The Working Tools November 2011

November 2011 Issue #46

Lodge Management

This Month’s issue features original content by Masonic writers: John Nagy, Scott Schwartzberg and Matt Johnson

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Contents

This Month’s Issue Includes:

Pg 22 Biography: Masons in Sports

· · · · · · · · · · ·

Pg 43 Observing The Craft

Pg 46 Cover: Lodge Management

What To Read- Pg.10 Fun Things Found Around The Web - pg. 12 Blog: “One Minute Mason” - pg. 13 Grand Lodge Spotlight - pg. 15 Old Tyler Talks- Pg.20 Featured Writer -“Aslar Unfolded by John Nagy”- Pg. 26 Word of the Month - Pg. 30 Featured Writer -“Ne Plus Ultra by Matt Johnson”- Pg. 31 Masons in the News - Pg. 34 Phoenixmasonry.org Museum - Pg. 54 Lodge Education - Pg. 57

The Working Tools is published monthly by Corsig Publishing & Cory Sigler, It is not affiliated with any Grand Lodge. Letters or inquiries should be directed to Cory Sigler, Editor, at E-mail: Corsig3@yahoo.com All letters become the property of the Working Tools. Photographs and articles should be sent to the attention of the Editor. Every effort will be made to return photographs but this cannot be guaranteed. Please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. The Editor reserves the right to edit all materials received. www.twtmag.com

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Observing The Craft “The Pursuit of Excellence in Masonic Labor and Observation”

“One of the most important books that all Freemason’s have to read immediately” - Cory Sigler

Available now on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Observing-Craft-Pursuit-Excellence-Observance/ dp/0981831613 www.twtmag.com

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Welcome

Hello Brethren, Welcome to the November issue of The Working Tools Magazine.

Once again I had a great time collecting and finding the material presented in this edition. I’ve been lucky to have a couple of highly motivated and enlightened brothers join me this month as original content providers. I know you’ll love what they have written as much as I do. Hopefully they continue on for many more issues ahead.

Since November is Thanksgiving time, I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of the TWT family.

I’m especially thankful to those who have been with me from the beginning and have watched this grow from a tiny newsletter to a publication that is read all around the world.

I’m thankful for all the Brethren I have met throughout the years. I’m thankful for my Mother Lodge and every Lodge that has welcomed me in as a friend. I’m thankful for the enlightenment that has been imparted upon me and helped me grow as a person. I’m thankful for all the Brethren who have lent me an ear when I needed it most.

I’m thankful for knowing each and everyone of you.

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Until next time...

Cory Sigler Cory Sigler, PM Hawthorne Fortitude #200 Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/corysigler & facebook.com/twtmag

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MORE TWT SERVICES

INTRODUCING THE NEW “TWT MAG” FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK Get all the issue updates and news first Show your appreciation by searching under “The Working Tools” and liking the page.

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Join the Mailing List and get Notified When Every New Issue Comes Out!!!

Located at www.twtmag.com

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MAIL BAG Cory, Thank you again for your wonderful magazine. Best Regards from Australia.

Fraternally, Garry Runge VWBro. Garry Runge, JP PGIWkgs Assistant Director of Ceremonies Berwick-Balcara Lodge 359 Another great issue Bro. Cory! I like what you did with the SR stuff!!!

S&F, Dave

WB Cory, You do an excellent job each month! You are to be highly commended!!!!!

WB Stu

LETTER OF THE MONTH Bro. Cory, While visiting a Lodge in nearby Oxford, NC, I picked up the most recent copy of The Working Tools which had been printed. I enjoyed reading it very much, especially the differences between the degrees in the NMJ versus the SJ of the Scottish Rite. I did not know that the NMJ does not have the KCCH as a prerequisite to the 33rd Degree. I did know that the 33rd Degree is conferred each year versus every two years in the SJ. I then went online and read the September issue. I especially enjoyed the bio of one of my favorite actors, Bro. John Wayne and the article on the York Rite. I prefer Br. Wayne's western movies over most others. However The Sands of Iwo Jima and The Quiet Man were both great movies. I have not seen either of them in many years.

Having been a Master Mason for over 30 years, it is refreshing to see a young man such as yourself who have the energy to do the research that you do for your magazine.

I shall continue to look for it online. I wish you much success in all of your endeavors with TWT Mag and all that you do in Masonry.

Fraternally, Andy Adams Grand King, Grand Royal Arch Chapter of North Carolina Send all your comments and questions to Corsig3@yahoo.com

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This Month in History

November Nov 1st- On this date in 1922, the cornerstone of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, in Alexandria, Virginia, was laid in a Masonic ceremony.

Nov 4th- On this date in 1752, George Washington received his Entered Apprentice degree in Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia Nov 21th- On this date in 1838, the Grand Lodge of Arkansas was formed Nov 22nd- On this date in 1991, Jerry Marsengill was killed in an automobile accident. He was a very active Freemason, editor of the Philalethes magazine, the Royal Arch Mason magazine, and Past President of the Philalethes Society.

Nov 25th- On this date in 1813, the Articles of Union of the United Grand Lodge of England were signed Nov 26th- On this date in 1737, a letter to the editor appeared in the New York Gazette newspaper, criticizing the secrecy of Freemasons and the words of the obligations’ penalties (as disclosed in a previous exposÊ of Freemasonry). This appears to have been the first antimasonic effort in the colonies that became the United States.

Nov 28th- On this date in 1884, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, in London, England, the first research lodge in the world, received its warrant.

Nov 28th- On this date in 1911, Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S. President 1933-1945) received his 3rd degree.

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WEOFM.org November 2011 Lectures “The Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry”

11-05-11 Hitler & Freemasonry, Aaron kornblum , MM 11-12-11 The Evolution of Freemasonry in South Africa, Tom Webb, WM 11-19-11 The Philosophical Background for Masonic Symbolism, W. Kirk MacNulty, PM 11-26-11 Is Freemasonry a Religion?, Dr. Anthony Fels

weofm.org

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What to Read- “Crow of Serpents” New nBook

Overview With the discovery of a campaign journal from an American Revolutionary War officer who fought against the Iroquois Indians, the U.S. Army calls in their top field historian to assess its contents. Jake Tununda, combat vet, Freemason, and half-Seneca Indian is stunned when he gleans from the journal's cryptic Masonic passages clues to the location of an ancient shaman's crown once protected by the White Deer Society, a secret cult of his forefathers.

Jake soon realizes why his ancestors' history was best kept buried. And why peaceful, rural central New York's Finger Lakes region can be deadlier than any battlefield he had ever faced.

CROWN OF SERPENTS, a mystery thriller set in the former heartland of the Iroquois Empire, takes Jake on a fast-paced hunt to find the elusive crown ­ and protect it. He teams up with Rae Hart, an alluring state police investigator, as they snake their way across a politically turbulent landscape marked with murder, arson, lies, and deceit. Deciphering codes, digging up war loot, and fending off the henchmen of billionaire Alex Nero, a ruthless Indian casino magnate, Jake and Rae's survival skills are put to the test.

The clues to the crown ultimately lead them deep within sacred Indian caves hidden under the abandoned Seneca Army Depot where the magnitude of the crown's power is revealed.

About the Author Michael Karpovage is a native of western New York and a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology.

He has worked in the design and marketing field for over twenty years as an art director and map illustrator. Michael is a Mason with Hobasco Lodge No. 716 of Ithaca, NY. He now frequents Gate City Lodge No. 2 where he lives in Atlanta, GA.

Michael conceptualized CROWN OF SERPENTS in July 2004 based on a simple question: if the two largest Finger Lakes of Seneca and Cayuga were really connected by a subterranean river, as local legend had speculated, then who would know of its underground location? The answer resided with the Iroquois Indians who had populated the area for centuries. Through in-depth research into ancient Iroquois myth, based on Atotarho’s hair of snakes, the basis of the plot, the setting, and the hunt for the secret relic were soon developed. However, once Michael joined the Freemasons in 2005 and after delving into the fraternity’s history, he stumbled upon an infamous Revolutionary War ambush between enemy Masons that occurred in the same Finger Lakes area.

This true battlefield incident resulted in a rare test of Freemasonry’s most sacred tenet. It also propelled the storyline into an incredible twist of historical fate that took on present day ramifications for the main character.

Back Story The backstory involves the tragic scouting mission of Freemason American Lieutenant Thomas Boyd at the end of the Sullivan Expedition of 1779. He was taken prisoner and granted protection from his enemy Chief Joseph Brant - also a Freemason. But another enemy Freemason, British Colonel John Butler, gave Boyd up to the Indians who carried out one of the most heinous torture deaths ever recorded in American military history. Was it a deliberate act of Masonic betrayal? Download the PDF article below titled “Betrayed by a Mason? The Tragic Mission of Lieutenant Thomas Boyd” and decide for yourself.

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Click Here to download the PDF (online only)

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What to Read- “Crown of Serpents”

Buy the book

$19.99 384 Pages http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/06152 81109?ie=UTF8&tag=crowofserp-20&linkCod e=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeA SIN=0615281109

Reviews Far more than a simple mystery, the book follows the path of Tony Hillerman’s Navajo based novels by providing the reader with remarkable insights into the culture and traditions of the most influential Native nation east of the Mississippi. --Doug George-Kanentiio, editor, columnist and author from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation Karpovage crafts a story rich in intrigue, history, folklore, and the mystery of the white deer. His myriad of subplots and personalities keeps the reader entranced and on edge, begging for more. --Dennis Money, Chairman, Seneca White Deer, Inc., Canandaigua, NY I thought: Indiana Jones meets the Godfather! Read the entire book in two sittings. Had to pause occasionally during the first eight-hour readathon to catch my breath. One of the best novels I have ever read!

--- Paulette Likoudis, Finger Lakes Times columnist, Lodi, NY

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Around The Net Fun Things Found Around The Internet This Month Found on Facebook. This quickly made the rounds and was shared on many pages. Use the dotted lines to print it out and make copies.

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Blogs - “One Minute Mason”

One Minute Mason Blog http://oneminutemason.blogspot.com/

Run by Bro. Steve Harrison. The blogger writes short concise blurbs of Masonic info that is meant to be able to be read in one minute or less.

I recently ran across this and added it to my bookmarks. It’s fun, light and interesting. Just what I’m looking for after a long day.

Here’s some samples of Brother Steve’s postings.

The Elevators That Run Sideways The elevators that run sideways - In order to have unbroken floor space, the elevators in Alexandria's George Washington Memorial run sideways 35 feet as they rise 244 feet in 2 slanting shafts from the main floor to the observation deck. At the time the memorial was built, this was considered an engineering marvel, and even today remains rather unique in the field of architectecture.

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Blogs - “One Minute Mason” The King's Speech With the recognition of "The King's Speech" as best motion picture of 2011, it is interesting to note that both George VI (1895-1952) and his speech therapist, Lionel George Logue (1880-1953) were Freemasons.

Initiated in Naval Lodge 2612 in 1919, King George VI was an active member holding many of the highest offices in England and Scotland.

WB Logue was initiated in 1908 in St George's Lodge (now JD Stevenson St. George's Lodge 6, Western Australian Constitution), where he served as Worshipful Master in 1919. King George VI said he considered Masonry to be one of the strongest influences in his life, "The world today does require spiritual and moral regeneration. I have no doubt, after many years as a member of our Order, that Freemasonry can play a most important part in this vital need.”

As a matter of interest, Lodge Brothers reported of the King, "His stammer rarely surfaced when he was involved in ritual."

Oldest Masonic Building In The US Mason’s Hall on Franklin Street in Richmond Virginia is the oldest Masonic building in the US built specifically as a Masonic meeting place. It has been used continuously and is the home of Richmond Lodge 10. Due to the destruction of the Civil War, it remains one of the few buildings surviving from 18th century Richmond. It would not be there today except for a Union General, a Freemason, who ordered it to be protected from fire.

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Grand Lodge Spotlight- California

Grand Lodge F&A.M. of California http://www.freemason.org

The Grand Lodge of California is one that every other state in the union should strive to emulate. Hands down, one of the premier Grand Lodges in terms of membership, programs, publications and websites and progressive Masonry. What they offer their Brethren is priceless.

Educational Materials For you the reader of TWT, please visit their website and download the PDF’s that are made available for free.

These include “Lodge Management Certification Program” which is described as “The five-course Lodge Management Certification Program, taught in five cities during the summer, will arm you with tools and training to lead and manage your lodge. Each course is presented in an intensive one-day workshop taught by some of our most knowledgeable and experienced Masons.” Courses include : Program Planning, Lodge Finance, Hall Association Management, Membership Development, and Lodge Administration.

“Membership Development” teaches the Lodges how to strengthen their Lodge by bringing in new members but also keeping them once they are initiated. A problem all Lodged face.

“Basic Education for Candidates” probably the greatest learning tool for new Masons I’ve seen are provided in the Candidate booklets found in the Masonic Education section. A high quality 40+ page PDF for each degree plus a separate proficiency exam is available to use as a guide. Every state should make their own set of these to be given out.

Publications

The California Freemason Magazine is truly one that should be read. It is published Bimonthly and is available on their website under the “News & Events” tab. The seven sections of the magazine include “In California,” “Lodge Spotlight,” “Masonic Education,” “Cover Story,” “Around the World,” “History,” and “Masonic Homes.” . Even if you don’t live in that state the information provided is great.

If you have an Ipad you can also download their free App and read it on the go. It looks great on the tablets big screen. Not sure if an Android version is available at this time.

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Grand Lodge Spotlight- California Library

The Library has more than two thousand volumes relating to all aspects of Masonry, and we continually make additional acquisitions.

The collection includes books on subjects that have influenced, or been influenced, by Freemasonry, as well as rare Masonic books, such as early ritual monitors and almanacs, and rare bibles dating from the 16th century.

Visitors are welcome to browse the collection and conduct research at the Library. Borrowing is limited to Master Masons residing in California and to select scholars. Rare materials may be viewed at the Library with special permission from the Collections Manager, but cannot be removed from the premises.

The Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry is named after noted Masonic author and Brother Henry Wilson Coil.

The author of eight books, Coil’s most notable work is Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia (1961, revised in 1996), the last wellknown Masonic encyclopedia published by an American author.

Founded in 1996 with a generous contribution from Henry Wilson Coil, Jr., the library and museum collections and archives cover centuries of Masonic history as well as more than 150 years of Freemasonry in California.

Address: Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry California Masonic Memorial Temple 1111 California Street San Francisco, CA 94108 Hours: Monday & Tuesday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Wednesday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and by special appointment Admission is free.

The History of the GL of CA

You know, or should know, that Masonry in its modern Speculative form began with the organization of the first Grand Lodge and of the Grand Lodge system in London, England, in 1717. It is also important to be aware that the earliest known record of an American Lodge is dated at 1730, only thirteen years after the constituting of the Mother Grand Lodge. In parallel with the evolution of the USA, Masonry moved from East to West. From England to New England, across the fruited plains, majestic mountains and beautiful deserts, to the Golden Coast in the West pioneers, travelers and seekers of all description sojourned, and settled.

The history of the Grand Lodge of California is inseparable from the history of the State of California. Those same brave pioneers who came west in search of wealth, fame, and opportunity came to bring their beloved fraternity, and all that it entails, with them. In some cases, bringing Masonry to “The New Frontier” was their primary purpose. Grand Masters of Eastern jurisdictions issued Charters to western-bound sojourners, giving them the right to work as Lodges in the Wild West, under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Grand Lodge. Other Grand Masters issued Dispensations, giving groups of Masons who found themselves in this Masonic Wilderness the right to meet and organize as California Masonic Lodges.

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Grand Lodge Spotlight- California

In 1849, gold was discovered near Sutter’s Mill. Word quickly moved eastward, and men accordingly began to move west. Such a long, difficult and dangerous journey is not to be undertaken lightly, or alone. Men seeking their fortunes knew that to go it alone was an invitation to disaster. Accordingly, they banded together into traveling parties, and sought ways to fulfill the need for fraternalism and mutual assistance. Some had long been Masons, others joined Masonic Lodges, and together, as Brethren, they made their way West.

It is unsurprising; therefore, that many prominent leaders in this new frontier were members of our fraternity. With the number of Masons, and the prominence the Craft played in their lives and the lives of others, the obvious action was to create a Grand Lodge of Masons in California.

As early as March of 1850, Masons in California attempted to form a Grand Lodge. That attempt failed, but the following month saw success. Invitations were issued to all the Masonic Lodges known to be in California, and all past Grand Officers of other jurisdictions known to be living here, to send delegates to a convention. At this convention, a new Grand Lodge was to be formed. On April 17th, 1850, in Sacramento three Chartered Lodges presented credentials, and three Lodges under dispensation sent delegates.

The oldest recorded California Lodge is California Lodge # 1, which was chartered by the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia as California Lodge # 13. The vault of Western Star Lodge #2, in Shasta City, California, contains many valuable relics, memorializing its move from Benton City, near Chico, in 1851. Others show the number 98, which was issued by the Grand Lodge of Missouri on May 10, 1848, when it was first Chartered.

The Grand Lodge of Connecticut issued a Charter to Connecticut Lodge No. 76 on January 31st, 1849. When the Grand Lodge of California was formed in 1850, it became Tehama Lodge #3.

The Grand Lodge of California, in April of 1850, thereby consisted of three Chartered Lodges. Total membership in those Lodges was 103. An inauspicious beginning, perhaps, but it led to fantastic growth.

In addition to Lodges Chartered by other jurisdictions, there were eleven dispensations issued by Grand Masters from Eastern jurisdictions. A few eventually became Chartered Lodges. Others thrived for a time and then faded away. The rest just never manifested at all. In most cases, a dispensation would be issued for a Traveling Lodge, to a group of Masons headed

west. These early California Masons would hold meetings when and where they could, and some held together long enough to take hold in a California community.

The Grand Master of Indiana issued a dispensation to form Sierra Nevada Lodge, in Grass Valley, in 1848. The Lodge eventually failed, and its members later formed Madison Lodge, which was chartered under the Grand Lodge of California.

In 1849, the Grand Master of Louisiana gave a grant, similar to a dispensation, to a group that eventually became The Pacific Lodge at Benicia, and later was chartered as Benicia Lodge #5. The Lodge building they built was the first in California, and is still standing. In it are the first jewels used by the Lodge, made of tin and cut from cans of food. In the Lodge room, on the altar, is another relic from 1850, their Holy Bible.

Another dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Louisiana formed Davy Crockett Lodge #7. Ruben Clark was Master in 1851, and served the State of California as Architect and Builder of the State Capitol building in Sacramento. 1852 saw the name changed to San Francisco Lodge #7, as the Lodge moved from the jurisdiction of Louisiana to the Grand Lodge of California.

The Grand Lodge of California gained three more Chartered Lodges.

In September of 1850, the Republic of California became a State in the United States of America. Five Months earlier, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of the State of California was formed. Jonathan D. Stevenson of San Francisco became the first Grand Master. On April 19th, 1850, assisted by a full corps of officers, he opened the first session of the Grand Lodge of California in ample form.

From 103 members in three Chartered Lodges, the Grand Lodge of California grew. By November of 1850, Jennings Lodge No. 4 of Sacramento; Benicia Lodge No. 5; Sutter Lodge No. 6 of Sacramento; Davy Crockett No. 7 of San Francisco; Tuolumne Lodge No. 8 of Sonora; Marysville Lodge No. 9; San Jose Lodge No. 10; and Willamette Lodge No. 11 of Portland, Oregon, were chartered. The Grand Lodge of California had grown to 304 Masons; nearly tripling it’s size in members and quadrupling in Lodges in seven Months.

The day following the formation of the Grand Lodge of California, the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin issued a Charter to Lafayette Lodge No. 29, in Nevada City. While technically a breach of courtesy for one Grand Lodge to issue a Charter to a Lodge in the area of another jurisdiction, this was done in all

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Grand Lodge Spotlight- California innocence. Communications and transportation were not then what they are today. In addition, they did not have the Internet to make things as speedy as we know them. In 1851, a fire destroyed the Charter, and the Lodge was immediately re-chartered as Nevada Lodge No. 13. It remains so known to this day.

The year 1850 was a busy year for the Grand Master of Illinois. He issued dispensations for two Lodges in California.

The first, Laveley Lodge in Marysville later became Marysville Lodge No. 9, and still later changed it’s name to Ccorinthian Lodge No. 9. The second Illinois Lodge in California, Pacific Lodge, near Oroville, held it’s meetings at a place called Long’s bar. Formed in 1850, it faded from the scene, and it’s members were allowed to affiliate with California Lodges.

Grants and dispensations were also authorized and issued by Grand Masters of New Jersey, Virginia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Florida. None of these lasted very long, most never advanced beyond the Traveling Lodge stage.

Human organizations tend to grow, change and shrink.

By 1860, two Lodges had moved to the jurisdiction of Oregon, thirteen had surrendered their Charters; two had lost them for cause. Grand Lodge now consisted of 128 Lodges and 5055 members.

With a stabilizing population, the establishment of more cities, towns and communities, and the settlement of this wild new frontier winding down, more growth, changes and evolution inevitably follow.

Mining has been, from the beginning, a major industry in California. Wherever a successful mine can be found, a town to support that mine will be nearby. Fascinating names were established for these towns and no less fascinating names for the Lodges Chartered therein. A few examples include: Rough and Ready at a camp by the same name in Nevada County; Indian Diggings Lodge in El Dorado County; Saint Mark’s Lodge at Fiddletown; Oro Fino, at a town by that name in Siskiyou County; Violet Lodge at Spanish Flat; Rising Sun Lodge at Brandy City; Mount Carmel Lodge at Red Dog, Nevada County. These and more, added color to the local landscape, and made Masonry a part of the community.

Brother John Whicher, former Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of California tells an interesting story of a characteristic mining camp in the early days of California. “Of the numerous mining camps of early days,” says Brother Whicher, “one only need be noted. The largest mining camp in California was Columbia, in Tuolumne County, known as the ‘Gem of the

Southern Mines.’ Gold was discovered there in the spring of 1850, and within one month, the stampede from nearby camps resulted in a population of 6000 miners. Every week brought more treasure-hunters, and flush times counted 30,000 men madly digging in the hills thereabouts, 15,000 being in the city limits. By 1865, Columbia was dead. It contained forty saloons, a long street devoted to fandangos and hurdy-gurdies, four theaters, one Chinese theater with a stock company of forty native actors, three jewelry stores, a bull ring, 143 faro banks with a combined capital of ,000,000, four hotels, two military companies, two hose companies, three express offices, four banks, four newspapers, two churches, a Sunday school, a division of the Sons of Temperance, and Columbia Lodge No. 28, of Masons.

The principal bank was that of D. O. Mills, the steps leading to the building being of white Columbia marble, and the counters of mahogany. It contained huge gold scales with a capacity of ,000 in dust and nuggets. The camp produced within a radius of three miles and shipped 5,000,000 in gold.

The Masonic Lodge was a power in the work of maintaining order and decent government, but after the gold-fever and the mines had subsided, the membership fell to a low ebb, and in 1891 the old Lodge, established July, 1852, consolidated with Tuolumne Lodge No. 8, at the historic town of Sonora, where it still carries on. There are innumerable ghost cities on the Mother Lode, but Columbia was the gem of them all.”

Many of these Lodges no longer exist. Towns, particularly mining towns, were successful only as long as the mines they supported produced a profit. During our 150 years as a Sovereign Grand Lodge, nearly 300 Lodges have become extinct.

Freemasonry in the Grand Lodge of California, notwithstanding, has still survived. At the 2000 Annual Communications, there were 90,914 Masons in 388 Constituent Lodges, which can be found in every city and in or near most of the smaller towns in the state. The age of the average California Mason is 80 years.

In the earlier days of the settlement of California, most of the growth was in the North end of the state. More recently, the South end has seen the same pattern. In 1860, San Diego Lodge No. 35, Los Angeles No. 42 and Lexington No. 104 were the only Lodges in the Southern half of the state. That was in 1855. Today nearly forty-five percent of California Lodges are south of Tehachapi. In the County of San Diego, at the southern end of the state, there are currently 29 Chartered Lodges.

A fraternity, any fraternity, is whatever its members make it.

Who those members are will play a large part in making it what it is. Let us look at some California Masons with whom you may – or should – be familiar.

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Grand Lodge Spotlight- California La Loge La Parfaite Union, of San Francisco, commonly called “the French Lodge,” has the honor of being the first non-English-speaking Lodge in California. And, in addition to being a Lodge with great individuality, because of its using the French ritual, it stands out as well as the Lodge whose Master (1898 and 1899) Alexander Kaufman Coney, saved the life of a Brother who later became President of Mexico.

In his early years, Coney went to sea and sailed all over the globe. During these years he became a Mason in Silentia Lodge No. 198, New York City, in 1875. And, during these years as Purser of the vessel City of Havana, while docked in New Orleans, he managed to assist a stranger who came aboard the ship one summer evening. After some conversation, the stranger introduced himself as a Mexican revolutionary leader named Dr. de la Boza. He identified himself as a Mason as well, for whom the Mexican government had offered a large reward. He asked Coney, as a Brother Mason in distress, to conceal him aboard the ship until the vessel reached Vera Cruz.

Coney knew it was against ship rules to take anyone aboard in this manner, but he knew that here was a Master Mason in distress and it was his duty to help him. On the way, the vessel stopped at Tampico where Dr. de la Boza had an extremely narrow escape from being caught, again with Coney’s direct assistance. He finally escaped in the darkness of night when the vessel finally reached Vera Cruz. He continued with his revolutionary efforts, eventually rising to the Presidency of Mexico.

Coney, however, did not know what became of him until several years later while he was on a visit to Mexico City.

While sightseeing in the city one day, he was recognized and brought by several uniformed officers to the Presidential Palace. There he learned, to his amazement, that the Brother whose life he had saved was not a Dr. de la Boza, but General Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico.

Coney turned down a check for ,000 (the amount of the reward that had been offered for General Diaz when Coney had originally assisted him to escape his enemies). Thereafter, he became Diaz’s lifelong friend, and served as Mexican Consul General in St. Nazaire, France; in Paris, and later in San Francisco. He affiliated with La Parfaite Union in 1878.

James W. Robinson, one of the organizers of San Diego Lodge No. 35, born in Ohio, migrated to Texas in 1824. He took up the practice of Law in Nacogdoches, and became very active in State politics. On November 12, 1835, the Texas provisional council elected him Vice President of the Texas Republic. He was later appointed one of the first district judges of Texas. In December 1836, he was captured in the Battle of

San Antonio and was taken to Mexico City as a prisoner of war. He was able to persuade General Santa Ana to free him in order for him to try to arrange an armistice. In 1850, he and his wife moved to San Diego where he built a two-story adobe house in the middle of the intersection of two streets, which he occupied for the remainder of his life.

Hilliard P. Dorsey, the first Master of Los Angeles Lodge No. 42, in 1854, came from Georgia, where he was born in 1821.

During the Mexican War, he served as a Captain of the Mississippi Regiment under Jefferson Davis. He came to California in September 1849. He pioneered in the cultivation of walnuts near San Gabriel. However, he is most remembered for having fought a duel with another Lodge member during his year as Master, even though Grand Lodge had ruled that dueling between Brother Masons would be penalized by expulsion. Nevertheless, the duel took place two weeks later; each suffered a severe wound, and Grand Lodge expelled them both.

Domenico Ghirardelli, the founder of one of California’s oldest business firms, Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Company, was a member of Lodge La Parfaite Union No. 17. He was born in Raphalo, Italy, in 1817, and migrated first to Lima, Peru, where he became close friends with James Lick. In 1849 when news of the California gold discovery reached Peru, Ghirardelli followed Lick to San Francisco. After first trying his luck as a miner, he soon returned to his confectioner’s trade, and opened a “Candy & Syrup Manufactory,” producing only the best French and American candy. Over the years, the business evolved, until it finally focused only on chocolate in its North Beach site in 1895.

Peter Lassen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1800, and in 1830 he came to the United States and worked his way through St. Louis, Missouri, and overland to Oregon City.

From there, he made his way south to San Jose in 1840-41, where he worked as a blacksmith. He moved on to Sutter’s Fort, and in 1844, he became a Mexican citizen and was granted a ranch area in what is now Tehama County. After the Mexican War, he traveled overland to Missouri with Commodore Stockton, and then returned in an immigrant train of twelve wagons with the Reverend Saschal Woods, carrying the Charter of Western Star Lodge No. 98, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. This Lodge was supposed to have been opened on Lassen’s property, in a small settlement he established on Deer Creek. However, it moved to Shasta during the gold rush of 1849-1851, and Lassen became the Charter Junior Warden of Western Star Lodge No. 98 (now No. 2). He was killed somewhat mysW teriously in 1859 while prospecting for gold in the Honey Lake region of what is now Lassen County.

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Old Tyler Talks

“Inner Meaning�

by Carl H. Claudy

It must have a deeper inner meaning than just the ceremony. It can't be just a repetition of what may or may not have been a historical fact!"

The Old Tiler puffed at his cigar. "I think the third degree of Freemasonry is one of the most beautiful of the symbols which mankind has ever erected, to teach himself what he already knows, to teach others what they must know. Its immediate and obvious lessons are fidelity to trust, fortitude in face of danger, the fact that the good a man does lives after him, the inevitability of justice. But there are other teachings-immortality, for instance."

"I can see that the Master degree teaches immortality," responded the New Mason, eagerly, "and that the drama can be interpreted as one of resurrection.

Indeed, the ritual so explains part of it."

D

oes the third degree of Masonry mean something else than what it says?" The New Mason sat beside the bearer of the sword in the anteroom and offered his cigar case.

"What does it say?" inquired the Old Tiler, extracting a cigar and lighting it.

"Why, you know what it says I Fancy asking me that!

Any one would think you never saw one!"

"Oh, I have seen many a third degree," answered the Old Tiler. "So have a lot of other men. But the third degree seems to say something different to each man who receives it, and to all who see it. So before I answer as to whether it means something different to what it says, I will have to know what it says to you, won't P" "But that's just the point! I don't know what it means to me!" cried the New Mason. "It's all so new and strange.

"There is an inner meaning to the teaching of immortality," continued the Old Tiler. "Have you a piece of string with only one end?"

"What? There isn't any such thing! It either has no ends, if it is in a circle, or two ends."

The Old Tiler looked his questioner in the eye. "Immortality can't have one end only, either! Anything that is to continue to live forever must always have lived. If it had a finite beginning, it must have a finite end I" "Do you mean that Freemasonry teaches the theory of reincarnation-that we have all lived before, and will again?" demanded the New Brother, aghast. "I am no Buddhist!"

"I don't mean anything of the kind!" explained the Old

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Old Tyler Talks Tiler. "The Buddhist theory of reincarnation is only one way of using the idea of immortality which has neither beginning nor ending. Surely it is possible to believe that the immortal part of us, which must have come from God, his always lived, without thinking that it has lived in the body of some other man, or in an animal, as the animists believe. But I do not see how anyone who believes in endless life, can also believe that our souls began when our bodies were born.

"If I am to be immortal in the future, and have a soul which has been immortal in the past, I must have an immortal soul now. I am just as much in immortality and eternity at the present moment as 1 will be when my body is in the brow of a hill, and the brethren have invested my mortal remains with a lambskin apron and a sprig of acacia has been dropped upon my lifeless form.

"So that I must hunt farther than a mere teaching of immortality to extract the inner meaning of the third degree. I do not need a Master Mason degree to teach me the common sense of a piece of string which has only one end!

in my own house-my 'temple not made with hands.' It teaches me how to subdue my passions-my selfish and inconsiderate self-and to allow my better self, my Master Builder self, to rise from wherever my 'brow of a hill' is, in which the ruffians of selfishness, meanness, dishonesty have buried him, to shine eternal as the stars, within me."

The Old Tiler paused. The New Mason broke his spell to ask, "Old Tiler, did you ever study to be a preacher?"

"I don't know enough!" he answered laughing. "What put such an idea in your head?"

"Maybe you don't know enough to preach," was the slow answer. "But you certainly know enough to teach. When next I see a third degree it will be with new eyes."

"That's nice of you." The Old Tiler was pleased. "My ideas are just thoughts of a common Mason."

"They are the common thoughts of the best Mason!" declared the New Brother.

"All men are, in one sense, haunted houses. The ghosts of their long dead ancestors rise up and walk with them, The good man who does something wrong, the clever man who does something stupid, the stupid man who does something enormously clever, i.3 haunted with the ghosts of those from whose loins he sprang. We are not just one person, but a lot of persons. We have an everyday self, and a better self; a selfish, self-seeking self, and a self-sacrificing, loving self. Sometimes one is in control and sometimes another.

"The third degree is to me not only the teaching of immortality of the soul, but the raising of my better self

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Biography -Masons Sports Grand LodgeinSpot Light

The 10 Most Famous Sports Stars To Take The Oath From Businessinsider.com They aren't as powerful as politicians. They aren't as rich as CEOs. And they aren't as smart as Rhodes Scholars.

But for whatever reason, athletes are consistently members of the world's most elite secret societies.

The oldest and most famous of those societies — Freemasonry — is no exception.

For over 100 years, America's athletes have been active masons. They play a variety of sports and come from a variety of backgrounds, but they all took the secret oath.

Shaquille O’Neal, basketball Made a Mason on sight by M:.W:. Grand Master Frederick B. Summer of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts F&AM.

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Biography -Masons in Sports Scottie Pippin, basketball Scottie Pippen, standout NBA player for the Chicago Bulls and instrumental in that team winning six world championships had a distinguished professional and college basketball career. He is also one of the most well-known contemporary Prince Hall Freemasons.

As one might expect, conspiracy theorists have had a field day with the fact that Pippen wore the number 33 throughout his career, overlooking the fact that he wore that number long before he was a Freemason. (quote from oneminutemason.com)

John Elway, football Member of South Denver Lodge #93, in Denver.

Red Auerbach, basketball coach

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Biography -Masons in Sports

Arnold Palmer, golf 33째 Mason Scottsih Rite. Raised in Loyalhanna Lodge No. 275, Latrobe, in 1958.

Sugar Ray Robinson, boxing Belonged to Joppa Lodge #55 NY PHA.

Jack Dempsey, boxing Kenwood Lodge No.800 Chicago, IL

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Biography -Masons in Sports

T

y Cobb, baseball Royston Lodge No.426 Detroit, MI

Honus Wagner, baseball Centennial Lodge No. 544, Carnegie, Pennsylvinia

James Naismith, basketball inventor

Initiated: 1894 Roswell Lee Lodge, Springfield, Ma Affiliated Worshipful Master : 1927-1928 Lawrence Lodge No. 6, Kansas www.twtmag.com

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Featured Writer “The Ashlar Unfolded” - Bro. John Nagy

“THE ASHLAR UNFOLDED”

By Bro. John Nagy

Above all, stone is. It always remains itself, and exists of itself; … Rock shows him [mankind] something that transcends the precariousness of his humanity; an absolute mode of being. Its strength, its motionlessness, its size and its strange outlines are none of them human; they indicate the presence of something that fascinates, terrifies, attracts and threatens, all at once. In its grandeur, its hardness, its shape and its colour, man is faced with a reality and a force that belong to some world other than the profane world of which he is himself a part.

(Mircea Eliade, Patterns in comparative religion, chap. 6) If you’ve heard the word “Ashlar” used in Freemasonry, it’s because Masons work in Stone and Stone Work is a dominant Theme. The Words “Stone” and “Ashlar” are literal in their reference but figurative in any application in Masonic Work. The Stone that any Mason works is the Stone of a Mason’s Self. Worked Stone, as in “a Stone that is dressed in some fashion,” is called “Ashlar.” To understand more fully the reasons why the word “Stone” and “Ashlar” are used in Masonry though one must look into some of the history behind their references.

The use of the word “Stone” specifically derives from the understanding that Human Beings are a mix of both Spirit and Flesh. Reading this, one might at once raise a voice in protest by saying, “What do these have to do with Stone, which is neither Spirit nor Flesh?”

The reasons may not be clear or obvious at first glance until further connections are uncovered. Let’s explore these connections further.

The spiritual aspect of our Being, is classically referred to as “The Father/Source”; the physical aspect of our Being, is classically referred to as “The Son.” When these two aspects are put forth using Hebrew words, “Father” is written as “AB” and it means “the Strength of the House”; “Son” is written as “BN” and it means “To Continue the House.”

Stone plays into this in a specific manner. By melding the Hebrew words for Father and Son or AB-BN, the Hebrew word for Stone “ABN” is created. When this word is used as a verb, ABN means, “Build”; when it is used as a noun, it means “Stone.” In that melding of the Spirit and Flesh, called humankind, “BuiltStone” is created. Above all, Masonry is the Craft of Working with this Built-Stone.

If you take a good look at the majority of Stone that exists in our world today, and all that has ever existed, you can easily see that most of it is locked up in earth.

Further survey tells you immediately that most Stone is created “captured” by the surrounding aggregate and it is not free to do anything other than merely exist in that bound up state.

Some of this Stone though is released from the ground, which once held it firmly. This freed up Stone is just that, merely “freed up” and hence is quite appropriately called “Freestone.” Freestone is not Ashlar though. To become Ashlar, Freestone must be Worked or Dressed in some manner or form. Until it is, it is merely free.

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Featured Writer AshlarMap” Unfolded” “The“The Masonic DVD - Bro. John Nagy After it is released from the ground and freed from the binds that held it in place, only Freestone with good Character may be selected for the Builder’s use.

Initially, Freestone that is Worked and roughly squared at the quarry is referred to as “Bastard Ashlar.” It has yet to be moved for use. It is however, further examined at this point to determine if it has the qualities that would be useful to the Builder. If it has detrimental flaws, character traits that show it to be missing elements that would cause failure should it be further Worked and then United with other Stones, the Builder will reject it.

If it shows itself to be without these flaws and has good prospects for becoming a Perfect Ashlar, then the Builder may choose to remove it from the quarry for use.

Once an Ashlar is claimed and moved from the quarry for use though, this dressed Stone is referred to “Rough Ashlar.” It is called such because it was chosen for the Builder’s use but it has yet to be shaped and finished.

Rough Ashlar is Stone in an untutored, unpolished and unrefined state. Rough Ashlars are the state in which Future Masons arrive at and enter into Masonry. Candidates, in the Rough Ashlar state, have already been properly characterized as individuals whom are of high regard, well vouched for, of legal age, and a host of other considerations, depending on the Masonic Order of choice.

With entry into a Masonic Order, the Rough Ashlar, now Entered Apprentice, is introduced to a variety of Working tools during the Entered Apprentice Degree that are designed to help him in his further Stone Work.

Since the Work to be done is to one’s own Stone, it’s up to the Entered Apprentice to learn how to use the Tools of the Craft well. For this to occur, other Stones called “Fellow Craft Masons” and “Master Masons” are available to assist in the Entered Apprentice’s Stone Work.

As Rough Ashlar is Worked and is hammer-dressed, it is called a “Common-Ashlar.” As Masonic Work proceeds on the Stone that is the Rough Ashlar or Entered Apprentice, it is eventually crafted into a “Perfect Ashlar.”

Please note that the use of the word “perfect,” and all the Masonic variations in its use when referring to Ashlars, does not denote “flawlessness.” This assumption that “flawlessness” means “perfection” is a dangerous one that will lead the best of intended Masons down a road of never being of any great use to the Builder. Masons believing that they are Working toward flawlessness are misguided. They operate with a false belief. When Freestone is selected by the Builder for Work to be done upon it, it is selected because it is already seen to be without flaws that would prevent it from being used.

Let’s stress these last points once again: Perfection in working Ashlar refers to the “maturing” and bringing it to the state in which it has use for the Builder. In other words, the Perfect Ashlar shows no flaw that would prevent it from being used before it is Perfected and is called “Perfect” only when it has reached a point when it has use to the Builder.

There are also differences in the meaning of “Ashlar” when it comes to Masonry and actual stone working. In Masonry, useful Stones are considered “Perfect Ashlars”; these Stones have all six faces cut at right angles so they can be joined smoothly to other Perfect Ashlars. In actual stone working practice though, useful stones are considered “ashlars”; these stones are cut square only on the sides intended to adjoin to other ashlars, no matter whether non-adjoining faces are dressed or not.

To assist a Mason in transforming toward usefulness, more tools are introduced to the Entered Apprentice during the Fellow Craft Degree. Once this Degree concludes, the Entered Apprentice is then a Fellow Craft Mason and is expected to Prefect the Rough Ashlar with those Working Tools. To do this Work though, it is important for the Fellow Craft to understand that, just in the case of the Entered Apprentice Stone Work, nothing is added to the Stone being Worked. A Worked Stone is only to have things removed that are not conducive to a Perfected state.

With skilled use of the given Masonic Working Tools, the Stone is thus transformed from its Rough state to its Perfect state. Only after “what is not needed” has been removed does the Worked Stone become useful to the Builder. This Perfected Stone, now called the “Perfect

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Featured Writer “The Ashlar Unfolded” - Bro. John Nagy Ashlar,” is a Stone suitable for use in the Building of a “house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Stone in this state is well educated, polished and refined.

The Masonic Work on the Stone itself is complete.

Yet, it is also premature to believe that all Masonic Work is completed at this stage. It has not. While one might conclude that the Masonic Work on one’s Stone ends after Perfecting the Ashlar, this conclusion is misleading.

There is further Work to be done and this Work requires other Perfect Ashlars to commence. More specifically, Perfect Ashlars that have been Raise and Cemented into one unified Structure must be involved. These are the Stones called “Master Masons.” Master Masons are those Perfect Ashlars whose Stone Work continues with the unified efforts of other Perfect Ashlars. Exploring a little background on this reveals how this occurs.

In Ancient Masonic Ritual, there is mention of a special Stone called the “Perpend Ashlar” or “Bond Stone.” It’s a Building term used by Stonemasons to describe Perfect Ashlars used to connect the Inner and Outer layers of walls that create Buildings. Stone walls are usually built with two layers of Perfect Ashlar, an inner and an outer, and may or may not have rubble sandwiched between them. Either way, these two walls require connecter Stones to stabilize the Structure thus Built. Perpend Stones are those Stones whose lengths allow them to extend from the outside of the outer wall to the inside of the inner wall thus showing their smooth faces on the construct’s inner and outer surfaces. All the Stones used in the construct are Raised into position, properly aligned and placed.

Once placed, these Stones are then joined together as one unified interlocking mass. Unification is done using Cement (a.k.a. “Brotherly Love”), spread with yet another working tool, to allow these unified structures to be created. The amount of Cement required is directly proportional to the roughness of the finish. Rougher finishes require the most amount of Cement; smoother finishes require far less Cement to unify a Structure. The former does not allow for the closeness that the latter does by default.

Whether used as a Perpend or Perfect Ashlar in any construct, both Stone types use all the tools of the Craft to assure that what is Built has Integrity. A single Stone lacking Integrity jeopardizes anything that is Built.

When Perfect Ashlars are Raised into position, placed in proper alignment with others and cemented together with others, they create Buildings that enable all to contribute best to each other’s welfare.

-------------From the ground comes the Stone, freed from that which binds and prevents its perfection and contribution. Thus selected, Stone is crafted, eventually matured and bound in Brotherly love to contribute to the welfare of all.

-------------Perpend: To consider carefully; to ponder; to be attentive; to reflect.

Questions to Perpend: 1) What brings a Stone from the ground?

2) For what purpose is a Stone removed from the ground?

3) Who is the Builder?

4) What is the Builder’s use?

5) What is the difference between the “Perpend” and “Perfect” Ashlars?

Visit http://buildinghiram.blogspot.com/ for more information on how to order Bro. Nagy’s books

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     



      

    

  

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Word of the Month - Ruffians

Masonic Symbolism & Words Brought to you by Www.masonicdictionary.com This Month’s Word is

“Keystone” The stone placed in the center of an arch which preserves the others in their places, and secures firmness and stability to the arch. As it was formerly the custom of Operative Masons to place a peculiar mark on each stone of a building to designate the workman by whom it had been adjusted, so the Keystone was most likely to receive the most prominent mark, that of the Superintendent of the structure. Such is related to have occurred to that Keystone which plays so important a part in the legend of the Royal Arch Degree.

The objection has sometimes been made, that the arch was unknown in the time of Solomon. But this objection has been completely laid at rest by the researches of antiquaries and travelers within a few years past. Wilkinson discovered arches with regular keystones in the doorways of the tombs of Thebes the construction of which he traced to the year 1540 B.C., or 460 years before the building of the Temple of Solomon. And Doctor Clark asserts that the Cyclopean gallery of Tiryns exhibits lancetshaped arches almost as old as the time of Abraham. In fact, in the Solomonic era, the construction of the arch must have been known to the Dionysian Artificers, of whom, it is a freely received theory; many were present at the building of the Temple.

- Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

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Featured Writer

Bro. Matt Johnson - “Ne Plus Ultra”

“Ne Plus Ultra” Many a Master Mason often wonders if he

should go on to pursue more degrees. Many systems will claim to be the “ne plus ultra” or highest in Freemasonry. A Master Mason is not truly a Master Mason unless he does the degrees of that particular rite or so he is told.

At the same time, the new Master Mason is adamantly told that there is no degree higher than that of Master Mason. It is one of the ancient landmarks.

However, he is also told by many brothers the exact opposite. It is all a bit confusing. A brother is told he doesn’t really have the whole story until he joins the Royal Arch or the Scottish Rite. A Christian Mason is told he should join the Knights Templar. While he is told by the Grand Lodge there is nothing higher than

the beginning of modern science. It included things we would not consider scientific, such as alchemy and searching for hidden messages in the Bible. But it was serious stuff and these men looked to the Freemasons for information. They joined, not to learn stonemasonry, but to learn the rituals. They most likely didn’t find what they were looking for. So they made it what they were looking for. They imbued it with Enlightenment principles, alchemy and lessons based on a mystical view of the Bible. It became a breeding ground for democracy, tolerance and free thinking.

English Freemasons formed the first Grand Lodge in 1717. They took mostly Scottish content, some new ideas and transformed Freemasonry into three degrees. The third degree was the Master Mason’s degree. Any man of any religion could join and was treated as an equal. This was radical stuff. It helped to spawn the United States of America. Each new Master Mason was left with a cliff hanger of a sto-

Many a Master Mason often wonders if he should go on to pursue more degrees”

“

the third degree, he is told the exact opposite by the York and Scottish Rites. How did this confusion all get started?

It started almost from the beginning. Freemasonry used to be real masonry a long, long, LONG time ago. All those beautiful cathedrals and castles in Europe are pretty amazing. The men who built them were Freemasons. They had an entire educational system they jealously protected from outsiders with initiation rituals, passwords and secret handshakes.

They had two degrees: Entered Apprentice and Fellowcraft. They gathered in lodges adjacent to whatever they were working on. Each lodge had a Master or Master Mason.

As time wore on, these large building projects went out of fashion. Meanwhile, men of learning were trying to “think God’s thoughts after Him”. This was

ry. This was meant to spur him on to a life of searching for truth which was never meant to end. It was an allegory for the search for truth that no man finishes until he leaves this world for the next. The answer was to be different for each man. There was no one answer.

Some men just did not get that and wanted more. They didn’t find it to be what they were looking for. So they MADE it into what they were looking for.

In what seems to be an attempt to sell Freemasonry to the French, a Scotsman named Ramsay gave a famous oration claiming Freemasons were really descended from knights. Pedigree was everything back then and being descended from stonemasons was not very exciting. But knights, well, that was something special!

The French ate it up. They not only joined Freemasonry, they invented new degrees. They wrote a sequel to that pesky cliffhanger and called this new degree the “Royal Arch”. This degree spread all across the Mason-

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Featured Writer

Bro. Matt Johnson - “Ne Plus Ultra”

ic world in short order. The Grand Lodge of England was completely irritated and refused to acknowledge the Royal Arch degree. After all, they knew it was not part of the original plan…they were the ones that came up with it! Still, this sequel was emotionally satisfying and just felt right to a lot of Masons.

This caused such a split among English Masons that was not resolved until 1813 and the Royal Arch was made the “ne plus ultra” of English Masonry. This was peculiar only to England until 2004 when they finally joined the rest of the Masonic world in recognizing (as they did originally) that there is nothing higher than the third degree.

The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, according to Albert Pike, was “worthless trash” (his words not mine) when he found it and taught nothing of consequence as far as he was concerned.

He did not find in it what he was looking for much like his hero Eliphas Levi, the famed magician and Kabbalist. Eliphas Levi did not linger long in Freemasonry.

He went and wrote his own books based mostly on his opinions and his study of Kabbalah. His generation was searching for mysticism and magic and the founders of Freemasonry were men of science and the Enlightenment. He was as disappointed with the three degrees as Albert Pike was with the Scottish Rite. Albert Pike, however, decided to take the opportunity to transform the Scottish Rite into what he wanted it to be. Being a man of immense learning and intelligence, he made the Scottish Rite into something above and beyond what anyone could have imagined.

Albert Pike plummed the religions of the world and a healthy dose of the work of Eliphas Levi and made the Scottish Rite what he was looking for.

Now, Freemasons who were looking for such mystical things and not finding them in the three degrees had a place to go: the Scottish Rite. It certainly is a very interesting and stimulating degree system and for the Freemason who wants that sort of thing, it delivers in spades just as the Knights Templar and

Swedish Rite deliver in spades for the Freemason looking for a connection to Christian Knighthood.

This is not to say there is no mystical element to the three degrees of Freemasonry. Albert Pike simply saw things that were either not there (my opinion) or that no one had ever seen before. There is mysticism in Freemasonry in that it acknowledges the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man and the immortality of the human soul. Such things are mystical and are explored even today with the study of Intelligent Design, quantum physics and near death experiences. But not to the extremes of Eliphas Levi or Albert Pike (my opinion).

In the original plan, the Master Mason degree is the highest degree in Freemasonry. It is the complete and original system.

It is mystical and yet also very practical. It is veiled in allegory, but not THAT veiled. This is my opinion and I think it was the opinion of the original Grand Lodge…the same guys who invented the third degree and who were subsequently horrified at the Royal Arch and all other French creations.

The great thing about Freemasonry is that it is all things to all men. While the Grand Lodge rightfully protects the third degree as the highest degree in Freemasonry, it allows its members to find fulfillment in the other rites. Some Freemasons come to Freemasonry looking for Christian knighthood and the Knights Templar delivers. They get the lessons of the lodge and the title of knight.

Why not?

Some brothers are looking for knighthood, but may or may not be Christian. They want the mystical, magical stuff. They want the titles and esoterica. They are not the first brothers of that persuasion and will certainly not be the last. These mystical brothers should light a candle every year on Albert

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Featured Writer

Bro. Matt Johnson - “Ne Plus Ultra”

Pike’s birthday because such a form of Freemasonry would not exist without him. His contribution to that form of Freemasonry cannot be overestimated.

Most Freemasons stay in the Blue or Craft Lodge. They realize the answer to the cliffhanger is different for every man. For some, it is the Royal Arch or the Knights Templar. For others, it is the Scottish Rite. For guys like me, it is in staying in the Lodge only, according to the original plan and studying the lessons laid down since the beginning. I want the three degrees of Freemasonry that changed the world through men like Benjamin Franklin or inspired Craft Masons like Rudyard Kipling to write "The Man Who Would Be King". That was the Freemasonry of the Founding Fathers. It was the three degrees. To me, it is veiled in allegory, but not THAT veiled. A certain tool, for example, is an allegory for being balanced with my time. That’s all. I don’t think I have been given false explanations as a purposeful deception by adepts out there who are ruling the world. That comes from the imagination of Albert Pike. I am pretty sure, based on my study of history, that the Grand Lodge educational materials were not meant to deceive me. If they were, I guess I am ok with the deception. It’s great stuff and has made me a better person. And I would be quite pleased to find out my brothers in the Scottish Rite are actually running the world. We could only be so lucky.

I think if they really were, the world would be a much better place.

I do see the mysticism in the three degrees in that behind every religion is a certain amount of commonality that all men can at least agree on: a Supreme Being is out there who made everything, who wants us to follow the Golden Rule and has given us all eternal souls. I see this as being a scientific reality (read up on near death experiences) and not religious. It’s just a fact. It answers the big questions without intruding on my religious opinions. It is also pretty mystical if you ask me and all I really need. I think the debate over our origins provides a lot of interesting mystery and discussion. I go back and forth over whether there is a connection to Egypt, Druids, Templars, all of the above or none of the above. I also know there is something mystical that happens when a man becomes a

Freemason. It is the same thing as a marriage or being knighted. Like becoming a Jedi. I could meet a Freemason for the first time and instantly feel a kinship, a bond. That is the mystic tie of brotherhood an outsider will never understand.

It must be said, as brother Albert Mackey once taught, that a Mason who reads is far beyond any Mason with a ton of degrees (my paraphrase). Our heritage as Masons is to be men of intelligence and learning. As Freemasons in the internet age, we have access to EVERYTHING. Albert Pike would have LOVED to live in our time and most likely would be running a very cool blog. We have access to all the classics, all religious texts and the books of Hodapp, Morris, Hammer, Cooper, De Hoyos, Harrison, Robinson and many others. We are blessed with MUCH light to partake of.

So what is the “Ne Plus Ultra”? That is something only you as a Master Mason can answer. It is whatever degree you attain where you feel you are complete. For me, it was the day I was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. Even more so when I completed my proficiency. The original plan, hands down, is the Master Mason degree. This is an ancient landmark defended by all regular Grand Lodges all over the world (even England now). However, if you came to Freemasonry looking for what the other systems offer, then those are the “ne plus ultra” for you. Only you can answer that question. No matter what degree that is for you, you still come to the lesson of the third degree which is that the answer to the cliffhanger is whatever you decide. It’s different for us all and each path is valid. I will tell you to stay in the Lodge and study ritual while another man will tell you to sign up for the York or Scottish Rite. Only you know the answer to that question. Freemasonry has a path for every taste and all kinds of brothers.

We should support our brothers with whatever path they choose and not be divisive. Even the brother who rarely shows up, but faithfully pays his dues to keep the lights on is a blessing to the Craft in my opinion.

So mote it be.

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Brother In TheSubmitted News

Latest Freemason Conspiracy: Recruiting Younger Bros Ancient Order Resorts to Facebook, Coed Paintball and Ghost Stories

By BARRY NEWMAN

built in 1910.

ST. PAUL, Minn.—No self-respecting secret society can get by without a Facebook fan page anymore.

Mr. Gallagher is 32 years old and between jobs. He was initiated by Braden in 2009, rose to Master Mason and now is lodge education officer.

That's transparently true of the Freemasons, renowned for their medieval blood oaths, their often-alleged plot to create a New World Order, their locked-door conclaves of U.S. presidents and power brokers and their boring pancake breakfasts.

It's a post that didn't exist for 290 years after Masonry came out of its historical shadows, in 1717, as a London club for enlightened gentlemen. Mr. Gallagher's Masonic tag, if his digital function had one, might be Worshipful Webmaster.

A menagerie of 19th-century civic and social brotherhoods, and their attendant sisterhoods, lives on around the globe: the Elks, the Moose, the Lions, the Odd Fellows. Freemasonry is the oldest of all, still the biggest, and—in the public mind—about as penetrable as the mythic crypt beneath the ninth vault of Solomon's Temple.

"I started a blog, Facebook, Flickr," he said, descending a narrow stairway to a faded meeting room with its old pool tables and portrait of brother George Washington. "I want video essays on our site," he added.

"People need to know what they're getting into."

Once, a petitioner for Masonic membership didn't know what he was getting into until he had a hood over his head, a rope around his neck and was swearing never to reveal the secret handshake. The handshake is still secret, but now there are so many hints and giveaways about Masonry's hocus-pocus on the Web, television and in the movies that lodges tell petitioners not to peek or they'll spoil the fun.

Reed Endersbe and Zulu at a Minneapolis officer installation last year.

Secrecy gives Masonry its mystique.

Yet the Masons have lately realized that they'd be lost in oblivion if it weren't for the Web. "I looked for pictures," Matt Gallagher was saying of his Internet search for a Masonic lodge worth joining. "I really wanted to avoid a bunch of 80-year-olds."

It was Thursday evening, almost time for fellowship night at the "very young" lodge he finally did join: Braden No. 168, housed on a shady street in a columned temple the Masons

The order's main manual used to be "Duncan's Ritual," published in 1866. Today it's "Freemasons for Dummies" by Christopher Hodapp, published in 2005. "We've got an explosion of openness," said Mr. Hodapp. "And it started—face it— in a panic over membership."

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In The News

A generation of joiners, home from war, boosted Masonic rolls in America to four million by 1959.

But in the 1960s, hippies were turned off by establishment mysticism.

When the sons of hippies asked about Masonry's secrets, their boomer dads didn't have a clue. By the mid-2000s, fewer than two million members remained.

Faced with a choice between going extinct and going public, the Masons went public. The order has no central authority, but Grand Lodges in several states put up billboards, ran TV commercials and staged mass rituals, initiating hundreds of men at a time.

Mr. Hodapp calls all that "a travesty." Many initiates never showed up. Many that did, he wrote in an internal paper, found "a desperate group of aging members" and "endless meetings about bill-paying, bad food, and who is going to iron the degree uniforms."

But some of those young apprentices stayed on. Though total membership is down to 1.4 million, losses to death and dullness have eased to 30,000 a year from 80,000. The hook may have less to do with Masonry itself than with pop culture's fascination with it.

Masonic myths often play the lead on the History Channel, in movies like "National Treasure" and in Dan Brown's best sellers, especially his Masonry-laced 2009 novel "The Lost Symbol."

"That book—it was a real catalyst for us," Reed Endersbe said one day at his red-stone temple in Minneapolis. He is 40, program director at a rock station and master of Lodge No. 19, where "a lot of us like that bond with the movers and shakers of the globe."

His lodge has 60 active members, 300 in all, and is adding more, most between 21 and 35. Nobody invites them; they just hit the Web site's "contact us" button. Each pays $450 for a ceremonial degree (tux required), dues of $300 a year, plus extra for coed paintball fights, cigar-rolling shows and Scotch tastings.

"The sacred order of the Scotch nights," cracked No. 19's 26-year-old senior warden, Adam Martin, as he and some brothers walked to a pizza place down the street. Mr. Endersbe pushed up a sleeve to exhibit his own devotion to Scotch knights: a Templar Cross tattoo.

The warrior monks of the Knights Templar probably didn't hide as stoneworkers after the pope excommunicated them in 1307; Mr. Endersbe has fun thinking they did.

Then again, his lodge does get petitions from "head cases," as he puts it, eager to enlist in the Masonic-Satanic conspiracy that's so well detailed now on the Web. "They usually take out a $1 bill," he says, "and connect the letters in the all-seeing eye to spell 'A Mason.' " Conspiracists will argue that only the inner-inner circles know what the order is truly up to. But when Matt Gallagher joined Braden Lodge, over in St. Paul, he did it for three reasons: "I wanted to become a better person, I like retro stuff, and I'm a big believer in guys hanging out and talking with other guys."

Down in Braden's meeting room on fellowship night, a dozen guys had pushed three tables together and were passing a coffee pot. Seven were under 36. They were trying something new: a philosophical discourse. The theme was, "Where do morals come from?"

"If your best friend commits treason, do you turn him in?" someone asked. A discussion followed. Someone else asked: "If Hitler walks in front of your car, do you hit the gas?" More discussion.

Brian Silverain, a laid-off teacher with a tie-dye shop, asked Mr. Gallagher at one point: "Do you like who you are?" Mr. Gallagher replied: "I don't know who I am, and I don't like that."

Cellphones started to ring after two hours—wives wondering where husbands were. "Well, I guess we kicked that morality dog around enough," said Harvie Holmes, who is 52 and sells insurance.

The crowd thinned. After midnight, talk turned to ghosts, then moved on to lutefisk recipes. Potato chips were retrieved from the kitchen. At 1:15, three of the guys were still left in the temple of their ancient and mystic order, still hanging out, still talking.

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In The News

“Unmasking the Freemasons”

By Patrick Mathangani http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/politics/InsidePage. php?id=2000044611&cid=658

The Bible is never read during these ceremonies, says our guide, who is a freemason and a member of the Nairobi lodge.

Hanging stencil

To many people, the Nairobi freemason’s hall along Nyerere Road is a byword for evil.

“We use it to moralise,” he says. However, it is used when new members take oaths.

The white building, which is partly hidden by trees, is discussed in hushed tones as conspiracy theories fly over what actually happens inside.

Inside this hall, members conduct ancient ritual dramas, which are a source of awe and mystery.

It is seen as an underworld cult with strange practices, whose members are sworn to secrecy.

In the room where ceremonies are conducted, a stencil of letter G hangs conspicuously from the ceiling, where it is fastened on metal chains.

The movement is shrouded in secrecy and was indeed subject of an investigation by a presidential commission in the 1990s to probe claims of devil worship.

To a lot of people, the letter stands for The Great Architect of the Universe, the Supreme Being allegedly recognised by freemasons.

However, The Underworld was able to access the hall and got an interview with VK Talwar, the district grand master for East Africa.

Talwar, however, strongly disputes those claims. He says it simply stands for geometry, a crucial aspect of practicing masons.

Inside the hall, a big volume of the Bible lay on a table in front of the seat reserved for the freemason’s district grand master.

A compass and square are also important tools for masons.

Atop the Bible lay a compass and a square, which were so arranged to form Masonic symbols.

Known to freemasons as the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Bible is always present in the room where members conduct their ceremonies.

It is here in this room that new members are taken through several “initiation” ceremonies, and Masonic beliefs are imparted.

He says no form of worship ever goes on in the halls.

To become a member, one must believe in a supreme being, he says.

Since members profess different religions, there is no single supreme being recognised by freemasons.

“Whatever it is you believe in is not our concern, we don’t interfere with that. All somebody has to say is that he’s not an atheist. If you are an atheist, you can’t become a freemason,” says Talwar.

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In The News

“Any other religion you believe in, whatever is your form of belief, it’s your choice. We believe that if you believe in a creator, you’ll have respect for each other. And because we allow people from different religions to join, you’ll learn to respect each other’s religion, to be tolerant toward each other,” he adds.

“Well, the church had a role to play, because at one time, the church regarded Freemasonry as competitors. And we explained that position to the church, that we’re not a religion. But it’s up to them, whether they accept that standard we have,” he notes.

Symbolism

He adds: “If you tell someone that we did not do this, and they do not want to believe you, what do you do?”

Symbolism takes a central role in freemasonry.

For a long time, the church has battled freemasons.

Opposite the seat reserved for the district grand master is another whose occupant during ceremonies symbolises the “aspect of the universe”.

In Kenya, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa leaders have condemned it and urged Christians to stay away.

On the table is a miniature pulley. Beside it is a long metallic rod with the symbol of dove at the top.

Six years ago, the church carried advertisements saying freemasonry is not compatible with Christianity.

“Freemasons worship a god called Jabuloni. The god is There is yet another seat on one end, which, according to also referred to as GAOTU, which at times is representour guide, symbolises “the aspect of the earth”. ed by the symbol capital G,” the church said in a statement signed by the then moderator David Githii and All these items are used for “moralising,” as morals are secretary general Samuel Muriguh. also highly regarded among freemasons. To become a member, one must be of high moral standards.

The pulley, he explains, stands for the empowering role of education or knowledge.

He says no rituals take place in the halls. However, participants may sing songs, which are however, not religious.

Talwar says freemasonry is not a religion and it is not involved in any form of worship. He says it is not involved in “devil worship” and cites that the presidential commission did not find any evidence against it.

Religious rivalry However, the commission, which was headed by the late Catholic archbishop Nichodemus Kirima, recommended more investigations.

Talwar notes that most of the rumours about the organisation were started by the church, which viewed it as a rival.

Dr VK Talwar, Freemason’s District Grand Master for East Africa.

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In The News

“Masonic Hall lives by light of moon” http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com CLINTON — Warren Lodge No. 32, chartered in 1807 in Millerton as part of the Freemason organization, relocated to Pine Plains in 1860 and made its final move to the hamlet of Schultzville in 1864, when the will of Theodore Schultz, for whom the hamlet was named, left property along with $2,000 to construct a Masonic Hall.

Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization that began in the late 16th century and boasts nearly 2 million members in the United States.

The Schultzville lodge, on Centre Road, was named for Gen. Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War hero killed during the Battle of Bunker Hill. In addition to being a physician, Warren was a delegate to the Massachusetts Congress and was elected its president in 1775.

In 1769, Warren was appointed Grand Master of Masons in Boston.

The two-story, wood-frame Italianate-style building in Schultzville boasts a hexagonal cupola in the center of its roof. A one-story addition was made to the rear of the building in the early 1900s, and the structure's first level was used for social events while its second floor was reserved for lodge meetings.

"The curved ceiling in the lodge room was built by the shipwright that was employed by Theodore Schultz," Warren Lodge Master James Urbom said. "It's a magnificent ceiling and runs the entire length and width of the second floor."

In 2007, when Warren Lodge celebrated its bicentennial, it was the last lodge in New York to retain the status of a "Full Moon Lodge."

"This lodge was formed by the farmers in the area," Urbom said. "They all came by horse and wagon, and the meetings were held under lantern light. They needed the full moon out to enable them to stay on the roads during their journey home."

To support that need, Warren Lodge meetings are scheduled according to the full moon cycle rather than by a conventional calendar.

The Masonic Hall was donated to the Town of Clinton Historical Society at one point.

"The lodge had financial difficulties, but part of the agreement when it was turned over was that we could still use the building for our meetings," Urbom said.

"In September, the Historical Society sold the building to the town for $35,000."

This week, Masonic Hall is being moved intact a halfmile north on Centre Road, adjacent to Town Hall.

"We've had very cramped space in Town Hall," Clinton Supervisor Jeff Burns said. "We decided to relocate two historic buildings — a former one-room schoolhouse and Masonic Hall — to the Town Hall area to expand our office and storage space."

Burns added: "By taking it over, we can also preserve the building and allow the Masons to continue to use it for their functions."

In addition to its Full Moon Lodge status, Warren Lodge No. 32 has the distinction of being the only one in Dutchess County to maintain a continuous charter since its inception. Masonic Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

"Dateline" appears every Wednesday. To suggest a topic, call 845-437-4834. Anthony Musso can be reached at railcommute@aol.com.

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InInThe TheNews News

“Freemasons in Utah” One joins the Freemason fraternity for one of three reasons: to feel part of something, to gain a social network of people or to find out their secrets.

Junior Warden of the Damascus number 10 chapter, Matthew Nelson, joined for what he describes as a healthy combination of the three. In the early 2000s, Nelson became interested in Freemasonry. He looked into it for some time before deciding to join, but in the seven years since his initiation, he has become more involved with the group’s purpose of “making good men better.”

The fraternity, often confused with a religious group, is intended to coexist with and strengthen the faith of its members. In fact, the requirements to become a Mason include belief in a Supreme Being and good moral standing. The only other requirement is that one must be a male over age 18.

As a fraternity, they make no qualms about excluding women, but offshoots like Order of the Eastern Star, Job’s Daughters and DeMolay are specifically for women and younger members.

These other groups, however, are not under the Grand Lodge, the regional entity of officers and members that oversee the local lodges.

The explanation Nelson offers is simple: it’s a fraternity “invented by men and run by men.” One could think of it along the same lines as the priesthood in the LatterDay Saint faith or, in DeMolay, an older version of the Boy Scouts.

Perhaps most well-known for its mysteries, the Freemasons hold ceremonial meetings kept not exactly secret, but private. The physical symbols in the Masonic Temple

such as the compass, square and plumb reflect the fraternity’s beginnings in stonemasonry. Further reflecting their history in stonemasonry, two large stones sit at the foot of the Lodge’s leader, known as “Worshipful Master.”

One, in its rough, freshly quarried state lays at the left side while its smoothed counterpart sits on the right.

According to Nelson, the stones represent the journey of men as they go through their lives, working out imperfections.

Throughout the ceremony, there are specific requirements for moving on the Lodge floor. Officers must carry a staff across the floor, and those without staffs must be escorted by someone who has one. Hierarchy is respected and followed.

“The ceremonies focus a lot on respect,” Nelson said, explaining the seating of wardens, members and the Lodge Master, as well as how members must approach senior members.

This idea – focusing on respect – is a large part of the Freemason fraternity.

They involve themselves in events and charity work and in Nelson’s case, educational lectures about his participation with the fraternity.

People outside the group may be seeing its positive affect; the Provo Damascus number 10 chapter is currently the fastest growing in the state, even more so than the other two chapters that share the Masonic Temple.

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In The News

“The Truth About Free Masons” *WEB EXCLUSIVE* MSU Greek Life answers questions about Free Mason through presentation and guest speaker http://www.themontclarion.org/archives/3739600 - By Michelle Thomas Thanks to Lambda Theta Phi, Sigma Pi and Mu Sigma Upsilon, Richardson 120 transformed into an engaging seminar about Free Masonry. On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Montclair State University had the privilege of hosting the event, “Free Masons — What You Thought You Knew,” for the second year in a row.

President of Lambda Theta Phi and senior at MSU, Ritchie DeLeon, radiated excitement and energy in the minutes before the event began. He shared his enthusiasm about the event and what it meant to him. “We decided to do a Free Masons event because with [other organizations] you know what’s going on, but with the Free Masons you have no idea,” DeLeon said. He continued, “It’s a burning curiosity. Secrecy brings curiosity.”

Before entering the room for the start of the event, DeLeon added one last statement. “We want to bring everything you’ve ever heard [about the Free Masons] together,” he said, widening his arms to emphasize “everything.”

When the event began, DeLeon made clear the three organizations running it, “We are bipartisan. Take the information however you want.” Part of the information given was the fact that, in order to be a Free Mason, one must be a man of legal age, have a good reputation and have a belief in God. DeLeon kept his word, and presented the facts, as well as the rumors, about Free Masonry. One fact verified was part of the initiation ritual to become a Free Mason — among other requirements, one must be blindfolded and have the left leg of his pants rolled up to show a bare ankle, proving he is not an escaped convict. The

organized presentation also allowed for open discussion with the 80 people who attended this year — a 20-person increase from last year. A major message of the evening was for everyone, not just those in attendance, to read to gain knowledge, and not just listen to rumors.

The presentation was successfully informative. It involved several video clips, common questions and answers about the Free Masons, other known “secret societies” and Free Masonry symbolism.

When the presentation ended, an actual member of the Free Masons stepped up to the front of the room to partake in a Q&A. Carlos Mesa — MSU alum, member of Lambda Theta Phi and current police officer — is now a Free Mason.

When asked about the conspiracies that come along with Free Masonry, Mesa said, “People love conspiracies. You have to take it with a grain of salt.” He simplified it further, saying, “People just love to talk about things they don’t understand.”

Mesa made clear that the Free Masons do not discuss religion or politics. He also proudly emphasized the charity work that the Free Masons are responsible for, acknowledging that it was a major reason for his decision to join.

DeLeon was absolutely correct about the power of curiosity. Among those in attendance was Mike Cade, freshman at MSU. When asked what drew him to come, he responded, “It’s just an interesting thing. It’s secret.”

Also there was MSU freshman Dustin Regan. Agreeing with Cade, he added, “The exclusiveness makes it.”

For those who are interested in how to become a Free Mason, Mesa let them know they could begin at FreeMasonry.org.

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In The News

“Secret society manuscript deciphered by scientists� http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10762037&ref=rss Scientists in California and Sweden said they have used computer translation techniques to solve a 250-year-old mystery by deciphering a coded manuscript written for a secret society.

The University of Southern California announced Tuesday that researchers had broken the Copiale Cipher, a 105-page, 18th century document from Germany.

It's a method used by many automated translation programs.

The researchers tried the Roman letters first, comparing them to some 80 languages.

"It took quite a long time and resulted in complete failure," Knight said.

The handwritten, beautifully bound book didn't contain any sort of Da Vinci Code but rather a snapshot of the arcane rituals practiced by one of the many secret societies that flourished in the 1700s.

Eventually, they determined that the abstract symbols, not the unaccented Roman letters, bore the message.

The first words deciphered were German for "ceremonies of initiation" and "secret section."

It also recorded rites for some apparent sects of Freemasonry that showed political leanings.

The initiation rites were for an "ocular society" that used a lot of eye-based symbolism.

"This opens up a window for people who study the history of ideas and the history of secret societies," USC computer scientist Kevin Knight, who was on the deciphering team, said in a statement. "Historians believe that secret societies have had a role in revolutions, but all that is yet to be worked out, and a big part of the reason is because so many documents are enciphered."

For example, a candidate was supposed to look at a blank piece of paper and be asked if he can see writing.

If he answers no, he is given eyeglasses, tries again, and then his eyes are washed with a cloth.

The handwritten Copiale Cipher was discovered in East Berlin after the Cold War and is now in a private collection. Most of the book was written in a cipher of 90 characters that included abstract symbols and Roman and Greek letters.

Knight and Beata Megyesi and Christiane Schaefer of Sweden's Uppsala University went to work cracking it earlier this year. They used a computer program to automate a key code-breaking procedure tallying the frequency and grouping of the letters and symbols then automated the process of comparing the cipher to known languages.

"If nothing helps, he (the master of ceremonies) will announce that they have to proceed with the operation," which consists of plucking a hair from the candidate's eyebrow, according to the text.

Knight is working on cracking other ciphers, including one that San Francisco's Zodiac Killer used in messages to police during his spree; the last section of "Kryptos," a coded sculpture at CIA headquarters, and the Voynich Manuscript, a famous work from the 1400s.

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In The News

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Book of the Month -“Observing the Craft”

“Observing The Craft” One of the most important books today’s Freemason must read. http://observingthecraft.com Reviews by Bros. Cory Sigler and Scott Schwartzberg Cory’s Review: I’ve read many books on the subject of Masonry. There are few that strike a chord within and immediately grab hold of me to the point of an immediate sense of awakening. This book is one of them.

I truly believe that what Bro. Andrew Hammer has written has the capability of creating a revolution in Masonry. It’s that great.

that there is a third kind of Mason, the “Observant” Mason. One can be categorized as Observant when he truly lives and abides by the standards that we have sworn to uphold in our oaths and obligations. We’ve all taken these oaths but I don’t think many live by them.

For years I thought there were two kinds of Freemason. There was “Operative” and “Speculative” Masons. The operative literally worked in stone, built the cathedrals and temples throughout the cities they traveled to. Years later when non stone working men wanted to join the Craft the Speculative mason was created.

Now hundreds of years later Bro. Hammer has taught me

The author writes that there are different reasons that men join Masonry. Some came into it to satisfy their need to better themselves and to be a part of a society fill with rich history and greatness. Some joined only to find fellowship with other men who might have a similar interest or hobbies. This book is not meant to be read by the latter. If you have no desire for self education, to be a leader in your Lodge, to learn what techniques will help you succeed or how you can be the best Freemason you can be; you should not buy or read this book.

“For years I thought there were two kinds of Freemason...

Operative and Speculative. Years later I learned there was a third, the Observant Mason” Continued on next page

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Book of the Month - “Observing The Craft” Book of the Month -“Observing the Craft”

Who then should buy this book? If you are a Freemason who wants to make his mother Lodge an incredible experience for not only yourself but the other brethren as well, who thinks ritual perfection is what separates us from other organizations, and who believes a suit and tie is the only thing you should wear to a meeting.

I thought of myself as an active Mason until I read this book and realized that I could be doing a lot more for the betterment of my mother Lodge and my fellow brethren.

What I’ve read in these 150 pages has completely re-energized my Masonic batteries to focus on what I should to keep the Lodge healthy and successful. Unlike other books that I have in my collection there is no fluff here. It’s right to the point, no excuses or apologies.

The main emphasis is on the Mother Lodge. Bro. Andrew fully endorses that your concentration should remain there and that the appendant bodies has taken much resources away from it. If you are an avid supporter of the Scottish Rite or York Rite you might take some offense to the bluntness that the author has on this topic. I believe he had the right intentions but I think that a person can have enough time for multiple bodies depending upon his stage of life he’s in. A retired gentleman certainly has enough time to do both.

Biography

Andrew is a Past Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge #22 (http://aw22.org) in Virginia, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Masonic Society.

Bro. Scott Schwartzberg’s Review:

Observing the Craft: The Pursuit of Excellence In Masonic Labour and Observance, by W\B\ Andrew Hammer. 2010, Mindhive Books. 161 pages, paperback $19.99 (autographed) at www.mindhivebooks.com. 248 page limited edition hardbound copy available for order now, $36, delivery in December, 2011.

I had heard about Worshipful Brother’s Andrew Hammer’s book before I read it. Hammer is the Past Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, in Alexandria, Virginia.

I knew in advance that this was a book that stressed focusing on the Symbolic Lodge, the Blue Degrees of Freemasonry. I was inclined to be skeptical of the book, because it was obviously written by someone who believed this, because he was not a member of any of the appendant bodies or other Masonic organizations. I was wrong.

W\ Hammer is indeed a Companion of the Royal Arch (York Rite), and a 32° Scottish Rite Mason, as well as belonging to several other organizations under the “Masonic umbrella.”

The major points stressed in this book all focus on one thing – pursuing excellence within the Lodge. This is done through striving for the best we can deliver in Lodge, dressing appropriately, delivering excellent ritual, and spreading Light through education.

W\ Hammer discusses the York Rite (or American Rite, as it is known outside the US). He states that this group of organizations imply that there is a natural progression from the Symbolic Lodge to the Royal Arch, the Cryptic Degrees (in all but Virginia and West Virginia), leading to the Knights Templar.

These Degrees, while presenting moral lessons for life, are not directly related to the Craft, as found in the Lodge. I was surprised to read that Thomas Smith Webb, who wrote and adapted much of what is used in ritual throughout this country, discussed the Orders of Knighthood back in 1812, as composing “no part of

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Book of the Month -“Observing the Craft” the system of Freemasonry.” W\ Hammer also quotes a Past Grand Commander of the Knights Templar for Mississippi, to show how these Degrees are not a part of Masonry itself.

W\ Hammer’s criticism of the Scottish Rite is focused on that system of Degrees as practiced in this country, not that which is done around the world.

Here, the Scottish Rite offers Degrees from the 4° through the 32°, and these Degrees are usually conferred over the course of a weekend. In other countries, the Rite starts with the 1°, and aspirants move slowly through the Degrees, most never rising past the 18°.

Another move that W\ Hammer is against is one that has been used often recently in various states… that of “one day” classes in which a man becomes a Mason in one day. It takes time to make a Mason, and this method does not allow the man to transform himself as needed. As Hammer says, “a man, who ‘hasn’t time’ to make that commitment is a man who, no matter how fine he may otherwise be, is not ready to become a Mason, nor should we want him to.”

Grand Lodges use this method to increase the number of men paying dues within their state, to help fill the coffers which are depleted as men leave the Craft through not paying dues or through death. Hammer does not believe that we need to keep the increased number of members. He cautions that quality is to be valued over quantity. We need dedicated members, not ornate buildings.

W\ Hammer writes about how we have gone out of our way to reassure government and other institutions that we are not out to subvert them, though it seems to have had little effect on that end. This reminded me of the Replacements song “Bastards of Young”, with the line “[t]he ones who love us least are the ones we’ll die to please.”

Dressing appropriately for Lodge can mean completely different things, depending on where you are. I am familiar that in much of the world, Lodge attire is at minimum a dark suit and tie, and possibly gloves. In my Lodge, officers wear either a dark suit/ tie or tuxedo, if there is a Degree or other special event.

I have heard of Lodges where the members attend in

shorts. I do not think I would feel comfortable in such a Lodge. W\ Hammer discusses the historical records we have, written records from the early years of Freemasonry in Virginia (his home state) as well as early photographs and paintings, showing men dressed in finery. He makes the point that as Masons, we should dress reverently, as attending Lodge is (and should be) a sacred occasion, set apart from the profane world.

Regarding excellence in ritual, W\ Hammer reminds us that without ritual, we would be merely just another social club. Ritual is to be performed to the highest level of proficiency that we can attain.

This is not merely for the Brother working on his own portion of the ritual, but is vital for the Candidate for Initiation, and the Brother who is Passed and Raised.

The person going through the Degree is, and should be, the center of focus. We are doing this for him, and each Degree should be conferred on one man only. By having more participants, we dilute the experience for the Brother. I wholeheartedly agree with this perspective, having been one of over 60 Brethren in a one day class. It was years before I felt that I was truly a Mason.

W\ Hammer likens this to a person seen as a number, rather than a person being made a Brother.

This book stresses at the end that we must let those who wish to join our Fraternity know that the Craft is not a mutual benefit society, or a service organization, “but is primarily a philosophical society engaged in the work of internal self-development.”

“Masonic” groups such as the Shriners and the Grotto give enormous sums of money and provide care for disabled and injured children, but the author wants to ensure that the reader is aware these groups are not Masonry. He has nothing against these organizations – quite the opposite, he is quick to praise them, but again… they are not Masonry. Just because they do good work, and were created by and for Masons, they are not Masonry.

Observance of the Craft, in this authors view, is what makes our order unique. Observance is excellence in all things pertaining to the Lodge. Striving for excellence is an ideal for us all.

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Cover- “Lodge Management”

Lodge Management Management NOUN: 1) The act, manner, or practice of managing; handling, supervision, or control: management of a crisis; management of factory workers.

2) The person or persons who control or direct a business or other enterprise.

3) Skill in managing; executive ability.

Lodge NOUN: 1) A local chapter of certain fraternal organizations.

2) The meeting hall of such a chapter.

3) The members of such a chapter.

For the last two years I have had the privilege of participating in the New Jersey Masonic Leadership Conference. The goal for this three day meeting is to invite the future leaders of our organization and get them prepared for their year in the East. Typically its the WM, SW and JW that come but it has been know for other “Go-getters” to get the invite as well.

The presentation that I am giving again this year is “Lodge Management”. Worshipful Masters are given ideas and ways to teach them how to run his Lodge effectively and successfully. Time proven methods are provided and explained throughout. I have adapted the presentation for The Working Tools to give you an idea of how this is accomplished.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE - The MLC is for the Brethren of New Jersey, your own Grand Lodge might do things differently. Please consult your bi-laws, District Deputies, Past Masters, or your own GL officers if you have any questions about procedures and regulations.

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Cover- “Lodge Management” Purpose

The purpose of this presentation is to teach you the practical areas of how to run a lodge: How to schedule a meeting, create a proper trestle board, lodge Web site, calendar, Etc… These will all be explained in full detail later on. It’s important to note that even though he is in charge for the year “Lodge Management” begins and ends with the WM but no Lodge will be successful without 110% assistance, participation and COOPERATION from the brethren!!

The Worshipful Masters Role

The first section starts off with what is expected from a Worshipful Master during his year. Every brother who sits in the East should always be cognisant that all eyes and ears will be focused squarely (pun intended) on him. Be prepared going into your year. Do not start planning a week prior, start thinking about it SIX months in advanced.

Understand that you act as a manager for the year. No different as if you were a managing a business. Without people doing the work you won’t be able to function. Without HAPPY people working you will never be successful in the long run.

As the WM, you must understand the Brothers who are attending the meetings. Not everyone joins Masonry for the same reasons. Get to know what makes the brothers come out for each meeting. Talk to them and explore what they want.

Typically there are three types of men who join.

A. Those who join for the mysteries, ritual, and history B. Those who join for the charitable endeavors C. Brothers who join simply for Fellowship

All of these reasons are great, each person has something to offer the Lodge. Tailor the meetings to suit the characteristics of the brethren to make it an enjoyable night for all.

2) Understand that Brothers have varying levels of commitment (Work, Family,Hobbies). Do not overly push someone who has a previous obligation to attend a meeting if you know they can’t. You will turn them off.

3) Understand that Brothers have varying levels of ability. Some brothers just do not want to be officers for whatever reasons they have. Don’t push if they aren’t ready yet. Some might have difficulty speaking in crowds and will feel uncomfortable doing so. Put the RIGHT people in the RIGHT spot. Do not force a square peg in a round hole just to fill a chair.

4) Treat your Officers and membership with respect and compassion, just as you too wish to be treated and thought of as you leave the East. Remember your year in the East is just that, one year. After that you will no longer be the big cheese in the Lodge and you’ll have to come back down to Earth and sit with the commonfolk again.

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Cover- “Lodge Management”

The Worshipful Masters Duties

What are your responsibilities as WM? These are some of the many numerous tasks you will be faced with.

Depending upon your personality, you may want to try to handle as many of these yourself. DON’T. Delegate and work alongside your officers to get the jobs done.

1) Ability to perform Ritual and Degree Work 2) Masonic knowledge of Masonry’s science of morals, symbols and allegory.

3) Delegation of duties to his officers 4) Delegation of duties to Lodge Committees 5) Lodge regalia maintenance and upkeep 6) Trestleboard Communications 7) Scheduling of all functions 8) Provides ongoing Education to the brethren 9) Provides necessary updates of the Lodge By-Laws 10 ) Oversees all Financial issues of the lodge 11) Represents his Lodge at Grand Lodge

Most of the above are self-explanatory. The most important is to have the ability to preform the Ritual and degree work. We know that this does not come easy to everyone, ask for help if you need it. The candidates first impressions are made from how good the degree work is. Sloppy work equals a poor reflection on your lodge and the Craft as a whole. Secondly, striving for Ritual perfection is what separates us from other organizations. There is a reason we are oldest and most respected fraternity in the world.

Preparing Your Officers

As your preparing yourself many months in advanced you should also start preparing the officers that will serve under you. Many of the chairs will be filled as the lower chairs move up (JMC to SMC, JS to SS, JD to SD, JW to SW...etc). Do not take for granted that 100% of these officers will progress upward. Some want to stay where they are for several reason like the other obligations we spoke about or other commitments.

I called each and every officer prior to being installed and had a lengthy conversation with them. I asked what do you want to see happen, what will make it a good year for you. I also told them what I expected from them as well. I laid out my intentions and my goals and asked for their full support.

1) Evaluate which members will be the most dependable and wishes most to serve.

2) Form your Officer line with the premise that it is an honor for them to be asked to serve as Masonic Officers, not that you will take anyone who will fill a chair. (Start thinking 3 months prior to installation)

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Cover- “Lodge Management” 3) Present a written list of duties and responsibilities. Get at least one copy of “Our Stations And Places: Masonic Officer’s Handbook ” from Cornerstone publications (http://www.cornerstonepublishers.com/stations.html).

4) Set up a meeting prior to your Installation. Inform of your expectations & goals.

5) Delegate, delegate and then delegate again. You can’t do it alone. While it’s important to delegate jobs out to other brothers you can not just sit back and watch them. Delegate and communicate until the job is completed and done correctly.

6) Have regular Officer meetings throughout the year. What did you accomplish so far, what more do you have finish. Have checkpoints to make sure you have done what you set forth to do.

7) COMMUNICATE and LISTEN!!

Tressleboard

Your Tressleboard is the lifeline between the members. It allows you to reach out and communicate the months work that lies ahead. This is most vital for the brethren who no longer live in-state, or are unable to leave the home and attend the meetings. It allows them to stay connected to Lodge happenings.

Something to stress heavily is to keep it POSITIVE. This is not your private vehicle to vent or call out someone for something negative. Use the opportunity to enlighten and teach, this is your blank canvas to paint on.

I. PUBLICATION 1) The Trestleboard should be in the hands of your members at least 5 days before the 1st of the month.

2) Delegate the setup and distribution.

3) Make it professional, dignified and neat.

4) Use Masonic clip art.

5) MAIL TO THE ELECTED GRAND STAFF!!

II. COMPONENTS OF TRESSLEBOARD 1. THE MASTER’S MESSAGE A) Strictly for dispensing Masonic Light.

B) Not to be used to discuss Lodge Business, the season, or personal statements.

C) Ask Past Masters if they still have copies of their Trestleboards.

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D) Search the web for other Lodges in other states and read and take info from their Master’s messages.

E) Always keep it positive.

2. MASTER’S NOTES A) Lodge Business/Events.

B) Personal reflections, Thanks to Brothers.

3. GRAND LODGE COMMUNICATIONSA) When required. They are not to be abbreviated.

4. CALENDAR A) All Lodge functions.

B) All District functions and appropriate functions of other Lodges. (i.e. – a visit by the Grand Master, Blood drives) C) Grand Lodge functions.

5. CANDIDATES IN WAITING A) Petitioners Pending. Name, address and occupation.

B) EA’s and FC’s. Names and current status.

6. CONTACT INFORMATION A) The Grand Master’s name only, no contact information.

B) The name, address, phone number and e-mail of the DDGM, DRI, asst. DRI, District and Lodge Blood Bank Chairmen, appointed Lodge Officers, Committee Heads.

C)The names of other Committee members.

D) The names of the Trustees and the year their term expires.

7. ELECTRONIC TRESTLEBOARDS In an effort to save money, some Lodges have made the Trestleboard available electronically.

A. Downloadable via Lodge website.

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Cover- “Lodge Management” B. Establish a Group Yahoo site for your Lodge and post to that site. (Need to get every member on board to make this effective).

Lodge Websites

These days no Lodge should be without some sort of online representation. Anyone aged 21 years and older will automatically search for a place nearby his house. If he doesn’t find you within minutes you most likely lost the opportunity and he will contact another Lodge. A website does not have to cost you a fortune however, it shouldn’t look so outdated either, Here are my tips for what makes a good website.

1) Must be updated regularly…or must be shut down.

2) Do not include personal information, such as addresses, if possible.

3) Respect privacy.

4) You can make it simple, or more elaborate.

5) Things to include might be: A. Home Page (include some photos of recent events) B. Freemasonry info C. Your Lodge History D. Master’s Message/Master’s Notes E. Calendar of Events F. Lodge Officers G. Grand Lodge Officers (get recent photo of GM from DDGM) H. Photo Gallery I. NJ Masonic Home Info (free advertising for them) J. Contact Information

Calendar

Yet again, you should start planning your year well in advanced. Write everything down on your calendar. keep it updated and on you all the time. Write down all meeting and rehearsal nights immediately. Fill in all the special occasions/events that you know.

1) The Incoming Worshipful Master should establish his Master Plan and Calendar for his year well in advance.

Don’t scramble at the last minute! The entire year should be planned out by at least September. A meeting of all Incoming Officers should be scheduled during September or October to review the Calendar and agree on Committees and Events.

2) Some dates are mandatory, so get them on your Calendar, then simply fill in the rest of your dates around them.

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Cover- “Lodge Management” 3) Dates of Installations. (Remember that it is a courtesy to have representatives from your Lodge visit other Lodges in your District during their Installations.)

SUGGESTIONS 1) Don’t overburden your Officers with too much degree work.

2) Birthday night. (Send card, present Bday pin) Have your programs/speakers on this night as well.

3) Widows’ night.

4) Movie night.

5) White Apron night. (Program “You Can’t Do That”) 6) Past Masters’ night.

7) Ladies night.

8) Past Masters Conducting 2nd Section MM degree.

9) Guest Speakers – preferably re: Masonry.

10) Table Lodge – get GM as guest speaker, need to contact GS now to get it on his/your calendar.

11) Masonic Play – Defense of the Ruffians

Order of Business

Your head, no doubt, will be swimming with thoughts throughout your meeting. This is especially true during your first couple of meetings as a new WM. This list should be copied down and kept next to you as your rule and guide in running a smooth meeting. All you need to do is go step by step and you will cover everything.

1) Reading of minutes and Bills 2) Reading of Communications 3) Treasurer’s Report 4) Reception of Petitions 5) Reports of Committees of Investigation 6) Balloting on Candidates 7) Old Business 8) Reports of Standing Committees 9) Reports of Special Committees 10) Sick and Shut Ins 11) Moment of Silence for Departed Brothers 12) New Business 13) Events Announcements 14) Birthday Night (if applicable) 15) Evening’s Program

Balloting

Please double check with your own GL regarding your states rules for balloting. This is a guideline for NJ which probably follows closely to other jurisdictions but I cannot guarantee.

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Cover- “Lodge Management” 1) Plan your evening so that you ballot on the MM degree 2) You CANNOT hold an emergent communication for the sake of balloting unless you have dispensation from the GM. 3) Balloting collectively on multiple new petitioners: 4) When the Secretary reports in response to the Master’s question, “Do you have any petitions pending”, he should state three things for each petitioner: 5) That there has been a favorable report by the Committee of Investigation 6) That 3 favorable letters of recommendation have been received 7) That you have received clearance from GL on the petitioner collectively?”

8) The Master should then ask, “Are there any objections to balloting

9) There is then a 2/3 hand vote.

10) If there are one or more cubes after the collective ballot, it will be necessary to vote on each petitioner individually.

11) The first ballot does not count against the individual petitioner.

12) In the event of a black cube, the WM has the right to destroy the ballot. He would not ask the Wardens how they found the ballot.

13) The Brethren should bring any potential problems to the attention of the WM well prior to balloting.

Additional reading for the successful WM The Master’s Book – Carl H. Claudy Masonic Action Teams – Ronald J. Cottman Short Talks on Masonry – Joseph Fort Newton Masonic Speech Making – J.W. Hobbs Masonic After Dinner Speaking – Laurence Ager Master’s Book of Short Speeches – Walter E. Willets 100 Short Prayers – May Stafford Hilburn Macoy’s Worshipful Master’s Assistant – Allen Roberts Tied to Masonic Apron Strings – Stuart Pollard

Conclusion

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Phoenixmasonry.org Online Museum

Masonic Picture Frames 1871 Bellamy Hand-Carved Walnut Masonic Frame

Bronze Square & Compasses Victorian Frame

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Phoenixmasonry.org Online Museum Masonic Picture Frame w/ Civil War Soldier

Early Shrine of North America Bronze Victorian Frame

Shrine Reverse Painted Picture Frame

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Phoenixmasonry.org Online Museum Early Masonic Daguerreotype Photo Case

Early Masonic Working Tools Frame with "Light of Masonry" Membership Certificate

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Lodge Education “FOR NEWLY RAISED BRETHREN” Edited by: Robert H. Starr Samuel Gompers-Benjamin Franklin Lodge No. 45 Washington, D.C.

2. Donations to the Masonic Blood Bank, if eligible.

3. Assistance in conferring degrees.

4. Attendance and assistance at Masonic funeral services when summoned.

You have now received the three Symbolic degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry and, I hope soon, such instruction in the work of those degrees as will enable you to pass a creditable examination therein—whenever you should visit lodges in this or other jurisdictions throughout the world where you are unknown and cannot be vouched for as a Master Mason.

Your Lodge needs your help in these and many other ways. Masonry makes no demands; she provides opportunities, she gives you the key to a door, she opens a path to your feet, but she forces you neither to use the key nor travel the path. She beckons; you may follow or not as you please. If you follow, you will travel strange ways, but you will find them increasingly pleasant the further you go.

You have also received, I hope, through the Lodge System of Masonic Education prescribed by our Grand Lodge an appreciation of the lessons we are trying to teach and are versed, at least to some extent, in the history, traditions, laws, customs and usages of the Craft. As a part of the Masonic Education program, you have been told of your privileges, your duties and your responsibilities as a member of your Masonic Lodge. Some of these may be enumerated briefly as follows:

This paper is limited to providing information about some of the courtesies and etiquette of lodge life as generally, although not necessarily universally, practiced.

Masonry has developed its own conventions, governed by tradition, custom and usage, by which its members act in lodge and in the anteroom and live together with the least friction.

Not to proceed according to their dictates is not a Masonic offense; it is merely a lack of Masonic manners. Unless you belong to a most unusual lodge, or had a most wise brother for an instructor, it is doubtful if you were told much about these little niceties of lodge conduct. You are supposed to attend your lodge and learn by observation.

(a) To hold membership in some lodge. (b) To pay regularly and promptly such dues and assessments as your Lodge may levy. To attend the communications of your Lodge, to join in its deliberations, to have a voice in its decisions and to assist in discharging its responsibilities, among which are: 1. Volunteer service on committees.

A. Entering or retiring from lodge at labor or at refreshment by use of the due guard - symbol of a Mason’s obligations.

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Lodge Education

One of the prerogatives of a W.M. is to control the admission and retirement of both members and visitors to his lodge. Masons, entering a lodge give the due-guard to salute the W.M. at the Altar, if the lodge is at labor. This practice assures the W.M. that the brother knows on which degree the lodge is open. A brother making a wrong sign can be instructed immediately. He can readily determine this before giving the due-guard by observing how the square and compasses are placed upon the Holy Bible on the Altar. The salute informs the W.M. that the brother is a Mason of the degree on which the lodge is open; if he makes an inferior sign and cannot, on request, give the right one, the W.M. can then use other means to ascertain that no E.A. or F.C. is present in a Master Mason’s lodge. The salute is a silent assurance to the W.M. and through him to the brethren: “I remember my obligations.”

Brethren give a similar salute to the W.M. at the Altar upon retiring in order to get permission to leave.

No one can enter or leave a lodge room while a lodge is at labor without permission. If the W.M. does not wish the brother who salutes to retire, he tells him so, instead of responding to the salute.

At refreshment the lodge is in charge of the J.W. in the South, which thus becomes, for the time being, constructively the East. The J.W.’s pillar is raised and the pillar of the S.W. is lowered. The same salutes are given to the J.W, as are usually given to the W.M. and for the same reasons, in the event a brother wishes to enter or retire.

The W.M. in the East occupies the most exalted position in the gift of the lodge. A lodge which does not honor its W.M., not because of what he himself may be, but on account of the honor given him, is lacking in Masonic courtesy. The position he occupies, not

the man himself, must be given the utmost respect, if the traditions of the Fraternity are to be observed. It is, therefore, to the W,M., not to John Smith who happens to be the W.M., that you offer a salute when you enter or retire from lodge. Like any other salute, this may be done courteously and as if you meant it or perfunctorily as if you did not care. The man who puts one finger to his hat brim when he speaks to a woman on the street compares poorly with his well-bred neighbor who lifts his hat. Taking the hat off is the modern remains of the ancient custom of Knights who removed their helmets in the presence of those they felt their friends and thus, before those they wished to honor by showing that they trusted them. A man removes his hat before a woman to show his respect. Touching the brim is but a perfunctory salute. Similarly, the salute to the W.M. is your renewed pledge of fealty and service, your recognition before all your assembled brethren of your obligations. It is performed before the W.M. and the Altar to show him your veneration for his authority, your respect for all of that, for which he stands. To offer your salute as if you were in a hurry, too lazy properly to make it, or bored with its offering, is to be, Masonically a boor. Moreover, brethren should not approach the Altar with bundles or papers in hand. Some lodges permit smoking during a business meeting. Even here, however, a brother is not too respectful who makes a solemn salute to the W.M. before the Altar with a cigarette or cigar either in his mouth or in his hand.

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Lodge Education B. Addressing Lodge

In addressing the lodge for any purpose, a brother speaks to the W.M. The W.M. is the lodge. A brother stands to order when addressing the chair, gives salute (due-guard and penal sign) and begins speech only after the W.M.’s recognition. A brother does not turn his back on the W.M. to address the lodge without permission from him. He who seconds a motion rises and salutes when doing so. No brother should ever sit while speaking. Moreover, the spectacle of two brethren on their feet at the same time, arguing over a motion, facing each other and ignoring the W.M. is not one which any W.M. should permit. But it is also one which no W.M. should have to prevent!

Failure to obey the gavel at once is a grave discourtesy. The W.M. is all powerful in the lodge. He can put or refuse to put any motion. He can rule any brother out of order on any subject at any time.

He can say what he will and will not permit to be discussed. Brethren who think him unfair, arbitrary, unjust, or acting illegally have redress; the Grand Lodge can be appealed to on any such matter. But in the lodge, the gavel, emblem of authority, is supreme.

When a brother is rapped down, he should at once obey, without further discussion. It is very bad manners to do otherwise; indeed, it is close to the line between bad manners and a Masonic offense.

C. Advancement

If an officer is absent, the officers below his station do not necessarily each move up a chair. There is no “advancement by right” for any office except that of W.M. The W.M. fills any vacancy by temporary appoint-

ment. In the absence of the W.M., the S.W. presides.

In the absence of both the W.M. and the S.W., the J.W. presides. The W.M. may ask a P.M. or any brother he believes qualified to fill a temporarily vacant chair.

D. Altar and East

Except in procession during a degree, it is practically universal that brethren do not pass between the Altar and the East in a lodge at labor. Why? This courtesy is rooted in the thought that the W.M. should have the Great Lights constantly in view. In theory, the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses on the Altar are dedicated to God, the Master and the Craft and are in the charge of the Master. He draws inspiration from the Great Lights on the Altar to preside over the lodge and, therefore, at no time should his view of them be interrupted. This custom is but a pretty courtesy, but it is rooted in a fundamental conception of the Craft - that the Altar is the center of Masonry and that from it and the Great Lights it bears, flow all that there is of Masonic inspiration, truth and light.

E. Altar and Lesser Lights

You have observed that, in our jurisdiction, the Lesser Lights are placed in a triangular form about the Altar. It is customary not to walk between the Altar and a light. The theory is that the Altar and the three lights about it represent the Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies, of the original tabernacle in the wilderness. Into this the High Priest could go, but only to return the same way. Brethren enter this symbolic representation in the lodge room, but do not use it as a passageway by passing through it.

F. Altar and West

In passing from the South to the North side of the lodge at labor, or vice versa, between the Altar and the S.W. in the West, a brother should look to the East and give the penal sign of the degree on which the lodge is open.

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Lodge Education G. Aprons

Brethren who respect the formalities of their lodge will not enter it undressed; that is, without their apron or while putting on that apron. Aprons should be put on before entering the lodge room. When, as sometimes happens on “big nights”, there are not enough aprons, a handkerchief may be tucked in the belt to take its place. The spectacle of a late brother hurriedly entering the lodge room at the last moment, tying on his apron as he approaches the Altar is much on a par with a member of church entering it while putting on his collar and tie.

sonic for a brother to divulge how he intends to or has balloted or to attempt to ascertain how another will or has balloted. Peace and harmony are the foundations of all Masonic meetings. For Brother A to learn that Brother B has balloted or will ballot against his friend would disrupt that peace and harmony.

As you have already learned, the use of the apron is extremely old, not, as with the operative Masons, as a protector of clothing and body against tools and stone, but as a badge of honor. In all times and climes, it has been a badge of distinction. It is as such that a Mason wears it. The material of the Masonic apron - lambskin - is a symbol of innocence, as the lamb has always been. It is a courtesy much appreciated by all Tilers if brethren leaving the lodge room lay their aprons neatly in a pile or in the apron box, instead of dropping them anywhere for the Tiler to pick up and put away.

It is the duty of every member present to vote and the W.M. may oblige him to do so. A Brother who does not vote, because too lazy, or too indifferent, or for any other reason, is discourteous because he injures the ballot, its secrecy, its importance and its value.

H. Balloting

The etiquette which surrounds the ballot is a reflection of Masonic thought upon its value and importance. Brethren ballot one at a time after a salute to the W.M. No one should leave or enter a lodge room during the taking of a ballot, with the exception of the Tyler, if he is a member of the lodge. It is customary to present the box first to the W.M. for his inspection, then to the Wardens. The three principal officers ballot without leaving their seats. In some lodges the box is passed also to all officers and P.M.’s. What is customary is good manners. It is a gentle courtesy for the Master to ask the Tyler to enter and vote, his place being taken by another meanwhile. This is properly done after all but the Tyler have voted.

In all Grand Jurisdictions the ballot on candidates is secret and inviolable. It is considered un-Ma-

The rejection of a candidate is a blow to him who has applied. If everyone knew who had cast the black cube, the rejected man might speedily learn and cause of friction in the profane world would then have come out of a Masonic Lodge.

I. Conclusion

The thoughts above outlined will disclose that good manners in Masonry, like those in civil life, are rooted in kindness and flower in good will. They oil the Masonic wheels and enable them to revolve without creaking. They smooth the path of all in the lodge and prove to all the truth of the ritualistic explanation of that “more noble and glorious purpose” to which we are taught to put the trowel.

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I hope you enjoy reading “ The Working Tools” and find enlightenment in each and every new issue.

Please spread the word about us to all your Lodge Brothers and let them know how to find TWT on the web.

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