Contents
Let the
Beauty of Freemasonry Into Your Heart
Religion and Freemasonry
From the Editor's Quarries
Freemasonry and
the Development of the West
Masonic History
Masonic Trivia
Reviews
Three Rarities in Freemasonry:
Freemasonry's Opponents
Freemasonry and The Ladies
Masonic Trivia
Golf: the Masonic Game
Mythological Origins
of the Name HIRAM II
William
Jarvis Soldier, Statesman, and Freemason
The Legend of John Brown
the philalethes
The Journal of Masonic Research and Letters
Charles S. Guthrie, FPS Editor
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Royal C. Scofield, FPS 2nd Vice President
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Allen E Roberts, FPS Executive Secretary
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Harold L. Davidson, FPS Librarian
The Philalethes Society 1903 10th St. W.
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LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS
Philalethes Society
William R. Denslow FPS
Robert V. Osborne, FPS
Dwight L Smith, FPS
Robert L Dillard Jr. FPS
Bruce H. Hunt, FPS
Allen E. Roberts, FPS
John Mauk Hilliard, FPS
CONTENTS
Let the Beauty of Freemasonry Into Your Heart
Religion and Freemasonry
From the Editor's Quarries
Program of Allied Masonic Degrees Meetings
Freemasonry and the Development of the West
Masonic History - Pre-Grand Lodge and English to the Union
The Blue Blanket: The Banner of Masonry II
Reviews
Assembly/Feast/Forum
Three Rarities in Freemasonry: A Man; A Grand Master; and the Refusal to "Turn the Other Cheek"
Freemasonry's Opponents
Freemasonry and The Ladies
Golf: the Masonic Game
Mythological Origins of the Name HIRAM II
William Jarvis Soldier, Statesman, and Freemason
The Legend of John Brown
Through Masonic Windows
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Let the Beauty of Freemasonry Into Your Heart
-by an individual named Allen E. Roberts, FPS
This is not a typical item that appears in this journal. It's a story from me (an individual) to you.
Our Editor was going to be requested to headline this: "Attention All With Racism, Bias, and Other Unsavory Flaws. " But this wouldn't follow the views of this article. And far too many of us only read headlines. This would have left the wrong impression, but it might have caught the attention of those I'm hoping to reach.
A word (actually, a few words) of explanation.
Check the second item in my "Windows" column. This is what I'm talking about--the trying by a handful of biased and racist individuals attempting, yet again, to whittle away at an organization that has never harmed anyone. In fact, it is an organization that has aided millions of every race, creed, religious persuasion and station in life.
Where do we, the men and women who truly believe in freedom for everyone, draw the line against rabble-rousers, bigots and racists? Let's be clear. Racists come in all colors and religions. The lovers of freedom have let a handful of mini-dictators take the Bible and all non-sectarian religious teachings out of the public schools (and we are amazed because teachers are working in battle zones). We are letting these unsavory characters burn our flag, stomp on it, and even let certain groups refuse to salute it. And the list can go on and on. (In my computer for future use there are thirty pages of actions by do-badders [I no longer call them "do-gooders"])
Freemasonry has been a whipping boy since it first became know in Scotland and England. Freemasons have continually turned the other cheek. It is way past time for Masons (of whatever color or rank) to take a stand against all evil-doers (of whatever color). We can draw this line right now.
It can start in our Nation's capital. We can draw a circle around the statue of Albert Pike. We can tell this handful of would-be mini-dictators they have gone far enough. Freemasonry, Caucasian and Prince Hall, can tell those who would destroy us: "You've gone far enough. No longer will we turn the other cheek. No longer will we let you lie about us."
There has been no secret about my feelings about Albert Pike and his attempt to control Freemasonry through the written word. I feel he knew absolutely nothing about Freemasonry's Landmarks or its ritual. He attempted to rewrite these, and did. He built a powerful appendant body that has taught lessons that good men have followed for many years.
No, Albert Pike wasn't one of my favorite people. But he was, and is, revered by thousands of good men. He has become a symbol of Freemasonry for millions of the best men in the country. We must not let this symbolism be destroyed by bigots.
Let's admit that Pike wrote things that, especially when take out of context, are terrible. But what writer, religious, fraternal, or sectarian, hasn't? Words and their meanings have constantly changed; they always will. An excellent example is the word "profane. " The use of it now could get the speaker a bloody noise; yet it simply means "without the temple, " or one who doesn' t belong to a particular group.
If we in Freemasonry transfer what occurred a century or more ago to the regulations or laws of Masonry today, none of us would be legitimate Master Masons. Religious denominations (even the centuries-old Roman Catholic church) are constantly changing. Nothing remains static. Fortunately, that which is good usually surmounts that which is evil.
Now for an example of Brotherly Love in action.
Joseph A . Walkes, Jr., FPS, the founder President of The Phylaxis Society (similar in every respect to The Philalethes Society), was kicked out of the Philalethes several years ago simply because he was a Prince Hall Mason. Other than its refusal to accept Freemasons of his persuasion as members, he liked its concept. So he formed the Phylaxis Society which has become highly respected among Prince Hall Masonry. I am proud to be among the Fellows of the Society.
Joe Walkes has earned the respect of Prince Hall Masonry (and thousands in what might be termed "Caucasian" Masonry). He has received many awards, including the 33ø of the Scottish Rite. His yearly seminars held on the anniversary of the death of Prince Hall, their first Grand Master, are models of excellent Masonic education.
Brother Walkes believes, also, that it's way past time for all of Freemasonry to join forces to stop the racists and bigots. But he speaks for himself in this article which will appear in the forthcoming issue of The Phylaxis magazine:
As The Phylaxis goes to print, carrying the controversy about Albert Pike and his statue in Washington, D.C., I have been bombarded by calls from across the country, radio stations have interviewed me, newspaper reporters have contacted me, various Masonic historians have called, all seeking information on Albert Pike. However, I just felt that Freemasonry would be harmed if the statue is removed He asked that I make a statement that he could publish. I did not; as I needed to pray on the matter. My church and its teachings are very important to me. I took down a book, The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W Kimball, deceased President and Prophet of my Church, and I found in chapter 4 these words: "These six things doth the Lord hate: Yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a Iying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among Brethren (Provcrbs6:16-19). It is the sowing of discord among the Brethren that lies heavy on my heart. My love for Freemasonry outweighs all other considerations. I would rather see the statue remain in place than harm thc gentle Craft. I have labored for more than twenty years to bring American Freemasonry together and to have each other respect the two systems, Caucasian and Prince Hall. If the removal of the statue would in any way harm Freemasonry, then I say let it stay in place. –
-Joseph A. Walkes, Jr., FPS, President
Another good friend, and the most dedicated Master Mason it has been my pleasure to know, is Most Worshipful Howard L. Woods, a highly regarded Christian minister. His civic activities and many awards attest to his love of his fellow man. His ten years as Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons in Arkansas indicates the high esteem his Brethren hold him. Brother Woods was The Philalethes Society Lecturer in 1 99 1, the only Prince Hall Mason to ever be so chosen.
He writes:
The Albert Pike Statue: Let It Stand.
There is no love lost between Prince Hall Masons and the memory of thc late Albert Pike, Masonic Historian, writer, alleged ritualist for the Ku Klux Klan, but, if Freemasonry is to remain the bulwark of free-thinking people, then, "Let the statue remain!"
Like the natures he wrote about, Albert Pike showed the light and dark sides of his own soul, when with one breath he spoke of his willingness to give up his Freemasonry rather than recognize thc Negro as a 'Masonic Brother' and with another breath, declared that every man should be free, for a free man is an asset, while a slave is a liability. Mankind is that way, and as long as the statue stands, America and Freemasonry will survive.
Let the statue be torn down and America and Freemasonry will be in jeopardy, for one would have to wonder, "What would be next?" As a Prince Hall Mason, an African American and supposedly free-thinker, I can see a higher power than the mortal mind of Albert Pike guiding his pen as he wrote such beautiful words of life without an occasional helping hand from someone "bigger than you or I."
Let the statue stand, even if it is proven that Albert Pike did write ritual for the Ku Klux Klan; more ignoble deeds have been done by others without sacrifice of their historic heroism.
Let the statue stand as a reminder that the good and evil of men are in equilibrium within us, and we all should strive for perfection now and in the future, not in the past. Let the statue stand !
--Rev. Howard L. Woods Grand Master Prince Hall Masons of Arkansas.
As long as we have the dedication to the principles of Freemasonry as recorded herein, the Craft will long endure. Soundly defeated will be those with the evil intent to "divide and conquer."
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by Jack J. Early, MPS
Recent articles in the news media about Freemasonry and religion underscore the need to examine the relationship between the teachings of Freemasonry and the teachings of religion.
What is religion? What is Freemasonry? What is the relation, if any, between them? Is there a conflict between religion and Freemasonry? Obviously these questions are asked by friend and foe alike. Oftentimes answers depend on the motives of those responding to the questions .
I am an ordained United Methodist minister and have been a member of the Masonic Lodge for over forty years. There are many ministers and rabbis who are ordained in their respective bodies and who hold an active membership in a Masonic Lodge.
What is Religion?
Authorities in the field of religion indicate that religion per se offers a plan of salvation, a theology which attempts to define the nature of God. Webster defines religion as any system of faith and worship.
Leaders and students of the Craft do not regard Masonry as a religion, but religious--not a church, but a fellowship in which men of all religions may unite. Albert Pike states in Morals and Dogma: "Masonry is not a religion .... but Masonry teaches and has preserved in their purity, the cardinal tenets of the old primitive faith, which underlie and are the foundations of all religions .... Masonry is the universal morality." (1)
After reviewing definitions of religion by various writers, it is my personal assessment that Masonry does not meet the criteria to be called a religion.
What Is Masonry?
Something is unique in Masonry, a tie uniting men of all ranks, types, and temperaments into a closely knit fellowship. We sit in a lodge together, each knows exactly what will come next; we meet upon the level and we part upon the square--old and simple yet familiar symbols--and somehow, no one knows how, "a tie is woven light as air yet stronger than steel."
Arthur E. Powell asks in The Magic of Freemasonry: "Why do men love Masonry? What lure leads them to it, what spell holds them through the long years? What strand is it that tugs at our hearts . . . And what is it in the wild that calls to the little wild things? What secret things do the mountains whisper to the climber, so silently yet so surely that they be heard above the din and clatter of the world? What mystery does the sea tell to the sailor, the desert to the Jew or Arab, the arctic ice to the explorer, the stars to the astronomer? When we have discovered these questions, perhaps we may discover the magic of Masonry. Who knows what it is, or how or why, unless it be the long cable-tow of God running from heart to heart! (3)
Masonry and religion are not antithetical to each other, but are mutually complementary. However, let me point out that Masonry is no substitution for a church or synagogue. A Mason who practices the tenets of Masonry will strengthen his own religious commitment in a church or synagogue.
Masonry is the art of the brotherhood of Man, a code of ethical precepts--encouraging its members to extend justice to all mankind; instructing its students to be open to new insights; supporting its resolve for the right; and inculcating love of God, home, and country and respect for the rights of others.
What is the Relationship Between Religion and Freemasonry?
In Masonry we are everywhere taught that no one ought to enter any great or important undertaking without prayer to God for guidance. It is my personal prayer that God will provide me with clarity of purpose and the wisdom to discern fact from fiction. Prayer is both a mystery and a necessity.
Recently, Dr. James L. Holly of Beaumont, Texas, distributed a booklet entitled The Southern Baptist Convention and Freemasonry to the delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is not my intention to present a refutation to each and every item in the booklet; however, I do want to indicate the faulty reasoning and the use of a scriptural "proof-text" approach to the subject. Evidently the writer or writers of this booklet have taken a word such as "secret" and have gone to a biblical concordance to check on all the biblical references to the word to prove a point without an understanding of the context in which the scripture was written.
One of the headings in the booklet is entitled, "Secret Organizations Condemned by the Word of God." Under that title is a subtitle, Secrecy is the "Hallmark of Occultism." The writer states, "The first characteristic of the Masonic Lodge which condemns it is that it is secretive .... "
Then the writer continues, "The Bible warns believers not to do things in secret and in the dark." (4) The scripture reference is from St. Luke 12: 1-3. Actually, this scriptural reference has to do with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
Apparently the writer of this booklet lacks an understanding of the beginning of early Christianity. The Christians of the first and second centuries A.D. used special symbols, met in secret and in the dark and communicated with each other with these symbols and signs for fear of their own lives.
Dr. Holly states that secrecy is the way and the place of the activities of the wicked. He quotes from Psalm 10: 8-9, stating that this scripture identifies the "functional atheist"--that one who would agree the God exists, yet lives his life as if he doesn't. (5) The Psalmist says: He that sitteth in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places doth he murder the innocent; his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in its den" (6) Most Bible commentaries indicate that the first eleven verses of this psalm give vivid glimpses of the party strife in Judaism in the time of and after Nehemiah. Masons who take their obligations seriously practice brotherly love; provide relief for the needy, and search for truth in all of life's experiences. It is interesting to note that Masons provide approximately $1,400,000 per day for charitable programs and that 58% of these funds are allocated for the benefit of charities other than those that are Masonic in nature.
Conclusion
One definition describes Freemasonry as "a science of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols." The cornerstone of Masonry is the belief in God, the Great Architect and Master-Builder of the Universe; There is no other foundation; upon God, Masonry builds its Temple. (7)
The Masonic philosophy of life means that we are here in the world to build something, to do something, and to become something. God made the earth, the sea, and the sky; but He made no roads, built no houses; we as Masons are the builders! We must build together, if the Temple of Brotherhood is to be completed and dedicated. (8)
Notes
1. Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Washington: Supreme Council, 33 1950), 161
2. Joseph Fort Newton, The Religion of Masonry (Washington: Masonic Service Association).
3. Albert E. Powell, The Magic of Freemasonry.
4. James L. Holly, The Southern Baptist Convention and Freemasonry (Beaumont, TX).
5. Ibid.
6. The Holy Bible, Psalm 10: 8-9.
7. Newton, np.
8. Ibid.
[Editor's Note. Brother Early holds a degree in theology, and a Ph. D He is chaplain of the Louisville Scottish Rite Bodies. This is a paper presented September 20, 1992 at a meeting of the Kentucky Chapter of the Philalethes Society.]
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Partly Blank Copies. We hope we have taken care of all of them. If not, please write or call Brother Harold Davidson, FPS, Librarian, Philalethes Society, 10903 10th St. N.W., Billings, MT 59102. His telephone number is 406259-1552. This is a change from the information given in the December issue.
Manuscripts. Correspondence relative to manuscripts should be sent only to the Editor, Charles S. Guthrie, FPS, 1660 Normal Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3536; Telephone 502-842-5415, Fax 502-843-6678.
Membership and Administrative Affairs Material: This should be sent only to Allen E. Roberts, FPS, P.O. Box 70, Highland Springs, VA 23075; Telephone 804-7374498, Fax 804-328-2386. You will note that this information also appears on the masthead of every copy of The Philalethes.
Notes and Queries
(Please give your name, complete address, and telephone number when submitting items for this column. Indicate whether you are a member or fellow of the Philalethes Society. I cannot put an MPS or FPS after your name unless you tell me--Ed )
"Where Did It Go Wrong"
Thanks for your column of letters. We non-prolific Masonic writers need space to respond to articles of interest with which we may or may not agree, Such is my response to Brother Pete Martinez' article, "Where Did It Go Wrong?" (October, 1992, pp. 120-21), which is excellent and very well timed.
However, as a Southern Baptist for over sixty years, I most vehemently disagree with the writer's viewpoint on personal prayers given in our lodge rooms. I certainly agree that Masonry is not a religion, but at the same time we do not leave our own religious beliefs in the anteroom when we enter the lodge. I have a right to maintain and express my faith and beliefs in lodge prayer, by praying as I do on a daily basis outside the lodge, so long as I don't impose my faith and belief on my Masonic brothers. Were I not permitted to pray in the manner that I am accustomed to, then Freemasonry itself would be classified anti-Christian, which of course it is not. If it were, a lot of us would not be a member of the world's greatest fraternity. Freemasonry does not exclude Christianity; it just does not make Christian faith an essential to membership. We include men of all faiths in our fellowship. Religion, like politics, divides men. Masonry unites them, and I don't believe how a brother prays, when he prays in sincerity, will offend another brother present. However, if one prays specifically for show, and we all know the type of Mason who does that, then he is being very unmasonic.
James E. Sledge, Grand Chaplain
Grand Lodge of Georgia
3860 Russell St., S.W.
Smyrna, GA 30082
Masonic Forum on Compuserve
The Compuserve quotation on the back cover of the December Philalethes is a disappointment. Like most individual, local, and grand lodge reactions to the Baptist inquiry, it comes across as defensive. It seems to lack the prudence and temperance of Masonry. It attempts to recast the Baptist question to focus on alcohol abuse, and it questions the role of religion in preaching to adults. We should support both of these objectives just as we support religion.
We need to talk sense to the Baptists. If we can accurately describe Masonry to them, we can gain from the exchange. We have the attention of one of the largest Christian denominations in the world, and the attention of the news media. It is a great opportunity.
Our problem, as was so cleverly displayed on the cover of the December, 1991 issue of Philalethes, is that we do not comprehend Masonry. Actually our claim is clearer and honorable, and we are in a much better position to describe ourselves to Baptists than they are to describe their institution to us. Our principles are clearly stated in the ritual and we are charged to enforce them using very specific methods. Probably no other institution has such a heritage. Yet we seem to act as though memorizing the ritual makes a Mason. This is no small tragedy. Nevertheless, we welcome the Baptist opportunity. Any other attitude would compound the tragedy.
Joseph B Harris
4928 Mary Jane Drive
Stevens Point, WI 54481
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Program of Allied Masonic Degrees Meetings
Washington Hotel Pennsylvania Ave. & 15th St.
Washington D.C. 20004
Thursday February 18, through Saturday, February 20, 1993,
Reserve rooms by writing or by calling either 202-638-5900 or
1-800-424-0540.
Thursday, February 18, 1993
3:00 and 4:00 p.m. Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis.
7:00 p.m. Annual Banquet, SRICF All present for any of the meeting may purchase tickets.
Friday, February 19, 1993
8:00 a.m. Registration for all meetings.
9:00 a.m. Grand College of Rites, U.S.A.
10:00 and 10:45 a.m., Knight Masons.
12:00 Noon Lunch on your own.
1:30 and 2:00 p.m., Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests.
4:00 p.m. Society of Blue Friars.
5:00 Great Priory of America CBSC.
6:00 p.m. Philalethes Society, 39th Annual Feast and Assembly, See notice elsewhere concerning this.
9:00 p.m. Masonic Order of the Bath.
Saturday, February 10, 1993
7:00 a.m. Breakfast, Convent General, Knights of the York Cross of Honor.
9:00 a.m. Grand Master's Council A, Allied Masonic Degrees.
10:00 a.m. Grand Council, Allied Masonic Degrees.
12:00 Lunch on your own.
3:00 p.m. Nine Muses Council No. 13, AMD.
3:45 p.m. Installed Masters Council, AMD.
6:00 p.m. Annual Banquet, Allied Masonic Degrees, with ladies invited. Guest speaker, The Honorable David B. Sentelle, 33 degree, United States Court of Appeals.
Reservations are not required, but Purchase Tickets from the Committee on Dinner, on Saturday Morning before 12:00 Noon. Hope to see you all there.
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Freemasonry and the Development of the West
by Charles L. Roblee, MPS
[A portion of this paper was originally published in the October, 1955 issue of The Philalethes. It was presented before the Silas H. Shepherd Lodge of Research (Wisconsin) on December 10, 1988.]
A study of Masonry and its effect upon the Mississippi Valley and the West must necessarily start with an examination of the Masons and lodges which existed within the territory from the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 . In 1803, the number of Freemasons west of the Mississippi probably could be numbered on both hands. This condition might be traced to the political and religious background of the Territory--French, Spanish, and Roman Catholic.
However, only four years later there were two lodges in existence. Fourteen years later the first Grand Lodge was organized . "Freemasonry follows the flag," for with the Stars and Stripes one finds freedom of worship, freedom of assemblage, and freedom of speech.
The Secretary to President Jefferson at the time of the Louisiana Purchase was Brother Meriwether Lewis. He actually signed as a witness to the transfer of the territory. The Treaty of Cession was signed by two Master Masons, Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe.
Shortly after the purchase of the Territory, President Jefferson sponsored an expedition headed by Brothers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Clark was the younger brother of the famous General George Rogers Clark, who was also a Master Mason. President Jefferson instructed Lewis and Clark to discover "the course and source of the Missouri, and of the most convenient water communication thence to the Pacific Ocean. "
Early Lodges
The Mother Lodge of the Mississippi Valley was Western Star Lodge No. 107 chartered by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1805 and located at Kaskaskia, Indian Territory (later Illinois). The first master of this lodge was James Edgar. Many well-known brethren visited this lodge. In 1807, Louisiana Lodge No. 109 was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. It was located in St. Genevieve, Missouri.
The Second lodge in the Territory was St. Louis Lodge, chartered in 1808. The master of this lodge was the Governor of the Territory, Meriwether Lewis. The first Grand Lodge of the Territory was the Grand Lodge of Missouri, founded in 1821. Missouri Lodge No. 12, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, called for a convention to meet in its lodge rooms in St. Louis on February 22, 1821. Only two other lodges responded, both also chartered by the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.
A committee was appointed to draw up a constitution. It was presented at the second meeting of the convention on April 23, 1821. Upon its adoption, a Grand Officers were elected, with Thomas Fiveash Riddick as Grand Master. He was also the father of the Missouri public school system.
The Grand Lodge of Missouri became a Mother Grand Lodge in this area of the country. Lodges chartered by it were instrumental in the founding of Grand Lodges in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oregon.
In turn, lodges chartered by these founded Grand Lodges in the states of Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, and Arizona. Truly, the Grand Lodge of Missouri was both a Mother and a Grandmother Grand Lodge in the development of Masonry in the western part of the United States.
Military Lodges
Most famous of all Grand Masters of this period was Brother John Ralls, "the accommodating Grand Master." Brother Ralls was colonel of his regiment, the Third Missouri Volunteers. During the year 1847, two military lodges were chartered by the Grand Master of Missouri under dispensation granted by Grand Master Ralls. No red tape held him back.
The first was Missouri Military Lodge No. 86. The dispensation, dated June 12, 1847, was written in longhand by the Grand Master. It did not carry the seal of the Grand Lodge as the seal was in St. Louis in the custody of the Grand Secretary.
This military lodge was in Ralls' own regiment and he became its first master. Ralls often told of holding lodge meetings in the open, on high hills or low vales, while on the march to Mexico. Upon arriving in Santa Fe, Ralls immediately assumed Masonic jurisdiction of the Territory of New Mexico in the name of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. This jurisdiction was maintained until the organization of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico in 1877.
The second military lodge was Hardin Lodge No. 87 which was composed mostly of Illinois Masons of the First Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. Although Hardin Lodge was always within this country, Missouri Military lodge No. 86 journeyed to Old Mexico and conferred degrees there.
Some Masonic Firsts Masonry had the honor of having as members of its order many "firsts" in the new Territory. The first American explorers in the Territory were Brothers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Both were members of St. Louis Lodge No. 111, of which Lewis was the first master (1808) and Clark one of its first initiates. The first explorers to travel the famed Santa Fe Trail, Captain Zebulon Pike and Dr. John H . Robinson were both Master Masons. These two discovered Pike's Peak in 1806.
The first American physician west of the Mississippi was Brother Dr. Aaron Elliot, Master of Louisiana Lodge No. 109. The first postmaster west of the Mississippi, Rufus Easton, was one of the petitioners for the Western Star charter and the first Junior Warden for St. Louis Lodge No. 111. The first representative in Congress from Missouri was Brother John Scott, charter member and past master of Louisiana Lodge No. 109. The first lawyer known to have practiced in the Territory was Brother John Rice Jones, also of Louisiana Lodge No. 109.
Other famous pathfinders in the early era of the Territory included Brother Pierre Chouteau, Jr., the Fur Prince, member of St. Louis Lodge No. 111, and colleague in the American Fur Company of Brother Bartholomew Berthold, of Louisiana Lodge No. 109. The Missouri Fur Company, competitor of the American Fur Company was organized in 1820 by three Freemasons, Joshua Pilcher, Joseph Perkins, and Moses B. Carson.
The list of distinguished Masons in the early life of the Territory is long. All fields of endeavor were represented: medicine, law, the judiciary, education, ministers, editors, and the government. The first Governor of Missouri was Brother Shadrach Bond.
Another Mason, who played an important but little-known role in Masonry in the West, was Brother Elihu H. Shepherd, a leading educator of his day. He was the man who brought the Royal Arch Degrees and Templar Orders west of the Mississippi about 1823.
Masonic Duels
Unfortunately, during the period being discussed, the custom of dueling was common. A peculiar code of honor, by our present-day standards, existed at that time. It is regrettable, but necessary, to point out some of the many Masonic duels occurring during this period. Many of these duels attracted wide attention throughout the Territory. They were frowned upon by the various Grand Lodges; however, most of the latter dodged the issue as often as possible, hoping that the solution might be found in time.
Then, in 1812, a challenge was passed between two Master Masons by a third Master Mason. The latter was hailed before his lodge, tried, and suspended for a year. As this occurred in Kentucky, he appealed to the Grand Lodge of that state. There followed much investigation and an elaborate report by a special committee, which set aside his sentence.
However, he was called before the Grand Lodge for censure by the Grand Master. The committee's report said the results could be very tragic, but that because of the numerous previous similar cases, without incurring censure, the whole situation went to extenuate the offense.
However, it was entirely improper for Master Masons to challenge or to convey a challenge to a Master Mason. As therein was quoted the familiar fundamental principle, "that brothers should live together in peace and harmony." The Grand Master, who presided at this occasion, was himself a principal in a duel with a Past Master of a Lodge in his home town.
Another Grand Master, United States Senator Andrew Buckner, engaged in a duel with another Master Mason, Brother Thomas H. Blake. At the time of the duel, Senator Buckner was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. Also, Shadrach Bond, then Governor elect of the State of Illinois and Rice Jones engaged in a duel. Bond later became the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois.
Other Masonic Pioneers
After the expansion of Masonry into Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, we must turn toward other Masonic frontiers. The next big event having an outstanding effect upon Masonry was the Mexican War and the Santa Fe Trail. The United States went to war and Masonry went along too. The various brothers gathered in their small groups on the hilltops or in the valleys and there, as in the ages past, sought Masonic fellowship with each other.
On the 18th of August, 1846, troops of the United States Government, under command of General Kearny, took possession of Santa Fe. The General on September 22 appointed the following to civil offices: Charles Bent, Governor; Donaisano Vigil, Secretary of the Territory; Richard Dallam, Marshall; Francis P. Blair, United States District Attorney; Charles Blummer, Treasurer; Joat Houghton, Antonio Jose Otero, and Charles Beaubien, Judges of the Superior Court.
Of these, Bent, Dallam, Blummer, Houghton, Otero, and Beaubien were Masons .
One of the most colorful characters in the building of the West was Brother Christopher "Kit" Carson. "Kit" Carson was born in Madison County, Kentucky, December 24, 1809. Carson was initiated, passed, and raised in Montezuma Lodge No. 109 in 1854. His home was in Taos, New Mexico, not far from Santa Fe, site of Montezuma Lodge.
Territorial Lodges
Carson, together with several brethren from Taos, petitioned the Grand Lodge of Missouri for a dispensation to form a new lodge. It was to be known as Bent Lodge No. 204, located in Taos. The petition was granted and Bent Lodge was instituted December 15, 1859, with Dr. A. S. Ferris as Master, Ferdinand Maxwell as Senior Warden, and Christopher "Kit" Carson as Junior warden.
Bent Lodge was named after Brother Charles Bent who, while serving as Governor of the New Mexico Territory, was killed in his home during a Mexican uprising. He was a brother-in-law of Carson, they having married sisters. Upon the surrender of the Bent Lodge charter in 1865, Carson returned to his mother lodge, Montezuma No. 109. He remained a member until his death on May 24, 1868.
Kit Carson was truly a Mason in heart and deed as well as in name. he was highly respected by all who knew him, both in and out of the fraternity. It is with pride that the fraternity may call him, one of the greatest men in the West, one of its own. According to those who knew him, he exemplified in practice the principles of Masonry, which many of our brethren today do not even know in theory.
An Early Massacre
Brother Charles Bent, first American Civil Governor of New Mexico, was born in 1799. His father was judge Silas Bent, a famous Missouri jurist. Bent was educated at West Point, but resigned from the army to engage in the fur trade and the Santa Fe trade. He and his brother built the first adobe fort and the largest trading post in the mountain region. Located on the bank of the Arkansas River where the Santa Fe Trail crossed, it was known as Bent's Fort.
In 1846 he became Civil Governor of New Mexico, and thereby was ex officio Superintendent of Indian Affairs. His reports were of great value relative to the manner of life, population, and territory occupied by each tribe. On January 14, 1846, Bent left Santa Fe for Taos to bring his family back to Santa Fe for protection as a result of rumors of Mexican and Indian revolt. He arrived in Taos on January 18, and that night a band of Mexicans and Indians broke into his house, shot him, and then scalped him while he was still alive. The headless body of Charles Bent was interred January 19 at Taos. Bent was initiated, passed, and raised in Missouri Lodge No. 1 in 1822.
Masonry was rapidly moving westward. By 1875, some ten lodges had been chartered in New Mexico by the Grand Lodge of Missouri. The two military lodges were limited to the duration plus six months of the Mexican War. The rest eventually affiliated with the Grand Lodge of New Mexico.
Other Territorial Lodges
In October, 1846, Brother Ralls issued a dispensation for Multnomah Lodge No. 84, located in Oregon City, Oregon. In California, lodges were chartered as early as 1848 when Western Star Lodge No. 93 was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri. Other Grand Lodges issuing charters for lodges in California were the District of Columbia (1848), Connecticut (1849), New Jersey (1849), and Louisiana (1849), while Illinois and Wisconsin both chartered lodges shortly thereafter.
The experiences of Masons in those days were varied and interesting. Charters and dispensations were carried in the saddle bag. One of the many anecdotes may be found in the minutes of a meeting in 1847: "On motion it was ordered that a fine of 12-1/2 cents be assessed against and paid by every brother who violates the rule of the lodge by spitting tobacco juice on the carpet and stations. "
The story of Masonry's spread westward from the Mississippi Valley is long and interesting. The majority of the outstanding leaders in those days were brothers of our ancient rites. By 1846, Masonry had spread from coast to coast. Wherever and whenever the brothers gathered, real Masonic fellowship was to be found. It can be honestly said that, as Freemasonry led the way in our revolution in 1776, and guided the formation of our government, so did it lead the way in carrying that government from one end of our continent to the other.
Other Masonic Frontiers in the West Brothers Lewis and Clark also explored the upper areas of the Missouri River into an area which eventually became Montana, Idaho, and Washington. A few years later, Freemasonry began its movement westward into these sections of the country. During the Gold Rush to California, several Grand Lodges granted charters to her carried by Masons on their trip to California. Some of these were issued after the Grand Lodge of California was formed. However, the three lodges which established their Grand lodge of California had, at an earlier date, received charters from the Grand Lodges of the District of Columbia, Connecticut, and of course, Missouri.
On April 19, 1850, the Grand Lodge of California came into existence. Lafayette Lodge No. 29, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, was established in Nevada City, California. When it was found that the Grand Lodge of California had been established, Lafayette Lodge surrendered its charter and became Nevada Lodge No. 13 under the Grand Lodge of California.
Freemasonry in Montana Brother William Thaanum in his paper "Freemasonry and Vigilantes in Montana" (The Philalethes, August, 1955), states that gold was discovered on Grasshopper Creek (called Willard's Creek by Lewis and Clark), in what later became Montana on July 28, 1862. Miners swarmed into the area and built the town of Bannack, which later became the first Territorial Capital. He also relates that a much richer discovery occurred at Alder Gulch in May, 1863. Very shortly, the communities of Virginia City, Nevada City, Junction City, and others came into existence. In 1865 the seat of government was moved to Virginia City, it being the largest and richest community. N. P. Langford was the fourth Grand master of Masons in Montana. He had come to Montana from Minnesota with the Fiske Expedition of 1862.
The First Masonic Lodge Held in Montana
In 1867, Langford, as Grand Historian, delivered an address before the Grand Lodge of Montana. This paper is contained in the annual proceedings of that year. Langford described the following incident that was the first Masonic meeting in Montana:
" . . . Our journey from Minnesota, of 1,400 miles, by a route never before traveled, and with the slow conveyance of ox trains was of long duration and tedious. It was a clear September twilight when we camped on the western side of the range of the Rocky Mountains, where they are crossed by the Mullan road"
"The labors of the day over, three of our number, a brother named David Charlton of Hennepin Lodge, No. 4 (Minnesota); another, George Gere of St Paul Lodge, No. 3, (Minnesota) and myself of Pacific Lodge, No. 10, St. Paul Minn. were the only three Master Masons in the company.
"Impressed with the grandeur of the mountain scenery and the mild beauty of the evening, we ascended the mountain to its summit, and there, in imitation of our ancient brethren, opened and closed an informal Lodge of Master Masons.
"That we had also found a naturally formed rock slab to serve as an appropriate altar was pure luck. It was then I invoked:
Most Holy and Glorious Lord God,
The Great Architect of the Universe,
The Giver of all goods and graces,
Thou hast promised that,
'Where two or three are gathered in Thy name, '
Thou wilt be in their midst and bless them. "
So opened the first meeting of Master Masons in the mountains. They were to be the foundation and backbone of the territory called Montana.
Langford continues, ". . . I had listened to the solemn ritual of Freemasonry a hundred times, but never when it impressed me so seriously as upon this occasion; such also were the experiences of my companions. We felt it a relief to know each other in the light of Freemasonry. Never was the fraternal handclasp more cordial than when in the glory of that beautiful autumnal evening, we opened and closed the first Lodge ever assembled in Montana. "
The First Masonic Funeral Service In Montana
"In Virginia City, a Mason by the name of William H. Bell was dying of natural causes. On his deathbed, he requested of Nathaniel P. Langford that he be given a Masonic funeral. The word was circulated that all members of the Fraternity were to assemble on Yankee Flats at the cabin of Brother C.J. Miller."
To everyone's surprise, it became necessary to adjourn to more commodious quarters to accommodate the 74 Masons who responded to the summons. "An entire evening was exhausted in the proving of the right of those in attendance to be recognized as Brothers." On November 2, 1862, the deceased brother was interred with Brother Langford as Worshipful Master.
It can be presumed that the appearance of Masons in considerable numbers in a public ceremony on behalf of a deceased brother called the attention of the community to the existence of the Fraternity. In addition, there was a recognition of the known universal respect for this great organization.
Possibly this ceremony had its influence on future events, because Brother Langford also relates in his book:
"It is no less remarkable than interesting fact in Montana Masonry, that this solemn occurrence should have afforded the opportunity of making known to each other nearly all the members of the Masonic fraternity at that time in the territory. And what more fitting occasion for such an event.... Masonry, hitherto known only as a quiet, agreeable, social, moral and peaceful institution, grew into a Briareus and put forth its hundred arms in all directions for our protection and support. in its ties of brotherhood, in its allegorical instructions, in its ample definition of the virtues which constitute true manhood, they found a bond of union already formed, which enabled them at once to initiate law and order, inflict punishment, and eventually to compel obedience. When the Masons of Bannack departed from the burial of their brother, every man of them was prepared to present a bold and decided front against the crime and recklessness which threatened their destruction.... That of the 103 persons known to have been murdered by road agents, not a single Mason was among them. "
On the day following the funeral, Brother Langford began drawing up and circulating the petition to the Grand Lodge of Kansas for a Masonic Lodge in Bannack.
Early Montana Masonic Lodges
Brother Myril Greely in his paper, "37-77! Montana Vigilantes" (The Philalethes, April 1955), quotes Past Grand Master of Montana, Llewellyn Callaway. Callaway reported, "that the first Masonic Lodge in what became Montana was located in 'World Famous Alder Gulch' . " He called it the "cradle of Masonry in Montana."
On April 17, 1863, a number of brethren, residing in Bannack under the leadership of N.P. Langford, later a Grand Master of Masons of Montana, petitioned and obtained a dispensation to form a lodge from the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. However, the lodge never met, as by the time the dispensation arrived, the brothers who had applied for it had dispersed to other mining camps.
Greely continued, "The Grand Master of Nebraska on November 10, 1863, granted a dispensation to Brother Mark A. Moore as Worshipful Master and fifteen other Master masons to open Idaho Lodge U.D. at Nevada City, Idaho Territory. Its life was brief. It ceased to exist June 23, 1864, probably because the dispensation was not received, but during its existence it raised five or six brothers."
The third attempt to found a lodge was successful. On December 7, 1863, the Grand Master of Kansas granted a dispensation to Paris Pfouts and 'the requisite number of brethren' to open a lodge at Virginia City.
One year later, on December 20, 1864, the Grand Lodge of Kansas voted to charter Virginia City Lodge No. 43. P. F. Pfouts was Worshipful Master; J. M. Fox, Senior Warden; Henry Mittach, Junior Warden; Alexander Davis, Secretary; J. F. Sullivan, Treasurer; John J. Hull, Senior Deacon; James Kiscadden, Junior Deacon; and Wilbur F. Sanders, Chaplain.
Sanders was later to become the third Grand Master of Masons of the Grand Lodge of Montana. The returns of Virginia Lodge for the first year showed forty-nine members. This lodge became and is Virginia City Lodge No. 1.
The Grand Lodge of Montana
The Grand Lodge of Montana was formed at Virginia City on January 24-29, 1866, with John J. Hull elected as its first Grand Master. The three lodges who met to organize the Grand Lodge were Virginia City Lodge No. 43 (of Kansas); Montana Lodge No. 9 (of Colorado), and Helena City Lodge No. 10 (of Colorado).
Freemasonry and the Montana Vigilantes
According to Thaanum, ". . . in 1862 a young man by the name of Henry Plummer came to Bannack. He was a good mixer and before long had gained favor among the miners and other towns-folk. When the office of sheriff became vacant by reason of the departure of the incumbent back to the States, Plummer was chosen to assume the duties. These consisted principally of enforcing the judgment of the 'judge' of the Miners Court in civil matters relating to claim disputes, etc. between miners, merchants and others concerned."
Plummer gathered under his leadership a well-organized and ruthless band of desperadoes. He masterminded "as systematized a criminal organization as had ever been seen in the history of the West. " They had means of recognition; their password was "Innocent." They took an oath with the penalty of instant death if unfaithful or guilty of treachery to the group. They wore identifying apparel and a particular style of hair and whiskers, strange as it may seem.
They were divided into units with particular duties, some as road agents, who carried out the robberies; some as informers, who put the finger on the individuals, stage coach, or wagon train to be robbed; and others as secretaries, messengers, and look-outs. More than fifty men were identified as members of the gang.
On December 23, 1863, twelve men met in Virginia City in the back room (some authorities say the basement) of a store kept by John Kinna and J. A. Nye, and formed the Vigilantes. It is interesting to note that as soon as the dispensation for the new lodge arrived in Virginia City, a second story was added to this same store building. This second floor was constructed for the use of Virginia City Lodge No. 43 U.D. for use as lodge rooms.
Helen Fitzgerald Sanders in her book, X Beidler: Vigilante,
lists the officers of this original group of Vigilantes in Virginia City as Paris S. Pfouts, president (he was also master of Virginia City Lodge No. 43, U.D.); Wilbur F. Sanders, official prosecutor; Captain James Williams, executive officer (leader of the Vigilantes in the field); John S. Lott, treasurer. Other identified members of the twelve were J. M. Fox, Charles S. Bagg, Robert Hereford, Adriel B. Davis, Alexander Davis, James Kiscadden, William Clark, and John Xavier Beidler. Helen Sanders, the author of the book, was the daughter-in-law of the same Wilbur F. Sanders. Sanders was chaplain of Virginia City Lodge. He later became a Grand Master of Masons of Montana.
According to Helen Sanders, after the Vigilante group was organized, "Lights were extinguished and in total darkness the little group stood in a circle with hands uplifted while Sanders administered the oath:
"We, the undersigned, uniting ourselves together for the laudable purpose of arresting thieves and murderers and recovering stolen property, do pledge ourselves on our sacred honor, each to all others, and solemnly swear that we will reveal no secrets, violate no laws of right, and never desert each other, or our standard of justice, so help us God. "
Of the original twelve members of the vigilantes "sworn in" that night, eleven (Pfouts, Sanders, Fox, Bagg, Hereford, Adriel Davis, Alexander Davis, Kiscadden, Lott, Biedler and Clark) have all been identified as Masons. On December 24, 1863, the Vigilantes began their round-up of the criminals. In six weeks' time, between December 1863, and February 1864, twenty-four outlaws were hanged by the Vigilantes.
On January 10, 1864, Henry Plummer, the sheriff and leader of the outlaws, and four of his associates were hanged at the same time in Bannack. In all, thirty-three outlaws were hanged and many others ordered out of the country. Shortly thereafter, their work completed, the Vigilantes were disbanded. As a result, murder and robbery became far less frequent. It was not long before the people of Bannack and Alder Gulch communities were able to go about their common affairs, to travel between towns without interference from road agents.
Two years after the Vigilantes had done their work, 2-1/2 tons of gold ore valued at $1,500,000 were freighted from Helena to Fort Benton in complete safety. It was then shipped by steamboat down the Mississippi to St. Louis.
In recent years, some writers have decried the Vigilante movement as "taking the law into its own hands." They fail to remember that no law enforcement was available--neither federal, territorial, nor local Langford wrote in his book, Vigilante Days and Ways.
"It is worthy of comment that every Mason in these trying hours adhered steadfastly to his principles. Neither poverty, persuasion, temptation, nor opportunity had the effect to shake a single faith founded on Masonic principle; and it is the crowning glory of our Order, that not one of all that band of desperadoes who expiated a life of crime upon the scaffold had ever crossed the threshold of a lodge-room [Emphasis mine] .
[Editor's note. Lexington Lodge No. 25, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Virginia on November 17, 1788, was also in the Mississippi Valley. Also, the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, organized in 1800, chartered Lawrence Lodge No. 34 in Illinois and Potosi Lodge No. 39 in Missouri on August 28, 1816 . Stephen F. Austin, later to become known as the Father of Texas, was Junior Warden of Potosi Lodge.]
Bibliography
Callaway, Llewellyn Link. Montana's Righteous Hangmen--The Vigilantes in Action. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1973-1982.
"Rugged Men Forged Early History of Freemasonry in Montana." The Royal Arch Mason, X (1972-73),39-44;335-360.
Denslow, Ray V, ed. Freemasonry and the Santa Fe Trail Missouri Lodge of Research, 1948.
Territorial Masonry. The Masonic Service Association of the United States, 1925.
Dimsdale, Thomas J. The Vigilantes of Montana, or Popular Justice in the Rocky Mountains, Being a correct and impartial narrative of the chase, trial, capture, and execution of Henry Plummer's Road Agent Band Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1945/53.
Greely, Myril J. "3-37-77: Montana Vigilantes." The Philalethes, VIII No. 2 (April 1955), 4-5, 9.
Haywood, H. L. Famous Masons. Chicago: The Masonic History Company, 1944.
The Masonic Essays of H L. Haywood. Missouri Lodge of Research, No. 20, 1963.
Well-springs of American Freemasonry. The Masonic Service Association, USA, 1953
Jones, John J . Stories of Great American Scouts, n.d.
Langford, Nathaniel P. Vigilante Days and Ways, I & II, 1893.
Miller, Robert E . The Hands of the Workmen. Helena: The Grand Lodge of Montana, A.F & A.M, 1966.
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Pre-Grand Lodge and English to the Union
by Fred Lamar Pearson, Jr., MPS
The fraternity of Freemasonry, a venerable institution indeed, has a historical development that is at once exciting and profound to contemplate. This moral society of friends and brothers, deeply rooted in the most sublime expression of truth, has an origin clouded by the mists of antiquity. Its beginnings are, to say the least, ancient. The moral principles that are at once warp and woof of the fraternity go backward into time immemorial. That our fraternity has developed and changed over time is increasingly evident to the student who dares to delve beneath the peripheral edges of the ritual. And the ritual itself has seen much change. This is evidenced alone by the wide variety of usages and customs prevalent in Continental [European] Freemasonry, to say nothing of American. This situation alone gives the fraternity a unique characteristic and allows for the individual expression of the several Grand Jurisdictions. Efforts to establish uniformity in form and practice have enjoyed little success.
Perhaps all Freemasons have wondered or even asked the question, "When did we have our origin; how old are we?" And there is no satisfactory answer to this mystery. Morally, the fraternity is as old as human decency; but realistically, the form of Masonry we enjoy today is considerably less ancient.
We like to say our ancient brethren worked both as operative and speculative or philosophical Masons. There is a measure of truth in this statement. But probably a more accurate assessment is that our beginnings started in operative or practical Masonry alone. That is, our ancient brethren worked as stonemasons--only at first.
As such, they began their gradual rise to prominence in the Middle Ages, a historical era, which began in western Europe with the fall of the western part of the Roman Empire in the 490's A.D. Of critical importance in the development of operative Masonry was the influence of the church and the institution of feudalism.
Stonemasons gained positions of power and privilege in the Middle Ages, especially as Europe, and England in particular, approached the year 1000 A.D. The fall of the western Roman Empire had led initially to considerable unrest and real hardship. Commerce had declined; roads fell into disrepair; bands of robbers and pirates harassed caravans; lawlessness increased. There was an atmosphere of fear and distrust, for the law and order imposed by the Roman Legions no longer existed.
In the face of this situation, urban life declined and a rural society emerged increasingly. The trade that there was consisted frequently of barter types of exchange. Fear caused many men and their families to exchange a freer style of life they had enjoyed for serfdom where they had the protection of lords. These lords provided security of a sort in exchange for the labor of the serfs and sometimes their land. Life on the medieval manor was harsh.
Ignorance was virtually ubiquitous; disease was rampant; the average life span was short. A man was fortunate who reached age forty. The only education there was, was taught by churchmen, and there was precious little of that for the great mass of humanity. Plagues were frequent; life was tedious; and a great feeling of fatalism permeated the society. Yet, in the very midst of this, the fraternity of Freemasons began to emerge and to exercise an influence that has not abated to this day.
For it was in the Middle Ages that stonemasons, operative Masons if you will, had their greatest influence. It was then that they began to erect those magnificent edifices that give such grandeur to the European landscape today. These structures, some of which took more than a century to complete, and which reflect several types of architectural influence, are monuments to the creative genius of man.
The development of the guild system, especially as Europeans neared the year 1000 A.D., gave a unique stamp to Europe. The guild system exercised a highly powerful and pervasive influence. It was designed for two purposes: to insure the quality of products and to secure a good wage for its members.
A large variety of guilds encompassed almost all phases of economic activity in European society. Bakers, cobblers, stonemasons, and a host of others had their guild. And the guild provided a number of services for its members. There were banquets for the membership, dowries for girls whose families could not provide them, and funeral benefits. But none of the guilds enjoyed more prestige than that of the stonemasons.
Guilds exercised rigorous requirements on their members and demanded quality performance. Members had to serve many years before they could enjoy full benefits. Once permitted to join a guild, a young man had to pursue a course of study that usually lasted seven years. He started as an apprentice and lived in the house of his Master, who provided him with food, clothing, and shelter and, more importantly, taught him the skills of the trade.
After a considerable apprenticeship, the young man, depending on the level of his skill, advanced to the level of journeyman. At this point he received more compensation for his service. Now he was in sight of his important career goal, designation as a Master Craftsman. It remained for him to produce a quality piece of work that would pass the scrutiny of the Master Craftsmen of the guild. Then, and only then, could the young man go out and work for Master' s wages. Possession of Master Craftsman status was a treasured item and the guild Masters guarded their craft secrets zealously. Products produced by the Masters bore the stamp of the guild, and the members worked hard to determine that the mark of the guild insured quality.
The stonemasons, in particular have left profound examples of the builders' art. Gothic cathedrals dot the European landscape, particularly in England, and majestic castles abound as further testimony of the workers' skill. Initially, the masons constructed castles so that the feudal lord had a place of refuge for himself and his subjects from the ravages of enemies.. Castle walls, replete with towers, rose high above the land. Built in areas of difficult access, these fortifications did their job well. In regions of easy access, wide and deep moats thwarted the advances of the enemy. These defensive structures were massive, requiring thousands of stones which, under the watchful eye of the Master, necessitated two or more apprentices to place them. Journeymen worked diligently in the quarries, giving an initial shape to the formless stone. Once at the building site, the Master Craftsman made certain the cut of the stone fitted itself for the builder's use. This was hard work and very skilled work, and progress, though steady, was slow. Centuries could and did pass before completion of some edifices. Because of the skill required, craftsmen often traveled from distant locations to erect a building.
The craft erected lodges near the structures they intended to build. Here the stonemasons slept, took their meals, enjoyed recreation, and had periods of instruction when the builder's art was taught and learned. No doubt the best of the master craftsmen enjoyed a position of preeminence in these lodges. The most highly skilled of the craft, they had trade secrets to teach. The stonemasons took security measures to prevent those not members of the guild from learning the secrets of the trade. They posted sentinels, guards, tilers if you will, at strategic points to insure the sanctity of the lodge. They did their job well. Operative master craftsmen or master stonemasons commanded very good wages indeed, and over time they developed special modes of recognition. They also had usually a special mark which distinguished them and set apart their work.
The beauty, the strength, the solemnity of the cathedrals gave the most eloquent of testimony to the skill of the builders. They built for the future, and plenty of their monuments stand today. Men everywhere admired their work and held the men who constructed the buildings in high esteem. They knew that there was a special bond in the society of these craftsmen. Eventually resources to construct costly cathedrals and other edifices dwindled and the number of operative stonemasons declined. At the same time there were increasing numbers of influential men who wanted to join in the fellowship and camaraderies of this elite group of builders. Consequently, we have the beginning of speculative or philosophical Masonry.
Now the builder's skills and the tools utilized by them found increased utilization in creating a new type of edifice or cathedral--a moral one. The classification of the guild system provided here a particular usefulness. Speculative Craftsmen enjoyed the ranks of Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft, at first. The Master Mason Degree was not to appear for some time. And to this day lodge work in England occurs on the Entered Apprentice Degree except when higher Craft degrees are being conferred.
All over England speculative lodges sprang up leading in time to the creation of the Premier Grand Lodge in 1717. There developed rivalries among some lodges, and these soon resulted in what we know as Ancient and Modern lodges. These lodge rivalries were, of course, perpetuated on the Grand Lodge level as well. In England, the wise men of the Craft recognized the inherent dangers of this rivalry and took steps to preserve the fraternity. Through their leadership and the good will historically extant among good men, the craftsmen merged the ancient and modern rivalries into one Grand Lodge in 1813. This necessitated certain changes in the ritual, which means that ancient lodges in Georgia such as Solomon's No. 1 at Savannah today have a ritual older than the one now used in England. This act of union, however, ended a schism that could have resulted in a dangerous factionalism. Symbolic lodges in England and America have profited enormously because creative, courageous men demonstrated brotherly love and recognized that great axiom that much can be done when brothers do not care who gets the credit.
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The Blue Blanket: The Banner of Masonry II
by Thomas J. Berry, MPS
Pennicuik's story of the Blue Blanket(see the February, 1993 Philalethes) makes a fine romantic tale, but the more likely origin was from the hand of King James III in 1482. During the struggle for power between the King and his nobles, James was captured and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. The Burgesses of the city went to the assistance of the King's brother, the Duke of Albany, and with the help of the tradesmen of Edinburgh, they rescued and released James.
In grateful recognition, the King gave the townsfolk their Golden Charter containing many privileges, including the right to raise the citizens in arms under a banner--the Blue Blanket. James's Queen Margaret is reputed to have painted the flag herself with its present emblems, the Saltire (St. Andrew's Cross), the Thistle, Crown, and two mottos. The first of the mottos reads "Fear God and honor the King with long life and prosperous reign. The other proclaims "And we that is trades ever pray to be faithful for the defence of his sacred Majesties royal person till death (sic).
The Lodge of Journeymen Masons, No. 8, Scottish Constitution, has the right to carry the Blue Blanket when Grand Lodge is in procession, and has done so at the laying of the foundation stone of the North Bridge and the corner stone of the New College of the University of Edinburgh.
The Blue Blanket has not disappeared like so many historic symbols, but is still in existence, carefully preserved by the Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh in the council Chamber of the Trades Maiden Hospital in Grange Loan, Edinburgh.
Finally I offer this epitaph by Brother David Manclark which he sent me with some of his poems:
When death does come, as come it must This Rhymer wid be thankit Tae lie with still, posthumous pride Beneath the Braw Blue Blanket.
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The continuing spate of Antimasonic propaganda is being answered by several knowledgeable Masons. Reviewed here are a videotape and a book that will be of help to Masons who may not know how to answer their critics when challenged.
Conscience and the Craft, P.O. Box 279, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406: Grand Lodge of Iowa, 1992. Videotape. S25.00.
Conscience and the Craft is a 37-minute video presentation, based on a like-named pamphlet originally issued by the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, Professionally produced by the Media Committee of the Grand Lodge of Iowa in the studios of KCCI-TV in Des Moines, the Grand Commandery of Iowa, K.T., paid all costs of production.
The tape is dedicated to the proposition that Masons have "neither horns, tails, nor halos," as some people seem to think. Rather, the Masons are "friends and neighbors joined together in a fraternity which tries to help men become better people as it tries to help the world become a better place through its charities. Freemasonry is a support group...for men who are trying to practice ethics and morality in a world that does not always practice these ideals. "
Anchored by Oklahoma's Grand Master Allan Large and Jim Tresner of the Guthrie, Oklahoma, Scottish Rite Bodies, Conscience and the Craft features a Masonic couple disturbed by their Antimasonic preacher. They go to a respected Masonic minister-friend for guidance.
In a serious but entertaining manner, this friend helps them see the falsity of the Antimasonic propaganda and the truth about Masonry and its purposes.
Masons can--and should--use Conscience and the Craft to make clear their principles to non-Masons--including wives and other ladies--and Masons. It can be well used in Masonic bodies, churches and other groups--anywhere our message needs presenting for the sake of greater understanding. Several religious leader--including Norman Vincent Peale, Forrest Haggard, Bishop Carl J. Sander, James P. Westberry, and Rabbi Seymour Atlas--share their views on "the compatibility of Freemasonry and religion. "
This tape should be in all Masonic libraries, church libraries, and others whose interests may lie in the direction of mutual respect.
* * *
DeHoyos, Art. The Cloud of Prejudice: A Study in Anti-Masonry. P.O. Box 160, Kila, MT 59920: Kessinger Publishing Company, 1992. pp. 8, 180. Index. Softbound, $14.95.
This book is a close analysis of the claims made by one Pastor Ron Carlson, President of "Christian Ministries International," in an audio-cassette entitled Freemasonry and the Masonic Lodge. The cassette claims that thousands of Masons have left the lodge on account of Carlson's sermon. Carlson claims that Freemasonry is not compatible with Christianity, but is anti-Christian. He does this primarily by "quoting" selections from Albert Pike' s Morals and Dogma.
In his analysis, DeHoyos, a Texas Mason, shows that Pike spoke only for himself, and that he is often misquoted and quoted out of context, his quotations twisted, and fallacious inferences made from them.
The claim that Pike said Freemasonry is a "Luciferic" religion is based on a forgery of Pike by the renegade Leo Taxil. De Hoyos also reveals that later, more thorough work (by the so-called Authentic School of Masonic Research),reveals Pike's belief that Freemasonry is the descendant of the Egyptian Mysteries remains unproven.
To accomplish this, Hoyos takes Carlson's quotations one by one, and compares them with what Pike actually said in context in Morals and Dogma. Then he exposes in his commentary the weaknesses, falsehoods, and twists that may deceive unknowing Masons and their families. Thus Hoyos performs a valuable duty for Masons not as erudite as he in countering the claims made by many, if not most, bigoted opponents of our gentle Craft.
Copiously documented with 104 notes and a bibliography of approximately 488 items, this book is recommended for Masonic libraries and for anyone troubled by the fallacies of Antimasonry.
Editor's note: Kessinger also reprints many older works on Freemasonry. They will send a catalog upon request.
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* For Fun * Fellowship * Good Food *
Join us at the
Assembly/Feast/Forum
Friday, February 19, 1993
At the Hotel Washington in the District of Columbia
Lecture: "Brother Mozart" in words, music and song
by John M. Boersma
Forum features "Joining the world-wide adventure of computers" with
members of Cornerstone Computer Chapter, the Society's newest Chapter
(Demonstrations will be held on the mezzanine from 1-4 pm)
The investment: $28 by reservation until February 10 (Send check payable to
The Philalethes Society, P.O. Box 70, Highland Springs, VA 23075)
Tickets will be available at $32 until noon on February 19 in the hotel lobby
A hospitality room for members and their ladies will be open at 9 p.m.
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Three Rarities in Freemasonry:
A Man; A Grand Master; and the Refusal to "Turn the Other Cheek"
by Allen E. Roberts, FPS
From the December 1992 bulletin of Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2, Free and Accepted Masons, Cincinnati, Ohio, we read: Please Note Historic Meeting
Thursday morning, December 3, at 11.30 AM, our Secretary received a phone call from the Grand Secretary's office instructing our Lodge to call the Grand Master at his home at 12:00 o'clock noon. Grand Master, M.W Brother H. Ray Evans informed us that he included to open an emergency meeting of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, and Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2, F &A.M. at 2:00 PM for the purpose of conferring the degree of Fellow Craft and the degree of Master Mason, at sight, upon Brother John J. Robinson, Entered Apprentice Mason. The emergent Lodge meetings were opened by Brother Evans, after opening the meetings, proceeded across Burnett Avenue to Jewish Hospital to the bedside of Brother Robinson where the ceremony took place. After the ceremony, the Emergent meeting of the Grand Lodge and our Lodge was closed at 2:40 PM, by M.W Brother H. Ray Evans, Grand Master.
The Emergent meetings were opened, and closed, with the offering of appropriate prayers. What brought this unusual action? A sudden and serious illness of a man who made his mark in Freemasonry many months before he became a Freemason.
The man is John J. Robinson. He wrote a book called Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry. He used his expertise in medieval history to write about the days of the Crusades. He concluded that Freemasonry was born of the Knights of the Temple after their suppression by Pope Clements and King Philip the Fair of France. (The medieval Knights Templer are not to be confused with the Masonic order now in existence.) Robinson found Freemasonry had been maligned by outright liars, and the lied about Freemasons had continued to "turn the other cheek"--to their detriment. He graphically pointed out the lies propounded by the liars.
For the next two years Robinson answered questions about Freemasonry on countless numbers of radio and television shows. He was invited to speak in more Grand Lodges than any known Mason. He conducted workshops for appendant bodies on numerous occasions. He was the main speaker at the semi-annual meeting of The Philalethes Society in Indiana. He has been front page news in several Masonic publications. Without question he was the "best thing to come along for Freemasonry" in many years .
And John Robinson isn't finished-not by a long-shot. He wrote another book (not Masonic in nature this time) called Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Temple in the Crusades. (It not being a Masonic book, the secular press has given it good reviews, book stores are selling it, and a history club has featured it.) But perhaps the best is yet to come.
A Pilgrim's Path: One Man's Road to the Masonic Temple will be published by Robinson's publisher, M. Evan and Co.
New York. This book is the best answer to the enemies of Freemasonry yet written. He answers the lies spread by the likes of Holly of Texas and his slanderous crusade to convince the adherents of what was once a wonderful religious denomination (Baptist) that Freemasons are satan (I never capitalize this word) worshipers. He doesn't leave out John Ankerberg, nor Pat Robertson, the fellow who has become wealthy by spreading hate and lies under the veil of Christianity.
In his preface Robinson said this would be the last book he would write as a non-Mason. And he meant it. On November 25, 1992 he became an Entered Apprentice in Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2 in Cincinnati, Ohio. On the 28th he attended a reception for his friend, Grand Master H. Ray Evans, MPS. The Grand Master took one look at Robinson and was shocked. It was evident Robinson was deathly ill. Evans asked him why he was there. Robinson told him he had gone to let him know he couldn't participate in the reception, and he felt he should do this in person rather than by telephone ! Evans sent him home.
The following morning Bernice Robinson took her husband to the hospital. He was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit. Tubes and respirator were hooked to him quickly. Among other things, he was suffering from Septic shock. He didn't respond as everyone had hoped. A close friend of his became alarmed. On the morning of December 3 he called Grand Master Evans and found Robinson had told him, as he had told his friend, he wanted to become a Master Mason before he died. The friend suggested the Grand Master check into his condition and if it appeared as it looked, the Grand Master confer the next two degrees on Robinson. Grand Master Evans checked and found Robinson' s condition dire, indeed. The result is told in the bulletin of Robinson's Lodge.
Grand Master H. Ray Evans of Ohio deserves the applause and praise of all Freemasons everywhere for the action he took. I, for one, will continue to honor this man forever. Frankly, I will always believe it was this praiseworthy action, along with the prayers of thousands who learned of John Robinson's struggle for life, that has slowly brought him back to us. (Many learned about this battle through the new Masonic Forum on CompuServe.)
It is fitting that John Robinson chose Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge to petition. When Ohio became a state there were only two Lodges in the Territory, American Union at Marietta and Nova Caesarea in Cincinnati. The first was of American Revolutionary fame; the latter had been warranted by the Grand Lodge of New Jersey on September 8, 1791, and again by Kentucky. It had a rather turbulent history but all dissension appeared to have been reconciled when the Grand Lodge of Ohio was organized in January 1808, and when the first annual communication was held on January 2, 1809. (For further information about the Grand Lodge of Ohio see Frontier Cornerstone by Allen E. Roberts, and the award winning documentary, Precious Heritage written, produced and directed by Allen E. Roberts.)
The action on December 3 was the third time in history of the Grand Lodge of Ohio that a Grand Master had exercised his prerogative in the conferring of degrees in other than regular order. The first was on February 18, 1909 when Warren Howard Taft received all three degrees in one day. He had been made a Mason-at-sight. Later he was elected to membership in Kilwinning Lodge No. 356.
The second occurred on August 19, 1978 when Grand Master Jerry C. Rasor authorized Scioto Lodge No. 6 of Chillicothe to open a Master Masons Lodge in the gymnasium of the Chillicothe High School. The Grand Master then opened the Grand Lodge of Ohio for the purpose of conferring all three degrees on John H. Glenn. Glenn had been elected to receive the degrees in Concord Lodge No. 668 in 1964. For various reasons Glenn had been unable to receive them. As part of "Masonic Statehood Celebrations" this Emergent Communication was held. After 14 years Glenn became a full-fledged Master Three Rarities in Freemasonry..
John J. Robinson's new book, A Pilgrim's Path, will be available about the end of February in soft cover. The price will be $11.95, postpaid. One-half of the proceeds will go to The Masonic Service Association to help finance a Clearing House on Masonic Information (something several of us have been pleading for many years.) Orders for this book will be taken during the Annual Meeting of The Philalethes Society in D.C. In the April issue we will announce a bonus price for a hard cover edition of this book for members of the Society.
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by Tom L. Dean, MPS
We are, or should be, aware of the vicious and vengeful attacks that have been made on Freemasonry in the last several years. These attacks have been made by many of the so-called "fundamentalist" persuasion. While we never like attacks of any kind, we should remember that the attacks are nothing new. Freemasonry has been under attack from time immemorial. The question is, what can and should we be doing about it?
We are taught in the First Degree that we are not to enter into arguments with the profane. This type of activity on our part will do no good, we are taught. This is the stance that the majority of Masons have assumed and by which they have conducted their lives. There is now an intelligent move afoot by some Grand Lodges to combat these attacks. The method is not to confront the attackers but to have materials available to present to those seeking true and accurate information. It appears to be of possible help for the prospective candidate as well as members who may have some questions. The effort, a step in the right direction is to be complimented and applauded; however, it seems to be much like trying to put out a house fire with a squirt-gun. We may make a dent, but we don't really know what type of equipment we should use.
Freemasonry's attackers have been busy since the Craft became a publicly known institution. While nothing new, today's attacks are coming in louder than ever, with some resounding side effects. Although the incidents of these attacks are as ancient as the Craft itself, it is my contention that the real reason behind the attacks is certainly different from what it was several years ago. Most of us believe that our attackers could all be placed in the category of "fundamentalist," but that is not the case. We have opponents, perhaps not as vocal but just as dangerous, in some of the mainstream churches.
We can all sit back and believe that it would be hard to imagine how any church, fundamentalist or mainstream could find any problem with the Craft. We are told that doctrine is the issue, and that Freemasonry is a form of Satanic worship. We are told this by individuals who appear to have the common sense not to buy into these wild theories and speculations. While these problems all seem to revolve around "Freemasonry's incompatibility with religion. " I believe that one only has to look to the Scriptures to find why we are under attack. The problem, as I see it is MONEY.
What we fail to understand is that religion today, whatever the denomination or sect, is a business. I am positive that many of you do not like to think of your place of worship as a business. While we know that a church has bills to pay, payrolls to meet, and apportionments to the state or national convention, we still do not like to think of it as a business. What we should be aware of is that the amount of funds required to make these payments is quite extensive.
If you open a business, you sell a product or service to consumers. In conducting business you create a customer base, and the sales of these goods or services provide you with money to operate your business at a profit.
If another store opens up down the street, offering the same services or goods as yourself, you must devise plans to maintain your customer base, and in the process, attract possible new customers. Competition is the American way. What we fail to understand is that organized religion falls into this business category whether we like it or not.
If I, as a church member, am not attending church on a regular basis, it is safe to assume that I am not contributing on a regular basis. This makes it more difficult for the church to budget the amount needed to pay the bills on a regular basis. Now, why am I not attending church? Who knows? Churches are much like Freemasonry, suffering from a decline in membership and attendance. So the church is placed in the position of attempting to keep its customer/parishioner base high enough to receive enough donations to cover the bills. Churches, for the most part, are expensive to maintain. Look at the large churches in your town, and imagine the expense burden on them. One could draw a parallel to the large Masonic temples constructed in years past by well-meaning brothers. Most informed Masons know of the problems facing these large buildings today, especially the cost of maintenance and upkeep.
Back to the business issue. What is the easiest way to rid oneself of competition? To eliminate it or to stain the competition's reputation so no one in his right mind will want to do business there? Churches, thank heaven (no pun intended) are usually more discreet than this and most would never do this to a direct competitor, such as another church.
Freemasonry, on the other hand, as competition is an easy target.
Most people involved in the hierarchy of churches today would have a great deal of trouble admitting that Freemasonry is a competitor. A competitor, not in the spiritual sense by any means, but in the sense of time, money, and talent. It is very easy to start rumors, lies, and innuendoes concerning our organization, because Masonry has no one voice to speak for it. We are in little pockets across the world, with no intention or need to change to have a collective voice.
We are taught that Freemasonry should not replace one's religion, yet I believe some of our members make it their religion. I am also aware that some people make, unknowingly, the VFW, the DAR, or the Lions their religion. This does not make it right, but it is important to know that it does in fact happen. When it comes to the attacks, churches are attacking the body of Freemasonry for the wrong reason, or for an unknown reason, and those in the "know" are not being honest with their reasons for their attacks upon us. It would be better if religion in general, and churches in particular, would be more honest with their reasons for their attacks. However, it would be a very difficult task for some ministers to accomplish. They are only responding along the party line.
When my wife and I decided to get married, we went to her minister to talk about the service. The discussion ended when he found out that I was a Mason. I asked WHY? His response was that he really didn't know, but that was what he had been told in seminary. Here was a fairly young minister dictating the life of a member, based on some information passed on to him. We quickly found another minister, and my wife, who had been a faithful member, found another church.
We will never hear the attacks being honest. It is that simple. That sort of reasoning would never fly with the congregations; It would not be spectacular enough. As long as some ministers can put the smoke screen of Satanic worship in front of the members and essentially scare them into submission, why tell them the truth? The truth would certainly not enhance their claims or cause many members to rush to the aid of the church.
The fact is that churches and Freemasonry have a great deal in common today. Both organizations are facing membership declines and less participation on the part of members. We both face stiff competition from many areas. Society changes, and so do the members of society. Churches and Freemasonry must devise plans to counteract these problems rather that endure the "attack and defend" situation we find ourselves in today. It is damaging to both organizations .
What do we do to solve the problem? I don't have the answer to that question. I only know we must be honest when confronted with the issues. We must do our homework and find out about our detractors rather than merely blanketing their assaults with information campaigns that may or may not be effective. The more we know about our detractors, the more intelligently we can defend ourselves. Surely we can't put out a house fire with a squirt-gun, can we?
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(A Look Backwards--and Forwards)
by Wallace McLeod, FPS
(From an address delivered at the Grand Master's Banquet, Toronto, 15 July 1992)
The Masons have always had a profound concern, and affection, for the ladies. This has been demonstrated for more than three hundred years, even before the formation of the mother Grand Lodge. Robert Plot, in his Natural History of Stafford-Shire, published in 1686, tells us about the admission of candidates in a Lodge of Free-Masons. There must be in attendance, he tells us, at least five or six of the "Ancients of the Order, whom the candidates present with gloves, and so likewise to their wives" (Knoop-Jones-Hammer, Early Masonic Phamphlets 32; italics mine). The new Mason gives gloves to his brethren and to their wives! What is the meaning of this? Symbolic, certainly, "clean hands, and a pure heart. " But, for the women, the gloves represent a token of esteem and protection.
We move ahead a half century. At a London theatre in 1732, at the conclusion of a performance, one of the actresses came forward and spoke as follows:
What monstrous, horrid Lies do some Folks tell us?
Why, Masons, Ladies, are quite clever Fellows;
They're Lovers of our Sex, as I can witness,
But never act contrary to Moral witness!
If any of you doubt it, try the Masons.
They'll not deceive your largest Expectations. . .
Then treat the Craft, ye Fair, with kind Regard,
And give them, in your Smiles, their best Reward;
Give them to boast, where'er their Art extends,
That They and Beauty, from this Hour, are Friends.
(after Knoop-Jones-Hamer, Early Masonic Phamplets 285).
Now on to the New World. The Upper Canada Gazette for June 28, 1797 carried an announcement that ran as follows: " At a meeting of their lodge in their room, Newark [that is, Niagara-on-the-Lake], it was resolved that a fund should be established for the benefit of FreeMason's widows, the education of orphans, and indigent brethren's children." This early benevolent fund, the first in Ontario, was designed largely for the protection of women.
A century later, just a hundred years ago, a splendid banquet was held in Toronto, to celebrate the centenary of the Craft here in Ontario. The second last toast, just before the J.W.'s Toast, was to "The Wives and Daughters of the Craft." The Toast was proposed by the D.D.G.M. of the Toronto District; he closed with the lines from the poet Moore:
Woman, thou loveliest gift here below
That man can receive, or Providence bestow.
The response was given by the Master of a local lodge. He said, in part, "The wives and daughters of the Craft have been...helping us through daylight and dark, through difficulty and danger, aiding, counselling and encouraging, a beacon of hope in adversity, a sparkling star in prosperity. And gazing backwards on a life of vicissitudes, I acknowledge that the little good I have in me is attributable to them, that by them every joy has been accentuated, every sorrow softened, every pain diminished, and every noble thought encouraged. And as it has been with me, so it is with others; and knowing this I can say with all honesty and fervency of my soul, though they were the last words I uttered on earth, God Bless the Wives and Daughters of the Craft. " (I am grateful to Bro. E. C. Ralph for finding the texts of these speeches.)
We all love the ladies. And most of us have attended ladies' nights. One wonders if that is enough. There have been tremendous changes in society in the last generation. A year ago our Grand Master, M.W. Bro. David C. Bradley, spoke as follows: "You should not let your commitment to the Craft blind you to the needs of your family. Masonry should be served with wives, because they are generally proud of you, proud of your achievements, proud of your work and proud of the happiness which you derive from membership in the Craft. Why not, therefore, let your family share your joy and pleasure? Tell your wife about Masonry...Do not scare her with too many stern cautions about secrecy. Do not do anything to diminish the goodwill that your family holds towards your lodge and towards Masonry. This is essential both for tranquillity of the family and of the lodge." Just show we are not alone, let me quote John Hamill, the Librarian and Curator of the Freemason's Hall in London, England. "Freemasonry has always been a male preserve-for historic reasons rather than any feelings against the fair sex...Attitudes have changed and we need to ensure that Freemasonry does not interfere with family life and to look at ways of involving families in Freemasonry. There is little point in claiming that we care about society if we totally exclude our families from Freemasonry and do not even discuss it with them. A member's Freemasonry should not divide him from his family, nor should he spend so much time on it that his family feels neglected"(Masonic Perspectives 25). Clearly we have to ensure that our families are on our side. Think about it, eh?
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Masonic Trivia Golf: the Masonic Game
by Thomas J. Berry, MPS
In 1977, two journalists were invited to write the history of the Royal Blackheath Golf Club, the oldest golf club in England. Their research into its 400-year past clearly shows that the Freemasons were closely and intimately tied to this historic club. They first found that the minute of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers of July 2, 1768, shows that the Grand Master Mason of Scotland, watched by the members of the Golfing Company, who were all Masons, laid the foundation stone of the new clubhouse. The names of all the members present, including their Masonic rank were included in the minutes. Among them was Alexander Duncan, Master Mason, who was a former captain of the R. and A., and Captain of the Royal Blackheath.
Blackheath, where the early membership was predominantly Scottish, is closely linked with Freemasonry. The early minutes are missing, but fortunately the account books have survived. They show that the members were called Brother, and that the club was incorporated as a Masonic lodge. The accounts also show the purchase of Masonic jewels and aprons over a period of 200 years.
The Royal Blackheath was instituted in 1608. It is believed that the Freemason members of the club burned all the early minutes and records so that their secrets should not be discovered.
Now, brethren, if you want to have a round of golf, you can just tell your wives that you are off to attend your Masonic duties.
Source: Ian T. Henderson and David I Stirk: Royal Blackheath. Manningham Press, 1981
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Mythological Origins of the Name HIRAM II
by Harvey A. Eysman, MPS
Editors note. this is the second installment of a paper presented at the semi-annual meeting of the Philalethes Society in Rochester, New York, on September 12, 1992. Copyright 1992 by Harvey A. Eysman
The first installment presented the role that mythology plays in the transmission of ideas in an oral culture among literate peoples. It alluded to the manner in which Masonry evolved in medieval England and incorporated early humanistic symbols as a reflex of the existing culture. It discussed Solomon's "pagan" worship of Ashteroth (Astarte), and the relationship between the Hiramic Legend and the classical epic; a semantical genealogy of the words "Hiram" and "Abif" is constructed. The relationship between Hiram Abif and King Hiram is shown to be consistent with the traditional death legend; the ancient Year-King concept is propounded, and its connection to the Hiramic story is demonstrated .
The name Hiram appears in many forms in the Bible. One of these is incorporated in the name Adoniram, which is a composite form of Adonis and Hiram and is reflective of these early rites of death and resurrection. The chain that symbolically links Hiram to Adoniram is forged from their relationship to Solomon. (12) Adoniram, the son of Abda, is described in the Bible as one of the eleven princes of Israel during the reign of King Solomon. 12 He was assigned to collect tributes and to secure the workmen who were to labor in the forests of Lebanon by "monthly courses," for as we know, King Hiram had promised Solomon cedars and firs from the forests of Lebanon to build the Temple.
This simple, biblical reference to Adoniram is fraught with symbolism of the Death Rite. Likewise, the enumeration of Solomon's political organization--the so called princes--is replete with the same symbolic allusions to the prehistoric death ritual. The biblical citation (13) of the eleven "Princes" includes
- Azariah, the son of Zadok the Priest
- Elihoreph, the son of Shiska
- Ahiah, the son of Shiska
- Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud
- Benaiah, the son of Jehoida
- Zadok, the Priest and
- Abiathar the Priest
- Azariah the son of Nathan
- Zabud the son of Nathan
- Ahishar
- Adoniram, the son of Abda.
Upon examination, we clearly see that the princes, with the fathers, comprise a body of twelve traditional "companies" who always accompany the Hero, in this case, Solomon, on his quest. Implicit in the quest, of course, is the death ritual. The group of twelve is composed as follows:
- First: Azariah
- Second: his father, Zadok
- Third: the group consisting of Elihoreph and Ahiah, who were brothers, (but their father, Shiska is not counted, because of the two sons, one signified the father);
- Fourth: Jehoshaphat
- Fifth: his father, Ahilud;
- Sixth: Benaiah
- Seventh: his father, Jehoida;
- Eighth: Abiathar, the other priest who served with Zadok
- Ninth: the group of brothers consisting of Azariah and Azbud, (but their father, Nathan, was not counted because, again, of the two brothers, one signified their father);
- Tenth: Ahishar;
- Eleventh: Adoniram;
- Twelfth: his father, Abda.
A classification such as this plainly demonstrates that his sacrificial death. An alternate view of the classification of Princes, although seemingly more obvious, yet less rigorous, construes the group of twelve as consisting of Solomon and the eleven Princes, all of whom are the companions of Adonis, who is the thirteenth principal in his role as the "King. "
The consequences of either perception is consistent with the worship by Solomon of Adonis and of Astarte who represent any one of the many similar "Father/God--Mother/Earth" pairs.
It is this structure that defines the Death Rite in ancient literature.
Examples of this formula abound, but let it suffice to give but one, using The Odyssey as our example: When Odysseus arrives at the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, his party consists of himself and his twelve men, the totality representing the thirteen months of the year. The cave in which he and his men are trapped represents the underworld, which is a place of death, and the escape is a form of resurrection. The Cyclops, as Graves suggests, could be an allusion to any of the pre-Hellenic, Sicilian metal workers who were generally well-known or "famous"), (the word "Polyphemus" means "famous"), each of whom wore an eye tattooed in the center of his forehead as a clan mark. (14) Thus we see the Cyclops, Polyphemus, as a symbolic allusion to these metal-working clans that lived in Sicily; his single eye is a veiled reference to Baal, Moloch or Tesup, all representative images of Adonis, who demanded ritual sacrifice.
That Hiram was from Tyre, the center of worship of Adonis, is consistent with this analysis. Thus, the biblical reference to Hiram (who may be equated to Hiram Abif) has an underlying significance that is not immediately apparent from the text. It is also meaningful symbolically that the cedars and firs that King Hiram promised Solomon for the Temple were culled from the forests of Lebanon which are located in the holy mountains of Adonis of Biblos. Biblical text also suggests that King Hiram was an observer of pagan Death Rite ceremonies, at least symbolically, as he is reported to have walked through fire each year during his reign. (15) As Solomon was also a worshiper of Ashtoreth, Adonis' lover, we begin to see a strong correlation between these two cultures, at least in the biblical rendition of their histories.
The obscure "walk through fire," referred to in the Bible in connection with King Hiram, is an allusion to the then highly-evolved Death Ritual in which the King, after fertilizing the Earth/Mother, was symbolically slain, his bowels burned to ashes and scattered to the winds. In more primitive ages. the King did not possess the same political prestige as his more socially dominant successors. They were figureheads and actually underwent sacrifice at the inception of each year.
This ancient practice of annual sacrifice can be traced throughout pre-history. The act was performed by pegging the King to a tree with a crown of thorns upon his head. His body was then severed across the middle, and his bowels precipitated to the soil in a symbolic act of refertilization of Earth that assured a new growth of crops and symbolically exemplified the rebirth of the King. In some rites, a wound was made in the side of the King's breast with a spear, and the blood was allowed to permeate the ground. Afterwards, the King's remains were incinerated and cast away, which represented the completion of the cycle: the King impregnates the Earth-Mother-Goddess; the King returns to the womb; the King is reborn.
As the social structure advanced and kings became political leaders, a peasant was selected to exemplify the king, and at the inception of the new year, the peasant suffered the sacrificial act in lieu of the King. This practice ultimately became unpopular and was discontinued, so that during the period in which Hiram lived, the King was only figuratively slain;, and it was necessary symbolically to simulate his death and incineration by his "walk through" fire " once each year, thus re-enacting the ancient ceremony of the revitalization of the Earth. (16)
The reference to Adoniram (who represents the composite of Adonis and Hiram) also evokes the precept of the Death Rite. In fact, it is significant that his name and Abda, his father's name, were the last two set forth in the particular portion of the biblical text that enumerates the Princes. The implication is that the Adoniram and Abda represent a state of finality and death. As with most mythic names relating to death ritual, there is significance with these two as well.
Adoniram (or Adoram) was the son of Abda. "Ab" is the form of the Hebrew word "father," and "Da" is a form, from the early Hebrew, of the name "David," which means beloved." "Dod, " another form of "Da, " was the sobriquet of Adonis, whose Syrian name was Tammuz and who was the " beloved" of Astarte (Ashtoreth). (17) Consequently, the Abda means "the Father of the Lover of Astarte," or more simply, "the Father of Adonis," and thus Adoniram, (or Adoram or Hadoram as it is often written (18)) is another word for Adonis, as well as of the symbol of the name "Hiram." It is interesting to note that Tammuz, even today, is the name of the Jewish month corresponding to June-July.
Both Adonis and Adoniram, as mythological figures, died tragically, in a traditionally horrific epic fashion; Adonis was torn apart, and Adoniram was stoned by the Israelites at the insurrection against Rehoboam in 975 B.C. (19) Hiram Abif was slain by a blow from a setting maul. Each of these tragic figures represents the Hero of the classical death legend that formed the basis of early worship. Their stories evolved through millennia of oral recitation until they were finally set to paper in an ultimate, unalterable form. The underlying theme of these Death Rites endures throughout history and leaves a trail that mythologists can pursue to the birthplace of man' s culture. Adoniram would appear to be the name of a prince of Israel, and Hiram, that of a simple artisan; but they are, in fact, references to the Heroic proponent of a universal, prehistoric, religious ritual, cast in the mold of the traditional death legend. The name Hiram is intimately connected with these rites and rituals, and it reflects the rich cultural heritage that has been transplanted into our Masonic framework from the earliest human traditions.
Notes
12. I Kings 4:6.
13. I Kings 4:1-6.
14. Homer, The Odyssey, tr. by E.V. Rieu (New York: Penguin, 1946), 139 et seq., Also see Robert Graves, The Greek Myths, vol. I (New York: Penguin, 1955), pp. 366, 367
15. Ezekiel 28:14, 16.
16. See Ward, ibid, pp. 42-50 et seq. Compare Fraiser .
17. Brown Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, 187 et seq. Also see Ward, ibid. p. 11, note 4.
18. II Chronicles, 10:18.
19. Kings 12:18; II Chronicles 10:18.
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William Jarvis Soldier, Statesman, and Freemason
By Nelson King, MPS
Having researched and written "John Graves Simcoe: Soldier, Statesman and Freemason, " [The Philalethes, October 1992], I continue with William Jarvis, who served under Simcoe in the Queen's Regiment; and who also served General Simcoe as Secretary and Registrar of the Records of the Province of Upper Canada. Early in the seventeenth century, the Jarvis family emigrated to North America and settled in Norwalk, Connecticut. In 1760 Samuel Jarvis was appointed town clerk of Stamford, Connecticut. He held this position until 1775 when he was forced out of office because of his loyalty to the Crown. Samuel Jarvis married Martha Seymour, and they had eleven children. William, their eighth child was born September 11, 1756. Samuel Jarvis was affluent enough to send his son William to England for his education in both civil and military matters. He returned to North America; and at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War enlisted in the Queen' s Rangers, 1st American Regiment, under Major-Commandant John Graves Simcoe. He was nineteen years of age and commissioned an ensign or cornet. Wounded at the Battle of Yorktown in October, 1781, he was promoted to the rank of colonel the following year. When the American Revolutionary War ended in 1783, Jarvis resigned his commission in the Queen's Rangers and returned to his father's home in Stamford. As feelings against the Loyalists in Connecticut ran high, he left Stamford and returned to England to make his new home.
Here on December 12, 1785, he married Hannah Owen Peters, the daughter of Reverend Samuel Peters, D.D., of Hebron, Connecticut. William and Hannah were blessed with seven children, three boys and four girls. Their eldest daughter, Marie Lavinia, married John Hamilton, son of Robert Hamilton, one of the first members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada, for whom the city of Hamilton was named.
Commissioned a lieutenant in the Western Regiment of Militia in Middlesex, England, William was promoted to Captain on January 1, 1791. He was made a Mason on February 7, 1 792 . The minutes of the Grand Masters Lodge held at London, gives the following record: "William Jarvis, Esq. Captain in the West Middlesex Militia (late Cornet in the Queen's Rangers' Dragoons) was initiated in the Grand Master's Lodge on 7th February, 1792." Listed as present were " His Grace, the Duke of Athol, Grand Master in the Chair, " several other Grand Officers, "and many other members." On March 7, 1792, Jarvis was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Masons in Upper Canada by the M. W. Grand Master of the Antients Grand Lodge of England, at the Crown and Anchor in the Strand. The Register of Ancient Grand Chapter records that on April 4, 1792, William Jarvis of the Grand Master's Lodge, was admitted to the Royal Arch in the Lodge No. 240 and received a Royal Arch Certificate.
On March 28, 1792, he wrote to his brother Munson, who was living in St. John, New Brunswick, that he had been appointed Secretary and Registrar of Upper Canada and "a Grand Master of Ancient Masons" in that province. He also stated "that is one of the most honourable appointments that they could have conferred. "
In May, 1792, William, Hannah, and their three children sailed from Gravesend on board the Henniker, Captain Winter. They arrived at Quebec on June 11, 1792, and Jarvis was officially presented to H. R. H. Prince Edward, the Provincial Grand Master of Lower Canada. The Jarvis family then went west by way of Montreal to Kingston. Remaining there until September 11, Jarvis and his staff proceeded to Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) where the first session of the legislature opened on September 17. Mrs. Jarvis and the children remained in Kingston until a house could be provided for them. Jarvis bought a house for 40 pounds, and added three rooms of logs to it.
The first record of Brother Jarvis as Provincial Grand Master is in a letter written by Hannah Jarvis to her father, now a bishop: "The 27th December, the Grand Master was installed in great form, a procession of all the fraternity called with music playing, etc. Mr. Addison, Grand Chaplain, a young brother made that morning, read prayers and preached a sermon, after which there was a dinner. "
Records of Niagara Lodge No. 2 G.R.C. would suggest that this affair took place at Freemasons' Hall, Niagara. It was not until four years later (April 6, 1796) that Brother Jarvis warranted his own lodge, called the Grand Master's Lodge No. 1. However, he had previously granted warrants (although he was not authorized to do so) for Niagara Lodge No. 2, and Lodge No. 3, The Queen's Rangers, First American Regiment. Lodge No. 3 held its meetings at Butler's Barracks, in Newark (Niagara). The warrant was a travelling warrant, and was transferred to York with the Queen's Rangers, where they held their meetings at what is now Fort York.
It is said Lieutenant Governor Simcoe did not look with unfriendly eyes on the meeting of Craftsmen that took place month after month in his regiment, although he could not himself attend the meetings, as he was a member of the "Moderns" Grand Lodge, and Lodge No. 3, Queen's Rangers, was warranted by Jarvis as Provincial Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England ("Antients"), and the two Grand Lodges were not in amity.
The Previous paper ["John Graves Simcoe, . . ." (October, 1992)] shows that this is where the Toronto Historical Board has recently unearthed fragments of clay tobacco pipe bowls; this in itself is not unusual, but these are bowls with Masonic designs. On the left side of the bowl are the Square and Compasses with a letter G in the center, five-pointed stars, a pentagram, and laurel or acacia leaves. On the other side is a standing bird with either one or two wings outstretched.
William Jarvis spent the winter of 1793 in Toronto but left his family in Niagara. He wrote his father-in-law on November 22, 1793, saying, in part, "I shall leave my family well-provided for. I have a yoke of fatted oxen to come down, 12 small shoats to put into a barrel occasionally which I expect will weigh from 40 to 60 Ibs., about 60 dung-hill fowl, 16 fine turkeys and a dozen ducks, 2 breeding cows, a milch cow which had a calf in August, which of course will be able to afford her mistress a good supply of milk through the winter. In the root house I have 400 good head of cabbage, and about 60 bushels of potatoes and a sufficiency of excellent turnips.
"My cellar is stored with three barrels of wine, 2 of cider, 2 of apples, and a good stock of butter. My cock-loft contains some of the finest maple sugar I ever beheld. We have 150 Ibs. of it. Also plenty of good flour, cheese, coffee, loaf sugar, etc. Thus you see, I shall have the best of companions abundantly supplied with every comfort in the wilderness. "
While in Toronto, Secretary Jarvis selected and obtained the park lot at the southeast corner of Duke and Sherbourne Streets, between King and Queen Streets. He was also granted one hundred acres at No. 2 first concession. The Upper Canada Land Book B registers a motion "to extend His Majesty's bounty in lands to Mrs. Jarvis, the daughter of the Rev. Mr. Peters, a respectable and suffering loyalist, and her four children. Ordered that 1200 acres of land be granted to Mrs. Hannah Jarvis, and 400 acres each to Maria Lavinia Jarvis, Augusta Holorina Jarvis, Wm. Monson [sic] Jarvis, and Samuel Peters Jarvis. "
Jarvis eventually built his house at the corner of Duke and Sherbourne Streets, not far from the present-day Jarvis Street. The house was built of logs cut and hewn from the property, finished with clapboard. Here Jarvis had his office.
The Jarvis family were among the earliest supporters of St. James Anglican Church. They were one of four pewholders, paying rent four times a year to the parish. One of the pew-holders was Allan McNabb [sic] Esq.
Court Records show that William Jarvis owned slaves. A small Negro boy and girl evidently stole silver and gold from his desk and escaped. They were eventually caught and the boy sent to prison and the girl returned to her master.
Brother Jarvis did not have a significant knowledge of the duties he was called on to perform; therefore, he relied on others to guide him. One of these was Christopher Danby, a member of Grand Master's Lodge of London, who had delivered the official warrant to Jarvis. Danby was clever, well-read, and an expert in Craft jurisprudence and would eventually be elected Grand Treasurer.
As Provincial Grand Master, Jarvis waited three years before formally organizing the Provincial Grand Lodge. Notices of the first meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge were distributed in 1795; that received by Lodge No. 6 at Kingston read as follows:
"To the Worshipful Master and good brethren of Lodge No. 6 . It is the will and pleasure of the R.W.P.G. Master, William Jarvis, Esq., that I inform you that Wednesday, the 26th day of August next, at Newark, is the time and place appointed on which the representatives of the several lodges in the province are to assemble and form a Committee for the purpose of electing the officers to compose the Provincial Grand Lodge, at which time and place you are desired to attend.
Fail not. By order of the R. W. Grand Master July Anno Domini, 1795, Anno Sap. 5795.
[Signed] D. Phelps, G. Sec. Pro. Tem. " At this meeting, five lodges were represented and the following slate of officers was elected, installed, and invested:
R. W. William Jarvis, Provincial Grand Master and Master; W. Bro. Robert Hamilton, Provincial Deputy Grand 19 Master; Bro. John Butler, Senior Grand Warden; Bro. William Mackey, Junior Grand Warden; Bro. Davenport Phelps, Grand Secretary; Bro. Christopher Danby, Grand Treasurer; Bro. Robert Addison, Grand Chaplain.
From 1794 to 1797 the provincial government slowly moved from Niagara to Toronto. And in 1797 the Jarvis family moved into their new home and all ties with the Niagara area were severed. Bro. Jarvis took the warrant and jewels of the Provincial Grand Lodge with him. However, the brethren of Niagara carried on the activities of Grand Lodge as best they could; and for the next few years they continued to respect Jarvis as their Grand Master and sent all official papers to him for his signature.
Early in 1801 the brethren at Niagara and in other parts of Upper Canada became disenchanted with Jarvis as Provincial Grand Master. They sent the following letter to him on December 19, 1801:
"R. Wor. W. Jarvis -
Sir and Brother. At a special meeting of Grand Lodge, held by adjournment on the 14th inst., I was ordered to acquaint you with the nomination of George Forsyth Esq.,, to the office of Grand Master in case of your non-attendance on the 28th inst.
S. Tiffany Grand Secretary "
Not all the lodges in Upper Canada agreed with the actions of the brethren at Niagara, and immediately a rift arose, as many of the lodges in the eastern part of the province remained loyal to Jarvis. But the Niagara brethren were determined to infuse new life into the Craft even if it meant forming a new Grand Lodge. Despite the letter of December 1801, no action was taken for a year. When Jarvis made no attempt to heal the rift, another meeting was called in January 1803, and George Forsyth was elected to replace him.
Even Christopher Danby, who for years was Jarvis' advisor, turned against his former friend and led the revolt against him.
The Grand Lodge of England was dismayed with the lack of proper procedure because their records show that the Grand Secretary tried time and again to get proper reports from Upper Canada. In 1803 the Grand Secretary in England sent the following memorandum to the Provincial Grand Master of Upper Canada:
"Memorandum of Notice 1st June, 1803 We have not rec'd any return from you agreeable to the Tenor or purport of our Warrant entrusted to your Honour and granted in London some years since--the R.W. Grand Lodge in London hopes and trusts you will speedily comply in this request and cause the proper return to be made record according to regulation in the Books of Grand Lodge in London. "
The Provincial Grand Master at last took action. In a summons dated October 2, 1803, and sent over the signature of Jermyn Patrick of Kingston, the lodges were requested to send delegates to a Grand Lodge session in Toronto on February 10, 1804. Most of the lodges responded, but nothing was resolved. The war of 1812 brought all Masonic matters to a standstill. When William Jarvis died on August 13, 1817, the rift was still not healed.
Jarvis was buried with full Masonic honours in the churchyard attached to St. James. It was a large funeral, with respects paid to Jarvis not only as Secretary and Registrar of the Records of the Province of Upper Canada, but as Provincial Grand Master of Masons of the Province of Upper Canada. The entire expense of the burial was paid by contributions from all the lodges in the jurisdiction. Thus ended the life of our first Provincial Grand Master, a soldier, statesman, and Freemason.
Bibliography
Printed Sources
Duquemin, Colin K. "Niagara Lodge No. 2 A.F. &A.M."G.R.C., 1991.
Harris, R. V. "John Graves Simcoe." Heritage Lodge G . R . C .
Canadian Masonic Research Association Papers, 1986.
Herrington Walter S. and Roy S. Foley. A History of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, 1855-1955. Toronto: The Grand Lodge of Canada, 1955.
Ingles, Col. C . J. Thc Queen 's Rangers in the Revolutionary War. Toronto, 1956.
Queen's Rangers in Upper Canada, The. Toronto Historical Board Copy.
Ross, J . Roberson. History of Freemasonry in Canada, A..
Toronto, 1900.Runnals,J,. Lawrence. "William Jarvis. " Canadian Masonic Research Association Papers, 1986. Personal Interviews
Bull, Stuart H., Queen's York Rangers Museum. Kormendi, Gabriel, Anglican Diocese of Toronto. Seguin, Timothy, Toronto Historical Board [Fort York] .
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by Robert C. Barnard, MPS
On December 2, 1859, in Charles Town, Virginia, a man named John Brown was hanged after being cited by the State of Virginia and found guilty of treason, conspiracy with slaves to rebel, and murder. The sentence was just in the eyes of the court and the United States Government.
John Wilkes Booth, a soldier of the First Virginia Regiment, looked on in contempt while the traitor died. Another young soldier, Thomas J. Jackson, known in history as "General Stonewall," thought John Brown was a brave but misguided man whose soul might receive the sentence, "Depart, ye wicked into everlasting fire." He prayed that it would not be so.
Others, however, felt differently. Frederick Douglass, the black Abolitionist speaker, said, "His zeal in the cause of my race was far greater than mine; it was the burning sun to my taper light . . . I could live for the slave, but he could die for him. " Wendell Phillips, famed Boston theologian, said, "Men believe more firmly in virtue now that such a man has lived." Poet John Greenleaf Whittier wrote of how, on his way to the gallows, John Brown had stooped between the jeering ranks and kissed a Negro child. Even on the other side of the ocean, men talked of John Brown with affection or dislike. The great Victor Hugo in Paris was so moved by Brown and his execution that he drew a sketch of the hanging body to show his friends as he eulogized the martyr.
Time has all but erased the violent emotions instilled by John Brown's raid and death a century and a half ago; but it has been truthfully stated that the abiding power of the John Brown legend transcends time and distance. Like Lincoln, John Brown "belongs to the ages."
John Brown's grandfather, also named John Brown, died in 1776 fighting for freedom with Washington. His father, Owen, married Ruth Mills in Torrington, Connecticut; and there John was born on May 9, 1800.
Owen supported his young family by farming, tanning leather, and making shoes. Every member of the family worked together to clear and plow fields, sow seed, and harvest crops. Sheep had to be sheared, wool spun, and cloth woven. Oxen and horses were to be cared for, vegetables and fruit raised, and wood cut. In the daily struggle for survival, the family forged strong bonds between parents and children; and all members were closer together than most families are today.
The Browns were strengthened in their daily lives by a devout belief in the Christian religion. John said later that "from earliest childhood, we were taught to fear God and keep His commandments. We believed in the divine authenticity of the Bible." Thus John grew up believing that every word of the Bible was true; it was his infallible guide to life in his maturity. The Browns left Torrington in 1805 to settle in the fertile lands of the Ohio Valley. They chose Hudson, in the center of the Western Reserve, a wilderness tract of about 6,000 square miles, on the shore of Lake Erie. John's mother died in 1808 and he became a loner, working for his father, but also spending many hours in the forest for miles around his home. He attended a frontier school long enough to read and write and dreamed of going east to seminary, but it never worked out.
John loved to sing, but he never learned to dance. He never gambled or played cards, preferred water to tea, and never touched liquor.
During the War of 1812, John loved to go on long journeys to drive beef cattle as food for the troops. This ceased in 1814 when he went to work at his father' s tannery and supervised the other workers. Milton Lusk, a childhood friend of John's, said that John seemed born to give commands and have them obeyed. Others often followed him blindly. "There was force and mastery in all he did," said Milton.
Five years later, John built his own house and tannery nearby. He took this decision partly because he wanted to marry Milton Lusk's sister, Dianthe, and wanted a good home and living for her.
In 1820 they were married. During the next twelve years they had seven children, five of whom survived. In 1825 they moved to western Pennsylvania, on the Ohio border, in Randolph Township. Here John began his most prosperous years, building a large tannery, clearing an extensive farm, and raising purebred Saxon sheep and Devon cattle. To accomplish this, he hired workers and borrowed money for capital. He soon became the community leader.
In 1832, Dianthe died in childbirth, along with her baby.
John was left with five children to raise. They obeyed him implicitly and found that although he was stern, he was also loving and tender, sometimes shedding tears when it was necessary to punish them. His daughter, Ruth, said, "His tenderness made me forget that he was stern." She also witnessed his kindness to neighbors and strangers.
John Brown's fairness and kindness to downtrodden people was apparent to all members of the community. Indians often came to the Brown house for food and hay for their ponies. Some people didn't like this and came one Sunday with their guns to ask John and his hired men to help drive the Indians out of the area permanently, John said, "I'll have nothing to do with so mean an act. I would as soon take my gun and help drive you out of the county. " John' s son, Jason, remembered this incident as the first time he ever saw his father angry.
John took his philosophy of helping strangers direct from the Bible. "Forget not to entertain strangers," he quoted, "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. " It was at this time and place that he brought his first fugitive slaves home to give them rest and aid, and to pass them on to other friendly people until they could reach Canada and freedom.
In the summer of 1833, John married Mary Ann Day. She was a good mother to the his five children, and in the next twenty years, bore him thirteen more sons and daughters. She survived his execution in 1859 by twenty-five years.
Two years after his second marriage John took his family back to the Western Reserve in Ohio. He felt the need for a larger stage for his business activities, and the northern Ohio area was having prosperity and expansion because of the building of the Erie, Mahoning, and Ohio Canals. The introduction of manufacturing to the region was now made possible by easy transportation. Settling in the Kent, Ohio, area, John built a new, larger tannery and began to borrow money and speculate in land. It was the wrong time for such a gamble; by 1837 a business depression hit the North and West, and all canal building and other expansion stopped. The government decreed that only hard cash, gold or silver, could be used to buy federal land and the paper currencies of local banks became worthless. John was financially wiped out, along with thousands of others.
A large Congregational Church meeting was held near Kent in November of 1837, led by Professor Laurence Hickock of Western Reserve College, and the Brown family attended. Here they first learned of the murder of the Reverend Elijah Lovejoy in Alton, Illinois, by a pro-slavery mob.
Lovejoy published a church paper which denounced slavery as a sin and as a cruel form of oppression. The mob broke up his printing presses in 1836 and 1837, and threatened to kill him if he persisted in his course. Lovejoy answered, "I will not deny my Master by forsaking His cause," and brought in another printing press. He was killed amid a hail of bullets defending his printing shop.
At the end of this church meeting, John Brown stood up, and raising his right hand, said, "Here, before God, I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery." In the years ahead, he never wavered from this goal.
To support his family, John entered into a partnership with Simon Perkins, a wealthy sheep owner, to establish a brokerage for wool growers. He opened an office in Springfield, Massachusetts, and for several years, succeeded in marketing wool at a profit for the association. He spent part of his time in Massachusetts and the rest back with the wool growers in the West. But depression of prices made him hold onto the wool too long, hoping for a rise in price. Growing ever deeper in debt, he became completely bankrupt, owing over $60,000. In the last twenty years of his life, he strove valiantly to repay his creditors, but was not entirely successful. He lost the several farms that he had purchased in northern Ohio. Finally, he and his family moved to an old log house belonging to a man that he owed money and became a shepherd, shearer, and woolsorter.
When the Mexican War was declared in 1846, John was horrified. He felt that the war was being waged for purposes of conquest, with the design to extend slavery. This crisis spurred Brown to move ahead with plans for freeing the slaves. In 1848, Frederick Douglass, famous black leader and former slave, met with John Brown to discuss the best methods to achieve emancipation. Douglass favored trying to change public opinion and to eliminate racist attitudes toward black people. In this manner, hopefully, one could reason with the slaveholders and persuade them to give up their slaves of their own free will.
Brown had no faith in either persuasion or political action. The South would never give up slavery on its own. Brown spoke of a plan for all slaves to concentrate their forces and build their strength. A small force of men could establish headquarters in the southern mountains and start recruiting the boldest of the slaves to cast their lot with the mountain band. This would make slavery insecure everywhere and lead slave owners to become anxious to rid themselves of so uncertain a commodity as slaves.
Douglass pointed out that slave holders would call in state and federal troops and destroy the mountain bands. But Brown felt that the plan would work if conducted properly. Also, if they were overwhelmed, what better way was there to die than in the attempt to destroy slavery?
In April, 1848, Brown was offered land in the Adirondack Mountains near Peterboro, New York. Gerrit Smith, a philanthropist, gave the land if Brown would employ black people there and teach them farming and pioneering skills. Ten black families came to establish small farms and were looked after by Brown. "I am a kind of father to them, " he said.
But now Brown's restless attention turned to activities developing in the far West. In 1819 Missouri had been admitted as a slave state, with the agreement that slavery would at no point be allowed north of latitude 36 degrees and 30 minutes. In accordance with this plan, Iowa was admitted "free" in 1846. But, by 1853, Senator Stephen Douglas drew up a bill that would allow slavery in the northern territories. The Kansas-Nebraska Act made Kansas independent of the larger portion of land now called Nebraska and said that the citizens could establish slavery there by winning a popular vote "whether they will admit slavery or not. " Douglas had enough political power to get the act passed by Congress, and Southerners began to invade and settle Kansas in droves to assure that the vote would be in favor of slavery.
Abolitionist power in the North countered by sending northern citizens with arms to protect themselves and vote against slavery. John Brown's sons were among the first to catch "Kansas Fever, " leaving Ohio in a body and settling at Osawatomie near the Osage River. Salmon, Owen, Frederick, John Jr., and Jason set up a formidable antislavery settlement with other Abolitionists living around them.
When they were faced by hundreds of "mean and desperate" proslavery fighters, the brothers appealed by letter to their father in New York to send them rifles, revolvers, a cannon, and knives. John Brown decided that it was his duty to bring out the arms himself, arms purchased by the Abolitionist societies based in Massachusetts. He would then stay with his family to help them in the fight.
"Border Ruffians," so called because they were rough pro-slavery men from the Missouri side of the border, entered Kansas as settlers and passed a code of laws which made it illegal to even speak against slavery. Under this " Lecompton Constitution, " a proslavery governor was elected and his "troops" proceeded to attack the free-state headquarters town of Lawrence and burn it to the ground. A number of the inhabitants were killed.
John Brown then led a little band consisting of his sons and three others on a raid of revenge "to kill some pro-slavery men to cause a restraining fear." Five pro-slavery men were taken from their homes and executed.
This action, which became known as the "massacre on Pottawatomie Creek, " was a butchering in cold blood and highlights the darker features of John Brown's character.
After the destruction of Lawrence and Brown's retaliatory raid, the scales began to turn in favor of the free-state citizens as thousands arrived from the New England area.
In desperation the pro-slavery forces under the command of Atchison and Reid mobilized over two thousand Southerners "to clear the whole territory of Abolitionists before it was too late. " One large group of raiders was met by Captain John Brown and about thirtyfive of his company. The larger group was ambushed and a substantial number of the invaders were shot. Brown retired in good order after creating havoc among the Southerners. Burdened with many casualties, the Missourians retired across the border, but not before reaching the Brown homes in Osawatomie, plundering and firing all the houses, and killing all the livestock. As they retreated, one ruffian was heard to say, "My God! The cause is lost!" John Brown rejoiced over a little calm for the present in Kansas.
Being free to leave, Brown was now ready to carry out his plan to actively free the slaves as he had outlined it to Frederick Douglass: to invade the land of slavery itself. He recruited twenty-two men, seventeen white and five black. Three sons, Owen, Watson, and Oliver, were part of the little army. They brought with them 200 rifles, revolvers, and many spears supplied by the New England Abolitionists for use in Kansas.
Brown decided to begin the activity by capturing the U. S. Government Arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, to use as a brief headquarters to gather rebelling slaves from the surrounding area, and then to fade into the mountains to establish a permanent base in some hidden place there.
Success crowned their early efforts. They crossed the Potomac River bridge at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 16 1859, seized the nightwatchman, and put out their own guards. They then captured the guard at the munitions factory and took it over. By the time all buildings were taken, they had made over sixty prisoners, not counting those that escaped. Brown then sent small groups to take and hold the arsenal, the Shenandoah River bridge, and the rifle works on Lower Hall Island. It is not clear to historians why he split his group in this manner. A group of raiders were then sent to capture the planters and bring news of the uprising to their slaves, who would then rise and join the little army. But there was no slave insurrection in the Harper's Ferry area. There was no time, even if there was a desire.
John B. Floyd, U. S. Secretary of War, heard of the raid early Monday morning and immediately dispatched Colonel Robert E. Lee in command of the companies of Marines based at Washington Navy Yard. Lt. J. E. B. Stuart, soon to be another thorn in the Union Army's side, went along as Colonel Lee's aide.
The two companies of militia in the Harper's Ferry region hurriedly assembled and moved by train at breakneck speed--thirty-five miles an hour--to attack the raiders. They charged and killed or captured all the small contingents in the outlying buildings. Colonel Lee and the Marines surrounded John Brown and his men held at bay in the enginehouse. Late Monday evening, he instructed Lt. Stuart to pass a letter to Brown through a crack in the enginehouse door. Unconditional surrender was demanded, but no reply was received. Then Lee ordered an attack, and three minutes later it was all over. One Marine was killed, along with two raiders. Edwin Cappoc and Shields Green were taken prisoner along with John Brown, who was stretched on the floor bleeding from sword cuts on the head and shoulders.
Governor Henry Wise of Virginia entered and asked Brown what his objects were in coming. "We came to free the slaves and only that," he said. "The wronged and the oppressed are as good as you and as precious in the sight of God. "
Abraham Lincoln regarded Brown as misguided: "An enthusiast broods over the oppression of a people till he fancies himself commissioned by Heaven to liberate them. He ventures the attempt, which ends in little else than his own execution. "
But Lincoln later changed his mind when he was President of the United States in the Civil War. By the fall of 1862, he saw General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia racing across Maryland and he could see that the Union was at the edge of destruction. He knew that he must abolish slavery and invited the black people themselves to fight for freedom. With the Emancipation Proclamation, 200,000 black soldiers marched in the Union Army and 37,000 of them died for their country.
Old John Brown's Spirit marched with them. It is a fact that the failure of John Brown and his little army at Harper's Ferry awakened millions to the reality of the great Civil War soon to follow. They took up the cause and followed in his footsteps. Perhaps it was with this outcome in mind that John Brown delayed too long at Harper's Ferry to escape to the mountains, and thus became the beloved martyr or hated traitor to the millions of people of our then-divided country. It was true what the Union soldiers sang, "His soul . . . His truth is marching on. "
John Brown's activities aided the abolition of slavery in the same manner that the crude penny ballad about John Brown' s body sung by the Union soldiers in the Civil War aided Julia Ward Howe to compose our most stirring patriotic hymn, " The Battle Hymn of the Republic. " The background music was the same, but the words lifted the song to the epitome of greatness with the prophecies taken from the Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible.
From the chaos and destruction of our Civil War emerged the glorious ensign of our democratic republic without a stripe erased or polluted or a single star obscured, and bearing for its motto the now tried and tested words made famous by Daniel Webster: "Liberty and Union! Now and forever, One and inseparable!" So mote it be.
John Brown and Freemasonry
During the early years of John Brown's first marriage, he found time to join the Freemasons. He was raised in Hudson Lodge No. 68, Hudson, Ohio, on May 11, 1824, and served as junior deacon in 1825-26. His uncle was the first master of the lodge.
In 1826, however, the supposed "murder" of William Morgan shortly after he wrote an "expose" of Freemasonry, led literally the majority of Masonic brethren to leave the fraternity, at least temporarily. New York State, for instance, went from over 500 lodges in 1826 to only 49 in 1834. Shortly after that the Antimasonic hysteria died and Masonry flourished even more than before. This resurgence was too late to retain John Brown's Masonic affiliation. He renounced Freemasonry along with the other thousands who disavowed their membership and continued to speak of it on later occasions. In a Negro newspaper many years later, John Brown cautioned against joining secret societies "instead of seeking the company of intelligent, wise and good men. " Masonic brethren of today may be glad that his children did not follow in Brown's footsteps in this respect as they did in most other ways. His oldest son, John Brown, Jr., who accompanied his father on many anti-slavery activities, including the fighting in Kansas to keep it a free state, not only joined the Masons, but kept his membership lifelong and was buried with Masonic honors. He returned to Ohio after his father's death and settled on a farm on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.
Bibliography
Abels, Jules. Man on Fire. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971. Boyer, Richard O. The Legend of John Brown. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973. Buley, R. C. The Old Northwest. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1950. Douglass, Frederick. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. New York: Collier Books, 1962. DuBois, W.E.B. John Brown. New York: International Publishers, 1974.
"Dying Words of John Brown. " American Heritage February, 1975, 56-59.
"Eyewitness at Harper's Ferry." American Heritage, August 1972, 1 12.
Nelson, Truman John. The Old Man. John Brown at Harper's Ferry. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston,1973.
Nevins, Allan. The Ordeal of the Union. New York: Scribners, 1974.
Oates, Stephen B. To Purge this Land with Blood. New York: Harper and Row, 1970.
Quarles, Benjamin. Black Abolitionists. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.
Quarles, Benjamin. Allies for Freedom: Blacks and John Brown. New York: Oxford, 1974.
Scott, John Anthony and Robert Alan Scott. John Brown of Harper's Ferry. New York: Facts on File, 1988.
Siebert, Wilbur H. The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. Gloucester: Peter Smith, 1968.
Woodward, C . "The Trial of John Brown. " American Heritage, August, 1967, 29-33, 92-100.
Woodward, C. Vann. "John Brown's Private War." The Burden of Southern History. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1960.
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by Allen E. Roberts, FPS
John J. Robinson became an Entered Apprentice on November 25, 1992 in Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2, Cincinnati. On the 29th his wife, Bernice, took him to the hospital, seriously ill. He was placed in intensive care. On Thursday, December 3, his Lodge and the Grand Master of Ohio held an emergent meeting at 2 p.m. The Grand Master H. Ray Evans, MPS, then entered the intensive care unit at the hospital and conferred the Fellowcraft and Master Mason degrees on Brother Robinson. Immediately thereafter Brother Robinson, a subscriber, was made a full Member of The Philalethes Society. (See the related story elsewhere in this issue.)
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Signs of the times? The Council of the District of Columbia received " proposed legislation" on October 22 "titled: Albert Pike, Ku Klux Klan Memorial Statue, Removal Resolution of 1992, PR 9-526." The request to have the President of the United States remove this statue was submitted by "Council member William P. Lightfoot. " He claimed: "The United States Congress, on April 4 and 5, 1898, authorized a private organization to place the statue of Albert Pike on the public land of the United States, being falsely informed only that Albert Pike was a leader of white freemasons in the southern states, and 'a distinguished citizen of the United States, an able lawyer and statesman, an accomplished poet, and a brave soldier."' That's not the characterization Lightfoot used to describe Pike. We'll let you know the outcome of this LaRouche instigated action. Although Albert Pike wasn't one of my favorite Freemasons there is absolutely no prove he was a member of the KKK. Much for which Pike is being condemned is taken out of context. Few, if any of our forefathers, black, white, yellow, red, can stand the scrutiny of their actions in by-gone years. And I'm extremely happy to report that my good friend, Joe Walkes, President of The Phylaxis Society, a Prince Hall Society equivalent to The Philalethes Society, agrees the Pike statue should remain. (See the lead article in this issue.)
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A truism called "Zero Defects" found in a cartoon from Bell Atlantic World is interesting. It concerns the proud statement "99.9 % correct. " It points out this "accuracy" would mean the postal service would lose 17,600 letters each hour; 2,300 incorrect phone numbers would be passed our by Bell Atlantic each day; every day 18 airplanes would crash; Bell Atlantic would misdirect 69,000 calls a day. Why not add your statistics to this? Question: If 99.9% of non-Masonic males ignore the libel of anti-Masonic fanatics, how many men take them seriously enough to stay out of Freemasonry .
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An important message comes from The Cryptic Freemason. Dr. Ron Ford, Pastor of Central Baptist Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas, announced: "We are still a free, autonomous church, not directed by the actions of the Southern Baptist Convention....Masons of our congregation should not feel any attack on them because of the actions on the national level. " Dr. Ford, not a Freemason, Also said: "What has been touted as nothing more than an attack on Liberalism and those who believe in the Bible has not shown it is more. We are moving in the direction of a spirit which is uglier and meaner while our world needs the lover of Christ. The question in my mind is, who will be next?" The good Pastor has nothing good to say about the purported savior of SBC, " a medical doctor from Beaumont, Texas,...[who] led the fight against Dr. Leon McBeth's history book about the Sunday School Board [and who] eventually had the book banned and destroyed. " And this Texas MD call himself a Christian? ! !
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An outstanding testimonial. From the Masonic Forum on CompuServe, a young lady, former Rainbow Girl now a member of the OES said: " I here have been many times when I have been away from home and in need of help or information, and my first instinct is to look for a man wearing a Masonic ring. Those things are precious in our fragmented society and we must do all we can to preserve them. "
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Also digested from CIS: A Masonic district in Bangor, Maine, is running a television program which begins: "What's it mean to be a Mason?" It shows pictures of John Wayne, George Washington and others. It answers several questions about Freemasonry and humanity over appropriate pictures. It tells those interested to call the Grand Lodge office. It's working. And the public is becoming aware of Freemasonry.
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Thomas E. Weir, FPS, has joined The Masonic Service Association as Director of Hospital Visitation on a temporary basis. He replaces Thomas R. Daughtery who has performed an excellent job for MSA, hospitalized veterans and Freemasonry. Tom, a retired minister, retired Navy Chaplain, and active Freemason, joins Richard E. Fletcher, FPS, Executive Secretary, in a continuing service to Freemasonry.
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Several of our members have raised an interesting question: When should they use the initials MPS (Member of the Philalethes Society) or FPS (Fellow of The Philalethes Society)? I hope the obvious answer is--after their name on all of their writing! This should apply to Masonic Editors--especially. All of us should be proud to let the Masonic world (and anyone else interested) know that we are Members or Fellows of the oldest International Masonic Research Society in the world. This should apply no matter for what publication we write.
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The Jerry Marsengill Memorial York Rite Festival was held in Des Moines, Iowa on November 21, 1992 at the Masonic Temple Building. This all-Iowa, one day, York Rite festival boasted over 72 new members. After the days activities, a banquet was held honoring our past, beloved editor. The keynote address was given by Keith Arrington, FPS, a close friend of Jerry. A portrait of Jerry was presented to his widow, Betty. The picture will be hung in the building's Masonic library.