get this way? In our Country it is clear that the Morgan Incident was so traumatic that the Craft went to an extreme to prove to its communities that it was in a sense "holier than thou. " Temperance became its focus, feasting was de-emphasized, ritual became elevated to a deity, tuxedos were introduced to "gussy up" the image and being serious became elevated to an art form.

Americans like to have fun. When fun is denied them in one sphere they create places where they can have fun. In Masonry this was the exact reason for the formation of the playground of Masonry; the Shrine and Grotto, where fun could be had without fear of public criticism.

We can no longer afford to be so split up within Masonry. Fun must be returned to the Blue Lodge from whence it really came. Diffusing an already small pool of talent does nothing but weaken our entire structure. Witness the desire on the part of a significant part of the Shrine to allow non-Masons to become Shriners.

Brethren in our present emergency what should we do? Yes we could and should pray. We can also return many of our Lodge doings to a Festive Board. John Hilliard makes this case eloquently in the April 1990 edition of The Philalethes magazine.

The Table Lodge concept is readily adaptable to regular Lodge proceedings. The Table Lodge or Festive Board also lends itself to the inclusion of non Masons and families. Our young men are very concerned about using their quality time to satisfy family demands. At a time when most families contain two working parents we must meet the demand for quality time together and fun events which can be attended by families. They are giving us a strong message: if we ask them to invest their precious few spare hours in boring business meetings they will refuse to invest!

As I have traveled around it is clear that the Lodges which break bread together regularly, have social events, involve the family, know how to have fun together and do it with class and honor are the Lodges that thrive. Lodges that only meet to read bills, discuss which brothers are sick, and then rehash the same information in a 15-minute reading of the minutes have little chance to see the year 2000.

I commend to every Lodge that it use a Table Lodge format or at least eat together many times during the year. It is convenient to men working, it injects fun, it reminds us of our roots and can be created to suit the particular tastes of any Lodge. Be creative and innovative, write your own version of the Table Lodge toasts, and toast whom you please.

Remember the biblical admonition: "Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die!"

Membership

One of the ways that we have really shot ourselves in the foot over the last 25 years is in our static and rigid attitudes towards bringing in new members. I am a living example. My favorite uncle, who lived in the same Brownstone in NYC was a Mason for 45 years, was Past Master of his Lodge and AGL of his district. He was as close to me as my father yet he never, till the day he died, would discuss the Craft with me in any depth or invite me to join. What a tragic shame for both of us.

We must go out and find men who fit our standards of conduct and bring them to the Lodges. One of the best ways that we have found is utilizing a program called Brother Bring a Friend Night. This program exposes our great Craft and all we have to offer to men who probably have no idea what in the world we do or stand for. Brother Bring a Friend Night was a Short Talk Bulletin in December 1990.

My father was a military man and used to sing a song in the shower called "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition. " Brother Bring a Friend Night allows us to do just that. By exposing potential candidates to the power of our message, history and good works we pass the ammunition which brings in new Masons and praises the Lord. One of the points that I have been leading up to is that a firm knowledge, by our Brethren, of Masonic Philosophy, History, Symbolism, Community Service and Fellowship IS the ammunition for the program of Brother Bring a Friend Night and with that ammunition locked and loaded WE CANNOT HELP BUT GARNER NEW CANDIDATES! Brother Bring a Friend Night works!

Accentuate the Positive

By emphasizing the POSITIVE we become attractive to others. Think about the people in your life at work, home or Lodge who are popular. As a practicing Psychotherapist, I can assure you that a common thread that runs among them is HIGH SELF ESTEEM. People who like themselves are people who we want to be around. Conversely if you don't like yourself people will not flock to you. An organization cannot be attractive if it is populated by negative thinkers.

In order to garner new members we must be active, vital and proud members of a proud organization. We must make men feel that they are missing something GREAT by not being involved. But first we have to feel that way ourselves.

We cannot bring in new members and keep them if we refuse to change our way of doing business. If we cannot bring ourselves to educate our new brothers in such a way as to gain their respect, cooperation and interest, we cannot keep them active in the quarries. Ironically, our search with very few exceptions leads us back to the way our Brethren did business in 1717! Even the realm of public relations. The papers of the 1700's were full of stories relating to the doings of Masons. In the absence of information our enemies have injected their own fantasies about us. Ask a prospective candidate what he has heard about Masonry and you will be shocked at some of the answers you receive.

Conclusion

The great Rabbi Hillel of ancient times was known for his wise but long winded speeches. A brilliant student once asked him to stand on one leg and tell him how a person should live his life. Within Hillel's answer lies the bottom line key to our survival and growth. Hillel said three things: "If I am not for me who will be? If I am not for others what am I?" and "If not now, When?"

If we are not for Masonry who will be? If we are not for others then We are certainly not Freemasons, and now I ask you, if not now, When? It must be NOW!

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The Hiramic Legend and the Symbolism Of The Master's Degree

by Leon Zeldis, MPS

The present work is not so much concerned with the history of the Master's degree, or the three-degree system in general, as with the meaning of the Hiramic legend which, as we know, lies at the core of this degree. A short bibliography at the end will be of help to those Brethren interested in pursuing further this investigation, which must be perforce sketchy, to keep within the boundaries of an article.

We have no certainty about the exact dates when the third degree began being worked but, as far back as 1711, the Trinity College, Dublin, MS, mentions three separate classes of Brethren: Entered Apprentices, Fellow Craftsmen and Masters, each with its own secrets. (1)

By 1730, when Prichard's Masonry Dissected was published, the three-degree system had become firmly established. The introduction of the Hiramic legend in Freemasonry dates from the same period, as proven by the advertisement for sale in 1726 of a publication entitled The Whole History of the Widow's Son Killed by the Blow of a Beetle. (2)

The name Hiram appears in Masonic manuscripts much earlier, even centuries before, but we have no indication that the medieval mason was familiar with any tragic legend associated with that name, which appears with different spellings and variations, such as Anyone, Aman, Amon, Aymon and Hyman. We note here a certain confusion between the name Hiram, belonging to the King of Tyre, as well as the chief architect, and the Hebrew word Aman or Ooman, meaning chief of the works or artificer.

All readers are presumably familiar with the Hiramic legend as exemplified in the third-degree working. We should keep in mind, however, that like most myths, the legend is larger than any one specific recounting. Some features of Hiram Abif's story have been eliminated from this or that Masonic ritual, and appear in other degrees, in the allied Masonic bodies, or in rituals belonging to other Masonic rites.

Another word of warning. When studying a mythical tale, we should not expect to find logic or coherence. Each and every detail of the myth has a symbolic explanation, or several; in the course of time, the story becomes embroidered and additions are made which not always tally with the rest. We are told, for example, that the death of Hiram Abif caused the loss of the true secrets of the M:.M:., but we are also told that King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre shared those secrets. This is an obvious contradiction, yet such is the nature of myth. We must accept it as it had been handed to us.

Hiram's Murder

The hours high-twelve (noon) and midnight figure prominently in the legendary recounting of HA's murder. Not surprisingly, these are the ritual hours of work in the first three degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

The murderers are three evil workers driven by ambition, envy and ignorance. The names of the three vary according to the texts. Here are some of the variations:

Jubelas, Jubelos, Jebelum

Giblon, Giblas, Giblos

Ahiram, Romvel, Gravelot or Hobbden

Starke, Sterkin, Austerfuth (or Oterfut)

Phanox, Amru, Methusalem

The abundance of alliterative names should be noted. The same phenomenon can be observed in other, non-masonic initiation legends, as we shall see below.

The Number Five

The raising of Hiram's body (or his surrogate) is connected with the five PP. of F. The number five, of course, has a rich lore of symbolism attached to it. Suffice to say that five was held in the highest esteem by the Pythagoreans, who called it "Hygeia " or Health. It was regarded as the conjection of the first "female " number 2 and the first "male " number 3, thus being associated with marriage (one, the unit, was not considered to be a number at all).

Five is related to the pentagram or pentalpha, that magic five-pointed star associated everywhere with the occult. One of its properties is that every straight line in the pentagram is divided by the others in the golden section. The number five also appears in the legend as the number of fellow-crafts sent to look for Hiram: three groups of five craftsmen each.

Jones mentions that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries there was much public discussion on the five points, but these referred not to fellowship but to the five points of doctrine to which Calvinism had been reduced.

Five is the hypotenuse of the smallest Pythagorean triangle, that is, a rightangled triangle with integral sides. The Pythagoreans also associated this triangle with marriage, and Pythagoras' Theorem was sometimes called the Theorem of the Bride.(3) Five is also the fifth Fibonacci number. The Fibonacci sequence or series is an amazing series of numbers that appears everywhere in nature, connected with processes of growth and spirals, among others. Many flowers have five petals, and fruits often have five compartments. Five is also automorphic, that is, all powers of 5 end with the digit 5. Five, then, is a number connected with life, growth, renewal and eternity.

A question comes to mind, why should five figure so prominently in the third degree, when the Masonic age of the M: . M:. (in the S.R.) is "seven years and more. " It's the fellow-craft who has the number five assigned as his symbolic age, the five orders of architecture and the five senses figure in his studies, etc. Even the blazing star, with the letter G, which is actually a pentagram, belongs to the second degree, not the third.

We must see in this confusion another confirmation, if any was needed, that originally Masonic rituals comprised at most two degrees, and possibly a single ritual divided into several parts. Another vestige of this situation is the fact that, in England, at least, the installation ceremony is conducted in the second degree. In Scotland we find another peculiarity Scots, after all, must show their independence! the Mark Master degree, although given only to Master Masons, is worked with the Lodge open in the Second Degree.

The Substitute Words

Although undoubtedly of Hebrew origin, the Master's words have become corrupted and their exact meaning cannot be decided with certainty. The most plausible explanation, in this author's view, is that both refer to Hiram's death one coming close to the Hebrew for "the builder is dead" and the other for "your son is dead, " as if addressing a woman. Jones mentions that in a Christian Dictionary, printed in 1678, there are definitions of certain alternative Hebrew words which, we are told, mean "the smiting of his son, " "the poverty of understanding " or "the smiting of the builder" (p. 305). We can safely dismiss the middle explanation as window-dressing, but the other two coincide rather closely with the explanation given above.

An interesting feature that must be noted is that both words now in use can be represented by the initials M and B, which leads to the thought that perhaps both words had a common origin. Mendoza has a different theory, suggesting a Christian origin to the words, but he appears to be in the minority. As to why two words are used, and not only one, as in the first two degrees, it appears that one word was in use in England in those Lodges holding under the Premier Grand Lodge, or Moderns, while the other was used by the Moderns. (4) At the time of the union, in 1813, when a unified ritual was compiled, both words were left in use.

The Wider Context

Let us now examine Hiram's legend within the wider context of world mythology and religion. Some elements of the story are common to many mysteries in which a god or an extraordinary human being suffers death in order to be reborn on a higher state of existence. Let us list some of the more or less common features:

The element of special wisdom or knowledge possessed by the victim.

The element of betrayal.

Burial and putrefaction or dismemberment of the body.

Searching for the body or grave.

Raising the body for identification or for a second burial.

Vengeance or punishment of the murderer(s).

It has been suggested that Hiram' s story might have been derived from the ancient foundation sacrifices, in which a human being was immured in the foundation of the intended structure, to provide it with a "guardian soul. "

What is certain is that the Hiramic legend belongs in the tradition of the classical initiation ceremonies, involving death and rebirth. Anthropologists have described such rites in all primitive cultures, and historians have transmitted to us similar solemnities in the ancient world, from Egypt and Persia, Greece and Rome. "To die is to be initiated," said Plutarch, making a play of words between tekutan and teksthai. (5) On the contrary, we might remark, to be initiated is to die...in order to be born again.

Already the cuneiform texts of Mesopotamia, seven or eight thousand years old, relate that Dammouzi (Tammuz), the lover of the goddess Ishtar, had been swallowed by the underworld, the kingdom of the dead, the country from which there is no return, the abode of darkness. Ishtar, "widow of the Son of life, " (another widow!) undertakes to release him and bring him back to life, which she does by going through a graded series of trials.

Among the Phoenicians, this myth became that of Astarte and Adonis. Adonis is the lover of Nature, that is, Astarte, who weeps his death and ends by resurrecting him. Every spring, funeral ceremonies were held at Byblos (a city with particular connotations for the Installed Master), with weeping women tearing their clothing and wounding their breasts, running about desperately, as if looking for someone. An empty coffin was placed in the temple, ready to receive the body, represented by a wooden statue that was first hidden, and then placed within the coffin. Towards the end of Autumn the festival was repeated, with an important difference: grief and lamentations lasted for seven days, but on the eighth, mourning gave way to uninhibited joy. The god had been reborn and ascended to heaven.

The Adonis of Phrigia was called Attis or Papas, the divine shepherd, husband of Cybele or Maa, goddess of the earth. The mysteries of Cybele were brought to Rome after the end of the Punic wars, and were celebrated in Rome with increasing enthusiasm during six hundred years.

In Egypt, we find the myth of Isis and Osiris, too well known to repeat here.

The Greeks had not one, but several versions of these legends. One, the mysteries of Cabires, in Samothrace, included the dramatic representation of the history of three brethren: Axieros, Axiokersos and Axiokersa (note the alliteration!). According to the version reported by Firmicus Maternus, two of the Cabires killed the third and buried him at the foot of Mount Olympus. He was then brought back to life by Hermes, the god of the occult. Some Etruscan mirrors show engraved scenes of this drama. In one, we see Axieros seized by his two brethren, before two columns with Corinthian capitals. In another, Hermes, accompanied by two satyres serving as his helpers, approaches the corpse and tries to raise it with the help of his magic wand. The Cabires, like Hiram, are of Phoenician origin.

In the Mysteries of Mithra, as well, the initiate was symbolically killed. Once, the emperor Commodus who was officiating as mystagogue the conductor of the dead got carried away by the drama and actually murdered the unfortunate initiate. Fortunately, no such mishap has ever happened in a Masonic ceremony!

The Dionysiac mysteries, also very popular in Rome, as in the Eastern provinces of the Empire, featured the dismemberment of Dionysus, later reassembled and resurrected by Zeus.

Some of these rites continued for many centuries after the spread of Christianity, sometimes disguised under a Christian cloak. D'Alviella (p. 77) mentions, for example, a ceremony held in the island of Malta, in the 16th century, as recounted by an Arab writer. At the time of the feast of St. John, which coincided with the flowering of beans, the priests hid a statute of the saint under branches of flowering beans. The saint was then mourned as if dead. After three days, his return was celebrated, the statue was uncovered and carried in procession to the church. It is not difficult to perceive that the saint here was a surrogate for Dionysus .

The role of initiation in human society can be best summarized by quoting Mircea Eliade (p. 220): "Initiation appears in all authentic human existence, for two reasons: on the one hand, because all authentic human life implies deep crises, trials, anguish, loss and recovery of the self, 'death and resurrection'; on the other, because, no matter how full, all existence appears, at a certain moment, as an unfulflled promise.

This is not a moral judgement about the past, but a vague feeling of having missed the vocation, of having betrayed the best within oneself. In such moments of total crisis, one hope only seems capable of providing salvation: the hope of being able to start life again. That is, in short, that we dream of a new existence, renewed, plentiful and meaningful...The nostalgia of an initiatic renovation which arises sporadically in the heart of hearts of modern irreligious man, seems to us therefore as most significative: it would be, in the final analysis, the modern expressions of man's eternal longing to find a positive meaning to death, to accept death as a rite of passage to a superior state of being.

If initiation can be said to be a distinctive dimension of human existence, this is due, above all, to the fact that only initiation assigns a positive task to death: to prepare the new birth, purely spiritual,, access to a mode of being secure from the ravages of Time. "

Notes

1. Jones, p. 242.

2. Op. cit., p. 3 18.

3. Well, p. 58. 4. This explanation appears in the 1762 exposure Jachin and Boaz, quoted by Mendoza.

5. D'Alviella, p. 65.

Selected Bibliography

Daniel Beresniak, La Legende D'Hiram et les Initiations Traditionnelles, E. Detrad, Paris, 1987.

Goblet D'Alviella, Des Origines du Grade de Maitre dans la Franc-Maconnerie, Guy Tredaniel, Paris, 1983.

Mircea Eliade, Birth and Rebirth, Harper & Row, New York, 1958.

Bernard E. Jones, Freemason's Guide and Compendium, Harrap, London, 1950.

Harry Mendoza, "The Words of a Master Mason," Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, Vol. 102, 1989, p. 164.

David Wells, The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers, Penguin Books, London, 1986 (repr. 1988).

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What Came You Here To Do  ?

by James S. Peterson, MPS

'What came you here to do? " Each new Mason learns to answer that question according to the ritual practiced in his Lodge. The precise wording may vary from one Lodge to the next, or even from one instructor to another. The essential meaning, however, remains the same today as it was in Preston's time: "To learn, to subdue my passions, and improve myself in Masonry. "

My father first taught me those words while driving home from my Entered Apprentice degree. He knew the entire Masonic ritual by heart, and held an esoteric certificate from the Grand Lodge of Texas to prove it. More importantly, though, he has always been very meticulous about teaching the meaning behind the ritual, and not just the words alone. He was careful to point out the pause following the word 'learn, " yielding a threefold answer to the question, 'What came you here to do? "

Masonry has always had a love affair with the number three, it seems, but the reason for the comma after 'learn " is far more important than mere numerology. Our purpose as Masons, the reason we are here today, is first and foremost to learn. Brother Henry Ford knew that. He said "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. "

Notice that we say "to learn, " not "to teach. " Masonry reveals itself to the individual who applies himself to his studies. Our goal as Masons is to educate ourselves. The successful student of Freemasonry transforms himself from a rough ashlar to a polished stone by study and application of what he learns. The symbolism of the rough and perfect ashlars holds great meaning for Masons. They teach us that we, like the rough stone straight from the quarry, contain within us a smooth and polished stone. All that is required to discover that polished stone inside is to remove the rough and unneeded parts which hide it.

The early framers of our ritual knew there is more to success in life than education alone. They added a second injunction, that we subdue our passions. How important this was in Masonry's early days, when the fellowship of the festive board played a much larger role than it does today Lodges would meet around the table, with the fellowship of the meal forming the backdrop for instruction and ritual. When Anderson reworked the Old Charges into a "new and better method" he gave great emphasis to those dealing with a Mason's conduct.

Each Mason must learn to control his own passions. Freemasonry was never intended to be a sterile organization, devoid. of humor, emotion, or warmth. Our ancient brethren relished the time they could spend in fellowship together, yet each man was enjoined to curb his appetites and keep a rein on his conduct.

Finally, we are taught that we came here to improve ourselves in Masonry. This is reminiscent of the oft repeated statement that Freemasonry's purpose is to take good men and make them better. Once again, though, notice that it is the individual who is to do the improving, and he is to be the object of his own efforts. We came here as Masons not primarily to change the world, but to improve ourselves. Each of us take the lessons of Freemasonry, the knowledge of the ages, and applies it to his own life to make of himself the best man he can. That is what Freemasonry expects of us - that each of us strive to build the temple within the heart of man. No one has ever suggested that building human character is a quick or easy task.

What should we be doing, as members of a society dedicated to Masonic research, education and knowledge, to assist our brethren in meeting the challenge of the question 'What came you here to do? " Should we concentrate our efforts in building great libraries? Should we hire publicity agents to tell the world about Masonry's good works? Or can we make a greater impact upon those around us by furnishing them an example of one who makes a daily advancement in his personal knowledge and understanding of Masonic ritual, history, philosophy, and symbolism. Your study of Masonry will reveal great discoveries and new insights. Share them with your less informed brethren, but never forget that the ashlar you are polishing is your own.

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The Five Pointed Star As A Masonic Symbol

by M. R. Stapleton, MPS

The five pointed star, also known as the pentalpha, pentacle, pentagrammaton, pentaculum, or pentagram, is reputedly not a Masonic symbol according to past authorities. 1&2 However, it is commonly included among the symbols of the third degree in many charts and monitorial works.

In ages gone by, the pentalpha has, at one time been a symbol of almost every mystery school, with an equally large diversity in meaning.

The Egyptians at times substituted the figure of the pentalpha as a numerical representation of the value five, believing that there were five planets in our solar system.

Early Christian gnostic schools called it the Blazing Star, and lent it the meaning of intellectual authority. This claim was based on the Trinity corresponding to three points of the star, and the two natures of Christ to the remaining, a concept known to the initiated. Similarly, the five points were also said to symbolize the five wounds of Christ.

Magicians of the Middle Ages prescribed diametrically opposed meanings to it, dependent upon orientation of the legs. More specifically, if one leg points upward, or two legs point upward, it may describe antithetic sets of good and evil, order and disorder, light and darkness, the morning or evening star, the Lamb of Ormuzd and St. John or the Goat of Mendes.

The pentagram depicted the human body with four appendages and the head, if overturned, it became the image of chaos, insanity, and death.

The Kabalists used the pentalpha as a symbol for the microprosopus, which is a collection of attributes (sefirah) of God (En-Sof) arranged as triads, yielding the characteristics of:

1 . Power of universal thought.

2. Moral truth in the universe.

3. The material universe and its motion (equilibrium). The attributes which comprise the characteristics are:

1 . a. knowledge (kether) b. wisdom (hokhmah) c. understanding (binah)

2. a. mercy (hesed) b. judgment (gerurah) c. beauty (tifereth)

3 . a. endurance (netsah) b. majesty (hod) c. foundation (yesod)

By a somewhat complex means of divination these characteristics are balanced to provide first hand experience of God to the ardent practitioner, by coming to know the true divine nature. Talmudic tradition holds King Solomon to be among the Kabalistic adherents.

The Greek philosophical schools ascribed the pentalpha, or triple triangle to Pythagoras. Although, each school lent its own peculiar meaning to this device. The Platonists' assigned one of the four elements to each of the legs, with the pinnacle being the symbol of universe. The Hellenistic school thought it to be of great power, by reason of the fact that the number five is the sum of the first odd, and even integers.

Oddly enough, inspection of the pentalpha's construction is far more revealing with respect to its true nature than any exposition presented thus far. First glance will yield information about the fact that it is a ten sided non-regular polygon, containing 5 36 degree interior angles, and 5 72 degree exterior angles. Fig. 1 (A, B, C, D) describe the construction as follows:

1A. Inscribe a circle of some diameter X.

lB. Divide the circle into five equal parts. (To obtain chord length use: C = D x sine (180/5)

1C. Sequentially connect the points around the circumference of the circle to produce a pentagon.

1D. Connect alternate points around the circumference of the circle to produce the pentalpha.

Fig 2 illustrates a pentalpha partially inscribed in a pentagon. Lines AC and BE intersect at point F. Line CF = Y, and AF =Z. Therefore assume that a continuous line is formed, of length Y + Z, and marked off in two parts Y and Z. The respective lengths are such that the ratio of the whole (Y + Z) to the greater part (Y) to the lesser part (Z). i.e. y + Z/Y = Y/Z Then Y-ZY-Z2 = O Whence Y/Z = (1 + SR 5)/2 = O = 1.618.

That is to say, Y is 1.618 times longer than Z, and Y +Z is 1.618 times longer than Y.

This value became so ubiquitous that it was dubbed the "Golden Ratio," and it is doubtful that the pentalpha has any rival in plane geometry where a greater number, or forms of Phi occur. (See Appendix A)

The value of phi was first described by Vitruvius, a Roman architect (50 B.C.) in his landmark work "The Architecture. " Explicit in phrase, Vitruvius sets forth an exact account of the symmetry and proportion required to design each detail of a temple. The analogy employed was that of the human body, giving due proportion of the corresponding parts, and their relative measure, as the standard for construction. Central to this concept is the ratio of the total height of a person to the height of the navel, the product being phi.

A study conducted by Hambridge (8) to verify the occurrence of 0, and its functions as the basis for proportion in the human body, was undertaken in 1919. The measurements produced twentythree constants of proportion occurring in all three-hundred skeletal specimens studied. This work verified Vitruvius' system of proportion beyond question. However, this model for design did not lay dormant, nor remain untested until our time. Between 1500-1600 the greatest geometricians of the day e.g. (Kepler, Pacioli, Durer, Da Vinci) wrote extensively on the "Golden Ratio" and its appearance elsewhere in nature. Discovery was made in the areas of anatomy, astronomy, acoustics, mechanics, optics, biology, botany, and music; so littered is the Grand Architects' 
 

scheme with this phenomena, Kepler called it "The Divine Ratio."
 

The advent of Gothic architecture pointed up philosophical, and technical similarities between Vitruvius' theory of proportion, and the post Romanesque builders. Vitruvius framed his proportion patterned after man, Gods' most glorious achievement. The Gothic masters, on the other hand sought to interpret, and replicate both mystically, and liturgically the celestial city described in the book of Revelations.
 

In the 10th century St. Augustine set forth a philosophical view of art rooted in science. His perception of beauty is based on the analogical function of geometry, that is, its ability to lead the mind from the world of appearances to the contemplation of divine order. Consistent with this view, he reasons that " perfect ratio, and proportion is the source of all aesthetic perfection, and outlined a system of rigorous mathematical formulae for the harmonic design of structures.

The twelveth century brought further technical refinement by means of a unifying concept. A group of Platonists assembled at the Cathedral School Of Chartes knit geometry, and theology as a link between God and the world, the magical tool which would unlock both. This image gelled as the depiction of God as a master builder, and launched ecclesiastic fervor for construction.

The Medieval architect was quite different from our present day notion of the analogous professional. Typically, the designers of the Gothic period were Master Masons educated in the seven arts and sciences, and endowed with the secret geometric doctrine which allowed development of a unified design from a single dimension. The epitome of this esoteric geometry is illustrated in Fig. 3F as presented by Moessel. (8) The geometric key diagram is formed from two interlaced pentalphas (decalpha) inscribed concentrically in two larger interlaced pentalphas, in the O ratio. Each of the larger also connected in such a way as to describe a pentagon. Fig. 3 (A-F)

This diagram when correctly scaled, may be superimposed on either the plan or elevation of a Gothic structure, thc resultant correspondence of vertices in the figure to major architectural foci is striking. By corollary, employment of the figure during the design process immediately yields due proportion for all other parts of a building from the initial measure.

Exemplification of the method is given by dimension "A" from Fig. 4, which has been taken as the fundamental measure from which the elevation view in Fig. 5 may be developed. It should be noted that the distance between the vertices, or points of intersection that form Fig. 4 are some function of ~, in the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal planes simultaneously.

Two possible schemes for harmonic analysis of the facade of " The Chapel Of Houghton In The Dale" have been proposed in Fig. 6 & 7 . Detailed calculations of the actual proportions illustrated in the figures, validate the utility of the key diagram.

As a means to further test Moessel's proposition, complete sets of plans and elevations were obtained for a number of Gothic structures. (9) Similar results were obtained as in the previous example, in all cases of structura, detail where the key diagram predicted proportional concordance in phi. Subsequent calculational solution consistently yielded numerical verification of the prediction.

Design by proportional development during the Gothic period is a documented fact, (10) although the specifics of the method are vague at best. The finite scope of test cases used here, suggest excellent agreement with the proposed technique, and thereby

form a reasonable basis to argue that the key diagram is indeed the operative masters secret.

In view of the fact that Gothic architecture, and Freemasonry enjoyed a coeval span of popularity, the one siring the other; it is a small leap to assume that the two became a conjugate entity with common symbols . So we find the " Five Pointed Star" as a Masonic symbol, omnipresent, all pervasive, yet its light obscured by the veil of time.

References

1. "Encyclopedia Of Freemasonry," A.G. Mackey 1921, The Masonic History Co.

2. "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, " H.W. Coil 1961, Macoy Publishing.

3. Ibid.

4. " History Of Freemasonry, " 1893, The Fraternity Publishing Co

5. "Kabbalh," C. Ponce 1973, Quest Books.

6. "Mathematical Diversions," J.A. Hunter 1963, D. Van Nostrand. 7. "The Architecture," F. Granger (translator) 1931, Harvard University Press.

8. "The Geometry Of Art And Life, " M . Ghyka 1946, Sheed and Ward Co

9. "Gothic Architecture," H W. Pugin 1821, J.R. Jansen Co.

10. "The Gothic Cathedral," O. von Simpson 1956, Pantheon Press.

General References

The Divine Proportion, H.E. Huntley 1970, Dover Publications.

Geometry And The Visual Art, D. Pedoe 1976, St. Martin Press.

Art & Geometry, W.M. Ivins 1946.

Building In England Down To 1540, L.F. Salzman 1967, Oxford University Press.

The Encyclopedia of Architecture, J. Gwilt 1867, Longmans Publishers.

A.Q.C, Vol. xix, A. Bowes, Vol. viii, W.H. Rylands; Vol. xxiii, T. Klein.

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Deadline Extended For Master Masons

Aspiring To Leadership

The Masonic Service Association and Allen E. Roberts have joined

hands to bring a leadership course to Freemasons....

Masonic Lifeline is coming! It's an updated sequel to More Light in Masonry, a highly praised audio Masonic leadership program. It's a ten lesson manual, loaded with plans and goals for Masonic leadership and education, with hundreds of questions (and even suggested answers).

HERE ARE THE LESSONS:

1. Who Needs More Light in Masonry?; 2. A Plan for Action; 3. Working With Goals; 4. Teamwork Makes the Difference; 5. Growing the Leader; 6. Communication - a Road to Success; 7. Planning for Progress; 8. Dedication Through Education; 9. Masonry's Important Ingredient: the Individual; 10. Tying it all Together (by Conrad Hahn and never before published). Plus charts, guides, and cartoons.

All (but No. 10) are written in the inimitable style of Allen E. Roberts, whom the late Harold V.B. Voorhis, FPS, said has done more than anyone else in modern times to further and encourage Masonic education.

Masonic Lifeline will contain about 130 pages, wire bound to lie flat as a workbook should. It is intended to supplement (not supplant) Grand Lodge educational and leadership programs. In fact, this manual strongly encourages the reader to learn all about the laws, customs and programs of his Grand Lodge. It's excellent for individual or group study.

Here's a prepublication offer (too good to pass up) valid only until February 15, 1992: $4.00 (foreign, $5.00 U.S.) per manual, postpaid. For group study you may take 5% off this price for orders of 10 or more copies. Order from: The Philalethes Society, Dept. ML, PO Box 70, Highland Springs, VA 23075-0070.

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Through Masonic Windows

by Allen E. Roberts, FPS

On pages 4 and 5 will be found my heartfelt sentiments concerning the life and death of Jerry Marsengill, one of Freemasonry's great Master Masons. All of us have lost a friend, Brother and mentor.

Santa Claus IS a Freemason! According to that excellent periodical, The Northern Light (Nov. 1991), he affiliated with Garrett City Lodge No. 537, Indiana several years ago. On December 14, 1991 he was also affiliated with Virginia Research Lodge No. 1777, Virginia. Because he will not be able to attend frequently, Claus has insisted that a member of the Lodge who displays his attributes and disposition be selected as his representative for the year. This will make his alter ego Master Mason No. 1 of Virginia Research Lodge. Claus said he will accept membership in any Lodge that will adhere to his principles. What are these principles? Masonic -all the way!

Absolutely wonderful news! Every Grand Lodge in the United States, with the lone exception of West Virginia, now is a member of The Masonic Service Association of the United States. It's a dream fulfilled for many of us who have long supported the objectives of this wonderful organization born in 1918. The MSA is headed by Richard E. Fletcher, FPS, as Executive Secretary.

Masonic Philanthropies: A Tradition of Caring compiled by S. Brent Morris, FPS, fills a void in the Masonic story. It's a colorful production. The entire staff responsible, principally John W. Boettjer and Donna L. Sharp, deserve a pat on the back. The Supreme Councils of the Southern and Northern Jurisdictions of the Scottish Rite joined together, happily, in this venture. All have shown what can be accomplished for the benefit of Freemasonry when its leadership join hands. Copies of this 100 page book may be obtained from the Scottish Rite bodies or The Masonic Service Association. Learn how well over five million dollars a year is disbursed by Freemasonry for the benefit of American citizens.

Good news. Grand Master W. Scott Stoner, according to The Pennsylvania Freemason, was invited to help the Pottstown Salvation Army celebrate its 100th year. And he accepted a first-time award (for an organization rather than an individual) for service to others to be presented to Stichter Lodge No. 254. It's good to find two organizations (the Salvation Army and Freemasonry) that put service to others before themselves joining hands in friendship and love.

The first DeWitt Clinton Award of Publicity Lodge No. 1000 of New York, according to the Empire State Mason, was presented to Hugh Downs of ABC ' s 20/20 fame. This award was "created to honor non-Masons whose public service involvement exemplifies Freemasonry's own historic concern and high esteem for voluntary service through contributions of time, skills, and financial support...given freely toward significant endeavors in the public interest. " Excellent. And an excellent choice of the first recipient.

Robert C. Singer, MPS, who succeeded Wendell K. Walker, FPS, as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of New York, we strongly suspect, had much to do with the creation of the foregoing award. Under his leadership many forms, Grand Lodge books and records, and community services are being enhanced. Such progressive endeavors we expect (and applaud) of members of The Philalethes Society.

A new research body has been born. It's St. Alban's Research Society. Based on its first issue, and my knowledge of its editor, I strongly recommend it to all members of our Society. Its masthead states: "The Society is a non-profit corporation, organized exclusively for charitable, educational, literary and scientific purposes including but not limited to the study of social and fraternal organizations and the publication and distribution of information relating to such organizations. The Society is not affiliated with, and membership in the Society is not predicated upon membership in, any other organization, fraternal or otherwise. " But based on its quarterly publication, American Masonic Review, and the Masonic knowledge of its Editor, Pete Normand, I strongly suspect it will be more Masonic than anything else. Membership in this Society (or subscriptions to its periodical) is $12. Checks should be made payable to either the publication or the St. Alban' s Society and mailed to: PO Box 10361, College Station, TX 77842.

Heartwarming news from the Wisconsin Masonic Journal: At the recommendation of the Grand Master of Masons in Louisiana, a vote was called for to rescind the Edict severing relations with the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. His "recommendation was approved by a near unanimous standing vote." The Edict had severed relations with Connecticut because that Grand Lodge (among eight others) had recognized Prince Hall Masonry as legitimate. The "near unanimous " vote should awaken the bigots and diehards on both sides to the fact that Brotherly Love must prevail if Freemasonry is to remain a viable force for good in the world. ...

For the ninth year the Prince Hall Masons in the Richmond, Virginia, area took needy children on a shopping spree for Christmas presents. In the TV coverage the leadership was disappointed. There were far more children needing assistance than the Masons could provide. The joy shown by the children helped make ones heart expand with pride knowing someone within the Craft was helping.

For the eighth year the Freemasons of Des Moines, Iowa, provided a full course Christmas dinner for the needy. For the first time the jovial leadership of Jerry Marsengill was missing. But it was good to see this affair continued. And it's good to see many non-Masons participating in helping those who need help.

Community help is becoming more and more prevalent within Masonic circles. The Grand Lodge of Wisconsin has endorsed an "Adopt-A-Highway Program. " Lodges signing up for the program take the responsibility for litter control on a two-mile segment of a state highway. They pick up litter at least three times a year in their area. A sign with the name of the Lodge is placed at the beginning and end of its segment, announcing to the public that Freemasonry is at work. Excellent public, needed and spiritual relations.