The Cross Keys December 2016
The Monthly Newsletter of Lodge Houstoun St. Johnstone
In this issue: A Masonic Parade Icelandic Freemasons Port Royal Lodge, Virginia Cardinal Virtues Masonic Lodges Worldwide Scottish Rectified Rite The Wild West
Cross Keys Dec 2016
Number 196
Grand Lodge of Scotland, Niddrie Street 1809
11 August: Hall sold by Baptist Congregation to the Grand Lodge of Scotland to William Inglis and Alexander Laurie, bookseller for Grand Lodge for £600 29 September: Grand Lodge approved the proceedings of the committee of general management and their powers were continued: To purchasing the houses and areas in question To repairing the roof and windows of the hall To enlarging or altering the hall, building an outside stair thereto and shops to wards the Cowgate To take any steps to improve the hall and report from time to time. 21 November: Grand Lodge consecrated by the past Grand Master, the Earl of Moira.
1812
2 April: Dean of Guild warrant for Grand Lodge of Scotland for additions and alterations to St. Cecilia’s Hall. Petition by William Inglis WS and Alexander Laurie, bookseller and stationer, lodged 5 March: Plans signed and dated by John Thin [1765-1827]. Abstract of accounts relative to the purchase, repairs and additional buildings. Some entries for items paid: Messrs Hamilton& Thin for altering seats, main stair do. £103 1s 8d Messrs Braidwood& Giles for squaring hall, making chairs £657. Mr. Jackson for painting and ornamenting the hall £94. Mr. Steel for gilding and ornamenting chairs, crimson velvet canopy for Masters, seat gold £260. They borrowed £1500 from the Incorporation of Mary's Chapel No.1
1820
8 July: Application to the Dean of Guild Court by Grand Lodge to make alterations to the building. Petition and drawings missing, index entry only
1842
8 February: “The Lodge of Edinburgh Mary's Chapel held an annual Festival in Freemasons' Hall, Niddry Street, the K. W. M. in the chair, ably supported by a numerous band of the Brotherhood. Deputations from seven of the Sister Lodges attended under their respective Masters; and the entertainment was sumptuous and elegant. The various toasts embodied loyalty to the Sovereign, love to the Constitution, and kindness and charity to all—the leading features of the "mystic tie." An excellent instrumental band occupied the orchestra, while Brother Jackson and a glee corps from the Choral Society enlivened the evening with strains "To Masonry and Scotia dear." A song written at the request of the Lodge, by the Grand Hard, also elicited great applause—altogether the meeting was harmonious, intellectual, and social. Exactly at "high twelve," the Brethren retired, the band playing "Good night and joy."”
[The Freemasons' Quarterly (magazine and) Review, 1842 p. 84]
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A Masonic Parade It has already been mentioned that Britain rarely has a masonic parade or procession nowadays. In Peru, this is a completely different story where most lodges under the Grand Lodge of Peru participate. The photos below are from the annual parade from 2013 in La Plaza de la Pandera (Flag Square) Lima. Blue lodge aprons use the York Rite ritual while red apron lodges use the Scottish Rite ritual for their three degrees. What a colourful site!
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A Superb Lodge Room The photo below of an American lodge room is spectacular and not surprisingly, the lodge has a good attendance. Apart from it being well kept, clean and a delight to sit in, there is also a screen with projector to assist degrees. If you look at the east, you will see a screen which shows images of tracing boards and other parts of lectures—what a great idea and I’m sure with some PMs, a somewhat horrific idea!!! I have absolutely no doubts that the candidate will be suitably impressed with the degrees.
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Order of Icelandic Freemasons
Freemasonry in Iceland began in 1913 when a "society of brothers", Edda, was established, in Reykjavik. Then, in 1918 Edda became a lodge of instruction. A year later, it became a fully warranted lodge. Since then, a total of twelve warranted lodges and six lodges of instruction have been established. Icelandic Freemasonry was under the jurisdiction of The National Grand Lodge of Denmark until 1951 when the Danish Grand Master constituted the Grand Lodge of Iceland as a sovereign Order which has a total membership of 3379 as of the 15th of March, 2011. Icelandic Freemasonry operates according to the Swedish Rite which is the dominant system in four of the Nordic countries and to some extent in Finland and Germany. It consists of eleven degrees, all of which are considered a part of Freemasonry. The first set is the St. John’s degrees (our three degrees) and then the St. Andrew’s degrees followed by Chapter degrees which are very Templar in nature. This system differs considerably from those used in English speaking countries. There is less emphasis on rote-learning in the Swedish Rite compared to its English cousin; while English Masonry places importance on so-called word-perfect ritual (that is, committed to memory and repeated without a single deviation from the prepared text), the Swedish Rite prefers candidates to understand the spirit of the ritual. Accordingly, Lodge officers are given a book from which to read during degree ceremonies; the task of delivering these speeches falls on an officer known as the Orator. Furthermore, candidates are examined on their proficiency of the previous degree: by this is meant that, prior to being passed or raised (as appropriate), candidates are made to write down the salient points of the morality taught by the previous degree. Masonic visitors from abroad belonging to Grand Lodges recognized by the Icelandic Order are cordially invited to participate in lodge meetings as they wish. Lodges have their own shields similar to other constitutions of the Swedish Rite. The Grand Lodge building is below right and the main entrance at the bottom centre.
Cross Keys Dec 2016
The Wild West Everyone has heard of the Wild West , Jesse James, Custer at Little Big Horn and of course the gunfight at the OK Corral. The latter had some well known characters from Tombstone, Arizona. Another these were the Earp brothers. In all of the mess with sheriffs trying to maintain law and order, little mention is every given to lodges and masons. Well, King Solomon No. 5 Lodge was Tombstone was active during this period. In 1881, there were twenty-nine petitions for degrees and seventeen for affiliation on file. During this period of time Mr. Virgil Earp, brother of Wyatt Earp (right) , US Marshal in the Tombstone area, petitioned the Lodge for membership. His petition was duly received and referred to the required committee, which responded favourably, however, upon presentation to the membership of the Lodge, his petition was rejected. His application shows that he was employed as Chief of Police, resided in Tombstone and was 37 years old. His petition was signed by, Brothers Solomon and Spicer. Brother Wells Spicer, the first Master of the lodge and local judge had an office above the infamous Crystal Palace Saloon, right next to Marshall Earp. It is claimed that Wyatt was a freemason (as well as an Oddfellow) although probably not at this time as he would have proposed his brother. Unfortunately, details are sparse and it is not known for sure if he had actually joined. However, he was friends with a young Bro. John Wayne. Despite the dangerous lifestyle, he was never shot and died in 1929. Three years later, the lodge had some financial difficulty—the local bank was robbed! Unlike today, it’s tough luck and the money was gone. However, by 1887 the lodge was back on an even keel through the hard work of the brethren. The lodge has met in the local hall since 1882—notification of meetings was done by a raised flag which continued well into the 20th century and candidates are still obligated on the original alter from that period. With a recent face lift, the pole has gone and no doubt emails notify brethren today of meetings!
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Kilwinning Crosse Port Royal Lodge No. 2 On June 1, 1851, 35 Port Royal citizens agreed to subscribe 52 shares at $50 per share (a total of $2,700) for the construction of a new "Town Hall & Lyceum" behind Lot 20 on King St. This brick two-storied structure with cellar still stands, though now in dilapidated condition. All original documents pertaining to the construction of the building are still intact, and comprise the only full documentation of any structure in Port Royal. "Harkness" was the architect, and Thomas D. Lumpkin of Port Royal signed the contract as builder. The building committee for the town was William Gray (before his death as first treasurer), Dr. John J. Gravatt (2nd treasurer), Dr. Edmund P. White, Apollos Boutwell, and Dr. Charles Urquhart. The land was sold to the committee for $75 by Mrs. Elizabeth Gray, Isabella Gray, Evelina P. Gray, and Ann Lewis Gray. William Gray had agreed to furnish part of his Lot 20 for the new building; on January 12, 1852 gray was seriously injured by a fall from the portico of the Powhatan House hotel in Richmond, and died eight days later, January 20, 1853. By December 9, 1854, the Town Hall & Lyceum was completed. Many subscribers failed to meet their obligations to pay for their "shares," and the rooms were used in various ways to raise building costs. A singing school, a "photographist," a magician, and George Fitzhugh's Academy made use of the rooms; the Masonic Lodge rented the two rooms on the second floor. A Masonic Lodge was formed here in 1754 and in the following year the "Lodge at Port Royal" applied to Kilwinning Lodge in Scotland for a charter. The request was framed by the Junior Warden, Brother John Crosse, and was sent to his father, David, a member of "Mother" Kilwinning Lodge at St. Kilwinning Abbey near Glasgow. By the time this request was received the Grand Lodge of Scotland had assumed the responsibilities for issuing charter, so Kilwinning Lodge passed the request on to them. The Grand Lodge of Scotland honoured this request and on December 1, 1755, granted the Lodge at Port Royal a charter, with the rather cumbersome name of "Kilwinning Port Royal Crosse Lodge." This was the first charter granted by the Grand Lodge or Scotland to a Lodge in the American colonies. The original 1775 charter has survived and is now in the possession of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. The Port Royal Lodge remained active throughout the Revolutionary War, and its members played an important part during the 1777 and 1778 meetings that led to the formation of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Brother James Kemp, from Port Royal Kilwinning Crosse Lodge, acted as Secretary for several of those meetings.
When, in 1786, the newly-formed Grand
Lodge of Virginia assigned precedence to existing Lodges, Port Royal Kilwinning Crosse Lodge was assigned the number 2, after the Norfolk Lodge, successor to the Royal Exchanged Lodge of Norfolk, which had received a
Cross Keys Dec 2016
Kilwinning Crosse Port Royal Lodge No. 2 (ctd) warrant from the Grand Lodge of England in 1773 and a charter in 1741. During its early years, the Lodge at Port Royal met in various taverns or private residences in the town. For reasons unclear, the Lodge went dark in 1848, but very shortly thereafter attempted to resume its labors, and was granted a dispensation by the Grand Lodge. In 1852, the Lodge reported that it was having difficulty finding an appropriate meeting place. That year, however, the town of Port Royal decided to build a new Town Hall, with a second story available for undetermined uses. There is no doubt but that it was to be a Masonic meeting place. The only entrance to the second story was via an outside stairway, towards the rear of the building, which led to two small adjoining rooms which were adjacent to a much larger rectangular room. Each small room had a single door leading into the larger room, and were themselves connected by a single door. A most interesting event occurred during the latter years of the Civil War when Port Royal was occupied by Union troops. In 1864 the Lodge room was broken into by a Yankee soldier, who stole the silver officers' jewels, originally a gift to the Lodge from Brother David Crosse, a member of Kilwinning Lodge in Scotland and the father of the John Crosse who wrote the letter requesting the original charter. Bragging about the fine silver items he found, he attracted the attention of Brother Emory Packard, a Union soldier and member of Paul Revere Lodge in Brockton, Mass. Brother Packard, recognizing the significance of the stolen jewels, first attempted to cajole the thief into returning them, or giving them to Packard for safekeeping. When this failed, he next offered to buy the items. This was not easy, for as Packard stated, "there was little money in the army." After some effort, he finally managed to beg and borrow enough funds to purchase the items from the thief, and then had them shipped to his Lodge in Massachusetts for safe keeping until the "current unpleasantness" came to an end. After the war the brothers of Paul Revere Lodge returned these historic Masonic jewels to Port Royal and they are now in the possession of Kilwinning Crosse Lodge No. 2-237, of Bowling Green, the successor to the Lodge at Port Royal. Restoration of the old Town Hall/Masonic Hall at Port Royal has commenced, helped considerably by a $24,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia for that purpose. The first floor will become a visitor centre and the second story rooms may, at the discretion of the Masonic community, be restored as a Masonic meeting place, a Masonic Museum, or both. Kilwinning Crosse Lodge No. 2-237 has been granted full authority to deal with the content and use of the upstairs Lodge room. Not often does it end with good news regarding our buildings.
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The Cardinal Virtues “You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: wisdom, justice, fortitude, temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them.” Commodus
In the movie Gladiator, Commodus, the ambitious son of the ailing Roman Emperor, reminds his Father (shortly before killing him) that his main character flaw was the absence of these four Chief Virtues. The Greek word virtue has as its root meaning, the word “excellence.” Thus a virtuous person is one who behaves excellently. Taken in its truest sense virtue means the excellence of perfection of a thing. “A vice is its contrary and denotes a defect or absence of perfection due to a thing.” Beginning with Socrates, ancient philosophers theorized that all individuals and societies could be judged by four principal or general virtues. They were Wisdom (ie. Prudence), Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. Through the ages, philosophers reasoned that a good citizen not only possessed these four qualities but also exemplified them. A society dominated by such citizens was considered to be a good society. For several thousand years this was the standard by which both people and societies were judged. Plato believed that wisdom was the chief virtue then followed by temperance. “It was from the union of these two virtues along with courage that allowed justice to occur.” Early Christian theologians later termed them the Four Cardinal (Latin: cardo, hinge) Virtues. They were the hinge upon which all moral virtues depended. They were also called moral (Latin: mores, fixed values) virtues because they governed our actions and guided our passions and conduct according to faith and reason. These qualities were believed crucial to all human behavior and applied equally to non-Christians as well as Christians. Prudence ranks highest among the virtues, as Wisdom is required to make the right decisions for the right reasons. “It guides the others by setting rule and measure and applying moral principles to particular cases.” In the Masonic ritual, the Cardinal Virtues are used to illustrate a Mason’s fo pf pts % ntrnc. Prudence also alludes to the manner in which our hands were placed on the Bible. It was on the Holy Word that we became Masons, pledging to always help our fellow brethren. From time immemorial to the end of time we are but another link in that indissoluble chain. Virtus junxit mors non separabit. What virtue unites death cannot separate. W. B. Mike McCabe PM
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Scottish Rite Temple LA A couple of brethren asked about the mural on the building shown last month. I have tried to find a better image, but I hope this suffices. Clicking on the picture will take you to another image. The mural was described in the following manner: It depicts the life and times of freemasonry in California paying tribute to members who made a contribution to the early history. There are also numerous paintings of Biblical characters.
New Year Resolutions How many bother with resolutions especially after a week or so. Why not make some that might be achievable ?
Learn a bit of ritual, no matter its length
Help a brother
Try to attend more meetings than in 2016
Put an extra £1 in the collection whenever you can
December Events in 242
Tuesday 6th—General Committee 7.30pm Wednesday 7th—AGM of the Social Club Thursday 8th—FC by Thistle & Crown No.1167 Thursday 22nd —cancelled
Merry Christmas from all the brethren of 242 Cross Keys Dec 2016
Glasgow Masonic Halls (August 1873) A letter was sent in enquiring why Glasgow did not have a hall. A number of questions were posed relating to finance and lodges clubbing together, but he questioned the decision by the Provincial Grand Master (Bro. Col. Walter Montgomerie Neilson of Queenshill) not to lead the committee and asked that he should be encouraged to reconsider this decision. Today PGL Glasgow has offices in Berkley Street although meets across the Province. It has held meetings in a number of lodges prior to this, one such premises being 100 West Regent Street in the city centre (below) where a number of lodges met. The building has the statues of St. John the Baptist and the Evangelist.
The building itself hasn’t changed much, but next door has taken over. The stairs have gone although both statues are still in good condition. Another building was St. Mark’s Hall, 213 Buchanan Street where, again, many lodges met.
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Glasgow Masonic Halls (ctd) Unfortunately, there are no images of this building at the time, but the Mitchell Library has one of the interior albeit of very poor quality. Some masonic items can be seen.
St. Mark’s Hall was for general public use although it was mainly the lodges that used it prior to 1900. One example, is the first meeting of Lodge Dramatic No.571 in 1875. It was commonly known as the (St. Mark’s) Masonic Hall although may have been colloquial rather than official. Today, a shoe company occupies the spot where the hall was situated. Another hall down the road was 170 Buchanan Street, home to No.4 (and various other lodges and chapters) which met there until 1945. This was described as the largest and most ornate in the whole city. Sadly no longer.
Sky TV for 300th Anniversary Sky1 in the UK has commissioned a four-part documentary series about Freemasonry to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the first Grand Lodge in London.. The documentary makers have been granted unprecedented access to the United Grand Lodge of England and its lodges across the country to introduce viewers to the organisation as it approaches its tercentenary in 2017. The programme is called Inside the Freemasons and will be aired next year.
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Masonic Lodges Worldwide Elgin & Bruce Lodge No 1077 meets in Academy Square, Limekilns, Fife in Scotland in a very unusual hall. These brethren meet in the oldest building in Limekilns named "The King's Cellar." 'The King's Cellar" was not erected for the sole purpose of storing wine, nor by order of a King. It was built for and by the monks of Dunfermline Abbey prior to the dissolution of the monasteries when, no doubt, it went to the Crown. Strictly speaking, it should be called "The Monk's Grange" for records show that there was a grange at Gellald (the oldest name for Limekilns) and it most probably belonged to the Abbey of Dunfermline. There is however no record of it in the Abbey Register prior to the carta of 1362. As to its actual age, the pointed style of the roof and long since built-up windows of the East and West gables, as well as other features about the outside walls indicate 14th century work. Since then it has undergone such renovation that its true age is not immediately obvious. It was restored during 1911 and 1912 by the 9th Lord Elgin. When "The King's Cellar" ceased to be a store for wine and other things is not known, however we do know that the building has served as a wine cellar, storehouse, school, library, also for balls, concerts and theatricals, and for a time was an Episcopal Church. Baptisms and marriages have taken place in the upper chamber, which in 1912 and for a few years after, had all the appearance of some old medieval chapel.
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Pause to think! December questions: 1.
What kind of column does the senior warden have?
2.
How many degrees existed in 1700? Answers on next page.
Norwegian Freemason Bro. General Major Harald Nicolai Storm Wergeland (18141893). He was a Norwegian military officer appointed by King Oscar of Sweden and Norway, a politician (minister of the Army) and a mountaineer.
Wergeland also made his mark on civil life. He was a member of the board of directors of the Royal Norwegian Society for Development, the Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers and the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry.[6] He wrote books on a broad range of subjects, including the heating and ventilation of rooms, protection of lesser birds and oyster cultivation. For the latter purpose, he also founded a commercial company. He is seen in the regalia of the Swedish Rite which followed by Norwegian freemasons. A colour version of the apron is shown to the right.
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Stained Glass Window On the East wall of the lodge room of Stanfield Masonic Lodge No. 217 A.F.& A.M., in Denton, Texas, US situated above the master's head, resides this beautiful stained glass image of the wise King Solomon. Although the lodge has been in possession of it for many decades, sadly, no one knows its origin, nor the craftsmen who created it.
Pause to think! Answers 1.
The senior warden’s column is of Doric architecture representing strength.
2.
In 1700, freemasonry was a two degree system—the MM degree not appearing until the 1720s. The Edinburgh Register House MS of 1696 is early evidence of an apprentice degree and then the fellow or master part. The three degrees may well have been necessary due to the increasing length of the ritual.
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Scottish Rectified Rite The order is unknown is Scotland and consists of the following degrees: Blue or Craft Lodges (although these are likely to be done within the candidate’s lodge as a member must be a freemason), Green Lodges (Lodges of St Andrew) with the degree Scottish Master of St Andrew then an inner order with degrees of Squire Novice and Beneficent Knight of the Holy City. The order (or rite) is dated from the last 18th Century and is mainly of French or German Christian origin with a Templar influence. Where this fits into the whole masonic system is complicated especially when it comes to recognition with some US Grand Lodges recognising and others not. The regalia shown below is that of the degree of Scottish Master of St. Andrew.
Congratulations
Congratulations to V Ill Kt. Ken Blackie (MM 242) on his recent promotion to Intendent general for the District of Strathclyde under the Grand Imperial Council of Scotland which oversees all Conclave Masonry. Bro. Ken is seen with the knights of St George Conclave No.79 and John Syme PS in Paisley.
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Have a look at the link below—very interesting 8 minute clip on freemasons and the “wild west.”
http://player.vimeo.com/video/43013696
Need a Christmas Present?!!!! How many would feel safe walking down a street in the west of Scotland in this jacket? Probably very few, but thankfully not every place in like that.
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The Degree 30 Years Ago On the 27th November, 1986 the lodge carried out a FC degree on four candidates: Bros. William Ferguson, Alexander Field, James Duffy and Charles McIvor. The obligation was carried out by the master Bro. Jim Jackson who was assisted in the ceremonial of the degree by Bros: Brian Gage PM, Stephen Johnston JD, Jimmy Gage SwB, Archie Paterson SD and Allan Stobo PM. Strange how things change—only two PMs assisted and the age range of OBs was about 50 something showing the variation that existed at that time.
Masonic Jewels Are you interested in collecting masonic jewels? Many brethren take great pleasure collecting and swapping them. One such person is Bro. John Elkins PM in the Dorset area. He is willing to swap any jewels and often do a 2 for 1 depending on what is being swapped. If you are interested, contact John on 01258 472088 or at the address below. Bro. John is now in his 80s (so has loads of jewels) and does not use email. Wedgewood Cottage,
Rivers Corner, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 2AE
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PGL RE 1924 The image is the page from the 1924—25 Installation of (noncommissioned) office-bearers of the provincial Grand Lodge of Renfrewshire East. Other than Senior Warden, Bard and Tyler there are 4 or 5 nominations for every other office. Today, we struggle to fill these offices and some are left vacant! Changed days indeed……..
Another Christmas Present?!!!!
Well? Would you wear this?..........
Cross Keys Dec 2016
To submit an article or want added to the mail list or facebook group, contact the Editor: Grant Macleod: E-Mail:
sec242pm@yahoo.co.uk
Thanks to Bro. Allan Stobo PM for proof reading.
Don’t forget to support The Ashlar magazine— Scotland’s only Masonic magazine. Just click on the magazine to find out more.
Cross Keys Dec 2016